New Music Musings

Happy Saturday and welcome to my weekly look at newly released music. Unless noted otherwise, picks are from albums that appeared yesterday (June 14).

Been Stellar/Pumpkin

Kicking us off today are New York-based indie rock group Been Stellar who have been around since 2017. According to this story in Alternative Press, the members of the five piece – Skyler Knapp (guitar), Nando Dale (guitar), Sam Slocum (vocals), Nico Brunstein (bass) and Laila Wayans (drums) – met at New York University. They released their eponymous debut EP in August 2022. Off their first full-length album Scream from New York, NY, which will drop on June 21, here’s Pumpkin, credited to all members of the band.

Widespread Panic/Cosmic Confidante

Widespread Panic are a rock band from Athens, Ga. From their website: Formed by vocalist/guitarist John Bell, bassist Dave Schools and late lead guitarist Michael Houser in the mid-1980s while the three attended the University of Georgia, over the next several years [the] band’s lineup expanded to include drummer Todd Nance, percussionist Domingo Ortiz, and keyboardist John Hermann. The current lineup now includes lead guitarist Jimmy Herring and drummer Duane Trucks. AllMusic describes them as a “neo-hippie jam band” playing a “rootsy brand of Southern rock informed by jazz and blues textures.” Their latest album, which is now available on vinyl, is titled Snake Oil King. Here’s the cool-sounding Cosmic Confidante.

Axel Rudi Pell/Darkest Hour

Axel Rudi Pell is a hard rock guitarist from Bochum, Germany. He started his career in now-defunct German heavy metal band Steeler who he joined in 1984. Four years later, Pell launched a solo career and released the first album under his name, Wild Obsession, in 1989. Fast-forward some 35 years to his latest studio release Risen Symbol. In addition to Pell (guitars), his band includes Johnny Gioeli (vocals), Ferdy Doernberg (keyboards), Volker Krawczak (bass) and Bobby Rondinelli (drums). Let’s listen to Darkest Hour written by Pell – heavy but melodic hard rock I find very accessible!

Oliver Wood/Little Worries

Oliver Wood is the guitarist of The Wood Brothers, a roots rock band he founded with his brother Chris Wood (upright bass) and multi-instrumentalist Jano Rix in 2004. To date, they have released nine studio albums. Prior to that, Wood was part of Tinsley Ellis’ touring lineup and headed his own band King Johnson who released six albums over a 12-year span. In May 2021, Wood’s debut solo album Always Smilin’ appeared. He’s now out with the second album under his name, Fat Cat Silhouette, produced by his bandmate Rix. Here’s Little Worries. I like the bare bones feel to this song.

Madeline Hawthorne/Night Ride

Madeline Hawthorne is a Montana-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. From her website: Obsessed with music since her childhood on the East Coast, Madeline planted roots in Bozeman, MT during college and never turned back. She honed her talents through countless backup and band gigs before going solo amid the Global Pandemic. Balancing Americana, roots, folk, and rock, she introduced herself on the 2021 LP, Boots…In between, she shared the stage with everyone from Jason Isbell, Lukas Nelson, Josh Turner, and Kip Moore to Sierra Hull, John Craigie, and Nathaniel Rateliff. From her second and latest album Tales From Late Nights & Long Drives, here’s Night Ride.

Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs/Angel of Mercy

Mike Campbell first gained prominence as a founding member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and co-wrote many of their hits with Petty, including Refugee, Here Comes My Girl, You Got Lucky and Runnin’ Down a Dream. In the early 2000s, Campbell founded The Dirty Knobs as a side project. After his touring gig with Fleetwood Mac had ended in 2019, he focused on his own group. Their debut Wreckless Abandon, which I reviewed here, appeared in November 2020. For their March 2022 sophomore release External Combustion they adopted the name Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs. Angel of Mercy is from their third and current album Vagabonds, Virgins & Misfits. You could easily picture the song on a Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers album – love it!

Sources: Wikipedia; Alternative Press; AllMusic; Widespread Panic website; Axel Rudi Pell website; Madeline Hawthorne website; YouTube; Spotify