Tuff, Lily Dior, Andrea Hernandez

Andrea Hernandez: Songwriter. Late bloomer. Perennial. Evergreen. Singer. Smoker. Hard drinker. Thinker. Winker. Person. Mistake maker. Body Shaker.
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www.andreahernandez.co.uk

Lily Rose Winter: Debut EP 'One Request' is now available on Spotify. New music coming later this year.

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Tuff Sunshine is the indie/rock/acoustic/garage/non-genre-restricted musical vehicle helmed by Brooklyn musician and songwriter Johnny Leitera, which Time-Out New York describes as "cool, emotive indie fare that skilfully fuses funky soul with wiry post-punk.” A pretty accurate description.

Leitera (guitar/vocals) works with several backing musicians who join him live onstage as well as in the studio, including drummer Linda Pitmon (The Baseball Project/The Minus 5/Filthy Friends) bassist Turner Stough (Shilpa Ray/I Am The Polish Army) and founding member Ani Cordero (Os Mutantes/Rasputina), among others. It’s a family affair, and the band's distinct sound continues to define itself while it expands in scope.

Those offering critical praise include Whiskey and Pancakes, PopMatters, The Big Takeover, Magnet Magazine, My Old Kentucky Blog, The Huffington Post, Tom Tom Magazine, Obscure Sound, and the Australian blog Happpy, among many others. The band were AOL/spinner.com's "Download Of The Day" and were prominently featured by Nic Harcourt ("America's most influential DJ") on his nationally-syndicated "Connections" radio show. They have been named a "NYC Band You Oughta Know" by stagebuddy.com and "New Band of the Day" by the prominent UK blog Louder Than War.

Tuff Sunshine has signed with Los Angeles-based placement agency Sweet On Top and their music has been featured in spots for The Portland Timbers and Vans as well as independent films and YouTube adverts. Their 2015 full-length LP Fire In The Hero Building received airplay on influential New York radio stations WFMU and WFUV as well as several other stations in the US and abroad, strictly through word-of-mouth and without radio promotion.

Influences range from the punk and post-punk of the 80's and 90's to the great Stax recordings of the 60's and 70's, with a concentration on evocative lyrics and a direct, no-frills approach to production. There is a real depth to the songs (Leitera has been recognized by American Songwriter magazine as a "Songwriter of the Week") and a refreshing commitment to making music that defies being put into any one category, while staying true to their unique DIY aesthetic.

Tuff Sunshine plays consistently in NYC and beyond, including a string of East Coast dates with legendary Brazilian band Os Mutantes in 2013, and Leitera has shared the stage with such diverse rock luminaries as John Doe of X, Tim Rogers from Aussie legends You Am I, and the one-and-only Jonathan Richman.

Their first EP, Half-Mast/Steadfast was recorded after the band had been together for less than 3 months, leading quickly to their second EP Kids Know, which was recorded and mixed by famed no-wave pioneer Martin Bisi (Sonic Youth/Brian Eno). Fire in the Hero Building followed and saw a limited run of 300 hand-designed and assembled vinyl copies released on Halloween 2015, and is available as of now online and at live shows. In a unique twist, the independent poetry press Brooklyn Arts Press (which put out the National Book Award for Poetry in 2016) released the album via their literary catalog, as did the Brooklyn indie-imprint Shorewave Records on cassette. Each record comes with a pack of matches, and a phone number inscribed on the cover (929-274-HERO) linked to a voicemail that Leitera had personally updated with information leading up the release date.

While on tour in the mid-west Tuff Sunshine recorded a session with the esteemed indie-rock blog Daytrotter, and in addition to band touring, Leitera plays frequent solo shows which have taken him to from NYC to the West Coast, the UK, and Australia.

The next full-length, to be called "Dig Deeper, Peanut”, will be released in 2019…
www.tuffsunshine.com
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"Tuff Sunshine is one of the most dynamic, energizing and altogether rousing bands out there" Stereo Embers Magazine

"A catchy, sunny blend of rustic rock 'n roll and power-pop hooks" PopMatters

Grand vision--loss and transcendence are given equal weight with a sound that exists outside the convenience of pigeonhole tags and pretentious micro sub-genre adjectives" Impose Magazine

"Glam, punk, and even roots-rock--the diversity keeps things interesting" Austin Town Hall

"Instantly likeable" Magnet Magazine