CD Review: Energy Alchemist “Reminder”

California-based band Energy Alchemist is the brainchild of Bill Hankins, a multi-talented musician who draws his influences from many different sources and musical styles. Because of that, the music he creates is guitar-driven but also contains plenty of keyboard sound that helps to give his music a very strong multi-layered feel.

Initially, Energy Alchemist was a one-man creation with Bill Hankins creating everything himself. Soon, however, Hankins found himself the possibility of something bigger and richer. That was where the concept of expanding the musical concept of Energy Alchemist into a full band was born. Soon, the band consisted of Bill Hankins on Guitar, Vocals, and Programming; Erik Koski on Bass, Matt Heath on Drums and guitarist Julian Sterling. Together, the newly-formed quartet is taking the music of Energy Alchemist to where it has never been.

Currently, Energy Alchemist is busy creating new music. And having already releasing a full-length album entitled Ghost in the Machine earlier in 2017, the band has returned with yet another release; a three-song EP entitled Reminder.

The Reminder EP begins with the sole original track from Energy Alchemist entitled “Reminder”. The EP’s title track begins with an electronic feel to the music as electronic drums join forces with keyboards that create a slightly Middle Eastern musical approach. The music is joined by Bill Hankins as his vocals adds to the exotic feel of the track. That exotic sound turns quickly into something heavier as the band creates a track that is a lot closer to Heavy Metal than the first thirty seconds had been. The rest of the track features that Heavy Metal feel to the music with solid bass lines, strong drums and the sound of two guitars that blend together to create a solid Heavy Metal sound. It’s the interaction between Bill Hankins and guitarist Julian Sterling that helps to make the melodic metal come to life. Soon, the addition of keyboard programming joins the guitars to create a track with lots of depth to the music. The nearly six-minute track shows off the two different mindsets of electronic and Heavy Metal that the band members bring to the music of Energy Alchemist.

Setting this release apart from anything that had been released by Energy Alchemist in the past, the three-song EP is part tribute release as two of the tracks included in the release are the band’s reworkings of songs from a Heavy Metal band that had come from the town of Ukiah in Northern California. That band was named Definition Unknown. The two songs remade by Energy Alchemist end up being a short but sweet tribute to the now-defunct band that existed from 2002-2008.

The first of the two tracks from Definition Unknown that was remade by Energy Alchemist is the track “Way Too Late”. Comparing the two versions of “Way Too Late,” Energy Alchemist starts their version staying pretty loyal to the original material. So loyal, in fact, that for the first minute or so, the listener would have a hard time telling the two versions apart. In time, however, Energy Alchemist brings in a lot more of the Electronic/Metal mixture that’s present in the band’s style. The Electronic/Metal mixture takes the Definition Unknown track and gives the song a fresh musical take. Between the two versions of “Way Too Late,” what it ultimately comes down to is which style of music you like better. But overall, Energy Alchemist has produced a version of the song that pays homage to Definition Unknown and does it in a classy way.

Energy Alchemist follows their tribute of Definition Unknown’s “Way Too Late” with their version of the Northern California band’s song “Flush”. Like Energy Alchemist’s version of “Way Too Late,” they stay pretty loyal to the original version of the track. In fact, they stay closer to the original version of the song “Flush” than they did with the first cover. Of course, the electronics in Energy Alchemist’s version do shine through in their version, but the overall feel stays the same until late in the track. It is late in the five-minute playtime that the band introduces strings into the song. The inclusion of strings is what truly sets the two versions apart.

The three songs that make up the 2016 Reminder EP from Energy Alchemist shows off the talent of the members of the band. Plus, the artwork used for the album was based on artwork created by Bill Hankins’ father, proving that talent does run in families.

Energy Alchemist will shortly be celebrating the release of their Reminder EP. For more information on the release date, check out the band’s website. Until the release date, check out the video to the band’s song “Awaken the Dreamers“. 

For more information, check out the band’s PR firm, Whiplash PR.  

 

CD Review: Moe Green’s Eye “Fast Radio Bursts Live”

Moe Green’s Eye is a straight-out Rock and Roll band from New York City that is comprised of front man Anthony Galati, guitarist and chief songwriter Steve Siegel, bassist Jeff Mackey and drummer Bob Gallagher. The band used a reference to a character from The Godfather movie series and an unfortunate situation that happened to that character in the series as the name of their band. That seems to prove that the band has a strange sense of humor to go along with their ability to play Rock and Roll.

The band of Moe Green’s Eye is currently creating music consists of musical influences such as New Wave music, as well as a lot of Classic Rock. They include bands like R.E.M, The Smithereens, as well as Tom Petty as major influences on their style. The band just did something that many bands won’t try these days. They recorded their four-song live in the studio. With this recording style, they captured the pure feel of their sound. The four-song release that was just put out is called Fast Radio Bursts Live EP.

Fast Radio Bursts Live from Moe Green’s Eye begins with the track “Fixed,” the first single off of the release. With a sound that has just a little bit of a New Wave influence from the British band Modern English, and more specifically, their song “Melt with You,” “Fixed” definitely has a very clear New Wave influence to the music. “Fixed” features a driving feel to the music and a very strong delivery in the vocals of the track. As the first track of the album, “Fixed” is a strong lead-off track.

Fast Radio Bursts Live continues with the track “Stay”. Like the previous track, the band of Moe Green’s Eye keeps the music in an eighties’ frame of mind. However, with this track, the band also seems to include a little influence from the early Alternative bands. “Stay” keeps the energy level of the music up with a driving beat to the music. Like “Fixed” before it, “Stay” has the type of style that would be welcome on the radio. “Stay,” however, is a lot closer to straight-out Rock and Roll and could have easily been played on modern Rock stations back in the eighties.

The Fast Radio Bursts Live EP continues with the track “It’s Over Now”. With this track, Moe Green’s Eye takes their music into a slightly different direction than with the first two tracks. While the tracks that started the release were more in the realm of New Wave/Rock and Roll from the eighties, “It’s Over Now” seems to bring to mind the stylings of the J. Geils Band as the track contains that band’s style of Rock and Roll to it. That specific feel keeps the band’s style in the era of the eighties but also shows that Moe Green’s Eye seems to wear their influences on their sleeves.

New York City-based Moe Green’s Eye brings their Fast Radio Bursts Live EP to a close with the track “What about Time”. This is probably the most unique of the tracks on the release as the three musicians of guitarist Steve Siegel, bassist Jeff Mackey and drummer Bob Gallagher combine their talents in the track to create a style that recalls Progressive Rock bands, most specifically, Rush. “What About Time” is a song that contains a Commercial Rock sound and a Prog-Rock sound at the same time. The combination of the two musical styles together makes for a song that has plenty of depth to it and would be a welcome addition to any Modern Rock radio formats.

Moe Green’s Eye’s new EP called Fast Radio Bursts Live shows off the talents of the three musicians and the lead singer who come together to create a band that uses slightly older musical influences to help make a sound that sounds generally timeless. The four tracks on the band’s EP come together to create a solid release. And the fact that the band had put together the release with songs created live in the studio shows even more talent from this talented group of musicians.

To find Moe Green’s Eye and their Fast Radio Bursts Live release, check out the band’s Soundcloud profile. 

CD Review: Black Horse Motel “Parable”

Black Horse Motel is a Philadelphia-based musical ensemble with a sound that is based in Traditional Folk music but with other musical influences that shape their sound so that they help take the band’s sound from that traditional label to more of an Americana label. Black Horse Motel consists of: Galen Fitzpatrick on guitar, vocals; Desiree Haney on cello, piano, vocals; Ryann Lynch on fiddle, viola, mandolin, vocals and Megan Manning drums, percussion, vocals. Together, the foursome is able to take their various musical talents to create a sound that blends Folk with other styles. This, along with their musical influences which include Fleetwood Mac, Bon Iver and U2 as well as others, is what helps to create the Americana label the band finds itself being classified under.

In the band’s history, they have released a self-titled EP, an album entitled Red Summer Spirit and a new EP entitled Parable. It is with the release of Parable that Black Horse Motel is currently touring.

Parable from Black Horse Motel begins with the track “Run, Rabbit, Run”. The track begins with banjo, fiddle and other Country instrumentation before a very noticeable bass part and drum playing that would have belonged in Rock and Roll join the other instrumentation. The track features a very driving pace to the music, a pace that belongs more in Rock and Roll than in Country music. The mixture of the styles and the lyrical content about growing up in a farmer state of mind create a track that mixes many different mindsets, musical and lyrical, that create a song that crosses many different lines all at the same time. With such a strong essence, “Run, Rabbit, Run” seems to make the listener pay attention to the music from the beginning note. This track alone easily shows the listener why the band falls into the Americana category as this track has too many different elements from too many musical genres for the band to be classified as anything else in particular.

With the next track of “Bones,” the band Black Horse Motel changes directions to choose one specific genre of music for the song. The Folk music created contains a light, easy pace to the track. That easy pace seems to be rather oddly placed with the words that feature a lyrical content about a childhood rocked with violence and the thankful feeling of having lived through it. When compared to the first track of “Run, Rabbit, Run,” “Bones” comes across as the more challenging of the two songs even though the music is lighter.

Changing directions, Black Horse Motel embraces their Bluegrass influences on the track “Where the Money Comes From”. On this track, the band abandons all electric sounds for an all-acoustic sound that contains acoustic guitar and fiddle. The Bluegrass track features a slight Gospel feel to the music and the beat as the band sings of needing some financial help no matter where it comes from. The lyrical content and the resulting clash with the Gospel influence once again creates an interesting moment on the Parable release.

One of the most commercial sounding tracks on the Parable release from Black Horse Motel is the song “Take It Back”. The Folk-based song brings both the piano and the fiddle to the forefront of the instruments as the band creates a track that contains a very beautiful melody. That melody transitions to a melody that works well as a Country song. The lyrics about avoiding the past by covering it with anything you can seems to cut a little too close for comfort as the listener may start to relive thoughts better left buried. The piano late in the track adds another element to the song that gives the song even more beauty. “Take It Back” is easily one of the strongest tracks on the five-song release.

Black Horse Motel’s newest release comes to an end with the track “Dear Mama”. The track begins with some a-Capella that brings back a little Gospel influence in the way the music feels. Once the music begins, the band creates some Rock music with some strings included that produces the strongest music on the entire CD. The lyrics about boys being abandoned by their mother adds a little sadness to the album. But the strength of the music in the track takes most of that sadness away. “Dear Mama” ends up sounding like a Country-flavored track that could have been created by Jeff Lynne and the rest of Electric Light Orchestra.

Parable from Black Horse Motel is an EP with lots to offer the listener. The five tracks that comprise the Parable release from Black Horse Motel find a band of four musicians creating songs that are quite different from one song to the next. And with each track, the band shows off their talent and musical flexibility as they change styles throughout the release.

Click HERE to hear the song “Take it Back” from Black Horse Motel.

CD Review: The Shrimps “Abstracts and Keywords”

British-born brothers Marcus and Simon Benjamin came to the music world after spending a good amount of their lives doing other things that were as far from music as you can get. Marcus in fashion and film industries while Simon was in publishing. But eventually, the brothers found themselves looking for something more. Teaming up, they started a duo of their own creating music with a straight-out Acoustic Rock feel to it. Together, the Benjamin Brothers perform as The Shrimps. Having already put out several other releases, the brothers are currently celebrating their most recent album entitled Abstracts and Keywords.

Abstracts and Keywords from The Shrimps begins with the track “Aim with the Arrow”. The track begins with a simple acoustic guitar approach that would work for just two musicians. However, with the addition of a bass part as well as the keyboards, the resulting track contains a lot more substance. While the track could have been a normal “unplugged” acoustic sound, Marcus and Simon Benjamin create a track with a lot of energy.

The new release from The Shrimps continues with the song “Make it Better”. While the previous track on the album was a track with an acoustic rock feel, “Make it Better” shows off a slightly different side to the duo’s music. The track moves from Acoustic Rock to a more folk-like approach to the music. The Folk-Rock approach finds the brothers adding mandolin to the guitars to achieve that Folk-Rock sound. With this sound, the duo of Marcus and Simon Benjamin create a track that contains a hefty amount of British Invasion style. Not surprising, since the New York City-based brothers used to call Great Britain home.

For the track “Life We Live,” Marcus and Simon Benjamin bring the music back to a more Acoustic Rock feel. In fact, with this song, the brothers once again seem to bring a little British Invasion feel to the music. The main guitar part of the track seems to have a bit of influence from the playing of one Pete Townsend in a playing style that brings to mind the acoustic guitar part to the song “Pinball Wizard”. “Life We Live” is one of the more energetic and upbeat tracks on the new album from The Shrimps.

One of the strongest tracks on the  album from The Shrimps is the song “Rebels”. The duo of Marcus and Simon Benjamin create a track with a rather strong groove in the Acoustic Rock that makes up the track. With the inclusion of a light organ and the flute in the background, “Rebels” ends up being one track that separates itself from the rest of the album. The track would feel right at home during the seventies as plenty of other bands at the times were creating songs just like.

As all of the tracks on the new release of Abstracts and Keywords from The Shrimps are acoustic in nature and are all rather similar in the quality of their sound, the best tracks on the album are the ones where the instrumentation seems to be layered, creating a richer, fuller sound to the music. One such track that stands out because of the instrumentation is the song “Top of the World”. The track begins as guitar, bass and mandolin all combine to create the music for the track. Then, the lyrics come in about thirty seconds in. The combination of the music and the lyrics create a beautiful song about being with the one you love. “Top of the World” is easily one of the strongest moments on the album.

Marcus and Simon Benjamin bring the newest album of Abstracts and Keywords from The Shrimps to an end with the track “In the Moon”. The track begins with just the guitar before the rest of the instrumentation slowly help to build the song. The song resulting track contains a musical feel that brings to mind songs from the sixties while not feeling dated.

Throughout Abstracts and Keywords from The Shrimps, the Benjamin Brothers have put together an album that is rather simple in its musical content as each of the tracks feature very few instruments. That simplistic way of making the songs actually help to create an album that allows the listener to truly enjoy both the musical and lyrical content of the songs and it also proves that something does not have to be overly complicated to be good.

For more information on the band and their music, check out the band’s Facebook profile.

 

CD Review: Two Cities, One World “Let the Whole World Disappear”

Sometimes to find true love, one must do a little traveling. And sometimes, it takes going to a location half a world away.

This happened with Anna Yanova, a Bulgarian-born singer-songwriter. When she was attending the Musicians Institute in Hollywood to refine her talents, she met up with Jared Cattoor, a St. Louis-bred guitarist who, in his own way, was also there to refine his talents. Together, they met and fell in love, only to end up getting married.

With Anna Yanova already creating and releasing a solo release, her music caught the ear of Cattoor and the two soon started creating music together. Because of whom they were before they ended up meeting, and since they had a shared interest in music, the duo created one musical project with a very apropos moniker. Together, Cattoor and Yanova are known by the name of Two Cities, One World.

With Jared Cattoor being American and Anna Yanova being Bulgarian, the music of Two Cities, One World incorporates several different styles of music to create a very multi-faceted sound that is truly international. Having already released one EP entitled Together back in 2014, the duo is currently celebrating their new album of original material. The newest release from Two Cities, One World is entitled Let the Whole World Disappear.

Let the Whole World Disappear from Two Cities, One World begins with the track “I See the Sun”. The track features a lyrical content that seems to suggest a very biographical approach as the words reflect the view of two people from different worlds being connected by just looking at the same sun in the sky. The musical approach has a very “pop-like” approach with some pop-rock flavor and plenty of jazz influence. The vocals from Anna Yanova also add to the jazzy feel of the music. The gentle feel of the smooth jazz-like music will be very accessible to a lot of people whose musical tastes vary widely.

The new release from Two Cities, One World continues with the track “Suga Daddy”. Bringing back some of the jazzy influence from the last track, “Suga Daddy” takes that jazz style and blends it with plenty of Funk flavor. While the last track contains an easy feel to the music, this track has a lot more energy. One element that helps to differentiate the first two tracks from each other is the inclusion of the electric guitar in “Suga Daddy”. That guitar playing shows off the talent of Jared Cattoor who adds a Carlos Santana-like feel to the music.

With the inclusion of many styles of music, Two Cities, One World creates music that could easily be categorized as “World Music”. To prove that categorization, the duo of Yanova and Cattoor include a bit of Yanova’s ethnic background in the album. The track “Footprints (Sledi)” contains a somewhat Hispanic approach to the music as well as the use of the Bulgarian language for the lyrics. The combination of the two different nationalities creates a very unique track that contains a very strong danceable feel to the music. “Footprints (Sledi)” could easily be a crossover candidate that would feel right at home in dance clubs in the U.S. and all over the world.

The duo creates one of the strongest moments on the Let the Whole World Disappear album with the track “Love Blues”. Although the track contains a certain amount of Blues influence, the song is as upbeat as anything else that came before. And just like “I See the Sun” that helped kick the release off, “Love Blues” is yet another track that feels like a love letter set to music. With the inclusion of horns on the track, the song is one track with a very wide amount of influences to its music.

As the Let the Whole World Disappear album continues, Yanova and Cattoor and the rest of Two Cities, One World changes the feel of the music from track-to-track. And while the previous tracks contained many different styles, the “title track” “Disappear” takes the music in yet another completely different direction. Keeping with the jazz influence that has weaved its way through most of the beginning of the album, the song “Disappear” combines the jazz with some light R&B to create a track that would feel just as welcome on a Smooth Jazz radio format as it would on a “Hip Hop and R&B” radio format.

Throughout the twelve tracks that make up the Let the Whole World Disappear album from Two Cities, One World, the music changes many times. Just when you get used to one feel or approach to the music, the duo of Anna Yanova and Jared Cattoor switches things up. From one track to the next, the release sounds like an entire radio dial on one release. This is truly an album for anyone and everyone.

For a taste of Two Cities, One World and their music, check out the video for the song “Suga Daddy“.

 

CD Review: Operation Encore “Monuments”

Sometimes you can never really know what’s inside you until you are faced with something that challenges you. At that point, a hidden talent may shine through that sets you off in a different direction than the one you were heading in before the challenge rose up. With the help of Operation Encore, many soldiers and their spouses are living new lives having turned to the inner musician that was once hidden within. Thanks to Operation Encore, many soldiers end up turning to music as a form of therapy and/or as a new way of making a living.

Having amassed a nice amount of artists who joined the organization, Operation Encore released its first compilation of original music back in 2014. Operation Encore: A Veteran Music Project featured 16 tracks that consisted of music that ranged from Country to Folk to Acoustic Rock. Having had a nice showing with that release, Operation Encore recently compiled a second volume of tracks from many of the same artists from the first album as well as a few new artists that have since joined up. The 2016 version of the project called Operation Encore: Monuments consists of 12 new songs.

Operation Encore: Monuments begins with the newest track from Stephen Covell. Covell kicks off the new album with the title track to the release. “Monuments” is a very strong acoustic rock track that has a bit of influence from The Eagles in the music with a little influence from Simon and Garfunkle in the poetic lyrics of the track. The very commercial sounding track from Stephen Covell is a great track to begin the new edition of the Operation Encore releases.

The second track on the release belongs to one of the new additions to the musicians who brought the last release to life. Logan Vath contributes the song “Once Was” to the album. The track from Vath feels like a combination of something from Tom Waits and Dave Matthews Band. The jazz-rock feel from DMB mixes well with the lyrical style that is very reminiscent of Waits. “Once Was” is a track that is ready-made for radio play.

Another new artist to the Operation Encore series is Andrew Wiscombe. His contribution to the 2016 release is the title track to his album The River, The Lark, The Pine. The Alt/Country track about not fearing others’ opinions is a great song about being true to yourself. The music of the song has a strong Country backbone with a little bit of Rock and Roll thrown in for energy. “The River, The Lark, The Pine” is one track that would fit right in with music found on today’s Country music formats.

Unlike most of the artists on the Operation Encore releases, Rachel Harvey Hill is one artist that belongs to the Operation Encore organization because of her marriage to a soldier. In fact, her track on the Operation Encore: Monuments release was written about her experience of returning home to the United States after being on assignment in the Middle East with her husband. The track “I’m Going Home” would feel right at home with other Country songs from the eighties when the Country music genre had more of a pure Country feel as opposed to the Country/Rock style of today.

Singer-songwriter Steve Wilson is perhaps the artist on the Operation Encore release that has the deepest musical library. Having already written songs for his band The Black Doves, Wilson’s current songs still contain a certain amount of the Black Doves’ Rock and Roll feel while still gaining a style of their own. Steve Wilson’s latest composition of “The Words” seems to have brought him back to the style he had with the Black Doves. In fact, “The Words” would have felt right at home on the band’s 2007 album of Moments of Clarity. The lyrics about a girl losing herself on stage while singing her songs is the perfect addition to an album created by people who all need that release from time-to-time because of dark memories of war.

One of the founders of Operation Encore, Chris Kurek, is the next artist on the Operation Encore: Monuments release. “Last Goodbye” is a song that blends some Folk influences and some light Rock influences together. The track also shows off the real ensemble feel of the organization as Rachel Harvey Hill helps Kurek by adding her vocals to the track. The results are a song that contains an easy duet feel to the lyrics.

Another founding member of Operation Encore, Robert Raymond, adds his track to the album. Much like Stephen Covell earlier in the album, Raymond creates a track in “Pleased to Meet You” that is more than a little bit influenced by the likes of Simon and Garfunkle as the music feels like something from the duo. The track also seems to seem to be influenced by Jim Croce as the lyrics to “Pleased to Meet You” have the same lyrical approach as those of Croce.

Throughout the twelve tracks that make up the newest release from the Operation Encore collective called Monuments, the various artists on the release have come up songs that create an entire album of music that feels solid from the first track until the last note plays out. And just like the original album, the listener encounters plenty of variety in the tracks. The twelve tracks that make up the album show off the talent of each of the singer-songwriters who have found a new calling in life: to be a musician.

For more information on the artists that make up the latest release from Operation Encore as well as more information on the organization itself, check out their website.

For more reading about Operation Encore, check out the review for the first album, the review for Rachel Harvey Hill, the review for Andrew Wiscombe and the review of Steve D. Wilson.

CD Review: Andrew Wiscombe “Indiana”

Salt Lake City’s Andrew Wiscombe is not your average singer-songwriter. In fact, while music had been a part of Wiscombe’s life (he’s Berklee-trained), it wasn’t until he left the military where he had served as an Army sniper in Iraq that music truly played a pivotal part in his life. The introduction of music into Wiscombe’s life was a way for the ex-military officer to help with the PTSD that he had been dealing with since getting out of the service so that he could focus on other things, such as his family life.

Andrew Wiscombe’s style of writing is largely based in folk-rock that will remind many of songs from Bob Dylan… but with a lot more of a personal connection in them. Where Dylan may have sung about the atrocities of war, Andrew Wiscombe lived through them. And that personal connection shows in his music as Wiscombe takes the listener to places where only a person who experienced the real life situations could.

While some of the tracks written by Andrew Wiscombe deal with the heaviness of war, Wiscombe ventures into other directions that are much less uneasy but with just as much intensity to their subject matter. As a matter of fact, Andrew Wiscombe writes his songs with a style that makes each song feel like a real-life story. That realistic songwriting approach can be found on each of Andrew Wiscombe’s CDs.

Having already released Stories from Southpaw and The River, The Lark, The Pine, Andrew Wiscombe is currently promoting a brand new EP. That new release is entitled Indiana. With his previous releases, Andrew Wiscombe created each song with a very minimalistic approach with mainly just his guitar and his harmonica. For the Indiana EP, Wiscombe continued that basic idea but added Ben Carey on bass to help add some depth to the on the release. That additional element gives some of the tracks more body but still allows for a simplistic sound to Wiscombe’s music.

The first track on the new EP from Wiscombe is the song “Jinglin’ Jack”. Based deep in the ideals of Folk music and folklore, “Jinglin’ Jack” finds Wiscombe creating a track that has a very strong talltale approach to the lyrics. The story contained within the lyrics is about a man who comes to town only to be misunderstood by the townsfolk as they come to think something different about the man than the truth would actually come to show. It’s only after they chase him out of town that they realize who the man was. “Jinglin’ Jack” from Wiscombe ends up being a perfect example of “never judge a book by its cover because you’ll probably miss out on something.”

With the next song of “On the Run,” Wiscombe changes up the feel of the music. While most of the material from Wiscombe is very simplistic, this track takes the folk feel of his music and adds a lot of energy to the music of the track. The Folk-Rock track stands out rather loudly because of the energy included on the track which includes an electric guitar to help add to that energy level. The folk-rock song of “On the Run” could easily find its way onto modern-day Country radio formats.

Another track that finds Wiscombe adding Country to his new EP is the release’s title track. “Indiana” features a slow, easy pace to the Country/Folk music. As you listen to the track, you feel as if you’re listening to a story. The storyline deals with the everyday lives of men and women who call Indiana home. The simple feel of the track is what makes it easy to listen to.

The newest release from Andrew Wiscombe comes to an end with a new rendition of perhaps the strongest track off of the album The River, The Lark, The Pine. The track is entitled “Holdin’ a Ghost”. While other songs from Wiscombe’s may deal with stories about other individuals, “Holdin’ a Ghost” is very close to Wiscombe’s life since the title comes from a statement made by his wife Kate. As she held him close, she felt that his mind was a million miles away. It felt as if she had been “holding a ghost”. The emotional tug caused by the lyrics makes the song one of the strongest in Andrew Wiscombe’s personal library. It also helps to bring Indiana to a close on a very strong note.

Indiana from Andrew Wiscombe will be released on June 2nd, 2017. Until then, check out the track “Holdin’ a Ghost“.

As an ex-soldier who turned to music to help with his PTSD, Andrew Wiscombe soon found out about others who were also using music as a way to help cope with the stress that comes from combat. Together, they joined Operation Encore, an organization that helps give ex-military and military spouses a musical outlet to deal with inner demons. The organization also gives its members a new way to make a living. For more information on Operation Encore and everything it’s about, check out the organization’s website.

 

 

CD Review: Paula Boggs Band “Songs of Protest & Hope”

By day, Washington State-based singer-songwriter Paula Boggs has spent many years working inside of the corporate world. But no matter how impressive Paula Boggs’ personal and corporate achievements have been, she still finds time to allow for her artistic side to shine through.

As a singer-songwriter, Paula Boggs has released three albums: 2010’s A Buddha State of Mind, 2015’s Carnival of Miracles and 2016’s Songs of Protest & Hope. It is with that newest release that Boggs and her band are currently touring.

Paul Boggs’ newest release of Songs of Protest & Hope features not only Boggs on guitar, ukulele and vocals, it also features Mark Chinen on guitar, banjo; Tim Conroy on keyboards, accordion, melodica, trumpet, vocals; Tor Dietrichson on percussion, vocals; Jarrett Mason on bass, vocals; and Sandy Greenbaum on drums. Together, the members of The Paula Boggs Band create Folk Rock that lives up to the spirit of the songs that had been created back in the sixties during an earlier time when the nation was experiencing the same type of political unrest that seems to be happening right now.

For her new release, Paula Boggs created her new EP with her band live in the studio at Empty Sea Studios. The inclusion of the audience responses throughout the EP gives the songs a feeling of real urgency as Boggs sings about issues that are sure to resonate on a very personal level with today’s audiences.

Songs of Protest & Hope from The Paula Boggs Band begins with one of the most notable tracks from back in the sixties. It was during that era leading up to the U.S. involvement in Vietnam that the tune “Get Together” from The Youngbloods had become an anthem for the youth of America. Paula Boggs and her band took “Come Together,” added a little more folk influence to the Folk-Rock song and slowed the pace down just a little. This created a slower, easier version of the tune. This keeps the spirit of the track alive while still making the song feel fresh for a new generation to discover.

The next track on the Songs of Protest & Hope release keeps the Paula Boggs Band in the same time period as they cover the song “Woodstock” from Joni Mitchell. The major difference that the listener will find when listening to Boggs’ version of the tune is that her version is guitar-based while Mitchell’s version was piano-based. The slightly more upbeat version from Boggs gives the track a new life and it gives the track more energy, as well. Just like “Get Together” before it, “Woodstock” finds the Paula Boggs Band creating a track that keeps the spirit of the original song alive. And because of the fact that Boggs has a vocal style that contains a very unique quality to it just like Mitchell’s voice is rather unique, Boggs’ vocal delivery on “Woodstock” is a rather good match of Joni Mitchell. Together, “Woodstock” and Get Together” take the listener back in time to another era where some of the music is just as relevant today as it was back then.

With the remaining three tracks on the Songs of Protest & Hope release from the Paula Boggs Band, Boggs and Company focus on some of her original material. The first of these original songs is “Edith’s Coming Home,” a track that contains lyrics about a woman whose final days are made more difficult because of the Alzheimer’s that is afflicting her. “Edith’s Coming Home” brings Paula Boggs’ jazz influences more to the forefront than the previous tracks. The band creates music that contains a much stronger groove that is reminiscent of the music that would have been found backing up beatnik poets. But with Paula Boggs’ vocal delivery, the song would feel right at home with a band like the Manhattan Transfer.

The next track of “Look Straight Ahead” finds Paula Boggs revisiting material from her earlier release of A Buddha State of Mind. While the track about trying to avoid seeing the bad things that are happening all around was relevant back in 2010, the track feels even more relevant today. Together, the entire ensemble helps to bring the song to life while staying true to the original studio version of the track.

The new release from the Paula Boggs Band comes to a close with the track “Get Along Song”. Like several other tracks included in the Songs of Protest & Hope release, the track “Get Along Song” makes a strong plea for people to find a way to live together. Although set in modern times, the track’s sound and message once again sends the listener back into the sixties when civil unrest was tearing the country apart.

Songs of Protest & Hope from the Paula Boggs Band is one current release that feels both fresh and dated at the same time because of the overall messages that are contained within it. But because of the political climate of the world today, it’s great to see someone from today creating the same type of messages that would have been welcome fifty years ago.

With this release, Paula Boggs proves herself to be a strong singer-songwriter as well as an individual that cares about very strong issues that haunt today’s youth. Songs of Protest & Hope from the Paula Boggs Band makes good use of two sides of Paula Boggs’ personality as the singer-songwriter side and the activist side come through in this release.

For more information, check out Paula Boggs’s website.

To check out a little bit of Paula Boggs’s sound, watch this live performance of “Get Along Song“.

 

 

CD Review: Scott Smith “The Sum of Life”

Bay Area based singer/songwriter Scott Smith creates music that consists of many different genres of music. Country, Blues and other styles all blend together to form Smith’s version of Americana. In order to help Scott Smith bring his musical vision to life, he called upon several talented people. Among them are: pianist Mitch Woods; drummer Vic Carberry; pianist and keyboardist Giovanni Imbesi; Smith’s vocal coach Gailene Elliot, sings backup; Bluegrass mandolinist David Grisman; virtuoso classical and rock violinist David LaFlamme and bassist Jeff Martin. These musicians bring Scott Smith’s The Sum of Life alive.

The Sum of Life album from Scott Smith begins with the instrumental title track of the release. The folk track “The Sum of Life” begins with a very soft acoustic guitar from Scott Smith that is quickly joined by violinist David LaFlamme who adds a gentle violin solo. The duo of Smith and LaFlamme are soon joined by lead guitarist Nina Gerber who adds the texture to the track. The trading off between guitarist Gerber and violinist LaFlamme create a gentle duet of sorts that helps to keep the track interesting for the short 3-minute playing time.

With the song “Eclipsing Moon,” The Sum of Life from Scott Smith picks up a lot of energy. Exchanging the folk feel of the previous track for a stronger Rock and Roll feel, Scott Smith and the rest of his musical ensemble add electric guitars, organ and a stronger bass part for a straight-out Rock and Roll track. The result is a rather unusual track that pairs up somewhat romantic lyrics about spending time together with a strong Rock approach in the music. Although it seems to be a slightly unusual combination, the track of “Eclipsing Moon” is strong and fun to listen to.

On “Blues Guitar Slinger,” Scott Smith creates the next chapter in the music book that already includes the likes of “Johnny B. Goode” from Chuck Berry and “Tupelo Mississippi Flash” from Jerry Reed. Like the previous two songs, “Blues Guitar Slinger” follows the exploits of a musician just making a living. Scott Smith’s song focuses on a slightly different instrument, a slightly different style of playing, yet the same way of storytelling about a legendary figure as he makes his rounds.

On the song “Payday,” Scott Smith takes the sound of his music back to the days of roots rock where people like Bill Hailey, Jerry Lee Lewis and Buddy Holly were creating a new style that separated itself from the Country music of the time. “Payday” features that early Rock and Roll style that centers around the sound of a Honky Tonk piano. The Honky Tonk piano playing on “Payday” comes from Mitch Woods who really adds that classic sound that makes the track sound as genuine as anything that would have come from the days of the early 1950s.

While musically in the past, Scott Smith and the rest of the musicians create a track that brings back the sound and feel of classic Country music. The song “Bad Dreams” contains an easy pace and classic lyrical content that would easily fit in on Country radio back in the sixties. The violin from David LaFlamme helps to add that classic flavor to the track while Gailene Elliott’s vocals help to add a little bit of a duet feel to the song.

The feel of the music on Scott Smith’s new album changes yet again on the track “The Best Gift”. While the previous track contained an old-fashioned Country approach, Smith gives “The Best Gift” a definite Folk flavor to the music. The lyrics about the births of his two children add an emotional touch to the release. “The Best Gift” is one of the most beautiful moments on the release.

After spending a few tracks in the Folk/Country frame of mind, Scott Smith changes directions. For the track “Determination,” the music takes on more of a Rock and Roll feel. The track has a timeless feel to the music as it could fit in with almost any time period within the Rock and Roll era. The track has a strong refrain that makes the song feel just right for commercial radio play.

Along with “Determination,” the song of “The World is Strange” is also a track that features a strong Rock and Roll feel. The track begins with a sound and musical feel that will remind some of something from Eddie Cochran; most specifically, “Summertime Blues”. And while there is that Eddie Cochran influence, the track is equal parts electric guitar and piano so that it also feels like a combination of Cochran and Jerry Lee Lewis.

Throughout the eleven tracks that make up Bay Area singer/songwriter Scott Smith’s new release of The Sum of Life, the listener gets plenty of noteworthy moments to enjoy. The ever-changing styles of music contained within the album feels very much like an entire collection of music on one release. Smith and the rest of the musicians who brought the album to life have created a very strong debut that only hints at the talent of a talented singer-songwriter.

 

CD Review: Sweet Sweet “In Tandem”

Folk band Sweet Sweet formed in 2014 in South Carolina. Jeremy Dunham’s vocals and guitars and Kerrine Gifford’s vocals and cello place the sound of the duo into the Folk category. The duo’s sound has plenty of that folk quality to it while still somehow pushing the envelope. There is more to the duo’s music than just the familiar feel of folk music. Together, Dunham and Gifford create a unique sound that should appeal to not only folk lovers but maybe even Indie Rock lovers, as well. As a way of getting their name out there, Sweet Sweet recently participated in NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest. For that contest, they performed their song “Remind Me”. That track and others appear on Sweet Sweet’s newest release entitled In Tandem.

In Tandem from Sweet Sweet begins with the track “To the Stars”. The beginning features a light feel to the music but with a quick pace. That lightness to the music is quickly swallowed by a more complex feel. The music swells as the cello and guitar seem to be built up in order to create a sound that is much larger than just two instruments. The resulting sound contains plenty of folk-like quality to it, but it also has a little roots rock influence as well. The folk/rock feel of the music seems perfect for radio formats such as Top 40 and/or Hot A/C (Adult Contemporary). “To the Stars” is such a strong track that it could garner the duo plenty of airplay on radio.

Sweet Sweet continues their newest release of In Tandem with the song “Daylight”. “Daylight” finds the duo of Jeremy Dunham and Kerrine Gifford creating a track that is closer to folk-rock than the previous track. Dunham and Gifford blend their guitar and cello together to create a sound that is perfect for folk music. The lightness in the music lends itself well to Dunham’s lyrics about spending time with the one he loves. “Daylight” is a wonderfully light track with an easy pace to it.

The next track on the In Tandem release from Sweet Sweet is the song the duo chose to do for their Tiny Desk Contest submission, “Remind Me”. The track begins with a strong passage that features both Jeremy Dunham and Kerrine Gifford creating a duet of sorts with the acoustic guitar and cello along with a strong beat. The blending of the two instruments into one creates a nice harmonic sound. Dunham and Gifford develop the track further and the duo make good use of their folk influences to make a track with a duet style to the lyrics. The addition of the glockenspiel and the production values on this song make the song one of the strongest moments on the release.

In Tandem continues with the song “Cellars and Closets”. The vocal sound of Jeremy Dunham and his delivery of the lyrics on this track bring to mind the style and sound of Colin Hay from Men at Work. Dunham brings the same type of delivery as Hay’s style to this song. Just like the previous song on the release, Sweet Sweet adds many different layers to the music to give the track plenty of body. The light addition of the electric guitar on the track adds a very subtle but beautiful touch to the music. The resulting track brings to mind not only Colin Hay, but also Jack Johnson. The track’s various aspects combine to create yet another moment on the release that needs to be heard.

The In Tandem release from Sweet Sweet comes to a close with the track “Lost Kids”. The light cello from Kerrine Gifford and acoustic guitar from Jeremy Dunham at the beginning of the track along with the poetic lyrics plus vocal quality from Dunham all combine to create a track that brings to mind something from Simon and Garfunkle. In fact, “Lost Kids” sounds like it easily could have been a lost track Simon and Garfunkle’s classic album of Sounds of Silence. The track’s beautiful quality brings the release from Sweet Sweet to an end on a strong note.

Jeremy Dunham and Kerrine Gifford seem to complement each other well as both musicians and singers. Together, they make for a very strong writing and performing duo as Sweet Sweet. The duo’s In Tandem release is extremely strong throughout the EP’s five tracks. And with no low points, In Tandem is the type of release that makes the listener beg for more once the final note plays out.

To hear some of Sweet Sweet‘s music, check out their video for “Remind Me,” the video they made for NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest.

Click on the album cover for In Tandem by Sweet Sweet to purchase a copy of the release.