Fallen Stars is a pop-metal band from Vancouver that is adding a new voice to the metal community with their LGBTQ+ frontwoman. The band has announced their album “Execution” which will be released on June 18. The album features a plethora of anthems for any type of listener backed by mighty vocals and a four-person, collaborative, and well-blended instrumental band. The band prides itself on its support for the queer community as well as its...
Get ready! June 11th, Blues Rock Star Joe Bonamassa is set to release his groundbreaking live album, Now Serving: Royal Tea – Live From The Ryman. This 2-disc clear vinyl is releasing through the Provogue/Mascot Label Group and will also be available on CD, DVD and Blu-ray. Last year when COVID-19 put the live touring industry on hold, guitar hero Joe Bonamassa did something unprecedented for his fans – he put together a one-night-only show at...
March was the month of thinking that there may not be any good music coming out of the USA with my ‘Import Charge’ playlist. Don’t worry though, in July I will be addressing that very question. But for this month I will be smashing a perceived stereotype of a specific genre of music with my ‘Easter Eggs’ Spotify playlist. This month is Easter and so it’s the time of year where if you attend to...
February was the month of broken romance with my ‘Love Songs?’ playlist. But this month we are sneaking across the American border with my Spotify playlist ‘Import Charge’. I know I never really paid attention to the country of origin for most bands. Sure most people, even if it was before your time, remember hearing about the ‘British Invasion’ in music. Bands like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones were the recipients of young ladies...
I was watching a TV show called Rosewood the other day when one of the songs in the show’s soundtrack caught my attention. I immediately had to pause the show, grab my phone and find out who performed the song. Once I found out who the artist was, as you may have guessed, I added it to one of my Spotify playlists. Unlike my monthly series “Music Makes Me”, this article is not about playlists....
Over the past couple of weeks I have shared with you some stories of different people’s experiences during the challenges that COVID has brought to all of us. I had initially thought that this series was going to last another couple of weeks, but that was not to be the case. In hindsight, I realize now that most people don’t want to talk about the past year. No matter where we are mentally, physically or...
COVID did its part to convert “Music Talks” into “Music Silence” for significant parts of 2020. I wrote an article late last year about local cable show “Music Talks”. It is the brainchild of host Chelsea Ritenour and behind the scenes guy Rick Fike. The show was created to promote the local music scene by having an interview with local artists followed by the musicians performing a set of songs. The show was birthed in...
When venues closed their doors to live entertainment, the life of a lot of people in the music industry took on a whole new look and feel. You’ve heard the stories in previous episodes of “Not Alone’ with photographers and open mics. This week I had an opportunity to interview musician Brad Abbott to hear a musician’s story. As with all musicians, Abbott was also impacted when music venues closed their doors in mid March...
January was the month of ‘New Beginnings‘ and February is the month of romance. This makes perfect sense since it is the month that has Valentines Day. People are buying flowers, eating dark chocolates out of gaudy heart shaped boxes or creating a sappy Spotify playlist of romantic music. Others may pick this month to propose or get married, as it is the month for lovers. But that isn’t the case for everyone. Some people...
Two childhood friends have tried to do their part to keep the local music scene alive. Mike Berkey and Devin Russian have known each other since the 6th grade, which in their case is over 20 years. Their love of music has been one of the things that have been a common bond throughout the years. They are not alone during their COVID experiences. Like most people, their musical life experienced a radical change in...
