I received an email from André Coutinho, the manager of Brazilian band Granell, about a month ago. At first I overlooked the email as I thought it was spam. But for some reason I did not delete it. A few days later I took a look at the email and listened to the band's music and immediately knew I wanted to do a feature on these guys. They are the real thing. Pure rock with a clean and creative edge. Granell rocks like no other Brazilian band I've heard. They blend harmony with driving rhythm and moving guitar riffs. Enio Torres is the band's lead singer and guitarist, he really rocks as he so fantastically leads the band with his unique guitar style and outstanding vocal style. These guys are certainly at the top of my list. Thank you Granell, you are my next new favorite! - Randall Webb
Members:
Enio Torres - Vocals and Guitar Josué Torres - Bass Lucas Medina - Drums
New Brazilian band has
gained Highlights on several sites and on MTV in England.
With a
serious smooth and imperative vocal by Enio Torres, Granell stands out in the
alternative Brazilian market by blending an array of good taste and harmony.
A bass loaded with infinite grooves, rocking drums and a guitar full of richness and
precision will make Granell your next favorite band.
Grannel has been on the road
since 2003. In 2006, they had their first hit with the ballad “Pra
você” (For you), with airplay on hundreds of radio stations. The
video clip was broadcast on several television networks such as MTV, Multishow and others.
Although Brazil
has been best known for its samba, with musicians such as Antonia Carlos Jobim, Granell has become a worldwide popular force in alternative rock through internet.
Recently the band has released “Se Decide”, which has brought the trio (Enio Torres - Guitar and vocalist, Josué Torres - Bass and Lucas Medina - drums) a good amount of public attention.
“Sincerity
is what drives my heart / Want it or not / Either stay or go / But you gotta
stay!” (Chorus in "Se Decide").
Going against the current musical trends in Brazil, it is a relief to fans of indie pop to be
able to savor a new taste of music whose influences include Brazilian stars
such as, Jorge Ben and Tim Maia, as well as other musicians from around the world like Men At Work, Foo Fighters,
Maroon 5 and Kings of Lion. Grannel's joyous and rocking sound draws people in to experience moments of real joy and genuine musical
entertainment.
If you
are interested in knowing about the history of our band and also download our
songs, please access our site: www.bandagranell.com.br
Empire Saints are an Irish foursome who's music ranges from straight ahead guitar driven pop-rock tunes to electronic dance-pop/rock. However you put it Their music blends elements of U2, Depeche Mode and LCD Soundsystem to create and indie rock dance rock sort of sound.
I have had the opportunity to preview their upcoming release, a song called "Note The Meaning". I really enjoyed what I heard. It's a nice electronic tune which with it's driving dance beat and the echoing and dour lead vocal finds Empire Saints somewhere between Giorgio Moroder, Depeche Mode and LCD Soundsystem. They are currently working on a new album and if "Note The Meaning" is any indication of what we'll hear on the album I am certain that Empire Saints will find their career in music rising to the next level. "Note The Meaning" is a big step forward for Empire Saints, most particularly in the technical and production sense of their music.
- Randall Webb
Empire Saints are an Irish four-piece
band consisting of Fiachra Treacy (vocals and guitars), Uisneagh Treacy
(bass), Noel Healy (drums) and Pete Cheevers (guitars).
Formed in 2009 by brothers Fiachra and Uisneagh, they
began working with Noel on putting together a collection of material in
the studio, the result of which was their debut EP, Soundtrack to the
City. The four track EP was produced and recorded by Garreth Mannix in
Sun Studios, Dublin.
Last year they were joined by guitarist, Pete Cheevers,
who brought a unique quality to the band with his ethereal guitar
playing, that complimented the mood and sound of the music perfectly.
The band have gigged extensively both
in Ireland and abroad, playing in such venues as Whealan’s, Crawdaddy,
The Empire and The Hope and Anchor in London.
Empire Saints were finalists in the Guinness Our Thursdays
competition and as a result, played support to the Magic Numbers,
Imelda May and David Gray in Folan’s Quay Galway, as part of the
Arthur’s Day celebrations.
Appearing on the cover of the Hotpress magazine was a
great boost to the band’s profile. They are currently working hard in
the Vault studio in Dublin putting the finishing touches to their debut
album.
A few words from band member and founder Fiachra Teachy
Empire Saints are Fiachra Treacy (guitars, vocals) Pete Cheevers
(guitars, keys) Uisneagh Treacy (bass, vocals) Noel Healy (drums,
grovebox) We have just finished recording our debut album, which we
recorded and produced ourselves. Looking back it was a very difficult
process. We enjoyed it at the start but when it came to chopping and
changing we all have very strong opinions and this can lead to
arguments (had to dodge a few drumsticks, cheers Noel!!!). It meant the
album took a lot longer than we expected. In hindsight a producer would
have made it a lot easier, even if they were to act merely as an
adjudicator. We could not agree on mixes and drafted in Phil Hayse
(producer with Bell x1 and Cakesale to name a few) to sprinkle some
magic on the album which he so expertly has done. He has made the tracks
sound more like an album, putting a dance feel on the guitar tracks and
really bringing the electronic tracks to life.
The majority of the tracks on the album start off as a song written by
Fiachra on an acoustic guitar but don't really become Empire Saints songs
till the rest of the boys get a hold of them. Noel and Uisneagh have
come up with some of the initial ideas also with Noel specializing in
the electronic songs he puts together on the grovebox.
The band has a wide variety of influences which took a while to hone
into one particular sound. The Stone Roses, The Cure, Massive Attack,
Bob Dylan, Joy Division, Leftfield. I think all them have one thing in
common that the songs come from the heart and do have an emotional feel
which we try to emulate.
We have played gigs all around Ireland and in London, and have been
on the same bill as The Magic Numbers, David Gray and Newton Faulkner at
Arthurs Day in Galway. We played in front of 3500 people that day and
it really gave us a boost and made us think if we work hard we could
have something really special here.
We are all finally happy with the album and think it is something to be
very proud of. Every song has its own place on it and we feel it is the
type of album people will be able to put on and listen the whole way
through, the kind of album people used to make before the emphasis
became solely on 'the big hit'.
The album will be called 'Product' for a couple of reasons. The songs
are about the environment we are in and have grown up in Dublin and
Bray. There are stories about people we know and also ourselves so the
songs are a product of our environment. We also put in two years of work
into it and are eventually left with the album, It seems to sum all the
bu**s**t up into one 'product'. To sell, to give away. Personally I
just want people to listen to it and hope they can relate to the songs
and come see us live.
The album should be released at the end of March and will be available worldwide on itunes. People can check us out on myspace, facebook and follow us on our website www.empiresaints.com
Bluelight offers a well layered mix of electronic dance club sounds. Their music is heavily influenced by 1980's new wave with it's infectious rhythms and electronic beats. Lead vocalist, Andrea Hector-Brown, sounds pleasantly reminiscent of Terri Nunn from the band Berlin. Bluelight's nicely polished sound is well worth taking giving a listen.
Bluelight, duo Lin Gardiner and Andréa Hector, met at a Vancouver recording
studio by way of a casual hello through a mutual friend. They soon became
musical allies and began writing songs together just to “see what would come of
it”. It turned out that Gardiner’s British production sensibilities married
perfectly with Hector’s West Coast edge.
After releasing their ‘I See Fine’ EP and video, a string of live shows and periods
of concentrated songwriting saw the band intensify momentum, resulting in their
debut full length album ‘On The Edge’.
Bluelight’s electronic darkside-pop evokes emotions that speak to the real
(sometimes all too real) life experiences of these two masterly artists. Surprising
wit and optimism in songs like ‘Cloud of Doom’ and ‘Sit in Silence’ are bed
partners with the depths of gloom found in ‘My Demon’ and ‘We Always Knew’.
‘On The Edge’ is a collection of beautifully crafted songs where sweet, shakingly
terrified vocals in one breath (‘Your Eyes’) lead to attitude-laden choruses in
another (‘Take You Down’ and new single ‘Do What You Want’).
When you take a step back and wonder at their raw vulnerability, it’s obvious
these two have lived every single line and they are intent on pulling your
listening ears into their wild world.
For more on Bluelight please visit their website @
Andrea Hector:
We are co-writers in Bluelight. Lin will give me an idea and I’ll run with it, writing
lyrics and melody, sometimes writing lyrics to Lin’s melody. We’re trying more of a collaborative
effort this time around. Our
newest songs are on the burners.
Randall Webb: Will you be playing anywhere soon?
Andrea Hector:
We will have gigs coming up. We had a great run this past summer with performances in a
few festivals this past summer. In the last gig we played, I put so much into my performance that I left that on a stretcher, lol!
Randall Webb: How long have you been a band?
Andrea Hector:
We met through a mutual friend at a recording studio they
both worked out of. It was
2004. By 2006 we were writing
songs together as a test to see if our creative works would be a match. It was and here we are today.
It is with extreme happiness that I introduce to you Audio Kings of the Third World. I discovered them when I did a google+ search for unsigned bands. They were mentioned by someone in one of my circles. I did further searches on youtube and other areas and quickly came to really like their music. I emailed the band and got a response from Jack (one of the band's founding members). As I researched these guys I came to discover they're just normal everyday looking dudes who make really excellent music. Somewhat steeped in new wave 80's meets 60's psychedelic rock. What a powerful combination. I'm convince, these guys are great!
- Randall Webb
Audio Kings of the Third World (2011)
Jack Cannon - Bass, Keyboards, Guitar, programming
John Oates - Vocals
Jim Hall - Guitar
Peter Heleva - Bass
Drum Machine - Drums (Jack Cannon programs the samples the beats)
Why the name Audio Kings of the Third World. About ten years ago the band was playing a gig with the band Monkey 101. The poster for the show read, "audio kings of the third world Monkey 101". Of course it was just a phrase to introduce Monkey 101, but Jack and John liked the sci-fi primitive nature of the phrase and decided that would be their band name. Audio Kings of the Third World has been a band for about 20 years in different incarnations. It's been mostly in the past 2 years that the band has really come into it's own and has been active again recording and playing gigs in the Philadelphia, PA area.
Audio Kings recently released a 5 song EP called "Do It Now Till It Hurts which is available as a free download @ bandcamp: CLICK For Free Download
Hailing from the greater Philadelphia area, the Audio Kings sound
emerges from a dark corner of the new wave era. Their finely crafted
dreamlike pop tunes represent an idlike angst lurking just beneath the
conscious world of the twenty first century. Gravitating between the
spacey and the aggressive, their commitment to pop structure and
contrasting indie sensibility evokes Joy Division's post punk and New
Wave fringe like (Pixies, Sonic Youth, Gang of Four and The Fall ), and
at times channels the Kraut Rock Kings of old.
Oftentimes I like to use my blogs to introduce new musicians, artists,
writers and so forth. with this post I wish to bring to you a great new
rock band from Denmark called "Your Laundry".
- Randall Webb
Your
Laundry is a power rock band from Denmark.They’re
inspired by everything that rocks and makes your feet and move. Bands such as
Eagles of Death Metal, The Black Keys and the Danish blues-rock act The Blue
Van inspire are amongst their inspirations.
The band
was formed in 2011 and soon after that they played several huge gigs in
Denmark. Among others was a warm-up show for The Goo Men from Norway and a gig
on the big stage at Denmark’s largest bar for students preceding the famous
Danish rock band The Blue Van.
The fall of
2011 was a hectic period with gigs, song writing and recording of the debut EP.
The EP was recorded in Aarhus Lydstudie situated near the harbour in Aarhus. It
is produced and mixed by Peter Fjorbak. The EP is free and can be downloaded at
www.facebook.com/yourlaundry .
2012 is
going to be a rocking year and Your Laundry has just made their first
musicvideo for the song “Broken”. The video has been met with very positive reaction
and the it’s ironic twist has also got a lot of compliments. The video has also
been aired on national television in Greenland.
Please show
your support for Your Laundry on Facebook.com/yourlaundry
Your
Laundry is the sound of dirty underwear and sunny days - Unpretentious as your
laundry!
Turn up the
volume, jump to the rhythm and forget all about fancy moustaches and today’s
duties.
I received an email from Jeff (Cable35's guitarist and vocalist) last week. I guess he'd seen the post on Your Laundry, a great new band from Denmark (I will be featuring Your Laundry on this blog also). anyhow, in corresponding back and forth with Jeff, it came to my realization that I should start a blog for unsigned rock bands. I let Jeff know about the idea and that Cable35 would be the band featured on the debut of the blog. With in a day he sent me some great material to share with the world of bloggers, readers and the curious.
- Randall Webb
Cable35:
(From left: Kriz, Jeff, Chris)
Cable35 rocks with a genuine spirit worthy of taking a look and listen.
The band originated from the small European country Malta (which is just south of Sicily, Italy). In November 2011 they moved to the UK and took it to the road constantly touring the UK and Europe in their own tour van.
These guys are the real thing. Their sound is focused and well honed. I am a real fan of great guitar work and solos. Cable35's, Jeff, more than satisfies when it comes to his skill with a guitar. But these guys are more than just great guitar work. Kriz, the bass player and Chris on drums are 2/3's of the catalyst that makes this band succeed. For me, it was love on first listen. I am sold on these guys, they've got me listening.
Cable35 writes and produces all their own songs. Their sound is original containing hints of metal, punk, grunge, ska (at least in one song) and good old fashioned rock and roll. Their influences include; The Pixies, Nirvana, The Ramones, NOFX, Fugazi and many other alt-punk bands.
Cable35 was formed in August 2006 with Jeff on guitar & vocals, Kriz bass & vocals and Chris on drums.
After playing a number of small gigs on the local circuit, in
schools and colleges around the island , the band entered the studio in
July 07 to record what would be "my first EP" 'A Beautiful Story' was
the first single released on radio and TV from 'My First EP' in October
2007.
Early 2008 'Wasted Away' was released
followed by 'Animal Rules' later in May. Recording sessions for Hygiene
EP took place in October. On March 14, 2009, Cable35 released the single
'Mary' and 'Hygiene EP'.
Cable35 have played a number of gigs around Europe over the past
couple of years playing Liverpool and Birmingham, England in 2007,
Copenhagen Demark in 2008, Italy, Belgium and England on the Hygiene
Tour in May and June 2009 and Birmingham in 2010. "Harry" accompanied by
the "Harry video" (directed and filmed by the band) was the next single
to be released in 2010 followed by 'Boogie Man' in November 2010.
Cable35 toured Europe in 2011, playing in Catania, Italy, Belgium,
Holland, Denmark and the UK followed by a Release for their Debut Album
'Louder' accompanied by two singles 'Memories' and 'Cow Head' with Music
Videos you can watch here: http://www.youtube.com/user/Cable35band
