Second Chances by Colin Gordon-Farleigh

For my 1197^th review, I am proud to feature the album Second Chances by Runcorn, England singer/songwriter and minister Colin Gordon-Farleigh released August 10, 2018, on the Sherry Joy Music label.  Joining Colin on this great album is Mike Johnson on pedal dobro, Kevin Grantt on bass, Andy Leftwich on fiddle, mandolin and banjo, Ernie Rowell on rhythm guitar and backing vocals and Hannah Vandie on backing vocals.  This album with the old-time country sound features a great performance on such tracks as the title track Second Chances, If You Ever Go Away, The Weight Of My Chains, We All Need Our Heroes, and much more.  This album was well recorded, written and produced and is available from Amazon, Itunes and other outlets where CD’s and digital downloads are sold.

Dale Ann Bradley at The Down Home in Johnson City, Tennessee

Last month I had the opportunity to review The Hard Way, the March 22, 3019 album by Kentucky based bluegrass artist Dale Ann Bradley on the Pinecastle Records label.  I was so impressed with her work that when I found out she was coming into our area to perform, I felt I must see her live.  Last night I had the opportunity to meet her and see her perform at The Down Home, a 150 seat venue in Johnson City, Tennessee that has been for open for about forty-three years.  It was quite different than many venues that I have been to in the past.  You will not hear metal and heavy rock in this venue.  You will mainly hear Americana, bluegrass, blues and country, mostly acoustic music in this venue where this is a club to actually listen to the music and not party.  Dale Ann gave the audience a great show, performing songs from her latest album The Hard Way as well from her many previous albums.  Along with Matt Leadbetter on slide guitar and backing vocals, Dale Ann shows her ability to tell a story and does so in her music.  She is also very sociable with the audience and tells the audience a story about each song she performed.  I enjoyed her performance and looking forward to hearing her live again and it also wants me to get the opportunity to hear and review her earlier albums so I can see the growth in her music.  The staff at The Down Home was very friendly and made you feel welcome at this venue and I will want to see other acts there in the future.

The Boogie Knights at Wild Wing Cafe in Johnson City, Tennessee

Last night I was brought back to the great memories of my days working as a disc jockey playing disco and funk by listening to a great band called The Boogie Knights out of Knoxville, Tennessee as they played at the Wild Wing Cafe in Johnson City, Tennessee.  This great band comprises of Founder/Front Lady Valerie B. Tippitt, Guitar/Backing Vocals Chris Cook, Bass/Backing Vocals David Peeples, Drums/Vocals Andy Campbell and on keyboards Julius Blue.  I enjoyed their vocals and harmonies along with impressive guitar riffs, thumping bass sounds, and amazing keyboard work with such tracks as their opening number Boogie Nights, I Love The Nightlife, Sir Duke, You Sexy Thing, December 1963 (Oh What A Night), (Ain’t No Mountain) High Enough and so much more.  This band gave the audience a high energy performance and the crowd was dancing.  They were also friendly and fun to talk to.  I learned that a couple of members also play with a hair rock band that I hope to hear one day.  This is also a band that has their sound tight and I would love to hear again.  This venue is spacious, has a great staff, and has great food and drink.  I plan to return to this venue again with my wife to enjoy a nice evening out.

 

Wilderness by Ryan Farish

Wilderness is the August 10, 2018 album by Ryan Farish is an American artist, composer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentist,  hailing from Norfolk, Virginia, and based in Los Angeles, California, Ryan is known for his downtempo electronica, chillout, and uplifting dance music.  This eleven track album features such great songs as Ebb And Flow, the title track Wilderness, Solitude, My Heart Beats For You and much more.  This recording was well written, performed, recorded and produced and is available in CD and digital download format from Amazon, Itunes, and other outlets.  You can learn more about this amazing artist from his website http://www.ryanfarish.com

Futurecide by 1919

Futurecide is the third studio album by the post-punk band from Bradford UK 1919 released April 12, 2019, on the Cleopatra Records label.  This band comprises of Nick Reed on drums, Sam Evans on guitar, Karl Donner on bass and Rio Goldhammer on vocals.  I enjoyed this album from start to finish with great guitar work, amazing vocals, and driving drum beats reminding me of the sounds of REM and other bands of that era with such tracks as Anxiety, the title track Futurecide, Radicals, Aurora and much more.  This great album was well written, recorded, performed and produced.  I recommend this album for your music library and you can get your own copy of this great album from Bandcamp, Amazon and other outlets where CDs and digital downloads are sold.  You can also learn more about this band by going to their website https://1919.co.uk/

OK, I’M SICK by Badflower

Ok, I’m Sick (stylized in all caps) is the debut studio album by the American rock band Badflower, released on February 22, 2019.on the Big Machine Records label.  The band is composed of singer/guitarist Josh Katz, lead guitarist Joey Morrow, bass guitarist Alex Espiritu, and drummer Anthony Sonetti.  This thirteen track album has spawned four great singles Ghost, x Ana x, Heroin, and Promise Me.  Other notable tracks on this album are The Jester, Daddy, Girlfriend and much more.  I was quite impressed with their great vocals and heavy guitar riffs.  I enjoyed this album from start to finish and looking forward to seeing this band live on May 7, 2019, at Capone’s in Johnson City, Tennessee and maybe get the chance to meet this band and get this album signed by the band members.  I will also be seeing this band at the Sonic Temple Music Festival in Columbus, Ohio on May 17, 2017.  This debut album was well written, recorded, produced and performed.  With how amazing this debut album is, I am looking forward to their future releases and the growth it shows.  I highly recommend this album to your music library and you can pick up your copy from Amazon, Itunes and other outlets where Vinyl, Cds and digital downloads are sold.  To find out where they will be playing near you and find out more about this great band, go to their website https://www.badflowermusic.com/

At Odds by atWood

I love hearing music from bands from all over the world, so that it is why I was anxious to hear the November 27, 2018 EP by atWood called At Odds.  This great band from Milano, Italy comprises of Alice Grupallo on vocals, Daniele Mammola on rhythm guitar and Alessio Bastia on bass.  I was told that on this album they are using a session drummer and they created an album that showcases alternative and pop schemes and including post-hardcore influences and elements of electronic music on the tracks Collision, Empty Room, Black Mirror, Zero, and Waves.  I was quite impressed with the vocals and instrumentation on this EP as well as how it was written, recorded and performed.  I am looking forward to hearing more from this band.  This EP is available only as a digital download from their Bandcamp page https://atwoodband.bandcamp.com

Live At Estudio Del Sur by Aisles

Live At Estudio Del Sur is the July 6, 2018,  EP by Aisles a six-piece progressive rock band originally from Santiago, Chile released on the Presagio Records label.  This band features Sebastian Vergara on vocals, Rodrigo Sepulveda and German Vergara on guitars, Juan Pablo Gaete on keyboards, Daniel Baird-Kerr on bass, and Felipe Candia on drums.  This four track EP combines elements of rock, progressive rock, fusion, and Latin music with the tracks Clouds Motion, Shallow And Daft, Still Alive, and Club Hawaii.  This album has great vocals and instrumentation as well as being well written, performed and recorded.  I am looking forward to hearing more from this great band.  This release is available from Amazon, CD Baby, Bandcamp and other outlets where CDs and digital downloads are sold plus you can learn more about this great band on their facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Aislesproject/

The Radio Tracks by Rob Petitti

The Radio Tracks is a collection of songs from previous albums recorded by Rob Petitti, a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania independent songwriter.  Joining Rob Petitti on guitar, vocals, and mandolin are Bobby Corea on drums, Steve K on bass, Joe Paglia on keyboards, Michael Rubino on Pedal Steel, Alice Marie on violins, Paul Adler and Mark Lauer on guitars, and Audra McLaughlin and Giana Lynn on vocals.  This eight-song album features such tracks as It’s Only Me, Can’t Stop The Rain, In Too Deep, Words Of Love and much more.  This album is well written, recorded and performed and I enjoyed this album from start to finish.  This compilation will be available from CD Baby in the near future.

Sunlight Of The Spirit by Images Of Eden

Sunlight Of The Spirit is the November 1, 2006 album by Images Of Eden, a passion-based, melodic metal band originating from the Baltimore, MD/York, PA region.  This is my third review of this band comprising of Gordon Tittsworth on lead vocals bass and keyboards, Dennis Mullin on lead guitar and keyboards and Matt Kaiser on drums.  This album features such great tracks as Kaleidoscope, To Live Another Day, Dream Catcher and much more.  Also was the three-part title song Sunlight Of The Spirit.  I was quite impressed with the heavy guitar riffs, driving drum beats and Gordon’s wailing vocals as well as how it was written, recorded and performed.  I am glad I got to listen to this earlier release and it wanted me to go and pull out my vinyl of Soulrise and listen to that again as well.  I highly recommend this album for your rock library and you can pick up your own copy from Amazon and other outlets where CD’s and digital downloads are sold.  You can learn more about this great band and their tour schedule by going to their website https://www.imagesofeden.com