New album from Vast Robot Armies

AT the tail-end of 2013, Vast Robot Armies was a solo project releasing its first album - but things have kind of snowballed since then.

Canadian Jason Thomson - who started VRA after more than a decade as part of Sometimes Why - got in touch with RealSoundsOK to tell us the story behind forthcoming release Little Creatures.

He said: "I had just released my debut album Goodnight Myopia. It had been a project born out of my interest in creating a record as a one-man band. Pleased with the end result, I still felt as though it was missing something.

"About two weeks after its release, a friend of mine reached out with a link to a band he had been listening to called Sundiver. After taking a listen to their EP, I knew I had found my sonic allies - I knew I wanted to make music with them.

"During the next couple of weeks there was a spike in interest in my record, but one particular action caught my eye. It was a post from John Agee of Sundiver saying how much he was enjoying the new record. It was more than a coincidence and I decided to contact him. I eventually gained the courage to approach him about the possibility of collaborating. He loved the idea and suggested that his guitarist also get involved.

"They travelled to Toronto to meet for the firs time and in October I made the trip down to Kansas City. Two days later, we drove up to Chicago to rehearse and record the album."

Everything New Is Old Again and Foxtrot are the first two singles from the album, which will be released on March 3rd.

For more info, visit facebook.com/VastRobotArmies

Doug and Christine Q&A

Your names:   

Doug and Christine Cochran.

Where are you from?  

Kansas City, Missouri, US.

Name of band:

We have a couple of projects. Doug and Christine is our acoustic arrangement. Furtherest is our most recent full band project.

Who else is in your band?

In the acoustic arrangement, it is just us. Furtherest includes Doug on guitar and keyboard, Christine on vocals and keyboard, Drew Burasco on drums, Tammy Gifford on keyboard, guitar, and vocals, and Melissa Hile on bass and cello.

How would you describe yourselves and your music?   

We would like to think that our music captures a variety of styles. We try to take the approach that every song is unique and different.

As to describing ourselves, we have both loved music all our lives and enjoy sharing that with people.

Who are your main influences musically?  

Doug: John, Jimi, Jimmy, and Mozart.  

Christine: Karen Carpenter, Stevie Nicks, Pavarotti, John Lennon, and Janis Joplin.

What do you hope to achieve in music?  

To paint a picture and bring emotion. Isn’t that what art is? 

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?  

Doug: Working with Christine.  

Christine: Listening to our first completed song. It’s like having a child. When it’s finished and you see it for the first time, nothing compares.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?  

Doug: I don’t want to forget any of the musical moments. Even the brain farts up on stage.   

Christine: The only incident I would really like to put behind me was my first diva temper tantrum on stage.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?  

See The Sound – Music is an art, like painting or any other art form. It was a turning point because we laid the base recordings in our home studio. With the digital age, you are able to actually “see the sound". We started out in the age of cassette tapes.

Where can we listen to it? 

http://www.reverbnation.com/dougandchristine

Free EPK from ReverbNation.com

Where can we find out more about your music? 

http://www.facebook.com/dougandchristine

http://www.reverbnation.com/dougandchristine

http://www.soundcloud.com/dougandchristine

http://dougandchristine.plekc.com

Anything else you’d like to say about your music that I forgot to ask?

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to reach out across the pond. Safe travels.

New video from Feel Bad Hit Of The Winter

THE Feel Bad Hit Of The Winter have released their first video for the track Mind The Monsters, from their self-titled debut EP.

And you can download the six-track EP by the Kansas City post-punk outfit from thefeelbadhitofthewinter.bandcamp.com

For more on band, visit facebook.com/feelbadhitofthewinter

Debut EP from Cairoglyphs

CAIROGLYPHS have released debut EP The Veil on Russian Winter Records.

It is the electronic brainchild of Kansas City based hip-hop artist/producer Ryan Forest and features "retro-futuristic soundscapes underlined by a dark introspective narrative".

You can have a listen to the EP below and visit cairoglyphs.bandcamp.com for more.

Prevrat Q&A

Your name: 

Prevrat aka Ric Gordon.

Where are you from? 

Kansas City, Missouri, USA.

Name of band:

Prevrat.

Who else is in your band? 

Just me.

How would you describe yourself? 

I blend influences from electronic, post-punk and new wave into music ranging from catchy synthpop..., to indie rock.

Who are your main influences musically? 

Velvet Underground, The Jam, XTC, Psychedelic Furs, Ultravox, The Clash

What do you hope to achieve in music? 

Just hope to continue to get my music out to a wider audience.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why? 

The highlight so far has been the reception to my sophomore album Symbols that was released April 9th. It has been featured on over 30 blogs and the list is growing.  The biggest blog so far has been Decoder. That is all very cool.

And what’s the moment you want to forget? 

I don't remember.

If you were asked to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why? 

That's really hard as my music has two distinct sides. On the electronic side it would be With Our Eyes Closed and on the guitar side it would be I You Two.

Where can we listen to it? 

You can stream my album "Symbols" at: http://prevrat.bandcamp.com. You can download the album for Name Your Price. Put in 0 to download for free.

Where can we find out more about your music? 

Besides the Bandcamp link above, you can find out more at http://facebook.com/prevrat and at my label http://russianwinterrecords.com.

Anything else you’d like to say about your band that I forgot to ask? 

Just that I hope your readers enjoy my music and a big thanks to you for give me this plug.