February 2015 Indie Music Updates

Hello folks! It’s a soothing weekend and I am bringing to you updates on cool music around the web. It’s amazing to know that 2015 is anther great year of music. We have electronic,acoustic and other types of music that’s ‘not radio.’

I discovered Alex Pardini more than a year ago when I stumbled upon his music on the web. Since thn we have kept a tight correspondent covering many topics including photography( he’s a pro). He gets better each year as he creates fantastic and elegant tunes. His music speaks to the side of me who likes finer, better and beautiful things in life. This is the first playlist I listened upon waking up. These are evening tunes but then again, beautiful music is always enriching any time of the day. So good, so rich!

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If you like something acoustic and soothing then check this song by singer/songwriter J.P. Kallio. What I like about his songs is that, you can appreciate his songs even if you are not a fan of folk music. His recordings are always excellent in terms of clarity and balance. This is the kind of quality that I look for in any stripped down tune.

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Whenever I listen to any Michael Stovall song, I get carried away. His emotional pieces always have a room for the ‘soundtrack of your life’ kind of moment. The depth of lyrics and beautiful singing are his strong points. The melodies are his gold.

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Talents between New Zealand and Ireland have created Altocirrus. I feel so fortunate to listen to their latest album plus review it for this site!

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This musical asset of Romania by the name of LeVant continues to dazzle me with his unique ideas. His tunes are somewhat in the  pop-but not so pop, category. His deep understanding of Classical, Medieval,Jazz,Electronic is astounding. Unjaded is his latest release.

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Pierre Masse continues to dabble with different styles of music. From acoustic to electronic, his versatility is excellent. I don’t think any artist who started a career doing acoustic rock could pull that off elegantly. And he did. Amazing!

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I am enjoying this new upload from Norwegian artist Kjell Roll Elgsaas. Very energetic and complex. Beautiful beats.

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And last but not the least, I need you to listen to this beautiful song from Cornish singer/songwriter Dan Aston.  Lemonade Sea is the title. This is recorded at The VIP Lounge in Penzance and featuring Sue Aston on violin and members from Cornish jazz band, Endangered Species.

Enjoy your weekend with beautiful music.

I recommend these Soundcloud artists

I am so passionate about Soundcloud. That is where I hear cool music all the time. That’s where musicians that I respect and admire post their tunes. That’s a place where I love to repost and tweet the uploads of these fantastic artists. So today it’s less talk and more Soundcloud links. These are the musicians that are hot on my list. I hope you enjoy their music as much as I did. And oh, it’s 5 am in the morning here.

Diary of a Lost Girl – by Louise Rutkowski (ex This Mortal Coil, The Hope Blister).

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No wonder the beautiful voice of Louise Rutkowski sounds familiar. She used to be part of This Mortal Coil and The Hope Blister. She helped build the  4AD records with her distinct angelic voice. Diary of a Lost Girl took seven years to make and it is on its way to seduce ears to heights of sonic orgasm. I listened to the taster and I tell you, this is the kind of album that you want to add to your collection of ‘feel good ‘ music.

The orchestral arrangement alone makes this a sure winner . The second track Remember made the hair at the back of my neck stand when she hit that high note in the end  of the song (on top of the lush orchestral strings). Bedtime Story combines the beauty of chamber strings and electronic beats. It has that nice pizzicato that goes in and out within the verses. Unlike Liz Fraser who sings in abstract glossalia vocalise, Rutkowski firmly plants her craft on story-telling with pop sensibilities. This is an album I would gladly play loud to amuse neighbors with its uniqueness.

I don’t know what kind of heavenly drink she ingests every day but her voice is rare and you don’t get to hear this kind in today’s singers. The same reason I didn’t watch the Grammys because the terrible voices make me shudder! I hope Diary of a Lost Girl will get wider distribution and probably even a place in movie soundtracks. Mimi is a song that’s fitting as accidental songs because of its cinematic style.

There are a thirteen tracks in the album and they have been crafted artfully. I admire the quality of work that Irvin Duguid (who co-wrote and produced this album) has placed in Diary of a Lost Girl. You can hear even the tiniest sound like the soft tinkling of the piano. The album is relaxing and perfect for those who are unwinding after a tired day. The lyrics touch on relationships, struggles and a woman’s journey into self-realization and inner strength. I sometimes don’t pay attention to the lyrics. I just love the voice of Louise Rutkowski and the beautiful tunes that inhabit the heaven called Diary of a Lost Girl.

You can pre-order the album from iTunes through this link: https://itunes.apple.com/album/diary-of-a-lost-girl/id787200040

Samplers:

YouTube

 

Soundcloud:

https://soundcloud.com/louise-rutkowski/doalg-taster-mix

Northern Boy and More:Interview with J.P. Kallio

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Artists have many facets. Each one wants to break through. Perhaps that is why there is the  need for side projects when one devoted his life to making music. Our experiences are complex and these enhance our way of looking at the world and using ways to express the feelings we have deep inside.

Northern Boy which is his new album (up for release this year) brings out the other side of his craft. In this interview he explains in detail  what it takes to be a singer/songwriter and the many factors that shape the musical career of every musician. I think this will also benefit those who are new to the craft, and are trying to tap into the creative source. Making music is a joy for both artists and listeners.

1. The Boneyard Bastards, Sliotar and now you solo album. How do you maintain the energy for making music?247734_10151177343709487_1139212713_n

Well… I’ve been in Sliotar nearly 14 years now. It’s a band that for some weird reason the old style of music business still seems to work. By this I mean we record an album and then tour the album for the next two to three years, until we get sick of it and our fans start asking for a new album :-D. Boneyard Bastards is a punk rock band, all of us in the band have other commitments, so we try to squeeze in a rehearsals and gigs when ever possible, but sometimes it can be tough to find the time. And this brings me to my solo project. I write a lot of songs and I am not saying this as bragging, I don’t do it like “look at me I can write a lot of songs”… It’s just a part of me, it’s like getting up in the morning, go to toilet, drink coffee, check the Emails, write a song… So I realized that as soon as I get other people involved in a project, everything slows down. Sometimes there might be four years before song makes it from my head to a CD. The main reason behind this is the fact that Sliotar is professional band and we all are quite critical… So this time I decided concentrate on the performance and bringing out the emotions of the actual songs, instead of perfection. And I set up my self a very tight schedule, not to be wasting time or so this would not get on the way of the other bands. I just wanted to get songs out fast 🙂 And my plan is to keep doing this between the projects. And to actually answer your question 😀 it actually feels great to getting the songs out, it takes much more energy to hold them in 😉

2. You have toured and released albums with Sliotar. How do you keep up the creative energy between bands and music?

Yeah, Sliotar has been quite busy 😀 For the past eight years we have been doing about 10 weeks of touring every year and between the tours and our residency in the Porterhouse we play around 160 shows every year. So that can sometimes take things over a bit. But all of the projects are very different and I look forward to them all in different ways. Boneyard Bastards is like therapy, I just get up and scream my head off for an hour. The actual songwriting I try to put time a side every week, if not every day. And when you do make it a routine, instead of waiting for “inspiration” I find that great things start to happen. I love writing songs and as much as it is part of my job, it is also my hobby, my passion.

Giving my baby a well deserved service. All ready for a full weekend of Sliotar duty -JP

Giving my baby a well deserved service. All ready for a full weekend of Sliotar duty -JP

3. You are currently recording songs for your solo album Northern Boy. How is this work different from those you made with your two bands?

Actually, it’s all finished 😉 I just sent off all the material to distribution and the album will be out on the 25th of March. But yeah, I am the one who decides everything 😀 I work around my schedule, so I can be recording 7am in the morning or 11 a clock at night. I don’t need to ask any one if this or that is OK. I still have friends and family around me who I do ask for feedback all the time, but It has been much faster process. In away I can take lot more risks as well. I tried to write songs that people can relate to, but also the songs on this album are very personal to me. I wanted the record to sound like I was in the room with the listener, playing and singing to them. I don’t think this kind of approach would have worked with either of the other bands 😀

4.Will Northern Boy be available on both digital and physical editions? And what can we expect from the album in terms of the graphic and lyrical content?

My number one priority with the album was all along to have it available online. I will definitely have it as physical product as well as I am still a strong believer in having the product in your hand. Also I do have some plans for some interesting intimate live shows, so it would be nice to have it available there as well. As to the lyrical content, I didn’t have any direction as such. The songs tend to dictate them selves what they are going to be about usually, and I just follow the flow. But I do tend to pick up lot of things unconsciously and later find them in my songs. So be careful, anything you say might end up in one of my songs 😉 I think life in general would be good description. The graphic side has a bit of a story to go with it. I had this picture of me as a six year old kid taking a piss on the back wheel of my late fathers truck. It’s an image that has been hanging on my office wall for about four years waiting for this album. But as my back side was partially exposed, the distribution company said they can’t use it… So it was back to the drawing board. I am actually working on an image as I write this, so you just have to wait and see 😉

5. How did you discover your musical path that made you decide that you want to pursue a musical career?

Autumn: Carving pumpkins in between tours.

Autumn: Carving pumpkins in between tours.

I am dyslexic, which they never discovered back in school. So school was a real struggle to me, basically I was bad at everything. The only thing that made sense was music. I started to play guitar when I was 10 years old. At this stage it really is the only thing I know how to do.

6. Who are the people involved in Northern Boy?

Me! 😀 Yep, I did almost everything my self, except I got the album mastered in the States. I am planning another set of songs, and hoping to get some friends involved, but on this one it’s just me 🙂

7. Why the title Northern Boy

Well as you know I have been living in Ireland for the past 18 years. When I first came here Ireland was very different, and I remember this old man once saying to me “do I detect bit of northern accent?”. He was referring to Northern Ireland. It kind of stuck with me, and last October it made its way to one of my songs. I suppose it’s to do with that confused identity of living abroad and not sure where the home is 😀 You can’t really get much more north than Finland, so I think it makes me a Northern Boy

8. How do you describe the style of music in your upcoming album?

Oh! As I have started to work on the promotion of this album, I had to think this a bit. It is Folk music, it definitely has strong Country/ Americana influence and I think the fact that for most parts it’s just me and my guitar, it makes me a Singer-songwriter.

9. When it gets released, where can I buy and download the album?

Well, first of all my website is a good place to start 😉 www.jpkalliomusic.com But it will be available on all the major digital distribution shops, iTunes, Amazon etc. I think iTunes will be doing Presales as well. I am also posting one song every week on my website and soundcloud building up to the album release, so keep checking back.

10. Thanks for taking the time to answer this interview JP.

Thank you Baxter for taking the time to talk to me, and for the continuous support. I really appreciate what you do for music and I am dedicated follower of both of your blogs 🙂

James Bullard has a Soundcloud Page.


The bluesy melodic rock guy  James Bullard from Austin, Texas has an official soundcloud page. I fondly remember the Myspace days when it James Bullardwas easy to listen to your favorite musicians as you have the option to put their page on your ‘top friends’ section. Now, myspace has a very uncertain future. But soundcloud is thriving and because of mobile apps available for Android, Mac or Windows phones keeping track of new recordings is easy. I hope they make improvements with mixcloud as this is another amazing site to upload your music and your dj mix if you have an online radio show.
If you haven’t read my interview with this amazing artist then try to read it here: https://spheremusic.me/2013/02/10/james-bullard-here-and-nowinterview/

be updated with his new post by following his soundcloud page.