Be Mine Phantom Valentine

According to alternative-indie rocker Be Mine Phantom Valentine, “BMPV incorporates post-punk guitars with a full range of synths and haunting organs. The name was inspired by phantom valentines who perform anonymous acts of kindness.” A nine-song album called End State was released in December. “It was a strange year, and to help cope and push beyond 2020, I felt an urge to find an additional avenue to push for change. I work in education, where supporting positive change for children is the main goal, but I felt a need to find an additional avenue. That’s when I converted my garage into a recording room and started End State during the summer of 2020…it couldn’t have sounded that bad since, when I reached out to Doviak, guitar player for Johnny Marr’s band, he was quick to respond after hearing a few tracks. He was quite busy since he was working with Johnny on their fourth studio album, but he was very encouraging and supportive throughout the project. I got my first electric guitar when I was 14 and learned guitar by playing along to some of the bands from the ‘80s and ‘90s Manchester era, so it was huge plus to be able to collaborate with Doviak.”

Cattle Decapitation

Hardcore vegetarian metal band Cattle Decapitation released a video for their song “Finish Them,” from their latest album Death Atlas. Singer Travis Ryan says, “When traveling to Australia to embark on our Australia, New Zealand, and Japan tour in early 2020, we wondered what would await us on their soil, as bushfires were raging, claiming the lives of millions of wild animals, altering the lives of many of our fans and citizens of Australia. What we didn’t expect was record turnouts with seriously rabid fans that I think just wanted to take their minds off the current state of affairs and do their best to have a good time, given the utterly shit circumstances they were experiencing. We quickly organized meet and greets at the last minute and were able to raise well over $25,000 AUD for the Cobargo Wildlife Sanctuary, who had pretty much lost everything in the fires. Thanks to the incredible support from our fans down under and through other folks ready to help, they were able to rebuild. We really felt like we had been given a gift by the fans, so we wanted to give back to these people who came out and raged with us by releasing our final music video for Death Atlas, which showcases how sick the shows were.”

Thee Sacred Souls

Soulful trio Thee Sacred Souls (their name inspired by Chicano rock heroes Thee Midniters) was founded in 2017. After their first club date, they were signed by Daptone Records producer and co-founder Bosco Mann (Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings) to his newest label. Their debut single “Can I Call You Rose,” the first release from Mann’s Penrose Records, topped a million online views. In addition, Austin psychedelic soul band the Black Pumas recently cited Thee Sacred Souls’ single “Give Us Justice” in a Rolling Stone poll as “The song that will define 2020 for me.” The tune was written in response to the death of George Floyd, with proceeds donated to organizations promoting rights for black people. Thee Sacred Souls have a new single via Penrose especially themed for Valentine’s Day, “It’s Our Love,” with an accompanying video now streaming. “We wanted to capture candid moments of our time at the Penrose studio and hanging with our crew around San Diego for the video,” says the band. “We reached out to our friend David Lampley, who specializes in Super 8 analog film. His experimental shooting style, along with the visual quality of Super 8 film, fit the laid back and dreamy mood we envisioned.”

Quince and 9th

Photograph by Tyler Gibson & Ivonne Garcia

“We’re a couple of friends from middle school reunited years later through the power of music,” according to guitarist Marcos Orozco Jr. of Quince & 9th, which performs songs in Spanish as well as English. An album called Clover Drive was released last year, and a new single called “Bad Ones” is due February 19. “It was definitely recorded during Covid lockdown, we took all possible precautions in order for the recording experience to be as smooth as possible. It was difficult at times wearing a mask when you’re in the studio for eight hours a day and getting the song perfect, but it was a fun and great experience nonetheless. Because of the lockdown, social media is going to be a major part in us promoting it. Websites, podcasts, online magazines, anything and everything is always a great way to promote. We don’t have an album planned at the moment, an EP would probably be more likely at this time, but this coming summer sounds like a good time for another single.”

Jonny Viau

Sax player Jonny Viau (King Biscuit Blues Band, Sue Palmer’s Motel Swing Orchestra, Rhumboogies) has been battling cancer for two years, undergoing seven surgeries plus radiation to fight aggressive squamous cell carcinoma that keeps recurring. The cancer has spread to his lymph nodes and lungs, and he’s currently undergoing one year of immunotherapy, with another surgery scheduled over the next few months. “We, his closest friends, finally convinced Jonny and his wife Kym that it’s high time to reach out to those who have had the pleasure of hearing Jonny play,” says Sally Montiano, who set up a GoFundMe campaign for Viau. “Jonny has always paid it forward, performing at dozens of fundraisers for other musicians in need...our goal is to pay off medical debt from 2019, 2020, and raise enough to pay the 2021 treatment and surgery expenses. Between the high deductible, co-payments, and medications, the out-of-pocket costs add up to $20,000-plus annually. Kym has also been hit hard by the pandemic, her income depending primarily on public events which are no longer happening. Jonny and Kym have exhausted their personal resources. Jonny is considering selling instruments to partially fund current expenses.”