It's officially been 30 years since Jon Auer & Ken Stringfellow, high school mates from Bellingham WA, USA,recorded and released "Failure", a home recorded, self-released cassette that had the improbable fate of landing the band two commercial radio hits and a record deal w the David Geffen Company, where they became labelmates of Sonic Youth, Nirvana & Teenage Fanclub. Now with a legacy of eight critically lauded albums (their latest, "Solid States" was released in 2016), a loyal population of fans around the globe, and a body of work with such classic alternative/indie anthems as "Dream All Day", "Solar Sister", "Coming Right Along" and many more, the band is still active and looking forward to its fourth decade in music. The band's '90s catalogue is set to be re-released in 2018 by Omnivore Records, and there are plans to start working on a new album soon after. The band has survived the deaths of two longtime members in the last 3 years: bassist Joe Skyward and drummer Darius Minwalla; despite that, they managed to stage a brilliant comeback in 2016 with drummer Frankie Siragusa and do several sold out tours doing pop up shows -- self-produced concerts in improvised venues and unlikely spaces; indie rock raves, if you will. For their 30th Anniversary, Omnivore Records will re-release the band's crucial 1990s catalog -- "Dear 23", "Frosting on the Beater", and "Amazing Disgrace", as double CDs replete with an astounding number of previously unreleased bonus cuts, and also as double 45 RPM high fidelity LPs. The band is currently running a Pledge Music campaign(https://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/the-posies) for pre-ordering the three albums. Radiohead mentioned to Ken one night out in the pub (in Hollywood, tho) that "Frosting on the Beater" was the most played album in the van during the band's first American tour; Snow Patrol's Gary Lightbody & Beach Slang's James Alex, two name but two, have each put that album in their personal top ten. "Frosting" encapsulates all the elements that make the band timeless --the two-voices-as-one interplay of Auer and Stringfellow; thoughtful and literate lyrics; broiling guitars married to shimmering melodies. If the band was out of step with its more brutal Seattle compatriots 25 years ago, it has served them well -- the times, at last, have caught up to their vision. To take this celebration around the globe, the Posies, who have had a few lineup changes over the years (alwaysbased around the founding duo of Auer & Stringfellow) will be on tour as the 1992-1994 lineup that made "Frosting on the Beater" -- Jon & Ken will be complemented by drummer Mike Musburger and bassist Dave Fox. It's been almost a quarter century since this quartet has been on the road, and recent warm up shows have been as explosive as those played by the twentysomethings of yore. Catch the band on tour this spring in North America, and this fall in Europe -- their time is now, again.

With New Mistakes, Canada’s Terra Lightfoot offers up something rare: the kind of genuine document that can only come from a road-tested breed of songwriter and performer. Shot through with the guitarist-vocalist’s powerful, bluesy soul, vivid lyrics and ferocious six-string virtuosity, it’s an unforgettable outing. From the ground- shaking stomp of “Paradise” and wild-eyed energy of “Pinball King” that open the set to the psychedelic, gospel- tinged album closer “Lonesome Eyes,” the steeltown native’s third record distills her masterful talent to its electrifying essence. Produced by Gus van Go and Werner F (Arkells, Sam Roberts Band, Wintersleep), New Mistakes is a heady journey. As poignant as it is rollicking and vulnerable as it is rowdy, it cruises long and sometimes lonesome highways that lead everywhere from brokedown dive bars and endless prairie skies to mountain ranges and the Mojave Desert. Built around Lightfoot’s killer live band, the session impresses on all counts. It’s Lightfoot’s hungriest and most raw album to date, able to mesmerize with graceful melodies one moment, and step into the ring to deliver a hurricane of hooks or a heart-wrenching chorus the next. Lifted by bright waves of organ and classic roots-rock vibe, “Ruthless” nails that lethal dynamic, slowly building a story of deep connection fraught by distance, until letting loose its knockout crescendo. Lightfoot’s stunning, soulful voice powers her emotional wallops, laid low as a gentle whisper over the swirling finger-picking of “You Get High,” or belted out with nuclear swagger over the rock ’n’ soul grooves of “Hold You,” battling things out with a righteous Jake Clemons sax solo during its climax.
And the only forces that can go toe-to-toe with Lightfoot’s vocal prowess are her guitar chops. “Slick Back Kid” is a bluesy scorcher, barreling forward with monster riffs, dappled with hits of slide guitar work from guest vocalist Oliver Wood. “Stars Over Dakota” lays down blistering ‘70s grooves between feral blasts of overdrive as Lightfoot howls across the American midwest to someone she can’t stop thinking about. “Drifter” reflects on love long past, with her emotive guitar playing saying what the lyrics cannot. That’s not to say she’s a tentative wordsmith. Lightfoot’s evolution into a potent songwriter might be captured best on the poignant “Norma Gale”. The tune tells the real life story of its namesake’s battle to make it as a songwriter and bass player in the colourful world of ‘70s country music, fighting to pursue her ```passion while raising her son alone and touring non-stop. It’s easy to hear why Gale’s story would resonate with Lightfoot: As tried and true road-dogs, they’re kindred spirits, both driven by a creative force they’d be willing to let tear them apart if it had to. And sometimes it does. But, as Lightfoot wails in the song’s transcendent finish—though the trek so far has been long and treacherous, and isn’t likely to let up—“I knew I had to keep on going.” That’s how she got here, after all. It’s Lightfoot’s relentless commitment to the cause that made this album possible: racking up endless, hard- earned miles, forging and letting go of relationships, and seeking out every sliver of truth in a life on the road that is anything but easy to navigate. It’s an odyssey without a map to guide the way, filled with infinite missteps. But if they all sound as wild and beautiful as this, let’s hope Terra Lightfoot never stops making New Mistakes.

"Rebel With A Cause"- O.C.Weekly                                              Journalists & fans call him ‘The rock n roll poet.’ He's an Outlaw folk & rock n roll singer songwriter with a cause –songs of real life experience society,social struggles , ,love ,rebellion& satire – A man with a message .A voice of the forgotten regular people kicked around by life who beat the odds .He overcame death more than once –being told he’d never play music or walk again after a rare illness in 2009 then collapsing and dying right on stage only to rise up and survive with a full miraculous recovery.Thrown in a UK  jail while on tour ,hanging out with other immigrant's being held in the tank  from all over the world .Armed with his battered acoustic & electric guitars,soulful harmonica  & his  songs , he has a perspective other songwriters don’t have,follows no one & goes where the winds takes him.   His new album  Rabbit Foot Carnival  with his band the Starshakers release is out now.   Like his previous albums it was recorded raw & live in the studio – music and  vocal's recorded  all at once-. Song of our time album in 2019 was hailed as a top release of the year in The USA & UK. A raw Folk album with 21st century lyrics. His 'Acoustic Rumble' album was named “#1 release of the decade and #1 album of the year with the # 25 best song of the decade Poem to my country’ on the  years end  top 100 by  Los Angeles Times by legendary  music journalist ‘Mike Boehm’ who also declared the album  ‘Better than Springsteen's Ghost of Tom Joad".  The album also topped the New york ‘Village Voice Pazz & Jopp poll’ & named #1 by The Orange County register.   He has also garnered critical acclaim in the UK in hip & underground magazines and blogs.  Mojo magazine named Michael's  release Last Of The Honky tonks #6 of the month and Shindig magazine in 2018  naming his social commentary song  ‘Jeanie Lees Phone'  from the acclaimed vinyl release ‘The Ballad of Brian Jones’ -“A smash hit waiting to happen” . Legendary Stones photographer Gered Mankowitz did the vinyl album cover. His new songs  Jeanie Lees Phone  & Scratch My Back,Memphis Bound & Jean Harlow  played regularly in 2022 on Little Stevens Underground garage -Rodney on the rock show.(Also his first  teenage band The Earwigs garage classic  'Here Come The Earwigs')   Michael also has won numerous  awards for  “Best roots Album , Best Live Performer- Best songwriter – by The Southern California Los Angeles & Orange County music awards.- .Several music journalists in the USA & Europe  have dubbed Ubaldini “A Jack Kerouac in a black leather jacket”   The prolific songwriters  2021 album was a raw collection of original folk songs with guitar and harmonica only entitled 'Music Notes From The Underground'- a follow up to the acclaimed 2019 album ‘Song of our time’, as well as the re-issue of the Indie folk classic ‘Acoustic Rumble legacy edition’.The new album is filled with protest songs ,life’s struggles & songs that don’t pussyfoot around.His newest release Rabbit Foot Carnival  has been released summer 2022 and first with is full band since 2016's Starshaker- legendary music journalist Robert Kinsler calls it "A Bona Fide Masterwork"   Michael started playing guitar and writing songs at age 7. The first songs he learned were Hank Williams Jambalaya and and Ray Charles ‘What I’d say’ both learnt from his Dad- He was an odd kid with a 146 IQ as a child  –This isolated him so he listened to records by the likes of Howlin’ Wolf ,CCR,Rolling Stones Robert Johnson ,Hank Williams ,Ray Charles ,The Beatles,Bob Dylan pre war Gospel & Woody Guthrie  instead of children's records.Early on  he played  county fairs   and sang  at sideshows while barkers did card tricks. When he got to high school it was - rock n roll  ,Folk music & 1st wave Punk .   What always has set  Ubaldini apart from his contemporaries is his cross breeding of  styles blending Rock n roll  music, early 20th century ballads  ,Folk & delta blues along with honky tonk and what some call 21st century protest songs with attitude .He remains 'apolitical' -not of the left or the right- "I'm one for the everyday people not left or right with extremist  ideologies  -my songs sometimes hold a mirror up to society that's all -I never was much of a follower"   His musical pioneering would later emerge as categories marketed  such as ‘Americana’ or ‘Alt Country – but Michael cant be labeled and came from a  more rebellious & artistic  dangerous side of the tracks , singing for the underdog, banging away on the  guitar- He once was quoted saying:   “Because nobody would write these type of songs,people said I shouldn’t –– It didn’t fit in with mainstream pop or  these pay to someone else your money  for songwriting workshops where people conform to rules and don’t write what they live –Music needed an alternative to that. Someone had to write this type of songs . These things needed  to be sung so I wrote em’- ​ His fan base included & includes legendary artists such  The Late Joe Strummer of  Punk legends & rock n roll hall of famers 'The Clash' & ‘Brian Setzer’, both who would turn up at his live shows -the latter dueting on a song with Michael on his debut album produced by Lee Rocker   He has recorded albums At the Legendary Sun Studio in Memphis – Capitol records Studio B in Los Angeles for his album 706 Union Ave  with his former  band ‘Mystery train’ for EMI –He has been featured numerous times at The Bluebird café  in Nashville &championed by The UK DJ Bob Harris. He has done recent shows with artists diverse as  Judy Collins & The Kingston Trio to Dwight Yoakam.The Cramps, Don Mclean & Lucinda Williams-Jerry Lee Lewis & Brian Setzer. His very first band ‘The Earwigs- (in his teenage greaser  Punk rock days) released a single now garnering 300 dollars by collectors .   He is a  published poet (His book Lost American nights lyrics& poems from Moon tide press now in its 2nd edition)-He also has been featured twice -CNN Headline News with two feature stories on his music. ABC's  ''Eye on LA'  caught him for a live TV  clip on stage  at  'The Woody Guthrie Fest" in Echo Park CA. Despite his roots ,Michael is in no way ‘Retro’ and dismisses the term “just another label’' . His songs are  authentic  but with 21st century lyrics relevant to there here and now -He’s packed a lot of songwriting ,singing & outlaw folk & rock music between his wild road life,cheap motels ,relationships and pool halls.   Michael is true American  songwriter ‘The rock n roll poet’