Friday, April 11, 2025

WE BRING YOU THE MUSIC YOU

WANT TO HEAR

MUSIC VIDEO YOU WANT WATCH

THE FASHION YOU WANT TO WEAR

MUSIC FILM FASHION BLOG

Jon Muq - "Hear My Voice" [Official Audio]

By Way of Uganda
JON MUQ

Announces Anticipated Tour
Shares New Soulful Single
"Hear My Voice"

Jon Muq by Morgan Wommack

These days the world is sad, so I wanted to make happy songs," says singer/songwriter JON MUQ. "I wanted to write songs that connected with the listener in a very personal way. When someone listens to my music, it’s not just about me and what I’m singing… I think these songs can speak many languages, depending on what you want from them.”

Born in Uganda and now living in Austin, Texas, music is part of a larger conversation Jon Muq is engaging in with the world. Drawing from African as well as Western musical trends and traditions, he creates songs as offerings to the world, designed to settle into everyday life and provoke reflection and resilience. Muq explains, "This song is about the appreciation of my voice being heard as a migrant moving to and navigating a fast-paced new culture. If you have an opportunity, let your voice be heard.”

With heartfelt lyrics and melody, captured brilliantly by producer Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys) and his hand-picked session musicians (Jay Bellerose [drums], Tommy Brenneck [bass/guitar], Tom Bukovac [guitar], Mike Rojas [keys], and Sam Bacco [percussion]), “Hear My Voice” offers a bright, light guitar part and cheerful percussion with a tinge of melancholy in the melody. The song feels like sunlight and love and warmth, and Muq has a talent to create music that can speak to all equally. Auerbach is also behind the production of Muq’s upcoming album Flying Away, to be released later this year.

Watch Video Here:

Hot on the heels of the “Hear My Voice” release, Muq will be embarking on a North America Tour this Spring and Summer, on which he’ll be able to share his universally uplifting craft. Being from such a different part of the world, Muq is looking forward to “discovering more” about the U.S. “It’s always a pleasure to tour with amazing musicians. I’m excited,” he says. Kicking off April 15th in Philadelphia at World Cafe Live with GRAMMY®-nominated Valerie June (who shares the first four dates with him) and wrapping up on August 16th at Steamboat Springs, CO’s Strings in the Mountain, Muq will play his soulful music all over the country, at many incredible venues and festivals, including: Bonnaroo, Smoky Hill River Festival, Woof Stock, Calgary Folk Festival, Red Ants Pants Festival, Rocky Mountain Folk Festival, and more.

Muq’s experiences as a child in Uganda and as a man in America give him a unique perspective on the world he’s addressing. “I grew up in a very different life, where so many people pass through hard times just because they don’t have much. Our biggest issue was food scarcity. Then I came to a different world, which gave me a picture of how to write a song that can find balance with everyone wherever they are, whether they have a lot or not much.” As he completes his debut with producer Dan Auerbach and tours with Billy Joel, Norah Jones, Mavis Staples, Amythyst Kiah, Corinne Bailey Rae, and others, Muq is expanding the scope of his music to speak to more and more people.

Though Muq currently calls Austin home, he’s on the road more than he is in Texas, touring frequently and bringing his sunny songs to audiences of all kinds. “When I arrived in America, I was coming from a different part of the world, and I was very lost. I didn’t have a plan. I didn’t know what was coming tomorrow." After first coming across western music through finding a CD of supergroup U.S.A. For Africa's charity single "We Are The World" (the 1985 benefit single featuring Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, and Cyndi Lauper, among dozens of others) and hearing the song's message and intention, Muq was lead to pursue music even more fervently. I was just following instinct. I always thought, if I can communicate with people through music, it will make me feel like I am not alone. I can speak to people very intimately using music… Everything happened because I was following sound. I was chasing it. I was just singing."

Thursday, April 10, 2025

I’m With Her - Find My Way to You (Official Music Video)

Grandstand Media

I’M WITH HER

SHARE NEW SINGLE “FIND MY WAY TO YOU”

Wild and Clear and Blue out May 9th via Rounder Records

& North American Tour Announced

Photo Credit: Alysse Gafkjen

Beloved folk trio I’m With Her – comprised of multi-GRAMMY winners (7 wins, 31 nominations collectively) Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O’Donovan, and Sara Watkins — will return this spring with a stunning new record entitled Wild and Clear and Blue, out on May 9th via Rounder Records. They recently shared “Ancient Light,” the album’s lead single, and today they return with another preview of the record with “Find My Way to You.” Showcasing the unshakable determination found throughout Wild and Clear and Blue, “Find My Way to You” is a bluegrass-leaning number propelled by the group’s exuberant vocal work. The breakneck-paced track was partly inspired by a rendition of Bruce Springsteen’s “Open All Night” performed by O’Donovan and Jarosz at Newport Folk Festival in 2023. “After we covered the Springsteen song, Watkins said how she wished I’m With Her had a moment like that—that same kind of forceful duet singing,” O’Donovan recalls. “Over time the chorus to ‘Find My Way to You’ became exactly that, which is a good example of how the three of us send these little psychic messages to each other and it somehow turns into a song.”

Watch Video here for ‘Find My Way to You’

Recorded in New York at both The Outlier Inn in the Catskills and The Clubhouse in Rhinebeck, Wild and Clear and Blue was produced by Josh Kaufman—a member of Bonny Light Horseman and multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, arranger and producer who’s worked with Bob Weir and The National— and mixed by D. James Goodwin. The result is the long-awaited sophomore album from a close-knit alliance of highly esteemed musicians, each graced with a deep understanding of folk tradition and unbridled passion for expanding its possibilities. The group’s first album led to a GRAMMY nomination, wins at the Americana Music Association Awards and International Folk Music Awards, #1s on the Billboard Bluegrass Albums and Folk Albums charts (where it remained charting for 7 months), and much more. Now, on their forthcoming record, I’m With Her bring their luminous harmonies to a soul-searching body of work about reaching into the past, navigating a chaotic present, and bravely moving forward into the unknown.

(Album Artwork)

Tracklisting

01. Ancient Light

02. Wild and Clear and Blue

03. Sisters of the Night Watch

04. Different Rocks, Different Hills

05. Standing on the Fault Line

06. Mother Eagle (Sing Me Alive)

07. Only Daughter

08. Find My Way to You

09. Strawberry Moonrise

10. Year After Year

11. Rhododendron

More on I’m With Her and Wild and Clear and Blue:

Watkins, Jarosz, and O’Donovan first discovered their near-telepathic chemistry during an impromptu performance at the 2014 Telluride Bluegrass Festival and quickly co-founded I’m With Her. With the group’s formation, the trio introduced an essential new force into the world of folk music. Since delivering their critically lauded debut See You Around and standalone singles like “Call My Name” (winner of the 2020 Grammy for Best American Roots Song), the trio have routinely taken time out from their individual careers to dream up songs together—eventually arriving at a new album exploring themes of ancestry, lineage, and the collective human experience.

In a departure from the stripped-back intimacy of See You Around—a 2018 release that turned up on best-of-the-year lists from the likes of the New York Times—Wild and Clear and Blue centers on a far more elaborate sound informed by the band’s extensive touring and acclaimed performances at festivals around the globe. “Because we’ve played together so much at this point, we have a much stronger sense of what we’re capable of creating together,” says Jarosz. “We wanted to be open to anything on this record, and give ourselves more space for the solo sections to really breathe.” Produced by Josh Kaufman, the album finds each member handling a variety of instruments (mandolin, octave mandolin, guitar, and banjo for Jarosz; guitar and piano for O’Donovan; fiddle, cello, and organ for Watkins), instilling a potent vitality into every track. “Sometimes in the studio songs end up losing a bit of their sparkle, but with this record everything kept tumbling forward in a very natural, positive way,” says Watkins. Also featuring drummer JT Bates (Andrew Bird, Taylor Swift) as well as Kaufman’s contributions on everything from lap steel to Wurlitzer, Wild and Clear and Blue ultimately adds a bold new urgency to I’m With Her’s delicate entangling of lived-in narrative and fable-like storytelling.

Recorded at two separate New York studios (The Outlier Inn in the Catskills and The Clubhouse in Rhinebeck), Wild and Clear and Blue takes its title from a song written after the passing of two of their most beloved musical forebears, Nanci Griffith and John Prine. “When I was nine my mom took me to see Nanci Griffith and I sent a note backstage requesting ‘Ford Econoline,’ and she played it at the show,” says O’Donovan. “We wrote ‘Wild and Clear and Blue’ thinking about growing up so in love with music and then actually making music ourselves—it’s very specific to our own lives, but I think there’s something universal about having those childhood memories tied up in the music your parents played for you.” The first song written for Wild and Clear and Blue, the exquisitely wistful track soon catalyzed I’m With Her’s album-wide reflection on generational bonds and self-realization. “So much of this record is about connecting with your past and figuring out what you want for your future, finding yourself and finding the people you love,” says Watkins. “It’s a journey that everybody takes, and this is our way of singing through it.”

All multi-Grammy-winners with deep roots in the folk scene, Watkins, Jarosz, and O’Donovan founded I’m With Her in 2014. Over the years, their profound sense of kinship has only intensified, often allowing for a certain charmed fluidity in the creative process. “There were so many wonderful moments in the studio where we noticed commonalities between the songs that we sometimes hadn’t intended, either melodically or harmonically or even lyrically, with a line in one song almost responding to another song,” says Watkins. “It all feels very cyclical in a way that adds another dimension to the meaning of the songs, and shows the sincerity of feeling we all brought to the album.”

With Jarosz, O’Donovan, and Watkins sharing writing credits on all 11 songs, Wild and Clear and Blue owes much of its beauty and power to the generosity of spirit embraced by each member. “When we write together it’s almost like we’re a three-headed creature—there’s never any need to take ownership of ideas, and always an ease of letting go when something isn’t working,” says O’Donovan. And for I’m With Her, that sense of musical communion has proven endlessly rewarding on multiple levels. “One of my favorite things about being in this band is actually listening to my bandmates,” says Watkins. “I’m such a fan of these two people, and it’s a huge pleasure to listen back to this album and remember how amazing it is that I got to make it with them.”

Grandstand Media

Charli Lark - Gold Edge Tongue (Official Video)

Big Machine Agency

ELECTRO-POP FORCE CHARLI LARK CAPTURES BEAUTIFUL DISCOMFORT IN “GOLD EDGE TONGUE” VIDEO, PREMIERED ON LADYGUNN

Watch “Gold Edge Tongue” Right Here

“Visually, ‘Gold Edge Tongue’ resonates with thought-provoking aesthetics that align beautifully with [Charli’s] chill, almost meditative sound. It harkens back to early-to-mid ’90s videography, infused with a dash of ’80s new-wave flair. If you find echoes of Enigma and The Cure, know that this is likely intentional.”

– LADYGUNN

“Charli Lark’s music journey is one of resilience and transformation. After breaking free from a challenging past, she found her ability to speak up through songwriting.”

– Galore

New York, NY - (April 10, 2025) – Breakout electro-pop sensation Charli Lark raises the stakes with today’s release of the music video for her latest single, “Gold Edge Tongue” – a lo-fi pop fusion brimming with luminous synths, skittering breakbeats, and razor-sharp lyricism. Premiered on LADYGUNN, the visual directed by Lulu Shing unfolds like a femme-fatale fever dream: Charli is flanked by modern-day sirens in sleek black blazers, crimson tights, and surrealist makeup, exuding a seductively surreal energy that’s impossible to ignore.

The artist-to-watch shares, “We wanted it to be weirdly beautiful, and for the viewer to feel a little uncomfortable. Something’s a little off – like when you’re in those situations where someone is manipulating you with their charm. Lulu, our director, captured that feeling. We played with metaphors that reflect the song’s themes: domination, interconnection, the subtle cues we ignore, constriction and freedom, beauty and pain. We worked a lot on developing the presence of the other women in the video – they’re central to the creative expression of the visual. Parts of me coming together to form a whole. And each of us – all of us – are connected through this same experience. Connected, yet trapped.”

"Gold Edge Tongue" follows the white-hot “Burn It Down” as the second release crafted during an intensive writing and recording trip to the UK in March 2024. Arriving with pre-written songs, lyrics, and melodies, she embraced the sessions as a solo songwriter and a dynamic collaborator. Working with top producers outside the label system, she pushed her craft further, blending her vision with fresh creative energy.

Lark grew up in Louisiana with a deep love for music but few opportunities to pursue it. As a child, she sang at fairs and talent shows, later performing at open mics in college. Still, her musical dreams often took a backseat. After years in corporate America, she moved to New York City to pursue music more seriously. She married, had children, and eventually settled in Idaho. But as her marriage turned toxic, songwriting became her escape. The isolation of rural life and a crumbling relationship took its toll until she finally reached a breaking point. “It might have looked like a breakdown, but now I know it was a breakthrough.”

Lark describes this breakthrough as the beginning of her "Second Life," a journey of shedding personal and societal expectations to rediscover her true self. She challenges the notion that we must master and stick to one path, emphasizing that real life is fluid and ever-changing. Through spirituality and songwriting, she peeled away layers of old emotions and limiting beliefs, unlocking a dormant power that had always been within her. "It’s like an un-layering process," she explains, releasing what once weighed her down to embrace joy and transformation. Charli encourages others to do the same, reminding them it’s never too late to evolve into who they’re meant to be.

With “Gold Edge Tongue,” Lark delivers a powerful statement while setting the stage for an auspicious 2025. If it’s any indication, the year ahead promises to be a defining moment in her musical journey.

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ladygunn.com

Big Machine Agency

Gasoline Lollipops - Humanity (Official Music Video)

Thu, Apr 10 at 9:45 AM

Gasoline Lollipops Announce Kill The Architect,
New LP Prod. by Steve Berlin (Los Lobos) out June 13

Release Frenetic Video for Soul-Searching “Humanity”

Announce Signing to ALP Recordings

Album Art

The Colorado-based alt-country rock band Gasoline Lollipops announce that their upcoming LP Kill The Architect will release on June 13, their debut with ALP Recordings. Produced by longtime Los Lobos member Steve Berlin, the album tackles our struggle for balance and connection in the midst of political turmoil. The first single “Humanity,” also out today, reflects that – addressing both what brings us together and what drives us apart over bluesy piano and twangy guitar that give the song a cautiously optimistic sound. The video portrays frontman and lyricist Clay Rose as a satirical game show host, interviewing his own human conscience and frenetically dancing around a colorful garage space.

Watch Video Here:

About the new track, Rose shares: “‘Humanity’ swings like a rusty pendulum between our need to accept responsibility for our lives in the throes of late-stage capitalism, and the anesthetizing self-infatuation of social media and consumerism. It’s a post-apocalyptic beauty pageant, and we’re all runners up. Who will be crowned Queen of Ground Zero? Who will be trampled in the race for glamour? Just remember folks, when you’re flat on your back, with the imported stiletto heel of the American Dream boring a hole through your throat, there’s nowhere to look, but up.”

Kill the Architect began to take shape as Rose composed music for Sam & Delilah, a psychedelic country ballet based upon the Biblical tale of Samson and Delilah. Like the ballet, much of the album is about the duality of human nature – good and evil / light and dark – and how balance is only achieved when we accept both sides of the coin into ourselves. This is also reflected in the album’s sound, with many of the songs firmly rooted in the band’s folk and country influences and the other half owing more to the noisy punk rock Rose grew up listening to. Not only does this mirror the ways in which he sees societal change coming about – the first being a soft touch or a sense of comfort and the other being what he puts as a “smack upside the head” or a wake up call – but more importantly, it also mirrors the competing forces within all of us.

“As humans, we've separated ourselves based upon our beliefs and the identities we've created,” shares Rose. “Those things might have weight, but ultimately, it's not real. It's fleeting. It goes away when you go to sleep. It's not worth dying for, and it's certainly not worth killing for. If you've gotta kill something, kill your identity and be liberated. That's what Kill the Architect is about.”

Rose first met Berlin when the band opened a Colorado show on Los Lobos’ 50th anniversary tour, and before long, Berlin met the band at Dockside Studio in Lafayette, Louisiana, where they recorded Kill the Architect during a series of live-in-the-studio performances. In addition to Berlin, the album features appearances from a number of Rose’s friends and musical collaborators. GRAMMY-nominated singer/songwriter Gregory Alan Isakov provided vocal harmonies on “Mercy,” Fruition’s Mimi Naja turns “Horse Or The Cart” into a classic country duet, which was co-written with Phoebe Hunt. And Rose even invited his mother Donna Farar, a longtime Nashville songwriter, to help craft “Tennessee Nights.”

Growing up, Rose divided his time between Nashville where his mother, the songwriter behind Willie Nelson’s hit single “Last Thing I Needed First Thing This Morning,” lived and Colorado where his draft-dodging, pot-slinging truck driver father resided. He tapped into these experiences for this album – yet another example of the duality of life. Formed in the early 2000s as a cow-punk duo, the Gasoline Lollipops’ hometown following in Colorado eventually began to expand and so did their lineup, which currently includes Don Ambory, Scott Coulter, Brad Morse and Kevin Matthews. Now on their sixth record, they’ve distilled their ever-evolving sound into something signature and distinct, capturing a band firing on all cylinders, their tank filled to the brim, and their wheels pointing toward a horizon of their own making.

To stay up to date with upcoming tour dates, please visit gasolinelollipops.com.

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Photographer Credit: Eleanor Segel Williamson

Missing Piece Group

Monday, April 7, 2025

#GlobalMixx2025

Are you ready to find your purpose? We kicked off the Global Mixx DJ Retreat two decades ago with some of the biggest names in music.

As the entertainment business evolves, we continue to celebrate creators in film, media, dance, songwriting, social media, radio, podcasts and digital creation.