Black Belt Eagle Scout - "Soft Stud"

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Photo by Jason Quigley
Black Belt Eagle Scout is the stage name of Portland based Katherine Paul. According to the press release, she is an indigenous queer musician, which definitely flavors her music. "Soft Stud," the first single from her debut album, combines elements you don't normally pair together. It starts off with this crunching guitar riff normally associated with some form of guitar rock. But when Paul's voice kicks in with her light and melodic feel, you know the song won't be what you thought it was going to be. The explosion that was promised at the beginning never comes, and instead you get a lovely mid-tempo song complete with harmony and keys that's more Colleen Green than The Hives.

 You can listen to "Soft Stud" below. Mother of My Children, the debut album from Black Belt Eagle Scout, will be released on September 14 via Saddle Creek. The album can be pre-ordered here. For more on Black Belt Eagle Scout, check her website. Current tour dates are below the song.

Fri. Aug. 31 - Columbus, OH @ Wexner Arts Center #
Sat. Sep. 1 - Detroit, MI @ Deluxx Fluxx *
Sun. Sep. 2 - Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen ^
Tue. Sep. 4 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Spirit Lodge #
Wed. Sep. 5 - Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall #
Thu. Sep. 6 - New York City, NY @ Bowery Ballroom #
Fri. Sep. 7 - Philadelphia, PA @ PhilaMOCA #
Sat. Sep. 8 - Richmond, VA @ The Camel #
Sun. Sep. 9 - Washington, DC @ Black Cat (Backstage) #
Tue. Sep. 11 - Durham, NC @ The Pinhook #
Wed. Sep. 12 - Atlanta, GA @ Drunken Unicorn #
Thu. Sep. 13 - Tampa, FL @ Crowbar #
Fri. Sep. 14 - Tallahassee, FL @ The Wilbury #
Sat. Sep. 15 - New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa #
Mon. Sep. 17 - Austin, TX @ Barracuda #
Tue. Sep. 18 - Ft. Worth, TX @ Main at South Side #
Wed. Sep. 19 - Norman, OK @ Opolis #
Thu. Sep. 20 - Lawrence, KS @ Bottleneck #
Fri. Sep. 21 - St. Louis, MO @ Off-Broadway #
Sat. Sep. 22 - Davenport, IA @ Village Theater #
Mon. Sep. 24 - Lexington, KY @ The Burl #
Wed. Sep. 26 - Omaha, NE @ Reverb $
Fri. Sep. 28 - Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive $
Sat. Sep. 29 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Diabolical Records $
Sun. Sep. 30 - Boise, ID @ Funky Taco $
Wed. Oct. 3 - Spokane, WA @ The Bartlett $

* = with Varsity
^ = with Shortly
# = with Saintseneca
$ = with Guerrilla Toss

On Repeat...

Liam Kazar - "Shoes Too Tight"

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Photo by Alexa Viscius This may be Liam Kazar's debut single, but the Chicago based musician already has an impressive resume, having worked with Jeff Tweedy, Chance the Rapper, Steve Gunn, Daniel Johnston, and others. "Shoes Too Tight" features childhood friend Spencer Tweedy on drums, Lane Beckstrom on bass, and Ohmme on vocals. It's an absurdly fun and groovy little song that is a party waiting to happen. What he gives us here is a timeless song that could truly have been released any time since the 1960's (ok... maybe not the 80's...) There are elements of classic rock, 60's crooners and R&B, indie rock, modern Americana... it's really just packed with everything in a cohesive song that maintains the vibe the entire way through. You can watch the video for "Shoes Too Tight" below. For more on Liam Kazar, check him out on Instagram and Twitter . He's also raising money on his Bandcamp for Constellation and The Hungry Brain. ...
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The Freqs - "Witch"

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Dutch ReBelle - "GOONIEZ"

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How is Dutch ReBelle not a national superstar at this point? The Boston MC just released "GOONIEZ," and I know I'm a bit out of touch with current mainstream hip hop, but this song is absolutely killer. It's a stripped down hip hop song that has this futuristic space age sound to it. Plus, ReBelle's flow is unsurpassed. You can't listen to her and not be completely sucked in. The song has a feel reminiscent of classic Missy Elliott. As much as I love that we can still see Dutch ReBelle in smaller Boston venues, "GOONIEZ" proves she should be playing much larger venues nationwide very, very soon. You can watch the video for "GOONIEZ" below. For more on Dutch ReBelle, check out the artist's website . 
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