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Artists Worth Checking Out Monday Mashup Reviews Women in Entertainment

Monday mashup 2017: Vol 12

Welcome to the final week of March.  Had so much fun reviewing the live show of Chris Shiflett and Brian Whelan last night in Missoula.  Watch for the review coming soon.

Been another busy week in the world of indie music.  We posted our review of the new single from BritRoyal earlier this morning.  Definitely check out this group if you love songs with great lyrics and meaning, and music that comes from the heart.  Thanks Jen Lyneis of Ue3 Promotions for turning us on to this amazing band.

FUEL ON FIRE RELEASES NEW VIDEO

Fuel on Fire, the “other” great redheaded sibling band, has released a new single and music video for the song “Never Said Goodbye.”  Besides the amazing song itself, the video features an appearance by Meghan Walker from Redhead Express.  Check it out and let us know what you think.  Speaking of Redhead Express, major announcement coming soon.

ONEFiFTEEN RELEASES FIRST ORIGINAL SONG

Hot new band OneFifteen has released their first original song, “Break the Wheel,” on Soundcloud.  It is amazing, featuring the smoking hot vocals of Chelsee Foster, which remind us of Evanescence’s Amy Lee.  Let us know what you think about it.

FOOFIGHTER GUITARIST CHRIS SHIFLETT SET TO RELEASE NEW SOLO PROJECT

Chris Shiflett, guitarist for the legendary FooFighters, is currently on tour with Dwight Yoakum’s former guitarist, Brian Whelan, in support of Shiflett’s new album West Coast Town, which is set for release on April 14 on Side One Dummy Records.  Check out the official video for the title cut, and watch for our review of both his CD and live show, coming soon.

NEW NAME, SAME GREAT MUSIC

San Diego based indie band and multiple LA Music Critic Award winner Daddy Issues has changed its name to Kick the Princess.  The band has also parted ways with bassist Jules Whelpton.  Watch for additional news on this amazing band, led by Angela Alvarez.  We expect more great things from them.

See ya soon.  Have a great week.

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Artists Worth Checking Out Awards

Getting to know the 2016 LA Music Critic Award winners – Brian Whelan

We are having such a blast interviewing the winners of the LA Music Critic Awards for the first half of 2016.  Today’s feature is on Brian Whelan, former sideman for Dwight Yoakum and the winner of Best Country/Americana album for Sugarland.  Thanks to Melissa Dragich-Cordero of MAD Ink PR for the nomination.

Sit back, enjoy the interview and learn things about one of Americana’s new generation of amazing artists.

IVB:  How long have you been performing?

BW:  Basically my whole life.  When I was in kindergarten I first got up on stage at an Assembly.  I convinced them to let me do three songs with a Karaoke machine.  I got the music bug early on and just wanted to be on stage.   I first learned piano at the age of 8, followed by electric bass and electric guitar in my early teens, as well as singing all along.  I consider my as my main instrument.   When I was working with Dwight, I learned pedal steel, mandolin and accordion, but don’t consider myself an expert on those instruments.  These days I prefer to play piano and guitar.

IVB:   Who are your influences?

BW:  My first influences were the stars of 50’s rock and roll, like Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, and Eddie Cochran.  As I grew up, I was influenced by the British Invasion bands and then country and bluegrass during my 20’s.  Since I attended high school in the 90’s, I also love the bands from that era.

IVB:  What made you decide to DIY?

BW:  Watching Dwight perform was such an inspiring experience that I decided to quit the band and do my own stuff.   I found it hard to juggle being a side man with being my own front man.   I finally realized that at one time Dwight had to do the same thing to get started, so I went out and did it too.

Working with Melissa (my publicist) has been a blast.   I love that she represents so many great guitarists, like  John Fogerty, Joe Satriani, and Jeff Beck, to name a few.  It is so cool to be a part of her team.

IVB:  Are you seeking to be a mainstream artist?

BW:  The short answer is yes, but probably not.   I think most indie artists want it but think that it would be too much trouble to have someone else dictating where your career is heading.  I want to be able to do what I want without limit and make enough money doing it to be able to live comfortably.  Studio work, side man work and the like have helped pay the bills lately, but I still want to be able to tour more on my own without losing control (of my career) by being a mainstream artist.

IVB:  What are your future plans?

BW:  The big news is that I’m heading out during the month of September on tour.  I’m planning 15-20 shows during the month.  I’ll be visiting places I’ve been a few times before, plus a few new places including AmericanaFest 16, where 200-250 acts are scheduled to perform.  It seems like most of the acts are relatively new, but there are some more experienced legacy acts performing, including Dwight, Rodney Crowell, John Prine, Shawn Colvin & Steve Earle and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.  Another one of Melissa’s clients, Alice Wallace is performing.  Not sure why Rod Melancon (also Melissa’s client) isn’t.  He would be a great addition.

I do want to do a tour through Seattle, Montana and the Northwest.  I played Salt Lake City last year – the audience was great, very polite and attentive to the music.  It was a special show.

IVB:  Any good stories from touring/recording/performing?

BW:  Once I was the voice of an actor in an episode of Mad Men.  The cast was at a show for a Lenny Bruce like comedian, which was followed by a Bob Dylan like singer.  I was his voice.

I do have quite a few stories from the road, but most of them can’t be published.  My favorite one is getting to play piano for Chuck Berry at a casino show on April Fool’s Day.  My friend was playing the drums for him, and got me the gig.  I thought it was a joke because I never heard from the Casino or from Chuck’s band, but it was real and it happened, fulfilling a childhood dream.

IVB:  How can your fans keep up with you?

BW:  Well, the best places are my website and Facebook pages.  I also have Twitter and Instagram accounts.  Although I don’t yet have a YouTube channel, some of my performance videos have been posted by other people.

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Artists Worth Checking Out Reviews

Brian Whelan’s sophomore album Sugarland is pure sweetness

With instrumental abilities that made him a key member of Dwight Yoakam’s band, a voice reminiscent of Jackson Browne and a Top 10 lyrical streak that makes him seem like he’s been writing hook-laden hits for years – Brian Whelan is poised to attract a much wider audience with the release of his second solo album Sugarland.

A music major at the University of Southern California, Whelan can play almost anything that has keys or strings, including steel guitar, accordion and piano, and puts these skills to the test while playing many of them on his new release.

From the opening strains of “Americana,” where he adds the impressive fiddle of Gabe Wichter, to the final notes of “The Bottom,” where Wichter again shows his fiddling prowess, all ten tracks of Sugarland are sweet and give his listeners a taste of his musical greatness.  This is country rock at its best.

Other amazing musicians who add to the sound include Herb Pederson, Rami Jaffe, Keith Gattis, Greg Camp, and Ross Flournoy, as well as vocal help from Nicole Eva Emery, Phoebe Bridgers, Jonathan Clark, and Sarah Taylor.

Sugarland was co-produced by fellow Yoakamite and Whelan’s current drummer Mitch Marine, who are joined by Lee Pardini on bass, keys and vocals.  The resulting music places Whelan in the same crowd with John Fullbright, Sturgill Simpson, fellow Yoakamite Mike Stinson, and Jason Isbell.

Besides the incredible musicianship, which you would expect from Whelan, what sets Sugarland apart is the lyrics, revealing Whelan’s growth as a songwriter, arranger, and vocalist, as revealed in such highlights as “Americana,” “Sucker Punch,” “Go Dancing,” and “Number 1 Fan.”

The album is a natural extension of Whelan’s debut, Decider, and is much more radio friendly.  With the release of Sugarland, he should be well on his way to letting the rest of the world know that he and his music are the real deal.

We are proud to highly recommend Whelan’s Sugarland, which should be in the hands of every true music lover.  For more info about him, check out his website and Facebook pages, follow him on Twitter, and search for his music on YouTube.