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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…
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Wes Tirey, the Writer
Prolific songwriter, musician and poet Wes Tirey released his latest album, The Midwest Book of the Dead, on Dear Life at the end of April. Our wonderful contributor Lou Turner conducted a thoughtful written interview with Wes you can read here, but I was lucky to talk to him a bit more. Wes is an incredible lyricist and naturally his poems aren’t shabby either. I wanted to ask him specifically…
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Cameron Knowler – “Lena’s Spanish Fandango”
Places of Consequence by Cameron Knowler It’s your lucky day because there’s a new Cameron Knowler track out. “Lena’s Spanish Guitar” showcases the musician’s versatility and unique adaptability to various styles although Cameron can probably tell you everything about the roots of every kind of music that ever was, where it came from, what it shares with contemporary music, who made the rules, the commonalities that destroy arbitrary delineations between…
