Cheech and Chong were, and probably still are, the kings of humor that’s often drug based and seems quite stupid, while having a definite intelligence to it. They poke fun at society and at themselves — or at least charactures of themselves. Well, really, they are characters who happen to share names with the…
Category: REVIEWS
CD and DVD reviews
Troy Lindsey, Live At Devil’s Gulch Drinkery
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Live At Devil’s Gulch Drinkery is the fourth album from Troy Lindsey, the world-traveling sky crane worker who was long ago taught guitar by a Wyoming preacher and now records music at the drop of a crane in such venues as Moscow’s Red Square. Yeah, I think it’s a pretty colorful background, too. Anyway, Lindsey’s…
Maxim Senin, The Taming Of The Wolf EP
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Having relocated from Latvia to Long Beach CA, Maxim Senin is a software engineer who took a break from all his coding to put forth his debut EP The Taming Of The Wolf. Every perceivable sound here is made by Senin, who plays the acoustic guitar, piano, ukulele, harmonica, keyboard, and all percussions. Though he…
SOL, Senses
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One might expect 6 piece Funk-Rock band from Maryland SOL to deliver music that could be categorized as somewhat dated. I mean this is 2013 and before I even listened to a single note of music from SOL that’s honestly the impression I got. I expected them to be a kind of 70’s Rare Earth,…
Ajay Mathur, Come See Conquer
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Switzerland might be a strange place to birth an “Americana” artist, but Ajay Mathur’s “Come See Conquer” will undoubtedly have a few heads spinning in confusion… at first glance anyway. The good news is that Ajay’s e.p. is addictive and might make us all believers afterall. The songs are raw, combining world music, 50’s and…
International Nova, Point of No Return
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“Point of No Return” will be released in August 2013. International Nova is signed to Monarchy Records: A division of the Spectra Music Group. I suppose the first thing to mention here is that, the lyrics on some of this might not be for everyone. However, that could be applied to just a lot of…
Steve Ryan, Boundless Moments
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Inverting a quote from a 19th -century poet, Georgia native Steve Ryan is a “dreamer of music, and maker of dreams.” Picking up the piano as a child, then guitar & singing as a teen, he now draws on inspiration that enters his brain while dreaming or in full consciousness. Boundless Moments is his second…
The Black Clouds, Better Days
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Formed in 2004, The Black Clouds of New Jersey have been pouring some Seattle-ish grunge on the Garden State. Their latest release, Better Days, is a rockin’ howl of discontent. The “Intro” offers a melancholy but melodic electric guitar riff with some distortion. “No Reason” starts out with this guttural bass line, then explodes…
Steve Ryan, Boundless Moments
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For fear of being too cliché, lets just agree to agree that fortuitousness often goes to those who see moments and seize them. Such was the case when songwriter Steve Ryan was stood up at a studio by an artist he was to be working with. Left with a block of studio time and an…
Glen Naylor, “A Five O Clock Shadow”
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Coming from the southern part of Australia, Glen Naylor has released “A Five O Clock Shadow,” a song about the universally tragic theme of war casualties. Naylor knows about this subject far better than most: her own husband is a disabled combat veteran. Additionally, her father and grandfather fought in World Wars I and II…
Barbara Kiss, From Me To You
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Barbara Kiss’ debut album on Roadhouse Records showcases a little something for everyone, especially in the pop and rock genres. Barbara is an upcoming artist from Hungary, which was surprising to me considering just how American the title track “Catch Me” sounds, like something Taylor Swift or Pink might record. “And You Are” jolted me…
Canary Burton, Piano Music from Cape Cod
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Drawing on her extensive background and jazz & classical influences, Cape Cod resident Canary Burton has released an album of piano music. Burton and her inspiration have traveled from Idaho to Wash. DC, before settling at the sandy tip of Cape Cod’s Wellfleet, where her melodies might summon the ghosts of shipwrecked whalers from centuries…
Flow Zen, Assorted singles
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California-based multi-musician Flow Zen is going it alone with five new solo tracks, spiking Dub Step with a range of elements from organic instrumentation to Hip-Hop facets, in what is an interesting experiment in electronic music. The drive behind the melding of genres is apparent on the bio page of his web site: “Genres are…
Gatsby’s Green Light, Annalee
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Social awareness and anecdotal storyline come together on Gatsby’s Green Light’s debut EP, Annalee. The six-track album is the forerunner to the larger forthcoming full-length, Forever Smile. The vein of the album follows title character, Annalee and a host of characters she meets that prep her for her dual role of “Mother Earth and the…
My Secret Island, Evil Fire
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I said I was going to get to the bottom of My Secret Island on the last review (http://www.skopemag.com/2012/09/16/my-secret-island-i-miss-the-day-maxi-single), but I have to say that I’m still working on that. Well, what I do have for you though is My Secret Island’s new single and video for “Evil Fire”. Made up of Mark…
AUTOMATIK EDEN, Self Titled
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This is Automatik Eden’s latest self titled debut EP release released in 2013. 2 core members include: Multi-talented Members, David Crocco and Cela Scott Developed the Band While Working behind the Scenes with Top Acts from Eminem and Beck to Incubus Meet the Band: https://www.facebook.com/automatikeden Label: Music Connection Automatik Eden is one release that certainly…
Jiggley Jones, No Spring Chicken
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Music doesn’t have to be loud and insane in order to be awesome. The concept of rock is slowly changing and that’s the case in the sound of acts such as Jiggley Jones, where dirty is changed into clean, and noise disappears for something quite beautiful and inspiring. This can be found in “Baby Blue,”…
The Como Brothers Band, Still Waters
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They have already been helping and producing other artists without yet getting into the real big leagues. When a group does that, you can only expect awesomeness, and in the case of these two brothers, they’re no exception. When you look at these two guys, surely you may expect some cute boy band, some Cody…
The Weekenders, Don’t Plan On
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This might offend somebody, but sometimes the truth can hurt some people’s feelings; but here’s a group that could easily become the next big rock’n’roll band. “Yankee Easy Sugar” from The Weekender’s new album Don’t Plan On kicks off the record in a pretty interesting, powerful way. Their sound is almost like a combination of…
Rick Devin, Old School 2: Rock Hits of the 60s & 70s
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Throwback, Tribute, Compilation, Cover album… whatever you may call it; the premise of contemporary artists doing songs from ago will always be met with mixed reviews. Some revel in a modern-day, revamp version of a classic; purists feel some things need not be tampered with. I approach each (and all covers) from the standpoint of…
Matthias Sturm, Luna Park
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“Progressive Electro-eclectic” may be the most apt descriptor for Paris-based artist, Matthias Sturm’s latest outing. Laced with spots of modern day electronic psychedelica, Luna Park will indeed take listeners to the moon. Diverse instrumentation (live and generated), narrative style lyrical delivery and an eerie ethos to the tracks, makes this one far out and approachable;…
Artist: Chance Hayden – Album: Family Tree
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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…
Tryezz – Atmospheres (Art of the Scenic Groove)
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Finding expression through both sonic and visual mediums, the artist known as Tryezz operates with the motto “always a student.” This is a good motto to live by, as people can always stand to attain further mastery in the art or craft they practice. Tryezz believes that “there’s always something to learn…always something new to…
Bulletproof Snow, Punished for my Innocence (EP)
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Bulletproof Snow is a 4 piece Rock band from of all places Detroit, Michigan. This might just be the perfect locale to explore the sad but true, reckless realm of musical expression. Their latest EP release “Punished for my Innocence” is an action packed collection of melodic rock that reveals all the a-typical conventions of…
Riff Action Family – “Doorsâ€
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From the longstanding cultural bastion of Russia’s Saint Petersburg comes Riff Action Family, a band formed in 2009 when, like nihilist radicals of a bygone era, they met in a coffee shop. Instead of political subversion, however, they plotted to perpetrate a brooding alternative rock. Legend has it that the band’s first rehearsal was also…
Armored Theory, Armored Theory (EP)
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Review: In this overly saturated genera/market with a plethora of artists coming out of the woodwork, armed with nothing more than a PC, Microphone, a loud guitar and a crappy sounding CD — it’s nice to know there are a few bands that can still rock out These so-called artists I speak of manage push…
Amie Penwell, Under City Lights
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The first time I heard Amie Penwell was four years ago when I had the opportunity to review her record ‘King in a Temple’ for Skope Entertainment (http://www.skopemag.com/2009/02/20/amie-penwell-king-in-a-temple). I knew then that this talented artist had major potential and that she had a promising future ahead of her. Five years have passed since…
The Diemakers, Detroit Recordings
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Rife with Punk and Rock leanings, The Diemakers have released their new EP, Detroit Recordings with acclaimed engineer, Jim Diamond (White Stripes, The Sights). As of late the band has been in a state of flux with the addition of Sharon Harris, wife of founding member, Dominic Harris. Her presence brings a Punk vibe to…
Richard Tyler Epperson, Falling Between The Stars
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The multi-faceted approach is the best way to describe the new LP from Utah Indie Richard Tyler Epperson. Veins of radio-friendly Pop are there. Strange Electronica a la Radiohead is there. Melodic leanings are there. Five different record stores would all have this in different genres; and they’d all be right. It’s just that diverse.…
David J Caron, Thru Ever Ending Black
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Ireland’s David J Caron, who has already garnered half-a-million combined YouTube views, has released a double-album consisting of 28 tracks. One minute into the track, “It Gathers,” the pace changes greatly, as this ass-whoopin’ guitar riff takes the forefront. The speaker is striving to divine some meaning in the skies: “Look up thru the night…
David G. Cortes, Time Away EP
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Mexican native and Houston resident David G. Cortes went from drums to guitar, to piano, and finally to bass. Having gained proficiency in these four instruments, he also acquired the tech savvy to record each, and then blend them into a vibrant medley for his EP Time Away. “And Then I Met You” has an…
The Bullbuckers, When Push Comes To Shove
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The island groove sounds of Reggae, Dancehall and Dub meet the American born sounds of Ska, Jazz brass and Big Band on The Bullbuckers debut album, When Push Comes To Shove. The album illustrates a diversity of instrumentation, style and songwriting in what plays out as simply fun, dancey, groovy tracks. Listen: http://open.spotify.com/artist/2frDbHyTof4YAedLRCF2qS “Otis” opens…
Aoede, Is Love A Fairy Tale?
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After acclaim for her album, Skeletons of the Muse, San Fran singer/songwriter Aoede (pronounced “A-E-D) decided to tap her personal muse once more and parlay the tracks from the album into a tween fairy tale disc. She penned an accompanying script that tells the story of Aoede, the first muse of song from Ancient Greek…
Didges Christ Superdrum, Alien Technology
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True to its name, the title track to this album does indeed begin in otherworldly-sounding fashion. About a minute in, the tone changes, and it begins to sound like something you might hear in a commune of Nepalese monks — not quite otherworldly, but definitely not something you’re apt to hear at Madison Square Garden.…
Rog and Glenn releases new CD (Close the Club)
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Roger Brandon and Glenn Hubbard (Rog and Glenn) just released their latest CD entitled Close the Club in 2013. This dynamic duo hails from North Carolina. This latest work is the result of a weekend improvisation session which we later edited and layered. It came from the idea of “wouldn’t it be funny if…
Truth Table, This Is Not A Casino
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Hailing from NYC, Truth Table’s debut album demonstrates that you can be creative and still write a catchy song. TT’s winning combination of talent [featuring drummer Dennis Leeflang of Bumblefoot, Long Island Idol winner Mike Fries and multi-talented songwriter/producer/guitarist Brian Johnston] shines throughout this little altrock gem, carrying on tradition while forging ahead with a…
KURT WINNIKA – Says the Rain (2012)
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About the Artist: In his teens, at the same time Kurt was playing in a terrible (though extremely loud) garage band, he was opening his ears to a wide range of musical influences from Mahler to Mingus. Ultimately it was songwriters like Harry Chapin who held sway; writers who could weave an engaging narrative into…
Artist: Thomas Corsaut, CD: Forced Perspective
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Thomas Corsaut is a male rock artist based out of California. This might just be the perfect locale to explore the sad but true realm of musical expression. His latest album “Forced Perspective” is a dark-witty-melancholy but truthful collection of melodic rock that reveals all the a-typical conventions of alt-rock, creating a solid yet catchy…
Review of The Goodfellas Self-Titled EP
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Consisting of Mario Arruda (vocals), Ryan Strumpfler (guitar), Rob Hamel (bass), and Matt Noyes (drums), this MerrimackValley quartet are collectively known as The Goodfellas; a moniker borrowed from the cult classic mob film of the same name. Their latest effort is sure to be a classic itself, and serves as the ultimate showcase for everything…
Wheelhouse, Welcome to Motherlode
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Wheelhouse is a fun-lovin’, thoroughly American band, commandeered by Russ Lake, a member of bands throughout the 80s, who, at the turn of the millennium, elected to captain his own musical ship. “Truth & Lies” is a great juke box tune. When the band’s different vocalists join together, it provides for a contagious chorus, heard…
