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Pony Hunt – “That Feelin”
New Orleans band Pony Hunt’s second album, VAR! is out July 23rd via Wing and Wing. Pony Hunt’s celestial retro vibe- self-described as “cosmic doo-wop” reflects upon queerness, gender identity, and self-awareness. Today they premiere their latest single from the album, the dream-like “That Feelin'” with a stop-you-in-your-tracks opening beat and singer and songwriter Jessie Antonick’s devastating voice, singing straight from her heart to yours. Born in California and raised…
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Derek Monypeny – The Hand as Dealt
Derek Monypeny’s latest The Hand as Dealt raises many questions about the nature of desert sound. A sonic representation of the multifaceted darkness and light found within the shadows of the Mojave mountains, The Hand as Dealt, questions about traditionalism and experimentalism, the binary between the natural and the inorganic, and the duality of spirituality and chaos. Artfully recorded at Studio Pendejo and at Charlie Stavish’s Clock Tower studio, the…
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Ripley Johnson of Rose City Band
I remember the *day* the first Rose City Band record quietly dropped, and when I say quietly, I mean, well, quiet in that distinct way the project’s mastermind and (usually) sole member Ripley Johnson makes richly textured, vibrant psychedelic music without relying on noise or feedback alone. It took no time at all for the music internet to put together that the overlap in signature tones and licks from Ripley’s…
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Damon & Naomi share “Sailing By” and announce “A Sky Record” with Kurihara
Damon and Naomi are back with A Sky Record, releasing July 22nd. Today they premiere the first single from the album, “Sailing By.” A Sky Record by Damon & Naomi “Sailing By” is also the title of a light classical waltz that’s played every night shortly before the 1am end of the broadcast day on BBC Radio Four, followed by the “Shipping Bulletin” (and then “God Save the Queen”!). The…
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Soft Sailors – “What We Live”
LA’s Soft Sailors share their video for “What We Live” today, featuring bandleader Geoff Geis being followed by a haunting, human-sized crow played by Jenna Heffernan, who may or may not be a figment of his imagination. Adam Boren Bennett shot the footage during flower season at Deb’s Park on a cheap toy camera with the assistance of Jenna and friend Benton Stephen. The pandemic put a pause on production,…
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Joe Bourdet: from the Mountains to the Sea
Joe Bourdet has been a staple on the LA scene since the days of Josh Schwartz’s Painted Hills and bluesy-rock outfit Whispering Pines, and more recently he’s played GospelbeacH’s Let It Burn and the upcoming Ben Reddell Band EP. At long last, he’s releasing his solo debut, Meadow Rock, inspired by the rolling hills of California, the sounds of the canyon (this one a bit more Topanga than Laurel, but…
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Whisperer: Piedmont Pastimes – an interview by Lou Turner
Petal Motel is blessed to have contributing author Lou Turner return with another fantastic interview with a musician creating understated intricate folk from Appalachia. Sam Fuller Smith, aka Whisperer’s Piedmont Pastimes is a tender and sentimental collection of tunes, pondering fatherhood, the musical roots of the Carolinas, and the possibility for a future of possibilities for his newborn son. Featuring gorgeous slide, Fuller’s mesmerizing picking, and his gentle vocals and…
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Evolfo – “Drying Out Your Eyes” (Live Performance)
Sharing a live performance of the Brooklyn-based Evolfo’s “Drying Out Your Eye” days before their album Site Out of Mind drops (June 18th on Royal Potato Family.) Equally jazzy as it is acid-drenched, the 7-piece band set out to ascend from their previous release, the acclaimed 2017 Last of the Acid Cowboys, aiming for the ontological on Site Out of Mind. Inspired by science fiction, psychedelic field trips, and recorded…
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Joe Bourdet – “Mantra”
This is the first post on Petal Motel about Joe Bourdet, but it won’t be the last. Joe’s putting out an instant classic of an album, Meadow Rock, on June 18th and I’ve been waiting impatiently since the moment I heard a pair of singles he’d previously released, “Seamist” and “El Capitan.” The full album is an aural tour of California – shooting you from sprawling meadows, to the pristine…
