New WHY? on the Way

WHY? is a 2000s band, who I really believe was mysteriously transported from the mid-'90s. They do all that '90s stuff like mix rock and hip-hop, and sing and talk, and talk-sing, and who are always hugely deadpan. (Think early Cake or a less ridiculous Bloodhoung Gang.)

On paper, this doesn't sound like something that would appeal to me but I love both the two albums of theirs that I've heard (Alopecia and Eskimo Snow). There are certain moody afternoons where this is exactly the band I want to listen to.

Looks like they've got both a new EP and a new LP coming out this fall. They just released this new single (which, so far, suits me just fine).

Sod in the Seed (SoundCloud)

You can also check one of my favorite WHY? tunes here - These Few Presidents (YouTube). 

Secretly in Love with Justin Bieber?

 
If you love those sugary-sweet, Bieber-esque hooks, but aren't quite ready to admit your Bieber Fever to your friends, I may have a fix for you. DATABOY is just as catchy, but with a slightly more electronic vibe (and clearly more hipster cred).

For the next few days, you can stream their new album Dreams are Gold here. You can also check out a bunch of their tunes on SoundCloud. 

Rocky Votolato = Incredibly Nice Guy

Over the last year-ish, I've had the chance to talk to Rocky Votolato three times. Each time I hang up, my first thought is, "Wow, what a nice guy."

Call number three was no exception.

His new album, on the other hand, is quite exceptional. Check out the tune "Little Spring" here.

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Rocky Votolato is feeling better. Much better.

Over his long and impressive career as a singer/songwriter, Votolato has had his share of personal peaks and valleys. But when it came time to write 2010’s “True Devotion,” he was pretty much at rock bottom.

“I always want my writing to reflect where I’m at in my life,” he says. “With ‘True Devotion,’ I was in a really dark place. I was struggling with some really personal, existential issues. On this one, I feel like I’ve sorted a lot of that out.”

“This one” is his new album, “Television of Saints.” From the first notes of the record, it’s easy to hear that Votolato is in a different headspace. “There’s a lighter feeling to this album overall. It’s not as heavy as the last album,” he says. “There’s still an element of struggle and darkness within the songs, but it’s more from a narrative perspective.”

Though the record is not as heavy, “Television” is just as weighty. The songs flow together joyously and effortless, creating the most instantly engaging collection of Votolato’s career.

He says the album title draws a phrase coined in the 1930s, referring to how the newly invented television had such a power to bring people together. Through the record isn’t about TV, it is about how we are all connected in some way. Votolato says he was heavily inspired by his connection to friends and family when he wrote the album.

So it was only fitting that he reach out to those same folks to help him make the album. His brothers Sonny and Cody both played on the record. “This is the first time I’ve had both of my brothers on an album. That was a really cool experience. I’ve been wanting to do it for a long time,” Votolato says.

Having finished out his contract with indie label Barsuk, Votolato decided to turn to his friends and fans to help him fund the record. Through the website Kickstarter, he was able to raise $40,000 (more than double what he had asked for) in just 30 days.

“I’m really, really grateful to all of my fans for all of that,” he says. “It allowed me more freedom and more control creatively. I got to the make the record I wanted to make. And I didn’t have to go into severe debt to do it, which is what I would have been facing if I hadn’t done Kickstarter.”

In exchange for their donations, fans were treated to a wide range of collectors items, from t-shirts hand-screenprinted by Votolato’s wife to paintings made by his son. For the fan who donated $2,500, Votolato promised a private concert anywhere in the U.S. or Europe.

“Most everything has worked out really well and is pretty close to being finished now. It’s been a ton of work, but I think well worth it,” he says. There was one small problem, though.

“I had 128 hand-written lyric sheets to do and I kind of sprained my neck because I was writing so many of them without taking a break,” he says with a laugh.

Despite the full-band feel of the “Television of Saints,” Votolato will again tour as a solo act. “I like to play alone,” he says. “I like to keep the shows simple. On the records I’m most pleased with, I’ve followed the philosophy of ‘less is more.’ It makes things more intimate. I think that’s what I’m best at, so that’s what I’m bringing to the shows.”

So Yeah, I Feel Electric Pink in the Cheeks

I was just about to start writing an article about the incredibly nice Rocky Votolato when I got distracted by Spotify. I started with Rocky V, but then the "related artists" made me think about The New Amsterdams. Before I even pushed play, my eye was drawn to a band I haven't listen to in years--The Promise Ring.

The Promise is a bit of an acquired taste, but I absolutely love Electric Pink. I love the perfectly simple bass line and, of course, the lisp-y vocal.

For a long time after I first heard this song, every time I wrote a new song I would the steal the line "I live a small street/With very small shoes/But in a small house" as a place holder. It doesn't make any sense. And I love it.

Electric Pink [on Spotify]
I'd also recommend Happiness is all the Rage. 

The Atom Age: Dirty, Dirty Rock 'n Roll

Burt's Tiki Lounge is dark, dingy and loud. It's pretty much the perfect venue for The Atom Age, the East Bay, California five-piece that likes to keep its rock 'n roll a little dirty.

"Getting the audience horny is definitely an important part of the type of music we play," says guitarist/singer Ryan Perras. The Atom Age, however, is not what you'd call a gentle lover.

The band's garage rock sound is more an audio attack than a romantic swoon. And though the band features the tenor saxophone, there are no slow jams or sexy solos.

"We are really into rock 'n roll from the '50s and early '60s," Perras says. "Having tenor sax was considered pretty much essential back then--it was often more prominent than guitar. It's definitely a homage to that time."

The saxophone is a crucial part of the band's frenetic sound, that gives traditional rock 'n' roll an affectionate punch in the throat. "[The sax] adds dynamics and depth to the sound, as well as a being cooler-sounding alternative to guitar for lead parts," Perras explains. "A screamin' saxophone is just a part of wild rock 'n' roll, and I can't even imagine the band without it."

The band's new record, "The Hottest Thing That's Cool," just hit shelves this week. Perras says the album is purposefully a little rougher around the edges than their debut release, 2011's "Kill Surf City."

"On [our first] album, we hit The Atom Age sound on the head a few times but there's almost a lot of power-pop sounding stuff which, while still good, was not really what we had in mind," he says.

"We spent a lot of time touring on that record and really finding what direction we wanted the sound to go in, and we ended up having a very clear picture of what we wanted. For the new album, we worked really hard to make sure every single song was how we envisioned it. I think we can say that every song has The Atom Age sound."

That sound is raspy, raunchy and unrelenting. The band's live performances also follow suit, whipping the crowd into a healthy circle pit. "Screaming 'C'mon Motherfuckers' 500 times only gets ya so far," Perras says. "Just because you take your band seriously doesn't mean you have to be hardcore artists with the weight of the world on your shoulders. It's really criminal to forget about the most important part of rock 'n roll: FUN."

And the band certainly hasn't forgotten about rock 'n' roll's best friend: sex. "I would like to think [our show] is a high energy experience that leaves you sweaty and feeling horny" Perras says, before adding, "but strangely satisfied at the same time."

Check out an Atom Age playlist here.