Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
A tribute to two of our favorites from Texas to start and finish part one in Leon Bridges and the dearly departed Bastards of Soul front man Chadwick Murray. New funk & soul out from some big names, and Dan Lloyd rounds it out with the new rock as well for hour two.
"The Drop with Danno" on GFN 광주영어방송 98.7FM in Gwangju & 93.7FM in Yeosu, Korea. An eclectic radio curation of all things musical spanning the spectrum every week. Broadcasting 8-10pm KST nightly.
Feb 10, 2022
The Drop with Danno
Leon Bridges – Bad Bad News
Abi Farrell – Stepping Out of Your Shadow
The Diasonics – Gurami
Eboni Band – Sing A Happy Song (Shake It Down)
Bastards of Soul – Glass of Ashes
Bastards of Soul – There Will Be No Show
Arjuna Oakes – The Teacher
Ravyn Lenae feat Steve Lacy – Skin Tight
Dr. Dre feat Anderson.Paak & Rick Ross – The Scenic Route
Kendra Morris – Nine Lives
The Poets of Rhythm – Discern/Define
Kamasi Washington – The Garden Path
I.
It is 20 hours past midnight after a quite warm and sunny February day, and since the sun has set this Thursday night, you know it’s time to funk things up, with this evening entered into the ledger of spacetime as February 10, 2022. This is Danno keepin things stank for the first hour here on our Thursday night with our Sampled funk & soul first hour, keepin on with the keep on as always quarantined or not from studio 2 GFN HQ right in the heart of downtown Gwangju, how do you do? Thursday night is here, and we got lots of new cuts in the funk & soul rubric to let fly into space from the likes Dr. Dre, Kamasi Washington, and Kendra Morris. Of course, one hour is never enough on this program, so our rock guru Dan Lloyd will be in after 9pm tonight with our AMPED rock feature for the week, also with a ton of new rock tunes in tow, so definitely stay tuned for that. However, nobody leaves this place without knowing a bit of history, and we’ll start with Leon Bridges as the young Texas soul man officially became a star with a Grammy win, and we’ll talk about all of this after we let Leon Start things with Bad News. THIS is The Drop.
Leon Bridges – Bad Bad News
Back on The Drop and our Sampled funk & soul first half has officially kicked off for tonight. Hope you are having a good week, Drop Gangsters and we cannot thank you enough for joining us tonight or any night you choose to do so. This is Danno of course, still here, still in the clear, and we just started as per usual with our TIGHT (or) feature to start the engine on our funk punk soul rock Thursday night, with Dan Lloyd bringing the punk & the rock later on.
That was Leon Bridges with Bad Bad News to start the show from his 2018 album Good Thing. However, what happened on this date three years ago was definitely a very good thing for the Texas soul stalwart, as he won his first Grammy Award for “Bet Ain’t Worth The Hand,” which plays below my voice right now and also appeared on the album.
Kind of a weird moment as the award was actually shared between Bridges and PJ Morton, the latter of whom had been nominated for his brilliant cover of The Bee Gees’ How Deep Is Your Love. Now, the good thing for this shared award is that it was the first win for both artists.
Interestingly, the Good Thing LP found Leon Bridges expanding on the retro-soul sound he established on his debut album, Coming Home, by adding elements of modern R&B. "Bet Ain't Worth The Hand," released alongside the single "Bad Bad News," opens with a falsetto even Bridges wasn't sure he was capable of pulling off. The singer credits producer Ricky Reed (Kesha, Twenty One Pilots) for pushing him out of his comfort zone.
Bridges this year has the Texas Moon EP dropping next Friday with fellow Texans Khruangbin, so do keep an eye out for that follow up to the brilliant Texas Sun EP which came out in 2020 almost two years to the day on February 7.
#9870, @gfnthedrop, pod.
So let’s get to some new and older for our first block of cuts tonight. Up next we have the former from Abi Farrell and then we’ll follow with the latter and The Diasonics and the Eboni Band, all of which we’ll discuss further side opposite the sonics. THIS is The Drop on your Sampled funk & soul Thursday night.
______
The Drop is back after our first triad of tunes here on our Sampled funk & soul first hour. Danno here, keeping the levels just right, and we hope you yourself are doing alright tonight. Dan Lloyd will also be back in studio once we hit the top of the clock again for the 2nd hour of programming tonight for our rock-centric weekly AMPED feature, but for now, let’s summarize what’s going on with that last trio of tunes...
Abi Farrell – Stepping Out of Your Shadow (…for those unfamiliar, the artist is out of Oxfordshire in the UK, and appears courtesy of Big AC Records. This tune was released as part of a 7” single. Farrell has gotten big love from the likes of Craig Charles’ funk & soul show on BBC6, and this stomper deals with defying male misogyny and the culture of toxic masculinity in the world.)
The Diasonics – Gurami (…very interesting entry on the playlist tonight, as this band hails from Moscow. This tune appeared on their Origin of Forms LP, which dropped January 28, and the band describes themselves as leaders in the Russian rare groove movement. Do check that album out in full, it’s nice stuff, once again that’s Origin of Forms.)
Eboni Band – Sing A Happy Song (Shake It Down) (…down to Africa via Detroit right here, a release that originally came out on Eboni Records in 1980. The band was formed after Motown Studios alumni Gerald Theus — who set up Eboni Records — met musician Abdoulaye Soumare in the Ivory Coast capital Abidjan, and convinced him to work on a series of records with the label’s artists. The album got a remaster & re-release last year, with the full re-release happening in March of last year.)
So, let’s get to a new release from Bastards of Soul. The Texas-based band’s lead singer Chadwick Murray tragically passed away at just 45 years of age last September from a rare respiratory disorder, but the band is coming out with one final album called Corners which drops in tribute to the late Murray in March on the 11th. Chadwick Murray, gone far too soon, may he rest in power, what a tragic loss. Now, in our own tribute we’ll finish with more from Mr Murray and his funky bastards from their Spinnin’ LP released last year, and our closer for part 1 and that album is called There Will Be No Show. THIS is The Drop’s Sampled funk & soul Thursday night.
Bastards of Soul – Glass of Ashes
Bastards of Soul – There Will Be No Show
II
The Drop returns as we begin the 2nd stanza of our nightly radiological orchestra. Danno here, waving the baton and keepin’ things on time every night from 8 & 10 on GFN, and naturally we’re getting AMPED with Dan Lloyd once again later on for our weekly game of throwing rocks on the air. As to what we wafted into the air, that was…
Arjuna Oakes – The Teacher (…the long-awaited follow-up EP in the Wellington-based artist’s Recovery series is out, as Recovery pt 2 dropped last Friday. As usual from Oakes, this is just some sultry stuff, with The Teacher being the closer. Recovery pt 2 is available everywhere via Innovative Leisure.)
Ravyn Lenae feat Steve Lacy – Skin Tight (…an interesting collab recorded in LA. For those not familiar, Lenae hails from Chicago, and of course Lacy is one of the artists involved with The Internet along with his own solo career. Nothing announced from Lenae on a larger project here, so we’ll have to wait and see. She released an EP in 2018 and a couple of singles in 2020.)
#9870, @gfnthedrop, pod.
So, moving ahead whether we want to or not as the clock is a merciless master, we got three more joints up next, with The Poets of Rhythm starting things off, then we have a killer collab between Dr. Dre, Rick Ross and Anderson.Paak and the title track from Kendra Morris’ upcoming LP called Nine Lives, which drops via Colemine’s Karma Chief sublabel next Friday on the 18th. This is The Drop on your Sampled funk & soul Thursday.
___
Back on The Drop for the final mic yuck saliva of the first half this evening. Danno here, studio 2, GFN HQ and going through all the new joints and discoveries for our Sampled funk & soul Thursday first hour. We shall of course be joined shortly after we make the jump to part 3 by Dan Lloyd for our weekly AMPED rock showcase, but for now, that was…
The Poets of Rhythm – Discern/Define (…Daptone Records in celebration of their 20th anniversary re-released this one last year, the title track to one of the first LP’s they put out. The band were firebrand leaders of the 90s funk movement, and if you liked what you heard right there, that’s a great record to give a full spin front-to-back.)
Dr. Dre feat Rick Ross & Anderson.Paak – The Scenic Route* (…the soundtrack to the latest in the Grand Theft Auto series is available as of Tuesday, with the entirety conducted by the hip-hop legend. GTA Online: The Contract sends gamers on a crazy quest to find fresh and exclusive recordings from Dr. Dre, the Grammy-winning hip-hop legend. Featuring guest artists such as Anderson.Paak, Eminem, Busta Rhymes, Snoop Dogg, Nipsey Hussle, Ty Dolla $ign, and others.)
Kendra Morris – Nine Lives (…very excited about this album, the artist’s debut on the Colemine Karma Chief imprint. This is the title track to the album dropping on February 18. Kendra also recently did a great live performance set at Louis Armstrong’s former house now museum in Queens for Paste Radio that you can check out to get a little more before Nine Lives drops next Friday.)
So, we’re just about at halftime tonight, but we gotta get in some Kamasi Washington to wrap up this sucker with a nice jazzy bow. The Garden Path just dropped last week, which the artist says reflects the craziness of living in 2022, where it seems like everyone is getting pulled in all different directions simultaneously, so we’ll let that chaotic beauty take us home here in part 2. THIS is The Drop and it is indeed halftime.
Kamasi Washington – The Garden Path
III & IV AMPED
Frank Turner – The Resurrectionists
Liam Gallagher – Everything’s Electric
NHC – Fearless
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Black Summer
Voivod - Synchro Anarchy
Swami John Reis – Do You Still Wanna Make Out?
Sharon Van Etten – Porta
Metz – Demolition Row
Halestorm – The Steeple
The Slackers – Don’t Let The Sunlight Fool Ya
Eddie Vedder – The Haves
Frank Turner – The Resurrectionists
Ahead of the release of ninth album FTHC this Friday (February 11), Frank Turner has shared one final single, The Resurrectionists.
Following the previously-released songs The Gathering, Miranda, Haven't Been Doing So Well, Non Serviam and A Wave Across A Bay, The Resurrectionists showcases another side to the record, as well as featuring a typically awesome cameo from Simon Neil of Biffy Clyro. Towards the end of the punk rock stomper, Simon joins in on gang vocals, yelling along to the glorious closing lyrics: 'We're all just kids let loose into the world / Waiting for someone to explain the rules / Unsupervised, unhappy and uncool / We're all just kids and that's all.'
Liam Gallagher – Everything’s Electric
Liam Gallagher has shared his new single “Everything’s Electric”, which was co-written by Dave Grohl – you can hear the track below.
The song is the first to be taken from the former Oasis frontman’s upcoming new solo album C’MON YOU KNOW, which is set for release on May 27 and is the follow-up to 2019’s Why Me? Why Not..
“Everything’s Electric” was co-written by Foo Fighters frontman Grohl, who also plays drums on the track, and its producer Greg Kurstin.
Gallagher and Grohl first met a number of years ago when the Foos and Oasis toured together, and speculation about a collaboration between the two has been building in recent years.
The single was inspired by Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage” and The Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter”, according to a press release.
NHC – Fearless
NHC is the new rock supergroup matching Jane’s Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro and bassist Chris Chaney with Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, with Hawkins on lead vocals. They announced their existence with two songs in September and returned with two more songs in November. Today they’ve got four more tracks for us, delivered in the form of a debut EP.
Titled Intakes & Outtakes, the EP comprises two more NHC originals, “One And The Same” and “I Could Be Someone Else,” plus covers of Level 42’s “Something About You” and Pink Floyd’s “Fearless.” In a press release, Hawkins explains, “If you can’t see the connection between what we do, what Pink Floyd does, and what Level 42 did well then you’re just not getting it. We had tons of fun as usual creating these little gems.”
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Black Summer
Red Hot Chili Peppers have returned with their first song since 2016, “Black Summer.” The upbeat new single also marks the first in 16 years with guitarist John Frusciante, who rejoined the band in 2019.
“It’s been a long time since I made a new friend,” Anthony Kiedis sings. “Waiting on another black summer to end.”
Arriving with a trippy music video directed by Deborah Chow, the track comes off of Red Hot Chili Peppers’ long-awaited comeback album, titled Unlimited Love. Produced by Rick Rubin, the LP is due to release on April 1 via Warner Records.
In June, the group will embark on a global stadium tour. The first month will see the Red Hot Chili Peppers make stops in major cities in Europe, followed by a two-month-long trek across the United States. Each show will feature two supporting acts from a lineup of artists that includes support from A$AP Rocky, Thundercat, HAIM, Beck, Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals, The Strokes, King Princess and St. Vincent.
“Our only goal is to get lost in the music,” the band said in a statement.
We yearn to shine a light in the world, to uplift, connect, and bring people together. Each of the songs on our new album Unlimited Love, is a facet of us, reflecting our view of the universe. This is our life’s mission. We work, focus, and prepare, so that when the biggest wave comes, we are ready to ride it. The ocean has gifted us a mighty wave and this record is the ride that is the sum of our lives. Thank you for listening, we hope you enjoy it. ROCK OUT MOTHERF***ERS!
Voivod - Synchro Anarchy
Title track from the Canadian progressive thrash band’s 15th album, out tomorrow. By all accounts, it’s great if you’re into this kind of thing. From the 4/5 Kerrang review: “Synchro Anarchy is a triumph for both Voivod and progressive thrash. Not only is the quartet’s ability to remain so adventurous, skilful and consistent utterly remarkable (considering how long they’ve been at it), but they continue to showcase how perfectly such seemingly disparate styles can be merged. In other words: they stick to what they do best while adding enough novel ideas to impress and lead by example. Those who aren’t already into this sort of music won’t be converted, but those who are will surely conclude that Voivod still do it better than anyone else.”
Swami John Reis – Do You Still Wanna Make Out?
John Reis of Drive Like Jehu, Rocket From the Crypt, Hot Snakes, and PLOSIVS has announced that he will be releasing a solo album as Swami John Reis. The album is called Ride The Wild Night and will be out digitally February 18 and physically on March 4 via Swami Records. J. Sinclair K. of Hot Snakes plays drums and Joe Guevara plays acoustic piano on the album. Chris Prescott (Tanner, Pinback) Gar Wood (Hot Snakes), Glen Galloway (Truman’s Water), Jacob Turnbloom (Mrs. Magician) and Jordan Clark (Mrs. Magician, PLOSIVS) also play on the album. The first single "Do You Still Wanna Make Out?" has also been released.
Sharon Van Etten – Porta
Sharon Van Etten has shared her new single ‘Porta’ and announced a set of UK tour dates – you can check out both below.
The track is Van Etten’s first new music release of 2022, and it follows on from her May 2021 team-up with Angel Olsen on ‘Like I Used To’.
Produced by Van Etten (vocals, synths, drum machines) and Daniel Knowles (synths), and backed by her live band of Jorge Balbi (drums), Charley Damski (guitars) and Devin Hoff (bass), ‘Porta’ was written in 2020, Van Etten says, “at one of my lowest lows”. “For most of my adult life I have struggled with bouts of depression and anxiety and coping mechanisms, and I sometimes let those dark moments get the best of me,” she explained in a statement. “During this time I felt very dissociated. Not connected to my body and I felt out of control.”
Metz – Demolition Row
We haven’t heard too much from Metz since they released 2020’s Atlas Vending. That changes today, though, as the Toronto hardcore group have announced a new split 7″ with UK punk torchbearers Adulkt Life. Metz’s contribution, “Demolition Row,” is out now. “It’s quite singular,” Metz’s Alex Edkins says of “Demolition Row,” adding, “We’ve never sounded this way before.”
Meanwhile, Adulkt Life’s tracks, “Book Of Curses” and “Ants & Lions,” were intended for the group’s 2020 LP, Book Of Curses, but were ultimately cut. Singer Chris Rowley calls the former track a “belligerent satellite” for the end of time: “like in a few weeks.”
Halestorm – The Steeple
Halestorm made their explosive return in 2021 with the mighty "Back From the Dead." Now they've released a new single, "The Steeple," and announced their upcoming fifth album, also titled Back From the Dead (May 6).
Back From the Dead serves as the follow-up to Halestorm's 2018 record Vicious, which earned them their second Grammy nomination with the lead single "Uncomfortable" for Best Hard Rock Performance.
"We started writing this album about three months B.C. (before COVID)," frontwoman Lzzy Hale said of the album in a press release. "Once we went into lockdown and were unable to perform and tour, I fell into a dark place and something of an identity crisis. This album is the story of me carving myself out of that abyss. It is a journey of navigating mental health, debauchery, survival, redemption, rediscovery and still maintaining faith in humanity."
The Slackers – Don’t Let The Sunlight Fool Ya
NYC ska icons The Slackers have been very active in recent years, but they haven't released a new album since their 2016 self-titled LP. That changes this year with their first album in six years (and at least their 15th overall, depending on how you count the early self-releases and live albums, etc), Don't Let The Sunlight Fool Ya, due April 15 via Pirates Press Records (pre-order on orange/yellow galaxy vinyl). We're premiering the title track, a bright, soulful song with a relaxed rocksteady/trad-ska vibe, and it comes with a puppet-filled video that you can watch below.
"In the middle of 2020, every time we started doing a livestream, we would stay after and start recording new music," saxophonist Dave Hillyard tells us. "By the middle of 2021, we had an album recorded. A lot of these tunes like ‘Don't Let The Sunlight Fool Ya' were written right after we had just gotten out of lockdown. It was May 2020 and the sun was out, the Covid had receded, but it was by no means gone."
Eddie Vedder – The Haves
New solo album Earthling is out tomorrow. Early reviews have been pretty lukewarm, despite the strong early singles. Clash magazine gave it 6/10 and said “While a fun and energetic record, much of the songwriting falls into the somewhat forgettable. Everyone is bringing their A-game, and they're having a blast while doing so, but nothing entirely sticks to the ribs.”