Hula Baby - The Rochester Sessions 7" OUT NOW

Hailing from Vallodolid in Spain, a town famed for its Easter celebrations, recognised as an international interest, the town now has something more to offer the world, I am of course referring to the seminal rock 'n' roll band, Hula Baby!

With their infectious blend of Rock'N'Roll and Surf beats, Hula Baby are putting the town on the music map and giving the locals another reason to celebrate, but like any good band in the 21st century, they are not keeping it to themselves, but sharing it with the world.

The three tracks on this EP are sung entirely in Spanish, but don't let that put you off, you will be singing along fluently whilst riding the crest of the wave that the bands music creates....Rock 'N' Roll indeed!

This EP is limited to just 350 copies on the brilliant KOTJ (Kick Out The Jams) label, so if, like me, you love your vinyl, get an order in quick as they are sure to sell pretty fast!

Contact, follow, befriend, like and love Hula Baby here: Facebook

Order your EP here: KOTJ RECORDS

(If you have any problems with the language, drop them an e-mail and they will help you out)

Find more by Hula Baby here: Bandcamp

And, if like me, you love your T-shirts, Hula Baby have a really fantastic design on theirs which you can have in a variety of colours for a mere 10 Euros with which you get a download of one of their albums!!!!!

Button Up - "Modena" and "Covered Up" EP OUT NOW

What an album to take us into Friday and the weekend, get your dancing shoes on, slip into your glad rags, fire up the scooter and hit the town. The weekend is here
I first heard "Button Up" on the Glory Boy Radio show a few weeks ago and immediately fell in love with their mixture of Northern Soul, Mod and Hammond beats, the 4/4 beat gets me every time, you can't help but tap your feet to the music and more often than not you end up dancing........with a great big smile on your face too!

Button Up new 10 track album “Modena” is out now and released on button up RECORDS. The musical theme comes from the title and includes the musical styles of Northern Soul, Ska and the Hammond Mod sound all blended together. Modena contains 5 tracks with vocal and 5 tracks intrumental, written by founding member and bass player Garry John Kane. The oustanding vocal talent of Sara Kerr leads on 4 up-tempo northern soul style tracks including the successful single/video from the album “Listen To Your Heart (Beat)”.  Mark Hannaway displays a Joe Strummer/Terry Hall vocal style on the Ska/2-tone track “Someday” to create another stunning vocal performance.   The other 5 Intsrumental tracks have a blend of Reggae, Garage and the wonderful “Midnight Stroll” and “Two, Two One” top the Sixties Hammond feel on the tracks.

Button Up are: 

Andy Gardner – guitars Garry John Kane – bass, guitars, percussion  Greg Barnes – keys and pianos  Lesley Mclaren – drums and percussion Sara Kerr – vocals

Contact, befriend, follow, like and love "Button Up" here: Facebook

Buy the album "Modena" the latest EP "Covered Up" and everything else by the band here: Button Up Records

Downloads are available at itunes, Amazon MP3 and emusic

Thee Eviltones - In The Shadow Of The Beast

From Nottingham in the UK, this band deliver their wares by way of fuzzy, dirty guitars, rip raw vocals, pounding drums and driven blood dripping bass, all in a  60's style garage frenzy, mix that with their leanings towards the dark side, a dash of punk attitude and you have a band that are struggling to remain human amidst their own creation, ladies, gentleman and beasts of the night, I give you THEE EVILTONES!

Tattered, torn and covered in the blood of a thousand demons, Thee Eviltones are the fearsome four horsemen of Apocalyptic Garage rock. The delivery of their debut album "In The Shadow of the Beast" is imminent, coming straight from the gaping jaws of Hades. 
Thee Eviltones are a four-piece rock n' roll band, bound by a love of garage rock and influenced by 60s soul, surf rock and punk. They provide a grooving soundtrack for stories of horror and terrifying dreams.
"In The Shadow of the Beast" is a 13 track artillery of savagely raw, yet soulful tunes that encapsulates everything Thee Eviltones have strived to create from their twisted sadistic minds. Along with the 12 virulent original tracks, "In The Shadow of the Beast" features a nightmarish version of Rolling Stones classic "Paint it Black" further ensuring that "In The Shadow of the Beast" will no doubt melt faces and take names to great effect.

Follow, contact, befriend, like and love....if you dare...here: Facebook

Buy the album: itunes Amazon

Official Website with gigs, news and more here: http://www.theeeviltones.co.uk

The Turnback - If I Were God. New video from the upcoming release.

Ice Cream Man favourites, The Turnback are back with a new video from their upcoming new release which promises to be a real scorcher.  Enjoy!

Contact, follow, befriend, like and love The Turnback here: The Turnback

True Hearts - True Hearts

I often wonder how many really great records are out there that I haven't heard, it shouldn't bother me really because I haven't heard them, but then an album like this one will turn up and I once again get to thinking!
True Hearts have that classic Power Pop sound from the late 70's, early 80's in a similar vein to that of The Raspberries, oh yes, it is that good, Terry Carolan's unique vocals really makes this gem stand out from the crowd, top that with classic riffs, hooks and melodies and this formula will win the hearts and minds of every power pop fan out there!

Formed in 1979 in Houston, Texas, True Hearts were a melodic rock band with a distinct pop edge, due to Terry Carolan's songwriting. The original name of the group was The Flirt. The band was formed with the intent to be an original music group, using Carolan's tunes as the foundation, and they came out of the gate with a strong set of tunes. With the original lineup, the band trekked to Tampa, Florida and recorded an album's worth of material. The intention was to release the full album, but they released a four song EP instead in 1980.
 Released regionally, it was used mostly for promotional purposes and sent to record labels in hopes of getting signed. The band broke up in early 1982. Terry explains further "In 1977, Audities co-founder Gary Littleton and I started Counterfeit Records to release a single by Just Boys. We also released the True Hearts EP consisting of songs that were taken from an album that was never released - until now!

If you like pop-rock that has similarities to Pezband, Artful Dodger, Off Broadway, Cheap Trick and an occasional tinge of Raspberries ('Starting Over' era), you may enjoy the album. Gary would absolutely approve!" You nailed it Terry! "This album is truly an unreleased power pop classic in the tradition of the Raspberries, Badfinger and Glen Matlock’s Rich Kids. In other words, tunes that rock with memorable melodies, guitar riffs to die for as well as a couple of keyboard ballads for the band to show off their softer side and touch your heart with love and tenderness. It's an album that should have been heard by the masses on radio stations everywhere, and in a perfect world it would’ve been had it been released at the time." - Dennis Dalcin/Bucketfull Of Brains

 "An excellent power pop band who, like many other equally talented bands, never got the chance they deserved back in the day. Thankfully, Kool Kat has wrested this fine album from the jaws of obscurity, and it deserves to claim a spot on the shelves of any fan of the genre!" - David Bash/IPO

Get it here: Kool Kat Musik

Mark Crozer and The Rels - Mark Crozer and The Rels OUT NOW

As we speed through Autumn into winter, at what seems like a million miles an hour, dark mornings and early sundown, Mark Crozer and The Rels have bestowed upon us a little extra sunshine of such substantial quality and warmth, that it will surely see us through the long winter (especially here in Sweden) right through to Spring and beyond.

NORFOLK, VA – Oxford, UK  (now based in Charlotte, NC) born Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Mark Crozer  is back with the much anticipated debut self-titled 15 song collection from his new band  Mark Crozer & The Rels (PSRCD082) – The Rels:Taylor Short (Guitar), Wes Grasty (Bass) and Donnie Merritt (Drums & Vocals).  The album drops on September 18, 2012 via Planting Seeds Records  –  co-mixed by Jay Braun (Norah Jones, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Cat Power, Fiery Furnacesetc.) - recorded both in the US and UK, the album promises to catch many pop starved ears with its arrival!

One of the influences of the album that made my ears prick up was  that of late Teenage Fanclub albums, (think Grand Prix and beyond) but there are also some Beatles influences in there as well, Neil Young, Kinks, The Darkside, a stripped down Jesus and Mary Chain, not surprising seeing as that was Mark Crozers former band, but these are just influences, this is a very original piece of work that will surely grace the top end of many year end listings.

From the opening energetic pulsations of “War Drum” to “Bristol Hum”, the album’s closing number – Mark Crozer & The Relstake you on a ride of riff driven, 60’s influenced hooks, and pure melodic bliss.  Label executive Steve Frank proclaims: “It’s from start to finish a wonderful timeless artifact – a dose of every important pop era and an obvious nod to the future – brilliant.”   “I Need A Vaccination” kicks the LP into another gear with its surf-y/power pop fuzz guitars and its instantly memorable “c’mon / c’mon / give me a drug” refrain. Crozer & The Rels continue to take off with the sugary-sweet pop of “Killed By Karma” and “Sunshine”. Crozer’s love of 60’s pop is present – most notably on “Brand New World” (the track’s lead guitar brings to mind The Beatles “I Want to To Tell You”); The Monkees-like romp of “Just Another Day; “Waiting For June” with its subtle hints of psychedelia, and the whispery tuneful beauty of “Deep Caroline”.  Mark Crozer also showcases the softer/ introspective side with the heartfelt/apologetic pleading of “What A Fool I’ve Been” which carries over to the classic acoustic folk brilliance of “You Are A Light”.   “Broken Out In Love” has also received a major endorsement of all places, via professional WWE wrestler Bray Wyatt – making it an overnight viral/download hit.  Jack Rabid, editor of New York based magazine The Big Takeover gives the best description of the band’s sonic landscape – “gentle fuzzy guitars and slow ‘60s pop splendor, like light JAMC doing late ‘60s Bee Gees or Lulu with a splash of Pale Saints...classic".    The music world needs more albums like Mark Crozer & The Rels – a complete collection of perpetual well-crafted timeless pop perfection that will no doubt leave you wanting more.

Contact, befriend, follow, like and love Mark Crozer and The Rels here: Facebook

Official Website: http://www.markcrozermusic.com/

Listen to more tracks here: Soundcloud

Buy the album here: Planting Seeds Records itunes Amazon Official Website Shop

Phenomenal Cat - Leisurewear OUT NOW, FREE DOWNLOAD

Single number 9 from the single a month for 2012 is out now from the wonderful Phenomenal Cat and of course, I don't need to rave about it, because you already now that this Folkestone quartet deliver the goods, month in month out, and of course, single number 9, number 9, number 9......is no exception!

Once again the single is available for free download, with a "name your price" tag, if you are enjoying these singles as much as I am, please make a donation, however small as this will ensure that, come the end of the 12 months, you won't be left wanting for more from a great band with no funds!

On a different note, no pun intended, Phenomenal Cat bassist Natalie got married a few days ago and we would like to offer out very best wishes to her and her husband for a very happy future.

A slight change to the band photo here, this is not a new member of the band, this is Tony, owner of a very fine Vauxhall Viva that appeared on last months single cover.  The band knocked on his door and asked if they could use his car for some photos for the cover, he basically gave them the keys and told them to knock themselves out, so here is a little shout out to Tony and his generosity, one of the good guys!

Download the latest single here: Bandcamp

Contact, befriend, follow, like and love Phenomenal Cat here: Facebook