Extended Play: Topher Mohr is "RUTHLESS!" (First Unitarian Church, Philly)

About a year or so ago, a buddy and I went to a Mayer Hawthorne & The County show in the basement of a Philly church (First Unitarian Church). Highlights of the night, Presented by R5 Productions... included a House Shoes (Dilla-based) DJ set, massive amounts of zebra print, a set from delightfully Poppy opener Nikki Jean, many great Mayer-lead "New-Wop" jams, Hip-Hop heads and Hipsters, an impromptu post-show meet-and-greet/signing, etc.
But the most memorable moment of the night was also a completely unexpected one. Mid-way through the main performance, County ax-man Topher Mohr took hold of the lead mic while Mayer stepped back into the folds of the band. The track [which I later learned was called "Ruthless"] was instantly catchy... New, yet "throwback" in the same vein as the Mayer Hawthorne & The County collection.
Soon after the close of the Mazda2 Tour, Topher unleashed "Ruthless" as part of a larger project - That of a similarly-named 5-track collection. 2010's Ruthless EP is [still] available for FREE download over @ A-side Worldwide.

A bit of background info: Prior to becoming part of "Mayer Hawthorne" (Haircut)'s band in 2009, Topher has been earnestly working on his solo music since roughly 2007. That year marked the [self-]release of his debut album, True Love on the TV Set. Around the same time, Topher also contributed writing/guitar-playing chops to Alice Smith's Grammy-nominated Epic album, For Lovers, Dreamers & Me.
Expect to hear new tunes from both Topher (solo) as well as Mayer Hawthorne & The County in 2011. As Topher is currently finishing up Untitled Album #2, and The County will soon join Bruno Mars and Janelle Monáe as part of the "Hooligans In Wonderland [US] Tour" (5/28-6/15). The band will likely release their sophomore album in the coming months, following the trek's end.

Comments

"Let Me Shine for You:" Lindsay Lohan for Playboy (Winter 2011-12 Leak)

Lindsay Lohan essentially embodies exactly "What NOT to Do In Hollywood :" Fame, fortune, success... sex, drugs & Rock "N" Roll . Within a fairly short period of time, Lohan somehow managed to obtain a plentiful helping of POWER @ a very young age. This gradual rise-downfall was captured on film; Between 1998-2010, she portrayed a wide array of roles across the silver screen in movies including: Mean Girls, Bobby , Herbie Fully Loaded , Georgia Rule, Machete , and Freaky Friday . Between rapid-paced film shoots, Lindsay Lohan also found time to record 2 Pop Rock albums for Casablanca , Speak (2004) and A Litter More Personal-Raw (2005). Needless to say, Lindsay Lohan has gotten roped up in a lot of troubles and woes with the law over the last 3-5 years... a vicious cycle of drugs, arrest, court, rehab, "daddy issues," jail time [Repeat]. That's the pure basics of it - But Google that shit for additional info, if necessary. Towards the end of

[W]reckless, Topless American Youth: Lana del Rey - "Born 2 Die" (Britney Spears Birthday 30)

Lana del Rey [Lizzy Grant] effectively became 2011's "It Girl" with the release of her phenomenal debut single, "Video Games" (Stranger) . Like many struggling singer-songwriters, Grant has been signed, dropped, and significantly changed her public image since bursting onto the scene (2009). With that said, it can be assumed that Lana del Rey has collected just as many "haters" as she has avid supporters. To be perfectly honest, the only other artist I can think of that made this much commotion... garnered so much wide-spread buzz/hate and critical acclaim -- right out of the gates -- with just one track is Britney Spears . And maybe in this post- Mike musical era, that's the true synthesis of Pop Culture: Britney Lynn Spears . After months of repeated teasing and speculation, Lana del Rey 's major label debut, Born 2 Die will [finally] be released this coming Jan. 30-31, 2012. Pitchfork reports that it will feature "Off to The Ra

Liberty Bell Cracked In 1/2: Ween - "Freedom of '76" (Gene Ween's Final Send-Off)

Chocolate & Cheese (1994) was one of the first albums I bought with my own money. I was in some sort of BMG Music Club , where you'd buy 5 CD's and then get 10 for "FREE." It was all sent through mail order and you picked the titles from some special booklet. I'm almost positive that Chocolate & Cheese's side boob-baring album cover was what initially drew me in... mind you, I was 12-15 and the zany Ween logo/middle finger CD graphic really didn't hurt either. Honestly, I forget how I really felt about it @ the time, but a few years later, my older cousin Josh told me that Ween were this BIG college "jam band." CKY did some sort pf 93.3 radio takeover to promote their new album and played "Freedom of '76" late that night on air. Needless to say, I re-visited Chocolate & Cheese @ about 20-something this go 'round and I fucking loved it! Ween were really weird, yet talented... almost too talented. I can vaguel

The Witzard

Search This Blog