Meet Poker Face, the latest hip hop artist from Dallas, Texas, painting a dark and twisted portrait full of painful and realistic imagery, rendering him one of the most original and thought provoking artists on the scene today. While churning out dozens of tracks which were eventually whittled down into his debut record, No Smiles, No Frowns, Just Poker Face, this hardened rap artist has quickly elevated his game to an entirely new level.
Folk, Americana, and blues are all just a way of life for Nashville, Tennessee’s Shanna Underwood, a fresh singer songwriter playing a rustic blend of music. After releasing her debut album, Field Notes from a Caravan, the well traveled guitar player began gigging around the Midwest and Northeast, wrapping fans up in her honest, powerful brand of country and folk.
The nine track record employed a total of nine different musicians, utilizing stand-up bass, fiddle, harmonica, and a variety of percussion instruments, giving each and every song a unique character. Driven by Underwood’s acoustic rhythms but accentuated by the group atmosphere created by a roomful of instruments, Field Notes from a Caravan is an excellent exercise in folksy, bluesy music with a country twang. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shanna-Underwood/48889332963?sk=info
Wrap yourself inside the eclectic sounds of California’s Abby Posner, a versatile singer songwriter playing her way across the Golden Coast with an intoxicating blend of musical genres. In her bag of tricks, Posner plays nearly everything from bluegrass and jazz to folk and indie rock, working with multiple acts while composing her own solo material.
The spring of 2011 saw the release of her debut record, The Gatherer and the Thief, featuring six tracks of imaginative, folksy rock driven by everything from mandolins to accordions. Her organic and fun sound is unmistakable, as is her soft, yet strong vocal tone and thoughtful lyrics. Posner remains busy with her bluegrass group Fearmia, as well as her own work, and will be releasing the full length record entitled For You, The Spring later this year.
Part punk, part pop, and part hilarious, Omaha Nebraska’s Straight Outta Junior High is pumping out spunky, vibrant tunes with a funny twist. Their most recent release, Sharknocerous, features 13 more tracks of catchy pop-punk, chock full of head bobbing choruses and side splitting lyrics.
While singing about everything from having an embarrassing boner in class to professing their love for Tina Fey, it’s clear the guys in Straight Outta Junior High aren’t shy about using their imagination when it comes to songwriting. Fans of The Vandals, NOFX, Nerfherder, and The Dead Milkmen will definitely approve.
The Koozies are all over the place when it comes to trying to put them into a category of music. Everything from jazz, blues, country, and even drunk gypsy music comes up. The band is all about having a good time so if you’re not having one while listening to their music then something is not right.
Their debut album “Keep It Cool” was less refined as the band just wanted to play music, no formula was needed. The album presented the band as cowboys on the run heading towards alternative county with some punk rock attitude. Their sophomore album “POWDERKEG” was another experimentation that was well received by both critics and fans.
It’s not too often we hear about rappers from Puerto Rico, that is all going to change with Verseminority. Being formed out of Queens, New York Da Sage Flow Preicse and RIN met in 2009 and worked on several projects together until deciding to officially work together. They plan on releasing their debut album “The Minority Report” sometime during 2012.
Their music at times seems harder and harder these days to find in terms of the current state of hip hop. I like to refer to this as real hip hop. I like music that takes their listeners/fans through a journey rather than a bunch of individual tracks put together just for the sake of it. Music, no matter the type of genre is supposed to tell a story. Music is so personal that if its not telling than a story then you know the musician is not a real musician. Luckily, for Verseminority this is not the case.″
Great Jazz Soloists Alex Foster is a jack of all trades. A long standing member of the Saturday Night Live house band, a sextet, saxophonist, and former member of come considerable legendary bands,Alex Foster has no problem of being both a player and composer on his original album “Condition.”
The track “Wait A Minute” has a fast rhythmic tone that results in a fiery yet precise and mesmerizing style that will bring you back to the days of swing dancing. The alto and soprano become sultry instruments and recite seducing beat poetry in “Litha’s Song.” The songs stimulating and timeless guitar solo can be credited to Coastas Baltazanis while Michael Wolff provides the ravishing piano solo.
written by Dylan Gallagher
Denver, Colorado native Katie Glassman immediately stuck out to me because of her voice. It’s got a higher, almost squeakier sound when compared to the slew of singers hitting the market today. And for the first time, I mean squeaky in a good way! A soothing and well played fiddle complements her voice perfectly. It adds an element that gives her music a soulful, happy, and almost country feel. The fiddle in her song “Taking My Baby Along” strings us along and shows us a soft and uplifting side to her composition. The duet with the male vocalist only adds flair and excitement to her lyrics. The shuffling song “Uncle John” is a great example of traditional fiddle playing mixed with Katie Glassman’s great singing and musical composition. With little piano trills and an excellent accompanying guitar solo, “Uncle John” has a variety of different sounds that come together under Katie’s supreme talent. “Fly Away Lil’ Girl” is a quieter, softly sung song with excellent country guitar riffs and fiddle playing. All of Katie Glassman’s music displays her talent as an artist and as a composer. Her other music all has a similar sound that can only be described as simple with a flourish of tradition. Country music has never been my favorite, but I can honestly say that Katie Glasman makes it fresh, enjoyable, and just downright fun. Overall, Katie Glassman’s music is professional, well written, and fun to listen to. Having never played fiddle, I can say that listening to Katie Glassman makes me want to pick it up and mess around. None of you want that, so maybe you should just visit her website. Listen to Katie Glassman’s great music here: https://www.katieglassman.com/My_Music.html