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Music Friday
Locos Por Juana is a Grammy and Latin Grammy nominated bilingual band formed in Miami, FL, in 2000 that blows away audiences with what the Miami Herald calls “eareld calls the beloved master of “the Latin-Reggae-Hip-Hop mashup” . The band rocks stages with electrifying dynamism, collaborations with stars of Latin music and hip hop and reggae, high energy dance numbers, and a unique music style. The current line-up consists of vocalist Itagüí Correa, guitarist Mark Kondrat, and drummer Javier Delgado, who form the core of the group, along with trombonist Lasim Richards and percussionist Carlos Palmet. The band released its first two albums, Locos Por Juana in 2003 and Música pal Pueblo in 2005, on the indie label Musical Productions (MP) Records. In 2003 they were nominated for a Premio Lo Nuestro and in 2005 for a Latin Grammy. In 2007, Locos por Juana signed with Universal Música and released La Verdad, nominated for a Grammy. In 2010, Locos por Juana returned with a new EP, Evolución, nominated for The Shock Awards in the Best Alternative Album category in Bogatá. Their next album "Somos de La Calle" will be released in the fall and the single "Se Fue La Luz" is available now on Billboard.com.
Music Friday Live is moving to Mexico in July and will disassemble the studio for moving next week. This Friday is our last week on the air before we move to Mexico. We will begin broadcasting again in August, interviewing Mexican bands and American bands touring in Mexico.
Sarah Burton’s career started in 2006 with a broken heart, a broken down vehicle, and a haphazard tour across Canada in a van named Lucky -- an artist driven by adventure, spontaneity, and a desire to connect with people from all walks of life. Three Minivans, and several greyhound trips later, Sarah has played 200+ shows a year, released 4 albums and played festivals across North America. Rooted in folk, and skirting pop, rock and country – Sarah’s music is a collage of her own adventures and the people she meets along the way. Her songs have made their way to the big screen, earned college radio charting in US and Canada and commercial radio play in Canada and Europe. Now, after the bad breakup, two robberies, a few trips to the ER, and moving to the West Texas desert she has produced her fifth studio album, Give Me What I Want and it is a knockout.
RAMEKEGA is a California-based alternative band formed in 2007, comprised of three women with 3 full-length albums and two West Coast tours under their belt. The Pozon Sisters Kelli (rhythm guitar, keyboards, vocals), and Gabrielle (drums, percussion, vocals), were joined by younger sister Kaira Pozon (bass, vocals) in 2011. They are getting radio airplay locally in California and internationally in the UK and Australia and have played in some of LA’s top music venues like the Roxy and the Ebell Theater, along with in festivals and fairs throughout California. They appeared on Time Warner Cable programs “Yourself Presents”, A18 TV, and AXS Live - along with the Hansons, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Art Alexakis of Everclear. Their musical style is a smorgasbord that includes pop, rock, indie, jazz, ballads, and retro, and blues, and whatever else ‘just sounds right for the song”.
Taína Asili is a New York-based Puerto Rican singer, filmmaker and activist combining powerful vocals and social justice lyrics in a fusion of Afro-Latin, reggae and rock. For over 20 years she has brought the music of love and resistance to venues across the globe – from the Women’s March on Washington to the nationwide Rock Against the TPP Tour. After the 2016 election, a bigger audience has caught up to the artist the Huffington Post named one of “12 Freedom Fighting Bands to Get you Through the Trump Years. Asili’s first album War Cry, 2010, and her latest album Fruit of Hope, 2014, show the growth and power of a talented, dedicated artist and activist. Asili also works in other media: her music videos “No Es Mi Presidente” , “And We Walk”, and the stirring “Freedom” received national acclaim and media attention. Recently, she has launched a podcast with her new show The Rhythm of Rebellion, featuring interviews with social justice artists from around the world. Truly a talent that our times demand. (photos by Mike Morgan, Shannon Straney, Sun Angel)
"The Blue" by Southern California singer/songwriter Alice Wallace from her new album, Into the Blue, released on Rebelle Road Records, has been named one fo the 10 Best Country and Americana Songs to Hear Now - along with songs by Blake Sheldon. That is pretty good national company for a woman who is is pure California country music. Her fourth album, Into the Blueharks back to the 70’s artists like Joni Mitchelle and Jackson Brown who did not have all the answers but knew how to sing the questions. Folky, romantic, soulful, and always melodic, Alice is eclectic Americana, organic, probing but understanding and often topical. Winner of an LA MUSIC CRITIC Award, Alice has performed at LA’s legendary country venue the Palomino Club, as well as many others in her average 200-gigs year. The album marks her debut on the brand-new Rebelle Road label, an imprint founded by a trio of women dedicated to strengthening the California Country music community and expanding visibility for female artists in the Americana/roots genre. The song, is pure gold, as Rolling Stone reminds us.
And, theirrepressible Trevor Douglas will drop in to let us know about new shows and new music.
Alicia Blue is singer-songwriter who uses a folk tradition to tell modern stories. And she knows her stories - she's done just about everything to tell them, from cleaning houses, to waiting tables, to sleeping on couches, and taking care of an aging soul singer. Her hard work and perseverance has taken her to the heart of LA’s folk-singer-songwriter scene, . telling tales of not so pretty realities and some heart-breaking truths, s. Along the way she explores culture, race and identity in her music. Her debut single, “Incognito” tells a cryptic tale of Alicia’s experience as a “passing” Latina. She sings at clubs and events throughout Los Angeles including appearing at the Hotel Café and NAMM.
Jerrica Alyssa is a Canadian Pop/R&B Artist. Born and raised in Vancouver and now lives in Nashville, TN. A conservatory trained pianist at ARCT, the Royal Conservatory of Music, she is an accomplished singer/songwriter, and a professional Polynesian dancer. She is now writing, recording and performing as a solo artist, creating a voluptuous mix of pop, funk, and R&B, with industry veteran Joseph Magee (Pitch Perfect, Miley Cyrus, Metallica, Whitney Houston. In her spare time she records voice sessions in film and TV. Jerrica has toured in China, Philippines, Japan, South Korea, UK, Ireland, Hawaii, Polynesia throughout Canada and the USA. She has appeared on the Voice, Canadian Idol and Variety’s Got Talent. Her new single, “Ride,” is out now.
SJae (aka Sammy Jay), the UK’s first female music producer, has been called “the best in the business” in the US by many of her peers, including some of the world’s biggest music stars and producers. The Mercury-nominated artist is an advocate and prominent representative for women in music technology – producing, making beats, mixing, mastering. She works to increase the opportunities for women to produce and work on the technical side of the music industry while she herself is a smash success at doing so. Her debut 4-song EP, FIRST, is due out March 22 and includes collaborations with acclaimed songwriters, producers, and artists Raphael Saadiq ,Sam Sparro, and Dria Thronton, and Hilaire. We are proud to interview her on International Woman's Day
Tourist Company, the Vancouver-based musical duo of Taylor Swindells and Brenon Parry, met in 2009, and found it easy to work together to create unique indie music. But they did not decide to make it official and form Tourist Company in 2013 and went on to release their debut record Apollo, to critical acclaim and toured it relentlessly across Canada and the world, playing shows in the United States, Europe, and Mexico. Both also took a break from touring together and their own music to lend their talents to touring with other groups before finally coming back to their primary project, retreating to the studio to experiment and create in what became a 2 year writing process and their new single, “Conflicted Restricted.”
For over 50 years, John Mayall has served as a pioneer of blues music, rightly earning him the title, "The Godfather of British Blues". After decades of touring and recording, in 2013 John signed with producer Eric Corne's label, Forty Below Records, and has since been experiencing an artistic and career renaissance, including a Blues Hall of Fame induction in 2015. This Friday Forty Below Records will release Nobody Told Me, Mayall’s new studio album. Born in the UK in 1933, Mayall first became attracted to jazz and blues through his father's 78s record collection, listening to guitarists like Big Bill Broonzy, Brownie McGhee, Josh White and Leadbelly. However once he heard the sounds of boogie woogie piano giants Albert Ammons, Pete Johnson and Meade Lux Lewis, he was hooked. As a young teen, he began learning the guitar and later, the harmonica, inspired by Sonny Terry, Sonny Boy Williamson and Little Walter. The rest is history: mentoring future stars like Paul McCartney, Mick Fleetwood, and Eric Clapton, moving to Los Angeles, more live and studio albums, and world touring his band The Bluesbreakers. Never stopping, he recently recorded albums in 2016, 2017 and 2018 and began playing live as a trio. His 2017 European tour resulted in the critically acclaimed live recording Three for the Road that showcased his skills on organ, piano and harmonica. In 2018, he recruited Texas blues guitarist Carolyn Wonderland -- the first female guitarist in his permanent lineup- for recording and touring in 2019. Mayall also has a new studio album in the works which features a full blown lineup with guest contributions from an impressive list of extraordinary, well-known guitarists.
Ozomatli was founded in 1995 when the core members worked together on organizing a farmworkers union in Los Angeles. They didn’t win recognition for the union, but the band that came out of that effort, named for the Aztec astrological symbol for the monkey, has been recognized worldwide for its joyous, high energy, activist, multi-genre music. The band's first album, Ozomatli, was released in 1998 on Almo Sounds with the band's trademark mix of bilingual lyrics and Mexican music styles like norteño, along with Jamaican ska and reggae, a heavy dose of American hip-hop and funk, merengue and cumbia, often mixed together in the same song. That album charted and led to tours with Santana and Maná. And they have not stopped. They just released a new single, “Libertad”, their 2107 album Nonstop Mexico to Jamaica has gone global, and their 2019 tour dates are already booked into March for performances from Colorado to Cuba.
Rebelle Road, a music platform/label/promotion and production organization founded by industry executive Karen Rappaport McHugh, along with artists KP Hawthorn and Adrienne Isom, to expand support and touring opportunities for women in country music by assembling knowledge and resources and putting together events and other opportunities with women as the main attraction. Rebelle Road organized a gathering as part of 2018’s South By Southwest festivities in Austin, released its first album last month - a country stunner by Alice Wallace - and is heading to SXSW2019 to further its agenda of blazing new trails for Americana and Country music, especially California country music.
Salvador Santana writes music that is both fun on the surface and deep in meaning. He throws himself into projects that bring a positive spin to the world, and make a lot of people not only better off, but happy. No wonder that at a young age he has accumulated more praise and accolades than most people ever do in their lives. He comes by his music honesty – his family has long been a creative force in music, especially his father, the Hall of Fame guitarist Carlos Santana. Salvador’s instrument is not the guitar, it is the keyboard and the lyric, which he wields with deft skill and unbridled joy. He is working on new projects and has new songs out and we are so happy to have them and to welcome an old friend v- and new father – Salvador Santana is tunes
International artist Nominjin started her music career at the age of 12 in her native Mongolia, going on to become Mongolia’s first and only pop teen idol. A solo artist who sings in 15 languages, Nominjin has performed and toured in more than 15 countries across the world in front of audiences of up to 70,000 people. She has been featured on John Lennon's tribute album Peace, Love & Truth, and her hit single “Take Me To Your Heart” was included in the EMI album “Love: Best of Ten Years” alongside artists such as Christina Aguilera, Toni Braxton, Norah Jones, and Ricky Martin. She is bringing her soulful R&B to the US with her new EP, Free Soul, recorded at Radonai Records in Los Angeles, California.
Indie synth pop soloist SISSTER, born in Chula Vista CA outside of San Diego, is a composer, songwriter, producer and singer. From an early age SISSTER showed musical and artistic talent, and as a teen, she picked up the guitar and focused on singing and composing original songs. She has performed in acoustic pop, rock bands, blues and rockabilly and synth pop concerts. She has shared stages with artists such as Enjambre, Siddharta, Julieta Venegas, La Santa Cecilia, Flor Amargo, among others in both the US and Mexico. Her debut EP features songs produced by herself, John Avila (bassist Oingo Boingo) and Anton Soder. Her debut album is set for release February 6 in Los Angeles.
Southern California singer/songwriter Alice Wallace’s new album, Into the Blue, to be released this week on Rebelle Road Records, is pure California country. Her fourth album, it harks back to the 70’s artists like Joni and Jackson Brown who did not have all the answers but knew how to sing the questions. Folky, romantic, soulful, and always melodic, Alice is eclectic Americana, organic, probing but understanding and often topical. Winner of an LA MUSIC CRITIC Award, Alice has performed at LA’s legendary country venue the Palomino Club, as well as many others in her average 200-gigs year. The album marks her debut on the brand-new Rebelle Road label, an imprint founded by a trio of women dedicated to strengthening the California Country music community and expanding visibility for female artists in the Americana/roots genre.
Screamin’ Rachael – Rachael Cain -- named the “Queen of House Music” by Billboard Magazine, was the first house artist to sign a major label deal. She launched the Hip House sound when she recorded Fun with Bad Boys with Afrika Bambaataa and has collaborated with artists including Bambaataa, Marshall Jefferson, Colonel Abrams, Grandmaster Melle Mel. An early signer to and now President of Trax Records, Rachael returns to her strong Chicago alternative roots with Don’t Make Me Lonely while working on the production with Van Christie of Die Warzau. She released a new single I Am House, and celebrated the release of the soundtrack to new film series, The Vamp Bikers Trilogy, which Cain coordinated and appears on and which includes the original “Boom Boom” from TRAX, source of friction with Kayne West for his sampling.
Lisa Bouchelle is a renaissance woman -- one of those rare artists whose songs can make you cry, laugh and put them on repeat. Her music sounds loose and casual, but it’s actually very precise - the product of playing and singing from a very early age. And she is unstoppableaveraging over 200 shows a year. She's dueted with Jon Bon Jovi and sung backup for Bruce Springsteen, and toured with and/or opened for Blues Traveler, Meat Loaf, Ingrid Michaelson, Bryan Adams, The Wailers, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and many more. She has appeared on theTV show "Gossip Girl," and placed songs in TV and movies in the US and Japan, plus she hosts her own TV show Rock Star Kitchen. Her latest EP, Lipstick Tomboy,has passed two million streams on Spotify, and the first single, a video of the duet with John Popper, "Only The Tequila Talkin'," currently has over 100,000 views on YouTube.
Matíasis a young, bi-lingual LA- based multi instrumentalist, producer, composer, performer, and educator with stunning guitar chops and unique approach to Latino fusion music and classical Brazilian guitar. She identifies as a transfemme Latinx angel and is currently producing EDFemme tracks and composing boleros, bossas, and other traditional Latin music on her guitar. Her live shows range from bossa novas to percussion-laced guitar solos, to stories with a touch of humor.
One of the strongest women I know and one who is renowned throughout the indie music community as "Aoede The Muse," is the award-winning pop-folk singer, songwriter, artist, playwright, and author, Lisa Sniderman. She has recently released her memoir of creating music, plays, performances in face of a debilitating disease and it is a must read for anybody in the music or creative communities. She joins us to talk about A Light in the Darkness this week. In it she discusses the Gift in the Curse. The curse is her disease, a debilitataing condition that she lives with every day; the Gift is that because of her experience, she can feel compelled to share, connect with and inspire others and offer a path towards healing and hope despite hardship and struggles. As long as I have known her, she has been a source of joy, creativity, and strength - no wonder she has won so many music awards! Maybe next is a book award?.
Trevor Douglas is a singer, songwriter and musician from Fort Worth, Texas. A finalist on American Idol and Dallas winner of Hard Rock Rising 2017, he has opened for the Jonas Brothers, sang at The Dallas International Film Festival, and played The State Fair of Texas. Texas even awarded him "The Most Entertaining Singer" in The Texas Top Ten competition, solidifying him as a musician to watch in the region. Trevor was also invited to give a TED Talk for TEDxSMU titled “Creativity: What Makes Us Different”. As a songwriter, he gravitates towards a subtle pop style, sensitive lyrics, sweeping melodies, and hooky choruses, using his guitar as both an acoustic and percussive instrument, creating live backing tracks and vocal harmonies with his loop pedal.
David Messier is a multi-talented artist and music industry powerhouse based in Austin, Texas. A Trustee of the Recording Academy, Messier is an accomplished producer, entrepreneur, singer and songwriter hailed as “ a hurricane force of music.” He has served as President of the Texas Chapter of the Recording Academy and as a Governor of the Academy. Messier was the front man of the Boston-based band Papermoon, and after moving his studio and himself to Austin and working both in music and in philanthropy, received the “Austin Under 40 Award” in the category of Arts and Entertainment. He recently released his new album, the self- reflective Time Bomb, which took only 22 days to write and record at his recording studio in East Austin, Same Sky Productions. Always alert to music and the workings of his lyrical mind, the album’s guitar heavy title track is based on a Wurlitzer lick from one of Messier’s many phone recordings.
The Living Roomers , a new punk band comprised of Tru, Lucky and Rico, started in the living room of the band’s home in LA in late 2017 and just self-released their first single, “Screw You” along with a video for the track. Influenced by the Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Ramones, Velvet Underground, X, The White Stripes, Joy Division and Courtney Barnett among many others. The trio calls their title song, “Screw You” a call to action. It pushes back against those who try to put people, women in particular, in boxes, something totally foreign to the fresh sound and deep energy of this trio making a name for itself in LA.
Growing up in a musical family, Devin Kennedy knew there was only one path for him in life. As a kid, he taught himself to play drums, bass, guitar, and piano and wrote songs, but he began writing and releasing music seriously when he was accepted to Berklee College of Music. Devin released critically praised Love Language EP to much acclaim and an indie album. He has also toured across North America with former Big Time Rush member James Maslow, appearing at the iHeartRadio Music Festival and the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball.
With chart-topping singles, prime TV placements, and international festival appearances, María del Pilar continues to carry the torch in the U.S. Latino bilingual movement. Equal parts pop-lover and punk-rocker, María del Pilar mixes her DIY riot grrrl roots and bilingual lyrics to create melodic, sweet, and pop anthems. As the lead singer of Los Abandoned, she planted the seeds for what blossomed into the current new wave of U.S. Latin Alternative sounds. An immigrant Latina, María del Pilar has been collaborating live on the road with Chicano Batman, Las Cafeteras and Francisca Valenzuela. This past summer, María del Pilar also shared the stage with former labelmates Tegan & Sara, and Tune-Yards invited her to sing backup vocals for their TV performance on Conan.
Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, Amanda Abizaid is best known as the captivating vocalist on the theme song "A Place In Time" from Paramount's The 4400, the featured song "Dreams in Ashes" from Lifetime Television's Odd Girl Out, as well as other lead vocal appearances in songs appearing in Smallville, Ed, One Tree Hill, Felicity, and Charmed, and many others. A prodigious live performer, she appears regularly in clubs and concerts around the world. Winner of numerous awards, she is Amanda also inspires and encourages her fans to respect and value all cultures through their shared love of music to create a more peaceful world society and support women in music. Her most recent album, Walking Two’s has already won awards and her Bollywood Remix single will be released shortly
West Texas-born Sydney Wright grew up learning and loving music, crafting songs and amping up her skills as a performer as a teen playing country and rock. She developed her stunning performing skills with an impressive knack for looping tracks during live performances with a huge voice that often gets her compared to Florence and the Machine and Sara Bareilles. Post-college, in 2015, after recording at the famous Sonic Ranch Studios in El Paso, Wright moved to Austin and took up sound engineering in town. But she also started performing, making her way through venues as a formidable, usually solo, performer. A hit-and-run accident put her in the hospital for 10 weeks, but with the help of Health Alliance for Austin Musicians she has fully recovered and is back playing and recording, launching an indigogo site, creating stunning videos and, of course, sound engineering.
New York-based Niva the Soul Diva is a singer, songwriter and performer known for blending R&B, rock, hip-hop, dance and soul and crowd-pleasing performances. A Houston, TX, native, Niva grew up in the rough part of Houston and moved to New York for a career in the entertainment industry. In early 2008 she responded to an ad for a singer from the New Black Music production company and the rest is history. Niva released her first full-length album, Rollercoaster Love, in 2010, with her debut single “I Will Make It” and released her sophomore album, Unrivaled in 2013. Currently she has several songs from her latest EP " Life, Love & Music on the 2018 Grammy Award ballot for a Grammy nomination while she is also in the studio working on her full album.
Mad Hawkes is a rock trio +1 from the South Bay region of LA, led by high-energy rock singer/songwriter Maddi Hawkes who is totally unafraid to say what she thinks in raw lyrics and dance-until-you-drown-in-sweat beats. While interning at Parts + Labor Records in Venice Beach, Maddie so immersed herself in songwriting that label owner/producer Jimmy Messer saw a rising talent so he encouraged her to tap into her truth and write with passionate, emotional honesty. She did and the rest is history – a history of songs that carom from angst to heartache, from dismal lyrics to upbeat melodies. And always, she is flaunting her flaws regardless of any judgement in a sound that she calls “Babe Rock” She released her first single, "Fantasy" Janauary of this year and the second single “Face Pnch” is out now.
Multi-instrumentalist and soothing soul singer Sam Ravenna released his self-titled debut EP in 2017 after years as a sideman for bands including Eric Lindell, Cas Haley, Tubby love, and Peter Joseph Burtt & The Kingtide. A Berklee College of Music graduate the Lake Tahoe based Ravenna is a seasoned touring musician and has produced and collaborated on albums for many national acts. His prior projects include the funk powerhouse band “Rapplesauce” and the reggae-dub project “Samily Man”. He is releasing his 14-track album Fragile featuring guests artists Rob O’Block. Scott Flynn of Odesza, Pretty Lights and John Brown’s Body, Max Ribner and Tim Snider (Nahko and Medicine for the people) contributed strings and horns and Mark Sexton (Sextones). The album will be premiered this Friday at La’s renowned Hotel Café.
Many performers live for applause. Michelle Lewis just wants to make you cry. She tours globally from her current home in Los Angeles, from Belgium to Wyoming. This Fall she’ll tour her new full-length album, All That’s Left, through Europe and the US. She has been a regular at The Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles, and at Club Passim in Boston. Her first full-length album release, This Time Around, arrived in 2004. She has been a longtime collaborator with producer Anthony J. Resta (Elton John, Duran Duran, Shawn Mullins), spanning their work on her EPs Broken (2009) and Paris (2011), her second full-length album, The Parts Of Us That Still Remain (2014), and her forthcoming album All That’s Left (2018).
Whitney Tai is a singer-songwriter daredevil who creates dream pop on the edge between pop and indie, rooted in emotional honesty and personal integrity. She is simultaneously totally authentic and other worldly. Tai lost her mother to cancer when she was 10 years old, surfacing her own health issues including severe anxiety, depression and weight loss. But she channeled her feelings into songs and poems and performing no matter the darkness inside of her. Singles led to albums like her debut Metamorphosis, then the EP Forever, followed by a series of single releases, ‘Truth Be Told” ,”How Was I Supposed To Know” and breathtaking videos and then “Shockwave”. She is now appearing in venues across LA.
Nurit Siegel Smith has been appointed as the new Executive Director Music Forward Foundation of the House of Blues , an organization that contributes over a million dollars year to music programming and education. Smith assumes leadership as the foundation’s Music Forward program embarks on its 25th year as one of the nation’s leading nonprofits creating opportunities for youth in the music industry. She comes to Music Forward after serving as Deputy Director at Grand Performances. She has extensive experience in arts and entertainment social sectors and has held positions within the Blue Man Group and Highways Performance Space and spent over a decade at the SAG-AFTRA Foundation. She will join us to lay out her vision for the future of the Music Forward Program, so vital to music in America.
Award-wining singer/songwsriter/musical director / producerand voice actor AOEDE drops by to talk about her forthcoming memoir.
“The hardest thing you can possibly do is walk away from someone that you viscerally love and feel is a part of you.” Singer-songwriter, Joy Autumn, explores this declaration in depth in her latest music video for her single, Go and expands the search for meaning in her album Midnight, exploring the underbelly of the music industry. A singer-songwriter originally from the small town of Olympia, WA., the glitter of Hollywood quickly faded for her as she discovered a dark culture of late night and early morning partying with trust-fund babies, the offspring of celebrities, and industry execs, with drinking, drugs and predatory behavior. There were days when she couldn’t get out of bed and that’s when she re-discovered her love of utilizing songwriting as a form of therapy, She co-produced Midnight, a moody and cinematic pop record, with the support of producer, Bill Lefler (Ingrid Michaelson) to shine the light on the underground.
The Vagabond Tales is a multi-instrumental music project that is centered around the songwriting of Eva Mikhailovna, lead singer and song writer. Eva was born to a musical family in Russia and began writing songs and lyrics as a child. She learned how to play the piano before she could read or write, but it was always just for her own pleasure and that of her family’s. After moving to California, an invitation to play some of her music at a local college led her to put together a band and live perform her unique brand of western/old folk,/ragtime melting pot music. Recording soon followed, and she released Letters From the Moon in 2013, and the EP La Douleur Exquise in 2016. Eva and the Vagabond Tales is now touring in California. (Eva photos by Fernanda Frias)
Laura Saggers is a British singer/songwriter based in Los Angele,. For some time she has been arranging, recording and performing covers each week and has just released her debut original album Chasing Dreams. Classically trained on piano since the age of 4, Laura picked up the guitar while backpacking through Latin America as a teen, and later acquired and mastered the keytar. She was was endorsed by Roland for the keytar in 2013 and was rated as their top 25 keytarists worldwide alongside Lady Gaga and Keisha's keytarists. Laura's original singles have won the Summer Fling Best Song award for 2015 in the Unsigned Only International Music Competition, er and her song 10'000 Bitcoins was featured in the LA Times and Wall Street Journal.
Atlanta-based songwriter Anita Aysola infuses jazz and blues with classic rock and traditional Indian influences. Using lyrical wit, virtuosic piano runs, and a sultry-sweet voice , she seamlessly bridges worlds. Her debut album More Than Maybe showcases her broad range of influences from Norah Jones to Tom Waits. Her focus goes beyond jazz into traditional Indian music, most apparent in "Long Way Home", a ballad channeling influences like Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Ravi Shankar.
Gina Chavez is a bilingual Latin-folk singer/songwriter who blends the sounds of the Americas with cumbia, bossa nova, vintage pop, reggaeton, and folk combined with sharp social commentary. She is the 2014 John Lennon Songwriting Contest Grand Prize Winner , a eight-time Austin Music Award winner,she also won Musician of the Year, Album of the Year(Up.Rooted), Song of the Year , Best Latin Band , and the Esme Barrera Award for Music Activism and Education. She brings us her new personal EP, Lightbeam.
Karen Dezelle is a singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles, California whose acoustic indie folk songs played at SXSW and famed venues across the United States and UK, including the House of Blues, The Hotel Cafe, Hotel Utah, and The Bitter End. After the success of her 2013 and 2014 albums, Lost and Found and Bloom, Unfold, Wither, Dezelle’s 2016 EP, Room For Two, pushed boundaries that are extremely personal and heartfelt even for her. She will be talking about an upcoming event she is singing at, Create a Smile.
This Friday we premier Ch’usay the newest album by Novalima, the explosive Afro- Peruvian band that travels the world bridging cultures, genres and generations in their music. Started by four friends from Lima with a shared passion for traditional Afro-Peruvian music and global DJ culture, Novalima has garnered worldwide critical acclaim from mainstream media like NPR, UK Guardian, Wall Street Journal, Billboard, and underground media like Remezcla, Sounds & Colors, and Nat Geo for their legendary performances at festivals, their string of hit albums and their Latin Grammy nomination for Best Alternative Album. Last year Novalima went back into the studio to explore new sounds from Peru and produced Ch’usay which will be released this Friday, celebrating Novalima’s 15th Anniversary.
Chicago –born Matt LeGrand has explored the wide variety of musical inspirations that the windy city had to offer, learning guitar, drums, and even dabbling with songwriting. He also experimented with different bands and duos in college that finally inspired him to find a sound all his own. Legendary artists manager Bryant Reid discovered LeGrand in 2015 and is confident he’s found another potentially explosive new artist, saying , "In all of my years in the recorded music business, I must say that Matt LeGrand is one of the hardest working young artists that I've encountered. “ With an ever growing fan-base who call themselves The Legrand Girls. He released the highly successful “All Good” song and video in 2017, released “12:00 AM” this year, and debuted live in NYC this summer.
Plus, The duo Mitre drops by at the beginning of the showwith the new song, "El Callejón Del Beso" .
In 2016 Ali Stone was named by Billboard as one of the 6 artists to watch – the only woman on the list. Billboard was right. One of the youngest film composers for film in the world she went on to produce the full soundtrack of the thriller Demental, her remix for the official soundtrack of the Disney film Monsters University was chosen from more than 2,000 participants and she has become the Colombian spokesperson of the international campaign Women Working for Women. The talented Colombian producer, singer / songwriter & DJ, just released her new single " Follow Me " after Latin and Central American tours where she DJ’d and played for amphitheater crowds. Now in LA, she is writing, producing and engineering songs for artists such as Alan Walker and Prince Royce ...and taking time to sit down with Music Friday Live. This is a special extended interview so there is only one guest.
Taylor Grey began her musical career at 12 years old writing her own lyrics, while she took opera training and taught herself the piano and guitar. Musical theater, classic rock, jazz and 90’s hip-hop all contributed to her sophisticated and cross-generational refined pop alternative music. She debuted in 2016, with “Mind of Mine I & II”, a two-part EP that caught the eyes and ears of Pop Artist, Jacob Whitesides and put her on his summer “Lovesick” Tour as his opening performer. Her fan base exploded when she joined The Summer Set’s sold out “Made For You” Tour as a special guest in the fall of 2016. She released her first full album, SPACE CASE in the spring of 2017. (photgos by Nikko Lamere)
Internationally known Electro-Dance Pop artist, Kim Cameron has been building a name for herself since 2008 when she released her first album Contradictions. Her tracks have been featured on Billboard’s Dance Club, the Starfleet Dance Chart, and the DJ Times Dance Chart among others. Her album No Regrets generated a n indie record of 5 charting singles and her music videos have garnered over 2 million views and won awards from film festivals from LA to Switzerland as well as the Global Music Awards. She has toured the world, performed for the NFL, and won Best Emerging Female Artist of the Year at the 2017 Indie Music Channel Awards. And she writes children’s books! She recently released her Greatest Hits album featuring 11 of her highest charting singles which demonstrate her passion in “telling stories through music.”
Nashville blues artist Tammie Shannon has come full circle through being a young touring artist, wife, mom, business owner and now back to a full-time recording and performing musician. After teaming up with Grammy-nominated producer Kent Wells, Shannon shares the good, the bad and the ugly of a tumultuous life through her new blues album, All of Me. Growing up in northeast Arkansas just outside of Memphis with a family singing and playing classical, blues, Christian, country and R&B, Tammie started singing in her church and later joined a local band that toured as the opener for R&B/soul legend, Percy Sledge. But several years of setbacks, including a vocal cord injury sidelined her from music until her duaghter inspired her to rebuild her voice and sing again. All of Me is heavily influenced by Aretha Franklin, Bonnie Raitt and Etta James, and in it, Tammie tells her story of survival and empowerment.
Sean Ardoin is a fourth-generation Creole accordion whiz with a serious pedigree in Louisiana’s Creole tradition but with musical ideas of his own. He jumps out of out of the traditional box and create new music, influence by the likes of Earth Wind and Fire and Kiss to Fishbone and Bob Marley, which he listened to as a kid, along with the old-school music. He is a guardian of the Creole culture, but a new genre innovator too. Ardoin calls the new genre, Kreole Rock and Soul, a roots-based sound that embraces and incorporates contemporary pop and classic rock. He lays it down on Kreole Rock and Soul to be released September 14, an album he has filled with tasty accordion licks, catchy songs, and a brash, upbeat attitude that inspires as it persuades you to get up and dance.
British music producer and singer Mark Kingswood has performed thousands of times around the world for over the decade. His original songscover everthing from love, to family, to the challenges just living. His personal musical style is inspired by the great crooners of the last century, but he reinvents this timeless musical genre for today's ears and performs it with a confident stage presence born of years of experience while retaining his fiery youthful energy. With a vocal range that extends over several octaves, a distinctive voice and the deep, rich sound of a live orchestra plus his British charm, he brings a fun, young and modern twist to big band and jazz music.
Rob Bonfiglio is a guitarist, songwriter, producer, and musical director who first gained national prominence in the mid ‘90s as a founding member of RCA recording act Wanderlust. He scored a radio hit on the Billboard charts with "I Walked" and landed prime opening gigs for The Who, Collective Soul and others. Since relocating to Los Angeles in 2001, Rob has become a critically acclaimed solo artist with 4 solo albums to date, and his fifth, Trouble Again, has just been released. Rob also tours with and the musical director for multi-platinum selling pop group Wilson Phillips and produced their most recent album, Dedicated. Rob also plays with other L.A. based artists and his songs are heard in television, commercials, and films, including Disney’s 2008 release, Bridge to Terabithia.
El Feeling is a Los Angeles-based band founded in 2016 that mixes Latino folk rhythms with alternative style influenced by rock and pop, using folk instruments such as accordion, guitar, tambora and flute de millo, and electronic elements. Members of El Feeling -- Carolina Cobo, Carlos Hernan-Ch, Sergio Aldana, Diego Torres-Cantu, and Marco Echeverría -- come from Colombia, Venezuela and Mexico, blending their home nation sounds, cultures and rhythms into a fusion of musical ideas that resonates with any audience. El Feeling are Rock & Roll flavored with Latin spice and a style that can go beyond the Latin audience. Although their lyrics are in Spanish in in the future may also be in English .Their latest song, #Parrapa, is cumbia rock with a little rumba, and designed to make people get up and dance. (photos by Mariangela and Juan Nader)
Sterling Infinity combines electronic soul and synth rock Sterling began in gospel music where his songwriting abilities and extraordinary vocal range won the attention of gospel critics and the adulation of audiences. Soon he was singing not only at church venues, but also at Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, Avery Fisher, and the Jacob Javits Center. Back then he was as well known for his voice as he was for his flamboyant stage persona. He incorporates his deep sexual convictions and naked passion into his music, with dance beats that keep clubs moving until the wee hours. Sterling Infinity recently dropped his second music video #XWeveLanded - Soul Raptured to accompany his Ep, Sterling Infinity - The Infinite One Has Landed.
The electric-pop band Karmic is comprised of vocalists Laura Baruch and Kylee Katch, and features producers Samuel Murphy and Peter Kastner of Bad Owl Records. Known for bending sounds and toeing the genre line. their music blends electro-dance beats and hooky pop melodies, infused with a fearless point-of-view. Their wildly energetic music, like their brand new single, "Warriors," a quintessential female forward pop track that is both inspiring and determined, and like all their music, demands positive change. Their unique sound has taken them across the U.S. and Europe, including a recent stint in Germany and frequent performances at SoFar Sounds LA and Resident DTLA.
Atlanta-based Alexandra Jackson is a classically trained pianist, whose heart and talent has turned to bossa nova, jazz and the Latin beats. She comes by her talent and her heart honestly: her grand aunt was Mattiwilda Dobbs, the African American coloratura soprano who was one of the first black singers to enjoy a major international career in opera and as the daughter of Atlanta’s first Black major, her household was filled with the music of Miles Davis, Earth, Wind & Fire, and Michael Jackson, as well as that of Johnny Hartman, Luciano Pavarotti, and Antonio Carlos Jobim. Alexandra studied Jazz at the University of Miami, where she was exposed to Brazilian Jazz and performed with Latin bands and Brazilian ensembles and later in Jazz festivals in the U.S. and in Europe. Her debut project: Alexandra Jackson: Legacy & Alchemy channels her musical loves and experiences: Brazilian Music, American Jazz & Soul, NeoSoul, and London Soul Jazz for contemporary audiences worldwide.
Jenny and the Mexicats was formed 10 years ago in Madrid Spain by an English woman, two Mexicans and a Spaniard, fusing nationalities and personalities. Jenny, a professional trumpeter, linked with Icho, who played double bass, Pantera a guitarist, who loves punk bands and had played with Icho for many years in Mexico. Pantera then introduced the band to Spanish cajon player David from the world of flamenco. The first album, the bilingual Gold Medal-winning Jenny And The Mexicats was released in 2011, they moved to Mexico City in 2012, and in 2014 they released their second album, OME. From then on Jenny and the Mexicats became known on three continents for a musical combination that mixes rhythms of jazz, rockabilly, folk, flamenco, reggae, "veracruzano", country and cumbia.
Alezzandra uses her music, her body, her visual talent, and her mind to deliver messages that are sophisticated, yet simple and powerful. Born and raised in Sweden with a Serbian background and now living in LA, Alezzandra is an international recording artist and a producer who creates a female empowerment narrative through razor sharp lyrics, hypnotic rhythms, poetry, and provocative eroticism. And she delivers it all with a voice that knows few equals. Alezzandra’s music unfurls her deepest secrets and darkest fantasies, peeling painful, sensual layers away in her full video EP, The Black Rose. ? Her songs B ad Woman is a masterpiece of provocative melody and lyrics. She is truly a Bad Girl in Heaven and A Good Girl in Hell. Which is why she won the LA Music Critic Award for early 2018 for Best Ep, Female.
Raised and rooted in Corpus Christi, Texas, producer, DJ, and nu-cumbia pioneer El Dusty translates the Southern Texas border experience into new barrio anthems. His self-taught approach, drawing from a crate digging and a turntablist tradition links Latin classics with the new generation of bass-heavy soundsystem and hip-hop cultures. Critical acclaim has hailed El Dusty as Rolling Stone’s 10 New Artists You Need to Know and a Grammy nomination came last year. He is in demand at venues across the country for live gigs and collaborative projects with new wave Latin artists like Ana Ba´rbara, Toy Selectah, Erick Rinco´n of 3BallMTY, MLKMN, DJ Buddha, and more. Without a doubt, El Dusty is one of the artists who will shape the future of music.
Giulia Millanta, is a Italian-born, Austin- based Singer-songwriter who has released multiple solo albums, toured nationally throughout the USA and internationally throughout Europe and has both a new album and video out as of last week. An accomplished guitarist, Giulia also plays ukulele and sings in four languages. In 2010 she earned the “New Sounds Of Acoustic Music” award in Europe and an endorsement by guitar makers Eko. She debuted “Giulia and the Dizzyness” in 2010, released “Dropping Down” in 2011, and “Dust and Desire” in 2012. She broke new ground with “The Funambulist” and “Moonbeam Parade”. Last week she released Conversations with a Ghost after returning from her latest European tour.
Victoria Ginty and her Tampa-based Ladyhawke band fuse swampy Blues, R&B, Soul, and Americana in original compositions and covers. Victoria has had #1 records on worldwide charts, was nominated for "Singer Songwriter of the Year" and "Video of the Year",and is up for a LA Music Critics Award this year. Victoria and the band recently recorded their 1st CD, "Live at the Firehouse" and were featured on WPHX "The Phoenix" 101.9 FM radio in Florida. Their latest studio project, the 11-track "Unfinished Business " was released in May of this year to rave reviews.
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Johnny “Chops” Richardson lives in Austin, TX with his wife and their two Basset hounds, Reggie and Emmylou. He has been writing and performing music since his uncle gave him a battered acoustic guitar at age 16. Since 2002, Johnny has logged thousands of miles and 8 albums playing bass for The Randy Rogers Band. Several of his tunes have made their way onto the bands albums, and his song “Last Last Chance” garnered a Texas music chart #1. In 2013 he released his first album as a solo artist, Sticks & Stones. Next came the eponymous "Johnny Chops & The Razors" and a second single and video, "Taking A Chance On Me". On tour now, he plays with both bands.
Halo Circus is a bilingual alternative electronic rock duo based in Los Angeles, California, composed of vocalist Allison Iraheta and bassist Matthew Hager. Formed in 2012 by Iraheta, a finalist on American Idol, the band began as a rock quartet belting out power songs carried by Iraheta’s huge voice. This year the band evolved into a futuristic electronic rock duo with English and Spanish lyrics laced with heavy social commentary and a way out there sound tht audiences are eating up around the country. The duo’s recent album, Robots and Wranglers has been met with rave reviews and predictions of being an Album of the Year, following three nominations for LA Music Critic Awards. They have just wrapped up a sold-out 30 city tour and are back home in Los Angeles.
Dr. Julia del Palacio is one of those remarkable people who can excel in three fields simultaneously, in her case history, music, and arts administration. She is an historian, a vocalist, a dancer, and an administrator on the staff of the Kupferberg Center for the Arts at Brooklyn's Queens College. She sings and dances as part of the NYC-based jarocho band Radio Jarocho with Zenen Zeferino and is bringing us their latest album, Rios Norte Y Sur. Music unites all of her endeavors, especially the jarocho music from Veracruz and the zapeadado dance that she performs. She is the perfect guide to take us through the magic of jarocho music as it has taken root and evolved in the Estádos Unítos and the music of Rios Norte y Sur album.
The Marías are the psychedelic-soul lovechild of LA native Josh Conway and Puerto Rican-bred, Atlanta-raised María Zardoya. Formed in Los Angeles in 2016, they deliver a smooth fusion of jazz percussion, hypnotic guitar riffs, smoke-velvet vocals and nostalgic horn solos in a sensual funk/ lounge environment they magically create on stage and in the studio. With María on lead vocals and Josh on drums, the couple is joined by three of their closest friends and fellow musical commune members: Jesse Perlman on guitar; Carter Lee on bass and Edward Jame on keys. Together they create seamless dance melodies that combine synthetic and analog tones, weaving in an old-school, vintage aesthetic with a progressive touch that mesmerizes crowds and flows in layered yet minimalist recordings.
Rob Morrow is an actor, director, tv star and a great guitar player. He joins us with his new single, "The New Face" and talk aboaut his appearance on the upcoming City of Hope telecast with his band the RMB.
Patricia Vonne is a multi-talented musician, actress, award winning filmmaker who has been named SXSW best female vocalist twice. She is releasing her seventh album Top of the Mountain May 25, 2018 on her label Bandolera Records, hot on the heels of her recent win at the Madrid International Film Festival for “Best Animation award” the music video for “Huerta de San Vicente,” from her Spanish album Viva Bandolera . Her new release features special guest musicians Johnny Reno, Grammy award winner Max Baca, David Grissom, Grammy award winner Joe Reyes and many more. A ninth-generation Tejana she embodies every indigenous musical style in Texas , and is an excellent singer songwriter as well as singer and multi-instrumentalist and band leader.
Twenty-six year old Andy Sydow know how to put sepia into a song. He creates memories that you may have had, but you certainly feel. A fixture on the l Colorado music scene since his days at the University of Colorado in Denver, he has opened for Tab Benoit and Delbert McClinton at the Gothic Theater, Anders Osborne at the Caribou Room and Dick Dale at the Bluebird Theater. He's also performed at the Jazz Aspen Snowmass Music Festival and been nominated for several awards for his piano playing and songwriting by the Colorado Blues Society. His fourth album, Reasons For Departure due out this month is filled with richly detailed songwriting and melodies in the style of Jackson Browne, Jason Isbell, Dan Fogelberg and Jackie Greene…and his own sepia tones.
Moira Smiley is a singer/composer who creates and performs new work for voices. A musical polyglot, and vocal shape-shifter, her voice – and composing – are heard on feature films, BBC & PBS television programs, NPR, and on more than 60 albums. When she’s not leading her own group, Moira Smiley & VOCO, she tours with with groups like indie artist tUnE-yArDs, Solas, The Lomax Project and Billy Child’s “Laura Nyro Re-Imagined”. Born in Vermont, raised in Indiana and now living in Los Angeles, her musical foundation is harmony and traditional folk songs, but she has spread her talent, including serving as Musical Director for Shakespeare Santa Cruz , performing at the London Proms Festival, being featured on BBC3’s The Choir, and ABC Australia’s Books & Arts programs where her spare, vocally driven warped traditional songs, original polyphony and body percussion get rave reviews and audience love and keep her in high demand as a choral clinician, composer and arranger.
Costa Rican hip-hop artist NAKURY has been a model, a beauty queen, a dancer and a graffiti artist. Now a rapper, hip hop poet and performer and – most important – an activist using music and art to stop violence against women and end a machismo culture that is toxic to women, men and families. Her music, including her new album Via, is captivating with smooth rap, emotional choruses Her videos burst with energy and dance, and her message of confidence and empowerment inspires women, not only in her native Costa Rica, but worldwide. She has experience the abuses she singa about - she talkis to women and girls personally and to men through the love of their families. NAKURY is truly an artist larger than her art and she is making waves on tours, online and on recordings.
Los Angeles born singer-songwriter Eva B. Ross grew up writing songs and singing in her family’s garage band. She studied singing and songwriting at Interlochen Arts and the Stanford Jazz Vocal Residency. Later at UCLA, she formed her band, Eva B. Ross Foundation and independently set out on a European tour in the summer of 2014. In 2015, she released her first independent single "Nick's House" and in 2017, she won UCLA's Spring Sing with her original composition, "Chicago". Past recipients of the award include Sara Bareilles and Maroon 5. She has twice been featured as a vocalist on WDCB 90.9 FM’s “Chicago Jazz Live” and she is currently working on her debut EP, which will be co-produced by Grammy-winning producer Justin Niebank and Emmy-winning producer, Steve Rashid.
The NaveBlues is a band on a mission. It is trying to bridge the gaps among three musical genres - the blues, rock, indie music to make the music speak your language, whoever you are. One of their core elements is the harmonica, which is essential to the mood of the lyrics and the ambiance of the space you are in when listening to the music. The band was formed in Norway but it integrates international influences into their music while keeping the common underlying messaging of Blues while surfacing more complexity with their storytelling. The band’s stories range across ghosts , love with misunderstandings, duty and inspiration, and frustration and adventure. NaveBlues does more than just sing a song. It wants you to understand the story and the emotion buried inside.
Kara Grainger is an Australian-born, US-based blues woman who has played around the world. She started her music career in a suburb of Sydney Australia when, at 16, as an accomplished blues guitarist and singer, she and her brother Mitch Grainger formed the band "Papa Lips". They toured Australia and produced two studio albums heavily influenced by the sounds of Stax records and funky blues and soul from New Orleans. In 2008 she signed to Australian label and came to the US to record her debut solo album, "Grand and Green River “which stayed in the top 30 of the Americana Charts for 38 straight weeks. The rest is history – tours of Europe, Asia, the US, appearances on “Austin City Limits”, opening for Peter Frampton, Buddy Guy, Taj Mahal and Jonny Lang. Her fourth album, Living with Your Ghost, will be released this Friday and we will preview it.
Mad. Insane. Crazy. Brilliant. Weird. There are a lot of ways to describe Kurt Stifle and his various musician incarnations. Co-founder/writer for 80s punkers The Nip Drivers, he appeared in the notorious underground film “Desperate Teenage Lovedolls,” recorded Destroy Whitey and Oh Blessed Freak Show. Three decades, multiple musical incarnations and billions of creatively firing neurons later, he is the leader of Kurt Stifle and the Swing Shift and has just released another album, The Pilgrim’s Guide to The River of Salvation, a 16-track rock opera that’s the latest twist of zany but laser focused inspiration from the composer, producer and guitarist’s freewheeling ever-evolving collective Labor Camp. The album is all about the journey, so we will hear songs from the past 60 years of pop, from Dylan to Cheap Trick and Black Flag. We will have Kurt. We will have the album. And we will have fun this Friday.
NYC pop artist, actress and dancer Kendra Black has recently released her album The Edge produced by LA’s Trend Def Studios and co-written with Nick Nittoli and Lachi. The single from the album, ‘Rude’ features Snoop Dogg . Kendra, who trained in conservatories in France and Milan, Italy, has performed in France, Monte-Carlo, Italy, Egypt, U.S. and the Caribbean. She is currently scheduled to appear on the Richmond International Music and Film Fest in Virginia and at the BMI All Stars Showcase in Queens, New York City. Never one to stand still, she has appeared in numerous roles in New York Film Academy productions, and on Nickelodeon TV Channel, plus she designed and launched her own line of sportswear.
At eighteen Ally Venable became the East Texas Female Guitarist of the year, and then came back and won again in 2015. Venable starting singing at an early age in church and then picked up the guitar, found her passion and became s a protégé of six-string blues guitar legend Lance Lopez. Now the lead singer and guitarist for her own band she has ignited excitement throughout the Modern Blues Scene. Venable’s songwriting, guitar playing and onstage performance blow away both live audiences and her record fans. She has assembled the Ally Venable Band of top notch multiple instrumentalists including bassist Bobby Wallace and classically trained musician and drummer, Elijah Owings, known as the backbone of their Modern Rockin’ Blues sound. Together, this trio has won the 2015 , 2016 and 2017 East Texas Music Awards Blues Band of the Year and has just released the new CD, Puppet Show.
NYC native Cuesta Loeb comes from a family of musicians -- the world-renown jazz guitarist Chuck Loeb and Spanish singer-songwriter/actress Carmen Cuesta. Growing up between the US and Spain, she studied classical flute and bassoon and played in orchestras, she was never able to find her voice in classical music. In 2015, she moved to Los Angeles and began experimenting in her own songwriting and production inspired by Green Day, The Smashing Pumpkins, Fiona Apple, and (early) Sheryl Crow, She found her home, combining her love of dark, haunting melodies with dreamy, ethereal instrumentation and vocals with everything from acoustic ukuleles to Shoegaze-heavy guitars. She linked up with guitar player/producer, Blake Straus and they are recording the band’s debut record, to be released this summer. Together with her sister Lizzy, she performing the live Cuesta Loeb shows.
Cusi Coyllur is the name of an Inca princess. It is also the stage name taken by the indefatigable Shannen Roberts, experimental pianist, singer and mental health advocate. With a huge vocal range, superb piano chops and the willingness and ability to go beyond the borders of pop/jazz music , Coyllur creates music that has been featured in Huff Post, Ms. Magazine and Madame Gandhi’s “The Future is Female” Spotify playlist. Her latest single and music video, “amivulnerable?”, is a dance interpretation of domestic abuse and comes with a free zine in collaboration with her blog The Strange is Beautiful. She is also a healing yoga instructor, publisher of The Strange is Beautiful Alternative Self-Help Guide and has hosted live Instagram talk about her arthritis, IBS and mind obstacles and the struggles of other artists.
Kara Grainger is an Australian-born, US-based blues woman who has played around the world. She started her music career in a suburb of Sydney Australia when, at 16, as an accomplished blues guitarist and singer, she and her brother Mitch Grainger formed the band "Papa Lips". They toured Australia and produced two studio albums heavily influenced by the sounds of Stax records and funky blues and soul from New Orleans. In 2008 she signed to Australian label and came to the US to record her debut solo album, "Grand and Green River “which stayed in the top 30 of the Americana Charts for 38 weeks. The rest is history – tours of Europe, Asia, the US, TV appearances , opening for stars. Her new single, Living with Your Ghost, will be released this Friday and we will preview it.
Mad. Insane. Crazy. Brilliant. Weird. There are a lot of ways to describe Kurt Stifle and the Swing Shift and Kurt’s various musician incarnations (aka Kurt Shellenberger). Co-founder/writer for 80s punkers The Nip Drivers, he did crazy stuff like appear in the Dave Markey film “Desperate Teenage Lovedolls,” recording albums like Destroy Whitey and released popular covers of “Fox on the Run” . Three decades and multiple musical incarnations later, he is the leader of Kurt Stifle and the Swing Shift and has just released, The Pilgrim’s Guide to The River of Salvation, a 16-track rock opera that’s the latest twist of zany but laser focused inspiration from the composer, producer and guitarist’s freewheeling ever-evolving collective Labor Camp. The album is all about the journey, so we will hear songs from the past 60 years of pop, from Dylan to Cheap Trick and Black Flag. We have Kurt. We have the album. And we will have fun this Friday.
Kirsten Collins began working with Grammy producers and writers in the beginning of her teen years. Her potential for stardom was evident early on as she was singing on key when she was less than 2 years old. She sang her first solo at age 5 and wrote her first song at 6. At the age of 9 was fronting adult bands at professional events. She then went on to win Calgary Junior Idol when she was 10. She was later named Miss Teen Calgary - World in 2012 and also competed in the Miss Teen Canada - World pageant. As an actress, she had a major role in the 2009 film Rust, which featured her original song "Could You Imagine." She is featured on the MC Mario single "Anti-Gravity" and has received several offers from music labels, movie producers and has been featured in international publications but has decided to remain independent.
David Poe has toured the world with Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, The Jayhawks, Chris Whitley, Glenn Tilbrook and Tori Amos. His songs have been recorded by producers including T-Bone Burnett, Larry Klein, Buddy Miller and Dave Sitek, and performed by Curtis Stigers, Oh Land, Ana Moura, C.C. White, Thomas Dybdahl and the cast of Nashville. His solo recordings include his most recent release God & The Girl, a self-titled debut produced by T-Bone Burnett, The Late Album on Sony/Epic records, Love Is Red on Universal Music/The Lab, two live recordings and much, much more. Not bad for a sound engineer from the Midwest transplanted to Los Angeles by way of New York City.
Native Angelino, H’Atina, Released her debut EP in 2002, and the single from the album, “Change” was an immediate hit. But her love of music and singing started years earlie at Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, where she studied performance, chorus, musical theatre, songwriting, and vocal jazz...and learned to develop herflexible voice to carry rhythm & blues, pop, funk, neo-soul, jazz, and musical theatre. In 2016 her single "Easy to Love You" was #1 for 16 weeks on radiomusic.com charts. She followed up with the Like A Butterfly EP and immediately caught the attention of smooth jazz and soul DJs in the U.S. and U.K. She has performed on BET Live! and in venues and festivals nationwide. She is a 2006 Southern California Music Awards Nominee for Best R&B, and was voted MVP for her role in the jazz musical, Smokey Joe's Cafe in 2008.
Jail Guitar Doors is a California non-profit organization that provides musical instruments and opportunities to help rehabilitate prisoners. In 1977, punk rock pioneers, The Clash, recorded “Jail Guitar Doors,” a song detailing the imprisonment of their hero and fellow musician, the MC5’s Wayne Kramer. In 2009, musicians/activists Wayne Kramer and Billy Bragg joined forces to create Jail Guitar Doors USA, which works with social service groups to help people in prison reconnect with the outside world through music. ?Joining us will be Wayne Kramer and Ken Hartman, a convicted felon who earned to college degrees while in prison for 35 years is the author of Mother California. A memoir that chronicles his story from conviction to redemption. Hartman is the first Jail Guitar Doors disciple to be hired by the organization.
Gina Chavez is a bilingual Latin-folk singer/songwriter who blends the sounds of the Americas with tension and grace. Her music blends cumbia, bossa nova, vintage pop, reggaeton, and folk combined with dynamic vocals and sharp social commentary. She is the 2014 John Lennon Songwriting Contest Grand Prize Winner for her song “Siete-D,” a rock-cumbia-rap mix that explores the delights and dangers of El Salvador from a window on the 7-D, the bus route she rode as a volunteer there in 2010. An eight-time Austin Music Award winner, Chavez and her band swept the 2015 awards, winning Musician of the Year, Album of the Year(Up.Rooted), Song of the Year (“Siete-D”), Best Latin Band, and the Esme Barrera Award for Music Activism and Education, while placing in six other categories. A new Gina Chavez single from her upcoming intensely personal EP, Lightbeam. "Heaven Knows" is a love letter set to lyrics dedicated to her wife, Jodi Granado.
Chavez has received national recognition from NPR’s “All Songs Considered” and “Alt.Latino” for her debut SXSW performance (2012) as one of the new Latin artists to watch, and the Austin American-Statesman calls her “a true Austin music treasure — angelic vocals and a devilish treat on guitar.” Southern Living Magazine named her one of 11 “southern iconic women who have left a beautiful footprint across the South,” for her volunteer work in El Salvador. This will be her second appearance on Music Friday Live - her first interview was so much fun, we decided to ask her back.
LA-based, super funky pop artist Dree Mon, who has been described as "the sardonic love child of David Bowie and Wonder Woman from the valley," was thrust into singing and songwriting when a car accident cut short her dancing career. The rest is history. Her 2017 debut "Rebel Soul." will be in the upcoming Netflix film “High Strung: Free Dance”. She followed that with a brace of songs s featured on TV shows (“Parenthood” and “White Collar”), movies (“No Service”, “Wingman Inc!”, and “Love of War”), and web series (“Liv Out Loud”. Along with media credits have come awards like the Indie Music Channel Best Adult Contemporary Song, RAWard Producer Choice Award, a nomination from the LA Indie Critic Awards for (Best Music Video, and a Temecula Valley Music Award for Best Out of Town Talent - Pop. And she does all this while performing and recording a new single - “No Chill”, and an EP.
Texas-based Jackie Venson blows the roof off every venue she plays in, whether it is in the USA or on a world Tour. Trained in classical piano, Venson has multi-instrumental chops plus a voice that can drip with emotion or belt with blues. Venson picked up the guitar shortly after graduating from the famed Berklee College of Musi, made the giant leap from classical music to raw and gritty blues and never looked back. Enthralled with music since the age of 8, this young singer/songwriter/musician has a vibrant musical soul and precise technical control of her instruments. She blends and bends Blues, Rock, R&B, and Soul with her introspective lyrics into music that led to a Jackie Venson Day in Austin. She is on a coast to coast tour, promoting her new Transcends EP.
Danielle Hollobaugh is talented, courageous, exciting, surprising and determined. She commands a stage with sophisticated R&B and pop music that has earned her Best Songwriter Awards in Florida, top prize in the national Talent Quest karaoke competition, and the Southeastern Idol competition in Florida, where she is from. Now in Los Angeles, she is backing top bands as a session singer, and writing and recording her own songs and shooting astonishing videos. She has released an EP, several singles and sang at the NBA Allstars’ afterparty. Blind since birth, nothing stops her. She is now finishing her debut full-length album and its fire-laced music video whilke performing live in Los Angeles and vocal backing major bands.
Bolivian singer/songwriter Jose Mrochek formed his first rock band at 15 after his brother gave him the score of Pink Floyd’s The Wall to learn. The rest is history. Years later he formed Avionica and signed with Radioactive Music. He released the album California in 2013, produced by Sebastian Keyes, winner of 14 Grammys. His next album, the 2016 release Electricidad, was produced by Grammy Award winner Andrés Saavedra. Recorded in Hollywood’s Ocean Way Studios, it featured an all-star band with drummer Pete Thomas of the Elvis Costello band, Dave Leviats, guitarist for Atlanis Morissette, Shakira bassist John Falcone and keyboardist Roger Manning Jr. of Jellyfish. Latin Grammy-nominated artists VEGA and Ellston Torres collaborated on the lyrics. He has garnered two Maya Awards and worked with American-Chilean singer, songwriter, poet, fashion designer, and entrepreneur, Francisca Vallenzuela, founder of the Ruido Fest. An unstoppable force in Latin America, Mrochek recently released his live album Entre Lineas and a new single, “I will stop talking about you”.
Diego Garcia, known as Twanguero, is considered as one of the best guitarists in Spain. Winner of the Latin Grammy he was named " “fire-breathing guitar hero” by the North American press. Twanguero got his first guitar at age 6 and the rest is history. He accompanied greats such as Bunbury, Calamaro, El Cigala, Urrutia, among others and only launched his own solo career two years ago His albums include PACHUCO and Argentina Songbook (Warner Music); he has toured Spain and the Americas , and was named a Gibson Guitar International Artist. PACHUCO, released in 2015 is a tight combination of rhythm, percussion, seductive melodies, played with the unique touch of an old golden Gibson, channeling Duane Eddy and pioneering Latino Twang Rockabilly Mambo.
Korean-born, Seattle-raised songwriter and violinist Joe Kye threads sonic paths from Korea to a reimagined America using classical violin, loop pedals and unique songwriting and vocals in his new album, Migrants. Kye’s family moved from Korea to the US when he was six, struggling with the economic and cultural challenges, but a strong music education program in the Seattle public schools and the violin gave Kye a space he could control. He experimented with songwriting on the guitar and with singing, inspired by everyone from Mel Torme to Stevie Wonder. The discovery of the loop pedal in college blew open his musical world, allowing him to blend violin, swirls of pizzicato arpeggios, and percussion with clever lyrics and vocals. He now collaborates with a range of other artists, including MC Jason Chu and MC Rasar, and NYC composer/percussionist William Catanzaro.
Parker Matthews is an emerging pop singer with a troubled past but a bright future. Matthews learned early the realities of growing up different, struggling with depression, bullying and suicidal thoughts. But, inspired by the music of Whitney Houston, Christina Aguilera, and Lady Gaga, he developed his innate talent for songwriting and performing. He released his first single Lost with You to critical acclaim. He has now emerged not only as a popular pop singer who spreads positivity and courage through his music and lyrics, but as an advocate for suicide prevention and anti-bullying, supporting The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and LGBTQ. He has released his second single, Hit and Run and a new video.
Budapest-born Leslie Mándoki is a German-Hungarian musician with a long career as a musician, producer, music director and band leader. He studied drums and percussion in Budapest in the early 1970s while he led the jazz-rock group JAM. In 1975, he fled from Hungary to avoid prosecution by the communist government. He has worked as a producer for Phil Collins, Lionel Richie and Jennifer Rush among others. He also worked as a commercials musical director for Audi, Daimler and Disney and served as Musical Director for the Volkswagen Group. He performed on television including with the supergroup Soulmates in the television show "50 years of rock” on ZDF. Since then, the Man Doki Soulmates project has released 10 albums.
Holy Golden is the multifaceted musical world of Leslie Schott and Andrew Valenti. who met during a lunar eclipse on Martha's Vineyard and soon began crafting mythological mini-worlds into home-recorded albums, music videos, short films, and photo stories. Holy Golden's music blends euphoric dream-pop with lo-fi garage rock to create songs that feel both vulnerable and mysterious. They have released two full-length albums, several music videos, and a new EP, toured throughout the US twice and will release a new album, Otherworld, recorded from a historic ballroom in Newport, Rhode Island, will be released February 2 along with the single from the album, "Arrival" .
Money Chicha is an Austin, Texas based group featuring members of the Grammy-award winning Latin orchestra Grupo Fantasma and its offshoot funk outfit Brownout. They play a fuzzed-out, reverb-drenched and percussion-heavy music inspired by the sounds of Peru and Colombia in the 60’s and 70’s, sometimes called “Chicha” music, known for Latin beats, psychedelic surf guitar pyrotechnics and melodies influenced by the indigenous culture of the Andes mountains. Money Chicha is a modern translation of this South American musical style by highly skilled veteran artists. Money Chicha’s debut album Echo en Mexico was released in July 2016 on Vampisoul/Munster records, and they have been featured in numerous compilations and tours.
Sue Foley is a multi-award-winning musician and one of the finest blues and roots artists working today. The only female member of the famed “Jungle Show,” featuring Billy Gibbons, Jimmie Vaughan, Mike Flanigin and Chris Layton, she has been working professionally since the age of 16 and by the age of 21, Foley had relocated to Austin, Texas, and began recording for Antone’s, thefamous blues label and historic nightclub that helped launch the career of Stevie Ray Vaughan and many others. In the two decades that have followed, Sue Foley toured and recorded with her signature pink paisley Fender Telecaster, won the Juno Award (Canadian Grammy) and the most Maple Blues Awards in Canada, plus three Trophees de Blues de France. She has also garnered several nominations at the Blues Music Awards from The Blues Foundation. She is set to release her label debut CD, The Ice Queen, on March 2, 2018.
Aubrey Logan is jazz, soul, rock and very funny. Sporting a trombone, she pulls off sassy, in a way totally unique in the music world. A graduate of Boston’s renown Berklee College of Music and winner of the top vocal competitions at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, Aubrey is at home in a recording studio, on stage with a symphony orchestra, in an intimate club with her own ensemble or in a classroom teaching kids. Or in a weight room getting buff. A Seattle native who makes her home in Los Angeles, she tours the world and headlines jazz festivals from Boston to Bakersfield. She is putting the final touches on a new album with lots of pop influences and elements of the jazz she has loved all her life.
Seattle native Sheldon Botler combines music and photography in his adopted home, Los Angeles, a city with a lot of room for both. His music is renowned for being, well, happy. He just knows how to make people feel good. He writes and sings and produces songs that are a high energy smile and he moves from soul to folk to Hip Hop to jazz, to Electronic and around to pop. With eight releases out, it is easy to see how he fulfills his mission to help people reconnect with their internal joy… and have fun doing it."
BLOGTALK CRASHED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SHOW SO WE LOST JILL JACK. THEY CAME BCK UP IN TIME FOR US TO INTERVIEW MARE WAKEFIELD AND NOMAD.
Mare Wakefield and Nomad are a unique and sophisticated Nashville-based Americana music duo that weaves jazz and bluegrass, country and contemporary folk into the one-of-a- kind songs. Prolific both in the studio and on tour, they are releasing their newest cd next week at The Country in Nashville before they head off to the Folk Alliance Conference in Kansas City, Missouri. Mare has built a vast mental library of songscapes from her gypsy-like upbringing, moving from place to place with peripatetic parents. For Turkish-born Nomad, the journey was equally varied. His musical education began at the exclusive Istanbul Conservatory and continued with a scholarship to Berklee College of Music where he honed his gift for musical arrangements across classical, folk and jazz. The duo’s songs have been heard on Lifetime Television, on venues from California to Vermont, and at festivals across the country.
THIS SHOW POSTPONED UNTIL TUESDAY DUE TO FLOODING AT BLOGTALK RADIO SERVERS IN BROOKLYN NEW YORK. TUNE IN AT 11 AM PT 3..16.18.
Jill Jack is a rock-blues-Americana singer/songwriter who began her professional career as a young backup singer with the Detroit country and rock bands. In a few short years she was writing her own songs, fronting her own band and opening for headliners like Bob Seger, John Waite, Emmylou Harris, Shawn Colvin, Patty Griffin, Dan Fogelberg, Marshall Crenshaw, Chris Issak, and Loretta Lynn. She soon began headlining herself at venues and festivals including SXSW, 30A Songwriters Festival, WYCD Downtown Hoedown, Blissfest Music Festival, The Bluebird Café, and The Living Room in NYC. She expanded to successful tours of England and all over America. Jack now has 10 Award winning CD’s to her name and is this week releasing what looks to be #11, These Days.
Mare Wakefield and Nomad are a unique and sophisticated Nashville-based Americana music duo that weaves jazz and bluegrass, country and contemporary folk into the one-of-a- kind songs. Prolific both in the studio and on tour, they are releasing their newest cd next week at The Country in Nashville before they head off to the Folk Alliance Conference in Kansas City, Missouri. Mare has built a vast mental library of songscapes from her gypsy-like upbringing, moving from place to place with peripatetic parents. For Turkish-born Nomad, the journey was equally varied. His musical education began at the exclusive Istanbul Conservatory and continued with a scholarship to Berklee College of Music where he honed his gift for musical arrangements across classical, folk and jazz. The duo’s songs have been heard on Lifetime Television, on venues from California to Vermont, and at festivals across the country.
Steve McCormick was raised in the Midwest, with a love for the songs of the plains and a knack for recording music. In the years that followed, he honed his recording skills by working with tube microphone expert Steve McKinstry at Salmagundi Studios until he moved to Los Angeles in 1992. He is now a studio owner, producer, performer, session player, composer/songwriter and microphone builder. His session playing has been heard in dozens of national TV commercials, the theme song for the Warner Brothers hit Felicity, and TV shows like Walker, Texas Ranger, and NBC's Homicide. He has collaborated with band members from Canned Heat, War, Willie Dixon Little Feat, CSN, Loggins and Messina, Neville Brothers, Emmylou Harris and many others in songwriting , performing and recording and many others in songwriting, performing and recording.
Katie Garibaldi is a San Francisco based singer/songwriter/guitar player who has been independently releasing music that is sweet, smooth and equal parts old-school pop princess and folk songstress for about half of her life. Her most recent album, Rooted Clarity, won the LA Music Critic Award for Female Country/Americana Artist for 2016 as well as Female Americana Artist of the Year from the Indie Music Channel in 2017. Her previous release in 2014, Follow Your Heart, also brought Garibaldi multiple songwriting awards as well as hometown credit for Artist of the Month by San Francisco’s The Deli Magazine. An active voting member of the Recording Academy, an endorsed artist of Breedlove Guitars, who worked with her to build a custom Master Class guitar, the ever-evolving Katie Garibaldi has proven to be an artist with staying power.
Walla was formed in Los Angeles in 2012 but has roots in different parts of the world. Italy, Indonesia, Trinidad and Tobago, the U.S., and Mexico/El Salvador. The four young men who make up Walla – Jean Marc Tardieu on vocals, Ian Charlie on lead guitar, Mauricio “Moebeats” Carcamo on Bass Guitar, and Alessio Balsemin on drums fuse together all these different cultures in their music. The result fills major theaters and puts out songs that climb the charts. Walla’s music has been featured on Billboard, MTV Buzzworthy, Nylon, and Snapchat, among others. Itreached #1 on Hypem in 2015 and also has garnered 14 million plays on Spotify. All this being done without a record label. However, it has not been all roses and downloads. Twos years ago the band was a crossroads, decided to take some risks, and the result was their hit EP Body Languge Their new live acoustic single and video for “Into The Gray” is now out and piling up the spins and views.
Mayssa Karaa is a Lebanese American Grammy nominated singer currently based in Los Angeles, California whose voice will pick you up and make you fly. Her English-Arabic version of "Turn the Page" isd addictive and her "White Rabbit" was nominated for a Grammy.. A graduate of the prestigious Berklee College of Music, she toured with Italian tenor Pasquale Esposito, and later with Arabic musician Simon Shaheen. In 2013 she was the featured vocalist on the Arabic version of "White Rabbit" on the American Hustle Soundtrack, nominated for a Grammy . Karaa was awarded the National Cultural Award of Lebanon for the song at the American Hustle premier in Beirut,She currently is writing her debut solo album
Shelly Meg Peiken is an American songwriter, nominated for a Grammy this year, who is best known for co-writing the US #1 hits "What A Girl Wants" and "Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You)" by Christina Aguilera, the US #2 hit "Bitch" by Meredith Brooks, and the US #16 hit "Almost Doesn't Count" by Brandy. She has also written for or with Britney Spears, Natasha Bedingfield, Keith Urban, Celine Dion, Cher, Reba McEntire, Laura Pausini, NSYNC, Miley Cyrus, Ed Sheeran, Aaliyah, Selena Gomez, Idina Menzel and Demi Lovato. She is a Huffington Post blogger where she writes of her experiences as a songwriter, the challenges of the current music business, and the balancing of career and parenthood. Shelly's first book, Confessions of a Serial Songwriter, is a personal look into the music industry and her life of adventures through it.
Native New Yorker Blake Morgan is a recording artists, record producer and activist for musicians and the principle that they must be paid. He is the founder and owner of ECR Music Group, a global music company with record labels in the US and the UK, in which all of the artists own 100% of their master recordings. The company and its labels and artists have flourished under the principle of fair payment and rights for artists. Morgan’s music career has also flourished, with an artists in residence concert series at New York’s Rockwood Music Hall with guests like Tracy Bonham, Jessie Harris and Chris Barron, and headlining performances on 50,000 mile tours across the USA and Europe. He is launching a new UK tour on Dec. 4.
Phoenix, AZ based JADE has made the move to LA after commuting almost 400 miles every week to record and perform. The product of this move is “Pink” an EP that symbolizes the end of an era for Jade, who has now come to embrace the contradictions that used to confound her. She says, “PINK is where I landed after going through the phases of growing up and changing to accept myself.” Basically, she had “hated” the color pink her whole life because it was “too girly.” One day she realized, “I'm pretending I don’t like it, all because I want some stuck up ahole to think I'm cool? No way. Now I want pink everything." It took her writing and recording all the songs of the EP and exploring all the different phases and mindsets to realize a new acceptance for who she is. Where she is is an accomplished musician with over 100K views of her songs and thousands of shares and comments and a new single “Find A place”. She has found a place, in the music crucible of Los Angeles and apparently it suits her fine.
Akshara, the New-York-based South Asian ensemble, Akahara, puts South India’s rhythms together with modern sounds to create technically stunning and musically engaging songs like the “Mohana Blues” which mashes up konnakol (spoken rhythmic patterns) and tabla hand drums with lush washes of modern strings. Founder Bala Skandan and the members of Akshara come from a wide variety of backgrounds that merge jazz, Western classical, and Indian sensibilities and instrumentation. Skandan himself studied the barrel-shaped Indian drum, the mridangam, and the violin until he got into college, when he set music aside for a while. After graduating however, he began composing pieces that highlighted his chosen instrument and incorporated others, like the cello in songs that flow and swirl in the group’s new EP, In Time.
The Rigs are TJ Stafford and Caitlin Parrott who began collaborating in 2014. Both prolific songwriters on their own, their unique synth-pop meets gritty alternative rock sound immediately began gaining attention. Their tracks have been featured on major television shows like HBO’s True Blood, AMC’s The Walking Dead, NBC’s Parenthood, FreeForms Pretty Little Liars and many more. The mix of emotive vocals, harrowing melodies and unexpected instrumentation create music that has captivated audiences and critics alike. Their new single, Fall or Fly, is also making news, continuing the unique partnership that breaks rules, upends conventions and makes people feel good.
The Los Angeles band Space Cadets, comprised of Zachary Wexelman, Dan Creed, and John Cocco came together to create a sound that marries blues and hip hop with alt rock in recordings and live performances. Formed in 2012, Space Cadets rose by crafting a unique mix of chill urban vibes and grooving acoustic blues rock. Their style goes beyond their records into high energy performances first in their home market of LA and then across the country on tour. The smooth groove they perfected in their first single, "Way Too Loud" became the template for earworms rooted deeply in hip-hop but with a mix of acoustic and electric guitars and strong beats. A trademark is their ability to counter pose lyrics and music, playing with a bright and airy feel that belies the heavy handed lyrics about serious topics like power of hate. On their up-coming EP, "Let The Kids Play!" they dive deeper into their evolved sound with the help of CJ Blair to create music that's both reminiscent and present at the same time.
The Simpkin Project is a Southern California band that plays a multi-faceted blend of reggae, blues, rock, and Americana, steeped in soulful harmonies in a sound has been described as “uncompromising…blending authentic roots reggae rhythms with a wall-of-sound production style.” Phil Simpkin and Shawn Taylor, co-lead vocalists, have been with the band since its inception, indulging their love of reggae and their skill in mixing it blues, rock and the roots of American music. The result is joyful, danceable and a whole lot of fun. They are releasing a new album Beam of Light September 30 and we will preview it this Friday.
Toronto-born, LA-based ARI heals the mind with music. Her education is in psychology but her art is in songs that dance in and out of genre lines, moving from pop to gritty hip-hop to electronic. ARI’s songs turns pain into power with visceral lyrics of hope and tragedy. Her sound comes to life in the middle, between the light and dark of life. Her most recent album Tunnel Vision demonstrates that in sound and lyrics. She just released Cattle Call and will premiere Cathartic Release Nov. 14 with a film debut for Jack.org, a charity that empowers young to revolutionize mental health. During the next several months, ARI will release 6 singles from her EP, Dis-Order in a music and film campaign “Pain Into Power" dedicated to Mental Health Awareness with all show & film screening ticket proceeds to Jack.Org".
The career of San Diego-based rock artist Christopher Sluka has spanned many different phases, beginning in the rock clubs of New York City’s underground music scene and eventually taking him around the world. While his music is uniquely attuned to the thoughts and melodies living within him, he’s found bits and pieces of influences scattered throughout from artists such as Coldplay, David Bowie, and Radiohead. His electric-charged live performances are loved by audiences and praised by critics – part of a body of work built on intense dedication to his craft. His newest album, Colorful Radiation - his 11th -- explores the depths of atmospheric rock with hints of bohemian influence and gothic undertones. He joins us this Friday with songs from the new album.
Andy B.AND (aka Andy Bernstein) has been the primary singer-songwriter for roots rockers The VooDUDES since 1990. Inspired by Americana and retro soul music, Andy began a solo recording project with Blues Leaf Records producer John “JP” Pittas to co-produce his latest project, My Roots are Showing. Andy B is now bringing the project to life at events with regional and local artists under the Andy B.AND SoulFolk moniker. He has performed at the Bourbon Street Blues Festival; the Light Of Day Festivals and, the Hub City Music Festival in his hometown of New Brunswick, NJ. His songs range around American roots to the DAP Records-style soul to AM radio rockers and rockabilly gospel. Whether it is a guitar, a washboard or just his gravel-lined voice, Andy knows how to bring the songs of American together and make them sing. He joins us with new songs .
Alt-rock band Late Night Episode has been praised by Billboard for their signature version of "rowdy rock," and compared to 'Kings of Leon' by The Music Ninja. No wonder. Their single releases have established a steady online presence that caught the attention of producers Shep Goodman and Aaron Accetta of Dirty Canvas who signed the band in late 2016. That decision paid off for everyone – they are now giving the world a taste of their forthcoming EP with the new video for their latest single, “Golden Age”. To date, the band have released two previous singles, “Talk About Love” and “Swim”, accompanied by a third release of an acoustic demo of "Lost In Cali”. And Late Night Episode is starting to prove their ability to attract audiences from all genres who get their cross-genre high energy vibe.
William Close is an installation artist and musician who has developed over 100 new types of musical instruments including the Earth Harp, the world’s largest playable musical instrument. He is the leader of the Earth Harp Collective, an internationally renowned ensemble that combines the creative forces of artists, musicians, composers, and choreographers. He is also the Founder and Artistic Director of MASS Ensemble -- music architecture sound and sculpture – a group that works with Close’s designs to create music based stage shows that push the envelope of the musical experience. Close’s installations and performances have been experienced throughout the world, including the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, Lincoln Center in New York, to the Coliseum in Rome, The Grand Theater in Macau and Hong Kong just to name a few.
The Austin based band Trouble in The Streets has dubbed their signature sound “Electro Tribe,” a vibe that blends electronic music, international sounds, with hip-hop, rock and R&B. Led by Nnedi Agbaroji, the band fuels crowds with interactive calls-to-action and smoothly transfers the energy to recordings. Their debut EP Electro Tribe, released October 6, 2017 is exactly that. The trio has supported such acts like Rebirth Brass Band, Sting Cheese Incident, and George Clinton and P Funk, and have been invited to perform at Joshua Tree Music Festival, Quantum Flux, UtopiaFest, Black Fret Official SXSW, and Art Outside. In 2015, The Austin Chronicle named them in the top five of the Best New Bands in Austin. They will be touring this Fall in support of the physical CD release and it is in the live shows where Trouble in The Streets shines with improvised jam sessions, guest performers, and high energy audience participation .
Larkin Poe, the Roots Rock 'n' Roll band formed by singer/songwriter sisters Rebecca & Megan Lovell creates its own brand of gritty, soulful folk rock, flavored by their southern roots. Originally from Atlanta and currently living in Nashville, they are descendants of the tortured artist and creative genius Edgar Allan Poe. Featuring strong southern harmonies, heavy electric guitar riffs, and slide guitar, they are often touted as "the little sisters of the Almond Brothers”.. And they are fanatically hard workers: over the course of 3 years (2010-2013), Larkin Poe self-released 5 independent EPs, 2 collaboration albums, and a live performance DVD. They are releasing their newest album Peach independently this month to be able to submit it for Grammy consideration in the Best Contemporary Blues album category. It just might win.
Resin is an L.A.-based music project created by Niko Antonucci, known as Resin. Born and raised in Prague, Resin brings a dark and sexy electronic sound entertwined with unearthly vocals that create a mesmerizing environment of swirling images. Her most recent album, Fidget, represents the evolution of her songwriting and producing capabilities and draws upon influences by Nirvana, PJ Harvey, NIN, Portishead, Gesaffelstein as well as classical music.Resin began playing the piano at 6 and stealing her father’s guitar as a teen. She cut her first demo at 15 and sang in different bands until around 19. She realized at a young age that in order to get the sound she wanted she would need to do it herself and so currently she writes and produces every track on the album. Resin’s music combines sophisticated melodies set against dark yet catchy electronic beats that stick in the listeners head leaving them wanting more.
Jackie Venson is an Austin-based blues guitarist and singer/ songwriter known as a queen of blues with her gorgeous, smoky voice and unreal guitar chops. A graduate of Berklee College of Music where she studied classical piano, she received a Bachelor of Arts in composition and studio production. Venson started playing the guitar in 2011, during her last year at Berklee. She went on to win numerous awards for her playing and her songs and usually performs her own compositions and records with a three-piece band. When she performs as a solo artist, Venson uses a loop pedal to create a layered sound that fills a venue. She is on tour now, supporting her latest album,Transcends, due out Sept. 29, and we will premiere it on the radio in this program.
Tamara (Tami) Neilson is a Canadian-born, New Zealand-based country & soul singer/songwriter, whose sheer talent in both songwriting and performing has swept up awards for years. Neilson has won the 2014 APRA Silver Scroll Awards and Best Country Song Award, the Best Country Album at the New Zealand Music Awards in 2009, 2010, 2012, and 2015, and Best Female Artist at the New Zealand Country Music Awards in 2010, 2011 & 2014. Her album Don't Be Afraid debuted at No. 1 on the New Zealand Music Charts, and her previous release Dynamite! was listed in The Guardian as one of the top ten country albums of the year for 2014. She grew up as a member of The Neilsons, performing with her parents and two brothers across North America, and continues to co-write much of her work with brother Joshua 'Jay' Neilson. .Neilson also appeared as a subject of the documentary The New Sound of Country Prime Rocks in New Zealand. We will be playing full cuts from the album.
Denver-based Paa Kow is an internationally renowned artist, drummer, composer, and producer. Growing up in a small village near the Cape Coast in Ghana, West Africa, Paa Kow began to play music and tour with his family’s concert band at a very early age. He started with cowbells at 7 years old and by 14 he was in Accra, the capital and known as one of the nation's best drummers. He is now widely recognized as one of the most remarkable drummers to tour in Africa, Europe, and America. Paa Kow has a unique ability to speak to listeners with his drums, inspiring a profound spiritual conversation. His songs are captivating and danceable and incorporate lyrics in his native language, Fante, as well as English. Paa Kow’s vision is to spread the music and culture of his homeland by touring the world with his Afro-Fusion orchestra. His third album, Cookpot, will be released in October of 2017. Notable musicians he has shared the stage with include African greats: Amakye Dede, George Darko, Kojo Antwi, Nat Brew, Hugh Masekela, and Vusi Mahlasela, as well as American greats Victor Wooten, Brad Goode, John Gunther, Michael Kang, and many more.
For you blues fans, we have a preview copy of slide guitar master Dennis Johnson's brand new album, Rhythmland, which we will play in its entirety. The album will not be released until Sept. 15, but you can hear it here. We will the be broadcasting from Chapala, Jalisco State, Mexico for the next three weeks. This week is all music.
Los Angeles-native singer/songwriter, Charlotte Bash, began performing at a young age and has sung at numerous venues internationally with the likes of John Mellencamp, Sara Bareilles, Aaron Carter, Marietta Simpson, Sylvia McNair, and Shahkar Bineshpajooh at The Microsoft Theatre at LA Live. She was classically trained as an opera singer at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, but when she returned to L.A. she wanted to find her own sound that combined her classical training with the pop music she loved. The sound she found is a unique musical experience that combines fantasy and reality, as demonstrated in her 2013 release of her coming of age EP, Journey to Me. Her newest project, “Princess Game” was inspired by the electro indie pop scene coming out of Britain and Australia and is a theatrical journey through sonic landscapes that tell a powerful story.
Afrolicious has established itself as one of the most legendary weekly parties in San Francisco and of the top live/electronic bands on the west coast. Started as a weekly dance party featuring DJ’s and brothers Pleasuremaker and Señor Oz (Joe McGuire and brother Oz McGuire) alongside percussionists, MC’s and horn players, it has evolved with original music under the alias Afrolicious and a live band. They have performed at venues like Red Rocks, Sierra Nevada World Music Festival, Electric Forest Festival, Snow Globe, Burningman, Sea of Dreams, and alongside such artists as Thievery Corporation, Jimmy Cliff, Fishbone, Rob Garza, Novalima, J.Boogie, and DJ Smash. Afrolicious remixes and original productions can be found on labels such as ESL Music, Six Degrees Records, Akwaaba Music, Bagpak Music and more.
Grant Maloy Smith is a long running power in American and roots music, and one of the reasons why it remains so vibrant. He is a Billboard Top #10 charting American Roots Singer/Songwriter with a country bent. His songs tell heartfelt stories about real people, and envision a future brighter than the past. Grant has played world class venues all around the globe, telling the story of optimism and real people to audiences big and small, rural and urban, young and old. Grant’s latest album Dust Bowl- American Stories, acclaimed by critics as a heartland masterpiece, entered Billboard’s Top Ten Americana/Folk album sales chart, and Billboard’s Top 40 Country Album sales chart, and reached #2 on Billboard’s Heatseekers Chart.Over the last 40 years, Chuck McDermott has left his musical mark on audiences across the United States. Playing Americana before Americana was cool, first from Boston and now from Los Angeles he has established a place in teh hearts of music lovers of all stripes. His Boston country group,
Chuck McDermott and Wheatstraw was a major influence on the music of the day as Chuck and the band won over audiences and music critics, earning him a place n the Massachusetts Country Music Hall of Fame. He moved to LA and formed the more rock-oriented Chuck McDermott Band and quickly attracted a major following and major label interest. He teamed up with a man who was to become a lifelong friend and collaborator, the late John Stewart, and was the mainstay of the John Stewart Band after John’s passing in 2008. Chuck took a music break to advocate for the environment but he has returned with a vengeance and a new album, Gin & Rosewater, his first record in many years.
While the music industry most often focuses on “the next big thing” band playing in the downtown glam stages in LA and New York or London and showcased by the labels and agencies, there is a world of superb bands playing covers and original songs in local clubs outside of the big city lights who are as good as any band-of- the-week, but laid back and far more resilient. One such band is Santa Barbara-based The Paradise Kings, who play cover and original rock, blues, and swing tunes that get people up to dance. The quartet (plus guest vocalist Jan Ingram), has been performing for years in wineries, corporate events, local venues, private house parties, and serving as the opening act for big time blues shows. They have just released their debut album, Controlled Burn to excellent reviews.
No Small Children is a band like no other. Born on an elementary school playground in the spring of 2012, the trio are school teachers by day and a phenomenally successful hard rock band by night. Three months after deciding to use their recess breaks as band practice time they had an EP out, countless shows behind them and an East Coast tour booked. Their remake of the classic Ghostbusters theme song was released by RCA records and is featured in the new Ghostbusters movie. The band’s original song, ‘Big Steps‘, is featured in the Netflix series, Santa Clarita Diet. The band released their third album, Hold Tight, I’m Flying, in 2015 and singles produced by the legendary, Bob Marlette (Rob Zombie, Black Sabbath). Their live shows are insanely animated and can exhaust both the audience and the band.
Sandy Skeeter, Sound City Studios. For nearly 50 years, Sound City Studios has been the place where superstars were made and recorded. Founded in 1969, SCS kicked off with recordings by Neil Young, Dr. John, and the James Gang, but it still struggled. Then in 1973 Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks came in to record, met a drummer there by the name of Mick Fleetwood, and the rest is history. For SCS, that history included a reputation as having the finest drum recording room on the planet. Superstars trooped to LA to record in that room and SCS’s other studios, including Elton John, The Grateful Dead, Santana, Foreigner, Cheap Trick, Alice Cooper, Peter Frampton, and many more. SCS continued producing through the 2000’s, recording Diana Ross and Pat Benatar, Barry Manilow, RATT, Bob Dylan and Nirvana. But DIY recording software and changes in the music business forced founder Tom Skeeter to close SCS. Now Sound City is back! Tom's daughter Sandy Skeeter and Olivier Chastan are rebooting it with a legendary Helios recording console, vintage analog equipment and modern digital technology. Sandy joins us Friday for a tour of the history and the future of rock and roll.
Trubdr. Adam Road (that is his full stage name) is a Tel Aviv- based musician whose music channels harmonic and rhythmic sounds of flamenco style guitar with a mix of indie, folk, rock and grunge music. Born in Colorado, he moved to Israel and continued his music career as one of the founding members of the band City of the Sun. In 2014, he moved back to Israel to establish his solo career. He signed with Yebo Music and recorded his debut album, "Exile From the City ” to rave reviews and television exposure. The name “Troubadour” was given him by a fan and it stuck. He is now touring the US and Sweden with The Lonely Soul Collective .
Militia Vox , aka the Dark Diva and the Black Queen of Metal, is ferocious, badass, loud, honest, existential, hardworking and beautiful. A multimedia genius in film, music, concert production, film soundtracks and television she delivers a message of power, confidence, rebellion A classically trained pianist since the age of 7, MilitiaV grew up to become the central figure in bands including Judas Priestess , Swear On Your Life, and Disciples of Astaroth before going solo in 2013. Named one of the nation’s “Ten Fiercest Black Female Rockers,” she has new music out and new stories to tell. This year she received three Global Music Awards for songwriting, lyrics and best Female Vocalist. Her new single "NYCTOPHILIA" is now out, following the released of her three-song EP, ISOSCELES.
Named after the Italian word for “Love”, Ammoye produces beautiful, popular funky shimmering reggae that kicks ass and stands out in a male-dominated genre And people love it and they lover her. The smoothness of her voice draws listeners in, and the power of her lyrics holds them as she effortlessly sings about life, love, and justice. At the age of 5, Ammoye knew her calling was to perform music. Raised by her grandparents singing in church choirs and a gospel group, she moved Canada for college nd perfected her style. It was there that she organized fellow artists into a collective blending the soulfulness of Jamaica with the edge of drum & bass, the sinewy grooves of R&B. She sang with Michael Buble and Arkell won several Junos, . She calls herself a “soul rebel” and that soul and that rebellion shows through in her new album, The Light.
And Binx drops by with a new song
Kris Angelis is on a roll. She was awarded Best Female EP in the 2016 LA Music Critics Awards for her newest EP, Heartbreak is Contagious. A single from the album was featured on Relix Magazine's first ever "Women Who Rock" sampler CD in their September/October 2016 issue. Her music can be heard throughout Season 2 of AwesomenessTV's show Guidance. She landed an official show at NAMM 2017 and an Honorable Mention in WIMN's "She Rocks Awards" #SaveAGuitar contest. She was awarded Best Female Artist in the 13th annual International Acoustic Music Awards and made the finals in the International Songwriting Competition. Her first full-length album, The Left Atrium, produced by Jeff Zacharski, garnered rave critical reviews and adoring fans for this magnificent talent —beautiful, eclectic, surprising, and yet somehow always herself.
Island Apollo is a young indie/alternative band combines classic surf vibe with funky urban grooves to create music that captures the spirit of California dreamin’ come to life. With members from Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego, Island Apollo is authentically Southern Californian and isn’t afraid to show it. After being named Orange County’s “Best Pop Artist” from the OC Music Awards, Island Apollo has had songs appear on FOX Sports, CBS, PBS, TeenNick, VH1, USA Network, and has even had a song appear in a commercial with 2017 Sports Illustrated cover model Kate Upton. With the release of their new single Hold it Down, Island Apollo demonstrates how the band has truly created a unique sound all their own and one of LA’s hottest bands to watch.
"The African Bee" BINX is an Avant-Garde Pop South African musician/model living in New York. BINX been singing and writing music since she was a little gir and her late father encouraged her to take her music career to New York. He was right – she released her debut EP to great acclaim for her sound and style that echo pop icons and rebels such as Lady Gaga and David Bowie. Her song, "Radiohead" is currently Number 1 in South Africa and she has performedfor millions of viewers on televisions shows and live at the US Open, The New York Marathon (two years in a row), Webster Hall and was featured in The New Yorker for her EP titled "The African Bee."
Hailed as the “Best Free Outdoor Summer Concert Series” by Los Angeles Magazine and called “a grand gift to the public... democracy in musical action” by the Los Angeles Times, Grand Performances has presented some of the nation’s finest music, dance, theater, and more at the California Plaza in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles for the past 30 years. Joining us is Leigh Ann Hahn, director of programming of Grand Performances. A half-Korean child adopted by a German-English family in Iowa as a two-year old and raised multi-culturally. She drove to Los Angeles at the age of twenty four and recalls, "I saw the city sprawled out in front of me, looking like a great big field full of diamonds. When I saw that almost mind-numbing beauty in front of me, I knew that one chapter of my life was done and another was beginning.” Today she is a living embodiment of LA’s culture and diversity, and assembles one of America’s largest, most diverse and culturally thrilling city festivals.
Very few musicians wait until they're almost 70 years old to release their debut album. Alan Babbitt is one of them. He has been a musical dabbler at a very high level for most of his life while producing music, TV and art. He took up the clarinet in junior high, realized he could sing and switched to the guitar so he could accompany his songs. When he was hired as a TV producer/director at a PBS station in Las Vegas to create educational programs for kids he applied his musical talent to writing and performing tunes to help teach concepts – his first crack at songwriting. While a film and video maker to San Francisco he composed, arranged and produced music as a sideline. Eventually, that led to his debut album, NEW ROAD, an eclectic mix of musical styles including folk, folk rock, jazz, and a new genre he calls "Grump Rock." Hopefully, the 2nd album won't take quite as long.
Flora Cash is a duo composed of Minnesotan Cole Randall and Swede Shpresa Lleshaj , now based in Stockholm, Sweden. They met on Soundcloud in early 2012 and by the end of 2012, they had begun a collaboration with Swedish singer/songwriter and producer Daniel Westerlund (formerly of The Goner) and released their first EP, Mighty Fine EP, and quickly built a fan base with sold out shows in Stockholm, a three-month ‘mini-tour’ of London and a second EP, Made It For You. The duo moved to Minneapolis in 2913 for a year, got married, took a road-trip-honeymoon to LA and then moved back to Stockholm to release the I Will Be There. They signed to the Stockholm-based boutique label: Icons Creating Evil Art and have just released their latest album Nothing Lasts Forever (And It’s Fine).
Casey McQuillen walked away from her experience of being on American Idol with new confidence and her own version of the golden rule: It’s not just about treating others the way you want to be treated, it’s also about treating yourself the way you would treat others. She doesn’t simply sing her songs; she talks about her experience with bullying, about her struggles with anxiety, her desire to fit in. At the end of each performance on her “You Matter” tour, Casey sings “Beautiful” – the first single off of her new EP - about a momen when, at 17, she looked in the mirror and wished she could change. That belief that life would be better if only she were beautiful occasionally haunts her today. She has produced 5 singles and three EP’s, all with her confident message that you are not alone.
Soulful and talented singer song writer Amanda Campbell hails from London’s east end where she was surrounded by music. Heavily influenced by Jazz, The Philadelphia Sound, Motown and Amy Winehouse, she followed her dream and started singing and performing her original music. With Zetland Streets, a band she founded with guitarist, David Mason, she recorded six original songs. Starting out on the coffee house circuit in L.A. singing with a Jazz group, she quickly caught the attention of several local producers for her singing and her song writing and is currently making a name for herself fronting The Strands. With her unique style and stage presence, she presents original material with passion. Campbell is now stepping out on her own while still singing as the groove of The Strands, writing and releasing songs with thoughtful and provocative lyrics that cross lines, pull heartstrings and create a sonic environment unique in the jazz and blues world.
Northern California native Derek Davis began playing drums at the age of 11,then switched to vocals and guitar before he began his professional music career at the age of 15 in the San Francisco Bay Area. But Los Angeles called him in 1989 where he and his newly formed rock band, Babylon A.D., caught the attention of Clive Davis who signed the band to a recording contract with Arista Records. That led to two critically acclaimed albums, one of which, Babylon A.D, hit gold, followed by three Top 10 songs on the A.O.R Metal charts. Davis went on to collaborate with other artists like Jack Ponti (Alice Cooper and Bon Jovi), Tom Werman (Motley Crue and Cheap Trick), Taylor Rhodes (Aerosmith), Gene Black (Rod Stewart), and Michael Anthony (Van Halen). Davis also placed songs in films and TV and recorded eight albums with Babylon A.D., one with his band American Blues Box, and one with the band Moonshine. In 2012, Davis released his first solo album Re-Volt! to rave reviews and a great response from fans. He has just release his new solo album Revolutionary Soul! and set live concert dates set with his new band The Revolutionary Souls and with Babylon A.D.
The Southern California hard rock band Swirl, A hard rock band with a strong message of standing up for what you believe in and for music, was formed by guitarist Duane “DT” Jones in Washington State and went on to release their debut CD Out Of Nowhere, produced by Carlos Cavazo (RATT/ Quiet Riot) and Matt Thorr (Rough Cutt, Jailhouse) and toured the United States and Japan in the early 2000’s to moderate success. However, Swirl’s live shows, which are high octane and packed with fans gained them a large and devoted following, second up a national tour between 2008 and 2009. They travelled over 50,000 supporting acts like RATT, Extreme, Cinderella, Slaughter, LA Guns, Souls of We, Red Dragon Cartel, Skid Row and headlining their own shows. Between 2011- 2012 Swirl had a musical makeover and began writing and recording new music outside of the LA area, releasing the album, SWIRL.
You have heard and maybe seen Maggie McClure on TV or the big screen. Her songs have energized TV shows such as Dr. Phil, Cougar Town, The Real World, The Vineyard, and The Hills, as well as in feature films like Cowgirls N’ Angels. Born in Oklahoma but now based in LA, McClure has perfected a style of smooth, confessional songwriting that not only deepens the emotion that directors and show runners crave, but also has powered her through more than 1000 shows in over 40 states opening for Sara Bareilles, Alicia Witt, Walk Off The Earth, Tony Lucca, and others. Her third and newest album, Time Moves On -- produced by Justin Glasco, chronicles her move from Oklahoma to LA and what it took to build a career in this vast, competitive music capital.
Juan de Marcos González is a Grammy-winning bandleader, composer, arranger, tres player, producer and entrepreneur, and maybe most importantly, the producer of the original recordings of Cuba’s Buena Vista Social Club. The impact of those recordings - Buena Vista Social Club, The Afro-Cuban All Stars´ A Toda Cuba Le Gusta and Introducing Ruben González, by a small independent label with a modest budget in Havana in 1996 helped reintroduce the classic sound of popular Cuban music to the world. In the process, it also made global stars of a group of old but brilliant musicians, some of whom had been forgotten even in Cuba. This year Juan de Marcos is celebrating its 20th Anniversary of those recordings with a new live double album and with a tour of the West Coast.
Jared Faber is a multi instrumentalist, multi-talented composer/music producer/singer/songwriter. A native New Yorker, alumnus of the High School of Performing Arts and a graduate of the Berklee College of music, Jared currently lives in Los Angeles where he produces music for top artists, film and television. He was nominated for an Emmy for his work on "Clifford's Puppy Days" and has topped the CMJ world charts with his independent release "Tranquilidad Cubana" produced under the artist name "Urban Legend" (with partner Kool Kojak). He created the music for TV shows like "Being Bobby Brown", Ice Cube's "Friday the Animated Series" and Nickelodeon's "Kenny The Shark" ,"Nip/Tuck", "CSI Miami", and others. In 2013 Jared won a Latin Grammy for his work on Beto Cuevas' album "Transfomación" when the album took home best Pop/Rock Album.
Los Angeles based singer/songwriter, Lauren Ruth Ward, relocated to the West Coast from Baltimore to perform and record in the music capital of the country. Lauren is a tireless performer, belting her savvy blend of soulful rock and roll and psychedelic disco at virtually everyvenue in Southern Californa, from the The Bootleg Theatre to the Viper Room, and partnering with organizations like SOFAR-SoundsLA, World Arts, and Play Like a Girl. Recently enlisting producer/engineer, Grey Goon (Champagne Fever, US Royalty) for her full length LP, Lauren has also partnered with former Paperhaus guitarist, Eduardo Rivera, resulting in songs that draw from early 60s blues/psychedelia to today’s pop while still maintaining her distinctly high octane vocal style. She is back in the studio recording new material as a follow-up to her recent self-titled EP.
Gayle Skidmore sings in the line between artistry and accessibility, between whimsy and earworms, between what is and what can fantastically be. She is a seven-time San Diego Music Award nominee who has written over 2000 songs and released 20 albums. Among her many accolades are Best Pop in the 2015 San Diego Music Awards, Best Pop Album for “Sleeping Bear” in 2014, and Best Singer-Songwriter in 2013.Classically trained on the piano from the age of 4, a songwriter from the age of 8, she tours, records and also plays over 20 other instruments. She has opened for Jason Mraz, Lisa Loeb, Steve Martin, Sean and Sara Watkins, Sam Phillips, and recorded withThe Softlightes, Bushwalla, Jason Mraz and Tyrone Wells among others. She is ready to release her first full length vinyl album this year and of course, it will have a coloring book.
The Slants call themselves “the first and only all-Asian American dance rock band in the world” because they are, and “the band that must not be named” because the US Patent office and the courts will not let them copyright their name. Regardless of what they call themselves, The Portland-based band blows away venues with catchy dance beats, strong hooks, and wild, over the top live shows that combine 80’s driven synth pop with hard-hitting indie and addictive dance rhythms which fans affectionately call “Chinatown Dance Rock.” They’ve won “Album of the Year” and “Editor’s Choice” from dozens of magazines, including LA Weekly, Shojo Beat,Village Voice, City Beat, and Rockwired. When not playing and recording the band works to help marginalized communities, leading discussions on race and identity, and raising awareness of social justice issues.
Jessica Perry's all female, electronic/experimental band, Vanilla Sugar brings high energy to the stage and delivers an eclectic mix of genres in their songwriting and music in the studio and live.. Compsed of LA-based singer guitarist/keyboard artist Jessica Perry (JP) and Texas-based bassist Vanessa V, they fill the stage with intense beats and hot guitar licks. Vanilla Sugar was the brainchild of JP who wanted to form an all-female band and found Vanessa V who fit perfectly with JP’s sound. The have won The Buzz Indie/Punk Band Of The Year 2014, the Buzz Best Live Performance 2015 and JP was named Best Female Keyboradist in Texas in 2015 by MTV.
Amelia Romano began her lessons on a lever harp at the age of 9 with famed Diana Stork, who inspired early compositions and improvisation. Romano played in a variety of youth ensembles, graduated from the San Francisco School of the Arts High School, performing Laura Zaerr’s “Celtic Concerto,” and released her first solo album, “Seeking Peace,” in her senior year. After her B.A. at US Berkeley, she worked in a township music school outside Cape Town, South Africa, which deeply shaped her musical creativity She returned to the S.F. Bay Area in 2011, took up the electric harp and helped form a dynamic trio, “StringQuake,” and never looked back. She has been performing, recording and touring with her unique Latin flair, soulful lyrics and world rhythms for 15 years. She formed the All That Bad Trio in Fall 2016 and will release her second full length album, “New Perspectives,” featuring the electric harp and local talent, which combines Latin rhythms, blues and nostalgic storytelling to re-imagine the role of the harp in today's musical landscape.
The Drew Southern Band is a young, soulful and energetic blues band led by the chops-heavy Drew Southern. Drew Southern has traveled the country seeping up the blues, sharing stages with the likes of Big Brother and the Holding Company and other iconic blues bands. Formerly with Stang, Southern now tours, promoting his singles Jellyfish, Mask of Chains and Buff, wowing crowds with out of this world guitar playing.
Manlio Celotti. Membran Entertainment Group establishes itself as an international force, garnering multiple 2017 Grammy nominations with Jacob Collier Anderson .Paak, Joey Alexander and René Marie.Artists traditionally begin their careers in their home country and then make their way to the rest of the international music scene. Membran, an entertainment and label services company headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, has reversed this pattern for some of today’s biggest names in music. Manlio Celotti joined Membran as CEO in 2011 while retaining his role as Managing Director of The Orchard Entertainment, moving the company forward rapidly, including in the USA marketplace. With connections to SONY Music, and other labels, he has been able to develop an impressive list of artists all the way to the Grammys. We talk with him about the 2017 Awards, Membran's strategy and what it means for rising indie artists.
Shambhu is a guitarist, composer and consummate artist who transforms the stillness and silence of meditation into calming sounds. Through a blend of folk, Indian and jazz styles, his music eases busy minds and the overworked bodies. His music is is music is at once precise, skilled, sensitive and inventive beyond the norm. Shambhu has recorded and performed with Yes frontman, Jon Anderson and guitar legend Carlos Santana, as well as Whitney Houston and Clarence Clemens, among others. His has just released his third studio album, Soothe, recorded at Magic Cottage Studios in Lagunitas, CA with producer Todd Boston and a stellar group of artists including Michael Manring on bass, Jeff Haynes on percussion and Frank Martin on piano. The result is pure bliss.
Hamish Anderson is known as a student of the three Kings -- Albert, BB and Freddie – which is one reason why he is a superb, award-winning blues artist blues rock guitarist/singer/songwriter. From Melbourne, Australia he has toured the world, joining bands like The Rides (Stephen Stills, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Barry Goldberg), performing at SXSW; as well as being onstage with Los Lobos, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Wynona Judd , Blues Traveler and was the last performer to open for BB King. His new album “Trouble” is now out and the single “Trouble” is receiving spins on radio across the nation.
Chris Pierce & Sunny War were brought together by LA-basedGrammy winning producer/songwriter Jared Faber and the rest is history. Pierce has inspired audiences worldwide with his soulful, energetic music and honest storytelling, releasing 5 independent albums. He has headlined tours and opened for such artists as Seal, B.B. King, Al Green, Toots and the Maytals, Aaron Neville, Colbie Caillat, Beth Hart, Robert Cray, Dr. John and Jamie Cullum. Sunny War, originally from Nashville, has a guitar and vocal style somewhere between Punk and early blues. As a solo artist she has opened for Booker T, Keb’ Mo’, Madeleine Peyroux, Mindy Smith, The Levon Helm Band, & Angelique Kijo among others. The two together are now War and Pierce and blowing away radio and live audiences nationwide.
Jenna Torres is a country-rock siren who has travelled from New York to Nashville and won acclaim as a recording artist and songwriter for Warner Music Group and Warner/Chappell Music. Artists like Martha Wash (from the Weather Girls) have cut songs from Jenna’s pen, and she co-wrote “Busted Heart” with Ben Glover for the group For King & Country. Her forthcoming album Wild Sugar has been previewed with a video for the title track which co-stars Richard Turner of southern rock and country band Blackberry Smoke. Her current release, Heart On Wheels is the follow-up to her critically acclaimed album A Woman's Touch whose accompanying video of the song “.22” remained in the Number One spot in the Artist Charts on Yallwire for over six months.
, Sarah Packiam, born and raised in Ireland, began writing songs at the age of 12, inspired by her blues musician father from India. At 14 years old she represented Ireland in the European song contest,and at 18 she moved to Spain with the family band. She was discovered and sent to Miami by Jon Secada, working with Grammy award winning producer Tim Mitchell. In 2009 Sarah joined Shakira's promo tour singing background vocals and playing guitar and banjo. She also opened with her band for Smashmouth and Jason Mraz at the Sunfest Festival and she sang with Carole King, Gloria Estefan, Queen Latifah, Ricky Martin at the "The Power of Love Gala" in Las Vegas. Sarah's first Independent CD One for two was released in 2012 and her EP Dream was released in 2013, in 2014 she released her third studio album, AGAIN. Sarah is in the studio with her band for her fourth album to be released in 2017.
Shelby Lanterman is a singer-songwriter from Napa, CA, who was exposed to all forms of music - rock & roll, pop, blues, Americana -- by her parents practically from the day she was born. So it is not surprising that, at the age of 12 she picked up the guitar, learned Garage Band, and started playing her own shows, and at 16 was writing and singing her own songs. There was no stopping her. She went on to play Hollywood’s Roxy Theater, the Bottle Rock Festival, Sweetwater Music Hall, the Uptown Theater, Silo’s and many more venues. She opened for artists like Bob Mould, Lisa Loeb, among many others. If that wasn’t enough, she started producing the Emerging Artist Series at City Winery, attended the Dark Horse Institute inNashville and earned a degree in audio engineering and worked with musicians from all over the country. Her debut album. Paper Thin, an earnest album of carefully crafted folk rock stories, is now available.
Raised in the old West Village, NYC, Natalie Gelman grew up amidst artists and true bohemians, which may be why she borrowed a friends guitar at 16, started writing songs and never looked back. From busking on subway to touring Europe, she has crisscrossed more than one country captivating tourists, straphangers and audiences with her powerful voice, deep-heart stories and witty humor. She continues to play what she calls her favorite stage – the subway - while also performing at the House of Blues, Webster Hall and festivals across the country. And no wonder; Gelman is often compared to Sheryl Crow, Jewel and Joni Mitchell, for her timeless music and honest songs that make her a modern day troubadour. Whether it is Live in London or Sundance in Your Eyes, her albums make you long to stand in front on her in a train station and just absorb the power of her heart.
Born in the streets of Los Angeles, Las Cafeteras are children of immigrants who are remixing roots music and telling modern day stories with eclectic instruments, including jarana’s, requinto, a donkey jawbone, a West African bass instrument called the Marimbol, cajón, and a wooden platform called the Tarima used to dance Zapateado. Las Cafeteras formed as a band in 2008 to document the histories of their neighborhoods through music. They started as students of the Eastside Café, a Zapatista inspired community space in East Los Angeles where they were influenced by the culture, storytelling, and poetic music of Son Jarocho, a traditional music from Veracruz, Mexico. To honor women and challenge masculine language, they feminized their group name by calling themselves, Las Cafeteras, rather than Los Cafeteros. They have recently returned from a sold out national tour and will be playing Friday night at California State University in Northridge.
The daughter of musicians, Kesenia Valenti was born and raised in the port of Khodka, Russia – literally the last stop on the Trans-Siberian Railroad. The isolation didn’t stop her. She began studying classical piano at 6, was a finalist on the national Russian television program ‘Sing if you Can” and found a way to move to Los Angeles to study acting and continue her musical career. She began working with producer Mario Marchetti and songwriter Gino Barletta to craft high energy, rhythmic pop songs based on her life. At the same time she began studying comedy, producing comedy videos and acting. Now a triple threat, she has just released her first single, with more on the way.
Bellehouse was formed in 2013 and currently is based in Brooklyn, performing as a indie Americana band that is between down-home roots music and intellectual folk-rock. Bellehouse delivers a sound that embraces a variety of genres — from Celtic traditional and folk revival to soul and Motown and a bit of rock. The group includes Sarah Elizabeth Haines (viola, voice),Jess Taylor Clinton (vocals, guitar, songwriting), Catie Friel (vocals), Nick Lenchner (bass) and Ryan Gross (banjo, vocals),and Mackenzie Shivers (keys, voice). Yuka Tadano (bass), and Cody Rahn (percussion) deepen the band’s sound. They have just released the first single “Devil’s Sound” from their upcoming album, Capsized.
Indiana Grace grew up with her Swiss father and American mother in the Swiss Alps and began singing and songwriting pop songs with the skills she acquired from piano and classical voice lessons. She earned a place at the prestigious The School for Gifted Children of the Performing Arts in Switzerland, as the first pop singer ever accepted there. After attending Zurich University of the Arts, she produced, sang, and composed a CD with Swiss Rapper, C-Beat, that reached Top 10 in the charts in East Switzerland. At the age of 18 she left for the United States and began perfecting her own sound and musical style while studying performance and songwriting at the famed Berklee College of Music. With a trained operatic voice, her rising choruses, soft vibrato, and soulful sounds are unique in the pop world. Her soulful singles “Lose Count” & “Avalanche” is a preview of what to expect in her upcoming debut album.
Taylor Jahn is a troubadour, creator of palatable melodies, zealot of fine craft brews and all things Portland. Presently recording and performing in LA he has been influenced by current artists like Sara Bareilles, Coldplay, Lorde, Mary Lambert and others. His songs span genres from pop to country to singer/songwriter to rock. His first single, Hideaway is now out and his first EP will drop in January.
El Dusty returns to Music FridayLive! on his way from Las Vegas and the Latin Grammys, heading toward a concert in LA. Raised in Corpus Christi, the Texas producer, DJ, and nu-cumbia pioneer translates the South Texas border experience into barrio anthems with a sampler and chopped clips of Latin music history. Following the success of his single “K Le Pasa,” El Dusty released the Trapanera EP, the first of his collaborative projects since signing with Universal Records AfterCluv division. Following the success of the record, El Dusty created PRODUCE®, a multi-disciplinary production/design house where he produced “K Le Pasa.” and houses Chicas Rock, a non-profit after school program dedicated to building girls’ self-esteem through music creation and performance. Hopefully he will appear with a Latin Grammy in his hand.
Two of my favorite artists. Maggie Szabo and Allison Iraheta of and Halo Circus both with homecomings this week.
Halo Circus is an LA-based bilingual alternative rock band composed of vocalist Allison Iraheta, guitarist Brian Stead, bassist Matthew Hager and drummer Veronica Bellino. Halo Circus was formed in 2012 by Iraheta, a finalist on American Idol. She had released her debut album, Just Like You in 2009 and met producer/songwriter/musician Hager They wrote together and later formed Halo Circus whose crowd-sourced "Follow the Rabbit” US Summer Tour", kicked off in SoCal in August and wraps up with a blowout concert Nov 11 in Los Angeles at the Hotel Café. But we get to interview them that morning.
Maggie Szabo is a Canadian-born, LA-based soul-pop singer whose vocals and songwriting has earned 13 million YouTube, sold out performances and well-deserved songwriting awards. Small but powerful, Szabo is famed for holding audiences hushed as she starts songs in whispers and then rises to room-filling belts, Winner of the International Songwriting Competition, Maggie is a featured vocalist and songwriter on the new album from German electronic DJ, Schiller, which has sold 7 million albums worldwide and debuted at #1 in Germany. Her single ‘Forgive and Forget’, was premiered by Yahoo Music and licensed in Criminal Minds and Keeping Up with the Kardashians among others . And, never one to stand still long, she has released a new single, “Smile” and has an album in the works.
Alicia Blue is a young artist who uses folk, soul & blues to write songs that are passionate, poetic and often described as the work of an old soul talking about new problems. Inspired by her friend soul singer Malcolm Hayes Jr. who taught her about soul music from the 1960’s, she combined soul music with poetry in the first songs she would ever write in 2014, and the rest is history. She began performing around LA at open mics and venues, and found her first manager busking in Santa Monica in 2015. After meeting producer Julien Genuardi at UCLA they produced the song “He’s An Artist” that has defined Alicia with a signature sound and drew the attention of the LA music industry. Her first album is set for release this winter.
Simrit is a musician, producer, and music industry executive who is also a student, practitioner and a certified teacher of Kundalini Yoga and Naad Yoga, the sciences of sound and consciousness. She records, composes, produces music, and tours with her band giving concerts and workshops across the globe and her erHvoice and sound course, The Supreme Sound, is studied by thousands worldwide.. Hailed world-wide for her haunting voice, music Simrit is known for revolutionary innovation in hypnotic world and chant music that heals and evokes the innate power within all. She has topped World Music Charts including iTunes at #1 for consecutive weeks at a time, many times over, and Billboard Music.
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Cosmos and Creature are the highly acclaimed LA-based singer/songwriters Brandyn Burnette and Molly Moore who combined their two successful solo careers to take on the music world twice as fast with twice the talent. Brunette, formerly with Warner Bros. Records, wrote a number 1 hit for Hedley which won Single of the Year at the Juno Awards, plus he charted on the top 40 for a single he wrote for Jake Mille. He has garnered over 3 million streams on both Spotify and YouTube, earning him a spot on the Billboard Emerging artist charts for two weeks straight. Moore is not only a successful songwriter having recently landed a co-write with Leah Michelle (GLEE), she is also an accomplished solo artist with a dedicated fan base of her own. They formed a duo in 2014 and started making waves,. Their new pop-electro single “Young” is now out and rising up the chart s with 8 million Spotify Streams
Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband are a tight, traveling, acoustic quintet that has a fanatical regional base in the West, centered in Salt Lake City. A second generation fiddle player, equally at home with an electric or acoustic guitar or mandolin, Shupe began playing music at age five and was performing professionally and touring nationally at the age of 10 with a group called the PeeWee Pickers. He still plays a fiddle he found in his great aunt’s closet. Shupe formed the RubberBand so he could enlist a rotating group of musicians on a gig-by-gig basis and never have a group “break up.” His plan didn’t exactly work, however. One by one, the temporary sidemen began to stick, fusing into the close-knit final incarnation that exists today. His new album, recorded and arranged in his studio in Provo, We Rode On” deftly combines rock with the acoustic instruments and virtuosic jamming the band has become known for.
Mariana Vega was born in Caracas, Venezuela and moved to Toronto, Canada at the age of 15 where she encountered British and American rock music. She began mixing them with her musical influences from Venezuela, Colombia, and Argentina while in college. After earning a degree in Industrial Relations and Psychology she decided to devote herself to music, releasing her first album, Mariana Vega in 2010. In 2013, she premiered her second studio album, My bubble, recorded in Argentina and produced by Cachorro Lopez. In 2014, she released the EP Te Busco , which resulted in her first Latin Grammy. Her latest single "Cámara Lenta” is true American Latino Music – it mixes electronic and acoustic sounds with USA pop flourishes and the 6/8 charcatera rhythm of the Argentine countryside.
Giulia (Julia) Millanta, is a native-born Italian singer-songwriter who now calls Austin,Texas home. She has been singing and playing since she was 8 years old, earning the New Sounds Of Acoustic Music” award in Italy in 2010 and an endorsement by Eko guitar. She has released four albums, toured regionally and nationally throughout the USA and internationally. Giulia also plays ukulele and sings in four languages. Giulia just released her fifth solo album Moonbeam Parade featuring some of the best musicians in Austin . The Austin release party is scheduled for the night of her appearance on Music Friday Live and will kick off a regional tour.
Harold López-Nussa was born into a musical family in Havana in 1983. Not only are his father and uncle—Ernán, a pianist—working musicians, but also his late mother, Mayra Torres, was a highly regarded piano teacher. At the age of eight, López-Nussa began studying at the Manuel Saumell Elementary School of Music, then the Amadeo Roldán Conservatory and finally graduating with a degree in classical piano from the Instituto Superior de Artes (ISA). The conservatory-trained pianist is the first Cuba-based musician (he has dual citizenship in both Cuba and France) to release an album internationally since the lifting of many of the restrictions associated with the longstanding trade embargo. In 2005 he played at the Montreux Jazz Festival, where he was awarded the First Prize and the Audience Award in Solo piano Competition, and he was recently awarded the French musical society’s ADAMI as "Talent Jazz 2011".With the release of El Viaje with younger brother Ruy Adrián López-Nussa on drums and percussion; and Alune Wade on bass and vocals, he appears on the brink of a global breakthrough.
High Sunday, a LA-based band that specializes in sizzling energy and a massive hip-hop presence is releasing their debut single, "Wonderland" This December. The group is an eclectic mix of the talents of five men and two women - Eddie Core, Ike Deezl, Nick Fazekas, Evann Lewis, Nicole Row, Drin Elliot and Ryan Evangelista. They consistently produce a fresh take on hip hop by combining elements from jazz, rock, reggae and funk Their new track "Wonderland", uses dizzying horns and chromatic synths to create a progressive hip-hop, accented with booming basslines and menacing vocal layers over an unstoppable beat.
Salvador Santana is a singer, songwriter, keyboardist, composer, poet and activist. The son of ten-time Grammy-winning guitarist Carlos Santana and poet/author/activist Deborah Santana, his music roots reach back to his maternal grandfather, Saunders King, an icon of American blues and his paternal grandfather, violinist and mariachi bandleader Jose Santana. Salvador began playing piano at the age of five and became comfortable with other instruments in high school. In 1999, he collaborated with his father on composing the Grammy-winning track "El Farol" on the album Supernatural. He has recently teamed up with CASA in Action and DEC Artists to create a campaign to tell immigrant stories from across the country and drive voter registration and activism to reform immigration laws.
Ally Venable, lead vocalist and guitarist of the powerhouse blues rock Ally Venable Band,started young, singing in church a child. It was only recently, as a protégé of Lance Lopez, that she found her passions: the guitar, blues, and rock. She formed the band and never looked back.The Ally Venable Band has become a powerhouse in the Lone Star State and Ally was named the 2014 and 2015 East Texas Female Guitarist of the Year. Joined by bassist, Bobby Wallace and classically trained drummer Elijah Owings, it is easy to see why some people in the Texas blues community hear the future of blues when she plays. Now on tour in Texas, we are proud to introduce her to an international audience.
Militia Vox , aka the Dark Diva and the Black Queen of Metal is ferocious, badass, loud, honest, existential, hardworking and beautiful. A multimedia genius in film, music, concert production, film soundtracks and television she delivers a message of power, confidence, rebellion A classically trained pianist since the age of 7, MilitiaV grew up to become the central figure in bands including Judas Priestess , Swear On Your Life, and Disciples of Astaroth before going solo in 2013. Named one of the nation’s “Ten Fiercest Black Female Rockers,” Militia Vox’s album, BAIT and single Vow garnered high praise from critics and fans alike. Her new EP, ISOSCELES, released September 3, promises to continue her momentum and thrill her fans.
The central California-born pop artisti Omar Alhindi,started his music career signing with Tyme Records at only fifteen years old. An emotional storyteller, he combines unforgettable pop melodies with experiences pulled from his own life. His debut record, a project that’s soaked up his creativity and determination for four years, is blissed out with hip-hop beats and synthy pop melodies that earworm their way into your memory with just one listen. With each track, he aims to come from a positive place, taking even the most heartbreaking moments and turning them into uplifting experiences of growth and hopefulness. His newest single, “Dance All Night” is a Sean Kingston inspired, summer celebration that was tailored for radio play. As the first single off his upcoming record, set to be released in the fall of 2016, it marks the beginning of a whole new era in Omar’s musical career.
Bob Malone has toured the world as a solo artist for two decades and has played keyboards with rock legend John Fogerty since 2011. His sound is a one of-a-kind hybrid of rock, blues, and New Orleans R&B, delivered with high-energy piano virtuosity and a voice all his own. Currently based in Los Angeles, he still plays with Fogerty’s band plus an average of 100 solo shows a year. Malone has shared stages with Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne, Jimmy Buffett, Rickie Lee Jones, The Neville Brothers, Rev. Al Green, among others.
Toronto-born, LA-based ARI finds healing and her unapologetic voice in music. Her education is in psychology but her art is music that deftly dances in and out of genre lines, moving from entrancing alternative pop to gritty hip-hop production under a cover of electronic elegance. At the same time, the visceral lyrics transmit messages of hope as often as they ponder tragedy. Her sound comes to life in the middle. “There’s dark and light inside all of us,” she says. “Every opposite is a complement. You can’t have beauty without pain. You can’t have success without failure. You can’t have the ying without the yang. You accept yourself amidst those demons.” Her album Tunnel Vision plays by its own rules, reflecting the meaning of her name – “eagle “ in Nordic and “lion” in Hebrew. Together they make for one of the most interesting artists in the current music scene.
KC Porter is a Grammy and Latin Grammy-winning producer, composer and vocalist based in Los Angeles who has written or produced music for global stars like Ricky Martin, Celine Dion, Chaka Khan, Selena, Ozomatli, and Santana, among others. Named Latin Grammy Producer of the Year in 2001 he has also penned songs and produced Grammy-nominated and awarded albums & singles for many top performers. His list of awards and credits is far too long for this short bio. He has recently returned from playing and singing on a European tour
Eljuri. Born in Guayaquil, Ecuador, raised in New York City and recording with the independent label Manovill Records, Cecilia Villar Eljuri is a genre-fusing songwriter/singer/electric guitar player who blends the sounds and rhythms she heard from her mother’s piano, her father’s vinyl records, her siblings’ CD’s and from the clubs she frequented on Manhattan’s lower east side. She draws from both her S Latino and her Lebanese roots to produce songs and albums that have garnered awards from Billboard, the John Lennon Songwriting Contest and the USA Songwriting Competition and the 2015 Voiceless International Film Festival. Her original music has been heard in movie scores (Solitary Man, Snitch, Away from Here) and on internationally syndicated TV shows (NCIS LA, Dexter, ESPN, From Spain with Love, Privileged, One Night Stand with Annie Sibonney).
Karen Dezelle is a singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles, California who writes and sings acoustic indie folk songs that stand out from the crowd both musically and lyrically. She has played at SXSW music l and famed venues across the United States and UK, including the House of Blues, The Hotel Cafe, Hotel Utah, and The Bitter End. After the success of her 2013 and 2014 albums, Lost and Found and Bloom, Unfold, Wither, Dezelle’s newest EP, Room For Two, pushes boundaries that are extremely personal and heartfelt even for her. The result is superb music and we are delighted to have her back on the show (her last visit was 2014) and hear the new songs and the new successes.
American music is Roddie Romero & the Hub City All Stars . Born out of the Delta dirt, they are rising high off the levee of traditionalism and into the future of Louisiana Music. Roddie Romero & the Hub City All-Stars are a renowned, Grammy-nominated Louisiana band who have been performing worldwide at festivals and venues for over 20 years. It is the Louisiana band and it is celebrated not only for its infectious music and good times concerts, but for their authenticity in performing or recording traditional Cajun and Creole indigenous music. The five guys who make up the band – Roddie, Eric Adcock. Chad Viator, Gary Usie and Chris French are all accomplished musicians, but they go beyond that to living and breathing the music of Louisiana. This is their first time on the show and it should be fun. Hope you like the accordion!
Locos por Juana is a GRAMMY and Latin GRAMMYnominated bilingual band, most notably recognized for their energetic live performances and unique fusion ofLatin, Caribbean, and American rhythms, consisting of vocalist Itawe Correa, guitarist Mark Kondrat, drummerJavier Delgado, and bassist, David Pransky. Locos porJuana’s sound incorporates the beloved sounds of their heritage like Cumbia,Champeta and Afro-Colombian rhythms, musical influences from Miami and the Caribbean islands includingReggae, Raggamuffin, and Dub from Jamaica, along withRock ‘n roll, Funk and Hip-Hop.
Musician and cyclist Joanna Wallfisch was born in London to classical musician parents but learned early to go beyond boundaries. After completing her masters in jazz performance from London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama, she moved to New York City where she independently released her debut solo album, Wild Swan, in 2011. Over the past five years, Joanna has toured or worked with renowned jazz artists like Wynton Marsalis and Dan Tepfer. She is promoting her new album, Gardens in My Mind on a cross-country, 10-city bike tour. She will be arriving in LA her ukulele, her loop pedals and new songs.
Blake Morgan, co-headlining west coast tour with Janita, is doing 10 shows from Las Vegas to Seattle and stops by while they are in LA.
Drummer Kevin Bowers comes by with songs from his new album, NOVA and we get to do some Latin dancing
Texas indie Americana and folk is what David Martinez does and he does it really well, with a little rock snuck in for good measure. A passionate, powerful and determined singer songwriter, Martinez is taking the Texas music scene by storm. He has played at the Texas Indie Fest, Texas Rockfest, and SXSW, with the among others plus toured the state and nationally. With a voice that can belt or croon smooth as glass, he is bringing a refreshing vibe to Texas in his new album, One More Time, produced by Leroy Miller. Now in Corpus Christie, it won’t long before we hear about him far beyond Texas.
Spark & Whisper is the musical collaboration of Anita Sandwina & Velvy Appleton, singer-songwriters/multi-instrumentalists from the SF Bay Area who met at the Strawberry Music Festival in Northern California, formed a trio, expanded to a band, changed names and produced two critically acclaimed albums, an east coast tour. Over 100 shows later, Appleton & Sandwina created Spark & Whisper and released their debut album, “Spark & Whisper” to stellar reviews and strong radio play. The album launched the band into 3 years of solid gigging. They teamed up with producer Monica Pasqual of Blame Sally and released their second album, “Ghost Towns” which was embraced by the acoustic/folk radio community and rose on 12 different Folk DJ’s “Top 10 Albums of 2013”.
Jim Suhler & Monkey Beat
Jim Suhler & Monkey Beat are the essence of down-home Texas blues inspired rock ‘n’ roll and roots music. They have been playing together for over twenty-two years, and become renowned for no-holds-barred approach to rock. It is no wonder that the band has worked with noted producers Terry Manning (ZZ Top, Led Zeppelin, Stax Records), Jim Gaines (Santana, Stevie Ray Vaughan) and Grammy Award-winning producer/songwriter Tom Hambridge (Buddy Guy, George Thorogood). Jim Suhler also plays as lead guitarist with George Thorogood & the Destroyers and is a multiple nominee in the Dallas Observer Music Awards and is a member of Buddy magazine’s “Texas Tornado Hall of Fame.”
Jackie Venson
Texas-based Jackie Venson is a Berklee College of music classical music graduate who took up blues rock guitar and blows the roof off every venue she plays in US or Europe. Trained in classical piano, Venson has multi-instrumental chops plus a voice that can drip with sensual emotion or belt with blues. Venson picked up the guitar shortly after graduating from Berklee and made the giant leap from classical music to the raw and gritty blues and never looked back. Enthralled with music since the age of 8, this young singer/songwriter/musician has a vibrant musical soul and precise technical control of her instruments. She blends and bends Blues, Rock, R&B, Soul with her introspective lyrics into music that led to a Jackie Venson Day in Austin.
The nomadic and critically acclaimed Stick Against Stone is a phenomenon that defies categorization. They produce a hybrid melodic mashup of horn-rich noir funk, ghostly dub ballads, pulsing samba flecked with Afrobeat juice and snarling post-punk rock energy. Their new album, INSTANT is their first true studio recording ever although they have been playing for over 30 years. A musical time-capsule 30 years in the making, its songs written in 1980 sound fresh and on point today. INSTANT follows the release in 2014 of their cassette EP “The Oregon Bootleg Tapes – Live” and is a welcome burst of innovation from one of the nation’s most creative music forces. Will Kreth of the band joins us Friday as we play cuts that take us on a journey through the years and the minds of Stick Against Stone.
Vicky Hamilton is a Grammy Award-Winning music industry executive who discovered, developed or managed the careers of bands like Guns 'N' Roses, Brett Michaels, and Mötley Crüe. Considered one of the most successful music executives in the industry, Vicky served as an A&R executive at Geffen Records until 1992. She has also worked with famed manager Elliot Roberts at Lookout Management/ Vapor Records, before moving to Capitol Records as A&R consultant with Gary Gersh. Her record label Small Hairy Dog released June Carter Cash’s Grammy-winning album Press One. Vicki currently owns Aesthetic V Management and Productions, developing and representing bands, artists and special projects. She is currently producing the documentary Until the Music Ends with Slash along with other music film projects.
Meli Malavasi, a Costa Rican artist based in L.A., is a triple threat: singer, dancer, songwriter…and a powerhouse artist in English or Spanish. She was a finalist in the "International Songwriting Competition". She was named "Best Female Dance Artist" at the Indie Music Channel. She has performed in some of LA's stop clubs like The Whisky a Go Go, The Viper Room, House of Blues and Los Globos. You have heard her songs in TV shows like “Bad Girls Club”. Malavasi is currently working on her next Spanish EP with Musical Director and keyboardist of the 20 times Latin-Grammy Award Winning Band Juanes, while she tears up clubs and stages in Los Angeles.
Since winning the Grand Prize in the National Lilith Fair Talent Search in 1998, San Francisco-based essence has been signed to RCA Records, Way Cool/MCA Records, and Or Music. She debuted with the successful indie release Conception, which established a devoted fan base. Her second album, Mariposa garnered critical acclaim and prompted a national tour opening shows for Jason Mraz and Shawn Colvin. Her 2009 release Feels Like the Future won the Grand Prize for the Great American Song Contest and 2nd Place in the International Songwriting Contest. Her songs have been in television and in films, and she has opened for Tom Petty, Shawn Colvin, Chris Isaac, Sarah McLachlan, Pat Benatar, Linda Perry and many others. She has played at venues ranging from NYC’s Bowery Ballroom to San Francisco’s Fillmore, LA’s Rose Bowl and Philadelphia’s World Cafe Live. She will release her new album, Black Wings, this Friday and we get to preview it on Music Friday Live!
Bob Malone has toured the world as a solo artist for two decades and has played keyboards with rock legend John Fogerty since 2011. His sound is a one of-a-kind hybrid of rock, blues, and New Orleans R&B, delivered with high-energy piano virtuosity and a voice all his own. Currently based in Los Angeles, he still plays with Fogerty’s band plus an average of 100 solo shows a year. Malone has shared stages with Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne, Jimmy Buffett, Rickie Lee Jones, The Neville Brothers, Rev. Al Green, among others.
Toronto-born, LA-based ARI finds healing and her unapologetic voice in music. Her education is in psychology but her art is music that deftly dances in and out of genre lines, moving from entrancing alternative pop to gritty hip-hop production under a cover of electronic elegance. At the same time, the visceral lyrics transmit messages of hope as often as they ponder tragedy. Her sound comes to life in the middle. “There’s dark and light inside all of us,” she says. “Every opposite is a complement. You can’t have beauty without pain. You can’t have success without failure. You can’t have the ying without the yang. You accept yourself amidst those demons.” Her album Tunnel Vision plays by its own rules, reflecting the meaning of her name – “eagle “ in Nordic and “lion” in Hebrew. Together they make for one of the most interesting artists in the current music scene.
Adam Hawley, PhD. is a jazz guitarist signed with Kalimba Music, the label founded by Maurice White of Earth, Wind, & Fire. He also teaches at Musician’s Institute, Chaffey College, and Saddleback College. His first release on the Kalimba label, Just The Beginning debuted this March and the first single, “35th St.” shot to #1 on Billboard, #1 on the Allen Kepler Smooth Jazz Countdown, and #1 on Mediabase Chart. Adam is also a prolific sideman, appearing with a who’s who list of artists including Dave Koz, Jennifer Lopez, Brian Culbertson, Natalie Cole, Gerald Albright, , and American Idol to name just a few. Best of all, her is appearing on Music Friday Live! this week.
Sandy Carroll grew up in rural West Tennessee but has seen the world. Her Memphis blues music reflects her upbringing and her vision of the world through the eyes of musician: “no color, no sex, no lifestyle - what mattered is if you were GOOD … that is, if you could PLAY.” She is both good and can play, touring both throughout the US and the UK and seeing her songs recorded by greats like Albert King and Luther Allison and nominated for Grammys. Always a proud Southerner, after 30 years Sandy Carroll has returned to her childhood roots and recorded “The Last Southern Belle” as a New Southern Woman who stands firm in her own power and her own truth and her own music.
Vanessa Campagna is a young pop singer/songwriter based in Nashville who blows away audiences wherever she sings. I have seen her live and am still tingling. She has an accomplished past and a brilliant future who has been described as a precociously gifted vocal powerhouse and a mature singer reminiscent of a young Celine Dion.” And, she is a great interview. you will love this classic MusicFridayLive from January.
Canadian-born, LA-based Neo-Ragtime singer Dessy di Lauro describes herself as a "Feathered Frohawk Futuristic Art Deco Centric Harlem Renaissance Hep Music'' singer/songwriter. She is also the leader and producer of a spectacular Las Vegas Show that run at the at the Cosmopolitan Her latest EP was released for her 2015 her world tour in parallel with Madonna’s Rebel Heart tour. I have seen her live and her show is a knock out. you willlove this interview from January 29.
THIS IS A CLASSIC MUSIC FRIDAY LIVE FROM JAN. 29, 2016
Salme Dahlstrom – a.k.a. Salme -- is a New York-based musical artist who writes, performs and produces irrepressible dance music. She is releasinga new album and we are going to debut it Friday on MusicFridayLive!
Romance and Rebellion. Emerging from the bubbling hip warren of production studios, venues and meetups in the Echo Park district of LA, David LaViola (Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar), Aaron Medina (Lead Guitar, Harmony Vocals), Kyle Jordan Mueller (Drums), and Brandon Davis (Bass, Harmony Vocals), formed the band Romance and Rebellion in 2015 and quickly gained traction in the crowded Los Angeles market. After capturing the attention of famed producer Stefan Litrownik (Andy Grammer, One Direction), they began work on their debut EP, a project that would produce the addictive, beat-driven single, “More Than Friends.” They are the essence of youth exuberance and their growing local fanbase will soon be national.
Goodbye Blue is the duo Charlotte Kendrick and Dan Rowe who write and sing melodic, personal Americana-Folk reminiscent of classic story-telling artists. Both Charlotte and Dan grew up playing music and their separate lives took many turns – including Charlotte’s 2 years in the Peace Corps – before they met through a music producer relative of Dan’s. They synced immediately and played and toured extensively until a family of three children arrived, which slowed them to a crawl musically (although not logistically!). Their new album “Worth the Wait” marks their re-emergence into Americana music
Diana Rein is a magnetic Indie Blues artists known as "the Six String Siren" by her adoring fans. With a sharp tongue, driving blues guitars and melodic solos she is rising fast in the blues world. Born in Romania and raised in Chicago, Diana came onto the scene as an acoustic rhythm guitar player in her hometown with the release of her first album of 8 originals, "The Back Room". It wasn't long before she was doing solo and band shows all around Chicago. Now Diana finally stepping out as a lead guitarist and vocalist on her new album "Long Road".
New York-based M.A.K.U Soundsystem is a band of immigrant artists, most hailing from Colombia, that embodies a quest for identity through sound and bodies in motion and music for everyday people. Born in 2010, the band has independently released two full-length albums, one EP, and toured across the U.S. with their fiery grooves. The newest release, Mezcla captures the sound of their native countries and blends them with rock and indie music moves feet and hips with powerful groves and lyrics that reflect the lives of the band.
Born in London to Greek parents, Athena finally got the piano she wanted at 16 and has been performing in English and Greek ever since. An extraordinary singer/songwriter she sings and records and performs at major festivals and has scored films and television programs in Europe. Athena now lives in Los Angeles and has released her first US-produced record, and 4th studio album. The album, Ready for the Sun, part 1 was created at the legendary Village Studios in Los Angeles with producer Ethan Allen. Athena recruited a star-studded lineup of collaborators including Jimmie Paxson from Stevie Nicks' band to put the music behind what is arguably one of the finest voices and songwriting talents in the country. The official release party is May 20, 2016 in Hollywood. Music Friday Live has a preview copy and kicks off the festivities with an exclusive interview.
In segment 1 we talk to Heidy Flowers, founder of Los Hollywood, the Latin-rock-fusion band with a songwriter in Tijuana, Mexico and musicians in San Diego. Founder Heidy Floreswill givepeeka peak at their project now in the studio with Thom Russo, producer for Michael Jackson, Tom Morello, Johnny Cash among others. In segment 2 we interview one of the breakout artists of 2015, the 20 year-old Malibu native Destiny, who joins us with her new song “Oblivion”, following her #1 ReverbNation song “Love Hurts”Hurts”, plus stories about how she moved so far so fast.
Los Hollywood is the artistic vision of a American Latino Music band formed by Heidy Flores (vocals / bass) Gustavo Mojica (drums) and Mark Mondragon (guitar). They create contagious rhythms which undergird Flores' stunning voice on songs like "No Te Aguites" which went to the top of iTune’s Song of the Week picks and garnered more than 60,000 downloads. The band has been working on his new album with famed producer and engineer Thom Russo, producer for Michael Jackson, Tom Morello, Johnny Cash and many others
Destiny, named as one of the 25 Break-Out Artists of 2016, by Shutter 16 Magazine, is a California born and based 20-year old phenomenon. Her 20115 song "Love Hurts" shot to #1 on the Local ReverbNation Pop Charts. Though new to the scene as a solo artist -- Destiny was 5 when she first appeared on Univision as part of al tribute for 911 victims -- before turning 12, Destiny had written 5 songs played on local radio stations. She has just released a new song, "Oblivion" and will be touring this summer to support it.
Florida-raised, LA-based Kris Angelis’ first album, The Left Atrium, was awarded Best Female Album of 2013 by the LA Music Critics Awards. She has toured with Songs & Whispers, opened for Tyler Hilton and has been invited to join the Extreme Tour in the US to bring music to underserved communities and youth. She has played at the New Orleans House of Blues, made the finals in the Belk Southern Musician competition, played at Sundance, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, SXSW and NAMM 2016. She has just released her newest project, the Heartbreak Is Contagious EP with songs written with and produced by Morgan Taylor Reid and Alexander Cardinale. And she joins us this Friday with songs from the new EP, and an old favorite or two.
Jessica Rotter is an LA-based singer with a unique musical history – her grandfather wrote songs for musical icons like Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. The family talent rubbed off early; Jessica was 4 years old when she started singing. Which may be why her songs and her voice are achingly beautiful and have been heard in movies like Perfect Pitch 1 & 2 and Frozen as well as TV shows and commercials and in backing vocals and collaborations. The list of artists she has worked with reads like a who's who of the music industry today: Daft Punk, Carole King, Alicia Keys, Sam Smith, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, and others. She has released a new album, Plains, following the success of charting #1 on HypeMachine with her mashup of “Stay/Animal “. We were at the lauch party for the album and we ahve the songs - and some of the behinds the scenes stories. Tune in for a chat with a TV star from a Hollywood music family and a blockbuster debut album.
Since we focus on emerging artists at Music Friday Live!, we thought we would take a look at a prime source of those artists nationally, right here in Los Angeles, the Paramount Academy of Music. Paramount teaches playing and recording all genres of popular music – rock to jazz - with nationally known artists who record and play with headliners offer not only technique but music biz lessons and maybe a few connections. Music Director Carl Restivo who wrote and recorded with Wyclef Jean, and founding CEO Marisa Gariano will join us.
Sin Color is a South Los Angeles -based band that transforms traditional styles of music into pop soundscapes. Driven by the opera-trained voice of lead singer Crisia Regalado and the amazing guitar chops of David Aquino , the band mixes bossa nova, cumbia, and disco with indie pop into danceable beats and memorable hooks. They have played the major clubs in LA, been on NPR and are poised to move on to the next level.
Canadian-born, LA-based Neo-Ragtime singer Dessy di Lauro describes herself as a "Feathered Frohawk Futuristic Art Deco Centric Harlem Renaissance Hep Music'' singer/songwriter. She is also the leader and producer of a spectacular Las Vegas Show that run at the at the Cosmopolitan Her latest EP was released for her 2015 her world tour in parallel with Madonna’s Rebel Heart tour.
Vanessa Campagna is a young pop singer/songwriter with an accomplished past and a brilliant future who has has sung with symphonies, shared the stage with Reba and Blake Shelton and Loretta Lynn, and who can and does belt pop and rock with the best of them, She has been on Star Search, she wrote the music for an Oscar winning film, and has herself been the subject of a PBS documentary. And that is only the beginning of the career of a woman the press has called a vocal powerhouse, a precociously gifted entertainer and a singer reminiscent of a young Celine Dion.
Jessika Dawn (Jessica Dawn Fekete) started singing at an early age, recording herself . She started a podcast,"Human Nature" which was just recently had a début on iTunes, and her own annual, “Female Week” spotlighting female singer/songwriters, producers, and Dj’ s. In 2011 she collaborated with Russian producer Safron/off on “Don’t Go”, released records with local producers in Drum & Bass, Trance, and House and the song “Cat Eyes” on It’s Not A Label Records. Her latest release, “Fall For You” under Armada Captivating with Suspect44 and Soar has charted within the top 20 on Beatport’s top 100 in Trance
Irene Diaz is Los Angeles’ modern day torch singer-songwriter, who, in a very short amount of time, has gained national acclaim. Starting in late 2011 Irene began playing her brand of soaring love songs in venues from coffee houses to Hollywood’s House of Blues. Her first E.P. “I Love You Madly” was a hit with both fans and critics, and her subsequent releases have cemented her place in the nation’s music capital. With the release this week of her newest single and video, "This Cannot Be", fans nationwide are lining up to experience to Irene Diaz magic.
Salme Dahlstrom –Salme -- is a New York-based musical artist who not only writes and produces irrepressible dance music, but she licenses virtually everything she does to TV or movies. That means you have probably heard her music even if you don’t know it. Which is to say, that chances are, Salme Dahlstrom is a part of the soundtrack of your life. Salme is a woman so confident in her talent that she has long ago transcended pop’s angst to produce music that is intelligent as well as hooky, sophisticated as well as accessible passionate as well as strategic, and always, always fun to listen to. She is releasing new songs in advance of a new album and we are going to debut them Friday on MusicFridayLive!
The Nick Valentini Collective is a critically acclaimed eight-piece, fusion musical collective born in Los Angeles about six months ago and led by singer and keyboardist Nick Valentini. Blending indie rock, jazz and experimental psychedelic soul, the band has been often dubbed as a “jazz fusion Radiohead”. The group quickly made a name for themselves in the Southern California music scene attracting large audiences to their dynamic live shows and is now set to announce the release of their first album. We will debut 2 songs from the forthcoming album, the first time they are heard on the radio anywhere.
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True Violet, comprised of members Jessie Covets (vocals/keys/guitar), Alayna Miller (bass/Vocals), Kayla Miller (drums/Vocals), and Shae Padilla (Guitar), True Violet is an alternative/pop all-girl band. In 2012 Jessie, along with sisters Kayla and Alayna, moved across the country from Florida, to take the next step in their music career. Broke, and a little scared, they armed themselves with instruments and made Los Angeles their home. Now complete with Los Angeles native guitarist Shae Padilla, True Violet is taking the music scene by storm. In their short time on the west coast, they’ve already headlined shows at legendary venues such as The Viper Room, The Roxy, Dresden, House of Blues, and The Chameleon Club. We have their album and will play cuts from it and talk with the band.
Austin Texas-based Jeff Plankenhorn, long the go-to guitarist for Texas music stars, offers an such an incredibly varied range of styles that he was called the “chameleon of performing” by Emily Robison of The Dixie Chicks. “Plank”, as he is known, blends the soulful vocals of the church, Motown, and funk with bluegrass and rock into an intoxicating sound that spans them all. In just released his debut album, Soulside, Plank steps out solo on his trademark stand-up steel lap guitar, backed by a red-hot Texas band and many guest appearances by Grammy-winning stars.
Plus, Athena, the golden-voiced star of the UK and Greece now in LA csutting her first album for the US market drops by.
Eric Zayne is a soul infused pop-rock musician and record producer who blends electronics to create a sound that is edgy and unique. After fleeing to Canada from the Congo as a child, Zayne started his career at 13 by playing in multiple bands in Montreal. His first major gig was a five-year tour across Asia where he played keyboards, guitar and sang in a funk band. He is now in Los Angeles, getting ready to release a new album after his breakout hits, “Maneater”, "Spin the World” and winning the John Lennon Songwriting Contest in 2015. And we get to debut songs from teh new album...you will hear it first on Music FridayLive!
Our second guest, Jayson Won, Executive Creative Director & COO, World Arts, is a professional drummer who branched out into the business side of music, forming his own label, a creative agency 1K Studios, which helped launch the first DVD releases for MGM, Disney, Polygram, Universal, 20th Century Fox and Paramount and developed the graphic and design concepts for iDVD and iTunes Originals. His latest adventure, World Arts, offers a platform for bands, artists, fans and the music industry to come together in new and mutually beneficial ways.
...and a wonderful surprise, joining us at the top of the hour is Buika, a global phenomenon who fuses African, Spanish, Western music into hypnotic beats and songs. She will be playing to a sold-out Disney Hall in L:A Saturday and we get to talk with her Friday morning. And we talk to Kawehi, who will stop by before her performance tonight at the Hotel Cafe.
Brandon Stansell was debuted at age 6 on the Grand Ole Opry stage and never stopped. . He traveled the world as a backup dancer onTaylor Swift’s Fearless tour, singing solo for years and now has released his first album and his first go at songwriting, Dear John. Written and produced in almost in real-time during the breakup that inspired it, it introduces the world to Brandon’s skill with the feelings, memories, and music.
Polar Rose is the high-octane music duo of Maddie Elyse and Peter Anthony who emerged onto the LA scene in 2013 with the release of their debut EP, “The Moon & its Secrets” and later their first full length album, “Telescopes” in 2014, all bound together by otherworldly inspirations, science fiction fantasy, and pure imagination. Their next album, Ocean Blue, Velvet Skies is due out next week and we have , along with their new video, “Tiger Bait.” Peter and Maddie join Music Friday Live this Friday for a sneak peek.
The Portland-based band Dirty Revival has gone literally from the basement to the top – the top clubs in their region – and now they are spreading the word of their “unique “soul-hop” sound across the country. Led by the soulful vocals of Sarah Clarke, the seven-member Dirty Revival has made their mark on the Pacific Northwest music scene with original tracks and tightly arranged classics that shine on stage. Their self-titled debut album captures the excitement of their live show and is now drawing fans to performances from sunny Los Angeles to snowy Idaho.
Raised in Corpus Christi, producer, DJ, and nu-cumbia pioneer El Dusty translates the Southern Texas border experience into barrio anthems with a sampler and chopped clips of Latin music history. Following the success of his single “K Le Pasa,” El Dustry released the Trapanera EP, the first of his collaborative projects since signing with Universal Records AfterCluv division. Following the success of the record, El Dusty created PRODUCE®, a multi-disciplinary production/design house where he produced “K Le Pasa.” and houses Chicas Rock, a non-profit after school program dedicated to building girls’ self-esteem through music creation and performance.
The Portland-based band My Brothers and I are often called “Northwest Soul” for the melodic, soulful, and danceable music influenced by pop, hip-hop, the blues, Motown, funk and soul. they The three brothers and two friends quintet initially released a digital EP, Live Sessions and have just released their debut first full-length LP, Don’t Dream Alone. They are bringing it with them for the show this Friday and we will play cuts ...a radio first.
Texas-based guitarist Van Wilks has won Best Guitarist for both electric and acoustic and Best Blues-Rock Band four years running in the Austin Chronicle music poll. He is not stopping – he just released his first studio album in 10 years, 21st Century Blues, and has gigs booked almost every night until July. No wonder – when critics call 21st Century Blues the best “rock” album and it really bluesis blues and the band is compared to ZZ Top and Bad Company, you know you are in the presence of greatness on a guitar.
Tracy Newman is an Emmy-winning TV writer and producer and a long time roots musician who has been a staff writer on Cheers, The Nanny, Hiller & Diller, Ellen and Drew Carey. Her long history in folk music includes a New Christy Minstrel in her teens) and playing places and, with her band the Reinforcements, play in virtually every roots and folk music venue in Southern California. Her albums are for both children and adults and one even includes a coloring book. She will bring us great stories and great music!
The Americans play original rock and roll with deep roots in traditional American music – not quite folk rock, not quite rocking folk, but its own unique thing. The have backed up Nick Cave, Tim Robbins, appeared on PBS,and The Late Show, played on film soundtracks and rocked venues across. Made up ofPatrick Ferris (vocals, guitar), Zac Sokolow (electric guitar, banjo, violin), Jake Faulkner (bass), and Tim Carr (drums, at least two of them will join us Friday and maybe all three.
Plus, we will have a surprise guest at the top of the hour. Can't say who because it is a surprise.
Daisy House is father-daughter Southern California-based folk-rock band formed in December of 2012. Doug Hammond plays guitar, bass, vocals and keys, and Doug's daughter Tatiana Hammond handles vocals. The duo – sometimes augmented by Christ Stiles on a lute, is grounded in late 60’s British folk, like Fairport Convention, the Byrds and Donovan. They have recently released Western Man, their third album and we will be playing cuts while we talk to Doug (and maybe Tatiana if she can call in from the uK)..
From studying art at one the nation’s most respected schools to busking in a village in Peru for airfare, Laura Jean Anderson has a breadth of experience that makes her not only a great songwriter and musician but a great storyteller. You have seen her on the Jack In the Box Music Minute series on TV, now you can hear her on Music Friday Live!. Her new EP, Righteous Girl, which evokes the ghost of Janis Joplin, updated for the 21st century, is due for release March 4. But we have her on the air this Friday and may get a sneak peak.
Indie rock trio John the Gun was formed in New Jersey in 2013 consists of long time friends John Cusumano, Corrado Rizzi and Dan Jernick who have evolved a sound that is both pop and prog, balancing aggressive rock and delicately nuanced instrumentals. They are on the cusp of national recognition with openings for headliner bands like Alien Ant Farm.
Evan Taylor Jones is an eclectic soul-rock artist and singer/songwriter from Orlando, Florida, originally from Los Angeles, CA where he and his brothers were raised by a single mother who died when he was 13. Currently promoting his new music titled, ‘The Sunray Sessions’ Live EP, recorded live in a 14 hour session day at Sunray Recording Studios of Orlando, he tours the world for music and community.
Canadian-born, LA-based Neo-Ragtime ''Feathered Frohawk Futuristic Art Deco Centric Harlem Renaissance Hep Music'' singer/songwriter/producer Dessy di Lauro is fresh from her spectacular Las Vegas Show at the Cosmopolitan and new EP released for her 2015 for her world tour in parallel with Madonna’s Rebel Heart tour.
Vanessa Campagna is a young pop singer/songwriter with an accomplished past and a brilliant future who has been described as a precociously gifted vocal powerhouse and a mature singer reminiscent of a young Celine Dion.” She writes songs for films, blows away audiences, rfecsords great songs...she does it all.
LA-based The Walcottsplay high octane “Bluegrass, country and folk rock that makes people shout, clap and dance A standout in the crowded LA music scene , they are the essence of West Coast Americana music that melds country, blues, folk, gospel, jazz and rock in live shows that sell-out and blow fans away. They are slowly releasing recorded versions of their power-packed live music and we will be playing cuts from their new sampler album.
Melbourne-based Hamish Anderson is a blues powerhouse who at 23 years old, toured the world with the late B.B. King after recording his self-titled first EP with Eric J. Dubowsky (Weezer), Rami Jaffee (Foo Fighters) and bass player Rob Calder (Kanye West). His second EP, Restless, was produced in Los Angeles with Krish Sharma (Rolling Stones, Counting Crowes) and released this October. The single “Burn” got rave reviews and wide play in Australia. He is bringing his electrifying blues-soaked rock and modern roots songs back to the US this month and we get to talk with him.
Lisa Sniderman is an award-winning San Francisco-based playwright and folk pop artist who creates unique full-length fantasy musicals for audiobooks and musical theater. Recording as Aoede she has won over 35 awards including the Independent Music Awards, the International Songwriting Competition, and was a finalist for the John Lennon Songwriting Contest in 2013 and 2012. Her latest release “Do You Believe In Magic? is an alternative musical/rock opera, now adapted into a musical stage play.
Orchestral pop piano-violin duo, Gracie and Rachel, crafts intricate tunes combining classical strings with haunting vocals and powerful percussion, creating music of starling beauty and stark simplicity. With the release of their latest single, "Tiptoe," Gracie and Rachel's audience has expanded across the country. Their forthcoming debut album, GO is eagerly awaited by their fans who are passionate about the pairs iconoclastic music.
Marla Fibish and Bruce Victor are Noctambule and they play original and traditional music rendered with lush beauty, sensitivity and humor on an unusual array of strings -- various guitars in varied tunings, mandola, mandolin, bouzouki, cittern, tenor guitar -- and their blended voices.They take the name Noctambule, French for 'night-owl,’ from a Robert Service poem about a nocturnal ramble through the back alleys of Paris. Much of their music is poetry set to music and some songs are traditional reels and waltzes. The first album, Travel In Shadows won critical acclaim and they have recently released a second album, The Waking, once again, setting poetry to music and we look forward to talking with both of them this Friday.
Lori Jean has the life experience to sing songs of life and the voice to do it. Living with head damage from abuse as a toddler and then later as an adult, she never lost her desire to sing. In fact, her first words were “mommy, please play a record”. She skipped high school to write lyrics, formed a child sibling band, and followed her star – often led by inspiration from Stevie Nicks, The Pretenders and Cindi Lauper. Her first album, Love of a Child, was recorded with French pop singer Ned Euphorya . Her next single, “Super Lady” is due for release in 2016, but we have it here. All of her music is dedicated to stopping the kind of domestic violence she suffered, especially to teens. She joins us tghis Friday wsith her story and her songs.
Ottawa-based band MonkeyJunk plays a blend of swamp-rock roots and blues that in the relatively short time has earned them a collective 20 Maple Blues Awards, two Canadian Independent Music Awards, a Blues Music Award (USA), and a JUNO Award in 2012. Monkey Junk is three musicians who individually had established careers prior to forming MonkeyJunk: vocalist, baritone guitarist, harmonica and organ player Steve Marriner, lead guitarist Tony D and drummer/percussionist Matt Sobb. We are delighted that they will join us on Music FridayLive! this week with their new album, Moon Turn Red.
The strands formed in 2011 bring a genre-defying sound they like to call Artisanal. Thoughtful and provocative lyrics dominate, carried by a piano with a subdued drum and sophisticated guitar grooves. The result is almost jazz, but not quite – the Strands straddle the line between jazz and pop. Lead singer Amanda Campbell delivers original material - much of it written by the band's keyboard and piano artist Susan Ferrari - with a smooth voice, backed by the legendary Richard Green on lead guitar, Ferrari on piano and keys and the founder of the group, Paul, on bass. Restrained, thoughtful, striking, the Strands stand out and we are glad they are taking the time to talk with us on Music FridayLive!.
Las Cafeteras create a vibrant musical fusion with a unique East LA sound and a community-focused activist message. Their Afro-Mexican rhythms, diverse instruments & inspiring lyrics about love & the fight for justice is infectious. They remix traditional Son Jarocho sounds with Afro-Caribbeanmarimbol and cajón beats, poetry in English and Spanglish, and instruments like jarana,requinto, a donkey jawbone and the Tarima. Just back from their most recent tour, they join Music FridayLive! this Friday just before their big homecoming show at the famous El Rey Theater is Los Angeles. We are delighted to talk with them on Music Friday Live.
Jill Jack is a consummate force on stage, powering through country, rock, folk and blues, leading the band and making friends with the audience. There is nothing like a Jill Jack’s performance – you get all of her – her, high range voice, her high-octane music, her blinding smile and lots of conversation. She has played with Bob Seger, Emmylou Harris, Chris Issak, Loretta Lynn and many other greats. She is playing the West Coast this week, headlining a show in Los Angeles at the famous Molly Malone's. And she is active in her Detgroit community and even in Haiti making lives bvetter.Jill Jacks is on tour, on point and on fire, and we so happy she will be on Music FridayLive!
Pullman Standard is a power rock quartet based in North Hollywood, California that began 2008 and has matured into an award winning sound with fans across the U.S. With over 600 shows under its belt since 2011, the band has been recognized for their songwriting skills when their first full length album "Steam Powered Hearts" was acclaimed as "A HIT record" by famed producer Don Was. Their newest single “Static” was just released and we get to play it for you.
Allison Iraheta (“American Idol” Season 8 finalist) collaborated with producer and bassist / keyboardist Matthew Hager who worked with Duran Duran and other stars to form Halo Circus, recruiting drummer Veronica Bellino of Jeff Beck and guitarist Brian Stead. The band blows away crowds with infectious, unapologetic, bilingual alternative rock with seductive, powerhouse vocals and crowd-pleasing rhythms. The band is currently putting the finishing touches on its debut album due out in 2015 with Hager producing at 76 Steps Studios in LA.
The Overpass Light Brigade, also known as the People’s Bandwidth, is a loose and inclusive affiliation of people dedicated to the power of peaceful protest and artful activism. They use music, art and light that brings a visual element to concerts and other events with that spell out illuminated messages that dance across stages. OLB was forged in the activist climate of the Wisconsin Uprising to create messages that shine at night over highways and other public spaces and into concert halls and outdoor music. OLB enhances music events and at times adds rap and beats on stage.
Plastic Rhino is a Los Angeles Rock Band with strong 90’s rock influences that has just released a new album, Recondition, after their popular singles “Confessions of A Nobody” and “Let’s Begin” made them a darling of LA hard rock audiences. Their signature riff-heavy sound and howling vocals evoke memories of Metallica’s atmospheric rock. They are incresingly packing clubs and venue in the Southland and it is time to talk to them about where they plan to take it next.
Militia Vox , aka the Dark Diva and the Black Queen of Metal, is ferocious, badass, loud, honest, existential, hardworking and beautiful. A multimedia genius in film, music, concert production,soundtracks and television she delivers a message of power, confidence and rebellion. A classically trained pianist since the age of 7, MilitiaV grew up to become the central figure in bands including Judas Priestess , Swear On Your Life, and Disciples of Astaroth before going solo in 2013. Named one of the nation’s “Ten Fiercest Black Female Rockers,” Militia Vox’s recent album, BAIT is riding high and she has just released a new single, Vow. We are welcoming her back to Music FridayLive!
RASHMI is a singer, songwriter, actress, screenwriter and Brooklynite. She has performed in New York City, Austin, Dallas, Toronto, Philadelphia and Los Angeles, the Prospect Heights Music Festival, Monrovia Arts Festival, American Cancer Society events and the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles. Her songs have been commissioned for film and dance and theatre. Her melodic country rock sound is unique, with her varied & diverse influences, and sound great acoustic or with a band. Her new album, PUZZLE was released in September 2015 on http://www.rashmisingh.com and we get to listen to it and talk about on music FridayLive!
Texas-based singer/songwriter Sarah Pierce was musically influenced by her family’s heritage in the cattle business and she sings about the long line of women who get things done on the ranch. Writing and playing classic country from a woman’s viewpoint and from a place firmly rooted in the land, she combines heartfelt story telling with an honest message in the 9 albums spanning her career. Pierce released her newest CD, Barbed Wire, on the Little Bear Records imprint. Produced by Merel Bregante, Barbed Wire was recorded at The Cribworks Digital Audio in Liberty Hill, Texas, and she is launching her support tour this month in Texas.
Gina Chavez is a bilingual Latin-folk singer/songwriter from Austin, Texas, who blends the sounds of the Americas with tension and grace. Her latest independent release, Up.Rooted, is a collection of bilingual songs traversing cumbia, bossa nova, vintage pop, reggaeton, and folk combined with dynamic vocals and sharp social commentary. The album topped the iTunes and Amazon Latin charts and was featured on NPR’s All Things Considered. She is the 2014 John Lennon Songwriting Contest Grand Prize Winner for her song “Siete-D,” a rock-cumbia-rap mix that explores the delights and dangers of El Salvador from the bus she rode as a volunteer there in 2010. She is currently on tour and will be onstage in Los Angeles at the Hotel Café, Oct 10 with Mitre and Irene Diaz. But she stops in at Music FridayLive! this Friday.
Rafe Offer is a seasoned marketer (with stints as Director of Marketing at both Disney and Coca Cola, plus clients such as Amazon.com, AXA, The Daily Mail and Microsoft as a Marketing Consultant) but his passion is music, specifically music in a living room. So he created SOFAR to hold concerts in his living room and then his friends living rooms and now living rooms in over 180 cities around the world - all free and all curated. He joins us Oct 2 at 11:04 am PT/2:05 pm ET/7:05 pm London to tell us how he did and how anyone anywhere can be part of what may be the next revolution in music.
Bob Malone has toured the world as a solo artist for two decades and has played keyboards with rock legend John Fogerty since 2011. His sound is a one of-a-kind hybrid of rock, blues, and New Orleans R&B, delivered with high-energy piano virtuosity and a voice all his own. Currently based in Los Angeles, he still plays with Fogerty’s band plus an average of 100 solo shows a year. Malone has shared stages with Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne, Jimmy Buffett, Rickie Lee Jones, The Neville Brothers, Rev. Al Green, among others. He comes to us Friday with tales from the road (he will be calling in from the tour) and great songs from teh new EP,not yet available in the US.
Damien Ike is a recording artist who has worked with a long list of headline artists in the UK.. I n fact you could say he is the real deal when it comes to British Musicians. Championed by SBTV, BBC 1XTRA,Indie Shuffle, Complex Magazine, BBC Introducing, Hype Machine and many other media tastemakers, his music is pure and offering a yet-to-be heard spin on relate-able truth, love and experience. He recently released his first 'online' single 'Kingdom Come”, and the song has already placed at #3 on the Hype Machine chart. He is now in the USA, introducing fans in the world’s most important music market. And he joins us on Music Friday Live this Friday.
Halo Circus founder Allison Iraheta (“American Idol” Season 8 finalist) collaborated with producer and bassist / keyboardist Matthew Hager of Duran Duran to form the LA-based band, recruiting drummer Veronica Bellino and guitarist Brian Stead. The band blows away crowds with infectious, unapologetic, bilingual alternative rock crammed with seductive, powerhouse vocals and crowd-pleasing rhythms. The band is currently putting the finishing touches on its debut album due out in 2015 with Hager producing at 76 Steps Studios in LA.
Heaps n Heaps have been creating raw and magnetic indie-rock since 2012, when Sydney Australia native, Alisa Fedele, met Salt Lake City, Utah native, Zach Moon, in LA through knew that an incredible chemistry was there between their voices. It wasn’t long before he band headlined a packed EP release show at the Troubadour with their soft and sweet to fast and danceable alt rock. Now on tour with two EP’s under their belt, they have entertained at SXSW and toured the hot spots of LA and beyond.
New Zealand-born, LA-based singer/songwriter Jackie Bristow just released a new single and is set to release her second album, after the smash hit “Freedom”. The Freedom album picked up by Starbucks for rotation in the US. A prolific performer, Jackie has been the opening act for John Oates, John Waite, B.J Thomas, Joe Ely, Marcia Ball, Charlie Robison, Rick Springfield, Art Garfunkel and many more. She joins us this Friday with her new single and a peek at the new album.
Krysta Youngs is an artist with a message, multiple skills in delivering it and a deft skill with pop music. The Berklee graduate has sprinkled her talents across the country from her home in Michigan where she picked the piano instead of ballet because she hated tights (and still does!) to songwriter rounds in Nashville, TN, to the inspiring streets of Los Angeles and the creative minds in The Writing Camp.. Her eclectic alternative pop music has been featured on hit television shows like MTV’s The Real World, Lalaloopsy, ESPN, and Keeping Up with the Kardashians and launches soon on Starbucks. A genius in many ways, she is also just plain fun, with or without the eyeglasses.
Born in London to Greek parents, Athena Andreadis - Athena to her fans - finally got the piano she wanted at 16 and has been performing in English and Greek ever since. An extraordinary singer/songwriter, she sings, records and performs at clubs, top stages and major European festivals. She has seen her music score ads, films and television programs in Europe and has even been the subject of a BBC documentary. The US beckons, so she played at Hollywood's prestigious showcase venue, Hotel Cafe and blew away the audience. Athena is currently recording her first US record and 4th studio album at The Village Studios in Los Angeles with producer Ethan Allen and a star-studded lineup of collaborators including Jimmie Paxson from Stevie Nicks band.Focused on the studio, she is still taking time off to talk with us this Friday.
Straight outta’ North Georgia comes a rock solid authentic country band, Smith and Wesley - two brothers, Scott and Todd Smith. Somehow these two siblings and their band blend Jimmy Hendrix electric guitar action, gut-busting blues feeling, snare drum rock beats, and down home country western writing and singing that grabs you by the throat, shakes you until your boots loosen up and the kicks you out on dancefloor with music that says “Rock out America”. Their debut album, Choices & Chances, just out on Garage Door records, will blow the doors off any Georgia barn or Hollywood nightclub.
Cuban-born, New York City raised singer/songwriter Elsten Fulano Torres is a two-time Grammy nominated BMI and multiple award winning singer/songwriter. His music is a sprinkle of British pop with a dash of Cuban troubadour and a chunk of American heartland soul, developed through years of writing and performing all over the world. After a 2014 world tour, Fulano has released a new greatest hits album, Éxitos Acústicos with his long-time Grammy-winning producer Rodolfo Castillo. He is now on tour supporting the album and will join Music FridayLive! This Friday.
MAN MADE TIME is a pop duo from Los Angeles, comprised of two multi-talented artists, Hillary Grace and Albert James Babanian. Their original songs have a commercial yet unique feel drawn from their inspirational backgrounds of 80's and 90's pop, rock, and tribal influences. Together they create an sound like you have never heard before, drawing from world genres to create a perfect sound for today. Both growing up in musical families, the two collaborated make beautiful, melodic sounds that are driven by tribal catchy beats adn tehy join us wsith their first releases this Friday..
Noctambule is a duo of visual and musical artist Marla Fibish and her husband, guitarist Bruce Victor . Together they set poetry to song using Marla’s long experience Irish music, the mandolin, accordion and voice and Bruce’s world class guitar chops. Their new album, The Waking, sets the words of many poets to stunningly beautiful music.
The Mekaal Hasan Band unites the Sufi, Folk & traditional musics of Pakistan with Western jazz harmony and rock. Hasan, a major star in North Asia, reframe centuries-old Sufi and Punjabi court poetry as smoldering, growling rock anthems while doing the impossible: they honor traditional musicianship, while totally opening its sound and meaning. The result is mind-blowing for both Asian and Western fans. They are touring the USA and will be with us this week on Music FridayLive.
Aubrey Logan is an award-winning artist whose vocals range from deep and electric, to delicate and vulnerable. She breaks genre barriers by combining jazz vocals with R&B, neo-soul, pop and a touch of rock. Winner of the 2009 Audience’s Choice and Jury’s First Place Awards at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. Her voice and talents have appeared on television shows and albums such as the 57th Grammy Awards with Pharrell Williams, a Josh Groban single, ABC’s the Golbergs, and more. She is back in LA and rocking the scene with hot jazz, cool trombone, bright red platform heels and lots of fun.
A native of Hudson Bay, Saskatchenwan, KalseyKulyk’s battle with cancer at the age of seventeen inspired her to adopt the mantra, Sing And Be Heard; one that she has carried with her throughout her musical journey. At only 19, she moved to Las vegas to work with famed record producer, Richard Dashut (Fleetwood Mac), landed her a record deal with Phaymis Records and released her successful debut EP in 2014 and later her hit single “Rewind”. She joins us from Canada to give us some insight into how a small time girl from northern Canada madeit to the big music world in the USA.
The LA/NYC-based rock band OWL - Chris Wyse (vocals/bass), Jason Achilles Mezilis (guitar), Dan Dinsmore (drums) - releases its third album, Things You Can’t See this week on Overit Records. The melodic hard rock band built around former Cult bass and electric stand-up bass player Wyse is now on tour and packing clubs from New York’ BB King’s Blues Club To Hollywood’s legendary Whiskey A Go Go. Wyse and Mezilis join us and brings the new EP to preview on Music FridayLive!
Las Cafeteras' vibrant musical fusion with a unique East LA sound and a community sings with a focused political message. Their Afro-Mexican rhythms, zapateado & inspiring lyrics love & the fight for justice, remixing traditional Son Jarocho sounds with Afro-Caribbean marimbol and cajón, poetry in English and Spanglish, and instruments like jarana, requinto, a donkey jawbone and the Tarima. Currently on break from their most recent tour, they join Music FridayLive! This Friday.
Folk-punk troubadour Bryan McPherson has just released his latest album Wedgewood which with first single “Born On A Highway” that starts with a vocal intro by his young nieces. Touring year-round, Bryan has hit the road many times with punk luminaries Dropkick Murphys, opened for the legendary Chuck Berry and boasts a fan in Slash. And he puts his music to work with Occupy in Oakland, with a strong drive for social justice.He joins Music Friday Live! This Friday with songs from the new album and stories from the road.
Jim Pugh is currently President of the Little Village Foundation for Music but his career spans over 40 years as a keyboardist. He has recorded and performed with a star-studded array of musicians including BB King, Etta James, Robert Cray, Boz Scaggs and Van Morrison and many others. He has performed on a dozen CDs with the likes of Robert Cray, Tommy Castro and The Gospel Hummingbirds and been a member of The Robert Cray Band since 1989. Jim has 4 platinum and 4 gold CDs, 20 Grammy nominated CDs and 5 Grammies. We are proud he joins us this Friday.
Fifteen year-old Olivia Penalva has accomplished more than most people twice her age. Her new single charted on top 30 in Canadian radio, she has just released an album, she was a finalist in the International Songwriting Competition and now she has a new single out “Ferris Wheel” written and produced with songwriters Sony/ATV writer and fellow Canadian chart topper Andrew Allen, writer/producer Josh Cumbee (Madonna, Nick Howard), and hit producer Brian West (Nelly Furtado, Maroon 5, K’naan, Andy Grammer). She joins us this Friday on Music FridayLive!
Tarralyn Ramsay is a gospel and blues singer with the voice of an angel and the determination needed to succeed in a tough music business environment. She has been singing since she was 2 years old, signed a recording deal at 13 and released a debut album that entered the gospel charts at number 7. A contestant on the Voice and the X-Factor, winner of numerous awards and shared the stage with such great artists as Whitney Houston, Beyonce, Pat Benetar, Lisa Marie Presley, Stevie Wonder and Ashanti. She is performing at the BET Entertainment Experience this weekend in Los Angeles and joining us on Music FridayLive! this Friday.
JANANI is an alternative rock band from Orlando, Florida led by Janani Vaidyanathan (lead vocals), with Nathan Hockett (guitar) and Erick Campos (bass). The band was formed by Vaidyanathan and Campos in 2010 and released their debut album, Hey! Mister! In 2010, recorded with Jeremy Birdsall at Kavode Records. Hey! Mister!, their first single, has been heard on radio stations in Canada and Orlando. The music video for Hey! Mister! was selected to air by Comcast and Indie Music Channel. JANANI's music has also been featured in DIRECTTV's documentary, Gone Until December.. Janani joins us Friday with some new songs.
Formed in 2013 and currently based in Brooklyn, the 5-piece band Bellehouse is between down-home roots music and intellectual folk-rock. Bellehouse delivers a sound that embraces a variety of genres — from Celtic traditional and folk revival to soul and Motown. The close-knit group consists of Jess Taylor Clinton (vocals, guitar, songwriting), Sarah Elizabeth Haines (vocals, viola), Catie Friel (vocals), Nick Lenchner (bass) and Ryan Gross (banjo, vocals). Bellehouse released their second single, “Breakaway Town,” from their upcoming, debut self-titled EP which will be out early this summer. Bellehouse joins us Friday and barings their new songs
Eric Zayne is a self-taught producer and multi instrumentalist based in Los Angeles and known for eclectic sound, dynamic live performances and instrumental versatility. His EP Between Us gained online acclaim with his hit 'Maneater' and 'True North', which features Amber Riley from Glee. Zayne’s musical career got serious in 2014 when he won the John Lennon Songwriting Contest. He has just released his highly anticipated single, “Spin the World” and he will be back on Music FridayLive! this week to tell us how he put it together and where in the world he has been since we talked last.
The Crazy Carls are an upbeat pop-rock band based in Orlando, FL. started by frontman Alex Baugh, known for the wildest hari in rock. Alex has used his charisma and talent to build a solid following of over 20,000 fans on Facebook and Twitter and garner a combined 2 million YouTube views. Theeir shows are always packed and they have to bat the fans off (especially the femal fans). The Crazy Carls have toured with major bands like Train, Big Sean, The Wailers and Aaron Carter. Their second album To the Stars is due out this summer and Alex will be her to talk about his new new solo EP project under the stage name, Zander.
Born in Havertown, PA and currently based in Los Angeles, singer/Songwriter Mary Scholz has been singing since the age of four and writing since the age of fourteen, producing a blend of lyric folk & pop/rock with a bittersweet twist. After three EPs and a full album, The Girl You Thought You Knew whose single “Bridges We Burn” was nominated for a 2014 Hollywood Music and Media Award, she toured in 2014 in the US and Europe and is now launching her 2015 Summer tour, starting in her home state and ending up in Southern California. But, first, she taks to us at Music FridayLive!.
Seventeen-year-old Seattle high school senior, pop singer and YouTube sensation Jessica Domingo is probably the busiest woman in music anywhere. She has released two CD’s, garnered more than 2 million views for her video cover of “Thinking About You” and was a semi-finalist for the worldwide UnsignedOnly Music Competition. And she manages her own YouTube and Vevo Channels. Her 2014 West Coast tour was sold out at every gig and she continues to perform in Seattle and on the festival circuit. This January she released her latest EP, Masterpiece, produced with multi-platinum Grammy award-winning producer Mikal Blue at Revolver Recordings in Los Angeles. The album releases tomorrow! and she will be here to tell us how she did - and does - all that great music this Friday.
As a special treat, MITRE will join us for a few minutes at the beginning of the show.
YUCA is a Canadian alt rock band made up of Matt Borck on lead vocals and guitar, Andy Boldt on bass and backing vocals, and Dave Atkinson on drums. YUCA’s sound has been described as “epic and unparalleled” and compared to Muse, Radiohead, Coldplay, and U2. Their live performances routinely fill stadiums engage their audiences to experience raw emotion and power. They have launched a new music distribution model and Borck will be on hand to tell us all about it.
Corinne West, a Bay Area-based fourth generation Californian, has been described as “the Siren of the Sierras” with a voice that “invokes angels, if angels had a dangerous side.” Corinne’s powerful and eloquent voice, and transformative songwriting has earned her a place at the apex of the global acoustic roots scene. She has recently released her fifth album, Starlight Highway, already praised by critics as her best ever – which is saying a lot. Corinne will take time from the album release tour to talk with us and play some of the new tunes.
Marisa Ronstadt hails from a talented family whose name was made famous by her cousin, Linda Ronstadt. Marisa’s musical tastes are rooted in mariachi, R&B/soul, and rock, but like many Mexican-Americans raised in the U.S., her influences range from Lola Beltran and Pedro Infante, to The Beatles and Marvin Gaye. Now In Los Angeles, Marisa began songwriting with Jeremy Keller, and before she knew it, they had given birth to a new band, Marisa and The Know It Alls. Her debut single Blueberry Moon is the first recording by “The Know-It-Alls” and she joins us this Friday to tell the story.
Matt LeGrand is a an emerging pop singer based in Chicago whose music is a sleek mix of Nick Jonas’ style and Justin Bieber's urban feel mixed into a unique sound that’s entirely his own. His debut single “Spring Break GRL” blasts off with a booming beat, Matt’s vocals creating an unforgettable melody that flows fluidly across the slick synths aimed right at his legions of fans known as The Legrand Girls. He will bring “Spring Break GRL” and his other songs to us Friday and any LeGrand Girl who wants to call in a talk with him is welcome on the air.
Chris Riffle is a young bi-coastal folk singer whose heartfelt music landed him on local radio while in college and gained support and landed gigs for such indie mainstays as Death Cab for Cutie. His new full length album, Out of town, produced by Jimi Zhivago has just been released. He will join us this Friday with songs from Out of Town.
Amy Loftus is a country-folk with training in Nashville and now in Los Angeles. With an angelic voice that still has the Nashville twang, she delivers sweet ballads and tender love songs in a unique style that transcends the Nashville formula. Her new album, That Whole Entire Time is now out and she is on tour. She joins us Friday with tunes from the new album.
Midnight North is a Northern California –based band whose heartfelt rock & folk songs have a country feel, tight vocal harmonies and a steady beat reminiscent of the Grateful Dead. The Dead sound is not a coincidence; Midnight North’s founder and leader, Grahame Lesh, is Dead guitarist Phil Lesh’s son and Grahame learned his dad’s musical magic very well. Midnight North’s eponymous debut album, produced by band bassist Connor and Grahame and recorded with singer/songwriter Elliot Peck and drummer Eric Saar in the redwood groves at In The Pocket Studios in Forestville, CA promises a long a successful career of original music.
Cylvia is an LA-based pop-rock Indie band known for high energy rock performances in LA clubs and underground warehouse raves. Led by band founder, vocalist and rhythm guitarist Zach Villa, the five men and two woman combine singing, dancing and theatrics that has attracted a large and loyal following. Their tour starts soon and their debut EP is out now. They will be playing Saturday night in Mill Valley California at the famed Throckmorton Theater.
We will have a special live guest, Molly Falk of Steps of Doe who will tell us all about the bands tour which starts Friday nght!
Among the most revered rock bands in music history, the Ramones have been ranked by Spin Magazine as the #2 "Greatest Band of All Time," second only to the Beatles. Renowned drummer Marky Ramone joins us to play some music and talk about his new memoir, PUNK ROCK BLITZKRIEG: My Life as a Ramone . We will be playing you a classic interview with Marky Ramone that I conducted in January.
Lee Presson and the Nails is (are) an award-winning nine-piece jazz band from San Francisco. Led by the manic Lee Presson, LPN has been pounding out their peculiar brand of sinister swing since 1994. Often accompanied by dancers, backup singers and general craziness, Lee Presson is one of the most dynamic and fun bands around. We will be playing a classic interview with Lee from this past January.
Mikey Wax is a pop singer originally from Oyster Bay New York whose new self-titled album on Toucan Cove Records has entered the iTunes top 100 pop chart, and the first single "You Lift Me Up" has received nearly 6 million Spotify streams and the second single, "Only One", is now receiving nation-wide radio airplay on SiriusXM's The Pulse. Mikey is also headlining his first USA tour this spring and we talk to him Friday.
Walt Cronin is a singer songwriter of Americana, Folk and Country from Los Angeles, CA. A trained veteran counselor, he himself suffered from PTSDF from working as a Navy Corpsman in Vietnam. He has been singing and recording country, folk, Americana and love songs for years and has just released his his 5th CD. He joins us this Friday in Segment 2
I first met Alex Nestor and her music when she played with the Salvador Santana band in Los Angeles. She has her own red hot blues and R&B band and plays with the Tang Gang and solo – just her and a keyboard. A life of trial and triumph has shaped her unique sound filled with messages of love, positivity, and healing while channeling the retro soul artists of the 60’s and 70’s. She has recorded 12 albums, countless jingles, and been in over 25 theatrical productions, as well as working with established musicians such as Carlos Santana, Stevie Wonder, The Four Tops, The Fifth Dimension, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. This is a classic interview recorded in August last year, so don’t call in.
I have begun following the career of MITRE, a singer, songwriter and producer from Mexico City now living in Los Angeles. He is building a fan base in English and Spanish in the US with constant gigs and online promotion. His music is a blend of feelings and sounds ranging from tango, pop, Mexican music, rock and street sounds. His first release, "Fugitivo" on iTunes in 2010 in Mexico, Japan, USA, Canada, and the UK exploded with fan clubs around the world. Mitre is now touring to support his most recent album, Deprador, in which he is joined by the soaring voice of Irene Diaz. One of his hallmarks is collaborating with singers like Diaz, and opening his shows with the Catrina – the icon of the Mexican holiday, Dios Los Muertos. He is now playing in southern California, supporting his debut album in Mitre. This interview was conducted in January.
Alternative Country duo Crimson Calamity, Lauren Harding and past Music FridayLive! guest Mallory Trunnell are no strangers to intricate songwriting and the bright lights of the stage on their own, but together, they deliver firecracker lyrics and glistening harmonies.Crimson Calamity was born from an initial songwriting experiment that turned out the hard hitting single, “Line ‘em Up and Shoot ‘em Down.” which became the catalyst that inspired them to take their collaborative style to the next level. Their debut EP, “All in the Cards” is built on country-rock with a little blues for color. They just released their CD so this interview from March will re-acquaint everyone to these two hot talents
Denny Tedesco joins us for the opening of his documentary film, The Wrecking Crew, about a group of studio musicians in Los Angeles in the 60s and 70's who played on hits for the "Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra, Nancy Sinatra, Sonny and Cher, Jan & Dean, The Monkees, Gary Lewis and the Playboys, Mamas and Papas, Tijuana Brass, Ricky Nelson, Johnny Rivers and were Phil Spector's Wall of Sound. They were led by Tommy Tedesco, Denny's father, and became the sound of rock and roll in its birth years, playing on literally thousands of recordings, regardless of whose name was on the cover. The film is now out and playing nationwide, so listen to this interview from a few months ago and then go see the film.
Doe Paoro is a Brooklyn-based, California-loving songwriter and vocalist whose music both uplifts and unsettles, entertains and mystifies. With an operatic-range voice honed by studying Tibetian folk opera, she is a unique force in today’s music scene. Her 2012 debut Slow to Love introduced her with stark production and a raw, ethereal vocals. Her most recent album, After, maintains the soulful intensity but is majestic with finely textured sound. Her sound is unique, her songwriting gut-punching and her voice magical…an artist to watch.
Troy Doherty is a triple threat - singer, songwriter, and actor – whose sound is a mix of blues and pop-rock . Troy began learning piano and guitar around the age of 10, experimenting with musical influences including Led Zepplin, Journey and pop-rock on the radio. His debut EP, Citizen’s Arrest, was made possible through the help of successful Kick Starter campaign funds which exceeded the fundraising goal, demonstrating the depth of emotion of his fans.
Cuñao is a Los Angeles-based, Latin Folk group with roots in New York City. Founder and songwriter Julio Montero, born in Ecuador, brings his South American background & influences to create evocative, poetic songs that transcend time and leave listeners with lush images. A group of multi-ethnic musicians, Cuñao puts a global twist on their Latin sound combining African rhythms, Eastern European melodies and American Rock.
Joanna Borromeo is a alternative R&B/Soul artist/songwriter from Canada who is no stranger to the US, especially to California. A superb R&B and blues singer-songwriter who fuses jazz, gospel, hip hop, pop and R&B, She graces the stage with a keyboard and her band and wows audiences and critics with her crystal smooth voice and lively songwriting. On tour right now, she will be playing dates in California, including the prestigious State Social House Champaign series. Her first EP, Kaleidoscope, was nominated for a Juno Award as the best R&B recording in Canada. She is comfortable in a jazz club, a hip hop scene, rock venue or a medley music showcase- wherever people love music.
LaNita Smith moved to Los Angeles CA from Memphis TN last July to teach music at a local school. Earlier that year she had entered the Guitar Center Singer-Songwriter Competition, competing against 16,000 other artists, many of whom were professionals with albums, gigs, concerts and tours under their belts. She was stunned to learn that she had been chosen as one of the five finalists. And she was the finalist who touched everyone's heart, taking the big prize. We are very fortunate that LaNita is able to be with us today before the coming tidal wave of fame and media overwhelms her.
Calais is a tight, five-piece alt rock band from Brisbane Australia with a big sound that has won awards and hearts down under. Their newest EP, Silhouette is set for release next month as the follow-up to their brilliant single “Time & Space” and their introduction to the USA. I will be previewing Silhouette for the first time on radio anywhere. If we are lucky, we will three or four or even all five of the boys on the air with us.
Denny Tedesco joins us for the opening of his documentary film, The Wrecking Crew, about a group of studio musicians in Los Angeles in the 60s and 70's who played on hits for the "Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra, Nancy Sinatra, Sonny and Cher, Jan & Dean, The Monkees, Gary Lewis and the Playboys, Mamas and Papas, Tijuana Brass, Ricky Nelson, Johnny Rivers and were Phil Spector's Wall of Sound. They were led by Tommy Tedesco, Denny's father, and became the sound of rock and roll in its birth years, playing on literally thousands of recordings, regardless of whose name was on the cover.
Doña Oxford is an extraordinary, soulful and passionate singer, songwriter and keyboardist who’s old school soul vocals and high octane keyboard piano infuses create music crowds off all ages go wild for. Doña has played with legends including Keith Richards, Bob Weir, Levon Helm, Albert Lee, Buddy Guy, Son Seals, Shemekia Copeland and her idol, former Chuck Berry sideman and Father of Rock & Roll Piano, Johnnie Johnson! She has played keyboard forf Van Morrison in his latest studio recording. Doña is on tour with Albert Lee in the UK. This is a classic recording from June.
Steps of Doe is the rootsy, LA-based Americana duo of Keena Batti and Molly Falck, who lead a full band replete with lush harmonies and electrified banjo, dulcimer and mandolin. Their music has a sense of humor while it echoes iconic 70’s-style artists like Led Zepplin and Fleetwood Mac, as well as current artists Sufjan Stevens and Elliot Smith. Their debut album,“On Returning” is due out March 24, 2014 on iTunes and the CD will be released at the Hotel Cafe on March 8..
Alternative Country duo Crimson Calamity, Lauren Harding and past Music FridayLive! guest Mallory Trunnell are no strangers to intricate songwriting and the bright lights of the stage on their own, but together, they deliver firecracker lyrics and glistening harmonies.Crimson Calamity was born from an initial songwriting experiment that turned out the hard hitting single, “Line ‘em Up and Shoot ‘em Down.” which became the catalyst that inspired them to take their collaborative style to the next level. Their debut EP, “All in the Cards” is built on country-rock with a little blues for color.
Joe Marson is a Brooklyn transplant who plays alternative folk-rock with a bluesy edge in soulful ballads. Marson has been chosen as one of 5 finalists in the Guitar Center singer-songwriter competition winning $10,000 and a trip to Hollywood, CA to play live at the Troubadour. He will also be performing on the west coast to support his new EP, Electric Soul Magic which comes on the heels of his celebrated full album, The Satisfied Mind.
Ale’, aka Alejandro Gonzalez Gomez, grew up in Los Angeles playing in punk bands in East LA and listening to Latin music, electronica and Hip Hop. He has blended these styles in his new album, Irregular Heartbeat, a coherent and emotional set of songs recorded, engineered and self-produced at LA’s Operating On Dreamtime studios and Laundry Room Studios with producer/engineer Ulysees Noriega. He sings in English and Spanish, blending Latin and Rock formats smoothly into music he likes to describe as, "strong enough for a man, but made for a woman.
Jon Williams is one of those rare musicians who play and record for the sheer joy of it, free from expectations of fame -- and uses that freedom to produce fabulous music. Jon is a blues and rock and roll guitarist who has played in bands like Midlife Crisis, Midnight Lightning and now the Little Brother’s Blues Band just because he was having fun.Thye recently released their second album, Spirits, Sinners, Shrews & Blues, a two cd set of classic Chicago blues covers, We play tunes from the set and talk with Jon this Friday.
Contemporary R&B newcomer Jasmine Jordan recently released her debut EP Time Travel and kicked off a tour throughout the west coast to support the EP and her new single "Best I Can,". The Washington State native now transplanted to LA manages to bring back the style of 90’s R&B pop, but with a fresh take and modern feel to her songs about love and frustration. Our interview with her Friday should be all of the first and noe of teh second.
Eleanor Goldfield is the founder and lead singer of Rooftop Revolutionaries, a modern hard rock band from the LA underground rock scene. RR songs are full of political and social views, blending their progressive message with a heavy rock sound similar to that of Alice in Chains. Rooftop Revolutionaries released their second album, White. Eleanor joins us this Friday from the nation's capital.
Progressive, hard rock/metal vocalist Militia Vox released her cover EP BAIT,Halloween 2014 as the tempting lead-in to the upcoming original release THE VILLAINESS,this year. THE VILLAINESS is a two-album concept project by a strong woman representative of the underworld of rebels, outlaws and outsiders. The founder and leader of the Judas Priestess, Militia can crash heavy metal and belt with the bestof them, and deudce with smooth soul and blues when she wants. She tells us all about her journey and her future this Friday.
Among the most revered rock bands in music history, the Ramones have been ranked by Spin Magazine as the #2 "Greatest Band of All Time," second only to the Beatles. Renowned drummer Marky Ramone joins us to play some music and talk about his new memoir, PUNK ROCK BLITZKRIEG: My Life as a Ramone . He joins us at 11:05 am PT and you can call in and talk with him on the air,
Kill My Coquette, fronted by actress-model turned punk musician Natalie Densie Sperl, is the Los Angeles quartet armed with attitude and panache, boasting vital rock and punk with a twist of designer blues. Joining Sperl is Dave Stucken on lead guitar, Mike Evans on bass and Kelly Hagerman on drums. Their self-titled debut EP, written and arranged by Natalie and produced by Danny McGough (Tom Waits, Social Distortion, Shivaree) is due next week, but we have a sneak peek.
MITRE is a singer, songwriter, and producer from Mexico City now living in Los Angeles and building a following in both English and Spanish in the US. His music is a blend of feelings and sounds ranging from tango, pop, Mexican music, rock and street sounds of the world. His first release, "Fugitivo" on iTunes in 2010 in Mexico, Japan, USA, Canada, and the UK exploded with fan clubs around the world. Mitre is now touring to support his most recent album, Depradore, in which he is joined by the soaring voice of Irene Diaz. He joins us at 11:30 am PT to take your calls and emails
Cylvia is an LA-based pop-rock Indie band known for high energy rock performances in LA clubs and underground warehouse raves. Led by band founder, vocalist and rhythm guitarist Zac Villa, the five men and two woman combine singing, dancing and theatrics that has attracted a large and loyal following. Their shows sell out,their tour starts soon, their debut EP is out now and Zac Villa and frontwoman Lindsay Claire join us this Friday.
Midnight North is a Northern California –based band whose heartfelt rock & folk songs have a country feel, tight vocal harmonies and a steady beat reminiscent of the Grateful Dead. The Dead sound is not a coincidence; Midnight North’s founder, Grahame Lesh, is Grateful Dead guitarist Phil Lesh’s son. Midnight North’s eponymous debut album, produced by band bassist Connor and Grahame and recorded with singer/songwriter Elliot Peck and drummer Eric Saar in the redwood groves at In The Pocket Studios in Forestville, CA promises a long a successful career of original music. And they promise to join us this Friday.
Rayvon Owen began his music career singing in choirs, touring with gospel artists and performing in local musicals. He moved to Nashville to perfect his skills in writing while performing at popular clubs and showcases in Music City. Influenced by artists like Lionel Richie, John Legend, Katy Perry, and Stevie Wonder he has developed his own voice as a performer and reflective songwriter. He released his first single, and will kick off a West Coast Tour 12/19/14 in Los Angeles.
Walter Strauss is a many layered musician who has developed a completely unique guitar style combining ancient string instrument rhythms from West Africa and modern acoustic guitar picking and strumming – a very, very high level of skill.. He plays solo and with Mamajowali, a trio with Joe Craven and Mamadou Sidibe. Strauss has released two solo CDs, Planet Solitaire and Pulling Shadows, and a new self-titled EP by the Manajowali trio.
WE ARE TWIN.. Germany-raised Sri Lankan multi-instrumentalist and producer Nicholas Balachandran met New York-born and bred singer songwriter Gabi Christine during a 2009 songwriting session and the result was fifteen songs and WE ARE TWIN. In 2013 Zackary Smith (Bass, Keys, vocals) & Justin Frazier (drums) joint the group. The group just finished their debut album called "xtra love" release this November, blazing a trail for a punk rock, soul & Pop aesthetic that stood out immediately. And they have a musical webisode series. We will talk about all of it this Friday.
LA-based three-man band, Willodean, chronicles longing, loneliness, and lost loves, Willodean is Dan Barrett, Eric Holden and Randy Wooten. They have just released their self-titled debut album about people as afraid of finding love as losing it. With Dan Barrett’s gravelly baritone, Eric Holden’s upright bass that resonates with sturdy, near-ancient melodies and guitarist/pianist Randy Wooten’s lyrics the evoke a dreamy world of misgiving and missed chances. We won't miss the cahnce to ask them about it this Friday.
Victoria Blythe combines jazz, folk and pop music into original songs in a style uniquely her own. This Award winning singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist's thrilling vocals have been compared to Alison Krauss, Joni Mitchell and Evanescence. Her song "Dancing with You" won the West Coast Songwriters Song of the Year award and has appeared in a number of movies and on TV. She performs solo and with her Americana band "Calaveras" which she founded with her partner Greg Beattie. She will join us thsi Friday
Polaris Rose is a Los Angeles Alt Rock duo comprised of Peter Anthony and Madelynn Elyse. They emerged onto the LA scene in the Fall of 2013 with the release of their debut EP, "The Moon & its Secrets" and released their debut single, “Goddess” in February of this year. Their follow-up single,"Hurricanes" was followed by “Ocean Songs” on April 22nd, 2014. Following the release of their third single"OceanEnding", the band was voted ‘LA Artist of the Month’ on LA Deli Magazine. The duo’s debut full-length "Telescopes" is coming this November. The first single, “Perfect View” is currently available and we talk with them this Friday
Music Friday team is off for tehholiday but we have left you a special program to make sure you get your music Friday Fix..
Salvador Santana, the 29-year-old keyboardist, vocalist, composer and songwriter grew up with music. His grandfathers were blues pioneer Saunders King and violinist and bandleader Jose Santana. His father is legendary Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Carlos Santana, with whom Salvador co-wrote the Grammy-winning “El Farol”, from the album Supernatural.Salvador began playing the drums at age 3, shifted to piano at 6, studying at the Ruth Asawa School of the Arts and Cal Arts. His education, passion and lineage have turned him into a monster on the keys and great, positive rapper. He joins us today at 11:30 am PT/2:30 pm ET on Music Friday
Portland-based The Bylines are grounded in a big-band past and a present of intricate pop. They focus on grand live spectacle, but are equally at home in jazz halls, large rooms and intimate venues. At The Bylines' core are two talents: frontwoman Marianna Thielen, the face of the group with classical vocals and musical theater, and her husband, Reece Marshburn, master of classical, jazz and pop piano. Depending on the project , they surround themselves with national level musicians who fill a venue with unique and infinitely enjoyable music. Marianna and Reece join us at Music Friday at 11:05 am today.
And, we may have a surprise guest, so be sure to tune in at 11: am PT and se who it is.
Natalie Gelman was a street performing NYC troubadour who won over hearts across the country with her music, soulful voice and dynamic songwriting. She literally moved up from the subway to Carnegie Hall and many venues in between. And along the way she found herself in national publications like the NY Times and Billboard Magazine because of it. Often compared to Sheryl Crow, Joni Mitchell and Jewel, Natalie is an artist in her own right - called “Simply Terrific” by the NY Post and named the “poster girl for the solo, storytelling singer/songwriter” by Music Connection Magazine. Best of all, she joins us on Music FridayLive! this Friday.
Alex Nester brings back the art of real, live un-moduilated music-making with hot blues that makes you shake and shimmy and cool vocals that do a slow burn in your ears. A bout with cancer as a teen has helped shape her unique sound filled with messages of love, faith, positivity, and healing while channeling the retro soul artists of the 60’s and 70’s. Her resume already includes 12 albums, countless jingles, and over 25 theatrical productions, as well as working with established musicians such as Carlos Santana, Stevie Wonder, The Four Tops, The Fifth Dimension, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Desi Arnaz, Jr., Alphonse Mouzon, Brandon Fields, and Eric Marienthal.. Plays hard and late and she joins us Friday.
Hana Kim is a Los Angeles-based independent singer/songwriter. Hana has established her musical chops since 2009, performing at prominent venues such as the Hotel Café, The Ford Amphitheatre, The Roxy Theater. She has perfromed internationally and was featured on the Paraguay’s national TV Network, Red Guarani. She has opened for artists such as Ryan Cabrera, Sam Bradley, and Marty O’Reilly and is using her music to advocate awareness for injustices of human and sex trafficking. She joins us Friday with music and hope.
HANNAH's music echoes the sounds of the Nordic coast. But she blends it with urban dance halls mixes, folk songs and improvised instrumental/vocal musicand cutting edge electronic sounds. She counts Massive Attack, Phaeleh, Trentemøller, and Ólafur Arnalds as influences. The resulting sonic palate takes listeners on “a kind of mystical journey” (PopMatters), whose destination is a crossroads between classical and contemporary, organic and man-made, familiar and mysterious. HANNAH has set herself apart as an artist to watch and we get to talk with her Friday
NYC-based alternative rock band The Kin returns to the US this November for their “Thick as Thieves” tour after. a 23-date tour in Australia and New Zealand. The band’s last EP Get On It reached gold in New Zealand. They have also been featured on Conan and toured with major artists including Coldplay and PINK. The Kin are known for “Musical Robberies,” where they burst into a randomly chosen high-traffic public area and surprise on-lookers with an impromptu live performance. They will stop by Music FridayLive! at 2:05 ET for a chat, so be ready to call in.
Lorelei Carlson released her latest EP, Dopamine, on Oct. 21, 2014. Written and co-produced by Carlson with her longtime collaborator, David Gielan, “Dopamine” features six new recordings, weaving themes of lust, obsession and tragedy over poignant and haunting melodies and her signature ethereal vocals and dreamlike arrangements. The daughter of a Swedish-American father and Peruvian mother, Carlson grew up moving around frequentlywith her diplomat parents; by 14, she had lived in seven countries and now resides in LA. Her music is stunning, etheral, tough...and addictive. She will be with us at 2:30 pm ET this Friday.
Salme Dahlstrom, the Acid Cowgirl Licensing Queen returns with her electro pop dance music with a little supernatural touch for our Halloween show.. She is a one-woman dynamo with mass appeal in radio ready songs like "Superstar Car Crash" and tracks like "C'Mon Y'All" that are good sound and good fun. With songs on the Billboard Dance Chart and the Global Dance TraxTop 100, she never stops. And she brings us her newest album Pop Propagana 2. PP2 is full of hot summer music to keep your Halloween warm and maybe scare you a little with the high energy that only Salme can deliver.
Mallory Tunnel premieres her debut EP, Words on Music Friday this Halloween. She will release the unique piano infused electro pop album in two weeks and we have teh first first preview. Mallory is a natural born songwriter who did some profitable time in Nashville and now connects to her audience with punchy melodies and feel good declarations that aren’t quite so feel good on closer listening. She creates a sound that expertly mixes the two distinctly different aesthetics: delicious mainstream pop and introspective and sometimes really tough lyrics. This angelic looking songstress with a demonic side is scary fun and we get to talk with her on Halloween.
Aubrey Logan is an award-winning artist whose vocals range from deep and electric, to delicate and vulnerable. She breaks genre barriers by combining jazz vocals with R&B, neo-soul, pop and a touch of rock. Winner of the 2009 Audience’s Choice and Jury’s First Place Awards at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland she rocks audiences in two continents. A native of Seattle, Washington, Aubrey remains close to her Pacific Northwestern roots although she currently lives and records in Los Angele and will join us Friday.
We talk to Alex Nester, fresh off of her concert Thursday night in Santa Monica's storied The Basement on Main. Nester brings back the art of music-making in original songs chronicling her trials and letdowns with the state of music business today and her bout with cancer as a teenager. A life of trial and triumph has shaped her unique sound filled with messages of love, faith, positivity, and healing while channeling the retro soul artists of the 60’s and 70’s. Her resume includes 12 albums, countless jingles, and over 25 theatrical productions, as well as working with established musicians such as Carlos Santana, Stevie Wonder, The Four Tops, The Fifth Dimension, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. (This is a classic conversation, pre-recorded in August).
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Kat MCdowell was born in Japan and raised in New Zealand, allowing her mixed heritage to become a source of inspiration for the emotional connection she builds into every song she writes. After years of success in Japan with numerous EP's and full length albums, she hit the road, performing in over 1000 shows around the world, building a global fan base. She's performed on high profile television ads in Japa, and toured Tsunami ravaged towns armed with music, hope and understanding. With inspirations like the Foo Fighters and Jason Maraz, her, newest single, "Human," is demonstrates her effortless exploration and songwriting style. And she tells her tales and plays her tunes this week on Music Friday.
Ben Jaimen was born in Germany to bilingual parents who had him trilingual and on the piano in grammar school. He started songwriting as a teenager living in France but it was American and British artists, such as The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Prince, Elton John and Bob Dylan, plus growing up in trendy Berlin, that provided the perfect real-world music primary education. He has put that education to work playing for 1 million people in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin and writing and performing dozens of songs in close to a dozen countries. A true world citizen, he is a hit in Europe and is now in Los Angeles, the music capital of the world with a debut EP, Through the Universe. And best of all, he joins us this Friday on Music Friday.
New Orleans based, indie dance rock artist Ryan Gray, aka Luxley,is releasing his debut album and has recently joined the Bombay Bicycle Club and Milo Greene’s Fall 2014 North American Tour. Luxley’s Spirit debut EP marks the return of co-producer and former Passion Pit member Ayad Al-Adhamy to the world of catchy, synth-pop hooks from his guitar driven, punk rock anthem slinging project Team Spirit and production of Black Bell Records. Justin Gerrish (Vampire Weekend, The Strokes) lends his ear as engineer and mixer, helping to draw out the indie, pop, and timeless dance synth-centric elements.
After moving back home from Nashville and a promising career in medicine, Luxley reconnected with the local NOLA scene and old friend (now manager and founder of Rude Fox Records) Sky McElroy, and began recording his new music. Luxley is currently on a North American tour through with the 2014 Mercury Prize Finalist Bombay Bicycle Club and cinematic pop quintet Milo Greene. But he is stopping by for a conversation with us at Music FridayLive!.
Rain Perry is an award-winning songwriter. Her song “Beautiful Tree” was the theme for the CW Network’s Life Unexpected, on which she also had the surreal pleasure of playing herself alongside Ben Lee and Sarah McLachlan. In addition to releasing four albums on her own Precipitous Records, Rain is the author of the autobiographical play Cinderblock Bookshelves: A Guide for Children of Fame-Obsessed Bohemian Nomads. She is currently producing the film, The Shopkeeper, about the demise of the independent recording studio. We will play her tunes and talk about the film this Friday.
Jack Kovac's debut EP, "The State Line" is an expansive and introspective look into the mind of a growing, prolific songwriter. On each track, he inhabits the in-between spaces that separate musical expression from private rumination, giving artistic vision to every word and riff throughout. A Los Angeles transplant, Jack left the City of Broad Shoulders for the City of Angeles to study guitar performance at the University of Southern California. It was in the midst of musical learning and discovery that his world was opened up to the art of songwriting, He brings stories to life in music with an experimental edge that makes beautiful use of arrangement and dynamics, effortlessly pulling inspiration from the singer/songwriters of the 1970's and today. And he joins us this Friday with some of the new songs from his album, due for release Oct. 27, 2014.
Sa’ra Charismata is a musical muse born to Eritrean parents, raised in Stockholm, Sweden, and most recently residing in New York City. This tri-national millennial writes and co-produces songs of the yearning for freedom around the world and destruction caused by a culture of greed. In her process, she seems driven by forces beyond herself and the music puts you under the spell of those forces, which is why she was Nominated "Rookie Artist of the Year" at the 2014 Denniz Pop Awards. Sa’ra possesses that uncanny knack for drawing in a listener with triumphantly beautiful melodies and trippy beats while cleverly addressing the critical questions of her generation. We preview cuts from her debut album due out this fall and hear her inspiring story this Friday.
Seattle-based Ransom and the Subset are set to release their debut album “No Time to Lose” on October 7, 2014. Fronted by RanDair Porter, Ransom and the Subset are an alternative rock band full of harmonies, magnetic power-pop chords, and soaring keyboard riffs that build arrangements that keep listeners coming back. When Porter assembled the band, he picked the best musicians he knew; producer and multi-instrumentalist Brian E. King (Guitar/Bass/Keys) and Grammy-winning engineer Ducky Carlisle (Drums/Background Vocals). Together they deliver a dynamic blend of heightened pop sensibilities and modern rock influences that appeal to all audiences.
Accompanied by a 21-piece band, Rory Partin is spreading his genuine passion for entertaining and making great music people can enjoy and most important, dance to. Having traveled to and performed in places such as Brussels, Paris, Prague, San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Toronto, London, Helsinki, and many more, Partin plays standards, new songs, long-time favorites, and Cajun music from his home state Louisiana. There is nothing like Partin out there today. He can move from standards, to love songs to pop with ease and joy. And he has a new album of all of the above out. And he is with us this Friday to tell us how he does it.
We are the West,LA-based alt rocks and just plain fun band seen in secret underground concerts. The band is three people who somehow manage to sound like an entire orchestra. They play rock and alt rock, and maybe country, and maybe new age but whatever they play, they play it in storm drains and shipping containers, sheep farms and in abandoned convents and who knows where else. And everything they play is absolutely wonderful. As a plus, they sometimes play their great music at a concert series they host in the underground parking garage of an office building the Saturday before each full moon.Regardless of where they play we are joined today by John Kibler, Brett Hool, the founders of We Are the West.
Britany Brochard, beautiful voice behind the Jonny Californio Project.. BRITTNEY BOCHARD IS KNOWN IN THE LA MUSIC AND TV COMMUNITY FOR HER EXCELLENT SONG WRITING, BUT HER FANS FOR POP SONGS, VIDEOS AND HER STUNNING BEAUTY. THE WOMAN WHO MOUNTED THE STAGE THAT NIGHT AND INTRODUCED HERSELF NOT AT BRITTNEY BOUCHARD, BUT AS THE JONNY CALIFORNIA BAND, WAS NOT THERE TO DISPLAY BEAUTY – STUNNING OR OTHERWISE ; SHE WAS THERE TO BLOW US AWAY WITH UNBELIEVABLE MUSIC AND THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT SHE DID. I STILL CAN’T GET THE FIRST SONG OF THE SET, VOLCANO, OUT OF MY HEAD. FORTUNATELY, I DON’T HAVE TO BECAUSE I CAN STREAM IT FROM REVERBNATION, ALONG WITH THE SONGS FROM HER NEW EP, I WILL BE YOURS. AND EVEN BETTER , SHE IS HERE WITH US RIGHT NOW.
We Are the West band is three people who somehow manage to sound like an entire orchestra. They play rock and alt rock, or maybe country,or maybe new age but whatever they play, it is absolutely wonderful. And they play it in storm drains and shipping containers, sheep farms and in abandoned convents and who knows where else. Plus they sometimes play their great music at a concert series they host in the underground parking garage of an office building the Saturday before each full moon. .Regardless of where they play, I love it and we we are joined today by John Kibler and Brett Hool, the founders of We Are the West.
Britany Bouchard is known in the L.A. music and TV community for excellent songwriting. But her fans know her for pop songs, videos, and stunning beauty. However, in some circles, including many clubs these days, she is known as the Jonny California Project, a band that does great rock thta is unique and addictive. The music isn't out there yet - none of Jonny California's songs have been relased, but we have one we can play for you today,and we have the woman herself, Brittney Bouchard to tell us all about it.
Jasiri X's Hip-Hop is incisive social commentary and his videos have been featured on diverse sites such as Allhiphop.com, The Huffington Post and BET Rap City, among others. Jasiri X’s hit song “Free The Jena 6” was played on more than 100 radio stations and named Hip-hop Political Song of the Year. His debut album, American History X, was named Album of the Year at the Pittsburgh Hip-Hop Awards. And he joins us on Music Friday Live!
Lose Control’s roots are Black Sabbath and Guns N Roses, but they have added their own contemporary twist of world class guitar shred virtuosity that reminds people that hard rock is far from dead.They released their first studio LP, Let If Be Known, in April with their signature "dual lead" guitar sound, strong vocal melodies, and a heavy metal backbone. The band has shared the stage with Unwritten Law, Shiny Toy Guns, and Authority Zero and is now wrapping up a summer of tour in support of Let It Be Known. Jeff Nisen, co founder and guitarist for Lose Control joins us at Music FridayLive!.
Rooftop Revolutionaries are a modern hard rock band from Los Angeles fronted by opera-trained rocker Eleanor Goldfield. They have stood out in the Southern California underground rock scene by expressing political and social views in their songs, blending a message with a heavy rock sound similar to that of Alice in Chains. Rooftop Revolutionaries have played Los Angeles venues such as The House of Blues Sunset Strip, The Roxy, Viper Room and the Troubador. They released their debut album this summer, Resolute, to rave reviews. Best of all Eleanor joins us Friday.
In an industry saturated with fly-by-night singles, auto-tune pop, and packaged artist-development, Alex Nester brings back the art of music-making in a collection of original music chronicling her trials and letdowns with the state of music business today and her bout with cancer as a teenager. A life of trial and triumph has shaped her unique sound filled with messages of love, faith, positivity, and healing while channeling the retro soul artists of the 60’s and 70’s. Her resume includes 12 albums, countless jingles, and over 25 theatrical productions, as well as working with established musicians such as Carlos Santana, Stevie Wonder, The Four Tops, The Fifth Dimension, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. We are so looking forward to talking with Alex this Friday at 2:30 pm ET.
Eighteen year-old Lena Fayre started her journey in Hollywood working with Golden Globe winning producer Jimmy Harry and emerging producer Sean Gould to create a set of deliciously melodic and energizing songs. She then recorded with award winning producer Chris Keup in the White Star Sound studio in Virginia, with collaborators ranging from the Dirty Projectors’ Olga Bell, to Bon Iver’s multi/instrumentalist Reggie Pace and acclaimed folk artist Sanders Bohlke. Upon her return to L.A., Lena completed the album in collaboration with three time Grammy nominated producer John Alagia. Her debut EP, OKO was released August 5, 2014 at a party in Los Angeles.
Pop-rock band War Poets are uncompromising social justice advocates who have infiltrated the pop-rock genre using smart hooks and compelling narratives to invite listeners to consider their social and political perspectives. The Minneapolis, Minnesota-based group has garnered favorable comparisons to Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Fleetwood Mac, and the Replacements.And like these artists, War Poets draw on Americana, pop, and rock to achieve an aesthetic that’s refined but rootsy. They are releasing 3 EPs in 2014: American Police State,Hot and Cold: American Relationships, and Searching for the American Dream.
Singer/songwriter, Rett Smith, was born in West Texas and raised in the mountains of New Mexico. His early influences range from classic rock and country, including outlaw staples such as Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings. After settling down in Los Angeles to focus on his music, Rett played sold out shows across the city. His first album, One to Blame, is now being produced by 9-time Grammy Winner Joe Nicolo, known for his work with The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Cypress Hill, The Fugees, Lauryn Hill. "I Swear" is the first single from the upcoming album. We talk with him at the top of teh hour about the new album and what it is like to work with Nicolo.
Los Angeles singer-songwriter Jessie Payo, known for her brilliant vocal and poetic songwriting, spent the year crisscrossing the country supporting her new single “She Will Love Again” while she opened and performed with The Jason Mraz, Eric Hutchinson, Lauryn Hill, and Melissa Etheridge. Her new EP Down The Mountain,produced by Aben Eubanks in Nashville,was released on September 17, 2013. Her music has appeared on MTV’s hit series’ “The Hills”, “The City”, “My Super Sweet Sixteen”, ABC’s “Make it or Break it”, FOX’s “So You Think You Can Dance”, CBS’s “Criminal Minds”, and E!’s “The Daily Ten.” She opens next week at the Hotel Cafe in Hollywood and we talk to her Friday about the show, her career and the new album..
Salme is an electro pop dance music artist, also known as the licensing queen because of her ability to license all of her songs for media use. She is a one-woman dynamo on the razor’s edge of mass appeal with radio ready songs like "Superstar Car Crash" and tracks like "C'Mon Y'All" that are good sound and good fun. With songs on the Billboard Dance Chart and the Global Dance TraxTop 100, she never stops. This summer alone she has released a new single, a new video and a new album. And we will play samples from all of them when we talk with her Friday August 1.
Icelandic author/songwriter/composer and former journalist Ívar Páll Jónsson is the genius behind Revolution in the Elbow of Ragnar Agnarsson, Furniture Painter. Author of the book, lyrics and music, Ívar has been writing music since the age of 15, perfecting his craft by writing thousands of songs in his career, most of them unpublished. His ambitious new concept album just released with guest appearances by renowned songster Liam McCormick (The Family Crest) and an all-star lineup of Iceland's top singers, entitled Revolution in the Elbow of Ragnar Agnarsson Furniture Painter. It's also the score for an off-Broadway theater production featuring former Miss America Kate Shindle and Tony winner Cady Huffman. A homage to the grandeur of classic rock at its most epic with influences including Radiohead, Grizzly Bear, and Sufjan Stevens, the album weaves a tale of love, war, and brotherhood that that all takes place within the microcosm of an oblivious man’s elbow.
Juliette Ashby is a British singer-songwriter with potent synthesis of R&B, reggae and neo-soul.She wrote her first song when she was 7 years old, in the car while on holiday in Greece. She met her best friend Amy Winehouse at nursery school when they were 4 years old and by the time they were 10 they were writing and performing songs, dances and raps and recorded 3 original songs together. Juliette now resides in London but is relocating to Los Angeles to continue to record and write music . Her latest album is Bittersweet and the single“Over & Over” produced by So So Def’s Mike Kalombo is now on the radio in theUK and coming this way.
Laura Evans is originally from the Valleys of South Wales, UK, home to many musical legends such as Tom Jones and Shirley Bassey. After 5 successful years on a BBC TV sitcom Laura decided to pack up and move stateside to pursue her biggest passion - music. She recently wrote and recorded a 7 track EP live at the 'House Of Rock' Studios Santa Monica, entitled 'Remember When' released this April. She has been likened to artists such as 'Duffy' 'Lucie Silvas' and a country and western version of 'Mariah Carey'. Laura says her biggest musical influences are Country and Soul, she explains " hopefully if every heartfelt love song that I write, has a perfect mixture of both, then it works for me "
Dree Paterson has been a singer/songwriter virtually since birth, with influences from powerhouse women like Sara Bareilles to Amy Winehouse and pop rockers like Bruno Mars. On her new EP, A Louder Side of Me to be released in two weeks, she brings out the eccentric side of herself by fearlessly experimenting with different sounds and stories from surging rock anthems to bouncy pop beats, all with engaging stories with a hint of attitude.We get an advance peek at the album and a conversation with the star herself.
Matt Borck, lead guitarist and singer of the Canadian band YUCA joins us with the driving al rock of the bands newest album, Rebuilding The Fallen Empire that evokes Muse, Coldplay a Canada's hardest working music groups, with 375 shows nationally and internationally. We are thrilled to welcome them back to the USA and let you talk with Matt about their music and news on their upcoming tour. Maybe he can slip out unannounced USA dates?
Scout Durwood, AKA Lady Scoutington, is an acclaimed chanteuse and comedienne who was recently named one of The Huffington Post's “20 Burlesque Stars to Know,” as well as Funny Not Slutty’s “10 Women Who Rock Comedy” and Stand Up Talk’s “Five Awesome Women’s Musical Comedy Acts.” She is the author of three solo shows, including the one woman musical, "Hi, How Can I Help You?," which debuted at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival. She is a Moth Story Slam Champion whose work has been featured on MTV, The Howard Stern Show and The Mindy Project. She is one half of The Yip Yip Sisters with Amy Hessler and hosts of The Whimsy! Show in Los Angeles. And she joins us for hope will be a bleep-free interview (or not).
Born in Havertown, PA and currently based in Los Angeles, CA, Singer/Songwriter Mary Scholz makes music that is sweeping the nation with its heartfelt melodies and lyrics. Mary’s voice resonates with a clarity and emotion that engages her listeners from the first note. Singing since the age of four and writing since the age of fourteen, Mary’s music is a blend of lyric folk & pop/rock with a bittersweet twist that puts her in a category of her own.She has toured the countrty for 7 years and has settled in LA with a career in film and especially in music. Her songs are very, very personal, but they touch people in a way that makes it feel like each song - wheter live or recorded - a private concert for them and about them. She comes to us with a new album, The Girl You Thought You Knew which is a magical as her live performances.
NOTE: THE Blogktalkradio.com server was corrupted and the podcast for this show will not play. You can hear a clean copy at Music Friday: www.blogtalkradio.com/musicfriday.
Dark Beauty will tell the legend of the Dark Angel who fell from grace and now rules an evil tower in an unknown land. Banished from heaven she is pulled down from grace above, falling deep into the woods of the dark primeval forest. With a broken wing she descends through twisted cathedral-like branches of trees. Dark Beauty, five supremely talented musicians who range from opera singer to a professor at the Manhattan School of Music have come together in a classically influenced, gothic alternative Progressive Rock band that will tell this tale in its concept album, “Fall From Grace”. This will be the first time anyone has ever heard it.
Joy Collins is a fourth generation vocalist who has seen a lot of life, both good and bad. After hitting bottom, she has gone through a metamorphosis, like a caterpillar into a butterfly, shaking off addictions, hitting bottom and finding love again. With a perfect pitch voice and lyrics and power than come from having lived the stories sings, she is ready to take the music world by storm. Joy has worked with some of the most sought after players in Nashville and is now stepping out and a strong, emerging country musician. Her new album , It Ain’t Just Music, is what country is about – life as it comes at you and we are proud to have her.
A pastor's daughter, Eliza Rickman learned to play the piano in church at age 13, and then discovered Nick Cave. Things went south from there - or north depending on your prespective - and now Rickman is a musical artist who is not exactly religious, although her most recent album, O, You Sinners, is laced with religious references. Controversial but honest themes pervade her music and her acts, which are often accompanied by a toy piano or an accordian or a grand piano in complex lyrical melodies. She is witty, sometimes profane, down to earth, always in tune and very, very talented. Her music is a joy to listen to and her lyrics make you think. There is nothing like her and you will be so happy you listen to her words and her music.
Cold Blood Club is a dark,8-piece band that sings like an indie rock love letter to New York City and puts a new spin on the electro dance/pop sound with an edgy blend of soul and rock influences. Inspired by life in New York and the likes of New Order, Depeche Mode, Broken Social Scene and The Flaming Lips, guitarist/songwriter Tom Stuart (Radio America) began writing songs for powerhouse singer Kendra Jones. What started as a small studio project quickly evolved into a collective of dynamic live musicians. After recruiting former bandmates Jesse Reno (Radio America) to play bass and Brad Peterson (Earlymay) to join on lead vocals, Cold Blood Club was soon joined by wunderkind drummer Shin Kamei (Angela Jane), flame haired violinist Hilary Davis (Bella Koshka) and Adina Benno on keys. The rest is history - and great music.
Doña Oxford is an extraordinary soul, R&B and boogie woogie singer/songwriter and keyboardist who’s old school soul vocals and high octane keyboard piano create music that crowds of all ages go wild for. She puts on red hot live shows - many have called them “Gladys Knight meets the Rolling Stones” concerts. Doña has played with legends including Keith Richards, Bob Weir, Levon Helm, Albert Lee, Buddy Guy, Shemekia Copeland and Johnnie Johnson, and played keyboard for Van Morrison in his latest studio recording. Labeled the ‘Goddess of Soul’, Doña toured her sassy, soulful 6-piece band throughout the world while recording four fast selling albums. She joins us on Musiic Friday Live! at 2:05 pm ET.
Fourth generation Californian Corinne West, described as "the Siren of the Sierras" brings a powerful and eloquent voice coupled with finely crafted song to the global acoustic roots music scene. At 15, she left home with guitar in hand to travel America in a converted school bus, sang in an edgy rock-n-roll band, studied theatre, restored bi-plane wings, built custom curved walls as a river rock mason and opened a fine art business in glass and metal with a blacksmith in the High Sierras. All of that informs her elegant new sexy acoustic jazz-rock-folk, "west-coast acoustic soul" sound. Her newest album, The Promise is a collaboration with Pam Delgado and Jeri Jones of Blame Sally and is a soaring triumph. She joins us at 2:30 pm ET.
Polaris Rose, the dynamic Los Angeles indie rock band made up of Peter Anthony and Madelynn Elyse return to Music Friday with their new EP, Oceansongs. Peter and Madelynn combine luminous songwriting with effortlessly eccentric sound characterized by intricate harmonies in an electrifying atmospheric style. The result is a unique collection of diverse, energetic, pop-infused melodies. They released their newest EP, OceanSongs following the success of their debut offering, The Moon & It’s Secrets, which we previewed on Music Friday, and we are delighted to have them back again.
Justin Dzuban, makes great music!. He is no stranger to unique and classic pop and rock styles and his influences range from Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones to Johnny Cash and Bing Crosby. His style of embracing his natural tones and influences has developed his New/ Old sound of Rock and Country kicked up a notch by his baritone voice.He combines these varied music passions into an original yet familiar sound of Americana and Classic Rock influences on his second album, “Shakedown,” due out next month, and we get a preview!.
Doña Oxford, the "Queen of Boogie Woogie" will drop in for a minutes to preview her upcoming birthday bash show at Brennan's in Los Angeles.
Jill Jacks began her professional career singing backup with well known Detroit country and rock names The Forbes Brothers and Stewart Francke. By the late 90s she was writing constantly, fronting her own band and beginning to open for what would become a long list of prominent touring acts -- Bob Seger, John Waite, Emmylou Harris, Shawn Colvin, Patty Griffin, Dan Fogelberg, Marshall Crenshaw, Chris Issak, and Loretta Lynn. Her album Sunflower Girl shows us why she has won 37 Detroit Music Awards.
Born Faith Emontie Roach in Louisville, Ky. 15 year-old “Poopie” has been singing and performing since the age of 5. A member of "Groovement" a local cause featuring artists, musicians, singers, dancers and community activists who bring people together and save lives through our music, her song “High School Love” in only 2 months has made it the most requested song in Kentuckiana (Louisville and Indiana) with 20,000 plays on SoundCloud and 12,000 views on Youtube. She is in the studio assembling her debut album, but takes time from recording - and high school - to talk wtih us.
Roses & Revolutions, the singer /songwriter duo of Alyssa Coco and Matt Merritt, came together through American Idol – Alyssa made it to the Hollywood round, and SUNY Purchase where Matt studied guitar. Their music has been on MTV, E!, Showtime and supported Sheryl Crow, Wynonna Judd and Ben Taylor.
Michael Harris was born in Colorado and lived in Germany, Kansas, Maryland. He now resides in Los Angeles but calls Japan his second home. He plays a vintage Ovation Big Body guitar along with his band in southern California venues. Audiences love it when he asks them for five words and he builds a song from them on the spot. He wrote the songs on his new album Paradise himself, without audience help and it is pure poetry.
Maggie, who goes by the handle@allabout Maggie joins us this morning with her new hit song, Tidal Waves and Hurricanes and clues us in on a new album that she is very carefully assembling between gigs. And outstanding rising star, she cut her teeth on songwriting in Nashville and then decided to take to the stage herself and is making waves on the West Coast.
BELLA GAIA is a live multimedia performance combining NASA visualizations of Earth from Space with live music and dance from around the world. It illuminates the connections between natural systems and human activities through an immersive storytelling with video from space and music from around the world. We will talk with the creator and conductor, Kenji Williams and play cuts from the performance and tell you where you can see it.
Grayce is a rising young Soulful-Pop singer/songwriter well known for the emotion she brings to the stage and and how she wows audiences with her arrangements and sultry blues additions. Grayce found her passion for music while growing up in Japan andHong Kong and brought it back home to California where she has shared the stage with Stevie Wonder and Chaka Khan. We will play cuts from her new EP, Golden Girl.
Mocking Bird Hill, made up of David Batts, Willie Geiger, Mirada Joy and Terry Berkle is a blues infused, rock-oriented southern country band from Nashville that is emerging as a hot property in the country scene. The quartet released its debut album last year, "Crublin' Down" and is currently working on new songs for CMG Nashville and 4 music videos, and we get a preview!
Undermine has been nominated for the Hollywood Music & Media best rock single 2013 and Los Angeles Music Award best rock song 2013 & best rock album 2013 and recognized by the Rockwell Unscene magazine for being one of the top 400 musicians of 2013, one of the ten bands to look out for in 2014. It is with pride tht we will welcome guitarist Chaz Kay to the program 11:00 am PT.
Billy Kay is a Long Island -born country western singer/songwriter who arrived in Tennessee by way of Los Angeles, Las Vegas and the Veterans Administration. His music is solid country, with a strong, positive rock influence. Everything he does, from his own homeless lifestyle to his tours and cds, helps other people. His new book, How to Double Your Music Sales Income: The Secret to Selling More Downloads And Making More Money from Each One is now out.
This Friday I will on my to Ireland to interview bands. So today we will treat you to a classic Music FridayLive! with Irene Diaz and Karen Dezelle. There will be no show April 18.
Irene Diaz opens in Segment 1. She is a twenty-six-year-old, LA –based singer- songwriter trained in classical piano and steeped in blues and jazz. Inspired by artists such as Nina Simone, Ella , Fiona Apple, with tones reminiscent of Eva Cassidy Irene just released her debut EP, I Love You Madly. We will play cuts from it, including the stunning single, “Crazy Love” which will haunt your mind and hypnotize your ears in a riptide of emotion.
In segment 2, singer-songwriter Karen Dezelle combines honest narratives with soft, soothing vocals, creating vulnerability with wide appeal. Karen has lived all over the world and it shows in her deft blending of beats and melodies. Inspired by artists such as Jewel and Joni Mitchell, Karen', emotionally-complex lyrics are offset by a minimalist song structure and innocent vocals in a moving sound, both calming and exciting.
Michael Addison is a songwriter that fearlessly explores all aspects of human emotion and how it responds to music and the melodic human voice. His acoustic guitar carries the ebb and flow of vocals that sometimes whisper and sometimes soar, but always make a connection. Addison has four albums under his belt, including the critically acclaimed rock album “Blinding Shadows” that was released in late 2012. Michael will release his fifth EP, “Resisting Fate” on April 15. We welcome him to MusicFridayLive! this week.
Twenty-five year old Charlotte Sometimes has a resume that very few aritsts her age can beven approach. She was a The Voice finalist, has released five albums and innovated a way for her fans to select songs for her latest EP, and plays "kick-ass" live concerts. Her music ranges from angst-laden pop-blues to bare bones romantic ballads. Every song is precisely crafted, demonstrating the lessons she learned from her The Voice coach, country star Blake Shelton. And she joins us on Music FridayLive!.
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Doña Oxford is one of my favorite high-powered female musicians. In fact, she is one of my favorite musicians, male or female, of any power. Her skill on the keyboard is unmatched. Her songs and lyrics always on point, and her vocals energize audiences like no one else can. Her live shows have been blowing the roof off of venues from Los Angeles to London and she is here on Music FridayLive! this Friday. If you don't know her, check out the video on the Music Friday website
Regular listeners to Music FridayLive! will recall last month when we tried to interview Claudia Schmidt and found her digging snow out from under a car that was trapped. She was on a cell phone and not in a good place for the scheduled interview, both geographically and otherwise. So we rescheduled for this Friday and, weather permitting, Claudia will join us, sans snow but with her songs from her latest album. She is talented, funny, opinionated and a greata guest!!. Don't mss it.
Singer-songwriter Karen Dezelle combines honest narratives with soft, soothing vocals, creating vulnerability with wide appeal. Karen has lived all over the world and it shows in her deft blending of beats and melodies. Inspired by artists such as Jewel and Joni Mitchell, Karen', emotionally-complex lyrics are offset by a minimalist song structure and innocent vocals in a moving sound, both calming and exciting. Sshe has a new singel out and we will play it and lern where it came from. 2:05 pm ET
Los Angeles based indie-soul band Memoir fuses elements of rock, blues and jazz for a genre-defying sound that is equal parts vintage soul and contemporary pop. The band was formed was formed in 2013 by spouses Zed Kelley (guitar) and Dena Deadly (vocals),who joined with Garner to write hit singles for Cee-Lo Green, Will-I-Am and Jonas Brothers, among others. Their music has been featured in television shows and films like Failure to Launch, “The Lying Game” and the theme song for “Vanderpump Rules”. In spring 2013, the trio released their debut self-titled EP, "Memoir. ” Fire In Me, the band’s first full-length album, releases spring 2014. They call in from SXSW at 2:30 pm ET.. Program note: since the band will be on cellpones and standing on a corner outside their next gig, there will be distortion and background sounds, but the conversation is great.
Born in Southern Ontario, Marshall Dane grazed on a rich fix of music, from the country sounds of his preacher dad, to the pop music of his mum through his own musical discoveries from John Denver to Michael Jackson . He has taken those influences and created what I call, high energy down and dirty country rock - an infectious blend of country and rock inflected with a watermelon-sized helping of hope, love and salvation, Marshall’s new album, One Of These Days iwill be featured on his guest spot 3/7/14, 2:30 pm ET.
James Clay Garrison was raised with a guitar in Spain and became a virtuoso guitarist at an early age, recording his first album at 15. Already an experienced performer by the late 80’s, he toured the US, Europe and Asia with various bands, perfecting his chops and building a network of musicians that would serve him well over the years. He moved to Los Angeles when he received an offer from Eddie Van Halen to record and the WB label and went on to work with artists like Ray Charles and Stephen Stills. Garrison is currently in the studio finishing up his new album, “1000 Million Miracles”, featuring many of the people he has worked with over the years like Todd Sucherman of STYX, and Chris Frazier, currently with Foreigner. And he joins Music Friday Live! this Friday at 2:05 pm ET
Eric Zayne is a soul infused pop-rock musician and record producer who blends electronics to create a sound that is edgy and unique. Zayne started his career at 13 by playing in multiple bands in Montreal.His first major gig was a five year tour across Asia where he played keyboards, guitar and sang in a funk band. He is now in Los Angeles focused on pop alternative and great rock, like his break out hit, “Maneater”. He joins us at 2:05 pm ET.
EXIST ELSEWHERE is an emerging rock band quickly gaining traction nationally with positive lyrics and lush instrumentation. Led by Noah Benardout, they raised over $20,000 on their IndieGogo campaign to complete and promote their debut EP “413,” released last August 2013. Their single, “Can’t Fall” was featured in a national Pantene commercial featuring Zooey Deschanel. Exist Elsewhere are the first ambassadors for the BE UPSTANDING campaign for NVEEE against bullying and about to start on the REACH 2014 tour. Noah joins us at 2:30 pm ET.
Claudia Schmidt has traversed North American and Europe in venues ranging from intimate clubs to 4,000 seat theatres, and 25,000 festival stages. She has recorded fourteen albums of folk,blues, and jazz on 12-string guitar and mountain dulcimer playing. Claudia joins us at 2:05 pm ET this Friday.
Scarlet Roads is on the road constantly with their dynamic R&B/Rock that keeps fans dancing. Formed at Hollywood's Musician’s Institute, this six member band rocks like seasoned music veterans although their average age is 24. They are now recording original songs with Grammy-Award winning producer Bob Cutarella for a new album to be released early 2014. Lead singer Kaylee Bergin joins us at 2:30 pm ET.
Junk Parlor is a Northern California-based gypsy junk rock band born from the mind and musical wanderings of Jason Vanderford featuring rock, gypsy jazz rhythms and a 50's tinge supporting Vanderford’s throaty howling voice. Backed by drummer and cajón player Rt Goodrich and the electric fretless bass of Tim Bush, Junk Parlor’s debut album "Wild Tones" was released October 2013. They recently completed a Pacific Northwest tour and are now touring in Southern California. Jason and Rt.join us at 2:05 pm ET.
In segment 2 we are joined by Robin Yukiko, a Pennsylvania-based eclectic pop and blues singer/songwriter and a music producer . Robin has operatic and choral training and an international background. She left her opera training to produce her debut album Me & My Apathy, an eclectic suite of 11 original songs. She released a second album, “Love War” and performs locally, writes and produces songs for other bands while keeping up with her new baby. She will be on Music FridayLive! at 2:30 pm ET (perhaps with baby)
Singer-songwriter, Maggie, is a small town girl with a big voice and an even bigger dream. A native of Ontario Canada, Maggie grew up to play music, inspired by Bonnie Raitt, Etta James, and Aretha Franklin. She crafted her own unique, bluesy vocal style that deeply sets her apart. Her debut album “Now Hear Me Out” quickly rose up the charts in Canada, and she began playing alongside artists like Carly Rae Jepsen, and The Bangles. And she talks with us at 2:05 pm ET.
Self-taught multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and poetic lyricist Kris Gruen has soaked in the sounds of celebrated artists throughout his life and has emerged as a growing talent. His third new alum, New Comics From The Wooded World his third after the critically acclaimed, Lullaby School, and Part Of It All, is a masterpiece. We listen to it and talk with the amn himself at 2:30 pm ET.
Nikki English, Keith Robertson and Matt Williams have been together since 2000 as the country band, Western Avenue. The band was nominated in 2013 for the Ontario Country Music Association and twice-nominated International Music and Entertainment Association Award. Western Avenue is a “hot country” sound, demonstrated by their catchy first single, “Highway Headin’ Out of Town,” picked up by Canadian country radio in 2012. With the release of their new single, “Wherever You Are,” from their February 2013 self-titled debut EP, Western Avenue is taking their melody-driven blend of country and pop music to the US and around the globe. Already #1 on the Roots Music Report Pop Country chart and #26 on New Music they are rocketing up in the US and Canada. Weekly,We are proud they are stopping by Music FridayLive! this week on the way.
Rory Partin had his first taste of the big time singing backing-up for five-time Grammy winner Larnelle Harris. After over three years touring internationally with Harris, Partin returned to the states and settled in Nashville, eventually leading Rory Partin & His All-Star Big Band. Now in Los Angeles, Partin has redefined himself as a solo artist, a powerhouse of blue-eyed soul, backed by an 18 piece band. He is also a hot blues and cajun artist and can rock the house. But this week, he and his wife Alexa James (also known collectively as The ROAMies) bring their big band sound and signatrure harmonies to the Typhoon Club in LA, crooning "Georgia on My Mind" and other jazz and blues standards. Best of all, they talk to us on Friday at 11:30 am PT.
Xander Demos is one of today’s premier shred metal guitarists. Based in Pittsburgh, PA, he currently fronts his own band, XDB and national tribute act, James Rivera’s Sabbath Judas Sabbath, as well as playing in Rivera’s solo band. Xander performs in excess of 100 times a year and records with artists all over the world. His style ranges from the beautifully melodic to the jaw-droppingly insane, encompassesing much of what he has learned artists like Shawn Lane, Eric Johnson, Neal Schon, and John Sykes. One constant in his music is a focus on strong guitar melodies. In February 2012, Xander released his full-length follow-up to his EP Road To Guitarcadia.
Diane Cameron is an international recording & performing artist, actress and teacher. Her music celebrates the beats and melodies of Africa and the Afro-Carribean music community. She writes songs that echo the natural world, she plays percussion, produces and sings. Her albums are heard worldwide and she travels worldwide establishing performing arts and sports programs for youth, orgainizing Summer Camps for the Performing Arts, while teaching acting at Georgia Tech. Her youth environmental play, “Trash Tawkin” was recently debuted at the 2011 Hilton Head Island, SC., Earth Day Celebration.
Tell us who you want to hear on Music FridayLive!. Logon to musicfriday.nationbuilder.com and click on your choice. Maybe a new talent you have discusovered will be showcased on the show. And while you are there, check out the music and film reviews.
Billy Kay is an American Country songwriter and performer who holds the distinctions of being the most downloaded artist in Las Vegas and in South Carolina. Now taking Nashville by storm, this homeless veteran travels America writing, recording and performing with top musicians on his now-famous "Abject Poverty Tour". He donates a share of all royalties and merchandise sales to shelters for homeless people and battered women . Billy organized 2011 "Country for a Cause" CD, which featured some of the most talented and award winning indie musicians in country music. He will play his breakout hit "Ready... Set... Gone!" and other songs that have put him at the top and tell us what makes him go..
Maxton Waller and Chuck Riviera, aka, Handsome as Sin, join us Friday to kick off their debut album, Tell Me How You Died. People call them alt. rock, bad-ass rock, just rock. Whatever you call them, they put on a hell of a show. Based in LA, they make people listen and dance in the clubs and we get to find out how at 2:30 pm ET this Friday.
Tell us who you want to hear on Music Friday. Go to musicfriday.nationbuilder.com, click on "your choice" and tell us about the band you want us to interview. If we like them, we will get them.
Dream Aria, the Toronto-based band that creates "music without borders" joins us at 11:05 am PT. Dream Aria’s fiery, haunting music blends Rock, Techno, Progressive, Classical, New Age, Goth and World music with Ann Burstyn’s powerful voice leading the charge to take you on a far away journey .
In Segment 2 at 11:30 am PT, CANTO joins us for thoroughly modern, 60's- inspired rock and roll. Three brothers, all under 20, have the chops and the vision to break out from the crowd with a style that is universal.
Music Friday is the weekly music and film program that interviews bands and musicians and film directors who make films about bands and musicians. And you choose the people we interview. Just go to musicfriday.nationbuilder.com and fill out the You Choose form and we will get the band you want.
Film Director Sini Anderson talks about her documentary, The Punk Singer, on Kathlenn Hanna, the founder of the punk band Bikini Kill and the national riot grrl movement, in an extended interview. Sini worked closely with Hanna to document the genesis of Bikini Kill, her later bands Le Tigra and Julie Ruin, her near death from a mystery disease and her current work in politics and music. Hear the interview, then see the film. 2:30 pm ET. This is a classic Music Friday, but the movie is still in theaters.
World class guitarist Bruce Victor teams up with Accordian Babe, singer, songwriter, musician and artist (and Bruce's new wife) Marla Fibish on a stunning debut album, Travel in the Shadows which sets classic poems to great music. The band is called Noctambule and joins them on the air to travel through their vivid dreams and imagination and superb music. Call in and talk with them both at 2:05 pm ET.
MUSIC FRIDAY is where we listen to music, interview bands and get ready for the weekend. Every kinbd of music with an emphais on rising stars. We also interview film directors of docs on music and musicians. You tell us who you would like to hear and talk with and we try to get them here for you. Nominate bands at http://musicfriday.nationbuilder.com.
Amy Rose has already earned a reputation for being one of Canada’s best-known country music exports. Her soaring vocal range and pop country sensibilities have garnered high praise and international airplay for “I just Want You to Know” and “Party Like a Redneck”, which hit #6. She has received a 2013 Ontario Country Music Association nomination for “Rising Star” and was named Country Music Entertainer of the Year by the International Music and Entertainment Association. She is assembling a new project for 2014 joins us at 2:05 pm ET to play some of the songs and talk about it.
Brent Buffan is a Toronto born singer/songwriter with 2 unreleased full length albums and the edge of success. He has spent years performing and recording, giving him a solid foundation for his next step. After assembling albums and touring alone, he joined up with four highly talented and versatile musicians in the band "The Ride. Together they have raised the bar for themselves and are now on tour in Southern California, successfully introducing this true troubadour’s songs in one of the most competitive markets in the country. Brent joins us at 2:30 with his new songs and a preview of teh tour.
Choose the artists you want us to interview. musicfriday.nationbuilder.com/yourchoice.
Toby Lightman has been described by People Magazine as “ no small talent...” With 5 hit albums plus an EP she has landed on national television on Letterman, Conan O’Brian and The Today Show and her songs have been featureed on over a dozen TV shows and movies. Typical of her enrgy, Toby has launched a new initiative, EKOB – Every Kind of People – an album to be produced with crowd-sourced funding and input from her fans. Toby joins us Friday, 12. 13.13 to tell us about it and give us a peek and what she is planning for next year.
“Nashville’s Darling” is what they call the determined and prodigiously talented Sarah Darling whose sexy, summery hit “Little Umbrellas” single followed acclaimed country releases “Every Monday Morning”, “Angels and Devils” and the “Home to Me” EP. In her latest album, Have a Merry Little Christmas, Darling does the near impossible - she makes the overdone holiday songs we hear on the radio and in elevators and shopping malls new and fresh and a joy to listen to. Whether or not you are a country music fan, Sarah Darling belongs on your playlist and we are delighted to welcome her to Music Friday, this Friday, 12.13.13
Mindy Smith, the iconic singer-songwriter who crosses genre lines with hits in country, pop, and alternative rock returns to Music Friday with her new Christmas EP, Snowed in. Her career took off in 2003 when she was invited to contribute to a Dolly Parton tribute album by her label, Vanguard, and appeared with Dolly on national television. She hasn't stopped since: she has produced five critically acclaimed and very successful albums and seven hit singles, one, Come to Jesus, which hit the Billbaord 40 at #32. She is appearing at the Grand Ole Opry December 14 with Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell and we are delighted she is taking the time to talk with us this Friday at 2:05 pm ET.
Jason Vanderford is an eclectic, entrepreneurial, jazz, rock and gypsy/cajón genius who assembles musical projects/albums/tours/bands, his latest being the Junk Parlor. Junk Parlou is gypsy rock - a combination of jazz, rock, 50's 4-4 beats and Vanderford's vocals ranging from smooth and low to hot and howling. Joining Jason are Jimmy Grant on the Django-infused lead electric guitar, drummer and cajón player Rt Goodrich, and Tim Bush on the electric fretless bass. The effect ranges from mad genius to pure fun. Junk Parlor just wrapped up its Northwest tour with a final set of concerts in Seattle and will head to southern California right after Friday's show. They join us at 2:30 pm ET
Salvador Santana, the 29-year-old keyboardist, vocalist, composer and songwriter grew up with music. His grandfathers were blues pioneer Saunders King and violinist and bandleader Jose Santana. His father is legendary Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Carlos Santana, with whom Salvador co-wrote the Grammy-winning “El Farol”, from the album Supernatural. Salvador began playing the drums at age 3, shifted to piano at 6, studying at the Ruth Asawa School of the Arts and Cal Arts. His education, passion and lineage have turned him into a monster on the keys. He joins us today at 11:30 am PT/2:30 pm ET on Music Friday
Portland-based The Bylines are grounded in a big-band past and a present of intricate pop. They focus on grand live spectacle, but are equally at home in jazz halls, large rooms and intimate venues. At The Bylines' core are two talents: frontwoman Marianna Thielen, the face of the group with classical vocals and musical theater, and her husband, Reece Marshburn, master of classical, jazz and pop piano. Depending on the project , they surround themselves with national level musicians who fill a venue with unique and infinitely enjoyable music. Marianna and Reece join us at Music Friday at 11:05 am today.
Next week film Director Sini Anderson releases her new documentary, The Punk Singer, on Kathlenn Hanna, the founder of teh punk band Bikini Kill and the national riot grrl movement, and we have Sini on the show for an extended interview. Sini worked closely with Hanna to document the genesis of Bikini Kill, her later bands Le Tigra and Julie Ruin, her near death from a mystery disease and her current work in politics and music. Hear the interview, then see the film. 2:30 pm ET.
World class guitarist Bruce Victor teams up with Accordian Babe, singer, songwriter, musician and artist (and Bruce's new wife) Marla Fibish on a stunning debut album, Travel in the Shadows which sets classic poems to great music. The band is called Noctambule and joins them on the air to travel through their vivid dreams and imagination and superb music. Call in and talk with them both at 2:05 pm ET.
MUSIC FRIDAY is where we listen to music, interview bands and get ready for the weekend. Every kinbd of music with an emphais on rising stars. We also interview film directors of docs on music and musicians. You tell us who you would like to hear and talk with and we try to get them here for you. Nominate bands at http://musicfriday.nationbuilder.com.
Reuben and the Dark lead off the show at 2:05 pm ET with their new single "Rolling Stone". Reuben and the Dark is the newest project from Calgary's Reuben Bullock and which I cxaught at a club in LA and had to have on the show. Fresh off the release of his second solo album, Bullock has formed a band of some of Alberta's finest musicians, quickly building a reputation as a killer live band. Their soaring four-part vocal harmonies achieve epic heights woven into hammering beats, always leaving crowds hungry for more. At the core of all this are Bullock's songs, which manage to achieve a balance between seemingly disparate elements: the introspective with the anthemic, and the feat of sounding simultaneously ancient and uniquely contemporary.
Irene Diaz returns to Music Friday at 2:30 pm ET with her unique, aching blues and ukelele-backed pop rock. She will also talk with us about the Womyn of Color Conference she is a participant in at Cal State Univesity.Born in the heart of Los Angeles, Irene Diaz has emerged as an independent artist with a tremendous sound and a huge future. A singer/songwriter who plays both guitar and piano, accompanied by her very talented collaborator Carolyn Cardoza,Irene is at home in a recording studio, a showcse or a big hall - she maintains the same intimacy with her audience through a very personal voice. Her initial exposure to music came at a young age, at only 15 years old she developed her own writing/playing style that sets her apart now at 25. We are delighted she can take a break to talk with us.
Nominate your favorite band to be on Music Friday. Go to our website, navigate to the Your Choice page at http://musicfriday.n….nationbuilder.com/your_choice and tell us who you want to see.
Adam Levy is an in-demand session player and one of the nation's outstanding guitarists. His work has appeared on recordings by Norah Jones, Tracy Chapman , Sex Mob and Ani DiFranco. He released Portuguese Subtitles in July. Jessica Fleischer is a rising young LA singer/songwriter . She released her first album last year, Lots of Love and wrote and performed the title song for the award winning documentary “Without A Home”. Her new video, “It’s Hard” is racking up views on YouTube and we talk to her at 230 pm ET.
Music Friday is the weekly music and film program that interviews musicians and music film directors. You choose the people we interview - tell us at
Palter Ego was founded by vocalist Jesse Palter and keyboardist Sam Barsh, combining jazz, pop, soul and rock. Their music has been featured on Keeping Up The Kardashians, Around the World for Free, and The Real World, and commercials for Coca Cola, and the Webby Awards. We talk with them at 11:30 am PT/2:30 pm ET about their new album Above the Covers and the album of original songs, Id Ego. Claudia Russell is singer and songwriter who has shared stages with Tracy Grammer, Loudon Wainwright III, Kris Kristoffersen, Willie Nelson, and Rosalie Sorrels among others. She is accompanied by the Folk Unlimited Orchestra. Her music ranges from evocative to fun and rowdy, soulful ballads to Buddy Holly to folk. She joins us at 11:30 am PT/205 pm ET.Music Friday is the weekly music and film program that interviews bands and musicians and film directors who make films about bands and musicians.
American Idol alum Lea Marie joins us for a full interview - she popped in last week for a few minutes to talk about her show at LA's venerable Whiskey A Gogo. We will play cuts from the new EP, Undercover Lover, including her new single, Take Me for a Ride". And if we are lucky, we can hear some of Lea Marie's soft, personal songs - just her and a piano. Eddie Grey, legendary guitarist and singer fresh from sold out shows joins us to play cuts from his new album Metamorphoses, released last month. With influences ranging from John Mayer and Jason Mraz to Crosby, Stills and Nash and Sting, his music and style defy any classification but superb. Music Friday is the weekly music and film program that interviews bands and musicians and film directors who make films about bands and musicians. And you choose the people we interview. Just go to musicfriday.nationbuilder.com and fill out the You Choose form and we will get the band you want.
Welcome to a classic Music Friday set up for you while the MF team is on vacation. Don't call in, but do enjoy.
Salvador Santana, the 29-year-old keyboardist, vocalist, composer and songwriter grew up with music. His grandfathers were blues pioneer Saunders King and violinist and bandleader Jose Santana. His father is legendary Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Carlos Santana, with whom Salvador co-wrote the Grammy-winning “El Farol”, from the album Supernatural. Salvador began playing the drums at age 3, shifted to piano at 6, studying at the Ruth Asawa School of the Arts and Cal Arts. His education, passion and lineage have turned him into a monster on the keys. He joins us today at 11:30 am PT/2:30 pm ET on Music Friday
Portland-based The Bylines are grounded in a big-band past and a present of intricate pop. They focus on grand live spectacle, but are equally at home in jazz halls, large rooms and intimate venues. At The Bylines' core are two talents: frontwoman Marianna Thielen, the face of the group with classical vocals and musical theater, and her husband, Reece Marshburn, master of classical, jazz and pop piano. Depending on the project , they surround themselves with national level musicians who fill a venue with unique and infinitely enjoyable music. Marianna and Reece join us at Music Friday at 11:05 am today.
American Idol Alum pops in at 11 PT/2 ET for a quick prview of her live show tonight in LA.Salvador Santana, the 29-year-old keyboardist, vocalist, composer and songwriter grew up with music. His grandfathers were blues pioneer Saunders King and violinist and bandleader Jose Santana. His father is legendary Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Carlos Santana, with whom Salvador co-wrote the Grammy-winning “El Farol”, from the album Supernatural. Salvador began playing the drums at age 3, shifted to piano at 6, studying at the Ruth Asawa School of the Arts and Cal Arts. His education, passion and lineage have turned him into a monster on the keys. He joins us today at 11:30 am PT/2:30 pm ET on Music Friday Portland-based The Bylines are grounded in a big-band past and a present of intricate pop. They focus on grand live spectacle, but are equally at home in jazz halls, large rooms and intimate venues. At The Bylines' core are two talents: frontwoman Marianna Thielen, the face of the group with classical vocals and musical theater, and her husband, Reece Marshburn, master of classical, jazz and pop piano. Depending on the project , they surround themselves with national level musicians who fill a venue with unique and infinitely enjoyable music. Marianna and Reece join us at Music Friday at 11:05 am today. Music Friday is the weekly music and film program that interviews bands and musicians and film directors who make films about bands and musicians. And you choose the people we interview. Just go to musicfriday.nationbuilder.com and fill out the You Choose form and we will get the band you want.
Mickey Church of White Arows joins us to play their unique Psychotropical pop - an alternate reality you can dance to. Mickey joins at 2:05pm ET to play cuts from Dry Land is Not a Myth and talk about how a young man who was blind until the age of 11 grew into such a great musician.Chris Ramos and Sonny B., better known as CRSB, the San Francisco duo that has created their own brand of Island Soul-infused Pop. CRSB started with home videos on YouTube that garnered 3.5 million plays. That was 5 albums ago and they are still rockin’ their island melodies to dancing, adoring audiences. Chris and Sonny join us at 2:05 pm ET.
Music Friday is the weekly music and film program that interviews bands and musicians and film directors who make films about bands and musicians. And you choose the people we interview. Just go to musicfriday.nationbuilder.com a
Dream Aria, the Toronto-based band that creates "music without borders" joins us at 11:05 am PT. Dream Aria’s fiery, haunting music blends Rock, Techno, Progressive, Classical, New Age, Goth, and World music with Ann Burstyn’s powerful raw. Composer/keyboard artist Donald joins Ann along with Garry on drums, Jon Casselman on bass and back-up vocals to take you on a far away journey . In Segment 2 at 11:30 am PT, CANTO joins us for thouroughly modern, 60's- inspired rock and roll. Three brothers, all under 20, have the chops and the vision to break out from teh crowd with a style that is universal. Music Friday is the weekly music and film program that interviews bands and musicians and film directors who make films about bands and musicians. And you choose the people we interview. Just go to musicfriday.nationbuilder.com and fill out the You Choose form and we will get the band you want.
Naomi Greenwald's new album, Composite, shows her growth and sophistication while it keeps her heart of rock and roll. A voice that is penetrating when paired with electric guitars and soothing when she wants it to be, Composite is a strong step forward. She joins us to talk about it at 11:05 am PT. New Zealand to LA transplant Jackie Bristow hits us in the gut and in the heart with her powerful new album, Freedom. Jackie is on tour bringing together her roots, rock and soulful pop in a career of sold out shows and successful albums. She takes a break from non-stop gigs to talk with us at 11:30 am PT. Music Friday is the weekly music and film program that interviews bands and musicians and film directors who make films about bands and musicians. And you choose the people we interview. Just go to musicfriday.nationbuilder.com and fill out the You Choose form and we will get the band you want.
Jordie Lane's 2009 debut LP Sleeping Patterns,established his reputation as one of Australia’s brightest new roots music stars. Sold out national tours followed major festival appearances. Next came opening for The Moody Blues, Old Crow Medicine Show and Neko Case, and a feature on Triple J’s ‘Like A Version’ He joins us in Segment 2 today, 11:30 am PT. Find him at http://jordielane.com/site/Lisa Sniderman, award-winning singer/songwriter, aka: Aoede, top-rated Skeletons of the Muse shot her to #1 on Reverbnation's San Francisco pop chart and #8 on the national chart. Her third full-length album and overall fifth release, Is Love A Fairy Tale? “creates a compelling fairy tale story for tweens . She kicks off the show this Friday in Segment 1, 11:05 am PT. check her out at http://www.aoedemuse.com/ Music Friday is the weekly music and film program that interviews bands and musicians and film directors who make films about bands and musicians. And you choose the people we interview. Just go to my webiste musicfriday.nationbuilder.com and fill out the You Choose form and we will get the band you want. Follow us at @musicfridaylive. and on Reverbnation.
Dynamic Los Angeles band Polaris Rose - Peter Anthony and Madelynn Elyse - bring their vivacious alternative rock sound to Music Friday in Segment ! this week with cuts from their new EP The Moon & its Secrets, their second, ready for release next week. We talk with the duo about their unique sound built with with soaring melodies and pitch perfect harmonies, alt rock electric instru- mentation,emotional songwriting and their signatuare female/male vocal dynamic.Jessica Fleischer joins us in Segment 2 to preview her debut album, From the Start, and to let us in on what it is like to work with California Dreamin' Records producer, Robert Schwartzman. Drawing on influences from Electric Light Orchestra to 60s girl-groups, the music ofLots of Love fuses nostalgia-steeped pop-rock songwriting with a fresh and modern point of view. Music Friday is your weekly hour of music, interviews, tunes and news - with the guests chosen by you. Go to musicfriday.nationbuilder.com and tell us who you want us to interview and then listen every Friday to see if your choice was the favorite of the week. The artists with the most requests are interviewed each week. And, we also feature exclusive interviews with film directors who document music...just a little extra for Music Friday listeners.
Irene Diaz opens in Segment 1. She is a twenty-six-year-old, LA –based singer- songwriter trained in classical piano and steeped in blues and jazz. Inspired by artists such as Nina Simone, Ella , Fiona Apple, with tones reminiscent of Eva Cassidy Irene just released her debut EP, I Love You Madly. We will play cuts from it, including the stunning single, “Crazy Love” which will haunt your mind and hypnotize your ears in a riptide of emotion. In segment 2, singer-songwriter Karen Dezelle combines honest narratives with soft, soothing vocals, creating vulnerability with wide appeal. Karen has lived all over the world and it shows in her deft blending of beats and melodies. Inspired by artists such as Jewel and Joni Mitchell, Karen', emotionally-complex lyrics are offset by a minimalist song structure and innocent vocals in a moving sound, both calming and exciting. Music Friday is the weekly music and film program that interviews bands and musicians and film directors who make films about bands and musicians. And you choose the people we interview. Just go to musicfriday.nationbuilder.com and fill out the You Choose form and we will get the band you want.
Before there was Johnny and June there was Johnny and Saul - Saul Holiff, Johnny Cash's personal manager. For over 10 tumultuous years, Saul built Johnny's career despite drugs, prison and Saul's own alcholism. Saul's son Jonathan, watched the process but lost his father as it unfolded. Now decades after his father's suicide, this Hollywood director has made a film about his father and The Man in Black - a look into the life of Johnny Cash through the eyes of a child whose life was rarely free of him. My Father and The Man in Black. 2:05 pm ET. Blake Collins releases his debut EP, A Bell Locks in, with soulful singing, catchy melodies, lush harmonies and poetry that speaks of quietude, heartbreak, loss, hope and happiness. We talk with Blake at 2:30 pm ET about his music and his emerging career. Music Friday lets you chose the guests. Tell us who y ou want us to interview and we will try our best to get them on the air and let you talk to them.
Today we talk to the legendary Ray Bonneville who is on tour in California as I write. Stop by while we play some cuts from Bad Man's Blood and hear tales from the road and the studio. 11:05 am PT/2:05 pm ET. In segment 2 we talk with Susan Johnston, Director of the New Media Film Festival. The NMFF has become the festival for bands and indie film makers to introduce themselves and their digital creativity and music videos. We discovered Cotton Wine at the NMFF and Susan Johnston is going to tell us how your video can win the gold. Music Friday is the place to discover new bands and emerging talent. You can tell us who you want to see on the air and we will get them if we can and you can cll in and talk with them.
It is no wonder our first guest today is turning heads in the indie music world. Joe Gil tells great stories with penetrating questions embedded in them, crafts opulent arrangements that draw you in, and tantalizes you with a voice that is at once soothing and otherworldly. Joe Gil is an emerging talent whose first two EP’s Joe Gil and Blankets presage a coming chart-topper. In segment 2, Sonnet joins us with her new EP, Sonnet. She seduces you with her one-of-kind-voice, lyrics that are as honest and authentic as you will hear anywhere and sumptuous arrangements that envelope you in what can only be described as “Sonnetworld"…a very nice place to be. I can hardly wait for the next album.
Tyson Kelly of King Washington joins us as we play their saturated harmonies and complex percussion from the new album, Gears - a cutting edge achievement with a nod to when rock n' roll was a songwriter's game. Segment 1 at 11:05 am PT.Hana Kim joins us in Segment 2 at 11:30 am PT and gives us a peek at Exodo, her debut album, due for release September 13. We play cuts from Exodo, discuss what's next now that she has broken out of the crowd and broken into the rarified community of hot new stars. Music Friday lets you chose the guests. Tell us who y ou want us to interview and we will try our best to get thenm on the air and let you talk to them.