By Ralph White French Canadian chanteuse, Maryse Letarte, originally released her celebration of the winter solstice, “Des Pas Dans La Neige” (Artic Records), in 2008. Within the province of Quebec alone, it quickly sold more than 25,000 copies and earned her the coveted nomination for The Best Pop Record of the Year by the...
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By John West “City authorities in your area have reported that the bodies of the dead are rising from their graves and attacking the living.” No dude it’s not zombies it’s the return of Anthrax with their 2011 release, “Worship Music.” This marks the first studio album in eight years with vocalist Joey Belladonna...
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By John West Seven13 is a straight forward rock-n-roll outfit, not to be confused with the contemporary Christian rock band 7:13. They make great use of the piano in tracks like the title Devour. The piano is infused in the music so it becomes more than just an instrument but a vehicle of simultaneous...
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By Ralph White In the late 1990′s, Gauge was already on the road and opening for acts like Trick Daddy, Plies and Trina. Fast forward to 2011, after touring with Slim Thug and over several million views on the Internet of his music video for the single, “Get It Girl”, from his debut LP,...
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By Alex Rubin Think Deliverance in Wonderland; Motorhead’s Lemmy unleashed in OZ; a Magic School Bus ride through time and space where the only cargo is banjos, accordions, and a penchant for Klezmer/Irish flavored jigs… Oh, and its all through the kaleidoscopic tripstorm that is Pink Floyd…. Their name: The Polka Floyd Show. Too...
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By John West The Way of the Fist, the debut disc from California based band, Five Finger Death Punch is a good metal disc. Ivan Moody’s vocals are fierce when he screams yet very melodic on the vocal parts that he sings. Moody’s vocals accompanied by the intense drumming of Jeremy Spencer, who at...
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By Gabe Vigh RIYL: Jewel, Sara Bareilles, Sarah McLachlan, Paula Cole On her solid 2011 debut LP Child in Me, New York City songstress Kiyomi delivers an engaging batch of mostly piano based tracks that dabble in a wide variety of genres while remaining anchored by Kiyomi’s distinctive vocals. With the help of some...
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By John West Dead Child is a skilled, tight, and well accomplished metal act. The opening track on the “Attack” disc is “Sweet Chariot” which received national airplay on MTV’s Headbanger’s Ball and it’ a good track as well. Dead Child, a Louisville, Kentucky based band seems to be influenced by the earlier work...
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By David Conner Whenever I’m making an assessment of a jazz artist I’ve never heard before, I pay the most attention to my head and feet. They have a tendency to move when provoked by riffs. Jazz can be a form of physical exercise for both the musician and the audience. Or, on the...
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By David Conner With so many indie band and solo artists’ appeal levels hovering around “disaster with a microphone” and “a voice only a mother could love,” it is refreshing–nay, rewarding–to find an artist like Dave Barnes whose youthful, soulful, and relevant voice makes you want to stare at the speaker. If you have...
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