Category: Interviews

  • by Michael McCarthy Adriana Mather is a descendant of Cotton Mather, one of the key players from the Salem, Massachusetts witch trials. Accordingly, it should come as no surprise that her debut novel, the young adult best-seller How to Hang A Witch, is ripe with almost as many historical facts as it is fiction. The…

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  • by Michael McCarthy After being the edgiest contestant on the one season of The Voice in Sweden and making it pretty far into the competition, Nicole Sabouné released her debut album, Must Exist, in 2014. It was an especially dark album, but a very successful one, thanks largely to the inspired singles “Win This Life”…

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  • by Michael McCarthy If St. Vincent ditched the electronics and simply made her music with live instruments, she would probably sound a lot like Lily Virginia, who’s an equally talented singer/songwriter/guitarist. Other artists Lily reminds me of are Ben Folds – she’s like a female Ben, just using guitar instead of piano – and Rilo…

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  • by Michael McCarthy Mimoza H is one of the most fascinating artists I’ve come across in a long time. Her somewhat abstract music is like a cross between Florence + The Machine, Bjork and Tori Amos. That might not sound like a good combination, but to my ears it’s sonic bliss. I especially love how…

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  • by Michael McCarthy Gigi Rowe is a pop star in the making. Based out of Miami, she makes fun songs that blend modern pop beats with early ’80’s pop vibes. Her bouncy and mighty danceable songs make me think of Madonna’s first album and Cyndi Lauper’s album She’s So Unusual. Come to think of it,…

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  • by Michael McCarthy When I think of death metal and extreme metal, usually the first band to come to mind is The Black Dahlia Murder. The reason for that is simple. They’re the best metal band of either sort on the planet right now. That’s my opinion, but they have legions of die-hard fans that…

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  • interview by Michael McCarthy One of the most bewitching albums I’ve heard all year is Rose & Thorn by British artist Wendy Bevan. Not merely a singer/songwriter/violinist, Wendy works in a variety media including film, visual imagery and intense, experiential artworks. To experience any of her work is to step into an alternate world where…

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  • interview by Michael McCarthy “Don’t have much to say,” sings Christian O — a super talented pop/R&B/soul singer/songwriter — at the beginning of “Free,” the first track from his latest EP Shiva’s Dance.  Well, that couldn’t be further from the truth.  As the song later goes, “Everyone’s free to be as they wish to be.”  Now, that’s…

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  • by Michael McCarthy It’s hard to believe, and makes me feel old, but I’ve been following Tim Skold’s career for roughly 30 years now. I first became aware of his music when he went by the name Tim Tim and was the bass player for Shotgun Messiah, who were considered a hair band by most…

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  • interview by Michael McCarthy Tyketto is one of those bands who debuted in the early ’90’s and happened to be good looking, long-haired guys so they were lumped in with hair bands when in reality they were more like a Journey or Night Ranger or Styx. Of course, there were some similarities to hair bands,…

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  • interview by Michael McCarthy It’s no secret that Enuff Z’Nuff is my favorite band.  My favorite solo artist is Butch Walker, but my favorite band is easily Enuff Z’Nuff.  The band debuted in the late 80’s and had three modestly successful albums then you could say they vanished into obscurity.  However, they proved to be…

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  • interview by Michael McCarthy The Range is the moniker of choice of James Hinton, a super talented quote “electronic musician.” I use the quotes because when many people think of electronic musicians they tend to think of sterile music that lacks the human touch. This is where The Range’s music differs substantially. Rather than just…

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  • interview by Michael McCarthy Back in 2014 we interviewed Beleth and Exo of Spanish extreme/black metal band Noctem regarding their brutal and mind-blowing album Exilium. Their follow-up album Haeresis was just released in late September and is equally brilliant, jam-packed with shrieked and growled vocals that come at you like a rabid wolf, an onslaught…

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  • interview by Michael McCarthy On October 21st folk rockers Streets of Laredo will release their sophomore album, WILD, via Dine Alone Records. The album is a spectacular set of tunes rich in kaleidoscopic color with lyrics that are inspiring as they inspired. With several different percussive instruments, horns, bass, electric and acoustic guitars and both…

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  • interview by Michael McCarthy Wild Beasts, one of today’s most popular bands out of the United Kingdom, released their fifth album, Boy King, back in August and it’s one of the best records I’ve heard this year, packed with songs that are equal parts catchy, pop-minded affairs and intellectual, artistic statements. It’s also one of…

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