June 1, 2015 - The polls have closed for ROCKWIRED.COM's recent ARTIST OF THE MONTH campaign. Voters from all over the U.S. and the world made their vote count and INNASTATE  is ROCKWIRED.COM's newest ARTIST OF THE MONTH. Typically, a band that has only been together for a year doesn't have a whole lot to offer in the way of history but INNASTATE is a band with a past. The band's founder ADRIAN WALL - a world renowned Jemez Pueblo sculptor -  first flexed his musical muscle as the bass player of the band RED EARTH. During RED EARTH's tenure the band in almost single-handedly electrified their local Albuquerque scene and even generated a buzz throughout Indian Country with a sound that combined the groove of reggae and ska with the alternative rock posturing that was all the rage in the mid to late-nineties. After spending years away from music making WALL teamed with bassist and co-songwriter RYLAN KABOTIE and drummer LAWRENCE BAILON to form INNASTATE and the results of their labor in the studio can be heard on their self-titled EP. Not surprisingly WALL's inclination for that irresistible reggae groove is still as strong as ever but it's tempered by lyrics that are reflective and a delivery that is more earnest than RED EARTH's war whoop. JIR ANDERSON on lead guitar adds a roots rock touch to this very promising debut. 

Other nominees for ARTIST OF THE MONTH included  KICKING HAROLD, I CAPTURE CASTLE, CHAINFLOWER, PAULA TOZER, LAZY J AND THE DIRTY SHUFFLE and THE DUSTY ROADS BAND.