13th Floor MusicTalk

Horsegirl  have just released their much-anticipated second album titled  Phonetics On And On …produced by  Cate Le Bon  and recorded at  Wilco’s  Loft, the trio takes their music to the next level.  Marty Duda  spoke to guitarist/vocalist  Nora Cheng  about exploring new sonic territories with  Cate Le Bon  which meant leaving space, rat...

Canadian band Horsebath have just released their debut album, Another Farewell and here are Daniel Connolly and Etienne Beausoleil direct from Montreal to tell us about it. Marty Duda spoke to Daniel and Etienne just days before Another Farewell was about to be released. The other three members of the band are all brothers, so there are some interesting dynamic at play here. Watch, listen and find...

DITZ  is a 5-piece noise-rock band from Brighton who made waves with their 2022 debut album,  The Great Regression.  Now they aim to make a bigger splash with their follow-up,  Never Exhale.  Here are Cal and Jack to explain. Marty Duda  spoke to singer  Cal Frances  and guitarist  Jack Looker  about making  Never Exhale  knowing that the...

The Jellybricks  are a power-pop band based in Central Pennsylvania and signed to  Little Steven’s Wicked Cool Records . Their new album,  Dreaming In Stereo  is their second for the label. Marty Duda  spoke to bandleader  Larry Kennedy  about the Central PA music scene and how Power Pop fits into the Age Of Stupid.

Brother Elsey  has just released their self-titled debut album and its about time! The three brothers and their drumming friend have been making music for years. Now, relocated to Nashville (from Michigan), things are finally happening. Marty Duda  spoke to  Brady, Beau and Jack Stablein , the three siblings (and two twins) who make up  Brother Elsey  along with drummer&nb...

Squid are a five-piece "post-punk" band formed in Brighton in 2016 and have just released their third album, Cowards. Marty Duda  spoke with  Ollie Judge  (vocals/lyrics/drums) and  Anton Pearson  (guitar/vocals) about creating this uniquely literary collection of songs that touch on cowardice, cruelty and cannibalism.

Dion Lunadon of The D4 has touched down in Auckland just in time to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the band's second album Out Of My Head and to hit the road with his old mates. The 13th Floor's Marty Duda spoke to Dion just ahead of the release of the 20th Anniversary reissue of Out Of My Head which will be the album's first time on vinyl. Additionally, there with be previously unreleased trac...

Lilly Hiatt is about to release Forever , her first new album in four years and also the first since she moved and got married. That's a lot of change and its reflected in the songs that make up Forever. The 13th Floor's Marty Duda spoke to Lilly Hiatt ahead of the release of Forever . We found her in her new home, outside of Nashville with her dog, Elvis. 

Early James has just released Medium Raw, a collection of emotional blues-rockers produced by The Black Keys Dan Auerbach, recorded at Buddy's Honky Chateau and sitting atop the US Blues Album Chart. The 13th Floor's Marty Duda found Early James in Birmingham, Alabama where he shared the secret to his success...something to do with a Honey & Hot Sauce shot. 

Sophie Jamieson releases her new album, I Still Want To Share , today and we spoke to Sophie on the eve of this momentous occasion. The 13th Floor's Marty Duda found Sophie in London just before I Still Want To Share  was about to be released by Bella Union Records. Sophie seemed a bit nervous and a bit tired but very excited about the new music she made with the help of producer Guy Massey a...

Singer/songwriter and sometime actor  Victoria Canal  is about to release her debut album,  Slowly, It Dawns  and we caught up to her in Seattle after she escaped LA and the brushfires that threatened her and her home. The 13th Floor’s Marty Duda  spoke to Victoria about making  Slowly, It Dawns …a collection of 12 tracks recorded with a variety of producers and music...

TT  is  Todd Tappin , a songwriting troubadour who is just about to release his debut album,  Man On The Corner , one that was written and recorded after receiving some very drastic new from his doctor. The 13th Floor’s Marty Duda  spoke to  TT  just before release day and talked to him about making his debut album, thinking, at the time, that his time on Earth was ru...

Former Atlas frontman Sean Cunningham is returning to New Zealand after over a decade's absence. Sean with tour the country with old friends like Rodney Fisher, Moses Emmanuel and Emla Palmer beginning next weekend. The 13th Floor's Marty Duda spoke to Sean, who was home in Nashville about what we can expect during these very special shows, one's that Sean describes as a "songwriter's showcase". S...

The 13th Floor's Marty Duda spoke to British singer-songwriter Billie Marten just after she touched down in Auckland and asked her what we can expect at her solo show. Billie's got a new single out and a new album in the can so there with be new songs and old favourites. Watch, listen a learn how Billie feels about starting her career at age 12, her thought on government funding the art and how sh...

Opeth bring their unique brand of prog/metal to New Zealand and Australia next year when the Swedish quartet plays  7 shows featuring 2 hours plus sets including landmark masterpieces and songs from Opeth’s darkest and heaviest album in decades - the critically acclaimed concept album,  The last WILL and TESTAMENT . The 13th Floor's Marty Duda spoke to Opeth guitarist Fredrik Åkesson abo...

Search For Yeti are a Wellington-based trio who have just released their debut album, Dark So Soon, and make music that finds inspiration from such disparate acts as Sigor Rós, Bright Eyes and Frank Turner . The 13th Floor's Marty Duda spoke to Sean Barker , who like his two bandmates ( Luke Marlow and Vince Waide ), writes the songs and sings them...Sean also plays the drums and all three are cat...

Mt Eden is the electronic music man Jesse Cooper's alt-ego. You probable know him for his Dubstep classic, Sierra Leone. Now, get to know him again with his new EP, Venom . The 13th Floor's Marty Duda spoke with Mt Eden just as his new EP, Venom, was being released. This is something of a "comeback" for the dubstep pioneer. So what's he been doing and what are his plans for the new year? Find out...

Burton Cummings , charismatic front man and songwriter, formerly of The Guess Who , has just released his first solo album in over a decade...17 songs he calls A Few Good Moments. The 13th Floor's Marty Duda found Burton in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan (of course) when he was ready to talk about his 60 years in show biz including stories about driving for Jim Morrison , buying those Nashville Sneakers...

Underground experimentalist  David Grubbs  ( Squirrel Bait/Gastr del Sol ) meets with The 13th Floor to talk about making music with  The Squanderers  and his own upcoming solo album. The 13th Floor’s Marty Duda  found David in Berlin on the day that his new solo track,  The Snake On It’s Tail  was released. We were looking for him because he, and  Kramer &n...

Julian Taylor  is a Canadian roots/folk artist who has just released his latest album,  Pathways   and then shared a stage with  Eric Clapton, Van Morrison, Lucinda Williams, Mavis Staples  and a host of others. The 13th Floor’s Marty Duda  found Julian in his car in Toronto with his dog Cathy. Julian was gracious enough to spend some time with The 13th Floor talking...

PRINS has announced her Heaven or Hell Tour coming to New Zealand in April. The Kiwi electro-popper reveals to the 13th Floor what this "New PRINS Era" will look and sound like. The 13th Floor's Marty Duda spoke to PRINS , who was in Manchester, just after celebrating her birthday. Although PRINS has only released one song over the course of the year, she has been busy writing in LA, touring Germa...

Sally Stockwell is a singer/songwriter/actor/theatre maker who is about to release her new album, Little Triggers, to the world. The 13th Floor's Marty Duda found Sally in her new home in Christchurch where she lives with her two daughters. Motherhood is a prevalent theme throughout the 11 tracks that Sally created along with producer Eden Mulholland. Sally calls the work, "a bold exploration of t...

Sam Fowles is a Wellington-based musician who has just released his debut album titled After Dark.. .produced by The Black Seeds' Barnaby Weir. The 13th Floor's Marty Duda caught up with Sam in Wellington just prior to release day and talked to him about working with Barnaby and "going deep" with his mentor, Warren Maxwell of Trinity Roots.

The 13th Floor's Marty Duda spoke to Dean Wareham , who happened to be out in the desert at Joshua Tree, just days before the US Presidential election. Yes, politics were discussed, but so were The Rutles, The Cure and the legacy of Galaxie 500

The Tom Irvine Band releases their new album, Under The Wharf , tomorrow and Tom Irvine was at the 13th Floor studio yesterday to tell us how he and producer/guitarist Dylan Storey put the record together. The 13th Floor's Marty Duda sat down with Tom for a chat about the band, the album and the songs and how Lowell George and Little Feat made a mark on his songwriting.