Category: #SKOPELIFE

CAROLINE JONES: CLASSIC TO CONTEMPORARY

For emerging artist Caroline Jones, gone are the days of opera arias, cabaret standards and show tunes. But hers is a musical timeline that began with classical training she started receiving at age nine, tutelage under vast industry movers and shakers (including music demigod, Tommy Mottola) and a continuing education dedicated to honing her natural…

MKM ISSUE 2 – AUGUST 2011

Welcome back and big shout outs go out to our first “commentator,” Miss Lori Johnson, who chimed in with “Hey MKM I have got to say I REALLY like this blog site. I am anxious to see the evolution! “Music is the healing force of the world.” Got to give it up for Full Force……

AUGUST 2011 SONICBIDS “ARTISTS 2 WATCH”

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.

JOHN OATES: FLYING SOLO

I’d interviewed John years ago, and had a chance to catch up with him and his new solo venture and tour supporting the release of Mississippi Mile.   Half of the most potent rock/soul duo to hit the airwaves, John has always piled his passion into his solo projects.  

SKOPE TV INTERVIEW FEAT JOHNNY CROME

On Friday July 29 Skope was visited by an emerging artist by the name of Johnny Crome. Johnny did not want to settle for just a phone interview so he drove over 4 hours to come see us, and we are glad that he did. With his two hits “Amnesia” and “Porn Star” making waves…

RICK SHAFFER HAS THE BLUES…(“DOWN TO A T!”)

Johnny Lee Hooker once said: “The Blues had a child and that child was Rock N’ Roll.” And it is no secret that the success that British Invasion era bands enjoyed stateside was due in large part to their obsession with the Blues. The Yardbirds did it. The Rolling Stones did it. Zeppelin even did…

SKOPE TV PHONER FEAT ROB CARLTON

Anyone who follows Skope knows Rob Carlton is no stranger here. Rob is doing better than ever these days with a new album, ‘Seven Thunders’ that is proving to be his best work yet. We had to have Rob on to talk about everything he is doing today both with and without his guitar in…

JEALOUS BONE: ORIGINAL SOUND FROM CLASSIC ROOTS

The melding of blues and rock is almost as storied as either of the genres on their own merit. The Yardbirds did it. The Rolling Stones did it. And even more contemporarily, The White Stripes did it deconstruction style. It seems the two almost walk hand-in-hand. For the Chicago-based trio, Jealous Bone, the genre mash-up…

JULY 2011 SONICBIDS “ARTISTS 2 WATCH”

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.

SKOPE TV PHONER FEAT FYB (FOR YOU BROTHER)

It was a gorgeous Sunday afternoon in New England when the phone rang and it was  John Davis, a.k.a. Dash from the duo FYB. The multifaceted duo, John Davis and Melvin Blakely, are garnering fans by ushering in a new era of music, tinged with the style of Jimmy Hendrix and flavored with rock and…

WEEK 1: MKM NOTES FROM THE SOUND TABLE

Hello folks! We want to make the MKM Notes from the Sound Table, an interactive experience–so we encourage readers to tell us what they like to read by responding to our planned postings, because we truly want to know what YOU like to read!!

SKOPE TV PHONER FEAT MR ENVI’

Skope TV got to kick off the July 4th weekend with a rising star in the hip hop game. Coming out of Shreveport, LA is Mr Envi’. Mr Envi’ wears many hats as an emcee, producer, and CEO of his own   Southern Stisles Records. We were able to catch up with Envi as his…

SKOPE TV PHONER FEAT BLOW FLYY

It is safe to say that real emcees are not only coming from the USA anymore. Skope TV got the chance to talk with an emcee from Ontario, Canada by the name of Blow Flyy. Blow Flyy has been making music for over 10 years now and he has created some hot singles such as…

THE JOHN OATES BAND, BEACHLAND, CLEVELAND 5-24-2011

Half of the legendary Hall & Oates brain trust has hit the road promoting his new blues and early rock laden disc, Mississippi Mile.   The band is extremely tight and provides great vocal harmonies.   John mentioned that they’ve been working together for a while, and had experience playing on the CD.   The…

DUB SONATA: DIGGIN’ IN HAVANA

A week in Cuba to some can be an enjoyable vacation, an enlightening experience seeing how a country survives under a dictatorship,   while enjoying the culture and the whole experience of what such a place has to offer. For Bronx based producer, the trip was something much more than that, it was a musical…

HUDSON OWEN: THE MAN BEHIND THE MIND

The eight years I have now written for Skope has afforded me the opportunity to access a myriad of musical styles and the artists within them. I spoke to Eminem collaborator, Proof a few years before he was gunned down in a Detroit nightclub; I got to speak to the usually elusive Evan Dando after…

CAKE, MASONIC AUDITORIUM, CLEVELAND 5-17-2011

The first leg of their second tour supporting their new release Showroom Of Compassion is being sold out.   The Cake lineup was John McCrea on lead vocals, rhythm guitar, and vibraslap, Vince DiFiore on trumpet, keyboard, harmony vocals, and percussion, Xan McCurdy on lead guitar, and backing vocals, Gabe Nelson on bass guitar and…

BLUE OCTOBER, HOB, CLEVELAND, 5-10-2011

The other “Little Ole Band From Texas’’ arrived with it’s: Ugly Side: An Acoustic Evening With Blue October, to promote the new album of the same name. The stage was set up to simulate a living room complete with couch, tables, lamps etc., reminiscent of the Martin Mull and His Living Furniture tour of old.…

EUROPE BRACES AS NEW SCAMS HIT THE MASSES

It’s always fortuitous when the name of a band allows for a hyperbole-laden headline that borders on yellow journalism. Kind of like the one above. But in all seriousness, the UK indie pop outfit Scams are set to release their new four-track EP in England and Germany to much awaited fanfare. Thanks again to Skype,…

Slaying it in Atlanta; Sleigh Bells and CSS

The wall of amplifiers hinted at what was in store for us. If you know anything about the bands Sleigh Bells and CSS you know that they both operate at a higher volume than most and bring a signature energetic showmanship.

FOREIGN EXCHANGE: NEFEW

This Hip-Hop group from Switzerland have managed to make some serious headway in the US with their music. Tracks such as Biko, The Fan and Alternatives have been widely received by some of the fiercest of critics. Their last project saw the duo, made up of Polemikk and PA-Double, team up with one of the…

SKOPE TV PHONER FEAT ADAM TYLER

If you are looking for a fresh face on the pop/dance scene we have found your guy. Adam Tyler is a young, ambitious, and talented all around musician. We got to chat with Adam via phone on April 8 and he really opened up. Adam is busy preparing to release his debut album ‘Shattered Ice’…

THE BELLE BRIGADE: SIBLING REVELRY

Sometimes, it’s just right there in front of you. It’s that thing that is so apparent; it becomes lost in its own obviousness. And often it only takes one chance event or one simple decision to reveal providence. In the case of Barbara and Ethan Gruska, it began as a little innocent mischief that siblings…

SKOPE TV PHONER FEAT TONY ROYSTER JR

Last Friday night we had the chance to talk with the only drummer that Jay-Z calls on when he has a live show. Jay-Z even called Tony Royster JR when he performed in front of President Obama for the inauguration. Tony was more than gracious to open up to Skope about everything from learning to…

LINEAR REGRESSION PREMIERES WITH AZTEXT

Featuring on our new Skope column, Linear Regression is The Aztext. This is where we dissect an artists sound, a producers style and give folks a bit more insight into where concepts come from and how lyrics are born. The Aztext are a Vermont residing duo, who have been doing their thing on the indie…

ACCIDENTAL TRIBE: THE STRENGTH OF PURPOSE

It is sweet, sweet irony that while the name of my latest assignment may be Accidental Tribe; I’m not sure I’ve written about another band with more purpose than this fearsome foursome from New York. And while theirs is a story steeped in decades past, time has changed the hedonistic man-boys of the CBGB’s golden…

SKOPE TV PHONER FEAT EMAXIMUS

As the west coast braced for what was projected to be massive tsunami waves on Friday, Skope TV got on the phone with a rising emcee from Oakland, CA. Emaximus caught Skope’s attnetion with his two hits, “Freeze Frame” and “Dial My Phone.” He was even gracious enough to offer all Skope readers an MP3…

Preview: Say Hi at The Earl

Say Hi is the brain child of Eric Elbogen. As the single official member of Say Hi Elbogen is a one man music making machine. On his records he plays the instruments, sings and then puts it all together.

SKOPE TV PHONER FEAT VIN KEATIN

Skope TV was fired up on Friday night as we got a call from a rising star in R&B/Urban music. Coming from the Bronx, NY is Vin Keatin and his new EP, ‘Certified.’ With songs like “Baby Making Music” and “I Wanna” it will not be long until music fans all over the world are…

SKOPE TV PHONER FEAT EYE’Z

Last Friday night Skope TV got a call from a rising star in music by the name of Eye’z. Eye’z has been making music all her life and has been pursuing a career in music at a ferocious pace. Eye’z hard work is starting to pay off as she plays two big gigs in LA…

SKOPE TV INTERVIEWS ANTI THEORY

On Friday night, Skope TV got a visit from a real emcee & his DJ. On this cold night in New England we got to sit down with Rumel and Odi. These guys have been making music for many years now and that culminated to their debut album ‘Digita.’ These guys do their own thing…

CONCERT REVIEW: TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA – CLEVELAND – 11-28-2010

I’ve decided that there are basically three types of music lovers/concert goers during the Christmas season.   The ones that have seen TSO previously (were impressed and likely recommend and attend again), ones that make it a yearly tradition, and then there are those who are totally oblivious to having a seasonal great time!  

JONNY LANG: FROM PRODIGY TO ULTIMATE PRO

Jonny started playing guitar at the ripe old age of 12, played sax in junior high, and recorded his first album Smokin’ at age 14.   Talk about putting in the proverbial 110% into his work!   His 2006 release Turn Around enabled him to earn his first Grammy for Best Gospel Album.  

SKOPE TV PHONER FEAT DAVID ROUSSEAU

When artists like Lil Wayne, Enrique Iglesias, and Pitbull just to name a few need a music video done they call on David Rousseau. Skope TV got on the phone with David live from Miami, FL this weekend to talk about this. Join us as David talks about getting his start, what equipment he prefers,…

SKOPE TV PHONER FEATURE A THOUSAND HORSES

Last Friday night Skope TV got a call from Michael Hobby who is the lead singer of A Thousand Horses. This five piece are a bunch of friends that are coming out of Nashville, TN with an exciting rock sound that is keeping fans loyal and attracting new ones with every show they play. Last…

Wild wayback Friday night machine

Friday’s night show at The Earl was a trip — think “Fear and Loathing”. As we were transported back in time to 1973 with the reverb soaked psychedelic rock of The Black Angels and Black Mountain we were witness to the some of the strangest cast of characters and outrageous antics that good East Atlanta…

SKOPE TV PHONER FEAT RON JOSEPH

  The Skope audience is in for a treat as we got a legend to come on Skope TV last Friday, October 8. We are talking about the legendary Ron Joseph. Ron Joseph is creating major buzz with his new single, “3 O’Clock In The Mornin” and performances all over the west coast. Ron is…