Are you ready for a pure voice that needs to be heard? Well then you’re in luck because I have got just the right singer/songwriter for you and her name is Xenia Dunford. The talented indie artist along with her band The Eastern Exile invite listeners near & far to find peace…
Category: REVIEWS
CD and DVD reviews
Ash Gray And The Girls, Born In The Summer
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Ash Gray and The Girls are back with their famous oldies sounds on the new album ‘Born In The Summer’. Just as this group brought the 60s to life on their first EP ‘This Could Be A Wild Night’ (http://skopemag.com/2010/02/12/ash-gray-and-the-girls-this-could-be-a-wild-night), they take a trip through time once again. Many people might think that…
No Blitz, Never Satisfied
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Get ready for the band No Blitz as they come fast & furious on their 4-track EP. The four songs on this recording are in anticipation of the group’s full-length, debut album titled ‘Never Satisfied’. No nonsense and No cheap imitations is what No Blitz is all about. The Virginia-based band is made…
Rat Wakes Red, Acres
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Harmony, harmony, harmony and musicianship at its finest is what you will get from Rat Wakes Red and their new release titled ‘Acres’. Just from the name of the band alone, I am already very intrigued and I so badly want to get to the bottom of this Rat Wakes Red. Their story…
George Cahill, Relevant
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George Cahill has been rocking the Philly scene for awhile and is now celebrating his latest release, “Relevant”. It is 9 tracks of brutal honesty accompanied by some tight instrumentation to drive his point home. Cahill does a nice rendition of Bob Seger’s, “Still the Same”. He has a unique portrayal of the song and…
Rodney Jensen, Truck Dog and Me
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Rodney Jensen is the sole singer/songwriter on the new album ‘Truck Dog and Me’. Scott Andrews produced and mixed the record while also supplying all of the other instruments. If you like some country mixed with rock, then you might like Rodney’s latest CD. Jensen has been singing and playing in bands for…
SULIO, Miami Feeling (funky Latin-pop Version)
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From London, England comes Sulio, and based on his #10 rank on ReverbNation, people are listening. This latest single “Miami Feeling [funky Latin-pop Version]” brings all the Miami bass sound in full force. A solid songwriter and producer, Sulio lends his vocals to an already hook filled track, with an almost raggaeton vibe, deep bass…
Radio Drive, This Is Our Time
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Radio Drive is one person by the name of Kevin Gullickson who is giving you a full dose of life in all its glory. Radio Drive has put out a new album every year since 2009 and ‘This Is Our Time’ is the fourth installment. Gullickson is in good company once again with…
Joseph Keith, Don’t Know Why
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Joseph Keith is a 17-year rock/acoustic old singer/songwriter from Fairfax, Virginia. After picking up the guitar at the young age of 10, he practised like mad and formed his first pop-punk inspired group at the age of 13. As his writing matured, he formed a new band, Nine Days Gone, in 2009. Nine Days Gone…
Kepstar, Shades of Gray Mixtape
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Hip hop is a style with elements of survival and ego inherent in its delivery. Most hip hop artists include the ego element, even the conscious hip hop genre, and the interesting thing is that in order for a rapper to rise, the presentation must be consistent from the ground up. Even if you’re not…
Lea Marie, Undercover Lover (EP)
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Over the years we’ve seen rock and even earthy Pop 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 &…
Geri X, Work is the Wolf
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Geri X is an indie/folk/rock singer songwriter from St. Petersburg, Florida who has been getting a ton of respect from publications as big as the L.A Times and Rolling Stone, and a lot of fan support in turn. The meat of the matter is — is she good? Delving into Geri X’s new album “Work…
Swift Tongues, My Finest Hour
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Recently, I had the pleasure of listening to one of the most diverse albums I have ever come across. Swift Tongues “My Finest Hour” reeled me in with the first track ‘Feel it in the Air’, which was reminiscing of Jay Z’s classic ‘Can’t Knock the Hustle’. The song led me to believe the whole…
Lukas Nelson and the Promise of the Real, Wasted
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Over the years we’ve seen Rock, Americana and even Folk music 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” & I want to personally thank all the corporate giants for successfully transforming “Sex Drugs &…
KC Jockey, Girl You’re Free
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KC Jockey is a pop/r& b artist from Brooklyn, New York. Having been born in Jamaica and moving to New York at a young age must have done good things for his creative side, as his music seems to effortlessly unite the dance hall/traditional party music of Jamaica with the urban pop/club scene of the…
WALTER TROUT, BLUES FOR THE MODERN DAZE
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Being a well-respected blues journeyman carries a lot of weight with the title. The question is always, after years of blues guitar slinging, how do you interpret the genre this time out? If you’re the writer, player, and singer, you have your job cut out for you. Saw My Mama Cryin’ is a…
The Jim Ivins Band, Everything We Wanted
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The Richmond, VA bunch is back again with their new EP titled ‘Everything We Wanted’. Following up their 2009 self-titled debut release, (http://skopemag.com/index.php?s=Jim+Ivins+Band), Jim Ivins & company have some fresh new sounds for you. Staying in the realm of pop/rock with acoustic elements added in, The Jim Ivins Band is giving you everything you…
Putnam Murdock, Brand New Widow
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Putnam Murdock is an Americana singer/songwriter from South Dartmouth, Massachusetts, although his work has strong influence from blues, country, folk and rock n’ roll music. Why all the division and labelling, anyways? Being that it’s part of our accepted intellectual process, it’s necessary. After all, we need something to “say” if we’re going to talk…
The Como Brothers Band, The Speed of Sound EP
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The Como Brothers Band are a rock band from Long Island, New York currently promoting their newly released “The Speed of Sound” EP. While their promo shots look a little similar to those representing boy bands, their sound is surprisingly rock on some of their tracks. This could work well in their favor though, as…
Overhate, Relentless Is Our Strength
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“Relentless Is Our Strength” is the most recent offering from the popular Venezuelan thrash/progressive metal quartet Overhate. The progressive elements are welcome, as they add both complexity and dynamic variance to the music, much like renowned prog/death metal veterans Decapitated and Death. With an extensive production team working on the mixing and mastering of the…
RANDOM STABBINGS & ARTLESS CRITIQUE, APRIL 2012
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Pelican, Ataraxia/Taraxis (Southern Ground Records) Again we hook up with all-instrumental metal trio Pelican, who haven’t improved on their drummer situation since last we spoke, but being that this is only an EP there’s not a lot of sound-and-fury lack-of-significance to endure. Matter of fact, shorties like this are conducive to enjoying what they…
Keith Moody, Dreaming Out Loud
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Keith Moody is a talent above the rest. His latest release, “Dreaming Out Loud” is one of the coolest CD’s I have heard in a long time. Moody takes the best of several genres and mesh them together creating a sound of perfection. He is an amazing writer, can tear up a guitar and…
Alex Hirsch, Tick Tock Clock
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Alex Hirsch was born a musician. From a very early age the melodies mesmerized him to the point he had to create it himself. He grew up in an environment where it was highly encouraged and he ran with those emotions to create the sound you hear in his music today. He wears many creative…
Slim Loris, Down to Earth
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Over the years we’ve seen rock and even earthy Pop 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 &…
Planetary Nights featuring R.J. McSweeney, Today Aint Too Late
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Over the years we’ve seen rock, pop and even rhythm and blues slowly erode into over-commercialized, corporate puppet shows providing music that is extremely sing songy, predictable 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…
Monks of Mellonwah, Starts are Out (EP)
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Over the years we’ve seen rock and ever 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” & I want to personally thank all the corporate giants for successfully transforming “Sex Drugs &…
Mike Soviet, Not Chill
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We are all one. That goes without saying. The collective consciousness is all of ours, and as such we owe each other love and respect. Many people resonate love and pure conscious awareness. Others resonate dissonant, hateful vibrations. Others still resonate confused delusion, terror and broken signals. Mike Soviet is one such incarnation. Mike Soviet…
The Bluecats, Earthquake Mama
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Over the years we’ve seen rock, pop and even rhythm and blues slowly erode into over-commercialized, corporate puppet shows providing music that is extremely sing songy, predictable 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…
Dashboard Madonna, Neon Life EP
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Dashboard Madonna are a rock/pop/funk power trio from Hamburg, and their latest release is the “Neon Life” EP. “Imagine Steely Dan jamming with Jack Johnson and Sheryl Crow” is how their bio describes what they’re trying to achieve with their sound, and I would have to say it’s a clear explanation of what’s happening sonically…
Deborah Henriksson, The Hearts Cry
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Deborah Henriksson is a folk/celtic singer originally from New Jersey, who now lives in Sweden. Classically trained but with a passion for folk and celtic music, she brings a deep emotional intensity to her work that you may not expect. Not content to rest in a single genre, Deborah is already exploring new soundscapes as…
Joshua Ketchmark, The Bittersweet
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It is amazing what music can do in the respect of changing your mood, how you think or maybe even certain aspects of your life. Joshua Ketchmark has out done himself on his latest release, “The Bittersweet” and has the ability to do all the above. The CD is pop music with an edge. The…
Christie Lenee, Give and Take In
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Christie Lenee is an acoustic/folk singer songwriter from Philadelphia who is brimming, in fact, overflowing with a quality rarely seen in its pure, genuine form; deep joy and enthusiasm. Most of the time when we encounter these vibrations it’s in their more fake personas, usually as we’re being advertised to. While so many artists either…
Frank Palangi, EP
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What can I say about Frank Palangi that his debut EP does not say on its own? Frank’s appearance is a bit deceiving in comparison to how he sounds. He has a cute baby face and looks like the guy next door. Then you turn on the music and his powerful voice spills out of…
Art Kenyon, Cocoon EP
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Art Kenyon is a rock/grunge/psychedelic/pop solo project from Vancouver (with the help of some excellent session musicians). You don’t hear the terms “grunge” or “psychedelic” thrown around very often these days, but this is mainly because they have been worn out by our ‘chew it up and throw it out’ culture, not because there…
Fiona Joy Hawkins and the Blue Dream Ensemble – Live at the Q CD Review
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Fiona Joy Hawkins is a pianist/singer/composer from New South Wales, Australia. She has won a host of awards for her work, almost too many to mention, and she has been recognized by the classical, jazz and new age music communities. She is classically trained and has a wealth of albums released, the latest being “Live…
Doug Prescott, The Journey and the Deep Blue Sea
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Over the years we’ve seen rock, pop and even rhythm and blues slowly erode into over-commercialized, corporate puppet shows providing music that is extremely sing songy, predictable 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…
Cutting Edge, F – – – The IRS
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That tenacious group that we all know as Cutting Edge is at it again with a song titled “F – – – The IRS”. The song was written by Liza “Leli” Pesnell, William Zimmerman, frontman David Pesnell with additional help from bassist Ryan E. Smith. The track also features the fine playing of…
Ashpark, Life in Satellites
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Ashpark consists of Ariel, Burke, Josh and Barnes. Four guys with loads of talent and big dreams. Ariel had a vision he wanted to make a reality so he came all the way from Guatemala City to Boston in order to make those visions come alive. They are alive and well in their latest CD…
Justin Young, Clean Slate
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Over the years we’ve seen rock and pop 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 and Rock…
Engloria, Drive
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Engloria are an alternative rock band from Albany, New York who have modeled their sound based on successful acts like Gin Blossoms and Goo Goo Dolls, although Engloria inject even more pop and “emo” into their sound. Made up of brothers James and Brandon Stewart, Michael Gleason and Devon Scott, the guys have been enjoying…
