Zig At The Gig podcast

Nora O’Connor is a Chicago-based musician whose vocal talents are the secret weapon behind some of the city’s best performances and recordings. For much of 2013, O'Connor toured internationally as a singer in Iron and Wine, and she continues to record and perform with longtime collaborator  Andrew Bird.  Nora also plays bass and sings back-up for Kelly Hogan K(she recorded and toured with Hogan for her release I Like To Keep Myself In Pain on ANTI- Records) and in 2010, Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy enlisted her and Hogan as primary vocalists on gospel legend Mavis Staples’ Grammy Award-winning album You Are Not Alone. She has been most recently been touring with The Decemberists, singing harmonies and playing a bunch of their really nice guitars.

In the studio and on the stage, Nora has backed (among others) Neko Case , Jakob Dylan, The New Pornographers, Archer Prewitt, Chris Mills, The Aluminum Group, Otis Clay, Justin Roberts and  Robbie Fulks Though she may be primarily known for her signature honey-sweet vocals, Nora is also revered among her musician peers for her chops and versatility. She's a solid sender on guitar and bass, an enthusiastic and inspired collaborator, and always ninja-nimble and professional to a T -- just a few of the reasons why this lady's phone never stops ringing.

Nora's new album My Heart and Info here:

https://www.noraoconnormusic.com/

nora.oconnorkean

https://www.instagram.com/noraoconnorkean/?hl=en

doubleVee was put into motion in 2012 when it became clear how Allan Vest and Barb [Hendrickson] Vest’s musical backgrounds complemented each other and how well the two worked together in the studio. The pair married in October of 2015 and went on to release their debut album in 2017.

Allan was the primary songwriter, lead vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist for indie/orchestral pop band Starlight Mints, having produced and released four albums between 2000 and 2009, with legendary producer Dave Sardy co-producing the critically acclaimed debut album, The Dream that Stuff was Made Of. Major motion pictures and television series have utilized his music, with TV shows including Malcolm in the Middle, Californication, One Tree Hill and Gossip Girl and movies including Barnyard and The Art of Getting By. The BBC mini-series Demons effectively used "Eyes of the Night" off the 2006 album Drowaton as the series' theme song. Allan's instrumental scores have been featured in Disney animated shorts, writer/director Mickey Reece's movies Seducers Club and Punch Cowboy, in projects by Canada-based writer/director Erahm Christopher, and features helmed by director Bradley Beesley, among other productions. He has produced and arranged music for clients including Francine, Skating Polly, Student Film and Bishop Allen. He also composed the theme music for the podcast In Sickness and In Health.

Barb’s diverse background includes sixteen years in public radio where her achievements included writing, hosting, and producing Filmscapes, a nationally syndicated film music program. Filmscapes gave her the opportunity to interview some of her favorite renowned artists including Danny Elfman and Philip Glass. While Barb’s vocal music history includes appearing in themed cover shows and providing backing vocals on recordings for local bands, her love of music began with her family, with her grandmother regularly putting a tape recorder on her piano bench and singing along to her original compositions, before she passed away in 1986 after a sudden heart attack at the age of 57. Allan and Barb later orchestrated and added backing vocals to one of her grandmother's songs as a gift for her mother, who ensured music was a big part of her daughters' lives from a very young age.

doubleVee’s debut album The Moonlit Fables of Jack the Rider was released on February 10, 2017. The concept album follows the story of the title character, with his tales being told in a theatrical style with Jack at the handlebars. He’s a traveler who descends into a world reminiscent of The Twilight Zone where nothing is exactly as it seems, with pieces of his history unfolding over the course of the album. Their follow-up EP Songs for Birds and Bats was released April 12, 2019. The five-song release concluded with Last Castaways, selected the next year to be featured on the soundtrack for the immersive video game Beyond Blue.

On July 15th, doubleVee released their new album Treat Her Strangely, nine new songs whose conception began during the height of the pandemic, with their new material written and recorded while staying holed up in their home studio as much as possible, attempting to keep themselves, their loved ones and others safe from the virus.

doubleVee's info

https://www.doublevee.net/

https://www.facebook.com/doubleVeeSongs

doubleVee_band

UC83QKD-z5ANKfhdoaGdce-A

Sleepyhead recorded their forthcoming sixth album, New Alchemy, at the legendary Boston area recording studio Q Division with esteemed producer and Q Division co-founder Jon Lupfer at the helm. They are releasing the album August 19 as a digital download and via streaming platforms to be followed by a release on 12” vinyl LP.  They plan to play as many shows as they can manage after that!

New Alchemy features Sleepyhead founders, drummer/vocalist Rachael McNally and guitarist/vocalist Chris O’Rourke as well as bassist/vocalist/keyboardist Derek van Beever, who joined the trio in 2004, a few years after the other two had moved to Boston. Many of the songs conjure the subtly infectious laissez-faire sounds of pre-Grunge Indie Rock the embrace early on in their career with a handful evoking classic Laurel Canyon Country-Rock and other 70’s FM staples. The title track to New Alchemy was inspired by the exploits of the New Alchemy Institute, a utopian endeavor founded by idealistic scientists in the 1970’s in Falmouth, Massachusetts, the hometown of Sleepyhead guitarist/vocalist Chris O’Rourke.

Sleepyhead was formed in a basement room at NYU's Brittany dorm in the fall of 1989 by drummer/vocalist Rachael McNally, bassist Mike Galinsky and guitarist/vocalist Chris O’Rourke. They released their first 7" single, the Kramer-produced "Play," in 1991 on Picture Book Artifact. Four full-length albums followed, on three different independent record labels. Punk Rock City USA was released by Slumberland Records in 1993, followed by Starduster (Homestead 1994), Communist Love Songs (Homestead 1996), and The Brighter Shore (Sealed Fate 1999). They toured the United States and Europe throughout the nineties, sharing the stage with such legendary bands as Polvo, Half Japanese, Yo La Tengo, The Grifters, The Dambuilders, Nation of Ulysses, Helium, Royal Trux, Antietam, Luna, Versus, The Magnetic Fields, and Dungbeetle.

Around the time their fourth album was released in 1999, Rachael and Chris got married, and Mike Galinsky moved on to a successful career in filmmaking. Dan Cuddy (The Special Pillow, ex-Hypnolovewheel) joined Chris and Rachael on bass. With Dan on bass, Sleepyhead did some touring for The Brighter Shore and began writing new songs. Rachael and Chris moved from New York to Boston in 2002 after having their first child. They had another kid in 2005. By this time, they had begun recording a new album, with Dan on bass, with producer Mike Deming (Pernice Brothers, Apples in Stereo, Beachwood Sparks, Lilys), at Deming’s famed Studio 45 in Hartford, and subsequently Enfield, CT. In 2004, bassist/vocalist/keyboardist Derek van Beever joined the band, and they started playing shows in Boston, Providence, and New York whenever they got the chance. In April 2013, this new lineup of Sleepyhead went into Q Division Studios in Somerville, MA to record the last three songs for their long-time-coming fifth album, Wild Sometimes, which was released on renowned Chicago indie Carrot Top Records on April 8, 2014. They played a bunch of shows in the Northeast, Midwest and Southeast to celebrate the release of Wild Sometimes in 2014, and then started writing a whole bunch of new songs with Derek. In the Spring of 2018, Drawing Room Records released a well-received deluxe double vinyl LP/digital reissue of Starduster and Communist Love Songs called Future Exhibit Goes Here.

Sleepyhead's info

http://www.sleepyheadrockband.com/Sle

The Bar None label, in conjunction with Fiasco Records, is excited to announce the

The album’s filled with upbeat, catchy Minneapolis rock, with hooks galore and Bob's ever

Interview with DYMBUR

DYMBUR an Indian Folk Metal | Khasi Thraat Folk Metal band, based in Shillong, Meghalaya, India.

DYMBUR 'S Info

https://dymbur.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Dymbur

https://www.youtube.com/user/dymbur1

https://www.instagram.com/dymbur/

The Info for SPARK and DYMBUR'S  Mission statement for the song Child Abuse 

The Official Music Video for the song CHILD ABUSE by DYMBUR. This song talks about the current situation in India with regards to Child Abuse. A good amount of research has been done before the lyrics were laid down and the stats and figures mentioned in the song paints a clear picture of what is happening in the country. Of course, certain lines in the song talk about Child Abuse that is prevalent in other cultures as well.

Our intention here is not to point fingers at anyone but to raise awareness about Child Abuse and hopefully be able to create a behavioural change in the society. We not only aim to raise awareness on the topic but also to raise funds for the non-profit organization which is based in Shillong, Meghalaya, India called ‘SPARK – Bringing Light to Lives’ which is a self-funded organization that is in dire need of financial aid.

NATIONAL DONATIONS: Bank Name: Bank of Baroda Account Name: SPARK Bringing Light to Lives Ac No: 43580100002128 IFSC Code:

BARB0LAITUM (0 IS ZERO) Branch : Laitumkhrah, Shillong, Meghalaya, India. Email: [email protected]

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spark.lightt...

INTERNATIONAL DONATIONS: PayPal account: [email protected] ____________________________________

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/4EfZzB...

Listen on Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/chil...

Curse of Lono is an English alternative rock band based in London and signed to Submarine Cat Records. They have released one EP and two studio albums. Their most recent album, As I Fell, peaked at number 10 on the Official Americana Albums Chart and at number 15 on the Official Independent Album Breakers Chart in the U.K. The band has also been the subject of two short films, Saturday Night: A Film Of Four Songs and Somewhere In Their Heads, both of which have won awards and appeared at numerous film festivals.

Felix's Info

https://curseoflonoband.com/

Zig At The Gig interview with Brad Elvis & Chloe F. Orwell of The Handcuffs

Led by drummer Brad Elvis (Screams, The Elvis Brothers, Big Hello, The Romantics) and vocalist/guitarist/saxophonist Chloe F. Orwell (Big Hello), Chicago’s The Handcuffs will be releasing their fourth studio album Burn The Rails. The 13-song album was tracked at Kingsize Sound Labs, Chicago with producer/engineer Mike Hagler (Wilco, Neko Case, Billy Bragg, Mavis Staples, My Morning Jacket, The Mekons). Burn The Rails is being released by Pravda Records in June on CD, download and via streaming platforms and later on 12″ vinyl. For the the new album, The Handcuffs found inspiration from the heady, analog days of early 1970s rock & roll, weaving together elements of glam, indie, garage, art and blues rock. Inhabiting some of the same musical turf as T-Rex, Mott The Hoople, Roxy Music, The Raconteurs, P.J. Harvey, Led Zeppelin, and Patti Smith – all filtered through a modern lens – they deliver bold, sexy songs with memorable melodies and unexpected twists. Guest keyboardist Morgan Fisher (Mott The Hoople) demonstrates his synthesizer and piano prowess on a couple of tracks on the new LP. The relationship with Fisher, a musical hero of the band, began after singer Orwell’s rave review of Mott The Hoople’s 2018 reunion tour went viral on social media, attracting the attention of Fisher, who got in contact. From there a creative collaboration was sparked, in-spite of an ocean separating the now real-life friends. Finishing the record during the peak of the pandemic and lockdown, gave several of the songs an inadvertent anthem-for-the-times feel – with themes of love and loss, heartache and hope, and even the great ideological divide that was as omnipresent as the virus. Elvis and Orwell formed The Handcuffs from the ashes of Big Hello, their first band together, which released three indie label records and toured from coast to coast. Elvis’ career also includes a few major label go-arounds, arena tours, and a backstory that will be documented in a new autobiography in the near future. The duo’s eagerness to explore new sonic territory and evolve into an entity that aligned more with their ever-expanding influences and broad range of musical tastes prompted a change. The Handcuffs began as primarily a studio project, in which Elvis and Orwell wrote and recorded an abundance of material. During the process, they realized they missed the live band experience, so The Handcuffs as recording artists and a dynamic live band was born. Completing the line-up are bassist Emily Togni, lead guitarist Jeffrey Kmieciak, and keyboardist Alison Hinderliter, all of whom originate from different parts of the country, but have made Chicago their home.

Handcuff's info

http://thehandcuffs.com

Founded on the sweet nostalgia of delta blues, AJ & The Woods elevates roots rock to a new height. Their sultry sound features striking female vocals and intricate guitar melodies which organically blends passionate folk, rock, and blues music. Home grown in Ohio and established in 2015, AJ & The Woods brings you one of the most unique and articulate sounds to date.

AJ & The woods Info

https://www.ajandthewoods.com

SHOW Info AUG 20TH/2022 

https://www.houseofblues.com/cleveland/EventDetail?tmeventid=vvG1fZ9uhafEtF&offerid=0

Ivan takes center stage on Crawling Through Grass, writing the tunes, playing, engineering the recording sessions and orchestrating the hybrid sound collages integral to the album. His collaborators on this venture include Bielski (Easy Bake Oven), Ivan’s brother Andrew (RitualTension), Norman Westberg (Swans, Heroin Sheiks, solo work), Mark C. (Live Skull, o13), Jon Fried (The Cucumbers, Campfire Flies) and Jadwiga Taba (Nac/Hut Report).

Ivan's Info

www.onaboutnow.com

https://www.facebook.com/ivan.nahem/

https://www.instagram.com/ivan.nahem/

https://www.instagram.com/ritualtension/

https://arguably.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/ritualtension/

https://www.facebook.com/Carnival-Crash-616924978817049/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyhxyigWc1QrTdO3RE9KfQA

https://www.onaboutnow.com/home

Ben Vaughn On Zig At The Gig

Ben Vaughn grew up in the Philadelphia area on the New Jersey side of the river. At age 6, his uncle gave him a Duane Eddy record and forever changed his life. In 1983, he formed the Ben Vaughn Combo. The band was together five years, releasing two albums and touring the U.S. several times. They received rave reviews in Rolling Stone and People magazine and video airplay on MTV. The attention inspired Marshall Crenshaw to record Ben's "I'm Sorry (But So Is Brenda Lee)" for his "Downtown" album. Ben embarked on a solo career in 1988, recording several critically acclaimed albums, touring extensively in Europe and the U.S. and receiving more MTV exposure. During that period he produced three records for the Elektra Records American Explorer series (Memphis rockabilly legend Charlie Feathers, Muscle Shoals country soul singer Arthur Alexander) and recorded "Cubist Blues," a collaboration with Alan Vega and Alex Chilton. He also scored two films ("Favorite Mopar" and "Wild Girl's Go-Go Rama"), as well as appearing as a frequent guest commentator on nationally syndicated radio shows “Fresh Air” and "World Cafe." In 1995, Ben moved to L.A. and released "Instrumental Stylings," an album of instrumentals in a variety of styles. A guest appearance on KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" led directly to being hired as the composer for the hit TV sitcom "3rd Rock From The Sun." "That 70s Show" soon followed, and for the next ten years Ben would provide award-winning music for a dozen other TV shows and pilots ("Men Behaving Badly," "Normal, Ohio," "Grounded For Life"). He also provided scores for several films ("Psycho Beach Party," "The Independent," "Scorpion Spring") and continued producing records (Ween, Los Straitjackets, Mark Olson of the Jayhawks, Nancy Sinatra, and the "Swingers" soundtrack CD). Somehow Ben found time to create the legendary "Rambler '65." Recorded entirely in his car, this much-publicized album (and subsequent short film) is still considered by many to be a classic document of a man and his dream. Since then, Ben has released “Designs In Music," “Vaughn Sings Vaughn Vols. 1-3,” “Texas Road Trip” (recorded in Austin, Texas with Doug Sahm’s band) , "Five By Five" and "Piece de Resistance" by the Ben Vaughn Quintet and the solo acoustic album, “Imitation Wood Grain And Other Folk Songs.” Add to that an Italian dance hit (a DJ re-mix of “Hey Romeo”), airplay of “Jerry Lewis in France” on Bob Dylan’s radio show (complete with Dylan’s recitation of Ben’s resume), and two recent tours in France and you’re looking at what continues to be a very interesting career. Occasionally, Ben takes a break from his syndicated radio show (“The Many Moods of Ben Vaughn”) to perform live in the US and Europe. The dates are randomly planned so catch him while you can!

Ben's Info

http://benvaughn.org

www.facebook.com/benvaughnmusic

www.instagram.com/benvaughnmusic