Legendary Shack Shakers will be hitting the road this fall/winter, making their way through the Midwest in November, and Florida in December. The November run of dates will be with country music artist Chuck Mead, and the Florida dates with Texas favorites The Reverend Horton Heat. To round out the tours (and the year), Legendary Shack Shakers and The Reverend Horton Heat will be playing an exciting New Year’s Eve show with Jello Biafra, The WildTones, and more at Will’s Pub in Orlando, Florida. Take a peek at the full list of tour dates and venues below.
Nov 8 | Chicago, IL | City Winery #
Nov 9 | Minneapolis, MN | VFW Post 246 #
Nov 10 | Madison, WI | High Noon Saloon #
Nov 11 | Rock Island, IL | Rock Island Brewing Co. #
Nov 12 | Lincoln, NE | 1867 Bar #
Nov 13 | Kansas City, MO | Knuckleheads Saloon #
Dec 28 | Deland, FL | Cafe DaVinci @
Dec 29 | West Palm Beach, FL | Respectable Street @
Dec 30 | St. Petersburg, FL | State Theater @
Dec 31 | Orlando, FL | Will's Pub (Outdoor Stage) @ *
Feb 10 | San Diego, CA | The Casbah
Feb 17 | San Jose, CA | The Ritz
w/ Chuck Mead #
w/ Reverend Horton Heat @
w/ Jello Biafra *
If you haven’t seen the Legendary Shack Shakers in a while, don’t worry, they’ve been tucked away writing a new album, due to release in 2017. Next year is bound to be chock full of good old rowdy fun from these hard working guys, but in the meantime, hit up a show or head over to LSS’s Hunnypot artist page for a special sneak peek.
In the spirit of Halloween, our next video pick is a live recording from 1990. Check out The Cramps covering Johnny Burnette’s “Tear It Up” in Amsterdam! This rockabilly/punk band formed in the 70s around founding members and offstage couple, lead singer Lux Interior and guitarist Poison Ivy. Credited with being one of the first punk bands and part of the CBGB punk movement in New York, they are also considered the innovators of the subgenre “psychobilly.” The Cramps had a wide range of influences and became the influence for many genres afterward. Famous for their rambunctious and sexually suggestive live shows, The Cramps left their mark on the music industry forever. The Cramps played their last show in 2006 and disbanded completely after Lux Interior’s death in 2009.
This video is a perfect showcase of their quintessential performances, featuring Lux Interior-- clad only in sheer-panel underwear and heels-- crawling and climbing on speaker stacks, shoving microphone heads in his mouth, and tearing stuff up in general (get it?). Even in ladies’ underwear, Lux Interior is and always will be more punk than pretty much everybody.
Swedish superduo Galantis retains the catchiness in pop with techno EDM once again. Galantis is Christian "Bloodshy" Karlsson from Miike Snow, plus Linus Eklöw, aka Style of Eye. They are best known for their 2014 single "Runaway (U & I)" and 2016 single "No Money".
Galantis’s latest single “Love On Me” stirs big waves featuring chart-topper Hook N’ Sling aka Anthony Maniscalco. ARIA nominated Hook N’ Sling earned tens of millions of spins online, and gained BBC Radio 1 support from Danny Howard after releasing a remix of “Tokyo by Night” with DJ Axwell.
The track is accompanied by a simple keyboard chord progressions, where the steel drum synth doubles as the melody, with percussion grooves and melodic bass pinned to the vivaciously resonating vocals. Expressive and forceful, the music video is visually flamboyant simulating thousand armed Avalokiteśvara, kaleidoscopic views and vibrant colors. Avalokiteśvara embodies Buddha Amitābha’s merciful attempts to reach and care for people’s suffering multitudes.
Enough said, come watch and lit up your day mid week!
Male model turned musician David Welles leads his self-proclaimed cyberpunk band ONWE in a new music video for their song “In the City” off upcoming album David Welles. The album follows up on 2014’s jk bb EP. Brooklynites might recall Welles’s social media campaign from that year, where Welles friend-requested many people in a sort of guerilla marketing for ONWE. If not, you can easily catch yourself up on the fun with the existing EP in preparation for the album!
ONWE, a blatant play on the French word ennui (meaning “boredom,” for those of us who’d care to forget our high school vocabulary drills), is not shy about the term “heavy handed” in regards to their message about the apathetic youth. Their music challenges this apathy, social and economic inequalities, and gender.
The video for “In the City” is officially described, “David Welles and his cult of Bushwick party people engage in ritualistic hedonism during an impeccably lit advertorial photo-shoot.” It indeed features a wide cast of faces under the direction of Madison Velding-VanDam and producer Kelsey Tyler. The plain backdrops familiar to anyone who’s seen a commercial frame ONWE’s “impeccably lit” cast on a shoot gone awry. You’ll definitely want to buy what ONWE is selling.
ONWE’s full length album will be available through Seayou Entertainment on November 18th.
Gender bending Hunnypot alum and Washington native Michete has a new video out for their song “Recognize This Pussy”! If you missed the performance at The Mint on October 3rd, check out this video to get in the Michete spirit. The track is filled with signature Michete pop culture references, including video games for the gamers out there, layered on a quintessential rap topic, getting that paper. Michete is concerned with two things in “Recognize This Pussy,” and those are, making money, and recognizing that pussy. It’s empowering, a gender-neutral take on popular modern adage, “fuck bitches get money.” This blend of witty and humorous lyrics on top of an unapologetically in your face manner of presentation forces us to rethink our ideas on gender and sexuality while simultaneously encouraging us to do life for ourselves.
The video was directed and edited by Ruby Paiva and Reed McCoy and features cameos from Seattle artists ZELLi, Worshiprr, and NAVVI frontwoman Kristin Henry. This crew, headed by Michete, traverses streets and parks together in the video to feature the strength of the pussy that ought to be recognized. Michete’s call to arms, “Where my ladies up in here that don’t need that?” is a rallying point in between the main lyrics of the song. Whether you’ve got a pussy or not, you’ll want to get in touch with your inner bad bitch when you watch this video!
Join us on Monday, November 21st from 6-8pm for this special panel discussion with experts in the Music Supervision and Placement field. This free event is also open to the public and will take place at Musicians Institute Concert Hall. The panel is comprised of:
Frankie Pine is an award-winning music supervisor, putting together memorable, provocative, and engaging soundtracks for high profile film and television projects. Her diverse work spans multiple genres, from popular television dramas like “Brothers and Sisters” and “Army Wives,” to comedy feature films like “Santa Claus 2” and “Tooth Fairy,” to indie box office hits like “Magic Mike.”
She is currently supervising Aaron Sorkin’s hit television series “The Newsroom”, Amazon's original streaming show The Ranch staring Ashton Kutcher as well as the inspired country music drama “Nashville”. Along with her television expertise, she has extensive film credits, serving as music consultant on such successful films as Steven Soderbergh’s “Ocean’s 11, 12 and 13,” and on the soundtrack for the Academy Award-winning movie “Traffic” for which she received a Grammy nomination.
In addition to her work as a music supervisor, Pine also serves as a Music Consultant for ABC Television and has served as Interim Music Executive at New Line Cinema as well as Music Executive at PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, which included overseeing music for such outstanding films as Dead Man Walking, Notting Hill, and The Big Lebowski.
Frankie works under her banner of Whirly Girl Music. Additional accolades include a 2012 Guild of Music Supervisors award for Best Music Supervisor for the indie film “Magic Mike” and an RIAA Certified Gold Record for “How to Be a Player.”
John Anderson is the ringmaster of Hunnypot Unlimited, a multifaceted Music Publishing, Artist Representation, Marketing and Film & Television Placement organization specializing in discovering and cultivating fresh music talent. The Hunnypot Unlimited brand is synonymous with quality music and recognized as one of the premier industry tastemaker sources. Hunnypot provides exclusive promotion, marketing, brand development and placement representation of owned and non-owned copyright and recording assets through expansive relationships within the music, film, television, ad and gaming communities using unique, forward thinking approaches to business and distinct and creative grass roots campaigns.
Hunnypot provides exposure to cutting edge music and changes the palate of listeners worldwide through endorsement, promotion, packaging and/or planning of live music concerts and events. Hunnypot Radio and the Hunnypot Website provide instant awareness of Hunnypot artist activity as well as contemporary music news and other culturally relevant media.
John spent the first 20 years of his career in the music industry as an integral member of Windswept Music Publishing. He helped take the company from a fledgling start-up to the largest independent Music Publisher in the world, a feat that resulted in one of the most lucrative catalogue sales in Music Publishing history. In 2008 John applied the A&R/Publisher/Placement model to the branded Hunnypot name and established itself as a leading independent music publishing/placement company representing the catalogues of Far East Movement, Louis Prima Jr., The Dollyrots, Barnyard Stompers, Mochipet, Young Creatures, The Cataracs, Dr. Hollywood, A House For Lions, Bearheart, J*LABS and Ghost Lit Kingdom. John’s early track record as a song-plugger boasts hits like Eric Clapton’s “Before You Accuse Me” and Vanessa Williams’ career-defining song “Save The Best For Last.”
Over the course of his industrious Publishing career, John has worked closely with some of the biggest songwriters of all-time including Sean Garrett (Usher “Yeah”, Fergie “London Bridge”), Mike Elizondo (50 Cent “In Da Club”, Mary J. Blige “Family Affair”) and Albert Hammond (Julio Iglesias “To All The Girls I’ve Loved Before,” The Hollies “The Air That I Breathe”). As Sr. Vice President of Film & Television Music for Windswept, John was essential in the synchronization and licensing careers of such seminal artists as Pete Townsend, John Mellencamp, Nick Cave, The Allman Brothers and Willie Nelson as well as new stars like Corrine Bailey Ray, Snow Patrol, Kings of Leon, Beyonce, Mickey Avalon and Lady Sovereign. Some personal placement triumphs for John include Snow Patrol “Chasing Cars” in Grey’s Anatomy, The Who songs featured in the entire CSIfranchise, Kings of Leon’s “Molly’s Chamber” for Volkswagon, and The Dollyrots “Because I’m Awesome” for both Hewlitt/Packard and Kohl’s Department Stores.
As one of the key A&R representatives for Windswept, some of John’s signings included Fischerspooner, The Dollyrots, Meat Beat Manifesto, The Cramps, Talib Kweli, Blackstar, The Coup, Hi-Tek, The BellRays, Johnette Napollitano (Concrete Blonde), and Sky Cries Mary.
I fell in love with Homeshake last Sunday night. You might know the lead singer Peter Sagar for his work with beloved indie songwriter Mac Demarco. In fact, I would say Peter Sagar is largely responsible for the iconic sound we attribute to Mac Demarco, as the echo-y guitar and synth present in all of Mac’s most famous songs is actually the trademark of Sagar.
But that’s beside the point. Regardless of how you feel the two compare, Homeshake’s music is hard to not like. Complete with catchy guitar riffs, groovy bass lines, and tripped-out synth and vocals their tunes put you in a trance. Obviously, I’m not the only one to get into them in the past year, because this year’s turnout was crazy compared to last year’s at the same venue. When I arrived at Rickshaw Stop the line to get in was so long, nobody knew how we were all going to fit (Rickshaw Stop is a pretty small room, after all). However, my friend who attended last year said that when they played before they didn’t even fill the venue.
During my wait I bonded with the strangers in front of and behind me in line, all of whom were incredibly kind. This is particularly shocking, especially when compared with Mac Demarco’s notoriously irritating, self-proclaimed (in The Fader magazine) “art-ish student” fan base. In fact, it’s been a long time since I’ve gone to a concert that had such a friendly, casual feel. Sagar himself was even selling his own merch, kindly talking with their fans like it was no big deal before the show.
However, when Homeshake actually stepped on the stage everything changed. They group exuded a sort of urban class that was undeniably sexy (as pretty much any person in the crowd could tell you, because we were all whispering to each other about it). Taking sips of water from his whisky-on-the-rocks-style glass, Sagar stood behind his synth and growled into his mic “can we get things a little darker up here.” The lights dimmed to almost black, to which he responded “okay, maybe a little lighter” and the lights settled on a green wash. The whole crowd and the rest of the band chuckled. Sagar, however, only responded with a slight smirk. I swooned.
Their set was simple, with little commentary between songs other than Sagar muttering a few sly jokes and thank you's through a voice changer that made him sound like some kind of helium-happy cartoon. Their minimalist style fit the music perfectly. The whole crowd swayed as Homeshake rolled through song after song—an experience that for me felt almost spiritual. In the words of another attendee: “It’s like they’re kicking ass, know it, and don’t even care.” I didn’t think about anything else throughout their whole set—I was too busy staring at the lead singer and basking in their beachy, mellow tunes to be bothered.
Overall the night was filled with great music, great people, and good vibes. Seeing Homeshake live isn’t even comparable to listening to their records—and this is from someone who has been listening to their album “Midnight Snack” on repeat for months. Something about their performance completely fills the room, and their casual composure sets a tone that gave me so much more appreciation for their music outside of the typical doc-martens toting, mom-jeans wearing indie scene. I left completely elated, and will definitely scrabble to get my hands on any tickets to see them again.
Photo Credit: Funcheap SF
On October 14th, Stryper made a triumphant return to Riverside CA supporting their eagerly awaited To Hell with the Devil 30th Anniversary Tour. Whether you had been a longtime fan of Stryper or had just recently discovered their amazing music, Friday’s show at the Riverside Municipal Auditorium had something for everyone and failed to disappoint even the most discerning Stryper fan. The band, comprised of all four original members including Michael Sweet, Robert Sweet, Oz Fox, and Timothy Gaines, played all 11 tracks off of 1986 Grammy nominated album plus nine additional tracks that spanned their entire catalog of high-intensity rock and roll.
After a solid set from local acoustic sensation The J-Mann Band, lights at the RMA finally dimmed and the near-capacity crowd rose to their feet in anticipation of the start of the show. Red and yellow lighting began to glow on stage as a Stryper “pump-up” video began high above the stage. The 8-minute video took concert-goers through a chronological journey of Stryper’s amazing 30+ year career chock full of pictures, interviews, and live music footage. This definitely got the room energized and stirred up quite a bit of emotion with the legions of Stryper faithful in attendance. Immediately following the video, the lights went dark and “Abyss” began to pulse through the tightly packed auditorium. As the instrumental came to a close, Michael Sweet and company hit the stage in vintage yellow and black racing suits, launching into the opening track of the night, “To Hell with the Devil”.
And so it began, the 30th Anniversary of To Hell with the Devil was off and running at the historical RMA in Riverside, CA. Scanning the audience, there was not a fan around me that did not have their fist high in the air, singing along to one of the 80’s most iconic rock albums. My favorite live tracks from THWTD that evening included “The Way” and “Rockin’ the World”, while others seemed to gravitate towards “Honestly”, Stryper’s most commercial and well-known hit. Upon completion of the album in its entirety, the band took a short break to change out of their racing suits and into more comfortable attire for the remainder of the set. The second part of the show unleashed a litany of Stryper classics upon the crowd including “In God We Trust”, “God”, and fan-favorite “Soldiers Under Command”. However, my favorite song of the evening was “Yahweh”, off their 2015 release, Fallen. To me, this was Stryper at its best. The encore, “Makes Me Wanna Sing”, was chosen by the audience via Stryper app (very cool) and capped of an incredible night of music with the Yellow and Black in Riverside, CA.
Stryper’s performance at the Riverside Municipal Auditorium on Friday night was vocally crisp, instrumentally solid, and brought a consistent energy to the stage that unrivaled by many of their counterparts. Sweet’s vocals were pitch perfect while Robert, Oz, and Timothy were all crushing it throughout the 18-song set. The remarkable chemistry of the band was showcased all evening long, and left no doubt to the thousand + in attendance that this band was still the real-deal after all these years. Just six shows into their world tour, this band of brothers homecoming to Southern California was just what the doctor ordered and for many in attendance, one of their live performances in years. For those that came to show looking to relive the 80’s with classic Stryper, that definitely happened. More importantly, it gave many Stryper fans an opportunity to hear some of their latest material (which I honestly believe might be their best to date).
Hunnypot Unlimited’s Matthew Belter recently had a chance to catch up with Stryper frontman and guitarist Michael Sweet to discuss the 30th anniversary of the To Hell with the Devil LP as well as all things Stryper. Here is Part II of our exclusive interview:
Your collaboration with George Lynch on 2015’s “Only to Rise” was pretty tight and has received solid reviews all around the world. What was in like working with George? Will fans be seeing any follow ups to Sweet & Lynch’s debut album in the near future?
Really fun man. I loved working with it. George sent me a bunch of ideas. I took those ideas and wrote lyrics and melodies and finished them off. We're going to do it again. We're going to start writing in January. I think he's actually writing ideas now. We're going to start recording in February and release another album man, it's going to be cool. We're going to get a little edgier with it. We talked about it and a little bit more in the “Tooth and Nail” kind of direction. A little faster songs and more burning solos, so we're going to try and go down that road.
You had an opportunity to front one of my favorite bands of all time, Boston, back in 2008. What was that experience like and what was it like to work with Tom Scholz?
It was incredible. Definitely surreal, many times on stage did not feel real, felt like a dream. All that good stuff. Man it was a great time. Opportunity to stand on stage after stage, in front of those crowds and all those fans and singing some of my favorite songs of all time, and perform them next to Tom. It was just great, great feeling man. Short-lived, but an incredible memory I'll always have.
You left Boston back in 2011 to refocus your efforts on Stryper. Was that a hard thing to do seeing how good things were going at the time?
It was one of the easiest decisions I've ever made. It really was. I knew that I was supposed to leave Boston and devote 100% of my time to Stryper, and I think that's why Stryper has been really churning out a lot of stuff lately, because I have devoted more time to it. It was easy. I didn't even have to think twice about it.
Looking back over an amazing 35-year career (Stryper, solo, along with numerous collaborations), would there be anything you would do differently based on what you know today?
There are a few things that I might go back and do a little differently but I'm pretty happy with the choices I've made over the years and the things I've done over the years. I really don't have many regrets. I have a few, but not many, and they're all minor. The ones that I have are minor. Man, I've been brought to this place with a purpose and I'm not going to sit there and question it, or question God, or where he's taken me at all. It's been quite a ride and quite a blessing and I'm just thrilled to have been a part of it. I feel like there's a lot more in store as well.
Some may remember Maggie Rogers’s song “Alaska” from the viral video of Pharrell listening to it at his masterclass at NYU Clive Davis Institute, but others may have found this gem through word of mouth or their own discovery. Rogers’s unique sound is wonderful in its own right, inspiring feelings in each person that gives her a listen. Music means something different to each and every one of us. Since our world views are shaped by our unique lives, it’s guaranteed that each person can take something different from Rogers’s music. Her Facebook is home to a heartfelt personal letter from Rogers herself, praising the faults in all of us, and sharing her vision of music and a willingness to experience the world as it happens. In her words, “Sometimes I think it's magic – this thing we can't see, but makes us all feel the same way. When it's real, it raises hair and makes the air taste sweeter.”
“Alaska” now has its music video counterpart, as of October 18th. Directed by Zia Anger, the video is true to her roots as a hiker and environmentalist. Rogers sashays her way through nature, dancing amongst trees and fields. She is dressed comfortably in what we can likely assume is similar to her daily dress, as such, the video feels like a personal peek into her life, her mind. Rogers is joined by others and the video transitions to a party in the woods that seems almost spiritual. A large crowd of people are shown releasing their inhibitions through dance, laughter, and even love. Finally, like a dream, Rogers disappears into nature as though she were a wood nymph.
This writer could tell you how the music sounds and how it made her feel, but you should really experience it for yourself, let the music speak to your own soul, and take from it what you will.
Hunnypot alum IAMEVE launched her first video, the ethereal “Starman.” With absolutely stunning CGI work, the music video is the first chapter of a transmedia project titled “The Everything Nothing. The eclectic video boasts a broad range of influences that are hard to narrow down to just a few adjectives. (PG-13) Steampunks in Space, maybe? However you might choose to describe this video, it will most certainly leave you on the edge of your seat for the next chapter. Check out this press statement about IAMEVE and “Starman”:
“IAMEVE is a spell-binding storyteller who merges electronic music textures and visual dreamscapes. “Starman” was co-produced with David Christophere of the classic electronic music outfit Rabbit In The Moon, and the video was directed by Thor Freudenthal (Percy Jackson, Diary of A Wimpy Kid). The video’s Starman is played by Keon Alexander, beloved on FX’s Tyrant. The surrealistic love story is told in this mesmerizing music video, with IAMEVE painted in sacred geometry by body artist Michael Rosner.
IAMEVE, the mysterious creator who lives inside “Starman’s” painted other-word, has a unique backstory. With her deep love of fairy tales, visual art, and a diverse musical background, she found herself a Stranger in a Strange Land: Los Angeles – the story city. Shortly after arriving, a massive accident left her with a bionic elbow and unable to play guitar or piano.
“Lying there still, it caused me to open up to untested ways of creating because I needed a new set of tools to keep going. Electronic production had always been a passion and something I had experimented with, but this caused me to move fully in that direction. It freed me up and gave me an entirely new soundscape that feels so much more in tune with the world I am creating.”
With influences including Rodin, Bowie, Terry Gilliam, Dali, Kate Bush, Geiger, Lewis Carroll, Tim Burton, Tolkien, and Dune, “Starman” and upcoming, The Everything Nothing video series and EP will extend the fantasy of inner and outer space across Los Angeles and beyond.”