The Connecticut hardcore band MANNERS is streaming a new song ” Widowmaker ” from their upcoming record to be released on New Jersey label MorseCode Recordings. Check it out below.

facebook.com/mannersct

Mumford & Sons are pleased to announce details of a series of Gentlemen of the Road Stopovers in the United States this August.

The Stopovers combine the intimacy of a community celebration with the excitement of a world-class music festival. Featuring local vendors and activities, each Stopover will begin with a concert at a unique site and end with a series of smaller events involving local businesses, venues, and, most importantly, local people. Mumford & Sons will headline the main event, alongside an eclectic and energetic roster of artists curated by the band themselves.

These one-day, outdoor events will take place in four carefully-selected and unique locations across America, including the Eastern Promenade in Portland, ME; downtown Bristol, VA/TN; Page Park in Dixon, IL; and the legendary Fairgrounds in Monterey, CA.

Tickets to the Stopovers will be $69, with no additional service fees or hidden charges. Each ticket will include a beautifully designed commemorative Gentlemen of the Road Stopover Passport, and an exclusive digital download compilation album featuring performances taken from various acts across the four shows. Tickets for the Portland, Bristol, and Monterey Stopovers will go on sale Friday, June 1 at 10am local time. The Dixon Stopover will go on sale Saturday, June 9th at 10am CT. Tickets for all Stopovers will be available exclusively at gentlemenoftheroad.com. A very limited quantity of $59 early-bird tickets will be available for each site on a first-come, first-served basis.
Mumford & Sons said: “The Gentlemen of the Road Stopover is based loosely upon our favorite festivals like Colorado’s Telluride Bluegrass and Scotland’s Loopallu Festivals. We want to stop off in towns where bands don’t usually tour, and celebrate the local people, food and music.

We’re keen to promote the town’s local businesses, and we’ll be using the local bars and venues for after-show parties, whilst working closely with the local people to get everyone involved in making these shows spectacular. There will be a host of our friends playing too, and the vibe falls somewhere between ‘travelling Victorian circus’ and ‘Victorian travelling circus’. It should be a whole lot of fun.”

Gentlemen of the Road Stopovers   

August 4 – Gentlemen of the Road Stopover In Portland, ME (The Eastern Promenade) – Mumford & Sons + St. Vincent, Dawes, The Maccabees, Apache Relay, Simone Felice, Haim

August 11 – Gentlemen of the Road Stopover In Bristol, VA/TN (Off State Street in Downtown Bristol) – Mumford & Sons + Dawes, JEFF The Brotherhood, The Very Best, Justin Townes Earle, Apache Relay, Simone Felice, Haim

August 18 – Gentlemen of the Road Stopover In Dixon, IL (Page Park) – Mumford & Sons + Gogol Bordello, Dawes, Abigail Washburn, The Very Best, Apache Relay, Haim

August 25 – Gentlemen of the Road Stopover In Monterey, CA (Monterey County Fairgrounds) – Mumford & Sons + Gogol Bordello, The Very Best, Grouplove, Two Gallants, Apache Relay, Haim

Gentlemenoftheroad.com

www.mumfordandsons.com

facebook.com/mumfordandsons

Download: Dent May – “Best Friend” (Osborne remix)

Dent May’s “Best Friend” already received the Prins Thomas Diskomiks treatment. Now, Self-titled premieres Osborne’s remix of “Best Friend.”

In the years since signing with Paw Tracks in 2009, Mississippi native Dent May has made music that balances saccharine pop sincerity and campy affectation. His debut LP, The Good Feeling Music of Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele, put wry storytelling at its fore, but imbued each track with sweet strums of the titular instrument and earnest harmonies sure to arrest listeners’ sympathies. Eager to explore different styles, the two singles released since the album, “That Feeling” and “Fun,” have seen May plugging in and finding footing somewhere between 60s psychedelia and disco-era balladry in the vein of Ashford and Simpson, a vibe he expands on with his new record, Do Things.

Played entirely by himself and recorded in sessions split between his bedroom at the Cats Purring Dude Ranch and a small cabin by a cotton field outside Oxford, MS, Do Things finds the self-described “wedding reception band on acid” purveying the same heavy helpings of sentiment, but forgoing the jocular tone of his debut for a more contemplative-but still relentlessly optimistic-demeanor. Underneath the shiny veneer of synthesizer filigrees and harmonious coos, May zooms in on such timeless subjects as the nature of friendship, finding purpose in a world that seems devoid of it, and dealing with insistent feelings of malaise. “Funk” is certainly a word that’s written all over the album, and May’s Orange Juice-ian take on it lends songs like “Best Friend” and “Don’t Wait Too Long” a sprightly boogie and conjures images of soft-lit rooms and mirror balls. When not thumping and grooving, Do Things bops and sways along the psych-pop avenues of “Tell Her” and the ascending melodies of “Find It.” Full of stylistic changes but retaining May’s singular voice, Do Things is a great step forward for the pop devotee.

www.dentmay.com

facebook.com/dentmay

 6-15 Dallas, TX – The Bryan Street Tavern
6-16 Austin, TX – Scottish Rite Theater $$
6-17 San Antonio, TX – Korova $$
6-18 Lubbock, TX – Pray For Rain $$
6-20 Tucson, AZ – Solar Culture $$
6-21 Phoenix, AZ – The Crescent Ballroom $$
6-22 San Diego, CA – Casbah $$
6-23 Los Angeles, CA – The Smell $$
6-24 Long Beach, CA – Alex’s Bar $$
6-26 Isla Vista, CA – Biko Garage $$
6-27 San Jose, CA – Blank Club $$
6-28 Santa Cruz, CA – The Crepe Place $$
6-29 Oakland, CA – New Parish Music Hall $$
6-30 San Francisco, CA – Elbo Room $$!
7-2 Arcata, CA – The Jambalaya $$
7-3 Olympia, WA – The Northern $$
7-5 Vancouver, BC – Waldorf Hotel $$
7-6 Seattle, WA – Chop Suey $$
7-7 Portland, OR – East End Block Party $$
7-8 Missoula, MT – VFW Hall
7-10 Fargo, ND – Aquarium
7-14 Cleveland, OH – Beachland Tavern
7-15 Grand Rapids, MI – The Pyramid Scheme
7-16 Toronto – Shop Under Parts and Labour
7-17 Montreal, QC – Casa Del Popolo
7-20 New York, NY – Mercury Lounge
7-21 Brooklyn, NY – Glasslands
7-22 Washington DC – DC9
7-23 Greensboro, NC – Blind Tiger
7-24 Atlanta, GA – The Earl
7-25 Hunstville, AL – Vertical House

+ w/ Family Portrait , The Babies, William Tyler, DJ Ducktails
$$ w/ Quintron and Miss Pussycat
$$! w/ Quintron and Miss Pussycat, Shannon and the Clams

Keeping in the spirit of previous singles clubs from legendary labels like Sub Pop and Kill Rock Stars, Lefse is pleased to announce its first 7″ series, which will launch on June 26th with the release of the first 7″ in the series, Psychic Twin’s “Gonna Get Her” b/w “Deepest Part.” The series will continue with singles from Mister Lies, Sun Glitters, Field Mouse, Matthew Cooper of Eluvium and Big Search (Matt Popieluch of Fool’s Gold / Foreign Born). Each single will be limited to 500 copies, and will also be made available digitally.

You can sign up to get all six singles in the series here

Each single will also be available to buy individually in limited quantities – pre-order the Psychic Twin single  here

psychictwin.bandcamp.com

Torches full-length album, Heads Full Of Rust was released this week. The record features 12 songs and was recorded over a period of two years. For Heads Full Of Rust, Torches were fortunate enough to work with Local Natives’ producer, Raymond Richards and David Newton (The Soft Pack, The Henry Clay People, Happy Hollows). Guitarist Azad Cheikosman says, ‘This record is about being confused, having lust, greed, and searching for…something. It’s a relatable record in my book. People have already shared with me how they’ve felt about the songs and we want to be able to connect with more people and share experiences.

You can watch their brand new music video for “Dirt & Tears” below.

And just as a warning..this video is a bit dark.

The three members of Torches met each other through grammar schools in the suburbs of South Pasadena, CA. Azad and Eric lived next door to each other over a decade ago and they grew to be the best of friends, rehearsing in garage with the temperature of hell. Azad gained interest in guitar playing after he saw that many of his friends owned the instrument, but would eventually go on to quit. He says, “I’d see a guitar sitting in the corner of the room at a friend’s house and it looked so lonely…I figured…why not just pick it up and try it out?” Azad taught himself and recruited Eric as a drummer shortly after. Eric used to bang on a cooler before taking his rage out on a real drum set. After about a decade of playing in 2 other bands, Azad would eventually meet Bridgette at South Pasadena High School. The two began dating and Azad recruited her to sing and play trumpet in a Broken Social Scene cover back in 2006. Bridgette and Azad are no longer romantically connected, but they are very close and connect well musically.

The three members of Torches are more than just a group of people who play music together they are the best of friends. Torches (formerly Torches In Trees) originally had 5 members, but there were unusual humps in the road and musical differences, so they band cut it down to three, but taking off on a Northwest California tour in 2010. They are comfortable with where they are and they seem to have found some kind of niche blending vocal harmonies, groovy tribal rhythms, and melodic bass, taking influences from bands such as Radiohead, Talking Heads, Bjork, Pixies, Television, Neil Young and more. Torches are very much a different band now and the sounds they create have begun to reach out to larger audiences in search of …“something.”

Torches Facebook
Torches Twitter
Torches Website

05.26 Los Angeles, CA @ Casey’s Bar – Paul Prado’s Animal Rap’s Residency
06.02 Los Angeles, CA @ The Bootleg Theater w/ Eyes Lips Eyes
06.16 Pasedena, CA @ Make Music Pasadena w/ Grimes, Cults, Grouplove, and Dengue Fever
06.22 Los Angeles, CA @ Casey’s Bar
06.29 Santa Cruz @ Meta Vinyl
06.30 San Francisco @ TBA
07.03 Portland, OR @ Ella Street Social Club
07.05 Olympia, WA @ Le Voyeur Cafe
07.06 Olympia, WA  @ Guest Collective
07.08 Seattle, WA @ The Comet
07.10 Seattle, WA @ The High Dive
07.11 Seattle, WA @ Highline Bar

Jonti has released his new music video “Nightshift In Blue” from his acclaimed debut, Twirligig, on Stones Throw Records. It’s set in sunny Los Angeles, featuring Jonti as Hojo Jojo with Natalia Iswara as Luscious Dee. Directed by Ross Harris and Joel Fox of Yo Gabba Gabba.

Jonti may not be a familiar name just yet but that’s no reflection of his resume. Multi-instrumentalist, arranger, producer, and vocalist, Jonti, began assembling music after his departure from South Africa to Australia in 1999. Spending countless hours studying records like they were books, processing each song, this became Jonti’s music school, testing his theories on a 4-track recorder.

If you love music, eventually you meet others who do too. In the past year, through different projects, Jonti has recorded with Mark Ronson, Santigold, Sean Lennon and the Dap-Kings, as well as producer John Agnello (Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr., Kurt Vile). Ironically, for Jonti’s solo album, he decided to purposely go the opposite route, doing everything himself, start to finish.

Sometimes it feels like you’re not even moving and then one day it’s done and the madness is like a fading dream. That fading dream left behind two albums, Twirligig and it’s brother album TokoRats.

Twirligig draws inspiration from many of Jonti’s favorite artists, Madlib, Stereolab, Free Design and The Beach Boys. But Twirligig’s main inspiration came from cartoonist/ filmmaker Norman Mclaren. Jonti explains, “His films are complex, but they’re still fun. You can feel his enthusiasm for techniques and experimentation. I try make simple pop songs with that same mentality.”

Although Jonti describes his music as simple, label head Peanut Butter Wolf sees it as anything but that. “I understand the pop references because his music is so catchy, but the arrangements blew me away. I couldn’t figure out how the hell he did what he did. That he did it all on his own at such an early age kinda scared me. I knew right away I needed to add him to the roster.” You will soon understand why Stones Throw is proud to present it’s first Australian signing Jonti as a new member of the family.

facebook.com/jontidanimals

Seattle-based Beat Connection has debuted “The Palace Garden, 4am,” the first single off of their debut LP, The Palace Garden, out June 19 with Moshi Moshi / Tender Age. This single follows the album’s expansive track ‘Think/Feel‘, an early introduction to the album. Beat Connection will appear at Sasquatch Music Festival this Sunday May 27th, two weeks before launching their first headlining North American tour with White Arrows. The band performed at SXSW this year, after touring with STRFKR this past fall where they played to sold-out rooms and earned rave reviews for their fantastic live set. Beat Connection will revisit these markets and more, ushering in the summer with an LP that finds the group meditating on the idea of unattainable beauty, an idea that encases magical evenings, flooding happiness, and heavy regrets.

The group began when members Jordan Koplowitz and Reed Juenger met in 2008 as freshmen at the University of Washington and started making late-summer-appropriate house music in Garageband. Crafting dorm-room beats and venturing into DJing gigs, together they worked towards their last year’s Surf Noir EP, which received accolades from Pitchfork, KEXP, Death + Taxes, The Seattle Times and The Seattle Weekly, deeming them “Best New Band of 2011.” With the recent addition of Tom Eddy as lead vocalist, and drummer Jarred Katz, Beat Connection is ready to hit the road as a full band.

facebook.com/beatconnexion

 5/27 – George, WA – Sasquatch Music Festival – Banana Shack @ 4:40pm
6/14 – San Francisco, CA – Rickshaw Stop*
6/15 – Santa Cruz, CA – The Catalyst Atrium*
6/16 – Los Angeles, CA – Troubadour*
6/17 – San Diego, CA – Casbah*
6/18 – Phoenix, AZ – Rhythm Room*
6/20 – Dallas, TX – La Grange
6/21 – Austin, TX – Red 7
6/22 – Houston, TX – Fitzgerald’s
6/23 – Baton Rouge, LA – Spanish Moon
6/26 – Tampa, FL – The Orpheum
6/27 – Miami, FL – Bardot
6/28 – Orlando, FL – Will’s Pub
6/29 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade – Hell
6/30 – Raleigh, NC – Kings Barcade
7/01 – Washington DC – DC9
7/03 – Philadelphia, PA – Kung Fu Necktie
7/04 – New Haven, CT – Bar Night Club
7/05 – Brooklyn, NY – Knitting Factory
7/06 – Cambridge, MA – TT the Bears
7/07 – Montreal, QC – Il Motore
7/08 – Toronto, ON – Drake Hotel
7/10 – Pittsburgh, PA – Brillobox
7/11 – Cleveland, OH – Grog Shop
7/12 – Chicago, IL – Schubas Tavern
7/13 – Detroit, MI – Majestic Cafe
7/14 – Milwaukee, WI – The Cactus Club
7/15 – Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry
7/17 – Denver, CO – Hi Dive
7/18 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court
7/19 – Boise, ID – Reef Boise
7/22 – Vancouver, BC – Media Club

* w/ MMOTHS & White Arrows

Session 606 is the brainchild of singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist: Anthony Masington. Ant Mas previously was 1/3 of Josh Eppard (Coheed and Cambria)’s rock project, Mours. Masington also previously played guitar in Weerd Science’s live band, and was the frontman of The Flatline Symphony.

The songs were produced by Will Donnelly at Oceanic Recording (Bethesda, MD), where Periphery and Life On Repeat recorded their past and upcoming albums.
released: May 22, 2012.

You can purchase the EP by clicking HERE.

www.session606.com

facebook.com/session606

A Place To Bury Strangers have released a new video for their song “You Are The One.” Directing duo Matt Moroz & Tracy Maurice deliver a twisted nightmare in this grindhouse-esque clip produced by Greencard Pictures. Shot on 16mm film, their dark, experimental style expertly mirrors the mood of APTBS’s track and elevates the music video to a cinematic noir thriller.

Moroz and Maurice’s creation recalls a 70s-era, B-movie that is definitley Not Safe For Work. The duo says, “We really loved the song. The video evoked something extremely dark, weird and disturbing.” In it, the viewer follows a mysterious figure as he visciously beats total strangers, leers at nubile young girls at an underground club, and initiates a blood-soaked make-out session.

Worship, A Place To Bury Stranger’s third album, will be released June 26 (June 11 UK) on Dead Oceans and is available for pre-order today through SC Distribution. All pre-orders come with an early download on June 11. Along with the CD and LP (on “Blue Death” colored vinyl) versions of Worship, there is also deluxe bundle offer that includes entry to win a Death By Audio ‘Fuzz War’ effects pedal made by frontman Oliver Ackermann.

06/02/12 – Austin, TX – 29th Street Ballroom*^
06/03/12 – El Paso, TX – Low Brow*^
06/04/12 – Phoenix, AZ – Rhythm Room*^
06/05/12 – San Diego, CA – Casbah*#+
06/06/12 – Visalia, CA – Cellar Door*#+
06/07/12 – Los Angeles, CA – Echoplex*#+
06/08/12 – San Francisco, CA – Bottom of the Hill*#+
06/09/12 – Chico, CA – Cafe Coda*#
06/10/12 – Portland, OR – Doug Fir *#
06/11/12 – Seattle, WA – Crocodile*#
06/12/12 – Vancouver, BC – Biltmore Cabaret*#+
06/22/12 – Atlantic City, NJ – Showboat Atlantic&
06/24/12 – Atlantic City, NJ – Metallica’s Orion Festival, Bader Field
07/21/21 – Denver, CO – Underground Music Showcase

* = w/This Will Destroy You
^ = w/El Paso Hot Button
# = w/Dusted
+ = APTBS plays last
& = w/ Gaslight Anthem & Cage The Elephant

Renegade soul-rockers The Heavy are happy to announce the release of their new album, The Glorious Dead, their third full-length LP, and the follow-up to their acclaimed sophomore record The House That Dirt Built (2009). Self-produced and with their unique, raw eclecticism fully intact, it’s their most fully-realised record yet, mixing together soul, hip hop, rock, blues and funk into glorious, raucous party music that is equally full of heart.

The first single is the soaring “What Makes A Good Man?” which was recently snatched up by Miller Beer for a North American ad campaign. The track follows in the footsteps of the band’s recent hit “How You Like Me Now?,” which achieved gold status, selling half a million copies and helping the album achieve 150,000 sales. The song appeared everywhere from Entourage to The Fighter and saw David Letterman asking for an unprecedented encore of it. All of which has helped usher in much success stateside. Among the other highlights on The Glorious Dead include the horror film atmospherics of “Can’t Play Dead” to the laid back sincerity of “Curse Me Good,” the funked up hip hop rhythm of “Big Bad Wolf” and the epic, heavy-hitting gospel rock ‘n’ roll of “Same ‘Ol.” Throughout, vocalist Swaby’s voice soars, packed with yearning and pure soul.

“”It’s our third record, which is when you’re judged if you’re here to stay, or sliding off the face of the earth. We want to stick around, so we took our balls out and went for it.” “I love what we’’ve done,”” says Swaby. “”We got our deadpan heartbreak down. This record suggests how we continue to walk among the dead – now just in a few more places, and with more of a swagger.””

The Glorious Dead proves The Heavy’s most ambitious effort yet combining Frankensteining swampy voodoo and b-movie zombies with garage rock and Gospel-soaked soul, it’s unlike anything you’ll hear this year.