Neon Neet will drop their debut EP ‘Persuasion’, along with their third single and title track on April 17, 2020.
The single ‘Persuasion’ is both a homage to a healthy ego and a reminder to trust one’s own gut instinct. It’s about not letting people talk you into something you have a bad feeling about. It’s about believing in yourself and not letting other people’s opinions control you. Self-assurance and confidence will help pull you away from toxic people and thoughts while the recurring distorted samples in ‘Persuasion’ symbolise annoying voices and disturbing communications.
There are four songs on the EP, listed and released in alphabetical order. Starting with Neon Neet’s angry debut single ‘Extension’, the EP calms down with ‘Loop You’ and ‘Persuasion’ and ends almost mantra-like with ‘Unzip’.
‘Loop You’ picks up the storyline from Neon Neet’s debut single ‘Extension’, but where the first track’s catchy chorus “I can’t do it on my own” called for help in a crisis, ‘Loop You’ dives far deeper into feelings of helplessness and desperation. Appealing to self-confidence ‘Persuasion’ takes a pass on toxic people and thematically links into the fourth track on the EP ‘Unzip’, which is about finding inner peace: “…all the things I need I have inside my heart“.
Singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Becca Stevens continues her “WONDERBLOOM” campaign with a new full-length album, once again titled “WONDERBLOOM”, which was released March 20th 2020. The first track from the album is ‘Good Stuff’,
Becca Stevens again defies all expectation, this time dreaming up a groove-heavy, dance-ready sound infused with elements of pop and funk and R&B. With its bright textures and uptempo rhythms, “WONDERBLOOM” also finds Becca achieving a profound complexity in her lyrics, ultimately redefining what’s possible in creating music that elevates and deities.
What are some of your earliest memories of music?
Rehearsing in the family band, the Tune Mammals! Getting in the stinky minivan and driving around to festivals and schools in North Carolina to perform silly/witty children’s songs with my family. Singing and performing in musicals on stage as a kid. Recording little clips of myself singing on a Fisher-Price tape recorder. Making up dances to MC Hammer and Paula Abdul. Making up rambling songs about literally everything.
Take us through your songwriting process. Are there any particular steps you take when putting music together?
I’m either inspired, or I have an assignment which leads me to seek the inspiration I need to pull me in.
I pick up an instrument and start noodling, or open GarageBand/Logic and record a drum loop or a bass line or a texture, or start journaling, or start singing a melody wordlessly or with words, or start walking in a circle and thinking, or lay on the bed and ask myself questions, etc…
I follow whatever part of the process is most inviting and serving the song to the best of my ability.
I try to avoid shutting down the process by listening to my inner critic too much early on. Keep moving. Follow what’s working. Don’t think too much.
I keep my eyes and mind open for sparks, or cues from the muse. (Once the inspiration is ignited, and the muse is involved it’s much easier to get along with my inner critic).
When I find the spark or moments that are working musically/lyrically/narratively, I write it down/record it/capture it in some way.
When I lose the plot, I ask myself questions like: How can I best serve this song? Who’s speaking in this song? Where are they? What are they doing? What story are they trying to tell? Does the music tell the same story as the text? etc. I come back to these questions over and over and over again to reset, clarify, and refocus.
Stay committed till I find the feeling that it’s done. Like baking a cake, you can often smell when it’s done before you open the over to look. And I comfort myself with the knowledge that I can always change it again tomorrow.
Studio work and music creation or performing and interacting with a live audience, which do you prefer?
A balance of all three! Triangle! Triptych! Trinity!
What is the most memorable response you have had to your music?
My favourite responses though are when kids like my music. Kids singing or dancing along to my music is the highest form of flattery. When people tell me that my music has helped them through really hard times. I keep those words in a special compartment in my heart that I try to remember to draw from/remind myself of when I’m down about my career or artistry. Memorable responses have also been times when my music has disturbed someone so much that they felt the need to storm out in the middle of a song, write me a letter about how much they don’t like it or write a scathing review. Learning to lean into those responses as well and see a bit of humour in what’s happening there.
If you could put together a radio show, what kind of music would you play?
ALL kinds of good music. Music that inspires me. Traditional music. Music with beautiful stories. Music that defies categorization. Music from all over the world. I think I would choose a theme or feeling for each episode and make a playlist that plays into the theme or feeling… oooh I’m ready to start this radio show.
Name five artists and their albums who would appear on your radio show
1.Juana Molina 2.Bassekou Kouyate Ngoni Ba 3. Wye Oak 4. Bothy Band 5. Snoop Dogg
What would you like to achieve with your music? What does success look like to you?
“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you do, then you will be successful.” (Been digging around for who said this. I’ve narrowed it down to either Albert Schweitzer or the Buddha.) I would take this one step further and say if you love what you are doing, then you ARE successful. But like anyone I have dreams I associate with success in my field, like touring with my band in a tour bus, playing Madison Square Garden, winning a GRAMMY, or making enough money on the road that the schedule is less than brutal.
One last thought to leave your fans with?
Make the music/art/live the life that inspires you. If you create something hoping to impress others, and they aren’t impressed, then you’ve wasted your time completely. If you make something you aren’t terribly excited about and it does impress others, then you are known for something you don’t believe in. As long as you are creating things/making choices you believe in, then it is time well spent.
Carrying the torch from where melodic rock bands like Journey, Def Leppard, Styx and Heart left off, Toronto’s Walker’s Cay ushers those classic influences into the 21st Century with two new tracks. On April 10th, 2020, the four-man band featuring Gold and Platinum-status lead vocalist Gary LaBarr, guitarist Mike Swain, bassist Tim Morrissey, and drummer Dave Pistilli will release “Tell Me” and “Why Oh Why” (MTS Records.)
“These guys are right in my wheelhouse,” said Michael Stover of MTS. “Those classic tunes with the big vocals, powerful drums, screaming guitars…that’s what I grew up with. So, to be working with a talented band like Walker’s Cay makes total sense for us. They are taking the best parts of the past and bringing them forward in their own style. 2020 is going to be huge for Walker’s Cay!”
Walker’s Cay gets its name from an “out island” in the Bahamas. It was visited by Gary LaBarr, (a private pilot), and some friends back in the late 1990’s. Not only did this beautiful island stand out in Gary’s mind throughout his life, but the name of “Walker’s Cay” did as well. Gary LaBarr has gold and platinum record status for his work in various original band projects, working as a musician, producer, and arranger. Mike Swain is considered to be the “technical wizard” for the band, due to his 30-plus years as a licensed control technician at a nuclear power plant. Mike is also a professional recording engineer, specializing in the Pro-Tools recording platform. Tim Morrissey comes to Walker’s Cay with quite the resume as a professional bass player and recording artist. He is a “gear geek” in regards to his intense interest in achieving that “perfect” bass sound. With a rock/jazz style type of percussive education, David “Dave” Pistilli lays down the tasty “back-beat” that Walker’s Cay is known for.
London-based DJ and producer Alex Virgo is the latest artist to debut on TRICK, dropping ‘Cheap Thrills’, a club-ready, four-track EP, out 3rd April.
The title track kicks things off, a slick, synth-driven dancefloor-filler that sets the tone for the rest of the EP. ‘Flex’ then follows a similar route – high-energy, pumping house music that builds to a climax, before ‘Tallywhacker’ shifts things into more metallic, techno-oriented waters while losing none of the intensity. EP closer ‘Chorus Tool’ asserts itself with the kind of four-to-the-floor throb that the TRICK imprint is quickly becoming synonymous with.
