Each week Release Day Picks profiles new LPs and EPs Team JamBase will be checking out on release day Friday. This week we highlight new albums by KIMOCK, Bootsy Collins, The Infamous Stringdusters, The Marcus King Band, Dopapod and SOJA. Read on for more insight into the records we have all queued up to spin.
KIMOCK – Satellite City
The Scoop: Guitarist Steve Kimock assembled his namesake project at Bob Weir’s TRI Studios in San Rafael, California to record the band’s new album Satellite City. The nine tracks were produced by Widespread Panic bassist Dave Schools and feature Kimock’s son John Kimock on drums, longtime collaborator Bobby Vega playing bass and multi-instrumentalist Leslie Mendelson providing vocals and keys. The album includes a take on the Bruce Cockburn-penned Jerry Garcia Band staple “Waiting For A Miracle,” as well as the opening track “Friend Of The Sun” that includes a voice recording of late astronomer Carl Sagan. Here’s the video for the song “Variation”:
Label: Kimock Music
Producer: Dave Schools
Number Of Tracks: 9
Running Time: 56:42
Guest Musicians: N/A
Tracklist:
- Friend Of The Sun
- Satellite City
- Prelude
- Careless Love
- Mother’s Song
- Waiting For A Miracle
- Variation
- Orson
- My Old Man
Bootsy Collins- World Wide Funk
The Scoop: Legendary funk artist Bootsy Collins has just unveiled World Wide Funk, his first studio album since 2011. The bassist laid down the tracks at his Bootzilla Re-hab studio with a bevy of contributors including Buckethead, Doug E. Fresh, Victor Wooten, Stanley Clarke and Big Daddy Kane. The late great Bernie Worrell, who passed away last year, also appears on the LP. Worrell recorded his portion of the song in the early 2000’s. Bootsy sees the album as a call to activism. “The whole concept,” Collins explained in a statement, “was not only about playing music or being current on this album, but about teaching people how to funk for themselves so they can bring some funk to get some. We bring them hope like dope, so not one Funkateer chokes.” Listen to “Worth My While” featuring Kali Uchis:
Label: Mascot
Producer: Bootsy Collins
Number Of Tracks: 15
Running Time: 71:11
Guest Musicians: Doug E. Fresh, Buckethead, Alissia Benveniste, Stanley Clarke, Manou Gallo, Dru Down, BlvckSeeds, Mr. Talkbox, Tyshawn Colquitt, Musiq Soulchild, Big Daddy Kane, MC Eiht, X-Zact, Kali Uchis, World-Wide-Funkdrive, Snowbunny, October Londo, Dr. G., Bernie Worrell, Justin Johnson, Eric Gales, Dennis Chambers, Victor Wooten and Chuck D.
Tracklist:
- 1. World Wide Funk (feat. Doug E. Fresh, Buckethead & Alissia Benveniste)
- 2. Bass-Rigged-System (feat. Victor Wooten, Stanley Clarke, Manou Gallo, Alissia Benveniste & World-Wide-Funkdrive)
- 3. Pusherman (feat. Dru Down, BlvckSeeds , Mr. Talkbox)
- 4. Thera-P (feat. Tyshawn Colquitt & Alissia Benveniste)
- 5. Hot Saucer (feat. Musiq Soulchild & Big Daddy Kane)
- 6. Heaven Yes
- 7. Ladies Nite (feat. MC Eiht & BlvckSeeds)
- 8. Candy Coated Lover (feat. X-Zact, Kali Uchis & World-Wide-Funkdrive)
- 9. Snow Bunny (feat. Tyshawn Colquitt, Snowbunny & World-Wide-Funkdrive)
- 10. Hi-On-Heels (feat. October London)
- 11. A Salute To Bernie (feat. Dr. G. Bernie Worrell)
- 12. Boomerang (feat. Justin Johnson)
- 13. Worth My While (feat. Kali Uchis)
- 14. Come Back Bootsy (feat. Eric Gales, Dennis Chambers & World-Wide-Funkdrive)
- 15. Illusions (feat. Chuck D, Buckethead & BlvckSeeds)
The Infamous Stringdusters – Undercover Vol. 2
The Scoop: Just over two years ago jamgrass act The Infamous Stringdusters released an EP of covers under the title Undercover. Today, the band has issued Undercover Vol. 2. The group made up of dobro player Andy Hall, guitarist Andy Falco, banjo player Chris Pandolfi, fiddler Jeremy Garrett and upright bassist Travis Book arranged songs by The Allman Brothers Band, My Morning Jacket, Marvin Gaye, The Cure and Daft Punk. Listen to The Infamous Stringdusters’ cover of “Golden”:
Label: Lumenhouse Recordings
Number Of Tracks: 5
Running Time: 26:14
Guest Musicians: N/A
Tracklist:
- Just Like Heaven – The Cure
- Golden – My Morning Jacket
- Jessica – The Allman Brothers Band
- What’s Going On – Marvin Gaye
- Get Lucky – Daft Punk
The Marcus King Band- Due North
The Scoop: Last year The Marcus King Band issued their Warren Haynes-produced self-titled sophomore album. With Due North the up-and-coming blues rockers share three outtakes from the sessions held with Haynes, along with a 15-minute medley recorded at one of the group’s recent shows. Guitarist/frontman Marcus King leads his group on studio recordings of originals “What’s Right” and “Slip Back,” and a cover of the Marshall Tucker Band’s “This Ol’ Cowboy.” The EP closes with a live medley that weaves together King’s “Sharry Barry,” Jeff Sipe’s “Sliced Milk,” Chicago’s “25 Or 6 To 4,” Funkadelic’s “I’ll Stay” and Billie Holiday’s classic “Gloomy Sunday.” Here’s the studio track “What’s Right”:
Label: Fantasy Records
Producer: Warren Haynes
Number Of Tracks: 4
Guest Musicians: N/A
Tracklist:
- What’s Right
- This Ol’ Cowboy
- Slip Back
- Sharry Barry/Sliced Milk/25 Or 6 To 4/I’ll Stay/Gloomy Sunday (Live)
Dopapod – Megagem
The Scoop: Jam act Dopapod recently surprised fans with news they will be taking 2018 off. However, the bad news was accompanied with word of a new studio album out today entitled Megagem. The instrumental parts of quartet’s fifth studio album were recorded in Colorado during the dead of winter. Dopapod then reconvened in Syracuse, where Rob Compa and Eli Winderman added vocals. “A lot of these songs are also reactions to how the world is changing, about living your life in the present moment and the inner dialogues of the mind,” said Winderman. “Megagem could be the brain, or it could also be a cell phone, controlling your subconscious thoughts and, thus, changing your habits.. I think a lot of people are feeling this way because of the boost in technology, with everybody addicted and attached to their phones.”
Watch the video for the first single off the LP, “Plaese Haalp”:
Label: Self-Released
Producer: Dopapod
Number Of Tracks: 8
Running Time: 40:37
Guest Musicians: N/A
Tracklist:
- Plaese Haalp
- Piazole
- Zonk
- Mucho
- Confabulation
- Turn By Turn
- Buster Brown
- Starfish
SOJA – Poetry In Motion
The Scoop: Washington D.C.-based reggae outfit SOJA present 11 new tracks on their follow-up to 2014’s Amid The Noise And Haste. Frontman Jacob Hemphill issued the following statement regarding both the “Bob Marley-influenced” lead single “More” and the album as whole:
“More” is about consumption and envy. It’s about the false belief that you need more stuff to be happy [and] about trying to strip all that away and finding happiness in the truth that less is more. Poetry in Motion is about us, the human race. We’re beautiful. We’re the caretakers of this earth and everything that lives here, calls it home. But something is wrong. Something in us is lost. That’s the focus – how to get back to the beauty and away from… well, this.
Watch the official lyric video for “More”:
Label: ATO Records
Number Of Tracks: 11
Running Time: 49:34
Guest Musicians: N/A
Tracklist:
- Moving Stones
- I Can’t Stop Dreaming
- Tried My Best
- More
- Fire In The Sky
- Everything To Me
- Life Support
- Bad News
- To Whom It May Concern
- Sing To Me
- I Found You
Compiled by Andy Kahn and Scott Bernstein.
