The most recent outing by Magnus Karlsson’s Free Fall, We Are the Night, is as sophisticated as it is dark and riotous. Like Karlsson’s other albums from this project, We Are the Night, features a variety of vocalists with Karlsson covering an assortment of instrumental and vocal roles. This album elaborates various moods and themes through complex musical choices, and presents metal that is not only grand and heavy, but also thoughtful and compositional.
Metal comes in many forms, and this album takes elements from several, combining them with classical methods to give the album movement, not only in its style, but in its feeling. Karlsson makes deliberate musical choices to provide a flow for the moods throughout; some songs feel darker than others, some transition from cynical to triumphant. The symphonic and choral arrangements give a majestic impression from the first note of the album, and blend flawlessly with the striking overdriven guitars, rumbling bass, and fast drums. “Kingdom Falls,” featuring Renan Zonta, particularly invokes that triumphant feeling with an extra brightness in the chorus, and a melody that feels anthemic. The lyrics provide an image of a toxic authority losing their power, adding to that same anthemic feeling.
The melodic and harmonic choices are not only catchy, but provide melodic dances between Karlsson’s instrumentations and the various vocalists. While the shredding can clash with some of the more charming rhythmic choices at times, there is a quality in the movement of the songs individually and as they flow together. Songs move from fast and heavy, to moderate and pulled back, to dark and distorted, allowing the album to breathe as it progresses. “Queen Of Fire,” featuring Noora Louhimo, feels more like a ballad than a traditional metal song, yet fits right in with the heavier music around it. These dynamic shifts add to the emotional weight already provided by Karlsson’s compositional choices, giving the entire project a thoughtful flow of movement from start to finish.
We Are the Night starts out with a large and imposing symphonic arrangement, leading to fierce vocals from Dino Jelusick in “Hold Your Fire.” “Kingdom Falls” leads to the powerful title song, “We Are The Night,” with Karlsson taking the mic. Mike Andersson takes on a choral hook in “All The Way To The Stars,” while Ronnie Romero leads us through a march in “One By One.” Some of the freshness is admittedly lost during some of the middle songs, but the album absolutely finishes strong. Karlsson’s musical prowess is especially apparent in the penultimate “On My Way Back To Earth,” which is a beautiful display of his ability to express various styles and moods with instrumental decisions. “Far From Over,” featuring Tony Martin is a dark and climactic finale to this album, leaving the listener with the best kind of mixed emotions. All 12 songs on this album work cohesively to create movement in the overall experience.
We Are The Night is a pleasant reminder of the classical influence on metal, as well as a refreshing blend of the various forms of the genre itself. The musical choices Karlsson makes, both within individual songs and the album as a whole, combined with a diversity of vocalists to compliment those choices, gives the album breath that keeps it fresh in a musical and emotional sense. This is not just an album for the average rock or metal fan, but also for lovers of creative and compositional music. Be sure to check We Are The Night when it drops on June 12th, its definitely one for the ages!
As always, rock on my friends! Hunnypot Approved! Overall Rating: 8.4 out of 10
Artist: Magnus Karlsson’s Free Fall, LP: We Are the Night, Release Date: June 12th, 2020, Label: Frontiers Music Srl
Not too long ago, Matthew Belter asked me to check out one of Ashton Fenly's songs and at the time I was really getting into the emo rap genre of music. I'm really impressed with this song and video. I was excited to review the new video for pop and a reload because I knew it was going to be good. As a film grad, I am impressed with the way they include very avent-garde type film elements. It really does the song well. Not to mention the words he is singing mesh so well with what you see. Additionally, the Paris Shadows feature was sick.
- James Coffman
The future of going to a concert and rocking out to your favorite band with all your buddies is uncertain. With most of the world in some sort of lock-down for the foreseeable future, bands, artists, crew, and the industry as a whole are trying to figure out how to not only play live music but make some money to keep the bills paid. So what do we do?
Catherine Sisco, the wife of Alzie Sisco, a drummer for a local New Jersey jam band called Newton Crosby, came up with a solution, Busking Down the House. For those not in the know, busking is a term used for subway and street musicians playing for tips. Cat's idea was for the members of Newton Crosby and other local NJ artists to start a Facebook group where they could play live for their fans. In addition, there would be links to their PayPal and Venmo accounts for people to donate directly to the artists playing (if they so desired). After just a few days on line, this concept became an instant success and is spreading like wildfire all across the country with new musicians and followers added daily. It's immediate success intrigued a local NJ News station which in turn did a little news story about Catherine and the start of Busking Down the House. Click HERE to check in out.
As you would imagine, once the word got out about the group, many other artists wanted to join the party. Tim Palmieri, the guitar player from Kung Fu (a jam band from Connecticut), and Brock Butler, the guitar player from Perpetual Groove (a jam band from Georgia), were the first major artists to sign up and be apart of this blossoming group. Each day the list of artists wanting to play grows, and this Facebook group has gone from meager beginnings to a full-on pandemic success story.
The Busking Down the House Facebook Group was created in mid-March, and now present-day has 32,000 members and many artists playing in their selected time slot 7 days a week. This started off small and has blown up big-time, going global with artists entertaining from all over the world. As Busking has progressed, one of our good friends Paul Giza has stepped up big time reaching out to artists from many different genres of music, asking if they would like to join the group and play. As you would imagine most are very polite in their response and are super stoked to be apart of what's happening.
Moving forward, the live music industry will have to wait and see when we are all allowed to attend a concert again. As we wait, Busking Down the House allows us to not only see our favorite artists live, we also can see when your friends join the party, connect with them in the comments section, have some fun, and donate to support our favorite bands during this tough time throughout the industry.
If you are an artist or a band that would like to join the group and play, I have included here the official Busking Down the House announcement on their Facebook group page below. Remember this a FREE group - its free to join, free to play, and free to watch. Any artist can add a link to their stream for donations to their PayPal or Venmo accounts. Please contact the admins of the page, Catherine Sicso and Paul Giza, to setup up your time slot. Thanks to everyone involved with Busking, helping to keep live music alive and well during this rough time. Let's keep the party going until we are allowed to go back to see live music with our best friends!
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Self described Japanese "NEO-New Excite Onna Band", CHAI, released a brand new video for the song "Ready Cheeky Pretty". A "Lockdown" produced video with animation sequences over locations and live shots. What a big beat fun song. I'm a fan of out of English phrases used out of context and within foreign language entertainment and "Ready Cheeky Pretty" is filled with them. Take a listen and look and try to avoid moving and singing along.
Our 3rd official Quarenstream show, Hot Tub Johnnie soldiered on presenting the best new artists releases. Even at home Hunnypot is still where music lovers go to play. Special thanks to Juice (Justin Born) and Ryan Taalbi (Media Liberated) for being apart of the show. 4/13/2020
Another quarantine edition of Hunnypot Live. Hunnypot Live was born on the internet and has been streaming for two decades. Monday night was another tiny show with huge tunes and discussions. Check out the rebroadcast and join Hunnypot Live for another quarantine edition in 2 weeks. 3/30/2020
Hunnypot Live is malleable. Without performers and guests we (Hot Tub Johnnie, Jeff Gray, Ryan Taalbi, Justin "Juice" Born) pulled off a classic Hunnypot Live show reminiscent of the early days of Hunnypot (Radio). Jason Cienkus came through to discuss his music supervision career, exciting new happenings and absolutely amazing playlists. Future Hunnypot Live guest, Sean The Star Emperor, also stopped by to chat and life and music. We can't wait to see you all again very soon. 3/16/2020
Jason started his career at the forefront of music supervision in the 90’s that led to an illustrious run at Warner Bros. Records. He was part of the duo that started the very first soundtrack department at that label, which was responsible for the production of movie soundtracks tallying over $30 million in worldwide sales. His passion for film and the marketing of the music from it, guided him to a position at New Line Cinema where he spearheaded soundtrack strategy, marketing and synergies across the company.
Sensing a dramatic shift in the music business, Jason pivoted to digital and found himself at the center of the halcyon days of YouTube creators and digital influencers. His position at the boutique start up DanceOn gave him an opportunity to break ground in the music licensing area for YouTube content. In addition, he created a digital marketing platform for the company where social media and video influencers could use music effectively to market and promote artists & songs in a natural and organic way. This tactic has now become a key part of digital marketing plans for record labels, artist managers & musicians.
Jason is currently working on a dance competition show as the music supervisor & music clearance lead titled ‘Floored’, which is being produced for the new streaming platform Quibi that will launch in April 2020.
Jason is a pop culture enthusiast who has his finger on the pulse of entertainment across all media, verticals & platforms. A list of past projects can be provided upon request.
Aston Fenly is a Danish-born songwriter who just moved to LA. His debut single, "Sunrise," just dropped via Universal's Denmark imprint and after taking it for a spin a few times, I'm here to tell you this one is absolute fire. It's not your typical mass-produced track, but one that reaches into your heart and take's hold of it quickly, touching on haunting subjects that most have experienced at one point or another in their life. I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Aston one-on-one and dove head first into topics that challenged my mind and touched my soul. We discussed his early years as an artist, his move to Los Angeles from Denmark, and his latest single, "Sunrise". No topics were out of bounds, and we went the distance in an interview you won't want to miss!
Matthew: Tell our listeners how you got started in music?
Aston: I had a really hard time in middle school and was bullied a lot. Every single day would just be me coming home and crying and feeling very unpopular ( I am sure a lot of kids can relate to this). At one point I just thought to myself, “What do I have to do to like change how people look at me?” I really wanted to do something about it and when I did, everything suddenly changed. I switched schools, started into music, and somehow became the most popular kid in school.
Matthew: What was it like performing on stage for the very first time?
Aston: I think it was fun. I remember the first show that we had. We were like 14 at that time, and I was in a rap group with some friends from my school. We played this club, which I believe was for young people. Funny enough, they actually served alcohol and people were drunk at that party. It was just like a lot of people from our school, maybe 150 people.
Matthew: Is it different now that the spotlight is now on you?
Aston: I don’t know. I've always felt like I've always been the central part of every project I've done. When I decided to do my own thing, there seemed to be a lot more pressure on me because there was no one I could fall back on. On the flip side, it allowed me to do what I wanted on my terms which ultimately allowed for much more creativity and freedom moving forward.
Matthew: Who were some of your early influences that helped shape the singer/songwriter you are today?
Aston: I really started getting into music during my early teenage years. As I mentioned earlier, I was having a really bad time in school. I really connected to the emo rock vibe at that time and one of my biggest aspirations was My Chemical Romance. I’m also a huge fan of Blink-182’s work. But in the end, music is so personal to us, right? It's such a subjective thing. And if you encounter a specific piece of music or a specific band during a specific time in your life, maybe you’ll be more connected to the band in some unique way because their music helped you through a difficult period in your life.
Matthew: What was it was like relocating from Copenhagen to Los Angeles?
Aston: The transition was cool. I like the sun here and it helps me from being depressed during the winter. When I went home in December, it was just like one gray fog for a whole with maybe a day of two of sun with snow. There are a number of things I miss about Denmark (and some I even took for granted), but overall, it was great and I really like it here.
Matthew: You just released “Sunrise” in February. Can you tell us what this song is all about?
Aston: As a musician there is lots of downtime, downtime where nothing's happening and we're all just kind of waiting. It could be you produced an album, or you're signed to a label, and now you’re waiting to put out a video. During those times, it can get really hard for your mind to live with the fact that you are not accomplishing something which ultimately makes you feel depressed or anxious. “Sunrise” is about that mental struggle and how one deals with all of those feelings and emotions – survival skills if you will. And we all have these emotions, right? It also tackles suicide which is a topic we should all take seriously.
Matthew: I hear you your music can be heard in a few Netflix series. What series can our listeners drop in on?
Aston: My track “Blood Moon” is actually in the Netflix original called Jinn. They really liked the song and it's not even out yet – so cool. I also have some of my music sprinkled throughout their global hit series, The Rain.
A few rapid-fire questions from our Hunnypot Listeners:
Matthew: Who is your favorite rapper?
Aston: Drake
Matthew: Outside of rap, who is one of your favorite artists out there right now which you’d like to collaborate?
Aston: My Chemical Romance
Matthew: Are there any charitable causes or movements that are important to you?
Aston: Suicide Prevention, Bullying and Anti-Discrimination of all types
Matthew: What are some of your favorite places to eat here in LA?
Aston: Carousel Restaurant in Hollywood
Matthew: What book might we catch you reading during down time?
Aston: “Black Vinyl, White Powder” by Simon Napier-Bell
Matthew: Which TV show or movie are you hooked on?
Aston: A Danish Comedy film called “The Green Butchers”
Matthew: If you were trapped on a desert island and could only have (1) album to listen to, what would it be?
Aston: The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance
You can check out Aston's Instagram HERE
Before he was known as INDICA, he was known at his highschool for being the all-star varsity player and although it seemed Football was his calling, he had a deeper passion for music. Born and raised in Washington D.C, INDICA has found a way to catch his fans attention through his aesthetics and sound! INDICA may be considered “Indie and Underground” but he is paving his way into the mainstream platform!
His most latest single “Hollywood on Fire” has over 33K streams on Spotify, and if you haven’t checked the music video, you have to! To start off, INDICA directed this one and like all his other music videos, you are visually greated with a black and white theme and the occasional visual distortion. The music video starts off with a news broadcast on how the fires and smoke are reaching Hollywood Mansions and Movie Studios! The opening of the video highlights the Hollywood Hills and then focuses on two individuals wearing ski masks and driving a maserati. As the video continues, INDICA highlights the flaws of Hollywood and really sets the tone of what he is really trying to say. The Pre-Chorus says it all, “Where we come to sin yeah, Where evil begins, Where people pretend!”. If you haven’t checked his latest single, do it now! And if you are in LA, INDICA will be playing the Hunnypot Live at The Mint party April 13th.
Written by Elsie Hernandez
Swedish (of course) metal band Avatar just released an epic 44 minute video. It's "The mighty tale of your favorite band and their adventures in Avatar Country". Avatar Country is the land where the band resides and also is the name of their last studio album (They have a new album coming out later this year). Crowd funded by the citizens of Avatar Country (fans), this video has everything the Avatar fans desire; Pomp, camp, and chops. So many musical chops. Glory to our king indeed.
-J. Gray