News

While many artists may want to achieve the same fame and fortune as musicians before them, other artists want to carve their own path in the music world and achieve success on their own terms. Nicholas Hobson, also known as YOU, is an Edmonton, Canada-based hip-hop artist with a desire to do just that. Above all, he strives for “YOUnity” with his fans, who he hopes can find words and music they can relate to when they hear his beats and lyrics.

While sci-fi may not be the first thing people think to fuse with music, independent artist Trinity Ward has crafted a way to blend electronic music with a science fiction theme, one of his biggest loves next to creating music. He calls this fusion scifitronica. A solo artist on keyboards, including synths and samplers, and some backing vocals, he draws inspiration from a variety of genres, from dance and ambient to metal, particularly in his track “Reactor,” off his latest album. Fans have described his music as “a good mix of Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream and New Order” and as having “elements of early Depeche Mode with a touch of Kraftwerk and the merest hint of Yellow in a backbeat.”

The modern rock scene may be dominated by bands who produce both music and lyrics, but Valence is a four-piece group out of Westchester, N.Y., who is determined to take a stand for the value of purely instrumental music and its ability to tell a story even without words. And they do it with their unique, bold blend of metal, progressive rock, jam and other musical influences, which is most often compared to King Crimson, Between the Buried and Me, Animals as Leaders and Rush.

While trying to decide between listening to something ambient or something driven by a steady rock beat, listeners can instead find an enticing blend of the two in Korean band HEO. HEO combines the strength of indie rock with the melodic and rhythmic surprises of electronic music, all while maintaining a subtle but compelling darkness to their sound. Nowhere can this sound be heard better than in HEO’s latest album, Structure (2014).

Rocklahoma, a Memorial Day weekend festival of rock ‘n’ roll bands, boasts an impressive lineup that features rock purveyors, A Course of Action.

Set to be hosted May 22-24 in Pryor, Oklahoma, Rocklahoma 2015 kicks off the summer with a slew of rock bands doing the genre justice, including headliners Linkin Park, Tesla, Godsmack and Slayer. One such band is A Course of Action, out of Connelly Springs, North Carolina, who will take the Rocklahoma stage and make it into their own rock playground, performing their repertoire of songs that speak to any and all listeners. The appearance marks yet another festival stage they’ve rocked over the years.

Dub music, with its offbeat, laidback rhythms and up-tempo, pounding lyrics, has a cool, relaxed feel to it already. But Silva take that feeling one step further by infusing dub with a lucidity and psychedelic nature that elevates dub both musically and spiritually and takes listeners on a deep and soulful journey through space and time.

Strings aren’t just set aside for Celtic or orchestral groups—they’ve found their way back into acoustic Americana on Marty O’Reilly and the Old Soul Orchestra’s debut studio album, Pray for Rain. A predominately strings-based trio, aside from occasional harmonica features, the group blends soulful Americana with shades of folk and blues to create a sound that’s often compared to artists like Tom Waits, The Black Keys and Ray Lamontagne. On Pray for Rain, Marty O’Reilly and the Old Soul Orchestra introduce their classic sound to a modern audience to transport them back to a simpler time with authentic string melodies in a variety of backdrops.

The songwriter of blues music known as Terence Lording has released his latest official single, “Forecast Lightning.” The single has been proudly published without the influence or participation of the corporate music power structure. A sonic landscape of shadows, mystery and intrigue, “Forecast Lightning” by Terence Lording is a contemporary reminder of how very ice-cold cool blues can sound.

The performer of country music known as Rhea Francani has released her anxiously awaited debut single, “Dizzy.” The track is the first glimpse of her upcoming freshman EP release, “I Want You to Know,” which becomes available online everywhere 10 February 2015. Both have been proudly published on the Limestone Records, LLC independent music label. Relentlessly catchy, colorfully upbeat and undeniably fun, “Dizzy” is a track that country fans of every generation can get behind.

EXPLOSIVE FEMALE DANCE/POP DUO STASH SET TO PERFORM AT WEST HOLLYWOOD’S RENOWNED HOTSPOT, THE ABBEY, JANUARY 28

Shintai is the project of Vitaliy Bogachev, a 23 year-old multi-instrumentalist, singer and producer from Moscow, Russia.

Emerging R&B/Pop artist Irini Mandó has today announced the release of her debut single, available to download for FREE from Irini’s official Soundcloud page on February 2, 2015. ‘Hang’ is the first single to be taken from Irini Mandó forthcoming EP ‘Pink Noise’, which is due to be released in Spring 2015. You can watch the official music video for ‘Hang’ over on YouTube.

CANADIAN DANCE / POP ARTIST ZOLO TO RELEASE NEW SINGLE

“Let You Go”

Zolo journeyed back into the studio with Toronto based producers Young wolf Hatchlings to create some more magic.  We present to you “Let You Go” the second single off Zolo’s upcoming EP and is also a first of its kind for the Pop/Edm artist.

German heavy mental band 'Premortal Breath', are seeking to catch the attention of the USA. This comes after the success of their debut album release "They" in June 2014. After receiving good critics from New Yorks Deathscream.net (a popular website specializing in heavy metal). The band feels confident that the USA metal audience will greet them well.

The singer and songwriter of pop/folk music from Northern California known as Kelsey Forsberg has released her debut EP “Lost.” The album has been proudly published on the Radiant Soul Records independent music label without the involvement of corporate music entities. It comprises five original tracks for an approximate total listening time of 20 minutes. Warm, heartfelt, and written in the true spirit of the folk and country tradition, “Lost” is the latest example that the real voice of America is in the singing of her independent artists.

The rapper and songwriter known as Young Ent has released his latest hip hop single, “United We Stand.” The single has been published on the VanDyke Entertainment independent record label with loud, proud endorsement by the Fight...Win...Survive outreach and ministry [#FightWinSurvive]. A timely American anthem of encouragement and civil rights, “United We Stand” is a rap song fans of any music genre can get behind.

Australian Blues Rock sensation Darren Jack heads to Memphis Tennessee in January and will perform songs from his new album on infamous Beale Street for the international Blues Challenge 2015.

At merely 19 years old, Lenno is quickly becoming an accomplished producer in the dance music circuit. From working on remixes for prolific artists like Martin Solveig, Foster The People, Above & Beyond and Arty, to creating his own sublime original Nu Disco productions that celebrate the vocal elements of House music, the young Finnish producer works with an effortless expertise that belies his age. Today marks yet another landmark on Lenno's meteoric rise as this time he receives his own remix package for his popular Wake Up EP, featuring the talents of Maor Levi and Les Loups, out now on Casablanca Records.

Ozarks Singer Songwriter Lyal Strickland's Balanced on Barbed Wire out February 17th, Chronicling Life as a Cattle Rancher on the Family Farm

NORWAY - Dødheimsgard, Norway's premier experimental extremist, has completed work on its fifth album, titled A Umbra Omega, and set for release on March 17 via Peaceville Records.

KENT, UK - Melodic tech metal outfit, Subversion, has teamed up with Metal Hammer (UK) to launch a lyric video for the new track, "Imperfect," taken from the band's upcoming sophomore release, Animi, due out March 3 on Rogue Records America. Stream the new video exclusively at: http://metalhammer.teamrock.com/news/2015-01-13/subversion-unveil-imperfect-video.