Something Beautiful – Jodie Nicholson
Ahead of her debut headline tour in early 2022, rising Hurworth-on-Tees soloist Jodie Nicholson has unveiled a spine tingling live session of her single ‘Second Sun’ – filmed by Jodie Canwell at The Old Church Studio, Northumberland.
Taking her cues from artists including Daughter, Warpaint, Lucy Rose, Bombay Bicycle Club, Pink Floyd and Laura Marling and her Dad’s love of prog rock, Nicholson subtly blurs the lines of genre expectations with warm soundscapes of indie, electro and folk-pop – with her ethereal vocals remaining constant over a diverse, explorative ground.
Nicholson’s songwriting explores what it means to feel alone in a familiar world, cradling vulnerability and loss with aching keys, pensive lyrics, mellow electronics and atmospherics from everyday, solitary moments.
In the intimate new session of ‘Second Sun’, Jodie reminds herself that sometimes you need to have faith in things getting better. “It’s one of those songs that’s shifted meaning as time’s gone by,” she tells, “though it began as a very personal, vulnerable thing, I think it resonates with a lot of people and serves as a big connector whenever I play it live. It’s good to be hopeful. There’s always something really special to me about sharing vulnerable music in churches; big, wide open spaces where the sound travels for what feels like miles. The Old Church Studio is such a beautiful space and I’ve quietly been a fan of Jodie Canwell’s work ever since I first saw it. This felt like the perfect space and opportunity to create something beautiful together. I hope people love it as much as we do.”
February 2022 will see her take to the road for her first ever UK headline tour as part of Independent Venue Week, including dates in London, Manchester and Glasgow – culminating with an eagerly awaited debut show at The Cluny. See full dates below.
2022 Live Dates:
02.02.22 The Grace, London
03.02.22 Oporto, Leeds
04.02.22 Gulliver’s, Manchester
05.02.22 Georgian Theatre, Stockton
11.02.22 Poetry Club SWG3, Glasgow
12.02.22 The Cluny, Newcastle
Tickets: www.jodienicholsonmusic.com/live
Flying Free – Jacqie Rivera
Daughter to the late legendary Regional Mexican artist, Jenni Rivera, Jacquelin Melina Rivera, better known as Jacqie Rivera, is one of today’s most promising artists.
While living her life in the limelight, Jacqie has been forging her own path in music by combining many sounds into what she calls “Fusion Music.” You will hear this representation in her previous songs such as “Existo Yo”, “Defender” and most recently “Ex Factor”. Her commitment to her fans is to take them on this musical journey, into her diary of intimate feelings converted into songs.
Jacqie returns now with a gripping rendition of the Nine Inch Nails song “Hurt” via Soundflower Publishing and My Grito Industries.
Coinciding with the 9 year anniversary of her iconic mother’s passing on December 9th, Jacqie’s cover of “Hurt” takes on a moving sentiment and serves as a memorable tribute to her late mother.
Of the new single, Jacqie tells People En Espanol, "This song speaks so much about my feelings. With the song I was able to express myself. I have spent my whole life putting others before me, my feelings, my desires, pleasing people. I want everyone to be well, but I kind of have forgotten myself , of my needs, of the things that I have to heal, of the things that really make me happy. This time I want to choose myself. Like I am declaring that I am starting a new season."
Pre-Save here.
Website – www.jacqierivera.com
Facebook – www.facebook.com/jacqierivera
Instagram – www.instagram.com/jacqierivera
Twitter – https://twitter.com/jacqieofficial
Youtube – https://www.youtube.com/c/JacqieRivera/videos
Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/artist/7gOu74yQzNuOjbiuJCP9QB?si=fSJCPmJLREmFAbW-w9M2zQ
A Beautiful Cocktail – Shoun Shoun
Following up on the 2019 release of their debut EP ‘A Hundred Trips’, Bristol-based experimental rock four-piece Shoun Shoun are set to release their debut album ‘Monsters & Heroes’ on January 28th 2022.
After years of battling ferocious noise, Annette Berlin (Big Joan, Male, The Final Age, Rose Kemp) felt an uncontrollable urge to connect with music in a more intimate way. She called time on existing projects and wrote prolifically about songs of alienation, redemption and the emptiness at the end of the party. Bringing the songs to dramatic life are musicians whose collective CV includes Bristol greats like The Moonflowers, The Fantasy Orchestra, Mooz, Patrick Duff and Chikinki.
Their debut EP ‘A Hundred Trips’ saw the band blend dream pop and garage rock with the urban ennui of Nico and the spirit of Sonic Youth. It was championed by the likes of Louder Than War, BBC Radio 6’s Tom Robinson and saw them garner radio play from Canada to Berlin.
‘Monsters & Heroes’ is due for release January 28th 2022 and will be available on CD all major streaming platforms
Did I Play Games is due for release January 28th 2022 and will be available on all major streaming platforms
Hoping to build on this success, ‘Monsters & Heroes’ is a beautiful cocktail of abrasive garage rock, soporific dream pop, playful psychedelia and carnal post-punk which makes them all the harder to pigeon-hole. Showing their innate ability to embrace both darkness and bliss, the album counters breezy, echoing guitars, swooning harmonies, eerily seductive almost spoken word and then marries them with direct lyricism, shrieking strings and a thick layer of fuzz which explodes into shrapnel throughout the course of the listen.
SHOUN SHOUN ARE:
Annette Berlin – Vocals, Guitar
Boris Ming – Violin, Synth & Backing Vocals
Giuseppe La Rezza – Drums
Ole Rudd – Bass
Speaking about the album, vocalist, lyricist and guitarist Annette Berlin says, “The album is a fractured collection of songs, reflecting how fractured a period of time the last two years have been. Half of the songs were written and recorded before the lockdowns began and the other half recorded once the band could be together again. Some of the tracks were written in my loft during lockdown as a way to cope with the loneliness. It was all done in complete DIY fashion; I’m really inspired by bands like Bob Vylan and Du Blonde who fiercely protect their independence.”
Alongside the album comes their next single ‘Did I Play Games’ also due for release January 28th, lyrically inspired by a friend that once drunkenly crashed on Annette’s kitchen floor; creating a story around that night with all of the fog and confusion the next day brings. “Don’t know how I got here, did I play games? Did I have fun?”
Website: https://shounshoun.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shounshounbristol/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShounShounUK
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shounshounuk/
Letting In The Light – IDLES
Last month saw IDLES release their brand new album CRAWLER – their fourth in as many years and the follow-up to their first No. 1, 2019’s Ultra Mono.
Met with widespread acclaim, the album was produced by IDLES’ Mark Bowen alongside Kenny Beats and marked a real turning point in the evolution of the band, adding a whole new dimension to the music the Bristolian five piece make. Following the soul soaked comeback single ‘The Beachland Ballroom’ and the abrasive ‘Car Crash’ today they release new single ‘When The Lights Come On’. With it’s motorik rhythm and propulsive bass lines the track harks back to the days when frontman and lyricist Joe Talbot would DJ in Bristol clubs until the early hours, chasing the party into the night only to be confronted by the harsh realities that turning the lights on can expose.
Speaking about the track Talbot writes: "When the lights come on. Our third offering from Crawler. A poem of light and sound exploring the cold light of day. Thank you x"
As well as releasing albums, directing videos and playing 23 sold-out live shows across America in October and November, IDLES still found time to record a track with famed Rage Against the Machine Guitarist Tom Morello (‘The Bachelor’ for his recent album ‘The Atlas Underground Flood’) and also remix St. Vincent’s recent track ‘Pay Your Way In Pain’
Not stopping there, 2022 will be by far the biggest year for touring they have ever seen – starting with a run of dates in the UK and Europe then heralding to play their first ever shows in South America, before returning for an extensive series of festivals – and finally, closing the year with shows in Australia and New Zealand. Full dates here.
16 JAN 2022 / UK / London / O2 Academy Brixton SOLD OUT
17 JAN 2022 / UK / London / O2 Academy Brixton SOLD OUT
18 JAN 2022 / UK / London / O2 Academy Brixton SOLD OUT
19 JAN 2022 / UK / London / O2 Academy Brixton SOLD OUT
21 JAN 2022 / UK / Cardiff / Motorpoint Arena SOLD OUT
22 JAN 2022 / UK / Birmingham / O2 Academy SOLD OUT
24 JAN 2022 / IE / Dublin / Vicar Street SOLD OUT
25 JAN 2022 / IE / Dublin / Vicar Street SOLD OUT
26 JAN 2022 / IE / Dublin / Vicar Street SOLD OUT
28 JAN 2022 / UK / Manchester / O2 Victoria Warehouse SOLD OUT
29 JAN 2022 / UK / Manchester / O2 Victoria Warehouse SOLD OUT
30 JAN 2022 / UK / Manchester / O2 Victoria Warehouse SOLD OUT
01 FEB 2022 / UK / Sheffield / O2 Academy SOLD OUT
02 FEB 2022 / UK / Newcastle / O2 City Hall SOLD OUT
03 FEB 2022 / UK / Glasgow / Barrowland Ballroom SOLD OUT
04 FEB 2022 / UK / Glasgow / Barrowland Ballroom SOLD OUT
05 FEB 2022 / UK / Glasgow / Barrowland Ballroom SOLD OUT
18 FEB 2022 / DE / Hamburg / Docks SOLD OUT
19 FEB 2022 / NE / Amsterdam / Melkweg SOLD OUT
20 FEB 2022 / NE / Amsterdam / Melkweg SOLD OUT
22 FEB 2022 / DE / Berlin / Columbiahalle SOLD OUT
23 FEB 2022 / DE / Cologne / E-Work SOLD OUT
24 FEB 2022 / DE / Munich / Muffathalle SOLD OUT
26 FEB 2022 / BE / Brussels / Ancienne Belgique SOLD OUT
28 FEB 2022 / FR / Paris / Elysee Montmartre SOLD OUT
01 MAR 2022 / FR / Paris / Elysee Montmartre SOLD OUT
02 MAR 2022 / FR / Lyon / Le Transbordeur SOLD OUT
03 MAR 2022 / IT / Milan / Fabrique
06 MAR 2022 / FR / Toulouse / Le Bikini SOLD OUT
07 MAR 2022 / ES / Bilbao / Santana
09 MAR 2022 / ES / Barcelona / Razzmatazz
10 MAR 2022 / ES / Madrid / La Riviera
11 MAR 2022 / PT / Lisbon / Coliseum
20 MAR 2022 / AR / Bueno Aires / Lollapalooza
25 MAR 2022 / COL /Bogota / Estéreo Picnic
27 MAR 2022 / BR / Sao Paulo / Lollapalooza Brazil
CRAWLER tracklisting:
MTT 420 RR
The Wheel
When the Lights Come On
Car Crash
The New Sensation
Stockholm Syndrome
The Beachland Ballroom
Crawl!
Meds
Kelechi
Progress
Wizz
King Snake
The End
No Boundaries – Jimmie Allen
Chart-topping, platinum-selling recording artist and current Best New Artist of the Year (all-genre) GRAMMY nominee Jimmie Allen’s dynamic album Bettie James Gold Edition will be available to purchase on CD from 21 January, 2022, and is now available to pre-order here.
Released to stream/download earlier this year, the 16-track album doubles down on Allen’s expansive love for music across genres, with nine collaborations in addition to the seven previously featured on his critically acclaimed July 2020 project Bettie James, named in homage to Allen’s late father, James Allen, and late grandmother, Bettie Snead.
Featured artists on Bettie James Gold Edition include Nelly, Keith Urban, Babyface, BRELAND, Keith Urban, LANCO, Mickey Guyton, Lindsay Ell, Little Big Town, Monica, Darius Rucker, Charley Pride, Noah Cyrus, Tim McGraw Pitbull, teamwork. and Vikina.
The album includes the current US Top 10 chart-climbing single with Brad Paisley, ‘Freedom Was a Highway,’ which Allen performed on The Late Late Show With James Corden.
“When it comes to music I love, I don’t really get wrapped up in boundaries or genres. I thought we were gonna stop with the collaborations with Bettie James, and then I was like man, there’s so much music out there that I love, so many artists that I love, and I just wasn’t done,” Allen says of the impetus for Bettie James Gold Edition. “There’s some Pop, there’s some Rock, there’s some Country, there’s some R&B. I got a chance to work with legends! When I was writing some of the songs, I was trying to picture each moment. I went to each artist to work with them so they could be who they are on the song and bring their greatness to the song – I feel like that’s what makes the songs better. I’m super proud of the body of work of this album.”
The physical release of Bettie James Gold Edition in 2022 will follow a monumental 2021 for Allen, which saw him publish his first children’s book My Voice Is a Trumpet, take home the trophy for New Male Artist of the Year at the 56th Academy of Country Music Awards and New Artist of the Year at the 55th Annual CMA Awards, receive his first GRAMMY nomination, hit the road with country superstar Brad Paisley, serve as Executive Music Producer for the Netflix series Titletown High, perform at the Kennedy Center Honors in tribute to Garth Brooks, appear on Elton John’s newest album The Lockdown Sessions with the track ‘Beauty In The Bones,’ and make it to the quarterfinals on Dancing with the Stars (US), among other professional highlights.
Bettie James Gold Edition Track List:
1. “Get Country” – Jimmie Allen, LOCASH
2. “Home Sweet Hometown” – Jimmie Allen, LANCO
3. “Flavor (feat. Vikina)” – Jimmie Allen, Pitbull, teamwork.
4. “Somebody” – Jimmie Allen, BRELAND, Lathan Warlick
5. “Pray” – Jimmie Allen, Monica, Little Big Town
6. “Boy Gets A Truck” – Jimmie Allen, Keith Urban
7. “Livin’ Man” – Jimmie Allen, Neon Union
8. “Tequila Talkin’” – Jimmie Allen, Lindsay Ell, teamwork.
9. “Forever” – Jimmie Allen, Babyface
10. “Good Times Roll” – Jimmie Allen, Nelly
11. “Drunk & I Miss You” – Jimmie Allen, Mickey Guyton
12. “Made For These” – Jimmie Allen, Tim McGraw
13. “Freedom Was A Highway” – Jimmie Allen, Brad Paisley
14. “Why Things Happen” – Jimmie Allen, Darius Rucker, Charley Pride
15. “When This Is Over (feat. The Oak Ridge Boys)” – Jimmie Allen, Tauren Wells, Rita Wilson
16. “This Is Us” – Jimmie Allen, Noah Cyrus
Allen was featured on BBC Radio Two and BBC Four’s CMA Country Christmas on the 23rd and 24th December and celebrated Christmas from one of his favorite places – Walt Disney World Resort – where he performed his rendition of ‘White Christmas’ for the beloved Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade.
A Mystical Journey – TEMPLE OF SHADOWS
Introducing TEMPLE OF SHADOWS, the new band featuring long time friends, Justin ‘JD’ deBlieck (Ex-Ice Nine Kills) and Joel DeMartino (Moonstriker). The band has released their new single “The Hermit” to all major platforms! The band premiered the official lyric video on Bravewords.com.
"Our vision for this project was to combine our collective love for various genres of music while incorporating a unique and thought provoking, but ultimately relatable concept. The result is a continuous forward moving energy that propels you from moment to moment throughout each characters stories" says Justin deBlieck.
Adds Joel DeMartino, "Temple of Shadows is more than a couple guys getting together to write songs. It’s a conceptual journey, where we explore the archetypes and their relationship to the alchemical process and it’s pursuit of the philosophers stone."
Temple Of Shadows is a brand new band fronted by long time friends, Justin ‘JD’ deBlieck (Ex-Ice Nine Kills) and Joel DeMartino (Moonstriker). Together they deliver dueling vocals, shrouded in cryptic lyrics over high energy progressive rock. Their music explores the parallels between the tarot and alchemical transmutation. Alike the alchemists of old, their songs are riddled with hidden meanings sending the listener on a mystical journey through the collective subconscious.
SHAPESHIFTER is: Justin deBlieck – Vocals and instrumentation Joel DeMartino – Vocals |
For More Information Please Visit: |
More Than Alright – FATHERSON
Glaswegian three-piece Fatherson have shared a poignant new live session video for a new song titled “Honest To God”. The track comes on the heels of the announcement of their first album in three years, “Normal Fears”, which sees the band return, but not as you know them.
The album is a lush lesson in letting go. Gorgeous, groove-led singalongs steeped in electronics find the band in a playful mode, putting break-ups, old ways of working and everyday worries behind them to start afresh, sunny side up.
“Honest To God” is central to the new album, it’s themes, and the band’s move into a new musical direction; it’s a beautiful, bare piano ballad about a dark spell in 2019 when Fatherson struggled to see their future direction. The accompanying live session sees frontman Ross Leighton give a highly emotive and intimate performance of the track, showcasing forlorn piano lines and a truly powerful vocal performance.
Speaking on the single, Leighton says, “Honest To God is about one of the least confident times in my life, and feeling like a total failure. It's about that crippling loss of confidence spinning yourself out into a really dark place. Thinking the worst in every situation and not being able to believe in yourself. I spent a long time trying to redefine what music meant to me and how, if ever, I was going to get the spark back. It took a long time to finish, unpacking everything that it is about really took it out of me. I wrote the chorus with my friend Joe from Amber Run over zoom and the verses over about 2 months myself. It had to say just enough and no more, I love that about it. It took a while to distill but as a result it is one of the songs on the album I’m most proud of and one of my favourite songs I’ve ever written."
Alongside their new material, Fatherson also announced details of a new headline UK tour for March 2022 in support of “Normal Fears”. The dates will follow their recent October tour which saw them play to multiple sold-out crowds. The band are renowned for their encapsulating live performances, which have seen them tour alongside the likes of Lewis Capaldi on his EU arena dates and at Wembley Arena, as well as playing with Frightened Rabbit, Biffy Clyro, Idlewild, Augustines, Enter Shikari, Amber Run, Twin Atlantic, and more.
Live dates – March 2022:
11: Glasgow, Barrowland
17: Aberdeen, Beach Ballroom
18: Newcastle, Northumbria University
19: Leeds, The Wardrobe
20: Manchester, Club Academy
22: Stoke on Trent, The Sugarmill
23: Birmingham, Castle & Falcon
24: Nottingham, The Bodega
25: Cambridge, The Portland Arms
27: St. Albans, The Horn
28: Bristol, Exchange
29: London, Islington Assembly Hall
Tickets are available HERE
The follow-up to 2018’s “Sum Of All Your Parts”, “Normal Fears” was largely written remotely, with Ross in his native Kilmarnock and bassist Marc Strain and drummer Greg Walkinshaw in Glasgow.
“Our aim was to drop our guard,” says Ross. “Forget what we thought we knew about making music and just have fun. It was less about searching for a sound than trying out new ways of working. We were open to anything.” “Normal Fears” got underway a few weeks pre-pandemic but took flight with the first lockdown. Stuck at home, Fatherson embraced the new normal and the fresh possibilities it posed. “Luckily, lockdown was ideal for this album,” says Ross. “The separation gave us clarity. We’d send song parts to each other then each go away and work on them, trying out mad ideas we might not have suggested had we all been together. “There was no pressure because no one knew when the world would open up again. We had the time to be creative and recapture the feeling we had when we first became a band, when there were no expectations of how Fatherson should sound.”
To help shake up their sound, the trio invited a cast of friends to contribute. Ross’s first remote writing session was with Danny Morgan-Ball. The plan was just to jam. But after a natter, the pair wrote two songs in under two hours – one of which was the album’s lead single “End Of The World”. The other was the widescreen “Love For Air”, on which sinuous melodies capture the rush of falling in love and a choir-backed chorus recalls Songs From The Big Chair-era Tears For Fears.
Ross wrote “Normal People” with Rich Turvey (Blossoms, Courteeners), inspired by both watching the TV series of the same name and Ross’s new relationship. “The Feeling and The Sound” is sun-soaked pop which sums up the redemptive nature of “Normal Fears” and was co-written with Seton Daunt (Kylie, Amy MacDonald). The shimmering “Dive” was inspired by Haim, features Amber Run’s Joe Koegh on backing vocals and nods to Radiohead in its middle eight.
When lockdown lifted in early summer, Fatherson returned to their Glasgow studio and, in October, the band decamped to RAK studios in London with producer Steph Marziano (Hayley Williams, Denai Moore, Mumford & Sons) and engineer Isabelle Gracefield (Dua Lipa, Stormzy), where “Normal Fears” took yet another twist. Rather than record everything live, as Fatherson previously had, songs were torn apart and reassembled, pianos fed through cassette players and ping pong balls introduced.
“Normal Fears” is due out 25th February via Easy Life Records – Pre-order the new album HERE
“We put 30 ping pong balls inside a snare drum and shook them around to get a sample for Honest To God,” says Greg, “Other times we bounced them off walls. “There’s the sound of a dropped sandbag in there and a sample of a river in Kilmarnock which I had recorded as a wee nod to home. We added found sounds from the street, including a couple having an argument. The synth at the start of Love For Air is the song played back into a toy keyboard.”
Ross played the studio’s precious acoustic guitar which was used on Radiohead’s Fake Plastic Trees and is kept under lock and key. Drunk on cocktails one night, everyone took turns to whistle on the groovy 365, which features more ping pong balls in its middle eight.
“It was the most fun we’ve ever had making an album and I hope you can hear it,” says Ross. “It’s also a lesson to ourselves. We’re best friends in a band. Life is more than alright.”
Tracklisting:
1. End Of The World
2. Love For Air
3. Normal People
4. Everything
5. Do It For Yourself
6. Honest To God
7. That Feeling and the Sound
8. Dive
9. Better Friend
10. All The Time
11. 365
12. Crying Wolf
13. Wreckage in the Rubble
Back in the Game – NONPOINT
NONPOINT released their new EP titled RUTHLESS along with the premiere of the official music video for single “Back in the Game” today.
With the roar of one word, “INDEPENDENCE,” Nonpoint has transcended the underground and taken their rightful place in metal history. Even now they continue to change the rules with their newest song “Back In The Game”, which keeps the Nonpoint tradition of inviting you in close, kicking you in the chest, then imprisoning an infectious lyric like, “Cause you’re looking at a one man death squad!” into your mind knowing it will never escape. This song and official video went live across all streaming platforms today along with the remaining songs from the Ruthless EP. This follows their independent label plan of delivering music to their fans through more frequent releases and videos from the band.
Elias Soriano, vocalist for Nonpoint stated, “This song sums up our view on how we approached independence from the very beginning. We will be small but mighty. Like the song says, ‘I may be one man, but I’m a deathsquad.’ We give everything we got with ultimate absolution.”
Now with the success of their new independent label, 361 Degrees Records, they continue to add to their story as they partner with Amuse Music Distribution, an independent music distribution company who helps independent artists stay independent with an unbelievable team that helps them grow beyond their reach. In 2021 alone their song “Ruthless” reached #16 on Billboard’s Rock Chart, and were featured on the New Metal Tracks and Kickass Metal Playlist on Spotifywith over 1.6 million combined subscribers, SiriusXM Octane’s Big Uns Countdown, LA Lloyd top 30, Loudwire Nights and “Ruthless” was the featured track for AEW’s nationally televised event BLOOD AND GUTS on TNT in May 2021. “Ruthless” has reached over 3.5 million streams. Now their fan-voted cover of Prince’s “When Doves Cry”, at over 1 million streams, has quickly become a fan favorite, from the crowd applause at shows to their support and momentum online.
Their touring in 2022 continues with January dates throughout the country, along with an appearance on the World Famous Shiprocked Cruise.
Ruthless Tracklisting:
1. | Back in The Game |
2. | Get Better |
3. | I Don’t Care |
4. | Ruthless |
5. | When Doves Cry |
Nonpoint Tour Dates: 1/7/2022 Indianapolis, IN @ Emerson Theater Tickets on sale NOW! at nonpoint.com |
Nonpoint is: |
Check It Out – Max Yavno
Max Yavno (1911–1985) was a photographer who specialized in street scenes, especially in Los Angeles and San Francisco, California.
Social documentary photographer Max Yavno identified the charm that constitutes the identity of a place and people. Yavno was a social worker from 1932-1936; this background clearly informed his photographic career. His humanistic sensibility is revealed in his work, which includes street photographs made in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Yavno is best known for his depictions of these great American cities and the cultural and social detail of their inhabitants, many of which distinctively reflect their era.