Beautifully imaginative!! Ali ingle is a close to home singer/songwriter from Liverpool who comments poetically on life. Using captivating melodies and witty wisdom beyond his years, he gently narrates his emotional adventure through love, hope, violence and despair. With well observed lyrics and disarming charm, you will have no choice but to be moved by this young, brave and most importantly honest musician.
"I'm not trying to change the world or make a statement. My music is just the ramblings and inner thoughts of an attention seeking kid who never quite grew up." ~ Ali Ingle
After the breakup of their band Poprace, singer/guitarist Niklas Angergård and his bassist brother Johan joined up with guitarist Joakim Ödlund and formed the Swedish twee-pop trio Acid House Kings in 1991. Initially inspired by their shared disappointment over the breakup of Felt and common dissatisfaction with Morrissey's Kill Uncle album, the trio began crafting a innocent and simple brand of pop. Signing to the German label Marsh Marigold, the group issued its debut EP, Play Pop!, in early 1992, followed later that year by the full-length Pop, Look & Listen! The group's rediscovery of childhood favorites the Pet Shop Boys informed 1994's Monaco G.P. EP; disappointed by the record's lack of chart success, Acid House Kings maintained a low profile for the next three years as the Angergård brothers worked on other projects (Club 8 for Johan, Red Sleeping Beauty for Niklas), finally resurfacing in 1997 with the single "Yes! You Love Me." Advantage Acid House Kings was released the next year on Johan's Labrador label.
Soon after, Ödlund left the band and Julia Lannerheim, who had sung background vocals on the record, joined. The trio next surfaced in 2002 with the album Mondays Are Like Tuesdays and Tuesdays Are Like Wednesdays, followed three years later by the excellent Sing Along with Acid House Kings. The latter album's unique packaging included a bonus DVD with karaoke-friendly versions of each song. Their next EP, Do What You Wanna Do, played up this angle as well by including versions of songs from the album sung by friends of the band. After this the bandmembers took the next few years off, as real life and other projects took up most of their time. When they began work on the next album, Acid House Kings spent a long time honing the potential track list until they ended up with, in their words, "ten songs and ten potential singles." Music Sounds Better with You was released in March of 2011. ~ Jason Ankeny & Tim Sendra, Rovi
Sparkly new synthesizer sounds guaranteed to make you smile; and fizzy fresh lyrics chock-full of heartache and despair by Artist “Tommie Mooe”
------------
“The light from the sun grew dim, and the sky changed from gold to red as the wandering Star Skimmer disappeared over the water’s edge. All that remained were the sounds of weary voices singing to concertina melodies, fluttering across the bellowing waves of the deep and dreadful Mastian Sea. The shadows of dusk closed in, and the vaporous voices of the singing men drifted away into silence, only to be remembered by {the storybook singers} of our age as songs
to be remembered by {the storybook singers} of our age as songs contrived in a distant time within the realm of a make-believe world. The voice of the last captain of the Star Skimmer is heard now in the blustery wake of the Mastian Sea on cold stormy nights, remembered only with songs of ghosts.” – Gilbert Walright – excerpt from, “ The Last Captain of the Star Skimmer”excerpt from The Last Captain of the Star Skimmer
What they are saying:
“Long Live the Night” is an instant top 10 smash Pop tune that is sure to catch you hook, line, and sinker. It’s Wonderful to hear such upbeat music again! ~ Stewart Brennan – World United Music
One night while in the studio with Neil Halstead a friend questioned him as to what kind of music he played. Neil’s extremely thick beard turned into a smile as he said “Nylon Rock” before laughing and turning back to his beer. I don’t think that description offered any clarity to the asker, but to me it seemed perfect: a self effacing term to help him deal with the fact that he, a former shoegazer, was making a solo record and his main weapon was simply a nylon string guitar and a couple of shakers.
In the late ‘90s Neil fronted a band called Slowdive, and after a couple of really good records they split. From there Neil formed his current band Mojave 3, who have released 4 records to date with a few more to come, we hope. Hard to find 2 bands with more critical accolades, and at the core of those bands was Neil and his songwriting. oh mighty engine is the name of Neil’s newest solo record. It is a record that can handle excessive listens and seems to absorb every mood I have thrown at it. It is really hard to find a record that can make you happy, sad, and can make you laugh all at once. This record does that for me.
The meaning of this record is hard for me to discern, partially because Neil is very English and mumbles phrases like “pithy liner…“or “dangerous dolt…” and other local slang that I have been getting myself caught up with. But the main reason is that Neil has never been blatant or obvious with his words. He writes songs that are very personal to him, and then allows space for everyone to take their own meaning away from his lyrics (“Go skies and thrones and wings. And poetry and things” from the song “Elevenses”).
Neil recorded this record partially at The Solar Powered Plastic Plant in Los Angeles and the rest in his hometown of Cornwall, England. He surfed in the mornings, and drank beer and recorded with various friends in the evening.
Neil is an old soul and his newest solo record is exactly who he is. Welcoming, warm, clever and kind.
Kris Searle is a multi-award winning international recording artist. His vocal talents and playful edge has taken his sound to new levels. DAWN OF MOMENTUM takes you back to the sounds of Depeche Mode, Erasure, David Bowie yet flared with his own electro-pop twist. His wickedly brilliant lyrics combined with dramatic conspicuous and stunning performances come through vigorously on all 13 tracks and DAWN OF MOMENTUM has allowed him to continually explode on to the Electro-Pop music scene and beyond, receiving another nomination at the LA Music Awards this year for Best Pop Artist. He has already won 5 in previous years.
Kris' newly released single StarFire (UK Radio Single) from DAWN OF MOMENTUM has already received almost 80,000 hits on You Tube and his VEVO channel combined.
Kris received an official Grammy consideration for Best Pop collaboration with Vocals and Best Short Form Video. A video that celebrates diversity in love in all its forms
Joe Gande...A truly genre-defying original artist..."
With soulful, heartfelt vocals, walls of guitars, funky grooves, horns and beautiful string melodies, the music of NYC singer/songwriter/guitarist Joe Gande crosses all barriers.
"...music is supposed to make you feel..."
Joe's music provides listeners with dynamics, heartfelt emotions and raw intensity. His songs are filled with soaring melodies, catchy hooks, addictive, sing along choruses, introspective, self-searching moments and pure, driving rock & roll.
"An Emotional Journey..."
Emotions will undoubtedly arise upon listening to the music of Joe Gande.Joe draws on a variety of personal life experiences, painting a thought-provoking, abstract landscape that all can undeniably relate to. Songs about life, loss, ups, downs, love lost and found and the human condition. Songs about searching, questioning, understanding, finding...
"Stop, Look and Listen..."
Joe has the uncanny ability to reach people and make them feel - a voice, a presence and sincere honesty that immediately draw in a crowd and makes any live performance an exciting, no holds-barred sight to see...
"A Natural"
Singing, writing, arranging, producing, playing guitar, bass and keys-all without ever taking a formal musical lesson in his life. A prolific songwriter and self-taught guitarist with an ear for melody since a young age, the music just comes into his head. From arranging horn charts, drum fills and grooves, scoring beautiful lush string sections and vocal harmonies, to bangin'out some funky piano...
"...a sound that can only be described as "New York"" Dave Jackson, The Musicians Cybercooler Read full review and more press... Here
Walk Off The Earth is an unconventional, multi-talented five-piece musical phenomena that is currently taking the world by storm. Based in Burlington, Ontario (just outside of Toronto), their brilliant 5-people-playing-one-guitar interpretation of Gotye's "Somebody That I Used To Know" recently exploded on Youtube garnering well over 35 million views in under 2 weeks. The massive fan response quickly drew attention to their collection of innovative songs and videos spanning their last 5 years and generated an unprecedented flood of media interest. New fans from around the world immediately fell in love with the band's organic, independent, sincere and honest original songwriting, cover interpretations and beautifully filmed videos. For the past 5 years, the band has built a massive following of dedicated fans from around the world through their unique and heartwarming approach to songwriting, filming and constant, open interaction with everyone their music touches.
The chemistry between the members of Walk Off The Earth is undeniable. Marshall, Sarah and Gianni's individual vocal stylings mesh seamlessly with Taylor's haunting harmonies and keys all the while soaring over epic melodic arrangements held together by Joel Cassady's driving and prolific percussion work. Their independent spirit, unstoppable work ethic and awe-inspiring creativity has catapulted Walk Off The Earth into new and uncharted waters with only bigger and better things on the horizon.
Charley Langer sometimes refers to his debut full length independent recording Never The Same as “an art project with some very hot players” – but there’s no doubt about the Northern California based saxophonist’s mainstream potential and ability to connect with thousands of contemporary jazz fans in his home region and around the U.S. and world. Even before the album’s official release, its infectious and grooving title track received significant airplay on The Weather Channel and Smooth Jazz.com, and the video Langer made of the song gets about 400 views per day and has had over 115,000 lifetime views on YouTube. Fans can also create a “Charley Langer” station on Pandora – a rarity for a still emerging indie artist.
While he played saxophone in Southern California for a few years after receiving his Master’s in Performance from USC, the classically trained Langer had been away from music for a few years when Jon Basebase, a renowned musician that he befriended while living in Honolulu, suggested he begin playing and writing again. Langer had moved to Hawaii, where he worked as an environmental specialist, but found ample opportunities to play with Basebase and other entertainers, including the Bobby King Royal Combo and Willie Barton Orchestra.
After relocating to Sacramento, California, Langer began focusing on composing and recording and hooked up with drummer/producer Ron Wikso, who currently performs with Gregg Rollie, founding keyboardist for Journey and Santana. Wikso brought in a heavyweight ensemble that includes rock guitarist Kurt Griffey, world-class bassist Alphonso Johnson (Weather Report), keyboardist Wally Minko (Jean Luc Ponty) and percussionist Michito Sanchez (Joe Sample).
This unique lineup helped Langer realize a vision that incorporates everything from smooth contemporary jazz to rock/fusion, old school soul/jazz, Latin and straight ahead/swing. The result is best described as intelligent smooth jazz – think Phil Woods meets Boney James. “I have varied interests and I love smooth jazz, fusion, classical, Hawaiian, reggae…and I grew up listening to swing and big band via my dad,” says Langer, who has also performed hundreds of gigs over the past eight years as part of the award winning Steely Dan tribute band, Steelin’ Dan.
“So naturally,” he says, “the music on Never The Same reflects a lot of these interests. Ron Wikso was great about making sure that it all hung together. The idea was to keep it very real with all live players and authentic instruments. If I wanted acoustic piano, Fender Rhodes or a Hammond B-3 organ, we used the real article. I wanted everything to sound organic and fresh, and I’m very excited that people are responding so positively to what they’re hearing.” ON STAGE
Langer’s live performances have included many different genres over the years reflecting the unique array of styles he plays on his alto and soprano saxes. Early in his musical career, he performed in Southern California with area orchestras, including the Pacific Symphony and the Santa Monica Symphony, as well as performing with other groups, such as a duo for the KCRW tribute concert to the late composer Halsey Stevens. In addition to the Hawaiian musicians he performed with during his time on Oahu, Langer has played with Morton Gould, John Adams, Zita Carno and, more recently, contemporary Christian artists Annie Herring, Julie Meyer, Chris DuPre, Pablo Perez and Gregg Stone. His gigs with Steelin’ Dan include local clubs (Harlows in downtown Sacramento) festivals like the Sacramento Jazz Festival, casinos (Harrah’s in Reno) and numerous wineries and amphitheatres. He is currently booking dates to play his own music as part of a duo with guitarist Kurt Shiflet.
MUSIC
Never The Same lives up to its name in that each of its ten tracks has its own distinct vibe, personality and set of musical influences. Written to reflect a challenging time in his life, the easy funk title track finds Langer in a slight melancholy mood in the verses, feeling hopeful in the pre-chorus and hitting his stride, breaking through to the light on the exuberant chorus. The tropical, Latin-flavored “Epifania” introduces the listener to Langer’s wistful melodic soprano, his colorful horn texturing and Wally Minko’s lively acoustic piano. The similarly vibrant and percussive “Outside In” features a playful jazzy sax melody and Minko’s Fender Rhodes coolness over Matt Bissonette’s bubbling bass groove. Following the lighthearted and melodic “Refuge” is the edgy jazz/rock fusion ballad “Remember When”—the first song Langer composed for the album. It begins as a moody sax driven ballad, then evolves in emotional intensity and a touch of gritty blues with Griffey’s blistering electric guitar intensity. Minko’s Hammond B-3 adds an old school bluesy jazz flavor to the bouncy mid tempo funk of “City Lights”, which features Langer at his alto strutting best.
Though the seductive reflection of “Gray Skies” has a gentle melancholy feeling, Langer actually wrote it on a very hot Sacramento afternoon when he was dreaming of a cooler, cloudy day. He calls the album’s spirited; straight ahead jazz/swing excursion “Upside Down” because it was inspired by one of his favorite Charlie Parker tunes, “Confirmation”. To create the classic big band vibe, Langer says he flipped Parker’s song upside down, so his song is rhythmically similar to the original tune but the melody moves in a completely opposite direction. Never The Same wraps with the in-the-pocket, soaring “Once In A Lifetime” (which features colorful horn textures and brass flourishes) and the dark, haunting “Expressivo”, an ambient piece which includes a tender call and response pattern between Langer’s emotional soprano and Mark Morris’ acoustic guitar.
FROM THE BEGINNING Langer grew up in Boulder, Colorado, the son of a geophysicist who was also a jazz and big band aficionado. His father tried to steer him towards engineering, but music was Langer’s first love and he began taking lessons from his junior high band teacher, Vincent Gnojek, who worked with several prominent classical groups. He developed his technique under such masters of the saxophone as Gnojek, Douglas Masek and Laura Hunter.
While Langer found numerous opportunities to work as a musician after finishing grad school, he became discouraged at one point and “took the straight route” – first working in fundraising for the radio station KUSC and later following (sort of) in his dad’s scientific footsteps as an environmental specialist, supervising the cleanups of hazardous waste sites. This career gave him the foundation to pursue his musical dreams in many unique ways, from his years of playing with Steelin’ Dan to recording and releasing his debut CD.
NOTABLE LIVE PERFORMANCES Sacramento Jazz Festival - Sacramento, CA Kobra Crush 29 Art & Wine Festival - Roseville, CA Best of Sacramento Awards - Sacramento, CA Art & Wine Affaire - El Dorado Hills, CA Naggiar Vineyards & Winery - Grass Valley, CA El Dorado Art & Wine Festival - Placerville, CA Harrah's Reno - Reno, NV David Girard Vineyards - Placerville, CA Crystal Bay Casino - Crystal Bay, NV Evening In Art - El Dorado Hills, CA Orchard Creek Amphitheatre - Lincoln Hills, CA Grass Valley Center for the Arts - Grass Valley, CA Brentwood Corn Festival - Brentwood, CA Harrah's Tahoe - Tahoe, CA Sutter Creek Theatre - Sutter Creek, CA Blue Goose Theatre - Loomis, CA City of Auburn's Summer Concert Series - Auburn, CA Crest Theatre - Sacramento, CA Feather Falls Casino - Oroville, CA Garbeau's Dinner Theatre - Rancho Cordova, CA Harlow's Restaurant & Nightclub - Sacramento, CA Rancho Murieta Outdoor Concert Series - Rancho Murieta, CA Colusa Casino Resort - Colusa, CA Rocklin Jubilee - Rocklin, CA Black Oak Casino - Sonora, CA
QUOTES
“It’s amusing that Langer affectionately refers to Never The Same as his little art project, because normally that phrase means something a musician does for himself (and maybe a few friends) that has minimal mainstream commercial appeal. He takes an artistic approach to contemporary jazz for sure, mixing in a lot of dynamic old school soul-jazz textures (Fender Rhodes and Hammond B-3) and touching on various related styles, from Latin and edgy rock fusion to (on the album’s coolest, most unexpected excursion, “Upside Down”), straight ahead jazz. But avant-garde this isn’t. In fact, it’s one of the most infectious and engaging, instantly likeable in the pocket independent artist releases this year. It’s funky, it swings, it’s playful, it’s emotional – that’s a lot of places for a musical heart to go on one collection, but Langer does it all naturally and organically, supplementing his sharp array of sax sounds with real instruments and a lot of live band interaction. The title track everyone is hearing on The Weather Channel and YouTube is great, but just scratches the surface of Langer’s many musical muses. Let’s hope he does another “little art project” soon. All contemporary jazz albums should be this exciting. –Jonathan Widran
“Saxophonist Charley Langer, who’s studied under jazz masters and performed with numerous artists on stage, brings his musical chops to the forefront in Never the Same, his debut CD. It’s smooth jazz with bite, beefed up with contributions from world-class musicians. The title track is a smooth jazz and YouTube hit, a free-flowing track with a memorable chorus and angular solos from Langer and electric guitarist Kurt Griffey. Langer is lively on “Epifania”, combining his soprano and alto sax attack with brassy trumpet and trombone from Tom Marino. Langer can jazz it up, as he does with “Giant Steps”-like runs on “Outside In” and “Upside Down”, a swinging straight ahead number. Blues influences seep into “Remember When”, and a dreamy Rhodes interlude from Wally Minko spices up the ballad “Refuge”. Sax, Hammond B3 and guitar lead the attack on the energetic “City Lights”, which leads to the after-party slow-burner “Gray Skies” and Langer’s long sax lines.” – Brian Soergel, JazzTimes
The Novel Ideas are a folk rock outfit of friends from the great state of Massachusetts. They spent the past year recording their third album, "Home" in a barn in Jaffrey, NH.
Band:
Daniel - Guitar/Vocals
Danny - Pedal Steel/Guitar/Vocals Will - Drums/Vocals James - Bass/Vocals Sarah - Vocals Ezra- Trumpet
Sun for moon is the artist name of American born Egyptian writer, singer and multi-instrumentalist, Charlene Ava. Her work weaves an ethereal mix of happy and sad, dark and light. Dreamy melodies and pensive lyrics are intertwined with experimental vibes, often exploring the use of electronics, noise and loop pedals. A lot of work is done spontaneously, many songs are written on the spot as they are being recorded. The result is music that sounds fresh and live to the listener.
Charlene is a sought after singer in NYC. She's sung backup for M.I.A., has performed a live solo at Julliard for pop star and first lady of France, Carla Bruni, and has recorded with William Orbit in the studio. She has also worked extensively as a professional actor. Her music is very much approached in that way as well and the result is a fresh, expressive performance that is spontaneous and honest.
Having been based in Nashville, New York, London and Cairo, over the years Sun for Moon has developed a sound that is influenced by all these places. At its core are pieces of thefolky singer-songwriter sound found in the Nashville scene, sprinkled on top with an "anything goes" attitude and experimentation of NYC, drenched in the driving anthemic feel of british rock and here and there one can find arabic sounding improvisational vocalizations.
Recently Sun for Moon was interviewed by Egypt Today magazine and the song "Mermaids" was featured in the compilation disc of NYC soho art magazine, Zing Magazine.
Press:
"A musical chameleon" - Egypt Today
"She has turned sharp left into an alleyway filled with fragments of lullabies, oddball electronica and sonic shadows." - Bluesbunny
"A spiritual high...reflective in nature with an underlying darkness, yet still manages to charm." – Bluesbunny
