Pop & Rock Vinyl New Releases - News

LP aus der ”Luminessence” Serie.
“Eine subtile Tour de Force“ – so lautete 1978 das Urteil des amerikanischen Billboard Magazins in
Bezug auf Bill Connors‘ Of Mist And Melting. Und Jahrzehnte später bestätigt eine wiederholte Auseinandersetzung mit dieser Musik nur, dass hier tatsächlich besondere Geister am Werk waren, als die
von Manfred Eicher produzierte Session mit Jan Garbarek, Gary Peacock, Jack DeJohnette und Connors
im Dezember 1977 im Talent Studio in Oslo stattfand. Nach einer Phase elektrischer Fusion-Eskapaden
in den frühen 70ern, stellte Connors’ Zeit bei ECM eine Rückbesinnung auf den akustischen Kern seines
Spiels dar: Der Gitarrist reduzierte seine Musik auf das Wesentliche im kammermusikalischen Gestus, getragen von nuanciertem Fingerspritzengefühl an Nylon-Saiten. Im reflektiert-fesselnden Zusammenspiel mit
Improvisations-Speerspitzen ihrer Zeit, präsentiert der Gitarrist sechs Eigenkompositionen, die das LyrischKonkrete mit weitläufigen, s pontan u nd o ffenen St rukturen ve rbinden – od er, wi e es da s en glische Jazz
Journal einige Jahre später formulierte: „Selten haben sich Elemente von ‚Hot‘ und ‚Cool‘ Jazz so eindrucksvoll kombiniert.“ Connors selbst wirkte beim Hören des Albums im Jahr 2025 erstaunt darüber, wie
sehr er sich während seiner fünfjährigen Zusammenarbeit mit Manfred Eicher für ECM in die klassische
Gitarre vertieft hatte. „Es machte mich nostalgisch für diese Periode. Ich hatte ganz vergessen, wie viel
Zeit ich dieser Gitarrenspielart gewidmet hatte“, erinnerte sich Bill, fast überrascht von dem, was er auf
seiner eigenen Aufnahme hört. „Obwohl es möglicherweise nicht das war, was sich Manfred erwartet hatte,
ist es genau das Album geworden, das wir beide wollten.“
Neu aufgelegt im Rahmen von ECM’s Luminessence-Reihe, erscheint Of Mist And Melting in einer Tip-onGatefold-Hülle mit neuen Linernotes und Fotos aus dem Archiv.

"Organist Brother Jack McDuff came to Blue Note in 1969 and made one of the most ambitious albums of his career with Moon Rappin’, which was released in 1970 and featured five funky, spaced-out originals including “Oblighetto,” which would later be sampled by A Tribe Called Quest as the foundation of two of their classic hip hop tracks “Scenario” and “Check the Rhime.”
This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is stereo, all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal."

Jazz organist ‘Brother’ Jack McDuff (born Eugene McDuffy in 1926 September 17, 1926 – January 23, 2001) was second only to the infamous Jimmy Smith in terms of fame and the impact he made with the King of keyboard instruments - the Hammond B-3 Organ. Self-taught on the organ, he recorded with Willis Jackson & Roland Kirk in the late ’50s and early ’60s, cutting high calibre souljazz dates for Prestige Records, and later Argo / Cadet. Blue Note and Verve Records. McDuff can also take the credit for launching the career of a particularly gifted young jazz guitarist when he recruited George Benson to his own quartet, which resulted in Benson's first solo deal in the mid 1960’s.

‘Live At Parnells’ is made up of 15 tracks selected from a week-long engagement in June 1982, featuring Danny Wollinski on sax, guitarist Henry Johnson and Garrick King on the drums. Stylistically, Jack and his group cover a lot of ground, especially for an organ quartet – from beautifully old school funky, gritty blues with tracks like Walkin’ The Dog & Blues 1 & 8, jazz standards like April In Paris, and A Night In Tunisia through to some frenetic and distinctly edgy fast paced jazz fusion type numbers - Make It Good and Untitled D Minor - and this reflects how Jack's ears were open to the newer, freer sounds that had developed in jazz and reflected in some of his recordings as ‘The Heatin’ System’ – as several tracks have modal and fusion touches that sound remarkably current. Soul Bank’s Greg Boraman explains the 23 year old back story to how this amazing release of previously unreleased music by a bona fide jazz legend came about.

“I first heard these live recordings in 1999, when I came across Scott Hawthorn’s ’s jazz organ website, where he had made available his personal recordings of Jack and his band playing at Parnell’s in Seattle in 1982. It was amazing to have this music to check out – despite the obvious shortcomings with the condition of the recordings themselves”.

Jack Nitzsche, a close collaborator of master producer Phil Spector, was an American musician, arranger and film music composer who worked extensively as keyboard player with high caliber rock stars like the Rolling Stones and Neil Young, among others. "The Lonely Surfer" originally released on Reprise records in 1963 was the first album under his own name. An all instrumental mix of Surf aesthetic and
eclectic orchestral arrangements featuring great West Coast based studio musicians such as guitarist Tommy Tedesco, drummer Hal Blaine and pianist Leon Russell. A golden summer classic full of surfing
sounds and vibes that can be easily summed up in one word: Timeless.

Between 1996 and 2003, Jack West released five remarkable albums with his evolving band Curvature. The recordings showcased West on 6 and 8-string acoustic guitar in small, acoustic ensembles including marimba, second acoustic guitar, saxophone, percussion, and pedal steel. Essential Curvature is a Best-Of Collection. Jack West’s music is a new genre of American acoustic music influenced by jazz, rock, folk, and funk, in equal measure - one that features extraordinary acoustic guitar playing.

Guitars On Life solves a nagging mystery about the fate of a musician who stood out as a singularly spectacular bloom even in the verdant creative fields of the San Francisco Bay Area at the turn of the century. After more than two decades of recording silence and about a dozen years away from the bandstand, Jack West is back, still immediately recognizable as a guitarist and composer but miles from the last stop on his ongoing musical journey. There’s poetic symmetry in discovering that his detour from life as a performing musician involved fruitful work devising innovative solar technologies, as he had similarly distinguished himself as an inveterately inventive musician. When we last heard from West he’d carved out a vibrant niche as a guitarist with a percussive attack and lustrous group sound. Wielding a custom-built eight-string acoustic guitar with uncommon rhythmic dexterity, he released six albums featuring his original tunes, mostly recording with his band Curvature (though he also played mesmerizing solo recitals). West’s knack for crafting glistening, minutely detailed soundscapes full of surprising twists and oddly inviting textures prompted NPR to describe his work as “a whole new sub- genre of jazz.” Drawn back to performing in recent years, West saw guitarist Walter Strauss at Berkeley’s Freight & Salvage in 2022 and suspected he’d found a kindred spirit. Intrigued by Strauss’s unusual approach to guitar, West “wondered what a musical conversation might sound like between two guitarists who had developed such uniquely different ways of playing the instrument.” An invitation to play together led to them writing the tune ‘More Guitar,’ the bravura opening track that launches Guitars On Life. Several months later they spent a week in Florida together writing intensively, resulting in most of the material for this consistently thrilling project.

Easterly Winds—the 2nd of 3 Blue Note albums Jack Wilson recorded for Blue Note in the late-1960s—found the pianist at the helm of a first-rate hard bop sextet with Lee Morgan on trumpet, Garnett Brown on trombone, Jackie McLean on alto saxophone, Bob Cranshaw on bass and Billy Higgins on drums

This is Jack Wilson's debut album as a bandleader, originally released in 1963 for Atlantic label, featuring a young Roy Ayers on vibraphone, bassist Al McKibbons and drummer Nick Martinis. Jack Wilson was a fine and often underrated pianist and composer who played with many great names such as Gene Ammons, Jacki Mclean, Esther Phillips, Lou Rawls, Johnny Griffin, Ertha Kitt, Lambert Hendricks & Ross, Antonio Carlos Jobim... This is a lively studio session opening up with a beautiful rendition of Jobim's classic "Corcovado" and followed by WIlson's five originals. A great debut album full of warm, sophisticated and yet highly dynamic Jazz vibes.

In May of 1966, the unknown singer Jack Wood recorded two songs at Great Lakes Studio in Sparta, Michigan. These unique, otherworldly songs 'Born to Wander' and 'So Sad' would be self-released by Wood on his own Lawrence Records imprint in an edition of 100 copies. Going nowhere and being quickly forgotten, it would take Wood ten years to pay back the $250 he borrowed for the entire endeavor. Fast-forward to the 21st century and the deepest of record collectors are intrinsically moved by the power behind Wood's single, vacillating between Northern Soul, garage, big band and country music all within the same song. Featured in the new Bacardi Rum advert as well..

Jackie McLean’s 60s output ran the gamut from hard bop to avant-garde with his 1964 album Action splitting the difference from the searing title track to the plaintive ballad ‘Wrong Handle’ and the grooving ‘Hootnan’ with a quintet of Charles Tolliver, Bobby Hutcherson, Cecil McBee, and Billy Higgins. This stereo Tone Poet Vinyl Edition was produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tapes, pressed on 180g vinyl at RTI, and packaged in a deluxe gatefold tip-on jacket.

Horace Silver’s 1962 tour of Japan had a deep impact on the pianist who dedicated his album The Tokyo Blues to his Japanese fans. With his quintet of Blue Mitchell, Junior Cook, Gene Taylor, and John Harris Jr., Silver combined a “Japanese feeling in the melodies with the Latin feeling in the rhythms.” This stereo Tone Poet Vinyl Edition was produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tapes, pressed on 180g vinyl at RTI, and packaged in a deluxe gatefold tip-on jacket.

Das Album “Jacknife” zählt zu den oft übersehenen Juwelen in der umfangreichen Blue-Note-Diskografie
des Altsaxofonisten Jackie McLean. Er nahm es 1965 mit einer Band junger, aber durchweg hochkarätiger
Musiker auf. Als musikalischer Mentor gab McLean seinen Begleitern - darunter der Schlagzeuger Jack
DeJohnette bei seiner ersten Plattensession! - großzügig Gelegenheit, eigene Kompositionen zum Repertoire beizusteuern. Entsprechend frisch und vielseitig geriet das Album, das von Blue Note allerdings erst
zehn Jahre später veröffentlicht wurde.

Inspiriert von Ornette Coleman wagte sich der Altsaxofonist Jackie McLean Anfang der 1960er auf eigene
Faust in die Welt der Avantgarde vor. Dabei gab er dennoch nie seinen feinen Sinn für Swing und musikalische Strukturen auf. Ein Musterbeispiel für diese experimentierfreudige Phase ist sein 1963 erschienenes
Album “One Step Beyond”, das bei AllMusic die Höchstwertung von fünf Sternen erhielt. Darauf schuf
McLean mit einem einzigartigen Quintett einen unverwechselbaren neuen Sound, den er selbst als “InsideOut” bezeichnete.

Blue Notes weltweit erfolgreiche audiophile TONE-POET-LP-SERIE:
- audiophiles, rein analoges Mastering von den Original-Analogbändern
- Pressung in 180g-Vinyl
- extra-dicke, laminierte Tip-on-Sleeves
- wattierte Innenhüllen

REPRESS

Primarily drawn from a dynamic 1963 quintet session, Vertigo features Jackie McLeanacross a dizzying array of styles from hard bop and slow blues to sophisticated funk and bristling post-bop. Joining the alto saxophonist are Donald Byrd, Herbie Hancock, Butch Warren, and Tony Williams.

This stereo Tone Poet Vinyl Edition was produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tapes, pressed on 180g vinyl at RTI, and packaged in a deluxe tip-on gatefold jacket.

Zwei Monate bevor Jackie McLean sein bahnbrechendes Meisterwerk “One Step Beyond” einspielte, hatte
der Altsaxofonist im Studio von Rudy Van Gelder ein dynamisches Quintett für eine Aufnahmesession versammelt. Trotz der hochkarätigen Besetzung mit dem Trompeter Donald Byrd sowie dem Pianisten Herbie
Hancock und dem Schlagzeuger Tony Williams - die kurz danach Mitglieder des zweiten großen Quintetts
werden sollten - legte Produzent Alfred Lion die Aufnahmen erst einmal auf Eis. Sie wurden erst 1980
als Teil der “Connoisseur”-Reihe unter dem Titel “Vertigo” veröffentlicht. Das Quintett präsentierte eine
schwindelerregende Vielfalt an Stilen - von energiegeladenem Post-Bop über raffnierten Funk bis hin zu
langsamem Blues. Gekoppelt wurden das Material auf dem Album mit einer klassischen Hard-Bop-Nummer
aus dem Jahr 1959, die McLean mit einem anderen exzellenten Quintett ursprünglich für das Album “New
Soil” aufgenommen hatte. Auf diesem Album war sie aber wegen Platzmangels nicht erschienen.

The album “Capuchin Swing” by Jackie McLean, released in 1960, is a seminal work in hard bop jazz. Recorded with renowned musicians such as Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Walter Bishop Jr. on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Art Taylor on drums, the album stands out for its intensity and inventiveness. Tracks like “Francisco” and “Capuchin Swing” showcase McLean’s exceptional talent for blending technique and emotion, making this album a must-have for jazz enthusiasts.

BLUE NOTE TONE POET EDITION: Stereo, produziert von Joe Harley, komplett analog von Kevin Gray
von den Originalbändern remastert, RTI-Pressung (180g), stabiles Tip-on-Single Sleeve, wattierte Innenhülle.
Auf seinem Album ”Let Freedom Ring” spiegelt Saxofonist Jackie McLean den Wandel wider, der 1962 in
der Luft lag: die musikalischen Freiheiten der aufkommenden Avantgarde und die sozialen Veränderungen,
die von der Bürgerrechtsbewegung gefordert wurden. Begleitet wird er von Walter Davis Jr. am Klavier,
Herbie Lewis am Bass und Billy Higgins am Schlagzeug.

Alto saxophonist Jackie McLean had the blues on his mind when he went into Van Gelder Studio in 1961 to record his hard bop masterpiece Bluesnik with a blazing quintet featuring Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Kenny Drew on piano, Doug Watkins on bass, and Pete La Roca on drums. The six-song set of bluesy originals brims with immediacy and vibrancy.

This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is stereo, all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.

This summit meeting of the two giants of post-war American jazz
attracted enormous attention and accolade from the world jazz fans
when released in 1974
Jackie McLean (1931 - 2006) and Dexter Gordon (1923 - 1990) who were at their
pinnacle of creative aptitude joined forces to thrill the packed fans at
Copenhagen's Jazzhus Montmartre in the summer of 1973.After 49 years this
180g audiophile version may bring back the heat wave of jazz in Europe of the
'70s.
Jackie McLean: alto saxophone
Dexter Gordon: tenor saxophone
Kenny Drew: piano
Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen: bass
Alex Riel: drums

When Madlib went to Brazil in 2002 with Mochilla to participate in the production of Brasilintime his one mission was to meet Ivan “Mamao” Conti the drummer of the legendary trio Azymuth. Madlib had made an Azymuth tribute record he wanted to play for him. On a rainy night in Rio Mamao and Madlib went in the studio. Several hours later the rhythm tracks that make up Sujinho were laid and the process began. Featuring the music of Madlib, Mamao, Edu Lobo, Chico Buarque de Hollanda, Luiz Eca, Baden Powell, Vinicius De Moraes, Marcos Valle, Joao Donato, Dom Um Romao, Airto Moreira and even George Duke… and with guest vocals by Thalma De Freitas — Jackson Conti is a unique and classic record. Filled with the angularity and edge of a Madlib production and underwritten by the polyrhythmics of Mamao — Sujinho takes Brazilian music into places it has never been, bringing oft forgotten classics like Upa Neguinho to 21st century ears.

Jacky Terrasson (Piano)
Guests :
Kareen Guiock Thuram (Vocals), Camille Bertault (Vocals), Grégoire
Maret (Harmonica), Billy Hart (Drums), Eric Harland (Drums)
French Trio :
Sylvain Romano (Bass), Lukmil Perez (Drums)
American Trio :
Kenny Davis (Bass), Alvester Garnett (Drums)

AAA Audiophile 200g 45rpm Triple Disc LP!
Sourced from First Generation Analogue Recordings without Any Digital Corruption!
2xHD Mastering on Nagra Equipment by René Laflamme!

Sound Restoration by George Klabin & Fran Gala!

Cut All Analogue at Bernie Grundman Mastering on Tube Cutting Equipment!

There have been many guitar gods, but there's never been an electric bassist as deified as Jaco Pastorius. – Michael J. Agovino

This live album by Jaco Pastorius and the Word-of-Mouth Big Band, featuring harmonica virtuoso Toots Thielemans as special guest, was recorded in analog 24 tracks by the Record Plant mobile truck at Avery Fisher Hall in NYC on June 27, 1982, as part of George Wein's Kool Jazz Festival. This Deluxe 45rpm 200g edition is the first one to be mastered from the original 2 track master tapes that were found some 30 years later (the previous digital download versions were released from a digital remix of the 24 tracks). What we have here is the direct copy of the original pure analogue 2 track mix.

The brightest star in the electric bass firmament, Jaco Pastorius burst onto the national scene in 1976 with his audacious self-titled album on Columbia Records, featuring a line-up of top jazz musicians. With his extraordinary fretless electric bass playing as the centerpiece, Jaco Pastorius created an immediate sensation with the public and the media. His signature approach employed Latin-influenced funk, lyrical solos on fretless bass, bass chords, and innovative use of harmonics. In Jaco's work with Weather Report and beyond, the self-described "greatest bass player in the world" (an assessment shared with virtually the entire music world) established a new identity and role for his instrument and became the torch-bearer for a new way of playing both technically and conceptually. But behind it all was an ever present R&B and Latin-influenced groove and a screaming rock-'n'-roll attitude that he refined and incorporated into sophisticated jazz harmonic structures.

In addition to his extraordinary virtuosity, Jaco was also developing into an accomplished and sophisticated composer and arranger and those talents are gloriously on display on this album. The 3-time Grammy Award nominee was inducted into the Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame in 1988, one of only seven bassists so honored (and the only electric bassist). His legacy as a bass innovator continues to this day, more than 30 years after his untimely death in 1987.

This live recording was broadcast on French Radio, December 19th, 1984 and features their duet performances of John Coltrane "Naima", Jimi Hendrix "Purple Haze", Ornette Coleman "Broadway Blues" amongst others. Student bassists Michel Hatzigeorgiou, Reno Steba, Alan Brennan, and Angel Vicens joined the duo at various times during the performance. Blackbird is available as a limited edition on translucent green coloured vinyl and affixed on the protective sleeve is the 50th Anniversary Timeless Jazz sticker

Die aktuellen Folgen von Jacob Colliers Albumserie ”Djesse” jetzt auch auf LP + CD!
Das muss man sich erstmal trauen: ein Album in vier Teilen zu veröffentlichen! Multitalent Jacob Collier darf das! Die Folgen 1 - 3 seiner Albumserie ”Djesse” sind bereits digital veröffentlicht, die bislang physisch fehlenden LPs 2 + 3 und CD 3 folgen jetzt endlich nach, denn es gibt ja schließlich auch Musikfans, denen Streaming allein nicht reicht.
Also nichts wie auf den Plattenteller oder in den CD-Player mit Colliers ausgeflippten Grooves! Der STERN vergab in einer ausführlichen Story gerade fünf Sterne für „Djesse Vol. 3“ und nennt Collier einen ”Hochbegabten im Pop”!

All music composed and arranged
by Jacob Karlzon
String arrangements on "Promises
Kept?, "Steps & Stages?, "To the
Moon and Back?
by Nils-Petter Ankarblom
Produced by Jacob Karlzon & Lars
Nilsson

HIGHLIGHTS! Jah Jazz Orchestra is a cross-border band consisting of nine jazz musicians with a passion for roots, ska, rocksteady... and the self-imposed mission of spreading good vibes using improvisation and brilliant jazz technique as weapons. This ensemble of jazzmen active on the Swiss, French and European scene goes back to the roots of Ska - initially, and in extreme summary, is a Jamaican take on American jazz and rhythm'n'blues - to deliver its own blend of groove, improvisation and big-band arrangements. "Introducing Jah Jazz Orchestra" is the debut album by this new band. DESCRIPTION: This debut album revisits compositions from jazz legends such as Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus, Dizzy Gillespie and Joe Henderson as well as two classics from The Skatalites repertoire (Ska La Parisienne and King Solomon). The original arrangements set these tunes in grooves ranging from classic ska to reggae, strolling through rocksteady, with the ever presence of Jamaican jazz and the influence of artists such as The Skatalites, Ernest Ranglin, Jazz Jamaica_ Beyond this diversity, the unity of "Introducing Jah Jazz Orchestra" is hinted at by its title: it introduces the listener to a new band with a distinctive sound. A powerful horn section that can build a massive wall of sound as well as intricate lines and fiery solos. A rock-solid rhythm section that knows how and when to react in an interactive way. The twelve tunes presented in this album, recorded during an intense two-day's session, reflect the group's spontaneity. The resulting music is fresh, full of surprises, and reflect the facets of both jazz and Jamaican music: light and dark, deep and upbeat, simple and refined - always rooted in the tradition.

Among the happy encounters that luck and destiny can bring, one of the most remarkable is the partnership between Jaime Além and Nair Cândia. The arranger, multi-instrumentalist, and composer teamed up with the singer to form a musical partnership that extended into their lives. The couple released two albums, the first of which was “Jaime & Nair,” from 1974. The album returns to shelves as part of the “Classics on Vinyl” collection from Polysom, under license from CID, on 180-gram vinyl.

Praised by Dori Caymmi and Edu Lobo, whose comments appear in the insert and back cover, the album was produced by Durval Ferreira and recorded at Somil Studios. Its twelve tracks are all written by Jaime, except for “Das Minas” and “Zambumba do Nego.” The duo alternates on vocals and showcases a distinctly Brazilian sound in each track. This is an essential work for lovers of national music.

In July of 2022, just one month before jaimie branch"s death sent shockwaves around the world, the trumpet player and composer was in Chicago at International Anthem (IARC) studios putting finishing touches on an album. It was a suite of music she had composed and then recorded with her flagship ensemble, Fly or Die, over the course of a residency at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts in Omaha, Nebraska. In her wake, the album was near complete, with only mixing tweaks, final titles, and artwork to be fully realized. In the months following, her family (led by sister Kate Branch), her band (Jason Ajemian, Lester St. Louis, and Chad Taylor), and her collaborators at IARC (engineers Dave Vettraino and David Allen, comrades Alejandro Ayala and Scott McNiece) banded together to gather memories, texts, emails, photographs, artwork and fragments belonging to jaimie to light the path forward. The goal was always to do what jaimie would have done. Packaged in stunning artwork by John Herndon, Damon Locks, and branch herself, Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or Die ((world war)) is jaimie"s final album with the quartet.

"FLY or DIE II: bird dogs of paradise" is the much-anticipated follow-up to composer, trumpeter, and (now) singer jaimie branch's debut Fly or Die, which was dubbed one of the "Best Albums of 2017" by The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, NPR Music, WIRE, Stereogum, Aquarium Drunkard, and more.
Written (mostly) while on her first European tour with "Fly or Die" in November 2018; and recorded (mostly) in studio at Total Refreshment Centre and live at Café OTO in London UK at the end of that tour, bird dogs of paradise is the result of a never-satisfied branch pushing her distinct style of progressive composition to new heights - while also stepping forward as a vocalist for the first time.
"So much beauty lies in the abstract of instrumental music," says Branch in the album's liner notes, "but being this ain't a particularly beautiful time, I've chosen a more literal path. The voice is good for that".

Over the course of 2025 IARC will be celebrating their eleventh year of existence by revisiting some of the most celebrated (and hard to find) entries in their decade of releases. These LP packages will be presented with new liner notes, new insert booklets, and the fresh 2025 redesign of their iconic obi and dome logo. They will also be at a price point intended to help make it easier for stores to stock and sell these essential pieces of their catalog.

There is a moment near the top of jaimie branch's FLY or DIE LIVE, the new album recorded by the trumpeter's quartet at in Zurich, Switzerland on January 23rd, 2020, which feels like it bears the weight of both that specific pocket of time, and a prophecy for all that was soon to come. branch and her Fly or Die crew - cellist Lester St. Louis, bassist Jason Ajemian, and drummer Chad Taylor - had just kicked off the concert at Moods, with the opening tracks off their then-new studio album FLY or DIE II: Bird Dogs of Paradise, the second of which, "Prayer for Amerikkka" is among the best political songs written during the Tr*mp Era, and when the moment in question pops off.

The Album intends to represent the dystopian nature of the City we live in, with every inch of the city being swamped by new unaffordable quick fix developments, that in a few years will be in a state of disrepair and of which the only purpose is to line the pockets of investors. The album is intended to be listened to as if it's a soundtrack to a film that does not yet exist.