Hard Announcements |
SPOTLIGHTMarch / April 2007by Paul Autry http://www.myspace.com/spotlight_music Brooklyn, New York is home to a delightful coven of wickedly wonderful women known as Witches In Bikinis. Their debut CD, "Witches In Bikinis," is a collection of spooky little tunes that, at their core, seem to be a combination of rock and pop. Although, the more you listen, the more you'll hear. For example, some of these tunes sound like they were written for a Broadway musical while others sound like they belong in a made for tv movie like "The Worst Witch." There's also a 70's girl group sound mixed with surf/beach party music and, to be honest with you, I hear something different in each song. When I first heard "Goblin Gaboom," the first thing that came to mind was Betty Boop and the cuteness of a young Shirley Temple. "Haunted Mansion" had an "epic" Disney song feel to it, if you know what I mean by that. "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" and "Elvira: Mistress Of The Dark" also comes to mind. There's no question about it, I love this album from start to finish...and it's really hard for me to pick a favorite song because each one has something different to offer. However, off the top of my head, I'd probably go with "Horror Flick Chicks," Zombie March" and, of course, "Witches In Bikinis," which was the first song I actually heard by this band...and that's the one that made me a fan. I recently had the pleasure to see Witches In Bikinis live and it was the most entertaining show I have ever seen...and, believe me, I've seen a lot. The Witches, backed by a full band, brought each song to life with a dance routine that seemed to be choreographed around the lyrics. It was the most amazing thing I have ever seen. I was a fan when I heard the album and I was an even bigger fan after their performance. In fact, ever since then, I've been a walking advertisement for them. I've been talkin' about this band to anyone who will listen because music, at least in my opinion, is supposed to be fun and entertaining. Witches In Bikinis are that and so much more. I mean, really, if you would go to a Broadway show, you sit there in silence during the action and you clap when it's all said and done. You can't do that at a Witches In Bikinis show. You have to get up and get involved. You want to dance, you want to scream, you want to clap. It's not just a rock 'n' roll show...it's an event...and, believe me, they're just getting started. Also, they have a number of other songs that can be found on their website. These songs didn't make the first album. But, they're already a huge part of the show...tunes like "Video Vixen Vampire," "Calling King Kong," "Party Like A Chimpanzee," which is an audience participation number, "Mermaids In OuterSpace" and "Alien Surfer Babes," which has quickly become one of my favorites. So, do yourself a favor, get caught in their magical spell and give them a listen. You might not know it yet. But, Witches In Bikinis are your new favorite band. http://www.witchesinbikinis.com I can't remember who I spoke with. Not sure if it was a band member or not. But, at a recent music conference, I had a quick conversation with someone about The Bluesers. It didn't really amount to much. Where are they from, what style of music do they play, sure, I'll check 'em out and that was about it. When I finally got around to throwin' "Shut The Front Door" in my CD player, I was diggin' what I was hearing before the end of the first song and, as I went through the other six songs on this release, let me tell you, I was really feeling the music. This is some seriously good blues music. We're talkin' about blues the way it was meant to be played. Music that reaches into your very soul. Now, during that quick conversation I had, the person I was talking with flipped the CD over and pointed to a young kid and mentioned that he was their lead guitar player. At the time, I didn't think anything of it. As I sat down to type this review up, of course, I spent a little time looking at their website and when I learned just how young the guitar player actually was, I was floored. This kid's only thirteen years old and, sure, I've heard a lot of young musicians before. But, this kid sounds like a seasoned pro. One can only imagine what he's gonna sound like in another ten/twenty years. All I can say is that he must have been born with a guitar in his hand. Really, he's that damn good...and the rest of the band is just as solid. Other than The Blues Brothers, there's only a select few blues bands that I listen to on a regular basis and, after hearing this release, I've added another favorite to that list. According to a post on their MySpace page, Lights Out parted ways with their vocalist about a month or so ago and, as far as I know, they're still looking for a replacement. So, I assume the release that was given to me is the last to feature this line up. Now, there's only four songs here. Not enough to really form an honest opinion. But, enough to get an idea of what the band is all about. They're probably a really good live band because this disc has somewhat of a raw vibe to it and that (usually) goes over rather well on stage. As for what I'd call 'em. Well, they're kind of straight forward/indie rock. On the opening track, "Keeping Score," it seemed to me that there was a little punk edge in that one. I think the same can be said with "Myth Vs. Legend" as well. I'm curious to see what the band's gonna do once they find a new vocalist. I think they're just gettin' started, really. I think the best is yet to come. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. For now, check out these four tunes. It's a great introduction to the band. http://www.myspace.com/lightsoutpa Jordi Sandalinas (Barcelona, August 28th, 1971) studied piano, music reading, harmony and choir singing at the Barcelona Conservatory of Music and is also a self taught guitarist. After joining various bands in Barcelona, Jordi decided to move on and started the Sandalinas project. First, "Like An Arrow" and "Die Hard" came out. In 2005, Sandalinas released an album in Europe, Canada and Australia through Massacre Records called "Living On The Edge," which was recorded at Los Angered Studios in Sweden and it was produced by Andy La Rocque, who is well known for his work with King Diamond. The album was also released in the United States through Nightmare Records and in Russia by Art Music. During this time, Sandalinas has some successful tours supporting Yngwie Malmsteen, Y&T and festivals with Scorpions, Iggy Pop, Saxon and Deep Purple. After a break, Jordi decided to continue his solo career and "Insight" is the name of his debut album, which will see the light of day in the near future. While I'm sure this will be an album that's well worth checking out, I wanted to mention "Living On The Edge" because I've heard this album and it's rather impressive. It's kind of short for a progressive metal album...only ten songs and a running time that's a little over half an hour. But, it's a very solid album, not a weak song in the bunch. It has a huge, epic sound, the production is really great and the musicianship is high quality. Don't let this one slip past you because you will enjoy what you hear. http://www.jordisandalinas.com I thought Hell-Born's "Cursed Infernal Steel" started off rather well. However, I lost interest pretty quick because, to be honest with you, I'm not a huge fan of brutal/death metal music. Musically, the band's not too bad. Of course, they're heavy, they have some killer tunes and, for the most part, I can understand the vocalist, which is always a plus for me. But, I can only listen to an album like this for so long and then it all starts to sound the same for me. There's only so much I can take in one sitting and, no matter how hard I try, I just can't seem to get into this style of music, especially when it comes to listening to a band that I've never heard before. If I'm not hooked by the first two or three tunes, there's a good chance that they won't be on my favorite list any time soon. If I'm in the mood for something that's heavy and aggressive, I'll listen to Venom, Phantasm or Slayer. http://www.ibexmoonrecords.com If you're gonna throw a party, be sure to invite Midnight Spaghetti & The Chocolate G-Strings because they're the band that will provide the soundtrack and, if that's the case, believe me, people are gonna remember being at your bash. They're music is out there...I mean...way out there. It's a combination of rock, classic rock, old school funk and rap with a horn section and a lot of energy. They might even have a few other styles floating around in there. It's kind of hard to tell on the first listen because there's so much going on in each song, it's kind of hard to catch it all. You've gotta listen to it a number of times in order for it to sink in and, with every new listen, you're gonna catch something new. Eventually, you'll get it all and, when you get to that point, you'll be suprised to find out that you're a fan. You won't even know what hit you. It might even suprise you to find out that they managed to pull all this off on their debut release, "Velour On The Floor." One can only imagine what they'll come up with for their second release. If I had to guess, I'd say it's gonna be twice as good. While you're waiting, be sure to check out "Velour On The Floor" and get your party started with a bang. http://www.midnightspaghetti.com I don't know what it is with Jason White. Bad luck on my part I guess. When I first got his "Shades Of Gray" album, it sat on my desk for God knows how long before I finally had the chance to give it a listen. Of course, I thought it was really great. As I started to go through the releases that I wanted to tell you about this month, I found his follow up album, "Tonight's Top Story," and, once again, it's another great album and it really bugs me that I could've been listening to this long ago and, to make it worse, I knew about this release when I wrote up my review on "Shades Of Gray." I'm either way too lazy to clean off my desk more than once in a blue moon or his music is just too good for my ears and there's some higher power that, for some reason, doesn't want me to hear something this fantastic. His last album brought Bob Dylan to mind with the songwriting strength of The Beatles. That's the impression I got after listening to it. With "Tonight's Top Story," I get a little bit of that feeling again. But, I also hear a little John Cougar on this one, especially on "Young American Dreamer," which is my favorite track on the album. I also hear a little Tom Petty as well. Basically, he's a brilliant singer/songwriter who, at times, has a radio rock edge. I can't believe Jason White is not a world wide name, especially after hearing these two releases. I guess in this day and age, people use "American Idol" to judge musicial talent. Well, Jason White is better than any artist who was ever featured on that show, it's as simple as that. So, if you wanna listen to music that you'll eventually forget about, flip your tv on and follow the rest of the sheep. On the other hand, if you wanna listen to music that you will enjoy for the rest of your life...and then some...be sure to pick up these two Jason White albums. You can't go wrong with these releases. I'd start off with "Tonight's Top Story" since it's the most recent album and, I promise you one thing, the next time I get a Jason White CD to review, it's gonna go straight to the top of my pile because I know it's gonna be a great album. http://www.jasonwhite.org The 10 Question Interview With Sam Schillage of Mood RingPaul Autry: Please introduce us to the band and give us a little backround history. Sam Schillage: We are Mood Ring! From Austin, TX! We are just 4 friends w/ different personalities & same musical taste who simply fit togther right off the bat. Paul Autry: Plug your current project and any previous ones you'd like people to know about. Sam Schillage: We hit the studio in May to record our 2nd Cd 'Anger Management." Paul Autry: How would you describe your musical style? Sam Schillage: Simply as rock' n' roll with BALLZ!!! Paul Autry: Name your musical influences and explain why they influenced you. Sam Schillage: Our influences go back to Motley Crue. Just because they have the perfect rock'n'roll attitude. Let's all be honest, back then when they 1st came out they made alot of people want to become rock stars. Everybody started out wanting to be cool like Motley Crue. Even the members of bands like Guns 'n' Roses before they were famous. I guaranteee if there was no Motley, G'n'R wouldn't have had that raunchy attitude when they first started. Then we love bands like Smashing Pumpkins, Alice In Chains & Marilyn Manson for their songwriting skills. People can say what they want to about Marilyn Manson, but that guy is a songwriting machine and you gotta respect that. Then there's the badasses such as Pantera. I don't think I need to say anything about those guys, cuz if you don't know then you don't need to be reading this interview---ha! ha! Paul Autry: Name your poison. Sam Schillage: Jaegermeister baaaabyyyy!!! And I speak for all of us on that one!!! Paul Autry: What are your thoughts on file sharing? Sam Schillage: It's good for unsigned bands to get their music out. But for these guys on major labels, not so good. I honestly am not a big Lars fan. But, I can see where he was coming from a few years back. Of course the public was pissed at him cuz everybody wants something for nothing. So, good for unsigned, not so good for major labels. But then again, that's just my opinion, what do I know? Paul Autry: What are some of your interests outside of music? Sam Schillage: I'm a big Dalls Cowboys fan. Other than that I just love music!!!! Paul Autry: Plug someone else you think people should check out and explain why you think we'd like them. Sam Schillage: Oh man there's so many. Salting Jobe from Houston rocks! Blacklist Union is pretty cool too. Right now I'm all about some Beautiful Creatures. Those guys know how to write. Both CD's are great, you don't have to skip a song on either one and on a bigger note HELLYEAH is the fkn shit yo! I've heard 3 songs on there myspace page and it's as good if not better than I expected. Paul Autry: What has the band done that you're most proud of and what do you hope to accomplish in the future? Sam Schillage: I am most proud of our songwriting. Not many people to get to be in a band w/ their BEST FRIENDS! I am fortunate enough to have that priveledge. On top of that, not only am I in a band w/ my BEST FRIENDS, we write the exact kind of music I want to play. There's nothing I would or want to change about MOOD RING!!! I sincerely love the music we make together. Paul Autry: Final comments? Sam Schillage: Don't stop rockin' peeps!!! I know it's hard to find but there is some good rock 'n' roll out there. You just gotta hunt it down b/c the record indusrty really isn't giving us something we can all enjoy as a big rock 'n' roll family. It's all hip hop! Nothing against it, but most kids start out listening to that b/c there's no really good consistent heavy music. As far as on MTV or the radio for the most part. So, let's all stick together and support these bands that are available and hope the major labels pick more good rock 'n' roll up as we move along!!!! http://www.Mood--Ring.com E-mail: moodringmusic@hotmail.com |