All posts by Monica Melissano

PR: BLACKTOP OVERDRIVE EXPERIENCE

02/16/2023 Monica Melissano

Artist: Blacktop Overdrive Experience
Title: Out of the Show
Format: album digital
Release date: March 17th, 2023
Label: self released
Genres: stoner, classic rock
PR territories: Italy

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In uscita il 17 Marzo 2023, Out of the Show è il nuovo album dei Blacktop Overdrive Experience, giovane ed energico trio dalla provincia di Catania attivo dal 2014, ed e’ il loro secondo lavoro dopo l’esordio omonimo del 2017.

Due i singoli già estratti dall’album, Take Control e Fly, entrambi accompagnati da videoclip che esaltano l’attitudine irruente ma anche auto-ironica della band.

Out of the Show, rispetto al primo lavoro, si smarca dal classic rock, andando a cercare soluzioni ritmiche e armoniche affini a un sound più contemporaneo, vicino al grunge e a sonorita’ grezze, un’immediatezza ottenuta grazie anche alla scelta, in accordo col fonico Carlo Longo, di registrare la batteria, il basso e la chitarra ritmica suonati assieme in presa diretta.

L’album si apre con l’intro blues di chitarra e voce di Feeling Free, che prelude ad uno shuffle aggressivo con un un ritornello in pieno stile Hard Rock, ma i 10 brani che compongono la tracklist spaziano da episodi minimali come You’re Never Gonna Be the Same (unica ballad acustica dell’album) a una versione personale del classico di Neil Young Hurricane, per giungere alla chiusura in chiave decisamente stoner di Blame.

Credits:
Registrato, Mixato e Masterizzato al NuevArte Studio di Carlo Longo – Misterbianco (CT).
Artwork e foto di Marco Garofalo – Laboratorio Creativo – Giardini Naxos (ME)

I Blacktop Overdrive Experience nascono in provincia di Catania nel 2014, come progetto di tre amici uniti dalla passione per il rock anni ’70 e il blues: Peppe Papa al basso, Antonio Valentino batteria e cori, e Gianfranco Torrisi chitarra e voce. La scelta dell’inglese per i testi avviene in modo assolutamente naturale, essendo Gianfranco nato e vissuto per diversi anni in Australia.
Fin dalla sua nascita il trio si dedica a scrivere brani che si ispirano al rock degli anni ’70-’80 e al blues, ma anche a generi più “moderni” come il Grunge e lo Stoner degli anni 90.
Il primo album omonimo viene pubblicato a Ottobre del 2017, e porta il trio a esibirsi al Rocketta Summer Live presso il Monastero dei Benedettini di Catania, aprendo il concerto a due band internazionali, Photo Taxis e Random Recipe, e a seguire in diverse date ed eventi siciliani, fra cui la partecipazione nel Settembre 2018 alla trasmissione “AllaKatalla” di Giuseppe Castiglia, con un’esibizione live in diretta su Rei TV.
A fine 2019 il trio inizia a lavorare al nuovo album Out of the Show, che pero’, a causa delle prolungate chiusure dovute al Covid, viene ultimato solo a Marzo 2022.

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ONE ELEVEN HEAVY

02/06/2023 Monica Melissano

Formed in 2016 by transatlantic buds Nick Mitchell Maiato and James Toth, One Eleven Heavy is a band designed as a Venn diagram of the pair’s shared musical loves.
Crazy Horse, Grateful Dead, and Dylan come to the fore when listening to their joyful third album, Poolside, but the influences go much deeper.
Toth says, “We were lucky to have our touring drummer, Jake Morris (Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks) at the ready to play drums. Nick’s pal, the fantastic Guy Fowler, plays bass on the record.”
Guided by mysterious producer Colin Sick, One Eleven Heavy spent a year writing and recording the tracks that form Poolside, an album that feels like a gothic western romp through cartoon dreams of escaped criminal ciphers (“Tyrant King”), rebound coke binge recollections (“Rizzo In The Wig”), and tales of sasquatches crossing state lines (“Bama Yeti”).

“Ultimately, what it boils down to is friendship,” says Toth “Nick and I made a pact when we started this thing that One Eleven Heavy would be a band, not a project. The harder we work together, the closer we become as friends, and the more we trust each other. I think you can hear that on Poolside and I hope you’ll hear it more and more as we continue.”

UK/USA
Cosmic Americana

EUROPE TOUR:
June 29th/July 15th, 2023

Line up:
Nick Mitchell Maiato: guitar and vocals
James Toth (AKA Wooden Wand): guitar and vocals
Jake Morris (Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks): drums
Guy Fowler: bass
Hans Chew: piano

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PRESS QUOTES

“Everyone’s favorite transatlantic chooglers One Eleven Heavy return with their third deep-fried heater, Poolside. Bandleaders Nick Mitchell Maiato and James Toth are joined this outing by new members Guy Fowler on bass and Jake Morris on drums, but the feel is consistent with the 111H format: the leads spiral out, the band shambles and gets down, and the mood feels frisky. A welcome return.” Aquarium Drunkard

“One Eleven Heavy’s Allman-Brothers-meets-Royal-Trux take on Cosmic American Music here transcends its initial barroom holler for something more mellow and ineffable, if no less intricate, with extraordinary guitar solos erupting from every hidden crevice…” **** Mojo

“The epic ‘Fruit Loops’ is CSNY with the emphasis on Y, complete with ragged Neil-style guitar solo, before briefly alighting on that Graham Nash-fronted version of Supergrass you never knew you needed.” **** Shindig

“On Poolside, you can hear shades of everything from Gram Parsons to Willie Nelson, from Michael Hurley to David Crosby, from The Allman Brothers to Santana, with nods to Led Zeppelin… This is cosmic American music, but one with a sense of distance and an international perspective.” 7/10 Uncut

PRactive

PR : SYNNE SANDEN – UNFOLD

01/08/2023 Monica Melissano

Artist: Synne Sanden
Title: Unfold (album)
Release date: February 17th, 2023
Label: Nordic Records
Hometown: Oslo, Norway
Genre: experimental pop
PR territories: worldwide except German speaking countries and Scandinavia

Official Website // Facebook
You Tube // Spotify

Unfold is the fifth solo album from the experimental pop artist Synne Sanden.
The album is composed by Sanden and produced by the well known producer Lars Horntveth, who has produced for Susanne Sundfør, Fieh, Aha and Kimbra, and is also a member and bandleader of Jaga Jazzist.
Synne Sanden writes about the things we find difficult and vulnerable to talk about, what we are ashamed of, about personal growth and healing.
Gaffa writes «she has succeeded in finding her own voice, both musically as well as lyrically».
Synne Sanden combines the catchy and the beautiful, with the quirky, expressive and raw and creates songs and soundscapes where you can hear her unique signature.

The album Unfold is about taking back your body and sexuality, after boundaries have been crossed.
She writes about creating a new safety, where it ́s been unsafe, and how the good and important sexuality gives nearness, vitality, presence and a sense of belonging, and how these painful sexual experiences can make you feel weak and small.

On the album you can hear vocals, beats, moon drums, rhodes, accordion, drums, synths, harp, strings, bass clarinet, vibrafone and pedal steel.
Some songs are co-produced by Synne Sanden, Kim Reenskaug and Peter Estdahl.
The co-producers are playing on the album, together with Synne ́s permanent band consisting of: Julie Kleive, Henrik Schmidt, Lars Fremmerlid and Jørgen Apeness. Ellen Bødtker is guesting on harp on two songs and Lise Sørensen is playing strings on several songs.

Synne Sanden conveys her emotions and strength, from her deepest layer, and you can hear her doing this in a very large degree on Unfold.