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Monday Mashup 2017: Vol 8

Happy Presidents Day.  Hope you’re all having a great day as we launch into our eighth edition of the Monday Mashup for 2017.

Indie artists have been hard at work, acting as the voice of our generation.  In particular, artists are speaking out about the current political tensions, as well as standing with causes that have become near and dear to many hearts.  Let’s see what’s happening this week.

Trapdoor Social stands with Standing Rock

Local Los Angeles group Trapdoor Social has released an official music video for their song “Never Stop Listening” that supports the ongoing struggle between the United States and DAPL and the Native American Standing Rock tribe.  The cinematography is breathless and the message is the heart of the video.  Check it out and let us know where you stand on this issue.

Here’s what Trapdoor Social and songwriter Skylar Funk had to say about the video:

“Last fall I helped organize a donation drive and trip up to North Dakota from LA to support the water protectors in the Oceti Sakowin camp, at the center of the Dakota Access Pipeline protests. We spent a week there working in construction, in the kitchens, chopping wood and shoveling snow, and felt incredibly welcomed and honored for the chance to participate in something so powerful and historic.


One thing they asked of us in orientation was to “Bring It Home” – to share what we learned at camp and to make sure folks back in the communities we’d return to were aware that the struggle to protect that land and water continues. Of course with the recent executive order, the challenge is even more urgent… So we created a video about the people we met at camp paired up with a song I wrote and released with Trapdoor Social last year to share what we saw and hopefully inspire more action.” – Skylar Funk

The video was shot by acclaimed director Alexandra Velasco.

Blue Élan Records artists release new music videos

Two of the artists signed to Blue Élan Records have new music videos.

The first, See, released a live acoustic version of her song “Closed Eyes Open” last Monday.  Her smoky and heavenly voice brings back memories of a cross between Stevie Nicks and Adele, and will serve this up and coming artist well.  Her debut EP, Ties, was released last July, and the debut single, “Potions” has received more than three million hits.  This is definitely an artist to put on your radar, because we firmly believe she will soon be a household name as she skyrockets to the top of the charts.  Let us know what you think.

The second is Cindy Alexander, one of the strongest advocates for indie music in Los Angeles.  This official music video, which is debuting today on YouTube, is for her song “Deep Waters,” the title track of her latest album.  The song was co-written and produced by long-time legendary musician Colin Devlin, and is a powerful vision.  We love the cinematography and more importantly, the message, which is a beacon of hope for our troubled times.  Let us know what you think of this gem.

 

Alexander is also preparing to hit the road this summer, using the Road Nation program to plan her tour.  This amazing program allows fans to choose the itinerary, and allows Alexander to support cancer research, a cause near to her heart since she is a cancer survivor.  Check out her campaign and bring her to your town this summer.

The Thrillseekers and Shannon Hurley release new video

Last but certainly not least this week is the latest video from the ongoing collaboration between The Thrillseekers and indie guru Shannon Hurley (one-half of the award-winning band Lovers & Poets).  We think you’ll love the upbeat message and sound of “Stay Here with Me.”  Let us know what you think.

That’s it for this week.  Gonna be a busy one with volunteering for the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival here in Missoula.  If you have the time, definitely check it out.  Keep those emails and music referrals coming.

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Cindy Alexander reveals her latest truth in ‘Deep Waters’

It has been said that the mark of a great songwriter is the ability to take their own personal story and convert it into a song that delivers that truth in a way that is universally understood.  If that be the case, then Cindy Alexander is one of the greatest songwriters ever, and her latest effort, Deep Waters, is the crown jewel in her songwriting career.

Alexander has previously delivered seven studio albums that showed us her angst, her frustration with the dating scene, her struggles with self acceptance, and her battle with and victory over breast cancer.  With the release of Deep Waters, she provides us with songs about the beauty of true love, and the culmination of her quest for it.

After working with producer and good friend Dave Darling (Boxing Gandhis, Meredith Brooks) for many years, this time out she partnered with acclaimed artist, writer and producer Colin Devlin, best known for his solo work and as half of leading Irish duo, The Devlins.

Needless to say, this change did not come without apprehension.  “When you’re scared to make a change you should do it anyway,” Alexander says, with the conviction of one who has faced her fear and come out the other side.  “You’re not given gifts to hold them back.”

Set up by Blue Élan Records founder/president Kirk Pasich, Alexander and Devlin went on the musical equivalent of a blind date.  “The first thing we were trying to do was see if these two strangers could create anything without having any rules or parameters about what we were going to say or how we were going to do it,” she says.  “I usually write all my own lyrics.  This time, there was someone else’s experiences and life coming in and adding more meaning and context into every song.”

The resulting partnership was a success, as reflected in the first track they wrote together, the turbulent title track, which talks about unreservedly abandoning oneself to another person.  “That’s the beautiful thing about art,” she says. “You can dive in and go to places that may be too scary to go to in real life.”

After hearing their first batch of songs, the label recognized their creative chemistry and asked for a full album.  Alexander ultimately wrote or co-wrote eight of the album’s 10 tracks.  She also does a stunning cover of Jann Arden’s “Good Mother.”

Every song on Deep Waters hits the mark and delivers what will surely be seen as a milestone in Alexander’s career.  Alexander sums it up well, “I feel like you can’t stop me now.  I’ve got this,” she says. “When you’ve experienced any kind of brush with your mortality, you want to thrive, not just survive.  The fact that I get to live my dream and make music for a living, I don’t take any of that for granted.”

Indie Voice Blog is proud to highly recommend Deep Waters as one of the best albums of 2016 and strongly encourage you to grab a copy of it when it is released on July 15.  If you’re lucky enough to live in the Los Angeles area, Alexander will be celebrating the release with a show at one of her favorite venues, Saint Rocke in Hermosa Beach on July 17.  Check out her website or Facebook pages for more details, and don’t forget to follow her on Twitter as well.

Thanks to publicist Melissa Dragich-Cordero of MADInk PR for providing the background material.