Max Bien Kahn is a songwriter and musician based in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he is the bandleader and creative force behind Max & the Martians. In the spirit of his adopted home city, his resume is bursting with musical partnerships: he has spent the last decade playing full-time with Tuba Skinny, a band built around the musical traditions of New Orleans, working as a studio session player and back-up musician, and collaborating with songwriters like Esther Rose, Duff Thompson, and Steph Green. Max also contributed to the landmark Mashed Potato Record compilations, a collection of NOLA’s most exciting artists and a testament to the city’s continued musical vitality.

Born and raised in Kettering, OH, Heaney grew up tending gardens, apple orchards and hikes with his mother, half brothers and would eventually find his way to music with early piano lessons. Heaney attended the Pitchfork festival and saw artists such as Flying Locust which would spark an interest in the sampling side of his music and the rest is history! With a new single and record coming out this summer, Heaney has worked with folks such as Drugdealer, Sylvie, Pearl and the Oysters and Kate Bollinger so we know he’s been in wonderful company sculpting his own music and perfecting his craft.

Dishel was born in the Soviet Union before relocating to New York with his family when he was only two. Throughout the 80’s and 90’s Dishel was influenced by MTV and the likes of Motley Crue, Poison and the rest of the glam metal scene in his early years before branching into Culture Club, Prince, Cyndi Lauper and Duran Duran as his musical horizons began to expand. Eventually meeting Adam, Kimya and would eventually be The Moldy Peaches, it was set that Dishel would spend his life pursuing music and art. In more recent years Dishel is releasing music under Only Son and can be found touring with The Moldy Peaches on their highly anticipated reunion tour this year!

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Shall is influenced by some of the most colorful forms of art from the last 30 years - Pee Wee Herman, Mad TV, The Simpsons, the late Shel Silverstein just to name a few. He would soon become an illustrator himself working for the likes of the Black Keys, Kurt Vile, Diarrhea Planet and so many other amazing folks. In this interview we explore Shall’s youth growing up with his sister in Philly, becoming fascinated with music and art, becoming the art director at Easy Eye Sound and much much more!

NYC-based artist Breanna Barbara’s second album ‘Nothin’ But Time’ (out November 11 on Fuzz Club) is a raw and immersive trip through the sounds of psychedelic rock and blues, anchored by her forceful vocals and unforgettable songwriting. Sporting a sound that feels classic and of-the-moment at the same time, ‘Nothin’ But Time’ sees Barbara plumb new emotional depths as she bursts through every sonic barrier put in her way. Seeking to create mind-expanding music that’s also firmly rooted in the real, ‘Nothin’ But Time’ reflects Barbara’s headlong journey into the world of psychedelic pop by way of hard-driving blues-rock, warped theremin tones and celestial synths. ‘Nothin’ But Time’ arrives following Breanna’s 2016 debut ‘Mirage Dreams’, a trio of critically acclaimed singles (most recently ‘New Moon’) and a number of collaborations with legendary trip-hop vanguard Tricky. As well as joining his US touring band as lead female vocalist, Barbara also did an official rework of his 'When We Die' track and featured on the 2021 Lonely Guest album, ‘False Idols’. Recorded at Nashville’s Bomb Shelter studio with Andrija Tokic (Alabama Shakes, Hurray For The Riff Raff), the album features musical contributions from Jack Lawrence (The Dead Weather), Tall Juan, Derry DeBorja (Jason Isbell), and Champagne Superchillin’s Ben Trimble and Charles Garmendia.

(From Barabar’s Bandcamp)

Born and raised in Grimsby shortly after WW2, Allenby was influenced early on by church music from Church of the Nazarene and his mother singing around the house. Eventually Allenby heard the Beatles and the Stones like most kids during that time and the rest is history! He formed his first band the Ranting Lands before meeting his future bandmates to start Forest and would quickly go on to write and record two wonderful albums of original, exciting material. In this interview we explore Allenby’s past, future and present, Forest and the legacy they left behind, the late John Peel, what he’s currently working on and so much more!

Oliver Klaus is an Eastern Townships based band that formed in 1969 and are considered to be an early “indie band” by its members. In this interview Maurice Singfield (Capt. Moze) engages our readers by exploring his early youth when he first became aware of music by The Beatles like most kids of that generation did as well as his early band Les Notables prior to Oliver Klaus. Singfield also speaks on the early days of the band, writing and recording their groundbreaking debut LP and much much more!

Barbara met Steve Brown, alias Fred Bloggs at Bristol University in the 1970s. She was singing at a local Folk and Blues club when he invited her to join his Top 40/original-song band. The foundation members in the picture above are Steve on guitars and keyboards, Barbara on vocals and percussion, Geraint (Taffy) Jenkins on drums, Big John Howe on bass, and various other musicians symbolized by the other tall guy at the back, John Boucher (he was the only one we knew who owned a suit). Shortly afterward, Bristol entertainer Fred Wedlock helped them get a spot on an HTV television program which led to many engagements in the West Country. They were invited to work at long-term engagements at U.S. Military bases in Europe, including Rota naval base in southern Spain and several in the former W. Germany. They also traveled to Norway to play a winter season in a disco near Oslo. The line up of the band changed over the coming five years and included Bristol native Paul Anstey on bass, college lecturer Tony Alcock on saxophone, Huddersfield imports Mick Avery and Stan Thewlis (now known as Stan Rivera) from the jazz-rock band Skywhale on drums and sax/flute, and Bristol Old Vic Theatre carpenter Martin Norie on lead guitar. Paul, Stan and drummer Tony Orrell also played with pianist Tim Richards in the seminal Bristol jazz band Spirit Level.

Arts School graduate Alan Edwards not only joined us as drummer but contributed much art work and publicity to the band and designed our wooden music stands (like the old Glenn Miller Band type of thing). Several years of playing rock, country and disco music gave them a chance to get their chops together and by 1978 they were ready to record their first EP (remember those?) of original songs (click to listen). During this time, Barbara also appeared on a live BBC broadcast singing one of her original songs about the Clifton Suspension Bridge and was honing her instrumental skills. But by the late 1970s the individuals in the band were beginning to go their separate ways. Barbara briefly formed her own band with bass player Paul, flute player Stan, and drummer Tony Orell. This song, Soldier, is one that they performed at the Ashton Court festival in Bristol in 1978: Then came the Seldom Scene Band with friend and bass player Ruth King, guitarist John Sweet and "Ceilings" vocalist Trevor on drums (the band name was chosen by our manager who probably had no idea that there was already a quite famous American Bluegrass band with the same name). After another stint in Spain playing Bee Gees and original songs, they recorded a demo tape and then disbanded, leaving Barbara to sing with some of Bristol's jazz bands.

-(From The bands site)

Born and raised in the Netherlands, Christine and her family relocated to San Francisco at just the age of three and was surround by music at a very early age. Studying classical voice during her elementary years, Christine eventually began playing guitar and covering the likes of the late Elliott Smith and the rest is history! This month is very exciting for Christine as her new record “Soft Like An Apricot” releases this Friday the 26th! In this interview we explore Christine’s past, future and present, her formative influences, learning to play guitar and eventually writing her own songs, writing and recording process and much more.

West Sussex based folk duo Native Harrow consists of Devin Tuel and Stephen Harms. Both bring together a cosmic partnership that is both consistent in the vain of the greats of the day as well as their poetic justice to express themselves flawlessly! In this interview we explore both of their youths, early influences and what got them in the music, releases such as “Soroses”, “Happier Now”, and “Old Kind Of Magic” as well as what they’ve got cooking this summer.

Born and raised in Jamestown, NC, Rayborn is a North Carolina legend. Having started TLR almost 25 years ago, Rayborn has made happen some of the greatest album releases this generation has ever had the pleasure of witnessing with works from Steve Gunn, Wooden Wand, Sonic Youth, Bardo Pond, SBHOTM, Hush Arbors, Daniel Bachman and countless others. In this interview we explore Rayborn’s youth growing up, getting into music - seeing Pylon play with R.E.M in ‘89, moving to the Durham/Chapel Hill area before relocating back to Jamestown, starting TLR, what’s on the horizon for the label and its artists and much much more.

- http://threelobed.com/tlr/

Born in Inland Empire/San Bernardino County before relocating to Pomona to high school, Flores grew up on The Ramones and the New York Dolls in his formative years before expanded his musical horizons into the more folk/psychedelic realm with groups such as Mark Bolan’s Tyrannosaurus Rex and an early Lemmy Kilmister project called Sam Gopal. Flores eventually met his bandmates and in 2018 the first FGBB LP “Flower Pot” was released. With another record“Strength of Spring”, under their belt, the band had the opportunity to work with legends such as John Dwyer and Ty Segall. This summer the band will be paying a three weekend residency at Gold Diggers In LA!

Born and raised in Charlottesville, VA in the early before relocating to Salem, Perry was influenced by the likes of Johnny and June Carter and church music. But its inevitable that the guitar would find Perry as he is a true virtuoso of instrument and an extension of melodic prose that embodies the likes of Fahey, Basho and Glenn Jones. In this interview we explore Perry’s childhood growing up in Virginia, the element of water playing a huge role in his youth, the relevance of church music in his family, picking up the guitar, releasing records on label Feeding Tube Records as well as his most recent album “What Do You See Everyday?” and much more.

Born in Albany, GA, Pinkston was influenced by baseball and skateboarding in his early youth with the rise of the Tony Hawk epidemic and would eventually find his true love and passion, music. His father was a musician from the golden 70’s and got him into bands like Mott the Hoople and Faces before Pinkton found his way into the country side of things later on. Pinkton participated in a number of groups before meeting his bandmates and eventually forming The Pinkstones in Athens, GA. The band released their 2021 debut “Introduction” and most recently their highly anticipated summer follow up “You Know Who”. In this interview we explore Pinkston’s youth and formative years, getting into country music, forming The Pink Stones, skateboarding, releasing a new record and much more!

Tennessee based rock group Faux Ferocious have been on the scene for years. Having participated in the legendary Nashville scene that consisted of the Infinity Cat family from back in the day, Faux Ferocious are the true underdogs and in this interview we speak to the band’s frontman Terry Kane about growing up in the south, meeting his fellow bandmates, bouncing from Knoxville to Nashville, recording for Infinity Cat, becoming close to the Pilot Light’s Jason Boardman and their most recent record “Pretty Groovy”.

KESMAR’s Always Chasing Rainbows is a bold and inviting new step for Sydney-based musician Nathan Hawes, showcasing an evolution in sound and songwriting that comes with immense personal growth as an artist. There’s a classic feel to these eight songs, with gorgeous melodies steeped in the soft-hued sounds of the 1970s—but Always Chasing Rainbows also sounds equally in step with Hawes’ contemporaries, cementing him as an exciting new voice in modern pop music. Always Chasing Rainbows is the latest move from the already-accomplished Hawes, who took up guitar at a young age and was drawn to music since he was able to sing. After he adopted KESMAR as his recording moniker, Hawes dove deep into the sphere of self- production, gaining tons of analog studio know-how while falling in love with the golden- hued pop-rock he was raised on. “I’m such a sponge—when I find something, I love to learn everything about it,” he says, and after linking up with Tobias Priddle (“He’s the one who taught me how to put the pieces of the puzzle together”) his first EP as KESMAR, Up to You, saw release in 2019. After releasing his dynamic second EP Forever Holiday in 2021, Hawes had planned on recording Always Chasing Rainbows with Priddle — but when Australia went under a second lockdown, he decided to take a different and more hands-on route.

“I’d stay up all night and read interviews of how classic albums were recorded, and then I’d take those ideas into the studio,” he recalls while discussing the road to self-producing the record. “I started getting closer to the sound that I’d heard in my head all these years.” An integral element of bringing those songs to life is Hawes’ analog approach to recording, as he wields musical technologies from the past to craft his utterly timeless sound. “My process of recording and recording on tape is something I practice almost daily at home,” he explains. “It’s a constant cycle — an incredibly simple way of recording that took me many months to learn — but I love the performance element of recording to tape. As I’m recording and playing all of the instruments myself, the tape machine is like a second person making me commit to my own ideas.” And the album title itself draws from that strong sense of commitment that drives Hawes in his musical pursuits. “It’s about that feeling of being constantly dissatisfied, in a good way,” he explains. “Artists are always chasing something else, and for me it’s that song that captures a feeling that I hope to have forever.” While drawing from a wide range of influences from Jeff Lynne, Steely Dan, and the Beach Boys to cultishly beloved Scottish acts like Chris Rainbow and Pilot, Hawes struck out to “make something that was very organic-sounding—very real and raw. In an era where music can sound so perfect, I wanted to make everything sound as imperfect as I could.”

Picking up where Forever Holiday’s warm, impeccably produced tunes left off, Always Chasing Rainbows draws the listener in immediately with a heavenly opening title track featuring vocals from Flore Beneguigui of French disco-pop band L’Imperatrice. Lead single “Out of Luck” features peppy percussion and a lovely, swinging gait, a gem of a song inspired by his girlfriend’s love of ‘60s pop, as well as the aftereffects of isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. “I hated the idea of writing a COVID song, but it just came out,” he explains while talking about the song’s thematic center. “I loved the repetitiveness of the day, but I missed playing shows. I was putting off the things I love because I was waking up later.” As the song takes its final turn, the major-key ending comes to represent, in his words, “Me coming out of everything and realizing it’s all gonna be okay.” “Day by Day” shimmers with a disco-fied touch, its sparkling sound serving as the perfect compliment to the contemplative lyrics. “It’s a break-up song where I’m telling myself I’m gonna be fine,” he explains. “When someone leaves your life, it can be somewhat traumatic to the point where you can forget that you’ll end up being fine.” Then there’s the subtly funky “Is It You I Miss,” adorned with the type of sunny harmonies so key to Hawes’ musical touchstones. “When you listen to so much music from a certain era, it bleeds into your subconscious and your songwriting,” he states while talking about the song’s sound.

“It’s the most true and honest music that I’ve made, because it’s been just me,” Hawes continues while discussing the overall aim of Always Chasing Rainbows, as well as how excited he is for his thrilling new direction to reach the general public. “I wanted to get the best out of me as an artist. Anyone who knows me knows that I’ve wanted to make this sort of music for a long time, and I can’t wait for them to hear it.”

Seth Kauffman creates Floating Action albums; writes, produces, engineers, plays all the instruments. Purposefully dodgesworldly success in pursuit of musical purity- has released 8 albums since 2005. Currently works in the studio and tours with 'dudes who get it' like Jim James, & Dan Auerbach. Has played on albums by Lana Del Rey, Jim James, Ray Lamontagne and Angel Olsen. In this interview we explore Kauffman’s youth growing up in North Carolina on classical music, listening to the likes of Sam Cooke and Robert Johnson, participating in groups in college, forming Floating Action and his most recent project, Dream Sitch, with Michael Nay of Cotton Jones.

Born and raised in Columbus, OH, Durzo grew up with a very typical childhood for that time, but his life forever changed when he heard the likes of Johnny and the Hurricanes’ “Red River Rock” and Jan and Dean’s “Baby Talk” on the radio. He immediately had to be in a band and hasn’t looked back! Prior to going the Strongbow guys he participated in bands such as Johnny and the Rebels and St. John’s Mod. Durzo would eventually join Strongbow in ‘73, performing on the group’s only album that was released in ‘75 and would play with them until that following year before the group disbanded. Over the years Durzo has played with the likes of The Muff Bros, Money, Slamm, Roi Blu, Little Thugs and the great JD Blackfoot, just to name a few. In this interview we explore Durzo’s youth growing up in one of the most rocking’ states in the whole country - Ohio, playing in early garage rock outfits, joining Strongbow and recorded the band’s lone LP and much more!

Born in Northwestern, Pennsylvania before eventually settling in Santa Barbara, California, Munson had a west coast life growing up and would soon pick up the guitar at the age of nine. Once The Beatles hit the scene, it was on. He was heavily influenced by the likes of The Hollies, Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young as his music horizons expanded and at the age of thirteen he was in his first band. He participated in a few different psych outfits throughout the 60’s before meeting his longtime friend and bandmate Bill Cooley. Together the two released the cult classic “In Debt”. Throughout the 70s, Munson would go on to release more wonderful works as well as harnessing and mastering his craft throughout the years. In this interview we explore Munson’s youth spending his formative years in Santa Barbara, playing in local psych outfits, meeting Bill Cooley, writing and recording a wonderful body of work throughout the years and much more!