Cameron Jibril Thomaz, AKA Wiz Khalifa is back with another banger.
The music video for "Letterman” was directed by Ethan Lader who also collaborated with Wiz on the huge single “We Dem Boyz” which was nominated for MTV Video Music Award Best Hip-Hop Video and BET Hip Hop Awards Best Music Video of the Year.
Ethan Lader has directed some incredible Videos including Bruno Mars - “Just The Way You Are”, Rob Roy - "Fur In My Cap", Dev - "Booty Bounce" and the King Fantastic classic "Why? Where? What?" to name just a few.
Hunnypot has featured many of Ethan's bad-ass videos. Check them all!
If you’ve watched Real Estate’s video for their song “Darling,” then you’re acquainted with their unique stoicism. The video is for the lead and most popular single off their latest album In Mind, an album again filled with interlocking stratocaster sounds and poetic lyrics the band has made themselves known for. Led by hipster-glasses bearing Martin Courtney, these east coast boys are in many ways the picture-perfect example of an American indie band--tall and thin, plain-faced, and hazy eyed.
And, if you’ve watched Real Estate’s video for their song “Darling,” you know exactly how they perform live on stage (minus the horse, of course). The band stands in a fairly typical “u” formation, with Courtney center stage. Each of the members asynchronously bob their heads and step forwards and back as the pace of the music hastens. Rainbow beams of light stretch from the floor of the stage over the band horizontally, casting an almost heavenly glow. And, despite their stoic performance, between songs the band members eventually break character, making excessive note of the fact that this is their first show in Oakland after years of tour dates spent in neighboring San Francisco.
Additionally, they sounded exactly as they do on record--perfectly timed, calm, and passively satisfying in their chiming chord progressions and fuzzy synths. Courtney’s voice sounds clear and consistent, backed by tittering drums that are nearly hypnotizing. The banter between guitarists and drummers is also endearing, gathering laughs from the crowd as they hypothesize different made-up connections to the bay area. Especially endearing was when bass and guitar player Alex Bleeker endearingly complained about his nerves upon moving to the bay area--a comment that evoked lots of laughs from the crowd.
While at times boring, Real Estate’s performance at the Fox was also soothing. Their music washed over the crowd smoothly and easily, and after the show everyone appeared pleased and refreshed. They were everything I expected, but that isn’t bad--if you were expecting more than a chilled-out pleasant show, Real Estate is the wrong show to attend. -Veronica Irwin
Photo via Real Estate Band
Melodic hardcore band, Iron Chic established in 2008 has made major strides in the hardcore music scene starting in Huntington Station, Long Island. Iron Chic cut their first full length album “Not Like This” on Long Island based label, Dead Broke Rekerds in 2010. During the interim of their first albums, Iron Chic toured the East Coast growing their fan base, playing packed shows with Lifetime and Title Fight, two fellow East Coast native hardcore bands. In 2013 Iron Chic joined their hardcore brothers by releasing their sophomore record “The Constant One” on well-known label Bridge Nine Records.
Never losing momentum, even after the loss of guitarist Rob McAllister who left the band prior to this death in January 2016, the band went on to play sold out shows. Iron Chic has toured as support for Samiam and Off With Their Heads and appearing on the bill festival shows such as Wild Fest and Booze Cruise while traveling along the East Coast, Canada, and Europe. In Fall 2017, long standing label SideoneDummy released the band’s third album “You Can’t Stay Here”. In conjunction to the third album Iron Chic set out on tour with Propagandhi around the world this time selling out shows in the U.S. and overseas, while taking breaks to headline their own shows in and out of the U.S.
On February 19th 2018 one of those self-headlining shows was held at the “Hi-Hat”, one of LA’s newer music venues. Hi-Hat, a multifaceted bar, venue, and billiard hall is ironically located in a residential community. The venue is compatible to those located in Philadelphia and New York such as Boot & Saddle, Johnny Brenda's, and Mr. Beery’s. Growing up not only on the East Coast, but in the Philly/NY Hardcore music scene and currently living in Los Angeles, one is often searching for a taste of home, Iron Chic performing at Hi-Hat was that taste of home.The scenery upon entering Hi-Hat was as I hoped, a dark room, show attendees playing pool, Tecate tall boys and Hamm’s beer cans slowly piling up on high-tops. The venue gives off a cozy lounge vibe with carpeted floors with an official capacity of 300 which at most shows can feel personal. The closest people were still a minimum of 5 feet away during the opener on the typically lit 3-foot-high stage located in a corner across from the bar. Customary to most shows the crowds fills in more and more with every act. Regional supporting acts Garrett Dale (Red City Radio), Dead Bars, and Racquet Club produced sounds complimentary to Iron Chic while giving the audience variety between each act.
It was at once time for Iron Chic to hit the stage, crowds began to tightly gather around the stage. The full band took their places on stage and singer Jason Lubrano, moves around the stage very calmly placing two Hamm’s beer in front of the bass drums while reviewing the handwritten set list, which was jotted on small piece of paper opposite side of Racquet Club’s set list. They opened with “Cutesy Monster Man” the song’s intro is roughly one minute long during this Lubrano has his back to the audience building up the crowd’s anticipation for their chance to yell the first few of lines of the song. In an interview, Jason Lubrano stated many of the bands songs especially on the current album deals with “…anxiety, depression, relationships, substance abuse, mortality, life, and death”. Lubrano sings every song as though he is experiencing those emotions again for the first time keeping his eyes closed tight for each song. He keeps the mic in his left hand, the cord tightly wrapped around his fist while leaning into the crowds, belting out a deep, raspy voice with levels that could act as their own gang vocals. Phil Douglas, Gordon Lafler, Bobby Brungus and Mike Bruno bring a high-energy performance and backing vocals. They all clearly have a passion to produce a gritty hardcore punk chord progression sound with a melodic paraphrasing. Seeing Iron Chic at Hi-Hat in LA brought me back to the once neon colored A,B,C 1,2,3 carpet in the basement of Philadelphia’s First Unitarian Church. The LA club brought feelings of home with their enthusiastic crowd surfing, stage dives, and screaming the lyrics to their favorite parts in the mic.
-Morgan DeShields-McClure
Little Coyote weaves intricately dynamic songs using her lyrical abilities in combination with detailed piano parts to create a vast space in music in which she attempts to explore human darkness and the fabric of dreams. Her complex writing often compared to the likes of Fiona Apple, Regina Spektor and Nick Cave.
Since her 2017 release Little Coyote has gained praise from news outlets such as Noisey and Pop Matters, as well as international attention with North American and European tours, including a show at David Lynch’s acclaimed private Paris night club “Silencio."
All songs are represented by Hunnypot Master/Pub. Focus tracks are "Witness", "The Bottom", "Daylight Twilight", "The Trouble With Teeth" and "Teeth Rot".
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Noisey - Little Coyote Wants You to Know It's OK to Be Dark in "Daylight Twilight"
By the end of 2016, she was one of the genre’s most celebrated new artists and a ubiquitous presence on late night television and at major festivals around the world. It’s the kind of year most musicians can only dream of, and the arrival of Price’s spectacular sophomore album, “All American Made,” proves that she hasn’t taken a moment of it for granted.
Far from overnight, Price’s recent meteoric rise is the product of more than a decade of hard work and sacrifice. While she’d long been one of East Nashville’s best-kept-secrets, she burst onto the international scene with the 2016 release of her first solo album, ‘Midwest Farmer’s Daughter.’ The record debuted in the Top 10 on Billboard’s Country Albums chart and graced Best-Of lists everywhere from Entertainment Weekly to NPR Music, who called it "the hard-won arrival of an artist who feels like she's always been here.” Vulture described Price as “one of the most compelling country talents to come out of Nashville in recent memory,” while Pitchfork hailed the album as “a potential classic,” and Rolling Stone praised its “amazingly vivid songcraft.”
Price solidified her next-big-thing status with stellar performances on Saturday Night Live, Colbert, Fallon, CBS This Morning, Seth Meyers, A Prairie Home Companion, and more, in addition to taking home Emerging Artist of the Year honors at the Americana Music Awards and winning the American Music Prize for the year’s best debut album. She shared stages and bills with Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Kris Kristofferson, Emmylou Harris, and Chris Stapleton among others, and her compelling story—years of toil in the Nashville trenches, the loss of her family’s farm and the tragic death of her infant child, a brush with the law, selling her car and pawning her wedding ring to afford studio time, signing to Jack White’s Third Man Records as the label’s first country artist—was recounted in glowing profiles everywhere from the NY Times Magazine and the New Yorker to Morning Edition and Fader.
If Hunnypot Live! were a meme we’d be the cats that replace the Curling rocks. Last night the air outside the air was like an ice rink but inside we turned up the heat. Hot Tub got the night cooking with a music set of party songs. Shelly Peiken got in to the tub for the first time and brought us a playlist of her major musical accomplishments and influences, stories of her journey as a songwriter, author and an elevator friend to Carly Simon. Jenna Nation brought the whole Hunnypot country together for a pop music summit, V Torres rocked guitar centric gothic cowboy gypsy set, The Habits power popped us with their musical trio, Alexa Villa got dark and vicious, Frak drilled down the mantle with his rapper flow and Nordstorm & Patrik dropped a DJ set of dance heaven. Recap by J. Gray / Photos by J. Gray / J. Born / L. Phillips 02/19/2018
Shelly Peiken is a multi-platinum Grammy nominated songwriter who is best known for her #1 hits "What a Girl Wants" and "Come On Over Baby". She earned a Grammy nomination for the song "Bitch" recorded by Meredith Brooks. She’s had hundreds of songs placed on albums, and in TV and film.
Shelly's book Confessions of a Serial Songwriter chronicles her journey from a young girl falling under the spell of magical songs to writing hits of her own. It’s about growing up, the creative process, the highs and the lows, the conflicts that arise between motherhood and career success, the divas the egos and the back stabbers, but also the lovely people she's found along the way. It’s about the challenge of getting older and staying relevant in a rapidly changing and youth driven world.
Her Serial Songwriter Facebook page has become a forum for all things songwriting and ideas about navigating a changing music business as a creative person and parent.
Shelly is a contributor to The Huffington Post. She is well known in the music industry as mentor, panelist, consultant and guest speaker and a fierce advocate of creators' rights as a founding member of SONA (Songwriters Of North America).
Shelly is a New Yorker at heart who enjoys her life in Los Angeles with her husband, composer Adam Gorgoni, their daughter, Layla and her 2 cats.
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JENNA Nation is an R&B/Pop singing sensation who is quickly gaining momentum on the international music scene.
Born in Ottawa, Canada, JENNA Nation was introduced to music at an early age through her musical family. She began her career with extensive training and success with classical music/opera, jazz and then with R&B/soul while studying and graduating Summa Cum Laude with her Vocal Performance Degree from the famed Berklee College of Music.
An outstanding vocalist with a charismatic stage presence, JENNA Nation progressed to hit some significant milestones early in her career. Since she began singing, JENNA Nation has performed at the Official JUNO’s After Party in Calgary as well as for the Prime Minister of Canada and as part of the Canada Day celebrations on Parliament Hill. In addition, she has appeared at several famed festivals including the Newport Folk Festival, Boston Outside of the Box Festival and the Toronto, Ottawa, and Beaches International Jazz Festivals just to name a few. Other highlights include performing at the world’s largest urban music festival New Skool Rules in Holland where she was selected as Best Artist. JENNA Nation has also been a finalist for several international songwriting competitions.
JENNA Nation boasts a soulful and even jazzy vibe to her music. Long-time influences include Michael Jackson, Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland and Stevie Wonder - a notable name with whom she aspires to collaborate. JENNA Nation has worked with a number of Grammy and JUNO-nominated producers and songwriters including Boi-1da, Tommy Brown, Victoria Monet, Travis Sayles, Kinetics and One Love, Ryan "Ghost" Bowser, Elev3n, Druski, and Young Wolf Hatchlings among others.
JENNA Nation’s fourth album, You Don’t Know (released November 2017) has already received numerous accolades. The album was named Canada's Best R&B Album of 2017, one of the Top 10 Best Records of the Year and #9 Best Album of 2017. JENNA Nation has also been featured in numerous news outlets across Canada, including Music Canada, iHeart Radio, Canadian Beats, Sirius XM, State of Hip-Hop, CP24, Musique Plus Video Channel, FYI Music News, and the Global Morning Show. Forever, JENNA Nation’s latest radio single and video features Toronto rapper Fame Holiday and started 2018 by entering the Radio Indie Alliance Top 40 Chart at #8 as well as #10 on the 365 Radio Network. The video has generated over 10,000 views on YouTube and charted in the Top Ten on the Worldwide Indie Charts. Her album is currently playing on 500+ stations worldwide.
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V Torres is the epitome of the modern day songwriter. With two studio albums under her belt, Torres is prepared to release her latest project: Real Life Love.
Hailing from the beach cities of Southern California, V Torres has spent her entire life in or around music and sports. While in high school, indie-rock and hip-hop became her passion and basketball gave her the drive to persevere through adversity. Torres went on to attend Loyola Marymount University majoring in accounting and minoring in theatre arts. Upon graduation, Torres moonlighted as a corporate finance accountant to fund her musical career.
To date, she has spent the majority of her career writing and performing with the band Gorgeous Got a Gun, and released their self-titled debut album in 2009, followed by Welcome Home in 2011 and single release I Remember You in 2016. During this time, Torres’ music video for song Violent Games was featured on the blue ray release for the feature film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Since then, V Torres has performed throughout the country while collaborating and recording with various artists and producers including Joe McGrath (AFI, Alkaline Trio) and most recently Jonny Perdue and Steve Stout of Lost Beach.
Backed by a newfound love of yoga and a desire to share her truth, Torres infused a fresh energy and sound into her latest project, five song EP Real Life Love. Leveraging life’s highs & lows, this project is inspired by the sense of urgency she has never lost throughout the years. Like any singer-songwriter, V Torres’ music has matured while continuing to effectively convey her experiences and emotions. Real Life Love was released in all digital stores on 11/11/17.
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The Habits met each other in the blue-collar town of San Pedro, just far enough away from the glamour of the Hollywood glow to be isolated. Comprised of singer/guitarist Wolf Bradley, pianist Chance Famighetti, and drummer Andrew Macatrao, The Habits ground their music in bite size melodies that are impossible to get out of your head. Their music is accompanied by slightly melancholic lyrics that tell a story of love, loss, and everything in between. Their alt/pop sound is unique to them but stems from incongruous avenues of inspiration. From Maroon 5 to Cage the Elephant, The Habits’ music makes you wanna dance and hits you hard in the feels. The three of them have grown up together in Southern California and are more like brothers than band members. Playing pretty much every bar, club, basement, and alleyway in LA, they’ve honed in on their live show skills, giving their audience a lively and fun show experience.
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"Singer-keyboardist Alexa Villa projects a natural confidence, an admirable all-in swagger that leaves the listener convinced of her commitment to every word she sings." -Music Connection Magazine
Alexa's latest EP entitled, "ACT I" is something to be noticed. She describes her music as "grunge pop with a little blues feel and a whole 'lotta attitude." Soaring vocals, surprising chord choices and captivating stories within her lyrics are sure to leave you wanting more. But it doesn't end there. Her live performance and style match her quirky and eclectic personality.
Alexa has played Warped Tour and opened for acts like The Darkness, Drake Bell, Mark Ballas and BC Jean of Alexander Jean and Ryan Cabrera to name a few. Alexa also models in LA Fashion week, and for several fashion companies. She has been on set for SpikeTV and various music videos for artists like Chris Brown and Nikki Minaj among others.
Her influences range from Led Zeppelin, to Lana Del Rey, Lady Gaga, Dorothy, Halsey, Deep Purple, The Neighborhood, Heart, Blondie, the Pretty Reckless, Nirvana, Awolnation, and the list goes on.
From age 7, Alexa has been classically trained playing piano, performing original songs at talent shows and landing lead roles in theater class. She grew up in San Diego playing clubs with her parents' band and her brothers band before developing her own unique style.
"I want to create an escape and plant a visual in your head. I want to make you feel something new and I want it to encourage you to do the things you've always wanted to. Music is not just sound, its an entire world. It's who I am."
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Frak is a rapper from the Bay Area. A songwriter, battle rapper, producer, and music video director, Frak's art is intersectional between all these mediums. Having performed along such artists as Kendrick Lamar, Earth Wind & Fire, Anderson Paak, Shad, Travis Scott, Mistah Fab and Watsky, this is an artist unlike any other. Frak’s newest album, Limewire '03 which dropped this month, has a cohesive feel, as it mostly sampled early 2000's R&B, slowed down, reversed, and transformed into head-bopping bangers. The album attempts to sketch the millennial condition, and how our technology addiction can manifest itself in the nooks and crannies of our days, months and lives.
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Sweden based Hunnypot super-fans are back in the US and will kick our Dance Party with special guest vocalist Gustav Zetterberg! Come out and say Hallå!
Oscar Nordström - Facebook
Partik Karlsson - Facebook
Based out of Southern California, Thrift is characterized by noisy garage rock tones mixed with pulsating rhythms and powerhouse vocals. The band aims to captivate audiences and listeners with their easily distinguishable sound. Anna Carmela (bass and vocals) refers to their style as "dirty disco," or, in other words, garage rock-meets-pop.
“The term “dirty disco” came from my producer, Brent Setterington, and I think it fits so well with Thrift because it describes both sides of the influences – the distorted, dark tones as well as the danceable grooves.” Anna said. Thrift seeks to grip audiences and listeners alike with the in-your-face production style, lead vocal intensity, wailing bass and guitar hooks, and fierce live performances.
Their brand new song, “Bombshell” was written by Anna, and she said “The song about being in an abusive relationship, but I wanted to touch on the primal side of that. In my situation, I began losing my own sense of self and almost enjoyed being treated so poorly, so a lot of the lyrics reflect that theme.”
Next opportunity to see them live is with us! Don’t miss their performance at Hunnypot Live at The MINT April 16th!
Bombshell Live version is here!
- Minami Seo
Saweetie's hit single/video "Icy Grl" has gone virtual with 11 millions on YouTube and as of this week named "#1 Shazam song in Denver" says KS1075 radio host Tony V. Saweetie (real name Diamonte) is a Santa Clara,CA born rapper who has openly stated Lil'Kim, Foxy Brown, and most of all Nicki Minaj. Saweetie stays humble by naming her influences, she comes from a bit of HipHop royalty; Saweetie grew up with uncle MC HAMMER. Saweetie recently signed with Warner Bros. records and has an upcoming EP titled "High Maintenance". The single "Icy Grl" began when Saweetie was listening to old school beats with female rappers and she knew this was the sound she wanted.The lyrics of the song transpired some her not feeling fulfilled with her career, so she wrote about things that would influence her. Saweetie is not all long hair, fresh nails, mansions, and luxury cars, she is a USC graduate with a degree in Communications & Business.
-Morgan DeShields-McClure
Perfectly imperfect - that’s one way to describe LA based punk act, The Regrettes. Lead by outspoken frontwoman, Lydia Night, and comprised of Genessa Gariano on guitar, Sage Nicole on bass and drummer Maxx Morando, the group have left the LA rock scene floored, managing to capture the hearts of jaded rock critics while opening for acts like Kate Nash, Jack Off Jill, Bleached, Pins, Deep Vally and more. With nothing but demos available online, the group are already beginning to generate hype, from outlets like NPR, and with NYLON already heralding them them as a “punk act you should be listening to”.
From the opening moments on a track by The Regrettes, we’re greeted with a wall of guitars, infectious melodies and a wistful nostalgia that continues right until the final notes. Taking cues from acts like Hinds and Hole, there’s a wistful sense of youth and vulnerability that lies at the heart of each song.
A song by The Regrettes is, essentially, a diary entry into Lydia’s life. “My music is a spectrum of every emotion that I have felt in the last year, and you can hear that when you hear the songs. Everything that is happening in my life influences me. It’s everything from boys, to friends, to being pissed off at people, to being really sad. Just everything.”
-Minami Seo
Today's video pick comes from New York City's art scene, Fischerspooner with "TopBrazil" from their first album in a decade tilted 'Sir'. The video for "TopBrazil" is one big hot, steamy,fabulous bathhouse scene. The album' takes the listener behind-the-scenes of Fischerspooner's personal lives and sexual endeavors. Sir, is Fischerspooner's forthcoming album which was produced entirely by Michael Stipe (R.E.M.). Their song "Emerge" released on the 2001 album "#1" was a song that could be heard anywhere at anytime in Manhattan as Micheal Stipe, remises on those early days on the 00's. Fischerspooner later joined the "Grandma's Boy" soundtrack with their song "Never Win" courtesy of John Anderson who signed them to their first publishing deal, the song went on to reach #17 on the U.S. Dance charts.
-Morgan DeShields-McClure