CLICK AND GIVE: Longtime Athens musician and all-around great guy Ian Werden (Vinyl Strangers, Slackdaddy, et al) suffered a tonic-clonic (grand mal) seizure while driving a few weeks ago. He has unpredictable seizures due to epilepsy. During this incident, his car was totaled, and he broke his back, which, according to a recently launched fundraiser, also “furthered aggravated existing vertebrae problems.” Even if you’re not familiar with his music, you have most likely encountered his smiling face and helpful disposition when shopping at Musician’s Warehouse. The fundraiser to assist Ian with medical bills, lost wages and other accumulating expenses can be found via gofund.me/934cc1cf.
I BEFORE E EXCEPT AFTER C: The new album by electro-experimental-pop musician, engineer and highly accomplished session player Annie Leeth comes out Aug. 10, but she’ll play a release show Wednesday, Aug. 16 at Ciné for it. Also on the bill are Cicada Rhythm and Karezza. The new album is a nicely packaged set of nine tunes arranged such that the album builds as it progresses. This is most evident by the time song No. 4 (“Go Somewhere”) rolls around. Up to this point on the record things are slightly, but deliberately, glitch, but by this song the focus is in full relief and really honed in. There’s timelessness to Leeth’s music such that a listener could throw this on and not know if it was released in 1982 or 2023. Leeth’s production skills absolutely shine on this. Close listeners will hear shades of Laurie Anderson, Thomas Dolby, the production side of Missy Elliott, Yaz/Yazoo and others. Presumably this new album has a title but, if it does, no one told me what it was. At any rate, find this on major streaming services and hopefully at annieleeth.bandcamp.com. For more information, please see annieleeth.com.
THE BEAT WILL CONTINUE UNTIL MORALE IMPROVES: Kenosha Kid has resumed its Tuesday night residency at Hendershot’s. Each night features two sets of music from this popular jazz group. These evenings begin at 7 p.m. Word is these will continue into the future unabated until, you know, they become abated. Kenosha Kid is still deservedly riding a high wave from the release of its massive October Book triple LP release. These shows are also billed as “No Phone Parties,” so try to be a decent citizen and keep your phone put away during the performances. Who you gonna call, anyway? For more information, please see kenoshakid.com/tuesdays.
MUSIC FOR FILMS: Composer and musician Rachel Evans (Motion Sickness of Time Travel) announced that she spent multiple years composing the soundtrack for the recently premiered film An Evening Song (for three voices). The film, from director and writer Graham Swon, is synopsized as “1939, somewhere in the American Midwest: to combat former child-prodigy writer Barbara Fowler’s (Hannah Gross) debilitating agoraphobia, she and her pulp-fiction scribe husband, Richard (Peter Vack), move to the countryside where they become entwined in a love triangle with their deeply religious maid (Deragh Campbell) in this trance-like examination of a world destined for extinction.” The film has enjoyed a French premier at the Marseille International Film Festival and is scheduled to appear at Mexico City’s Black Canvas Festival de Cine Contemporáneo in September. Evans reports that September dates for the United States are still being finalized. Evans’ score is in talks to be released as a stand-alone item either this fall or next year through West Virginia label Flag Day Recordings, whom you can catch up with at flagdayrecordings.bandcamp.com. You can keep up with Evans’ other work via hookervision.bandcamp.com.
NEW POLLUTION: Andrew Steck continues to stretch the scope of his label Arfus Records to include other artists, and there’s a new single available from Jumping Through Fiery Hoops available as we speak. This is the long-running project of Jeff Fox (Ham1) and this two-track single is a really cool addition to the label’s stable. The A-side is “Warning Shots,” which is a steady and stompy rocker a’la Beck, and the B-side is “Swiss Army Spoon,” which is of similar tempo but with a noted psychedelic-carnival mood about it. Look for these to be streaming via jumpingthroughfieryhoops.bandcamp.com and then across all major streaming services as of Aug. 11. For more information, please see arfusrecords.com.
AND ANOTHER ONE: Continuing with this week’s slew of new releases, feel free to go enjoy the new one from No Yonder. This is a project of songwriter Brad Gerke and his team of crack players. This is a two-song release, and the first (“Break My Heart Already”) is a great pop Americana song very much in the vein of, say, Counting Crows and Canada’s Northern Pikes. The second (“Falling Skies”) is a straight up country number whose intensity increases as it moves along. Find both at noyonderband.bandcamp.com.
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