To preview the forthcoming record, the three-piece have let loose “Mountain Town”, a ferocious new track that seems born out of a musty garage, while also hinting at ’90s-style indie rock and even a bit of biting punk. Maybe it’s the grimy Superfund canal that’s given them the fearless sound, or maybe they just straight-up play like they DGAF — either way, the song’s razor-edged guitars seem to screech and relentlessly rip through speakers like a pair of rusty, serrated scissors.

Revered for their larger-than-life live show, the Australian quintet has played many sold out shows on the 1st leg of a national US tour and will kick off the 2nd leg this Spring supporting Capital Cities. The band will also bring their energized show to SXSW this year, including parties for FILTER, Waterloo Records, Aussie BBQ & more!

Stream the album here courtesy of Spinner

As previously announced, you can watch the video for “It Makes Me Cry” here and download the track “Someplace” here.

Photo Ops is the stunning, contemplative dream pop project of Terry Price, whose new album, How To Say Goodbye, draws on the tragedy and triumph of his recent past. The 30-year-old Nashville singer-songwriter, formerly of esteemed indie act Oblio, has had a traumatizing few years, including the death of his father and the sudden onset of a disfiguring medical condition.

“I wanted to have a stylized, melodic, easy-to-understand album about sadness and pain and strangeness, and somehow find some catharsis,” he says. Indeed the concise and beautiful work — which draws on influences from Phil Spector, Paul Simon, Neil Young and Fleetwood Mac to dream pop acts of The Radio Dept. and Starflyer 59– is his attempt to move forward in his life and give comfort to others.

Price played nearly all of the instruments on the record, including acoustic and electric guitar, the Roland Juno-60 analog synthesizer, organ, piano, and bass. He co-produced it with Patrick Damphier of Saddle Creek act The Mynabirds, at the latter’s studio. Featuring driving, mesmerizing melodies – immediately appealing but substantial – the album is led off by “All the World Is,” which unveils the full-length’s autobiographical undertones: “It’s hard to recover from a bad year/ Friends that were with us, are no longer near.” Later, on “Someplace” he sings: “All this memory has gone out the window/ Like how to be a person in general/ Age is more than a number/ When you’re as old as you feel.”

The goal was to “sonically fuse” three albums, Paul Simon’s eponymous 1972 album, Dion’s Born to Be With You (produced by Phil Spector) and The Radio Dept.’s Clinging to a Scheme. “I wanted to combine chillwave with a more straightforward, honest approach,” he says. “The album title How To Say Goodbye may seem clichéd,” he goes on, “but I didn’t want there to be a question of what I was singing about: How to say goodbye to youth, friendships, innocence, thinking you understand the world, all that in general.”

How To Say Goodbye Tracklist:

01. All The World Is

02. It Makes Me Cry

03. Chameleons

04. Wanna Feel Good

05. Someplace

06. You Said You Were

07. February Ocean Breeze

08. Go To Sleep

09. A Hundred Miles Away

10. Sail Across My Eyes

Tour Dates:

03/05 – Nashville, TN @ The 5 Spot – Record Release Show

- PR Newswire

Kevin McWha Steele is a poet and songwriter, who finds inspiration through singing, writing poetry/lyrics, and travel. After studying music and poetry in France for four years, he relocated to New York City in 1996.

Since then, his professional music credits range from session vocalist for Virgin U.K. to performing/recording with a variety of musicians, performance artists and songwriters in both New York and Los Angeles.

Kevin’s most recent release is his self-titled 21 track LP. flezaDoza joins on guitar and bass, Andrew Potenza on drums. The album was recorded in Brooklyn and Binghampton, NY with flezaDoza as the engineer.

Although, primarily a French cabaret inspired-folk/pop singer, Kevin is first and foremost a songwriter and inspired by taking risks.

His most recent self-titled album is part one of a folk rock/ electronica trilogy, in the style of Brit folk/pop from the 70s a la Alan Price, Paul McCartney, The Beatles (Srgt Pepper and later).

Previous releases from Kevin include the EP, Lumière Violette, a folk album featuring songs in English and French, and Ki & The Arrowtooth Waltz, a concept album that traces the life of a young man living in NYC at the turn of the century. Kevin hopes to inspire the interest in a fully produced Broadway production or movie with this release, as detailed in a recent interview with Veglam Magazine: www.veglam.com.

Lumière Violette features bassist Arvin Zarookian, and drummer Andrew Potenza, with Chris Mullins as the chief engineer. While most of the songs are performed on a nylon-string acoustic guitar, the title track was composed and played on the 8-course Lute. The original recording was cut at 4th Street Studios in Santa Monica, CA. Final mixing was done by flezaDoza at Of A Dazzle Studios in Brooklyn, NY. It was released in May 2011.

The dance/pop concept album “Ki & The Arrowtooth Waltz” was released in April 2011, with Godfrey Diamond, Stefano Zazerra and flezaDoza as participating engineers. A diverse album with an emphasis on pop and noir genres, most of the songs on Ki & The Arrowtooth Waltz were co-written with the French guitarist Aurelien Budynek. Incorporating the fierce drumming style of Drew McLean, they recorded the album over two weeks at Moody Mammoth Studios in Brooklyn, NY. The album features guest appearances by singers Stephanie McKay, Jennifer Zimmerman, renowned Bandoneon player, Hector del Curto and beat-boxer, Adam Matta.

Kevin’s songwriting talent was also recently recognized by Sting and representatives from Universal, Sony, Warner Music, and EMI. They voted his song “Love in June”, a finalist in the Song of the Year songwriting competition in the Jazz/Instrumental/World category in December 2009. In the same competition, two years later, recording artist Pink voted his song “At The Serial Killer Disco”, a semi-finalist in June 2011 in the Pop category.

Currently, Kevin is working on a series of new albums that include material from an extensive back catalog and newer material with a group of musicians based in NYC and LA.

Catch Kevin this March at The Village Lantern on Bleeker St., Freddy’s Bar in Brooklyn, and in Chicago at the Elbo Room; in April at Bar Matchless; and in May at the Montauk Music Festival.

Please check gigmaven and his website for more show listings: www.kevinmcwhasteele.com

Kevin currently resides in New York City.

The Birds of Night are a Rock and Roll band from the unheralded music mecca of Denton, TX. The band formed and began making music when singer and guitar player Andrew Rothlisberger (right), and bass player Brooks Martin (left) purchased a Hammond Piper organ from a pawn shop in town. They knew they had to have it when the first key pressed produced a note that seemed to resurrect the ghost of “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”. Sadly, the Organ was broken during it’s maiden voyage home and it only was able to survive for a few mere months thereafter.

The band has remained Organ-free since then.

Brandon Seitzler joined the band only a few months ago, but has been playing with Andrew since they were 14 years old.

Currently the band is working on their debut album which is set for release on June 15 2012. Just like their E.P “Fulton St.” the album was recorded and produced by the band’s guitar player and singer, Andrew Rothlisberger, and was also recorded in Andrew’s apartment.

The band has also partnered with Chance Foreman, a prolific and captivating visual artist from Denton, TX. Chance is known for his incredible pieces of art made entirely of Duct or Gaff tape.

Chance has also done some fabulous work designing all of the band’s visual elements and merchandise. In fact, thanks to Chance, the band has been able to actually produce nearly all of it’s merchandise in house (or should I say “in apartment”). The band is actually screen printing it’s own shirts and prints that are for sale exclusively at their live events. The band was even able to convert an old worn out kick drum into a merch table thanks to Chance’s work.

What do these nerds come up with? Sixteen tracks of total badassery. Theatricality without pretense. Virtuosic musicianship somehow effortlessly stuffed into catchy rock anthems. From the vocal layer cake of “Overture” to the swarthy theatrepunk epic of “A Pirate’s Shanty” to the tender bedroom acoustic spaz-ballads of “Asskickers’ Union” and “the Scientist” to the incomparable bass solo finale of “the Devil and Davey Munch”, Countless Thousands attempt to capture the nature of enthusiasm in its many different faces and facets.

Listening to this album is listening to three guys who genuinely love doing what they do. If you look for music that will make you glad that you care about music, then you’ve come to the right place. We really are just really excited to be here. And we know you are, too.

His first solo release, EP Gundel, was recorded prior to joining prog-folk quintet Motel Motel, though released after the fact. A bedroom record mostly constructed on the computer with fractions of samples (similar to the style of Fennesz), the early EP was a highly ambitious first look into Gundel’s musical vision. Mixing ambient electronic soundscapes with adventurous pop songs, the results led music blog Song by Toad to say “…it’s definitely one of the most engaging things I’ve heard in ages.”

For Gundel’s second EP, Gytare Lyre, he mostly abandoned vocals and the computer for a collection of songs utilizing the combination of acoustic guitar and loops. While in many ways different from his debut, Gytare Lyre explored the synthetic relationship between more classical acoustic instrumentation and electronics.

During the release of his first EPs, Gundel also focused much of his energy on Motel Motel, contributing a key ingredient to the band’s epic 2010 sophomore full length, Big Island.

In 2011, Motel Motel went on indefinite hiatus, allowing Erik Gundel to re-focus his energy to his solo recordings. Signing with young label Mecca Lecca, Gundel shared 3 song EP, You Brought Joy. You Brought Joy mostly returned back to the sounds of his first EP, though also injecting it with a more refined technique and appreciate for Timbaland’s production style.

Following You Brought Joy, Gundel re-focused his energy on the acoustic guitar, laying down the groundwork for his most focused work yet, A Home To Keep You. Crafted around fluttering finger-picked strings of an acoustic, A Home To Keep You is also layered with piano, pedal steel, banjo, and trumpet. Restrained and yet abundant with meticulous detail, each listen brings light to new elements adding to the richness of the recording.

The trio comprised of Epileptic Peat on 8-String bass, Zach Schmidlein on drums and Bryan Wilson on Cello aims to raise awareness about Dinosaur cloning research.

Also, a dance remix by Monty Seward of their song “Swim in My Ocean” will be featured in the highly anticipated movie, “Area 51,” from acclaimed director and producer Oren Peli of “Paranormal Activity (due out May 2012).

“Motionless,” which will be featured in the “Burned” CD, just won Mike Pinder’s Song Wars 2011.

“Let Me Live” ranked at #14 on the Indie Charts last year (www.indiecharts.com -top songs), and “Motionless” was #33, and Midori was ranked the #15 Pop Artist.

Also, “Motionless” placed #1 for December 2008 in the Pop Charts at www.ourstage.com, where it currently has over 149,000 plays, and has been favorited more than 900 times.
Midori was also a finalist and finished 3rd for the MTV VMA Best Break-Out Band for the Bay Area. “Motionless” reached # 26 in the Best of Pop 2010 on Ourstage, and was in the top 100 for 18 weeks.

Midori and Audioclique were nominees in 9 categories for ABC Radio’s FameGames Effigy Awards (including Best Artist , Best Group, Best Song, and Best Female Vocalist), and won the very prestigious “Most Popular Artist Overall” Effigy Award. They were nominated for 6 Effigy Awards in 2009, and won Best Accoustic Song for “Just How Much.” . Also, on January 2, 2009, “Swim in My Ocean” was featured on ABC Radio Networks FameGames first Global Breakthrough Chart at #8 in the top 20 (www.meermusic.com), and “Just How Much” has been on the chart 4 times.

Midori and Audioclique performed at WARPED Tour , BuFest , MethodFest, RockStir, and Choochokam Arts Festival and will be performing at TVIFF and Canadian Music Fest 2012. They are also currently on the roster for the KBH/TVIFF Showcase Series. They have performed at many great venues in the Bay Area and Los Angeles, including Konocti, the Whiskey A-Go-Go, the Phoenix, The Raven, the Knitting Factory, the Mint, Safari Sam’s , Forbidden City, and the Airliner Club.

Also, MusicDish Network selected “Bring It” as “Best of the Batch” (best new realease cd) for July 2008.

“Go” was nominated for the Best Pop Song 2008 at the HOLLYWOOD MUSIC AWARDS. Midori was also nominated for Best Independent Pop Vocalist 2008 and Best Pop Song (for “I Can’t Rely) for the famous LOS ANGELES MUSIC AWARDS.

Midori was a finalist for the 100% Songwriter 2008 Contest- Best Vocal Performance for “Swim in my Ocean.” Midori also won SingerUniverse’s Best Vocalist of the Month Contest for May for “Close your Eyes,” and was a finalist for June for “Swim in My Ocean.”

Midori and Audioclique have been featured or reviewed by www.musiczeitgeist.com, www.ninjaonline.com ,The Indie Ezine, www.indiesolo.com, Nor-Cal Connection, Junior’s Cave, Target Audience Magazine ’09, and Wildy’s World. They have been selected for upcoming reviews or features in skopemagazine.com, Dig This Real and OGMagazine. They were featured on “The Upper Room Radio Show with Joe Kelly and Gi Dussault” on July 31, 2008 and again on February 11, 2009.

You can hear Midori and Audioclique on www.indie104.com (iradio-la), Outbound Radio, Radioelectric.com, Underworldmixradio.com, Women of Substance radio, and Big Foot Radio Japan. She is also in several Qualifying Rounds for ABC Radio’s FameGames and made it to the finals for “Swim in My Ocean”, “Just How Much” and “Bring It.”

Also, “One Lane Bridge” was chosen for inclusion on Moozikoo’s “Best of Indie” cd and “I Can’t Rely” was chosen for inclusion on the “Women of Rock” cd. “Bring It” will be
Instrumentation

Hadley Black – Guitars (multi)
Midori Longo – Lead Vocals
Zak Garn – Vocals, Drums
Travis Hendrix – Vocals, keys
Joshua Jackson – Vocals, Bass
Tiger Yakimoto – Vocals, Lead Guitar

It is awe inspiring to hear an acoustic song such as “BulletProof” convey the sweet, melt your heart sentiment of Damien Rice while creating the same emotive impact as the arena rock of Oasis. His singing and playing exude confidence and while making no attempt at covering up his English inflections, his delivery is all the more real and raw.

Franco is no stranger to success and as a testament to the power of his musical ability, he was asked personally by Desmond Tutu to write a song celebrating the life of Nelson Mandella. The archbishop gave it as a gift to Mr Mandella for his 90th birthday.

This came after many years as the front man for International One, who signed a record deal with a subsidiary of UNIVERSAL RECORDS. Shortly after, England was hit with the recession, leaving the band in a black hole, sparking Franco to partner up with his acoustic guitar and embark on a solo career.

“Last Man Standing” is his 15 song debut chalk full of incredible ballads, sweeping hooks, and swelling vocals. The lyrics are imbued with a delicate yearning infused with a confidence far exceeding this young man’s years. This mixture is intoxicating and leaves you thirsty for more.

Thus, in all honesty we can say that all good things are meant to be as Franco would not be writing such personal and intimate songs if he was still in his band.

Having just signed 2 licensing deals with Silvercurve Management in New York and Blue Pie Media in Australia, Franco is now busy recording 4 singles with the prestigious Animal Farm in London. These 4 singles showcase Franco’s immense talent and are slated to be released over the next 12 months.

There is no doubt that Franco and the Dreadnought are here to stay.

Victoria Lagrand, lead singer of Beach House, gathered the crowd back together with cheers and salutes as she performed “Troublemaker” from the newly released Bloom album. Her voice echoes with reverb and ethereal whispers, reminiscent of a sirens call to sea. Lagrand’s skills on the keyboard provide a refreshing dynamic to the group. Adding to the dream pop group’s impressive vocals was guitarist Alex Scally, utilizing intricate pedals and rifts to set the stage for a day on the beach. The band solidified the crowd’s approval with songs from past albums like “Norway,” “Walk in the Park,” and “I’ll Take Care of You,” reappearing for an encore with “Turtle Island,” “10 Mile Stereo,” and “Irene.” The new album Bloom speaks of love and paradise lost, enveloping us with poetic tunes to escape into the waves of Lagrand’s romance.

Formed in Baltimore, Maryland in 2004, Beach House was signed to Sub-Pop Records and the duo has made a name for themselves, providing vocals for bands like Grizzly Bear and featuring at All Tomorrow’s Parties Festival in 2011. With the release of their new album Bloom, having been one of the most anticipated albums of 2012, Beach House leaves a wake of trance and artistry for fans to follow.

Nehedar is the project of singer-songwriter Emilia Cataldo performing in the NYC area since 2001.

While spanning indie-rock, folk, jazz and pop genres, the music of Nehedar has continued to deliver her blend of deeply personal yet quirky lyrics, beautiful vocal harmonies and a variety of instrumentation that sets her music apart.

Winner of the award for Best Indie Rock Band at the Artists In Music Awards in Los Angeles and nominated for Best International Act at the LA Music Awards, the Monks of Mellonwah are now ready to release their second EP “Neurogenesis”. Set for official release on May 24th, 2012, the Monks will be celebrating by performing at a self managed and promoted gig at the Australian Brewery, Rouse Hill, Sydney on Friday 25th May. Doors will open at 7.30pm.

A four-piece alternative rock and indie band based in Sydney, the Monks draw on the depth and variety of influences driving each member to create a fresh and unique sound, blending elements of classic blues & rock in Hendrix, Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and the Chili Peppers with more recent sounds including Muse. Their first E.P., Stars Are Out, is testament to such a unique blend, and has been highly praised since its release in 2010.

Since recording, the Monks have gone from strength to strength, receiving significant radio play across Australia on community radio and more recently triplej. They have also been busy developing an electrifying and atmospheric live act through supporting bands such as Thirsty Merc and You Am I as well as headlining at a wide range of well-respected Australian music venues including The Oxford Art Factory, The Factory Theatre and The Metro Theatre.

The Monks of Mellonwah released their first music video ‘Swamp Groove in April 2011 and have since enjoyed play on ABC’s music program RAGE. Swamp Groove also claimed first prize at a music video night at ‘Harold’s Shorts’ short film festival, receiving great reviews and the award from legendary music historian and personality Glenn A Baker.

Growing media interest has led to the Monks being featured in an up and coming radio documentary, celebrating 25 years for ABC’s music program RAGE. More recently Los Angeles radio presenter Mikey Jayy aired the Monks song Neurogenesis whilst showcasing the band on his show ‘The Great Unknowns’. He also announced the bands nomination for Best New Indie/Rock Band and Best New Rock Band at the All Indie Music Awards.

Strings are stretched to reveal alien textures, found sounds and field recordings weave in and out, all the while traveling through a colorful landscape that pulls the listener deep into the otherworld of Zambri, a world as imaginative as the mind of a young Alice (In Wonderland).

Just at the end of last year, Zambri released their debut EP, Glossolalia, receiving praise from the likes of Stereogum (Band to Watch), Spin Magazine, NME, MTV, Under The Radar, and more pointing out the unique sound the sisters seemed to have plucked from the netherworld.  MTV says Zambri “…delivers the sort of fully-formed, cohesive sound that a lifetime of collaboration might be necessary to achieve.”

With House of Baasa, Jessica and Cristi Jo bare their soul even more, revealing their true adoration for pop music and catchy melodies. During the recording process, the sisters drew heavily from sounds of familiarity to create a mood that is as recognizable as it is contagious.  Together, they produced and recorded the album in its entirety, bouncing back and forth from Chinatown to The Village for the greater part of a year. Paying homage to their roots, they used old demo recordings from cassette tapes, manipulated the traditional use of their voices and built their own sounds. The majority of the finished record is made up of the very original takes they laid down, resulting with a sound that is both honest and magical.

For the final touches, they enlisted a small crew of imaginative collaborators like Rick Kwan who mixed, Chris Coady who played a co-production role on select songs, and mates Seth Kasper and Will Spitz (whom also play live with Zambri), Noel Heroux (Hooray For Earth) and Jon Philpot (Bear In Heaven) who are featured throughout.

The album’s title refers to the ancient Zambri – a servant in the bible who rebelled against his ruler Baasa to overtake the throne for seven days, after which he set fire to the palace and himself.

In the spirit of their namesake, Zambri’s music effortlessly defies genre, a parallel to the attitudes of its creators.  A natural ear for pop melody informs their experimental yet deliberate approach, which makes their music boldly fearless and refreshingly original.  Zambri says, “We wanted to go back into that childhood zone of absolute freedom, making moves with gut instinct“.  House Of Baasa sounds simultaneously free and highly intentional, alien and nostalgic.

Moonlight Bride is a noise-pop outfit born in the industrial outskirts of Chattanooga, Tennessee. The band consists of four members: Justin Giles, Matt Livingston, Justin Grasham, and Dave Maki. After relentless writing, reinvention, and touring, the band has developed a cult following as well as many critical accolades.

The band began crafting their sound in the summer of 2007, spawning two self-recorded EPʼs. Quickly becoming hometown favorites, word spread and the band began attaining buzz throughout the Southeast. In late 2008, guitarist Justin Grasham joined, and with a newfound vigor the band retreated to an abandoned factory, shaping what would become their debut album, Myths. Written in just over a week through a series of intense writing sessions, the four members would convene around 7 PM, often finding themselves leaving well after six in the morning. These sessions marked an immense change in the band’s sound, abandoning the piecemeal recording style and metaphorical narrative for a more abstract sound and genuine perspective. The album was recorded in two weeks in May 2009, primarily at As Elyzum studios, while supplementary parts were captured in various locations, including a derelict cabin and Wilcox’s apartment.

Upon it’s release in October 2009, Myths was received exceptionally well by fans and critics alike and garnered the band their first bit of national and international recognition and press. The vinyl and CD copies of Myths sold out within 3 months of its initial release. The band made multiple year-end lists including “One of the 8 most auspicious
musical debuts of 2009” by Paste magazine. Multiple songs from the record made a variety of film and TV appearances. The band began touring the Southeast relentlessly in support of Myths and continued to attract new fans with their hypnotic live show.

In the spring of 2011, Moonlight Bride once again headed into As Elyzum studios to record a follow up EP to 2009’s Myths. With the current lineup solidified, the new EP was recorded by Stephen Nichols and Moonlight Bride with mixing duties handled by John Goodmanson. Titled Twin Lakes, the new recording shows the band moving towards a more dynamic sound. Filled with layers of noise and melody, Twin Lakes takes Moonlight Bride to another level.

With a new release on the horizon, Moonlight bride continues to write and improve their already inspiring live show. 2012 will prove to be a big year for this hometown band that never stops.

On their recent recordings “20,000 Ghosts” and “Wellwisher,” The Rocketboys perfectly married themes of unity and brotherhood with rich, soaring rock, lifting the band to national critical acclaim. The band supported its releases with lengthy tours and multiple festival appearances. Almost inevitably though the rigors of the road took their toll, eventually rupturing the band’s momentum in the winter of 2010-11. Three members of the sextet of college friends from Abilene, Texas left to focus on other endeavors, and the split nearly ended the band.

The resulting hiatus did have its upside, allowing front-man Brandon Kinder a window both to release a solo EP (under the name “The Wealthy West”) and to pen the theme song for The Discovery Channel’s new hit show “Bering Sea Gold.” However, in the end, the three remaining members (Kinder, keyboardist Justin Wiseman, and bassist Josh Campbell) agreed they weren’t at peace letting their collaborative venture cease to exist.

The initial hurdles of rebuilding, though difficult and disheartening, began to give way to new-found inspiration. Though the song-writing process drastically changed as a result of the reduced lineup, with less proverbial “cooks in the kitchen,” a more broad, dynamic range of ideas and visions than ever fermented and flourished. The end result and forthcoming album is Build Anyway. Recorded in their home studio and mixed by CJ Eiriksson (U2, Live, Phish), the album chronicles the emotions through the brokenness in abandonment to the search for peace and closure, both personally and musically.

Build Anyway is set for a June 5th release followed by national touring in Summer 2012.

Pick up your copy of Shadows on Stars new release at www.shadowsonstars.com let us know what you think!