Tag: Big Crown Records

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Homer Teams Up with girl named GOLDEN on Mischievous, Wes Anderson-Styled Visual for “Wishing Well”

Acclaimed New York-born and-based drummer, songwriter and producer Homer Steinweiss has a storied career that started in earnest when he was just a teenager. He has been instrumental in helping bring the raw-but-receptive soul sound back into the mainstream through his work with Amy Winehouse, Sharon Jones and Charles Bradley. Steinwess has also been behind the kit for nearly every contemporary soul outfit that has mattered. 

The New York-born and-based musician is now one of the most in demand drummers in the world, playing with the likes of Clairo, Solange, Adele, Silk Sonic and Bruno Mars, among a lengthy list of others. And much like his longtime bandmate Dave Guy, Steinweiss is stepping into the spotlight as a both a musician and producer with Ensatina, his first solo album released under the moniker Homer. 

Released last month through Big Crown Records, Ensatina is reflection of who Steinweiss is now and a testament of how struggle often brings about much-needed changes. He was dealing with considerable emotional turbulence; at the same time that his band Holy Hive broke up, a long-personal relationship fell apart, putting him in an uncertain place mentally. The fallout was significant enough for him to seek professional help. “I was going through these super manic highs and then very depressive lows,” Steinweiss explains. “And being in all that, it’s just so tough to imagine that the other side is there, that it’ll be ok.” But, with time, professional help, and support from friends and family, Homer made it through and has been forever changed. This album is a product of that period of his life.

For Steinweiss, creating the album was a refuge, and it put him back on track. Creatives across the world have an innate understanding of that. But the album is also a glimpse into the different energies that influences that make the man and the artist tick. And fittingly, the album is the beginning of a new, interesting chapter of Steinweiss’ life and career. 

In the lead up to the album’s release I wrote about three of it’s released singles:

  • “Deep Sea,” feat. Hether, a slow-burning and woozy love song set over a hypnotic back beat, a gorgeous, dreamy trumpet line and a strummed acoustic guitar line. The lush and meditative arrangement compliments Hether’s dreamily romantic delivery and lyrics, which includes a sweet nod to Steinwess now wife. The song seems to suggest that when we’re struggling in life’s deep sea, love — in all of its forms — can be the lifeline. 

  • “Rollin‘” a lush and swaggering Quiet Storm-like soundscape with skittering and plinking 808s, broodingly regal horns, bursts of strummed guitar and KIRBY’s ethereal delivery, which alternates between scatting and cooing lyrics over the lush production. 

  • “So Get Up!,” a strutting and swaggering bit of hook-driven genre-blurring funk anchored around dusty and skittering boom bap, twinkling synth oscillations and glistening and arpeggiated synth melodies serving as a lush and euphoric bed for MINOVA’s and Michael Rault‘s ethereal and expressive deliveries. Sonically resembling a slick synthesis of 80s synth funk, Rush Midnight and Tame Impala, “So Get Up!” reveals an artist with an adept production style. 

Ensatina‘s fourth and latest single “Wishing Well” featuring girl named GOLDEN is a brooding track anchored around a trippy yet soulful groove that’s influenced by late Miles Davis-like jazz, electronic music, soul and trip-hop paired with skittering and chugging drums and glistening synths serving as a woozily lush soundscape for girl named GOLDEN’s sultry cooing. Much like its immediate predecessor, “Wishing Well” reveals an artist with a unique, playfully genre agnostic sound.

Directed by Ben Steiger Levine and Jordan Fein, the accompanying video is a Wes Anderson-inspired romp shot in and around one of the most gorgeous buildings in NYC, the New York Public Library, that captures the pair’s mischievous misfit-like energy.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Homer Teams Up with girl named GOLDEN on Woozy “Wishing Well”

Acclaimed New York-born and-based drummer, songwriter and producer Homer Steinweiss has a storied career that started in earnest when he was just a teenager. He has been instrumental in helping bring the raw-but-receptive soul sound back into the mainstream through his work with Amy Winehouse, Sharon Jones and Charles Bradley. Steinwess has also been behind the kit for nearly every contemporary soul outfit that has mattered. 

The New York-born and-based musician is now one of the most in demand drummers in the world, playing with the likes of Clairo, Solange, Adele, Silk Sonic and Bruno Mars, among a lengthy list of others. And much like his longtime bandmate Dave Guy, Steinweiss is stepping into the spotlight as a both a musician and producer with Ensatina, his first solo album released under the moniker Homer. 

Slated for a November 15, 2024 release through Big Crown Records, Ensatina is reflection of who Steinweiss is now and a testament of how struggle often brings about much-needed changes. He was dealing with considerable emotional turbulence; at the same time that his band Holy Hive broke up, a long-personal relationship fell apart, putting him in an uncertain place mentally. The fallout was significant enough for him to seek professional help. “I was going through these super manic highs and then very depressive lows,” Steinweiss explains. “And being in all that, it’s just so tough to imagine that the other side is there, that it’ll be ok.” But, with time, professional help, and support from friends and family, Homer made it through and has been forever changed. This album is a product of that period of his life.

For Steinweiss, creating the album was a refuge, and it put him back on track. Creatives across the world have an innate understanding of that. But the album is also a glimpse into the different energies that influences that make the man and the artist tick. And fittingly, the album is the beginning of a new, interesting chapter of Steinweiss’ life and career. 

So far I’ve written about three of Ensatina‘s singles:

  • “Deep Sea,” feat. Hether, a slow-burning and woozy love song set over a hypnotic back beat, a gorgeous, dreamy trumpet line and a strummed acoustic guitar line. The lush and meditative arrangement compliments Hether’s dreamily romantic delivery and lyrics, which includes a sweet nod to Steinwess now wife. The song seems to suggest that when we’re struggling in life’s deep sea, love — in all of its forms — can be the lifeline. 

  • “Rollin‘” a lush and swaggering Quiet Storm-like soundscape with skittering and plinking 808s, broodingly regal horns, bursts of strummed guitar and KIRBY’s ethereal delivery, which alternates between scatting and cooing lyrics over the lush production. 

  • “So Get Up!,” a strutting and swaggering bit of hook-driven genre-blurring funk anchored around dusty and skittering boom bap, twinkling synth oscillations and glistening and arpeggiated synth melodies serving as a lush and euphoric bed for MINOVA’s and Michael Rault‘s ethereal and expressive deliveries. Sonically resembling a slick synthesis of 80s synth funk, Rush Midnight and Tame Impala, “So Get Up!” reveals an artist with an adept production style. 

Ensatina‘s fourth and latest single “Wishing Well” featuring girl named GOLDEN is a brooding track anchored around a trippy yet soulful groove that’s influenced by late Miles Davis-like jazz, electronic music, soul and trip-hop paired with skittering and chugging drums and glistening synths serving as a woozily lush soundscape for girl named GOLDEN’s sultry cooing. Much like its immediate predecessor, “Wishing Well” reveals an artist with a unique, playfully genre agnostic sound.

The song is accompanied by a trippy video featuring the album’s namesake lizard Ensatina, done in 3D animation by Alex Cascone.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Homer Teams Up with MINOVA and Michael Rault on Slick and Swaggering “So Get Up!

Acclaimed New York-born and-based drummer, songwriter and producer Homer Steinweiss has a storied career that started in earnest when he was just a teenager. He has been instrumental in helping bring the raw-but-receptive soul sound back into the mainstream through his work with Amy Winehouse, Sharon Jones and Charles Bradley. Steinwess has also been behind the kit for nearly every contemporary soul outfit that has mattered. 

The New York-born and-based musician is now one of the most in demand drummers in the world, playing with the likes of Clairo, Solange, Adele, Silk Sonic and Bruno Mars, among a lengthy list of others. And much like his longtime bandmate Dave Guy, Steinweiss is stepping into the spotlight as a both a musician and producer with Ensatina, his first solo album released under the moniker Homer. 

Slated for a November 15, 2024 release through Big Crown Records, Ensatina is reflection of who Steinweiss is now and a testament of how struggle often brings about much-needed changes. He was dealing with considerable emotional turbulence; at the same time that his band Holy Hive broke up, a long-personal relationship fell apart, putting him in an uncertain place mentally. The fallout was significant enough for him to seek professional help. “I was going through these super manic highs and then very depressive lows,” Steinweiss explains. “And being in all that, it’s just so tough to imagine that the other side is there, that it’ll be ok.” But, with time, professional help, and support from friends and family, Homer made it through and has been forever changed. This album is a product of that period of his life.

For Steinweiss, creating the album was a refuge, and it put him back on track. Creatives across the world have an innate understanding of that. But the album is also a glimpse into the different energies that influences that make the man and the artist tick. And fittingly, the album is the beginning of a new, interesting chapter of Steinweiss’ life and career. 

So far I’ve written about two of Ensantina‘s singles:

  • “Deep Sea,” feat. Hether, a slow-burning and woozy love song set over a hypnotic back beat, a gorgeous, dreamy trumpet line and a strummed acoustic guitar line. The lush and meditative arrangement compliments Hether’s dreamily romantic delivery and lyrics, which includes a sweet nod to Steinwess now wife. The song seems to suggest that when we’re struggling in life’s deep sea, love — in all of its forms — can be the lifeline. The track between the two friends came together quickly, with Steinweiss remarking, “It’s my favorite song on the album. Hether, as a friend, saw me through my highs and lows, and this track captures the full energy of what was happening during the time we were recording.”

  • The album’s second single, album opening track “Rollin‘” features the self-proclaimed “granddaughter of soul” KIRBY. The song is anchored around a lush and swaggering, Quiet Storm-like soundscape with skittering and plinking 808s, broodingly regal horns, bursts of strummed guitar. KIRBY’s ethereal delivery, which alternates between scatting and cooing lyrics, floats over the lush production. Steinweiss fell in love with the melody scratch track, and, as he puts it, “the first take, that scratch take is always the one with the most feeling to it.” He ultimately decided to keep the first take for the album, loving the way it forces the listener to come up with their own interpretation of what exactly KIRBY is singing.

Ensatina’s latest single “So Get Up!” feat. MINOVA and Michael Rault is a strutting and swaggering bit of hook-driven, genre-blurring funk anchored around dusty and skittering boom bap, twinkling synth oscillations and glistening and arpeggiated synth melodies serving as a lush and euphoric bed for MINOVA’s ethereal and expressive delivery. Sonically resembling a slick synthesis of 80s synth funk, Rush Midnight and Tame Impala, “So Get Up!” reveals an artist with an adept production style.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Homer and KIRBY Share Mind-Bending Visual for Lush “Rollin'”

Acclaimed New York-born and-based drummer, songwriter and producer Homer Steinweiss has a storied career that started in earnest when he was just a teenager. He has been instrumental in helping bring the raw-but-receptive soul sound back into the mainstream through his work with Amy Winehouse, Sharon Jones and Charles Bradley. Steinwess has also been behind the kit for nearly every contemporary soul outfit that has mattered. 

The New York-born and-based musician is now one of the most in demand drummers in the world, playing with the likes of Clairo, Solange, Adele, Silk Sonic and Bruno Mars, among a lengthy list of others. And much like his longtime bandmate Dave Guy, Steinweiss is stepping into the spotlight as a both a musician and producer with Ensatina, his first solo album released under the moniker Homer. 

Slated for a November 15, 2024 release through Big Crown Records, Ensatina is reflection of who Steinweiss is now and a testament of how struggle often brings about much-needed changes. He was dealing with considerable emotional turbulence; at the same time that his band Holy Hive broke up, a long-personal relationship fell apart, putting him in an uncertain place mentally. The fallout was significant enough for him to seek professional help. “I was going through these super manic highs and then very depressive lows,” Steinweiss explains. “And being in all that, it’s just so tough to imagine that the other side is there, that it’ll be ok.” But, with time, professional help, and support from friends and family, Homer made it through and has been forever changed. This album is a product of that period of his life.

For Steinweiss, creating the album was a refuge, and it put him back on track. Creatives across the world have an innate understanding of that. But the album is also a glimpse into the different energies that influences that make the man and the artist tick. And fittingly, the album is the beginning of a new, interesting chapter of Steinweiss’ life and career. 

The album’s second single, album opening track “Rollin’” features the self-proclaimed “granddaughter of soul” KIRBY. The song is anchored around a lush and swaggering, Quiet Storm-like soundscape with skittering and plinking 808s, broodingly regal horns, bursts of strummed guitar. KIRBY’s ethereal delivery, which alternates between scatting and cooing lyrics, floats over the lush production. 

Steinweiss fell in love with the melody scratch track, and, as he puts it, “the first take, that scratch take is always the one with the most feeling to it.” He ultimately decided to keep the first take for the album, loving the way it forces the listener to come up with their own interpretation of what exactly KIRBY is singing.

The accompanying animated video by Alex Cascone evokes a gentle yet mind-bending psilocybin trip that features a regal looking lizard and morphing geometric shapes.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Homer Teams Up with Kirby on Lush, Quiet Storm-like “Rollin'”

Acclaimed New York-born and-based drummer, songwriter and producer Homer Steinweiss has a storied career that started in earnest when he was just a teenager. He has been instrumental in helping bring the raw-but-receptive soul sound back into the mainstream through his work with Amy Winehouse, Sharon Jones and Charles Bradley. Steinwess has also been behind the kit for nearly every contemporary soul outfit that has mattered. 

The New York-born and-based musician is now one of the most in demand drummers in the world, playing with the likes of Clairo, Solange, Adele, Silk Sonic and Bruno Mars, among a lengthy list of others. And much like his longtime bandmate Dave Guy, Steinweiss is stepping into the spotlight as a both a musician and producer with Ensatina, his first solo album released under the moniker Homer. 

Slated for a November 15, 2024 release through Big Crown Records, Ensatina is reflection of who Steinweiss is now and a testament of how struggle often brings about much-needed changes. He was dealing with considerable emotional turbulence; at the same time that his band Holy Hive broke up, a long-personal relationship fell apart, putting him in an uncertain place mentally. The fallout was significant enough for him to seek professional help. “I was going through these super manic highs and then very depressive lows,” Steinweiss explains. “And being in all that, it’s just so tough to imagine that the other side is there, that it’ll be ok.” But, with time, professional help, and support from friends and family, Homer made it through and has been forever changed. This album is a product of that period of his life.

For Steinweiss, creating the album was a refuge, and it put him back on track. Creatives across the world have an innate understanding of that. But the album is also a glimpse into the different energies that influences that make the man and the artist tick. And fittingly, the album is the beginning of a new, interesting chapter of Steinweiss’ life and career. 

Last month, I wrote about Ensantina‘s first single, “Deep Sea,” feat. Hether, a slow-burning and woozy love song set over a hypnotic back beat, a gorgeous, dreamy trumpet line and a strummed acoustic guitar line. The lush and meditative arrangement compliments Hether’s dreamily romantic delivery and lyrics, which includes a sweet nod to Steinwess now wife. The song seems to suggest that when we’re struggling in life’s deep sea, love — in all of its forms — can be the lifeline. 

The track between the two friends came together quickly, with Steinweiss remarking, “It’s my favorite song on the album. Hether, as a friend, saw me through my highs and lows, and this track captures the full energy of what was happening during the time we were recording.”

The album’s second single, album opening track “Rollin'” features the self-proclaimed “granddaughter of soul” KIRBY. The song is anchored around a lush and swaggering, Quiet Storm-like soundscape with skittering and plinking 808s, broodingly regal horns, bursts of strummed guitar. KIRBY’s ethereal delivery, which alternates between scatting and cooing lyrics, floats over the lush production.

Steinweiss fell in love with the melody scratch track, and, as he puts it, “the first take, that scratch take is always the one with the most feeling to it.” He ultimately decided to keep the first take for the album, loving the way it forces the listener to come up with their own interpretation of what exactly KIRBY is singing.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Homer and Hether Team Up on Woozy and Meditative “Deep Sea”

Acclaimed New York-born and-based drummer, songwriter and producer Homer Steinweiss has a storied career that started when he was just a teenager. He has been instrumental in helping bring the raw-but-receptive soul sound back into the mainstream through his work with Amy Winehouse, Sharon Jones and Charles Bradley. Steinwess has also been behind the kit for nearly every soul outfit that has mattered.

The New York-born and-based musician is now one of the most in demand drummers in the world, playing with the likes of Clairo, Solange, Adele, Silk Sonic and Bruno Mars, among a lengthy list of others. And much like his longtime bandmate Dave Guy, Steinweiss is stepping into the spotlight as a both a musician and producer with Ensatina, his first solo album released under the moniker Homer.

Slated for a November 15, 2024 release through Big Crown Records, Ensatina is reflection of who Steinweiss is now and a testament of how struggle often brings about much-needed changes. He was dealing with considerable emotional turbulence; at the same time that his band Holy Hive broke up, a long-personal relationship fell apart, putting him in an uncertain place mentally. The fallout was significant enough for him to seek professional help. “I was going through these super manic highs and then very depressive lows,” Steinweiss explains. “And being in all that, it’s just so tough to imagine that the other side is there, that it’ll be ok.” But, with time, professional help, and support from friends and family, Homer made it through and has been forever changed. This album is a product of that period of his life.

For Steinweiss, creating the album was a refuge, and it put him back on track. Creatives across the world have an innate understanding of that. But the album is also a glimpse into the different energies that influences that make the man and the artist tick. And fittingly, the album is the beginning of a new, interesting chapter of Steinweiss’ life and career.

Ensatina‘s first single “Deep Sea feat. Hether” is a slow-burning and woozy love song set over a hypnotic back beat, a gorgeous and dreamy trumpet line and a strummed acoustic guitar line. The lush and meditative arrangement compliments Hether’s dreamily romantic delivery and lyrics, which includes a sweet nod to Steinwess now wife. The song seems to suggest that when we’re struggling in life’s deep sea, love — in all of its forms — can be the lifeline.

The track between the two friends came together quickly, with Steinweiss remarking, “It’s my favorite song on the album. Hether, as a friend, saw me through my highs and lows, and this track captures the full energy of what was happening during the time we were recording.”

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Dave Guy Shares Cinematic and Strutting “7th Heaven”

Raised in the East Village, acclaimed and highly sought-after trumpeter Dave Guy was surrounded by hip-hop and the hustle that seemed to define the city in the 90s. During those formative days, he and his playing style were influenced by the likes of Donald Byrd and Hugh Masekela, but also by A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul.

His time at LaGuardia Performing Arts High School furthered this path. Guy remembers sharing playing time with Big Crown Records co-founder Leon Michels and highly sought-after drummer Homer Steinweiss. “Being in the All-City Jazz Big Band, I would see them rehearsing all the time,” the New York-born and-based musician recalls. “They were already doing things with The Dap-Kings back then—which was crazy.”

His voice as a player began to take shape and continued to be refined through his studies at The Manhattan School of Music and The New School — and then playing with Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, Charles Bradley and Menahan Street Band, The Sugarman 3 and more. He has played on albums from the likes of Amy Winehouse, Mark Ronson, Pharrell Williams, Lee Fields, the legendary Al Green — er, correction, the Rev. Al Green — and a lengthy list of others. And adding to a growing profile, Guy currently plays with The Roots live and on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Guy finally steps out into the much-deserved spotlight with his full-length debut, Ruby. Slated for a September 20, 2024 release through Big Crown Records, the 12-song album sees the highly sought-after NYC scene mainstay exploring New York jazz and pushing the boundaries of the style by incorporating elements of hip-hop and soul in a way that’s both unique and modern.

As fate would have it, a classic case of “when one door shuts, another opens” was really what got the ball rolling on the album. “I never wanted to force my own project,” Guy explains. “There was always a lot going on between things—the timing was never right.” But when The Tonight Show went on hiatus during last year’s Writers’ Strike, there was an unexpected free moment.

Within days, Guy started recording sessions with Steinweiss and Nick Movshon (bass). What initially started out as a just an opportunity to create music, quickly took shape and direction when they ended up laying down something that felt wildly special and authentic. The result is an album that captures different moods and serves as an invitation to the world as Dave Guys sees it and feels it.

Ruby‘s first single “7th Heaven” is a anchored around a a bed of twinkling and dancing keys, a strutting bass line from Movshown, boom bap-like drums from Steinweiss and ethereal backing coos from Clairo/Claire Cottrill serving as a funky and anthemic bed for Guy’s regal and soulful horn melody. The result is a composition that’s swaggering yet cinematic, while capturing the energy and vibe of a day — or night — in and around New York.

“It has a groove and is more in line with what the guys and I are known for with Menahan Street Band, but it is also in-your-face and catchy,” Guy says. “It’s a bit of an ode to Tijuana Brass too, a Herb Alpert-esque track with a tight horn line and has that energy that pops.”

New Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Brainstory Shares a Woozy 70s-Inspired Visual for “XFaded,” an Ode To Getting Fucked Up

Brainstory‘s Leon Michels-produced sophomore album Sounds Good was released last month through renowned purveyors of soul, Big Crown Records. 

The album features the previously released:

  • “Gift of Life,” a lush, old-school, Quiet Storm-like, show-topping ballad built around a shimmering and vibey arrangement featuring fluttering, ethereal flute paired with Kevin Martin’s emotive, falsetto croon and some incredibly catch hooks. While the song see the band pulling from classic soul, psych soul and dub in a way that sounds like it could been released sometime between 1968-1974, “Gift of Life,” manages to feel remarkably modern. 

  • “Listen,” a classic, two-step inducing groove-driven song with shimmering analog synths, an overdrive-fueled guitar solo paired with some dreamy falsetto melodies and harmonies that sounds — to me, at least — as though it could have been been a Mandrill or Isley Brothers B side. The song sees the band’s Kevin Martin encouraging the listener to spend some time enjoying the present moment, because life’s all too short and remarkably fleeting 

  • “Peach Optimo,” a slow-burning and summery bit of psych soul anchored around a strutting and wobbling bass line, glistening keys, some funky drum rhythm patterns and an expressive guitar solo paired with some retro-futuristic synths. Seemingly channelling JOVM mainstays Mildlife and L’Eclair, sees the trio diving into the banality and simple pleasures of teenaged suburban life — full of the nostalgia of cul-de-sac hangs and bullshit sessions with the homies.

And Sounds Good‘s fifth and latest single “XFaded,” a strutting, hook-driven and funky psych soul jam anchored around an arrangement featuring skittering boom bap, a sinuous bass line and squiggling bursts of guitar. According to the trio, the song’s sound was partially inspired by what theft thought a modern day George Clinton/Parliament funk jam would sound like — and by small town life, where getting fucked up is an unofficial/official pastime because there isn’t much else to really do. The slick Leon Michels production paired with the band’s razor sharp yet seemingly effortless performance ironically contrasts the notion of getting sloppy and fucked up but reveals the easy-going chemistry between the trio and producer. 

Directed and animated by J. Bonne, the animated video for “XFaded” is visually indebted to The Beatles‘ Yellow Submarine, Fat Albert and Scooby Doo and follows the trio getting absolutely fucked up at a house party to wildly different results, including passing out with lit joint and drool rolling out of the corner of your mouth and almost starting a fire, desperately needing the wall to hold you up, but somehow failing and throwing up — or even hooking up with that pretty young thing that caught your eye. The video captures the wooziness of getting sloppily fucked up in a way that feels familiar to anyone who’s ever been sloppily fucked up at a party or in public.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Rialto, CA-based soul outfit Brainstory — siblings Kevin (vocals, guitar) and Tony Martin (bass) and Eric Hagstrom (drums) — can trace their origins to the shared common denominator of jazz: With no real music scene in California’s Inland Empire, Kevin Martin and Eric Hagstrom both landed in music school, where they met. Tony Martin, however, relocated to San Francisco, where he studied jazz bass in a more traditional fashion — gig-by-gig, learning trial-by-fire. 

By the mid-2010s, the trio relocated to Los Angeles, where they started with a more jazz-tinged take on soul. “”That’s what we were all into at the time—jazz,” Brainstory’s Kevin Martin explains. “And that’s what we wanted to do with our first EP in 2014—take our songs and expand them, improvise, weld jazz onto them. We wanted to trick people into listening to jazz, basically.” 

Since then, the trio’s sound and approach has evolved from their self-released EPs and the opening slots of their earliest days. Growing as musicians and people, the trio don’t want to be pigeonholed as jazz heads — although the transcendent and freeing nature of that genre is crucial to their sound. 

For the members of Brainstory, the “genre-bending” band distinction is a celebration of what sets them apart in a very busy and crowded field. Anchored by Kevin Martin’s songwriting and real, studied-but-humble musicianship, the result is something new yet familiar. But it’s more than just top-notch musicianship and songwriting; the band also has some proper influences. In their formative days, some of their most significant influences came from a few places: their parents (who were musicians in their own right) and their household record collections, and then later, Chicano Batman‘s Eduardo Arenas. 

Arenas produced the trio’s first EPs and then introduced them to Big Crown Records and the label’s co-owner Leon Michels, who would eventually produce their full-length debut, 2019’s Buck. Michels also was a major influence on the band’s 2021 EP Ripe: Of the seven-song EP, two featured lyrics while the remaining five were instrumental compositions rooted in heady, vibey atmospherics. 

Much like the countless bands and artists across the globe, the pandemic kept the members of Brainstory out of the studio, away from Big Crown’s East Coast operations — and of course, put their plans to play live shows on pause for a while. Feeling the need to establish and maintain some momentum during the pandemic, the trio decided to do something drastic: Spearheaded by the band’s Eric Hagstrom, the band built their own studio in Long Beach and quickly got to work recording music. “We didn’t really set out to make a record,” Hagerstrom clarifies. “We were learning how to record and playing around to figure out what was working. But we were also sending the stuff to Big Crown, and they were like, ‘Let’s make this record.’” 

The trio’s Leon Micehls-produced sophomore album Sounds Good is slated for an April 19, 2024 release through Big Crown Records. The album will feature “Gift of Life,” a lush, old-school, Quiet Storm-like, show-topping ballad built around a shimmering and vibey arrangement featuring fluttering, ethereal flute paired with Kevin Martin’s emotive, falsetto croon and some incredibly catch hooks. While the song see the band pulling from classic soul, psych soul and dub in a way that sounds like it could been released sometime between 1968-1974, “Gift of Life,” manages to feel remarkably modern.

Thematically, the song sees the trio ruminating on the complexity of the human condition with a hard-earned, weary wisdom. “This song is somewhat of a prayer to the inevitable decay that surrounds us and the pain that follows. It alters our perspectives and ways of life,” Brainstory explains. “It’s a powerful natural force that guides us. In this life, we lose and eventually must let go of life itself but, when we learn to surrender, we give ourselves a chance to change and adapt. Though it is often painful, the reward is simply to see another day with new eyes full of gratitude for the opportunity to live.”

To celebrate the official announcement of their sophomore album, the California trio shared a double single “Listen”/”Too Yung.” “Listen” sees the trio crafting a classic, two-step inducing groove-driven song with shimmering analog synths, an overdrive-fueled guitar solo paired with some dreamy falsetto melodies and harmonies. While sounding as though it could have been a Mandrill or Isley Brothers B side, the song sees Martin expressing modern day frustrations over how technology can distract people from being fully present in our daily lives and from spirituality. The song’s narrator is encouraging the listener to spend some time enjoying the present moment, because it’s all too short and remarkably fleeting.

The trio will be hitting the road this week for some Northern California shows with The Budos Band before embarking on a headlining U.S. tour in April, and UK and European Union dates in May with Lady Wray. Tour dates are below.

BRAINSTORY TOUR DATES

Feb 23 – The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA*

Feb 24 – Felton Music Hall – Felton, CA*

Apr18 –  Lodge Room- Highland Park, CA

Apr 22 – Valley Bar – Phoenix, AZ

Apr 23 – Love Buzz – El Paso, TX 

Apr 25 – Tandem – San Antonio, TX 

Apr 26 – Psych Fest – Austin, TX

Apr 27 – Norman Music Festival – Norman, OK

Apr 30 – Sister Bar – Albuquerque, NM 

May 01 – Larimer Lounge – Denver, CO 

May 02 – The Atrium – Fort Collins, CO 

May 03 – DLC – Salt Lake City, UT 

May 04 – Neurolux – Boise, ID 

May 07 – High DIve – Seattle, WA 

May 08 – Mississippi Studios – Portland, OR

May 16 – Knust – Hamburg, Germany +

May 17 – Franz Mhelhose – Enfurt, Germany +

May 18 – Lido – Berlin, Germany +

May 20 – La Maroquinerie – Paris, France +

May 26 – Cross The Tracks Festival  – Brockwell Park, UK

May 28 – The Blues Kitchen – Manchester, UK +

* with The Budos Band

+ with Lady Wray

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Rialto, CA-based soul outfit Brainstory — siblings Kevin (vocals, guitar) and Tony Martin (bass) and Eric Hagstrom (drums) — can trace their origins to the shared common denominator of jazz: With no real music scene in California’s Inland Empire, Kevin Martin and Eric Hagstrom both landed in music school, where they met. Tony Martin relocated to San Francisco, where he studied jazz bass in a more traditional fashion — gig-by-gig, learning trial-by-fire.

By the mid-2010s, the trio relocated to Los Angeles, where they started with a more jazz-tinged take on soul. “”That’s what we were all into at the time—jazz,” Brainstory’s Kevin Martin explains. “And that’s what we wanted to do with our first EP in 2014—take our songs and expand them, improvise, weld jazz onto them. We wanted to trick people into listening to jazz, basically.” 

Since then, the trio’s sound and approach has evolved from their self-released EPs and the opening slots of their earliest days. Growing as musicians and people, the trio don’t want to be pigeonholed as jazz heads — although the transcendent and freeing nature of that genre is crucial to their sound.

For the members of Brainstory, the “genre-bending” band distinction is a celebration of what sets them apart in a very busy and crowded field. Anchored by Kevin Martin’s songwriting and real, studied-but-humble musicianship, the result is something new yet familiar. But it’s more than just top-notch musicianship and songwriting; the band also has some proper influences. In their formative days, some of their most significant influences came from a few places: their parents (who were musicians in their own right) and their household record collections, and then later, Chicano Batman‘s Eduardo Arenas.

Arenas produced the trio’s first EPs and then introduced them to Big Crown Records and the label’s co-owner Leon Michels, who would eventually produce their full-length debut, 2019’s Buck. Michels also was a major influence on the band’s 2021 EP Ripe: Of the seven-song EP, two featured lyrics while the remaining five were instrumental compositions rooted in heady, vibey atmospherics.

Much like the countless bands and artists across the globe, the pandemic kept the members of Brainstory out of the studio, away from Big Crown’s East Coast operations — and put their plans to play live shows on pause for a while. Feeling the need to establish and maintain some momentum during the pandemic, the trio decided to do something drastic: Spearheaded by the band’s Eric Hagstrom, the band built their own studio in Long Beach and quickly got to work recording music. “We didn’t really set out to make a record,” Hagerstrom clarifies. “We were learning how to record and playing around to figure out what was working. But we were also sending the stuff to Big Crown, and they were like, ‘Let’s make this record.'” 

In the meantime, the trio’s latest single “Gift of Life” is a lush, old-school, Quiet Storm-inspired, show-stopping ballad built around a shimmering and vibey arrangement, featuring some enormous yet incredibly catchy hooks and fluttering, ethereal flute paired with Kevin Martin’s emotive, falsetto croon. Throughout the song sees the band nodding at classic soul, psych soul and dub among others in a way that makes “Gift of Life” sound as though it came out sometime between 1968-1974 but while being remarkably modern. Thematically, the song sees the trio ruminating on the complexity of the human condition with a hard-earned, weary wisdom.

“This song is somewhat of a prayer to the inevitable decay that surrounds us and the pain that follows. It alters our perspectives and ways of life,” Brainstory explains. “It’s a powerful natural force that guides us. In this life, we lose and eventually must let go of life itself but, when we learn to surrender, we give ourselves a chance to change and adapt. Though it is often painful, the reward is simply to see another day with new eyes full of gratitude for the opportunity to live.”

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Morten Martens is an acclaimed Kristiansand, Norway-based singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer, who has had a several decade-long career. Initially cutting his teeth as a highly sought-after touring and session player, Martens gradually moved away from touring and did much more studio work.

Slowly collecting gear and gaining experience behind the boards, he built his own studio on Odderøya Island, just outside of Kristiansand. He began to make a living playing with and recording other artists’ music; in fact, back in 2006, Martens won a Spelleman Award (a.k.a. Norwegian Grammy) for producing a hip-hop album, and he has received nominations in three other genres.

As the story goes, after those sessions would end he would work on his own project into the wee hours of the night. And from those late night sessions, Martens’ solo recording project Les Imprimés was born — and its full-length debut, Rêverie began to take shape. But as the acclaimed Norwegian singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer explains in press notes, “it wasn’t until COVID, when things locked down, that I was really able to find the time to focus on Les Imprimés.”

“It was a scary time,” Martens continues. “But I knew I had to do something with it.” Sonically, he took the sum of his influences, combined them with his own vibe and got busy writing the arrangements and lyrics, playing the instruments and singing. “It’s soul music but I don’t exactly have the soul voice,” he adds. “But I do it my own way, in a way that’s mine.” Thematically, the material will reportedly resonate with anyone, who has put too much effort into the wrong situation and wrong people of their lives.

Rêverie‘s latest single, the breathtakingly gorgeous “You” is a mischievously anachronistic jam that seamlessly meshes 60s and 70s Motown soul and classic doo top paired with Martens’ plaintive and yearning delivery and a penchant for remarkably catchy hooks. But at its core, “You” is a joyous sigh of relief, with the tacit understanding that things are finally — and I mean finally! — over, and you might have an opportunity to move forward.

Rêverie is slated for an August 11, 2023 release through Big Crown. Be on the lookout, y’all.

Morten Martens is the man behind the band. Born, raised, and working in Kristiansand, Norway, he keeps a low profile while making his heartfelt, highly infectious, and unique music. Debut album Rêverie is a long time coming for Martens and it is sure to make him a name to be reckoned with. 

The first thing you notice listening to Les Imprimés is the high level of musicianship. Martens plays nearly every instrument on the recordings and handles the production and arranging. He has been making records for decades, winning a Spellemann Award (aka, the Norwegian Grammy) in 2006 for producing a hip hop album as well as getting nominations across three other genres. While awards and accolades speak to the level of his talent, this new album really shows who he is as an artist on his own terms. 

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From these late night sessions, Les Imprimés was born and Rêverie began to take shape.However, “it wasn’t until COVID, when things locked down, that I was really able to find the time to focus on Les Imprimés” Morten says about creating and leading his own solo project. “It was a scary time. But I knew I had to do something with it.” He took the sum of his influences, combined them with his own vibe and got busy writing the music, playing the instruments, and singing the songs. “It’s soul music, but I don’t exactly have the soul voice,” Morten explains humbly. “But I do it my own way, in a way that’s mine.” It is his sound, his fingerprint, his sensibility, that makes his music hard to categorize. He has crafted an album of songs with different energies that all fit together to make one gorgeous record. The lead single “Falling Away” starts with a raw drum break and turns into a lushly arranged tune that paints the picture of love when it slips away. Songs like “You” and “Our Love” mix tones from 60s and 70s Soul with arrangement nods to doo wop records while Martens’ lyrics and delivery leave you singing the melodies long after they finish. “Love & Flowers” finds Martens in a moment of clarity with a song that fits the niche sub genre of happy break up tunes, the four on the floor track will move the dancefloor while the message will resonate with anyone who put too much effort into the wrong situation in their lives.

However, it is songs like “Muse” and “Chess” that really encapsulate the uniqueness of Les Imprimés as they push the boundaries of genre, one a profession of love for music and the other a cover of an electronic record respectively. Martens’ lyrics, emotion, and delivery truly make the whole thing come together and stand out from any of his peers. There’s an infectiousness and a pop sensibility in the writing that is done with the utmost class and taste giving Les Imprimés the rare quality of immediate attraction that only deepens the more you listen.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

With the release of their first two albums’ 2020’s All News Is Good News and Daylight Savings, the Melbourne, Australia-based instrumental, jazz-funk outfit Surprise Chef — Lachlan Stuckey (guitar), Jethro Curtin (keys), Carl Lindberg (bass), Andrew Congues (drums) and their newest member, Hudson Whitlock (percussion, composition and production) — quickly amassed a fanbase internationally, while establishing their self-proclaimed “moody shades of instrumental jazz-funk” sound, which draws from 70s film scores, the samples that form hip hop’s foundations,w jazz fusion and jazz funk. 

But while inspired by the sounds of the past, the Aussie outfit actively push the boundaries of instrumental soul and funk with an approach honed by countless hours in the studio, studying the masters, and perhaps more importantly, “the tyranny of distance” that helps create a unique perspective to their work. 

The band was limited in the fact that there weren’t many people making or even talking about instrumental jazz/soul/funk in Southeast Australia, let alone putting out records. And as a result, this gave the band an opportunity to develop their sound and approach in a sort of creative isolation, where a small circle of friends and like-minded musicians fed off each other. 
“Being in Australia, being so far away, we only get glimpses and glances of this music’s origins,” Surprise Chef’s Lachlan Stuckey says. “But hearing a label like Big Crown was one of the first times we realized you could make fresh, new soul music that wasn’t super retro or just nostalgic.” 

The Aussie outfit’s third album Education & Recreation is slated for an October 14, 2022 release through Big Crown Records. Their Big Crown Records debut sees the band putting their unique sound and approach on full display.

So far I’ve written about two singles:

  • “Money Music,” a strutting and funky pimp walk featuring an expansive arrangement consisting of skittering breakbeats, twinkling key and vibraphone, a sinuous and propulsive bass line paired with a wah wah pedaled guitar that ends with a dreamy fade out. Sonically “Money Music” struck me as being a slick, mischievous and remarkably self-assured synthesis of Polymood and Sauropoda-era L’Eclair, old school hip-hop breakbeat compilations and jazz funk within a mind-bending twisting and turning song structure with rapid tempo changes. 
  • “Suburban Breeze,”  a trippy composition that features elements of Return to Forever and Headhunter-era Herbie Hancock, hip hop breakbeats and film scores centered around twinkling keys, bursts of organ arpeggios, soulfully fluttering flute, sinuous bass lines and metronomic-like percussion. Sonically, the song evokes breezy, easy-going summer afternoons of daydreaming and hanging out without anything in particular to do. 

“Iconoclasts,” Education & Recreation’s third and latest single is a dreamy lullaby centered around twinkling keys, shimmering and looping guitar lines, skittering yet metronomic-like percussion paired with boom bap drumming and a subtle bass line. The song evokes the sensation of drifting off to sleep — perhaps while you’re working at something.

“‘Iconoclasts’ was recorded in the final hours of the marathon eight-day recording session for Education & Recreation,” the Aussie outfit explains. “We’d been locked in our house, the College Of Knowledge in Coburg, Australia, recording for roughly 12 hours a day, and there was very little left in the fuel tank. The recording ended up having a super unique energy within the collection of tracks we did for Education & Recreation, due mostly, I think, to the manically tired state we were in and the knowledge that we only had to complete this tune and then we’d be allowed to finish the session.” 

The Aussie jazz funk band will be embarking on their first North American tour this October. The tour includes a stop at this year’s Desert Daze and an October 13, 2022 stop at The Sultan Room. Check out the rest of the tour dates below.

Surprise Chef Tour Dates

Oct 1-2 – Lake Perris, CA – Desert Daze

Oct 4 – Zebulon – Los Angeles, CA

Oct 5 – Bottom of the Hill – San Francisco, CA

Oct 7 – Star Theater – Portland, OR

Oct 8 – Fox Cabaret – Vancouver, BC

Oct 9 – Barboza – Seattle, WA

Oct 13 – Sultan Room – Brooklyn, NY