D Edward - Love Is

Hello everybody! I'm back again to bring you another MY Indie Music Blog feature that I hope you will be as excited about as I am.

My regular readers will definitely pick up on the fact that I tend to migrate towards one type of music more than others, rock. It's in my blood and it's a part of my soul. BUT, that doesn't mean that I don't enjoy other genres of music as well. There's a little bit of everything here for your listening pleasure from the aforementioned rock to country to rap/hip-hop and even a little bit of soul. Tonight however, we're going to up the ante somewhat in the soul department.

I've been given another opportunity to preview an upcoming release and just couldn't pass up the chance to share the music with you here. It's that good. So without further ado, I give to you the soulful, jazzy renderings of D. Edward and his upcoming album Love Is.

Oakland, California, USA native D. Edward is a music industry veteran with quite an impressive resume already under his belt. An accomplished percussionist, he currently tours with legendary R&B/funk group Con Funk Shun, as well as working with 2013 Grammy award winner Laura Sullivan on her current project. I can go on name dropping on his behalf but I think it's best if I give you a little sampling of what he has in store for us with his upcoming album...


The album itself is nothing short of amazing. There is so much sound packed into the 11 tracks on Love Is that I almost couldn't decide on what to sample for this piece! The biggest draw for me is the return to old school r&b. I find it increasingly difficult to find good music on mainstream radio these days. This album is one that could turn the industry upside down and give fans of real music something to be excited about again.

I highly recommend that you head over to iTunes right now and pre-order your copy of Love Is ahead of its October 21st release date. I guarantee you that if you're a lover of real music, you will not be disappointed. Make sure you also check out the official D. Edward website, and don't forget to follow him on Twitter and like him on Facebook. And as always, check back here with me at MY Indie Music Blog for all things D. Edward as they happen!

Support unsigned artists... give indie music a chance.

Project Dirty™ - Wake Up the Night

I can't begin to tell you how excited I am about tonight's post. This post is what I live for. This post has come about because of a mutual respect between artist and blogger. And you, my fellow lovers of all things indie, are the beneficiaries.

Tonight, it is with immense pleasure that I bring back to MY Indie Music Blog, Project Dirty™ and their soon to be released new single Wake Up the Night!

Regular readers of MY Indie Music Blog, as well as those who follow me on Twitter (@cgnipp), know which side of the fence I stand on in regards to today's mainstream radio. Simply put, I just don't get it. Maybe I really am getting old and am starting to wonder if I put my parents through the same thing when I started blasting 80's hair metal and r&b and hip-hop all those years ago. Or maybe it's just because what's on the radio these days really isn't that good. It's all fine and dandy to have the hottest producers and songwriters doing their best behind the scenes to make the current crop of "pop" radio darlings sound better than they are to pump up record sales and increase downloads and YouTube views, but what do we really get in return? A longing for something a lot better, that's what. And trust me when I say this, Project Dirty™ is that something better... and a whole lot more!



What you've just experienced is mainstream radio's saviors. Already making huge waves on Sirius XM radio channel 2 (20 on 20) as well as FM radio stations all across America and parts of Germany and South America with hits like Skywalker and Raise the Bar off of their latest album Blue Fire, Rhett Fisher (vocals) and Micah Faulkner (guitar) are ushering in a new era of artists who actually have to talent to make it on their own in the music industry. With Wake Up the Night, the guys have carried forward an already winning formula of pop rock infused, stadium anthem ready party rock that, according to Micah, is the "best we've done yet I feel." I couldn't agree more. I've had the pleasure of hearing the full track and really can't wait for them to unleash this tune on all of you in the very near future!

In the meantime, get yourselves ready for some new Project Dirty™ tuneage by checking out their current album Blue Fire as well as their debut EPs Act 1 & Act 2. And don't forget to check out their official website projectdirty.com, follow them on Twitter, like them on Facebook and circle your calendars for Tuesday, October 7, 2014 for the official worldwide release of Wake Up the Night!

And as always, check back in here at MY Indie music blog for all things Project Dirty™ as they happen!

Support unsigned artists... give indie music a chance.

Euphoria Audio

Tonight, I have no witty banter to share with you. Tonight, we're going to dive right into the music, because I have been patiently waiting to bring Euphoria Audio back to MY Indie Music Blog for what seems like an eternity.

So, without further ado, I give to you Euphoria Audio and their debut album!

I first introduced you to Euphoria Audio way back in 2012 when I started this blog (..British Invasion). That was only my 6th post at a time when I was just beginning to engulf myself in the indie music community. Fast forward two years and a lot has happened since then. The band is still the same, Matt Shirty, vocals; Ben Lloyd, guitar/vocals; Ben Hughes, bass/vocals and Josh Hughes, drums/vocals, and they're still out of Wakefield, England. The main thing that has changed in the time since I first discovered their music is that the guys have significantly upped the ante for ALL artists in the music industry today.

As I've grown to love this band more and more over the last two years, their sound becomes more and more familiar to me. So much so that I often forget that I'm not listening to them on a local radio station. Prior to the release of Euphoria Audio, we've become familiar with Gravity, 3 Seconds, Speechless and Our Yesterdays to name a few. But put this entire album together in one cohesive package and the entire thing comes off more like a greatest hits album than a debut. Chock full of huge stadium pounding guitar riffs and soaring vocals, it's easy to see why Aerosmith (yes, THAT Aerosmith) asked the guys to open for them at their first ever show in Singapore last summer. This band is that good and this band is ready for the world to discover what the EUAUArmy already knows!

Editor's note: I'm going out on a limb here and saying that Euphoria Audio is the current front-runner for this bloggers top album of 2014.

Head over to iTunes now to download your copy of Euphoria Audio. Follow the band on Twitter and like them on Facebook. Make sure you check them out on their official website. And as always, follow along with me here at MY Indie Music Blog for all things Euphoria Audio!

Support unsigned artists... give indie music a chance.

August Melody

Since I started this blog, my love for indie music and the artists that create it has grown exponentially. On a daily basis, I force myself (literally) to listen to a minimum of 15 minutes of mainstream radio. I usually start with our local Top 40 station and within two or three minutes, I just can't take anymore of it. More often than not, my exposure to what is out there is limited to satellite radio. Now don't get me wrong. I don't absolutely despise mainstream music. There are actually some decent singers/bands out there. I mean, didn't they all start out as independent artists?

This all brings us to tonight's featured artist. When I compare what I see happening in the music world today (both mainstream and indie), I see a vastly glaring difference on how artists support each other. In the world of mainstream, if it doesn't line someone's pocket, no one is going out on a limb to say, "Hey, you gotta check out the new album by such and such who is on a different record label than mine who isn't currently on tour with me..." Indie music? Not even close. The artists that I follow on Twitter and like on Facebook jump at any chance to help other artists get their music heard. Whether it's guest DJ'ing on an internet radio station and spinning the indie tunes they dig, to posting on their personal accounts about someone they like, they get what it takes. They know how important they are to each other, to the bars and coffee shops they play in, to the bloggers who write about them, to the fans who grow to love each and every one of them.

Several weeks back, an artist who regular readers of MY Indie Music Blog will recognize, David Gielan, did exactly what I just touched on. He posted a link to Southern California acoustic duo August Melody on Facebook. I thought, if THE greatest indie artist out there likes this band, they must be pretty good, right? I had no idea what I was about to get myself into.

I've been patiently biding my time waiting to introduce August Melody to you. At the time that I first heard them, they hadn't started a Twitter account yet. Only one other time have I posted a blog for an artist that has no presence on Twitter. That's just because I feel like it's a more effective tool in the realm of social networking to help indie artists get heard. Don't ask me for my thoughts on Facebook on this matter. That's a different blog in and of itself for another time. But now, the August Melody Twitter account is off and running, and we all get to reap the benefits!

Ray Obenchain and Stephanie McManus are August Melody. August Melody is the self professed "best band ever." Take it as tongue-in-cheek, but I dare you to argue otherwise. The first time I hit play on their song Coffee House from their latest self-titled album, I was obsessed before they hit the chorus.

Sell your beats online at ReverbNation.com

Call them singer/songwriters, call it folk, call it Americana, call them country, call it alt/country, call it the blues. You can put nearly any tag to their music that you want, as long as you call them what they are. Brilliant. There is not one single thing about them that I don't absolutely love. This is stripping music down to its basics. Write a good song that tells a story. Put an acoustic guitar to the words and bring on a songstress with one of the most beautifully melodic voices, and repeat. Over and over again. For the record, Mr. Obenchain, you're not too shabby on the vocals yourself. Painted in Red is one of the best tracks on the album!



Count on me to remain obsessed with August Melody. Period.

Now it's up to you, my faithful readers and lovers of all things indie, to show some love to August Melody. There's a reason why you're along for this ride with me. August Melody is that reason right now.

Follow the band on Twitter, like them on Facebook, check them out on ReverbNation and head over to iTunes to download August Melody. iTunes not for you? You can get the album on Amazon as well.

And as always, follow along right here on MY Indie Music Blog for all things August Melody!

Support unsigned artists... give indie music a chance.

Chaser Eight - 12 Days Ago

#Crazy8s the world over, rejoice with me! In advance of their soon to be released album, our favorite rockers, Chaser Eight, have given us yet another song of summer! Hot of the presses for your musical enjoyment, please join me in cranking 12 Days Ago!!!

This is another of the songs I was graciously allowed to hear as a demo, and I was really intrigued by what the finished product may have sounded like. I don't need to wonder anymore because the band has delivered yet again... just like they do every time out!



Head over to the band's SoundCloud page now to stream 12 Days Ago... and they've even made it another free download, so just click on the download button and take it with you when you go!

And don't forget to check out the official Chaser Eight website, follow the Chaser Eight and *AUDRA* on Twitter, like them on Facebook and share their music with the world... like the good #Crazy8s we all are!

And as always, follow along here at MY Indie Music Blog for all things Chaser Eight as they happen!

This one summer...

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Spaceship Days - Indie Music Bus™ August 2014 Act of the Month

How is everyone out there tonight? We (meaning me) here at MY Indie Music Blog are finally back in the saddle again, so to speak, with bringing you more of what you've been coming here for. Life seems to take strange twists and turns sometimes. Often times, those twists and turns are for the better. Now that things have sorted themselves out on a personal level, blogging will be back and better than ever! And what better way to help get back in the swing of things than to jump back on the Indie Music Bus™ bandwagon and bring you some more of the incredible music they help me bring to you?!

It is with great pleasure that I bring to you tonight the August 2014 Indie Music Bus™ Act of the Month, Spaceship Days! Durham, North Carolina, USA, has been gracious enough to share with us one of the hottest bands on the indie music scene today. Made up of Adam Lee Decker, vocals; Chuck Cox, bass; Greg Torsone, guitar and Dave Kress, drums, Spaceship Days are one of the most promising indie acts we have right now that are ready to carry the torch in the ever growing battle against the mainstream!



Their latest EP, Saving the Universe, is a prime example of the evolution of indie music. There's a quality to the recording that rivals much of what we're given as options on mainstream radio. The biggest difference being this is what fans of Spaceship Days have come to expect from them and then some. I myself only recently discovered their music thanks to my role as judge on the Indie Music Bus™ Artist of the Month/Year panel. As soon as I hit play when I was first checking out this band, I knew we had a bona fide superstar in the making. Clearly, the majority of the other judges felt the same way!

Recent winners of the Music Video of the Year at the Carolina Music Awards for the video for their song December, I have absolutely no doubt that the accolades and awards will continue to pile up for this band for years to come! The rest of the music world better be looking over their shoulders. There's a new kid on the block and Spaceship Days are here to make the music industry right with the fans again!



For all things Spaceship Days, check out their official website, follow them on Twitter and like them on Facebook. Head over to iTunes to download their latest EP as well as all of their other musical offerings. Head over to the Artists in Music Awards voting page and throw as many votes as you can up for them as they are nominated for Best Video, Contemporary, Pop, Alternative and Rock Artist.

Check them out all month long over at the official Indie Music Bus™ website as well as on the Bus's Facebook page and Twitter for a month's worth of promotional goodness unmatched in the world of indie music!

And as always, check back here with me at MY Indie Music Blog for all things Spaceship Days!

Support unsigned artists... give indie music a chance.

Little Donkey

No, the title of this post is not a misprint or a slight of sorts in any way. When Little Donkey, the folk/rock indie band out of Chelmsford, Essex, UK, found their way to my Twitter page, I kind of did a double take at the name. Then I found my way to their music and immediately began apologizing for jumping to conclusions, because I was NOT expecting to hear what I did!

 

Little Donkey are Mat Frost. vocals/guitar/ukulele/mandolin; Simon Charlton, guitar/stompbox/vocals; Russ Charlton-Ricks, bass and Jim Kemble, drums. Now, for the apologizing part to the band. I'll admit that, once I saw the name of the band, I hadn't the slightest idea what to expect, or what I thought I could expect for that matter. I hit play on their latest EP, Sanctuary, and I was blown away! This folk-rock-funk explosion called Damascus hit my earholes and I've been a sucker for them ever since!!!

Track after track on Sanctuary as well as their debut EP, The Heavy Load Sessions, is packed full of soulful folk and melds just the right amount of rock mixed with a tad bit of grunge, all wrapped up in a nice little eargasmic package for our listening pleasure. When a band like Little Donkey happens along, we know that the gods of indie music are smiling down on us.



Now let's get down to a little business, shall we? The wave of the future of music is upon us. We are now in the era of the crowd-funded campaign and it's sweeping the world. As crowd-funded campaigns go, I have personally backed 24 successful campaigns, and a handful or so of ones that didn't quite make it. I took those losses personally because I felt as if I was as invested in the campaigns as much as the indie artists that I supported. Let's see what we can do to add number 25 to the list. The band has very recently started their own PledgeMusic campaign to help with recording their next EP. I for one am a very big fan of the crowd-funding campaigns as it gives the artist complete control over their art and allows them to put a product out there that they know their fans want from them. This isn't going to be some crap auto-tuned, dressed up for the teenage girls who keep the wallets fat of the so-called experts of today's mainstream music. No, this is going to be some more of what I already love about Little Donkey.

First and foremost, let's all head over to the band's PledgeMusic page and help them record their next EP! Then, follow them on Twitter, like them on Facebook, head over to their BandCamp page to download The Heavy Load Sessions and Sanctuary, and check out their official website for all things Little Donkey!

And as always, make sure you check back here at MY Indie Music Blog for all things Little Donkey as they happen.

Support unsigned artists... give indie music a chance.