Categories
Artists Worth Checking Out Awards indie music LA Music Critic Awards

Announcement of winners for LA Music Critic Awards for the first half of 2019

It is with a heavy heart that we inform you that this will be the last LA Music Critic Awards for the foreseeable future.  Due to our current work schedule, and the lack of support from the committee, we find ourselves unable to continue with the awards.  We will continue to support the indie music community with our reviews, but will be cutting back to just our current five review articles per week, plus our monthly Ten Great Singles and Ten Amazing Videos articles.

As far as this year’s Fan Favorite competition, for the first 10 days it looked like it was going to be a one-horse show with all votes being cast for Cherie Currie & Brie Darling.  Out of nowhere came votes for four more artists:  Susan Santos, Neverwonder, Dee Miller Band and Niecie, and when the dust cleared, we had a surprise winner, which will be revealed below.  Unfortunately more than 100 votes could not be counted because fans did not follow the instructions and voted on Facebook, or tried to vote for music categories instead of Fan Favorite.  Among the artists who lost votes was previous LA Music Award winner Brigitte Rios Purdy.

Without further adieu, here are the winners:

BEST EP (Male) – PAehNE (beautyandpain Part 1)

BEST EP (Female) – Kat Holland (Retrovision)

BEST EP (Group) – NIIGHTS (Hellebores Part One & Two)

BEST EP (International Artist) – Marcus Haran (A True Story:  A Soundscape to In-Difference)

BEST EP (International Group) –The Fisherman & The Sea (The Hurt & the Humour)

BEST CD (Male) – Tony Campanella (Taking it to the Street)

BEST CD (Female) – Susan Santos (No U Turn)

BEST CD (Group) – The Empty Pockets (Tanglewoods)

BEST CD (International Artist) – Ronny Morris (Sweet Silence)

BEST CD (International Group) –Bahuki (Tell it to the Worms)

BEST VIDEO (OFFICIAL) (Male) – Jerad Finck (“Home”)

BEST VIDEO (OFFICIAL) (Female) – Kensington Moore (“I Don’t Like you Anymore”)

BEST VIDEO (OFFICIAL) (Group) –  Taco Mouth (“The White House”)

BEST VIDEO (LYRIC) –Paige Peel (“The Crown”)

BEST VIDEO (COLLABORATION) – Americana Kitchen Band (“All Dressed Up”)

BEST VIDEO (COVER) – Cherié Currie & Brie Darling (“The Motivator”)

BEST VIDEO (INTERNATIONAL) – Girl Crush (“Blame Girls”)

BEST SINGLE (Male) – Keifer Sutherland (“Something to Love”)

BEST SINGLE (Female) – Brigitte Purdy (“Blue Collar Woman”)

BEST SINGLE (Group) – The Rembrandts (“Broken Toy”)

BEST SINGLE (INTERNATIONAL) –  Belle and the Beats (“Qetesh”)

BEST SINGLE (COLLABORATION) – William Shatner, Jeff Cook & Neal McCoy (“Why Not Me”)

BEST BLUES ARTIST – Diana Rein

BEST BLUES BAND – Dee Miller Band

BEST BLUEGRASS ARTIST/BAND – Balsam Range

BEST COLLABORATION – Americana Kitchen Band

BEST COMEBACK ARTIST – The Rembrandts

BEST COMPILATION ALBUM – Born to Uke (Various Artists)

BEST COUNTRY ARTIST – Kamber Cain

BEST COUNTRY BAND – Lowdown Drifters

BEST EDM/DANCE ARTIST/BAND – Dree Patterson

BEST FOLK ARTIST – David Huckfelt

BEST FOLK BAND –   Bettman & Halpin

BEST INTERNATIONAL ARTIST –Ronny Morris

BEST INTERNATIONAL BAND –Straw

BEST INSTRUMENTAL ARTIST/BAND – Tommy Emmanuel & John Knowles

BEST JAZZ ARTIST/BAND – The Charlie Wooton Project

BEST LATIN ARTIST/BAND – Constanza Herrero

BEST POP ARTIST – Sarra

BEST POP BAND – We Three

BEST POP/ROCK ARTIST/BAND – Curtis Peoples

BEST PUNK ARTIST/BAND – Taco Mouth

BEST R&B/SOUL ARTIST/BAND –Billy Price

BEST ALT ROCK ARTIST/BAND – Neverwonder

BEST ROCK ARTIST/BAND –Odds Lane

BEST ROOTS/AMERICANA ARTIST – Ted Russell Kamp

BEST ROOTS/AMERICANA BAND – Jason Robert Band

BEST SINGER-SONGWRITER – Fred Hostetler

RISING STAR –Katile

FAN FAVORITE – Niecie

MOST SUPPORTIVE PUBLICISTS – Doug Deutsch Publicity Services, So Much Moore Media, KG Music Press, Effective Immediately PR, Blind Raccoon, MAD Ink PR

Categories
Artists Worth Checking Out LA Music Critic Awards Women in Entertainment

Announcement of LA Music Critic Award winners for second half of 2018

What a year this has been.  We have been overwhelmed with the quality of music created by indie artists in 2018, and by the public support of their craft.  This cycle of nominations has generated 745 comments and 5,366 views from 63 countries, 23 of which generated at least 10 views each.  In addition, our blog has been viewed a total of 8,826 times since the nominations were announced on December 7.  We are so proud of each and every artist and their fans and thank you sincerely for this accomplishment.

The winner of the Icon Award will be announced at the Winners Showcase on June 18, 2019 at The Mint in Los Angeles.  Please save the date and come out to see the winners perform.

Without further delay, here are the winners for the second half of 2018:

BEST EP (Male) – Zach Callison (A Picture Perfect Hollywood Heartbreak)

BEST EP (Female) – Lauren Jaimes (Here to Stay)

BEST EP (Group) – Shelby Texas (We are Shelby, Texas)

BEST EP (International Artist) – Paolo Preite (An Eye on the World)

BEST EP (International Group) – The Fisherman & The Sea (I Can’t Alone)

BEST CD (Male) – Hadden Sayers (Dopamine Machine)

BEST CD (Female) – Brigitte Rios Purdy (Still I Rise)

BEST CD (Group) – Birds and Arrows (Arbitrary Magic)

BEST CD (International Artist) – Kate Reid (The Heart Already Knows)

BEST CD (International Group) – Crack of Dawn (self-titled)

BEST VIDEO (OFFICIAL) (Male) – Everlast (“Don’t Complain”)

BEST VIDEO (OFFICIAL) (Female) – Dree Mon (“Dance Like I Want To”)

BEST VIDEO (OFFICIAL) (Group) – Fanny Walked the Earth (“When we Need Her”)

BEST VIDEO (FOR A CAUSE) – Kim Kline (“Stand Tall”)

BEST VIDEO (LYRIC) – The Spider Accomplice (“Epilogue”)

BEST VIDEO (COVER) – CALICO the Band (“California Dreaming”)

BEST VIDEO (COLLABORATION) – Seawaves & Jerad Finck (New Kids)

BEST VIDEO (INTERNATIONAL) – Ziggy Alberts (“Stronger”)

BEST SINGLE (Male) – Curtis Peoples (“Castaways”)

BEST SINGLE (Female) – Kris Angeles (“Stained Glass”)

BEST SINGLE (Group) – Honey River (“Peace, Love”)

BEST SINGLE (INTERNATIONAL) – Vanessa Zamora (“Malas Amistades”)

BEST SINGLE (HOLIDAY) – Mustangs of the West (“Everybody Wants Peace on Earth”)

BEST BLUES ARTIST – Brigitte Rios Purdy

BEST BLUES BAND – Michelle D’Amour and the Love Dealers

BEST BLUES (TRADITIONAL) ARTIST – Lawrence Lebo

BEST BLUES (TRADITIONAL) BAND – Julianne Q and the Howl

BEST BLUEGRASS ARTIST/BAND – Tellico

BEST CHILDREN’S ALBUM – Ruth and Emilia (The Spaceship That Fell in my Backyard)

BEST COMEBACK ARTIST – The Textones

BEST COMEDY ALBUM – Brad Wenzel (Sweet Nothings)

BEST COMPILATION ALBUM – A Blue Élan Christmas (various Blue Élan Records artists)

BEST COUNTRY ARTIST – Hilary Scott

BEST COUNTRY BAND – Robbie Fulks & Linda Gail Lewis

BEST EDM/DANCE ARTIST/BAND – TNEO

BEST FOLK ARTIST – Lauren Balthrop

BEST FOLK BAND –   The Skiffle Players

BEST HARD ROCK/METAL ARTIST/BAND – Rebel Rampage

BEST HIP-HOP/RAP ARTIST/BAND – Everlast

BEST HOLIDAY ALBUM – Mindi Abair and the Boneshakers (All I Got for Christmas is the Blues)

BEST INTERNATIONAL ARTIST – Abby Zotz

BEST INTERNATIONAL BAND – Norway Reloaded

BEST INSTRUMENTAL ARTIST/BAND – Andrew Abaria

BEST JAZZ ARTIST – Slim Gambill

BEST JAZZ BAND – CeCe Teneal and Soul Kamotion

BEST LATIN ARTIST/BAND – Constanza Herrero

BEST LIVE ALBUM – Shari Puorto (Live at Bogie’s)

BEST POP ARTIST – Jordan Siwek

BEST POP BAND – My Brothers and I

BEST POP/ROCK ARTIST/BAND – KT Tunstall

BEST PUNK ARTIST/BAND – Taco Mouth

BEST R&B/SOUL ARTIST – Candace Devine

BEST R&B/SOUL BAND – Diane Durrett & Soul Suga

BEST ALT ROCK ARTIST – Trevor James

BEST ALT ROCK BAND – The Upstart Crows

BEST ROCK ARTIST – K. Michelle DuBois

BEST ROCK BAND – The Guess Who

BEST REGGAE ARTIST/BAND – Sean Paul

BEST ROOTS/AMERICANA ARTIST – Jeffrey Foucault

BEST ROOTS/AMERICANA BAND – No Dry County

BEST SINGER-SONGWRITER – Gaelynn Lea

BEST SOUTHERN ROCK ARTIST/BAND – Moonshine Saints

MOST UNIQUE ARTIST/BAND – Grave Danger

RISING STAR – Sofia Evangelina

FAN FAVORITE – Once again, the fans have spoken, and 25 artists were nominated for this award.  YYNOT was the early favorite, with Reloaded Norway, Paper Gliders, Jordan Siwek and Mindi Abair close behind.  All of a sudden a dark horse appeared in the final week that changed everything.  When the dust had settled, LAUREN JAIMES overtook YYNOT by a score of 184 votes to 170 votes.  Jordan Siwek took third place with 140 votes.  Reloaded Norway (64 votes) and Mindi Abair ( 42 votes) rounded out the top five.  Congratulations to you all.

Categories
Artists Worth Checking Out Monday Mashup Women in Entertainment

Monday mashup 2018: vol. 31

It’s our final Monday Mashup for the month of August, and we’ve got plenty of news and great new singles and music videos.  Last night we worked the Shakey Graves concert at Big Sky Brewing Company, and it was an amazingly chill evening.  The music was incredible, and the performers were very good and fun to hang with.  Thanks so much to Rayland Baxter and Shakey Graves for being incredible and easy to talk to.  Watch for our review shortly.

SONIA RAO GIVES INSPIRING TEDx TALK

One of our favorite indie artists, Sonia Rao, shares from her heart on “The Shame and Power of Being a Woman.”  This one deserves a mass audience.

WINNERS ANNOUNCED FOR 2018 UNSIGNED ONLY MUSIC COMPETITION

Congratulations to the following winners of this year’s Unsigned Only Music Competition.  We look forward to hearing more from them and to reviewing their projects.

Grand Prize – Eric Ethridge (Sarnia, ON, Canada) “Girl On Fire”

AAA (Adult Album Alternative)

First Place – DENNY (Minneapolis, MN, USA) “Girls Like You”
Second Place – O-SHiN (Berlin, Germany) “Aimless”

Adult Contemporary (AC)

First Place – Sahara Beck (Fortitude Valley, QLD, Australia) “Here We Go Again”
Second Place – Da Candy (Kiev, Ukraine) “Runaway (ft Nathaniel)”

Americana

First Place – Todd Tyler (Aiken, SC, USA) “Run”
Second Place – Brad Anderson (Manchester, England) “Death Do Us Part”

Christian

First Place – Drew Greenway (Henderson, TN, USA) “Walk In The Light”
Second Place – Dave Pettigrew (Ridgewood, NJ, USA) “Undertow”

Country

First Place – Kaylee Bell (Waimate, New Zealand) “Getting Closer”
Second Place – Virginia Creek (Chincoteague, VA, USA) “Kiss Me Sober”

EDM

First Place – Reign (Oshawa, ON, Canada) “Make Me”
Second Place – Pokki DJ (Imperia, Italy) “Remember This Night”

Folk/Singer-Songwriter

First Place – Leon Of Athens (Athens, Greece) “Aeroplane”
Second Place – Ezra Vancil (Dallas, TX, USA) “Complicated Man”

Pop/Top 40

First Place – Adrielle Bow Belle (New York, NY, USA) “Runaway”
Second Place – Carrie Lane (Montclair, NJ, USA) “Drowning”

R&B/Hip-Hop

First Place – Denzil Porter (Bronx, NY, USA) “Time Soon Come”
Second Place – Mayah (Cairns, QLD, Australia) “XO Girl”

Rock

First Place – The Royal Foundry (Sherwood Park, AB, Canada) “Lost In Your Head”
Second Place – Glass Mansions (Columbia, SC, USA) “Just Friends”

Screen Shot

First Place – Big Little Lions (Royston, BC, Canada) “Find Your Tribe”
Second Place – Jayde (Port Hope, ON, Canada) “Perfect Strangers”

Teen

First Place – Hailey Belle (Santa Clarita, CA, USA) “Fall So Easily”
Second Place – Under The Radar (Memphis, TN, USA) “Boom”

Vocal Performance

First Place – Paul Loren (New York, NY, USA) “I Know A Place”
Second Place – Elinor Sitrish (Dimona, Israel) “One Reason”

Fandemonium Winner (winner selected by online public vote) – Haddon Cord (Boise, ID, USA) “A Million Songs”

Unsigned Only is now accepting entries for the 2019 competition. This year, Unsigned Only has added five new categories for artists to enter. The complete list of categories includes: AAA (Adult Album Alternative); AC (Adult Contemporary); Americana; Blues; Christian; Country; EDM; Folk/Singer-Songwriter; Instrumental; Jazz; Latin; Pop/Top 40; R&B/Hip-Hop; Rock; Screen Shot (songs suitable for placment in film, tv, etc.); Teen (for artists 18 years old and younger); Vocal Performance; and World Music.  More information can be found at: https://www.unsignedonly.com.  To hear the winning songs, download low-res photos, and view the complete list of winners, go to: https://www.unsignedonly.com/winners

NEW SINGLES

Our first single this week is from one of our favorite Santa Monica bands, Only Bricks.  Their latest is called “Ordinary,” and we believe the band is anything but.  Check them out and let us know what you think.

Next is the latest from Blue Élan Records artist Amy Wilcox.  Her single is called “Somebody,” and is the second single from her forthcoming EP West.  We can’t wait to hear the rest.

Our third single this week is “Dancing” from Basement Revolver, Ontario, Canada, and we really like this gritty indie rock track.

Our fourth single this week is from Amy Stroup, who was born in Boston and raised in Abilene, Texas.  It’s called “Wild Nights,” and we love it.  What do you think?

Our final single this week is from the amazing R&B/alt pop voice of Thomas Graff.  It’s called “Make it Easy,” and we think that it accurately describes this artist’s future in the business.  Enjoy the groove.

NEW MUSIC VIDEOS

Long time indie giant Greg Laswell is finally releasing a new album on September 21.  The first single from it is called “Royal Empress,” and it was debuted by Los Angeles tastemaker Nic Harcourt  (KCRW) on August 14.  Here’s the lyric video for the song, which we simply love since it reminds us of vintage Springsteen.

Next up is the latest from Satellite Citi, which we introduced to you last year.  The song is entitled “Collide” and that’s what is going to happen soon when the world finds out about this amazing rock band with a lead singer that not only plays drums, but can also compete with Amy Lee.  Enjoy this one!

Our third video this week is from Tim Burlingame and Kathrin Shorr, also known as Sweet Talk Radio.  We really love this beautiful video for “Blue,” and think you will too.

Our next video is “Running” from Daniel Ellsworth and The Great Lakes.  This one has such a chill vibe that we think it is perfect for your Monday.

Time for our final video this week.  We’re closing out without another chill tune from Falcon Jane.  Here’s “Ginger Ale.”  Are you thirsty yet?

Categories
Artists Worth Checking Out LA Music Critic Awards Women in Entertainment

Winners of LA Music Critic Awards for first half of 2018 announced

It was another fantastic run, thanks to the amazing indie artists who shared their talents with us, and also their equally amazing fans.  Since the nominations were announced on June 8, we have had more than 9,000 views on our blog, including nearly 5,000 views of the nominations article.  We received almost 800 comments/votes from the fans in 51 different countries.  You also set a new one-day record with 1,928 views on June 23.  Thanks so much for your support.  Here are the winners for the First Half of 2018 (winners are indicated in bold type):

BEST EP (Male) – Michael Malarkey (Captain Solitaire); Kevin Daniel (Myself Through You); Rich Krueger (Life Ain’t That Long); Eric Benoit (Heartrender); Larry Lacerte (Dreaming of the Ways)

BEST EP (Male International) – Tom Richardson (Promise of the Light); Average Dez (Beautiful Life); Purkinje (Voyager); Jeremy Romeo (All You’re Meant to Be); Saux (Right)

BEST EP (Female)Alezzandra (The Black Rose); Amanda Mair (To the Moon); Kyler England (The Wilderness); Margaret Glaspy (Born Yesterday)

BEST EP (Female International) – Oklou (The Rite of May); Yuki Ame (Anamnesis); Clare Hennessy (April); Violetta Zironi (Half Moon Lane); Elin K (Still Your Desire)

BEST EP (Group) – TIDES (Crossroads); Only Bricks (Foundation); The Spider Accomplice (Los Angeles: The Dichotomy); Tribal Seeds (Roots Party); Wildeor (Wildeor)

BEST EP (Group International) – Calembour (Let the Wind Lead us Home); Ellevator (Ellevator); Mushy Callahan (Revelations); Accent (In This Together); The Dreggs (Seas Embrace); Belle and the Beats (Lose Your Feathers)

BEST CD (Male) – Keith Harkin (In the Round); Rob Bonfiglio (Trouble Again); David Philips (Get Along); Kris Barras (The Divine and Dirty); Frank Hannon (From One Place . . . to Another, Vols 1 & 2); Luke Winslow-King (Blue Mesa)

BEST CD (Male International)Mr. Pong (Echoes Between a Rock and a Hard Place); Jon Allen (Blue Flame); Endre Nordvik (Suburb Hero); Sule (Hold On); Dom Fricot (Deserts)

BEST CD (Female) – Kari Kimmel (Gold & Glitter); Janiva Magness (Love is an Army); Caitlin Canty (Motel Bouquet); Katie Herzig (Moment of Bliss); Leilani Wolfgramm (Live Wire); Cindy Alexander (Nowhere to Hide)

BEST CD (Female International) – Em Joy (The Feast); Bossie (Not Pictured); Kira May (Sense); Lucy Wise (Winter Sun); Esme Bridie (Today it Rains)

BEST CD (Group) – RVZOO & The Sugar Spun Elephant Band (Guiding Star); Hello Stranger (Long Division); The Nightowls (We are the Nightowls); Floods (Bad Times); The Evening Attraction (The End, Again); Southern Halo (Just Like in the Movies)

BEST CD (Group International) – John Flanagan Trio (Honest Man); Lee Ainley’s Blues Storm (Shoot me Down); Vickers Vimy (Atlas of Hearts); Fifth Dawn (Duality); Dany Franchi Band (Problem Child)

BEST VIDEO (OFFICIAL) (Male) – Andy Sydow (“Reasons for Departure”); Sean McMahon (“Show me the Way”); David Garfield (“I Lied”), Keaton Simons (“1 2 3 Go”); Harts (“Ain’t Nothing on Me”); Rob Drabkin (“It’s a Beautiful Day”)

BEST VIDEO (OFFICIAL) (Female) – FlecHaus (“Tell me Something”); Hannah Lucia (“Your Love”); Janey Sttreet (“Undone”); Dree Mon (“Rebel Soul”); Kari Kimmel (“High”); Lucy Levinsohn (“Dear God”)

BEST VIDEO (OFFICIAL) (Group) – The Zephyr Bones (“Telephone”); The Spider Accomplice (“Swallow”); Halo Circus (“Narcissist”); Fanny Walked the Earth (“Lured”); Floods (“Heavy Hearts”)

BEST VIDEO (FOR A CAUSE)Alice Wallace (“Elephant”); riVerse (“Giant”), Ashley DeLima (“Stay in America”)

BEST VIDEO (LYRIC)Janiva Magness (“Home”); Polly Baker (“Scraped Knees”); Foreign Figures (“Heart of Gold”); Cindy Alexander (“Passenger”); A Big Yes and a small no (“Enough is Enough”)

BEST VIDEO (COVER)Frank Hannon (“Blue Sky”); Frank Hannon (“Sunrise in Texas”); Pros & iCons (“I Did Something Bad”)

BEST VIDEO (COLLABORATION) – Blue Elan Family (“Shine Down on Us”); Chelsea Williams and Poco (“Rose of Cimarron”)

BEST VIDEO (INTERNATIONAL) – Black Mamba (“Loop”); Young Galaxy (“Frontier”); DJ Moh Green (“Por Favor”)

BEST SINGLE (Male)Keaton Simons (“1 2 3 Go”); Jesse Dayton (“May Have to do it”); Craig Cardiff (“Okay Cupid”); Johnny Stimson (“End of Times”); Jon Allen (“Jonah’s Whale”)

BEST SINGLE (Female) – Janiva Magness (“Down Below”); Aja Warren (“Show me the Magic”); Kris Angelis (“A Billion Hearts”); Ashley Delima (“Stay in America”); Manda Mosher (“Please Stand By”)

BEST SINGLE (Group) – Delsinki (“Wishing Upon a Star”); Crimson Calamity (“Fool’s Gold”); SIGNY (“Human”); Halo Circus (“Narcissist”); Feel Alright (“Cool Water”)

BEST SINGLE (INTERNATIONAL) – Reichelt (“Seduced by the Light Side”); tantamsound (“Blue”); The Dreggs (“Feel Alive”); Belle and the Beats (“Soldiers of the Night”); South Village (“Say it Now”)

BEST BLUES ARTIST – Janiva Magness, Meg Williams, Victoria Ginty, Peggie Perkins, Luke Winslow-King

BEST BLUES BAND – Ghalia and the Mamas Boys, The Keeshea Pratt Band, Lee Ainley’s Blues Storm, Barrence Whitfield & the Savages,

BEST BLUES (TRADITIONAL) ARTIST/BAND – Reverend Raven and the Chain Smoking Altar Boys, Johnny Tucker, Miss Freddye, Teresa James and the Rhythm Tramps, Peter V Blues Train

BEST BLUEGRASS ARTIST/BAND – Tommy Emmuel, John Flanagan Trio, Becky Buller, Nefesh Mountain, Sideline

BEST CELTIC ARTIST/BAND – Wildeor, Vickers Vimy

BEST COMEBACK ARTIST – Rita Coolidge, Michael Peterson, Fanny Walks the Earth

BEST COMPILATION ALBUM – Worth of Souls; Transference

BEST COUNTRY ARTIST Ruby Boots, McMains, Laura Benitez, Sara Morgan, Kevin Daniel

BEST COUNTRY BAND – Flood County, Steven Casper & Cowboy Angst, Sarah Shook & the Disarmers, Southern Halo

BEST COVER ALBUM – Mark Erelli (Mixtape), Frank Hannon (From One Place . . . to Another, Vols 1 & 2); Craig Cardiff (Upstream Fishing All the Words, He Is – Birthday Cards for Bob Dylan)

BEST EDM/DANCE ARTIST/BAND – Computer Magic, Cultural Critic, Oklou, Saux, Amanda Mair

BEST FOLK ARTIST – Em Joy, Bob Crain, John Hufford, Tom Richardson, Martha Reich

BEST FOLK BAND – The Fisherman & the Sea, The Raven & the Fox, Century Thief, The Dreggs, Mala Ruckus

BEST HARD ROCK/METAL ARTIST/BAND – Tiavara, 1099, Animal Confession, Ovtlier, Ascending Dawn

BEST HIP-HOP/RAP ARTIST/BAND – 070 Shake, Mollys Reech, Camp Hope, Discrepancies

BEST INSTRUMENTAL ARTIST/BAND – mmph, Mr. Pong, Jamison Isaak, Fernando Perdomo, Jay Katana

BEST INTERNATIONAL ARTIST – Tom Richardson, Clare Hennessy, Dom Fricot, Kira May, Jon Allen

BEST INTERNATIONAL BAND – Black Mamba, John Flanagan Trio, Fifth Dawn, The Dreggs, Belle and the Beats

BEST JAZZ ARTIST – Kristina Koller, Shirley Crabbe, Patrick Yandall, John Proulx. Dani Ocean

BEST JAZZ BAND – The Brubeck Brothers Quartet, News from Planet Kniffen, Grand Marquis, Susan Krebs Chamber Band, Roberta Donnay & the Prohibition Mob Band

BEST LATIN ARTIST/BANDAdan Jodorowsky, Dexist, Cheo & Ulises Hadjis

BEST POP ARTISTCindy Alexander, Kari Kimmel, Kyler England, Amanda Mair, Michael Malarkey

BEST POP BAND – Thrillchaser, Viv and the Revival, Floods, Only Bricks, For Esme

BEST PUNK ARTIST/BAND – This is Eggland, The Tracys, Typhoid Rosie, Sharp/Shock, Johnny & the Bootlegs

BEST R&B/SOUL ARTIST – Marieme, Ann, Jon Allen

BEST R&B/SOUL BAND – Ghost & the City, TIDES, The Nightowls, Ebb & Flow Band, Into the Ark

BEST REGGAE ARTIST/BAND – Freevolt, Super Hi-Fi, Tribal Seeds, Leilani Wolfgramm, Sly & Robbie meet Dubmatix

BEST RETRO ARTIST/BANDThe Evening Attraction, The Swinging Laurels

BEST ROCK ARTIST – Malina Moye, Alezzandra, Adrian Underhill, Margaret Glaspy, David Hopkins

BEST ROCK BAND – The Spider Accomplice, Hello Stranger, ROCKET, Fifth Dawn, Black Mamba, Halo Circus

BEST ROOTS/AMERICANA ARTIST – Alison Ferrier, Caitlin Canty, Jenny Van West, Elise Wunder, Gerry Spehar, McMains

BEST ROOTS/AMERICANA BAND – Acadian Driftwood, Under the Oak, County Well, Bay Station, Porlolo

BEST SINGER-SONGWRITER – Average Dez, Caleb Michael, Katie Vincent, Michael McDermott, Jenny Van West, Mike Vitale

BEST MOVIE SOUNDTRACK COMPOSITIONChristiane Kinney with additional music by Seán Kinney

BEST SOUTHERN ROCK ARTIST/BAND – Blackwater Lake, James Scott Bullard, David Fitzpatrick, Allman Goldflies Band

RISING STAR – Jamie Geston, Ray Goren, Rachel Arianna

Last, but definitely not least, is the FAN FAVORITE AWARD.  This one is solely nominated and voted on by the fans.  We received 18 nominations this year.  For the first two weeks, it was a neck and neck battle between Ashley DeLima and Peggie Perkins.  Four days before voting ending the fans of KEITH HARKIN woke up and voted relentlessly until the deadline, making him the winner.  Rounding out the top five were (in reverse order):  HELLO STRANGER, RACHEL ARIANNA, PEGGIE PERKINS, and ASHLEY DeLIMA.

Thanks again for your support.  We are already at work on the second half of 2018, and already have more than 100 submissions.  We will return with our reviews next Tuesday.

Categories
Artists Worth Checking Out Awards LA Music Critic Awards Women in Entertainment

Winners of LA Music Critic Awards for second half of 2017

Thank you for your enthusiastic response to this round of nominations for the LA Music Critic Awards.  Last July, when we announced the winners for the first half of 2017, we thought we had reached a pinnacle in fan support, but you blew that away this time around.  In a two week period, there were 5,725 views of the nominations article on our blog and 7,996 total views from 59 countries.  You left a mindboggling 864 comments that included the nomination of 30 artists for the Fan Favorite Award.  Thank you for your support of indie music.

The second annual Winners Showcase will take place in June in Los Angeles.  Watch for more details.

Before we get started with the announcement of the winners, we wanted to add in a couple of special awards.  It has become more and more obvious of the value of promotion for an indie artist.  They can either do it all themselves or hire a professional publicist.  We wanted to give some credit and recognition to those who promote.

LA MUSIC CRITIC PUBLICISTS “SEAL OF APPROVAL”  – We have worked with a lot of publicists this year, and are happy to give our “Seal of Approval” to two of them who have truly stepped up for their clients – ABIK Promotions and Frank Roszak Promotions.  They now join the previous recipients of this award, including Doug Deutsch Publicity Services, Red Boot PR, Noisy Ghost PR, MAD Ink PR and KG Music Press.

BEST SELF-PROMOTION – We received a lot of submissions from artists doing their own promotion, and we were impressed by the quality of their work.  Among those we noticed were Ben Anderson, Andrea Harsell & Luna Roja, and Kate Steinway, but the award this year goes to The Khourys.

Without further ado, here are the results for the second half of 2017.  Winners are indicated with BOLD type.

BEST EP (Male)Ryan Sims, My Side of the Story; Sam Marine, Big Dark City; Ben Anderson, YouTopia; Matt Westerman, Life Out Loud; Vinnie Paolizzi, Kids

BEST EP (Female) – Jacquie, The Only One; Katie Costello, New World; Cara Frew, Dance; Helen Culver, Seven Year Glitch; Libbie Schrader, Red Thread

BEST EP (Group) – Mare Island, Eponymous; TYA, No Money, More Love; RVBY My Dear, Cycles; Social Repose, Empress; Surf Rock is Dead, We Have No Friends?

BEST EP (International) – House Hounds, Saturate; Wolf & Moon, Frames; HUNDREDS, Wilderness; The Raft; Orion; The Raft, A Lullaby

BEST CD (Male) – Canyon City, Constellation; Chuck McDermott, Gin & Rosewater; Case Garrett, Aurora; Rusty Young, Waitin’ for the Sun; Bryan Stephens, Village of Dreams

BEST CD (Female) – Monica Chapman, Small World; Chelsea Williams, Boomerang; Cindy Alexander, Deep Waters; Marina V, Born to the Stars; Katie Costello, Twice the Love; Amilia K. Spicer, Wow and Flutter

BEST CD (Group) – The Commotions, Vol 2; Great Willow, Find Yourself in Los Angeles; Andrea Harsell and Luna Roja, Something for the Pain; FreeWorld, What it Is; Chris Daniels and the Kings, Blues with Horns

BEST HOLIDAY ALBUM – Katie Garibaldi, Home Sweet Christmas; Balsam Range, It’s Christmas Time; Jennifer Hanson, Under the Tree; Beth Marie Anderson, Christmas with You; Bloodshot Records, 13 Days of Xmas; Blue Elan Records, A Blue Elan Christmas

BEST VIDEO (OFFICIAL) (Male)Matt Hawkins, Steel Ya Blues; Brandon Bonine, Remember my Name; Canyon City, Midnight Flight; Josh Johnstone, Just What it is; Rod Melancon, Dwayne & Me

BEST VIDEO (OFFICIAL) (Female) – Janey Street, Undone; Dree Mon, Rebel Soul; Lexie Rose, Wrong; Katie Costello, Hearts on Fire; Rachel Ariana, Imperfect; Suzanne Santos, Ghost in my Bed

BEST VIDEO (OFFICIAL) (Group) – FlecHaus, Tell me Something; Satellite Citi, Undead; Elizabeth and the Catapult, Ambrosia; Oh Geronomo, No More Stones; Pet Fangs, Gold Coast Dreaming; The Flatlines, Indoors

BEST VIDEO (LIVE) – Sierra Blanca, Paint the Road; Bernie Faulkner, Potbelly Stove; CALICO the Band, The Leaving Kind; Rosi Golan, Underneath; Chelsea Williams, Anything Worth Saving

BEST VIDEO (LYRIC) – Mellott, Shooting Stars; Rachel Price, Love is War; The Rebel Light, Where did all the Love Go; Chris Chilton, Adonai; Jared Finck, New Kids

BEST VIDEO (HOLIDAY) – Redhead Express, Love is Christmas; Chelsea Williams, Peppermints and Mistletoe; Kate Steinway, White Christmas; Pam Taylor, Let’s Get it on for Christmas

BEST VIDEO (INTERNATIONAL)Straw, Bang Bang; Straw, 1965; Captive (ft. Hannah Trigwell), I Could be the One

BEST VIDEO (COLLABORATION)Blue Elan Artists, Shine Down on Us; David Garfield and J. Paris, I Lied; Beckett and Claire Ridgely, Butterflies

BEST SINGLE (Male)Mikey Wax, “Spaceman;” Zvchvivh, “Think of Me;” Tim Maiden, “So Far Gone;” Matt Zambon, “Blue and Yellow;” Jason Crosby, “Final Step”

BEST SINGLE (Female) – Hannah Lucia, “Your Love;” Heather Bonds, “Keep it Quiet;” Ashleigh Watson, “Little Love;” Liz Kennedy (ft. Taj Mahal), “Everyone Knows how it Goes”

BEST SINGLE (Group) – Featurette, “Upside Down;” Delsinki, “Wishing Upon a Star;” Echo City, “Burn Me;” Astral Queen, “Take it all the Way;” The Sound of Ghosts, “Train to Nowhere”

BEST INTERNATIONAL ARTIST/BAND – The Fisherman and the Sea, Belle Miners, The Raft, HUNDREDS, Wolf & Moon

BEST COUNTRY ARTISTCase Garrett, Tim Bennett, Whitney Lusk, Kaylee Keller, Ryan Sims

BEST COUNTRY BANDCALICO the Band, Steve Azar and the Kings Men, Honey County

BEST BLUES ARTISTPam Taylor, John Verity, Stacy Jones, Alastair Greene, R. D. Olson, Dave Hunt

BEST BLUES BAND – Paradise Kings, FreeWorld, Andrea Harsell and Luna Roja, BB and the Blues Shacks, Chris Daniels and the Kings, The McKee Brothers

BEST POP ARTIST (FEMALE) – Marina V, Cindy Alexander, Katie Costello, Alex Mabey, Maggie McClure, Rosi Golan

BEST POP ARTIST (MALE)Curtis Peoples, Fernando Perdomo, Matt Westerman, Bryan Stephens, Ben Anderson, LeRiche

BEST POP BAND – Flood Coats, Seasonal Beast, Elizabeth and the Catapult, Warbly Jets, High Dive Heart, Laini and the Wildfire

BEST ROCK ARTIST – Billy Burnette, Rusty Young, Ben Lorentzen, Russ Carrick, Robert Francis, Peter Simpson

BEST ROCK BANDThe Khourys, Surf Rock is Dead, Social Repose, The Slants, Xs and Arrows, Dopapod

BEST R&B/SOUL ARTISTRay Goren, Leslie Clio, Zoey Clarke, Louise Lemon

BEST R&B/SOUL/RETRO BANDThe Marias, The Commotions, Burgess Meredith

BEST ROOTS/AMERICANA ARTIST (FEMALE) – Lydia Loveless, Shannon McNally, Liz Kennedy, Chelsea Williams, Amilia K. Spicer, Suzanne Santos

BEST ROOTS/AMERICANA ARTIST (MALE) – Rich McCulley, Marc Berger, Chuck McDermott, Jason Hawk Harris, Sam Marine, Vinnie Paolizzi

BEST ROOTS/AMERICANA BANDGreat Willow, The County Liners, JD and the Straight Shot, The Empty Pockets, Dead Rock West

BEST BLUEGRASS ARTIST/BAND – The Jerry Douglas Band, The Grascals, My Girl My Whiskey and Me, Tommy Emmanuel and David Grisman

BEST JAZZ/INSTRUMENTAL ARTIST/BAND – Tout, Noon, Monica Chapman, John McLaughlin, KRON

BEST DANCE ARTIST/BAND – The Innocent Bystanders, TYA, Elephant Stone, Niteshifters, Cara Frew

BEST REGGAE ARTIST/BANDNever Ending Fall

BEST PUNK BAND – Franks and Deans, Emmer Effer, Hang Tight, The Paranoid Style

BEST HARD ROCK/METAL BAND – SBK, Vacant Home, Aviator, The Black Hand, Downfall 2012

BEST FOLK ARTIST – Ben Bostick, Canyon City, Garrison Starr, Fred Smith, Sierra Blanca, Brandon Luedtke

BEST FOLK BANDTony Lovato and MEST, Fire Chief Charlie, Amber Run, Nescora, FXRRVST

BEST TRADITIONAL FOLK BANDStorywrens, The East Pointers

BEST PROG ROCK ARTIST/BANDOrissa, Dave Kerzner

RISING STAR – Ray Goren, Kaylee Keller, Rachel Arianna, Gina Sicilia, Chelsea Williams

FAN FAVORITE:   This year’s competition was fierce, with 30 artists nominated.  However, it came down to a battle between two artists, and went neck and neck until the final day.  In fifth place was Flechaus.  Kate Steinway took fourth place by a slim margin to third place finisher Andrea Harsell & Luna Roja.  Second place goes to The Khourys.  This year’s winner is RACHEL ARIANNA.

Thank you all for voting and for your support of indie music.  We’ll be back on Monday with our next edition of Monday Mashup.  Have a great weekend.

Categories
Artists Worth Checking Out Awards LA Music Critic Awards Women in Entertainment

Announcement of LA Music Critic Award winners for first half of 2017

Wow.  Color us impressed.  The article revealing the nominations for the LA Music Critic Awards for the first half of 2017 has set records for Indie Voice Blog.  During the past two weeks, the article alone generated 3,706 views in 36 different countries, who left a staggering 526 comments.  Overall, our blog has seen 4,523 total views during the same two week period.  We thank you for your support of indie music.  Without further ado, here are the winners for the first half of 2017.  The winner’s name is indicated in bold type.

BEST EP (Male) – Joe Goodkin (Record of Loss); Ed Prosek (Flesh and Blood Part 1); Ian Mahan (Rockford); Ray Goren (Free)

BEST EP (Female) – Meresha (Enter the Dreamland); Carrie Lane (California Freaks); Kris Angeles (Heartbreak is Contagious)

BEST EP (Group) – Gold Casio (Fever Dreams); Stereo Off (EP III); Echo Underground (Vows); Rococode (Young Ones); The Wild Now (Afterglow)

BEST CD (Male) – Chris Shifflett (West Coast Tour); Rod Melancon (Southern Gothic); David Ryan Harrris (Songs for Other People); AJ Hobbs (Too Much is Never Enough); Jared Tyler (Dirt on Your Hands)

BEST CD (Female)Janey Street (In my Own Skin); Wendy Sweetlove (Dirty Sunday); Sara Petite (The Road Less Traveled); Jennifer Vazquez (Rediscovering Me); Amilia K. Spicer (Wow and Flutter)

BEST CD (Group) – The American West (The Soot Will Bring us Back Again); Jeffrey Halford and the Healers (Lo-fi Dreams); King Washington (Potential); The Dream Eaters (We are a Curse); The Show Ponies (How it all Goes Down); Breaking Grass (Warning Signs)

BEST VIDEO (OFFICIAL) (Male) – Curtis Peoples (“Damage Control”); Dario (“Good Morning World”); Jared Tyler (“Dirt on Your Hands”); Rod Melancon (“Different Man”); Chris Shiflett (“Sticks and Stones”); Michael Hornbuckle (“Angel”)

BEST VIDEO (OFFICIAL) (Female) – MILCK (“Quiet”); Alice Wallace (“The Same Old Song”); Shannon Hurley (“Someday”); See (“Green Line Killer”); Marina V (“Born to the Stars”); Cindy Alexander (“Deep Waters”)

BEST VIDEO (OFFICIAL) (Group) – Backbone (“Supa Waz Guy”); The Wild Now (“Run for Your Life”); The Show Ponies (“Kalamazoo”); Halo Circus (“Band Aid”); King Washington (“My Reflection”)

BEST VIDEO (LIVE) – Jerad Finck (“Pieces of April”); The Spider Accomplice (“User”); Chelsea Williams (“Boomerang”); Gabe Dixon (Balcony TV) (“Holding Her Freedom”); Lucy and La Mer (Balcony TV) (“Honey, Put Your Weapons Down”)

BEST VIDEO (LYRIC)The Spider Accomplice (“Atmosphere”); Gerry Beckley (“Serious”); Jennifer Vazquez (“Rocked”); Jennifer Vazquez (“Worst Enemy”); Gigi Rich (“All in my Head”)

BEST VIDEO (COVER)Alexis Keegan (“When Doves Cry”/”Purple Rain”); The Daybreaks (“Nothing Compares 2 U”); Dave Yaden (“Humble”); Frank Shiner (“Rainy Night in Georgia”)

BEST VIDEO (COMEDY)Scout Durwood (“All the Pretty Bottles”); Scout Durwood (“Take One Thing Off”); Un5Gettable (“Honest Singing Telegrams – part 2”)

BEST VIDEO (COLLABORATION) – Curtis Peoples & Marie Digby (“Not Enough Drugs”); Frank and Lindsay Shiner (“When Something is Wrong With my Baby”); DJ Polique (ft. Snoop Dog, Follow Your Instinct and Jacob Luttrell) (“Dimes Only”)

BEST SINGLE (Male) – Curtis Peoples (“Damage Control”); Frank Shiner (“Rainy Night in Georgia”), Jerad Finck (“New Kids”)

BEST SINGLE (Female)Susan Calloway (“No Time for This”); Marina V (“Born to the Stars”), Kanisha K (“Bet on Me”); DANI Le Rose (“I’ve Told Lies”); Wendy Sweetlove (“Delilah”)

BEST SINGLE (Group) – Brit Royal (“Change”); Basement Revolver (“Tree Trunks”); FlecHaus (“What We’ve Got”); Breaking Grass (“Annie”); Birds and Arrows (“Stay Down”)

BEST COUNTRY ARTISTAlice Wallace, Jennifer Vazquez, Rod Melancon, AJ Hobbs, Warren Sellers, Tara Dente

BEST COUNTRY BAND – Calico the Band, Honey County

BEST BLUES ARTIST – Janiva Magness, Gina Sicilia

BEST BLUES BANDPolly O’Keary & the Rhythm Method, Papermoon Gypsys

BEST FUSION ARTIST/BAND – Mitre, Nancy Sanchez, San Miguel

BEST POP ARTIST – Shannon Hurley, David Ryan Harris, Wendy Sweetlove, Meresha, Ian Mahan

BEST POP BANDLovers and Poets, The Dream Eaters, The Wild Now, Rococode, Single by Sunday

BEST ROCK ARTISTJaney Street, Lizard McGee, Jack Spann

BEST ROCK BANDThe Spider Accomplice, Desert Culture, Husky, Hayride Casualties, Banditos

BEST R&B/SOUL ARTIST – Ray Goren, Derek Davis

BEST ROOTS/AMERICANA ARTISTAmilia K. Spicer, Sara Petite, Chris Shiflett, Jared Tyler, Pi Jacobs

BEST ROOTS/AMERICANA BANDThe Show Ponies, The American West, Imaginary Friends, Jeffrey Halford and the Healers

BEST BLUEGRASS BANDBreaking Grass

BEST JAZZ ARTIST – Dave Yaden, Irene Diaz

BEST REGGAE BANDRoots of Creation, 9 Mile Roots

BEST COMEDYScout Durwood, Jeff Simmermon, Un5Gettable

RISING STAR – Meresha, Jamey Geston, Bess, Kaylee Keller, Ray Goren

MOST SUPPORTIVE INDIE LABELBlue Élan Records

MEGHAN TRAINOR AWARD (Indie Artist Most Likely to Become a Household Name) – Jerad Finck

FAN FAVORITE – What a flurry of opinions for this year’s Fan Favorite artist.  In all 38 artists were nominated, but the focus seemed to be on five of them.  Honorable mention goes to Rod Melancon, Sara Petite, Breaking Grass, Pi Jacobs, Warren Sellers, The Spider Accomplice, Roots of Creation and DJ Polique, each of which garnered at least 10 votes.  When the smoke cleared, however, FlecHaus squeaked out a victory over Dario by only two votes, with Polly O’Keary and Janey Street tied for third and just six votes behind.  Wendy Sweetlove rounds out the Top Five vote getters.

Thanks again for all of your support of indie music.  Now it’s time to get back to reviewing the CDs submitted for the second  half of the year, along with live performance reviews and our weekly Monday Mashup column.

Categories
Artists Worth Checking Out Interviews LA Music Critic Awards Women in Entertainment

Getting to know the 2016 LA Music Critic Award winners – Allison Iraheta

Over the past few years, we have had the chance to see quite a few of our indie music friends take the national stage on American Idol and The Voice, including Brooke White, Tony Lucca, Katrina Parker, and Justin Hopkins, to name a few.  However, this is the first time that we have become friends with an artist who has gone indie after appearing on one of those shows.  Thanks to Patrick O’Heffernan for introducing us.

We had a delightful time interviewing Allison Iraheta, who appeared on season 8 of American Idol and was originally signed to Jive Records.  Many of her greatest achievements, though, have been accomplished after she became an indie artist.  Iraheta was the winner of the Best Pop/Rock Female Artist for the first half of 2016, primarily on the strength of her band’s single, “Desire (Lo Que Vale La Pena).”  Iraheta and Halo Circus also finished second in the Fan Favorite category.

IVB:  How long have you been performing?

AI:  Since I was six years old when I got my first gig at an opening for a department store.  I sang a ranchera song.  I was also a big fan of Selena, but unlike her, I grew up in South Central Los Angeles, and primarily spoke Spanish, being the child of Salvadorian parents.  We were surrounded by a true cultural mix of music.  I loved the emotion behind rancheras music, which in turn became the inspiration for our current music.  I recently turned 24.

IVB:   Who are your influences?

AI:  My first big influence was Linda Ronstadt, especially her album “Canciones de mi Padre.”  My dad also turned me on to Paul Williams.  Other artists that inspired me included Amy Winehouse, Roy Orbison, Brenda Lee, PJ Harvey, and Radiohead  This definitely led to our music being very diverse.  We didn’t have to be stuck with one sound but were able to show a myriad of colors.

IVB:   What made you decide to DIY?

AI:  I didn’t really have much of a choice.  As you know, I was signed to Jive Records just as the old music business began to fall apart.  There were lots of job upheavals and a change in the rules, affecting the whole industry.  I was actually dropped by Jive in the middle of my tour and found out about it via Twitter.  I was only 18, but decided to finish out the tour.  It was in shock, having gone from nothing to successful and then back again.  Once I got back from tour, I didn’t know where I was musically, and felt lost, not sure what to do anymore.  I did a few demos to make money and was very close to giving up on the industry.  I felt betrayed and injured and was not yet aware of the DIY side of the industry.  However, I don’t hold any resentments and am still friends with some of those same industry people.

I met Matthew (Hager) when I was doing a demo for a song he was pitching to Carrie Underwood.  We started writing together and I returned to my roots to find inspiration.  Everything we were doing sounded like it needed to be done by a band, which led to the formation of Halo Circus in 2013.  The support we have received is what has propelled us to where we are now, and new opportunities are happening all the time.  Everyone in the band is a veteran musician.  Matthew was a No. 1 Billboard multi-platinum producer who crossed multiple genres working with the likes of Duran Duran, Scott Weiland, Mindi Abair, and Mandy Moore.  Brian Stead was and is a relentless guitar aficionado who evokes energy and charisma.  In addition to being an accomplished Cantonese and orchestral drummer, Veronica Bellino worked with Jeff Beck and DMC of Run DMC before leaving Halo Circus.  She was replaced by Stead’s friend, Matteo Eyia.  

Magic happens in this band.  It happened when we were writing, when we were recording, and when we were failing.  The only thing that mattered was keeping it honest and getting it right, whatever that meant. We may be inconvenient, but we continue to attract believers.

IVB:  Do you want to go back to being a mainstream artist?

AI:  There is a balance to moving on from the previous level of exposure to the creative freedom we have now.  We believe we can return to that level, but on our own terms.  We are doing it through the back channel and believe that is a better way for us to return.  We love what is happening in the indie scene.

Last February, we shocked the music industry when we announced in Billboard Magazine that we would be embarking on the first fully crowd-sourced American tour ever to be attempted on such a large scale.  With the help of our fans and Road Nation, the program that allowed this format, we reached full funding just nine weeks later, and confirmed a tour of 30 cities.

IVB:  What are your future plans? 

AI:  We are definitely going back on tour in the not too distant future.  We would love to revisit some of the places where we played on our last tour.  We have some new stuff on the horizon and are so proud of those who have supported us from the beginning.  There will be surprises and thank you’s and fun stuff for everyone.

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

AI.  During the tour we were scheduled to play a show in Orlando during Hurricane Matthew.  We played the show despite the weather.  When we got to the venue under very gray clouds, there were about 30 of our fans waiting for us with signs proclaiming “End of the World” show.  We lost our AirBnB reservation for the night due to the storm, and had no place to stay after the show.  Consequently, we started heading out of Orlando, but couldn’t find anyplace open that had gas or water.  We did finally find some gas, and just kept driving until we found a hotel where we could stay.  It was a scary time and we saw cars driving on the wrong side of the road, trying to get away from the storm.

IVB:  What is the significance of the rabbit?

AI:  It represented humans for me during the writing of our first album Bunny.  I seemed to notice them everywhere.  The totem for bunny meant prey, with their fluffy tails for hawks to see, but they are also very cute, adorable and fast.  I came to the conclusion that the prettier you are, the more different you are, the more likely you are to become prey.

IVB:  What social media do you use?

AI:  I have a Facebook page with a link to the band’s website.  I also use Twitter and Instagram, and of course we have a channel on YouTube, all of which our fans can subscribe to or follow.

Categories
Artists Worth Checking Out Awards LA Music Critic Awards

Announcement of LA Music Critic Award winners for second half of 2016

If we haven’t said this enough, 2016 was a banner year for indie music.  Indie artists were recognized for Grammy nominations and wins, as well as crashing into the Billboard Top 40 charts.  In addition, 2017 is looking like a continuation of this indie tide.

Save the date of June 21, 2017 for the first LIVE awards show celebrating the best of the LA Music Critic Awards, to be held in Los Angeles.  We’ll have performances by some of your favorites as well as give out awards reflecting the best of the best.  More details will be available as the event is finalized.

Back to the present, where we are so thrilled to finally be able to announce to  you the winners of the second half of 2016 for the LA Music Critic Awards.

Here we go . . .

Best EP Female: Katie Costello (From the Vault), Amie Miriello (Seeya When I Seeya), Gina Sicilia (Sunset Avenue)

Best EP Male:  McDougall (Reaching for Some Light), Year of Suns (Songs for Silence)

Best EP Band:  Stereo Off (EP III), The Spider Accomplice (LA:  The Abduction), JERK (Jerk)

Best CD Female:  Camille Bloom (Pieces of Me), Lauren Adams (Somewhere Else), Sonia Rao (Meet Them at the Door), Janey Street (Janey Street), Cindy Alexander (Deep Waters), Kari Kimmel (Poppyfields)

Best CD Male:  Sharif (Tangled Dreams and Empty Bottles), Bobbo Byrnes (Motel Americana), Patrick Joseph (Hindsight), Josh Farrow (Trouble Walks With Me), Michael Hornbuckle (Soul Repo)

Best CD Band: Streets of Laredo (Wild), Spiritual Rez (Setting in the West), The Congress (The Game), Spelling Reform (No One’s Ever Changed), Daddy Issues (Handle It)

Best Christmas Single:  Shannon Hurley ft. Brandon Schott (“Fairytale of New York”), Cindy Alexander (“Christmas Song”), Katie Garibaldi (“Tomorrow is Christmas Morning”), Frank Shiner (“Please Come Home for Christmas”), Kaylee Keller (“Christmas in Your Arms”)

Best Video (Holiday):  Katie Garibaldi (“Tomorrow is Christmas Morning”), Redhead Express (“Away in a Manger”), Frank Shiner (“Please Come Home for Christmas”)

Best Video (cover):  No Small Children (“Ghostbusters”), Redhead Express (“Chocolate on my Tongue”), Redhead Express (“Clean”)

Best Video (live):  Patrick Joseph (“Piece of Your Love”), India Carney (“You”), Mitch Hayes (“All Fall Down”), The Congress (“Oh Babe”)

Best Video (lyric):  Jess Penner (“Together”), War and Pierce (“On and On”), Mikey Wax (“Helium”)

Best Video (official) Female:   Lucy Woodward (“Live Live Live”), Alexis Keegan (“Empty Heart”), Camille Bloom (“Pieces of Me”), Caitlin Eadie (“Don’t Want to Be”), Alyssa Jacey (“I Want it to Rain”), Shannon Hurley (“Heartbeat on the Radio”), Katie Garibaldi (“Delightful”)

Best Video (official) Male:   Jon Mullane (“Born Beautiful”), Dan Franklin (“Live to Dream Again”), Brian Travis (“Shipwreck”)

Best Video (official) Band:   The Spider Accomplice (“You Still Lie”), The Show Ponies (“The Time it Takes”), Spiritual Rez ft. Hirie (“Together Always”), The Congress (“Home Again”), Roots of Creation (“Struggle”), Sleep Machine (“Animal High”)

Best Video (Collaboration):  Earwig and Lydia Loveless (“Wasted on You”)

Best Rock Band:  The Spider Accomplice, Daddy Issues, Pollen Rx, Sleep Machine

Best Pop Band:  Lovers and Poets, Foxtraxx, The Congress, Ray and Remora, No Nets

Best Country/Americana Band:  Elouise Deep Water, The Show Ponies, Riddle and the Stars, Honey County

Best Reggae Band:  Roots of Creation, Spiritual Rez

Best Pop/Rock Male Artist: Patrick Joseph, Year of Suns, McDougall, Mikey Wax

Best Pop/Rock Female Artist:  Jess Penner, Katie Costello, Cindy Alexander, Janey Street, Camille Bloom

Best Blues Artist:  Peach & the Almost Blues Band, The King Brothers, Papermoon Gypsys, Michael Hornbuckle

Best Country/Americana Artist:  Alice Wallace, Lauren Adams, Brian Travis, Katie Garibaldi, Mitch Hayes

Best Jazz Artist:  Lucy Woodward, Nancy Sanchez

Rising Star:  Juliana Wilson, Meresha, Kaylee Keller, Rachel Brett

Fan Favorite:  Once again the fans were very vocal in support of their favorite artist.  Early indications were that it would be a landslide for Eloise Black Water, but she and her band were overtaken by the rabid fans of Janey Street and Papermoon Gypsys.  Cindy Alexander fans even made a dark horse attempt, but they were unable to overcome the previous three.  When the dust cleared, Papermoon Gypsys rose to the top, followed by Janey Street, Eloise Black Water and Cindy Alexander.  Other artists nominated included Michael Hornbuckle, Mitch Hayes, Peach, Daddy Issues, and Jon Mullane.

Icon Award:  This award did not draw much attention this year, so it was left to the committee to pick a winner.  Looking back on the past few years, one name kept coming to the top for their ardent support of their clients, their clear presence in the world, their drive and their diligence to their craft.  This year’s Icon Award winner is Laura Goldfarb of Red Boot PR.

Most Supportive PR Firm:  Doug Deutsch Publicity Services

Most Supportive Indie Label:  Blue Élan Records

Most Impressive Crowdfunding Campaign:  Clare Means

Best Use of Patreon Platform:  Marina V

Most Likely to go Mainstream:  Jerad Finck

Most Deserving of Indie Music Hall of Fame:  Janey Street

Categories
Artists Worth Checking Out Awards

Getting to know the 2016 LA Music Critic Award winners – Marina V

We’re nearing the end of our series of interviews with the winners of the LA Music Critic Awards for the first half of 2016.  Today’s interview is special for us because we have been friends with this artist since 2001 when she first moved to Los Angeles from Illinois.  We knew she was special then and over the past 15 years the world has also learned of her unique talent.  She has toured extensively throughout the United States, Europe and the UK, as well as playing to large crowds in her native Moscow.  We are talking, of course, of the amazing Russian singer-songwriter named Marina V, who took home the prize for Best Video (live) with a stirring performance of her song, “Beautiful Forever.”

Grab a glass of your favorite wine, put on your favorite tunes, and sit back and learn things about the incredible talent known as Marina V.  As you would expect from our history, this is a long one.

IVB:  How long have you been performing?

MV:  I’ve been performing for only 17 years, but I’ve been writing songs as long as I can remember and singing before I was talking, according to my mom.  I was very shy for many years and wouldn’t perform until I met Nick (my husband), who encouraged me to share my songs with people.  I was attending Illinois College, where they had a talent competition.  I entered and sang my song before the entire campus and won first prize.  But more importantly, people came up to me afterwards and told me how much they loved my song and wanted to get it.  One girl even cried because the song meant as much to her as it did to me.  That statement made an impact with my soul because I realized that my music could affect others just like it affected me.  My music could bring pleasure to others and not just be therapy to me.  That was my catalyst to start performing.  I met you in 2001 at a Songsalive showcase at the old Club Lingerie in Hollywood

IVB:  Who are your influences?

MV:  For anyone that knows me, my primary influence has always been The Beatles, who always inspired me when I was young.   I am also a huge fan of Russian folk music.  Later I began following Jewel and Tori Amos, and discovered my true love for females in music.  Tori is a genius.  Of course, Paul McCartney is one of the greatest influences of all time, and Lennon and McCartney were the most amazing collaboration of all time.

IVB:  What made you decide to DIY?

MV:  It was not a conscious decision.  I realized I wanted to perform and didn’t know what to do, so I went online and searched out singer songwriters who were performing to try to find out what to do next.  It was support from my fellow students that led to my first record.   I learned a valuable lesson about crowd-funding and used email to send to all the students and faculty to pre-order my first CD.  I raised enough to sell 1,000 copies at $10 each.   After I finished that first record, I started sending it to labels and booking agents, but didn’t get much of a response.  I still had the passion and determination so I decided to just do it myself.   My goal was to reach people with my music and maybe reach someone at a label so I wouldn’t have to do it all by myself.   I moved to LA after college because I understood that LA was to be the place to be.

IVB:  Are you seeking to be a mainstream artist?

MV:  Yes.  My dream and my goal has always been to reach as many people as possible with my music.  I need the machine and marketing that you can’t really do on your own unless you have the resources of a label.  My music is pop rock, and my song “You Make me Beautiful” was a top 40 hit in Brazil where I’m right there on the charts with Beyonce and Katy Perry.  On my own I can’t do everything I envision, but I’m doing all that I can at the moment.  That is my true dream and vision.

IVB:  What are your future plans?

MV:  No fucking idea!  I honestly don’t know.  I just keep doing what I’m doing.  I just finished a wonderful and very successful tour in Europe, and I’m very proud of that.  I’ve been working on my “2 Songs a Month Club” through Patreon, and am actively pursuing getting my songs on television and in commercials.  I’m working to get to play more and more places in an effort to reach more fans.   I want to do vinyl print of my album Superhero.  I keep talking to various publishers to get the help I need to make it to the next level.  In the mean time, I’m really living life, travelling, working for myself and getting to love it all.   I think I’m definitely working very hard to move on up.  I think I’m at the top of what an indie artist can do by themselves, and am very hopeful for the future.

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

MV:  I got a really sweet deal from a local dealership who sponsored us with the car we used for our C to Shining Sea tour.  I also once had a fan give me $10,000 to work on an album.  I was doing crowd funding before that was a word.  I love inventing new ways to find support for my music.  All of it brings me closer to my fans and brings me great joy because I get to be a part of my fans’ joy.  Without the support of my fans I would be nowhere.

I’m currently doing dinner concerts where I cook them a gourmet meal and then play their requests.  Another time we had a fan that offered us support, which included fixing some appliances in our home and helping us build a fence around our house.  He never charged us for his labor although we did split the materials cost.  That’s what fan interaction is all about.  I’m also working on editing a video of our tour from Europe.  We did the same thing for our C to Shining Sea tour.

IVB:  How can your fans find out more about you?

MV:  The best place is my website.  They can also check out my Facebook page, join my Komrades group on Facebook, follow me on Twitter and Instagram, and subscribe to my YouTube channel.

If they can’t make it out to see me live, I’m doing an online residency on Ampli.fy during the month of September.

Categories
Artists Worth Checking Out Awards

Getting to know the 2016 LA Music Critic Award winners – Lovers and Poets

We’re getting near the end of this series with only six more interviews left to do.  Today we’re talking with the dynamic duo of Shannon Hurley and Ben Eisen, otherwise know as Lovers and Poets.  The duo won two awards – Best Video (official) Band for “You+ Me in the Summer” and Best CD (Band) for II.

Our connection with this artist goes back more than 10 years, and we have seen a lot of growth along the way, both in the solo career of Hurley and in the formation and rise of Lovers and Poets.

I still remember fondly the first time I heard them perform at an industry conference in Nashville.  I knew then that this pairing would be ideal and that this group had a future ahead of them.

So, sit back, grab a glass of wine, and learn things about the simply amazing band known as Lovers and Poets.  Please note that Eisen was unable at the time of the interview, so all comments came from Hurley, his better half.

IVB:  How long have you been performing?

L&P:  I started my solo career in 2001.  I first began going to open mics with only four songs in my catalog.  Ben had to drive me around everywhere since I didn’t have a car.  Speaking of Ben, we first met in 2001 when we were playing together in a Duran Duran tribute band.  Lovers and Poets came about in 2008 when we were living in Nashville.  Along the way, we also created the Don’t Call us Tori singer-songwriter showcase series 2004.  Some of the first artists to play in that series were Jordana, Colleen Grace and Marina V (who will be interviewed next week).  Bob (aka me) was a big part of that series, hosting the showcases and helping me book the artists, while Steven Leavitt (another friend and co-founder) ran the sound.  The showcases ended shortly before Ben and I moved to Nashville.  We also played the early days of Hotel Café before the venue became as big as it is today.   We’re now happy to be back playing their Second Stage.  It’s truly a shame to see all the small intimate venues in LA going away.  Ben has been involved in LA Soul Project and prefers to be part of an ensemble.  He is happy to be a key player in others’ successes.

IVB:  Who are your influences?

L&P:  As a band, our influences were groups like Belle and Sebastian, Morcheeba, Portishead, really any British and trip-hop/90’s bands whose music includes samples and really good beat.  Others that have influenced us include Bird and the Bee (especially Greg Kurstin, who has worked with Adele and Kelly Clarkson), and most recently,  Moby.  My personal influences were The Beatles (I learned all their songs on piano and guitar), Kate Bush and Tori Amos (a big influence on me)  I was influenced to play keyboards by Nick Rhodes of Duran Duran.  Ben loves the  soulful classics and classic rock artists like James Jameson, The Who, Paul McCartney, Sting and The Police.

IVB:  What made you decide to DIY?

L&P:  I didn’t know any better.  My career started after the record label crash.  I had friends that had label deals and lost them, and I didn’t want to be a part of that.  I was such a late bloomer that I wanted to do it myself to prevent those horror stories from happening.  With DIY, I have control over what gets released and what direction my music will take.  I love making music my own way.

IVB:  Are you seeking to be a mainstream artist?

Despite all that, yes.  I love to collaborate with mainstream artists and producers, and loved doing remixes with members of dance trance world.  I worked with some huge artists in that genre, and through them I’ve been heard all over the world.   I want to continue that as well as work with the top producers in America.

IVB:  What are your future plans?

L&P:  We’re in music video mode right now.  We want to make videos for many of the songs on our new album.  We think the visual component is very important and I have developed a love for editing.  It’s fun.  We want to continue to collaborate on future songs with outside producers.  We don’t have any plans for our next album yet, and we just want to see what will happenin – Moby, if you’re ready this, we’re ready when you are!

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

L&P:  We had a European tour in 2012, actually it was a Shannon Hurley solo tour, but we raised the money through Kickstarter.  It was amazing to see the fans that came together to support us.  We went to the UK and Amsterdam, and played in London and Liverpool, among others.  We even got to play the Cavern Club.  We were playing a club across the street and the owner of that venue took us to the Cavern Club and got us on stage.  It was a pretty cool experience.

IVB:   Where can your fans find you on social media?

L&P:  Both the band and I can be found on ReverbNation, as well as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Bandcamp.  We also  have a YouTube channel.

Our music has been played on such shows as Scorpion and the Australian soap opera Home and Away.  We also seem to be popular on reality shows and The Young and the Restless.