Your weekly music dump (or, new releases from Ted Nunes, 1335, Gazey Lacey, Eternal Haunts, Kiki)

Plus, a bit of shameless self promotion.

Nov 03, 2024

Normally, I would be sharing my monthly concert’s list this week.

There is certainly some good stuff worth mentioning (Mac Sabbath with the Supersuckers, for one), but putting together a list of all of it is more time consuming and laborious than I can handle right now. Add to that, there are now several others who have taken up the mantel of tracking this stuff week to week or by the month (see Valley Echoes, Rad Music, the Fresnan).

So, I’ll point you in their directions.

Also, it’s not as if there isn’t more than enough to fill the newsletter this week. For instance, the massive amount of new, local releases in recent weeks.

Here are a five worth checking out.

Ted Nunes, ‘San Joaquin’

“San Joaquin” is one of two new-ish releases from singer/songwriter Ted Nunes.

It follow the release of the single “They Call You Back,” which came out in September as a collaboration with author Tim Z Hernandez. The song is based on Hernandez’ same-titled book and is a chronicle of the author’s almost obsession with finding the families of 28 Mexicans that were killed in a 1948 plane wreck at Los Gatos Canyon.

“San Joaquin” could technically be considered a debut album for Nunes, though he’s been releasing music both under his own name and with the band Richfield for a decade now.

These nine-tracks were recorded by Nashville (by way of Central Valley) producer Joe Costa on his family’s farm in Visalia, with Nunes’ longtime bandmates, Allan Benton, Daniel Burt and Jordan Rosen.

CDs are available for those who need physical media.

1335, ‘Haunted House’

1335 released its latest single on Halloween. It’s called “Haunted House,” so … that all makes sense.

The song has me wondering if we’re seeing the band move into its third-wave ska phase (or are we at post-wave ska, now?).

Selling points: vocalist/frontman David Emery Wilder has always been key to 1335 does and he brings it here. The guitar interplay between Justin Pitts and Marcus Wells is also killer. That lead work around the 2:15 minute mark … golden.

The band has been in studio working on an album’s worth of new material, which I known because they asked me to sit in on a vocal thing.

Gazey Lacey, ‘Boy Tears’

“Boy Tears” is the eighth single from Gazey Lacey, the indie-rock band led by David Ramos (which I continue to mix up and call Stargaze, even though the name changed like two years ago).

It’s the follow up to “Fear of Friends,” which was released in July.

The song was produced by Darian Ramirez of the band D.A.T.E., who also played drums and bass on the recording. According to Ramos, the song “dives into the stereo type that boys aren’t supposed to cry and are told to hide their emotions.

“Boy Tears,” is out on election day.

Eternal Haunts, ‘It Felt Like Forever’

Those who follow Eternal Haunts already had a sense of what they could expect from the pop-metal band on its latest release “It Felt Like Forever.”

The band released two of the five tracks (“Twin” and “Pillar of Salt”) early this summer. The remaining three tracks were released on the full EP last month.

This is well-produced chucky, guitar-driven rock that goes heavy. Which makes since given the production work from Justin Dechow, who is credited along with the band’s vocalist Abigail Elizarraga and guitarist Chris Sullivan.

Dechow sings in the band Centerpath and plays guitar in Wicked Suffering.

Kiki, ‘Price Tags’

Keanu Huerta just released “Price Tags,” the second single from his solo/collaboration project Kiki. It’s one of several songs the former Le Wolves frontman promised was in the works from him and Bart Thompson and Sam Kless (who some will know from the band Mom Jeans and/or Just Friends).

“Price Tags” is a quick one, delivering a synth-rock, dance-beat Bear Hands kind of vibe over its two and a half minutes. The whole thing is capped by this ridiculous-in-the-best way guitar solo.

New Old Man, ‘Scott Street’

File under: shameless self promotion.

New Old Man is all about the interpretation; taking a song and putting it through the filter of what I am able to arrange, perform and record out of my apartment with the equipment and musical knowledge I have at hand (though I do get production help on the back end).

See: these two singles (and a later third), and their original versions from Victim of Propaganda. And now, this cover of Phoebe Bridgers’ “Scott Street,” which was done on request of a friend. It was a birthday gift.

The song was released on Friday and is now streaming across all platforms.

Bandgeeeek!