Apollo Quad is a hip hop band from Bloomington, Indiana. Approaching three years of existence, they have played over 100 gigs at places ranging from NY to Cali. No Gods, No Masters is the name of their second full-length album. “Ramble On” provides a curious mix of mellow piano with forceful freestyle rap. The intro…
Category: REVIEWS
CD and DVD reviews
Michael Wood Band, Occupy This
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Michael Wood Band gives you music that draws you in right away through vocals, lyrics and instrumentation. This Canadian-based band has got it all covered quite nicely. With their new 12-track album out, ‘Occupy This’, Michael Wood Band is looking to grow and really come into their own in 2013. The group is…
Rhett May, Insatiable
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Coming straight outta Calcutta, an Australian resident named Rhett May delivers ‘Insatiable’ to the public. Rhett had the help of Musik and Film producing, co-writing and playing on the new five-track EP. With heavy hitters in the music biz on May’s side, ‘Insatiable’ is sure to be a grand slam! The first…
Roses for Lola, Roses for Lola
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So what is Avant-Garde? Avant-garde quite simply represents a pushing of the boundaries of what is accepted as the norm or status quo primarily in popular culture. The notion of the existence of the avant-garde is considered by some to be a hallmark of modernism. I like to think of it as uncharted water. So…
Terence Blanchard, Magnetic
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Terrence Blanchard is renowned in jazz circles as a remarkable trumpeter, composer, arranger and bandleader. Vanity Fair writes, “He plays the most coolly expressive trumpet in jazz, transmuting the instrument’s repertoire of smears, growls, peeps and blasts into an astonishingly fluid language both luxurious and controlled.” A veteran of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers (recommended by…
OMAR DYKES, RUNNING WITH THE WOLF
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As the title suggests, this release is Omar’s tribute to Chester Arthur Burnett, aka Howlin’ Wolf. It’s no secret that Rock & Roll is derived from the old blues legends. The British Invasion was also based on the English experience with U.S. based blues artists. The Stones, The Animals, Cream, John Mayall, Yardbird’s,…
THE BEACH BOYS, GOOD VIBRATIONS TOUR
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The Beach Boys were primarily responsible for the surf sound of the 60’s and have continued touring and carrying on the legacy. This release originally shot for television in 1976 (under the direction of Saturday Night’s Lorne Michaels), includes live versions of songs performed at Anaheim Stadium after the release of their album 15…
Jacob Acosta, Chants of Diplomacy
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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…
Bridgework, Every Now And Then
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Coming fresh off a great interview with John Renaud of Bridgework, (http://www.skopemag.com/2013/05/01/jimmy-rae-crossing-paths-with-bridgework), I now get to review Bridgework’s first ever full-length album ‘Every Now And Then’. Actually, it’s all thanks to a successful Kickstarter campaign where enough was money raised so that Bridgework could fulfill its dream of creating a full-fledged record. I’m…
Xenia Dunford, His & Hers
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Xenia Dunford is back and better than ever on her brand new full-length album titled ‘His & Hers’. I had the pleasure to review Xenia’s last EP (http://www.skopemag.com/2012/04/26/xenia-dunford-the-eastern-exile-lonely-streets) in 2012 and I knew last year that I hadn’t heard the last of this Xenia Dunford. With such a phenomenal voice and thought-provoking lyrics,…
D’Nero, Story Of A Young Boss
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Not to be confused with Robert De Niro, Jersey’s own D’Nero is a young up-and-coming rapper, audio engineer, producer & songwriter who is looking to make a huge statement. Succeeding is in D’Nero’s DNA as he single-handedly sold over 20,000 units in 17 different countries all on just a $400 budget! This D’Nero…
Peter Galperin, A Disposable Life
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Let’s be honest for just a second shall we. I get a lot of albums sent my way for review and I mean a lot. Most of them don’t do anything for me. They don’t always get happily placed in the CD player, but the ones that do usually get a three song stay of…
Angel Paint, CPR
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Chicago-based songwriter Jeanie B! is taking a respite from her acclaimed children’s music album making to reflect and revive, on her new album, CPR. Inspired by a series of personal obstacles over the past several years, the six-track EP confronts issues of separation, loss and love renewed. Jeanie wrote: “…having recently gone through a divorce,…
Thomas Tha Franchise, Caffeine Dreams
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Coloradoan Thomas Tha Franchise makes music in such genres as hip hop, pop, and frat rap. He’s a rather untamed spirit, who’ll “get on random trains from time to time just to write songs.” The product of such ventures is his spankin’ new album Caffeine Dreams. The “Intro” track serves to welcome the listener. Thomas…
Mammothor, Mammothor
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Combining years of musical experience, the members of Mammothor have played many popular venues around the country Melding a unique yet accessible blend of aggressive guitars, polyrhythmic beats, tasty keyboards, groove-ridden bass lines and infectious vocals, the Mammothor sound is a testament to how this Boston area band insists on shifting the face of…
Layers And Frames, Infinite Release EP
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Layers and Frames is an act headed by Frederic Brewer, a French-American musician who served four years of Peace Corps duties in China’s Sichuan Province, where he released his debut album, Hubu. After his time in the Orient, he knocked around Europe, sometimes performing, other times seeking inspiration in the mystical psychology of Jung, the…
Joy Focus – “Love Song Clichéâ€
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“Love Song Cliché” is the new single from Illinois rock duo Joy Focus. Musician Rikk Currence and singer Holly Joy have been purveying their “kid tested & mother approved” music since late 2001. From this union have emerged three albums and seven singles, the latest of which is “Love Song Cliché.” It’s a pleasing, eminently…
Distoria, The Periphery
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It’s Electronica-a-plenty on Distoria’s debut EP, The Periphery. Organic instrumentation finds itself bolstered with the aid of a plethora of machine-generated sounds: piano and accompanying MIDI; drum set and drum pad and a host of electronically laden sounds provided by audio engineer and bassist Mo Mezrich. The seven-track album is essentially electronic-driven Pop Rock with…
The Dream Logic, The Dream Logic
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Much in the vein of Medeski, Martin and Wood or Galactic; The Dream Logic has ushered forth a fusion album that seemingly says: “Genres, styles and classifications be damned!” Spanning myriad musical styles, the 13-track self-titled album effortlessly blends nuances of Jazz, Rock, Soul and Funk into an amalgam sound where the sum of the…
Straw Dogs, No Dividing Line
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With a heavy emphasis on songwriting, the Straw Dogs have released their new full-length, No Dividing Line–14-tracks of Americana melodies, vast instrumentation and anecdotal, deep lyrical matter. Four years removed from their last outing, Dave Von Beck took a different approach to the songwriting format by initially starting with stripped acoustic versions of the songs…
Pedrick, Bitts and Walker, Three
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Jazz guitarist David Pedrick (a native of Pennsylvania) just released his latest album called Three. It features David Pedrick — guitar, Mike Bitts — bass, Aaron Walker — drums and delivers 53+ minutes of classic improvisational Jazz. This album is the result of an experiment to create a live and unrehearsed single work…
Laura Marie, The Season
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Let’s be honest for just a second shall we. I get a lot of albums sent my way for review and I mean a lot. Most of them don’t do anything for me. They don’t always get happily placed in the CD player, but the ones that do usually get a three song stay of…
Mailman’s Children, Supply and Demand (EP)
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This 4 piece Alternative Rock band from Winnipeg, Manitoba call themselves Mailman’s Children. Their latest release: Supply and Demand is sure to be remembered as one of the more remembered modern Alternative Rock-Pop releases of our time from Canada. Its pure College Rock the way it used to be via full-tilt of playing, hooky grooves…
John Flynn, Heading For The Sun
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Jersey native John Flynn stopped performing just long enough to lay down his debut solo effort Heading For The Sun, a nine-track album encompassing rock, funk & blues. Themes range from Woodstock nostalgia, to avoiding a night in the slammer, to the concept of home and how it transcends material acquisition. Regarding this last theme,…
Zappien, Zappien
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Every once in a while I’ll hear a band that truly defies convention in favor of something which I’ll call ‘art’. Zappien is one of those rare artists that have chosen art over commerce, and with unique results. Zappien’s trappings might be in a misguided critic lumping them into the ‘indie’ label, a term that…
Zookeepers Palace Releases ‘Red Sky Ruminations’
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This 6 piece funk band from the LA area calls themselves Zookeepers Palace. Their latest release: Red Sky Ruminations is sure to be remembered as one of the classic modern funk-Jazz-Pop releases of our time. Its pure funk the way it used to be via full-tilt of playing, hooky grooves and a top tiered sound.…
Mike Colin, Crystal Cage
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A longtime fixture in his hometown’s music scene, Denver native Mike Colin is now releasing Crystal Cage: a ten-track album of alt rock with experimental tendencies. The track “Stepping Stones” is largely founded on an engaging guitar riff with high-distortion. “Let the Good Get Even” is a fine title for a song dealing with people…
LUTHER’S BLUES, WALTER TROUT & HIS BAND
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Journeyman blues guitarist Walter Trout has put together a tribute to blues legend Luther Allison for his 23rd solo release. Walter had been a fan and even got to play with him once before Luther’s untimely death from cancer at age 57. Walter has always been a master at taking his influences and…
Charley and Jesi, Circus
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BIO: Indie pop-rock duo that fuses folk and contemporary songwriting with soulful harmonies. They touch on all styles, fusing genres with each song. Their third studio album, ‘Circus’ was also recorded at the Village Recorder, with the exception of Voodoo Woman, which was tracked at Little Dog Records with Pete Anderson. A number of mentionable…
Class Reunion, Life Goes
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JAD aka Jonathan A. Demas and Shaggy Docious aka Mark L. Sanchez are back for another Class Reunion visit with their latest installment ‘Life Goes’. This time around the duo is hoping for an even bigger turnout with their new release. ‘Life Goes’…on for both JAD & Shaggy D as they hope that…
Cheech and Chong, Animated Soundtrack
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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…
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…
