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MusicWorld
Theory of a Deadman’s Hard-Earned Scars and Souvenirs
“We always try to write music without any boundaries,” says Tyler Connolly, lead singer and guitarist for hard rockers Theory of a Deadman. “And that’s partly because we don’t really have a ‘core demographic.’ We’ve got 40- and 50-year-olds at our shows alongside the 14- and 15-year-olds. What’s great about Theory is that we try to let everything happen naturally.” That seems to include… more
From MusicWorld, posted 11.05.09
La Coka Nostra Builds a Brand You Can Trust
Since the rap group La Coka Nostra formed around 2006, it has become one of the most promising supergroups to emerge since the Wu Tang Clan. But even though they’re gaining the respect of critics and delivering knockout performances like those during the 2009 Rock the Bells tour, the whole group is something of an accident—right down to their name. “It started as inside joke,” says Slaine,… more
From MusicWorld, posted 11.05.09
Ryan Star is Rising, on His Own Terms
It was 2005 and singer/songwriter Ryan Star was an artist on the verge. Stage, the band he co-founded at age 14, was signed to Madonna’s Maverick Records and touring with major acts. But while Star’s career looked promising, an insistent inner voice haunted him. “I needed more from life and music,” the singer says. “I couldn't fight the reality that I feel most like myself when the… more
From MusicWorld, posted 11.03.09
Dan Goggin’s 25 Years of ‘Nunsense’
Twenty-five years ago, Dan Goggin never imagined that a little cabaret show he and some friends put together in Greenwich Village would wind up becoming a worldwide phenomenon. The idea was simple — a song-and-dance revue starring actors dressed as nuns — but it didn’t take long to catch on. “We were booked for four weekends, and we ended up running for 38,” Goggin recalls. “It was way… more
From MusicWorld, posted 11.03.09
The Dirges’ Bittersweet Melodies
As their woebegone name would hint, the Dirges perform bittersweet, beer-hoisting original tunes that evoke their Irish-American roots. But as singer/songwriter Fran DeAngelo explains, there is more to the Dirges’ name than meets the ear. When DeAngelo and cohort “Tall Pete” Mathus first teamed back in 2001, they composed a pair of tunes entitled “Stuytown” and “Hattie Street”—songs inspired by the untimely deaths of mutual friends, including… more
From MusicWorld, posted 10.29.09
Holly Williams, Upholding and Enhancing a Family Tradition
Singer-songwriter Holly Williams, grandchild of legendary honky-tonk provocateur Hank Williams Sr. and daughter of hard-charging country star Hank Jr, is a long, tall siren with an intense, smoldering style and a fabled bloodline that affords her both a tremendous advantage and some built-in, inescapable challenges. On her current Here with Me album (Mercury Nashville), she excels at gracefully navigating between the extremes such a… more
From MusicWorld, posted 10.27.09
Pleasure P Fans, Meet Marcus Cooper
In his past life, Marcus Cooper was better known as Pleasure P, lead singer of Pretty Ricky. Natives of Florida, the hybrid rap/R&B group’s libido-drenched shows made the Chippendales dancers look like Eagle Scouts. When Pleasure P left Pretty Ricky in 2007, he wasn’t leaving because the group wasn’t successful; with the foursome, Pleasure P helped such songs as “Grind with Me” hit the… more
From MusicWorld, posted 10.22.09
Drake Delivers
This is Drake’s year. Descending on the U.S. from Toronto, the singer-rapper offers more than stellar mixtapes: He just might be the poster boy for the changing face of the music business. Aubrey Drake Graham, 22, is the son of a drummer, Dennis; one of his uncles, Larry, is the founder of Graham Central Station. In 2001, Aubrey began starring on the teen drama Degrassi: The Next… more
From MusicWorld, posted 10.20.09
On the Road, Halestorm Rages
Pennsylvania-grown Halestorm’s hard rock sound is driven by anthemic songs, progressive and defiant, and yet, grounded in the best from the past. Singer, songwriter and guitarist Lzzy Hale and younger brother and drummer Arejay were weaned on a diet of classic rock music by a father who is a veteran of bands and a singing and piano-playing mother. “She was the one who put the good music… more
From MusicWorld, posted 10.15.09
Hyper Crush’s Auditory Assault
“Our music could be described as an auditory assault on the central nervous system through aggressive electronic rhythms. We are highly influenced by Tony Scott, The Smiths, The Prodigy, and Christopher Walken.” So says Donny Fontaine, male vocalist for the hyperkinetic dance trio Hyper Crush. If the statement sounds sarcastic or funny – or both – then mission accomplished. The group,… more
From MusicWorld, posted 10.12.09
Manuel Campos Zazueta, Brilliantly Composing by Memory
An acclaimed composer and music producer in his native country and throughout Latin America, Mexican-born Latin Grammy-nominated Manuel Campos Zazueta has had more than four hundred songs recorded by a diverse range of performers, including Los Tigres del Norte, Javier Serna and Ramon Ayala, to name a few. However, what makes him most proud is his composer project Plataforma, a music… more
From MusicWorld, posted 10.08.09
Marty Dodson Must be Doing Something Right
Marty Dodson scored one of the biggest country hits of 2008 with “Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven,” recorded by Kenny Chesney, as well as George Strait. With a title like that, it comes as no surprise that his first job out of college was as a youth minister. Although he grew up in the church, Dodson says, “I'm at a point in my… more
From MusicWorld, posted 10.06.09
Margarita Rosa de Francisco Acts on Musical Impulses
The daughter of a musician father and a fashion designer mother, Colombian-born singer-songwriter and actress Margarita Rosa de Francisco started her career juggling the roles of model and thespian in the early 80s, and she actually represented her native country during the 1985 Miss Universe pageant. In the interim, she found time to study French, English and Portuguese, all while developing her acting chops. In 1986, her… more
From MusicWorld, posted 10.05.09
For Jeff Blue, the Artist is King
Jeff Blue has dedicated his entire life to artist development. A deliberate businessman with innate creative sensibility, he is a bridge between the artistic and the commercial, the creative and the career. “Artist integrity is important—so important,” he muses, speaking from his studio in Los Angeles. His artist-is-king mantra has yielded platinum-selling results that have shaped popular culture over the past decade. In addition to discovering more
From MusicWorld, posted 10.02.09
Solo and Strong, Jessica Harp Makes Her Dream Album
To change career direction in the wake of a smash success is hardly a standard formula in the music world. But Jessica Harp is doing just that. Having scored a chart-topping single and a gold album with the Wreckers – the country-pop duo she co-founded with Michelle Branch in 2004 – Harp is striking out on her own with her new… more
From MusicWorld, posted 9.30.09
Lex Land’s Hopeful Nostalgia
At 22 years-old, Lex Land has already secured placement in Brothers and Sisters, One Tree Hill and Private Practice, all of which chose “As Much as You Lead” to emphasize their dramatic plot twists. Classically trained as a singer during her teen years, Land calls on her jazz influences from the very first line: “I always get my hopes up...” Asked how much of her personality is reflected in the… more
From MusicWorld, posted 9.29.09
Benny Blanco: Verve through a $10 Mic
21 year-old Benny Blanco inhabits both the underground and the mainstream. “I like to do pop, but I also do the weird indie stuff,” he says. Credited as a co-producer on three tracks, he co-wrote two songs, including the title cut, for Britney Spears’ multi-platinum Circus. Additionally, he has worked with a roster of artists that includes Ciara, Kylie Minogue, Lady… more
From MusicWorld, posted 9.24.09
Holler Back: Patty Loveless Releases ‘Mountain Soul II’
With a voice like a wrecking ball made of honey, Patty Loveless tears into the opening lines of Harlan Howard’s 1962 classic “Busted,” the first song on Mountain Soul II, the long-awaited continuation of the critically acclaimed 2001 album that laid bare the Kentucky coal mining roots of the gold-selling, three-time CMA award winner. “Well the bills are all due and the baby needs… more
From MusicWorld, posted 9.22.09
Larry Hernandez: Friend of the People
Los Angeles-born narcorrido singer and songwriter Larry Hernandez likes to keep things simple when making music. “My inspiration comes from the people,” he says in Spanish over a phone interview. “Even the news on TV is a source for me.” His oft-controversial tunes are usually recorded live in the studio, with no overdubs or studio trickery. “When I write a song, I think about everyday life, and… more
From MusicWorld, posted 9.16.09
Joey + Rory: Together, Successful and Not Changing a Thing
“Whatever you do, don’t change.” That advice, offered by Naomi Judd to country duo Joey + Rory during their stint on CMT’s Can You Duet competition, is a sentiment shared by a growing legion of fans of the husband-wife team. Amazingly, the Nashville-based couple had never considered a career as a duo prior to their appearance on the CMT reality show. For the past decade-plus, Rory Feek… more
From MusicWorld, posted 9.14.09
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