Producers Chase and Moksi (Dutch duo) collaborated on a song released at the beginning of September, “For a Day” which they’ve just released a music video for at the end of last month. The label mates under Amsterdam label Barong Family, star in the video directed by David Eilander and produced by Stefanie van Vonderen.
The concerted effort features videography full of tension as a young couple struggles to find love while their opposing crews face off and try to keep them apart. In Chase’s own words, “Have you ever come across a beautiful person that you instantly fell in love with—only to accidentally swipe left? And a day later you’ve already forgotten all about them. With this song we’re keeping their memory for a few minutes longer.” Chase and Moksi’s team up is “a match,” and we can only hope they release more collaborations in the future.
Thanks to Robbins Entertainment for sharing, we can help you license, just ask. - John Anderson
Need something to do on Saturday afternoon? Drag yourself out of bed and head to The Zoo’s patio! Art, live painting, a DJ set by our own Hot Tub Johnnie, open mic, BBQ, and tons more fun! What else could you ask for?
The Zoo is located next to The Mint, at 6006 W. Pico Blvd in LA, and there is no cover! Join us and special guests Dean (@IsaacIrvinMusic) and Melinda West from @SugarRumTantrum from 3pm-9pm on Saturday, October 8th.
Our next video pick is William Control’s newest video, “The Monster.” William Control, fronted by William Francis of late punk band Aiden, is at it again with upcoming EP, The Pale. It’s the first of a series of EPs that will culminate as an album project titled Revelations. The dance track “The Monster” shares traits from its predecessors in the William Control catalogue, including catchy rhythm and lyrics. New fans will notice a gothic theme to the music, but in an accessible way. Everyone has their monsters, within and without, and as such can likely find something to vibe with in this song. Old fans of William Control will be excited to dance along to this track.
The video, directed by Terrence Matlin, accompanies its track in following Francis’ journey into the inner self. The black and white video even gives off a noir feeling, from Francis’ troubled stares into bathroom mirrors to the mysterious, anonymous stranger, and nighttime drives through bustling streets and tunnels. Watch until the end to see Francis and fellow bandmates Ben Tourkantonis, Kenneth Fletcher, and Ian MacWilliams find their dark(er) sides!
The Pale EP releases on October 14th. William Control will be playing a brief run of Synths and Sinners tour dates in Chicago shortly following the release.
Eccentric and defiant, the Grammy-nominated Colombian electro-cumbia band starred a poised and confident young warrior in their latest music video “Soy Yo,” proud of herself being unique, and unbothered by judgments from the outside world.
Through the media and commercials, people are constantly brainwashed by monopolies, big brands and narrow beauty standards. This video is certainly a self-confident booster that celebrates diversity in harmony, countering the mainstream standards. It reminds us of the importance of our inner peace and beauty.
As Bomba Estereo's Li Saumet reveals to Billboard, both the song and the video addresses topics of “bullying and intolerance, issues that worry all of us.” Directed by Danish director Torben Kjelstrup, who won the open-submission idea contest for the music video, brought out additional missive: We should be proud of our true selves, because we are all special in some ways. Why bother feeding to everyone’s taste?
Be sure to check out the music video. Pay attention to the serious recorder-playing skills and killer dance moves of the little girl rocking in overalls!
This week southern California was under a 24 hour warning for a major earthquake. It seems Hunnypot Live! show #351 might be to blame. Hot Tub Johnnie started the night with a set of no "fault" party music. Lauren Reynaldo gave us the shakedown of her musical journey, Roger Street Friedman's seismic rock n roll cracked the pavement, Melanie Taylor made our bodies wave with her dance rock, Michete caused a hip hop landslide with "P" Waves, Breaking Heights gave us tectonic hop n' roll and Tree Machines kept us on their wavelength in their ring of fire. 10-3-16
- J. Gray
A true Los Angeles native, Lauren Reynaldo got her start in music at the age of 18 thanks to a series of right-place, right-time coincidences. She has worked with large catalogs from the likes of Kiss, Marilyn Manson, Jerry Reed and REO Speedwagon, to underground, indie up-and-comers like Moses Sumney and Webster X, all the way to the fast-paced world of production library music.
If you were to drive down a narrow, winding street, in the funky little town of Sea Cliff, New York, you would never expect that there is a world class, state of the art, analog recording studio in the basement of the grey house with the basketball hoop at the end of the driveway. That house belongs to Roger Street Friedman, and that studio in the basement is where he, along with his band and a whole host of special guests (including Amy Helm, Ari Hest and The Masterson’s) are working on the final touches of his new album, Open Road. In fact, there is a lot about Roger Street Friedman that you would not expect in a typical singer-songwriter. Relocated from Brooklyn in 2012, Friedman has made a long circuitous journey, but he’s finally home, ensconced in the studio he dubs “The Playroom,” for its proximity to where his young son and daughter play in the basement of the house he shares with his wife and family.
His latest effort, Open Road, is bold and adventurous, masterfully reflecting a sense of life as an unpredictable and wondrous journey that he strives to embrace fully in his dual roles as artist and family man. These roles inform and inspire his reborn career as a recording artist. “I’m gonna live my life/With all my might/Make the most of everyday… everyday” he sings, as if shouting it to the rafters. The roots of Open Road are steeped in alt-country, folk, blues, R&B and singer-songwriters like Jackson Browne, Cat Stevens, Don Henley and Paul Simon. The 12 songs here contemplate the trials and tribulations of relationships (“Hideaway,” “Tomorrow”), memories of a childhood that no longer exists (“No Place Like Home”), being a father (“A Son Like You”), the loss of a parent (“Gentle Love of a Mother”), the perils of mass-migration (“Better Life”) and going all out to live your life to the fullest (“Shoot the Moon”).
There is something driving Roger Street Friedman, and it’s not money or fame. He writes, produces and plays music because he loves it, and wants to share that feeling with others. With Open Road, Roger Street Friedman continues to prove good things happen to those who wait… and then seize the opportunity.
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Melanie Taylor decided she was going to be a music business success story when she was a little girl dancing to Michael Jackson songs in her home, and she is presently in the process of willing it to be. Awards, chart debuts, high-profile collaborations, accolades and the like are all part of a grand design that she created by sheer force of will. Strong female role models in the music business are peeking out from behind what has held them back all these years. This is happening just in time for Melanie’s rise in the world of pop music. The singer has prepared for her platform through her involvement in organizations such as the P.A.I.N Foundation, 18 for 18 Project Rescue, the Gracie Awards - programs designed to empower women.
It all started with her mother – a single woman who decided she was going to have a child… no boyfriend, no set details of her plan. She spoke her truth into the universe and willed Melanie into being. Later, she built a business empire with Melanie’s step-father through her fortitude. These things taught the budding entertainer some important lessons.
For much of her life, Melanie was the only child of a single mother who was, by all accounts, a wanderer. She found theater provided her with an extension of her family. Melanie says, "I always considered my audiences like my brothers and sisters, since being an only child and moving a lot as a kid, the stage was really my only consistent home". Melanie’s first album's primarily straight pop/dance style is now morphing slightly into her sophomore album's rock-based vibe.” What has stayed the same, is her “feel-good soulful roots as a vocalist" she explains. She has written most of her upcoming album with producer Troy “R8DIO” Johnson, (Jesse McCartney, JLo, Chris Brown, Will Smith,Solange, 2Pac) and plans to release it later this year
Melanie wanted to create a fun, yet empowered, collection of songs, a la that of one of her idols, Alanis Morissette. “I knew all her songs by heart as a kid,” she adds. That kind off forthright, spirited style of songwriting stuck with Melanie and shows up all over her work, worn like a badge of honor.
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Combining venom-filled disses, crass sexual come-ons, and left-field pop culture references with an androgynous gender presentation that is equally inspired by glam rockers, anime villains, and drag queens, rapper and producer Michete is on the fast track to becoming one of hip-hop’s most polarizing and exciting new acts. The dagger-tongued MC is unapologetically queer, delivering punchlines with a genderfluid braggadocio that sets her apart. Drawing influence from a wide range of artists including Kanye West, Peaches, Nicki Minaj, and Kesha, Michete combines a unique lyrical stance and vocal demeanor with chintzy, economic, self-produced beats to create a sound that’s completely unique.
Growing up in Spokane Valley, WA (a city she describes as being a “cesspool of white nonsense”), Michete is a former theater kid who had a natural charisma and an unhealthy obsession with Lady Gaga, honing his performance skills by singing in talent shows, acting in plays, and performing improv comedy all throughout middle and high school. She began dabbling in music around the time she graduated high school in 2010, and in 2014, decided to make a serious commitment to pursuing a career as a rapper. Michete released her debut EP, Cool Tricks, in June of 2015, and received considerable attention and acclaim from journalists and listeners alike, securing a spot opening for recording artist Shamir in Seattle the following September and later appearing on SPIN Magazine’s year-end list of The 50 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2015.
With the foundation set for a successful career in the music business, Michete plans on releasing the follow-up to Cool Tricks this Spring.
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Born on a hundred degree day in the steaming valley of Los Angeles in the summer of 2015. There was no wind, not a single cloud. Just a blinding sun. Like a crystal hole in the never ending sky. At least that's what we remember..." From producer Ozzy Doniz, rapper Zoh and singer Greg Cahn, comes a musical twist of psychedelic sonic showers tangled in trap mixed with velvet rock hooks and grimy soul-baring lyrics called Breaking Heights.
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Following up Wooldridge and bandmate Patrick Aubry’s critically praised debut EP as Tree Machines from early 2015 and the three stand-alone singles coming out in the waning months of the Summer, the band is gearing up for releasing their debut full length album.
After partnering up again with their Producer Mikel Giffin, the band is in the final steps of production for they new album.
“It really is amazing to work alongside Patrick and Mikel,”Wooldridge adds. “Things click so quickly. We feel like we can almost do no wrong creatively, which is an incredible and freeing feeling to have as an artist.”
Tree Machines will also add a few new members to its live act, with plans to play out during breaks in the album recording process.
“It’ll be exciting to fully get back on the road again,” says Wooldridge. “But first we need to get our bearings out in Los Angeles.”
Further explaining the band’s decision to go west, Aubry continues, “Leaving Kansas will probably turn out to be one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. But I needed it – it’s just too comfortable there. I’d be a fool to say that California has anything different, but at least I know that I won’t be stuck in the whirlpool of Midwest comfort and cheap living. At least I’ll know I tried, and if I fail, I can die happy. Plus, the beach is pretty awesome!”
Aubry sums up his outlook on the band’s future simply, saying, “It feels like we’re just getting warmed up. It feels like we’ve got so much more to write.”
Tree Machines debut full length is in the works
This video pick throws back to 2011 with Doyle and Debbie’s “When You’re Screwin’ Other Women (Think of Me).” Bruce Arntson and Jenny Littleton comprise this parody pair. Think of your favorite parody band, and splice that with an old school country duo, and you’ve got Doyle and Debbie. The hilarious lyrics with Arntson and Littleton’s impeccable acting create a show that leaves audiences laughing themselves sick. The comedy doesn’t mask the pair’s talent, either. Littleton’s voice possesses range and control, perfectly executing the songs in the style needed.
The Doyle and Debbie show first premiered at the Bongo Java Coffee House in Nashville, Tennessee, and have since moved to the Station Inn for regular performances, at which they are currently in the middle of a run of shows. They have played all over the country and on November 10th will be gracing the stage at The Mint here in Los Angeles.
Check out just a few of their commendations:
"...a gloriously tacky send-up of a washed-up country duo." - The New York Times
"Brilliant". "The last time I laughed anywhere close to this hard was at "The Book of Mormon." "...hilarious. Drop-dead funny." - Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune
"90 minutes of goofy perfection — clever, hilarious, wacky and brilliantly performed..."Chicago Sun-Times
"Bruce Arntson and Jenny Littleton are nothing short of fabulous" - Chicago Reader
"...hilarious piece of low-brow inspiration turned into high entertainment." - Nashville Scene
Elizabeth Cook is no stranger to spinning struggle into success. Her two most recent studio albums, each with immense emotion and story behind them, have placed within the top 50 on US country charts. Florida born-and-raised Cook has appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman multiple times since 2012, and has performed at the Grand Ole Opry stage more than 300 times. She has also been nominated for awards four times for her music, twice for her Sirius XM radio show, “Elizabeth Cook’s Apron Strings,” and once for Ameripolitan Music Awards’ “Outlaw Female,” which she won in 2014.
Cook’s storied past takes a hard left with her June 2016 release, Exodus of Venus. She says, “I’m not trying to be the good girl anymore, and that brought some joy to all of it. I almost care more – or different. These songs are more poignant. They’re honest, and all about compassion or grace. For myself, and from a place of experience. Not that any of it was wrong, but I look back and have pride for all that happened and what I’ve survived.” Check out her video for “Slow Pain” now, a smoldering track with vocals that are mysteriously enchanting and slightly reminiscent of Stevie Nicks. Elizabeth Cook is currently in the middle of a Fall US tour.
Nashville rock band Kings of Leon is back again with their seventh studio album, WALLS. Set to release on October 14th, 2016, their second single from the album, the titular track, "WALLS" now has a video out. Featuring lead singer Caleb Followill, this gentle ballad speaks to vulnerability and heartbreak. The literal closeup with Followill is an intimate metaphor as he croons his way out of the walls around him onto a dusk highway ride.
After getting their start in 1999 with southern rock, blues, and country influences, Kings of Leon has evolved to include an alternative rock sound in their music. After their boom of commercial success with Because of the Times and Only by the Night, the band took home a total of three Grammy awards out of 7 nominations. KOL have been Hunnypot favorites since the beginning!
Death Grips might be one of the most polarizing bands I listen to. You either hate them or you absolutely love them. When I show someone who doesn’t know them for the first time, they are always shocked. The band is labeled an experimental hip-hop group, made up of rapper Stefan Burnett (MC Ride), Drummer and Producer Zach Hill, and co-producer Andy Morin. However the musical combination they create is somewhere in between electronic, hip-hop, and scream-o, with metal-esque drums over distorted bass-heavy beats and a rapper that yells more than he speaks. I, for one, have loved the group since I started listening to them this time last year. However their concert was, in a word, disappointing.
Perhaps I didn’t quite know what I was in for. When my friends and I were on the train, they all were talking about how aggressive the mosh pit was going to be. I assumed that I would easily be able to handle what ensued, somewhat taking the lead and telling my friends how to take care of themselves if they ended up having a hard time. However I, the moment the show started, pushed my way out of the general admission pit as if my life depended on it. I was cowering in the first non-moshing tier of general admission before the first song was even over. Amongst the events I witnessed from my new birds-eye view included a girl getting knocked-out by a flipping stage-divers Doc Martin boot and three separate people vomiting as soon as they got to the clearing at the base of the stairs. It was terrifying.
But beyond my own crowd-created fears, the general presentation of the show was disappointing as well. There were absolutely no visuals (come on, their music videos would have been GREAT material), and only incredibly minimal lights that altered between two colors. Yes, they say that they design their shows to be deliberately minimal (like in their interview with Pitchfork). But this production wasn’t minimalist, it was just boring. The sound was muddled and overwhelmingly loud, to the point where it was hard for me to distinguish what song was playing. I like Death Grips because of the delicate balance they display between artistic quality and brutal intensity. However in their live performance, they lost that element all together.
What did make the show worthwhile, however, was the talent of the individual performers themselves. MC Ride could have not been a more charismatic frontman, convulsing and fist-pumping with so much energy that I am shocked he didn’t faint. Drummer Zach Hill plays faster, more precisely, and with more rock-star intensity than anybody I’ve seen before (my mind was blown). And the on-stage producer Andy Morin, although possibly given the most difficult performance material, kept up with the rest. They could not have possibly given more in their performance, and the crowd without a doubt fed off that energy.
Overall, the quality of the performers themselves kept the show running, but I don’t know if I would purchase tickets to see them live again. If you’re a huge fan or maybe going to Camp Flognaw and have them on your festival lineup this year, they’re worth seeing. I am glad that I got seeing them live out of my system. But if you’re going to sacrifice $65 for a ticket like I did, your money is better spent somewhere else.
-Veronica Irwin (Hunnypot Editor at Large)
@vronirwin
“JackEL”, has been turning heads with his music since the very young of age of 14. JackEL began his DJ career early, spinning in his home town of Edmonton in Alberta, Canada. He soon began performing in different cities internationally to build his brand, including “The March Madness Festival” in Atlanta GA; “The Knitting Factory” in Boise, ID; “Tao Beach Club” in Busan, South Korea; “The Revolution Lounge”, “Dirty Blondes”, “Club 21”, “Three Kings Hookah Lounge”, “Tao Beach” and “Ultra Violet” in Las Vegas, NV; “Eccles Conference Center” in Ogden, UT; “The Epicenter” in San Diego, CA; “Club Red” in Tempe, AZ and “Club Congress” in Tuscon, AZ.
As a Producer, he collaborated with well-known Rapper MIMS at the age of 15 on the track “Too Young To Die”, and continues to collaborate with MIMS, who is known for the hit singles “This Is Why I’m Hot” and “Move If You Wanna”. As a DJ he performed in Las Vegas at “Dirty Blondes” in Planet Hollywood. At 16 JackEL moved to Vegas to pursue his musical career. He soon met Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, and because of his Producer and DJ skills, was invited to be the opening act for them at the “March Madness Festival” in Atlanta, Georgia. Soon after, JackEL began an another high profile collaboration with Three Six Mafia member DJ Paul and the two artists have been working on the completion of DJ Paul’s upcoming EDM album.
JackEL has also performed international gigs, playing for two standing room only crowds at “Tao Beach Club” & “Club Kudeta” in Busan, South Korea. After finishing his Canadian Tour of Edmonton, AB and Vancouver, BC, JackEL began working with DJ Fame, voted ‘The Best Nightclub DJ of Las Vegas 2014’ by the Las Vegas Review Journal and the resident DJ for Hip Hop artist Dizzy Wright, who JackEL also produces original music for. 2015 JackEL Headlined at Las Vegas Hemp Festival along side “Chanel West Coast, Tommy Chong, Afroman & also Dizzy Wright”. Meanwhile traveling back and forth to Jamaica to finish his Smooth Jazz EP titled “Breathe Easy”, featuring Grammy Award Recipient Skip Martin. In 2016 JackEL headlined at “The Joint” inside the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas. Also established his Record Label/Artist Collective “FVYDID” who’s members continuously tour internationally.
With so much already accomplished at such a young age, JackELs future is very bright, and contains much more anticipated high quality art.