Big Stir Records is proud to announce something that's been in the works since before we know we were a label: a new release from San Diego's STEVE ROSENBAUM, in the form of a brand new Digital Single! “Am I Your Drug of Choice?” b/w “Until It Happens to You” will be released Friday, May 17, and they're available for pre-order now:

www.bigstirrecords.com/big-stir-digital-singles

ROSENBAUM has been a friend of the Big Stir family since the early days of the series and has played Big Stir live shows in Los Angeles and San Diego since the inception of the series. Perennially cited as the highlight of any compilation on which he appears – and he appears on a lot! – Steve's much-admired songcraft and live performances have had BSR's Christina and Rex eager to put the spotlight on his work for years. These two excellent offerings amply demonstrate why: the A-side is just as much of a psychedelic trip as its title implies, and the B-side is a darkly sunny song about stalking that's easily worthy of The dB's or The Nerves, to name just two classic pop outfits to whom Rosenbaum and his revolving-door backing band Mess of Fun are often justly compared.

Singer, guitarist, and songwriter Steve Rosenbaum has been knocking around the power pop scene for many years. His formative years were spent growing up in suburban Toledo, Ohio, where he came of age at the magical late 60s, early 70s, mid-western crossroads of rock, soul, pop, and bubblegum. Drinking from the same well as other farmland power pop bands, such as Raspberries, Cheap Trick, Blue Ash, The Romantics, as well as the hard rock sounds emanating from Detroit, just an hour to the north, he amalgamates them all into his sound.

While studying at University of Michigan in 1978, Steve was one of the early performers at the now-famous Bookies Club 870, a seminal punk and new wave club. He went on to continue to perform in Detroit and Ann Arbor in a series of original and cover bands. After graduation, he moved to Los Angeles, where he played in Flip City, a fixture at Madame Wong’s West and other 80s LA showcase clubs. From there, he and bass player (and Grammy nominated producer), Bruce Witkin, left to form The Lonely Bulls, a Beatle-esque vocal-centric acoustic fronted project that featured Everly Brothers-type harmonies.

Steve sat out much of the 90s to concentrate on his day job and, post-2000, to raise a family. 2010 marked a point where he was back in the studio and back on stage, focusing on the kind of music he loves best: short songs, with big guitars, vocal harmonies, and lyrics that touch on life and love, as well as more experimental work, reflecting on his passion for the music of the world, his disdain for cultural boundaries, and his aversion to 'the rules'.

Steve is currently based in San Diego, where he writes and records. Keep an eye out for his live set, played with cohorts in his band, Mess Of Fun – including a date at Big Stir Burbank just one day after the single sees release!

http://SteveRosenbaumMusic.com http://MessOfFun.com https://facebook.com/SteveRosenbaumMusic https://facebook.com/MessOfFun

Nothing that comes from PATRICK “POOCH” DIPUCCIO, currently of Big Stir Records' own THE CONDORS, founder of FLIPSIDE FANZINE and former guitarist for LA's legendary BLOW-UP, should surprise us. But even we were shocked and honored when POOCH offered us a brand new BLOW-UP recording and a live treasure from the vaults for our Digital Singles Series. And indeed, “Reckless Hearts (2018 Version” b/w “What Goes On (Live at The Roxy 1985)” will be released Friday, May 3 and are available for preorder now!

www.bigstirrecords.com/big-stir-digital-singles

A new Blow-Up single recorded in 2018? How did this happen? We'll let the band tell the story:

1980's L.A. cult favorites Blow-Up were compared endlessly by enraptured critics to the Velvet Underground, Bob Dylan and The New York Dolls. They made their debut at the Masque in December 1977, and became a fixture on the scene, recording for legendary indie Bomp! Records and providing key songs for motion pictures Up the Academy and Flashback. Their 1984 Easy Knowledge album made best-of-the-year lists from Robert Christgau and Mikal Gilmore (who deemed them "pretty amazing" and the "best garage-pop band in L.A."), and they were nominated "Best Underground Band" at the 1987 L.A. Weekly awards, alongside Social Distortion and Jane's Addiction. Pleasant Gehman wrote in one review of a Blow-Up compilation, "they gigged with everyone who was anyone in those days, including Berlin, the Dead Kennedys, Jim Carroll and The Replacements. Everyone used to say they were glam throwbacks — as in Mott the Hoople — not as in Poison. In fact, they were such a great band, and so far ahead of their time." Sweet! After Blow-Up disbanded in 1988, vocalist Jody Worth became an Emmy-nominated writer and producer for such shows as Deadwood and NYPD Blue. Keyboardist Christian Super pulled a James Williamson, reinventing himself as an IT exec, while guitarist Bruce Nicholson became a Professor of English Lit. Guitarist (and Flipside co-founder) Pat DiPuccio continued with music, releasing several well-received albums, mostly under band name The Condors, including one for Big Stir Records of rare Blow-Up compositions called Joie De Vivre (which The Big Takeover ranked as one of the best of 2018). During these sessions, Pat was joined by Jody, who sang lead on a new version of their song "Reckless Hearts." This also features late-period Blow-Up drummer Robert Williams (Tremblers, The Pop), with producer Steve Refling on bass. They've decided to release it as a Blow-Up single, along with a live take of The Velvet Undergrounds "What Goes On," recorded in 1985 at the Roxy Theatre, with Christian on organ, Ed Cirino and Paul Hilton on drums and bass, and the late, inimitable Spyder Mittleman on sax. Enjoy!

If we weren't already longtime fans of PAULA CARINO (and we are), the first lines of her new Big Stir Digital Single “Flying Dream” – “Shotgun bar mitzvah / Had to grow up fast” – would have hooked us. And there's more such wordplay and keening melodicism packed into the tune and its B-side “Green-Wood”, which arrive Friday, April 26 and are available for pre-order now as the 26th installment of the Singles Series:

https://bigstirrecords.com/big-stir-digital-singles

Adding to our enthusiasm: Brooklyn-based Carino has an ace Northern California backing band here, featuring some of our favorites and veterans of the Singles Series: BYE BYE BLACKBIRDS main man BRADLEY SKAUGHT (who also produced), and KC BOWMAN and KARLA KANE of THE CORNER LAUGHERS. It's Paula's first release under her own name since her band REGULAR EINSTEINS' reunion record in 2015 and we're extremely honored to bring it to you.

Singer/songwriter PAULA CARINO started performing in NYC in the '90s with her first band, The Jungle Creeps. Later, as a solo artist, she became part of the NYC anti-folk scene, where she met the musicians with whom she formed power-pop band REGULAR EINSTEIN. Their album Robots Helping Robots was produced by the late and much-missed SCOTT MILLER of GAME THEORY and THE LOUD FAMILY fame.

After a break, Paula re-emerged with her first solo album, Aquacade, in 2001, displaying her wry, left-field lyrical gift in its clearest light. She has subsequently released albums under her own name and with Regular Einstein. The Northern California sessions which yielded “Flying Dream”, “Green-Wood” and one other tune yet to see release are the start of a new project for Carino conceived as a collection tracked in various locations. BSR might be a good source for more news as that develops!

Personnel across both tracks: Paula Carino: lead vocals, rhythm guitar; Bradley Skaught: lead guitar, drums; KC Bowman: bass, organ; Karla Kane: backing vocals; all: artisanal organic handclaps.

Paula is a psychotherapist in private practice. 'Flying Dream' is dedicated with love to her clients. More of her music can found here:

https://paulacarino.bandcamp.com/

We kick off the Third Wave of BIG STIR DIGITAL SINGLES – the final 12 for 2019! – with a throwback to the roots in more ways than one. KAI DANZBERG, the Hanover, Germany-based pop wünderkind who helped inaugurate the series last year and kicked off 2019 with his acclaimed Big Stir Records release NOT ONLY SUNSHINE, is back with a brand new song And as if that's not enough, we've got TWO B-sides in the form of a pair of all-new remixes of beloved tracks from the current album!

“Finally Free” b/w “Not Only Sunshine (Unplugged Mix) featuring Helma” and “Your Shiny Eyes (AC's Laid-Bach Mix)” will see release Friday, April 19, and are available for pre-order now. The special 3-track package goes for the same $1 as a standard 2-track Digital Single and can be purchased here:

https://www.bigstirrecords.com/big-stir-digital-singles

We can only describe the new track as charming in the extreme as our young artist takes us back to a musical setting from earlier in the past century than expected. Kai explains, “The new single is kind of different from what I've done before. To me it’s still power pop, but it goes more in a direction of the 1940s. It's inspired by Disney musicals and musicals in general – I really love those string arrangements! The lyrics this time are far from autobiographical... it's just a story. Kind of a happy story but with a tragic ending!”

On the double B-side blast, Danzberg reimagines the title track to his latest album in a breezy acoustic setting, with the lead vocal handed off to guest singer HELMA along the way. It's yet a third interpretation of the tune including the original and “Reprise” versions on Not Only Sunshine. “Your Shiny Eyes” is likewise stripped down and rearranged, but lacks none of the groove and chamber-pop flourishes that made the original version such a standout.

Not Only Sunshine, along with a very generous selection of KAI DANZBERG's back catalog on CD, vinyl, and digital download, are available here on the Big Stir Records website:

https://bigstirrecords.com/kai-danzberg