New England Music Award Issue

The New England Music Awards are presented every year to the musicians who call New England their home and whose dedi-cation, spirit, and achievements over the last year have without a

doubt established them as a contributing force to the most robust and di-verse music scene in the country. The NEMA nominating committee con-sists of a variety of music industry experts including journalists from music publications, radio personalities, talent buyers, event planners, record label executives and more. This selection of professionals collectively represents all six New England states and every awards category.

The goal of the new England Music Awards is to celebrate and recognize some of the area’s best musical achievements. Every year NEMA nominates over 100 artists and/or bands spanning a number of categories and genres of popular music in New England. This includes the coveted individual state awards, which recognize one act from each of the six New England states as its Best In State.

The NEMA Nomination Committee also selects a winner in three Individual Award categories. These awards are presented to an artist or band in recognition for years of outstanding achievement and contribution to the New England music scene.

See more at: http://nemusicawards.com

Managing Editor Kristina McLaughlinExecutive Editor Rick Stephens Murphy

Design Director Kristina McLaughlin

Photography Manager Erik Peterson

Contributors:Kristina McLaughlinRick Stephens Murphy Justin SaneHeather MoreauAutumn CantrellAlex (A One) Wilkenson

Granite Coast Entertainment, Inc. Business Correspondence44 Depot Rd. Gray, ME [email protected]

For advertising opportunities: (print and on air)[email protected] Printed by J.S McCarthy Augusta, Maine http://jsmccarthy.com/

Band of the Year........... 6Album of the Year..........8Song of the Year.......... 9Producer of the Year..........10Songwriter of the Year..........11Male Performer of the Year.........12Female Performer of the Year.........13Live Act of the Year..........14New Act of the Year..........15Roots Act of the Year..........16Country Act of the Year..........17Pop Act of the Year..........18Rock Act of the Year.........19Jazz Act of the Year..........20Blues Act of the Year..........21Hip Hop Act of the Year..........22Metal Act of the Year..........23

The Mallett Brothers Band........24

Best in State: Maine.........26Best in State: New Hampshire...........27Best in State: Vermont.....28Best in State: Massachusetts.......29Best in State: Connecticut.........30Best in State: Rhode Island........31

Table of Contents

Granite Coast Entertainment 2014 New England Music Awards Edition www.granitecoastentertainment.com www.granitecoastentertainment.com 2014 New England Music Awards Edition Granite Coast Entertainment6 7

TWIDDLE Vermont based quartet, Twiddle, spins tall tales over an intricate soundscape of hi-def shred. Their fresh multi-genre approach conjures up jazz, classical, and bluegrass, but above all, masterfully blends reggae and funk. Obliterating laws of improvisation, their complex arrangements never fail to leave crowds lusting for more. With sage songwriting and unmatched variety, Twiddle’s thrilling infancy continues to exceed all expectation.

After whimsically jamming in the fall of 2004, the founding members of Twiddle immediately recognized chemistry and a common seriousness. By the second semester at Castleton State, Mihali Savoulidis and Ryan Dempsey were already intertwining harmony and fantasy, birthing Twiddle staples like ‘Frankenfoote’ and ‘Gatsby the Great’. Brook Jordan, and Billy Comstock, Twiddle’s original bassist, complemented these melodies with a densely layered, and exciting funk rhythm This young four-some had taken Castleton by storm, toured the northeast, and composed an impressive catalog of original tunes before becoming upper-classmen.

2007 manifested Twiddle’s debut release, ‘The Natural Evolution of Consciousness’. This breakout album immediately showcased the band’s eclectic inspirations, imagi-native lyrical abilities, and superb instrumentation. Twiddle’s sophomore production, 2011’s ‘Somewhere on the Mountain,’ is a reflection of more introspective moods, offering message oriented, uplifting songs. Anchored by the group’s new bass virtuoso Zdenek Gubb, this album delves into the human spirit, speaking to our ambition, grief, and love. Currently Twiddle is climbing the rows on festival billings, inspiring each other, and often dismantling preconceived notions of the jam band culture. Their live experience genuinely segues from bluegrass to electronica, melts jazz-fusion into rockabilly, and enhances reggae with funk. New fans should expect an im-mensely fun, and highly dynamic show. Tenured fans know to expect the unexpected. Put simply, Twiddle’s hi-def shred is going to melt faces.

www.twiddlemusic.com

KUNG FU Proud to be firmly installed in the new-funk movement, KUNG FU is quickly popularizing their unique sonic contribution, blurring the line between intense electro-fu-sion, and blistering dance arrangements. Making fusion music “cool” again, the band draws on influences such as early Headhunters and Weather Report, and merges those ideas with a contemporary EDM informed sensibility. Imagine 70’s funk-fusion meets a modern dance party!Although the ensemble cast enjoys a seasoned pedigree that reads like a late-night summer festival all-star jam, this fledgling “nu-sion” project is growing a unique and rabid following by commanding audiences at theaters, clubs, and major national festivals, all within the past 18 months.?Kung Fu features Tim Palmieri (guitar), Robert Somerville (tenor sax), Todd Stoops (keyboards), Chris DeAngelis (bass guitar), and Adrian Tramontano (drums/percus-sion). The powerhouse quintet’s live show has been described by critics and fans alike as “lethal funk”, “explosive”, “jaw dropping”, and “musically mesmerizing”. Through discipline, practice & study KUNG FU has sought excellence in the art of improvised dance music. Schooled by the masters, The Headhunters, Weather Report, Mahavishnu Orchestra and Frank Zappa, the quintet of masterfully seasoned musicians blends electro-jazz-funk with an EDM informed danceability at the highest level of skill & inspiration nightly. The resulting “NU-SION” is “captivating”, “explosive”, “jaw-dropping” and “musically mesmerizing. Prepare yourselves for a devastating, LETHAL FUNK to be rained down on you by a BAD-ASS BLACK-BELT BACKBEAT. For the uninitiated, the experience is typically shocking yet the focus is simple: ENTER THE DRAGON!

Kungfumusic.com

THE SHANA STACK BAND Winner of the Independent Country Music Association’s Country Band of the Year and Fans Choice Award, Winner of the New England Music Award for Country Act of the Year, and most recently named World’s Best Indie Band by Wiles Magazine, The Shana Stack Band excites their audience with their high energy, high impact show. The Shana Stack Band features multi-national award winning vocalist Shana Stack, and Nashville Songwriter’s Association International member, Ed Leavitt, the male vocalist and songwriter of the group.The Group focuses on new Top 40 Country, and original music written by Ed Leavitt. One of Ed’s songs, “Let it Go”, has been featured in the movie Compliance which was released nationwide in the summer of 2012 by Magnolia pictures.

The Shana Stack Band has opened for such mega stars as Reba McEntire, Sugarland, Rascal Flatts, The Band Perry, Chuck Wicks, as well as performing before Travis Tritt on the Main Stage at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway before the Nascar Sprint Cup Race. The band has performed shows all across New England at a variety of venues including Turning Stone Casino, Tupelo Music Hall, Meadowbrook Pavilion, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Toby Keith’s Bar & Grill and the Big E Fair! In August the band opened for Vocal Group of the Year by the Academy of Country Music Awards, The Band Perry. The Shana Stack Band released their second full-length original CD, “What You See Is What You Get” summer 2012, which was nominated for Album of the Year by the Independent Country Music Association and their third album, “Every Now and Then”, released in June 2013. The band’s fourth album “Then and Now” was released at the end of July 2014.

www.ShanaStack.com

GIRLS, GUNS AND GLORY Girls Guns & Glory is here to rock you, croon you, and melt your sweet little heart with their unique blend of rockin’ country music.Inspired by Hank Williams, Moon Mullican, Johnny Horton & Chuck Berry. Being inspired by events and circumstances while on the road of life, GGG has taken rock ‘n’ roll & country music and created their unique tapestry. Jangling acoustic guitars, searing lead lines, classic thump & twang, and vocals reminiscent of Buddy Holly & Chris Isaak. Boston’s rising stars, Girls Guns and Glory have made a name for themselves by touring worldwide, releasing four acclaimed records, many awards, including the Boston Music Awards, winning the Act of the Year and Independent Artist of the Year at the French Country Music Awards. The fifth album, “Good Luck,” will focus on the roots of rock with a twist of country.

GGG is looking back to that era for a more rock ‘n’ roll record. Producer Eric “Roscoe” Ambel (Nils Lofgren, Steve Earle, The Bottle Rockets) are at the helm. After our fourth record he heard us on the radio and contacted us. We had been talking about trying to get in touch with him and there he is calling us.” says Hayden. Of the band’s musical evolution, Hayden says,“Our sound has evolved from country to where we are now. I label what we do now as American music. I consider us a rock ‘n’ roll band blended with classic country music, but this new album (Good Luck) is really more straight up rock ‘n’ roll.”The 10-track album kicks off with a feel-good rocker “All the Way Up To Heaven,” which sets the tone for the album. “It’s about finally winning in love, feeling that thrill of getting something good and having a true appreciation of it. We went from ‘tear in your beer’ types of songs to feeling ‘I own every star up in the sky,’ a lyric from this song,” says the singer.“Good Luck,” produced nd mixed by Ambel, recorded by Mario Viele at Cowboy Technical Services Recording Rig in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, is available on CD, vinyl and iTunes via Lonesome Day Records. Hayden won for Male Vocalist of the Year, and just announced a new album (release in March 2015), A Tribute to Hank Williams Album Live.

Girlsgunsandglory.com Facebook.com/girlsgunsandglory

THE JASON SPOONER BAND

The ingredients behind northern New England’s Jason Spooner Trio read like a bizarre musical science experiment. Start with a prolific, singer/songwriter (Jason Spoon-er) with heavy roots, folk & bluesinfluences. Then mix in a classicly-trained bassist (Adam Frederick) with foundations in jazz and a knack for serious pocket grooves. Lastly, shake things up with a rock-solid drummer (Reed Chambers) with deepseeded roots in funk, soul & reggae and you’ve begun to scratch the surface of this unique, energetic band.

The band’s sound is a unique blend of roots, folk and blues focused around Jason’s tastefully rhythmic flat-picking style and the band’s air-tight foundation. With laid-back vocals and an emotive, image-rich writing style all his own, Jason is a vsongwriter to watch. Think J.J. Cale meets Neil Young meets G. Love with dashes of Paul Simon and Kelly Joe Phelps. Sound bizarre? Hearing is believing.

www.jasonspooner.com

QUILT Quilt are a three-piece psychedelic indie-rock band from Boston. They have released through Mexican Summer two albums, an EP, and a handful of singles. The band tours internationally. The band writes collaboratively and share vocal duties. They were born out of a local improv scene, and combine elements of folk-rock, psychedelica and dream pop.

The band made their first SXSW festival appearance in March 2010, followed by the first EP Agents of Play released on a local Bostonian label in May of the same year. A low-key release on vinyl, it contained five tracks that highlighted the improvisational style of the band. Both Butler and Rochinski graduated in June 2010 to fully concen-trate on their music, while they began playing shows along the East Coast. McVay left the band in February 2011 and was replaced by John Andrews, a New Jersey native.

By the start of 2013, the band had developed plans to begin recording a follow-up. Rochinski explained that while there was a strong collaborative aspect to their music for this album they brought in ‘finished’ songs as well. That was a first for us. John and Shane and I all sing and write songs, and I think the album is a very good mix of our individuality and togetherness as a cohesive piece’. They began rehearsing the material at The Puritan Garage in Charlestown, Boston. Quilt also teamed up with fellow Bostonians MMOSS to produce a split EP ‘New Hampshire Freaks’ which was released in April 2013.

In April 2013, the band moved to New York City to begin recording at the Mexican Summer in-house studio together with producer Jarvis Taveniere. They spent a month recording ‘invited friends who added saxophone and violin, cello and steel guitar’. Butler explained how the experience of ‘having the studio, demoing the songs and knowing each other better as musicians helped make that happen’. The band continued to play live-shows and embarked on their first headlining tour in October 2013 in support of the single ‘Arctic Shark’ released in the same month. In January 2014, their second album ‘Held in Splendor’ was released. The band added Keven Lareau on bass for the headlining tour that followed. They suffered a set-back when their tour van crashed in March. The following month will see Quilt tour Europe for the first time

www.facebook.com/quiltmusic www.quiltmusic.org

B a n d o f t h e Ye a r B a n d o f t h e Ye a r


National Throat/Will Dailey

Will Dailey is an acclaimed recording and per-forming artist, who is a three-time winner of the Boston Music Award for Best Singer/Songwriter. In June of 2013 he was featured on a Stephen King/John Mellencamp project produced by T Bone Burnett called Ghost Brothers Of Dark-land County and also released an original song he wrote inspired by Jack Kerouac’s Tristessa. In September of 2013 he played his fourth Farm Aid Concert along side Neil Young, Willie Nelson, Dave Matthews and John Mellencamp and in November finished up a 9 city tour of France. Dailey’s music has been featured on over 50 TV programs and films. The first single from his new album National Throat, due out later in 2014, is already a finalist in the International Songwriting Competition. Rock journalist Steve Morse said recently, “Will Dailey’s pop smarts, his dedication to detail, and his soul-inflected voice are just what we need right now to restore belief in music. His new songs are personal epiphanies with a universal appeal.”

willdailey.com

Beautiful Lights/McLovins

McLovins is a soulful, funk-rock band that complements a youthful energy withseasoned musical talent. Inspired by an eclectic mix of influences like TheMeters, The Band and The Flaming Lips, mem-bers Jason Ott, Jake Huffman,Justin Berger, and Atticus Kelly combine their songwriting skills with extendedimprovisations and instrumental ingenuity.Taking a page from their jam band forefathers, McLovins always try to keep theiraudiences guessing at what’s to come. Their

diverse set lists and individualmusical personas define the band’s live shows.Hailing from Hartford, Connecticut, McLovins have appeared at Gathering ofThe Vibes, Mountain Jam, and the legendary Nateva Music Festival, as well asmany acclaimed venues across the country. They have also performed withsome of the most influential artists on the scene, including Buddy Guy, GeorgePorter, Jr. and Oteil Burbridge.The band continues to evolve, bringing their distinctive, laser-filled, jam-rockproductions across the country. Every tour brings a unique energy. www.themclovins.com

Good Luck/Girls, Guns, and Glory

Of the band’s musical evolution over the past few years, singer/guitarist Ward Hayden says, “Our sound has been evolving from country to where we are now. I label what we do now as American music. It’s really rooted in various American forms of music whether it’s rockabilly or hillbilly boogie or traditional country or rock ‘n’ roll. I consider us a rock ‘n’ roll band blended with classic country music, but this new album (Good Luck) is really more of a straight up rock ‘n’ roll album.”

The 10-track album kicks off with the heartfelt, feel-good rocker “All the Way Up To Heaven,” which sets the tone for the album thematically. “It’s about finally winning in love and feeling that thrill of getting something good and having a true appreciation of it. For a lot of our older stuff, my muse was a long-term relationship that had not ended well. For this record, I didn’t have that same muse. I have an appreciation of finally having something good and developed that appreciation from having something that was less than good before. We went from ‘tear in your beer’ types of songs to the feeling of ‘I own every star up in the sky,’ a lyric from this song,” says the singer.

girlsgunsandglory.com www.facebook.com/girlsgunsandglory

Diamond from Coal/My Silent Bravery

Diamond from Coal is the latest and fourth LP from MSB and it recently debuted in the Top 40 of the iTunes Singer/Songwriter Best-Sellers chart. The album was produced by Anthony Resta (Collective Soul, Guster, Shawn Mullins) & Warren Huart (Aerosmith, The Fray, Augustana) and was recorded in Boston and Los Angeles. The second single off the album “On My Side” was recently remixed by Grammy award winning Mike Mangini (Joss Stone, David Byrne, Smash Mouth) and Peter Zizzo, (Avril Levine, Jennifer Lopez, Jason Mraz) in New York. The song was the runner up for “Song of the Year” award in the Songwriting competition Song of the Year. The music video for the first single off of the new album entitled “Amazing” was picked up for rotation on MTV. http://mysilentbravery.com/

You’ve got the Wrong Man/Joe Fletcher

Joe Fletcher is a midwestern born, New England raised singer-songwriter living in East Nashville, TN. He released his third independent record, You’ve Got the Wrong Man, in October of 2014. This intimate solo album is a departure from his previous efforts with his band The Wrong Rea-sons (White Lighter and Bury Your Problems).

Made up of his gritty original songs as well as covers by his peers Brown Bird and Toy Soldiers, it was recorded live over a few months on a mobile recording unit in Rhode Island, Georgia, and Tennessee in the spirit of some of Joe’s favorite records by Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly, Jimmie Rodgers, Bruce Springsteen, among others.

Now a three year veteran of the Newport Folk Festival, Joe has toured with The Devil Makes Three, Band of Heathens, Deer Tick and has opened for the likes Jason Isbell, Lucero, Robert Ellis, John Doe, The Low Anthem, and many more. Joe spends most of his time touring in what has truly been a grass roots operation thus far.

www.facebook.com/joefletcherandthewrongrea-sons www.joefletchermusic.com

Kin/Waylon Speed Waylon Speed was created by Noah Crowther, Reverend Chad Hammaker, Kelly Ravin and Justin Crowther after playing together at a local honky-tonk in Burlington, Vermont. Three days and one practice later, Waylon Speed was born. While Waylon Speed is not influenced by mainstream music, they integrate each members individual influences to achieve a truly unique genre all of it’s own. They have won awards from both the New England Music Awards for “Ver-mont’s Best Band”, and Seven Days newspaper’s annual Daisy Award for “Best Americana Band”.They write, release and distribute their music independently.

Named after the guitarist Rev. Chad Hammak-er’s son, Waylon, the band has become a family owned and operated enterprise. Waylon Speed released their second full-length record Kin on April 29th, 2014, followed by a national tour. They have offered support for large-name outfits, and are slated for a tour supporting Lynyrd

Skynyrd in November, 14’ http://www.waylonspeed.com/

Sunken Ship/Will Dailey Will Dailey: Will Dailey is an acclaimed record-ing and performing artist, who is a three-time winner of the Boston Music Award for Best Singer/Songwriter. In June of 2013 he was featured on a Stephen King/John Mellencamp project produced by T Bone Burnett called Ghost Brothers Of Darkland County and also released an original song he wrote inspired by Jack Kerouac’s Tristessa. In September of 2013 he played his fourth Farm Aid Concert along side Neil Young, Willie Nelson, Dave Matthews and John Mellencamp and in November finished up a 9 city tour of France. Dailey’s music has been featured on over 50 TV programs and films. The first single from his new album National Throat, due out later in 2014, is already a finalist in the International Songwriting Competition. Rock journalist Steve Morse said recently, “Will Dai-ley’s pop smarts, his dedication to detail, and his soul-inflected voice are just what we need right now to restore belief in music. His new songs are personal epiphanies with a universal appeal.”

http://willdailey.com/

Arctic Shark/QuiltIn April 2013, Quilt moved to New York City to begin recording at the Mexican Summer in-house studio together with producer Jarvis Tav-eniere. They spent a month recording ‘invited friends who added saxophone and violin, cello and steel guitar’. Butler explained how the expe-rience of ‘having the studio, demoing the songs and knowing each other better as musicians helped make that happen’. The band continued to play live-shows and embarked on their first headlining tour in October 2013 in support of the single ‘Arctic Shark’ released in the same month. In January 2014, their second album ‘Held in Splendor’ was released. The band added Keven Lareau on bass for the headlining tour that followed. They suffered a set-back when their tour van crashed in March. The following month will see Quilt tour Europe for the first time. (Wikepedia)

“QUILT: When kids from the 80s dreamed about people from the 60s thinking about life in the future.”--- Primordial Sounds

Q:”If this record could be made into actual quilt, what do you imagine it would look like?”A: “Some mid size matchsticks, trapper keepers, a handful of spaghetti, two dogs, christmas in july, one small flower, footprints in the mulch pile, little kids with good cassette collections, tea that tastes like cigarettes, new shoes, old blues tunes, wild salmon singing in the wind, nightlights in the daytime, a spinach, a wish, a time before land, a sign in the sand, and all this together breathing under the highways.”

Quiltmusic.orgFacebook.com/quiltmusichttp://quiltmusic.bandcamp.com/

Until it Ends/Waylon SpeedWaylon Speed was created by Noah Crowther, Reverend Chad Hammaker, Kelly Ravin and Justin Crowther after playing together at a local honky-tonk in Burlington, Vermont. Three days and one practice later, Waylon Speed was born. While Waylon Speed is not influenced by mainstream music, they integrate each members individual influences to achieve a truly unique genre all of it’s own. They have won awards from both the New England Music Awards for “Ver-mont’s Best Band”, and Seven Days newspaper’s annual Daisy Award for “Best Americana Band”.

Fireflies/Jason Spooner BandThis multi-award winning New England-based songwriter discovered his father’s collection of eight-track tapes as a child and never looked back. After early exposure to songwriter legends like Neil Young, Paul Simon, Jim Croce and Van Morrison along with Motown heavies like Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and Gladys Knight, Jason was inspired to start making the rounds on coffee house stages in his teens. Shortly thereaf-ter, he spent time in Europe performing in folk & blues clubs and on the streets of London and around Spain. Once back in the states, he landed a job at a roots & blues record label where he witnessed numerous Blues legends (including members of the original Muddy Waters band ) making magic in recording sessions. Before long, Jason jumped head-first into the Northeast’s burgeoning songwriter scene.

https://youtu.be/vEeLkZNfjzkhttp://www.jasonspooner.com/

Bad Decisions/Josh LoganJosh Logan, singer/songwriter, brings a fresh and addictive sound and style to the music scene. Josh blends a style of rock/blues/soul/pop and the product is invigorating and memorable.

Josh Logan began his music career at the very young age of 14. With the legendary Stevie

Album of the Year Song of the YearThey write, release and distribute their music independently. Named after the guitarist Rev. Chad Ham-maker’s son, Waylon, the band has become a family owned and operated enterprise. Waylon Speed released their second full-length record Kin on April 29th, 2014, followed by a national tour. They have offered support for large-name outfits, and was tour support for Lynyrd Skynyrd in November, 14’.

https://youtu.be/RRRHG1J54v4 http://www.waylonspeed.com/

Wonder (and such artists as Pearl Jam, Prince, Tupac Shakur, & other diversities) spinning in his CD player, Josh discovered his sublime voice. Determined to excel as a musician and song writer he added guitar to his talents, chiseling his craft as a self-taught musician. By 15 Josh was taking the stage at many packed venues as front man of the popular local band “Gunshy”. Since then Josh has taken the time to master his musical talents and is always prepared to take his success to the next level. His music follows its own path with deep direction and soulful lyrics, never losing touch with what his fans crave.

www.facebook.com/JoshLoganMusicjoshlogan.net

What It’s All About?/West End BlendSince their conception, eleven band West End Blend has been playing their version of hip-hop, soul-funk in venues all over. Fronted by vocalist Erica Bryan and rapper/breakdancer “Tang-sauce”, the band pays homage to classic throw-back sounds while still adding their own distinct sound and flair to their collectively-composed originals.

West End Blend boasts a full four-piece horn section, two guitars, bass, keys and percussion to boot, packing the group onto stages every night. From humble beginnings in an epic basement funk dance party, The Blend’s goal has always been to bring a party atmosphere to every show and venue ever since.

In 2013, the band recorded their debut release with recording engineer Brendan Morawski (Jungle City Studios) at Telefunken Studios in South Windsor, CT. Guaranteed to please any fan of hip-hop, soul or funk, “What It’s All About EP” combines these influences to create an energetic first release. Shortly following the EP, West End Blend released a music video to the title track of the record, “What It’s All About” directed by Ty Morin (179 Pictures).

With no signs of slowing down, the Blend main-tains a busy performance schedule with plans to record extensively over the next year. Only one thing remains certain for the band’s future, West End Blend is going to keep the party going one show at a time.

Our vision is simple: Provide people with a go-to place where they can hear relentless grooves to get their boogie on, throw bad vibes out the door, get the entire music community involved but most importantly HAVE FUN!

https://youtu.be/mDSpcfoHzv0http://www.westendblend.com/


Brian Coombes

Brian Coombes is an award-winning producer, engineer, and musician who specializes in singer/songwriter, modern folk, alt-country/Americana, and melodic indie-pop/rock projects. Brian is the owner of Rocking Horse Studio, located in central New Hampshire. Prior to Rocking Horse, Brian was a member of Tristan Park, a progressive rock band that was signed to the British record label, GFT. The band recorded four albums and toured extensively in Europe and North

America from 1986 to 1998. He has worked with many of the finest artists in New England, including New England Music award winners/nominees the Adam Ezra Group, the Dusty Gray Band, Pat & the Hats, MB Padfield, and Tan Vampires. Brian has worked with such notable musicians as Garth Hudson (the Band), Greg Hawkes (the Cars), Chris Difford (Squeeze), Ian McDonald (King Crimson), Tony Rombola (Godsmack), In-grid Chavez (Prince), Tony Garnier (Bob Dylan), Jonathan Mover (GTR), Charlie Farren, Duke Levine, and Johnny A. Coombes contributes to the “Cail & Company” radio show on WTPL in Concord, records concerts at the Tupelo Music Hall for Frank FM, and is actively involved in promoting local music throughout New Hampshire. Brian is BMI member songwriter and a voting member of the Audio Engineering Society (AES), NARAS, and the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

www.rockinghorsestudio.com

Warren HuartThis Los Angeles based, British music producer has played a fundamental part in the creation of platinum winning & Billboard soaring albums; as well as the development of many of today’s successful artists’ careers including The Fray, Howie Day, & James Blunt.

With over 20 years of experience in the ever expanding music industry (Record production, engineering, mixing, and songwriting), as well as his extensive knowledge of musical equipment used yesterday & today, Warren man-ages to create the most diverse sound around.

Warren Huart is known for his hard work ethic, positive attitude and respect for the artist’s vision. Many of his long term work relationships have turned into close friendships. With over 20 years of experience in the ever expanding music industry (record production, engineer-ing, mixing and song writing), as well as his extensive knowledge of musical equipment used yesterday and today, Warren manages to create the most diverse sound around.

https://www.facebook.com/warrenhuartproducerhttp://warrenhuart.com/Interview with Guitar World ( http://www.guitarworld.com/interview-warren-huart-evolving-roles-music-pro-ducers-and-engineers#slide-1

Hayley Sabella

Hayley Sabella is a singer-songwriter / local farmer / independent woman/ dork. She is a child of the nineties who plays a children’s guitar fromthe sixties. Standing 5’2’, she bellows “I’m big on the inside!?Her voice is described as “honeyed, but with a mild rasp” and it’s the first thing you may notice. But with the learned ability to combine finger-style picking with rhythmic strumming patterns, she hollows out thespace for her careful lyrics to resonate, making you feel both earthbound and untethered.

hayleysabella.comhttps://www.facebook.com/hayleysabellamusichayleysabella

Producer of the Year

Eric LichterEric Michael Lichter was born in a small Connecticut town in the 1970’s, to an artist father and a free-spirited mother. Along with his younger brother Jeremy, Eric would pound on kitchenware with wooden spoons, keeping time to whatever his folks had spinning on their turntable. Allan and Marylou(Erics’ parents), were always playing music around the house, so it was inevitable that one day it would consume him. “”My dad often brought home stacks of new records,”” Lichter remembers. “”My folks were huge fans of Crosby,Stills&Nash, Dan Fogelberg and Little Feat, as well as Sabbath, Zeppelin and other harder edged groups. Dad would come home with the latest Jackson Browne or Neil Young record, and in the same bag would be the KISS “”Love Gun”” album he bought me. He would crank it up on his prized(and out of reach of small hands!) “”Benjamin Miracord”” turnta-ble,(which, by the way he still has). We listened to that record over and over. In fact, i believe that was the defining moment when i felt that would play a very important role in my life.

Tom HambridgeTOM HAMBRIDGE is a Grammy® Award-Winning Producer, ASCAP Award Winning Singer/Songwriter, an accomplished session/touring Drummer and Solo Artist. He is also the recipient of 6 Grammy® Nominations.

Originally from Buffalo, New York, Tom attended Berklee College of Music in Boston & now resides in Nashville, Tennessee. Since relocating to Nashville he has had remarkable success in the music industry. Countless songs have been recorded by many legendary stars including: Buddy Guy, Lynyrd Skynyrd, George Thorogood, ZZ Top, Billy Ray Cyrus, BB King, Rascal Flatts and Johnny Winter.

Tom is also known to take a seat behind the drum kit. He has performed & recorded with such greats as Delbert McClinton, Buddy Guy, James Cotton, Bo Diddley, George Thorogood, Roy Buchanan, Michael McDonald, Chuck Berry & many others. And if that’s not enough, Tom has recorded & released 6 critically acclaimed solo CD’s (Still Running, Balderdash, Bang ‘n Roll, Tom Hambridge & The Rattlesnakes Live!, Boogieman & Boom!) and actively tours with his band, Tom Hambridge & The Rattlesnakes.

www.facebook.com/hambridgetunes.

Victor FerrantellaVictor Ferrantella is a native of Nantucket Island in his early 30’s. He is a singer/songwriter and a multi-instrumentalist who is sought after for his skills as producer and recording engineer in the New England area. He was nominated by the 2014 New England Music Awards for Producer of the Year. Victor was presented The Berklee College of Music Master Certificate for Music Production and Technology.

He has produced several albums, singles, demos, audio books and voice-overs for several well-known names as well numerous local artists in the Ferrantella family’s Garden Rock Studios on Nantucket Island. He was recently nominated for Producer of the Year 2014 by The New England Music Awards.

www.facebook.com/victor.ferrantella

Ted PaduckAssistant Professor Music Production and Engineering, Berklee College of Music. “You can know every parameter of every piece of gear that you work with, but if you can’t make your time in the studio enjoyable to the artist or make them feel comfort-able enough to create, you’re not very useful. I tell my students that the job is probably 40 percent knowledge of the gear and how it’s used and 60 percent being a psychologist.”

B.M., Berklee College of MusicStaff engineer/producer at Mix One Studios

Songwriter of the Year

Elison Jackson

Elison Jackson is a garage-folk band based out of New Ha-ven, CT that started in 2010. Basement stuff. Wood music.

elisonjackson.com

Abbie Barrett

In 2008, Barrett released her debut album, Dying Day, which “Performing Songwriter” magazine declared “a stellar first release.” The Noise calls Barrett “a bright light among others of her genre...evident through compelling vocals, ever-changing chord progressions, and spontaneous melodies.” With no formal musical education, Barrett has been able to craft unique, unconventional arrangements that highlight her smoky voice. Her band, The Last Date, does a wonderful job bringing her vision to the live stage, offering everything from honky-tonk country rock to ambient, brooding anthems. She credits Neil Young, Radiohead, and Fiona Apple as her main influences. Abbie Barrett & The Last Date are currently working on The Triples, a series of three-song EPs.

abbiebarrett.com

Kate Callahan

Awarded Best Singer-Songwriter of 2013 at the CT Music Awards and a nominee for Best Songwriter in New England 2014, American Singer/Song-writer Kate Callahan’s lyrics have been called “Zen-like” by folk legend Noel Paul Stookey (Peter, Paul, and Mary). WNPR host Colin McEnroe says “…she swings out and away from influences, where startling music is made...” Callahan’s optimism and joy roll easily from her songs to her stage stories.

She has traveled the U.S performing, and opened shows for legends Judy Collins, Noel Paul Stookey, the duo Aztec-Two-Step, John Gorka, the late Bill Morrissey. Two Doors, Kate’s third LP, was released in 2012. The Hartford Courant says, “[Callahan] simply wanted to explore some of the ‘startling and awe-inspiring moments we face in a lifetime.’ But there’s nothing

quite that simple about Callahan or the music she makes.” Kate began singing with five friends in early 2013, which inspired a project called Kate Callahan & Echo Joy. The band performs in CT, ME, MA, & NYC and Kate leaves on a 25-day tour of the Southeast this June, per-forming solo and with members of her band.

http://www.kate-callahan.com/

Sasha Yatchenco

Singer/Songwriter from Boston

No other information was available about this artist.

Justin Levinson

Justin Levinson is a singer/songwriter from Burlington, Vermont. Renowned for a catalog of songs covering everything from power-pop to country to “feel good heartbreak”, Justin has earned steady praise from audiences and critics alike since his 2005 debut.

www.justinlevinson.com


Male Performer of the YearMARINA EVANS

Combining strong, sultry vocals with unusual melodies and insightful lyrics, singer/song-writer Marina Evans’ sound is all her own. Evans’ drive, passion, and versatility are just as evident in her songs--which deftly navigate a range of genres, from folk to pop to rock and roll--as they are in her track record: since 2011 she has independently released 3 origi-nal EPs and a full length album, toured across the U.S., to London, and to Italy (where she recorded 3 of her releases), been featured

on local, regional, and internet radio, and she has earned two consecutive nominations for Female Performer of the Year at the New England Music Awards (2014 and 2015).

Both her live performance and her latest album Unbound have turned heads recently. A powerful presence on stage, Evans utilizes “a wide dynamic range with her voice, going from whispery to wailing to good effect,” while keeping her voice and guitar “superbly in sync” (The Patriot Ledger). Her studio work is equally inspired: Unbound “creates as much dra-matic feeling as two gunslingers approaching each other with hands over holsters... [and is] a reflection of an artist who knows where she wants to go” (Bill Copeland Music News).

marinaevansmusic.com

Female Performer of the Year

Phot

o:Sh

eila

Rob

erts

Orla

ndo

Sarah Barrios

Singer/Songwriter Sarah Barrios, is a quiet storm that’s taking over the music scene throughout New En-gland & beyond. In 2014, Barrios won The New En-gland Music Award’s “Best New Act of the Year” & as of Jan. 2015 a nominee for “Best Female Performer of The Year”. In addition, Connecticut Magazine just named Barrios one of their “40 under 40 High Achievers to watch in 2015”. At the moment Sarah is touring with some of America’s biggest names in Social Media/Music on a national tour. Sarah continues to watch her career take off as she tours sharing her first EP just released last year to rave reviews. The self titled EP is available on iTunes.

www.sarahbarriosmusic.comwww.facebook.com/sarahbarriosmusic

Will EvansWill Evans has spent the last decade as the primary song writer and drummer/ front man for the roots rock outfit Barefoot Truth. Will recorded four full length albums and several EP’s of his original music with the band. Their most recent release, “Carry Us On”, debuted at #10 on the iTunes Rock Chart. With Barefoot Truth now on an extended hiatus, Will has opened a new chapter in his musical journey.His first solo release landed him in Entertainment Weekly as being right on target in the “Bullseye Of The Week” and warranted a #4 spot on the Northeast Billboards. Will’s entry into the Guitar Center sponsored “Search For The Next Great American Songwriter” also brought him national attention. Out of over 10,000 entrants, he was chosen as one of the nation’s top ten finalists.In his live performances, Will uses his impressive looping skills to combine his drumming background with his highly energized and entertaining acoustic style. When Will is on stage, the crowds always get to their feet and he always gets to their hearts. Will has shared the stage with many top artists including Crosby and Nash, Grace Potter, Bruce Hornsby, State Radio, Badfish and members of Dispatch.

willevans.com

Will DaileyWill Dailey is an acclaimed recording and performing artist, who is a three-time winner of the Boston Music Award for Best Singer/Songwriter. In June of 2013 he was featured on a Stephen King/John Mellencamp project produced by T Bone Burnett called Ghost Brothers Of Darkland County and also released an original song he wrote inspired by Jack Kerouac’s Tristessa. In September of 2013 he played his fourth Farm Aid Concert along side Neil Young, Willie Nelson, Dave Matthews and John Mellencamp and in November finished up a 9 city tour of France. Dailey’s music has been featured on over 50 TV programs and films. The first single from his new album National Throat, due out later in 2014, is already a finalist in the International Songwriting Competition. Rock journalist Steve Morse said recently, “Will Dailey’s pop smarts, his dedication to detail,

and his soul-inflected voice are just what we need right now to restore belief in music. His new songs are personal epiphanies with a universal appeal.”

willdailey.com

Alex PrestonAlex Preston is a 21 year old singer songwriter from New Hampshire. He is genuine, hard working, real, and kind. He has been involved in music since 4 years old, and has fallen in love with creating. He has been gigging since 12 years old, and has perfected his craft immensely, since then. In 2014 Alex landed a spot on the television show “American Idol”, and ended up getting third place. This opportunity allowed Alex to work and interact with artists such as Jason Mraz, Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, Harry Connick Jr, Keith Urban, Aloe Blacc, Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, Fall Out Boy, Zooey Deschanel, Magic, Phillip Phillips, O.A.R, Christina Perri, Backstreet Boys, Gavin DeGraw, Of Monsters and Men, and many more.

Alex is a multi instrumentalist, and enjoys incorporating the 12 instruments he plays in with his songwriting. As much as he loves performing live, Alex is an avid songwriter, who has written with many different artists in the industry.

www.alexpreston.org

Tracy WaltonTracy picked up his first guitar at the age of 10. He quickly realized that his ear bent towards the low end, and he switched to bass. His teen years brought a string of punk and hard rock bands, local glory, and a gig teaching at an area music store. But alas, the journey to rock and roll stardom has many bumps, and when the only apartment he and his band could afford was condemned, he knew he was in serious need of a plan B.

The eviction, his growing dislike of ramen noodles, and the call of the bass, proved to be serendipitous when he caught an upright bassist in a Hartford jazz club. He bought an old plywood and started playing Zeppelin grooves on it to find his bearings. He soon tracked Dave Santoro down for lessons and after a summer of instruction, Tracy accepted a scholarship to study jazz at the Hartford Conservatory. Yes, Tracy decided that a degree in jazz performance would always lead to gainful employment.

Tracy soon formed a straight ahead jazz trio that logged 200 shows a year in the mid-nineties. After a few years, what started as a joke of quoting classic rock lines during solos, turned into the formation of the female fronted rock act Missing Slim. It was at this time that he also joined the faculty of The National Guitar Workshop and Kent School.

Tracy decided in 2010 that it was time to start “Brand New Again” and focus all of his energy on his solo career. To date, Tracy has released two albums; 2010’s “Brand New Again” and 2013’s “If I Ever Get Away.” Both albums have received great critical review. Listening to Tracy sing, one can’t help but hear the years of struggle that all musicians go through. Yet, there is a hope to his deep voice that demands attention. And while it may be easy to hear the Americana flavor, if you listen close you’ll hear Ziggy Stardust trying to show himself, and maybe Chet Baker’s smooth voice singing a harmony or two.

2013 Finds Tracy going strong with the release of “If I Ever Get Away” The album features the song “Songs for You” which many are calling Tracy’s best song to date and his breakout track.

tracywaltonmusic.com

Dan BlakesleeWhile attending art school in Baltimore, Maryland Dan Blakeslee, a Maine native discovered that he had an equal and deeply rooted connection to music. He would sneak into the galleries to play his guitar through the late hours of the evening surrounded by easels and oil paintings. After four years in “Charm City” he returned to his childhood home in the Tatnic Woods of South Berwick, ME. That summer he played street corners in New Hampshire and Maine while working at a lobster restaurant. His employer urged him to sever ties to manual labor for one of a more musical nature. A phone call from a friend offering him a room in Somerville, MA began his journey south in 1995. While settling into this artful community he began to practice his craft in the smoke laden subways of Boston. He now has been making music and art in the New England region ever since, leading him to tour the U.S. and abroad. He has performed with The Low Anthem, David Wax Museum, The Lumineers, Deer Tick, Liam Finn, Brown Bird, Joe Fletcher, Jonah Tolchin, Pearl and the Beard, Will Dailey, Death Vessel and Kimya Daw-son to name a few.

danblakeslee.com

Zach JonesHailing from Portland, Maine, Zach Jones is an artist of exceptional musical talent. With an encyclopedic knowledge of yesterday’s music and an awareness and appreciation for today’s, Jones’s music combines the raw energy and style of the 1960’s British pop explo-sion, from artists such as The Who and The Kinks, with the soulful expression of the American R&B that poured from Motown and Stax. While paying tribute to the music he loves, yet expanding beyond tradition in sound and arrangement, Jones has created a fresh musical melting pot of modern rock, pop, and soul.

www.zachjonestunes.com

Anna Lombard

Anna Lombard’s debut album, Head Full Of Bells, is a powerful meditation on love, loss and ultimately, redemption. Drawing influence from artists including Aimee Mann and Susan Tedeschi, Head Full Of Bells introduces Lombard as a gifted young singer of impressive strength. Offering intense, emotive and immedi-ately engaging vocal performances that range from the tender, whispered pleas of Confessions to the thunderous, cathartic finale of All For You, Head Full Of Bells is an exhilarating ride that capti-vates from start to finish.

Sharing stages with the likes of John Fogerty, Ray Lamontagne, Guster and John Popper, Anna Lombard’s live performance gives passionate life to her studio precision. A magnetic presence of un-deniable charisma, Lombard possesses a heart, soul and swagger that make her not only someone to hear but something to expe-rience. “Head Full of Bells” is available now on iTunes, Amazon, CDBaby and at all Bull Moose locations.

annalombardmusic.com

Ashley Jordan

21-year old Ashley Jordan has just released her highly anticipated third album of all-original country/americana music in late 2013. Whether performing as a solo artist with just her guitar and powerful vocals, or backed by a band of talented musicians, Ashley’s unique style and unforgettable original tunes compel listeners of all ages to stop and listen. Described as “charismatic” and “honest”, Ashley has performed her music at venues across New England and has had the honor of opening for the following artists: Jason Mraz, Phillip Phillips, Christina Perri, O.A.R., Magic!, Alex Preston, Crystal Bowersox, Jess Klein, Mission Hill/Adam Jensen and more! She has garnered numerous music awards including The 2014 New England Country Music Awards “Album of the Year’, “Female Vocalist of the Year”, “Female Entertainer of the Year”, “Songwriter of the Year” and “Music Video of the Year”

ashleyjordanmusic.com

Faith Ziegler

Faith Ziegler is a young beautiful, talented, singer/songwriter... At the age of 19 she leaves an impression with those who hear her sweet, smooth acoustic vibe. Her music is relatable to an audience of all ages. In Faith’s own words, you can read and get to know how she began her career.

Eight years old, I remember recording myself in my room singing Britney Spears songs. Now I am a teenager, and nothing has changed. Singing is absolutely everything to me. When I step foot on a stage, I feel at home and I never want to leave. Singing is my life. I don’t know where I’d be without music. My name is Faith Ziegler. I was raised in a small town in Connecticut, I come from a broken up family, but I have never let that stop me. At the age of 14 I wrote my first song, taught myself to play the guitar and I fell in love with it as soon as I first picked it up. Since then I have written over a hundred songs, and they all come from personal struggles that I have had to deal with... problems with my dad, crushes, and dreams I have. Anything I can get inspi-ration from, I use to make a good song. I feel like my music can help people through similar experiences that I have gone through. I want people to listen to my songs and say, “wow, I can so relate to that.” I want to help people and be a role model for young girls like me. I want to show people that it doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from, but if you follow your dreams, anything is possible. - Faith Ziegler

www.reverbnation.com/faithziegler

Jessie Chris

Country/Pop Singer andSongwriter from Boston.

www.facebook.com/jessiechris-music

Photo Credit:Maia Stern


SANTA MAMBA

Santa Mamba represents a new attitude in cross-cultural harmony. With one foot in the Lat-in dance traditions of Spain, the Caribbean, and South America, and the other in classic American rock, Santa Mamba has created a sound like none other in today’s industry. Founded in 2005 in Providence, RI, this multicultural collective achieves the rare balance of colorful, charismatic personalities, focused musicianship, and a commanding live show born out of the joy of playing. With infectious, memorable, multilingual songs and kinetic, relentless rhythms, Santa Mamba is always sure to keep crowds from all walks of life happy and grooving!Santa Mamba’s lineup consists of Venezuelan-born J. Gio Murillo on vocals and acoustic guitar, John Medeiros on lead electric and acoustic guitars, brothers Aaron and Nick Wade on keyboards and bass (respectively), Shawn Deneault on drums, and Puerto Rcan-born Carlos Ramos on congas and Latin percussion. www.facebook.com/SantaMambaOfficial http://www.santamamba.com/

ALDOUS COLLINS BAND

The 7-piece “Aldous Collins Band” (“ACB”) is based on Boston’s South Shore and is rapidly expanding its reach all over New England. The band is nominated for this year’s New England Music Awards prestigious “Best Live Act”.

Collins has been crafting his songwriting and guitar playing by performing throughout the Northeast for years.The band also includes guitarist and vocalist Michael Rahman, Gram-my Award winning (“Dirty Vegas”) percussion-ist and vocalist Steve Smith, trumpet player Sam Dechenne, bassist Matt Nourse, and drummer Nicholas Asta, recently transplanted from Nashville. Rounding out the line up is the band’s newest addition, Lennie Peterson on trombone.

The SnazThe Snaz are four Vermont teenagers, Dharma Ramirez (17, singer, guitarist and songwriter), Mavis Eaton (17, keyboardist), Zack James (14, drums) and Nina Cates (16, bass). The band started in 2011 with a bunch of songs and few local gigs. In the fall of 2012, the Snaz gained the attention of Grammy award winning music producer, Peter Solley who worked with them on their first two audio releases. The Snaz plays

loud up beat pop/indie rock music but can turn down if needed. They have been playing many shows throughout New England for the past few years with much positive feedback. The music is quirky, original, catchy and groovy yet moshable. Notable gigs include The Green River Festival, Iron Horse, Radiobean, and soon SXSW in Austin Texas! www.reverbnation.com/thesnaz

Amy & The Engine

Often described as “indie-folk-pop-rock,” Amy & The Engine is a Boston based band featuring the singing and songwriting of Maine’s Amy Allen. Formed during the long winter of 2013-4 at Berklee College of Music and described as “captivating pop” (Bowery Boogie) and “upbeat and super catchy “ (Infectious Magazine), Amy & The Engine released their second single “Last Forever” on Valentines Day of 2015. The band most recently played CMJ 2014, the first VH1 Save the Music & Sonicbids benefit concert and crisscrossed New England during 2014, playing over 15 festivals. Their debut single, “I Got You,” was released in mid-July and was fea-tured on WBLM-FM, WCLZ-FM, WCYY-FM, WMME-FM,

WMBR-FM, WMPG-FM, Berklee’s the BIRN and more. A highly anticipated 6-song EP will be released in the spring of 2015

Singer/songwriter Amy Allen of South Portland, Maine, released three solo EPs between 2010-2013, taking home Portland Phoenix’s “Best New Act” and “Best Female Vocalist” awards twice. Allen has also appeared on the second season of NBC’s The Voice, and has received the presti-gious SESAC’s Young Artist Award for the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame. Allen opened for Vance Joy, Emily King, Emile Sande, Jonathan Edwards, Lily & The Parlor Tricks and more.

www.AmyAndTheEngine.com

New Act of the YearLive Act of the YearWest End Blend

Since their conception, thirteen-piece band West End Blend has been playing their version of hip-hop, soul-funk in venues all over. Fronted by vocalist Erica Bryan and rap-per/breakdancer “Tangsauce”, the band pays homage to classic throwback sounds while still

adding their own distinct sound and flair to their collectively-com-posed originals.

West End Blend boasts a full four-piece horn section, two guitars, bass, keys and percussion to boot, packing the group onto stages every night. From humble beginnings in an epic basement funk dance party, The Blend’s goal has always been to bring a party atmosphere to every show and venue ever since.

In 2013, the band recorded their debut release with recording engi-neer Brendan Morawski (Jungle City Studios) at Telefunken Studios in South Windsor, CT. Guaranteed to please any fan of hip-hop, soul or funk, “What It’s All About EP” combines these influences to create an energetic first release. Shortly following the EP, West End Blend released a music video to the title track of the record, “What It’s All About” directed by Ty Morin (179 Pictures).

With no signs of slowing down, the Blend maintains a busy perfor-mance schedule with plans to record extensively over the next year. Only one thing remains certain for the band’s future, West End Blend is going to keep the party going one show at a time.

http://www.westendblend.com/

Ben Knight Ben Knight has been banging on instruments since he was a kid. He started with the pots and pans until his parents broke down and bought him a drum set. In high school, he started playing piano, but he still slammed on it like he was playing drums. Today, he performs classic hits from the early days of rock and roll and he’s playing harder than ever, in addition to writing and recording his own material. He released an EP in 2013 titled “Breaking the Keys” that was completely funded by teaching piano lessons and street performing in Boston, and has just recently released a second EP called “Any Strand of Hope.” Both were recorded in Syracuse NY and feature full band arrangements and horn sections. He is currently focused on writing the best rock and roll songs ever made and creating the best live show ever seen.

www.benknightlife.com

Space Pony You know that awesome feeling you get when you listen to Chad Kroeger rip a sick solo on the last Nickelback album aka “The Masterpiece”?Neither do we but that’s beside the point. Space Pony is comprised of two Americans and a Rus-sian who just happened to meet on the moon...or the International Space Station or whatever. We hail from Providence and couldn’t make it as a three piece folk jazz ensemble so here we are now. Ask your Grandmother...she loves us. This is the end of our bio

www.facebook.com/SpacePony

2013 and 2014 included:- Hippo Magazine’s Top 10 bands of 2013. - Three Josh Mitchell soundtracks - NECN’s “Morning Soundtrack”- “Best Live Act in New Hampshire” at the New England Music Awards - Their single “Dynomite” and its worldwide debut on The River 92.5 FM. - Nomination for “Live Act of the Year”, Limelight Magazine Music Awards - Their single “I Don’t Care” released on YouTube with over 23,000 views to date.- The release of a new EP, “Live at the New World Tavern”, recorded on the “Life is good” premises in Boston. - High profile performances including The Cohasset Triathlon and headlining for radio 92.5 FM The River’s “River Ruckus”- A successful one and a half year weekly residency at Pembroke’s British Beer Company with over 40 local bands sharing the spotlight helping to support a community of local artists and musicians.

With this year’s NEMA nomination for “Best Live Act”, 2015 promises even more for the group includ-ing its current weekly residencies at local South Shore venues as well as bookings in premier locations and festivals throughout New England.

FREEVOLT A ROOTS ROCK AMERICANA JAM REGGAE funk POP BAND THAT WAS PLANTED IN the state of massachuestts IN THE SUMMER OF 2012. since their inception, they have BEEN SIGNED TO EVOLVEMENT MUSIC, received a new england music award, and HAVE BEEN SHOWCASED AT HOOKFEST, BOSTON GREENFEST, WACHU-SETT MUSIC FEST, LOWELL FOLK FESTIVAL, BOSTON CITY HALL PLAZA, otis mtn get down, stowe mtn, northampton summer series, byfield music and arts fest, newburyport yankee homecom-ing, lowell winterfest, newburyport brew co funk and jam fest, AMESBURY SPORTS PARK AND more. FREEVOLT released THEIR FIRST full length ALBUm, take the product, IN JUly 2014 on the evolvement music label. THEY ARE CURRENTLY touring in the northeast region of the united states. fREEVOLT’S CONTAGIOUS SOUND AND CATCHY HOOKS HAVE been heard in rotation on more than 40 stations across the USa, uk, canada, australia, and japan. FREEVOLT IS gary rechhia ON KEYBOARDS, MAT MAIER ON BASS, JOHN SPURR ON DRUM KIT, EDDIE HARGREAVES ON ELECTRIC GUITAR, jonathan bousquet on saxophone AND MICHAEL BERNIER ON ACOUSTIC GUITAR AND LEAD VOCALS.

www.facebook.com/FreevoltFreevolt http://www.michaelbernierandtheuprising.com/

ROOTS OF CREATIONRoots of Creation, mix roots and dub reggae with guitar-heavy rock and electronica, all wrapped around lead singer/guitarist Brett Wilson’s introspective and consciousness laden lyrics. The band is raising the bar at every performance with the intent of delivering a true rock show cleverly disguised as a reggae dance bash with psychedelic and energizing lights. The techno-beam and LED tube lighting increases the already high-energy sound that Roots of Creation (RoC) brings to their audiences.

http://www.simonsaysbooking.com/roc.html

BEARSTRONAUT Dance is a loose term, but it’s also an inevitable directive. Whether on stage or on record, Boston electronic-pop quartet, Bearstronaut, has made a name in their hometown for sparking instant dance parties. Despite their rather frigid-weath-er Northeast origins, Bearstronaut has been dubbed “tank-top pop” due to their warm, tropical synth-pop sound.

Their growing reputation has been staked on two distinct entities: their energetic, engaging live performances, and their uber-polished, glossy home recordings. After self releasing an EP in 2009, Bearstronaut inspired the creation of one of Boston’s most in-demand record labels, Vanya Records. Vanya founder Michael Marotta (the pill, WFNX) stated that he launched Vanya “just to hear Bearstronaut’s ‘Moniker’ on vinyl” - the way the band’s signature, post-disco epic was meant to be heard. After releasing the “Moniker” 7-inch in September 2011, Bearstronaut teamed up with Vanya again in November of 2012 for their home recorded EP titled, Paradice

http://www.bearstronaut.com/

LAST CALLLast Call is a 6 member group with a unique sound. Drums, Bass, Guitar (electric/acoustic), Saxaphone, Vocals & turntables. Rap, Rock, Reggae, Funk kinda sound.

Last Call was formed back in the summer of 2009 at their dj’s house during a clam boil. He invited the band to perform and brought his turntables out and spun with the band. At the end of the night he was invited to practice. After that, Last Call was born. There music has been described to be a mix of rap, rock, funk and reggae. Sublime style with a little older Red Hot Chili Peppers.

http://www.wearelastcall.com/

Lizzy MarellaOriginal song “Burn” will be featured in the documentary “Lives Well Lived” by award-winning filmmaker Sky Bergman (2015)

Original song “Spaces” will be featured in the independent film and soundtrack of “Lazarus Rising”. The film stars many recognized actors including Mike Pfaff (CBS’s hit sitcom “2 Broke Girls”), Adoni Ma-ropis (“24”), Eric Roberts (Academy Award nominee for “Runaway Train”) and C. Thomas Howell (“Southland”) (Release in 2015-16)Music videos of 4 of Marella’s original songs were showcased at the NH Film Festival (October, 2014) Marella currently attends Interlochen Arts Academy (IAA), a world-renowned fine arts high school located in northern Michigan where she studies song-writing, music and voice, in addition to tradi-tional academic classes. IAA alumni fill concert stages and other arts centers around the world. Notable IAA students who left to pursue careers in popular music include Jewell and Norah Jones. Students are also mentored by leaders in the music industry, including IAA alumni Damian Kulash and Timothy Nordwind of the band OK Go, and Kristopher Pooley, who is currently the music director on Katy Perry’s world tour.Instruments: Vocals, Piano, Guitar & UkuleleHometown: Rye Beach, NH Style of music: Singer-song-writer/Pop

www.marellamusic.comwww.facebook.com/marellamusicsoundcloud.com/marellamusic


Roots Act of the Year Little Ugly

Little Ugly is a band born of hard work and dedication to their craft and have ascended the ranks to become one of Connecticut’s most recognizable and lauded bands. Their most recent release, Where the River’s Born has been praised as having run the “gamut of what “Americana” could possibly be and yet remains something so unique.”

Their songs come from personal spaces, emotional landscapes that are in-congruently shared by all: love, hope, fear, alienation; mountains, sidewalks,

trails, trains; edges, crooked lines, falling, and flying. The resulting unique Little Ugly sound has been described as “Indie rock, folk, even tiny bits

of country, blues and plain old rock n’ roll.”Seeing Little Ugly live will transcend the experience

of hearing Little Ugly. You’ll be mesmerized by the foot-stomping energy, their bodies

moving in a rhythmic trance, claimed by the spirits found in each song.

One day, in the near future, Lit-tle Ugly will play in a venue

near you.

www.littleuglymusic.com

The Ghost of Paul Revere

Born on the banks of the Saco River, brothers in all but name, “The Ghost of Paul Revere,” is Maine’s holler-folk band. With a sound built around powerful three-part harmonies, energet-ic performances, and a non-traditional way of interpreting traditional American music, their songs have unique identities while still remain-ing undeniably, “The Ghost of Paul Revere.”

With their masterful mix of melody and energy, somewhere between folk and foot-stomping bluegrass, Ghost shows ate quickly gaining legendary status.

“The Ghost of Paul Revere,” was formed in 2011 around childhood friends Max Davis, Sean McCarthy, and Griffin Sherry, along with Matt young.

Their critically acclaimed debut EP, “North”, released in the summer of 2012, quickly became one of the best selling local albums in Maine and New Hamp-shire for 2013. Their first full-length album, “Believe,” was released in January 2014; it quickly went on to hit the Billboard Northeast chart.

“The Ghost,” won Best In Maine at the 2014 New England Music Awards

In 2014, “The Ghost of Paul Revere,” started their own two-day music festival, “Ghostland,” which will return for its second year in the fall of 2015. *The Ghost of Paul Revere* *Portland, ME Holler Folk* ghostofpaulrevere.com ghostofpaulrevere.bandcamp.com

Dusty Gray Band

The Dusty Gray Band is a powerhouse roots rock/country band hailing from the woods of New Hampshire. Led by Nashville songwriter Dusty Gray, the five-piece group has performed around the northeast, opening for such acts as Willie Nelson, Blues Traveler, Randy Houser, Lee Brice and others. Noted for their high-energy shows, the band was nominated for a New England Music Award in 2014, and continues to bring their soulful good ol’ rock n roll to clubs, parties and festivals around the region. For music videos, tour dates and more info, visit

www.dustygrayband.com

The Four Legged Faithful

THE FOUR LEGGED FAITHFUL are a band made up of 4 ordinary men who all thrive on playing music together. Their aim is not to play traditional folk or bluegrass music, but instead to create beautiful, heart-felt, and genuine music using traditional folk/bluegrass instruments. They create a sound that is honest and reflects the band’s many musical influences from nearly all genres. All members sing; creating multiple com-binations of 2, 3, and 4-part harmonies. All members write and sing songs about their thoughts, families, and the natural world that surrounds them. For a band without a drummer, The Four Legged Faithful achieve an incredible level of intensity using foot percussion and layered rhythms throughout every measure. Band members include Jonathan Kaplan on mandolin and vocals, Joseph Pierog on upright bass, tambourine, guitar, and vocals, Nathan Pelletier on banjo, suitcase base drum, and vocals, and Matthew Migliori on guitar, dobro, and vocals.

thefourleggedfaithful.com/

Country Act of the Year

Bella’s Bartok

Maybe you had a bad day, maybe you thought it was unredeemable. Maybe you have a cold and you don’t feel like moving around. Maybe you’re tired, and you think you’re just going to have a quick drink and head home. Maybe you fancy yourself someone who watches a concert quietly from the back, attentively listening. Maybe you’re a mother who’s only here because your daugh-ter needed a ride. Maybe you’re a seventy-year-old man who walks with a cane.In a few seconds, it’s not going to matter who you are.

When the Balkan-inspired, circusy sound of Bella’s Bartok hits your ears, you are no longer in control. You are out of your seat and you’re bouncing up and down, and soon your arms are flailing and you’re smiling and screaming. Your bad day, your cold, your fatigue have all vanished, and it’s not even the end of the first song.

Bella’s Bartok makes everyone dance, regardless. From living rooms to concert halls, alleyways to weddings, the band’s energy makes getting up and moving irresistible. Without fail, someone

from the audience comes up after every single show and says the same thing: “I couldn’t help it.”

www.bellasbartok.com/

Annie Brobst

Annie is a singer/songwriter from Columbus, OH now living in the Boston area. She’s been performing for close to 3 years now, and writing her own songs for 2 of those years with co-writ-er and bandmate, Rodger Hagopian.

Some of her more current songwriting influences are Kacey Musgraves and Taylor Swift, who you’ll find ever-present in her songs as she shamelessly stays true to the Pop Country genre; you’ll also find hints of Miranda Lambert and Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland. At the very least, good or bad,she hopes to generate some sort of emotion as you become the audience tostories of love, heartbreak, jealousy, in-somnia, and whatever else the words and melodies stir up from your own life!

www.anniebrobstmusic.com

North of Nashville

Pursuing their passion for honky-tonk, the High-waymen and pure pop music, North of Nashville “combines shades of country, bluegrass, honky-tonk and rock into a seamless fusion of feeling and melody”. (Alan Cackett, Mavrick)

What started as a side project of Jay Basiner and Andrew Martelle’s full time band This Way, be-came so popular so quickly that the two decided to give into the North of Nashville muse completely and have since toured the country from Burlington to Houston, have performed with headliners from Dierks Bentley to Lake Street Dive.

www.northofnashville.org

The Rory Scott Band

Rory Scott, a New Hampshire native, is a new country entertainer who does NOT hold back! He puts every inch of energy into his performance with strong vocals and great dance moves. Rory developed his love for country as a child, and started performing in the late 80’s in Charles-ton, SC. The past 3 years have really propelled Rory and his band and placed them in front of thousands of country listeners. In 2011 Rory won male entertainer and male vocalist for the NH Country Music Association. That win, led him on to win Male Vocalist at the Northeast Invitational Country Showdown. He really stepped it up by driving down to Tennessee and seeing how a New England Boy could compare against the Old South. Pretty good it turns out, as Rory won the 2012 National Male Entertainer category for New Country at the North American Country Music Association International Competition. As fans of new and traditional country as well as Classic and Southern rock, The Rory Scott Band’s Influence can be felt in every song

Rory’s Band has an over combined 80 years of musical influence. With Rick Risti on Lead Guitar, Bob Catalano on Bass, Leonard Shea on Drums, and Vinnie Mirisola on Fiddle and Banjo, all the Rory Scott Band’s members have roots covering rock, country and blues. The entire band is dedi-cated to creating a high energy, driving show that has great rhythms and strong vocals. The Rory Scott Band is equally competent at covers as well as originals. Their most recent release, Must have been the Moonshine, hit the top 40 in 2014 on a Nationally Syndicated Chart. As fans of country they bring both the hard hitting tempos of today to life but have not forgotten about the rhythms and heritage that define country music. The Rory Scott Band a band not to be overlooked!

roryscottband.com

The Houston Bernard Band

The Houston Bernard Band is a must see! The bad boy of Boston country has assembled a group of musicians that bring vitality and grit to modern and classic country. Their brand of original country music is fresh and hard hitting. Houston delivers one crowd pleasing country anthem after another with both polish and passion, while the band cooks up the good stuff; tight, modern country beats, soaring harmonies and expertly crafted solos. The Houston Bernard Band will move you!Having opened for Jake Owen, Eli Young Band, Josh Thompson, Scotty McCreery, and Pure Prairie League, and performing at colleges, theaters, festivals, fairs, and New England’s most respected country nightclubs, the band is enjoying regional success while gearing up to rock the nation, one town at a time. With down-home sensibility and plenty of rock and roll energy, the Houston Bernard Band has re-imagined modern country with a new philosophy; country music is better raw than fried!

www.facebook.com/HoustonBernardBand

AJ Jansen

It was at the tender age of six that marked the inception of a true, budding musical artist. That was when AJ Jansen commenced singing and song writing. Since then,having said that, her extensive list of cre-

dentials has also surpassed and skyrocketed into a whole new realm in itself. At twenty-one, she was singing to crowds of nearly a thousand and felt most privileged to accept an invitation to sing the National Anthem at The Mohegan Sun Arena Football Game in Uncasville, CT to a group of 4,000 people. It was at that moment that she knew that music was her passion, in her soul, a part of

Ben Cesare

Ben Cesare is a Country Music lead vocalist and acoustic guitarist and has been perform-ing for audiences in New England for 8 years since he was 17 years old. From VFW’s where you learn your audience and hone your craft to the Hard Rock Cafe in Boston, where legends like; Bon Jovi, Aerosmith and Shakira have graced the stage. Ben has been fortunate enough to have opened up for big acts such as; The Bacon Brothers (rock band of Actor Kev-in Bacon), .38 Special, American Idol Country Singer Kellie Pickler, and Country Star Phil Vassar. Stay tuned for information about Ben Cesare oepning up for Darius Rucker (Hootie & The Blowfish frontman, now Country Star) in Meadowbrook, NH September 2014!

Ben’s inaugural album, Cowboy On!, was recorded in Nashville with members of the Randy Travis band. Ben sings Country mixed with a little Rock and Blues. Ben’s inspiration comes from artists like Toby Keith, The Zac Brown Band, Blake Shelton, Trace Adkins, George Strait and Garth Brooks.

www.facebook.com/Bjcesare

who she was, and she wanted to share that with others. She adores playing live for the public.

2006 marked the year of her much anticipated debut CD, entitled, “This Night Belongs To Me.” The album was released just in time for the sum-mer fair season. The Big E, New England’s biggest Country Fair asked her to play six, successive shows where she was able to catch up with old fans, and meet and greet the new ones.

AJ followed up her debut album with the release of her sophomore effort “Dirty Country” then followed by her third album “Bars, Scars and Old Guitars” She is now in the studio finishing her fourth album entitled “A Country Girl Can Sur-vive” AJ also opened for Phil Vasser, and played regularly at the Mohegan Sun. Along with apear-ances on the Billy Block Show and Gary Garver’s show she is in high demand for her talents. AJ is now in New England and Nashville where she performs all over to Country Music fans and her zeal for singing and song writing is evident in the lyrics, and the melodies that come straight from her heart.

ajjansenmusic.comBallroom Thieves

Truly a high-energy rock trio performing under the guise of well-crafted, emotionally sincere folk, the Thieves have released two well-received EPs since getting their start three years ago. With a strong presence in the Boston area and New England, they have received press from local blog luminaries such as Allston Pudding, who said of the Thieves live performance, “The intensity and passion The Ballroom Thieves had for the songs they delivered- it was hard to be-lieve it was just three of them.” The Thieves have begun to branch out from New England, touring around the country with well-known stalwarts such as The Lone Bellow, Dispatch, Railroad Earth and Houndmouth, among others.

www.BallroomThieves.com


LUX DELUXE

Born out of the vi-brant music scene of Northampton MA, home to bands like the Pixies, Dinosaur jr, Sonic Youth, LuxDeluxe hasestablished them-selves as the worthy successors of this creative musical legacy.

LuxDeluxe is built around the musical union of three cousins who have been playing together for over a decade. After adding lead singer Ned King and drummer Jake Edwards, cousins Gabe Bernini and Jacob and Caleb Rosazza completed the lineup that, even though only 19 to 22 years old, has been able to conjure a sound and live show rarely found even amongst veteran bands twice their age.

WE BUILT THE MOON

We Built The Moon is a band of great friends that suggests anything is pos-sible through music. The idea was formulated

in September 2013 with the goal to bring a positive, new, and upbeat sound to the music industry. These four young men and one young woman had been building their own unique styles of playing music for years, so they all brought something different to the table to add their own flares to the music. On February 1st, 2014, WBTM released their first album, ‘Resis-tance,’ at their EP release show, which almost sold out the venue. With a focus on meaningful songwriting, mesmerizing live shows, and a desire to become family with their fan base, WBTM is quickly taking over the hearts of many and giving back as much as they possibly can through their music, performances, and friendship building as a band. www.facebook.com/webuiltthemoon

PAT & THE HATS

2014 was a busy year for Pat & the Hats, an original modern rock band from Central NH – culminating in a humbling amount of praise from their first full length album, “Fake it ‘til You Make a Hit”. 60 years of pop and rock influences have melded into one diverse, but unified collection of original music. The band is currently supporting the release of “Fake it ‘til You Make a Hit” in ven-ues throughout the New England, and beyond.

Pat & the Hats began as the vision of Patrik Gochez - front-man, songwriter, guitarist and keyboard player for the group - in early 2013. A seasoned songwriter and performer, Pat was first joined by Brenden Harisiades on bass and vocals, and Bobby Rice on drums and vocals. After performing as a power trio for almost a year, the group was then rounded out with lead guitarist Scott Solsky and backing vocalist Britney Lane.

www.facebook.com/patandthehats

THE DEJAS

Aaron Z. Katz and Callie Lipton of the Dejas are a performing duo whose music is a unique blend of melodic, ambient, “indie-pop”, acoustic folk/rock. Each of these musicians, talented singer-song-writers in their own right, become “something greater” when they present their songs through their combined vision. The dynamic of two parts forming a greater whole was something that was evident from the moment they first encountered each other. Dejas fans say the music has the ability to move them to dance___ or move them to tears, with wonderful melodies that linger and engage, staying with the listener in some profound, endur-ing way that is both inspirational and somehow reaffirming. For the last seven years the Dejas have performed in Boston and the Northeast playing shows in such places as the House of Blues Foundation Room, the Hard Rock Cafe, the Lizard Lounge, the Rochester Opera House, and the Shalin Liu Performance Center. In addition they have played at various festivals throughout the Northeast and were chosen by “Spotlight Magazine’s Eye on the

Arts Award” as “Alternative Band of the Year.” They have been featured on Boston radio’s “The River” (92.5) and have produced a DVD of one of their live performances. Their debut album, “Speeding Softly”, was recorded at 37’ Produc-tions with Sean McLaughlin who was the sound engineer for Elliot Smith and assisted on projects for Rush, Tupac Shakur, and Maroon 5, among others. The Dejas are regularly joined on stage by outstanding musicians from Boston and the North Shore...musicians who add their talents to the wonderful melodies, harmonies, and compelling instrumentals of Aaron’s and Callie’s core duo.

www.facebook.com/thedejas

THE GO TO

The Go To is a young three-piece high energy alt/pop band based out of New Haven, Con-necticut and Northampton MA. The band is getting known for their killer live shows and undeniably hooky pop tunes. The guys put out their first EP in the summer of 2013 and a mu-sic video for the song “Too Sore” in December which has since been viewed over 57,000 times. Members Mat Fernandez, Alex Wassung and Austin Burr, between 19 and 21 years old, have been playing throughout the northeast over the past year and building a loyal and rapidly expanding fan base. The band members are Mat Fernandez on vocals and guitar, Austin Burr on drums, and Alex Wassung on bass and vocals.

www.facebook.com/TheGoToMusic

When LuxDeluxe set out to make their new record Its A Girl? they came to the table with a wealth of studio savvy and a very specific goal in mind; to marry the best elements of the ana-log sound of the 1970s with the modern record-ing techniques available today. The record was recorded fully analog through vintage analog gear and direct to tape. The band, currently on tour throughout the Northeast and Midwest in support of It’s a Girlhas been making new fans at every show.

www.facebook.com/luxdeluxemusic

1974

Hailing from Newington, Connecticut, 1974 is a five-piece progressive rock band that conjures up the massive and powerful emanations of a bygone era. Since 2007, the band has been awing audiences with powerful guitar driven riffs, rich vocal harmonies, catchy melodies, and high-ener-gy stage shows.With a flair for the dramatic, guitarists Mike For-gette and Adam Clymer harmonize guitar leads and throw solos back and forth at each other from across the stage. Bassist Gary Dionne’s playing has been described as an eccentric, bombastic, and virtuosic manifestation. The rich vocal harmo-nies and impassioned keyboard of Parker are a beautiful compliment to drummer Tim Moore’s soulful vocal style which adds an empathetic layer to the music while his progressive-influenced drumming drives the band into powerful and uncharted territories.Released in February of 2011, 1974 & The Battle for the Lazer Fortress garnered mass critical praise from fans and the media. Though the band took its time crafting complex time signatures and punchy guitar riffs, the music is sweetened by layers of catchy melodies that evoke several mod-ern indie rock influences. The interwoven rock and pop facets created a recipe which propelled 1974 & The Battle for the Lazer Fortress into CT.com’s list of 2011’s Top 15 albums.In 2012, 1974 took a break from their progressive sci-fi musical storytelling and intense perfor-mance schedule to release two EPs. The Return was applauded by CTindie.com as “a unique mix of softer sounds and bang-your-head-to-this interludes...They’re [1974] clearly setting out an ambitious project for themselves.” The Hartford Advocate celebrated 1974’s performance and song writing on The Return while predicting that the band “has a chance to stamp the CT music scene into broader national consciousness. This album, just like the full-length before it, deserves the listener’s immediate and undivided attention.” The second EP, A Soldier’s Tale, was released at the end of 2012. CT.com had only praise for the EP, calling it “an album [EP] that not only raised the bar, at least locally, for what a band could do with a concept album, but also re-introduced the listener to one of the most talented bands in the state.” 2013 saw the band performing at larger venues and to broader audiences. 1974 made their first appearance at CT’s famed Infinity Hall, performed at the annual Daffodil Festival, and earned a spot on the annual Vision & Grit Festival. Tireless in their pursuit of realizing their collective visions, the band also recorded and released their sophomore full-length album entitled 1974 & The Death of the Herald. Always well-received locally, 1974 would start to see im-

Rock Act of the YearPop Act of the Year

Crushed Out

Crushed Out is an electrified honky-tonk surf duo from Brooklyn, NY, who’s joyous and high-energy live

shows are known to melt cold cold hearts and set folks to dancing in the aisles. Their new record TEETH, built on a foundation of timeless melodies ringing with crystalline reverb, fans the fire they lit on their 2012 debut Want To Give. The husband-wife duo of Moselle Spiller and Franklin Hoier draw deep from their shared love of ‘atomic’ 50’s rock ‘n’ roll, country blues, and SoCal surf guitar to creating a sound that delivers on all those things rock ‘n’ roll promised us so long ago…

www.crushedoutmusic.com

When Particles Collide

Sasha and Chris met in Bangor Maine during a 2010 local production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Sasha was cast as a guitar playing Yitzhak and Chris played Schlatko, the band’s drummer. Six months later the two were a band, and three years later the band became a marriage.Since forming in 2010, When Particles Collide has self-released five sets of recordings: a six song demo, a four song EP, a ten song full length, a five song EP and a nine song full length. Their most recent recording, Photoelec-tric (June 2014) was released both digitally, on CD and on special limited edition pink vinyl.Sasha and Chris tour the US extensively and during 2012, 2013 and 2014 averaged between 70-95 shows per year. During the summer of 2014 they completed a marathon 8 week, coast to coast tour of the entire US. All of their booking and promoting, like their recordings are 100% D.I.Y. keeping the American spirit of self-reliance, tenacity and resourcefulness alive and well.

The music of When Particles Collide includes Southern Rock choruses, New Wave a la Blondie

Phot

o: S

ean

Fow

ler

Roz & The Rice Cakes

Art Rock, that’s a pretty broad term. And yet, when describing Providence, Rhode Island’s Roz & The Rice Cakes, the term Art Rock fits squarely in the center of any definition that at-tempts to describe this band’s sound. But under the stuttering time-changes, the crescendos and the complex arrangements, at the heart of these songs, there’s a simple pop quality that roots the band somewhere down a back alley where Fleet-wood Mac and Henry Cow mingle with Bettie Seveert and Gwen Stefani. Roz and The Rice Cakes is equal parts experimental and catchy, energetic and bookish, daring and sugarcoated.

Since 2008 the group has been touring the US non-stop, either headlining or supporting such artists as Passion Pit, Andrew WK, The Joy Formidable, OK GO and Tera Melos. They have played such national stages as the Newport Folk Festival. For their first album for Team Love Re-cords, Roz & The Rice Cake’s, Need to Feed sees the band teaming up w/ producers Bern Miller and Jeff Prystowsky from the Low Anthem at Providence’s historic Columbus Theatre . The results take the band to a new height in terms of tapping into their twin attributes of pop and art.

www.thericecakes.com

We Were Astronauts

We Were Astronauts is a four piece indie/alternative rock band hailing from Boston and hitting the pavement with tasteful guitar licks, strong rhythms, and memorable vocal melodies. Inspired by and named for every kid whose dream of becoming an astronaut was crushed the day NASA’s shuttle program was closed, the band presents a melodic rock sound that is as timeless as the American dream. We Were As-tronauts is known for their catchy hooks, killer leads, and riveting energy.

wewereastronauts.com

Fifth Freedom

Since its inception in the early 2000’s, Fifth Freedom has struggled and fought for every inch it has gained, intent on bringing its own unique blend of heavy hitting, hard rock music to the masses. Songs that tell stories of what it is to be human, songs that hit hard and leave a lasting impact on their listeners – music that isn’t afraid to be loud, aggressive and in-your-face while still touching on the subjects everyone can relate to. From the very first note to the last sustained chord, Fifth Freedom is a musical force to be reckoned with.

www.fifthfreedomrock.com

mense praise on an international level, receiving positive reviews from as far and wide as Sweden, Brazil, Japan, and England, to name a few.1974 remains a band on an upward trajectory. With new material in the works and a slate of impressive live performances planned for the near future, 1974 is a band that will continue to be one of the hardest working indie bands in the world.

www.1974online.com

vocals, lightning speed Green Day-esque drum-ming, classic Motown grooves and Queens of the Stone Age-style riffs -- and yet somehow it all sounds like Chris and Sasha.

www.facebook.com/whenparticlescollideEMMARIE

EMMARIE, is an award winning, Indie Pop Rock singer-songwriter, having performed on stages across the nation from Boston’s Hard Rock Cafe and The House of Blues, to the Apollo Theater in NYC and the BE IT showcase in California! She has had the honor of sharing the stage with the XFactor Tour, IM5, performed at the National Boys Scout Jamboree, Topsfield Fair, Live on Center Stage and for Mix 104.1 in Boston, just to mention a few.

What’s really special about EMMARIE, is that in addition to writing original music, she plays a major role in the production process. She creates her own unique style by seamlessly fusing together her favorite features of Indie, Pop, Rock and more to create inspirational music with hooks that make you move, unforgettable beats, and lyrics with a passion for life. Her performances take you on a journey from Pop to Rock.

Her Music Teacher, Mrs. Laurie Collins was the spark that ignited this journey by telling her parents she had something special. She started performing in Musical Theater, still a true love today. She began entering and winning vocal contests and with the support of family, friends and community made the leap into the music world.

www.emmarieofficial.com www.twitter.com/emmarieofficialwww.facebook.com/emmarieofficial


The Willie J. Laws Band

Texas guitar slinger, songwriter and vocalist Willie J Laws, the “Real Deal” was raised in the Gulf Coast of Texas, and has 30 years of performing experience around the world. The influences heard in the music of the Willie J. Laws Band are Texas Blues and R&B, Tejano and Zydeco; a music with deep roots in Texas music tradition, and uniquely American Roots music.

Willie’s performed as the house band for The House of Blues in both Las Vegas and New Orleans, and as well as Margaritaville in the “Crescent City”. While living in Texas, Louisiana, Nevada, and California he repeatedly opened for BB King, Etta James, Buddy Guy, Willie Nelson, and numer-ous others. Willie toured throughout the US with late Blues-great, Phillip Walker. Willie now lives in Massachusetts, and plays with the best musicians around: explosive Osi Brathwaite on drums with his strongly Caribbean flare, the great Jazz/Funk sounds of Malcolm Stuckey on bass, and the NOLA sounds of Bruce Mattson on keys

(for-merly of Gregg

Allman Band). All consummate pros, and a

unique combo that creates music that is a profoundly soulful mixture.

www.williejlawsband.com

Blues Act of the YearJazz Act of the Year

The Revolutionary Snake Ensemble

The Revolutionary Snake Ensemble is a costumed funk/street beat improvisatial brass band performing a unique blend of original and traditional music. Leader Ken Field is a longtime member of the modern music ensemble Birdsongs of the Mesozoic.

Their latest release, Live Snakes (Accurate 2014), was recorded in 2011 & 2013 in Boston, Brooklyn, and Manhattan, and documents four distinct incarnations of the ensemble, with two remixes by Field. With sold out CD release performances at Boston’s Regattabar, at Barbes in NYC, and at Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., the CD broke into the top 10 on the CMJ jazz chart in its 2nd week out, and was an Editor’s Pick in Downbeat Magazine.

The group’s 2nd CD, Forked Tongue (2008), spent 2 months on the CMJ North American jazz top 20 chart, peaking at #11, and appeared on best-of-2008 lists in the Village Voice & in Estonia, plus in Georgia, Wisconsin, Kansas, Michigan, Massachusetts, Ohio, and NY. The disc features unique treatments of music by Field, Ornette Coleman, Billy Idol, and others.

www.RevolutionarySnakeEnsemble.orghttp://facebook.com/RevolutionarySnakeEn-

semble

Phonosynthesis

Phonosynthesis is the careful infusion of rock and jazz, imbued with the indomitable swag-ger of a classic funk band. The result: A slick combination of sonic vibration that pushes the boundaries of live music and evokes its audience to dance and shout.

Since 2011, Jon Dostou and Isaac Young have worked together on a number of inventive musical projects. Together, as the Isaac Young Quartet (IYQ) they have joined forces with Connecticut and New England’s premier bands at some of the most reputable venues across the region.

In early 2013, the duo teamed up to produce their first joint album, Staved Eve. The album did well in the CT scene, and led to extensive acclaim by fans, photographers, bloggers and members of the local media. That year with the IYQ, Dostou and Young opened for several major acts including Marco Beneven-to, and Alan Evans of Soulive. Later that year they opened the Second Annual Connecticut Music Awards at The Bushnell Theater in Hartford with one of their biggest crowd pleasers, Dow Jones. That was the same night they took their second award for “Best Jazz.”

Since then, they have maintained their formi-dable presence in the CT music scene, only to persist and expand beyond the far reaches of New England. They have been deemed “musicians’ musicians” by many of their contemporaries and continue to lead the way in the Northeast with their innovative sound. Always writing new music and combining their talents with others in their field, they plan to make Phonosynthesis a name for the ages. There is no telling how far their music will go; but wherever it does, they hope to see you there.

www.phonosynthesismusic.com

Rebecca Kingsley

Rebecca Kingsley is an American-born singer, songwriter and performer, perhaps best known for pushing musical boundaries as the first non-Latina to successfully cross over into the Bachata genre. Rebecca’s smooth, warm, seductive sound, infused with a rich mix of jazz, R&B and Latin-Caribbean rhythms, has received industry support and critical acclaim in Santo Domingo, New York City and all over the world. Rebecca Kingsley was born in Portland, Maine, USA. She studied Jazz Voice at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York City, and graduated from Eugene Lang College as a Religious Studies Major in May of 2011. She recorded two albums in the past two years.

Miss Kingsley assumed the role of the artist, writer, producer, executive producer, arranger and bandleader in the making of her first ever album in 2012 entitled “Untouched”. While all of the songs on this first album are soulful fusions of Jazz and R&B with some organic hip-hop textures, the bonus track is a Bachata cover of the classic R&B standard, “Killing Me Softly”. This song inspired the making of an entire Bachata album (“Bachatera”) in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic in 2013. Both of Rebecca’s albums feature an excep-tional group of musicians and collaborators including R&B legend, Bernard “Pretty” Purdie; 3-time Grammy Award-winning recording artist, Wyclef Jean; and renowned soul-jazz guitarist, Mark Whitfield. Mark and Rebecca are currently working on an album together.

www.RebeccaKingsley.com

The Primate Fiasco

The Primate Fiasco will throw down on any occasion. While no strangers to major festivals and rock venues, they still honor their roots on any given sidewalk.

The Fiasco fan base covers a spectrum from hippies and ravers to children and politicians. It’s hard to answer the question, “who is your audience?”, though they can say with ease, “whoever you are, welcome to our show.”

www.theprimatefiasco.com

Los Sugar Kings

Los Sugar Kings is a Boston-based quartet known for their dynamic live performances, rich harmonies, intense musicianship and ability to transcend genres with an authentic-ity rarely heard. In their world, respect is paid to the forefathers and traditions of Afro-Cu-

Dale LePage & The Manhattans

A dynamic ensemble featuring multi award winning singer Dale LePage. This fun band provides a fresh and highly creative approach

Sugar Ray and the BluetonesSinger and harp man Sugar Ray Norcia’s career kicked into high gear in 1979 when he formed the original Sugar Ray and the Bluetones with guitar giant Ronnie Earl, and it has stayed there ever since.

In the ‘90s Norcia spent seven years with the legendary Roomful of Blues. He cut five albums with the group including 1996’s TURN IT ON, TURN

IT UP, which also received a “Best Traditional Blues” Grammy nod. Sugar Ray’s latest release on Severn Record called “Evening” was nominated for five 2012 Blues Music Awards. In 2012 Ray was also inducted into Rhode Island’s Music Hall of Fame.Sugar Ray Norcia was nominated for a 2014 Grammy Award for his contribution on an album entitled “Remembering Little Walter” on Blind Pig Records. This was his third Grammy nomination. Sugar Ray and the Bluetones have a new Severn Records CD entitled “Living Tear to Tear” that was released on August 19, 2014. It has debuted number one on The Living Blues Radio Charts. It was also nominated for seven Blues Music Awards by the Blues Music Foundation.

www.sugarrayandthebluetones.com

Quinn Sullivan

15 year old Quinn Sullivan is quickly gaining quite a reputation among to-day’s most respected guitar players and musical artists. He has been touring the world with his mentor and friend, Buddy Guy, promoting his latest CD, “Getting There,” produced in Nashville with multi-Grammy winner Tom Hambridge.

It all began with a toy guitar. When Quinn was three years old, his parents gave it to him for Christmas after noticing his natural affinity for music. Pretty soon Quinn was on his way, taking lessons and performing with local musicians. It quickly became apparent he had a gift and there has been no stopping him ever since.

The journey continues and a new record is in the works. Quinn will be performing all over the United States, Canada, and Europe this year in continued support of his second release, “Getting There.”

quinnsullivanmusic.com

Jeff Pitchell

Jeff Pitchell of Wethersfield, Connecticut, is an internationally acclaimed, singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor who reminds many fans of Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimi Hendrix, and BB King. As a top-drawing, best-selling artist, his

Erin Harpe and The Delta SwingersGrowing up in the Washington DC area, Erin began playing the guitar in her teens taught by her father, bluesman Neil Harpe. She soon began performing at folk festivals, coffee houses, bars, and parties in the DC area, developing a strong blues guitar and vocal style of her own. Erin relocated to Boston to develop her music career, where she met local blues talents such as Paul Rishell and Susan Te-deschi. Erin has released two acoustic blues albums, her debut Blues Roots (2002) and 2008’s Delta Blues Duets, which have received rave reviews and radio airplay across the United States, as well as at least six European countries and Japan. Erin’s soulful vocal style and accomplished finger-picking guitar playing has earned her many fans, including guitar great Ronnie Earl, and she is quickly becoming recognized on the international blues scene. In fact, Erin just completed her first European tour in Spring 2014!

www.erinharpe.com

Mr. Nick & the Dirty TricksMr. Nick & the Dirty Tricks unites veteran musicians Nick David (a.k.a. Mr. Nick), “Lonely” Gus Carlson, Teddy B. (Bukowski) and Rick Rousseau for one of New England’s most formidable live outfits in any genre. But their hearts belong to blues.

Real blues. They play elegant, stomping and swinging classics by the likes of Little Walter, Howlin’ Wolf and Wynonie Harris and a mix of original rhumbas, jump blues, and boogies they’re developing for a debut album and taking to a growing legion of fans throughout the US and abroad.

“This band is a killer outfit,” says David, who led the popular and critically acclaimed Mr. Nick’s Blues Mafia. And that’s the truth. Everything comes together when they play: their deep mutual understanding and knowledge of blues, their originality and depth as players, and the band’s ability to put on a great show that brings people to their feet. It’s a blend that wins new converts wherever they perform.

www.thedirtytricks.com

to the Great American Songbook. By boldly infusing jazz & swing, bringing you the best music of the Mad Men generation..

www.dalelepage.com

ban Son, Salsa and Rumba-Flamenca but Los Sugar Kings (named after a Cuban baseball team) also actively draw on influences from nearly every continent in their unique roots-rock-reggae fusion repertoire. All are highly accomplished on their instruments, however the true magic of Los Sugar Kings is how these four individuals come together to put on a performance worthy of any festival, party, club or concert hall. Every show is an intimate dialogue between the band and their audience, with both sides communicating in a manner that is spontaneous, passionate, thoughtful and joyous.

www.lossugarkings.com

explosive guitar playing and impassioned vocals have drawn rave reviews from fans and critics in the U.S. and Europe for simply playing rock/blues music he wrote. Jeff ’s many accolades include a #7 record on the national Billboard charts for 12 weeks.

www.jeffpitchell.com


A SIMPLE COMPLEX

There’s more to this band than a clever play on words. A Simple Complex has forged a distinct heavy sound that makes them “Heavy enough for the mosh pit... Rock enough for the radio.”

Calling themselves “The Most Nominated Band In New England”, A Simple Complex is the only band in the history of The New England Music Awards (a committee of several industry professionals) to be nominated for an award all four years consecutively, being recognized in the categories of Best Hard Rock Band, Best Metal Band and Best In State. Limelight Magazine has nominated them for four awards over the past two years, handing them the runner-up title for both Best Band (2014) and Best Album/EP (2013).

Readers of their regional newspaper (Hippo Press) voted them ‘Best Local Band Performing Mostly Originals 2013’, an honor that landed them on the cover. All three of their latest releases reached the top 40 on five or more Amazon MP3 charts - one CD topped two charts & another topped one. www.facebook.com/asimplecomplex

ANARIA

Blending heavy metal, classical arrangements and operatic vocal harmonies, Anaria is like no other band. Equally at home playing with a variety of genres, Anaria has the musicality to play with traditional metal bands but the wide appeal and sensibility to play with modern rock and pop acts. No matter the venue or line up, Anaria can bring the crowds.

www.facebook.com/AnariaBand

BLINDSIDE THUNDER

Raging like a New England storm, BlindSide Thunder is changing the game in the genre of heavy and hard rock music. Incarnated from the ashes of past classic rock, blues and metal, BST has created and established a patent on their unique style called “Rebel Rock”. Their creative hook driven songs that include heavy guitars and bombastic drums, creates stripper music for the imaginative house wife and that “smash the dashboard feeling” driving down the highway.With the core of the band arranged around a party atmosphere, BST is known by their enormous fan base to be tongue-in- cheek about hot women, good friends and great parties! Even though the music may invoke a relaxed good time, the guys in BST are focused and intense about ensuring their ever-growing fan base receives 110% at every show, performance and interview. Never forgetting where they have come from and always happy to help out a good cause in any way they can, the down to earth members of BST, some of the most personable guys you will ever meet, go out of their way to support philanthropic endeavors. As three of the members have served in the armed forces, BST feels a strong kinship with the everyday, hard-working beating heart of America, which elevates every BST show to a higher level than those of their peers.

In short, once you have listened, you will agree that Blind Side Thunder is churning out no-holds-barred, no-excuses homegrown rock and roll with a great attitude. As their fans will agree, when the world moves faster and times get stressful, its time to turn on BST for some much-needed stress release because, after all - We Love to Party!!!!

www.blindsidethunder.com

DEAD SEASON

“Intensity, Integrity, and Inspiration”…these are the three words that best describe the band’s music, lyrics, and live show. DEAD SEASON is a household name in Maine and their popularity continues to grow nationally.

Founded by brothers Matt (guitar/back-up vocals) and Ian (lead vocals) Truman in 2003 and joined by bassist Steven Church (2007) and drummer Dustin Fitzpatrick (2014). DEAD SEASON has sold over 25,000 cd’s, an amazing feat considering the band has done it all on their own w/out the help of a record label.

www.facebook.com/deadseason

Hip Hop Act of the Year Metal Act of the Year

Joey Batts & Them:

Joey Batts & Them are a five-piece alternative hip-hop band based out of Connecticut. The band, comprised of Joey on vocals, Tony Volpe on guitar, John Dotson on bass, Marty Wirt on keys and Mike “Beatwiz” Spellman on drums and percussion, is taking the live hip hop scene by storm, Joey Batts never takes no for an answer - you either love his sound right away, or his voice kidnaps you until you change your mind. A lyrical genius and an amazing front man with impeccable crowd control, rolled into, one Joey Batts has proven to be an asset to CT’s growing underground hip-hop culture. With funky grooves and plenty of hooks, Joey Batts & Them can turn any show or event into an outright party. And with shows all over New England, the Northeast, and beyond, be sure to check them out, and you can be the best of friends!

www.rapjoeybatts.com www.facebook.com/JoeyBattsandThem

Slaine

If you believe Life is hard yet one of the best gifts anyone can be granted, you’ll understand the journey of Slaine. The hard knocks and struggle of this Boston native may sound like good tidbits for a novel, television or mini-se-ries. Hailing from the Dorchester area with deep connections in South Bos-ton, Slaine’s life was patterned somewhat of a gypsy moving around often. Despite not having a normal home foundation, Slaine aspired like other starry eyed kids to become a force in the entertainment industry.His love for hip-hop was discovered at the early age of nine. “I started writ-ing rhymes when I was nine years old, I use to record on my boom box with a pair of headphones plugged into the microphone jack. I felt they were just words on a page because I didn’t have an outlet to perform them.”Despite ups and downs throughout his career such as drug addiction, poverty, and unforgiving industry; Slaine’s living his life to the fullest. “I love making music that means something to me, I am grateful for all the experiences that I have had—good and bad. I am lucky to be alive, but my past also made me who I am today.”

www.facebook.com/slaine.official

Cameen

Cameen is a motivated Soul/R&B artist hailing from Brooklyn NY with a soul goal of “creating newer and hotter music for people to enjoy and connect with.” Coming off of the massive success of last years album “Good To You.” R&B/Soul Recording artist Cameen returns in a major way. He expands his clothing brand CC Elite Urban Wear from the New England States to the south and Midwest. And, he signs an international tour deal with Dream Makers LLC and “The Power Of Love.” The tour is scheduled to kick off at the following places in mid 2015. Los Angeles Coliseum, Beijing China, Tokyo Japan, Sydney Australia, Montreal Canada, London and finally east Ruther-ford NJ. He’s slated to be one of the headlining acts. Cameen is also back to grace us with a sizzling new single titled “The Count Down.” The single has already been called one of the hottest party and club tracks by CC Cowan of BEG RADIO and The CC Cowan Show of New York. The song is destined to become the anthem for not only multiple sports events but many New Years Eve ball drops. It’s a must hear for DJs who love a hot urban, hip-hop/R&B style track that possesses plenty of Cameen’s savvy and over-all fun. You won’t be disappointed.

http://cameen.com/

Stein

Mc From Lowell,MA Exhibiting his ART of rhyme in the HipHop listeners.

www.facebook.com/Stein78

Lady Essence

Lady Essence is a conscious Hip Hop artist from Portland, ME. She began writing lyr-ics at age thirteen and at the age of nineteen released her debut album entitled “Right Now.” Since then Essence has released two projects: “An Unseasonable Spring” and “The Root of It.” Though she was first perceived as a multi-syllable rhyme scheme battle rapper, Essence has evolved into an emotional and introspective artist with an edge of angst. Her greatest influences involve the likes of Joe Budden, Eminem, Brother Ali, Drake, Grieves, Tupac, count-less others. Lady essence is currently under Spose’s “Pdank” label and is expected to release a new project in the Fall of 2015.

www.facebook.com/Essencehiphop

Spose

27-year-old producer and emcee Spose, hailing from Wells, Maine USA, has been making music since age 9 and rhyming since 1999 when he was 14. Since the release of his debut album “Preposterously Dank” in 2008 on his own imprint, Spose has seen his musical endeavors reach a new plateau. He was named Maine’s “Best HipHop Act” for both 2008 and 2009 at the We Push Buttons Awards and also named “Best Hiphop Act” in the Portland

Phoenix’s 2010 Best Music Poll. In 2009, he released a mixtape with fellow emcee Cam Groves entitled “We Smoked It All.” A track off that mixtape, produced by Spose himself, “I’m Awesome” received regional radio play in

New England which garnered Spose his first major label recording contract with Universal Republic Records. The single was released in March 2009 nationally and would eventually go gold after selling over 500,000 digital copies in just a few months. Spose used the opportunity to build his own company, the Preposterously Dank Entertainment label based out of Wells, Maine. Artists signed to his imprint include himself, Spose, as well as the aforementioned emcee Cam Groves, hip-hop trio Educated Advocates, and the space-funk-sex-r’n’b of Doctor Astronaut. In 2010, Spose released both “In Sessions,” the debut album from Educated Advocates, as well as his own indie album “Happy Medium.” Spose has since left Universal and released his independent album “The Audacity!” - which peaked at #6 on the iTunes hiphop albums chart. www.pdank.com

FORGET TOMORROW

Hailing from Wolcott, CT, Forget Tomor-row is a six-piece post-hardcore band that has been pushing musical limits within this past year, currently accomplishing their goal of having their music travel into the ears of many. With a clear vision, “whatever it takes” mentality, tour history, and solidified lineup, the band shows no signs of slowing down.

The dynamic six-piece has recently self-re-leased a six-song EP, titled “Identity”, which has received an excellent response in the form of sales, streams, social media hype, and tons of positive reviews. On these latest tracks, Forget Tomorrow went with Andrew Baylis for pre-production and Taylor Larson (I, The Breather, Periphery, Capture the Crown) for full production, coming out with extremely catchy, polished, and passionate material.

Since releasing “Identity”, Forget Tomorrow have already written new music, with four new tracks set for completion by the end of 2014. In addition, they also have touring plans for early 2015. The band is fully prepared to do what it takes to advance to the next level, and are currently pursuing record labels, management groups, and booking agents to help them further their musical career.

www.facebook.com/ForgetTomorrow

STILL WELL ANGEL

Heavy, dirty guitar chugs, unforgettable lyrics, blistering drums, raw energy and passion are just a few words to describe Still Well Angel, a four person hard rock/metal band from outside the Boston area. They have taken their four personas and created one power group. Music is their life; they dream it, eat it, and they put their hearts into every song they write and every performance they give. Delivering an unforgettable live show with catchy radio tunes you can sing along to.

www.stillwellangelmusic.com


With a recording and touring schedule that rivals even the most hardcore touring acts, TheMallett Brothers Band is arguably one of the hardest working bands in New England. In fact it was nearly impossible to get them all to stop working long enough to pose for a picture, let alone do an interview. But then growing up in a working musicians family, brothers Luke and Will Mallett come by this work ethic naturally. Their father, folk legend and one half of the original Mallett Brothers band, David Mallett continues to write and perform throughout New England. Both boys and their sister play on some of their dad’s more recent recordings. In fact. when we finally corralled the second generation in their studio in Port-land, Dad was there for support, and a little input.

Formed in 2009, The Mallett Brothers Band is now lead by brothers Luke and Will Mallett on guitar and lead vocals, with Nick Lean and his famous boot-stomp on Bass, the multi-talented Wally Wenzel on dobro & electric guitar, rocker Brian Higgins on Drums, and Matt Mills on Electric and slide guitar, and Banjo. While most of the song writing is done by brothers Will and Luke, all six band members are an integral part of their sound. I was fascinated by

the broad range of experience each brings with them, from Brian’s Hard Rock past to Luke’s foray into Hip Hop.

In person I found the guys, to be super laid back and their performances as fun to watch, as they are to listen to. Their music is song-driven, probably best described as Southern Rock or Country Rock with a twist of Folk stirred in. Their six years of near non-stop touring has made the Mallett Brothers Band seasoned profes-sionals, which shows in their flawless stage presence. Whether they are playing an acoustical set in a small club or on the big stage plugged-in, the songs of The Mallett Brothers bring an energy that immediately gets your hands clapping and your boots stomping. Still, if you listen closely, you can hear the gift of folk flavored lyrics weaved throughout each song. The blend of tra-ditional instruments, like Wally’s Dobro, and electric guitar only adds to the magical marriage of musical worlds. This also makes it hard to give their sound a label. I simply call it great music. And yes, I am a fan.

Whatever you call it, it’s pretty obvious to anybody listening to them that the unique style The Mallett Brothers Band is creating is working for them big time. All you have to do is attend any of their sold-out elbow bumping shows as I did a few weeks back. They’re fans are as different as they are loyal. And when I say loyal I mean die-hard know if they changed the order of play list, missed a word in a song, or had a haircut loyal.

Even with their busy show schedule the Mallett Brothers Band found time to record and released three

albums. The first, the self titled, “The Mallett Brothers Band,” in 2010, “Low Down,” in 2011, and, “Land,” in 2013. Along with a killer tour schedule, the success of their third album, “Land,” brought them awards for “Best Band Of The year,” and “Best Album Of The Year,” at the 2013 New England Music Awards.

New England isn’t alone in their appreciation of this talented band. They have opened for acts ranging from The Josh Abbot Band, Blackberry Smoke, Charlie Robison, and the Turnpike Troubadours, to legends like Lynyrd Skynyrd, Charlie Daniels, and .38 Special.

In 2014, The Mallett Brothers Band went back into the studio, so to speak. What they really did is packed up all their gear and headed to a small, secluded cabin in the Maine woods, to record their fourth album. The new CD, “Lights Along The River,” will be released April 25th at a show Port City Music Hall in Portland Maine.

Since their beginning The Mallett Brothers Band has continued to gain fans, and there is no doubt this is due in a large part to their tireless work ethic. But I believe that ultimately, the reason their popularity is exploding is because they are really, really good, both live and in the studio. So if you haven’t heard of The Mallett Brothers Band until now, I encourage you buy a CD or go see one of their fantastic live shows. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

www.mallettbrothersband.com

The Mallett Brothers at their Portland studio. Photo by E.M Images

Rick Stephens Murphy


HILTON PARK Hailing from Southern Maine, HIL-TON PARK is known in the North-eastern U.S. for earthy, emotionally expressive and superbly crafted Americana, Folk & Blues. Combin-ing veteran musical & songwriting skill with teen prodigy, father/son team Bruce and Conor Hilton and family friend Gregg Pannier explore

intimate musical textures with their sophomore release “Strings”, digging into the roots of American Blues, Folk Rock and Country, while maintaining a contemporary feel that is 100% Hilton Park.

The HILTON PARK sound is authentic and endearingly classic, with enough modern grit to captivate today’s audience. The backdrop of their live performances looks like the wall of a music store, with acoustic guitars, mandolin, dobro, weissenborn, Irish bouzouki... up to 9 instruments at any given show, plus Pannier’s piano. Along with the varied instrumentation, stylish and con-fident 3-part vocal harmonies fill the repertoire, combining the ‘blood harmony’ only heard in family acts (from the Everly Broth-ers to the Avett Brothers) with a melodic skill often compared to Crosby, Stills and Nash. Their songwriting style shows New England savvy, yet with roots in the Deep South.

www.facebook.com/HiltonParkMusic www.hiltonparkband.com

MUDDY RUCKUS

Muddy Ruckus is Ryan Flaherty and Erika Stahl. The Portland based duo plays an original blend of ameri-cana, gypsy swing and rock. Flaherty, originally from Rock Island, IL, met Stahl in 2013 in Portland Maine.

They played on porches, street corners andcampfires and became Muddy Ruckus. An explosive clash of bluesy, gypsy guitar, obscure lyrics and growling vocal harmonies follow the Ruckus around.

Muddy Ruckus pulls inspiration from the music they love - old timey folk, punk rock and Django Reinhardt - dressing it with lyrics that poke fun at society and exam the state of the world.

Muddy Ruckus recently released their new self titled album in the Fall of 2014. In a yearstime the band has toured both regionally and nationally, was nominated for the NewEngland Music Awards “Best in State of Maine” and was included in Daytrotter’s “Bestsongs of 2014” list. You can also find Muddy Ruckus on Daytrotter.com andPandora.com.

www.muddyruckus.comwww.muddyruckus.bandcamp.comwww.facebook.com/muddyruckus

BANGTOWN TIMEBOMB

Bangtown Timebomb is in the process of recording their first full-length album, following their 2014 self-titled four song EP. The album will be proudly self produced and distributed and available at New England retailers and online. Bangtown started in January 2013 near Bangor, Maine with Jeff and Sarah. The music and message of the band was the intention of simple and straight forward rock and roll, in the likes of Joan Jett and AC/DC, with thoughtful and gritty lyrics fronted by a punk inspired female singer. The pair soon expanded in a few months to include three other musicians with varying tastes in music, ranging from metal and punk to classic rock to techno. Bangtown has been nominated by the New England Music Awards as 2014 Best Band in Maine, will be seen on the Nite Show with Danny Cashman in February 2015 and releasing their album in the Spring of 2015. The new release will maintain their punk rock inspired lyrics and metal riffs as well as threading in a more indie sound with ethereal guitar licks and funky bass lines. In the future, the band expects to expand live shows nationally and make more great friends and fans. www.facebook.com/Bangtowntimebomb

SYGNAL TO NOISE

Sygnal To Noise is a melodic hard rock band out of Biddeford ME,Formed in February of 2013 with one focus in mind. write good solid rock music and have fun doing it. With Coopa a well respected vocalist in the New England Music scene on vocals, Austin Cooper a young and incredibly gifted drummer, Dirty Dave Graham on guitar, James Leonard on guitar and Casey Chick on the bass to round out the group. They set the wheels in motion to start contributing to the New England rock scene, with only one full focus in mind. To have fun doing it! With one of the best live shows in New England, these five guys are focused and determined to bring Rock N Roll back to the forefront of the modern music scene.

https://www.facebook.com/SygnalToNoise

THE BAND APOLLO

Nominated by The New England Music Awards for Best Maine Artist for 2014, The Band Apollo is Jonathan Johnston on lead vocals, Jonathan Truman (JTru) on drums, and Ben Packard on lead guitar. The Band Apollo’s first EP, released in 2012, featured their first single “Bad Company”, which received extensive radio play in Maine on WCLZ, WBLM and WCYY, and “Little Red Dress”, which ranked #3 on WTOS’s Homegrown Top Ten for 2012. The Band Apollo has consistently performed throughout New England, sharing the stage with various notable acts, including the Pete Kilpatrick Band and Enter the Haggis.

Johnston and JTru have been playing music together since 2008 as the Jonathan Johnston Band. Packard joined the group in 2012 and they became known as The Band Apollo; a new name to embody their fresh approach to collaborative song-writing.

www.facebook.com/thebandapollo www.thebandapollo.com

BEST NOT BROKEN

Best Not Broken took shape in 2007 and quickly evolved from New England club favorite to a band with burgeoning regional popularity. The pop-alternative rock ensemble draws influence from genres as diverse as the experiences that shape its songs. With rhythmic underpinnings that draw from Britpop, post-punk, and reggae, melodic themes that blend a reminiscence of 80’s synth-pop with new age indus-trial rock, and lush lyrical landscapes rooted in singer-songwriter sensibility, the band has forged a sound that is uniquely contemporary and definitively its own.The band is made up of Eric Jackson on lead vocals, guitar, and keyboards, Nik Farr on guitar, backing vocals, and programming, Carlo Carluccio on drums and percussion, and Brad Boyle on bass.

www.facebook.com/BestNotBroken www.bestnotbroken.com

BLACKLIGHT RUCKUS

Garrett C - Guitar, Vocals, Bass

Steve Kysor - Drums, Vocals, Synth

Eric Reingold - Bass, Sex Appeal

A morphing 3-piece from Southern NH, these boys like to mix things up, taking influences across the entire music spectrum and blending them into a coherent, melodic and often outrageous sound. Add a gratuitous amount of black lights, a dazzling light show and you have that which is the “BlackLight Ruckus”

Record Label: Single and ready to mingle

Website: www.BlackLightRuckus.com

GRETCHEN & THE PICKPOCKETS

Hailing from Durham, New Hampshire, Gretchen & the Pickpockets is a band whose unique blend of rock, jazz, and soul - coupled with an insatiable appetite for playing shows in New England and elsewhere - has gotten them a great deal of attention in a short amount of time.

www.facebook.com/GretchenandthePickpocketswww.gretchenandthepickpockets.com

JANDEE LEE PORTER BAND Americana, Folk, Country, Pop and Rock would be just some of the ways to describe the Jandee Lee Porter Band. Through original music, this band has fused the above styles into a sound that is not like the rest. They stand out, they defy convention and push themselves to create a sound that is unique, complex and will leaving you wanting more.

Jandee, lead vocalist and face of the band has spent the better part of her life craft-ing words and melodies that say something out of the ordinary. There are hooks and fun loving lyrics but there are also words that express pain, loss, confusion, growth and change. You can sing along with some but others will make you think. A very difficult thing for any artist to do.

The band is comprised of 5 highly talented musicians who not only excel at their instruments, are song writers with years of experience playing a variety of styles and performing in dozens of situations. This group can bash away on the biggest stages but can also deliver an intimate performance in the smallest of places. Not bad for a 6 piece band!

In addition to original material, the Jandee Lee Porter Band performs cover songs that span sounds from yesterday and today. You’ll hear Miranda, Carrie and Little Big Town as well as Johnny, Patsy, John Prine and others.

If you come to dance, you’ll like what you hear. If you come to listen, you’ll like what you hear.

Expect something different. www.facebook.com/pages/Jandee-Lee-Porter-Band/117407688271849www.jandeeleeporter.com

TAN VAMPIRES

The band is from Dover, New Hampshire and originally formed in 2007 though many of the members have known each other much longer. Band members include Jake Mehrmann on vocals and guitars, Mike Filitis on bass, Mike Effenberger on keyboard, Jim Rudolf on drums, Nick Phaneuf guitar, and Chris Klaxton on trumpet and guitar. They have released a full length album, For Physical Fitness, and an EP, Ephemera. The band was also nominated for the “Best in State: New Hampshire” New England Music Award last year.

www.facebook.com/tanvampires


RUMBLECATRumblecat’s core mission is to make great original music, but their live shows also draw on an extensive catalogue of classic covers, some faithful and some radically re-imag-ined. Though they acknowledge that rock’n’roll is the foremost ancestor of their sound, traditional labels fail to describe the experience of a Rumblecat show. Their sound draws on blues, folk, funk, afrobeat, jazz, hip hop, reggae, and many other genres. Since they began gigging in 2013, Rumblecat—based in Burlington, VT—has shared bills with regional and national touring bands. They are one of five nominees currently in conten-tion for the New England Music Awards’ 2014 Vermont Best in State. Their first studio recording was released in November of 2013, and they are working on a full-length album due in 2015.

www.facebook.com/rumblecatvtwww.reverbnation.com/rumblecat

THE VACANT LOTSThe Vacant Lots initially came together in 2009 in their hometown of Burlington, Vermont, and made their recorded debut a couple years later with the ‘Confusion’ single, which was highly praised by Pitchfork for its “pared down sound, with all excess fat deliciously shorn to the bone, allowing a stone cold downer vibe to bludgeon the listener into a glorious, senseless stupor”.

The key element of The Vacant Lots’ minimalist, primitive rock’n’roll songs is their boundless energy, which tears up the psychedelic rock template with a genuine punk spirit. Combine that with the use of synths and drum ma-chines, and it’s not surprising to see why the band have won over Suicide’s Alan Vega, with whom they will be working very soon. Another famous friend is former Galaxie 500 and Luna frontman (and now Sonic Cathedral labelmate) Dean Wareham, who plays guitar on ‘Tomorrow’.

This minimalist aesthetic is something they have developed over the past few years, not least by continuing as a two-piece. “We auditioned other gui-tarists and bass players early on, but were never able to find that connection with another member,” explains percussionist/singer Brian MacFadyen. “There are certain limitations imposed on two people, but the level of unspoken connection between us has allowed the process of everything to be quite efficient.” Guitarist/singer Jared Artaud agrees: “We are able to strip it down until the music becomes elementary and essential, until every note counts. We are constantly trying to explore the limits of what two people can do with sound.”

The Vacant Lots see themselves very much in the lineage that stretches from Bo Diddley and Link Wray, via The Velvet Underground and The Stooges to Suicide, The Cramps, The Gun Club and Spacemen 3. Brian also cites Kraftwerk and New Order as influences, especially on the more synth based tunes such as ‘Paint This City’. This incorporation of electronics has brought the band’s sound right up to date, and also allows for a more diverse soundscape both in the studio and when they play live. To this end, Brian spends most of his spare time working with electronics, building pedals and custom effects. www.facebook.com/VACANTLOTS www.thevacantlots.com

DIONYSIABorn of the numerous jam sessions between drummer Alex Myers and gui-tarist/vocalist Garrett Brown starting early summer 2010, Dionysia began its formation as a project band. It was only when bassist Will Kiernan and saxophonist/pianist/vocalist Julien Vandal joined them that the group began to take shape and produce the authentic blend of Alternative Rock, Funk Rock and Contemporary Blues that they have become known for. Tune in sometime, you won’t regret it.

dionysiaband.com www.facebook.com/Dionysiamusic

DWIGHT & NICOLEDwight & Nicole, an American roots band formed by recording artists Dwight Ritcher and Nicole Nelson are set to release their sophomore LP, the aptly titled Shine On, on April 22, 2014. An inspiring mashup of folk, blues, pop, jazz, gospel and reggae, the album can’t be categorized easily, but that’s fine. “I don’t like to be categorized...because I’m changing all the time. And in every moment, I’m a little bit different. And as I am feeling things, what I want to express becomes different. And I think our fans appreci-ate that honesty,” says Nelson.

Dwight & Nicole’s performances have inspired comparisons to some of the greats — Etta James and John Lee Hooker, the Rolling Stones and the Staple Singers — but it’s their fresh blend of spirited blues, rock and gospel that is propelling them to make their own mark on the music world. They have performed at countless world class venues and festivals.

www.dwightandnicole.com www.facebook.com/dwightandnicole

JATOBA Music patrons of all ages and backgrounds can find something to love about Jatoba. In four short years the Vermont-based trio has cultivated a unique and instantly identifiable brand of music, incorporating styles and genres from all corners of the sonic spectrum, and indeed the globe. In what they have dubbed as “groove-grass”, the three members employ quick bluegrass tempos driven by thumping, rockabilly-like bass lines, and accentuated with soaring three-part vocal harmonies. On top of this, they add effect-driven guitar solos, heavy rhythmic improvisation, beat-boxing, and even the occasional sitar interlude. Their debut album, Death, Fire & Picnic Tables, released in 2011, is a shining example of this eclecticism, and effortlessly showcases their song-writing talents, technical dexterity, and relentless energy.

Since first popping up on the public radar in 2008, Jatoba has accumulated a broad and deeply devoted fan base, both at home and around the Northeast, and has been a powerful force behind the revitalization of the previously lacking local mu-sic market. “This is not a ‘what you see is what you get’ group of guys. From their name, to their sound, to their bare feet on stage (weather permitting), and their quirky persona, Jatoba is making noise for the Southern Vermont music scene.” (Brian Joy, Editor Cider Magazine) www.jatobamusic.net www.facebook.com/jatobamusic

DAN AND THE WILDFIRE Folking awesome music. Dan and the Wildfire are a particularly potent cocktail comprised of 1 part old time mountain folk, 1 part classic rock and roll, and 3 parts bottom shelf bourbon. Mix it up and what you get is a musical experience that burns it’s way into your bones and lights up your soul with a crisp, rootsy sound that’ll leave you reeling for another taste of that Wildfire. This Boston based band was started by guitarist and singer-songwriter Dan Htoo-Levine in 2011 with trumpeter Thom Brennan and Keyboardist Matt Hines under the auspices of forging a softer, folk sound. After adding drummer Kyle Jenkins, however, their sound grew beyond the folk bound-ary but it wasn’t until bassist Sam Katz joined the band that the last piece of the Wildfire folk rock experience came into place. To date, Dan and the Wildfire have played all over New England, Washington D.C., out to Chicago and burned down every place in between. Their third studio album ‘Bull Moose’, to be released in the spring of 2015, is the next chapter in the evolution of the folk, rock experience. Their well received second album ‘Smoke Signals’ is available worldwide and follows their debut album, ‘Noth-ing, Anything, Everything’ released under the moniker ‘Dan HL’ in 2011.

www.facebook.com/danandthewildfirewww.danandthewildfire.com

HIGH HOPES BAND

With their roots steeped deep in the tradition of the classic 70s period of conscious reggae, the High Hopes Band (HHB) is considered one of New England’s premiere reggae bands. High Hopes com-bines influences of roots reggae, dub, & RnB into its own style and sound.

High Hopes has been performing throughout New England for the last 10 years. 2015 marks their 3rd year of touring the U.S. Virgin Islands and their first West coast touring coming in July. High Hopes has provided tour support for Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, Ziggy Marley, Maxi Priest & Midnite, to name some of the bands/artists they’ve worked with.

At every High Hopes Band performance, audiences are often treated to a wide range of music styles while thanks to the band’s influential bassist, Julie Feola, they also keep it grounded in the foundation of their heavy roots sound. Hailing from St. Croix-US Virgin Island, vocalist Sebastian Franks, with his soulful vibe, creative writing skills, and catchy melodic hooks adds a fresh neo-soul like RnB influ-ence to the band’s already diverse sound. High Hopes Band is keyboardist Paddy McDonnell brings his own reggae dub approach to original material written by the band.

The newest addition to High Hopes Band is Drum-mer A.J. Maynard. A super drummer, A.J. also plays guitar and saxophone, the later of which can be heard on the 2015 single “Big Brother”.

A traditional drummer, the band’s percussionist, Papa Zekes, rounds out the members of High Hopes Band and is the “glue” in the band’s sound.

www.facebook.com/highhopesband www.highhopesreggae.com/

ROSS LIVERMORE BANDRoss Livermore Band is made up of Ross Livermore on vocals and guitar, Paul Dumas on drums and vocals, Neil Taylor on bass and vocals, and Phil Selesnick on keyboards and vocals.

Ross and Paul launched the Ross Livermore Band with the 2008 album, “To Life,” produced by Jesse Ciarmataro. That was followed by a 2010 EP, “Lost & Found,” recorded in Buffalo. They co-produced it with Joseph Anthony Secchiaroli, whom they didn’t know before but had a hunch could help them. Next up was 2011s self-titled record, which was made in

THE GROWNUP NOISE

Since releasing their self-titled debut in 2007, Boston’s The Grownup Noise have evolved into a rousing indie- pop outfit, bridging the gap between americana and indie, who’ve shared stages with everyone from comedian Patton Oswalt to fellow avant-baroque musicians like Dresden Doll Aman-da Palmer, Thao with the Get Down Stay Down(Kill Rock Stars), and acclaimed Canadian barnstormers Rock Plaza Central.

All five members of The Grownup Noise (Paul Han-sen - vocals, guitar, keys; Adam Sankowski - bass, keys, vocals; Rachel Arnold- cello, vocals; and Aine Fujioka - drums, vocals), Todd Marsten (Accordion, Keys) are multi-instrumentalists and equal con-tributors to Feeling’s umbrella of styles. The quartet came together in 2005 at the famous Berklee College of Music, when Paul and Adam first met.

Music from their debut was featured prominent-ly during a seasonal climax of MTV’s “The Real World”, and The Tucson Weekly proclaimed that The Grownup Noise are, “A band that revels in the beauty of a simple melody delivered with minimal enhancement for maximum emotional effect.” Their single ‘Carnival’ won a contest judged by NYTimes Best-Selling Author and music writer Steve Almond, and was featured on NPR. The band was also excited to learn that ‘Carnival’ was the most downloaded song in early April 2011 for Paste Magazine’s Songs For Haiti.

The Grownup Noise have spent much of the past three-plus years since their last record nurturing their skills and crossing the country on five national tours, traveling in a van that ran on recycled vege-table oil and was converted by members of fellow touring mates Piebald.

www.facebook.com/thegrownupnoise www.thegrownupnoise.com

THE OFF CHANCE

Founding members Maldi Kellici and Jason Differ met in 2004 at a show, playing with separate bands. Within weeks, Differ was asked to join Kellici’s band. Upon the band’s breakup, Kellici and Differ found themselves at the intersection of their dreams and their realities. Both quit writing music to pursue other interests. While teaching private guitar lessons, it would be the curiosity of a student to push Kellici to contact Differ. The collaboration was fruitful from the very first meeting. With a reinvig-orated passion for music and a mature approach to songwriting, the duo began writing for their first album titled Change.

Since the release of their debut EP, Change, Aug 22nd 2012, The Off Chance has established itself among the top bands in Boston. In under one year from their first live performance (October 7, 2012), the band played more than 24 shows, received air-play on four digital radio stations, found coverage in multiple magazines and blogs, and is followed/liked by over 7,000 fans on social media. The band secured performances at Ben & Jerry’s Fair Trade Festival in Boston as well as New York’s CBGB Festival, further establishing themselves as a band with energy, passion, and draw. The band has also headlined venues including: the House of Blues

Boston - Foundation Room, The Middle East, Hard Rock Café Boston, Café Wha?, the Bitter End, and Sullivan Hall NY. Additionally, they released four videos on YouTube (three music videos, one lyric video) with total views of over 37,300. The most watched video being for their first single, which has been viewed more than 15,000 times.

www.facebook.com/TheOffChance

Manhattan and again with production help from Secchiaroli. The album included the gems “Along for the Ride” (for which a live video was made on a friend’s boat in Salem harbor) and “When I Fall Down,” featuring a video shot at a gig on Sugarloaf Mountain in Maine.

Right now, it appears that nothing can stop the band. Livermore has improved his songwriting by taking the opportunity to study in Nashville with hit singer-songwriter Darrell Scott. “I had heard him on Pandora and his voice spoke to me,” says Ross. “His big thing was to say that our job as songwriters is just to tell the truth.” Ross and his mates have been telling and singing the truth for a while now. The time has come for the rest of the nation to listen. www.facebook.com/rosslivermoreband www.rosslivermoreband.com


VulGarrity

VulGarrity’s approach to live perfor-mance is just as unique as their sound. Siblings Tracy and Shawn Garrity play every instrument themselves…at the same time. The use of loop pedals allows the dynamic duo

to play drums, guitar, bass and keys, all while executing tight vocal harmonies. That’s not all – they switch instruments, too – usually several times during a live performance, sometimes within the same song, without missing a beat. Sure, other acts use samples and loop pedals on stage, but the difference is nothing is pre-record-ed – the riffs are recorded live in front of the audience and then started and stopped during the song, while other instruments are being played, to create the effect of a full band. How do they do this? Come to a live show and see for yourself.Their dedication has brought the duo across the USA and back several times, sharing the stage with several notable acts along the way, including Sleeper Agent, The Joy Formidable, Mike Doughty, Days of the New, The Misfits, King’s X, Sponge, Psy-chostick, The Prodigals Ra and Electric Six.

www.vulgarrity.com

Jennifer Hill & Co. Jennifer Hill is the front woman for indie piano rock band Jennifer Hill and Co. as well as the founder of SWAN DAY CT ( http://www.facebook.com/swan-dayct ) an international movement to gain exposure for women in the Arts. She has been a part of CT’s Music and Arts community since she was young and trained classically at University of Hartford’s HARTT School of Music (as a Musical Theater Vocal Major) and at Fort Lewis University in Colorado (as an Op-

era Major). From attending the prestigious HARTT School of music, to honing her craft in NYC’s lower east side, Jennifer Hill has made herself known as both an outstanding vocalist/pianist and musical activist on the Indie Scene.

Her band Jennifer Hill and Co. is a mix of rock, pop, alternative,and blues…and her solo work is a menage of uptempo piano pieces and brooding melodies with lyrics inspired by love, life, loss and the messed up things life has to offer.

She has been compared to Fiona Apple with a touch of Lady Gaga and a sprinkle of Blondie and can either rock you with a full band or bring you to tears (in a good way) with just her voice and the keys.

https://soundcloud.com/jenniferhillandco

Balkun Brothers

Balkun Brothers is an American blues-rock band hailing from Hartford, CT. Originally formed in 2010 by brothers Nick and Steve Balkun. Balkun Brothers has been described as “… Spectacular torch-bearers for rockin’ American blues… The band brings a raw, soulful and energetic personality that is a fresh sound for blues and rock ’n roll.” -Theday.com. Mixing traditional styles of delta and electric blues, with heavy modern rock and funk grooves, the Balkun Brothers are crafting a unique sound and style all their

own. The trio is fusing the past with the present and pushing the sonic bounds of blues into the future. Though the band’s sound is deeply rooted in blues tradition, Balkun Brothers draw from a vast range of influences. The band’s live shows and in-studio recordings seamlessly transition between blues, rock, funk, jam, psyche-delia and everything in-between.

Currently, the band consists of founding members Steve Balkun (guitar/vocals), Nick “The Hammer” Balkun (drums/percussion/vocals) and Caleb “Dr. Jiggles” Battersby (bass/vocals). Gaining followers with their gritty hard-rockin’ swagger, Balkun Brothers are becoming known for their explosive live shows and are quickly evolving into one of New England’s premier blues-rock acts.

balkunmusic.com

Atlas Gray

Rumor has it that Sir Tembo (headmaster of a school for wayward boys) took five of his most troubled enrollees on a safari to the Serengeti….a well meaning attempt to further their worldly awareness. Soon after their arrival, and in the depths of late night darkness, the boys deceptively abandoned the tutorial voyage and scurried out of camp in pursuit of their own cultural expedition. Haplessly, a few hours into the next morning’s light they were tragically abducted by native tribesman, caged in the center of a remote village and left with little to ponder less their eventual fate.

In no more than a week’s time, our captives frightfully witnessed a merciless midnight raid on the village by a band of rogue elephants. Dubbed by the tribe’s elders as “The Grays” and their leader as “Atlas” (a bull beyond massive proportions) the pachydermic gang raged havoc and destruction beyond imaginable description. The boys additionally discovered the attack was somewhat common and the tribe, obviously, had yet to devise the means to avert their repetitive tormentors.Quick minded, the boys drew from the age old adage that “music calms the most savage of beasts” and devised an ingenious scheme that would hopefully provide a mu-tually beneficial resolve. Incorporating hollowed logs and materials stripped from their penal stockade, they hastily fashioned crude percussive and string instruments, composed a repertoire of mesmerizing melodies with intertwined pulsating rhythms……and then sat in wait.

Upon the next assault, the boys immediately began to perform with unbridled passion and conviction. Low and behold, the ingenious plan proved to be astonishingly effective….the bull became joyously hypnotized and the herd followed suit. The plunder became a party and sublime harmony prevailed.Above the most imaginable expectation, the elders were so gratefully impressed they not only released their captives, but also pulled bartered resources to provide the lads’ safe passage back to the US.

Well, you can easily imagine where the continuation of this fable leads us. Being wayward, devilish and in lieu of desiring conservative careers, the boys (Alex, John, Adam, Andy and Stoltz) were surrealistically convinced. Music was undeniably their salvation and taking this magical band to the street was nothing short of inevitable destiny.

www.atlasgray.com

Oh, Cassius

The musical partnership of John Torres and Meredith DiMenna, known together as Oh, Cassius!, released their debut EP in 2014 to critical acclaim. On Such a Full Sea Are We Now Afloat, a dreamy folk-pop gem described by Guitar World as “an EP of subtle genius,” features an impressive roster of top musicians including bassist Michael Libramento (Grace Potter and the Nocturnals), drummer Chuck Palmer (RJD2), cellist Dave Eggar (Coldplay, Frank Ocean), drummer Zachary Alford (David Bowie, B52s) as well as a duet with Mates of State.

www.ohcassius.com

The Meadows Brothers

Ian and Dustin Meadows have been playing music together for quite some time now. It all goes back to singing along to their parents’ records, sitting at the kitchen table in their high chairs. Somewhere in their early teens, while playing in another band together, they got ahold of some Hank Williams and Woody Guthrie albums. The Meadows Brothers are the end result of two kids from New England becoming infatuated with the roots of American music, the art of crafting song, and being able to pass on the joy they receive from the music to an audience.

www.meadowsbrothers.com

The Silks

Rock and Roll may not be dead, but it does seem like there’s a priest leaning over its bed, reciting the last rites. However, if The Silks have anything to do with it, the body will soon be out of bed, bopping around the room.

What makes their debut disc, Last American Band, so special is this Rhode Island trio not only rocks but also rolls. While longhaired singer-g…uitarist, Tyler-James Kelly belts it out like early Paul Rodgers, bassist Jonas Parmelee and drummer Matthew Donnelly, keep the beat swinging. One listen to these guys and you’ll remember this music is for the body as well as the mind. The minute you hear The Silks? You can’t sit down.

The sheer rockin’ power of this album is also due to the fella who produced it. This guy named Paul Wester-berg, leader of The Replacements. Between Westerberg’s experience and the excitement of his new charges, this disc is like a wonderfully-controlled explosion. As Mr W. says, “We have a hit record here. It really stands up to all of the other mess in a big way.”

From the Mountain-like heaviness of Down At The Heel to the Dylanesque blues of Try All You Want to the stomping rocker, Living In The World Today, The Silks sound like the first band in ages who could conceivably appeal to kids who are horrified at having Miley shoved down their throats, to aging hipsters who once hung out at The Fillmore. Though they’re young, The Silks seem somehow ageless. They’ve learned their lessons. They know their history. They rock. They also roll. Look! The body is out of bed. And dig it: he’s dancing!

– Peter Gerstenzang is an award-winning humorist and freelance journalist, who has written for The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Esquire and a number of other of publications.

www.thesilksmusic.com

The Rare Occasions

After making their mark on the Providence rock scene with their reputable act, The Valar, drum-mer Luke Imbusch and singer/keyboardist Brian McLaughlin decided to take their unmistakable sound with them to Boston. There they teamed up with bassist Jeremy Cohen and guitarist Peter Stone, and quickly began constructing a set more formidable than their last. As The Rare Occasions, these four intertwine well-crafted songwriting with an unapologetically bold sense of musicianship to bring the music to the people.

In their time together thus far, they have self-re-corded and self-produced a six-track demo and two five-track EPs, won the Tufts University Battle of the Bands, opened for Guster and Lupe Fiasco at the Tufts Spring Fling, played live on the radio, released a music video, won WBRU’s annual Rock Hunt, and performed at venues across New England. The group looks to con-nect with listeners and musicians alike through their unique sound.

therareoccasions.com

Haunt the House

Haunt the House, (Will Houlihan) falls somewhere between a bedroom whispered heart broken prayer and a brilliant repentant cry in the dark. He consistently writes songs that are simple and personal.

http://Hauntthehouse.bandcamp.comwww.facebook.com/hauntthehousemusic

Satellites Fall

In February of 2012, Satellites Fall released their first EP, “Lines on the Road”, to positive reviews. The EP received “Runner UP” for Album/EP of the year by Limelight Magazine. The track “Servitude” gained them entry into local indie/alt rock station, 95.5 WBRU’s, 2012 Rock Hunt where they finished as semi-finalists. “Servitude” and “Perfect Weather” both received mainstream radio play.

In late 2012, the band released a follow up single, “One Night”. The single was nominated for “Song of the Year” by Limelight Magazine. It received commercial radio play and continues to be a crowd favorite. In 2013, the band released a follow up single, “Strange New Day”. The track was debuted on radio station 95.5 WBRU (Providence, RI) where it remained an exclusive track for the first few months of it’s release. The track also gained them entry into the 95.5 WBRU 2013 Rock Hunt where they finished as Semi-finalists.

Throughout 2013, Satellites Fall continued to support national acts including “American Idol” season 7 win-ner, “David Cook” (RCA Records) (direct support), “Andrew W.K.” (Universal Music Group, Island Records), “Sick Puppies” (Virgin, EMI, Capitol), and “10 Years” (Universal, Warner Music Group). The band was also offered to directly support Eve 6 (RCA, BMG, Sony) but were previously scheduled to perform at Rhode Island internet radio station’s 990wbob.com’s annual breast cancer fundraiser, “Boobstock”.

In January of 2014 the band was nominated for “Best In State: RI” in The New England Music Awards. Sat-ellites Fall remain a very active band with a heavy gigging schedule including performances at festivals such as The Dewey Beach Music Conference (Delaware), The Liberty Fest (Philly), and M.E.A.N.Y Fest (NYC). The band has won various competitions and has been voted artist of the month in several publications, including Rocksposure.com (February, 2012) and were recently a featured artist on ReverbNation. The band is scheduled to start recording a new EP titled, “Pascal’s Wager”, as well as filming their first official video for “Strange New Day.

www.facebook.com/SatellitesFall”

Granite Coast Entertainment 2014 New England Music Awards Edition www.granitecoastentertainment.com34

New England Music Award Issue

Documents

Transcript of New England Music Award Issue