THE DREAM SYNDICATE
After several reissues of vintage recordings, The Dream Syndicate recently revealed they had signed to indie institution and ‘international guardian of wonky psychedelia’ (Uncut), Fire Records.

Set to release their new album this summer ‘Ultraviolet Battle Hymns and True Confessions’ features singer/songwriter/guitarist Steve Wynn, drummer Dennis Duck, bassist Mark Walton, lead guitarist Jason Victor plus their newest member Chris Cacavas on keyboards (you remember him from the 1980s Los Angeles band Green On Red).

When the Dream Syndicate emerged in the early 80s, frontman Steve Wynn declared that “we’re playing music we want to hear because nobody else is doing it” – he added, “I’ll comprise on what I eat or where I sleep, but I won’t compromise on what music I play.”

Both were true, although their template of Velvet Underground meets Crazy Horse may seem commonplace today (and let’s not forget, the Syndicate spawned many imitators), their raw twin guitar, bass and drums approach was not common during an era when slick polished MTV bands ruled. The band were uncompromising. But before MTV switched to reality shows, The Dream Syndicate of The Days of Wine & Roses were no more.

We could spend a whole page just talking about the original Dream Syndicate and their debut album The Days of Wine & Roses – but suffice to say that the NME, Melody Maker, Sounds, Rolling Stone, et al – all loved it.

Decades later, in 2012 they remerged with a slight change in line-up, guitarist Jason Victor joining two original members Steve Wynn (singer/songwriter/guitarist) & drummer Dennis Duck and long-time bassist Mark Walton (a member since 1984) – and after a blaze of touring, they recorded their first album in decades, How Did I Find Myself Here?

“The kind of comeback you always want your favorite band to make.” MOJO

The album was surprisingly fresh (the addition of former Green on Red keyboardist Chris Cacavas provided lush textures previously unknown in their guitar-based music) and more surprising was a vocal cameo from co-founding member, the long-lost chanteuse Kendra Smith.

More touring (joined by now official member Cacavas) followed quickly by another album These Times – which refined the sonic landscapes explored on How Did I Find Myself Here?

This band is not regurgitating old albums and previous glories, but developing with the same urgency that a pack of youngsters would.

Any fan who has been paying attention already knows the Dream Syndicate aren’t going to make another album that sounds like The Days of Wine and Roses (they haven’t since 1982), and it’s foolish to expect that. But they don’t really need to when they’re capable of making music as good as These Times; this is passionate and rewarding music from artists still exploring new territory with truly satisfying results. – AllMusic

That was followed by the experimental free-form psychedelic The Universe Inside. Just look at the song lengths; 20:27, 7:36, 8:56, 9:55 and 10:53. Building off of the legacy of their earlier “John Coltrane Stereo Blues” of 9 minutes with live versions well over the ten-minute mark.

However, when one thinks of the Dream Syndicate, it’s not just the wild abandon with which singer/guitarist Wynn, drummer Dennis Duck, bassist Mark Walton, and lead guitarist Jason Victor perform – it’s the carefully constructed song writing of Wynn that comes to mind and by now every rock critic in the world has predetermined who they feel the Dream Syndicate reminds them of and what they think of that style of music – but, This time, don’t!

The Dream Syndicate’s new album ‘Ultraviolet Battle Hymns and True Confessions’ is released 10th June on Fire Records. The Dream Syndicate will be touring the US and Europe this summer – more details to be announced soon.

The Dream Syndicate

 THE CLAUDETTES
Six albums into their lauded career, the Claudettes continue to put a fascinating spin on American roots music with their 2026 Pravda Records album GARAGE GLAMOUR. Blues and R&B are laced with punk spirit and film-noir moods to create the band's singular glitzy-yet-gritty sound. The Claudettes have earned worldwide acclaim with their recordings and concerts full of heart, musicianship and theatrical flair. Force-of-nature vocalist Rachel Williams (who dominates the stage like a glam-rock rebirth of Annie Lennox) and renowned pianist/songwriter Johnny Iguana join the mighty rhythm section of Zach Verdoorn (bass, guitar, vocals) and Liz Ele (drums). Outside the Claudettes, Iguana has toured with Junior Wells and Otis Rush, played on many Grammy-nominated albums and recorded with Buddy Guy, Derek Trucks, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Johnny Winter and more. Johnny is also composer of the score for the Emmy-winning smash FX/Hulu series "The Bear" and has released two solo albums on iconic blues/jazz label Delmark Records.

“Chicago's original recipe band…The Claudettes' sonic playing field is the blues and everything after, all tastefully and artfully blended together….Perhaps the band’s greatest super power: songwriting.”—NPR Music
“A skewed cabaret band of blues, jazz and rockabilly…a sensibility that feels equal parts James Dean and David Lynch.”—Minneapolis Star-Tribune
“Holy Mackerel…I hear so many levels of what I consider amazing creativity…I hear touches of Jerry Lee Lewis at his most manic…of cinema…of multiple genres wrapping around one another…These guys are the B-movies of the music world—maybe not understood now, but in the future, the kings and queens of the universe!”—Frank Gutch Jr., No Depression
"The Claudettes Go Out! shows the band’s mastery of every era of American music, from the roots of the blues to today’s modern pop….the Claudettes pen standards for a new generation."—J. Poet, Rock & Roll Globe
LINKS:
LinkTree: our EPK, tour history, live footage, videos, tracks and more: https://linktr.ee/theclaudettesofficial
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The Claudettes on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2wCV9oTulGa7JgMODOn34b?si=luSxhdv8TpW6l5RdtruaWQ
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