Category: FEATURES

Paul Dowding composes, performs, programs, records and produces all his own music.   He started when he played bass in rock bands in the US and UK.   Upon moving to the US, his keen business mind launched him into a corporate career.   However, he kept things going musically with a band called the…

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I must admit that I have been up since 4 am EST to watch the royal wedding. It is nice to see that love & marriage are still alive in this crazy world that we live in. On that note I wanted to feature a band that really needs no introduction. Having these guys on…

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Ben Folds, Damian Kulash (OK Go), Amanda Palmer (Dresden Dolls, solo), and author Neil Gaiman set out to write and record eight songs in eight hours (4 p.m. to midnight) at Berklee College of Music, Monday, April 25, and release them 10 hours later during Rethink Music, in Boston. Like Radiohead did recently, this group…

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Warren G has released a tribute to Nate Dogg, the legendary hip-hop singer who passed away last month, aged 41. All proceeds from the single will benefit Nate Dogg’s family.

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Indie-folk musician Paleo’s new video “Holly Would.”   The video is for the song from his forthcoming full-length album Fruit Of The Spirit (out June 21st through Partisan Records) and was directed/animated by Jonathan Burns.

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There is nothing that I admire more than a musician who puts herself and her music out there for all to see & hear. My next guest is the epitome of this and I could not be happier for Jill Cagney as she releases her sophomore CD, ‘It’s All In How You see Things’ Saturday…

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In the band’s first music video, Director Jon Meyer surrounded Joel and Ethan with 21 HD cameras. The result: a whirlwind of sights and sounds that may cause temporary vertigo!

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Are you ready to learn more about Jane Gowan who is the founding member and lead singer/songwriter of the pop/rock band Shade?   I hope so because Jane has lots to say about this and that.   Find out about the new album ‘Highway’ or how “If you don’t know how to play hockey in…

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Seventeen-year-old Trevante Halliburton is no stranger to the hard work demanded of him by the notoriously competitive music industry. While most teenage boys were worried about grades and girls, Trevante was perfecting his craft on the road to stardom.

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Welter is an original rock trio from Philadelphia, PA. They are compared to Green Day, The Replacements, Jawbreaker, and The Weakerthans, and are regionally known for their energetic performances and packed venues.

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Raised on a diet of Terrence Mckenna,The Beatles, Syd Barrett, Nirvana and Turkish psychedelic music, GARDENS is part of the new sound of Detroit.

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Simple Plan has earned widespread acclaim and a global fan following for their inventive, genre-defying blend of classic punk energy and modern pop sonics.

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So what do you think when a band calls themselves Stripper and their logo is a hot young woman exposing her breasts (look inside)? Well you do like I do and turn the music on. Obviously at first we thought, attention whores, but the music is real good rock music with a f$^& you attitude.…

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New York City-based musician Rachel Platten has signed with Rock Ridge Music and plans to release an album, entitled “Be Here,” on April 26, 2011.   With music that the New York Post says “blends sweet delicateness with pluck.”  

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Dark Dark Dark are also excited to share the video for the title track from Wild Go. Shot in South Africa by Santiago Mostyn. It opens with a chorus of “oooohs” and unfolds into a foggy, dream-like landscape.  

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Rocky Votolato spent years singing in the band Waxwing with his brother Casey and friends, before shying away from the post-hardcore and establishing himself as a singer-songwriter. His latest album True Devotion was released on Barsuk the record label in 2010.

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What a great way to explore the music scene in a new city. Recently relocating to Portland Oregon from Austin Texas, The Strange Boys, a four piece from Austin, made me feel right at home. East End, in Southeast Portland was the host for said event. A steamy basement venue with black walls and low…

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Okay I can hardly contain myself today. The weather is perfect, NBA playoffs are starting, 3 day weekend, and I get to feature & interview my friend Daniel Layus of Augustana. Dan & the guys are gearing up for the release of their new album on April 26 & a massive tour starting in May.…

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“Buy And Sell” is the second track on Rick Shaffer’s solo album, Hidden Charms, released February 2011, by Tarock Music.   Shaffer continues, expands, and nicely follows-up the feel of his first solo album, Necessary Illusion, released March of 2010.   The concept is for Hidden Charms to have a sound both new and old…

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CONVERSE Inc. releases the dynamic, interactive music video for the original song ‘Desire’ – a genre-blending collaboration featuring outstanding British artists Paloma Faith, Graham Coxon and Bill Ryder-Jones.

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Singer/songwriter Caroline Jones chose Fallen Flower’s 11 tracks from over 45 songs recorded at New York’s Avatar Studios and Nashville’s Loud Studios in 2010. Caroline singlehandedly wrote and produced the album in addition to playing guitar, 6-string banjo, harmonica, and singing both lead vocals and harmonies.

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On May 10th, The Shivers will return with their latest record More, set for release on Silence Breaks. Recorded in Manchester, UK early last year, the album finds Queens, NY songwriters Keith Zarriello and Jo Schornikow exploring everything from shambly garage rock to melancholic barroom ballads.

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Everyone has a story, something to overcome.   If anyone has come out on the other side, it is singer/songwriter Dane Estok. When someone is surrounded by drugs his or her entire life, it’s hard to escape that type of lifestyle.    

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Fat Beats Records is proud to announce that their first funk signees, CSC Funk Band, will release their album, Things Are Getting Too Casual, on June 14th, 2011. Recognized by the Village Voice as Brooklyn noise-punk scene’s very first funk band, CSC Funk Band is a random, diverse, and eclectic 11-member band hell bent on…

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I will admit that I can be pretty tough on pop artists. Its not that I do not like pop music, I just don’t like when it sounds forced & manufactured. That being said, some of my favorite songs have come from the pop genre for their authentic & genuine sound. My guest today, Kat…

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Roc Nation’s “gangsta-rocker” Hugo, will release his highly-anticipated debut album Old Tyme Religion on May 10th. To coincide with the launch of the album, Hugo will perform on The Late Show with David Letterman. The British-born, Thailand-raised rocker will be on tour this Spring for a headline tour beginning April 11th   and then joining…

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Aaron Lyrd is a man who overcame enormous adversity and has become a one man band writing and recording everything from guitar to percussion to vocals.   He has a huge fan base on myspace and he is catching attention of promoters.

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One of the great things about living in a large metropolitan area, such as Tokyo, is that due to the size, you can find almost as much musical variety in one city, as you might find in another small country. Japan, specifically, is currently the second largest consumer of purchased music, so this also adds…

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“No Land’s Man” will be available exclusively at independent record stores on April 16 in celebration of Record Store Day, and will be available at all online retailers the following Tuesday, April 19.

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Does this Friday get any better. The weather is perfect, the Red Sox opening day is here, and Andrew Jackson has asked Stoli to premiere his video for “Enough Blood To Keep Em Coming.” If you are into zombies like I am then you are in for a treat. This track is off Andrew’s album,…

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The Freeze Tag, the newly formed duo of Los Angeles-based producer Cassettes Won’t Listen and Brooklyn MC Bisco Smith, is happy to announce the release of Hamster Kid, a five-track concept EP and animated musical collaboration brought together with the help of world-renowned street artist Bishop 203 and director Mike Vidoli. Hamster Kid will be…

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THE TREWS’ fourth full-length studio album, Hope & Ruin, due on Bumstead Records on April 12, is a level-raising evolution for the Toronto-based rock band with two gold records, ten top-10 singles and 800-plus concerts logged. Recorded live-off-the-floor, they captured lightning in a bottle, resulting in a sound that is raw, electric and igniting.

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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.

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Hot on the tail of the radio success of the new single “Dat’s What I Do” featuring Travis Porter, which currently sits at number #48 on the Urban Radio Charts, Da Kennel has released a new viral video to increase the single’s growing popularity.

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Alt. country rock n’ roll band Devils Elbow release their first music video ‘These Days’. The track is taken from the bands debut album Sand On Chrome which was released August 2010.

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I know I need to stick to music but I am freaking out that Japan is dumping radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean. I know they have no other options but jeez! Sometimes I just want to lock myself in my basement with cans of food, water, and the soothing & relaxing CD by Mehran.…

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For nearly sixty years, the Jolly Boys have been integral to the fabric of Jamaica’s musical landscape and culture heritage.   Yes, you read that correctly, sixty years!! Masters of mento, one of Jamaica’s original musics, this band has rocked innumerable private soirees, charmed the traveling elite and toured the world, leaving an indelible mark…

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Antigone Rising, the all female rock band from Long Island have paired with Rock Ridge Music for their upcoming release of their newest album, 23 Red.   The album is a Kickstarter success story and is to be released in mid-May.   A preview of the album is the first release track “Home is Everywhere.”

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Get ready to learn more about a musician who lives, breathes and thrives for the guitar.   James Evans is a Canadian artist who writes his own music and even works with other local acts in Canada.   His new group instrumental album ‘ZepOcean’ has some excellent guitar riffs and solos you just have to…

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Doug Ratner & The Watchmen have been described as one of the most promising and exciting rock bands to emerge on the New England music scene. According to The Noise, Boston’s oldest independent music magazine, their music is “a bold array of garage/power pop/classic rock with loads of harmonies, psychedelic mind twists and dirty bar…

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