What an amazing time we had in North Carolina at the Richardson Family Reunion in Fayetteville. There were two aunts, one sibling, five first cousins, and a slew of second and third cousins. It was a day of great BBQ (thanks Damon!), food, sweets and the best conversation, as memories flowed like wine. It made me remember what I loved most about being around family. We also got to see an afternoon performance by our friend Jason Adamo, who recently scored his first platinum album as he co-wrote the recent #1 song by Brett Young, “Beautiful Believer.” Can’t wait to go back again, but in the meantime, here are five more artists for you to check out.
Artist Name: Nicholas Merz
Album Name: The Limits of Men
Label: Aagoo Records
Genre: Folk Rock
Track Listing: 1. Generation; 2. Fashion; 3. Man Without Woman; 4. Bulled Rose; 5. The Empress Of The Garden; 6. Neon Figures; 7. Domestic Dispute; 8. Down Range; 9. The Great American Tail
Publicist: Shameless Promotion PR
Review: The first thing you notice is the deep voice of Nicholas Merz and the soothing folk rock soundtrack that supports these songs. This is his debut solo album after recording six albums with the Seattle indie rock band Darto. The songs have an almost Americana feel, especially “Man Without Woman,” and a serious singer-songwriter vibe. Among the best tracks are “Fashion,” the first single “Bulled Rose,” “Domestic Dispute,” and “Down Range.”
Recommendation: This one is definitely worth checking out.
Artist Name: Tulipomania
Album Name: Off the Map
Label: Sursumcorda Recordings
Genre: Alt Rock
Track Listing: 1. Off the Map; 2. On the Outside (Spinello remix); 3. On the Outside (Spinello remix instrumental)
Publicist: Shameless Promotion PR
Review: This EP contains two songs (and an instrumental version of the second song), showing two entirely different sounds, albeit both are in the alt rock family. “Off the Map” is very dark, moody and melancholic, while “On the Outside” is more upbeat but with the same dark and melancholic vibe. The band also simultaneously released music videos for each song, which have received critical acclaim and resulted in the video for “Off the Map” being selected for the Aesthetica Short Film Festival in York, UK.
Recommendation: This band is definitely not for everybody. If you like your music different, and you are adventurous, then give this one a spin.
Artist Name: Lower Automation
Album Name: Shoebox Companion
Label: Self-released
Genre: Mathcore/Punk
Track Listing: 1. Coax; 2. Cattle Prod Hypochondriac; 3. Tethererd; 4. 30 Second Song; 5. Phil and Phyllis Philler; 6. Swing Flesh
Publicist: Viral Propaganda PR
Review: We can safely say we have never heard anything like Lower Automation. It has the high intensity of punk with the chaos of psychedelica, and a healthy does of hard core rock. The lyrics are difficult to understand both sonically and literally. This is not music for the masses, and we hope they can find an audience for this entirely different type of music.
Recommendation: This one is only for the truly adventurous. For the rest of us, forget it.
Artist Name: Lucky 757
Album Name: Lonesome Lagoon
Label: Self-released
Genre: Surf Rock Instrumental
Track Listing: 1. Spanish Shore; 2. Mar Agitado; 3. Cross Steppin’ 4. Reflecting; 5. Belvedere Banzai; 6. Fernando; 7. The Voyager; 8. MONSTA!; 9. Mugsy; 10. Lonesome Lagoon
Publicist: Working Brilliantly
Review: If you say instrumental surf rock to most music lovers, they will immediately think of the incredible Dick Dale and his song forever associated with the movie Pulp Fiction. Trust us when we tell you the legacy of Dale will live on in the work of Lucky 757. They not only continue his rich tradition, they actually improve upon it. This is an amazing set of 10 songs that every lover of surf rock will enjoy, and you will want to hear this one over and over again.
Recommendation: By all means, rush out and Get this one.
Artist Name: Robert Cellucci
Album Name: The End of a Rainbow
Label: Self-released
Genre: Country
Track Listing: 1. The End of a Rainbow; 2. I Love You Today; 3. 20 Years Ago; 4. I’m so Sorry; 5. I’m Sure About This; 6. Me & You; 7. Who I Want to Be; 8. The End of a Rainbow (acoustic)
Publicist: Self-promoted
Review: We don’t normally review albums that are more than six months old, but we were so impressed with this young man that we are making an exception in his case. We met him last Sunday while attending the Jason Adamo show we talked about earlier. His voice is crystal clear and perfect for country music, with a sound similar to Darius Rucker and Dustin Lynch. The title song is clever and strong, and would be a great candidate for extended airplay on country radio, as would “I Love You Today.” Cellucci is a natural storyteller, and we can’t understand how he hasn’t been discovered yet. With his talents, he could easily make it in today’s country music scene. There is not a weak song on this album. Nashville needs to definitely take notice of this artist.
Recommendation: This artist is heading for stardom. Jump on this bandwagon now, and Get his debut EP today!