Quarantine Music, Part 3: Smoke & Mirrors Productions, Ravioli Musick, Addy Edward, and Si Ombrellone

Wow, halfway through Week Seven of COVID closures in the land of AltCtrl….  Here are some songs you can download when bandcamp waives its revenue share on Friday! Despite their name, Smoke & Mirrors Productions is a lot more than just smoke and mirrors.  The Florida recording studio is run by two members of The… Continue reading Quarantine Music, Part 3: Smoke & Mirrors Productions, Ravioli Musick, Addy Edward, and Si Ombrellone

Listening Lately: Benjamin Tod’s A Heart of Gold is Hard to Find

Benjamin Tod, the youthful but hardscrabble co-founder of the Lost Dog Street Band, is releasing his second solo album on November 22nd via Anti-Corporate Music.  The  quiet Americana ballads on A Heart of Gold is Hard to Find, just vocals and acoustic guitar, are full of regret, melancholy, and at times self-loathing. His lyrics have… Continue reading Listening Lately: Benjamin Tod’s A Heart of Gold is Hard to Find

CROSBY MORGAN’S Rain Games for the Natural Born Pariah Out November 2nd, 2018

Experimental folk artist Crosby Morgan will release her new EP Rain Games for the Natural Born Pariah on November 2nd, 2018. In Rain Games for the Natural Born Pariah, Crosby has created an emotional landscape of isolation, sadness, curiosity, and brazen self-questioning. The album tracks Morgan’s earnest and true pursuit of reaching an understanding of her own existence with… Continue reading CROSBY MORGAN’S Rain Games for the Natural Born Pariah Out November 2nd, 2018

Album Review: Guy Grogan’s Purgatorial Hearts

Prolific New Mexico singer-songwriter Guy Grogan released his eleventh full-length album, Purgatorial Hearts, on New Year’s Eve of 2017.  A dozen anthems for those “navigating their way through the wreckage of […] relationship battlefields,” Purgatorial Hearts‘ upbeat music belies its serious topic. One of my favorite tracks was the Elvis Costello-esque “Tell Me Your Name… Continue reading Album Review: Guy Grogan’s Purgatorial Hearts

Single Review: “Take This Rose” by Joeyi

A classical pianist and music teacher, Connecticut native Joe Infurchia has turned to songwriting and just released his first single, “Take This Rose.”  The refreshing pop number harkens back to a time of innocence in courtship and love that has become a unicorn in today’s Tinder world.  “You were so darn pretty,” Infurchia sings, “that I just… Continue reading Single Review: “Take This Rose” by Joeyi

Single Review: “This Longing Heart” by Dusty Grant

Dusty Grant started out his music career fronting rock and metal bands, but he’s taking a more introspective route these days.  The Kansas-by-way-of-Nebraska songwriter just released a video for his single, “This Longing Heart.”  Check it out below: Grant expresses universal sentiments using the grunge roots of his youth.  He “employ(s) a straightforward approach for… Continue reading Single Review: “This Longing Heart” by Dusty Grant

Guy Grogan’s Dynamite Bouquet: It’s Pretty Meta, Brah

With his ninth album Dynamite Bouquet, Guy Grogan serves up a slice of groovy pop rock that harkens back to the good ol’ 90s.   His PR company lists Nirvana as a comparison, but I heard a lot more Weezer in the riffs and vocal harmonies.  The Santa Fe singer/songwriter recorded all parts of the album himself and… Continue reading Guy Grogan’s Dynamite Bouquet: It’s Pretty Meta, Brah