Mike Clark Jr - Keep On Steppin: Big Stepper Edition - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Formed in Stratford, New Zealand in 1981, Nocturnal Projections was the explosive project of brothers Graeme and Peter Jefferies (who would later form This Kind of Punishment before launching their solo careers), who along with friends Brett Jones and Gordon Rutherford, created some of the most energetic and influential avant-garde punk rock to emerge from the country. InchComplete Studio RecordingsInch comprises the three original Nocturnal Projections studio records, remastered into a single anthology, crystallizing a crucial part of New Zealand's punk history. Frantic and fast punk anthems like Nerve Ends In Power Lines, Isn't That Strange, and In Purgatory are a shot in the gut, while slower, more introspective tracks like Difficult Days and You'll Never Know reveal what the band had in store later with This Kind of Punishment. Nocturnal Projections are hard to pin down bright, slashing, and prominent guitars with driving solid basslines and drums in tight lockstep, all with Peter Jefferies' urgent signature baritone vocals soaring alongside - the result is still perhaps the most energetic, unique, and fresh music to ever emerge from the post-punk scene.

2018 . Blues-rock is a tightrope - and Mike Zito has never lost his footing. At times in his storied two-decade career, the Texas bandleader has rolled up the amps and rocked as hard as anyone. Yet his lifelong fascination with the blues has always reeled him back in. And now, having shaken the rafters with 2016's acclaimed Make Blues Not War, First Class Life finds Mike diving deep into the only genre that can do justice to his hard-won true stories of hardship and redemption. InchMake Blues was pretty extreme and rocking,Inch he reflects. InchThis time, I was definitely thinking more blues.Inch First Class Life is a fitting album title from a man who remembers the hard times. InchThe title track is a nod to where I've come from and where I'm at,Inch explains the songwriter whose promising early career was almost destroyed by addiction. InchIt's a rags-to-riches story, and it's certainly true. I grew up poor in St. Louis, and now I'm travelling the world to sing my songs. In the world of excess America, I may not look 'rich', but in my world, I most certainly am. I have a beautiful family, I'm clean and sober, and I get to play music.Inch

Mike Zito returns home with his fourth solo studio album for Gulf Coast Records. A personal record for Mike shaped by memory, places, and renewal. Walking the streets of his birthplace, St. Louis, Zito reconnects with the sounds, stories, and hard lessons that forged his signature blend of soul-driven blues and fearless storytelling. Thirteen years after Gone to Texas, this album feels like a defining moment, marking a new chapter for Mike, his family, and a life reclaimed in the city that started it all.