Tag: San Rafael CA

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Monophonics’ Kelly Finnigan Shares a Crafted Soul Ballad

Kelly Finnigan is an acclaimed singer/songwriter, keyboardist, producer and owner of  San Rafael, CA-based Transistor Sound Studio. While Finnigan is perhaps best known as the frontman of the equally acclaimed West Coast-based soul outfit and JOVM mainstays Monophonics, he is also a highly-regarded solo artist, who has released two albums — 2019’s full-length debut The Tales People Tell and 2020’s Christmas album,  A Joyful Sound. 

Monophonics third album, 2020’s It’s Only Us, which featured “Chances,” and “It’s Only Us” received praise from the likes of Billboard, Flood, Cool Hunting and American Songwriter, while selling 10,000 physical copies and amassing over 20 million streams across the various digital streaming platforms. Thematically, It’s Only Us touched upon unity in a fractious and divisive world, strength, resilience, acceptance — and of course, love.

The acclaimed JOVM mainstays fourth album, last year’s Sage Motel derived its title from an actual place — the Sage Motel. What started out as a quaint motor lodge and common pitstop for travelers and truckers in the 1940s, Sage Motel morphed into a bohemian’ hang out by the 1960s and 1970s: Artists, musicians and vagabonds of all stripes would stop there as seedy ownership pumped obnoxious amounts of money into high-end renovations, eventually attracting some of the most prominent acts of the era. But when the money ran out, the motel devolved into a hot sheet hotel. 

If the hotel’s walls could talk, they’d tell you tales of human highs and lows, of a place where big dreams and broken hearts live, and where people find themselves at a crossroads — sometimes without quite knowing how they got there.

Thematically, Sage Motel tackled all of those subjects while seeing the band further cementing their reputation as one of the world’s premier psychedelic soul bands. 

Finnigan’s new mixtape From Me To You is a collection of 16 songs that will be released exclusively on cassette tomorrow through Colemine Records. It’s an extremely limited release that won’t be available on vinyl, CD or digital streaming for some time. “I want to share what I’ve been working on. It’s not a proper album, and it doesn’t have the same vibe all throughout,” Finnigan says of the mixtape. “It’s a collection of different ideas, which is how I used to share the music I loved with my friends.”

“Owning a physical copy of a song and using a specific piece of equipment to hear it – that was a huge part of my musical upbringing,” the acclaimed singer/songwriter, musician and producer says of the cassette-only format of the mixtape. “This is a selection of different songs on a tape. It’s how I want people to experience it. (The cassette has just sold out online, but it’ll be available at local retail shops across the country on release day.)

From Me To You‘s lead single “Leave You Alone” was written and recorded back in 2019 during The Tales People Tell sessions and was recorded at Finnigan’s Transistor Sound. The track features Monophonics’ and The Ironsides‘ Max Ramey (bass) and Joe Ramey (sax) — and features Finnigan playing all other instrumentation on the track. Sonically, “Leave You Alone” is a classic R&B-meets-soul jam rooted in Finnigan’s uncanny knack for pairing old-school craftsmanship with earnest, seemingly lived-in lyricism.

Inspired by Bettye Swann, “Leave You Alone” is a love song told from the perspective of a jilted woman, who recognized that it’s long been time for her to move away and on from a faithless, no-good lover. It may arguably be among the most seemingly lived-in songs of Finnigan’s career, while capturing its central character with an uncannily precise attention to psychological detail.

Video by William Ruben Helms

Live Footage: Reno’s The Sextones Perform Slow-burning Quiet Storm-like “Beck & Call” at Washoe County Downtown Library

Reno-based soul outfit The Sextones — siblings Mark Sexton (vocals, guitar) and Christopher Sexton (piano), with Alexander Korostinsky (bass), and Daniel Weiss are all childhood friends, and as a result their musical chemistry is effortless and forms the foundation of the band’s longevity and creative process. 

Over the years, the band’s members have also been able to channel their creativity into other acclaimed projects — Mark Sexton and Korostinsky collaborate together in the cinematic soul project Whatitdo Archive Group, which released their critically applauded full-length debut The Black Stone Affair through Italian purveyors of funk Record Kicks back in 2021. Weiss has played with soul jazz outfit Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio. These forays into other projects has not only allowed the members to flex their creative muscle individually but it has also strengthened their collective songwriting chops. 

The Reno-based soul quartet signed to Record Kicks, who will release their Kelly Finnigan-produced sophomore album Love Can’t Be Borrowed on September 29, 2023. The album reportedly is a new chapter in the band’s story and sees the band attempting to scale new heights and plumb deeper emotional depths. Drawing from their upbringing steeped in the classic soul sound, the band’s Mark Sexton and Alexander Korostinsky knew they wanted the album to highlight their old-school bonafides while leaving room for innovations. The pair and their bandmates found that balance during marathon recording sessions at Finnigan’s San Rafael, CA-based Transistor Sound Studio. 

Late last month, I wrote about Love Can’t Be Borrowed‘s second single, “Without You,” an uptempo, two-step inducing jam built around playful call-and-response vocals, twinkling keys, reverb-soaked funk guitar and a locked-in propulsive rhythm section paired with an incredibly catchy hook. While “Without You” sees the Reno-based soul outfit deftly balancing an old-school attention to craft, it’s a sweet, declaration of love, devotion and profound gratitude that’s simultaneously a contented sigh and an acknowledgement that love — much like anything else in our lives — takes hard work.

Love Can’t Be Borrowed‘s third and latest single “Beck & Call” is a slow-burning, classic Quiet Storm-inspired ballad built around a lush, glistening arrangement, Mark Sexton’s achingly tender falsetto paired with the band’s unerring, deliberate attention to old-school craftsmanship and musicianship. Much like its immediate predecessor, the song is a sweet and earnest declaration of love, devotion and vulnerability that you rarely hear these days.

The live footage was recorded at the historic Washoe County Downtown Library in the band’s hometown in Reno, and it captures the band’s seemingly effortless craft and musicianship.

Video by William Ruben Helms

Live Footage: The Sextones Perform Soulful “Without You”

Reno-based soul outfit The Sextones — Mark Sexton (vocals, guitar), Christopher Sexton (piano), Alexander Korostinsky (bass), and Daniel Weiss are childhood friends, and as a result their musical chemistry is effortless and forms the foundation of the band’s longevity and creative process. 

Over the years, the band’s members have also been able to channel their creativity into other acclaimed projects — Mark Sexton and Korostinsky collaborate together in the cinematic soul project Whatitdo Archive Group, which released their critically applauded full-length debut The Black Stone Affair through Italian purveyors of funk Record Kicks back in 2021. Weiss has played with soul jazz outfit Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio. These forays into other projects has not only allowed the members to flex their creative muscle individually but it has also strengthened their collective songwriting chops. 

The Reno-based soul quartet signed to Record Kicks, who will release their forthcoming Kelly Finnigan-produced sophomore album Love Can’t Be Borrowed on September 29, 2023. The album reportedly is a new chapter in the band’s story and sees the band attempting to scale new heights and plumb deeper emotional depths. Drawing from their upbringing steeped in the classic soul sound, the band’s Mark Sexton and Alexander Korostinsky knew they wanted the album to highlight their old-school bonafides while leaving room for innovations. The pair and their bandmates found that balance during marathon recording sessions at Finnigan’s San Rafael, CA-based Transistor Sound Studio. 

“Without You,” the second single off Love Can’t Be Borrowed is an uptempo, two-step inducing jam built around playful call-and-response vocals, twinkling keys, glistening xylophone, reverb-soaked funk guitar, and a locked-in, propulsive rhythm section paired with an incredibly catchy hook. The song sees the band deftly balancing old school attention to craft with earnest, lived in lyricism. But, at it’s core, “Without You” is a sweet, old-timey declaration of love, devotion and profound gratitude that’s a both contented sigh and an acknowledgment that love — much like anything in life — takes hard work. 

The accompanying video features the Reno-based soul outfit performing the song in what looks like a public library — or a hotel lobby. But it captures the seemingly effortless craft at the song.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: The Sextones Share Strutting and Soulful “Without You”

Reno-based soul outfit The Sextones — Mark Sexton (vocals, guitar), Christopher Sexton (piano), Alexander Korostinsky (bass), and Daniel Weiss are childhood friends, and as a result their musical chemistry is effortless and forms the foundation of the band’s longevity and creative process.

Over the years, the band’s members have also been able to channel their creativity into other acclaimed projects — Sexton and Korostinsky collaborate together in the cinematic soul project Whatitdo Archive Group, which released their critically applauded full-length debut The Black Stone Affair through Italian purveyors of funk Record Kicks back in 2021. Weiss has played with soul jazz outfit Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio. These forays into other projects has not only allowed the members to flex their creative muscle individually but it has also strengthened their collective songwriting chops.

The Reno-based soul quartet signed to Record Kicks, who will release their forthcoming Kelly Finnigan-produced sophomore album Love Can’t Be Borrowed on September 29, 2023. The album reportedly is a new chapter in the band’s story and sees the band attempting to scale new heights and plumb deeper emotional depths. Drawing from their upbringing steeped in the classic soul sound, the band’s Mark Sexton and Alexander Korostinsky knew they wanted the album to highlight their old-school bonafides while leaving room for innovations. The pair and their bandmates found that balance during marathon recording sessions at Finnigan’s San Rafael, CA-based Transistor Sound Studio.

“Without You,” the second single off Love Can’t Be Borrowed is an uptempo, two-step inducing jam built around playful call-and-response vocals, twinkling keys, glistening xylophone, reverb-soaked funk guitar, and a locked-in, propulsive rhythm section paired with an incredibly catchy hook. The song sees the band deftly balancing old school attention to craft with earnest, lived in lyricism. But, at it’s core, “Without You” is a sweet, old-timey declaration of love, devotion and profound gratitude that’s a both contented sigh and an acknowledgment that love — much like anything in life — takes hard work.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Sawyer Gebauer is a Wisconsin-born, Oakland, CA-based singer/songwriter, who has spent a great deal of his musical career moving back and forth between the States and Europe. When he was 19, Gebauer relocated to Sweden, where he founded and formed Brittsommar, a musical project that featured a rotating cast of musicians and received quite a bit of attention across Continental Europe with the release of their 2011 debut effort Day Of Living Velvet. After the release of Brittsommar’s debut, Gebauer relocated to Berlin where he recored 2013’s The Machine Stops in a dilapidated warehouse. Eventually, Gebauer returned to the States, recording the final Brittsommar effort 2015’s Mary Me EP at TRI Studios in San Rafael, CA.  

After Brittsommar ended, Gebauer started his latest musical project Catch Prichard, which draws deeply from Americana; in fact, Gebauer has publicly cited Townes Van Zandt and Bruce Springsteen‘s 1995 release The Ghost of Tom Joad as major influences on his latest project, and that he wanted to write and record a collection of stripped down songs based around narrative and melody — and the end result is the soon-to-be released Eskota EP, a five song EP named after the Texas ghost town in which it was recorded. 

The first single from the EP “Hometown” is an elegantly simple track featuring Gebauer’s gorgeous and moody baritone, accompanied by his dexterous guitar strumming, and gently padded drumming — and the result is a sparse, spectral song that’s indebted to folk as much as it country, while possessing a narrator’s attention to physical and psychological detail.