Month: May 2019

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Artists Worth Checking Out indie music Ten Great Singles Women in Entertainment

Ten great singles released in April 2019

Finding opportunities to write is going to be hit or miss for the next two months, so please be patient with us.  Today we will bring you our lists of Ten Great Singles and Ten Amazing Videos released in the month of April.

We kick things off with an upbeat rocker from Swedish garage rock band The Royal Concept.  We love the energy of the song and wholeheartedly agree that this song can easily keep us “Up All Night.”

From Sweden we travel over to Denmark to present the latest from Danish psych band Rainbrother.  Check out the interesting tones and learn from the lyrics of “Honeybird.”

For our third single, we slow things down for this deeply introspective and inspiring tune from Jon Stancer.  He explains how his best friend can always tell when he’s not being truthful, giving us much to reflect on.  Check out “Can’t Get it by You.”

Next up is Arms Akimbo, who describe what it’s like to need to buy an $11 dinner on a $7 paycheck.  I think we can all relate to that, and think you will love their latest “Paycheck,” which truly belongs on the radio.

For our fifth single, we head down under to check out the pop sound of Chelsea Jyles.  Her sound is radio and dance friendly, and reminds us that we don’t have to be perfect for everybody as long as we are perfect for one special person.  Enjoy “Jeans.”

Next up is a song that is so enticing in its simple arrangement.  It talks about breaking out from those cycles that hold you back and features the sterling voice of Anna Wiebe.  Learn from her experiences as described in “Fortune.”

We follow her up with “The Longest Alibi You’ve Ever Heard,” a brilliant song with a cool Americana/country vibe.  We especially love the steel guitar, which brings out the stirring undertones of this truly amazing song from Glenn Thomas.

For single number eight we take another trip north to Norway to check out the fresh yet familiar sound of Insomniac Bears.  This one has a lot of potential, and we can see it being used extensively.  Check out “A nod in the Darkness.”

Our next single is a pure country song that borrows heavily from the best of country artists of the past.  We love the dobro and simple down-home feelings created by “Darlin’,” and think you will too.  Let’s give it up for Erik Koskinen.

We close out the month with the good time sound of Karmic, and their latest jewel, “X Marks the Spot.”  We think this one will keep yu going until our next article, so put it on repeat and turn it up.

 

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Artists Worth Checking Out indie music Monday Mashup Women in Entertainment

Monday mashup 2019: vol. 18

My first week back in LA was very busy, with two trips to the Renaissance Pleasure Faire, attending and reviewing Nineteen Years Later, helping with another show, and going through the first rehearsal for my Fringe solo show.  Along the way there was a night of Fringe “Office Hours,” a Fringe Town Hall, an unexpected chance to catch a rehearsal, and plenty of great conversations, not to mention a couple of days at the ASCAP EXPO, which included a special songwriters’ round with LeeAnn Womack, Stephen Bishop, Jack Tempchin and Wyclef Jean. 

NEW SINGLES

Our first single this week features the powerful and soulful vocals of Elisabeth Beckwitt, and we think this one has a lot of potential.  Check out “Free Fall” – we think you’ll definitely fall for her sound.

Next up is a pair of legends who have joined forces to bring the spirit of rock and roll back to today’s music scene.  Combining Fanny Walked the Earth’s Brie Darling with The Runaways’ Cherie Currie is brilliant and they do justice to this remake of the T. Rex classic, “The Motivator.”  This one will get your week off to a great start.

We follow them up with another Blue Élan Records artist named Car Astor, and what we think is her best song to date.  The song may be called “Hush,” but we won’t keep quiet about how much we love this song.

Let’s switch gears to a more Americana and country sound of Jesse Dayton, another Blue Élan artist.  His latest, “Redneck Friend,” will have you two-stepping around the dance floor in no time flat.  Enjoy the honky-tonking sound.

We close out this week’s singles with the upbeat and empowering “For You” from rising star Katile.  We see a very strong future for this young lady, and can’t wait to see what comes next.

NEW MUSIC VIDEOS

We return to the beautiful country of Denmark to kick off this week’s music videos with the latest from LA Music Critic Award winning band Straw, “Perfectly Fine.”  Sally’s vocals are powerful and strong and the song hits home with its message that you don’t have to be perfect to be happy.  This family just keeps getting better and better.

Speaking of amazing family bands, here is the first original from the PaperDolls, featuring elder sibling Kendra.  It is a powerful song that will give you strength to fight each day.  Thank you Kendra for blessing us with “See What I See.”

Our third video gives us a new look at the whole “loser” mystique.  We bet you’ll never feel the same way about the word after viewing this video. Here’s “Loser” by The Scared Crows.

Video number four is guaranteed to rock your week, as Meisha and the Spanks reveal their inner child for the video of their latest single, “Motorin’.’

We close out this week with a stunning video from Wake up Hate for their song, “Love me Like a Hurricane.”  We think this one will rock you into next week.

 

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Reviews See it or Skip it Theatre

The legend of Harry Potter lives on Nineteen Years Later

We never seem to get enough of the “boy who lived,” and the M&W Theater Group has crafted a masterpiece that will enthrall every Potter fan.  This is the third time this amazing work has been run since it began last year at HFF18, and the cast is perfectly suited to make the tradition continue.

Incredibly well-written by Kena Worthen (who also portrays Rose Granger-Weasley), Nineteen Years Later is an alternative (and more believable) sequel to the original, and is everything that “Cursed Child” is not.  If you’re like most Potter fans, you detest the stupidity of the “Cursed Child.”  Rest assured you now have a story that works, is much more plausible, and will keep you cheering as the legend lives on.

The only drawback is its length (nearly two and a half hours), but if you can survive Avengers: Endgame, then this one is a piece of cake.  We can promise you that you will be so engaged in this one that the time will fly by and you will never be bored.

The lighting design of Greg Crafts perfectly fits with the sound design of Graydon Schlichter, and the show is well controlled by stage manager Lizzy Hayes.

The cast was led by Frankie Zabilka (Albus Potter), Ryan Lefton (Scorpius Malfoy), Andrew Thomas (Harry Potter), Michael Lutheran (Ron Weasley), Kyle Maraglio (Draco Malfoy), Michelle Grey (Hermione Granger-Weasley) and Justin  Eliot Huff (Neville Longbottom), who brought their individual characters to life as if they’d been portraying them for their entire careers.  The villains were admirably portrayed by Erin Astin (Keres McGuffin) and Tianna Cohen (Cecilia Sinclaire), who almost made you love them as much as the good guys.  Zion Bell (James Potter) Malissa Marlow (Ginny Potter/McGonagall), Tiffany Bobbs (Stella Towie), Ayla Dumont (Lily Potter), Rob Hixon (Frank Longbottom), Bella Phillips (Julianne Rycroft), Jade Rosenberg (Kaylin Blackwell), and Rachel Strysik (Kendall Betcher) rounded out the magnificent cast.

Without giving away the story, suffice it to say that this one is truly worthy of the JK Rowling “Stamp of Approval,” and has great inside jokes to anyone who has seen all of the movies.  They even entertain us with a great game of trivia during the intermission.  This one is worthy of multiple viewings.  Unfortunately, the final performance is TODAY at 5:30 p.m., so grab your tickets before they sell out.  You can purchase a ticket here.

 

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Artists Worth Checking Out Reviews

Music still abides at the Original Renaissance Pleasure Faire

If you know anything about my history, you know that I started attending the Renaissance Pleasure Faire back in 1994 when it was in Devore.  That was the same year that the Poxy Boggards started out, and they are still actively playing the Faire, as are their female counterparts, the Merry Wives of Windsor.  Their private domain is called Rogue’s Reefe and is the only “Adults only” stage at the Faire.

The last time I was at the Faire was 2013 as a participant member of St. Helena’s.  I spent a couple of years before that working at Rogue’s Reefe.  Back in those days, just like today, the primary bands were the Boggards and the Wives, but they had such bands as The   Belles of Bedlam and the Dread Crew of Oddwood to support them and draw a different set of fans to the Reefe.  These days, that support is limited to a couple of sets from Tea and Strumpets, featuring past members of the Belles, and a single set from Sportive Tricks, which are still playing the stage despite quite a few personnel changes over the years.  Still, the rabid fans of both the Boggards and the Wives keep coming back over and over again, as both groups continue their storied tradition of providing a type of music you can’t find anywhere else at Faire.  I was truly impressed by the richness and fullness of the sound at the Reefe, particularly that of the Wives, which seems to  have grown both in talent and vocal ability over the years.

Besides the risqué offerings at the Reefe, there are numerous other stages presenting music throughout the Faire.  Of these, our favorite for the day was the Royal Music Stage, which has moved from the front of Faire to closer to the Reefe.  On that stage you will find “clean” sets from the Boggards, Wives, Strumpets and Tricks, as well as four amazing sets from the visiting band The JackDaws Band, a three-piece group from the East Coast that bring some great Irish rock.  Composed of Buttercup on electric fiddle, Roxy on drums, and Whiplash on guitar and vocals, they are worth the price of admission with their outstanding sound and riveting stage presence.  You can also catch Buttercup out and about the Faire playing her fiddle.

Other music you can find at the Faire includes the Wives and visiting act The Freestylers of Piping on the Golden Jubilee Stage near the entrance, the Freestylers on the Maybower Stage near the food court for three sets, Ad Hoc Consort in Kids Kingdom and the Royal Music Stage and the Washing Well Wenches in their own area throughout the day.

If you love music, you will find plenty of it at the Renaissance Pleasure Faire, regardless of whether you prefer bands that sing or just instrumental offerings and dance, both Celtic and Arabic.  At any rate, get thyself to the Faire before it closes on May 19.