https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/runaround-sue-single/1453811235?app=itunes&ign-mpt=uo%3D4
For more information about MIGHTY QUINN please visit: www.iammightyquinn.com
To order MIGHTY QUINN releases on Bandcamp please visit: https://mightyquinnwalker.bandcamp.com/
To order MIGHTY QUINN & THE OAKLAND RONIN on digital services please visit: http://smarturl.it/MightyQuinn
For Booking inquiries please contact: mightyquinnwalker@hotmail.com
I’ve been trying to maintain my sanity lately by greatly limiting the amount of news I read, and refraining as much as possible from engaging in debates with the fascist morons that support that racist turd Donald Trump. It’s difficult, as you know. I am furious. I am depressed. I am worried. What helps is listening to music, and sometimes what I need more than anything is the energy and attitude of a punk record. When I put on the self-titled debut CD release from Mighty Quinn & The Oakland Ronin, all I wanted was that energy, that drive, to let out some steam, and it worked perfectly. But I got more than that. This is a really good album, featuring some great material. The band is made up of Quinn Walker on vocals, Geoff Saba on guitar and vocals, Andrew Muhoberac on bass and vocals, and Joel Davidson on drums and vocals. Though this is the debut release from this band, it is not Quinn Walker’s first release. That came eight years ago, with the My Road EP. And several other releases followed. Mighty Quinn & The Oakland Ronin are based in – can you guess? – Oakland, California.
For more information about MIGHTY QUINN please visit: www.iammightyquinn.com
To order MIGHTY QUINN & THE OAKLAND RONIN on digital services please visit: http://smarturl.it/MightyQuinn
To order MIGHTY QUINN & THE OAKLAND RONIN on Bandcamp please visit: https://mightyquinnwalker.bandcamp.com/
For Booking inquiries please contact: mightyquinnwalker@hotmail.com
Greetings from STIMULI HQ!
Exciting news is coming in spring & summer and can’t wait to share it with you!
Before that happens, we want to let you know about a trio of upcoming Bay Area shows as we close out winter 2019.
On Friday March 8th, STIMULI will return to one of our favorite venues – The Uptown Nightclub (site of the 1st STIMULI show!) in Oakland, CA. This very special night will feature some of the best local heavy rock bands – The Devil in California & Stalin – all bands with deep Oakland roots at a great rock and roll club!
Get your tickets before they’re gone at:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1213066375509944/
Those in the San Jose area this Saturday February 23rd, STIMULI will be at the X-Bar in Cupertino, CA. Presented by Pinup Productions, this show features B.T. Saints & Drawing Heaven. Both of these great South Bay-based bands will bring heavy sludge and grind to this all ages rock show! Tickets to this show are available at: https://www.facebook.com/events/1232270920275463/
Those in the North Bay this Friday February 22nd, STIMULI will join the one and only Bryan Kehoe w/ his Kehoe International band along with heavy riff rockers Ranchero at 19 Broadway Nightclub in Fairfax, CA.
Tickets are available at:
https://www.facebook.com/events/541315123023698/
Bring a friend to an upcoming show. We look forward to seeing you there 🙂
To stay up to speed with the band,
follow us on social media and visit www.stimuliband.com – where you can also stream or purchase a copy of the STIMULI album ‘They Are We‘.
Thank you for supporting STIMULI and original rock bands everywhere.
We appreciate you,
– Jimmy, Cole & Tai
Copyright © 2019 STIMULI All rights reserved
STIMULI
2200 WOOD STREET
OAKLAND, CA 94607
info@stimuliband.com
www.stimuliband.com
Translated from German:
Napa Valley Duo
An American in Paris
Review by Gary Hill
http://www.musicstreetjournal.com/index_cdreviews_display.cfm?id=106618
Perhaps this set is classical music. The duo in question is Jeffrey McFarland-Johnson who plays stringed instruments (I’ve often labeled it as cello, but I might be wrong in places) and Terry Winn on piano. They create a mix of sounds here that is unique and quite compelling. While this isn’t really my kind of music, I found that parts of it really drew me in.
This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2019 Volume 1 at lulu.com/strangesound.
| Track by Track Review | ||||
| Hotel The piano and cello both work together well to create a pretty and rather sad musical texture on this piece. This instrumental is fairly short and a good way to start the set in style. |
||||
| An American in Paris While the opener was short, the same can’t be said for this. It’s almost 15 and a half minutes long. It’s quite a musical ride with some rather crazed instrumental sounds at play at points. It conveys a lot of modes and textures along the ride. Both the cello and the piano find plenty of opportunities to shine. They certainly capture a lot of different sections of the soundtrack to the film. |
||||
| It Never Entered My Mind This is such a pretty piece. It has a certain sad air to it. There is a real majestic quality, too. |
||||
| JMJ Suite: Prelude Perfume Piano starts this one with an almost magical kind of vibe. The strings lend a new air as they join. The cut continues to evolve as it drives forward. This is quite classical and a bit odd at times. It is also oddly compelling. |
||||
| A Soft Message to You This has a lot of beauty and is another effective number. I particularly like the piano melodies on the cut, but everything works well. |
||||
| Star Trek Anthem / I Love Lucy Combining “Star Trek” and “I Love Lucy” might seem odd. The fact is, they were connected. Lucille Ball believed so strongly in “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry that she signed him to her Desilu Studios for the series. So, combining these two pieces of music makes sense in a rather unique way. I love the twist that this arrangement brings to the “Star Trek” sounds. It’s just a short bit of the music, though. Then they take it into an upbeat and fun romp of the “I Love Lucy” theme. |
||||
| Meritage Estate Coming in slower and rather melancholy, particularly in contrast to the previous number, this works out after the introduction to some more crazed sounds as punctuation to the mellower, more melodic segments. |
||||
| Preparing For the Day The classical tones on this are fun and energetic. There is a playful air to this piece. |
||||
| Vesper For Janelle Slow moving, sedate and rather melancholy in tone, this is also quite a pretty number. |
||||
| Chimera I love the piano textures that start this. The strings add so much as they join. This has more energy and a lighter tone than the previous number did. There is a real moving vibe to it. It feels almost like “traveling music.” |
||||
| See Me Feel Me / I Will Fight and Never Slack The strings start this, playing the familiar Who passages in a slow and measured way. The second half of this brings an almost Celtic angle to things. It’s not until that movement kicks in (and nearly two minutes in) that the piano joins. They work things to a fast paced and playful jam from there. Then, just after the three minute mark, they bring it back to the Who melodies, this time with the piano added to the mix. That movement takes the cut to its end. |
||||
| Moderatamente I love the classical elements on display here. This is a pretty and rather reflective piece. It is packed with emotion. |
||||
| Romanza Another that’s on the sedate and classical end of the musical spectrum, this is a pretty track. |
||||
| The Lady Caliph This is also quite a pretty piece of music. It’s a satisfying way to end the set. |
||||
For more information about IAC RECORDS and Artists, please visit www.iacrecords.com
To order IAC RECORDS Releases on Bandcamp please visit: https://iacrecords.bandcamp.com
“Thanking Jupiter” is available on CD and VINYL. For more information please visit
http://www.brucecstevenson.com
https://www.seaoftranquility.org/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=21341
“Stimuli is an American heavy rock band from the Bay Area of California. They formed in 2013 when Tai Hake (bass and theremin) and Jimmy Tomahawk (guitars and vocals) left the band Yeibichai. The addition of Australian drummer Cole Andrew completed the power trio format.
The tunes mostly carry a mid-tempo groove but there is enough sophistication and rhythmic changes to ensure a pretty captivating listen. It isn’t prog but it isn’t your typical radio friendly fare either. Some of the tunes have a ‘90s Alice in Chains vibe and there is a definite alternative angle to some of these tracks. Very good lead vocals is another strong plus for the band. Tomahawk has a sensitivity to his voice but can also ramp up the intensity when the need arises. Another cool trait is the use of theremin, adding mood and atmosphere to the band’s heavier riffing. The first track “+X-“ is emphasized by a massive rhythm section and the band displays tight musicianship throughout with heavy riffing and a moody guitar solo. The use of theremin is very noticeable. Some tricky drum work pushes the title track in a heavy but proggier direction and “The New Dream” has a decidedly Alice and Chains bent with lower range vocals and powerful rhythms with some pretty cool tempo changes as well. With “Sandstorm” the band throws a bit of a curveball adding sitar into the mix. The sound is more exotic because of it and is my favourite track thus far. The flute and acoustic guitar adds a sort of mysticism on “Prize Of Nothingness” that is really quite enchanting and shows a band not afraid to explore different sounds. There are really no bad tracks here which is pretty excellent in my book.
Stimuli have created a well thought out and rather sophisticated rock album with They Are We. The melodies don’t necessarily jump out at you and may require a bit of digging in on behalf of the listener. I think this one will have some staying power. A solid debut that I wholeheartedly recommend.”
For more information or to order THEY ARE WE, please visit STIMULI’s website and social media pages via: www.stimuliband.com or https://stimuli.bandcamp.com/
To order THEY ARE WE on digital services please visit: http://smarturl.it/STIMULItheyarewe
Dr. Chrispy
VHS
Review by Gary Hill
I almost landed this under “non-prog” because of the EDM characteristics of the set. The thing is, those are tempered by textures that are closer to things like Tangerine Dream, Vangelis and Synergy. While most of this is purely instrumental, a couple songs have vocals, most particularly the album’s closer which might be the highlight. Similarly, while the main elements here are electronic keyboard based, there is a song that features rocking guitar, too. Overall, I find this to be a considerably effective and entertaining set.
This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2018 Volume 6 at lulu.com/strangesound.
| Track by Track Review | ||||
| Be There Soon Keyboard textures open this in style. It works out to a classy sort of groove that’s infectious. The vocals on the cut, although pretty far down in the mix, bring some soulful vibes. |
||||
| Gotta Getta Gatta Feeling almost like an extension of the previous cut, this instrumental is so cool. The horns lend a real jazzy vibe to it. |
||||
| Sleeping in Tokyo More purely electronic, this lands well in the EDM vein. Still, it has some decidedly electronic prog elements to it, feeling not that far removed from something like Synergy. This is pretty and quite cool. It has some space rock things at play at times, too. |
||||
| Blue Sky Line While there is a definite groove to the rhythm section on this piece, the keyboard elements bring a decidedly proggy sound to the proceedings. It’s another classy electronic number. |
||||
| Vanmover I love the melodic elements on this, and the rhythmic structures bring a lot of energy and driving power. Again this makes me think of a lot of the electronic prog of acts like Tangerine Dream and Synergy. The short dropped back section at the end is all cool. |
||||
| Goodbye Shanghai I dig the funky groove on this cut. Now this one lands more fully under the EDM heading, but it still has a healthy helping of the proggier element at play. |
||||
| 60 Miles Up This feels scenic and cinematic. It’s decidedly proggy and so cool. It does get more energized and EDM related further down the musical road. |
||||
| Muromigawa I love the rhythmic groove that starts this. There is a bit of a vocal bit as sort of a percussive element. This has an intriguing nature, very artsy and very cool. There are more EDM things at play on this tune. |
||||
| Vancouver We’re back into more Synergy related territory on this thing. There is a huge change later as this fires out into some serious guitar rocking prog. It drops to just a dramatic synthesizer bit around the four and a half minute mark. That takes it to the end. |
||||
| Torotoroid A distorted sounding groove starts this. An EDM groove joins. As it continues some healthy helpings of something like Kraftwerk is added to the mix. The cut evolves and grows from there. |
||||
| Dreaming of Home There is another rhythmic vocal thing here. Again I’m reminded of Synergy on this. It has some energy and groove, but is more firmly on the proggy versus EDM side of the equation. There are both world music and jazz elements in the mix here. |
||||
| I’m Going Down (Under) With some space rock in the mix, this definitely feels like shared territory between Vangelis and Tangerine Dream to me. It’s another classy cut. There is more of an EDM edge later in the number. |
||||
| Sea A bit slower, there is still a cool rhythmic groove to this thing. The cut has some great electronic textures and melodies built into it, too. It seems a solid merging of the EDM with more proggy elements. After the half way point of the cut it gets into more pure progressive rock zones with some killer synthesizer soloing. |
||||
| Maui Speaking of progressive rock, this one lands pretty fully in that camp. It has a nice flowing energy and some killer melodic excursions. The synth sounds are so tasty and this thing is one of my favorites here. There are some interesting twists and turns here, and this does get some more EDM like stuff later. I am particularly enchanted by the melodies on the closing movement. |
||||
| Follow The Wild Geese Arguably the most purely progressive rock piece here, this one features vocals of the female variety. It’s the most mainstream cut here, too. It’s also one of my favorites. It represents a great bit of variety. The vocals are quite effective, and there are some great synthesizer melodies built into this. There is a real symphonic bombast here, and this gets so powerful. |
||||
For more information about DR CHRISPY please visit: http://drchrispy.com/
To order VHS on digital services please visit: http://smarturl.it/DrChrispyVHS
To order VHS on Bandcamp please visit: https://drchrispy.bandcamp.com/album/vhs
https://michaelsmusiclog.blogspot.com/2018/12/andrew-durr-time-frame-2018-cd-review.html
Andrew Durr: “Time Frame” (2018) CD Review
Migrant Mother is the title of a famous photograph by Dorothea Lange. That photo and its subject and its creator inspired a play of the same title written by Ken White. The play debuted in January of 2017 (though apparently a shorter version was put on in 2014), with music performed by Andrew Durr. Now that music is available on Time Frame: Songs From The Play Migrant Mother. This is a folk album sort of in the original folk tradition, covering some well-known and beloved songs, songs from the Dust Bowl era. But Andrew Durr delivers some unusual, intriguing takes on the familiar material. Joining him on this album are Ray Vazira on percussion and keys, Janet Baltzo on keys, Steve Ashman on electric bass, John Ady on acoustic bass, Kevin Pallotta on drums, Narayan Baltzo on trumpet, Jeffrey McFarland-Johnson on cello, Patrick Durr on harmonica and backing vocals, Alexandra Durr on backing vocals, and Melissa Dawn on spoken word vocals. The disc’s liner notes were written by Ken White.
Stay tuned in 2019 for even more great artists and releases from IAC RECORDS!
For more information about IAC RECORDS and Artists, please visit www.iacrecords.com
To order IAC RECORDS Releases on Bandcamp please visit: https://iacrecords.bandcamp.com
For more information about MIGHTY QUINN please visit: www.iammightyquinn.com
To order MIGHTY QUINN & THE OAKLAND RONIN on digital services please visit: http://smarturl.it/MightyQuinn
To order MIGHTY QUINN & THE OAKLAND RONIN on Bandcamp please visit: https://mightyquinnwalker.bandcamp.com/
For Booking inquiries please contact: mightyquinnwalker@hotmail.com
Independent Distribution Collective Blog 