Hannah Means-Shannon

When Bernie Worrell, who was a founding member of Parliament-Funkadelic and spent a lifetime collaborating across genres with an astonishing number of musicians, passed away in 2016, it closed a chapter of music history. Some years later, former Bernie Worrell Orchestra bandleader Evan Taylor was contacted by Bernie’s family about some tapes and drives they had discovered that they hoped someone might be able to work with towards a posthumous release. Taylor, in the meantime, had been working across genres as a Producer with his own label and studio, Loantaka Sound, as well as working on the musical project Purple Witch of Culver, and he couldn’t have been more surprised by that phone call.

Smoker Dad is a Seattle-based indie band that describes their sound as “deep-fried Southern Rock,” and it’s hard to argue with that. The attitude and slightly humorous feel of that description are also part of their identity. Consisting of Trevor Conway on vocals and guitar, Teagen Conway on lead guitar, Chris King on vocals and keys, Derek Luther on bass, Adam Knowles on drums, and Chris Costalupes on pedal steel, the latter has been a decisive factor in shaping the “twang” in their music. It accompanies a steady foundation of Rock ‘n Roll and an enthusiasm for 70s intersections between Roots music and Rock.

The dB’s will be embarking on a rare tour in September, and this coincides with the June reissue of their debut album, Stands for Decibels, its first time on vinyl in the US, and the October reissue of their second album, Repercussion. Both albums arrive courtesy of Propeller Sound Recordings,

On September 13 th, Experimental Folk duo Foreign Fields released their fourth full-length album, What It Cost, and for this collection, have expanded to a full-band sound. This marks a departure from their previous two-person efforts, but it not an about-face in an ongoing new direction. Rather, it captures a particular experiment in a particular period of time, one which Foreign Fields have been very grateful to undertake.

Blitz Vega are releasing their album, Northern Gentleman, on September 27 th

Australian Indie Rock band Atlas Genius are currently in the United States touring alongside Robert DeLong, and continuing to tour throughout September and October in support of their September album release, End of the Tunnel. The album’s title couldn’t be more apt for the band’s experiences waiting years to release the music, and also hoping to finally return to touring after the global pandemic. The band, consisting of Keith Jeffery (lead vocals, guitar), Michael Jeffery (drums), Steven Jeffery (synths/keys), and

Chapel Hill, North Carolina-based band The Old Ceremony are celebrating 20 years as a band this year, and also releasing their seventh album on October 17th, via Yep Roc, titled Earthbound. They also have several celebratory shows in the works, both in North Carolina, and elsewhere on the East Coast.

On October 25 th, Yep Roc Records will release Wake The Dead, Chuck Prophet’s collaborative album with the group ¿Qiensave?, marking his first foray into Cumbia music. While Chuck Prophet has always been an explorer of genres, this specific family of musical traditions captured his ear and his heart during a very difficult period in his life, having received a daunting lymphoma diagnosis, and saw him through chemotherapy and recovery. Its soulful qualities were not only restorative but piqued his curiosity. Once he was able to go to shows, he sought out Cumbia groups, and thereby met ¿Qiensave?, who allowed him to jam with them, and eventually helped him try out new songwriting ideas.

On November 1st, hackedepicciotto released their very first live album, captured in a historic studio in Naples, Italy, that’s also the location in which they recorded their previous album, Keepsakes. The duo of

Vince Cuneo is a guitarist who forms one half of the Venice Beach-based instrumental Rock project Movie Club, along with Jessamyn Violet, and on November