2007 ROCKWIRED AWARDS

2007 ROCKWIRED AWARDS
VOTE NOW! THE POLLS WILL CLOSE MARCH 31, 2007
ROCKWIRED has been going on for two years. Now is as good a time as any to do a poll of some of the great music that's come our way. In fear of sounding juvenile, ROCKWIRED had stayed away from the idea of doing polls. We are not in the business of politicizing the music that comes to us or creating ill-will between artists. We would just liketo know what you all think. This poll will be done yearly and will pertain to the artists who were showcased in the past calendar year. In this case, it will be for the year 2006. So, get as many of your friends to vote as you can and we'll see how people feel about the music and the artists we have been showcasing.
BEST MALE ARTIST TO BE FEATURED ON ROCKWIRED IN 2006 THE NOMINEES ARE:
GREG STEPHENS VISIT THE ROCKWIRED ARTIST PAGE FOR GREG STEPHENS HERE CLICK HERE TO VISIT HIS OFFICIAL WEBSITE	On his previous release KEEP IT SIMPLE, GREG STEPHENS did just that. His debut CD was a collection of seventies styled Southern California rock with just enough of a country tinge to draw the inevitable comparision to THE EAGLES. The music was as subdued as a Sunday drive up and down the Pacific Coast Highway. On his latest release I DON'T KNOW, that sunday drive is more like a frantic walk through the dark alleyways of some God-foresaken desert town right out of a JERRY RAFFERTY song. Things aren't so simple this time around. Love is fleeting (I WON'T BE AROUND) and love is blind. (TONIGHT WILL YOU HOLD ME TIGHT)The thin line between love and lust is practically non-existent. (KEEPS ME HANGING ON) GREG STEPHENS is in a place where he can only reflect on how things should be (IN A PERFECT WORLD) but deep down he knows there's no way to fight human nature. (AIN'T NO STOPPING A WILD FIRE) I DON'T KNOW is a moody listen, that's been kicked up by top notch musicianship and first rate songwriting and it all comes to a head on the gloriously haunting, DARK SIDE OF YOU. (READ MORE)
JAVEN VISIT THE ROCKWIRED ARTIST PAGE FOR JAVEN HERE CLICK HERE TO VISIT HIS OFFICAL WEBSITE	The life of R&B singer JAVEN is a charmed life. It's the kind of life that one only reads about and seldom gets to experience for his or herself. He was born, what DUSTY SPRINGFIELD called "...a son of a preacher man" in Hollywood, Florida (seems as if the the writing was on the wall) and grew up singing in the choir. After college , JAVEN made the move to that other Hollywood and things have been on the up and up ever since. Not only is he a singer/songwriter who is now two CD's deep into his recording career, he is an actor on television and screen with four upcoming films. One of these films ONE NIGHT WITH THE KING, has him acting alongside screen legends PETER O'TOOLE and OMAR SHARIF. To say this fella has come a long way in a short amount of time is an understatement. Stories of people coming from humble beginnings and going on to achieving great things is an old familiar story, especially now, in a world where pop idols are voted by the public into the pop stratosphere thanks in part to AMERICAN IDOL and its inferior imitations. (READ MORE)
JIM BASNIGHT VISIT THE ROCKWIRED ARTIST PAGE FOR JIM BASNIGHT HERE CLICK HERE TO VISIT HIS OFFICIAL WEBSITE	Seattle native JIM BASNIGHT chased that rock n roll dream all the way to New York City and Los Angeles, California with his band THE MOBERLY'S back in the 1980s. At decades end, THE MOBERLY'S disbanded and BASNIGHT chose to move back to Seattle to reconnect. Bear in mind this was 1992, the year that the music industry descended on Seattle, made "grunge" a fashion statement and shined the light on a new set of rock legends like NIRVANA, PEARL JAM, ALICE IN CHAINS, and SOUNDGARDEN. Strange, that one of Seattle's own never broke through in the same way, given the fact that his embrace of garage rock/power pop was what defined THE MOBERLY'S sound in the eighties and viewed as a reference for many bands of that era and locale. BASNIGHTS twenty five years of music making are about to be catalogued into a CD retrospective entitled, WE ROCKED AND ROLLED: 25 YEARS OF JIM BASNIGHT, THE MOBERLY'S AND BEYOND (BETTER THAN YOUR RECORDS). Judging by his extensive catalogue, this retrospective promises to be a voyage through everything thing that makes rock n roll fun, with the garage power pop of THE MOBERLY'S and his other band THE ROCKINGHAMS to the jazzier-acoustic feel of THE JIM BASNIGHT THING, and the BEATLES-meets- THE BEACH BOYS-meets-THE KINKS and everything in between feel (with every instrument imaginable) of his latest group THE JIM BASNIGHT BAND. (READ MORE)
JASON WHITTON VISIT THE ROCKWIRED ARTIST PAGE FOR JASON WHITTON HERE CLICK HERE TO VISIT HIS OFFICIAL WEBSITE	JASON WHITTON has that sense of mystery that a troubadour like ROY ORBISON used to emanate. The songs are dark and deeply personal yet no one knows who the singer is. WHITTON's debut CD "THRIFTSTORE COWBOY" (VAVV RECORDS) is a collection of songs that celebrate all of the good, the bad and the ugly that life has going for it. THRIFTSTORE COWBOY is a brilliant introduction to an excellent singer-songwriter. From it's haunting opening track ALIBI to the optimistic I STILL BELIEVE IN LOVE, the lovely DANDELION GIRL and the plaintive FINGERNAIL MOON ( featuring cello by DERMOT MULRONEY) THRIFTSTORE COWBOY is recording brimming with angst, hope and sincerity. Let's just say that you'll be playing it over and over again on a dark night with a glass of Merlot. Let's not forget his stunning cover of the BILL WITHERS classic USE ME. After just one captivated listen, you're going to think that it was always a haunting country ballad. Yes, his music has garnered him quite a bit of attention already. MUSIC-SITES.NET calls THRIFTSTORE COWBOY "... one of the best new albums of 2006.” SMOTHER MAGAZINE calls the music of JASON WHITON "...Perfectly suited for AAA mainstream radio." and BLOGGINGPOET.COM calls JASON "...a storyteller the likes of which we haven't heard in several years." (READ MORE)
TEE-M VISIT THE ROCKWIRED ARTIST PAGE FOR TEE-M HERE CLICK HERE TO VISIT HIS OFFICAL WEBSITE	"Rock n Roll shouldn't be business as usual." cautions the liner notes of TEE-M's debut CD EARTHIOTIC:SONGSFROMAONEROOMPALACE. Almost everyone can agree that rock n roll should be about making love instead of war, but we're living in a world where rock n roll has nothing to do with rocking and rolling and everything to do with demographics, percentages, and sponsorship. TEE-M (Pakistani born singer-songwriter, TARIQ MIRZA) has been popping up here and there in Los Angeles and making a name for himself as one of the towns most charismatic and acclaimed independent recording artists and ROCKWIRED definitely feels a kinship to this fellow (TEE-M is the host of the Internet radio TEE-M's UNSIGNED MUSIC SHOW on WPMD.COM) EARTHIOTIC: SONGSFROMAONEROOMPALACE is beatlesque pop-rock of the GEORGE HARRISON variety as opposed to the more standard LENNON/McCARTNEY influence. Inspired and heartfelt, this CD is a collection of 16 pop gems that will stay in your head weeks after the initial listen. Songs like the reflective DISAPPEARED, the joyous AAO, AAO, AAO, and the melancholic MAN WITHOUT A COUNTRY are the standout tracks, but the remainder of the album ain't exactly filler - a tough feat for a CD with 16 songs. It's a trip! Shelve it in your CD collection somewhere between THE BEATLES' HELP and ELVIS COSTELLO's GET HAPPY. (READ MORE)
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BEST FEMALE ARTIST TO BE FEATURED ON ROCKWIRED IN 2006 THE NOMINEES ARE:
SHAUNA BURNS VISIT THE ROCKWIRED ARTIST PAGE FOR SHAUNA BURNS HERE CLICK HERE TO VISIT HER OFFICIAL WEBSITE	SHAUNA BURNS is the quiet girl that we all knew in high school. She's the girl that drew a lot, smiled all of the time and sat on the grass barefoot while the other girls did each others hair and nails and talked about boys. It was easy to see the insecurity in girls like these but not in one like SHAUNA. Shat stands alone and isn't terrified of what's next. What's next for SHAUN is the release of her debt CD EVERY THOUGHT. All the press releases on SHAUNA compartmentalize her music as “..sounding like TORI AMOS” but this does the artist a disservice. While BURNS and AMOS have that penchant for haunting, stay-with-me-forever chord progressions, lyrically, the two couldn't be more different. Whereas AMOS relies on abstractions, BURNS relies on a more reliable stream of consciousness narrative voice in her lyrics. The story of a life trying to understand itself unfolds before the listener.(READ MORE)
PEACH VISIT THE ROCKWIRED ARTIST PAGE FOR PEACH HERE CLICK HERE TO VISIT HER OFFICIAL WEBSITE	She picked up a guitar and she never looked back. Specifically, she picked up a Fender Jazz Master. Aside from BONNIE RAITT and NANCY WILSON from HEART, there weren't too many girls at the time willing to strap on an ax and let it rip. ROCKWIRED didn't bother asking what her real namewas but we know this rockin' blues mama as PEACH and if we do say so ourselves, her CD THE REAL THING (BLUES ROCK RECORDS) is certainly the most optimistic collection of blues songs ever committed to disk. In short, THE REAL THING is real sweet! Not syrupy or saccharine. Just sweet, and it doesn't get any better than this. THE REAL THING, like the blues itself, is a celebration of life. So, it's no surprise that this music comes from a woman who's all about celebrating life. Aside from the music, PEACH is the co-founder of ROCK N CURE, an organization promoting awareness and raising funds for breast cancer and stem cell research for CEDARS SINAI MEDICAL CENTER in Los Angeles. But enough about philanthropy. It's the music that has brought PEACH to the attention of ROCKWIRED and to the attention of music fans(PEACH was recently honored with a South Bay Music Award for Blues Artist of the Year) THE REAL THING is an event starring PEACH, great songs and ace blues men REGGIE McBRIDE on bass, AMOS GARRET on guitars and a guest appearance by the legendary TAJ MAHAL. This is music with soul and a huge heart.(READ MORE)
AUBREY COLLINS VISIT THE ROCKWIRED ARTIST PAGE FOR AUBREY COLLINS HERE CLICK HERE TO VISIT HER OFFICIAL WEBSITE	The pop realm is full of princesses and we know all them by one name.(We don't have to name them, do we?) Pretty soon, the pop landscape will be referring to AUBREY COLLINS as simply AUBREY but unlike all of the those other pop tarts, AUBREY ROCKS!!! This isn't AUBREY first time in the proverbial rodeo. She first graced the airwaves and the charts in 2002 at the age of 14 with her debut CD BACK TO ME. The combination of that albums country sound and her stunning voice had critics making the inevitable comparison to LEANN RIMES. Well, AUBREY's all grown up now and things couldn't be more different. On WORLD WITHOUT ME, AUBREY eschews country twang and lets it rip. It is a collection of rock gems that are both feminine and forceful. WORLD WITHOUT ME is to 2006 what PAT BENATAR's CRIMES OF PASSION was to 1980. A rocker is born and it's exciting for ROCKWIRED to see a great new artist take a step in the right direction. The world is begining to take note. (READ MORE)
ALICE PEACOCK VISIT THE ROCKWIRED ARTIST PAGE FOR ALICE PEACOCK HERE CLICK HERE TO VISIT HER OFFICIAL WEBSITE	WHO I AM [PEACOCK MUSIC] by ALICE PEACOCK is the third time around for ALICE PEACOCK and according to her "...I feel like we've got it right!" ALICE PEACOCK brings something back to the realm of popular music that has been missing for a while; flawless songwriting with a near confessional quality. It has been a long time since there has been given a singer-songwriter that one can get to know through the music. WHO I AM promises to be little more than music played at your leisure. This is going to be a revelation. WHO I AM is an album you can listen to all the way through without having to hit the skip button on your remote control. Every song here is important from the stunning opener, DIFFERENT FROM THE REST, the poignant TIME, the urgent RUNAWAY DAY and the hopeful FINDING MY WAY. WHO I AM summs up what every great album should be. Every song goes together yet every song is different from each other. At some turns, she is a guns-blazing roots rocker and at other turns a confessional folkie with a heart on her sleeve. (READ MORE)
KELLYLEE EVANS VISIT THE ROCKWIRED ARTIST PAGE FOR KELLYLEE EVANS HERE CLICK HERE TO VISIT HER OFFICIAL WEBSITE	Fight or flight? Do or die? It's one of those moments where one is faced with either surrendering to a bad situation or taking a stand and doing something about it. With the release of her debut CD FIGHT OR FLIGHT, it is clear that Canadian jazz-soul artist KELLYLEE EVANS has made her decision. She has eschewed major label acceptance in favor of keeping the contract simple; Between the listener and the artist. She has taken her fresh soulful jazz pop sound to the streets and to the people with the help of ace session players and a line of credit that she hopes to pay back someday. But enough about business plans and demographics. FIGHT OR FLIGHT is a winner! It is a debut recording that lacks the awkwardness of your average debut. one listen and you would think that this was EVANS' tenth album. It's not often that a new artist takes charge of the material with such verve and confidence as EVANS does on the tracks WHAT ABOUT ME?, LET'S CALL A TRUCE TONIGHT and HOW CAN YOU GET ALONG WITHOUT ME? Aside from the delivery, it's worth noting that all of the songs on FIGHT OR FLIGHT were written by Ms. EVANS herself. EVANS is the hottest new talent in the jazz scene with a self-assured alto and songwriting chops that could put her side by side with some of other "intelligent" tunesmiths such as AIMEE MANN or ELVIS COSTELLO. (READ MORE)
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BEST BAND TO BE FEATURED ON ROCKWIRED IN 2006 THE NOMINEES ARE:
SUGAR BITCH VISIT THE ROCKWIRED ARTIST PAGE FOR SUGAR BITCH HERE CLICK HERE TO VISIT THEIR OFFICIAL WEBSITE	SUGAR BITCH is a thin slice of heaven. You just have to imagine that heaven is a world gone mad. NIA MONDY is a singer with a voice as expressive as BILLIE HOLIDAY's. It floats ethereally over the JIMI HENDRIX-from-Mars styled guitar playing of partner in crime MICHAEL JOST and a no-nonsense rhythm section. This is certainly one of the most delectible rock n roll soundscapes to come to light in many moons. It's too easy to throw in the towel and say "There's nothing happening in music." Something is happening and it's happening here . SUGAR BITCH's CD HEAVEN 90291 is a catalogue of angst, ecstacy, pain and pleasure. That's what rock n roll is all about...The bitter and the sweet. (READ MORE)
COWBOY SOUL VISIT THE ROCKWIRED ARTIST PAGE FOR COWBOY SOUL HERE CLICK HERE TO VISIT THEIR OFFICIAL WEBSITE	Some names say it all. You hear it once, and you understand everything. This applies ot the band COWBOY SOUL. It sounds like an oxymoron. The two words seem to have nothing in common with each other, at least in the terms of the overall marketing of country and western music. COWBOY SOUL is a band with a sound that get's just about everyone's foot tapping. In an age where arguably the best rapper out there is a white guy from Detroit, MIKE MANN and his band of rockin' cowboys challenge the notion that country artists are only of the blonde-blue-eyed stock. COWBOY SOUL has arived and their message is two-fold; Country Music is for everyone and "Let's have a good time!" COWBOY SOUL is in the studio putting the finishing touches on their debut CD; a fine collection countrypolitan blues-rock with a near-perfect soulful groove. One would think that an all-black country band would be a gimmick in itself, but there are no gimmicks here. It's great music that gonna get everyone excited about hopping onto a pick up truck, drinking beer, two-stepping and slowdancing till dawn. (READ MORE)
DJ MONKEY VISIT THE ROCKWIRED ARTIST PAGE FOR DJ MONKEY HERE CLICK HERE TO VISIT THEIR OFFICIAL WEBSITE	The 3RD WORLD WAR is now available on CD!!! (Funny that DJ MONKEY never made ROCKWIRED their publicist - Thats a hell of a campaign slogan!) DJ MONKEY returns with a collection of tracks that prove that music can mean a damn(...for a s long as we've got anyway.) This time around, the balance between hope and chaos is tipped more towards chaos. Whereas their debut CD ANOTHER EVOLUTION painted the picture of a mad society coming together and coming apart, 3RD WORLD WAR takes a series of snapshots of the disintegration. It's devastating and beautiful all at once. The opening track is the pulsating rocker HARD TIMES, a pean to NYC. The title track 3RD WORLD WAR is a dark tribal chant and just when you think that the band has abandoned that sort of beatnik-meets-Hip-Hop formula that proved the selling point for their debut ANOTHER EVOLUTION, the band finds their old familiar grove with LOVE HAS NO COLOR only to break away from it just slightly with the plaintive country gospelof GOD IS AN UNDERACHIEVER. At turns ambitious and at others humorous, 3RD WORLD WAR is no mere cute title for a clever CD by an innovative bunch. 3RD WORLD WAR is the war on banality in pop music to end all wars on banality in pop music. (READ MORE)
NEVERWONDER VISIT THE ROCKWIRED ARTIST PAGE FOR NEVERWONDER HERE CLICK HERE TO VISIT THEIR OFFICIAL WEBSITE	There are rock bands and then there is NEVERWONDER, a band hailing from Southern California (where they all seem to be from these days) made up of four distinctly different musical pedigrees and stories. One can ask how a musical theater/ballet-bred JOY PIERSON gave the finger to GUYS AND DOLLS and decided she was going to join a band with the likes of rhythm section VINCENT and ANDRES RAMOS and the omni-dexturous guitar player FLINT MAVIS, and you'll never get a satisfactory answer. All you'll get is great music. To put it simply, NEVERWONDER has arrived. Their self-titled CD is a testament to their passion for the music. It's a catalogue of all of lifes feel-goods and hard times delivered with an undeniable groove, FLINT MAVIS' ax-work and PIERSON'S raspy delivery; a voice that distinguishes her from most in the pop-rock arena and will certainly have people making the inevitable comparison to JANIS JOPLIN. (READ MORE)
DAYSAHEAD VISIT THE ROCKWIRED ARTIST PAGE FOR DAYSAHEAD HERE CLICK HERE TO VISIT THEIR OFFICIAL WEBSITE	It's a quiet storm that passes through the night. If you are fortunate enough to be awake for the lightning and the electricity that this particular storm stirrs, you are left with an overwhelming sense of love, excitement, connectedness and abandon, all at once. It's hard to put into words but ROCKWIRED has just described the sound of daysahead, which is brought to light by their debut CD TURNING POINT. daysahead is all about chemistry; that often times elusive element that makes everything come together. It is the combination of vocalist KIM LEACHMAN's impressive command of that indefinable voice that goes from gospel, to soul, to jazz and to rock in a seconds notice, and the dexterity of guitarist and partner-in-crime STEVE WRIGHT. How knew such sounds, textures, and imagination could come from just six strings. TURNING POINT is just that. It's a point in time where the groaning, moaning, mid drifts and lip synchers of pop are turned down in favor of melody, harmony and attitude to spare. Just give the track like YOU MOVE ME, FALLOING FLOWER, and DON'T FALL TOO FAST a listen. There's no neo-soul here. It's music to the ears, soul and mind. (READ MORE)
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BEST ALBUM TO BE FEATURED ON ROCKWIRED IN 2006 THE NOMINEES ARE:
NEVERWONDER NEVERWONDER VISIT THE ROCKWIRED ARTIST PAGE FOR NEVERWONDER HERE CLICK HERE TO VISIT THEIR OFFICIAL WEBSITE	There are rock bands and then there is NEVERWONDER, a band hailing from Southern California (where they all seem to be from these days) made up of four distinctly different musical pedigrees and stories. One can ask how a musical theater/ballet-bred JOY PIERSON gave the finger to GUYS AND DOLLS and decided she was going to join a band with the likes of rhythm section VINCENT and ANDRES RAMOS and the omni-dexturous guitar player FLINT MAVIS, and you'll never get a satisfactory answer. All you'll get is great music. To put it simply, NEVERWONDER has arrived. Their self-titled CD is a testament to their passion for the music. It's a catalogue of all of lifes feel-goods and hard times delivered with an undeniable groove, FLINT MAVIS' ax-work and PIERSON'S raspy delivery; a voice that distinguishes her from most in the pop-rock arena and will certainly have people making the inevitable comparison to JANIS JOPLIN. (READ MORE)
DJ MONKEY 3RD WORLD WAR VISIT THE ROCKWIRED ARTIST PAGE FOR DJ MONKEY HERE CLICK HERE TO VISIT THEIR OFFICIAL WEBSITE	The 3RD WORLD WAR is now available on CD!!! (Funny that DJ MONKEY never made ROCKWIRED their publicist - Thats a hell of a campaign slogan!) DJ MONKEY returns with a collection of tracks that prove that music can mean a damn(...for a s long as we've got anyway.) This time around, the balance between hope and chaos is tipped more towards chaos. Whereas their debut CD ANOTHER EVOLUTION painted the picture of a mad society coming together and coming apart, 3RD WORLD WAR takes a series of snapshots of the disintegration. It's devastating and beautiful all at once. The opening track is the pulsating rocker HARD TIMES, a pean to NYC. The title track 3RD WORLD WAR is a dark tribal chant and just when you think that the band has abandoned that sort of beatnik-meets-Hip-Hop formula that proved the selling point for their debut ANOTHER EVOLUTION, the band finds their old familiar grove with LOVE HAS NO COLOR only to break away from it just slightly with the plaintive country gospelof GOD IS AN UNDERACHIEVER. At turns ambitious and at others humorous, 3RD WORLD WAR is no mere cute title for a clever CD by an innovative bunch. 3RD WORLD WAR is the war on banality in pop music to end all wars on banality in pop music. (READ MORE)
DAYSAHEAD TURNING POINT VISIT THE ROCKWIRED ARTIST PAGE FOR DAYSAHEAD HERE CLICK HERE TO VISIT THEIR OFFICIAL WEBSITE	It's a quiet storm that passes through the night. If you are fortunate enough to be awake for the lightning and the electricity that this particular storm stirrs, you are left with an overwhelming sense of love, excitement, connectedness and abandon, all at once. It's hard to put into words but ROCKWIRED has just described the sound of daysahead, which is brought to light by their debut CD TURNING POINT. daysahead is all about chemistry; that often times elusive element that makes everything come together. It is the combination of vocalist KIM LEACHMAN's impressive command of that indefinable voice that goes from gospel, to soul, to jazz and to rock in a seconds notice, and the dexterity of guitarist and partner-in-crime STEVE WRIGHT. How knew such sounds, textures, and imagination could come from just six strings. TURNING POINT is just that. It's a point in time where the groaning, moaning, mid drifts and lip synchers of pop are turned down in favor of melody, harmony and attitude to spare. Just give the track like YOU MOVE ME, FALLOING FLOWER, and DON'T FALL TOO FAST a listen. There's no neo-soul here. It's music to the ears, soul and mind. (READ MORE)
JASON WHITTON THRIFTSTORE COWBOY VISIT THE ROCKWIRED ARTIST PAGE FOR JASON WHITTON HERE CLICK HERE TO VISIT HIS OFFICIAL WEBSITE	JASON WHITTON has that sense of mystery that a troubadour like ROY ORBISON used to emanate. The songs are dark and deeply personal yet no one knows who the singer is. WHITTON's debut CD "THRIFTSTORE COWBOY" (VAVV RECORDS) is a collection of songs that celebrate all of the good, the bad and the ugly that life has going for it. THRIFTSTORE COWBOY is a brilliant introduction to an excellent singer-songwriter. From it's haunting opening track ALIBI to the optimistic I STILL BELIEVE IN LOVE, the lovely DANDELION GIRL and the plaintive FINGERNAIL MOON ( featuring cello by DERMOT MULRONEY) THRIFTSTORE COWBOY is recording brimming with angst, hope and sincerity. Let's just say that you'll be playing it over and over again on a dark night with a glass of Merlot. Let's not forget his stunning cover of the BILL WITHERS classic USE ME. After just one captivated listen, you're going to think that it was always a haunting country ballad. Yes, his music has garnered him quite a bit of attention already. MUSIC-SITES.NET calls THRIFTSTORE COWBOY "... one of the best new albums of 2006.” SMOTHER MAGAZINE calls the music of JASON WHITON "...Perfectly suited for AAA mainstream radio." and BLOGGINGPOET.COM calls JASON "...a storyteller the likes of which we haven't heard in several years." (READ MORE)
KELLYLEE EVANS FIGHT OR FLIGHT? VISIT THE ROCKWIRED ARTIST PAGE FOR KELLYLEE EVANS HERE CLICK HERE TO VISIT HER OFFICIAL WEBSITE	Fight or flight? Do or die? It's one of those moments where one is faced with either surrendering to a bad situation or taking a stand and doing something about it. With the release of her debut CD FIGHT OR FLIGHT, it is clear that Canadian jazz-soul artist KELLYLEE EVANS has made her decision. She has eschewed major label acceptance in favor of keeping the contract simple; Between the listener and the artist. She has taken her fresh soulful jazz pop sound to the streets and to the people with the help of ace session players and a line of credit that she hopes to pay back someday. But enough about business plans and demographics. FIGHT OR FLIGHT is a winner! It is a debut recording that lacks the awkwardness of your average debut. one listen and you would think that this was EVANS' tenth album. It's not often that a new artist takes charge of the material with such verve and confidence as EVANS does on the tracks WHAT ABOUT ME?, LET'S CALL A TRUCE TONIGHT and HOW CAN YOU GET ALONG WITHOUT ME? Aside from the delivery, it's worth noting that all of the songs on FIGHT OR FLIGHT were written by Ms. EVANS herself. EVANS is the hottest new talent in the jazz scene with a self-assured alto and songwriting chops that could put her side by side with some of other "intelligent" tunesmiths such as AIMEE MANN or ELVIS COSTELLO. (READ MORE)
CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE ROCKWIRED MESSAGE BOARD AND VOTE FOR BEST ALBUM
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BEST SONG TO BE FEATURED ON ROCKWIRED IN 2006 THE NOMINEES ARE:
DJ MONKEY HARD TIMES (NEW YORK CITY) VISIT THE ROCKWIRED ARTIST PAGE FOR DJ MONKEY HERE CLICK HERE TO VISIT THEIR OFFICIAL WEBSITE	The 3RD WORLD WAR is now available on CD!!! (Funny that DJ MONKEY never made ROCKWIRED their publicist - Thats a hell of a campaign slogan!) DJ MONKEY returns with a collection of tracks that prove that music can mean a damn(...for a s long as we've got anyway.) This time around, the balance between hope and chaos is tipped more towards chaos. Whereas their debut CD ANOTHER EVOLUTION painted the picture of a mad society coming together and coming apart, 3RD WORLD WAR takes a series of snapshots of the disintegration. It's devastating and beautiful all at once. The opening track is the pulsating rocker HARD TIMES, a pean to NYC. The title track 3RD WORLD WAR is a dark tribal chant and just when you think that the band has abandoned that sort of beatnik-meets-Hip-Hop formula that proved the selling point for their debut ANOTHER EVOLUTION, the band finds their old familiar grove with LOVE HAS NO COLOR only to break away from it just slightly with the plaintive country gospelof GOD IS AN UNDERACHIEVER. At turns ambitious and at others humorous, 3RD WORLD WAR is no mere cute title for a clever CD by an innovative bunch. 3RD WORLD WAR is the war on banality in pop music to end all wars on banality in pop music. (READ MORE)
JASON WHITTON ALIBI VISIT THE ROCKWIRED ARTIST PAGE FOR JASON WHITTON HERE CLICK HERE TO VISIT HIS OFFICIAL WEBSITE	JASON WHITTON has that sense of mystery that a troubadour like ROY ORBISON used to emanate. The songs are dark and deeply personal yet no one knows who the singer is. WHITTON's debut CD "THRIFTSTORE COWBOY" (VAVV RECORDS) is a collection of songs that celebrate all of the good, the bad and the ugly that life has going for it. THRIFTSTORE COWBOY is a brilliant introduction to an excellent singer-songwriter. From it's haunting opening track ALIBI to the optimistic I STILL BELIEVE IN LOVE, the lovely DANDELION GIRL and the plaintive FINGERNAIL MOON ( featuring cello by DERMOT MULRONEY) THRIFTSTORE COWBOY is recording brimming with angst, hope and sincerity. Let's just say that you'll be playing it over and over again on a dark night with a glass of Merlot. Let's not forget his stunning cover of the BILL WITHERS classic USE ME. After just one captivated listen, you're going to think that it was always a haunting country ballad. Yes, his music has garnered him quite a bit of attention already. MUSIC-SITES.NET calls THRIFTSTORE COWBOY "... one of the best new albums of 2006.” SMOTHER MAGAZINE calls the music of JASON WHITON "...Perfectly suited for AAA mainstream radio." and BLOGGINGPOET.COM calls JASON "...a storyteller the likes of which we haven't heard in several years." (READ MORE)
KELLYLEE EVANS LET'S CALL A TRUCE TONIGHT VISIT THE ROCKWIRED ARTIST PAGE FOR KELLYLEE EVANS HERE CLICK HERE TO VISIT HER OFFICIAL WEBSITE	Fight or flight? Do or die? It's one of those moments where one is faced with either surrendering to a bad situation or taking a stand and doing something about it. With the release of her debut CD FIGHT OR FLIGHT, it is clear that Canadian jazz-soul artist KELLYLEE EVANS has made her decision. She has eschewed major label acceptance in favor of keeping the contract simple; Between the listener and the artist. She has taken her fresh soulful jazz pop sound to the streets and to the people with the help of ace session players and a line of credit that she hopes to pay back someday. But enough about business plans and demographics. FIGHT OR FLIGHT is a winner! It is a debut recording that lacks the awkwardness of your average debut. one listen and you would think that this was EVANS' tenth album. It's not often that a new artist takes charge of the material with such verve and confidence as EVANS does on the tracks WHAT ABOUT ME?, LET'S CALL A TRUCE TONIGHT and HOW CAN YOU GET ALONG WITHOUT ME? Aside from the delivery, it's worth noting that all of the songs on FIGHT OR FLIGHT were written by Ms. EVANS herself. EVANS is the hottest new talent in the jazz scene with a self-assured alto and songwriting chops that could put her side by side with some of other "intelligent" tunesmiths such as AIMEE MANN or ELVIS COSTELLO. (READ MORE)
THE ATTRACTION JOHNNY VISIT THE ROCKWIRED ARTIST PAGE FOR THE ATTRACTION HERE CLICK HERE TO VISIT THEIR OFFICIAL WEBSITE	The So Cal music scene is known for its punchiness and big lively sound. With that, THE ATTRACTION shouldn't stand out at all, but the they do. First, there is the music which shifts from four to the floor rock n roll to brit-pop, to a ska sound in a moments notice and LANCE ROMANCE'S alarm-like staccato delivery. Sure these are elements that will remimd a listener of an early NO DOUBT or SUBLIME, but what does separate THE ATTRACTION from the rest of average SO CAL music fare is it's lyrical sophistication. Their debut CD STEP RIGHT UP! (Distributed by ROUND HOUSE RECORDS) asks the listener to do just that; to step right up and be a part of something that lead singer LANCE ROMANCE refers to as being "...magical". There si plenty of magichere on these 12 tracks. These guys know how to tell a story, and it ain't always pretty. The opening track JOHNNY is the harrowing tale os a teenaged misfit going off to war only to return to society as even more of misfit. STILL BREATHING tells of a near death experience suffered by the bands lead singer and CHRISTMAS SONG is one of the most hauntingly beautiful songs on the subject of Christmas. (READ MORE)
GREG STEPHENS DARK SIDE OF YOU VISIT THE ROCKWIRED ARTIST PAGE FOR GREG STEPHENS HERE CLICK HERE TO VISIT HIS OFFICIAL WEBSITE	On his previous release KEEP IT SIMPLE, GREG STEPHENS did just that. His debut CD was a collection of seventies styled Southern California rock with just enough of a country tinge to draw the inevitable comparision to THE EAGLES. The music was as subdued as a Sunday drive up and down the Pacific Coast Highway. On his latest release I DON'T KNOW, that sunday drive is more like a frantic walk through the dark alleyways of some God-foresaken desert town right out of a JERRY RAFFERTY song. Things aren't so simple this time around. Love is fleeting (I WON'T BE AROUND) and love is blind. (TONIGHT WILL YOU HOLD ME TIGHT)The thin line between love and lust is practically non-existent. (KEEPS ME HANGING ON) GREG STEPHENS is in a place where he can only reflect on how things should be (IN A PERFECT WORLD) but deep down he knows there's no way to fight human nature. (AIN'T NO STOPPING A WILD FIRE) I DON'T KNOW is a moody listen, that's been kicked up by top notch musicianship and first rate songwriting and it all comes to a head on the gloriously haunting, DARK SIDE OF YOU. (READ MORE)
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