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Sarah Khatami is a young R&B singer/songwriter, with a unique improvisational flair, often influenced by the Persian music she grew up listening to. She was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. As the child of two Muslim Iranian immigrants, Sarah has always had a great appreciation for her freedom to practice and perform music. At the age of 6, Sarah decided she wanted to be a singer.
Sarah’s earliest memory of performing took place on the playground at recess in the first grade. She was quietly singing “Where Is the Love?” by the Black-Eyed Peas while playing four square with her friend Katie, who, unbeknownst to Sarah, was listening intently to her singing. Suddenly, Katie looked at her with wide eyes, and asked, “Where did you get that beautiful voice from?” Sarah just blushed and looked down at her feet. Katie then grabbed her hand and led her to different people at the playground, exclaiming, “You’ve got to listen to Sarah sing!” Sarah started singing again, and eventually, almost everyone on the playground had formed a giant circle around her, cheering her on, and asking her to sing over and over again. Sarah was shocked that she had moved so many people with just her voice. From that moment on, she knew that music would have to be more than just a hobby. In the years following, Sarah did small school chorus concerts, plays, talent shows, and local singing competitions, but it wasn’t until the fifth grade that she started taking professional vocal lessons. The Persian music that she grew up listening to, mixed with the classical music that she learned in her lessons, gave her a strong, solid foundation to build off of for her more contemporary R&B songs. With her newly developed, matured style, Sarah auditioned for and was accepted to Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School in 2010. At Lincoln Park, Sarah continued her studies in classical music, and also began studying musical theatre and piano. She had the privilege of performing in many shows such as Emma, Anne of Green Gables, and starred as Mary Lennox in The Secret Garden. Sarah kept her interest in pop/R&B alive by performing solos in Lincoln Park’s annual Jazz/Pop Concerts. Outside of Lincoln Park, Sarah performed at various locations and events around Pittsburgh, such as the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life, the International Children’s Festival, and on Saturday Light Brigade Radio. At the age of 14, Sarah started performing songs in Farsi, her parents’ native language. She performed at Carnegie Mellon University’s Norouz Celebration two years in a row, and recorded two songs, “Lezate Parvaz” and “Age Bashi” with a Persian band, 8OX, run by Afshin Eskandari Nasrabad. The summer after her junior year at Lincoln Park, Sarah attended the five-week performance program at Berklee College of Music. This program was a truly life-changing experience for Sarah. Not only did she have the opportunity to take in-depth music classes from Grammy Award-winning professors, and form lasting friendships with talented musicians from all over the world, but she also met several Iranian musicians. Inspired by her Iranian peers, and by her love of Persian music, Sarah joined Berklee’s Balkan/Middle Eastern Ensemble, and, on the very last week of the program, she performed the Persian classic, “Ghoghaye Setaregan” in the Berklee Performance Center. A few days after this performance, Sarah was awarded a $10,000 scholarship to Berklee. In her final year at Lincoln Park, Sarah utilized her newly acquired Berklee knowledge by starting to write songs in English, Farsi, and Spanish; she also began teaching herself to play the ukulele. By the end of the school year, Sarah wrote and recorded two original songs, “Can’t Save You” and “Imagines,” as well as one cover, “Una Flor” by Juanes, which can all be found on her SoundCloud account, along with many other, more recent recordings. The most noteworthy part of her senior year, without a doubt, was when Sarah was awarded an annual full-tuition Berklee City Music scholarship to Berklee College of Music, as well as a full-tuition scholarship to attend the five-week program again. In June 2015, Sarah graduated from Lincoln Park, excited for what Berklee had in store for her. During her second five-week performance program at Berklee, Sarah had the privilege of publicly showcasing one of her original songs, “This Time,” in the Singer/Songwriter Showcase. Since being at Berklee, Sarah has joined the co-ed a cappella group, On the Vox, started a social justice club on campus called “Justice Circle,” and began working at her current job at the West End House Boys & Girls Club, as a private voice, music theory, and ukulele instructor. Working at West End House inspired Sarah to continue teaching, and so, in November 2016, she began volunteering as a Berklee City Music mentor. Recently, Sarah sang and did some Farsi spoken-word on the song “What Child Is This?” for Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center’s 2016 album, “Christmas Time At Lincoln Park,” available on CD Baby. She also recorded a Middle-Eastern inspired version of “America, the Beautiful” for TrackRecord, with four other Berklee musicians, in light of President Voldie’s recent travel ban. Sarah is currently still attending Berklee College of Music as a songwriting major, and is in the process of recording her upcoming EP. Her debut single, “Darkness,” is out now.
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Jordan Sleed is a 19 year old, ukulele and guitar wielding, soulful singer/songwriter. He picked up the ukulele at 13, inspired by Jake Shimabukuro. Shortly after, he added the guitar to his reportoire and began singing because he didn't have anybody else to sing his words. Surrounded by great music his whole life (Don Mclean, The Beach Boys, John Mayer, James Taylor, etc.), inspiration for unique, musical and meaningful songwriting seemed innate. With 100s of songs on paper and some on record, Jordan plays regular gigs at restaurants, bars, private events, weddings, etc. around San Antonio, Texas. His new EP, "Longing To Be Wrong" truly showcases his soul inspired, honest, pop-structured sound.
"Longing To Be Wrong" showcases Jordan Sleed's honest and unique sound, influenced by everybody from Donny Hathaway to The Beach Boys to John Mayer. These 6 songs have merited questions like "how did he write stuff like this when he was 17?" and comments like "I didn't know you couldl use an ukulele like that!" The music truly speaks for itself.
The Past Is Coming', the sophmore effort from Ampersandre (pronounced Am- Pers - On-Dray) featuring "Animals In Captivity" as well as "Long Gone Halcyon" has been released on 7/24/17
Ampersandre is the musical moniker for Andre LaFollette, a multi instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, whose new album explores a more tightly nit sonic landscape from the 2012 debut 'This is An Ampersand'. Thick rock mixed with jazz undertones lay the framework for the baritone/tenor melody lines that capture topics from current events, to socialized mob mentalities. Both an encomium for classic rock songs and 90's mainstream alternative, "The Past Is Coming" hopes to anchor the listener's attention to then take them on a provacative sojourn. The songs "Animals In Captivity," "Overcompensate" and "Life That You Chose" have secured an upcoming Featured Artist placement on Reverb Nation. Webpages: www.reverbnation.com/ampersandre https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/ampersandre1
Ampersandre is the musical project of singer-songwriter, Andre LaFollette. The music is full of hard-hitting guitar work, energetic tracks and melodic creativity that flows effortlessly from the speakers. Citing influences such as the Police, Soundgarden, Grand Funk Railroad and Shinedown, Ampersandre could also be compared to Chris Cornell of Soundgarden fame and Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam. Elements of grunge, rock and mainstream alternative will leave fans of several different genres delighted.
The sophmore effort, 'The Past Is Coming' is now available. The topics for this album span across deeper issues, from world events to social displacement with many other stops along the way. Everpresent is Matthew Cahoon, a unique vocalist, keyboardist, percussionist, and composer.
Everpresent was created in January of 2002 to bring a unique blend of dark pop and electronica the current musical landscape. The timeline has been an interesting evolution of musical experimentation combined with a certain degree of commercial appeal, diving into the dance floor, psychological reflection, and sensual energy. In 2002, Everpresent released their debut EP and began performing all over Boston at clubs such as the Skybar, Harper's Ferry, Great Scott’s, as well as Boston University and Berklee College of Music. This first EP was well received by gothic and darkwave lovers with its strong, goth-synth-underground vibe. In 2004, Everpresent released “Singles and Remixes” featuring the song, "Behind Your Veil," which received national college radio airplay in March & April of 2004 and charted in the top ten in the state of Arizona among major label artists Madonna and The Prodigy. This release featured shorter songs and remixes with more accessible hooks and rock guitars to convey the powerful elements in the lyrics. 2005 brought about the release of the Archive DVD as a retrospective of the 2002-2004 performances and rehearsals, marking group’s first chapter. During this time, Everpresent received favorable press in the US, UK, the Netherlands, and Israel. The DVD is a collection of live performances and rehearsals with no fancy features, just the band working at their craft and showing things as they are. In 2006, Everpresent enjoyed the success of a CMJ advertised national college radio campaign featuring the single, "Elusive", which signaled another shift in the band’s evolution. It communicated a lighter sound, free of the heavier guitars and rock elements. In 2007, Everpresent released their third CD, “Collage”, a combination of pop tracks, electro-remixes, and live recordings. This release incorporated a degree of R+B/soul influence and is the groups most "light" and pop oriented of their albums. It was well received by fans of pop and expanded EP's audience beyond the gothic/darkwave culture. 2010 saw the beginning of another significant shift. The maxi-single and accompanying video, ("Darklight-Maxi-Single"), moved Everpresent into a strong, Middle Eastern, dark-pop vibe. The single and video resulted in much more exposure and press than ever before, with the video being seen on Spike TV.com, Bing.com, and thousands of homes on Comcast and Verizon TV regional music programs, as well as airing in hotels, nightclubs, and restaurants nationwide. 2011 brought about the completion of the transition that was introduced by "Darklight", and the dark-pop album, "Phoenix" was born. A strong combination of synthpop, darkwave, Middle Eastern influence, and pop melodies made the album very powerful and catchy, and numerous interviews and positive press followed. The video for the final track on the album, "Haunt Me," helped EP reach even more people than the previous video (“Darklight”), as "Haunt Me" was seen on MTV.com, multiple websites, regional alternative music TV shows in the USA, and on television in the UK and South Africa. 2014's "Introspekt", brought Everpresent into new sonic and conceptual territory. With lyrics and concepts that examined the mind, psychology, and self-examination, Introspekt is experimental in nature. Elements of industrial rock, techno, ambient, acoustic piano, metal and atmospheric guitars along with some elements of pop combine with an experimental edge. It is Matthews’s first true concept album, best experienced as one story/journey, taking the listener within an inner universe of themselves into their own transformation. In 2015, Everpresent released a 6-song EP, "Omega Point". This EP brought the return of original co-producer and master engineer, Steve Catizone (who started with Everpresent back in 2002 and co-produced the debut EP, and also 2004's Singles and Remixes), and also continued work with producer/engineer Ryan Hinkle. The new sound is brighter, funky, modern, mystical, yet very direct, and designed to get people moving on the dancefloor, while still promoting self-reflection, but in a more optimistic way. In 2016, Matthew has signed with TableTop Records, LLC. Dedicated to artist individuality, covering many genres, and supporting the artist's vision collaboratively, this label is the perfect home for Everpresent. Also in 2016, Everpresent has released a 3 song EP "Kahlina Reconstructions". It is an experimental, sci-fi remix collection of 3 songs from Introspekt/Omega point. Matthew is an active voting member for the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (The Grammys).
Emily Bendock's newly released single "Summer Love" is an EDM song with a hint of Pop to it. Her vocals have greatly matured over the last four years. And now you can hear it as she is making music that is uniquely distinct sounding with this current track.
Emily worked with Grammy nominated mixer Brent Kolatalo from New York City to produce this song. At the young age of thirteen, Emily released her first song "Under Pressure" and continues her writing passion while developing her vocals. "Summer Love" is a song about a young man she met on vacation. When told by her Rep from BMI to write from experience; Emily ran with the idea thus coming up with "Summer Love".
18 year old Emily Bendock first well crafted release "Under Pressure" is a song many young adolescent people will be able to
identify with. The lyrics express all the pressures one young adolescent might experience at school, within sports and with friendships. Emily co-wrote the song and developed the melody that offers a very catchy piano hook arrangement. "Down On The Boulevard" was Emily's second release about all the fun you can experience in Los Angeles on its different boulevards. Get ready to hit your heels to the pavement with Emily's new release "After Dark We Party". Emily created a fun, energetic dance song with this melody. Born in La Spezia on June 15, 1991, Federico Carro grew up in Vernazza, surrounded by the luscious nature of those places, spending his time, lost in the view of the sea and of the hills, drawing and painting landscapes, drawing inspiration for his future works. At the primary school, he knew a girl who became his best pal, and with whom he spent laughter and joyful moments. After finishing the primary school, Federico enrolled in the intermediate school T. Signorini in Riomaggiore, and then in the School of Arts Cardarelli in La Spezia, where his artistic penchant became more and more clear, revealing his interest in the world of writing. Soon after, he became writing the draft of his first book "Il segreto del verziere". At the start of his last year in high school, his best friend was injured in an accident; this event made him change course, pushing him to focus on music. On that accident, he wrote a poem dedicated to her, which later will become a song. After finishing school, Federico began working with his uncle, who owned a restaurant- bar in Vernazza. At that time, he met a girl from La Spezia and, strolling around Florence with her, he composed a poem that described the day spent together, which later he turned into a song called ""Thank you for your time". More and more interested in pop music artists such as Michael Jackson, Christina Aguilera, Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, and Whitney Houston, but also Latin Pop, such as Ricky Martin, Enrique Iglesias and Shakira, Federico put up a show where he would impersonate his idol Michael Jackson, and took lessons of Hip Hop in the Dancing Project Center in La Spezia to dance like him. While performing in his bar in Vernazza and in the neighboring joints as Michael Jackson's tribute artist, he knew a British girl and one day decided to visit her in London, a visit that inspired him a poem that he later turned into a song called ""Languido rimorso". In time, he began saving money to take private lessons of piano and singing, broadening his interest in Blues and Jazz. During one of his tribute shows to Michael Jackson, a local girl caught Federico's attention, who wrote for her a song called ""Influenza angelica". One day, on his way back from his piano lesson, observing the sea surrounding the village of Portovenere in Liguria, a very melodic and catchy refrain came to his mind; he recorded it on his cell phone and then made a song out of it, which he called "Lovely storm". While his interest in pop music and jazz kept growing, with the composition of new music works, Federico kept on writing his novel, ""Il segreto del verziere", and, in the meantime, with a friend who played the saxophone, he formed a small band. Playing mainly jazz, blues and Bossa Nova as a piano player, his interest in recording his own cd grew by the day, pushing him to finish the songs he had written for his dead friend, calling it ""Come un Lampo". Soon after, the band disbanded and each member took his own way. Federico decided to finalize the project of his cd and found an independent recording studio in Carrara called Nautilus Rec Studio. Thanks to the help and support of various collaborators, Federico completed the album and called it "Come un lampo", in loving memory of his departed childhood friend. Later, he also recorded a video clip of the single "Come un lampo". Concurrently, he managed to finish his book, "Il segreto del verziere", and other music videos such as "Lovely storm"" and ""Replace my soul", the latter inspired by a love story gone sour with a French girl. Focusing on the promotion of his cd and of his novel, he made a promo video of his book, using the mysterious places and recesses that surround Vernazza. At the same time, he met a girl from Turin, and one day he decided to a visit her. Walking around town with her, he drew inspiration for his second novel "Il re della luce l'ordine degli dèi oscuri". Later he knew Marco Stanzani, promoter of many artists such as Lunapop, Renato zero, i Pooh, Paola e Chiara, Modà, Loredana Berté, who launches him on the chart with "Brucerei il fuoco per te" taken from his first album "Come un lampo". This hit places in 36 position in the chart of indipendent artists, on the chart of emergent artists in 5 position and second for two weeks on the chart in Absolut Beginners of Rockol between rookie artists most listened to the radio in Italy. In the meanwhile the hit was trasmitted in hundreds radios in all italy, Federico comes back to Turin to film the second booktrailer of his second novel. In Turin he was approached by an international record company of New York: the Bentley Records that collaborated with Sony Universal music and Warner Music and promoted his second album unpuliblished abroad.
2017 sees The Dirty Earth launch themselves into the stratosphere with the release of ‘Aurora’. The Dirty Earth’s appeal has stretched beyond their ability to put together rockin’ songs, reaching audiences far and wide that are rediscovering their love of classic rock music but looking for an original band that can deliver retro vintage blues rock with a modern twist. This band are the real deal, seasoned muso’s who have been around the block, with their best yet to come. Aurora is set to take to you to a special place and the journey is amazing; the most soulful ride you’re gonna have in a while. Consisting of 10 songs, Aurora is a uniquely diverse selection of solid heavy blues rock performed by a band that knows how to write a song and what they have produced is mind blowingly good. Aurora has a little something for everyone, with a sound that can’t be pinned down: paying homage to the masters of days gone by, but delivered in a manner that provides a modern twist on a classic sound. Northern California hip-hop artist and rapper JOE NANCE is ringing in the new year with a brand new endeavor that's already gaining some strong momentum forward as one of 2017's artists to watch. For those not in the know, Joe is a founding member of AVID ROOTS ENTERTAINMENT an endeavor put together by passionate and dedicated creatives looking to bring a unique level of artistry to the scene. Joe has teamed up with some of the best Bay Area producers to bring you his newest project CLOSED CAPTION Vol.1 MOTIVATION which features the exclusive singles “TOAST”, "ZONING", & "LIGHT IN YOU".
"Closed Caption Vol.1: Motivation is celebration to the everyday men and women who handle their responsibilities, take care of their families, and push forward to becomging the best they can be" - Joe Nance Closed Caption is just the 1st part of a 3 part series of releases to come out this year. Each album will feature an emoji symbol that represents the song. So all the covers will have matching emojis in correlation with their releases. As you can see on the album art for TOAST there are two glasses clinking together in a cheers gesture that form the letter “A” of the title. The emoji that correlates to the TOAST artwork is pretty obvious, but with each release the matching emoji will become more immersed in the artwork. This gives the album a nice clean and fresh look while adding a little something special to the look of the release. For more information about Joe Nance and the Avid Roots team, check out an interview they did with AllBayMusic here: https://allbaymusic.com/scout-reports/avid-roots/ Notably the AVID ROOTS team was named one of the finalists in LINKIN PARK’s music competition and is up for the chance to win some major prizes through their Stagelight/Openlabs.com content platform. The videos talking about the entry for this process are available via the links below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsAfiBz5YgQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExIkb3wJ7BE Closed Caption Vol.1: Motivation is available now: https://m.soundcloud.com/avidroots/sets/closed-caption-vol-1 https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/closed-caption-vol-1-motivation-single/id1199229091# https://play.spotify.com/album/37OcXNFQShed2fVmjNLBx9?play=true&utm_source=open.spotify.com&utm_medium=open Roddan, an American singer-songwriter from Seattle, WA, skillfully demonstrates to us his diverse influences from Blues, Americana, Folk, Rock, and Modern Country. Currently finishing up his second album (Bleed) of 6 more original tracks recorded in Austin, TX with SXSW award-winning producer, Rick Del Castillo, and mastered by legendary Austin Producer, Mark Hallman.
"Roddan has dropped a stunning solo album. Showing himself to be one of the better songwriters in the business nowadays." Jamsphere Magazine, October 2016 "Roddan has shown himself to be one of the better songwriters in the business nowadays. He wears his heart on his sleeve, and in places, he especially bares his soul. You can hear it in his plaintive voice, and in the powerful lyrical content." Robby Tee, JamSphere Magazine. "Bleed 432" is Roddan's follow-up EP to his 2016 debut release of "Music House" of all original, and critically acclaimed songs. His sophmore EP consists of 6 new original tracks: 1) Never meant To Be 2) Exit 38 3) Bleed 4) Patty Jean (tribute to prolific singer songwriter Patty Griffin) 5) Love Horses 6) Rock My Reggae Bone Musicians include: Scott Roddan - guitar/vocals, Phoebe Hunt - fiddle/vocals, Gina Chavez - vocals, Michael Ramos -Keys, Phil Bass - percussion/vocals, Rick del Castillo - guitar/bass/keys/vocals With the release of the “New Sounds for Outlier Radio” EP, The Static Dial brings a new attitude to some classic genres. Lush with addicting and atmospheric progressions, an edgy yet soulful vocal approach, and reggae undertones throughout, the record boasts the aesthetic of alternative rock anthems. Although the songs are diverse from one another, there is a glue that holds them all together much like a concept album would. Most importantly, the album never loses sight of the emotional platform great songs are built from.
The first single, “Prodigal Sons”, is complete with pop grooves, plenty of guitar hooks, and a persistent energy that seems to breathe and build as it plays on. “It's the metaphor of the ‘lost son’ finding his way back to grace. The first line really sums it up: ‘pull me out of a dreaded sleep, and lift me back up when I've fallen deep’. It’s definitely coming from a profoundly personal place for me. The song has the signature sonic power that's largely driven by the rhythm section; but also the Reggae vibe and band arrangement that underlines so much of what we do, and what you'll find all over this album", explains songwriter Bill Gerazounis of the bands single. Although the single does speak volumes for the EP, to get a real understanding for where The Static Dial is coming from, it should be heard in its entirety. “Part of our sound is what comes out when you take new ideas in their early form and develop them as a band, and the other part of it is telling new stories in the songs, and the evolving personality of the songwriting. My biggest pet peeve is complacency. Each song should exist very much as its own thing for me; not a narrow idea of rehashing or staying in a predictable format. That being said, it's equally important to have a musical identity that is like a thread that connects all the music", says the band of the EP and songwriting approach for the record. The Static Dial comes from songwriter Bill Gerazounis’ desire to build a project around his solo compositions. Starting off working with some fellow musician friends, prototypes for songs began to take some shape. Though working with those friends was short lived, it enabled Gerazounis to create his identity as a solo artist. When he ventured off to do his own songs, he really wanted to refine his craft and begin to demo out some of the material he had. Knowing this was going to be a project focused on his material entirely while still having all the moving parts of a full band sound, he needed a name. The Static Dial was a name he had kept on the back burner for something special. The name referring to the “dial in between dials", "the unclaimed radio dial" that was his own. Brining in fellow musicians to play on the record; and later playing with various lineups to perform live; “New Sounds for Outlier Radio” was finally born. The record is the epitome of where the songwriter is with his sound right now. Having shared the stages with the likes of Kopecky Family Band, Richie Kotzen, and more, the band is certainly not new to spreading the music through live performance. Along with being named Indie band of the Month for BWD magazine, the band has done very well on various indie charts. The “New Sounds for Outlier Radio” EP is now available for streaming and downloads on most major digital outlets and the boys already have several shows lined including their record release show this summer. To learn and hear more of The Static Dial, please visit: https://thestaticdial1.bandcamp.com/ |
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