The other day, while listening to the weekly Tweetcore Radio Hour music podcast, hosted by the inimitable Marc Schuster and available on the Audio Mirage Studios blog and elsewhere, one of the songs he played immediately jumped out at me. It’s not often I stand up and take notice when first hearing a song, but this one hit me right between the ears. At first, it sounded like it might be an old Oasis song I’d never heard, but I knew that couldn’t be right, as Marc plays only newer songs by lesser-known independent and unsigned artists. It turned out to be a song titled “For Us All ..read more

Today I’m pleased to present American singer-songwriter and actress Jill Jones, who’s had a storied and challenging life and career. Born in Ohio, she relocated in her early teens to Los Angeles with her mother, who married Fuller Gordy, the brother of Motown head Berry Gordy. Her mother came to manage soul/R&B singer-songwriter Teena Marie, who was signed with Motown Records at the time. When Jill was 15, Teena asked if she’d be interested in singing backing vocals for her, which led Jill to begin her professional career as a backup singer. Three years later, in 1980 when she was 18, Jil ..read more

It can be argued that modern technology is both a blessing and a curse, but certainly one redeeming aspect of it is the ability it affords for different musicians located halfway around the world to come together and collaborate in the creation of a song. As a shining example of that synergy, I bring you “Adrift“, the wonderful new single by American rock band Voodoo Planet and Australian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Mikey J. Based in DeSoto, Missouri, a small city approximately 40 miles southwest of St. Louis (where I lived from 1995-2011), Voodoo Planet formed in 2010, and c ..read more

It’s always a happy day when my favorite Welsh songstress Caitlin Lavagna returns with a new song to grace our eardrums, and today I’m pleased to share her electrifying new single “Gold“. Her fifth in an unbroken streak of outstanding singles that began in 2021 with her wonderful debut “How Not To Start A Fight”, “Gold” speaks to, in her own words, “Changing the narrative, owning your feelings, being brutal and upfront, not taking yourself seriously and not catching feelings.” I adore Caitlin’s vibrant and sophisticated vocal style and honest, relatable lyrics drawn from personal ex ..read more

Photo by Stephanie Pia The marvelous jangle-pop masterpiece “My Golden Years” by The Lemon Twigs holds firm at #1 for a second week on my latest Top 30 chart. I love this song, and never tire of hearing it. “Neon Pill” by Cage the Elephant holds at #2 for a second week, after spending two weeks at #1, and the gorgeous “Time” by MISSIO inches up a notch to #3. Another wonderful jangle-pop/rock song, “Kool Aid Blue” by Canadian band The Sylvia Platters, enters the top 10. The biggest upward mover this week is “Murder On the Dance Floor” by Australian guitar-pop duo Royel Otis, jumping seven spot ..read more

So much new music, but only so much time to write about it all! That means it’s time for another installment of my Fresh New Tracks series. Today, I’m featuring new songs by four talented gentlemen – Scottish electronic composer, singer-songwriter and producer Neil Billinness, L.A.-based singer-songwriter and musician David Gergen, Philadelphia area-based singer-songwriter and musician Marc Schuster, and Tacoma, Washington-based psychedelic indie pop musician Soda Cracker Jesus. I’ve previously written about all four of them, though it’s been many years since I featured Neil B. and David G. N ..read more

One of the more interesting music acts around today is American indie rock duo The Lemon Twigs, consisting of the hyper-talented and charismatic brothers Brian and Michael D’Addario. Raised in a musical household on Long Island, New York (their father Ronnie D’Addario is a musician and songwriter in his own right), the two learned to play instruments and sing at an early age. Both Brian and Michael also had extensive stage experience as children; Brian played Gavroche in Les Miserables and Flounder in The Little Mermaid on Broadway, while Michael appeared in The Coast of Utopia, The Radi ..read more

One of my favorite female vocalists and all-around artists is Malaysian singer-songwriter Lyia Meta, an immensely talented, gracious and lovely recording artist with a powerhouse singing voice. I generally prefer female voices in the deeper ranges, and her soulful and vibrant contralto style resonates strongly with me. Based in Kuala Lumpur and of local Creole Portuguese ancestry, Lyia’s a multi-faceted artist in every sense of the word. She can literally sing just about anything and in fact, has recorded songs in a wide range of genres including blues, jazz, pop, country, rock and even ..read more

Artists and bands I follow on social media continue to release new music at a dizzying pace, so in order to try and showcase even some of it, it’s time for another Fresh New Tracks installment. Today, I’m featuring four recently-released songs by, in alphabetical order – Texas rock’n’roll band Bottlecap Mountain, English musician and composer Josephine Pascoe, English singer-songwriter Lissy Taylor, and New Jersey singer-songwriter Loud Hound, all of them quite prolific in their musical output. I’ve previously written about Josephine Pascoe and Loud Hound, while this is the first time I’m fea ..read more

Cage the Elephant remain on top for a second week with “Neon Pill”, while The Lemon Twigs‘ delightful “My Golden Years” moves up another notch to #2. I just love those vibrant jangly guitars and Beach Boys-esque harmonies, and it’s hard to fathom why this song hasn’t appeared on any charts that I’m aware of. Far and away the biggest upward mover this week is the achingly beautiful “Time” by Texas-based duo MISSIO, which leaps 17 spots to #5. I had the opportunity to interview Matthew and David over Zoom last week, which was a thrill for me. The song will be included on their monumental 26-tra ..read more