How many times do you go onto
YOUTUBE to watch a music video from a classic artist only to
read one comment after the other basically stating that music sucks now
and that back in the good old days it was all about the
music? You see it all the time and sometimes it takes a true blast from
the past to agree with these oh so faceless, amateur social critics.
KELAKOS was a pop rock band from the the mid to late seventies
that for this reason or that reason didn't reach the heights
of other seventies rockers that you might hear on constant
rotation on this or that classic rock station. Recorded in an age when
music making was indeed all about music KELAKOS boasted a
sound that combined the expansiveness of THE BEATLES during
their SGT. PEPPER era and the musicality of TODD RUNDGREN.
Forty
years later when musicality has seemingly been replaced by jiggling
rear ends and pop psychological heartache, the decision was made to
release the music of KELAKOS in a 15-song collection called UNCORKED:
RARE TRACKS FROM A VINTAGE 70'S BAND - and we must say it was a
damned good decision.
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Monday, April 27, 2015
Rockwired Radio Profiles #566 - Kicking Harold
KICKING HAROLD are modern rock
alchemists, and the operative word is "modern" - they synthesize hard
rock, alternative, metal and dance-pop elements, and generate radio
gold. Their new album - RED LIGHT DISTRICT - offers the perfect balance
of classic and contemporary - the big riffs and dancier elements of new
jacks like YOUNG THE GIANT and SHINY TOY GUNS, meshed with the melodic
thunder of ageless grunge heroes like FOO FIGHTERS and STONE TEMPLE
PILOTS. New album boasts 12 expertly-sequenced potential singles poised
to erupt on multiple platforms. And every slugger in this murderers'
row boasts a home run hook, from the supercharged strut of lead off
track AMERICAN NITRO to the passionate entreaty of the
newly-resuscitated KILL YOU.
Rockwired Radio Profiles #565 - I Capture Castle
Accompanied
by an array of strobe lights and synth, I CAPTURE CASTLE is much more
than bone-shivering breakdowns, electrifying keys, and mesmerizing melodies.
Having developed a reputation as one of the most divergent and
explosive electronic hardcore acts to take the stage, the band is set
to drop a slab of hard-hitting idiosyncrasy on the scene with their new
EP DAYDREAMER. PAPER WALLS, the new single/video is an addictive first
taste of what the group is up to on the new EP. Surrounded
by a never-ending onslaught of more and more followers, and led by a
determination and drive that is concrete, it is safe to say I CAPTURE
CASTLE has earned their position as an upcoming leader in the world of
heavy metal and hardcore. As they continue to progress and transcend
expectation, the culmination of this group isn't even on the horizon
yet. With plans for an upcoming mid-west tour, a highly anticipated
full-length album, and much more, I CAPTURE CASTLE are aggressively
setting the pace for their biggest year yet in 2015.
Friday, April 24, 2015
Rock Is Red #5 - Innastate
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.
CHECK OUT THE
PODCAST AT:
http://www.rockwired.com/rockisred/rockisred5.mp3
http://www.rockwired.com/rockisred/rockisred5.mp3
Thursday, April 16, 2015
Rock Is Red #4 - Dustin Harder of The Dusty Roads Band
Blues music
and the Native experience are so intertwined that it was only a matter
of time before ROCK IS RED turned our attention to a Native blues
troubadour. Sure DUSTIN HARDER and his band THE DUSTY ROADS BAND have a
musical palate that is wide and expansive but all of it can be traced
back to the blues. Listeners first got a taste of the band's
blues-based approach on the 2009 album SEARCHIN FOR A RIVER.
In the time since that album's release DUSTIN and the band
has released a single here and a single there. Fans of the band's
dexterity and versatility can now breathe a sigh of relief because
HARDER is working on some songs for a upcoming album and the Metis
troubadour promises that the sound and the songwriting will be cranked
up a notch. Given the man's track record thus far we can only
assume that the music will most definitely rock - even if it is the
blues that we're talking about.
CHECK OUT THE PODCAST AT:
http://www.rockwired.com/rockisred/rockisred4.mp3
CHECK OUT THE PODCAST AT:
http://www.rockwired.com/rockisred/rockisred4.mp3
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Rockwired Radio Profiles #564 - Chainflower
You don't
get more decadent than the LA rock scene with it's flare for the
dramatic power chord and in some cases some serious eyeliner. For years
guitarist KELLY WHEELER has been entrenched in the scene starting out
in a band with PERRY FARRELL called PSI COM. When FARRELL moved onto
for JANES ADDICTION, WHEELER kept busy in the scene and eventually
founded his band SEXTAPES with lead singer CHRIS PITTMAN (who was also
a member of AXL ROSE's "GUNS & ROSES" during the the
release and the promotion of CHINESE DEMOCRACY.) With SEXTAPES on a bit
of hiatus WHEELER was on the verge of launching a new band
but finding the right frontman proved elusive. Sometimes it
takes a woman to do a man's job. Singer ERIKA RENEE auditioned for
WHEELER and the rest was history. Well not quite - but a new band nicked CHAINFLOWER has
been formed and their self-titled, two-song debut EP effin'
rocks. The band's SIOUXSIE AND THE BANSHEES meets LED ZEPPELIN approach
is evident. on the songs THE FEVER and DISSOLVE IN THE SKY
and ERIKA RENEE's growl sends the material soaring.
Rockwired Radio Profiles #563 - Paula Tozer
When we
first became acquainted with singer-songwriter PAULA TOZER in 2014 she
was relatively new to the process of songwriting but that didn't stop
her from releasing her stellar debut EP BLUE MUSE. Despite the brevity
of that set the musical range that was spanned in that finite number of
songs was tremendous - from the celtic elegance of a song like FIDDLE
PLAYERS LOVE to an epic hard rock stomper like WINTERSLEEP. Now TOZER
has returned with her three-song follow up EP CAIN'S REGRET where she
explores darker themes such as regret (namely the EP's moody title
track) and the price that one pays for getting what they truly want
(PERDITION'S TOLL). Offering assistance this time around in the
songwriting department is co-writer CHRIS MERCER. With
producer DON CHAPMAN behind the recording console CAIN'S REGRET is
another fine addition to PAULA TOZER's ever-growing catalog of music
that walks the line between ethereal and down right earthy.
Friday, April 3, 2015
Rockwired Radio Profiles #562 - Lazy J and the Dirty Shuffle
It's a good
long while since we've covered a blues artist/band here at ROCKWIRED
and we couldn't think of a better way to get our
groove back on than with the Austin, Texas based trio LAZY J
AND THE DIRTY SHUFFLE who have jsut released their latest
self titled EP a whopping seven years after the release of their 2008
debut album BONE TO PICK. Front man and guitarist J GROVER
takes centerstage on the reggafied first single TIL THE DEVIL
KNOWS YOUR DEAD (recalling early J GEILS BAND) and the ballad
LETS LET LOVE. As a lead guitar player he truly
shines on the instrumental DOUBLE DOWN BOOGIE and the band proves that
they ain't slouches.
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Rockwired Radio Profiles #561 - Jace Pawlak
Remember
songwriters? With so much emphasis being put on voices and image these
days, it's easy to forget that there are people still writing music.
JACE PAWLAK is a fellow who grew up listening to music and developing a
keen interest in the machinery behind some of his favorite artists.
Looking to pop scribes like DESMOND CHILD and DIANE WARREN
for inspiration he threw himself into songwriting with complete abandon
and has now issued his third album PERSPECTIVE - a catalog of ten songs
that show off PAWLAK's range and versatility from the opening rocker
CRY to the jazz pop twist of DON'T TALK TO ME. In
a time where many pop artists have five producers and about five
different co-writers per song on an album it is most refreshing to see
and hear that adventurous and versatile sounding music can come from
one single, passionate source.
Rockwired Radio Profiles #560 - Seek Irony
Rock n roll
is full of brother acts but we haven't heard one quite like SEEK IRONY
before. Founded by vocalist and guitarist KFIR GOV and his
brother ROM on drums SEEK IRONY got it's start as your basic
four-to-the-floor rock band but eventually the two became
enraptured by the throbbing pulse of EDM. After some success in their
native Israel, the brothers GOV set their sights on the States -
specifically Austin, Texas - where their notoriety and their electronic
rock alchemy has continued to evolve. That evolution can be heard on
the band's latest release TECH N ROLL and the name cleverly says it
all. However nothing is more clever than the music which flawlessly
combines the grit of rock n roll with the pulsating rhythm of
electronica. Nowhere on the album does this sonic mixture
com together more seamlessly than on the lead single DEVIL IN
ME.
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