Faye Miravite has created a world of jazz that has Italian, Philippine and even Brazilian roots.  The overall sound is very rich due in big part to the many players on the record.  You hear piano, drums, vocals, guitar, soprano & tenor sax along with contrabass.  The musical connection between Miravite’s music and the people playing her tunes is immense. 

The entire album encompasses a feeling of worldly value; a quality that seemed to be very well-polished throughout.  La brezza starts with a number titled “Dolce foschia (“Sweet Mist”)” that contains a very smooth and easy-listening jazz melody.  You really do get a picture of a sweet mist hitting your face while listening to this song.  The title track, “La brezza (“The Breeze”)”, follows up with an equally soothing & calm breeze effect.  I also enjoyed its classy appeal, one very nice piano solo and add to that an impressive sax part.  “Heart on fire! / L’amore grande” comes at you with a completely different set by adding a dance-oriented beat/groove to the mix.  “What I Call a Friend” displays a phenomenal musical connection between drums, sax and piano.  The guitar and contrabass come in adding a nice touch to the whole layout.  Track five moves faster while the next number, “The dream I had of you last night”, slows things down with a romantic mood.  Faye Miravite wraps it all up with “I found love” where the vocalist, Sandra Viray, sings in such a soft & sincere manner.  This tender ballad is captured beautifully by Viray’s voice where she seems to be really feeling the moment, the music and herself. 

The overall listen is worldly, easy listening jazz that offers energy, romanticism, sophistication and one great group of musicians.  Feel the calm & cool breeze for yourself!  For more on The Music of Faye Miravite and her latest work, La Brezza, Skope out www.fayemiravite.com. 

By Jimmy Rae

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Last Sunday, Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley made a stop on her solo tour in Orlando, FL at the Plaza Theater. Things started of with a showing of the film “Welcome to Van Nuys”, a documentary about the making of Jenny Lewis’ recent album, Acid Tounge, with Heartless Bastards opening up.

Lewis played an 80 minute set along with her backing band, and together they performed light-hearted favorites such as “Black Sand” and “Acid Tongue”, and the rest of Lewis’ country and pop influenced catalog of songs.

The surprise of the night came when after Lewis walked on stage, first acknowledging her fans with a “Hello, hello!”, she picked up her guitar and claimed this would be “an older song”. The songstress then strummed the first chords of “Silver Lining” by Rilo Kiley. While a Rilo Kiley song is usually a staple in her sets’, it usually only comes ’till the encore. Maybe she wanted to get it out of the way, leaving only her solo work to worry about. After flawlessly and beautifully finishing the song, she was finally joined by her band and they went into “See Fernando”.

Even though the night was quiet, besides some of the more noisy-in contrast songs like “The Next Messiah”, Lewis put on a flawless and serene show for her fans in Orlando, with the only possible disappointment from some fans might have been the absence of Lewis performing Rilo Kiley favorite, “Portions for Foxes”.

“It’s my first album. The first of many flowers in the vast artistry,” she said. “My songs are like canned fruit in syrup.”

Her folk stress sound emerged with the 2008 CD as a rolling wonderland of ebony flow in harmony with the tune of nature’s vibration. Similarly, Weidmann grew-up in the cornfields of Illinois with such inspirations as Jonnie Mitchell and Pattie Griffin.    

“When I am listening to nature I feel lighter and not so self conscious - being aware of what is outside of me,” she said.

Guillermo Alvarado, owner of the café has watched the artist bud into her own sound.

“I see her like Sheryl Crow,” Alvarado said. “Wonderful lyrics and a good sense of composition - her lyrics are contagious.”

The catchy I’ll Take the Wheel song is a reflection on a nine year relationship, in which one person must let the other go. The Supposin track is a jumping trip from escapism into reality with lyrics such as: “If you got to change, change to gratitude and accept what is here today. Be where you are with what you have or you’ll suppose your life away.”

The title track lyrics explain: “What else have I been missing. I thought that I was alone. I’m in a world that’s shifting – its bringing me back home. I know there’s more out there, and there’s more than me that all I have to do is be open to possibility.”

Weidmann has gone from possibility to actuality with her new CD. What is next for the Colorado College music graduate will be revealed one simple breath at a time. Weidmann performs again at the cafe July 5 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. For more information visit www.lindsayweidmann.com.

Cutline
Lindsey Weidmann, local solo folk artist performed on the patio in Old Colorado City at Cucuru Gallery and Café June 21. Weidmann performed at the café again on Sunday from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.

By Thea Skinner

Tough Love really matches up to that “New York State of Mind” or New York attitude/swagger if you will.  Gala brings you an edgy and hip piece of work that she likes to call “intelligent pop”.  Adding a little sass to the picture to spice things up, this platinum selling international music star seems to have hit Tough Love right on the nose.

The six-track EP includes a wide variety of music that seems to have something for everyone.  Dance music for all you clubbers, world music for all you worldly people, rock music for all you rockers, hip-hop for all you hip-hoppers and pop for all you pop tarts.  No limits and no boundaries when it comes to making music is Gala’s promise. 

The opening song, DKOL (Different Kind of Love)”, has a sweet guitar riff along with a zesty/edgy pop rock approach thanks to Gala’s Rock’em Sock’em chops.  This is a joint you can dance your ass off to at the club or simply rock out to.  “Faraway” has a distinct worldly vibe about it whereas “I’m The World” displays a hot ‘n’ fresh beat where you actually hear an accordion.  The title track, “Tough Love”, has Gala belting out lyrics in a sort of cutesy type manner because of an infectious, high pitched squeak.  She definitely is adding a whole lot of pep and pop to her step.  In the end, it’s a major load of pizzazz!

I can’t leave without mentioning the fine musicians that make up Gala’s band: Deantoni Parks on drums, Itamar Ziegler on bass and Joseph Friedman on guitars.  Gala’s Tough Love seems to be no joke here.  For more on Gala and her latest EP, Tough Love, SKOPE out www.galasound.com. 

By Jimmy Rae

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Havoc “Smells Like Nine/Five”:

SKOPE IT HERE!

Behind the scenes only link:

YouTube DirektLink

Full clip link (incl mgmt/crew interviews):

YouTube DirektLink

Already multiple times platinum with albums The Great Milenko and The Amazing Jeckel Brothers now the underground duo is back and poised to strike again. The group’s dark visions and Barnum minds have spawned a carnival of music and mayhem often scorned by mainstream media, but embraced by an entire sub-culture of like minded-individuals.

Whether a long time fan or new to the ride, go “Behind The Hatchet” with a short video look at one of the most successful underground bands in the world. And, for a taste of Bang! Pow! Boom!, which hits stores September 1, check out the freshly unveiled audio album sampler.

BEHIND THE HATCHET VIDEO LINK:

YouTube DirektLink

ALBUM AUDIO SAMPLER:

SKOPE IT HERE!

Deluka “Cascade”:

SKOPE IT HERE!

Entitled Love is Proximity, the project took over 2 years to complete and consists of 42 love songs.  The best tracks, selected by band leader Travis Lee Wiggins himself (10 total), are being released as a traditional album called Love is Proximity.  The remaining 32 songs will be released as Love is Proximity Sessions Disks 1, 2, & 3 with two months in between each release.

Essex Chanel - “Love Is Proximity” MP3:

SKOPE IT HERE!

www.essexchanel.com

Photo credit: Christopher Hiltz

The band just finished up a tour with Rise Against and Rancid and will be heading overseas for a European tour including dates at Reading and Leeds Festivals.

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