SKOPE NEWS FOR MARCH 24, 2016

RICHARD LYNCH NEW SINGLE PREVIEW

Compiling a long list of hits and chart toppers in the traditional country world, Richard Lynch is an award-winning American country music artist, reminiscent of the classics that started it all. The same passion and raw truth that fueled the likes of Conway Twitty, Keith Whitley, Waylon Jennings, George Jones, and Hank Williams is sewn into the fabric of Richard Lynch. In a world of fabricated country stars, Richard Lynch stands out in the crowd as a proud member of the last of a dying breed, the pure country music artist. An Independent Country Music Hall of Fame Inductee, Richard’s rock solid country roots span 3 decades; it comes up with the sun each morning, and it settles in the music he writes and the songs he sings.. The spirit of Richard Lynch is that which is attached to the working man’s soul. It’s real and it’s timeless. It’s country, the way country was meant to be.

CHRIS PUREKA FOLK TRACK “BETTING ON THE RACES” PREMIERES VIA BILLBOARD

It’s rare for an artist to bridge the divide between critical acclaim and dedicated fan engagement. Chris Pureka is a Portland-based singer-songwriter whose body of work has resonated deeply with these seemingly disparate milieus. Her bold vulnerability in processing the intimacies of her life in song has long appealed to those listeners who crave authenticity. Now, five years coming, she shares with us another powerful entry in her life’s work, her sixth release, the aptly titled, Back in the Ring.

http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/7271717/chris-pureka-betting-races-new-song-premiere-back-ring

DAVE B PREMIERES MUSIC VIDEO “LEAVES”

“Leaves is my get outside and look around joint,” Dave explains. “I just wanted to self reflect and talk about real life. I don’t have an extravagant lifestyle up here in Seattle. So in the video, I wanted to show what it really looks like to me… what people should see when they think of this city.”

Introducing Dave B, Another Seattle Emcee That Should Be On Your Radar

ALARM SHARES COVER OF THE BEATLES’ “REVOLUTION 9”

Cantaloupe Music is excited to announce Modernists, the latest recording from acclaimed 23-piece ensemble Alarm Will Sound, due April 29, 2016. To ring in the announcement, they’ve shared a rousing cover of The Beatles’ landmark experimental composition “Revolution 9,” which was arranged by Matt Marks and is available to stream or embed.

FOREIGN DIPLOMATS NEW ‘COMFORT DESIGN’ VIDEO

Montreal-based indie rockers Foreign Diplomats unveil new video for their latest single ‘Comfort Design’ via EARMILK.

“Comfort Design is about loving something that isn’t real, wanting to preserve something that doesn’t really exist and destroying what is true” says frontman Elie Raymond. The video, shot in their native Laurentians (Québec, CA), brings into being the bands’ emblematic princess as it explores that fine line between reality and fantasy. “When we were discussing ideas for the music video, we wanted to retain something absurd, images without real meaning. It’s this theme that connects the clip to the song; the irrational feeling of needing and seeing something which isn’t necessarily real.” he further explains.

Watch Foreign Diplomats’ absurd video for “Comfort Design”

A$AP FERG TO RELEASE ‘ALWAYS STRIVE AND PROSPER’ ON APRIL 22ND

Fresh off of taking Austin, TX by storm with his crowd-pleasing show opening performance of his hit single “New Level” at the MTV Woodies/10 for 16 Music Festival, A$AP Ferg announces today that his highly anticipated sophomore album Always Strive and Prosper is confirmed for an April 22nd release on A$AP Worldwide/Polo Grounds Music/RCA Records. Always Strive and Prosper will be available for pre-order on March 25th at all digital music providers. Fans who pre-purchase the album will receive an instant download of Ferg’s current single “New Level” featuring Future and the brand new track “Let It Bang” featuring ScHoolboyQ.

Always Strive and Prosper is destined to be the breakthrough album that clearly defines the Trap Lord’s footing in the rap game. Introspective and entertaining, Ferg delves deep into topics ranging from his Harlem neighborhood, “Hungry Ham” (Hamilton Heights), to working at Ben & Jerry’s and everything in between.

http://newlevel.asapferg.com/

INCITE “KILLER”

The aggressive first track released from the new album, “Stagnant”, gave metal fans a taste of the sonic barrage they will experience with Oppression. Today, INCITE offers fans a chance to visualize the brutality with their killer new music video for “No Remorse”. The video is directed by Robert Sexton (Hellyeah, Death Angel, Soulfly) and stars gorgeous pin-up model Shonda Mackey-Cavalera as husband Richie’s never-remorseful murderess.

Watch it here via Loudwire:

http://loudwire.com/incite-no-remorse-exclusive-music-video-premiere

EMP LABEL GROUP FORMS EMP UNDERGROUND IMPRINT

EMP Label Group, the label founded by Megadeth’s David Ellefson , has announced the formation of EMP UNDERGROUND, an imprint which will release and distribute music from more “underground, extreme and subversive artists.” Says Operations manager and EMP UNDERGROUND co-founder Thöm Hazaërt. “A lot of the stuff we have been signing to EMP has been more Hard Rock and mainstream metal, and we wanted to create an outlet for signing some of the amazing heavier/weirder/more extreme artists that have been coming to us, without all the pressure of the big releases on EMP. And that’s exactly what we’ve created with EMP Underground.”

He adds, “We have found some great releases, and we get so many amazing submissions from the heavier end of the spectrum, and David and I talked and we really wanted to create an outlet for some of this other stuff that didn’t necessarily fit on EMP proper.”

http://www.emplabelgroup.com/

INHERIT DISEASE “DIVERGENCE”

In advance of its release April 8th, Decibel Magazine delivers the sonic punishment of third cut, “Divergence,” noting of the track, “With the basement-dwelling low heaviness of the most offensive of brutal death metal, yet enough labyrinthine riff complexity to get your GPS lost, the band’s upcoming third full-length Ephemeral appeals to the inner caveman and physicist within us all. Get your brain exploded and your skull imploded (simultaneously?) with this premiere.”

http://decibelmagazine.com/blog/2016/3/22/get-sick-with-inherit-disease

RAVEN LORD SIGN TO DREAM RECORDS + NEW SINGLE “NEW GENERATION”

Multi national heavy metallers RAVEN LORD featuring EXORCISM and METAL MACHINE’s CSABA ZVEKAN (vocals) as well as featuring HOLYHELL, REIGN OF TERROR’s JOE ’SHREDLORD’ STUMP(guitars) have signed a multi album deal with DREAM RECORDS.

Singer and bandleader CSABA ZVEKAN comments:” …the RAVEN LORD music has been in the shadows for too long now. I’m excited to be with DREAM RECORDS and looking further for this great metal release. Lot’s of screams and shredding solos. You can’t miss out on this one. ..”

VICE NOISEY PREMIERES JESSE ROYAL’S COOL & DEADLY VIDEO

WATCH: Jesse Royal “Cool & Deadly”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qecr2S_qv2k

LEXI BAKER NEW SINGLE

Electro pop singer/songwriter Lexi Baker has just made history with her feel-good first single, “Say It Like You Mean It,” simultaneously released in the cutting-edge audio technology known as Headphone Surround (HPS 12.1). The captivating new artist and revolutionary new format are both making their debut with this groundbreaking release. This is the first product of Baker’s collaboration with legendary Grammy-winning producer Robert Margouleff (Stevie Wonder,Devo, Depeche Mode). Together, Margouleff and Baker are now completing her forthcoming debut album, Ultimate Reality, which fully displays Baker’s unique ability to merge music, fashion, and technology. As with this single, the album will also be released in both stereo and Headphone Surround.

RABID FLESH EATERS NEW SINGLE

Arlington, Texas-based speed demons, RABID FLESH EATERS, are pleased to unveil the sonic evils of their latest full-length, Reign Of Terror. Produced by the late great Mike Scaccia (Rigor Mortis, Ministry), a longtime comrade of the band, and featuring a guitar solo by Scaccia on opening track, “Lycanthrope,” Reign Of Terror spews forth nine ravenous tracks centered around lycanthropy, societal decline, the psychology of terrorists and serial killers and imminent doom.

http://www.earsplitcompound.com/site/2016/03/22/rabid-flesh-eaters-texas-speed-demons-to-wage-war-with-reign-of-terror-this-april-new-track-streaming-preorders-available/

STRAWDOGZ “MUSIC WAS THE CASE” VIDEO

The video was directed by Clara Leac, whose “Running Wild” short was nominated to the Palm Spring Short Film Festival in 2013. Originally from Brittany, Strawdogz moved to Paris, where they met Dope Chic and Yaway, who currently also live there. Dope Chic describes her lyrics on the song as “a story about my struggle as an artist from Chiraq moving out to LA, and how it took me around the world to France for success.

LEAONE RELEASES NEW TRACK ‘YOUNG GREEN EYES’

Exciting debut artist Leaone is set to release his excellent new single ‘Young Green Eyes’ on April 15th.

Self-produced and mixed by Jim Lowe (Stereophonics), Leaone began writing in his parent’s attic after a series of events (losing his girlfriend, job, and getting mugged) led him back home to his native Suffolk. Following a meeting with Jim at his Shepherds Bush studio the pair started working together, with Jim mixing and performing on some of Leaone’s tracks.

BILLY GRIMA, ED ROMAN, KINDERJAZZ, AND TJ LEONARD NOMINATED FOR 5TH ANNUAL INDIE MUSIC CHANNEL AWARD

MTS Management Group is happy to announce Billy Grima, Ed Roman, Kinderjazz and TJ Leonard have been nominated for the 5th Annual Indie Music Channel Awards. Canadian singer/songwriter, Billy Grima is nominated for Best Pop Song, “Pleasure To Have Met You.” A two-time 2015 IMCA Winner and fellow Canadian artist, Ed Roman is nominated for Best Alternative Song, “I Found God” and Best World Song, “Jamaica.” Australian big jazz band for kids, Kinderjazz is nominated for Best Children’s Song, “My Baby Loves to Cha Cha.” Swedish country artist, TJ Leonard is up for Best Country Song with his Top 10 New Music Weekly chart hit, “Remember Those Times.” The Indie Music Channel Awards Ceremony will take place on April 24 2016 at the Clive Davis Theater, located in the Grammy Museum, in Los Angeles, CA.

http://www.theindiemusicchannel.tv/imca5nominees.html

“PASILDA”

Laidback Luke’s renowned imprint, Mixmash continue to roll out the hits, this time with Helena Legend’s samba inspired cover, ‘Pasilda’ which is out now.

UK born, Australian bred and Los Angeles based, Helena Legend is known for her energetic DJ sets, on-point production and an overall a powerhouse of presence. Previously holding a residency at Las Vegas super club Drai’s, the spotlight is on Helena’s electro house capabilities. With a sold out WMC showcase debut of her brand, ‘The Revolution’ and the launch of her monthly podcast of the same name under her belt, Helena Legend’s star is slowly on the rise.

LUKE TOP NEW VIDEO

Luke Top’s debut solo album Suspect Highs is available now on limited edition vinyl via Org Music and digitally via Grand Gallop. The Suspect Highs LP is available to order now in the Org Music Online Store. Flaunt Magazine has premiered the new video for “Chariot” from Suspect Highs. Flaunt says, “After years of fecund collaborations with charming, rootsy projects/artists, e.g. Papercuts, Cass McCombs, Top has revealed his own solo material, as well as a deeply personal music video. “Chariot” features film footage of Top’s parents’ wedding in Tel-Aviv in the late 60s. In times of fear, and paranoia, and distrust of our own neighbors, our own immigrants, this serves as a gentle reminder: that deep down we are all of the same fabric.”

http://flaunt.com/music/luke-top-premieres-chariot-music-video/

CATFISH AND THE BOTTLEMEN RELEASE OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO FOR “SOUNDCHECK”

Catfish and The Bottlemen, winners of the 2016 BRIT Award for British Breakthrough Act, unleash their much anticipated new album The Ride [Capitol Records] on May 27, 2016.

Today, the band also shares a new music video for the album’s first official single, “Soundcheck,” directed by Malia James:

http://www.vevo.com/watch/GBUV71600163

LORETTA LYNN & WILLIE NELSON REUNITE FOR DUET

The new music video for “Lay Me Down”—a duet from Loretta Lynn’s new album, FULL CIRCLE, sung with Willie Nelson—reunites two of music’s greatest living legends on stage for the first time in more than 30 years. The video was released today and is available at:

BROEN REVEALS NEW SINGLE

It’s the dark side of ladies night – the heels, the dresses and alcohol-fuelled messes. Norwegian quintet Broen glam it up on latest offering ‘No, My God’, with vocalist Marianna Røe pondering post-club frivolities: “We bumping round like a party of T-Rexes, wearing tiny little freaky dresses”.

https://soundcloud.com/broenmusic/no-my-god-0

ANDREW BIRD ALBUM STREAM

Listen to Andrew Bird’s highly anticipated, career-defining album, Are You Serious now via NPR’s First Listen. The album, out April 1st via Loma Vista, has seen coverage from Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, Stereogum, Consequence of Sound, Paste Magazine among others along with live performances on Conan and The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

http://www.npr.org/2016/03/22/471431758/first-listen-andrew-bird-are-you-serious

USED CASETTES NEW SINGLE

Sunburnt, half-dazed and several piers down from the fluoride tide of the Korean Wave, Used Cassettes are a stomp-and-stagger rock band based in Seoul. Yesterday SPIN premiered the first track “Ducati” off their upcoming album Rock n Rills due May 6th on MagicStrawberry Sound.

Used Cassettes’ tunes are served straight up like the Stones’, though maybe a bit sandier, and waterlogged by an unlikely drift of far-flung currents. The group may have met not far from Gangnam, but they hail from South Africa, Canada, and Detroit.

Used Cassettes Create Simple Garage Rock Bliss on ‘Ducati’

COUNTRY JAM USA 2016

Country Jam USA is once again bringing the biggest and brightest stars in Country music to Eau Claire, Wis., for what has become THE event of the summer. Country superstars Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia Line, Jake Owen, Thomas Rhett, Cole Swindell, Eli Young Band, LOCASH, Colt Ford, A Thousand Horses, Brothers Osborne, The Cadillac Three, Clare Dunn, Jackson Michelson and Sasha McVeigh will take the main stage for a three-day party (July 21-23) that includes live Country music, camping, shopping, eating, partying and more!

Three-day general admission passes are available for $165, student and military three-day passes for $125, one-day general admission passes for $105, Reserved seating starting at $185 and VIP starting at $235 until April 21. For those wanting the best Country Jam USA experience possible, Ultimate VIP passes are available starting at $2500 and include access to a private backstage bar and restroom, private shuttles to/from campgrounds and hotels, free food and booze in the VIP hospitality area, WiFi and seats so close to the stage, you’ll basically be the fourth member of The Band Perry. And because the party literally doesn’t stop for three days, campsites are available starting at $100.

http://www.countryjamwi.com

LIKE RATS LP STREAM

The entire II LP, the second album by LIKE RATS – with members of Chicago powerviolence/grinders Weekend Nachos — is now playing in its entirety through Vice’s music channel, Noisey, just days ahead of the album’s release through Southern Lord.

http://noisey.vice.com/blog/like-rats-interview-album

ZEALYN NEW SINGLE

L.A.-based artist Zealyn has unveiled her single, “Sleep On It,” premiering exclusively with NYLON Magazine. The song is currently streaming at SoundCloud, and will be available for purchase on April 1.

“The past few years have seen a resurgence of experimental sounds, avant-garde genre fusions, all lead by powerful female voices. BANKS and FKA twigs are the first that come to mind, with L.A.-based Zealyn coming closely behind. (Not too bad of company for a rising artist, eh?)”

http://www.nylon.com/articles/zealyn-sleep-on-it

AESOP ROCK ANNOUNCES US TOUR

Acclaimed MC Aesop Rock has announced a US tour in support of his new album, The Impossible Kid, dropping April 29 on Rhymesayers Entertainment. The trek takes the indie-rap mainstay across the country on an extensive headlining tour with Rob Sonic and DJ Zone, supported by friend Homeboy Sandman (whose new album is due out May 6 on Stones Throw), whom Aesop collaborated with last year on the free self-titled release, LICE.

http://pitchfork.com/news/64293-aesop-rock-talks-friends-and-family-at-cartoon-bear-therapy-announces-tour/

BLACKBIRD PRESENTS ANNOUNCES “LAST WALTZ NEW ORLEANS: A CELEBRATION OF THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE LAST WALTZ”

Blackbird Presents is proud to announce “Last Waltz New Orleans: A Celebration of the 40th Anniversary of The Last Waltz.” Set to take place Saturday, April 30th at New Orleans’ historic Saenger Theatre, the all-star event pays tribute to The Band’s milestone final concert through unprecedented performances from an extraordinary line up of artists including lead members of The Allman Brothers Band, Gov’t Mule, The Radiators, The Meters, Bonerama, and many more. “Last Waltz New Orleans: A Celebration of the 40th Anniversary of The Last Waltz” will also serve as a singular memorial to the late Allen Toussaint, showcasing the powerful horn charts the great New Orleans musician created for 1976’s original Last Waltz concert.

Blackbird Presents previously honored NOLA’s iconic musical legacy with its 2015 “Nevilles Forever: A Celebration of The Neville Brothers and Their Music” and with its 2014 “The Musical Mojo of Dr. John: Celebrating Mac and His Music.”

Last Waltz New Orleans

A-N-T “DROP TOP MUSIC” FT. PAUL WALL

After a hugely successful trip to Austin for SXSW last week, A-N-T has unleashed his latest project, “Drop Top Music” via DTM is 12 tracks of slow, laid back music, reminiscent of the good ol’ days of Screwston, that are perfect for coasting the highway with your top down and your trunk rattling. Speaking of Screwston, Paul Wall feature? Check! Other cameos include Starlito, Young Redd, GT Garza and Big Will and the boardwork comes courtesy of Trakksounds, Bruce Bang, Cy Fyre and more. With Summer approaching, this one should get a lot of spins in the whip and videos are on the way for most of the cuts on it.

http://mymixtapezwebplayer.vuziqsrv.com/4rJtOgS4N1TW4ka3crd5yg==

KEB MO NEW ALBUM IN APRIL

Three time GRAMMY award-winning singer, songwriter, guitarist and contemporary blues artist, Keb’ Mo’, has cultivated a reputation as a modern master of American roots music through his live and studio performances. In his newest release, Keb’ Mo’ Live – That Hot Pink Blues Album (Kind of Blue Music; 4/15/16), he delivers some of his best material in the most authentic form, through live recordings. Recorded while on tour in 2015, the double-disc album features 16 live recorded songs from Keb’ Mo’s extensive catalog. Several of the tracks are songs off his most recent album, BLUESAmericana, which garnered Keb’ Mo’ a 2015 Blues Music Award from the Blues Foundation, three 2015 GRAMMY award nominations and multiple other achievements.

http://www.kebmo.com/

NIGHT BEATS NEW VIDEO “POWER CHILD”

Night Beats have just announced a string of new dates in support of their new album Who Sold My Generation, including a co-headline with Car Seat Headrest at The Natural History Museum on April 1st. To celebrate having such a successful SXSW and their string of tour dates, the band have shared a video for new single ‘Power Child’.