Fri, 02/27/2015 - 7:54 am

After the success of their critically acclaimed 2012 EP ‘Where You Lay’, folk-indie duo The Paper Shades have now returned with their latest double A side single ‘Home/Strong’.

Drawing a strong influence from contemporary songwriters like Laura Marling and Angus and Julia Stone, The Paper Shades have managed to infuse the pop sensibilities of modern musical trends and an authentic sound to create one of the most engaging and fulfilling songs of the year so far.

The duo, Jon Rixon and Sarah Dollar, have spent the best part of the last few years touring their new material in preparation for their debut studio album, due out later this year.

Speaking about the new full-length and their choice to make ‘Home’ and ‘Strong’ the lead singles, the pair said, “We both like albums which are atmospheric and have a ‘sound- track’ type feel to them. We had this in mind whilst writing the album and when thinking about overall production. The first single ‘Home’ has a strong emphasis on rhythm and melody, it’s warm, full sound is balanced with space to evoke atmosphere… ‘Strong’ is the second single on the double A side and is one of the more intimate and emotive of the album tracks. The track has a more singer/songwriter feel to it with acoustic guitar at its core and showcases harmonies throughout.”

Backed up with an acoustic rendition of their track ‘The Lake’ on the b-side, ‘Home/Strong’ will be available from the 13th February via their new label Indie Kitchen Records, as a precursor to their latest string of UK tour dates, which can be seen below.

UK Tour Dates 2015

13/02 - Birdcage, Bristol

18/02 - Hubbox, Truro

19/02 - The Taphouse, St Agnes

21/02 - Phipps Albion Brewery, Northampton

25/02 - Prince Albert, Stroud

27/02 - The Islington, London

Thu, 09/10/2015 - 10:40 am

Gabrielle Papillon is one of those artists whose music is driven by her voice, lyrics and guitar. To call her simply a singer/songwriter would miss the point by leaving out a whole other dimension: the nostalgic distance and fragile aesthetics she brings vocally.

Her upcoming new album The Tempest Of Old captures the pick-up-and-play honesty in Gabrielle’s song writing with each track being beautifully produced alongside a yielding sense of time and place.

From the beginning to the very end Gabrielle’s voice runs through as vibrant and smooth as moonlight. The opening track Got You Well calls for attention from the word ‘go’. In the style of Alela Diane’s Pirates Gospel, Gabrielle’s strength lies in her poised vocal presence and preternatural ability to place the perfect melody in the perfect place.

With Our Trouble begins with a steady beat and keeps the lyrical directness wrapped into the country/folky-like roots. Produced by Daniel Ledwell, the arrangements are expansive and illuminating to the point they generate an opulent tapestry of philosophies and phrases, allowing the listener’s imagination to fill in the blanks.

Preach Love, just like the other songs, focuses on the message behind the words which are poetic, but never pretentious. Similar to Regina Spektor, Gabrielle’s vocal performance is honest, free and unmistakably her own, delivered with shivery results.

The Tempest Of Old is filled with thirteen lean, elemental songs, all echoing into cloaked gray distances, but the resonance of the production and the message behind the lyrics both remain deeply rooted in the listener’s ears for days on. The album, performed by Gabrielle with unchecked passion spilling into her words on the commanding choruses, will be available for sale and download Friday 25th September 2015.

Mon, 02/27/2017 - 8:21 am

Montreal-based alt-folk band The Franklin Electric are set to release their highly anticipated sophomore album titled ‘Blue Ceilings’ on 5th May 2017 via Indica Records. ‘Blue Ceilings’ is now available for pre-order and includes new singles ‘I Know The Feeling’ and ‘Walk With You’ as instagrat tracks. The band will be touring Australia and Canada this winter before heading to the UK in Spring to play shows in support of the release, with a first date penciled at Electrowerkz in London on the 19th April 2017.

After their breakthrough album ‘This Is How I Let You Down’, the Montreal Band returns with a highly anticipated second album, ‘Blue Ceilings’. John Matte (singer, songwriter, producer) had this to say about the upcoming release; “With limitations hanging over us all we found a way to allow this album the time it needed to take its own shape and personality. The cover art fell in our laps like a gift and worked so well with the album title ‘Blue Ceilings’ done by UK artist Samuel-Burgess Johnson. It complemented the feeling of the songs and sums up all the different learning’s and challenges along the way.”

The Franklin Electric’s soaring and anthemic debut album, ‘This Is How I Let You Down’, was first released independently before catching the attention of Montreal’s Indica Records (Half Moon Run, Phantogram) who were blown away by the band’s sound. The label reissued the LP in 2014 featuring various remixes and two new songs too much critical acclaim for both their recording and their incredible chops live. Striking for both its stunning chord changes and mature musings of life and love, the title track’s video racked up over 250000 YouTube views and counting, launching the band into the spotlight with a mature, full-formed sound beyond their years.

The musical mastermind behind The Franklin Electric, Jon Matte, came by his roots honestly. Matte grew up in a household brimming with music, with musicians, with Mom’s piano at the center of it all. Matte would go on to study jazz, weaving that into a love of everything from hip-hop to Elton John and ‘70’s songwriting titans. Legendary label Verve Records soon called on Matte to remix a Nina Simone record. Hanging and learning from great engineers, he realized he could apply everything he learned to his own songwriting. After entering and winning a Nashville songwriting competition with over 8000 other bands from around the world Matte, along with his ‘tribe’ Martin Desrosby, Kevin Warren and Ken Pressé, hit the road to rave reviews spending 2015 playing over 180 shows from Canada to Australia – including 3 tours of Europe alone – opening for the likes of Ben Howard, Mumford and Sons, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, City & Colour and Half Moon Run. The driving force of a singer-songwriter became a brotherhood of the road.

More information on the upcoming album will be announced soon, and it will available in all the usual places on Friday 5th May 2017. Full UK Spring tour dates to follow soon.

Tue, 07/02/2019 - 3:05 pm

Following on from their heavily praised 2016 sophomore album ‘Illusion & Doubt’, and their breakthrough hit ‘In Hell I’ll Be In Good Company’, which has so far smashed through the 100million views barrier on Youtube, Canadian bluegrass heroes The Dead South now return to showcase their highly anticipated third album ‘Sugar & Joy’ with their latest single ‘Diamond Ring’.

With their traditional arrangement of cello, mandolin, guitar and banjo, the four-piece look to continue their upbeat bluegrass heritage on this bright and vibrant return. With its distinct country influences, mixed with classic blues and soul throughout, ‘Diamond Ring’ is one of the band’s more uplifting and engaging cuts from their forthcoming release. Telling the story of William, a would-be groom robbed of his engagement offering; this new track channels the group’s compelling storytelling through the guise of foot-stomping chords and hip-shaking rhythm.

Produced by FAME-studio trained producer Jimmy Nutt, a long-time member of the Muscle Shoals music scene whose recent credits include a Grammy for his work on The Steeldrivers, ‘Sugar & Joy’ has been described as the band’s tightest, weirdest and most exciting studio album to date. Speaking about working alongside the band, Nutt added, “They have an obvious dedication to what they are doing. They really encourage each other, which you don’t see a lot.”

While the group have been making waves in North America these last few years, the UK has quickly adopted their uniquely uplifting direction as they are soon to become the first bluegrass band to ever headline Brixton Academy, and will also be stopping over at Glastonbury Festival later this month.

‘Diamond Ring’ is available to stream and download June 25th, and their third LP ‘Sugar & Joy’ will arrive on the 11th October via Six Shooter Records. The band will also be taking to the road through the UK and Ireland later this month, as well as early next year in support of the new record. Check out the full list of UK and Ireland tour dates below.

W A T C H (Diamond Ring)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cD85l48QOg

S T R E A M (album)

https://soundcloud.com/sixshooterrecords/sets/the-dead-south-tbd-unmastered/s-euTq3

Wed, 10/02/2019 - 1:16 pm

Tangy banjo and back chop beats drive “Blue Trash,” the third song from The Dead South’s forthcoming Sugar & Joy. Out today, “Blue Trash” is a playful acknowledgement that along their road from unsigned Canadian string set to Gold Certified, JUNO Award winning, Billboard charting band, some have taken issue with the prairie pickers’ progressive style. “Blue Trash,” built on a perfectly bluegrassy banjo lick, is about the importance of expressing their own musical hearts, on their own terms.  

For more from Sugar & Joy, you can get weird and get friendly with “Alabama People,” a headbanging bluegrass tune released last month. Written and recorded on the spot, the song’s spontaneous origin shows a band fully in the moment, inspired by the experience and channeling the energy of place (The Nutthouse) and people (producer Jimmy Nutt, assistant engineer Cody Simmons, visits from members of The Swampers, late nights with the locals at Champy’s Shoals). Beyond its two minutes of stomping swagger, “Alabama People” also feels like a snapshot, Eggleston-style, a vivid, unsettling, evocative vignette.

As the release date for Sugar & Joy nears (October 11, 2019), The Dead South’s fall schedule includes stops in NYC, Raleigh and Nashville in September for an in-store at Rough Trade (9/24), multiple showcases at this year’s World of Bluegrass. Furthering this, the band will become the first bluegrass band to ever headline Brixton Academy in London when their tour commences in Europe next year.

The Dead South, a gold rush vibing four-piece acoustic bluegrass set from Saskatchewan, infuse the genre's traditional trappings with an air of frontier recklessness, whiskey breakfasts and grizzled tin-pan showmanship. The sound, built on a taut configuration of cello, mandolin, banjo and guitar, speeds like a train past polite definitions of bluegrass into the grittier, rowdier spaces of the traditional world. The gold-certified, JUNO Award winning band's original and current lineup includes the gnarled baritone of Nate Hilts, Scott Pringle on mandolin, whistling cellist Danny Kenyon and virtuosic banjo player Colton Crawford. The four-piece, string-driven approach puts the interplay of unique and versatile voices front and centre, with Hilts, Pringle and Kenyon all sharing lead vocal duties.

S T R E A M Blue Trash

SA SERVED COLD TOUR

TEMPE, AZ: Marquee Theatre, Nov 24*
LAS VEGAS, NV: House of Blues, Nov 25*
SAN DIEGO, CA: House of Blues, Nov 26*
LOS ANGELES, CA: The Belasco Theatre, Nov 27*
SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA: The Fremont Theatre, Nov 29*
RENO, NV: Virginia Street Brewhouse, Nov 30*
SAN FRANCISCO, CA: The Fillmore, Dec 1*
SACRAMENTO, CA: Ace of Spaces, Dec 2*
PORTLAND, OR: Roseland Theatre, Dec 4+
SEATTLE, WA: Showbox SoDo, Dec 5+
SPOKANE, WA: Knitting Factory, Dec 6+
GARDEN CITY, ID: Revolution Concert House, Dec 7+
SALT LAKE CITY, UT: The Depot, Dec 9#
GRAND JUNCTION, CO: The Mesa Theatre & Club, Dec 10#
DENVER, CO: Mission Ballroom, Dec 12#
LINCOLN, NE: The Royal Grove, Dec 13#
KANSAS CITY, MO: The Truman, Dec 14#
CLEVELAND, OH: House of Blues, Jan 5#
BUFFALO, NY: Asbury Hall at Babeville, Jan 6#
BOSTON, MA: House of Blues, Jan 7#
BROOKLYN, NY: Warsaw, Jan 9#
PHILADELPHIA, PA: Theatre Of The Living Arts, Jan 10#
SILVER SPRING, MD: The Fillmore Silver Spring, Jan 11#
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA: Elevation 27, Jan 12#
CINCINNATI, OH: Bogarts, Jan 14#
LOUISVILLE, KY: Mercury Ballroom, Jan 15#
ASHEVILLE, NC: Orange Peel, Jan 16~
RALEIGH, NC: The Ritz, Jan 17~
CHARLOTTE, NC: The Underground, Fillmore Charlotte, Jan 18~
CHARLESTON, SC: Music Farm, Jan 20~
ORLANDO, FL: House of Blues, Jan 21~
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL: Revolution Live, Jan 23~
TAMPA, FL: The Orpheum, Jan 24~
ATLANTA, GA: Buckhead Theatre, Jan 25~
w/ Scott H. Biram*
w/ Elliott BROOD+
w/ The Hooten Hollers~
w/ Legendary Shack Shakers#

IRELAND AND UK SERVED COLD TOUR

DUBLIN, IE: Vicar Street, Feb 18

BELFAST, UK: Ulster Hall, Feb 19

GLASGOW, UK: O2 Academy, Feb 21

NEWCASTLE, UK: O2 Academy, Feb 22

MANCHESTER, UK: Academy, Feb 23

BIRMINGHAM, UK: O2 Academy, Feb 25

PORTSMOUTH, UK: Guildhall, Feb 26

LONDON, UK: Brixton Academy, Feb 27

NOTTINGHAM, UK: Rock City, Feb 28

EXETER, UK: Great Hall, Feb 29

Tue, 10/12/2021 - 6:01 pm

Carter Family meets Addams Family in Easy Listening for Jerks, two new covers EPs by gold-certified prairie pickers The Dead South.

The source material for the EP two-pack sees The Dead South trace very different musical lineages: one a beloved folk songbook and the other a set of volatile modern outsider anthems. Always playing against type, The Dead South flip traditional bluegrass and hard rock conventions upside down, drawing out an ominous, lurking unease in the bright innocence of Bristol Sessions-era sound, and pulling moments of absurdity and hilarity out from the hardcore bluster.

Part I includes the Sun belt-meets-black belt take on “You Are My Sunshine,” in which The Dead South dig below the surface layer lullaby to levels of deep desperation, a mood well suited to the prospector’s baritone of Nate Hilts. In a minor key, “Keep On The Sunny Side,” changes from sweet to sinister. “Matterhorn,” a gallant adventure tale that sees four friends set off to climb a mountain, also works on the level of The Dead South’s origin story. “It’s closer here to heaven than it is back to the ground,” goes the song, now also a fitting encapsulation of the band’s feelings of anxiety and exhilaration about returning to life on the road.

Part II, inspired by the band’s own pre-show playlist, includes songs by System of a Down, The Doors, Cold War Kids and The Misfits. The Dead South dust off “People Are Strange,” shedding the lizard skin in favour of an MTV-Unplugged approach. On “Chop Suey,” not a no-brainer for an acoustic band without a drummer, the band transcends the song’s metal origins and doubles up on Scott Pringle’s vocals for a sound as big as the first. Part II also sees the vocal debut of banjoist Colton “Crawdaddy” Crawford, who offers a deadpan rendition of Ween’s “Help Me Scrape The Mucus Off My Brain.” Easy Listening for Jerks are the first releases that see all four members taking lead vocal turns.

This pickles and peanut butter recipe, filtered through The Dead South’s distinctly non-traditional approach, paints a fascinating study of the band’s influence and inspiration. Easy Listening for Jerks balances two at-odds sides of the four-piece string band: the world where they’re from, Regina, SK’s punk scene, and the world where they found their sound, the wellspring of bluegrass and acoustic music.

Rich with quality finger picking and replete with harmonies, Easy Listening for Jerks offers many new moods of songs we think we know so well. Under a title that recalls the songwriting humour of Roger Miller and Steve Martin’s comedy stylings alike, the EPs offer a surprising and compelling mix of gravity and levity. From Earl Scruggs to Serj Tankian, the two parts of Easy Listening for Jerks find surprising common ground between traditional bluegrass and hard rock in the selection of songs of alienation, misanthropy and adversity. Foggy Mountain Boys, but make it Beetlejuice.

Easy Listening for Jerks, Parts I & II arrive in full on March 4, 2022. Look for the first song from Part II in November.

Easy Listening for Jerks Part I Track Listing:

    Keep on the Sunny Side
    Pallet on the Floor
    Will the Circle Be Unbroken
    Flint Hill Special
    You Are My Sunshine
    Matterhorn

Twin Tangler Tour (USA/UK 2022)

FARGO, ND: Sanctuary, Jan 14 & 15

OMAHA, NE: Slowdown, Jan 16 & 17

WICHITA, KS: Wave, Jan 19 & 20

BLOOMINGTON, IL: Castle Theatre, Jan 21 & 22

NASHVILLE, TN: Exit/In: Jan 24 & 25

KEY WEST, FL: Mile 0 Fest, Jan 27 & 28

PENSACOLA, FL: Vinyl Music Hall, Jan 30 & 31

SAVANNAH, GA: Victory North, Feb 2 & 3

LONDON, UK: Shepherds Bush, Mar 18

MANCHESTER, UK: Albert Hall, Mar 19

CAMBRIDGE, UK: Black Deer Festival, June 19

CAMBRIDGE, UK: Cambridge Junction, June 21

COVENTRY, UK: Empire Coventry, June 22

CARDIFF, UK: Tramshed, June 23

Fri, 11/12/2021 - 2:28 pm

Carter Family meets Addams Family in Easy Listening for Jerks, two new covers EPs by gold-certified prairie pickers The Dead South

Part II, detailed today, is inspired by the band’s own pre-show playlist, and includes songs by System of a Down, The Doors, Cold War Kids and Ween. The Dead South dust off “People Are Strange,” with an entertaining video that puts an intergalactic spin on the song’s theme of alienation. On “Chop Suey,” not a no-brainer for an acoustic band without a drummer, the band transcends the song’s metal origins and doubles up on Scott Pringle’s vocals for a sound as big as the first. Part II also sees the vocal debut of banjoist Colton “Crawdaddy” Crawford, who offers a deadpan rendition of Ween’s “Help Me Scrape The Mucus Off My Brain.” Easy Listening for Jerks are the first releases that see all four members taking lead vocal turns.

Rich with quality finger picking and replete with harmonies, Easy Listening for Jerks offers many new moods of songs we think we know so well. Under a title that recalls the songwriting humour of Roger Miller and Steve Martin’s comedy stylings alike, the EPs offer a surprising and compelling mix of gravity and levity. From Earl Scruggs to Serj Tankian, the two parts of Easy Listening for Jerks find surprising common ground between traditional bluegrass and hard rock in the selection of songs of estrangement, misanthropy and adversity. Foggy Mountain Boys, but make it Beetlejuice.

Easy Listening for Jerks, Parts I & II arrive in full on March 4, 2022. 

Easy Listening for Jerks Part I Track Listing: 

1.     Keep On The Sunny Side

2.     Pallet On The Floor

3.     Will The Circle Be Unbroken

4.     Flint Hill Special

5.     You Are My Sunshine

6.     Matterhorn

Easy Listening for Jerks Part II Track Listing:

1.     Yahoos and Triangles (Intro)

2.     People Are Strange

3.     Chop Suey

4.     We Used To Vacation

5.     Help Me Scrape The Mucus Off My Brain

6.     Saturday Night

7.     96 Quite Bitter Beings

Germany (2021)

Nov 2 - Wiesbaden, DE - Schlachthof

Nov 3 - Amsterdam, NL - Mlekweg Max

Nov 4 - Dusseldorf, DE - Zakk

Nov 5 - Weissenhauser Strand, DE - Rolling Stone Beach Festival

Nov 7 - Hamburg, DE - Docks

Nov 8 - Stuttgart, DE - Longhorn

Nov 9 - Nuremberg, DE - Lowensaal

Nov 10 - Berlin, DE - Columniahalle

Nov 15 - Dresden, DE - Alter Schlachthof

US (2022)

FARGO, ND: Sanctuary, Jan 14 & 15

OMAHA, NE: Slowdown, Jan 16 & 17

IOWA CITY, IA: Englert Theatre, Jan 19 & 21

BLOOMINGTON, IL: Castle Theatre, Jan 22 & 23

NASHVILLE, TN: Exit/In: Jan 24 & 25

KEY WEST, FL: Mile 0 Fest, Jan 27 & 28

PENSACOLA, FL: Vinyl Music Hall, Jan 30 & 31

SAVANNAH, GA: Victory North, Feb 2 & 3

UK 2022

London, UK: Shepherds Bush Empire, Mar 18

Manchester, UK: Albert Hall, Mar 19

Tunbridge Wells, UK: Black Deer Festival, June 19

Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Junction, June 21

Coventry, UK: Empire Coventry, June 22

Cardiff, UK: Tramshed, June 23

France

Paris, FR: La Cigale, Apr 11

Strasbourg, FR: La Laiterie, Apr 12

Lyon, FR: Ninkasi Kao, Apr 15

Toulouse, FR: Le Metronum, Apr 19 

Sat, 01/08/2022 - 10:35 am

The Dead South share a string-laced take on “Will The Circle Be Unbroken,” with banjo and mandolin twined around sparse cello and forlorn baritone vocals. The new cover is found on Easy Listening for Jerks Part 1, half of a forthcoming double EP set that travels from nitty gritty Nashville to west coast weird and back again, putting The Dead South’s renegade acoustic approach to classics of two very different sorts.

LISTEN HERE!

The Dead South have previewed the forthcoming companion project with material from both EPs, including “People Are Strange” complete with banjo-UFO earthling abduction video, and the stark and desperate rendition of “You Are My Sunshine.”

The Dead South continue to roll out Served Cold tour dates, with a new spring run produced by Live Nation on sale today at TheDeadSouth.com/Tour. See details below.

Easy Listening for Jerks, Parts I & II will be released March 4, 2022.

Easy Listening for Jerks Part I Track Listing:

1.     Keep On The Sunny Side

2.     Pallet On The Floor

3.     Will The Circle Be Unbroken

4.     Flint Hill Special

5.     You Are My Sunshine

6.     Matterhorn

Easy Listening for Jerks Part II Track Listing:

1.     Yahoos and Triangles (Intro)

2.     People Are Strange

3.     Chop Suey

4.     We Used To Vacation

5.     Help Me Scrape The Mucus Off My Brain

6.     Saturday Night

7.     96 Quite Bitter Beings

TWIN TWANGLER TOUR

FARGO, ND: Sanctuary Events Centre, Jan 14

FARGO, ND: Sanctuary Events Centre, Jan 15

OMAHA, NE: Slowdown, Jan 16

OMAHA, NE: Slowdown, Jan 17

IOWA CITY, IA: Englert Theatre, Jan 19

IOWA CITY, IA: Englert Theatre, Jan 21

BLOOMINGTON, IL: Castle Theatre, Jan 22

BLOOMINGTON, IL: Castle Theatre, Jan 23

NASHVILLE, TN: Exit/In, Jan 24

NASHVILLE, TN: Exit/In, Jan 25

KEY WEST, FL: Mile 0 Fest, Jan 28

KEY WEST, FL: Mile 0 Fest, Jan 29

PENSACOLA, FL: Vinyl Music Hall, Jan 31

PENSACOLA, FL: Vinyl Music Hall, Feb 1

SAVANNAH, GA: Victory North, Feb 2

SAVANNAH, GA: Victory North, Feb 3

NEW ORLEANS, LA: House of Blues, Feb 4

SERVED COLD TOUR

ST. PETERSBURG, FL: Jannus Live, May 11

ORLANDO, FL: House of Blues, May 12

ATLANTA, GA: Buckhead Theatre, May 13

CHARLOTTE, NC: Fillmore Charlotte, May 14

RALEIGH, NC: The Ritz, May 15

RICHMOND, VA: The National, May 17*

BOSTON, MA: House of Blues, May 18

ITHACA, NY: State Theatre, May 19*

PHILADELPHIA, PA: The Fillmore, May 20

NEW YORK, NY: Irving Plaza, May 21

*Not a Live Nation Date

UK 2022

London, UK: Shepherds Bush Empire, Mar 18

Manchester, UK: Albert Hall, Mar 19

Tunbridge Wells, UK: Black Deer Festival, June 19

Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Junction, June 21

Coventry, UK: Empire Coventry, June 22

Cardiff, UK: Tramshed, June 23

France

Paris, FR: La Cigale, Apr 11

Strasbourg, FR: La Laiterie, Apr 12

Lyon, FR: Ninkasi Kao, Apr 15

Toulouse, FR: Le Metronum, Apr 19

Tue, 03/08/2022 - 5:30 pm

With their eagerly-awaited joint covers EPs Easy Listening for Jerks, Parts I & II arriving on the 4th March, bluegrass icons The Dead South are now showcasing their forthcoming collection with a vibrant rendition of System Of A Down’s iconic anthem ‘Chop Suey’.

These new EPs aim to add a more contemporary edge to the band’s own formative influences, and their reworking of ‘Chop Suey’ into their own distinctive guise makes for compelling listening. Keeping the fast-paced and energetic approach of the original, before being thrown through a fist-pumping blender of raw and unbridled banjo hooks gives their version a wonderfully enjoyable edge that their devout fanbase will love from start to finish.

The source material for the EP two-pack sees The Dead South trace very different musical lineages: one a beloved folk songbook and the other a set of volatile modern outsider anthems. Always playing against type, The Dead South flip traditional bluegrass and hard rock conventions upside down, drawing out an ominous, lurking unease in the bright innocence of Bristol Sessions-era sound, and pulling moments of absurdity and hilarity out from the hardcore bluster.

Part II, inspired by the band’s own pre-show playlist, includes songs by System of a Down, The Doors, Cold War Kids and The Misfits. The Dead South dust off ‘People Are Strange’, shedding the lizard skin in favour of an MTV-Unplugged approach. On ‘Chop Suey’, not a no-brainer for an acoustic band without a drummer, the band transcends the song’s metal origins and doubles up on Scott Pringle’s vocals for a sound as big as the first. Part II also sees the vocal debut of banjoist Colton "Crawdaddy" Crawford, who offers a deadpan rendition of Ween’s ‘Help Me Scrape The Mucus Off My Brain’. Easy Listening for Jerks are the first releases that see all four members taking lead vocal turns.

This pickles and peanut butter recipe, filtered through The Dead South’s distinctly non-traditional approach, paints a fascinating study of the band’s influence and inspiration. Easy Listening for Jerks balances two at-odds sides of the four-piece string band: the world where they’re from, Regina, SK’s punk scene, and the world where they found their sound, the wellspring of bluegrass and acoustic music.

Rich with quality finger picking and replete with harmonies, Easy Listening for Jerks offers many new moods of songs we think we know so well. Under a title that recalls the songwriting humour of Roger Miller and Steve Martin’s comedy stylings alike, the EPs offer a surprising and compelling mix of gravity and levity. From Earl Scruggs to Serj Tankian, the two parts of Easy Listening for Jerks find surprising common ground between traditional bluegrass and hard rock in the selection of songs of alienation, misanthropy and adversity. Foggy Mountain Boys, but make it Beetlejuice.

Easy Listening for Jerks, Parts I & II arrive in full on March 4, 2022.

Listen to Easy Listening for Jerks, Part 1 here.

Listen to Easy Listening for Jerks, Part 2 here.

Easy Listening for Jerks Part I Track Listing:

1.     Keep On The Sunny Side

2.     Pallet On The Floor

3.     Will The Circle Be Unbroken

4.     Flint Hill Special

5.     You Are My Sunshine

6.     Matterhorn

Easy Listening for Jerks Part II Track Listing:

1.     Yahoos and Triangles (Intro)

2.     People Are Strange

3.     Chop Suey

4.     We Used To Vacation

5.     Help Me Scrape The Mucus Off My Brain

6.     Saturday Night

7.     96 Quite Bitter Beings

Thu, 01/19/2023 - 1:12 pm

Canadian folk-rock quartet Villages have shared their new single “Play the Fiddle All Night,” the next offering from their upcoming album Dark Island, out February 17 via Sonic Records. Propelled by masterful rich instrumentation and timeless Celtic music influences, “Play the Fiddle All Night” arrived with a behind-the-scenes music video. The track was praised by Glide Magazine who said, “This gorgeously infectious tune finds the band channeling the likes of Richard Thompson while marrying their Celtic roots with more of a contemporary indie folk sound. Layering in orchestral textures and soaring choruses, the song feels like it could fill an arena.” Fans can stream the new single here and Dark Island is now available for pre-order.

Listen to “Play the Fiddle All Night”

Watch the Official Video for “Play the Fiddle All Night” via YouTube

Pre-order Dark Island

"The song was written after reflecting on the traditional poem ‘The Dark Island,’” says Villages, made up of members Matt Ellis, Travis Ellis, Jon Pearo and Archie Rankin. “Stirring up thoughts of mortality and what of our home on Cape Breton Island would be pined for when the time comes. The song presented itself very quickly and we finished it only a few days before we were scheduled to record. There was a striking similarity in themes carried in both the poem and our tracklist, so it ultimately gave namesake to the album. The song immediately felt vital to the record and given the spontaneity of it all, it was one of the more exciting experiences in songwriting that we’ve had.”

“Play the Fiddle All Night” follows the uplifting “Love Will Live On,” which arrived with a cinematic music video and was met with acclaim from outlets including Earmilk and Atwood Magazine, who said that the track “emphasizes the charm of simple living.” Over the holidays, the band treated fans to their jubilant holiday original “Merry Christmas (From the Dowie Dens)”.

Villages’ forthcoming album Dark Island finds them penning a euphoric and reverent love letter to their native Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia. The album has already garnered support from the CBC who said, “With Dark Island, the band can easily claim its own folk niche,” and Music Connection Magazine who hailed it as "a masterpiece, delivering a combination of gently harmonized vocals and maritime-shanty melodies alongside lilting instrumentals ... a soothing ethereal experience.” Produced by JUNO-winning composer and producer Joshua Van Tassel (David Myles, Great Lake Swimmers, Fortunate Ones), Dark Island results in a type of Celtic music that respects its heritage while taking sonic chances. These musical risks can be credited to early influences like indie rockers Teenage Fanclub and Belle and Sebastian, as well as their previous incarnation as acclaimed indie-rock outfit Mardeen.

Lyrically, nature is a dominant theme on Dark Island, painting a wild and beautiful landscape for listeners with vivid images of fields, waves, trees, rivers and rocks, presenting this as a kind of soundtrack to island life, and an immersive experience where everyone can feel at home. For the members of Villages, that sense of home is soundtracked by traditional Celtic music, and to create new music that faithfully honors their roots is no small feat and no small responsibility. With this in mind, Dark Island showcases the band embracing their musical sweet spot – expertly melding timeless tradition with an infectious rebellious spirit.

Villages' self-titled debut took a deep dive into the haunting and meandering melodies of the Cape Breton Highlands and presented them through atmospheric arrangements that bring to mind groups like The War on Drugs and Fleet Foxes. Described as "the perfect sunrise soundtrack" (The Line of Best Fit), the band’s 2020 EP Upon the Horizon built onto their unique sound and was mixed by Phil Ek (Band of Horses, Fleet Foxes).

Dark Island Tracklist:

1. Wearing Through the Pine

2. Love Will Live On

3. Easy When You Know How

4. Dawnless Nights

5. Lost Again

6. Willow

7. Flower of the Morning

8. Play the Fiddle All Night

9. Pink & Grey

10. Mother

11. Rocks in the Field

Mon, 07/24/2023 - 1:45 pm

After recently returning to deliver their highly-praised sophomore LP ‘The Land Belongs To Us’, emerging outfit Hector Gannet are now looking to follow up their latest full-length with the new three-track collection ‘Emmanuel Head’.

Featuring the opening song of their recent full-length and title-track of EP, ‘Emmanuel Head’, as well as two live renditions of ‘Last Of The Buffalo’ and ‘Waiting For The Whistle’, this new outing looks to add to what has already been an incredibly accomplished year for the outfit. With ‘Waiting For The Whistle’ recorded during their support slot for Sam Fender’s recent St. James Park show, this new release marks a seminal moment in their career so far.

Hector Gannet, from North Shields on Tyneside, are masters of a kind of new, modernist folk music, taking their name from an ill-fated trawler which sank in the North Sea under heroic circumstances in 1967. Hector Gannet’s musical incarnation began to draw attention when they wrote and performed music to accompany vintage footage of the North East heritage of shipbuilding and fishing as part of a project for the BFI in 2017.  The band have toured widely, including a UK tour with Sam Fender and dates in England and Scotland with indie legends Sea Power, two North American adventures and, more recently, supporting Sam Fender (again) at St James’ Park football stadium.

Hector Gannet’s second album ‘The Land Belongs To Us’ was released to acclaim in early 2023. MOJO awarded four stars: “Pointedly political, natural-world-advocating folk rock.” Uncut proclaimed “North Shields’ answer to Crazy Horse.”

Emmanuel Head (taken from the current album) is a song inspired by escaping to a place of personal significance, in this case, for Hector Gannet, a white pyramid day marker on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne on the north east coast of England, but as Aaron Duff (aka Hector Gannet) explains “The song is as much about our connection with each other as it is about any personal fondness for a particular place. It’s about getting away from it all, to where we are without distraction and where, for a while, the land belongs to us.”

Duff has been inspired by landscape and nature for much of the first two albums, and there is a gorgeous, gentle, lilting within Emmanuel Head which somewhat evokes The Proclaimers ‘Sunshine on Leith’.

Hector Gannet Live Dates

Sun, July 30 - Lindisfarne + Hector Gannet, Newcastle-upon-tyne

Fri, August 18 - Generator Live Fringe - Curated by The Futureheads ,Sunderland

Aug. 25 - 27, 2023 - Krankenhaus 2023, Ravenglass

Thu, November 23 - Playhouse, Whitley Bay

Thu, 10/26/2023 - 10:34 am

“If time heals everything…” The Dead South introduce their fourth studio album with “Tiny Wooden Box,” a song that gets right into it with a big hypothetical. The first single and video from forthcoming Chains & Stakes, out February 9, 2024, shows the four-piece in top form in a rolling, roiling “State Trooper” style finger-picked nail-biter.

On “Tiny Wooden Box,” The Dead South confront the challenges of returning home from two angles: existential and actuarial. The true story starts with a phone call, an offer from an insurance agent too good to refuse. As the song contemplates the cost of life’s last one-way ticket, the mood spirals, growing more ominous and anxious. Propelled by the chugging acoustic guitar, “Tiny Wooden Box” picks up speed as it hurtles head on through uneasy thoughts; group “ooh ahs” boom like heavy thunder with bolts of off-kilter banjo.

Shot on the Historic Graham Ranch deep in the Alberta Badlands, the video for “Tiny Wooden Box” sets the band in an awe-inspiring landscape, a visual antithesis of the song’s smaller - much smaller - setting. Directed by Edmonton-based Jeremy Chugg, “Tiny Wooden Box” sets the scene for Chains & Stakes with its mix of grandeur and graveyard, close calls and resolve. As night falls over ridge and river, The Dead South make a deal with the Reaper for another day.

Watch “Tiny Wooden Box” here.

Six Shooter Records will release Chains & Stakes worldwide on February 9, 2024.

CHAINS & STAKES TOUR DATES

2023

London, UK: Roundhouse, Oct 27

Manchester, UK: O2 Apollo, Oct 28

Newcastle, UK: O2 City Hall, Oct 29

Edinburgh, UK: Usher Hall, Oct 30

Belfast, UK: Ulster Hall, Nov 1 *SOLD OUT

Dublin, IE: Vicar Street, Nov 2 *SOLD OUT

Wolverhampton, UK: Civic Hall, Nov 4

Nottingham, UK: Rock City, Nov 5 *SOLD OUT

Cambridge, UK: Corn Exchange, Nov 7

Portsmouth, UK: Guildhall, Nov 8

Bristol, UK: Marble Factory, Nov 9 *SOLD OUT

Plymouth, UK: Plymouth Pavilions, Nov 10

2024

Cleveland, OH: TempleLive Masonic, Feb 12

Pittsburgh, PA: Stage AE, Feb 13

Silver Spring, MD: The Fillmore, Feb 14

Philadelphia, PA: Franklin Music Hall, Feb 16

Norfolk, VA: The NorVa, Feb 17

Charlotte, NC: The Fillmore, Feb 18

Atlanta, GA: The Eastern, Feb 19

Austin, TX: ACL Live at the Moody Theatre, Feb 21

Dallas, TX: The Factory, Feb 22

San Antonio, TX: Aztec Theatre, Feb 23

Houston, TX: House of Blues Houston, Feb 24

Memphis, TN: Minglewood Hall, Feb 26

Fayetteville, AR: JJ’s Live, Feb 27

Tulsa, OK: Cain’s Ballroom, Feb 28

Steamboat Springs, CO: Winter WonderGrass, Mar 1

Perth, AU: Metropolis Fremantle, Mar 20

Adelaide, AU: Hindley Street Music Hall, Mar 21

Melbourne, AU: Forum Melbourne, Mar 23

Melbourne, AU: Forum Melbourne, Mar 24

Brisbane, AU: Fortitude Music Hall, Mar 26

Tyagarah, AU: Byron Bay Bluesfest, Mar 29

Sydney, AU: Enmore Theatre, Apr 2

Sydney, AU: Enmore Theatre, Apr 3

Auckland, NZ: Powerstation, Apr 5

Wellington, NZ: San Fran, Apr 6

Wellington, NZ: San Fran, Apr 7

Hamburg, DE: Sporthalle, May 30

Berlin, DE: Zitadelle Spandau, June 1

Leipzig, DE: Clara-Zetkin Park, June 2

Prague, CZ: Žluté Lázně, June 4

Bratislava, SK: Stars Auditorium, June 5

Budapest, HU: Budapest Park, June 6

Cologne, DE: Palladium, June 11

Wiesbaden, DE: Schlachthof, June 12

Munich, DE: Zenith, June 13

Paris, FR: Salle Pleyel, June 18

Wed, 12/06/2023 - 10:56 am

The Dead South announce their return to Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, this time for two nights, July 12 and 13, 2024. Tickets will be available to the public on Friday, December 8 at 9am CT. The two shows are an exciting addition to a busy year ahead that will see the band headline major festivals across North America, Australia and Europe, release a new album, make their  live debut in Mexico, and more.

The band readies for the February release of their fourth full-length album, Chains & Stakes, with a new song out today. “A Little Devil,” first introduced at their sold out debut at The Mother Church this past summer, is a song about temptation and regret. Musically, “A Little Devil” shows off the band’s considerable talent for ferocious and fiery strumming, masterfully balancing its stops and starts, twists and turns while it careens between love song and cautionary tale.

Chains & Stakes reunites The Dead South with Grammy winner Jimmy Nutt, who produced the JUNO Award winning, Billboard chart-topping Sugar & Joy, their previous studio album. With 13 songs of plot twists, family trees, grudges, insurance scams, bacon, burials, banjo riffs and more, Chains & Stakes is an album of surprises, top-notch musicianship and entertaining tales.

As they grow more adventurous and assured with each album, Chains & Stakes is a truly “Dead South” collection in the balance of darkness and levity that has come to define their unmistakable approach. The Dead South will come full circle on the story of the album next October, when they return to Mexico City, where they recorded Chains & Stakes, to make their live debut in the country.

Pre-Order // Pre-Save Chains & Stakes Here

CHAINS & STAKES TOUR DATES

Cleveland, OH: TempleLive Masonic, Feb 12

Pittsburgh, PA: Stage AE, Feb 13

Silver Spring, MD: The Fillmore, Feb 14

Philadelphia, PA: Franklin Music Hall, Feb 16

Norfolk, VA: The NorVa, Feb 17

Charlotte, NC: The Fillmore, Feb 18

Atlanta, GA: The Eastern, Feb 19

Austin, TX: ACL Live at the Moody Theatre, Feb 21

Dallas, TX: The Factory, Feb 22

San Antonio, TX: The Factory in Deep Ellum, Feb 23

Houston, TX: House of Blues Houston, Feb 24

Memphis, TN: Minglewood Hall, Feb 26

Fayetteville, AR: JJ’s Live, Feb 27

Tulsa, OK: Cain’s Ballroom, Feb 28

Steamboat Springs, CO: Winter WonderGrass, Mar 1

Perth, AU: Metropolis Fremantle, Mar 20

Adelaide, AU: Hindley Street Music Hall, Mar 21

Melbourne, AU: Forum Melbourne, Mar 23

Melbourne, AU: Forum Melbourne, Mar 24

Brisbane, AU: Fortitude Music Hall, Mar 26

Tyagarah, AU: Byron Bay Bluesfest, Mar 29

Sydney, AU: Enmore Theatre, Apr 2

Sydney, AU: Enmore Theatre, Apr 3

Auckland, NZ: Powerstation, Apr 5

Wellington, NZ: San Fran, Apr 6

Wellington, NZ: San Fran, Apr 7

Hamburg, DE: Freilichtbühne im Stadtpark, May 30

Berlin, DE: Zitadelle Spandau, June 1

Leipzig, DE: Clara-Zetkin Park, June 2

Prague, CZ: Žluté Lázně, June 4

Bratislava, SK: Stars Auditorium, June 5

Budapest, HU: Budapest Park, June 6

Linz, AT: Posthof Zeitkultur Am Hafen, June 8

Stuttgart, DE: Kulturbetrieb Wagenhallen, June 9

Cologne, DE: Palladium, June 11

Wiesbaden, DE: Schlachthof, June 12

Munich, DE: Zenith, June 13

Paris, FR: Salle Pleyel, June 18

Nashville, TN: The Ryman Auditorium, July 12 + 13

Mexico City, MX: Fronton Mexico, Oct 19

Tue, 02/13/2024 - 8:18 am

With a new album out and a standing ovation for their Grand Ole Opry debut in the books, The Dead South now set off on the Chains & Stakes World Tour, which will cover North America, Australia, and Europe throughout 2024.

On “Completely, Sweetly,” an instant fan favourite from the new album, The Dead South fold a banjo riff until it transforms into doom metal, like Metallica served up string band style. The grudge-powered song, an album highlight, reaches deep into the highs and lows that come with moving beyond betrayal.

“Yours To Keep,” the source of the album title, arrives with a video that finds the band in an alternate dimension with mystery potions and dancing demagogues, like The Grand Budapest Hotel but set in Saskatchewan. “Yours To Keep” was directed by Two Brothers, the team behind videos for “In Hell I’ll Be In Good Company” (395M views), “You Are My Sunshine” and “Diamond Ring,” from the band’s impressive catalogue.

Watch new video for “Yours To Keep” here.

From the Bach-inspired cello solo of “Son of Ambrose,” to the countrified doo wop of “A Place I Hardly Know,” Chains & Stakes is a little bit sweet and plenty salty (see “The Cured Contessa”). The album is also woven with a trio of instrumentals that skillfully shift tone and tempo, balancing the blistering, blunderbuss bluegrass that shapes the collection as a whole.

Chains & Stakes measures The Dead South’s growth as songwriters, storytellers and musicians. World-class artists and entertainers, The Dead South carry on the only way they know how: by being themselves. If Sugar & Joy questioned what Bluegrass is and isn’t, then Chains & Stakes takes a step beyond, unbothered by definition and playing by its own rules. Chains & Stakes, The Dead South’s fourth studio album, was recorded in Mexico City and produced by The Dead South and Grammy-winner Jimmy Nutt.

Buy / Stream Chains & Stakes here.

CHAINS & STAKES WORLD TOUR

Cleveland, OH: TempleLive Masonic, Feb 12

Pittsburgh, PA: Stage AE, Feb 13

Silver Spring, MD: The Fillmore, Feb 14

Philadelphia, PA: Franklin Music Hall, Feb 16

Norfolk, VA: The NorVa, Feb 17

Charlotte, NC: The Fillmore, Feb 18

Atlanta, GA: The Eastern, Feb 19

Austin, TX: ACL Live at the Moody Theatre, Feb 21

Dallas, TX: The Factory, Feb 22

San Antonio, TX: Aztec Theatre, Feb 23

Houston, TX: House of Blues Houston, Feb 24

Memphis, TN: Minglewood Hall, Feb 26

Fayetteville, AR: JJ’s Live, Feb 27

Tulsa, OK: Cain’s Ballroom, Feb 28

Steamboat Springs, CO: Winter WonderGrass, Mar 1

Perth, AU: Metropolis Fremantle, Mar 20

Adelaide, AU: Hindley Street Music Hall, Mar 21

Melbourne, AU: Forum Melbourne, Mar 23

Melbourne, AU: Forum Melbourne, Mar 24

Brisbane, AU: Fortitude Music Hall, Mar 26

Tyagarah, AU: Byron Bay Bluesfest, Mar 29

Sydney, AU: Enmore Theatre, Apr 2

Sydney, AU: Enmore Theatre, Apr 3

Auckland, NZ: Powerstation, Apr 5

Wellington, NZ: San Fran, Apr 6

Wellington, NZ: San Fran, Apr 7

Hamburg, DE: Freilichtbühne im Stadtpark, May 30

Berlin, DE: Zitadelle Spandau, June 1

Leipzig, DE: Clara-Zetkin Park, June 2

Prague, CZ: Žluté Lázně, June 4

Bratislava, SK: Stars Auditorium, June 5

Budapest, HU: Budapest Park, June 6

Linz, AT: Posthof Zeitkultur Am Hafen, June 8

Stuttgart, DE: Kulturbetrieb Wagenhallen, June 9

Cologne, DE: Palladium, June 11

Wiesbaden, DE: Schlachthof, June 12

Munich, DE: Zenith, June 13

Saarbrücken, DE: Garage, June 15

Tilburg, NL: 013 Poppodium013, June 16

Brussels, BE: Ancienne Belgique, June 17

Paris, FR: Salle Pleyel, June 18

Nashville, TN: The Ryman Auditorium, July 12 + 13

Mount Carroll, IL: Rhythm Amphitheatre, July 14

Bonner, MT: Kettlehouse Amphitheatre, Aug 5

Seattle, WA: Paramount Theatre, Aug 7

Portland, OR: Edgefield, Aug 8

Boise, ID: Revolution, Aug 9

Salt Lake City, UT: Deer Valley, Aug 10

Jacksonville, OR: Britt Pavilion, Aug 12

Reno, NV: Grand Sierra Resort, Aug 13

San Francisco, CA: Warfield, Aug 15

Los Angeles, CA: The Novo, Aug 16

Las Vegas, NV: Brooklyn Bowl, Aug 17

Phoenix, AZ: Van Buren, Aug 18

Del Mar, CA: The Sound, Aug 20

Regina, SK: Conexus Arts Centre, Oct 11

Saskatoon, SK: TCU Place, Oct 12

Kansas City, MO: Midland Theatre, Oct 16

Oklahoma City, OK: Criterion, Oct 17

Mexico City, MX: Fronton Mexico, Oct 19

Columbus, OH: KEMBA Live!, Oct 21

Brooklyn, NY: Brooklyn Paramount, Oct 23

New Haven, CT: College Street, Oct 24

Portland, ME: State Theatre, Oct 25

Boston, MA: House of Blues, Oct 26

Indianapolis, IN: Egyptian Room at Old National Centre, Oct 28

Winnipeg, MB: Burton Cummings Theatre, Oct 30

Edmonton, AB: Flair Airlines Hangar at Edmonton Expo Centre, Nov 1

Kelowna, BC: Prospera Place, Nov 2

Vancouver, BC: Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre, Nov 3

Moncton, NB: Casino New Brunswick, Dec 2

Halifax, NS: Lighthouse Arts Centre, Dec 3 + 4

Montreal, QC: MTelus, Dec 6

Toronto, ON: Massey Hall, Dec 7

Grand Rapids, MI: GLC Live at 20 Munroe, Dec 10

Detroit, MI: The Fillmore, Dec 12

Chicago, IL: Riviera, Dec 13

Maplewood, MN: Myth Live, Dec 14

Madison, WI: Sylvee, Dec 15