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Archive for the ‘Artist Reviews’ Category

The Happen-Ins‘ self titled The Happen-Ins is a throwback to the decade that brought about swinger parties, Tom Selleck’s moustache and good ol’ rock and roll like Lynyrd Skynyrd. That being said, The Happen-Ins are right up the Skynyrd alley with their southern rock style. “Be Yer Fool” Will remind listeners of their days in bell bottoms, all the while giving the younger generation a taste of the past in the here and now. Fans of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Van Zandt will dig what The Happen-Ins have in store with their self-titled, The Happen-Ins.

Tracks to learn and love;

“Never Said” is 70?d rock in the new millennium. Audiences will be emerged in the vibe of the record from the start. This tune definitely sets listeners up for what’s to come for the rest of the album as the first track.

“You’ve Been Bad” is unlike the rest of the album in that it takes things which calls for this one to be dubbed the slow jam.

“The Kids Don’t Dance” is a fun way to end an album. The whole way through, fans get a peak at the past and then this song sort of calls out recent generations. It calls for an ironic twist with a great beat.

To Kill A Monsters’ Bears Fight Bears is a powerhouse of raw energy. The balance of vocals and instrumental breakdowns will bring a sigh of relief to real music fans tired of gimmicks. Tyler, Dane and Mike’s playing is nothing short of impressive and lay down the foundation for Joey to showcase his natural instrument on the mic. The fact that To Kill A Monster packed so much passion into six tracks, makes one want to run out and not only pick up Bear Fight Bears, but also a ticket to their next show. That is something not many bands are able to pull off in CD form. Bears Fight Bears offers hip shaking for the ladies and head banging for the gentlemen and is destined to win the hearts of everyone from fans of Scary Kids Scaring Kids to Audiovent.

Tracks to keep an ear out on;

Track 1: “Blood of 1,000 Orcs” is how all records should start. Its high-energy demeanor is similar to early Incubus, before they hit VH1 of course. They fuse melodic vocals with ones that are raw sounding is perfection put to music. Also, the guitar rip proves they aren’t just being supported by pipes, but are a complete package with the musical chops to show.

Track 2: “Sexy Girl” is that song that makes girls instantly swoon. Usually rock music doesn’t incorporate what Hip Hop has coined as “swagger,” but the verses here are delivered in such a way that the girl isn’t the only one sexy here. Sex appeal mixed with swagger? “Sexy Girl” is that song that sticks with you hours after you hear it, which is what you want right?

Track 6: “10 Seconds Until the Thumbtack Attack” is bound to impress with the Warped Tour crowd. The sound is a mix of Warped vets, Billy Talent and a style that is all To Kill A Monsters’ own. The intensity of the music will make fists pound and pits breakout.

The Water Tower Bucket Boys’ (WTBB) Sole Kitchen is a rustic journey through Bluegrass. The trio keeps things interesting with a variety of upbeat and soothing songs; ones to dance to and ones to relax to. WTBB also feed the musical soul with “Bread” and “Tequila with Lime.” Fans of Yonder Mountain and Railroad Earth will want to cook up a good time with WTBB’s Sole Kitchen.

Tracks to kick back to;  

Track 1: “Crooked Road” is the best song to kick off Sole Kitchen because within, listeners get that back and forth between fast and slow that’s found throughout the rest of the tunes on the album. “Crooked Road” starts with a soulful, Southern sound then goes into full-blown Bluegrass.

Track 7: “London Breakdown” is a breakdown indeed, but a better name would’ve been showdown because of the way the music appears to be in battle.  The shortest track on the album, it’s one for music fans who love the instrumentation behind Bluegrass.

Track 13: “Heaven” is a nice ditty found at the end of Sole Kitchen. While most songs of life after death are somber, this one is lighthearted in both tone and spirit.

Until November 1969, Carole King was known only as a songwriter. She wrote 22 Top 40 hits for artists such as Aretha Franklin and The Monkees. She penned music to classics such as “Will You Love Me Tomorrow?” a #1 hit sung by the Shirelles, and The Drifters’ “Up on the Roof.” Since that time, King has gone on to achieve huge success as a solo recording artist. She has sold multi-platinum albums, won several Grammy® Awards, and been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Over 1,000 artists have recorded her 400 compositions, resulting in 100 hit singles, many of which have reached the #1 spot on the charts. King is still regarded as the most successful songwriter in the history of popular music.

King became interested in music at the age of four, when she started playing the piano. She started her first band the Co-sines while in high school. She was known well enough at the time that Neil Sedaka had a hit song dedicated to her entitled “Oh! Carol.” King went on to co-write songs with her first husband Gerry Goffin. Their collaboration yielded hits like “Don’t Bring Me Down” sung by The Animals and “I’m Into Something Good” sung by Herman’s Hermits. In 1962, their song “Loco-Motion” went to #1.

Tomorrow Records was the name of King and Goffin’s first label. King went on to form a band called the City in 1968. The band included Danny Kortchmer who was formerly of Flying Machine, a group that featured James Taylor as its vocalist. The City recorded one album entitled Now That Everything’s Been Said. Some of the songs on this album were successfully re-recorded by other artists, including “You’ve Got a Friend” which was covered by Taylor. Read the rest of this entry »

Review

One has to feel sorry for a band that pushes itself to its artistic, physical and psychological limits and still only ends up being as good as Shed Seven or Razorlight. But at least they tried, right? On the other hand, one can and must reserve special criticism for the truly talented who choose commercial gain over artistic endeavour, when everyone from Prince to Johnny Cash and (yes, indeed) The Beatles realised that it was possible to combine both ventures.When Noel G (more…)

Straight in at number one this week is Time Flies by Oasis, a collection of all of the UK group’s singles.

20th June 2010

Make no mistakes about it-Kid Rock is proud of his white trash background. Through his music and fashion sense, he’s celebrated the trailer park-pimp look, and is probably the first (and possibly the only) artist to ever pull it off.

And pull it off he has. Kid Rock has been a major chart success over the past decade. It actually took him a decade to jumpstart his career, beginning in 1990 with Grit Sandwiches For Breakfast, a rap album. White rappers have always been a novelty, from Vanilla Ice to Snow, and sadly, this probably only worked against Kid Rock-whose real name is Robert Ritchie-despite his talent. His first three records all received lukewarm reviews (at best), but that didn’t deter the Kid from trying to run with the big guys in the rap scene. Kid’s records reveled in the 2 Live Crew-style party raps of the early ’90s. He was bad, bawdy and he didn’t mince words.

He also didn’t score any major hits. But that all changed in 1998 with the release of the record that made Kid Rock a star. Devil without a Cause revamped his image. He took on the persona of the high-rollin’, hard-rockin’ character that his fans grew to know through videos for songs like “Bawitdaba.” The creation was a perfect marriage of Kid’s white trash upbringing and the hip-hop loving, tough talking MC he had been tried to turn himself into in the early ’90s. Perhaps it was this mix of both “white” and “black” cultures that made him more acceptable to audiences than one hit wonders like Vanilla Ice and Snow. Regardless of the reason why, “Bawitdaba” and “Cowboy” helped Rock establish himself, and turned his nationwide smash, Devil Without a Cause, into top selling record that turned platinum almost a dozen times.
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What could be a better birthday present to a 16-year-old than a brand new Porsche? Not many things could top that list for a teenager, but Miley Cyrus has done a fabulous job following up the gifts of her sweet sixteenth by gaining a nomination for a Golden Globe Award, announced in last week’s awards show fervor. Cyrus’ new Porsche Cayenne took the backseat to the artist’s newest gift of a possible Golden Globe, as the Hannah Montana star recently secured her spot to the second awards show since November, when she performed at the American Music Awards.

Cyrus and singer-songwriter Jeffrey Steele picked up the Golden Globe nod for “I Thought I Lost You,” a song the two co-wrote for the Disney film Bolt. The single is up for Best Original Song in a Motion Picture, and it will compete against Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman with “Down to Earth” from Wall-E; Jamie Cullum, Clint Eastwood, Kyle Eastwood and Michael Stevens for “Gran Torino” from Gran Torino; Beyonce Knowles, Amanda Ghost, Scott McFarmon, Ian Dench, James Dring and Jody Street for “Once in a Lifetime” from Cadillac Records and Bruce Springsteen for “The Wrestler” in The Wrestler. This year’s Golden Globe Awards, the 66th annual presentation, will commence on January 11.

While 2008 has been one monumental year in the spotlight for Miley Cyrus, the teen pop sensation has been at the forefront of media attention ever since she was born, being the first daughter of country music legend and “Achy, Breaky Heart” vocalist Billy Ray Cyrus. Miley’s entertainer gene was evident from childhood, and she got the nickname Miley (her real name is Destiny Hope) as a shortened version of “Smiley,” a name she gained due to her cheerful disposition as a baby. Miley Cyrus made her debut into the entertainment world in 2003 when she made a cameo in the television series Doc, soon thereafter landing a small role in the Tim Burton film Big Fish. The child prodigy made her big break in 2005, however, when she gained the title role in the Disney series Hannah Montana. The TV show let Cyrus demonstrate both her acting and singing skills, as she played a character leading a double life as normal teenager Miley Stewart by day and superstar Hannah Montana by night. The first Hannah Montana soundtrack came out in 2006 following the release of the Hannah Montana film, and Cyrus absolutely exploded as a teen icon thereafter.

Since 2006, Cyrus has gone on to conquer all means of the entertainment industry, embarking upon several national tours and releasing many smash singles and albums both as Hannah Montana and as Miley Cyrus. Cyrus’ debut solo release as herself dropped in the summer of 2008 under the title Breakout, and that’s just what this sugar-coated pop tart has done ever since. Cyrus’ live performances are appropriate for all ages, so if you haven’t seen the Hannah Montana star rock the stage live, get Miley Cyrus tickets from http://www.stubhub.com/miley-cyrus-tickets and get the party started!

Author Bio: This article is sponsored by StubHub.com and was written by Jenna Jay. StubHub is a leader in the business of selling Miley Cyrus tickets, sports tickets, concert tickets, theater tickets and special events tickets.

The greatest compliment a band could be paid is knowing that fans are willing to go to great lengths to hear your work. In the past, that’s included hitchhiking or traveling across county-or even state-borders in order to hear their favorite performers live. But in the age of the Internet, there’s a darker side to this, and yes, it does involve illegal downloading.

While the ethical issues surrounding illegal downloading still offer a lot of territory for debate, two things are doubtless: Firstly, that it’s here to stay. Fans will get free copies of new albums one way or another. Secondly, that it does have an impact on an artist’s bottom line-and this is especially harsh on indie artists, who have smaller audiences and tend to work with independent labels (meaning they have smaller budgets for promotion). Read the rest of this entry »

Southern voice is an album from gorgeous country music artisit Tim McGraw. Take a look over at Amazon for reviews and other information.

Nashville’s biggest heartthrob Tim McGraw has surprised fans in the past with atypical collaborations (think Nelly and “Over and Over,”) and this Southern-fried country musician is at it again, this time with “I’m N Luv (Wit a Stripper)” rapper T-Pain. McGraw and T-Pain both met recently when making appearances on an episode of Saturday Night Live, and talk over going into the studio together emerged then and there.

While nothing has officially been nailed down yet, both McGraw and T-Pain have been talking up a storm, T-Pain even letting E! Online in on the nature of the collaboration, saying, “The hip-hop has been done with Tim and Nelly, so we gotta be more country than hip-hop.” With a partnership in the wings, T-Pain continues onward with tour dates alongside Lil Wayne, Keyshia Cole, Gym Class Heroes and Keri Hilson, while McGraw delves further into an innovative style, even reportedly contributing to an upcoming single “Human,” set to appear on hip-hop prince Chris Brown’s upcoming album. Read the rest of this entry »