January’s Women Who Rock – Triple R Girl is Manda Mosher
January 4, 2010 by Chris Broekemeir · 1 Comment
Intro and Interview by: Christi Broekemeier
Live Photo Credit: Vince Jimenez
It’s not often that an interviewer and interviewee become great friends; this is a transient industry after all, but in the case of Manda Mosher and I we hit it off from the first day we connected about 4 years ago and since we have seen one another morph and change both in our careers and personal lives. In fact I think that I can be one of her harshest critics rather than one that simply hands out the compliments left and right because I know what she is capable of doing. Also, while I tend to interview female musicians more than male (though both are great) artists Manda has been one of my favorite Indie artists male or female that I have ever come across. With an amazing voice, soul and songs that seem as if they are speaking to the listener and only the listener- I know why over the last year her career has been taking off-now allowing her to work with such famous people as Kevin Costner and his band. Signed to Red Parlor Records in the last year or so; she has been working extra hard to build the great fan base who tends to show up to her shows in spades.
The Rock and Roll Report Band of the Week is Wizardry
December 21, 2009 by Seth · Leave a Comment
One of the perks about being a music journalist is the opportunity to be made aware of artists you ordinarily would never have even heard of if not for the plethora of publicists, labels and ambitious band members flooding my email box , proclaiming what they have to offer is going to “shock the very foundation that which the musical world stands upon.” Now, of course 99.9% of it is either an out and out lie or completely subjective (based on the opinions of parents – mine consider me to be a “catch”), but that just means that .01% manage to rock my world. And that’s also .01% that I never would have had the pleasure of knowing existed.
Brooklyn’s Wizardry falls into that very exceptional category. Brooklyn, already being home to some killer metal acts over the years (Biohazard, Type-0 Negative, Genghis Tron), has always been a hotbed for hardcore, so inspiration is in abundance.
The Rock and Roll Report Band of the Week is Exit State
December 14, 2009 by Shaz · 3 Comments
Hailing from East Lancashire UK, Roy Bright (vocals/guitars), Adam Stephenson (guitars), Phil Ireland (bass guitar/vocals) & Peat “Crazy Texas” Hicks (drums/vocals) are Exit State! a rock band that draw influences from such greats as Foo Fighters, Guns ‘n’ Roses, Nickelback, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Megadeth, Led Zeppelin, The Who, Weezer, Faith No More, Nirvana, Therapy?, The Smiths, Cave-In, Pantera, Dinosaur Jr, THE LIONS, THE TIGERS, THE BEARS….OH MY!!
Likened to Foo Fighters, Nickelback & Therapy, the band demonstrates a sound that combines the melodic qualities of indie with the innovation of rock and the power of metal that saw them described in Rocksound Magazine as “Satisfyingly heavy, unexpectedly catchy, unashamedly experimental and curiously engaging – Impressive”.
The Rock and Roll Report Band of the Week Is: The Ascot Royals
December 7, 2009 by Barbara Pavone · Leave a Comment
It was a wonderful accident. I arrived on time at a local Montreal bar / live show venue for my interview with a great Canadian band, that shall remain unnamed, only to find that they were stuck at the American border and were running behind schedule. Assuring me they would arrive shortly, I grabbed a seat and began one of my least favorite aspects of the job – waiting. As I watched another band setting up their gear I was soon approached by someone with a, wait for it, British accent, which I must admit I found quite strange, but my interest was immediately peaked. I was soon introduced to the rest of the band (turns out Mr. British Accent had a name, Ben Chauveau, and was the keyboardist for the band I had been watching set up), heard some tunes and before I knew it I was leading an impromptu interview with what has since become one of my new favorite bands – The Ascot Royals. Was it fluke? Was it fate? Whatever it was, my ears, and my spirit (as cheesy as that sounds), thank me every time one of the songs off their debut self-titled album is blasting through my speakers.
The Rock and Roll Band of the Week is Hundred Days
November 30, 2009 by Aaron Phillips · Leave a Comment
In the quiet countryside of Somerset, England, a band is emerging that is currently wowing crowds and laying waste to venues.
Hundred Days are a 3 piece Rock Band hailing from a small town called Yeovil, not perhaps known for it’s Rock ‘N’ Roll legacy, but in years to come this may change.
They have created a sound which can be best described as Led Zeppelin on steroids, that classic rock influence with a harder edge.
There debut album ‘How A War Is Won’ was recorded and produced by the band themselves, and features a collection of quite superb maturely written songs.
The standout track on the album is the immensely catchy ‘No Better’ which really showcases the power of vocalist Stuart Curtin, who with his long hair and gritty voice is the perfect Rock front man.
The Rock and Roll Report Artist Of The Week is Shane Knight
November 23, 2009 by Shaz · 6 Comments
Shane Knight is a cutting edge singer stylist that merges heavy rock beats and blazing guitars with an underlying pop “singles style” hit format. Singer, Song, Writer, Bassist,Shane Knight From Southern California now lives in Seattle, Washington and has just completed his new 10 song CD “BAD AS THEY COME” with Producer Paul Sabu. Out now on iTunes and more, Shane Knight also has an E.P. “Hungry” out now on iTunes, CDBaby.com and more.
According to Shane “I have been very fortunate to have opened shows and shared the stage with an incredible selection of musicians including: Ozzy Osbourne, , Def Leppard, Slaughter, Queensryche, Iron Madien, L.A Guns and more. I am also a winner of the L.A Music Award.Best Rock Band I look forward to the next steps in my Music Career. ”
Shane also wants to give a big thanks to his sponsors Shawn Green from Basson Sound, (www.bassonsound.com), Tony Delarosa at Samick Music,Tim Pfouts at S.I.T Strings’ tim@sitstrings.com’ “but most of all to all my friends and fans that continue to give me support and reason to my life of music…THANK YOU All ROCK ON”’ ALL KNIGHT ”
The Rock and Roll Report Artist of The Week is Doobie Whitehorn
Doobie is the former Bass Player of 80’s bands Counterfeit and John Rundle & The Maulers and also became half of the successful Fred & Doobie project. He was then hand picked and persuaded by Midnight Oils ex Manager and the Producer of The Jac Dalton Band to become their Lead Guitarist and is a current member of the in demand Boris Loves to Boogie playing over 200 shows a year.
Being talked into doing this album wasn’t hard (over a couple of bourbons with a young metal band) and this seemed like a reasonable request, but to make it a bit more challenging Doobie decided to play everything himself and record it in his own studio while it was still being built. The result will be his first Solo album and the first released material with Doobie as the only musician.
Thanks should go to friends Rob Vorell from Derringers Music and master musician Darren Mullan for their wisdom and support, Andy Griffiths from Frets and Sticks Music and Daniel Hughes for use of their personal kits and to Kaye and Jac Dalton for the loan of assorted guitars and basses.
Today I would like thank Doobie Whitehorn for taking some time out to do this for us his Fans
Welcome Doobie and before we start I just wanted to say Welcome to The Rock and Roll Report,We Love Your Tunes.
The Rock and Roll Report Band Of The Week is..Toys In The Forest
November 9, 2009 by Shaz · 9 Comments
Formed in 2005, Toys in the Forest is at the crossroad of blues and Rock and roll , mixed with some heavy metal influences. ” The band was formed to perform live, we are a live act and many venues book us because we do the show, the rock n roll show” says Max. (lead vocals and guitar).
The songs are all about life, parties, sex and rock n roll, but we also explore a dark side with slow tempos and heavy riffs. We have a few songs about life after death such as “Pain and Fear” or “sympathy for a dead man”.
We love rock n roll music, we have have always been big fans of bands like iron maiden , Thin Lizzy or Motorhead. After a few changes in the line up, the band has spent the last two years on the road to promote their second EP “Sex , Toys and Rock n roll”, playing in bars, lesbian clubs or rock festivals during their Hypnotic tour .
The band is all about rock n roll, we can play almost anywhere as long as we can plug in ! Toys in the Forest are back in the studios to write and record their third opus due in january 2010. In the meantime, they are still promoting their rock n roll on Tvs, radios and Live gigs !!
Today I would like thank Toys In The Forest for taking some time out to do this for us their Fans
The Rock and Roll Report Band of the Week is Picture Me Broken
November 1, 2009 by Chris Broekemeir · 1 Comment
I was invited to see a “Melodic Hard Rock” band that just happened to have some “Screamo” thrown in. “Picture Me Broken” is such a band and I was invited to their open showcase in Los Angles a few weeks ago. Sure I live in the LA basin, but the show was at 7:00pm on a Friday evening in the heart of Hollywood and I just wasn’t sure I wanted to take the two hour ride with my husband and 14 year old daughter through the streets of Orange County and Downtown LA to get to the small studio to see a band belonging to a musical genre I am just not too into in the first place. But I went, because after a long week I thought it would be great to get out for a show that possibly (but unlikely) my entire family could enjoy and relate to… But I was so very wrong in my assumption… because all three of us had a blast!
The U.K.’s Sierra Alpha Opt to Rely on Hard Work and Their Niche-Free Sound for Success, Rather Than Chasing a Golden Ticket Like Their Peers
October 26, 2009 by Intense Nick · 2 Comments
Sierra Alpha is a highly rated five-piece pop/rock outfit from Wales, U.K., that is getting well-earned praise from countless sources. Their debut EP, Superhero, was released in June of this year and was welcomed with strong regional press and radio support, and the title track was featured as the single of the day on Amazon.com. Furthermore, World Machine, another track from the EP, has been featured on a MySpace.com video segment promoting Leonardo DiCaprio’s film, Body of Lies.
Sierra Alpha is comprised of Martin Goddard (Vocals, Guitar), Stuart Davies (Bass), Andrew Harries (Keyboards), Andrew Evans (Lead Guitar) and Simon Beecher (Drums). Their unique gift lies in that both their recordings and live performances are filled with a signature rocking style and catchiness that truly makes them a hit just waiting to happen.
The five track EP, with its combination of brilliant harmonic choruses, superb keyboards and Martin’s wide vocal range, leads to a collection of highly memorable, infectious songs. And, having had the chance to catch them performing live in Bath, U.K., I can also vouch for their stellar shows. On stage Sierra Alpha have a strong, tight delivery that has punch and verve. From the first song, Weekend Lover, Sierra Alpha commanded the attention of the entire venue and from that point on they faultlessly delivered the entire set, even mixing in a cover of La Roux’s Bulletproof.
Once the band got offstage I was lucky enough to catch up with Martin Goddard, who happily agreed to a chat for The Rock and Roll Report.
