Music Quick Hits | October 2019
Lo-fi pop rockers Velvet Groove surprised us with a brand new song called “I Want It” recently with an accompanying music video from Tim Schwagel and Nick Houchin. The song is a woozy and wavy gem of a ballad with fuzzy guitars and distorted vocals. The video finds a young couple running all over the Valley at some local hotspots like Mt. Simon, Ramone’s Ice Cream Parlor, and a rooftop or two. You can check out the video on the band’s Facebook page www.facebook.com/velvetgrooveys
John Raymond is a jazz trumpet virtuoso making ambient tunes from his home of New York City. Raymond went to school in Eau Claire from 2004-09, and it’s clear he still has quite the affinity for the town when you look at the new video for his song “where we grew up.” The music video, produced by Ivy Creatives here in Eau Claire, has scenery from all over the Valley – indoors and out – and features a cool mixture of analog and digital film work. Visit John Raymond’s Facebook page for more at www.facebook.com/jraymondmusic
Kentucky Gag Order burned up the Eau Claire music scene in years past with their wholly unique blend of theatric cowboy rock ’n’ roll. They’re making a comeback this year playing shows around the Midwest, and if there’s some Chippewa Valleyans out there that miss the vibes and yelped vocals from a mic’d podium, you can catch a Kentucky Gag Order set alongside Riggs Calvero at The Mousetrap on Oct. 26. It’s free and starts at 9pm.
Last year debuted the first glimpses of the Listen Concert Series, a fall/winter concert series that seeks to fill the void left at the end of the summer when the myriad of local music in the park events shut down for the year. Listen is booking monthly shows at Forage on the third Thursday of each month starting Oct. 17 through next May. The first show, which is already sold out, will feature Billy Krause and Laura Hugo. To learn more and get tickets to the next one, check out www.listenmanagement.com.
Local rapper TeawhYB recently teamed up with singer Nick Anderson from Nick Anderson & The Skinny Lovers for a poppy new cut called “Swimming Trunks,” just in time to put those trunks away for the season. You can stream the new song on Spotify, Apple Music, and really wherever you do that kinda thing.
Donate to make some local artists’ dreams come true! Two different crowdfunding campaigns are in full swing if you’re feeling generous: The first by local hard rockers Evernoir finds the band looking to raise $6,200 to put out a double album that sheds light on abuse and suicide awareness. Find that at indiegogo.com. The second is from the prolific rapper Mistah a.k.a. Raymond Clayton, who is working hard to put out two albums in the coming months. He’s trying to raise $5,000 via gofundme.com to create a budget for touring, promotion, marketing, and distribution. If you’ve got some to spare, send it towards these artists!
