New Zealanders Jellphonic & Leonard Charles Recruit Reggie Blount & DJ Kutcorners for Rick James Covers EP ALL NIGHT LONG (self-released)

"When Reggie Blount came to New Zealand last, me, him, @LeonardCMusic & @kutcorners united to do these Rick James covers. Reg on all vocals! I am so proud of these tracks and my Funky street brothers!" Kiwi multi-instrumentalist and producer @jellphonic recently wrote on Twitter. Taking inspiration from Rick James' Vanity 6-esque girl group, Mary Jane Girls' 1983 single "All Night Long," Reggie Blount & Jellphonic formed a loose collective with Charles and DJ Kutcorners. Jellphonic & Reggie had, in fact, worked together some six years prior on "Sexxy" from Jellphonic & Zackey Force Funk's Clone Crown Ltd. 12-inch, "100 Snakes" and again, on "PUMP" from HIT+RUN's 2014 777 singles series. Leonard Charles & Jellphonic, on the other hand, had previously collaborated on numerous remixes including "Can't Buy My Love LA," "Flashback '92," "SMOKE N MIRRORS," and "Disco Star" (Jellphonic Rework.) ALL NIGHT LONG EP is the proper, albeit "unofficial," follow-up to both Jellphonic's JELL-O-PHONE EP and Leonard Charles' critically-acclaimed 31-track J Dilla tribute, Basement Donuts. Reggie Blount is a slightly more mysterious Tuscon-based Funk/Soul singer who's released a few 7+12-inch records on both Clone Crown Ltd. and Hobo Camp: Hard Times, Shining Star, and Space B*tch/Stimulant with Zackey Force Funk. Last, but not least, Kutcorners is a self-proclaimed "Producer, DJ, Synth Nerd & Bass Player" hailing from Vancouver who's released a number of singles, mixes, and EP's over the last seven years and even did a remix for Jeremy Toy AKA Leonard Charles' Shoegaze band, She's So Rad. Reggie Blount / Jellphonic / Leonard Charles / Kutcorners' collaborative ALL NIGHT LONG EP is currently available for unlimited streaming and FREE download on jellphonic's Soundcloud page, along with most of the aforementioned group-affiliated songs. Leonard Charles is currently finishing up a 7-inch single with Stones Throw emcee Guilty Simpson for release on Japanese imprint WONDERFUL NOISE in 2018.

"All vocals are performed by Arizona Funkster Reggie Blount, originally from Tuscon. Reg did a brief stint living in New Zealand and captured the minds and hearts of the locals. He came back for a holiday recently, so me and Leonard Charles tied him up, chucked him in the booth, and held him hostage at Leo's Subterranean Studio in Mt. Eden to record the covers. Reg has obviously, been practicing his singing, since we saw him last because he is sounding increasingly like Michael Bublé. He is an engineer by day and excels at everything he does; he recently built a diamond-faceting machine! Coincidentally, another friend, Kutcorners, was in town and offered up some synth parts and slap bass on "Give It to Me." Nobody wanted to put it out officially, so I just chucked it [up] on Soundcloud. I wish there was more of a story, but I guess it's just four bros uniting for their love of Rick James! Leonard mixed it all and made it sound like butter, as always. He also played lots of synth and all [guitar] and slap bass. He is The Slap Bass President of New Zealand."

- Jellphonic (@jellphonic)

"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