| ADVERTISEMENTS OTHER ARTICLES:  STAR OFF MACHINE  JANUS  SWEET  TONI HALLIDAY  THE WAILERS |
THE ROCKWiRED ON-LiNE
EXCLUSiVE
JULY 3,
2009"We cannot describe sound, but we cannot forget it either" - IGOR STRAVINSKY NOT SOME WEEKEND WARRiOR GUiTARIST! ALASTAIR GREENE TALKS TO ROCKWiRED ABOUT HiS BAND'S LATEST CD WALKiNG iN CiRCLES WORKiNG WiTH MiTCH KASHMAR AND MAKiNG MUSiC HiS BUSiNESS  Recently, legendary British producer/artist ALAN PARSONS had stated that L.A. based blues guitarist ALASTAIR GREENE ‘…should be out playing with the biggest bands in the world. I believe it’s just a matter of time.’ Since the release of his debut CD A LITTLE WISER back in 2002 and his live recordings with French blues guitarist FRANK ‘PARIS SLIM’ GOLDWASSER, GREENE has earned a reputation as one of the L.A. blues scene’s most reliable and entertaining players. Now, THE ALASTAIR GREENE BAND has released the CD WALKING IN CIRCLES – a seamless catalog of smokin’ originals and electrifying covers that pay homage to a sound that GREENE wishes to preserve. “I love this music and want to be respectful of the form and history yet still be true to myself and my musical goals.” says GREENE “If that means that things start to rock out, get experimental, loud and crazy, or I choose to cover more traditional territory, it’s all part of what I love about the Blues and it’s musical off shoots.” (READ MORE) JUNE 23, 2009 THE THiRD ACT CASEY CRESCENZO OF THE DEAR HUNTER TALKS TO ROCKWiRED ABOUT THEiR LATEST CD 'ACT III: LiFE AND DEATH' FiNDiNG THE RiGHT GROUP OF MUSiCiANS AND NOT HOLDiNG A GRUDGE  Since the band’s inception, THE DEAR HUNTER fronted by CASEY CRESCENZO has been a band on a mission. In an era where the concept album has seen something of a resurgence with bands like RADIOHEAD, GREEN DAY and CARBON 9, THE DEAR HUNTER has done them all one better by telling one cohesive story with their entire catalog thus far (ACT I: THE LAKE SOUTH, THE RIVER NORTH (2006) and ACT II: THE MEANING OF, AND ALL THINGS REGARDING MS. LEADING (2007)). Now, the band – following a drastic line-up change - has released the third chapter of an alternative rock epic that seemingly spans life, the universe and everything. At the time the interview was conducted, ACT III: LIFE AND DEATH was a less than a week away from being released and the band was only minutes away from taking the stage before an ever-growing audience at THE LAUNCHPAD in Albuquerque, New Mexico. (READ MORE) JUNE 18, 2009 SOUL SURViVOR PAPA JEFF STEEL OF BLUES GONE SOUTH TALKS TO ROCKWiRED ABOUT THEiR CD GOTTA KEEP MOViN' MAKiNG AUDiENCES A PART OF THE SHOW AND KEEPiN'ON KEEPiN'ON  Blues music is the music of survival. It’s about weathering the hard times and coming out of them being able to say ‘Good God that’s what I did!’ In speaking with ‘PAPA’ JEFF STEEL of the Southern California-based BLUES GONE SOUTH, surviving is only part of the story. As the sole original member of BLUES GONE SOUTH, STEEL is back on the stage again with a brand new incarnation of the band that he founded fourteen years earlier. For STEEL, it is more important to keep forging ahead as opposed to getting lost in the past – a strange predicament seeing as how BLUES GONE SOUTH’s latest release GOTTA KEEP MOVIN’(SIGNATURE SERIES) is not much of a “latest” release but a re-tooled re-release from 2002. At the moment, the band is hitting the Southern California circuit with a vengeance despite hesitation from club owners that would rather book a VAN HALEN cover band. “There are not a lot of really good blues clubs here.” Says STEEL “They either want the classic rock or they want a tribute band but we’re getting there. We’re building our fan base to where we can get clubs to give us spots because we’ve got a strong fan base. For most clubs, it’s all about how many people you can bring in." (READ MORE) JUNE 16, 2009 A SECOND WiND GiLSON SCHACHNiK TALKS TO ROCKWiRED ABOUT HiS LATEST CD LAMPiAO HiS EVOLUTiON AS A MUSiCiAN AND SECURiNG THE RiGHT RECORD DEAL  Jazz pianist GILSON SCHACHNIK is in the curious position of having to reintroduce his latest CD ‘LAMPIAO’ (CANDID RECORDS) to the record buying public. The music industry is full of stories of record company’s that don’t have enough resources to promote the music when it comes to the good stuff but I’ve got the feeling that the Sao Paulo-born SCHACHNIK is going to come out on top with ‘LAMPIAO’ thanks to its winning combination of top-notch musicianship (featuring alto-saxophonist MIGUEL ZENON and drummer ANTONIO SANCHEZ) and some of the most stunning arrangements this side of HERBIE HANCOCK. (READ MORE) JUNE 10, 2009 WHAT A PEAR! MARiANNE KESLER TALKS TO ROCKWiRED ABOUT HER LATEST CD PEAR iN THE PiNK THiNG HER LOVE AFFAiR WiTH THE GUiTAR AND WRiTiNG FROM LiFE EXPERiENCE  Because there is so much happening in pop music, there is little time for sparseness. Sure every now and then you get a SUZANNE VEGA or a DAMIEN O. RICE but how often does that happen? Singer-songwriter MARIANNE KESLER has been a real folk music trooper since the nineties and on her sixth and latest LP ‘PEAR IN THE PINK THING’ she proves 100% that the never-failing confessional lyric is here bag and she’s sticking to it. Produced by J. BENJAMIN KESLER, the album showcases MARIANNE’s reliable songcraft (namely on the tracks EVERYTIME and POET’S DREAM) and allows the singer’s sweet, wispy alto pay tribute to one of her musical idols –NEIL YOUNG – on the albums two covers OHIO and THE NEEDLE AND THE DAMAGE DONE. (READ MORE) JUNE 9, 2009 TOO BLESSED TO BE DEPRESSED GLENN PATRiK TALKS TO ROCKWiRED ABOUT HiS LATEST CD NUTHIN' BUT A THANG! GROWiNG UP iN KANSAS CiTY AND SUFFERiNG TO SiNG THE BLUES  Despite the nonchalant title of GLENN PATRIK’s latest CD ‘NUTHIN BUT A THANG’(SHAKEHOUSE RECORDS), the blues guitarist confesses that this was the album that he had always wanted to make. Given the man’s history, this rock solid labor of love didn’t seem as if it were that laborious. PATRIK’s life even reads like the lyrics that you would expect to hear in your standard twelve-bar blues progression. Growing up the only white kid in the projects of Kansas City, Kansas, PATRIK was in earshot of local blues heroes such as ALBERT COLLINS and ALBERT KING. A turbulent home life addled by abuse and poverty only served to seal PATRIK’s fate as a musician and performer and with the release of ‘…THANG’ the man is able to look back at the rocky road behind him and smile. “[T]imes are really hard right now and in some cases more perceived then real in my opinion.” Observes PATRIK “Times are always hard even when your making money. It just means that you are making enough to get through it. People don’t think like that but I do because I’m from the hood. I will never have a bad time.” (READ MORE) JUNE 4, 2009 THE ROOT OF iT ALL DONOVAN LEiTCH TALKS TO ROCKWiRED ABOUT HiS MUSiCAL THE DARK ROOT OF THE DREAM WORKiNG WiTH THE FISHANK ENSEMBLE AND FEELiNG EXPOSED ON STAGE  It was a bit difficult to pin DONOVAN LEITCH down for an interview but with his musical THE DARK ROOT OF THE DREAM just days away from it’s premiere at the LARGO AT THE CORONET THEATRE in Los Angeles (Saturday, June 6th at 8PM), it is easy to understand that things may be a little hectic. LEITCH – the lead singer of the all-star cover band CAMP FREDDY and the son of the shirtless, sixties troubadour DONOVAN – had blended his respective passions for Glam Rock, literature and theater into an intriguing rock musical detailing the life of a frock star named MISTER E – the fictional son of the tormented poet VIRGINIA WOOLF. Serving as the musical background for MISTER E’s descent into madness are the exotic sounds of THE FISHTANK ENSEMBLE and direction by KEN ROHT. For LEITCH – who also starred in an Off-Broadway production of HEDWIG – the staging of THE DREAM is a personal journey for him as well. “For me, the connection really was growing up being the son of a musician who I wasn’t raised with” says LEITCH “[I was] trying to understand who my dad was so I kind of listened to music and sort of imagined what a relationship would be like. That is kind of how the connection between MISTER E, VIRGINIA WOOLF, and myself and my dad started to unfold.” (READ MORE) JUNE 1, 2009 THE BLASPHEMOUS AND THE BEAUTiFUL WESTiN HALVORSON OF DESiLLUSiON TALKS TO ROCKWiRED ABOUT THEiR E.P. BLASPHAESTHETIC WORKiNG WiTH MADONNA WAYNE GACY AND CARRYiNG THE TORCH  When I spoke to WESTIN HALVORSON of DESILLUSION, it was raining like crazy outside. It was just the sort of setting you would expect when interviewing a member of gothic-industrial band based in Seattle, but according to HALVORSON, the port city known for its rain and fog was engulfed in sunshine. Within the past couple of months, DESILLUSION has released their E.P. BLASPHAESTHETIC and the boys have gone all out in terms of production. With production cred from the like of BRIAN DIEMAR, RAE DILEO, and STEVEN BIER JR. (MADONNA WAYNE GACY of MARILYN MANSON), BLASPHAESTHETIC does what all great industrial music does - treats all things sacred and profane like they’re kid stuff and connects to the disaffected adolescent that slam dances inside of all of us. (READ MORE) MAY 21, 2009 NO PARAMETERS SHAUNA BURNS TALKS TO ROCKWiRED ABOUT HER LATEST E.P. ANAMNESiS DOiNG RENAiSSANCE FAiRS AND HER AMBiTiON TO BE A VOiCE ON KiNG OF THE HiLL  I can always count on SHAUNA BURNS to throw me for a loop! She reminds me of this girl that I took a poetry class with back in my college days. It’s embarrassing for an English major to admit, but this girl used ‘big’ words in her often ‘abstract’ poetry and as a result everyone in the class would scratch their heads at her superfluous vocabulary. Due to our ignorance, there was some scolding by the graduate assistant teacher for us not ‘utilizing’ the language, but who the hell knew what ANAMNESIS meant? I can’t remember if that was one of the words that was used by that poetess with the pierced nose but it damn well could’ve been. ANAMNESIS is the title of BURNS’ latest offering – a five song E.P. that takes the listener on a musical journey through the five senses and does so with BURNS’ inimitable, seductive coo. Despite the brevity, BURNS doesn’t lose sight of the ‘concept album’ leanings which she insists are incidental. (READ MORE) MAY 18, 2009 LET iT SWAY GiNA QUARTARO, PERRY MARTiN AND PAT MATTiSON OF SWAY TALK TO ROCKWiRED ABOUT THEiR DEBUT CD LET iT ROLL  For a zip code that gave us NO DOUBT and a re-vitalized New Wave sound, Orange County seems to have fallen off the radar in terms of being the homestead for the next big thing in music. Now, the oh-so-sunny-and-conservative paradise is more famous for its garish housewives. One wouldn’t expect the rustic sounds of Americana to be emanating from said County and in a way, neither did GINA QUARTARO – the lead singer of the country rock band SWAY. With the County’s music scene hi-jacked by tribute bands, QUARTARO is stunned by the overwhelmingly positive response to the band’s original music. “It’s interesting because we are an all-original group.” Says QUARTARO “The country bands that Orange County is used to listening to are the cover bands. All the venues in Orange County have to pay the bands that play there. Who is going to hire a country band that’s not all covers? But, it has worked out. People think that our songs are on the radio and they just start dancing. The beautiful thing is that we’re getting paid for these gigs.” At first, the notion of a country tinged rock band from the O.C. sounds like the ‘God, Guns and Ammo’ mentality that Nashville had been putting out hand-over-fist all throughout the BUSH-era. Instead, SWAY’s debut CD ‘LET IT ROLL’ is a sincere effort marked by earnest, good-time country rockers (COWGIRL SCENE and the title track), a timely state of the union (‘THIS WORLD), and a positively driving pop crossover (MORE THAN ENOUGH). (READ MORE) MAY 11, 2009 iNTO THE FUTURE KALEO FUTURiSTO TALKS TO ROCKWiRED ABOUT HiS DEBUT CD THE FUTURE iS NOW BEiNG iNSPECiFiC TO GENRE LUCKY YOU AND MiXiNG SOCiAL CONSCiOUSNESS WiTH PLEASURE  I never asked if FUTURISTO was the guy’s real last name but the root of it seems to ring true. The multi-ethnic, multi-genre recording artist and producer KALEO FUTURISTO is all about looking to the future. I am not the first, nor will I be the last to point out the parallels between FUTURISTO’s positive vibe and the vibe surrounding the country’s change in leadership, however there is more to KALEO’s debut album than the social consciousness evidenced in the OBAMA tribute AIR OF THE NIGHT (featuring a sample of the PHIL COLLINS classic IN THE AIR TONIGHT), SUSIE-Q (A tale of teen pregnancy and abortion) and YOUNG ONES. Aside from moments of serious reflection, FUTURISTO knows how o get the party started with equal measure and keeps things interesting by switching from alternative rock to reggae to hip-hop in a moments notice without bewildering the listener. For FUTURISTO, such diversity comes naturally. “I come from a Hawaiian, Spanish, Puerto Rican background on my dad’s side and on my mom’s side, it is Eastern European and Austrian.” Says FUTURISTO. “ I’m all mixed up and I came from Pasadena and I went to school with mostly African-Americans. It was a seventy-percent African American school and about twenty percent Latin. Pasadena itself is an extremely multi-cultural city. The diversity of my on music comes form my own background as well as the culture that I was exposed to in my hometown of Pasadena.” (READ MORE) MAY 11, 2009 SO URGENT CARY JUDD TALKS TO ROCKWiRED ABOUT HiS LATEST CD GOODNiGHT HUMAN PRODUCiNG HiMSELF AND THE URGENCY OF THE MUSiC  In a career spanning six years or more, singer-songwriter CARY JUDD has finally released an album that has come out exactly as he had imagined it. GOODNIGHT HUMAN - an album where JUDD makes his debut as a producer – is a rock solid effort that runs the gamut of the pop psychological barometer from the first single HUAN SAN (THE AH-HA SONG), the jangle-y yet timely THE APOCALYPTIC LOVE SONG, the power-pop perfection of ANGEL WITH A CIGARETTE, and the deeply personal A TIME TO LIE. Aside from showing off his chops as a first time producer, JUDD is quick to stress the “urgency” of the work – a word not heard in the same sentence as “pop-rock music” since the late nineties. “In the end, it was (making the album) a lot more satisfying as opposed to having a producer filtering me.” Admits JUDD. “I understand that in some cases that I s probably a good thing but this album felt really urgent and really real because there was no producer.” (READ MORE) MAY 6, 2009 LUCKY iN LOVE CYD FRAZZiNi AND CRAiG ASPENOFTHE BELiEVERS TALK TO ROCKWiRED ABOUT THEiR LATEST CD LUCKY YOU AND USiNG THEiR DiFFERENCES TO THEiR ADVANTAGE  It’s probably a little too early to tell if the third time is the charm but it sure as hell sounds that way after listening to THE BELIEVERS latest release LUCKY YOU (clearly they had the same thing in mind when naming the album!). For close to a decade, the band - fronted by the duo of CRAIG ASPEN and CYD FRAZZINI - has wowed Americana press outlets with their alt-country sound that is one part GRAM PARSONS and EMMYLOU HARRIS and part JOHN DOE and EXENE CERVENKA. With the release of LUCKY YOU the ASPEN/FRAZZINI partnership falls under column ‘B’ as they move beyond the roots sound that earned them their acclaim in the hopes of making an edgier album. Fortunately, the band succeeds especially on the blistering title track and the foot-stomping Hurricane Katrina tale ‘RING RING RING. (READ MORE) MAY 6, 2009 PEACHY KEEN FOSTER McGiNTY TALKS TO ROCKWiRED ABOUT HiS DEBUT CD PEACH RED GETTiNG THE MUSiC OUT THERE AND NOT RE-iNVENTiNG THE WHEEL  Once again, another twenty-something buck with a guitar is here to announce that he is out to make rock n roll the way his daddy used to do it. I certainly don’t mean to sound cynical in introducing a fellow like singer-songwriter FOSTER McGINTY, but in a decade littered with young troubadours bleeding with overwrought MAYER-styled sensitivity, McGINTY is probably going to be the last of the line given the six months remaining of said decade. But after listening to the kid’s debut CD PEACH RED, I’ve got to say that McGINTY goes a little further than expected by successfully introducing a bit of rock n roll soul to a demographic that is all too content to cut their chops on a spirited game of GUITAR HERO as opposed to picking up a real guitar. (READ MORE) MAY 1, 2009 WHAT WE'RE MADE OF STACEY QUINEALTY OF CARBON 9 TALKS TO ROCKWiRED ABOUT THEiR LATEST CD THE BULL AND THE BROTHERHOOD BEHiND THE BAND  It was only a matter of time before the ‘concept’ album made its way to my mailbox. The Los Angeles-based metal band CARBON 9 are one those acts that have me at a disadvantage. Much of the buzz surrounding these lads revolves around their stunning live show that allegedly resembles more performance art than your four-to-the-floor rock n roll. I have not witnessed their show myself so all I’ve got to go on is the band’s third release ‘THE BULL’(WORLDSOUND) – a gloriously sequenced streak of heavy metal thunder complete with slick power chords and the best intentions we’ve seen in metal since QUEENSRYCHE’s ‘OPERATION: MINDCRIME’(though you might have to twist lead singer/producer STACEY QUINEALTY’s arm to get him to notice the comparison). The album’ theme of humanity losing itself to technology is as epic in scope as the entire run of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA and certainly more engaging than MR. ROBOTO, but it’s the musicianship of the band and QUINEALTY’s musical direction that steal the show. Aside from a curious cover of DANZIG’s ‘MOTHER’, ‘THE BULL’ is as sturdy and resilient as its title suggests. (READ MORE) APRiL 30, 2009 iT'S A HARD ROCK LiFE! JOE DELANEY OF JOETOWN TALKS TO ROCKWiRED ABOUT THE BAND'S LATEST CD PiLLS AND AMMO AND NOT HAViNG TO 'PAY TO PLAY'  Ever since my relocation to the American Southwest (Albuquerque, NM to be exact), the music coming my way has been of the jazz variety. While the artists are just the sort of thing that could get a music scriber like me taken seriously (MELODY GARDOT and LUCIANA SOUZA), they are hardly the type of road-weary, hard-living, rock-n-roll lifestyle type interviews that have eluded me since my big move. In comes the Connecticut-based JOETOWN, whose independently produced ‘PILLS AND AMMO’ has garnered favorable metal press and praise from the likes of head-banging luminaries as MIKE DUDA and CHRIS HOLMES of W.A.S.P. Fronted by lead singer and guitarist JOE DELANEY, the band rips through eleven tracks that range from balls-to-the-wall metal and gritty numbers that tip their banged heads to the likes of rock mavens LED ZEPPELIN and DEEP PURPLE. (READ MORE) APRiL 29, 2009 ONCE AGAiN LUCiANA SOUZA TALKS TO ROCKWiRED ABOUT HER LATEST CD TiDE WORKiNG WiTH HUSBAND LARRY KLEiN AND BALANCiNG CAREER AND FAMiLY  At the moment, life is considerably less hectic for GRAMMY-nominated jazz vocalist LUCIANA SOUZA. The Brazilian-born songstress is now a new mom and three-years into her marriage with celebrated music producer LARRY KLEIN. While SOUZA has experienced great joy in the past year, she also experienced the loss of both of her parents. One would think that the highs and lows would keep SOUZA beneath the covers , but instead she celebrates the ups and downs with the release of her latest CD – the fittingly titled ‘TIDE’. Produced by husband LARRY KLEIN, ‘TIDE’ combines SOUZA’s natural Brazilian leanings (namely on the rousing medley of HAROLDO BARBOSA’s ‘ADEA AMERICA’ and EU QUERO UNM SAMBA), her appreciation for the work of poet E.E. CUMMINGS as evidenced on the albums title track and LOVE-POEM 65’, and a penchant for confessional-styled songwriting (FIRE AND WOOD, CIRCUS LIFE, and ONCE AGAIN). Not to be lost in the mix of ace musicianship and top-notch production is SOUZA’s smokey, one-of-a-kind delivery. (READ MORE) APRiL 28, 2009 WRAPPED AROUND HER FiNGER MARGO REYMUNDO TALKS TO ROCKWiRED ABOUT HER CD MY HEART'S DESiRE MAKiNG THE TOUGH DECiSiONS AND BEiNG REWARDED BY THE EXPERiENCE  Sultry jazz pop siren MARGO REYMUNDO’s latest release – the self-produced ‘MY HEART’S DESIRE’ (ORGANICATUNES.COM) - is a celebration of love and life set to the most intoxicating Brazilian grooves. It opens with the playful and confident title track and the easy Bossa Nova of ‘TELL ME’. ‘BETWEEN US’ goes for that NORAH JONES moment with it’s bluesy piano, brush-stick drumming and MARGO’s irresistible contralto but the biggest surprise is REYMUNDO’s rendition of THE POLICE’s ‘WRAPPED AROUND YOUR FINGER’. Here, the New Wave classic is transformed into a moody slow burner with a few Middle-Eastern flourishes. (READ MORE) APRiL 23, 2009 GO YOUR OWN WAY TiGRE TALKS TO ROCKWiRED ABOUT HER DEBUT E.P. APT TAFT CAPTURiNG A MOMENT AND BEiNG RAW  After one listen to 'APT TAFT', the curiously titled, self-produced E.P. from Nigerian-born songwriter TIGRE, it's easy to hear that this woman goes for atmosphere when recording. Recorded in her living room with an acoustic guitar, an upright bass and slap dash percussion, TIGRE's odes ot 'keeping on keeping on' and love gone right resonate without the assist of PRO-TOOLS. "I just wanted to do something different." says TIGRE "I wanted to keep it simple. To be honest with you, I picked up this MUDDY WATERS record that was done in 1947 and I noticed how simple the recording was. You could hear things in the background. You could hear someone dropping something and I wanted to do a record just like that." (READ MORE) APRiL 16, 2009 ROUGH AND RAGGED JASON HEATH OF THE GREEDY SOULS TALKS TO ROCKWiRED ABOUT THE ALBUM THE VAiN HOPE OF HORSE WORKiNG WiTH TOM MORELLO AND NELS CLiNE AND REMEMBERiNG DANNY FEDERiCi  As with many an Americana act, there is always the tendency for folks to throw in the tried and true DYLAN comparison, but ex-SPINEWIRE vocalist JASON HEATH and his band of GREEDY SOULS owe more to the their punk leanings, which is not to say that the band’s debut CD ‘THE VAIN HOPE OF HORSE’ (STILL SMALL RECORDINGS) is a mere collection of punk anthems gone acoustic and topped off by YSANNE SPEVACK’s remarkable fiddle playing. Produced by SHADWRACK (HEATH himself) and MIKE FENNEL, ‘THE VAIN…’ is a musical journey through the harsh, hostile landscape of the human condition (namely on the tracks ‘AMERICAN JESUS’, ‘KEROSONE DREAMS’ and ‘THUNDERSTRUCK’). With guest appearances by NELS CLINE of WILCO, WAYNE CRAMER of MC5 and TOM MORELLO of RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, ‘ THE VAIN…’ is the most intriguing brand of Drugstore Cowboy since COWBOY JUNKIES released the ‘TRINITY SESSIONS’. This is the one and only time where a stripped-down version of OZZY OSBOURNE’s ‘CRAZY TRAIN’ is ever going to be taken seriously. (READ MORE) APRiL 14, 2009 ROCKWiRED's ViDEO TO WATCH FOR: MELODY GARDOT - 'BABY i'M A FOOL' Here is what jazz chanteuse MELODY GARDOT had to say about the sexiest video to ever come ROCKWIRED's way: "You know, the whole video was based upon a photo that a friend of mine took in D.C. I was sitting in a bathtub after a photo shoot and I was tired and he was like ‘You mind if I still take some pictures?’ and I was like ‘yeah, sure, why not?’ So he took the pictures of me in the tube and I kind of passed them on to my manager jokingly thinking that I could get a bubble bath sponsorship. So my manager wrote back to me and said that the photo should be my video. I thought it was a really great idea. I spend almost all day in the tub. I love the tub. I would live in the bathtub. It is my favorite place in the world and I often have men in suits serving me and bringing me things while I’m in the tub, so this video was completely appropriate. It’s a good indication of who I am as a person." APRiL 5, 2009 SUCH A THRiLL!! MELODY GARDOT TALKS TO ROCKWiRED ABOUT HER LATEST CD 'MY ONE AND ONLY THRiLL' WORKiNG WiTH PRODUCERLARYY KLEiN' AND TAKiNG THE TiME TO REFLECT  After one listen to jazz chanteuse MELODY GARDOT's sophomore release 'MY ONE AND ONLY THRILL', it is not difficult to figure out what the titular 'thrill' is. GARDOT has crafted the most delectable collection of tunes that catalog the in's and out's of falling in love. With a litle help from producer LARRY KLEIN and lush orchestral arrangements by VINCE MENDOZA, '...THRILL' is an epic collection of musical gems that are destined to become romantic songbook standards for the FACEBOOK generation. (READ MORE) SOUL MAN JOHN BIGHAM TALKS TO ROCKWiRED ABOUT HiS LATEST CD ''BLACK JOHN'' HiS MUSiCAL ATER-EGO AND LiViNG AND BREATHiNG THE MUSiC  After spending a lifetime helping to lay down the musical foundations for industry luminaries such as MILES DAVIS, EMINEM, DR. DRE, BRUCE HORNSBY and NIKKA COSTA (and lets not forget his tenure as the guitarist/keyboardist for FISHBONE), JOHN BIGHAM has stepped out into the light with the curious moniker THE SOUL OF JOHN BLACK. With the release of his debut CD 'BLACK JOHN' (ECLECTO GROOVE), BLACK brings black music back to the blues and throws in some gospel, funk, and hip-hop chops for good measure. One would expect such a finely crafted hommage such as 'BLACK JOHN' to be a decidedly studied affair but BLACK and his stellar cast of ace musicians (BILL BOTRELL on guitars, SCOTT SEIVER on drums and SHAWN DAVIS on bass) keep it real. (READ MORE) MARCH 27, 2009 ROCKWiRED SPECiAL ANNOUNCEMENT:
What
can I say? It is definitely the end of an era for ROCKWIRED but by no
means is it an end. We are in the process of moving our offices out of
California to the lovely mountains of New Mexico where we will continue
to interview some of the most fascinating names and voices in
independent music. ROCKWIRED has survived two wars, a recession, and a
most fascinating shift in the country's political landscape, so why the
hell would we stop now? As far as future radio plans are concerned, all
I can say is 'keep your eyes opened'. I've got a good feeling about the
move and an even better feeling about the future of ROCKWIRED. I would
like to thank everyone who made the show possiblefor the past four
years and the listeners who took the time to log on every Saturday
before dinner. New interviews will be coming to ROCKWIRED.COM next week
but in the meantime, 'KEEP YOUR EYES FORWARD, NEVER LOOK BACK, AND MAKE
IT UP AS YOU GO!'THE LAST SHOUT! ROCKWiRED LiVE AIRS IT'S FINAL SHOW ON SATURDAY, MARCH 28, 2009 AT 5:00PM (PST) ON KTSTFM.COM  CLICK THE IMAGE ABOVE TO LISTEN MARCH 19, 2009 ROCKWiRED SPECiAL ANNOUNCEMENT: THAT'S ALL FOLKS! ROCKWiRED ENDS iT'S ASSOCiATiON WiTH THE AMERiCAN RADiO NETWORK WiTH PROMiSES TO CONTiNUE AS AN ON-LiNE MAGAZiNE  (ORANGE, CA) Since January 15, 2005, the thirty minute internet radio show ROCKWIRED LIVE has been out on a mission to showcase some of the finest releases in independent music in genres such as rock, blues, jazz, hip-hop, alt-country, alternative and electronica. "In starting a show like ROCKWIRED LIVE, I wanted to run counter to the direction I saw the country going in at the time." says the shows host and producer BRIAN LUSH, who is quick to point out that ROCKWIRED debuted just days before the second inauguration of Former President GEORGE W. BUSH. "You had all of these radio stations being bought up by CLEAR CHANNEL , a war that was going to last even longer, and the music - at least in my opinion - was more marginal than ever with very few exceptions. I wanted to shine a light on music that caught my ear and I wanted to let people in on it. That has always been the point of the show." (READ MORE) MARCH 12, 2009 REDEMPTiON SONG JARED YOUNG TALKS TO ROCKWiRED ABOUT HiS LATEST CD 'SEVERAL SHOTS AT REDEMPTiON' WRiTiNG ON iNSTiNCT AND HOW PRESiDENT OBAMA CHANGED THE ORDER OF HIS CD  Back in 2006, roots rock troubadour JARED YOUNG got his JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP on with his oh-so-sincere debut CD 'SO MANY MILES'. Brimming with over-wrought singer-songwriter sensitivity and earnestness, the Arkansas-born YOUNG's compositions had a way of tugging the heart strings a little too hard and much like the uber-male singer-songwriter JOHN MAYER. Now YOUNG is back with his sophomore release 'SEVERAL SHOTS AT REDEMPTION' and while the easy-going YOUNG is as amiable as he was the first time around, the new songs take on a decidedly more political edge. "This (album) was written towards the middle of BUSH's second term." says YOUNG "I am pretty unabashedly progressive with my politics, but the same time, I really feel like a patriot. I have a deep love for my country and a deep love for our constitution. A lot of the record was influenced by friends or family that were overseas serving in Iraq and stories that I had heard." (READ MORE) MARCH 7, 2009 AND THE WiNNERS ARE... CURTiS PEOPLES, JANE BADLER, CiAM, THE SLANTS, & THE CHERRY POPPiN' DADDiES EMERGE ViCTORiOUS iN 2009 ROCKWiRED READER'S POLL AWARDS      (ANAHEIM, CA) The winners of the 2009 ROCKWIRED READER'S POLL AWARD were announced on a special one-hour edition of ROCKWIRED LIVE on March 7, 2009 at WWW.KTSTFM.COM by hosts BRIAN LUSH and SINE DOHERTY. Unlike victors of the past, some of this years winners were a surprise for ROCKWIRED's founding editor BRIAN LUSH. "It's surprising in a good way I suppose." says LUSH. "With ROCKWIRED, we always like to think that we do things a little differently and in turn look for something completely different in music. This year more than ever we did feature artists that I think were a little more radio friendly in certain respects, but the winners ended up being an art-rock band called CIAM and on the other hand you have a former sci-fi actress releasing this dark and quirky album. You never what's going to happen here next." (READ MORE) MARCH 2, 2009 THE VOTES ARE iN: THE 2009 ROCKWiRED READER'S POLL AWARDS The polls have officially closed for the 2009 ROCKWIRED READER'S POLL AWARDS. The winners will be announced on a special hour-long broadcast of ROCKWIRED LIVE which will air March 7, 2009 at 4:30PM (PST) on WWW.KTSTFM.COM. ANOTHER SEXTAPE? KELLY WHEELER OF SEXTAPES TALKS TO ROCKWiRED ABOUT THE BAND'S DEBUT CD, AND UNLEASHiNG THEiR SOUND ON AN UNSUSPECTiNG PUBLiC  Los Angeles-based metal band SEXTAPES have released their self-titled, self-produced debut CD with distribution and publicity generated by their association with the new GUNS AND ROSES (lead singer and guitarist CHRIS PITMAN is a member of AXL's latest incarnation). Despite the added exposure, one would think that the shaky reception of the long - if not eagerly - awaited 'CHINESE DEMOCRACY' would adversely effect a band like SEXTAPES, but the reaction from enthusiastic audiences throughout Los Angeles have proven just the opposite. (READ MORE) FEBRUARY 17, 2009 ROCKWiRED READER'S POLL AWARD NOMiNEE JANE BADLER ENCHANTS AUDiENCES AT LEGENDARY SPiEGELTENT AND PREDiCTS A MORE 'ELECTRONiC' SOUND iN HER MUSiCAL FUTURE  Twenty-five years after she swallowed a guinea pig in the mini-series 'V', JANE BADLER returned with the release of her debut CD 'THE DEVIL HAS MY DOUBLE' and she was still every bit the sex kitten she portrayed in the 1983 cult sci-fi classic sans lizard scales. The list of soap opera (or space opera) stars that have released albums (with the exception of RICK SPRINGFIELD) remains laughably unimpressive, but BADLER bucked the trend with oh-so-tawdry material that had her "screwing" in backseats of cars on the LEONARD COHEN-sounding 'I LOVE EVERYTHING' and conjuring up MARIANNE FAITHFULL-styled angst on 'WHEN WE GOT HIGH' with a playfulness that recalls DEBORAH HARRY. Go ahead and tell us that a song like 'A DREAM ONLY LASTS' couldn't have competed with BLONDIE's 'IN THE FLESH' over thirty years ago. "I was singing these jazz covers and it really wasn't going anywhere and it really wasn't all that edgy and when you know that there is something out there for you that's a little more original and then, when it finds you, it's amazing." said BADLER back in July of 2008 "Around that time, JESSE approached me and I heard the music and I was like 'Oh, this music is really strange! I'm not sure.' JESSE and SIR had a very different approach than me. We sort of evolved together and created this character and it sort of makes so much sense now to the both of us. We're very excited." (READ MORE) ROCKWiRED READER'S POLL AWARD NOMiNEES CiAM GiVE THEiR DEBUT CD 'ANONYMOUS' THE RELEASE iT DESERVES  In the summer of 2008, art-rockers CIAM generated quite a buzz with their debut release 'ANONYMOUS'. The bands cold electronic sound, punctuated by HADAR GOLDMAN's distorted electric violin and singer/guitarist JEFF SHAPIRO's near-robotic vocals was both captivating and unnerving, yet something was amiss. For a band that prides itself on it's visual presentation for live shows, it seemed as if the album 'ANONYMOUS' was only part of the story. "We're trying to do something that excites different senses and represents a creative atmosphere and a backdrop for our music or perhaps the other way around." said JEFF SHAPIRO back in July of 2008 "So it's more than just sitting down and writing a songs and putting chords together for it." (READ MORE) FEBRUARY 12, 2009 ROCKWiRED's ViDEO TO WATCH FOR: MAX MORGAN - 'WAiT FOR ME' Back in December of 2008, I spoke with MAX MORGAN as he was nearing the end of a tour about his forthcoming debut CD 'INTERRUPTING THE SILENCE' (Due MARCH 31, 2009 through CHIME ENTERTAINMENT). As the release date draws closer and closer, MAX has issued the first single and video 'WAIT FOR ME'. Directed by EVAN LANE (FILTER, LOQUAT), our bleeding heart troubadour is in hot pursuit of that everygirl that has found herself the subject of many a pop song. READ THE PREViOUS ROCKWiRED ON-LiNE EXCLUSiVE iNTERViEW WiTH MAX MORGAN HERE FEBRUARY 10, 2009 LUKE, iT iS YOUR DESTiNY! LUKE PiLGRiM OF LAST NOVEMBER TALKS TO ROCKWiRED ABOUT THEiR CD 'OVER THE TOP AND UNDER THE WEATHER' WORKiNG WITH PRODUCER STEPHEN HAiGLER AND MAKiNG A ViDEO  Although the seed for the Atlanta-based rock band LAST NOVEMBER was planted in a high school history class, the band's story isn't exactly ROGER CORMAN's 'ROCK N ROLL HIGH SCHOOL'. It's more a story of persistence. I remember being a high schooler with an acoustic guitar and going to open mics at local coffee shops and waiting and waiting until it was my turn to shine with a couple of two chord ditties I had scratched out in an adolescent fit. In speaking with LAST NOVEMBER's lead singer, guitarist and chief songwriter LUKE PILGRIM, I get the sense that the journey for him was a little smoother and maybe even a little more obvious. An artistic soul at heart, LUKE was handed a guitar at age eleven in the same fashion that that other LUKE from a certain seventies science fiction yarn was handed a lightsaber. Needless to say, things changed from that moment on. LUKE spent his class periods penning lyrics to the songs that would make up LAST NOVEMBER's pop rock catalog. After breaking through the glass with their self-produced, self-financed debut CD 'ALL THE GORY DETAILS' (2006), the band returned in 2008 with their immaculate sophomore release 'OVER THE TOP AND UNDER THE WEATHER'. Produced by STEPHEN HAIGLER (FUEL, OLEANDER and THE PIXIES) 'OVER THE TOP...' demonstrates a more nuanced sound and hard won maturity in PILGRIM's pop psychological sensibilities as a songwriter. (READ MORE) FEBRUARY 9, 2009 CULTURE SHOCK COLUMBiAN ROCKER iSA TALKS TO ROCKWiRED ABOUT HER E.P. 'ALL MY LIFE IS WONDER' LiViNG iN AMERiCA AND COMMUNiCATiNG THROUGH MUSiC  It's hard to tell what the future has in store for a rock vocalist like ISA, but if her recent performances at such famous L.A. haunts such as THE ROXY and the VIPER ROOM are any indication, rock music may have found it's next dynamic front woman. In an age where artists - especially rock artists - are expected to fit into a particular niche, ISA (born ISABEL VALENCIA in Medellin, Columbia a little over twenty years ago) proudly marches left with a bold sound punctuated by irresistible pop melodies, crazy ass time signatures and rhythms that defy you basic four-to-the-floor rock n roll. Her E.P. 'ALL MY LIFE IS WONDER' is the first step for an artist that is prepared to take on the music world on her own terms. According to her manager RICHARD W. GILKERSON, more is waiting in the wings. "She's going to be recording a couple of tracks in the next month. Most of her songs up until now have been recorded in English but we really want to move her to doing more songs in Spanish." says GILKERSON "She's got some amazing songs in Spanish. The way i can tell if a song is agood and catchy is if I'm walking down the street after seeing a gig and when a song pops into my mind, then I know that there is some sort of hook in that song that's got me. I saw ISA putting together a Spanish song and going through it in the studio and in the next couple of days, I could not get it out of my head and I don't know the first word of what it means." (READ MORE) JANUARY 30, 2009 SHiNE ON DAVE GLEESON OF THE SREAMiNG JETS TALKS TO ROCKWiRED ABOUT THEiR COMEBACK CD 'DO YA' MAiNTAiNiNG THEiR iNTENSiTY ON STAGE AND HOW AN iMPROMPTU RENDiTiON OF 'PUFF THE MAGIC DRAGON' GOT 'EM BOOTED OFF A PLANE  Legendary Aussie rockers, THE SCREAMING JETS are on the comeback trail with the release of their first LP in eight years, 'DO YA'. With a series of shows in Australia behind them, the band is gearing up for a performance at THE KEY CLUB in Hollywood - the band's first Stateside show in many moons. "I think that having the songs that we have and the confidence that we have in them, it just relies on us getting out there and selling it to the crowds." says singer DAVE GLEESON "That is my motivation speech that I give to the guys in the band. You're going to get tired when we're doing a two hour show but those are the moments that you've got to mentally lift yourself and raise the intensity. I almost feel like a football coach." (READ MORE) JANUARY 28, 2009 LOVELY LUBA MASON TALKS TO ROCKWiRED ABOUT HER CD 'KRAZY LOVE' WORKiNG WiTH RENATO NETO AND BECOMiNG A SONGWRiTER  LUBA MASON has gone out on a limb on her latest CD, the sensuous 'KRAZY LOVE' - a celebration of love and life set to the most intoxicating Brazilian flourishes this side of the equator. The jazz chanteuse, former classical pianist and actress of Broadway and television ('HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS...', 'CHIGAGO', and the controversial PAUL SIMON musical 'CAPEMAN') can now add 'songwriter' to her already impressive resume. 'KRAZY LOVE' is MASON's maiden voyage as a songwriter and the results are astounding from the easy-going title track to the vibrant reflection of childhood memories set to a fierce Bossa Nova on 'THIS HOUSE' and the slow burning elegy 'SUMMER NIGHT' - the composition that started it all. "I actually had a verse and a chorus for that song and the rest was finished by RENATO NETO (the album's co-producer) and myself." says MASON "We put another verse in there and a bridge. From that point on, we started writing. The process took about two years on and off." (READ MORE) JANUARY 27, 2009 WHEN YOU HEAR iT, YOU KNOW! GUiTARiST MiKE TYRANSKi OF JANUS TALKS TO ROCKWiRED ABOUT THE BAND'S LATEST CD 'RED RiGHT RETURN' THE CHEMiSTRY THAT HOLDS iT ALL TOGETHER AND MAKiNG AN EMOTiONAL CONNECTiON Everyday, I talk to bands and solo artists and when it comes to the topic of 'music industry', almost every single one of them cries revolution and rightfully so. Just turn on any rock radio station (more than likely owned by CLEAR CHANNEL) these days and what you hear is not the brashness or the rebelliousness that has often come to signify rock n roll, but consensus - a consensus reached by a bunch of fellas in white shirts and black ties sitting at a conference table. Every indie artist is right to call for a shake up in the way things are done but the Chicago-based JANUS are taking a stand as bold as the constructivist artwork that adorns their latest release 'RED RIGHT RETURN'. "It's almost got a revolutionary kind of feel to it." says JANUS guitarist MIKE TYRANSKI "The meaning behind it is about revolting against opinions of the music industry in what they feel that people want to hear. We're all about shutting things like that out and forging ahead. We're going to be in charge of our destiny."(READ MORE) JANUARY 23, 2009 ROCK N ROLL REVENGE XiREN TALKS TO ROCKWiRED ABOUT HiS LATEST CD 'TRiP-R' A CHAOTiC TOUR OF iNDiA AND THE STATES AND GROWiNG FROM THE EXPERiENCE  Back in 2005, XIREN was one of the first people I interviewed for ROCKWIRED and time has certainly changed a lot of things. I no longer nervously cling to that list of questions when interviewing people over the phone, and well, XIREN's hair is considerably longer. If anything, I had him to thank for my now cavalier attitude with regard to interviewing folks. Four years ago, XIREN released the immaculately produced E.P. 'THERAPY FOR HEROES' issuing such ENO-styled elegies such as 'INVISIBLE HERO' (at one time, a contender for a placement on an abandoned SUPERMAN soundtrack) and the stunning 'I NEED YOU TONIGHT'. Now, he is back with a full length L.P. 'TRIP-R' and this time, XIREN truly get's his BONO on with top grade stadium rockers (the title track and 'BURN YOUR LOVE DOWN'), 'ZOOROPA'-styled pop tunes ( 'JESUS WAS AN ALIEN' and 'SOMETHING MORE') and unavoidable singer-songwriter sensitivity ('I'M HERE' and 'JUST LIKE RAIN'). One standout track - 'GRACE' - opens with a haunting vocal arrangement that will definitely have one thinking they are listening to to some lost QUEEN recording. In speaking with XIREN again, the road to completing his latest opus was indeed rocky. Worked on and recorded during a hellacious tour of India and during a U.S. tour that ended abruptly following a tour bus accident, the resulting album, according to XIREN, seems to have been molded by the experiences. As was he. "It's got the retribution." says XIREN of 'TRIP-R' "It's got the upset. It's got he complexity and then it turns around and becomes introspective at the end of it and it becomes mellower and graceful. I put it together as a record. People don't do records anymore. All they do is write a bunch of songs and this was meant to be a record. It wasn't meant to be a concept record but the songs kind of have a sincere and coherent flow. So yeah, I think people that are still listening to records these days are really appreciating it and that's huge. That is all I ever wanted."(READ MORE) JANUARY 21, 2009 AND THEY ALL STARTED GROOViNG! STEVE PRiEST OF SWEET TALKS TO ROCKWiRED ABOUT THE NEWLY REFORMED SWEET THE 'ARE YOU READY STEVE?' TOUR AND ROCKiNG OUT THE BAND'S SiGNATURE TUNES ON HiS TERMS Having been born in the punk era and raised by oh-so-jazz minded parents, the thunderous sounds of glitter band SWEET's power pop anthems such as 'NO YOU DON'T', 'LITTLE WILLY', 'LOVE IS LIKE OXYGEN' and 'FOX ON THE RUN' where only made known to me through late night infomercials hocking some seventies collection or by any artist who has ever worked with MIKE CHAPMAN (PAT BENATAR's venomous cover of 'NO YOU DON'T'). Hell, I haven't even gotten into how I first heard 'BALLROOM BLITZ' in the 1991 film 'WAYNE'S WORLD'! With a string of hits - penned largely by songwriting team MIKE CHAPMAN and NICKY CHINN up until 1974 - SWEET was glam rock and through their pounding rhythm section, melodic guitar crunches, manic four-part harmonies, and stage presence, the band inspired a generation of future eighties hair bands. Of course, fortune couldn't smile on these lads forever. A couple of bad things happened and SWEET wasn't all that sweet anymore. Former lead singer - the late BRIAN CONNOLLY - was the first to abandon ship. The rest of the band followed suit in 1982 following the release of their final album 'IDENTITY CRISIS'.(READ MORE) JANUARY 20, 2009 ROCKWiRED PROFiLES: DiNA LAPOLT  JANUARY 14, 2009 MiSTRESS OF THE HOUSE FORMER CURVE FRONTWOMAN TONi HALLiDAY TALKS TO ROCKWiRED ABOUT HER SOLO PROJECT 'CHATELAiNE' AND MAKiNG A FATTER, WiDER, MORE ORGANiC SOUND I can't quite explain my fascination with women who could eat me for breakfast. Back in the early nineties, TONI HALLIDAY was such a woman. As the pretty half of the English rock band CURVE, she and bassist DEAN GARCIA either wittingly or unwittingly broke ground with a sound marked by distorted guitars and sampled beats with HALLIDAY's ethereal voice floating over such venomous numbers as 'FAIT ACCOMPLI', 'CLIPPED', and 'THE COAST IS CLEAR'. Nowhere did the duo's songwriting chops and production smarts shine through more than on the bands 1992 debut album 'DOPPELGANGER'. CURVE was my only reason for staying up for MTV's '120 MINUTES' and I was convinced that this thing that everyone was dubbing 'alternative music' was going to move on from the grunge that had already started to outlast it's welcome. Well, the mid-nineties came around and the sound of distorted guitars and sampled beats with a pretty angel voice on top finally came to define the alternative sound, however it was through the band GARBAGE. Oh well! By the time, SHIRLEY MANSON and the boys had arrived, one couldn't exactly rely on consistency from the HALLIDAY/GARCIA team. A record here and a record there was released until HALLIDAY in 2005 announced on CURVE's official website that she was done.(READ MORE) JANUARY 13, 2009 STiR iT UP ELAN ATiAS OF THE WAiLERS TALKS TO ROCKWiRED ABOUT THE EXODUS TOUR,THE 'i WENT HUNGRY' CAMPAiGN AND CARRYiNG THE TORCH ELAN ATIAS's life story up to this point is the tale of one lucky son of a gun. I can't help but make the God-awful comparison to that equally God-awful 2001 MARK WAHLBERG film 'ROCK STAR' where an everyday-joe becomes the lead singer of a successful rock band. However, the ante is upped in ATIAS's case. This kid with a taste for the hypnotic sounds of reggae found himself fronting the very band that defined the sound and provided backing for the legendary BOB MARLEY; THE WAILERS. In speaking with ATIAS, he speaks matter-of-fact-ly with regard to how fortune smiled on him and had found himself fronting such a legendary line-up. For a young man with no real substantial industry cred behind him until that meeting with WAILERS guitarist AL ANDERSON, this glory gig has provided him with the most exciting on-the-job training as I'm sure our President-elect will soon experience. Currently ELAN ATIAS and THE WAILERS are touring the country with a live front-to-back performance of the signature BOB MARLEY AND THE WAILERS classic 'EXODUS'. Aside from the music, ELAN has taken on the role of humanitarian, namely with a charity established by the band called 'WE WENT HUNGRY', where a portion of the funds allocated to the band's rider are donated to the United Nation's World Food Program. "Both the band and I have a big passion about the message of the band and the message is more than just one individual." says ATIAS. "This band has seen so many different members but the most important thing is the overall message and the vibe that it brings to people and what it makes people feel."(READ MORE) JANUARY 12, 2009 ROCKWiRED's ViDEO TO WATCH FOR: EATLiZ - 'HEY' Now that I think of it, I don't think I've ever seen a single CGI film in my life. I've got nothing against the medium personally. Maybe I've hesitated to see WALL-E and the like because I find nothing more annoying than children who can't shut up during a movie. Israeli alternative rockers EATLIZ have released a rather fine video for their latest single 'HEY' and the results are more imaginative than that old bard GEORGE LUCAS could come up with. Sit back, relax and enjoy the story of a girl and her frog. JANUARY 9, 2009 PUSHiNG FORWARD TiM SMiTH AND ROBERTA RAST OF THE KiLDARES TALK TO ROCKWiRED ABOUT THEiR LATEST CD 'SECRETS OF THE DAY' WORKiNG WiTH RONAN CHRiS MURPHY AND MiXING CELTiC SOUNDS WiTH ROCK  For the past ten years, THE KILLDARES have enchanted audiences throughout the country with their spellbinding mix of Celtic folk flourishes and driving rock rhythms. Now the band has released their fifth album 'SECRETS OF THE DAY' and the bands Celtic sensibilities are in full force on the driving 'HOLD MY HEART', the yearning DISAPPEAR, and the rocking PUSH. Punctuated by MATT WILLIS's bagpipes, RAST's fiddle playing and SMITH's MICHAEL STIPE-styled wail, "SECRETS..." is a thin slice of modern rock heaven.(READ MORE) JANUARY 7, 2009 ROMANCE, MAN! LiNDSEY BRiER TALKS TO ROCKWiRED ABOUT HiS DEBUT CD 'WAiTiNG FOR THE SUN' HiS LiFELONG STRUGGLE WiTH DEPRESSiON AND NOT BEiNG AFRAiD OF ROMANCE  Singer-songwriter and piano man LINDSEY BRIER's debut CD 'WAITING FOR THE SUN' is a perfectly executed album with an ease and elegance that puts him in a league vocally with the likes of HARRY CONNICK, JR. and sonically with that old American Songbook sound that your grandfather used to love. Produced by veteran producer DIK DARNELL, with strings recorded at SKYWALKER RANCH, 'WAITING...' is more than a mere pop record, but a momentous occassion; Kind of like how LUKE SKYWALKER gets his medal at the conclusion of STAR WARS. Despite the gentleness of the songs, BRIER wears his heart on his sleeve as he does in person with gems such as 'SUDDENLY IT'S LOVE', 'SENTIMENTAL GIRL', and the deeply personal title track. It's hard to believe that such a gentle sound is the result of having white-knuckled his way through years of crippling depression, and anxiety. "The music is a reflection of what really happened to me because fifteen years of my life were pretty much erased until I met the light of my life." says BRIER "I don't know if you've ever felt this, but when you've to put out an about face to everyone including your parents then there is that one person that comes along that finally gets you and you can tell your deepest darkest secrets to, that is an amazing thing, man!"(READ MORE) |
