JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Black History Month and pays tribute to Grace Jones.
Tag: disco
Throwback: Black History Month: Evelyn “Champagne” King
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Black History Month and pays tribute to Evelyn “Champagne” King.
Throwback: Happy 50th Birthday Guy de Homem-Christo!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Daft Punk’s Guy de Homem-Christo’s 50th birthday.
Throwback: Black History Month/Happy 76th Birthday, Rick James!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Black History Month and the 76th anniversary of Rick James’ birth.
Throwback: Happy 65th Birthday, Kathy Sledge!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Sister Sledge’s Kathy Sledge’s 65th birthday.
Throwback: Happy 49th Birthday, Thomas Bangalter!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Stardust’s and Daft Punk’s Thomas Bangalter’s 49th birthday.
Throwback: Happy 75th Birthday, Donna Summer!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates the 75th anniversary of Donna Summer’s birth.
New Audio: Dance For Me Mary Shares Breezy and Nostalgia-Inducing “Karma”
Back in 2007, music teacher Mary Fawcett and her husband, trombone player, Jeffrey Fawcett had a dream of opening their own recording studio, where they would hire their talented friends as employees — and share their passion for music with others for the rest of their days. Tragically, before the couple could begin the project, they were faced with the unimaginable: Jeffrey was diagnosed with stage four bladder cancer and died two months later. He was 54.
After Jeffrey’s death, a heartbroken Mary Fawcett swore to herself that she would never play music again, and even considered quitting her job teaching at Frank Antonides Middle School in West Long Branch, NJ, where she taught for a decade. But there was one thing that kept her moving through the school’s hallways: the light and talents of two of her students, Juilliard-trained vocalist David Smolokoff and Monmouth University graduate Francesca Fuentes.
Almost 16 years later, a 68 year-old Fuentes recruited her two former students to join the disco-inspired outfit Dance For Me Mary. When Fawcett called Fuentes about a possible collaboration between them and Smolokoff, Fawcett was surprised to discover a parallel between her and Fuentes: Fuentes was in the middle of separating from her partner and producer Max Wolf. Although Fuentes agreed to join the project, there were initially questions on who would be producing. After multiple failed attempts, all of the collaborators agreed to enlist Wolf a a producer.
Before they all started working together, Wolf and Fuentes were reminded of an important agreement held between them: Even if they didn’t succeed as a couple, they would always be bound by their shared love and passion for music. The result is Dance For Me Mary’s latest single “Karma,” a hook-driven and breezy bit of disco funk that to my ears sounds like one-part The Doobie Brothers/Michael McDonald, one-part Cher, one-part Donna Summer and one-part Bee Gees — and they do so in a warmly nostalgic yet playfully anachronistic manner.
The collaborators explain that “Karma” tells the story of a manipulative control free, who lies for their own benefit — and fittingly, they see their well-deserved comeuppance.
Throwback: Happy 74th Birthday, Maurice Gibb!
JOVM’s WIlliam Ruben Helms celebrates the 74th anniversary of Bee Gee’s Maurice Gibb’s birth.
Live Footage: Lisa LeBlanc Performs “Dans l’jus” at Francos de Montréal 2023
Lisa LeBlanc is an acclaimed Rosaireville, New Brunswick-born, Montréal-based singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist (banjo and guitar), who proudly claims Acadian heritage — and comes from a family of passionate music lovers. (In case you’re curious — as I was — Cajuns are often described as descendants of Acadian exiles, who went to Louisiana during Britain’s Great Expulsion of Acadians from what is now known as Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, parts of Eastern Québec and Northern Maine. To simplify it a quite a bit, Acadians and Cajuns are historically very deeply connected, although it’s kind of confusing.)
LeBlanc can trace the origins of her professional career to when she turned 14 and stared to write her own original songs. She played her first shows at O’Donaghues in Miramichi with her mother accompanying her because she was underage — and couldn’t be legally in the bar by herself. But despite her relative youth, she quickly received recognition for her guitar playing and for being a promising singer/songwriter when she won 2010’s Festival International de chanson de Granby – singing material in French.
The juried award brought her to the attention of the country’s Francophone media. And as a result, she wound up playing Coup de cœur francophone, FrancoFoiles de Montréal and at Festival d’été de Québec by the following year.
Building upon a growing profile across Francophone Canada, LeBlanc’s full-length, self-titled debut was released in 2012 by Montréal-based label Bonsound. Primarily written while she was still living in her native Rosaireville, studying at L’École nationale de la chanson with portions written in Montréal, where she eventually relocated, the album was recorded by Karkwa’s Louis-Jean Cormier at Studio Piccolo. The album is best known for the single “Aujuord’hui ma vie c’est d’la marde” (“Today My Life is Shit”) – and because of the success of that single, the album eventually was certified platinum by Music Canada.
2014’s Highways, Heartaches and Time Well Wasted, her critically applauded and commercially successful English-language EP debuted at #7 on the Canadian Album Charts.
LeBlanc’s sophomore album, 2016’s bilingual Why You Wanna Leave, Runaway Queen? featured songs both in English and French, as well as a thrash-folk cover of Motörhead’s “Ace of Spades,” which helped to establish what she has dubbed as thrash-folk. The album was on that year’s shortlist for the Polaris Music Prize.
Back in 2020, LeBlanc, under the pseudonym Belinda released It’s Not a Game, It’s a Lifestyle, a five-song EP of disco songs specifically about bingo – yes, bingo.
The Canadian artist’s third album, last year’s Chiac Disco is a glittery, dance floor friendly tribute to disco, funk and Lee Hazlewood with colorful lyrics sung boldly, loudly and proudly that was released to critical acclaim from CBC Music, La Presse, Le Journal de Montréal, Montréal Gazette, KCRW, Exclaim!, and countless others.
Today, the acclaimed Rosaireville-born, Montréal-based artist announced a Stateside tour in December that will include a December 6, 2023 stop at Café Wha? (Tour dates are below. But you can get more information, including tickets here.)”I recently dug up some photos from our last East Coast tour in the US from 2018,” LeBlanc recalls. “I remember during our New York show, there was a record snow storm and the city was a total ghost town with subways canceled and everything. Despite this, about 300 people came and I couldn’t believe my eyes and kept pinching myself that we were playing NYC for a room full of beautiful people. Needless to say, I’m really excited to come see you all again on my upcoming US tour in December!“
Along with the announcement, LeBlanc shared live footage of her and her backing band performing “Dans l’jus” in front of 45,000 people at this year’s Francos de Montréal, an annual, eight-day Francophone music festival with 250 shows in venues across Downtown Montréal, including a massive, outdoor festival stage in the city’s Quartier des Spectacles section.
“Dans l’jus” is a bombastic dance floor banger that’s roughly one-part Talking Heads, one-part Blondie, one-part glam rock and three-quarters glittery disco funk grooves built around a hypnotic, hook-driven arrangement paired with lyrics that openly discuss the seemingly omnipresence of burnout, frustration and dissatisfaction in our society.
The footage is a small portion of an entire show that was originally broadcast on ICI Radio-Canada Télé, but it reveals a super tight band that can quickly get into an irresistibly funky groove, fronted by a high-energy, dynamic frontperson. LeBlanc and her backing band headlined an M for Montréal showcase at Darling Bowling last year, and it was one of the most memorable and downright fun sets of that year’s festival. So trust me on this, if she’s playing at a city near you, don’t fuck up and miss her.
Throwback: Happy 71st Birthday, Nile Rodgers!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Nile Rodgers’ 71st birthday.
New Video: Say She She Share Gorgeous Visual for Slinky and Shimmering “Astral Plane”
Acclaimed NYC-based disco outfit and JOVM mainstays Say She She — Piya Malik, Sabrina Cunningham and Nya Gazelle Brown — released their critically applauded, eight-song, Sergio Rios-produced full-length debut Prism through Karma Chief Records last year.
Prism saw the trio quickly establishing a sound that nodded heavily at 70s girl groups — multi-part female harmonies paired paired with funky, disco-inspired arrangements played by a backing band featuring some of New York’s most talented and accomplished players, featuring former members of Antibalas, Charles Bradley and His Extraordinaries, Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings, The Shacks, Twin Shadow and others. Evoking a distinct Studio 54-era disco nostalgia, their work is imbued with a contemporary thematic grit paired with global dance floor influences.
Building upon a rapidly growing profile both nationally and internationally, the trio’s highly-anticipated sophomore album, the 16-song, Sergio Rios-produced Silver is slated for a September 29, 2023 release through Karma Chief Records. Reflecting on the group’s growth as songwriters, performers and artists as they enter a new phase of their art and careers, Silver derives its name from the element known as the metal of self-confidence and the mirror of the soul. With an emphasis on their now-trademark global disco sound, the JOVM mainstays sophomore album features material that ranges from protest anthems, Hindi-flecked songwriting and feel-good, disco-infused tracks, the album reminds listeners of the beauty in the world while firmly and boldly asserting their respective identities as modern femmes.
Largely written and recorded live-to-tape at Killion Sound Studio in North Hollywood, the analog recording session root the acclaimed trio’s sound in bedrock of old-fashioned, tonal warmth. But cutting the tracks live with their backing band, which also featured members of Rios’ Orgōne, the album captures the deeply special magic of communal creativity in the moment.
The album will feature “C’est Si Bon,” a funky disco love letter and summertime club anthem, built around a sinuous bass line, twinkling keys, space lasers paired with the trio’s gorgeous harmonies, penchant for big, catchy hooks, deep groves and expansive psychedelia-tinged song structures. Thematically, the song reminds the listener to seize the day and make their time count.
The album’s third and latest single “Astral Plane” is a slow-burning, Quiet Storm soul-inspired take on disco built around the trio’s yearning harmonies, sinuous bass lines, a silky, slinky groove and a series of head-nodding hooks. The result is classic love song rooted in craft, love and earnest, lived-in songwriting and performances.
Continuing their ongoing collaboration with director Lisa Schiller, the accompanying video for “Astral Plane” is a stylishly shot, hazy and sultry dream that features the members of the trio dancing on a disco spaceship with a window viewing the planets and other gorgeous natural phenomenon.
Say She She will be embarking on the European leg of the Don’t You Dare Stop Tour, which sees the trio bringing their dance floor friendly sounds across the world. Check out the remaining tour dates below.
Acclaimed NYC-based disco outfit and JOVM mainstays Say She She — Piya Malik, Sabrina Cunningham and Nya Gazelle Brown — released their critically applauded, eight-song, Sergio Rios-produced full-length debut Prism through Karma Chief Records last year.
Prism saw the trio quickly establishing a sound that nodded heavily at 70s girl groups — multi-part female harmonies paired paired with funky, disco-inspired arrangements played by a backing band featuring some of New York’s most talented and accomplished players, featuring former members of Antibalas, Charles Bradley and His Extraordinaries, Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings, The Shacks, Twin Shadow and others. Evoking a distinct Studio 54-era disco nostalgia, their work is imbued with a contemporary thematic grit paired with global dance floor influences.
Building upon a rapidly growing profile both nationally and internationally, the trio’s highly-anticipated sophomore album, the 16-song, Sergio Rios-produced Silver is slated for a September 29, 2023 release through Karma Chief Records. Reflecting on the group’s growth as songwriters, performers and artists as they enter a new phase of their art and careers, Silver derives its name from the element known as the metal of self-confidence and the mirror of the soul. With an emphasis on their now-trademark global disco sound, the JOVM mainstays sophomore album features material that ranges from protest anthems, Hindi-flecked songwriting and feel-good, disco-infused tracks, the album reminds listeners of the beauty in the world while firmly and boldly asserting their respective identities as modern femmes.
Largely written and recorded live-to-tape at Killion Sound Studio in North Hollywood, the analog recording session root the acclaimed trio’s sound in bedrock of old-fashioned, tonal warmth. But cutting the tracks live with their backing band, which also featured members of Rios’ Orgōne, the album captures the deeply special magic of communal creativity in the moment.
The album will feature “C’est Si Bon,” a funky disco love letter and summertime club anthem, built around a sinuous bass line, twinkling keys, space lasers paired with the trio’s gorgeous harmonies, penchant for big, catchy hooks, deep groves and expansive psychedelia-tinged song structures. Thematically, the song reminds the listener to seize the day and make their time count.
The album’s third and latest single “Astral Plane” is a slow-burning, Quiet Storm soul-inspired take on disco built around the trio’s yearning harmonies, sinuous bass lines, a silky, slinky groove and a series of head-nodding hooks. The result is classic love song rooted in craft, love and earnest, lived-in songwriting and performances.
Say She She is currently in the middle of Don’t You Dare Stop Tour, which sees the trio bringing their dance floor friendly sounds across the world. Check out the remaining tour dates below.
DON’T YOU DARE STOP TOUR
July 27 – 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (USA)**
July 28 – Wicker Park Fest, Chicago (USA)
July 29 – Maha Festival, Omaha (USA)
July 31 – Globe Hall, Denver (USA)
August 3-4 – Pickathon Festival, Portland (USA)
August 6 – Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles (USA)*+
August 16 – Musikfestwochen, Winterthurer (Switzerland)
August 18 – Festival Chez Hubert, Brittany (France)
August 20 – Green Man Festival, Wales (UK)
August 22. – Bla, Oslo (Norway)
August 23 – Vega, Copenhagen Denmark)
August 24 – Faschiong, Stockholm (Sweden)
August 26 – Shambala Festival, Northamptonshire (UK)
August 28 – Rescue Rooms, Nottingham(UK)
August 31 – Village Underground, London (UK)
September 1 – End Of The Road Festival, Dorset (UK)
September 2 – Manchester Psych Fest, Manchester (UK)
September 3 – Hare & Hounds, Birmingham (UK)
September 10 – Music At The Intersection, St. Louis (USA)
September 22 – XPonential Music Festival, Camden (USA)
* as support for St Paul & The Broken Bones
** with special guest, Abby Jeanne
*+ as support for Portugal The Man & Chicano Batman
^ as support for Shannon & The Clams
New Video: JOVM Mainstays Say She She Shares Glittery Visual for Disco Anthem “C’est Si Bon”
Deriving their name as a sort of tongue-in-cheek nod to the legendary Nile Rodgers — “C’est chi-chi! It’s Chic!” — NYC-based disco outfit Say She She features three accomplished, strong female lead vocalists: founding members Piya Malik, who has spent time in El Michels Affair, 79.5 and Chicano Batman; and Sabrina Cunningham; along with Nya Gazelle Brown, a former member of 79.5.
The rising New York-based outfit can trace their origins back to when Malik and Cunningham found themselves living in the studio apartments directly above and below each other. The pair would hear each other singing through the floorboards and quickly became friends. “I knew the girl below me had the most beautiful voice as I would hear her early in the morning and she would hear me late at night. Between the two of us I don’t think we got a wink of sleep. Then again I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say they moved to New York City to sleep,” Malik says in press notes.
After spending years singing in other people’s bands, Malik and Cunningham felt they were finally ready to step out into the spotlight with their own project. At first, they wrote tongue-in-cheek songs about bad boyfriends, band breakups and bad politics. But shortly after, they started writing much more serious and vulnerable tunes, like much-needed therapy sessions, detailing the lives of post-modern women. And as a result, their material frequently touches upon love, lust, sex, heartbreak, betrayal and hope.
A few years after they started the project, the duo recruited their close friend and Malik’s former 79.5 bandmate Nya Gazelle Brown to join them. At that point, the act’s core lineup was settled.
Sonically, Say She She’s sound nods at 70s girl groups — multi-part female harmonies paired paired with funky, disco-inspired arrangements played by a backing band featuring some of New York’s most talented and accomplished players, featuring former members of Antibalas, Charles Bradley and His Extraordinaries, Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings, The Shacks, Twin Shadow and others. Locally, they’ve developed a reputation as a must-see live act, playing sold out shows at Bowery Ballroom, Nublu 151, Brooklyn Bazaar, C’Mon Everybody and Baby’s All Right among others.
Their eight-song, Sergio Rios-produced full-length debut Prism was released through Karma Chief Records last year. Recorded on old tape machines in the basement studios of friends, the album features guest spots from The Dap Kings‘ Joey Crispiano and Victor Axelrod, The Shacks’ Max Shrager, Chicano Batman’s Bardo Martinez, Antibalas‘ Superhuman Happiness‘ and Low Mentality’s Nikhil Yerawadekar, Twin Shadow’s Andy Bauer and NYMPH‘s Matty McDermot.
The acclaimed trio return with “C’est Si Bon,” a funky disco love letter, built around a sinuous bass line, twinkling keys, space lasers paired with the trio’s gorgeous harmonies, penchant for big, catchy hooks, deep groves and expansive psychedelia-tinged song structures. It’s a summertime club anthem that reminds the listener to seize the day and make their time count.
Directed by Lucas Hauchard and Valentin Duciel, the accompanying video for “C’est Si Bon” is fittingly a glittery, disco ball tribute to both disco and the world’s great fashion capitals with sections shot in Paris, New York and Los Angeles. And of course, the ladies of Say She She are wearing glittery outfits throughout.