Multi-platinum, Grammy-nominated rock band Counting Crows announced today their forthcoming new album, BUTTER MIRACLE, THE COMPLETE SWEETS! set for release on May 9 via BMG.
Kicking off this exciting new era, the band dropped the first single off the forthcoming album titled, ‘Spaceman In Tulsa’. Blending their signature storytelling with a fresh, dynamic sound, the band's first single in nearly five years showcases their sound evolution while staying true to the heartfelt lyricism and rich melodies that have defined their career.
"'Spaceman In Tulsa' is about metamorphosis - the way music breaks down who we were and spins us into something new. It's about broken lives becoming something better," said Adam Duritz.
‘Spaceman In Tulsa’ sets the stage for Butter Miracle, The Complete Sweets!, the band's first body of work since Butter Miracle: Suite One was released to rave reviews in 2021. Embodying the contrast between intimate storytelling and larger-than-life themes, the forthcoming album promises to deliver the signature storytelling and rich melodies that have made Counting Crows one of the most beloved bands of the last three decades.
Frontman Adam Duritz delivers a raw and compelling vocal performance, backed by the band's dynamic instrumentation that blends rock, folk, and alternative influences.
UK rising rockers Revenant are excited to announce their sophomore EP ‘Best Medicine’ due for release April 11 on CD/bundle/digital and available for pre-order/save now direct from the band HERE. On the release the band warmly state that “It’s songs about real life, love, angst and everything in between. It’s a collection of tunes that we’ve played live for a year or more now so we know people are going to love hearing how we’ve taken them from the stage and honed them into what they’ve become. We had a fantastic time shaping these and adding various bits of magic-dust to take these to new levels.”
Opening with the appropriately titled and rebellious ‘Public Service Announcement’, “It’s about growing up, being told what to do, hearing nothing but bad news and ultimately wanting to shut everyone up and do life on your own terms”. The accompanying lead single and video ‘Best Medicine’ shows the band at their live best and bears a heartfelt life lesson “You know, finding your person when you least expect it after a particularly difficult relationship breakdown and things will come around if you relax a little, be more present in the moment and move forward.”
Across the 5 track release there are anthemic choruses, hook laden and searing riffs in ‘Runaway Rage’, “A vehicle to describe the feeling that rage gives you and how it can be like a runaway train, uncontrollable until it runs out of steam…” and juxtaposed by the tenderness and reflective duo of ‘Least I Can Do’ and ‘Miss You’, “These songs are written from very emotional places and places that everyone can relate to in their own individual way.” All of the tracks were self-produced by the band, recorded at Studio 91 in Berkshire with mastering handled by Dave Draper (The Wildhearts, Terrorvision, Dodgy).
Formed in 2023, the 4-piece consisting of Sam Lay (vocals, guitar) Matthew Hudson (guitar), Robin Nutley (bass) and Carl Donoghue (drums) bring a huge rock sound with a southern spin and have had favorable comparisons to rock household names from Chris Cornell and Alter Bridge through to Black Stone Cherry. Their debut EP 'What A Time To Be Alive' was released to critical acclaim in May 2024 and the band are making waves on the live circuit having wowed at shows and festivals alike including Firevolt Manchester. This is all reflected in their live album release ‘What A Time To Be Live’ with Backseat Mafia stating “One of the best guitar releases of the year” and Powerplay Magazine enthusing “One of most refreshing and exciting sounds around.”
Revenant are bringing their message to the masses that this isn’t just a bit of fun. “What we’re hoping the listener takes from us are songs that will evoke memories for them at significant points in their lives and playing live is where it’s at for us, we just love vibing with everyone and hanging out after.” The coming year will see the band play festivals including the third iteration of Maid of Stone, Quarantune Rocks and Steel Paws along with a plethora of shows and a special hometown headline at The Corn Exchange Newbury with tickets on sale now. In addition to the new EP release, they also offer to all those who sign up to ‘The Revenant Ones’, the band's fan club, via their website a free 7-track live acoustic EP download. Firmly flying their flag for all to see, “We write about what we know and always want to tell a story or take you on a journey. We’re right where we need to be and we can’t wait for more, this is just the start.”
Cinematic rockers Earthside and Mascot Label Group have announced plans to release a new recording titled “frozen heart ~ burning world” in front of the band’s first headline tour of North America. That run begins at Boston’s Middle East on February 21 and will play its final show on March 8 at Brooklyn’s Meadows. They’ll perform songs off their latest album alongside their debut A DREAM IN STATIC. Tickets are available here.
The band shares, “We’re beyond thrilled to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Let The Truth Speak by heading out on our first-ever North American headline tour. This tour is a milestone for us, and we can’t wait to connect with all of you—both new and familiar faces—who have been a part of this journey. Expect an immersive and epic live experience that brings songs from Let The Truth Speak, A Dream In Static, and even some heart-wrenching new material to the stage. And stay tuned; this is just the beginning, with more dates on the horizon!”
The recording “frozen heart ~ burning world,” is the lone “bonus track” from Earthside’s writing sessions that delivered Let The Truth Speak. The band reflects, “Not for any lack of quality—if anything, it may even be among our individual favorites from the full batch of material. We really wanted a ‘Closest I’ve Come’ - vibe track on LTTS, but nothing we were generating like that was gripping us—at least until Frank’s entrancing, icy intro came out of the ether one day in practice, and the rest of the song just poured from it. Unfortunately, the track just came together too late in the writing process for us to feel ready to record it with the others—and on a record that didn’t have much room for another odyssey track. But in celebration of Earthside’s long-awaited headline tour, we wanted to give the song the proper recording it deserved.”
The group notes that ‘frozen heart’ is uniquely—just Earthside. “There are literally no other performers on the song outside of our four members. In our love of collaboration and working with guest musicians, we perhaps underestimated the value of what we as a core unit bring to the table. As such, this song represents the heart of Earthside’s sound—the atmosphere, the emotions, and the storytelling that are most essential to who we are as artists. The title of the song is self-explanatory, but it sums up a lot of what we’ve felt and seen around us in the years of working on, and since releasing, Let The Truth Speak.”
They continue, “When we lose our empathy and our present concern for anything beyond our individual well-being, the result is always the same—everything around us burns. The somberness of the music and its title was inspired in large part by the fear of impending loss in the face of present climate change—and the callousness of those most well-positioned to do something about it.
When we titled and planned the recording and release of ‘frozen heart ~ burning world,’ of course, we had no idea of the devastation that would come to Southern California in the weeks leading up to sharing this piece of music. We are thinking of all of you whose lives have been upended and we hope that the themes that inspired this piece resonate in a way that’s affirming and healing amidst such upheaval. We hope ultimately that we as humans will be moved to come together and do everything we can to make these fires a rarity, and not more the norm."
Now a decade removed from their critically show-stopping entrance - A Dream in Static [2015] - the idealistic artists in Earthside found themselves in a different world entirely … or, perhaps, a world more honest and unhinged than they and many others had bargained for. "This album almost destroyed our lives and friendships,” keyboardist and co-orchestrator Frank Sacramone confides. "It's insanity, but it is beautiful.”
“A Dream In Static was more of an *I* album,” reflects guitarist and orchestrator Jamie van Dyck. “Each of us in our own way was engaging topics of self-actualization and the fear of never quite becoming. Let The Truth Speak, however, turns its focus to the *We*. Within months of releasing ADIS, the global landscape had changed to where issues of far more consequence than our own individual dreams coming true were tugging at us. We became far more consumed with the trajectory of humanity as a whole than our own legacies therein.”
Earthside are Jamie van Dyck [Guitars, backing vocals, programming, keyboards], Ben Shanbrom [drums, backing vocals], Frank Sacramone [Keyboards, synthesizers, programming, percussion, guitar] and Ryan Griffin [Bass, backing vocals].
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