The Darts – All-Girl Garage-Rock Noise
The Darts formed in 2016 with the goal of making great all-girl garage-rock noise, seeing the world, and having a fab slumber party every night.
They threw on some vintage black slips, threw off their shoes, and set out on the adventure.
In the first six months, they put out two self-produced EPs and signed with Dirty Water Records (UK). In the first year, the label put out their first full-length vinyl release, Me.Ow. They headed to Europe a bunch of times and never wanted to go home. But when they did, Dirty Water re-released the first two EPs as a second full-length vinyl, ‘The Darts’ and they toured all over the U.S. a bunch of times, with great bands like Australia’s The Living End and Billie Joe Armstrong’s The Longshot – and, once again, never wanted to go home. Their idols started noticing, including author Stephen King, actors Drew Carey and Fred Armisen, and punk legends Jello Biafra and Blag Dahlia, sometimes even coming to shows and getting on stage with us. Two years into the project, they were on bigger European stages like Sjockfest, Cosmic Trip, and Roots n Roses, with acts like Turbonegro, The Flam\ing Lips, and The Dead Kennedys.
In 2018, Jello Biafra signed the band to his label, Alternative Tentacles, and released their third full-length record, I Like You But Not Like That (2018 Alternative Tentacles Records), at a packed Punk Rock Bowling appearance in Las Vegas. They then embarked on an unforgettable coast-to-coast US tour with their heroes The Damned. They found themselves performing with bands like Rancid and L7, had songs placed on top tv shows like Peaky Blinders, got thrilling reviews in Rolling Stone, made a stop at Mexico City’s superb Hipnosis Fest, and then…the pandemic hit.
7″ EP here
But even then, things didn’t stop. Vox hosted an Instagram Live show garnering over fifty thousand views, they played Punk Rock Bowling 2022, made their debut at Seattle’s uber-hip Freakout Fest, and recorded a new 7-inch for Adrenalin Fix Music, Dirty Water, Beluga, and Ghost Highway Recordings in Europe. By summer of 2022, we toured all over the US again, performed on the legendary KEXP Sessions, and finished recording a new full-length record (funded entirely by fans) co-produced by Jello Biafra himself. Snake Oil will be released on Alternative Tentacles in early 2023. European tours are lined up well into next year…and work is already beginning on the next record. See you out there.
Brendon Burton – Check Him Out
Brendon Burton is an American visual artist based in Portland, Oregon.
Brendon spent his childhood in an isolated community where he developed his distinct style and interest in vacant and decaying places.
His work focuses on the side effects of cultural isolation and the concept of liminal space. Experienced in shooting fine art, documentary and fashion photography his work has been featured internationally in galleries and numerous publications.
Check out his amazing work – Brendon Burton
Buy this book – American Poetry Photo Book — Brendon Burton
All images copyright Brendon Burton
Diablogato – Step Into The Darkness
Diablogato whistles past the graveyard
on a ‘Jet Black Night’.
Over the past several years, Diablogato has existed as a collaborative band where each of its four members contribute equally to the overall vision, songwriting, and storytelling.
So it makes sense that as the Boston rock and roll brigade watches the world burn, an invitation is extended for everyone else to join in and drift into the “Jet Black Night” – all that’s needed is a little white noise and anesthesia.
Diablogato embraces a new era for the band as they unleash “Jet Black Night” to the streams via Rum Bar Records, with its Shawn Marazine-directed video premiering on BlankTV – Wednesday, October 19.
For a band that’s always existed on the outskirts of whatever’s popular at the moment – misfit outsiders rolling on their own dime and bar-hopping through punk, rockabilly, twang, and whatever other circles come and go as time passes on – this new single and video showcases a grittier, more grimy stomp-along sound as it canvasses newer avenues of southern blues and classic rock. However it’s labeled, the voodoo smoke emanating out of the Diablogato cauldron grows thicker as the days grow darker and our optimism gets dimmer.
“I think how people interpret the song is totally subjective, but it was a product of the pandemic, the national and global shit storm we had been living through the past couple of years, in my mind at least,” says drummer Jesse Mayer. “I don’t know if ‘Jet Black Night’ is romancing the apocalypse or whistling past the graveyard – probably a little of both. But that’s always been our style.”
That style has been crafted without a single fuck given since 2014, and while “Jet Black Night” marks Diablogato’s first new music since 2019 album Old Scratch, it’s both an extension of past endeavors and a fist thrust forward. And it’s the first taste – both aurally and visually – of a new album set for release next summer.
“We are stepping away from the traditional rockabilly and punk stigmas,” says vocalist and guitarist Drew Indingaro. “We are venturing into a wide range of styles and landscapes to write with. ‘Jet Black Night’ takes some hints of ‘70s Aerosmith, ‘80s Blasters, ‘90s Cramps. We are currently working on several new tunes that are pushing our branches into new areas where we can experiment with our sound. We felt that this song set a footprint in the direction we are starting to head into. We want to expand our sound together and see where it takes all of us.”
Diablogato is: Drew Indingaro: Vocals & guitar Charlie MacSteven: Guitar & backing vocals Jesse Lewis Mayer: Drums Johnny Custom: Upright bass
Right now, that direction is into the night and deep within the trenches of the “Jet Black Night” music video, a New Orleans-inspired romp starring familiar collaborator Ben Pease, reprising his creepy scumbag role of “Clayton Sawyer” from Diablogato’s “Blasphemy” video, who seeks to understand his dark future, and Tara Feely, cast here as a local gypsy woman who knows what just what dark future holds. It’s a little Twin Peaks, a little Outer Limits, and even some Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure thrown into a visually intoxicating and dizzying presentation that provides some shadowy sights to a certain possessed sound.
“She sees the darkness in him and decides this world is better off without him wandering this reality,” Indingaro notes. “And sends him into the ‘Jet Black Night’ within the mysticism of her crystal ball, where we the band already reside, the land of Diablogato.”
It’s a place Diablogato knows all too well. And now they want everyone to come join the party. After all, as the song goes, they got the white noise and anesthesia. And everyone else has a little soul.
“With all the crazy in the world that we have such little control over, we are trying to rally our fellow people into the darkness together,” declares Indingaro. “Because no matter how much despair and disaster we face, together we are not alone in the darkness facing it – into the ‘Jet Black Night’.”
The Eaves – Direct, Unashamed And Unadulterated
The Eaves Debut New Video “It’ll Be Okay” Latest Single Off Upcoming Album ‘Lately, I Don’t Have a God… and Other Obvious Epiphanies’.
The Eaves are a rock band from Buffalo, NY consisting of childhood friends Adam Clukey, Chris Couche, and Maurice Halliday. Their sound can be enigmatic, however notable hallmarks include melodic guitars, a driving rhythm section, and emotive baritone vocals, conjuring visceral and sonic similarities to bands like The Hold Steady, The National, The Replacements, The Killers, and R.E.M.
They have shared the stage with the likes of The Joy Formidable, The Lawrence Arms, Ben Nichols (Lucero), Single Mothers, Matt Mays, and Highly Suspect.
Their debut record “Learning to Live in the Dark” was produced by Grammy-winning producer Ted Hutt (The Gaslight Anthem, Lucero, Dropkick Murphys) and released in late 2018.
Stream “It’ll Be Okay” on DSPs: https://linktr.ee/theeavesband.
Their new album, ‘Lately, I Don’t Have a God… and Other Obvious Epiphanies’ was recorded with Jay Zubricky (Taking Back Sunday, Save Face, Super American) and features additional production from the Goo Goo Dolls’ Robby Takac on the singles “Not in Love” and “Untethered.” Also appearing on the record is Kyle Resnick (touring horn player for The National; featured on Taylor Swift’s Grammy-winning album ‘Folklore’) who plays horns on “It’ll Be Okay”, “Craigy V. the Screw”, and “Idle Hands (Wasted Nights).” The LP is slated for release on November 4, 2022.
Of the latest single and upcoming album, The Eaves' Chris Couche says “’It’ll Be Okay’ was the last song we wrote for the record. The album as a whole, despite its base intention to convey hopefulness persevering over cynicism, had felt like it was still missing something undeniably hopeful. ‘It’ll Be Okay’ is meant to be that earnest, reassuring catharsis – direct, unashamed, and unadulterated.”
CAVERNOUS GATE – Depths Of Pain And Utter Sadness
CAVERNOUS GATE release and stream the debut album “Voices from a Fathomless Realm”.
“Voices from a Fathomless Realm” is the first full-length from CAVERNOUS GATE. The German death doom outfit is a solo-project of multi-instrumentalist Sebastian “S.K.” Körkemeier. Sebastian has co-founded HELRUNAR under the alias Alsvartr and he also supports Markus “Schwadorf” Stock’s black metal project SUN OF THE SLEEPLESS as well as EMPYRIUM live.
CAVERNOUS GATE and “Voices from a Fathomless Realm” are quite obviously musical works of love. Sebastian is successfully channelling his penchant for British doom and death acts such as earliest PARADISE LOST and CATHEDRAL as well as Swedish death metal in the vein of early ENTOMBED and DISMEMBER into a dark, depressive, and massive monolith of ultra-heaviness. On “Voices from a Fathomless Realm”, Sebastian’s granite-grinding and abysmally low growls clearly dominate, but are on rare occasions beautifully contrasted with Jenny Kalbitz’ female voice.
Lyrically “Voices from a Fathomless Realm” explores a grimdark fantasy world of twilight and its ghostly inhabitants, which Sebastian evokes in ways similar to the descriptions of paintings and by the creation of vivid dreamlike images.
Tracklist
1. That Night… (Intro)
2. Old Graves Stir
3. Through the Morass
4. Conjuration
5. A World in Shade
6. Watcher of the Vast
7. The Artefact
8. The Turning Veil
9. Skeleton Path (Outro)
What Sebastian started on the 2019 split-album “Sun of the Sleepless / Cavernous Gate Split”, he has now honed to perfection with the project’s first full-length “Voices from a Fathomless Realm”. Crafted with all the experience of a veteran metal musician, but also emotionally captivating, the added deep and clearly audible love for the dark heavy style makes the difference. Let CAVERNOUS GATE drag you into a nightmare abyss of classical doom death interpreted in a contemporary way that paints musical pictures of an unexpected beauty lurking in these unexplored depths of pain and utter sadness.
ALEX WILLIAMS – Ironing Out The Wrinkles
ALEX WILLIAMS GRAPPLES WITH HIS YOUTH ON ‘OLD BEFORE MY TIME’.
Rising country artist Alex Williams has released ‘Old Before My Time’, the latest single from his forthcoming record Waging Peace (out Oct 21st 2022 via Lightning Rod Records).
The song pays tribute to America’s classic road-warrior anthems as well as Williams’ country music heroes including Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard, providing an introspective look into the mind of a 20-something year-old touring musician who is grappling with the notion of feeling too old for his age.
“The title is pretty self explanatory,” says Williams. “A life of traveling around has a way of making you feel like sometimes you’re aging a little bit faster than what you think.”
The song was featured as the KUTX Song Of The Day on October 3rd, who called it a “Haggard-esque trailblazer” and “a must-have piece of musical migration.”
On the rolling track, Williams has “one hand on the wheel, and another in the grave,” providing a stark reminder of the toll that temptations of life on the road can have on any artist, let alone one who is still figuring life out in their 20s. It adds to a wealth of these classic traveling troubadour anthems — Bob Seger’s “Turn the Page,” CCR’s “Travelin’ Band,” Willie Nelson’s “On The Road Again” — that tell of the highs and lows of touring, sharing a different side of the story, one that is very personal for Williams.
On the rolling track, Williams has “one hand on the wheel, and another in the grave,” providing a stark reminder of the toll that temptations of life on the road can have on any artist, let alone one who is still figuring life out in their 20s. It adds to a wealth of these classic traveling troubadour anthems — Bob Seger’s “Turn the Page,” CCR’s “Travelin’ Band,” Willie Nelson’s “On The Road Again” — that tell of the highs and lows of touring, sharing a different side of the story, one that is very personal for Williams.
Waging Peace is available for pre-order via lrr.lnk.to/wagingpeace
‘Old Before My Time’ is the latest preview of Waging Peace, joining the free-wheeling first single ‘No Reservations’ and the heavy-hitting title track, which are both available now. It continues the autobiographical narrative of an artist who took his “outlaw” title too far and fell to rock bottom — a major label deal gone sour, giving into the temptations of the “rockstar” lifestyle and a hard-fought, harrowing journey to find inner peace.
THE DEARS (Live Review) – A Powerful Aura
The Dears? Reviews had been mixed but our minds, as always, remained open.
It was true, the band were back together- and the Garage, Islington soon filled up with a grateful and celebratory crowd of fans.
Before the long-awaited eruption from the past, first on stage was Francis Lung, a gentle, thoughtful and clever storyteller, singer and songwriter from Manchester, dressed all in white with a matching guitar. He sang us tales of chefs, hotels, Peter Pan, ghostly figures and miracles; of real life versus fiction.
Mixing songs with spoken word, Francis wove interesting chords with changing time signatures and imperfect and sometimes abrupt endings to create a richly woven story of a set.
Francis told us he was originally a drummer (in his early teens) before learning to play guitar in response to wanting to create something different from his band at the time. His guitar playing looks and sounds both effortless and complex- Francis actually told us his selection of diminished, augmented and suspended chords are a result of him being unable (at first) to play bar chords (we sympathise – the struggle is real!).
The result is a thoroughly entertaining, thought-provoking and emotive clutch of songs that were illuminating in their concepts and effects. Francis told us he likes “extremes of emotions- contrasts of light at dark”. Ambiguity was a golden thread running through his music- and it made us think; it made us smile.
What were we expecting from The Dears? Reviews had been mixed but our minds, as always, remained open. If it was empty melodrama London had come to witness, then we think disapointment was sure to follow.
The band came out to resounding applause from the now filled out Garage. The Dears’ mighty sound oozed into every corner as they launched their energetic and emphatic set with songs from their newly released Lovers Rock; ‘We’ll go into Hiding’, featuring catchy, punchy guitar riffs and stormy drums, followed by “Who are you, Defenders of the Universe?” and “Hate then Love”.
The passion, conviction and energy on stage was undeniable, with the band’s raison d’etre shining through".
The Montreal band play together in complex and cathartic harmony, sharing their original sound with the eager crowd. The sound is intense, the bass heavy and brooding, the message serious- and the audience are loving it. Fervent fans joined husband and wife duo Lightburn and Yanchak in their interwoven harmonies and at times unison singing, clearly loving the fact that the band were back together and performing their new as well as older material in the heart of London town.
The Dears’ sound is loud and full – Lightburn’s vocal range as impressive and versatile as always, exciting and enticing the crowd to fever pitch.
Drummer, Jeff ‘Looch’ Luciani ups the tempo for the fourth song, “Whites Only Party”- a melancholic sadness underpinned by a bright-feathered hope. “5 Chords” and “Disclaimer” showcase the strong connection between Murray, his wife Natalia and their fellow stage musicians, creating a theatrical and powerful aura in the atmospheric Garage.
Combining classic pop with catchy melodies and orchestral elegance, Lightburn leads us triumphantly (if somewhat pessimistically) on through “Here’s to the Death of Romance”, “Onward and Downward” and “Of Fisticuffs”.
Finishing their impressive and immersive set with “Instant Nightmare”, “The Second Part” and “Lost in the Plot” , The Dears are confident in their unique sound of instrumentational complexity- the themes of high variety and low uniformity evident through their use of acoustics, rhythm , timbre and tonality.
The passion, conviction and energy on stage was undeniable, with the band’s raison d’etre shining through. They believe in what they sing. The Dears are back- with a sound and a message as strong as ever- and they are, as ever, masters of how to communicate it.
THE DEARS played The Garage, Islington on 05th October 2022
Support from Francis Lung
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FE SALOMON – Off-Kilter And Unpredictable
As she confirms the release of her debut solo album for 2023 – FE SALOMON – is pleased to present its leading single: “Quintessential England”.
Arriving like a twisted fairytale from the heart of Middle England, the new single from Fe Salomon is off-kilter and unpredictable at every turn.
“The starting points of this song were the howls and chirps made by the studio cat, mixed with vocals, then transcribed into violin parts and played with chopsticks.”
The single directly follows her ‘Taxicabs’ EP, four tracks released earlier in the Summer, which offered a candid chronicling of a previous chapter in Fe’s life. You can listen back here. An artist in prolific and purposeful form, Salomon is now putting the finishing touches to her debut album too. Confirmed for release on 20 January, via Drink Me Recordings, the album will be titled ‘Living Rooms’ and will present 11 tracks of intricately autobiographical, richly orchestral pop definitive of the artist.
SONG SUFFRAGETTES – Female Talent At Play
NASHVILLE’S ALL-FEMALE COLLECTIVE, SONG SUFFRAGETTES, MAKES ITS WAY TO THE UK FOR THE FIRST TIME.
Nashville’s all-female singer-songwriter collective, Song Suffragettes, is making its way to the UK for the first time later this month as part of Country Music Week. With shows in Glasgow, London and Manchester, presented officially by the Academy of Country Music, it will feature founding member Kalie Shorr alongside Carter Faith, Robyn Ottolini and Twinnie. Full dates can be found below, and tickets can be bought here:
Friday, 21st October – Oran Mor, Glasgow
Saturday, 22nd October – Bush Hall, London (SOLD OUT)
Sunday 23rd October – Band on the Wall, Manchester
Born in 2014, Song Suffragettes has taken place every Monday night at The Listening Room Café in Nashville, Tennessee. In its eight years, the collective has showcased more than 380 talented women out of over 2,000 who have submitted to play the show. With weekly sell-outs, it vocally combats widespread discrimination against women in the music industry by giving female talent a place to play, grow and evolve with fellow creatives.
Since its inception, 26 Song Suffragettes women have gone on to receive record deals and 60 have landed music publishing deals. With almost 5 million views on their YouTube channel, Song Suffragettes was named by Billboard magazine as one of “Next-Gen Nashville: 16 People, Places and Things Shaking Up Music City”.
“Coming up in Nashville as a teenager and a young adult with this community of women who are so motivated to support each other and change the culture surrounding it, made me such a better woman in the long run” said founding member Kalie Shorr in conversation with Forbes. “I don’t know who I would be as an artist without Song Suffragettes, and just as a person.”
In August of 2020, Song Suffragettes partnered with the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission – funded by US Congress – to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment with special shows featuring Maddie & Tae, Lindsay Ell, Runaway June and Ashley McBryde.
Featured in The New York Times, Forbes, ELLE, USA Today, Washington Post, Grammy.com, Boston Globe and on PBS NewsHour and NPR, Song Suffragettes continues to fight for female talent to be heard throughout the US and beyond.
“Essentially, we’re working toward a larger ‘window to the world’ so that more female-crafted music can be heard” explained Song Suffragettes founder Todd Cassetty.