the411

Greg Sover fronts his band with essential finesse and panache. He dresses like a stylish warrior. He sings from the soul. His renegade guitar playing is beyond impressive. While he could go come at you with an uppity tone, he is nothing short of genuine and humble. It is so refreshing to talk to such a talent who graciously answers your questions and finishes with "Thank you so much". I first heard of Greg last year when he played the XPOnential fest. He laid down some hearty licks while letting his band play their hearts out.  When we spoke, I mentioned that he defers to his band quite a bit, unlike some front men. He claimed he is like the "rookie" on the team. "I'm lucky to be with these guys." Greg is Brooklyn but now resides in the talent filled rock n roll town, Philadelphia. He embraces the city like it is his friend while still retaining a bit of NY swagger. He speaks slowly and delibetatley but when he sings, it all pours out of his pores....

The Irish gurls are shooting out some of the best music this year. I wrote about SOAK, from Northern Ireland, now it's time to give another lass with sass some luv. Jealous of the Birds, the steady project headed by the pixie hair wearing Naomi Hamilton,  graces us with their presence once again taking it all over the place and back. Chimes open the track which rolls along as  mysticism married with roughed up bass lines.  It reminded me of the theme song of Night Court which is certainly not a band thing. "Blue Eyes" is hardly a love song. Instead it rips as a  manic twisted tale of a track complete with a Vox amp and Yea Yeas.   A punishing guitar solo knocks it up a notch. This track shows off her lyrical prowess "We lie in the hammock of prophetic dreams More than crutches for each other's low self-esteem Let my room smell of woman, brine of sea Wrap me up in scarves of femininity" The video is a heady mix of hippy hammock rocking to a vivid ride o...

A gem of an album   It was the art design on the orange cover that spoke to me. Yes I did judge a book by the cover and glad I picked it out of a crowd of other New Cds at the library. The band was Birdstreets. Something sparked. Wasn’t Birdstreeets one of the 2018 Slingshot artists? The answer a resounding Yes.  I borrowed this gen of an album and have had it on repeat. I call this music “road tripping music”. It’s the type of music I reach for when I hit the road even if it’s for a min day trip. I can imagine listening to Birdstreets on the PCH in Cali with my arm doing the wave out the window. The illuminating duo Birdstreets hails as the primary project between John Brodeur, master guitarist and songwriter, and the multi faceted, Jason Falkner who produced their debut project that is now BirdStreets. Bird Streets songs depict the human condition with irony and humility. sarcasm and humility. Their self titled debut earned them a slot in the group of NPR Slingshot ar...

Delafaye saturates the air with his old soul vocals and pretty picking style.  He recently unleashed his latest EP Acid Tongue. Delafaye is the alias of Kentucky musician, Andrew Shockley. Named after a street near his home in non Nashville, Kentucky. His alias is more comforting to his persona and he relates often feels is a better depiction of him .   The maturity of his songwriting shines on this 4 track EP.  His style harkens the ghost of Elliot Smith playing soulful acoustic guitar.  He pretty picks his way through "Cigarettes and Coffee" as he sings "I feel all alone/Cigarettes and coffee/No one ever offered me". "Tripping and Rolling" is clearly written with his conscious caught in a different era. His song writing is fully mature for someone stuck in his 20s.  A comment for the song on the Youtube video page reads "You know it's a good song when you've never heard it, and you start to sing along. " ...

If you are looking for a sassy, breezy, non mercurial song to brighten your January afternoon, take a SOAK.  SOAK, the 22 year old multi talented musician  from Northern Ireland will be releasing her first new music in 3 years. The first I heard of her was yesterday on the indie/alt wonderfully eclectic radio station WTSQ.  The first chords instantly grab you with their infectious pop and lighthearted sizzle. Intitially, it reminded me of the opening of the indie band, Ivy, whose music was underrated for it's alternative snshiney vibes. SOAK, the alias of Bridie Monds - Watson sports a tight, cropped pixie, a flowery like neck tattoo and no prisoners stare. She  ushers in a fresh nuanced anthem like song for 2019. "You can again, again, knock me off my feet/But I won't stop now you can take a seat" The video shows her as an amateur demolition derby on a small race course. THe mini vehicles rush around the track. There's a smack and a crash. Her c...

Strange we got nothing to talk about Now Not Now Nothing new just the same old shit  "Dirty Drains" casts a light on the fierce reality of daily angst. The eclectic duo Dawn Drapes crafted a timely song and video that depicts the downward spiral of a marriage as well the discomfort of falling into a blase routine. "Strange we have nothing to talk about/ Now Not Now..... Nothing new just the same old shit" The video depicts what happens when the new becomes familiar. The drivel of the daily grind eats you up and you spit it out. when love is gone and  A relationship in tatters.  The video centers around a young married couple obviously caught in a grind at least from the perspective of the deeply unhappy wife. She gets up when her husband is coming home in the early hours of morning. She rises as the alarm beeps.  They are going through the motions. She is hurdling her own emotions. "It's a feeling I can't escape". The couple reside ...

Exquisite vocals that defy genre pigeon holing and spectacular complex arrangements explain Farao, the musical identity of Kari Jahnsen.   Her voice is capable of a range of elements. She sings in a languid, sensual tone even when the songs are danceable. She handles many instruments, including guitar, keys and the electronic board. Melding hypnotic with the familiar comfort her songs take you places. "The Hours" is the second song I heard from Farao who is a native Norwegian living in Berlin.  This song showcases her ethereal entity with the hard hitting lyrics "Give me what you are aching for but all I wanted was to close the door and throw your key away...but the hours they glide away and the end of time is only far away " The video, shot in England, Norway and Iceland, rolls on lie a short movie. Enveloping your senses and taking over in your mind. She glides backwards, her thick milk chocolate waves framing her pale face. She doesn't smile ...

Across the Board rolls as an award winning indie pop band that is diving it’s sound head first into deep end of rock n roll. Jacqueline Auguste serves as the enigmatic front woman handling the vocals and guitar. Auguste is a very engaged in the band she cofounded with Andy Ramjattain who plays bass.  She is also plays a few different string instruments and is the primary song writer. In addition, she plays a large part in the creative development of the film clips that the band puts up on platforms such as Facebook and Youtube.  Ramjattan  manages the equipment and staging of the band's performances and videos . Supporting the two co-founders of ATB are Ben Healey wielding the guitar, Maratin Heller handling the keys, Kurt Dickson on the kit and Jessica Speziale and Shezell Weakes on backup vocals. Influenced by fellow Canadian bands such as Mother Mother and Mariana's Trench,, they also look to US bands such as Imagine Dragons and Twenty One Pilots for in...

I came across Sons of the East in random fashion. They showed up in my YouTube sidebar when I was listening to another artist. A three piece band centering on acoustic guitar, banjo and keys. Nic Johnston vocals/guitar Jack 'danger' Rollins banjo Daniel Wallage vocals/keys They are self described as "Just a few fellas having some fun. Consisting of a lot of good times, a lot of smiles and a lot of high fives." What's not to like.   Sons f the East  also multitask while Nic handles the kick drum and Daniel on the keys (rocking thick blonde waves) deals sounds from the foot tambourine. They use a drum kick and a foot tambourine for effect. They harmonize while they play songs that are both mesmerizing and message carrying. "Don't leave me alone in the dark/ I need your hand to lead me out".  I initially came upon the sun stoked video "California" which appealed to me because of the surf vibe. The three go to the ocean and take...

The film  Breath directed by Simon Baker is a visual feast for the eyes, a bask in soundscapes, a lesson for the soul. This art house standout is based on the novel of he same name by Tim Winton (the film's narrator) creates a Zen experience ripe with 10 foot waves, gangly boys on long boards, and a drifter who just happens to be a world class surer. Set in the 1970 on the rural rocky West Coast of Australia, the story follows two teenagers Pinkelet and Loonie (newcomers Samson Coulter and Ben Spence). The two are best friends with divergent backgrounds with Pinkelet coming from a good home and Loonie living above a bar with his petulant father.  The story follows the two boys through 2 of their form able years showing them as restless 14 years old ripping up the back roads on their long handled bar bikes. They come across a new way of life when they take up surfing under the guru lie tutelage of Sando (Baker). The surfer shows them the ropes brings them...