New music: The Rolling Stones, The Dumbanimals, Alicia Witt

An expanded edition of The Rolling Stones' terrific 2023 return Hackney Diamonds, as well as the latest discs from power pop heroes The Dumbanimals and singer-songwriter Alicia Witt are available now. 

"Hackney Diamonds: Live Edition" is available now. 

Artist: The Rolling Stones

Title: Hackney Diamonds: Live Edition (Geffen Records)

You might like if you enjoy: The Rolling Stones, Lady Gaga, classic rock

Tell me more: Now there is even more reason to celebrate The Rolling Stones' 2023 masterwork Hackney Diamonds; the album has been reissued on audio CD as a deluxe expanded edition with all seven tracks performed at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band's October 2023's album launch event at Racket in New York filling disc two. A rollicking take on "Shattered" kicks off the live set before The Rolling Stones unleash a rowdy take on the band's 2023 single "Angry" from Hackney Diamonds. This writer's favorite track from Hackney Diamonds is the soaring "Whole Wide World" and the live version of that powerful cut is a highlight on the live set as well — singer Mick Jagger delivers an especially emotive vocal performance and the searing lead guitar work of Ronnie Wood really packs a punch too. Other highlights on disc two include a moving "Tumbling Dice," decidedly punk-styled "Bite My Head Off" and rousing "Jumpin' Jack Flash." The set closing R&B nugget "Sweet Sounds of Heaven" finds Lady Gaga joining the Rolling Stones for an ambitious duet with Jagger on another of Hackney Diamonds' great songs. The Rolling Stones' Hackney Diamonds U.S. tour dates will begin in April 2024. Among the closet Southwest dates for readers to attend are the band's appearance at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ on May 7; at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on May 11; and at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on July 10 and July 13. Information: rollingstones.com.

Artist: The Dumbanimals

Title: Thrift Pop (Kool Kat Musik)

You might like if you enjoy: Matthew Sweet, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Weezer, XTC, early Snow Patrol

Tell me more: Fans of melodic rock and power pop will all embrace the Dumbanimals' new album Thrift Pop. The Len Kenyon-led Vermont outfit artfully fuses melodic and alternative rock stylings with dream pop. Things begin with the shimmering midtempo gem "Hook in Our Jaw" and the album's riches continue from start to finish. Among the many marvelous originals featured on Thrift Pop are the propulsive "Lollygagger," freewheeling "Doorknob," introspective "Aim Lame," romantic retro-mining "In My Car" and dreamy "Lullaby For Jack." Information: koolkatmusik.com.

Artist: Alicia Witt

Title: Witness

You might like if you enjoy: Aimee Mann, Carole King, Vonda Shepard

Tell me more: Although Alicia Witt might be most recognizable for her acting roles (she made her debut at the age of 7 in David Lynch's "Dune" and has since appeared in countless films and television series including "Two and a Half Men," "The Walking Dead," "Justified," "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" and Showtime's 3rd season of "Twin Peaks"), her talents as an outstanding keyboardist, singer and songwriter are equally formidable. On her latest EP Witness, the artist delivers another batch of songs that probe the emotional currents of life, love and loss with a mix of undeniable melody, sumptuous arrangements and timeless song craft. The yearning title track, gorgeous "Clever Mind," forceful rocker "Loop" and wistful jazz-tinged piano ballad "Always Tuesday" are among the stellar originals on the six-track disc. The EP closes with the emotional and sweeping "Someone To Write Me a Song." Information: aliciawittmusic.com. 

Robert Kinsler

Judas Priest shares official music video for "Crown of Horns"

Check out the infectious new melodic rock track from Judas Priest's forthcoming album...Robert Kinsler

JUDAS PRIEST SHARES OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO FOR “CROWN OF HORNS” 

WATCH HERE 

NEW ALBUM INVINCIBLE SHIELD DUE MARCH 8, 2024

Judas Priest has revealed the official music video for their recently released single “Crown Of Horns.” Watch HERE. 

The band’s highly anticipated new studio album Invincible Shield will be released on March 8, 2024 via Epic Records. Pre-order HERE. 

Over the past 50 years Judas Priest have sold over 50 million albums worldwide and headlined the world’s biggest stadiums.  With their evolving music and live performances also came a powerful unique identity, a look which has both defined the group and influenced future generations of metal bands the world over.  With each year the Judas Priest legend continues to grow; 2022 saw them inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and complete a sold-out rescheduled world tour in support of their 50^th Anniversary.  As we roll through 2024, Judas Priest continue to retain their crown as one of the biggest and best bands in the world.

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⚡Ace Frehley Releases New Single "Walkin' on the Moon"⚡

Watch the new aptly-styled music video for Ace Frehley's advance track "Walkin' on the Moon" released today. The hard rocking track is from the singer-guitarist's forthcoming album "10,000 Volts" coming later this month..Robert Kinsler

GUITAR LEGEND ACE FREHLEY RELEASES NEW
SINGLE "WALKIN' ON THE MOON"

NEW SOLO ALBUM, 10,000 VOLTS, OUT ON FEBRUARY 23, 2024

NEW YORK IN-STORE ANNOUNCED FOR FEB 24

NEW ALBUM & VINYL VARIANT PREORDERS AVAILABLE NOW!

Preorder Album Here

(February 2, 2024) RRHOF-inductee and guitar legend Ace Frehley releases a new single, "Walkin' on the Moon," today. This is the second track from Ace's forthcoming album, 10,000 Volts, which will be released on February 23, 2024.  Produced and co-written by Ace and Steve Brown, the uncontainable energy on the 11-tracks showcases some of Ace's best works since his '78 solo album. On "Walkin' On The Moon," Ace's voice rings out between towering distortion as a lovestruck hook echoes, “When I wake up, you’re all I see. You got me walkin’ on the moon!” His string bends practically engage in a call-and-response with the refrain while another celestial solo resounds. An alt-cover, solar flare vinyl variant of this single is available now HERE. The entertaining visualizer was directed by Alex Kouvatsos from Black Wolf Imaging. Watch below!

Watch visualizer here

Ace will also meet fans in NYC at an in-store on Saturday, February 24th from 1-5 pm at Sam Ash, 333 West 34th Street, NYC. For priority access to the event, fans can preorder an exclusive, in-store, vinyl variant (500 qty; clear with 3-color splatter) HERE.  The first in-store variant (500 QTY; bubblegum vinyl) sold out in 48 hours. Purchase is limited to two per customer, and fans who purchase either or both variants can pick them up at the in-store. In addition, the standard CD will also be available for purchase at the event. Ace will sign all versions of his new album.

Ace previously released the title track, "10,000 Volts."  The video has amassed over 2m streams and over 1m views. Watch the video here. Rock ‘n’ roll and heavy metal simply wouldn’t sound, look, or feel the same without Ace Frehley. Among hundreds of accolades, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame® inducted him in 2014 as a Co-founder and the original lead guitarist of Kiss. Guitar World named him in the Top 15 of its “100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists of All Time” and plugged the lead from “Shock Me” on the “50 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time.” Magnifying the imprint of his catalog as a solo artist, Foo Fighters cut a fan-favorite cover of “Ozone,” and he even jammed out “New York Groove” alongside The Roots on NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The late Dimebag Darrell of Pantera proudly sported a tattoo of Frehley on his chest, while Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine celebrated him on X/Twitter as “My first guitar hero.” 10,000 Volts upholds an incredible legacy for Frehley, spanning 50-plus years in the limelight. Back in 1978, he delivered his solo debut, Ace Frehley. It reached platinum status and exploded as “the highest-selling of the four Kiss solo albums in the Soundscan era.” Pitchfork even retrospectively rated it a rare “8.5” score. In 1987, he dropped Frehley’s Comet. Following Anomaly in 2009, he went on to make history once again. His 2014 Space Invader LP captured #9 on the Billboard 200 and emerged as “The only solo album by a past or current Kiss member to reach the Top 10 on the chart.” 2016’s Origins Vol. 1, bowed at #1 on the Billboard Top Hard Rock Albums Chart and in the Top 5 of the Billboard Top Rock Albums Chart. He notably maintained his momentum with Spaceman [2018].

Photo credit: Jayme Thornton | Download hi res

Preorder the album here: Connect with Ace: Website Facebook Instagram TikTok

Omnivore Recordings announces LP release for Uncle Walt’s Band Acclaimed 'Anthology', out on 3/1

 Omnivore Recordings has announced the release of a anthology featuring acclaimed Americana trio Uncle Walt's Band. Get all the details below...Robert Kinsler

Uncle Walt’s Band Anthology: Those Boys From Carolina, They Sure Enough Could Sing… LP

Acclaimed Anthology From Texas Music Legends Finally Arrives on Vinyl on March 1

 

“Walter Hyatt, David Ball and Champ Hood have been an inspiration to me ever since the first time I heard Uncle Walt’s Band. Musically, their finely crafted original compositions reflect diverse influences, while lyrically they demonstrate a sensitive, sophisticated understanding of the dignified South.” - Lyle Lovett, when he was a journalism student at Texas A&M University

January 22, 2024: In 2018, Omnivore released Anthology: Those Boys From Carolina, They Sure Enough Could Sing… (titled after a quote from Lovett himself) on CD and Digital. The ecstatic response renewed interest in the classic original band, whose influence was so strong on not only Country music, but the then unnamed genre of Americana. That collection is now reimagined on LP, containing two songs making their vinyl debut – Anthology’s “Getaway” (featured on HBO’s Silicon Valley) and a previously unissued fiddle demo of ”I’ll Come Knockin’” (different than the CD and Digital Anthology version and exclusive to the vinyl release). The LP will be released on March 1.

 

Uncle Walt’s Band, from Spartanburg, South Carolina, was an eclectic music trio that moved to Nashville in 1972 and shortly thereafter to Austin at the urging of Willis Alan Ramsey. An attempt at an album proved unsuccessful , so the band headed back to Spartanburg in 1974 where they recorded their debut LP, Blame It On The Bossa Nova, now titled, Uncle Walt’s Band. A second indie album, An American In Texas was released in 1980. Both titles were expanded and reissued by Omnivore Recordings. Recorded Live followed (also expanded and reissued by Omnivore as Recorded Live At The Waterloo Ice House).

 

In 1983, Uncle Walt’s Band officially parted ways. Although remaining friends and working on various projects over the years, each went on to pursue solo music careers: Hyatt released several albums and performed on Austin City Limits, Hood became a Texas Music Hall of Fame sideman playing for artists like Lyle Lovett and Jerry Jeff Walker, and Ball’s success with his hit “Thinkin’ Problem” established him as a Country Music star. 

 

Back in the late ’70s at Austin’s famed Waterloo Ice House you could find Uncle Walt’s Band fans listening raptly in the packed venue sitting beside the likes of Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Nanci Griffith, Jerry Jeff Walker, or Marcia Ball. Now, you can experience why everyone was there. This long overdue collection attempts to right missed opportunities of the past and finally gain Uncle Walt’s Band the recognition they deserve. On your turntable!

 

Watch the trailer: https://youtu.be/G4wM0rQ9234

 

Pre-order HERE

 

Anthology: Those Boys From Carolina, They Sure Enough Could Sing… tracklist:

Side One:

1. Getaway*

2. Seat Of Logic

3. Dish Wiped Clean

4. Ruby

5. High Hill

6. Aloha

7. Don’t You Think I Feel It Too

8. Deeper Than Love

 

Side Two:

1. As The Crow Flies

2. Bluebird

3. Last One To Know

4. Stay With The One

5. So Long Baby

6. Holding On

7. Walking Angel

8. I’ll Come Knockin’ (Fiddle Demo)**

 

* First time on vinyl

** Previously unissued

New James Brown track from 1970, "We Got To Change", to be released Feb. 16, 2024

Media Release 

JAMES BROWN UNIVERSAL MUSIC ENTERPRISES TO ISSUE PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED JAMES BROWN SONG “WE GOT TO CHANGE” ON FEB. 16

Three-Track We Got To Change EP Features Storming J.B.’s Lineup Starring Brothers Catfish and Bootsy Collins and “Funky Drummer” Clyde Stubblefield Set Will Preface Feb. 19-20 Premiere of Two-Night A&E Documentary Event James Brown: Say It Loud  from Executive Producers Mick Jagger and Questlove FEBRUARY 1, 2024 (Santa Monica, CA) – UMe/Republic Records will release James Brown’s We Got To Change, a three-track EP featuring the previously unheard title track, on Feb. 16. “We Got To Change” was recorded August 16, 1970, at Criteria Studios in Miami, during a pivotal period in the world of James Brown, as longtime members of his famed James Brown Orchestra had walked out a few months earlier. Pre-order HERE Brown quickly assembled a new group anchored by guitarist Phelps “Catfish” Collins and bassist William “Bootsy” Collins, two young brothers from Cincinnati. They brought a harder edge and a fresh identity to Brown’s music on such singles as “Get Up (I Feel Like Being) a Sex Machine,” “Super Bad,” and “Soul Power.” Brown called them The J.B.’s. Their Criteria session featured a reunion with one of Brown’s 1960s sidemen: the great Clyde Stubblefield. “The Funky Drummer,” as he was known, would grace several of Brown’s subsequent hits, and would become one of the most sampled drummers of the hip-hop era. Also on the track is James Brown’s longtime no. 2, Bobby Byrd, who is heard alongside Brown on the chorus.   “We Got To Change” is another example of James Brown’s social outreach (and outrage), seen in singles like “Don’t Be a Dropout,” “Say It Loud I’m Black and I’m Proud,” “Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved” and “King Heroin.” It is also a testament to Brown’s diverse musical language, quoting from Little Jimmy Dickens’ 1949 hit “Take an Old Cold Tater (And Wait)” and the African-American anti-war spiritual, “Down by the Riverside.” “The James Brown Revue invented the Funk,” says Funk author Rickey Vincent, “and the J.B.’s perfected it.” Newly unearthed and hitherto unheard, “We Got to Change” adds a critical page to the history of that perfection’s evolution. The release of We Got to Change will precede James Brown: Say It Loud, a two-part, four-hour documentary about the life and music of the late “Godfather of Soul” that premieres February 19 and 20 at 8 pm ET/PT on A&E.  “James  Brown: Say It Loud” is directed by Deborah Riley Draper and produced for A&E by Inaudible Films in association with Polygram Entertainment and GroupM Motion Entertainment, and in cooperation with the owner/custodian of the James Brown Estate, Primary Wave. Peter Afterman serves as Executive Producer for Inaudible Films along with Executive Producer Mari Keiko Gonzales and Producer Sarah Haber. Executive Producers for Jagged Entertainment are Mick Jagger and Victoria Pearman. Executive Producers for Two One Five Entertainment are Ahmir ‘Questlove’ Thompson, Tariq 'Black Thought' Trotter, Shawn Gee, and Zarah Zohlman. David Blackman and Bruce Resnikoff serve as Executive Producers, with Madeline Post and Robert Komadina as co-executive producers for Polygram Entertainment. Richard Foster and Chet Fenster serve as Executive Producers for GroupM Motion Entertainment. Charlie Cohen serves as Executive Producer for Warner Music Group. Elaine Frontain Bryant and Brad Abramson serve as Executive Producers for A&E Network. A&E holds worldwide distribution rights to “James Brown: Say it Loud.”   JAMES BROWN X ROOTS OF FIGHT Roots Of Fight has created a unique capsule collection paying tribute to Mr. Dynamite and his new song “We Got To Change.” Roots Of Fight is a media, lifestyle and apparel brand that celebrates the improbable achievements of today’s most legendary athletes, innovators, and cultural icons.     JAMES BROWN X SONG-WORD ART HOUSE Song-Word Art House will be paying tribute to the lyrics and music of James Brown, one of the world’s most dynamic performers and innovative songwriters, admired for his pioneering influence in funk, soul, and hip-hop music.  The collection of original artworks by internationally acclaimed artists from around the world features a mixture of canvases, sculptures, and mixed media artworks, representing select lyrics from songs throughout James Brown’s illustrious career.  More info here. WE GOT TO CHANGE EP Tracklisting "We Got To Change" "We Got To Change" (extended version) "We Got To Change" (Pixal remix)