Roger Manning might be the most talented singer/songwriter/musician you’ve never heard of yet. Back in 2008, I conducted an in-depth interview with Roger where we discussed his career, from Jellyfish to Imperial Drag and TV Eyes and beyond. It’s been ten years since his last solo album, Catnip Dynamite, but it’s not like he hasn’t been busy doing plenty of other things, such as recording and touring with Beck.
Now Roger has a PledgeMusic campaign, in which you can get a copy of his upcoming EP called Glamping along with hard to find solo recordings, T-shirts, posters, autographed swag, and some of the incredible vintage outfits he’s worn over the last few decades of his career. Check out the video in which Roger looks is dressed like late 1970s Kris Kristofferson, wanders around in the snowy wilderness, and plays fetch with his dog. He also expresses his sincere gratitude for his devoted fanbase.
It’s been a few years since my Danish darlings Iceage released a full-length album so I was beginning to wonder if they were going to be silent forever. Then, much to my delight, they recently announced the release of their fourth album Beyondless. It will be out on May 4 from Matador Records. The press release includes some lovely words from the always delightful art punk icon Richard Hell, which you should definitely check out.
They’ve also released two new songs, one of which features Sky Ferreira on vocals. It’s great to hear them again! They’ll also be touring throughout the year (including a Toronto date in June; already got my ticket) so it will be great to see them again, as well.
Iceage Tour Dates:
Wed. May 2 – Copenhagen, DE @ Hotel Cecil
Fri. May 4 – Berlin, DE @ Private Club
Sat. May 5 – Amsterdam, NE @ Bitterzoet
Mon. May 7 – Paris, FR @ Petit Bain
Tue. May 8 – London, UK @ Scala
Thu. May 10 – Seattle, WA @ Nordic Museum
Wed. May 16 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
Thu. May 17 – Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church
Fri. May 18 – Washington, DC @ Union Stage
Sat. May 19 – Richmond, VA @ The Camel
Sun. May 20 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
Mon. May 21 – Nashville, TN @ Mercy Lounge
Tue. May 22 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
Wed. May 23 – Birmingham, AL @ Saturn
Thu. May 24 – New Orleans, LA @ Santos
Fri. May 25 – Houston, TX @ Rockefeller’s
Sat. May 26 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
Sun. May 27 – Austin, TX @ Barracuda
Tue. June 5 – San Diego, CA @ The Casbah *
Wed. June 6 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent Theater *
Thu. June 7 – Felton, CA @ Don Quixote’s International Music Hall *
Fri. June 8 – San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall *
Sat. June 9 – Sonoma, CA @ Huichica Music Festival *
Mon. June 11 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios *
Tue. June 12 – Vancouver, BC @ The Astoria *
Thu. June 14 – Spokane, WA @ The Bartlett *
Fri. June 15 – Bozeman, MT @ The Rialto *
Sat. June 16 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court *
Sun. June 17 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater *
Mon. June 18 – Omaha, NE @ Waiting Room *
Tue. June 19 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St Entry *
Wed June 20 – Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club *
Fri. June 22 – Detroit, MI @ El Club *
Sat. June 23 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace *
Sun. June 24 – Ottawa, ON @ The 27 Club *
Mon. June 25 – Montreal, QC @ La Sala Rossa *
Tue. June 26 – Portsmouth, NH @ 3S Artspace *
Wed. June 27 – Boston, MA @ The Sinclair *
The. June. 28 – New York, NY @ Market Hotel *
* = with Mary Lattimore
Those of us in the Toronto area are lucky enough to be able to catch tonight’s 4K screening of 1982 New Wave cult classic Liquid Sky at The Royal Cinema. It feels like fate, then, that Miami’s Donzii came to my attention recently; they have that dirty post-art-punk New Wave vibe that infects every frame of Slava Tsukerman’s cinematic masterpiece. Listen to their debut single “Mines” (and watch the NSFW video).
The single was release on Grey Market records on March 9; the B-side, “Pepper,” is also available on Bandcamp for your listening pleasure.
Speaking of bands with that early 1980s sound, Deathrock icons Burning Image were at the forefront of it. They’ve never stopped recording and have just released a new EP. The five-song Songs of Reproach and Redemption opens like a house fire with “What Are We Up Against Now?” and continues to provide examples how good this band is to this day.
You just can never get enough Deathrock. Well, at least I can’t ever get enough of it. This L.A. Weekly article about The Wraith just came onto my radar and I was pleasantly surprised by the band’s aesthetic. You can definitely hear the influence of bands like Killing Joke in the track “Prevail.” This statement from singer Davey Bales truly warms my black heart.
“The ’80s era is one of the best eras that existed when it comes to punk… and the post-punk and the whole subculture movement around the alternative lifestyle. There’s a lot of great [’80s] bands that are obscure that have put out a lot of good stuff.”
Remember last year when I reviewed Swedish Goth punk band INVSN’s new album, interviewed singer Dennis Lyxzén, and then reviewed their Toronto show? I’m still on that INVSN high so I’m happy to report the band has a fantastic new EP called Forever Rejected out today from Dine Alone Records. It includes four new tracks (including tour fave “Valentine’s Day”) plus their stunning cover of Lana Del Rey’s “Love.” I adore the witchy cover art which thoroughly befits the sounds within. Come back to Toronto, please!
Listen to “A Minute of Magic” and then check out the full EP on Brooklyn Vegan. You can order the EP from the Dine Alone website.
Oh, and in case you need a reminder of the quality of last year’s The Beautiful Stories, here’s the video for the track “Deconstruct Hits.”
How does one describe Jorge Elbrecht? If you’re a press release, it goes like this:
The musician & visual artist once known as Jorge Elbrecht is now a thin, wrinkled shell of what he used to be. Today, he’s an atrophied chassis, meandering from one foggy idea to the next, unable to focus. From his interdisciplinary work as a member of Lansing-Dreiden, to multimedia collaborations with artist Max Hooper Schneider, to his guitar pop band Violens, to his work with Ariel Pink, Tamaryn, No Joy, Ice Choir, Kirin J. Callinan and Frankie Rose–it’s clear Elbrecht had sought continually to connect with the subconscious through art.
Intrigued? You should be. If you weren’t lucky enough to grow up in the New Orleans area in the 1980s and listen to the weekly “Techno 2000” radio show on WTUL, Elbrecht’s music can help you travel back in time and experience what that was like. In all of the 1980s musical resurgence, I feel like there’s just not enough stuff that sounds like Heaven 17, Pseudo Echo, Peter Godwin, and the like. This definitely fits that bill.
In honor of Roger Manning’s new PledgeMusic campaign, for this week’s #FlashbackFriday, I give you what is possibly the greatest thing on YouTube: “Jamming with Roger Manning.”
