Hunnypot is proud to be Zeus Rebel Waters official sync representative both Master & Publishing, ask us about LICENSING!
Forty-three years since their debut album, British heavy metal heavyweights Saxon continue to roar full steam ahead with creativity. Last year while the world waited for the pandemic to subside, Saxon released Inspirations, a collection of kick-ass classic rock covers revved up the Saxon way. Now the legendary leaders of the 1980’s New Wave of British Heavy Metal are primed to release their 23rd studio album Carpe Diem on February 4th.
Co-founder and front man Biff Byford co-produced the record with accomplished metal producer Andy Sneap (Judas Priest, Accept, Testament, Megadeth). Sneap also mixed and mastered the album, which successfully captures the essence and spirit of Saxon while adding a crisp contemporary production touch resulting in Saxon sounding as bold, genuine and heavy as ever. “We don’t sound like an old band on records”, says Byford, “because we’re not sitting back on our past success, we’re always trying to make a great album.”
For accomplished bands with a strong legacy of success, releasing new material inevitably means being scrutinized with high expectations against a deep catalog of classic hits. The song that best stands up to these high expectations is the album’s first tune, the title track, "Carpe Diem (Seize the Day)". Released November 2, 2021 (including a video), this track has everything Saxon fans will love; a mysterious keys/war drums prologue pulling listeners back to ancient Roman Britannia and Hadrian’s wall, a monster drum fill intro by Nigel Glockler, a fast and nasty dual-guitar riff, superb vocal performance by Byford and a melodic gritty chorus shouting “Carpe Diem, Seize the Day”!
"It all starts with the riff,” says Byford, "if the riff speaks to me, then we’re on our way. It’s a very intense album, and that’s all down to the fact that the essence of a great metal song is the riff that starts it, and this album has loads of them."
The second single released January 11th, “Remember the Fallen”, is a memorable anthem addressing the current pandemic. “I wanted to write a song about Covid, about the people that have died, and give my perception of how it seemed to happen” offers Byford. “Certain aspects of it all are quite mysterious, and of course, it hasn’t finished yet, has it? We should all remember those who have died as a group of people not really knowing why they died, because the information wasn’t there.”
Another interesting element to this album, and “Remember the Fallen” specifically, is the backing vocal dynamics contributed by Byford’s son Seb Byford. Instead of simply layering different Biff Byford vocals tracks for a standard harmonizing effect (which can sound too mechanical) it was refreshing to hear a different voice providing the harmonies – a nice element I enjoyed with this album. Biff (on bass and vocals) and Seb (on guitar and vocals) released an album last year under the name Heavy Water, but it’s cool Seb finally collaborated with dad on a Saxon album.
“Carpe Diem” is Latin for “seize the day” and Saxon continues to seize every possible moment by continuing to produce great classic metal albums we can all appreciate. How many great bands from the 80’s are as active and productive as Saxon in 2022? Not many! Enjoying the same steady lineup for over 25 years, the band is a well-oiled pure metal machine showing no signs of slowing down. Their latest effort truly distills the frustrations and angst of the last few years (band member health scares and Covid) into an intense collection of 10 riff heavy, fiercely aggressive, melodic tracks that will certainly please classic metal fans. Seize the day and get this album!
Be well and always keep rockin’!
Covid claimed another live audience Hunnypot Live but we're a podcast so we recorded the show from the office again.
Show #454 happened and Holland Izz came through to get on the interview and performance microphones, and we were not disappointed.
Also joining us were music producer AntDawg, Sean and Maddie to make the night intimate and special. #WhereMusicLoversGoToPlay
Holland Izz is a recording artist & record producer from Compton, California that is culturally reinventing the sound of contemporary Hip-Hop. Effortlessly gaining traction with his energy fueled delivery & clever bars, he has been co-signed by some of the most notable hip-hop blogs including Zane Lowe, XXL, Lyrical Lemonade, and No Jumper.
Helping guide the next wave of LA sound, Holland Izz sets himself apart with cadence-driven bars and animated beats that highlight his sonic personality. A style that is hard to imitate, and impossible to replicate.
Hello friends, happy to still be able to serve you all as a boutique publisher. It's been a full 2 years since I've shared a compilation of the artists I'm currently working with and thought is would be a great time to catch you up. That said, Hunnypot is proud to offer up these fantastic artists for your listening and licensing pleasure.
Please support what we do here at Hunnypot and give a listen, hope to see you in person at a HUNNYPOT LIVE event soon.
-John "Hot Tub" Anderson
SKY CRIES MARY - L TRAIN
RORA WILDE - ABOUT YOU
SEAN THE STAR EMPERIOR - PARADISE
XHAANIA - PULL UP
ZEUS REBEL WATERS - LUV
LEGENDARY SHACK SHAKERS - THEY WON'T LET ME FORGET (ALL THE THINGS I CAN'T RECALL)
THE ROYAL HOUNDS - PICKIN' IN THE GRAVEYARD
SHY & DRS ft. JOSH SETTERFIELD - FLEX
INDICA - INTOXICATED
THE BELLRAYS - LOVE AND HARD TIMES
Location: Seattle, WA
Genre: Historic Seattle Psych rock band, Sky Cries Mary, releases their 13th studio album, “Wandering In the Vastness”.
Location: The Rio Grande Valley to Los Angeles
Genre: Powerhouse vocals soar over Alternative Pop/R&B sounds with moody & introspective lyrics
Location: Sirius Prime/Los Angeles, CA
Genre: Hip-Poppy earworm perfect for a kiki, a party, a drive and pretty much any situation that could stand for an extra dose of sunshine.
Location: Jamaica to Los Angeles
Genre: (Pronounced ZA-NEE-AH) Pop/Dancehall, saucy lyrics and fresh new approach to R&B
Location: St. Louis, MO
Genre: Gumbo/Hip Hop by an American artist/songwriter, entrepreneur, single-dad, community leader and philanthropist.
Location: Paducah, KY
Genre: Blues Roots Punk Band featuring frontman/author/artist J.D. Wilkes
Location: Nashville, TN
Genre: Fiery Honky Tonk With A Rock And Roll Edge
Location: Aberdeen, Scotland
Genre: Old Town Road Hip Hop/Country
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Genre: Electro-Pop/Hip-Hop Club anthem
Location: Riverside, CA
Genre: The BellRays is an all-original, high energy, Punk, Funk, Rock and Soul band fronted by Lisa Kekaula (Basement Jaxx).
Now this is a vibe! Coming in strong for 2022, Zeus Rebel Waters latest single "Baby" lures you in with its fire beat and catchy hook. You can't help but want to get your two step on no matter where you are when the track catches you!
And speaking of "catching you" be sure to check out the video for its unsuspected plot twist! After first viewing you'll probably wonder what made ol' girl feel so comfortable to be partying in the abandoned warehouse. But this is exactly what Zeus music does, easily throwing you into a positive vibe no matter where you are!
- Eapha
Hunnypot is proud to be Zeus Rebel Waters official sync representative both Master & Publishing, ask us about LICENSING!
Hunnypot Live #453 went off with a whole bunch of Covid hitches. We retreated to the office and recorded the show the way it used to be done.
Kevvie3TM made it down to rap with us. Ibeshocker, Sean Nevejas, Maddie, Daisy, Raul, DeDux, Constantine and Beatriz jumped in for support and Hot Tub Johnnie boosted everyone with beats all night.
-Jeff Gray
1/10/2022
Kevvie3TM is a recording artist/ song writer from Northern California, currently based out of West Hollywood. Since deciding to come out to Los Angeles he has started working on his debut album “S.P.L.I.T.” which will be announced in early 2022. He works with a independent musical collective of artists, producers, and engineers called “Open Studios”. This has led to more networking opportunities, meeting and collaborating with other creatives such as videographers, photographers etc.
In the course of 2021 Kevvie3TM has landed a song featured with rapper ibeshocker titled “Melrose Blues” in a full-length feature film Pride Jewel. He has recently been covered in the Voyager magazine here in LA and has his lyrics cited in Rap Genius. His main single out now is titled “Memories”. Memories has been play-listed on various Spotify lists and accumulated 30k views on YouTube. Kevvie3TM stated “Memories opened the door to many opportunities and has been a large reason I’m privileged to perform for places such as the HUNNYPOT LIVE at The Mint. I am focusing on performing and going on tour soon”. You can find him on any platform under the handle Kevvie3TMSoundcloud Facebook Twitter Instagram Spotify
Legendary Seattle Psych rock band, Sky Cries Mary, releases their 13th studio album, “Wandering In the Vastness”.
This collection of songs came together as a synthesis of feeling, thought, meditation, and experience during the global pandemic. So much isolation, loneliness, fear…How can you make an album when you can’t even be in the same room together?
The band found ways to collaborate despite the constraints brought on by lockdown and social distance. They wrote and collaborated from studios in Seattle, New York, Chattanooga, and points in between.
“I write from a lot of different instruments”, muses founding member Ben Ireland, “The pandemic gave us a lot of time to focus and expand our musicianship. Members were definitely encouraged to take risks!”
In the tradition of psychedelic pioneers Brian Jones, Terry Riley, and The Byrds, Ben co-wrote “Bright Biggest Eye” with Roderick. Beginning with an acoustic 12 string guitar, they texted song starts and lyrics back and forth later adding drones, bass lines, percussion, vocal parts.
“Raga Metal Machine”, a tribute to friend/idol Lou Reed’s ugly beautiful masterpiece “Metal Machine Music” involves 5 raga drone boxes run through a wall of Fender Twin Reverbs, guitar, some primitive voicings and features a 12 bar blues sung in reverse.
“Curt Eckman writes these deep sinewy bass lines that break the barrier between rhythm and lead” says Ireland. Eckman’s multitrack bass lines and special effects are featured on “L-Train”
Kevin Whitworth, a veteran guitarist for Love Battery and progenitor of the Seattle rock sound, infuses subtle guitar embellishments, with sampled SCM recordings, morphing them into an aural montage of shoe gazing crunchy grooves.
Sky Cries Mary founder Roderick Wolgamott is known for drawing from the spiritual and metaphysical for his lyrics. On Wandering in he Vastness, the lead singer and lyricist takes a more personal approach, sharing literal snapshots from life: A snowy evening in New York spent waiting, witnessing a friend’s relapse, a family’s resolve to survive hunger in the streets, a shout-out to a friend in Rock legend heaven.
“Sometimes my lyrics emerge from weird dreams, imaginings, and sometimes they come from waking life!” recalls Wolgamott. He adds that Debra Reese (who joined the band 2017) “is in the vocal personification of female animus and astral plane energy in my storytelling!”
Jack Endino, the acclaimed producer and engineer for Nirvana and Soundgarden, sits at the helm of the control booth once again. He also plays guitar on the album and returns to the drum kit on “L Train”. Throwing back to his early tape-op days, Endino includes one of his own called , “Jodo”. Throughout, Jack masterfully reunited the disparate parts, creating a hypersonic journey for listeners. The end result: the most creative and versatile Sky Cries Mary album since This Timeless Turning in 1994!
Hunnypot is proud to be Sky Cries Mary's official sync representative both Masters & Publishing, ask us about one-stop LICENSING!
Focus tracks: L Train, Bright Biggest Eye & Can't Find The Time
PRESS LINKS - GOLDMINE PROG ARCHIVES PROGZILLA
It's an up and coming artists' dream to have the kind of 2021 that Holland Izz experienced. Holland is no stranger to hard work and he's got the numbers to prove it. He released four fire singles, a feature, blessed the stage for several live shows, had his television debut (Revolt TV), won his first award (Fan Favorite) and dropped two dope music videos. Holland is leading a new wave of LA sound with a cadence and personality that cannot be replicated or dismissed.
His latest video, "Too Damn Stressed" is featured above. The high energy, dance heavy video follows Holland as he spreads his IZZM throughout LA. His bouncy flow makes it impossible not to groove along with, paired with a song that keeps you captivated and wanting more. To know Holland is to know his high energy performance extends beyond the screen to the stage. Inspired by 80s hip hop, his reinvention of the era is refreshing and brings a fly and unapologetic swag to his music that is easily identifiable. His lyrics highlight one of the many keys to his rise to stardom, 'Just be who you are or you gone end up, too damn stressed'. Good fortune seems to follow the Compton grown rapper as his gradual success shows no signs of letting up. I'm excited to see what new heights Holland reaches this new year!
Check out "Too Damn Stressed" out on YouTube and all streaming platforms NOW!
Stay tuned for his upcoming Hunnypot Live performance!
-Essence Leak
Hunnypot is proud to be Zeus Rebel Waters official sync representative, both Master & Publishing, ask us about LICENSING!
Those who have had the pleasure of witnessing Rora Wilde live know her soulful tone runs deep. She’s naturally noticeable with crystalline vocals, deep in color and rich in emotion. Her new single Out of Hand featuring Dark encapsulates the dramatic flare of Rora’s live-show personality.
The accompanying music video delivers the same vulnerable intensity. Sly texts, impling deception lead to a marathon of tit-for-tat talking back and dramatic PDA. The emotions run higher than the drone’s eye view of the city that sets the scene for our two lovers. Rora and Dark’s duet mirrors the lovers' quarrel, each running each other off the page and into the middle of the street. The unapologetic blame game culminates in a blowoff/cliff hanger. Rora’s voice gets the chance to shine in the hook lamenting a mentality that leads to disposable relationships. This is not a forever couple, perhaps they had a moment similar to the Dodger hit on the game playing in the background, but just like our beloved hometeam, they can’t quite cinch the score.
This is surely only indicative in the lyrical relationship, because the pairing have an unexpectedly succinct sound.The harmonies amidst the trap beat tickling the production give this thematically pop vox song into a contemporary breakup angst jam. For any one who is hoping that earnest songwriting reins victorious in the 2020s, Rora Wilde might just be the woman to prove it.
--Robyn Dee
Hunnypot is proud to be Rora Wilde's official sync representative controlling both Master & Publishing, ask us about LICENSING!
Years removed from peak popularity, Our Lady Peace (OLP) is tenaciously looking to the future with an ambitious overhauled sound and a January 2022 release of their tenth studio album, Spiritual Machines 2. Technically the album was released in October making OLP the first Canadian artist in history to release an album in the form of a non-fungible token or NFT (an interesting but entirely separate side story). Hailing from Toronto, OLP has sold over 5 million albums and produced several major alternative radio hits from 1995-2002. The heavy rocker “Starseed” off their 1995 debut album, Naveed, was a top 10 Mainstream hit and radio favorite “Superman’s Dead” from the 1997 platinum album, Clumsy, helped propel the band to their height of commercial success. Perhaps as a warmup for an upcoming busy 2022, OLP recently scheduled a few shows in L.A. (where band leader/songwriter Raine Maida now resides) and in my hometown of San Diego. I was excited to see OLP for the first time, especially at an intimate premier live music venue like the Belly Up.
Local San Diego quartet The Thieves About got the Belly Up festivities off to a rockin’ start with their impressive brand of high-energy melodic rock that, at first listen, has you singing along by the second chorus. Blending the upbeat spirit of the 80’s with edgy 90’s-inspired dual guitars was an entertaining combination – upbeat, melodic, with some balls! San Diego area music fans – keep an eye on The Thieves About and support local bands!
Our Lady Peace opened their show with a heavy synth ambience and the pulsating dance beats of “The Message”, a new hypnotic song off their upcoming album. The “message” would soon be clear with the reveal of other new songs that the band was clearly all in with a more electronic pop/dance groove approach. Starting an enjoyable barrage of mega hits, “Superman’s Dead” was the second song followed by the memorable and kick-ass “One Man Army”, followed by the sing along anthem “Innocent”. The audience was getting their money’s worth! OLP then threw a nice curveball offering a compelling cover of “Seasons (Waiting on You)” by Future Islands. Guitarist Steve Mazur started with low volume synth sounds true to the original, but soon transitioned to distorted power chords to amplify and drive the song’s engrossing chord progressions to a crescendo. A truly splendid version of a brilliant song. Unfortunately, it’s not a track on the upcoming album, but it’s worth a search on YouTube.
One memorable moment was the performance of “The Clumsy” (off their 1997 platinum album of the same name). Without prompting, the audience roared the familiar pre-chorus lyrics so loud Raine yielded the mic to the joyous crowd and let them sing, “I’ll be waving my hand/Watching you drown/Watching you scream/Quiet or loud”. Raine seemed touched, acknowledging the effort, “Thanks, I really needed that.”
A surprise standout was the infectious new tune “Stop Making Stupid People Famous” (video released in July featuring Pussy Riot). Raine explained the song addresses how our ridiculous modern culture that adores fake and untalented people can be traced back to the beginning of reality television. The bouncy groove incorporates a slick but subtle guitar hook over a thumping bass/drum dance beat that reminded me a bit of David Bowie’s "China Girl".
OLP delivered an entertaining well-balanced performance showcasing three new songs, a skillfully executed cover tune, and satisfied fan’s craving for the big hits. While the classic hits inspired a nostalgic look back in time, it’s clear Our Lady Peace is a band focused on crafting a new future. Get ready for the impending launch of a reinvented Our Lady Peace when their new album Spiritual Machines 2 is unleashed late January 2022.
Be well and keep rockin’ - Greg Vitalich