Coo Coo Birds
Zweng Music Publishing (BMI)
Coo Coo Birds

Band Name: Coo Coo Birds
Hometown: San Francisco
Born Date: Jan 2012
Sounds Like: Boiler Pot Rock n' Roll at its best. The 1950's got a new skate board, then fell off when 1967 tripped him. Then 1977 came along and beat them both up for it, and all three were arrested by Officer 2012.
Fun Fact: The band lives in an ex-Convent turned artist community, and derives much of their inspiration from this unique SF scene.
Most Memorable Show: "Memory," among other things, is one of the entities most often lost at Coo Coo Bird shows; along with innocence and boyfriends. The band is unable to comment at this time.
When not making music, find them at: The club they just played at, trying to re-locate their equipment from the night before.

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Cool Ghouls
Empty Cellar Records
Cool Ghouls

First things first: Cool Ghouls are not a retro act. Yes, they dwell penniless in the storied hills of culturally resurgent San Francisco. But these boys have their feet firmly planted in the soil of the now. They look not backwards for approving nods of hipster forebears, but rather skyward, hoping that the "supernatural forces" they yodel for, guide them to all corners of a half-deserving world.

If one were to ascribe to them a 60's-reverent description, one would most likely find an artistic kinship with some the most inimitable, idiosyncratic, yet unmistakably influential bands of the retro-fitting oeuvre. The Troggs, The Monks, Sir Douglas Quintet come to mind immediately (Save your Kinks and Rolling Stones references). Like those that came before, the Ghouls are natural heirs to the folkloric lineage which precedes them, adding dashes of weirdness where needed. And despite their mid-fi leanings and natural fit within the current pantheon of San Francisco rock ‘n roll bands (Thee Oh Sees, Ty Segall, Fresh and Onlys), theirs is a timeless record, which will hopefully transcend the descriptors (garage, psych, etc.) that will undoubtedly plague it. The reason being - they write good SONGS.

These young men have honed their three-headed vocal attack in front of ambitious and unexpected chord progressions, an unrelenting rhythm section, and a keen ear for harmony. Theirs is a trifecta of songwriting styles, ranging from the raspy, rambling psychedelic soul of longhair Pat McDonald ("Grace"), to the high yonder twang of bassist Pat Thomas ("Natural Life"), to the boisterous, fever-pitched, perfect pop of lead guitarist Ryan Wong. Theirs is a truly democratic song-making process, wherein all members are eager to contribute their most zealous performances. Hence, the debut record, an adventurous, colorful romp seen through the eyes of old-souled youths, feels wholly coherent and intentional. The self-assuredness of their songwriting is evident. And no, the Ghouls are not afraid to wear their influences on their sleeves; this is partly what makes the record so digestible. It doesn't claim to be anything other than what it is; a record for now, a record for then, and a record for forever.

- Tim Cohen (Fresh and Onlys, Magic Trick)

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Corners
Polyvinyl Records, LLC
Corners

Originally from the San Fernando Valley and eventually relocating to Echo Park, CA, Corners began playing high-energy shows around Los Angeles in 2011. Influenced by late 1970s punk and 1980s post-punk, Maxed Out On Distractions, is a synth-inspired album in the Internet age. The album title itself is a reflection of living in the Internet age and literally not having any room in your life for more distractions. Singer Tracy Bryant explains, “The album title relates to the music in the way we approached making the album itself…blocking out everything else and focusing on making pure music, not being distracted with the constant addiction that social networking sites have become.”

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Cosmonauts
Burger Records
Cosmonauts

Hailing from the sleepy suburban sprawl of Orange County, California, Cosmonauts forge malcontent drone-pop melodies, delivered with a clangy laser-fuzz backbone. Formed in Summer 2009 by Alexander Ahmadi & Derek Cowart, Cosmonauts offer a glimpse of drug-addled Southern Californian rock n roll in the 21st century. Inspired in equal parts by polo-shirts and MDMA, this four-piece garage-trance outfit has garnered a reputation of amps dialed to ten and lullaby meltdowns with both audiences and contemporaries. Supporting established acts at home & abroad such as The Growlers, The Black Angels, Ty Segall, Thee Oh Sees, The Beach Fossils & more.

Defined by critics as "Beach Boys on downers" & "how Lou Reed wound up wearing that dog collar", these pop-loving, feedback-chasing drop-outs have been releasing records and touring North America and Europe at breakneck speed. Releasing material with labels like Burger Records, Austin's Reverberation Appreciation Society & more. Not to mention a handful of 7" singles released by European & Californian labels. Last year they followed up heir rattling, echo-drenched 2011 debut self-titled LP(Permanent Records) with 2012's If You Wanna Die Then I Wanna Die, released by local-Fullertonian label Burger Records. Both LPs recorded in a rennovated Anaheim warehouse, in viewing distance of Disneyland's nightly fireworks.

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Cotton Jones
Quite Scientific Records LLC
Cotton Jones

The music of Cotton Jones speaks of transition: the passage from one form, state of mind, style or place to another. Songs become doorways to the past, or windows that open on some unnamed future, where innocence can still exist and perfection is thrown to the wind.

The Glowstream is a place centered between North and South Cumberland. It's not really called the Glowstream – just a stream that rolls to a dead end by the train tracks downtown. A place to sit, undisturbed in the cool shade, and see the interstate bend around glowing steeples, as cars and trucks break their speed – it's beautiful – how the city materializes, an oasis, after driving many miles through the mountains along I-68 – to this private spot, where it's possible to witness all the paces change.

Michael Nau & Whitney McGraw skipped town months ago, leaving the old haunts in Cumberland behind... To sift through the old noise, they walked off the edge of their world... To sound the depths, the songwriters relocated, to Georgia, far south of the Glowstream.

"We spent a lot of time on the bank of that stream – alone, together, gathered like a flock of birds, examining the next move," said Nau. "Many of the tunes on this record feel like Cumberland to me. When I'm there, it's like a dream – all familiar sound and light, where the factories and birds sing the same song."

The duo settled fast after the move, halted their incessant touring and festival appearances, and began the process of selecting a new cycle of songs to follow their acclaimed Suicide Squeeze debut, "Paranoid Cocoon."

Cotton Jones, as always, rests in arms of Nau and McGraw. "Tall Hours in the Glowstream,'" is the title of their new album. Some of the songs that made the final cut were tracked in northern States, while the majority were recorded and mixed in Winterville, Georgia, as a revolving cast of players, thinkers, and singers were invited to hang in the band's living-room studio.

The resulting sounds are both rich and charmingly lo-fi, full of vivid imagery and more gorgeous vocal harmony. Hard-asking tracks like "Somehow To Keep It Going" and "More Songs For Margaret" prove the promise in this music, the feeling of something better to come if only you can hold tight a little longer...

"Always the mornings keep coming..." And what a beautiful thing that is...

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Cowboy Indian Bear
Cowboy Indian Bear
Cowboy Indian Bear

"Lawrence, Kansas' favorite sons (and daughter), Cowboy Indian Bear, make both a reaffirmation and a grand leap forward with their second full-length album Live Old, Die Young. It was captured alongside producer/engineer Joshua Browning and over three years that included a grueling touring regimen through multiple blizzards, blown tires, shouting matches in art galleries, travels to exotic locales and the loss of beloved family members. Trust that the joys and adversities of that period all find their way onto LO,DY in multiple ways. If their debut album Each Other All The Time was about constructing a framework, the laying of a foundation, their latest collection of ethereal indie rock is about the subtleties and embellishments that turn a house into a home. The individual memories and collective hardships of the quartet are spread throughout LO,DY like family portraits on a mantle. While all the pictures may be beautifully rendered and cleanly framed at first glance, a deeper look suggests something a little more difficult to work around. But life is not as linear as it is often idealized. Once again those challenges, both musically and narratively, are being put forth in Cowboy Indian Bear's work. LO,DY, however, is a testament to bonding, growth and family ties. If you look a bit closer the results are likely better – a lot better – than the last time you paid a visit. Maybe stay a while this time."

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CTZNSHP
Third Side Music
CTZNSHP

Self-proclaimed darlings of magic hour, C T Z N S H P are a mystical power-trio that are as mesmerizing as they are intense. While it’s only three tracks long, their EP “Swan Dive” will take you on a ride you’ll never forget.

Cut City
Silver Side Productions
Cut City

Cut City formed in Gothenburg, Sweden in 2002 around the local Deleted Art label, sort of the Swedish counter-part to U.S. art-punk imprints like Three One G and Tapes Records. In May 2005 they issued a 4-song EP on the California-based Gold Standard Labs label, home to such acts as The Locust, Year Future, GoGoGo Airheart and many more. Drawing comparisons to groups such as Echo & The Bunnnymen and Joy Division as well as newer bands like Interpol and Editors they at the same time echo the past as much as the future. (Photo:  Robert Samsonowitz / RBRT CREATIVE)

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Dan San
Minty Fresh
Dan San

Dan San, one of Belgian's indie folk mainstays, is back!

After two years of silence, work, questioning and waiting, Dan San comes back with “Shelter”, an astral, organic and atmospheric second album!

In 2010, the band’s discography takes off with the first EP “Pillow”, quickly followed by the album “Domino”. At that time, comfortably installed in a sweet and carefree position, Dan San gives concerts after concerts and keeps moving forward without taking any short cuts. The “Domino Tour” takes the band all around Europe on more than 120 stages. The musicians discover, enjoy and make noticeable appearances at the Eurosonic (NL), Dour Festival, Nuits Botaniques, Ardentes or Francofolies de Spa. Then comes the time of resourcing and individual experiments. The six musicians take a step back from their common path in order to renew their inspirations within their respective side projects (The Feather, Yew or Pale Grey).

In early 2015, the band ends up back together! The enthusiasm, the envy and the ambition to reinvent itself are strong but working together again is a journey full of obstacles, since the clarity and simplicity of the early days made way to more expectations and sometimes divergent sensibilities. Throughout rehearsals, the creation process becomes more complex, with cornelian choices to make and concessions required from everyone. The musicians abandon their habits, decide to put themselves in danger and to leave their certainties behind, this comfortable shelter in which they had taken refuge. “Shelter” was created around that idea: from the artistic production to the recording, through the writing of texts or the choice of instruments, the reinvention had to be complete in order to give birth to this new record. Consequently, Dan San decided to call on an external ear, a conductor who would shake up its routine.

Enamored by the project, Yann Arnaud, known for his work with Air, Phoenix or Syd Matters, joins the adventure. In Paris, at “La Frette” studio where Yann is established, Dan San settles in the middle of a mess made of amps, vintage keyboards and guitars. The production is engaged! Isolated in this out-of-time manor, which has already welcomed artists such as Feist, Girls in Hawaï or Patrick Watson, the musicians experiment new working methods. From now on, track-by-track recording is over, Yann wants to capture the emotion and the essence of their music live.

The multi-instrumentalist Olivier Marguerit joins the band and sheds a new light on the tracks by opening them to synthetic sonorities. The match is perfect: human and musical. The recording goes on to the GreenHouse Studio in Beaumont where Dan San, still cut out from the world, brings the final touches to this “Shelter”.

The result is a successful and fully-grown album whose compositions are sensitive, authentic and exhilarating. Dan San synthetizes its folk heritage while placing itself in a modern and inventive dynamic. Let “Shelter” take action, as it reveals itself listening after listening.

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Danny & His Fantasy
William Cook II
Danny & His Fantasy

Danny is a pop star - hot-burning, fast-falling, a rising sun of the west.  He’s the silver light pooling in concrete moons, teenagers kissing, soft-sifting through tall grass and night clubs. An outcast orphan of the occult, he hears the hopeless hearts scream in the dark for a prince of some plane just outside sanity or reason - an inheritor of movement, a real gift-giver. And mangled hands scramble madly for the hem of his blue jeans bright as the leper cries, “somebody… touch me!”

This is for a night drive to the forgotten mansion, a wasted empire of flat beer and stale fashion.

This is for the ghost dog on lost highway, a vision of Jacob’s.

For the child, still alive, but sleeping in evil’s stupid heart.

This is for the losers and the freaks, the pockmarked beauty queens and the fleeting elite…

This is Danny & His Fantasy.

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