You’ll want to circle Saturday, March 11, on your calendar since that’s when Florets are releasing their much-anticipated EP, Greetings From, with a show at The Brass Rail alongside Swell Time and March On, Comrade.
The three-track EP will be a part of two upcoming EPs by the indie rockers that will complete the full title Greetings From the Bible Belt Buckle.
The upcoming EP was recorded here in town by Jon Ross — or as Florets vocalist/guitarist Ben Carr refers to him, “the forever amazing Jon Ross.”
The gem includes “Psychic Brunch,” “Our Ghost,” and “The Exodus” and perfectly displays what this team of Carr, guitarist Derek Webb, pianist Sarah Smith, bassist Ben Dehr, and drummer Drew Taft can do.
It will be released digitally with a physical release when the story is complete.
Some exciting stuff from Florets camp this year. Can’t wait!
W0RLDHUN9ER?N0W release single
Although they may have been on the scene for eight months, local progressive metal act W0RLDHUN9ER?N0W are starting to make strides with the recent release of their first single “JUNE!” This gem was mixed by Adam Brooks, recorded by Michael Nash, and mastered by Dan Kinnaley. It can be found at worldhungernow.com and on YouTube.
As for the band, they consist of drummer/percussionist Roman Santos and singer/guitarist/synthesist Donnell Adams-Jones (DJ AJ). The two met during Northrop High School track practice and later found out that one another played instruments. The rest is history.
Together, they use a plethora of “unconventional” instruments, equipment, and instrumentation to supplement their sound.
As for where the name W0RLDHUN9ER?N0W: “When we were thinking of a band name we had decided that the easiest phrase to remember is a phrase with three words, also we had noticed that world hunger in combination ranked high on Google search. As for the ‘now’ at the end, it kind of alludes to the fact that in almost all periods during history, world hunger has been an issue, so in some way, the ‘now’ relates to world hunger always being an issue in the now,” Adams-Jones said.
They are currently in the process of putting together material for an album and looking for more gig opportunities.
New EP coming from Fresh Tar
The intimate rock act Fresh Tar will release their new EP Get Out of the City on Monday, March 20.
The five tracks were written by Matthew Meriwether, which he hails as “an ode to ambivalence.” With the other half of the Fresh Tar duo, Kelsey Patnoude, living in L.A. and no longer actively a part of the band, Meriwether has been performing solo for the most part. However, he has been playing with bassist Noah Alison recently.
As for the EP, Meriwether supplied vocals and guitar while the bass, keys, additional guitar, and drums were contributed by friend C. Ray Harvey.
Get Out of the City will be released on Bandcamp where you can already find two of the tracks, “Don’t Want Your Love” and “Drunk on the Patio.”
Fresh Tar is hoping to make the EP available on larger streaming platforms as well as on physical copies, so be on the lookout.
There are no live shows at the moment, but until then, make sure to give this bad boy a listen.
Shawn Browning keeps busy
Shawn Browning of Grave Robber, Driver 8, and The Mighty McGuiggans recently released a couple of solo tunes.
The first single he released is “Brand New Day,” a nod to ’90s noisy guitar alternative pop. The song is akin to Bob Mould, The Posies, Dinosaur Jr., The Replacements, early Soul Asylum, Superchunk, and Matthew Sweet.
His other single is “Valentine’s Day,” which includes the lyrics, “They told me, ‘Give it up, you’re never gonna make it, boy. All this town has for you is pain. No one’s ever gonna hear a single song you sing if you stay here in Fort Wayne.’”
Well, if those lyrics were intended for Browning, clearly someone was dead wrong. He’s been a huge contributor to the local scene and abroad for many years.
On both tunes, Browning supplies vocals, guitar, and bass while Jim Chaffin kicks in with the drums.
Browning plans to record and release singles once a month throughout the year then compile them for a full-length release. Do yourself a favor and take a listen on your favorite streaming platform.
Man of the Flood go acoustic
Man of the Flood have released acoustic arrangements of “New Philosophy” and “Crystal Bawl” from last year’s Crystal Bawl release.
The Clairvoyant Sessions was from a recording session the band did in Dec. 9 in front of a live studio audience at Sweetwater Music Center and provides a different take on their music.
As the band puts it, “If you’ve ever wondered what it would sound like if Man of the Flood had a baby with a coffee shop, this would be it!”
You can find The Clairvoyant Sessions on your favorite streaming platform.
They will kick off a 10-date tour Thursday, April 20, at The Brass Rail.
