“This fifteen track album includes the first songs the teenage singer-songwriter ever wrote, such as Apart, Valentine’s Day, April Haze, Your Eyes, Sun Is Shining and much more. I was moved by Misha Seeff’s performance on this album, as well creative songwriting and great guitar work by Dave Shul, bass by Ben Bernstein, and drums and percussion from Andrew Griffin.”
MISHA SEEFF is a teenage singer-songwriter who grew up in Canada, the US, and South Africa. His music has a classic acoustic pop sound, and he uses pictographic lyrics to tell stories both fictional and true. Now, a mere nine months after writing his first song, MISHA SEEFF introduces a world of fictional love stories, poetic lyrics, and lush melodies with his debut album DREAMHAVEN, set for release September 17, 2021. Featuring instrumentals reminiscent of classic 2000s bands and innovative vocal engineering, DREAMHAVEN feels like a perfect mix of the old and new. To coincide with the September 17 release, MISHA SEEFF will also broadcast a live performance virtual event online featuring songs from the album!
For MISHA SEEFF, music is an escape. It’s how he makes sense of the world around him, and how he deals with and expresses his emotions. He particularly loves telling stories through song. The first song that Misha ever wrote was called “apart,” a ballad that conveys the pain and longing of being far away from someone you love. Misha knew this was a universal experience for people around the world, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, and he understood that music could be one of the most powerful ways of sharing that experience.
DREAMHAVEN includes the first songs the teenage singer-songwriter ever wrote, such as “apart” and “valentine’s day,” and more recent work such as “april haze” and “your eyes.” The album was produced, recorded, and mixed by Ben Bernstein at Soniczen Records and Petting Zoo Studio in Oakland, CA, with additional vocal recording by Mark Ambrosino at The Madhouse in Queens, NY. DREAMHAVEN also features guitar work by Dave Shul, bass by Ben Bernstein, and drums and percussion from Andrew Griffin.
Misha says, “Telling fictional stories and turning them into music is one of the ways I process things happening in my life.” In his opinion, an amazing album has a song for everyone, so whether you’re enjoying love, stuck in heartbreak, or moving on, this album is for you. “If nothing else, producing the record was a massive growth experience,” says Misha. “I learned that one of the things people appreciate most about music is vulnerability, that magical moment where you can think deeper than the music and see what the artist was going through when they wrote the song. I wanted to reflect that.” Whether you’re listening to the calm heartbreak ballad “boardwalk” or the feel-good “dream,” MISHA SEEFF’s lyrics shine deeper than the surface-level message.
From a young age MISHA SEEFF had a passion for music and spent much of his childhood participating in community musical theater, taking violin lessons, and teaching himself how to play the piano. Misha began to experiment with writing his own original songs when the theaters went dark during the Covid-19 pandemic. He taught himself how to record and produce tracks and wrote most of his songs in his room on guitar and piano, with no idea he would ever professionally produce or release his material. The title track “dreamhaven” says it all in terms of what the album is about: thoughts and ideas collecting over time and being kept safe in a small corner of the mind.
MISHA SEEFF loves performing live and looks forward to playing some shows in his new home of New York in the coming months, and returning to San Francisco to perform as well.
For more information please visit the MISHA SEEFF website:
For Immediate Release – San Francisco, CA – TectonicBeats is an American composer, music producer, and artist. He recently released his first series of groundbreaking original singles throughout July 2021, which are now collectively titled the NIGHTINGALE EP and released exclusively on CD with additional bonus material August 27, 2021! This new EP from TectonicBeats is an exploration of sound born out of the spirit of music and the power of technology. Known by his followers as “the synthmaster,” and for his hybridization of genres and expressive polyphonic composition, TectonicBeats is an earthquake and it’s off the Richter scale.
Born as Will Carney, TectonicBeats was conceived while Will was attending the electronic music production school Pyramind in San Francisco. He began selling his instrumental beats online and working with artists around the world including Destorm, Babatunde, and Brooklnn. Inspired by the new era in music, TectonicBeats began collaborating with labels, producers, and singers across genres from K-pop to hip hop and EDM.
In 2017 while in Los Angeles, TectonicBeats wrote and produced an instrumental EP and solo album. Then just prior to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 he relocated his studio to Arizona and began collaborating with Australian singer Brooklnn. These sessions resulted in all three singles that now comprise the new NIGHTINGALE EP release, a project that sees TectonicBeats weave a delicate narrative seamlessly together with colossal themes to create a vast work of art.
The title track “NIGHTINGALE” released as a single on July 2, 2021, and is a vibrant, triumphant, and epic song that tells the story of a small hero you’d never expect and their story of survival. A story as old as time with a modern pop sound, the track takes the listener on a voyage to somewhere they’ve never been.
A hard-hitting pop song with a sensitive side, the next single “ROSEMARY” released July 16. Delightful melodies on top of a sensational beat make this song a powerful experience. With “Rosemary,” TectonicBeats explores new musical terrain boldly and playfully in ways that reimagine everything.
The last single in the series “EXEMPLAR” released July 30 and delivers an electric and psychedelic experience full of the sound of love and light. TectonicBeats has now assembled these tracks together with some additional material into the NIGHTINGALE EP, a limited edition CD set for release August 27, 2021.
TectonicBeats crafts songs of epic scale, ornately original and striking to the imagination. Get ready for a kaleidoscope of stimulation and a universe of creativity when TectonicBeats hits the scene in the summer of 2021!
“Californian synthmaster resurrects retrofuturistic psychedelia and puts a contemporary spin on crepuscular tunes. Vocals taking aural space by force on the EP’s title track, its punchy electronica doesn’t hurry to impress the listener or drive them under a glitter ball until the cut’s soulful chorus ruffles one psyche to expose the arrangement’s nuances, letting seductively supple, if insistent, bass to the fore once the words are gone. And though the triumphant pop of “Rosemary” seems slightly patinated, the piece’s deliberate bleakness is balanced with the retro sound’s warmth, while the ever-shifting melodic lines render “Exemplar” a mindboggling experience. So the shuffling of feet might be optional here, but deriving guilty pleasure from this hat-trick feels mandatory.”
“A modern version of synth pop by a do it all electronic cat that knows what really smells like teen spirit. A crafty confectionist, this is now pop for now people.”
MISHA SEEFF is a teenage singer-songwriter who grew up in Canada, the US, and South Africa. His music has a classic acoustic pop sound, and he uses pictographic lyrics to tell stories both fictional and true. Now, a mere nine months after writing his first song, MISHA SEEFF introduces a world of fictional love stories, poetic lyrics, and lush melodies with his debut album DREAMHAVEN, set for release September 17, 2021. Featuring instrumentals reminiscent of classic 2000s bands and innovative vocal engineering, DREAMHAVEN feels like a perfect mix of the old and new. To coincide with the September 17 release, MISHA SEEFF will also broadcast a live performance virtual event online featuring songs from the album!
For MISHA SEEFF, music is an escape. It’s how he makes sense of the world around him, and how he deals with and expresses his emotions. He particularly loves telling stories through song. The first song that Misha ever wrote was called “apart,” a ballad that conveys the pain and longing of being far away from someone you love. Misha knew this was a universal experience for people around the world, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, and he understood that music could be one of the most powerful ways of sharing that experience.
DREAMHAVEN includes the first songs the teenage singer-songwriter ever wrote, such as “apart” and “valentine’s day,” and more recent work such as “april haze” and “your eyes.” The album was produced, recorded, and mixed by Ben Bernstein at Soniczen Records and Petting Zoo Studio in Oakland, CA, with additional vocal recording by Mark Ambrosino at The Madhouse in Queens, NY. DREAMHAVEN also features guitar work by Dave Shul, bass by Ben Bernstein, and drums and percussion from Andrew Griffin.
Misha says, “Telling fictional stories and turning them into music is one of the ways I process things happening in my life.” In his opinion, an amazing album has a song for everyone, so whether you’re enjoying love, stuck in heartbreak, or moving on, this album is for you. “If nothing else, producing the record was a massive growth experience,” says Misha. “I learned that one of the things people appreciate most about music is vulnerability, that magical moment where you can think deeper than the music and see what the artist was going through when they wrote the song. I wanted to reflect that.” Whether you’re listening to the calm heartbreak ballad “boardwalk” or the feel-good “dream,” MISHA SEEFF’s lyrics shine deeper than the surface-level message.
From a young age MISHA SEEFF had a passion for music and spent much of his childhood participating in community musical theater, taking violin lessons, and teaching himself how to play the piano. Misha began to experiment with writing his own original songs when the theaters went dark during the Covid-19 pandemic. He taught himself how to record and produce tracks and wrote most of his songs in his room on guitar and piano, with no idea he would ever professionally produce or release his material. The title track “dreamhaven” says it all in terms of what the album is about: thoughts and ideas collecting over time and being kept safe in a small corner of the mind.
MISHA SEEFF loves performing live and looks forward to playing some shows in his new home of New York in the coming months, and returning to San Francisco to perform as well.
For more information please visit the MISHA SEEFF website:
“Year of Pain from Robert Stoner [is] a reflective, folksy, rural collection of ballads. Opening with Just a Riverboat, a cool folk ballad duet with vocal and violin accompaniment by May Elise, Stoner shows clear songwriting talent and good balance between vocal and accompaniment. Nicely crafted, Holy Grail, is one of my favorite tracks on the release with a haunting melody, nicely blended vocals and guitar work. Another solid track is Hear Their Voices with a strong melody and subtle backing vocals behind Stoner’s lead vocal and guitar. Wrapping the release is title track, Year of Pain a solid ballad and it’s reflection on today’s issues.”
ROBERT STONER is a singer-songwriter from Berkeley, CA. He has written and performed music for many years, and now with the help of producer Ben Bernstein has released his debut album YEAR OF PAIN on July 9, 2021. ROBERT STONER, who also goes by Bob, wrote and recorded YEAR OF PAIN over the last year. This impressively strong debut showcases his personal and nuanced grappling with issues ranging from the specific challenges of children growing up and keeping a marriage fresh, to the trials and tribulations of our modern times.
The brother of a professional violinist in New York City, ROBERT STONER comes from a very musical family (one of his cousins even won the Tchaikovsky Competition in the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War, to great national acclaim). Despite the fact YEAR OF PAIN is his debut release, Bob Stoner is a prolific songwriter who has been writing songs his whole life, and he is already hard at work on his next release. “My songs seem to come in a pretty constant stream,” says Bob. “Songwriting to me is an ongoing process of listening, discovery, fleshing out of ideas, honing and sharpening, and trying to maintain or enhance the original creative energy through the production phase.”
Maintaining a day job as an economist means the songwriting process has not always been straightforward for Bob, but the left and right sides of his brain have fully coalesced on YEAR OF PAIN, resulting in a musical experience that is both provocative and enjoyable for the listener. He worked with Ben Bernstein at Ben Bernstein Music to produce the album, and Ben also contributed lead and electric guitar to the songs. YEAR OF PAIN also features vocal and instrumental contributions from singer-songwriter Maya Elise, and drums and percussion from Mike Stevens. Adding to the personal nature of the album is the artwork painted by Bob’s daughter Lily Stoner, who also contributed vocals on the release.
The songs on YEAR OF PAIN run the gamut from personal reflections on kids moving on in life (“Just a Riverboat”) or relationship difficulties (“Wait Until the Morning”) to commentary on the present state of ethics in the political realm (“The Principle”) and the difficulties that have become engrained in our modern era (“Year of Pain”). The song that leads off the album (“Just a Riverboat”) and the song that ends it (the title track “Year of Pain”) each hold special significance for Bob. “Just a Riverboat” reflects on the time his daughter Lily went off to college back East by way of a trip to New Orleans with friends. It was an exciting moment and an important milestone in her (and Bob’s!) life, and the New Orleans imagery provided the perfect backdrop for the song. “Year of Pain” is a song that sums up the difficult times we live in, with political dysfunction, gun deaths, and growing intolerance leading the list.
ROBERT STONER has many influences in his songwriting, but his sound is uniquely his own. This comes from his eclectic taste in music (which includes everything from classical to showtunes to folk and blues), as well as a relatively long period of time spent amalgamating these influences before his debut album. People have said his songs have echoes of Leonard Cohen, Van Morrison, and Bob Dylan – “I don’t know about that, but I will take the compliment!” says Bob. YEAR OF PAIN showcases Bob Stoner’s writing in the singer-songwriter genre, but he also composes fully instrumental music for the piano and has plans to release an album of that music as well.
“Californian dreamer gets down to earth to suffer and sympathize to the sound of a hypnotic melody. Not for nothing Bob’s been one of America’s best-kept secrets, and his mature handling of regular matters seems well out of ordinary. Hopefully, with the year of pain crossing over into timelessness, this artist won’t stop being inspired to come up with new themes and tunes.”
“The nine tracks that make up the album have a very personal, vulnerable sound, as most of the songs only feature Robert’s vocals and an acoustic guitar with some occasional harmonies from fellow singer, songwriter Mary Elise. The album begins with the autobiographical tale of “Just A Riverboat” and the beautiful graceful ballad “Holy Grail.” The delivery of the poetic lyrics of “Out Of Time” and “Wait Until The Morning” demand your attention, as Robert sings about the struggles with personal relationships. He finishes his new album with the quiet, relaxed tone of “Hear Your Voices” and recollections of his past trials of life with “Year Of Pain.”“
“This rather delightful new album opens with the magnificently dulcet, seamlessly flowing Just a Riverboat and the reflective The Principle and backs those up with the Simon & Garfunkel-esque Holy Grail, the gently upbeat Out of Time and then the beautiful summers breeze of Head in the Sand.
Next up is the psych-imbed gossamer of Wait Until the Morning, which is itself followed by the low key ballad Rain Wash Away, and then comes one of my own personal favorites, the lo-fi storytelling of Hear Their Voices, with the album coming to a close on the recounting of difficulties we have all felt recently within Year of Pain.”
“A solid set of songs for aging children come, the economist that comes from a musical background pulls it all together nicely here. Pure recidivist coffeehouse folkie stuff from a sincere folkie singer/songwriter that has taken the long way around to get here.”
“This nine track album showcases his amazing talent as a songwriter and a performer with Ben Bernstein on lead and electric guitar, drums and percussion from Mike Stevens, additional vocals by Robert’s daughter Lily Stoner and vocal and instrumental contributions from singer-songwriter Maya Elise on such tracks as Just A Riverboat, The Principle, Out of Time, Wait Until The Morning, the title track Year Of Pain and much more. This album was well recorded and produced and I am looking forward to see what is next in his career as a songwriter/performer.”
“17-year-old recording artist Ridi bared her soul when she wrote and recorded her debut single “Top Guy”—and today she’s putting it out there for the world to see with the official video, premiering exclusively on Flaunt.
The irony is that the anti-hate-themed pop anthem, highlighting the struggles teenagers face with on and offline bullying, is based on her own experience, in a way inviting judgement from others yet again. But she’s okay with that.
Ridi states, “I wrote ‘Top Guy’ at a really messed up point in my life where I had basically lost everything I’d ever known. What I’ve learned from the constant harassment and attacks is that, at the end of the day, the best response is to not give a shit about what others say or think—and if standing up for yourself makes people think that you’re the ‘bad guy,’ that’s okay. There’s no one who knows you more than yourself.”
The European singer of Indian descent displays wisdom beyond her years both in her music and life, not unlike some of her musical predecessors (Lorde, Billie Eilish, et al.). In fact, in an effort to promote awareness of her message and to help others who have been devastated by those with spiteful intentions, she stepped up and co-founded the non-profit “Stop the B” in October 2020.
Ridi’s upcoming EP, slated for a Fall 2021 release, continues her effort to curate a space of inclusivity. It’s her hope that her music, which tackles some of humanity’s most unifying themes though a fresh, Gen-Z perspective, will resonate with the listener and ultimately impart something meaningful to each one of them.”
“Californian synthmaster resurrects retrofuturistic psychedelia and puts a contemporary spin on crepuscular tunes.
Vocals taking aural space by force on the EP’s title track, its punchy electronica doesn’t hurry to impress the listener or drive them under a glitter ball until the cut’s soulful chorus ruffles one psyche to expose the arrangement’s nuances, letting seductively supple, if insistent, bass to the fore once the words are gone. And though the triumphant pop of “Rosemary” seems slightly patinated, the piece’s deliberate bleakness is balanced with the retro sound’s warmth, while the ever-shifting melodic lines render “Exemplar” a mindboggling experience. So the shuffling of feet might be optional here, but deriving guilty pleasure from this hat-trick feels mandatory.”
For Immediate Release – San Francisco, CA – TectonicBeats is an American composer, music producer, and artist. He recently released his first series of groundbreaking original singles throughout July 2021, which are now collectively titled the NIGHTINGALE EP and released exclusively on CD with additional bonus material August 27, 2021! This new EP from TectonicBeats is an exploration of sound born out of the spirit of music and the power of technology. Known by his followers as “the synthmaster,” and for his hybridization of genres and expressive polyphonic composition, TectonicBeats is an earthquake and it’s off the Richter scale.
Born as Will Carney, TectonicBeats was conceived while Will was attending the electronic music production school Pyramind in San Francisco. He began selling his instrumental beats online and working with artists around the world including Destorm, Babatunde, and Brooklnn. Inspired by the new era in music, TectonicBeats began collaborating with labels, producers, and singers across genres from K-pop to hip hop and EDM.
In 2017 while in Los Angeles, TectonicBeats wrote and produced an instrumental EP and solo album. Then just prior to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 he relocated his studio to Arizona and began collaborating with Australian singer Brooklnn. These sessions resulted in all three singles that now comprise the new NIGHTINGALE EP release, a project that sees TectonicBeats weave a delicate narrative seamlessly together with colossal themes to create a vast work of art.
The title track “NIGHTINGALE” released as a single on July 2, 2021, and is a vibrant, triumphant, and epic song that tells the story of a small hero you’d never expect and their story of survival. A story as old as time with a modern pop sound, the track takes the listener on a voyage to somewhere they’ve never been.
A hard-hitting pop song with a sensitive side, the next single “ROSEMARY” released July 16. Delightful melodies on top of a sensational beat make this song a powerful experience. With “Rosemary,” TectonicBeats explores new musical terrain boldly and playfully in ways that reimagine everything.
The last single in the series “EXEMPLAR” released July 30 and delivers an electric and psychedelic experience full of the sound of love and light. TectonicBeats has now assembled these tracks together with some additional material into the NIGHTINGALE EP, a limited edition CD set for release August 27, 2021.
TectonicBeats crafts songs of epic scale, ornately original and striking to the imagination. Get ready for a kaleidoscope of stimulation and a universe of creativity when TectonicBeats hits the scene in the summer of 2021!
“A modern version of synth pop by a do it all electronic cat that knows what really smells like teen spirit. A crafty confectionist, this is now pop for now people.”
MISHA SEEFF is a teenage singer-songwriter who grew up in Canada, the US, and South Africa. His music has a classic acoustic pop sound, and he uses pictographic lyrics to tell stories both fictional and true. Now, a mere nine months after writing his first song, MISHA SEEFF introduces a world of fictional love stories, poetic lyrics, and lush melodies with his debut album DREAMHAVEN, set for release September 17, 2021. Featuring instrumentals reminiscent of classic 2000s bands and innovative vocal engineering, DREAMHAVEN feels like a perfect mix of the old and new. To coincide with the September 17 release, MISHA SEEFF will also broadcast a live performance virtual event online featuring songs from the album!
For MISHA SEEFF, music is an escape. It’s how he makes sense of the world around him, and how he deals with and expresses his emotions. He particularly loves telling stories through song. The first song that Misha ever wrote was called “apart,” a ballad that conveys the pain and longing of being far away from someone you love. Misha knew this was a universal experience for people around the world, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, and he understood that music could be one of the most powerful ways of sharing that experience.
DREAMHAVEN includes the first songs the teenage singer-songwriter ever wrote, such as “apart” and “valentine’s day,” and more recent work such as “april haze” and “your eyes.” The album was produced, recorded, and mixed by Ben Bernstein at Soniczen Records and Petting Zoo Studio in Oakland, CA, with additional vocal recording by Mark Ambrosino at The Madhouse in Queens, NY. DREAMHAVEN also features guitar work by Dave Shul, bass by Ben Bernstein, and drums and percussion from Andrew Griffin.
Misha says, “Telling fictional stories and turning them into music is one of the ways I process things happening in my life.” In his opinion, an amazing album has a song for everyone, so whether you’re enjoying love, stuck in heartbreak, or moving on, this album is for you. “If nothing else, producing the record was a massive growth experience,” says Misha. “I learned that one of the things people appreciate most about music is vulnerability, that magical moment where you can think deeper than the music and see what the artist was going through when they wrote the song. I wanted to reflect that.” Whether you’re listening to the calm heartbreak ballad “boardwalk” or the feel-good “dream,” MISHA SEEFF’s lyrics shine deeper than the surface-level message.
From a young age MISHA SEEFF had a passion for music and spent much of his childhood participating in community musical theater, taking violin lessons, and teaching himself how to play the piano. Misha began to experiment with writing his own original songs when the theaters went dark during the Covid-19 pandemic. He taught himself how to record and produce tracks and wrote most of his songs in his room on guitar and piano, with no idea he would ever professionally produce or release his material. The title track “dreamhaven” says it all in terms of what the album is about: thoughts and ideas collecting over time and being kept safe in a small corner of the mind.
MISHA SEEFF loves performing live and looks forward to playing some shows in his new home of New York in the coming months, and returning to San Francisco to perform as well.
For more information please visit the MISHA SEEFF website:
“17-year-old recording artist Ridi bared her soul when she wrote and recorded her debut single “Top Guy”—and today she’s putting it out there for the world to see with the official video, premiering exclusively on Flaunt.
The irony is that the anti-hate-themed pop anthem, highlighting the struggles teenagers face with on and offline bullying, is based on her own experience, in a way inviting judgement from others yet again. But she’s okay with that.
Ridi states, “I wrote ‘Top Guy’ at a really messed up point in my life where I had basically lost everything I’d ever known. What I’ve learned from the constant harassment and attacks is that, at the end of the day, the best response is to not give a shit about what others say or think—and if standing up for yourself makes people think that you’re the ‘bad guy,’ that’s okay. There’s no one who knows you more than yourself.”
The European singer of Indian descent displays wisdom beyond her years both in her music and life, not unlike some of her musical predecessors (Lorde, Billie Eilish, et al.). In fact, in an effort to promote awareness of her message and to help others who have been devastated by those with spiteful intentions, she stepped up and co-founded the non-profit “Stop the B” in October 2020.
Ridi’s upcoming EP, slated for a Fall 2021 release, continues her effort to curate a space of inclusivity. It’s her hope that her music, which tackles some of humanity’s most unifying themes though a fresh, Gen-Z perspective, will resonate with the listener and ultimately impart something meaningful to each one of them.”
For Immediate Release – San Francisco, CA – MISHA SEEFF is a teenage singer-songwriter who grew up in Canada, the US, and South Africa. His music has a classic acoustic pop sound, and he uses pictographic lyrics to tell stories both fictional and true. Now, a mere nine months after writing his first song, MISHA SEEFF introduces a world of fictional love stories, poetic lyrics, and lush melodies with his debut album DREAMHAVEN,set for release September 17, 2021. Featuring instrumentals reminiscent of classic 2000s bands and innovative vocal engineering, DREAMHAVEN feels like a perfect mix of the old and new. To coincide with the September 17 release, MISHA SEEFF will also broadcast a live performance virtual event online featuring songs from the album!
For MISHA SEEFF, music is an escape. It’s how he makes sense of the world around him, and how he deals with and expresses his emotions. He particularly loves telling stories through song. The first song that Misha ever wrote was called “apart,” a ballad that conveys the pain and longing of being far away from someone you love. Misha knew this was a universal experience for people around the world, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, and he understood that music could be one of the most powerful ways of sharing that experience.
DREAMHAVEN includes the first songs the teenage singer-songwriter ever wrote, such as “apart” and “valentine’s day,” and more recent work such as “april haze” and “your eyes.” The album was produced, recorded, and mixed by Ben Bernstein at Soniczen Records and Petting Zoo Studio in Oakland, CA, with additional vocal recording by Mark Ambrosino at The Madhouse in Queens, NY. DREAMHAVEN also features guitar work by Dave Shul, bass by Ben Bernstein, and drums and percussion from Andrew Griffin.
Misha says, “Telling fictional stories and turning them into music is one of the ways I process things happening in my life.” In his opinion, an amazing album has a song for everyone, so whether you’re enjoying love, stuck in heartbreak, or moving on, this album is for you. “If nothing else, producing the record was a massive growth experience,” says Misha. “I learned that one of the things people appreciate most about music is vulnerability, that magical moment where you can think deeper than the music and see what the artist was going through when they wrote the song. I wanted to reflect that.” Whether you’re listening to the calm heartbreak ballad “boardwalk” or the feel-good “dream,” MISHA SEEFF’s lyrics shine deeper than the surface-level message.
From a young age MISHA SEEFF had a passion for music and spent much of his childhood participating in community musical theater, taking violin lessons, and teaching himself how to play the piano. Misha began to experiment with writing his own original songs when the theaters went dark during the Covid-19 pandemic. He taught himself how to record and produce tracks and wrote most of his songs in his room on guitar and piano, with no idea he would ever professionally produce or release his material. The title track “dreamhaven” says it all in terms of what the album is about: thoughts and ideas collecting over time and being kept safe in a small corner of the mind.
MISHA SEEFF loves performing live and looks forward to playing some shows in his new home of New York in the coming months, and returning to San Francisco to perform as well.
For more information please visit the MISHA SEEFF website:
This episode of Big Blend Radio’s “Music Monday” show features Mark Rechler, lead vocalist, songwriter, keyboardist, and band leader of Circus Mind. Based in new York, Circus Mind is entering their twentieth year and have just released their third album JOY MACHINE, a fresh explosion of sounds and flavors of the ’70s rock era with a modern twist. Like a three-ring circus, the band can slide seamlessly between rock, funk, and swampy N’awlins grooves, all while referencing some of the best bands of that era with infectious hooks that get stuck in your ear hole. Songs featured on this interview include the title track “Joy Machine” and “Are You Ready.”
JOY MACHINE was featured on the New Rock Music page of iTunes the day of release!Congratulations Circus Mind!
For Immediate Release – New York, NY – CIRCUS MIND is a New York-based rock outfit and the brainchild of ringleader Mark Rechler. The band is entering their twentieth year and are soon to release their third album JOY MACHINE, a fresh explosion of sounds and flavors of the ’70s rock era with a modern twist. Like a three-ring circus, the band can slide seamlessly between rock, funk, and swampy N’awlins grooves, all while referencing some of the best bands of that era with infectious hooks that get stuck in your ear hole. JOY MACHINE released May 21, 2021, and also features Nels Cline, Marc Ribot, Ivan Neville, Walter Wolfman Washington, Scott Metzger, and more.
Now You’re Ready!!!! Here is the Official Music Video for the first single from the Circus Mind album “Joy Machine”
Directed by George Panagakos of 525 Media
Lyrics by Mark Rechler
Music by Mark Rechler and Chris Crosby
Produced and Engineered by Chris Fasulo
The first JOY MACHINE single “Are You Ready?” features guest guitar phenom Brandon “Taz” Niederauer and had an official music video release. Both the song and video are a funky rock throwback that has roots in P-Funk, Sly Stone, and other ’70s rock and soul vibes, all flavors that CIRCUS MIND wears on its sleeve as a badge of honor, from the writing to the production. The title track “Joy Machine” features Scott Metzger (JRAD) and released as a single on May 7 with a special music video premiere. CIRCUS MIND will then gather together in New Orleans with some amazing NoLa musicians including Big Sam to celebrate the JOY MACHINE album release on May 21 with a raucous party and live performance!
Official Music Video for the title track of the Circus Mind album “Joy Machine”
Directed by George Panagakos Music and Lyrics by Mark Rechler
Produced and Engineered by Chris Fasulo
The production of JOY MACHINE began in August of 2019, but it was the Covid-19 pandemic that really set the stage for the record. While some bands took to the internet airwaves to stream performances, Rechler locked down in the studio. “Suddenly we had a ton of time on our hands and we knew we wanted to come out of this with a full album,” says Mark. “I was a man possessed and started writing like a madman!” The band started working remotely but quickly masked up and got down to business. “In a weird way, the pandemic also opened doors for us to find such amazing guests who were not out on tour and were looking to keep busy.”
The previous CIRCUS MIND release Silver Flower was voted Best Indie Album of 2006 by Newsday and put a modern take on influences such as Traffic, Steely Dan, Little Feat, and Mott the Hoople while mixing in NoLa vibe influences like Dr. John, The Meters, and The Neville Brothers. The last CIRCUS MIND single “Jazzfest Time” was released one year ago as an ode to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and featured Ivan Neville andBig Sam. CIRCUS MIND is quite versatile and has opened for national acts (Toots & The Maytals, The Neville Brothers, The Radiators) and had many notable guests sit in on their recordings and live performances (Soulive, Rebirth Brass Band, CyrilNeville).
CIRCUS MIND’s members are diverse in their influences as well as their playing. Lead vocalist, songwriter, keyboardist, and bandleader Mark Rechler plays in multiple bands (such as Falling Water), and has played, toured, and recorded with members of The Meters, The Neville Brothers, The Radiators, Soulive, The Brandon “Taz” Niederauer Band, Rebirth Brass Band, Ivan Neville, and more. Spending five years in New Orleans studying music and architecture helped influence his style and direction, and he always keeps his focus on the hook to keep his listeners wanting more and humming his tunes all day.
Bassist Chris Crosby has a serious case of spider-fingers and can solo as beautifully as any guitarist. A funkster from a family of highly respected musicians, Chris has also studied with Oteil Burbridge of The Allman Brothers Band and Dead & Company. Currently, he has also been busy playing in his brother’s Jason Crosby Band and with New York rock quartet Feverseed.
Guitarist David Berg is rooted in jazz, reggae, and bluegrass. He has toured with Dark Star Orchestra and has played multiple shows with Garth Hudson (The Band). Dave’s fluid rock style keeps CIRCUS MIND in a constant snake-like flow.
Drummer Dan Roth has been banging on things since he was a tyke, and he can’t seem to stop. He’s addicted to crosswords, motor coordination, and avocados.
With over 30 album credits to his name, percussionist Steve Finkelstein has worked with pop icons from Ray Charles and Mariah Carey as well as jam band giants including members of the Grateful Dead, TheAllman Brothers Band, and Tower of Power. Steve is also an original member and current member of the Funk Filharmonik.
“Joy Machine is a fun and swinging album that brings joy back in these special difficult times!“
“Blues, rock, jazz and funk are fused perfectly across the captivating 10-track disc; the infectious “Mean Mutha Fucka” (with guest Max Newman), Steely Dan-flavored title track, aptly-titled “Jazzfest Time” and poignant “Errand Boy” are definite showcases for how capably Circus Mind fuses its influences into something that is the group’s own. Several of the album’s great tracks are bolstered by the incredible fret work of guest guitarist Brandon “Taz” Niederauer; indeed the funkadelic “Are You Ready” and reflective psychedelia-tinged dreamscape “Air Waves” soar.“
“Funky junkies and sonic jokers outta New York radiate their irreverent merriment across the borders. Using their record as a vehicle of moving people’s mood to where the action and fun displace sore spots and featuring a few respectable guests, the Big Apple players spread light and laughter all around – to a fantastic effect. t’s exactly what we need right now: the joy machine to make us happy – this vehicle of exhilaration.“
“Are you ready to have a blast with Circus Mind? Their latest CD Joy Machine will supercharge your summer with funky jams, rocking guitar, and ear worms that will burrow into your mind and refuse to leave. Mark Rechler (vocals & keyboards) not only knows how to write a hook, he surrounds these melodies with a diverse blend of influences, as each track has its own flavor, and yet this album feels cohesive. Rechler’s unique gravelly voice gives the songs additional punch; he sings from the gut, I can imagine him going for broke live pushing the band forward.
The band has brought in a number of guests such as Brandon “Taz” Nierderauer, Nels Cline, and Ivan Neville among others to add a little spice to the mix. And let’s not forget the core band that is phenomenal, great players in their own right. There is not a clunker to be found here, and this CD is pure summertime fun in the sun. Crank this one up, loud!!”
Translated: “The musical influences on the work of Circus Mind come from seventies groups like Mott The Hoople, Traffic, Steely Dan and Little Feat. We hear that best in songs like “Errand Boy”, “Three Muses” or the bluesy “Nutbag” on which Marc Ribot, known for his work with Tom Waits and Elvis Costello, plays the guitar. The unsurpassed Wilco guitarist Nels Cline provides guitar work on the quietly performed rock ballad “Longing Song.”
Thanks to all these very diverse collaborations, the third album “Joy Machine” by Mark Rechler and his band Circus Mind has become a unique record in this funk, rock and blues genre.”
“This vibrantly alive and kickin’ new album opens on the ’70s guitar funk and foot-tappin’ beats of ‘Are You Ready’ and the jangling pop-psych ambiance of the title track ‘Joy Machine,’ and then backs those up with the funky ‘Air Waves,’ the soaring, horn-imbibed ‘Mean Mutha Fucka’ and then we get one of my own personal favorites, the earnest storytelling of ‘Longing Song.’
Released one year ago as an ode to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and featuring both Ivan Neville and Big Sam, the magnificently upbeat and joyous ‘Jazzfest Time’ is brought forth next and that’s backed by the free flowing ‘Errand Boy,’ the rockin’ rhythms of ‘Three Muses,’ with the album rounding out on the foot-tappin’ ‘Nutbag,’ closing on the lofi, almost-pleading, graveled-vocal outreach of ‘Troubled Times.’”
“Circus Mind’s third studio release, aptly titled “Joy Machine”, is an exuberating cocktail of jazz influenced classic rock, pimped up with a heavy-duty funk kick. Mostly it’s a good-time romp, a slide back to the past with some righteous gems on disposal. Fashioned by Mark Rechler’s love of lushy textured production and spacy, open-ended songcraft springing through top-notch musicianship, the end result is a consortium of hummable, often trippy sounding songs.”
“They start the album off with the funky, soulful all-out rock assault of “Are You Ready,” which features a phenomenal solo from guest guitarist Brandon “Taz” Niederauer. Circus Mind deliver a southern sounding anthem with the title track “Joy Machine,” featuring some sweet blues licks from the guitar of Scott Metzger, while the smooth, laid-back jam of “Longing Song” highlighted by the addition of Nels Cline floating guitar melody. The band travel down to Bourbon Street with the help of Ivan Neville and Big Sam for “Jazzfest Time,” a tribute to the New Orleans festival. Circus Mind finish up their new album with a return to the funky beats of the instrumental “Nutbag,” which includes some stellar guitar work from Marc Ribot, along the slow blues of the album closer “Troubled Times,” featuring Walter “Wolfman” Washington and Bill Titus.”
“I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Joy Machine, from Circus Mind and it’s a funky music party. Opening with Are You Ready?, lead vocalist and keyboard player, Mark Rechler sets the pace backed by Chris Crosby on bass, Dave Berg on guitar, Dane Roth on drums and Steve Finkelstein on percussion and featuring Brandon “Taz” Niederauer with an outrageous guitar solo.”
“You might as well sit back and enjoy the deconstruction of everything. Here’s a crew making their third record in 20 years and has the big sounding 70s AOR anthemia rock thing down cold—-and it comes across as a welcome return to when straight ahead rock was the sound of the suburbs. With a guest list of pros that knows what it’s about and what to do, something purely commercial never sounded so right. Well done.”
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