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.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER VINYL

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
  

LISTEN TO DIGITAL SINGLE // PRE-ORDER VINYL RECORD

An Interview with RizzyBeats (and a premier of "Exit Velocity (End of the Line)")

[Repost from If It's Too Loud; by Ken Sears, March 6, 2023]

North Carolina based producer recently chose to rework MindsOne's 2006 debut album Time Space Continuum. The chance to talk to RizzyBeats came up, and seeing how much I'm enjoying The Time Space Continuum Redux, I jumped at the chance. I asked about the upcoming album, the North Carolina hip hop scene, and he even was nice enough to put together a monster seventy-eight track playlist featuring NC hip hop! 

MindsOne/RizzyBeats' The Time Space Continuum Redux is due out May 12 via Fort Lowell Records. You can pre-order the vinyl here. The single is due out March 10 digitally, and can be pre-ordered here. For more on RizzyBeats, check out his website. For more on MindsOne, check them out on Instagram. The original version of Time Space Continuum can be found here.

 

The new album (The Space Time Continuum Redux) is a reworking of MindsOne's 2006 debut album. What made you decide to make a new version of the album?

It basically started with some conversations I had with Tronic (of MindsOne) about how there aren’t more remix albums out in the world. Tronic mentioned he still had a lot of his a cappellas from their previous albums and I made sure to take note of that. I had previously remixed Aesop Rock’s “None Shall Pass” album and had a ton of fun with that so the prospect of giving MindsOne that same treatment was super appealing.

About a week later, I was listening to their Time Space Continuum CD and I remembered that conversation we had about the a cappellas, so I hit up Tron and asked if he had those too. He did, sent them to me right away, and I got busy.

What was the process of reworking an existing album? What did you decide to keep?

For me, the process always starts with finding the right BPM so everything matches up correctly. I use FL Studio for producing so I usually layer the original track over the a cappella and make sure things are lined up on the grid before I start adding drums and other samples. Then I go song by song, seeing what inspires me from each record. I always want to give any song I remix a new flavor that I think better serves the artist and highlights them in a way they weren’t in the original. With this project, I wanted to keep it super hip-hop so I intentionally used a lot of famous drum breaks so it would give this project that golden era sound.

Being from the Boston area, I'm hearing a ton of Gang Starr influences in this album. Is that more your style or MindsOne?

I think both myself and MindsOne are big Gang Starr fans. I’m hugely influenced by DJ Premier so I know I’ve subconsciously adopted some of his sample chopping techniques over the years. Preemo is the GOAT.

On the RizzyBeats Loves NC playlist, the tracks are incredibly diverse, but I'm hearing kind of a regional overall vibe that's laid back and embracing classic hip hop without sounding like a throwback. Do you think that's accurate, and what do you think leads to that sound? (If not, what would you say is the regional sound, if any?)

I think that’s very accurate. I think, universally, there is a deep love for hip-hop in North Carolina. Every artist I’ve been a fan of, or even known personally, has been very conscious of their responsibility as a hip-hop artist in North Carolina and has sought to make a meaningful contribution to the NC sound. We’ve got a lot of range here but it seems that most folks respect the history of hip-hop.

In Boston, it was basically impossible to see live hip hop for decades, and it's just recently becoming an established scene for live shows. How's the live scene in NC?

The live hip-hop scene here in Wilmington has been steadily growing for the last decade. There is a great acceptance among fellow hip-hop artists to stick together and work alongside each other so we can all succeed. The shows aren’t as plentiful here as they once were about 20 years ago but myself and a few others like Louis., Sheme OG, MoeSOS DC, and Shuron Maurice are trying to usher in a new generation of live performances to keep things vibrant and thriving. And I have to mention all of the hard work put in by MindsOne, Fuzz Jackson and the whole Monumental Music crew. They welcomed us with open arms and gave us the support we needed to carry on the torch.

What are the best/hottest cities for hip hop in NC right now?

Lots of excellent music coming out of Durham, Raleigh, Fayetteville, Wilmington, Goldsboro, Greenville, and Greensboro. 

When I heard you were putting together a North Carolina hip hop playlist, I did not expect it to be 78 tracks and 4 1/2 hours. If someone is short on time and wants to dabble before jumping fully in, what are the key tracks?

That’s incredibly tough to narrow down but a few of my favorites are:

- “Whatever You Say” - Little Brother

- “Gmots” - Miko X

- “Carolina Too” - Louis. ft Rob: Earth-One

- “Legion of Doom” - MindsOne

- “Mah Shiii” - Defacto Thezpian

We're premiering "Exit Velocity (End of the Line)" today. Tell us about that particular song.

“Exit Velocity” is the first track I worked on and what gave me the confidence to move forward with the whole project. It features both KON Sci and Tronic and is a really strong opener (in my opinion). I wanted to set the tone for the album and come in guns blazing.

Rizzy Beats; photo by Justin Giles

OUT NOW: JPW "Halfway to Eloy (Live at The Dirty Drummer)" [Digital Single]

“Halfway to Eloy” was the second single released from JPW's debut album Something Happening / Always Happening last year. "Halfway to Eloy (Live at The Dirty Drummer)" Digital Single is a *live recording* of that song from the Record Release Party, which was held at The Dirty Drummer in Phoenix, Arizona on September 10, 2022.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN NOW

OUT NOW: MindsOne / RizzyBeats "Exit Velocity (End of the Line)" [Digital Single]

The first single from the brand new album The Time Space Continuum Redux, by MindsOne / RizzyBeats, titled "Exit Velocity (End of the Line)" is available now on all music platforms.

The Time Space Continuum Redux is not only RizzyBeats's revival of MindsOne's debut album, but it's his own personal gift for MindsOne to celebrate the two emcees, KON Sci and Tronic, as they both embark on their fourth decade around the sun and embrace the seventeenth anniversary of their first official release. For the Redux, RizzyBeats used the original vocal tracks from 2006's The Time Space Continuum and produced an up-to-date version reflective of the Golden Age of Hip-Hop.

LISTEN TO DIGITAL SINGLE // PRE-ORDER VINYL ALBUM

Exclusivité “3000 Stories” le nouveau single de Brian Lopez

[Repost from Rolling Stone, France; by Belkacem Bahlouli, March 3, 2023]

Si Brian Lopez, membre fondateur de XIXA, son groupe de cumbia rock, est aussi sideman de luxe à la guitare chez Calexico, il travaille aussi en solo, où il partage une autre vision de son monde musical. Interview.

Trois mille histoires de migrants tentant de traverser la frontière américano mexicaine ne sont jamais arrivés à destination, tel est le sujet de premier single de son album prévu pour le mois de mai prochain. Ces morts ignorés sont inhumés anonymement ou dans le désert de Sonora, qui entoure la ville de Tucson en Arizona, où est installé l’une des figures de la ville, Brian Lopez, guitariste, compositeur et désormais songwriter. “3000 Stories” est un hommage pour rappeler l’existence de ces anonymes sans tombe.

Votre nouvelle chanson n’est pas vraiment habituelle dans votre répertoire, comment vous est venue l’idée de ce titre?

La chanson est un hommage aux 3000 corps non identifiés été découverts dans le sud de l’Arizona, dans le désert de Sonora, depuis l’an 2000. Les restes de ces anonymes – très probablement des migrants qui ont traversé la frontière à la recherche d’une vie meilleure. Des migrants qui n’ont jamais réussi. “3000 Stories” est une chanson inspirée par et écrite pour ces âmes oubliées.

La musique est assez différente de votre travail habituel, que recherchiez-vous avec cette atmosphère douce racontant ces terribles histoires?

Je voulais que les auditeurs entendent la beauté de leurs histoires plutôt que la tragédie de leur mort… les mélodies célèbrent leurs vies. Il est important de se rappeler qu’à un moment donné, ces restes étaient de vraies personnes avec des buts, des rêves et des ambitions… 3000 vies avec 3000 histoires qui ne seront jamais pleinement réalisées.

Vous vivez à Tucson, au milieu du désert de Sonora : je suppose donc que vous entendez souvent ce genre de nouvelles – des personnes qui disparaissent dans le désert?

Non. Au contraire, le public est largement tenu dans l’ignorance. Mais ce genre de tragédie se produit TOUS LES JOURS dans le désert de Sonora. Et il existe des organisations comme No More Deaths et Humane Borders, qui apportent une aide humanitaire à ces migrants – en installant des stations d’eau, en sensibilisant le public et en plaidant pour une politique d’immigration humaine. À l’inverse, il existe des milices anti-immigrants et des groupes d’autodéfense comme les Minutemen ou l’Arizona Border Recon qui patrouillent activement la frontière à la recherche de migrants. Ces milices, largement alimentées par les politiques et la rhétorique de l’administration Trump, ont infligé des dommages, voire la mort, à tous les migrants qu’elles rencontrent. C’est un triste état de fait le long de la frontière entre les États-Unis et le Mexique.

Quand on lit les paroles et qu’on voit la vidéo, quelle a été la partie la plus difficile pour transformer ce drame en poésie?

Dans les paroles, j’ai tendance à être poétique, à peindre à grands traits. Je ne veux jamais révéler où mon esprit s’est fixé. Et 99% du temps, je n’offenserais jamais l’auditeur en lui donnant le sens littéral d’une chanson. Mais avec « 3000 Stories », la compréhension des paroles est fondamentale.

Comment avez-vous l’équipe qui a travaillé avec vous sur la vidéo?

J’ai contacté un jeune artiste que j’avais rencontré au SXSW en 2021, Dorsey Kaufmann. Dorsey crée des installations et des expériences artistiques participatives socialement engagées et était un conférencier invité à l’événement auquel je jouais à Austin. À un moment donné, j’ai remarqué sur sa page IG qu’elle s’était essayée à l’animation en stop-motion, alors je lui ai écrit pour lui demander si elle envisagerait de réaliser un clip pour moi. Je lui ai dit que j’avais un budget de 5 millions de dollars, et je lui ai promis un yacht et la première du clip sur Rolling Stone France. Donc naturellement, Dorsey a dit « oui ». [rires], mais plus sérieusement, nous avons tous les deux tenté notre chance, et ça a marché. Elle a fait un travail incroyable en captivant le sentiment de ces 2 personnages ; ces 2 histoires. Je n’avais littéralement rien à voir avec la présentation visuelle. C’était tout Dorsey.

On retrouve autour de ce projet Gabriel Sullivan qui fait partie de la même équipe avec laquelle vous l’habitude de travailler avec XIXA et Calexico?

Oui, la chanson et l’album ont été produits par mon cher ami et collaborateur de XIXA, Gabriel Sullivan. Nous avons passé de nombreux jours en studio ensemble pendant la fermeture du COVID, pour enregistrer l’album. Il s’agissait d’un « album pandémique » et seules quatre personnes étaient autorisées à se trouver dans le studio en même temps, conformément aux directives du CDC. Il y avait donc Gabriel et moi-même, ainsi que notre ingénieur Frank Bair. Gabriel a joué presque tous les instruments dans le studio. Nous avons envoyé des pistes audio dans le monde entier à nos amis musiciens : John Convertino, de Calexico, a joué de la batterie et du marimba sur l’album, KT Tunstall chante sur un titre, les musiciens nantais Jean-Patrick Cosett et Vassili Caillosse font une apparition. Une douzaine d’amis locaux et étrangers au total sont crédités. Normalement, Si on avait pu bénéficier d’un groupe en studio, on aurait joué de manière cohérente, mais ce n’était pas possible à l’époque. Nous avons donc fait ce que nous avons pu avec ce que nous avions. C’est plus un album Frankenstien. Mais d’une certaine manière, ça fonctionne. Il y a plusieurs façons de faire une omelette.

C’est la même équipe pour votre prochain album qui est prévu pour le 17 mai?

Oui. Gabriel et moi avons produit tous les enregistrements de XIXA. Pour cet album solo, je voulais m’éloigner de cet espace et laisser Gabe prendre les rênes en tant que producteur. Cela m’a vraiment libéré pour que je puisse me concentrer sur mon côté artiste

L’album est terminé d’ailleurs?

Tout à fait et sortira dans le monde entier sur Cosmica Records le 17 mai. 100 vinyles limités seront pressés et vendus aux Etats-Unis par Fort Lowell Records à Wilmington, Caroline du Nord. En France, il y aura des vinyles produits et distribués par Gates Pass Records à Nantes.

Y a-t-il des surprises?

Pour le savoir, il faudra attendre!

OUT NOW: infinitikiss 'ambient music' [12inch LP]

infinitikiss is an ever-evolving musical and visual recording project conceptualized by Nic Jenkins, and ambient music is his latest full length album, as well as first release with Fort Lowell Records. The core material for ambient music came from live improvisations that were recorded to cassette tapes, which originally served as backing tracks for live solo performances and with rotating ensembles (circa 2015-2020), in and around Charleston + Columbia, SC. Since then, the tapes have since become a kind of sample library of colors & shapes that have served a variety of sound collage / design situations, as well as fodder for other strange + beautiful collaborations.  

It was a slow-growing interest in sound healing, vibrational therapy, and learning about Jenkin's own chakra / energy systems that helped him realize (and to illuminate) that this dusty collection of sounds could actually be its own album.  The song titles reflect the moods & colors (aka spectral wave) of the blending and bending of colors in a rainbow (ROYGBIV), as well as to the energy fields of our bodies; corresponding to the “roygbiv” sequence and play with imagery of said colors. 

Considering the nature of tape (magnetic film), Jenkins seized the opportunity to explore a range of microtonal frequencies which ultimately helped him to decide to tune down or up to 432, 440, and 444 hz. The intention was to explore, to enjoy, and to hopefully gain an expanded awareness of shifting frequencies.  The keys & frequencies (or tunings) of each piece / movement are:

track:

1. A major (432)
2. B minor (432)
3. B major (432)
4. C major (432)
5. D major, part 1 (432)
6. D major, part 2 (440)
7. D major, part 3 (444)
8. Eb minor (444)
9. F major (444)
10. G major (444)

For Jenkins, this is just the beginning of an understanding of how energetic vibrations move within and around us.

• CLICK HERE TO ORDER VINYL
  
• CLICK HERE TO LISTEN NOW

‘ambient music’ by infinitikiss | Album Premiere | Interview

[Repost from It's Psychedelic Baby Magazine; by Klemen Breznikar, February 27, 2023]

Exclusive album premiere of ‘ambient music’ by infinitikiss, out March 3rd, 2023 via Fort Lowell Records.

infinitikiss is an ever-evolving musical and visual recording project conceptualized by Nic Jenkins, featuring a revolving ensemble of curious and experimental artists, musicians, and performers. The core material for this album came from live improvisations that were recorded to cassette tapes, which originally served as backing tracks for live solo performances and with rotating ensembles (circa 2015-2020), in and around Charleston and Columbia, SC.

Since then, the tapes have since become a kind of sample library of colors & shapes that have served a variety of sound collage / design situations, as well as fodder for other strange and beautiful collaborations.

For Jenkins, this is just the beginning of an understanding of how energetic vibrations move within and around us. ambient music is infinitikiss’ first full length release with Fort Lowell Records.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO FULL ALBUM NOW

“Our bodies are just vessels of ever-shifting frequencies of light”

Would you like to share a bit about your background? How did you first get interested in music? When did you first get involved with conceptual art?

Nic Jenkins: Yes, I would love to! Thanks for asking. I was born in the early 80s; grew up in a town called Walterboro, SC which is near Charleston. I went to church with my family a lot in my youth, and music was always in and around the house. My mom and two siblings are still very active in their community choirs. I started off playing bass guitar for many years within those environments and very spiritually charged spaces. My dad was also a drummer once upon a time. The music of artists like Bob Marley and Sade were always playing in our house. I was fortunate to have elders and mentors in my community and extended family who shared all kinds of jazz, r&b, reggae, gospel, disco, and more with me. A drummer-buddy in middle school named Andrew shared the music of Weezer and Nirvana with me and exploded my mind; also when I truly discovered the drums. Local radio stations, MTV, BET, PBS, and any other musical broadcasting networks can also be to thank for my early appreciation of music. Discovering “alternative music” in the early 90s was a turning point, for sure.

I was active in concert and marching bands throughout grade school, and was able to study jazz in college (in Charleston). Starting indie rock bands with my friends was the next phase that helped me see that a life as a musician was actually possible, which opened me up to a path of exploration and growth. The drum set (in its material configuration and its invisible presence) was the original vehicle for my particular musical journey. I air-drummed a lot.

Thanks to genuine communities of musicians that noticed, welcomed, and encouraged me to consider my musical practice as a living art. Various collaborations with composer, dancers, film makers, and puppeteers all sort of appeared / manifested themselves in very organic ways. Some spaces and entities which immediately come to mind are: Redux Contemporary Art Center, Halsey Gallery, Piccolo / Spoleto Festival, Cumberlands, Bang On A Can, Young Jean Lee Theatre Company, Indie Grits Film Festival, & the Power Company Collaborative.

“infinitikiss was being inspired by elasticity, openness, and constantly changing landscapes”

‘ambient music’ is your latest project that was basically done from live improvisation that was recorded to cassette. What’s the story behind it?

The genesis of ‘ambient music’ begins around 2015 or so. I decided to update my moniker from Mr. Jenkins to infinitikiss. I was traveling a lot; thinking about space/time and the impermanence of things while also tapping into a broader awareness of timelessness, and the acknowledgement of individual sovereignty (in relation to the Universe as a whole). From a visual perspective, infinitikiss was being inspired by elasticity, openness, and constantly changing landscapes. Sonically, the project is fueled by the eternal “om” of the cosmos. Our bodies are just vessels of ever-shifting frequencies of light. It’s awesome!

So, as I began to explore writing and producing (predominantly solo) music to play with elastic ensembles of performers, there was a desire to incorporate static frequencies, ostinato patterns, and sound collage (an approach inspired by mystique concrete). The latter utilizes pre-recorded sound as a variable for manipulation and improvisation. Tapes were an exciting medium to explore b/c there is a physical interaction that is available in a different way than computers are available. I appreciate how fragile tapes are and how reliable they can be. I started to compile backing tracks for live performances to use in a similar way to how DJs use computers and turntables, dissecting samples and blending different layers together.

When the world basically shut down in 2020, I was already in a headspace of personal healing and trying to use sound as a tool for energy work. I’m still learning about this sort of practice (as a beginner). I made an album that year called ‘Pulp’ at that time (released in 2021), which mostly celebrated a sense of well-being and gratitude. When my (very pregnant) partner and I made the move to NM in the Fall of 2021: making music wasn’t so much at the forefront of my mind, but being well was. As we set-up shop to begin a new chapter, our home studio space slowly grew more conducive to a particular workflow, and the tapes were still there, intact. As we settled into a rhythm of rest & contemplation, more experimental, spacious, and ambient works (like Steve Reich, Hiroshi Yoshimura, and even Broadcast) became more of our daily soundtrack. Somewhere around the beginning of 2022 a lightbulb in my brain came on and I realized, “Oh! I can just release these tapes as an album!” They’re actually a pretty decent documentation of peripheral energies that existed in those early years. Initially, the release was scheduled to commemorate our two-year anniversary of becoming NM residents (this passed November). Fort Lowell convinced me to give the album a vinyl release/existence, and the rest is… where we are now!

Would you like to expand on the concept behind the record?

Sure! Conceptually, the intention is: awareness, compassion, mindfulness, nowness, newness, & the process of trying to preserve material that is in a format that will one day disintegrate (much like our bodies). Early on, I had to make some decisions about the tuning of these melodic phrases in order to blend with additional taped elements (guitar & synth), which were collaged/mixed later in the computer with LogicPro. Much of our music in the modern age of popular music is tuned to 440hz [ A ]. When ‘Rona presented us all with an opportunity to re-evaluate our healing practices/priorities, it also presented me with a sort of hypothesis: “What do certain frequencies do to our bodies and chakra systems?” and “What do wi-fi, bluetooth, social media, and other fluctuating radio waves do to us energetically?” That’s why some tracks are tuned down to 432hz and some are at 444hz. It was just an experiment to allow myself to feel those subtle shifts… which I’m still trying to practice in other areas of my life.

What meaning has improvisation in your life?

I haven’t read enough books on music theory or improvisation to make an eloquent statement about this, but: life is improvisation. Universally, I believe this is true for all human beings. Even if a person has no musical interests whatsoever, there is constantly a variable of improvising in our daily lives, in our commutes, in how we interact with strangers (who have the potential to be friends), and even in how we decide what we put in our bodies. It’s a flow thing, I suppose?

Shout out to: DJ FloFader & DJ Desert Disco –– two of our new favs. Dancing has played a huge part in my own discovery and realization of this; especially Ecstatic Dance. In my life, improvisation also means: I’m free to decide.

What are some future plans?

Some future plans, aspirations, hopes, dreams, et cetera that I have are (in no particular order):

• transcend space/time
• learn how to be a better parent, partner, and friend
• to fear less and love more
• work on my “jingle jangle” album
• collaborate with old and new dearies from the home studio
• manifest more abundance of space to accommodate our dreams as well as more ease and flow in creativity
• read more books
• put out some obscure rarities on my small-batch cassette label, Dojo Nowhere: Tapes & Miscellaneous Media
• keep an attitude of gratitude for the many beautiful beings, gifts, and LOVES in my life
• rewatch the documentary “Sisters With Transistors” … a few more times
• find more documentaries on Butoh dancing
• to accept and transmute dense energies with more intention
• to assist and participate in the evolution of our human collective consciousness
• staying present, while…
• applying to arts residences and other collaborative opportunities
• make more stuff with my main squeeze @u.r.magical
• make more of a “living” via freelance commissions like composing, illustration, a/v design, recording sessions, and music production
• figure out how to release an album collab with Seattle pal, Kelsey Mines (And Y Et)
• continue to revisit and revive some vintage musical projects </paging… Morimoto.gif>

Let’s end this interview with some of your favourite albums. Have you found something new lately you would like to recommend to our readers?

Aloha – ‘Sugar’

Broadcast – ‘The Future Crayon’

Metronomy – ‘The English Riviera’

Tortoise – ‘TNT’

Pram – ‘Museum Of Imaginary Animals’

Some albums I am enjoying currently are:

Field Guides – ‘Ginkgo’

PJ Harvey – ‘Songs From The City, Songs From The Sea’

Stereolab – ‘Fab Four Suture’

Something about the music of French Kicks has been calling to me / resonating with me again. Maybe it’s the drums, but maybe it’s the songs. I recommend ‘Two Thousand’ and ’The Trial Of The Century’ for some fun & bouncy early-aughts indie rock.

I recently finished listening to an inspirational audiobook by Shannon Lee (daughter of Bruce Lee) called ‘Be Water, My Friend’ that I will probably find in the physical realm one day. Simultaneously, I discovered an excellent podcast called “Bandsplain” which is full of great musical critiques, brilliant context, and hilarious content.

Last year the band Warpaint released a gorgeously gorgeous album that I will probably go back to many times this year. It is called ‘Radiate Like This’ and it does just that.

Thank you. Last word is yours.

See the other. Be the other. Free the other. Be gentle with yourself. Thank you very much, Psych Baby!

Meet Wilmington North Carolina Indie Pop Band Kicking Bird

[Repost by Blood Makes Noise; February 16, 2023]

"Everything's a rip off." Kicking Bird states that clearly but without irony or apology on their debut album *Original Motion Picture Soundtrack*. The twist however is that while stolen chords or melodies are an inevitability in all music, it's impossible to not filter the work of those who came first through our own cracked and unique lenses. This is where the *Original Motion Picture Soundtrack* shines. We caught up with the band and have an exclusive premiere of the track "Impermanent Assistant" Today!

PRE-ORDER LINK   

Pre-Order *Kicking Bird **Original Motion Picture Soundtrack* here

How did the band form and what does the band name mean?

The very first incarnation of Kicking Bird played in Chicago Illinois at the Cobra Club. Our first guitar player Dylan Kloska, also Shaylah's brother, came up with the name based on a movie that had moved them both as kids. When Shaun and Shaylah moved to Wilmington we met Robin and started all playing together. Greg came in next on drums, and eventually I was able to move back to guitar when we found Tom playing in a few local bands and he showed interest in joining us on bass. 

Previous musical projects? How'd you first get into music?

Everyone has different roots but pretty much the same story. From Ohio, London, Chicago, and North Carolina all of us started playing music and performing live in various ways very early on. Shaylah and Shaun met in Chicago while both writing individually until eventually collaborating on the indie rock band Chaperone. Finding the rest of the band in the Wilmington music scene was a blessing and a continuation of the pop rock direction everyone had been moving towards individually. Tom was playing in the Frondeurs when we first met him and I instantly knew he was on the same wavelength. The Wilmington music scene has grown a lot in the past few years, evolving past the punk/metal and alt-country bands that have been a staple for years into a lot of really unique rock bands.  We love Pleasure Island, Narah, Morning News, Sean & Her Dilemma, and a lot of the rock acts that are popping up in town. 

First concert that you ever went to? 

When I was 12 my dad took me to see Neil Young. The next day he bought both    

of us guitars. 

What's your writing process like?

Songwriting normally happens one of three ways. Occasionally one of us writes something from start to finish, music and lyrics. Even then, everyone is left to their own creative style to figure out what they are going to do that fills out the bones. Most often, one of us will come up with a part, a chorus or hook or maybe verse and turn around but still something is missing, and the rest of the band will finish the song. Those are always the best because you'll end up with something unexpected and perfect. Last, there's the rare occasion that a full on warm up jam turns into something we love and can flush out together in the moment. No matter how the main form is acquired, lyrics seem to always be a component that is fine tuned last second. 

What other artists or songs inspire your music?

This record has some pretty direct inspirations and some more roundabout ones as well. Liam Kazar's* Shoes Too Tight* was a song I heard while walking around the neighborhood one morning and I instantly was caught by the jagged guitar. I went home and started just trying to get that same vibe and eventually landed on the main chords for *Impermanent Assistant,* which gets its name as a nod to Robin's least favorite Paul Mccartney song *Temporary Secretary*. When bands started touring again after 2020 one of the first shows that Shaylah and I went to was Kevin Morby and Hamilton Leithauser. It was amazing and both of those artists have been major influences. I've been chasing Hamilton's ability to control a scream my whole life and his sound definitely can be heard on *Hickory River.* When Shaylah was writing the chords for that song we definitely had Morby's album *Oh My God* in heavy rotation. Robin came up for the initial riff part of *Lauren* and we had jammed it a few times at practice but I wasn't able to get lyrics I liked beyond "Lauren" until I was reading the hobbit one day and the phrase "unexpected party" struck me as fun and quirky. It was easy from there. *238* is a song that popped out almost entirely at once. I was at work and my friend Paul was playing a skate video in the shop and one of the parts featured Joel Alme's *The Way We Used To Beg. *I became obsessed with that song and pretty much ripped it off verbatim and turned it into a song about  my beautiful dog. 

What's the live experience like and your philosophy on playing live? Do you think the music live should be identical to the recorded version or should it be it's own thing? 

Our band is explosive live. It's the most fun and rewarding part of being in a band for me. It's sweaty, we dance, we yell at each other on stage, we crack jokes with the audience. It's communal and I think we've become such a strong family unit that our bond really comes across. We are genuinely blown away when people come out and have a good time and smile at us and we get to meet them. We really just want to have a party with everyone. Mimicking a recording isn't really interesting to me. I want to have it be special every time we play a song. I think that's the hardest part of recording, capturing that same energy. Tom did a great job of getting us recorded in a way that feels really true to that live performance. 

Has the band toured? What has the touring experience been, best shows? worst shows?

We have not been on any tours yet. We've had some really fun times at Satellite here in Wilmington. Our halloween show there was such a crazy party and everybody had so much fun. When people really start moving to the music we feed on that. We'd love to get out and do jaunts in other parts of the southeast or maybe get back to Chicago sometime soon. 

What's up next for the band?

We hope to immediately start working on album two. We have a handful of new songs already that we really love and we are super excited to spend some  time on the creative side of things. We love having new jams to play for  everyone. It keeps us interested and that makes the live performances so  much better. 

CLICK HERE to listen to the track "Impermanent Assistant" exclusively on Blood Makes Noise

Signal And Noise - Desario - Fort Lowell Records, 2022

[Repost from Daily Vault; by Tom Haugen, February 22, 2023]

Sacramento residents Desario are back with their first album in five years and fourth overall, where their exciting indie-rock template embraces bits of ominous shoegaze, bright New Wave and post-punk sensibilities from across the pond in the ’90s.

The nine-track listen leads with the thick haze of post-punk coated with a smattering of dream-pop that’s quite exciting on the nostalgic “Lonely Lights.” “Strange Shapes” then follows with hypnotic guitars and a jangly demeanor you'll immediately enjoy, as the crisp drumming really does impress.

Approaching the middle, the throbbing bass of “Throw It Back” segues into a light and airy display, while “Nevergreen” is a bit more firm, featuring a meticulous rhythm section that explores both busy and calmer moments.

Though there isn’t a bad tune present, the best ones are on the back half, and include the atmospheric and very pretty “Things We Left Behind,” as well as the lovely melodies weaving in and out of the reflective song craft that is “Wired Wrong.” “Eraser” exits the listen and carries a hint of melancholy amid the infectious bass lines and skilled drumming that balances tension and tunefulness in flawless ways, much like the entire affair.

Desario is made up of Michael Yoas (guitar, keyboards), John Conley (vocals, guitar), Mike Carr (bass guitar) and Kirklyn Cox (drums, percussion). Together they make music that you will enjoy if you're already a fan of Film School, Jesus & Mary Chain, The Smiths and/or Arctic Monkeys.

An extremely limited LP with just one vinyl copy left as I type this(!), regardless of what medium you prefer, Signal And Noise is an absolute must for fans of the early days of alt-rock, shoegaze-tinted indie-rock and blurry post-punk from any decade.

Rating: A

Fort Lowell Records DJ Set at The Starling Bar in Wilmington NC - Friday, Feb 24, 6-8PM

Brian Lopez - "3000 Stories"

[Repost from If It's Too Loud; by Ken Sears, February 14, 2023]

You might know Brian Lopez best as the guitarist for Calexico, but his solo albums have been released to wide acclaim as well. His latest solo single, "3000 Stories," is a gorgeous and lush cinematic song. It keeps his desert roots intact while being a quietly gigantic song. It's a relatively simple song that seems to keep building and building, adding new elements while just keeping the main root of the song completely together. "3000 Stories" is the kind of song that's going to require multiple listens. You won't realize how much is going on after just the first one, and the more you listen, the more there is to discover here.

You can listen to "3000 Stories" below. Tidal will be due out this summer on Fort Lowell Records. For more on Brian Lopez, check out the artist's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the song.

Feb 14 Tue - Lodge Room Highland Park - Los Angeles, CA
Feb 15 Wed - Belly Up - Solana Beach, CA
Feb 16 Thu - Pappy & Harriet's - Pioneertown, CA
Feb 17 Fri - Musical Instrument Museum - Phoenix, AZ
Feb 18 Sat - Meow Wolf - Santa Fe, NM

JPW

[Repost from Ecléctico; by Armando Bellmas, February 17, 2023]

Today on Ecléctico you're listening to "Something Happening" by JPW, a musical project led by songwriter, musician, and singer Jason P. Woodbury from Phoenix, Arizona. Released in 2022, today's song is the lead track from the project's debut album. Let the album roll after the tune and you'll find yourself driving through the American west, light and dark dancing above the landscape, your pace fast then slow as you race towards a place that is still a song away from where you want to be.

"Jason Woodbury is a galactic citizen, dialing in from the Sonoran Desert on planet Earth," writes Ben Seretan on the album's digital liner notes. "[The album is] a collection of songs you might hear on the radio after a cosmic camping trip, familiar but far off. Songs for stepping out of the spaceship to crack a goddamn cold one on a blurry summer day, taking a moment to enjoy the smell of freshly cut grass."

• Listen on Spotify
• Listen on Apple Music
• Listen on YouTube
• Listen on Tidal
• Listen on Amazon Music
• Listen on Soundcloud
• Listen on Deezer
• Listen and buy on Qobuz
• Buy and listen on Bandcamp