It is easy to be down and out about life, but when you are Sean Maria you look on the bright side no matter what. You not only do that if you are Sean Marie, but you sing about it as well. Sean is a singer/songwriter with a voice that showcases a lot of emotion, while remaining positive about life. That is the main thing you walk away with after listening to her. Songs like You Are Not Broken and We’ve Gotta Live are positive musical notes to carry with you throughout your day in case something comes along and makes you feel down. She is not only about that, she also shows off the important people in her life with Mother and Found That in You. Mother could use some work when it comes to the recording mechanics, but overall both have a lot of love in them. While all the songs have positivity about them, Not So Bad is the icing on the cake for this batch baked by Sean Marie. It is both a delight to listen to and has a great message interwoven in there. If you have found yourself needing something in your life that can turn your frown upside down, take a chance on Sean Marie. (https://www.facebook.com/SeanMarie1111)

Written by Dylan Gallagher

Emilee Allan started singing when she was 8 years old with a karaoke machine her grandfather bought her. Her voice is both beautiful, powerful, and a great range. With a recent move to Nashville from her Michigan home, Emilee Allan is off to a great start in her career in the music scene. Her style is more country pop rock than anything else, but it has a soft tenderness to it that makes me quiver. Emilee has a range of sounds within her songs that displays her talents. The production quality of her music is excellent, as well. What’s so lovely about her music is that it has a strong

Crazy electric-guitar driven gospel-dance rock with disco and hip-hop elements. Zevanya is “living life is his name” which is apparently why she’s so free to rock in an eclectic manner. “Free Indeed” boasts the truth and sounds like sonic freedom and creativity. The production is great, genre-bending, and perfectly showcases the singers vocal talent. It seems like Zevanya and crew go out of their way to cover all styles and genres - you are just as likely to hear a dissonant guitar riff, melodic vocal hook or hi-hat fueled beat in any given song.

Something like Beyonce meets Gwen Stefani with a new school Ke$ha attitude. Cassandra Llea’s newest track “Problems” has some slick production and is beyond radio ready - it’s perhaps stronger than most songs you’ll find on a local pop radio station. Cassandra throws you for an impressive loop with her vocal diversity, she can sing, rap and taunt like no other. There’s also male vocals in the bridge and towards the end of the song that lend to the strength of production. This track is fast-paced, get up and dance, MTV culture, club-crashing, sing-along music.

Offchance Sidewalk sounds like a mixture of Cake and Sublime. The quirk, deadpan way that Cake delivers his style intertwined with the laidback Southern California way most of the songs are incased are why that first sentence was written. When you have an Intro that is basically a phone ringing, that is a chance taken because who knows what that sound is today with ringtones and such? You have to take the chance and answer though to get to the good stuff. Pictures sounds like something you would hear at a Frat Party. It has this Asher Roth feel to it the entire time. Tonights Race takes the tortoise approach, for those who are familiar with the classic fable; it is slow and steady. Certainty is for those who frequent the Vans Warped Tour. It is lively and youthful. Benevolence circles back to the Cake aspect and Jesus Favorite Things is not only eye catching because of the title, but because of the lyrics as well. Can you picture Jesus taking in some Cocaine? Those who are uber-religious should go ahead and skip past that one. Offchance Sidewalk provides an interesting blend of genres that is for those who consider their selves musical risk takers.

It is never too late to release music as it is timeless and this can be said for poet and musician Maria Elena Sanchez. She was born in 1953 and as of April 16 2012, she has finally decided to release her collection of songs. Music is not something that all of sudden popped into her life rather it was more of a hobby as Maria had other life issues to deal with that left no time to pursue music professionally. Her appreciation for all types of music has lead to incorporate so many that it is hard to classify her music but oddly enough it all fits together so well. She tries to incorporate this appreciation into her music and not stick to a formula. Her songs include a mixture of lyrical content and no lyrical content (instrumental). There is something oddly engaging about instrumental music. However, Maria’s “My Collection-Dance Medley” is a strong enough song to make any listener still feel a connection. The compelling synthesizer and kick drum will pull you in. The funky style is powerful-a terrific instrumental track indeed. Maria’s has the voice of an angel, very warm and inviting. Her lyrics or should I say poetry will leave you feeling as if you’re in a theater watching a Shakespeare play. The structure, style, and flow of the lyrics could only be done by such as a talented poet as Maria herself. “Run Away” deals with deeper issue of running away from your issues or a love gone wrong. The meaning behind the song is a mystery and thats what so enticing about the song. We can only be thankful that Maria has finally decided to share her wonderful voice with us. Take a listen here https://www.sonicbids.com/2/EPK/?epk_id=40210#audio

Tribal and classical, folky and refined all at once - the Chookasian Armenian Concert Ensemble. This gang of performers comes through with superb musicianship, full-on choreographed dances, and massive audience interaction. A huge portion of the sound is the steady, driving hand claps of the ensemble and audience members. The Youtube video for “Armenian Folk Music” by the ensemble is lively and alluring, showing that the group is an authentic “art experience” as opposed to just a music group. In a performance like this, audience becomes part of the experience, actively participating and dancing, not unlike a church congregation, or an excellent wedding/Bar Mitzvah

Crazy soul-folk with a new-age spin. The Sundays sound like an influence with the dreamy guitar leads and 60’s jam band feel. “High In the Night” features acoustic guitars, superbly beautiful vocals captured in a clean balanced recording. “Set yourself free” is the hooky line to the song, harmonized and complimented by layered guitar leads that sing and emote.

A visit to Stephierae.com blesses listeners with immediate streaming songs that will hypnotize and leave you eager for more. “When the Reins Fell” has a celti-folk vibe, percussive shakers and a full-band orchestration. The vocals are incredibly strong, calling to mind classic artists like Joni Mitchell, Bonnie Rait and newer stuff like Jewel.