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The Fully Down
2008-04-08 06:01:00
First impression? The Fully Down is a fine young band, with clear vocals, youthful energy and fast-moving fingers on the guitar that mark so many groups of the 1990s and the new century. To be honest, there is some extra musical treatment on "Are You Listening" a demo that tops the sample songs for this ...
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Mindy Smith
2008-04-04 09:01:00
This singer/crooner is supported by a lot of different musicians, and it seems this occurs for good reason. First-time listeners may have some difficulty "placing" Mindy Smith in a category, though there may not be too many "first-time listeners." Smith has been around for nearly a decade and caught the attention of music industry stars ...
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House of the Heroes
2008-04-03 08:53:00
Wait, there is something different here. There are, for this writer’s money, a lot of young bands searching and getting close, but not quite hitting the mark. Of course, it’s all personal preference. However, House of the Heroes has found something, especially with "Code Name Raven" (The End Is Not The End Gotee 2008). Even "Leave You ...
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Bob Schneider
2008-04-02 08:39:00
Somebody tell the world to listen to Bob Schneider ’s folk and acoustic music – this simple, poetic music that is so well represented by his tune "the king of the world," performed live at Saxon Pub. (It is important that the titles of his songs are not capitalized. This writer hopes that is intended. It would be nice touch.) Schneider provides the vocals, guitar, keyboards, harmonica, banjo, melodica, xylophone, tenor guitar and ukelele for his music and does it well. Then, with all of this real folk, Schneider tries his hand at rap with "flavours too strong." OK!! The whistling is excellent. The message is solid. It actually works! For another flavor from the Schneder menu, listeners might try "changing your mind" (snocap shockorama 2007). The English language contains a good word – "plaintive," which means "expressing sorrow; mournful or melancholy." The overall sound of this tune fits that definition. There will ...

The Forecast
2008-04-01 08:21:00
The music of this Illinois group has the distinct flavor of several other area bands. The sound of "May You One Day Carry Me Home" (In The Shadow of Two Gunmen) reminds this listener of such central Illinois music makers as Junior Varsity (now defunct) and some of the Carolina youth groups. "One Hundred Percent" from ...
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Perspective 3
2008-03-31 08:19:00
Does it really matter that there are three chords used in a song, or four, or six (including a surprising A minor?) Not really. Other musicians might appreciate this. Some listeners might actually notice, though this often happens during a quiet listen at home rather than at a concert. Rock critics who are often “want to ...
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Permanent ME
2008-03-29 06:21:00
Brian Kapler and Joseph Guccione are keeping the candle burning for this interesting band. The “former members” list is getting longer, as the band has employed and lost Adam Aviles, Chris Leonard and Dan McCabe on guitar (though with different band names). Gone too are bassists Artie Fleischmann, Justin Morrell and Jon Bulzomi. Drummer Mike ...
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Perspective 2
2008-03-28 05:24:00
In some sense, it’s all just been a loud, long F…You! Trying to isolate eras or seminal events and bands might be somewhat productive. But in the long run, it will be a study in frustration. Maybe the rock historians can do us a service by patching together a “people’s history of rock and roll” that ...
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My Former Self
2008-03-27 06:05:00
This San Jose, California band captured attention with its independently recorded tune "Like A Drug" (2006). There is some fine guitar work in this song, perfect sound for the glam/emo sticker that has been put on this group. Good ending to the song by a group of guys in their early 20s. Originally unreleased and equally ...
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Perspective 1
2008-03-26 05:11:00
Let’s look at the current music scene and try to give it some perspective. It’s sort of like looking at a mountain range in the distance, while mentally comparing it to a small stone at your feet. Rock and roll in the 1950s was red, was black, and was white. Actually, there were numerous other colors, ...
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Monty Are I
2008-03-25 05:50:00
 Nice!   At first it seemed that this might be an Irish-influenced band that really meant it! But then I listened a bit more closely and heard the same young voices that come from so many other bands. So, what do we make of Between The Sheets? I mean, this is pretty much a straightforward suggestion. So, ...
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Low Down Alternative
2008-03-22 05:45:00
While the content does not deal with music, Jim Hightower’s newsletter, LOWDOWN, is certainly about independence and alternatives. In addition, the theme of his new book, written with long-time sidekick Susan DeMarco, is entitled “Swim Against The Current: Even Dead Fish Can Go With The Flow.” What great advice for those of us seeking some ...
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Deep in The Past
2008-03-20 05:39:00
Deep in the past, way back in the 1990s, Jim DeRogatis thought and wrote about rock, punk and alternative music as “pop music critic” for the Chicago Sun Times. During that period he wrote an interesting piece for a major slick magazine and, to the best of memory, the article was about a cat named ...
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Inept
2008-03-18 05:03:00
Really? Inept? If music fans don’t listen to the music of this Chicago-based group, they will have to take the band’s word for it when it comes to understanding the name. Wait, I get it! Irony and sarcasm! Nice! “So Much Between Us” the title song from So Much Between Us (2008) is a ballad of top order. ...
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Stereo 360
2008-03-12 07:21:00
Somewhere in this effort is a nugget of true understanding. After all, this guy states that Roy Orbison was the best ever. In addition, Stereo 360 is influenced by none other than Charles Bukowski, the bad boy of street poets and not-for-profit philosophers. Great stuff./p> As for the music, "Sick of You" from Enjoy Your Life ...
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My Favorite Highway
2008-03-11 06:36:00
Great song name "Murder On The Radio!" Really, this tune (2005 Highway Robbery) has a great name. The music is good too, especially the exuberance from this youthful gathering. The song is certainly well produced, clean and very listenable. The guitar work in the middle of the song is nice. But there is so much ...
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Louisville
2008-03-07 08:49:00
This listener has always been partial to the esoteric, or just the unusual. In this case the difference is in the pain. Days of the New – of course this music sounds like Pearl Jam and has some eerie similarity to the Beatles Revolver days. But what is it that makes Days of the New ...
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Aimee Mann
2008-03-05 08:45:00
If a first-time listener has only the unopened CD called One More Drifter in the Snow it might be difficult to determine just where Aimee Mann fits into the modern music scene. Calling On Mary" from that CD can eliminate some of the doubt, though even a close listen to the lyrics doesn’t answer all ...
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John West
2008-03-04 05:35:00
Ok, this guy is cool at least. I mean, he wears hats well and "Rise" (Live 2007) is a very understated tune with some tasty guitar licks. That’s not enough? How about a song entitled "Umbrella w Cello" (Umbrella Remix 2007). West offers some clean guitar chords with no effects, and lyrics that make every effort ...
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Suburban Legends
2008-03-01 05:15:00
With a name like this, the group should be very, very good (or at least on the way to being very, very remembered!) A couple of minutes listening to some samples of SL tunes will convince almost any listener that this band should be a legend in the Orange suburbs and other residential areas around the ...
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Days Away
2008-02-28 05:08:00
First of all, there’s this nice clear voice expressing the sadness that might come from a broken mirror/life. "Mirrors" from Mapping an Invisible World is a nice combination of crisp rhythm, tasty background sound and quality rock. Days Away, variously described as experimental and as rock, has a new EP - Ear Candy for the Headphone ...
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Mia Sable
2008-02-26 04:57:00
So, Ms. Sable, where have you been? Or better yet, where are you? Of course, you don’t win Alternative Female Vocalist of the Year 2007 at the Los Angeles Music Awards without someone noticing (among other awards). But here in the heart of the country it is sometimes difficult to keep in touch with all ...
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INDIE HUNT
2008-02-21 04:31:00
One of a few solid independent music sites on the Web today, www.sessionsound.com is once again looking for music talent among the great undiscovered! Indie Hunt found such ear-opening sounds as The Brobecks and Let’s Become Actors in previous competitions and will continue the current search through the month February. What does the winner get for ...
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Brightwood
2008-02-19 02:58:00
From Portland, Oregon – the stylings of Brightwood! This northwest group is, at first taste, easy to listen to. "Wake" features clear, upper-range vocals similar to several other groups of the century’s first decade. But Brightwood seems to separate itself from other groups with interesting drum touches, vocal echo and a softness that is youth under ...
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The Reign of Kindo
2008-02-16 05:22:00
A progressive jazz group among the pop/screamo/teen rock groups on indie labels – what a nice surprise. The Reign of Kindo reaches listener ears from Buffalo, New York, a city that consistently amazes those who visit. With dozens of music and cultural venues, this upstate New York city has spawned some talented and interesting individuals. Reign ...
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As Tall As Lions
2008-02-14 05:12:00
The name of this group grabs the listener right away. The beginning of "Into The Flood" (East West/TCR 2007) does nothing to change this positive feel. The group seems to want to set a mood and then break into some rock and roll. But the dynamics of the song won’t allow anything unplanned. Excellent vocals ...
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Tantric
2008-02-13 03:12:00
The perception from Tantric’s Web presence is that this unusual group has lived and died several times over recently. One of the moments of living had to be the platinum selling debut CD (2001), with the single "Breakdown." This melodic story-telling effort is fascinating musically. There are no high school/college boy tenor voices front and ...
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Milk It Too!
2008-02-12 05:07:00
As we consider the contributions of alternative/pop music critics such as Chicago-based Jim DeRogatis, it is fun to look around at what is now a worldwide indie/alternative passion that crosses cultures. In DeRogatis’ book, "Milk It!" (De Capo Press 2003) the alternative decade of the 1990s got excellent exposure, with the help of DeRogatis’ practiced ...
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Revelation Theory
2008-02-09 03:40:00
Having played on the Bad Boys of Rock Tour 2007 with Hinder, Papa Roach and Buckcherry, Revelation Theory must now find a way to move to the next level of the rock industry. The band’s foundation is fairly solid, especially with tunes such as "Slow Burn," a powerful rock and roll effort that is sonically ...
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Pioneers Of Another Sort
2008-02-07 03:16:00
It would be easy to dismiss the efforts of some rock groups of the late 1950s and begin a history of alternative/protest rock with the great British and American bands of the 1960s. By doing this, a number of arguments would be avoided, arguments that might center on who the real trailblazers for rock and ...
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