by Jane Lambert

Raimie Delivers Epic Release “Sunroom 83” – A Standout for 2022

Every once in a blue moon an artist bursts onto the Hip Hop scene with enticing charm, authentic flows, and a real sense of pre-eminence. With the sensational release of “Sunroom 83” ’, the enigmatic Raimie has done just that, announcing himself as not only an aspiring individual, but also an accomplished wordsmith and an exhilarating emcee.

Remaining true to himself and foundations; not only as a musician but as a person, Raimie’s core is at the very heart and soul of his new EP release “Sunroom 83,” which you can dive into now.

“Sunroom 83” capitalizes on the infectious formula of angular producer work, interesting beats, and figurative lyricism. Opening with the prominent song “Who Told You,” you already know that you’re in for a wild ride. The song immediately sets the tone for what’s to follow; mellifluent harmonies entangling with the slick, intricate grooves, all while creating an ideal masterpiece. I don’t feel Raimie could have kickstarted the EP in a better fashion.

Immediately setting the rapper aside from his peers, and along with the frequent vocal shifts and impressive beat switch-ups, the listener is kept on their toes throughout. “Sunroom 83” offers a great example of this diversification. Raimie showcases the best of this cadence, as the artist trades punches with the flagrant beat, finding inconceivable pockets to flow through, all while delivering complex, sonically pleasing rhyme schemes. His sense of introspection on the release also brings another interesting element to the table; one that you cannot ignore.

Having moved to Los Angeles two months before the COVID-19 lockdown, Raimie’s newest songs celebrate the spirit of survival in a wicked season. For the collection’s title, he reflects back on his beginnings as a music creator, working on his art while attending Rutgers University, toiling away in hours long stretches of intense grind in the namesake “Sunroom 83” in the dead of winter.

As well as flaunting his neat flows, diverse vocab, and crisp delivery, “Sunroom 83” reveals the workings of an artist with abounding creativity, as his musical knowledge provides an intoxicatingly unique experience. His versatility shows all the makings of a TRUE artist. Raimie shows the risks he’s willing to take in order to succeed in the ever-competitive rap game. A Must Hear.

Favorite Tracks: “Who Told You” “Skyscrappers” “For My People”

09.15.22

by Jane Lambert

Jane Jensen’s Two New Singles Are a Captivating Pair

Jane Jensen’s aesthetic encapsulates the glitz and glamour of the 1970’s variety shows consumed by rock and roll, poetry, and electronic music. While her mind and music tend to wander in many directions, her love for industrial music is the thread that weaves it all together.

Her new album, Changeling, consists of 2 new singles, the industrial alt rock “Changeling” and the industrial pop-punk “Revolution Maker,” each with a Dark Wave and Synth Pop remix. They are sister songs with “Changeling” contemplating rebirth and self-transformation and “Revolution Maker” acknowledging a failed state and calls for the universal hero.

Listen here:

“I wrote ‘Changeling’ and re-wrote it again and again until I felt it hit that emotional spot I needed to fill,” shares Jane. “The song means a lot to me for my own development as a person and as a producer. ‘Revolution Maker’ was a collaboration with Marc and Eric Klee Johnson. They invited me to be a back-up singer in their New Wave band back when I was in high school. The rest is history. Writing music is a magical process but working with dear friends is pure icing.”

Connect with Jane Jensen via:
Website / Instagram / Twitter / Facebook / TikTok / YouTube / Spotify / Soundcloud

08.17.22

by Jane Lambert

Kremidas’ ‘Hold On Tight’ is an Acoustic Dreamscape

Kremidas, the multi-instrumentalist songwriter, has just released his second album, Hold On Tight, a cool and chill acoustic album inspired by his brave and courageous journey through cancer. It’s optimistic tone is what emphasizes the instrumental stories of love, hope, and pain.

“I am past cancer, thankfully, but it made me pause and think, ‘where do I go from here? what happens when I’m gone?,’” Jim shares. “When I looked back, I felt this real appreciation for life. There is a lot of bad, of course, but really a lot of good—life is so beautiful. I wanted this album to encompass the full span of the wonderful emotions of life. We are here for a period of time—it’s over before we know it—and I wanted to share in the beauty of it all.”

Hold On Tight is a showcasing of Kremidas’ instrumental prowess. The album features his skills with the strings, except those that require a bow, like the banjo, acoustic and electric guitar, mandolin, dobro, dulcimer, and pedal steel. Each aspect brings a different mood and emotion to the forefront.

“Refections (No Regrets)” is faster paced and has a Johnny Cash feeling to it, like he’s purging his emotions, while “Clara” is lighter and more delicate. He experiments with light synth sounds in “Over Half Way,” invoking a sense of mystery, like you don’t know what’s coming next. “You’re Not Losing Me” is the statement song of the album as it’s the only one with lyrics. He sings “You’re not losing me/I’m not losing you/ we’re just moving on/we’re just passing along.” The song is about moving on to new things and that being a good thing. “Between the Lines” is ambient yet carries a darker country sound. Jim says “This song expresses those times when you feel down—it’s meant to be sad, but also comforting.” The title song, “Hold On Tight” is interesting because it harkens back to “Refections” with the outlaw country vibe. The verses build tension that’s then released in the chorus. It’s emotive and moving.

Listen here:

Connect with Kremidas

Bandcamp / Spotify / Soundcloud

06.09.22

by Jane Lambert

‘Can I Be Frank?’ is the Catchiest 90’s Inspired Pop Rock Album to Date

The nostalgic 90’s pop rock band from Washington DC, Dear Daria, is all about the fun in life and music. This “choose your own adventure” band with Maryjo Mattea on vocals, keys and guitar, Eamonn Donnelly on bass, Joshua Hunter on guitar, and Scott Manley on drums, was formed back in 2018 after the demise of Maryjo’s last project. In case you were wondering, their band name is inspired by the animated series, Daria.

“We love how cynical, snarky, and smart the character Daria was; her spirit resonates with us,” says Maryjo. “There’s a sincerity, a sweetness, and a silliness in 1980s and 1990s pop culture that we tap into as songwriters,” Eamonn Donnelly details. Josh Hunter adds: “We strive for a balance with being nostalgic, but also saying something genuine with our songs.”

They just released their debut pop rock album, Can I Be Frank? The album has strong 90’s pop rock sounds like Paramore, The Donnas, and No Doubt. Their playfulness is evident as well. “Delaware” was inspired by Wayne’s World and “John Hughes” is an ode to the great director and was inspired by the many movies of John Hughes. They explore their punk-rock and punk-pop side too. “Dopamachine” is their punk-pop song about the dependence we have on technology. It has a Panic! at the Disco meets Weezer vibe to it. The song “Wish Her Luck” is a punk-rock song about overcoming your fears with a Green Day and Counting Crows energy.

“Best Life” and “The Real World” offer the most pop-like and modern pop rock feeling, with “The Real World” showing their range with instrumentation. The acoustic guitar is the lead for this single about change. “Will Not Back” down is an anthem of power-pop genius. Upon listening, you feel the dopamine rushing through your body.

Listen here:

Dear Daria are the perfect purveyors of tuneful heart-on-sleeve alt-rock. With an assured artistic identity, a debut album filled with sharp hooks, and the pandemic lifting, nothing can stop Dear Daria now. “I can’t believe we’ve never played out as Dear Daria. I can’t wait to get out there,” Josh enthuses. “We’ve persevered through so many obstacles and challenges, and we can now breathe a sigh of relief and build some momentum.” Maryjo says.

Find Dear Daria via:

Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // YouTube // Spotify // Soundcloud

05.19.22

by Jane Lambert

‘For You, The Garden,’ For Us a Dream!

Wurmy Wormfield (also known as Charles Herman-Wurmfield) is an artist, musician, filmmaker, teacher, gardener, beekeeper, parent and partner creating since the age of 13. This Silverlake, CA based entertainer helped overturn a Los Angeles public school parking lot and transform it into a community garden and educational center. This call to action inspired a transformative personal journey that brought forth a lifelong love of music which led to Wurmy Wormfield being formed and culminated in the opulent folk-pop album, For You, the Garden

Chances are, For You, The Garden is not your first experience with Wurmy’s artistry. As a director, his work includes D’Arcy Drollinger’s award-winning rock operas, Cereal Killers and Possession of Mrs. Jones, seminal collaborations with Tony-nominated cabaret singer and actor Justin Vivian Bond; and the feature films Fancy’s Persuasion, Legally Blonde 2, and Kissing Jessica Stein.

For You, The Garden is a compilation of Wurmy’s previously released EPs and singles into one convenient place. The 18 songs bring to life the community garden he helped put together in Silver Lake, CA.

Charles speaks from his heart stating, “Let’s dream for a moment as long as we are singing and dancing. Let’s imagine there might be a community garden here one day! Let’s see, I’ve got these pumpkin seeds here in my pocket, we could write our intentions on them, add water and see what sprouts up! So grab a pumpkin seed and let’s imagine a community garden. Shall we…” (Garden Song)

While the album was made for kids, specifically dedicated to his own, For You, The Garden is really for all ages. There is always something to be learned, especially when it comes to our Earth and empathy. There is no defines genre and no topic not sung about. Adults can enjoy the music from Wurmy too.

As an older dad, and a pandemic dad, he states he is aware of the time passing, and wanted to make sure and set nature / love of nature to a song so the kids could always know how he felt about it, and even share that joy with their own children, one day. The light hearted music dances on the breath of a dream and spins its web into the garden of the future.

Listen here:

Find Wormy via:

Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // YouTube // Spotify // Soundcloud

05.13.22

by Jane Lambert

Norine Braun’s New Album is an Artistic Masterpiece

Norine Braun, the award-winning singer/songwriter based in Vancouver, has been on the scene since 1996, with an impressive discography and stunning performative resume. She thrives on live performances and connecting with audiences around the world. Her creative has only grown with time and there’s no sign of slowing down.

She just released her 13th full length album, Songs For Trees, a groove filled jazz meets blues rock album, each song interconnecting to tell an important story about climate change. She wrote it during the pandemic to focus on the incredible healing power of trees and their necessity to our own survival. She was able to go into the forests of the coastal west and took a guided walk with a traditional wisdom keeper from the Squamish nation of the west coast. She read up on so many book and article on trees and climate change to find the right lyrics.

“I was both inspired and overwhelmed by the wealth of information and number of people from so many disciplines from around the world working hard to bring awareness to save the trees, planet and ourselves. This was a benefit as there was much to draw upon for writing.”

Much like the roots of trees, the songs on the album feed off each other and build each other up. Between each song is an ambient sound that guides us through the story she takes us on. She seamlessly blends the lyrics and music together to become one. They work off each other and converse in a way you won’t find in any other album.

Her voice is soft and hypnotic. The music is smooth and groovy. Her lyrics are poetic and thought provoking. Everything you want in an album is what you’ll find in Songs For Trees.

Listen here: