Tag: indie music

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Women in Entertainment

Women in entertainment: Katie Garibaldi, troubadour to the Golden Gates

Merry Christmas – Indie Voice to pleased to present the final Women in Entertainment profile for 2015, shining the spotlight on San Francisco own’s Katie Garibaldi, singer-songwriter extraordinaire, label owner and the unofficial troubadour to the Golden Gate city.  She also recently obtained an endorsement deal with Breedlove Stringed Instruments, who worked with her to build a new custom Master Class guitar.

Garibaldi, who has been compared to the likes of Sheryl Crow, Brandi Carlile, Ani DiFranco, Fiona Apple, Jewel and Taylor Swift, continues to play regularly in her San Francisco Bay Area home base  at such premier music clubs as Hotel Utah, The Little Fox, Cafe Du Nord, and Neck Of The Woods.  She has also toured nationally, including frequent stops in Nashville where she has performed at Music City’s (world-famous) Bluebird Cafe.

Garibaldi is also an innovative entrepreneur and the owner of her own label, Living Dream Music.  She has acquired a devoted fan base, due in no small part to her incredibly engaging live shows and the personal connection she has developed with her listeners through her music.  Regardless of whether she is performing by herself or with a band, Garibaldi shares her emotions with her audience through melodic and catchy songs and soulfully expressive vocals, creating a distinct sound that is both pop and country with a tinge of Americana.

A prolific writer, she recently released her seventh full-length album, Follow Your Heart, which was recorded at John Vanderslice’s Tiny Telephone Recording Studios in San Francisco and engineered by Ian Pellicci.  The album features some of Garibaldi’s most personal songs, many of which are inspired by her recent marriage, reflecting back to her simple yet powerful message of the importance of having the conviction to follow one’s heart.  The album also includes performances by several notable musicians, including the Magik*Magik Orchestra.

Follow Your Heart is the first full-length release of all new compositions since her award winning Next Ride Out album in 2009.   During those six years, she has continued to tour the country, building her brand DIY-style with help from her friends in Nashville and elsewhere, and has garnered critical acclaim from both press and peers.

Guitar Player magazine called her “a gifted songwriter with a gorgeous voice,” while Music Connection magazine wrote “Garibaldi is blessed with a sweet and pure soprano, and we hear a sincerity in this artist that is real.”   Music Connection also included Garibaldi on their annual list of the Top 100 Live Unsigned Artists, while her peers in Songsalive! voted her the Songwriter of the Year award.  Garibaldi is an active voting member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) and the current Emerging Artist Of The Year winner from the Indie Music Channel 2015 Awards.   Most recently, Bay Area music blog The Deli Magazine named Garibaldi the San Francisco Artist Of The Month for September 2015.

What inspires Garibaldi?  “My relationship with my husband inspires me a lot, as I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of writing love songs that are inspired by him. Also, I get really inspired to write when I’m touring, seeing different cities and just soaking up all of the various adventures that come with traveling and new experiences. I always seem to come back home with an itch to write something new. And in general, my family and my faith have always inspired me to be myself, do what I love, and follow my dreams, which keeps me motivated as a person, as well as an artist and songwriter.”

Where does she see herself in the future?  “Regarding the near future, I’m working on wrapping up my new EP, which I’m very excited about and planning to release it sometime in the early part of 2016. The EP consists of five new songs that I recorded in Nashville with some extremely talented musicians. These songs are a bit of a departure from my usual song topics, where I focus more on self-discovery and faith. They’re also a bit different sonically speaking from my last album, being more stripped down in production and feature a lot of intricate string arrangements. I can’t wait for people to hear them! It’s the latest piece of my heart and soul. I’ll be promoting and touring with the new release next year, and also plan to release a new music video for one of the songs leading up to the release, which I’ll be working on soon. As far as long term plans, I hope to keep living my dreams, making and sharing music, and growing my business as an artist/songwriter to encompass larger opportunities in this industry. ”

To find out more about this artist, check out  her website and Facebook pages, follow her on Twitter and Instagram, and subscribe to her YouTube channel.

 

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Artists Worth Checking Out

Kanisha K’s got the Christmas spirit

We introduced you to this amazing artist in August 2014 through an article on Examiner.com.   Kanisha K has now released a music video for her cover of “I’ll be Home for Christmas,” and we couldn’t be happier.

The video is directed by Barry and  Derek Elz and is done in the style of a 1940’s era big band tune.

This is the second year in a row that Kanisha has released a Christmas video.  Last year’s offering was “I Found Love.”

The video is gaining popularity and adds on multiple platforms and was recently the #1 most added song on the FMQB chart.  Among those adds are Video Jam, Video Diversity and Cutting Edge, as well as Pulse TV.

Enjoy Kanisha’s new video – consider it our Christmas gift to  you.

For for information on this amazing artist, check out her website and Facebook pages, follow her on Twitter and Instagram and subscribe to her YouTube channel.

Thanks to Jennifer Lyneis of Ue3 Promotions for turning us on to this voice of the future.

 

 

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Reviews

Lyndzie Taylor’s Phoenix is the perfect vehicle for her musical rebirth

Colorado native Lyndzie Taylor is set to capture the Los Angeles music scene with the release of her new EP Phoenix.  Produced by Mallory Trunnell (one half of the alt-country duo Crimson Calamity), Phoenix allows Taylor to spotlight her true musical talents.

Taylor grew up on the music of 80’s female rockers like Joan Jett and Pat Benatar, and her latest offering provides notice to the world that Taylor belongs in that same category.  All five songs on the EP are impressive, beginning with the first electronic notes of “What do I Know” and lasting until the final note of the title track.

Taylor moved to Los Angeles to attend the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, majoring in Musical Theater and Voice Performance.  Along the way she met Trunnell and Lauren Harding (the other half of Crimson Calamity), as well as other female voices in LA’s indie music scene.  Taylor’s early career could be classified as “singer-songwriter,” and she excelled in that genre.  Now, however, under the direction of Trunnell, Phoenix announces to the world that Taylor has arrived as a true voice on the indie rock scene.

“My music is loud, bold and in your face,” admits Taylor.  “It felt good to match my creative expression with my personality in the studio.”

Definitely falling into that category are tracks 1 (“What do I Know”) and 4 (“Let’s Get Loud”), while tracks 3 (“Rain”) and 5 (“Phoenix”) show a softer but no less powerful side of her musical prowess.

Taylor envisions making a mark as a fiery voice in the LA music scene.  “The emotional core of my music is strength, as a person, as a woman and as an artist.”  We definitely agree.

For those of you fortunate enough to live in Los Angeles, Taylor will be celebrating the release of Phoenix with a record release show at 10 p.m. on December 2 at Club Moscow @ Boardners in Hollywood.  We strongly encourage you to check her out live.  If you can’t wait, you can download her music now from iTunes.

For more info on this amazing artist, check out her Facebook page, follow her on Twitter and Instagram and subscribe to her YouTube channel.

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Reviews

Patricia Bahia’s resilience shines through her new release ‘Save Your Heart’

There’s been a lot of emphasis on achieving your ‘bucket list’ since the popular movie starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman came out in 2007.  But Patricia Bahia, whose sophomore album Save Your Heart drops on October 23, was already hard at work on her list before then.
Bahia debuted her new album during a CD Release show at the Monkey House Theater in Berkeley on October 15.  Los Angeles residents get their turn on October 25, when Bahia performs at the world famous Hotel Cafe’.
Diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2003, Bahia discovered a desire to write songs during successful treatment for her disease.  Although she had been around music her entire life, she had never written a song before cancer tried to cut off her life.  Consequently, Bahia looked for help in fulfilling this bucket list item, and discovered Songsalive, a grass-roots songwriting organization co-founded by Australian Gilli Moon, who now lives in Los Angeles.
Bahia started her musical career as a soloist with the acclaimed Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, where she recorded with Linda Ronstadt, performed with Joan Baez and opened for Bonnie Raitt.
Bahia possesses a silky smooth voice that perfectly delivers her truth.  The message of her bucket list pursuit comes through clearly in this collection of songs, providing inspiration for others to do the same.  You can’t help but be uplifted and inspired by these tunes.  Although every song has a unique message, this reviewer was most impressed with the title song, “The Bridge That You Don’t Burn,” and “Every Day is a Gift.”  Speaking of the latter, the song was one of the winners in the 2015 Songs for Life songwriting competition and will be the opening song on the forthcoming compilation album.  Songs for Life is an annual music contest that supports cancer research.
Save Your Heart was produced by Bahia and Jon Hayes, and mixed by the legendary producer/engineer Bobby Owsinski (Neil Young, Willie Nelson) and mastered by Grammy Award-winning engineer Erick Labson (Joni Mitchell, Ryan Adams) at Universal Mastering Studios in Hollywood, CA.  The album is being released on DreamSongs Records.
Besides working on her own material, Bahia has been hard at work collaborating with other local indie artists, including Sleep Machine, MILCK and Alisha Zalkin.  The resulting songs have been placed in several television shows and movies.
It is quite obvious that Bahia and her music have a mission:  “The healing power of music was a large part of my recovery and music continues to save my life everyday,” says Bahia. “I want to share that experience with as many people who need and want to hear it.”
Save Your Heart opens with the upbeat pop song “Resilient,” which describes Bahia “to a T,” and closes with the hauntingly beautiful ballad “Come Back to Me.”   “Resilient” was inspired by teenage Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai, who survived a Taliban assassination attempt and went on to receive the Nobel peace prize.  “Whether you’ve been knocked down literally or figuratively,” says Bahia, “this song is a tribute to you and your resilience.”

Bahia is a gifted songwriter with impeccable timing and amazing vocals.  Her music is an inspiration for others to follow their dreams, and will stay with the listener long after the last notes have faded. 

To find out more about this amazing artist, check out her website and Facebook page, follow her on Twitter and Instagram, and subscribe to her YouTube channel.

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Women in Entertainment

Women in entertainment: Julie Neumark, an artist on the cutting edge

It’s another beautiful October Monday, and time to introduce our latest in the #WomeninEntertainment series, Julie Neumark, an artist who is on the cutting edge, not afraid to stand up for herself and what she believes.
Neumark grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio before moving to Los Angeles to pursue a career in film and television.  Once arriving in the Golden State, she lost no time in securing roles on Lifetime’s Oh Baby, The Gilmore Girls and various pilot episodes, as well as in the film Tattered Angel, which starred her childhood idol Lynda Carter.  She also appeared in numerous commercials and print ads.
After performing a song about an ex at an open mic night, Neumark reconsidered her artistic direction, and opted to pursue songwriting and singing.  It didn’t hurt that she was immediately offered a full spot to perform at the club the following Friday night.
Over the next three years, Neumark performed at every opportunity at venues throughout Los Angeles, including shows at the famed Hotel Cafe where this writer first encountered her.  Her perseverance and drive helped build a large fan base and landed her a manager and a full length album, Dimestore Halo.

Dimestore Halo was an album filled with the passion, fury, sadness and triumph of life, inspired by Neumark’s own coming-of-age story and the loss of her father to cancer in 2005.

Her record release party was held at a Italian restaurant on Santa Monica Boulevard that had originally been the location for the studio where the Doors made L.A. Woman, their final album with Jim Morrison.  For Neumark, the location was perfect, as she epitomizes the true L.A. Woman – unafraid to stand up for her beliefs and driven to share her talents with the masses.

As a result of the critical acclaim for the album, Neumark was signed to Europe’s Hyena Records, which released Dimestore Halo in late 2008.  This led to Neumark being asked to support two tours for chart-topping indie rocker Beth Hart (“LA Song”) in 2009.

Lonesome Day Records also signed Neumark and released the album in June 2010 in the United States.  Neumark and her band supported the album during a tour of the southwest, including a stop at the SXSW Music Conference in Austin, Texas before returning to Los Angeles.

Despite advice to the contrary, Neumark chose to “come out.”   As a result, she won over a new fan base which respected her for her honesty and spunk.  She married Dr. Holly Lucille, a renowned expert on women’s health issues, who also plays bass in Neumark’s acoustic band and has toured extensively with her, when she’s not busy doing television talk shows herself.

What inspires Neumark?    “I have been most inspired by a quote from fellow indie artist Joss Whedon:  ‘Don’t just be yourself – be all of yourself.  Don’t just live; be that other thing connect to death.  Be life.'”

Neumark’s music also caught the attention of key music supervisors in Hollywood, leading to the placement of her song “Uncharted Water” in the indie film Steam, starring Ruby Dee and Ally Sheedy, as well as placement of the title track “Dimestore Halo” by ABC.

Since then, Neumark has released an EP, No More, in 2013, and has just finished her sophomore full length album, Giving Trees, which will be released in early 2016.

What are Neumark’s plans for the future?  “I recorded my upcoming album (Giving Trees) over the course of 7 months with the help of incredibly talented and generous people.  Being able to take my time and remain present throughout the recording process added a magical element that allowed a sparkly kind of joyful creativity to pervade.  I took with me one of the most impactful lessons of my life:  when there is no joy in your art, there is no art.  Always make room for the joy.”

To find out more about this amazing artist, check out her Facebook page, follow her on Twitter, and subscribe to her YouTube channel.

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Artists Worth Checking Out

Artists worth checking out: Brooke Moriber

One of the best things about writing a blog focusing on indie artists is the opportunity to check out amazing new artists and share them with readers.  Thanks to Jen Lyneis of Ue3 Promotions and Rick Eberle, Indie Voice is proud to share and recommend Brooke Moriber as this month’s “Artist Worth Checking Out.”

Born and raised in New York City (Manhattan’s Greenwich Village to be precise), Brooke Moriber is a singer/ songwriter known for her edgy pop tunes.  She got her start on Broadway at the tender age of eight when she was cast as young Cosette in Les Miserables.  Since then, she has performed in six other Broadway shows, including roles as Nadine in The Wild Party, Iola Stover in Parade and Lily in James Joyce’s The Dead, as well as guest starring roles on television and in the movies, including Law and Order: CI, Swift Justice, A Town’s Revenge, Off-Track Betty, Descent, and As The World Turns.  She also appeared on stage in Follies on Broadway and The Threepenny Opera, the latter with Cyndi Lauper and Alan Cumming.

In addition, she also premiered Randy Newman’s “Stupid Little Songs” in Seattle, portraying Randy’s first wife in The Education Of Randy Newman.  Moriber has been a featured performer on the Tony awards three times and recently performed in a tribute to Marvin Hamlisch at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park .

Not only can she act and sing show tunes, but she has her own style of pop music that is a cross between Amy Lee of Evanescence and Katy Perry.   The Associated Press credited her with having a “clarion voice” with an “immense vocal range.”

Moriber had her first material licensed to Nickelodeon when she was only 15.  Since then her songs have been featured on soundtracks for film and theater.  With her band, she has performed at such New York City venues as Pianos, The Cutting Room, The Knitting Factory and the Red Lion.  More recently, her performance at Revolution Music Hall was filmed for Verizon Fios’ Channel 1 where she was chosen as one of the artists to be featured on Rick’s Rising Stars.

Moriber released her debut EP Fire in August 2015, and has begun performing outside of New York City to support the release.  Last week she visited the Golden State to perform at Los Angeles venues Genghis Cohen and Room 5, where her shows were met with resounding success.

For more information about this artist, check out her website and Facebook page, follow her on Twitter and Instagram and subscribe to her YouTube channel.

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Reviews

Cindy Alexander is one special American girl

The Hotel Cafe is the place to be on Saturday, October 10 when local Los Angeles indie artist Cindy Alexander debuts her latest spectacular creation An American Girl.
I believe David Lawrence, host and executive producer of Net Music Countdown said it best:  “Cindy is the personification of what it takes to be a superstar.  Her writing is insightful and poignant. Her stage presence is utterly unforgettable, and her musicianship is flawless. She also possesses that rarest of charisma that one cannot manufacture: she was born to perform.”
Born and raised in Los Angeles, and despite being trained at the acclaimed USC School of Drama, Alexander decided to forego the acting world and focus instead on just being herself – a brilliant, witty and boisterous singer-songwriter whose songs have touched and affected the lives of everyone who has had the pleasure of hearing them.   Alexander’s songs speak of real-life events, allowing her audience to connect with and accept their inherent truths.
A seasoned writer and classically-trained performer, Alexander’s songs incorporate numerous subjects – not just the classic singer/songwriter confessional laments about dysfunctional relationships, marriage, and motherhood, but also her personal discovery and recovery from breast cancer, the perils of the entertainment business, classic literature, sexuality, spirituality, history and the human condition.   For Alexander, there is no topic which is off limits – she simply tells the truth about the highs and lows of life.
An American Girl, a five-track EP, is easily the best material Alexander has created to date.  A breast cancer survivor herself, Alexander has timed the release to coincide with Breast Cancer Awareness month in October.  Despite her diminutive stature, Alexander has never been afraid to tackle real issues with her songs, and the four original songs on the EP are further proof of that.  To top it all off, Alexander adds her own take to the classic Tom Petty hit “American Girl.”
Despite winning numerous awards and a television reality show, Alexander has chosen to remain an independent artist.  She formed her own label, JamCat Records in 1999 and released five CDs (See Red, Smash, Angels & Demons, Wobble with the World and Every Rise and Fall) before partnering with Blue Elan Records for the 2014 release of Curve.  The partnership with Blue Elan has given Alexander better exposure while allowing her to remain what she truly is – an independent artist.
In addition to being a singer/songwriter/ recording artist, Alexander is a wife, daughter, friend, mother of twins, breast cancer survivor, advocate and Ambassador to BreastCancer.org, animal rescuer, avid reader, hiker, cribbage competitor, baker of OCD chocolate chip cookies, volunteer, and guacamole lover.
When asked what drives her to be an artist, she answered:  “What compels me to share my creativity is what I call the ‘life of song.’ It’s the journey from Inspiration, to a spark or current in my heart, to something that pours from my pen to paper, from my fingertips to my instrument, from within my body and out through voice…to the space between me and the listener and hopefully, into that listener’s heart, where it takes on an additional meaning, if not an entirely different one than I had imagined… And then perhaps, it’s shared with a random friend and the journey continues. That’s the life of a song.  Music is a connection, a healer, and it’s magic.”

Give a listen to An American Girl, as well as her entire musical catalog – we think you’ll agree that Cindy Alexander is a uniquely independent artist with plenty to share.  Don’t miss her EP release show at The Hotel Cafe on October 10.

For more information on this amazing artist, check out her website and Facebook page, follow her on Twitter and Instagram and subscribe to her YouTube channel.  You can find her songs on Amazon.com and iTunes or listen to the stream on SoundCloud.

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Women in Entertainment

Future Women in Entertainment: Meresha brings a “New Revolution” to the indie music scene

Happy new (fiscal) year!  It’s time for another article in our Future Women in Entertainment series.  This month we feature 18-year old Meresha, an Alien-loving vegan singer, songwriter, musician, composer, and producer, who has plans to take over the world.  We believe she just may be destined to join the ranks of those artists like Björk, Beck, Gaga, Madonna and Cher who are on a first name basis with their fans.

While many artists talk about chasing their dream and following whatever path is laid out in front of them, most of them never leave their hometowns and cities and expect it all to come to them.  This is definitely not the case with Meresha. Born and raised in Warsaw, Poland, she was deeply influenced by artists such as Robert Plant, Joss Stone, Freddie Mercury, Björk, Hayley Williams and James Blake as she learned and honed her craft.  She and her family relocated to Florida when she was 15 so that she could pursue her music career.

Meresha is a trendsetter and became the first artist to launch an EP exclusively on the new social media site tsu, one week before it was available publicly.  She made videos with the CEO, prominent tsu users, the tsu leadership team as well as prominent charities ahead of the launch.

New Revolution is a four-track EP in the electronica and electro-pop genre.  The title track has already cracked the Top 100 and appears to be headed for the Top 40.   “New Revolution” is a celebratory song that Meresha hopes each listener will interpret to be meaningful for his or her own “revolution.”   It’s an upbeat song that was designed to get listeners to dance and sing along and was written and composed to lift spirits and simply have fun.   Explains Meresha, “I created this song as a celebration of the past, creation of the new and a respect of the classics.  But it really can be about many things and people can interpret it in many ways. It can be applied to music, innovation or even technology.”

Meresha wrote and sang every song on her album, as well as performing them  as a pianist, guitarist and drummer.  Her sound is described as a combination of a soulful voice with modern beats, and is truly unique.   That’s not just hyperbole, since the EP has already either won or been a semi-finalist in several global music competitions, eliciting praise from the music press and extensive global radio play.

For the “New Revolution” video, Meresha enlisted five-time MTV VMA nominee David Rousseau (Pitbull, Magic!, Enrique Iglesias, LMFAO, Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Wayne) to helm the director’s chair.  You can check out the results here.

For more information about this rising star, check out her website and Facebook page, follow  her on Twitter, and subscribe to her YouTube channel.  You can also listen to her stream on Spotify, Soundcloud and iTunes.

Once again, special thanks to Jennifer Lyneis of Ue3 Promotions for introducing me to this electrifying artist.

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Reviews

Paige Nichols lights up the indie world with “Burn”

“Captive.  Enslaved.  Held hostage by the very thing you desire most… Love. What happens when that passion you can’t live without turns too volatile to endure? What do you do when the object of your affection is the source of your
anguish? How do you stop the incessant cycle and break free from those binds, when even your heart betrays you?”

These words are the inspiration behind Paige Nichols‘ new crowd-funded music video for her unreleased single “Burn,” a dark and haunting twist on the beloved fairy tale “Beauty & the Beast,” which explores the Stockholm-syndrome phenomenon plaguing a woman chained to a love that’s grown too tumultuous to control.

“We knew we needed a unique and striking story to portray this very special song,” said Nichols. “Sometimes fires grow so big they can’t be extinguished. That can also be true in a relationship, which sometimes just has to burn itself out. And, it was our responsibility to give the fans something incredible.”

Nichols is speaking of the countless supporters across the country who contributed to funding the production and release of the video via Kickstarter.
“Burn” was shot at the San Encino Abbey in Los Angeles, a fitting fantasy backdrop for the video, complete with a quaint cathedral and chilling catacombs.

To contrast the stone stronghold with elegant, opulent style, Nichols’ fashion team looked no further than Albright Fashion Library L.A., dressing her in both Dolce & Gabbana and Nina Ricci gowns.

“Something about seeing this gorgeous girl trapped in a dark, dreary dungeon, and belting out this emotional power ballad just gave us chills on set,” said producer Jacob Burch. “We all knew something magical was happening.”

A songstress since before she could speak, this singer/songwriter who blends powerhouse vocal prowess with crowd-captivating music and lyrics has been described as a “…Sara Bareilles-esque songwriter with a sound that
is both soulful and spirited. Think Grace Potter with a healthy dose of Stevie Nicks.”

Nichols is joined on the song by the uber-talented and Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Jacob Luttrell.  Luttrell brings his ultra-smooth and unmistakable voice and presence to both the single and the video.  Luttrell is currently also featured on Zedd’s latest track, “Done with Love,” and was responsible for several other current Top 40 hits including “I Don’t Like it, I Love It” by Flo Rida featuring Robin Thicke and “Marvin Gaye” by Charlie Puth featuring Meghan Trainor, as well as past hits “Wild Ones” by Flo Rida featuring Sia and “Tonight (I’m Loving You” by Enrique Iglesias.

The video was directed by Jacob Johnston, Visual Development Producer at Marvel Studios.  Johnston wrote and directed his first short film Kadence, which was an official selection at both Indiana’s Mayday Film Festival and California’s Idyllwild Film Fest, where it was nominated for Best Director and Best Featurette.

The video was produced and edited by Jacob Burch, producer of Disney/ABC Domestic Television‘s nationally syndicated entertainment news program “On The Red Carpet,” and debuted on BreathHeavy.com on September 10, 2015.

To find out more about this amazing artist, check out her website and Facebook page, follow her on Twitter and Instagram and subscribe to her YouTube channel.

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Women in Entertainment

Women in entertainment: Alisha Zalkin, fearless front woman

Happy Monday – it’s time for another edition of the Women in Entertainment series.  Today we will spotlight Alisha Zalkin, a Los Angeles based singer/songwriter and the lead singer of the popular rock band Sleep Machine,  which was recently featured by Entertainment Weekly.
Alisha was brought to this reviewer’s attention by another Women in Entertainment member, Laura Goldfarb of Red Boot PR in June 2014, after the release of On This Road, which was reviewed by Examiner.com.  This reviewer was so impressed with the EP that he attended a live performance in Los Angeles later than month, which resulted in Alisha’ first live review.
In addition to the attention given to Alisha by Examiner.com, she was also named one of the eight break-out artists of 2014 by AXS.com and was the recipient of two 2014 LA Music Critic Awards:  Best CD for On This Road and Best Music Video for the album’s single, “Fearless.”
AXS.com had this to say about Alisha:  “San Diego may have been her hometown, but Los Angeles is falling in love with Alisha Zalkin.  What sets her apart from other singer/songwriters is her heartfelt passion for social change and her willingness to set an example for others to emulate.  Her ballad “Fearless” has set the standard for social change and become an anthem for those fighting oppression and social stigma.  Alisha is well on her way to becoming one of Los Angeles’ biggest stars in 2015.”
It seems that the writer at AXS.com nailed his prediction in this case.  Since December 2014, Alisha has become the lead singer for Sleep Machine, a hard-rocking LA indie rock band which is quickly coming to national attention.  The band has already received placements for their music on several national shows, including The Fosters (ABC Family) and Younger (TV Land), in addition to a commercial for the upcoming ABC drama series Quantico.  The band’s single “Wild for You” was featured by Entertainment Weekly in their TV Jukebox feature.
What inspires Alisha?  “I’ve always been one to find inspiration from music that comes from a pure place, regardless of genre.  I’m inspired by well-written songs that are delivered with purpose.  Anything that reaches out and grabs my emotions.  Music and emotions go hand in hand.  My emotions inspire my music and the music I listen to influences my emotions.”
Where does Alisha see herself in the future?  “I’m currently playing around town (LA) with my band Sleep Machine.  We will be releasing a music video for our song, “Game Over,” from our debut EP Cover me in Gold.  We are also in the process of putting together our second EP.  In addition, I am working on a new solo record, writing and recording for a new folk project, and working as a session singer.”
It is just this kind of work ethic that has propelled Alisha into the spotlight, and promises listeners that good things are still to come for this impressive artist.  To keep up with Alisha, check out her website and Facebook page, follow her on Twitter and Instagram, and subscribe to her YouTube channel.
Thanks to Laura Goldfarb for the background information and for turning this reviewer on to this amazing artist.