STRATEGIC ARTIST ADVOCACY SINCE 1997
Thanks to Americana UK, which wrote, “It’s a pretty brave career move to declare oneself as being uncool – but that’s exactly what Dallas-based Chris J. Norwood has done on this new song.”
The Boot shared the video for the song last week, telling readers that “Chris J. Norwood wants you to know the truth.” Stay tuned for more truth on Aug. 20, when the full length I Am Not Cool LP drops from State Fair Records.
Wow, sounds opulent! “Scenes of Norwood walking a red carpet, performing onstage and being approached by fans..."
Oh, wait… “Chris J. Norwood has a whole lot of fun making his point in the music video for his cheekily titled new single 'I Am Not Cool.' The new clip, premiering exclusively on The Boot, juxtaposes the singer-songwriter's life in the spotlight with mundane slices of life out of it."
Well hey - at least Chris got to experience just a little bit of that sweet, sweet fame. It's all about those red carpets, am I right?! Link in bio.
New album I Am Not Cool arrives Aug. 20 via State Fair Records, and each purchase comes with a free evaluation of what you're wearing (no, it doesn’t).
FLOOD Magazine calls the new Elroy single "Excite Me Much” a "lounge-y, downtempo tune that boldly contrasts with its title,” while Elroy himself explains that "the guitar just sort of played the line from this song without me thinking or trying too much.” Well, jeez! I'd like to have my guitar write the songs for me, too! Hear it now!
The self-titled debut album from Elroy - a member of the Finn family (of Crowded House fame, amongst so many other ventures) as well as a touring part of Wild Nothing and Connan Mockasin - is out August 13 from Grand Phony.
“Never before have I felt such a departure from reality as I have during the lockdown—people dying, family, friends, and their families, dying,” reveals J Hacha De Zola, discussing the deep feelings behind his new single "Which Way.” De Zola told American Songwriter, which premiered the track today, that “never before was there this blatant defiance of all rational thought being demonstrated by those in positions of power, pure fear, pure hype, [and] the population at large seemingly trapped in this dogmatic, dualistic fatalistic slow decay.”
New album East of Eden is out June 11th via Caballo Negro.
If you ask me, Chris J Norwood is cool. But I am a fan of humility, so I will tell you on his behalf that his new singe, “I Am Not Cool," and his upcoming album of the same name (due August 20 from State Fair Records), is fantastic. It premiered earlier today on Americana Highways and will be out everywhere this Friday, May 21 - the same day Chris celebrates his birthday in Dallas. Americana Highways praises the song as “unpretentious and genuine,” and Chris says it’s “one of the most ‘me’ sounding tracks that [he’s] ever released.
Spill Magazine just premiered “The Kids Are Alright,” the first single from Enigmatic Foe’s upcoming double LP The Original Plan (out July 30). As Spill notes, while “the album’s first single lifts its title from The Who, Jared Colinger’s original tune ‘The Kids Are Alright’ is far from a cover. In fact, the song shows off just how singular Colinger’s voice and music actually are.”
The Enigmatic Foe
The Original Plan
Sodajerker calls Mike Viola “one of our all-time favourite guests,” which is damned impressive considering that they’ve spoken to luminaries including Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil, Paul Williams, Graham Gouldman, Alicia Keys, Edie Brickell, Paul Simon, Beck, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Paul McCartney, Billy Ocean, Kate Tempest, Rufus Wainwright, Jeff Lynne, and, well, basically every beloved living songwriter from the past six or so decades.
The duo’s podcast has just posted its second interview with the Godmuffin creator, during which he “explains how he makes time for creativity, how the past informs his present, and how he is coping with the loss of his friend Adam Schlesinger.” They’ve also curated a career-spanning Spotify Playlist with much of Viola’s best work.
On cinq, the newest album from The March Divide, the songs are “personal, but always safe-effacing, and with sly humor underneath their rich production and get-to-the-point style.” This is according to New Noise Magazine, which is hosting the premiere of the Hector G-created lyric video for album closer “I Believe.”
It's a more accessible J Hacha De Zola we're hearing on "Lost Space," the first single from the all-new album East of Eden, out June 11. He says, “I truly feel that I have found my own voice.”
The single, out this Friday, premieres today at Glide Magazine. The site writes that De Zola "channels his inner Jim Morrison as he croons about the tragedy and pitfalls of isolation. There is something funky and soulful... saxophone, dreamy guitar, and airy harmonies, all of which come together to make this one satisfying tune."
The remixed & remastered compilation J Hacha De Zola’s Greatest Hits is streaming everywhere now.
I feel bad for Jared Putnam after watching this video, frankly. I know it's cute to have paint poured all over you, but I dunno, there's something going on here that borders on abuse. That said, yay, new video today from The March Divide over at Under The Radar.
"Funk That You're In" is from the new album 𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘲, out April 23 from Slow Start Records, and this very colorful clip was directed by Hector Gallardo (Subharmonic City).
Mike Viola’s new video, for Godmuffin closing track “That Seems Impossible Now,” was pieced together from Super 8 footage from the artist’s childhood. “All the repetition of us as kids disappearing really pulled me in and spoke to the subject of my song ‘That Seems Impossible Now’ in such a poignant, unplanned way,” he told Rock N Roll Globe, which premiered the video today on their site. “So, I decided to make it into a video… to try and paint a picture of specific feeling of loss without tragedy.”
Atwood Magazine says Dev Marvelous’ new cover of The Bird and the Bee’s “La La La” is a “mesmerizing, colorful immersion of upbeat melodies and hot funk sounds” that finds Dev Marvelous “putting his own compelling spin on The Bird and the Bee’s original, first released on their self-titled debut album in 2007." Link in bio, along with an interview with Dev and Inara George about the project.
The track is from the upcoming sixth edition of George’s Road Angel Project series of charity compilation releases in conjunction with Sweet Relief. This volume is entirely comprised of Dev’s covers of songs by The Bird and The Bee, and it’ll be streaming everywhere starting Friday, March 26. The full set is out on April 16!
Get out of “The Funk That You’re In” with a new single from The March Divide, out tomorrow (Friday, March 12) from Slow Start Records and streaming today via American Songwriter. The site writes that the song, from new album cinq (due April 23), features a “timeless melody” and displays an “effortless ability to craft organically catchy and uplifting music… almost as if Jared Putnam is scraping away all of the excess information of modern living and is speaking to a deeper, older and more genuine sense of comfort and joy.” I mean, what more do you people want from a song?!
Big thanks to York Calling for premiering Daedelus’ “Brightest Star Tonight” in conjunction with its release today as part of the fifth edition of the Road Angel Project series on Release Me Records. The site calls the song “something of an electronic odyssey. Layered and lively, it’s punchy compared to a lot of his sprawling soundscapes I’ve heard previously. An understated beginning slowly builds as the various electronic melodies start to coalesce at the track’s climax.”
In addition to Daedelus, Volume 5 includes tracks from Michael Andrews featuring (Inara George) and Gabe Noel. As with all Road Angel Project releases, the goal is to raise funds and awareness for Sweet Relief, which does extraordinary work to help people in the music industry impacted by the ongoing pandemic.
Find and follow this Spotify playlist to stay up-to-date with all releases in the series.
