Centripetal Summer Begins: Prairiewolf and Kevin Coleman Announce New Albums

The summer release season is officially underway at Centripetal Force.

On June 15, preorders open for two highly anticipated new albums, both arriving July 17 as part of the label's ongoing Centripetal Summer campaign: Prairiewolf's Zone Poems and Kevin Coleman's KC Blues.

Though vastly different in approach, both records capture artists operating from a place of deep personal vision, pushing beyond familiar boundaries while remaining grounded in the traditions and communities that shaped them.

Prairiewolf — Zone Poems

Prairiewolf return with Zone Poems, a sprawling and immersive collection that blurs the lines between live performance, studio construction, memory, and dream.

Built from recordings captured across Colorado during 2025, Zone Poems began as a set of new, evolving compositions performed on stages in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and along the Front Range. Drawn from standout performances at Cloud Station in Crestone and Glob in Denver, the material was subsequently sliced, spliced, layered, overdubbed, and reimagined into something altogether new.

Described by novelist Jonathan Lethem as "an invitation into someone else's dream," the album occupies a liminal space between document and invention. What began as live recordings became a collage of shifting versions, preserving the spirit of songs that never existed in a fixed form.

At its core, Zone Poems captures the deeper reaches of a Prairiewolf performance, those moments when time seems to slow and familiar terrain gives way to unexpected vistas.

The album will be available on vinyl, digital download, and a deluxe 2CD edition. Physical editions also include Early Zones, a collection of demos, exploratory jams, and embryonic versions that traces the album's evolution from its earliest sketches to its final form.

Kevin Coleman — KC Blues

Nashville musician Kevin Coleman follows his acclaimed 2024 release Imaginary Conversations with KC Blues, a deeply personal and expansive work that finds inspiration in place, memory, and the transformative power of travel.

KC Blues began as a response to the political and cultural currents of 2024. Drawing inspiration from interwar European history and its parallels to present-day America, Coleman initially set out to explore themes of social upheaval and instability. Over time, the project evolved into something more personal. The resulting album channels feelings of disorientation, weariness, and uncertainty, not through direct political statements, but through intimate and deeply human songs.

The songs move effortlessly between intimate reflection and wide-open exploration, guided by Coleman's thoughtful songwriting and unmistakable sense of curiosity. While rooted in the traditions of American music, KC Blues is ultimately concerned with movement, connection, and discovery, finding new pathways through familiar landscapes.

Like much of Coleman's work, the album rewards repeated listening, revealing subtle details and emotional depth with each return.

Centripetal Summer

Zone Poems and KC Blues launch the latest chapter of Centripetal Force's summer release schedule, a season that celebrates adventurous artists working beyond conventional boundaries while remaining deeply connected to community, craft, and artistic exploration.

Both albums will be available for preorder beginning June 15 and will be released worldwide on July 17. Preorder at centripetalforcerecords.bandcamp.com.

The Legend of Johnny Bell

From Robert Johnson at the Crossroads to the Devil who went down to Georgia, music folklore has long intertwined itself with dark and sinister forces. Take, for instance, the tale of a mysterious banjo player from New Mexico. 

Some time ago in the village of Mesa Vista, a mere speck on outdated maps, tucked between the sagebrush and red earth of northern New Mexico, where the mountains hold the last light just a little longer than most places across this land, there came a stranger one evening. No one saw him arrive. One moment the plaza lay quiet in the fading heat, the next he stood near the dry fountain, tall and dark as a storm sweeping across the horizon, an old banjo cradled in his hands.

He called himself Johnny.

No one asked where he came from. They didn’t think to.

He began to play.

It wasn’t like any picking the townsfolk had ever heard. It rolled and circled, a clawhammer rhythm that didn’t just keep time—it bent it. The notes rose like heat off the desert floor, shimmering, looping back on themselves, wrapping around the ears and settling deep in the chest. Men who had spent their lives unmoved by anything but work felt their knees tweak and loosen. Women forgot their conversations mid-sentence. Even the children went still. Quite a feat, indeed.

The music was sweet at first. Then it deepened. And widened. And cast its spell.

People swayed. Some laughed too loudly. Others cried and wept without knowing why. It was as if the sound itself had weight, pressing into them, filling their lungs and their thoughts, making them drunk without a drop of liquor.

Johnny’s fingers blurred against the strings, striking and snapping in that old clawhammer way. Somehow though his picking was faster, sharper, like talons plucking on a bone. And as the rhythm grew more insistent and even more intoxicating, the elders of the town, especially those who remembered stories best left unspoken, began to notice something.

Johnny’s hands.

Where his nails struck the strings, they seemed longer than before. Curved. Darkened at the tips. They produced small wisps of smoke. Ash could be seen falling to the ground. (continued below)

And Johnny’s face. It glowed. And even though daylight was fading, shadows clung to him in ways that didn’t match the dying sun. His smile stretched just a bit too wide. His eyes caught what little light remained and it reflected like burning coals. 

Still, the music went on.

A young man stepped closer, entranced, as if called. A woman followed, her breath shallow, her gaze fixed. Others leaned in, drawn tight around him, their senses dulled to everything but the sound. The air itself seemed to drone and hum.

One of the elders, a woman who had seen too many seasons and buried too many truths, felt a chill despite the desert’s lingering warmth. She looked to the church’s clocktower at the edge of the plaza.

Just before the hour.

Her voice cracked the spell.

“¡Basta! Stop! Do not listen!”

But it came too late.

The first bell struck.

A deep, echoing note rolled across the plaza. Then a second.

And on the third, the music snapped.

Gone.

The sound. The weight. The man.

Johnny stood there one instant. His fingers raised mid-strike, and the next moment  there was nothing but empty air and the faint reverberations dissolving into silence.

The crowd staggered as if waking from a dream. Some collapsed where they stood. Others looked at their hands, their faces, and each other. They were confused and unsure what had just passed through them.

Only the elders understood.

They said no more that night. But in the days that followed, whispers swirled about the town of the stranger who came from nowhere. Of the music that took hold of their souls. Of the claws.

And of the bell that saved them.

From that day forward, the village gave him a name not spoken lightly:

Johnny de la Campana.

Johnny Bell.

It’s said he still wanders the high desert, appearing where dusk lingers longest, where the sky turns gold and the world falls silent. And when the wind is just right, some swear they hear Johnny's low, droning rhythms rolling high over hills and through canyons, winding its way into the bodies and minds of all those who listen.

Those who hear it feel the lure.

They feel the need to follow.

But the old ones will tell you. If you ever hear a banjo at dusk in a place where no one stands, for your own sake, listen for the bell.

Dig deeper into the legend of Johnny Bell and listen to the new album!

Settling The Debate: Tacoma Park Ain't In Maryland!

Folks keep telling me that Tacoma Park is in Maryland, but that just tells me they haven’t spent much time studying North Carolina history. As Tacoma Park’s founders, John Harrison and Ben Felton, will tell you, Tacoma Park has always been in North Carolina. Don’t bother checking road atlases, Google Maps, or the Wayback Machine to argue otherwise. Anyone with a good eye and this accompanying map can plainly see the roots of Tacoma Park run back quite a ways.

Now, the story of Tacoma Park, North Carolina may not be as widely told as some of the state’s better-known tales, like the ballad of Tom Dooley or the strange flickering glow of the Brown Mountain Lights, but I can assure you it’s no less intriguing.

Chances are you’ve heard stories of the Bermuda Triangle. But unless you’re well acquainted with the geography around Raleigh and Durham, you might not know about another triangle entirely. The locals simply call it The Triangle. It’s formed by those two cities and their neighbor Chapel Hill, and if you draw the lines just right you’ll see a three-pointed figure sitting there, mysterious as can be.

And folks, that might just be the heart of the Tacoma Park mystery.

I’ve been told, by sources who insist on remaining anonymous, that back in the 1860s the centroid of that very triangle sat squarely on Tacoma Park itself. Now I’ll admit that from where I’m sitting today, here on the Central Coast of California, I can’t swear on my copy of The Acid Archives (or the Veganomicon, for that matter) that Tacoma Park truly sat where those three median lines meet. But I will say this: it makes a powerful kind of sense.

Because if such a point did exist… and if Tacoma Park sat right atop it… you’d have the makings of a proper vortex, the sort where earthly geography and celestial mischief cross paths. And if something like that ever occurred, well… it’s not hard to imagine a phenomenon sweeping through and wiping the physical trace of a town clean off the map.

How else could anyone explain that sudden drop in population somewhere between 1867 and 1870?

Of course, naysayers are going to naysay. They always do. Some of them even point to the title of the newest Tacoma Park album, ahem, Baltimore, as if that settles the matter. But a title is just a title, and a coincidence is just a coincidence.

No offense to the good folks of Maryland. It’s a fine place. I’ve even been there to see Jon Camp. But the proud Tar Heels of North Carolina aren’t about to let their history wander across state lines.

Tacoma Park is in North Carolina.
And it most certainly ain’t in Maryland.

Agnes Martian to Open for Bitchin Bajas in Santa Cruz

On Thursday, February 19th, (((folkYEAH!))) presents an evening of exploratory sound at Moe’s Alley in Santa CA with Agnes Martian opening for Bitchin Bajas. Doors open at 7 PM and music begins at 8.

Oakland’s Agnes Martian has been steadily shaping a body of work where melody and atmosphere move together in patient, unforced ways. Their latest album, Elsewhere, released in November on Centripetal Force, carries a quiet intimacy - layered tones, subtle rhythms, and songs that feel carefully assembled without losing their sense of openness. There’s an understated warmth to the record, even as it stretches toward spacious, kosmische-inspired terrain.

Live, Agnes Martian leans into that sense of drift and discovery. Songs can stretch and breathe, settling into a groove before wandering somewhere new. It’s music that rewards close listening without demanding it.

Bitchin Bajas are currently touring behind their tenth album, Inland See (released September 2025), following a fall run with Stereolab. The trio of Cooper Crain, Rob Frye, and Daniel Quinlivan build long, immersive pieces from analog synths, flute, and saxophone, letting tones gather and expand across the room.

In a space like Moe’s Alley, that kind of gradual, enveloping music has room to settle in. February 19th offers a chance to hear two projects aligned in spirit, sound, and synthesizers. Get tickets here.

Announcing The Perilous Fight ... Volume II !

Following the success of the first volume of The Perilous Fight, Centripetal Force and Seawind of Battery Announce The Perilous Fight – Vol. 2: We the People,
A Benefit Compilation Supporting Immigrant Communities in Minnesota

Following an overwhelming response to a recent call for submissions, The Perilous Fight has emerged as a multi-volume benefit compilation bringing together dozens of artists in a shared act of solidarity and resistance. Curated by Mike Horn of Seawind of Battery and Mike Mannix, founder of Centripetal Force, the project channels collective fear, anger, and resolve into direct support for immigrant communities under threat.

On Friday, February 13, The Perilous Fight – Vol. 2: We the People will be released digitally on Bandcamp. Proceeds from this volume will be donated in full to the Minnesota-based Immigrant Rapid Response Fund, which provides urgent legal, financial, and community support for individuals and families impacted by immigration enforcement.

While national news coverage has largely moved on from Minnesota, the harm caused by the administration’s intimidation tactics and enforcement actions has not. The struggle remains. The damage is ongoing. And the need for resources, advocacy, and care is immediate. Even as recent headlines suggest that ICE and Homeland Security may be stepping back from the state, the long work of rebuilding lives, restoring trust, and supporting traumatized communities continues.

The Perilous Fight is not a traditional benefit compilation. It is a statement by everyday people using music to push back against cruelty, fear, and the normalization of state violence. Many contributors are not directly targeted by these policies, yet feel how close the threat has come, how easily it could touch their own towns, streets, and families. That fear is not incidental; it is cultivated. This project exists as a refusal to let that fear turn into paralysis.

Seawind of Battery is the project of New York–based guitarist Mike Horn, whose work—like that of Centripetal Force—has long treated music as a tool for solidarity and collective action. Together, they invite listeners to engage not only with the music, but with the responsibility to stand alongside those most affected.

The Perilous Fight – Vol. 2: We the People is a collective gesture of care, resistance, and material support—an attempt to meet this moment with action rather than silence.

Support The Perilous Fight here.

The Perilous Fight – Vol. 2: We the People

1. Seawind of Battery - What's The Use (Phish)

2. Barry Walker Jr - Windchill

3. House Band - Tropical Budget

4. More Klementines - Whisky's Way

5. Brad Rose - Memory Doesn't End

6. The Royal Arctic Institute - Voice Memo

7. Jarrod Annis - Interstate Flowers

8. The Far Sound - Be

9. John Hernandez - Jot This Down

10. John Swanke - Open Range

11. Heron & Crane - Light Fearmongering

12. Jon Camp - Habitat - 2025.11.06 - Waterloo Arts - Cleveland

13. Emergency Group - Untitled for Renée Good

14. Liam Grant - Noon

15. Steenkiste - Bischoff feat. Giacomo Salis - Obsigend 3

16. Monks Pond - Waves in the Cosmic Ocean

17. Golden Brown - Chatoyancy

18. Herb Lore - Navigation By Autumnal Stars

19. Burial Cake - You Already Were One (the Last Ghost Left in Your Closet)

20. Ancestree - Organize

21. Eve Maret - aadays tiasais aadays

22. flormancy - leaving

23. Dark Leaves - Grantchester Meadows

24. Little H Collective - Indistinct

Announcing Tacoma Park's 'Baltimore'

Tacoma Park, the North Carolina–based duo of John Harrison and Ben Felton, have a new album on the way, arriving April 24, and it feels like a natural next step rather than a sharp turn. Made after a long stretch of playing, recording, and touring, and during a period of personal and everyday change, the record doesn’t trace a single storyline so much as capture where the band found themselves.

For this album, Harrison and Felton spent more time thinking about shape and pacing. They wanted to keep the loose, exploratory feel that’s always been part of Tacoma Park, while making music that felt settled, focused, and playable beyond the studio. Working mostly from home studios and often apart, they let the music take its time- editing carefully, trimming things back, and committing to an album that feels intentional from front to back.

Across the record, electronics and guitars sit side by side, with moments that lean mechanical followed by ones that feel warm and human. Drums appear sparingly, adding an organic counterweight. Space plays a big role too: parts thin out, hang in the air, or give way to silence, letting patience and repetition do some of the work. The album moves easily between acoustic, electronic, and heavier electric moments without worrying too much about staying in one lane.

More than anything, this record is built on trust- trust in each other, in the editing process, and in the idea that if they keep showing up and playing together, people will hear themselves in it too. The album was mastered by Chuck Johnson, a former North Carolinian whose touch helps bring cohesion and clarity to the final sound.

The first track to be revealed, “Untied,” is streaming now and offers an early glimpse into the album’s world. The full record is out April 24. A limited vinyl pressing of 100 copies is available now for preorder at centripetalforcerecords.bandcamp.com.

Announcing The Perilous Fight

Centripetal Force and Seawind of Battery Announce The Perilous Fight – Vol. 1: Justice for All, a Three-Volume Benefit Compilation in Support of Immigrant Justice

Last week, Mike Horn of Seawind of Battery and Mike Mannix, founder of the music label Centripetal Force, issued a call for submissions for a benefit compilation titled The Perilous Fight. The response was immediate—and overwhelming. Within days, more than 70 artists had answered the call.

What began as a single release quickly grew into something much larger. As a result of the outpouring of support, The Perilous Fight will be released as a three-volume digital compilation. The first installment, The Perilous Fight – Vol. 1: Justice for All, will be available on Bandcamp on Friday, February 6, via both the Centripetal Force and Seawind of Battery Bandcamp pages. The remaining two volumes will follow over the next two weeks.

This is not an ordinary benefit compilation. The Perilous Fight is a collective statement of solidarity—a response to the escalating rhetoric, intimidation, and violence shaping daily life in communities across the country. The contributors are everyday Americans using music to speak out against cruelty, authoritarianism, and the atmosphere of fear fostered by the current administration.

“Let’s say the quiet thing out loud,” Mannix explains. “A lot of us are scared. Scared of how close this violence feels, how easily it could reach our own towns, streets, and families. That fear isn’t accidental—it’s the result of a sustained campaign of intimidation coming from the highest levels of power. And it weighs heaviest on already vulnerable communities.”

If those with relative stability and support feel unsettled, the burden carried by the direct targets of these policies—particularly immigrant communities—is impossible to ignore. Rather than being frozen by anger or exhaustion, The Perilous Fight channels that urgency into action.

All proceeds from The Perilous Fight – Vol. 1: Justice for All  will be donated directly to the National Immigrant Justice Center, supporting critical legal and humanitarian work for immigrants facing detention, deportation, and systemic injustice. This first volume represents a collective gesture of care, resistance, and tangible support.

Seawind of Battery is the project of New York–based guitarist Mike Horn, whose work—like that of Centripetal Force—has long treated music as a tool for solidarity, community, and resistance. Together, these three volumes stand as a reminder that fear does not have to be the final word—and that collective action, however imperfect, still matters.

Support The Perilous Fight here.

Mike Horn aka Seawind of Battery

The Perilous Fight – Vol. 1: Justice for All

1. Robbie Lynn Hunsinger – ICE/CPD Protest 2026

2. Rob Dobson – Subspace Reverie

3. Ernie Francestine – Things Have Changed

4. Elijah Mclaughlin – Balloon

5. The Modern Folk – Automation

6. Tacoma Park – GC2

7. SUSS – This Land is Your Land

8. Tarotplane – a grazing occultation

9. Sean Hendley – Mourning Bells are Ringing

10. Drew Gardner – Red Tailed

11. Skyminds – Whispering Palms

12. Parking Space – Table Scraps for the Gods

13. SOMA – Song of the Lotus Born

14. Drifting North – We Gotta Get Sicker

15. Hipwell – I chose you, too

16. Andrew Tuttle – An Infinite Mixtape

17. J.M. Hart – Can You Keep Up (Minnesota Mix)

18. David Bales – Instructions For The Livingman's Grave

19. Sisterhood of Sleep – Benevolence

20. Whettman Chelmets – A Wave of Red Tears

21. Christopher Bruno – Sir Desmond of the Valley

22. Big Blood – 100 Days (of War)

23. Matthew Geary – I'm Work!/I Shall Not Be Moved

24. ragenap+dathon – Blue Dream (by Toby Oler)

Announcing Agnes Martian's 'Elsewhere'

Formed in 2019 in Oakland, California by Benjamin Rodgers and Zekarias Thompson, Agnes Martian began as a weekly ritual of unstructured, cosmic exploration—a musical extension of gatherings at their shared home, Agneshaus, named in part for painter Agnes Martin. What started as open-ended warehouse jams with friends from the Bay Area’s improvisation scene evolved into a live ensemble known for immersive, largely improvised sets that bridge the Kosmische pioneers of the 1970s with the region’s deep experimental lineage.

Their 2022 debut, The Future Light Cone (on Centripetal Force/Cardinal Fuzz’s Altered States imprint), introduced their blend of propulsive rhythm and meditative drone, featuring poet gideon hart and Icelandic composer Pétur Eggerts. Since then, the group has expanded its collaborative network through a series of quadraphonic performances around the Bay Area, treating sound as a spatial and sculptural medium.

Following that debut, Elsewhere finds Agnes Martian widening their sonic and philosophical scope. Conceived from the ground up through synthesizer exploration, the album incorporates FM and wavetable synthesis alongside acoustic instrumentation to create a richly textured suite that moves between propulsion and stillness, balancing analog pulse with organic resonance. The title extends the “light cone” concept from special relativity—“Elsewhere” describing a space beyond both past and future events, a metaphor for the band’s search for new soundmaking approaches and imaginative futures.

Developed over three years through remote and in-person collaboration, the album features contributions from Primary Mystical Experience (Galecstasy) on drums, Rocco Freeman (Banshee, Mirage) on guitar, and Eggerts on violin and acoustic textures, with Thompson and gideon shaping its narrative and emotional core. The project’s evolution reflects connection as much as distance, continuing the spirit of open collaboration that began at Agneshaus.

At its heart, Elsewhere moves from tightly wound repetition to open, exploratory drift—a journey that captures Agnes Martian’s fascination with the spaces between rhythm and release, sound and silence. Drawing inspiration from Harmonia, Upper Astral, The Far East Family Band’s Fumio Miyashita, and Philippe Besombes & Jean-Louis Rizet, the band channels the spirit of self-recorded experimentation that defined the outer reaches of Kosmische and new age sound.

Elsewhere will be released November 14th on Centripetal Force, available in a limited vinyl edition and digital formats. Recommended for fans of Harmonia, Popol Vuh, Cluster, The Far East Family Band, and other travelers of the cosmic range.

Preorders for Elsewhere are currently live and can be found at Centripetal Force.

Announcing Jon Camp's Proceed

Centripetal Force is proud to announce the forthcoming release of Proceed, the new full-length album from guitarist and composer Jon Camp, arriving October 17th, 2025. The album marks Camp’s second release on Centripetal Force and follows 2022’s critically-praised solo-leaning collection. With this release, Camp shifts fully into electric full-band territory, presenting his most dynamic and collaborative work to date. Proceed will be available digitally, as well as on vinyl and CD.

Anchored in rich storytelling and expansive guitar arrangements, Proceed Proceed is a powerful statement on forward motion in the face of life’s joys and challenges. Inspired in part by nightly conversations with his parents, the album weaves together themes of family history, ecological and political concerns, and quiet perseverance, all delivered with Camp’s signature emphasis on melody and compositional depth.

“Thematically, it’s about moving forward and persevering amidst heaviness—absorbing the past, living in the present, and confronting an uncertain future,” says Camp. “The title Proceed reflects both a personal survival instinct and the broader cultural need to keep going, even when it’s hard to see what’s ahead.”

The album’s recording was made possible in part by a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council, a testament to the artistic depth and regional significance of Camp’s work. The grant allowed for additional instrumentation and studio time, helping realize the album’s vision with clarity and force.

While Camp is sometimes categorized under “ambient country,” Proceed resists easy genre definitions. It’s rooted in folk, not in form, but in ethos: a music crafted late at night after the day job ends and often influenced by his immediate surroundings.

“I think of myself as a folk musician in the sense that my music is just baked into my life,” Camp says. “I work on it every day—it’s how I process the world.”

Preorders for Proceed are currently live and can be found art Centripetal Force.

Photo by Chris Bruno

NATE MERCEREAU AND LUKE SCHNEIDER TO PERFORM AT HISTORIC OAKLAND CHURCH

Centripetal Force and Optical Sound Experience are excited to present a unique sonic experience at Oakland’s beautiful First Presbyterian Church with guitarist, improviser, and composer Nate Mercereau, alongside ambient pedal steel visionary Luke Schneider. The evening, rounded out by Oakland's Heavy Arts Ensemble, promises to be a transcendent night of creative sound and community. 

Well known for recent work with frequent collaborators like Andre 3000 and Carlos Niño (among many others), Nate Mercerau will perform a solo set drawing on his expansive catalog, leaning into material from Excellent Traveller (Third Man Records, 2024).  In the words of frequent collaborator Carlos Niño:

 ‘An excellent traveller on the surface of Earth, throughout our Human World, and within the vast internal depths of Vision, code and eternal vibration, Mercereau keeps moving . . . This exquisite album of spontaneous solo composition and nuanced improvisation features Living Legends Laraaji, Luis Pérez Ixoneztli and Idris Ackamoor, as well as 3000, Niño and their close collaborator, keyboardist, Surya Botofasina. Nate's (3 years young) Daughter Juniper is on the album.”

Over the past three decades Luke Schneider has established himself as an in-demand session and touring musician across the Outlaw Country, Indie/DIY, and experimental scenes in Nashville. Most recently, He has found his place in the landscape of New Age and pastoral Americana music.  His well-received debut solo album, ‘Altar of Harmony’ (Third Man Records), is a collection of cinematic ambient compositions created entirely by pedal steel. In the years since, Luke has continued his experimental elevation of the pedal steel guitar and delved deeper into meditative and calming sounds.

Opening sound provided by Oakland’s Heavy Arts Ensemble

August 29, 2025 | First Presbyterian Church of Oakland | Doors 7 pm | $20 adv. / $25 DOS | Get tickets.

Announcing Wonderful Aspiration of the Source

Ambient experimentalist Michael Hix — best known as the founder of the Nashville Ambient Ensemble — steps into new territory with Wonderful Aspiration of the Source, his debut solo release under the same name. Out September 19th on Centripetal Force, the album strips away expectations and genre lines to deliver something raw, spacious, and deeply personal. The album will be available on limited edtion pink vinyl, CD, and, of course, digitally.

Built entirely around electric guitar and shaped by Hix’s Buddhist meditation practice, Wonderful Aspiration of the Source unfolds like a quiet conversation with the self. Hix explores new territory using a B-Bender Telecaster and live looping — no synths, no pedal steel — creating textures that echo ambient legends like Eno and Budd, with subtle nods to Hedges, Metheny, and even the soulful clarity of Gilmour.

The first single, “Cadence,” arrives July 22nd, with album preorders happening at the same time.

“This album came from a place of needing to simplify,” Hix explains. “Music stopped being a standalone pursuit and became part of my mindfulness. These songs are more from the heart.”

Recorded live at The Golden Tone Zone in Nashville with Trevor Nikrant (Styrofoam Winos) behind the board, the album’s tones float between melancholy and warmth, offering a unique sonic voice that feels both grounded and transcendental. Fans of marine eyes, Chuck Johnson, and Nashville’s growing ambient underground will find themselves at home — even if the album doesn’t fit neatly into any single category.

Preorders for Wonderful Aspiration of the Source go live July 22nd via Centripetal Force.

ANNOUNCING Slow Dawn’s ‘SonIc Death Flow’

Canadian insurgents Slow Dawn return this summer with Sonic Death Flow, their ferocious and highly anticipated second LP. Slated for release on June 27, the album will be issued as a limited edition 200-copy vinyl pressing, with preorders launching June 6 through Centripetal Force (North America), Cardinal Fuzz (UK/Europe), and Psychic Handshake (Canada).

Emerging once again from the shadows, Slow Dawn lunge headlong into the abyss. With Sonic Death Flow, the trio unleashes a mind-bending barrage of gothic psychedelia, scorched punk energy, and industrial-strength sonic obliteration. Following their 2022 release Into the Machine Haus, this new chapter captures a band both evolving and unraveling.

The result is a paradox: a record that is tighter in execution yet more unhinged in spirit. Drummer D.R. DiLauro and bassist Iceman lay down a locked-in, motorik foundation, while guitarist/vocalist Dan Druff spirals into raw, feedback-laced mania.

Lyrically, Sonic Death Flow offers no comfort. It’s a harrowing scream into the void—an existential confrontation with modern decay, information overload, and the disintegration of meaning in a hypermediated world. But beneath the chaos, there’s a defiant call to action: to disconnect, to feel something real, to break free.

This is not safe listening—and it was never meant to be. It’s not an exercise in relaxation or meditation—but it’s needed.

Whether you're a longtime follower of Slow Dawn's descent or new to their scorched terrain, Sonic Death Flow demands your attention. Turn it up, let it overwhelm you, and ride the wave into oblivion.

Preorders for Sonic Death Flow go live June 6 via Centripetal Force, Cardinal Fuzz, and Psychic Handshake. The album drops June 27 on limited edition vinyl.

ANNOUNCING GOLD DUST IS BACK!

Good news from the Happy Valley of western Massachusetts, as Gold Dust announces the release of their new album and introduces a new collaboration with Dinosaur Jr.’s J Mascis. The upcoming album, In the Shade of the Living Light, sees Gold Dust founder Stephen Pierce expand the project, as the band becomes a band proper with Ally Einbinder (guitar, formerly of Potty Mouth), Adam Reid (drums, of Nanny), and Sean Greene (bass, of The Van Pelt).

With the move from what was essentially a Stephen Pierce solo project to a full on band effort, comes new musical perspectives and directions, as well as an infectious energy. Stephen has had a tough road the past couple years, and this album is a testament to his courage, creativity, and ability to create community. All of this is apparent on the lead release for the album, “An Early Translation of a Later Work,” a track that features a wonderfully frizzled sitar solo from J Mascis.

Centripetal Force is handling the CD duties this time around, and the album is also available on vinyl straight from the band. Both editions come with a 28 page booklet. It’s up for pre-order now over on the Bandcamp. In the Shade of the Living Light releases May 2.

Announcing The Royal Arctic Institute

Centripetal Force is excited to announce the release of the new album from The Royal Arctic Institute. The album will be made available on vinyl, as well as on CD and digitally. The preorder goes live on March 18. Its release date is May 2.

When I sent this album to a close friend a few weeks back, he asked, "What's this?" I said, "My inability to move away from the pedal steel guitar." He got back to me a while later and claimed the album to be "The most Centripetal Force thing I have ever heard." I assure you this was not by design. 

Mike Horn (Seawind of Battery) put The Royal Arctic Institute on my radar a couple years back. I was intrigued. At the time their material did not feature the pedal steel guitar. They gave off a sort of West Coast post-rock kind of vibe that reminded me of bands like Tarentel, Tristeza, and other similar groups that dominated the Bay Area scene in the late 90s and early 2000s.  As the demos of the new album came my way and I learned of RAI's plan to work pedal steel guitar into the mix, I was not disappointed. It was marrying two worlds of music that I enjoy very much. And now, a few months down the road, this album has come to fruition. 

All of the members of The Royal Arctic Institute carry impressive resumes of past work, ranging from Das Damen to Townes Van Zandt to Arthur Lee to Roky Erickson. They've been creating sound for a long time, and as these guys will tell you, this is their most accomplished work to date. 

"Twigs of Cries, Feathers of Sobs" will be the lead "single" and will debut March 18. The album will go up for preorder on the same day. Release day is May 2, 2025. 

Preorder the album from Centripetal Force,

LUKE SCHNEIDER TO PLAY THREE DATES IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

A trio of Luke Schneider shows will be happening across Northern California, with each one promising to deliver something a little different.

The three show run will begin on Thursday, February 27 at Little Saint in Healdsburg. Well noted for their plant-based menu and extensive wine selection, Little Saint dedicates their Thursday evenings for rising creative artists and their music, making Luke an ideal fit for their program. Attendees can expect two sets of highly improvised pedal steel ambience. Admission is free, with music starting at 7pm.

On Friday, February 28 Luke makes his way down to Oakland to perform at The Crown: Royal Coffee Lab & Tasting Room. Aux Meadows will be celebrating the release of their new album on Eiderdown Records and asked Luke to come out and join the festivities. Some unique collaborations are sure to occur in the infamous Green Room. The Crown is located at 2523 Broadway in downtown Oakland.

Luke’s weekend will wrap up on Saturday, March 1 at Brian Faulkner’s spot out in Sacramento. Well, it’s actually Orangevale. Faulkner’s long running series of house shows provide a unique and intimate setting for taking in music, and this show is certainly no exception, especially with the Danny Paul Grody Duo joining the bill. Email bcfaulner67@yahoo.com for more show details (location, directions, etc.).

Be sure to check out the Across the Horizon series and listen in to what Luke has been up to lately.

Announcing Mohammad Mostafa Heydarian's Noor-e Vojood

Centripetal Force (North America), Cardinal Fuzz (UK), and Radio Khiyaban (Europe) are excited to announce Mohammad Mostafa Heydarian's second album Noor-e Vojood. The album is being presented digtial;y, as well as a 500 copy vinyl pressing. The album will be made available for preorder on January 24. Its release date is March 7.

Heydarian is a young Kurdish tanbur player from Kermanshah, a city in the mountainous western Iranian region of Horaman. The son of a local instrument builder, he grew up surrounded by the local traditional music styles, studying with a number of well-known master musicians before recently entering university to study Persian classical music.

Noor-e Vojood is much more focused than the first album, Songs of Horaman, The spirit of improvisation is still there, but this time the compositions are more intentional and possess a more poetic flow, a hallmark of Iranian sacred and classical music. And while the music is not explicitly psychedelic, it certainly is a heady affair and lends itself to mediation and associated practices. 

"Bàyeh Bàyeh" is currently streaming and available to listen to on Bandcamp. The song is performed in an ancient tradition of tanbur playing, a modal scale meant to channel feelings of joy and exhilaration. Songs performed in this style are played in ceremonies celebrating victory. In the framework of the entire album, "Bàyeh Bàyeh" helps build the epic nature of Heydarian's musical storytelling. The song also provides a sort of much needed respite for these trying times. 

Preorder the vinyl edition of the album from Centripetal Force, Cardinal Fuzz, and Radio Khiyaban.

Wrapping Up 2024 With Releases From Tacoma Park and OCH

The year may be coming to a close, but that doesn’t mean that business is closed at Centripetal Force HQ. Two more albums on the 2024 release schedule are set to go on sale today, a reissue of Tacoma Park’s 2023 self titled album and a special edition of OCH’s Live at Riksgränsen.

One of the most enjoyable experiences I have with music is being immersed into one of those mind blowing “a-ha!” moments when hearing an album for the first time. Well, in 2023 that moment came when I first listened to Tacoma Park’s self titled album. It popped up one day in my inbox as a submission for my radio program at WXNA in Nashville. I was captivated from the jump and was absolutely hooked by the time I reached the middle of the second track. 

If you’re at all familiar with Centripetal Force, you likely know the reason why I was so captivated. Tacoma Park’s mix of acoustic americana adjacent instrumentation and kosmische inspired improvisations are not only one of the label’s hallmarks, it’s a blending of musical worlds that I have enjoyed for years. The drones and the pulsing combined with the shimmering drifts place me in the most serene and magical natural settings, even if my physical location is miles from such a physical space. And after learning John and Ben were from North Carolina, it made perfect sense. After all, North Carolina is the home of Bob Moog and the birthplace of John Coltrane. The land of The Great Smoky Mountains and the expansive Outer Banks. A state rich in the history of traditional American music styles and Appalachian traditions. A place where music and nature seem to always commune.  

Tacoma Park is nothing short of monumental, and in my opinion, was criminally overlooked. The album was initially self released as a 2LP set, with only 50 copies pressed. In hopes of garnering more attention and getting more ears on these compositions, Centripetal Force is releasing a CD edition of the album. It is an edition of 75 copies, packaged in a high quality four panel LP gatefold style cardboard sleeve. It also includes a bonus selection not included on the original release, a song titled “Lizard Brain.”  

When OCH’s Live at Riksgränsen was initially released last year as part of the Altered States series with Dave at Cardinal Fuzz, we ended up with an overrun of vinyl. The Altered States series is supposed to be limited to 100, but we had to pay for the overrun and figure out what to do.

It took a while to decide what to do with the extra copies, and we ultimately decided that offering them up with some handmade covers would be the way to go. So, today we are offering the album once again, both here at Centripetal Force and at Cardinal Fuzz. Dave and I will have slightly different variations in our handmade covers. I have 25. He has 25 as well.

Visit the Centripetal Force Bandcamp for both releases. If you’re in the UK and looking to get the OCH record, visit Cardinal Fuzz.

Announcing New Albums From Yaryu And Jeffrey Alexander + The Heavy Lidders

The autumn release schedule at Centripetal Force received a boost this week with the announcement of two new releases, Yaryu’s For Damage and Spacious Minds: Volumes I & II from Jeffrey Alexander + The Heavy Lidders.

Yaryu’s For Damage is a groundbreaking work blends the meditative qualities of New Age music with the soulful, improvisational ethos of jazz, creating a listening experience that is both spiritually uplifting and sonically captivating. It is an album that continues the rich legacy of Japanese psychedelic music. And with members who have been involved with projects like De Lorians, Sundays & Cybele, Dhidalah, and Acid Mothers Temple, they are certainly no strangers to pushing boundaries and moving their sound in new directions.

For Damage is available for preorder from Centripetal Force, Ramble Records (AUS), and Cardinal Fuzz (UK). It’s available digitally and on vinyl, with a CD option available from Centripetal Force.

Initially released on cassette on Arrowhawk Records, Jeffrey Alexanders + The Heavy Lidders’ Spacious Minds: Volumes I & II fgets the vinyl treatment as a two LP set from Centripetal Force and Cardinal Fuzz. The two volumes were pressed as two separate stand alone album, allowing for Jake Blanchard’s artwork to really shine and take center stage. And honestly, with the pair limited to 250 copies each, the production cost was much less than doing a gatefold cover.

Spacious Minds is made up of live cuts recorded primarily at Record Crates United’s backyard garden party back in 2022. Volume I kicks off with a massive 36+ minute “Dark Star” before winding its way into a heavy host of Lidders gems on Volume II, with the title track being a wonderfully fried highlight. Copies of the records, bundled and sold separately, can be found at both the Centripetal Force and Cardinal Fuzz bandcamp pages.

Spacious Minds, both volumes side-by-side

ANNOUNCING NUMÜN'S 'OPENING'

News has come down that numün is releasing its third and latest album on Centripetal Force and the UK’s Where It’s At Is Where You Are (WIAIWYA). Titled Opening,  the new release contains 8 songs of ambience and psychedelic pastoral soundscapes that draw as much on the krautrock of Popol Vuh and Harmonia as they do on the desert soundscapes of Bruce Langhorne. As reviewed in Complex Distractions, “Imagine if Ry Cooder, Brian Eno, and William Tyler all came together under East Coast stars and pressed upon the universe to give them a cosmic splash of inspiration." 

Formed in 2019 by Joel Mellin, Christopher Romero (Gamelan Dharma Swara) and ambient country pioneer Bob Holmes (SUSS, Rubber Rodeo) numün meld and juxtapose an array of instrumentation: cumbuz (fretless Turkish 12-string banjo), gamelan (Balinese metallophones & gongs), piano, bass flute, violin, guitar, electronics, and synths. This release also sees numün expanding their trio line-up to include Victoria Lo Mellin (Dharma Swara) on flute and bass flute, as well as Willa Roberts (Black Sea Hotel) on violin and vocals. 

The album is currently available for pre-order on vinyl and cassette, as well as digitally. In North and South America, please visit the Centripetal Force Bandcamp. For those in the UK and EU, visit the WIAIWYA Bandcamp.

Opening will be released in January of 2025

numün

Coming Back to Nashville!

Centripetal Force is making its first trip back to Nashville since returning to California and will be hosting a show at Vinyl Tap on September, 21st. The evening is lined up to include the wonderfully dark and wistful sounds of Marissa Nadler, the incredible guitar work of Michael Hix (Nashville Ambient Ensemble), and the eccentric creativity of Kevin Coleman, who will be playing with guitarist Scott Mattingly and keyboardist Gray Worry.

The night is modeled after last year’s successful run of Centripetal Sundays, a series of showcases in which the invited artists were encouraged to collaborate, improvise, invent, and introduce new ideas and sounds. This year’s show is happening in the middle of the much lauded AmericanaFest and offers a glimpse of the type of creativity that is happening on the fringes of the Americana world in Nashville.

Music will start at 7PM sharp and wrap up by 10. There's no cover but attendees are asked to tip generously, as is the Nashville way.

Michael Hix

Marissa Nadler

Kevin Coleman