How would one describe Marshall Dane? Dane’s voice cuts to the heart of any story, taking you down back roads, through broken lonely hearts, and into hopeful, open skies. Launched in May 2013, in time for last year’s CMAO Awards – for which he was nominated in several categories including Male Artist and Album Of…
Category: REVIEWS
CD and DVD reviews
Stevie Bucks, “Soul Projects” Mixtape
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With a distinctive style that sits somewhere between Kanye and a kind of caribbean influenced dub, Stevie Bucks shows of his skills as an emcee with his latest mixtape, Soul Projects. Stream the mixtape at Datpiff: http://www.datpiff.com/Stevie-Bucks-Soul-Projects-mixtape.501518.html From its opening track, the flow is relentless like a steady stream of bullets, and blending with…
Kenny Fame, Another Man’s Woman
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“A hoe down between Woody from Toy Story and Teenage Fanclub, while they dance around a purple campfire.” Audio – http://www.reverbnation.com/KennyFameMusic/song/21104574-another-mans-woman The archetypical renaissance man, Kenny Fame returns with another track that takes his sound into a totally new direction. This time, Kenny Fame has put his hand to country and blues. Tonally rich, saturated…
The Lost Poets, Insubordia
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The five tracks that make up The Lost Poets’ Insubordia form a dark, brooding record that draws on a wide range of influences. The EP can be streamed in full at Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/lostpoets/sets/the-lost-poets-insubordia Opening with ‘Ode To K’, there are hints of Alter Bridge and even Slipknot, with rich vocals that sustain and break at…
Chris Andres, Authentic Outlaw Country
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Americana artists often offer listeners something that is very genuine and can be awe-inspiring. British Columbia based singer / songwriter Chris Andres fits well into this category with his latest release entitled fittingly enough Authentic Outlaw Country. In his own words: The term “Outlaw” gets thrown around a lot in the music biz, but if…
Mangoseed, Basquiat
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Mangoseed’s debut album is a funk infused slice of quirky rock. Opening with ‘Lioness’, an energetic track which nods to Rage Against The Machine in terms of funk/rock fusion, while ‘Careful’ lays on the 2-step pretty thick at points, with a cracking snare that you’ll just have to hear yourself to believe it. Vocally,…
Red Undead
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Red Undead is an Alternative Rock band from Mission Viejo, CA. . Influences: Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Franz Ferdinand, The Strokes, Pixies. The band enjoys pizza, Kirin Ichiban, and pirate tales. Mary Yanashima – vocals, Daniel Jun – drums, Thomas Monroe – guitar, Blake Martin -bass. An original blender of sound mixing bands like White Stripes,…
Lovesick Saints, Dia De Los Muertos
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Blasting out ballsy punk rock tinged with hints of dirty southern blues, Lovesick Saints’ Dia De Los Muertos EP is a hook-laden set of punchy tunes. Opening with ‘One Foot In The Grave’, Lovesick Saint’ style is immediately made clear, with their growling guitars and Green Day style vocals. The guitar work even has hints…
Shudder, Inside My Head
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Hailing from the city of Detroit in the US, the rock world brings you “shudder”. Formed in 2003, this 5 piece has had quite an adventure from their early roots to present. However today they are here to show the world they mean business! Combining the sounds of rock and modern melodic metal, you get…
John Lynam, WAR
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Gritty, emotive on-the-road country is the dish of the day with John Lynam’s EP WAR. Opening with ‘Daisey’, we’re immediately met with a driving, rolling piece of rock and roll. The guitars are crunchy, the organs swirl in and out, and the lyrics are romantic. Add to that the uplifting chords of the chorus, it’s…
Aluatta, Foolish Game (2014)
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This CD “Foolish Game” by Italy’s own Aluatta is sure to one day be remembered as one of the classic good timing Americana-Alt Rock CD’s of recent time – and they’re not even from the states. It’s pure rocking Americana magic the way it used to be, full of cautionary tales, and a passion…
Canary Burton, Jazz Bird
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Canary Burton brings us a jazz compilation called, Jazz Bird. She is a lover of music and is a composer that writes for no other reason except for the love of the game. Some people exude their talents and Burton is one of those who creates pure heart felt music from the deepest depths of…
The 12:45 Music Project – (Volume I)
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In our modern age of Rap synths and autotune it can be difficult to find the top seeds among the harvest. What makes masters like Snoop Dog, Nelly, Eminem so sought after? Sure they sound good, they look good, the feel good. But above that they got something else. They got what many in the…
Jared Wesley, The Reinvention of ‘The Cool’ 2
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With its tongue-in-cheek reference to Miles Davis’ seminal Birth Of The Cool, Jared Wesley’s mixtape The Reinvention Of ‘The Cool’ stands in an entirely arena with his old school hiphop. With the intro out of the way, ‘Happy Belated’ immediately establishes Jared Wesley’s style as vintage sounding, with a loose flow and relentless rhymes. Repetition…
Sulu Babylon, Colour
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British indie rockers Sulu Babylon are here with their EP Colour. It’s tinged with all the british indie rock tones we’ve come to expect, and yet touched with a distinctly American influence. Soundcloud EP streaming: https://soundcloud.com/sulu-babylon/sets/sulu-babylon-colour-ep Opening with ‘See It In Colour’, there’s an immediately fascinating blend of emo and britpop, the vocals shifting between…
Frankly Speaking EP
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Frankly Speaking is the brainchild of Jordon Schneider, a Cincinnati native who, upon taking a music degree, headed to Los Angeles, where he: recorded two albums, appeared on CD compilations with such acts as Lifehouse, and earned a nomination at the 2007 L.A. Music Awards. Having since returned to his hometown, he has performed on…
Liz Kennedy hits a “Speed Bump”
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The Review: Speed Bump by Liz Kennedy was released 2013. A highly anticipated release from a singer songwriter who hails from the Bay area featuring all original heartfelt songs on acoustic guitar and piano, accompanied by amazing musicians on electric and acoustic guitar, piano, organ and back-up vocals. I call this style of music “Mood…
When Summer’s Gone, Knockout Mechanism
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Exploding with the feisty punk rock of ‘After All’, When Summer’s Gone’s Knockout Mechanism immediately establishes itself as big, bold, and full on rockin’. Stream the full album at Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/when-summers-gone/sets/knockout-mechanism As an album opener, it’s a good way of getting your sound across effectively, with hints of Nirvana on the vocal and touches of…
EarthandtheNextSociety, On the path to the 100th Monkey
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In anticipation of their upcoming release, The 100th Monkey, Earth And The Next Society reveal four tracks to give a taste of what is coming up. Soaked in classic rock swagger, these tracks hark back to a time when prog rock reigned, while also acknowledging the clean aesthetics of modern music. https://soundcloud.com/earthandthenextsociety/sets/on-the-path-to-the-100th ‘Cheap Hustle’ bears…
Frostbite, Everything I Crave
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Frostbite is a one man rock band and constantly evolving portfolio of an emerging Atlanta based producer, experienced performer, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter named Chris Compton. Chris Compton writes, performs, produces and releases all Frostbite material under his own dark moniker. Drawing influences by suspected artists such as Carnivore, A Pale Horse Named Death, Seventh Void…
Peter Kelly, Fear Of Landing
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Starting off sounding like Peter Kelly has something of a kinship with Jack Johnson, as ‘Fear Of Landing’ progresses it becomes clear that there is more going on here than might at first seem apparent. The verse is pretty laid back, with an engaging melody and some touching falsetto, but once the chorus kicks in,…
Kenny Fame, I Need U
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With the pop punch of a male Katy Perry and a side helping of skitteringly eccentric electronica, Kenny Fame’s ‘I Need U’ is incredibly fun, frenetic, and fanciful. I Need U (Lyric Video) http://youtu.be/fLpsKlY_Q-k Completely nuts, laced with 8-bit bleeps, soulful vocals, and airy atmospheric synths, this is music that takes not taking itself seriously…
36?, Where Do We Go From Here?
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From its opening bars, Where Do We Go From Here? establishes itself as a diverse and inventive record from 36? (The question mark is on purpose, and possibly even intended to be pronounced.) Drawing on sounds and influences from Arcade Fire, The Polyphonic Spree, and even the Mars Volta at times, Where Do We Go…
And They Are Us, And They Are Us
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Dark, dusty, brooding and skulking, And They Are Us opens with the grubby, moody ‘Last Day Of Summer’. Laced with distorted guitars and spoken vocal samples, the track is thrust along its timeline with breakbeats that underpin an exciting fusion of dance, rock, ambient, and dubstep. Link: https://soundcloud.com/andtheyareus ‘Groove Modulator’ stays firmly fixed in the…
The Goldilocks Enigma
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Interesting and inventive music that comes from a religious perspective is not only hard to come by, but also often hard to listen to. Bands like Danielson have made their mark in the past by using Christian imagery in their music, not as satire or attack but as an authentic use of personal faith being…
Our Friends and The Spiders, Walk Me Out
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”Your Ghost” is the first song on the album. It has nice, strong vocals and I really like the instrumentals. This seems like a fun band at first listen. I really like this song and how well it seems to be put together. Next comes “Wait.” It’s got really good music and is a lot…
Kathleen Haskard, Where the Land Meets the Sky
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The first song, “I’ll Be Your Fool” starts things off very nice and calm. Kathleen Haskard’s voice reminds me of a cross between Stevie Nicks and Bonnie Raitt. I like this one. It is simple and nice. It puts you in the mood to just sit back and relax with some good music. ”Untangle This…
Giulia Millanta, The Funambulist
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In the spirit of musical justice (as I find is severely lacking these days), I gave this latest CD from Giulia Millanta a good and proper listen and not only did I not hate it, but I actually kind of fell in love with it, and subsequently her in the process. Surprisingly, this gal is…
Ras Xix, Self Titled
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Ras Xix has a unique repertoire and displays his talent in his self titled CD released in May of 2014. He reigns out of Austin, TX and is bringing a fresh new sound to the everyday norm. It is raw and gritty and can also be soft and melodic, with a touch of a vibe…
The Music Industry Self Help Guide
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The Music Industry Self Help Guide—Taking Your First Steps Towards Trampling Over The Obstacles In An Independent Market. Mike Repel, who is a musician and independent record label owner, has finally done it with his new book! By providing an easy-to-read blueprint for emerging artists, “The Music Industry Self Help Guide” will serve as a…
Hysterical Sublime, Colour
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This 4 song e.p. by the Italian indie rock group Hysterical Sublime is both atmospheric and textured, with soft dynamics running through each carefully crafted track. The e.p. begins with harmonized vocals on the song “Colour” before it’s journey into synth pop. There are some similarities to Nine Inch Nails and the 90’s group VAST.…
Ready Never, Eleutherophobia
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Ready Never’s debut CD, Eleutherophobia is a dance electro pop compilation in a nice neat party package. They are out of L.A. and sing about the narcissistic society we are all living. They have a serious message conveyed in a positive, up beat way. Let your hands fly in the air and dance and sweat…
Keith Alan Mitchell, This Clumsy World
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‘Swaying’ sees Keith Alan Mitchell’s vocal sailing close to the tones of Ben Folds, all the more supported by the powerful, emotional piano performance. It’s something of a lighter-waver, with its gentle rhythm and creaking bass notes, and given some glue from Kathy Kennedy’s backing vocals. ‘You Just Disappear’ showcases some classic acoustic rock, with…
Doug Briney, Super Country Cowboy
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So across my desk slides the new 9 track CD from Doug Briney entitled Super Country Cowboy. Now that’s a bold yet confident title if I ever heard one. During my initial research of Briney there were a few lines from his bio that I really liked: Doug Briney embodies all things country: His personality…
Best Not Broken, Falling In
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Taking cues from classic modern rock, Best Not Broken’s latest EP Falling In is a rich and emotive recording laced with uplifting tones and packed with instantly hummable tunes. https://soundcloud.com/bestnotbroken Opening with ‘I Won’t Stop Loving You’, we’re immediately met with an Edge-like guitar delay that similarly echoes tones created by Angels and Airwaves, and…
Sticky Fingers, Like A Rolling Stone
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Sticky Fingers is known around the globe as the premiere Rolling Stones tribute band, selling out venues and out stoning The Stones. Now, singer Glen Carrol and company have brewed up a delicious beast of an album “Like A Rolling Stone” that covers the musical terrain of the 60’s and 70’s era classic rock sounds.…
Les Pauls, Holy Land Revisited
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Les Pauls (‘The Pauls’, get it?) album Holy Land Revisited is a passionate collection of serious rock. Opening with ‘Sleepwalking Through The Mist’, Les Pauls establish their sound as big, beefy pub rock that isn’t afraid to use some unusual embellishments such as chimes and more psych/prog elements. ‘Driving In The Final Nail’ uses a…
Miss Grizzly, Miss Grizzly (EP)
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There’s a real sense of cathartic musical independence here via this latest work from Calgary, AB (CAN) based musical project Miss Grizzly. While everything here on this latest self-titled 5 track musical teaser is shall I say exceptionally entertaining it also manages to cover a pretty wide range of musical styles as well. This is…
Amatus, Broken Compass
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Amatus is an interesting soul to say the least. She grew up in a rough neighborhood in Chicago and lived in Philadelphia and ended up in Brooklyn, NY. She is no stranger to hard times and loss of close family members to gun violence, but puts her energy into her music for a positive spin…
Laura Sailer, Stop the Tide
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Laura Sailer is a karaoke aficionada and singer-guitarist with extensive formal musical training. Aside from teaching elementary music, she provides private lessons in voice, piano, and guitar. Her musical style hovers somewhere between Joni Mitchell and Ani DiFranco. She’s played guitar for seven years, but is modest enough to admit that DiFranco is a “way…
