GOOD BISON
Tries To Outrun A Haunting
On New Single “Better Lies”
New Narrative-Driven EP Ghost On Mulholland Out February 21
The latest chapter in indie-rocker GOOD BISON’s new narrative EP, Ghost On Mulholland, has been unveiled in the form of “Better Lies,”
a single about the protagonist doing whatever he can to escape the
ghost that has been trailing him for a lifetime. The ambitious new EP
(inspired by the Goosebumps series by R.L. Stine) chronicling this
lifelong haunting will be released independently on February 21, 2023.
Watch video here
Better Lies” is a song about living in denial and the anguish of ignoring one’s inner pain. It finds Good Bison brainchild Pablo Alvarez
musing about hiding how he truly feels, running away from
responsibilities (i.e running away from the aforementioned ghost in
this narrative), and pretending that all is ok when it’s not. Despite
the painful subject matter, the track still showcases a laid-back vibe
full of intricate guitar riffs and solos, matched with warm, calming
melodies, as well as Alvarez’ signature, energetic alternations between
rapping and singing during the verses.
“I’ve never been particularly great at communicating my feelings. My
mind is so focused on staying afloat and pushing forward that I rarely
allow myself to process my emotion,” says Alvarez. “I could be at one of
my lowest points and still go about my day smiling. It’s not
necessarily an accurate depiction of how I’m feeling, it’s an instinct.
Or a defense mechanism. Sometimes I fear people would be disappointed if
they realize their perception of me isn’t entirely accurate. I’m
actually not always in a good mood, although it may seem that way.”
GOOD BISON Photo Credit - Estefania Krol/KRÖLHAUS
“Better Lies,” alongside the rest of the EP, was written and recorded in Miami by Alvarez and Abe Mendez, with George Spits handling additional production, mixing and mastering, Agustin Mas on lead guitar and Sebastian Delgado on drums/backing vocals. The writing and recording process for Ghost On Mulholland
saw Alvarez return to Miami, his home for many years after immigrating
there with his mother from Colombia. After having moved to Los Angeles
as an adult, the making of this EP gave Alvarez a chance to reconnect
with his Miami music community and collaborate with them once more.
“In Los Angeles, sometimes collaborations can feel a bit transactional.
Working on this record, I was just jamming with friends in Miami.
Friends I hadn’t jammed with since moving to LA over eight years ago,”
Alvarez says. “It was nostalgic, it was fun, it was easy. Every song on
this EP not only features several of the most talented musicians I’ve
had the pleasure of working with, but also people I grew up with and
love.”
On Ghost on Mulholland, Good Bison takes his sun-soaked indie
rock into a more serious, sometimes slowed direction to match the ghost
story at play. However, he still maintains the signature combo of Beck's
Odelay, Weezer's The Blue Album, and his unique, fast paced hip-hop delivery that’s previously brought him acclaim.
“Even though I’ve gotten pretty good at
running away from the ghost, sooner or later, he’s going to catch up to
and I think that’s true for most people,” concludes Alvarez. “It’s
difficult, if not impossible, to truly know what ghosts someone is
living with. But they’re always there, and these hauntings affect us in
different ways.”
“Better Lies” by GOOD BISON is out now. Ghost on Mulholland will be released on February 21, 2023 independently. Good Bison is available for interviews.
LISTEN TO THE NEW SINGLE “WEIRDO” AND WATCH THE OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO RIGHT HERE
MAKING U.S. LIVE PERFORMANCE DEBUT AT SXSW FESTIVAL IN MARCH
Buzzing Swedish newcomers Girl Scout have officially announced their debut EP Real Life Human Garbage, arriving February 15th, 2023 via Made Records.On
the heels of their lightning-bolt arrival this fall and just ahead of
their forthcoming debut live performances in the U.S. at SXSW Festival
in March, the project serves as a proper introduction to the band: a
four-piece who met while studying jazz in Stockholm and bonded through a
shared penchant for the garage rock and brit-pop sounds of the 80s and
90s. Produced by Ali Chant (Soccer Mommy, Perfume Genius) and Jacknife
Lee (The Killers, Bloc Party), the EP is led by the release of the
group’s brand new single “Weirdo”.
Watch video here
Inspired by lead-singer Emma Jansson’s time working at a grocery store at the dawn of the pandemic, “Weirdo” is an alt-rock jam of the times. “I am just a woman who doesn’t feel like something real. And I don’t feel like a woman. I’m just a kid trying to stay hid from everyone else,”
sings Jansson as she grapples with the struggles of social interactions
today, and the desire to connect with other people while not feeling
like you know how to. “Weirdo” arrives today with a music video
featuring actor and comedian Mark Williams (Harry Potter), which sees
him and Jansson buoyantly leaning into their weirdness.
"Some days I just wake up and forget how to be a person," says Jansson about “Weirdo.” "Like
I forget how to act and can’t, for the life of me, have a normal
conversation. I started working in a grocery store during the first wave
of COVID when my school shut down, and it felt like I had kind of
forgotten how to socially interact with people. It was an odd time where
the only people I was around were strangers that I didn’t really talk
about my personal life with, and I almost felt as if I wasn’t a real
person. You get this feeling of being all rusty and not able to relax
and climb out of your shell. Then it becomes a spiral of worrying that
you’re coming off weird, making you become even weirder because you’re
simultaneously analyzing if you’re being weird. Eventually, I just said
‘fuck it’ - maybe I’m weird, but I’ll live."
Comprised of Emma Jansson (guitar, vocals), Evelina Arvidsson Eklind (bass, vocals), Per Lindberg (drums) and Viktor Spasov
(guitar), Girl Scout is something of a gang of misfits. Each member
collectively struggled to fit in in some way, shape or form throughout
their lives, whether it was growing up as the only musician in a small
remote town, uprooting to different homes throughout a nomadic
childhood, or feeling like they were at the bottom of their graduating
class. Together though, their music feels cathartic and relatable; like a
late night conversation with some of your closest friends. The type
where you let your guard down, and find threads of humor and poignancy
in the comfort of knowing there’s a shared commonality in these awkward
human experiences. Each of the five songs featured on Real Life Human Garbage
reflect on the daunting feelings, cringe-worthy moments and social
encounters that can play on repeat in your head at night — the sort of
experiences that feel infinite in the moment, but can be defined by the
friends you go through them with.
Along with “Weirdo,” Real Life Human Garbage also features the group’s previously released song “All The Time And Everywhere” as well as their debut single “Do You Remember Sally Moore?.”
Exploding out of the gate, Girl Scout has garnered the attention of
numerous radio stations including BBC1, BBC6, Amazing Radio, FluxFM or
egoFM while receiving praise from the likes of Billboard, FLOOD Magazine, Brooklyn VeganMTV, Guitar World, Atwood Magazine, The Guardian, The Times, Dork, Clash and Consequence of Sound, who stated: "If this is how Girl Scout are coming out of the gate, it’s going to be quite exciting to see where their whims take them next."
Patrick Sansone (Wilco), Recorded at Johnny Cash's historic Cash Cabin
Milwaukee-based singer-songwriter Trapper Schoepp has announced his new studio albumSiren Songs, out April 21 via Grand Phony (US) / Rootsy (EU). Schoepp has also shared his new single“Cliffs of Dover,”a driving roots-rock song about an Iraq war veteran struggling with PTSD after returning home. Schoepp will be bringing his new music to audiences with a U.S. tour beginning on March 23 in Lake Orion, MI and making stops in Washington, D.C., New York and more – a full list of dates can be found below.
“PTSD has taken hold of an Iraq war veteran on ‘Cliffs of Dover,’” shares Schoepp. “He can’t escape the sounds of bullets and is torn up inside and out, reeling from the trauma of a failed war. I wrote this in response to war stories heard through Milwaukee’s Guitars 4 Vets organization - a non-profit I’ve worked with that provides guitars and lessons to veterans in need. This song lends lines from the World War II anthem ‘The White Cliffs of Dover’ by Vera Lynn. With that song and the recent international wars in mind, this song is sung as a call to peace and a remembrance of those we’ve lost.”
Ahead of its release, “Cliffs of Dover” received early radio airplay from Twin Cities’ The Current, New York’s WFUV and 88Nine Radio Milwaukee. Hailed as “a master storyteller" by HuffPost and beloved for his “rootsy, cinematic rock that charms as it soars” (NPR Music), Schoepp's forthcoming album Siren Songs is his strongest collection of songs to date, steeped in a sonic palette of traditional American and Irish folk music while giving it new life.
Produced by John Jackson (The Jayhawks, Ray Davies) and Patrick Sansone (Wilco), the recording sessions for Siren Songs took place at Johnny Cash's historic Cash Cabin in Hendersonville, TN where Schoepp and his collaborators recorded with instruments found on the storied grounds – ranging from Cash's 1930s Martin guitar and June Carter Cash’s Steinway piano to an old railroad spike. The end result features 12 songs filled with timeless folklore and nautical imagery.
Folks may recognize Schoepp when he became the youngest musician to share a co-writing credit with Bob Dylan on a long-lost song called "On, Wisconsin" in 2019. After coming across a previously unseen lyric sheet from Dylan's early recording sessions, Schoepp seized the opportunity to put music to these words about his home state. Fortunately, Dylan approved to jointly publish the song, garnering acclaim from Billboard, Rolling Stone and more. Now, in a full-circle moment, Schoepp is featured on the Siren Songs album cover posing in front of the same pond where Cash would read and dispose of letters sent to him by Dylan, honoring a sacred kinship that started in the ‘60s.
U.S. Tour Dates:
3/23 - Lake Orion, MI - 20 Front Street
3/26 - Washington D.C. - Pie Shop
3/28 - Boston, MA - City Winery
3/29 - Cambridge, NY - Argyle Brewing Company
3/30 - Saratoga Springs, NY - Caffe Lena
3/31 - Freehold, NJ - Concerts in the Studio
4/2 - New York, NY - Mercury Lounge
4/14 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry
4/15 - Madison, WI - Kiki’s House of Righteous Music
4/21 - Milwaukee, WI - Colectivo Backroom
4/22 - Berwyn, IL - Fitzgerald’s
U.K. and European Tour Dates Supporting Jesse Malin:
