Category: Singles Only

Singles: The Vinyl Skyway, Vanilla, My Little Hum, Rozwell Kid, The Inside Passenger, Joe Kane, Andrew Stonehome, The Hangabouts

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Holy Cow! There is a bumper crop of great music here. Let’s dive right in… 

Boston band The Vinyl Skyway dazzles with this excellent single. Songwriters Andy Santospago and Michael Hayes know how to hook you with their harmonies and minor chord shifts. Worth multiple repeats!

The band Vanilla follows up from its smart LP Mystik Knights of Tacoma with this horn-filled gem that about a tree fort that is either an emotional security blanket or the ultimate man cave.

My Little Hum is husband and wife duo Dan Jewett (guitars/bass) and Yuri Jewett (vocals/keyboards). They do a great job here with a strong jangling melody and Yuri’s sweet vocal harmonies are comparable to Karla Kane. Part of the upcoming album Pioneer. Check it out!

Rozwell Kid delivers a quirky punk song that just stuck with me. It’s a FREE download that starts out quiet and then breaks out (Hey, maybe Rolling Stone will pay attention?) Lyric video here.

The Inside Passenger is a new musical project from fan-favorite Cliff Hillis. It’s definitely a different style; Melancholy pop music made for late nights.

Glasgow treasure Joe Kane (Dr. Cosmo’s Tape Lab, The Owsley Sunshine, BMX Bandits) has put together these little glammy, fabby singles with those Ringo-like drum fills and Lennon-like vocal noodling. So much fun it will stick fast! “If you love your booty clap your hands..” Love it!

Andrew Stonehome is a songwriter, singer, and multi-instrumentalist from North Dakota. He deserves your attention for this excellent power-pop single. Album coming next year.

Detroit’s The Hangabouts are also working on something new! You can hear some Elvis Costello influence here, and it’s a true gem with a soulful guitar break midway through. Keep your eyes and ears out for a new LP soon!

Monday Night Singles: Richard Turgeon, Ken Sharp, Ballard, Shake Some Action, and Butch Young

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Yes, Keanu is a popular meme now with his John Wick movies and Richard Turgeon is riding that popularity with his new single “Keanu Reeves.” And a FREEBIE too!

Ken Sharp‘s newest single “Rock & Roll Supershow” is a love letter to Glam Rock with the help of Fernando Perdomo. For fans of T-Rex, Slade, and Sweet this is a “must-buy.”

While I expected something funny from Ballard, “I’ll Drop My Trousers To The Ground” is the bleakest, darkest, and most depressing song I’ve heard all year. You’ve been warned.

Shake Some Action has a new release coming very soon, and here is one of several good singles: “Stanger In The House” has this awesome echoing surf guitar. Check it out.

I have to say that Big Stir Records is doing a tremendous job. They have monthly singles out (currently at #32) and the artists keep getting better.
My favorite of the new bunch is Butch Young‘s “Captain Serious” b/w “Beautiful Dreamer”, the first new music from him in three years since Mercury Man. I don’t have a sample to post, but trust me this is good! Visit The Big Stir Digital Singles Page to hear it.

Friday Night Singles: Krga, Vegas With Randolph, Peter Baldrachi, S.A. Reyners, Bryan Estepa

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Ryan Krga (vocals, 6-string acoustic guitar) gives us this very Big Star-ish single. and it’s a FREEBIE too, so it gets very high marks. Also, get his “Testament” EP.

The always excellent Vegas With Randolph delivers a slowly building love song that soars when it gets to the chorus. Bravo!

I have really missed Peter Balderachi. It’s been a few months since his Change. Hope this leads to a new LP, its a great richly melodic rock single.

S.A. Reyners is our “Man On The Scene” and he makes a good impression with this energetic single. The B-side “Jinx” is also pretty catchy.

The venerable Bryan Estepa has a talent for putting emotional anxiety to music. Thank goodness for that.

Singles: Kai Danzberg, Chris Church, Ex Norwegian, The Cheap Cassettes, Oscar Tango and Amoeba Teen

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A freshly minted follow up to Kai’s new LP Not Only Sunshine – get it at Big Stir Records


A Freebie! Chris Church’s single is very much a lost 70s-styled gem

This is a super fun single with its acapella beat, rock rhythm, and innocent lyric.

The Ramones-like chords and handclaps are awesome here.

Toronto band Oscar Tango is the brainchild of Ryan Farley, and this is a 4-song EP featuring classic power pop guitar.
Amoeba Teen (Stourbridge UK) new A-Side “Suit & Tie” is a supercharged preview of the band’s upcoming Medium Wave album, and the B-Side “Caught in the Middle” is a completely exclusive release from the same sessions as the album. “Suit & Tie” delivers power and never stops!
Get it at Big Stir Records

Freebies and Singles: The Top Boost, Geoff Palmer, Tommy Lorente, Vista Blue, Ken Sharp, Preoccupied Pipers, The Turnback

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The Top Boost earns major kudos for this excellent 3 song EP. On the title track, they’re joined by Roger Joseph Manning Jr. (Jellyfish, Imperial Drag). The result is a swirling blend of bubble gum pop sweetness with a wistful lyrical undertone. A+


Geoff Palmer (The Connection) has released a few singles in advance of his next solo LP Pulling Out All The Stops. This one is more than hot, it’s a FREE download. BTW, his former bandmate Brad Marino has LP out too, reviews for both coming soon!

My favorite French power pop musician Tommy Lorente gives us a FREE download, it’s so catchy even if you don’t speak French just sing along with the “Na Na Na Na.”

The reliable punk-pop of Vista Blue continues his sports-themed Ramones influenced rock. Another FREE download!

Ken Sharp spent some time at Fernando Perdomo‘s new Reseda Ranch Studios 2.0 and recorded this little gem about the 1964 World’s Fair. Only a buck, and worth the trip through his imaginary time machine.

A goodie from KC Bowman and friends (aka The Preoccupied Pipers) about another band and its audience? Hey! It’s still a FREE download.
The Turnback is back with a new single “Unloading An Empty Gun”. If you buy it, maybe Todd, Kenny & Barry will reload and give us another album (please!)