written by Dylan Gallagher

Having been a musician from a very early age, Randon Purcell is pursuing his dream job to be a musician while at the same time working his nine-to-five as a software engineer and supporting his family. What a go-getter! Randon Purcell writes some clean, honest rock music that leaves your ears polished, shiny, and waiting for more. It’s a soothing sound, but it also catches your attention. It’s not music that you will easily forget, so try giving it a listen!

written by Dylan Gallagher

If you’re looking for a great alternative rock sound with familiar rock n’ roll tone, then check out the Mr. Hunter Band. Add a bit of jazz piano, and you might have something great. At least I think so, which is why I recommend Mr. Hunter to all you readers out there. Mr. Hunter’s first CD is called The First Chapter, and it’s “a story about life, nature, dreams, and following what you believe in.” Who can’t get behind that?

written by Dylan Gallagher

Awww heck, there’s a ho-down at the town square tonight! Join me? Guess who’s playing: Mike Cullison. Cullison’s sound comes complete with country and blues harmonica, guitar, and piano. The drumbeats keep your body moving and shuffling. Clearly one of the cool, fun country rock artists of our time is Mike Cullison.

Cullison’s voice can at times sound like Elvis, like in his no doubt Elvis-inspired song “Blue Neon Heartache.” Other times he holds onto the whinier country sound that we’re all used to, such as in his song “Whiskey Memory.” Cullison’s voice isn’t annoying, however, which is hard for me to say considering I often find country singers to sound like nothing but yelping, drunken dogs. “Whiskey Memory” is a tale of tough times, and Cullison’s voice rings out over a high-quality and familiar country sound. The lead guitar has twangs and bends that remind me of classic country songs and keep me listening. The piano pulls me in further and locks me into the song until its final note.

written by Dylan Gallagher

Mary Westlake plays folk music softly and sweetly, with great passion. Her voice is whimsical and angelic, and it reminds me of Feist’s beautiful, enchanting pipes. Her music can turn from happy, melodic songs to sad, melancholic folk tunes. In this ever growing music industry, Mary Westlake surely has to be climbing her way to the top because her music and her voice carry more panache than the average artist. Her songs are all great representations of the folk genre. It’d be worth your time to lend her your ear. The song “Red” has soft, acoustic guitar. The strumming is simple and has a great melody. Her voice in “Red” has a very sensual feel to it as it calls out to the listener, almost begging them for more. Another quiet little folk song is her tune “Restless,” which is packed with emotion and leaves me with reverence after every listen. In her song “Red Mill,” the guitar recording sounds like she’s barely dragging her fingers over the strings, but this makes the strumming heart-warming and happy. Other noteworthy songs to check out are “I Should Know,” “Coffee,” “Mellow,” and “123456789(Take Me).” They all hold true to the folk and acoustic guitar sound that we know and love. It can be hard for up-and-coming musicians to “find” their sound, but I believe Mary Westlake has done so flawlessly. Don’t let Mary Westlake slip through the cracks! Give her a listen. You won’t be disappointed. Over twenty of Mary Westlake’s stellar tracks are all on SoundCloud, just waiting for you to download them. So if you are looking for some charming folk music and a passionate voice to listen to, check out Mary Westlake! Go get her music here: https://soundcloud.com/marywestlake89

written by Dylan Gallagher

Lit Up is a metal band that formed in 2010. I guess calling them metal isn’t fair, as they are more of a hard rock/metal/thrash band. Their songs are fun, heavy, and carry a great tune. Lit Up seems to be making their way onto the music scene with their intense power chords and high-energy music. Vocalist Danny Comer and guitarist Tee jay Velorian started the band together with the intention of returning to the roots of rock and roll, and they have definitely made a valiant attempt. These rockin’ boys quickly brought in bassist Randy James and drummer Josh Lough, completing the Lit Up line-up. The four musicians play together like they’ve been doing it a long time, which points to their fluidity as a group. The ability to work together so well is something that up-and-coming artists and bands should strive to achieve.

written by Dylan Gallagher

So when I first heard of the term lucid pop, I had no idea what to think. The only connection I’ve had to lucidity was lucid dreaming—and let me tell you, be careful when you mess around with that! But back to lucid pop. What is it?

L’illon, the up and coming “lucid pop” artist, gives us the answer: “I like to look at lucid as something clear, brilliant without constraints. Meaning the lyrics are clear in their purpose, the sound is intense, the groove hits you, and the listener is drawn to feel and enjoy the music.” The raw emotion and intensity that makes up this type of music is what inspires L’illon. She has a slew of songs—over a baker’s dozen—and all of them stick to this particular sound.

Although there are so many rock bands with a female lead vocalist, people are still not used to the idea of females being able to keep up with the guys. Luckily, each generation and phase of music seems to be more accepting of females in rock and roll; more bands are allowing females to take the lead and its a wise decision if I do say so myself. Era For A Moment is a rock band with Shelby providing sweet vocals as her band mates Tim, Adam, and Matty provide the outstanding instrumentation.

The fairly new rock band Crowfield has been through their share of ups and downs only to raise above them. They have released two albums and dedicate their most recent one to their ones whom the band claims to be best in the world

Of the new songs, it’s very hard to choose the stand out track. From listening to the album I can tell that the band put their heart and soul into their songs. I will say that “Somehow Someway” is a catchy, toe-tapper of tune about moving forward in life and finding out who you truly are. “What Did I Do,” is a mid-tempo love song about well figuring out what you did wrong to make the one you love turn away from you. Most of their songs switch it up a bit from toe-tapping to a ballad and it shows how versatile they are. They have a distinct sound that puts them ahead of the rest. Can’t wait to hear more.The musicianship is on point and the songs are both well written and produced