MICHAEL DES BARRES – Kiss Or Kill Me / I Was Saved In ’64

Posted on February 10, 2026 by Real Gone

In 2023, just at the point where the world was getting back on its feet having spent a few years knocked out by a global pandemic, the legendary Michael des Barres teamed up with pop/rock pianist Kris “Fingers” Rodgers and recorded a couple of excellent singles. Although, on paper, a union between the relatively young, relatively unknown musician and the veteran vocalist seemed like a slightly odd one, the contrast of styles and coming together of two generations actually worked. Both ‘Bounce Back Baby’ and ‘Soul Shake’ were brilliantly upbeat affairs that genuinely brought out the very best in both musical parties.

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Out Of The Shadows: Shannon Smith releases new single ‘I Do’ and makes future plans

Posted on February 9, 2026 by Real Gone

The promotional cycle for Shannon Smith’s debut album ‘Out of The Shadows’ didn’t take a standard route by any means. Looking beyond the typical approach of “let’s release a couple of singles over a couple of months, then get the album onto the streamers” favoured by so many in 2025, Smith started the ball rolling far earlier. His first single, the fantastic ‘Dance The Night Away’, appeared in late 2023, almost eighteen months before it was clear an album would be forthcoming.

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Listen: Guitarist Silas Fernandes unleashes new single ‘Flight of The Navigator’

Posted on February 8, 2026 by Real Gone

Named “Guitarist of The Year 2025” by Roadie Crew Magazine, Silas Fernandes is the embodiment of all of those fretboard shredders you loved in the early 90s. His current EP ‘Carbon Purge Acceleration’ presents a half dozen very heavy instrumental workouts, each of which help to showcase his explosive style.

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MALA VISTA – Snub Nose .38 EP

Posted on February 6, 2026 by Real Gone

On their 2024 release ‘Fun Time’, Mala Vista tore through nine tracks of relatively no nonsense, guitar driven material that carried the spirit of ’77 and the sounds of CBGB’s into the twenty first century. Although always more melodic than their fellow countrymen Lower Class Brats and The Casualties when approaching punk, at the release’s best, Mala Vista still conveyed a rough and ready sound. Maybe more importantly, it showed they could whip up some great arrangements: ‘Juana Le Cubana’ took a detour from punk into garage rock and power pop that sounded like an unreleased Real Kids number, and a couple of other tracks shared punk ‘n’ roll lead guitar breaks, proving further that classic sounds never really goes out of style.

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THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #142

Posted on February 5, 2026 by Real Gone

Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar, the place where we explore some of the more interesting individual tracks that have landed in our inbox over the previous couple of weeks. This time out, we bring you a near perfect piece of acid jazz, the return of an emerging singer songwriter, some retro rock from Ireland, a familiar voice from the US punk scene with a great side-project, and more besides… As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy!

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