Kala Farnham offers beauteous sophomore album Samadhi: Home Is Where You Are
Kala Farnham’s second album Samadhi: How Is Where You Are offers bold musical accomplishments and one of New England’s best voices in one of this year’s best written and best recorded works. A folk artist who incorporates many other roots elements, Farnham coats her gems with her astonishingly good vocal applications. The Connecticut singer-songwriter is also still young enough to take her music to a much higher level in the next few years.
Souls Of Sabbath rocked Pete’s Bar & Grill last Saturday night
Souls Of Sabbath put on a fiercely successful show at Quincy’s Pete’s Bar & Grill last Saturday night. From their opening “War Pigs” to their closing “Paranoid,” this much above average Black Sabbath tribute band conjured the vibe of that kind of music as well as nailing the material note for note, dynamics, colors and tones.
Erin Harpe & The Delta Swingers to perform at GSBS Memphis fundraiser Nov 20th at Jewel in Manchester, NH
Erin Harpe & The Delta Swingers are at it again. After competing in the International Blues Competition in previous years under the auspices of Boston Blues Society, this January they’ll be representing the Granite State Blues Society. With all the years of experience Harpe and her band have in the blues field and in this international competition, it’s a safe bet they’ll put in a strong showing in Memphis. For the time being, Harpe and her band are focused on helping the New Hampshire blues society raise enough money for her and the other GSBS competitors to travel to the competition. The event, titled The Road To Memphis Starts Here will be held on Sunday, November 20th at Jewel night club in Manchester.
Hilton Park strike solid gold acoustic beauty on Moments
The latest Hilton Park CD, Moments, offers much of the acoustic instrument beauty this Maine-based folk-rock trio has relied on in the past. Their singer-songwriter bent continues to sweep the listener away with the more familiar Hilton Park feeling and vibe, albeit more forlorn and wistful this time around.
Rumblecat standout with impressive debut disc ‘Till The Neighbors Shout
Rumblecat’s debut CD ‘Till The Neighbors Shout is loaded with hard driving, goodtime, soulful music. Delivered with talent and explosive energy, this disc shows why Vermont-based Rumblecat won a New England Music Award for Best In State: Vermont only three years after forming. The group has got their roots rock sound down pat and they know how to spread it around a song with cool vigor.
Alison Keslow has come a long way; nominated for her second BMA
Bassist Alison Keslow has come a long way. Keslow began playing copious gigs in her youth as a Berklee College Of Music graduate with a degree in Bass Performance. After making the rounds of greater-Boston venues since the 1990s, she has released two CDs, including last year’s well received Bass Dharma, and she’s been nominated for a Boston Music Award in the Jazz category for the second year in a row. She was still feeling high about last year’s nomination when this year’s was announced.
Sugar Ray And The Bluetones come up with a dandy CD Seeing Is Believing
One can never have too much of a good thing. Sugar Ray And The Bluetones have released another fine blues album, Seeing Is Believing. Brimming with powerful blues in all 12 tracks, this winsome album will be playing in many local stereo systems by the end of this year. Most of these songs are originals, as all the band members are songwriters, and that makes this whole thing feel fresh and personal even though this kind of blues music has been with us for generations.
Gordy Pettipas to spearhead MoGuitar Blues band as Eric Gales opener on October 30th
Gordy Pettipas is gearing up for one of the biggest gigs of his life. The New Hampshire guitarist’s trio MoGuitar Blues will be opening for Eric Gales at Jewel in Manchester, New Hampshire on Sunday, October 30th. It’s taken the local musician many years to get to the level of accomplishment he is at. The self-taught Pettipas began an early childhood fascination with guitar when he started teaching himself Stevie Ray Vaughn’s Texas Flood album on cassette.
Ilene Springer paints large canvas of words and sounds on Got To Be Brave album
Ilene Springer’s new CD Got To Be Brave offers listeners of seriously good singer-songwriter material plenty to feast their ears on. Springer’s voice gives new meaning to the word lovely and she applies it to several larger than life themes and soundscapes.
Laura Brereton sums up this year’s OnStage series at Medford’s Chevalier Theatre
Singer-songwriter, music teacher, and arts administrator Laura Brereton has had her hands full lately. She’s been helping to manage and assist the OnStage Music Series at the Chevalier Theatre in Medford, Massachusetts. Brereton’s OnStage series are shows that take place with the audience on the stage with a band or singer-songwriter in a café style setting. With a capacity of 112, it makes for an evening of intimate music.
