Heather O’Neill is a supremely gifted songwriter working out of Chicago. Take a listen to her Transmute EP. A few months ago she sent her amazing acoustic track “Red Roses for Lady Blue.” I loved it then and still do. As I said, the guitar playing on this track is haunting and tender and perfectly …
Oozing attitude and commanding attention, PSA’s new video for “Ghost” embodies the bombastic spirit of the rising Seattle pop star. Cheered on by her team, PSA lambasts a love gone sour with tongue-in-cheek flair. Native to the Pacific Northwest, PSA embodies the creativity and freedom of DIY culture as well as the drive and ambition …
On a hot August night I ventured to SE Seattle to see the highly pedigreed Western Standard Time Ska Orchestra. This outfit, fronted by Greg Lee (of Hep Cat fame) was a combination of a big jazz band, a ska band and modern mixed in with old and traditional. Greg Lee was fascinating to watch. …
On the inspiration for the song “Cadillac” William Dolan says: “It’s okay to talk about, and even worry about what’s happening in the world. But, you can still enjoy yourself whether you are a kid or an adult. I’m trying to open kids eyes about important issues and help make the world a better place. …
Check out Sly Dunbar and Anthony Red Rose discussing the making of ‘Free Your Mind’. Thank you Enriek Thomas for shooting this, Mike Martin for editing, and Roy Roy Ce for embracing the unique challenge of sending this footage to America via the series of tubes we call the Internet. Davin’s new song has been released and has become a global earworm …
Discussing her new track, Riley states “When I was younger, I suffered abuse by the hands of an older man. Being able to sing out my confusion and frustration made me confront some upsetting truths about my past. Innocence is about seeing these issues face-to-face and and way to heal from them.”
Mona Lisa is an “Off-Top Freestyle” that Auspiddit did after having a big disagreement with family and friends about investing in himself. This high energy trap-like song is produced by Brandon Chapa. The Risky, Religious church theme was shot and directed by Kyle Ahlberg.
Dig the new track from KXA with LA singer Jenny March: KXA Instagram Jenny March Instagram
The sun sets. Appreciate every gig. This is Tom Wilkinson‘s last gig with us until after his baby arrives. Every time The Staxx Brothers hit the stage, it’s all kind of a minor miracle that my friends and I built this tradition that is so many albums and unbelievable stories deep, that I have been able to sing …
On a warm early August evening I had the chance to do some time traveling. One of my favorite performers of the early eighties was playing a concert at Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo. That artist is Adam Ant. I saw Adam a couple times in 81 and 82 and remembered him being an incredible performer. …
I think the difference between Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans that emerged from Africa about 40,000 years can be summed up so: Neanderthals today were at best capable of providing links to articles they read that reinforce their own basic-ness, as not quite men who live in caves. They also loooooove memes but don’t understand …
When my kids were active members with our church’s youth groups I got to know a man named Nabil as he had daughters very close in age to my sons. I learned that Nabil’s parents and grandparents owned two farms in Palestine that bore oranges, lemons, and limes. Then the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians and …
I have so many wonderful things to say about Rick Beato and his Rick Beato – Everything Music series on youtube. This guy is everything about why some youtube creators are delivering even more valuable content than most television producers. He is hitting a real audience. His peers. Rick is talking about music news, theory, production, business and songwriting …
I like the world-shrinking impact that bleak overseas (I’m an American and a proud East Portlander) podcasts have on me. Hence my love affairs with a Norwegian/British (Death in Ice Valley) and an Australian (The Teacher’s Pet) podcast. American podcasts, produced by the likes of CNN, MSNBC or, for that matter, the Comedy Channel, all …
The Sarah Benasouli Quartet is a new Jazz-style project that combines original compositions, colourful arrangements and varied influences. Sarah Benasouli is a singer, creator and writer. She fully welcomes the audience into her musical world; an exciting mix of jazz, soul and ethnic music blending together a wide range of cultures and rhythms that have …
Don’t miss this brief interview with legendary dancehall producer and keyboardist Lenky Marsden as he discusses how he and the song’s producer Anthony Red Rose turned what Lenky considers my “American Folk Ting” into what is becoming a MAJOR hit in Jamaica. It certainly is a hybrid. As a Half Puerto Rican that has always felt a bit out …
I know it sucks that THEY are coming for The Showbox. But the fate was sealed years ago when we all swallowed this pill of sh_t that it was OK to drive out the Soul of our city, starting with Black folks in the Central District that gave the world f_cking Jimi Hendrix and Quincy …
I got some real challenges ahead in August. I know how to be Thick Jagger, lick a harmonica like boss, and front The Staxx Brothers all day. But this is new territory boss. I am joining forces with the reggae outfit Hold in Fyah at Morgan Henley‘s Rock The Nation Carnation, WA block party on Saturday August 4th and even …
Seattle police’s lip-sync video of Macklemore’s “Downtown” (above) has rightfully drawn a lot of attention. The department still under a Department of Justice order to eliminate brutality, especially against people of color, has thoroughly embraced the Seattle rapper’s one-love vibe while putting their show on the road, blowing away police department lip-syncing videos from around …
This is a beautiful, uplifting video shot on a CTA (Chicago Transit Authority) train. Thanks to Victor L. Cooper
Laura Bettinson began performing in 2012, when one of her early south London gigs caught the attention of Nigel Godrich; together with him and Beck drummer Joey Waronker, she ended up forming one third of the electronic pop group Ultraísta. Encouraged by Godrich’s confidence in her unique and savvy tastes, Bettinson began creating her own …
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” ― Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities My wife and I recently spent some time in California. I was disturbed at the human conditions in San Francisco. I wrote to the San Francisco Chronicle (below) and even though my letter to the …
Here is a live performance of Jason Hawk Harris’ tune, “I’m Afraid,” which appears on his EP Formaldehyde, Tobacco and Tulips. It was inspired by a story a friend told him about his “very Catholic mother” who had placed one of those bloody pictures of Jesus over his bed, and how he was more scared …
Sometimes in music, the stars align to unexpectedly bring together legends to tell a brutally honest and unfiltered story for the ages. Such is the case for Portland producer Jade River’s new single, “Flowers Die.” “Flowers Die” brings together LA hip hop icons Ariano, MC Supernatural, Pawz One and DJ LaLa on the turntables for …
If you’re on Facebook, please like Lewis Harding’s solo moniker Wyler. My English Brothers in Sherlock Soul (and our soon to be announced British collective, of which I am the token Yank) have this Romantic idea that they can masquerade behind these musical personas and cultivate new identities. While I find it hard enough to …
Like the entire tournament it culminated, the World Cup final Sunday was a wild one, featuring an own goal, controversial use of video review and lots of scoring, with France defeating feisty Croatia, 4-2. What we may remember best though about this World Cup in the years to come is the emergence of French phenom …
When I watched the movie Hype! as a teen and simply never could convince myself to return it to Hollywood Video, one song and one band blew my mind. It was Love Battery. It was this performance. I thought it was amazing all these local bands were making it big and being from Seattle and even …
When I wake up in a giant, empty bed… get on my feet and instantly feel a knee, a back… I’d just been talking to Elvis Costello as snow fell outside the windows… wonder what I’ll be when I grow up, and then remember that somehow I’m 50 years old now, and my dreams have …
“I’m incredibly proud to present “Fingerprints”,” says Toronto artist Annie Bonsignore of her newest video, a collaborative project with Director of Photography Philippe Maurice. “It has been an incredibly rewarding adventure for me. “For a songwriter, the chance to add the dimension of visual elements is a huge opportunity to expand the story-telling that the …