The eminent purveyor of Pure Nordic Trance known as ESQUILLE is once again acting like a mad chemist with his synthesizer (a Roland Juno-60 for all you beat freaks). His videos can be quite stimulating as well; think of some Swedish bombshell fox-trotting through urban Malaysia. About ten years back he quit in frustration, as…
Category: REVIEWS
CD and DVD reviews
Nathalie Raedler, Four Elements EP
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Here’s some simple math: pop + British invasion + funk + acoustic = four elements. And ‘four elements’ is the title of the debut EP of one Nathalie Raedler, a songwriter of Brazilian-German extraction who currently resides in Boston. Singing since age 4, Raedler also played piano but later chose the guitar as her vehicle…
Marga Lane, Expressions
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Marga Lane’s latest release, Expressions is a body of work that tantalizes your senses. She exudes exceptional skills that is a cut above the rest. She has a strong powerful voice that is a source of inspiration for musicians regardless their genre. Marga Lane is not playing around, she is a serious talent inspiring young…
KickBend, Various Songs
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KickBend is an Illinois-based rock band that eschews the “latest fad” and instead strives to create “honest and moving” songs. They draw on such influences as Stevie Ray Vaughan, Springsteen, and Bon Jovi. Among other pursuits, the band has produced three tracks. “Taken” is a very easy track to get into. A fine piano score,…
Alvin Lee, The Last Show
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The iconic British blues guitarist who recently passed away, was best know for his frenzied performance of I’m Going Home (Going Home) with his band Ten Years After at the original 1969 Woodstock. This release is a 14-song live disc that covers his Ten Years After and solo offerings, as performed in Holland on…
Kevin Haynes and Matt Kupcso, Pure
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Kevin Haynes and Matt Kupcso celebrate their debut EP, “Pure”. These two musicians from different walks of life teamed up to create this unique collaboration. Kevin is a singer/songwriter and Matt is a classically trained guitarist, together they form a down to earth, soulful duo. K&M’s debut was named appropriately as its purity unfolds their…
Common Ancestor, The World is Changing
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According to front man Clive Stewart, the name of the band Common Ancestor is symbolic in that “we are all descendants of the first created man and woman.” Indeed, this is true; in fact, geneticists say that every living human shares one particular descendant who roamed the earth some 70,000 years ago. As for a…
Escher’s Enigma, From me to There
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It’s funny how music can change. It’s so malleable; you could hear it in one setting and hate it, vowing to never again let such filth invade your eardrums again. I’m referring to sonic pop by the way. Then, you could hear it at a different time, in a different situation, a different artist and…
The Bend, She’s Evil
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Epic rock band The Bend hail from Seattle and bring an inspirational approach to modern day Melodic Rock or Epic Rock. All of this with a hint of Industrial Sonic theatrics and guitar driven fusion between the two. I like to call this genera Passion-Rock. First a bit about this latest EP. Before I…
Jupiter In Velvet, Shut off Your Mind
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UK Rock act Jupiter in Velvet’s new CD, Shut off Your Mind is a carefully crafted collections of songs showcasing Electro-Punk Rock artisanship at it’s best that creates a punk based foundation for memorable and hooky songs. There is also a clear-defined messages about love and life itself that will sure to have a positive…
Street Choir, Sympathetic Friend
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Formed in 1999, Street Choir is a band that cut its teeth on the sidewalks of San Luis Obispo CA. Founding members Benjamin and Matt Lemburg “heard a sound that set them free and wanted others to hear that same sound.” There was, however, an obstacle to this musical liberation, as the band “struggled to…
Wicked Bees, Ska Skank Redemption
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It is with much fondness that I recall my first Fishbone show… I had never seen instrumentation used like that; I remember the energy was borderline overwhelming and the feeling the frantic pace of the show and music evoked was habit-forming. Needless to say, Ska has remained in my musical heart ever since. Listening to…
Soraia, In the Valley of Love and Guns
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The story of Soraia, the band and the person, is one of personal triumph and it actually has very little to do with making music. The triumph resides in lead singer; ZouZou Mansour’s (Soraia is her given name) decision to take control of her life and walk away from the personal demons that almost devoured…
Matthew Neves, You and Me
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It seems that New Bedford MA native Matthew Neves was hardwired to be a musician. His dad played guitar, his mom played piano, and as an infant he was jammin’ to classical tunes all night in his crib. At age four, he received a guitar as a gift; after teaching himself to work that instrument,…
Wooden Hez, “The Hez Garageâ€
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3 member Philadelphia based band “Wooden Hez” just dropped their live latest CD entitled “The Hez Garage” in 2013. Band consists of: Timmay Stevens (Drums), Alan Lee (Bass), Dave Pitone (Guitar). To say the least the music on this CD is as unique as the band itself. Wooden Hez is a sensational, eccentric and…
Jus Post Bellum, “Oh Julyâ€
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If you’re a fan of the singer songwriter Genre like me, then more than likely it doesn’t take much to upset you these days. And the lethargy just hasn’t been the same since your ex girlfriend finally gave you a reason to think twice: in the form of a surprise altercation with a Car accident.…
eM, The Dark
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The Australian singer/songwriter/producer is back for more but unfortunately this time the occasion and the conditions are less than favorable. The new single “The Dark” is exactly that because it is centered around eM’s battle with Crohn’s disease. Undergoing painstaking operations and in and out of hospitals has been the regular routine for…
Julian Temple Band, Upsidedownbackwards
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Julian Temple’s description of his sound is “Surf Noir.” Confession: I don’t know what “Surf Noir” is. Surf rock harkens me back to the “Learn the Guitar with The Ventures” albums or the frantic, string-busting lead of Dick Dale. That is not what this is. This is an 11-track compendium of dark-tinged, acoustic matter that…
Her Bed of Thorns, Alive
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Camaraderie, complement and a steady flux of hard-hitting rockers and melodic ballads is the stuff that makes up Her Bed of Thorns. The guitar interplay of Chris Irick’s melodic rhythm offerings versus the technical and intricate finger work supplied by Tim Nicholson is the shiniest facet of their debut, Alive. The 10-tracks wax and wane…
Sean Wagner and The Ne’er Do Wells, Word Came With the Evening
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Rendered by self-introspection, removal and reflection, perhaps the best thing Sean Wagner could have done was, in fact, to walk away from it all. As evidenced by his new album, Word Came With the Evening, Wagner seems to have found whatever he was looking for. The 11-tracks play out with exuberance–proto-pop sentimentalities and radio friendly…
Les Fradkin, Suite for Ztar and Orchestra in G Minor Op. 1 No.1
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You might already have heard of Les Fradkin, a contributor to “dozens of Top 40 hit records” during the 70s and 80s who also starred in the hit Broadway show Beatlemania. Aside from being classically trained to the nines, Fradkin has been on the cutting edge of the latest in musical technology. Back in the…
Love Jupiter
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They don’t call it Psychedelic Rock for nothing. Whether my mood is upbeat or downbeat, serious or playful, extroverted or introverted, there are musical choices aplenty to complement, enhance or counteract it on this CD by Brooklyn band Love Jupiter. In their own words they call its powerful, haunting sound ‘Heavy Beautiful’. In 2011,…
Shelly Bhushan, Something Out of Nothing
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Shelly Bhushan is a Texas born siren that now resides in NYC where she is celebrating her fourth release, Something Out of Nothing. Her powerhouse voice belts out the songs with passion and grace. This fourth release and second full length CD is a vibrant mesh of Bhushan’s talent. She pours her heart out into…
Alice BrightSky, Box of Me
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Having composed and performed in the northeastern U.S. for years, Alice ‘BrightSky’ took a six-year hiatus. She has since returned, now finally issuing her debut, an album she’s deemed as “worthy enough for release.” The album’s called Box of Me, and it’s an oft-endearing blend of folk and rock, with sporadic moments of cross-genre experimentation.…
Stacie Rose, Stars, Stripes and Milestones
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Hmmm. What else can one add to the discussion about an artist who has been featured on the following channels: “amc, abc, MTV, Vh1, FUSE, Oxygen, FX, Channel One, News 12 and E”? Though Stacie Rose has kept the “personal details of [her] life gated,” she’s always down for sharing the “love of music that…
Lynne Taylor Donovan
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Vancouver native Lynne Taylor Donovan found her vocation at the wee age of nine, when she received a guitar as a gift. Compositions soon followed, “pretty awful ones too,” by her own admission. Fortunately, this would soon change. By age 16, she scored her own music TV show in Vancouver. Even bigger exposure ensued with…
Tommy Roumanas, “Hard Rainâ€
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Songwriter and British Columbia native Tommy Roumanas speaks candidly about a sentiment that would resonate with many in the music biz: “Composing music for a living may not be the easiest or most stable job, but in my opinion, it’s the greatest job on earth. I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Drawing on a…
David Gelman, Undertow
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Undertow album for sale by David Gelman was released Mar 26, 2013 on the CD Baby label. A highly second anticipated CD from a singer songwriter, featuring all original heartfelt songs on acoustic guitar and piano, accompanied by musicians on electric guitar, violin, viola, bass, drums, lap steel guitar, mandolin and back-up vocals.This is such…
Jaded Mary, Xposition (EP)
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About the Artist: Reading their bio” The music of Jaded Mary is a reflection of their diverse influences, rare chemistry and exceptional musicianship. The pursuit of their creative vision produces a unique and relevant sound that challenges the boundaries of musical creativity. I agree with that statement. Their latest EP Xposition contains 5 tracks and…
Dubby, “The 9 O’Clock Dropâ€
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Caleb Joyce a.k.a. “Dubby” hails from Gettysburg PA: the same historically monumental town where Pres. Lincoln delivered that “four score & seven” speech. Mr. Lincoln’s long gone, though. And a new spokesman is needed. Enter one Dubby. He used to be into the hard rock stuff (Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Papa Roach), but in more…
E. Lafuentes, E-Magic
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Combining years of musical experience, this guitarist/composer/songwriter known as E. Lafuentes has been around for many years around New York under our radar —until now. Melding a unique yet accessible blend of aggressive guitars, polyrhythmic beats, tasty keyboards, groove-ridden bass lines and infectious vocals, the E. Lafuentes sound is a testament to how this Bronx…
Explosion Theory EP
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Explosion Theory is a “cross-over punk” trio, all of ‘em former members of the now-defunct band Accidental Tribe. These guys are well-acquainted with the NYC grunge scene, and now they’ve decided to revisit their punk roots. Throw in some pretty bangin’ metal, and we get the band’s debut, a self-titled EP. With the track “Looking…
Joe Farren, Open Skies
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Most would agree most popular artists out there have something truly special to give to their fans. This goes above the typical attributes like raw talent, amazing songs, nice voice, or even a very marketable look, sound & image. There’s something truly infectious at the core of these artists that simply makes us feel good…
Butchers Blind, Destination Blues
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Butchers Blind is a 4 piece band from New York. New York can at times be a very beautiful place and it has its fair share of unpredictable cold and snowy days and at times can be a rough and tumble place as well. This might just be the perfect locale to explore the unpredictable…
Andrew Abaria, We are the Underdogs
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About the Artists: This is Abaria’s latest release entitled “We are the Underdogs” EP released in 2013. Andrew most recently released “We Are the Underdogs,” a five-song EP produced by Mario Marchetti, who is known for producing and writing for Billboard-topping artists, such as Demi Lovato and JoJo. “We Are the Underdogs” is a personal…
Vic Mensa, INNANETAPE
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Chicago has become one of the most-watched and increasingly visible hotbeds for rap music. There’s no arguing that stars (or at least beloved acts) in both the mainstream and underground have emerged from the Windy City over the past 15 years. Those include obvious artists like Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco, and Common along with seemingly…
The Buffalo Crows, Black Tooth Grin
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Over the years we’ve seen rock, pop, and even hard rock slowly erode into over-commercialized, corporate puppet shows providing music that is extremely sing songy, predictable, popish and highly corporate. I hereby call this new breed of music “Poser Rock” and I want to personally thank all the corporate giants for successfully transforming “Sex Drugs…
The Locals, Stereostatic Furnicular
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Chicago’s The Locals have are one of those bands you just know when you hear them. They’re young, full of sun, and they’ve got almost nothing to say about anything that relates to people who buy their albums. Regardless of being signed to the Epitaph, the premier punk band label, they’ve been rummaging around…
Starnes & Shah, Shilling for Dreamtown
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Starnes & Shah are back at it with their latest release, Shilling for Dreamtown. Their bouncy vibe sends enjoyment through your brain waves until you can’t help but smile from ear to ear. I love these girls. It is very reminiscent to the popular 80’s band Banarama and Shakespears Sister. This CD is full on…
Skyfactor, “Signal Strengthâ€
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DIY / Homemade Band formed on a rooftop from New York Skyfactor just released their latest effort entitled “Signal Strength” in 2013. Band members are: Bob Ziegler (vocals), Jon Rubin (Guitars), Cliff Rubin (Bass) and Jason Taylor (Drums). Musical comparables for me include: Ben Harper, Amos Lee, Xavier Rudd and Fistful of Mercy. Track…
