features - PAGE 9

David Franklin Courtright – “In A Garden Of Love” (Video Premiere)

David Franklin Courtright
Adam Grundy

Today I’m thrilled to bring everyone the latest single and music video from singer-songwriter, David Franklin Courtright, called “In A Garden Of Love.” In this moody single/video, David cements himself as a key artist to watch through dreamy vocals paired with soothing visuals. The song comes from David’s new album, Brutal Tenderness, that releases everywhere music is sold on August 8th. If you’re enjoying the early watch, please consider supporting this talented artist here.

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Empty Nesters – “Shangri-Nah” ft. Clay Pigeon

Empty Nesters
Adam Grundy

Today I’m so excited to bring everyone the newest single and music video from Canadian hardcore punk group, Empty Nesters, called “Shanri-Nah.” The track features a great guest spot from Clay Pigeon, and the single comes from Empty Nesters’ forthcoming EP, Deaf Monks, out everywhere you stream your music on July 11th. If you’re enjoying the new video, please consider pre-saving the EP here.

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My Life In 35 Songs, Track 12: “Come Around” by Counting Crows

My Life in 35 Songs
Craig Manning

I have waited for tomorrow from December ‘til today, and I have started loving sorrow along the way.

“I’ll believe it exists when I’m holding it in my hands.”

For six months, I repeated those words to myself like they were a self-help mantra. I was talking about the supposedly brand-new album from Counting Crows, which was set to drop on March 25, 2008 after a long, long hiatus. The band had teased the LP the previous fall with the release of “Cowboys,” a loud, bitter, rip-roaring rocker that sounded like the reincarnated version of their 1996 cult classic Recovering the Satellites. I loved that sound and how energized it felt, but then again, I probably would have loved anything coming out of the Counting Crows camp at that point. In the moment, the band’s newest song was “Accidentally in Love,” the Oscar-nominated hit from 2004’s Shrek 2, and their newest album was 2002’s Hard Candy. They had, in other words, been away for a while.

I was convinced that I’d somehow cursed the Crows. As a kid, “Mr. Jones” was the first rock song I’d ever loved, and the band’s moody, melodic roots rock, for me, became synonymous with growing up. But I’d fallen head over heels in love with their music with the 2003 best-of collection Films About Ghosts, which recontextualized those ‘90s hits in exciting ways and unearthed a series of rich, remarkably written deep cuts – songs like the searching title track from Recovering the Satellites, the epic “Mrs. Potter’s Lullaby” from 1999’s This Desert Life, or the simultaneously sad and funny “Holiday in Spain” from Hard Candy – that made me realize there was probably a lot more to this band than what got played on the radio.

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Interview: Sarah Rose Project

Sarah Rose Project
Adam Grundy

A couple of weeks ago, I was able to schedule a Zoom call with Sarah Rose of Sarah Rose Project to discuss everything that went into her debut self-titled solo record that is being released via Say10 Records. In this interview, I asked Sarah about the differences in writing solo versus with Sarah and the Safe Word, the stylistic choices made on key songs on the new album, and her ideas for the solo tour this summer. Sarah Rose Project is available on vinyl here.

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Interview: Josh Epstein of JR JR

JR JR
Adam Grundy

This past week I was able to connect with Josh Epstein of the band JR JR to discuss what went into their latest album called Back To The Land. In this interview, I asked Josh about some of the lyrical concepts/themes present in the new LP, the band’s approach to their dynamic live performances, and the freedom they feel in releasing their music. Back To The Land released last Friday on all streaming services, and there is also a vinyl pressing available here.

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My Life In 35 Songs, Track 11: “Breaking Free” from High School Musical

My Life in 35 Songs
Craig Manning

You know the world can see us in a way that’s different than who we are…

Look, I know what you’re thinking, but let me explain! This is the one song that, for just a couple of weeks, made me feel like a pop star.

By day, I was just another 11th grade high school student. I rolled out of bed every morning at 6am to make it to school on time for my zero-hour AP Biology block, then muddled through the rest of my classes. Most aspects of my day-to-day life felt, at best, mundane.

But in the evenings, for two weeks in November 2007, I felt like a legitimate, big-deal famous person. The stage, the spotlight, the recognizable songs, the photo in the newspaper, the “sold out” stickers on the posters, the extremely loud cheers from the audience, the autographs, the flowers and other tokens of appreciation from fans. It all added up to this little taste of how it feels for everyone to adore you, and it was intoxicating.

“Breaking Free,” for those not familiar, is the climactic song and most famous moment from High School Musical, the 2006 Disney Channel Original Movie that somehow morphed from a Friday evening special aired in the middle of January to an absolute cultural phenomenon. There had been dozens of Disney Channel Original movies before, but none of them had ever broken containment like this one did. The High School Musical soundtrack album moved 3.7 million copies in 2006 alone, becoming that year’s top-selling album. For some perspective on how big that number is, no Taylor Swift album has never had a bigger calendar year sales tally in the United States than High School Musical did in 2006.

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Interview: Home Is Where

Home Is Where
Drew Beringer

Home Is Where just released their latest record, Hunting Season – a thirteen-track record that takes the Florida band’s sound beyond emo and into a more Americana, country-twinged space. It still features the high-energy music that band is known for in the form of tracks like “Artificial Grass” and “Bike Week” but there is also a more personal, tender side of the band showing through – especially on highlights such as “Shenandoah,” “Milk and Diesel,” and “Stand-Up Special.” It’s Home Is Where’s best album yet and easily one of 2025’s best offerings – a solid stone-cold lock to be on many “Best Of” lists later this year. I was fortunate enough to speak with the band’s songwriting duo in vocalist Bea MacDonald and guitarist Tilley Komorny. We touched on the new record of course – the inspiration behind it and the writing process that took place – amongst other things. Home Is Where will also be heading night one of Liberation Weekend in Washington, D.C. – a two-day festival created by Ekko Astral and the trans rights advocacy collective Gender Liberation Movement showcasing some of the best musical acts today and supporting and celebrating trans rights, with all proceeds beyond event expenses going to the Gender Liberation Movement to help fund and support future rallies, demonstrations, and direct actions in protest of anti-trans policymaking and business activity. If you can make it to this festival, I highly recommend doing so as it’s shaping up to be one of the best festivals of 2025. Below, check out my conversation with Bea and Tilley of Home Is Where.

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Bec Lauder and The Noise – “Give It” (Video Premiere)

Bec Lauder and The Noise
Adam Grundy

Today I’m thrilled to introduce everyone to a new band called Bec Lauder and The Noise, a three-piece rock band born in the East Village of Manhattan. Front-woman Bec Lauder alternates between guitar and bass while delivering top notch vocals. She’s joined by lead guitarist Soph Shreds and on drums is Maggie Bishop. Their new single, “Give It” is a great mix of Riot Grrrl punk rock paired with great songwriting. Lauder shared, “‘Give It’ is a fantastically funky anthem to strut down the street to. This sultry tune lures the listener into a psychedelic funk pop dream world through sexy repetitive and rhythmic lyrics that you cannot resist dancing to. This song is paired with a flash dance style music video featuring me and a crew of dancers from the Brooklyn Nets dance team, even further emphasizing the idea of the ‘Give It’ fantasy; a world where you get what you want and you can shake it like nothing matters.” If you’re enjoying the new video, please consider pre-ordering the band’s debut LP, The Vessel here.

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Deep Thrills – “Climax” (Song Premiere)

Deep Thrills
Adam Grundy

Today is a great day to share the new single from Deep Thrills called “Climax.” Deep Thrills is the moniker of LA-based artist Matan KG and he channels his love of indie rock with an electro-style that needs to be heard to be believed. The song comes from Deep Thrills’ newly announced EP, How Deep Is Your Thrill?, that will be released everywhere you stream your music on July 11th. If you’re enjoying the video, please consider streaming the new single here.

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Interview: Gemma Laurence

Gemma Laurence
Adam Grundy

Recently I was able to connect with Gemma Laurence, a rising talented indie artist based in Brooklyn, New York, about her great new single and video for “Hedonist.” In this interview, I asked Gemma about her songwriting process for not on only this single, but her forthcoming album (We Were Bodies Underwater) slated for a July release, and much more. If you’re enjoying the video and interview, you can stream “Hedonist” on your favorite platform here.

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My Life In 35 Songs, Track 10: “Truth Is” by Sister Hazel

My Life in 35 Songs
Craig Manning

I stole my first kiss underneath her summer sun, how can I leave?

It’s occurred to me in recent years that, had I been born just a couple years earlier, my music taste would likely have been entirely entirely different. Maybe I would have formed a connection with the grunge craze of the early ‘90s, or maybe I would have become infatuated with that decade’s budding indie rock scene. Instead, I came to music listening consciousness when the radio waves were ruled by brightly melodic pop-rock bands, and that has absolutely defined my musical value system ever since.

I broached this subject a little bit in the chapter about Creed, but there’s not much that’s as pure as loving music with absolutely no cynicism. I think that’s why, for most of us, the music we loved when we were young remains the defining music of our lives. As a child or a teenager, you come to songs and albums and artists with enthusiasm and curiosity, but maybe not a lot of knowledge or context. And as a result, you welcome that music into your heart, mind, and soul in a different way than you will in adulthood. I firmly believe that the greatest period in any person’s musical journey comes between “awakening” (the moment that makes you consider music more seriously and deeply than you did before) and “awareness” (the moment where you start letting other people’s opinions or narratives influence how you feel about something).

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Interview: Holy Pinto

Holy Pinto
Adam Grundy

A couple of weeks ago, I was able to schedule a Zoom call with Aymen Saleh, better known as Holy Pinto. In this interview, I asked Aymen about what went into his forthcoming new album that features some collaborations with Bartees Strange, among others. We also chatted about the key inclusion of voice memos in this record that helped shape the narrative between songs, as well as much more. Today, Holy Pinto has released the piano version of “NOLY” here.

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Peter Salett – “Suddenly The Leaves” (Song Premiere)

Peter Salett
Adam Grundy

Today I’m excited to introduce everyone to Peter Salett, the talented singer-songwriter and composer from Brooklyn, NY who has a steady hand in mapping out picturesque moments in his songs. “Suddenly The Leaves” is the latest single from Salett that tackles the concept of the changing of seasons and the emotions that come with this feeling. The single comes from the new record, Dance of the Yellow Leaf, that will be released on July 11th. If you’re enjoying the early listen, please consider pre-saving the new record here.

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