[Listen] Future Unlimited - 'Calm Down' (Full EP Stream)

Future Unlimited are back! It's been 3 long years since last we heard from these fine Nashville fellows. My how time flies! 

So I'm a little embarrassed. You see, this EP dropped a few weeks ago. The reason I'm so late to the game on posting this is because I have been obsessively playing it since I got sent the stream a month ago. I've been sitting with a draft of this post for almost a month trying to put into words how this EP makes me feel, but honestly I was just too distracted listening to it to write. 

That said, if this is about to be your first time experiencing the awesomeness that is Future Unlimited, as Sprout would say, "Hold onto your effing hats!" This EP is as powerful as it is spacious. Every time I listen to this with headphones I feel it permeating corners of my brain that I forgot existed. Also the energy level between Calm Down and their self-titled debut is like the difference between a solid cup of coffee and drinking 17 shots of espresso. This is best represented in songs like the opening and final tracks, "Tame" and "Destroyer", respectively. 

Currently there appears to be no plans for a tour to support the EP in sight, so that just means you have to buy the album so they can afford to come visit you. :) 

Did you enjoy this record as much as I did? @ ME at let me know! 

New #Content Alert: The 'di-SKOA-ver weekly' Playlist

"Play it! Don't you wanna hear what's next?!"

I've noticed that a lot of my friends who use Spotify have developed a new habit. Every Monday morning without fail I watch in my friend feed as they all pour over their Discover Weekly playlists throughout the course of the day. This is all well and good. I'm actually happy to see that my friends in and out of the music business are anxious to find new music to bring them joy. 

In terms of what happens post-playlist, though. I'm never really sure. I only really hear about when the magical Spotify-powered algorithm "fails" someone during any given week. I never hear the celebratory "THIS IS MY NEW FAVORITE BAND!! THANKS ALGORITHM!!" or "GOING TO SEE MY NEW FAVORITE BAND TONIGHT THANKS TO A PLAYLIST!" 

How does one communicate with a playlist/algorithm exactly? 

This is where yours truly comes in to play. 

Starting today, I'm launching what I will playfully be referring to as the di-SKOA-ver weekly playlist. (You know me and my love of puns! I couldn't help myself.)

This is how I intend to run such a playlist: 

• Just like Spotify, once a week the dedicated playlist below will be updated with a fresh crop of songs. 
• Just like Spotify's playlist, some will be old, some will be new. 
• I will mostly be sourcing the music on my own, but will occasionally be taking recommendations from Sprout, Shey, and Fam Like You! 
• Unlike the Spotify playlist, should you find yourself in love with a song/band, upon adding that music to your own collection YOU'LL HAVE A HUMAN TO TALK TO ABOUT IT.
• Another important thing! All the artists in said playlist I will learn things about before updating the playlist for the week so when we talk it'll actually be a stimulating conversation! 
• More importantly, if I notice that a ton of people are interested in the same artist, I'll make it a priority on the site to do more coverage for them in the form of tour updates, interviews, etc. 

Obviously you are encouraged to follow this playlist from your Spotify account, but I'll also make sure the playlist is sitting pretty on the homepage for your convenience. 

BTW we can be friends on Spotify too if you're into that. I love stalking my friend feed for new music and getting inboxed things to try! 

ALRIGHT LESS TALK MORE ROCK ENJOY THESE JAMS, FAM! 

[Night Out] Miami Horror @ Bowery Ballroom (1/22/2016)

FIRST BOWERY BALLROOM SHOW OF 2016!!!! 

Thanks to weather dot com Sprout and I knew that the stupid blizzard was going to start taking a dump on the city during the show, so sadly first Bowery show was bffl-less. :( 

BUT! THE! PARTY! DID! NOT! STOP! Australia's Miami Horror could not have been a better band to catch last night before hibernating and riding out this shitstorm of a blizzard.

If it were possible to harness all of the energy inside of Bowery Ballroom last night I am fairly certain that we'd be dealing with flash flooding because all of the snow in New York would melt instantly. That's not even bringing the audience into the equation, who were equal parts dancing their asses off and trying to keep an eye on singer/guitarist Josh Moriarty, who couldn't hold still to save his life. He and fellow vocalist/keyboardist Aaron Shanahan made sure that all who were going to be enduring slushy snow covered streets left the show in such a happy hypnotic state that they'd barely be able to notice the unfortunate inclement weather. If Moriarty was climbing up on the upper balcony, then Shanahan was squatted down in the middle of the crowd literally commanding everyone to get down. 

As I sit here typing away I think of the girls in front of me that asked before the band came on if it'd started snowing yet because they wanted to go out after the show. I should've had my camera ready to record their reaction when I recommended going home to records, wine, and fuzzy socks. It was the most beautifully disgusted pair of faces I've ever seen. I don't blame them though. It was hard not want to keep the dance party going. 

Also, completely off topic: of COURSE Miami Horror are Australian. This explains my obsession with their latest album, All Possible Futures. Have you heard this 1 hour and 2 minute collection of non-stop party vibes? BEST GET ON IT! 

CATCH THESE GUYS ON TOUR ASAP. SERIOUSLY. DON'T BE STUPID. GO. GO. GO. Coachella is your last chance if you live in the US. 

You're welcome in advance. 

[Night Out] Sean McVerry @ CHCM Boutique (1/20/2016)

WINTER BREAK IS OVER. IT'S TIME TO GET BACK TO ROCKIN'! 

LET'S TALK ABOUT MY FIRST BABY BAND OF THE YEAR! 

I had the pleasure of attending an intimate preview of the debut EP from Sean McVerry, a one-man band of sorts hailing from Connecticut on Wednesday night. Squeezing into NoHo boutique CHCM, we did the stereotypically hip NYC thing - sipping our PBRs and chatting while the EP played in the background. When it came time for McVerry to perform cuts from Hourglass Switchboard I, the first of his three-part EP series, things got very real. 

I had spun the record a few times prior to arriving to the show. Based on my initial impression of the record, I assumed that by looking at his setup when I arrived that we wouldn't get the full experience. 

Boy was I wrong. We actually got more than that. As he was nearing the end of his set, there was a loud crackling noise and then the music stopped. The poor kid had gotten lost in the moment and stomped on the HDMI cable keeping everything together to the point that it was beyond repair. That's when the magic happened. Unfazed, McVerry stepped from behind his setup and climbed on a display that people were sitting on and proceeded to perform the last song acapella, stomping away throughout to keep time. As impressive as his instrumental abilities are, his voice dominated the room, shutting up every last attendee (which up until this point he was unable to do because New Yorkers are the worst at this as you know from our Son Little outing). 

If you need additional proof of his vocal talents, please see this Play Too Much performance of his single, "Kerosene". 

Yeah. See? Told you. 

Have to say, very anxious to hear the other 2 EPs that he's got up his sleeves. Something tells me I might have opinions about which songs belonged on which EPs, but regardless I suppose you could say Sean McVerry has made an amazing first impression on me in a MCVERRY BIG WAY. 

(#sorrynotsorry couldn't resist!) 

While he's not officially #SKOAfam yet (we've still gotta do an interview when he comes back to Mercury Lounge in March!), this rock mom is DYING for you to hear how talented this guy is. 

Have a listen to Hourglass Switchboard I in the player below. 

You can also catch him on tour if you don't live by me! 

Golden Days: Remembering Loved Ones Through Music Even After They're Gone

Growing up I had a friend named Clint. He was the drummer for a hardcore band in Central Florida (which is where I grew up). He was my first "musician friend" and one of my favorite people to share music with on the planet. We weren't the kind of best friends that hung out incessantly, but when we spent time together at shows or playing music for each other it was like it had been mere minutes not months since we last saw each other. As #teens living in a state notorious for its plethora of retirees, we were huge fans of all things Fueled By Ramen because it felt like there was a glimmer of hope that Florida wouldn't suck forever. People used to tease him a lot that he looked a lot like Patrick Stump, singer of Fall Out Boy, which as a huge fan of Take This To Your Grave at the time he wore as a badge of honor. 

Clint and I stayed in touch after I headed to Nashville for college, reuniting during holiday breaks to share the records we had discovered while we were apart. Just before I headed home for Christmas in 2005, he excitedly called me to play, "The Only Difference Between Martyrdom And Suicide Is Press Coverage", from Panic! At The Disco's debut album, A Fever You Can't Sweat Out. Just like him, I was hooked within seconds. I made sure to grab the record before I headed south so that when we hung out we could sing along to the record together driving around - a thing we always did. 

Even after I moved to New York in 2006. Our ritual stayed the same. Any time I was in town we hung out and played music for each other. In 2007, homegrown label Fueled By Ramen became an imprint label of Warner Music Group and yours truly was called in as a temp executive assistant to help them set up their New York offices. That Christmas I came home with the latest FBR releases to give him, including the deluxe box set version of AFYCSO. We continued to keep in touch despite going back to Florida less and less, checking in when a band we both loved released new material to share our critiques of it. Most of the time it was us gushing to each other about our favorite songs on the records. 

A photo posted by [stephanie] kibbe (@heylookitskibbe) on Jul 9, 2012 at 10:11am PDT

Clint and I, circa October 2007

In the fall of 2009, Clint very abruptly passed away. It was a very sudden thing that literally no one could have seen coming. He was my first close friend to die, so it hit me incredibly hard. I was so upset that I had to leave work early and could barely walk to the subway to go home. I wasn't able to attend his funeral, so I mourned in the most fitting way - by listening to the music we shared with each other: hand crafted mixes I made him and vice versa, records that I knew were his favorite, anything I could get my hands on. 

Despite it being almost 7 years since Clint's been gone, my habitual desire to talk to him about records from artists we both loved hasn't gone away. About a month after his passing, Paramore released their third studio album, Brand New Eyes. That first time I felt the kneejerk reaction to text/call him but couldn't was hard, but it has gotten easier to acknowledge as a beautiful learned behavior that I hope I have somewhat successfully both demonstrated and inspired in others. Memorizing and publicly lauding an album is a wonderful thing, but the level of intimacy that comes from very intentionally sharing music with someone is something that no algorithm can reproduce (not yet anyway). 

This past New Music Friday, PATD released their 5th studio album, Death Of A Bachelor. Of all the FBR artists that have released albums since he passed, I'm always the most anxious to hear their albums immediately. I think it was because of that eager phone call in 2005. Either way, the trail of singles leading to DOAB's release had me anxious to feast my ears on it. It's been fun to watch this band evolve over the years. Singer Brendon Urie's voice continues to blow my mind just as much as it did with that first taste in '05, if not more. I'd like to think that Clint would share this sentiment. 

Like I have with all of their previous records, I've carefully poured over every word and note, taking a mental inventory of sorts of what I think Clint would appreciate. I'm fairly certain that this would have been his favorite of the ones that have been released since his passing. It's been an equally difficult and exciting few days binge listening to the record, especially with all of the recent deaths that the music community is still recovering from. Even still, I hear songs like, "Victorious" and can practically see him air drumming in his red pickup truck with carefully chosen band stickers. I think of how we'd laugh at the absurdity of our attempts to falsetto as well as Urie during, "Emperor's New Clothes", "Death Of A Bachelor", or "Hallelujah". 

At the time of publishing this, I'm still unable to get through the entire record without crying a little bit because I know he would have appreciated this record as much as I do. This usually happens during, "Golden Days", which appropriately enough features a line that Urie's voice soothingly reassures that, "time can never break your heart but it can take the pain away", which to an extent it has been the case of missing one of my favorite music comrades. That said, knowing that even after someone is gone that it's possible to still feel connected to them through music both old and new is something that will always be priceless to me. 

Death Of A Bachelor is in stores worldwide. Panic! At The Disco is heading out on tour with Weezer this summer. You can head here for dates. 

[Listen] Morly - "The Choir"

After falling hard for Minneapolis producer/songwriter Morly last year with her EP, In Defense of My Muse, the songstress is back to tug at my heart strings some more. This time around, after the majority of the EP showcasing her production abilities, this new song, "The Choir", prominently features her soothing vocal stylings. Her minimalist approach to layering textures conjures these icy anthems that somehow manage to make you feel like you're wrapped up in a warm blanket but with a shiver up your spine. 

Grab a blanket and brace yourself for goosebumps folks: 

If you haven't heard In Defense Of My Muse, yet you should probably get on that as well: 

[Listen] Mayer Hawthorne - "Cosmic Love"

Oh check it out, you guys. It looks like Mayer Hawthorne wrote me a love song. The new single, "Cosmic Love", features everything I love: rocketships, galaxies, and space-sexual innuendo. As you may recall, last year Hawthorne put the majority of his efforts into his side project with producer Jake One, Tuxedo. Per hints in the info on Soundcloud and his mailing list, however, it looks like this spring we'll be getting a followup to his 2013 LP, Where Does This Door Go. 

Enjoy, "Cosmic Love" below:

Upcoming Tour Dates

Mayer Hawthorne Revue
1/18 - Los Angeles, CA - SOLD OUT
1/19 - Los Angeles, CA - SOLD OUT

Mayer Hawthorne
2/19 - New York, NY w/Hall & Oates - Tickets
2/19 - Brooklyn, NY (DJ SET) - Tickets

Tuxedo
1/22 - San Diego, CA - Tickets
1/28 - Austin, TX (DJ SET) - RSVP

#skoaradio 11/14/2015 liner notes

"Kibbe, aren't you posting these liner notes kind of late?"

   I'm late to getting this up. Sorry. Clearly from the amount of posts I've done so far today I'm trying tog get caught up. It's a nice problem to have with 3 fire shows in a week being the root of not being able to get #content out on time.

Anyway, this is going to be the last time I put together a separate playlist for the show. That's right, from now on you'll have to scramble to pull the songs from a playlist that I'm going to be changing on the regular. This is mutually beneficial because it will force me to get these out sooner rather than later so you can snatch up the goodies I share with you.

Hope you're having a great weekend fam!

<3

kibbe!

• Miami Horror - "Cellophane (So Cruel)"
• BOOTS - "C.U.R.E."
• Unknown Mortal Orchestra - "Can't Keep Checking My Phone"
• Maiday - "Wish You'd Met Me First"
• Mr. Hudson - "Dancing Through It"
• Kate Boy - "When I Was Young"
• Bob Moses - "Tearing Me Up"
• Secular Ghost - "Bystander Effect"
• Good Morning - "Cab Deg"
• Skaters - "Mental Case"
• MRENC - "Everything Is So Great"
• LCD Soundsystem - "Never As Tired As When I'm Waking Up"
• Ryan Hemsworth (with Dawn Golden) - "Snow In Newark "
• Superpoze - "Unlive"
• ARRWS - "The Dark (feat. FEM FEL)"
• The Streets - "The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living"
• Toddla T - "Watch Me Dance"
• Born Gold - "I Want To Guard You From Boredom"
• JR JR - "James Dean"
• Son Little - "The River"
• Darlingside - "Go Back"
• Jake Isaac - "Home"
• Chet Faker and Marcus Marr - "The Trouble With Us"
• Sami Switch - "Self Destruct"
• Tuxedo - "Number One"
• Disclosure - "Molecules"

Read these things and get smarter okay?

• Is Apple positioning Apple Music’s Connect as Vevo/YouTube alternative with new video embed option?
• New York Attorney General asked to investigate Spotify’s unpaid mechanicals
• ASCAP’s Online Database Now Includes Licensable Share Information

Feel free to grab this playlist, obvi.