A therapist and advocate for mental health, Hudson Valley based singer/songwriter and story-teller, Megan Barbera, knows how to bring people together. Drawing in her audience with her detail-oriented lyrics, Megan takes her listeners on a vivid journey with each song she produces. Megan’s past accomplishments include the production of three albums: Zig Zag to the Sea (2010), Bluebird Sky (2017) and All We Cannot See (2021). She has also produced two singles, one released in May of this year (Be Careful with Your Words), and the other, her most recent single, No Ordinary Thing. Megan’s musical talents have also garnered the attention of Examiner.com, Indie-Music News’ Top 25 songs for 2011, and the following brands: Mela Purdie (an Australian clothing line), Naturalizer Shoes and San Miguel Beverage Co.

No Ordinary Thing focuses on the magical art of connection, with Megan reflecting on the time you come across someone (or something) who will accept you as you are. She sings, “You hung out for a while and shared a secret smile; And when you two touched hands you said, must’ve been made for me.” She then goes on to reference the excitement and spur of the moment adventures that you want to go on with the person (or animal, in this case) who accepts you wholeheartedly.

Megan showcases an array of influence the Hudson Valley has on her music: guitar, harmonica, drums, sirens, roosters, birds chirping, muffled conversation in the background, a clap of thunder and the chime from a bicycle bell. The culmination of these sounds also brings out Megan’s influence of folk and roots music, along with her inspiration for local culture, human-animal bonds, personal growth and family life (similar to artists like Tom Petty, Lucinda Williams and Natalie Merchant).

Megan contends, the “song basically wrote itself”, and expresses, “This song was inspired by the bond we share with animals and the lessons they teach us. Each comes into our life offering a new lesson for us to learn about ourselves.” Throughout the song, she gives the listener a sense of excitement about going on an adventure with their furry companion, hoping their fun times will never come to an end.        

We love that Megan Barbera is able to connect with her audience through relatable lyrics and catchy melodies. “Every once in a blue moon, something or someone exceptional comes along and loves us wholly and completely just as we are. A little bit of magic that finds us when we least expect it. Serendipity has a knack for finding us. And helping us begin anew. This is No Ordinary Thing.” Megan’s light and playful song, No Ordinary Thing, is available on SoundCloud and will be available soon for pre-order. Be on the lookout for the accompanying music video as well!

Shaun Johnson + The Big Band Experience has done it again with their single “This Old Man”. A beautiful storytelling, “This Old Man” follows the tale of Johnson and his daughters. Sweet and personable, the lyrics reflect the lighthearted and warm tone the song casts. Its upbeat nature and electronic tones are a nice and refreshing change from the traditional big band sound Shaun Johnson usually goes for, and turns into a gentle lullaby. Not only does his latest release have a youthful sound, but soulful lyrics to note. Sung elegantly, words such as “I’ll never grow up” find their way along the song’s trail. Made to match the “This Old Man” lullaby, the melody and rhythm of Johnson’s release stay in perfect step with its familial theme. 

As the story of “This Old Man” progresses, the audience learns how Johnson tells his children he’s “got one more lullaby” to sing to them, and how “this old man’s not letting go”. Sentimental and serene, these lyrics put a gentle reality into the story that makes it that much more authentic.

With a masterful voice and exquisite instrumentalization, Shaun Johnson proves that an artist can excel in multiple genres in the music industry. Still Big Band but now also Singer-Songwriter, a delightful mix of genre-bending songs await Johnson’s fans and new audiences alike. Despite the lack of traditional big band sounds, “This Old Man” does have classic roots like the big band era song “What’ll I Do”. A tune equally sentimental, Johnson considers it a meaningful influence and emotional tour de force. Desiring a similar effect, Johnson wrote “This Old Man” to match that spirit, “a song with a universal message that is hopeful but bittersweet, a relatable lyric that touches on melancholy and memory”. 

Jon Steele is not the kind of musician you’ll hear on the radio. He’s a unique artist that uses his life experiences as inspiration in his songs. Sometimes, he takes inspiration in the strangest of places. For example, his song “Mig the Pig” was actually inspired by a movie. “I wrote this song based on a Stephen Spielberg film called the Duel. Where a crazed man chases a car driver around In a Diesel semi-truck all story long. I got the idea for putting the sound of a semi-truck starting its engine at the beginning and ending of the song.” 

“Mig the Pig” is very much on the Avant Garde side of rock music, with the sound of pigs and a truck woven in and melodically atonal. There isn’t much the listener can grasp onto and say “Hey that’s a groovy beat.” But that’s the point. It’s not meant to be a song that has you tapping your foot. It’s meant to be a narrative, one of disconnect. He says that “Mig the pig is also a character I made up as someone who is demanding and relentless in his life’s perfection.” The way he uses the pig noises in the song symbolizes that disconnect further, between man and nature and man and self.

The lyrics are sung in a more spoken word form than harmonic singing. He says “I perform the vocals, write the lyrics and play the drums on this track. I had some help putting the pig noises in the song. My vocals are just me talking mainly.”

Jon Steele’s unique style of storytelling is one that should be listened to more often. He really makes you think about the meaning behind his words and his intentions behind his songwriting. You won’t listen to anything else like Jon. He has this ability to grab your attention and run with that for as long as he can. He’ll make you realize that anything and everything is music. Not every musician can do it and Jon does it well.

https://jonsteelemusic.com/home

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Kristen Mather’s video “Guele Guele” is true to the songwriters heart, and is as war and relatable as the beautiful classic spanish acoustic guitar that is interwoven throughout the track. As the beautiful classical guitar opens up the video, so does beautiful video shots of Brazillian scenery. It creates a serene moment audiences will not want to miss. 

Then the song becomes upbeat, introducing a faster pace to the video to. As the music began to move, so did the people of Brazil. Following the soft awakening from the still and calm introduction, typewriter typing sounds are introduced in to the track. Mirroring the audio introduction, the videology switches to an animated short of using a typewriter, helping to share the story of this song. 

As the “Guele Guele” video travels between different scenes with real videos and animated shorts, the video also travels through different scenic regions. This creates a beautiful visual tale depicting the song’s journey. “From a typewriter in the North East of Brazil to a studio in Brooklyn – this song made a physical and musical journey into our hearts!” producer of the video, Kristen Mather de Andrade, writes. Just as skillful artists do, this was so evidently show in the blending of the animated tale and the picturesque scenes the audience is treated with. 

“This video tells the story of the songs by Roque Ferreira for album “Clarão” making their way from Brazil to New York”, de Andrade continues, noting the clarity that the video makes of this journey. In a beautiful manner all it’s own, the “Guele Guele” video shows the realness of the journey that the songs took in such a personable and welcoming way. Fans of Ferreira and de Andrade will be overjoyed that such a special story is shared in this video’s girl-next-door style, staying true to the light yet grounded style the story has about itself. A traveling between cultures, bringing them together through this song and this video, is always a thing worth rooting for.

Find more of Kristen Mather de Andrade via:

https://kristenmather.com/
Instagram
Facebook
You Tube channel. 
Spotify
YouTube.

Today, leading figure in bass music and “Vomitstep” genre-creating DJ/producer SNAILS has released his new brain-twisting single “Slime Zone.” Known for his unique productions that mix bass, trap, dubstep and metal, the Montreal native unveils the first single following his SLIME TIME EP. “Slime Zone” is available now on all digital streaming services, found HERE.

The beautifully chaotic track zooms into SNAILS’ wild signature sound with an intense build-up as sirens roar and electronic voices announce “you are now entering the Slime Zone,” preparing listeners for the unreal experience that follows. A pristinely-crafted dubstep drop proceeds, proving why listeners are warned to “proceed with caution” and why peers in his genre give him constant praise for his sound design. The ride briefly slows then gets right back into the insanity with another spine-tingling drop. The production features a mixture of dynamic sounds to add to its madness that are guaranteed to induce some headbanging. 

SNAILS unleashed his SLIME TIME EP on the world in March following a year-long hiatus which led to an enhanced visual brand and a return to his “Vomitstep” musical roots. The 3-track EP included the lead single “FROGKIND” and two other new releases, “BRAINFARTS” and “GASTROPODZ.” The renowned DJ and SLUGZ MUSIC label head retains his sound while also adding new elements into these tracks. He also released a music video for “FROGKIND” shortly following the EP, which showcases SNAILS’ new visual aesthetic by incorporating layers of beautiful colors and movie-quality effects and CGI. 

In 2020, SNAILS released “DEATHMATCH” in collaboration with SVDDEN DEATH, which received high accolades from some of the biggest names in dance music. He also released the “FRONT 2 BACK” music video with Kill The Noise & Sullivan King and WORLD OF SLIME remix EP featuring stellar remakes by bass stars Subtronics, Modestep, Blunts and Blondes, Wooli, and more. Looking ahead, fans can expect the ‘SLIME TIME 2’ EP coming soon!

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About SNAILS
Embraced by his contemporaries, Frédérik Durand, better known as SNAILS, has collaborated with the likes of Skrillex, Jack Ü, Flux Pavillion, NGHTMRE, Collie Buddz, Waka Flocka Flame and Zeds Dead. In 2015, SNAILS worked with his biggest influence, Skrillex, on the track “Holla Out” from Skrillex’s Grammy-winning album, Skrillex And Diplo Present Jack Ü. In 2018, SNAILS continued to push boundaries in musical production and visual art with the launch of his very own SLUGZ MUSIC label. The artist has toured four major continents, released over 35 singles, surpassed 130 million streams and delivered over 500 international performances; gracing renowned EDM stages at Coachella, EDC, Ultra Music Festival, Tomorrowland Belgium, Bonnaroo and more. He also has a festival called SLUGGTOPIA which takes place at Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Previous lineups included Rusko, Sullivan King, NGHTMRE, Boogie T and Kill the Snails, which is a back-to-back set with Kill the Noise and SNAILS.

Connect with SNAILS: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Official Website 

With some classic rock grooves, Eric Selby stuns with “Arise”. Southern blues mixed with alternative rock makes “Arise” the staple feature of Eric Selby’s newest album release: “Where You Born At?”. Grass roots soulful organ dances with hard rock electric guitar to the ticking clock highlighting the single as an instant fan favorite. With a message of quickening time, the clever instrumentalization will strike home to music lovers of all genres.  Growing up, Eric Selby “always loved listening to how artists like The Beatles, Pink Floyd, XTC and Brian Wilson used out-of-the ordinary instruments and sound effects to communicate their songs’ messages and vibe” and it is evident in his newest single that the singer’s favorite bands stuck with him. Musicality is an instrumentalist’s gift, and Eric Selby is no exception. Deep rooted guitar riffs and attention grabbing audio seem to be the artist’s tradecraft. 

With lyrics purposefully ambiguous, Eric Selby leaves his listeners to transcend past the literal meaning of his words into what they could mean to the audience themselves. A play on perspective, “Arise” will simultaneously encourage and question, mirroring the lyrical style of the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Quite similar to the bands such as The Moody Blues and The Beatles, Eric Selby grabs hold of retro music and turns it into a modern creation. 

“Where You Born At” is a collection of modern songs that take you back to the past, just like “Arise”. The first song of the newly released track is “Another Page”, which immediately captures that modern retro vibe Eric Selby so uniquely creates. An audio time machine, “Where You Born At” places you in both the now and a vibrant 70s classic rock festival at once. Fans of rock will love to explore the different ages on the audio adventure Eric Selby takes you on in his newest album release. To every classic rock and psychedelic rock fan – “Where You Born At” is a MUST listen.