Soul Boy Sundae
On 11th April, Ch’Lu released ‘Sister I’ll be There’.
In celebration of National Sibling Day on 10th April, Ch’Lu releases ‘Sister I’ll Be There’. It is the eclectic art-pop artist’s captivating new single. She wrote it as an ode to her sister during lock-down. The track allowed Ch’Lu to feel connected to her younger sibling no matter how far apart they were physically. Ch’Lu soon realised that this song was an important reminder for all sisters; all women all over the world and throughout time.
Ch’Lu explains, “It became a song to inspire sisterhood, solidarity, protection and connection, awakening the feminine aspect in every human being, drawing us forever closer and becoming part of one another”.
In this track, Ch’Lu uses her signature fusion of ethereal harmonies, classical guitar arpeggiation, transformational field recording and Zeitgeist beats, creating something truly bewitching as a result.
Camilla Mathias – aka Ch’Lu – trained as a classical guitarist, singer and actress. Also she has been picking up languages since she learned to speak. She is a polyglot polymath, driven to expand consciousness through creativity and performance. Her self-produced album is due for release in June 2023. It is funded by Arts Council of England.
Ch’Lu has a website, at chlu.online.
All Tvvins released their new single, ‘What’s Happening’ on April 12th.
Irish indie-electronic duo All Tvvins are back with their latest single, ‘What’s Happening’. Their debut album, ‘IIVV’, shot into the Irish charts at #2,
With a return to their signature blend of electronic and rock influences, the track showcases the band’s growth and evolution. It also returns to a more ‘live’ sound the band were known for. This release marks the first from their upcoming EP. That EP is set to drop in July and demonstrates the band’s continued commitment to creating innovative and dynamic music.
Lyrically, the song explores some darker themes. Conor Adams, lead singer and bassist explains, the song is “begging for mercy” and captures the sense of confusion and foreboding that many people feel in these turbulent times. “It’s a memory that has yet to happen,” Adams adds. “It’s asking for shelter in the eye of the storm, hoping that there’s a chance for protection but knowing there’s something I can’t ignore, so destructive, happening all around me, around everyone.”
‘What’s Happening’ is out now on all major streaming platforms, and you can follow All Tvvns on Facebook, Insta and Twitter.
Bob Corritore & Friends released ‘Women In Blues Showcase’ on 12th April. ‘You’re Gonna Be Sorry’ is the first track and features Barbara Lynn.
This very special instalment of Bob Corritore’s from the vaults series. It features great recordings from spectacular blues women, and surveys a wide geographic and stylistic spectrum.
From hit-making Gulf Coast legends, Barbara Lynn and Carol Fran, to the heavy Chicago Blues of Koko Taylor. On to the Phoenix’s soul/blues/gospel diva Francine Reed, to the spectacular vocal powerhouse Diunna Greenleaf from Houston Texas. Plus the gentle wonderment of Tennessee’s Valerie June, to Mississippi’s Shy Perry whose deceptive name delivers a powerhouse Wang Dang Doodle. As well as the daughter of Chicago blues great John Primer, Aliya Primer with her very first recording at age 17!
Bob Corritore has recorded all of these wonderful woman artists with great sensitivity to their stylistic and personal individuality. Behold a collection of spectacular, female voices. Collectively they demonstrate both the undeniable power and empowering vulnerability of the feminine voice.
Bob Corritore has a website at bobcorritore.com
Steve Steinman has recently released ‘A Vampire’s Tale’.
We’ve previously heard ‘Everything They Said is True’ (Week 46, May 2022).
Steve Steinman is one of the UK’s most successful touring show producers and directors. His entrepreneurial spirit has seen him build a fan base most rock stars would be proud of. It includes devoted followers who have even gone to the extreme of having tattoos of him and his band! As well as being the driving force behind his production company Steve Steinman Productions, Steve is a singer and actor. He has worked with some of the world’s best-known rock stars.
In 2000 Steve produced his first theatre show after many years performing all over the world. He produced and self-funded ‘The Meat Loaf Story’. This was followed in 2004 by ‘Vampires Rock’. In Summer and Autumn 2019 the ‘Meat Loaf Story’ continued in a new guise entitled ‘Anything For Love’. Never one to rest on his laurels, Steve has embarked on the writing and production of a brand-new musical ‘Eternal Love’. It features all original songs and is set to hit UK theatres in 2024. The stunning new single ‘A Vampires Tale’ is the first track from the soundtrack which is due out later this year.
Steve will be touring throughout 2023, and will be at The Regent on 24th November. His tour dates are all on his website, which is stevesteinmanproductions.com. He’s also on Facebook and YouTube.
On 14th April Firelight Trio released their self-titled album. ‘En Charrette / The Last Minute’ is the second track on the album.
Firelight Trio play European folk music that is evocative, inventive, and endlessly exciting. Driving fiddle and stately nyckelharpa meet deep accordion grooves in a rich tapestry of lively Swedish polskas and Scottish reels, lilting French waltzes, toe-tapping klezmer, dazzling original tunes and more.
Three friends, six instruments, a world of great tunes and striking arrangements. Firelight Trio brings together musicians from Moishe’s Bagel, Gavin Marwick’s Journeyman, and Bellevue Rendezvous to create a mighty sound that is exciting, wide-ranging, and richly textured. Ruth’s resonant nyckelharpa is matched by Gav’s powerhouse fiddle, all backed up by Phil’s groovily inventive accordion and piano. Funded by Creative Scotland, the band’s eponymous début album is a journey of influences and stories, reflecting the wealth of musical experience each band member brings. It’s a recording that will always reveal something new, and although the emphasis is on original compositions, the trio also treats some lesser-known traditional material to a radical makeover.
Firelight Trio have a website, at firelighttrio.co.uk and are on Facebook and YouTube.
Gina Larner has released ‘I Think I Love You’.
Gina Larner is a singer / songwriter from Brighton, whose original songs are a mixture of country / pop-rock with influences from Fleetwood Mac, KT Tunstall and Kasey Musgraves. As an established artist, Gina has opened for country/rock icon KT Tunstall, alongside Ronan Keating at the Coca Cola arena in Dubai. Gina has also joined Emily Capell and Sound of the Sirens on their album tours up and down the U.K. She will be supporting KT Tunstall once again later in 2023.
On top of her brilliant performances, Gina’s song writing shines. She has written for multiple other artists, with songs soon to appear on their next albums. Now she’s stepping out as a performer in her own right and has been developing her songs as evidenced by her first two single releases at the end of 2022.
Her third single ‘I Think I Love You’ is from her début album, ‘Something Good’ which dropped on March 17th.
Gina has a website, at ginalarnermusic.com, and is on YouTube, Facebook and Insta.
ferna released her new single, ‘Open Up’ on April 14th.
After an exciting 2022, culminating in winning the NI Music Prize single of the year, ferna is only getting started with the launch of her début album, ‘understudy’ and the release of her new single ‘Open Up’.
There was an album launch gig in The Empire, Belfast May 4th in collaboration with The Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival.
Based in Belfast, but originally from Coleraine, the indie artist calls ‘understudy’ a labour of love for both Hannah McPhillimy (aka ferna) and producer Stuart Reid, with a mission to amplify hidden characters and quiet sentiments. The album is the result of a tentative creative partnership which started over five years ago when they crossed paths in ferna’s home-town.
ferna reflects, “I was feeling stuck in a musical rut when I met Stu. We met to discuss recording a video, but he proceeded to provide an extremely honest assessment of my song writing so far. I then approached him about working together, after taking a few days to repair my ego.”
Stream the album from ferna.ffm.to/understudy
Recently Billy the Kid & The Regulators released ‘Shake That Thang’.
Billy the Kid and The Regulators are a high powered, guitar driven, rhythm and blues band from Pittsburgh. Lead singer Billy Evanochko is widely-known across the Steel City for his impassioned lyrics, seductive vocals, and stinging guitar riffs. Together with his band, The Regulators they deliver a well-balanced dose of funky rhythm and blues, with heart and soul being the main ingredient, playing countless clubs and festivals throughout the country. The band attracts fans with their fresh mix and interpretation of the iconic R&B experience.
As well as the single, Billy the Kid and The Regulators have announced their new album, ‘Nice Ain’t Got Me Nothin’ will be available from June, 15th.
Billy the Kid and The Regulators have a website, at billythekidandtheregulators.com.
Avis released ‘Sunrise’ on 19th April.
New four-piece band Avis are the latest outfit to emerge from the burgeoning creative scene in and around the Hull and East Yorkshire area. Warren Youth Project nurtured their nascent ideas and talents which now culminates in the release of ‘Sunrise’. This, the lead track from their 3 track EP of the same name, perfectly epitomises where the indie / bedroom pop genre is headed in 2023.
Produced by local indie sound maestro Adam Pattrick, the EP’s title track ‘Sunrise’, with its upbeat jangle-pop guitars, keeps the mood bright and optimistic while lyrically touching on subjects of anxiety and working out how to deal with life as it comes at you! Throughout the track lead vocalist Sev has a conversation with their sub-conscious, asking many rhetorical questions that lean into themes of mental health and neurodivergence.
Rymer from the band says of the EP, “We hope the record conveys well the many emotions expressed in each of the songs. If it can inspire other young people to experiment with music in their own way too, proving you don’t need decades of experience, that would be fantastic.”
Be sure to follow them on their social media for updates. They are on Facebook, Twitter, Insta, Spotify, TikTok and YouTube.
Allan Clarke has released ‘I’ll Never Forget’. It features Graham Nash.
Old friendships, long-standing love, and new beginnings: Allan Clarke returns to music with his brand-new album ‘I’ll Never Forget’, out now on BMG. The album features Clarke and Nash together on harmonies for the first time in decades. The latest single and title track is all about the pair, who have been friends for some 75 years, joining forces once again
About the track, Allan says, “This is a song about working with Graham again. It wasn’t like we said: ‘Yeah, let’s do it again!’ It was more of a maybe. The opening line ‘Well here we are, finding ourselves in a peculiar situation,’ that’s how it felt for me and Graham to be back making music together. The song describes our relationship on this album, saying we might make it and we might not. Of course, we have done. But if we hadn’t, it wouldn’t matter, because I’ll never forget starting to work with Graham again, especially making ‘Buddy’s Back’!”
The album is available via all the usual online sources.
A recording of the show is available on MixCloud.
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