Producer/Songwriter and Indie Experimentalist Michael Burke Returns to Music After 5-year Hiatus Marries Pop With The Unusual On New Single "Apophenia" Out 10/25

 
There are times when we get away from what we're meant to be doing, and then there are times when the call becomes so irresistible that we simply can't stay away. This is where New York City-based producer, recording engineer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Michael Burke finds himself with "Apophenia," the second single from his new EP A Strange Mistake to Make.

With "Apophenia," Burke once again showcases his ability to marry pop sensibilities with the unusual. He half-jokingly describes the song as a playful take on "pretentious pop in 6/8." After five years' worth of creative gestation, "Apophenia" practically explodes from your speakers with its stacks of massively auto-tuned vocals, grimy, percussion distortion, improvised guitar solos, and delicate acoustic fingerpicking.

With a passion for music that revealed itself at the ripe old age of 5, Burke has been steeped in the traditions of classic '60s and '70s music since early childhood. But as he pursued his own creative muse (while simultaneously coming into his own as a recording engineer), Burke found himself attracted to sonic quirks as much as he was enthralled by the craft of songwriting.

Over time, he landed on a distinct brand of indie rock by combining an innate pop-sensibility with a number of unorthodox elements like dissonant guitar solos, complex harmonies and rhythms, intricately crafted and philosophical lyrics, modern production and mixing techniques, and a near-pathological obsession with small details.

"This track began as an assignment for a songwriting class at NYU. The playful lyrics use the concept of apophenia to combine unexpected and disparate ideas into a cohesive whole and were loosely inspired by some of the feelings I was going through while getting divorced. The dictionary definition of 'apophenia' is 'the tendency to perceive a connection or meaningful pattern between unrelated or random things (such as objects or ideas).' While the term can sometimes be used to describe symptoms of mental illness or psychedelic drugs, we all experience this phenomenon constantly. A common example of this is the well-known 'gambler’s fallacy.' However, I see this concept play out in every aspect of our lives by people of all backgrounds. So I thought I would toy with that."

After releasing his first EP in 2014 (Pink Elephants & Saccharine Smiles) under the band name Lilted, Michael quit music almost entirely, obtained a master’s degree in Software Development—working at audio tech companies like iZotope and Sonos—moved to the suburbs, and got married. However, life circumstances changed when the call to music again became too strong to ignore. So when Michael moved to Manhattan in 2021, he obtained a master’s in Songwriting from NYU, and began producing records for other artists at studios around the city before opening his own studio in SoHo in early 2024.

A Strange Mistake To Make marks his return to the music scene as a solo artist. His new material represents the culmination of many years' worth of effort, distilling all of Michael’s accumulated experience in the realms of songwriting, production, mixing, and mastering into a heady blend.

Omaha's Names Without Numbers Decry the Pace of Life on Frazzled New VIDEO "PING PONG BALL IN A CONCRETE ROOM"

We all know that feeling of constantly chasing behind the cart, like there just aren't enough hours in the day to get everything done that we need to. Luckily, Names Without Numbers know the feeling too. In fact, as we hear on the Omaha, Nebraska quartet's new video for the single "Ping Pong Ball in a Concrete Room," they know the feeling all too well. “I'm everywhere at once these days, sings vocalist/guitarist Ryan Cruickshank, tied to the conveyor belt of life”.

"This song," Cruickshank explains, "is about the frenetic pace of life. Sometimes it feels like things are moving way too fast to stay on top of all your responsibilities. The only thing you can do is keep moving forward." To be fair, that's not the only thing you can do — you can also take a pause to listen to this song and remind yourself that you're not alone. As "Ping Pong Ball in a Concrete Room (listen on Spotify)" builds to its gloriously catchy chorus, it's impossible not to sing along with the words short on time / steady grind / here then gone / just hold on.

In the context of the song, the stress of not keeping up never felt so good. Produced, recorded and mixed by Joshua Barber (Norma Jean, The Devil Wears Prada, Hit The Lights), "Ping Pong Ball in a Concrete Room" combines the urgency of emo/pop-punk luminaries like Jimmy Eat World and Anberlin with the seasoned songwriting sensibilities of rock giants like Springsteen and Petty.

"Ping Pong Ball in a Concrete Room" is the second single off the band's upcoming EP We Create Reality, out September 27th.

"We Create Reality is our first release fully written and recorded in the post-COVID world," says the band in a joint statement. "In most ways, life has gone back to the way it was prior to the pandemic, but many of us now have a different worldview — a lingering, shared PTSD that we all incurred from such a disruptive societal event. It’s given some of us a yearning to go back into quarantine, where things were more focused and peaceful; to identify our daily grind as the never-ending rat-race it has become. That experience gave a lot of us the confidence and the motivation to rediscover who we are and buck against the constraints we were under, while simultaneously deepening our appreciation for what we now look back on as "the good old days.” This collection of songs reflects all of those conflicting feelings."



Names Without Numbers - We Create Reality - out Sept. 27, 2024

tracklisting:

1. Box Fort Kingdom

2. Ping Pong Ball in a Concrete Room

3. Your Best Instincts

4. Lost and Forgotten

5. Small Town Legacy

WEALTH HAS LITTLE TO DO WITH MONEY AND HOME HAS LITTLE TO DO WITH LOCATION ON "CAROLINA" NEW SINGLE BY THE FRANNYO SHOW

The FrannyO Show has released “Carolina” now available on Spotify and all the major music services, from the forthcoming album “Box Of Time”, out August 9th.

“I consider myself extremely wealthy," says Fran O'Connell, "but not in a conventional way. What I’m doing right now, this very day—as a nurse and business owner-turned-musician—makes me feel wealthy beyond measure in happiness and friendships.”

Fran believes he was given a gift early in life when he had a first-hand experience with death and dying—an experience he chose to parlay into his life's work. As a boy, Fran grew up with an extended family living in the same house. There were eight people, including a grandfather who did not move to a nursing home until he was 97 years old—where he lived just two weeks before dying. “My grandfather never missed a family birthday party or other celebration,” Fran remembers. “He was there, and I saw how much that enriched his life, saw it up close and personal.”

Fran was 20 years old when his grandfather died. He had been studying speech pathology at the University of Massachusetts. He didn’t really know what he wanted to do in his life. So, he took a basic nursing class—Nursing 101, basically—pretty much because he needed three credits and thought the course would be easy. But Fran hadn't forgotten what he'd learned from watching his grandfather: how important it was for someone to be at home as long as possible.

Meanwhile, about ten years ago, with three grown daughters, a second wife named Kim, and daydreams about running for mayor of Holyoke (which he eventually did), Fran was at his vacation home in Vieques, Puerto Rico, when his life took a dramatic turn. It all started with a guitar he had bought his oldest daughter, Alison. Never really warming to the instrument, she had left it in Vieques—under a bed, it turned out, which is where Fran found it late one afternoon.

Fast-forward to today, and Fran is known as the dynamo that powers The FrannyO Show. Two EPs, a full-length, and a steady stream of singles releases later, the band sits on the verge of releasing its sophomore album, Big Box of Time. The album further cements what Fran's following has known for years: that Fran is an irrepressible songwriter/frontman who's carved his own signature blend of Americana, blues, country, and rock.

"If you put Delta Blues, New England folk, classic Country, Irish tongue-in-cheek humor, and Caribbean rhythm into a pot and let it simmer," Fran explains, "you'd get The FrannyO Show."

"Carolina," the first offering from Big Box of Time, drives home Fran's long-held belief that home literally is where the heart is—it has little to do with physical location, just as wealth has little to do with how much money we have.

"This song," says Fran, "was written with my daughter Briana in mind. I can remember going through the divorce with her mom. I left the family home where my wife and three daughters lived. I literally felt like I was a man without a home—until something happened that I'll never forget. I can vividly remember Briana running up to greet me after I moved out . As she hugged me, I bent down to kiss her head and smelled her hair. It was at that moment that I understood I still had a home. My 'home' was wherever my daughters were, because home isn't a place but a sense of belonging in each other's hearts."

“I've tried," he continues, "to make certain that I never forgot the gifts from the people I was taking care of—what they told me about their lives, their regrets, etc. I've learned from those experiences and applied them to both the people I love and the music I make.”



The FrannyO Show — Big Box of Time

Tracklist:

1. Big Box of Time

2. Carolina

3. Black Tea

4. Let's Do It Again

5. Three Days of Rain

6. Black Sheep

7. Ricky's Daddy

8. Sadie

Singer/Songwriter Ben Sefton Tackles Insecurities with Unflinching Candor and Biting Wit on “Dark Dreams”

There are things that happen in dreams, of course, that none of us would ever feel comfortable sharing in public. Singer/songwriter Ben Sefton doesn’t exactly spill all the details in his latest single “Dark Dreams,” but he bravely stares-down his insecurities and emerges with a mesmerizing new slice of lounge-folk/dark pop genius.

Ben explains, “This is a song I started writing after a bad dream, where all of my deepest insecurities were exposed, my hopes at romance had utterly failed and my perverted longings for certain acquaintances were bizarrely explored (as in every dream I've ever had, I guess).”

While "Dark Dreams” will leave you unsettled (and chuckling) in equal measure, it is perhaps the perfect balance of discomfort and humor to inspire us to take a look at all the foibles we keep hidden from ourselves. It is also an exquisite piece of songcraft with shades of lounge music, vocal jazz and bossa nova — the latest example from a singer/songwriter whose versatility is outpaced only by his smoothness.

After graduating from Selkirk College’s Contemporary Music & Technology Program in 2015, Ben has spent his time crafting and fine tuning his songs. Ben’s budding love of songwriting as a teen quickly developed into an obsession, fueling the creation of 100’s of unreleased songs. Driven by his deep love of earworm pop melodies stemming from such influences as The Beach Boys, Frank Ocean and Andy Shauf as well as a passion for candid lyrical witticism and word play, Ben has effectively created a style all of his own. In March, 2020, Ben released his debut single ‘Humans’ to great reception with the press including CBC Saskatchewan, CBC Winnipeg and numerous music websites in North America, UK, and Europe. The single was included on many pop music playlists including Universal Music owned playlists on Spotify. The video for Humans (created by the artist who did Grimes’ digital Rolling Stones cover) received close to 100,000 views and 100% thumbs up. In addition, Ben was pleased to receive, in 2020, a SK Arts Independent Artist’s recording grant.

Ben’s musical journey has benefitted from the personal instruction and advice of a few key professors and mentors at Selkirk College, a school which boasts such high-profile alumni as Kiesza and Meghan Trainor. Majoring in composition and prompted by his growing curiosity into the inner workings of harmony and song writing, Ben’s musical palate has steadily expanded. With the help of vocal coach Laura Landsberg and backed by hours of focused guitar practice, Ben matches his ceaseless song creation with considerable vocal and instrumental prowess. Drawing on influences of virtuoso guitarists from John Mayer to Django Reinhardt and the rich vocals of Frank Sinatra and Dallas Green, Ben takes joy in constantly refining his skills and looks forward to sharing his vast catalog of songs.

Punk Mafia Presents: Radio Silence EP on Earth Program/Virgin Music

March 1st, 2024, Punk Mafia presents their Radio Silence EP, the first of a series, to Spotify and all the major services via Earth Program/Virgin Music. Sample the record here.

Inspired by Joy Division, The Ramones, Type O Negative, Ministry & The Deadboys, the recordings were produced by M.O.B. and R-Low, with all instruments/vocals + lyrics created by M.O.B. and mixed/mastered by R-Low.

M.O.B. & R-Low have produced over sixty hit songs with some of the biggest bands and rappers in the world, including artists such as Patrick Stump of Falloutboy, DJ Lethal of Limp Bizkit, Fever 333, 311, Onyx, DMC of Run-DMC and death pop kings ORGY, Chali2Na of Jurassic 5 and DJ Kilmore of Incubus among others.



This initial EP consists of four tracks; entitled “Anarchy”, “Psycho”, “Rebel” and “Rock N’ Roll Disco”, with a stated plan to release an EP every two months.

Focused on turning a negative into a positive, this ambitious project contains twenty six songs recorded over a short period of time by M.O.B. in his apartment located in the very same Franklin Village, Los Angeles building as the infamous “Hillside Strangler'' once resided, with M.O.B. on Guitar, bass, synth, drums/programming vocals and lyrics.

His partner R-Low then flew in from Italy to track vocals, drums and some other overdubs and additional production on the vocals, and quickly flew back to Italy to mix and master the songs. A sign of the times, the two maestro’s have steadily built M.O.B. together remotely across the ocean from LA to Italy and back for ten years strong.





Recently, M.O.B. Left L.A. and is back in NY putting a band together to play the Punk Mafia songs live. "I was giving too much of myself to people who weren't respecting my love, talent, or well-being. When I give my heart, I give it all and I do not tolerate bullshit or f-around. This is real life. Real music. Now isolated away from all the posers and hookers, I feel like I finally got to address my personal mental health struggles. Getting to self-produce the music was really important to me to find the sound that best describes who I am, how I feel and what has happened in my journey of truth in music. I was able to channel my traumas and heartbreak into powerful, artistic, meaningful songs that I truly feel will help others. I am not alone in my feelings. These songs address the current political crisis, Love, Hate, heartbreak and healing, and I think many people will relate.”

Brooke Moriber’s “Nashville in New York'' Returns to The Bitter End on March 9th featuring Ian Flanigan, Toby Lightman and Jon Stone

On Saturday March 9th at 7pm, join former Broadway star and current Reviver Records Country music sensation Brooke Moriber and friends at the legendary The Bitter End on Bleecker Street in NYC for the second installment of new bi-monthly Songwriters in the Round series “Nashville in New York”. Get tickets on The Bitter End’s website here.

The New York native and current Nashville resident will host and perform at this intimate acoustic storytellers style performance event, also featuring performances by songwriters Ian Flanigan, Toby Lightman and Jon Stone.



Brooke Moriber is a singer/songwriter who has paved an unconventional path for herself in Country music. After getting her start at a young age professionally as a native New Yorker performing on Broadway, Brooke turned to songwriting as a teenager to cope with losing her eyesight to a rare eye disease. When the disease went into remission after a difficult four years, Brooke began traveling to Nashville to tell her own stories, later signing with Nashville’s Reviver Records.

Praised for her “clarion voice” (Associated Press), Moriber’s music has been in rotation on many Music Choice channels and has been featured on Spotify’s New Music Friday Country playlist (“Little Bit of You”, “Down to Nothing”), CMT online and the Music Row Country Breakout radio chart. Recently, the New York City girl performed her hometown anthem “This Town Made Us” on Today in Nashville. Brooke’s self-titled debut album also features “Holy Ground”, a soulful duet with The Voice’s Ian Flanigan, who joins her on March 9th at The Bitter End. Brooke’s latest single Half A Heart is now available as well.

Jesse Eplan Proves His Hit-Making Skills Are Legit On "PLAYER"

With his new eight track album "PLAYER", Jesse Eplan continues to prove himself as one of 2020's breakout artists.

"PLAYER" is filled with funk joints and electro-phonic hip hop grooves. Eplan is raw with his rhymes, "I fell in love with the music, I fell in love with the jazz", "Jewish money so I cannot go broke". There are some dope loops with innovative and cool instrumentation between horns, guitars, synths over manic tech beats. Eplan's style is the new school rap, chill and smooth lyrical flow. Songs like "Honeybun" have an acid jazz vibe, somber with mellow tones. "Keep Going" brings back the eerie RZA guitar riff flavor. 

"PLAYER" is one of the more exciting releases of 2020 and Jesse Eplan shows he’s in the mix to become a torch-bearer for the future of cutting-edge rap.

Jesse Eplan · PLAYER

A New York native, Jesse broke major ground with the release of his first two major LP's recorded while at the University of Tampa - 2017's "Trap Harmony" and 2018's "Purple Wave", and the Trap and Hip-Hop world took MAJOR notice of the rising young star through his collaborations with like minded artists like Famous Dex (A$AP Rocky, Lil Pump) and Kontraversy (Grafh, LouGotCash).

WOODSTOCK 50LDEN: A Celebration and Tribute Concert in Honor of the Original Woodstock Festival on Saturday Aug 17th

On Saturday August 17th, it doesn’t appear that there will be a Woodstock 50 celebration put together by organizer Michael Lang. However, several of the attendees of the original Woodstock Festival - and their children - have decided to take matters into their own hands; bringing peace love and music back to NY by staging a special tribute to the 50th Anniversary of the event with a concert comprised of some of the top up and coming acts from the New York area - happening at the Michael Kudish Natural History Preserve, 2515 Tower Mountain Rd in Stamford, NY - about an hour and a half from where the original fest took place.

“We are excited to be able to present WOODSTOCK 50LDEN alongside Rick Eberle Agency and so many others, to honor the 50th anniversary of this world changing event,” remarked David Turan, organizer, “We truly look forward to presenting some incredible music, we believe these are some of the next big artists to come.”

Event Details:

-This is a free all ages DIY festival! Bring the family and your supplies and lets relax and enjoy!

For Lodging:

-Most people who are staying overnight will be camping on the preserve. There is also an enclosed camping area that is available to be rented called The Queen of the Catskills - Campsite in Stamford, NY. There are also several bed and breakfast options available in the area, do an online search!


Event Schedule:

SATURDAY AUGUST 17TH, 2019

WOODSTOCK 50LDEN!

MUSIC / ART / FOOD / DRINK

FREE ALL AGES EVENT


THE MICHAEL KUDISH NATURAL HISTORY PRESERVE

2515 TOWER MOUNTAIN ROAD,

STAMFORD NY 12167


ON SITE CAMPING AVAILABLE

DOORS AT 11 AM - LAST BAND AT SUNSET



FEATURING:

RYAN DOBBY www.facebook.com/rdtunes/

RORIE KELLY www.facebook.com/roriekellymusic

CHRISTINE SWEENEY www.facebook.com/ChristineSweeneyMusic/

THOMAS PRIEST www.facebook.com/thomaspriestmusic/

KELLY AND KAT www.facebook.com/KellyandKatMusic/

VERSA www.facebook.com/versatheband/

ROBERT EBERLE www.facebook.com/roberteberlemusic/

SEAN ALLYN www.facebook.com/seanallynacoustic/

IRIDESENSE www.facebook.com/iridesense/

THE RECIP3 www.facebook.com/TheRecip3/

&

more!!