Craig Finn, a Minnesota-bred singer-songwriter currently based in New York City, has announced that he will be releasing a new album named I Need A New War on the 26th of April.
To support I Need A New War, Craig Finn will tour around North America and Europe.
Finn will support I Need A New War with a North American and European live schedule. He tours the UK in support of Brian Fallon on the following dates.
Tour Dates
5 FEB 2019 / UK / Newcastle / Wylam Brewery*
6 FEB 2019 / UK / Edinburgh / The Queen’s Hall*
7 FEB 2019 / UK / Manchester / Albert Hall*
8 FEB 2019 / UK / London / Union Chapel*
9 FEB 2019 / UK / London / Union Chapel*
11 FEB 2019 / NL / Amsterdam / Meerwart*
12 FEB 2019 / BE / Brussels / AB Flex*
13 FEB 2019 / DE / Bochum / Christuskirche*
15 FEB 2019 / DE / Munich / Neue Theaterfabrik*
16 FEB 2019 / CH / Zurich / Dynamo*
17 FEB 2019 / IT / Milan / Santeria Social Club*
19 FEB 2019 / DE / Hamburg / Markthalle*
20 FEB 2019 / DE / Hannover / Capitol*
22 FEB 2019 / UK / Cambridge / The Junction*
23 FEB 2019 / UK / Brighton / St George’s Church*
24 FEB 2019 / UK / Bath / Komedia*
25 FEB 2019 / UK / Cardiff / Tramshed*
26 FEB 2019 / UK / Manchester / Albert Hall*
27 FEB 2019 / IE / Dublin / Academy*
8 MAR 2019 / UK / London / Electric Ballroom / The Weekender^
9 MAR 2019 / UK / London / Electric Ballroom / The Weekender^
10 MAR 2019 / UK / London / Oslo / The Weekender^
Tomberlin, a Louisville, Kentucky based artist, has announced the dates for her European and United Kingdom summer tour. Among the many cities, Tomberlin will be visiting Brighton, Manchester, London and Berlin — to name a few.
Tour Dates
Sat 18th May, Germany, Kulturkirche, Cardinal Sessions Festival
Mon 20th May, UK, Brighton, The Hope & Ruin
Tue 21st May, UK, Manchester, Yes (Basement)
Wed 22nd May, UK, Leeds, Community Room @ Brudenell Social Club
Thu 23rd May, UK, Glasgow, The Hug and Pint
Fri 24th May, UK, London, The Lexington
Sat 25th May, Netherlands, Amsterdam, London Calling
Mon 27th May, Belgium, Antwerp, Trix Bar
Thu 30th May, Spain, Barcelona, Primavera Sound Barcelona
Sun 2nd Jun, Germany, Munich, Unter Deck
Mon 3rd Jun, Germany, Munster, Pension Schmidt
Wed 5th Jun, Germany, Nürnberg, Kantine
Sat 8th Jun, Portugal, Porto, NOS Primavera Sound
Mon 10th Jun, Germany, Berlin, Monarch
Tue 11th Jun, Germany, Jena, Trafo
Wed 12th Jun, Germany, Hamburg, Aalhaus
Thu 13th Jun, Netherlands, Rotterdam, Rotown
Fri 14th Jun, Belgium, Brussels, Botanique / Rotonde
Sat 15th Jun, Germany, Mannheim, Maifeld Derby Festival
When decomposed human remains are discovered in a suitcase behind a locked door in the home of an elderly man, Detective Karen Hart thinks the facts speak for themselves. That is, until she finds the warning: It’s time to pay for your crime.
The body belongs to a former teacher, Oliver Fox, who vanished from the village thirty years earlier. Hart’s instincts tell her there is something untoward about this rural Lincolnshire community—especially when she uncovers evidence suggesting that, although Fox was a victim, he certainly wasn’t innocent. As the extent of Fox’s crimes becomes apparent and the web of lies continues to unravel, almost nobody in the village is above suspicion.
When there are whispers of child abuse in connection with the case, it’s clear someone is willing to do anything to keep the sinister truth buried. Can Hart find the culprit before more lives are lost?
One sunny August afternoon, the residents of Cedar Close throw their annual summer barbecue. Children play in the cherry-tree lined street, tables are laden with food, and the wine is flowing. For Laurie Mills, it’s her first time meeting the neighbours. And it’s the first time she discovers her husband Robert is having an affair.
Cedar Close has always been a nice place to live – a quiet suburban street where everyone looks out for one another and bad things don’t happen.
Until late one evening, when Robert Mills is found dead in his bedroom.
Downstairs, in their beautiful kitchen, his wife Laurie sits alone in the dark with her head in her hands.
She can’t remember the last few hours, but she knows she didn’t kill Robert.
Emmett Farmer is working in the fields when a letter arrives summoning him to begin an apprenticeship. He will work for a Bookbinder, a vocation that arouses fear, superstition and prejudice – but one neither he nor his parents can afford to refuse.
He will learn to hand-craft beautiful volumes, and within each he will capture something unique and extraordinary: a memory. If there’s something you want to forget, he can help. If there’s something you need to erase, he can assist. Your past will be stored safely in a book and you will never remember your secret, however terrible.
In a vault under his mentor’s workshop, row upon row of books – and memories – are meticulously stored and recorded.
Then one day Emmett makes an astonishing discovery: one of them has his name on it.
On a routine flight from Africa to England, Dr Mason Palmer is tragically killed when the light aircraft he’s travelling on crashes and disappears in dense bushland.
Ten months later, Nicole Palmer is still trying to block out the grief of her husband’s sudden death. Until one morning she receives a photo of Mason through the post, along with a cryptic message. A message only he could’ve written.
But when Nicole tries to find out if Mason is really alive and what actually happened to him in Africa, everyone she turns to for answers ends up dead.
Determined to find the truth, Nicole uncovers a conspiracy that spans the globe, and discovers there are powerful people who are prepared to kill to keep her silent.
They say your first kiss should be earned. Mine was stolen by a devil in a masquerade mask under the black Chicago sky. They say the vows you take on your wedding day are sacred. Mine were broken before we left church. They say your heart only beats for one man. Mine split and bled for two rivals who fought for it until the bitter end. I was promised to Angelo Bandini, the heir to one of the most powerful families in the Chicago Outfit. Then taken by Senator Wolfe Keaton, who held my father’s sins over his head to force me into marriage. They say that all great love stories have a happy ending. I, Francesca Rossi, found myself erasing and rewriting mine until the very last chapter. One kiss. Two men. Three lives. Entwined together. And somewhere between these two men, I had to find my forever.
One blustery October morning in a quiet Copenhagen suburb, the police make a terrible discovery. A young woman is found brutally murdered with one of her hands missing. Above her hangs a small doll made of chestnuts.
Ambitious young detective Naia Thulin is assigned the case. Her partner, Mark Hess, is a burned-out investigator who’s just been kicked out of Europol. They soon discover a mysterious piece of evidence on the chestnut man – evidence connecting it to a girl who went missing a year earlier and is presumed dead; the daughter of politician Rosa Hartung. The man who confessed to her murder is behind bars and the case long since closed.
Soon afterwards, a second woman is found murdered, along with another chestnut man. Thulin and Hess suspect that there’s a connection between the Hartung case and the murdered women. But what is it?
Thulin and Hess are racing against the clock, because it’s clear that the killer is on a mission that is far from over . . .
The perfect town is hiding secrets. Two teenagers are dead. Two murders unsolved. And a killer who claims to be coming back. Ellery’s never been to Echo Ridge, but she’s heard all about it. It’s where her aunt went missing at age sixteen, never to return. Where a Homecoming Queen’s murder five years ago made national news. And where Ellery now has to live with a grandmother she barely knows, after her failed-actress mother lands in rehab.
Malcolm grew up in the shadow of the Homecoming Queen’s death. His older brother was the prime suspect and left Echo Ridge in disgrace. His mother’s remarriage vaulted them to Echo Ridge’s upper crust, but it could all change when mysterious threats around town hint that a killer plans to strike again. And the return of Malcolm’s brother doesn’t help matters. But his return is just a coincidence… isn’t it? Ellery and Malcolm both know it’s hard to let go when you don’t have closure.
Then another girl disappears. As they race to unravel what happened, they realise every secret has layers in Echo Ridge. The truth might be closer to home than either of them want to believe. And somebody would kill to keep it hidden.
How did English football – once known for its stale pies, bad book-keeping and hooligans – become a commercial powerhouse and the world’s premium popular entertainment?
This was a business empire built in only twenty-five years on ambition, experimentation and gambler’s luck. Lead by a motley cast of executives, Russian oligarchs, Arab Sheikhs, Asian Titans, American Tycoons, battle-hardened managers, ruthless agents and the Murdoch media – the Premier League has been carved up, rebranded and exported to phenomenal 185 countries. The United Nations only recognizes 193.
But the extraordinary profit of bringing England’s ageing industrial towns to a compulsive global attention has come at a cost. Today, as players are sold for hundreds of millions and clubs are valued in the billions, local fans are being priced out – and the clubs’ local identities are fading. The Premier League has become the classic business fable for our globalised world.
Drawing on dozens of exclusive and revelatory interviews from the Boardrooms – including Liverpool’s John W. Henry, Tottenham’s Daniel Levy, Martin Edwards and David Gill at Manchester United, Arsène Wenger and Stan Kroenke at Arsenal, Manchester City’s sporting director Txiki Begiristain, and executives at Chelsea, West Ham, Leicester City and Aston Villa – this is the definitive bustand boom account of how the Premier League product took over the world.
When Calouste Gulbenkian died in 1955 at the age of 86, he was the richest man in the world, known as ‘Mr Five Per Cent’ for his personal share of Middle East oil. The son of a wealthy Armenian merchant in Istanbul, for half a century he brokered top-level oil deals, concealing his mysterious web of business interests and contacts within a labyrinth of Asian and European cartels, and convincing governments and oil barons alike of his impartiality as an ‘honest broker’. Today his name is known principally through the Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon, to which his spectacular art collection and most of his vast wealth were bequeathed.
Gulbenkian’s private life was as labyrinthine as his business dealings. He insisted on the highest ‘moral values’, yet ruthlessly used his wife’s charm as a hostess to further his career, and demanded complete obedience from his family, whom he monitored obsessively. As a young man he lived a champagne lifestyle, escorting actresses and showgirls, and in later life – on doctor’s orders – he slept with a succession of discreetly provided young women. Meanwhile he built up a superb art collection which included Rembrandts and other treasures sold to him by Stalin from the Hermitage Museum.
Published to mark the 150th anniversary of his birth, Mr Five Per Cent reveals Gulbenkian’s complex and many-sided existence. Written with full access to the Gulbenkian Foundation’s archives, this is the fascinating story of the man who more than anyone else helped shape the modern oil industry.
At the bar of a grand hotel in a small Irish town sits 84-year-old Maurice Hannigan. He’s alone, as usual -though tonight is anything but. Pull up a stool and charge your glass, because Maurice is finally ready to tell his story.
Over the course of this evening, he will raise five toasts to the five people who have meant the most to him. Through these stories – of unspoken joy and regret, a secret tragedy kept hidden, a fierce love that never found its voice – the life of one man will be powerfully and poignantly laid bare.
Heart-breaking and heart-warming all at once, the voice of Maurice Hannigan will stay with you long after all is said.
Jonas Mekas, one of the most beloved figures in the world of experimental cinema, has passed away at the age of 96. Mekas will be remembered not just for his films but also his poetry and overall contribution to the world as an artist and as a person. Mekas remains one of the most important figures to come out of Lithuania and will certainly remain a shining light for new, old and unknown artists around the world.
“I make no decisions. I never know what I’ll film/tape/record next. I like to be surprised. Things keep coming at me.”
In 2017, we had the privilege of interviewing Jonas Mekas. You can read the full interview here.
Fabio di Biase, an Italian composer and pianist, has released his latest composition Oceano. In this piece, Biase showcases a soft melancholic side to his music, which is further explored through beautiful dynamics and its filmic feel.
Talking about the composition Fabio said “I wrote this song thinking about the quiet of its expanses of blue, to the wonders that are discovered in its depths. Not that I dive, huh.. I crossed the oceans comfortably on the couch of my house… blessed documentaries! One time I could admire the reef during a special trip I made with my wife many years ago… on that occasion I was lucky enough to swim a few meters from the so-called Queen of the seas… the manta. And my deepest thought goes to the great creatures that live it. With their apparent calm, with their sinuous swaying they transmit me a sense of wisdom and purity. They that too many times have been victims of our greed, that blind and perverse money hunt that destroyed ecosystems and spilled tons of toxic substances into sea. We would have a lot to learn from whales…”
Coming back with another stunningly produced song is the beloved music producer Luboku.
Luboku, the electronic artist from Melbourne, Australia known for The Surface and previously featured Without You, has released his latest progressive house and purely ear-pleasing single Solar Flare.
After the success of his previous releases, Luboku has kept us on our toes for what was to come next. Luckily for us, we have been presented with Solar Flare, a song that features intriguing synths, mellifluous melody and a vibe that will have you listening for a fortnight to come. This one is for the playlists.
Making her comeback on our Sound Selection is the wonderfully-gifted Meg Blumberg. This time showcasing her latest composition Wading, which evolves with beautiful strings and emotionally-moving melody. As always Blumberg presents us with quality which cannot be replaced.
Aaron Taos ‘Is It Anything?’
Another artist to make his comeback on Our Culture Mag is Aaron Taos. This time with Is It Anything? In this latest piece, Taos showcases his spirited vocal energy with relatable lyrics and a vibe that will have you listening for weeks to come.
YB ‘Dear Soldiers’
Coming in with an emotional beat and energetic vocals is YB with his latest track Dear Soldiers. In this latest piece, YB displays his songwriting skills and vocals that grips the listener within seconds. This one is for the playlists.
Akiyoshi Yasuda ‘Grace’
The last piece to enter this edition of Sound Selection is by Akiyoshi Yasuda named Grace. This composition drives on a filmic ambience with a soft reflective-like melody that will have you under its spell for weeks to come. While Grace is not the newest piece by Yasuda, it certainly is our favourite yet.
Simen Mitlid, a Norwegian singer-songwriter, has recently released his newest creation Saturdays. The song features beautifully dynamic vocals that will have you in awe from the get-go.
Furthermore, Saturdays is the first song from Mitlid’s upcoming album, which is likely to be released this year. Mitlid’s previous album Everything Is the Same came out in 2017. It featured songs like Vacation and This Time. Vacation, the most popular song on the album, reached over one million plays on Spotify alone, making it Mitlid’s most popular song of his career.
You can stream Saturdays via Spotify here. Saturdays was released via the record label Koke Plate.
Luca D’Alberto, an Italian composer known for pieces such as Her Dreams, joined us for an interview to talk about his latest album Exile, 2019, and culture.
Hi, how are you?
Great, Modestas…so happy to be your “guest” at Our Culture Mag.
So, when did you realise you wanted to become a musician?
My first music memories lay in Abruzzo (Italy) and concern a carillon…the carillon was in the music room of my house, where my sister and my mother used to play the piano. The music room had no doors so the notes would expand throughout the floors and the stairs, invading the house. I would play the carillon every day so my mother, to prevent me from breaking it, would put it somewhere high where I would not be able to reach it, but somehow I always managed to. Maybe it was then that I realised I wanted to become a composer..create music was and still is for me like magic.
What was the first composition you remember writing?
I was 13 years old, my best friend had at his home an audio device to record music. So i started to go at my best friend’s house to record my creations with a very punk microphone; the first creation I think was for electric guitar and strings, just instrumental. This is for me a beautiful memory, thanks for asking.
And, how did it Exile come about?
It took me one year, it’s been a deep process and during this period the album has been obviously influenced by the events and the people that crossed my life. I imagine EXILE as the soundtrack of a film that lives in each one of us, a film about the endless relationship between Men and its feelings. I hope this album will become to the listener as a “Secret Place”, where it’s possible to feel free to remember without shame nor limits, a place to cherish and bring back to life our own deepest emotions.
What were the challenges of making Exile?
Having immersed myself in other artistic fields, my sources of inspiration are not music and listening, but rather images and feelings. In Exile music has two strands. On the one hand, there’s a sweetness, where I wanted to express the idea of a caress not given. On the other, there is a more aggressive, powerful side, which translates into the presence of hidden blades connected to an urgent composition that I can’t escape. In EXILE the idea was that of letting two armies collide: the army of sublime beauty and that of aggression; to allow those hidden blades in my music to emerge and thus create something new.”
Do you have a favourite composition from Exile?
If I have to choose just one track I think I could say Like We Were
2019 is on the brink. What are your plans for 2019?
In this moment, I’m working on several important projects: films, theatre and collaborations. About “albums” in 2019 I will start to work on a new solo album and other albums where I will collaborate in duo with international artists.
Our final question, what is your definition of culture?
Be honest with himself and with the audience, don’t be afraid to be a naked soul with all the strength and fragility.
Alice Phoebe Lou, a South African singer-songwriter, has presented her latest single Skin Crawl. Skin Crawl comes from the upcoming album, Paper Castles, which is due to be released on the 8th of March.
Talking about the single Lou said “I was in the heart of Manhattan after taking myself on a solo date to watch Angel Olsen & I was feeling elated. I ended up at a bar, drinking a few drinks with strangers. I felt dizzy and left to call a cab. The last thing I remember, I was standing on a corner, unable to comprehend how my phone worked, feeling as though my world was upside down, panicking. A few hours are then lost and I never got them back. Then I’m suddenly in Brooklyn and it’s 4 AM, I’m barely able to walk, with a man I’ve never seen and he’s taking me somewhere. I remember thinking that he must be taking me to safety, because I was falling over and clearly needed to be in a safe place. Something kicked in and I realized I was in danger. I dropped my jacket and ran as fast as I could. Running and falling and crying and pissing my pants. I’ve never been that afraid. Kind strangers brought me to safety. The next day I was a wreck. Trying to rack my brain and understand how someone slipped something into my drink. But I was lucky. Many people aren’t.
It took me days to feel ok again. Physically and in my mind. But I realized how important it was for me to not let that moment define me and change something that was so important to me; the independence of going out alone. So, I did it again. Only a few days later. Trying to release the fear and not let it control me. I went to a Fela Kuti night and danced my feet off. But I remember being so acutely aware of the men around me on the dance floor; how often I was touched in places I didn’t want to be, how many times I was grabbed, told to smile, rubbed up against, you name it. I felt like I had to fend men off like it was some sort of sick game and the circumstances made it so difficult for me to just enjoy myself. I got home full of fire, ready to turn it all on its head, write a song from my perspective about what pisses me off, to get it off my chest and then set fire to it in my mind so it has no hold on me. It’s about the little things; the words, the comments, the feeling that ripples through your skin every time you’re told you’re a bitch because you don’t want to give him your number. Because for me, it’s the little things that are the starting point of a broader culture of non-consent and sexual aggression. And I guess I needed to write a song that was straight to the point. I find that when dealing with “heavy” subject matter that is important to you, it can be a tricky balance trying to get the message across while keeping up the poetry.
I went through a lot as a teenager and young woman, experiencing a range of extremely negative and traumatic incidences at the hands of men. This is not to say that I paint men with a single brush. I am lucky to have an incredible community of supportive, sensitive and wonderful men around me, in my band and social life, and I am so grateful for them. These are the same men that appear in my music video for “Skin Crawl,” close friends who were happy to play a role in a video where I could use them as my objects and my furniture in order to turn things on their head. The video was a joy to make; a DIY, low budget, full of love day. The song’s intention is to ask that we all work towards a world where we strive to make each other feel comfortable and safe at all times. That’s the dream really. Cozy and safe and equal.”
To support the release of her upcoming album, Lou will tour around the US and Europe.
The Paper Castles 2019 Tour Dates
North America
March 3 – Toronto, CAN – The Garrison
March 4 – Montreal, CAN – Bar Le Ritz PDB
March 5 – Boston, MA – Cafe 939
March 7 – Vienna, VA – Jammin’ Java
March 8 – Brooklyn, NY – Rough Trade
March 10 – Durham, NC – Motorco Music Hall
March 11 – Atlanta, GA – Vinyl AT Center Stage
March 13 – 17 – Austin, TX – SXSW
March 20 – San Diego, CA – The Casbah
March 21 – Los Angeles, CA – The Moroccan Lounge
March 23 – San Francisco, CA – Bottom of the Hill
March 24 – Portland, OR – The Old Church Concert Hall
