A fifteen-track instrumental album inspired by Michigan poet Marty Achatz mixing progressive, folk, indie rock, and jazz influences may seem to guarantee an eye-roll-inducing amount of pretentiousness. Streaking in Tongues’ Einstein’s Napkin defies such expectations. I’m suitably impressed. The fifteen performances recorded by father and son team Ronnie and Elliott Ferguson never overreach. Only two of the
Jodi Marxbury
Huntah Anarkelda Finnie, a luminous figure standing at five feet seven inches, with cascading brown hair and eyes the color of hazel, emerges as a multifaceted talent swiftly carving her path through the labyrinth of the entertainment industry. Across various mediums, she effortlessly navigates the realms of singing, acting, and dancing, each step propelling her
Jessica Lowndes’ new album 88 opens with the track “My Everything”, and it is difficult to imagine a better kickoff. It is representative of the album’s contents. The measured pace of the opener isn’t any impediment to building energy as the structure of the song plus Lowndes’ singing strikes an inspired note throughout. Its exultant mood carries
Alex Haughey’s new film is Under the Influencer, now available on streaming (Apple TV, Amazon). At first glance, the zany satirical comedy feels like something akin to a Harmony Korine picture, complete with dazzling color, meticulous framing (shout out to cinematographer Matthew Lynn, QC’s It Lives Inside), and strange and offbeat characterization. Quickly though, we’re
Alex Haughey’s new film is Under the Influencer, now available on streaming (Apple TV, Amazon). At first glance, the zany satirical comedy feels like something akin to a Harmony Korine picture, complete with dazzling color, meticulous framing (shout out to cinematographer Matthew Lynn, QC’s It Lives Inside), and strange and offbeat characterization. Quickly though, we’re
Dianña’s single “Missing You Underneath the Mistletoe” boasts the timeless qualities that virtually every Christmas song aspires to. Even one play of the track makes it abundantly clear that she began the song’s recording process with a clear idea of exactly what she wished to accomplish with the song. She pulls it off without ever
In her new single “Too Much & Not Enough” Hannah Ellis has a style that some might be quick to describe as similar to the retro Nashville pop sound a lot of singer/songwriters tried to salvage as their own in the late 2010s, but from my perspective, the track and its companion video are far superior
New York City native and now Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter Ally Bakst is what I call a “lifer”. She has sung since before she could even talk and, when she began applying herself to music in earnest, started composing songs on piano and guitar. The recent USC graduate recently began collaborating with composer and producer Mark
Marc Miner’s Last Heroes earned my respect and love after a single listen. Miner’s obviously a fan of classic country, but anyone expecting a dyed-in-the-wool retro release will either be disappointed or relieved. The European-born German/American songwriter, based in Vienna, Austria, mixes other influences into his musical concoction such as rock and blues. He invariably returns, however,
Diane Gentile and the Gentle Men kick off Gentile’s third solo release The Bad and the Beautiful with “Lace Up Your Sneakers”. The obvious buoyancy of the track pulled me in from the start as she begins the song with an up-tempo musical fanfare that lifts you up for what follows. The steadily percolating pace of the
In his new single “Sunshine,” pop artist Lucas Jay turns his focus to the dance-inspired element of his sound and entirely abandons the notion of somber surrealism in his artistry at the door. From the moment we press the play button forward, Jay is on top of us with a rhythmic swing from the strings
Oh, PRETTY AWKWARD, you had me at weird. The Seattle band’s new album Get Weird does just that. No one else I’ve heard recently has this sort of quirky, one-of-a-kind take on alternative pop-rock. They aren’t inhabiting totally alien terrain, you’ll know where you are the first song in, but I love how the musical brain trust
Luke and Jake Davies’ band OF LIMBO deals in ruthless, unforgiving hard rock. They’ve released a spate of singles and an EP thus far – last year’s call-to-arms anthem “Let’s Go”, and the new single from these Southern California riff-merchants entitled “California Demon” further ups the ante. They’re going for broke with this new sonic
SILENT SKIES, the cinematic project of EVERGREY’s Tom S. Englund and acclaimed US-based pianist/composer Vikram Shankar (Redemption, Lux Terminus), are releasing their dream-like third studio album, Dormant, on September 1, 2023 via Napalm Records. Continuing on the atmospheric path of Scandinavian melancholy charted on their previous full-lengths, Nectar (2022) and Satellites (2020), Dormant features stunning piano melodies, atmospheric keyboards, lush and expansive soundscapes, and
When a song is born the world is altered in an instant. Each song is as magical to the artist as well as the world. Jon Butcher’s album “Special Day” makes life a little bit sweeter and as humans it is our right to relish every moment. Grammy nominated singer, songwriter, guitarist Jon Butcher is
Wendy Stuart and Steven Bloomer-Teague will be hosting TriVersity Talk this Thursday at 7 PM ET with featured guest Kym Dorsey. TriVersity Talk! is a weekly web series with featured guests discussing their lives, activism and pressing issues in the LGBTQ Community. With TriVersity Talk! the goal is to laugh and learn. TriVersity Talk! Is
The Simonetta Lein Show is back and better than ever debuting its 4th Season with an amazing lineup, waiting to be shared with you all! As the show begins its new season and we all continue to navigate the changing world before us, Simonetta is determined to keep searching for the questions that truly matter
The Beatle influenced Chicago based pop indie band, The PondHawks have unveiled their newest song titled, “Invisible Stranger.” The world wide relevant song is based on the pandemic yet it’s a song of hope and inspiration. Everyone is dealing with the global crisis in their own fashion and The PondHawks are no different. They swung
David McAbee has co-written and directed this dramatic, full of heart, happy-ending film, “For The Love of Jessee” along with producer Curta Schlarbaum. Starring in the movie is the iconic Adrienne Barbeau, Randy Wayne, Tony Denman, Mandahla Rose, Bre Blair, and Manu Intiraymi. The film’s Digital release date was May 1, 2020. The premise of