Category: Artists (Page 110 of 262)

Do You Remember The First Time?

The conversation usually starts late at night, you and your new college friends in someone’s dorm room with a 12-pack, dishing about the lives you lived before they knew you. An old song comes on, and someone says, “This was the first rock concert I ever saw.” This claim is usually met with a “They suck!,” followed by a “Hey, I was 12, I didn’t know any better!” From there, the conversation turns into a can-you-top-this game of who saw the most “embarrassing” band as their first concert. Twenty years later, of course, the shame turns back into pride, as you realize the band was better than you once gave them credit for, but you wouldn’t have convinced the 18-year-old version of yourself of that at the time. Being cool is hard, you know.

And so, over the course of nearly a hundred emails, the Bullz-Eye staff racked their booze-addled brains to recall the first time they heard the roar of the crowd as the lights went down, and the magic that followed. This is our chronological history of the staff’s first shows. Not surprisingly, most of us were baptized by arena rock fire, but as it turned out, one of us was fortunate enough to see the birth of one of the greatest bands of all time.

Curious which one it was…? Just click the graphic below…and when you’re finished with the piece, don’t be afraid to pop back ’round and let us know about your first time!

Various Artists: Ten Out of Tenn Volume 2

Singer/songwriter Trent Dabbs hails from Nashville, where you can throw a rock and hit a musical artist. But when he and his wife/manager Kristen realized that their favorite artists were Trent’s peers, and not those being touted by the media outside of Nashville, they decided to do something about it. The result was Ten Out of Tenn, a compilation featuring some of Nashville’s more under-the-radar pop/rock talent. The first volume was released in 2005, and Vol. 2 is dripping with so much talent, it may be difficult for anyone on it to remain unknown for long. Most of these artists have enjoyed film/TV placements, and some are or have been signed to labels, but the bottom line is that the Dabbs family knows how to evaluate talent. The most promising are Erin McCarley, whose “Pony (Go On)” is the first and best track, as well as Butterfly Boucher, Andy Davis and Dabbs himself. There are also a few clunkers – Griffin House sounds like he’s trying too hard to be Jason Mraz on “The Guy That Says Goodbye” and Katie Herzig’s vocal vibrato may wear on you after ten seconds – but both have been praised by critics, so feel free to form your own opinion. Overall, this is a solid compilation and a great avenue for pimping some of Nashville’s true talent. (Ready Set Records)

Ten Out of Tenn MySpace Page

Steal This Song: Carlon, “Cantaloupe”

Holy “Jesus Was a Crossmaker,” Batman.

New Jersey: It’s not just for bar bands anymore. This quartet does the best Hollies impression we’ve heard in ages, good enough to blow away anything by Band of Horses, to whom the band is favorably compared in their press release. Now, we like that Band of Horses album as much as the next guy, but there isn’t anything on Cease to Begin that comes close to matching the beauty of “Cantaloupe.” Is it just us, or does everyone else hear Christopher Walken’s voice when they see the word ‘cantaloupe’? Blame it on too many viewings of “True Romance.”

The band’s full-length debut, Johari Window, comes out September 30. We can’t wait to hear the rest of it.

Carlon – Cantaloupe

Richard Frankz: The Traveler

Richard Frankz explodes out of your stereo with his good-time honky tonk/blues-country cookin’! It’s true, people. Frankz is a solid songwriter and The Traveler is a fine CD packed with journeyman type songs. “Just Being Me” swings with steady assurance with tight production and rock solid playing by Frankz’ band. “More Each Day” has a smooth kind of ’70s professionalism to it, while the same rings true for “Just Spending Time (With You).” Then there’s the pop side of Frankz, which is best experienced on a track like “I Could Never Fall” that sounds like something Chicago might have done when Terry Kath was still alive. Good stuff, indeed. “Southern Summer Nights” recalls Little River Band as well as Glen Campbell. And on “One Step Forward” Richard Frankz shows off his abilities at melding country and bluegrass with much panache. The Traveler is certainly a rock-solid album that fans of older country stars and just plain good songwriting and performing will like. It’s certainly nice to hear this style of music at this quality being made today. (Richard Frankz Music)

Richard Frankz’ MySpace page.

Davina Robinson: The Blazing Heart

Let’s get one thing straight: “Never Good Enugh” might just go down as the best rock tune of 2008. That said, whether or not the world at large catapults Davina Robinson to stardom is anyone’s guess. On this four-track EP, Robinson is billed as “The Rock n’ Soul Chick,” and that’s a pretty good description of her talents. On “Conversations in My Head” she sounds like the female equivalent of both Lenny Kravitz and Terrence Trent D’Arby. The big electric guitars in the mix are definitely what sets Robinson’s music apart from that of others in the “Soul” category. Sometimes, things get a little cliched, as on “Making Love to Your Girlfriend,” whose ‘thinking of another person while getting it on’ sentiments have been done too many times to count before. But overall, this a really solid disc that fans of rockin’ tunes and good singing should easily enjoy. (Plum Wine)

Davina Robinson MySpace page

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