Rare Union

Rare Union is a band born during the pandemic. Their second album "Times They Always Change" is a deeply personal album, featuring a daring mix of percussion-driven Blues and Rock with reveling, soul-baring and heartfelt vocals.

The start of Rare Union began in 2019. It started with LA Smith from New York, percussionist. LA Smith had been wanting to produce a CD, with a lot of percussion. To pass percussion on to kids all over the world. After completing a national tour with The Randy Oxford Band in 2014, LA decided to play at festivals with headliners, and do percussion workshops, passing on 12 sets of bongos at each workshop to low-income kids all over the western hemisphere. At the same time, Martin Cage lead guitarist from Nemesis, was looking to put some of his original compositions into a CD. LA Smith now out of Columbia MO, and Martin Cage out of Salt Lake UT, decided to get together, and see what would happen. They went into El Centro studio in Columbia, Missouri and start recording. They added Jerry Russo, a local rhythm drummer and the three of them put together first six songs. Then the pandemic hit, and it was a challenge to bring any artists in to the studio. The studio added UV lighting, and slowly they started to work on the CD. Martin Cage had played with vocalist, guitar player, Max Soler from FT Myers, in the group Nemesis. 

So, when they called Max he was ready to go. Over the next year and a half, they had several recording sessions. They had Will Reeves on bass and Danny Carrol on drums, both from Columbia, MO. They played together in several groups. Before too long they had 9 more songs. The songs started to get real heart felt lyrics, guitar breaks and solos that bring out the original sound that Rare Union turned out to be. They did not go into the studio trying to produce a particular sound, just wanted to make good music. What happened was chemistry, with five artists, with all different backgrounds, from 5 different states playing together. As the songs Martin had composed evolved and began to take shape, Max would add lyrics, guitar. Both Martin Cage and Max Soler would switch off on lead and rhythm. LA Smith and Danny Carroll would build the structure of the songs and decide how to incorporate the drums and percussion. Will Reeves did the bass lines and engineered the CD. 

They ended up with a new blues rock sound. The addition of Micael Kott on Cello, from Santa Fe NM, was added. His recording was done at Frogville Studios in Santa Fe, NM. Michael Kott plays cello all over the world with Peter Buffet. His cello is on “Won’t Be Lost” and “Brother of Mine”. With the CD getting produced, and final vocals getting finished the band needed a name. That’s where Dawn Smith suggested Rare Union. It described this band, born in a pandemic, from five states, with all new original music. Dawn set up all the production of the CD, web site, Domain, copywrite and trademarks. Naming the CD was easy, Max Soler and Martin Cage had a friend who passed, and he was considered a brother. So, the band named the CD, “Brother of Mine”. Rare union is now setting dates to do three videos and the start of the next CD in March. Wanting to have it out by the middle of October. They have been invited to several festivals, and are lining up festivals around the world to play. Hopping for 2023, but with the pandemic may be 2024.

Rareunionband.com

Jeff Pike

"Sunset On L.A." is the third single released by Jeff Pike, which was composed, produced, arranged and engineered by award-winning songwriter, singer, producer and recording artist Gino Vannelli. His brother, award-winning songwriter, producer and videographer Ross Vannelli produced and directed the official music video.

"Sunset On L.A." is a well-produced mid-tempo, feel-good, adult contemporary pop song and video that could easily cross over to several genres. The lyrics bring up to date the universal age-old lesson of leaving your comfort zone in search of love and dreams to eventually find your way back home again.

http://www.jeffpike.com/

McKenna Faith Winters

McKenna Faith Winters, a talented 15-year-old , is making waves in the music industry with the release of her highly anticipated debut single, "I'm Doin' Country Tonight". This catchy country track is now available on all major streaming platforms, allowing fans of Country Music to enjoy McKenna's fresh take on the genre. "I'm Doin' Country Tonight" is the first of 5 singles soon to be released. With her debut, McKenna Faith Winters is carving her own path in the country music scene, proving that age is no barrier to success. Born in Dixon, IL and raised in Machesney Park, IL, McKenna has been honing her vocal talents since a young age. Her passion for country music runs deep, and her dedication to her craft is evident in every note she sings. "I'm Doin' Country Tonight" marks the beginning of an exciting journey for McKenna. 

This young artist is poised to make a significant impact on the country music landscape, capturing the hearts of fans worldwide. Her debut single is just a taste of what's to come as McKenna continues to develop her unique sound and share her authentic stories with the world. About McKenna Faith Winters: McKenna Faith Winters is a 15-year-old singer from Machesney Park, IL. With a deep passion for country music, McKenna's soulful vocals and honest storytelling have captivated audiences since a young age. Her debut single, "I'm Doin' Country Tonight", showcases her talent and sets the stage for an exciting career in the music industry. "I'm Doin' Country Tonight" was written by Cedric Israel, Debbie Simpson and Tad Boyle and produced by Cedric Israel and Jason Zarnowski.

https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/mckennafaithwinters/im-doin-country-tonight

Natalie Clark

Scottish singer-songwriter Natalie Clark, who has reaped plaudits from Virgin’s Richard Branson and BBC Radio 1's Nick Grimshaw was selected as a Mercedes Benz KTLA "Artist to Watch” after moving to the US. Natalie was featured in the Mercedes Benz commercial campaign which also included performances at the famous Roxy on Sunset, and The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. She was handpicked to open for the Grammy award winning Indigo Girls tour and has been recording in L.A when not busy touring the US. Natalie received acclaim from multi-platinum artists such as Christina Aguilera and Blake Shelton when she appeared on NBC’s The Voice, who praised her voice as ‘cool and powerful’ and ‘incredible’.

Since moving to the States, Natalie has opened festivals, toured the country, and was named a ‘Hot 100 Live Artist’ in Music Connection Magazine. She is also an official JH Audio featured artist. Natalie's music is featured in several Netflix shows and an international commercial campaign. 'Ready to Roll' the lead single from her latest E.P, recently won 'BEST ORIGINAL SONG' at the Austin Under the Stars Film Festival.

After giving up her teaching career in Scotland to pursue her dream of writing and playing music, the rising indie-pop artist made headlines in the U.K. when Richard Branson invited her to sing on-stage at a BBC Radio 1 Academy session in Glasgow. Natalie accepted his impromptu challenge, and sang 'Weakness', from her debut EP. It prompted Branson to proclaim: “That was absolutely and utterly stunning – no backing band, no musicians, no forewarning.” He later called her “inspiring”. Grimshaw, who was hosting the BBC Radio 1 Academy event, played ‘Weakness’ and further sang Natalie's praises on his BBC Radio 1 show the following day. Branson has since written several articles about Natalie, including a recent commentary on her record release on virgin.com

Natalieclarkmusic.com

Darkness Is My Canvas

Darkness Is My Canvas (DIMC) was founded in Helsinki in 2017. The band plays melodic rock combined with progressive elements, stylistically influenced by bands such as Muse, Queen, Pink Floyd, Leprous, and on occasion also Porcupine Tree and My Chemical Romance. Their catchy melodies have many musical hooks, and the band likes to throw curve balls at the audience by changing time and style mid-song - and they do this completely intentionally. The imaginative sound of DIMC wells up from the melody-rich guitar playing of Panu and the voice of Pete, who, some say, sounds like the young David Bowie.

 

All the songs of DIMC come from the mind and pen of Pete and Panu, who are also the “founding fathers” of the band. They also play all the other instruments in the studio beside the drums, which are trusted to some of the top drummers in Finland. The mastering is done by none other than Grammy Award winner Nicolas Fournier (LA) who’s had his hands on many recordings by many of the band’s idols (Muse, Linkin Park, Adam Lambert, etc.).

 

DIMC was founded on what was left from the previous band of multi-instrumentalist Panu and lead singer/guitarist Pete. It was called May:Day, and it represented some sort of an amalgamation of Finnish progressive rock of the 70s and more modern Finnish rock music. Should someone want to listen to their album “I”, they will find it by digging through the Internet, as it has not been officially released. DIMC needed to distinguish themselves from the previous band as they changed their language from Finnish to English and their style became more nuanced.

 

To date, DIMC has released one EP called “Monsters'' and one single called “The Game”. Also couple of singles 'Fade Into The White Noise' & Drown is released from the upcoming White Noise EP. Their songs have been listened quite nicely from streaming services such as Spotify, in which the counter reached 250 000 this September.

https://www.facebook.com/darknessismycanvas

Moe Joe

Moe Joe, now respectively known as “the ever first electric blues band in Turkey” was founded by Feramerz Ayadi, İzi Ergil and Vefa Karatay in 1994, in Istanbul. Instead of other contemporary blues rock bands which were keen to cover the scholastic repertoire of 60’s and 70’s alumnis, Moe Joe chose a different path to follow by putting an emphasize on covering the milestones of post-war Chicago blues repertoire thus, choosing to struggle hard on the club scene for finding a venue in late 90’s. Hence, in time, the venues hosting the performances of the band in various cities in Turkey became a shelter for local purist audiences.

In 1996, Sarp Keskiner (vocal, guitar, harmonica) and İlhan Babaoğlu (alto and soprano saxophone) joined the band; both were until then well – known members of phenomenal Istanbul Blues Company. Under guidance of Keskiner and Ayadi, Moe Joe centered upon Chicago Southside & Westside standards, spicy Detroit style boogies, early Texas shuffles and dark Louisiana grooves.

Between 1998 and 2001, the band set the heights for the musical quality of this genre on the national scene by adding harmonica virtuoso – flautist Tuğrul Aray to its line-up and back from NYC, enter Ergin Özler to take over the drum stool aiming at to bring the swinging authenticity to the sextet.

After releasing the “all originals” debut album, “Chicago Istanbul Mainline” in 2000, Moe Joe received rave reviews from national and international music media; having been interviewed and guested on various magazines, web sites, radio and TV channels.

From 2001 Caribbean, Brazilian and Afro - Cuban beats into their well-established sound, while stabilizing the line up as a quintet; with addition of Özün Usta (conga, djembe, cajon). Within this context, live recordings compiled in this album which were recorded in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir direct to DAT tapes feature the diversity of a veteran Turkish blues band, which is set to celebrate its 30th anniversary of foundation in 2024.

https://boneunionrecords.bandcamp.com/album/live-in-2002-2009

Royce Martínez

Royce Martinez was born on the 11th day of April in the year 1995. He grew up in Denver, Colorado along with his two siblings, and his mother.

Royce had a tumultuous childhood, growing up with an abusive mother, he turned to music to feel less alone. This ignited an inextinguishable flame, this starting his passion for music. He began writing music in 2012 at the young age of fourteen and would go on to join bands such as;

Shadow Of The Damned and Scarlight.

Shadow of the Damned

Royce would join his first band, Shadow of the Damned in 2012. They would make their debut by playing their first show at The Roxy Theater, gaining recognition in the metal community. The band would later breakup due to artistic differences in 2013.

Roycemartinezofficial.com