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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.

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Artists Worth Checking Out Get it or Forget it Reviews Women in Entertainment

Get it or forget it – Fire Chief Charlie, The Slants, The Jerry Douglas Band, The Khourys

Happy hump day!  We’ve got a couple of older releases from earlier this year that we just received, so we’re bring them to you now, along with new releases from The Jerry Douglas Band and The Khourys.  Hope you enjoy them all.

Artist NameFire Chief Charlie

Album NameChances Are

Label:  Self-released

Genre:  Indie Folk/Rock

Track Listing:  1.  Celery Green; 2.  LaGuardia; 3.  Boris; 4.  Bull-Hammer; 5.  Let’s be Happy; 6.  Animals; 7.  Chip Chirp; 8.  Dictionary Red; 9.  We on the Radio; 10.  Elephant Box; 11.  Redford; 12.  Fast Trade 500

Publicist:  None

Review:  Fire Chief Charlie is an indie band which draws its inspiration from the music of Cat Stevens and Buddy Holly to create a musical sound that is truly unique, sort of the Stray Cats meet the B-52s.  The result is an intriguing sound that keeps the listener engaged, as the music radiates in all directions as it shifts between genres at the speed of light.  Their first single, “Let’s be Happy,” is already getting airplay on several of LA’s biggest stations, in advance of their upcoming performance at The Satellite on September 21.  We only wish we could be there for what promises to be a great show.  At least we have this superb album to give us a taste.  All of the songs are fun and make the album a perfect candidate for repeated listens.

Recommendation:  If you live in LA, then you definitely should head over to the Satellite on September 21 to check out Fire Chief Charlie.  In the meantime, Get their latest album.

Artist NameThe Slants

Album NameThe Band who Must not be Named

Label:  Self-released

Genre:  Indie Rock

Track Listing: 1.  From the Heart; 2.  Fight Back; 3.  Endlessly Falling; 4.  Level Up; 5.  Sutures (acoustic)

Publicist:  In Music we Trust

Review:  The Slants, an Asian American band out of Portland, Oregon, have been trying to trademark their name for years.  This past June, they finally won their case when the Supreme Court sided with them.  Their new EP and tour are in celebration of that victory.  The first song “From the Heart,” sums it up perfectly – “We won’t become complacent.  We’re a rock and roll nation.  We sing from the heart.”  In fact, all five songs are amazing and make this a band we definitely want to check out live.  They will be playing a show at Spokane’s The Big Dipper on October 3, and we intend to be there.

Recommendation:  Believe the hype – this band is worthy of serious consideration.  We strongly advice you to Get their EP and check them out live when they come to your area.

Artist NameThe Jerry Douglas Band

Album NameWhat If

Label:  Rounder Records

Genre:  Bluegrass

Track Listing: 1.  Cavebop; 2.  Unfolding; 3.  2:19; 4.  What If; 5.  Hey Joe; 6.  Battle Stick; 7.  Go Ahead and Leave; 8.  Butcher Boy; 9.  Freemantle; 10.  The Last Wild Moor; 11.  Hot Country 84.5

Publicist:  MSO PR

Review: Jerry Douglas has made quite a name for himself as one of America’s premier bluegrass dobro players, and most recently toured as a featured soloist with Allison Krause and Union Station.  He has now formed his own band and is releasing an album and heading out on tour.   His sound mixes elements of swing, blues, soul and rock and jazz with bluegrass and country to form his own unique blend that will further cement his place in American music, where he has already won multiple Grammys, as well as being a winner in the International Bluegrass Music Awards.  His cover of Tom Waits’ “2:19” adds new elements to this classic gem.  Other memorable songs on this collection include “Cavebop,” the title track, “Hey Joe,” “Battle Stick” (which has a reggae feel), and “Freemantle.”

Recommendation:  This one is a no-brainer – rush out and Get your copy of “What If.”  You will want to play this one non-stop.

Artist NameThe Khourys

Album Name Good Stuff

Label:  Self-released

Genre:  Indie Pop

Track Listing:  1.  I Do; 2.  Good Stuff; 3.  I’m Sorry; 4.  (We’re) Only Human; 5.  Face Me; 6.  Don’t Think Twice

Publicist:  None

Review:  The Khourys, composed of sisters Jahnna and Giulia from Massachusetts, combine elements of R&B, soul, jazz and and funk to form their own brand of pop music that defies the standard genre barriers.  From the first notes of “I Do,” it becomes quickly obvious that these ladies have come to rock, and the listener is the beneficiary of their soulful and rocking tunes.  The joyous sonic journey continues with the title track, and doesn’t stop until the final note of “Don’t Think Twice.”  We were especially impressed with the stand-out jazz sound of “I’m Sorry.”  Overall, these ladies bring some of the best music this reviewer has ever heard, and which deserve serious industry attention.  They are truly the real deal and we believe they will shortly become a  household name.

Recommendation:  Run, don’t walk and GRAB this EP before it is gone.  This is one bandwagon you’re gonna want to be on.

 

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Artists Worth Checking Out Monday Mashup Women in Entertainment

Monday mashup 2017: Vol. 31

Happy Eclipse Day!  We hope you have a safe viewing and enjoy this historical day across the country.  We have spent the past three days enjoying music across Montana, with the Redhead Express at the Music Ranch Montana in Livingston, and the Flathead Lake Blues Festival in Polson.  Watch for the reviews coming shortly.

INDIE NEWS

We are getting down to the end of Festival season.  Here in Missoula, we close out with the 12th Annual River City Roots Festival this weekend, August 25-26.  This year’s show will feature local artists The Whizpops and Rotgun Whines, as well as national acts Taj Weekes & Adowa, Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband, John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band, Malcolm Holcombe, The Ghost of Paul Revere, The Band of Heathens and Anders Osborne.  The Festival kicks off at noon both days with family friendly music before moving to the adult fare at 2:30 p.m. each day.  The event is free and sponsored by the Missoula Downtown Association as a welcome back to the students of the University of Montana.  Go Griz!

 THE KHOURYS TO RELEASE DEBUT EP

The Khourys, composed of sisters Guila and Jahnna, recently returned from Los Angeles and are set to release their debut EP, Good Stuff, with a sold-out concert at their Massachusetts hometown venue, Narrows Center for the Arts.  We can hardly wait to review this EP.

NEW MUSIC

It’s been another busy week in indie music.  Among the singles recently released are these promising tunes:

For more info, check her out here.

For more info, check them out here.

For more info, check them out here.

NEW MUSIC VIDEOS

Lynn is an amazing young artist.  Her latest music video was remixed by Yoad Nevo, who has made a name working with mainstream artists like Sia and Moby.  We think you’ll love this video as we say goodbye to summer.  Pop it on whenever you really need a good dose of summer’s warmth.

Rosi Golan has been making waves on the indie music scene lately with the release of her EP, Collecting Bullets, which we recently reviewed.  Check out the BalconyTV video of her live performance in Nashville for her single, “Underneath.”  Can’t wait to check her out live.

Jacqui, an alum of The Voice, recently released her music video for “Am I the Only One.”  She has returned to her indie roots, and we are so proud of her.  We simply love this song, and the video is hot.  Let us know what you think.