This week, Orlando fusion band Leisure Chief will release their first new full-length album in five years. Titled Cosmic Comics, the record is an eight-song ride that's a smooth, easy brew of funk, R&B and jazz that even features a cameo by local legend Anthony Cole. Beginning Friday, Jan. 29, the album will be available through the major platforms. And the Chief will perform in Winter Park at the New Standard on Feb. 5.
On Monday, Feb. 1, Orlando roots-rock band Sugar City will release an especially timely EP titled When We Get Outta Here. Last year, the pandemic stranded bandleader Kevin Meehan on the Eastern Caribbean island of St. Kitts, which had closed its borders in response. While confined, he decided to ride the psycho-emotional rollercoaster through song, writing and recording 14 of them with the limited musical gear available.
This EP is the first five-song batch (plus two remixes) from that flurry. It's unapologetically topical — especially in singles "Wear a F'n Mask" and "Lose Control" — but in ways more human than political. The actual music, though, sways with the island breezes in which it was conceived and plays like a tropical getaway, something we could all use right now. The EP will be available through the band's website (sugarcitymusic.com) as a donation-based download or stream.
