Put it in your ears: new music stuff from She Grins, Haunt, John Clifton
Plus, Rademacher remasters 'Heart Machine,' reissues trio of early EPs.
This newsletter wasn’t particularly intended to track new, local releases. That is to say, when I started the thing I didn’t anticipate A.) the vastness of the local scene B.) the rate at which the bands would be creating and releasing music.
But here we are, with another quick list of new (and upcoming releases) worth finding.
She Grins, ‘From the Shadows’
She Grins is part of the current generation (relatively speaking) of Fresno indie rock, which seems to be loosely congregating around the Great Room (venues are good catalysts for that type of thing).
If genres were a thing anymore (and unless you’re into something super niche, they really aren’t), She Grins would be a grunge band. I’m judging this off the couple of times I’ve seen them perform and by its debut album “From the Shadows,” which was released on Friday.
The eight tracks are full of punk-ish intent and riot grrrrl screaming, done in 2:30 snippets. But there are also darker, sludgier breakdowns and riffage (on the closing track “Fear” let’s say).
The album is available across platforms.
You can hear a song from the album tonight on Homegrown on NewRock104.1. The band also performs tonight at the Great Room. You may want to check for lineup changes.
Haunt, ‘Serenade’
“Serenade,” is the latest from Haunt, the N.W.O.T.H.M. project from Trevor Church. Released on Friday, the track is the first single from the band’s upcoming album “Dreamers,” which is slated for release on or around March 1.
Church is keen on merchandising, so there is an assortment of vinyl options on pre-sale, along with CD and cassette tapes. The band’s Paetron can get early access to the tracks, plus discounts and other stuff.
If “Serenade,” is the example, the album is what fans have come to expect from Church; dual (if not dueling) guitar-riff metal that somehow crosses eras. “Serenade” has some of progginess of early Judas Priest up until the first set of dive-bomb hair-metal guitar harmonics.
John Clifton, ‘It Wouldn’t Stop Raining’
Blues singer John Clifton started teasing his new album last month with the release of “It Wouldn’t Stop Raining.” This is a ’50s rock-n-roll love song; its blues influences tempered by a certain country-western vibe, especially in Clifton’s vocal delivery.
If the song is any indication, the album could be a departure from the West Coast blues for which Clifton is know. It features 10 original tracks, recorded with a group of musicians in Warsaw, Poland, with some additional work (including vocals from Keysha Burns and Haillie Williams) done at Wolf Sound here in Fresno.
“Too Much to Pay,” is slated for release some time this month.
Early Rademacher EPs now available on digital platforms
Shoutout to Cristobol at Spanspek Music and Arts Festival for picking this one up well before I saw it.
Last month, Rademacher did a digital re-issue a trio of EPS from the early and mid- 2000s. It’s includes the self-titled EP, released in 2004, the “Ice Age” EP from 2005 and a remastered version of 2006’s “Heart Machine,” which features what could be the band’s most iconic line-up.
For the nostalgic among us, this is a treasure trove of remembrances, created at a time when the band was hard-working the local scene and frequenting places like Tokyo Garden. Within a year, they would be getting mentions in Billboard and Spin Magazine and landing opening gigs for the likes of Silversun Pickups. For the uninitiated, it’s a nice snapshot of that particular moment in Fresno’s indie-rock scene. Find Rademacher on Spotify.
That’s it for this week. Remember you can now hear me on the Homegrown Show Sundays at 8 p.m. on New Rock 104.1 FM. Follow my other writing at The Fresno Bee. If you have anything you think I need to be looking at or listening to, feel free to let me know: jtehee@gmail.com