CREDITS:
Recorded at the Les Paul Foundation studio with Tom Camuso
Guitars: Jason A. Roberts
Bass: Aaron Stern
Background Vocals: Leeann Skoda
Mastering: Shawn Hatfield at Audible Oddities
Cover art: Mikael Kennedy
SMOKE RINGS
Release Date: 4/20/2026
A few months back, an old friend from NYC, Tom Camuso, reached out that he was in L.A. working on an exciting new project. Tom, who’s worked with Lenny Kravitz, Blondie, and Steve Earle, was in charge of refurbishing the original Les Paul recording console. For music nerds this is huge. Les Paul created the very first multi-tracking console in 1957 and it now has a new home in the historic United Studios in L.A.
He invited my band and I to track a few songs on the console to test the gear – this was the first time anyone had recorded on this machine since it had been put in storage decades ago. We were obviously over the moon to be invited and decided the first track recorded on Les Paul’s console after all these years should be a Les Paul song. We decided on a version of Les Paul & Mary Ford’s “Smoke Rings.” I’ve loved this song forever for its dreamy, whimsical quality and Mary Ford’s gorgeous performance.
My buds Jason A. Roberts (Norah Jones, Spoon, Bedouine), Leeann Skoda (Noah Cyrus) & Aaron Stern (Curtis Harding) came into the studio with me and I do not exaggerate when I say it was a semi-spiritual experience to get to record in this legendary space – they even got to play Les’s original guitars for the recording.
We had the best time creating this music and hope you enjoy.
As always thanks for listening!
PRESS:
"Cadiz has a voice that grabs you within seconds." - NPR
"A meandering mix of country and folk that evokes the most isolated areas of the country and the people who call those places home.” - VOGUE
"Lines can be drawn between Cadiz and contemporaries like Sharon Van Etten, Cat Power, or Angel Olsen, but her vocals and songwriting shine with their own luster” - Under the Radar
About Malena:
Michigan born and L.A. based Malena Cadiz is a lady of the canyon waylaid at a suburban strip mall, acutely aware of how romance shines through even in the moments of grit and desolation. There’s something Didion-esque about Cadiz’s storytelling, crafting deeply personal vignettes that reveal greater narratives about the world we live in.
Growing up a second-generation Filipino-American, Cadiz bounced between living in the suburbs of Michigan with her mother and bustling Singapore with her father. “I always felt rootless, not quite belonging to either place.” This longing for home and search for center rests at the heart of Cadiz’s work.
She’s released three studio albums and numerous singles and EPs. Her most recent LP, Hellbent & Moonbound was inspired by Drift, a poem by the 24th U.S. poet laureate, Ada Límon - specifically the phrase “moonbound and hellbent on defying the usual gravity of this spin.” It was produced by Andrew Lappin (L’Rain, Lucy Dacus, Cassandra Jenkins).
Cadiz’s music has been praised by American Songwriter, Vogue, No Depression and The Fader, among others. Under the Radar has likened her work to Catpower and Angel Olsen and NPR compared her to "an earthbound Joanna Newsom, Cadiz has a voice that grabs you within seconds.” In 2025 she was a Kerrville New Folk finalist and has been featured on the Tiny Desk Contest’s Top Shelf. You can hear her songs in film and TV shows such as “Nancy Drew" (CW), "Lucifer" (Netflix), "REBEL" (ABC), among others. She has toured with and shared bills with artists such as The Bones of J.R. Jones, Willie Watson, Jess Williamson, Joe Pug, Anna Tivel, The Steel Wheels, Jeffrey Foucault, Anna Ash and Robert Ellis.
Malena is deeply committed to creating community through art. In 2025 she began co-hosting a monthly songwriter series called Virgin Ears and is a co-founder of Glow Big L.A., offering music education and all ages community events in Northeast Los Angeles. Her newest release, a collection of songs recorded on the original Les Paul console with Grammy-winning engineer Tom Camuso is slated for 2026.