Monthly Archives: April 2022

In rotation: 4/20/22

By TVD HQ | Published: April 20, 2022

Pittsburgh, PA | Record Store Day: Why it’s great, and why it isn’t: For its 2022 ambassador, Record Store Day turned to one of the industry’s brightest stars, Taylor Swift, who has said she tours with a turntable in hand and who, last year, released a vinyl version of “Red” that had fans thinking theirs was broken: You had to play the LP at 45, not 33⅓. In her RSD statement, Swift said, in part, “Record stores are so important because they help to perpetuate and foster music-loving as a passion. They create settings for live events. They employ people who adore music thoroughly and purely.” One Pittsburgh store specializing in such live events is The Government Center, the North Side location run by Josh Cozby, who came here from Portland, Ore., with his family in 2019 to open the store. “We had the bands booked and posters printed for the Record Store Day event in 2020, and we were all ready. It was super exciting and then, you know, obviously that got canceled,” he says.

Northampton, UK | Vinyl enthusiasts get ready for the return of Record Store Day: Two record shops in the county will be stocking official RSD releases, with others taking part in Saturday’s celebration of vinyl. Record Store Day returns this weekend with hundreds of pieces of limited-edition vinyl up for grabs. Both Spun Out and Vinyl Underground in Northampton will be stocking official releases while The Black Prince and The Lamplighter pubs will both be holding record fairs which will feature a host of other sellers including Spinadisc and Spiral Archive. Spun Out owner Chris Kent said: “We’re working hard to make it another big one for Northampton. We’ll have a massive selection of this year’s official Record Store Day Releases on sale. “It’s always a really great day and I’m sure it’s going to be another busy one. “Many of the biggest names in the music business such as Foo Fighters, The Who, Stevie Nicks and Noel Gallagher will be releasing rare records for the event.”

Newcastle, UK | Record Store Day puts vinyl sales on track for 30 year high – and that’s no surprise says Newcastle music shop owner: The format once discarded as dated in favour of CDs continues to enjoy its comeback thanks to a new generation of fans. Sales of vinyl records are set to hit the number one spot this year after climbing up the charts for the past few years. Last year saw the classic LP format – discarded in favour of futuristic CDs in the 1980s – reach the highest sales for 30 years. More than five million vinyl records were sold in 2021 – up by 8% on the previous year, and marking a 14th consecutive year of growth for the format, according to the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). It is the biggest year of vinyl sales since the early nineties, when the Phil Collins album But Seriously was the best-selling record. The vinyl comeback is expected to peak later this year, when LPs are poised to become the dominant physical format in terms of revenue, according to industry publication Music Week. The figures come off the back of initiatives such as Record Store Day, which has helped drive sales of vinyl over the past decade.

Indianapolis, IN | Indy CD & Vinyl celebrates 20th anniversary with free music festival, plus Record Store Day: Two events have perfectly aligned this weekend—an Indianapolis record store celebrating two decades and a vinyl collector’s holiday. The 15th Annual Record Store Day takes place on Saturday, and Indy CD & Vinyl celebrates its 20th anniversary on Sunday. Altogether, it will be one big, busy weekend at the Broad Ripple staple. “It’s gonna be great. It’s, honestly, it’s a celebration of the work that we’ve put into this place for the last 20 years,” Andy Skinner, co-owner of Indy CD & Vinyl, told WRTV. “And the fact that it’s free to the public is a nice gesture to kind of say ‘thank you’ to everybody for supporting the store for the last 20 years.” Indy CD & Vinyl’s existence actually dates back to 1993 in Salt Lake City, Utah. There, the shop’s original owner, Rick Zeigler, operated Indy CD & Vinyl for about eight years until he decided to move to Indianapolis, and open up shop at 806 Broad Ripple Ave., where it’s been ever since.

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TVD Live Shots: Ministry and Melvins at the House of Blues, 4/13

By Crystal Eckstadt | Published: April 19, 2022

PHOTOS: JULIA LOFSTRAND | In the Melvins’ documentary The Colossus of Destiny: A Melvins Tale, Jello Biafra of Dead Kennedys said of the band, “the fact that they get to be the Melvins and do what they want to do and get paid off of it is very rare.” Faith No More’s Mike Patton underscored, “They are a force of nature.”

Doing what one wants and being a force of nature is precisely what the Industrial Strength Tour featuring Ministry, Melvins, and Corrosion of Conformity is all about. Innumerable albums later—Ministry released their 15th studio album last year while Melvins are up to their 25th release—the fact that these bands play for their own headspace and can pack a venue of fans spanning generations is remarkable.

For many at this show, the subculture these bands have created was never a passing phase but vessels for their dark emotions and an extension of themselves that they’ve carried far into adulthood. A recently retired woman next to me explained she was going to spend her freedom following Ministry wherever they play, as she intermittently screamed lead singer Al Jourgensen’s name from the crowd. A salt-and-pepper father with his teenage son hung over a railing appreciating together the sound of musicians who are dedicated to their craft. And mixed in with the current wave of the SoCal industrial scene was a much older woman with neon yellow-green hair. She looked inspiring.

The bands on this bill are inventors of their genres, making this event not only a seriously amazing rock show but an educational history. Ministry is at the inception of industrial music. The versatile Melvins, although not fully aligned with grunge, are held directly responsible for it, and Corrosion of Conformity is thought to be one the first punk-metal bands. And how is everyone sounding at this stage of their game? Pretty fucking fantastic if you ask me.

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New Release Section: Zola Jesus, “Desire”

By TVD HQ | Published: April 19, 2022

VIA PRESS RELEASE | Zola Jesus releases a new song, “Desire,” the second single from Arkhon, her first album in five years, out May 20th on Sacred Bones. The single comes with a new video directed by A. F. Cortes.

A minimal yet sweeping track, “Desire” features only Danilova and her piano. The melodies ebb and flow like tides, filling the space only to recede as echoes in the air. It boldy demands compassion and care at the end of a relationship, a final request before it truly comes to a close. Like the song, the video is raw and bare, largely focused on the artist and her piano.

Danilova’s quote on the new track: “‘Desire’ was written in one sitting at my piano at home. The song was an exorcism for my pain and lack of closure around heartbreak. Sometimes songs are written simply for the cathartic effect of playing them. This is one of those songs. Performing it feels like the most tangible way to experience that closure for myself. Some days I would sit at home playing this song over and over on my piano, just to provide myself that sense of control over what I was feeling. I recorded the song at the studio in one take, and also got video while I was there to document the memory of the performance. The footage of that day is the core of the video for ‘Desire.’”

Director Cortes shared their own experience with the song and video: “I’ve seen Zola Jesus perform live many times in the past. Still, nothing prepared me to see the vulnerability of this piece unfolding as it was performed in front of my camera. It was visceral, personal, and profoundly moving. From that first shoot day, I knew I wanted to complement the live performance with a parallel story: A tale of grief, loss, and the capacity of a cathartic metamorphosis to overcome personal trauma. All set in a minimal space, a transitional moment of learning how to let go of the baggage of a previous existence. In making this piece I wanted to capture a unique moment in time that reflects the vulnerability of the music.”

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UK Artist of the Week: Annie Elise

By Zara Hoffman | Published: April 19, 2022

Electronic producer Annie Elise is changing the game of electronic music and we’re so here for it. This newcomer is inspired by her synesthesia—she sees sounds and hears colours—and her debut EP “Breathe In, Breathe Out” is the perfect introduction to what we hope is just the beginning for this impressive young producer.

Taken from the EP is her latest single “Too Scared To Ask,” an R&B-infused, celestial slice of seductively smooth electro-pop that is perfect listening for the warmer summer months. Throughout the EP, Annie creates wonderfully ambient tones akin to the likes of Robyn and Shura, as well as fellow producers such as Kaytranada.

Unfortunately, it’s no secret that women in production seem like a rare occurrence. Currently, only 2% of chart topping songs are being produced by women, and Annie is here to change that. She’s ready to be the role model that she unfortunately didn’t receive growing up, and we’re ready to support her in any way we can.

“Breathe In, Breathe Out” is in stores now.

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Graded on a Curve:
Ben Vaughn,
The World of Ben Vaughn

By Joseph Neff | Published: April 19, 2022

Back in 1986, the estimable singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Ben Vaughn cut his first record, and it was only available on vinyl. Compact disc technology had arrived, but was initially much more of a high-end situation. While Vaughn’s music has been encoded into many CDs since, his new album, issued in connection with Record Store Day, is again a vinyl-only proposition. And it’s a solid fit for the format as the 11 songs are permeated with the sort of approachable warmth and assurance of style that is the mark of true Americana. The World of Ben Vaughn is available Saturday April 23 through Relay Shack Records.

The Many Moods of Ben Vaughn, recorded by the Ben Vaughn Combo (a few years before its leader went solo) and released by Restless Records (Star Records in Canada and Making Waves in the UK), shares its name with the man’s long-running radio show, which dishes sounds across the spectrum of what The Blasters’ once delineated as American Music, running the gamut from early R&R and teen pop to blues and R&B to C&W to the grey areas out on the fringes and deep in the in-between.

It’s worthy of note that Vaughn’s interests do span beyond geographical borders. However, The World of Ben Vaughn is a platter that’s positively oozing with the essence of the USA’s mid-20th century musical glories (with a welcome absence of the grandiose), its songs delivered in a wonderfully relaxed manner as all the instruments were played by Vaughn himself.

Working in the record’s favor is Vaughn steadfastly acting his age. This isn’t the sound of some cat striving to prove he hasn’t “lost it.” It’s just a bunch of sturdy and savvy songs by a guy who’s doing it with nary a hang up. Album opener “In My Own Reality” has a country feel, but rather than honky-tonk twang it’s pleasantly strummed a la Steve Goodman, at least until the end, which gets a little, uh, cosmic, in the best way possible.

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In rotation: 4/19/22

By TVD HQ | Published: April 19, 2022

Sturgeon Bay, WI | Vinyl records sales hit $1 billion in 2021, nearly 40-year high: There was a time where Paul Exworthy had written off his record collection. He wasn’t alone. Exworthy is general manager at Bay Vinyl Records in Sturgeon Bay where he’s immersed in discussions about music and LPs all day. It’s where he wants to be. “Ten years ago my step-daughter brought me to a used record store in Green Bay on Record Store Day and I’ve been hooked ever since,” he said. Both the store and the industry have seen an influx of new business in recent years. Older music lovers are coming back to records while a new generation of buyers are joining the record world. Logan Smith is part of that new generation. He recently got his first record player and is discovering a world of music that at one time had gone the way of the eight-track tape.

Front Range, WY | Front Range shops get in the groove for Record Store Day 2022: Across the region, the back rooms of local record stores are filled with cardboard boxes so heavy that the shop owners and managers can hardly lift them. It’s all because of this upcoming Saturday – Record Store Day 2022. Every year since 2008, the organization of the same name that launched the worldwide event has curated a list of exclusive vinyl record releases that flood the shelves of independent shops, leading customers to line up at 8 a.m. to get their hands on a limited copy to add to their collection. The main focus of Record Store Day is to drive business to brick-and-mortar locations by selling exclusive releases to record stores across the country. With the revival of vinyl causing a boom in the industry – so much so that record plants are overwhelmed to the point of having to push some releases to a later date – Record Store Day is only becoming more prominent for record store owners.

Seattle, WA | Record Store Day returns April 23 with celebrations, great jazz vinyl: The cooperative Record Store Day celebrations will return to their pre-pandemic schedule this year. For two years, vinyl collectors had a few “RSD Drops” to celebrate. They marked important release dates but didn’t include the traditional gatherings at local record stores that was the original point of Record Store Day. Record stores are places to hang out, discuss music, meet new friends, and support artists as well as vital small businesses in our communities. Vinyl pressing plants are still dealing with massive pandemic-driven backlogs, so a June 18 “Drop” date has been scheduled for albums that won’t be able to meet the April deadline. Those will include the U.S. vinyl debut of the 1991 Paquito D’Rivera Reunion album with Arturo Sandoval, a reissue of the rare 1972 album Dream Queen from The Bobby Hamilton Quintet Unlimited, and the exclusive double-vinyl pressing of another in the Miles Davis bootleg series – What It Is: Montreal 7/7/83. Of course, every day is a great day to visit a record store. Here’s a list of jazz and blues vinyl that are worth lining up for April 23:

Winchester, VA | Local music stores gearing up for Record Store Day: A big day for music connoisseurs is coming up next Saturday. It’s Record Store Day, an annual event that gives people the opportunity to purchase special, limited-edition vinyl and CD releases that can only be bought from independent record stores. Winchester has three such stores — Ear Food at 22 Weems Lane, Back to the Media at 48 S. Loudoun St. and Hopscotch Coffee and Records at 250 Millwood Ave. — all of which will be participating in the once-a-year event. Each will be selling a selection of the 344 titles exclusive to this year’s Record Store Day from popular artists including The Who, Sara Bareilles, Lil Wayne, The Ramones, Mariah Carey, The Doors, Paul McCartney, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Childish Gambino and hundreds more. Each participating store chooses which titles it wants to carry, which can be a difficult decision when there are so many from which to choose. At Ear Food, father-and-son owners Anthony and Jamie Matthews said they make their selections based on which artists have proven to be most popular with customers.

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TVD Live: Santana at Treasure Island, 4/8

By Roger Catlin | Published: April 18, 2022

WELCH, MN | There is something about the serenity and tone of Carlos Santana that keeps him soaring, more than a half century after the world ignited from the Latin fire he brought to Woodstock. The magic of that appearance, which essentially made the band’s career, continues to be alive as the band that performs under his name plays every show, including one at a rural Minnesota casino on a chilly April night.

His generous set at the Treasure Island Casino in Welch, MN, last Friday (4/8) didn’t culminate with the Woodstock hits; it started with it. First with footage from the popular movie, and three songs from the band’s first album that they played at that mammoth stage: “Soul Sacrifice,” “Jingo,” and “Evil Ways” without a break between them.

And then they jumped to the peaks of their million-selling second album—their cover of Peter Green’s “Black Magic Woman” that segues into Gabor Szabo’s “Gypsy Queen,” right into their version of Tito Puente’s “One Coma Va,” just as it came on Abraxas.

The five song assault—joyful and fulfilling enough to fill a winning Super Bowl halftime show—was capped with the coolness of “Samba Pa Ti,” the lilting instrumental, which like so much of Santana’s music has perfect tone and control, and wild power as the percussion revs behind him.

Santana, at 74, is quite a serene player on stage, head tilting back as he reacts to the pure notes on his custom Paul Reed Smith, often turning to his band like a jazz player to give and receive their input. He wore a shirt that pictured Jimi Hendrix; other nights he’d wear Bob Marley. He continues to exemplify the best of both men in their musical chops and uplift.

And when the crowd had received so much, so soon in the set, they were quite happy to receive his blissed-out spiritual speeches that followed in what is the show’s first break between songs. There was also a moment given to sing happy birthday to his longtime conga player Karl Perazzo, who has been with the band since the early ’90s.

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New Release Section: UB40 Featuring Ali Campbell & Astro, “Sufferer”

By TVD HQ | Published: April 18, 2022

VIA PRESS RELEASE | UB40 Featuring Ali Campbell & Astro will release their new album Unprecedented, June 17 via UMe. The album will be released as a black 2LP, a limited-edition white-color 2LP, 1CD, limited-edition cassette as well as digitally. All formats include their new single “Sufferer,” which Ali has dedicated to his beloved friend and bandmate of over four decades, Astro, who tragically passed away last November.

“‘Sufferer’ is a song that Astro and I have always loved, from the brilliant Kingstonians,” comments Ali. “Astro was so proud of our version of this song, as am I. It’s the first track off our new studio album Unprecedented which will be out in the summer. This song is more poignant and special than I ever realized after Astro heartbreakingly passed away after recording this album. We want to keep his memory alive through his music and this song and album.”

UB40 Featuring Ali, Astro & Mickey’s most recent album, 2018’s A Real Labour Of Love, debuted at No.2 on the UK album chart, only dropping one place a week later to No.3, and the album spent a month in the Top 10. UB40 topped the UK singles chart on three occasions and sold 70 million records as they took their smooth yet rootsy musical blend to all corners of the globe.

Between 1983 and 1998 the group produced three Labour Of Love albums, bringing hits such as Eric Donaldson’s “Cherry Oh Baby,” Lord Creator’s “Kingston Town,” and Johnny Osbourne’s “Come Back Darling” to a new, global audience. They also topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic with their reggae covers of “Red Red Wine” and “(I Can’t Help) Falling In Love With You” and had a further UK No.1 with their cover of “I Got You Babe” with Chrissie Hynde.

In addition to touring across Europe in 2022, the legendary British reggae-pop group has announced three tour dates in North America beginning May 12 in Las Vegas, NV.

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TVD Radar: The Cranberries, Stars:
The Best of 1992–2002 2LP in stores 5/27

By TVD HQ | Published: April 18, 2022

VIA PRESS RELEASE | Following on from the reissues of Everybody Else is Doing it, So Why Can’t We? and No Need to Argue—and 30 years after their debut release—UMe are proud to issue the band’s greatest-hits collection Stars: The Best of 1992–2002 on vinyl on May 27, 2022.

The Cranberries rose to international fame in the 1990s with global smashes such as Zombie,” “Dreams,” and “Linger”—collected here alongside tracks from their five albums for Island—plus two tracks unavailable on other albums, “New New York” and “Stars.”

The Cranberries debut album Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We? was released and charted at #1 on the UK album charts in March 1993. Their second and most commercially successful album No Need To Argue was released in October 1994 and stayed on the UK charts for 98 weeks after being certified multiple platinum, making the band global superstars.

In April 2019, The Cranberries released their eighth and final album, In The End, the vocals for which had been recorded by Dolores prior to her tragic passing in 2018. Guitarist Noel Hogan confirmed its release would honor her memory. In The End reached top 10 in the UK, Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, and on the Billboard Independent Albums chart in the US. It was nominated for Best Rock Album at the 2020 Grammy Awards.

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Graded on a Curve: Bauhaus, 1979–1983 Volume One

By Michael H. Little | Published: April 18, 2022

I’ve never been much of a gothic rock fan. Why? For starters, I’m not deceased. Bela Lugosi may be dead, but I’m not. And I’ve never been big on humorless doom and gloom types. You know, the ones who spend their spare weekends looking into crypt rentals.

But Bauhaus, different story. A jagged-edged post-punk band with a guitarist who played barb wire, Bauhaus eschewed gothic atmospherics in favor of dissonance, feedback, and raw power. What’s more, there was nothing sepulchral about he-of-the-prominent-cheekbones Peter Murphy’s voice; he’s very much alive, and proof that the quick and the dead needn’t be two different animals.

1986’s 1979-1983 Volume One is more than just a compilation of a pioneering Goth rock band; it’s a landmark of the post-punk era, and demonstrates why Bauhaus’ music continues to inspire and influence a wide variety of musical artists. Rarely will you find a compilation without a weak track on it, but Bauhaus pulls it off with their voodoo potion of punk, dub reggae, and what can only be described as noise rock. (“Double Dare” sounds more like a song by Cows than one of Bauhaus’ English contemporaries.) It was this mélange of influences that led Murphy to describe Bauhaus as “more aligned to the Clash than anything else that was going around.”

On LP opener axe ace Daniel Ash and David J’s fuzzed-out bass produce a wall of distorted noise over a submarine ping and Murphy’s baritone vocal. I always think of goth rock vocals as cadaver chilly, but Murphy’s veer on spontaneous human combustion. He also comes close to self-immolation on the breakneck “St. Vitus Dance,” spitting out his words before breaking into some staccato screaming and a swell monkey imitation.

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In rotation: 4/18/22

By TVD HQ | Published: April 18, 2022

UK | Record Store Day 2022: What’s On in Scotland: With Record Store Day back in its rightful place in the calendar, we take a closer look at what some of Scotland’s record shops have in store on Saturday 23 April. Barring a couple of years, due to the pandemic, Record Store Day has been taking place on a Saturday in April since 2008. An idea formed among independent record shop owners in Baltimore, Maryland in 2007, the day is now a worldwide phenomenon. The return of Record Store Day to its rightful place in the April calendar this year sees international superstar Taylor Swift take the helm as the event’s first ever global ambassador for what will surely be the biggest day record shops have seen since 2019. In Scotland, due to the continued easing of restrictions, the return of Record Store Day to April also means a return to in-store events; community is such a big part of what Record Store Day is all about – as well as the music and the record sales, of course – so ahead of the big day we’ve pulled together a handy guide of what’s going on across Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee on 23 April.

Detroit, MI | Record Store Day makes music April 23: Dig out your treasured Beatles albums and dust off those Led Zeppelin vinyl LPs — it’s time to rock ‘n’ roll. Local record store employees are gearing up for their big biannual event, Record Store Day, on April 23. Held internationally, Record Store Day began in 2007 as a chance for staff, customers and artists to come together and celebrate the independent record store culture. It’s a special time in which music fans visit their local record stores to stock up on new releases, check out sales and promotions, view album artwork, and more. Record Store Day is held twice a year, in April and every November on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. “It started during the Recession when a lot of stores were going out of business,” said Dan Zieja, who owns Melodies & Memories in Eastpointe with his wife, Denise. “It gets a lot of interest in vinyl records. Vinyl has had a resurgence over the last few years. I never thought records would come back. I’ve been here 35 years. It was a real surprise when the records came back.”

Nashville, TN | Sales cause vinyl record business in Nashville to expand: A Nashville business that makes vinyl records is expanding its operations and hiring more people. Technology demands progress and a sense of moving forward in most industries. But in Nashville, music’s growth keeps looking to the past. Polyvinyl chloride never looked so good, the critical ingredient to vinyl records, and it’s oh so hot record sales. “Vinyl’s a hot commodity right now,” Jeri-Ann Mills, VP Client Services & Front End Operations at United Record Pressing, LLC., said. “Everything’s come full circle; where did we start with vinyl. And now we are back with vinyl.” At United Record Pressing in Nashville, they turned out 40,000 vinyl records a day and 40 Million sales last year. The sound and the cool colors make them so wantable. “Vinyl’s cool, it’s romantic, the technology is right at your fingertips,” Mills said. “Nothing better than dropping that needle.”

Bartlett, TN | Memphis Record Pressing plans $30M expansion in Bartlett: Memphis Record Pressing is spinning quite the expansion tune right now. On Thursday, the Bartlett-based company announced plans for a $30 million expansion that will double the company’s workforce and effectively make it the largest vinyl record manufacturer in North America, according to a news release. “This expansion will provide much-needed relief to the enormous backlog in the vinyl industry that’s been driven by historic and unprecedented consumer demand,” co-founder and CEO Brandon Seavers said in a statement. The investment will include a $21.3 million facility expansion at its headquarters at 3015 Brother Boulevard in Bartlett. The expansion will add 33,000 square feet of manufacturing space and the addition of 36 record presses. The new facility is expected to open in late September. Memphis Record Pressing will also begin $7.5 million worth of renovations on a warehouse site at 7625 Appling Center Drive in Bartlett. The 100,000-sq. ft. building will operate as a packaging warehouse. The site is expected to open in June.

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TVD’s The Idelic Hour with Jon Sidel

By Jon Sidel | Published: April 15, 2022

Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

I’m all lost in the supermarket / I can no longer shop happily / I came in here for a special offer / A guaranteed personality

I’m all tuned in, I see all the programs / I save coupons from packets of tea / I’ve got my giant hit discotheque album / I empty a bottle, I feel a bit free

The kids in the halls and the pipes in the walls / Make me noises for company / Long distance callers make long distance calls / And the silence makes me lonely

Good Friday in the canyon. It’s mind bending that we’re in mid-April. I’m still re-upping on my 2022 resolution to look at the “half a cup” as full.

Indeed it does feel like warm sunny days lay ahead. Baseball season started and LA has Freddie Freeman. For those not familiar, Freddis is the star who always has a small and a kind word for any base-runner who makes it to first.

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TVD Live Shots: The Hara at the Garage, 4/7

By Jason Miller | Published: April 15, 2022

I digitally stumbled upon this band through a random new rock Spotify playlist. I rarely dive into these as I pride myself on discovering new music on my own, but sometimes a little prod from an algorithm can be helpful.

The song “Until it Comes” came on, and I was immediately taken back to the ’90s alt-rock movement in the States, which had a touch of industrial rock wrapped up with massive hooks and big choruses. This song was immediately added to my custom playlist and dropped into heavy rotation. I’d never heard the band The Hara, and didn’t think twice about where they were from or what was next. Fast forward a couple of months, and I see the Manchester trio is coming to London to celebrate the release of a new EP at one of my favorite venues, the Garage.

The most interesting thing about The Hara is figuring out their style. The earlier songs are arena rock anthems that evolve into that ’90s alt-rock industrial style I mentioned above. But the new stuff is moving into Yungblud/ Machine Gun Kelly territory. Not really my thing, but the way these guys market themselves and the slick songwriting to boot should make this a major label’s dream band. It’s all packaged and ready for the label machine to do its thing. I’d certainly bet on these guys if I were in that seat.

So what’s the live show like as a trio tries to pull off this massive sound? These guys smashed it. They played the tiny stage at the Garage as if they owned the O2 Arena. That song that I love, “Until it Comes,” was number three in the set, so I was stuck in a very tight photo pit trying to capture a shot or two while embracing the live sonic blast that I’ve had on repeat since the beginning of the pandemic. The crowd was going bonkers with moments of a pretty intense pit, followed by arms waving in the air, singing along with every lyric.

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TVD Radar: Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood, Nancy & Lee
first-ever vinyl reissue
in stores 5/20

By TVD HQ | Published: April 15, 2022

VIA PRESS RELEASE | Celebrated archival label Light in the Attic is thrilled to announce the first official reissue of Nancy & Lee: the highly-influential 1968 duet album from Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood.

Set for release on May 20th and available for pre-order today, this definitive edition of Nancy & Lee features newly-remastered audio by the GRAMMY®-nominated engineer John Baldwin and includes an array of exclusive content, including a new interview with Nancy, never-before-seen photos, and two bonus tracks from the album sessions: an ethereal cover of The Kinks’ “Tired of Waiting for You” and an up-tempo version of “Love Is Strange” (first made famous by Mickey & Sylvia in 1956). While the recordings – both captured in January 1968 – will make their official debut on vinyl in May, “Love Is Strange” is currently available now to stream across all digital platforms. Click here to pre-order Nancy & Lee and stream/download first single “Love Is Strange.”

Nancy & Lee can be found in a variety of formats, including vinyl, cassette tape, CD, 8-track, and digital. The vinyl LP, pressed at Record Technology, Inc. (RTI), is presented in an expanded gatefold jacket and features the iconic, original cover photo by Ron Joy. Inside, a 20-page booklet offers an array of photos from the legendary singer, actress, and activist’s personal collection, as well as an in-depth Q&A with Sinatra, conducted by the reissue’s GRAMMY®-nominated co-producer, Hunter Lea (also available in the CD package). In addition to the classic black vinyl pressing, a selection of colorful variants can be found exclusively at NancySinatra.com, LightInTheAttic.net, independent record stores and select online retailers.

In celebration of the release, Nancy and fellow musician and longtime friend Don Randi (The Wrecking Crew) visited Record Technology, Inc. (RTI) in Camarillo, CA to take a tour of the plant and get a sneak peek at the Bootique-exclusive pressing of Nancy and Lee. A short video piece documenting the day, including new interviews with Sinatra, Randi, and RTI plant manager, Rick Hashimoto, is available above. Additionally, a limited-edition merchandise capsule including album art apparel, accessories, and more will accompany the release at Nancy’s Bootique at NancySinatra.com.

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TVD Radar: Miles Davis Quintet, Relaxin’ from Craft Recordings’ ‘Small Batch’ series in stores 5/6

By TVD HQ | Published: April 15, 2022

VIA PRESS RELEASE | Craft Recordings is proud to announce Relaxin’ with the Miles Davis Quintet as the latest release in its acclaimed Small Batch audiophile series. A pivotal title in Miles Davis’ incomparable catalog, this 1956 recording features a who’s who of jazz greats, including John Coltrane on tenor saxophone, Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. Coinciding with Jazz Appreciation Month, the album is available for pre-order this Friday (April 15th) at 2:00 pm PST / 5:00 pm EST exclusively through CraftRecordings.com, and is limited to 5,000 copies worldwide.

Carefully curated from Craft’s vast catalog of titles, each release in the Small Batch series offers discerning listeners the highest-quality, authentic sound—distilled to its purest form. Since launching in early 2020—debuting with John Coltrane’s Lush Life, followed by Yusef Lateef’s Eastern Sounds—the series has drawn praise from critics far and wide. Absolute Sound raved, “the sound is exceptionally detailed, present, and airy, with gorgeously rich instrumental tones and textures, excellent dynamic scaling, and a notable lack of groove noise that brings these performances to goosebump-raising life,” adding, “the deluxe packaging and accompanying notes are likewise top-tier…Don’t hesitate.” UK’s Record Collector declared, “Craft [has] done a superlative job; the packaging is elegant, and the sound is flawless…there’s a depth and vivacity that brings out the best in these sessions.” Hi-Fi Choice added, “there’s no denying the beauty of this impeccable pressing.”

As with previous Small Batch albums, Relaxin’ with the Miles Davis Quintet was mastered from its original analog tapes by Bernie Grundman and pressed on 180-gram vinyl at RTI using Neotech’s VR900 compound and a one-step lacquer process—as opposed to the standard three-step process—allowing for the utmost level of musical detail, clarity, and dynamics while reducing the amount of surface noise on the record. The limited nature of these pressings guarantees that each record is a true representation of the original lacquer and is as close as the listener can get to the original recording.

Each pressing of Relaxin’ is individually numbered and encased in a foil-stamped, linen-wrapped slipcase featuring an acrylic inset of the original artwork. The vinyl disc—extractable through a unique, frictionless ribbon pull tab—is housed in a reproduction of the album’s original tip-on jacket from Prestige Records and protected by an archival-quality, anti-static, non-scratching inner sleeve. New liner notes from the GRAMMY® Award-winning music historian, journalist, and producer, Ashley Kahn complete the package.