Monthly Archives: January 2022

In rotation: 1/20/22

By TVD HQ | Published: January 20, 2022

Lafayette, LA | Owner of Lagniappe Records spat at by patron because of mask policy, which led to a “much-needed” break: If you’ve tried to visit Lagniappe Records within the past few days you may have realized that they were closed. That’s because the owners are taking a break after receiving backlash for their mask policy during the holiday season. If you’ve tried to visit Lagniappe Records within the past few days you may have realized that they were closed. That’s because the owners are taking a break after receiving backlash for their mask policy during the holiday season. “Music is supposed to unite people and we’re not trying to be divisive. We’re just trying to have a place where people can come and you know music like an escape to some people,” Patrick Hodgkins, co-owner of Lagniappe Records, said. The owners of the store told News15 that have been yelled at, spit at, and scoffed at by patrons, all because they require masks to enter.

Brooklyn Park, MN | Vinyl proves resilient at Golden Valley music store: At Down in the Valley music shop in Golden Valley, the store’s 50-year anniversary is coinciding with an ongoing vinyl revival. “It’s hip now to listen to vinyl,” said Scott Farrell with Down in the Valley. Cassette tapes supplanted vinyl in the early 1980s and then CDs took over the market followed by digital music options. But records are proving to be resilient. “It’s actually that physical piece,” said Farrell. “We went so long in the digital world of music, iPods, MP3s but there was nothing to hold, there was no artwork to look at.” New vinyl is now in high demand at Down in the Valley. It’s a trend the music and novelty store started seeing around 15 years ago and really picked up around 2015. “So as we come to today, 2022, it’s at a peak level and you see turntables and records in commercials and everywhere you look now there’s turntables and it’s quite surprising how far this has gone, but we’re enjoying it,” Farrell said.

Williamsville, NY | Revolver Records bringing in live music, arcade games and cafe in new Williamsville expansion: Revolver Records has been a mainstay in Western New York for several years. Music lovers have come to rely on the record store for buying and selling records, now the store is evolving into an entertainment hub. “I started out basically selling records out of my garage, and from there, I moved on to markets and selling at different places around the city,” said owner Phil Machmer. “I was like a mobile record shop and about six years ago, I settled into my Hertel location.” Along with the Hertel Avenue location, there’s a location in the Elmwood Village, and a new location at 6840 Transit Rd. in Williamsville, which opened last year. “This shop is quite a bit bigger. It’s about three times the size of the Elmwood store and four times the size of the Hertel shop,” Machmer said. “We just have a lot more room for records here. There’s a bigger selection.”

Sligo, IE | Sligo record shop where good music never grows old: Over the last 40 years the music industry has gone through countless transformations, but as people’s relationship with how they experience and consume music has changed there has been one constant in Sligo: The Record Room. The shop was first opened in 1983 by Aidan Mannion, Gerry Taheny and Kevin Flannery and is located right at the heart of Sligo town on Grattan Street. “The main sellers back in those days were 7-inch singles, cassettes and LPs. Generally, it was pop music, it tended to reflect the charts,” Aidan said. “We actually had a machine connected to the Irish chart system which recorded the sales made in Sligo, that in turn helped to create the Irish charts.” As an integral part of the music scene in Sligo, the shop used to sell tickets for concerts and would even go the extra mile and make arrangements to literally bring customers to the gigs. “We’d hire buses and bring around 50-100 people to places like Slane Castle in Dublin to go to a particular concert,” he said.

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New Release Section: Charlie Gabriel of Preservation Hall Jazz Band, “I’m Confessin’”

By TVD HQ | Published: January 19, 2022

VIA PRESS RELEASE | Charlie Gabriel has signed to Sub Pop to release his debut album 89. The album, which features the highlights “I’m Confessin’” and ”The Darker It Gets,” will be available on DSPs February 25th, 2022, and released on CD/LP/CS July 1st, 2022 worldwide from Sub Pop.

Charlie is the most senior member of the legendary New Orleans Jazz ensemble, Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Charlie’s first professional gig dates to 1943, sitting in for his father in New Orleans’ Eureka Brass Band. As a teenager living in Detroit, Charlie played with Lionel Hampton, whose band just then also included a young Charles Mingus, later spending nine years with a group led by Cab Calloway drummer, J.C. Heard. While he’s also fronted a bebop quintet, played and/or toured with Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennet, Aretha Franklin and many more, this is the first time his name appears on the front of a record, as a bandleader.

Since 2006, he’s been a member of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and has developed a tight musical relationship with the group’s bassist and tuba player, Ben Jaffe. The two men, along with guitarist Joshua Starkman, recorded Charlie’s new album 89 throughout 2020 and 2021.

89 includes six jazz standards and two new pieces, “The Darker It Gets” and “Yellow Moon.” Charlie describes the repertoire, which includes “Stardust,” “I’m Confessin’,” and “Three Little Words,” as “standard material that every musician if they’re an older musician like myself, will have played throughout their career. Every time I play one of these tunes the interpretation is a little bit different.” He plays tenor sax and clarinet throughout, Starkman plays guitar, and Jaffe plays bass, drums, and keyboards.

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TVD Radar: Worst
To First: The True Story of Z100 NYC, VOD premiering 2/11

By TVD HQ | Published: January 19, 2022

VIA PRESS RELEASE | Worst to First is a feature-length documentary that portrays the against-all-odds inspirational story of the launch of the iconic and most successful radio station in history, New York City’s Z100. In 1983, Z100 launched from the swamps of New Jersey, where no artist would venture, and the DJs had to buy their own records just to have music to play on air. Fun, poignant and aspirational, the film features Scott Shannon and several other Hall of Fame radio personalities as well as industry legends like Clive Davis and Elvis Duran.

Iconic artists who got their start on Z100 such as Jon Bon Jovi, Joan Jett, Nile Rodgers, and era superstars, Debbie Gibson and Taylor Dayne all share their personal stories of the importance of the station, their love of radio and passion for performing music.

Capturing the times, personalities and music of the era, Worst to First portrays the ultimate David and Goliath story that built the foundation for the world’s biggest radio station and the people behind the legacy that endures and continues to grow, reaching eight-digit audiences daily, and continuing to influence the face of media and entertainment.

Mitchell Stuart is a multiple film festival and Emmy-Award winning filmmaker and storyteller of compelling documentaries, groundbreaking digital series and industry-disrupting brand campaigns. Whether following his heart to tell an inspirational, against all odds story about female freedom fighters in Africa, or honoring his lifelong passion for music and filmmaking, Mitchell tells authentic stories that move and engage an audience.

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New Release Section: Animal Collective, “Strung with Everything”

By TVD HQ | Published: January 19, 2022

VIA PRESS RELEASE | Today Animal Collective share their latest single “Strung with Everything” via a video directed by Abby Portner.

“Recently for Animal Collective’s live shows I have been designing and animating all of the video content out of cut paper,” says Portner. “I have been editing together symbols and colored static silhouettes that match the music’s feeling and rhythm. The videos are like pictographs that tell a story organically and simply. For the ‘Strung with Everything’ video we wanted to continue with this process to match the style of the band’s live shows in a music video.” Animal Collective’s new album Time Skiffs, which also features the previously released tracks “Prester John” and “Walker,” is due out February 4.

Today the band announces a UK and European tour set for November of this year, following their spring US tour. They will also perform at Madrid’s Mad Cool Festival on July 9. Tickets to the US dates are available HERE; the UK/EU dates will be available for pre-sale this Thursday, January 20 and on general sale this Friday, January 21.

Watch Animal Collective perform two unreleased Time Skiffs tracks, “Car Keys” and “Dragon Slayer,” plus Merriweather Post Pavilion favorite “In the Flowers” at Pitchfork Music Festival 2021 HERE. The band also recently released a recording of a site-specific performance taken from the Music Box Village in New Orleans in March 2018. The Music Box Village was created and built by New Orleans Airlift, an artist-driven non-profit organization, as one of a range of large-scale community art projects. Proceeds from this release on Bandcamp are going to the three additional musicians involved in the concert—Helen Gillet, Aurora Nealand, and Marion Tortorich. Watch the performance on YouTube and purchase the audio on Bandcamp.

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Graded on a Curve:
Jeff Tweedy,
Chelsea Walls

By Joseph Neff | Published: January 19, 2022

Back in 2001, Jeff Tweedy and Glen Kotche worked on music for Chelsea Walls, the debut film as director from noted actor Ethan Hawke. Sprinkled with performances from cast member Robert Sean Leonard, a highlight from the late jazz singer Jimmy Scott, plus songs from Wilco proper, one of them featuring Billy Bragg, the soundtrack was released the following year on HDCD under Tweedy’s name without much fanfare and has lingered since as one eventful step toward Wilco’s post-Jay Bennett trajectory. But the music deserves better than that, as Omnivore Recordings understood. The label has reissued the set on CD and on vinyl for the first time with two worthwhile bonus tracks. It’s all out now.

It’s unusual for a great film to have a subpar soundtrack, and please bear in mind I’m not really talking about the choice of previously recorded songs that you or I happen to think aren’t very good. To wit, Supertramp’s “The Logical Song”: I’m not a fan, but it’s use in Magnolia is still pretty sharp. And I’m not even really speaking about movies with soundtracks that are predominantly made up of extant songs, anyway.

I’m talking about great films with original scores that are considered poorly conceived or executed or likely both. There are exceptions, like flicks on shoestring budgets infused with unfortunate needle-drop library music, or action blockbusters marred with jazz-funk gratuitousness or synthesizer-driven atmospheres once considered cutting-edge but now absorbed as rinky-dink. Sometimes these deficiencies become part of the film’s overall appeal. But more often, they mar the whole like a crusty cold sore arriving just in time for yearbook photograph day. Try as one might, it becomes impossible to not fixate on the blemish.

However, superb soundtracks for less than worthwhile films are not so uncommon. Although I haven’t personally undertaken much research into the matter beyond consulting the internet, it’s still safe to gauge that “good OST but bad flick” is the consensus with Chelsea Walls, though not notoriously so. It’s not like the film has been banished into a dark corner of recent history and then forgotten about.

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In rotation: 1/19/22

By TVD HQ | Published: January 19, 2022

David Bowie is the best selling vinyl artist of the 21st century: …As revealed by a recent evaluation from Music Week’s chart analyst Alan Jones, David Bowie is the best selling vinyl artist of the 21st century in the United Kingdom. Bowie has sold 582,704 individual vinyl records since the year 2000, putting him just above The Beatles in terms of total sales. The Fab Four weren’t that far behind, racking up 535,596 sales. When it comes to the first two years of the 2020s, Bowie was once again the top seller, having notched 134,237 sales over a two-year span. The Beatles once again show up in second place, having sold 113,613 records of their own. Credit should go to Bowie’s monumental reissue campaign, which has seen an increase in releases over the past 2 years.

Bloomington, IN | Ameliorate Records showcases Indiana life pressed on vinyl: “2 Minutes in Indiana” is a curated album by Ameliorate Records on a $25 vinyl record supported through a crowdfunding campaign. With 19 days left, 11 more people need to purchase the record to get to their goal of 100 buyers before it’s released physically. It will be digitally available in early February after the campaign ends. “I put out an open call to artists on social media with this challenge: to create a new solely instrumental composition that lasts exactly two minutes,” Ameliorate Records owner Andrew Gustin said. “The theme is to capture what living in Indiana feels like to you.” Gustin said he wanted 20 Indiana artists to make a track of what it feels like to live in Indiana. He said he included 20 artists because a vinyl is 40 minutes long.

Omaha, NE | Vinyl pop-up shop in Omaha hits successful tune: Eric Ziegler began spinning his love of vinyl into a solo career three years ago. “Vinyl transcends genres, and generations of artists,” Ziegler said. “And vinyl never really went away. Contemporary artists and classic artists have always released vinyl.” Ziegler, the E-Z of EZ Records, has always collected music. After more than two decades working at Homer’s Music, and before the isolation of COVID-19 drove many in search of their past through music, he became an independent music man. Ziegler has tapped into his extensive collection to sell online, at events, and at pop-up vinyl sales like the one at The Switch in Omaha Sunday. “This is probably half of what I have at home,” Ziegler said of the boxes of vinyl records he displayed at the sale. “And it’s a mix of everything, blues, jazz, rock, country, folk, hard rock, heavy metal, punk, indie, all kinds of stuff.”

House Of Marley Stir It Up turntable review: The king of reggae would surely have approved of this impressive record player from House Of Marley. This year marks the 45th anniversary of Bob Marley’s Exodus, an LP recorded while the reggae legend was exiled in London following an assassination attempt in his home country of Jamaica. Featuring classic tracks such as Jamming, Waiting In Vain and Three Little Birds, it’s an album well worth checking out if you haven’t already – and what more apt piece of kit to play it on than a record player designed in collaboration with the late musician’s own family. House Of Marley has been making eco-conscious audio products since 2012. But the company’s first – and so far only – record player wasn’t launched until 2017. Crafted from sustainable materials, the Stir It Up ($300/£219.99) is an automatic, belt-drive turntable that comes with a built-in pre-amp, along with USB connectivity for converting your favourite vinyl to digital files. Technically, House of Marley has made two turntables as there’s also a wireless version of the Stir It Up that costs $340/£249.99.

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TVD Radar: Alan Vega, “Invasion” b/w “Murder One” 12″ in stores 2/25

By TVD HQ | Published: January 18, 2022

VIA PRESS RELEASE | Following the Vega Vault’s 2021 initial archival release of Alan Vega’s lost album Mutator—the Vault has announced “Invasion” b/w “Murder One.” One of Vega’s greatest talents was his ability to bring the past and the future together into a suspended place of timelessness. His groundbreaking duo Suicide was often seen as future primitivism and most of his musical output has exemplified this blending of the primordial human condition and visionary thinking which is heard in full effect on “Invasion” b/w “Murder One.”

The two tracks “Invasion” and “Murder One” were recorded two decades apart from one another in New York City. “Invasion” was recorded toward the end of the 2012-2015 studio sessions for the posthumous album IT and was one of his last recordings, while “Murder One” was recorded in 1997-1998, (after the Mutator sessions) and is part of a cluster of material that was recorded but never mixed prior to the sessions for his album 2007, which was released in 1999. Pairing these two songs together as a release illustrates the timelessness of the 30+ years of unreleased material that he deemed the Vega Vault.

Another unique trademark of Vega’s is to provide the listener with a beacon of light while traveling down some of the darkest highways. Both songs explore the duality of horror and despair coupled with hope and survival. They are street signs for the underdog to rise above, especially for our nation’s youth who are the future and face the biggest challenges to that hope and survival. “Murder One” is the Frankie of 2022 and “Invasion” is an anthem that hits with maximum impact.

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Graded on a Curve:
The Band, Cahoots
50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition

By Steve Matteo | Published: January 18, 2022

Cahoots is the fourth studio album from The Band, released in 1971. Like the previous three albums from the group, Capitol is releasing various 50th Anniversary editions, including a Super Deluxe Edition, which we will cover here.

The album is the fourth of what must be considered the five core studio albums from the group that were the basis of their foundational mythic studio album years. The others are Music From Pink (1968), The Band (1969), often referred to as the “Brown” album, Stage Fright (1970) and Northern Lights – Southern Cross (1975), the fifth, which has not received a super deluxe edition reissue thus far.

Selected songs from these five albums would also comprise the group’s seminal, iconic and acclaimed live album Rock of Ages, released in 1972, and would remain their primary setlist until their final concert at Winterland in San Francisco in November of 1976, commemorated in the Martin Scorsese film The Last Waltz. The group would release the covers album Moondog Matinee in 1973; Islands, a hodgepodge of material recorded between 1972 and 1977; and in 1977 the soundtrack to the The Last Waltz.

There would also be three post-Robbie Robertson releases from the group in the ’90s. They also were a part of three collaborations with Bob Dylan, Planet Waves (1974), the live Before the Flood (1974), and The Basement Tapes (1975), of recordings they did in 1967 and 1968 before the release of Music From Big Pink.

John Simon produced the first two albums from The Band, and their third was self-produced, but on board for that album were Todd Rundgren and Glyn Johns. With Cahoots, The Band were truly self-producing and recording themselves and it was the first time they recorded at the not quite completed Bearsville Studios, near Woodstock, New York, owned by their manager Albert Grossman.

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UK Artist of the Week: Avery Raquel

By Zara Hoffman | Published: January 18, 2022

We know, the weekend may be over but don’t fret! Get ready to bop till you drop with Canadian artist Avery Raquel and her infectiously funky new single “All Up To You,” out now.

We’ve been following Avery Raquel for a while and once again, she does not disappoint. Her latest banger is called “All Up To You” and it’s an addictive fusion of neo-soul, jazz, and funk that already feels like its gonna be the soundtrack to our summer.

Talking about the single, Avery explains, “‘All Up To You’ is a sassy, ’70s-inspired song about an old relationship going up into flames. Have you ever put so much effort into a relationship but never received the same amount of effort back? I hope you can relate to the feelings of confusion and hurt accompanied by a contrasting upbeat funk vibe. Will there be a second chance or can we reach a compromise? I leave it all up to you.”

Avery already has three solo album under her belt and is now prepping for her self-titled fourth release in 2022.

“All Up To You” is out now.

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Graded on a Curve:
Kid Acne,
Null and Void

By Joseph Neff | Published: January 18, 2022

Sheffield, UK-based emcee Kid Acne is a savvy extender of underground hip-hop’s possibilities, teaming once again with Chicago-based producer Spectacular Diagnostics for Null and Void, a 12-track LP driven by deep beats and infused with edgy, echoey flow of the sort that’s bound to please fans of u-ground hip-hop’s salad days. But Kid Acne is also a visual artist focused on illustration and printmaking, with his talents front and center for his latest, as the LP gets tucked inside hand printed sleeves in three limited editions, 75 silver (neon pink vinyl), 150 warm grey (black vinyl), and 100 cool grey (color mix wax, with obi strip). All three are signed and all are available now, fittingly, through Lewis Recordings.

If Kid Acne (birth name Ed Bradbury) is a torch carrier for u-ground hip-hop, it should be clarified that he’s been at it long enough to be considered part of the subterranean subgenre’s renaissance, specifically in Mongrels, the on again-off again duo (with DJ Benjamin Hatton) that debuted in 1997 with the “Slingshots” 7-inch EP and last heard in 2018 on the “Over Eggin’ It” b/w “Shoot the Breeze” 7-inch (which welcomed guests James Williamson from the Sleaford Mods on side A and fellow UK hip-hop figures Cappo and Juga-Naut on the flip).

Along with a half dozen other EPs issued on 7-inch, 10-inch, and 12-inch wax (plus a cassette collaboration with Brit hip-hop act Burgundy Blood), Mongrels released the full-length Attack the Monolith in 2016. But Kid Acne’s been even busier on his own, having completed four LPs (plus a few white label instrumental sets) prior to Null and Void’s emergence last November, with its predecessor Have a Word dating from 2019. And this is to say nothing of the slew of EPs, the numerous guest spots, and the long list of solo art exhibitions.

The long distance collab that shaped Have a Word; again, that’s Kid Acne and beatsmith-producer Spectacular Diagnostics, gets repeated here as Null and Void lacks any tangible pandemic-era concessions. Instead, the reteaming bursts out immediately strong as “Welcome,” the album’s samples-infused intro and trim slice of hip-hop classicism remodeled for the post-underground age, leads straight into the incessant pulsing crunch of “Flame Wars,” where Kid Acne shares the mic with the record’s first guest emcee Taja.

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In rotation: 1/18/22

By TVD HQ | Published: January 18, 2022

Indie music retailers report 23% growth across all formats (including CDs): A survey of Coalition of Independent Music stores across the US show end of years sales up an average of 23% across all physical formats. Vinyl sales grew an average 60% and CD sales were up 16%. Several sales categories were particular bright spots according to the survey including turntables, vinyl accessories and unsurprisingly vinyl records, especially hip-hop and classic catalog. The pandemic continues to weigh heavily on indie retailers, but some also found positives. Many stores reported that Covid has made everyone take a closer look at their businesses finding ways to get creative, which has ultimately brought growth in some areas. “Overall, what was very exciting for me to see was that our stores reported growth in all formats (even the CD) and some in astounding numbers,” wrote Andrea Paschal, Executive Director of the Coalition of Independent Music Stores and ThinkIndie Distribution.

Keynsham, UK | Longwell Records in Keynsham opened after owner wanted to leave 30-year NHS career: Iain Aitchison is still getting recognised after his cameo appearance on The Outlaws. Iain Aitchison never dreamt his home-based Bristol record business would end up as an actual shop so he simply called it after the area where he lives with his family. Named after Longwell Green, Longwell Records now has two shops, neither of them in the area which inspired the name. The original shop opened in Keynsham in April 2016, a year after Iain started the business online. It was followed in June 2020 by a second store in a converted shipping container at Cargo 2 in Wapping Wharf. “I never thought I would get a physical shop so I just named it after Longwell Green where I live,” says Iain. “I did think about changing it to Keynsham or Bonzo Records later but I’m glad I didn’t.”

Hudson Valley, NY | Where are the independent record stores in the Hudson Valley? There was a time, and it didn’t seem that long ago, that there were record stores everywhere. The Hudson Valley alone had tons of them. Big, corporate record stores. Strawberry records, Media Play, Sam Goody. Those kind of record stores. It seems you couldn’t even go into a mall without checking out a huge record store. Nowadays most people stream their music, but there has been a renewed interest in records and other vintage music. In fact, Record Store Day happens twice a year and it’s become huge. It’s a day full of special and limited music releases that you will only find at independent record stores. I’m all for supporting local record shops and music, so I think Record Store Day is awesome. But where are the independent record stores here in the Hudson Valley? We’ve put together a list of some of the best in the area.

Fargo, ND | Fargo-Moorhead music stores riding wave of vinyl’s remarkable comeback: Store owners, audiophiles sing the praises of the Old School format. Aaron Swinkels is doing his part to be sure vinyl records keep “Stayin Alive.” Swinkels, the owner of Vinyl Giant in downtown Fargo, has made his store into a haven for audiophiles, cramming it with bins of vintage vinyl discs and the audio equipment to make the music happen. With the Bee Gees playing in a background mix, Swinkels estimates his personal collection of LPs and 45s has climbed into the “couple thousand” range. They are his time machine. “I’ve collected ever since I was a kid. I was always the guy that had a record collection. I don’t know anyone else who did. I don’t know why. My mom had records. … I fished them out of the garage and listened to them in high school. They were just some phenomenal memories, you know?”

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We’re closed.

By TVD HQ | Published: January 17, 2022

We’ve closed TVD’s HQ in observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day holiday. While we’re away, why not fire up our Record Store Locator app and visit one of your local indie record stores?

Perhaps there’s an interview, review, or feature you might have missed? Catch up and we’ll see you back here tomorrow.

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TVD’s The Idelic Hour with Jon Sidel

By Jon Sidel | Published: January 14, 2022

Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

Now Alice needed money. I put ten dollars on the breeze.
As the wind died away, she sank way below her knees.
And as a hurricane passed by, she clutched the money from the sky.
She must have been at least a fathom high.
She works the forty second beat, on forty second street,
With all her golden ambitions, and dead rhinestones in her feet.
And when a stranger said she sucked, she just smiled, believing luck,
As she climbed into his truck, to make a buck.
Oh my god, she’s running ’round the trees,
Said she couldn’t touch them because they’re so real.
Alice you remind me of Manhattan;
The seedy and the snaz, the shoeboys and the satins.
Like a throne made of gilt that too many johns have sat in.
Oh, I got my eyes on you.

It’s the second Friday of ’22, and I’m happy to report for the second Friday in a row I awoke with cool vibes and sunny skies.

I was up late last night writing a letter for my son Jonah’s high school application, and of course I was listening to old and new records, reflecting on the past and what lies ahead in 2022.

I’ve declared ’22 that is the year to “GET OVER IT,” and consequently I’m working every day to get over fucking myself. Lol! So when I heard Ronnie Spector passed I looked at the cup half full and I thank my lucky stars to have lived and breathed some of the golden age of rock ‘n’ roll in both New York and LA.

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New Release Section: Lucius, “Next To Normal”

By TVD HQ | Published: January 14, 2022

VIA PRESS RELEASE | Acclaimed indie pop band Lucius returns with their highly-anticipated new album Second Nature—set to be released April 8 on Mom + Pop Music (U.S. and Mexico), Dine Alone (Canada), and Second Nature Records/Secretly Distribution (RoW). Produced by Dave Cobb and Brandi Carlile, the album features ten new songs, including the first single, “Next To Normal,” which is out today.

In celebration of the album, the band will embark on a North American headline tour this spring followed by a series of European shows in September. Stops include New York’s Beacon Theatre, Philadelphia’s The Fillmore, Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium and London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire among many others. The newly confirmed performances will go on-sale this Friday, January 14 at 10:00am local time with pre-sale beginning tomorrow. In addition to the headline shows, the band will join Carlile on several marquee concerts this summer including Washington’s Gorge Amphitheatre, L.A.’s The Greek Theatre, and Colorado’s Red Rock Amphitheatre.

Second Nature is a portrait of singer and songwriters Holly Laessig and Jess Wolfe’s shared reflection, chronicling each other’s seismic life shifts—motherhood, divorce, unplanned career pauses—and setting it to music. “It is a record that begs you not to sit in the difficult moments, but to dance through them,” says Wolfe. “It touches upon all these stages of grief—and some of that is breakthrough, by the way. Being able to have the full spectrum of the experience that we have had, or that I’ve had in my divorce, or that we had in lockdown, having our careers come to a halt, so to speak. I think you can really hear and feel the spectrum of emotion and hopefully find the joy in the darkness. It does exist. That’s why we made Second Nature and why we wanted it to sound the way it did: our focus was on dancing our way through the darkness.”

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New Release Section: Midlake, “Bethel Woods”

By TVD HQ | Published: January 14, 2022

VIA PRESS RELEASE | Midlake is proud to announce their mesmerizing new single, “Bethel Woods,” available now at all DSPs and streaming services. An official music video—directed by filmmaker Brantley Gutierrez (Paul McCartney, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Diplo) and starring acclaimed actor Michael Peña (The Shield, Narcos, Ant-Man and the Wasp)—premieres today via YouTube. “Bethel Woods” precedes the eagerly awaited arrival of Midlake’s upcoming fifth studio album, For The Sake Of Bethel Woods, due via ATO Records in the US and Bella Union in the UK on Friday, March 18; pre-orders are available now.

“‘Bethel Woods’ lyrically was born out of a documentary film still of our keyboardist Jesse Chandler’s dad, Dave, at 16-years-old, sitting in the massive crowd of Woodstock in 1969,” says Midlake’s Eric Pulido. “I felt that moment in time embodied the perfect depiction of a paradisal place. Dave tragically died a few years ago and I was moved to write this song from his point of view with a message of peace in returning to that special place and reuniting with loved ones ‘down the road.’”

“When Midlake approached me to direct the video for ‘Bethel Woods’ I knew I wanted to do a take on a ghost story,” says Brantley Gutierrez. “To play with the idea of returning to a place full of memories. The concept of emotional attachment to the people and the memories in those places, what the confusion might feel like for those who have passed on. Working with the highly talented Michael Peña was an absolute pleasure; he brought something to the character that felt honest and relatable.”

Recently named alongside Abba, Guns N’ Roses, and Dua Lipa in The Guardian’s “Pop, Rock and Classical Music To Look Forward To In 2022,” For The Sake Of Bethel Woods includes the acclaimed first single, “Meanwhile…,” available now at all DSPs and streaming services. Hailed by The Guardian as “a lovely, softly psychedelic glide,” the track is joined by an exclusive live video, streaming now via YouTube. The captivating performance—filmed at Dallas, TX’s Modern Electric Sound Recorders by director Rett Rogers (Nicole Atkins, Nathaniel Rateliff) and co-director Barbara FG—marks the first in a new multi-part series of exclusive live sessions entitled “Meanwhile In Texas 2021,” with additional installments set to premiere in the coming weeks.