On December 7th, in the year 2022, the night of the full moon, J.R. Gilmore released Goodnight Irene on Blackwater Collective.
The project was recorded in Castroville, Texas – in the historic Alois Walter house.
It’s an enigmatic meditation upon love, heartbreak, and the dream.
Produced by J.R. Gilmore, Mixed by Kramer, and Mastered by Bobby T. Lewis.
Artwork created by J.R. Gilmore
“If Irene ever runs from me, I’m going to take morphine and die.”
Ghost Parliament’s debut release, SOS, is a collection of 5 tracks recorded in isolation during the lockdown. Jordan Essary (drums) and Bobby T. Lewis (guitar) first met at Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi, TX. “I tell people we met in college, and then I always follow up with, ‘Yea, Jordan was one of my first students,’ which is hilarious. I was teaching filmmaking at the time.”
Working on the EP Mighty Was Your Light, Bobby asked Jordan to sit in on drums during a rehearsal session. “I was trying to wrap my head around the sound I was going for and thought having a drummer would give me clarity. The session didn’t really gel, but I asked Jordan if he’d like to jam before we packed up. The next thing you know, several songs were written, and Ghost Parliament was born.” A few weeks later, Bobby moved to Los Angeles, CA and Jordan moved to Ozark, MO.
The duo stayed in touch over the years, and eventually, Bobby accepted a teaching position in Springfield, MO. “It was like the stars aligned, and we picked up right where we left off.”
Making the record was a process of trial and error. “Playing live with Jordan is everything, so surprisingly, recording alone was a challenge for me. I lost count of how many recording workflows I tried — most to no avail. The student became the teacher, Jordan mixed the record, and Chris Hanzsek helped us cross the finish line with his mastering chops.”
The record is a love letter to folks and places left behind. Given that, Ghost Parliament’s first directive is quite simple: Play it loud.
SOS was released on the independent label, Santa Rosa Records on December 2nd, in the year 2022.
Jacob King
Jacob King is a singer-songwriter and exceptional guitarist out of Buffalo, NY.
His vocals quiver and shake, and simply bring a calm feeling of antiquated hope to the listener.
His aesthetic is quite vintage. And sounds as if it was recorded in the basement of the Brill Building in the latter half of the sixties.
King’s music was recorded on 4-track cassette. And released on the indie label, Foxhead Record Co. Keep up with his music on Spotify!
Markus Nikolaus
The quintessential underground sound could be summed up by the raucous vibrations of Markus Nikolaus. But, would not one wish to hear more?
The vocals are oh so poignant, the aesthetic is gritty, and the beat is just to die for. What more could a rock and roller wish for?
The track is rugged, yet embodies a sleek and relaxed sound, a sound that evokes emotions of the darker, more unique quadrant of indie rock.
Keep up with Markus Nikolaus on Spotify, and be sure to give him a follow!
The Kerosene Hours
Have you ever been so very upset at her that you wear her favorite dress, just to make her mad? Well my fair-weather friends, that’s what this song entails. And we’re not so sure you’ll ever regret wearing it.
The underground dream is alive and well with this particular track. So much so in fact, we feel it belongs within a David Lynch film.
Now sit back, relax, and get down to the cyclical madness of The Kerosene Hours.
We hope that you enjoyed this track, as much as we did.
And please don’t be selfish, share the love and get down and dirty with the king of the modern day crooner. Don’t be afraid.
Stay up to date with The Kerosene Hours on Spotify!
Feedbag
A long, long, time ago, out of the deep waters of Stagnant Pond, Feedbag arose from the depths. Covered with moss and oh so very primal. Indeed, she emerged from the dark waters with fragments of melodies in her head. And over the aeons, the melodies slowly took form and have at last reached their final stage.
And lucky for you, she lives on to share these melodies with you.
We don’t cover many cover tracks, but a unique cover that we feel may supersede the original, is always welcome on our platform.
This lo-fi underground version seems to beckon to a deeper place, and is riddled with a downtrodden emotion of happy sadness. A true work of art in our lowly opinion.
Follow Feedbag on Spotify you filthy vagrants of the underground! It’d be much appreciated.
Now go, and spread the word, for the world weeps with sadness, because deep down inside, we all know that the superficial music on the popular airwaves completely blows.
Francesca Blanchard is a French-American artist & producer based out of Burlington, Vermont. Her music infuses super-pop arrangements with complex emotional subtleties of experimentalism.
“je sais plus quoi te dire” is a parody of emotional indulgence at its absolute finest. A true trick, or treat.
Inspired by the French Ye Ye Pop era of the sixties, the track is a nonsensical cry for a long lost lover’s attention. An instant classic in our book!
When Francesca isn’t on stage or in the studio, chances are she’s hiking somewhere in the mountains.
Hieronymus Harry returns to the blog with a jester-like yet down-home fancy. The track waxes and wanes, but in the end, the folk-laden grandeur of the single shines bright.
The track is a hypnotic – spellbound infusion of twangy guitar solos and euphoric wails that explore the mystic meanderings of fulfillment and oneness with the cosmos.
“It’s about finding that bright, comfortable space within yourself where others can come and meet you. We meander in and out, but finding contentment with its absence can be the quickest way back in.”
“Radiant Planet” is the second single off of Hieronymus Harry’s debut album, The River of Doom, which arrives to streaming platforms November 11th! We can’t wait to give it a spin!
On October 23rd, a Sunday, in the year 2022, Bobby T. Lewis released his latest EP No One Never Said It on the independent label, Santa Rosa Records.
“I wanna understand what goes beyond the sky.”
The album is a yearning of sorts. A yearning for beauty. A yearning for understanding. A desire to know a thing that can never be fully understood.
“Time to bring it down and bring it down with fire!”
Words are simply words. Words merely scratch the surface of intent. They are mere utterances we’ve connected with insufficient meaning. A true conundrum as we trudge ever deeper into the nuclear age.
“It’s in a no man’s mind. It’s with no man’s hide. It’s with no more lies.”
The nostalgic EP was recorded in Seattle, Washington. And beautifully mastered by Chris Hanzsek. The project is dedicated to a dear friend, Doug Smith.
Keep up with the latest happenings of Bobby T. Lewis, both visual and sonic, by visiting his website and Bandcamp. All hail analog.
