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

08.09.22

by Jane Lambert

Erika Olson’s “Mamma Ain’t Got No Time” Shines a Light on Her Unique Life of Motherhood

Singer/songwriter Erika Olson has a new single out called “Mamma Ain´t Got No Time,” a folksy pop ballad on the life of a mother. It is a rich and intricate song with descriptive and emotional lyrics and an overall light energy. This song is one you will want to play again and again, with it´s unique folk and country vibes:

“‘Momma Ain’t Got No Time’ was born from a conversation with a dear friend. I’d just started songwriting and was struggling with not having any time to do it. My friend so wisely suggested that I write that song. And so, it began. This was not the first song that I wrote, but it was the first song I wrote in my own voice. I felt like this song revealed who I was and how I saw the world. Yes, life is hard, motherhood is a huge transition, and also it is magical, transformative, and I don’t regret it for a second.

Erika is an American expat currently living in East Sussex, England. She grew up living all over the United States, from New Mexico to Utah, Massachusetts, New York, Virginia and North Carolina.

Having left a busy law career on becoming a mother, and realising she needed to explore her musical and creative talents more, Erika dug deep and started taking guitar lessons. It was then that she could take some reflection time away from raising her three young children, and revel in her creative passions.

“Mamma Ain´t Got No Time” is all about motherhood and its sea of chaos, the ups and the downs. Rooted in the everyday things, Olson is sure to be a witness to her own journey of becoming a mother as well as use her music as a vessel to wake us up to our own precious and unique lives.

Just about to self-release her debut album, Erika has learned that change is her constant and her power.

Listen here:

Stay current with Erika Olson on her website and social media channels Instagram, Facebook and Twitter

Stream music on YouTube and Soundcloud

08.03.22

by Jane Lambert

Vince Vanguard’s “Just So You Know” Paints a Picture of Recovery

“I talked about recording for years, but couldn’t make it happen until I made some important changes. I guess I hid in that studio,” Vince admits. For years, Vince Vanguard owned and ran a recording studio and ran his own production company. He had always wanted to create and release his own music, but couldn’t quite take that step, so helped others release theirs. However, his overindulgent lifestyle was his downfall.

Today, he’s set to release his debut folk rock and americana album, Spirit Blues. “These songs were written and recorded for me. I wasn’t trying to be commercially successful, or catch a certain group’s attention. They’re all just my pain and existential rumination, and the need for their cathartic release.”

His latest release, “Just So You Know,” is a gripping country song inspired by his recovery from alcohol and is a eulogy to the relationship he had with it. He wrote it in the early days of his journey to getting help and reflects the power that alcohol had on him, singing “Just so you know/I’m letting you go/to find a better life on the other side.”

“Just So You Know” utilizes a pedal steel to give the signature twang sound in the song. His voice is very familiar, almost like Jackson Brown, and the country sound he presents is kind of like a Garth Brooks or a George Strait with a contemporary and hint of soft rock feeling.

Listen here:

Keep an eye out on his album, out in October 2022.

Connect with Vince Vanguard
Website // Instagram // Facebook // Spotify

08.01.22

by Jane Lambert

Jamband New Potato Caboose Released Their Much Awaited Album ‘It Ain’t a Thing’

New Potato Caboose has released a long awaited new album, It Ain´t a Thing.

With their signature Americana jamband musical style, New Potato Caboose go all the way back to the very beginning of the jam scene having played with the likes of the Dave Matthews Band, Blues Traveler, and Widespread Panic. They were the first band to ever play at the Wetlands venue in New York City, and played over 200 performance dates a year throughout the 1990´s.

It is no surprise, then, that fans have been waiting patiently for this album.

It Ain´t a Thing manages to seamlessly capture the history and sound of New Potato Caboose together with a fresh and up to date perspective. Classic songs include ¨Brave New World¨ and the punchy rock song “New Potato Stew.” Brand new songs to the mix include southern love song “Georgia Angel” and ethereal “The Whisper.”

Listen here:

It Ain´t a Thing is the result of a crowd-funding campaign, and is entirely independently produced.

New Potato Caboose are Doug Pritchett (acoustic guitar and vocals), Don Laux (rhythm guitar and vocals), John “Red” Redling (keyboards and vocals), Tim Pruitt (lead guitar and vocals), Mike Mahoney on bass, and John Trupp and John McConnell on drums.

Stay current with New Potato Caboose on their website and social media channels Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter.

Stream music on YouTube, Spotify and Soundcloud.

07.11.22

by Jane Lambert

Comedian Jeff Hilliard Releases His New Satirical Single and Video

If you haven’t heard of Jeff Hilliard, you may be missing out on a unique talent. This professional comedian, who trained under the folks at Second City in Chicago, has always been interested in being an entertainer and knew from an early age that this was his calling. He’s been in a few indie films, including Paul Schrader’s Dog Eat Dog film starring Nicolas Cage and Willem Defoe, Officer Banks, in Bernard Rose’s award winning film Frankenstein starring Danny Huston, Carrie-Anne Moss, Xavier Samuel, and Tony Todd, and recently starred in Traveling Light along with Stephen Dorff, Tony Todd, and Danny Huston.

His provocative point of view on the dark, twisted reality of modern-day society proves his creativity knows no bounds. His controversial music videos have garnered millions of views and have won numerous awards at many film festivals. His new video and single, “Abandon,” showcases his multi-genre musical ability and genius songwriting.

“Abandon” takes gender norms and flips it on its head. The video depicts a sad and lonely guy stuck in the past, still living with his mom, who’s obsessively calling a woman he hooked up with, Vivian. It immediately points out what society deems as normal, typically a man initiates a one night hook up and he’s generally married while the woman is calling him. He’s also making fun of the toxic masculinity often seen in the 80’s metal culture. He’s looking for love and actually singing about his vulnerability rather than trying to be a “man” like the metal ballads of that time.

Lyrically speaking, the lyrics are funny and made for a visual medium. They easily get stuck in your head as you find yourself singing the chorus doing mundane things. He sings “I ain’t no pump and dump/ I believe in the power of love/ one night is not enough/ how could you abandon our love,” as he’s dressed in outlandish outfits reminiscent of what metal bands would wear. This sad character really thought that he found love. While he’s creepy and not someone you want to hang out with, you do feel a little sorry for him too.

Watch here:

Follow Jeff Hilliard via:
Website // Instagram // Twitter // Facebook // TikTok // YouTube // Spotify

07.07.22

by Jane Lambert

Reed Mitchell Reveals His Debut Folk-Rock Single “I’m on Fire”

Ohio based singer songwriter Reed Mitchell has released his new single, “I´m On Fire” out now.

Mitchell is a rising star in the Pop-rock Americana arena, with catchy songs and lyrics that stick. His musical influences include Elliot Smith, The Lumineers, and Lou Reed. “I´m On Fire” is a vibrant folk-rock track with an alternative country style blend, a song about Mitchell pursuing his music career.

He states:

“This is the first song I ever wrote on the piano. It took me out of my comfort zone and it ended up sounding a lot different than some other songs on the album for that reason. Recording this was super fun, we brought in a true professional pianist (Danny Mitchell) who took my demo version and made it into what it is. I was so pumped to hear it come to life, to hear the cool attitude that he captured so well. The backing vocals were sung by Mia Rose who really made the chorus pop.”

Inspired by a woman in his life who encouraged him to kickstart a career path in music, “I´m on Fire” captures the momentum of creating a musical style and running with it.

A piano based song, with thumping chords that leads the melody throughout. Mitchell´s voice is raw and moving, as well as fresh.

During a period of solitude during the pandemic, Mitchell has emerged a new man who has discovered to take a calculated risk and finally push his music out into the world. His solo debut album, Hot & Cold, is out later this year.

Listen here: