Deltachord

If you haven’t heard Duffy listen to her at YouTube. “Mercy” from her album Rockferry (2008) is pure soul and her band rocks too. She was born in Gwynedd, Wales in 1984 and she is a singer/songwriter. Her genres are rock n’ roll, pop, and soul. Apparently, there has been some criticism of her singing a soul sound because she isn’t black, but hey she sounds good and she isn’t the first, remember Janis Joplin??? Even B.B. King said she had soul so give it a rest.

Duffy

Low Vs Diamond is an alternative, rock, pop band that exhibits a new wave sound in the song “Life After Love.” Field’s voice powers out angst, yet singing spaced lilting notes that weep in “I’ll Be.” The opening has a Pink Floyd quality and the music builds to a rockin’ pace.

The keyboards take the fore in “Stay Awake” during the opening which builds to a full sound with guitar and drums adding heavy emphasis, and the song flows effortlessly in and out of this pattern, then ends with a strong flourish. In “This Is Your Life” the cymbals flash and the tapping high-hat sounds cool, while the keyboards soar high notes like a flute, and the guitar rages just enough coming to a bombastic end.

They’ve already released an EP called “Life After Love” on the Marrakesh label. The band sounds like Roxy, Bowie, Pink Floyd, and XTC mixed in a blender with their own creative style commanding the notes, chords, melodies, and beat into a fresh musical mosaic.

They have a debut album happening this spring. The lead vocalist, Lucas Field, has an eclectic taste in music and enjoys melodrama, and writes insightful lyrics about the melancholy emotions, while never divorcing hopefulness and optimism. Low Vs Diamond creates an atmosphere of dark musical fiction, combining it with the airy melodies that exude light.

The band members are Lucas Field, lead vocals/guitar, Anthony Polcino, guitar, Jon Pancoast, bass, Tad Moore, keyboards, and Howie Diamond, drums. The band formed back in 2002, while Field, Diamond, and Moore attended the University of Colorado and played in a jam band. They now call Los Angeles their home.

Hear Low Vs Diamond at MySpace see their gig schedule for March 2008.

MySpace

Rhapsody

References:

MySpace

Ariel

It is good to find an artist like Ponyno.

A humble heart isn’t often something we associate with music stars nor is the word humble usually understood in our time to be a good thing. There are several meanings to the word that may not be considered flattering today, but the unpretentious sense is what I’m speaking of. Jeff Hatch, front man for Ponyno shows God in his life and by association how God works in yours.
In his earlier career Jeff Hatch played with Green Ice. But he put his family first, yet he more recently started playing music publicly again. His songs of family life tells of his love for his large family and wife.

Hatch is the creative mind that is Ponyno.

The CD “Rosa Mystica” is full of charming melodies and great folk/ rock/county sounds. To my ear Ponyno has a basic and honest approach to music that is like a beautiful summer day. The lead guitar in “Anne Marie” has that new country sound, clear harmony in the vocals, the lyrics are sincere, romantic, and clean (so refreshing). Also a good tempo produced with drums and bass.

“Mother of God” is an unusual song that is uplifting and places the spiritual life in the middle of everyday life, where it should be. It definitely has that Partridge Family thing going on. “The Coffee Shop Ballad” is reminiscent of Peter, Paul, and Mary…a very homey all American song. I definitely hear a banjo in this song, although the band lineup doesn’t mention a banjo player. And what nice banjo strummin’ and pickin’.

Ponyno adds uplifting songs to popular music. I’ll be waiting to hear more from Ponyno.

Find radio stations airing Ponyno and more at:

http://www.ponyno.com/

Ponyno at MySpace

Ponyno at cdbaby

If you like pop tunes with a good beat and catchy lyrics try the music of Jag Star…

Jag Star formed in 1998 rocked out of Knoxville, TN., until recently when they moved to Nashville to be involved in the songwriting atmosphere. Their genres are pop, rock, alternative, and indie. They have toured 15 countries besides the U.S. and have played for our troops several times.

Sarah has won several awards for songwriting.

She won the USA Songwriting Competition for overall winner in 2002 and 2006. In the 2001 John Lennon Songwriting Competition she was runner up and she won the 2007 Next Big Hit Competition, which inspired iTunes to give Jag Star a week’s feature spot.

The band recorded “A Different Road” for the MTV show Newport Harbor, which was featured December 12, 2007.

On to some of their poppin’ tunes…The chiming cymbals in the song “Something Different” sound great and the guitar is driving on the down-stroke. Sarah reminds me of Lisa Lobe. The guitar drives a little harder in “Does Anybody Know” and the drumbeat is a bit more prominent. The opening guitar riff is nice.”Ridiculous” is a jumpin’ tune. “Disguise” opens with a spoken line and then a keyboard riff; it’s a more dramatic song than the others mentioned.

Band Members:
Sarah Lewis the singer/songwriter/keys
Just J on guitars
Brad Williams on drums
Drew Gilch on bass
Jay Daniel on bass

Jag Star’s influences are Garbage, Imogen Heap, No Doubt, Maroon 5, and The Killers.

Hear Jag star at CD Baby or their MySpace page

Discography
The Beginning Release Date 2000
Crazy Place release Date 2001
Cinematic Release Date 2004
The Best Impression Of Insanity 2006

Upcoming Shows
Mar 7 2008 8:00P
Norfolk Marriott Waterside Norfolk, Virginia
Mar 29 2008 7:00P
FT. BENNING COLUMBUS, Georgia
Apr 23 2008 8:00P
Eastern KY University RICHMOND, Kentucky

Website: Jagstar
MySpace: Jagstar

Crowded House is back–the lineup Neil Finn, Nick Seymour Mark Hart, and Matt Sherrod. Great hooks, strong drummer, melodious ballads, and deeper content.

It has been fourteen years since we last heard from them, but Time On Earth is worth the wait. The album is melancholy, understandable with the passing of Paul Hester in 2005, yet it is “Thoughtful, warm, and endlessly hummable even in its moodiest moments, Time On Earth is a sweet epitaph.” –says Liam Gowing in his review for The Onion (A.V. Club)

Nobody Wants To is imbued with senstive harmony–spots of crying guitar and nice acoustic guitar. Don’t Stop Now is pulsed by solid drumming and the song has a great building of emotion effect. Silent House rocks with fuzz guitar and harmony and musical impact.

English Trees…well, just listen to it and you’ll hear the sound of the music of a gondola ride and The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour and Sgt. Peppers.

She Called Up is more like the old Crowded House in its sound.

This album is an expression of mourning for the death of Paul Hester by his good friend Neil Finn, that said, it is a great musical accomplishment and what is creativity about if the artist can’t express his feelings in the tradition of the Romantic Poets, who weren’t afraid of the sombre emotions.

References:
last.fm
Crowded House: Time on Earth
July 19, 2007

The Onion (A.V. Club)
Crowded House
Time On Earth
July 17, 2007
Liam Gowing

Latimes.com
calendarlive.com
RECORD RACK
Crowded House reunites in grief
– and joy
July 8, 2007
Randy Lewis

Hear Crowded House at:

Rhapsody

The Sea Dragons are the brain child of Darryl Thurston–his creativity and musical influences power the band’s sound. He grew up listening to The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Three Dog Night and other 60’s artist. His Aunt was a backup singer and he met many musicians through her and she clued him in concerning new music.

Thurston was born in Philadelphia. He started playing drums at age nine and guitar at 14. He is also a singer and songwriter. A few years later, he moved to Tennessee, which is a land of music itself, where he began playing in cover bands, emulating Jimmy Page and David Gilmour. Then he moved to New York, to sharpen his musical edge in another, different music scene.

There he and his band, Band of Thieves, played the important clubs like Limelight and Cat Club. His other musical milestones range from being on the cover of “Metal Studs,” to working as a sessions artist for influential studios, so that his work has been heard on HBO, Showtime, Cine-max, and ESPN.

The other members of The Sea Dragons are Rob Ritchie on bass and Justin Greville on drums.

Thurston is also a video editor, painter, and amateur astronomer. “Power Trip” which he edited won an award.

Fall Into You is an acoustic based song with a good backbeat. Drown is reminiscent of a Beatles sitar opening, quickly going to a more power driven style, with metal guitar hero moments, rockin’ drums, and good harmony. Stop Draggin’ Me Down has some nice echo twangy guitar licks, followed by harder guitar, bass, and drums, with good vocals. Come September is a mid-sixties like song in lyrics and sound. It is a wonderful, rocky, harmonized song with fuzz guitar.

So listen to this group and enjoy.

Hear The Sea Dragons at:
http://cdbaby.com/