News
The New Yorker features Tony Visconti and Rogue Oliphant
Man of Two Thousand Tracks
Tony Visconti, who, over six decades, has produced records by David Bowie, Marc Bolan, and many others, presides over a studio session with Rogue Oliphant | By Nick Paumgarten | January 8th, 2024
“[Visconti] was in Montclair to produce an album by Rogue Oliphant, a project led by Paul Muldoon, the poet. Muldoon had written lyrics and had convened the band to compose and perform the music. Rogue Oliphant is a convocation of aces: Warren Zanes, Chris Harford, Cait O’Riordan, David Mansfield, and Ray Kubian. Muldoon and the musicians—all but O’Riordan, who was in Ireland for the funeral of her old Pogues bandmate Shane McGowan—had shown up to add parts to a half-dozen songs.” Read more
Scummy Water Tower’s Joshua Miller talks Birdfeeder with Chris Harford
Decades in The Making, Birdfeeder Is Ready To Share The Seeds Of Their Labor On Debut Album
By Joshu M. Miller / April 9th, 2024
For many music fans, the word Woodstock carries special meaning. Whether it’s personal memories for those who went to the New York-based festival, nostalgia for the past or connotations for those looking back, the word and location remain very pertinent.
It’s partly why East Coast based band Birdfeeder – which features Kevin Salem, Chris Harford and Mark Mulcahy, all of whom have been performing since the ’80s – decided to pick it for their long-awaited debut album, which is out Friday, April 12 on Soul Selects. They recorded the album at Salem’s studio in Woodstock. Read more
Rock and Roll Globe speaks with Mark Mulcahy about Birdfeeder debut
Birdfeeder Take Flight with a Decidedly Delayed Debut
Mark Mulcahy fills us in on the creation of this exciting new indie supergroup / By Lee Zimmerman / April 4th, 2024
“The band’s debut LP, Woodstock, was named for the idyllic Upstate New York environs in which it was recorded. The project had its initial gestation period when it was written and demoed on a 4-track Fostex cassette tape machine in 1996. The songs were recorded in just a day and a half, but their origins go back to the early ‘90s by which time the three musicians had become good friends. Mulcahy had some lyrics he had written, but most of the music resulted from some spontaneous, free-wheeling jams Read more
Dean Ween Jams With Members Of Joe Russo’s Almost Dead At Chris Harford Benefit Concert
By Michael Broerman | Wednesday, July 12th, 2023 on liveforlivemusic.com
Chris Harford, a central New Jersey musical institution, assembled his shapeshifting Band of Changes on Saturday for a special benefit concert. Raising money for another Jersey staple, hunger non-profit The Chubby’s Project, the intimate show at Hillbilly Hall in Hopewell brought Ween guitarist Mickey “Dean Ween” Melchiondo with Joe Russo’s Almost Dead bandmates Joe Russo and Scott Metzger along with double agent Dave Dreiwitz, who plays for both teams. Bassist Andrew Weiss, who produced Ween’s early albums and toured with them until Dave replaced him in 1997, also performed. Read More
Rogue Oliphant’s “Wanted” Played on U2 X-Radio
May 25th, 2023
Adam Clayton, bassist of U2, played Rogue Oliphant’s “Wanted” on SiriusXM’s U2 X-Radio. The song was featured on Clayton’s “Irish Diaspora” playlist. All lyrics are written by Paul Muldoon, Pulitzer-Prize-winning poet and scholar from Northern Ireland. Listen to Clayton’s introduction, and hear “Wanted” on all major streaming platforms!
Solid Bronze’s “Mt. Fuji” Vinyl Has Arrived
January 19th, 2023
Soul Selects is pleased to announce that Solid Bronze’s “Mt. Fuji” is now available on vinyl. The new record is shipping now (don’t let the Bandcamp pre-order tag fool you!), along with CDs and cassettes, are available over at Bandcamp. Get your copy now.
Blanc du Blanc’s Second Full-Length LP
Visit Bandcamp to get yourself a physical copy so your turntable can enjoy some sound fragrancy from Central New Jersey.
Blanc du Blanc’s Second Full-Length is Featured Album on Rootfire.com
(Feb 2, 2022) We’re back, baby. Blanc’s second full length, “Reggatta du Blanc du Blanc” is the feature of Rootfire’s Featured Album this week(!). The article details Jim the Boss’s experience with the album and digs into its recording process with first-hand accounts from the band. We appreciate Rootfire’s support for this awesome new release, available for pre-order on Bandcamp and releasing on Friday, Feb 11th.
“Reggatta du Blanc du Blanc” features Reed Black, Robbie Mangano, Dana Colley, David Butler, Joe Russo, and Chris Harford. We like to think of it as Sound Fragrancy. You will not be disappointed. Here’s the tracklist:
Manasquan Dub
Wanamassa Dub
Ho-Ho-Kus Dub
Weehawken Dub
Patcong Dub
Netcong Dub
Watchung Dub
Mahwah Dub
Ramapough Dub
Secaucus Dub
As a heads up/public service announcement… this Friday is “Bandcamp Friday,” the perfect day to order new music.
Chris Harford Featured on the “Upful LIFE” Podcast
May 4th, 2021
Chris Harford is featured in an extended interview on the April 28, 2021 Upful LIFE podcast, hosted by music journalist B. Getz. Chris’ segment begins at the 22 minute mark, covering everything from his love of reggae to his musical journey from his Elektra days to insights into his rotating case of musicians in Band of Changes.
You can listen here.
Rootfire Hosts First Watch of Blanc du Blanc’s “Wind Of Change” Video and a Must-Read Feature-Length Story on the Band
February 1st, 2021
Coinciding with the release of Blanc du Blanc’s new “Wind of Change” EP, our friends at Rootfire hosted the first watch of the band’s stunning video for the song (lead track “Wind of Change — Mr. Reed Black Mix”). The video powerfully encapsulates 2020’s Black Lives Matter protests with photography and video footage submitted by photographers and artists who were there to capture the demand for change. Accompanying the video is Samaj Surreal’s in-depth feature-length piece on the song and its history and how Blanc du Blanc came to record their amazing version for our own turbulent times. Read the story and watch the video here. And then, please… share the video and story with your friends on any and all platforms — the work is far from over and Samaj’s writing needs to be read and the video needs to be seen.
Blanc du Blanc’s new EP, “Wind of Change” out Friday, January 29, 2021
(January 28, 2021) Soul Selects is pleased to announce Blanc du Blanc's second release, Wind of Change. The EP is hot on the heels of the ban'd’s debut "The Blanc Album." The four-song vinyl platter, which spins at 45 RPM, features three versions of Blanc du Blanc performing the Scorpions’ 1990 ballad “Wind of Change,'' including mixes by Reed Black, Doktor White, and Lee “Scratch” Perry, as well as a cover of Percy Sledge’s “Heart of a Child."
Musicians include Lee “Scratch” Perry, Chris Harford, Dana Colley (Vapors of Morphine, Morphine, Dub Apocalypse), Robbie “Seahag” Mangano (Rickie Lee Jones, Mike Dillon) Andrew Weiss (Ween, Cafe Tacuba), Scott Metzger (JRAD), Reed Black, Dave Butler (Marco Benevento, Guster), Constantine Maroulis (American Idol finalist and Tony nominee), Jon Shaw (Shakey Graves, Bob Weir), Hub Moore and Marissa Vero.
Order from the Soul Selects Bandcamp page.
Central Jersey Show Dance Band to Perform to Celebrate Independent Venue Week and Raise Funds for Save Our Stages
(October 27, 2020) — Central Jersey Show Dance Band, featuring Chris Harford, Andrew Weiss, Tobias Smith, Dan Kassel, George Flayer, David Butler, Stephanie Sanders, Jon Shaw and Chuggy Carter, will perform a live stream from Hopewell Theater, this coming Friday, October 30, from 8:00-10:00 PM EST.
Register for the event here.
Blanc du Blanc Featured on Rootfire’s “First Listen”
(October 22, 2020) — Rootfire, the music and arts incubator and tastemaker, is featuring our own Blanc du Blanc this week in its popular “First Listen” series. The in-depth feature explores the Blanc backstory and the band’s connection with dub reggae. It’s an amazing, intriguing piece by writer Dave Shiffman (he of “Cosmic Burrito” fame). Check out the Blanc du Blanc feature story here. You can also enter to win one of three vinyl copies of Blanc du Blanc’s debut, “The Blanc Album” (entry info is at the bottom of the page).
“Wind of Change” Coming Winter 2020
(October 6, 2020) — Let’s hope that it’s more than just Blanc du Blanc’s “Wind of Change” EP that blows in this coming winter. The band’s EP, featuring Lee Scratch Perry and Constantine of “American Idol” fame, will be released on vinyl in late December. Savvy music fans will recognize “Wind of Change” as the Scorpions’ blockbuster 1992 ballad. Blanc tackles this track with a vocal and two additional dub mixes, as well as a cover of Percy Sledge’s “Heart of a Child.”
Blanc du Blanc’s Debut to Be Released on October 23rd on Soul Selects Records
(October 1, 2020) — Soul Selects is proud to announce the release of the “The Blanc Album,” the debut from Blanc du Blanc on Friday, October 23, 2020. The album will be available to stream and buy digitally on the Soul Selects Bandcamp page. Limited edition vinyl and digital are available for pre-order now. The band has a trilogy of releases ready to roll. “The Blanc Album” will be followed by the “Wind of Change” EP in late December and then a second full-length “Regatta du Blanc du Blanc” in early Spring.