Tag: Greg Laswell

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Artists Worth Checking Out Get it or Forget it indie music Reviews Tuesday Treats

Get it or forget it – Tuesday treats vol. 2

Well, the work schedule has finally firmed up and now we can try to get back into a regular publication schedule.  We have some treats for  you today from artists who have already appeared at least once in Indie Voice Blog.  Here is our second edition.

Artist Name:  Katrina Parker

Album Name:  Stars

Label:  Self-released

Genre:  Alt Pop

Track Listing:  1.  I Will Never Leave; 2.  Ring of Fire; 3.  Carry me Away; 4.  Strange World; 5.  Until  you Come Again; 6.  Stars; 7.  Follow Me; 8.  Without You; 9.  Don’t Give it Up

Publicist:  Working Brilliantly

Review:  Our relationship with Katrina Parker goes back nearly 15 years, long before she became a household name with her appearance on NBC‘s The Voice.  Her new album is by far her best work to date, and includes an amazing cover of Johnny Cash‘s classic hit “Ring of Fire” that we guarantee is totally different from anybody’s else’s version.  The other eight songs are all originals and every one deserves massive radio airplay.  Parker is just coming into her own, and we can’t wait to see where her new album takes her.

Recommendation:  Get this one like your life depends on it, and put it on perpetual repeat.

Artist Name:  Lovers and Poets

Album Name:  Sugar High

Label:  Self-released

Genre:  Synth Pop/Electronica

Track Listing:  1.  Nevergonnastop; 2.  Barbarella; 3.  Here and Now; 4.  Keep Breaking my Heart; 5.  Sugar High

Publicist:  Self-promoted

Review:  Although this one won’t be released until September 20, we just couldn’t wait to share its awesomeness with you.  Lovers & Poets have won numerous LA Music Critic Awards, and their latest is better than anything they have done before.  Shannon & Ben have truly found their stride and deliver five amazing tracks that will make you feel like you just stepped into the 80’s.  These songs are just feel good masterpieces, and we guarantee you’ll want to put them on repeat, especially “Here and Now.”

Recommendation:  If you need a quick pick-me-up, just put this one on repeat – Run out and get it when it is released.

Artist Name:  Greg Laswell

Album Name:  Covers II

Label:  Leg Graswell

Genre:  Cover songs

Track Listing:  1.  Something in my Heart (ft Molly Jenson); 2.  Never let me Down Again (ft Molly Jenson); 3.  A Place Called Home; 4.  Crank; 5.  Lucky Man (ft Molly Jenson); 6.  Without You I’m Nothing; 7.  Love my Way; 8.  Don’t Give Up (ft Molly Jenson

Publicist:  Perpetual Media Relations

Review:  Ten years after the release of Covers, Greg Laswell returns with another set of amazing rock covers of songs from The Verve, PJ Harvey, Depeche Mode, Peter Gabriel, Placebo, The Psychedelic Furs, Catherine Wheel and Röyksopp.  Laswell is assisted on the project by the amazing Molly Jenson, who contributes sweet vocals and harmonies on four of the eight songs.  These songs will haunt you and stay in your mind long after the song has ended.

Recommendation:  Be the first in line on Friday the 13th to get this one when it is released.

Artist Name:  Dudley Taft

Album Name:  Simple Life

Label:  American Blues Artist Group

Genre:  Blues/Americana/Rock

Track Listing:  1.  Give me a Song; 2.  Simple Life; 3.  I Can’t Live Without You; 4.  In Your Way 5.  Don’t let Them get Away; 6.  Death by Bliss; 7.  Bombs Away; 8.  If Heartaches Were Nickels; 9.  Never Fade; 10.  Pouring Down; 11.  Shine; 12.  Back to You

Publicist:  Blind Raccoon

Review:  We featured Dudley Taft’s music video for “Give me a Song” in our Monday Mashup column last month, and immediately fell in love with his raucous guitar and gritty vocals.  The remainder of the album is just as good if not better than that song.  If you love a mix of blues, Americana and good old fashioned rock and roll, then you are going to have a blast listening to all 12 tracks on this album.

Recommendation:  Don’t miss out on this one – it is definitely worthy of being a part of your musical library.

Artist Name:  Walt Weiskopf European Quartet

Album Name:  Worldwide

Label:  Orenda Records

Genre:  Jazz

Track Listing:  1.  Entebbe; 2.  Back in Japan; 3.  Soultrane; 4.  Russian Roulette; 5.  March by Moonlight; 6.  Back in Brazil; 7.  Oceans; 8.  The Pawnbroker; 9.  Scottish Folk Song; 10.  Coat of Arms

Publicist:  SW Marketing

Review:  We met Walt Weiskopf last year when he was performing with Steely Dan, and immediately fell in love with his amazing musicianship.  His European Quartet released an album shortly thereafter and we reviewed it then and are super excited to review their latest album.  Weiskopf is joined in the quartet by Carl Winther, Andreas Lang, and Anders Mogensen.  The album picks up where the last one left off, and is thrilling from the first to the last note.  Put this one on, pour a glass of wine, and chill.  You will truly feel your cares melting away.

Recommendation:  If you love jazz, then this is a must-have addition to your collection.  It sets the standard for modern jazz.

 

 

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

Get it or forget it – The Textones, Juicer, CAP ON., Rachelle Coba, Greg Laswell

Happy first day of fall!  The indie projects just keep on coming, and we are proud to share five new albums that are all being released today, including the return of a pioneering band from 40 years ago, The Textones.

Artist Name:  The Textones

Album Name:  Old Stone Gang

Label:  Blue Élan Records

Genre:  Indie Rock/Americana

Track Listing:  1.  Downhearted Town; 2.  Bared my Soul; 3.  Old Stone Gang; 4.  20 Miles South of Wrong; 5.  One Half Rock; 6.  All That Wasted Time; 7.  Midnight Roundabout; 8.  Ghost on a River; 9.  Come Stay the Night; 10.  Carly Jo; 11.  Walkin’ or Waitin’; 12.  Ride On

Publicist:  MAD Ink PR

Review:  Carla Olson started The Textones back in 1978, pioneering a form of rock that would eventually grow into our Americana music scene today.  After recording two albums, life took its toll and the band broke up.  Starting in 2012, original members Carla Olson, George Callins, Joe Read, Rick Hemmert and Tom Jr. Morgan reunited and began recording some of the tracks that became this album, although they didn’t sign with Blue Élan Records until earlier this year.   They are joined on the new album by special guests Phil Seymour, Kathy Valentine, David Provost, Markus Cuff, Richard D’Andrea, Rusty Young, Allan Clarke, Barry Goldberg and Todd Wolfe.   As a result of this impressive talent, this album has definitely been worth the wait, and the band sounds as strong and relevant as they did back in the early 80s when their last album was released.  Olson has been busy perfecting her craft, as is evident from her songwriting.  She wrote or co-wrote nine of the twelve tracks, and every one of them is a potential radio hit.  It’s as if she and the band never left the music scene, and we are so glad to have them back on our radar.  Best tracks include “Downhearted Town,” the title track, the first single “20 Miles South of Wrong” (which we featured in our Monday Mashup), “All That Wasted Time,” the jazzy “Midnight Roundabout,” “Carly Jo,” and “Walkin’ or Waitin’.”  We also love “One Half Rock,” which starts out with the 1985 rehearsal recording by Seymour before shifting to a new version featuring Olson on vocals.

Recommendation:  You NEED this one in your collection.  Better get to their CD Release show tonight at The Federal Bar in Los Angeles at 8 p.m.

Artist Name:  Juicer

Album Name:  Mach IV

Label:  All Good Clean Records

Genre:  Rock

Track Listing:  1.  Mach IV; 2.  Saturday Night OD; 3.  Catch 25; 4.  You Scared me Straight; 5.  Unconditional Love; 6.  Forever is a Long Time; 7.  Concussion Machine; 8.  The Slacker; 9.  Burrito; 10.  On the Move

Publicist:  Viral Propaganda PR

Review:  Norway’s Juicer brings us hard hitting dirty rock with lyrics that speak of today’s issues.  The band is tight with a hard-hitting rhythm section, screaming guitars, and the perfect vocals to deliver their powerful message.  Combining straight ahead rock with 80s metal and punk creates a sound that will appeal to all rock lovers.  The music is almost overwhelming in its sheer power, while the lyrics definitely give you something to think about while your banging your head to the beat.

Recommendation:  If you love rock, you will love this album.  Do yourself a favor and Get it.

Artist Name:  CAP ON.

Album Name:  Be Better Than Jeff

Label:  Hicktown Records

Genre:  Pop/Funk

Track Listing:  1.  Individuality; 2.  Dance; 3.  Fast Lane; 4.  Summer Feelings; 5.  Certain Grin; 6.  Night Train to Amsterdam

Publicist:  Hicktown Records

Review:  The seven members of German band CAP ON. have created a very interesting sound they call “seven-in-one,” which is composed of funk, pop, blues, rock, soul, fusion and electro genres.  This album will get you dancing, pump you up and make you move.  It is an amazing debut, and we fully expect this band’s popularity will explode all over Europe and spread to the rest of the world.  We recommend you just put this one on repeat.

Recommendation:  Definitely Get this one!

Artist Name:  Rachelle Coba

Album Name:  Blink

Label:  American Showplace Music

Genre:  Blues/Roots

Track Listing:  1.  High and Dry; 2.  Dance These Blues Away; 3.  Good Ole Heartbreak; 4.  No Deals; 5.  River of Blood; 6.  Blink; 7.  Bad Reputation; 8.  You Stole my Heart; 9.  Shuffle Ya; 10.  Maybe; 11.  Blame it on the Blues

Publicist:  Rick Lusher

Review:  Rachelle Coba is part Etta James, part Janis Joplin and a whole lotta awesome.  Her musical sound will lift you up and get your feet moving with its upbeat brand of ass-kicking blues.  It’s got the high energy rocking sound of rockabilly, combined with a funky drum beat and screaming blues guitar, all wrapped up in those amazing vocals of Coba.  Like her press release says, “this ain’t your momma’s blues.”  This album will appeal to a whole new level of blues lovers and should easily cross over to other genres as well.  It is well worth the attention, and we suspect it will soon top the charts.

Recommendation:  This one is a must-have for specifically blues lovers as well as lovers of all types.  Go out and Get it.

Artist Name:  Greg Laswell

Album Name:  Next Time

Label:  Leg Graswell Records

Genre:  Singer-Songwriter Pop

Track Listing:  1,  Royal Empress; 2.  Next Time; 3.  Super Moon; 4.  Choice in the Matter; 5.  I Will not Resign; 6.  What do I Know; 7.  Where you Find Me; 8.  For You; 9.  Do Better; 10.  Never Want to See You Again; 11.  Next Time (piano version)

Publicist:  Perpetual Media Relations

Review:  Greg Laswell was one of the first artists we met when we moved to LA, and we used to sit in the old piano room at The Hotel Café and chat while he played the piano.  It is so refreshing to see how he has grown over the years, and Next Time is his best and most personal album to date.  We featured the lyric video for his first single, “Royal Empress,” which is a natural segue from his previous album, Everyone Thinks I Dodged a Bullet.  You can feel the pain and emotion in each and every note, while also drawing comfort from the fact that others are experiencing the same things you are.  In the song “I Will not Resign,” he gives us these comforting words:  “We are not defined by our choices, but our response to them, along the way.”  Every song on this album is powerful, and Laswell captures the Springsteen sound in presenting them to us.  You need to listen to this album a few times for everything to sink in, so put it on repeat and enjoy.  There isn’t a weak track on the album, so sit back, relax, enjoy the vibe, and, in the words of NCIS: New Orleans character Dwayne Pride, “Learn Things.”

Recommendation:  Run out and Get this one TODAY!

 

 

 

 

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?