Loren Benjamin (Brooklyn Piano-Pop) Announces First US Tour / Show Tonight at Rockwood Music Hall

"This is no guilty pleasure and listening to Loren’s own music, especially songs like Lonely Boy and Barcelona, the impact of British piano-based songwriters like Elton John, Chris Martin and Keane’s Tim Rice-Oxley shines proudly through." -- Songwriting Magazine

Brooklyn singer-songwriter Loren Benjamin kicked off his first US tour last night in Pennsylvania and is playing Rockwood Music Hall tonight (11PM set time).  Loren is touring behind a new acoustic EP which will be available for sale at the show.

"After playing many hot clubs in New York City, I am embarking on my first ever tour in the US, playing 16 gigs from Boston to Nashville in local clubs with my musicians Segev ‘Sunny’ Haroosh on guitars and Ofer ‘Cozy’ Levy on percussion. Check out the Live page and please join us somewhere!! There will be more dates added later on.

I have also recorded an acoustic EP in my home studio with 6 favorite live songs, you can already listen to them on my Music page. We will be bringing the EP on tour with us so if you want to get a unique musical souvenir you can find it at the clubs near you."  - from Loren Benjamin's Blog



Loren Benjamin Spring 2013 Tour Dates
Sat. May 11th – Doylestown, PA @ 8pm – Puck Live
Sun. May 12th – New York, NY @ 11pm – Rockwood One
Wed. May 15th – Philadelphia, PA @ 9pm – The Grape Room
Thu. May 16th – Harrisburg, PA @ 8pm- The Midtown Scholar
Fri. May 17th – Thomas, WV @ 8pm – The Purple Fiddle
Sat. May 18th – Louisville, KY @ 8pm – The Hideaway Saloon
Sun. May 19th – Nashville, TN @ 8pm – Centerstate
Mon. May 20th – Nashville, TN – Blue Bird Cafe
Tue. May 21st – Knoxville, TN @ 9pm – Long Branch Saloon
Fri. May 24th – Burlington, VT @ 8pm – The Skinny Pancake
Sat. May 25th – Cambridge, MA @ 7:30pm – All Asia
Sun. May 26th – Boston, MA
Mon. May 27th – North Hampton, MA @ 8pm – The Elevens
Thu. May 30th – New York, NY @ 9:30pm – Rock Shop
Sun. June 2nd – Mapleton, NJ – House Concert

Links:
Loren Benjamin

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Loren Benjamin Plays Pre-New Year Show at Rockwood Music Hall, Friday, Dec. 28th at 7pm

NYC-based singer-songwriter Loren Benjamin, is influenced heavily by the music of the 60's and 70's, including classic songwriters like Elton John and Billy Joel as well as The Beatles, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen. Born and raised in New York City, he consistently delivers stunning performances at many great NYC venues, including Highline Ballroom last April and BB King in Times Square earlier this month. Loren plays the guitar and the piano, and is an extremely talented and prolific songwriter, with catchy instrumentals and sensitive lyrics that touch the heart.


(Loren Benjamin's cover of Rihanna's "We Found Love", Highline Ballroom - May. '12)


Benjamin and band are playing as an acoustic trio at a pre-New Year Show this Friday at Rockwood Music Hall. Benjamin goes on at 7PM and is followed by Sophie Auster (8PM) and Jay White (9PM).

Links:
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Railbird Posts School of Seven Bells Remix of "MIRRORs" as a Free Download

DOWNLOAD: Railbird - "MIRRORs" (Posted on Consequence of Sound)

Brooklyn-based experimental psych-rock band Railbird is excited to premiere a new School of Seven Bells remix of their recent single "MIRRORs" on Consequence of Sound. To Railbird, the remix is "A journey in three movements. Benjamin [of SVIIB] established his own dreamy world within the song, then dropped it while simultaneously playing with mood and meaning throughout." Consequence agrees, stating the Benjamin's methodically slowed down version of the original jittery cut creates a "dreamy pool of contemplative reverberation and airy synth."

Railbird released their latest EP, "Lucky", in late November which includes two previously unreleased songs, as well as "Jump Ship," a track that made waves this summer after a residency at Pete's Candy Store. The video for the song, which features guest vocals from Anti recording artist Sean Rowe and Phantogram's Sarah Barthel, premiered on Brooklyn Vegan in late August.



A limited edition run of physical copies of "Lucky" will be available at shows and online as part of a bundle that includes a t-shirt with Jisoon Park's original design.

Railbird's next show is January 25th at Rockwood Music Hall. Railbird is playing with #1 Kid (feat. members of Rubblebucket), who are making their NYC debut. Tickets are $10.

Links:
Railbird

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black bird white sky (BBWS): Electro-Rock Trio Announce "Remix" EP Release Party at Rockwood Music Hall on August 1st

black bird white sky released their debut full-length in September of last year and is following that up with the release of a new EP on July 31st called "The Remixes". Three of the tracks are remixes from the band's debut self-titled album -- remixed by the band's producer Nic Hard, who also produced The Bravery, The Kin, and Ghost Beach. The 4th track, "Emergency", is a new single.

black bird white sky is playing a (free) CD release show on Wednesday, August 1st, 8PM at Rockwood Music Hall (Stage 1).



New Jersey native Ronnie Shingelo formed black bird white sky in early 2011 originally as a 5-piece with a drummer and electric guitarist. After further collaboration with producer/engineer/mixer Nic Hard (The Bravery, The Kin, Church, Ghost Beach), Ronnie decided to pursue a more electronic sound and pared the group down to a trio, consisting of Ronnie (lead vox, guitar), Jenna Perry (synths), and Luke Wagman (maschine, beats). “It made a lot more sense to me as we performed more shows,” says Ronnie about this evolution. “Nic had some great ideas about remixing some of the songs off our first album, and after hearing them, I knew this was a much better fit for our sound.”

Nic Hard drew on a lot of his own history as a club DJ in the downtown London underground scene infusing his techno and remixing expertise into the making of the Remix EP while allowing Ronnie’s overall style and vision to remain throughout. What resulted were remixes of “Before Sunrise” (which includes cameo guitar riff from Joel Hoekstra of 80s hard rock band Night Ranger), the dancier “Lay You Down”, and the moodier “I Saw Your Soul” – all from the band’s debut release. “Emergency” is the fourth and newest track that showcases Ronnie’s signature broad vocal range.

Far from a newbie on the indie music scene, Ronnie fronted two other electronic rock bands from Brooklyn: Silvercord, who shared stages with Kansas and Twisted Sister and opened for Bruce Springsteen at Giants Stadium, and SkinGod whose music was licensed to Guitar Centers throughout the country and got attention from ATO and RCA Record label reps. Ronnie broke off in 2010 to pursue his solo project and formed black bird white sky with 4 friends and fellow musicians that he met through the New York City indie music scene over the past decade. After bringing BBWS together in early 2011, Ronnie teamed up with Nic Hard and co-producer/engineer Jonathan Goldstein to create the band’s first album, which released in September 2011.

The band’s songs typically center on heavy subjects, such as addiction, fear of loss, and guilt while juxtaposed to upbeat melodies romance, love and longing and bouncy tempos that keep the album’s vibe from becoming tragic and dark. “Every song draws on something hidden deep inside me,” explains Ronnie about his music. “I’m a deeply emotional person, and I write from my gut. I’m hoping these songs will resonate with other people who have felt the same way I did at some point in their lives—and maybe even make them dance a little.”

Links:
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Mutts - Chicago Blues Rock Band Release New Full-Length as a 'Pay What You Want' Download / Show at Rockwood Music Hall on March 10th

Chicago's Mutts have been called a cross between Tom Waits and Nirvana...while I can hear the Tom Waits comparison, I think the band's music is sounds closer to 70's blues-rock though the band can quickly switch from a psychedelic head-nodder with a pulsing bass and drums beat to a mellow number driven by an acoustic piano and Mike Maimone's vocals. Regardless, this is great stuff and the inability to put an exact label on the band's music is a complement to their unique sound.

Mutts first played together with tape rolling on "Pretty Pictures" EP in July 2009. Bob Buckstaff pitched the idea of recording Mike Maimone’s new material after they met as hired musicians for Company of Thieves. The pair instantly clicked over respect for honest, unrefined recordings and love of Tom Waits, Nirvana and Elliott Smith. They called mutual friends Jon Alvin and Chris Faller to engineer and play drums, respectively. Over a 3-day session in an old warehouse on the north side of Chicago, Mutts wrote, arranged and recorded their seminal release.

In their first year together Mutts independently put out 3 EPs: "Pretty Pictures", "We Float" and "The Tells of Parallels". Having quickly developed a unique sound and composed a repertoire of genre-bending tunes, Mutts are “poised to become one of Chicago’s top acts,” according to Loud Loop Press. Mutts decided from the outset to give away their first 3 EPs. By tracking them in a few days and releasing them immediately, the band has kept fresh, honest and spontaneous music flowing to their growing fan base. They have sold out of the first pressing of each CD, but all three are available as free downloads. The new album, Pray for Rain, is also a name-your-price download, and available on CD with a fold-out poster as well.

Mutts are playing two local shows in March. The first is on March 9th at Hank's Saloon in Brooklyn and the second is March 10th at Rockwood Music Hall. At the Rockwood Music Hall show, Mutts are sharing the bill with Sara Lewis, Monica Allison and Caroline Smith & the Goodnight Sleeps.



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Mutts

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