Song of the Day: Newski – Chemicals

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Today we take a break from our usual M.O. around this time of year of posting SXSW previews and instead take a moment to look at an artist who’ll be heading to Toronto later this month, once SouthBy’s in our rearview mirror.

Wisconsin’s Newski will soon be hitting the road in advance of his upcoming new album Friend Rock, which sees him collaborating with members of The Verve Pipe, Guster and Nada Surf, among others. Unsurprisingly, Newski’s friends help to bring a ’90s alternative sound to Friend Rock, as evidenced by tracks like lead single “Chemicals” featuring vocals from Nada Surf’s Matthew Caws.

Newski will be playing a handful of Ontario dates in late March/early April. All dates below:
03.30 – HAMILTON, ON @ Mill’s Hardware
03.31 – TORONTO, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern
04.01 – ELORA, ON @ Elora Brewing Co
04.02 – BARRIE, ON @ Queens Hotel

SXSW Song of the Day: Steam Down – Overcome

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It’s likely no mistake that both of Steam Down‘s official SXSW showcases are scheduled to start at 1:00am – not only does the London jazz/hip hop collective make the kind of music that will surely keep the party going well into the wee hours, but they also seem like they’d be a hard act to follow, so might as well have them close out the venues each night.

Check out the video below for Steam Down’s latest single “Overcome” featuring TINYMAN, Germane Marvel, and Afronaut Zu.

Steam Down play Sellar’s Underground on March 16 at 1:00am and The British Music Embassy @ The Courtyard on March 18 at 1:00am.

SXSW Song of the Day: Soul Glo – Gold Chain Punk (whogonbeatmyass?)

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Metal and hardcore have not really had the biggest presence at SXSW in recent years, but luckily for those who like things on the heavier end of the musical spectrum, there’s still a few such acts that manage to make their way onto the lineup each year.

One of those acts that I’m looking forward to seeing in action at this year’s SouthBy is Philadephia’s Soul Glo. The band will be heading to Austin in support of their latest release, last year’s Diaspora Problems. Check out the video below for the album’s lead track “Gold Chain Punk (whogonbeatmyass?)”

Soul Glo plays Elysium on March 18 at 10:00pm.

SXSW Song of the Day- The Chairs – Rollin’ On

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SXSW 2021 was a strange one – right in the middle of a pandemic, all acts were asked to deliver a virtual concert for SXSW attendees to view at home. As odd as that sounds, several bands got extremely creative and left a real mark on the viewers. Norway and Taiwan in particular come to mind, with all the bands from those countries taking a problem and creating an opportunity.

One of the more memorable showcases came from Taiwanese band The Chairs. The trio put together a great set of music in what I can only describe as an indoor fishing warehouse. The setting was unique and the band’s blend of low-fi/tweeish music featuring Mandarin, English, Hokkien and Japanese really left a mark.

Luckily, the band finally makes their way to Austin this year. I’m excited to see what they bring.

The Chairs play Elysium on March 14 at 9:00pm.