Welcome!
United Music Mag is dedicated to presenting new music by at least four artists every week for inquiring music fans. This is where you’ll hear all the
best music from across the World in one place, Signed, Unsigned, and Independent…and so here are today's four artist’s under the spotlight who range from the known to unknown including
the awesome multi genre music master “Ben Harper” from Pomona California, the
cool surf sounds of “The High Breaks” from Burlington Vermont, the progressive
Psychedelic sounds of “The Steams” from Athens Greece, and the Retro 60’s
Beatlesque Pop Band “Radio Days” from Milan Italy.
There’s lot’s of great music the World Over, so let’s get
started…
1.
Ben Harper
It had been seven years since Ben Harper last played a show
with the Innocent Criminals, so when the time came to reunite for a live tour
in 2015, the band—percussionist Leon Mobley, bassist Juan Nelson, drummer
Oliver Charles, keyboardist Jason Yates, and guitarist Michael Ward—quickly
discovered that Harper had more in mind than simply revisiting the group's
prodigious collection of hits. In fact, Harper had been quietly amassing
material for a new record, Call It What It Is, and the first recording sessions
were scheduled to begin even before the rehearsals for their triumphant
four-night sold-out reunion run at the Fillmore in San Francisco.
"I thought we would be more energized and revitalized
by thinking outside the box and starting with new material in the studio before
we dug into the old stuff," explains Harper. "It was meant to be a
signpost that we're here to forge new ground musically and personally. Because
of that, the older material started to sound brand new too."
Beginning with his 1994 debut, Welcome To The Cruel World,
Harper released a string of eight studio albums over a decade and a half. This
extraordinary run, featuring contributions from the Innocent Criminals,
established him as a singularly powerful songwriter and performer with range
across multiple genres and an unmatched ability to blend the personal and
political. The accolades poured in—Rolling Stone hailed his "jewels of
unique and exquisitely tender rock & roll," while Entertainment Weekly
praised his "casual profundity," and Billboard said his music
"reminds us of the power and beauty of simplicity." Massive,
international sold-out tours, Top 10 debuts in the US, Gold and Platinum
certifications overseas, and a slew of TV appearances cemented Harper and the
band's status as genuine global stars.
"The process of working outside of my comfort zone is
really important to my growth," explains Harper. "The situations I've
put myself in have pushed me further than I could go in any familiar setting,
and that's what's brought me back full circle to the Innocent Criminals now.
Everybody went out and grew in their own ways during our time apart, and that's
brought this heightened level of appreciation for each other and what we
do."
"Each member brings a wealth of knowledge and different
styles of music," said Nelson. "What makes us unique is that we come
from different places musically and we seem to complement each other because of
the different styles that we play."
"Playing with the Innocent Criminals again is like
riding a bike," adds Charles, "but that bike has gotten tons of
upgrades and modifications since the last time. There was a feeling I had
missed for so long that you can only get from playing together."
From the opening minutes of Call It What It Is, it's clear
that that feeling has never been more powerful or exhilarating. The album kicks
off with "When Sex Was Dirty," a song that Harper had earmarked for
the Innocent Criminals from the moment he wrote it. It's all classic rock and
roll bravado, full of electric guitar swagger, driving percussion, and
seductive energy. Harper follows it up by demonstrating that his range is wider
than ever with the utterly vulnerable "Deeper and Deeper," a
near-whispered acoustic moment of introspection co-written with Ward, who says
that despite the time apart, or perhaps because of it, the band is now
"closer than ever as musicians and as human beings."
It's on the album's bluesy title track, though, that Harper
cuts to the quick. "There's good cops and bad cops / White cops and black
cops / Got to call it what it is / Murder," he sings before invoking the
names of Trayvon Martin, Ezell Ford, and Michael Brown.
For the first time in his career, Harper split the recording
of the album into four five-day sessions spread across an entire year, enabling
him and the band to come back to the music with a deeper sense of objectivity.
"It gave us a chance to live with the songs for a while and let them soak
in," says Mobley, who worked with artists as diverse as Mick Jagger and
Nas during his time away from the Innocent Criminals. "It gave us a chance
to reflect, which was important to our satisfaction and allowed us to make good
decisions."
The new album is Harper's second release for Stax Records.
Perhaps most associated with icons like Booker T & The MGs, Otis Redding
and Isaac Hayes, Stax is a seamless fit for Call It What It Is, due to its rich
Civil Rights-era legacy and its dedication to spreading soul music in all its
most powerful forms. Harper speaks reverently of the label, describing the
honor and the privilege of calling it his home, and it's clear the history
holds a special place in his heart as both a fan and an artist.
As serious and solemn as Call It What It Is can get, though,
it's also one of Harper's most joyous records. "Shine" grooves with
blissful passion, while "Pink Balloon" shows off a lyrical
mischievousness that surprised even Harper himself. Like so many of the other
tracks, it only fully revealed itself over time and through a free-flowing
collaboration with those closest to him.
"There's a natural way we move together and flow
through the recording of a song," explains Yates. "There's an
unspoken dialogue that runs steady through this album like a river. The
feelings evoked by these songs are coming from the very depths of our souls.
It's a sacred sharing."
The result is perhaps the proudest accomplishment of Harper's
prodigious career.
"The time we took with this record has let me look it
straight in the eyes and say that I gave everything I could to it and that it's
exactly the way we intended it to be. To be able to say that we've left no
stone unturned just feels great."
For the legions of Ben Harper fans that have been waiting
eight years for a new album with the Innocent Criminals, it feels even better.
For more on Ben Harper please be sure to check out his
official website and also say hi on his social links provided below.
Call it What it Is – Album: Call it What it Is – (Release
Date: April 08, 2016)
Video Source: Ben Harper YouTube
Added “Call it what it is” to the following YouTube
Play-Lists
Goodbye to You (Live on KEXP) – Album: Call it What it Is – (Release Date: April 08, 2016)
Video Source: KEXP
Added “Goodbye to You” to the Following Playlists:
All that has Grown (Live on KEXP) – Album: Call it what it
Is – (Release Date: April 08, 2016)
Video Source: KEXP
Ben Harper Links:
BUY MUSIC
CONTACT: Ben Harper
2.
The High Breaks
The High Breaks are an Instrumental Surf Psyche Rock band
from Burlington, Vermont who’ve just released their groovy surf mood maker
debut album titled “Droppin’ Off with…The High Breaks” on Bandcamp.
The High Breaks aim for a very specific comfort level. By
crafting traditional surf vibe and tone into an accessible instrumental story,
the goal is to give the listener a sensation of being elsewhere. This
compilation of original, instrumental narratives is meant to evoke a feeling of
ease, cool adrenaline comfort and suspicion. Enjoy this music in a car on a
sunny day or on a stoop at dusk…or even just kickin’ back on the computer.
Check out their links and be sure to show your shades and give them the thumbs
up.
Band Members:
Todd Gevry - Drums
Kevin Lynam - Bass
Matt Hagen - Guitar
Michael Clifford - Guitar
Album: Droppin’ Off with…The High Breaks – (Released March
21, 2016)
Source Album: Bandcamp
Music will be added to playlists once it becomes available
Sandblaster – (2013)
Video Source: Dreamlike Pictures Vimeo
The High Breaks Links:
BUY MUSIC
CONTACT: The High Breaks
3.
The Steams
The Steams are a modern
Progressive Psychedelic rock band from Athens, Greece that came together in
September 2011. Influenced by a wide variety of music from the 60’s including
“The Doors”, “Pink Floyd”, and “Aphrodite’s Child”, the Steams Music carries a
solid schooling of the best while adding some of the more recent influences
such as the “Kyuss” and “Brian Jonestown Massacre” to their own creative flair.
Over the past few years “The Steams” have experimented with
various sounds while developing their own style of rock which gathers their
influences of 60’s, Progressive rock and today’s shoegaze / Psychedelic rock. A
sound that is demonstrated well on their debut two song release, “Feed” and
“Green Fire”.
The Steams continue to play the Athens music circuit and
plan an autumn tour followed by studio time to release their debut album in
2017. Be sure to check out this rising band from Athens and say hello to them
on facebook.
Band Members:
Sæn (Guitar / Vocals)
Nephelie (Drums / Percussion)
Simon (Bass Guitar)
Andrew (Guitars)
Feed – Released March 24, 2016)
Video Source: The Steams
The song “Feed” was added to the following Play-lists:
Single: Feed & Green Fire – Released: March 24th,
2016
Music Source: Bandcamp
The Steams Links:
BUY MUSIC
CONTACT: The Steams
4.
Radio Days
Today’s 4th band is a retro 60’s Pop / Power Pop
group from Milan Italy. If you love the early Beatles, you’ll love this new
single of theirs called “Why Don’t You Love Me Anymore” taken from the album
“Back in the Day” released on March 31st, 2016.
The album is filled with upbeat Pop music that’s sure to
please, so be sure to check out their new album below and then go over to their
websites to listen to all their other tunes and then find out what they’re up
to.
Why Don’t You Love Me Anymore – Album: Back in the Day
(2016)
Video Source: Radio Days YouTube
The song “Why Don't You Love Me Anymore” was added to the following Play-lists:
Album: Back in the Day – (Released March 31, 2016)
Chains – (The Cookies Cover – 2013)
Radio Days Links:
BUY MUSIC
CONTACT: Radio Days
And that’s it for another edition of United Music Mag, hope
to hear from you and don’t forget to share this 6th edition of
United Music Mag with your fans and friends because your fans can become
another bands fans and their fans can become yours…that’s how we rock n roll in
the 21st century...there's a music revolution just waiting for you. ;-)
Best Regards,
Stewart Brennan
World United Music
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