Kenneth Ishak (Beezewax) has a new website: http://kennethishak.net/
Look for his new album "Kenneth Ishak & The Freedom Machines" to be released this fall. The first single "You lived in a world of your own" is out June 22.
SellOut! Records, in collaboration with UK-based label Boss Tuneage, will be reissuing Beezewax's first, long out-of-print 1998 debut "A dozen summits" on November 2 in a new remastered edition, complete with two bonus tracks from their demo. The band will also be coming back together in their classic 1999-2003 lineup for a record release/one-time reunion show at Revolver in Oslo on October 31.
Norwegian artist Kenneth Ishak (Beezewax) is currently at Ocean Sound Recordings with Jörgen Wall and Bent Sæther (Motorpsycho) working on new material.
Norwegian artist Kenneth Ishak (Beezewax) is doing a bunch of solo dates in the US next month:
11/04 - Frog & Peach, San Luis Obispo, CA
11/05 - Molly Malone's, Los Angeles, CA
11/06 - Silverlake Lounge, Los Angeles, CA
11/07 - Club Fred, Fresno, CA
11/08 - The Satellite, Reno, NV
11/12 - Music Millennium (Instore) Portland, OR
11/12 - Doug Fir, Portland, OR
11/15 - Goodbye Blue Monday, Brooklyn, NY
11/16 - Cake Shop, NYC, NY
11/16 - Arlene's Grocery, NYC, NY
His latest album "Silver lightning from a black sky" gets a US release on November 18.
Norwegian indie act Hiawata! will once again be going into the studio with Kenneth Ishak (Beezewax) this coming October to begin work on their second album.
Norwegian label SellOut! Records has signed The Haikus. Listen here: http://www.myspace.com/thehaikus
In other news, look for a reissue of Beezewax's 1997 debut album in a new remastered version with extended liner notes and bonus tracks. No release date yet, but I'll keep you posted.
Signature Tune is giving away a free mp3 single from Kenneth Ishak (Beezewax) in exchange for signing up for his mailing list: http://kennethishak.fanbridge.com/
Said single includes the song "New rising sun" along with two exclusive b-sides.
New stuff at Handheld Shows from Norwegian artists Matias Tellez and Kenneth Ishak (Beezewax): http://handheldshows.blip.tv/posts?view=archive&nsfw=dc
Norwegian indiepop act Hiawata! recently recorded a new 5-song EP with Kenneth Ishak (Beezewax). Expect a May release via SellOut! Records.
Kenneth IshakI gather Ishak earned his indie cred as frontman for Norway's Beezewax. Perhaps it's not a coincidence that this solo album, precariously straddling indie and arena, is on a label called "SellOut!" It's as though he hoped that if he threw enough things together, something would stick and make him a ubiquitous radio star. Instead, for every moment of finely-crafted power-pop on here, there's at least one noodling guitar solo or overproduced distraction that renders the whole downright unlistenable.
- Nancy Baym
Beezewax frontman Kenneth Ishak will release his third solo album "Silver lightning from a black sky" in November via SellOut! Music and you can hear two tracks at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/selloutmusic
Look for tourdates to be announced soon.
Updated dates for Norwegian powerpop act Beezewax:
02/09 - Doc Browns, Middlesboro (UK)
02/10 - Independent, Sunderland (UK)
02/11 - Dog & Partridge, Bolton (UK)
02/12 - DnR bar, Sheffield (UK)
02/13 - The Magnet, Liverpool (UK)
02/14 - The Gander, Bournemouth (UK)
02/16 - The Lido, Margate (UK)
02/18 - Popin (acoustic show), Paris (FRA)
02/19 - Kitsch Pop club, Vitoria, Álava (ESP)
02/20 - Teatre Municipal, Sant Feliu de Guixols (ESP)
02/21 - Sala Attico, Don Benito (ESP)
02/22 - Zero, Tarragona (ESP)
02/23 - Wah Wah, Valencia (ESP)
02/24 - Less Basses (Mini Festival), Barcelona (ESP)
Norwegian powerpoppers Beezewax are doing a few European shows in February:
02/16 - The Lido, Margate (UK)
02/22 - Zero, Tarragona (ESP)
02/23 - Wah Wah, Valencia (ESP)
02/24 - Less Basses (mini festival), Barcelona (ESP)
I've got Beezewax's three previous albums and I've seen them live a couple of times, so my expectations for this album were somewhat high. Even though they've always been heavily influenced by power-pop, they've always stayed with one foot firm in the indie rock swamp, which in my opinion makes for a great sound. Not so anymore, with "Who to salute" they've gone into crazy power-pop mode (hell, they even got Ken Stringfellow from The Posies singing on the record). But unfortunately Beezewax haven't got those killer melodies to back up all this power-popping, which is a darn shame. "Who to salute" just doesn't cut the mustard! There are some nice breezy songs here (e.g. "Shinjuko Park"), but overall the songs sound way too similar, and it feels like they're missing that little but so necessary spark that can make an average album a good one. This album could perhaps make a cool EP if you got rid of a handful of songs, but as an album - it bores me, and that is something, ladies and gentlemen, I deeply regret to write.
- Simon Tagestam
