Hard-rock outfit To Breathe Again have added finishing touches on their new single “Renegade.”
This combative number will be released on streaming platforms Friday, March 11, and will be accompanied by a release show that evening at Rockstar Lounge with friends Voice of Sylas and BeBop and the Rocksteadys.
“It’s an aggressive song about the divide caused by allowing politics to consume and define you,” frontman Austin Wiard said. “It’s a song calling out hypocrisy on all sides of politics and lamenting the loss of humanity when faced with an opinion that disagrees with your own.”
Everything was recorded in-house by guitarist Scotty Wiard and features a guest appearance by Clayton Hamilton of Voice of Sylas.
This is the band’s first official release with new drummer Drew Bontempo and bassist Lake Koble. By solidifying a lineup, it is leading to their quest to record and release their second full-length album.
“The goal with this release and new record is to step up our game in every aspect from our writing and recording quality to our live shows and especially our marketing strategies,” Austin Wiard said. “We are also pushing our Patreon.”
For those not familiar with Patreon, it is a membership platform where fans pay their favorite artist a monthly amount in exchange for exclusive access, content, and a closer look behind the scenes.
Doors for the release show will open at 7 p.m. with showtime at 8 p.m. with a $5 cover.
To Breathe Again will also be at O’Sullivans on Friday, April 15, at 10 p.m. with the Kickbacks and OLC.
New band Loveseat! enters scene
Comprised of Mary Mitchener on vocals, Sam Clay on guitar, Jacki Walburn on bass, and Vic Brown on drums, Loveseat! is a new band set to hit our local scene.
“I’d say it’s alternative bedroom rock, very harmony driven, and vocal centered,” Clay said. “It’s comparable to the Cardigans, Metric, and Slow Pulp.”
Together, they have put together a handful of tunes that are available on streaming platforms and on the Loveseat! YouTube channel.
The band’s live debut is 7 p.m. Friday, March 25, in the Tiger Room at Welch’s Ale House with cohorts Namen Namen, Swell Time, and Namby Pamby. You must be 21 years old and able to afford a $5 cover. I am looking forward to this!
Home Phone releases album
Local guitarist Kellen Baker has released a Home Phone album on his label Beet Fat Records.
The album by local duo Ron Record (Namen Namen, Roman New Time) and Olivia Morris (Doorgirl) features such songs as “Hotel on the Top of a Bridge” and “The Breaking Glass Dance,” and is available on all of the major streaming services.
Baker tells me cassettes are in the works and their first live show will come as soon as his and Morris’ schedules ease up.
As of right now, things are pretty underground with the band with no social media. The best source for updates are on Beet Fat Records’ Instagram page.
Snakehandler Church sets show
Snakehandler Church, the newly formed band of Pete Dio, Matt Belcher, and Drew Snyder, have announced their debut show.
The Southern punk trio will give everyone a first taste Friday, April 22, at 10 p.m. at the Brass Rail. You will want to be on time that evening as they will be the openers for Nashville, Tennessee’s Hans Condor and our very own Maybe Naughts.
Musicians form R.E.M tribute band
Last but not least, I would like to introduce you to Driver 8: The Music of R.E.M.
This R.E.M. tribute act is made up of local vets Shawn Browning on vocals, Mark Schimmller on guitar, Joe Benton on bass, David Coleman on drums, and Andrew Scheidler on keys.
“I’ve been a fan for a long time,” Browning said of R.E.M. “I was playing some of these songs in bands as they were released initially. David suggested that we do an R.E.M. tribute after our previous tribute band didn’t get off the ground, and I thought it was a fantastic idea since I can mimic Michael Stipe fairly decent and we both loved the music.”
The band was set to debut at Piere’s on March 4 as the opening act for The Smithereens, but the show was postponed due to unforeseen circumstances.
A bummer indeed, but they are still on the bill for the rescheduled date of June 18.
