Washed Out is Ernest Greene, a young guy from Perry, Georgia, USA who makes bedroom synthpop that sounds blurred and woozily evocative, like someone smeared Vaseline all over an early OMD demo tape, then stayed up all night trying to recreate what they heard.
There’s a sense of longing and distance in Greene’s somber, filtered vocals, but it’s what he does compositionally that makes Washed Out stand out. Backed by gently pulsing, Balearic-tinged disco, Greene’s voice takes on a new dimension. Reminiscent of groups like The Glass and Chromatics, Washed Out is the music to end your night with, when the city is quiet and you’ve got a long walk home ahead of you.
Matt Haeck keeps an ear studiously and respectfully trained on those men and women, both living and long dead, who give us our rich heritage of American music. Matt has lived in every major region of America, but he and his music have made their way to Nashville. He comfortably assimilates northern soul, west coast harmonies, east coast pop and Midwest rock into his brand of southern Americana. The stories these places tell combine with influences from Wilco and Stephen Foster to Cormac McCarthy and the Old Testament to form the substance of Matt’s songs.
In January of this year Matt released a new EP, Western States. The seven songs on the album explore thoughts of running, loving, losing, and longing. “The EP’s lyrical content and musical fluidity make it timeless and make Matt Haeck one of the finest up-and-comers making music these days.” (thisismodern.net)
Albums:
Pair of Sirens, 2008 Western States, January 2010
Kudos:
Best New Acoustic Artist, 2008 San Diego HAT Awards Honorable Mention, 2009 Billboard World Song Contest
“It’s not often a musician comes out of nowhere to take you by surprise with his music. That musician this time is Matt Haeck, and this EP, his second release, is one of the most satisfying listens you will receive. His folksy American roots music is familiar yet still original and is delivered in an accessible way so that any music fan can appreciate it. ‘Drug Like The Ocean’ is lyrically awesome and is further accented by the earthy instrumentation. The other songs on the EP range from ambient and light to deep and dark. On ‘Banks And Murder,’ Haeck sings about an extreme account of how tough economic times can grab a hold of someone. The EP’s lyrical content and musical fluidity make it timeless and make Matt Haeck one of the finest up-and-comers making music these days.”
“The [Western States] EP travels familiar Americana, Alt-Country territory, but don’t worry, that’s territory that’s often best with a dose of familiarity, like your favorite pair of worn jeans; they’ve just always been part of your life. Great music of this genre feels familiar in the best possible ways, there is an immediate connection. The twinkling pianos of “The Crow” feel right at home while the reverb soaks you in. The title track feels like family, Haeck’s warm voice floats just above the steel strings. Lyrically, the EP travels the familiar territory of being on the run, broken hearts and hope. But again, this sense of familiarity is far from a downfall.
“This EP has been on repeat the past couple of days and I can’t wait for you to hear it. Highly recommended.”
“With only one full release behind him, Haeck already sounds utterly assured….He tells stories that draw you in, some instantly accessible and others needing a drip-like effect to make sense….Haeck’s vocal is warm and easy on the ear. It may mean basic packaging, but his restraint in refusing to pad out these strong songs with weaker ones to make it into a full album is to be applauded. If you don’t buy the whole thing, the title track is a must-download. Watch out for him: Matt Haeck (pronounced Heck) should be around for quite a while.”
“Matt Haeck, a captivating acoustic artist in his own right…has a piercing voice that slices right down to our very core, relying on our ever-so-macho outsides to break down and let him in. Occasionally mixing strings, keys, percussion, etc. in the form of The Quiet Light (his backing band) with that voice, Haeck is sure to make a great mark on the acoustic scene with his stirring pop.
“Haeck falls into the tradition of the singer-songwriter from the time when that moniker meant that the writer was shooting for a profound statement, that the person strumming the guitar in the coffee shop had something important to say. The overall mood of all the songs on Pair of Sirens is ponderous, not downer sort of stuff like early post-Beatles John Lennon Plastic Ono depression, but Haeck has a few things on his mind – sometimes these thoughts are about relationships, sometimes about himself, or sometimes about the great country that we live in – and wants to be taken seriously.”
Soon after finishing her acclaimed 2008 album Apple Tree, Colorado-born, Nashville-based singer-songwriter Katie Herzig received a fateful phone call. “I sat down to paint one day—I hadn’t painted in years—then I got a call asking me to write a song for the Sex and the City movie,” she says. “So I put down my paintbrush and haven’t painted since!”
What she did instead, as one assignment led to another, was write music for numerous films and television shows, and in the process, find a surprising and exciting direction for her new album, The Waking Sleep, her first release on Downtown/Mercer Street Records. “I was trying new things,” says Herzig, “getting outside of what I would normally do as an artist. It was really fun and invigorating to use samples and build tracks digitally. I loved creating like that, and it really allowed me more freedom, because I was doing something less personal, and creating for something else.”
But there was also no doubt that at some point, this accomplished artist would return to the distinctive, heartfelt material that made her name. After initially fronting the Colorado-based band Newcomers Home, Herzig released her solo debut, Watch Them Fall, in 2004, followed by Weightless two years later. When she relocated to Nashville, she immediately started to catch the attention of her fellow artists and was invited to perform as part of the remarkable new talent showcased on the Hotel Café and Ten Out of Tenn tours.
As rewarding as the soundtrack work could be, there was another kind of work to be done. “I knew I’d have to get back to writing for me,” she says. “I was kind of intimidated by it, but I knew a lot would come out. I do remember saying, though, I thought I might make a really mellow, stripped-down record.”
It wouldn’t have been a surprise for Herzig to go that direction. After all, her last release was Live in Studio: Acoustic Trio, a bare-bones 2009 re-imagining of some of her material. But there’s another side of her musical interests that came to the fore instead.
“I just love bands, and I found myself making a record that felt like that. I was listening to lots of Coldplay, Phoenix, Vampire Weekend…” she says. Herzig and producer Cason Cooley were also especially taken with film composers Gustavo Santaolalla (Babel, Brokeback Mountain) and Mark Mothersbaugh who also influenced their thinking.
Herzig knew that she wanted to work with one producer and write a batch of songs that were specifically intended for a new album. Eventually, “The Waking Sleep” emerged as the project’s initial composition. “It felt like the first personal song I’d written in a long time,” she says. “That got the ball rolling, and felt like it might be the beginning of something.”
“Wasting Time” followed soon after, written on a ukulele borrowed from one of Herzig’s bandmates. As she and Cooley began to develop these songs, a new process and a new sound were surfacing. “I recorded a lot of these songs at my home studio and started to build tracks as I wrote them,” she says. “It was very experimental and not rushed. Before I did all the film and tv stuff I would mostly just write songs on my guitar, now I was building tracks and writing songs within them.”
The Waking Sleep was constructed over a full year of work, as Herzig continued to tour on her own and open for Brandi Carlile across the US. “I recorded whenever I was home, and each time it felt like it was a different season of the record,” she says. Songs like “Make A Noise” and “Midnight Serenade” represented uncharted territory for Herzig, with skittery rhythms and multiple movements. By combining digitally programmed sounds with organic instruments, she was finding a fresh musical identity.
The song “Way To The Future” came suddenly, at the end of a session, when Cooley played Herzig a drum loop he wasn’t sure what to do with. “I sat down and started playing this string sample against it,” she says. “I was about to leave, but I stayed and we just wrote the song- it was really fast and fluky.”
Herzig knew that these songs would present a new kind of challenge for her on stage, since she’ll follow up the album’s release with a headlining tour, as well as another run on the Ten Out of Tenn tour. Speaking a few days after her first live performance of five songs from The Waking Sleep, she says that “it felt like I was playing my first show—a whole different energy, like we were a different band.”
In addition to the changes that The Waking Sleep represent in her sound, Herzig also found that the lyrics of her new songs were moving into new areas. “These songs are less relationship-driven,” she says. “Of course, there’s still some of that but the key songs—”The Waking Sleep,” “Make a Noise,” “Way to the Future,” “Free My Mind”—all raise bigger questions about things going on in the world. Like a lot of people, I’ve felt constantly overwhelmed by the state of the world, and finding myself asking how it will work out and how we can help solve things.”
With The Waking Sleep, Katie Herzig displays maturity and creative fearlessness that extend far beyond her previous work. She knew the risks involved, and knew that breakthroughs only come from having the confidence to believe in your instincts. “I was afraid that all I wanted to write about was global warming and the economy,” she says, “and I don’t really know how to write about those things. But I just needed to raise questions. I see all these things happening around me, what can I do about them?
“On some songs, I don’t even know what I’m writing about,” Herzig concludes. “But it feels like exactly what I need to say.”
I am a Flower Alchemist with a minor in music.
Born in New York City, raised in Motherland Russia, spent teenage years sequestered in an Italian monastery.
Following a prophecy, arrived in the U.S. incognito and studied opera. The rest is history.
I seek to sing in a manner which would create within your chest a safe, magical, truthful place of power beyond the slow burn of stars.
Bob Crawford, born in the Bronx, NY, is one of those rare people who combines musicality, scholarship, and business acumen into one seamless individual. After graduating from the University of Virginia in 1971 (Phi Beta Kappa/Magna cum laude) Bob embarked on his musical career full time. From being the Musical Director, Guitarist, and Vocalist for the National Company of Paul Sills’ “Story Theatre”(1972-3) to the publishing of his music theory book “Symmetric Cycles” (Foreward by Mick Taylor-Rolling Sones/John Mayall) by RMCO MUSIC/Charles Colin Publications, Bob has been actively involved in songwriting, arranging, producing, and studio work as a guitarist and vocalist for the past 30 years.
In 1975, Bob founded Josandra Rehearsal Studios in NYC which became the home of such celebrated musicians as Pat Martino, Larry Harlow, Sonny Rollins, Horace Silver, Mongo Santamaria, Slide Hampton, Sam Jones, Tom Harrell, Kevin Eubanks, Larry Coryell, John Abercrombie, Brand X, Tom Rush, John Hammond, Aztec 2 Step, Jocelyn Brown, Meat Loaf, Loretta Devine, and Roz Ryan among many others.
In 1986 he acted as President of Lions’ Den Recording in NYC until 1990 when he formed RMCO MUSIC, his full-service production, recording, publishing, and consulting company. Still active today RMCO MUSIC boasts such varied clients as Larry Harlow, Mick Taylor, Jocelyn Brown, Maxine Brown, Ron Richardson, Vickilyn Reynolds, Carl Hall, Beverly Crosby, and Vondie Curtis-Hall.
In 1991, Larry Harlow (2008 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award Winner and Latin Music Hall of Fame Member) recorded “My Time Is Now”(“Mi Tiempo Llego”) on the album of the same name, co-written by Bob Crawford and A. Dennis (Doc) Williams of the O’Jays released on Cache/Fania Records.
In 2006, Maxine Brown (R&B Hall of Fame Member and Tony Award Winner) recorded anther of Bob’s compositions “I Want To Be Loved” released on “From The Heart” (Mee Max Music, Inc.) He continues to write, publish, and place songs with other artists to this day. For more information please contact Bob at:
New York City artist, Brian Mackey has not only broken the mold of a typical singer/songwriter, he’s smashed it to bits and thrown the dust into the ears of the listener, to create a new sound that captivates the soul.
His music is an eclectic mix of acoustic and Synth-driven up-tempo Indie rock, with a hint of Americana. Originally from a tin roof town on the Northern Florida/Georgia border, his songs reflect life experiences, meshed with new found freedoms in NYC.
Melissa James may be an unfamiliar name to some, but that is set to change. A late joiner to the music scene, it was while studying Media Studies at Sussex University in Brighton that she first dipped her toe into the singing pool. Her weekly appearance at the on-campus Park Village Bar was where her thirst for performance and jazz was created.
In between lectures and seminars, she’d listen intently to recordings by Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and Nina Simone, mentally taking notes then reliving what she’d learned in her slot at the jazz jam on a Sunday night. Soon she was performing in small Brighton venues which further increased her thirst for singing and performance.
Fast-forward fourteen years and since her days in Brighton, in addition to frequenting London’s Parisien-themed venue, Le Quecumbar, where she plays with guitarist Andy Robinson, Melissa has also worked with an eye-brow raising list of names on the jazz circuit in London. Femi Temowo, Tony Kofi and Mike Outram are just some of the musicians that stand-out among the many. But it was two years ago, upon meeting SW London-based pianist and composer, Ross Lorraine, that Melissa’s ambitions took another direction.
The James-Lorraine collaboration has built-up a steady stream of songs incorporating her influences from the days she spent listening to Billie and Ella as well as many of artists of now, from Lizz Wright and Cassandra Wilson to other singer-songwriters such as Joni Mitchell, Eric Bibb and Ray Lamontagne. Her style, while tipping a hat towards jazz, also has the rawness of blues and hints of folk. “It’s hard to pin me down,” she says with a smile, “I like music and I listen to all kinds so naturally this is reflected in my own writing.”
Soon she will have added another notch to her belt when she records her first CD. Still very much focused on fine-tuning her material, she has plans to record her debut album later this year. “This is an exciting time,” she beams, “I’m putting together a band, we’re working through the songs and I gig them, in a small acoustic settings, as often as I can just so I can work-out what works and what doesn’t. When we go into the studio, we’ll record it live so I want the songs to have lived a little so that their individual stories can really come through on the record.” There are big times ahead for Melissa James so while her name may not be very familiar to you now, it won’t be long before it will be.
Influences:
Nina Simone, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra, Cassandra Wilson, Tuck and Patti, Joni Mitchell, John Williams, Nathalie Merchant, Kurt Elling, Lizz Wright, Ray Lamontagne, Amos Lee, Bob Dylan, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Rickie Lee Jones, Jonatha Brooke, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder,
LiZZie is a bilingual singer and song writer who was raised by family of musicians, her father being her major influence. By age four she was already joining childrens musical groups, presenting herself in many events such as community concerts, parties, and even some local radio stations. At age seven she began playing the guitar, and later she was already writing songs. After having released her first single and music video, LiZZie is currently working on her latest project in Miami.
** LiZZie es Cantautora bilingue desde nina vivio rodeada de musicos. Su padre que siendo cantautor influyo en el desarrollo de las aptitudes musicales de LiZZie. Desde los cuatro anos, comenzo a formar parte de grupos musicales infantiles, se presento en eventos, fiestas, emisoras de radio, etc. A los siete anos de edad comenzo a tocar guitarra y mas adelante a escribir canciones. Despues de haber lanzado su primer single y su primer video clip Lizzie se encuentra actualmente trabajando en su ultimo projecto en Miami que muy pronto saldra al mercado.
Throwing Gravity just finished their first album. For the third time. It is often said that “the third time is a charm”, and for Throwing Gravity, that is precisely the expectation.
In the fall of 2009, under their original name, The Rust, the band hit the road in promotion of their debut record – the first version that is – entitled “Anticipation”. Touring the House of Blues circuit in support of Secondhand Serenade & Parachute, the group traveled across the entirety of the continental U.S. and a portion of Canada, winning over fans night after night with rock and roll anthems and the live show to back them up. Routing the group to territory previously unknown, the tour ultimately landed the quintet in Los Angeles, and as fate would have it, right into the lap of industry legend Jason Flom, credited with discovering Collective Soul, Stone Temple Pilots, Matchbox Twenty and Kid Rock, in addition to a host of other highly successful acts.
After viewing the band’s showcase at the world-famous Viper Room, Flom signed the band to his newly-reformed Lava Records, doing business as a subsidiary of Universal Republic. All the hard work it seemed, had finally paid off – Throwing Gravity (to be) had finally landed the coveted “major label deal”.
Upon signing their contract with Lava/Universal in December 2009 and officially changing their name from The Rust to Throwing Gravity, the band was pushed right into the studio on January 1st, 2010 to begin the recording process for what would become “Wake Up”, the group’s (official) debut release. Featuring production and mixing from the likes of Chris Lord-Alge (Shinedown, Daughtry, Paramore), Ryan Williams (30 Seconds to Mars, 3 Doors Down, Outkast), Josh Abraham (Staind, Velvet Revolver, Limp Bizkit) and Jon King (Augustana, Future Leaders of the World, 3 Pill Morning), “Wake Up” included several new songs in addition to a collection of re-recorded songs from “Anticipation”, the bands original first record.
“Wake Up” was completed in the spring of 2010, and with masters in hand and multiplatinum team in place – production, mixing, legal, booking, management and label – the stage was set for what the members of Throwing Gravity planned to be the biggest year of their lives. But plans don’t always work out. For the better part of eight months, Throwing Gravity sat at home in Nashville, TN and waited. And waited. And waited. As time slowly dragged on, filled with unreturned phone calls, album release dates getting pushed back and tours falling through, it became increasingly clear that “the dream” was falling apart. And in late 2010, the dreaded phone call that everyone feared was on its way, finally came – Throwing Gravity was released from their contract with Lava/Universal Republic Records. And to make matters worse, their record – a product of countless hours of hard work, blood, sweat and tears, and lined with a slew of heavy-hitting industry names – was shelved, never to see the light of day.
By the end of 2010, the year that was so promising a mere 12 months earlier, Throwing Gravity was left with nothing. No record. No album. No money. A roller coaster ride leading straight back to square one.
After the inevitable period of mourning finally passed, Throwing Gravity decided to pick themselves up, dust themselves off and get back in the studio with friend and producer Jon King to record their first album yet again – for the third time. Armed with only the best songs from “Wake Up” and comprised predominately of new material, Throwing Gravity’s official debut record, “It’s Not the End”, is an audible masterpiece. Fueled by hard-hitting drums and burning guitar riffs on songs like “Circles” and “Stop”, layered with undeniable melodies and powerful lyrical content a la “Best Time” and “Given Up on Giving Up on You” and featuring the songs that have stood the test of time – “Wake Up”, “Missing You” and “Here We Go Again” – “It’s Not the End” is sure keep you listening from start to finish.
They say the third time’s a charm, and for the members of Throwing Gravity – Nick James (lead vocals/guitar), Jesse Triplett (lead guitar), Sam Hindmarsh (bass), Chris Scott (keys) and Tom DuPree III (drums) – that is precisely the expectation. And regardless of all the highs and lows that have occurred, the quintet’s mentality is no better expressed than through the title of their record. “It’s Not the End” proves that Throwing Gravity is in it for the long haul, and this time around, they’re playing for keeps. Suffice it to say, Throwing Gravity is just getting started
The Unsatisfied raw, high energy, rock & roll meets dangerous punk rock with precision. A complete package; a genuine American punk act with so much energy & spectacle on stage it’s like being hit by a rock and roll lighting bolt.
Out of the frustrated underground punk culture of the South, comes The Unsatisfied. Front-man Eric Scealf started the group in 1986. Weathering years of personnel issues, equipment breakdowns and the ever changing music business, they are better than ever. They’re like a well-oiled machine that explodes on to the stage in the tradition of The Who, The Cramps, and The Ramones. This is the music your momma warned you about.
This true blood and glitter operation has toured for many years across the southeast and beyond, sharing the stage with such luminaries as the Misfits, Sylvain Sylvain (New York Dolls), Cheetah Chrome (Dead Boys), Dave Brockie Experience (GWAR), The Murder Junkies, Superdrag, Asphalt Blaster, Georgia Satellites, and Nashville Pussy. Even touring multiple times with HBO’s Real Sex most dangerous rock band, The Impotent Sea Snakes. Playing everywhere from the hallowed stage of CBGB’s in New York, to performing at southern skate parks for underage fans, The Unsatisfied always serves up healthy portions of faith and fire for punk rock aficionados.
“Songs the Belt Taught Us” is the newest CD from The Unsatisfied. It was recorded at Revolution Sound with Mike Pack engineering and helping the band produce and finished at Chase Park Transduction in Athens, GA with mixing by David Barbe (Bob Mould, DriveByTruckers) and mastering by Drew Vandenberg (WidespreadPanic, DriveByTruckers). It was released April 27th 2011. It has since been lauded by reviewers nation wide as one of the “best albums of the year…”. “Songs the Belt Taught Us” is also featured on Pandora.
The Unsatisfied is not your average rock band. They may be hard, but they’re more rhythmic than James Brown and embody the sensuality of Prince. It’s punk rock infused with jazz beats and sexual angst, you owe it to yourself to see The Unsatisfied live. Prepare yourself for the Southern music scene’s most whispered dirty secret, The Unsatisfied…
Band Members:
Eric Scealf – Lead Vocals
Johnny Stockman – Guitar
Doug Bales – Drums
E.T. – Bass, Backing Vocals
Joel Hastings – Guitar
