Lukas Rossi

Tonight is the long overdue introduction of one of the most ridiculously talented independent artists in modern rock music.

Toronto, Ontario, Canada native Lukas Rossi has been on the music scene since 1992. My introduction to Lukas was in 2006 when he was a contestant on the CBS reality singing competition Rockstar Supernova. I'll be the first to admit that he wasn't my favorite to win. That distinction went to another artist who has been prominently featured on this very blog (can you guess who it is?), but that doesn't mean that I wasn't instantly a fan of his. I've followed his impressive career for nearly 10 years now thanks to that show, and tonight, you get to experience Lukas Rossi for yourself!

Over the years, Rossi has amassed one hell of an impressive collection of music for us to indulge our souls in. From fronting bands such as Cleavage, Rockstar Supernova, Stars Down, Switchblade Glory and most recently, Halo Method, to his solo material, you have one of the most accomplished independent artists in the world.










This is just a small sampling of what is Lukas Rossi. With one of the most powerfully expressive and unique voices in rock music today, it won't take much longer before the world is again taken over by the sound that's here to save rock n roll.

Make sure you head over to the official Lukas Rossi website for all things Lukas Rossi. Follow him on Twitter and like him on Facebook. Subscribe to his YouTube channel and look for his music on all of the major music streaming services and on iTunes.

And as always, check back here at MY Indie Music Blog for all things Lukas Rossi.

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

Kingdom of Few - Revolution

Rock n roll: "A type of popular dance music originating in the 1950s, characterized by a heavy beat and simple melodies."

Revolution: "a drastic and far-reaching change in ways of thinking and behaving"

Put those two together and what do you get? You get Calgary, Alberta, Canada indie rockers Kingdom of Few.

A long-time favorite of mine here at MY Indie Music Blog, Kingdom of Few hit our earholes with a rock no roll explosion this summer with Revolution, their highly anticipated follow-up to their 2011 debut EP, Ep. Curtis Butala, lead vocals; John Clarke, drums/vocals; Reno Serani, guitar/vocals and Alex Parks, bass/vocals, have stepped up their game in quite a substantial way. Revolution is as polished an effort as anything offered up by cookie-cutter mainstream acts. Their sound is more refined and ripe with huge stadium worthy guitar riffs and sing along worthy hooks from track to track. This is rock done right.

The only problem that I have with Revolution is that it's only a five song EP! But then, this is a genius marketing ploy by the band... it leaves you craving for more! It's easy to get lost in these five songs, though. Hit play, then hit repeat, and let Kingdom of Few take over your rock n roll soul for a while. You'll be glad that you did!

Make sure you follow the band on Twitter and like them on Facebook. Don't forget to head over to iTunes to download your copy of Revolution and grab a copy of their debut EP while you're there.

And as always, check back here with me at MY Indie Music Blog for all things Kingdom of Few as they happen.

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

WHY Unplugged

Something incredible has just happened in the world of independent music. Once in a great while, a band or artist with a voice loud and powerful enough comes along with the ability to reshape our cultural landscape. For this generation, that band is Winnipeg, Manitoba's very own WHY.



Recently, Brian Cook and Eric Nordquist performed an acoustic gig that was released in all of its glory today on YouTube by the band. There's nothing like unplugging the amps to let an artists true artistry shine, which is exactly what Brian and Eric do in this video. Mr. Cook, you have an incredibly powerful voice, both in the literal and metaphorical sense. You have a message to share with the world, "...Never say you're bound by fear. Never let your dreams drown in forgotten years. Hold out for the chance, for the chance to be brave. Time is the essence, from the cradle to the grave..." You give me the courage to continue to be a voice for the independent artist, and for that and for your immense talents that you and WHY continue to share with us, I want to publicly thank you. To those of you reading these words or listening to the music, use your voice to make a difference. The world needs to know of WHY and their message. Let's make sure they hear it.

Support independent artists. Give indie music a chance.

The Mars Patrol

When I started this blog a little over three years ago, one of my first posts was about a renaissance of sorts that was taking place in the world of independent music. It was, and is, being spearheaded by a group of artists out of England that were turning my world upside down with some of the best music anywhere in the world. That renaissance continues, with more and more bands/artists joining in. Tonight, I bring you one of the brightest of them. Meet The Mars Patrol...

Edinburgh Scotland and London, England are responsible for my latest obsession, The Mars Patrol. The Mars Patrol are Davina Divine, vocals ; Ross Nelson, guitar; Stephen Parker, bass; Mat Baker, keys; JamescWilliamson, guitar and Lewis Searle, drums. One of the hottest bands on the indie scene, their highly anticipated debut album, Human Condition, is on the horizon. I've heard it. I've listened to it non-stop. I've hit replay several times on several tracks. I've fallen madly in love with every single thing about this band.

The lead single off of Condition, Girl I Used To Know, is slated for an October 19th release. But of course, the band has a bit of a teaser floating around out there that I'll share with you here.



From the moment that I first started to stalk their music, there was an instant familiarity to The Mars Patrol. They remind me of quite a few bands from the late 80s and early 90s, but at the same time, this is a distinct sound unlike anything else on the radio today. Human Condition is honestly the exact type of debut album that can immediately put an artist on the map in a really big way. Coming in at 11 songs, there is no let down from start to end.  I can honestly say that I have no idea how they managed to pick Girl as the lead single There are 11 tracks on this album that I would love to hear playing on satellite radio or our local Top 40 and adult contemporary over the air (traditional FM radio) stations. Be on the listen for standout tracks Stop Pushing You Away, Promise, I Wonder and Forever. And when you finish listening to Human Condition the first time, I dare you to try to get Davina's voice out of your soul.

Head over to the official The Mars Patrol website and make sure that you signup for their mailing list. Trust me when I say this, this band is going to be HUGE. Follow them on Twitter and like them on Facebook. And as always, check back with me here on MY Indie Music Blog for all things The Mars Patrol.

Support independent artists. Give indie music a chance.

Jesse W Johnson - Primal Scream

It's hard to believe that it's been almost three years since I got an email from one Jesse W. Johnson regarding his band Jet W Lee. He found me via this blog and reached out in hopes of getting a mention. Since then, I can't imagine this journey not including either Jet W Lee or Jesse W. Johnson!

I heard from Springfield, Illinois, USA native Johnson again recently and was given an advanced listen to his latest EP, Primal Scream, ahead of its October 17th release date. Let me say this about Primal Scream... damn! Following the tried and true blueprint from his 2014 release Cannon Rows, Johnson brings more of his darkly melodic blend of Americana, folk and indie rock front and center with Primal Scream.



The lead single and title track, Primal Scream, is one hell of an indicator as to what's in store for you. At only 5 songs, Johnson manages to pack quite a bit into a small package. He runs the gambit from rock to folk to Americana and back again, and never skips a beat. Song after song flows by and before you realize it, you've been listening for an hour or so on repeat. That's an hour or so well spent.  

"There's something sleeping inside of me and I've been waiting for it to wake up..." My pick for standout track on this EP easily goes to Fucked Up First, a rocking little ditty that gets inside of your head and stays there. I absolutely love every single thing about this song, and I for one and glad that that little something inside of Jesse W. Johnson woke up!

If you're in the greater Chicago area, make sure you head out to Cafe Mustache on Saturday, October 17th for the Primal Scream release show. If you see Jesse, tell him I said hello and buy him a beer for me!

Head over to the official Jesse W. Johnson website now. Follow Jesse on Twitter, like him on Facebook and head over to his Bandcamp page to download some (or, preferably all) of his previous tunes. And as always, follow along here at MY Indie Music Blog for all thing Jesse W. Johnson as they happen!

Support independent artists. Give indie music a chance.

Mile Marker Zero

Hey there! We're back at this weekend and we've got some AMAZING music to bring to you from all over the world here on MY Indie Music Blog. And what better place to start than in our own (almost) backyard... New Haven, Connecticut, USA!

A couple of months ago, I was down in Connecticut for a Chaser Eight re-release show of their latest EP. On the bill that night was New Haven progressive rock quintet Mile Marker Zero. Featuring vocalist Dave Alley, John Tuohy on guitar, Mark Focarile on keyboard, bassist Tim Rykoski and drummer Doug Alle, MMZ did nothing less than blow me away that night. Having never heard of them before, I was able to go to the show with an open mind. No expectations, just a chance to check out a "local" New England band and enjoy some good music.


 
Saying I was blown away by this band that night would be a bit of an understatement. What started out as a smooth, low-key melodic rock intro quickly exploded into a rousing rock n roll explosion in my earholes that didn't let up for the next 20 minutes. The only thing that disappointed me about their set was that it ended. MMZ is everything that today's modern rock radio fails to be. There's no cookie cutter pretense to their sound. Going back and listening to their catalog, you know that what they started out as is exactly what they intend to be, 100% pure rock.

Now I'm left scratching me head and wondering, why the hell haven't more people heard of Mile Marker Zero??? New Englanders, no distance is too great to travel to support great regional talent, and the same goes for you wherever you are reading this. Trust me, I know. My borders have expanded in the last few years. If I can drive a few hundred miles to see a band, why can't you? It beats the hell out of over paying to see the latest mainstream darling prove that great studio engineers can get you far.

Head over to the official Mile Marker Zero website. Follow them on Twitter and like them on Facebook. For all of you Mile Marker Zero one stop music shopping, head over to the MMZ music hub. And as always, check back here on MY Indie Music Blog for all things Mile Marker Zero.

Support independent artists. Give indie music a chance.

Broken Romeo - Side One

This is just a quick stop in to right a wrong here on MY Indie Music Blog...

During my unplanned hiatus, Broken Romeo has been hard at work completing song after song for their new album, Side One.

Regular readers of this blog, as well as those who follow me on Twitter or are friends with me on Facebook, know what a mark I am for Tuscon, Arizona's Broken Romeo. It's no coincidence that they came into my life about the time that I undertook this journey of music discovery. I like to think of it as divine intervention by the music gods. I happened upon one so called critic's review of their album Desperation Daze and knew that I had to do what I could, whenever I could, to make sure these guys were properly appreciated for what they give us, which is in-your-face-unapologetic-rock-n-fucking-roll. Period. Since they released Desperation Daze and while they've been working hard on Side One, the guys have gone back through their impressive catalog and remastered and reissued four other albums for our indie music loving listening pleasure: Retribution, Mother Mercury, Bleed and Temptation. This represents one of the baddest ass catalogs of music available today, indie or mainstream (and quite frankly, ten times better than ANY mainstream artist's renderings today). Now, with the near completion of Side One, it's all coming full circle for the guys.


 
Seven songs down and three to go... but man, what a seven song intro this has been. I may have been away for a while, but I damn sure haven't missed a single one of these being released! Get your asses over to their Bandcamp page now and download the first seven tunes from Side One as well as their other albums. Then make sure you follow the band on Twitter and like them on Facebook and pay their official website a visit so that you don't miss out on ANY of these releases. And just so you know, this is an early front-runner for my top indie album of the year!

Support independent artists. Give indie music a chance.