Category: FEATURES

Feature stories and artist interviews

LISA RICHARDS OFFERS “BEATING OF THE SUN” MP3

            With the spacious songs of her fifth album, Beating of the Sun, Lisa Richards explores the tough subjects of grief and loss with both strength and fragility. Richards’ nuanced voice, surrounded by cello, accordion and melodica augmenting the guitars, bass and organ, which, though rich, give the songs openness,…

MAXDMYZ IS BRINGING BACK UK METAL

          Hailing from the UK, Maxdmyz harkens back to the days when metal was the prime British export, when ‘Maiden and ‘Priest ruled the airwaves, before Britpop took down the 90’s and boybands ruled the lands. Maxdmyz is a testament to the infinite appeal of heavy metal throughout the years, despite…

SHARKS UNVEIL VIDEO FOR “LUCK”

            UK band Sharks today revealed a new music video for “Luck” from their debut   full length album, No Gods, which was released last March via Rise Records. The video was shot in Northampton and directed by Ryan Macktfall.

O’GRIME NEW VIDEO “JUICE”

          O’Grime drops their new video “JUICE” from their upcoming LP “FUR COATS AND UZIS.” Directed by Giancarlo Loffredo, this video captures an escapade of sexual eeriness that transcends perfectly into O’Grime’s neo gothic trap sounds. From what O’Grime told me, the director did the video first before hearing the song,…

CHRIS ‘MUG5’ MAGUIRE INTERVIEWS BLEED ELECTRIC

            So, Chris, tell us a bit about the origins Bleed Electric: where are you from and how did you start? Bleed Electric started as a solo side project of mine during studio down days. At the time I owned and ran Screamadelica Studios in Cardiff Bay and before I…

SEXY KATY TIZ NEW SINGLE “FAMOUS”

“Famous” is the new track from the UK’s Katy Tiz and it is also your new favorite song. Tiz, who has already been co-signed by the influential ArjanWrites.com describes the song as a “tongue-incheek, ironic song…I’m almost making this song to prove I’m not one of those fake people.”

COLEY RELEASES “I GET AROUND” VIDEO

From a broken home in a small town outside of Philadelphia to CEO of Revel Music Group, Coley is on a mission to inspire the undaunted pursuit of your dreams while not taking yourself so seriously. Perseverance has driven Coley through years of personal and professional struggles, all the way to co-owner of Revel Music,…

BLIZZ NEW VIDEO “CHEECHN” OFF A3C VOL 2

Newcomer Blizz and his homies, including Trademark Da Skydiver & Young Roddy of Jet Life and a bevy of other ladies, smoke out their car and a house party in the Official music video for “Cheechn.” Taken from the album “A3C Volume 2” available on iTunes now. Directed by The Gravitational Pull. Track Produced by…

CLEMENTINE & THE GALAXY VIDEO “HEART SHAPED BOX”

Clementine & The Galaxy has released a new video for their version of “Heart-Shaped Box”, bringing a gritty pop sensibility to the Nirvana classic. Producer/Guitarist Mike Macallister says of the video, “We sat around brainstorming a direction one afternoon and wound up settling on the idea of the whole thing taking place in a tunnel.

STOLI JOINS THE MIGHTY ONE FOR THE “COUNTDOWN TO ASCENSION”

Hello again folks and welcome to another Skoped Out. Before we begin I need to address an issue I just cannot hold in. Mitt Romney vowed to cut funding for WGBH. For those without kids, WGBH introduces toddlers to music with educational & wonderful programming. So if he is to cut funding for them, how…

ELLIOTT BROOD TOURING US + DAVID BOWIE COVER MP3

Early 2012 saw Canadian trio Elliott BROOD’s widely successful release of “Days Into Years” through Paper Bag Records. Receiving accolades for the album’s lush, energetic instrumentation and the raspy croon of front man Mark Sasso’s vocals, the band sold out shows and gained multitudes of new fans across the nation.

A STORM IS BREWING IN WASHINGTON

StormKing is a whirlwind of sound, the name fittingly descriptive as the songs fluctuate between calm and chaos, capturing the spirit of Hendrix and more modern artists like Monster Magnet. Skope had the opportunity to discuss the band with leader and chief songwriter Duke Adkisson.

COME HEAR STOLI’S NEW FAV BAND BRISTOL TO MEMORY

It feels so good to sit down and write this new column. As many of you noticed over the past week, Skopemag.com went through a major theme redesign and server upgrade. After a few days of high anxiety we are back and I think better than before. Skope truly has an amazing & loyal global…

NEW ANIMAL SHARES VIDEO “FALLING UP”

New Animal’s brilliant visual compliment to the track “Falling Up” tells the story of friendship and love between the two main characters. Nikki of The Wild Honey Pie says, “Like a tap dripping steadily and slowly, this song and its accompanying video will find a way to captivate your mind for at least the next…

COME WITH STOLI TO GERMANY & VISIT MY SECRET ISLAND

Good morning to all Skope readers. I was reading about how much $$ Obama & Romney are spending on their marketing for President of the US. I thought what if we had that $$ and we used it to promote musicians that we love. What band would you want to invest in? My guest today…

JIMMY RAE DEEP IN THOUGHT WITH THE MAN OF THE HOUR: ADAM FERGUSON

For someone who is just 23 years old, this young man from Vermont has seen and experienced so much in his life thus far. Good times balancing with the bad times, Adam seems to make it all flow so naturally.   Highly spiritual in nature, Ferguson studies life and all its wonders with the keenest…

GIRI NEW VIDEO “LOST AND FOUND”

The swedish rockband GIRI are now releasing their second album Fidget. The first single Lost and found has already got rotation on radiostations in Europe. Fidget is a twelve track album and the songs are written, produced and mastered by GIRI. The Girisound is a perfect mix of analog synthezisers, distorted Fender jaguar and sitar.…

WILD BELLE SIGN WITH COLUMBIA RECORDS + NEW VIDEO

  Columbia Records is pleased to announce the signing of Chicago-native sibling duo, Wild Belle.   Raised in a musical household replete with family sing-alongs and what the band describes as “old-timey songs, hymns and Dylan tunes,” Elliot and Natalie Bergman each pursued their passion of music at an early age.   Natalie made a…

SUPA: THE FRESH VOICE OF HIPHOP

Hailing from Texas in the ‘Golden Triangle’ hiphop artist Supa knows a thing or two about the game. Poised to become the ‘fresh voice of hiphop’, this success story is 15 years in the making. Supa’s music and his life is about community and writing from the heart. He lives and breathes hiphop and his…

PROLIFIC RELEASES SECOND SINGLE “DIVINE DISRESPECT”

  North American society has been designed to remove power from our grasp. We are taught to prove ourselves to others instead of following our own path. We are taught to be meek, polite, and soft-spoken… and to respect authority. We are lead to believe that if we are truly deserving of power and influence…

SEPTEMBER 2012: MKM NOTES FROM THE SOUND TABLE

  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…

JANA FISHER RELEASES VIDEO “30K”

“Spunky lyrical folky piano pop” artist Jana Fisher is set to release a new 3-song EP Ideals & Deals on October 2. The EP will be available on major digital outlets and will also be given away on Fisher’s website. “Building relationships with fans is much more important to me than earning a profit,” she…

DIGDUGDISASTER OFFERS ‘STARS BURN’ EP FREE

Douglas Garnett aka DiGDuGDisaster is a published singer, songwriter, musician, producer and media designer with a knack for being creatively unconventional. DiGDuGDisaster is the moniker which rings true for this artist, for out of chaos and madness, Douglas has cultivated a strange brew for the masses titled “Stars Burn”, a 5 song e.p. that showcases…

BUTTERSCOTCH ESPINOSA “MIDDLE AGED RAP” VIDEO

Butterscotch Espinosa is the latest creation from rapper/producer Nicky Spesh, a veteran of the music scene who produced tracks for Est’elle many years ago. His debut album ‘The World I Know’ received critical acclaim getting 5 Stars in IDJ Magazine & DMC Magazine, and his follow up EP “Return to the concubine spaceship” was again…

GOT HERB?

  Big things are happening in Nova Scotia, from Juno sensation Ellen Page to hip hop entrepreneur Herb. You just never know what might come next from this wonderfully weird Ontario Island.

VALENTE “HOME” FIRST SINGLE FROM EP AVAILABLE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD

California based singer/songwriter Valente’s EP Alexandria, out today is a collection of 5 songs using his trademark cinematic, soothing sounds and serves as an appetizer to an upcoming full album to come later this year. The EP available for streaming in MSN’s listening booth was recorded for a large part at Aaron Embry’s studio (Edward…

YAEL MEYER RELEASES NEW MUSIC VIDEO

Chilean born – Los Angeles based recording artist, YAEL MEYER will release a NEW MUSIC VIDEO for the song “Used To Be” this coming Thursday September 6th, followed up by a much awaited performance at “It’s A School Night” presented by KCRW DJ Chris Douridas, in Hollywood on September 10th.

COME GET SOME GOOD OL’ COUNTRY WITH THE BILLY K BAND

Back at it after a very relaxing Labor Day weekend. Lots of cold beer, BBQ, and music! One artist that I was playing this weekend was just perfect. I must admit that I have fallen for the sounds of the Billy K Band. Billy has created a country/acoustic sound that sounds great & speaks to…

“SLANT”-ASTIC FOUR

It’s an early Saturday afternoon and the day after yet another show. With more music in them than ever, Slant’s dance card seems to fill up easily these days with shows booked in multiple venues from the Viper Room and the Whisky in Los Angeles to several venues across New Mexico, Texas and Arizona. The…