The new EP release from award winning singer/songwriter Dirk Schwenk and his band The Truth, Along the Road, is a five song effort plumbing deep into modern American life and Schwenk’s own character. The revealing and often inspired nature of these songs are further fleshed out by the superb accompaniment Schwenk benefits from with his…
Category: REVIEWS
CD and DVD reviews
Micah Elloh – ‘Give Me More’
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In a dizzying but genuinely mesmerizing tizzy of colors, immersive beats and soulful vocals, Micah Elloh simply stuns in his new single “Give Me More,” a song that goes a long way to establishing its songwriter as one of the premier artists to follow in 2018. The Brazilian native isn’t messing around here; “Give Me…
The Mezcaltones – ‘The Mezcaltones Second’
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As a band, The Mezcaltones are like a cinematic period piece. Although they’re originally from Sydney, Australia, their hearts are many times way back in the old west. This 8-song collection opens with an instrumental medley, “For a Few Dollars More/Good the Bad and the Ugly (The Spaghetti Medley,” which is a tribute to Ennio…
Oklahoma’s Captain Ledge Band releases “Rumors Of The Great White Skunk”
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The Captain Ledge Band goes for a powerful slice of Americana on the tender tone of “Rumours of the Great White Skunk”. Done with such ease, the whole of the album has a dreamy thoughtfulness to it. Highly creative, the Captain Ledge Band prove to be incredible storytellers, exploring the internal motivations of people and…
Chasing Velvet Drop New Single
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If you haven’t already heard, Brisbane’s Chasing Velvet are crashing through the Australian pop scene with bombast and stylish melodies in anticipation of their debut extended play, Replay, which ironically features a collection of tones and harmonies that are far from a recreation and instead quite promising and futuristic in structural design and presentation. In the…
Spayed Koolie – ‘Ashtray Change’
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Spayed Koolie goes for a soulful, bluesy take on country with the playful “Ashtray Change”. Incredible storytelling rests at the very heart of the entire album, while Spayed Koolie explores the importance of navigating relationships, finding one’s own path in life, and yearning for change. By letting all these impulses roam wild and free, there…
Steven Wheeler – ‘Terminal Velocity’
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Steven Wheeler holds nothing back on the full-throttle rush of “Terminal Velocity”. Aptly named Steven Wheeler rushes through these three pieces in a fantastic display of color in a way that heightens tension. Layer upon layer comes into the mix in a way that simply swirls about. Feeling akin to a long-lost soundtrack, there is…
Rev Peter Unger – ‘Goodbye My Love’
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Rev Peter Unger sings of compassion on the thoughtful “Goodbye My Love”. Done with the utmost of care, the whole of the work feels so soothing. Featuring a rather expressive vocal, Rev Peter Unger explores the importance of faith in life. By lending his message such passion everything has a rustic, timeless quality to it.…
Static and Surrender – ‘Static and Surrender’
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On their self-titled debut album, Static and Surrender embody the best of indie rock. Intense emotion pours through these concise, carefully crafted tracks. Best taken in as a singular whole, Static and Surrender’s talents are countless. Riffs are infinitely memorable, the rhythms pitch perfect, and by far the most important, their lyrics recall a life…
Few Miles South, ‘Might Could’
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Right away when I Hit Play on this new EP, I was thinking to myself that Few Miles South is bringing back that classic, country sound and honky-tonk atmosphere and way of life. What a refreshing taste going away from the constant Pop County realm that is heavily saturating Today’s country music market. This is…
Kingkween – “Sex” from the album ‘Future Past’
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“Sex”, the succinctly titled new single from New York City based indie alt-pop trio kingkween, builds on the considerable success experienced by the last single “Wild One” and points the way to the outfit’s bright future. kingkween was initially conceived in 2011 by collaborators lead vocalist KT Mulholland and producer/musician Captain Hitz. Drummer Rob Steadman…
Troy Lindsey & Shane Foote New Single “It Ain’t Freedom”
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Troy Lindsey & Shane Foote go for a soulful, heartfelt classic rock blues with the powerful “It Ain’t Freedom”. Elements of the song have an epic scale to it, accurately capturing the wild journey the two have embarked upon. Long ago, the two worked together in their very first band in high school back in…
Arash Behzadi – ‘The Last Sigh’
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Cinematic and delivered with such passion, Arash Behzadi creates a true masterpiece with the powerful “The Last Sigh”. Representing the absolute best of modern classical, every note feels deliberate and carefully considered. Melodies shine through while Arash Behzadi creates a natural rhythm that helps to frame the entirety of the proceedings. By opting for such…
Ezra Jordan – ’10 Miles a Minute’
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Ezra Jordan brings the summer jams with the tropical, sun-drenched pop stylings of “10 Miles a Minute”. Absolutely silky smooth, his soothing voice rests front and center of it all. The flirtatious tenor of his delivery helps set the mood for the whole thing. Keeping things bright and airy, Ezra Jordan makes sure that this…
Gordon Thomas Ward – ‘Providence’ EP
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Gordon Thomas Ward offers a delightful take on folk and country with the tender “Providence EP”. Proving to be a deft storyteller, Gordon Thomas Ward sings with such crystal clarity. Over the course of the EP guitar playing possesses tremendous strength, whether it is the emotive acoustic take or the dreamier, spacious scope of the…
‘Attractive Nuisance’ by The Innocent Bystanders
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Playful to its very core, the Innocent Bystanders explore a celebratory sound with “Attractive Nuisance”. Saxophones have a swinging style to them helping to give the whole proceedings a bit of a ska flavor to them. Vocals go for something a bit untamed, wild as they roam through the impeccable tracks. Everything has such a…
Hughie Mac – ‘Sings Some Great Songs Part 3’
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Music plays a much bigger role in our daily lives than we often acknowledge. For most of us, it’s a pretty rare occasion to have a day go by where we don’t have some exposure to some sort of melodic sounds synchronized together in a catchy harmony, whether it be in a commercial jingle or…
From That Summer (Vol. 1) Compilation: Frank Migliorelli “Baby Put A Dress On”
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Swinging with a bucolic, freewheeling positive energy, “Baby Put a Dress On,” the latest single from critically acclaimed roots rocker Frank Migliorelli, kicks off with a fiery start that remains consistently hot throughout the song, much like Migliorelli’s explosive, burgeoning career has been lately. “C’mon get ready, it’s Friday night,” he tells us with a…
Few Miles South – ‘On Down the Road’
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Few Miles South’s “On Down the Road” does the traditional country music fan’s heart good. Heck, they’re unashamed fans of Sturgill Simpson and Chris Stapleton, the two near-saviors of contemporary country music. But good taste alone won’t win fans; the music must also be good, and Few Miles South has the goods. The song begins…
Laura Cheadle, ‘Chill’
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Laura Cheadle is not one to just kick back and do nothing but rather she is a fierce, go-getter with a pedal-to-the-metal-type attitude. But, Laura Cheadle decided to ease off the accelerator and slow things down a bit on her latest release, ‘Chill’. The title of the record matches the mood & tone of the…
Esteban Alvarez – “La Bikina”
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In his new single “La Bikina” from the forthcoming album Piano Meets Mariachi, Esteban Alvarez presents us with the duality that exists within the parameters of contemporary Latin ambient music. On the one hand, we have a scene that is feverishly attached to its roots and preserving the rich textures that they’ve provided us with…
Terry Derosier – ‘Thunderin’ Down the Road’
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Terry Derosier’s “Thunderin’ Down the Road” is a single built upon a simple arrangement. It begins with a chugging acoustic guitar rhythm, where organ fills enter the mix before Derosier’s vocal. At about the track’s midpoint, however, the song slows down to a crawl before rolling faster again with an organ solo, which is followed…
Steven J. Push – ‘The Road’
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Have you ever been to St. Louis, Missouri? Known ironically as the “Show Me” State, there are tons of things to do like Sweety Pies Restaurant, Six Flags, but move along to Nashville, Tennessee right to Music City and you would understand the importance of these two places as they have a lot to do…
Sister Speak – ‘The Stand EP’
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Sister Speak goes for an angelic hue with the luxurious beauty of “The Stand EP”. With vocals that soar into the heavens, Sister Speak proves to have a deft, flexible voice, one that sits at the very heart of the entire collection. The tracks have a cinematic fervor to them while they unfold with an…
‘The Fool & the Magician’ by The Hills and the Rivers
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The Hills and the Rivers dive headfirst into a lush timeless folk with “The Fool & the Magician”. Keeping things to the essentials, the Hills and the Rivers allow their acoustic instruments to sing up into the sky. Doing everything with the utmost of care and taste, their carefully-considered arrangements recall the ambitious togetherness of…
Review: Thadeus Gonzalez “Silver Inside”
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Okay, first of all: THADEUS GONZALEZ! Secondly, SILVER INSIDE! I mean…I really wish that’s all I can say, but it isn’t. Matter of fact, I don’t think I can put it into words just how much of an artistic genius Thadeus is. This is one of those times, where it isn’t just about his voice…
Terry Derosier – “Thunderin’ Down The Road”
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Hailing from northwestern Minnesota, Terry Derosier’s journey into the professional music world began in 2014 when he fell off ten foot high scaffolding and landed on his head. The severe brain trauma experienced as a result of that fault ended his successful career heading a large construction company, but another door opened. Derosier soon began…
ANGELES – ‘Test of Time’
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Bongo Boy Records & ANGELES goes for an untamed, unhinged sound with “Test of Time”. Reminiscent of the best of hard rock like Van Halen, the whole of the album feels life-affirming. Volume literally has a physical presence to it. Guitars scream up into the sky showing off their undeniable chops, with riffs adorning every…
Ryan Chernin releases debut LP
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To the fortune of Indie Rock lovers, following the release of the single and video “Ash Tray Kisses,” Singer/Songwriter Ryan Chernin recently dropped his debut LP “You Know Who You Are” via Inhuman Records, and what an assortment of work he has accomplished for inclusion his first full-length CD release which contains two more singles…
Blue Apollo – ‘Youth’
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“Youth” is the first single from Blue Apollo’s EP When You Ask for Rain. Blue Apollo is a quartet from Dallas, TX, but like a lot of music out of Texas (e.g. Spoon), this song doesn’t sound much like stereotypical Texas music. These gentlemen met while attending Southern Methodist University’s Meadows School of the Arts.…
Tough On Fridays – ‘Wind’
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Tough On Fridays delivers an unforgettable, joyous sort of style with the beautiful “Wind”. Reminiscent of the best of early 90s alternative rock and pop-punk, their style still feels uniquely their own. Comparisons to Blink 182 and Nirvana are unavoidable, for Tough On Fridays draws from both bands. Akin to Blink 182, they have a…
Camille Nelson, ‘Lead Me Home (Acoustic Guitar & String Ensemble)’
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The first thing I noticed right away when listening to Camille Nelson’s latest album, Lead Me Home, is just simply the sheer joy that went into each song. This 12-track recording is an absolute labor of love for Camille and one spiritually uplifting experience. Camille Nelson has been in the music industry for over 8…
D.L. Byron, ‘Satori’
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This is one I’m particularly excited to review after I read D.L. Byron’s backstory and how he has quite the musical past! Byron was signed by Clive Davis the year I was born in 1979 to Arista Records and had his debut album produced by Jimmy Iovine, which churned a Top 40 Hit single and…
Ultratone – “A Dream”
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Louisville, Kentucky might superficially seem to be an unlikely home base for any sort of progressive music, but Ultratone buries that shallow assumption. Their latest single release “A Dream” hails from their fifth studio album Mellow and embodies an ongoing consolidation of their place in the modern music scene. Ultratone has long since evolved from…
Sarantos ‘Do You Wanna Dance?’ Music Video – New Pop Song
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Art always finds a way to bind one’s soul with its passion and there is no one born who has enough strength to abandon their soul even at the most demanding situations. Sarantos is one of the best examples of such a talent who has taken his passion from the childhood scribbles on a writing…
Fabpz the Freelancer – “I’m Loco, I’m Crazy”
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Originally hailing from the United States, Pete Atkinson has been ruling the world of modern pop music for quite sometime now. Most popular with his earlier stage name Fabulous p, he has currently reformed the name into Fabpz the Freelancer, which is already going places depicting his creative mind. An engineer by profession, music has…
Mulholland Drive – “Miranda”
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Immensely skillful and tempered by life’s experiences, Luke Mulholland’s music is representative of a swath of recent young performers edging into pop world prominence with a stylized classic rock influence in tow. Mulholland’s choice of a primary instrument, guitar, is distinctly unfashionable in a EDM/hip hop world, but there’s undoubtedly still an audience out there…
Clare Means – ‘Sidewalk Astronomy’
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Los Angele’s Clare Means stands out in an overcrowded indie music scene – her ability to deliver just what you need in the time you need it is both refreshing and magical. She hits all the emotions with effortless energy. Means, whose newest album Sidewalk Astronomy charts together starry-eyed reflective songs and emotional landscapes so…
“Evolution” by Ashley Delima
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“Evolution” by Ashley Delima leaves you wanting more – more of her voice. At just 19, this New Jersey resident is already on her second single and finding her niche in what feels like a pop rock abyss. She stands out and I have a hunch she will keep rising. Though born in New Jersey,…
Broken Testimony – ‘Holding On To Nothing’
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With “Holding On To Nothing” Broken Testimony goes for a wild, feral take on alternative rock. Reminiscent of Korn and Alice in Chains, the sound is shrouded in darkness. The riffs have a heaviness to them while rhythms go for a force of nature quality to them. Determination rests at the very core of it…
