Monthly Archives: January 2025

EP Review: Robotic Hawks – All Business

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photo by Kelly Davidson Studio; photo courtesy of Knyvet

EP Review of Robotic Hawks: All Business

Robotic Hawks are a catchy, old-school, pop-friendly, jangly guitar rock outfit from New Hampshire. They were winners of the “Rising Star: New Hampshire” award at the 2023 New England Music Awards. I checked my notes from my personal ballot – you know, the one I shared my snarky notes from in this Facebook post – and it turns out I really dug these guys’ music when I first heard it, while researching my votes for the 2023 ballot. In any case, swamped as I was (and always am) and knowing I had a huge review backlog, I didn’t reach out to Robotic Hawks at the time to ask for a review. Fortunately, their EP landed in my inbox anyway.

This 4-song EP, All Business, is, indeed, all business. Assuming, of course, you’re talking about the business of energetically fun alt/pop rock. Ahh, you know what I mean.

image courtesy of Knyvet

High-energy opener “High Maintenance” is my favorite on the EP. It has an alt-rock energy but still kind of a classic rock vibe. There’s a guitar sound in the song that reminds me a little of Green Day, but the track has more of a garage rock – catchy, hooky, in-tune garage rock, mind you – overall feel.

“Cab Ride” is just as energetic except for a couple bridges where the music slows before re-engaging, plus the buzzy guitar has more of an R.E.M.-ish, ’80s/’90s mainstream college rock vibe.

“Further” is a raucous rocker, as if the Robotic Hawks crossed the B-52s with the The Clash, added more tuneful but still edgy vocals, slowed the song down just a little, and gave it a funky rhythm.

The booming, echoing guitar strum found frequently on this EP also plays a prominent role in the final song of the collection, a hard-rockin’ version of Terence Trent D’Arby’s “Wishing Well.” This track shows a versatility the earlier tunes hint at and some playfulness in the instrumentation, but at no time is the band’s kickassingness compromised. Rather, this reimagining of such a well-known song just solidifies Robotic Hawks’ street cred.

I’d like to thank Robotic Hawks for delivering a wicked rockin’ EP that’s hard to describe, but hopefully I’ve done the songs justice in the above text. The tl;dr for this EP would be: Robotic Hawks’ All Business EP is energetic, fun, and catchy. Hear for yourself!

Single Review: Hairpin – “Coyote”

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Single Review of Hairpin: “Coyote”

NYC-based indie rockers Hairpin have released an infectious, hooky, jangly rock earworm in “Coyote,” with frantic-yet-smoothly-delivered vocals that sit atop an soundbed that moves steadily, relentlessly forward. Distorted, echoey guitarwork adds a cool dive-bar flavor infusion throughout, including what can best be described as a buzzy guitar solo during both a mid-song bridge and the late-song chaotic outro, which includes some serious drum-bashing, as well. The surf guitar-inspired intro – a rhythm that carries on more or less throughout the song – adds another layer to the music, most likely the secret hook that makes “Coyote” so infectious.

Throughout, aside from the dissonance of the distorted guitar work that dashes in and out of the song, much of this song’s style revolves around a sort of floating pop-rock vibe reminiscent of The Palms’ single “Ready or Not” that I reviewed last year. You know, probably not a bad “next” tune for your playlist if you’re looking for something to play back-to-back with “Coyote.”

In any case, this is a very cool song. If you’re a listener of garage rock, alt-rock, college rock, or really any kind of rock ‘n roll song with a catchy hook, you’ll dig Hairpin’s “Coyote.”

Album Review: Namedroppers – Starshine

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Namedroppers band photo

photo courtesy of the Namedroppers

Album Review of Namedroppers: Starshine

The Namedroppers – Bobby T Torello (drums), Scott Spray (bass), Ron Rifkin (piano/organ), and Rafe Klein (guitar) – were named Blues Act of the Year by the 2023 New England Music Awards. They followed that in 2024 by releasing this disc, Starshine, containing ten songs ranging from rockin’ blues and bluesy rock to soaring soulful blues.

They kick things off with kind of a combination of those styles on the title track, a mid-tempo number featuring spoken-sung lead vocals from Rafe Klein with a chorus of background vocals from Ron and Bobby and, most notably, the soulful, standout supporting vox of guest vocalist Simone Brown.

Namedroppers – Starshine album cover

image courtesy of the Namedroppers

That’s followed by “Sweet Little Angel,” one of the two covers on the album, an exceptional rendition of the B.B. King classic that’s carried by engaging guitarwork but really driven home by its fun, tuneful, slightly growling lead vocal.

“Whiskey” is one of two songs on the disc featuring Bobby T on lead vocals, his grizzled voice providing a rough, in-character delivery.  Bobby T also lends his voice to the song “Rotten Person,” a hilarious, um… could it be considered a curse? On it, you’ll particularly dig the lyric “You’re a rotten person, you deserve desertion, and I really hope you end up alone.” I think we all know someone deserving of that particular curse.

The only other song featuring someone other than Rafe Klein on lead vocals is the band’s cover of “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” with Ron Rifkin handling the mic duties. The song has been so bluesified in this arrangement, with keyboard flourishes and a tunefully anguished, pleading vocal, that you almost don’t readily identify the original. And that, my friends, is how you perform a cover song.

Namedroppers band photo

photo courtesy of the Namedroppers

Probably the song with the biggest crossover, multi-audience hit potential on this disc is “Shades of Blue,” a song with a gentle, sneakily hooky guitar line that supports Rafe’s heartfelt vocals, with guest vocalist support from Carole Sylvan, who you’ll remember from a review of her album Love here at the Blog a little more than a year ago.

There’s a little two-song run in the middle of the album that I refer to as the disc’s “death section.” It’s comprised of a couple of lighthearted songs about passing away (or, rather, having passed away), “I Died You Cried” and “Can’t Take It With You.”

The only songs I haven’t yet mentioned are Starshine‘s final two tracks. “Red Sea Blues” is a heavy blues protestation/proclamation, while “Joy, Pain, Sky,” helped along by prominent guest vocals from Simone Brown, ends the album with a bit of joyfulness, which in the blues can’t come without some pain.

Starshine is a fun listen beginning to end (and on repeat), covering a lot of blues real estate, featuring a talented group of musicians with rather impressive bios. But hey, you can read about their pasts for yourself on the band’s website, because at the end of the day, it’s all about how those backgrounds come together to create the exceptional music on this disc; if you’re a blues fan, you’ll enjoy this record.

EP Review: MORRR – Marrow Weavers

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MORRR – Marrow Weavers cover art

image courtesy of Unsung Hunger PR

EP Review of MORRR: Marrow Weavers (MFZ Records)

Italian artist MORRR, a musical identity of Dario Gatto, delivers a cool collection of dark, haunting music on Marrow Weavers. This album, originally released in 2022, was re-released in 2023 by MFZ Records, with the addition of a remixed version of its final track, “Tantalo,” by NTS Radio DJ Francesco Fusaro (aka Froz), one of MFZ Records’ co-founders.

Marrow Weavers is a collection of slow, haunting, dark music. It’s frequently depressively, hauntingly flowing but also mixes in some white noise-ish distortion to alter the power dynamic within the songs, creating MORRR’s uniquely original sound. This EP provides an encompassing experience that’s hard to convey in words, though I’ll try. Rest assured, it’s a powerful – but oddly coolly relaxing, given its darkness – listen.

“Riptide” is an edgy, yet slow-tempoed, opening track. It flows into the softer “Waking Up,” which begins mellow and, by slowly adding new instrumentation… well, wakes up, I suppose.

“These Wide Eyes” is a bit of a placeholder song, not so much as part of the EP but, rather, the em0otional mood it conveys is akin to the version of the smiley face emoji with a straight-line for a mouth. In the beginning and throughout most of the song, the mood and tempo are a slow, eerie creep with simple instrumentation before ending with a lot of buzz and activity; even then, the track never losing a feeling of emotional ambivalence.

Finally, the EP closes with two versions of “Tantalo.” Both versions feature the distorted, plodding twang that, for me, is the memorably signature sound of this EP. The original “Tantalo” would have been a fine enough sendoff into the ether, providing a cohesive ending to Marrow Weavers. However, on “Tantalo (Froz Chopped & Hopped Remix),” Froz adds in some more complex, layered sounds and a vibe that causes me to prefer the remix just slightly over the original. (Sometimes, collaboration makes things better!)

In any case, as a whole, complete listen, this is a cool five-song EP that allows the listener to pleasantly experience some dark moods. A couple of the “tags” at the end of this EP’s Bandcamp page that sum up the sound perhaps better than any new label I could come up with are “dreamwave” and “indietronica.” But really, it’s just a stylistically different example of the kind of cool, well-conceived, very original music I enjoy. Maybe you will, too.

Album Review: Mike Ward: Psychosongs – Love Never Rests

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photo by Angie Ward; photo courtesy of Mike Ward

Album Review of Mike Ward: Psychosongs – Love Never Rests

Detroit-based, award-winning folk artist Mike Ward has delivered an everyman, heart-touching masterpiece with Love Never Rests. I’ve written before about how my inbox is overflooded with folk music, so I only write about those whose songwriting and delivery are impeccable, and even then only those few whose music really connects with me. And yeah, I get so much folk music, not even all of those. (But thanks to all for sending your music for review consideration. Even though I can’t review a majority of what I receive, I appreciate it.) But that’s not why you’re reading, so I’ll get back to the review…

image courtesy of Mike Ward

Mike has a roughness in his vocals that combine well with his matter-of-fact delivery, lending authenticity to his relatable, observational, slice-of-life lyrics. As for the Mike Ward: Psychosongs monitor, the “psycho” part is supposedly a reference to a nickname Mike earned playing hockey. (For me, being a hockey player makes him all that much more relatable. But it doesn’t really play a role in his music on this record, other than in a single line of “Compact Life.”)

Mike has a few different female backing vocalists on several songs throughout the album. On those songs, the intermingling of the vocals is often emotionally engaging and take those tunes to the next level. I noticed this particularly on “The Currency of Forgiveness” and “There I Was,” which are both very powerful songs that would be significantly less effective with just Mike’s single, though very compelling, vocal.

photo by Scott Kraus; photo courtesy of Mike Ward

Mike’s songs are relatable, as in “I Follow,” which features several lines you’ll smile and chuckle to in recognition of your own life or, at least, something you might have thought or felt while growing up. “Lost Love Letters” strikes up a bit of nostalgia, though in this song it’s an ode to memories sung from a third-person perspective. And the disc’s closing song, “Sunday Morning,” credited as a poem by Marjorie Ward (as opposed to the rest of the songs, that are entirely Mike Ward-penned), paints a richly-painted, detailed picture of everyday, familial Sunday mornings that might be familiar to many listeners. Meanwhile, “This Old Life Goes” is a song about aging, thinking about mortality and the meaning of life, seemingly spurred by running into a friend whose mind is beginning to fail, sung pleasantly and matter-of-factly – you know, like you’d expect from a top-shelf folk song. “Smile,” too, is another pleasant little ditty about aging, though it’s actually more about loss and remembering times from the past, family, and the relentless progression of time.

photo by Danny Ward; photo courtesy of Mike Ward

The entire album is exceptionally well-conceived and executed. Personally, some of my favorite songs – not noticeably better than the other tracks, just favorites because they connect with me – are “The Currency of Foregivness,” an upbeat song about love and commitment, “There I Was,” a song I enjoy in part because of the movement in the tempo and the fun lyric “Seems like I’ve living on the wrong side of nowhere,” even if I don’t relate to the vagabond life, “Compact Life,” a clever ode devoted primarily to embracing a life less complicated, and the heavier-feeling – both in lyric and in the power of the orchestration – “Something Anything,” which opens with the line “I’m looking for something positive today.”

As a whole, Love Never Rests is an exceptionally well-produced, written, and performed folk album. If you’re a fan of that genre or of singer-songwriters or well-written songs, then you ought to give it a listen.

More Recently

Love Never Rests is no longer Mike Ward’s most recent release. If you like what you hear here – or even if you don’t, I suppose – you can check out Mike’s August 2024 release Still Troubled, too.

Looking Ahead

Check the “Live” page of Mike’s website for performance dates. He currently lists a few performance that stretch from southeastern Michigan to southwestern Michigan. Despite his “psycho” nickname, though, I’m pretty sure Mike’s allowed to leave the state, so be sure to check periodically to see if and when he’ll be near you, even if you don’t live in the Great Lakes State.

Single Reviews: Orianthi – “First Time Blues” feat. Joe Bonamassa and “Some Kind of Feeling”

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image courtesy of Frank Roszak Promotions

Single Reviews of Orianthi: “First Time Blues” feat. Joe Bonamassa and “Some Kind of Feeling” (Woodward Avenue Records)

You may know Orianthi best as Alice Cooper’s guitarist from 2011 to 2014 (at least, I did), before she resigned and was replaced by Nina Strauss. Or you may know her for her collaborations, performances, and tours with any number of other A-listers, an extensive list that includes Carrie Underwood, Richie Sambora, Dave Stewart, Michael Bolton, and many others. And, obviously, Joe Bonamassa. Or perhaps you know her from her solo career. Whether you know her already or not, you should. So read on (and then check out these songs).

photo courtesy of Frank Roszak Promotions

In February 2024, Orianthi released “First Time Blues,” and it’s infectiously cool, likely to quickly become one of your favorite songs, delivering a powerful, sidewinding blues rock guitar punch. Orianthi’s vocals match the power of the axework, too, while the beat is heavy and prominent, at least to the extent possible behind the varied, fully-engaging guitarwork.

“Some Kind of Feeling” is a bit of a cooler number, showing some of Orianthi’s range, as it is a slower-paced, funky-bluesy number. This song, likely, will appeal to a broader audience. It’s still cool enough for guitar fans, but it’s really more of a power pop-rocker and sports the sorts of sentiments expressed by lyrics like “baby, you give me some kind of feeling,” song topics that are of interest to a more mainstream audience than the concept of gettin’ the blues.

Combined, these two singles are songs you oughta hear. You’ll have a favorite, just like I do, but you’ll probably dig ’em both… just like I do.

image courtesy of Frank Roszak Promotions

Looking Ahead

Alice Cooper fans will get a chance to see Orianthi back in the band for a few weeks, as she’ll be filling in for Nita Strauss in Alice’s band for his January 31-February 16 gigs in Georgia, North Carolina, Alabama, and Florida.

According to the “tour” page on Orianthi’s website, her current Australian tour ends on January 12th. Her website also lists a couple Oakland, California gigs in mid-April, a European tour in July, and an Illinois gig in October. I’m sure she’ll be adding more concerts this year, so you’ll want to check her website for new dates as they’re added.

Album Review: JK Collective – Ring Road

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photo by Ariane Kok; photo courtesy of Jan Knetsch

by Eric Harabadian, Contributing Blogger

Album Review of JK Collective: Ring Road

JK Collective is a group of studio musicians and composers from the Netherlands that specializes in ‘60s-inspired rock and pop. Although they sound more than capable of handling any musical situation, the original songs performed on Ring Road strongly reflect their fascination with British, European and American-based classic rock.

album cover designed by Jasper Davidson; image courtesy of Jan Knetsch

Multi-instrumentalist and composer Jan Knetsch is at the helm here and leads his merry men of musicality down a road that is letter perfect in tone and texture. The dozen tracks here were sparked by Knetsch and his wife’s journey to the USA down Route 66 in 2022. Upon hearing The Beatles’ “I Saw Her Standing There” wafting from a roadhouse sound system, it stirred something in him to begin writing new music and tapping into that ‘60s-era style and feel. When Knetsch returned home to the Netherlands, he assembled this collective of musicians and got to work.

What you have here is a cadre of great original songs. “Ring Road Theme” is a mid- tempo rocker that blossoms on a bed of orchestral beauty. Woodwinds, strings and things blended with a wonderful and spirited melody really set the scene. “Together to Get Her” has a heavy British feel. It recalls the harmonic craftsmanship of The Hollies and The Beatles, with a touch of modern flair. The overall mood is upbeat, with a cool minor-ish guitar break. “I Don’t Wanna Give You Up” features great harmonies (hmm, I think I see a trend here… LOL!), with some tasty guitar action and a funky grooving bass line. “To Be Loved” features that Mersey Beat factor. There is also a predominant Beatle-esque sensibility, with a George Harrison-like slide guitar.

photo by Ariane Kok; photo courtesy of Jan Knetsch

“One Man Show” is very cinematic and taps into the bands’ penchant for storytelling. “The Mother Road” could almost be considered auto-biographical where it talks about traveling along Route 66. A ripping guitar solo and strong hooks bring it all back to the origin of JK Collective. “Work in Progress” spotlights the bands’ American influences, with a vocal nod to The Beach Boys. They’ve done their homework well and embody that freewheeling California sound. “Sweet Melody” sounds like Abbey Road-era Beatles. Superb harmonies, coupled with strings and brilliant hooks, make this a highlight. Continuing with The Beatles influence, there is no mistaking the “Eleanor Rigby” cadence and chamber string flourishes of “Roses in the Vale.” This track also vaguely recalls some of the early Moody Blues orchestral work. “Dreamers Drive” throws the whole works into the mix, blending woodwinds, strings, and straight up rock. And “My Song of the Day” rounds things out with a tasteful and well-placed acoustic ballad.

Ring Road is an album that shines a light on diversity and is very fluid in its songwriting approach. But there is a cinematic quality to their songs as well which taps into the JK Collective goals of licensing and marketing their music for films and video projects.

Single Review: Captains of Industry – “The In Between”

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Captains of Industry Group Photo

photo courtesy of Captains of Industry

Single Review of Captains of Industry – “The In Between”

Captains of Industry is comprised of four veterans of the Boston music scene: Daniel Rodriguez (vocals, guitar), Aaron Kammerer (vocals, bass), Jason Fidler (vocals, guitar), and Drew Spangler (drums). The band calls itself an Americana/indie band (at least on its Facebook page). It’s always tough to adequately label bands in this particular corner of the rock ‘n roll spectrum, but that’ll do for starters.

image of the Captains of Industry – "The In Between" single cover

image courtesy of Captains of Industry

This single, “The In Between,” is a slow song. If a rock band performed a folk song relatively true-to-intent but it ended still sounding as if a rock band was performing it, it might sound like this. There’s a big booming drum strike or two on the track that are pretty cool, too. Technically, I suppose it’s a ballad in that you could slow-dance to it if you wanted to. But more specifically, it’s a richly-textured song about internal conflict, uncertainty, and… “it’s the in between that sees me through and brings me back to you.” As with any good lyric, apply that to your own circumstance however you see fit.

Captains of Industry live performance photo

photo courtesy of Captains of Industry

More Recently

Since the release of “The In Between” in February 2024, Captains of Industry have released a couple more singles – the peppy “Sunshine” in June and “Get Along Fine,” kind of a mellow, melancholy-ish song with maybe the slightest hint of Tom Petty, in November.

Album Review: Jason Kao Hwang – Soliloquies

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Jason Kao Hwang – Soliloquies album cover

image courtesy of Jason Kao Hwang

by Eric Harabadian, Contributing Blogger

Album Review of Jason Kao Hwang: Soliloquies

Originally from the Midwest and currently based in New Jersey, Jason Kao Hwang is a classically-trained violinist and composer who specializes in a free jazz and improvisational approach to his instrument. He cut his musical teeth in the late ’70s and early ’80s playing with some of the heavyweights of avant garde jazz music such as saxophonist Anthony Braxton, saxophonist/flautist Henry Threadgill, and bassist Reggie Workman. Hwang, who is of Chinese descent, has also been heavily involved in world music that reflects his Asian-American heritage.

That wealth of musical and cultural knowledge is uniquely compressed into a dozen tight and expressive original solo violin etudes and improvisations. In particular, the strings master employs a specific technique throughout the recording called “pizzicato.” It is an alternate manner of playing where, instead of using a bow and swiping the violin strings, the instrument is “picked” or plucked similar to an approach on guitar. It’s a technique that gives the violin and each composition an entirely different and more percussive feel when compared with the way the instrument is primarily played.

In the dramatic arts soliloquies are intimate monologues where a character stands alone on stage to confide their innermost thoughts to the audience. Similarly, Hwang found a way to express himself in an improvisational and solitary context. Each original composition here tells part of a story. It’s a story that is a love letter to his parents and family’s first and second generation immigrant experiences.

The appropriately titled “At the Beginning” ushers in a demure and delicate melody on which the use of subtle pull-offs, trills and fleet-fingered picking is employed. The follow up “Hungry Shadows” develops those initial ideas and spotlights nuanced octaves and space. “Vagabond” navigates the melody in an unorthodox manner, with wit and strategic grace. Angular themes and well thought-out string bends and glissando define tracks such as “Spinning Coins,” “Remembering Our Conversation,” and “Encirclement.” Solo pizzicato in the hands of a sonic craftsman such as Hwang is magical because he refuses to be bound by the chains of conformity. Throughout his musical explorations on this album he makes his acoustic violin sound like a talking drum, flamenco guitar, and an Asian lute-like instrument called a Koto.

Every artist should grant themselves the opportunity to truly express who they are and where they come from. For all the sideman and collaborative work Hwang has done over the years, it’s nice to hear the soloist captured in his natural and familial element. And that’s what you essentially find here. “For the children of war survivors there are conversations with our parents we wished we had and could not,” explains Hwang in the liner notes. “I often wonder about my parents’ vague allusions to atrocities they survived in China during World War II because their trauma was far greater than I can imagine, even now, over 20 years since their passing. In Soliloquies I honor their courage by embracing their voices within mine, to sing into our unknowable silence encircling dreams. I am especially playing for my father, who endured multiple strokes, the last of which took his voice.”

Soliloquies is a dedicated listen and one that, in light of the stories behind each track, will draw you in with its earnestness, subtle delivery and powerful resolve.

Single Review: Justine Giles – “Before It’s Too Late”

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Justine Giles sitting in car with door open

photo by Jarrett Edmund; photo courtesy of Justine Giles

Single Review of Justine Giles: “Before It’s Too Late”

Here’s an artist I first encountered thanks to following New Tec Radio on social media. Sometimes when people whose musical taste I respect share what they’re listening to (or reviewing or playing on-air), I check it out. And that’s one of the ways I discover new music. (Kind of the same way, hopefully, you’re discovering some cool new music via this blog.)

Justine Giles – "Before It's Too Late" single cover

image courtesy of Justine Giles

In this instance, I discovered this kick-ass song from Calgarian Justine Giles; it has turned out to be one of my favorite single releases semi-recently. “Before It’s Too Late,” does a great job of showcasing Justine’s broad vocal skills. The song is a mix of torchy, bluesy Americana, wide open spaces, and modern country vibes. Specifically, on the country front, the haunting vocals are a little reminiscent of that feeling you get in certain spots of Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats” when you get chills and every hair on your body stands on end. Wow!

Justine Giles sitting on the gravel shoulder, leaning back against the front of a car

photo by Jarrett Edmund; photo courtesy of Justine Giles

The lyrics are intricate. The vocals ranging from smooth to gritty to forcefully powerful. And the appeal for this song is broad – singer-songwriter, country, Americana, pop. If you’re… well, human, then give this song a spin!

More Recently

Recent accolades for Justine include the well-deserved honor of being named Solo Artist of the Year at Calgary’s 2024 YYC Music Awards. She was also nominated in the “Exceptional Rising Leader” category by the 2024 Calgary White Hat Awards.

In October 2024, Justine released an EP entitled Another Chance. One of the five songs in that collection is “Before It’s Too Late.”