Silken-voiced siren Janita releases her latest single recalling passions of true love called simply, I Do.
This lovely number arrives on the heels of her triumphant October 2019 single release, Bliss I Once Had This, which garnered national TV, press, and media in the United States and in her native Finland. This new single recalls the passions of true love, and will be released on February 14th, 2020 (Valentine’s Day).
“I have a restless soul, an innate curiosity which pushes me to learn, and to change,” says Janita. “Uncharted territory is terribly exciting for me. I often feel like I’m on the edge of something new, even with those I’ve loved for years and years. I Do is about the renewal of one’s love for someone––love being the most thrilling of all uncharted territories––and a renewal of one’s commitment to exploring all the corners of the map of that relationship.”
I Do is an anthem of clarity and hope after the battles have been fought and lessons learnt; about opening your heart to the possibility of something better. It is all advice we can learn from and evolve as empathetic humans. What a Valentine.
Photo: Alice Teeple
Look around us, dear…It’s a new frontier
Janita stunned the audience during her last performance at Mercury Lounge, with her rich, emotional voice and commanding stage presence. At that show, she played an array of her past work and introduced some of the new songs from her upcoming album, Here Be Dragons.
Janita’s striking gender-bending look and mesmerizing ice blue eyes bring to mind Annie Lennox and Bowie’s Thin White Duke-era guise; her voice is pure lilting compassion. I Do is unapologetically full of heart: intelligent, thoughtful pop for those who have loved, lost, and are ready to get back in the saddle.
Janita’s new album, Here Be Dragons, arrives May 1st, 2020. “Here be dragons” means dangerous or unexplored territories, in imitation of a medieval practice of putting illustrations of dragons, sea monsters, and other mythological creatures on uncharted areas of maps where potential dangers were thought to exist. For those about to slay the next proverbial dragon, Janita salutes you with this soundtrack, released through independent label ECR Music Group.
Photo: Alice Teeple
Janita will perform at the legendary Rockwood Music Hall on the eve of the album’s release, April 30th. This is not to be missed.
Eve Minor manifests her mirror soul in a bizarrely intriguing surrealist art piece, Who Are You? released on 02/02/2020.
Who Are You? is the second single (after Lazarus) released from her upcoming experimental post-punk record 3:33 (to be released 03/03/2020). It is a concept album of visual/performance art. The album is currently available for pre order on Bandcamp.
Who Are You?
Eve Minor is ready to change the game and start a musical revolution. After a few particularly ugly encounters with predatory producers, Minor got fed up with the nonsense of the pop music industry and vicious cycles of social media, taking matters into her own hands. She enjoys the freedom of openly expressing herself in an honest, creative way, and has zero patience for the PR machine of branding, artificiality, or personality control. In fact, she’s actively fighting it.
Minor made headlines for her recent PASTE Magazine performance, where she appeared in a mesh mask and a dress made of a garbage bag to protest the abusive treatment from record producers and the disposable nature of pop music. She was accompanied by a trans interpretive dancer, a looming figure in a monk cowl, and her faithful companion “Jack,” a skeleton operating her laptop.
Minor is fiercely independent and proficient in a vast array of instruments. She uses her skills to push boundaries and blur lines between artistic mediums by relentlessly researching, tinkering, and sonically carving out her unique sound that her fans have termed “screwgaze.” Minor is authentic punk through and through; a true survivor and hellraiser. Minor is having fun with the freedom of complete artistic control, taking her own portraits, designing her own albums, and directing her own videos.
Eve Minor
The result is fascinating. In 3:33, Eve Minor turns the tables on the concept of trap by mixing it with neoclassical, industrial, and pop nuances; topped off by her bluesy, soulful voice. Described as “experimental and cinematic with a hint of horror” by Analogue Trash, Minor sprinkles her beats with unusual elements: hertz tones, whispering voices, Morse code, screaming, and numerology, for starters.
“3:33 is an aural collage blurring the lines of what you know – and what you think you know,” says Minor.
Featuring demons and night creatures, the video is a full third-eye transmission in an attempt to call out her missing half from the ether. According to Eve Minor, she has felt a presence pulling towards her for the past 5 months, which is where 3:33 comes from.
Growing up in New Jersey, singer Emily Claman was always visiting “the city,” as we call it, doing everything from visiting family to dancing at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. Now that she lives downtown and hustles all over the city to perform, she’s happy to call New York City home. Besides singing and songwriting, Emily is a dancer, dance teacher, and a fitness instructor at Pure Barre. We chatted about her influences, her support system and what’s next!
Photo by Zack Perl/The Bacyard
Downtown: How has New York City influenced your music?
Emily Claman: Damn. How hasn’t NYC inspired my music!? This city is so over stimulating and plays a huge role in relationships, memory making and everyday life that it would be impossible not to have presence in my music. NYC is the backdrop of my life. Plus I do a lot of writing on the subway…
Downtown: Who inspires you musically?
EC: This is always the hardest question. Honestly, I am inspired by so, so, so many artists across so many genres that it’s so hard to narrow down. BUT to name a few, SZA, Amy Winehouse, Sam Cooke, Bruno Mars, Stevie Wonder, Ariana Grande, Beyonce, H.E.R, Carol King, Travis Scott, Jay Z – I could go on all day…
Downtown: What has response to your music been like?
EC: It has been so positive – I am beyond grateful. The most common response I get is that people are connecting to my music on a very personal level, and it is so beautiful and exciting and deeply overwhelming (in the best way possible) to hear that. Certain songs can get you through your darkest times, your most confusing times, your greatest times, and everything in between, and I’m honored to be able to start to provide music for people to connect to and use on their own personal journeys.
Photo by Zack Perl/The Bacyard
Downtown: How do you combine dance and fitness with your music?
EC: As a dancer, I know the feeling of when you connect to a song in such a deep way that you are compelled to physically move to it and connect to it on that deeper level. When I’m writing or in the studio I am very aware of what FEELS right both viscerally and sonically. I have to be able to see movement and tap into the part of my DNA that turns to movement first. Also, I tend to move around A LOT during my live shows, dancing, jumping and running around, so I definitely have to stay on top of my fitness game in order to be able to do all that and sing at the same time and not sound crazy and out of breath.
Downtown: Where would you love to perform?
EC: I would LOVE to perform at Bowery Ballroom, Gramercy Theater, Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn Steel, MSG and so many more awesome venues, but follow me at @emclaymusic, I’ll be posting about my upcoming live shows there soon!
Downtown: What’s your pre-show routine?
EC: Pre-show routine usually consists of listening and dancing to a lot of rap music, Ariana Grande & Beyonce with my closest friends. (I have a go to Preshow playlist) I always drink a bunch of Throat Coat tea and I usually eat a protein bar about an hour before my show. Before I head to the venue, I sing one of the songs from the set to my friends and then JAM OUT to my favorite Trombone Shorty song.
Downtown: What’s your postshow routine?
EC: I try to talk to as many people as possible after the show. Connecting and chatting with the people that come to my shows is one of my most favorite things ever. Then it’s just hanging with friends, family, water, tequila, and dancing, usually followed by a late night burger or pizza run. Occasionally, it’s just me going home and passing out, it really depends on the night.
Photo by Zack Perl/The Bacyard
SPEED ROUND
Downtown: Neighborhood
EC: Fidi but I love spending time anywhere below 14th Street! (Although I’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for the UWS)
EC: NYC has some of the best live music spots in the world it’s so hard to pick, but there really is nothing quite like seeing an epic show at The Garden. Like damn, chills every time.
Photo by Zack Perl/The Bacyard
You can check out Emily’s single “Gone” on Spotify, Apple Music or wherever you listen and watch the music video below. Be sure to follow Emily on Instagram @emclaymusic to stay up to date with shows, releases, and more. She’s planning on releasing her first EP in Spring 2019.
A Chicago native who studied music at the University of Southern California, Ross Golan has worked with many of music’s biggest artists. His credits include Maroon 5, Justin Bieber, Nicki Minaj, Michael Bublé, Keith Urban, One Direction, Idina Menzel, and Linkin Park. Ross has also had multiple record deals as an artist, and is the writer of Ovation Award-winning musical The Wrong Man, which will soon be recorded and released by Interscope Records.
Those credits would be enough for most artists, but Ross is also the host of the And The Writer Is podcast. Launched in January, And The Writer Is — as produced by fellow hitmaker Joe London (Thomas Rhett, Jason Derulo, Pitbull) — features exclusive conversations with other notable songwriters. The first episode, for example, featured Benny Blanco, as known for his work on Ed Sheeran’s “Don’t,” Ke$ha’s “Tik Tok,” Maroon 5’s “Moves Like Jagger” and Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream.” In turn, listeners get to hear great creative minds talking shop and plenty more.
How did you wind up in the co-writing game? When did you realize it exists?
Ross Golan: There are two kinds of songwriters — the ones that were artists and the ones that want to be artists. Both Joe and I were in bands. We had been collaborating with other musicians for years but you get in the game when someone introduces you to the game. For me, it was Evan Bogart and Ryan Tedder. Evan, who wrote “SOS” for Rihanna and “Halo” for Beyoncé, was my booking agent and Ryan, lead singer of OneRepublic, and I played shows around L.A. While I was handing out CDs at shows one club at a time, their songs were getting played around the world. Songs tour faster.
What was your first cut that had you excited?
RG: I co-wrote a song called “Here Comes Trouble” for the band Honor Society. They were opening for the Jonas Brothers during their prime arena days. They named their headlining tour Here Comes Trouble. That was like getting called up to the pros from the minors and pinch hitting a single. In itself, it didn’t move the needle much. But it assured me that with enough at bats, I might be able to hit one out.
When it comes to songwriting, do you treat it like a day job where you can do it anytime? Or do you need to feel inspired?
RG: Amateurs look for inspiration. If you’re an artist, you can do whatever you want. But if you want to be a professional writer, act like one.
RG: Depends on the month. Anywhere from one to twenty. But never zero.
What was the impetus for this podcast? Has there been a highlight for you so far?
RG: I have a book that everyone signs at the end of a session. It’s basically my yearbook. It has signatures from Bon Jovi to Michael Buble and Lamont Dozier to Max Martin. These people are fascinating. What are the odds that a kid from the north suburbs of Chicago would end up in a room with them? I suppose that’s the question I’m trying to answer. So, in that sense, all of the interviews are highlights.
Podcast aside, what’s coming up for you career-wise?
RG: The Wrong Man, my musical, signed to Interscope at the end of last year. We’ll be recording it this summer. That’s a 15-year project that keeps on ticking.
When not busy with music, how do you like to spend your free time?
RG: I’m a husband. I have a pug. I play ice hockey and golf. I eat. I drink. I feel like there’s a concept in all that.
The Modern Electric And Old Man Canyon Summer 2014 Tour
Two up-and-coming bands are coming to Lower Manhattan’s Mercury Lounge on June 24.
The Modern Electric will open the show, a four-man cinematic pop band from Cleveland. Critics rave about their captivating melodies, moving acoustic sounds, and catchy hooks. The Modern Electric likes to compare their music to that of The Killers, Delta Spirit, and Spoon.
Old Man Canyon will then take the stage. They have been featured on shows like MTV’s Awkward, Showtime’s Shameless and USA’s series Suits airing on Bravo Canada. Old Man Canyon’s sound can be described as indie folk, with acoustic chords and vocal tones comparable to that of Bon Iver or Mumford and Sons. Front man Jett Pace is hailed for his hearty performances and introspective lyrical themes. The band is certainly not one to miss.
When: Tues., 6/24 Where: Mercury Lounge. 217 E Houston St. New York, NY, 10002 Who: 21 and older only
Visit the event page at Mercury Lounge’s website for more details.
