Handle It – Indie Voice Blog

Only ten more days until Christmas. We thought we’d get you ready with our latest edition of Get it or Forget it, featuring three entirely different artists for your musical edification. Today we feature releases from two artists we’ve told you about before: Kari Kimmel (pop) and Daddy Issues (rock), and introduce you to a new artist, Pollen RX (punk). Check out our reviews below.

Artist Name: Pollen Rx

Album Name: Sunbelt Emptiness

Label: Austin Town Hall Records

Genre: Dance Punk

Track Listing: 1. Billboard Promises; 2. Control; 3. Packaging; 4. Apartment; 5. Sunbelt Emptiness; 6. Interstate; 7. AR AK; 8. Again; 9. Sand in the Well

Publicist: Noisy Ghost PR

Review: Composed of Maud Morgan, Ben Hirsch, Caroline Sallee and Maggie Exner, the music of Pollen RX is part punk, part pop, part indie rock and part dance, seasoned with a healthy dose of 60s rock and roll. The music is memorable, complete with catchy hooks and beats you can groove to, as well as a message that needs to be heard about the difficulties of growing up. Both Morgan and Hirsch provide electric vocals as they trade off on the lead, and the music this band creates is worthy of your attention, especially the amazing guitar riffs. Best tracks include “Control,” “Packaging,” the title track, “AR AK,” and their single, “Sand in the Well.”

Recommendation: Pollen Rx is the perfect prescription for what ails you. We definitely think they have a great future and recommend you Get It, play it and dance on. This album will drop on January 27, 2017.

Artist Name: Kari Kimmel

Album Name: Covers One

Label: Rykim Records

Genre: Pop/Rock

Track Listing: 1. Against all Odds; 2. Eternal Flame; 3. Ring of Fire; 4. Rocketman

Publicist: None

Review: By now the music of Kari Kimmel should be very familiar to readers of this blog. We have been fans of hers since her early days, and she continues to surprise us with hit after hit, not to mention weekly placements on television shows, movies and commercials. This time around, Kimmel reinvents four classic songs as only she can, adding that special Kimmel magic to the mix. We love all four of these covers, and think that they stand up well to the originals. our favorite is “Against all Odds.” Let us know what you think.

Recommendation: Kimmel’s latest EP drops this Friday, December 16, and we think you should definitely Get it, especially if you love cover songs by a classy artist.

Artist Name: Daddy Issues

Album Name: Handle It

Label: Play Like a Girl Records

Genre: Alt Pop/Rock

Track Listing: 1. Inside my Mind; 2. Different; 3. Dead end Road; 4. Too Soon; 5. Nice Try; 6. Rusty; 7. My Favorite Fantasy; 8. Born to Fly; 9. Your Lies; 10. The Blade

Publicist: Jennifer Allison Publicity

Review: Girls rock, and no band exemplifies that more than Daddy Issues, who we introduced back in September. With Angela Alvarez on lead vocals and rhythm guitar and Julia “Jules” Whelpton on bass and rhythm guitar, supplemented by Andrew Cushman on lead guitar and Brett Weir on drums, this band has a sound that sets them apart and creates an atmosphere where it would be cool to be a groupie. Reminiscent of the Wilson sisters of Heart, Daddy Issues truly bring “girl power” to a whole new rocking level. There is such a sweetness to their music that complements the cutting edge guitar sounds laid down by both Alvarez and Whelpton. We love every song on this debut album, but are especially impressed with “Inside my Mind,” “Different,” “Too Soon,” with its obvious No Doubt influence, “My Favorite Fantasy,” and “Your Lies.” The album closes with a very personal song, “The Blade,” which gives an intense message about the dangers of depression.

Recommendation: One of the best CDs of 2016, this one is a true no-brainer: you simply MUST Get it!

Daddy Issues is an alternative/indie rock band based in San Diego, California, composed of Angela Alvarez on lead vocals and rhythm guitar and Julia “Jules” Whelpton on bass and back-up vocals.

We are excited to introduce this band to you on the eve of the release of their debut album. Sit back, relax and learn things about this most promising indie rock band.

IVB: How long have you been performing as a band?

DI: Jules and I met in October of 2013 right after I moved to San Diego from Arizona. She was playing in a band called the Justice Fire that asked me to come audition, based off a Craig’s List ad I put in the musician community. Jules and I really hit it off on multiple levels and we soon left that project to start Daddy Issues. The other members rotate based on availability so we have several lead guitar players and drummers we play with.

IVB: Who do you consider to be your influences?

DI: We both love classic rock and were raised on The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, ZZ Top and more. We also love The Killers, Foo Fighters, Arctic Monkeys, No Doubt, Nirvana, and The Pretty Reckless. Our sound definitely has a 90s throwback feel.

IVB: What makes your new release so special?

DI: It’s special to us because it took us so long to finally get it created! We were working on our sound and our songs for a while, and once we decided we were ready to record, we went through a few different producers until we found the right one. We didn’t want to put out anything that wasn’t high quality and “radio ready,” and we weren’t really getting what we wanted at first.

We ended up recording with Jim Wirt who produced Incubus, Fiona Apple and others. Jim moved his studio to Cleveland a few years back where I grew up, and Jules also has family from Ohio, so that’s something else that makes the album special. We got an LA recording experience at “home,” so that was really cool. We also got to tour the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame while recording, which we absolutely loved.

Overall, the album represents the last three years of hard work, ups and downs, and we’re excited to finally get some music in the hands of our loyal fans.

IVB: What are your future plans?

DI: So much! Videos, tours and more recording. This is just the beginning! We are still writing and have some new songs we’re really excited about.

10623688_840663396060071_2953993183425492896_o

IVB: Do you have any stories you want to share about your band

touring, recording, or fan interaction?

DI: When we were first starting out, our guitar player was only 20. We played at a 21+ venue for a battle of the bands, and the security people kept a close eye on him, only letting him come in to play the show and insisting he leave as soon as we were done. Later in the night, he hopped the fence in the back and was sitting at the bar (not drinking), but got caught anyway. As a result, we were kicked out of the battle and the word spread pretty fast. Rumor had it that we were banned from the venue as well. It actually helped to put us on the map here in San Diego, because we were new and people were talking about how scandalous we were to get kicked out of the battle. We’ve since played that venue again, so there aren’t any hard feelings anymore.

Then earlier this year while attending NAMM, Jules and I went to one of the parties. There were a lot of people there listening to the bands and she decided she wanted to crowd surf for the first time. I stood up on one of the tables to keep track of where she was, but she spent the next 20-30 minutes getting passed around the crowd. The next day, she was covered in bruises and as we walked around the show floor, everyone recognized us and wanted to talk about it. The best part was a guy that said, “In the 20 years I’ve been attending NAMM, I think that’s the first time I’ve seen someone crowd surf.”

IVB: What types of social media do you use?

DI: We have a website and Facebook pages, and we prefer Twitter and Instagram. Check us out live as well, with upcoming shows at the Roar Room in Glendale on September 9 and our CD release show at the House of Blues in San Diego on September 10.

Share this:

Share this: