| |||||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Ben Watt Announces Release of New Album Storm Damage out January 31
Fourth Solo LP from Award-Winning
Musician-Writer-DJ and With It A New Sound
Watch The Video For The Debut Single
"Sunlight Follows The Night"
|
Download Hi-Res Portrait / Credit: Antonio Olmos
|
September 24, 2019: Completing a compelling trilogy of albums since his late-flowering return to solo songwriting and singing six years ago, Ben Watt releases his fourth LP, Storm Damage on January 31, 2020, and with it a new sound and fervency. The first track to be shared is "Sunlight Follows The Night" with an accompanying video by award-winning film maker Rahim Moledina, who wrote and directed the video for the title track from Watt's album Hendra in 2014. The album is now available for pre-order.
"Dawn always breaks out of darkness," says Watt of the song. "For all the struggle there's always a way out."
Watch the video for "Sunlight Follows The Night" via YouTube:
"I needed a fresh approach," says Watt, 56. "The album came out of an intense period of personal anguish and political anger. Sometimes repeating yourself musically feels disrespectful to the sharpness of your feelings. You have to search for a new way to capture the energy."
Across four decades Watt has maintained a committed forward-looking course, from the ardent echo-drenched folk of his early solo work with Robert Wyatt, through seventeen years as musical mainspring and co-lyricist in the best-selling Everything But The Girl with Tracey Thorn - and ten at the helm of his smart electronic label Buzzin' Fly - to his recent moving non-fiction and mid-life solo albums, the award-winning Hendra (2014) and Fever Dream (2016).
New album Storm Damage is no exception. Sonically adventurous, lyrically detailed and engaged, the album - written and produced by Watt - is a personal journey through anxiety and change cut through with an insistent defiance.
"My closest half-brother died unexpectedly in 2016, only four years after my half-sister," he says of events surrounding the album's origins. "I got stuck for a year, angry inside and angry at the political world casually detonating around me. I felt half powerless, half driven. When the songs finally came, some were dark, yes, but there is always room for light. Always. I just tried to put that across."
Sonically the album forgoes the acclaimed twin-guitar approach of its two predecessors, and boldly shifts focus onto - in Watt's words - "a future-retro trio" of upright piano, double bass and hybrid acoustic-electronic drums, set against a half-lit backdrop of lone analogue synths, spiralling echo spins and impressionistic 'found sounds' adapted from online public-domain recording archives. Low's Alan Sparhawk makes a guest appearance on electric guitar and harmony vocal.
"I wanted a timeless-meets-modern live jam - the directness of an unadorned trio capturing the spirit; and the samples, synthetics and electronic boom capturing the psychological mood," he says. "I searched for one-off drones, spoken voices, feedback, urban recordings; not unlike the way I worked in the mid-nineties." (Watt largely produced Everything But The Girl's groundbreaking 1996 album Walking Wounded, the subject of a recent 9.0 retrospective Pitchfork review and reissued on remastered vinyl this November.)
Emotional and inventive, Storm Damage is released on Unmade Road through Caroline International.
Storm Damage Tracklist:
1) Balanced on a Wire
2) Summer Ghosts
3) Retreat to Find 4) Figures in the Landscape 5) Knife in the Drawer
6) Irene
7) Sunlight Follows the Night 8) Hand 9) You've Changed, I've Changed 10) Festival Song 
Ben Watt:
|
MICHAEL FRANTI & SPEARHEAD JOIN
COUNTRY SUPERSTAR KENNY CHESNEY ON
CHILLAXIFICATION 2020 TOUR
COUNTRY SUPERSTAR KENNY CHESNEY ON
CHILLAXIFICATION 2020 TOUR
WITH FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE AND OLD DOMINION
TICKETS ON SALE OCTOBER 4 AT 10 a.m. LOCAL TIME
 | 
Photo credit: Jay Blakesberg
|
Michael Franti & Spearhead are joining country superstar Kenny Chesney, six-time Academy of Country Music/Country Music Association Duo of the Year Florida Georgia Line and three-time and reigning ACM/CMA Vocal Group of the Year Old Dominion on Chesney’s Chillaxification 2020 Tour.
Chillaxification 2020 kicks off April 18 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX and concludes August 28 at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA. American Express® Card Members can purchase tickets before the general public beginning September 26 at 10 a.m. local time through October 3 at 10 p.m. local time. General ticket sales begin at 10 a.m. local time on October 4. Franti is also on tour performing headlining dates throughout the fall; see below for a list of dates, with additional performances to be announced shortly.
“These stadium shows are the most fun thing I do,” says Chesney. “It’s been a year away from the stadiums, so when I get out there, I want to know No Shoes Nation is being rocked, having fun and getting all the music they can out of the day. We always try to do something different, bring someone new—and for anyone who’s never seen Michael Franti & Spearhead, just wait!”
Franti is touring with Spearhead in support of their critically acclaimed new album Stay Human Vol. II, out now on Thirty Tigers. Stay Human Vol. II is available for purchase and to stream at https://ffm.to/stayhumanvol2. The album debuted at #62 on the Billboard 200 chart as well as #1 on the Americana chart and #1 on the Independent Album chart. It also reached #1 on the iTunes singer/songwriter chart.
Stay Human Vol. II continues to receive critical praise:
“an artist who’s clearly interested in making deep connections with listeners,
speaking powerfully through his music and living by his mantra that ‘there is no
one in the world that you wouldn’t love if you knew their story.’”
“Franti’s mission, musical and otherwise, is convincing people they can.”
“a record that’s overflowing with positivity…in these deeply divided times,
Franti gives listeners about 45 minutes of nothing but good vibes, optimism and
a charge to take that feeling out into the world.”
“[Franti] writes songs with the aim of uplifting his audience.”
“Franti and company clearly exude confidence that even in a dire and distressed
world, there’s still hope to be found in simple pleasures and pastimes.”
“a refreshing dose of accessible music with life-affirming messages”
“On his new album, Stay Human Vol. II, the hopeful singer-songwriter reminds us that things go wrong occasionally, but when you focus on that, you miss the enormity of what goes right.”
Additionally, Franti recently appeared on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” to discuss the gun violence epidemic in America and share his music video for “The Flower” (feat. Victoria Canal), plus he performed at sessions for Paste and AOL Build.
Watch/share the video for “The Flower” (feat. Victoria Canal)—which reached #1 music video at iTunes—at http://smarturl.it/MFTheFlowerVideo. The video highlights a number of Everytown Survivor Network members and other gun violence survivors from mass shootings including Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Pulse Nightclub in Orlando and the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas, as well as daily acts of gun violence in cities across America, and focuses on the power of healing and each person's ability to create their own positive change.
The writing on Stay Human Vol. II—which is co-produced by Franti alongside Ben Simonetti (Zac Brown Band, Shemekia Copeland, Blake Shelton), Niko Moon (Zac Brown Band), Kevin Bard (Fitz & The Tantrums) and others—was heavily influenced by Franti’s work on his new award-winning self-directed documentary, Stay Human. He explains, “I’ve traveled the globe making music and throughout the years I’ve always hoped that it could inspire small steps towards making the world a better place. Struggling with the challenges of the world I began filming my new documentary, Stay Human, telling the stories of heroic everyday people who helped me to discover more deeply what it means to be and STAY HUMAN.”
Stay Human has won an array of awards while on the festival circuit, including the RWJ Barnabas Health Award at the 2018 Asbury Park Music & Film Festival, the Audience Award at the 2018 Nashville Film Festival, the Audience Award and the Voice for Humanity Award at the 2018 ILLUMINATE Film Festival and the Soul in Cinema Award at the 2018 Maui Film Festival. The film is now available via on demand and digital platforms through Cinedigm. Watch/share the trailer for Stay Human at https://youtu.be/NaQu7n4NA6s.
Franti began writing music as a way to process both the political landscape of the late 1980s and the unique sounds and ideas of his Bay Area upbringing. In 1994, Franti formed Michael Franti & Spearhead. Touring with his band, Franti continued to notice inequality and injustice both at home and abroad. The band released their seminal Stay Human album in 2000, reflecting on the unjust nature of the death penalty among other themes, to make sense of our common humanity in juxtaposition to near constant violations of human rights.
Franti released his first self-directed documentary, I Know I’m Not Alone, in 2005 to widespread critical acclaim. The film depicts his mission for peace in the Middle East, with a focus on the human cost of war. Franti visited war zones in Iraq, Israel and Palestine again finding common connection, playing music to both soldiers and civilians regardless of affiliation.
Michael Franti & Spearhead continue to foster the community both on and off stage and with Michael and his wife Sara’s foundation Do It For The Love, a wish granting nonprofit that brings those with life threatening illnesses, veterans and children with severe challenges to concerts. Most recently, Franti was honored as a 2019 Ellis Island Medal of Honor recipient. His recent musical projects have included the Billboard #1 single “The Sound of Sunshine” (2010) and full-length releases All the People (2013) and SOULROCKER (2016), which topped the Billboard rock album charts at #4 and #5, respectively.
STAY HUMAN VOL. II
1. Little Things
2. Just To Say I Love You
3. The Flower (feat. Victoria Canal)
4. Only Thing Missing Was You 2 (feat. HIRIE)
5. Stay Human 2
6. Summertime Won’t Last Long
7. This World Is So F*cked Up (But I Ain’t Ever Giving Up On It)
8. You’re Number One
9. Enjoy Every Second (feat. AGodess)
10. Nobody Cries Alone
11. Extraordinary
12. When The Sun Begins To Shine
13. Show Me Your Peace Sign
14. Take Me Alive
2. Just To Say I Love You
3. The Flower (feat. Victoria Canal)
4. Only Thing Missing Was You 2 (feat. HIRIE)
5. Stay Human 2
6. Summertime Won’t Last Long
7. This World Is So F*cked Up (But I Ain’t Ever Giving Up On It)
8. You’re Number One
9. Enjoy Every Second (feat. AGodess)
10. Nobody Cries Alone
11. Extraordinary
12. When The Sun Begins To Shine
13. Show Me Your Peace Sign
14. Take Me Alive
MICHAEL FRANTI & SPEARHEAD LIVE
October 11—Oakland, CA—Fox Theater
October 13—Napa, CA—Jam Cellars Ballroom
October 14—Monterey, CA—Golden State Theatre
October 15—Grass Valley, CA—Center for the Arts
October 17—Grand Junction, CO—Avalon Theatre
October 18—Denver, CO—Mission Ballroom
October 19—Rapid City, SD—Rushmore Plaza Civic Center – Fine Arts Theater
October 21—Kansas City, MO—CrossroadsKC
October 22—Minneapolis, MN—State Theatre
October 23—Des Moines, IA—Des Moines Civic Center
October 24—Chicago, IL—Concord Music Hall
October 25—Royal Oak, MI—Royal Oak Music Theatre
October 26—Louisville, KY—Old Forester’s Paristown Hall
October 30—Cincinnati, OH—Riverfront Live
October 31—Cleveland OH—Agora Theatre
November 1—Philadelphia, PA—Franklin Music Hall
November 2—New London, CT—Garde Arts Center
November 4—Boston, MA—House of Blues
November 6—Huntington, NY—The Paramount
November 7—Montclair, NJ—Wellmont Theater
November 8—Silver Spring, MD—The Fillmore Silver Spring
November 9—Rocky Mount, VA—Harvester Performance Center
November 22—San Diego, CA—Wonderfront Music Festival
April 18—Arlington, TX—AT&T Stadium*
April 25—Milwaukee, WI—Miller Park *
May 2—Minneapolis, MN—U.S. Bank Stadium*
May 9—Tampa, FL—Raymond James Stadium*
May 16—Atlanta, GA—Mercedes-Benz Stadium*
May 22—Houston, TX—Minute Maid Park*
May 23—San Antonio, TX—The Alamodome*
May 30—Pittsburgh, PA—Heinz Field*
June 13—St. Louis, MO—Busch Stadium*
June 20—Columbus, OH—Ohio Stadium*
June 27—Nashville, TN—Nissan Stadium*
July 11—Kansas City, MO—Arrowhead Stadium*
July 18—Seattle, WA—Centurylink Field*
July 25—Chicago, IL—Soldier Field*
August 1—Inglewood, CA—SoFi Stadium*
August 15—Detroit, MI—Ford Field*
August 22—E. Rutherford, NJ—Metlife Stadium*
August 28—Foxboro, MA—Gillette Stadium*
October 13—Napa, CA—Jam Cellars Ballroom
October 14—Monterey, CA—Golden State Theatre
October 15—Grass Valley, CA—Center for the Arts
October 17—Grand Junction, CO—Avalon Theatre
October 18—Denver, CO—Mission Ballroom
October 19—Rapid City, SD—Rushmore Plaza Civic Center – Fine Arts Theater
October 21—Kansas City, MO—CrossroadsKC
October 22—Minneapolis, MN—State Theatre
October 23—Des Moines, IA—Des Moines Civic Center
October 24—Chicago, IL—Concord Music Hall
October 25—Royal Oak, MI—Royal Oak Music Theatre
October 26—Louisville, KY—Old Forester’s Paristown Hall
October 30—Cincinnati, OH—Riverfront Live
October 31—Cleveland OH—Agora Theatre
November 1—Philadelphia, PA—Franklin Music Hall
November 2—New London, CT—Garde Arts Center
November 4—Boston, MA—House of Blues
November 6—Huntington, NY—The Paramount
November 7—Montclair, NJ—Wellmont Theater
November 8—Silver Spring, MD—The Fillmore Silver Spring
November 9—Rocky Mount, VA—Harvester Performance Center
November 22—San Diego, CA—Wonderfront Music Festival
April 18—Arlington, TX—AT&T Stadium*
April 25—Milwaukee, WI—Miller Park *
May 2—Minneapolis, MN—U.S. Bank Stadium*
May 9—Tampa, FL—Raymond James Stadium*
May 16—Atlanta, GA—Mercedes-Benz Stadium*
May 22—Houston, TX—Minute Maid Park*
May 23—San Antonio, TX—The Alamodome*
May 30—Pittsburgh, PA—Heinz Field*
June 13—St. Louis, MO—Busch Stadium*
June 20—Columbus, OH—Ohio Stadium*
June 27—Nashville, TN—Nissan Stadium*
July 11—Kansas City, MO—Arrowhead Stadium*
July 18—Seattle, WA—Centurylink Field*
July 25—Chicago, IL—Soldier Field*
August 1—Inglewood, CA—SoFi Stadium*
August 15—Detroit, MI—Ford Field*
August 22—E. Rutherford, NJ—Metlife Stadium*
August 28—Foxboro, MA—Gillette Stadium*
* Chillaxification 2020 Tour with Kenny Chesney, Florida Georgia Line and Old Dominion
 | |
| Kenny Chesney is coming back to Busch Stadium! | |
| Concerts this good just Don't Happen Twice, or do they? Kenny Chesney will be the first artist to play Busch Stadium III twice when he returns on Saturday, June 13, 2020. You'll Get Your Shine On as well because Florida Georgia line will be Cruise(ing) up to Busch Stadium to join Kenny. How can we Make It Sweet(er)? Old Dominion is joining the party, along with Michael Franti! Don't Blink St. Louis, or you may miss it. You'll want to be here When the Sun Goes Down! Tickets go on sale October 4th at 10:00 a.m. CT.
|
SIFTING Reveal Emotional Music Video for Metal-Ballad "Enough"
Watch the New Music Video, "Enough" Via YouTube + Stream the Single at Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Pandora, and iHeart Radio
New Album "The Infinite Loop" Out September 27 Featuring Guest Performance by Derek Sherinian (Sons Of Apollo, Dream Theater)
Pre-Order Now at This Location
 |
Progressive thrash-metal group SIFTING have revealed an emotional new music video for their latest single, "Enough." The video was directed by Alejandro Fumero Gil on location in the Mojave Desert near Lancaster, CA. The video tackles the dilemma facing many people today, where we must work long hours to pay the bills and survive, versus providing the attention and emotional support desired and needed by those we are in relationships with. Watch it right now at this location.
"This song is real intense and many people are afraid to discuss the topic of being emotionally present with our friends and families," states frontman Eduardo Osuna Gil. "We live in a fast-paced world which is full of responsibilities such as work, bills, running errands, and making sure we can provide the material things we need to survive, however as a result we sometimes neglect to provide the emotional presence needed by our loved ones. I wanted to write a song that would help remind people everywhere about the importance of being emotionally present not only for families, but for friends and co-workers as well."
SIFTING will release The Infinite Loop on September 27, 2019 via Eclipse Records. The album was produced by Steve Evetts (The Dillinger Escape Plan, Suicide Silence, Poison the Well), mixed by Jamie King (Between the Buried and Me, The Contortionist), and features a special guest performance by Derek Sherinian (Sons of Apollo, Dream Theater).
The album is already receiving critical acclaim from the likes of Metallum Subterra (10/10) saying, "The Infinite Loop is a masterpiece" and Metal Observer (9.5/10) calling the album "a massive behemoth of mind-shattering progressive metal." SIFTING have also revealed two previous music videos from the album for their first two singles "A Critical Affair" and "Stop Calling Me Liberty." Watch all three videos right now at this location.
Pre-order the album on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, or CD and stream the singles via Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Pandora, iHeartRadio and more here.
For more information on SIFTING, please visit them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Eclipse Records, and follow them on Spotify, Apple Music or Deezer.
SIFTING discography:
The Infinite Loop (LP) - 2019
Not From Here (LP) - 2017
All the Hated (LP) - 2013
Not From Here (LP) - 2017
All the Hated (LP) - 2013
SIFTING is:
Eduardo Osuna Gil - Guitar & Vocals
Joey Aguirre - Drums
Wins Jarquin - Bass
Xavi Leon - Guitar
About Eclipse Records:
Founded in 1997, Eclipse Records is a boutique independent record company distributed by The Orchard, and focused upon heavy metal & rock music, best known for discovering & developing artists such as Mushroomhead, A Breach of Silence, Bobaflex, Scum of the Earth, and many others.
ORIGINAL FOREIGNER MEMBERS REUNITE FOR
40TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION OF MULTI-PLATINUM ALBUM
“DOUBLE VISION”
September 24, 2019 - With more than 80 million albums sold and 16 Top 30 hits, Foreigner is universally hailed as one of the most popular rock acts in the world. Now, ‘Foreigner - Double Vision: Then And Now’ takes viewers behind the scenes as original band members join Mick Jones and Foreigner’s current lineup for the very first time in the band’s 40-year history. Both incarnations of the band share the same stage for an epic performance.
Watch rock and roll history with one of music’s most anticipated reunion events as ‘Foreigner - Double Vision: Then And Now’ celebrates the 40th anniversary of the band’s multi-platinum 1978 album ‘Double Vision’ with a masterful live performance of the band’s biggest hits, filmed at Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort, Mount Pleasant, Michigan, USA.
Original members Lou Gramm, Al Greenwood, Dennis Elliott, Ian McDonald and Rick Wills take the stage with Mick Jones and Foreigner- Kelly Hansen, Tom Gimbel, Jeff Pilson, Michael Bluestein, Bruce Watson and Chris Frazier - to rock through some of the best-selling songs that bring back the memories that make it feel like the first time for both long-time fans and new generations.
Says Mick Jones, “This was a show that I will always remember! Sharing the stage with the guys that shaped Foreigner in the beginning and the stellar musicians that carry the flag in the new millennium, was a truly emotional moment.”
"We wanted to stage an elaborate production for the very first ‘Foreigner - Then And Now’ reunion concert”, says award-winning executive producer Barry Summers of Rock Fuel Media, who created this explosive rock celebration.“Something unlike any other previous Foreigner show has captured on film, that both visually and sonically breathes new life into their amazing classic songs – the songs that I grew up on - for the fans to enjoy for many years to come. I believe we achieved that in this film and live album."
Filmed in 4K Ultra HD using over 24 camera positions, the concert film features a stunning multimedia set design, with custom CGI animation, lasers, fog, and elaborate FX that elevate this powerful performance to new levels.
Special Performance Features
- “Juke Box Hero” – Features an array of special effects, lasers, smoke and an insane animated jukebox on steroids.
- “Starrider” – A 3D animated spacecraft and digital effects breathe new life into the digital age.
- “Feels Like The First Time” - The song that launched the legacy is performed by original members for the first time in over 30 years.
- “I Want To Know What Love Is” - A breathtaking full Gospel rendition that brings the Albert Strickland & Cho'Zen Choir together with both incarnations of the band onstage for the very first time.
- “Hot Blooded” - A Flamin' HOT and electrifying encore finale featuring both incarnations of the band together onstage has the entire crowd on their feet and rockin’.
ALBUM TRACK LIST
1. Cold As Ice
2. Head Games
3. Waiting For A Girl Like You
4. Headknocker
5. The Flame Still Burns
6. Urgent
7. Juke Box Hero
8. Feels Like The First Time
9. Double Vision
10. Blue Morning, Blue Day
11. Long, Long Way From Home
12. Dirty White Boy
13. I Want To Know What Love Is
14. Hot Blooded
DVD & BLUE-RAY TRACK LIST
1. Cold As Ice
2. Head Games
3. Waiting For A Girl Like You
4. Headknocker
5. Say You Will
6. Urgent
7. Starrider
8. Juke Box Hero
9. Feels Like The First Time
10. Double Vision
11. Blue Morning, Blue Day
12. Long, Long Way From Home
13. Dirty White Boy
14. I Want To Know What Love Is
15. Hot Blooded
*Bonus
16. The Flame Still Burns
17. Fool For You Anyway
‘Foreigner - Double Vision: Then And Now ’will be available on CD+DVD, Blu-ray+CD,Limited 2LP+Blu-ray and Digital and can be pre-ordered here: https://Foreigner.lnk.to/DoubleVision-ThenAndNow
|
|
|
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)