In celebration of its 13th year as a band, the preeminent soul funk trio Soulive has announced the inaugural Royal Family Affair -- a three-day music festival from August 12-14 set in the beautiful Green Mountains of Vermont.  In the last decade, Soulive has toured the globe playing with some of the world's most celebrated musicians from The Rolling Stones to Dave Matthews, from Stevie Wonder to Joshua Redman.  Now, as has become customary with their acclaimed Bowlive and Royal Family Ball blowouts, Soulive brings all of their diverse friends together for a weekend long event.

Joining Soulive at the Royal Family Affair are future funk luminaries Chromeo, electronic powerhouse Big Gigantic, fellow Royal Family Records label-mates Lettuce, Break Science, Crushed Velvet & The Velveteers and Eric Krasno & Chapter 2 and modern day funk legends Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk and Karl Denson. Additional highlights include a special one-time only performance by a power trio consisting of organist John Medeski, saxophonist Skerik and drummer Adam Deitch, as well as sets by Zach Deputy, Paper Diamond, John Brown's Body, The Pimps of Joytime, The London Souls and Jennifer Hartswick. Additional guests will be announced shortly.

Along with performances taking place on two stages and a late-night venue, the Royal Family Affair will offer a series of intimate clinics and musical workshops with the many luminaries performing at the festival.  These up close and personal meetings with the artists will take place in large indoor studios set up with musical gear.  They’ll provide a fascinating window into the creative process for musicians and fans alike.  Confirmed events include a guitar seminar with Eric Krasno, a percussion clinic with Alan Evans and Adam Deitch, a horn clinic with The Shady Horns and a composition/songwriting workshop with Neal Evans.

The Royal Family Affair will take place at the Stratton Mountain Ski Resort in Bondville, VT. One of the best-known skiing locations in the Northeast, Stratton is easily accessible from NYC, Boston, Western Massachusetts, Albany and Burlington.  The event will take place at the base of the mountain with picturesque views and a lively village featuring restaurants, bars and retail stores. Festival attendees are encouraged to stay at any of the extremely affordable lodging properties right on site. All lodging is within walking distance of the stages and rates start as low as $39 per person per night.

Beyond the great music, Stratton Mountain offers a huge variety of activities for outdoor enthusiasts. Play tennis, go hiking or kayaking, or ride the gondola to the summit - you'll enjoy views only the highest peak in Vermont's Green Mountain range can provide.  In the village, Long Trail and Wolavers will offer free daily tastings of a wide variety of fine local micro-brews, and the wide variety of local restaurants will offer affordable, fresh and tasty local cuisine.

Single day ($29.50 - $34.50) and 3-day ($89.50) festival passes will be available on May 24, 2011 at 10am EST through the Royal Family Affair website (www.royalfamilyaffair.com). For those looking for a VIP experience, two tiers of VIP packages are available, offering benefits ranging from exclusive viewing areas, complementary beverages, a meet & greet with the performers and backstage access. VIP packages start at $199.

Alabama-based troubadour Grayson Capps seldom leaves the Southland to tour, preferring instead to stick to his stomping grounds along the Gulf Coast and in the Southeast where his fan-base is rabid. However, with a critically acclaimed new album entitled The Lost Cause Minstrels, a new band, also dubbed The Lost Called Minstrels, plus two songs and a cameo in the major motion picture Straw Dogs starring James Marsden, Kate Bosworth and Alexander Skarsgård, Capps will come North in late September for a run of shows that includes stops in Washington, DC, New York City, Burlington and beyond.

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Stream "Highway 42" here // Stream "Chief Seattle" here // Download & Post "Jane's Alley Blues" here

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Upcoming Grayson Capps & The Lost Cause Minstrels tour dates are:

September 15 | Rooster's Blues House | Oxford, MS
September 16 | Rooster's Blues House | Tuscaloosa, AL
September 17 | Oak's Cafe | Brewton, AL
September 18 | Pirate's Fest | Orange Beach, AL
September 21 | Downtown Event Center | Opelika, AL
September 22 | The Garage | Winston-Salem, NC
September 23 | Purple Fiddle | Thomas, WV
September 24 | PJ Kelly's | Clarksburg, WV
September 28 | Crossroads | Richmond, VA
September 29 | 1919 | Baltimore, MD
September 30 | Nightown | Easton, MD
October 4 | Hill Country BBQ | Washington, DC
October 5 | Burlap & Bean | Philadelphia, PA
October 6 | Sullivan Hall | New York, NY (w/ DJ Davis from Treme)
October 7 | Hungry Tiger | Manchester, CT
October 8 | Nectar's | Burlington, VT
October 9 | West Kortwright Centre | East Meredith, NY
October 12 | Music City Roots | Nashville, TN
October 14 | Fly Creek Marina | Fairhope, AL
October 16 | Callaghan's Irish Social Club | Mobile, AL
October 21 | Magnolia Festival | Live Oak, FL
October 22 | Bennie's Boom Boom Room | Hattiesburg, MS
October 29 | Blue Moon Farm at Frog Pond | Josephine, AL
November 5 | Heritage Harbor Days | Foley, AL
November 11 | Barking Legs Theater | Chattanooga, TN *
November 12 | Wayfarer Music Hall | Monroe, GA *
November 17 | The Five Spot | Atlanta, GA
November 18 | The Downtown Tavern | Gadsden, AL
November 19 | Chrome Horse | Silver Hill, AL
November 20 | Callaghan's Irish Social Club | Mobile, AL
November 30 | Duling Hall | Jackson, MS *(w/ Rayland Baxter)

Garage A Trois, a post rock/freak jazz entity comprised of Seattle-based saxophonics master Skerik, Brooklyn sound-sculptor/keysman Marco Benevento, Texas-born punk rock vibraphone hero Mike Dillon and New Orleans funky drummer/beat scientist Stanton Moore, have announced five shows in Colorado this December. The run starts in Telluride, stops in Breckenridge, Ft. Collins and Boulder, and concludes in Denver. While in Boulder, the band plans to drop into Immersive Studios to record a limited edition 7-inch for release on Record Store Day in 2012.The Colorado tour is part of a year long surge behind Garage A Trois' latest critically lauded album Always Be Happy, But Stay Evil out now on The Royal Potato Family. Utne Reader wrote of the record: "there’s a head-clearing vigor to this music, as if the weirdos among us might be onto something after all," while Relix declared: "the album's title perfectly encapsulates the vibe of the band: the music is fun, energetic and hopeful, but there's a darkness to it that begs listeners to stay on their toes."Always Be Happy, But Stay Evil is the follow up to Garage A Trois' 2009 release, Power Patriot (the band's debut with Benevento replacing original member Charlie Hunter). In the words of Stanton Moore, "the band set out to capture the highly flammable, rock-driven, avant pop album we all knew we were capable of making." Recorded at Studio In The Country in Bogalusa, LA (where albums by The Neville Brothers, Stevie Wonder and The Wild Magnolias have been cut) with engineer/producer Randall Dunn (Cave Singers, Black Mountain, Sun City Girls), it's the finest representation yet of the band's sinewy, fourth-dimensional, polychromatic songwriting.Upcoming Colorado Tour Dates are:December 13 | The Llama | Telluride, CODecember 14 | Three 20 South | Breckenridge, CODecember 15 | Aggie Theater | Ft. Collins, CODecember 16 | Fox Theater | Boulder, CODecember 17 | Cervantes | Denver, CO

Revered singer, songwriter and guitarist Neal Casal, most recently praised for his contributions as a member of both Ryan Adams & The Cardinals and the Chris Robinson Brotherhood, will release his tenth studio album Sweeten The Distance on April 10 via The Royal Potato Family.The first line of the title track says much about where the storied musician finds himself in his career: "Nothing's gonna stop you now, everything you want is coming in good time." After 20 plus years of writing songs, recording albums and touring the world, there's a confidence and patience present in Neal Casal's latest work that reveals an artist in full creative flight. Produced by Thom Monahan (Fruit Bats, Devendra Banhart, Vetiver), Sweeten The Distance is a defining moment in his discography. Rich acoustic textures and sophisticated melodies found in songs like "Bird With No Name," "Need Shelter" and "Gyrls of Wynter" give way to the psych folk ambiance of "White Fence Round House" "Feathers for Bakersfield" and "How Quiet It Got." The depth of the production, with its meticulously layered sounds and oceanic atmospherics, makes Sweeten The Distance as much a multi-dimensional headphone experience as a soul-stirring modern songwriter record. And as such, the Ventura-based artist plants his flag in the New Cosmic California movement.Neal Casal first made a name for himself with a series of highly praised solo albums, beginning in 1995 with Fade Away Diamond Time and followed by recordings like Basement Dreams, No Wish To Reminisce and the retrospective collection Leaving Traces. In 2006, he joined Ryan Adams & The Cardinals with whom he recorded four albums: Easy Tiger (which reached #7 on the Billboard chart), Follow the Lights, Cardinology and III/IV. Currently, he serves as a central component of the Chris Robinson Brotherhood. The band toured throughout 2011 and is working on their debut studio recording. Over the last year, Casal has also added guitar and vocals to Ryan Adams Ashes & Fire, Fruit Bats Tripper, The Jayhawks Mockingbird Time, Vetiver The Errant Charm and a forthcoming recording by Beachwood Sparks. SWEETEN THE DISTANCE Track Listing:1. Sweeten The Distance2. Bird With No Name3. Need Shelter4. Let It All Begin5. White Fence Round House6. So Many Enemies7. Feathers For Bakersfield8. Time & Trouble9. How Quiet It Got10. The Gyrls of Wynter11. Angel and You’re Mine

Billy Martin and Wil Blades wanna make you Shimmy. The organ/drums duo waste no time getting right down to it on their debut album due May 22 from The Royal Potato Family in collaboraton with Martin's own Amulet Records. Martin and Blades go old school in the tradition of essential organ-groove sides by the likes of Charles Earland, Brother Jack McDuff and Groove Holmes. Martin, the drummer for the legendary Medeski, Martin & Wood, and Blades, a much buzzed about young organist from the San Francisco live music scene, first came together for a low-key, one-off late night set during the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in 2011. The music that evening was so deep in the pocket that the pair knew instantly there would be more shows together in their future. A West Coast tour was arranged for later in the year, which played to packed houses from Washington to California. In the middle of the run, Martin and Blades ducked into a Berkeley recording studio to capture what would become Shimmy."We had about seven hours to record as much music as we could and hoped to get a full record out of it," explains Martin. "We were burning the candle bright, touring down the coast from Seattle. By the time we hit the studio we had about five gigs behind us and were well warmed up with the material we were developing."The electricity between the drummer and organist runs high voltage through tunes like "Brother Bru," "Toe Thumb" and "Les & Eddie." Speaking of Les and Eddie, Billy and Wil turn out a blazing rendition of Eddie Harris' "Means Greens," as well as updating the traditional spiritual "Down By The Riverside." But before anyone thinks Martin has set aside his proclivity for rhythmic exploration in favor of straight-ahead groove, he demonstrates that the time space continuum is still fair game on tracks like the slinky "Deep In A Fried Pickle," the jagged "Pick Pocket" and the swirling "Give." Simultaneously, Blades takes this opportunity to coax some of the album's darkest and most psychedelic sounds from his B3 and clavinet. The kinetic chemistry between Martin and Blades assures that while Shimmy reaches back to embrace the retro, the duo can't help but push the tradition ever forward."It never crossed my mind to start a duo with another organist because I had just celebrated 20 years with my good friend and partner John Medeski. The last thing I wanted to do was make a commitment to another keyboardist," says Martin. "But after that gig in New Orleans, I knew it was in the stars for Wil and I to collaborate. You never know what's around the corner. With all the changes this planet has been through, you have to follow the signs when it all comes together like that."Billy Martin and Wil Blades will tour the West Coast in May to support Shimmy. East Coast and Midwest tour dates will be announced shortly.Upcoming shows are:May 24 | The Mix | Seattle, WAMay 25 | The Mix | Seattle, WAMay 26 | The Goodfoot | Portland, ORMay 27 | The Goodfoot | Portland, ORMay 29 | Jambalaya | Arcata, CAMay 30 | Hopmonk | Sebastopol, CAMay 31 | Kuumbwa | Santa Cruz, CAJune 1 | Great American Music Hall | San Francisco, CAJune 2 | The Mint | Los Angeles, CAShimmy track listing:1. Brother Bru2. Mean Greens3. Deep In A Fried Pickle4. Les & Eddie5. Pick Pocket6. Down By The Riverside7. Toe Thumb8. Little Shimmy9. Give10. Dehna Hunu

Our new favorite national holiday has quickly become Record Store Day. So this year we're thrilled to be bringing you a limited pressing 7-inch from Marco Benevento for the celebration of the independent record store. "This Is How It Goes" is Marco's first release to ever feature vocals. Doing the honors is none other than lovely Kalmia Traver from one of our favorite bands Rubblebucket. Mark your calendars for Saturday, April 21, so you can run to your favorite indie record stores to grab a copy of Marco's latest single plus tons of other exclusive releases made available for Record Store Day 2012.We should also mention that Marco started off 2012 by releasing another 7-inch for the songs "Escape Horse"/"Fireworks." The first of those two tracks features Phish's Mike Gordon and drum god Matt Chamberlain. We have around 50 copies left before this is SOLD OUT forever. Grab it here.

"This Is How It Goes" is a Record Store Day 2012 exclusive 7-inch by Marco Benevento, available at independent record stores across the country this Saturday, April 21. The song from the revered pianist is the first to ever feature vocals. Taking the honors is Kalmia Traver from the exploding indie-dance band Rubblebucket.

Recorded by Tom Biller (Silversun Pickups, Elliot Smith, Fiona Apple) and mixed by Bryce Goggin (Pavement, Antony & The Johnsons, Akron/Family), "This Is How It Goes" is a pastoral psych rock meditation that offers a glimpse into Benevento's new studio album coming September 2012.

Marco Benevento will be touring extensively this summer, including festival appearances at Mountain Jam, High Sierra Music Festival, Telluride Jazz Festival, Floydfest, Iowa City Jazz Festival and Strange Creek.

UPCOMING TOUR DATES:
April 21 | St. Lawrence University | Canton, NY
April 25 | Bennie's Boom Boom Room | Hattiesburg, MS
April 26 | DBA | New Orleans, LA
April 27 | Republic | New Orleans, LA
May 2 | The Howlin Wolf | New Orleans, LA
May 24 | Yoshi's | Oakland, CA
May 26 | Strange Creek | Greenfield, MA
June 1 | Mountain Jam | Catskill, NY
June 8 | Discover Jazz Festival | Burlington, VT
June 22 | Midsummer Meltdown | Schuylkill Haven, PA
June 24 | The Chamelion | Lancaster, PA
June 30 | Iowa City Jazz Festival | Iowa City, IA
July 5-8 | High Sierra Music Festival | Quincy, CA
July 27 | Floydfest | Floyd, VA
July 28 | The Press Room | Asbury Park, NJ
August 3 | Telluride Jazz Festival | Telluride, CO

Grayson Capps has announced a number of tour dates both in the U.S. and Europe this summer. The Mobile, Alabama-based singer/songwriter is known for sticking closely to his stomping grounds in the Gulf Coast, but the coming months will find him on the road for shows from Tennessee through New York City, as well as a return to Europe, including appearances at the Maverick Festival in Great Britain and the Paradiso in Holland supporting Dr. John.In advance of the tour, Grayson Capps is giving away an mp3 of "The Battle Is Over (But The War Goes On)," his take on the legendary protest song that was recorded, but never released, during the sessions for his latest album, The Lost Cause Minstrels. The track can be downloaded here. The 11-song studio release, featuring stand-outs like "Highway 42," "Chief Seattle," and "Coconut Moonshine," led Sound + Vision Magazine to declare: "With The Lost Cause Minstrels, Capps joins the Drive-By Truckers on the short list of artists who can tell a serious story while evoking the thrills of vintage Southern rock." Blogcritics.com offered the following praise: "Simply put this is some of the best rock and roll in its purest form you'll have heard in a long time. Intelligent without being pretentious and emotional without being sentimental, Grayson Capps is one of the best damn songwriters around today, and The Lost Cause Minstrels is his best recording to date."Upcoming tour dates are:May 18 | Outer Hang Festival at The Undertow | Orange Beach, ALMay 22 | The Melting Point | Athens, GAMay 23 | Rhythm & Brews | Chattanooga, TNMay 24 | The Basement | Nashville, TNMay 25 | Jammin' At Hippie Jack's | Crawford, TNMay 26 | Hideaway Saloon | Louisville, KYMay 27 | The Purple Fiddle | Thomas, WVMay 29 | Hill Country BBQ | Washington, DCMay 31 | The Rock Shop | Brooklyn, NY #June 1 | Michael Arnone's Crawfish Festival | Augusta, NJJune 5 | Eagleview Concerts In The Square | Exton, PA ^June 14 | Rosie's Record Bar | Daphne, ALJune 22 | Bloodhound | Auburn, ALJune 30 | Maverick Festival | Suffolk, UKJuly 2 | Paradiso | Amsterdam, Holland *July 4 | House Concert | Boxtel, HollandJuly 5 | House Concert | Liempde, HollandJuly 6 | Peticantus | Hoorn, HollandJuly 7 | Cafe de Rat | Utrecht, HollandJuly 8 | Cafe t Keerpunt | Spijkerboor, HollandJuly 11-15 | Germany & Italy TBAAugust 3 | Woodwalk Gallery | Egg Harbor, WIAugust 5 | Foundry Hall | South Haven, MIAugust 25 | The Hangout | Gulf Shores, AL *September 7 | Blue Canoe | Tupelo, MSSeptember 8 | Doc's | Evansville, INSeptember 9 | Knucklehead's | Kansas City, MOSeptember 14 & 15 | Lumberjack Saloon | Lolo, MT^ w/ Larkin Poe* w/ Dr. John# w/ Daniel Wayne

Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey have announced tour plans for Summer 2012. The Tulsa and Kansas City-based band will continue to perform in support of their critically acclaimed album The Race Riot Suite with appearances at The Rochester International Jazz Festival in Rochester, NY, The Blue Note Jazz Festival in New York City, the Stranger Danger Festival in Chicago, IL and their first ever performance at the legendary North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam, Holland. In addition, JFJO will play a handful of select club dates, as well as present Ludwig: The Pastoral, the quartet's interpretation of Beethoven's 6th Symphony, with the Oklahoma Community Orchestra at Hardeman Auditorium in Oklahoma City.JFJO has also just released a series of A and B side digital download exclusive recordings that offer a reconstructed version of The Race Riot Suite material. The A Side consists of a solo piano version of each song from album as interpreted by the band's pianist and founder Brian Haas. The B Side has a remixed version of the A Side by The Race Riot Suite producer, Costa Stasinopoulos.  The full series is now available for download in partnership with Sound Tribe Sector Nine's label 1320 Records and is available at iTunes, Amazon, BeatPort, etc.JFJO Tour Dates:May 17 - Tulsa, OK - Tulsa International Mayfest ^June 3 - Oklahoma City, OK - Hardeman Auditorium (LUDWIG: The Pastoral) **June 21 - Kansas City, MO - Record Bar ^^June 23 - Chicago, IL - Stranger Danger Festival at Abbey Pub ^^June 24 - Rochester, NY - Rochester International Jazz Festival ^^June 27 - Boston, MA - Cafe 939 ^^June 28 - Philadelphia, PA - World Cafe Live ^^June 29 - New York, NY - Blue Note Jazz Festival at Blue Note #July 4 - Festival Lent - Maribor, Slovenia ^^July 7 - Rotterdam, NL - North Sea Jazz Festival ##August 11 - Harrah, OK - Pavilion Series ^^^ w/ Mark Southerland on saxophone & Matt Leland on trombone** Beethoven's 6th Symphony w/ the Oklahoma Community Orchestra^^ w/ Mark Southerland on saxophone# w/ Peter Apfelbaum & Mark Southerland on horns## w/ Peter Apfelbaum, Steven Bernstein, & Mark Southerland on horns

Marco Benevento has etched out a path across the east coast and midwest this autumn in support of his new LP, TigerFace, due September 11 from The Royal Potato Family.  Rolling Stone and WNYC both jumped on the bandwagon early last week to premiere two songs from the upcoming record that feature Rubblebucket's Kalmia Traver on vocals.With a triumphant return to the limelight, Benevento shows a different side of himself on TigerFace.  “I blindly and fearlessly opened up some doors to different sounds on my record during the course of two years,” Benevento explains, “TigerFace is the beginnings of a new, more melody driven sound with the focus on the impact of the song from start to finish.”--Upcoming Marco Benevento TigerFace tour dates:September 14 | Terrapin Crossroads | San Rafael, CASeptember 19 | Water Street Music Hall | Rochester, NY ^September 20 | Nietzsche's | Buffalo, NY ^September 21 | Beachland Ballroom | Cleveland, OHSeptember 22 | Martyr's | Chicago, IL ^September 23 | Cafe Paradiso | Fairfield, IA ^September 24 | Vaudeville Mews | Des Moines, IA ^September 25 | Record Bar | Kansas City, MO ^September 26 | Old Rock House | St. Louis, MO ^September 27 | Headliner's Music Hall | Louisville, KY ^September 28 | Woodland's Tavern | Columbus, OH ^September 29 | Rex Theatre | Pittsburgh, PA ^October 11 | TT & The Bears | Boston, MAOctober 12 | Bowery Ballroom | New York, NYOctober 13 | The Blockley | Philadelphia, PAOctober 14 | Bridge Street Live | Collinsville, CTOctober 17 & 18 | The Press Room | Portsmouth, NHOctober 19 | Higher Ground | Burlington, VT #October 20 | The Iron Horse | Northampton, MA #November 07 | The Southern | Charlottesville, VANovember 08 | Pisgah Brewery | Black Mountain, NCNovember 09 | Ciderhouse | Knoxville, TNNovember 10 | New Earth Music Hall | Athens, GANovember 11 | The Pour House Music Hall | Raleigh, NCNovember 12 | Casbah | Charlotte, NCNovember 13 | The Soapbox | Wilmington, NCNovember 14 | Jewish Mother | Virginia Beach, VANovember 15 | Capital Ale House | Richmond, VANovember 16 | U Street Music Hall | Washington, DCNovember 17 | 8x10 | Baltimore, MD^support Mike Dillon Band#support Superhuman Happiness

Medeski Martin & Wood have announced the release of Free Magic due September 25 on the band's label Indirecto Records. For its latest effort, MMW dip into their archives to present a collection of recordings documenting their first-ever acoustic tour in 2007. The set, stretching out over five expansive tracks, captures the three intrepid improvisers—keyboardist John Medeski, bassist Chris Wood and drummer Billy Martin—exploring the telepathic hookup and deep groove sensibility that has defined MMW since its inception in 1991.

"There’s a rhythmic and sonic connection that we have," says Martin of his MMW colleagues. "Listening is the most important thing for us. We're having a conversation when we're playing. The dynamic range is much greater in the acoustic setting. When we play electric, everything is turned up to 11 and it's screaming. But with John on piano and Chris on upright, we can play with a much more nuanced touch. It's a very different world and I love it."

Free Magic opens with "Doppler," a song from MMW’s previous album 20 that was issued last year in celebration of the revered trio's two decades spent as a groundbreaking force in experimental modern jazz. The tune's droning, near-tribal introduction morphs into an earthy, undulating groove that recalls the vintage piano trios of Ahmad Jamal, Ramsey Lewis and Les McCann. Medeski’s "Blues for Another Day" follows with a burst of jagged dissonance that has him channeling his inner Cecil Taylor. From that tumultuous free jazz intro, the performance settles into a slow, bluesy meditation in which the pianist digs deep, testifying with gospel-tinged intensity. Up next is the epic title track that swirls amid a  zen-like collective improv by the three kindred spirits on tuned metal percussion, prepared upright piano and bowed harmonics on upright bass before segueing to Medeski’s Chopin-influenced "Ballade in C Minor." The fourth track selected for inclusion takes things back almost 20 years with an acoustic version of "Where's Sly" from MMW's 1993 album It's a Jungle in Here. Over the course of 16-minutes, the three musicians take great liberties with the melody and extrapolate freely in typically daring MMW fashion. The closing performance on Free Magic is a savvy piano trio medley of Charles Mingus' "Nostalgia in Times Square" and Sun Ra's anthemic "Angel Race," which work together perfectly. Wood summons up the spirit of his hero Mingus with his forceful and resonant bass solo on the "Nostalgia" half of this potent medley.

"This stuff brings it back to when we used to hang out in this rented shack in Hawaii and make music together," says Martin of the music on Free Magic. "It was really just a little plywood cabin in the jungle with a tin roof. John had a prepared piano there that sounded like a gamelan instrument and I had these funky drums that had mold growing on them, or I might play the side of the shack or play the railing going up the stairs and make it sound like a xylophone. And we'd get into a lot of different stuff there, just having musical conversations in this intimate setting."

Over the course of 21 years, Medeski Martin & Wood have forged an indelible chemistry on the bandstand that’s fueled countless concerts around the world, as well as, 18 cutting-edge albums. This latest addition to their discography is no exception. To support the release of Free Magic, MMW follow in the footsteps of the 2007 shows that comprise its latest album by embarking on only their second ever acoustic tour. The 11-city run will stretch across the Northeast in October.

Upcoming MMW dates are:

10/03 - Fall River, MA - Narrows Center for the Arts
10/04 - Glenside, PA - Keswick Theatre
10/05 - Boston, MA - Jordan Hall
10/06 - Albany, NY - Massry Center for the Arts
10/07 - Bethel Woods, NY - Bethel Woods
10/08 - Englewood, NJ - Bergen PAC
10/10 - Ridgefield, CT - Ridgefield Playhouse
10/11 - Stroudsburg, PA - Sherman Theatre
10/12 - Huntington, NY - The Paramount
10/13 - Washington, DC - Kennedy Center
10/14 - Annapolis, MD - Rams Head Tavern

Skerik, the enduringly saxophonic, punk jazz iconoclast, has announced the first ever U.S. tour by his latest project, Bandalabra. The four-piece, Seattle-based unit also includes Andy Coe on electric guitar, Evan Flory Barnes on upright bass and Dvonne Lewis on drums. Earlier this year Bandalabra quietly released a digital exclusive debut album, Live At The Royal Room, via The Royal Potato Family, while playing a handful of shows around the West Coast. This September, however, fans in 17 cities across the U.S. will be given a proper introduction. The tour kicks off with a performance at the Seattle music and arts festival Bumbershoot before heading to the Midwest, extending to the East Coast and wrapping in the Rocky Mountains."I've always been inspired by Fela Kuti and Steve Reich, which sparked the idea to start a band built around rhythmic and minimalist concepts,” explains Skerik. "It's not about soloing so much as creating a polyrhythmic weave with the four instruments. Music that is danceable but also interesting to listen to."It's a bold assertion, but one for which the music bears witness. Together, the quartet syncopates and snakes, floats free and snaps tight with hypnotic afrobeat rhythms, minimalist canons and improvised harmonics. There's a duality that demands listeners both dance communally and get lost in its multiple dimensions of sound. Throughout the six improvisations on Live At The Royal Room, the foursome head into the deep unknown, creating music in the moment for over 60 minutes straight. Halfway through the evening, they hit upon the illest of psych grooves, appropriately dubbed "Beast Crusher." Here the visceral and cerebral become one and Skerik's Bandalabra are born a fully realized vision.Upcoming tour dates for Skerik's Bandalabra are:September 1 | Bumbershoot | Seattle, WASeptember 6 | The Frequency | Madison, WISeptember 7 | Abbey Pub | Chicago, IL*September 8 | Garlic Festival | Cleveland, OHSeptember 9 | DBGB's | Buffalo, NYSeptember 10 | Red Square | Albany, NYSeptember 11 | Cameo Gallery | Brooklyn, NYSeptember 13 | 8x10 | Baltimore, MDSeptember 14 | The Hot Spot | Waynsboro, VASeptember 15 | Thunderbird | Pittsburgh, PASeptember 16 | Stanley’s Pub | Cincinnati, OHSeptember 17 | Woodland Tavern | Columbus, OHSeptember 18 | Cosmic Charlie’s | Lexington, KYSeptember 19 | The Brick | Kansas City, MOSeptember 20 | Aggie | Fort Collins, CO*September 21 | Cervantes | Denver, CO*September 22 | Lazy Dog | Boulder, CO*w/ Zach Deputy

Look up punk jazz in the dictionary and next to it you'll find a picture of its patron saint Mike Dillon. The vibraphonist/percussionist/vocalist/MC has been in perpetual motion for over 20 years now. From his time spent with the late '80s MTV buzz band Billy Goat to cult faves Hairy Apes BMX to his current role in the post-rock behemoth Garage A Trois, Dillon has amassed a diehard fan base that embraces his freewheeling mash up of sound and style. On one hand he exudes the musical chops absorbed from countless hours spent with Milt Jackson records, on the other hand he thrashes about with visions of Iggy Pop hard-wired to his frontal cortex.In that spirit, his latest solo album, Urn, due September 25 from The Royal Potato Family, pushes the envelope even further. He recently assembled a new band from his current hometown of New Orleans and proceeded to tour the group relentlessly for the first half of 2012. He then ducked into a Kansas City recording studio and cut the album straight to tape. The results are vibrational: "DVS" and "Ding Dong The Party Is Over" radiate with a ska pulse and surf punk abandon; "Leather On" is a definitive post modern freak anthem (download and share here); "Saturn Returns" shows why Dillon was Les Claypool's perfect foil all those years in the Frog Brigade; "Cedar" slowly uncoils in a manic existential bender through India.Mike Dillon has made the rare album that can be both a party starter turned up loud in the house and tweaked-out headphone record for the end of the night after everyone's gone home. In all of its multi-dimensional glory, Urn cements Dillon's reputation as an ever-intriguing cult music hero fearlessly forging his own path.Mike Dillon Urn track listing:1.  DVS2.  Leather On3.  Saturn Returns4.  Flourescent Sunburn5.  Demons6.  Ding Don the Party Is Over7.  River is Burning8.  Sunny is Drunk9.  CedarUpcoming Mike Dillon Band tour dates:August 24 | Blue Nile | New Orlean, LAAugust 28 | The Deli | Norman, OKAugust 29 | VZDs | Oklahoma City, OKAugust 30 | The Colony | Tulsa, OKAugust 31 | Webby D's | Fort Smith, ARSeptember 1 | George’s Majestic | Fayetteville, ARSeptember 2 | Stickyz Rock 'N' Roll Chicken Shack | Little Rock, ARSeptember 5 | The Brick | Kansas City, MOSeptember 6 | Mojo’s | Columbia, MOSeptember 7 | Varsity Center for the Arts | Carbondale, ILSeptember 8 | Spicoli's Grill | Ceder Falls, IASeptember 13 | DBA | New Orleans, LASeptember 14 | Martin's | Jackson, MSSeptember 15 | Mezzos | Ocean Springs, MS September 17 | Boone Saloon | Boone, NC September 18 | Hot Spot | Waynesboro, VASeptember 19 | Water Street Music Hall | Rochester, NY ^September 20 | Nietzsche's | Buffalo, NY ^September 22 | Martyr's | Chicago, IL ^September 23 | Cafe Paradiso | Fairfield, IA ^September 24 | Vaudeville Mews | Des Moines, IA ^September 25 | Record Bar | Kansas City, MO ^September 26 | Old Rock House | St. Louis, MO ^September 27 | Headliner's Music Hall | Louisville, KY ^September 28 | Woodland's Tavern | Columbus, OH ^September 29 | Rex Theatre | Pittsburgh, PA ^^with Marco Benevento

Organ and drums duo, Billy Martin & Wil Blades, perform 11 shows this November, including dates in the southern United States and Chicago, Toronto, Canada and Mexico. The pair are touring in support of their acclaimed debut album, Shimmy, released earlier this year by The Royal Potato Family.Listen to tracks from Shimmy here.--Tour Dates:November 3 | Blue Nile | New Orleans, LANovember 4 | Duling Hall | Jackson, MSNovember 5 | Proud Larry’s | Oxford, MSNovember 6 | Alabama Music Box | Mobile, ALNovember 8 | The Melting Pot | Athens, GANovember 9 | Five Spot | Atlanta, GANovember 10-11 | Bear Creek Music Festival | Live Oak, FLNovember 17 | The Great Hall | Toronto, Canada ***NuJazz FestivalNovember 27 | The Space | Evanston, ILNovember 28 | el Lunario Auditoria Nacional | Del. Miguel Hidalgo, MéxicoNovember 29 | Barreamericano | Guadalajara, Mexico

Marco Benevento has announced additional winter tour dates for Colorado and the West Coast. The shows are part of an extended headline tour behind his acclaimed new album TigerFace. The pianist heads to Colorado in January for a five-show run that stops in Avon, Breckenridge, Carbondale, Denver and Frisco. A week later he starts up again in Los Angeles for a stretch of dates that also hits Felton, San Francisco, Arcata, Cottage Grove, Portland and Seattle. For the first three nights on the West Coast, Benevento will be supported by The Mike Dillon Band. Tickets for all shows are on-sale now.Just back from, The Complete Last Waltz, an all-star performance at The Warfield in San Francisco where he served as part of the house band reviving The Band's classic 1976 concert, Benevento will stay busy throughout the remainder of the year. The next three weekends are comprised shows around the East Coast, while he'll close out 2012 with a headline performance at Highline Ballroom in New York City and three nights supporting indie dance faves Rubblebucket, including New Year's Eve at Higher Ground in Burlington.2012 has been a creatively compelling year for Marco Benevento. In addition to releasing and touring the U.S. in support of TigerFace, Benevento played keys on recordings by AC Newman, Rupa & The April Fishes and Damn Right!, while performing as a member of post rock juggernaut Garage A Trois and instrumental Led Zeppelin cover band Bustle In Your Hedgerow. He also continues to work as one of the founders of Brooklyn indie record label, The Royal Potato Family.Upcoming Tour Dates:November 29 | The Westcott Theatre | Syracuse, NYNovember 30 | The Haunt | Ithaca, NYDecember 1 | Red Square | Albany, NYDecember 7 | River Street Jazz Cafe | Wilkes Barre, PADecember 8 | Appalachian Brewing Company | Harrisburg, PADecember 13 | Arch Street | Hartford, CTDecember 14 | The Met | Providence, RIDecember 15 | Empire | Portland, MEDecember 28 | Highline Ballroom | New York, NYDecember 29 | Water Street Music Hall | Rochester, NY #December 30 & 31 | Higher Ground | Burlington, VT #January 16 | Agave | Avon, COJanuary 17 | 320 South | Breckenridge, COJanuary 18 | PAC 3 | Carbondale, COJanuary 19 | Quixote's True Blue | Denver, COJanuary 20 | Barkley's Ballroom | Frisco, COJanuary 31 | The Mint | Los Angeles, CA ^February 1 | Don Quixote's Music Hall | Felton, CA ^February 2 | Independent | San Francisco, CA ^February 6 | Humbrews | Arcata, CAFebruary 7 | Axe & Fiddle | Cottage Grove, ORFebruary 8 | Doug Fir Lounge | Portland, ORFebruary 9 | The Royal Room | Seattle, WA^ support The Mike Dillon Band# supporting Rubblebucket

Marco Benevento's 2013 Colorado tour begins next week.  Marco will make stops in Avon, Breckenridge, Carbondale, Frisco and two nights in Denver.      MARCO BENEVENTOTIGERFACE COLORADO 2013~~~WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16AGAVE | AVON, COw/ special guests Will Bernard TrioDoors: 8pm | Show: 9pmBuy Advance Tickets Here~~~THURSDAY, JANUARY 17320 SOUTH | BRECKENRIDGE, COw/ special guests Will Bernard TrioDoors: 8pm | Show: 9pmBuy Advance Tickets Here~~~FRIDAY, JANUARY 18PAC 3 | CARBONDALE, COw/ special guests Roster McCabeDoors: 7:30pm | Show: 8pmBuy Advance Tickets Here~~~SATURDAY, JANUARY 19QUIXOTE'S TRUE BLUEDoors: 8pm | Show: 9pmBuy Advance Tickets Here~~~SUNDAY, JANUARY 20THE BARKLEY BALLROOMDoors: 8pm | Show: 9pmBuy Advance Tickets Here

SexMob has announced the release of Cinema, Circus & Spaghetti (Sexmob Plays Fellini: The Music of Nino Rota), due March 19 from The Royal Potato Family. The recording is their first new studio album since the Grammy Award-nominated Sexotica seven years ago. A venerable New York City music institution, Sexmob turned 17 this year. The band's four founding members—Steven Bernstein, Briggan Krauss, Tony Scherr and Kenny Wollesen—defy genre, instead replacing it with their own inimitable musical language.

"The whole thing about the music we make is that it comes from this tradition, but at the same time we don't really care about this idea of playing traditional or nontraditional music. The most important part is to have your own thing," says Steven Bernstein, Sexmob's charismatic leader and slide trumpeter. "You have to be unflinching. We're not doing this to get rich or famous or trying to force the issue. We're doing this because we all love Sexmob."

It's fitting then that for Sexmob's return to the LP format they chose to re-imagine the music of Nino Rota. It was Rota's imaginative compositions that set the tone for the surrealist films of the legendary Italian director Federico Fellini. The filmmaker once said, "My films, like my life, are summed up in circus, spaghetti, sex, and cinema." Thus accordingly, Sexmob calls the 12-track effort, Cinema, Circus & Spaghetti (Sexmob Plays Fellini: The Music Of Nino Rota).

"Seeing the films was my first exposure to this music. I grew up in Berkeley, and we always had art-movie houses, so we'd go see Fellini films. It's not like I was a huge Fellini fan, but it was just part of being a high-school kid," explains Bernstein. "But then what happened is I was 19 years old and I went to my friend’s house, and he said, ‘Check out this record!’ It was Hal Willner's Nino Rota tribute, and I was like, ‘Wow! Look who’s on it?’ And it's Carla Bley, Steve Lacy, Jaki Byard. It's Bill Frisell's first recording. It's Wynton Marsalis' first recording. And then Blondie is on it. Not the full band, but Debbie Harry and Chris Stein. And both of us were just getting our minds blown. We're like, 'Wow! What is this? Who is this guy?’And of course the music was super memorable, and the very idea was just so unbelievable and audacious and cool. It was what we'd all been waiting for."

With that kind of inspiration as the wind at their backs, these giants of the NYC downtown scene—genre notwithstanding—tracked the majority of the album in one afternoon at Brooklyn Recording in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. Diving headlong into Rota's iconic Fellini film melodies, Sexmob fearlessly explodes all musical parameters, steering the arrangements through gutbucket swing and igniting them with New Orleans brass band fervor; dubbing them out into ether and blasting them with punk jazz abandon. Rota's classic themes are the perfect foil for Sexmob's improvisational psychedelia, old world beauty and hypnotic rhythms.

"These themes are so strong, I figured if we added that Sexmob thing to it, how could we go wrong," concludes Bernstein. "Our fans are, in general, music heads. That's one of the things about Sexmob, since the beginning, it's always been about getting all those people who aren't necessarily jazz fans to go, 'Oh wow! I like this,' because we just set out to play good music."

Cinema, Circus & Spaghetti (Sexmob Plays Fellini: The Music Of Nino Rota) is available March 19 from The Royal Potato Family on LP, CD & Digital.

Marco Benevento has unveiled a new video for "This Is How It Goes." Premiered yesterday by Alarm Magazine, the track is one of two collaborations on his most recent album TigerFace to feature Kalmia Traver of Rubblebucket adding vocals. Traver appears in the video alongside Benevento and his band comprised of bassist Dave Dreiwitz and drummer Andy Borger. Watch "This Is How It Goes" here.

It has also been announced that Benevento's label, The Royal Potato Family, will reissue his debut studio album, Invisible Baby, on limited edition blue LP for Record Store Day 2013. The recording, which was originally released in 2008, turns five this year. It includes the songs "Bus Ride," "The Real Morning Party" and "Atari" that have become staples in Benevento's repertoire.  Upon its initial release, David Fricke of Rolling Stone wrote: "On Invisible Baby, Benevento sculpts his pieces with playful weirdness (the insect-dance hook of 'The Real Morning Party') and addresses the melodies and spaces in 'Ruby' and 'You Must Be a Lion' with heated grace. He can go long and wild: swinging between rude-synth fun and high-speed piano breaks as if he were both Keith Emerson and McCoy Tyner."

Benevento maintains a heavy tour schedule through the spring in support of TigerFace. Upcoming shows include:

March 21 | Snoe.Down | Killington, VT
March 30 | BSP Lounge | Kingston, NY
April 1 | Beachland Tavern | Cleveland, OH
April 2 | Club Cafe | Pittsburgh, PA
April 3 | Woodlands Tavern | Columbus, OH
April 4 | Cosmic Charlie's | Lexington, KY
April 5 | Zazoo's | Louisville, KY
April 6 | 2720 Cherokee | St. Louis, MO
April 7 | Schuba's | Chicago, IL
April 18 | The Great Scott | Boston, MA *
April 19 | The Blockley | Philadelphia, PA **
April 20 | Brooklyn Bowl | Brooklyn, NY ***
April 26 | Republic | New Orleans, LA ^
April 27 | The Maple Leaf | New Orleans, LA
May 1 | Howling Wolf | New Orleans, LA #
May 15 | Chameleon | Lancaster, PA ^^
May 16 | The Hamilton | Washington, DC ^^^
May 17 | 8x10 | Baltimore, MD ^^^
May 18 | The Southern | Charlottesville, VA ^^^
May 23 | Fete | Providence, RI *
May 24 | Strange Creek | Greenfield, MA
May 25 | Dark Star Jubilee | Thornville, OH
June 21 | Fairfest | Fairfield, IA
June 27 | Bari In Jazz | Bari, Italy
June 28 | Dancity Festival | Foligno, Italy
August 2-4 | Pickathon | Happy Valley, OR
August 16-17 | Equifunk | Equinunk, PA

* w/ Diamond Doves
* w/ Everyone Orchestra & Diamond Doves
*** w/ The Mike Dillon Band & Diamond Doves
# Megalomaniac's Ball w/ Midnight Disturbers, Mike Dillon Band & more
^ w/ The Soul Rebels & George Porter's Tryptophunk
^^ w/ Slackwater News
^^^ w/ Jocie Adams & Arc Iris

Neal Casal has announced the release of a limited edition 7-inch single for Record Store Day 2013 featuring his rendition of The Grateful Dead's "Mountains of the Moon." The B-side is an instrumental acoustic guitar-based piece entitled "Grimes' Surf Story." Casal is accompanied on both tracks by his band-mate in the Chris Robinson Brotherhood and current Black Crowes' keyboardist Adam MacDougall. The 7-inch will be released by Casal's current label, The Royal Potato Family, on April 20, the date set for this year's Record Store Day festivities.

Casal explains why he chose to cover The Grateful Dead's "Mountains of the Moon":

"I love 'Mountains Of The Moon' for its baroque qualities, the very strange lyrics, and it's just a great melody, plain and simple. There's a fantastic line, 'The earth will see you on through this time,' that really connects with me. It's also a one of a kind song for The Grateful Dead. It doesn't resemble anything that came before or after it. The Dead usually had a few of a certain kind of song, but with 'Mountains,' there was only one."

Casal tells the history behind side-B, "Grimes' Surf Story":

"The inspiration behind 'Grimes' Surf Story' is a great writer and musician named Jeff Grimes. He lives in Ventura County, California and has been surfing the area since the '60s. The song was written thinking about the stories he's told me of growing up in this area and witnessing life's changes through the decades. I was also hoping to capture some of the spirit of influences like Robbie Basho, Peter Walker and John Fahey, but at the same time bring an original twist to working within that tradition. So I asked Adam MacDougall to do his thing on Moog, Clavinet and Rhodes, which brings something a bit different to that style and really sets the piece apart for me."

Casal, a self-proclaimed "record freak," owns thousands of LPs and frequently visits record stores around the country while on tour. He has this to say about what Record Store Day means to him:

"Record stores, what can I say except, GO to record stores! Don't sit home and buy music online, actually get off your ass and go to record stores. Buy records. Keep record stores alive, don't let them die, buy music from real people at real record stores. That's Record Store Day."

Neal Casal is an acclaimed singer/songwriter whose discography includes ten solo albums. His latest recording, Sweeten The Distance, was released by The Royal Potato Family in 2012. In addition to his solo work, Casal is a member of the Chris Robinson Brotherhood for whom he contributes lead guitar and vocal harmonies.  Prior to that he spent over five years as a member of Ryan Adams & The Cardinals. The Ventura County, California-based artist is an in-demand studio and touring musician, as well, whose credits include work with Beachwood Sparks, The Jayhawks, Vetiver, The Fruit Bats and Lucinda Williams. This past year, he was invited to perform alongside The Grateful Dead's Phil Lesh and Bob Weir. Casal is currently on the road playing guitar for Iris Dement.

Robert Walter performs all his own stunts. For 20 years, the San Diego native has been pulling drawbars and pushing the limits of the Hammond B3 organ. As a founding member of the Greyboy Allstars, he helped usher in the funk-jazz renaissance of the early '90s and has continued to keep one hand comping chords in the instrument's funky past, while the other explores ever-new melodic terrain. On June 25, his long-standing project, Robert Walter's 20th Congress, returns with a new album, Get Thy Bearings, via The Royal Potato Family. 

It was a  recent move from New Orleans to Los Angeles that jump-started Robert Walter's 20th Congress who hadn't recorded a studio album in ten years. The outlet for the keyboardist's funkiest material since its inception in 1999, Get Thy Bearings pushes Walter's organ, piano, Rhodes and synthesizer to the front of a group rounded out by guitarist/bassist Elgin Park, drummer Aaron Redfield, sax players Karl Denson and Cochemea Gastelum, and percussionist Chuck Prada—an allstar lineup in its own right. Recorded in just a few takes at Egonix Labs—the same studio where Walter and producer Michael Andrews have been busy scoring films such as Bridesmaids, Jeff Who Lives at Home, Walk Hard, Bad Teacher, Cyrus, She's Out of Your League and 5 Year Engagement—the album is full of raw boogaloo energy and cinematic color.

"As I'm getting older, I'm owning the style a little more," says Walter, who spent the early part of his career immersed in the jazz, funk and soul records of the '60s and '70s, trying to emulate his heroes, like Big John Patton. By the end of the '90s, Walter briefly parted ways with the hard-touring Greyboy Allstars to hone his compositional skills with the 20th Congress. Subsequent albums like Money Shot and Giving Up the Ghost pushed Walter deeper into syncopated grooves and vintage arrangements, with help from bandmates Stanton Moore, Joe Russo, George Sluppick, Mike Fratantuno and Will Bernard, and led to collaborations with jazz-funk pioneers like Harvey Mason, Chuck Rainey, Johnny Vidacovich and George Porter Jr.  In 2004, Walter even relocated to New Orleans in order to be closer to this music's spiritual and cultural foundation. This period yielded two solo records, Super Heavy Organ and Cure All, as well as a handful of sides supporting Stanton Moore.

Since moving to the West Coast, Walter has been on a creative hot streak. Get Thy Bearings comes on the heels of the Greyboy Allstars return with Inland Emperor, their first album since 2007's What Happened to Television? "I'll have dry spells for a few months then go on a binge of writing, working every day," he says. "Some looser ideas ended up on the Greyboy Allstars album because I expected collaboration from the other members of the band.  The stuff that was more developed from the start went on mine."

Working in film has brought conceptual depth to his writing, drawing on elements of narrative and character development without being so prescriptive as to spoil the groove. "They're templates to improvise on," Walter says of the nine tracks, ranging from the Sly Stone-style soul vamp of "Little Business" to the heavy gospel of "Crux." "Dog Party" might as well be the theme song to a cartoon of the same name, while "Don't Chin the Dog" shifts from delicate shuffle to horn-drenched boogaloo. Things get eerie on "Up From the Skies," a Jimi Hendrix cover rendered nearly unrecognizable in washes of electric Miles. Similarly, the album's title track is a shrewd reworking of the 1968 Donovan tune Walter first discovered on compilation of sample-friendly breakbeats, full of fuzz guitar and a mercurial organ solo.

"All these things just crept into the record. It's my own voice, not so imitative anymore," concludes Walter. "The band tracked the record, all at once in the same room. A lot of modern music is over-considered, but if you fix every little edge there's no mystery. With Get Thy Bearings, we didn't monkey around too much, just indulged in our musicalness."

This past Tuesday was the release of the brand new studio album by Allison Miller's Boom Tic Boom entitled No Morphine, No Lilies. Allison has played drums with everyone from Natalie Merchant to Ani DiFranco to Dr. Lonnie Smith. What made us fall in love is this incredible band, Boom Tic Boom, with Myra Melford on piano, Todd Sickafoose on bass and Jenny Scheinman on violin, plus special guests like Steven Bernstein on slide trumpet. All Music raved: "No Morphine No Lillies is by turns a dazzling, delightful, and challenging exercise led by not only one of the finest drummers on the scene, but also one of the most innovative compositional voices." It's a total honor to have Allison Miller in the RPF catalog!Pick up Allison Miller's No Morphine, No Lilies on LP & CD direct from The Royal Potato Family here. On digital at iTunes here. Also available at Amazon and, of course, your local independent record store.

For those of you headed to New Orleans Jazzfest this year, on Saturday, May 4 at The Blue Nile, we'll gather six of our most favorite musicians for a band called The Royal Potato Family All-Stars. The line-up is:Marco BeneventoMike DillonReed MathisSkerikJohn SpieceRobert Walter.Opening the evening will be Booomclap, a new project from Chris Combs and Josh Raymerof Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey.If you're in town, we'd be nothing short of honored to have you join us for a ceremonial melting of our minds... Buy tickets here.THE ROYAL POTATO FAMILY ALL-STARS at NEW ORLEANS JAZZ & HERITAGE FESTIVAL

Happy Spring y'all in these strange times. If we may change the subject to something a bit more positive for just a moment, then what better time than the eve of Record Store Day 2013. The great American institution—the record store—has had a rough go over the last decade. Yet despite those struggles, there are still a ton of amazing record shops out all around the world. This Saturday, 4/20, we celebrate them...

In honor of this, The Royal Potato Family presents two Record Store Day exclusives. The first is a limited edition 7-inch by the ever compelling singer, songwriter and guitarist Neal Casal. On Side A, he offers a sublime reading of The Grateful Dead gem "Mountains of the Moon." On Side B, he turns in an acoustic guitar-based instrumental, "Grimes' Surf Story." For both tracks he's accompanied by his bandmate in the Chris Robinson Brotherhood and current Black Crowes' keyboardist Adam MacDougall.

The 2nd RSD exclusive is also a limited pressing (just 500 copies available) of Marco Benevento's debut solo album Invisible Baby on blue vinyl. The album celebrates its 5th anniversary in 2013, but it's never been out before on wax, so we figured what better time to give it the proper LP treatment.

As of now, the only place you can get these releases is at your local record store.  We urge you to go out tomorrow and indulge in the record store experience. Buy some music at your indie/mom & pop shop. Tell them you appreciate 'em too while you're at it. You'll be happy you did. Digital music obviously has its place in the modern world, but there's nothing quite like the visceral rush that comes with shopping for records.

How many artists can claim praise like "punk rock provocateur," "jazz vibraphone visionary" and "percussion master" in the same sentence? There's only one: Texas-native Mike Dillon. Whether it's through his affiliation with artists like Les Claypool and Ani DiFranco, collaborations like Garage A Trois, The Dead Kenny Gs and Critters Buggin or bands he's fronted, including Billy Goat and Hairy Apes BMX, Mike D (as his fans refer to him) has set his own standard going on 25 years now.

His current full-time focus, The Mike Dillon Band, is perhaps the perfect storm of all these past experiences. Dillon's manic creative energy has found a foil in three young New Orleans-based musicians. Carly Meyers on trombone provides melodic and harmonic counterpoint to Dillon's vibes and percussion as she feverishly whirls about the stage driving audiences into a frenzy. The rhythm section of guitarist/bassist Cliff Hines and drummer Adam Gertner turns on a dime from blinding punk rock assaults to deep funk go-go, skanked-out ska grooves to old school hip-hop beats with all points covered in between.

Dillon's debut album, Urn, released last summer on The Royal Potato Family, only hinted at where the band could go musically once it had 200-plus shows under its belt. A year later, having relentlessly toured the country, both headlining and opening for artists like Fishbone, Umphrey's McGhee and Marco Benevento, The Mike Dillon Band has hit full stride. This summer they'll undertake a massive tour with numerous festival stops. The fun starts this weekend at Summercamp in Chillicothe, IL.

The Mike Dillon Band summer tour dates are: 

May 25 | Summer Camp Music Festival | Chillicothe, IL
June 4 | The Chimney's | Gulfport, MS
June 5 | The One Stop | Asheville, NC
June 6 | The Pour House | Charleston, SC
June 7 | Boone Saloon | Boone, NC
June 8 | The Hot Spot | Waynesboro, VA
June 9 | Niagara River Rocks | Niagara, NY ***w/ Primus
June 10 | The Bullfrog | Williamsport, PA
June 11 | Venue of Merging Arts | Johnstown, PA
June 12 | Nectar's | Burlington, VT
June 13 | Cafe 939 | Boston, MA
June 14 | The Ocean Mist | Narragansett, RI
June 15 | The Press Room | Portsmouth, NH
June 16 | Pittman's Freight Room | Laconia, NH
June 18 | Outer Space | Hamden, CT
June 19 & 20 | Zirziman | New York, NY
June 21 | Madsummer Meltdown | Schuylkill Haven, PA
June 23 | Fairfest | Fairfield, IA
June 25 | Whisky Junction | Minneapolis, MN
June 26 | Martyr's | Chicago, IL
June 27 | The Demo | St. Louis, MO
June 28 | The Brick | Kansas City, MO
June 29 | George's Majestic | Fayetteville, AR
June 30 | The Colony | Tulsa, OK
July 2 | Hodi's Half Note | Ft. Collins, CO
July 3 | 320 South | Breckenridge, CO
July 4 | Knotty Pine | Victor, ID
July 6 | High Sierra Music Festival | Quincy, CA
July 9 | Winston's | San Diego, CA
July 11 | The Mint | Los Angeles, CA
July 12 | The Forestville Club | Forestville, CA
July 13 | Boom Boom Room | San Francisco, CA
July 16 | Jambalaya | Arcata, CA
July 17 | Applegate Lodge | Applegate, OR
July 18 | Urban Onion | Olympia, WA
July 19 | Sunset Tavern | Seattle, WA
July 20 | The Goodfoot | Portland, OR
July 21 | Skyway | Rhododendron, OR
July 23 | Wild Buffalo | Bellingham, WA
July 26 | Emerald of Siam | Richland, OR
July 27 | Black Sheep Music Festival | Eugene, OR
August 1 | The Barkley Ballroom | Frisco, CO
August 2 | Cervantes' Other Side | Denver, CO
August 3 & 4 | Telluride Jazz Festival | Telluride, CO
August 8 | Corkland Tavern | Detroit, MI
August 9 | Thunderbird | Pittsburgh, PA
August 10 | Brooklyn Bowl | Brooklyn, NY ***w/ Galactic
August 11 | Moe.Down | Turin, NY
August 15 | Sully's | Hartford, CT
August 16 | Bullfrog | Williamsport, PA
August 17 | Rootwire Music Festival | Columbus, OH
August 22 | Doc Taylor's | Virginia Beach, VA
November 14 - 17 | Bear Creek Music Festival | Live Oak, FL
January 4-9 | Jam Cruise | Miami, FL

Robert Walter's 20th Congress have announced the first leg of U.S. tour dates to support their new album, Get Thy Bearings, available June 25 from The Royal Potato Family. The tour hits Colorado for five nights in August before heading to the West Coast in September for eight shows running from Los Angeles to Seattle. It's been a busy year for the revered organist who in addition to his work with the 20th Congress has recorded and toured extensively with The Greyboy Allstars, the seminal funk-jazz ensemble he helped found almost two decades ago. With both the Greyboys and the 20th Congress, Walter was at the forefront of the groove music renaissance of the early '90s and has continued to push the tradition forward, while simultaneously evolving its sound for a new generation of fans.Get Thy Bearings marks the first new studio recording in ten years from Robert Walter's 20th Congress. The nine-tracks are drenched in the vintage old school soul, funk and jazz vibe of Walter's heroes like Big John Patton and Bill Doggett, but it also reflects his recent work scoring films such as Bridesmaids, Jeff Who Lives at Home, Walk Hard and Bad Teacher. There's a conceptual depth to the songwriting that draws on elements of narrative and character development, lending a cinematic color to the proceedings. The tracks range from the Sly Stone-style soul vamp of "Little Business" to the slow-burning "Inversion Layer." The greasy funk of "Don't Chin the Dog" shifts from delicate shuffle to horn-drenched boogaloo, playing out like the soundtrack to a long lost blaxploitation film from the '70s. Things get eerie on "Up From the Skies," a Jimi Hendrix cover rendered nearly unrecognizable in washes of electric Miles. Similarly, the album's title track is a shrewd reworking of the 1968 Donovan tune that Walter first discovered on compilation of sample-friendly breakbeats, full of fuzz guitar and a mercurial organ solo.LISTEN TO "INVERSION LAYER" (just premiered) | LISTEN TO "HUNK" (first single)ROBERT WALTER'S 20th CONGRESS tour dates are...August 3 | Jackson Hole Live | Jackson Hole, WYAugust 13 | Gerald Ford Amphitheatre | Vail, COAugust 14 | Barkley Ballroom | Frisco, COAugust 15 | Snowmass Village | Snowmass, COAugust 16 | Cervantes Otherside | Denver, COAugust 17 | Fox Theatre | Boulder, COSeptember 5 | The Mint | Los Angeles, CASeptember 6 | Boom Boom Room | San Francisco, CASeptember 7 | Boom Boom Room | San Francisco, CASeptember 8 | Sweetwater | Mill Valley, CASeptember 10 | Jambalaya | Arcata, CASeptember 12 | Liquid | Bend, ORSeptember 13 | Doug Fir | Portland, ORSeptember 14 | The Tractor, Seattle, WANovember 15-16 | Bear Creek Music Festival | Live Oak, FLJanuary 4-9 | Jamcruise | Miami, FLRobert Walter's 20th Congress Get Thy Bearings is available June 25 from The Royal Potato Family on LP, CD & Digital

Way down in lower Alabama, almost every weekend for the past two years, folks have been coming together for a music gathering called The Frog Pond at Blue Moon Farm. One part house concert, one part Levon Helm's Midnight Ramble, the affair in its short existence has already hosted some of the country's finest songwriters, pickers, bluesman and troubadours ranging from Mary Gauthier to Alvin Youngblood Hart, Malcolm Holcombe to Randall Bramblett, Sergio Webb to George Porter, Jr.  It’s here that frequent encounters between reoccurring guest artists—Grayson Capps, Will Kimbrough, Corky Hughes and the duo Sugarcane Jane (featuring Savana Lee and Anthony Crawford)—led to the birth of a band, the aptly named Willie Sugarcapps.At first it was simply songwriter-in-the-round and jam session-styled collaborations between the five distinct musicians, but it quickly grew to become something more. There was chemistry that inspired a repertoire of songs demanding to be documented. They recruited Capps' longtime partner and Grammy Award-winning producer/engineer Trina Shoemaker to record them, which resulted in the self-titled, debut album, Willie Sugarcapps, available August 20 from The Royal Potato Family. Tracked during a single recording session on the dogtrot of Crawford and Lee's house in Baldwin County, the collection presents ten impeccably crafted songs imbued by relaxed performances, angelic harmonies and country Zen sentiment. Band members take turns singing lead as they switch up between fiddle, banjo, mandolin, lap steel, bass and even ukulele.“Willie Sugarcapps is a homecoming for all of us,” explains Will Kimbrough. “It’s coming full circle back to the beginning of why we do this in the first place and the joy of what happens when you play and sing with people who are alike in spirit and mind.”Willie Sugarcapps collective musical experiences mingle together to create a new kind of organic and artisanal music. It's laid back, it rocks, it comes from classic country, from the blues, from New Orleans and from the best kind of rock 'n' roll. It tells a story through five individual voices full of character and experience with humanity, energy and soul. It's comforting to know that music in the hands of these five artists still happens for no other reason than purely the sake of the music itself.Willie Sugarcapps is available 8/20 from The Royal Potato Family on LP, CD & Digital.Listen to first single "Gypsy Train" premiered today by CMT Edge: (stream) / (video)Willie Sugarcapps track listing:1. Willie Sugarcapps2. Mr. Lee3. Oh, Colorado4. Magdalena5. Energy6. Mud Bottom7. Gypsy Train8. Poison9. Trouble 10. Up To The Sky

Brian Haas and Matt Chamberlain have announced the October 15 release of their debut duo recording Frames on Kinnara Records/The Royal Potato Family. The album was written entirely by Haas, founder and pianist of the internationally renowned Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, as a through-composed work for piano and percussion. The recording features 11 instrumental compositions that spiral through the tempered scale.Brian Haas wrote Frames after moving to Santa Fe from his original home in Tulsa. The suite is equally influenced by stride piano masters Earl Hines, James P. Johnson and Fats Waller; the early minimalist works of Philip Glass and Steve Reich; and the lush aesthetic of modernists James Blake, Flying Lotus and Nigel Godrich. The music is risky, intensely melodic and tells the story of an imagined human life."After several years of non-stop touring with my band Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey I felt completely drained," explains Haas. "I was pulled to move to the high desert and mountains of Sante Fe, New Mexico. The space/distance from the road, the unearthly view from my house and the strange hum of my new surroundings inspired this music. What started as an exercise in all 12 keys turned into Frames.”Brian Haas has recorded 21 albums and toured the world for two decades with Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, a band he started while a student at The University of Tulsa. Haas is also active as a solo pianist. His first solo record, The Truth about Hollywood, received national attention, as did the follow-up, Petting Sounds. Grammy Award-winning percussionist and drummer Matt Chamberlain has recorded and toured with the likes of Tori Amos, Brad Mehldau, Edie Brickell & The New Bohemians, Critters Buggin, Bill Frisell and Frank Ocean among others. In 2012, he released his most recent solo album, Company 23.Brian Haas will be taking Frames on the road in the fall, featuring a variety of established drummers across the globe, including Scott Amendola, Matt Chamberlain, Allison Miller, Josh Raymer, John Speice, Johnny Vidacovich and Dave Wayne, each performing the entire suite, interspersed with duo and solo improvisations. Complete tour dates will be announced shortly.

At some point in every man’s life, he looks in the mirror and is surprised by what he sees. His hair is a bit more gray, his skin a bit more wrinkled, his eyes are paler than he remembered them being the day before. He begins to wonder: What is my life's work? Where am I headed? What is truly important to me? For Tom Hamilton that day is today and the questions are being asked on Knives & Teeth, the powerful new album he's recorded with his band, American Babies. Due October 15 from The Royal Potato Family, the 10 songs range from uplifting to heartbreaking as Hamilton considers the secrets of childhood, the impending doubts of adulthood and the weight of strained friendships, all set to a soundtrack with the brashness of The Replacements, the sonic intensity of David Bowie and the acoustic majesty of Led Zeppelin.

Hamilton is best known as one of the founding members of the highly successful electro-rock band, Brothers Past, an endeavor that infused the song structures of The Grateful Dead into the experimental music of Aphex Twin and Squarepusher (a sort of "Pink Floyd with laptops," as Hamilton calls it). When the strictures of band life became creatively stifling, Hamilton decided in 2007 to form American Babies. A loosely-organized operation wherein Hamilton is the sole constant member, American Babies have released three sets over the course of six years: their self-titled debut, which won them numerous festival appearances as well supporting gigs with Sheryl Crow, Derek Trucks and The National; a 2010 EP called Weight of the World; and, in 2011, their second long player, Flawed Logic.

When asked to describe his new record, Knives & Teeth, Hamilton's answer is short and compact but, like his lyrics, is loaded with deeper meaning: "It's a 40-minute existential breakdown."

For Hamilton, the subjects considered on Knives & Teeth—love and loss, success and misfortune—are the natural extension of where he finds himself as an artist at present. There's "When I Build My Fortune," a soaring acoustic portrait of a man considering what his life is like today through the eyes of himself as a 12-year old. "Cold Blooded" is also about looking inward and deciding whether to rise up or step down. Throughout the course of the album, from the Lou Reed-inspired "This Thing Ain’t Goin' Nowheres" to the inspired punk energy of "Bullseye Blues" to the head-shaking acceptance of "Goddamn," "Knives & Teeth speaks of the game of hide-and-seek that humans play with death," says Hamilton.

"When you're in your 20s you focus on things that don't seem to maintain their importance as you get older: Chicks, partying, making lots of money. Then you grow up and you realize none of it actually matters, so you dig deeper. I spent a lot of time with some activist friends and the Occupy movement. That pushed some buttons, but I keep digging. Then I had a couple of close friends pass away within a few months of each other and that made me really dig in. I started to think about my own mortality. Reconsidering what was really important to me," Hamilton continues. "It's like: when you're born, the Grim Reaper is far away and all has to throw at you is a pebble, but as you get older, the pebble becomes a rock; then it becomes a gun; then it becomes a gun with a scope. Eventually, he'll get close enough and his weapon will be sharp enough to hit you. Knives & Teeth is about what happens between now and that day."

KNIVES & TEETH Track Listing:
1. When I Build My Fortune
2. Cold Blooded
3. Old Fashioned
4. Bullseye Blues
5. This Thing Ain't Goin' Nowheres
6. Goddamn
7. They Sing "Old Time Religion"
8. Running In Place
9. Fire Sale
10. Telephone

AMERICAN BABIES Tour Dates:
September 20 - Lancaster, PA - Binn’s Park Friday Music Series
September 28 - Blue Bell, PA - Montgomery County Community College
September 30 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Bowl
October 5 - Phila, PA - River City Fest
October 7 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Bowl
October 11 - Red Square - Albany, NY
October 14 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Bowl
October 19 - Wilkes-Barre, PA - River Street Jazz Cafe
October 21 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Bowl
October 23 - Pittsburgh, PA - Club Cafe
October 24 - Columbus, OH - Woodlands
October 25 - Chicago, IL - Tonic Room
October 27 - Des Moines, IA - Gas Lamp
October 30 - Denver, CO - Cervantes' Other Side

The Royal Potato Family has announced the February 4, 2014 release of This Is The Town: A Tribute to Nilsson (Volume One), a 20-track collection that celebrates the artistry and songs of the legendary singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson. Produced by Kenny Siegal and recorded over the course of 2013 at Old Soul Studios in Catskill, NY, the album features a diverse gathering of young artists performing songs that span the breadth of Nilsson's repertoire, including "Early In The Morning" by Langhorne Slim, "Jump Into The Fire" by Low Cut Connie, "Are You Sleeping" by Marco Benevento, "Rainmaker" by Yellowbirds, "Think About Your Troubles" by Willy Mason and "Everybody's Talkin'" by Tracy Bonham. Harry's daughter Annie Nilsson contributes a rendition of "Gotta Get Up," along with the original illustrations that serve as the album's artwork."Each artist has taken a Nilsson song that meant something to them, and with passion and inspiration, transformed it into something that is both a fitting tribute, and entirely their own," Kenny Siegal explains. "In doing so, they are helping Harry Nilsson to be remembered as his songs live again through these new creative interpretations."Harry Nilsson's son Zak Nilsson has endorsed This Is The Town, stating: "There is a huge breadth of talent here. So many of these songs grabbed me from the first phrase, like it kicks in and I'm just sitting here thinking, ‘oh wow.’ Some of them are just absolutely perfect. They are covers of Harry's songs, but they have a lot of those sort of signature Nilsson twists in them. The kind of versions only real fans of Harry's music could put together." Conceived by Kenny Siegal as a two volume set, he is already at work recording the second edition to the tribute. This Is The Town: A Tribute to Nilsson (Volume One), will be released February 4, 2014 by the Brooklyn-based label, The Royal Potato Family, on limited edition yellow vinyl, CD and digital formats.The complete track listing is:1. Langhorne Slim - Early In The Morning2. Dawn Landes – You’re Breakin’ My Heart3. Low Cut Connie - Jump Into The Fire4. Jenny O - 19415. The Mommyheads - Me and My Arrow6. Annie Nilsson - Gotta Get Up7. Blueberry - Poli High8. Willy Mason – Think About Your Troubles9. Yellowbirds - Rainmaker (Nilsson /Martin)10. Johanna Warren – Without Her11. The Wiyos - Nobody Cares About The Railroads Anymore12. Rasputina – Sweethaven13. Church of Betty - Without You  14. Marco Benevento - Are You Sleeping?15. Tracy Bonham - Everybody's Talkin' (Fred Neil)16. Stellacutta - Everything's Got 'Em17. Brian Dewan - Coconut18. Johnny Society - Mr. Richland's Favorite Song19. Mamie Minch - Don't Forget Me20. Josh Kaufman - I Said Goodbye to Me

On Wednesday, November 27 at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY, a star-studded lineup of musicians will pay tribute to The Last Waltz, the historic concert and legendary film by The Band. Entitled The Complete Last Waltz, the concert will feature all 41 songs originally performed The Band along with a long line of legendary guests in San Francisco on Thanksgiving night 1976.Confirmed to perform are Cass McCombs, Nels Cline, Marco Benevento, Nicole Atkins, Joe Russo, Dave Dreiwitz of Ween, Eric Earley of Blitzen Trapper, Andy Cabic of Vetiver, Stuart Bogie of Superhuman Happiness, Alec Ounsworth of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Alecia Chakour of the Warren Haynes Band and more. (complete list below) Sam Cohen of Yellowbirds will serve as musical director.The concert marks the first East Coast production by Golden Gate Presents, a company founded in 2012 with the goal of mounting singular, once in a lifetime collaborative music events bringing together a wide range of musicians."Golden Gate Presents is truly thankful to all the artists coming to perform and celebrate The Band in much the same way The Band paid homage to their influences in the original," comments Ramie Egan of Golden Gate, "It's going to be a magical night!"Artists Confirmed to Appear include:Alec Ounsworth (Clap Your Hands & Say Yeah)Alecia Chakour (Warren Haynes Band)Andy Cabic (Vetiver)Cass McCombsDave Dreiwitz (Ween)Eric Earley (Blitzen Trapper)Eric Johnson (Fruit Bats)Jeff Chimenti (Furthur)Jocie Adams (The Low Anthem)Joe Russo (Furthur)John Roderick (The Long Winters)Jordan McClean (Antibalas)Josh Kaufman (Yellowbirds)Marc BlackMarco BeneventoMatt Vasquez (Delta Spirit)Nels Cline (Wilco)Nicole AtkinsRyan Miller (Guster)Sam Cohen (Yellowbirds)Scott Metzger (Wolf!)Stuart Bogie (Superhuman Happiness)And Many More...

Marco Benevento spent 2013 touring behind his most recent critically-acclaimed album TigerFace. The pianist played over 150 shows in 2013, and before the year is over, he'll play four more. Along with his band featuring Dave Dreiwitz (Ween) on bass and Andrew Borger (Tom Waits) on drums, they'll headline Highline Ballroom in New York City on December 30 and The Midnight Ramble at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, NY on New Year's Eve. Benevento will also appear with Joe Russo's Almost Dead on December 27 at The Capitol Theater in Port Chester, NY. He'll be joining the drummer—his old friend and partner in the Benevento/Russo Duo—to explore the repertoire of The Grateful Dead. Two nights later on December 29, he'll play with Dark Side of the Mountain, a project led by Grace Potter & The Nocturnals' drummer Matt Burr, at Metronome in Burlington, VT to interpret the music of Pink Floyd.A 2014 Winter tour has also been announced that includes a number of northeast dates, as well as a trek through the southeast in February that stops at The Grey Eagle in Asheville, NC, Terminal West in Atlanta, GA and Aura Music and Arts Festival in Live Oak, FL. As Winter turns to Spring, Benevento heads to the West Coast for six nights, highlights for which include headline performances at The Independent in San Francisco and Doug Fir Lounge in Portland.Benevento has also unveiled plans to begin working on his next studio album in March with producer Richard Swift whose recent work includes Foxygen and Tennis. Together, they'll focus their attention on a collection of news songs Benevento has written that expand upon his lush instrumental piano rock to include vocals.MARCO BENEVENTO TOUR DATES December 27 - Port Chester, NY - The Capitol Theatre *Joe Russo's Almost DeadDecember 29 - Burlington, VT - Metronome *Dark Side of the MountainDecember 30 - New York, NY - Highline Ballroom December 31 - Woodstock, NY - Levon Helm's Midnight RambleJanuary 23 - Syracuse, NY - The Lost HorizonJanuary 24 - Erie, PA - Crooked IJanuary 25 - Pittsburgh, PA - The RexJanuary 31 - Teaneck, NJ - MexicaliFebruary 1 - Arden, DE - Arden Gild HallFebruary 11 - Asheville, NC - Asheville Music HallFebruary 12 - Athens, GA - Green RoomFebruary 13 - Greenwood, SC - Music On MaxwellFebruary 14 - Atlanta, GA - Terminal WestFebruary 15 - Live Oak, FL - Aura Music & Arts FestivalFebruary 21 & 22 - Portsmouth, NH - The Press RoomMarch 14 - Greenfield, MA - Arts Block *solo pianoMarch 15 - Marlboro, NY - The Falcon *solo pianoMarch 28 - Los Angeles, CA - The MintMarch 29 - San Francisco, CA - The IndependentApril 1 - Arcata, CA - JambalayaApril 2 - Cottage Grove, OR - Axe & FiddleApril 3 - Seattle, WA - The Royal RoomApril 4 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir LoungeApril 5 - New Orleans, LA - Tulane University

Mike Dillon has announced the release of his new studio album Band of Outsiders due April 1 via The Royal Potato Family. A Texas-native currently based in New Orleans, Dillon has set his own standard for 25 years now. Hailed a "punk rock provocateur," "jazz vibraphone visionary" and "percussion virtuoso," Dillon's affiliation with artists like Les Claypool, Brave Combo and Ani DiFranco, collaborations such as Garage A Trois, The Dead Kenny Gs and Critters Buggin, and bands he's fronted, including Billy Goat and Hairy Apes BMX, have led to a rabid cult fan-base.With this latest effort Band of Outsiders, Mike Dillon has conjured the perfect storm of all these past endeavors. His manic creative vision met its match in three young musicians from New Orleans: Carly Meyers—whom Dillon describes as “a High Priestess of Trombone who channels the energy of Iggy Pop through the chops of JJ Johnson in second-line"—provides harmonic counterpoint to his vibes and percussion ("All Walks of Life") as she simultaneously ups the band's art-rock ante ("Carly Hates The Dubstep"). The rhythm section of bassist Patrick McDevitt and drummer Adam Gertner turns on a dime between snarling punk rock assaults ("Homeland Insecurity"), deep funky go-go ("Head"), ska grooves ("Hero The Burro") and experimental hip-hop beats ("7AM At The Jazzfest") with all points covered in between."Two tours of Mexico and a steady dose of Brazilian music was the jumping off point for these new songs," explains Dillon. "Add our love for The Melvins, Deerhoof, Bad Brains, Dead Kennedys, Trouble Funk and all things New Orleans and this album surpasses our intention to make the freakiest, most vibrant dance music on the planet."Dillon and his band relentlessly toured the country in 2013, both headlining and opening for artists like Fishbone, Clutch, Primus and Galactic. As a result, the album's 13 songs bristle with a group mind, spill over the sides with the visions invoked during countless dead-of-night drives crisscrossing the country in a van and hit their target with a sonic assault only possible from a unit that's played 400-plus shows over the last two years. Heard in its entirety, Band of Outsiders is a snapshot of four musicians in full stride."People are always trying to figure out how to describe our music. Maybe we should call it New Orleans punk jazz Brazilian math rock," concludes Dillon. "But you know, I really don’t care what you call it. We kick out the jams harder than anyone, but we also know when to heed the lessons of The Minutemen's Double Nickels On The Dime and keep things straight to the point. There's a reason we called the record what we did. We're the living, breathing definition of a band of outsiders, yet together we deliver a simple majestic freaky kind of beauty."BAND OF OUTSIDERS Track Listing:1. Head2. Hand of God3. Homeland Insecurity4. Hero The Burro5. Carly Hates The Dubstep6. Great Lakes Tuna7. Missing8. All Walks of Life9. Celebrate the Hate10. 7AM at the Jazzfest11. So Long Pal12. Baby Flint Talk13. Dauphine & DesireThe Mike Dillon Band plays four shows this week. A full U.S. tour in support of Band of Outsiders will be announced shortly.February 12 - Nashville, TN - 12th & PorterFebruary 13 - Asheville, NC - Asheville Music HallFebruary 14 - Charleston, SC - The Pour HouseFebruary 15 - Live Oak, FL - Aura Music Festival

American Babies are set to launch a cross-country U.S. tour this weekend. The Philadelphia-based band, fronted by Tom Hamilton, kick-off a 32-date run with two hometown shows at Union Transfer followed by headline performances throughout the Midwest and Colorado. The Babies then join TL3 (featuring members of Tea Leaf Green) for a stretch of West Coast dates. A highlight along the way is a performance at Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh's Terrapin Crossroads in San Rafael, CA at his birthday celebration. The trek concludes back home in Philadelphia at Underground Arts in April. The tour also marks the maiden voyage for the band's new bassist Marc Friedman, best known for his work with The Slip.American Babies are touring in support of their latest studio album, Knives & Teeth, released in Fall 2013 by The Royal Potato Family. Relix Magazine praised the effort "as one of the better rock records of the year." On April 1, American Babies will also drop a new EP, Stark & Red, via RPF. The seven track collection is comprised of stripped-down, acoustic versions of five songs released on previous albums, including stand-outs "Streets of Brooklyn," "Winter War Games" and "Swimming At Night." In addition, the set features two reworked, acoustic renderings of "Old Fashioned" and "Goddamn" from Knives & Teeth."In the middle of recording Knives and Teeth, I booked a few solo acoustic shows to get myself out of the studio. It gave me a chance to change my ears by having to arrange songs for just one guitar. I had recently started hanging with a fellow Philly musician, Ginger Coyle and thought it would be cool to get her voice involved with my music. She learned some tunes and as soon as we sang together I knew I wanted to document it," explains Hamilton. "We set up in a room with two microphones, hit record, and blew through a bunch of Babies' songs. The music on Stark & Red is all first or second takes. The result is a loose and lovely collection of music that came together with a few friends trying to keep busy and warm in the winter months."American Babies tour dates are:February 14 & 15 - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer *February 18 - Pittsburgh, PA - Club CafeFebruary 19 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland TavernFebruary 20 - Kalamazoo, MI - Bell's BreweryFebruary 21 – Maumee, OH – The Village IdiotFebruary 22 - Kenosha, WI - Public Craft Brewing Co.February 26 - Lincoln, NE - Zoo BarFebruary 28 - Breckenridge, CO - Three20 SouthMarch 1 - Boulder, CO - The Fox TheatreMarch 2 – Fort Collins, CO – Avogadro’s NumberMarch 6 - Evergreen, CO - Little Bear SaloonMarch 8 - Telluride, CO - Fly Me To The Moon SaloonMarch 9 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby CourtMarch 12 - Lake Tahoe, NV - Crystal Bay Club Casino **March 13 - Los Angeles, CA - The Mint **March 14 - San Francisco, CA - Boom Boom Room **March 15 - San Rafael, CA - Terrapin Crossroads ^March 17 - Arcata, CA - Humboldt Brews **March 18 - Santa Cruz, CA - Moe's Alley **March 29 – Sioux City, IA – Vangarde ArtsMarch 30 – Des Moines, IA – Gas LampApril 1 – Blue Springs, MO – Trouser MouseApri 2 - St. Louis, MO - The DemoApril 3 - Nashville, TN – FooBARApril 4 - Black Mountain, NC - Pisgah Brewing CompanyApril 5 - Roanoke, VA - Martin's DowntownApril 10 - Buffalo, NY – Nietzsche'sApril 11- Syracuse, NY – Lost HorizonApril 12 - Williamsport, PA - Bullfrog BreweryApril 19 - Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts* w/ Railroad Earth** w/ TL3

The Mike Dillon Band and Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey are set to launch a 16-date tour of the western United States. The run kicks off with three shows in Colorado beginning in Boulder on March 19. It then cuts North to Idaho and Montana before heading to the Pacific Northwest followed by a stretch down the West Coast to San Diego. The tour wraps in April with shows in Santa Fe, NM and Norman, OK. The co-billed dates between Mike Dillon and Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey have deep historical significance as the artists have shared stages and collaborated for almost two decades. JFJO pianist Brian Haas first saw Dillon perform when he was a teenager in high school.

"The first time I saw Mike Dillon he was buck ass naked taking a timbale solo with Billy Goat at Eclipse in Tulsa," says Haas. "I was 17 and it changed my life forever. Now JFJO is doing an entire tour with this amazing man and his brilliant band. We can't wait to get out there and play these shows."

Mike Dillon will release his next studio album, Band of Outsiders, on April 1. The 13-track effort, featuring his band comprised of Carly Meyers on trombone, Patrick McDevitt on bass and Adam Gertner on drums, careens between musical styles, including punk, Brazilian, math rock, New Orleans, jazz and old school hip-hop. The results capture the group mind established between the four musicians while playing over 220 shows in 2013.

Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey celebrate their 20th anniversary in 2014. The Tulsa-based institution recently returned to a trio format featuring founding member Brian Haas on piano and Rhodes, Chris Combs on electric and lap steel guitars and Josh Raymer on drums. They'll release a limited edition LP on Record Store Day, April 19 entitled Millions: Live In Denver. The set was recorded over four sold out shows at the revered Denver jazz venue, Dazzle in November 2013. It presents JFJO digging deep in their repertoire to perform songs that they hadn't played live for many years.

Both the Mike Dillon and JFJO albums will be released by independent Brooklyn record label, The Royal Potato Family, who celebrate their 5th anniversary in 2014.

Mike Dillon Band & Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey Tour Dates:

March 19 - Boulder, CO - Shine
March 20 - Fort Collins, CO - Hodi's Half Note
March 21 - Denver, CO - Other Side
March 25 - Moscow, ID - John's Alley
March 26 - Moscow, ID - John's Alley
March 28 - Missoula, MT - Top Hat
March 29 - Richland, WA - Emerald
March 30 - ZigZag, OR - Skyway
April 1 - Seattle, WA - Tractor Tavern
April 2 - Olympia, WA - Urban Onion
April 3 - Portland, OR - Goodfoot Lounge
April 5 - San Francisco, CA - Boom Boom Room
April 7 - Long Beach, CA - Lava Lounge
April 8 - San Diego, CA - Winston's
April 10 - Santa Fe, NM - Warehouse 21
April 11 - Norman, OK - The Deli

Over the course of his 20-year career, drummer Stanton Moore has become known as one of the premier funk musicians of his generation. On his latest album Conversations, due April 15 from The Royal Potato Family, he moves in a slightly different direction, returning to his roots while reinventing his trademark sound. The result is a combustible jazz piano trio outing, featuring David Torkanowsky on piano and James Singleton on bass, that reveals unexpected new dimensions to Moore's always-engaging virtuosity.Anyone who's ever heard the interplay between Stanton Moore and his band-mates in Galactic, Garage a Trois or Dragon Smoke is no doubt aware of his intense improvisational chops. But with Conversations, Moore unveils his profound sense of swing and the fluency of his jazz vocabulary in its purest form for the first time."I've played a lot of jazz in New Orleans through the years, but it's not something that the general public has ever seen me do or is even aware of," Moore says. "Jazz has been part of my development and a deep love of mine for a long time. Everything I do funk and groove-wise is informed by what I've learned playing and studying jazz. I had put myself through what was basically a doctoral program on funk drumming, and I wanted to do the same thing with my jazz playing."Moore sent himself back to the jazz woodshed, taking lessons with veteran drummer Kenny Washington and spending time with Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra co-leader Jeff Hamilton, Moore's partner in the Crescent Cymbal Company. He refined his brush playing by studying the work of Philly Joe Jones—evidenced by his brushwork on "Tchefunkta," a slinkier transformation of the tune that opens his classic 1998 solo debut, All Kooked Out!Abetted by a pair of veterans from New Orleans' vibrant, deeply rooted jazz scene, pianist David Torkanowksy and bassist James Singleton have both played with saxophonist Tony Dagradi's long-running band Astral Project alongside Moore's mentor, drummer Johnny Vidacovich. Singleton has also worked with the likes of James Booker, Professor Longhair, Aaron Neville, Joe Henderson, Milt Jackson, Harry Connick Jr. and Lightnin' Hopkins. Torkanowsky's credits include work with The Meters, Maceo Parker, Dianne Reeves, Dr. John, Boz Scaggs, George Duke, Kirk Whalum, James Moody and Chuck Berry."I always love playing with Stanton," Singleton says. "When he got me back together with Tork it became pure inspiration. We all share such deep bonds within very specific musical languages, and the energy keeps growing."The connection shared by the three New Orleanians, Moore says, "brings a deep sense of groove and pocket and a whole batch of ideas and cultural influences that I can reference and these guys know exactly what I'm talking about. There's the Mardi Gras Indian thing, the brass band thing, the James Black thing. It's hard to find a group of guys who are not only aware of all those influences, but are equally happy playing in any of those genres."The NOLA bond becomes even stronger through Moore's choice of material. All but one of the album's eleven tracks were written by a New Orleans' composer, including the legendary drummer James Black, Tony Dagradi, Steve Masakowski, Evan Christopher, and all three members of the trio. The sole exception is Herbie Hancock's "Driftin'," which is given a stride piano intro by Torkanowsky that makes it feel right at home in this company.That material was honed over more than a year and a half of Tuesday-night performances at Snug Harbor, the renowned New Orleans’ jazz venue on Frenchman Street. The deep chemistry forged over the course of that residency is in ample evidence throughout the aptly-named Conversations, from the graceful but roiling opener "Lauren Z" to the wistful ballad "Waltz for All Souls," from the Bill Evans-inspired elegance of Steve Masakowski's "The Chase" to the deceptively complex celebration of the New Orleans' standard "Paul Barbarin's Second Line." "Improvised music should be conversational," Moore says. "If one guy's holding the floor, you don't want to start speaking over him; you want to listen, you want to interject, you might want to convey another idea related to what he's saying, but the same rules for good conversation apply to making good music. The music on this album is conversational, and all the tunes are coming from friends who we've had musical conversations with over the years."Stanton Moore will present the music on Conversations with a residency at Snug Harbor in April, appearing the first three Tuesday nights that month with his trio. They'll also celebrate the album's release with a performance at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on May 1. Additional U.S. tour dates will be announced shortly.Stanton Moore Conversations is available April 15 on LP, CD & Digital formats from The Royal Potato Family.Upcoming Shows:March 25 - New Orleans, LA - Snug HarborApril 8 - New Orleans, LA - Snug HarborApril 15 - New Orleans, LA - Snug HarborApril 22 - New Orleans, LA - Snug HarborApril 28 - New Orleans, LA - Louisiana Music Factory (free in-store performance)May 1 - New Orleans, LA - New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival

"I'm so thrilled to get to see 6 String Drag again. They're as great as ever. Like reconnecting with a long lost friend." - Patterson Hood (Drive-By Truckers)

After 18 years in hibernation, 6 String Drag is back with Roots Rock 'N' Roll. Cut mostly live to tape, the effort is equal parts slap-back swagger and openhearted honesty—a triumphant return that celebrates rock's first golden age by virtue of the grace, wit and insight found in front-man Kenny Roby's songwriting. Their new LP is an exhilarating reminder of all things real, pure, old school rock 'n' roll: Roy Orbison, The Everly Brothers, Little Richard, Muddy Waters and Gene Vincent among its unabashed influences.

"The songs I was writing in the months leading up to the recording session were about being teenagers, about hanging out and passing time in small towns. It was the result of revisiting some of my earliest rock 'n' roll influences. We all love The Beatles, The Stones, the psychedelic movement, but I was going back to the roots before that and soaking it all in heavily. I became a super-fan again, studying what made some of my favorites tick, both musically and lyrically," says Roby. "We like to think this record was made in the spirit of one of our heroes, Doug Sahm. He did so many kinds of music that influenced him and wasn't afraid to try to touch on the music that he loved."

In the mid to late '90s, the Raleigh, North Carolina-based 6 String Drag stood out as pioneers of the nascent alt-country movement, grinding it out in the clubs alongside Whiskeytown, Drive-By Truckers and Son Volt. The band's Steve Earle-produced album, High Hat, remains an undisputed classic of its era. Battle-scarred and road-wizened, today's 6 String Drag is the sound of four kindred souls reunited, letting their own histories as human beings mingle freely around their shared love of classic sounds. Kenny Roby and Rob Keller weld their trademark harmonies to surging rhythms. Ray Duffey’s swinging drums and Keller’s upright bass are the foundation, embroidered by Roby’s rhythm guitar and guitarist Scott Miller’s pointed leads and thickened by a Stax-versed horn section.

Recorded live off the studio floor to tape in just four days with minimal overdubs, the immediacy of Roots Rock ‘N’ Roll translates beautifully to record, elevating everything from the plaintive desperation of "Hard Times, High Times" to the self-effacing word play rave-up "Kingdom of Gettin' It Wrong"; the rousing slide guitar snarl of "Sylvia" to the New Orleans meets Chuck Berry groove of "Oooeeoooeeooo" and even the teen rock anthem "Drive Around Town." A knife's edge intensity is matched by a wooly, woody sound. Instruments bleed into vocal mics. Imperfection is celebrated, rather than avoided.

"We wanted to capture that classic vibe of guys recording in a room together," explains Roby. "When it came time to record, we showed up on Thursday and left on Monday. I didn't know if we’d be able to cut four songs in four days, let alone capture the 11 tracks that became the album."

In the past decade and a half since 6 String Drag parted ways, all of its members have continued to play music in one form or another. Roby's solo output has been particularly consistent and strong. However, the band getting back together represents a long-awaited completion of the circle.

"I've played with so many different people over the last 18 years," Roby says. "But reuniting with these guys sure felt like being home again. Back in the day, Rob, Scott, Ray, and I were never at a loss for ideas, and it was deeply satisfying to find that's still the same. When we undertook this record, we all hoped there would be chemistry. It turned out that there was way more than any of us expected."

Grayson Capps' debut solo album If You Knew My Mind turns ten this year. In light of the milestone, Royal Potato Family is honoring the now classic recording with a special 10th anniversary reissue edition to be released on April 18, 2015 for Record Store Day. The set will feature three never-before-released bonus tracks, including Grayson's stunning version of the American roots standard "Keep Your Lamp Trimmed and Burning." It also features an essay written by Grayson addressing the period in his life when he recorded the album, alongside previously unpublished photos. Originally produced by Grammy Award-winning engineer Trina Shoemaker (Brandi Carlile, Dylan LeBlanc), she was reenlisted to oversee the re-mastering process for the album's first ever appearance on vinyl in a limited edition (500 units), double-LP configuration.

If You Knew My Mind was initially released in 2005 in conjunction with the major motion picture A Love Song For Bobby Long starring Scarlett Johansson and John Travolta. The film was titled after Grayson's song of the same name and was adapted from an unpublished novel, Off Magazine Street, written by his father Everett Capps. Throughout the album, Grayson recounts his time living in an abandoned house on the outskirts of New Orleans ("Get Back Up"), playing for change on Royal Street ("Washboard Lisa") and the birth of his daughter ("If You Knew My Mind"), while songs like "I See You," "Mercy" and "Buckshot" remain staples of his live repertoire to this day. 


Grayson Capps' songwriting draws direct inspiration from southern literary tradition, often writing about the South and the idiosyncrasies of its people, landscapes and tempos. His lyrics, imparted with a profound poetic wisdom, take form as steamy, front porch blues and road-wise Americana. Music critic Bret Love wrote, "Like a whiskey-soaked, back alley poet sired by Tom Waits and Robert Johnson, Capps' stripped-down sound is rooted in the dark side of the Delta." While comparisons like such help paint a picture, Capps clearly has his own singular iconoclastic vision. Ten years later, his legacy has only grown as he's currently regarded as one of the South's most consistently compelling songwriters and performers.

 Now residing in lower Alabama where he was born and raised, Capps maintains a heavy touring schedule almost entirely in the south as both a solo artist and with the critically-acclaimed band, Willie Sugarcapps. Capps is set to appear at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on Friday, April 24.

IF YOU KNEW MY MIND
(10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION)
Track Listing:

1. Get Back Up
2. If You Knew My Mind
3. Slidell
4. I Can't Hear You
5. A Love Song For Bobby Long
6. Graveyard
7. Mercy
8. Lorraine’s Song
9. Washboard Lisa
10. Buckshot
11. How's I To Know
12. I See You
13. Keep Your Lamp Trimmed & Burning
14. Banjo Player
15. Washboard Lisa (Truckfarm)

Marco Benevento has released a free download of his sold out show at Signal Kitchen in Burlington, VT on April 4, 2015. The performance was recorded and produced by Signal Kitchen at their hybrid state of the art live venue/recording studio and mixed by Benevento from the multi-track recording.

The show is available for download now via Benevento's record label, Royal Potato Family: http://royalpotatofamily.com/downloads/marco-benevento-signal-kitchen-live-download/

"This was great night! We'd been touring the record (Swift) for about seven months so the energy was high onstage. Plus, it was Signal Kitchen's Masquerade Ball show, so everyone in the audience was wearing masks and looking freaky,” remembers Benevento. "Our friend even came up on stage and danced for an extended 'Limbs Of A Pine.' Oh, and it was a full moon, oh geez, yes, you can hear it all here. We tested out two new tunes that will be on our upcoming record and we wound up, on a whim, segueing 'RISD' and 'Let's Spend The Night Together' (the Bowie version) at the end of the show. That even surprised us while we were playing through it!"

Marco Benevento and his band, featuring bassist Dave Dreiwitz and drummer Andrew Borger, are playing festivals and select club dates throughout the summer. Benevento is also deep into recording his next studio album, which will follow up his critically acclaimed 2014 release, Swift.

Listen/Share Marco Benevento "If I Get To See You At All" (from Live At Signal Kitchen)

Listen/Share Marco Benevento "Witches of Ulster" from Live At Signal Kitchen

Listen/Share Marco Benevento "At The Show" from Live At Signal Kitchen

Marco Benevento 
Tour Dates

June 23 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Bowl ***Buy This Fracking Album benefit
June 28 - Rothbury, MI - Electric Forest
July 5 - Quincy, CA - High Sierra Music Festival
July 9 - Brooklyn, NY - Knitting Factory ***performing David Bowie’s “Hunky Dory”
July 11 - Greenfield, MA - Green River Festival
July 18 - Truman, NY - Grassroots Music Festival
July 19 - Ardmore, PA - Ardmore Music Hall
July 24 & 25 - Denver, CO - The 1up
September 11 - Sherman, NY - Night Light Festival
September 12 - Hector, NY - Stonecat Cafe
September 13 - Burlington, VT - Grand Point North Festival
September 25 - Guthrie, OK - Taloe Festival
January 8-16 - Miami, FL - Jam Cruise

Marco Benevento has announced new Fall 2015 tour dates for October, including shows in Northampton, Providence and Washington, DC, as well as, in his adopted hometown of Woodstock, NY. He'll also head to the Midwest for six dates highlighted by a two-night stand at the intimate Tonic Room in Chicago. These shows will sell out, so advance ticket purchases are advised. Tickets for the entire tour go on-sale this Friday, July 24.

Benevento's Fall tour coincides with the release of a new 7-inch single featuring the song "Dropkick" that's begun to regularly appear in his sets this summer. The B-side is "Little Girl," Benevento's reimagined version of The Crystals' 1964 Phil Spector-produced smash hit "Little Boy." An exact release date will be announced shortly.

This coming weekend, Benevento and his band featuring bassist Dave Dreiwitz and drummer Andy Borger head to Denver for a two-night run at The 1up-Colfax on Friday, July 24 and Saturday, July 25. His most recent full-length studio album, Swift, is out now on Royal Potato Family.

Upcoming Marco Benevento tour dates are:

July 24 & 25 - Denver, CO - The 1up
September 11 - Sherman, NY - Night Lights Festival
September 12 - Hector, NY - Stonecat Cafe
September 13 - Burlington, VT - Grand Point North Festival
September 24 - Austin, TX - Empire Control Room ^
September 25 - Guthrie, OK - Taloe Music Festival  
October 8 - Baltimore, MD - 8x10
October 9 - Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts
October 10 - Washington, DC - Gypsy Sally’s
October 15 - Northampton, MA - Parlor Room
October 16 - Providence, RI - Columbus Theatre
October 17 - Woodstock, NY - Bearsville Theatre
October 20 - Buffalo, NY - Buffalo Iron Works
October 21 - Columbus, OH - Woodlands Tavern
October 22 - Grand Rapids, MI - Founders Brewing
October 23 & 24 - Chicago, IL - Tonic Room
October 25 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom
January 6-11 - Miami, FL - Jam Cruise

^ w/ The New Deal

The New Mastersounds rank among the preeminent modern soul and funk bands of their time. Having started out in Leeds, UK, the quartet tour the globe regularly, bringing their hard-charging, delectably greasy jams to all corners of the globe with a rabid fanbase that stretches from New York City to Tokyo, San Francisco to Amsterdam and all points in between. On October 2, 2015, they return with Made For Pleasure—their most stylistically sprawling studio record to date. The collection is set for release via Brooklyn-based independent label, Royal Potato Family. It will be supported by a cross-country 32-date U.S. tour presented by Live For Live Music.



"The album's title is very much the ethos of the band," guitar Eddie Roberts explains. "We make music for our own pleasure and for other people's pleasure. It's about sharing energy with an audience, whether it be live or listening at home."



The New Mastersounds core four—guitarist Eddie Roberts, drummer Simon Allen, bassist Pete Shand and organist Joe Tatton—are joined on the 11-track effort by guests including soul chanteuse Charly Lowry, revered percussionist/vibraphonist Mike Dillon and the North Cali-based West Coast Horns, featuring tenor saxophonist Joe Cohen and trumpeter Mike Olmos. 



"In the past, the guests on our records haven't really influenced the writing process," says drummer Simon Allen. "But on this record the horns were with us while we were jamming in the studio, so tunes that might not have gone anywhere suddenly came to life because they were coming up with top-line melodies to make sense of our grooves."



“The experience of working with Charly Lowry added a whole other dimension to the record. She's so natural and she's got things to say," Roberts continues. "She's an amazing being and I was excited to work with her."

Recorded in New Orleans, The New Mastersounds high-step through the humidity and heat leaving no soul or funk touchstone unturned. Both the title track and "High & Wide" are drenched in The-Meters-meet-Lee-Dorsey Big Easy funk, while tracks like "Enough Is Enough," "Joy" and "Just Gotta Run" are firmly rooted in classic soul sister rhythm & blues tradition; think Tina Turner, Ann Peebles, Bettye LaVette. Super-charged by Eddie Roberts" stinging guitar leads, "Cigar Time" and "Sitting On My Knees" take a decidedly soul jazz turn, diving headlong into Grant Green grit and groove. Capping off Made For Pleasure and further validating its title is a dubbed-out reinvention of Iggy Azalea's smash hit "Fancy" that cleverly turns the pop artist's ode to materialism into a 21st century stoner anthem with the repurposed refrain, "I'm so irie." 



The New Mastersounds know what feels good and deliver it in spades on their latest longplayer, and rightfully so, as it was after-all...Made For Pleasure.

Tour Dates

9/30 - Phoenix, AZ - Crescent Ballroom

10/1 - San Diego, CA - Winstons

10/2 - Los Angeles, CA - Teragram Ballroom

10/4 - Mill Valley, CA - Sweetwater Music Hall

10/6 - Chico, CA - Lost On Main

10/7 - Eugene, OR - HiFi Music Hall

10/8 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom

10/9-10 - Seattle, WA - Nectar Lounge

10/11 - Missoula, MT - Top Hat Lounge

10/13 - Salt Lake City, UT - The State Room

10/14 - Boulder, CO - Fox Theatre

10/15 - Steamboat Springs, CO - Old Town Pub

10/16 - Albuquerque, NM - El Rey Theater

10/17 - Chicago, IL - Concord Music Hall

10/16-18 - Ozark, AR - Phases of the Moon Music + Art Festival

10/20 - St. Louis, MO - Old Rock House

10/21 - Memphis, TN - 1884 Lounge

10/22-25 - Rockdale, TX - Art Outside

10/23 - Dallas, TX - The Loft at Gilley's

10/24 - Houston, TX - Warehouse Live Studio

10/27 - Birmingham, AL - Workplay

10/28 - Baton Rouge, LA - Varsity Theatre

10/29 - Jackson, MS - Duling Hall

10/30-11/1 - Hattiesburg, MS - Dollar Box Showroom

10/31 - Live Oak, FL - Hulaween

11/1 - Charleston, SC - Charleston Pour House

11/3 - Wilmington, NC - Ziggy's

11/4 - Charlotte, NC - Neighborhood Theatre

11/5 - Raleigh, NC - Southland Ballroom

11/6 - Asheville, NC - Isis

11/7 - Nashville, TN - War Memorial Auditorium*



* w/ Lettuce

Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey have announced the release of a live album The Battle For Earth out September 4 via Royal Potato Family. Recorded in 2014 over two nights at Dazzle in Denver, the collection focuses on fresh interpretations of material from their previous studio album, Worker, along with a handful of JFJO classics like "Tetherball Triumph." The collection will be released in all digital formats, as well as a limited edition comic book.

JFJO have also announced Fall 2015 tour dates with several two night stands along the way, including Oddly Correct in Kansas City, Doc's Lab in San Francisco and Earshot Jazz Festival at The Royal Room in Seattle. Multiple special guests will join them from night to night, including Skerik, Mark Southerland and Wil Blades. The trio will open for Thundercat in Tulsa and Youngblood Brass Band in New Orleans.

JFJO Tour Dates
September 19 - Oklahoma City, OK – WestFest
September 22 - Tulsa, OK – The Vanguard (#)
September 26 - Guthrie, OK – Taloa Music Fest
October 9 - Kansas City, MO – Oddly Correct ($)
October 10 - Kansas City, MO – Oddly Correct
October 16 - New Orleans, LA – The Howlin’ Wolf (%)
October 22 - Albuquerque, NM – The Outpost
October 23 & 24 - Denver, CO – The 1up (^)
October 30 & 31 - San Francisco, CA – Docs’ Lab (&)
November 5 & 6 - Seattle, WA – Earshot Jazz Festival @ Royal Room (^)
November 7 - Portland, OR – The Goodfoot Lounge (*)

# – w/ Thundercat
$ – w/ Mark Southerland
% – w/ Youngblood Brass Band and Mike Dillon Band
^ – w/ Skerik
& – w/ Skerik and Chris Noonan
* – w/ Skerik, Wil Blades and DJ Logic

Acclaimed New Orleans-based vibraphonist and percussionist Mike Dillon is working on a new album of Elliott Smith songs entitled Functioning Broke. The collection is planned for release in Spring 2016. The first single "Half Right" is available today for download and streaming.

Mike Dillon has set his own standard for 25 years now. Hailed a "punk rock provocateur," "jazz vibraphone visionary" and "percussion virtuoso," the Texas native's affiliation with artists like Les Claypool, Brave Combo and Ani DiFranco, collaborations such as Garage A Trois, The Dead Kenny Gs and Critters Buggin, and bands he's fronted, including Billy Goat, Hairy Apes BMX and The Mike Dillon Band, have led to a rabid cult fan-base.

Mike Dillon
Upcoming Tour Dates

Nov. 18 - The Lyric Oxford - Oxford, MS *
Nov. 19 - Duling Hall - Jackson, MS *
Nov. 20 - Tipitina’s - New Orleans, LA
Nov. 21 - The Drunken Unicorn - Atlanta, GA
Nov. 22 - Cosmic Charles - Lexington, KY
Nov. 23 - Bullfrog Brewery - Williamsport, PA
Nov. 24 - Voma - Johnstown, PA
Nov. 25 - Buffalo Iron Works - Buffalo, NY
Nov. 27 - Bryac - Bridgeport, CT x
Nov. 28 - The Press Room - Portsmouth, NH
Nov. 29 - Brooklyn Bowl - Brooklyn, NY x
Dec. 1 - Gypsy Sally's - Washington, DC x
Dec. 2 - 8x10 - Baltimore, MD
Dec. 3 - The Empty Glass - Charleston, WV
Dec. 4 - Jackie O's - Athens, OH ^
Dec. 5 - The Thunderbird - Pittsburgh, PA
Dec. 12 - Contemporary Arts Center - New Orleans, LA **
Dec. 17 - Sundown At Granada - Dallas, TX
Dec. 18 - Midtown Billiards - Little Rock, AR
Dec. 19 - Martin's - Jackson, MS
Jan. 12 - Winston's - San Diego, CA
Jan. 14 - Divided Sky - Lake Tahoe, CA
Jan. 15 & 16 - Great American Music Hall - San Francisco, CA ^^
Jan. 17 - The Forestville Club - Forestville, CA 
Jan. 18 - Jambalaya - Arcata, CA
Jan. 19 - Talent Club - Talent, OR
Jan. 20 - Sam Bonds Garage - Eugene, OR
Jan. 21 - The Goodfoot - Portland, OR
Jan. 22 - The Royal Room - Seattle, WA
Jan. 23 - Emerald of Siam - Richland, WA
Jan. 24 - Skyway Bar and Grill - Mt. Hood, OR
Jan. 25 - Johns Alley - Moscow, ID
Jan. 27 - Knotty Pine - Victor, ID
Jan. 28 - Owsley's - Boulder, CO
Jan. 29 - The Other Side - Denver, CO
Jan. 30 - The Brick - Kansas City, MO
Jan. 31- 2720 Cherokee - St. Louis, MO

* - w/ The Revivalists
** Mike Dillon's New Orleans Punk Rock Percussion Consortium
x - w/ Lespecial
^ w/ Hell Gnaw
^^ w/ Rebirth Brass Band

The New Mastersounds have announced an 18-show Spring tour in April and May. The run will begin with four shows at Brooklyn Bowl in Brooklyn, NY.  The band then heads to New England for five dates, including The Sinclair in Boston, before turning south for shows in West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia. The tour concludes with four nights in the Midwest—the last stop at Exit/In in Nashville. Joining The New Mastersounds as special guests for 12 dates will be acclaimed Brooklyn-based double sax and drums trio, Moon Hooch.

In the midst of this tour, The New Mastersounds will also unveil a new studio recording. Details for which are forthcoming. Their current album, Made For Pleasure, was released this past October via RPF.

The New Mastersounds
Spring 2016 Tour Dates

4/14 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Bowl *
4/15 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Bowl
4/16 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Bowl (early show)
4/16 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Bowl
4/17 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Wolf Den
4/19 - Portland, ME - Port City Music Hall *
4/20 - Cambridge, MA - The Sinclair *
4/21 - Fairfield, CT - Warehouse *
4/22 - Burlington, VT - Higher Ground *
4/23 - Schuylkill Haven, PA - Some Kind of Jam
4/24 - Morgantown, WV - Mainstage *
4/26 - Richmond, VA - The Broadberry *
4/27 - Greensboro, NC - The Blind Tiger *
4/28 - Atlanta, GA - Terminal West *
5/4 - Lexington, KY - Cosmic Charlies
5/5 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom *
5/6 - Columbus, OH - Park Street Saloon *
5/7 - Nashville, TN - Exit/In *

* w/ Moon Hooch

Pre-sale tickets will be available tomorrow, Tuesday at 10AM ET at the following link:
https://events.applauze.com/tours/thenewmastersounds

General on sale this Friday, January 29 at 10am ET.

On March 11, 2016, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real will deliver their heavily-anticipated third album, Something Real, via Royal Potato Family.

Something Real documents the trail blazed by this hard-driving ensemble in its recent past. Most of all, it captures them in all their current glory as songwriters, performers and progenitors of the style they characterize as "cowboy hippie surf rock."

The title track premiered by Rolling Stone ahead of the full-length album release is a slamming groove that shifts in and out of double-time, jams on the brakes and takes off again as Nelson burns through a fiery guitar solo and demands, "I want to see you get mad, I want to see you crying for me. Give me something real!"

Like all the songs on Something Real, the video for "Something Real" was recorded at San Francisco's William Westerfeld Mansion, whose previous residents included Janis Joplin, jazz saxophonist John Handy and a group of exiled royalists in the wake of the Russian Revolution.

Something Real is the band's first release since their historic session with Neil Young, entitled The Monsanto Years, was released in 2015. That album was followed by the launch of Neil Young + Promise of the Real's Rebel Content Tour, which included performances at Farm Aid 30 and at the 29th Annual Bridge School Benefit Concert. More tour dates in Europe begin with Young in June 2016, while headline dates by Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real are beginning to emerge.

Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real consists of Nelson and his brother Micah Nelson on vocals and guitar, bassist Corey McCormick, percussionist Tato Melgar and drummer Anthony LoGerfo. Something Real was produced by Promise of the Real and Stevie Chadie, whose many studio credits include sessions with Ray Benson, Merle Haggard, Jamey Johnson and Willie Nelson.

Neil Young also makes a guest vocal appearance on the track "San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair)." He says the following about the collaboration with Lukas and company: "I love all the bands I have played with, but this band and the multi-generational thing is epic!"

Tour Dates:
February 19 - Social Hall - San Francisco, CA *
February 20 - The Underground - Santa Ana, CA *
February 21 - The Belly Up - Solana Beach, CA *
March 24-28 - Byron Bay Bluesfest - Byron Bay, Australia
May 1 - New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival - New Orleans, LA **
May 6 - Curacao International BlueSeas Festival - Pietermaai District, Curacao
June 5 - SSE Hydro - Glasgow, Scotland **
June 7 - SSE Arena - Belfast, Ireland **
June 8 - 3Arena - Dublin, Ireland **
June 10 -  First Direct Arena - Leeds, England **
June 11 - O2 Arena - London, England **
June 13 - Le Zenith - Lille, France **
June 15 - Halle Tony Garnier - Lyon, France **
June 16 - Le Dome de Marseille - Marseille, France **
June 21 - Le Zenith - Toulouse, France **
June 23 - Accor Hotels Arena - Paris, France **
June 24 - Sport Palais - Antwerp, Belgium **
July 5 - Dalhalla - Rattvik, Sweden **
July 7 - Stavernfestivalen - Larvik, Norway **
July 9 - Ziggo Dome - Amsterdam, The Netherlands **
July 13 - Villa Contarini - Padova, Italy **
July 15 - Teatro delle Terme di Caracalla - Rome, Italy **
July 16 - Lucca Summer Festival - Lucca, Italy **
July 18 - Estate Market Sound - Milano, Italy **
July 20 - Voelkerschlachtdenkmal Open Air - Leipzig, Germany **
July 21 - Waldbuhne - Berlin, Germany **
July 23 - Castle Clam - Linz, Austria **
September 4 - Snowbasin Blues, Brews & BBQ - Huntsville, UT

* w/ Shooter Jennings
** Neil Young & Promise of the Real

Directed by Jonathan Leder and starring pin-up model Amy Hood, Marco Benevento has premiered the video for the first single "Dropkick" off his new studio album, The Story of Fred Short, out April 1 on Royal Potato Family. The collection is some of Marco's finest and most adventurous work—a maestro making "bold indie rock" says Brooklyn Vegan.  It's the follow-up to 2014's Swift, which found Marco singing for the first time and honing his psych rock and late night dance party sensibilities.  The Story Of Fred Short is a continuation of this exploration, and Marco cites everything from LCD Soundsystem, Harry Nilsson, Manu Chau and Gorillaz as inspiration.

Divided into two sides, The Story Of Fred Short oozes with Marco's relentless creative spirit in songwriting, performance and production.  Side A is stuffed with mesmerizing dance rock gold.  Marco doubles down on the groove using a rare Casio drum machine that's become a recurring muse in addition to a live drummer. The B Side tells the real and imagined story of Fred Short in seven chapters of wild, heavy rock 'n' roll.  Fred Short was a Native American man known for throwing musical bacchanals on the property Marco now lives in Woodstock, NY. 



Marco Benevento recorded and self-produced the album at his Woodstock studio (also named Fred Short).  He's joined by his core band of Dave Dreiwitz on bass (Ween) and Andy Borger on drums (Tom Waits, Norah Jones).  This is only Marco's second time singing on one of his albums, and it's the first time he's added guitars on his original songs (recorded by friend and former bandmate Brad Barr of The Barr Brothers/The Slip).

Upcoming Tour Dates:
March 18 - Boulder, CO - The Fox Theatre
March 19 - Denver, CO - Cervante’s Other Side
March 20 - Crested Butte, CO - Center For The Arts
March 31 - San Diego, CA - Winston’s
April 1 - Los Angeles, CA - The Bootleg
April 2 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent
April 3 - Santa Cruz, CA - Moe’s Alley
April 6 - Arcata, CA - HumBrews
April 7 - Cottage Grove, OR - Axe & Fiddle
April 8 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
April 9 - Seattle, WA - Tractor Tavern
April 14 - Boston, MA - The Sinclair
April 15 - Kingston, NY - BSP Kingston
April 16 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg
April 22 - New Orleans, LA - The Maple Leaf (late night)
April 23 - New Orleans, LA - Blue Nile
June 2-4 - Nelsonville, OH - Nelsonville Festival

The New Mastersounds have announced the release of The Nashville Session via Royal Potato Family on April 22. The 10-track collection was multi-tracked live to one-inch tape in a single evening session at Welcome To 1979 studio in Nashville, TN in front of a small studio audience,. Following the performance, the recordings were mixed down to quarter-inch stereo tape and then cut direct to vinyl lacquers. There are no guests and no overdubs—essentially The New Mastersounds—pure and unadulterated. Hitting the studio at the tail end of the band's Fall/Winter 2015 cross-country U.S. tour when they were at the top of their game musically, they selected material to record from across their 16-plus year career and ten studio albums. The only exception being a fresh take of legendary jazz guitarist Grant Green's arrangement of James Brown's "In The Middle." The Nashville Session will be released as a limited edition, 1000-piece vinyl exclusive pressing. It will not be made available in any other formats until the digital release on May 27. It comes on the heels of last October's critically acclaimed studio release, Made For Pleasure.

"We made the decision to record in this context because our older tunes have been evolving over a decade and a half of live presentation as once-spontaneous improvised sections gradually became fixed into the live arrangements. Much of the change has come about since organist Joe Tatton joined the band in 2007," explains drummer Simon Allen. "It was also the perfect time to capture the cheeky, spontaneous and confident energy of a live show at the point—straight off of tour—when the band was at the top of its game. As lovers of '60s and '70s funk and soul jazz, we have never much enjoyed the sound of modern digital live recordings. Somehow the balance of frequencies such recordings deliver is never what we crave; our music just makes the most sense to our ears and to our feet when everything is crunched onto tape, exactly the way the music that first influenced us was recorded.”

The Nashville Session is available now for pre-order at Pledge Music. Among the various packages being offered is a ski trip with the band, a wine tasting with Simon Allen and Eddie Roberts, a day spent sailing with Eddie and a VIP ticket package granting side stage access to the band's shows during New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

The New Mastersounds' 21-date spring tour begins in April and runs through May. It opens with four shows at Brooklyn Bowl in Brooklyn, NY. They’ll then head to New England before heading south to plays shows in West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina. After a stop in New Orleans during Jazzfest for two late night headline shows at the Joy Theatre, the tour concludes with four nights in the Midwest, including Exit/In in Nashville, TN. The New Mastersounds will be joined for the majority of the run by Brooklyn-based double sax and drums trio, Moon Hooch.

The New Mastersounds Tour Dates

4/13 - Live Oak, FL - Wannee Festival
4/14 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Bowl *
4/15 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Bowl
4/16 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Bowl (early show)
4/16 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Bowl
4/17 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Wolf Den
4/19 - Portland, ME - Port City Music Hall *
4/20 - Cambridge, MA - The Sinclair *
4/21 - Fairfield, CT - Warehouse *
4/22 - Burlington, VT - Higher Ground *
4/23 - Schuylkill Haven, PA - Some Kind of Jam Festival
4/24 - Morgantown, WV - Mainstage *
4/26 - Richmond, VA - The Broadberry *
4/27 - Greensboro, NC - The Blind Tiger *
4/28 - Atlanta, GA - Terminal West *
4/29-4/30 - New Orleans, LA - Joy Theatre
5/4 - Lexington, KY - Cosmic Charlies
5/5 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom *
5/6 - Columbus, OH - Park Street Saloon *
5/7 - Nashville, TN - Exit/In *
5/27-5/29 - Chillicothe, IL - Summer Camp
6/2-6/5 - Hunter, NY - Mountain Jam
6/23-6/26 - Rothbury, MI - Electric Forest
6/30-7/3 - Quincy, CA - High Sierra Music Festival
8/5-8/7 - Loveland, CO - Arise Music Festival

* w/ Moon Hooch

Over the past decade, Mike Dillon has released a number of acclaimed albums, intertwining a range of influences from Zappa-esque eccentricity to Fishbone punk funk, DC Go-Go to Milt Jackson-influenced vibraphone majesty. Never before, however, has he recorded music so personal and committed to a sustained mood as his latest album, Functioning Broke, due April 29 via Royal Potato Family. The recording finds Dillon alone on vibraphone, mallet instruments and various percussion, building each track into its own minimalist, but multi-dimensional auditory landscape.

The choice of material distinguishes the collection even further as he reimagines six Elliott Smith compositions, including "Behind The Bars," "Christian Brothers" and "Independence Day," Neil Young's "The Needle & The Damage Done," Martin Denny's "The Enchanted Sea" as well as four originals, most notably "Chimp & Flower" and "Tabla Goodnight." Intent on serene splendor and informed by songs that speak to the highs and lows of Dillon's tireless pursuit of his muse and craft, the record is destined to attract even more people into the fold of one this generation's most consistently compelling musicians.

"I had been playing around with Elliott Smith songs as I enjoyed the harmonic movement of his songwriting. So in between Primus tours last year, I went into the studio and started tracking the various members of the mallet and percussion family like marimba, xylophone, timpani, orchestral bells, tubular bells, tabla and congas," explains Dillon about the genesis of the album. "We got together every couple of months and would layer the instruments as the song demanded. What I originally thought was a fun little side project quickly became something that my pals said I should complete and release as a proper album."

Seth Walker has announced his new studio album, Gotta Get Back, will be released September 2 via Royal Potato Family. Produced by Jano Rix of The Wood Brothers, the 12-track collection excavates the roots of his love affair with music, reuniting the family that helped spark the fire in him all those years ago. Walker, who grew up on a multi-family commune in North Carolina, gathered his sister along with his parents, who had been divorced for 20 years, to record the album's beautiful, sweeping string parts, all of which were arranged by his father.

"I wanted to see if we could throw our worlds together," says Walker. "It was very special to me for them to be able to put everything else aside so we could play music together for the first time in so many years."

The first studio release since Walker's acclaimed 2014 effort 'Sky Still Blue,' he recorded 'Gotta Get Back' primarily at Zac Brown's Southern Ground studio in Nashville. The resulting collection is as eclectic as anything in Walker's celebrated career. The album opens up with the funky "High Time," a song co-written with longtime collaborator Gary Nicholson and referencing Walker's newly adopted home of New Orleans, which proved to be a fount of inspiration for the songwriter, who penned a number of tracks there including the swampy "Fire In The Belly" and Caribbean-influenced "Dreamer." On "Back Around," a collaboration with Oliver Wood, Walker channels his love of classic gospel, while "Movin' On" melds elements of country, soul, and Paul Simon-esque folk, and "Way Past Midnight" utilizes dual drummers to capture the buzz of and excitement of his first trips to New York City. Though travel and movement are recurring themes throughout the record, the heart and soul of the album lay in the idea of home and family, of looking to the past in order to find your way into the future. Or as Walker sings on the title track, "I've gotta get back / Before I can move ahead," and he does both here with startling beauty and striking sophistication.

"Jano, as a producer, has a gift of allowing music to 'unfold,' and it's a beautiful thing," says Walker. "It's a mysterious, elusive endeavor. It's kind of like holding a bird in your hand: not too loose and not too tight. We covered some ground stylistically with this album, and his sense of sound, vibe, and composition was paramount in making it cohesive, as was our engineer, Mike Poole. He's all about capturing a performance and understanding the balance of musicality, sonic fidelity and unpolished, undeniable grease."

The record marks the ninth release in Walker's extensive catalog, which has garnered critical acclaim around the world for nearly two decades. NPR hailed his "hard-driving" songs and "sweet tenor," while the Washington Post praised his "soulful croon," and the Wall Street Journal fell for his "tasty mix of blues and R&B." He cracked the Top 20 on the Americana Chart and toured the world countless times over, from festival stages to dates with The Mavericks, The Wood Brothers, Raul Malo, Paul Thorn and Ruthie Foster, among others.

Tour Dates
July 1 - Zionsville, IN - Free Range Concerts
July 2 - Valparaiso, IN - Taltree Arboretum & Gardens
July 15 - Dallas, TX - Gas Monkey *
July 20 - Santa Rosa Beach, FL - Alys Beach Concert Series
July 22 - Monroeville, AL - Cotton Pickers Songwriting Series
July 23 - Columbus, GA - The Loft
August 19 - Jersey City, NJ - The Parlour at Fox & Crow
August 20 - Philadelphia, PA - World Cafe Live **
August 27-28 - Ontonagon, MI - Porcupine Mountains Festival
September 6 - Richmond, VA - Capital Ale House
September 7 - Roanoke, VA - The Spot on Kirk
September 8 - Asheville, NC - Isis
September 9 - Hickory, NC - Sails Music Series
September 10 - Charlotte, NC - Evening Muse
September 16 - Decatur, GA - Eddie’s Attic
September 17-18 - Bristol, TN - Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion
October 23 - Montgomery, AL - Capital Oyster Bar
October 30 - Poconos, PA - Poconos Music Festival
November 30-December 6 - La Habana, Cuba - Fabrica de Arte Cubano

* w/ Cas Haley
** w/ Blind Boys of Alabama

Reed Mathis has announced the release of Beathoven due September 30 on Royal Potato Family. The revered bassist extraordinaire is best known for his work with Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, Tea Leaf Green and Billy & the Kids (led by the Grateful Dead’s Bill Kreutzmann) among numerous others, but his first love was always Ludwig van Beethoven. With this debut release under his own name, Mathis did the unthinkable and fused all of his worlds together, bringing old world masterpieces by the classical composer to today's premiere musical improvisors and updating their arrangements for a modern jam band. The result is the world's first CDM ("classical dance music") ensemble.

Presenting his new, dance-ready arrangements of Beethoven's "Symphony No. 3" and "Symphony No. 6," to an elite class of musicians, Reed Mathis enlisted Phish's Mike Gordon and Page McConnell, Marco Benevento, Joe Russo, Galactic's Stanton Moore, The Greyboy Allstars' Robert Walter, Matt Chamberlain, The Barr Brothers (Brad and Andrew Barr) and many more musical visionaries. To record their parts, he traveled to their respective towns over the past few years, capturing the majority of the nine movements that comprise the two symphonies in the musicians' natural environment. Having befriended many musical greats throughout his career, Reed chose the artists that, he felt, best embodied the spirit of Beethoven. It's little coincidence that, unlike contemporaries in modern-day orchestras, these "rock" musicians had comparatively little classical music training (if at all). In fact, most of them confessed that, prior to Reed pitching them on the project, they had no intimate knowledge of the movement that they were drafted to perform. 

This, in fact, suited Reed's vision for bringing Beethoven into the 21st century better than if the musicians had been versed in the composer's work. Reed wanted his collaborators to have the freedom to create and interpret as themselves. His concept being that even when composed music—be it a song or a symphony—has been performed for centuries, the notes and rhythms are still supposed to be embedded with personal context. After all, the music that most deeply affects us is that which is relatable. Classical music purists tend to disregard that directive in favor of a strict handed-down construct. Reed's mission with this project, then, was to free these symphonies from their historic chains and place them back in the here-and-now. It's music of the moment, even if that moment has been happening for more than 200 years.

Fifteen musicians and many cross-country trips in the making, Reed Mathis' rearrangements and recordings of Beethoven "Symphony No. 3" and "Symphony No. 6" became the finished album, Beathoven. To tour these masterpieces in a way that honors both their history and their ability to be improvised even further in a live performance, Mathis activated a core-group called Electric Beethoven, featuring Jay Lane (Primus), Todd Stoops (RAQ), Cochrane McMillan (Tea Leaf Green) and America's newest guitar hero, Clay Welch, for the project's debut: the "Electric Beethoven Acid Test" at Outside Lands in Golden Gate Park. This will be the core touring lineup, with special surprise guests joining at any given tour stop along the way.

TRACK LISTING:

1. Awakening of Happiness (feat. Joe Russo & Luke Bolla)
2. Scene by the River (feat. Andrew Barr & Steve Pryor)
3. Rain Dance (feat. Stanton Moore & Jared Tyler)
4. Thunderstorm (feat. Matt Chamberlain & Mike Dillon)
5. Shepherd's Song (feat. Page McConnell & Jason Smart)
6. In Memory of a Great Man (feat. Mike Gordon & Joe Russo)
7. Funeral March (feat. Marco Benevento & Matt Chamberlain)
8. Rebirth (feat. Brad Barr & Andrew Barr)
9. Finale (feat. Stanton Moore & Robert Walter)

UPCOMING TOUR DATES:
Sept. 23-25 - Lakewood, PA - Catskill Chill
Oct. 22 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Comes Alive

Reed Mathis - Beathoven
is available Sept. 30 on LP, CD & Digital Formats

American Babies is the pseudonym under which Philadelphia-based songwriter, vocalist and guitarist Tom Hamilton can be found creating his most personal and idiosyncratic work. Hamilton and his band will embark on an extensive U.S. tour this fall in support of their latest album, An Epic Battle Between Light & Dark. The 24-date run stops on the East and West Coasts, as well as, the Midwest, including festival appearances at Catskill Chill and Luna Light Festival. Also among the shows will be four special "Masquerade Balls" in four different time zones: New York City, Chicago, Boulder and Mill Valley. The two performances in the latter city's Sweetwater Music Hall will be extra special. Details for these dates along with on-sale info, will be announced shortly. 

When he's not out with American Babies, Hamilton—known for his relentless creative drive—also shares his time with bands including Joe Russo's Almost Dead, Billy & The Kids (featuring Grateful Dead drummer Billy Kreutzmann) and Electron. It's American Babies, however, that's the musical home to which he always returns. And thus, American Babies' fourth studio album, An Epic Battle Between Light & Dark, was recorded and released earlier this year on independent Brooklyn label, Royal Potato Family.

True to its title, the songs assembled for this latest effort define epic in sound and spirit. The album's opening track, "Synth Driver," is a sprawling, seven minute-plus War On Drugs-meets-Springsteen surge that spills over with despair, but finds hope in its darkest hours. "Oh Darling, My Darling" boasts eerie, soulful harmonies and a keening guitar solo reminiscent of Pink Floyd. "What Does It Mean To Be" is an exquisite example of Bowie-inspired glam-funk. The brisk "Fever Dreams" starts and ends with horn-peppered twang-rock, but boasts a sparse, pedal steel-augmented bridge that's straight-up vintage country, while the instrumental "Not In A Million Years" segues from zoned-out psychedelic rhythms into a hard-charging coda. And yet with all of it's wide-ranging sonic hue and lyrical depth, these eight songs form a remarkably cohesive statement. Shapeshifting between Americana, psych-tinged indie and vintage rock, An Epic Battle Between Light & Dark proves Tom Hamilton's American Babies to be one of this generation’s most consistently compelling musical endeavors.

Tom Hamilton's American Babies Tour Dates

Sept. 2 - Denver CO - Mile High Spirits
Sept. 15 - Bridgeport, CT - The Acoustic
Sept. 16 - Ardmore, PA - Ardmore Music Hall ^
Sept. 17 - Blakeslee, PA - Midnight Mountain Music Show
Sept. 24 - Pottstown, PA - Canjam
Sept. 25 - Lakewood, PA - Catskill Chill
Sept. 30 - Petaskala, OH - Fennario Music Festival
Oct. 1 - Athens, OH - Drxvms
Oct. 13 - Darlington, MD - Luna Light Festival
Oct. 14 - Darlington, MD - Luna Light Festival
Oct. 15 - Ithaca, NY - The Haunt
Oct. 19 - St. Louis, MO - The Bootleg @ Atomic Cowboy
Oct. 21 - Fort Collins, CO - Hodi's Half Note
Oct. 22 - Boulder, CO - Fox Theatre  ^^
Oct. 26 - Columbia, MO - Rose Music Hall
Oct. 28 - Milwaukee, WI - Miramar Theatre
Oct. 29 - Chicago, IL - Tonic Room ^^
Nov. 2 - Buffalo, NY - Iron Works
Nov. 3 - Syracuse, NY - The Westcott Theater
Nov. 4 - Albany, NY - The Hollow
Nov. 5 - New York, NY - American Beauty ^^
Nov. 18 - Mill Valley, CA - Sweetwater Music Hall ^^
Nov. 19 - Mill Valley, CA - Sweetwater Music Hall ^^
Nov. 25 - Plains, PA - River Street Jazz Cafe

^ Philly Is The Boss: A Musical Tribute to Bruce Springsteen
^^ Masquerade Ball

Today, Seth Walker releases his latest studio album, Gotta Get Back, via Royal Potato Family. In support of the collection, Walker kicks off an extensive U.S. tour this weekend that makes stops throughout the Southeast, including four nights in the state he was born—North Carolina, as well as a set at AmericanaFest in Nashville. Gotta Get Back album producer Jano Rix of The Wood Brothers will join Walker's band on drums for several of the upcoming dates. In October, Walker makes his way to Texas, a state he also called home for many years, including headline dates at The Kessler in Dallas and The Parish in Austin. The treck concludes in November with an extensive run across the Midwest before heading to Cuba for his first ever performances on the island. 

Seth Walker's Gotta Get Back explores the roots of the singer/songwriter's love affair with music and the family who sparked that fire in him all those years ago. Raised on a commune in North Carolina playing Suzuki method cello, he reunited his sister and parents (who had been divorced for 20 years) to play the album's sweeping string parts, all of which were arranged by his father. On most of the record, Walker also plays an acoustic guitar handmade by his uncle, luthier and owner at Moriah Guitarworks, in Greensboro, NC.  Produced by The Wood Brothers' Jano Rix, Gotta Get Back was recorded predominantly at Zac Brown's Southern Ground studio in Nashville, TN.

Gotta Get Back marks the ninth release in Walker’s extensive catalog, which has garnered critical acclaim far and wide. NPR has hailed his "hard-driving" songs and "sweet tenor," while the Washington Post praised his "soulful croon," and the Wall Street Journal fell for his "tasty mix of blues and R&B." He's cracked the Top 20 on the Americana Chart and toured the world countless times over, from festival stages to dates with The Mavericks, The Wood Brothers, Ruthie Foster, Paul Thorn and Blind Boys of Alabama, among others.

SETH WALKER 
Tour Dates

September 4 - Poolesville, MD - Docklands Farm
September 6 - Richmond, VA - Capital Ale House
September 7 - Roanoke, VA - The Spot on Kirk
September 8 - Asheville, NC - Isis
September 9 - Hickory, NC - Sails Music Series
September 10 - Charlotte, NC - Evening Muse
September 13 - Greenville, SC - Horizon Records
September 14 - Carrboro, NC - The Cat’s Cradle
September 15 - Maryville, TN - Barley’s Tavern
September 16 - Decatur, GA - Eddie’s Attic
September 17-18 - Bristol, TN - Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion
September 21 - Nashville, TN - The Basement East (AmericanaFest)
September 23 - Knoxville, TN - Blue Plate Special
October 12 - San Antonio, TX - Sam’s Burger Joint
October 13 - Houston, TX - Mucky Duck
October 14 - Dallas, TX - The Kessler
October 15 - Austin, TX - The Parish
October 16 - New Braunfels, TX - Gruene Hall
October 18 - New Orleans, LA - Chickie Wah Wah
October 20 - Mobile, AL - Callaghan’s Irish Social Club
October 22 - Tallahassee, FL - The Warehouse
October 30 - Lake Harmony, PA - Pennsylvania Music Festival
November 5 - Kansas City, MO - Knucklehead’s ^^
November 7 - Des Moines, IA - Flying Mango
November 9 - Wauwatosa, WI - Red Dot
November 10 - Goshen, IN - Ignition Music Garage
November 11 - Evanston, IL - Space
November 12 - Indianapolis, IN - Jazz Kitchen
November 13 - Columbus, OH - Natalie’s
November 14 - Ann Arbor, MI - The Ark
November 16 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Tavern
November 17 - Pittsburgh, PA - City Winery
November 18 - Philadelphia, PA - World Cafe
November 30-Dec. 2 - La Habana, Cuba - Fabrica de Arte

^^ w/ Bettye Lavette

Marco Benevento and his band make their maiden voyage to the UK next week for four shows in the UK. He'll join Brooklyn's own Moon Hooch for two dates in Oxford and Brighton before heading to Brooklyn Bowl London for two nights—the first of which will be in support of Vulfpeck and the second a headline performance.

For more than a decade, Marco Benevento has been amassing an extensive body of work. His studio albums and live performances connecting the vast space between LCD Soundsystem and Leon Russell—a union of pulsating dance rock energy with quirky, earthy songwriting to match. 

Marco Benevento's latest LP, The Story of Fred Short, is some of his finest and most adventurous work to date—a maestro making "bold indie rock" wrote Brooklyn Vegan about the record's first single, "Dropkick."  The collection is the follow-up to 2014's Swift, on which Benevento presented his vocals for the first time, while simultaneously honing his psych rock and late night dance party sensibilities. The Story Of Fred Short is a continuation of this exploration with Benevento citing everything from Harry Nilsson, Manu Chau and Gorillaz as inspiration. 

Divided into two sides, The Story Of Fred Short oozes with Benevento’s relentless creative spirit in songwriting, performance and production.  Side A is stuffed with mesmerizing dance rock gold. Marco doubles down on the groove using a rare Casio drum machine that's become a recurring muse, in addition to a live drummer. The B Side tells the story of Fred Short in seven chapters of wild, heavy rock n’ roll. Fred Short was a Native American man known for throwing musical bacchanals on the property Marco now lives on in the Catskills.

As anybody who's seen Marco Benevento perform can attest, with eyes closed, smile wide across his face and fingers free-flowing across the keys, he's a satellite to the muse. With a devout fan-base, Benevento is an artist whose story is only beginning to unfold.

MARCO BENEVENTO 
Tour Dates

September 15 - Oxford, UK - O2 Academy ^
September 16 - Brighton, UK - Patterns ^
September 17 - London, UK - Brooklyn Bowl *
September 18 - London, UK - Brooklyn Bowl
October 16 - Darlington, MD - Luna Light Festival
October 18 - Richmond, VA - The Broadberry **
October 19 - Raleigh, NC - Lincoln Theatre **
October 20 - Atlanta, GA - Terminal West **
October 21 - Asheville, NC - New Mountain **
October 22 - Charleston, SC - The Pour House **
October 27 - Live Oak, FL - Hulaween

^ w/ Moon Hooch
* w/ Vulfpeck
** w/ Eric Krasno Band

Holly Bowling has announced the release of Better Left Unsung, a collection of solo classical improvisations and arrangements of The Grateful Dead, due December 9 on Royal Potato Family. A classically trained pianist, Bowling possesses one distinction that sets her apart from similarly studied musicians—a devotion to improvisational rock music and the vision to painstakingly transcribe “jam” masterworks note-for-note, arranging them for solo piano and improvising upon what was already written. Last year, Bowling released Distillation Of A Dream: The Music Of Phish Reimagined For Solo Piano to wide acclaim. So it only seems fitting that she turns her attention to the music of The Grateful Dead for her second album. Better Left Unsung will be available as a special triple-LP set or double-disc CD, as well as, digital formats, containing over two hours’ worth of music. It's available now for pre-order via Pledge Music.

"Franklin’s Tower," "The Other One" and "China Doll," are among the songs Bowling recorded for the album, in addition to an entire solo piano arrangement of the "Terrapin Station" suite. Bowling’s favorite version of “Eyes Of The World” from Louisville’s Freedom Hall in 1974 makes a special appearance, as well. She recently recorded a version of “Cassidy” for JamBase that you can watch here.

Phish song, "Tweezer," is what first inspired Bowling to begin transcribing and arranging the music of her favorite artists for solo piano. After witnessing a moving performance of the song at Lake Tahoe on July 31, 2013, Bowling sat down and transcribed the 37-minute performance note-for-note. When performing these pieces, Bowling uses her classical piano technique to improvise upon the transcriptions, making each song her own work of art.

TRACK LISTING
Help On The Way > Slipnot!
Franklin's Tower
Cassidy
Bird Song
Wharf Rat
Unbroken Chain
Crazy Fingers
Cryptical Envelopment > The Other One
Row Jimmy
Terrapin Station (Suite)
Eyes Of The World (6/18/74 Lousisville, KY)
China Doll
Dark Star

UPCOMING TOUR DATES:
Sept. 10 - Columbia, SC - The Music Farm
Sept. 11 - Asheville, NC - The Gray Eagle
Sept. 22 - Blairsden, CA - Lost Sierra Hoedown
Oct. 12 - Hamden, CT - The Outer Space
Oct. 13 - Darlington, MD - Luna Light Festival
Oct. 22 - New York, NY - Brooklyn Comes Alive
Oct. 23 - Beacon, NY - The Towne Crier

As part of the upcoming American Babies 'Epic Tour From East to West,' the band is throwing four 'Masquerade Ball of Light & Dark' shows in Boulder, CO (10/22), Chicago, IL (10/29), New York, NY (11/5) and Mill Valley, CA (11/19).  For these four performances we ask that attendees dress in black and white and wear Masquerade Masks of their choosing. 

“A group of our fans in Rhode Island organized a group of people to wear masks similar to the characters from the cover of our “Epic Battle” album cover to a show, and we just loved it,” says frontman and guitarist Tom Hamilton.  "It was super cool to play to an audience that was dressed up like that, and we wanted to expand on the concept.” 

The band will also be putting on their musical masquerades for these performances and performing  the music of Radiohead in Boulder, The Beatles in Chicago, David Bowie’s Blackstar album in New York, and The Dead (with some special guests) in Mill Valley for the 11/19 show (11/18’s show will be a two set American Babies performance).  These themes “just felt right to pair with these cities and venues”, explains Hamilton, and “working on and rehearsing these songs has already been incredible, we can’t wait for the show.” 

Tickets to the shows in Mill Valley go on-sale tomorrow, Wednesday 9/28 at Noon PT, the rest are on-sale now.  Links for these four shows, along with info the rest of the tour are at www.americanbabies.net.

Tom Hamilton's American Babies Tour Dates

Sept. 30 - Petaskala, OH - Fennario Music Festival
Oct. 1 - Athens, OH - Drxvms
Oct. 13 - Darlington, MD - Luna Light Festival
Oct. 14 - Darlington, MD - Luna Light Festival
Oct. 15 - Ithaca, NY - The Haunt
Oct. 19 - St. Louis, MO - The Bootleg @ Atomic Cowboy
Oct. 21 - Fort Collins, CO - Hodi's Half Note
Oct. 22 - Boulder, CO - Fox Theatre (playing music of Radiohead)  ^^
Oct. 26 - Columbia, MO - Rose Music Hall
Oct. 28 - Milwaukee, WI - Miramar Theatre
Oct. 29 - Chicago, IL - Tonic Room (playing music of The Beatles) ^^
Nov. 2 - Buffalo, NY - Iron Works
Nov. 3 - Syracuse, NY - The Westcott Theater
Nov. 4 - Albany, NY - The Hollow
Nov. 5 - New York, NY - American Beauty (playing music of David Bowie’s Blackstar) ^^
Nov. 18 - Mill Valley, CA - Sweetwater Music Hall (playing music of The Dead) ^^
Nov. 19 - Mill Valley, CA - Sweetwater Music Hall (playing music of The Dead) ^^
Nov. 25 - Plains, PA - River Street Jazz Cafe

^^ Masquerade Ball: 
Please dress in black and white and wear Masquerade Masks

Out in the high desert of Santa Fe, New Mexico, some 7,500 feet above sea level in the foothills of the majestic Sangre de Christo Mountains, strange and wonderful things were bubbling up when keyboardist Brian Haas and drummer Matt Chamberlain met in the magical adobe style Frogville Studios for three days of unadulterated improvisation. Unlike their previous collaboration, 2013's Frames, which was meticulously through-composed by Haas and performed with exacting precision by the duo, their second recording together, Prometheus Risen, is a free-flowing, no-holds-barred, in-the-moment encounter based on daredevil instincts, a shared arranger's aesthetic and mutual trust. While all the keyboard parts, Moog bass lines, ambient washes, textures, loops and huge groove playing on the kit might suggest a precisely-crafted project involving multiple layers of overdubbing and tons of post-production work, the entire album was in fact done live in the studio.

Matt Chamberlain, a revered drummer who has appeared on recordings with Brad Mehldau, Bill Frisell, Tori Amos, Fiona Apple, Morrissey, Mike Gordon, Of Montreal, Marco Benevento, David Bowie and Herbie Hancock, among countless others, fully embraced the idea of exploring freely in the studio with Brian Haas who, in addition to his solo work, tours with Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey and Nolatet.

Together on Prometheus Risen, Matt Chamberlain and Brian Haas present spontaneous composition at its finest. Chamberlain underscores pieces like "Space Colonization," "Orange Purple Sunshine" and "African Crowley" with his signature groove, while also providing a rainbow of colors throughout by thinking orchestrally from behind the kit through sampling and looping. Haas' melodious, fuzz inflected electric keyboard motifs (tweaked with Space Echo), alternately cascading and minimalist piano flourishes and deep dub bass-lines drives numbers like "Less Munitions," "More Mentations" and "Cosmic Vision." "Ancestral Availability" has Haas on piano and Moog bass going toe-to-toe with Chamberlain's controlled bashing in a manner that might recall Cecil Taylor's historic duet encounters with Max Roach. That adventurous, suite-like "Holding Deckard's Hand" melds cascading piano against an eerie ambient backdrop and throbbing backbeats, while "Intelligence Intensification" opens like a revved-up rocker and closes like a kinetic outtake from Philip Glass' Einstein on the Beach.

PROMETHEUS RISEN is out October 7 on LP, CD & Digital via RPF

TRACK LISTING:

1. Space Colonization
2. More Mentations
3. Orange Purple Sunshine
4. Ancestral Availability
5. Holding Deckard’s Hand
6. African Crowley
7. Less Munitions
8. Cosmic Vision
9. Neuro Quantum Adept
10. Intelligence Intensification 
11. Lois Virginia Miller

TOUR DATES:
Oct. 11 - Arcata, CA - The Jam
Oct. 12 - Talent, OR - Talent Club
Oct. 13 - Eugene, OR - Sam Bond's Garage
Oct. 14 - Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios
Oct. 15 - Seattle, WA - The Seamonster
Oct. 25 - San Diego, CA - Winston's
Oct. 27 - Los Angeles, CA - Resident
Oct. 28 - San Francisco, CA - Doc's Lab
Oct. 29 - San Francisco, CA - Doc's Lab

Holly Bowling, the classical pianist behind Distillation of a Dream: The Music of Phish Reimagined for Solo Piano, is gearing up to release her second studio album, Better Left Unsung, this time taking on the music of The Grateful Dead. In support of the release, Holly is hitting the road for a 17-date tour across the U.S. The tour kicks off on December 7th, 2016 with a special album release show at Phil Lesh’s Terrapin Crossroads in San Rafael, CA. Dates stretch through mid-February with performances at The Cutting Room in NYC, The Old Church in Portland, OR, the Center For New Music in San Francisco, plus City Winery in Chicago, IL, among others.

The upcoming record is due December 9th via Royal Potato Family on a 3-LP, 2-CD and digital formats, but pre-order is currently happening at PledgeMusic.

Upcoming Tour Dates:
11/14/16 - Lexington, KY - Woodsongs Old Time Radio Hour

12/7/16 - San Rafael, CA - Terrapin Crossroads *Album Release Show*
12/23/16 - Kirby Center w/ Cabinet - Wilkes-Barre, PA
12/31/16 - NYC - The Cutting Room
1/17/17 - Chico, CA - Chico Women's Club
1/19/17 - Seattle, WA - The Royal Room
1/20/17 - Portland, OR - The Old Church
1/21/17 - Eugene, OR - Hi-Fi Music Hall
1/22/17 - Arcata, CA - Humbrews
1/25/17 - San Francisco, CA - Center for New Music
1/26/17 - Los Angeles, CA - MiMoDa
1/27/17 - San Diego, CA - Dizzy's
1/29/17 - Santa Barbara, CA - SoHo
2/2/17 - Grand Rapids, MI - Founders Brewing Co.
2/3/17 - Traverse City, MI - House Concert
2/8/17 - Cleveland, OH - Bop Stop
2/9/17 - Chicago, IL - City Winery
2/10/17 - Columbus, OH - Woodlands Tavern
2/12/17 - Buffalo, NY -  Pausa Art House

Marco Benevento has announced the release of a new live album, The Woodstock Sessions, due February 17. Recorded at Applehead Studios in front of a sold out studio audience last summer in one single take, the collection marks Benevento's inauguration into the acclaimed series, which already includes Bad Brains, Medeski Martin & Wood + Nels Cline and Joseph Arthur among others. A highlight of the evening was a version of "Coyote Hearing" from Benevento's 2014 release, Swift, The track is available now to stream and feature, while the entire record can be pre-ordered via PledgeMusic.

The track-listing of The Woodstock Sessions spans Benevento's entire catalog. He and his band—Karina Rykman on bass and Andy Borger on drums—perform the entire 22-minute "The Story of Fred Short" suite from last year's record of the same name. "Greenpoint" from 2010's Betweeen Needles & Nightfall, as well as "At The Show" from Swift are also featured.

For more than a decade, Benevento has been amassing an extensive body of work with studio albums and live performances that connect the vast space between LCD Soundsystem and Leon Russell—a union of pulsating dance rock energy with quirky, earthy songwriting to match. Benevento's studio LP, The Story of Fred Short, and this companion live release, The Woodstock Sessions, mark some of his finest and most adventurous work to date—a maestro making "bold indie rock" wrote Brooklyn Vegan, while AllMusic called it "music that disregards genres and carries an omnivorous approach."

MARCO BENEVENTO

Tour Dates

Jan. 30 - Syracuse, NY -  Funk 'n Waffles
Jan. 31 - Buffalo, NY - Iron Works **
Feb. 1 - Ithaca, NY - The Rongo **
Feb. 2 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Bowl *
Feb. 3 - Albany, NY - The Hollow **
Feb. 4 - South Burlington, VT - Higher Ground ^^
Feb. 6 - Portland, ME - One Longfellow Square
Feb. 7 - Hamden, CT - The Ballroom at Outer Space ***
Feb. 8 - Holyoke, MA - Gateway City Arts
Feb. 9 - Cambridge, MA - The Sinclair *
Feb. 10 - Ardmore, PA - Ardmore Music Hall *
Feb. 11 - Baltimore, MD - Ram’s Head Live ^
Mar. 25 & 26 - Boise, ID - Treefort Music Festival 
Mar. 31 - Denver, CO - Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom
Apr. 1 - Boulder, CO - Fox Theatre
Apr. 2 - Avon, CO - Agave
Apr. 4 - Salt Lake City, UT - The State Room
April 5 - Bozeman, MT - The Filling Station
Apr. 6 - Spokane, WA - The Bartlett  
Apr. 7 - Seattle, WA - Tractor Tavern
Apr. 8 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
Apr. 9 - Eugene, OR - Hi-Fi Music Hall
April 10 - Talent, OR - The Talent Club
Apr. 11 - Bend, OR - The Capitol
Apr. 12 - Sacramento, CA - Harlow's Restaurant and Nightclub 
Apr. 13 - Petaluma, CA - Mystic Theatre
Apr. 14 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent
Apr. 15  - Los Angeles, CA - Bootleg Theater

* w/ WOLF!
** w/ Maybird
*** w/ Superhuman Happiness
^ w/ Psycho Killers
^^ w/ Quiltro & The Snaz

Evolfo have announced the release of their debut LP, Last of the Acid Cowboys, slated for April 7th via Royal Potato Family. In advance of the record, first single "Vision of Sin," premiered by Baeble Music, can be streamed/shared here.

What began in 2011 as a basement party band in the pits of Allston, MA, has since relocated to Brooklyn, NY where the collective has honed their garage-soul sound with a bubbling mixture of rock, psychedelia, and a touch of spaghetti western drama. Lighting up New York City clubs and DIY spaces, as well as the finest basement venues coast to coast, Evolfo has cut wide tracks through the U.S., gaining initiates and devotees every time they cram onto a stage and deliver their raucous live show.

On Last of the Acid Cowboys, the band melts down decades worth of eclectic and bizarro records and puts on wax a house shaking mix of garage rock, psych soul, spiritual funk and ecstatic freakout. Like the faithful crate-diggers who have come before them, Evolfo mined the past for analog sounds and grooves that history left on the shelf. While in a few short years together, they've drawn the attention of indie rock tastemakers with their songs being selected for several films and television shows, inclusion on Spotify playlists and praise from media outlets like Impose Magazine who declared, "you fall into the depths of the lyrics within seconds," and Speak Into My Good Eye who called the band, "raucous, dark, sinister, with a warm-psych-soul energy."

:: Upcoming Tour Dates ::

2/22 - NYC - (le) poisson rouge *
4/14 - Chicago, IL - Emporium Arcade/Bar ^
4/15 - Omaha, NE - Reverb Lounge #
4/17 - Davenport, IA - Daytrotter Studios Live Session
4/18 - St. Louis, MO - Foam Room
4/19 - Nashville, TN - East Room **
4/21 - Philadelphia, PA - Kung Fu Necktie @
4/22 - Brooklyn, NY - Alphaville ^^

* w/ Howth, Robot Princess
^ w/ Gramps the Vamp
# w/ A Ferocious Jungle Cat
** w/ The Gills, SEXX
@ Philly Soul Syndicate Boogalo
^^ PopGun Presents 'Last of the Acid Cowboys' release party

Leslie Mendelson returns with Love & Murder—the singer/songwriter's first new album in eight years. The effort is the long-awaited follow up to her Grammy Award-nominated debut, Swan Feathers. A stirring work instilled with emotional depth, Love & Murder is an apropos title reflecting the dichotomy between the dark and light she encountered in those years between. Poised for stardom in 2009 with comparisons to Carole King and Rickie Lee Jones on the tip of tastemakers' tongues, fate as it often does, had other plans. Perhaps though, this was to the benefit of her art. After losing a record and management deal and having her friend and producer Joel Dorn unexpectedly pass away, Mendelson recommitted to herself and, slowly but surely, penned the songs with longtime co-writer Steve McEwan that would become Love & Murder.

Produced by Mark Howard (Bob Dylan, Lucinda Williams), Love & Murder is a sparse, raw collection of ten folk songs. Opening with "Jericho," a haunting number that sets the tone for what's to come, it makes clear that the album lies more within darker spaces that artists like Sharon Van Etten, Lana Del Rey and Dusty Springfield inhabit. Songs such as "Murder Me," "Coney Island," and "Chasing the Thrill" find Leslie exploring loss in ways that feel personal and metaphorical, where the stories within are multifaceted.

Leslie also recorded three covers: the classic-country infused "Cry, Cry Darlin’'" a take on Bob Dylan's classic "Just Like a Woman," played on the ukulele, and a duet with The Grateful Dead's Bob Weir on Roy Orbison's "Blue Bayou." In fact, Mendelson was unwittingly adopted by the West Coast jam scene after Weir heard her take on "Friend of the Devil" and recruited her to perform with him. She now also performs frequently with guitarist Steve Kimock.

On Love & Murder, however, Leslie Mendelson offers a different side of herself that isn't present in her early work or recent collaborations. "This collection is just about the songs and my voice," she says. "That's what people can connect with. It shows where I am right now as an artist and where I want to go."

What began in 2011 as a basement party band in the pits of Allston, MA, has since relocated to Brooklyn, NY where the collective has honed their garage-soul sound with a bubbling mixture of rock, psychedelia, and a touch of spaghetti western drama. Mainstays of New York City’s clubs and DIY spaces, as well as the finest basement venues coast to coast, Evolfo has cut adventurous tracks through the U.S., gaining initiates and devotees every time they cram onto a stage and deliver their raucous live show. In a few short years together, Evolfo have drawn the attention of indie rock tastemakers with their songs being selected for several films and television shows, inclusion on Spotify playlists and praise from media outlets like Impose Magazine who declared, “you fall into the depths of the lyrics within seconds,” and Speak Into My Good Eye who called the band, “raucous, dark, sinister, with a warm-psych-soul energy.”

:: Upcoming Tour Dates ::
4/8 - Boston, MA - Track Shack *
4/11 - Pittsburgh, PA - Spirit $
4/12 - Toronto, ON - The Piston "
4/13 - Kalamazoo, MI - Louie's Trophy House ##
4/14 - Chicago, IL - Emporium Arcade/Bar ^
4/15 - Omaha, NE - Reverb Lounge #
4/17 - Davenport, IA - Daytrotter Studios Live Session
4/18 - St. Louis, MO - Foam Room ~
4/19 - Nashville, TN - East Room **
4/20 - Athens, OH - Casa Nueva %
4/21 - Philadelphia, PA - Kung Fu Necktie @
4/22 - Brooklyn, NY - Alphaville ^^

* w/ Black Beach, Zip-Tie Handcuffs and Skinny Pigeons
$ w/ The Silver Thread and Bad Custer - free show
" w/ Yeomans, Wine Lips and Passport Radio
## w/ Ghost Bunnies and The Hemingers
^ w/ Gramps the Vamp
# w/ A Ferocious Jungle Cat
~ w/ Polyshades, Dane Rousay and panini press
** w/ The Gills, SEXX
% w/ Water Witches and We March
@ Philly Soul Syndicate Boogalo
^^ PopGun Presents 'Last of the Acid Cowboys' release party

Evolfo, the 7-piece "psychedelic garage-soul" (AXS) powerhouse from Brooklyn (by way of Allston, MA), have announced summer tour dates along the East Coast. The band heads to Philadelphia, PA, makes a special apperance in their hometown of Brooklyn, NY during Pizza King Records' annual Pizza Fest, and returns to the town where it all began, Allston, MA, to headline Brighton Music Hall. Dates in Norfolk, VA, Norwich, CT, St. Johnbury, VT and Milton, NY have also been added. These performances come hot on the heals of the band's debut LP release, Last of the Acid Cowboys, out now on RPF.

What began in 2011 as a basement party band in the pits of Allston, MA, has since relocated to Brooklyn, NY where the collective has honed their garage-soul sound with a bubbling mixture of rock, psychedelia, and a touch of spaghetti western drama. Mainstays of New York City’s clubs and DIY spaces, as well as the finest basement venues coast to coast, Evolfo has cut adventurous tracks through the U.S., gaining initiates and devotees every time they cram onto a stage and deliver their raucous live show.

:: Upcoming Tour Dates ::
6/17 - Norfolk, VA - Bold Mariner Brewing Company
6/18 - Philadelphia, PA - Ortlieb’s
6/22 - Brooklyn, NY - Pizzafest 4 @ The Gutter
6/30 - Allston, MA - Brighton Music Hall
7/1 - Norwich, CT - Rose Arts Festival @ Strange Brew
7/21 - Brooklyn, NY - Our Wicked Lady Rooftop
7/23 - St Johnsbury, VT - Levitt Amp Music Series @ Dog Mountain
8/19 - Milton, NY - Toe Jam Music Festival

Leslie Mendelson has released a video for "Chasing the Thrill"—a track off her new album, Love & Murder. Filmed and directed by iconic Saturday Night Live photographer Mary Ellen Matthews, the clip's vulnerable, black and white imagery encapsulates the song's raw emotion. "'Chasing the Thrill' is about karma," says Leslie. "You'll never find happiness in chasing after things that are meaningless."

Leslie Mendelson's latest album, Love & Murder, is the singer/songwriter's first new release in eight years. The effort is the long-awaited follow up to her Grammy Award-nominated debut, Swan Feathers. A stirring work instilled with emotional depth, Love & Murder is an apropos title reflecting the dichotomy between the dark and light she encountered in the years between releases. Poised for mainstream success in 2009 with comparisons to Carole King and Rickie Lee Jones on the tip of tastemakers' tongues, fate as it often does, had other plans. Perhaps though, this was to the benefit of her art. After losing a record and management deal and having her friend and producer Joel Dorn unexpectedly pass away, Mendelson recommitted to herself and, slowly but surely, penned the songs with longtime co-writer Steve McEwan that would become Love & Murder.

Produced by Mark Howard (Bob Dylan, Lucinda Williams), Love & Murder is a sparse, raw collection of ten folk songs. Opening with "Jericho," a haunting number that sets the tone for what's to come, it makes clear that the album lies more within darker spaces that artists like Sharon Van Etten, Lana Del Rey and Dusty Springfield inhabit. Songs such as "Murder Me," "Coney Island," and "Chasing the Thrill" find Leslie exploring loss in ways that feel personal and metaphorical, where the stories within are multifaceted.

Leslie also recorded three covers: the classic-country infused Jimmy C. Newman standard "Cry, Cry Darlin’'" a take on Bob Dylan's classic "Just Like a Woman," played on the ukulele, and a duet with The Grateful Dead's Bob Weir on Roy Orbison's "Blue Bayou."

On Love & Murder, however, Leslie Mendelson offers a different side of herself that isn't present in her early work or recent collaborations. "This collection is just about the songs and my voice," she says. "That's what people can connect with. It shows where I am right now as an artist and where I want to go."

decker. has released a video for "Matchstick Man"—an openly defiant protest anthem written in resistance of Donald Trump's presidency. The song opens his latest LP, Into the Red, out now on Royal Potato Family. While both the song and video were written and filmed prior to the events in Charlottesville, Virginia and the more recent announcement by the Trump administration to phase out the "Dreamers" act, its message with stinging lyrics like, "tell you something that you may not all want to hear, the revolution you've waited on is already here," has only grown more potent in light of these recent developments.

"I am deeply opposed to the sentiments of intolerance, racism, sexism and xenophobia that Donald Trump and so many of his supporters are propagating. I think all compassionate, mindful humans feel as such. Yet, here we are," says decker. "'Matchstick Man' as a song leaves some room for interpretation to the listener, but the video was intended to be a vivid picture of resistance to Trump and his ideologies and a celebration of diversity."

decker. 'Into the Red' is available on vinyl, CD and digital formats. A U.S. tour to support the collection begins next week.

decker. is the pseudonym under which Sedona, Arizona-based singer/songwriter Brandon Decker has been releasing records since 2009. His latest collection, 'Into The Red,' is a career spanning retrospective, comprised of songs from his six studio records. It also features two newly recorded tracks: the searing "Matchstick Man," written in protest of Donald Trump's presidency, and "I Wanna Be Your Dog," a psychedelicized reinvention of The Stooges' classic complete with a mash-up of The Doors' "Five To One."

 In its totality, 'Into The Red' offers a bird's eye view of decker.'s remarkable journey as a fearless songwriter and relentless performer. It reveals him to be a craftsman of the highest caliber, one who's carved a bittersweet catalog of heartrending gems. His music grabs you by the collar and takes you on a journey.

For decker., inspiration most often comes from the natural beauty that surrounds him in his adopted hometown of Sedona, Arizona. Thus the LP's title, 'Into The Red,' serves as a not-so-subtle tip of the cap to his fascination with the area's distinctive geology. More subtly speaking, it addresses his financial difficulties in attempting to sustain a career as an artist in modern day America, which can be utterly unforgiving to those pursuing creative endeavors.

"Sedona is this red rock land that looks like Mars. I grew up in the Midwest and I've been all over the place, but Sedona is the first place that really felt like home. I don't think I've ever really written a song outside of Sedona. It's this fertile little embryo for creation," says decker. "But there’s also the fact that I've invested everything I have into the music. Energetically, emotionally, financially, everything has gone back into my art and growing as an artist."

decker. Tour Dates 

SINCERELY, L. COHEN: A LIVE CELEBRATION OF LEONARD COHEN is out now via Royal Potato Family and just last week would have been the legendary singer-songwriter's 83rd birthday. Cohen passed away on November 7, 2016, one day before the presidential election, but the world didn't find out until several days later. On January 24, 2017, New York City finally paid tribute to the Poet Prince of Montréal with a concert at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, featuring dozens of singers, songwriters, artists and musicians, including Richard Thompson, Josh Ritter, Will Sheff (Okkervil River), Leslie Mendelson, Amy Helm, Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth), Lenny Kaye (Patti Smith Group), Elvis Perkins, Holly Miranda, Joan As Police Woman, Delicate Steve and many more. It was an evening the Village Voice called "a loving, thoughtful tribute to Cohen's life in music and poetry." The live album features highlight performances from this nearly three-hour marathon concert, which the Voice also hailed as a "carefully constructed, expertly structured production."

// Out Now On All Digital Formats //

RPF (WAV Download) | iTunes | Spotify | Amazon | AppleMusic | GooglePlay

The concert and subsequent album was produced by Leonard Cohen fans Jesse Lauter (Tedeschi Trucks Band), Hannah Gold (City Winery Presents), and Josh Kaufman (Bob Weir). Kaufman (guitar) led the house band, which featured highly regarded New York-based musicians including Ray Rizzo (drums-Yo Yo Ma), Walt Martin (keys-The Walkmen), Annie Nero (bass-Craig Finn), Stuart Bogie (brass & woodwinds-Arcade Fire), Nick Kinsey (percussion-Kevin Morby) and Dave Harrington (guitar-Darkside), punctuated by a backing vocal trio that Cohen would have been proud of featuring Leslie Mendelson, Cassandra Jenkins and Jocie Adams.

In the liner notes to this collection, music journalist Justin Joffe writes, "Sincerely, L. Cohen: A Live Celebration of Leonard Cohen could have been a solemn affair. But all performers took the celebration part to heart, infusing Cohen's most somber truths with equal parts reverence and reverie. The evening found a mix of New York icons, esteemed singer-songwriters, cult performers, and up-and-comers for a night of Cohen standards, stories and deep cuts." Joffe continues: "Sentimental and scholarly, full of tearful singalongs and heartfelt remembrance, it was an evening Cohen would have appreciated."

All proceeds from album sales will go to the Preemptive Love Coalition, a non-profit organization that aids children and families affected by terrorism and other crises in the Middle East across the globe. For more information, visit: www.preemptivelove.org.

Track Listing:
Hallelujah - Delicate Steve
Sisters of Mercy - Leslie Mendelson
Diamonds In The Mine - Osei Essed
I'm Your Man - Holly Miranda, Joan As Police Woman & Invisible Familiars
Chelsea Hotel #2 - Josh Ritter
Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye - Amy Helm
Is This What You Wanted - Elvis Perkins
Bird On The Wire - Richard Thompson
Story Of Isaac - Richard Thompson
Beautiful Losers - Lenny Kaye
Memories - Ian O'Neil (Deer Tick)
In My Secret Life - Cassandra Jenkins
Ballad of The Absent Mare - Teddy Thompson
Suzanne - Alana Amram
Famous Blue Raincoat - Lee Ranaldo
So Long, Marianne - Will Sheff (Okkervil River) & Friends

Fresh off a month long tour of Europe, including sold out shows in Holland, Germany and Italy, Grayson Capps returns to the U.S. to release his new album, 'Scarlett Roses,' on December 1 via Royal Potato Family. The nine-track effort is the acclaimed Alabama-based songwriter's sixth studio recording and his first new solo release in six years. Throughout the collection, Capps showcases the kind of understated brilliance that can blossom when creativity is detached from expectation, when songs are truly given the space and time to find their writer.

"A lot of these songs came to me the way dreams do, where all these different bits and pieces from all these different parts of life come together," Capps explains. "I would pick up the guitar and things would come to me naturally because I wasn't actually trying to make a record."

Capps wrote the album slowly and steadily after moving back to his home state with his partner, the Grammy Award-winning engineer/producer Trina Shoemaker. Recorded over the course of two whirlwind sessions and abetted by his longtime guitarist Corky Hughes, songs like "Taos," "Bag Of Weed" and "Thankful" don't shy away from tackling the heavy burdens of growing older: separation from loved ones, the weight of fatherhood, the mortality of our parents, self-medication. As serious as it may sound, Capps manages to write with an eye towards beauty and humor, extracting hard-won catharsis and even genuine joy from pain and loss.

"The songs on 'Scarlett Roses' really chronicle me discovering my position in the world," says Capps. "It was a process that felt like gaining something and losing something at the same time."

Hailed by NPR's Mountain Stage for his "unbridled energy and authenticity," Capps first emerged as a solo artist in 2005 following stints in the New Orleans thrash folk band the House Levelers, which he joined while still a student studying theater at Tulane, and his subsequent blues-rock group, Stavin' Chain. His proper debut release under his own name, 'If You Knew My Mind,' earned rave reviews, with the New Orleans Times Picayune writing that "his character-based narratives are guaranteed to make you ache and exult," and Exclaim! calling it "a Southern gothic tour de force."

Around this same time a handful of Capps songs would appear in the film, 'A Love Song For Bobby Long,' starring Scarlett Johansson and John Travolta. Soon thereafter, Hurricane Katrina forced Capps to relocate to Franklin, TN where he went on to release a string of similarly exalted albums that earned him devoted followings in both the US and Europe. JamBase said his music "hums with quiet wisdom and unforced momentum," while All Music said it was "filled with the bloody glory and taut acceptance of real life on the bottom," and American Songwriter declared, "Take the poetry of Texas troubadour Townes Van Zandt, combine with Steve Earle's edgy attitude and stir with a little cup of the bayou-blues (think Howlin' Wolf) and you start to get a taste of Capps' scrumptious gothic gumbo."

Robert Walter's 20th Congress have announced the release of their new studio album, 'Spacesuit,' due September 21 via Royal Potato Family. The organ master/keyboard virtuoso—who's also a founding member of The Greyboy Allstars and tours with Phish bassist Mike Gordon—has assembled a new crew of brilliant improvisers and genre-bending virtuosos under the 20th Congress mantle. Drummer Simon Lott (Kool Keith, Charlie Hunter) is a longtime collaborator who brings a refreshing unpredictability anchored in deep-rooted New Orleans rhythms. Bassist Victor Little (Billy Preston, Charlie Musselwhite) started sitting in with the band on a series of West Coast gigs and gradually became essential to the evolving sound. Guitarist Chris Alford (Cassandra Wilson, Mike Dillon) has worked extensively with Lott in New Orleans, bringing a baked-in chemistry that has mutated into the infectious sound of this incarnation of the 20th Congress. The album's first single, "Current Futures," is available here to stream and share and will be released to all DSPs on Friday, June 22.  A Kickstarter campaign for the release is also underway with various pre-order bundles.

Whereas previous 20th Congress albums found Walter delving deep into the wellspring of his most formative influences: hip-shaking vintage soul, window-rattling '60s-'70s funk, and the sounds of classic organ jazz, Walter switched his source of inspiration for this latest effort from digging through the crates to gazing speculatively skyward, imagining new worlds rather than emulating classic records. The results lose none of the explosive funk and soul grooves that Walter has become known for, but it takes those sounds into outer space, blending inspiration from science fiction movies, comic books and art with wide-ranging influences encompassing everything from Dub Reggae to Krautrock to early jazz-rock fusion.

"I wanted to break myself out of writing music about music," Walter says. "I remember when I was a kid I loved all the mysterious qualities about science fiction, comic books and movies. I started looking at those kinds of things, trying to find something to get influenced by other than musical genre worship."

A brilliant improviser with a gift for riveting hooks and unstoppable grooves, Walter set out to create songs that blur the line between the composed and the spontaneous; an album with a narrative arc that isn’t tethered to concrete ideas. He uses a full arsenal of keyboards, synths and electronics and draws together the varied aspects of his career, from his film soundtrack work with Michael Andrews to his free-ranging improvisational excursions with the likes of genre jugglers like Marco Benevento, Skerik and Mike Gordon.

A major inspiration for creating this concept record without a concept was Chilean filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky 'Dune,' the 2013 documentary about the jaw-dropping sci-fi epic that never was. Jodorowsky, known for his cult mind-benders 'El Topo' and 'The Holy Mountain,' had planned a version of Frank Herbert's 'Dune' that would have starred Mick Jagger, Orson Welles and Salvador Dalí, with concept art by H.R. Giger and Chris Foss and music by Pink Floyd and Magma. The idea of a spectacle that only exists in the mind's eye appealed to Walter who has long strived to create albums that could be a buried treasure from some imagined—but almost real—past.

'Spacesuit' suggests a discovery that could come from 1972 or 2072, or either one as imagined by the other. From the simmering Rhodes funk of "Nerva And Dumbo," (named for a pair of experimental NASA rockets), through the Kubrickian synth-pop of "Posthuman," into the blistering intensity of "13th Key" to the atmospheric airiness of "Emanate;" beyond the alternate-universe finger-snapping soul of "Chalk Giant," into the dub sounds of "Current Futures," and ending with the anthemic, neon-80s' colored "Most of All of Us," 'Spacesuit' is a journey, albeit one that leaves the details to the listener's dazzled imagination.

"I always want to make the record that I wish I found going through the record stacks," he says. "I love the idea of trying to create an imaginary film or a record from 1972 that you wish you could buy."

'Spacesuit' vigorously fulfills that desire: evocative enough to conjure epic cinematic adventures into the imaginary with unforgettable melodies and undeniable grooves that would exhilarate the most discerning of crate-diggers. It may be years before it becomes vintage, but it's a rousing discovery today. 

SPACESUIT
Track Listing:

1. Spacesuit
2. Nerva & Dumbo
3. Posthuman
4. 13th Key
5. Emanate
6. Modifier
7. Chalk Giant
8. Current Futures
9. Most Of All Of Us

Out September 21 via Royal Potato Family
on Splatter Color Vinyl, CD and Digital Formats

Chris Lightcap has announced the release of 'Superette' due September 7 on Royal Potato Family. It's the debut album from the revered bassist and composer's electrifying experimental band of the same name featuring guitarists Curtis Hasselbring and Jonathan Goldberger and drummer Dan Rieser, along with special guests Nels Cline and John Medeski. A recording for those who seek true exploration in music, Lightcap and company fearlessly guide the listener through soundscapes of surf, harmolodics, Mali-trance, psych and beyond, delivering a riveting sonic journey. Hear and share the album's first single "Djali" here, which is out today on all digital streaming and download services.

"Ever since I can remember, I've been obsessed with the electric guitar," says Lightcap, explaining the impetus behind 'Superette.' "From the first moment I heard the opening chords of [Elton John's] 'Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)' at three years old, I knew I was hooked."

That watershed moment eventually led Lightcap to begin playing music in his own right. He cut his teeth as an electric bass player with a slew of teenage garage bands, ultimately leading to his discovery of the upright bass, jazz and improvised music, which culminated with a move to New York City in the early '90s. Since then, Chris has lent his creative vision to an impressively wide array of prominent artists in jazz and beyond, including Regina Carter, Glen Hansard, Marc Ribot and Cecil Taylor. For the past 15 years he has also led Bigmouth, whose last two releases were mainstays of countless year-end "best of" lists, including the New York Times, NPR and JazzTimes.

Lightcap's writing for Bigmouth's two-tenor frontline is inspired by West African music, classic pop hooks and great composers from across the musical spectrum to create melodies and harmonic landscapes as jumping off points for group improvisation. With 'Superette,' he draws on many of those same influences, but instead returns to the sound of the electric guitar for inspiration.

"In 2013 I first discussed the idea of an all electric, two-guitar band with Curtis Hasselbring, in which I'd play bass guitar," says Lightcap, explaining the genesis behind the project. "I wanted it to reference my favorite guitar-driven instrumental, psych and garage music like Link Wray, Love and The Monks, but also to be a group in which the musicians could experiment with all kinds of different sounds and grooves, and be able to be as interactive and free flowing as we wanted it to be, like a jazz group would. Along with Curtis I invited guitarist Jonathan Goldberger and drummer Dan Rieser—both of whom I played with on and off again over the years—to join the band. From there,  Superette was born."

Whether diving into Lightcap's Mali-by-way-of-Redondo theme "Dyali," exploring the wide open spaces of "While You Were Out," or covering Neil Young's haunting ballad "Birds," Superette moves effortlessly between pieces of material with a consistency that makes it all sound like one music, rather than a genre-hopping, eclectic approach.

'Superette' was recorded by legendary engineer Ron Saint Germain at the iconic Sear Sound studio in New York City, and produced by Lightcap and David Breskin. When the opportunity to record came, Lightcap decided to also invite his friends, guitarist Nels Cline and organist John Medeski, to play on select cuts. 

The well-known Wilco guitar hero Cline, who also leads several projects featuring Lightcap on upright bass, delivers blistering lines on "Far Away Planet" and Link Wray’s "Ace of Spades." On "Light Trails" he soars above the group with a beautiful introductory lap steel statement.

Medeski, with whom Lightcap first worked while recording Matt Wilson's 2014 album 'Gathering Call' reminds listeners that he possesses one of the most distinctive musical voices to ever emanate through a Leslie speaker. On "Calling on Cars" and "Far Away Planet," he plumbs the sonic depths of the Hammond B3, creating wide sonic swaths and vast harmonic underpinnings, while on "She Walked In" and "Light Trails," he crafts solos that rhythmically work both inside and against the groove in a most revelatory way.

Lightcap has toured and recorded with Craig Taborn, Archie Shepp, Tomasz Stanko, Julian Lage, Joe Morris and many others. His playing can be heard on over 70 albums, most recently on Taborn's acclaimed ECM Records' release, 'Daylight Ghosts' and Regina Carter's 'Ella: Accentuate the Positive.' 'Superette' is Lightcap's fifth release as a bandleader and composer, and he has been awarded commissions and production grants from Chamber Music America and the Shifting Foundation.

CHRIS LIGHTCAP ♦ SUPERETTE
Track Listing:

1. Selector
2.  She Walked In
3. Far Away Planet
4. While You Were Out
5. Djali
6. Calling On Cars
7. Ace Of Spades
8. Light Trails
9. All Come To Meet Her
10. Frozen Bread
11. Birds

Sedona, AZ-based artist, decker. has released a video for "Awake," the third single off his new full-length album, 'Born To Wake Up,' out now on Royal Potato Family. Premiered by Relix Magazine, the clip is comprised of deliberate, tight shots on the faces of people across a range of ages and races, bringing into focus the conviction of the song's refrain, "You are the one."

decker. explains: "'Awake' is a song about remembering our true nature—as spirit, Creation, love—the very innocent way we all come into this world. So much of my journey, and I think where healing takes place, is holding space with the present moment. Really being with it. The video embodies that; to hold space with these beautiful people, look in their eyes and then, hopefully, to look inward and find even the slightest touch more of compassion for ourselves and the world around us."

decker. describes his sound as "psychedelic desert folk," drawing inspiration directly from the vortexes of the red rock mountains and canyons where he resides in Sedona, Arizona—an area so widely renown for its healing energy that millions of spiritual travelers flock there every year in an attempt to harness its power. His latest album, 'Born To Wake Up.' finds the singer/songwriter maturing in his artistic viewpoint from previous work, exploring themes of optimism and struggle, birth and passing, reality and illusion across a range of songs like "Burnin Grass," "The Matador" and "Awake."

A U.S. tour to support the release begins next week at The Lost Church in San Francisco on Thursday, October 11. He'll then play dates in Los Angeles and Long Beach before heading to Portland, Oregon for a week long residency of free shows at Al's Bar. He'll return to the Northwest at the end of October for additional dates in Seatttle, Portland and Cottage Grove before heading to the East Coast and Midwest in November, highlighted by a headline performance at Mercury Lounge in New York City on November 4. The tour wraps with four shows in the Southwest, including The Walnut Room in Denver, Club Congress in Tucson and Last Exit Live in Phoenix.

decker. Tour Dates

Oct. 11 - San Francisco, CA - The Lost Church
Oct. 12 - Los Angeles, CA - The Escondite
Oct. 13 - Long Beach, CA - The Prospector
Oct. 14 - Portland, OR - Al's Bar
Oct. 24 - Flagstaff, AZ - Prochnow Auditorium
Oct. 25 - Seattle, WA - Conor Byrne
Oct. 27 - Portland, OR - Kelly’s Olympian
Oct. 28 - Cottage Grove, OR - Axe and Fiddle
Nov. 1 - Bethel, CT - Note Kitchen & Bar
Nov. 2 - Philadelphia, PA - Bourbon & Branch
Nov. 3 - West Babylon, NY - Looney Tunes
Nov. 4 - New York, NY - Mercury Lounge
Nov. 7 - Columbus, OH - Spacebar
Nov. 8 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom & Tavern
Nov. 9 - Chicago, IL - Elbo Room
Nov. 10 - Minneapolis, MN - Day Block Brewing Company
Nov. 13 - Omaha, NE - The 909 House Concert Series
Nov. 14 - St. Louis, MO - The Monocle
Nov. 15 - Kansas City, MO - The Westport Saloon
Nov. 16 - Denver, CO - The Walnut Room
Nov. 17 - Taos, NM - Taos Mesa Brewing Taproom
Nov. 18 - Albuquerque, NM - Marble Brewery NE Heights
Dec. 14 - Tucson, AZ - Club Congress
Dec. 15 - Phoenix, AZ - Last Exit Live

Marco Benevento has announced a Winter 2019 tour. The 11-date Southeast run begins in Mobile, Alabama and includes stops in Birmingham, Alabama, Atlanta, Georgia and Nashville, Tennessee. The tour then makes its way to the Carolinas for shows in Asheville, Charlotte and Charleston before wrapping in Florida with four nights in Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa and Miami. Tickets go on-sale this Friday at 10am ET at: https://marcobenevento.com/tour-dates/

Benevento who also holds down the keys in renowned Grateful Dead-revival band Joe Russo's Almost Dead is currently finishing work with producer Leon Michels on his next studio album, which follows his previous studio effort 'The Story of Fred Short' and its companion live release 'Woodstock Sessions.' 

Benevento and his band, featuring bassist Karina Rykman and drummer Andy Borger, finish 2018 with three shows this week in Burlington, Portland and Albany, a two-night stand on Thanksgiving at Brooklyn Bowl and a set on December 7 at Warren Haynes' 30th Annual Christmas Jam, alongside artists including Dave Grohl, Jim James and Grace Potter, at the U.S. Cellular Center in Asheville, NC. 

Marco Benevento
Winter 2019 Tour Dates - Announced Today

January 23 - Mobile, AL - Soul Kitchen
January 24 - Birmingham, AL - Saturn
January 25 - Atlanta, GA - Aisle 5
January 26 - Nashville, TN - Mercy Lounge
January 27 - Asheville, NC - The Mothlight
January 28 - Charlotte, NC - The Neighborhood Theatre
January 29 - Charleston, SC - The Pour House
January 30 - Jacksonville, FL - Jack Rabbit’s
January 31 - Tampa, FL - Crowbar
February 1 - Orlando, FL - Will’s Pub
February 2 - Miami, FL - Blackbird Ordinary

Marco Benevento
Complete Tour Schedule

November 1 - Burlington, VT - ArtsRiot *
November 2 - Portland, ME - One Longfellow Square *
November 3 - Albany, NY - The Hollow *
November 23 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Bowl *
November 24 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Bowl ^
December 7 - Asheville, NC - Christmas Jam
January 23 - Mobile, AL - Soul Kitchen
January 24 - Birmingham, AL - Saturn
January 25 - Atlanta, GA - Aisle 5
January 26 - Nashville, TN - Mercy Lounge
January 27 - Asheville, NC - The Mothlight
January 28 - Charlotte, NC - The Neighborhood Theatre
January 29 - Charleston, SC - The Pour House
January 30 - Jacksonville, FL - Jack Rabbit’s
January 31 - Tampa, FL - Crowbar
February 1 - Orlando, FL - Will’s Pub
February 2 - Miami, FL - Blackbird Ordinary

* w/ Scott Metzger's WOLF!
^ w/ The Shacks

Amendola Vs. Blades have announced the release of a new studio album, 'Everybody Wins,' on October 11 via Royal Potato Family. The funky California duo comprised of Wil Blades on Hammond organ and clavinet and Scott Amendola behind the kit have also added nine West Coast shows in October and November to support the collection. Throughout the eight tracks on 'Everybody Wins'—the second studio album from the organ/drums duo—Blades’s cutting solos and deep bass lines make for a thick stew of soulful harmony and daring improvisation, while Amendola's beats are simply unstoppable. In a move away from their debut album, 'Greatest Hits,' that primarily featured solely the two musicians, this latest effort from Amendola Vs. Blades is bursting not only with creativity, but with personnel. 'Everybody Wins' sees contributions from guitarist Jeff Parker (Tortoise), saxophonist Skerik (Les Claypool, Garage A Trois), percussionist Cyro Baptista (Herbie Hancock, Trey Anastasio), and keyboardist Rob Burger (Tin Hat Trio, Laurie Anderson). Unsurprisingly, the music is as outsized as the roster of guest musicians, moving between a number of styles and moods.

The guests, of course, didn't find themselves in the studio by chance. Amendola, for instance, partners with Baptista in the Nels Cline Singers, headed up by Wilco guitarist Nels Cline. And Parker appears on Blades's 2014 album 'Field Notes,' also released by Royal Potato Family, as well as Amendola solo recordings, 'Believe' and 'Lift.' These musicians have more than just shared experiences in common; the additional players are coming from the same free-flowing arena that Amendola and Blades operate in.

"Jeff, Skerik, and Cyro are all extremely broad, versatile musicians," explains Blades. "Scott and I are the same. They just fit with what we do; they straddle a lot of stylistic boundaries, all while maintaining their musical voices. We can go in so many different directions musically, and it's really fun. Everyone is really open-minded and down to go wherever the music takes us!"

The opening "Hi-Lo" (available to stream/share here) is a thrilling, dark-hued funk piece with some odd-meter progginess thrown in. "'Fess Up (Before Ya Mess Up)" is a New Orleans groove paying tribute to NOLA piano great Professor Longhair. "Wall Town" is a laid-back but purposeful latin-jazz number featuring some shimmery soloing from Parker. And "Hambela" works with a boogaloo groove recalling Lou Donaldson's Blue Note LPs from the late '60s. "Fabulous:Stupendous" features Rob Burger adding lush synth strings, and vintage keyboard sounds to the predominantly through composed Amendola composition, which propels the track into angular aural dimensions.  But the standout track might be the epic "Metropolian Hustle," which begins in an experimental vein before moving into jittery jazz and psychedelic dub. The song has a special emphasis on collectivity.

"'Metropolian Hustle' is more of a sketch of a song that's about the ensemble with open sections, and not about individual solos," says Amendola. “There's a form, but when we play it live we're not counting bars. The idea is that the band, whether the duo or with guests, can play around with the melodies. There's a particular vibe happening in the three different sections."

More than just a confluence of friends and influences, 'Everybody Wins' is a celebration of Blades and Amendola's decade-plus adventure together. The musicians first united in 2006 to perform the Duke Ellington album 'Far East Suite' and the ball hasn't stopped rolling since. Quite evidently, there is no end in sight. With 'Everybody Wins,' Amendola Vs. Blades have delivered what is arguably the tastiest, most inventive organ/drums album to be released in modern jazz this year.

AMENDOLA VS. BLADES 'EVERYBODY WINS'
Track Listing

1. Hi-Lo
2. Cyroette
3. Fess Up (Before Ya Mess Up)
4. Metropolian Hustle
5. Wall Town
6. Hambela
7. Everybody Wins
8. Fabulous:Stupendous

AMENDOLA VS. BLADES
Tour Dates

10/29 - Los Angeles, CA - Blue Whale
10/30 - Los Angeles, CA - Blue Whale
10/31 - San Francisco, CA - SFJAZZ
11/1 - San Francisco, CA - SFJAZZ
11/2 - San Francisco, CA - SFJAZZ
11/3 - San Francisco, CA - SFJAZZ
11/4 - Arcata CA - Arcata Playhouse
11/6 - Seattle, WA - Triple Door
11/7 - Portland OR - Mississippi Studios

An evening with decker. is a rock 'n' roll concert, a traveling salvation show and a healthy dose of desert psychedelia. It's designed to move souls, to leave its grooves on listeners, to elevate the collective consciousness of the audience through the music and the words of the lead visionary himself, Brandon Decker. This is what his following has come to expect of him—part frontman, part preacher. Though there is no religion being spoken of, there is a gospel according to decker. That gospel is love and forgiveness and transcendence and it's all there in a nightly prayer. And thus the decker. concert experience was documented at Last Exit Live in Phoenix this past May. The result, 'Greetings All Ye Playful Prisoners of Spacetime,' is now set for release on October 25 via Royal Potato Family.

To set the scene, it was a long and beautiful night, one of those rare occasions in Phoenix, Arizona where the weather was perfection, the wind had no direction and the sky was open wide for all to step inside and share a transcendent time with a band whose reputation for such precedes them. The music is a swirling combination of original material spanning decker.'s decade long existence paired with re-imagined cover material retrofitted to the band's inimitable sound. Often the lines between the two are blurred and you get lost in the cosmic whirl of it all, engulfed in the sounds which propel the evening.

decker.'s treatment of The Stooges' classic "I Wanna Be Your Dog" (listen/share) serves as one of the more electric moments of what was a nearly three hour set, intensely carried by Amber Johnson's right hand on driving, hypnotic keys. Much of the evening's material is comprised of last year's album, 'Born To Wake Up,' and 2016's 'Snake River Blues'—the two records that define the current sound of the band, and of the visions inside Brandon Decker's mind. There were also nods to the classic decker. album 'Patsy,' but those almost seem like nostalgia, in consideration of the  raw soul power and spiritual depth presented in the likes of decker.'s more recent material, like "Burnin Grass" or "The Holy Ghost."

The entire band is found on point backing Brandon's every move. Over the years, decker. has been an ever evolving cast of dedicated musicians spinning in orbit around his vision. Beyond the longtime musical cornerstone of pianist Amber Johsnon, is Meliza Jackson, who commanded the crowd, swinging her howling guitar, fresh out of the ER that evening and never sounding better. Veteran collaborator Andrew Bates provided the backbone as the sure and steady bassman, working in perfect rhythm and time with drummer Joel Knight. Completing the cast was back-up vocals from long-time confidante Dante LoPresti of Sedona and new-found decker. compatriot, Oakland, CA songstress Chelsea Coleman. The band was tight when the moment demanded precision and unresteained when the cosmic vibes allowed them to open up to some endless, intoxicating mad joy and altogether just right for everyone in attendence that night.

Wherever decker. performs they conjure a scene, a night, a spectacle as beautiful and cosmic as this. The evening is captured here for all to appreciate, to replicate in their mind's eye, if only as a shadow of the celebratory time that was had by all who experienced it in person. Witness here the decker. traveling salvation show, less sweaty at home on record than in person, but equally elevating. Enjoy, with your heart and your mind and your soul wide open.

'Greetings All Ye Playful Prisoners of Spacetime'
Track Listing

1. "Greetings All Ye Playful Prisoners of Spacetime"
2. "Burnin Grass"
3. "The Holy Ghost"
4. "The Garden"
5. "The Phantom"
6. "Spades"
7. "The Saint"
8. "Snake River Blues"
9. "I Wanna Be Your Dog"
10. "Cellars"
11. "Invocation"
12. "Awake"
13. "State Trooper"
14. "Song for Cohen"
15. "Famous Blue Raincoat"
16. "Mexico"
17. "Down By The Water"
18. "Backwash"

decker. 'Greetings All Ye Playful Prisoners Of Spacetime'
is available Oct. 25 via RPF

Today, Marco Benevento releases "Send It On A Rocket," his self-proclaimed "end of summer anthem" and third single ahead of new album Let It Slide (out September 20th on Royal Potato Family). In between references to reefer and Topo Chico, deep pockets of bass and spaced-out synths, the cascading composition reveals that behind the bandleader who covers his piano strings in gaffers tape and enjoys walking his pet goats and peacocks through the Catskill woods, there are patches of sorrow he's now ready to contemplate more seriously than ever.

Listen to "Send It On A Rocket" HERE, which Relix already calls "a laid-back tune that packs a punch with its lush, infectious chorus."

And head to Talkhouse to read Benevento's own introduction to the song, including a special thank you note to dearly departed friend Richard Swift, who was set to mix the record until his passing.

The sounds of "Send It On A Rocket" preview the new territory charted between Benevento and Let It Slide producer Leon Michels, a partnership marking the first time Benevento relinquished studio control of his own music. As evident on the new single, that surrender led to his deepest inward exploration, and spontaneous impulses like taping those piano strings.

This fall, Marco Benevento and his electrifying band bring the new music to over 30 US tour dates - find them all below, watch unreleased track "Oh Baby Can't You See" live on Adult Swim’s FishCenter, and the homemade music videos for previous singles "Let It Slide" and "Say It's All The Same."

MARCO BENVENTO
Tour Dates

8/31 - Lake George, NY - Adirondack Independence Music Festival
10/10 - Buffalo, NY - Iron Works
10/11 - Ithaca, NY - The Haunt
10/12 - Albany, NY - Cohoes Music Hall **
10/13 - Woodstock, NY - The Colony *
10/17 - Portland, ME - Port City Music Hall ^
10/19 - Burlington, VT - Higher Ground ^
10/20 - Holyoke, MA - Gateway City Arts ^
10/23 - Fairfield, CT - FTC StageOne ^
10/24 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg ^
10/25 - Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts ^
10/26 - Washington, DC - Pearl Street Warehouse ^
11/2 - Shizuoka, Japan - Frue Festival
11/6 - Pittsburgh, PA - Club Cafe ^
11/7 - Grand Rapids, MI - Founders Brewing ^
11/8 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall ^
11/9 - St. Paul, MN - Turf Club ^
11/10 - Milwaukee, WI - The Back Room @ Colectivo ^
11/11 - Davenport, IA - Raccoon Motel ^
11/12 - Indianapolis, IN - HiFi ^
11/13 - St. Louis, MO - Old Rock House ^
11/14 - Nashville, TN - Basement East ^
11/15 - Louisville, KY - Zanzabar ^
11/16 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Tavern ^
12/5 - San Diego, CA - Casbah San Diego
12/6 - Los Angeles, CA - The Teragram Ballroom ^
12/7 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent ^
12/8 - Felton, CA - Felton Music Hall
12/9 - Mill Valley, CA - Sweetwater Music Hall ^
12/10 - Arcata, CA - Humbrews / Humboldt Brews ^
12/11 - Eugene, OR - WildCraft Cider Works ^
12/12 - Bend, OR - Volcanic Theatre Pub ^
12/13 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge ^
12/14 - Seattle, WA - The Crocodile ^

** w/ Mikaela Davis
^ w/ The Mattson 2

Joe Russo has announced his debut solo album 'phér•bŏney' will be released February 7 on both limited edition neon violet and black vinyl via Royal Potato Family. Initially a surprise release on digital formats earlier this summer, the LP editions mark the first time the recording will be available in physical form. Throughout 'phér•bŏney,' Russo defies expectations with a collection of dreamy instrumentals and vocal tracks, channeling a sublime, reflective musicality. The wildly imaginative 9-song set moves through ethereal indie-pop, Ennio Morricone-like soundscapes, electro-jazz forays and smoldering, African-inspired guitar workouts.

Featuring Russo as primary composer and multi-instrumentalist, the acclaimed Brooklyn-based drummer is joined by friends and collaborators like saxophonists Stuart Bogie (Arcade Fire, Antibalas) and Erik Lawrence (Midnight Ramble Band, Steven Bernstein's Millennial Territory Orchestra), guitarists Josh Kaufman (Josh Ritter, Bob Weir) and Robbie Mangano (Project/Object). A natural progression from Russo's years in the Benevento-Russo Duo where he split composing duties, the material came together in a loose and organic fashion when the drummer began experimenting with song ideas in his Brooklyn studio space, Woodlot Recording, where he tracked guitar, piano, and drums, amassing sketches for original compositions. He later took these ideas and motifs out of his lab into a proper studio setting, but soon found his work needed more time to gestate. Returning to his solitary process, Russo began to fully realize his compositional aspirations in his womb-like studio setting. There, 'phér•bŏney' took shape more truly encapsulating Russo's prismatic artistry, showcasing him as a composer and all-around musician outside of his fiery virtuosity as a drummer.

Among the album's select highlights is the sleekly cinematic "phér•bŏney Love Theme" with its deftly hypnotic percussion, and imaginative arrangement, which unfolds with surprises like braying sax, subtle spy-movie electric guitars and layers of theatrical electronica. On "Molly & Anni" Russo manages a mashup of celebratory highlife with stately electronica for an immersive and grooving effect. Russo turns in a tender, but tripped-out version of Jobim's "Waters of March" replete with watery atmospherics and heavily treated vocals that sound like they were beamed from some lysergic P-funk fantasy. The overall effect is hauntingly beautiful. The nod to film composer Danny Elfman, "Elfman," features interlocking musical motifs and playfully theatrical dynamics that evoke Elfman’s moody-but-whimsical musicality.

Russo is best known for his dynamic, dexterous, and densely layered rhythmic approach, which has propelled a bevy of jazz, rock, and electronic artists. As a bandleader in his own right, he founded and fronts the widely successful Grateful Dead revival band, Joe Russo's Almost Dead. He first came to national attention with the Boulder, CO-based free jazz-rock collective Fat Mama and later as one half of the experimental downtown NYC post jazz combo, Benevento-Russo Duo. At various points over a near two decade career, he's played with Cass McCombs, Craig Finn, Shpongle, Trey Anastasio and Mike Gordon, Gene Ween Band and Furthur featuring Phil Lesh and Bob Weir of The Grateful Dead.

Cornetist/composer Kirk Knuffke leads his acclaimed trio with bassist Mark Helias and drummer Bill Goodwin at the renowned Dutch jazz club Bimhuis for his first-ever concert album, 'Brightness: Live In Amsterdam' available February 21 on Royal Potato Family. The recording presents Knuffke and company performing with startling inventiveness, moment-to-moment creative sparks and alchemical reactivity. The seven track collection, to be released on vinyl, CD and digital formats, is available for pre-order, while the first single, "The Mob, The Crowd, The Mass" is out now to stream and share.

"Mark and Bill are such legends. It's an honor that they want to go along on this ride with me," Knuffke says. "With this trio I try to make the music as minimal as possible so that we remain free to go in many, many different directions. It's amazing how little it can take to get these guys going off somewhere really special. Musically it's a series of amazing surprises all the time."

It may come as something of a surprise that Knuffke has never released a live date as a leader until now. While he's been an essential component of many a collaborator's concert albums and logged countless hours on stages around the world, his own catalogue has been wholly crafted in recording studios.

Documenting his bandleader debut at the storied Bimhuis is just one way in which 'Brightness: Live in Amsterdam' marks an important first for Knuffke. It also offers his first ventures as a vocalist, a practice he's engaged in often at home and occasionally on stage, but never until now captured for posterity.

"All of my music comes from singing," Knuffke explains. "As a horn player if you sit down at a piano and start plunking out notes, they're not necessarily the sounds that come right out of your brain. I write from my horn and from singing. Then my wife encouraged me to sing on my gigs, and since so much of this music was written from poetry, I thought it needed to be a part of the show to complete the image and story of these pieces."

In other ways, though, 'Brightness: Live In Amsterdam' is a continuation of the dazzling evolution of Knuffke's musical identity, a combination of tradition-minded swing and inspiration—embracing freedom through a freewheeling looseness that leaves room for a brilliantly focused vision. It also present Knuffke reconvening the unexpected trio with Goodwin and Helias that debuted on his acclaimed 2015 release, 'Arms & Hands.'

Knuffke's particular compositional gift is in distilling instantly engaging and memorable music into such minimal form. The pages of his music may not be crammed with notes and complicated time signatures, but they linger in the ear like a smash hit pop song while illuminating the synapses with clever ideas.

The thrilling performances on 'Brightness: Live In Amsterdam'—at one of the world's most revered and adventurous concert venues, Bimhuis—make Knuffke's long-overdue live debut well worth the wait.

'BRIGHTNESS: LIVE IN AMSTERDAM'
Track Listing:

1. Brightness
2. Rise
3. White Shoulders
4. Odds
5. The Mob, The Crowd, The Mass
6. That's A Shame
7. Spares and Falls 

Leslie Mendelson has announced her new studio album, 'If You Can’t Say Anything Nice…' will be released April 17 via Royal Potato Family. The first single and title track is released today (listen/share). Where Leslie's previous work focused heavily on relationships and matters of the heart, this latest collection examines anxiety stemming from the current sociopolitical climate with songs like "Medication," "I Need Something To Care About" and "Would You Give Up Your Gun." The resulting album is viscerally themed, imaginatively arranged and oozing raw elegance. 

"The anger and depression got to me, and I couldn't hold it in anymore. So, I got into a room with my demons and we just hit record," shares Mendelson. "I deal with depression and anxiety, and I've never really sang about it before. It felt like what was going on with society was affecting me, in terms of gun violence, the opioid crisis, and all the hatred in the news and media. It felt like it was time to speak out."

Leslie Mendelson has released two prior albums, including her Grammy Award-nominated debut, 'Swan Feathers,' one EP, and three singles. Her first album exhibited a production sheen she opted to strip away on her predominately acoustic sophomore effort, 'Love & Murder.' For this latest album, Leslie and her longtime co-writer and guitarist Steve McEwan, who co-produced alongside bassist and engineer Lorenzo Wolff, split the difference in terms of production, while also adding some garage-rock bluster. Conceptually, the recording was largely inspired by John Lennon’s 'Plastic Ono Band' album. Besides being emotive and topical of the day, Leslie favored its no-frills piano, bass, drums, and guitar approach. 

"The best time to make a rock n' roll record is when you're broke and pissed off," explains Mendelson. "We had started and stopped recording on a handful of occasions, trying to figure out how to make the album on a small budget, but also without making another folk-leaning record like 'Love & Murder.' Around this same time, I had rediscovered and fallen in love all over again with John Lennon's 'Plastic Ono Band' and it instantly provided a road map for how to move forward."

'If You Can't Say Anything Nice…' opens with the urgent love song, "Lay It All On Me." The track unfolds theatrically with dramatic dynamic shifts. The lyrics are emotive and direct with such lines as: "I just want to ease your pain/Beat the hammer through these walls/Anything that I can say/To make your fears feel so small/So lay it all on me."

The dangers of self-medication in the age of readily available options pervade the intimately reflective ballad, "Medication." On the title track, Leslie channels her inner Nick Cave, swaggering and snarling through filthy-but-catchy blues-rock. The self-explanatory "Would You Give Up Your Gun" is a stirring, elegantly emotive political track. "I Need Something To Care About" opens with the lines: "I can’t feel a thing for anything/Thinking that my mind’s desensitized." The song is a plea to pull oneself from a numbing depression caused by the over exposure to media. Here, the contrast of airy piano melodic figures, treated vocals, and delicate ambient textures create a swirl of emotions within the music.

The arrival of 'If You Can't Say Anything Nice…' follows a career defining 2019 for Leslie. She and McEwan were asked to collaborate with Jackson Browne on the stirring composition "A Human Touch" that was featured in the acclaimed documentary film, '5B,' about the San Francisco General Hospital AIDS ward during the early '80s. Leslie and Jackson also performed together at The Beacon Theatre in NYC in June 2019, while she joined him throughout his West Coast tour in August 2019 to perform the song. In addition, Leslie was invited to open for The Who twice at Madison Square Garden in May and September 2019.

Leslie will perform extensively throughout 2020 in support of 'If You Can't Say Anything Nice…' She’ll appear at The Town Hall in New York City on April 22 as part of the Earth Day concert celebration, Live Climate. In May, she tours the northeast with Jackie Greene with headline dates will be announced shortly.

'IF YOU CAN'T SAY ANYTHING NICE...'
Track Listing

1. Lay It All On Me
2. Medication
3. If You Can’t Say Anything Nice…
4. Would You Give Up Your Gun?
5. All Come Together
6. I Need Something To Care About
7. The Hardest Part
8. Flesh & Bone
9. Speed of Light
10. My Dark Peace

LESLIE MENDELSON
Tour Dates

2/8 - New York, NY - Rockwood Music Hall (Stage 3)
4/22 - New York, NY - The Town Hall
5/6 - Washington, DC - City Winery Washington DC *
5/7 - Ardmore, PA - Ardmore Music Hall *
5/8 - Amagansett, NY - Stephen Talkhouse *
5/10 - New York, NY - City Winery NYC (2 shows) *
5/12 - Boston, MA - City Winery Boston *
5/13 - Fairfield, CT - The Warehouse FTC *
5/14 - Hartford, CT - Infinity Hall Hartford *

* w/ Jackie Greene

Leslie Mendelson has released "Medication" (Listen/Share), the second single from the singer/songwriter's upcoming studio album, 'If You Can't Say Anything Nice...' due April 17 via Royal Potato Family. A haunting, piano ballad, Mendelson examines the pain and conflict caused by pharmaceutical addiction to those around her and even in her own life at times.

"I had a friend who struggled with anti-depressants for a long time. It eventually got so bad that she took her own life. It was a devastating loss," explains Mendelson. "There are so many people dealing with this struggle, myself at times included. We are all trying to find a balance."

"Medication" is one of several songs on the new 10-track collection that are a reaction to these all too dark days. "Would You Give Up Your Gun?" removes the politics from the gun rights debate to pose a stark question based solely on one's humanity. "I Need Something To Care About" is a plea to rise above numbing depression caused by over exposure to media. The title track (listen/share) is a blast of old school downtown NYC attitude and garage rock swagger that can be interpreted in a number of ways, not least of which a directive to politicians, social media trolls, fellow artists and even herself. "Lay It All On Me," a love song at its core, also can’t escape the pressure of the ever-encroaching modern world as the narrator looks to absorb the pain of a withering lover. 

Leslie Mendelson has released two prior albums, including her Grammy Award-nominated debut, 'Swan Feathers.' The first collection exhibited a production sheen she opted to strip away on her predominately acoustic sophomore effort, 'Love & Murder.' Conceptually, her latest, 'If You Can't Say Anything Nice...' was largely inspired by John Lennon's 'Plastic Ono Band' with its lo-fi, no-frills guitar, piano, bass and drums approach. 

"The best time to make a rock n' roll record is when you're broke and pissed off," says Mendelson. "We had started and stopped recording on a handful of occasions, trying to figure out how to make the album on a small budget, but also without making another folk-leaning record like 'Love & Murder.' Around this same time, I had rediscovered and fallen in love all over again with John Lennon's 'Plastic Ono Band' and it instantly provided a road map for moving forward."

In 2019, Leslie and longtime writing partner Steve McEwan collaborated with Jackson Browne to write and record the striking composition "A Human Touch" (listen/share) that was featured in the documentary film, '5B,' about the San Francisco General Hospital AIDS ward during the early '80s. Jackson and Leslie performed the song together at The Beacon Theatre in NYC in June, as well as, throughout his West Coast summer tour. Leslie was also invited to open for The Who twice last year at Madison Square Garden. In May, she tours with Jackie Greene, while headline dates will be announced shortly.

LESLIE MENDELSON
Tour Dates

3/13 - Asbury Park, NJ - Wonder Bar ^
4/11 - Rosyln, NY - My Father's Place
4/22 - New York, NY - The Town Hall
5/6 - Washington, DC - City Winery Washington DC *
5/7 - Ardmore, PA - Ardmore Music Hall *
5/8 - Amagansett, NY - Stephen Talkhouse *
5/10 - New York, NY - City Winery NYC (2 shows) *
5/12 - Boston, MA - City Winery Boston *
5/13 - Fairfield, CT - The Warehouse FTC *
5/14 - Hartford, CT - Infinity Hall Hartford *

^ w/ Rachel Ana Dobken
* w/ Jackie Greene

'If You Can't Say Anything Nice...'
is available for pre-order here on LP, CD & Digital Formats

Mike Dillon has announced his new album 'Rosewood' will be released July 17 via Royal Potato Family. Recorded intermittently between January 2018 and September 2019, its 13 majestic tracks were created solely with vibraphone and percussion instruments. Dillon, in fact, titled the record 'Rosewood' for the type of lumber used to make marimba bars. The album's first single "Hurt" is out today and pays tribute to the Johnny Cash arrangement of the classic Trent Reznor / Nine Inch Nails' song. Listen here: smarturl.it/MikeDillon-Hurt

For Mike Dillon, ‘Rosewood' musically signifies transition and transformation. It was written and record during a period where Dillon was in the midst of leaving a long term relationship, followed by the beginning of a new relationship that would result in marriage. Dillon also found himself relocating from his longtime home-base, New Orleans to his current residence, Kansas City.

"I fell in love with my dear friend, Peregrine Honig, in the midst of break up turmoil. I started spending time in Kansas City in July 2017, a city where I'd previously lived and had first met Peregrine in 1997," explains Dillon. "She invited me to see her beautiful art studio converted from an old church building called Greenwood Social Hall. By December, I brought my marimba there and would play for hours. The songs on this record wrote themselves in that sonically sacred space."

'Rosewood' also finds Dillon, a musician who's been hailed "a punk jazz provocateur," shifting from the freewheeling, anything goes aesthetic of his primary touring unit, The Mike Dillon Band, to a more conceptual and compositional approach. He'd hinted at this side of his musical personality with the 2016 release 'Functioning Broke,' as well as a series of yearly performances at Music Box Village with his 30-plus piece New Orleans Punk Rock Percussion Consortium. However, the prior album relied heavily on outside material, including songs by Elliott Smith, Neil Young and Martin Denny, while the latter performance experiment required the massive energy generated by three dozen musicians on percussion and mallet instruments. On 'Rosewood,' Dillon boils down the essence of those two projects into a focused auditory journey, drawing almost exclusively on his own compositions with exception of two more Elliott Smith songs, "Talking To Mary" and "Can’t Make A Sound," along with the aforementioned ghostly reading of Trent Reznor's "Hurt." Dillon performed all of the parts himself with exception of contributions by drummer and frequent collaborator Earl Harvin and the guiding hand of Dillon's old friend, recording engineer Chad Meise.

Listen & Share "HURT"

“When I decided to record in Kansas City, I immediately recruited Chad. He and I made several Malachy Papers' records, the Go Go Jungle album 'Battery Acid’ and the Mike Dillon Band record 'Urn.' Our chemistry in the middle of a really bittersweet time for me simplified the process. We layered the songs on 24-track, 2-inch tape. Some songs I would start on the vibes, other times I put on a marimba first before fleshing out the rest. My old pal, the incredible drummer Earl Harvin, visited KC from his home in Berlin during the summer of 2018 and played drum kit on several of the tracks. By recording to tape, we captured the warm relationship of the percussion/mallet family."

All of the sounds on 'Rosewood' are from Dillon's collection of mallet instruments ranging from the rare Deagan Electric Bass Marimba to the Deagan Electro Vibes, a 1942 Leedy Marimba to his primary touring instrument, the Majestic Electric Vibraphone, running through a collection of analog peddles. The only non-percussion sound was a synth on "Bonobo" that was triggered by a MalletKat.  The crescendo of timpani and tabla pulsate beneath the Sonic Youth-like layers of vibes on "Drone" set against the Kraut rock drumming of Harvin. The ambient Steve Reich-inspired pulsations of marimbas on "Vibes at the End of the World" capture the feeling of being in New Orleans when the Hurricane Gustav evacuation order was given to Dillon back in 2007. There are also several moments of joyful percussive optimism with tracks like "Rumba for Peregrine" and "Beignet’s Bounce." "Sober on Mardi Gras" was composed in New Orleans on Mardi Gras Day 2019 before Dillon marched behind Big Chief Monk Boudreaux alongside Stanton Moore and Joe Gellini. "Tiki Bird Whistle" and "Earl's Bolero" were also composed in New Orleans in an apartment that was home for many NOLA musicians, including Brian Blade, Doug Belote and John Ellis.

"Much of the feeling of this record is dealing with the sadness of moving out of a great city like New Orleans, but with the optimism of a fresh start in Kansas City," explains Dillon. "To this day it's hard for me not to say I live in New Orleans.  However, in reality, prior to the pandemic, I lived a nomadic lifestyle in my Chevy van going wherever the next gig leads me. And yet now, in the age of Covid-19, we’re faced with change again. It is the only constant."

Mike Dillon has been an integral member of bands including Garage A Trois, Dead Kenny Gs and Critters Buggin. He's served as a key sideman to artists like Rickie Lee Jones, Les Claypool and Ani DiFranco. He's amassed an extensive catalog of genre-defying recordings. He's taken to the road relentlessly, building one of the most loyal underground fanbases on the contemporary music scene, while being invited to share bills with bands including Clutch, Dean Ween Group and Umphrey's McGee. For nearly three decades, Dillon has played exclusively by his own rules. With his latest work, 'Rosewood,' he plays the sounds of change and once again embraces the philosophy of becoming.

Upstate have shared a new video for their forthcoming single "Everything Changes." Available tomorrow (Fri. May 15) on all streaming platforms, both the song and video were recorded and filmed simultaneously in one take in vocalist Mary Kenney's living room a few weeks prior to the nationwide shutdown due to COVID-19. While the Hudson Valley-based band didn't write the song with the pandemic in mind, it retroactively speaks to the current times. PopMatters wrote in its premiere of the video: "You can't plan for songs to sync with world events but when they do, the results can be remarkable."

Upstate's most recent full-length studio album, 'Healing,' was released in 2019 on Royal Potato Family. In its review of the record, No Depression declared: "'Healing' encompasses the full scope of human emotions, from the kiss-off of "Marietta" to the sad nostalgia of "Sarah" to the sexy wanting of "Weekend." But the album's greatest strength is its mix of genres—traversing the worlds of jazz, folk, traditional, bluegrass, and rock. "Mother” also highlights their singing, although this time it's more reminiscent of the folk vocal trio Mountain Man." Acclaim for the album and the band's stirring live performances led to invitations to open for Trampled By Turtles, Lake Street Dive and The Wood Brothers among others. The band was scheduled to support Infamous Stringdusters on several dates in Spring 2020, but those shows have been postponed.

Co-vocalist Melanie Glenn notes: "When we wrote this song, we expected to release it under very different circumstances. Still, it certainly fit for the times. It was born from a feeling that can't be prepared for, no matter how often it reappears in our lives. Regardless of what we think will happen, we're reminded that everything changes faster than you thought it would."

Today, Seth Walker shares the video for his new single, "We Got This." The song is a rallying cry for people everywhere to come together. While its origins pre-dated the COVID-19 outbreak, Walker completed the lyrics and recording with the help of producer Jano Rix of The Wood Brothers following the shutdown caused by the pandemic. The accompanying video, which was directed by Austin, TX-based artist, Gary Dorsey, presents visual images flashing across the screen from crises overcome throughout the history of the United States.

"'We Got This' was written a few years ago, but it was never finished or fully realized. This pandemic inspired me to complete and record it. In these doubtful times, we all need a little push to get us through. I hope the song gives you some comfort in this most uncertain hour," says Walker.

This latest release follows Walker’s previous single, "Warm Love," a cover of the Van Morrison classic, released earlier this year, and his 2019 studio album, 'Are You Open?' The Nashville, TN-based artist has also been hosting a series of living room "virtual concerts" every other Sunday night on Facebook and Instagram Live. The next set is scheduled for Sunday, May 31.

"In these doubtful times, we all need a little push to get us through. I hope the song gives you some comfort in this most uncertain hour." - Seth Walker

Kenny Roby knew from the start there would be a lot to say for his first solo album in seven years, the emotionally and musically expansive 'The Reservoir,' due August 7 from Royal Potato Family. So much had changed in his world and the world at large since his stately 2013 LP, 'Memories & Birds,' an exquisite reflection on the experiences and apprehensions of crossing over 40. Roby was now 48. He had been sober for half his adult life. Both his kids, now in their 20s, had left home. After more than two decades together, he and his wife had decided to split up. Roby's iconic alt-country band 6 String Drag had reunited for runs of spirited shows and two barreling, wise rock 'n' roll records. And then, of course, there was the wider social upheaval of the last decade. Indeed, there was plenty to process for a new collection of songs.

Neal Casal thought so. In the Spring of 2019, Roby started sending these latest songs to his old pal, who had emerged as a top-tier guitarist with the likes of Willie Nelson and Chris Robinson. Roby's new reflections clicked for Casal, especially the way he seemed to stare down age, addiction and anxiety and push toward something like acceptance. Casal agreed to produce these songs.

Roby returned home after a solo European tour in early 2019 and entered a brief but intense tailspin. His marriage was ending, and a few friends and family members had passed away in short order. He penned "Room 125," a confession that gazed into an existential abyss and sent out a desperate prayer. Casal heard it and replied by text: "It’s my life." And then, in late August 2019, Casal was dead—suicide, at the age of 50.

But Casal had not kept quiet about these budding tunes. He had told Dave Schools, the legendary Widespread Panic bassist, about them. Schools and Roby began talking after Casal's passing. During a musical memorial to Casal at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY, they made final plans to convene in October with a dream team of players, including guitarists Jesse Aycock and John Lee Shannon, bassist Jeff Hill and drummer Tony Leone, for a week of recording in Woodstock. Roby had culled 25 songs into 16, and the band captured many of them in only a few takes in the same room. They sound like a veteran ensemble on 'The Reservoir,' with each of these numbers settling into a deep groove.

These 16 tunes collectively summon the wealth of Roby's experience, as a human being and as a musician. He revisits the specter of addiction with the fractured gothic gospel of "All Trains Lead to Cocaine" and recognizes that recovery is a constant process during the springy folk-pop charmer, "Just Because." He questions the roots of faith and recognizes the goodness of the universe in the preternaturally graceful "Watchin' Over Me" and sets his sights on contentment for the tender "Old Love." He sings all these songs with the wisdom of lived experience, a gift and tool for you to use.

Roby once planned to call this album "History Lesson," which would ultimately become the album's first single (listen/share). A whistling-and-mirthful ode to taking a risk with whatever life you have left, the song's prospective title still resonates because this album is about learning something from the terrible and terrific alike. But history lessons are learned too often from those who are gone already. 'The Reservoir' is about acknowledging that everyone has got something to give to the world still, even when our despair seems to be the only thing with endless depth. "These blues are tidal and subside with the moon," Roby croons on the twinkling closer, "I'm Gonna Love Again." It's a message of perseverance and hope from someone who has been hopeless but stuck around to remind us that we can get better, too.

'The Reservoir'
Track Listing

1. Don’t Ya Know What's On My Mind
2. Vampire Song (Whatcha Gonna Do?)
3. All Trains Lead To Cocaine
4. New Strings
5. History Lesson
6. Only Clown In Town
7. Old Love
8. Hey Angelina
9. The Suffering
10. More Than I Do
11. Just Because
12. Watchin’ Over Me
13. Room 125
14. For The First Time
15. Silver Moon (For Neal)
16. I’m Gonna Love Again

Kenny Roby - 'The Reservoir'
Available August 7 on Double LP Vinyl, CD & Digital Formats
Pre-Order here

Kenny Roby has shared a video for "Old Love" (watch/share)—the second single from his forthcoming double album, 'The Reservoir,' due August 7 from Royal Potato Family. Produced by Dave Schools of Widespread Panic, the emotionally and musically expansive 16-track collection addresses Roby's struggles with addiction, mental health issues and growing older, while attempting to persevere in the face of such challenges. Premiered today by Glide Magazine, the latest single "Old Love" was written as Roby's marriage of 20-plus years was dissolving.

"This was the first song I wrote at the beginning of the break up of my marriage. It was just a few days after the lightning bolts hit in the those initial conversations. I have no idea where it came from," explains Roby. "I picked up the guitar and started strumming and singing the pre-chorus and chorus one morning. Then it just churned in my head after that for a few days and I wrote the two verses. Three months later it was the first song Neal Casal heard of this batch of new songs that would become 'The Reservoir' album."

It was Spring 2019 when Roby started sending these latest songs to his old pal Neal Casal who had emerged as a top-tier guitarist with the likes of Chris Robinson and Ryan Adams among others. Roby's new reflections clicked for Casal, especially the way he seemed to stare down age, addiction and anxiety and push toward something like acceptance. Casal agreed to produce these songs. And then, in late August 2019 a few weeks before the sessions were to commence, Casal was dead—suicide, at the age of 50.

But Casal had not kept quiet about these budding tunes. He had told Dave Schools, the legendary Widespread Panic bassist, about them. Schools and Roby began talking after Casal's passing. During a musical memorial to Casal at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY, they made final plans to convene in October with a dream team of players, including guitarists Jesse Aycock and John Lee Shannon, bassist Jeff Hill and drummer Tony Leone, for a week of recording in Woodstock. Roby had culled 25 songs into 16, and the band captured many of them in only a few takes in the same room. They sound like a veteran ensemble on 'The Reservoir,' with each of these numbers settling into a deep groove.

'The Reservoir' collectively summons the wealth of Roby's experience, as a human being and as a musician. He revisits the specter of addiction with the fractured gothic gospel of "All Trains Lead to Cocaine" and recognizes that recovery is a constant process during the springy folk-pop charmer, "Just Because." He questions the roots of faith and recognizes the goodness of the universe in the preternaturally graceful "Watchin' Over Me." On "History Lesson" (listen/share), a whistling-and-mirthful ode to taking a risk with whatever life you have left, the lyric speaks of learning something from the terrible and terrific alike. He sings all these songs with the wisdom of lived experience, a gift and tool for listeners to use.

Kenny Roby - 'The Reservoir'
Available August 7 on Double LP Vinyl, CD & Digital Formats
Pre-Order here

Mike Dillon has spent the last three decades playing well over 200 shows a year with both his own band, as well as a vibraphonist and percussionist with artists including Rickie Lee Jones, Les Claypool and Ani DiFranco. So when the pandemic hit in early 2020 forcing Dillon off the road, he instinctively directed his perpetually restless creative energy to writing and recording. Recently relocating to Kansas City after spending 15 years in New Orleans, Dillon and producer Chad Meise would track a trilogy of albums: 'Shoot The Moon,' 'Suitcase Man' and '1918.' In collaboration with his longtime record label Royal Potato Family, they would offer the records exclusively via Bandcamp just days after they were mixed and mastered. In 2021, those albums now receive the full vinyl treatment, as well as complete digital release across all streaming outlets. 

The first of the three records, 'Shoot The Moon,' is a ten-track collection, which Dillon describes as "Punkadelic-Funk-Psych," focused heavily on the current political climate in the United States. Assembling an assortment of stylistically uncompromising musicians to contribute, its line-up features Matt Chamberlain, Steven Bernstein, Nicholas Payton, Robbie Seahag Mangano, Jean-Paul Gaster and Nick Bockrath among others. Highlights include the apocalyptic road warrior anthem "Drivin' Down The Road," a swirling New Orleans jazz-raga "Further Adventures in Misadventures" and the snarling punk rock diatribe "Quool Aid Man" with its indictment of the American right: "old men and their guns."

The second recording in the series, 'Suitcase Man' is a nine-song cycle through which Dillon examine his life and choices made over the past 55 years. It's a distinct entry in his extensive discography, notable for its strikingly honest lyricism and minimalist arrangements that incorporate sparse vibraphone and percussion with a handful of background vocals by Tiff Lamson of Givers and frequent collaborator JJ Jungle. Songs like "Empty Bones," "Turkish Rose" and "Matthew" represent Dillon at his most creatively daring, while confirming his ascent into the upper echelon of cult music outsiders in the lineage of artists like Tom Waits, Harry Partch and Captain Beefheart.

Dillon completes the trilogy with '1918.' The focal point here are Dillon's instrumentals: the dank and dark Moog/tabla/vibraphone psych vibe of "Pinocchio," (listen/share) the electro analog trance of "Pelagic" and the jungle groove, space rock of the title track. Dillon once again calls on friends like drummer Earl Harvin and guitarist Shane Theriot to assist. Thematically speaking, the material addresses the Covid-19 pandemic and recent social unrest. "The parallels between 1918 and 2020 are immense. We just have fancier toys, but the tunnel vision and mammalian tendencies are the same if not greater," explains Dillon.

A native of San Antonio, Texas, Mike Dillon got his start as a sideman, playing in such varied projects as MC 900 Foot Jesus, Brave Combo and Secret Chiefs 3. He's also served as an integral member of bands like Critters Buggin, Garage A Trois, Dead Kenny Gs and Nolatet, while leading Billy Goat, Hairy Apes BMX and Malachy Papers. Under his own name, he's amassed an extensive catalog of genre-defying recordings. All Music called his most recent release 'Rosewood,' recorded prior to the 2020 pandemic lockdown, "a hypnotic album that pulls you deep inside a percussive, sylvan-toned dreamscape." Touring relentlessly, Dillon has built one of the most loyal fanbases on the underground music scene, while being invited to share bills with bands including Clutch, Umphrey's McGee and Dean Ween Group.

MIKE DILLON || 'SHOOT THE MOON'
Track Listing: 

1. Drivin' Down The Road
2. Camus Sound Asleep
3. Apocalyptic Daydreams
4. Qool Aid Man
5. Shoot The Moon
6. Psilocybin Donut
7. What Tony Says
8. Try To Remember
9. Further Adventures in Misadventures
10. Open Up

Digital Pre-Save & Vinyl Pre-Order

MIKE DILLON || 'SUITCASE MAN'
Track Listing:

1. Suitcase Man
2. Turkish Rose
3. Empty Bones
4. On The Lamb
5. Show Me Your Hands
6. 989 Miles
7. Roly Poly
8. Tiny Pink Asses
9. Matthew

Digital Pre-Save & Vinyl Pre-Order

MIKE DILLON || '1918'
Track Listing:

1. Pinocchio
2. Mad Hatter
3. Pelagic
4. A Word To The Virus
5. March Of The Covidiots
6. Quarantine Booty Call
7. Dubious
8. Super Spreader
9. Covid Cumbia
10. 1918
11. Grandfather Clock

Digital Pre-Save & Vinyl Pre-Order

Like most musicians in 2020, Reed Mathis found himself with time on his hands being that all of his tours and session work had been cancelled for the foreseeable future. Never one to idle, Reed turned attention to his archives, dusting off countless hours of audio from Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, the Tulsa, OK-based band that he helped found and performed with for nearly 15 years. First and foremost, among his discoveries was 'Winterwood'—Mathis' final studio recording with JFJO. The album was never officially released seeing as he departed the band shortly after its completion in 2008. And so, the downtime gave Mathis the impetus to remix the sessions, which had been lying dormant for 12 years. In addition, Reed combed through countless hours of JFJO live recordings, compiling four new live albums from what many fans consider the band's golden years: 2005-2008. Once completed, Mathis would enlist his friends at record label, Royal Potato Family, to help release this treasure trove of vintage JFJO. On Friday, May 7, this music finally sees the light of day with the release of both the long-awaited 'Winterwood' and the first of the four live compilations, 'The Spark That Bled’ on digital formats. It's followed on June 4 with the digital release of two additional live collections: 'Nine Improvisations' and 'Speak No Evil.' On July 2, 'Lil Tae Rides Again (Extended Edition)' is released digitally, comprised by live performances from the subsequent tour supporting JFJO’s ethereal masterwork of the same name, as well as, the original studio album, which has been unavailable for several years. The series concludes on August 6 with 'Winterwood' being issued on double-LP vinyl.

To commemorate the release of 'Winterwood' and the four live albums, Reed Mathis created a homespun documentary short film with archival photos, band posters, original cover art and much more to explain the origins and evolution of Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey. The video traces the band’s origins back to Tulsa, OK in 1994 when many of the members were still only teenagers to the late '90s and early aughts. At the time, the musicians were literally living in a van and performing up to 300 shows a year. Mathis' narration explains that during JFJO's myriad metamorphoses from a seven-piece group to a trio and the changeover of five different drummers, the two staple players for 15 years had been both himself and keyboardist Brian Haas. In 2008, Mathis left the band leaving Haas as the remaining original member.

Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey's music has never been easy to describe. Underground cult faves who were at home at both jam festivals and European jazz clubs, the group delighted experimental music enthusiasts despite never quite fitting into any musical genre. U.S. jazz purists would frequently dismiss them as a jam-band, do in no small part to the crystals, yerba mate and cannabis that fueled their vision. However, with free-form improvisation at their core, while often interpreting the popular songs of their time through instrumental arrangements, JFJO was jazz in the purest sense. Though the players were serious, the music was often playful, creative and spontaneous. Like the second half of their moniker Jazz Odyssey (a nod to Spinal Tap) implies, a listener might hear elements of traditional jazz, funk, punk, hip-hop, psych rock, ambient electronica and avant-garde soundscapes.

The four new live albums each has its own theme, all with Brian Haas on keys and Reed Mathis on bass. The first three feature Jason Smart on drums. ‘The Spark That Bled,’ recorded in 2005, focuses on songs and songwriting, with expansive instrumental versions of songs by The Flaming Lips, Bjork and John Coltrane among others, as well as, three originals. 'Nine Improvisations' contains nine show-opening improvisations from 2005. During this period, JFJO opened every show with a totally improvised sonic exploration from the deep end of their subconscious minds. 'Speak No Evil' contains graceful acoustic live recordings primarily drawn from the trio's 2006 European tours, including a mix of jazz standards and original compositions. 'Lil' Tae Rides Again' finds Smart exiting the band and guitarist Pete Tomshany and drummer Josh Raymer joining the fold on the tour in support of JFJO's 2008 electronic concept album about middle school, sculpted by eccentric electronic music futurist Tae Meyulks. The tracks presented here mash up multiple recorded performances from throughout the tour into a complete version of each song. And, finally, 'Winterwood,' features Mathis, Haas and Raymer. The studio album features multiple layers with Haas on solo acoustic piano initiating each song’s melodic theme and the band later overdubbing additional parts in full electric mode on top. As each instrumental part was layered into the recording, the player performing tracking his parts was conducted by another member in a truly collaborative process. Mathis would pour over the album in post production, sneaking in additional nuances and gems.

In the last decade, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey has released released a handful of albums with Brian Haas, Josh Raymer and Chris Combs on guitar and lap steel. Haas has released two duo albums with drummer Matt Chamberlain and performs with Nolatet and Mike Dillon among others. Since leaving JFJO, Mathis has produced two albums and a handful of singles featuring his arrangements of Beethoven and toured with his ensemble called Electric Beethoven. He is also plays with Billy & The Kids, a project spearheaded by drummer Bill Kreutzmann of The Grateful Dead.

‘Winterwood’
Track Listing:


1. Dove’s Army Of Love
2. Song Of The Vipers
3. A-Bird
4. Oklahoma Stomp
5. Goodnight Ollie
6. Old Love, New Love
7. Crazy Fingers
8. The Slip
9. Twinstar
10. Earl Hines
11. Bumper Crop Of Strange
12. Walking Before Daylight
13. Vernal Equinox

Available May 7 on Royal Potato Family

Pre-Order / Pre-Save 'Winterwood'

'The Spark That Bled'
Track Listing:

1. Don’t Let It Bring You Down
2. Daily Wheatgrass Shots
3. Isobel
4. Santiago
5. Tomorrow We’ll Know Today
6. The Spark That Bled
7. Happiness Is A Warm Gun
8. Naima
9. Fables Of Faubus

Available May 7 on Royal Potato Family

Pre-Order / Pre-Save 'The Spark That Bled'

'Nine Improvisations'
Track Listing:

1. Improv (Seattle 2005)
2. Improv (Dallas 2005)
3. Improv (Beardslee Castle 2005)
4. Improv (Quincy 2005)
5. Improv (New York City 2005)
6. Improv (Burlington 2005)
7. Improv (Philadelphia 2005)
8. Improv (Portland 2005)
9. Improv (Boulder 2005)

Available June 4 on Royal Potato Family

'Speak No Evil'
Track Listing:

1. Up Jumped Spring (Amsterdam 2006)
2. Ruby My Dear (Amsterdam 2006)
3. Deluge (Berlin 2006)
4. In Your Own Sweet Way (Berlin 2006)
5. Four In One (Berlin 2006)
6. Davey’s Purple Powerline (Amsterdam 2006)
7. Fall (Rotterdam 2006)
8. Gracemont (Rotterdam 2006)
9. Walking With Giants (Milan 2006)
10. JuJu (Utrecht 2006)
11. Speak No Evil (New York City 2006)
12. Lola & Alice (Bremen 2006)
13. I Mean You (Bremen 2006)

Available June 4 on Royal Potato Family

'Lil Tae Rides Again (Expanded Edition)'
Track Listing:

1. Autumnal (studio)
2. Winter Clothes (studio)
3. Tetherball Triumph (studio)
4. Carpool (studio)
5. Tae Parade (studio)
6. Santiago Lends A Hand (studio)
7. Waking The Reluctant Genius (studio)
8. Scuffle In The Hall (studio)
9. The Votes Are Counted (studio)
10. Recovering The Time Capsule (studio)
11. Goodnight Ollie (studio)
12. Autumnal (live)
13. Winter Clothes (live)
14. Tetherball Triumph (live)
15. Carpool (live)
16. Tae Parade (live)
17. Santiago Lends A Hand (live)
18. Waking The Reluctant Genius (live)
19. Scuffle In The Hall (live)
20. The Votes Are Counted (live)
21. Recovering The Time Capsule (live)
22. Goodnight Ollie (live)

Available July 2 on Royal Potato Family

Today, Robert Walter shares "Or Else" and "Franklin" (listen/share), the first two songs from his 'Better Feathers' series, in which the acclaimed keyboardist rolls out six new "digital 45s" via Royal Potato Family. Each release will feature two singles for a total of 12 tracks to be issued from now through October.

Written and recorded entirely at home during quarantine in 2020 and 2021, Robert immersed himself in the writing and recording process as a way to remain creative and fend off boredom while faced with a year of no live shows. In his own words, "it was time to shift gears and think of the situation as a positive and not a negative; an unexpected abundance of time to emerge with something of value." The title 'Better Feathers' comes from the idea of birds molting—shedding their old, worn out feathers for new, better ones.

"The music is influenced by the methods. In the absence of working with a group, the focus turned to overdubbing layers of sound. Inspirations were found by digging into late 70s NYC dance music, dub reggae, archaic blues, Krautrock, jazz and funk," explains Robert. "Rather than making the more obvious quiet, introspective music, the focus instead turned to my nostalgia for sweaty bars and crowded dance floors. Somewhere during the process, tracks began floating back and forth to friends like Stanton Moore (Galactic), Craig Brodhead (Turkuaz), Chris Stillwell (The Greyboy Allstars), Jake Najor, John Kimock and Mike Gordon (Phish) to add their own parts remotely."

"Or Else," the first of the two tracks released in the series features Robert Walter's frequent collaborator, New Orleans drummer Stanton Moore and Turkuaz guitarist Craig Brodhead. "It was influenced by early '80s dance records by artists like Grace Jones and Le Chic," says Walter. "The melody was conceived in the spirit of the dub melodica explorations of Augustus Pablo—pure tropical funk and summer vibes. It was the first tune I wrote for the sessions."

The "b-side" is "Franklin" named after Robert Walter's elementary school and his memories of those days. Once again Stanton Moore joins on drums, adding an especially spare and funky beat. "There was a certain time during the mid-'70s where it seemed like everything in pop culture was funky. Saturday morning cartoons, television commercials and most of the music on the radio had absorbed (and sometimes bastardized) the sounds of James Brown, Sly Stone and the Jackson 5," explains Walter. "It’s an attempt to do the Bernie Worrell trick of overdubbing lots of different keyboards that all snake in and out of each other's way in just the nick of time."

The 'Better Feather' series continues on July with the release of "Saucerman" featuring Phish bassist Mike Gordon and "Devices of Similar Size" with Stanton  Moore once again adding drums.

BETTER FEATHERS
Digital 45 Release Schedule

"Or Else" (w/ Stanton Moore & Craig Brodhead)
"Franklin" (w/ Stanton Moore)
Release Date: June 30, 2021

"Saucermen" (w/ Mike Gordon)
"Devices Of Similar Size" (w/ Stanton Moore)
Release Date: July 21, 2021

"Bloodstar" (w/ Craig Brodhead)
"Better Feathers" (w/ Stanton Moore)
Release Date: August 18, 2021

"Security" (w/ John Kimock)
"It's Not What's"
Release Date: September 1, 2021

"Wet From The Press" (w/ Jake Najor)
"Feeder, Doctor, Talker" (w/ Jake Najor & Chris Stillwell)
Release Date: September 22, 2021

"Hellhound" (w/ Chris Stillwell)
"Loomis"
Release Date: October 27, 2021

During the lockdown last year, Reed Mathis had lots of time on his hands. Setting an intention to use the downtime wisely, he decided to visit his storage space filled with countless recordings, photos and miscellaneous ephemera from his years and years of touring and recording with underground jazz experimentalists, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey.

In Reed's own words: "What I found in there astonished me."

From those materials Reed uncovered, he'd assemble six releases worth of Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey music, as well as, creating a documentary short film chronicling his time with the band.

Those six archival recordings are now available for download and streaming everywhere you listen to music, while 'Winterwood'—Reed's final studio album with the band that went unreleased due to his leaving the group prior to completing its mixing—will also be released this August on double-LP vinyl and is available for pre-order now.

JFJO toured the U.S. many times over, while playing some of the biggest jazz festivals in Europe and beyond, developing a devoted audience. And yet for whatever reason, they never experienced the success many would argue they deserved for creating such fiercely original and groundbreaking music. The trio has been on hiatus for several years and it's uncertain if we'll ever see them perform together again. We're certainly not crazy enough to think these six albums are going to lead to a widespread rediscovery, but if it can turn on a clutch of new heads who dare to dive into their ecstatic, visceral, purely vibrational sound, while delighting the old school fans who already know the magic they were capable of summoning, well then, we've done our job.

Steven Bernstein's Millennial Territory Orchestra has released "Planet B," (listen / share) the latest single and opening track from the band's forthcoming album 'Tinctures In Time (Community Music, Vol. 1)' due September 3 on Royal Potato Family. The song is accompanied by a video created by Kit Fitzgerald.

"'Planet B' is one of the first original compositions I wrote for MTO after almost 20 years of arranging the American songbook for the band. The piece uses elements that I've been exploring for years: Ellington, Machito, Sun Ra and Gil Evans, a simple 'folk' melody, all over a true MTO-style groove," explains Bernstein. "When it came time to make my first music video, I reached out to Kit Fitzgerald, a pioneer in the video world who has collaborated with artists from many disciplines including drummer Max Roach, choreographer Donald Byrd and poet Anne Waldman. I asked her to make something beautiful, something she would make for herself. I wanted her to create her own narrative, different from anything I could imagine. And she did."

'Tinctures In Time (Community Music, Vol. 1)' is the first edition in Steven Bernstein's four volume 'Community Music' series. Every four months, beginning this September and stretching through September 2022, a new album will be released. Each showcases a different facet of the acclaimed arranger and trumpeter who over a 40 year career has worked alongside everyone from Levon Helm to Lou Reed, Aretha Franklin to Sam Rivers, Robert Altman to Radiohead. In addition to 'Tinctures In Time,' which marks the first occasion Bernstein has written original music for his long-standing nonet, the Millennial Territory Orchestra, the series includes 'Good Time Music (Community Music, Vol. 2)' with singer Catherine Russell that celebrates a handful of high-stepping, feel-good songs from the history of modern recorded music, out January 7, 2022; 'Manifesto of Henry-isms (Community Music, Vol. 3)' comprised by re-imaginings of Bernstein's inspired arrangements for the brilliant New Orleans pianist Henry Butler & The Hot 9 with guests John Medeski and Arturo O'Farrill, follows May 6, 2022; and 'Popular Culture (Community Music, Vol. 4),' a set of Bernstein-ian takes on The Grateful Dead, Charles Mingus, The Beatles and others, concludes the series on September 2, 2022.

Aptly titled 'Community Music,' Steven Bernstein's community is the essence of these recordings, made over four days in 2020 and featuring an ensemble of musicians who have been both integral to the New York City creative music scene and co-collaborators with Bernstein for the last 30 years. The acclaimed arranger and trumpeter has known pianist Arturo O'Farrill for well over 30 years and drummer Ben Perowsky for nearly 40; he's been playing music with saxophonist Peter Apfelbaum since they were twelve years old. And he's known everyone else in the Millennial Territory Orchestra for at least 25 years, starting when Bernstein moved from Berkeley to New York City in 1979 and soon found himself in the thick of the golden age of the downtown jazz scene, becoming a member of John Lurie & The Lounge Lizards. The initial spark for 'Community Music' concept can be traced back to his co-leader in The Hot 9, legendary New Orleans pianist Henry Butler, passing in 2018 and then Bernstein's mother the following year. Understandably, Bernstein began to consider his own mortality—and his musical legacy. Soon thereafter he won a Shifting Foundation grant (previous recipients include Bill Frisell, Craig Taborn and John Zorn) to document as many of his unrecorded and sometimes even unperformed arrangements as possible.

"I thought, 'While I'm still on the planet, I need to start documenting my arrangements,'" says Bernstein. "Levon Helm's not here, and Henry Butler's not here, and Hal Willner's not here, and Roswell Rudd's not here, and Lou Reed's not here. So I'm carrying forward all the stuff I learned from them, but through the way I look at it. Hal used to say, as our favorite musicians were passing, 'It's up to us now, we need to make the music with the same intent as our heroes. We have to be our own heroes now.'"

STEVEN BERNSTEIN // COMMUNITY MUSIC
Release Schedule

Steven Bernstein's Millennial Territory Orchestra
Tinctures In Times (Community Music, Vol. 1)
out September 3, 2021

Steven Bernstein's Millennial Territory Orchestra
w/ special guest Catherine Russell
Good Time Music (Community Music, Vol. 2)
out January 7, 2022

Steven Bernstein & The Hot 9
w/ special guests John Medeski & Arturo O'Farrill
Manifesto Of Henry-isms (Community Music, Vol. 3)
out May 6, 2022

Steven Bernstein's Millennial Territory Orchestra
Popular Culture (Community Music, Vol. 4)
out September 2, 2022

Available on Digital and Vinyl Formats
Pre-Order Here

Following a sold out show at Nublu in New York City earlier this month and a performance at Newport Jazz Festival this coming Sunday, August 1, The Bogie Band featuring Joe Russo has released a new single, "The Witnesses" (listen/share).

The 10-piece ensemble founded by saxophonist Stuart Bogie and drummer Joe Russo is comprised by musicians who hail from a long list of groups, including Antibalas, The Dap Kings, Red Barat, Arcade Fire, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, David Byrne’s American Utopia, St. Vincent, The Budos Band and Superhuman Happiness. A collaboration between old friends, Bogie's horn arrangements meet Russo's propulsive drumming in an explosive combination of woodwind and brass instruments that reimagine wind music in bold and dynamic new ways.

"'The Witnesses' speaks to urgency of the times in a musical language that laid the ground work for the Bogie Band featuring Joe Russo," says Stuart Bogie. "The brass knocks you right and left, the saxophones scream, and the drums keeping you running for your life."

The Bogie Band featuring Joe Russo will release their debut album in early 2022 via Royal Potato Family.

Lacuna, the debut album by guitarist Tom Hamilton and pianist Holly Bowling, has been announced for release on November 19 via Royal Potato Family. The duo, who also perform together in the acclaimed rock band Ghost Light, captured the music in one stream of consciousness, completely improvised recording session at Hamilton's studio The Ballroom in Philadelphia. Through a series of ambient excursions, Hamilton and Bowling showcase their powerful musical connection. A video excerpt from the recording session has been released today (WATCH / SHARE). Upon the release of Lacuna, Hamilton and Bowling will head out for a series of six shows, including performances in New York City, Colorado and San Francisco, with additional dates being planned for 2022. Tickets for the tour go on-sale today at 12pm ET HERE, while pre-order/pre-save for Lacuna on both vinyl and digital formats is available HERE.

The impetus for recording Lacuna came during the summer of 2020 while Bowling was isolated at her home in Northern California and Hamilton essentially lived in his Philadelphia studio. Bowling—pregnant with her first child at the time—embarked on a cross-country road trip to visit her family in Maine. On her way back home in September, she took a detour to visit Hamilton. The pair caught up, sat down at their instruments, Bowling on baby grand piano and Hamilton on acoustic guitar, and hit record.

"It was all very organic," Hamilton recalls. "We hit save, she left, and we didn't talk about it."

In fact, the music sat on a hard drive unheard until Hamilton, with time on his hands last February, listened back and realized they had something special. The resulting 46 minutes of ambient instrumental improvisation became Lacuna. Recorded in one take with no overdubs, the pair had to reverse engineer the album, splitting the improvisation into eight tracks with names.

"We were just playing to play," Bowling notes. "I was so intensely missing that spark and connection of playing music with someone else and having that back and forth. It was the happiest I had been in ages, even though the music sounds pretty dark in places, and it was definitely a very dark time. Tapping into that and then getting it out was cathartic."

The title Lacuna came from one of the many books Bowling read during quarantine. She didn’t know what the word meant so she looked it up and found that the definition: "a gap, an unfilled space, or an intentional, extended passage in a musical work during which no notes are played." It perfectly encapsulated the pandemic era and the sounds the pair had made while living through it.

"I've felt more and more comfortable in those in-between spaces," Bowling concludes. "That's really where I've been wanting to spend my time, and with Lacuna, that's the entire thing."

LACUNA
Track Listing

1. Smile Pretty For The Camera
2. This Elevator Goes Up
3. Pavement Grass
4. Your Shadow Looms Large
5. Isosolost
6. The Swimmer
7. Lacuna
8. Exit This Way

LACUNA Feat. Tom Hamilton & Holly Bowling
Tour Dates

11/26 - New York, NY - (Le) Poisson Rouge
11/27 - Philadelphia, PA - The Ballroom
12/17 - Boulder, CO - Boulder Theater
12/18 - Beaver Creek, CO - Vilar Performing Arts Center
12/19 - Denver, CO - Ophelia’s Electric Soapbox (On Sale 9.24)
3/5/22 - San Francisco, CA - The Chapel

Today, Marco Benevento shares his latest single, "At The End Or The Beginning" (listen/share). Diving deep down a psych-funk rabbit hole, the singer/songwriter/keyboardist captures the zeitgeist with lyrics like "we can walk and keep our distance, the whole world changed in an instant," as he delivers a dose of blissed-out escapism where listeners can recontextualize these troubled times through a surrealistic-slanted optimism and the pure joy of an irresistible groove.

"Where are we? At the end or the beginning? It's been a strange few years not being able to hug our close friends or play shows and to see so many people struggling from this pandemic that came out of nowhere," says Benevento. "So the idea was inspired by what we've all been living through. The lyric says it all, we can't wait for the clouds to lift up for us...this one time."

Co-written with San Diego-based poet/lyricist Alfred Howard, "At The End Or The Beginning" hints at what's to come from Benevento in 2022 as he puts the finishing touches on a new studio album. In the meantime, Benevento and his band featuring bassist Karina Rykman and drummer Dave Butler perform a handful of select shows to close out 2021, including a sold out two night run at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock this weekend, a three night stretch at one of his favorite haunts The Press Room in Portsmouth and Brooklyn Bowl over Thanksgiving weekend.

Over the course of seven studio albums and countless shows around the world, keyboardist Marco Benevento has drawn praise from tastemakers far and wide. Los Angeles Times has written, "it's safe to say that no one sees the keyboard quite like Marco Benevento's genre-blind mashup of indie rock, jazz and skewed improvisation," while NPR Music raves that Benevento combines "the thrust of rock, the questing of jazz and the experimental ecstasy of jam."

Indeed, Marco Benevento's music cuts a wide swath, seemingly connecting the dots in the vast space between LCD Soundsystem and Leon Russell, His songwriting is smart and earthy, yet simultaneously pulsating with dance rock energy. Benevento’s high energy live shows have led to numerous high profile appearances, ranging from Carnegie Hall to Pickathon. In the studio, he's collaborated with the likes of Richard Swift (The Shins, Nathaniel Rateliff), Leon Michels (Lee Fields, Freddie Gibbs) and Simone Felice (The Felice Brothers, The Lumineers) among others.

Upcoming Shows
October 29 - Woodstock, NY - Levon Helm Studios (Sold Out)
October 30 - Woodstock, NY - Levon Helm Studios (Sold Out)
November 11 - Portsmouth, NH - The Press Room (Sold Out)
November 12 - Portsmouth, NH - The Press Room (Sold Out)
November 13 - Portsmouth, NH - The Press Room (Sold Out)
November 27 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Bowl
December 11 - Miami, FL - North Beach Music Festival

Lacuna, the debut album by guitarist Tom Hamilton and pianist Holly Bowling, is released today via Royal Potato Family. The duo, who also perform together in the acclaimed rock band Ghost Light, captured the music in one stream of consciousness, completely improvised recording session at Hamilton's studio The Ballroom in Philadelphia. Exploring the outer limits of creating music in the moment through a series of ambient excursions, Hamilton and Bowling showcase their powerful musical connection.

Beginning next Friday at LPR in New York City, Hamilton and Bowling perform a series of five shows, which also includes dates in Philadelphia, Colorado and San Francisco. Additional shows are being planned for 2022. Tickets for the tour can be purchased HERE, while Lacuna on both vinyl and digital formats is available HERE.

The impetus for recording Lacuna came during the summer of 2020 while Bowling was isolated at her home in Northern California and Hamilton essentially lived in his Philadelphia studio. Bowling—pregnant with her first child at the time—embarked on a cross-country road trip to visit her family in Maine. On her way back home in September, she took a detour to visit Hamilton. The pair caught up, sat down at their instruments, Bowling on baby grand piano and Hamilton on acoustic guitar, and hit record.

"It was all very organic," Hamilton recalls. "We hit save, she left, and we didn’t talk about it."

In fact, the music sat on a hard drive unheard until Hamilton, with time on his hands last February, listened back and realized they had something special. The resulting 46 minutes of ambient instrumental improvisation became Lacuna. Recorded in one take with no overdubs, the pair had to reverse engineer the album, splitting the improvisation into eight tracks with names.

"We were just playing to play," Bowling notes. "I was so intensely missing that spark and connection of playing music with someone else and having that back and forth. It was the happiest I had been in ages, even though the music sounds pretty dark in places, and it was definitely a very dark time. Tapping into that and then getting it out was cathartic."

The title Lacuna came from one of the many books Bowling read during quarantine. She didn't know what the word meant so she looked it up and found that the definition: "a gap, an unfilled space, or an intentional, extended passage in a musical work during which no notes are played." It perfectly encapsulated the pandemic era and the sounds the pair had made while living through it.

"I've felt more and more comfortable in those in-between spaces," Bowling concludes. "That's really where I've been wanting to spend my time, and with Lacuna, that's the entire thing."

LACUNA
Track Listing

1. Smile Pretty For The Camera
2. This Elevator Goes Up
3. Pavement Grass
4. Your Shadow Looms Large
5. Isosolost
6. The Swimmer
7. Lacuna
8. Exit This Way

LACUNA Feat. Tom Hamilton & Holly Bowling
Tour Dates

11/26 - New York, NY - (Le) Poisson Rouge
11/27 - Philadelphia, PA - The Ballroom
12/17 - Boulder, CO - Boulder Theater
12/18 - Beaver Creek, CO - Vilar Performing Arts Center
3/5/22 - San Francisco, CA - The Chapel

Today, Scott Metzger announces his debut album, Too Close To Reason, due March 4 via RPF Records. The collection's first single, "Don't Be A Stranger," and an accompanying video is available now (listen/share). Comprised by 12 solo-acoustic guitar recordings of pastoral and ambient beauty, fans of Metzger's previous work with bands like Joe Russo's Almost Dead, WOLF! and The Showdown Kids are presented an entirely different side of his range and vision as a guitarist and songwriter. Metzger will support the album with a series of tour dates, four of which have been announced and go on-sale this Friday, January 7 at scottmetzger.com, including shows in Boston, New York City, Washington, DC and Philadelphia. Additional shows will be announced shortly. Pre-order for Too Close To Reason on 180-gram black vinyl and digital formats is now available here.

When the global pandemic darkened stages everywhere, Metzger hunkered down in Brooklyn and did what came naturally—he picked up the guitar every day and wrote instrumental music. Shortly thereafter, he booked time at Brooklyn recording studio, Restoration Sound, to document the guitar pieces he'd created. The result of those efforts is Too Close to Reason—Metzger's first solo album in what's already a distinguished 20-plus year career. The 12-track collection showcases a more introspective side of his musical personality. From the first swelling notes of the atmospheric "Appropriate Wattage," it's full of musical surprises, starting with the fact that Metzger plays nearly every note of this primarily acoustic guitar-based album. The sole exception is "Only Child," a ballad with Katie Jacoby, violinist for The Who (and Metzger's fiancée).  

Too Close To Reason exposes trace elements of Metzger's musical DNA through influences like Chet Atkins, Django Reinhardt, Jim Hall, and Richard Thompson, but it ultimately presents his own fully-formed and distinct voice as a guitarist. Both a player and composer, Metzger knows how to attract attention rather than demand it. He balances virtuosity with understatement, never feeling the need to impress with long solos or formidable displays of technique. Instead, Metzger lets his compositions create moods and colors, from the dark mystery of "Talk Like That" to the effervescence of "When Katie Smiles." His trademark as a composer is modulation; he never gets stuck in one place. Tunes like the countrified "Don't Be a Stranger" and the bucolic "Asking for a Friend" move through scene-setting intros, lightly stated themes, key changes, and unexpected shifts in direction that maintain a constant sense of forward momentum. Metzger is not afraid to spend time developing a single idea, as he does in the opening of the ethereal "Dream Room," a two-part opus that patiently reveals itself to be the point of departure for an unexpected destination.

The through line of Too Close To Reason is found in Scott Metzger's ability to manage conflicting tensions. He's introspective without being self-indulgent and welcoming without being a crowd-pleaser. In short, his debut reveals an artist in full bloom who has honed his craft and knows himself, contradictions and all. With Too Close to Reason, Metzger has created the musical equivalent of a mirror, and he invites us to peer into that reflection by listening deeply.

Scott Metzger | Too Close To Reason
Track Listing:

1. Appropriate Wattage
2. Don’t Be a Stranger
3. Asking for a Friend
4. Talk Like That
5. Damage
6. Dream Room (Part One)
7. Dream Room (Part Two)
8. Waltz for Beverly
9. When Katie Smiles
10. Cafe Hidalgo
11. Only Child
12. At Your Service

Available March 4, 2022 on Vinyl & Digital Formats via RPF Records
Pre-Order on 180-Gram Vinyl & Digital Here

Tour Dates:
3/30 - Cambridge, MA - Club Passim
3/31 - New York, NY - Loft @ City Winery
4/1 - Washington, DC - Loft @ City Winery
4/2 - Philadelphia, PA - Loft @ City Winery

Tickets On-Sale Friday, January 7

Today, Steven Bernstein's Millennial Territory Orchestra releases Good Time Music, the second album in the venerated arranger and trumpeter's four volume Community Music series. Joined by special guest vocalist Catherine Russell, the 6-track collection celebrates the joyous spirit present in the blues with jubilant interpretations of songs by Percy Mayfield, Allen Toussaint, Bessie Smith, Professor Longhair, Earl King and WC Handy.

"Good Time Music is a continuation of the music I was making with Levon Helm, with roots in Ray Charles, New Orleans, and the blues," Bernstein says. "But refracted through my own musical prism, the particular language of the MTO and Catherine Russell's magnificent voice."

In a review for the Wall Street Journal, music journalist Will Friedwald writes: "Good Time Music: (Community Music, Vol. 2), the new album by trumpeter, bandleader and composer Steven Bernstein, serves as a vivid illustration of how inclusive the impulse of the blues really is—how it transcends time (both musical and chronological) and interacts with other genres of music, often in surprising ways."

A longstanding presence on the New York City music scene, Steven Bernstein has played with and written arrangements for everyone from John Lurie's Lounge Lizards and Levon Helm's Midnight Ramble Band to Lee "Scratch" Perry, Lou Reed and Marianne Faithfull. His Community Music series, recorded in just four days, showcases four different facets of a remarkable, telepathic musical language that Bernstein has created with a circle of musicians with whom he's been playing for upwards of four decades.

Steven Bernstein's MTO
feat. Catherine Russell
Good Time Music

1. River's Invitation
2. Yes We Can
3. You've Been A Good Old Wagon
4. Loveless Love
5. Come On
6. Baby Let Me Hold Your Hand

Steven Bernstein - Trumpet, Slide Trumpet
Catherine Russell - Vocals
Curtis Fowlkes - Trombone
Charlie Burnham - Violin
Doug Wieselman - Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone
Peter Apfelbaum - Tenor & Soprano Saxophone
Erik Lawrence - Baritone Saxophone
Matt Munisteri - Guitar
John Medeski - Organ (Track 6)
Ben Allison - Bass
Ben Perowsky - Drums

Available Now on Vinyl & Digital Formats via RPF Records

The Bogie Band featuring Joe Russo has announced its debut album, The Prophets In The City, will be released March 25 on Royal Potato Family. The first single and title track, "The Prophets In The City (Arrival, Balance, Discipline, Joy)" is out today on all streaming platforms (listen/share), while pre-order for the nine track collection on 180-gram vinyl and digital formats is available here. The collective has also added two release shows on March 24 at Brooklyn Bowl Philadelphia and March 26 at Brooklyn Bowl Williamsburg. Tickets go on-sale this Friday, Jan 21 at 12PM ET.

A new collaboration between old friends, The Bogie Band featuring Joe Russo merges tenor saxophonist Stuart Bogie's fiery arrangements with Russo's dynamic drumming. Utilizing only wind and percussion instruments, they are joined by a supporting cast of musicians whose resumes run through some of New York City's most beloved bands, including Antibalas, The Dap-Kings, Red Barat, Budos Band, St. Vincent and David Byrne's American Utopia. The resulting efforts captured on The Prophets In The City is riotous and jubilant, pushing the boundaries of wind music.

"The music we've created here revels in the human mysteries that unfold in New York City, basking in its connections, ironies, and myths," explains Bogie. "Through observing its humanity, we hope to invoke the underlying world of the spirits."

Indeed, The Prophets In The City presents a soundtrack to life in NYC that is at once ancient and immediate. The collection's nine tracks paint images of crowded streets, joy and fury together on the sidewalk, golden light shining through scaffolding, and characters that carry mysteries and truths in their hearts. The dynamic arrangements are built on the propulsion of Russo's drumming, alternating through transcendental minimalism, raucous humor and revelatory wonder; passages of bold gleaming brass ring back and forth in overtone rich harmonies, conjuring new melody in the listener's imagination.

"These are deep, thoughtful, beautiful and powerful compositions that could have only come from the mind and heart of Stuart Bogie," says Russo. "I'm so proud of this record and can’t wait to share it with the world."

The group debuted at Winter Jazzfest in 2020, shelving the possibilities for live appearance until the summer of 2021 when they performed at their most beloved club, NuBlu for a sold out warm-up show prior to an appearance at Newport Jazz Festival. In a review of their performance, JazzTimes wrote, "…it was simply incredible. Mesmerizing waves of harmony and rhythm overlapped each other, like a mashup of Fela Kuti, Sun Ra, and King Crimson with (more) tuba! And (sometimes) multiple flutes."

Stuart Bogie has worked with artists such as Arcade Fire, TV On The Radio and Iron & Wine, though he's best known for his time as member/conductor of Antibalas. He also wrote the score for the Oscar nominated film, How to Survive a Plague. Russo's career has included performing and recording with Furthur, Gene Ween Band and Benevento/Russo Duo. He currently leads his own group, the highly-regarded Joe Russo’s Almost Dead (JRAD).

The Bogie Band featuring Joe Russo
The Prophets In The City

Track Listing
1. The Prophets In The City (Arrival, Balance, Discipline, Joy)
2. The Witnesses
3. We Met Them By The Water
4. Walking With The Holy Fools
5. Take Them On
6. We Organize
7. Joy (Reprise)
8. The Struggle
9. God In Us

Musicians
Drums, Timpani, Mallet Percussion: Joe Russo
Percussion: Mauro Refosco, Joe Russo, Korey Richey, Stuart Bogie, Jeff Citron
additional commotion: Karyn Starr, Arthur Lee Johnson, Louis Thebeau Starr Johnson
Sousaphone: John Altieri
Trumpets: Jordan McLean, Michael Leonhart, Dave Guy, Billy Aukstik, Eric Biondo
Trombones: Raymond Mason, Adam Dotson, Dave Smoota Smith
Saxes: Cochemea Gastelum (Bari), Matt Bauder (Bari, Alto), Ian Hendrickson-Smith (Alto), Colin Stetson (Soprano), Stuart Bogie (Tenor, Bari)
Flutes: Domenica Fossati, Stuart Bogie
Choir/Claps: Korey Richey, Jeff Citron, Stuart Bogie, Domenica Fossati, Matt Bauder

Album Release Shows
3/24 - Philadelphia, PA - Brooklyn Bowl Philadelphia
3/26 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Bowl Williamsburg

Brooklyn, NY psych rock septet Evolfo have announced a 12-date US tour spanning the Midwest and Northeast. Booked on the coattails of their acclaimed 2021 album, Site Out of Mind, the tour will include an appearance at Treefort Festival in Boise and an Audiotree session in Chicago.

"It's a tour that is overdue. We've grown so much since we last played in cities like Chicago and Omaha," explains Evolfo vocalist and guitarist Matt Gibbs. "We're experimenting more now, blending tripped out, weirdo, psych improv with our more arranged and melodic tunes. The result is super energetic and unique to our group; it is something I’m proud to show to people."

Evolfo
Tour Dates

March 27 - Boise, ID - Treefort Music Fest
March 28 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
March 30 - Denver, CO - Hi Dive
March 31 - Omaha, NE - Reverb Lounge
April 1 - Davenport, IA -  Raccoon Motel *
April 2 - Chicago, IL - Golden Dagger *
April 3 - Milwaukee, WI - Cactus Club *
April 4 - Chicago, IL - Audiotree Session
April 6 - Rochester, NY - Bug Jar
April 7 - Canton, NY - Java Barn
April 8 - Troy, NY - No Fun
April 9 - Lowell, MA - The Town and The City Festival

* w/ In The Pines

Tickets on-sale Friday, January 28, 10am local, at: evolfo.com 

Today, Scott Metzger shares "Waltz For Beverly" the second single and video from his debut album, Too Close To Reason, due March 4 on Royal Potato Family. One of the more languid and delicate moments on the 12-track collection of acoustic guitar compositions, "Waltz For Beverly" presents a side of Metzger's musical oeuvre that stands in contrast to his work as a collaborator with artists like John Scofield, Nels Cline and Shooter Jennings, as well as, his role as vocalist and guitarist in Joe Russo's Almost Dead.

"This was one of the last tunes written and recorded for the album. It didn't occur to me until after I recorded it that it is a lullaby with an element of Irish reel music to it," says Metzger. "The song was inspired by a stuffed animal bat named Beverly who lives in our house that has become a bit of a mascot. This one played itself—everything you hear on this song was a first take in the studio. Dan Goodwin's mix of the song adds to the overall cloud-like mood."

Scott Metzger will celebrate the release of Too Close To Reason with four east coast performances beginning at the end of March currently on-sale in Cambridge, New York City, Washington, DC and Philadelphia. Additional dates will be added shortly.

"Waltz For Beverly" was preceded by the album's first single and video "Don't Be A Stranger."

Too Close To Reason is currently available to pre-order on 180-gram vinyl here.

Scott Metzger
Tour Dates:

3/30 - Cambridge, MA - Club Passim
3/31 - New York, NY - The Loft @ City Winery
4/1 - Washington, DC - The Loft @ City Winery
4/2 - Philadelphia, PA - The Loft @ City Winery

Tickets On-Sale Now

A dance-floor-ready slice of psychedelic soul, Marco Benevento's latest single "Winter Rose" offers a silver lining in these troubled times with the zen-like refrain, "If every thorn came with a winter rose, then everything was worth it, yes, I suppose."

Benevento co-wrote "Winter Rose" with Al Howard. It's his second collaboration with the San Diego-based lyricist and poet, following last Fall's single release, "At The End Or The Beginning." Benevento plays all instruments on the track with exception of additional percussion by Mamadouba 'Mimo' Camara.

Out today across all digital music outlets, "Winter Rose" is over five minutes of uptempo joy; a beacon of what's to come: hope, celebration, summer, and of course, the dance floor. It sits equally alongside artists like Quincy Jones, Animal Collective, Boz Scaggs, Tame Impala and Unknown Mortal Orchestra in that go-to playlist curated in the spirit of better days ahead.

Benevento is putting the finishing touches on a new studio album that will be released this summer. His band featuring bassist Karina Rykman and drummer Dave "DB" Butler plays shows in Philadelphia and Washington, DC next weekend with a handful of additional club dates and festivals scheduled this summer..

Marco Benevento "Winter Rose"
Out today via Royal Potato Family
Listen Here

Marco Benevento
Tour Dates:

February 25 - Ardmore, PA - Ardmore Music Hall
February 26 - Washington, DC - Union Stage
April 7 - Cambridge, MA - The Sinclair
April 8 - Burlington, VT - Higher Ground
April 9 - Fairfield, CT - Stage One
June 26 - Rothbury, MI - Electric Forest Festival
July 1 - Scranton, PA - Peach Music Festival
July 3 - Quincy, CA - High Sierra Music Festival

It's our great honor to bring you Scott Metzger's debut solo album, Too Close To Reason. Over a 20-plus year career, Scott has made a name for himself on the live music scene. He's one of two guitarists/vocalists in Joe Russo's Almost Dead, while he's collaborated with the likes of Phil Lesh, Nels Cline and John Scofield, to name but a few. And while he's fronted his own bands—most notably WOLF!, The Showdown Kids and RANA—he's never stepped out with his own album until now. A 12-track collection of pastoral and reflective acoustic guitar recordings, Too Close To Reason falls squarely in the tradition of the finest work by artists both classic and modern like John Fahey, Bert Jansch, Julian Lage, William Tyler and Leo Kottke.

Too Close To Reason is out today wherever you stream/download music, as well as, on 180-gram classic black vinyl. The first LP pressing has sold out, but we'll have more in stock on March 21 and immediately begin shipping.  

TOO CLOSE TO REASON
Track Listing:

1. Appropriate Wattage
2. Don’t Be a Stranger
3. Asking for a Friend
4. Talk Like That
5. Damage
6. Dream Room (Part One)
7. Dream Room (Part Two)
8. Waltz for Beverly
9. When Katie Smiles
10. Cafe Hidalgo
11. Only Child
12. At Your Service

LISTEN NOW

Seth Walker has announced his eleventh album, I Hope I Know, will be released May 20 on Royal Potato Family. It's the North Carolina-based singer/songwriter's third studio collaboration with producer Jano Rix. Each song on the ten track collection shines with what many have come to love about Walker and his soulful Americana: diverse influences, contemplative lyrics, that signature blue tone on the guitar, and movement both geographic and spiritual. The album's first single, "The Future Ain't What It Used To Be" is out today (listen/share). Walker will support the album with a U.S. tour beginning in May.

I Hope I Know might best be described as Walker's 'round-midnight album. Written in the midst of a breakup, relocating from his home in Nashville, TN to Asheville, NC, and the enduring mental struggles of the pandemic, it's a beautiful reckoning with heartbreak, moving across states and coming to terms with the uncertainty of the future. Its tempos are slower and tonality darker than on previous work. In Walker's words, he had to just "sit with it." The music’s creation embodied trying and failing without forcing anything: not time, not the songwriting or its grooves, not a sense of control, not even his own healing. He credits the practice of "search and surrender," a quest for new meaning in things he may never fully understand.

"This last year and a half has personally cracked me open. In many ways, for the first time, I'm observing myself and how I relate to the music, how I sit with the feeling, the emotion, my shadow and light," explains Walker. "I have always been in this place of action, and finally, when all this happened, I found myself in a  place of relinquishing—an  active state of inaction."

The first sessions for I Hope I Know began in 2019, but it wouldn't be until the second half of 2020 when Walker would truly dive into the writing and recording process. Oliver Wood—Jano Rix’s bandmate in The Wood Brothers—cowrote three of the songs, as did Walker’s longtime songwriting partner Gary Nicholson, while Jarrod Dickenson also contributed to one song. Among the album's highlights are "Why Do I Cry Anymore," which asks unanswerable questions about recovering from heartbreak, ultimately coming to the conclusion that love is still worth it. "Remember Me" haunts with old jazz and blues, a falsetto vocal, arco acoustic bass and dusty drums. The title track came from the "Ho’oponopono Prayer," a Hawaiian poem about forgiveness and reconciliation that his mother sent him, which translates as "I am sorry. Forgive me. Thank you. I love you." Special guest Allison Russell adds vocal harmonies.

Three cover songs featured on the recording offer something familiar to hold onto—a tinge of nostalgia, minus the impulse to cling to the past. The Bobby Charles' song "Tennessee Blues" perfectly speaks to Walker moving from Nashville into the mountains of Asheville as he tried to "figure out what just happened, post break up."  Van Morrison's "Warm Love" is the perfect respite and breather. Bob Dylan's "Buckets of Rain" came spontaneously like a dream; Seth woke up one morning with the song in his head and quickly captured this rendition.

The follow up to Walker's 2019 album, Are You Open?—which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Blues Album Chart—I Hope I Know is a distinct statement from the previous ten recordings in Walker's discography. In its totality, the songs create a deep, but relatable journey, offering a beacon of light and ultimately safe haven, centered around the most precious of all gifts—Hope.

SETH WALKER - I HOPE I KNOW
Track Listing

1. The Future Ain’t What It Used To Be
2. Why Do I Cry Anymore
3. Hope I Know
4. Remember Me
5. Satisfy My Mind
6. Tennessee Blues
7. Warm Love
8. River
9. Buckets Of Rain
10. Peace In The Valley

Available May 20 on Limited Edition 180-Gram Orange Vinyl, CD & Digital Formats
Pre-Order Available HERE

SETH WALKER
Tour Dates:

5/19 - Dallas, TX - The Kessler *
5/20 - Austin, TX - 04 Center *
5/21 - Houston, TX - The Heights *
6/3 - Easton, PA - Stoltz Listening Room
6/4 - Wayne, PA - 118 North
6/5 - Putney, VT - Twilight On The Tavern Lawn
6/7 - New York, NY - Rockwood Music Hall
6/9 - Albany, NY - The Linda
6/10 - Exeter, NH - Word Barn
6/11 - Plymouth, MA - Spire Center for the Performing Arts
6/16 - Washington, DC - The Hamilton **
6/17 - Greensboro, NC - Flat Iron
6/18 - Asheville, NC - The Grey Eagle
9/1 - Ridgeway, CO - Sherbino Theater
9/4 - Pagosa Springs, CO - Four Corners Folk Festival
9/30 - Sisters, OR - Sisters Folk Festival
10/1 - Sisters, OR - Sisters Folk Festival
10/2 - Sisters, OR - Sisters Folk Festival

* w/ Bonnie Bishop
** w/ Pressing Strings

Tickets On-Sale Now

This summer, hallucinatory keyboard wizard Marco Benevento pulls back the curtain on his latest studio effort, simply titled, Benevento. Due June 10 on Royal Potato Family, the 11-track collection presents 40-minutes of small-batch psychedelia, bubbled up from his home studio (Fred Short Studios) at the base of the Catskill Mountains in Woodstock, NY. Its title nods to Paul McCartney's first solo album and like Macca’s eponymous release, Benevento is a similarly loose, low-key affair where song sketches and sunrise jams share space with more constructed tracks. Benevento plays all of the instruments with exception of percussion from Mamadouba 'Mimo' Camara and backing vocals by his wife and kids on a handful of songs. He also produced and engineered the recording. The album's latest single "Marco & Mimo," which sets Afro-Caribbean melodic lines and sing-song, earworm vocals against the bump 'n' grind of Camara’s percussion, is out today (listen/share), while pre-order is available here.

"This record really acts as a psychedelic window into my studio and my brain," Benevento explains. "The studio was a good place to be trapped for the last few years. I was surrounded by tape machines and gear. The album started to become this document of a crazy dude losing his mind in the woods—and maybe regaining it."

Recording was conducted amidst stacks of gear in varying states of repair, all fodder for inspiration during long quarantine-dictated solo jam sessions. In this environment, Benevento unlocked his archives, mining for unfinished song ideas, and surrendered to the machines, coaxing beats and melodies from both go-to favorites and gear that had long been collecting dust. Benevento has since decamped to a new, significantly larger, home studio. As such, the album also acts as a swan song for his former workspace.

"Wall-to-wall keyboards, mics, amps, drums, the place was about to explode," Benevento laughs.

In contrast to Let It Slide, his minimalistic 2019 full-length collaboration with producer Leon Michels, Benevento is heavily saturated and experimental, built from countless layers of keyboards, bounced to 4-track tape. Deeply indebted to the West African psychedelia of artists such as Francis Bebey, Kiki Gyan and William Onyeabor, the songs are rhythmic and repetitive, built into thick mosaics of sound. Each track features at least one keyboard solo, allowing Benevento ample time to explore sounds from the deepest recesses of his gear collection.

For the five songs with vocals, Benevento collaborated on lyrics with Al Howard, a San Diego-based poet. Howard handed over a 10 pages of lyrical sketches which Benevento worked into his tracks, occasionally chopping and mixing the lines or adding in words of his own.

"It was a new thing for me to dive in to—using someone's lyrics," Benevento says. "Or, I should say, finding a way to fit someone else's lyrics into my tunes. I was a bit fed up with my own lyrical ideas, and was immediately drawn to Al’s writing."

Despite stresses of the global pandemic, the vibe at Fred Short Studios was deeply peaceful and creative as Benevento patiently worked through years of accumulated ideas, lost, as he says, in the wonder of Woodstock. The experience ended up being so inspiring that—in another nod to McCartney—Benevento II is already in the works.

"I guess all my records are kind of experimental and weird, but this one is really unique," Benevento says. "Records are snapshots of time, and this is from a time when it was just me, dialing knobs and making mixes and inventing how things could sound."

As such, Benevento is sonic time capsule, a wormhole beckoning listeners to enter and explore. Throw away your preconceptions of time and space and dive in.

Marco Benevento - Benevento
Track Listing:

1. Like Me
2. Marco & Mimo
3. At The End Or The Beginning
4. We Were Here
5. Winter Rose
6. Polysix
7. The Warm Up
8. Do You Want Some Magic
9. Mountain Cougars
10. Ballad Of A Broken Wing
11. Is This A Dream

Benevento is out June 10 on Limited Edition Bubblegum Pink 180-Gram Vinyl,
Classic Black 180-Gram Vinyl and Digital formats from Royal Potato Family.

Pre-order available HERE

Marco Benevento
Tour Dates:

4/7 - Cambridge, MA - The Sinclair
4/8 - Burlington, VT - Higher Ground
4/9 - Fairfield, CT - Stage One
6/22 - Rochester, NY - Abilene
6/23 - Pittsburgh, PA - Thunderbird
6/24 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom
6/25 - Rothbury, MI - Electric Forest Festival
7/1 - Scranton, PA - Peach Music Festival
7/3 - Quincy, CA - High Sierra Music Festival
9/3 - Portland, ME - Ghostland Festival

Today, The Bogie Band featuring Joe Russo releases its debut album, The Prophets In The City, via Royal Potato Family. A collaboration between old friends, the New York City-based collective merges tenor saxophonist Stuart Bogie's fiery arrangements with Joe Russo's dynamic drumming. Utilizing only wind and percussion instruments, they are joined by a supporting cast of musicians whose resumes run through some of New York City's most beloved bands, including Antibalas, The Dap-Kings, Red Barat, Budos Band, St. Vincent and David Byrne's American Utopia. The resulting efforts on debut album, The Prophets In The City are riotous and jubilant, pushing the boundaries of instrumental music.

"The music we've created here revels in the human mysteries that unfold in New York City, basking in its connections, ironies, and myths," explains Bogie. "Through observing its humanity, we hope to invoke the underlying world of the spirits."

Indeed, The Prophets In The City presents a soundtrack to life in NYC that is at once ancient and immediate. The collection's nine tracks paint images of crowded streets, joy and fury together on the sidewalk, golden light shining through scaffolding, and characters that carry mysteries and truths in their hearts. The dynamic arrangements are built on the propulsion of Russo's drumming, alternating through transcendental minimalism, raucous humor and revelatory wonder; passages of bold gleaming brass ring back and forth in overtone rich harmonies, conjuring new melody in the listener's imagination.

"These are deep, thoughtful, beautiful and powerful compositions that could have only come from the mind and heart of Stuart Bogie," says Russo. "I'm so proud of this record and can’t wait to share it with the world."

Stuart Bogie has worked with artists such as Arcade Fire, TV On The Radio and Iron & Wine, though he's best known for his time as member/conductor of Antibalas. He also wrote the score for the Oscar nominated film, How to Survive a Plague. Russo's career has included performing and recording with Furthur, Gene Ween Band and Benevento/Russo Duo. He currently leads his own group, the highly-regarded Joe Russo’s Almost Dead (JRAD).

The Bogie Band featuring Joe Russo celebrates the release of The Prophets In The City with an album release performance tomorrow, Saturday, March 26 at Brooklyn Bowl. Tickets are available HERE. They return on Friday, July 1 to play Peach Music Festival in Scranton, PA.

The Bogie Band featuring Joe Russo
The Prophets In The City

Track Listing:
1. The Prophets In The City (Arrival, Balance, Discipline, Joy)
2. The Witnesses
3. We Met Them By The Water
4. Walking With The Holy Fools
5. Take Them On
6. We Organize
7. Joy (Reprise)
8. The Struggle
9. God In Us

Marco Benevento announces FOLLOW THE ARROW, a one day festival presented by the Woodstock, NY-based artist to be held Saturday, June 18 at Arrowood Farms in Accord, NY. Benevento will be joined by The Slip, Antibalas, El Michels Affair (DJ set), Mikaela Davis & Southern Star, Karina Rykman, Jayla Kai and Ratboy Jr. A handful of Benevento-centric configurations will also perform, including the Benevento Family Band with his wife and two daughters, a duo with Alecia Chakour dubbed 40 Love and the long-awaited return of Surprise Me Mr. Davis. The inaugural gathering will be capped off by a Marco Benevento & Friends set featuring special guests Scott Metzger, Stuart Bogie, Cochemea Gastelum, Sam Evian and Burnell Pines. Produced in partnership with Impact Concerts, tickets for FOLLOW THE ARROW are on-sale HERE.

"I love where I live. Every morning I wake up and think to myself how beautiful life is in the Catskills and what a cool community of folks I’m surrounded by," says Benevento. "So to have the opportunity to throw a big party with some of my favorite bands and closest friends right in my own backyard is a dream come true. We're so excited to get everyone over to Arrowood Farms on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon and celebrate the positive."

Marco Benevento will also be celebrating his latest studio album, simply titled, Benevento, that will be released one week earlier on June 10 via Royal Potato Family. The 11-track collection presents 40-minutes of "small-batch psychedelia," bubbled up from his home studio (Fred Short Studios) in Woodstock, NY. Its title nods to Paul McCartney's first solo album and like Macca's eponymous release, Benevento is a similarly loose, low-key affair where song sketches and sunrise jams share space with more constructed tracks. Listen to the latest single "Marco & Mimo" HERE.

Arrowood Farms, the sprawling location for FOLLOW THE ARROW, is a sustainably-minded farm brewery, distillery, dining and event destination in the beautiful and bountiful Hudson Valley. A varied selection of local food artisans will be on-hand serving all day long. Tent and RV camping is available at the Rondout Valley Campground one mile away from the festival site, while there are also numerous hotel and lodging options in the surrounding area.

Impact Concerts, co-founded by Drew Frankel and Peter Himberger, creates music and lifestyle events in the Hudson Valley / Catskill Mountains region of New York. These events showcase internationally-renowned music, art, food, beer, and wine in an idyllic environment with great care and thought put into every show.

FOLLOW THE ARROW
Full Lineup

Marco Benevento
The Slip
Antibalas
Surprise Me Mr. Davis
El Michels Affair (DJ Set)
Mikaela Davis & Southern Star
Karina Rykman
Jayla Kai
Ratboy Jr.
Benevento Family Band
40 Love (featuring Marco Benevento & Alecia Chakour)

With Special Guests
Scott Metzger
Stuart Bogie
Sam Evian
Cochemea Gastelum
Burnell Pines

Today, Seth Walker shares "Remember Me," the second single from his forthcoming album, 'I Hope I Know,' out May 20 on Royal Potato Family. In its premiere at WMOT Roots Radio, they proclaim the song "scratches a particular nostalgic itch, bringing with it the feeling of a hot and sticky summer night in the south, a bar full of only people who are in the know, no invitations given, just word of mouth and the ability to suss out who is worth listening to." Co-written with Walker's longtime, Grammy Award-winning collaborator Gary Nicholson and featuring haunting horn parts by Matt Glassmeyer, "Remember Me" is imbued by a ghostly, 'round midnight aura in which the protagonist laments: "So much more than memory, the words we never said still won’t let me be. And all the love we made will never end and if you want to feel that way again remember me."

"The song came to me while staring at a bookshelf, lost in thought, comparing the memory of a relationship to how lines of prose and poetry leave imprints and recollections on a page," explains Walker. "The moment caught me wrapped in a feeling of how I hoped to remember and be remembered as life rolls, tumble and fades. Amidst those thoughts, up jumped this melody and song seedling. Musically it pulls from some of my earliest influences of old jazz and blues, with a few turns and twists woven through there."

Not surprisingly, Walker wrote the majority of the new album in the middle of a seven year r relationship coming to an end and the subsequent move from his home in Nashville to Asheville not far from where he was born and raised in North Carolina. Produced by Jano Rix of The Wood Brothers and featuring three songs co-written with Oliver Wood, one with Jarrod Dickenson and two more with the aforementioned Nicholson, as well as, renditions of songs by Bob Dylan, Van Morrison and Bobby Charles, 'I Hope I Know' is a beautiful reckoning with heartbreak, moving across states and coming to terms with the uncertainty of the future. Ultimately revealing itself as a beacon of light for the listener, each of its ten songs shining forth with what so many have come to love about Walker and his soulful Americana: diverse influences, contemplative lyrics, his signature blue tone on the guitar, and movement both geographic and spiritual.

Seth Walker will be on tour supporting the album for the next year with the first shows this May in Texas. June will be spent performing shows on the East Coast before heading to Europe for an extensive run of shows.

SETH WALKER - I HOPE I KNOW
Track Listing

1. The Future Ain’t What It Used To Be (listen / watch)
2. Why Do I Cry Anymore
3. Hope I Know
4. Remember Me
5. Satisfy My Mind
6. Tennessee Blues
7. Warm Love
8. River
9. Buckets Of Rain
10. Peace In The Valley

Available May 20 on Limited Edition 180-Gram Orange Vinyl, CD & Digital Formats

Pre-Order Available HERE

SETH WALKER
Tour Dates:

5/14 - San Angelo, TX - Simply Texas Blues Festival
5/19 - Dallas, TX - The Kessler *
5/20 - Austin, TX - 04 Center *
5/21 - Houston, TX - The Heights *
6/3 - Easton, MD - Stolz Listening Room
6/4 - Wayne, PA - 118 North
6/5 - Putney, VT - Next Stage Bandwagon Summer Series
6/7 - New York, NY - Rockwood Music Hall
6/9 - Albany, NY - The Linda
6/10 - Exeter, NH - Word Barn
6/11 - Plymouth, MA - Spire Center for the Performing Arts
6/14 - Lancaster, PA - Tellus 360 **
6/15 - Baltimore, MD - The 8x10 **
6/16 - Washington, DC - The Hamilton **
6/17 - Greensboro, NC - Flat Iron
6/18 - Asheville, NC - The Grey Eagle
6/28 - Seclin, France - La Scene
6/30 - Madrid, Spain - Cafe Berlin
7/1 - Aviles, Spain - Centro Niemeyer
7/2 - Valles, Spain - Bocanegra
7/3 - Sabinanigo, Spain - Sala Corleone
7/5 - Grenoble, France - Gresiblues
7/8 - Asendorf, Germany - Break Out
7/9 - Joldelund, Germany - Gerds Juke Joint
7/11 - Malmo, Sweden - Medley
7/15 - Norderstedt, Germany - Musicstar
7/17 - Oostende, Belgium - Manuscript
7/29 - Tryon, NC - Summer Tracks
7/30 - Elkin, NC - Reeves Theater
8/4 - Berwyn, IL - Fitzgerald's
8/5-7 - Appleton, WI - Mile of Music Festival
8/9 - Des Moines, WI - The Flying Mango
8/12 - Ann Arbor, MI - The Ark
8/16 - Pittsburgh, PA - Club Cafe
9/1 - Ridgeway, CO - Sherbino Theater
9/2 - Glenwood Springs, CO - Four Mile Creek
9/4 - Pagosa Springs, CO - Four Corners Folk Festival
9/28 - Prosser, WA - Brewminatti
9/29 - Portland, OR - Jack London Revue
9/30-10/2 - Sisters, OR - Sisters Folk Festival
10/13-16 - Live Oak, FL - Suwannee Roots

* w/ Bonnie Bishop
** w/ Pressing Strings

Marco Benevento shares "Do You Want Some Magic," the fourth single from his upcoming album, simply titled, Benevento, due June 10 on Royal Potato Family. The hypnotic, five minute-plus krautrock homage is Benevento's reimagination of musical heroes like Can and Neu! It finds Benevento—revered as a virtuosic, genre-defying, experimental keyboardist—playing all of the parts.

"I love those ten minute-plus songs by Can and Neu! where the entire track is basically the drum groove and the repetitious bass pattern. The recreation of this approach has practically become its own genre and I’ve always wanted to try it," says Benevento. "The demo for was made on a plane to London back in 2016 and for a long time it was something I wanted to get back to and finish. I finally had time to re-record it at my studio during the pandemic. It felt complete when I added the Japanese translation of 'do you want some magic?' to the mix."

In contrast to Let It Slide, Benevento's minimalistic 2019 full-length collaboration with producer Leon Michels, his latest 11-song studio effort is heavily saturated and exploratory, built from countless layers of keyboards, bounced to four-track tape. Deeply indebted to the West African psychedelia of artists such as Francis Bebey, Kiki Gyan and William Onyeabor, the songs are rhythmic and repetitive, built into thick mosaics of sound.

Its title, Benevento, nods to Paul McCartney's first solo album and like Macca's eponymous release, it's a similarly homegrown affair where song sketches and sunrise jams share space with more constructed tracks. Recording was conducted at Benevento's home studio amidst stacks of gear in varying states of repair, all fodder for inspiration during long quarantine-dictated solo jam sessions. In this environment, Benevento unlocked his archives, mining for unfinished song ideas, and surrendered to the machines, coaxing beats and melodies from both go-to favorites and gear that had long been collecting dust.

"It was wall-to-wall keyboards, mics, amps, drums, the place was about to explode," Benevento laughs. "Looking back, my studio was a good place to be trapped while the world was shutdown. I was surrounded by tape machines and gear. The album became a psychedelic window into my studio and my brain, a document of a crazy dude losing his mind in the woods and maybe regaining it."

Along with his upcoming album release, this summer Benevento presents his own festival, Follow The Arrow, at Arrowood Farms in the Hudson Valley on Saturday, June 18 featuring Antibalas, The Slip and El Michels Affair among others plus special guests like Stuart Bogie, Scott Metzger and Sam Evian among others.

Marco Benevento - Benevento
Track Listing:

1. Like Me
2. Marco & Mimo
3. At The End Or The Beginning
4. We Were Here
5. Winter Rose
6. Polysix
7. The Warm Up
8. Do You Want Some Magic
9. Mountain Cougars
10. Ballad Of A Broken Wing
11. Is This A Dream

Benevento is out June 10 on Limited Edition Bubblegum Pink 180-Gram Vinyl, Classic Black 180-Gram Vinyl and Digital formats from Royal Potato Family.

Pre-order available HERE

Marco Benevento
Tour Dates:

6/18 - Accord, NY - Follow The Arrow
6/21 - Rochester, NY - Abilene
6/22 - Rochester, NY - Abilene (Sold Out)
6/23 - Pittsburgh, PA - Thunderbird
6/24 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom
6/25 - Rothbury, MI - Electric Forest Festival
7/1 - Scranton, PA - Peach Music Festival
7/3 - Quincy, CA - High Sierra Music Festival
9/3 - Portland, ME - Ghostland Festival

Tickets Available HERE

Today, hallucinatory keyboard wizard Marco Benevento releases his latest studio effort, simply titled, Benevento (listen here) via his longstanding record label, Royal Potato Family. The 11-track collection presents 40-plus minutes of small-batch psychedelia, bubbled up from his home studio at the base of the Catskill Mountains in Woodstock, NY.  

The album's title nods to Paul McCartney's first solo record and like Macca's eponymous release, Benevento is a similarly loose, low-key affair where song sketches and sunrise jams share space with more constructed tracks. Benevento plays all of the instruments (with few exceptions), while also producing and engineering the recording.

In contrast to Let It Slide, Benevento's minimalistic 2019 full-length collaboration with producer Leon Michels, his latest 11-song studio effort is heavily saturated and exploratory, built from countless layers of keyboards, bounced to four-track tape. Deeply indebted to the West African psychedelia of artists such as Francis Bebey, Kiki Gyan and William Onyeabor, the songs are rhythmic and repetitive, built into thick mosaics of sound.

Recording was conducted amidst stacks of gear in varying states of repair, all fodder for inspiration during long quarantine-dictated solo jam sessions. In this environment, Benevento unlocked his archives, mining for unfinished song ideas, and surrendered to the machines, coaxing beats and melodies from both go-to favorites and gear that had long been collecting dust.

"It was wall-to-wall keyboards, mics, amps, drums, the place was about to explode," Benevento explains. "Looking back, my studio was a good place to be trapped while the world was shutdown. I was surrounded by tape machines and gear. The album became a psychedelic window into my studio and my brain, a document of a crazy dude losing his mind in the woods and maybe regaining it."

In celebration of the album's release, Marco Benevento hosts his inaugural festival, Follow The Arrow, next weekend, Saturday June 18 at Arrowood Farms in the Hudson Valley. Along with his own band, artists to perform include Antibalas, The Slip, El Michels Affair (DJ Set), Surprise Me Mr. Davis, Mikaela Davis, Karina Rykman, Jayla Kai and Ratboy, Jr. along with special guests Alecia Chakour, Burnell Pines, Cochemea Gastelum, Sam Evian, Scott Metzger and Stuart Bogie. Additional info and ickets available HERE.

Benevento is out today on Limited Edition Bubblegum Pink 180-Gram Vinyl and Digital formats from Royal Potato Family. LISTEN HERE

Marco Benevento has announced a West Coast tour this coming October. The 11-date run supports the Woodstock, NY-based artist's new studio album, simply titled, Benevento, out now on Royal Potato Family. Benevento—joined by his band featuring bassist Karina Rykman and drummer Chris Corsico—will kick off the tour at Pappy Harriet's in Pioneertown, CA followed by five additional California shows, including stops at Casbah in San Diego, Teragram Ballroom in Los Angeles and The Chapel in San Francisco. Benevento and company then make their way to the Northwest highlighted by a two night stand at Doug Fir Lounge in Portland and Madame Lou's in Seattle. Special guest William Tyler opens each evening. Tickets for Benevento's West Coast tour go on-sale this Friday, July 15 at 10am PT.

Marco Benevento recorded his latest eponymous titled release over the course of 2020 and 2021 while locked down during the pandemic at his home studio in the Hudson Valley. Amidst stacks of gear in varying states of repair, Benevento found fodder for inspiration during long quarantine-dictated solo jam sessions. In this environment, he unlocked his archives and surrendered to the machines, mining for unfinished song ideas, and coaxing beats and melodies from both go-to favorite instruments and gear that had long been collecting dust. Playing all of the parts himself with few exceptions, such as vocals added by his wife and daughter, the final 11-track collection mixes lo-fi dance floor jams like "Winter Rose," "At The End Or The Beginning" and "Marco & Mimo" alongside hallucinatory synth and drum machine experimentalism on tracks including "Do You Want Some Magic?," "Mountain Cougars" and "Is This A Dream."

MARCO BENEVENTO
West Coast 2022 Tour Dates

10/11 - Pioneertown, CA - Pappy & Harriett's
10/12 - San Diego, CA - Casbah
10/13 - Los Angeles, CA - Teragram Ballroom
10/14 - Felton, CA - Felton Music Hall
10/15 - San Francisco, CA - The Chapel
10/16 - Sonoma, CA - Sebastiani Theatre
10/19 - Eugene, OR - Sessions Music Hall
10/20 - Bend, OR - Volcanic
10/21 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir
10/22 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir
10/23 - Seattle, WA - Madame Lou's

Tickets Available Here On Friday, July 15 at 10am PT

It's been since Summer 2020 when we last heard new music from Upstate. In the interim, there's been babies, marriages, engagements, relocations, new career paths, band members departing, band members arriving and that merely scratches the surface. Perhaps the band was foreshadowing the subsequent 24 months when they released their previous single "Everything Changes." One thing that has remained constant, however, is founding members Mary Kenney, Melanie Glenn and Harry D'Agostino's commitment to each other and the joyful sound they create together. With the addition of percussionist/drummer Dylan Mckinstry, Upstate has been writing and recording a fresh collection of songs. Final machinations are currently being made for the release of these recent efforts, details of which will be announced shortly. Today, the band shares the first of these recent endeavors, "Lovers & Friends" (listen/share), a delicate yet soaring indie folk gem that explores the subtle intricacies of cherished relationships.

"This is a tune that reflects on the different kinds of stakes wrapped up in our romances and intimate friendships, the ways that we know each other, and the ways that we don’t. The kind of honesty that can flourish in a genuine friendship, and the kinds of lies that romance often begets," explains bassist and songwriter Harry D'Agostino.

If the grace of "Lovers & Friends" hints at Upstate's creative rebirth on the horizon, we'll patiently wait just a little longer for their forthcoming album to arrive in Spring 2023. In the meantime, Upstate has a handful of dates scheduled for the remainder of this summer with additional Autumn shows to be added shortly.

Upstate
Tour Dates

7/16 - Sherman, NY - Heron Farm & Event Center
7/29 - Cortland, NY - Main Street Music Series
8/17 - Katonah, NY - Caramoor Center for Music & Arts
10/15 - Geneva, NY - Smith Center for the Arts

Get tickets here

Today, Kenny Roby shares "New Day" (listen/share), the second single from his forthcoming self-titled album due August 5 on Royal Potato Family. Founding member and principle songwriter/frontman of legendary alt-country band 6 String Drag, Roby celebrates second chances on this folk rock, gospel-tinged rave-up. He's come through the other side, playing the cards he was dealt—content with being more content and at peace with finding peace. He sings of a concept that may have eluded him in his younger years, and he is refreshingly unapologetic about it. "Ain't gonna feel bad about my healin' Let it roll if it rolls," he rejoices.

"New Day" features Roby's band comprised by guitarist Dan Littleton, bassist Jeff Hill and drummer Tony Leone with special guests Amy Helm on vocals and harmonica by John Sebastian on harmonica.

"This song was originally written in 2004 and released on my 2006 record The Mercy Filter. I decided to cut it again on this record with a different feel, arrangement and with some changes in the melody," says Roby. "Amy Helm came in and added gospel flavored vocals which lifts up the choruses beautifully. This song still resonates with me after all these years. New beginnings. Rebirth of mind and spirit. It's never too late start over and try things a different way."

Kenny Roby
Tour Dates

7/16 - Philadelphia, PA - Grape Room
7/30 - Duluth, GA - Red Clay Music Foundry
8/3 - Raleigh, NC - Pour House Music Hall
8/4 - Knoxville, TN - Barley's
8/5 - Winston Salem, NC - Gas Hill Lounge (at The Ramkat)
8/6 - Charlotte, NC - The Evening Muse
8/8 - Nashville, TN - The Basement
8/11 - Story City, IA - Private
8/12 - Milwaukee, WI - Shank Hall
8/13 - Chicago, IL - Montrose Saloon
8/17 - New York, NY - Rockwood Music Hall
8/19 - Woodstock, NY - The Colony
8/20 - Syracuse, NY- Funk n Waffles

Tickets Available HERE

"Where are you going to get original arrangements of The Grateful Dead, Eddie Harris, The Beatles, Bessie Smith, Ellington and Charles Mingus, and not played as novelties but, like, this is our music?" Steven Bernstein asks. Popular Culture, that's where.  It's what the Millennial Territory Orchestra (MTO) has done brilliantly for 20 years: playing Bernstein's arrangements of the American Songbook, but reimagining that tradition in their own image. "I've always been into the idea of popular culture: what do we all connect with? What brings us together?" Bernstein adds.  "Also, I just like the music."
   
It's called Popular Culture and not 'Popular Music' because these artists made music for the people, whether they moved a lot of units or not. Eddie Harris, whose playful, wide-ranging crossover musical spirit just might be something of a role model for Bernstein, wasn't often critically acclaimed, but he was the first jazz artist to receive a gold record.  The iconic Charles Mingus, on the other hand, never had a gold record but he recorded for major labels like Columbia and Atlantic, where he was label-mates with artists like Barbra Streisand and Aretha Franklin. Then there are deep cuts like The Grateful Dead's "Black Peter" (listen/share) and The Beatles' "Long, Long, Long": great songs that weren't hits but are still known and loved by millions because they're on best-selling albums.
   
The MTO plays an elegant, reverential take on "Duke Ellington's Sound of Love," a tune Charles Mingus wrote in 1974 as an elegy for one of the few human beings who awed him.  Ellington awes Bernstein too: he made it a point to listen to Duke Ellington records every day for thirty years. Ellington appears again with "Flirtibird," from his score for Otto Preminger's great 1959 Anatomy of a Murder; that entire album is itself a key pillar of the MTO sound.
   
Bernstein embraced The Beatles at a relatively advanced age: not until he was in his early 20s, when someone left a copy of The White Album at his loft after a party.  "And I started listening to it and I thought, this is incredible!" he recalls. "It changed my life."  He began writing an arrangement of "Long, Long, Long" in 2003—and finished it on the plane from Italy to San Francisco to say goodbye to his mother.
 
"I'm Gonna Leave You By Yourself" from Eddie Harris' overlooked and adventurously eclectic gem of a record called Silver Cycles (1968), was produced by Joel Dorn, who was Hal Willner's mentor, who was Bernstein's mentor. Furthermore, Dorn's protege Kevin Calabro founded Royal Potato Family, the record label releasing Bernstein’s ‘Community Music’ series of which Popular Culture is the fourth and final volume. So it comes full circle.

"Black Peter" (listen/share) is from The Grateful Dead's 1970 classic Workingman's Dead, a record that Bernstein never owned in his younger years, but then he didn't have to—in '70s Berkeley it was all around.  But what does the MTO have in common with The Grateful Dead?  A deep and abiding connection to American vernacular music, a point embodied by what Bernstein calls a "tri-coastal” arrangement: "It has a New Orleans feeling, the way I imagine a riverboat band may have sounded, then the New York City vibe because of the intensity and intent," he says. "And in the bridge you hear that West Coast psychedelic haze."
   
Bernstein enjoys getting under the hood of these songs, reverse-engineering them, determining what's essential to the song and then thinking about what this particular group of musicians can do with it.  So he'll zero in on that secondary melody in "Long, Long, Long" and turn it into an entire introduction.  "It's like, look at that!  Let's make something of it," Bernstein says. "I always say, just try to get as much music in the music as possible. The more music, the better."

Steven Bernstein's MTO release Popular Culture (Community Music, Vol. 4) on September 9 via Royal Potato Family. Pre-order/save is available now on digital and vinyl formats HERE. They'll celebrate with an album release party and performance at The Roof at Superior Ingredients in Brooklyn, NY on Tuesday, August 30.

POPULAR CULTURE
Track Listing:

1. I'm Gonna Leave You By Yourself
2. Black Peter
3. Flirtibird
4. Put It Right Here
5. Long, Long, Long
6. Duke Ellington’s Sound of Love

The Musicians:
Steven Bernstein - Trumpet, Slide Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Curtis Fowlkes - Trombone
Charlie Burnham - Violin
Doug Wieselman - Clarinet
Peter Apfelbaum - Tenor Saxophone
Erik Lawrence - Baritone Saxophone
Matt Munisteri - Guitar, Vocals (Black Peter)
Ben Allison - Bass
Ben Perowsky - Drums

WOLF!, the treasured Brooklyn-based guitarist Scott Metzger's "Telecaster rock trio" with bassist Jon Shaw and drummer Taylor Floreth, returns after a six year hiatus with a new EP, Adult Entertainment, to be released via Royal Potato Family on October 28. Sounding like the love child of Pulp Fiction and The Endless Summer running off together under a full moon, WOLF!'s greasy instrumental rumblings weave together elements of surf, rockabilly, boogaloo and more into delectable, bite-sized musical nuggets. As has been WOLF!'s modus operandi since forming in 2014, tone, touch and taste are always front and center. As is the case on the six track collection's first single, "Ratso," out today on all streaming platforms (listen here).

"We had WOLF! up and running pretty hard back in 2016. There were two really great albums, a bunch of sold out shows, a few songs licensed to film and television and then for a laundry list of reasons, some still even unclear to us as a band, our attention got pulled towards other endeavors," explains Metzger. "In 2018, we ducked back into the studio and put down some tracks, but again life pointed us in other directions and the recordings wound up on the back burner. As things started to open up following the pandemic, it quickly became apparent that it was time to finish up the EP and get the band back out playing shows again."

Recorded at Restoration Sound in Brooklyn, NY and mixed by Chris Connors, Adult Entertainment refines WOLF!'s distinct approach heard on its first two releases with songs like "Ratso" and "Patty Cake," but expands the concept with "Hey Francis," a sub-octave guitar rock gem underpinned by a clave rhythm, the lilting exotica of "Hawaiian Shirt" featuring Marco Benevento on Farfisa organ and the jaunty Gabor Szabo-meets-Bill Frisell set closer "Cottonmouth." The EP will be unveiled with four singles over the coming weeks leading up through its release.

"WOLF! has a thing. There's an innate chemistry when the three of us play together," says Metzger. "I don't hear anyone else really playing instrumental music like this right now. It's a guitar-centered band, but it's not about guitar solos or fancy chops. It's about three dudes in a room making music in real time that just straight up feels good, you get it the first time you hear it. I think we all need a little of that these days."

After regaining their footing with a performance in Brooklyn's Industry City this summer, WOLF! plays four shows this Fall in the Northeast with more dates being planned for 2023.

WOLF! | Adult Entertainment
Track Listing:

1. Ratso
2. Hedgehog
3. Patty Cake
4. Hey Francis
5. Hawaiian Shirt
6. Cottonmouth

Available October 28, 2022 on Digital Formats via Royal Potato Family
Pre-Save / Pre-Order Available Here

WOLF!
Tour Dates

10/6 - Brooklyn, NY - The Sultan Room
10/7 - Fairfield, CT - Stage One
10/8 - Pembroke, MA - Soundcheck Studios
10/9 - Sea Cliff, NY - Still Partners

Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams have announced their long-awaited new album, Live At Levon's!, will be released February 3, 2023 via Royal Potato Family. The jubilant 12-track collection was recorded at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, NY on September 20 and 21, 2019 in front of an adoring hometown crowd and features a selection of previously unreleased new songs, old favorites that allow the band to stretch out plus a handful of unexpected covers. Today, the celebrated husband and wife duo share the album's first single "Angel Of Darkness" (listen/share) a song co-written by Campbell and Hot Tuna's Jorma Kaukonen. A pre-order for Live At Levon's! on 180-gram, double-vinyl, CD and digital formats is available here.

In 2019, after a year of touring, Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams returned to their adopted hometown in Woodstock, NY to celebrate with a performance at Levon Helm Studios, a historic and dual-purposed recording studio and live music venue founded by the legendary Levon Helm. It's a space with which the duo were intimately familiar and at ease in having played countless shows there with the Midnight Ramble Band, an outfit fronted by Helm with whom Campbell served as a bandleader for over a decade. Joining Campbell and Williams are some longtime friends and stellar musicians: Jesse Murphy—a gifted improviser who also provides a rock-solid foundation—appears on bass, tuba and harmony vocals. Justin Guip has held the drummer’s chair with Campbell and Williams since their earliest shows and has recorded and mixed all their albums since their self-titled debut. Special guest, Levon Helm alumnus, Brian Mitchell rounds out the group on keyboards, accordion and harmonica.

Larry Campbell, Teresa Williams and their band have a reputation for a high level of musicality that's in full display on Live at Levon's! with warmth, joy and spontaneity jumping out of the album's grooves. No matter which genre they're swimming in, this band knows how to rock, swing and shred while always serving the song first. Campbell, a world class guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, has revealed himself as a songwriting force, while Williams' vocal performances offer up her trademark fragility and ferocity, as she interprets each lyric with emotional nuance and raw honesty.

"This thing that Teresa and I do, though born on the back porch in Tennessee, was honed for public consumption during the wonderful years we spent making music in Levon's barn," explains Campbell. "There's magic between those wooden walls, a comfortable environment where there's no distance between performer and audience. Any event in there is a complete communal experience where there's no hierarchy, no pressure or attempt at inhibition, just a great place to enjoy all the benefits of music making. When the idea came up for us to do a live record there was no question as to what the venue should be."

"I’ll never forget the first time I experienced performing as a child and knew my lot in life was set. The only reason I am a singer is because of the indefinable spark that happens with the giving and receiving of your most intimate selves, back and forth, between the artist on stage and the audience there in the room," adds Williams. "If I can’t see the audience because of lighting, it almost becomes even more spiritual, because it's all just feeling them—us together in the moment. And each performance/audience has its own personality. If you can drop the thinking and just 'be' with them and this sharing of your most intimate selves, there's no describing the transcendence."

The recording captured that night and its subsequent album release to follow was intended to be the cornerstone for big plans that had been made for the following year.  The pandemic of course changed everything, globally and close to home. After performing at New York City's Beacon Theatre, Campbell woke up on March 16, 2020 in Woodstock coughing and feverish. Following a diagnosis of Covid, he was left to quarantine alone while Williams was stuck quarantined and worrying in New York City. A couple of harrowing weeks later, Larry's fever broke. "For the past two weeks, I’ve been struggling to stay alive," Campbell told Rolling Stone at the time.

Fast forward to Autumn 2022.  Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams are once again performing 'live and in person' and the plans for 2020 have been reimagined for 2023. They'll tour extensively next year to support Live at Levon's!, which serves as a welcome reminder of the duo's powerful live shows.

In Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams' Amazon series It Was the Music, when asked about performing onstage, R&B legend William Bell reflects: "When they come to see a show, take 'em to another place." Live at Levon's! does just that, and Campbell and Williams hope that you enjoy the journey.

Live At Levon's!
Track Listing

1. Let Us Get Together
2. Surrender To Love
3. Yeah, Yeah, Yeah
4. Angel Of Darkness
5. Darling Be Home Soon
6. I Ain’t Gonna Work Tomorrow
7. Success
8. Caravan
9. When I Stop Loving You
10. Old Dangerfield
11. Big River
12. It Ain’t Gonna Be A Good Night

Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams
Tour Dates

11/11 - Northampton, MA - The Parlor Room
11/12 - Plymouth, MA - Spire Center for the Performing Arts
11/13 - Portland, ME - One Longfellow Square
11/17 - Old Saybrook, CT - The Kate: Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center
11/18 - Tarrytown, NY - Tarrytown Music Hall
11/19 - Poughkeepsie, NY - Bardavon 1869 Opera House
2/2 - Easton, MD - Avalon Theatre - Stoltz Listening Room
2/3 - Richmond, VA - Richmond Music Hall
2/4 - Johnson City, TN - Down Home
2/5 - Decatur, GA - Eddie's Attic
2/7 - Jacksonville Beach, FL - Blue Jay Listening Room
2/8 - Tampa, FL - The Attic
2/10-17 - Miami, FL - Cayamo Cruise on Norwegian "Pearl"
4/22 - Woodstock, NY - Levon Helm Studios

Dance rock, psych experimentalist Marco Benevento has announced March 2023 tour dates. The Woodstock, NY-based artist will head out for nine shows with stops in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest, including Undeground Arts in Philadelphia, Lincoln Hall in Chicago and Turf Club in St. Paul. The run kicks off on Friday, March 10 at White Eagle Hall in Jersey City. Benevento will be joined by his band, featuring bassist Karina Rykman and drummer Chris Corsico. Tickets go on-sale this Friday, Novemeber 18 at 10am local.

The March 2023 tour announcement follows a recently revealed two night stand by Marco Benevento at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, NY on January 13 and 14. Additionally, Benevento and his band play three shows in the Northeast this week beginning at Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn on Thursday, November 17 followed by Space Ballroom in Hamden, CT (just outside of New Haven) on Friday, November 18 and Race Street Live in Holyoke, MA on Saturday, November 19. All shows will be supported by Ghost Funk Orchestra.

Earlier this Fall, Marco Benevento toured the West Coast. Today, he shares a video featuring highlights from the October treck set to a performance of his kaleidoscopic synth paragon, "Is This A Dream".

All upcoming tour dates support Benevento, the keyboardist's latest studio album recorded over the course of 2020 and 2021 while locked down during the pandemic at his home studio in the Hudson Valley. Benevento found fodder for inspiration during long quarantine-dictated solo jam sessions amidst stacks of gear in varying states of repair. In this environment, he unlocked his archives and surrendered to the machines, mining for unfinished song ideas, and coaxing beats and melodies from both go-to favorite instruments and gear that had long been collecting dust. Playing all of the parts himself with few exceptions, such as vocals added by his wife and daughter, the final 11-track collection mixes lo-fi dance floor jams like "Winter Rose," "At The End Or The Beginning" and "Marco & Mimo" alongside hallucinatory synth and drum machine experimentalism on tracks including "Do You Want Some Magic?," "Mountain Cougars" and "Is This A Dream." Benevento is available now on 180-gram pink and black vinyl editions, as well as, all digital formats, via Royal Potato Family.

MARCO BENEVENTO
March 2023 Tour Dates
***Just Announced***

3/10 - Jersey City, NJ - White Eagle Hall
3/11 - Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts
3/12 - Baltimore, MD - 8x10
3/13 - Pittsburgh, PA - Thunderbird Cafe
3/14 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom
3/15 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall
3/16 - Milwaukee, WI - The Back Room at Colectivo
3/17 - St. Paul, MN - Turf Club
3/18 - Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon

Tickets Go On-Sale Friday, November 18 at 10am Local

MARCO BENEVENTO
Complete Tour Schedule

11/17 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg ^
11/18 - New Haven, CT - Space Ballroom ^
11/19 - Holyoke, MA - Race Street Live ^
12/29 - Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre *
1/13 - Woodstock, NY - Levon Helm Studios
1/14 - Woodstock, NY - Levon Helm Studios
3/10 - Jersey City, NJ - White Eagle Hall
3/11 - Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts
3/12 - Baltimore, MD - 8x10
3/13 - Pittsburgh, PA - Thunderbird Cafe
3/14 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom
3/15 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall
3/16 - Milwaukee, WI - The Back Room at Colectivo
3/17 - St. Paul, MN - Turf Club
3/18 - Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon

^ w/ Ghost Funk Orchestra
* w/ Ghost Light

Mike Dillon & Punkadelick make their recorded debut with Inflorescence, an album of heady, instrumental rock highlighting a band deep in the throes of creative freedom, road tested and wild. Due January 27 via Royal Potato Family, the 10-track collection is expansive, focused and fearless, representing a world where Duke Ellington and Augustus Pablo rub shoulders with crate-digger exotica, the freak-funk of Parliament and the 'anything fits' outsider ethos of acid-fried punks like The Meat Puppets.

A trio featuring Mike Dillon (Ricki Lee Jones, Ani DiFranco, Les Claypool) on vibraphone, marimba, Prophet 6, congas, and bongos, Brian Haas (Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey) on Fender Rhodes, piano, bass Moog and melodica and Nikki Glaspie (Beyonce, Nth Power) on drums, cymbals and vocals, Punkadelick is the unified vision of six hands creating a world that often sounds like the work of an ensemble three times the size.

During 2020 and 2021, while many music venues were still shuttered, the group began touring, sweating their way through cuts Dillon and Haas had composed during quarantine writing sessions. Locking in on stage, it quickly became clear the band was functioning at a level that made the hair on their arms stand at attention.

"It became obvious to let this become a collaboration," Dillon says. "This is really something all three of us are doing because we have so much love for one another and a love for the music that we started creating."

"There's only three of us, but we move together like a big, nasty school of fish," Haas adds.

During the tail end of a 2021 tour, the band booked time to record with engineer—and functioning fourth band member—Chad Meise. With his guidance in the studio, Inflorescence sprouted. Opener "Desert Monsoon," sets the stage with a spiritual-jazz intro of organ, vibraphone, percussion and wordless vocal coos before crackling to life as a swaggering funk strut. "Devil's Playground," the album's first single (listen / share), is built upon a vibraphone riff that slowly ascends into a swirling, kaleidoscopic psych jazz opus. The title track and "Pandas" dig into thick dub textures built around Glaspie's drumming and Haas' subwoofer-straining bass synths. "Apocalypse Daydream," which appeared as an exotic head-nodder on 2020's Shoot the Moon (titled "Apocalyptic Daydreams") is reborn as a meatier jazz-rock slab where Dillon and Haas circle each other like Television performing as a lounge act on a cruise ship sailing seas of psilocybin.

Bending ears and surprising audiences has long been part of Dillon's MO and Glaspie and Haas act as perfect foils for forays into the weird. While Dillon bristles at the "punk jazz" tag, punk rock and jazz remain core influences to the band, in sound and spirit.

"We're students of the titans of music. We grew up listening to punk and rock ’n’ roll but we also love instrumental music—particularly the forefathers of Black American Music. In our minds, Led Zeppelin and Milt Jackson, Parliament-Funkadelic and The Minutemen, The Bad Brains and Frank Zappa are interconnected influences," explains Dillon. "All that comes together in how we approach instrumental creative music. Both punk rock and jazz are not prefab things, they're about freedom. We have no genre restriction in this band, and people who get it really respect that."

Maybe the greatest example of the band's punk-steeped sonic free-for-all is "Slowly But Surely," a track Dillon told Haas to compose as if he were "writing for Queens of the Stone Age." The song plays like QOTSA translated to piano runs, vibes and deeply swinging drums—big-riff stoner rock upended and played with huge smiles by America's premier proponents of the unclassifiable.

"We try to challenge our listeners. We're touching a nerve with people who maybe don’t want to see the same songs done in the same variations all night long," continues Dillon. "Part of my mission is taking these instruments that are primarily designed for the orchestral or jazz world and taking them to the rock world, the club world, running them through pedals and effects. We’re not afraid to be soft, or to surprise. That's what we all do in this band — get beyond our own conceptions of what music is supposed to be."

"We are so blessed and lucky to do what we do for a living and that feeling is apparent in the music," Glaspie concludes. "It doesn’t matter how the day is going, but we get to the club, set up and crush the gig, all the other stuff doesn't matter. We're likeminded individuals who love life, love people and want to spread happiness."

MIKE DILLON & PUNKADELIC
Inflorescence

1. Desert Monsoon
2. Inflorescence
3. Slowly but Surely
4. Stravinsky Spectacles
5. Pandas
6. Devil’s Playground
7. Homer & Debs
8. Apocalypse Daydream
9. Another Slippery Slope
10. Never Been to Paris

Mike Dillon & Punkadelick Inflorescence is available January 27, 2023
on limited edtion 180-gram gumball pink vinyl and digital formats

Pre-Order / Pre-Save Here

MIKE DILLON & PUNKADELICK
Tour Dates

10/31 - New Orleans, LA - DBA
11/17 - Dallas, TX - Deep Ellum Art Company
11/18 - Springfield, LA - Wild Things Family Reunion
11/19 - Lafayette, LA - Blue Moon Saloon
11/20 - Austin, TX - Far Out Lounge
11/25 - Seattle, WA - The Royal Room
11/26 - Portland, OR - Jack London Revue
11/27 - Zig Zag, OR - Skyway Bar & Grill
11/28 - Eugene, OR - Whirled Pies
11/29 - Talent, OR - Talent Club
11/30 - Nevada City, CA - Crazy Horse Saloon
12/1 - Santa Cruz, CA - Moe's Alley
12/2 - San Francisco, CA - Boom Boom Room
12/3 - Palmdale, CA - Transplant Brewing Company
2/6 - Miami, FL - Jam Cruise 19

Today, Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams share "Darling Be Home Soon," the second song to be released from their forthcoming album, Live At Levon's!, due February 3, 2023 on Royal Potato Family. This latest single coincides with the announcement of a 13-date co-bill tour with singer/songwriter Shawn Mullins that makes stops in the Midwest, Southeast and Northeast, including Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, IL on March 18, Stoughton Opera House in Madison, WI on March 21 and The Miracle Theatre in Washington, DC on March 31. Tickets are on-sale today at 10am local.

"Darling Be Home Soon" was written by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee John Sebastian and recorded by his band the Lovin' Spoonful for the soundtrack of the 1966 Francis Ford Coppola film, You're a Big Boy Now. It reached no. 15 on the US pop charts. Sebastian performed the song at the historic Woodstock Music & Art Fair in 1969.

"When I was a kid one of the bands that made a big impact on me was the Lovin' Spoonful. I was enamored by the material. The songwriting was a bridge between jug band, folk, pop and rock and roll," explains Larry Campbell. "I soon found out that John Sebastian was the heart and soul of that band. Years later when I started coming up to Woodstock, NY where John lives, I got to know him and he wound up becoming a great friend. He was a hero when I was kid and I came to find out he was everything I had wanted him to be as a person. His song 'Darling Be Home Soon' always particularly fascinated me. Teresa and I started playing it when we were asked to perform at a commemoration of the Woodstock '69 music festival. We loved doing it so much that it became a permanent part of our repertoire. It's an honor to have the opportunity to pay tribute to an artist who I consider to be one of our great American songwriters."

Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams' Live At Levon's! is a jubilant 12-track collection recorded at Levon Helm Studios, located in the husband and wife duo's adopted hometown Woodstock, NY, on September 20 and 21, 2019 in front of an adoring crowd. It features a selection of previously unreleased new songs, old favorites that allow Larry, Teresa and the band to stretch out, including the album's first single "Angel Of Darkness" co-written with Hot Tuna's Jorma Kaukonen, plus a handful of unexpected covers. Pre-order for Live At Levon's! on 180-gram double-vinyl, CD and digital formats is available here.

Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams
Tour Dates

2/2 - Easton, MD - Avalon Theatre - Stoltz Listening Room
2/3 - Richmond, VA - Richmond Music Hall
2/4 - Johnson City, TN - Down Home
2/5 - Decatur, GA - Eddie's Attic
2/7 - Jacksonville Beach, FL - Blue Jay Listening Room
2/8 - Tampa, FL - The Attic
2/10-17 - Miami, FL - Cayamo Cruise on Norwegian "Pearl"
3/15 - Pittsburgh, PA - Thunderbird Café *
3/16 - Ann Arbor, MI - The Ark *
3/18 - Chicago, IL - Old Town School Of Folk Music *
3/19 - Milwaukee, WI - Shank Hall *
3/21 - Madison, WI - Stoughton Opera House *
3/22 - Minneapolis, MN - The Parkway *
3/24 - Kansas City, MO - Knuckleheads *
3/25 - St. Louis, MO - Off Broadway *
3/26 - Nashville, TN - City Winery *
3/28 - Asheville, NC - Grey Eagle *
3/29 - Carrboro, NC - Cat’s Cradle *
3/31 - Washington, DC - Miracle Theatre *
4/1 - Ardmore, PA - Ardmore Music Hall *
4/22 - Woodstock, NY - Levon Helm Studios

* w/ Shawn Mullins

Today, Scott Metzger shares a new track, “The Dark Triad.” The song was originally recorded during the sessions that led to the Brooklyn-based guitarist’s solo acoustic album, Too Close To Reason, that was issued via Royal Potato Family earlier this year. Metzger felt the recording didn’t work within the 12-track collection’s sequence, but he loved the performance and ultimately decided to release it as a stand-alone single.

“With 'The Dark Triad' I was trying to capture a mood not unlike some of the Tim Burton claymation films,” explains Metzger. "I love that eccentric, creepy, dreamy, emotional aesthetic and was hoping to capture some of that vibe here. I think the arrangement unfolds in a cool, interesting way and really tells a story that feels spontaneous and musical. D. James Goodwin's mix puts the tune in a specific sonic space, and Lorenzo Wolff's engineering captured the sound of my old Martin acoustic beautifully.”

The release of “The Dark Triad” coincides with Metzger’s acoustic trio, featuring Katie Jacoby on violin and Simon Kafka on second guitar, playing four shows in the Southeast this week. The run begins tonight at Eddie’s Attic in Decatur, GA and includes a performance at Warren Haynes’ Christmas Jam in Asheville, NC.

Metzger who's also a member of Grateful Dead revivalists, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead (JRAD) and leads his own instrumental rock trio WOLF! (who released the EP Adult Entertainment in October) plans to head back into the studio in early 2023 to begin work on his next studio album.

TOUR DATES:
12/8 - Decatur, GA - Eddie’s Attic
12/9 - Durham, NC - Blue Note Grill
12/10 - Asheville, NC - Warren Haynes Christmas Jam
12/11 - Charleston, SC - The Pour House (deck)

Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams have shared "Caravan," (listen/share), the third song to be released in advance of the husband and wife duo's upcoming live album, Live At Levon's! due February 3 on Royal Potato Family. The 12-track collection was recorded in front of a hometown crowd at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, NY on September 20 and 21, 2019.

"Caravan," an American jazz standard written by Duke Ellington and Juan Tizol, is one of two instrumental performances on Live At Levon's! showcasing Campbell's masterful approach as a guitarist, which has led him to work with everyone from Bob Dylan and Levon Helm to Little Feat and Phil Lesh, while receiving The Award for Lifetime Achievement for an Instrumentalist by the Americana Music Association.

Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams head out in early February for a run of headline shows in the Southeast before setting sail on Cayamo. Upon returning, they'll be perform on Mountain Stage being broadcast from The Kennedy Center on February 24. This will be followed in March by a 13 show co-headline tour with Shawn Mullins.

Live At Levon's! is available for pre-order on 2-LP 180-Gram vinyl, CD and digital formats here.

Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams
Tour Dates

2/2 - Easton, MD - Avalon Theatre - Stoltz Listening Room
2/3 - Richmond, VA - Richmond Music Hall
2/4 - Johnson City, TN - Down Home
2/5 - Decatur, GA - Eddie's Attic
2/7 - Jacksonville Beach, FL - Blue Jay Listening Room
2/8 - Tampa, FL - The Attic
2/10-17 - Miami, FL - Cayamo Cruise on Norwegian "Pearl"
2/24 - Washington, DC - Mountain Stage @ The Kennedy Center
3/15 – Pittsburgh, PA – Thunderbird Cafe *
3/16 – Ann Arbor, MI – The Ark *
3/18 – Chicago, IL – Old Town School *
3/19 - Milwaukee, WI - Shank Hall *
3/21 – Madison, WI – Stoughton Opera House *
3/22 – Minneapolis, MN – The Parkway *
3/24 – Kansas City, MO – Knuckleheads *
3/25 – St. Louis, MO – Off Broadway *
3/26 – Nashville, TN – City Winery *
3/28 – Asheville, NC – Grey Eagle *
3/29 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle *
3/31 – Washington, DC – Miracle Theatre *
4/1 – Ardmore, PA – Ardmore Music Hall *
4/14 - Great Barrington, MA - The Mahaiwe PAC ^
4/22 - Woodstock, NY - Levon Helm Studios

* w/ Shawn Mullins
^ w/ Joan Osborne

Today, Mike Dillon & Punkadelick share Inflorescence, an album of heady, instrumental rock and punk jazz highlighting a band deep in the throes of creative freedom, road tested and wild. Available on limited edition 180-gram bubblegum pink vinyl and digital formats via Royal Potato Family, the 10-track collection is expansive, focused and fearless, representing a world where Duke Ellington and Augustus Pablo rub shoulders with crate-digger exotica, the freak-funk of Parliament and the 'anything fits' outsider ethos of acid-fried punks like The Meat Puppets.

A trio featuring Mike Dillon (Ricki Lee Jones, Ani DiFranco, Les Claypool) on vibraphone, marimba, Prophet 6, congas, and bongos, Brian Haas (Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey) on Fender Rhodes, piano, bass Moog and melodica and Nikki Glaspie (Beyonce, Nth Power) on drums, cymbals and vocals, Punkadelick is the unified vision of six hands creating a world that often sounds like the work of an ensemble three times the size.

MIKE DILLON & PUNKADELICK
Tour Dates

2/1 - Raleigh, NC - The Pour House #
2/2 - Charleston, SC - Charleston Pour House
2/3 - Asheville, NC - Asheville Music Hall
2/4 - Jacksonville, FL - 1904 Music Hall
2/6 - 2/12 - Miami, FL - Jam Cruise
2/22 - Durango, CO - Animas Theatre #
2/23 - Grand Junction, CO - Mesa Theater ^
2/24 - Crested Butte, CO - Public House
2/25 - Denver, CO - Cervantes Other Side,
3/10 - Jersey City, NJ - White Eagle Hall *
3/11 - Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts *
3/12 - Baltimore, MD - The 8x10 *
3/13 - Pittsburgh, PA - Thunderbird Cafe *
3/14 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom *
3/15 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall * %
3/16 - Milwaukee, WI - The Back Room @ Colectivo *
3/17 - St. Paul, MN - Turf Club *
3/18 - Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon *

# w/ Lespecial
^ w/ Spafford
* w/ Marco Benevento

Today, MORE! have released LIVE - 01.15.23 - Cancun, Mexico, the official audio from their debut performance at Dead & Company's Playing in the Sand. The quartet, led by Tom Hamilton, Jr. (Joe Russo's Almost Dead, Ghost Light), was formed in 2020 during the pandemic with his former Brothers Past collaborators, keyboarist/vocalist Tom McKee, guitarist/vocalist Joe D'Amico, and guitarist/vocalist Jim Hamilton, as well as Ghost Light drummer Scotty Zwang. Released via Royal Potato Family, the recording documents MORE!'s third time performing in public. Their set left quite an impression on festival goers, as can be heard on epic, improvisational rock excursions like "Utopiary Window" and "Keep on Movin'" plus a riveting take on The Allman Brothers Band's classic "In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed."

"This is a group that I've been dreaming of playing with for years. The core four of us have known each other since we were in high school," says Hamilton. "It's pretty awesome to have a band with four songwriters, four lead singers, and with the addition of Scotty all five of us speak the same language when it comes to improvising. It's a very creatively-fertile environment."

This will be the first of several releases this year coming from the partnership between MORE! and Royal Potato Family.

"We have a lot of music already recorded," Hamilton adds. "Singles, weird instrumental sprawls, acoustic diddies, plus a dozen new songs in the pipeline. It's awesome. We figure why not just release everything a la carte as it gets mixed, including the handful of live shows we'll do this year. RPF has been my label home for almost a decade now and I'm so grateful that they're on board."

MORE!'s next performance is on February 24 at Ardmore Music Hall in just outside of Philadephia in Ardmore, PA.

MORE!
LIVE - 01.15.23 - Cancun, Mexico

Track Listing:
1. Ballad of the Misguided Shadow
2. Utopiary Window
3. Lunar Cycle
4. In Memory of Elizabeth Reed
5. Keep on Movin'
6. Alone in the Valley
7. Crutch

Available Now On All Digital Music Platforms

Robert Walter interprets artists Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel, Liquid Liquid, Jackie Mittoo, Eddie Harris, Rammellzee & K-Rob and Les Baxter & Martin Denny on his third session for the beloved music journal, Aquarium Drunkard. The keyboardist—who co-founded The Greyboy Allstars and is currently on tour as a member of Roger Waters’ band—plays all of the instruments. Originally shared exclusively via Aquarium Drunkard on May 14, 2021 in advance of Walter reissuing his 1996 solo debut Spirit Of '70, the five track EP is now being issued through Royal Potato Family on all digital music platforms. Pre-order/save HERE.

"These tracks were all recorded for Aquarium Drunkard’s Lagniappe series. This was my 3rd installment," explains Walter. "I always try to find some interesting tunes that have inspired me in some way over the years. It’s also a fun challenge to record the music all by myself. I played all the instruments here and arranged, recorded and mixed at home."

Today, the EP's opening track, a reimagination of Melle Mel's "White Lines," which itself was a reinvention of Liquid Liquid's track "Cavern," has been released. Listen HERE.

"I have always loved 'White Lines (Don’t Do It).' I remember hearing this when I was first discovering rap music as a kid. I learned later that the music is based on Liquid Liquid’s 'Cavern.' I love how the interactions between the NYC art scene, punk rock, and emerging hip-hop were happening so naturally and quickly during the late '70s," continues Walter. "This tune manages to be a message song, embrace some avant-garde musical ideas and still work as dance music even to this day. I have been playing it off and on in bands my entire life. I started doing it a lot as an organ vehicle during late night Jazzfest gigs as a comment on the wild party atmosphere. This version references both the original Liquid Liquid track and the brilliant Melle Mel interpolation.

ROBERT WALTER
Aquarium Drunkard Lagniappe Session, Vol. 3

1. White Lines / Cavern
2. Earthquake
3. 1974 Blues
4. Beat Bop
5. Quiet Village

Available March 10 On All Digital Music Platforms

Sound Cipher is the surreal, pulsating audio vision shared by three of modern music's most uncompromising sound sculptors. It’s the sort of thing that emerges when Tim Alexander (Primus, Puscifer, A Perfect Circle) finds himself inside a thunderous duo improvisation with Skerik (Critters Buggin, Garage A Trois, Les Claypool's Frog Brigade) during a soundcheck for Primus' Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory tour in Oakland CA. One person surrounded by a circular percussion station of preposterous proportions, another person hurling psychedelic saxophonic screams into the hellfire of analog and digital circuitry.

Skerik and Tim Alexander knew they were onto something. The first official Sound Cipher excursion was scheduled for January 2, 2017 at Studio Litho in Seattle WA with Randall Dunn (Sunn O))), Six Organs of Admittance, Akron/Family) at the production helm. He would bring aboard Timm Mason (Master Musicians Of Bukkake, Wolves In The Throne Room, Eyvind Kang & Jessica Kenney, Jóhann Jóhannsson) to assist with modular synth processing during this first session, generally a technical advisory role involving lab coats and clipboards and chin-scratching. The participants arrived and were surprised to find Mason setting up in the live room instead of the control room. As the recording unfolded, Mason's direct in-the-moment sonic manipulation of the proceedings made it clear that he belonged at the creative core of the project where he remains today.

Listeners and innocent bystanders have reported spiritual resemblances to the experimental German scene of the '70s with traces of Can, Faust, Neu and early Kraftwerk, the dark manic rumble of Peter Gabriel's early work and the complex digital hardcore first birthed by Aphex Twin and Squarepusher, all of it wrapped in an unsettling atmosphere that verily reeks of familiar ingredients: a tumbling machine-tight groove, a wash of analog synths direct from your midnight movie memories, a snippet from your grandpa's old Louis Armstrong records stretched across miles of fizzling voltage and contorted into barely recognizable and altogether quite mind-altering new shapes.

Initial plans to release the 2017 session as Sound Cipher’s unveiling were revised when the trio found a new level of clarity in shaping their ideas following a series of live performances in 2018. Further recording and mixing took place in 2018 at Avast Studios, also in Seattle. Now, six years after that initial studio date, the finest flowers from those multiple sessions are available to adventurous listeners everywhere in the form of Sound Cipher's debut LP, All That Syncs Must Diverge, to be released April 21, 2023 on vinyl and digital formats via Royal Potato Family. The opening track "Grid Incursion" (listen/share) is out today on all streaming platforms. In addition, Sound Cipher will reconvene for three live sonic adventures in accordance with the album’s release.

SOUND CIPHER
All That Syncs Must Diverge

Track Listing:
1. Grid Incursion
2. Ransomwar
3. Church Turing
4. Permissive Action Link
5. God Mode
6. Entropy Pool

Out April 21 On Vinyl & Digital Music Platforms
Pre-Order / Pre-Save Here

Album Release Shows
April 21 - Seattle WA - Clock-Out Lounge
April 22 - Portland OR - Star Theater
April 24 - Livestream - Nugs.net

Today, Seth Walker shares "I Must Be In A Good Place Now," his re-imagination of the classic Bobby Charles' song originally released on the Louisiana singer/songwriter's eponymous 1972 debut album. Walker's rendition was produced by his longtime collaborator Jano Rix (The Wood Brothers), who also contributes piano, and features Matt Glassmeyer on tenor and alto saxophone. Its pastoral sway evokes a beautiful, but fleeting, lazy summer day where clarity can be found in both the past and present.

"This song has always spoken to me since the first time I heard it on the back porch of a friend's house in Decatur, Georgia. It transported me far away and slowed everything down. I love the place the lyrics and melody take the listener. The 'sunshine coming-through' images are forever framed in my mind," explains Walker. "The song was originally released by Bobby Charles in 1972, the year I was born. I have played it live through the years, and it was in the running for my last album, I Hope I Know. I ended up choosing another one of Charles' masterpieces, “Tennessee Blues,” as it seemed to gel more with the album's mood and tone, but I always knew I'd return to it at some point and get it out there into the world."

Seth Walker's version of "I Must Be In A Good Place Now" is available today on all streaming platforms and is accompanied by a homespun video filmed by Walker and his father Scott Walker in Asheville, NC.

Walker tours throughout the summer of 2023 with select festival and venue performances, including Rocky Mountain Folks Festival, AVLFest, Redding Roots Revival and Sisters Folk Festival.

Tour Dates
6/24 - Elkin, NC - Reeves Theatre
7/8 - Havana, IL - Stage at Riverfront Park
7/9 - Galva, IL - Levitt AMP Galva Music Series
8/4 - Asheville, NC - AVLFest
8/11 - Telluride, CO - Beyond The Groove Summer Concert Series
8/13 - Lyons, CO - Rocky Mountain Folks Festival
8/17 - Ridgefield, CT - CHIRP
8/26 - Ontonagon, MI - Porcupine Mountains Music Festival
8/27 - Greenleaf, WI - The Avenue's Summer Concert Series
9/6 - Boone, NC - Antlers & Acorns Songwriters Festi
9/20 - Portland, OR - Alberta Abbey
9/22-23 - Redding, CA - Redding Roots Revival
9/25-10/1 - Sisters, OR - Sisters Folk Festival
10/12 - Fort Worth, TX - The Post At River East
10/13 - Houston, TX - McGonigel's Mucky Duck
10/14 - Austin, TX - The Saxon
10/15 - New Braunfels, TX - Red Bird Listening Room
10/20 - Decatur, GA - Eddie's Attic
11/10 - Greensboro, NC - The Crown

Seth Walker "I Must Be In A Good Place Now"
is available today on all digital music platforms
via Royal Potato Family

Katie Jacoby, the violinist and singer-songwriter known for being the touring violinist with The Who, has shared her cover of T. Rex’s "Cosmic Dancer." The track features an all-star cast of musicians including Scott Metzger of Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, LaMP and WOLF!, Dave Dreiwitz of JRAD and Ween, and Josh Dion of Paris Monster, as well as a string quartet with Katie leading on violin. It was recorded at Restoration Sound in Brooklyn, NY by Lorenzo Wolff.

“I’ve always been a fan of Marc Bolan and T. Rex, and I think 'Cosmic Dancer' is one of the most beautiful songs ever. Tony Visconti’s gorgeous string arrangement is a big part of that, and I love how the lyrics straddle both the playful and the profound," says Jacoby. "In my rendition, I wanted to capture the original analog warmth of the track while also highlighting the strings.”

“Cosmic Dancer” is available now from Royal Potato Family on all streaming platforms and with a video on YouTube filmed by Daniel Jaffe. Katie will be on tour with The Who this summer across Europe and the UK.

THE WHO w/ Katie Jacoby On Violin
Tour Dates

6/14 - Barcelona, Spain - Palau Sant Jordi
6/17 - Florence, Italy - Firenze Rocks, Visarno Arena
6/20 - Berlin, Germany - Waldbuhne
6/23 - Paris, France - La Defense Arena
7/6 - Hull, UK - Sewell Group Craven Hill Park
7/8 - Edinburgh, Scotland, UK - Edinburgh Castle
7/9 - Edinburgh, Scotland, UK - Edinburgh Castle
7/12 - London, UK - The O2
7/14 - Derby, UK - The Incora County Ground
7/16 - Bristol, UK - The Badminton Estate
7/19 - Durham, UK - Seat Unique Riverside
7/21 - St Helens, UK - Totally Wicked Stadium
7/23 - Brighton, UK - The 1st Central County Ground
7/25 - St. Austell, Cornwall, UK - The Eden Project

Duane Betts & Palmetto Motel have announced a ten show co-headline tour with GA-20 across the West Coast this Fall. The run extends Betts' previously announced Fall tour schedule in support of his debut album Wild & Precious Life, which includes dates throughout the South and Northeast in October. Kicking off November 10 at The Mystic Theatre in Petaluma, CA, highlights along the way include stops Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on November 13 and The Regent Theater in Los Angeles as part of the Los Angeles Independent Rhythm & Blues Session on November 18. Tickets go on-sale today, Friday, September 8 at 10am PT.

By the time Duane Betts released his triumphant debut solo album Wild & Precious Life on Royal Potato Family earlier this summer, he'd already spent the better part of two decades creating his own version of guitar-slinging, story-driven American rock & roll. Among his bonafides, Betts spent 10 years playing guitar alongside his father, legendary Allman Brother Dickey Betts. He’d release an EP, Sketches of American Music and he'd partner with Devon Allman in the acclaimed Allman Betts Band.

Even so, the need to create a full-length solo LP gnawed at him; one that nodded to his roots while simultaneously pushing ahead. Following his instincts, Duane assembled an ace band, including his longtime musical partner Johnny Stachela on slide guitar and the ever-in-demand John Ginty on Hammond B-3, as well as, special guests Derek Trucks, Marcus King, and Nicki Bluhm. Betts would take up an offer from friends Susan Tedeschi and Trucks to record at their Swamp Raga Studio in Jacksonville. The album was cut to 2-inch analog tape during a series of live studio performances.

"It felt like the right time to make something that was entirely my own vision," Betts says. "This is a record that guitar players will love, but at its core, it's really a song record. It's an album about who I am, where I come from, and what I believe in."

Offering a timeless version of American music that could've blanketed FM radio airwaves during any number of decades, Wild & Precious Life is full of sharply-crafted songs written in a state of deep reflection. It captures the emotional release of overcoming struggle, appreciating life's fleeting nature, and celebrating the joy of being present. Wild and precious, indeed.

Duane Betts & Palmetto Motel
Just Announced

11/10 – Petaluma, CA – Mystic Theatre **
11/11 – Crystal Bay, NV – Crystal Bay Casino **
11/12 – Sacramento, CA – Harlow’s **
11/13 – San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall **
11/14 – Chico, CA – Sierra Nevada Big Room **
11/15 – Santa Cruz, CA – Moe’s Alley **
11/16 – Fresno, CA – Fulton 55 **
11/17 – Morro Bay, CA – The Siren **
11/18 – Los Angeles, CA – Los Angeles Independent Rhythm & Blues Session **
11/19 – San Diego, CA – Casbah **

** w/ GA-20

Duane Betts & Palmetto Motel
Complete Tour Schedule

10/7 – Baton Rouge, LA – Federales Fest 2023
10/8 – Jackson, MS – Hal & Mal’s *
10/10 - Sanford, FL - Tuffy’s Music Box *
10/11 – Gainesville, FL – Heartwood Soundstage *
10/12 – Savannah, GA – Victory North Savannah *
10/13 – Roswell, GA – From The Earth Brewing Company *
10/14 – Macon, GA – Capitol Theatre *
10/15 – Nashville, TN – Eastside Bowl *
10/17 – Asheville, NC – Salvage Station *
10/18 – Charlottesville, VA – Jefferson Theater *
10/19 – Lewes, DE – The Room at Cedar Grove
10/20 – East Windsor, CT – Broad Brook Opera House ^
10/21 – Sellersville, PA – Sellersville Theater ^
10/22 – New York, NY – Gramercy Theatre ^
11/10 – Petaluma, CA – Mystic Theatre **
11/11 – Crystal Bay, NV – Crystal Bay Casino **
11/12 – Sacramento, CA – Harlow’s **
11/13 – San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall **
11/14 – Chico, CA – Sierra Nevada Big Room **
11/15 – Santa Cruz, CA – Moe’s Alley **
11/16 – Fresno, CA – Fulton 55 **
11/17 – Morro Bay, CA – The Siren **
11/18 – Los Angeles, CA – Los Angeles Independent Rhythm & Blues Festival 2023 **
11/19 – San Diego, CA – Casbah **

* w/ Cordovas
^ w/ Dustbowl Revival
** w/ GA-20

Marco Benevento has announced his new double album, 'Barn Burner: Live at Levon's,' will be released March 29, 2024 via Royal Potato Family. Today, he shares three tracks from the collection: "Coyote Hearing," "Send It On A Rocket" and "Oh Baby Can't You See." (Listen Here) Recorded earlier this year live with his band featuring bassist Karina Rykman and drummer Chris Corsico over a two night, sold out run on January 13-14, 2023 at Levon Helm Studios in the keyboardist's adopted hometown of Woodstock, NY, the exhilarating 13-track set spans Benevento's career with tracks from across his eight studio albums, as well as a cover of Bob Dylan & The Band's "This Wheels On Fire" with special guest Scott Metzger on guitar. Benevento will celebrate its release with a return to Levon’s aka The Barn for a two-night stand on March 29-30, 2024. Tickets go on-sale this Friday, November 17 at 10am ET.

“Our shows at Levon’s barn are always among my favorites. I can literally walk to the gig from my house, but even more important, the vibes are amazing. The staff, the sound, the intimacy and energy of the audience, and of course, Levon’s spirit burning bright inside those four walls, is like nowhere else in the world,” says Benevento. “After several years of playing there, it seemed like the right time to multitrack the shows and pick my favorites for official release. We were on fire both nights. Karina and Chris sound so, so good playing these tunes! I think our fans will love having a document of the band at this point in our history.”

Benevento has spent less time touring over the past year to instead focus on several studio projects. He’s recorded with Mark Ronson, Black Thought, El Michels Affair, Clairo, Roge, Molly Lewis and even a posthumous collaboration with Bernie Worrell, while he’s also deep into tracking his ninth album inspired by his favorite Italian movie score composers. With his own band, he’s pivoted to inviting fans to destination performances in the Hudson Valley, including his festival Follow The Arrow in Accord, NY, as well as, reoccurring two nights stands at Levon Helm Studios. A cornerstone of the reinvigorated and flourishing arts and music scene in and around Woodstock, NY, Benevento most recently headlined a benefit, Stop Woodstock National LLC, raising funds for the Woodstock Land Conservancy in its efforts to halt the construction of a golf course and luxury condominium complex on 625-plus acres of pristine, untouched forest.

"After the pandemic, we made a decision to slow things down a bit on the touring front,” says Benevento. “There's been lots of opportunities to work on recording projects and record artists at my studio, Fred Short Recording, while getting to spend a little more time with my family. It's so beautiful up in the Catskills, so we’re playing more shows around these parts and inviting our fans come up to hang with us in the country!"

Marco Benevento 'Barn Burner: Live At Levon's' is available now for pre-order/save on 2-LP, 180-gram classic black vinyl and digital formats here.

Barn Burner: Live At Levon’s
Track Listing

1. Coyote Hearing
2. Let It Slide
3. I Can't See The Light
4. Follow The Arrow
5. Send It On A Rocket
6. Atari
7. Oh Baby Can't You See
8. Do You Want Some Magic
9. Bus Ride
10. This Wheels On Fire
11. You Must Be A Lion
12. Heartbeats
13. At The Show

Philadelphia singer/songwriter Chris Kasper is set to release his seventh studio album, Sunlight In An Empty Room, on May 10 via Royal Potato Family. Produced by Jano Rix and recorded analog at The Studio Nashville, Kasper presents eleven songs that engage the listener like an old friend stopping by to sit on the front porch and ponder the complexities of life. It is alive with the spirit of 1970s' songwriters like like Bobby Charles, Lowell George, and Neil Young, while also drawing inspiration from the artwork of Edward Hopper and Andrew Wyeth, embodying the musical essence of illuminating the small worlds within a larger space and focusing on the bittersweet beauty of simplicity often lost in grandiose landscapes.

The album's first single “Shuffle On Through” is out today on all streaming platforms (listen here). It's a dreamy number which delivers a poignant reminder that every ascent is met with a descent, and growth often requires this dichotomy to emerge anew. "The song embraces the idea that life's like a dance—sometimes you gotta step back, sidestep, and shimmy through the challenges to find your groove," says Kasper. "While we often believe we must conquer the big stuff head-on to become the best version of ourselves, this song is considers the idea that we should fix the small stuff first."

The inspiration for Kasper to write and record Sunlight In An Empty Room was sparked by a mantra he’d heard urging individuals to "do something that scares you." Kasper resonated with it as a challenge to let his guard down, be vulnerable, get out of his comfort zone and let a new type of record-making venture take shape. He reached out to accomplished engineer/bass player Brook Sutton, and drummer/ musician extraordinaire, Jano Rix (both recognized for their work with The Wood Brothers), to set aside a long weekend at their Nashville studio. With the final addition of musician JP Ruggieri—sought out for his distinctive guitar work—Kasper went to Nashville without demos or finished lyrics to record live-to-tape, with a band he never worked with before. Thus, "do something that scares you."

Drawing upon his prolific two-decade career as a songwriter, Kasper and his handpicked team sought to capture the elusive "lightning in a bottle" essence that resonates within his favorite recordings. The result? An impressive collection of eleven songs with a refreshingly real, exposed, and open sound.

Sunlight in an Empty Room traverses the Americana, country blues, indie folk and vintage rock spectrums, blurring the lines between genres. With the rhythmic foundations laid by Brook Sutton's funky bass syncopation, JP Ruggieri’s minimalist guitar crunch, and Jano Rix's captivating rhythms, the album is further enriched by guest appearances from Oliver Wood (“Getting Right”) and G. Love (“Ain’t it a Shame”).

Taken in its totality, Sunlight In An Empty Room stands as a testament to Chris Kasper's evolution into a no-nonsense songwriter. Each of its eleven tracks encapsulate a viewpoint of hard-earned wisdom, both musically and lyrically, affirming Kasper's unwavering commitment to authentic and timeless musical expression.

Chris Kasper
Sunlight In An Empty Room

1. Cold Cold World
2. Getting Right (w/ Oliver Wood)
3. The Only Ones
4. Shuffle On Through
5. Cry Me A Creek
6. Books From The Jailhouse
7. It's Not Me, It's You
8. Summer In The City
9. Ain't It A Shame (w/ G. Love)
10. When It's Gone
11. The Hotel Song

Available May 10 on Vinyl, CD & Digital via Royal Potato Family
Pre-Order / Pre-Save Here

CHRIS KASPER
Tour Dates

5/16 - Decatur, GA - Eddies Attic
5/19 - Nashville, TN - The Basement
5/21 - Asheville NC - The Grey Eagle
5/22 - Raleigh NC - The Pour House
6/9 - Wayne, PA - 118 North
6/15 - Cumberland MD - 1812 Brewery

Today, Seth Walker shares his rendition of Al Green’s classic “Take Me To The River.” It’s the latest in a series of singles by the Asheville, NC-based singer/songwriter that pay tribute to his musical influences. Previous releases include Bobby Charles' “I Must Be In A Good Place Now” and Van Morrison’s “Warm Love.” The cover art features a painting by the multi-dimensional artist who also counts published author among his credits via his 2021 memoir, Your Van Is On Fire.

Where Al Green’s original version mixes the earthly and sacred in a rousing Southern soul, gospel rave-up, Walker reimagines the song as minimalist, low-down, country funk. A sinuous guitar run at the minute forty mark showcases Walker’s inimitable style on his instrument and begs the question as to why he remains among the most underrated guitarists in the Americana and blues worlds.

"We recorded this live in one room at The Studio Nashville with my longtime bassist Rhees Williams, and drummer Mark Raudabaugh. I love the organic vibe of a band going for that magic take," says Walker. "I played my friend Oliver Wood's old rubber bridged Kay guitar that gives it a unique, punchy and lo-fi sound. It brought a new side out in my playing. Perhaps channeling some West African blues, Lightning Hopkins and, of course, the ever-present J.J. Cale."

Walker and his band perform this weekend at the Suwannee Spring Reunion and Safety Harbor Art and Music Center in Florida. He then joins The Mavericks’ frontman Raul Malo for seven shows in the Northeast and Midwest before heading out to Colorado for five shows with Canadian bluesman Ray Bonneville. Walker is currently working on the follow up to his 2022 studio album, I Hope I Know.

SETH WALKER
Tour Dates

3/22-23 - Live Oak, FL - Suwannee Springfest
3/24 - Safety Harbor, FL - Safety Harbor Art & Music Center
3/26 - Montgomery, NY - City Winery ^
3/27 - Newton, NJ - Newton Theatre ^
3/28 - Sellersville, PA - Sellersville Theater ^
3/30 - Alexandria, VA - Birchmere ^
4/3 - Cleveland, OH - Music Box Supper Club ^
4/4 - Cincinnati, OH - Ludlow Garage ^
4/6 - Ann Arbor, MI - The Ark ^
4/13 - Birmingham, AL - Private
4/14 - Birmingham, AL - Private
4/17 - Ridgway, CO - The Sherbino *
4/18 - Leadville, CO - The Old Church *
4/19 - Denver, CO - Swallow Hill Music *
4/20 - Pueblo, CO - Brues Alehouse *
4/21 - Alamosa, CO - Society Hall *

^ w/ Raul Malo
* w/ Ray Bonneville