 by Brian DePinto California Wives have signed with Vagrant Records. Do not let the name fool you, these are Chicago boys. They released a self-titled EP a few years back that seemed to blow up the collective dress of the music media. They harkened back to an 80s sound that held nostalgia—but the band wasn’t reviving anything but incorporating the old with the new to create their own distinctive “thing.” And you can hear what that is below by listening to, and downloading, their tune, Marianne. The band is finishing up their full length right now and a release date is coming soon. Add Comment  DJ Puzzle (aka Jason Donnelly) has officially launched his new record label, Solar Sounds Records. The label has been sort of functioning for several years but now it is official and they are having a remix contest to celebrate. The contest will give you a chance to win; a record deal, 30,000 loops and samples and a Image-Line FL Studio 10. Head to the label website and do the whole “Like” and “Follow” thing too. You can also buy stuff there. The remix contest is for the Illustrated (aka Sean Layton)’s track, Subtle Hints, which is off the project’s debut recording, Mental Drug. The music is a mix of electronic and dance genres (electro house, EDM, dubstep etc). Remix the track! Enter the contest. Prizes • First place is a copy of FL Studio 10 (sponsored by Image-Line software), their tune released, a VIP 1yr all access pass from Peace Love Productions, and goodies from Illustrated Music. • Second place gets their remix released on Solar Sound Records and three sample pack from Soundtrack Loops. • Third place gets their remix released Solar Sound Records and one sample pack from Soundtrack Loops. Enter the contest HERE.  DJ Puzzle (aka Jason Donnelly) is a musician, producer and maker of loops extraordinaire. Recently TWO of his sample CDs, Wobble Talk and Clubstep, made it into the Beatport Sounds Top Ten list for Dubstep. Any producer looking for dubstep and brostep samples might be into it. Check them out at Beatport. Keep in mind these are not songs but samples so YOU can create songs. This isn’t all of DJ Puzzle’s work. Check out more at Reverbnation. But again, this isn't all. As you might imagine Donnelly creates music. You can check out his latest single, Lose Control (Heat Up The Snow) at Juno Downloads or at iTunes. Martin Bowes Opens The Cage To The Public (His Studio, Not The Bunker Under His Tool Shed)04/18/2012  Martin Bowes, best known as the man behind the proto-industrial, trance, dance ambient band, Attrition, has just upgraded his studio, The Cage (in Coventry, England). It is now a commercial endeavor. You can work with the close to legendary Mr. Bowes in production/recording your music—or in that ever changing and oft left to someone other than the artist finishing touch—mastering. The studio, and Bowes, are available for remixes, film and tv soundtracks and more. Over the past several decades Bowes has recorded dozens of records, of his own music and for a multitude of other artists. The studio itself has been built up over 20 years. The gear involved includes the vintage (for example a Korg MS20) to digital software and hardware instruments. There is also a 24 track simultaneous recording facility should you be the sort who wants to have a go at live recording. The list of clients includes mastering work for Psychic TV, Sol Invictus, Nick Cave, Marc Almond, AX, Sleep Research Facilty, Merzbow and may others. Bowes has also done remixes for The Damage Manual, Mona Mur & En Esch. Die Form, In The Nursery and many others. For more information head to www.thecagestudios.co.uk. 
 Sometimesthings come together and it just makes sense. Toronto’s Bishop Morocco have just signed with Arts & Crafts (Feist, Broken Social Scene). Their new EP, Old Boys, comes out March 13. You can get the title track in exchange for your email address HERE. Bishop Morocco were a duo. Their first release was self titled and recorded at their home studio in the Netherlands. That release had a 80s new wave vibe—maybe a little more lo-fi than that applies. This time out the release is supposed to be “thicker and more contemplative. I note they were a duo; they added a guitarist and drummer for the new record. Shows will happen too. Keep your eyes peeled.  Ben Kweller has a new record coming out—on his own, brand spanking new label, The Noise Company. His new record, to be titled, Go Fly A Kite, comes out February 7, 2012. Kweller was signed to Mercury records when he was 15 and has worked with a variety of other companies, both major and indie. Now that he has hit the ripe old age of 30 he wants to be the man in charge. And really shouldn’t that be the case with all artists? And the big bugaboo for small labels? The evil monster that is distribution? They have a large USA distributor and others in Japan and Australia. Go Fly A Kite is Kweller’s fifth studio record.  Fans of country music will be able to hear exclusive live recordings of country music artists at www.countrymusicontheroad.com. This site is dedicated solely to live country music and primarily coes for United Stations Radio Networks show, The Road. The Road is a weekly show that has been on for 18 years and, thus, has a slew of material for the internet station. Peformers include a who’s who of the top of the country charts. Not sure you will hear a lot of lesser known acts here but…if you are into Faith Hill, George Strait, Vince Gill, Brad Paisley etcetera this will make you happy. Internet radio, by the way, is where it is at kids. Forget terrestrial radio. It is spiraling the bowl.  The music industry is changing. That is actually an understatement; it is mutating like a giant atomic spider. One thing that is interesting is that it seems a large number of artists are starting their own labels. Add MC Lars to the list. MC Lars is a post-punk rapper and his new label is Horris Records (named from a character from the movie, Monster Squad). The goal is to help out like minded musicians. And this seems to be the goal for many artists starting labels. MC Lars brought in Weerd Science to deubt on the label. The release, Sick Kids, is out now. The label was begun, in part, via money raised through Kickstarter.   Pierre de Reeder of Rilo Kiley started a studio and one with a specific concept. He wanted to record and then release the work of talented friends of his, a noble concept. His label, Little Record Company, will be releasing four stellar titles over the next few months. Artists include Heidecker & Wood, Nik Freitas, Mike Bloom and Miracle Parade. Mike Bloom co-founded of The Elected with Blake Sennett of Rilo Kiley. He also plays in Julian Casablancas’ band and has contributed to Rilo Kiley releases. His debut, King of Circles, comes out June 7. Hark!…And Other Lost Transmissions, is the debut from Miracle Parade. Rustic, acoustic and lo-fi, the band call to mind a bevy of 60s folk rock artists (or so I am told). Nik Freitas is not releasing his first record but his fourth. He has toured opening for Bright Eyes, Rilo Kiley, and Azure Ray. His latest is Saturday Night Underwater. Man, I have been THERE. Heidecker & Wood, a songwriting duo are releasing Starting From Nowhere, their first record. Again, I am told this is like 70s soft rock like The Eagles, Billy Joel and The Doobie Brothers. Is that a selling point? But the description tosses in Queen and Jackson Browne too so, who knows. For more information on The Little Record Company go HERE.  Amanda Palmer In a demonstration of the current, and expanding, useless ness of record companies in creating buzz and distributing music (or indeed in creating it), Ben Folds, Damian Kulash (OK Go), Amanda Palmer (Dresden Dolls), and Neil Gaiman will write and record eight songs in eight hours at Berklee College of Music on Monday April 25. The songs will be released 10 hours later during Rethink Music in Boston. The collaboration will be broadcast live from the studio at rethink-music.com. The album comes out on Bandcamp.com with proceeds during the first week benefiting Berklee City Music which provides free music education to underserved kids (when I read the release I thought it said “undeserving teens”…). The next day, April 26 the four will talk about the project at 10:40 a.m. at Rethink and will perform a private concert for people attending the conference at 8 p.m. at the Berklee Performance Center. The concert will also include Basia Bulatand Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears. Other concerts include an April 25th show by the wonderful Metric at Memorial Church at Harvard. Wayne Shorter will perforem with Berklee students/faculty at BPC. Rethink Music: Creativity, Commerce and Policy in the 21st Century is presented by Berklee and MIDEM in associated with Harvard’s Berkman Center and Business School. It takes place April 25-27, 2011. More at www.rethink-music.com | Musical Odds & Ends
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