Eric Selby has released the first single “Horseshoes & Hand Grenades” from his upcoming full length release, Dang Fool, which is out via Soul Stew Records.
“Horseshoes and Hand Grenades” is all about the notion that life is going to happen regardless; you can either accept it and go along with the ride, or observe it and do nothing. Getting really involved in your life and making things happen, Selby writes, is the better option.
“This song is about the concept that life is going to happen so you can either be an observer or a participant. Action is more important than words, so since participating will ultimately make you happier, get off your duff and take charge of your life. ‘Sh*t happens’ and you can’t always rely on other people that you think are in your corner and when they do let you down, their remorse is fleeting, reflecting the immediate gratification that this social media world delivers in almost faster than real time. Love can be the same way. Protect yourself, advocate and communicate your thoughts and feelings because, ‘hearts get broken with precision of horseshoes and hand grenades.’”
With his style of alternative, contemporary Americana folk, Selby draws his influences from as wide a range as The Beatles, XTC and Phoebe Bridgers. Likewise, he has been compared with The Beatles, as well as Pink Floyd for his psychedelic vocal sound.
Selby is from the Washington D.C. area, and is a single father to four daughters and a cat. After many years being the drummer of local bands, Selby has finally stepped out to release his first solo music in 2020 which included the EP “Do, Baby” and singles “Anxious Zen” and “Another Page.”
Storyteller Chet Lam spent his childhood in Hong Kong’s gritty, inner city housing complexes with very little resources. As a gay kid growing up in a humble environment while trying to figure out where he fit in, he found solace in the poignant and poetic outlaw and brokenhearted narratives of 1970s Americana and country artists.
Chet also saw in USA roots music similarities with Chinese pop, as both brimmed with strong melodies, sensitive stories, and careful attention to lyrical detail. Now, after becoming a highly-respected artist in the Asian market, Chet hopes to bring a heartfelt fusion of East-West pop sensibilities to the Western Hemisphere.
“From a young age, I knew I was different, and it felt like music was a way out. Songs by Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, and Emmylou Harris were my escape and my education,” the globally-based artist says. “I noticed their theme of thriving in the face of hardships to also be very present in Chinese pop music.”
The globally renowned Asian pop and folk singer/songwriter recently released his newest folk pop album Back to the Stars Again, inspired by the world renowned and deeply loved classic book The Little Prince. The book turned 76 years old in 2022 and has been published in 250 languages. To this day, it remains poignant as it tells the story of a young prince who comes to multiple planets throughout the universe including earth and it touches on themes of love, loss, loneliness and friendship.
“I was always fascinated by the simplicity and the depth of this French classic,” says Chet. “I wrote these songs from the perspective of each character. The Little Prince is a romantic, of course, The Fox is simply a drama queen, The Rose is spoiled, The Ghosts are actually everyday people, The Snake is innocent… all characters coming together will be a life lived to the fullest.”
His unique and signature sense of storytelling draws from Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell, but it’s also quite similar to James Taylor or Simon and Garfunkel, the latter can also be heard in his voice. He blends folk tradition with pop ideas of synthetic sounds and tones to create a sense of aethereal space and airy melodies. He beautifully tells the story from different perspectives which provides a fresh take on the classic.
Sahffi Lynne is an international medicine musician and vocal coach, offering their music, meditations, ceremonies, and teachings as medicine to illuminate our connection as human beings.
They just released their music video for their moving single “Let the Healing Begin,” an acoustic folk-like song about using creative processes to heal from grief and pain. The video depicts this kind of healing by way of 3 separate forms of art. Sahffi is depicted writing a song, a woman is depicted painting, and a man is depicted dancing.
The video is a beautiful piece that complements the single perfectly. Everything about it, from the people to the setting to the action is stunning. Even as we watched it, it provided catharsis as a viewer, almost like we felt seen.
“My own experiences have shown me that with a combination of meditation, creativity, plant medicines, and professional support, one can truly heal trauma and reclaim their birthright of living in love. I am honored to carry the medicine of music to teach and guide those interested in doing the necessary work to connect with their true voice and purpose,” shares Sahffi.
We got a chance to speak with Sahffi about their song and video and dove into the specific artistic choices:
Tell us the story of this song, why did you choose to visualize this song specifically in this way?
Actually, the interesting thing about this song is that it was completely channeled! I often hear music in the wind or hear melodies in the woods, yet this is the only time (so far!) that I watched my hand write the lyrics without a clue of what I was writing! I then picked up my guitar, and as I read the lyrics, the song just poured out of me. The message, “you can let the darkness win, or you can let the healing begin,” was so profound for me at that specific moment of my life. I was struggling to move forward after a bitter breakup, an illness that temporarily kept me from singing and working, and a subsequent move out of my home because of income lost. This song was a beautiful reminder for me that I had the choice to continue on in life or give up. The song gave me strength and truly helped to heal my heart!
I was talking with a friend after the album, “Pulse of Evolution,” came out in 2021. (“Let the Healing Begin” was released on that album.) I told her I’d love for more people to hear the song, as I hoped it would touch others as it did me. She reminded me that many people “consume with their eyes” these days (as she put it!), and her words planted a seed that a beautiful video needed to be created for this powerful song!
I am grateful so many others resonate with this song’s message of hope and strength, and I am proud the video represents and reflects the message of this song so beautifully.
What was the inspiration behind this video (visuals, storyline, etc.)?
The video originally was going to be an animation, yet the plans for that fell through. I didn’t know how I was going to make a video, yet a Facebook friend, Maranda Kosten, reached out saying she felt called to talk with me about how we could work together. I thought perhaps she would be interested in voice lessons, (which she did end up taking!), yet she mentioned she worked for Do Good Video Productions. Within a couple of weeks we were meeting with the team at Do Good, along with my director, Lucas de Britto, talking about making a video! I couldn’t believe how easy it was to have found such an amazing team of people as excited about this song and project as I was!
My last hurdle was funding, yet I was grateful that over 150+ of my community supporters donated to my birthday campaign to make it happen!
The storyline follows three artists (a dancer, a painter, and me, a musician), from their lowest point, through creation, and ultimately to their reconnection of their spirit. Throughout it all, they each have elders watching over them, encouraging them with their silent wisdom and strength. I love how the video shows the process of healing includes the movement of creation!
One fun fact: the video starts out in muted colors and becomes more vibrant by the end. The inspiration for that effect was “The Wizard of Oz!”
What was the process of making this video?
This project was a year in the making! It started with a seed of an idea, then quickly jumped to a crowd sourcing campaign. The IndieGoGo campaign was a huge success, with over 150+ of my supporters making contributions, and one angel investor matching the total! I am so grateful for the support I receive for my music!
With my community’s support, we started site visits to the location of the video, my dear friend’s private land in Pennsylvania lovingly called “Hawk’s Ridge.” Magically, the dates for the shoot in May worked for everyone involved, and we were grateful for beautiful weather that weekend!
Do Good Productions was wonderful to work with, offering a fantastic production and creative team, and the shoot went off without a hitch. In fact, we all mentioned how unusual it is to have everything fall into place so easily! My director, Lucas de Britto, was also the editor, and I am grateful for his sweet temperament and amazing talent.
Everything came together for a holiday 2023 release, and I am super proud of this community-supported project! I hope everyone will be touched by the song and story line of the video as I have been.
The 4 piece Providence, Rhode Island-based alternative rock band The Dorons, have just released their debut contemporary rock album, The Doronic Verses.
The Rosenfield family makes up The Dorons, features mom Janice on drums, dad Norman on lead guitar, older brother Aryeh on bass, and younger brother Yosef on lead vocals and guitar. The band came together back in 2017 when Aryeh, then a music major in college, had a senior recital and decided to recruit his family to play with him for the occasion. Mom and dad had retired as performing musicians, previously vets of the ’80s and ’90s Boston alt-rock scene.
The music of the Dorons evokes contemporary folk-rock, singer-songwriter, and alt-rock styles with searing lead guitar playing, impassioned vocals, sage and sensitive lyrics, earworm hooks, and a stirring acoustic-rock foundation. Their songs also contain nuanced rhythm section interplay. The band’s evocative name is fascinatingly layered. It references the Doors and the bittersweet minor scale, the Dorian mode, plus it hilariously rhymes with “morons.” Additionally, the word “dor” in Hebrew means “generation,” which speaks to the multigenerational nature of the band.
The Doronic Verses is a tight 11-song album of carefully crafted contemporary rock, shaded with singer-songwriter intimacy, country flourishes, and blues-rock urgency. The acoustic-rocker song “This New Poison” is a freshly penned original written by Yosef and Janice, and it boasts a Greta Van Fleet-esque swagger, replete with smoldering bluesy lead guitar. The catchy pop rock tune “Not the Usual Fare” features acoustic guitar layered with chiming electric guitar, along with overlapping “call-and-response” backing vocals. “I wrote that song years ago about my brother, who was autistic, during a time when society and the medical profession didn’t understand the condition. He was a beautiful soul and loved music, and he ended up being institutionalized,” Janice says.
The new Romain Gutsy’s single “Frenchy Boy” which was released on December 17, is already a fan favorite. The song has been written and produced by Romain and Marc Bentel. It’s an folk release with a very organic sounding, a narrative based song which tells a story like: What if you were a Frenchy Boy and the expectations of you Amer- ican girlfriend were way above reason, and full of clichés… And what if yourself, you’d have interiorized all these clichés about Americans expectations and wrote a song about it? That’s what Frenchy Boy is, an anthem for all cliches and for all Frenchy boys of the world!
But above all that, this song is a must, and features of course Romain’s warm, raspy, distinctive and authentic voice, some nice accordion and a folksy production that wraps it all up
Frenchy Boy Music: Romain Gutsy / Marc Bentel
Lyrics: Romain Gutsy
Vocals: Romain Gutsy
Production: Marc Bentel – Romain Gutsy
Arrangement: Marc Bentel – Romain Gutsy
Mixing: Marc Bentel
Mastering: Marc Bentel
Romain Gutsy is a French-born singer-songwriter and a musician who started his career in the 90s, singing and playing accordion with French bands such as Les Affamés, or guitar in the Celtic band Daffy Plays Mandola, as well as playing with more famous artists such as the Grammy award winner alt-Rock band, Soul Asylum, or American singer, Calvin Russel.
After more than 20 years of musical semi-pause and traveling all over the world, he came back in 2020 with a solo album under the name of THE RED, Whatever Says the Clock, featuring songs composed of lyrics made of classical American and Irish poetry. It was followed in 2022 by a new album called When Leonard Met Dolly.
Marc Bentel is a South-African music professional, who moved to Florida, USA after having won multiple awards with bands he was part of. Marc produced and did the mixing and mastering of the single in his studio in Florida.
HOT FLOWERS is the beautiful meeting of two friends both self-taught and passionate about music. First of all, Arnaud the unleashed guitarist who sings and then Sandy who taps like a deaf on his drums. This crazy duo is part of the bubbling Bordeaux garage scene that will keep until the dawn of time a place apart. For more than twenty-seven years now, this atypical and inventive group has been relentlessly roaming the Bordeaux cellars, triggering general hysteria wherever it goes. Arnaud’s twisted riffs respond with loss and crash to Sandy’s virulent rhythm.
Their fifth album ‘Camera’ is garnering praises from around the globe. The album is recorded by Benjamin Charles and mastered by Cyrille Gachet in 2022. The cover was made by the artists Cyril Monteil and Jérôme d’Aviau.
You can discover this fine album in digital version on all music platforms or order via their Bandcamp. https://hotflowers.bandcamp.com‘
Modern Mystery 
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