The rock outfit Plumdingo have released a new album titled Awkward Coffee.
The 13-track effort took about a year to record and was done in the luxury of their own home. As a matter of fact, a couple of the members put those government-issued stimulus checks to use and set up a small studio in their basement.
They admit it took a while to record since it was their first time doing it at home, and they feel it will be easier from here on out now that they have the hang of it.
Believe it or not, they are already discussing their next album, which they plan to start in a few weeks.
The band is comprised of Dusty Brown (vocals/keys), Timothy Becker (vocals/guitar), and Tracy Earle (drums). They also switch out bass duties between Maurice Turner and Dusty’s brother Travis Brown, depending who’s available.
There appears to be no lack of bass talent in Plumdingo, as Dusty Brown tells me even she played bass on the track “House of Cards,” which she is pretty proud of.
Awkward Coffee can be heard on all the major streaming platforms, and physical copies will be available at their shows, with the next being Friday, May 13, at 9 p.m. at A’s Bar Code (formerly Northstar).
City band on WWE broadcast
If you tuned into Wrestlemania 38 last month, you probably heard music by our very own Downstait blasting from the speakers of AT&T Stadium, something not too many bands can put on their résumés.
Their song “Kingdom” was used as the entrance music for wrestler Cody Rhodes, who made his return to WWE that evening after exiting nearly six years ago.
“Kingdom” has more than 9 million streams on Spotify. There’s a good chance you will hear the song for yourselves when Rhodes and WWE come to the Memorial Coliseum Sunday, May 22, for Sunday Stunner.
Downstait is no stranger to the wrestling community, having had their music used by a number of wrestlers over the years, including The Miz, who continues to use their song “I Came To Play.”
In addition, the band recently worked with John Kiernan, a wrestling entrance theme song composer, on a song titled “Major Players” that recently debuted in Impact Wrestling’s Rebellion. The song will be released to streaming platforms May 20.
New video for Necromoon
Necromoon have released a video for their song “Exister” that can be viewed on YouTube.
Put together by the folks at Punch Films, the song is from the recent album Spirit Fair.
Necromoon is on the road with Garbage Greek of Columbus, Ohio. The 10-date run has them trekking through the surrounding states, and includes a date at the Brass Rail on Tuesday, May 17.
Local rocker forms Ohio crew
Gary Wayne of Helltowne, Black Crown Serpent, and Cougar Hunter is the new frontman for the northwest Ohio rock outfit Superhawk.
The band may ring a bell to some since they were in town in 2021 to open for Jesse James Dupree & Dixie Inc. at Piere’s. According to Wayne, the band specializes in booty-shaking, baby-making music.
Joining Wayne is Julian Routen (guitar), Mike Smith (bass), and Dustin Creek (drums). Together, they play all original music and may slide in some covers down the road.
The lineup will debut Saturday, June 25, at Piere’s when they open for Scotty Austin, formerly of Saving Abel. Local rockers Static Fly and Six Feet to Salvation are also on the bill.
Come check out their first show. They are also putting together more dates and hope to record in the near future. Be on the lookout!
Ashcraft joining the big boys
The Hubie Ashcraft Band have a hefty show coming up this summer when they perform at the Bash on the Bay Country Music Fest on Aug. 24-25 at Put-In-Bay, Ohio.
The festival will be held on the grounds of the Put-In-Bay airport, and includes notable acts like Brad Paisley, Jake Owen, Zac Brown Band, and Blanco Brown.
Hubie and Co. are slated to perform Aug. 24. If you are tossing around the idea for this short road trip, it’s good to know the airport is within walking distance of the Miller Ferry Put-In-Bay dock. In addition, the Miller Ferry will be running late ferries off the island following the concert if you are unable to stay the night.
Tickets are available for Bash on the Bay via etix.com.
Local artist on hip-hop lineup
Local hip-hop artist Mikel James Watkins will follow up his stellar performance the other night at Fortlandia Brewing Company with a show at Rockstar Lounge on Friday, June 17.
The 22-year-old started making music at a young age but only started releasing his work in 2019. His music is about the trials and tribulations of a mentally ill young man who has overcome addiction and an unhealthy home life and is just trying to figure out a way to be happy again.
“I chose to go by my full name to remain the truest authentic form of myself, both on- and off-stage, because in the industry, some people lose their way,” Watkins said.
Watkins’ material can be enjoyed on a number of streaming platforms, so be sure and check it out.
The Rockstar lounge performance is part of the Juice and The Homies Tour that includes battle rapper Juice, Supastar, R. Dreamz, and Sharpie J.
Tickets can be purchased through Eventbrite.
For more info on Watkins, got to beacons.ai/mikelwatkins.
Guitarist leaves Burial Party
Burial Party have announced that guitarist Eric Rutkowski is stepping away from the band for the time being.
“We all have much love for Eric and some of us have played with him in various other bands for 20+ years,” the band said. “Eric came into the Burial Party family about a year in, booked one of the dopest shows we ever played with the legendary band Fireburn, etc. Again, much love for Eric, we wish him well: No drama or anything, he just has some goings on that require his full attention and we all respect that.”
Jumping in will be Joey Kaufman, who you may know from Deathtax. Kaufman has been a pal of the band quite a while, and more than happy to get to work.
You can catch Burial Party on Friday, May 13, at 10 p.m. when they perform at the Brass Rail alongside Snakehandler Church and Mean Mother out of Detroit.
