Tag: Heather Jacks

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Artists Worth Checking Out indie music Monday Mashup Singles and Videos

Monday mashup 2019: vol. 29

Happy Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples Day!  It’s time for our weekly Monday Mashup and we have some great ones for you today.  Check out these amazing indie tunes.

THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF HEATHER JACKS

Heather Jacks is one of the coolest indie artists I know.  Although she is not a musician, she is an amazing creative artist, photographer, author and supporter of indie music.  She recently invested in “Bubba the Bus,” and is in the process of converting it to her mobile “tiny home.”  Keep up with her adventures by subscribing to her YouTube channel.

NEW SINGLES

Our first single this week is the radio edit of “Heaven’s Gate” from Emily Breeze, who we introduced to you back in August.  Her latest is further proof that this is an artist worth investing in.

Our next single is from another band we previously featured here on Indie Voice Blog back in 2017 (Monday Mashup) and 2018 (Get it or Forget it), The Crowleys.  Here’s their latest offering, “Clarice.”  We’re glad to have you back.

Single number three comes from another IVB favorite artist with an eerie, transcending vibe named Völuspa.  This one is intriguing and haunting and entitled “Live One Life.”

Our next single features the insane harmonies of Transatlantic trio, Raynes on their latest single, “Lemon Drop.”  This one is a potential monster  hit and deserves heavy rotation on American radio.

Our final single this week is the first release from Swiss band Marey.  We love their sound and can’t wait to hear what comes next.  Here’s “Synthetic.”

NEW MUSIC VIDEOS

First up is a quirky lyric video for “High Functioning,” the latest from the amazing Alannah Kavanagh aka Grizzly Coast.  This one will get you going like nothing else.

If you love magic and Americana music, then you will love “In My Time” from Fletcher C Johnson.  This one is just plain fun.

Video number three is a powerful video about human rights from The Oddysy, and features Public Enemy‘s Chuck D on the song “Bang Bang.”  The images are visceral and the message is sorely needed today.

Next up is one of the best videos we have ever seen from Tiffany Young, and she’s provided some great ones.  This one has almost 1 million views, and it was only released on October 10.  It’s called “Run for Your Life,” and we recommend you run to watch it.

Our final video this week comes from multi-LA Music Critic Award winning duo, Lovers & Poets.  We think it just may be their most powerful one yet, and we are ready to head off on a “Sugar High.”

 

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Artists Worth Checking Out Monday Mashup Women in Entertainment

Monday mashup 2018: vol. 6

Greeting from the frigid cold of Montana.  Our wonderful spring-like weather evaporated and a cold front set in, with some severe wind chill.  Good thing the music scene is hot.  Here’s the latest.

HEATHER JACKS TO RELEASE NEW BOOK

Author Heather Jacks, one of our panel members on the LA Music Critic Awards committee, is about to release her new memoir, My Headdress is on Fire.  She has previously released a couple of tabletop books, The Noise Beneath the Apple, and The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.  This one is about her time growing up on Indian land, and is a series of essays.  If you would like to be part of her Indiegogo pre-release campaign, just click here.

TRACY BONHAM SIGNS WITH ECR MUSIC GROUP

We had the privilege of reviewing the latest from Tracy Bonham, and were impressed.  She has recently signed with the ECR Music Group and they’re throwing a party in New York City on February 23.  We highly recommend you attend if you’re in the area.

INDIE PERFORMANCES

We love to promote shows for indie artists, so make sure you send the press releases to us for inclusion in this weekly column.  Here’s what we have for this week.

San Diego native Sarah Rogo, who we reviewed back in November, is coming to Los Angeles tomorrow night and playing at Bar Lubitsch at 9 p.m.  If you’re in LA, you should definitely check her out.  She’s been nominated for the latest round of the San Diego Music Awards.

Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen from Alexandria, Virginia are heading west for a gig at Boulevard Music in Culver City, California on February 24 at 8 p.m.  Tickets are $20 and available online at the venue.

NEW SINGLES

First up is the latest from LA Music Critic Award winner Kris Angelis, just in time for Valentine’s Day.  We simply love her new single, “A Billion Hearts,” and think you will too.  Let us know what you think.

https://soundcloud.com/krisangelis/a-billion-hearts

Next up is a remake of the old Poco song, “Rose of Cimarron.”  This time is features former lead singer Rusty Young along with LA Music Critic Award winner Chelsea Williams, both artists on Blue Élan Records.  We love it – how about you?

https://open.spotify.com/album/2NRlFktIabT0RDLeuXCGbA?si=OfB54I9nQI6J6MrrPQFnFw

Our final new single today is from Canyon City,  a LA Music Critic Awards nominee.  Check out “Shadows.”

NEW MUSIC VIDEOS

First up today is the latest from rockers Harker for their single, “Plague Your Heart.”  This one should get your heart pumping.

Next up is the debut music video from Susie Q for her single, “Home.”  This one has a powerful message of peace.  Please check it out and share it with your friends.

Our final video today is a lyric video by Michele Vreeland for her single, “Wild Horse.”  We love this song and its message.  Please let us know what you think.

See you tomorrow with a new set of Get it or Forget it reviews.

 

 

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Artists Worth Checking Out LA Music Critic Awards Monday Mashup Women in Entertainment

Monday mashup 2017: Vol. 28

Getting ready to head out on the road this week to check out some indie artists.  Will be leaving on Wednesday for Casper, Wyoming (anything we should see there that day), before heading down to Colorado Springs on Thursday to catch LA Music Critic Award winner Gina Sicilia at The Gold Room.  On Friday it will be back to Billings, Montana for the Magic City Blues Festival and a performance by Anni Piper.  Then on Saturday we’re off for Victor, Montana to catch Melissa Forrette.  Gonna be a busy week!

INDIE NEWS

Our dear friend and faithful indie supporter Heather Jacks has a couple of events coming up.  First up is the premiere of the Stilettos for Shanghai documentary For Chechyna on August 7 at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco, which is a fundraiser for ORAM and Rainbow Railroad.  The second is the Project Nunway 8 Charity Fashion Drag Show on August 19 at SOMArts in San Francisco.  Please support these worthy events.

IPO (International Pop Overthrow) is coming back to Los Angeles.  Please support local indie artists like Patricia Bahia, who will be performing at Club Fais Do Do at 1:45 p.m. on August 4.

NEW MUSIC

CHVNGES is an amazing band with a new single, “Mischief Managed,” being released on Friday.  We love it and think you will too.  Check it out and let us know what you think.

Another band we covered last year, Junk Parlor, is releasing its single “Vultures and Weasels” on Sunday.  They have a very distinctive sound that we think you’ll like.

NEW  MUSIC VIDEOS

Our featured video this week comes from Denmark.  Straw is an amazingly talented family with a mom and two daughters who can truly sing.  This video rocks and we are proud to feature it today.  Expect great things from them as they expand their reach internationally.  We believe they would be an outstanding addition to the American music scene.  Special thanks to Doug Deutsch Publicity Services for sharing this treasure with us.

Los Angeles transplant Caitlin Eadie has recently released a new album, Balancing Act, as well as a music video for her current single “Wolf Cry.”  We think it is one of the best we’ve seen in a while, and think you’ll agree.

Last but not least this week is the new lyric video for “New Kids” by multiple LA Music Critic Award winner Jerad Finck.  He has been blowing up recently with both “New Kids” and “Criminal” charting nationally.  Enjoy this treasure.

 

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Artists Worth Checking Out LA Music Critic Awards Monday Mashup Women in Entertainment

Monday mashup 2017: Vol. 26

Welcome to another week of summer.  This was one of the weekends we wished we were still in Los Angeles, because we definitely would  have been at Dodger Stadium for the amazing Classic West festival which all our friends are talking about.  To those of you who attended, hope you had a great time with The Eagles, the Doobie Brothers, Steeley Dan, Fleetwood Mac, Journey and Earth Wind and Fire.  We’re so jealous!!!

INDIE NEWS

Heather Jacks, author of The Noise Beneath the City, creator of the Drinking from the Jug blog, as well as a huge supporter of indie music has announced that she is joining an artists’ collective and opening her first brick and mortar store, Rock A Record, at the Sea Hive, an artisan marketplace located at 1555 S. Coast Highway in Oceanside.  The new location will open next month, so please go out and support this true patron of the arts.

Montanan Melissa Forrette continues her busy July with an opening slot for the legendary country band Sawyer Brown at Darby Logger Days on July 21.  Tickets are still available at the event’s website.

Several of the nominees for the LA Music Critic Awards are visiting Montana or the surrounding area in the near future, and we plan to get out and support them.  This Wednesday (July 19) we will be heading to Stevensville, Montana to see The American West at the Blacksmith Brewery.  We will also be attending the performance of Jerad Finck at Bellwether Brewery Co. in Spokane, Washington on July 22.  Then on August 3, we will be seeing Gina Sicilia at The Gold Room in Colorado Springs, Colorado before heading to Billings, Montana to catch Australian Anni Piper at Magic City Blues on August 4.  We also hope to catch Redhead Express when they play at Music Ranch Montana in Livingston, Montana on August 17.

Other artists on tour in our area include Nina Storey at the Marmelade Concert Series in Salt Lake City on July 20 and Trevor Hall headlining at the Top Hat on November 7.

NEW MUSIC

Here’s an amazing track from Space4Lease entitled “Must be Something” that should help kick-start your Monday.  Please let us know what you think.

https://soundcloud.com/space4leasemusic/must-be-something

NEW MUSIC VIDEOS

There have been a boatload of new music videos released in the past week or so, and we have selected three to share with you.  Please also check out “You!” by Floco Torres, “Snitches get Stiches” by Wieuca, “Learn to Be” by Bryan Mackey and “Concrete Angels” by Scarlett Taylor, as well as “Coldplay” by David Ryan Harris.  All are available at YouTube.com.

First up today is the latest from one of our favorite singer-songwriters and close friends, Kim Divine.  Her new lyric video is entitled “This Time Around,” and we definitely think you will enjoy it.

Next up is “Underneath,” the latest single from Rosi Golan, one of the many amazing artists represented by publicist Laura Goldfarb of Red Boot PR.  We just reviewed the album, and definitely think this one is a keeper.

Last, but definitely not least, is the latest from California Country artist and multiple LA Music Critic Award nominee  and past winner, Calico the Band, with their latest, “The 405.”  Everyone in the greater LA area will be able to relate to this video.  Have a great week.

 

 

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Women in Entertainment

Women in entertainment: Heather Jacks gives buskers a needed voice

Welcome to another beautiful Monday morning – time for another in our Women in Entertainment series.  This week the spotlight falls on Heather Jacks, author, journalist and music lover who is on a mission to share the magic of busking with the world.
Jacks grew up on an Indian reservation in southeastern Oregon until she was 15, when she was selected as the first ‘experimental exchange student’ to Australia with an organization called YFU (Youth for Understanding).  She spent ten and a half months with the program before returning to the States to attend the University of San Francisco.  She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree at USF before going to the University of California at Davis for an additional two years. 
Since the 1980’s, Jacks has worked in the music industry in various capacities, including radio, production, A&R, booking and most recently as a music journalist.  She recently won a Book of the Year Award for her multi-media project, The Noise Beneath the Apple®, which was inspired by her love for street music, busking and the people who make it.
Besides her love of music, she is a certified TV junkie, an unapologetic Twitter practitioner and a SF Giants loving fiend.   She travels extensively, but continues to hang her hat in San Francisco.
As we do with all our articles, we asked Jacks what inspires her.  In typical journalistic style, she expounded on the subject:  “As a writer, I spend a lot of time online, researching, interviewing, refining and sculpting words, creating cadence and turning good writing into better stories.  I find this journey inspirational.  Still I make time to step away from the blinking screen to breathe in life and the world around me; to re-charge and renew.  At the risk of sounding like I’m writing a love letter, my greatest inspiration comes from the City I call home, San Francisco.  I love walking her streets, wandering aimlessly into shops, undiscovered nooks and crannies, taking guided walking tours, trekking the Coastal Trail—Karl Fog, keeping me close company.  I love stopping at dive bars, where I can get a barrel-aged shot of whiskey AND a can of Olympia at the same time.  I love all the staircases and stunning views that rise up to greet you in the most unexpected place.  I love that we have a baseball team, that no matter how great they do, are always considered the underdog, and they persevere in style.  I love that everyone here is a little weird, and that San Francisco is pretty OK with that.  In the end, I am inspired simply, by doing what I love most.”
Jacks has recently launched a crowd funding campaign on Rocket Hub for one of her new projects, a multi-media project similar to the “Noise Beneath the Apple” project, which is dedicated to the buskers of San Francisco.  Check out the cool gifts you get for contributing to the project by clicking here.
We asked Jacks to expound on her future plans, and here’s what she had to say:
“Currently I am working on TWO separate Coffee Table Books, showcasing and preserving separate pieces of San Francisco history. My earlier book, The Noise Beneath the Apple®, which celebrates the spirit of busking, aka; street performance, and was set in New York City, won an independent Book of the Year Award.  I am replicating that book in the Bay Area, with 25 amazing street performers spanning from Oakland, Berkeley, Santa Cruz, Napa Valley, and of course, San Francisco.  The Bay Area edition, like the NYC version, will include film, music, stories and photos.
The second project is about The San Francisco Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.  The Sisters are a leading order of queer nuns, who began here in 1979 and are now a worldwide charity organization. They continue to devote themselves to community service, promoting human rights and outreach to those on the edges of society. They are an integral, (sometimes misunderstood), part of San Francisco culture. 
These two projects, along with my line of Vintage Vinyl Record Bags, (www.rockarecord.com), will definitely keep me very busy for the next few years!”
Street performers definitely have a friend in Jacks and the public truly benefits from this friendship, as we are exposed to amazing artists that we may not have known were out there.  Many thanks to Jacks for providing this service.  We wish her well in her campaign and look forward to seeing the finished project.
You can keep up with this amazing music supporter by checking out her Facebook page, following her on Twitter, Instagram, and Google Plus, and by subscribing to her YouTube channel.