CHECK OUT THE PODCAST AT:
http://www.rockwired.com/temporarysite/rockwiredprofiles656.mp3
Tuesday, August 23, 2016
Tuesday, August 16, 2016
Rockwired Radio Profiles #655 - The Ormewoods
Despite much of the hard rock and heavy metal that comes our way here at ROCKWIRED we have to admit that THE BEDROOM SESSIONS has got to be the most provocative title for an album that we have seen in a long time. And it comes to us from a folk duo in Atlanta. The debut release from THE ORMEWOODS was recorded in a bedroom proving once and for all that great albums can be recorded anywhere. In speaking with CLAIRE PEARSON and DON McCOLLISTER it was clear that when the production of the album shifted to an actual studio something would be lacking in both songwriting and performance. Thankfully they chose to keep it in the bedroom with this fine collection of songs that examine the highs and the lows of a romantic relationship. In particular the relationship between PEARSON and McCOLLISTER. THE ORMEWOODS is an exciting coming together of talent. CLAIRE PEARSONS' soul searing lyrics and delivery send the music to dizzying heights while the production smarts of McCOLLISTER packs the very punch that has served acts such as SISTER HAZEL and SHAWN MULLINS so well and earned him two GRAMMY's for his handiwork behind the recording console.
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Rockwired Radio Profiles #654 - Jonathan Cavier
One doesn't think of a word like "refinement" when it comes to today's pop music but it was every where you looked back in the early half of the eighties with artists such as DURAN DURAN, BRYAN FERRY and SPANDAU BALLET. We could call it je ne sais quoi but the truth is we know exactly made artists such as these leap off of the TV screen and the stereo - style and pop smarts. JONATHAN CAVIER is an artist who has taken his queue from the chops of the artists that we have mentioned but don't think for a moment that his debut solo album PREMIER is some sort of obvious exercise in nostalgia. It isn't. In fact the former half of the atmospheric pop duo EYE TALK ( who used to go by the name ALAN CLARK) goes to great lengths to carve out his own musical identity starting with a new name and pop songs that eschew the obvious pop psychological heartache but instead embrace themes such as change and rebirth as he does on the album's shimmering first single JANUARY. so yes, JONATHAN CAVIER is refined as hell and PREMIER showcases a signature sound from an artist who will certainly go the distance.
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Friday, July 29, 2016
Rock Is Red #23 - Ethan 103
A punk band coming out of Indian Country is certainly no novelty anymore and the guys form ETHAN 103 ain't not novelty act either. Their in-you-face punk sound packs all of the punch that made bands like BAD RELIGION and THE MISFITS the big deals that they were but ETHAN 103 brings something else tot he table other than the typical white boy errancy that has marked much of the genre. These guys use the straight-forward approach of punk to address issues of American Indian survival and resistance against oppression as they had on their 2011 single 500. What would punk be without an eye-catching, raucous live set? Well these guys have made their presence known throughout much of the Southwest. They even got our attention at a show in Albuquerque not too long ago and front man MASTER WAYNE has enough stage presence and charisma to put the band on the map. Their new single PUNK ROCK FASHION POLICE is a jab at the hypocrisy of punk scene that puts posing above being genuine. Given the fact that we feel these guys are the real thing, their observations are definitely worth listening to and taking as gospel.
CHECK OUT THE PODCAST AT:
http://www.rockwired.com/rockisred/rockisred23.mp3
http://www.rockwired.com/rockisred/rockisred23.mp3
Thursday, July 28, 2016
Rock Is Red #22 - Susan Aglukark
In speaking with Inuk singer songwriter SUSAN AGLUKARK, it is surprising to learn that her resolve as an artist and a musician was never truly solidified in her mind until after the release of her fourth album THIS CHILD. The 1995 album went three times platinum in Canada and earned her two JUNO AWARDS yet AGLUKARK maintains that her role as singer songwriter felt undefined until the follow up album UNSUNG HERO. "On that
album is a song called STAND UP written around 1997 or 1998." says AGLUKARK. "I remember
having this moment of realization . I was the artist the EMI RECORDS
had signed. I'm the center of this thing. I am the focus. I have to
lead this. If I'm the writing the songs I'm directing he story and
with that knowledge came this profound peace. I needed to stop writing
hit songs and just answer the call of the song. I fell inn love with
being a conduit using the music as a tool to share the culture. That
was when I knew that I had to commit to this musical career. That was
when I knew." And commit she has! AGLUKARK's musical career has been beautifully cataloged on nine albums over the span of twenty-five years. Her sound marries Inuk folk music traditions with contemporary pop and country flourishes. Now she is in the midst of putting together a brand new album with songs that speak to and for her Inuk culture, the wrongs of the past and the frailty of the human condition. While these themes are nothing new to AGLUKARK's music, she maintains that there will be a few surprises. As she progresses in her life as both a musician and a spokesperson for numerous non-profit organizations working with Aboriginal and Inuit youth AGLUKARK has never lost sight of the importance of her music and it's message. "Sometimes we (as Native people) feel like we begin when the government
says we begin. Our identity comes from an institutional organization
and they say this is what you are and this is what you do. When I got
into this career it was all too easy to let everyone else make choices
and decisions for me. That was how I had been conditioned . The more I
engaged art and the more I wrote, the more I was empowered and realized
that I had the opportunity through music, singing and songwriting
to share my views and my culture. This is mine but I had to come to
that place first. At the core of all of the problems with our youth is
this identity crisis."
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Tuesday, July 19, 2016
Rockwired Radio Profiles #653 - One Less Reason
History has proven that a lot of time some of the best rock music is fueled by a single. solitary vision and not so much compromise. Early on in his career CRIS BROWN saw the detriments of working as a group and seeing the music suffer due to line up changes and whatever the hell else that gets thrown in front of a band these days. In 2003 he began recording as ONE LESS REASON. Setting his music apart from most active rock fare is BROWN's approach to telling an engaging story through song with his assured delivery, musicality and know-how when it comes to working the recording console. For five albums now ONE LESS REASON has garnered some impressive sales with all five albums in their impressive catalog and BROWN is on the verge of releasing ONE LESS REASON's sixth album THE MEMORIES UNINVITED and to paraphrase BROWN -"...if this were to be my last album I would be so happy with it!" While we hope to hear more from ONE LESS REASON in the future we must agree that THE MEMORIES UNINVITED is definitely something to feel proud of. It's meaningful approach to hard rock never comes off heavy-handed and BROWN cleverly shows the world that he's got something. Check out the single WHERE WERE YOU?.
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Rockwired Radio Profiles #652 - 18th & Addison
KAIT DIBENEDETTO and TOM KUNZMAN are a dynamic duo in every sense of the term. DIBENEDETTO first experienced fame through MTV's TOTAL REQUEST LIVE with her band JUST KAIT and has maintained her chops as the guitarist for the band WHAT'S EATING GILBERT. KUNZMAN was formerly in the band A CRIMINAL RISK. 18TH & ADDISON was born out of two guitarists wanting to get their yah-yahs out creatively and results of their decision to join forces was the 2015 EP LITTLE PARASITES. Now they have released their brand new album MAKESHIFT MONSTER. "We're so excited!" exclaims DIBENEDETTO. "It's funny because we were super proud of the EP that we released a couple of years ago but we've had all of these songs that we've written since that release. These songs have been brewing in our brains and have kind of been sitting for a while so it's great to finally bring those songs to life on this album and record them and finally make something of them. That is super-exciting for us. We got a lot off of our chest with this album. It's a step up from what we used to do."
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