Brazilian NYC-based band Shower Curtain dropped their first single in two years, titled “Edgar.” The group released an official music video shot in New York City, following lead vocalist Victoria Winter’s cat Edgar’s point of view.
The track approaches a heavy topic, as Edgar faces many medical issues. However, the music video seeks to create a lighter tone by playing with perspective: the video shifts from following the cat’s point of view at floor level to overhead shots of people searching for him.
“Edgar” is a dreamy, melancholic rock track that shows strong, deliberate use of intense guitar riffs, as well as moments where the song pulls back to showcase clear emotion.
Photo Credit: Juliette Boulay
Shower Curtain recently evolved from being Victoria Winter’s solo project to adding musicians Jill Olesen on bass, Ethan Williams on guitar, and Sean Terrell on drums.
It feels very liberating to share this song with the world. Not only is it marking a new phase for the project but I think an overall process of maturing as a creative, letting go of the old aesthetic and sound that defined Shower Curtain when I lived in Brazil. The new sound is of course a reflection of the project evolving from a solo project into a band, and the band’s contribution to this song is evident in the instrumentation.
Victoria Winter
Shower Curtain is currently focusing on their first album, set to release sometime in 2024. In addition, they will play a celebratory show at Brooklyn venue Trans Pecos on November 9 to mark their resurgence as a group. Shower Curtain is Victoria Winter (vocals), Jill Olesen (bass), Ethan Williams (guitar), and Sean Terrell (drums).
Utica artist Nick Vanderwood dropped his latest single “Shimmy” accompanied by a music video on August 19. “Shimmy” ushers in the next phase of Vanderwood’s artistic journey, as the track signals the incoming release of his September EP Reload. The music video premiere and subsequent live performance headlined the opening ceremonies for the first annual Dreamland Theatre Music and Arts Festival.
The release of “Shimmy” marks the second audio-visual collaboration between Nick and Utica-born filmmaker, Lukas Sunderlin. The two friends joined forces years ago for Nick’s project “Little Vacation.” Since then, the duo have moved to Los Angeles and have been consolidating their creative visions under their new media production label known as “Monomaniac.”
Reload has been in the works for many years, as Vanderwood has struggled with a chronic neck injury that has hindered his performance behind a microphone. “Shimmy” started as a product of Vanderwood’s efforts at putting together a debut album. Recorded at the artists’ home in New York Mills, the track escalated from a brief demo to a full seven-minute cinematic short film.
The project not only attests to the creativity of Sunderlin but also the strength of “Shimmy” as a song. Funky, syrupy, and full of attitude, the track is a masterful blend of guitar and bass. The song perfectly fits the mysterious sci-fi world that comes alive in the video. Directed by Sunderlin with cinematography from Scott Sweitzer, the short film is fun and genuine. The duo cultivates an intriguing and imaginative visual experience that helps to showcase Vanderwood’s unique artistic vision.
We didn’t want to just throw something together and do something cute. The new work Nick is creating has an amazing amount of energy behind it, so we wanted to make this a truly cinematic experience that could represent it appropriately.
Lukas Sunderlin
Click here for more on Nick Vanderwood, and visit here to listen to “Shimmy.”
Just in time for Pride month, LA’s Andy Frasco & The U.N. have announced the release of their eagerly awaited new album, L’Optimist, on Friday, August 11th. Today, they have premiered the release of the ebullient first single, “You Do You,” with a hilarious music video to accompany it.
As a much-beloved live outfit renowned for unbridled improvisation, audience interaction, surprising covers, special guests, and animated antics unlike any other, Andy Frasco & The U.N. is unlike no other. Frasco’s sixth studio album L’Optimist is the most hopeful and enthusiastic collection thus far in his career.
The upcoming release now sees Frasco continuing to develop as a songwriter, band leader, and human being, his exploratory spirit giving way to something more firmly grounded yet no less adventurous. Having built a still-expanding career on forward motion, Andy Frasco remains positive in his determination to keep on keeping on, pushing himself and his music to grow and improve with every passing day.
“‘You Do You’ is basically a call to arms to myself,” Frasco says about the single. “Like, what is success? We built success through being outlaws and being ourselves. I did it my own way and it worked out for the best, I think. Could we have been way more successful if I just conformed? Maybe, but that’s boring. It sounds like cheating in a race and I’m not trying to cheat. I want to do it my way. Hopefully I’ll look back when I’m 80 and realize that, like Frank Sinatra, I did it my way.”
A testament to Frasco’s wide-ranging influences and boundless energy, L’Optimist sees the magnetic frontman continuing to chart his path of self-exploration and personal discovery through increasingly introspective lyricism and musical adventure. The album sees Frasco fully in command of his craft, more comfortable and confident than ever before, his notorious party-animal persona giving way to a wiser, but no less enthusiastic, artist and band leader.
Frasco once again challenged himself to explore difficult lyrical terrain, spanning relationships and chronic depression, empathy and alienation, inspired in part by his first real girlfriend. Songs like the deeply moving “Iowa Moon” touch on matters of the heart and mental health, emotional struggle and the sheer vulnerability of the human experience, all relayed through a wildly eclectic approach navigating funk, jazz, surf rock, blues, swing, gospel, reggae, exotica, and more with horn-blasted positivity and soulful power.
“With so much bad news in the world, why not try to figure out a way to get out of the darkness,” Frasco says. “We’re not going to be able to change the world, but at least we can change the mind state we have moving forward. We can at least help the process along by being optimistic that the future will turn itself around. And if everyone changes their mind state about the future, then maybe we can change the world.”
In the meantime, Frasco will spend the summer traveling America on a wide-ranging itinerary that features headline dates, top-billed festival appearances, and an eagerly awaited double bill supporting Slightly Stoopid set for August 13th at Morrison, CO’s famed Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Additional dates will be announced in the upcoming weeks.
ANDY FRASCO & THE U.N. TOUR 2023
MAY
19 – Beaufort, NC – Beaufort Music Festival *
20-21 – Garrettsville, OH – Tropidelic’s Sunny Days *
28 – Chillicothe, IL – Summer Camp Music Festival *
JUNE
1-3 – New River Gorge, WV – Mountain Music Festival *
16 – Swanzey, NH – Northlands Music & Arts Festival *
17 – Wellfleet, MA – Beachcomber
18 – Nantucket, MA – The Chicken Box
21 – Charlotte, NC – Visulite Theatre
22 – Isle of Palms, SC – The Windjammer
23 – Black Mountain, SC – Pisgah Brewing Company
24 – Kill Devil Hills, NC – Outer Banks Brewing Station
25 – Kill Devil Hills, NC – Outer Banks Brewing Station
27 – Roanoke, VA – 5 Points Music Sanctuary
28 – Dewey Beach, DE – Bottle & Cork
29 – Virginia Beach, VA – New Realm Brewing Co.
30 – Baltimore, MD – Union Craft Brewing
JULY
1 – Scranton, PA – Peach Music Festival *
2 – Amagansett, NY – The Stephen Talkhouse
14 – Buffalo, NY – Cobblestone Live! *
26 – Victor, ID – Knotty Pine
27 – Salmon, ID – Sweet Water Hollow
28 – Livingston, MT – Pine Creek Lodge
29 – Ketchum, ID – Argyros Performing Arts Center
AUGUST
1 – Durango, CO – Animas City Theatre
2 – Grand Junction, CO – Mesa Theater
4 – Steamboat Springs, CO – Snow Bowl Steamboat
5 – Telluride, CO – Sheridan Opera House
6 – Aspen, CO – Belly Up Aspen
10–12 – Yuba, WI – People Fest *
13 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre +
SEPTEMBER
9 – Indianapolis, IN – All In Music & Arts Festival *
10 – St. Louis, MO – Music At The Intersection *
28 – E. Lansing, MI – Hall 224 ^
OCTOBER
1 – Washington, DC – Atlantis ^
4 – Burlington, VT – Higher Ground Ballroom ^
8 – Portland, ME – Bayside Bowl ^
11 – Richmond, VA – The Broadberry ^
NOVEMBER
2 – Nashville, TN – Brooklyn Bowl †
4 – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse †
5 – Raleigh, NC – Lincoln Theatre †
DECEMBER
5 – Little Rock, AR – Revolution Music Hall –
6 – Tulsa, OK – The Vanguard –
7 – Austin, TX – Mohawk –
8 – Dallas, TX – Deep Ellum Art Co. –
9 – Houston, TX – Last Concert Cafe –
10 – Baton Rouge, LA – Chelsea’s Live –
16 – Fayetteville, AR – George’s Majestic Lounge #
NYC-based multihyphenate creative Nicole Daddona, also known as FRIDAY, has shared her new single and music video, “Dear God.” The grunged-out ballad is a punk reclamation of emotions, paired with a video that shows her dressed up as a crying, cigarette-smoking clown as she takes over an empty indoor children’s entertainment facility.
When Nicole Daddona preforms as her alter ego FRIDAY, she channels her creativity in each moment and brings a sense of nostalgic fun to each track. Daddona catches her audience with an emotionally deep sound that when you listen, you’ll transport you to a world where the weekend never ends.
With each song, FRIDAY captures different aspects of the human experience, adding her unique, colorful perspective. When listening to “Dear God,” her hook-filled songs and playful melodies will get stuck in your head and your heart.
Besides Nicole’s new project FRIDAY, she is the founder and designer of the “lowbrow, high fashion” clothing and accessories company Magic Society, creating iconic, playful, and maximalist designs like the Judy Bag (a purse made from deadstock blow-up dolls). She’s also one half of the production company Magic Society Pictures, who just debuted their most recent film The Mundanes at this year’s SXSW.
It’s well known that FRIDAY is a true creative powerhouse. This talented artist is not only a visual artist and filmmaker but also a fashion designer who has turned her hand to music. Through her whimsical and eclectic solo musical project, FRIDAY explores themes of love and loss with a touch of nostalgia and DIY aesthetics. In fact, she once described her music as “Harry Nilsson meets Nirvana,” which gives you a taste of the unique sound she brings to the table.
FRIDAY’s music draws inspiration from a range of artists, including Marc Bolan, Jeff Lynne, George Harrison, Nirvana, and Harry Nilsson. Her sound is an accumulation of multiple genres, inspired by Art Rock, 70s power pop, grunge, bubblegum pop, and NU-Disco influences.
From the influences of NYC, her music is inspired by vintage horror films, unrequited love, dreamcore, and weirdcore. It’s a cross-genre project that has something for everyone. FRIDAY channels her creativity in each moment and brings a sense of nostalgic fun to each track.
To listen to “Dear God” by FRIDAY, click the link here.
To watch the music video for “Dear God,” click the link here.
Hudson Valley’s Sam Kogon has just shared a hauntingly beautiful music video for his track “All I Wanna Do,” directed by G.W. Duncanson. Kogon said he was inspired to write the song after moving into his Westchester Apartment in a 1920’s era building, soon realizing that he was not alone yet found comfort in his uninvited guests.
The Hudson Valley is home to lots of tales of creepy crawlies and wandering spirits. Hometown singer/songwriter Sam Kogon grew up listening to them all and has brought that ghostly history alive in his latest music video.
“Intertwining a retro charm with a modern perspective, Sam Kogon has mastered the art of fusing something you already love with something you’ll love even more, pushing his psychedelic influences into fresh new landscapes anyone can enjoy.”
Thus, “All I Wanna Do” tells the story of an impossible love story between a mortal and a house spirit. The classic love story of unrequited love takes on an unusual twist with Kogon’s smooth vocal styling and catchy melodies.
Filmed at several undisclosed location in Yonkers in Westchester County, Kogon enlisted a talented troop of creative technical and performance artists to produce the alluring cinematic offering that utilizes the crumbling remains of an historic Hudson River Estate as a backdrop.
In the video, Kogon stars as a Phantom character, singing in an old-fashioned living room while the action takes place elsewhere. Spirits of child brides, beautiful witch temptresses (one of which is played by Violet Hetson aka Powerviolets), a trapper played by Danny Christmas, and even a frisky bear tell the story of an impossible romance between the two realms.
Fun fact: the aforementioned bear costumed character is the same one that appeared in numerous episodes of the David Letterman Show. Hwtson made the witch dress herself, and all other fashions used in the shoot come from Beyond Costumes, also located in Yonkers.
You may also remember Kogon’s last video from 2022 for his international hit “Barbed Wire,” filmed in Kingston, where his family hails from. That storyline included scenes filmed in Sam’s Swap Shop, his family’s business for over one hundred years, before it fell victim to gentrification and high rents. Both “Barbed Wire” and “All I Wanna Do” made their appearance in his 2022 self-titled 4-track EP.
Sam Kogon describes his new approach as that of an “Upstate country rockabilly crooner,” a sound he had once put off while playing in Brooklyn’s psychedelic scene. Kogon lived and played in New York for several years, but nowadays lives in Westchester and spends more time in LA.
To watch and listen to “All I Wanna Do,” click the link here.
Brooklyn indie/emo trio wakelee have just released a tease of their upcoming album by unveiling their newest single/video “Tug Of War.” The new single and music video show a sneak peak into the upcoming self-titled 12-track album out April 14th.
Front man/guitarist Alex Bulmer talks about the newest single by stating, “We had the structure for this song since 2021, but it took so long to land a vocal melody. We got so frustrated with it that we decided to get into a room together and loop the instrumental over and over again. We would then present our individual verse and chorus ideas to each other. We played the theme from “Shark Tank” as we did our pitches. It was ridiculous, but it turned out to be one of our favorite tracks from the album.”
When asked about the music video for “Tug Of War,” Alex says, “We wanted to film a music video ourselves, so we put our iPhone on cinema mode and spent 3 hours in our rehearsal space putting it together. We love how it came out! We wanted it to look like one continuous shot. It was really fun to make.”
“Don’t sleep on rising indie-emo trio wakelee…”
– The Honey Pop
Formed in Brooklyn in 2019 by Bulmer, his identical twin brother David (drums) and Elliot Shiang (vocals/bass), they met at a friend’s show in NYC and immediately bonded over Halal food and indie music. The trio has since released an EP, a healthy batch of emo-tinged singles, including the recently released tracks “Mood Rings,” “Everything Under The Sun” and “Outside.”
With some more news to look forward to, wakelee will play a special album release show. The band will play on Saturday, April 15th at NYC’s Mercury Lounge with special guests Tennis Courts.
Brooklyn indie-pop artist Oropendola has just released a music video for her newest single “Rorschach Sky.” This is the third and final single off her upcoming album Waiting for the Sky to Speak which has just released today, Friday, March 17th.
Oropendola, who has played with singer/songwriters Half Waif, Barrie, and Samir Langus, stated, “Rorschach Sky” points to the missed opportunity of spending your life waiting for something when life is happening all around you. If you’re waiting for some kind of answer from the sky, you’re not seeing the beauty and the motion in every passing moment.”
“I paused Twin Peaks to watch the kitchen clock,” said Joanna when thinking back on writing Rorschach Sky. “It was moving backwards. A slow, disorienting, luxuriously surreal countdown. April 7th, 2020, which I only knew because I grabbed my phone to type a bunch of exclamation points in my notepad. I had barely changed out of my pajamas for three weeks. I was happy for Time: being able to veer off course. Stretch like silly putty until becoming shimmery and translucent, changing color and sequence like a kaleidoscope. Shifting identity like the clouds.”
Joanna Schubert’s debut album is titled Oropendola, which is a bird whose name translates to “golden pendulum.” These tracks shimmer with bursts of energy and emotion, swinging from playfulness to earnestness with deft, technicolor brushstrokes. The album is a celebration of choosing life even in the face of its ephemerality, and of finding motion even in the midst of stillness.
The album title, which comes from the album’s opening track “Rorschach Sky,” is a fitting one then: the phrase points to the missed opportunity of spending your life waiting for something when life is happening all around you.
On lead single “Knocking Down Flowers,” Schubert finds life in the least likely of places: a construction site. Here, she recognizes and illuminates the power of living at the intersection of contrasts. The album’s emotional core comes through on roiling ballad “Trust the Sun” and clear-eyed album closer “When You Carried Me.”
While much of the rest of Waiting for the Sky to Speak careens across black-ice patches of inner conflict, both these songs offer a tentative hand outward, towards love, friendship, and family. Overall, Waiting for the Sky to Speak is an imaginative and colorful chimera of a collection that marks Oropendola’s triumphant arrival.
To watch the video for “Rorschach Sky,” click the link here.
To listen to Waiting for the Sky to Speak, click the link here.
Brooklyn‘s indie-dance band Underground System have just announced their new EP Looking In, out on April 17th. Along with this, they have also released an iconic music video for their song “Sleazy” which embodies NYC in a psychedelic nutshell.
The band’s EP Looking In is the second in a series of two. Of the song inspiration, Domenica explains to Northern Transmissions, “This song is about having a spontaneous night with strangers. Doesn’t necessarily mean in the romantic sense. Just a night where you’re out on the town feeling alone (not lonely just alone) in a big ass city, but then meeting one or two people, instantly hitting it off, and next thing you know, you’re having a nocturnal adventure until sunrise.”
“The music video we made for ‘Sleazy’ with our friend Chris Egan is the cherry on top,” says the group’s co-leader Peter Matson. “…We ran around the city for many nights in a row filming at golden hour, and the crown jewel of the whole shoot… when we finally got a hold of a very elusive party limo that once returned me and several passed out friends from a DJ gig at the nightclub LeBain to our homes in BK… It just all made sense for “Sleazy.”
Underground System is one of the most dynamic bands to emerge from New York City in recent years, continuously innovating a brand of global dance music that is uniquely their own. Domenica Fossati, headman of the group, cites “A true New York eclecticism” running through the band’s core. If you’ve crossed paths with Underground System, then you’ve witnessed the group’s larger than life presence.
The band had described “a natural synthesis of styles” being born out of their journey from humble beginnings performing rare grooves and DJing bars around Brooklyn, to the development of an authentically original, internationally touring indie-dance band.
Whether political philosopher Emma Goldman actually said, “If I can’t dance, I don’t want to be part of your revolution,” or not is still up for debate, there’s no doubt that New York City’s Underground System wholly embodies that vibe”
– Remezcla
To watch the video for “Sleazy,” click the link here. For more of Underground System, click the link here.
NY-based indie pop bandDaisy the Great have just released the music video for “I Don’t Wanna Fall” from their new album All You Need Is Time. To celebrate the album release, the band will embark on another nationwide tour as headliners. Daisy the Great’s All You Need Is Time Tour begins April 12th at Brighton Music Hall in Allston, MA, making their final destination at Brooklyn’s Music Hall of Williamsburg.
Daisy the Great is an American indie pop band from Brooklyn led by Kelley Nicole Dugan and Mina Walker. The song “Record Player” from their debut album was released in August 2021, with additional verses and production performed by AJR. It went to number 6 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart.
The band stated, “The “I Don’t Wanna Fall” music video is a compilation of footage from our most recent tour. It follows us on the road, backstage and on stage at the shows. We chose to pair “I Don’t Wanna Fall” with this very sweet docu-style footage because it felt really heartwarming and also heartbreaking to watch us so happy and in our element, tied up with this song about the temporary nature of good things. It feels important to remember to really live in the joyful moment when you’re in it, because everything comes and goes. The song was initially about a romantic relationship, but it brought new importance to the music to recontextualize it using our relationship with our audience and with live music in general. We love touring and we are very lucky to have our first headline tour EVER coming up this spring!!! We’re so excited to play all over the US. We hope you love the video and can’t wait to see you on the road.”
Both Kelley Nicole Dugan and Mina Walker make folk-inflected indie rock together that spans a multitude of moods, capable of being clever, devastating, simultaneous pop to powerhouse balladry. The pair first met as acting majors at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts where they began co-writing a musical about a fictional band before realizing they could make it happen in real life and set out as Daisy the Great.
“Our music is generally pretty introspective, and we are often interested in the complexities or ironies we see within ourselves,” Dugan says. “That’s something we love about writing—you can say something small and delicate and true that maybe feels scary to say, but once you put it out there, it can turn into a comfort for anyone that might also be feeling that way.”
ALL YOU NEED IS TIME Tour Dates:
April 12 – Allston, MA – Brighton Music Hall
April 14 – Columbus, OH – The Basement
April 15 – Chicago, IL – Beat Kitchen
April 17 – Minneapolis, MN – 7th St. Entry
April 18 – Denver, CO – Marquis Theater
April 19 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court
April 21 – Portland, OR – Holocene
April 22 – Seattle, WA – Barboza
April 25 – San Francisco, CA – Café Du Nord
April 28 – Los Angeles, CA – The Echo
April 29 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues San Diego
May 2 – Dallas, TX – Dada Dallas
May 3 – Austin, TX – Antone’s
May 5 – New Orleans, LA – Gasa Gasa
May 6 – Atlanta, GA – Shaky Knees Festival
May 7 – Nashville, TN – The End
May 10 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore Philadelphia
May 11 – Washington, DC – Songbyrd Music House
May 12 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
For details about the Daisy the Great, the upcoming tour, and ticket availability, please visit the link here.
Brooklyn’s Hello Mary have just dropped a new single “Special Treat,” right before the release of their self-titled debut album on March 3rd. The song opens with disarming harmonies that might recall a schoolyard taunt, or something more sinister, like the summoning of a coven.
The band explains that, “‘Special Treat’ is pretty much about indulgence of any kind, and doing things for pure momentary pleasure. For the music video, we just wanted to be crazy, eat dope food, and take out our deep resentment towards each other through a food fight.”
Hello Mary will also play a record-release party at Brooklyn’s Elsewhere Zone One on March 24. Their first ever tour kicks off on March 23rd in Hamden, CT and concludes in Providence, RI on April 6th. Tickets for all shows are on-sale now and all dates are listed below.
Hello Mary is made up of Helena Straight (guitar, vox), Mikaela Oppenheimer (bass), and Stella Wave (drums, vox). Mikaela started Hello Mary with Helena as freshmen in high school. When they met Stella by happenstance the three became an inseparable unit, as good of friends as they are bandmates.
The album Hello Mary references alternative rock of the nineties alongside Elliott Smith and Jeff Buckley as influences. For sound, the band tends to meld elements of 90s shoegaze with indie rock and grunge, making a unique sound of their own.
The album’s song “Looking Right Into the Sun,” is most honestly described as “delightful,” driven by a tight and dynamic rhythm section that gives way to Straight’s crystalline and confident falsetto.
Hello Mary Tour Dates:
3/23 – Space Ballroom – Hamden, CT
3/24 – Elsewhere Zone One – Brooklyn, NY
3/25 – Songbyrd – Washington, DC
4/5 – Underground Arts – Philadelphia, PA*
4/6 – Columbus Theatre – Providence, RI*
*Denotes Dates with Deerhoof
Pre-order Hello Mary by clicking the link here. Listen/share “Special Treat” by clicking the link here.
