Browsing Tag

guitar

Soto – Rootstrings: Frenetically Rhythmic World Music

Posted on 10 January 2020

“Rootstrings” is the quite literally hair-raising world music debut from up and coming artist Soto. If they keep creating soundscapes with such sensory appeal, I dare say that they won’t be up and coming for long.

You don’t need the ‘golden ear’ to perceive the ingenuity in Rootstrings. Ut’s perceptible through the way you can’t really tell what’s in control, the rhythm, or the artist. Expect exotic intricate organic beats to frenetically offer warmth and soul – even in the absence of lyrics.

Within the eclectic instrumental arrangement, you’ll pick up on virtuosic fingerpicked guitar progressions, tribal drum beats, classical strings, playful ukulele melodies and plenty more. It’s a seven-minute invitation to a higher plateau. I’d take it if I were you.

You can check out Rootstrings for yourselves by heading over to Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Whiskey Jonez Releases “Blow” – A Track Filled With Electrifying Guitar Freestyle Soloing

Posted on 23 November 2017

Whiskey Jonez is an Austin based guitarist with a sound that is quite interestingly unlike any other. What makes his sound so special is the intriguing blend between metal and hip-hop in a sound that has live performance and freestyle soloing at heart. His latest track “Blow” features this concept clearly and for those who ever wondered what a metal infused solo over a strong driving hip-hop beat sounds like, this is your chance to discover!

From the very beginning the song starts off with a sound that captivates any listener’s attention. The initial electronic sounds might be a bit misleading for some, and as the heavy beat kicks in, the song kicks off a roller-coster-like journey. The beat, providing the backdrop for the guitar solo, remains steady throughout, while the melodic aspect goes on to explore variations of phrases in a freestyle fashion which features metal riffs as well as rhythmic patterns and other soaring licks. As the music video portrays, this music is best experienced live. Something which Whiskey Jonez knows how to do well and is best known for. Overall this song will provide you with a listening experience that is unlike any other. The unlikely combination of hip hop and metal ends up working really well in this case, definitely making Whiskey Jonez’s style one to look out for!

-Sarah Marie Bugeja

A&R Factory Present: MYFEVER

Posted on 20 February 2017
https://soundcloud.com/myfever/golden/s-Q8f04

MYFEVER is a rock band residing in Atlanta, Georgia. Not that it particularly matters when you hear them. If it did, then it wouldn’t exactly make sense to you that brothers Weston and Garrett Hine have somehow managed to capture an authentic energy of West Coast and marry it to a ‘90s sensibility, all while being from Northwest Florida and still in their mid-twenties.

After ten years of playing music together, the core-member Hine brothers have attentively distilled their love of alt-arena rock into a truly memorable and truly modern expression of the genre.

To compare MYFEVER to a homogenized list of names, with the purpose of winning you over, would be pointless. Their offerings deserve more than a casual stream or well-intended earmark. This is burn-worthy music. Theft-worthy music. The point is, you’ve got a date with MYFEVER, so show up.

See The Light is the band’s debut album, released May 2015, followed by their Twin A couplet in early 2016.

Find out more here

A&R Factory Present: DYAN

Posted on 8 February 2017

Of Love is a departure from the minimalist, synth-driven singles DYAN released in the summer of 2016 as they were releasing their debut album, Looking For Knives. With an introduction of warm woodwind chords, Of Love tells a story of a lover, once left, now leaving to find a way forward alone. As the song progresses, instruments creep into the song – guitars, violins, cellos, drums – building a sound to reflect the wide open world you get into when you leave heartache behind.

A trio with roots in Winnipeg, Cincinnati, and Los Angeles, DYAN builds songs out of minimalist synths, layers of atmospheric guitars, and driving rhythms. Alexis Marsh (singer/guitarist/bassist) and Sam Jones (guitarist/synths) co-produced Marsh’s songs between scoring film and television projects; Dan Dorff Jr (drums/synths) joined when the duo was mixing what became the group’s debut album, Looking For Knives. With the band in place, they began translating the music from the studio to the stage, playing their first show at Union Station as part of Live Nation’s Ones To Watch summer concert series in July 2016. Looking For Knives premiered on Billboard late-July 2016 and was preceded by singles “St. James”, “Days Upon Days”, and “Looking For Knives” – each one charting on HypeMachine.

The title track spent two weeks in the top 10 of Spotify’s Viral Chart (both USA & Global), helping push play-count to over 500,000 within a month of its release. Looking For Knives is available on vinyl at vinylmoon.co/dyan.

A&R Factory Present: Cody Jay

Posted on 1 February 2017

Cody Jay is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. His debut album “Off the Vine” was released earlier this year, and he is currently gearing up for the release of an acoustic version of that album. In addition, Cody is working on his next album (geared towards a more electro-house/pop feel) as well as visuals to accompany the new music.

Cody Jay has thus far been responsible for writing, producing, and recording all of his music, and is currently in search of representation to help facilitate further growth in his career. “Off the Vine” – Acoustic is a cover album by Cody Jay. It is an acoustic version of his debut release album, “Off the Vine” and shows another side to Cody’s artistry. By stripping down the music production to only that of a guitar and piano, Cody showcases his true talents and vocal abilities. These songs take on an entirely new feel, and shed new light on Cody and his music.

Check out more from Cody Jay here