Tag Archives: penguin prison

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Rebound (Playlist: May 18, 2018)

Compiled by Erica Andreozzi

May 18, 2018

FRESH NEW PLAYLIST (Spotify link below) inspired by awesome bands I saw in Austin at SXSW 2018 (Kid Queen, Magic Bronson, Caught a Ghost, The Lagoons, The Wild Now, Dawg Yawp, Marty O’Reilly & the Old Soul Orchestra, Black Pistol Fire, Dr. Joe, Abhi the Nomad) and others I saw in San Francisco/Los Angeles/San Diego (The War on Drugs, EasyFriend, Ramonda Hammer, SLUGS, Rival Cavves, Little Monarch, Penguin Prison, The Oh Hellos, Holy Wars, Ibeyi, Overcoats, Mt. Joy, The Drums, Alvvays, Planet Booty, Escort, Sal’s Greenhouse, Wild Child, Stelth Ulvang, Frenship, Yoke Lore, George Ezra, Noah Kahan, HAIM, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Zach Winters, Horse Feathers, and Dead Horses).  Playlist also includes new releases from (Geographer, Meg Myers, Leon Bridges, Ryley Walker, Trevor Powers (of Youth Lagoon), DonCat, The Colour Coast, Bishop Briggs, Charlotte Cardin, Courtney Barnett, Harrison Storm, GIVERS, the French Cassettes, Black Pistol Fire, Florence + the Machine, Matt and Kim, Derek Ted, Christof Van der Ven (of Bear’s Den), Brenda Carsey, Youth in a Roman Field (of San Fermin), Goodnight Texas, Vancouver Sleep Clinic, Lord Huron, Betty Who, Wye Oak, Two Door Cinema Club, Wildling, Johnnyswim, Riley Geare (formerly of Unknown Mortal Orchestra), Milo Greene and Mastersystem, the newest project of Scott Hutchinson (Frightened Rabbit, Owl John), an irreplaceable LEGEND that we painstakingly lost to suicide on May 10. See below for my brief ‘Tribute to Scott’. A more in-depth one is in the works.

I chose kid QUEEN’s ‘Rebound’ for this playlist’s title track because I was INSTANTLY HOOKED to this song the first time I heard it at kid QUEEN‘s set at SXSW (videos on my Facebook music page), and I especially LOVE growling along to the part, “I don’t gotta alot of work to define my wealth, but I’m poor motherfucker with a wide array of shit to sell.” RAWR. “Call me crazy call me the rebound-er, I’ve been watching this city and I’m confounded.” YAAAAS. ❤ kid QUEEN was my FAVORITE new discovery of SXSW 2018, and I was so happy to find that they are based in backyard of SF, It was also cool to learn that their frontwoman, Shannon Harney, was formerly of Be Calm Honcho and played shows back at UC Davis at the same time I was there. This SEXY SASSAFRASS has sultry pipes that will STUN YOU at first hit and stop you DEAD in your tracks. I knew all the tracks after just one set and was already singing along the second time around. That’s at sign of a SUPER SOLID band. Every track was a hit and I can’t wait for more releases.

Tribute to Scott:

My heart is broken and is going to take some time to mend. Scott Hutchinson (Frightened Rabbit, Owl John, Mastersystem) was one of the most naturally-gifted songwriters of our generation with powerful, palpable lyrics that will stand the test of time. Fearless and transparent about his struggle with depression, he would often shroud his dark thoughts (“With my head in my hands I resolve to die alone”) with comedic charisma (one of the funniest dudes on the planet) and hopeful resilience (“oh how she plunges a knife into my suicide”). Songs POURED out of him, bursting open emotional floodgates that fed streams our of consciousness and clarity. Everyone knew his lyrics by heart, belting them out from their core in a catharsis that can only be realized firsthand. He had given away enumerable gifts (music, poetry, art, humor) to the world, and his generosity and loyalty to fans was like nothing else I had ever seen. Even after my tenth show, he still remembered the first time we met at The Belfast Empire. He always made time to meet and greet fans, even after sold out shows. If only he knew how much light he radiated into everyone around him.  But, the stark reality is that the “brightest lights cast the darkest shadows,” and it FUCKING SUCKS. His immense, intense imagination was both a blessing and a curse, and it’s devastating that he couldn’t dampen the demons. Scott, I am so grateful for you and your music, and the constant it’s been in my life when nothing else could. “When my blood stops, Someone else’s will nod… And while I’m alive, I’ll make tiny changes to earth.” Our ❤ will always bleed for you and the infinite “tiny changes” you made to earth.

What’s even more painful and ironic and that Scott recorded with the Fruit Tree Foundation, a Scottish supergroup of founded by Idlewild’s Rod Jones and the Delgados’ Emma Pollock to “raise awareness of mental health and challenge perceptions of mental health problems by creating great art.” Here’s a song he recorded with James Graham (another favorite frontman) of The Twilight Sad:

Scott helped others fight the same battle he could no longer fight in himself. Heavy heart.

Depression is an alarmingly dangerous devil and we must arm ourselves against it. We must learn from this tragedy and develop a stronger strategies for suicide awareness and prevention. My heart hurts so much to think about Scott’s family and band mates and all of the people around the globe who loved him. It’s just so incomprehensible. He gave so much for others but couldn’t give to himself. I have been listening to Mastersystem‘s ‘Dance Music‘ album on repeat (it’s SOOOOO GOOD) and there are harbingers of suicide in at least half of the songs, especially ‘A Waste of Daylight‘ and ‘Bird is Bored of Flying‘ (and I don’t it’s a coincidence that this put this as the very last track on the album):

‘Proper home‘: “I used to want to fly but now I don’t… And if the curtain drops tomorrow, I would not mind”

‘Peaks and Troughs‘: “It’s all peaks and troughs on the way to the grave”

‘A Waste of Daylight‘: “The world is far too big, and I’m too tired to conquer it… I missed the summer, but didn’t care… there will always be another if I make it to next year… I’m not sure what happening, but I’m trying to find an answer… At some point I’m just gonna give the fuck up.”

‘Bird is Bored of Flying‘: “Do you wonder why a bird is born a flying… Here comes the ground again.. my concrete safety net… as I leave the sky for the earth, I shed, shed my feathers and my small net worth. i want less, I want less, I want less… I’ve seen all that I can see, become what I don’t want to be, bird is bored, bird is bored, bored of flying…”

Scott insinuated a drowning suicide (especially) in many of his songs, and it’s so sad that he finally followed through on his vision:

‘Floating in the Forth‘:

“And fully clothed, I float away
(I’ll float away)
Down the Forth, into the sea
I’ll steer myself
Through drunken waves
These manic gulls
Scream it’s okay
Take your life
Give it a shake
Gather up
All your loose change
I think I’ll save suicide for another year.”

‘Swim until you can’t see land’:

“And if I hadn’t come now to the coast to disappear
…
The sea has seen my like before, though it’s my first and perhaps last time
Let’s call me a baptist, call this a drowning of the past
She is there on the shoreline throwing stones at my back
….
All I have is a body adrift in water, salt and sky.”

“With my head in my hands, I resolved to die alone
Now I’ve finally found a good reason to grow old…

‘A Good Reason to Grow Old‘:

“I was ready to drown in the afterlife, Not anymore…That I’ve finally found a good reason to grow old”

‘Break‘:

“Nothing’s worse than realizing who you’ve hurt
I didn’t bend and now we eat the consequence
…
Over the edge I can’t stop myself
Off the ledge throwing punches
Over the edge I can’t steer myself
All over again, I don’t want this…”

Oh what we all would have given for Scott to throw a few more punches before stepping off that ledge. He had SO MANY PEOPLE who loved him more than he will ever know. In honor of mental health awareness week, please PLEASE stay vigilant about those who are hurting and in need someone to talk to. You are never alone. Let’s try and get in involved with organization like Sounds of Saving, which is dedicated to raising awareness about depression and healing through music. The do so by creating videos of artists in their chosen setting playing the music which saved their life. Spread the ❤

 

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Show Me the Way (Playlist: Feb 16, 2016)

Show Me the Way

Compiled Feb 16, 2016

New playlist inspired by past shows (City & Colour, Nathaniel Rateliff and the Nightsweats, Samantha Crain, Max Frost, Penguin Prison, Tow’rs) as well as new discoveries (Owl Paws, Meet Me in Orbit) from awesome opening performances. I especially tip my hat to Owl Paws (reminds me of Local Natives a bit), Meet me in Orbit (reminds me of Geographer and Radio Dept. a bit), and Midi Matilda, three local bands that are really making names for themselves in the SF/Oakland music scene.

Max Frost, Nathaniel Rateliff and the Nightsweats, Penguin Prison, and Tow’rs were definite STANDOUTS for me overall, and you can read more about them in my blog reviews (Tow’rs review coming soon!). Knowing that I loved Max Frost, one of my expert music buddies recommended I check out Caught a Ghost, a LA-based artist that surely DID peak my interest (hints of Max Frost and Prefuse 73) and who I hope makes his way up to NorCal for a tour. Other new discoveries were King Charles (a London-based artist affiliated with Mumford & Sons), The Royal Concept, Elle King, and Hurricane Dean. I thank my sister for introducing me to Elle King, and I’m stoked to see Elle at the Fox Theater in Oakland at the end of this month. Hurricane Dean was a lucky find through two German dudes that I met at the Penguin Prison show in SF. The guitar riff in their song, Flat Random Noise, reminds me of Foals (specifically the song, Balloons) and the vocals remind me of Vampire Weekend – two bands that I LOVE!

I’m not surprised that I met peeps with good music taste at Penguin Prison, for that show was a BLAST and had me dancing in a state of ecstasy ALL NIGHT. ‘Show Me the Way,’ was as STANDOUT track for me and will serve as my go-to theme song for the rest of this month.

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Here’s a Spotify playlist with most of the songs (some still missing):

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You can download all of the songs (out of order) from my link on Box.com

https://app.box.com/s/d1xth8tvfd54c0ozx8wp6ybnect4ydrb

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Coco Chitty- King Charles   

Lover Come Back- City And Colour          

Ex’s & Oh’s- Elle King    

Show Me The Way- Penguin Prison   

Thank You- Nathaniel Rateliff And The Night Sweats   

Fashion- The Royal Concept

The Swan & the East- Tow’rs       

Sleeping At Night- Caught A Ghost       

The Things I Forgot- Owl Paws    

Flat Random Noise- Hurricane Dean     

Lady Percy- King Charles 

Calling Out- Penguin Prison    

Wasting Time- Nathaniel Rateliff And The Night Sweats  

Paranoia- Max Frost

No Sugar In My Coffee- Caught A Ghost   

The Fields- Owl Paws    

Don’t Fuck with My Money- Penguin Prison

We Are Grown- Meet Me in Orbit        

Circles- Tow’rs   

Caught in a Daze- Penguin Prison

Stranger – Midi Matilda    

Nice and Slow- Max Frost

If I Had a Dollar- Samantha Crain  

 

 

 

 

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Penguin Prison- “Just a little more, cause it never gets old”: Mezzanine (Feb 10, 2016)

Mezzanine, San Francisco
Written by Erica Andreozzi

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Penguin Prison, formerly recognized as a solo act by the Brooklyn-based DJ, producer and electronic artist, Chris Glover, had us all in shock when he graced stage the stage last Wednesday with a FULL ROCK BAND. In fact, I initially wasn’t even planning to go, as I typically don’t seek out electronic music (unless strictly instrumental), and I often shy away from the DJ/club scene. However, I had a strong feeling deep in my gut that I needed to go to this show, and THANK GOD I DID. I was lucky to have snagged a last minute ticket from Craigslist, as the show was completely SOLD OUT – and now I see why. Kicking off the set with the radio hit and obvious album standout, Calling Out, Chris had the ENTIRE CROWD moving with crazy cadence, losing complete control and bobbing up an down like bobble-heads. I recall sharing a huge grin with the woman standing next to me, as if we had a mutual understanding that the rest of the show was gonna be pure ecstasy (and it WAS). The funky guitar riffs and drum beats from the new album (Lost in New York) were suddenly BROUGHT TO LIFE and AMPLIFIED by the three musicians (drummer, bassist, and keyboardist) that accompanied Chris on stage that night, and the sound was HUGE (think MGMT and Passion Pit). It was almost as if this backing musicianship liberated Chris to shred more of his guitar and challenge more of his vocals. His impressive howls, yelps, and high-pitched pipes (we’re talking Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie level) were mad impressive, and I definitely dropped jaws as I got “lost in New York” and in the Funkytown of 80’s synth-pop. 🙂

(See below for more details and videos from the show)

Show Me the Way is my CURRENT THEME SONG. Hands down favorite.

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Try to Lose was nice gem to follow the crowd-pleasing opener, Calling Out, which I did not get on video because I was too busy bouncing up and down like a bobble-head.

Next up was Never Gets Old, one of my Penguin Prison favorites! “Gimme just a little more cause it (this song) never gets old!” (I also love that the music video for this one showcases Chris’ 80-year-old grandfather spinning some beats. A must see!)


“Caught in a daze…I can’t escape.”

 

Loved his howls in this one! Such an unexpected treat!
Siiiiiiiick mashup of Lionel Richie‘s sexy single. Surely kept us dancing ALL NIGHT LONG.
Show Me the Way is definitely new THEME SONG and go-to energy boost. This Penguin Prison hit is bound to spur on endless DANCING ECSTASY and a “NEVER GONNA END” mentality. My screams and yelps in the background definitely indicate the mood. It’s gonna be the title track of my next playlist for sure!
A f*cking KILLER encore!