To kick off the unofficial start of summer, here's an encore presentation of Victoria Vox's "Summertime".
From the looks of her website, Victoria Vox has been a busy woman! In fact over the last six years, she has averaged 125+ gigs a year, including numerous dates in Europe and Canad. She has also released three CD's, appeared on various compilations, and released a custom Christmas card filled with original Christmas songs. And, did I mention she appeared on Leno last December?
Her latest CD, Exact Change, is available now. Victoria's tour schedule remains very busy. Check her website for specific dates, but definitely go see her live!
By 2001, Noelle Hampton had enjoyed the success that most DIY artists only dream of. She was featured in the first iTunes commercial (along with Iggy Pop and Barry White), won a slot on the Lilith Fair, and opened for the likes of Bob Dylan, Wilco, Chris Isaak and Richard Thompson. With her self-produced debut Under These Skies, Noelle won praise as one of the best Bay Area artists, receiving a nomination for the California Music Awards as outstanding female singer alongside Gwen Stefani. After many record label inquiries, there seemed to be a theme of "We don't need another Sheryl Crow" coming from the labels.
San Francisco wasn’t the most affordable place to live for a burgeoning artist. After a few years of touring, Noëlle and her husband/music partner Andre Moran relocated to the artist haven of Austin, TX. In the intervening year of settling in, a deep depression settled in and Noelle thought her music career was over. However, an unexpected request from a major network television show was the first step out of her hole, quickly followed by renowned producer Mark Hallman (Carole King, Ani DiFranco, Eliza Gilkyson), drawing Noëlle back into the studio to record Thin Line, set to be released August 18th.
"Blackwing Butterfly" was Noelle's first song after moving to Austin. "I was taking a walk in my neighborhood and saw a bunch of these little black butterflies, and I began to think about the notion that this creature that is usually full of color, was a bit ominous in black. I wondered if they were some sort of envoy of death...little blackwing butterflies that take you over to the other side. I wrote the whole song while I was on my walk and when I got back I put it to music.”
With the release of Thin Line, Noëlle is planning a fall tour and a radio push.
Anna Zoe is best described, in her own words, as "Sara Bareilles drinking hot chocolate with Coldplay."
It all started with piano lessons, school chorus and theatre. However, her first "break" came with an opportunity to sing the National Anthem at her high school football game. After performing the Anthem at other major events in her hometown, Anna decided that New York was the place to be if she was to pursue music as a career.
While attending college in New York, Anna realized she could have a positive effect on people's lives with her songs about peace, love and war. It took five years of living in New York before Anna built the confidence to perform at her first open-mic. Not long after that first open-mic, Anna was performing her own shows and being compared to artists like Tori Amos and Sarah Bareilles. Although, it took her a while to come into her own, she is now very comfortable with where she fits in as an artist.
In 2009, Anna released "Someday", a 3-song EP, and is currently working on a full-length release. Catch Anna Zoe live on June 9th at Best Buy in New York City (60 W 23RD St). For more information, including Anna's personal blog, check out her website.
Washington, DC-based jazz artist, James Bell, has been playing guitar since the age of 13, after playing the viola in the DC Youth Orchestra. Since then, James has toured the country, and performed as a street musician in Central Park and the subway system of New York City. In 1998, Bell returned to DC and, while performing with the DC-area band Chemistry, started composing his own original jazz songs.
Bell describes his music as R&B, with blends of Smooth, Cool and Soul jazz influenced by artists such as George Benson, Norman Brown, BB King, Miles Davis, Santana, and Joe Pass. His current album, "Urban Impressions," was recorded in his digital home studio and features today's featured song, "Silhouette."
I was introduced to Byron Zanos by previously featured artist, Julia Ilowiecki. Byron is an award-winning singer/songwriterperformer, including recognition from Berklee College of Music, American Idol, and the Mid-Atlantic Songwriting Contest. He has released two albums, "Somewhere In The Middle" and "Still In A Fight," but for his new music, Byron has come up with the Information Theory (iTheory) method of music distribution. Through iTheory, Byron records and releases a new song each month. According to Zanos, "It’s a more exciting, and with the proper social networking integration, a far more interactive experience."
Today's featured song, "Hide and Seek," is described as "baby-making music." It's about making babies and can be used to set the mood during baby making. In fact, if you want a spot in the liner notes of a future Byron Zanos album, just send him a picture of yourself while participating in the baby-making process. With that said, the song comes with the following disclaimer, "Byron Zanos and Miera One Music do not actually support human procreation. 'Hide and Seek' should only be listened to during ‘simulated’ baby making. Byron Zanos and Miera One Music DO NOT take any moral or financial responsibilities for any baby actually made while listening to or handling “Hide and Seek."
If you're in the New York area, and ever attended a concert at the Jones Beach Theatre, you've probably seen Byron open for artists such as Aerosmith, Steve Miller, The Police, Eric Clapton, Elvis Costello, Dave Matthews Band, and The Killers. You can see him live in Philly (5/20 World Cafe Live), Trenton (5/26 Katmandu), and New York (6/4 Rockwood Music Hall.)
Baltimore crooner, Tom Moore, grew up listening to the American standards that he sings today. In fact, he began studying music at age 8 while singing in the Church choir. While living in New York, he often visited some of the great jazz clubs, such as Birdland, Village Vanguard, and Blue Note. It was in these clubs that he developed his taste for the music that he sings.
Produced by Marcus Dagan, Tom's debut album "Restless Journey" features a mix of covers and originals. The album is being submitted for Grammy consideration in the categories of Best Jazz Album, Best Male Pop Vocal, and Best Traditional Pop Album.
The Tom Moore Band features Oliver Fairley (sax), Todd Simon (piano, keyboards), Eric Wheeler (bass,) Warren "Trae" Crudup (drums), plus "Restless Journey" features Jimmy Wilson (trumpet), Bill Watson (drums), Troy Atkins (sax), Raili Haimila (viola), and Lisa Kang (cello). For live shows, keep in touch with Tom on Facebook, MySpace or through his weekly radio show... and if it's legal advice you want, Tom Moore is also a practicing attorney.
The Black Marks are a very new band. In fact, there isn't much information to share about the band. The Black Marks consist of six members, Mandi DeWitt (Vocals), Michael Getzlaff (Guitar), Sam Wylie (Guitar), Carole Menetrez (Bass), Ben Jancewicz (Keyboard), and Christopher Lerch (Drums). So far, they have only released a few songs as demos, and are just focusing on writing new music and playing out live. Their next gig is Saturday, May 15th at Mum's (1132 South Hanover Street, Baltimore, MD).
The New Orleans five-piece known as The Morning Life is full of seasoned musicians, but their sound is something that can't be measured by combined talent. Friends long before forming The Morning Life, the members [Bobby Hoerner (vocals), Jack Miele (guitar), David Philastre (guitar), Graham Robinson (bass) and Woody Dantagnan (drums)] have all had their share of success playing in other bands. Their debut release "Old Hymns of a New Age" is getting rave reviews from members of G. Love & Special Sauce, The Subdudes, Marc Broussard, Cowboy Mouth, and The Vettes. Buy this album, and if you're in or around New Orleans, be sure to check them out live, May 28th at The Howlin' Wolf.
