DawgGoneDavis is BACK!!!!!!!!!!! REVERBNATION: https://www.reverbnation.com/dawggonedavis Rebecca Rogers Davis works as an IT project manager during the day, but her life away from the 4o hour a week grind finds her taking on a very different identity. She expresses her lifelong love for music and composing under the persona of DawgGoneDavis. DawgGoneDavis has a playful take on hip hop tradition that aligns her, in some respects, with Weird Al Yankovich’s song parodies. Despite the light hearted nature of her songwriting, Davis is a deceptively astute songsmith who intuitively understands how to craft a catchy hook that lingers with listeners long after the song ends. Her latest release are a pair of singles entitled “Forever Music” and “Butt on Foya”, two songs building on the success of DawgGoneDavis’ first single “Middle Age Woman – Hip Hop Style” while solidifying her position as one of the best parodists on the indie songwriting scene today.

Mike Ra “Dogs” The art form of protest music shouldn’t be relegated to strictly coffee house acoustic acts and raucous punk rock units who have no regard for the non-abrasive sensibilities of the current generation of music enthusiasts. When you think about it, music doesn’t even have to challenge the autocratic notion of established order in its lyrics to inspire a rebellion that will change the landscape of pop forever. We’ve seen countless soft rock acts leave an imprint on music that was just as insubordinate in its foundation as some of the raunchiest, most extreme of transmissions from the underground. And yet we still uphold this falsehood, this flat out fallacy, that to affect significant change in your scene, you have to be the loudest voice, the most noticeable explosion in a series of chaotic disasters to really get anyone’s attention enough to make a difference. That’s not only a completely irrelevant and fake news-influenced theory, but it’s dangerous to the development of independent music in the 21st century. “Dogs” the latest output from Canadian rhythmist Mike Ra, doesn’t wear a political motivation on its sleeve, but the overwhelming message in its lyrics is one of individuality and independence that has become synonymous with the current movement of indie rap artists both north and south of the U.S.-Canadian border.

Souleye – Wildman URL: https://www.souleye.net/ Souleye’s new single “Wildman” takes the title track to his highly anticipated studio release and unleashes it on the public in a well-deserved spotlight. Well into his second decade writing and recording music, Souleye occupies a niche in the hip hop genre that’s all his own and resulted from a trailblazing approach to merging outstanding lyrical content with across the board appealing arrangements. There’s a lot of color going into the writing of this track instead of just seeming like a vehicle for his vocal – there’s some notable dynamics at work as the song shifts from deep grooves into rousing crescendos helping to hammer home Souleye’s message. As always, however, Souleye’s messaging can never be construed as mere sloganeering. Souleye’s devotion to sharing his experiences and hope with listeners is far more important to him as an artist than following some rigid dogma and it gives even his most melancholy material an immensely attractive air of positivity. 

Ossy Oneal - Taylor Swift’s Stairway FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/Ossy-Oneal-Music-195882037089229/ The unique talents Ossy Oneal brings to his music, namely a willingness to explore a variety of styles and the skills to back it up, make him a true standout in a crowded musical world. It is heartening that Ossy, at merely twenty years old, has the all encompassing talent to bring a variety of musical styles under his control and manipulate them to maximum entertainment effect thanks to his innate understanding of what he and his potential audience wants to hear. His identity comes through quite clearly in everything he does and the latest single from this young performer, “Taylor Swift’s Stairway”, is no exception. Oneal creates according to his own rules and writes about whatever he likes – his love and admiration for Taylor Swift, not just as a performer but as a person, comes through in every minute of this performance. He shows a sure hand for navigating his way through the song to the best possible effect, obviously the result of an artist who began singing at age six, and the final product will appeal to a wide cross section of the music buying public.

Suntrodden - Suntrodden III URL: https://www.suntrodden.com/ Suntrodden is a music artist from Atlanta, Georgia. While you might think that “Suntrodden” is the name of a band, it’s actually just one guy. Erik Stephansson writes and records music under the name “Suntrodden.” So, this is really a purely solo act. This five-song set is the newest musical output from Suntrodden. If this is any indication of his previous work, there must be a lot of great stuff to enjoy in his catalog.

Kazyak - ‘Happy Camping URL: https://kazyak.com/ The main picture of the band is all of them lined up behind one another so you can see their faces. There is one female in the band picture and she’s smiling. The four other band members are male and they are wearing straight faces. In the background behind them the only thing that is clear is some groups of white skinny trees. It’s great to see the faces of the creators of the music. This way while you listen to the music you can create a better picture in your mind of what’s going on in the songs. Also there is a great introduction article to the album, featuring one of the band members Peter Frey. He gives the reason for the band name and the album title. They are about the idea of, “Everything is fine.” This is a great way of prefacing the album. The music is very even and relaxed, just as a Happy Camper is relaxed. Frey said he worked on the music just before his wedding and his search for a steady state of mind.

Danny Nardini SPOTIFY: https://play.spotify.com/album/5ADMvtADHbkSGLNhX0RBTp?play=true&utm_source=open.spotify.com&utm_medium=open Hip hop’s newest sound is the angst fueled flows of Upstate New York artist Danny Nardini. Danny’s inspiration comes from the burning desire to rectify his family’s break up and spiral downward into poverty. At the age of 14, he was working to support his mother, younger sister and younger brother. Discovering the power of music and rhyme was the pathway out of darkness for his soul and maybe for his family. Emotions born from the harsh realities he faced fill Danny’s lyrics and rhythms with a fierce presence that can’t be denied.

Elle Casazza - ‘Proof’ SOUNDCLOUD: https://soundcloud.com/ellecasazza/sets/proof Chicago’s Elle Casazza is, bluntly, one of 2017’s must-hear artists. The master vocalist delivers calm, engaging, and powerful notes. through top-notch lyrics, on her newest album, Proof. Her energetic, star-like appearance and energy, along with truly remarkable instrumental support, renders the short-and-sweet eight-track effort one of the best—and the most likely to explode in popularity—of recent times. Proof begins with a dance-inducing track, “Hey”, which is guided not by its catchy clapping and well-timed keyboard notes, but rather, by Casazza’s illuminating vocals. Again, it’s apparent that a lot of work went into arranging the track, but a lot of work goes into arranging a ship as well. Nevertheless, without a captain, there’s no telling where a vessel would end up!

The Delbert Anderson Trio and Def-i, known as DDAT, united to form the most exciting hip hop sound in the Southwest. This year (2017), DDAT releases their upcoming album in September with a release party at Sister located in Albuquerque, NM.

Jupiter in Velvet - In2 the Arms of Love URL: https://www.jupiterinvelvet.com/home In2 the Arms of Love’s ten songs are the best examples yet of Jupiter in Velvet’s unique modern guitar driven songs that he calls electro dance rock. There’s certainly an abundance of physical tempos capable of grabbing listeners from the first alongside a raw, but thoroughly modern production style and boisterous guitar. His musicianship has deceptive simplicity and a penchant for colorful articulation that most guitar players cannot boast. Jupiter in Velvet has a thorough vision for exactly the sort of music he wants to write, record, and perform. The message behind these songs, however, has an obvious importance to Jupiter in Velvet. This is a songwriter concerned with looking outside himself. His talent for writing and recording clearly serves two masters – the first is releasing the inner need he feels for self expression and the second, perhaps most important, is satisfying his desire to communicate a message he believes to anyone who will listen. 

Ashley J – Trapped FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/AshleyJeanMusic/ Pop songwriter and Singer, Ashley J joined forces with renowned producer and multi-platinum Grammy and Emmy winning, Narada Michael Walden, to create her latest hot new single, “Trapped.” Laced with mid-tempo snaps, shadowy synths and soft whispers; “Trapped” highlights a deep infatuation with a new partner. If you don’t know Narada Michael Walden’s large body of work, it would be easier to describe him to you than Ashley J who’s not exactly a newcomer to music, but a budding pop star that has been brewing for some time when you delve into her past far enough to see that. But what a producer/mixer/engineer like him can bring to anyone, is a larger, more blown up sound.

Cause for Paws – Rescue Me I-TUNES: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/rescue-me-a-cause-for-paws/id1214352838 Some of acoustic music’s most respected and gifted artists have come together with Blue Night Records for the creation of Rescue Me! It is truly a “cause for paws.” From its inception, the project has had one driving purpose: to support the furry creatures who so enhance our lives with love and loyalty. Now, at last, that purpose has materialized with energy and joy as a 12-track compilation album of tender tunes that honor our four-legged friends. Rescue Me! is a heartfelt collection of Americana music featuring songs that are thought-provoking, uplifting, engaging, and downright funny. If you love animals and acoustic folk music, this is right up your alley and deserves all the support it can get. It’s full of well-crafted songs about cats and dogs.