Too often, the pace of life tends to mandate a bulk of our time. Careers, family and the responsibilities that come with them tend to jump in line ahead of our desires. Need outweighs want. So, it goes without saying that most of us have something in our lives that we’ve always wanted to do;…
Category: #SKOPELIFE
NOVEMBER 2012: MKM NOTES FROM THE SOUND TABLE
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Well folks, THAT time is now upon us — the debut of THE MUSICOLOGY SERIES, starting with 2101: A Quick Start Guide to Music “Biz” History. I can’t begin to tell you the story of the making of this book, but I CAN let my publisher give her thoughts about what we are about to…
LADIES – THIS ONE IS FOR YOU
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Giving the good readers of Skope a bit of an insight into what his mindset is all about, NJ MC, Uni VSol had a great start in the music game. His father, producer and musician Kenny Beck (Octavia, Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam) only adds to the inspiration he has drawn from acts such as…
OCTOBER 2012: MKM NOTES FROM THE SOUND TABLE
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I hope you are doing well in the land of music! Big ups to Dominic at www.drivenatlanta.com – what an incredible music conference!! Okay folks, the word is out and I’ve just gotten confirmation from my publisher at www.nucherte.net – MUSICOLOGY 2101 will be a 2012 reality!…
KELLY WATERS: CONSUMMATE PERFORMER
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Sometimes our most fortuitous moments are a combination of timing, yearning and happenstance. Such is the case for fledgling singer/songwriter Kelly Waters. With a degree in acting under her belt, the stage and performing on it were actually old hat for Kelly. It was, in fact, her…
DAVE VAN KLEECK TALKS ABOUT “EVENT HORIZON”
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“Event Horizon” is a new CD that will be released on Oct. 30th 2012. Comprised of four extremely talented and experienced musicians, the CD has something to offer a variety of musical tastes. The primary musicians on the CD project are: Davey Pattison, Vocals, Darryl St. John, Guitars, Pete Thompson, Drums/Keys, and Dave…
34 BLISS: BORN AND BUILT IN DETROIT
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34Bliss is a Rock-n-Roll band out of Motor City. They have their engines revved and are hitting the scene with positive energy soaring them to new heights. This 5 piece band consists of Rocquel singing leads, Palmer on drums, Patrick on bass, Phil on guitar and Jonny Guitar on leads. All 5 of them have…
OCTOBER – DECEMBER 2012 ARTISTS TO WATCH
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Welcome to another amazing month of music from the incredible musicians that make up the Sonicbids.com community. We have chose a select group of amazing musicians that will be speaking directly to the Skope readers. As always we encourage readers to dig deeper and check out their EPK’s.
FILTHY J: SHOCK RAP ALIVE AND WELL DOWN UNDER
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It goes without saying that ever since there has been music; there has been explicit lyrical matter and innuendo within it. Blues singers made famous the term “jelly roll” (if you don’t know; look it up) and entire careers were made possible because of suspect lyrical matter and profanity…
THE ENCHANTING VEE CANTADEU
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Vee Cantadeu is an extremely versatile singer and musician. Born in Heidelberg Germany and later becoming a citizen of Switzerland, her music ranges from German folk songs to opera, church and gospel music, modern pop and songs from musicals. Her Diva voice is rich and even mystical at times giving her a unique and…
HIP HOP HAS EMERGED IN JAMAICA THROUGH NOMAD CARLOS
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Raised in Kingston, Jamaica, Nomad Carlos began writing lyrics early on. Once he figured out that Hip Hop was his calling, he went to great lengths to get his music out to the Jamacian public. It didn’t take long until a culture of hip hop grew around him. He has…
ALL EYES: NEW MINNEAPOLIS BAND
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In 2009 I first introduced Alicia Wiley to Skope. She has produced 5 solo albums in the past 8 years earning a Minnesota Music Award as Best selling self released recording 2004, Best Female Vocalist 2004, and Best Keyboardist/Pianist 2006. She has been compared to Fiona Apple and Diana Krall her voice is even…
SEPTEMBER 2012: MKM NOTES FROM THE SOUND TABLE
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Word on the Mirosa Beer Party in the Park is spreading like wildfire–last week, we had a Jazz artist from Detroit named Tim Reid fly down to perform with his band. Out of the blue, my late 90s friend Calvin Jennings from Ed Robinson’s (Cameo’s keyboard player) studio compound appeared. Calvin has some new…
KARMA DEAN: POSITIVELY FOCUSED
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Karma Dean grew up in a musical family in Memphis TN. She was inspired by her up bringing and decided to pursue her dreams through music. She became a church musician at age 14 and eventually joined an R&B group. She poured her heart into her endeavor but decided to embark on a career in…
ABSOLOOT: BREAKING THE MOLD
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Coming from a generation that watched Rap rise to unparalleled heights as a genre, it saddens me to see what it has become. The bulk of contemporary Hip Hop is an amalgam of clubby tunes with near zero depth, even less originality and Auto-Tune. Lots and lots of Auto-Tune. Gone is the socially charged lyrical…
AWAR: THE LAWS OF NATURE EXPLAINED
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It’s always a great thing when a new kid on the block makes enough noise to make the world sit up and listen. Although AWAR might not necessarily be a ‘new kid on the block’ per say having already put out a couple of freebies, he would definitely be one to take note of when…
JEREMY LONG: NOT JUST DOING IT; LIVING IT
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They say immersion is the best way to learn a thing. If that is indeed true, then singer/songwriter Jeremy Long is continuing his education, hands-on and fully immersed.
JUNIOR BROWN WINNING NEW FANS
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About the time that country icon Junior Brown was making the rounds of jam festivals, including the huge the 10,000 Lakes Festival in Detroit Lakes MN, he made his first appearance at a cozy little event in Madrid, New Mexico, called the Crawdaddy Blues Fest. I saw him at both festivals (10KLF back in 2009…
FORGOTTEN BY FRIDAY: THE BUILDING OF A BAND
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Often the raison d’etre for band breakups seems to get chalked up to creative differences. Such was the case when the popular New England Blues outfit, Big Ugly dissolved and saw the founding members plodding off into different directions. Undeterred, Dominick Mauro began collaboration with guitarist Tom Forst.
TAYLEN: FOLLOWING HER DREAMS
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Taylen is a young singer/songwriter from Australia. At the young age of 15 she is poised for success and will not stop until her mission is accomplished. The amazing thing about being young is every experience is the first and Taylen is a sponge taking it all in and making her dream a reality one…
CONCERT REVIEW: STYX, REO SPEEDWAGON, TED NUGENT BLOSSOM MUSIC CENTER, CLEVELAND, 6-30-2012
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The three arena savvy acts took over the stage braving 90+-degree temperature and matching humidity. As the main show started at 7:00, the venue gradually filled up, including the grassy knoll area.
GET ON THE LOONEY TRAIN FOR SOME FUN ENTERTAINMENT
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Looney Train is a group that performs around the Chicago area. They have opened for many headliners including The Buckinghams, Jimmy Jaimeson of Survivor, the late Davy Jones, Mickey Dolenz, Mark Farner, and The Temptations. They released their first CD in 2010 and now are working on a second. This band is…
SQUEAKER: SMALL STEPS TO BIG SUCCESS
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Squeaker is a band out of Australia. They have been creating and perfecting their sound since the early 2000’s and are still going strong. I had the pleasure of getting to know Steve from Squeaker. The band has been his baby and creative outlet for his songwriting. He has poured his soul into the venture…
CONCERT REVIEW: TODD RUNDGREN @ JACOBS PAVILLION AT NAUTICA, CLEVELAND, 5-26-2012
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It was Memorial Day weekend, and once again time for the 20th Marc’s Great American Rib Cook Off and Music Festival. I first met Todd at his first rib fest, what seems like an eternity ago. He vowed to “Only play meat festivals from now on!” He’s strayed from that commitment, but…
JULY 2012: MKM NOTES FROM THE SOUND TABLE
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We’re back!! You’ll be happy to know that many positive things have happened over the last few months — we’ll update you soon! Here’s a special treat – music entrepreneur Stephen Stone ala Ruffhouse Records (Kris Kross, Cypress Hill, Fugees, Lauren Hill) has a new Atlanta project…
LIVE SHOW REVIEW: FITZ AND THE TANTRUMS
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As Royal Teeth and ZZ Ward made their way through the opening sets, the atmosphere at The Music Farm became as equally charged and full. While the bar front became easier to maneuver, the stage front was soon a writhing sea of bodies as the venue reached capacity.
JULY – SEPTEMBER 2012 SONICBIDS “ARTISTS 2 WATCHâ€
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Welcome to another amazing month of music from the incredible musicians that make up the Sonicbids.com community. We have chose a select group of amazing musicians that will be speaking directly to the Skope readers. As always we encourage readers to dig deeper and check out their EPK’s.
WHY EVERY UNSIGNED ARTIST SHOULD GET YOUR BAND IS A VIRUS! (6/11 – 9/11)
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You’re an independent artist and have a new or upcoming album. Why should you get the newly updated, bestselling music marketing guide “Your Band Is A Virus – Behind-the-Scenes & Viral Marketing for the Independent Musician”?
SONJA PERENDA: “ROCK-PERA?”
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Genre blending is nothing new to the music industry. Myriad of new genres have come from the innovative melding of facets from differing musical styles into one sound. Uncle Tupelo comes to mind as they arguably gave birth to the Alt Country music scene. But some genres appear completely mutually exclusive and seem to defy…
GEORGE CAHILL LIVIN’ HIS DREAM
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It was always George Cahills dream to write and record songs but, he didn’t get to live his dream until after a career as a real estate agent and firefighter. He is multi-talented being a singer, rhythm guitarist and as he calls it, “an observational songwriter”. He recalls many instances while in the…
WORKING BRILLIANTLY SHINES ABOVE THE REST
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Working Brilliantly is a boutique PR, Licensing and Production agency founded by Jennifer Thorington and Samuel Markus out of California. They have been in business over a year now and both Jennifer and Samuel come from extensive PR and Production backgrounds. Their focus is to propel the careers of inspiring artists with integrity, passion, creativity…
SINGERS WHO PERFORM REGULARLY IN CASINOS
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Millions of people from around the world take a trip to Las Vegas or other gambling destinations to play casino games every year, but the gambling action is just the tip of the iceberg as far as what Vegas offers to visitors. Gambling might have been the original seed that put Las Vegas on the…
MARK NORTHFIELD LETS THE WORLD PREVIEW “ALTERATIONSâ€
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Due on July 7 from Substantive Recordings is the latest eclectic release “Alterations” from Berkshire alt-pop/electronic artist/composer Mark Northfield. Inspired by the likes of Kate Bush, Radiohead, This Mortal Coil, and Bjork, Northfield is not the typical ‘paint-by-numbers’ type when it comes to his musical approach. The material on “Alterations” is complex and intellectually stimulating,…
ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME INDUCTIONS 2012 @ CLEVELAND, OHIO PUBLIC HALL
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Once again it was Cleveland’s time to host the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s annual induction ceremony, it’s 27th. The performing inductees were The Beastie Boys, Donovan, Guns N’ Roses, Laura Nyro, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Freddie King, and The Small Faces/The Faces (Rod Stewart previously inducted). Also in a new move,…
BRIXTON KEY: BEEN THERE, DONE THAT AND GOING BACK AGAIN
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There is always that person we look up to. Someone with a plethora of advice because they have lived it and want to share their story so we don’t make the same mistakes. Brixton Key definitely falls in that category and is one of the coolest cats I have ever met.
UPTOWN PRAISE BAND TURNS THE DEVOTION UP LOUD
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Christian light rock act Uptown Praise Band are bringing their brand of country and jazz-tinged devotional music far and wide, including the upcoming Cornerstone Festival at the Michigan Stage July 2 – 7, where their performance will be part of a collective aiming to benefit the Kids Feeding Kids Ministry. Festivals are nothing new for…
KEN LEWIS: MASTER OF CRAFTS
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Ken Lewis is a man who possesses the Midas touch. He has 57 platinum and gold projects to his credit and has been instrumental in seven Grammy award winning albums and songs during his career. Not one to usurp the spotlight that often shines on him, this New York adoptee is about paying it forward.…
MY BURDEN BORE: LIVING IN THE MOMENT
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Leigha Van Tiel and Gregory A. Bardasian joined forces to form their latest project called, “My Burden Bore”. They have a unique sound with a mix of male and female vocals that create some outstanding harmonies. These two seem to fit like a glove. The music is a blend of psychedelic moody metal with a…
MARLA MASE IS A MODERN DAY ROCK POET
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Since the beginning of the music industry, it’s been easy to see that there are at least two kinds of artists, and the main difference lies somewhere in the metaphysical realm of intention. Some artists have truly great ideas that resonate with others because they speak their truth. Others write music specifically to sell, and…
THE WYLD OLDE SOULS MAKE WAVES ON A LEVEL BEYOND COSMOS
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This New York based band has a fresh new folksy sound reminiscent of early Jefferson Airplane. It consists of Ivy Vale, Rick Reil, Kristin Pinell Reil, Melissa Davis and Naren Budhakar. Their music has a sense of freedom and discovery. Their Gypsy souls pass through your psyche leaving behind sultry melodic visions. Their debut CD,…
