by Jane Lambert

Amaris Shares Her New Debut Indie Rock Single “Lemon, Lime & Bitters”

El Paso-based musician Amaris has released a new single called “Lemon, Lime & Bitters”.

This debut indie pop song is a beautiful, emotive and haunting track which is a tribute to Amaris´ husband as she imaged a life in which they lived worlds apart. To combat the longing, she imagines his favorite drink; lemon, lime and bitters. It is also a song that serves as a further nod to the loss of her two babies and five family members in a short time span on 2 years.

“Lemon, Lime & Bitters!” s a great example of how a song can gain power and further its meaning with time. I wrote it in November 2020. Back then, it was about me imagining a life without my husband by my side. Now, it´s about grief, loss, and the will to overcome,” shares Amaris.

This single was created by listening to voice memos on her phone, hashing out the song in different phases, and finding the lyrics while playing around with different chords on the guitar.

The bass stands out as well as the melody and lyrics, with a style that is both introspective as well as bold. There is an expanded meaning about loss as Amaris´ lost her grandfather and step grandfather a year after experiences 2 miscarriages. There is an additional grief for her grandmother´s same yearning.

Amaris did not decide to become a singer – songwriter; it was something that happened quite by chance really. She taught herself how to play the guitar at age 12, and then moved on to develop her songwriting from there. Now at the age of 24, Amaris continues to write songs that inspire her and bring out those emotions and stories of her life that she couldn´t express otherwise.

With influences as broad ranging as The Smashing Pumpkins, The Killers and Nina Simone, Amaris´ musical sound is certainly interesting as well as showcasing her talent.

Stay current with Amaris on her Website and social media channels Instagram and TikTok // YouTube // TikTok // Soundcloud

04.20.22

by Jane Lambert

The Lyric Video of Michael Gutierrez-May’s Folk Single, “Imaginary Tomato,” is Wonderfully Stylized

The rising indie folk singer/songwriter, Michael Gutierrez-May, has been working to help the underground folk music scene for almost 30 years. While he’s promoted shows, booked coffeehouses, and supported underground artists, unfortunately, he didn’t do enough to support his own songwriting endeavors. But in 2009, he decided enough was enough and started focusing on his music.

He just debuted his lyric video for his much loved song “Imaginary Tomato” from his latest album, Drifting to the Right. The song has a Bruce Springsteen style in both Michael’s vocals and guitar style, but there’s also a hint of Johnny Cash in the style and storytelling. Michael utilizes his background as a mental health therepist to inform his songwriting, especially “Imaginary Tomato.”

“‘Imaginary Tomato’ is a fun video created by Kat Reinhert about political ranting on the home front,” says Michael. He takes on his own frustrations on the political standing of the United States and his anger towards the former President. The lyric video is quite animated. The lyrics are guided by a tomato, but the tomato is telling the story to the viewer. It dances around the screen, guiding your eyes to the words and direction the words go. It’s the most telling lyric video I’ve ever seen.

Watch here:

The song is “inspired by current events with the added thought not to take oneself too seriously,” shares Michael. “This song came quickly, not long after the tomato idea emerged from my subconscious. The message of the song is to embrace tolerance and openness, keep hope alive and also not to be afraid of throwing tomatoes at repressive authorities.”

Find and connect with Michael Gutierrez-May via:

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

04.19.22

by Jane Lambert

“One Last Kiss” is the Folk Pop Melody We Want

Emily + Shawn release a new single called “One Last Kiss” and we will play it one thousand times over! It’s a song that celebrates the freedom that comes with putting your foot down and just moving on. It’s reminiscent of the sounds of Gwen Stefani married with Sara Bareillis and The Lumineers, putting their own spin on folk-pop. “One Last Kiss” is infectious and hypnotic. You’ll find yourself singing along in no time.

“This song started out as a slow acoustic ballad, reflecting on our frustrations with the drag of the 9-5 workday. Making music is what we love, but our day jobs are a “necessary evil” in order to put food on the table while we shift our careers from typical corporate and government jobs into the music industry.”

Listen here:

The journey of Emily + Shawn started in college, where they met and fell in love with each other. While Emily began her career in music theater and took vocal lessons throughout high school and college, Shawn was writing and performing his own original music. In college, they were both in a cappella groups, where they started singing covers and making their own music together.

After college, Shawn moved out west for his day job, but he still performed regularly in and around the southern California scene. Once Shawn moved back east, he performed at the Bethlehem MusikFest and had a jingle he co-wrote used for a national Target ad campaign.

After they got married, they started making original music together – our sound and style combines Emily’s love for indie pop with Shawn’s love for classic folk & blues. We have performed in a variety of venues, from small cafes to crowds of over 5,000 people. In 2019, we began working with renowned vocal coach Wendy Parr, and our recently-recorded debut EP is produced by David Baron (Lumineers, Meghan Trainor, Shawn Mendes).

“We like the real stuff – the good stuff. The stuff that takes time and effort and attention to detail. Artisanship. Handwritten notes. Home made cocktails. Listening to records from start to finish. Finding and creating music that brings us in and takes us somewhere.”

Find Emily + Shawn via:
Website // Instagram // Facebook // YouTube // TikTok // Spotify // Soundcloud

04.05.22

by Jane Lambert

We Are Running in Circles Over Sunrise and Ammunition’s ‘Triangulum’

Triangulum is the new EP out by Sunrise and Ammunition and we are psyched for the Psychedelic Rock aspect of this album! Sunrise and Ammunition have many elements floating around their primordial soup in a young world of sound. It is a sound that has lineage tracing back to progressive, experimental, and psychedelic music of all kinds. With no rigid boundaries it’s a collective of porous minds, absorbing an eclectic sound pallet made accessible to kids of the internet age. The band formed just after its members finished intermediate school, and over the years they have developed a musical chemistry that borders on telepathy. Sunrise and Ammunition released their first EP, Aquarius, in 2010 and have focused on creating immersive sounds ever since, including their album, Tesseract, produced by Jesse Cannon at Found Soundation. The combination of these three childhood friends’ creativity creates a whole larger than the sum of its parts.

“We like to explore sounds and moods, so people may connect to each song in a different way or they may like one that resonates with them most. We see writing songs as building worlds with their own unique mood and archi-texture!”

Their opening song, “Movers” pushes the boundaries of ear candy and sends your brain on a rollercoaster of highs and lows that makes me feel like I should be some kind of high. “Luca” is a bit more commercial with flows of EDM and mixed with mariachi feels. “Vulcan Dome” is dark and edgy with heavy electric guitars and drums. Finally, “Mt. Fuji” is reminiscent of an old Beatles tune mixed exquisite harmonies over flowing rhythms.

Listen here:

This progressive rock band is taking over the new age market and we are excited to see what comes next!

Connect with Sunrise and Ammunition via:
Website // Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // YouTube // Spotify

01.13.22

by Jane Lambert

Kick and the Hug’s Video for their Single “Born Too Late” is an Embrace of Live Music Experience of the Past and Present

The up and coming four-piece indie pop band, Kick and the Hug, grew up with a live music experience that, simply put, is slowly going out of style. The era of taking in the music by feeling it is now gone. While the music listeners and concert goers of today still take in the music, though in a new and different way, what they have that Kick and the Hug didn’t is the internet. Smartphones and social media have changed the landscape of concerts and live music, therefore changing the way music is experienced. The generation of Woodstock attendees and Dead Heads are replaced with the new generation of P!nk and Arianna Grande concerts, which is usually posted about the next day. Kick and the Hug’s most recent single, “Born Too Late” is a pop rock song about seeing a concert through the phone.

The video for “Born Too Late” takes the idea of being born into a generation of music that enjoys a concert through posting about being there on Instagram and turns it on it’s head. The normal thing to do now is to post a photo and/or video of the concert you went to. Members of the Kick and the Hug, who would enjoy music like the Dead Heads, were now experiencing music through their phones. They had changed with the time and realized that they were no longer experiencing music the same way either. Their use of baby dolls in the video is a visualization of the older members of the band both embracing social media and a reminder that they don’t need their phones to have an experience.

“It’s a song about watching shows through your phone…being a camera person instead of just being fully immersed in the show,” shares Doug Murray, lead singer and guitar player of Kick and the Hug. “It’s nice to show everyone on social media that you’re having a great time at this awesome show…but you know what’s better? Actually having the great time, not thinking about a post, or tomorrow or even five minutes into the future. It’s a little preachy, cause I catch myself posting clips all the time, but after releasing this song it’s a pretty good reminder to just get the damn shot, stick the phone in my pocket and connect with what’s going on around me.“

Watch the video:

You can find Kick and the Hug via:
Website // Instagram // Facebook // YouTube // Spotify // Soundcloud

11.23.21

by Jane Lambert

The World Appears the Same, But Things Have Changed in “Every Passing Mile”

Christian Parker is a seasoned singer songwriter, recording artist and guitarist from Canton, New York, United States. His new single, taken from the album of the same title, “Every Passing Mile” is a beautiful, emotional song with wistful lyrics and a haunting electric guitar hook.

Parker has been recording music for the last thirty years. Notably, his songs center around themes of the stories of others he knows, as well as the things that we all deal with. Worries, trials, successes, tribulations. The ever-changing ups and downs of life.

“Every Passing Mile” is the story of a relationship now gone. With the passing of time, the feelings for a love gone become more haunting, more memorable in some ways. There is a lovely bridge with the electric guitar, and a lilting chorus that complements Parker’s vocals.

Although melancholic and written with minor chords, this song has an uplifting chorus. There is rhythm, a unique sound to the electric guitar, and an overall musical sound that is profoundly memorable.

Listen to “Every Passing Mile” here:

You will want to listen to this song again and explore more of Parker’s music as you go.

Stay current with Christian Parker on his website: http://www.christianparker.com
Stream “Every Passing Mile” on Soundcloud, Spotify and YouTube music.