The Witzard

Holy Ride are a New York -based Indie Rock/Neo-Soul quartet, who formed while attending Columbia University in 2016. Consisting of vocalist/keyboard player Julian Ernest Wright , guitarist/bassist Caleb Oldham , second guitarist John Sudman , and drummer Mark Brathwaite , Holy Ride started playing dorm rooms, parties, and other collegiate functions, while three of it's four members were running a music blog called Rare Candy , as well as a small on-campus recording studio called CU Records . I guess, what initially drew me to Caleb Oldham 's cold-sent email was this line, in particular: "We sound like D'Angelo meets Mac DeMarco ," which they genuinely do! Holy Ride 's aptly-titled debut EP, Party Tricks , is a self-described Soul-Pop/Pop Rock -minded affair strongly influenced by Fleetwoood Mac & Prince ; although, I would also, liken their sound to something reminiscent of The Beach Boys , Chester French/D.A. Wallach, Childish Gambino 's "A...

Greetings, friends and fans! It's time for the second official The Witzard's Remix Challenge ; we're inviting producers and beat-makers—as well as emcees, singers, etc.—to tackle this instrumental track, "COMPANION PLAN," by New York quintet Cowboys & Frenchmen . Do your absolute best to flip this original Blues/Jazz composition into a new creation! "COMPANION PLAN" is currently available for FREE download for potential remixers and contest participants at C&F sax player Ethan Helm 's Bandcamp page. Remix submission deadline is Monday, April 30, 2018. Please send completed remixes to The Witzard at sharpcheddar856@gmail.com . For inspiration, feel free to ch-check out The Witzard 's comprehensive 2017 interview with Cowboys & Frenchmen 's baritone/alto sax players Owen Broder & Ethan Helm . Cowboys & Frenchmen 's latest album, Bluer Than You Think , is now available on Outside In Music . Happy remixing and g...

"Here's another excerpt from the Sulu & Excelsior visual album and what will probably be the next official music video we'll be releasing (we still have to shoot a set-up.) Enjoy this clip of "Misery Luv," which I directed and shot along with @jbsankara - This vid took some serious digging in the Super 8 crates of my pops, who is also featured in this video, as well as a slew of family," @suluandexcelsior wrote on his Instagram back on MARCH 31. I'll never forget, when I first met Sulu & Excelsior frontman Steve "Sulu" Mallorca back in Nov. 2016, he described his rather unique Hiphopfunkpunkmamboska blend of music as "Johnny Mathis meets Mos Def meets Stevie Wonder meets Nat King Cole" and it's stuck with me ever since! Sulu & Excelsior's instantly catchy, foot-stompin' debut Eddie Romero was entirely "Produced, Arranged, Composed & Performed by Steven E. Mallorca." Thanks to an introduction ...

"'System of a Gun" is basically about government corruption; I wrote the song with my girlfriend, who's also in the band, after reading the news. The song reflects today's politics and concerns—especially for the youth of multi-culturalism," London -based African-Spanish Rock "N" Roll revivalist Gutxi Bibang wrote within an exclusive statement sent to The Witzard . He then, went on to quote his own lyrics: "Little by little / Got to get away / A leader on the search to kill today / Dystopia over-runs the ocean / The sand ain't washing up / System on the gun / Gotta serve and obey / The truth only strays / Plague of the system [dysfunction] / Cannot sway / Explain to me 'cause I don't know / Just how could you be so cold." Bibang recorded "System of a Gun," and likely an entire album's-worth of material, along with his American girlfriend Tabatha Beu on bass and fellow London -based drummer Gary Lee ; ...

"Leading with dream-like panpipes floating over TEACHERS' signature Tribal percussion; "Mannequin In Heat" is a breezy cut that will transport the listener to warmer climates. Speaking on the track, experimental and innovative lead singer Ben Bronfman says: "This is one of those tunes that wrote itself, sometimes you struggle to find the right melody, sometimes it just comes through you and all you have to do is get out of the way. "Mannequin In Heat" is one of those tunes, just step aside and let it be. We got some Caribbean vibes mixed with Afro-polyrhythmic Pop that stays true to our leftist/Punky swagger! We do it for the love!" - TEACHERS Frontman Ben Bronfman "' [Ben] Bronfman first collaborated with [Kanye] West in 2010, when he flew out to Hawaii to work on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy . (You can hear a mangled sample of his voice weaving in and out of the mix on "MONSTER," plus a keyboard melody he contrib...

"[ "42" is] a song that's literally been in-the-making for over a decade. Wanted to flip this sample since '05 and I finally brought it to a producer and got the job done," Ukrainian-American rapper Your Old Droog , who was widely speculated to be Nas alias at first, recently told Complex upon the premier of his "42 (Forty Deuce)" music video. It was produced by Marco Polo and Droog himself, who together, somehow managed to expertly flip a sample of Nu Shooz 's 1984 Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart No.1, "I Can't Wait." "42" was proceeded by its frenzied @CLEOFUS -designed single artwork about two weeks prior, which featured Your Old Droog front and center in an Elmo costume surrounded by a bunch of eclectic New Yorkers , but now, along with his Jonah Schwartz -directed video, makes a lot more sense in retrospect. "It's about a special place that I really used to frequent back in the days. The vi...

Just mere hours after somewhat cryptically Tweeting, "BLUE CHIPS & BLUE CHIPS 2... RARE CHANDELIERS ON VINYL?" Action Bronson (aka Mr. BAKLAVA) premiered the first episode of his latest non-musical endeavor, F#ck, That's Delicious ; VICE 's newly-established online food network, Munchies has partnered up with the gourmet chef turned-rapper for a monthly updated web-series "dealing with the often rapped about dining habits of our favorite rapper, Action Bronson ." It was seemingly filmed during Bronson's string of New Zealand , South African, and Australian dates in support of Eminem 's recently wrapped Rapture Tour . What they've managed to capture within is Action Bronson 's New York homecoming from a world-wide tour that initially started back in January; while on his jet-setting journey (further detailed across Adventure Time ), he dove off the top of a giant sail boat/yacht, got seasick while amidst a gourmet dinner, jumped int...

It's almost a little hard to believe that the same guys who produced Action Bronson 's hard-hitting Blue Chips 1-2 also make Electro-Dance inspired Soft Rock in their free time. But I guess you could kinda consider Party Supplies' Pop -influenced beats crafted for Bronson as that seemingly grey area-fusing vehicle; Justin Nealis & Sean Mahon somehow convinced him to ferociously rap over John Mellencamp , Phil Collins, Tracy Chapman , "Tequila," Peter Gabriel , Guns "N" Roses, and plenty more note-worthy cats. Nealis recently compiled a list of his 25 favorite aka most influential albums, which includes everyone from Paul Simon to Raekwon . While it's been rumored for quite some time now, it seems as though Fool's Gold is finally planning a proper CD/LP re-issue of Party Supplies critically-acclaimed debut full-length, Tough Love later this summer. Tough Love 2 (as we'll refer to it from here on out) will likely include rece...

Action Bronson is currently hard at work recording his long-awaited major label debut for VICE Records , which is only a fragmented section of a huge multi-media company that's presently involved in world news, music, fashion, network TV, and now foodie culture. The offspring of an Albanian immigrant and Jewish New Yorker , Bronson was a former New York -area gourmet chef before he started rapping just about six years ago. Now, Action Bronson has teamed back up with newly-formed VICE MUNCHIES for what's poised to be a quasi-follow-up to their ill-fated series, VICE Eats ; F*ck, That's Delicious will debut online this May and intends to "capture Action's culinary adventures on his on-going world tour." MUNCHIES uploaded an all-too-brief trailer early Monday morning and judging by said trailer, episode 1 will likely highlight dining spots he discovered while on Eminem 's recent Rapture Tour through New Zealand , Australia, and South Africa . While it...

"I think [we're] probably the world's only Indo-Pak rap group - peace process never sounded so rowdy," @SwetShopBoys triumphantly Tweeted on the eve of their premier single release, "Benny Lava." It's former Das Racist member Himanshu Suri (Heems) new 2-man group with Pakistan by way of London rapper, Riz MC ; Heems on the other hand, is a successful New York -based rapper and entrepreneur of Indian descent. Swet Shop Boys decided to rhyme over a recycled 2011 Ryan Hemsworth beat, which takes it's name from a mondegreen, Internet video re-interpretation, that's aptly titled "Benny Lava." It's all firmly anchored by Heems' neck-snapping first four bars: "Yo, Himanshu with the pen, I'm killing it / The white man the villain, them deny them penicillin / Syphilis experiments, death to the Tuskegee men / Somewhere in New York they say death to the squeegee men." The companion Prashant Bhargava & Tanu...

The self-proclaimed "Greatest Band In Late Night," The Roots have really come a long way since busking for pocket change on South Philly street corners back in the late 1980's; now in their sixth year with Jimmy Fallon as his show changes hands from Late Night to The Tonight Show , the on-screen band has been augmented to include two horn players borrowed from The Dap-Kings . What initially started as a brief behind-the-scenes vignette, okayplayer in-house videographer Jake Remington ended up filming a 2-part mini-documentary. Part 1 effectively shadows ?uestlove , who'll soon appear as a crusty afro-corpse on Law & Order: SVU , as he goes through his pre-show rituals and morning routine before Fallon #970 ; Hashtag-savvy fans get an inside look into ?uestlove 's New York high-rise apartment, his coveted sneaker and T-shirt collection, his breakfast-scented cologne cabinet, boxing with a personal trainer, and 20 minutes of electric relaxation on the ...

"Got a new track with @BishopNehru called "You Stressin'" produced by us. Coming out on @MethodRecords ," English super-producers Disclosure Tweeted Tuesday evening along with a Soundcloud link; following a productive week full of collaborations with Q-Tip , Mary J. Blige, and an appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (Monday). Electro -brothers Guy & Howard Lawrence linked up with the 17-year-old New York rapper for their first recorded foray into Hip-Hop , aside from Slum Village -sampling album track "Grab Her!" BBC Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe debuted "You Stressin'" on his web-radio show Tuesday afternoon and an untagged version was re-upped to Bishop Nehru 's Soundcloud page soon thereafter. Disclosure 's production is without a doubt indebted to the late great J Dilla and honestly, it's a pretty solid Electro-Rap effort for the rising emcee-producer team; Bishop Nehru somehow teeters the line between...

Fool's Gold Records co-founder and sometimes club-ready DJ Nick Catchdubs recently took it upon himself to conjure up a Danny Brown/Sleigh Bells mash-up couplet, dubbed Brown Bells . It's in honor of the slightly odd pairing's 2 upcoming gigs at Terminal 5 (New York), November 22-23rd. While I'm not really the biggest mash-up champion, unless it's either Girl Talk of Danger Mouse , Catchdubs did it right; releasing a 2-track EP complete with cleverly-titled "Diggin' Demons" & "Grown Up Rivals," which sound more like a tried-and-true in-studio collaboration! Nick Catchdubs of course left in plenty of recognizable fragments from "Dip/Demons" (Diplo Remix) and "Grown Up/Bitter Rivals." When you consider Danny Brown 's guest-list of fairly unexpected collaborations on his recently-released OLD album (ie: Purity Ring , Charli XCX, BADBADNOTGOOD , etc.), an anthemic full-fledged Sleigh Bells team-up doesn...

When I hear the phrase "The Dough Roller," I almost instantly think of the chain of family-friendly breakfast-lunch-and-dinner restaurants that are littered up and down the Coastal Highway in Ocean City, Maryland where my friends and I go for bi-annual car shows nearly every May and October. While The Dough Rollers (emphasis on the extra "s") are the latest budding band to release a Blue Series 7-inch record on Jack White 's Nashville -based Third Man Records . Hailing from New York and fronted by Malcolm Ford , The Dough Rollers are somehow able to effortlessly forge a unique blend of revivalist Rock "N" Roll in the same vein as bands like The Black Keys , Hanni el Khatib, and Kings of Leon . Noisey , who premiered A-side "Little Lily" just last week quite fittingly described it as a "song [that] simultaneously kicks you in the face and makes you reconsider your life in college for not becoming a rockstar;" although a s...

"Fuck 1 Time" is quite arguably the most gripping, utterly revealing music video of 2012. It was filmed in the post-apocalyptic-looking world that is Lower East Side [New York] after Hurricane Sandy ; Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire 's face is dimly lit by whatever lighting Shane Annas and crew could scrounge together... flashlights, police car "cherry tops," mag lights, cell phones, etc. It's an eerily realistic clip that chronicles one of the toughest, most unifying natural disasters our nation as a whole has been through since Katrina (2005). The track's pulled from Mr. MFN eXquire 's guerrilla mixtape, The Man In The High Castle , which Universal has essentially pulled from the vast cyber-waves of The Internet . Sonically, he kinda sounds like a comic book/ WWE -loving mix between Biggie & ODB . Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire rolls with a crew of up-and-coming New York area rappers: Action Bronson , El-P, Danny Brown , Das Racist , Go...

It kinda seems like Weekend Money were added to the Das Racist/Union Transfer bill in the final hour" ... But man, they've gotta be the TIGHTEST rap crew I've never heard of! Ne$$ & Baghdaddy proceeded to [brutally] open the show and were followed up by fellow Greedhead labelmates: SAFE, Lakutis , and flamboyant rapper LE1F . Impose Magazine goes on to cleverly point out that this is NOT the same Ness that Diddy notoriously sent across the frozen Brooklyn Bridge to buy a cheesecake on Making The Band 2 . Weekend Money Ne$$ was born and raised in Philly and is now co-aligned with politically conscious Hip-Hop group, dead prez . Since immigrating 1/2 way across the world, DJ Baghdaddy has been able to learn/produce under the wing of seasoned Roots beatsmith, Hot Sugar . Ne$$ had a chance meeting with Baghdaddy @ a party; While he had never produced a Hip-Hop beat before, the 2 ended up vibing pretty well... melding together Hip-Hip & Electro att...

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Musicians have been releasing additional video content ("Bonus DVD's") along with their albums since the decline of the CD format - roughly since the early 2000's. I literally have a stack of 10-15 band DVD's in jewel cases down in my basement, but TV on the Radio have quite arguably executed the strongest DVD format-utilizing release. Nearly a year after it's original [digital] release, TV on the Radio have since decided to give Nine Types of Light a proper re-release. Now available on DVD for the first time, the film helps transform 11 lush, Experimental tracks into an intricate, yet completely "sound" video album. Nine Types of Light has since been nominated @ the upcoming Grammy's (2012) in the category of "Best Long Form Music Video." TV on the Radio commissioned various directors and friends to create clips for each of Nine Types of Light 's 11 tracks... an album which was then slightly re-arranged to form an hour-lon...