Tag: Meghan Trainor

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indie music Monday Mashup Singles and Videos

Monday mashup 2020 (vol 18)

Like you, we can’t wait for 2020 to be in our rearview mirror.  Thankfully, change is coming in 2021.  Our lead blogger finally pulled the plug and filed for Social Security.  That means his 50+ hour work weeks will be reduced to 30, and he will have three days off each week to get back to doing what he loves best – writing about indie music.  Watch for additional news in the coming weeks.

As we start Christmas week, we couldn’t think of a better time to dedicate our column to some great new Christmas singles and videos.  Let’s enjoy the holiday season and get 2021 off to a great start.

NEW SINGLES

First up is a new tune from a familiar voice who we have not heard from in quite a while.  Please enjoy “Christmas with my Baby” from  the mega-talented Lucy Schwartz.

Christmas With My Baby · Lucy Schwartz (spotify.com)

Next up is a future Americana Christmas classic from Eric Brace and the Last Train Home.  This one will truly pull at your heart strings.  Check out “By the Lights on the Tree.”

By the Lights on the Tree · Eric Brace & Last Train Home (spotify.com)

Our third single comes from LA’s own iconic BINX, who reminds us that Christmas isn’t just a day in December with her instant classic “Christmas in Summer.”

Christmas In Summer · BINX (spotify.com)

Check out the powerful and soulful voice of Cameron DuBois on her amazing song, “Merry Christmas, Wherever you Are.”  This one will definitely put you in the mood and fill your heart with the holiday spirit.

Merry Christmas, Wherever You Are · Cameron DuBois, Bama Sound (spotify.com)

Our final song comes from Johnny & the Mongrels with their bluesy rendition of “Christmas Angels.”  We like their sound.

Christmas Angels · Johnny & the Mongrels (spotify.com)

NEW MUSIC VIDEOS

We start off our Christmas videos with the sound of Oklahoma’s own The Imaginaries.  Their video for “Hometown Christmas” was filmed in Chickasha, Oklahoma, where the husband and wife duo also served as Grand Marshals of the annual Christmas Parade.  Let’s get this party started the right way.

Although we don’t typically share videos by major artists, we are making an exception in the case of Meghan Trainor‘s new video “I Believe in Santa.”  In case you don’t know, Meghan is a product of the amazing Durango Songwriters Expo, where indie artists get to connect with industry professionals.  In addition, Santa is played by none other than David Haverty of Hollywood Fringe Festival fame.  Enjoy this little slice of heaven.

It wouldn’t be Christmas without at least one amazing cover of a Christmas carol, and this year our vote goes to Constanza Herrero‘s “Silent Night.”  May the peace of this song fill your heart.

Speaking of great covers, who doesn’t love Eartha Kitt‘s classic song, “Santa Baby.”  American Blonde, formerly Southern Halo, bring a sweet downhome feel to this classic tune, and we can’t wait to see what the sisters have in store for us in 2021.

We close out our special Christmas edition with a brilliant cover of one of our favorite Christmas songs, “Hard Candy Christmas.”  We just found out about this artist, Alexandra Kay, and we expect to hear great things from her in the future.  Enjoy this one and we’ll see you again soon.

SPECIAL GIFT:  Here’s the original song from the movie version of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas – we can never get tired of this song.  Thanks to Fandango Movie Clips for this awesome memory.

 

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Artists Worth Checking Out Best of 2017 Women in Entertainment

Best American EPs of 2017

Continuing on with our “Best of” lists for 2017, here are the Best 15 EPs released by American artists, as well as a few more that deserve mention.  You can find the complete reviews of each EP in our Get it or Forget it columns.

Honorable Mention – Red Hymns self-titled EP; Helen Culver Seven Year Glitch; After Hours Radio What Happened?; Broken Bellows The Card Table; Life Lessons Best When in Motion

15.  Sam Marine, Big Dark City – Definitely a surprise, this five song EP was obviously the result of an artist who has learned how to become part of the local community and reach out to them for help when needed.  We think you’ll be hearing a lot more from this artist in the future.

14.  Surf Rock is Dead, We Have no Friends? – A perfect combination of American and Australian ingenuity, this was another surprise this year with a huge potential.

13.  Eli Raybon, Green – This 20-year old Southerner has risen to the challenge and has set the bar high for subsequent projects.

12.  Mare Island, Eponymous – Likewise this Bay area band has some large footprints to fill in the future with this amazing debut EP.

11.  Ben Anderson, YouTopia – Indie label Chromodyne chose wisely in signing Anderson, and his four-song EP shows great promise.

10.  Riley Smith, self-titled – Riley Smith has made quite a name for himself as an actor on such beloved programs as Frequency and Nashville.  He can now add accomplished musician to his resume, as this EP was simply amazing.

9.  Ryan Sims, My Side of the Story – Another rising star in the country music field had a lot of help from his friends, including Jason “Slim” Gambill, Darryl Jones, Kenny Aronoff and Kim Bullard.  They helped him achieve a breakthrough sound that will have him rising up in Nashville in no time at all.

8.  Jacquie, The Only One – She survived NBC’s The Voice and a bad experience with the music industry to come back stronger than ever as an indie artist.  Can’t wait to see what’s next from this future superstar.

7.  Social Repose, Empress – Nearly 300,000 Facebook fans can’t be wrong about this one, and their latest EP proved just how good they are.

6.  Matt Westerman, Life Out Loud – One of LA’s brightest rising stars, Matt Westerman has a very promising future ahead.  We truly believe the sky is the limit for him.

5.  The Khourys, Good Stuff – Sisters Guila and Jahnna will surprise you – imagine one doing vocals and one doing rap – the combination is heaven’s nectar.  They are just as good in concert.

4.  RVBY My Dear, Cycles – Australian born and Brooklyn based musician Gabbi Coenen blew us away with her sophomore release.  Watch out for this one.

3.  Alex Mabey, Enough – An alumni of the Durango Songwriters Expo, Mabey seems destined to follow in the steps of another famous alumni, Meghan Trainor.

2.  Katie Costello, New World – A perennial winner of many awards, including the LA Music Critic Awards, Costello brought us both an EP and an album in 2017, and both were superb.  Here’s of taste of what makes this artist so great.

1.  Vinnie Paolizzi, Kids – Biggest surprise of the year was receiving an EP from this young self-promoted artist that simply blew us away.  We are dying to see what comes next from this young man.