No Notification: Justin Mazer releases his First Round of Solo Work without any Prior Announcement
A Q&A with Justin Mazer, who unplugged from social media during the course of the pandemic and came out with a pair of albums.
A Q&A with Justin Mazer, who unplugged from social media during the course of the pandemic and came out with a pair of albums.
Article & Album Review: Tawa talks in-depth on the people and passions that brought “Startide” to life.
“When the pandemic hit the East Coast and venues shuttered their doors, Better Human scaled back out of necessity, playing virtual sets in a solo or smaller band configuration with Wexler taking over lead vocals. New single ‘Complete,’ released on Halloween, bears the marks of this transition without sacrificing any of the band‘s core sonic DNA.”
“In Songs About Worms, a thorough combination of the novel and the vintage creates an endlessly compelling sonic palette that is at once unique and familiar.”
“Here, the lack of a conventional harmony instrument allows the trio to communicate their ideas with nothing more than the unadorned essentials: rhythm, bass, and melody. The musicians deploy the full extent of their resources to ensure the listener never feels that absence. The focus, energy, and precision of the ensemble’s interplay and the fluency of their improvisation provide plenty to occupy a listener’s attention.”
Tweed has always been a live performance-focused group, and their patience in waiting to release an LP has allowed them to take the time necessary to differentiate themselves from their peers, to develop their unique voice, and to learn how best to translate that voice to an effective record. This patience has paid dividends, and all that work is evident on Moves.
Solar Circuit’s jamtronica fusion entrances audiences in an all-out dance party. If you like getting down to dirty, intergalactic untz, then do not miss this act. There are roughly 20 chances to see them while on this four-month bend.
The short takes viewers on a tour of a paradigm shift, using Klaproth as the subject. In the opening scenes, she’s rifling through bills, Philadelphia Parking Authority-issued tickets, and other usual paper pests that come with adulthood. While taking a ride on her Vespa scooter, she approaches a forset staircase with two mystical nymphs—who have been following her the entire video—enticing her to drink a potion.
So the tradition of Bodega’s Christmas-eve-eve is so special because it’s not only the one night of the year that the people who grew up surrounding the band get to see them play together, but it’s also one of the few days of the year members of Bodega are reunited with one another as well. And that, paired with that cliche wisp of Christmas wonder hanging in the air, is a recipe for on-stage magic.
“People can get lost in a jam and fall back on just knowing how to play scales, but if you don’t listen, it doesn’t work. Music is a conversation.”