Category: Releases

Stefan Prange, singer and songwriter for The Green Apple Sea, talks a lot at his concerts. The story behind the song he introduces often takes longer than the song itself. Sometimes he comes back to it briefly afterwards to add a detail or two that he forgot to mention earlier. It’s a bit as if time doesn’t matter in the world of The Green Apple Sea from Nuremberg: the number of songs played at the concert, the gap between albums, the response to an urgent “business” email…

The Green Apple Sea are sometimes slow because each song has to be lived first. The experience then has to condense, become denser. But maybe that’s the wrong image. The concrete must become universal, the isolated must become common. Because that’s the only way to make life bearable.

The theme that runs through the episodes on “Dark Kid” this time is Stefan Prange’s childhood and youth, which was not always easy. The fact that his stepfather used the nickname “Satan” for his father only becomes a somewhat strange occurrence in retrospect. The fact that his stepbrothers chained him to a stair railing with a bicycle lock when no one felt like looking after him is perhaps a little cruel in retrospect. For 10-year-old Prange, this was nothing unusual. When he tells these stories and sings lines like “I wasn’t afraid to die, I was just waiting to die,” it is meant with the same pragmatic naivety with which the protagonist, “Dark Kid,” accepts his environment.

“Dark Kid” is not about making the audience feel childhood trauma or depression. It’s about turning sadness into melancholy, bitterness into a shrug, anger into an outstretched hand.

The folk songs that emerge are so rounded and smooth, so completely timeless. The only reason they are labeled “indie” is because The Green Apple Sea have always played in small clubs, stoically carrying on regardless. They were one of the first bands to play this rather American style of music here in Germany. Long before the hype and long after it too. A few beloved trademarks have emerged in the process: beautiful, often sophisticated harmony vocals, the warm, dense production of Christian “Wuschi” Ebert, who also plays keyboards in the band and is co-operator of the “Lonestar Recordings” recording studio in Nuremberg. And a universally palpable thoughtfulness that accompanies the creative process of their albums. Maybe it’s better to play that song on shuffle? Replace the piano with a Fender Rhodes again? Hide two more acoustic guitars in the production? Do something else very quietly on the 12-string…?

That’s how this album, entitled “Dark Kid,” works. It doesn’t want to impose itself, but Prange can sing the songs on it hundreds of times without getting tired of them. The stories hidden within can be told just as often. Even as a listener, you can hear the songs a hundred times, discover little loving details, and find new meaning in individual lines of the songs. (We know this because we’ve already done it.)

Die Titel auf „Dark Kid“ sind episodisch angelegt, wie die neue Staffel einer Serie. Aber wenn „Dark Kid“, eine Staffel in der Serie „The Green Apple Sea“ ist, dann ist die Serie eher eine altmodische. Eine, in der die Heldin in jeder einzelnen Folge einen Dämon zurück in die Hölle schickt. In der sie am Ende eine Hand festhält oder in einem Sonnenuntergang spaziert, oder – am allerbesten – mit ihren Freunden lacht. The Green Apple Sea brechen alle Geschichten der Platte im letzten Song auf einen Satz herunter. Es ist ein Zitat von Terence McKenna: „Oh, I know this now. It‘s all about love. Making someone else’s life a little bit better“.

“Forever Sounds Great”, originally released in 2007 on the great Skycap label, was an album of self-discovery – not only for the band itself, but also for its songwriter and lyricist Stefan Prange.

Where as The Green Apple Sea were previously one of countless projects by the young Stefan Prange, they became his permanent band in the process of making it. Christian “Wuschi” Ebert joined as the fourth member, on all kinds of keyboard instruments, but also as a very important second voice, recording engineer, and producer.

The lyrics describe some major upheavals in the life of songwriter and singer Stefan Prange. Leaving his home after dropping out of university and working all sorts of odd jobs, the end of a dark, unsettled childhood and youth (which, incidentally, is covered on the new album “Dark Kid”, that will be released in the fall), finding true love, moving from northern Emsland to southern Franconia. “I Need You To Save Me Forever” wasn’t just any old song line, it was meant quite sincerely. Until then, committing to something was not one of the songwriter’s strengths. Now it’s different. “Forever? Sounds Great!” Prange broadens his horizons and writes songs that reflect the changes in his life.

These include such important and beautiful tracks as “El Fin Del Mundo” or “Rooftops“ and, of course, the ultimate cover version of the Mountain Goats classic “The Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton”. Prange says that no song describes his youth in Haselünne (Emsland) better than this. 

Before their fifth album “Dark Kid” is released in the fall and on the occasion of the band’s 25th anniversary (on 31.5.25 at Kurort Badstraße in Fürth), “Forever Sounds Great” will be released on vinyl for the first time on 27.6.2025.

„Forest Tapes“ is a new album by Heated Land. It was recorded directly to tape through just one microphone in a living room in Southern Germany and it is – we are not kidding – one of the best sounding and most soulful pieces of music we have heard in a long time.

Live performance has always been at the heart of Heated Land’s music. These recording sessions with their long-time collaborator Torsten Lang – despite being carefully engineered and rehearsed – capture the band’s essence: Andi Mayrock’s rugged, feral songwriting and lyricism at the core of timeless, ever-changing, free-flowing songs about eternity, nature, capitalism, self-knowledge, and community. 

The record’s track list is comprised of new, unreleased material and new versions of songs from their two previous albums. It has a bluegrassy mood to it, but not one of wild improvisation. The minimalism of Wilhelmine Schwabs violin suggests she carefully chose only the most devastatingly beautiful notes. Raja Ghraizi’s lead guitar playing is otherworldly. Time and again, a small choir weighs in. No drums, no overdubs, no editing. 

They are being joined by Simon Preuss double bass on the b-side of the album. Their landlord, the stone sculptor and musician Milan Lipsky, contributes saxophone to an epic version of “Off The Trees”. He wound up playing his part out on the snowy terrace through a half-open door to not disrupt the carefully balanced sound image. It was ok. The music on “Forest Tapes” turned into a cozy fireplace.

Until The Rivers Run Dry is the eighth studio album from the ever prolific John Blek. It is clear he is an artist uneasy with rest who is eternally developing his impressive style with his fierce independent spirit at the heart of everything he does.

The 10 track album was recorded over 10 days in early 2022. Though the process was quick it was not rushed. Blek entered the studio with an inspired clarity and a vivid picture of what he wanted to create. This is by far his most substantial and sophisticated sounding record to date, filled with McCartney moments and Scott Walker swagger. The soaring strings often evoke a Spektor-esque sound, chamber pop backing vocals full of indie spirit paired with a blend of electronic and acoustic drums lead us into a new sonic realm but the heart of the record is Blek’s profound and poetic alt-folk songwriting.

In an age when it would be easy to become disillusioned with the music industry John has remained steadfastly positive and unyieldingly creative. Known for being one of Ireland’s hardest touring musicians the Cork based musician tours relentlessly in Europe and the UK as well as his native Ireland. His live show is thoughtful and entertaining, littered with stories and showcasing his arresting vocals and intricate guitar playing.

The new record was produced by John and long time collaborator Brian Casey at Wavefield Recordings, Clonakilty, Ireland. The record features vocals by Cathy Davey and strings by Colm Mac Con Iomaire (The Frames) as well as Kit Downes on piano, Davey Ryan on drums and Chris McCarthy playing double bass.

Wayne Graham has gained a reputation as one of the best bands shaping the New Appalachian Sound that includes acts such as Tyler Childers, John R. Miller, The Local Honeys, and others who are making music that is shaped by tradition but intentionally set on also forging a new sonic landscape. Wayne Graham has long been at the forefront of the movement. Their innovative new album, Ish, is bound to broaden their audience and firmly establish them as one of the architects of this vibrant movement in new music coming out of the hills.

Wayne Graham is a four-piece band named for the grandfathers of the core members, brothers Kenny and Hayden Miles,who have been together as an official group for a dozen years and have been playing together since they were children.  They’re joined by Lee Owen on lead guitar and auxiliary synth parts, and Jose Oreta playing bass. Wayne Graham is well known for their exhilarating live shows, which have created a devoted following. The band centers on the collaboration between the brothers, whose onstage chemistry and familial instinct is matched only by their vocal harmonies. The key to their success is a mutual desire to boost each other’s best. “I genuinely want to assist in bringing Hayden’s vision forth, and I think he feels the same way,” Kenny says.

The Miles brothers grew up in a musical family and community that made playing accessible to them from a young age.  “I was never intimidated to pick up an instrument and try because so many relative dabbled in everything,” Kenny says. “It was a passion and hobby long before it was a profession.” They also found church to be a formative part of their music.  Hayden got his first drum set when he was nine and started playing at church a couple years later.  Kenny was around the same age when he started to play bass guitar with the main intention of backing up his father during church services.  “We would play with friends from time to time, but church felt more professional and put together,” Hayden says. “Our dad was also our band leader, so we wanted to make him happy with what we played. It was a large education, as far as listening to know what to play and how to stay out of the way on your instrument.”

Hayden believes being raised in Appalachia is also foundational for their sound, mostly because of family bonds, but also because it is a more sonically eclectic place that most people think. “People try to sum up Appalachia with one word or one idea all the time, but it’s a complex region full of different people. We never wanted to be an old time band. We didn’t want the music we made to be defined by our region or the kind of music people might think comes out of Appalachia.” Growing up near Whitesburg, Kentucky, which has cultivated a vivid hardcore and punk scene over the past couple decades, also helped them to think more complexly about their own sound. “I think part of that comes from a need to express ourselves as something different or more out of the typical box people might have in mind about the region,” Hayden says.

Ish is their eighth studio album.  The record first grew out of a series of drum beats that Hayden recorded, to which Kenny wrote chord progressions.  They fleshed out the songs together with the lyrics coming late in the process.  The result is eleven songs that are mostly joint compositions exploring the concept of a fall from grace, whether that be ideas of sin or obscure theories about the concept. The brothers think of the album as mostly exploring how we define good and bad in our culture and for ourselves. “Good for one being can mean terror for another,” Kenny says. Another inspiration is the story of Lilith, Adam’s first partner who left the Garden of Eden after refusing to obey his commands. The title of the record, Ish, is the alternate name they gave to Lilith. It’s an experimental theme and the music matches, taking the band in new directions while staying true to the signature sound of catchy guitar-and-drum-driven melodies.  That’s all anchored by Kenny’s smooth, lead vocals that can amble about low and knowing or reach high and full of longing.

They always knew they wanted the sound of this album to be bigger than previous ones. “We wanted it to feel deeper and more expansive,” Kenny says.  The resulting sound is “folks songs with an experimental rock and roll treatment,” according to Kenny. Influences on the album range from Talk Talk, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, David Bowie, Warren Zevon, and the Grateful Dead.

Like all of their albums, Ish provides a mediative, foot-tapping groove that can simultaneously put the listener at ease while also making them completely aware of the combination of precise lyrics and skilled instrumentation. Danceable even while they’re existential. Ish is a true album in that a narrative unfolds when listened to from beginning to end, yet each song stands completely on its own, providing multiple earworms in melodies that are almost instantly knowable. Ish is the kind of album that is perfect to put on while going for a long drive through the countryside or on the record player at home for chilling out.  But it’s also a careful exploration full of profound longing, a recording that is rife with great beats and riffs yet also satisfying to someone looking at the world more philosophically.  That’s Wayne Graham: fun to listen to, but also reflective, always providing songs that are easy to sing along with even as they are thoughtful and thought-provoking. Ish is an important new album from one of our best and most reliable bands.

Mit “Of Ether & Air” erscheint im September Teil 4 von 4 des Blek‘schen Album-Zyklus über die Elemente. Vier Alben in vier Jahren (genauer gesagt hat er corona-bedingt sogar noch eine fünfte Eigenveröffentlichung im Februar 2021 eingeschoben) auf gleichbleibend hohem Niveau, wobei seine Veröffentlichungen insbesondere in Irland und UK mittlerweile regelrechte Begeisterungsstürme hervorrufen. Das RnR Magazine hat ihn kürzlich als “Hot Tip for 2021” ausgerufen: “a singer-songwiter of rare power and insight […] starting to make serious waves in the U.K.” Gäste auf dem neuen Album sind u.a. Kris Drever (Lau) Cheyenne Mize (Bonnie „Prince“ Billy, Maiden Radio) und der Pianist Kit Downes.

John selbst beschreibt die neue Single folgendermaßen:

„Though the song name checks a scenic beach on the south coast of west county Cork it is more about finding the beauty in the simple and slower aspects of life. A moment away from the rush, wrapped up in the sanctuary of the elegant and natural beauty of our surroundings.“ 

Wayne Graham – 1% Juice

Launched in 2010 by brothers Kenny and Hayden Miles, Wayne Graham make articulate, wide-ranging Americana that nods to — and also reaches far beyond — the band’s southern roots. Raised in Central Appalachia, the siblings grew up amongst the rugged hills and soon-to-be-shuttered coal mines of Whitesburg, Kentucky. It was an area caught halfway between old-school tradition and a new way of life. From the start, Kenny and Hayden’s songs reflected that unique balance, mixing folk, rock & roll, and other sounds into sharply-written songs about family, faith, life, love, and all points in between. “It was all about using music to express what we couldn’t express otherwise,” says Kenny, the band’s guitar-playing frontman.

Named after the siblings’ larger-than-life grandfathers, Wayne Graham have transformed themselves from East Kentuckian heroes into something far more global over the course of six albums and one EP, earning acclaim as far away as Germany — whose branch of Rolling Stone praised the band’s “full-bodied, catchy songs with dry and poetic lyrics” — along the way. 

Wayne Graham’s latest album, the self-produced 1% Juice, is another collection of explorative, earthy rock songs that blur the borders between multiple genres. After releasing an album of B-sides, Songs Only a Mother Could Love, in 2019, the brothers reconvened in their parents’ East Kentucky basement, where they’d recorded most of their past work — as well as projects by Senora May, Laid Back Country Picker, Sean Whiting, and others — in their own Fat Baby Studios. Their last album of new material,  Joy!, had been Wayne Graham’s most successful album to date, released on both sides of the Atlantic and supported not only by an American tour, but a string of shows across Europe, too. Kenny and Hayden decided to keep that transatlantic spirit alive with 1% Juice, reaching out to German collaborators like Ludwig Bauer to add horns, strings, and other sonic touches to the songs. At its core, though, 1% Juice is a family affair — a diverse album created by two brothers who’ve developed distinct approaches to songwriting, as well as unique outlooks on modern life. 

“Hayden and I think about similar things in very different ways,” says Kenny, who shares the album’s songwriting credits with his drummer brother. “Our minds go side-by-side for a while, then veer off in opposite directions. This record is a little bit of a push-and-pull — or a vibration back and forth — between two different outlooks that ultimately lead to the same place.”

The results range from Kenny’s “Tapestry of Time” — a mellow meditation on the passing years, shot through with drums that evoke a ticking clock and a swampy, soulful outro — to Hayden’s “Some Days,” a lush, countrified album-closer inspired by the Byrds’ twangy jangle and the Bible’s exchanges between Jesus and Saint Peter. Between those two bookends, the guys personify a lonely public phone on the Wilco-worthy “Pay Phone,” get funky with the challengingly complex “Never Die,” and turn the album’s title track into a groove-driven instrumental. No two songs are the same — and for Wayne Graham, that’s the whole point. 

“The songs sound different,” says Kenny, “but they all point in the same direction.” And while Wayne Graham usually play shows as a full-bodied four-piece band, 1% Juice shines a light on the instrumental and creative abilities of the band’s two co-founders, who layer these songs with colorful streaks of guitar, percussion, keyboard, vocal harmonies, brass, and whatever else the canvas demands.

“When you’re recording, you’re making a painting,” Kenny adds. “You add layers until you’re really taken by the image you see — or the thing you hear.”

Wayne Graham’s early releases may have focused on the sounds and stories of modern-day Appalachia, but the band has expanded, evolved, and electrified since then, with 1% Juice showcasing the full range not only of their influences, but their abilities, too. This is an album that’s every bit as diverse as the countless communities and cultures that lay between the band’s Kentucky home and the German headquarters of their European label. With 1% Juice, Wayne Graham proudly operate at 100%. 

Jon Snodgrass was born and raised in St. Joseph, Missouri, and later settled in Fort Collins, Colorado, before forming Armchair Martian in the early ‘90s. In 1996, he started recording songs with ALL singer Chad Price under the moniker Drag The River. Since then, he has continued putting out music with both bands, as a solo artist, and as a member of Scorpios. Snodgrass has toured North America and Europe endlessly and has provided support from everyone from Frank Turner to Flogging Molly to Descendents to Chuck Ragan to Cory Branan.

FOCUS TRACKS: Renaissance Man (feat. Joey Cape), Don’t Break Her Heart (feat. Stephen Egerton), Footage, BoyzIIMen (feat. John Moreland), The Sequel (feat. Tim McIlrath), Bad Newlands (feat. Stacey Dee)

POINTS OF NOTE: Special guests include Stephen Egerton (Descendents, ALL), Karl Alvarez (Descendents, ALL), Marko DeSantis (Sugarcult), Zach lair (Rise Against, GWAR, The Drakulas) Neil Hennessy (The Lawrence Arms, The Falcon), Joey Cape (Lagwagon, Bad Astronaut), Stacey Dee (Bad Cop/Bad Cop), Mikey Erg (The Ergs, The Chris Gethard Show), Mark Bronzino (Iron Reagan), Jason Livermore (Wretch Like Me, Drag The River, Bill The Welder), and Derek Zanetti (The Homeless Gospel Choir) among others.

Wayne Graham caught an early train from Dresden to Nuremberg, Stefan from the The Green Apple Sea picked us up at the train station and whisked us to Lonestar Studios where Wuschi and Frieder were waiting. Stefan had a few covers in mind to put everyone at ease and to get used to the space. He had also written a beautiful song that he was kind enough to let me sing on, Dark Kid. This song set the tone for what would be recorded in a quick 24 hour period. Arrangements were quickly worked out and rehearsed, and then recorded with very little second guessing going on. It was a wonderful experience in musical shorthand, ebbing and flowing between two bands from different continents. Everything felt intuitive and stress free. Both parties were there to make something pure and representative of all the things that other mediums can’t quite represent, but also just something that felt decent and pleasant to the ears. What you have here is a collision of processes and trade tricks along with careful songwriting captured in a short period of time. A snapshot of one day in Nuremberg that points to the long history in each bands’ rear view mirror.