SWAMP DOGG RELEASES NEW TRACK
“WAKA WAKA WAKA” FEATURING GARY U.S. BONDS
OUT NOW FROM FORTHCOMING ALBUM
SWAMP DOGG CONTEMPLATES THE AFTERLIFE
COMING JUNE 19

SPECIAL EVENTS ANNOUNCED TO CELEBRATE NEW ALBUM:
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSIC – JUNE 6
GRAMMY MUSEUM – JUNE 9

(Designer: David Gorman, Download Hi-Res Here)

“Waka Waka Waka,” out today, is the third album track to be made available in advance of the June 19 release of the Swamp Dogg Contemplates The Afterlife full length album on S-Curve Records.  The Juneteenth release is just a few weeks in advance of the 84^th birthday of the legendary soul/roots icon. The song finds Swamp Dogg, a/k/a Jerry Williams, Jr. coming full circle to an earlier part of his fabled career when he collaborated on multiple hits with R&B flame keeper Gary U.S. Bonds,

Ultimately, Bonds and Williams became a songwriting and production team whose partnership was most fruitful in the 1970s before a falling out that left them estranged from each other for five decades. Within the last year, Swamp Dogg Contemplates The Afterlife producer and S-Curve chief Steve Greenberg approached Swamp Dogg about inviting Bonds to contribute to the album. Swamp Dogg instantly blessed the effort, and the result is “Waka Waka Waka” with Bonds serving as a featured lead vocalist on the Swamp Dogg composition.

“Waka Waka Waka” Streaming pivot link:

https://orcd.co/swampwaka

Gary U.S. Bonds/photo by John Cavanaugh

Near the end of “Waka Waka Waka,” Swamp Dogg interjects with his feelings for Bonds: “Hey Gary, Gary U.S. Bonds! Man, you the best friend I ever had and I’m so glad you decided to sing with me and help me get this hit. You know what hits feel like and I love you man.” Gary U.S. Bonds, on the eve of the single’s release commented, “It’s so nice to be working with my friend Swamp Dogg again. Keep on rockin’!”

“Waka Waka Waka” YouTube Visualizer:

Today’s release of ”Waka Waka Waka” was preceded last month by “Searching For Heaven,” a Swamp Dogg-penned song  reflective of the album’s overarching theme, and its virtual flip side, “Acid Tongue,” written by Jenny Lewis, who had earlier joined forces with Swamp Dogg on his 2024 album, “Blackgrass: From West Virginia to 125^th Street.” 

Swamp Dogg Contemplates The Afterlife is thought to be the artist’s 27^th full length and finds the artist participating in a broad range of promotional activities in support of the album, including tour dates and pre-release special events in New York, Nashville and Los Angeles. These include a discussion and performance event at the National Museum of African American Music in Nashville on June 6, followed a special “The Drop” event at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles on June 9. On June 17, Swamp Dogg will perform an album release show at New York’s Mercury Lounge as part of the Blue Note Jazz Festival. Additional summer dates are listed below.

The album was produced by Jerry “Swamp Dogg” Williams, Michael Mangini, Sam Hollander and the aforementioned Steve Greenberg, who collectively came to the Swamp Dogg project having worked with a range of artists including Joss Stone, Andy Grammer, Tom Jones, the O’Jays, Betty Wright, Jonas Brothers and Hanson. The album was recorded at Brooklyn’s Mission Sound studios with guitarist Sherod Barnes, bassist Jerry Barnes, drummer Steve Wolf, trumpet player Jesse Klirsfeld, organ/piano player Raymond Angry and saxophonist Morgan Price, as well as Moogstar, Swamp Dogg’s live-in keyboardist.

Pre-save Swamp Dogg Contemplates The Afterlife

https://orcd.co/swampdogg

Swamp Dogg Contemplates The Afterlife track listing

1. Searching For Heaven

2. Acid Tongue

3. Knock Knock (Memories)

4. Waka Waka Waka (feat. Gary U.S. Bonds)

5. A Million Tears Ago

6. Unhappy Song

7. Please Don’t Bury Me

8. Hot To Trot

9. Daddy’s Little Girl

10. Final Approach

Confirmed Swamp Dogg tour dates

June 17           New York, NY             Blue Note Jazz Festival

June 18           Woodstock, NY           Bearsville Theater

June 19           Greenfield, MA            Green River Festival 

June 20           Portland, ME               SPACE Gallery

June 21           Manchester, VT          Earth Sky Time Farm concert series

July 11            Venice, CA                  Venice West (Swamp Dogg’s 84^th Birthday Concert)

For inquiries, please contact:

Bob Merlis / MFH:
bobmerlis@bobmerlis.com                                       

Ben Merlis / MFH:
ben@bobmerlis.com

Jim Merlis
jim@bighassle.com    

Daisy the Great
“Can I Have A Moment” Single & Video
Out Today via S-Curve Records
Directed by Actor Jack Haven (I Saw The TV Glow, Atypical)

2026 North American Spring Tour
Headline Dates and w/ Tash Sultana
Tour dates below + here

Photo credit: Athen Smith | Hi-Res Download

“energizing, catchy, and sharply self-aware, traveling between rock-adjacent tangents—while keeping grit, distortion, and guttural emotion at its core“
– Paste Magazine

“a sense of transfixing wonder“
– FLOOD Magazine

“tenderly poignant “
– Our Culture

New York City-based duo Daisy the Great today share a buoyant yet quietly devastating single “Can I Have A Moment”, out today via S-Curve Records. Amassing a dedicated fanbase, over 198M+ streams, and press nods from publications like The FADER, Paste,FLOOD Magazine, Ones To Watch, Talkhouse, Brooklyn Vegan and more, the track follows the release of their 2025 LP The Rubber Teeth Talk, which was produced by Catherine Marks. The deceivingly jovial and upbeat new single “Can I Have A Moment” centers around a relatable pain behind the end of a relationship.

“‘Can I Have A Moment’ came out of a breakup, and it was really cathartic to let those feelings of desperation and rejection bubble inside a song that grew to be so spirited and wry and playful,” share Daisy the Great. “We recorded the song in our drummer Matti’s basement studio and it was such a creative and fun day. We were all layering a bunch of different parts on the track and it felt so intuitive and connected. ‘Can I Have A Moment’ is a cry into the ether of wanting to be loved and noticed by someone who once loved you back.”

Watch / Share “Can I Have A Moment” Video

Leaning further into their creative community of like-minded artists in New York City, “Can I Have A Moment” features a music video directed by best-friend-of-the-band and actor Jack Haven, best known for their roles in groundbreaking projects I Saw The TV Glow and Atypical. Where the song captures the messy and embarrassing act of throwing your heart into the ether for love, Haven’s video came together in a similarly frenzied yet emotionally tender context.

Mina Walker and Kelley Dugan elaborate on their collaboration with Haven: “The three of us went to acting school together and have been taking every opportunity to work with one another since. They’ve been in a few of our music videos, most famously as the star of ‘Dips’, puppeteering my (Dugan’s) favorite coat. Jack just finished their second no-budget feature and we love the way they think about film-making. Their style feels so fresh, gritty, and spontaneous. It really sets them apart in a world where a lot of things can feel overproduced.

The song is about being embarrassing and frantic for attention, and we were definitely feeling that while filming. Jack sent some references for costume, including Ellen Burstyn in Requiem For A Dream, Franka Potente in Run Lola Run, Liza Minnelli holding a rose, and a lot of people in bowler hats peeking around corners. We really embraced the theatricality of it all and let ourselves run wild and free around New York like we did together in college. It was so much fun and we’re very proud of the video.”

An inimitable record of edgy guitars, with spiraling synths and the duo’s immaculately stacked harmonies and uncanny melodies front and center, The Rubber Teeth Talk further cemented Daisy the Great as curious songwriters who can craft earworms from the smallest and largest moments of everyday life. Beyond the album, the band also recently released a cover of “Tom’s Diner” and an original track, “Blood Dye 40,” showcasing their signature “hocket” vocal technique – a style that has racked up over 210+ million views across social media and become a staple of their live show. Be sure to catch the band on their North American Spring tour with headlining dates and a run supporting Tash Sultana.

Tour Dates – Tickets

5/24: Riverside, CA @ Riverside Municipal Auditorium *

5/26: Santa Fe, NM @ The Bridge at Santa Fe Brewing Company*

5/27: Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theatre*

5/29: Flagstaff, AZ @ Pepsi Amphitheater*

5/30: Sandy, UT @ Sandy Amphitheater*

5/31: Denver, CO @ Lost Lake Lounge*

6/2: St Louis, MO @ The Pageant*

6/3: Columbus, OH @ KEMBA Live!*

6/5: Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore Philadelphia*

6/6: Boston, MA @ MGM Music Hall at Fenway*

6/7: New York, NY @ The Rooftop at Pier 17*

6/9: Montreal, QC @ MTELUS*6/10: Fairpoint, NY @ Perinton Center Park Amphitheater*

6/12: Indianapolis, IN @ Everwise Amphitheater at White River State Park*

6/13: Whitefish Bay, WI @ The Argo

6/15: Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St. Entry

6/17: Newport, KY @ The Southgate House Revival

6/19: Grand Rapids, MI @ Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park*

6/20: Chicago, IL @ The Salt Shed*

6/22: Lakewood, OH @ Mahall’s*

*with Tash Sultana

“Can I Have A Moment” Single artwork | Hi Res Download

For further press inquiries please contact:

aarin.wright@charmschoolmedia.com

TWO TRACKS FROM UPCOMING SWAMP DOGG ALBUM DEBUT TODAY:

“SEARCHING FOR HEAVEN” b/w “ACID TONGUE” OUT NOW FROM S-CURVE RECORDS

IN ADVANCE OF JUNE 19 RELEASE OF SWAMP DOGG CONTEMPLATES THE AFTERLIFE

(Designer: David Gorman, Download Hi-Res Here)

Anticipation is building for the June 19 release of Swamp Dogg Contemplates The Afterlife, the 27^th career album by the artist, born Jerry Williams, Jr., whose seven decades long career shows no signs of slowing down. The two new tracks – “Searching For Heaven” and “Acid Tongue” – offer encapsulated insight into the legendary and multi-faceted soul man’s creative process.

The two tracks, offered for the first time today as a virtual double A-sided single, are a reflection of Swamp Dogg’s genre-jumping musical instincts. “Searching For Heaven,” an original composition, is the album’s lead track and addresses the album’s overriding theme. Swamp Dogg commented, “It kind of explores the idea ‘heaven on earth.’ You may actually have that happening in your own life but maybe haven’t figured it out yet. When you’re at home you’re surrounded by earthly angels who may even be related to you. For the most part, they have your best interests at heart. Of course, when you do finally leave home permanently, it’ll be up to a higher power to determine if you find that other heaven. If things work out, that’ll be a place with all the comforts of home.” 

LISTEN to “Searching For Heaven” and “Acid Tongue”

WATCH “Searching For Heaven” Visualizer / WATCH “Acid Tongue” Visualizer

“Acid Tongue” was written by Jenny Lewis who guested on Swamp Dogg’s 2024 album Blackgrass: From West Virginia to 125^th St. Lewis’s original version dates from 2008 and was brought to Swamp Dogg’s attention by S-Curve chief Steve Greenberg, who is lead producer on Swamp Dogg Contemplates The Afterlife.Swamp Dogg remarked, “Jenny Lewis has become a friend of mine so when Steve suggested I record her song ‘Acid Tongue’ I was open-minded about the idea. She cuts to the heart of the matter, the matter being loneliness and the overall human condition. She provides more wisdom in her song than a thousand doses of LSD could ever give you and that ain’t no bullshit.”

The initial Juneteenth release of the new album is digital, with a vinyl version projected to be available the following month in celebration of Swamp Dogg’s 84^th birthday on July 12. He’ll be performing at a special birthday show at LA’s Venice West on July 11. The album will be pressed on gold vinyl which prompted Swamp Dogg to remark, “I’ll finally have a gold album.” In truth, while Swamp Dogg has never received a gold disc as an artist, he’s been awarded gold records for recordings by other artists in which he either produced, wrote or was the source of samples, including Gene Pitney, Johnny Paycheck, Tracy Byrd, Freddie North, Z.Z. Hill, DMX, MC Breed and Kid Rock.

Pre-save Swamp Dogg Contemplates The Afterlife

Swamp Dogg Contemplates The Afterlife was produced by the artist, né Jerry Williams, Jr., along with S-Curve founder Steve Greenberg, Mike Mangini and Sam Hollander, Grammy winners who’ve individually and collectively produced artists including Joss Stone, Tom Jones, the O’Jays, Betty Wright & the Roots, Andy Grammer, Jonas Brothers, Hanson, Digable Planets and Public Enemy. The album’s June 19release date is a nod to Black Music Month. One of the few first-generation soul artists still recording and touring, Swamp Dogg’s music has been embraced by successive generations who are taken with his musical mastery and iconoclastic approach to both his craft and life writ large. Testimony to his ecumenism is found in the fact that he’s been warmly embraced within the Americana world, and in his recent headlining appearance aboard the SiriusXM Outlaw Country Cruise. He has also made waves of late with the release of the critically lauded documentary film Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted, currently streaming.

Swamp Dogg Contemplates The Afterlife track listing

1. Searching For Heaven
2. Acid Tongue
3. Knock Knock (Memories)
4. Waka Waka Waka (feat. Gary U.S. Bonds)
5. A Million Tears Ago
6. Unhappy Song
7. Please Don’t Bury Me
8. Hot To Trot
9. Daddy’s Little Girl
10. Final Approach

Confirmed Swamp Dogg tour dates

June 17           New York, NY             Blue Note Jazz Festival
June 18           Woodstock, NY           Bearsville Theater
June 19           Greenfield, MA            Green River Festival 
June 20           Portland, ME               SPACE Gallery
June 21           Manchester, VT          Earth Sky Time Farm concert series
July 11            Venice, CA                  Venice West (Swamp Dogg’s 84^th Birthday Concert)

For inquiries, please contact:

Bob Merlis / MFH:
bobmerlis@bobmerlis.com                                       

Ben Merlis / MFH:
ben@bobmerlis.com

Jim Merlis
jim@bighassle.com           

“Norway is a song about finding myself through the heartbreak of a lost relationship. It’s about being blinded by “love” and acting in ways that you wouldn’t have on my own. The line “loving you made me hate who i was” encapsulates that feeling. You never know when something will come along and flip your life upside down. Sometimes, all it takes is a trip to Norway.”

Listen Here

Watch Here