The eight-piece band, Big Fat Meanies, is thrilled to present you with their brand new music video for their track, “Tranquil Tension,” taken from their 2021 EP, Bad Hand.

In the new “Tranquil Tension” video, the eight-piece opens up the visual with a performance scene surrounded by expensive cars, and lead vocalist, Brenna Diehl, shares her powerful voice. From the octet’s truly exceptional horn section to the powerhouse vocals of Diehl, the Big Fat Meanies are one of the most versatile bands in the industry.

The video continues, as each member passionately rocks out to the song. Two of the other scenes in the video, show the band walking down the middle of a road, continuing to perform, as well as a rooftop performance scene. The video isn’t fancy with special effects or other flashy elements, but it simply showcases Big Fat Meanies‘ raw talent as a band and as musicians.

Hailing from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and voted as the “Best Rock Band” in Central Pennsylvania earlier this year, the Big Fat Meanies consistently deliver a high dose of electrifying energy during their live performances. I’ve personally been able to attend one of their shows and each member is highly skilled with their respective instruments and demonstrates a high level of musicianship. They know how to work the stage and deliver an engaging, exciting show to their audience.

The live show isn’t the only aspect of an artist’s music career. The songs must be solid and the Big Fat Meanies reliably deliver a catalog of exhilarating songwriting while blending pop, punk, funk, metal, ska, and even musical theatre. The eight-piece shines in the delivery of its incredible storytelling lyrics and its stage presence, encouraging audience members to dance and have a good time. They will make you want to get up and dance.

Big Fat Meanies are Brenna Diehl (vocals), Sam Kelly (lead guitar), Zander Gawn (rhythm guitar/background vocals), Rick Ferrarelli (bass clarinet), Nicole Migliore (trumpet), and Jason Lankford (trombone).

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The electronic producer, AVAION, has released a new single entitled “Lies,” and it’s out now via Sony Music Germany/RCA Records.

In the new track, he explores pain and regret, and the song’s raw emotion emanates from its intense production work.

The listener can feel the raw emotions he’s feeling as he’s writing this song. Despite his past experiences, he’s been able to use those experiences to create music as beautiful as sonnets.

Be sure to check out his other work, including “Love Again,” “I Don’t Know Why,” “Fallin,” in collaboration with Why So Sad, and his platinum-certified hit, “Pieces.”

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Punk. Unique. Rock. Those are just a few words to describe the Brooklyn-based project, Sickpay, that’s spearheaded by the composer, producer, drummer, and guitarist, Mike Birnbaum.

His latest release, an EP entitled, Pureocracy, is out now via Alien Body Music and features 5 incredible tracks.

Fans can expect in-your-face, aggressive punk rock vocals paired with unforgettable melodies, layered over rock guitars, and a well-crafted electronic rhythm section.

Sickpay is honest, unfiltered, and in your face. He maintains his “groove-soaked” foundation, but also tries to experiment musically.

“Pureocracy was born in the darkest days of the pandemic but is filled with ecstatic anthems for our era. Recorded in a small Brooklyn studio, these five songs feature big choruses, to-the-point tunes about living through existential oppression. Enjoy the freedom and release that comes from yell singing out of the holler.” – Mike Birnbaum (Sickpay)

On the opening song, “Quiet As A Joke,” Birnbaum sings “I wanna let you know/I’m armed and ready/with a machete/Been quiet as a joke/Been going crazy…”

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Singer/songwriter, Katrina Ford (of Celebration and Mt Royal) announces her debut, self-titled solo EP, due June 24 via Violin Films. To celebrate the announcement of the EP, she has also shared the EP’s second single, “Gleaming The Cube,” along with its accompanying music video.

Katrina wrote:

“Haste makes waste makes treasure. – ‘I meant to do that.’ Fuck ‘outside box.’ We are inside the cube, pushing the light. Finding the levity in inevitable law of gravity. SO I get layered like a cake in rock piano and shuffle beat, meshed into chunks of backing vocals and swirls of synths topped with a roto-tomic filled, club whistling, marching band field recording and a dab of harp on top.”

Over the last 30 years, Ford has been in a wide range of records to support including support roles for TV On The Radio, Jaks, and Unkle. Since then, she’s also worked on the Gothic, art-punk of Love Life, the melodies of Mt. Royal, and the various shades of Celebration and its short-lived predecessor Birdland. The only thing that connects the two is that Sean Antanaitis has been Ford‘s longtime creative partner, the singer’s other half ever since they met in art class during high school.

“When you listen to music, it’s all about the emotion behind it,” says Ford, “but it’s also all about the emotions you’re feeling — set and setting, you know? Sean always seems to be in the same place as me emotionally. I feel lucky that we found each other.”

LISTEN/WATCH & SHARE: Katrina Ford – “Gleaming The Cube”
Stream / YouTube

LISTEN/WATCH & SHARE: Katrina Ford – “Peace Out”
Stream / YouTube

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The Houston-based post-punk/industrial duo, Mother Ghost, shares their debut album, Somnámbulo, via Geodesic Records.

The duo, which is made up of brothers, Oscar and Thomas Flores, creates an eclectic sound of post-punk, rock, and new wave.

Mother Ghost began writing the album approximately around the time the Trump election and presidency were occurring, which fueled many of the songs on the record, such as “Hiding In a Dumpster Waiting For ICE Agents To Leave” and “Avarice.”

The following track, “Ungrateful,” incorporates more melodic rock into the band’s sound as it opens with a steady guitar loop. It has a definite 80s vibe. I like how the music meets the mood of the song.

The album’s title track, “Somnámbulo,” (or the Spanish word for sleepwalker) delivers a synth-based sound with a great guitar riff, along with the drums section. The next song is the single, “Le Petite Morte,” which is about the consequences and emotions of a relationship coming to an end. This is a synth-filled track, which too, has an 80s vibe, and is filled with infectious guitar instrumentation.

The latter end of the album features tracks, “White God,” “Brundlefly,” “Waves,” “Avarice,” “Criminal,” “Raices (dirt).”

But the lyrical content also hits on economic inequality, the failure of American politics, immigration, and drug addiction.

Connect with Mother Ghost

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Once you hear his name, you can’t help but think of his grandfather, Bob Marley; however, Skip Marley is his own musician, his own person, and he’s ready to tell his story. Tonight, Skip will be gracing the stage at The Foundry in Philadelphia.

As we all know, he grew up in a musical family, in Jamaica. In an email interview we conducted, he confirmed, “Yes, I grew up in a very musical family, so it was always present from my earliest memories. It must have had a major impact on my life because I chose a musical path too.”

That musical path is a famous one in their family including Damien Marley, Ziggy Marley, Skip Marley, and of course, Bob Marley. Growing up in such a musical family and knowing you have such big shoes to fill can kind of be intimidating. But Skip nonchalantly explained, “Some people who knew him well think of my grandfather when they hear my first name! Bob Marley is an icon, so I’m humbled to walk in his footsteps and bear his name. I’m blessed to grow from such loving and musical roots.”

Skip‘s music doesn’t have a name, but he aims to create it with positivity. “For a song to be successful, the vibe has to be there. The song has to connect with the singer, and the singer has to connect with instruments, and the producer has to connect with the whole arrangement. That type of vibe usually translates to a connection with the audience,” he detailed.

For the remainder of 2022, Skip will be busy. He and his team just left for the Change tour, there is a brand new single and music video in the works, and they’re putting finishing touches on his debut album. It sounds like he will have a full year! He’s working on a lot of new music, so fans can expect a lot of new music.

What’s most exciting for Skip, is that this is really his first headlining tour, so he’s really looking forward to each new experience and every new opportunity to bring the full stage show to the people.

IF YOU GO

Who: Skip Marley
When: Tonight, Wednesday, March 30
Where: The Foundry at the Fillmore, Philadelphia
Time: Doors @ 7 PM; Show @ 8 PM
Price: $20.00-$22.50

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YouTube star and rising pop star, Andie Case, always knew she wanted to do music, but her journey to the industry wasn’t a normal one. She told me that “she always gravitated towards music” and “didn’t do great in school.” 

At the beginning of her career at age 18, she moved out and spent time living out of her Pontiac Bonneville. She eventually met two male musicians and they began creating YouTube music videos together. They were able to slowly grow their fanbase on YouTube and via social media.

“I’ve always known I’ve wanted to do music,” Case told me. “At age 11, I tried out for my school’s talent show.”

You may have recognized Andie’s name from Usher’s Megastar competition, where the singer/songwriter was the sole winner of the competition winning the $1 million prize and the “right to audition for a role in a digital film produced by Digital Riot Media/John Baldecchi and several other prizes.” (PR Newswire)

“[It was] ultimate freaking anxiety,” Case exclaimed.”It was incredible. The whole competition was based on fans’ voting and conversing with Usher.“

As the winner of the competition, Case spent a great deal of time with Usher, and he offered advice to her. She explained he told her to, “Trust the process. Enjoy the destination. Money goes fast. There’s no end. Enjoy what you’re doing.”

Case just released a brand new track called “I Think I’m God” and it’s definitely one of the incredible bops of the year! Case explained the inspiration behind the song: “I was feeling really depressed and I really needed to get myself out of this funk. I really knew I didn’t want to feel this way.” She continued on to explain that instead of feeling shitty, she decided to write a song as if she was feeling like she was on top of the world, or feeling like God.

This track she says, “is the most personal to me. This has the most of me as in releasing a song.” She hopes that the song gives people hope when they’re feeling down.

Case continues to work on more new music and potentially has a tour in the works for the summer.

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R&B music is one of those genres that has attitude, character, and sexiness. I came across a new R&B record by rising R&B artist, The Real J Israel, whose new album, For The Sake of R&B, is out now via J. Israel Fam Entertainment, Inc.

The new album spans 13 smooth-as-butter, R&B tracks from “Mr. Good Good” himself.

On the first track, “When You Need Love,” Israel explains to his woman how he would spoil her with long walks in the park, quality time, full-body massages, and he said he’ll cook for her. He gets sensual and sexy and describes how he will spoil her.

Tracks like “I Need It” and “In This Bed” deliver classic R&B beats, along with the sensuality that often comes with the genre. Israel illustrates how he wants to spoil his woman and gets rather specific on the songs. Sometimes, maybe a track or two are acceptable, but the first four tracks on this album are about him sleeping with his woman and detailing the events. That, I think, is a little overboard. I wish he was able to expand and write songs about other topics besides sex and intimacy.

I really enjoyed the introduction of the track, “I Love You,” where it incorporates a soft acoustic guitar, piano, and vocals. He truly does have a talented voice, I’d just like to further see the extent of his songwriting abilities.

The next track, “Say,” is my favorite song on the album so far. The lyrics are better written and it showcases his storytelling abilities. He sings about realizing that he’s no one without his woman and begs for forgiveness for all of his mistakes throughout their relationship. He begs to have her “say” that she’ll come back to him.

Songs like “Keep You Comin,” and “Might Be Something” continue Israel’s senual side.

The Real J Israel is a rising, up-and-coming R&B singer from Atlanta, Georgia. Growing up as the son of a minister, he spent time in and grew up around gospel choirs. Singing in the choir helped to teach him how to sing and interject “soul and passion into his voice.”

He decided to make the switch from traditional gospel music to a more personal, intimate, and modern R&B sound.

There’s no denying he has a talented voice and definitely has star quality, but I think he could expand upon the lyrical content besides just having sex and pleasing his woman.

Connect with The Real J Israel

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Peter Doherty and Frédérick Lo released their new single, “The Epidemiologist,” on Friday, March 4th, via Strap Originals.

The pop and instrumental ballad illustrate being hopeful when everything is a mess. The duo has a new album coming out titled The Fantasy Life of Poetry & Crime and will be released on March 18 via Strap Originals. The album, written during the time he spent getting clean before lockdown, produced his finest work to date (via press release).

He is best known for being the frontman of the British indie-rock band, The Libertines, who helped bring garage-rock back in the 2000s.

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The Bend, Oregon-based hard-rock band, Leadbetter Band, showcases their heavy instrumentation and prolific songwriting that spans heavy rock, blues, and roots. The album is titled Howl out now on all major platforms.

Last August, Leadbetter Band opened for ZZ Top at the Britt Amphitheater in Jacksonville, Oregon.

“The depth of the music is always important to me, having songs that challenge or comfort the mind and inspire the heart is what I strive for. Howl definitely delivers that.” – Eric Leadbetter

The opening track, “Waterdogs,” is a heavy hitter with fantastic instrumentation from the drums to the guitars. It’s not for the faint of heart for sure.

The following track is a great song titled “Snake Oil” with excellent instrumentation from the guitars.

On “Doesn’t Change a Thing,” the band really brings in the guitars full force, and they really sound great. They really remind me of Gov’t Mule.

The band slows things down on “Time Waits.” The gentle guitar strums are layered over folksy vocals, opening the track which opens up into a wider song. He sings “where has all the time gone?”

If “Doesn’t Change a Thing” reminded me of Gov’t Mule, “Feedin The Landlord,” really does! It is heavy rock with an Americana/country-tinged flair. The guitars are epic in this track; the guitarists really know how to shred and put on a show.

“Find Your Love Again” is a smooth ballad about finding love again after feeling lost, lonely, and alone. The track showcases Eric Leadbetter‘s vocal range really well, too.

“Habits” showcases the band’s ability to write sonically catchy songs with terrific lyricism. Their musicianship is fantastic and really shows off on this track.

The next track, “Middle Man,” opens and reminds me of a little bit of Gov’t Mule and a little bit of Aerosmith in its melody. But this track hits hard, and I mean, hard. The guitars, the drums, everything just hits hard. This is an all-out rock song. If you want to rock out, this is the song for you!

Overall, this album is a terrific rock album for any fans of artists like Gov’t Mule, ZZ Top, and more. You’re going to love the Leadbetter Band!

Take a look at their video for their song, “Waterdogs,” below!

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