Tag Archives: New single

Levi-X Releases Debut Single Amazing Grace (Grace Amazing)

October 30, 2020 Marshall Cullen

Levi-X is a young singer/saxophonist (12 yo), based in Queensland. Levi has been performing at several markets in North Brisbane with his father since he was 11 years old, entertaining crowds with his saxophone and singing. He plays all genres of music but has a style that is rooted in light Jazz improvisation. His debut song, Amazing Grace (Grace Amazing) was recorded when he was 12 years old and is the first of a number of songs he is working on.

Watch The Video

Amazing Grace (Grace Amazing) is a new interpretation of the well know traditional song, and digs into the song’s history and meaning with the rawness and innocence of the 12 year old singer, Levi-X. The songs uncomplicated composition aims to delicately remind us of the youthful simplicity where we start life; a place that we often seek to return to along the tumultuous journey that life often unknowingly takes us. Amazing Grace (Grace Amazing) is Levi-X’s debut song, which he worked on with his father, and is played with his older brother (aged 15) on guitar. Levi-X both sings and plays saxophone on this single. With his young voice soaring in all the right places and carrying the heartfelt lyrics with feeling beyond his years this is a beautiful rendition of the timeless classic.

Amazing Grace (Grace Amazing) is OUT NOW – via MGM

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Cody and The Blackouts – Time Stood Still(Official)

Video October 6, 2020 Marshall Cullen

News and Touring

LA Band Cody & The Blackouts new single Time Stood Still

October 6, 2020 Marshall Cullen

Cody and The Blackouts (USA)
Time Stood Still

We’ve all had those moments.

That instant when realisation hits. The sudden knowledge destiny is unfolding right before our eyes. It could be meeting a potential soulmate, achieving a lifelong goal, watching your team salvage victory from almost certain defeat.

Moments when time stood still.

The new single from Los Angeles five-piece Cody & The Blackouts captures that lightning in a bottle – not just once, even twice, but thrice. Time Stood Still, penned by the band’s lead singer and songwriter Cody Hudock, references three momentous events in history: the birth of Gutenberg’s printing press, Freud’s breakthrough theories of psychoanalysis, and how the Beatles and their producer George Martin changed the game forever when it comes to writing and recording popular music. Hit, hit, hit.

If anyone could weave these wildly disparate subjects together in the context of a single pop song, it’s Cody Hudock. Born into a family of songwriters, Hudock learned the trade from his father and older brother. “I picked it up quite naturally, in much the same way the son of a baker might understand intrinsically how to make a good loaf of bread from their first go at it,” Hudock says.

After acquiring early performance experience playing keys in older brother Jordan’s popular LA indie bands, Coalinga and Marvelous Toy, Hudock launched his own songwriting vehicle, Cody The Band. The group released three EPs before Hudock embarked on his solo debut, 2016’s ambitiously titled The Great American Album. Released under his own name, it garnered some delirious word of mouth: “If there were an award for ‘greatest living songwriter you’ve never heard of’, then Cody Hudock’s sterling solo effort would place him firmly in the running,” gushed LA blog The 704.

What would become the core of The Blackouts played together on The Great American Album: Cody, his wife and vocalist Joanna Hudock, and multi-instrumentalist Jordan Bennett. Drummer Brent Stranathan and bassist Will Weissman were soon added to the fold, as the band began playing shows across Los Angeles. When Bennett moved to Atlanta a year later, guitarist Jimmy Holman proved a worthy replacement.

Recorded at Hollywood studio Elephant In The Room, produced by Ethan Kaufmann (Avril Lavigne, Wild Party) and Brent Stranathan, and mixed by longstanding Capitol Records engineer Chandler Harrod (John Mayer, Neil Young), Time Stood Still captures the unique studio chemistry of Cody & The Blackouts. That chemistry translates to the song’s accompanying performance video, shot in crisp black and white at The Room Downtown, LA, with Matt Soson as Director of Photography and edited in Australia by Emmy award-winning Jason “JJ” Jamieson. Time Stood Still, from the album Gold, released on Chance MUSIC. Hit, hit, hit.

Video

Connect with Cody and The Blackouts

Released In Australia by Chance Music

For further information, Files, CD and Interview Requests please contact:
Marshall Cullen at Foghorn Media
0416 143 030
marshall@foghornrecords.net
Or
Nick Chance at Chance Music
promotions@chancemusic.com

News and Touring

Mr Blonde New Single In a Faze

October 6, 2020 Marshall Cullen

MR BLONDE – IN A FAZE

Mr Blonde have come to the airwaves with this power pop epic, reminiscent of their Triple J ruling days. Sugar coated lyrics disguise a super well produced catchy tune, think Blur, Oasis, Brit Pop in general and coming in at 2mins42secs this is a winner.

The track is about the way we humans get caught up in the complicated maze we inhabit. From social media interaction through to rapid changes in technology. Our cultural norms are bombarded with aggressively targeted consumerism. That’s the verse, the chorus is a call to arms, to “stick it where the sun don’t shine.”

Complete with the signature Mr Blonde sound: jangly pop guitars, groovy bass, swirling hammond keyboards and a melodic vocal to sing to the stars. The song wasn’t so much “written” but was an ear worm without guitars. Ken couldn’t stop singing it, so finished the track to save his sanity.

Recorded at Big Studios in Crows Nest Sydney with tracking and mixing completed at Burning Boat Studios in Melbourne. Mixed by Steve Melville. Mastered by King Willy in Launceston.

Forget all the Mr Blonde “burst onto the scene” rhetoric there is a real story of how this band formed out of a dodgy terrace in Woolloomooloo. Two true believers in English Indie music decided to have a crack, spending evenings and weekends fine tuning raucous, pop driven riffs with motor-beat drumming, and guitars laden with distortion and reverb.

Songs were written, relentless rehearsals, early gigs at The Sando, The Hoey, Metro then interstate and beyond to touring mayhem, festivals, music videos and TV shows.

Perhaps the infamous line from Spinal Tap: “have a good time all the time” resonated a little too strongly for Mr Blonde. Their first single Sunday swung into high rotation at Triple J and set the band up for what was to follow. Relentless touring and ridiculous surreal moments spaced out between hundreds of amazing gigs and the best time of our lives. Fall off a cliff… fast forward to the first Mr Blonde single for 25 years “In a Faze”.

Video

In A Faze is OUT NOW – September 18th via MGM
All DSP’s

Connect with Mr Blonde

For further information, Files, CD and Interview Requests please contact:
Marshall Cullen at Foghorn Media
0416 143 030
marshall@foghornrecords.net

News and Touring

Big Merino’s New Single Something to Hide

October 6, 2020 Marshall Cullen

Big Merino’s new single is OUT NOW.
Recorded in just one day at the new Damien Gerard Studios just out of Sydney,
this tune is a fine example of the bands songwriting ability.

Plus there’s a live show to support the release.

The official launch is on Sunday October 25 at Camelot
Due to COVID the venue is limiting numbers
so you have to book in groups of 2, 4 or 8.

‘Something To Hide was written after we heard about the destruction of the Juukan rock shelters in the Pilbara. It’s a little like blowing up the Sistine Chapel except the Sistine Chapel is less significant but at least we get to sell some iron ore, cheap, to the Chinese’ – Big Merino

Big Merino play songs that blur the lines between rock, blues, roots, and soul. Despite their passion for Americana their music also sounds quintessentially Australian, shaped by landscape and stories.

Despite an obvious passion for what’s often called ‘Americana’, Big Merino somehow still sound quintessentially Australian – the lyrics and sound shaped by the landscape and their own stories. The live sound is a classic combination of acoustic and electric guitars, vocals, bass and drums. But the album is fleshed out with multiple guitar layers, gospel style harmonies, Hammond organ, piano, horns and percussion.

In 2018 the newly formed Sydney-based band released their debut album ‘Suburban Wildlife’ thru the Foghorn label, made two cinematic film clips with director Alan Harca, and performed all around Sydney.

The band has done numerous Interviews & live-to-air performances including ABC 702 & RN, 2SER Dirt Music, Radio Skid Row, Eastside Radio, Aussie Music Weekly and 2BBB. The single ‘Black Cockatoos’ was top 10 on AMRAP Metro and Regional playlists in 2018.

To follow their well-received debut the band started work on the follow up early in 2019. ‘Sweet Little Angel’ was released in mid-year and the band toured and performed various festivals around the country, starting with Murringo and Quandialla in June.

Something to Hide is their newest single for 2020 and includes a home recorded B Side ‘Tell Me Something’

Something to Hide hits in quick with guitars and then band and vocals catching your attention. The Beatles-esque chorus features a 6 part harmony from gospel master Stu Davis. With hooks, riffs and even catchy bass and drums this one is a winner.

Something to Hide is out today September 25
on Foghorn Records through MGM.

Stream or Download:

Connect with Big Merino:

For further information, Cd’s and Interview requests please contact:
Marshall Cullen at Foghorn Media
0416 143 030
marshall@foghornrecords.net

News and Touring

A chat with Adam Blacksmith

August 19, 2020 Marshall Cullen

On the eve of the first single ‘I Hope I’m Wrong’ from his forthcoming album ‘Blind to the Sea’ we sat down (via zoom) to chat with Adam about all things musical -

Tell us about the moment you decided to become a song writer? What did your family/friends have to say about it?

I was driving in my car In 1999 when I heard”Asleep in Perfection” by Augie March on JJJ. I had to stop the car to take it all in. I had loved folk music for years but had lost faith in the radio to play bands with the lyrical substance of Dylan, Joni and The Tea Party until that moment. Hearing it renewed my faith in radio and music at the same time and it gave me the hope that I could transform my poetry into music.

All my friends at the time were in metal bands and were very supportive of my direction and my family felt the same, however, If I am honest, I don’t think they believed I’d stick with it.

Who are your early influences?

I tend to have an “all or nothing” approach to most things, not excluding music. I grew up listening to heavy metal (and still do). I was always drawn to death metal bands such as Carcass and Morbid Angel because they combined lyricism with aggression and technical mastery. I harbored a dream to either sing or play guitar in a grindcore band however didn’t really have the dexterity or disposition. I was simulaltaneously drawn to folk artists, such as Dylan, Joni Mitchel, George Harrison, Nick Drake and later Augie March as they sang about philosophy and expressed emotions through their music that I had trouble expressing myself.

Tell us a little about your writing process, how does a song come along? What gets you going creatively?

I always have a guitar with me in my loungeroom. Mostly I just muck around with chords and sounds and record anything that I like on my phone, about one in fifty ideas stick. When I’m stretched for ideas I attempt to learn a cover song and usually get some ideas from there.

Lyrically, I am inspired by my work in the jail system, from borrowed words I have jotted from Dickens novels or Audio books and from documentaries. I have a phone full of ideas and musings that may or may not find their way into a song. My latest album features two songs inspired from the plight of Aboriginal Austrlians which have a particular significance to me after learning of my own Aboriginality in more recent years.

What is the first record you bought and why?

Dr. Feelgood by Motley Crew. I had just started earning money with my first casual job at Target while I was still in high-school. I couldn’t afford the $26 for the CD so I convinced my sister to go halves. Given she was listening to U2 at the time, I always knew it was going to be mine. Technically I still owe my sister $13

What current/new Artists/Bands inspire you and why?

Augie March, The Drones, Marlon Williams, Julia Jacklin, CW Stoneking, Ben Howard and High Tension.

I absolutely love the lyrics of Glen Richards and Augie March and the Raw unapologetic energy replete with Australiana that the Drones bring to the table. I guess the commonality of all these artists is their brilliant lyricism. High Tension on the other hand are just phenominal live and a must see…

Stream the new single here – out Friday August 21 via MGM

Connect with Adam

News and Touring

Andrew Barnum New Single – Dear Ancestor

July 30, 2020 Marshall Cullen

Andrew Barnum’s Single Dear Ancestor

Andrew Barnum is a singer-songwriter, whose musical style is a combination of folk-based Aus alt-folk and home-pop-tronic-rock. Welcome to a visually transporting road-trip of the Australian experience today.The song-writing-performance duo of Andrew & Lissa Barnum, aka Vitabeats, had a national hit with ‘Boom Box’ (Hot/EMI) in 1985. This was followed by singles ‘Audrey’ and ‘Build it Right’ from the album ‘Spot the Spanner.’ The band stopped recording and touring in 1988. Andrew never stopped writing, recording and performing his own songs.Andrew’s current sound is a blend of the acoustic and electronic arcane – forgotten analogue technologies, merging with digital interfaces and an array of musicians, including vocals from Lissa and Cayenne Barnum, all coming together in accomplished composer-producer Boris Hunt’s Black Rabbit Studio in Hartley, NSW.

Dear Ancestor is a personal letter to our past about the future.
It’s a lament to someone trusted and wise, asking for a way to awaken with purpose.
Like the Zen master, it’s not with a gentle nudge, but with a crack from their stick.
The track was recorded live with Boris Hunt, Lucius Culliton, and Andy Gordon,
at Black Rabbit Big Room, Kanimbla NSW Australia. Mastered by Nat Love.

The overall sound has a a dark, smoky, haunting lyrical quality. Musically, it speaks volumes with a sense of longing, lingering, and meandering, that is full of romance.

Video click image below – (recently premiered on Scenestr magazine)

The video clip was a collaboration with students from Billy Blue College (Andy Marsh, Christine Kemeny, Bailey Sii, and Tony Taulaga) with Lissa Barnum’s inventive creative direction and videography of Andrew. All the footage was shot in 2 isolated locations, Sydney and the South Coast (Lissa), then edited with additional animated effects. The creative direction was based on the silhouette style of Indonesian shadow puppetry. The team set out to create the smoky, burnt atmosphere of the recent bushfires, the spirit of the Ancestor is represented by Australian birds. Special thanks to Christine Kemeny for the final production.