OUT NOW: MindsOne & MentPlus "The Way Back / Guiding Light" ft. DJ Noumenon

MindsOne has been offering their listeners innovative lyrics, heart pounding instrumentals, precise cuts, and intense live shows since 2002. Their music embodies the spirit of independent hip hop culture and pays homage to those boom bap masters and others who came before. MindsOne have consistently delivered powerful and inspirational music over the years, and have continued to perfect their sound with each project.

The forth digital single "The Way Back / Guiding Light" with MentPlus, featuring DJ Noumenon, off MindsOne's new double album titled Stages (due out in February) is now available on all music platforms as of today.

LISTEN NOW | PRE-ORDER VINYL RECORD

New Year's Eve 2024 in Wilmington, North Carolina is at Satellite Bar & Lounge

Join us at Satellite Bar & Lounge in Wilmington, North Carolina on New Year's Eve / Tuesday, December 31 — LAUDS will be performing live in concert, followed by Fort Lowell Records' own LET'S DANCE event — a Vinyl DJ Night, deejayed by label owner James Tritten. LESLIE BLOWUP BAND will start the night off for us at 8:00pm, and music will be going all night long. This is a free event to the public; there is no cover charge to get in.

CLICK HERE FOR FACEBOOK EVENT PAGE

#48: Blab School 'Blab School' - Small Albums Best 50 Albums of 2024

[Repost from Small Albums; December 16, 2024]

#48: Blab School 'Blab School'

Here is a pick from each of our fave 50 albums we heard this year:

JPW & Dad Weed 'Two Against Nurture' - 2024 in Review // Favorite EPs, Reissues and Albums

[Repost from I Heart Noise; by Ilya S., December 5, 2024]

“J Moss is a deeply authentic music maker. One of the most prolific recording projects I’ve heard of in recent memory, Modern Folk can be anything from fingerstyle acoustic guitar, to field recording laden soundscapes, to noisy spacious freak outs, to a free rock band full of friends” – Bud Tapes

J Moss, aka The Modern Folk, is no big fan of lists, by his own admission. Which is why we’re honored to have him kick off an overview of 2024 for us!

JPW & Dad Weed – Two Against Nurture (Fort Lowell Records)

FOR FANS OF: Amen Dunes, Calexico, Cornershop, Elephant 6, Flaming Lips, Gin Blossoms, LEN, My Morning Jacket, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, R.E.M., Todd Rundgren, Steely Dan, U2, Wilco, Link Wray

The dark is arriving earlier each passing evening. The veil between the spirit world and the land of the living grows thin. Into the glooming emerge Phoenix songwriters Zachary “Dad Weed” Toporek and Jason P. Woodbury, aka JPW, noted podcaster, liner notes author, and songwriter, bearing a bag of autumnal psych pop. Recorded in Toporek’s backyard studio between 2021-2024, these three tracks showcase the birth of a songwriting partnership between these longtime friends and collaborators. Operating like an ersatz Becker and Fagan, handling singing, writing, arranging, and production in a 50/50 split, these songs indulge their taste for ragged power pop, chiming folk rock, and even semi-improvised jams.

Further Reading: Add To Wantlist / Here Comes The Flood 

#53: Female Gaze 'Tender Futures' - Rosy Overdrive’s Top 100 Albums of 2024

[Repost from Rosy Overdrive; December 9, 2024]

Release date: May 17th

Record label: Fort Lowell/Totally Real

Genre: Psychedelic rock, art rock, desert rock, post-rock, jazz rock

Formats: Vinyl, cassette, digital

After retiring the name of their old band, The Rifle, Tucson’s Nelene DeGuzman and Kevin Conklin formed Female Gaze with Nicky David Cobham-Morgese, and the former garage rockers undergo a remarkable transformation on Tender Futures, their debut album under the new name. Stretching five songs across thirty-two minutes, Tender Futures is an expansive, vast record, with the band embodying the American southwest more than any of their projects ever have before. Inspired in part by DeGuzman’s chronic health issues that had left her in a “painful limbo”, Tender Futures explores the desert using empty space and towering nothingness as its language, intentionally evoking haziness and disorientation through psychedelia, post-rock, and even a bit of jazz-rock. (Read more)

#46: Forest Fallows "Hotel Radisson" - Small Albums Best 100 Tracks of 2024

[Repost from Small Albums; December 9, 2024]

#46: Forest Fallows "Hotel Radisson"

OUR FAVE 100 TRACKS OF 2024

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

11 Short Fictions is the sophomore album from Wilmington, North Carolina band, Kicking Bird. Filled with the same jangly hooks and interwoven vocals that the band is known for, the record also dives into a soundscape and lyrical content that is much darker and heavier. 

"Cinnamon" is the first digital single from Kicking Bird 11 Short Fictions, and is available now everywhere for your enjoyment.

LISTEN NOW | PRE-ORDER VINYL RECORD

WORLD PREMIERE: Naïm Amor "September Escapade" [Official Music Video]

Naïm Amor

"September Escapade"

Stories

Fort Lowell Records, 2024

Music Video by Justin Clowes

Kaylee Amante: The Girl

Naïm Amor: The Man

CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO

Kicking Bird-Cinnamon

[Repost from Music. Defined.; by Josh Terzino, December 2, 2024]

I am extremely honored to once again be given the responsibility of premiering the first single from Kicking Bird’s new album, 11 Short Fictions. Their previous album, the amazing debut Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, was my favorite from 2023.

The question of whether the new album can live up to the first will have to wait until the Spring of next year, but “Cinnamon” is an explosion of fuzzed out guitar that bursts out at a frantic pace and never lets up. It feels urgent and exciting, like it was recorded live at a late-night bar show just before curfew and they wanted to jam one more song into the set. Fast and furious and fun with undeniably compelling sound that keeps you coming back for multiple listens.

At barely over two minutes, “Cinnamon” is enough to give us a taste of what we can expect from 11 Short Fictions. The band benefits from self-producing this time around, and the trust and confidence they have in one another is evident in their sound. Every note feels free and loose but it all comes together beautifully.

If you dig it, you can pre-save the single ahead of its official release on Friday, December 6th. And beyond that you can also pre-order the album, which I will be doing, here. The vinyl is limited to 100 copies, so if you’re into that format get your order in now!

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN NOW

Give a gift that keeps on giving this year to your loved ones! 🎁

With (13) songs from a variety of amazing artists, consider giving the vinyl record Luz de Vida II: A Compilation to Benefit Homicide Survivors to your loved ones this holiday season. 100% of the proceeds goes to HSI (Homicide Survivors, Inc.): an organization who helps those in need affected by these tragedies. The compilation album includes music from Calexico, Dr. Dog, Amos Lee and many more — exclusive to this release. 🎁

BUY VINYL RECORD HERE

TRACK LIST

SIDE-A

1. Calexico “Wash (La Luz Brillante)”
2. Tracy Shedd “Chasing Time”
3. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah “Thousand Oaks (Luz de Vida)”
4. Juarez “Ghosts in the Room”
5. L’Orange “A Rich Life & Longing”
6. Dr. Dog “Loneliness”

SIDE-B

1. Gabriel Naïm Amor “La Nuit Pour Nous Deux”
2. Acorn Bcorn “Scraps”
3. XIXA “Crystal Road (Luz de Vida)”
4. The Resonars “It’s the Same”
5. Hannah Yeun “All That Matters is the Wind”
6. Soda Sun “Grape Juice”
7. Amos Lee “El Camino (Solo Acoustic)”

Songs of Our Lives #60: Jason Woodbury

[Repost from Foxy Digitals; by Brad Rose, November 12, 2024]


On this episode of Songs of Our Lives, it’s Jason Woodbury! After a quick chat about the connection and influence of writing about music and playing music, plus his new EP with Dad Weed, we get into unfortunate moments with the Bob Seger Band, the lifetime of influence Vince Guaraldi has had, sticking up for The Smiths, Judee Sill’s transcendent lyrics, Bill Evans replayability, Bob Dylan, Cocteau Twins, Tom Verlaine + more!


CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO FULL PODCAST


Listen to all of Jason’s picks HERE
Jason’s Website
Jason’s Substack, “Range & Basin”
JPW & Dad Weed “Two Against Nurture”
JPW “Raw Action On Route”
Transmissions Podcast

Hip-Hop Heads, reserve your copy of MindsOne new double album on vinyl now!

To be released officially to the world in February, MindsOne's latest release is a double album titled Stages and its filled with (19) tracks in total!  Be sure to reserve your copy today before they sell out, which they will!

For fans of 9th Wonder, The Alchemist, Atmosphere, Beastie Boys, Benny The Butcher, Big Pun, Black Moon, Kev Brown, Common, Da Beatminerz, D.I.T.C., DJ Premier, El-P, EPMD, Gang Starr, Hi-Tek, Hieroglyphics, J Dilla, Jay Z, KRS One, Little Brother, Lootpack, Madlib, Madvillain, MF Doom, Mobb Deep, M.O.P., Mos Def, Nas, Organized Konfusion, OutKast, Marco Polo, Redman, Run The Jewels, RZA, Sage Francis, Skyzoo, Talib Kweli, The Roots, and Wu-Tang Clan.

PRE-ORDER VINYL RECORD NOW

Listen to the first three singles by MindsOne from Stages now: 

Successful collaboration between two songwriters leads to melancholy, memory and magic in three atmospheric tracks

[Repost from Add to Wantlist; by Dennis, November 7, 2024]

New EP: JPW & Dad Weed || Two Against Nurture

Phoenix-based singer-songwriters (and longtime friends) Jason P. Woodbury aka JPW and Zach Toporek aka Dad Weed have joined forces, and the synergistic effect is inviting. The three tracks on their Two Against Nurture EP embrace sunny psych pop with a dark folk edge. A two-sided tension is reflected on all levels, including in the lyrics, such as “Well everybody’s talking about moving away // You think you’ll be sticking around” (from Everybody’s Talking (Again)) and “Sun tan lotion // Wearing mirrored skin // You’ve arrived here // Just in time for the end” (from Big Wave). Musically you’ll also hear a clash of styles and preferences, resulting in a rich and surprising orchestration that sounds experimental at times, but is always captivating.

Two Against Nurture, written and produced by Jason P. Woodbury and Zach Toporek, is out digitally via Fort Lowell Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

OUT NOW: MindsOne "Covers" ft. DJ Iron [Digital Single]

MindsOne has been offering their listeners innovative lyrics, heart pounding instrumentals, precise cuts, and intense live shows since 2002. Their music embodies the spirit of independent hip hop culture and pays homage to those boom bap masters and others who came before. MindsOne have consistently delivered powerful and inspirational music over the years, and have continued to perfect their sound with each project.

The third digital single "Covers", featuring DJ Iron, off MindsOne's new double album titled Stages (due out in February) is now available on all music platforms as of today.

LISTEN NOW | PRE-ORDER VINYL RECORD

Life after "Monsoon Twilight": Checking in with Forest Fallows

[Repost from Nick Prevenas, via Substack; November 13, 2024]

If you want to get a sense of whether “Sound Tucson” is your kind of music book, give this 2023 essay a read. It’ll take you about 6-8 minutes (maybe longer if you choose to listen to the song embedded in the Bandcamp CMS). We’ll be here when you get back: Monsoon Twilight Amid a Wave of Destruction: Forest Fallows’s “Lightly Down”.

In late 2022, the fine folks at Bandcamp solicited pitches for Resonance, the site’s series of personal essays “exploring our emotional relationship with music.” If there was a Venn diagram comparing the tone/feel of these essays with the tone/feel of my book, it would be an overlapping circle. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to write about one of my favorite songs (Lightly Down) from one of my favorite local records (At Home) by one of my favorite local bands (Forest Fallows).

Even though the album is about 10 years old at this point, it still sounds every bit as fresh and exciting as it did when I first heard it. There is an unstuck-in-time quality to the kinds of songs Alex Morton and Mike Barnett write together. There are no production tricks or trend-chasing tendencies that would tie their music to any specific moment. In the essay, I wrote that Forest Fallows has “the wooziness of a Kurt Vile record was superimposed on top of Real Estate’s jangly hooks.” I assumed for years that “At Home” would be a one-and-done experience – one pristine record from a band that comes and goes as intermittently as a gentle breeze.

But then came “Palisades”.

The Bandcamp piece got back to Alex, Mike, and James at Fort Lowell Records. Their kind words about my essay really struck a chord in me. Music – and the appreciation of it – can be a two-way street. If someone creates something that matters to you – particularly independent creators – try to find a way to communicate that to them.

They were eager to let me know that they were close to completing the “At Home” follow-up that had been nearly a decade in the making. They sent me an early copy with hopes that I would review it, but the words escaped me. I truly, honestly didn’t know what to say. What if “Palisades” didn’t hit me the same way “At Home” did? I am a completely different person in 2024 than I was when I first heard this band in 2014-2015. What if I couldn’t muster the same kind of enthusiasm? I didn’t want to let them down.

It can be hard to look back on the person you used to be. The vast majority of “Sound Tucson” was written several years ago – pre-fatherhood, pre-COVID, pre-everything. You ever glance at an old high school yearbook photo and think “who WAS that person?” You ever listen to an old mixtape/mix-CD/playlist and wonder what the hell you were thinking? The future can be terrifying because of the unknown, but the past can be equally terrifying because of everything you now know about yourself.

But you have to get over it.

I finally listened to “Palisades.” Again and again. It doesn’t pack the same wallop “At Home” did for me, but that hardly matters. I came into it knowing (mostly) what to expect. “Palisades” is more playful than it’s predecessor (check out those cheeky synths on “Saturday Rose”) but it is still a woozy/jangly delight. This music is a warm blanket and two hands around a warm mug of hot chocolate.

I’m listening to it as I review the “Sound Tucson” manuscript to update references, dates, double-check name spellings – you know, the fun stuff. I was worried this process would have the same “yearbook photo” quality and I would delete the Word doc from my hard drive in a fit of embarrassment. I’m thrilled to tell you that I’m having the opposite reaction. I can’t wait for people to read it.

JPW & Dad Weed - Two Against Nurture

[Repost for If It's Too Loud; by Ken Sears, November 6, 2024]

JPW & Dad Weed is the collaboration between Phoenix songwriters Zachary "Dad Weed" Toporek and Jason P. Woodbury. The duo just released a three song EP titled Two Against Nurture. The three songs comprising the EP are this glorious mix of the more mainstream side of early 90's alt-rock such as Gin Blossoms and R.E.M. alongside the more experimental sounds of Polaris and The Flaming Lips. Despite it not sounding like a complete 90's throwback, songs like "Everybody's Talking (Again)" and "When I Get Lonesome" are going to hit a nostalgia button you didn't even know you had. Plus, the songs are just a load of fun and have a sunny side that is necessary here in New England when it's getting dark at 4:30 in the afternoon. "Big Wave" closes out the EP, and goes in a completely different, more early country infused Wilco meets Yankee Hotel Foxtrot Wilco. Two Against Nurture is made up of three perfect singles.

You can listen to Two Against Nurture below. The EP is out now via Fort Lowell Records, and is available via Bandcamp. For more on JPW & Dad Weed, check out Jason P. Woodbury's website. Dad Weed can be found on Instagram here.

Red Dwarf Star: Ex-Patriot

[Repost from Here Comes The Flood; by Hans Werksman, November 4, 2024]

Maserati guitarist Coley Dennis put his voice through 80s technoloy for Ex-Patriot, the new single by his solo project Red Dwarf Star project. It could be mistaken for the theme song of a dystopian Sci-Fi series, albeit that in this case humankind has not blown up the planet yet - they have come pretty close though.

Dennis is obviously seriously worried about what the fuck is going on his home country and from the safety of his current place of residency Lausanne he has a bird's eye view on US politics. It is a scary mess and being a proud American is not a viable option right now.

Ex-Patriot is released via Fort Lowell Records.

» Red Dwarf Star on Instagram

HCTF review of Lady Aurora Borealis.

Meet Andrew Gardner (of La Cerca)

Andrew Gardner of La Cerca; photo by Akasia Oberly

[Repost from CanvasRebel; November 3, 2024]

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Andrew Gardner [of the band La Cerca]. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Andrew below.

Andrew, appreciate you joining us today. Do you have an agent or someone (or a team) that helps you secure opportunities and compensation for your creative work? How did you meet you, why did you decide to work with them, why do you think they decided to work with you?

At the current moment, I am La Cerca’s agent. I have decided to stay this way for the time being for many reasons. This is not to say that I don’t want an agent. I am waiting for the right person. An agent is someone who can better your situation with opportunities but can potentially hurt the band. A booking agent works on a percentage. We are still building our awareness and draw everywhere. Some places we play are small or without built in audiences. While we do our best to promote our shows, sometimes the compensation is barely enough to pay our costs. A booking agent would be taking a lesser amount and the band could be at a loss for that amount we pay. We build our shows in each city and return to play more shows and slowly our shows become bigger and compensation builds. Our reputation for being an excellent live band is spread with our tours. The downside is that it takes up a large amount of time. Booking shows becomes a hefty part time job and there is no pay, except that you keep 100% of what you make as a band. An upside is that you get to build your community with new people you meet and the relationship can be unique to you. You may find opportunities your booking agent may not have for you. You will want an agent who will want the best for you. Booking shows is a chore and it deserves compensation. A booking agent who is compensated well will be looking out for you. You as an agent will have your best interest in mind. A well paying show may not always be the right show. I’ve tried out a couple of agents and I was pleased to not send as many emails dealing with details, At times I wish I had the details or knew what put us in the situation. In both cases, I could have done a better job because I cared more about my band than the agents I hired to help us book tours. I’m trying to keep working with people who love the music and want to see La Cerca grow.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a guitarist, singer – songwriter and band leader for the band La Cerca. We have been a band for 24 years. For the first three years and the last ten years we have been pursuing music on a professional level. We have released 5 albums with a 6th album to be released next year. I’ve been playing music since I was young. In my teen years, I started playing shows and occasionally providing a place for traveling musicians to stay, which then turned into promoting shows and then operating a music space to do all of those things again. I started building my community right away, not just with out of town touring bands but people who went to see shows, other musicians, and other people doing the same thing. I partnered with people who were into the same Do-it-Yourself philosophies. I learned a lot from artist Steven Eye, who also ran all ages performance spaces and Solar Culture Gallery. When there was no music venue available or interested, I would find a record store, bookstore, art gallery or carwash and tell as many people as possible and set up the PA for the show. We were no strangers to the blossoming music scene of Tucson, Arizona. La Cerca is about playing to as many people as we can and sharing our music far and wide. We set our sights high with a small independent label, released our first album called “Goodbye Phantom Engineer” (2001) and we booked our own tours. Very slowly our name started getting out and we build a reputation of putting on exciting shows. Members of the band would come and go and I would draft friends and musicians who wanted to tour. We slept on couches, in our van, in the park and wherever we could feel comfortable for a little sleep so we could continue on to the next town to play shows. It wasn’t’t so much of a career but a way of life. That lifestyle came to sputtering halt I loved it so much that it was bring me to a place of poverty. I started rebuilding the band and finding members who were more committed than we previously had in our band. We stayed local as we reconfigured and building the confidence and the wherewithal to continue our mission. Once we were rolling again with our 3rd album Sunrise For Everyone (2014) it was now an even more advanced game, but I was learning the industry inside out. I put more promoting, booking and sound engineer experiences into our band. Meanwhile, I made friends with people who were willing to help La Cerca. James Tritten of Fort Lowell Records was a former booking agent, a publicist and musician for Tracy Shedd. And also from promoting and booking shows, I met Steve Kille of the band Dead Meadow and Xemu Records, Steve Kille became our manager and signed us to his label he co-ran with Cevin Soling. Steve was not the typical manager who was looking for a piece of pie or take from our publishing. He was altruistic. His guidance helped the band build our business even further, which would help his label. He recorded and produced our 4th album Night Bloom (2018). Steve passed away in April 2024. He was a great friend, but an inspiration to La Cerca.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Society needs to understand that being an artist / musician is not easy. I play guitar, sing, remember lyrics, tap dance on a pedal board, dance and sway to the music and project to each audience member, all at the same time. There are years upon thousands of hours of practice and experience put into each show, each note played and recorded and each lyric written. A song is a feat in itself. An album is like a novel or at least a gathering of short stories. We do this because we love what we do but also because it has become part of our personality. Our design is to bring people together and share our expression. Art and music need a higher value, but it must stay affordable to everyone.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

It’s exciting when someone is expressing interest in the next album. But often times a fan who maybe a non-creative is expecting the turnaround to be quick. Making an album is not just putting ten songs together and releasing. There is a lot of thought and integrity going into the project. Say you have those ten songs and you have already fleshed them out with your bandmates and made demos. You choose a studio that is the right situation for the project and the right engineer whom you all get along. Then there is a matter of scheduling the time for the sessions, but you will have to schedule that time for your musicians. Many musicians have other jobs, family and commitments to work around, but it is imperative to have each persons in the right place to perform their best and that means well rested and not in rush to do something else. This is more complicated than you can imagine. Sometimes someone is not performing well, sometimes performances are fantastic. However, usually within four to six hours, everyone has run out of their ability to do their best. Not every time do you have the ability to record consecutive days in a row. It works great when that happens, but there may not be that time available of the studio or your bandmates. Also, you have to bear in mind that a decent studio can be very costly. I find that the best situation is for the artist to own the recording being made and not have to owe anyone or allow someone to own the recording for you so that you are then in debt after the recording leaves the studio and goes into production, making your profit more difficult to reach because you are paying off the loan. So you have studio bills to keep up with and now there are overdubs, vocal tracks and other production ideas to help create that record and make it special. I struggle with vocal tracks for different reasons. Sometimes it has to do with barometric pressure and cloudy days, but I struggle to hit the notes confidently. Keeping your health in top form is important. Allergies, colds, grogginess and not being mentally fit to sings is a possibility for not having a great performance. Then once you have the tracking complete you have to mix the recording. This can take a lot of time depending on how picky you are. At this stage, there is many things to try and there is also a lot of time spent listening in a very meticulous manner. Then you arrive with a final mix and your album is sent to a mastering studio. After the mastering engineer has done his work and you approve the master, it can be sent into production. At this point all of your artwork has to be decided upon and designed for Digital, CD and vinyl. If you are pressing vinyl, there may be many more delays ahead. It also a good idea to have a few extra tracks available as single releases to share with the audience so they do not lose their interest.

LET'S VOTE

If you are in Wilmington NC today (Nov 5), join Fort Lowell Records' owner James Tritten at the polls as he will be spinning vinyl records as a part of DJs at the Polls!  Join Fort Lowell Records at these locations: 

• MORNING SHIFT:
  7:00-11:00am
  CFCC Health Sciences Building
  415 2nd Street N., Wilmington NC 28401
  
  
• AFTERNOON SHIFT:
  11:30am-2:30pm
  MLK Center
  401 8th Street S., Wilmington NC 28401

JPW & Dad Weed: Two Against Nurture

[Repost by Here Comes the Flood; by Hans Werksman, October 29, 2024]

Phoenix, AZ based musicians Jason P. Woodbury and Zachary Toporek themselves JPW & Dad Weed for their debut EP Two Against Nurture. The three tracks were recorded in fits and starts over the years, but they share the same framework: free-flowing, gnarly power pop that mixes the Byrds with unhinged 90s grunge.

Never mind the stoned teenagers having a laugh name for their duo. This is very much a release for music geeks, who will have a field day dissecting all the references Woodbury and Toporek managed to sneak in.

Two Against Nurture is released via Fort Lowell Records.

Tracks:

1. Everybody's Talking (Again)
2. When I Get Lonesome
3. Big Wave