ELI YOUNG BAND – Retaking The Reins
It’s widely known how award-winning Eli Young Band formed while together in Denton, Texas attending college at University of North Texas, however their journey over the next 20+ years would lead them everywhere, seldomly seeing home in between.
With notions of longing ever present in their writing, it’s no surprise as they find their center as releasing music for the first time in three years independently with both home, and those who make it so, at the core.
Listen to ‘Home In Hometown‘, HERE.
A true-to-experience ballad of life on the road, and heart-on-their-sleeve marker of what they’ve learned in their years away from those they love most. With ringing guitars capturing a sense of anticipation, a steady rhythmic heartbeat and a euphoric singalong chorus, the band unpack what “home” really means.
“When you find the love of your life you’ll follow them anywhere,” shares band lead vocalist and guitarist Mike Eli who penned the song alongside Ryan Tyndell and Jeff Hyde (Eric Church’s “Springsteen” and Keith Urban’s “We Were”). “My wife, Kacey, and I started as a long distance relationship and it was tough to keep it together. When I wrote this I was digging deep into our Texas roots. I wanted to write something that felt like Pat Green or Jack Ingram would cut. And when you travel like we do, a lot of times you’re thinking about coming home and being with your family — but, it’s almost like if they meet you on the road, anywhere can be home. It just feels right. I wanted to capture that.”
The Jimmy Robbins and Eric Arjes produced track is the first release of more than 140 songs the band has written over the last few years and signifies a new chapter and a new tour.
Looking ahead to the upcoming 25th anniversary of the band’s founding, the four members of the Eli Young Band have retaken the reins of their sound and songwriting, reestablishing the go-your-own-way spirit behind their multi-Platinum hits.
Returning to their independent roots — but also the bold creative edge that launched them from the Texas live circuit into the country mainstream, and in many ways returning to their old stomping grounds — it’s an era driven by experience and a million miles of wisdom, but delivered by a band of brothers still very much in their musical prime.
“We started this thing when we were like 20 [years old], and it’s been such a crazy road and such a longer road than any of us could have conceptualized at the time,” bassist Jon Jones shares. “I think right now feels a little full circle, in a really nice way.”
“Now, we kind of get to step back into our Texas shoes. I definitely think that this new stuff finds me as a songwriter reaching deep into my personal past and our past as a band,” Eli adds. “We’re remembering where the magic was — all those songs we wanted to record for our Level record, that felt way too edgy for Country Radio at the time.”
Returning to that grassroots rawness, geared for their acclaimed live show has the band reinvigorated.
“We’ve written 143 songs and it’s just the beginning of our next chapter. Going back to Panhandle House where we recorded Level, that record started everything for us. Going back there feels like we get to remind ourselves why we started making the kind of music we make,” Eli says in closing. “When this music comes out, I think fans will know it is 100% coming from us.”
Celebrated by The Associated Press as “a smart, relevant antidote” to overdone clichés in Country music, EYB has charted 14 singles on Billboard, including four No. 1 hits with Billboard‘s No. 1 Country Song of the Year and ACM Award for Song of the Year, “Crazy Girl,” “Even If It Breaks Your Heart,” 2x Platinum “Love Ain’t” and Platinum “Drunk Last Night.” Additionally, the band has earned multiple GRAMMY, CMA, CMT, ACA and Teen Choice Award nominations.
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Elisa May – A Haunting Alure
Elisa May is an alternative pop artist hailing from the vibrant city of Prague.
Her music resonates with a maturity that explores themes of darkness, anger, and the complexities of human emotion. Her hypnotic soulful vocals weave a rich tapestry of sound that intertwines elements of jazz.
Offering listeners a raw and unfiltered glimpse into her world, Elisa May unveils her latest single “Black Lines.” Originally written when she was just 16 years old, alongside musician and producer Gregory Darling, the song delves into a time where Elisa May was in the midst of a toxic environment. The songwriter shares, “I was sixteen. I hated my parents. I hated my boyfriend. I hated everything and the world was unfair. Teen angst, baby.”
“Black Lines” details the feeling of being trapped in an unhealthy relationship, whether romantic, platonic or familial. As the protagonist finally escapes and breaks free from the illusion, she finds her voice, expressing what she couldn’t during years of manipulation, and stands up for herself.
Sonically, “Black Lines” emits a haunting, yet healing atmosphere, as Elisa May’s soulful vocals meander over delicate strings, driving percussion and echoing piano. She chants, “You just brought war everywhere with you, every little wrong detail made you look blue, you hide your white lies in between the black lines, you sit all alone like a fucking psychopath.”
Elisa May is certain to captivate listeners with her raw honesty, lyrical depth and haunting allure, with “Black Lines” out now!
Man/Woman/Chainsaw – Getting Excited
Since their debut at 16 years old and across three self-released singles, Man/Woman/Chainsaw have proven themselves as one of the most exciting and unpredictable young acts in the capital, both joyous and raucous in equal measures.
Last year’s “What Lucy Found There” was to be their breakthrough, securing attention for the band from the likes of The Quietus, NME, So Young, BBC 6 Music and more.
Recently celebrating their 100th gig, this November the band truly come of age with their debut EP landing on the indie taste-maker label Fat Possum Records. Recorded with Gilla Band’s Daniel Fox at Echo Zoo studio in Eastbourne, the group present us with cinematic arrangements, mauled by moments of cacophony; the band’s Billy Ward says of their writing process, “we thrive on the thin line between pretty and noisy, often trying to jump between the two – it’s that chaos that excites us.”
The group have a busy touring schedule ahead of them, including a Halloween headliner at London’s 100 Club and today also announce a full UK headline tour for February 2025, their biggest yet:
MAN/WOMAN/CHAINSAW UK/EU TOUR DATES
16/10 – Paris, Supersonic
17/10 – Rotterdam, Left of the Dial Festival
18/10 – Rotterdam, Left of the Dial Festival
31/10 – London, 100 Club
1/11 – Hebden Bridge, The Trades Club #
7/11 – Cardiff, Clwb Ifor Bach
8/11 – Bristol, Rough Trade
9/11 – Brighton, Mutations Festival
3/01 – Bognor Regis, Rockaway Beach
14/02 – Where Else, Margate
15/02 – The Joiners, Southampton
16/02 – The Cornish Bank, Falmouth
17/02 – Hare & Hounds, Birmingham
19/02 – The Bodega, Nottingham
20/02 – YES, Manchester
21/02 – King Tuts Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow
22/02 – The Crescent, York
# w/ Dream Wife
Man/Woman/Chainsaw
Eazy Peazy
Out November 8th on Fat Possum Records
Tracklisting:
1. The Boss
2. Sports Day
3. Maegan
4. Ode To Clio
5. Grow A Tongue In Time
6. EZPZ
Man/Woman/Chainsaw are:
Billy Ward (vocals, guitars)
Emmie-Mae Avery (vocals, keys/synths)
Vera Leppänen (vocals, bass)
Clio Starwood (violin)
Lola Cherry (drums)