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Tuesday, July 28, 2020

AFI's Davey Havok and Jade Puget unveil new Blaqk Audio songs

Blaqk Audio — the electronic duo featuring AFI members Davey Havok and Jade Puget — have announced their new album Beneath The Black Palms.

The album is being released via BlaqkNoise in two parts. Beneath The Black Palms — Side A arrives today, July 28, and features five songs. The entire album, including the first five songs that comprise Side A, drops on Aug. 21. It was recorded, produced, and mixed by Blaqk Audio.

"Beneath the Black Palms is an affirmation, exaltation, and momentary illumination of rich, arcane shadows fortified by blinding and rapturous light," Havok says. "Musically a bird sister of Only Things We Love, our latest record more deeply traverses our EBM and futurepop roots while also extending into moods unheard from us before. I am deeply excited to have the opportunity to share it with all."

The band has also shared the video for the new track "Hiss." Watch and listen here.

"'Hiss' is a lovely slice of noisy darkness," says Puget. "Listen closely and you can hear the susurration of the palms."

Beneath The Black Palms is the follow up to 2019's ONLY THINGS WE LOVE. Blaqk Audio previously released Cexcells (2007), Bright Black Heaven (2012), and Material (2016). Each release has hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Dance/Electronic Albums chart.

TRACK LISTING:

"Consort"*
"Zipper Don't Work"*
"1948"*
"A Distant Light"*
"Hiss"*
"Burnt Babies Fear the Fire"
"Fish Bite"
"Bird Sister"
"I'm Coming Over"
"Tired Eyes"
"It's Not Going Well"

*Included on Beneath the Black Palms – Side A

Next Washed Out album due next month

Washed Out performed “Too Late,” from the forthcoming album Purple Noon, his forthcoming album, during the Late Show with Stephen Colbert’s #PlayAtHome series. Watch here.

Main man Ernest Greene says this of his performance, “The Ableton Push was created to add a hardware style interface that could give the Ableton Live software more of a tactile experience. While it's great for aiding the recording workflow within Ableton; the lack of heavy customization really holds back the performance potential in my humble opinion. However, there is a user-mode where you can basically “hack” the interface and completely reprogram the look and feel of the controller. In my mind, this represents the musical instrument of the future - where not only can one musician replicate an entire band - but with clever color coding and animation it can really make each instrumental part come to life.

“I recorded this version of "Too Late" in the early stages of the pandemic - where the other guys in the band weren't available to jam in person. Much of Washed Out’s sound relates to the detailed audio production - so this is the closest thing I could get to a solo WO performance (All audio, color and animation are programmed using built-in midi-based tools in Ableton Live).”

Purple Noon, the first full-length in three years, will be available on CD/LP/CS/DSPs on Aug.  7 worldwide through Sub Pop. The 10-track effort which features the lead single “Time to Walk Away,” along with “Too Late,” and “Paralyzed,” was produced and recorded by Greene.

Preorders of Purple Noon are now available from Sub Pop. LP preorders through megamart.subpop.com, Washed Out’s official website, and select independent retailers in North America will receive the limited Loser edition on clear vinyl. Meanwhile, preorders in the U.K. and Europe through select independent retailers will receive the Loser edition on purple vinyl. There will also be new t-shirt designs available.

Track listing:

1. Too Late
2. Face Up
3. Time to Walk Away
4. Paralyzed
5. Reckless Desires
6. Game of Chance
7. Leave You Behind
8. Don’t Go
9. Hide
10. Haunt

Monday, July 27, 2020

Out now: Neon Trees new album

Neon Trees' fourth studio album ‘I Can Feel You Forgetting Me’ is available now via Thrill Forever. The Utah band with over 750 million streams previously unveiled the alt radio hit ‘Used to Like,’ as well as new songs ‘New Best Friend’ and ‘Nights.’

“Writing this record was extremely cathartic,” shares Tyler Glenn, who penned much of the album over several years from a deep place of reflection.” I had ostensibly moved to LA to work on honing a body of work for this album, but also to get away from a relationship that was haunting me.”

Glenn spent much of that year alone, except for the album's collaborators. Listeners will hear how much of the lyrics were inspired by personal memories and feelings pulled from Glenn’s experience of being in a codependent relationship he needed resolve from.

“I feel like the record encapsulates that journey,” he says. “When I started writing I was still in that relationship, and about half way through writing, I had left it. I still feel haunted by it, and just like all codependency, it’s a journey to rid yourself completely of it.

“Ghosting culture is very much a modern part of how we interact as humans,” continues Glenn on some of the more nuanced issues the album explores. “I have this phone in my hand with 7 or 8 different ways to reach a person, and yet in as many seconds as it takes to block a person, or unfriend them, I can’t reach them anymore. I literally could feel him forgetting me.”

Glenn’s roaring and affirming vocals provide narration on a record that “sounds like one full night of reflection, alone at the bar, walking past the places you’d go with them, texting them when you shouldn’t, and ultimately embracing the idea that no one else can complete you.”

The album rounds out with linings of hope, encouraging that “you must find completeness and joy in yourself.”

“I Can Feel You Forgetting Me,” Glenn expresses as he tied up penning this album, “and maybe that’s the best thing to happen to me so far.”

About the band:

Neon Trees—Tyler Glenn [lead vocals, piano, keys], Chris Allen [lead guitar], Elaine Bradley [drums] and Branden Campbell [bass]—saw their career rise with 2010’s Habits. Lead single “Animal” scored a double platinum certification from the RIAA and took home “Top Alternative Song” at the Billboard Music Awards.

In 2012, Picture Show spawned the quadruple-platinum “Everybody Talks,” which went to #6 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Two years later, Pop Psychology debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top Rock Albums Chart and #6 on the Top 200 in addition to producing the gold hit, “Sleeping With A Friend.”

After a successful 2015 headlining tour, Neon Trees took a break. As Chris, Branden, and Elaine took time out with their respective families, Tyler released a solo offering entitled “Excommunication” and made his Broadway debut in Kinky Boots during 2018.

Friday, July 24, 2020

Vincint collaborates with 'Queer Eye' cast for new video

Singer-songwriter VINCINT has teamed up with the cast of Netflix's Emmy Award-winning series, Queer Eye, to unveil the music video for "Be Me."

Directed by Jake Wilson (Cher, Lizzo, Jonas Brothers) and filmed by VINCINT and the Fab Five using their iPhone cameras during quarantine, "Be Me" is out now on VINCINT's official YouTube channel.

WATCH "BE ME"

“It’s a celebration of the self!” says VINCINT. “A moment to believe that you can be more than what you thought you ever could. This video is a burst of light in a time where light is so needed. Working with The Fab 5 is a dream! I’m so grateful they all agreed to be a part of it and took the time to film their parts! They’re all little pop stars.”

“Filming at home was actually a lot of fun,” VINCINT continues. “It was the first time in quarantine where I really got to be creative, and thank god for my best friends (who I had been staying with) for being able and willing to shoot the video with me and take the instructions so well! Working with Jake is always amazing because he can read my mind and know the exact angles and shots I will love! This time was a little different because he had to direct the entire video over FaceTime, haha, but he was phenomenal. With all of us working together, I think it turned out beautifully!”

"Be Me" premiered in the official trailer to Queer Eye's Season 5 - which is set in VINCINT's hometown of Philadelphia, PA - after VINCINT, Netflix and the Fab Five hinted at its release through a string of cryptic social media posts. Co-written by VINCINT with Fly By Midnight's Slavo and Justin Bryte expressly for the newest season, "Be Me" is available now at all DSPs and streaming services.
STREAM "BE ME"

“Be Me” follows VINCINT’s debut EP, The Feeling, available now via AWAL for streaming and download HERE. The EP – which features collaborations with chart-topping producers John Greenham (Billie Eilish, FINNEAS, Sam Smith) and Alex Psaroudakis (Cher, Ariana Grande, M.I.A.) – includes the singles “Someday,” “Please Don’t Fall In Love,” and “Save Myself” - the latter co-written by VINCINT with Brandon Colbein (Liam Payne, Hayley Kiyoko) and Ryan Hartman.

In addition, both “Someday“ and “Please Don’t Fall In Love" are joined by companion visuals, streaming now at VINCINT’s official YouTube channel HERE.

STREAM/DOWNLOAD THE FEELING

Perfume Genius videos available

NBC
Earlier this week, Perfume Genius (Mike Hadreas) performed the single “On The Floor,” from his recent release “Set My Heart On Fire Immediately,” on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon.

The performance was shot in the empty music venue, The Lodge Room in Los Angeles.

In addition to the televised performance, Hadreas also shared an online-only performance of his ballad “Jason,” a stunning and relatable retelling of a one night stand. Hadreas was backed by a band of notable performers including his long time collaborator Alan Wyffels and Hand Habits’ Meg Duffy.

Watch “On The Floor” HERE
Watch “Jason” HERE

Americana music news: Cidny Bullens album coming soon

After a career spanning more than four decades in rock ’n’ roll and multiple recordings, singer-songwriter Cidny Bullens is releasing a unique, debut album — of sorts. While it’s true Walkin’ Through This World, due out this summer, is actually Bullens’ ninth collection of original songs, it’s the first album he will put out as Cidny Bullens, a transgender man.

Produced by Ray Kennedy and Cidny Bullens, and recorded at Room & Board Studio in Nashville, Tenn., Walkin’ Through This World tells the story of Bullens’ gender transition and celebrates his life as an artist. From the pain of “Purgatory Road” and “Little Pieces” to the gratitude expressed in the title track, these songs are ultimately about the satisfaction and joy that come with staying true to oneself and following a dream. They come from the artist’s lived experience as a trans person, yet the lyrics resonate universally. The album is, says Sir Elton John, “amusical journey of the miracle that is Cidny Bullens. He HAD to do this. He had to musically tell his story. And it is SO moving.‘The Gender Line,’ ‘Walkin’ Through This World,’ ‘Call Me By My Name’ are killers. The playing and the sound are fabulous!”

The album includes collaborations with several artists, such as guest vocalists Rodney Crowell, Beth Nielson Chapman, Jess Leary, Mary Gauthier, Siobhan Kennedy, and Reid Bullens Crewe. Bullens’ songs reflect a range of musical influences, with the title track, a spoken-word song, offering homage to Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side,” and others embracing Nashville’s take on an Americana sound. The collection’s lyrics draw on Bullens’ lifelong narrative of reinvention, renewal, and paradox.

Cidny Bullens is also the subject of an award-winning documentary short film, The Gender Line, directed by T.J. Parsell and produced by Bill Brimm, released in 2019 by Outhaus Films. The film, which screened in 2019 and early 2020 at festivals in the U.S. and Canada until the coronavirus pandemic delayed theatrical release, was voted Best Documentary Short at the Edmonton International Film Festival. The Gender Line is excerpted from forthcoming feature film documentary Invisible, which tells the story of gay women songwriters in country music.

The two-time Grammy nominee began a career in rock ’n’ roll as Cindy Bullens, working early on with artists such as Sir Elton John, Bob Dylan, Rod Stewart, and Four Seasons songwriter-producer Bob Crewe. Cindy sang three lead vocals on the soundtrack of 1978’s Grease, and in the same year recorded her own critically acclaimed and Grammy-nominated album Desire Wire. Cindy later took her talents to Nashville, where she had success recording and writing in collaboration with some of country music’s best songwriters, including the 1994 hit “Hammer and Nails,” written with and recorded by Radney Foster.

Tragedy struck in March of 1996, when Cindy lost her 11-year-old daughter Jessie to cancer. Sorrow compelled Cindy to write and eventually record the songs found on her widely acclaimed, heartbreaking album Somewhere Between Heaven and Earth, released in 1999. The album featured appearances by Bonnie Raitt, Lucinda Williams, Bryan Adams, Beth Neilson Chapman, Rodney Crowell, and a haunting duet with her elder daughter, Reid Bullens-Crewe, and it received the Best Rock Album award in 2000 from AFIM (Association for Independent Music).

Cindy’s 2001 album, Neverland, features Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle and John Hiatt. Her 2005 release, dream #29, includes the rollicking piano playing of pal Sir Elton John on the title track, a duet with Delbert McClinton, and a vocal appearance by Boston Red Sox great Tim Wakefield. Howling Trains and Barking Dogs, from 2010, is a tribute to her Nashville co-writing days in the 1990s, compiling her best songs from that period.

In 2007 Cindy formed the Refugees, a trio with Wendy Waldman and Deborah Holland. Their first CD, Unbound, was released in 2009 followed by THREE, in 2012. With the artist recording as Cidny Bullens, they released the EP How Far It Goes, in 2019.

By 2011, having known since childhood that although everyone saw and treated her as female, the person inside was male, Cindy Bullens made the decision to transition. The artist everyone had known as Cindy Bullens set out to re-create himself — Cindy became Cidny, making a difficult and courageous gender transition over the course of five years. He stepped back from the public eye to go through the process, re-emerging in February 2016 as Cidny Bullens with the premiere of his autobiographical solo show Somewhere Between: Not an Ordinary Life in Santa Fe, N.M., directed by Tanya Taylor Rubinstein. Cidny has since performed the show in venues across the U.S.

Combining storytelling and song, Somewhere Between begins with Cindy’s arrival in Los Angeles in the mid-1970s, takes us through her fateful meetings with Bob Crewe and Elton John — brushing ever so close to stardom — and covers her journey as a wife and mother, then as a bereaved parent, and finally as a grandparent. We learn about Cindy’s private struggle with gender identity and how, finally, she decides to embrace gender transition — to become Cidny, the person he always knew he was, the person who sings assuredly now, on his latest album “I’m walkin’ through this world/as exactly who I am.” The Nashville Scene named Somewhere Between 2016’s Best One-Person Show.

On January 12, 2018 in New York's City Hall, Cid married Tanya Taylor Rubinstein. They split their time between Nashville and Cid’s home in Maine, where they enjoy the company of his daughter Reid and grandchildren.

For more on Cidny Bullens, see:
The Gender Line music video
All of Himself in The East Nashvillian

Walkin’ Through This World will be available on CD from Amazon, CDBaby, and at CidnyBullens.com and on all digital platforms such as Spotify and iTunes.

Thursday, July 23, 2020

The return of Patty Smyth

After a lengthy absence, Patty Smyth emerges with a new song collection on Oct. 9 through BMG. Titled It's About Time, the collection was recorded in Nashville's Blackbird Studios and produced by Grammy-winner Dann Huff (Shania Twain, Kelly Clarkson). She does covers of Bobbie Gentry's "Ode to Billie Joe" and Tom Waits' "Downtown Train." 

The former '80s hitmaker with Scandal says, "People would always ask, 'When are you gonna give us new music?' I kept saying, 'I'm gonna do it, I'm gonna do it…' Finally I said, 'Fuck it, man. I've just got to do it!' I've been touring and playing shows with the same band for 12 years, just having a blast, and I finally went into the zone of writing these songs I felt were poignant and relevant for me. I started to realize this is a real thing that's happening and just went with it."

Watch the music video for lead single "Drive": https://youtu.be/YfmNsesuw0w

On "Build a Fire," Smyth celebrates longevity, looking back on a quarter century of marriage with tennis great John McEnroe.

Emerging in 1982 with hits like "The Warrior," "Goodbye To You," "Love's Got a Line on You," and others from Scandal's Gold and Platinum-selling run, Smyth's solo career has included Grammy-nominated, AC radio chart-topping Don Henley duet "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough," the Oscar and Golden Globe-nominated "Look What Love Has Done," Armageddon soundtrack contribution "Wish I Were You," and more.

Track List:

Drive
Build a Fire
Losing Things
No One Gets What They Want
Only One
I'm Gonna Get There
Downtown Train
Ode to Billie Joe

Bon Jovi unveils track listing, date for '2020' album

Bon Jovi's new album "2020" will arrive on Oct. 2 via Island Records. The album can be pre-ordered here. The band also released a new single “Do What You Can” – available everywhere now.

Leader Jon Bon Jovi was inspired by current events, as evidenced by “American Reckoning” and “Do What You Can.”

“I am a witness to history,” he said. “I believe the greatest gift of an artist is the ability to use their voice to speak to issues that move us.”

Known for his philanthropic work, Jon spent the initial quarantine days and weeks helping feed those in need at his JBJ Soul Kitchen Community Restaurant in Red Bank, NJ. Calling himself the “hall-of-fame dishwasher” at the restaurant, Jon was captured by his wife Dorothea in a photo, which was later posted to social media with the caption “If You Can’t Do What You Do… Do What You Can.”

The songwriter finished a song the next day. Instead of releasing the complete song, he asked fans to “write their verse” and tell their story. Jon sang the first verse and chorus and went on to receive thousands of fan-created verses across the band's socials with the #DoWhatYouCan hashtag.

A final version of “Do What You Can,” written by Jon, was performed acoustically for the first time on the Jersey4Jersey benefit special, raising $6 million for the state which was hard hit during the pandemic. In the weeks that followed, the full band was able to record the song in the studio and add it to the forthcoming album.

Track listing:

Limitless (Jon Bon Jovi, Billy Falcon, John Shanks)
Do What You Can (Jon Bon Jovi)
American Reckoning (Jon Bon Jovi)
Beautiful Drug (Jon Bon Jovi, Billy Falcon, John Shanks)
Story of Love (Jon Bon Jovi)
Let It Rain (Jon Bon Jovi)
Lower the Flag (Jon Bon Jovi)
Blood in the Water (Jon Bon Jovi)
Brothers in Arms (Jon Bon Jovi)
Unbroken (Jon Bon Jovi)

Nils Lofgren documents recent live tour on 'Weathered,' due next month

In between E Street Band and Crazy Horse work, Nils Lofgren fit in his first tour with a full band in over 15 years. Now the veteran singer/guitarist's new concert collection Weathered will be released on his own Cattle Track Road Records in double-CD configuration on Aug.  21. 
It was recorded during some American tour dates supporting 2019's Blue With Lou studio album.

“My dear friends who made that album all agreed to come. Andy Newmark, Kevin McCormick, Cindy Mizelle, and my brother Tom Lofgren joining us to form an amazing band,” notes Nils. “In preparation for the tour my wonderful wife Amy hosted us all in our home and garage studio to put the show together. Amy designed our merchandise, cooked beautiful food for us and created a safe, welcoming musical environment for all. We created the show’s foundation to work from and headed out to share this fresh, new band.”

Improvisation has always been a key element in live performances for Nils, a veteran member of some of the greatest rock bands in history, as well as an accomplished and successful solo artist.

“All the band members are old friends used to being encouraged to stretch out and improvise with me (and) our crew did a fabulous job getting everything right for us to do our best every night.”

He continues, “Regularly hearing inspired, improvisational surprises from your fellow band mates elevated our interaction and made for one of a kind, unique shows every night. We all thrive in a live setting and at every show, the audience kicked the music up to a special level we only reach with their contagious, inspired energy.”

The album includes live renditions of two of the Lou Reed/Nils Lofgren penned songs, “Don’t Let Your Guard Down” and “Give,” along with Nils’ protest song “Rock or Not” and “Too Blue to Play,” all from the Blue With Lou album.

Mizelle’s backing vocals can be heard on several tunes like “Big Tears Fall,” “Tender Love” and “Too Many Miles.” Lofgren does a 14-minute-plus version of “Girl in Motion” and tells a studio story about of Ringo Starr.

Elsewhere, there are live renditions from Grin and Lofgren's solo work and Hank Williams cover “Mind Your Own Business.”

“We kept the shows reckless and fun with a lot of jamming and interaction. Tour bussing from town to town all over America, we all brought our collective experience and love for performing to every show,” Nils reflects.

“Turning up to ‘eleven’ and wailing inside this amazing band was a joy and revelation to me, having been away from playing with my own electric band for so long. Proud to share this rough and ready collection that breathes new life and inspiration into the best of my songs. 

"After 51 years on the road, I’m so grateful to have been inspired by this band and our audiences as never before."

Wednesday, July 22, 2020

Bonus Q&A with Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club drummer Chris Frantz; new memoir 'Remain in Love' out now

photo: courtesy St. Martins Press
During our interview earlier this month, Chris Frantz had plenty of cool stories about his time in Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club that didn't make it into my main  feature (see elsewhere on this blog). Below are some excerpts...

Q: The last time I saw you perform in concert was with Tom Tom Club here in Riverside, California at Romano’s Restaurant in 2012.

A: That little pizza place? I remember telling my agent afterwards: ‘Really?’ 

Q: How did you prepare to write the book? Did you keep journals in the past?

A: You know, I always thought I should keep a journal, but I never did. I’m also kicking myself that I didn’t have a camera back in those days. I could have taken some really interesting photographs the way, say Chris Stein [of Blondie] did and lots of other professional photographers did.

Q: In the first chapter, you write about admiring drummers who made you want to dance and feel good about yourself. What are some examples of rhythm men that you revered?

A: Definitely Ringo Starr and the Motown people. You knew Ringo’s name, but a lot of times [on record credits], you didn’t even know the drummer’s name. You might know the lead singer’s name. I didn’t know the drummer for Motown was Benny Benjamin [of Motown studio band the Funk Brothers] because his name wasn’t on any of the records.

I also dug people like [Mel Taylor] the drummer for the Ventures [classic lineup]. I loved Gene Krupa. At some point, I watched the [1959] ‘Gene Krupa Story’ movie on TV when I was young starring Sal Mineo. I thought, ‘This guy is great.’ So I got some of his old records. They weren’t so old back then. He was a guy who really impressed me and I came to like his whole schtick very much. 

Q: During the 1960s and ‘70s, it was common to hear about band members that went to art school. Why do you think the worlds of music and art intertwined so often back then?

A: I think a lot of artists also play a musical instrument and vice versa. A lot of musicians who paint are terrible painters. Have you noticed? With all due respect to Miles Davis, oh man, stick to the trumpet! I’m just kidding around. Music and art go hand in hand. The impulse that makes you want to create a painting is the same type of impulse from your heart or soul if you want to write a song or play in a band.

Q: Do you think yours and Tina’s art school backgrounds really came in handy when you helped conceptualize Talking Heads artwork for album covers like “Remain in Light” and other things?

A: David, Tina and I shared an aesthetic. We appreciated a lot of the same things. We’d go to galleries and modern music concerts together: Robert Wilson plays and things like that. We didn’t just go to CBGBs. In the end, CBGBs won (laughs).

Q: That club nurtured so many influential bands in the 1970s. What drew so many musicians, artists and music fans to that place, despite it having a dank atmosphere? Was there a certain allure?

A: It had a certain charm once you got indoors. The charm might’ve even begun if it was a nice evening on the sidewalk out in front. There was a good camaraderie there. One of the reasons it became such a good hangout was if bands had played there, the owner Hilly [Kristal] would allow you to return anytime and not have to pay admission. So it became like a clubhouse for all these bands - The Ramones, Blondie, Television, Mink DeVille, The Mumps, The Marbles, The Shirts. On any given night, they would all be there. You might even get a free drink out of it if the bartender liked your band!

Q: Was living in The Bowery at the time, nearby so many actors, actresses, artists and musicians like a melting pot of creativity for everyone?

A: It was definitely the right place at the right time. There’s not much happening there now. Too bad. 

Q: I found the chapter about touring with the Ramones in Europe very interesting. How did all of you stay sane while having to put up with all of those guys’ antics?

A: Johnny Ramone was mean as a snake. He eventually came around many years later. He was never really what you’d call a nice guy. That was a groundbreaking tour. When we did that tour, we couldn’t really get a gig in New Jersey. It was very exciting. Every show was sold out and pandemonium. [In 1977], The Sex Pistols and the Clash and The Jam had just released their first albums. There was something really happening. We were over there touring with the Ramones and at the same time, Television was touring with Blondie in Europe. Sometimes our paths would cross. Once in Glasgow, all four bands were playing there on the same night! Crazy.

Q: Your collaborations with Brian Eno resulted in the groundbreaking albums “More Songs About Buildings and Food,” “Fear of Music,” “Remain in Light.” Did Eno help bring out something in the band that other producers might not have because he wasn’t a traditional musician?

A: The thing about Brian was, most producers want to have a hit record. Everybody will make money and that will be a feather in their cap. But Brian had a different kind of criteria as a producer. He couldn’t care less about having a hit record. What he wanted was to raise the bar artistically and conceptually to the point where it still sounded good, but that it was somehow different and pleasantly surprising to him. He was very critical of anything that sounded like [long-running British music chart countdown TV show] ‘Top of the Pops.’ He was a good producer. We enjoyed working with him very much.

Q: One thing that really impressed me after reading the book was how you guys waited until you felt it was the right time to sign with Sire Records and Seymour Stein and educated yourselves about the music business first. Back then, were you aware of how other bands had been burned by signing bad record contracts?

A: We had heard about that, yes. None of us had any real experience in the music business. My father was an attorney. All of our parents were professionals. They wanted us to be careful and we understood that that was a good idea. So we got good advice from lawyers and whatnot.

It was our own decision to delay making our first record. We could tell that we just weren’t ready yet. We made a few demos and we heard a few live recordings and we thought, ‘Well, this is ok. It’s very interesting. But it is not the type of thing that is going to be a record people are going to want to listen to over and over again.’

So we just put the brakes on, even though Seymour was offering us a record deal. So was another guy out in Berkeley, California at Beserkley Records. That was a funny label for a while. We just knew if we made a record and it was a flop, we might never get a chance to make another one. We waited. I don’t listen to that first album all the time, but when I do hear it, I really enjoy it.

Q: Your business acumen extended to the fact that the band didn’t take advance money to record the albums. Because you didn’t have Sire execs breathing down your neck, saying, ‘I don’t hear a single,’ did that make for a more relaxed and creative atmosphere in studios?

A: Exactly. That was the reason. That was actually [our manager] Gary Kurfirst’s idea: take the advance and pay for the record ourselves. Also, that way, if you’re aware of all the costs, you tend to not run up the bill.

Q: In the post-punk/new wave era, a lot of bands had a distinct fashion sense that tended to overshadow the music. But Talking Heads typically wore street clothes and didn’t buy into the whole visual extravagance pervasive at the time. Do you think that lack of image helped your credibility? People were more focused on your music than what you wore at photo shoots.

A: Yes, I think so. We liked to dress up in costumes on Halloween, but not like every day (laughs). During the early days of CBGBs, the New York Dolls were just about to break up and I went to see one of their last shows. They wore all red patent leather (outfits). It was really cool and everything, but we knew we weren’t going to be able to beat the Dolls at their own game. Or Queen. We also knew musically, we weren’t going to be able to beat the Rolling Stones or The Who at their game. It was very deliberate that we would come from an outsider place. That’s what we did.

Q: Here in Southern California, KROQ and its DJ Rodney on the Roq was a big supporter. How vital was that radio exposure when you started out?

A: Rodney was very important as a tastemaker and also a DJ. Fortunately, he liked us. I don’t know if he liked us as much as the Ramones or Blondie, but he liked us. So did the rest of the guys, like Jed the Fish. KROQ was very good to our band.

Q: In 1982, Talking Heads played the massive US Festival near San Bernardino, Calif. What do you recall about playing it?

A: It was so hot. I remember spending a lot of time with Tina and our first son, who was a toddler, and Andy from The Police. They had these trailers which were air conditioned, but the air conditioner was really loud. You had to shout to hear each other. They had these little astro turf lawns in front of the trailers with chairs and we spent a lot of time hanging out and guzzling bottled water and trying to keep the baby happy. The show was very well run by Bill Graham.

Q: In the book, you write about being backstage or elsewhere and male musicians would always walk directly toward Tina to chat. Is that where, as you write in the book, having “kindness, patience and humor” came in handy for you? You never really got jealous in those situations?

A: Fortunately with Tina, she never gave me any reasons to be jealous after we were married. Before we were married, there might have been a few times where I thought, ‘Uh-oh, I don’t like this.’ After we committed to each other, I never had any reason to worry about that. I was entertained by it when people would make a beeline to Tina because she is a very attractive person.

Q: Turning to Tom Tom Club, when the early singles and debut album became successful, did that give you and Tina a boost of self-confidence, considering David rarely gave you the credit you deserved?

A: Yeah, I think it did. It was good for us and it was also good for Talking Heads, because it signaled even to David and Jerry that perhaps what [we] brought to the table was nothing to sneeze at. If David’s solo projects had gone very well...they didn’t really until much later. Had they done so, we would have been very happy for David. Likewise for Jerry.

Q: You and Tina started to produce other acts in the late 1980s like Ziggy Marley and then Happy Mondays. Did you have any idea what you were getting into with the latter group on what became 1992's Yes, Please? I'd think the experience was like an elementary school teacher supervising an unruly class.

A: (Laughs) Yes, except there were a lot of drugs. We had no idea what we were getting into. All we knew was the Happy Mondays were on Factory Records owned by Tony Wilson, who we liked very much. We had met him a couple times and had done his TV show. We thought, ‘Great, they’ve had some hits. Their records are going up the charts. What the heck. Let’s work with them.’ A couple of them came to meet us and they were very nice and well dressed. When we decided to make the record in Barbados, at Eddy Grant’s studio, we were already down there waiting for them when we found out Shaun [Ryder] had dropped his giant bottle of methadone on the floor of the airport. We didn’t know he was a heroin addict and all that. Shaun is still alive and well.

Q: After David broke up the band, I read some interviews where you and Tina said you’d wished it could have continued. Did the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction serve as a nice capper to Talking Heads' career instead?

A: The (induction) was a nice closure. It worked for me. It was not our most wonderful performance, but I tell ya, it wasn’t bad considering we were performing in front of a thousand record company executives dressed in tuxedos and their wives. At the Waldorf Astoria [hotel], it was a good night. A very bittersweet and emotional night. I was so happy we were able to bring Hilly Kristal up on stage.

Chris Frantz of Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club on memoir 'Remain in Love': The Interview

photo courtesy: Chris Frantz, St. Martins Press
Chris Frantz never doubted that Talking Heads would make it big.

A real believer in the power of positive thinking, he visualized success from the start. Band mates David Byrne and Tina Weymouth were also optimistic.

“We all felt we were doing something we knew was going to succeed, but we were surprised at how quickly it happened for us,” recalled Frantz, 69, in a recent phone interview.

“I was prepared to work five years to get to the point where we got in about five weeks. We’d only done a few shows when our picture was on the cover of the Village Voice.”

The drummer/co-founder for the pioneering New York City rock group (pictured above, far left) has a new memoir, “Remain in Love: Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club, Tina,” out now.

Frantz felt previous books about Talking Heads failed to provide the true inside story of its history, so he wanted to set the record straight.

“I was there from before we even had a name up until the end (in 1991). I felt like my point of view was something that people might be interested in hearing - particularly our fans,” says Frantz.

“They want to know about the real chemistry of the band. I also wanted to convey my love” for bassist and wife Tina. The couple married in 1977; both still lead Tom Tom Club, which formed in 1981 and last released a studio album in 2012.

After reading Ian Hunter’s 1974 book “Diary of a Rock ‘n’ Roll Star” seven years ago, Frantz was inspired to write his own memoir. The process took about two years.

“Since I consider myself a very lucky, fortunate guy,” I decided “the book should have an upbeat tone. People love to read and write about conflict. But from my point of view, there were a lot of sustained, really good times with Talking Heads; dare I say, once in a lifetime experiences. The last thing I wanted to do was write a book featuring a whiny drummer who wants to beat up on the lead singer. That’s just not me. I would never do that type of thing.”

Still, there are several examples in the book where Frantz gives proper credit where it is due. He writes: “The story that there was one songwriter in Talking Heads is a myth,” describing how Frantz and Weymouth played a prominent role in co-writing “Psycho Killer.”

“Talking Heads was always a really good working, functioning collaboration. Everybody had a very important role. David’s role was of the utmost importance, but so was mine,” Frantz says.

Throughout the entertaining “Remain in Love,” Franz tells fascinating stories about touring Europe with the Ramones amid a nascent punk rock movement; how CBCB in The Bowery nurtured Talking Heads, Blondie, Patti Smith and countless others; working with Brian Eno to produce a run of groundbreaking albums; making the landmark 1984 concert film “Stop Making Sense” at the Pantages Theatre in LA and wild escapades he and Tina endured while producing Britain’s drug-addled Happy Mondays in the Bahamas.

To help prepare for the memoir, Frantz consulted Weymouth’s old Metropolitan Museum of Art datebooks. As road manager in the early days, she wrote details about each concert, including “how many encores the band received, because we always felt like how many encores you got determined how much the people like you.”

Weymouth also assisted Frantz in fact checking items. “Most of the time, we remembered things the same way.”

Catching up with friends resulted in surprising discoveries about Byrne’s mischievousness. An old pal relayed one such incident during a long drive to their college roommates’ funeral in Vermont.

After a Rhode Island School of Design group art gallery show featuring Byrne was cancelled, he secretly went back and prominently rehung it to appear as a solo show. “I wish I’d known about it sooner,” says the drummer.

He writes the incident “set an early precedent for David’s need to continually aggrandize himself at the expense of his collaborators, as if their contributions were not as important as his.”

Born in Kentucky, Frantz’s parents met at West Point and his father was an army officer. “We moved around quite a bit until I was about eight years old. Then that stopped and we stayed in Pittsburgh.”

Frantz played trumpet in elementary school, but didn’t excel. A teacher spotted his inclination for rhythm and suggested a switch to drums. While attending boarding school in Virginia in the mid-1960s, some students turned Frantz onto soul music and it made a big impact.

“I was into the Beatles, Stones and the Byrds,” he recalls. “These Southern guys said, ‘No man, you gotta get into James Brown and Sam & Dave. That’s where it’s at.’ They gave me records to listen to and it was a no-brainer. I just loved them immediately.”

Returning to Pennsylvania for prep school, Frantz got interested in art and went to RISD, where he met Weymouth in class. They dated as Frantz continued to play drums.

While creating music for a student film, he was unexpectedly paired with guitarist and fellow RISD student, David Byrne. The musicians clicked and decided to start a band together. Weymouth eventually learned bass guitar and joined them. Onetime Modern Lover Jerry Harrison was recruited soon after.

Once they started gigging around NYC, Frantz writes: “David was very raw and awkwardly stiff onstage, but when he got lost” in a song, “you couldn’t take your eyes off him.”

Byrne’s magnetism and the band’s unique music resulted in a run of influential albums during the 1970s and ‘80s and led to hits such as their cover of Al Green’s “Take Me to the River,” “Once in a Lifetime,” “Burning Down the House,” “Road to Nowhere,” “And She Was” and “Wild Wild Life.”

Chris and Tina went on to have more success with Tom Tom Club. The 1981 dance chart topper “Genius of Love” ended up being sampled by more than 150 rap, hip-hop and R&B acts.

“We were influenced by early hip-hop, reggae, all kinds of dance and disco music,” says Frantz. “Our source of inspiration were bands like P-Funk and Zapp, so the hip-hop thing was not far off. It was so great when all that happened.”

The book ends when Talking Heads reunited for a three-song set at the 2002 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in New York City. Even though Frantz said in our interview that “a lot of people I know would love to see a Talking Heads reunion and it would be really great if we could do one,” Byrne has never expressed any interest over the years despite lavish offers.

Once promotional efforts for the book are finished, Frantz said he wants to write a travel book. Weymouth is going to be writing her own memoir. And for Tom Tom Club enthusiasts hankering for new songs, the drummer says, “we have a great studio here at home. I think we might try to do some real electro stuff like you hear in Berlin.”

A version of my story first appeared in SoCal News Group publications The Orange County Register, LA Daily News, Riverside Press-Enterprise and elsewhere.

Dawes says 'Good Luck with Whatever' on next album

Having interviewed Taylor from the band, seen them live several times and included their albums on my year end top 10 lists, I'm always eager to hear what they do next. Read all the details below...

Los Angeles-based rock band Dawes' seventh studio album, GOOD LUCK WITH WHATEVER arrives via Rounder Records on Oct. 2; pre-orders are available now.

Produced by Grammy Award-winner Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, Brandi Carlile, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit) at Nashville’s famed RCA Studio A, the album is heralded by “Who Do You Think You’re Talking To?,” available now at all DSPs and streaming services. The track is joined by an official companion video, streaming now at the official Dawes YouTube channel.

LISTEN TO “WHO DO YOU THINK YOU’RE TALKING TO?”
WATCH “WHO DO YOU THINK YOU’RE TALKING TO?”
PRE-ORDER GOOD LUCK WITH WHATEVER

GOOD LUCK WITH WHATEVER – which marks Dawes’ first release on their new label, Rounder Records – follows a series of acclaimed self-released albums including 2013’s STORIES DON’T END, 2015’s ALL YOUR FAVORITE BANDS, 2016’s WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE, and 2018’s PASSWORDS, all of which reached the top 10 or higher on Billboard’s “Top Rock Albums” and “Americana/Folk Albums” charts.

“In the past, I’ve definitely been more precious about the way I wanted the songs to sound, but that’s never as fun,” Taylor Goldsmith says. “The music we make is everyone’s mode of expression, and the other guys all have chops that I don’t have and never will. The fact that we’re able to lean on each other and celebrate each other as individuals just makes us so much more excited about getting to play together in this band.”

Dawes also recently unveiled LIVE FROM RICHMOND, VA, an 11-track concert recording available exclusively as a digital download via Bandcamp; all proceeds will be divided between Reform LA Jails and Black Lives Matter Los Angeles.

The lineup: Taylor Goldsmith (guitars, vocals), Griffin Goldsmith (drums), Wylie Gelber (bass), Lee Pardini (keys).

Track listing:

Still Feel Like A Kid
Good Luck With Whatever
Between The Zero and The One
None Of My Business
St. Augustine At Night
Who Do You Think You’re Talking To?
Didn’t Fix Me
Free As We Want To Be
Me Especially

Brothers Osborne to unveil 'Skeletons' in October

EMI Nashville’s Brothers Osborne will release their third studio album, Skeletons, Oct. 9. John and TJ Osborne teamed up with longtime producer Jay Joyce and co-wrote every track with frequent collaborators Lee Miller, Craig Wiseman, Natalie Hemby, Casey Beathard and more.

"If Pawn Shop was our introduction, and Port Saint Joe was like the first conversation we had with someone over a beer, then Skeletons is the moment where you start getting down to the real stuff and showing who you really are,” says John. “If you really want to get to know us, this is the record to do it."

The six-time GRAMMY nominees just released their new single “All Night” and the duo recently performed it on The Ellen DeGeneres Show; watch HERE. They also performed the track as part of “CMA Summer Stay-Cay,” watch HERE. “All Night” has already cracked Top 40 on the country airplay charts and was the No.1 most added song upon its debut.

The past few weeks have been busy for the singer/songwriter siblings as they recently performed a “Tunes & Teas” livestream for Pandora in partnership with Twisted Tea and hosted a July 4 special for ABC Radio. They also released an “Off The Road” digital franchise for CMT; watch HERE, and performed as part of “CMT Celebrates Our Heroes: An Artists of the Year Special” along with Brandi Carlile, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town and more; watch HERE. In addition, last week they appeared as part of ABC’s “CMA Best of 
Fest” special performing “Hard Workin’ Man” alongside Brooks & Dunn.

Earlier this year, Brothers Osborne received their sixth GRAMMY nomination in the Best Country Duo/Group Performance category for their nostalgic Top 40 hit “I Don’t Remember Me (Before You).” This nomination joins their previously nominated performances for their No.1 Platinum smash hit “Stay A Little Longer,” Top 10 Platinum hit “It Ain’t My Fault” and the Top 25 hit “21 Summer.” All three tracks are featured on their Gold Certified debut album Pawn Shop. In addition, they received GRAMMY nominations for their sophomore album, Port Saint Joe, and the rowdy Top 40 hit “Shoot Me Straight.”

Last fall, the Maryland natives received the ASCAP Vanguard Award recognizing artists whose innovative work is helping to shape the future of music. For a full list of tour dates, news, images and more, visit: www.BrothersOsborne.com

Fans can click HERE to listen to a special “All Night” playlist

Track Listing:

1. “Lighten Up”
(John Osborne, TJ Osborne, Daniel Tashian and Ian Fitchuk)
2. “All Night”
(John Osborne, TJ Osborne and Andrew DeRoberts)
3. "All The Good Ones Are”
(TJ Osborne, Lee Miller and Craig Wiseman)
4. “I’m Not For Everyone”
(John Osborne, TJ Osborne, Luke Dick and Natalie Hemby)
5. “Skeletons”
(John Osborne, TJ Osborne and Andrew DeRoberts)
6. “Back On The Bottle”
(John Osborne, TJ Osborne and Hayes Carll)
7. “High Note”
(John Osborne, TJ Osborne, Casey Beathard and Dustin Christensen)
8. “Muskrat Greene”
(John Osborne)
9. “Dead Man’s Curve”
(John Osborne, TJ Osborne and Lee Miller)
10. “Make It A Good One”
(John Osborne, TJ Osborne and Stephen Wilson Jr.)
11. “Hatin’ Somebody”
(John Osborne, TJ Osborne and Casey Beathard)
12. “Old Man’s Boots”
(John Osborne)