Guitar virtuoso Atticus Sorrell is about to unleash a self-titled album Saturday, Aug. 27. The six-song effort was recorded, mixed, and produced by Jason Davis of Off the Cuff Sound and mastered by Collin Jordan of The Boiler Room. 

“It’s six songs, technically seven with the acoustic bonus track of the final song,” Sorrell said when asked about the release. “The best way to describe the sound of this album is folk, soul, and singer-songwriter. I was greatly influenced by Bill Withers; solo George Harrison; Neil Young; Crosby, Stills, and Nash; Curtis Mayfield; and Steely Dan.” 

Sorrell gathered up some area musicians to take part in the recording, including Wes Johnson on bass, Logan Weber on sax, Bray Coughlin on drums, Jacob Terhune with harmonies, Tommy Saul on the Rhodes piano and Wurlitzer, and Jason Davis on Vibraphone, Solina String Ensemble and Moog. 

In honor of the new album, Sorrell will have special release show at The Brass Rail on Aug. 27 where you will have the opportunity to get your hands on a CD, t-shirt, sticker, and possibly a cassette. The Namby Pamby will open the show followed by Sorrell, and closing out the evening will be Los Galaxy. 

In addition, there are also talks of a vinyl release, which won’t be available for a few months as pressing plants are so backed up. Sorrell will be doing a vinyl pre-order soon, so be on the lookout. 

Until the official release, you can feast your ears on a couple of the new numbers, “My Feet Barely Touch the Ground” and “Walk Along the Sky” on your preferred streaming site.

Snarks release final album

The Snarks have just released Fin, their sixth and final release. 

What began as the side project of five local musicians, The Snarks have made a good run since their 2014 debut Night at Crystal Beach. They went on to performing Middle Waves, Dayton Music Fest, and opened for bands like Radkey, Black Actress, and Savage Master, and performed other notable shows in town. 

Known for frontwoman Kendra Johnson’s diverse topics, which included everything from dating troubles to food cravings with equal passion while the band blended everything from surf to post-punk within a single song, these cats have always been the real deal. 

Fin is a benefit for Fort Wayne’s Center for Nonviolence and all proceeds from their Bandcamp sales this month will go to help them out. The Center for Nonviolence provides education, support, and advocacy to end domestic violence while modeling equality and power sharing. They offer a safe and affirming space where individuals and families whose lives have been impacted by violence can receive trauma-informed, culturally affirming services. 

The songs “Not Fair” and “Marsha” off of Fin actually highlight sexual assault and domestic violence. Although the album is only available on Bandcamp at the moment, it will become available on other streaming platforms at a later date. 

In addition, even though the band ended their run on good terms in 2020, Fin was something they still wanted to release accompanied by a final show. They are currently finalizing a date, so stay tuned to Whatzup for more info as it becomes available. Until then, grab a copy of the new release, help out a good cause, and support The Snarks members with their current music endeavors: The Piques, Swell Time, and Burial Party. 

Area musician joins Foo tribute

Leo High School graduate and Nashville, Tennessee-based Angela Lese has another project in the works. 

Lese will take her drumming talents to Fingernails Are Pretty, a rotating female supergroup tribute to the Foo Fighters. The band gets its name from lyrics of the 1995 track “This is a Call” from Foo’s self-titled debut album. 

Fingernails Are Pretty will debut on Friday, Aug. 12, at the Tomato Art Fest in Nashville. 

Lese has returned to town over the years with her other outfits The Dead Deads, Taco Mouth, and Raelyn Nelson Band, so let’s hope she does the same with Fingernails Are Pretty. 

We could all use a little Foo Fighters right now. 

Namen Namen release music video

Namen Namen have released a music video for “Mona,” off their self-titled EP released this year. 

The video basically takes place in a bedroom and features a bunch of stuffed animals, a bunch. That’s all I can say. Check it out for yourself on YouTube. In addition, the band is wrapping up a two-week tour that had them hitting Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, Wisconsin, and a few in between. 

They will perform at The Brass Rail on Saturday, Sept. 3, alongside The Namby Pamby and Golomb from Columbus, Ohio.