An Interview with Kicking Bird (And a premier of "238!")

[Repost from If It's Too Loud; by Ken Sears, March 31, 2023]

When you have a music blog, you sometimes get to hear new music early. I got to hear Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, the upcoming new album from Wilmington, NC's Kicking Bird, and was instantly smitten. Some albums just seem perfectly made for my specific tastes, and that's how this one feels. The songs on Original Motion Picture Soundtrack have that perfect mid-90's power pop sound with a little retro 60's cool. It's like a less ironic version of Fountains of Wayne and Weezer. I got the chance to interview three members of Kicking Bird (Shaun and Shaylah Paul as well as Robin Cooksley) over email, so we discussed North Carolina, their upcoming album, and the song we're premiering, "238."

Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is due out May 19 on Fort Lowell Records, and can be pre-ordered here. For more on Kicking Bird, check out the band on Facebook and Instagram. You can listen to "238" below the interview.

Your sound seems to invoke the early 60's and late 90's/early 00's. What are your favorite bands from those time periods?

• Shaun: I definitely think we take a lot of inspiration from garage rock. The Kinks are one band specifically that has been a major influence on our songwriting energy. They are also a band that made it ok to write any type of a song, and not be limited by any one "sound". I know that for me personally, Bob Dylan is the mountaintop for lyrical work so that is definitely a mile marker for quality. I also love his ability to only have a flirtatious relationship with melody, he can cram three extra words in any time he needs and no one is the wiser. When Shaylah and I first started playing together Arcade Fire was making really amazing records, so I think that kind of vocal interplay over really fun instrumentation became something we always worked towards. One of the most life changing concerts I ever went to was when some friends took me to see The Walkmen and I was able to watch Hamilton Leithauser sing in person.
  
  
• Shaylah: The Beatles and Weezer. The two greatest bands ever!
  
  
• Robin: I'm glad you can hear that, as my go-to music is 60's garage music and mid 90's indie. I love Bends/OK Computer era Radiohead, their guitarist, Jonny Greenwood is a genius, I lay awake at night dreaming of being able to make the insane sounds that he makes on the guitar ha! I used to play in a 60's mod band, so my love of 60's garage rock bands is strong, the Kinks probably most influenced me from that period. I can only imagine what it must have been like to first hear the rawness of the guitar sound and vocal swagger of You've Really Got Me, when most everyone else was doing bubble-gum pop in 1964. I love Ray Davies' storytelling, he can really set a scene and take you there, I think Shaun can pull that off in his lyrics, but instead of a 1960's rural England village scene, he's trying to take you to the moon on a rocket ship or riding on the shoulders of a bear, or some other crazy shit.

A lot of bands with your sound seem to cloak their songs in irony, but as fun as your songs are, they sound completely earnest. Is it tough playing songs that are so heartfelt?

• Shaun: We do feel it. At the end of the day we write fiction. We get to tell fun stories over jangly pop music and I truly love it. I really do connect with every member of the audience when we play live. It's great to feel like we are all at a party just dancing together. If something we've written resonates then that's amazing but I really want those narratives to be the soundtrack to someone's night, not something for reflective introspection.
  
  
• Shaylah: That's really interesting that that's the impression the songs give off, because literally not a word in any of Shaun's songs is true. Except maybe the distance to the moon. I think that's at least an accurate estimation. All of my songs are very specific and it is tough sometimes because people figure things out. All I can about Tom is he's a hopeless romantic.

What's the Wilmington, NC music scene like these days?

• Shaun: Building constantly. Post covid there was a real explosion of rock bands in this town. Up until that, it was starting to feel like if you weren't a punk band or alt-country there was no place for you. That has totally changed. A ton of different sounds are coming from the bands in this town now. There is some really great heavy garage stuff from bands like Narah and Cancel. Pleasure Island is consistently one of the best bands I've seen recently. I think the songwriters are getting better too. Mark Jackson of morning news is a phenomenal lyricist and has the best voice. The greatest part is the DIY feel that the music community has embraced. James at Fort Lowell records is a perfect example of that. He's totally been a really important part of the support structure that's allowed local music to get so good.
  
  
• Shaylah:  It's great and you know what would make it better? More venues with bigger stages and full sound!
  
  
• Robin: It's really cool, there's a decent number of venues and more keep coming up. I love being able to play outside shows at Tiki Bar at the beach and downtown at Satellite/Palate. There's a ton of bands, and they're all really good, which means everyone keeps striving to be better, it's a very healthy scene.

Any plans to tour for this album?

• Shaun: Not yet, but we'd love to find ourselves at some of the awesome street festivals that happen this summer.  We're also open to trying to make it up to Raleigh and or the mountains, do some long weekends.
  
  
• Shaylah: No. We would love to do a mini regional tour out to Asheville and back or something, but it's hard because we have kids and jobs and whatnot. It would be so great though. Maybe one day.

Your songs invoke a joy that sounds like it's a blast to hear live. What's the Kicking Bird live show like?

• Shaun: Loud. Sweaty, Lots of eye contact.
  
  
• Shaylah: Chaotic and barely held together. Shaun has always been anti-senseless banter. Like, he hates when songwriters do the thing where they tell you what the song's about instead of letting the song speak for itself. I agree. His sense of pacing drives a lot of the momentum of each set, and the rest of us try to keep up. It's exciting. It's definitely a dance party.
  
  
• Robin: I think everyone's main reason for being in the band is to play shows, that's definitely where the band are at their happiest. It sounds a bit corny but we really do try and make our shows a bit of a party, there's always good energy that typically gets people up and dancing. Shaun and Tom are always giving it all they have, Tom can usually be found dancing in the audience playing his bass. 

What's the first album you bought?

• Shaun: Weird Al-Even Worse.
  
  
• Shaylah: With my own money? Probably something off one of the listening stations at Borders.
  
  
• Robin: I think when I was about 9 or 10 I bought Run DMC's "Raising Hell" with my own money. Shortly after, my brother played me the "Help" album by the Beatles, and then I immediately started to buy every Beatles album. I bought them pretty much in order of release date and I just remember being blown away every time I got a new one, and the feeling of really discovering and falling in love with great music, that was such a great time.

How do songwriting duties work with having three vocalists?

• Shaun: There are some occasions when one of us will show up with a completed song, beginning to end, all the parts, ready to go. More frequently one of us will show up something that is incomplete to some degree and we will work it out all together. Each of the five of us have different tendencies and skills that make for a really wonderful outcome. Lauren is a really great example of that. Robin showed up to practice with this really fun riff, Shaylah and I banged out the basic chords and words, and then once Greg and Tom threw in the rhythm dynamics the whole thing turned into a complete jam. We are very collective and I really couldn't feel luckier that I get to be part of a team that works together so well.
  
  
• Shaylah: Historically: Shaun will write most of a song, and then show it to me and I'll help write a hook or a bridge if I'm singing on it. If not, I'll come up with something on the piano. When I write, I'll knock it all out and then Shaun takes over on guitar. A few times, I've written the progression and turns out it was better suited for him to sing. When it's one of those great times where we all collaborate on a skeleton in the practice spot, I feel like it's usually Shaun, Robin, and Tom working out the chords, structure, and dynamic. We'll argue about whether a certain chord should be minor or major. Robin will often lead the process with a cool guitar riff.
  
  
• Robin: Pretty much everyone comes up with their own ideas and brings them to practice and we just jam around on the idea/song, sometimes it's a fully formed song and sometimes it's just a bit that we all try to add too to make something cool. I love playing in a band with three very distinct songwriters, Shaun's lyrics are abstract and often weird in a fantastic way, Shaylah's are heartfelt or beautifully melancholy, and Tom's are about young love and just having fun, it gives us a well-rounded mix!  

We're premiering the song "238." What's the story behind the song?

• Shaun: I was watching a skate video at work and a song by Joel Alme that just floored me. I went home and just straight up started ripping off the chords and melody. The words came pretty quickly one night just thinking about how far away and beautiful the moon is. The sounds of words together is the first thing I start working with, and then any narrative or meaning kind of gets discovered after the thing is done. 
  
  
• Shaylah: I guess it's a love song to the moon. Or our dog, whose name is Moon. It's one of my favorite songs to play.
  
  

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO "238" EXCLUSIVELY at IfIt'sTooLoud.com

Brian Lopez Premieres “Road to Avalon” (ft. KT Tunstall) from Upcoming Album ‘Tidal’

[Repost from V13; by Christopher Gonda, March 23, 2023]

Due out on June 23rd via both Cosmica Artists (digital) and Fort Lowell Records (Bandcamp, vinyl), Calexico guitarist Brian Lopez continues to promote his upcoming solo recording, Tidal, digitally and on 12-inch vinyl. Well, today, ahead of its public release on Friday, we’re thrilled to premiere the album’s smashing second single, “Road to Avalon,” featuring none other than KT Tunstall.

The indie rocker, well-known for his cinematic melodies and soaring vocals, was born and is based in Tucson. His debut solo recording, Ultra, dropped in 2012 to international acclaim and followed it up with Static Noise in 2014. Fast forward four more years, and Prelude, a ten-track lo-fi album written and recorded in his makeshift home studio in two weeks, was independently released in 2018.

Commenting on the song and the inspiration behind its creation, Lopez shared:

“KT visited my house sometime during the pandemic and told me to send her some music to sing to. I was in the middle of demoing songs for TIDAL and thought it might be a cool idea to write a duet with KTs voice in mind. So I got started on composing ‘Road To Avalon’ –– I sent her the music and she recorded her voice in LA, and added beautiful harmonies…oohs and ahhs that I would never be able to conceive of on my own.”

He adds:

“It was just nice to work together again. Especially during the solitude of a pandemic. I really enjoyed the challenge of writing a song that would fit into, not only a storyline of KT and I, but also a song that gave KT some creative license to do what she does best. And she delivered those beautiful vocal arrangements you hear.”

With Tidal, Lopez not only builds upon his mad songwriting skills but also returns to his indie rock origins. Aside from his solo project, Lopez is also the frontman of the psych/cumbia band XIXA and has worked with an expansive range of artists, including Calexico, Amos Lee, Nouvelle Vague, KT Tunstall, Giant Sand, and Mexican Institute of Sound

Tidal Track Listing:

1. 3000 Stories
2. Like a Virus
3. Road to Avalon (ft. KT Tunstall)
4. Black Mountain
5. Margot Kidder
6. Looking Glass
7. Face to Face
8. Magic
9. All Souls
10. Psilocybin Dream

OUT NOW: Desario "Eclipse" [Digital Single]

"Eclipse" is the latest single from Desario of Sacramento, California, following their critically acclaimed fourth studio album Signal and Noise — "an absolute must for fans of the early days of alt-rock, shoegaze-tinted indie-rock and blurry post-punk" [Daily Vault]. An outtake from the same recording sessions that made Signal and Noise, "Eclipse" continues to satisfy fans with its atmospheric textures, hypnotic melodies, and crisp percussion. Gentle, yet confident vocals provide a friendly reminder of how sometimes we are all our own worst enemy. The single is paired with a remix of "Things We Left Behind" from Signal and Noise as a virtual B-Side, reinterpreted by Ryan Leasure of Lavender Blush. Anticipate more from Desario in the near future, as they maintain a welcomed focus on songwriting and production that demonstrates their strength as a band, maturity as artists, and wisdom as composers.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN NOW

New music from Wilmington artists includes work with Grammy-winning star

[Repost from StarNews; by John Staton, March 31, 2023]

Lots of new music coming out of Wilmington these days, and Port City artists have been embracing collaboration, sometimes with big names.

New singles from folk/Americana artist Travis Shallow and pop/R&B singer Annie Tracy drop Friday, and there's an epic collaboration between two Wilmington hip-hop acts, one old school, the other new school.

RizzyBeats & MindsOne

Old-school meets new-school hip-hop on an upcoming album release from Wilmington's Fort Lowell Records, which dropped its first single earlier this month.

The Wilmington DJ and producer RizzyBeats, a member of the Beats & Coffee hip-hop collective who can often be seen around town at one venue or another, recently decided to rework "The Time Space Continuum," a 2006 album from veteran Wilmington hip-hop combo MindsOne.

The first reworked track, "Exit Velocity (End of the Line)," dropped March 10 and the full album, dubbed "The Time Space Continuum Redux," comes out May 12 on Fort Lowell.

At once an homage to the verbal dexterity of MindsOne MCs KON Sci and Tronic, which still holds up 17 years later, the "Redux" album also pays tribute to the traditional "boom bap" style of hip-hop by offering a fresh take on the genre.

 

Kicking Bird

Another band on Wilmington's Fort Lowell Records, Wilmington power-pop act Kicking Bird,has been releasing singles from its upcoming album "Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" out May 19. "Stuck," which dropped on March 17, is a delicious, manic-romantic slice of summer-vibe energy, and the band's new single, "238," dropped today. A Wilmington gem for sure.

[L-R] KON Sci & Tronic of MindsOne, and RizzyBeats; photo by RYAN ELLiS

New album: Kim Ware || Homely

[Repost from Add to Wantlist; by Dennis, March 31, 2023]

Last fall, Shelby (North Carolina) singer/songwriter/guitarist Kim Ware left a big impression with her beautiful Ready LP. She has the best explanation ever for coming up with a successor so quickly: “I liked the idea of having two new albums available at my merch table, one that showed off my full-band, indie-rock side, and the other that showed my more folky, acoustic, coffeehouse/listening room side.” And so we can already enjoy Homely – nine new or re-recorded, more stripped down songs, reflecting how the artist sounds live these days. In my opinion, the originals are all more interesting than the cover of Some Guys Have All the Luck (written by Jeff Fortgang, popularized by The Persuaders in 1973 and by Rod Stewart in 1984). They may not be perfect (Kim’s words), but they are so authentic, heartfelt and pure (my words) that this intimate indie pop gets under your skin. Check the overview of upcoming shows to discover where you can get this one as well as the previous release.

Homely is out now digitally and on vinyl LP through Fort Lowell Records. Featuring Noah Zacharin (dobro, acoustic and electric guitars, bass, keys), John McNicholas (acoustic guitar), Mark Johnson (slide guitar) and Jonny Daly (pedal steel) on different tracks. The album is not available on the streaming services.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Fort Lowell

OUT NOW: Brian Lopez "Road to Avalon" featuring KT Tunstall

The second single titled "Road to Avalon" featuring KT Tunstall from Brian Lopez's new album Tidal is out today everywhere you listen to music.

CLICK HERE TO PRE-ORDER FULL ALBUM ON VINYL

KT Tunstall

Brian Lopez

infinitikiss: ambient music

[Repost from Here Comes the Floods; by Hans Werksman, March 11, 2023]

Nic Jenkins, the man behind the infinitikiss project, is into chakras and energetic vibrations, but his new album ambient music can be enjoyed without going full-on New Age or some such. It is a sonic journey at a leisurely pace, with Jenkins exploring the possibilities of a particular key and tuning in each track, thereby creating a flow of shifting frequencies that are linked seamlessly.

This is not an album to get a party going, but it will do well as comedown and/or relaxing music. Diving deep into his world should be done solo in order to fully appreciate the textures and tidbits he has sprinkled on top. Fans of David Sylvian, Brian Eno, and Gia Margaret will love it.

ambient music is released via Fort Lowell Records (limited green vinyl, digital).

Tracks:

1. drinking cherry hibiscus tea at a stop light at sunset
2. the smell of burnt turmeric
3. floating through holographic desert waves
4. and a wish for chamomile pillows after a lemon bath
5. in the same vibration that pothos green grows
6. or the minty jade of ginkos
7. while matcha clouds are raining
8. tears of happy mermaids
9. in the same shade of what blue jeans are made
10. from a lavender halo we are projecting ourselves

infinitikiss; photo by Megan Elgar

The Jason Woodbury Interview

[Repost from Primitive Man Soundz; by Dakota Brown, August 22, 2023]

Jason P. Woodbury is a writer, deejay, and record man based in the Sonoran Desert. He's the creative director of Hello Merch, an independent merch, pop culture, record label, and apparel brand, where he oversees the A/V wing, WASTOIDS. Woodbury edits Justin Gage’s Aquarium Drunkard, where he also contributes, as well as hosting and producing the weekly Transmissions talk show podcast. His monthly program Range and Basin on dublab airs every third Sunday of the month as part of the Radio Free Aquarium Drunkard broadcast. Previously, Jason has worked as a clerk, cargo driver, events producer, and director of marketing for Zia Records, limited-edition vinyl projects, including You Gotta Have Soul: Raw Sonoran R&B and Funk (1957-1971). He's written for Pitchfork, Comic Book Resources, Flood Magazine, Relix, and other outlets. His interviews have been featured on NPR online and he’s been quoted by Rolling Stone and Vice. 

He has worked in various capacities with Third Man Records, Light in the Attic, Warner Records, Polyvinyl, In the Red Records, ORGMusic, Craft Recordings, The Playboy Jazz Festival, Jealous Butcher, and the Pickathon Music Festival, and has written liner notes for a number of projects, including the deluxe edition of Terry Callier's The New Folk Sound, the 2019 edition of Jim Sullivan's 1972 Playboy album, and The Microcosm: Visionary Music of Continental Europe, 1970-1986. Woodbury’s explorations and essays about folklore and nature have been featured in zines by artist Brad Dwyer and Ken Layne’s radio show/podcast/publication Desert Oracle. Woodbury has previously served as music editor for the long running alt-weekly Phoenix New Times, contributed to The Arizona Republic/AZCentral, and hosted the Audio Ranch radio program with Arizona music historian John Dixon.

Are you originally from Phoenix, AZ? What was your childhood like growing up? When did you first begin to fall in love with music, more specifically the guitar? What was it that initially fascinated you? Was music relevant around your household growing up?

I grew up splitting my time between Coolidge, a rural cotton town located halfway between Phoenix and Tucson, and Chandler, a suburb on the east side of the Phoenix metro area sprawl. My childhood was centered around reading, going to church, watching movies, reading comics, and listening to music on the radio. When I got into high school, I started playing guitar and bass in earnest—inspired in part by my dad, who played bass, and my uncle Nathan, who was a guitarist divided his time between my family’s tool shop and running a local TV studio/production space. Music was definitely relevant in all the households I grew up in; my dad’s brothers instilled in me a love of The Traveling Wilburys and mid-century pop; my uncle Nathan hipped me to stuff like Tangerine Dream; my dad was into Boston and ELO, both of which made a huge mark. My step-mother introduced me to R&B and ‘90s soul, and she instilled in me a love of Chicano lowrider oldies, MTV new wave hits, and the soundtrack from That Thing You Do. Her brothers’ taught me “La Bamba,” and somehow that unlocked the door to jangly stuff like The Smiths. My mom’s parents would dance to Sinatra, The Texas Tornados and ZZ Top in their sun room. My mom had the most eccentric taste of all—she liked country music by The Judds and Reba, but she also introduced me to stuff like Alanis Morisette, No Doubt, and through her then boyfriend Brett, alternative culture in general. What fascinated me most about music was how simple chord shapes and progressions could be a vehicle for big, massive emotional moments—the idea that it doesn’t take much to say a lot. Artists like Tom Petty and The Ramones really cemented that notion in my head. On top of that, I started leading the congregation in singing at church, so I learned quickly how to get over being afraid of singing in front of people. So when I started playing rock music with buddies, singing came pretty naturally. 

Do you have any siblings? What would you and your friends do for fun growing up? When and where did you see your first concert and what kind of impact did that leave on you? Who were some of your earliest influences?

I have a raft of siblings: my brother Brad, from my dad and mother’s marriage; Alex and Olivia are my brother and sister from my dad’s second marriage, I have another brother, Dillan, on my mom’s side, and a couple step siblings, Brendan and Louren, on my dad’s side. We spent a lot of time making our own fun, being absolute desert rats: driving backroads, fooling around at each other’s houses, swimming in canals—perilous activity, in no way do I “recommend it.” My family would go see movies in Casa Grande. When I’d spend time in the bigger city with my mom, I’d get to go to record stores and comic shops, which became life lines to pop culture. My first show is embarrassing: Creed with Collective Soul and a band called, and I was kinda confused about this for religious reasons, “Full Devil Jacket.” Collective Soul utterly smoked Creed. After that, I started to get into pop-punk, emo, and indie music, and immediately those shows became my standard for live music. I would come home from shows late at night and sit in the closet and make endless recordings of song ideas on my tape machine, just my unplugged electric guitar, bashing out little three chord things. As far as earliest influences, I think the Prince soundtrack for the 1989 Batman movie has got to be up there. U2, The Cars, and ELO certainly. When I started writing my own songs, I definitely was thinking Green Day; that matured into wanting to be part of the Get Up Kids, then getting into stuff like Wilco, Sonic Youth, Sleater Kinney, that sort of stuff, and classic songwriting from people like Neil Young, Springsteen, Dylan, the VU, Bowie, Lou Reed, etc. When I began working in a record store at 21, bam, it was anything goes musically. I couldn’t, and still can’t, get enough. 

Did you participate in any other groups growing up prior to your more recent outfits, Kitimoto and JPW? Tell me about these bands and how they came to be. I understand that JPW just released a new album on Fort Lowell Records. Can you tell me about this release? What do you find yourself expressing as well as exploring the most through your music? As someone that is always writing and talking about music, I’m curious to know where you stand, as an individual, with your very own craft!

I started playing in bands in high school, yeah. We had a succession of terrible and mostly forgettable names. One incarnation was called “Placing Distance.” Generally speaking, I think all band names are kinda terrible. When I moved to Tempe at 21, I started a power pop/indie trio called Hands on Fire. I played guitar and was the primary songwriter. We played a lot around town in Phoenix—opening for Fleet Foxes, The Black Angels, and oddly enough, Blue Cheer. I also played in a folk-punk band called Porches and we toured a little bit together as well. My work in Porches led to joining the indie-pop outfit Cardiac Party, which was inspired in part by ‘90s alt-pop like That Dog, but also more out there stuff like Animal Collective, Dan Deacon, and Deerhoof. When the main songwriter in that band, Ryan McDowell, moved to Los Angeles, I kept playing with guitarist Jon Douglas and drummer Cavan Noone. We went by a number of names off and on for years—me on bass sometimes, or occasionally just two guitars and a drummer. Zane Gillum—who I play with in JPW and Kitimoto—had moved away, but moved back to town. He joined up with us on bass and that group became Kitimoto. In Kitimoto, we focus on Jon’s songs. We first interacted playing shows together in the mid-2000s. He has a long running project called A Technicolor Yawn, which rules. I’d always wanted to play his tunes, and with Kitimoto you’ve got these four dudes who’ve been playing together for years—the feel is just really good and natural. We recorded our album Vintage Smell with producer Austin Owen at Rancho Linda Vista, an intentional community in Oracle, Arizona, where Andy Warhol once shot an X-rated western film. JPW is the catch all for my musical projects. The first record, Something Happening/Always Happening, was produced by a friend and hero of mine, Michael Krassner, from Boxhead Ensemble. Lately, I’ve been performing with my buddy Zach Toporek’s project Dad Weed; we do combined sets, some songs from his record, some from mine, and a bunch we’ve written together for a record that will be out…soon, we think? We’re just wrapping it up. 

How did you initially meet Justin and become such a consistent and constant force over at Aquarium Drunkard in the last ten years, or so? What have you learned as well as enjoyed the most while working over there? When did you start doing the “Transmissions” show and who have been some of your favorites guests to speak with over the years?

In 2012/13, I was writing and editing the music section of the local alt-weekly Phoenix New Times. Justin Gage noticed some of the pieces I’d written and asked if I’d want to contribute to AD. And the answer was a hearty yes—AD was and remains my favorite blog. I started pitching in, writing reviews, interviews, song blurbs, the year-end stuff. In 2016, we relaunched the Transmissions podcast as an interview program. In 2020, we took it weekly and it’s been a great way to connect with artists and listeners and explore topics I’m drawn to: creative process, spirituality, transcendence, the flexible nature of time. I still shake my head when I think about how lucky we’ve been to get some of the guests we have. I loved talking with Dorothy Moskowitz of The United States of America recently. Justin and I once interviewed Daniel Lanois at his place in Silverlake—that’s a highlight. I loved speaking with Jim Jarmusch, his work is deeply inspiring to me. I was nervous, but he was delightful and game to chat. My talk with Beverly Glenn-Copeland was very moving and consciousness expanding. As was the chat I had with the late Joanna Brouk, a new age artist who really blew my mind. I’ve had occult historian Mitch Horowitz on a few times, I always love hanging with him. 

Our readers don’t know this about us, but we’re avid Adam Sandler fans. Please enlighten them by giving your top three films and why!

I have to go with my gut instinct here: 

Uncut Gems 

Billy Madison

The Wedding Singer 

Sandler is so fascinating; he’s made incredible movies and some absolute stinkers too. I had a hard time leaving Punch-Drunk Love off my list, but I went with Uncut Gems as an example of Sandler pushing very hard, showcasing the coiled intensity that fuels even his funniest, most lighthearted stuff. In terms of classic Sandler comedies, I went with Billy Madison. It’s a ridiculous movie conceptually, but it made such an impression on me as a kid. My aunt and uncle took my siblings and I to see it as kids while my dad and stepmom were on a trip together. They ended up yanking us kids out the theater upon realizing it wasn’t a kids movie. When my dad returned, he was like, “We watched the most hilarious movie while were out, it’s called Billy Madison.” It became a back to school tradition to watch that one annually. Lastly, I’m going with The Wedding Singer, because it really showcases Sandler’s sweet side. He and Drew Barrymore’s chemistry in that movie is magnetic. I love a rom-com and that one just excels. My wife Becky and I watch it a couple of times a year. 

What have you been up to more recently? Anything new and excited on the horizon for Spring/Summer of 2023? Is there anything else you would like to further share with the readers?

As I noted earlier, Zach and I are putting the finishing touches on a record we really dig, hopefully we can share more about that soon. We’ve got some incredible projects going at Transmissions, and I do a show called Click Vortex on the audio/video network WASTOIDS with my collaborator Sam Means (of The Format and Hello Merch). We’re actually doing a live gig this weekend, March 26, at the Crescent Ballroom with Cris and Elmo Kirkwood of The Meat Puppets. 

https://jasonpwoodbury.com/

https://www.instagram.com/jasonpwoodbury/

La Cerca tour to support ambient album 'A Nice Sweet Getaway'

In September 2020, front-man Andrew Gardner of indie rock band La Cerca released his first ambient album under the same moniker; a masterpiece titled A Nice Sweet Getaway.  

"Echo, delay and reverb were put to good use to create an atmosphere that is not particularly safe or soothing. They point to the dangers that are hiding in the great wide open, with pulsating rhythms and swaths of guitar that are both welcoming and issuing a warning. [La Cerca's] A Nice Sweet Getaway flows as a continuous piece of music and should be enjoyed as such. This kind of music does not allow outside interference, so better disconnect the phone and other things that can break the spell."
~ Here Comes the Flood -- Best of 2020

This month coming, La Cerca is hitting the road to support A Nice Sweet Getaway, and perform tracks from the album live in concert.  Current dates are below, but stay tuned to La Cerca's social media accounts for potential additional dates to be added:

• Saturday April 15 - Wilmington, NC - The Fuzzy Needle 
• Wednesday April 19 -  Cincinnati, OH - The Comet
• Thursday  April 20 - Louisville, KY - private party
• Friday April 21 - Chicago, IL - Cafe Mustache
• Saturday April 22 - Kansas City, MI - The Brick
• Sunday April 23 - Tulsa, OK - The Whittier Bar
• Monday April 24 -Oklahoma City, OK - Hunbly Bubbly Hookah Lounge

La Cerca's Social Media + Website:

• Main Website

• Facebook

• Instagram

• Twitter

• Tumblr

Andrew Gardner of La Cerca

Boogixote Scout Report #1 | Blowin Wax

[Repost from Boogixote; by Garrett Bethmann, March 22, 2023]

JPW: Halfway to Eloy (Live at the Dirty Drummer)

Puts some sweat on your brow and a buzz in your body as you glide through some ephemeral fever dream of fast friends on lonely desert roads, listening to a radio station playing the best music you’ll never hear again. It’s a sweet little live release single culled from Jason Woodbury’s debut release Something Happening/ Always Happening on Wilmington’s Fort Lowell Records. 

Tracy + James of Fort Lowell Records are spinnin' records every Tuesday night at Satellite Bar & Lounge in Wilmington NC from 6:00-8:30pm

OUT NOW: Kim Ware 'Homely' [12inch LP]

Ware’s official debut solo album; a departure that is much more intimate and personal from her previous work as / with the Good Graces. —— “Ware’s earthy voice pairs well with her songs of yearning.’ ~ Rachel Cholst, Adobe & Teardrops —— For fans of Neko Case, Juliana Hatfield, The Mountain Goats, and Conor Oberst.

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High Huddle: Shaun Paul of Kicking Bird Deliberates on His Fave Dope

[Repost from V13; by Christopher Gonda, March 14, 2023]

Most artists go to great lengths to seem original and distinctive, but Kicking Bird aren’t afraid to admit it: “Everything’s a rip-off.” This is made apparent on the band’s debut record Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Fort Lowell Records), a collection of upbeat, bouncy indie rock goodness.

Even if everything in music is derivative, it doesn’t take anything away from the finished product, and according to Kicking Bird, that’s the most essential aspect. Stolen chords and melodies are unavoidable, but it all depends on how we interpret the work that came before us that we have been exposed to and, in some instances, idolized. Each track on Original Motion Picture Soundtrack sets out to satisfy our innate need and desire to dance. They can be both fiery and intimate, urgent and tense, but also charming and delicate. Not too bad for five guys who formed a band in a shed beside a river in Southeast North Carolina.

Just for today, we put all the music talk aside and chat about the joys of cannabis with singer Shaun Paul for our latest edition of High Huddle.

When did you first smoke marijuana? What was your first experience like?

Shaun Paul: “In twelfth grade, I played in a punk rock band named Dale. The other two guys were more experienced than me when it came to pot, and I had generally taken a pass at partaking with them. My parents had left me alone for the weekend, and I invited both of them over to hang out and finally smoke. We built a bowl out of tinfoil and stuffed an emptied cigarette wrapper with weed, and despite the amateur attempts at consumption, we smoked enough to get extremely high.

“We went down to the basement and played music for what seemed like an eternity (even though it was probably only an hour), and I remember thinking I’d never heard sounds in that way before. Everything was fun; everything was peaceful; I felt like I was helping create something amazing right there in that moment. I think that was my initial attraction, the way I felt pulled into the notes and chords we were playing. I was very present and aware of what was happening all around me in a way I had never experienced before.”

What’s the biggest misconception about weed?

“People think weed makes you dumb. It does not. My life with weed has been extremely productive. There have definitely been times when I melted through the floor and couldn’t stand up even if the earth tilted with me, but generally, there is nothing I can’t do stoned. There are, however, half a million things I don’t want to do when I’m not stoned.”

You get to smoke with anyone, alive or dead; who is it?

“I would love to get high with Elvis Presley. Not cool, young Elvis, but late-stage paranoid Elvis. Then we could use all his connections to go fly a plane or drop 30,000 in a Vegas casino. I would want to just keep smoking joints until he was chilled out in the Jungle Room, then we would sing some gospel songs and Hank Williams tunes.

“After a good laugh and walk on the grassy fields of Graceland, we would settle into the kitchen for some fried bacon-peanut butter banana sandwiches. We’d talk about how he just needs to get away from everyone for a while, the colonel, the entourage, all his business partners. Then I would try to convince him to fly us both down to Jamaica for a few months to start writing some new tunes and building up the mystery before a worldwide tour, a-la Rolling Thunder Review. Then Elvis would be cool again.”

If you could pick one person who you would like to see smoke up, who would it be?

“I’d really like to see Neil Armstrong get baked. I don’t know for sure that he saw things on the moon that he’s never been able to speak about, but I do believe he thinks he has. I think a stoned Neil Armstong would tell the best stories. They would be a mix between reality, ’60s anti-communist propaganda, and an Ed Wood-style look at space culture. I’d ask him loads of questions like, ‘What do you think is at the bottom of the sea?,’ and ‘Is Doctor Who a real guy?’”

What’s your favourite thing about weed?

“I love the warm feeling of relaxation that creeps over me when I get high. I like the way it slows down time and brings minutia into focus. I like the flavour in my mouth of a clean piney hit. I love how it can sink you fully into an experience by removing barriers to sensation. Going for a walk on the beach and feeling wind hit your body is such a simple sensation, but when you have the chance to heighten a moment like that, it really becomes so much easier to appreciate how little it takes to feel good.”

Smoke or edibles, which one do you prefer overall?

“Definitely smoke. Edibles can be fun occasionally, but it’s unpredictable. I love that feeling 30 seconds after a hit when everything feels warm and cozy. It’s also a more enjoyable group occasion when you can pass a joint or bowl and all share in the moment together. Also, you really can’t beat that smell.

“However, I once went to the circus after two gummies that Tom gave me. It wasn’t one with animals, just acrobats and clowns, and I remember feeling like there was no one on the planet who could do the things those people did. When the gymnast leapt from the trapeze, I audibly gasped so loud, the family beside us got scared with me.”

Do you have a preferred time of day to smoke, and if so, when and why?

“It has to be the morning. I love breakfast, I love sunrise, I love coffee, and I love being high first thing in the day. It’s when I’m most productive creatively and just around the house in general, so I love to get stoned, then go sit with a guitar at 7 am or clean the bathroom and go for a bike ride. It’s fun to smoke at the end of the day, too though. Shaylah and I will normally enjoy a bowl together, then play cards or listen to records, so honestly, there’s no bad time.”

How do you get your ganja; Dispensary, bud-buddy, government (yes, some countries sell it direct), self-grown? Maybe you have a range of options? Share!

“Unfortunately, weed is not yet legal in North Carolina. I have a friend based out west who usually can get really great buds sent to me on this coast. I’ve been fortunate to try a bunch of new strains in the past few years, but still, to this day, my favorite leaf is Bubba Fett.”

How do marijuana and your form of music jive for you?

“Our band makes fun music to dance to and have parties with. Being stoned makes it more fun dancing with everyone. It’s not some deep cerebral joining of minds or diving into the subconscious; it’s literally shaking ass and getting sweaty in a group. I love to see people passing a joint before we play; it means they are ready to cut loose and just be carried in the music together. I wouldn’t say I need weed to enjoy music, just enhance it.”

Apples, homemade water bongs, pop cans… What’s the strangest or most creative way in which you’ve ingested pot?

“We once built a gravity bong out of a ten-gallon water bottle, and we used it in my neighbour’s swimming pool. It took two people to hit and operate it, but the best part was after taking the biggest hit of your life, you could just jump right in the pool. In high school, there were multiple times when we would roll joints with blank pages from the back of hymnals from church.”

Shaun Paul of Kicking Bird

INTERVIEW: Kim Ware Becomes More Direct in “Homely”

[Repost from Adobe & Teardrops; by Rachel Cholst, March 17, 2023]

Adobe & Teardrops favorite Kim Ware is back for more with her upcoming album, Homely. After a lockdown-inspired move to her home state of North Carolina, Homely finds Ware stripping things down from her jangle rock-inspired folk with her band the Good Graces to plainspoken songwriting and an acoustic guitar. Ware’s earthy voice pair well with her songs of yearning.

During the 2020 pandemic, Ware launched two projects designed to connect local artists and friends despite quarantine restrictions: a virtual Facebook venue called “Kimono My House,” which includes members across the world and continues to grow daily, and a podcast called “Quarantuned With the Good Graces,” where she interviewed musicians about their creative processes and the need for artists to stay connected.

In our interview, Kim outlines her approach to her upcoming album Homely (out on March 24th), what songwriting has taught her as a person, and how she brought out the best performance in her life not too long ago.

Explain the title of your album.

It’s a homemade album, and I guess I sorta wanted to take back that word (“Homely”). At least for me. It has a negative connotation, and I think as a kid, I fit that descriptor. It has a bit of an awkward connotation, too, and I definitely was that. But now that I’m older, I have more of an appreciation for that sort of thing. I’ve come to realize that something really stripped down to the core, without a lot of embellishments, something “homely,” can also be very pure, real, and honest. Hopefully the album reflects that.

Does your album have an overarching theme?

I guess just an overarching production style. Stripped down, acoustic, no drums. It’s 5 new, not-previously-recorded-or-released songs, and 4 that had been on previous albums of mine. So the overarching theme is probably just that it’s me, raw and minimal style.

Tell us about the first song you wrote.

No! LOL OK. It was a love song to Ricky Schroder. I was 10. I wrote out the lyrics and mailed them to him. I didn’t get a response. (I had very poor tastes in guys when I was younger.)

Do you have any songwriting tips you can share?

Well, my MO has always pretty much been to write that thing I’m hesitant to talk about. In my experience, that’s often the stuff people connect the most with. But, that can be really draining and I’m not sure how sustainable or even healthy that approach is long term. So I’m trying to change that and just face things more head-on. As a result, I haven’t been writing as many songs here lately!

But regardless, I think if you’re stuck, or even if you just aren’t sure what direction you should go in, ask yourself what, in that moment, do you NEED the song to do? Then try doing that. Let it help you. In turn, it’ll probably help others, too. But, be conscious of not letting it become your crutch. And don’t be afraid to shake things up and take things in a whole new direction. Try a new instrument, or a different tuning.

Prompts are great for that, too; some of my best songs (7-Year Sentence, Sit on Your Hands, His Name Was the Color That I Loved just to name a few; there are so many!) were written to prompts; without that, they probably never would have come to be. And finally, even though my background is in journalism, I only recently started typing out my lyrics. When I think a song is close to done, I’ll do that and just look at them. It helps me hone in on lines that maybe are a little too long and clunky, and really see how the words work in context. It’s helped with editing a bit and hopefully made things a little more compact, concise, and clear.

Tell us about your favorite show you’ve ever played.

Currently it’s the most recent show I played, a few months ago in Davidson, NC at Summit Coffee for their monthly writer’s round. I just felt really good about it after it was over. I feel like it might be my best performance, ever. I didn’t have another show booked after it and was feeling a little burnt out so I thought, maybe I might not book another show again, ever. I knew I probably would, but I was just thinking going into the show, what if this is my last show, ever? So I think there was a bit more intensity and focus to my performance as compared to my usual. And I really enjoyed that.

Homely will be released on March 24th.

Kim Ware — Official, Bandcamp, Facebook, Twitter

OUT NOW: Kicking Bird "Stuck" [Digital Single]

The second single from Wilmington, North Carolina's own Kicking Bird, titled "Stuck", from their debut album Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is available now on all music platforms.

• "Upbeat, bouncy indie rock goodness" ~ V13, Christopher Gonda
  

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