Hollie Cook "Happy Hour in Dub"
Hollie and Happy Hour producer Ben Mckone explain:
The reason and inspiration for wanting to make the dub record is because Happy Hour, in its original form, has so many intricate musical details running throughout the songs—from the backing vocal and string arrangements to some far more subtle details. And during the mixing process, hearing some of these parts on their own over the drum and bass foundation, we felt there was so much left to explore and expose in the songs and take them to outer space.
At the controls rejoining Hollie in exploring the space, Mckone takes her soulful creations and stretches them to their sonic limits, with new vocal features by Josh Skints and Kiko Bun.
Hollie Cook "Happy Hour In Dub"
A heavenly set of dub versions to pair with Hollie Cook’s critically acclaimed 2022 album Happy Hour. Hollie’s first full dub record since 2012, Happy Hour in Dub was coaxed into being by close listening of the original album’s modern lover’s rock.
Hollie and Happy Hour producer Ben Mckone explain:
The reason and inspiration for wanting to make the dub record is because Happy Hour, in its original form, has so many intricate musical details running throughout the songs—from the backing vocal and string arrangements to some far more subtle details. And during the mixing process, hearing some of these parts on their own over the drum and bass foundation, we felt there was so much left to explore and expose in the songs and take them to outer space.
At the controls rejoining Hollie in exploring the space, Mckone takes her soulful creations and stretches them to their sonic limits, with new vocal features by Josh Skints and Kiko Bun.
Mad Anthony "The Lost Tapes"
Rays of late-afternoon sun drip through the rafters of an old barn in Santa Barbara, California. It’s early 1975 and three recent transplants from the Midwest sit surrounding a single microphone, acoustic strumming and rapturous harmonies filling the airy space. John K. Schwab, Larry Dotson, and Carl “Mad Anthony” Richards had made a name for themselves in the Ohio club scene, going as a trio by Richards’ outlandish nickname. And while this recording session was theoretically going to provide the demos to garner that big break, the record deal and international tour never materialized. Instead, the recording did eventually reach the ears of an important listener: Schwab’s son, Ben, now a musician himself with the bands Drugdealer and Sylvie, the latter of which takes direct influence from his father’s band. And after seven or so years of Ben’s convincing, and over 40 years of the recordings going largely otherwise unheard, the elder Schwab and his bandmates decided it was time. Introducing The Lost Tape (due in 2023, via Earth Libraries).
“I used to tell my son, ‘You can play all the hot licks, be the Eddie Van Halen of your neighborhood, but nothing will last as long as a good song,” Schwab says. “We didn’t have the ability to properly record in 1975, but Ben reminded me that it’s the quality of the songs that matters, not the recording.”
Mad Anthony developed their immaculately honeyed and breezy style first in Cincinnati, Schwab joining Richards and Dotson, who had been previously working together in other bands. At first the trio made the rounds at bars and clubs playing covers of The Birds, The Beatles, Jackson Brown, and Crosby, Stills & Nash. But as their reputation for soaring harmonies and whip-tight arrangements grew, Mad Anthony disbanded before coming back together in southern California to take their next steps. Between their time in the barn and piano tracking in a studio in the San Fernando valley, Mad Anthony pieced together enough material for 10 achingly beautiful tracks that tragically sat unlistened for decades.
Not long after recording those demos, Dotson moved to Florida, essentially ending that era of the band. Schwab and Richards would work with an array of other musicians as Mad Anthony, moving away from acoustic-driven sound and towards a bigger rock formation until Schwab returned to Ohio a few years later. But while variations of the group came and went, The Lost Tape contains the sole recordings of the core trio, tracks written and sung by each member in a charming fusion of voices, live to tape as if directly in the room.
PWNT "Play What’s Not There"
Get ready to be transported to a world of mesmerizing music with PWNT’s latest project, ‘Play What’s Not There.’ It all started with the release of PWNT’s debut album, ‘Days in the Summer,’ in the midst of the most trying times for the music industry. While most artists would have gone on a support tour to promote their album, Kosta Galanopoulos, the mastermind behind PWNT, found himself creatively invigorated during the pandemic.
With newfound free time, Kosta poured all his energy into creating a new album, and ‘Play What’s Not There’ was born. This collection of tracks feels so timeless and captivating that you’ll find yourself coming back to it again and again. Kosta brought on board an exceptional team of artists, musicians, and producers to help him pull off this masterpiece.
From the haunting vocals of Will Fox to the unforgettable woodwinds from Steven Frieder and the masterful textures crafted by David Davis, the album takes you on a musical journey like no other. ‘Play What’s Not There’ is an expanded acronym for PWNT’s artist name, inspired by Miles Davis, and it perfectly epitomizes Kosta’s vision.
This album is a testament to Kosta’s ability to make music that feels both brand new and timeless, and it’s destined to hold a space all its own in the world of music. So sit back, relax, and let PWNT’s ‘Play What’s Not There’ take you on a journey you’ll never forget.