Tag: Nick Ferrio

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Artists Worth Checking Out Hollywood Fringe Festival Monday Mashup Women in Entertainment

Monday mashup 2018: vol. 27

It’s our final Monday Mashup of the month, and we have some great new music to share with you.  Check out the latest news as well.

LA MUSIC CRITIC TO DEBUT SHOW AT HFF19

Our very own LA Music Critic, Bob Leggett, will be debuting a solo show at next year’s Hollywood Fringe Festival.  Inspired by the amazing productions put on by the Soaring Solo Community, he has hired Jessica Lynn Johnson to help him develop his show, Livin’ the Dream, which will debut at HFF19 next year.  The show is the story of his life and career, focusing on not just dreaming about great things, but accomplishing them as well.  Watch for the Indiegogo campaign being launched in August, and support him on his latest adventure.  We are very proud to be a part of what should be a great show.

VK LYNNE RELEASES AUDIO BOOK OF POETRY

VK Lynne, the lead single of multi-LA Music Critic Award winning band The Spider Accomplice is releasing an audio book containing 35 of her poems, read by a plethora of her friends.  Entitled The Release and Reclamation of Victoria Kerygma, the audiobook is available on Bandcamp.

NEW SINGLES

Our first single this week is from Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, members of the Mountain Home Music family of artists.  They have created a beautiful song that is being released to support the IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association) Trust Fund which, like the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, provides support for struggling artists.  We think you will love this beautiful arrangement and we hope you will likewise support these organizations that help indie musicians.

Our next single is an upbeat pop tune from Mike Edel.  He was featured in our March Ten Great Singles article, and this time around, he promises he will “Go With You.”  We think this one could be a huge hit, and look forward to what’s still to come from this amazing artist.

Our third single is being released by Elkka through Femme Culture, and is an upbeat dance tune called “Stay (warm edit).”  We think this one goes hand in hand with our previous single, and should help get your Monday off to a great start.

Our fourth single continues the positive spin as CJ Hooper releases his first track from his forthcoming album.  “When we Rise” is the perfect remedy for the Monday blahs.

Our final single this week comes from Caibedo Island.  They encourage us to be “Stronger,” and we love the sentiment.

NEW MUSIC VIDEOS

Our first music video comes from an artist we reviewed last week, Roger Len Smith, who was introduced to us by a long-time friend Bobbo Byrnes, lead vocalist of The Fallen Stars.  Here is “Raining on a Sunny Day.”

Next up is the latest video from Grammy-nominated artist Janiva Magness for the title track from her latest album on Blue Élan Records, Love is an Army, featuring LA Music Critic Award winning artist Bryan Stephens.  We hope you enjoy this one as much as we do.

Our third video this week is a political statement about gentrification of our great cities.  Nick Ferrio releases “I Don’t Know How Long” and we totally understand his concerns.

Our fourth video has the rhythm of the islands as Constanza Herrero talks about “Packing Up.”  This video should get your juices flowing and get you on the dance floor.

Our final video this week is the R&B and soul sound of Roxanne Tataei.  Here’s “Crimson Eyes.”  We hope this firmly places your Monday in a good place.  Have a great week and we’ll be back soon with our articles on the Ten Amazing Videos and Ten Great Singles released in July.

 

 

Categories
Artists Worth Checking Out Get it or Forget it Reviews

Get it or forget it – Great Willow, After Hours Radio, Nick Ferrio, Five of the Eyes

Happy Friday, the final one for September.  It’s been a busy month, and we’ve reviewed a lot of albums, 43 of them to be exact, and we still have eight more to do before the end of the month.  Here are the first four of those, with four more tomorrow, giving us 51 for the month – not bad indie artists!

Artist Name:  Great Willow

Album Name:  find yourself in Los Angeles

Label:  Self-released

Genre:  Roots/Americana

Track Listing:  1.  Many Things; 2.  Petaluma; 3.  Rear View Mirror; 4.  Find Yourself in Los Angeles; 5. The new Normal; 6.  With Care From Someone; 7.  Time Bombs; 8.  Secretly Happy; 9.  No City can Cure Me; 10.  Love Will Finally Find You

Publicist:  None

Review:  Perfect harmonies make any type of music sound better, and Great Willow has some of the finest harmonies we have reviewed in quite a while.  The perfectly combined voices of James Combs and Erin Hawkins is the stuff legends are made of, rising above the musical harmonies of the instruments in the band.  The lyrics are well crafted, creating a confluence of sounds that quiet the mind and ease the soul of the listener.  Best tracks include “Many Things,” the title track, “With Care From Someone,” and “Love Will Finally Find You.”

Recommendation:  This is an incredible addition to any Americana library.  Definitely Get it.

Artist Name:  After Hours Radio

Album Name:  What Happened?

Label:  Self-released

Genre:  Alternative

Track Listing:  1.  Shifting Standards; 2.  Nobody’s Home; 3.  Maryland; 4.  Wronged

Publicist:  Noisy Ghost PR

Review:  Noisy Ghost brings us another unique act in After Hours Radio.  Their four-song EP is too short to adequately represent the level of potential for this band.  That potential screams out through every note, beginning on the first track, “Shifting Standards,” with its amazing keys.  In fact the keys are one of the best features of this EP, underscoring the intelligent lyrics and thoughtful arrangements.  This group is definitely worth checking out, especially the final track, “Wronged.”

Recommendation:  Although not well known, we think they are worth taking a risk for.  Grab your copy now.

Artist Name:  Nick Ferrio

Album Name:  Soothsayer

Label:  Self released

Genre:  Power-pop

Track Listing:  1.  Quit Acting; 2.  Squeeze the Breeze; 3.  That’s not how I Remember It; 4.  Soothsayer; 5.  Are you Listening to Me; 6.  Last Night; 7.  Everybody Talks; 8.  Food Court; 9.  Heart to Heart; 10.  Crow Song

Publicist:  None

Review:  If 70’s power pop is your thing, and you love Elvis Costello, then you should enjoy the sound of Nick Ferrio.  His tunes are upbeat in a way that brings back fun memories of a time when music truly reigned.  They also capture the feel of the 70’s, with its focus on the beat and the sheer joy of music.  It’s hard to go wrong with this collection of songs.  We really love “That’s not how I Remember It,” the title track, “Are you Listening to Me,” “Everybody Talks,” and “Heart to Heart.”

Recommendation:  We think this one will grown on you and become one of your favorite old school indie artists.  Give it a go, and see if you like it.

Artist Name:  Five of the Eyes

Album Name:  The Venue Transit

Label:  Self-released

Genre:  Prog Rock

Track Listing:  1.  Atmosphere; 2.  Wasteland; 3.  Mirrors; 4.  Space Is; 5.  Passenger; 6.  Lust to Dust; 7.  Oblivion; 8.  Monsoon; 9.  Delta

Publicist:  Behind the Curtains Media

Review:  Their sound is a mixture of Rush meets U2, with screaming guitars, soaring vocals, intelligent lyrics, and a rocking beat that will capture your mind as you ears absorb the energy and power of this band.  The album hits the ground rocking, and never lets up as they take us on a musical journey that would not be complete with the requisite headbanging and air guitar of the listener.  This is an album to put on, sit back, and take it all in as the music swells around you and the lyrics creep into your consciousness, freeing you from the cares of the world.  Best tracks include “Wasteland,” “Mirrors,” “Passenger,” “Oblivion,” and “Monsoon.”

Recommendation:  Run, don’t walk and Get this one.  It is a must have!!