The Walkabout are proud to present a video presentation of a recent concert they performed! It is free to view but if you can afford to support the continuing efforts of the band please see the band donation link at Walkaboutband.com
Thank you for being you, best wishes,
-The Walk-A-Bout
Showtime 5PM PST / 8PM EST
Aussie-American alternative rock quintet THE WALK-A-BOUT hail from the artistic East End of Long Island, New York. On June 5, 2020, THE WALK-A-BOUT released their first full-length LP 20/20 worldwide in stores and online. The reviews are in and it’s clear that 20/20 is one of the best albums of the year, with the release climbing to #8 on the ROOTS MUSIC RADIO ALTERNATIVE ROCK CHART with an unprecedented SEVEN SINGLES SIMULTANEOUSLY IN THE TOP 50!
Produced by Andrew Michael Bertrand and mastered by Roger Lian, 20/20 is an incredibly diverse record that explores many genres, expanding the scope of band’s classic sound. There is something on the album for everyone. Whether it’s alternative rock, world music, funk, or the influence of prog rock, THE WALK-A-BOUT’s music is visceral, emotional, fun and socially conscious. Oasis Entertainment Blog calls the album “a multi-genre romp through musical styles such as funk, rock, world, Latin, and much more,” while Exclusive Magazine raves that the album is “Destined to be a classic,” and Keys and Chords in Belgium recognizes that 20/20 is “A beautiful album to discover and cherish.”
To watch the official video premiere for“TALE OF THE VIBE RIDER” please visit:
“This is a six-song EP that showcases the songwriting talent of Ben Lang. Lang is a Texas native who grew up in San Francisco, and plays rockin’ country music. His songs have a very acoustic and laidback feel. Lang has a very gentle approach to songwriting, and he’s clearly having fun with what he does.
The songs are catchy. The EP starts with “Houston-New Orleans,” a very upbeat track. The title cut “Modern Man” slows things down a bit, but it’s a song with definite charisma and personality. “Nailin’ It” breaks it down even more when it comes to that stripped-down feeling. Once again, Lang’s charisma carries it and leaves you in a very reflective mood. “Hollow Spaces” continues in this great spirit. By “Tee Off With Your Head,” things speed up, but the mood remains. It’s a very mathematical song with some cool Willie Nelson influences. The EP closes with “Mr. Moon,” and it’s a track that let’s you down easy with its gentle stomping.
Lang’s music has a lot of room to breath, and he presents it in a very easy-going way. It’s a country with an alternative edge. His influences show up here and there, but they manage not to corrupt the overall idea. These songs are very fitting to be played in a very intimate place where the artists can connect with the audience and maybe tell some funny stories as to how these tracks came to be.
I like the cover of this EP because the title does not fit the drawing completely. You see a cowboy on a horse with a dog overlooking a canyon. There’s nothing modern about it; the man isn’t holding a brand new phone and texting, but enjoying a ride through nature. It can be interpreted in variety of ways, but I do enjoy the traditional old feel of the painting. Modern Man is a very laidback affair. Ben Lang shows a lot of potential, and he’s definitely onto something. It will be interesting to see what transpires next.”
BEN LANG is a singer-songwriter from San Rafael, CA. His debut solo release MODERN MAN EP offers six finely crafted alternative-acoustic tracks written and performed entirely by BEN LANG, with expressive lyrics and a slight country feel akin to artists as varied as Violent Femmes, Paul Simon, or Willie Nelson. MODERN MAN EP was released on Black Friday 2020 and is available now everywhere music is streamed and sold. There was also a MODERN MAN EP VIRTUAL RELEASE SHOW broadcast online to coincide with the release the same day, giving fans the chance to see a live performance of each song.
After playing in bands for several years and putting out a few different albums, BEN LANG branched out on his own as a solo performer in 2017 and began playing an assortment of mellow covers and originals at local restaurants, weddings, parties, and open mics. As he crafted more original material, he began to make plans for MODERN MAN EP, his first solo release. MODERN MAN EP was then recorded, mixed, and mastered by his good friend Matt Cope in his home studio between 2018 and 2020.
To coincide with the release, BEN LANG partnered with Gabriel Lamb and Digital Lamb Productions to produce a MODERN MAN EP VIRTUAL RELEASE SHOW. The concert broadcast online on Black Friday 2020 at 5:30 PM PST, giving fans the chance to kick back and relax that evening with some Thanksgiving leftovers while enjoying a live BEN LANG performance of each new MODERN MAN EP song.
Originally from the southeast Texas town of Port Arthur, BEN LANG was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he still hangs his hat with his big dog Boone by his side. Like many, he fell in love with music as a teenager, and began learning everything he could about bass and guitar with dreams of rock stardom in his head every night. Together with Paggi (aka Dan Paggi), also a notable Pacific Northwest artist, BEN LANG was a founding member of the San Francisco cult classic band Biv and the Mnemonics (aka Roy G Biv & The Mnemonic Devices), whose albums The Blue Orange (2009) and The Pace (2013) were released to critical acclaim and still resonate today. Together they also founded the independent label Moo Moo Records, and continue to release and market new projects partnered with Independent Distribution Collective (IDC).
As a solo artist, BEN LANG performs every Friday at the Le Chalet Basque restaurant in San Rafael, or at the occasional show, party, wedding, or open mic around town. He also plays bass with the Bay Area’s best rockers Secret Lives (aka The Gene Immens Project), whose solid mix of hard-rocking originals and crowd-pleasing covers brings an electric charge to every show. Throughout the years BEN LANG has performed in other bands including Azalea Drive, Moblad, and The Devil’s Chord.
MODERN MAN EP is available now everywhere music is streamed and sold.
For Immediate Release – San Francisco, CA –IDC VIRTUAL EVENTS(IDCVE) is a new ultramodern service that professionally produces online virtual events, an asset that is now more important to the arts community than ever before. In business for over 16 years, Independent Distribution Collective is a marketing company based in San Francisco that provides unique and valuable services to help labels and artists strategize, market, and distribute their own releases. IDCVE is a new extension of these services that produces filmed events to be streamed online, and guides a project through every phase of production including overall strategy, scheduling, filming, marketing, and broadcasting.
By focusing its deep resources and partnering with media production dynamo DIGITAL LAMB PRODUCTIONS, IDC is now able to offer two initial packages to record, edit, market, and broadcast online events. Clients may provide their own footage, or IDC can arrange a day long shoot which could provide all AV equipment including cameras, lights, sets, microphones, and more. This includes consultation on set design, shooting schedule, asset organization, and any additional details to ensure a smooth filming session. Current IDC VIRTUAL EVENTS produced with DIGITAL LAMB PRODUCTIONS in 2020 have included THE MID-SUMMER FOG VIRTUAL MUSIC FESTIVAL and the BEN LANG MODERN MAN EP VIRTUAL RELEASE SHOW.
IDC VIRTUAL EVENTS include the creation of an initial press release with distribution to thousands of worldwide media outlets, and detailed reporting on media activities throughout the course of the campaign. There is also an integrated social media effort to drive viewers to the event. Organized around the creation of a content strategy, various scheduled postings are implemented throughout the campaign. This results in the enhancement of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) for overall web presence and various social media pages.
Additionally, IDC Promo creates customized and cost-effective marketing campaigns to help clients establish and grow their careers in the modern era. IDC Promo campaigns can be targeted around music releases (single, EP, and full-length), as well as other products and general brand building. IDC assembles and manages a hand-picked Team that works together to promote a project to every possible outlet simultaneously, while also guiding the product to market and ensuring the release is widely available through digital and physical retail outlets.
IDC maintains long-standing business relationships with an assortment of Retailers, Publicists, Radio promoters, Web Design & Social Media experts, Graphic Designers, and various other industry professionals that can be hired to work on the campaign. IDC provides CDs, Vinyl, DVDs, and other products to thousands of retailers worldwide and to hundreds of digital streaming and sales platforms.
IDC is also excited for people to visit their recently redesigned official website! For more information and additional details about IDC VIRTUAL EVENTS and other services and releases, please visit them at www.independentdistro.com.
For more information about IDC VIRTUAL EVENTS please visit:
Great music never gets old, especially when Junior Toots releases the newest remake of his father’s famous track, Sweet and Dandy. The Toots Hibbert legacy lives on through Junior Toots, born and raised in St Mary, Jamaica. The idea to record Sweet and Dandy came from Toots Sr. who produced the track for his son. Released on December 8, 2020, marks the day that would have been the 78th birthday for Toots Hibbert (December 8, 1942 – September 11, 2020) or “Nyah” as he was called by his family.
The Artist, in his own right, is a seasoned performer and professional recording artist. His performances display high energy, creative lyrics and a massive passion for Roots Reggae music. He has graced the stages of festivals and venues across the USA giving his fans the opportunity to integrate his socially conscious messages with inspiration.
For musical nostalgia fans, Toots and the Maytals original Sweet and Dandy LP was released back in 1969 on Beverley’s Records. The title song Sweet and Dandy was the first track on the B side of the album. The other LP’s biggest hits were Monkey Man, Pressure Drop, and the iconic track 54-46 (That’s My Number).
Jamaican reggae singer and songwriter Toots Hibbert, of Toots And The Maytals, UK, 1974. (Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images)
It is with heavy hearts that we say goodbye to one of IDC’s most amazing and legendary artists, Toots Hibbert of Toots and the Maytals. Toots was a huge force for 5 decades, spreading positive messages worldwide and introducing people all over the world to Reggae music. We wish his family condolences and support in this time.
Thank you to everyone who has donated and shared this campaign so far!
I’m pleased to announce that we are now only a few dollars shy of our initial goal, and we are beginning to finalize the plans with Maui’s DRP in the coming days. I am amazed at the support so many people have shown and we are so thankful for all of the generous donations that people have made to this project. Please take a minute to share this campaign with anyone you think might be interested, we’re hoping to finalize the plan in just a few weeks.
Thank you again and wishing everyone a great year ahead. More updates to come soon!
For Immediate Release – San Francisco, CA –IDC VIRTUAL EVENTS(IDCVE) is a new ultramodern service that professionally produces online virtual events, an asset that is now more important to the arts community than ever before. In business for over 16 years, Independent Distribution Collective is a marketing company based in San Francisco that provides unique and valuable services to help labels and artists strategize, market, and distribute their own releases. IDCVE is a new extension of these services that produces filmed events to be streamed online, and guides a project through every phase of production including overall strategy, scheduling, filming, marketing, and broadcasting.
By focusing its deep resources and partnering with media production dynamo DIGITAL LAMB PRODUCTIONS, IDC is now able to offer two initial packages to record, edit, market, and broadcast online events. Clients may provide their own footage, or IDC can arrange a day long shoot which could provide all AV equipment including cameras, lights, sets, microphones, and more. This includes consultation on set design, shooting schedule, asset organization, and any additional details to ensure a smooth filming session. Current IDC VIRTUAL EVENTS produced with DIGITAL LAMB PRODUCTIONS in 2020 have included THE MID-SUMMER FOG VIRTUAL MUSIC FESTIVAL and the BEN LANG MODERN MAN EP VIRTUAL RELEASE SHOW.
IDC VIRTUAL EVENTS include the creation of an initial press release with distribution to thousands of worldwide media outlets, and detailed reporting on media activities throughout the course of the campaign. There is also an integrated social media effort to drive viewers to the event. Organized around the creation of a content strategy, various scheduled postings are implemented throughout the campaign. This results in the enhancement of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) for overall web presence and various social media pages.
Additionally, IDC Promo creates customized and cost-effective marketing campaigns to help clients establish and grow their careers in the modern era. IDC Promo campaigns can be targeted around music releases (single, EP, and full-length), as well as other products and general brand building. IDC assembles and manages a hand-picked Team that works together to promote a project to every possible outlet simultaneously, while also guiding the product to market and ensuring the release is widely available through digital and physical retail outlets.
IDC maintains long-standing business relationships with an assortment of Retailers, Publicists, Radio promoters, Web Design & Social Media experts, Graphic Designers, and various other industry professionals that can be hired to work on the campaign. IDC provides CDs, Vinyl, DVDs, and other products to thousands of retailers worldwide and to hundreds of digital streaming and sales platforms.
IDC is also excited for people to visit their recently redesigned official website! For more information and additional details about IDC VIRTUAL EVENTS and other services and releases, please visit them at www.independentdistro.com.
For more information about IDC VIRTUAL EVENTS please visit:
The swinging track and heartwarming video serve as the perfect coda to 2020: We can get through this together
For the world at large, 2020 hasn’t been the best of times. Still, there is light in the darkness, and what better way to celebrate better days ahead than with a fun and frolicking holiday song? That’s just what internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter Jennifer Saran has done with her smashing single, “(Don’t Let It Be) a Sad Ol’ Christmas.”
Saran’s irresistibly hooky jingle-jangle gem, co-written and produced by superstar producer Narada Michael Walden (Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey), is accompanied by an exuberant and heartwarming video – complete with cozy holiday revelers, a smiling pooch and even a piano-playing cat – produced by filmmaker Andrew Thomas. For “ring out the old (thank goodness) and ring in the new” holiday cheer, it hits all the marks.
“We can be honest – it’s been a terribly exhausting year in many ways,” says Saran. “We’re all feeling a level of PTSD, but I also think we have a lot of positives to close the 2020 on, and that really comes through in the video. We’ve gone through hardships and struggles remain, but we’ve already overcome so much. Millions of people are looking forward to a fresh start in 2021. We’ve been tested tremendously, but there’s a feeling of relief – we’re going to get through this.”
Director Thomas agrees, saying, “Americans have a remarkable ability to embrace joy in even the darkest times – not as a denial of pain, but as reassurance that love is stronger than suffering. In that sense, ‘(Don’t Let It Be) a Sad Ol’ Christmas’ is a declaration of common cheer in a landscape of loss. Especially in 2020, this resilience has never been more critical to the nation’s emotional health.”
For Saran, the hopeful message of the song and video carries particular resonance. A North American artist who lives in Hong Kong, she came down with COVID earlier this year and spent a month in hospital isolation. “It was a while before I could get my double negative test – they’re very strict about that in Hong Kong,” she says. “What’s amazing is how you appreciate the little things in life once you go through something like that. Everything you took for granted feels better and more meaningful.”
“(Don’t Let It Be) a Sad Ol’ Christmas” isn’t Saran’s first trip down holiday lane. In 2015 she turned critics’ heads with Merry Christmas, You Are Loved, also produced by Walden, and two years later she re-teamed with the veteran hitmaker for Souful Christmas, a delightful set of gems which saw her joined by the Temptations on the single, “Christmas Lover.”
Saran and Walden wrote “(Don’t Let It Be a) Sad Ol’ Christmas” right after the two finished Saran’s breakthrough jazz EP Smoky Nights. “There was a fair share of melancholy tunes on that record, so when I talked to Narada about doing a Christmas song, I said, ‘I don’t want anything sad, not this year.’ Narada recalled how his grandmother, whenever something went wrong, used to say, ‘It’s going to be a sad ol’ Christmas.’ The two of us laughed and said, ‘Well, that’s it then. We’re not going to have a sad ol’ Christmas.’ We had our title.”
Saran also notes that the song was written in the days following her mother’s passing. “I felt it was important to say, ‘Let’s try to be happy’ for the rest of my family, because we still had one another,” she says. “Tragically, many families are experiencing their own losses because of COVID. I would never minimize their pain; I fully acknowledge it. At the same time, it’s vital that we try to look for joy wherever we can and be grateful for what we do have.”
Musically, “(Don’t Let It Be) a Sad Ol’ Christmas” is a masterstroke – it’s kitschy, tongue-in-cheek jazz set in a smoke-filled nightspot, full of swanky horn pizzazz and the familiar jingling bells befitting any holiday standard. Saran’s performance is bravura stuff. Singing in a rich and radiant style, she draws listeners in: “Now we all wanna celebrate/ though we can’t always get a break/ but we all have to try and make – Christmas a Thing.”
“I think it’s a great message for any year, but it’s especially important this year,” Saran says. “The video speaks to that notion: We’ve been through so much together and we do have troubled times ahead, but we have the ability to choose to be positive, and that’s always what works.”
For Immediate Release – San Francisco, CA –IDC VIRTUAL EVENTS(IDCVE) is a new ultramodern service that professionally produces online virtual events, an asset that is now more important to the arts community than ever before. In business for over 16 years, Independent Distribution Collective is a marketing company based in San Francisco that provides unique and valuable services to help labels and artists strategize, market, and distribute their own releases. IDCVE is a new extension of these services that produces filmed events to be streamed online, and guides a project through every phase of production including overall strategy, scheduling, filming, marketing, and broadcasting.
By focusing its deep resources and partnering with media production dynamo DIGITAL LAMB PRODUCTIONS, IDC is now able to offer two initial packages to record, edit, market, and broadcast online events. Clients may provide their own footage, or IDC can arrange a day long shoot which could provide all AV equipment including cameras, lights, sets, microphones, and more. This includes consultation on set design, shooting schedule, asset organization, and any additional details to ensure a smooth filming session. Current IDC VIRTUAL EVENTS produced with DIGITAL LAMB PRODUCTIONS in 2020 have included THE MID-SUMMER FOG VIRTUAL MUSIC FESTIVAL and the BEN LANG MODERN MAN EP VIRTUAL RELEASE SHOW.
IDC VIRTUAL EVENTS include the creation of an initial press release with distribution to thousands of worldwide media outlets, and detailed reporting on media activities throughout the course of the campaign. There is also an integrated social media effort to drive viewers to the event. Organized around the creation of a content strategy, various scheduled postings are implemented throughout the campaign. This results in the enhancement of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) for overall web presence and various social media pages.
Additionally, IDC Promo creates customized and cost-effective marketing campaigns to help clients establish and grow their careers in the modern era. IDC Promo campaigns can be targeted around music releases (single, EP, and full-length), as well as other products and general brand building. IDC assembles and manages a hand-picked Team that works together to promote a project to every possible outlet simultaneously, while also guiding the product to market and ensuring the release is widely available through digital and physical retail outlets.
IDC maintains long-standing business relationships with an assortment of Retailers, Publicists, Radio promoters, Web Design & Social Media experts, Graphic Designers, and various other industry professionals that can be hired to work on the campaign. IDC provides CDs, Vinyl, DVDs, and other products to thousands of retailers worldwide and to hundreds of digital streaming and sales platforms.
IDC is also excited for people to visit their recently redesigned official website! For more information and additional details about IDC VIRTUAL EVENTS and other services and releases, please visit them at www.independentdistro.com.
For more information about IDC VIRTUAL EVENTS please visit:
“Evan Wardell’s debut In Like a Lion // Out Like a Light via Moo Moo Records glows with San Francisco’s surreal sonic luminescence, a perfect soundtrack for this bizarre year. Wardell’s self-produced songwriting wraps his Martha’s Vineyard roots into an indie-rock palette that feels like something completely new.
What makes this record so good is its relatability. The tempo changes of the acoustic-guitar-driven “Get By” set it among the best songs of the year. Angry, pensive, fearful, depressed; 2020 has helped us get in touch with our humanity. So thank you, Evan Wardell, for putting words and music to the crazy. Clearly following his passion, Evan Wardell’sIn Like a Lion // Out Like a Light is my favorite album this year.“
-Lisa Whealy, IndependentClauses.com
An export from the island of Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts, EVAN WARDELL is a musician, producer, and audio engineer now based in San Francisco. Written, performed, produced, recorded, and mixed entirely by EVAN WARDELL (he even created the cover art), the new album IN LIKE A LION // OUT LIKE A LIGHT is a hook-laden indie rock masterpiece that illustrates the pain of addiction, heartbreak, and the all too common struggle just to get out of bed in the morning. Released online everywhere music is streamed and sold on October 30, 2020, IN LIKE A LION // OUT LIKE A LIGHT is the debut solo full-length album from EVAN WARDELL.
EVAN WARDELL moved to San Francisco in 2009 to study audio engineering and immerse himself in city life. Since then he has gone from recording in his bedroom to becoming the musical manager at Pianofight (the coolest indie venue in San Francisco), engineering at the historic and renowned Hyde Street Studios, and mixing front of house for audiences of hundreds of people. IN LIKE A LION // OUT LIKE A LIGHT represents at least seven years of songwriting and recording, and as a result offers a chronicle of how EVAN WARDELL has changed over that time as a person, as a songwriter, and even as an audio engineer. Evan says, “To me the album feels like the culmination of everything I’ve ever learned, and the beginning of something bigger and better.”
A fixture in the San Francisco music scene, you can find EVAN WARDELL rocking out with the psychedelic Western outfit The Green Door (new album Wolf In The Fold out now!), or in normal times playing his saddest tunes for his bi-weekly live show Sadurday Happy Hour at Pianofight, the city’s coolest hub for performing artists, where he also acts as Musical Technical Manager. EVAN WARDELL was also a member of the SF band Biv and the Mnemonics, whose album The Pace was released to critical acclaim in 2013.
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