WEDNESDAY MAY 11, 2016
Boulevards
“When Electric Cowboy was released, I asked myself what are my intentions for the next release? I needed to make sure I made a record that sounds like me and reflects my live show. I did not want to be a carbon copy and make the same record as my favorite influences growing up. The objective was to make a record that was creative, raw, infectious, syncopated basslines, tight drums, punchy horns that brings a soulful element to the funk. I knew that in order to achieve a sound that was authentic to me was to team up with funk producer Sergio Rios (Orgone) (Say she she) (Neal Francis). This is not a soul revival record, this is southern fried carolina funk!”
In February 2022, Boulevards, the project led by musician Jamil Rashad, released its fourth studio album, Electric Cowboy: Born in Carolina Mud. That album culminated years of slow building and provided the Raleigh, N.C. native the breakthrough he deserved. After an 18 month rigorous run, he wasn’t ready to take a deserved break.
Upon Electric Cowboy’s release, Rashad’s creative ideas continued to flow. He reached out to friends and collaborators, like writer Gentle Nature and J.J. Whitefield of German funk group The Poets of Rhythm and began to mold his new ideas into full-fledged songs. After the campaign for Electric Cowboy wound down, Rashad returned to his home state of North Carolina and got to work on his fifth studio album.
As the song ideas flowed, Rashad explored the importance of self-reflection and personal experiences, in particular themes of love and vulnerability. Drawing from that prism and channeling the joy of his recent engagement, the artist had plenty of positive momentum heading into the recording sessions.
“After Electric Cowboy was released, I thought hard about my intentions for the next album,” shares Rashad. “The objective was to make a record that echoes the spirit of my live shows and reflects the truest ‘me.’”
Carolina Funk: Barn Burner on Tobacco Road is a tip of the cap to his home and will be released by the New West Records imprint Normaltown Records. At Killion Studios in Los Angeles, Rashad teamed with producer Sergio Rios (Neal Francis, Say She She, Orgone) to create an album chock full of a memorable uptempo “Southern Fried Funk.” For the first time in Rashad’s career, he recorded live and straight to tape, capturing the true essence of these songs, which was brought to life by Dan Hastie (keys), Dale Jennings (bass) and Sam Halterman (drums).
“Working with Sergio Rios as a producer allowed me to refine my vision while preserving the raw, infectious sound that feels most authentic to me,” Rashad adds.
With an assist from Whitefield, Rashad captured the raw, crunchy sounds he’d been hoping to incorporate into his recordings. The album also features the handy work of Mike Buckley (Daptones, Budos Band, Jalen N’gonda), who composed the horn parts, Blake Rhein (Durand Jones & The Indications), and Kendra Morris (Colemine Records). This is the album that finally captures the energy of Rashad’s high octane live show onto wax. Black Pumas virtuoso Adrian Quesada and Will Grantham mixed Carolina Funk: Barn Burner on Tobacco Road, giving Rashad the exact sound he sought to capture.
Rashad points to “What We Live For” as one of his favorite songs from the 10-song collection. In the past, he’s hidden his personal lyrics underneath the power of his groove-laden instrumentals. Not here. He admits that hearing the finished version gave him chills and he teared up a bit. At its heart, it’s what Carolina Funk is about: celebrating love. As tender as “What We Live For” is, Rashad didn’t want to get too hung up on sentimentality. The song’s rhythm and melody is club-ready with its funk-soul.
The same goes for “Run and Move.” Describing the fears of vulnerability in a relationship, Rashad brings an astute perspective to describing human nature. Despite it being one of his favorite songs, he admits that it was one of the toughest to track in the studio. Even so, the collection captures Rashad’s ethos as an artist and is his most well-rounded to date.
Like any great artist, Rashad writes in a fashion that is true to himself, yet has the ability for his rapidly expanding fan base to relate to. With Carolina Funk: Barn Burner on Tobacco Road, Rashad shows that he can’t stop and won’t stop channeling his creativity into funk-powered hits.
“When Electric Cowboy was released, I asked myself what are my intentions for the next release? I needed to make sure I made a record that sounds like me and reflects my live show. I did not want to be a carbon copy and make the same record as my favorite influences growing up. The objective was to make a record that was creative, raw, infectious, syncopated basslines, tight drums, punchy horns that brings a soulful element to the funk. I knew that in order to achieve a sound that was authentic to me was to team up with funk producer Sergio Rios (Orgone) (Say she she) (Neal Francis). This is not a soul revival record, this is southern fried carolina funk!”
In February 2022, Boulevards, the project led by musician Jamil Rashad, released its fourth studio album, Electric Cowboy: Born in Carolina Mud. That album culminated years of slow building and provided the Raleigh, N.C. native the breakthrough he deserved. After an 18 month rigorous run, he wasn’t ready to take a deserved break.
Upon Electric Cowboy’s release, Rashad’s creative ideas continued to flow. He reached out to friends and collaborators, like writer Gentle Nature and J.J. Whitefield of German funk group The Poets of Rhythm and began to mold his new ideas into full-fledged songs. After the campaign for Electric Cowboy wound down, Rashad returned to his home state of North Carolina and got to work on his fifth studio album.
As the song ideas flowed, Rashad explored the importance of self-reflection and personal experiences, in particular themes of love and vulnerability. Drawing from that prism and channeling the joy of his recent engagement, the artist had plenty of positive momentum heading into the recording sessions.
“After Electric Cowboy was released, I thought hard about my intentions for the next album,” shares Rashad. “The objective was to make a record that echoes the spirit of my live shows and reflects the truest ‘me.’”
Carolina Funk: Barn Burner on Tobacco Road is a tip of the cap to his home and will be released by the New West Records imprint Normaltown Records. At Killion Studios in Los Angeles, Rashad teamed with producer Sergio Rios (Neal Francis, Say She She, Orgone) to create an album chock full of a memorable uptempo “Southern Fried Funk.” For the first time in Rashad’s career, he recorded live and straight to tape, capturing the true essence of these songs, which was brought to life by Dan Hastie (keys), Dale Jennings (bass) and Sam Halterman (drums).
“Working with Sergio Rios as a producer allowed me to refine my vision while preserving the raw, infectious sound that feels most authentic to me,” Rashad adds.
With an assist from Whitefield, Rashad captured the raw, crunchy sounds he’d been hoping to incorporate into his recordings. The album also features the handy work of Mike Buckley (Daptones, Budos Band, Jalen N’gonda), who composed the horn parts, Blake Rhein (Durand Jones & The Indications), and Kendra Morris (Colemine Records). This is the album that finally captures the energy of Rashad’s high octane live show onto wax. Black Pumas virtuoso Adrian Quesada and Will Grantham mixed Carolina Funk: Barn Burner on Tobacco Road, giving Rashad the exact sound he sought to capture.
Rashad points to “What We Live For” as one of his favorite songs from the 10-song collection. In the past, he’s hidden his personal lyrics underneath the power of his groove-laden instrumentals. Not here. He admits that hearing the finished version gave him chills and he teared up a bit. At its heart, it’s what Carolina Funk is about: celebrating love. As tender as “What We Live For” is, Rashad didn’t want to get too hung up on sentimentality. The song’s rhythm and melody is club-ready with its funk-soul.
The same goes for “Run and Move.” Describing the fears of vulnerability in a relationship, Rashad brings an astute perspective to describing human nature. Despite it being one of his favorite songs, he admits that it was one of the toughest to track in the studio. Even so, the collection captures Rashad’s ethos as an artist and is his most well-rounded to date.
Like any great artist, Rashad writes in a fashion that is true to himself, yet has the ability for his rapidly expanding fan base to relate to. With Carolina Funk: Barn Burner on Tobacco Road, Rashad shows that he can’t stop and won’t stop channeling his creativity into funk-powered hits.
Fantasy Guys
"After listening the new Fantasy Guys album for the first time, I could only think of one thing: damn I wish I owned a pool. It’s not that I’m not content to be sitting at my desk, headphones on, sorting through my notes and thoughts about the album. It’s just that it occurs to me how this music is perfect for certain contexts. Here is a non-exhaustive list of situations for which the new record is an ideal soundtrack: floating around a pool, swinging in a hammock, driving the A1A with the windows down, smoking weed on the beach, playing Donkey Kong Country, grilling hamburgers. You get the idea. Fantasy Guys’ Inyo Galatea, Maddy Davis, and Mitchell Hardage really just want you to relax and have a good time. Following last year’s Surfin on a Wave of Juice and the follow-up instrumental EP, Dreamin’ of the Sea, On Poppy Island arrives just in time for the summer, and with it they have harnessed the power of sun and Sega. The LP is a shimmering mix of cheeky island pop, R&B-inflected loungers, and chill video game vibes. Across 13 tracks they expertly mesh keyboard beats, sunny guitars, and ethereal falsetto vocals with jazzy flute, funky bass licks, and vibraphone and synth textures. And despite that reverse engineered list of sounds, the result is greater than the sum of its parts; it’s a unique and cohesive record that is quite unlike any other music being made in Atlanta right now. To the uninitiated, it would be easy to dismiss Fantasy Guys as comedy or satire at first listen. With an album cover that looks akin to an SNES title screen, and songs with emoji-culture titles such as “Bae Caught Me Vapin’,” “420 Tho,” and “Aloha BB Girl,” you can practically see the band members winking at you as you consider whether or not to dive in. But there is an earnestness in their meticulous craft. The laid-back vibes and playful accessibility of the music somewhat mask just how precise the album is in its construction — never quite basic, but also never full-on proggy or complicated. That is a fine line to walk, and Fantasy Guys walk it deftly. On Poppy Island is bursting with sun and sand, and manages to showcase a little bit of everything. There’s an intro track. There are pun-y song titles. There are flute solos. There are upbeat songs and slow songs. There are instrumentals that sound like the beach courses in Mario Kart. But the true testament to the album’s utility and creativity is that you really want to listen to it over and over in spite of its mostly subtle cheekiness. Whereas you might hear “Jazz” by Tenacious D, laugh heartily, but never really need to hear it again, with Fantasy Guys you get music that is fun but also has a shelf life. This isn’t the Lonely Island’s “I Just Had Sex” or Weird Al style parody, this is an honest, earnest, fun exercise in genre where the players are genuinely committed to what they’re creating, even if they can’t perform without acknowledging the weed session joke that led to the band’s creation. I asked the group where Poppy Island is and if it’s a real place. Their answer was succinct, and a perfect indicator of exactly what you’re getting into with this record. “Poppy Island is everywhere you want to be,” they tell me. “It is the sweet cosmic Pangaea of each of your happy places.”Fantasy Guys live in the sweet spot, and they want you to come chill with them. On Poppy Island is the soundtrack, and it’s on repeat. Come on in, the water’s fine." -Immersive Atlanta
"After listening the new Fantasy Guys album for the first time, I could only think of one thing: damn I wish I owned a pool. It’s not that I’m not content to be sitting at my desk, headphones on, sorting through my notes and thoughts about the album. It’s just that it occurs to me how this music is perfect for certain contexts. Here is a non-exhaustive list of situations for which the new record is an ideal soundtrack: floating around a pool, swinging in a hammock, driving the A1A with the windows down, smoking weed on the beach, playing Donkey Kong Country, grilling hamburgers. You get the idea. Fantasy Guys’ Inyo Galatea, Maddy Davis, and Mitchell Hardage really just want you to relax and have a good time. Following last year’s Surfin on a Wave of Juice and the follow-up instrumental EP, Dreamin’ of the Sea, On Poppy Island arrives just in time for the summer, and with it they have harnessed the power of sun and Sega. The LP is a shimmering mix of cheeky island pop, R&B-inflected loungers, and chill video game vibes. Across 13 tracks they expertly mesh keyboard beats, sunny guitars, and ethereal falsetto vocals with jazzy flute, funky bass licks, and vibraphone and synth textures. And despite that reverse engineered list of sounds, the result is greater than the sum of its parts; it’s a unique and cohesive record that is quite unlike any other music being made in Atlanta right now. To the uninitiated, it would be easy to dismiss Fantasy Guys as comedy or satire at first listen. With an album cover that looks akin to an SNES title screen, and songs with emoji-culture titles such as “Bae Caught Me Vapin’,” “420 Tho,” and “Aloha BB Girl,” you can practically see the band members winking at you as you consider whether or not to dive in. But there is an earnestness in their meticulous craft. The laid-back vibes and playful accessibility of the music somewhat mask just how precise the album is in its construction — never quite basic, but also never full-on proggy or complicated. That is a fine line to walk, and Fantasy Guys walk it deftly. On Poppy Island is bursting with sun and sand, and manages to showcase a little bit of everything. There’s an intro track. There are pun-y song titles. There are flute solos. There are upbeat songs and slow songs. There are instrumentals that sound like the beach courses in Mario Kart. But the true testament to the album’s utility and creativity is that you really want to listen to it over and over in spite of its mostly subtle cheekiness. Whereas you might hear “Jazz” by Tenacious D, laugh heartily, but never really need to hear it again, with Fantasy Guys you get music that is fun but also has a shelf life. This isn’t the Lonely Island’s “I Just Had Sex” or Weird Al style parody, this is an honest, earnest, fun exercise in genre where the players are genuinely committed to what they’re creating, even if they can’t perform without acknowledging the weed session joke that led to the band’s creation. I asked the group where Poppy Island is and if it’s a real place. Their answer was succinct, and a perfect indicator of exactly what you’re getting into with this record. “Poppy Island is everywhere you want to be,” they tell me. “It is the sweet cosmic Pangaea of each of your happy places.”Fantasy Guys live in the sweet spot, and they want you to come chill with them. On Poppy Island is the soundtrack, and it’s on repeat. Come on in, the water’s fine." -Immersive Atlanta