by Jane Lambert

Ann Gray Shares Her Acoustic Pop Song “Grace”

Ann Gray is the talented young star who’s growing brighter by the day. She just released her latest acoustic pop single “Grace,” inspired by a previous song “Ophelia,” from her side project with her cousin called Times New Roman. “with her cousin called. “Ophelia” is about two friends leaving each other for college and “Grace” is written in Ophelia’s perspective toward her friend Grace.

“Although I myself have only just started looking at colleges and thinking about that daunting phase in my life, I had also just been directly introduced to that peculiar, bittersweet feeling as I had recently become the only kid in the house after my last sister left for college,” shares Ann Gray. “Ultimately, the line ‘growing up happens when you least expect it to’ sort of began to steer the concept of the piece. I was inspired to write it after my older sister, whom I often fought with and despised for the first couple years of my life, said that she loved me with red, crying eyes as she left. And of course, almost as if I was just realizing the truth of these words at that very moment, I said it back.”

“Grace” embraces new beginnings and reminisces about growing up. It’s sweet, beautiful, and delicate. Her voice is strong and packs a punch, something you would never expect from someone so young. She carries an Olivia Rodrigo meets Ingrid Michaelson in her voice with a Taylor Swift style in her songwriting.

Listen here:

Connect with Ann Gray via:
Website I Instagram I Spotify

08.29.22

by Jane Lambert

Kris “Halo” Pierce Shares his Chill and Downtempo Single “AndOr”

Based in New York, Kris “Halo” Pierce is a multi-award winning artist, also music producer, who has had his music played at MTV, Viacom Media Networks, Sony Creative and VH1, among other channels.

“AndOr” is a super laid back and chilled electro track, with synths and distant other-worldly beats:

“This track is pretty much about Cognitive Dissonance. It´s a laid back beat with the familiar electric piano stabs and synco-bass from the Chill Out pages.”

With influences like Massive Attack, his music truly stands out not only in the electronic genre, but also wider afield with trip hop, EDM and funk. It´s a pretty cool track that is both moody as well as soulful and danceable, and draws from ambient, goth and industrial music genres too.

Listen here:

Today, Kris “Halo” Pierce has announced his second solo album release called Artificial Breed, a darker and more eclectic collection of tracks that features remixes by Craig Joseph Huxtable, Seven Factor and more. The album´s lead single called “Midnight Dive” has been played more than 2 million times, including throughout major retail stores in the United States.

Kris´s musical aesthetics explore dreams, abstract other worlds and non linear lyrics:

“A lot of the times, if it sounds like it is a love song, it´s probably actually about music itself. I don´t like to write about people or situations I feel negative about.”

Kris is not only an acclaimed music artist, but also a sound engineer, audio technician for off-Broadway shows, as well as a studio whizz as he runs his own production company Halo Askew Entertainment.

Stream Kris “Halo” Pierce music on YouTube, Spotify and Soundcloud.

08.29.22

by Jane Lambert

Video Voyager: The Speaker Wars “It Ain’t Easy”

Hall of Fame drummer Stan Lynch and singer-songwriter Jon Christopher Davis have come together to create the music they want on their own terms; they are The Speaker Wars. Their music has a vintage classic rock vibe with a contemporary spin. Their video for their latest single “It Ain’t Easy” is simple yet effective. It’s all in black and white and depicts the band playing in the studio. The song itself if about aging in any industry, but specifically the music industry for Stan and Jon. Getting older doesn’t have to be a negative thing and this video shows their grace and acceptance of it. Just them playing music is all they need to share this message.

We spoke with Jon Christopher Davis about the video. Let’s dive in:

Tell us the story of this song, why did you choose to visualize this song specifically in this way?

“It Ain’t Easy”‘ is about finding a renewed sense of purpose while learning how to age gracefully. I think it speaks to the confrontation of aging in any industry.

What was the inspiration behind this video?

To simply show that mojo doesn’t have an expiration date unless you let it. Getting older and wiser is cool. It’s a privilege and it’s liberating. Life gets mighty precious when there’s less of it to waste.

What was the process of making this video?

We shot our scenes separately during the middle of the pandemic. Stan was in Florida, and I was in Texas. It’s always a challenge whenever you can’t be in the same room, but it turned out great thanks to our director, Brad Osborne. It’s simple and soulful, and that’s what The Speaker Wars are all about.

Watch here:

Connect with The Speaker Wars via:
Website // Instagram // Facebook // YouTube // Spotify // Soundcloud

08.24.22

by Jane Lambert

Lenni Revel’s Intricate New Single “Annabelle” Shares a Meaningful Message

Lenni Revel lived what felt to her like a pop star fantasy; 5 Grammy submissions, her image on billboards in Times Square, A&R agents courting her. But she traded it all in to kick her prescription Adderall addiction cold turkey in a shed outside of her parent’s house. Lenni was trying to sober up from the drugs and hype of the life she was living, a life she admits she had created. The momentum of years of the lifestyle did not just change with her mind overnight. When she might have been wiser to ease herself off of drugs she chose to go at sobriety the way she’d gone after everything else—all in or nothing. The ambition for overnight clarity and sobriety backfired and she was eventually admitted to a psych ward and put on a mandatory suicide watch. Once out of the facility, she set upon continuing her path to a more genuine life. A week after her 25th birthday she thought she would slowly re-enter the world taking a day gig job by responding to a Craigslist ad to help someone pack up their garage in preparation to move. That someone was Robert Revel. He would become her husband and the musical muse to get her back into the music business with a clear soul and an indefatigable passion.

“I wish I could tell you that upon seeing Robert for the first time, the heavens opened, and our romantic story began right away. It just didn’t happen like that. I remember feeling strangely at ease on first impression with him,” Lenni says. “He effortlessly saw into who I was as a person. There may not have been the cliché ‘sparks’ between us but there was a deeper fire at the core that initially I think we both sensed. I knew I was going to marry him.”

Lenni’s new single “Annabelle” was written by Robert when he was single and dating. He shared with Lenni that he remembered sensing that the women he was seeing weren’t experiencing a certain quality of freedom that allowed them to really shine, that many were either acting out social norms, or engaged heavily in reacting against them. Robert wrote “Annabelle” about those male-imposed values pushing women to stay in a woman’s “place” and made them high-value targets with Lenni’s powerful vocals breaking the glass ceiling of every outdated feminine archetype. Lenni’s voice provides a moving and powerful sense of taking back your power and sense of self. The song’s crescendo ends in a guttural gasp from Lenni, catching her breath from underneath what feels like a millennia of suppression.

And Lenni’s voice is unique. There is such an emotional depth and sincerity, that it is almost peerless. She sings with both purpose and passion. Comparisons to Fiona Apple, Stevie Nicks or Miley Cyrus only fall short of actually hearing the raw and velvety smooth sounds in her vocal arsenal. Musically speaking, “Annabelle” has an outlaw Americana/Alt Rock sound with Joni Mitchell storytelling—a real breath of fresh air.

“When I started singing ‘Annabelle,’ I felt the themes of the song in my own life, of course,” shares Lenni. “In the final rise of the song, the roles that have been assigned to women for millennia are called out by name and by the end my voice bleeds into this guttural scream. When performing it, I feel an ancestry of pain.”

We couldn’t be more excited to have this incredible artist’s voice and message breaking on the horizon, and can’t wait for more to come.

Listen here:

Watch here:

Connect with Lenni Revel

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

08.24.22

by Jane Lambert

Video Voyager: Siren’s “High Wire”

Siren is the progressive fusion band of rock, metal, blues, and jazz, who are making strides with their latest release, the classic rock “High Wire.” The music video already has over 150K views on YouTube. The song is a metaphor for the music industry and the music labels that run it. Visually, the video depicts a clown (the musician) trying to catch the attention of the high wire girl (labels) by any means necessary. He does everything he can think of, like riding a unicycle and playing with fire. It isn’t until he leaves the confines of the circus tent (music industry at large) that he is finally able to get the girl.

We spoke with Siren about their video, so let’s see what they had to share:

Tell us the story of “High Wire”, and why did you choose to visualize this song specifically in this way?

“High Wire” is a metaphor for the music industry. The music industry is like a circus. The clown is the artist and the High Wire girl is the music industry. I think all Clowns would prefer to be the main attraction like a circus performer instead of a side show act. There is a pecking order even in the circus world just like the music industry. Even Clowns can dream of greatness and sometimes as in this song come out on top.

What was the inspiration behind the video?

We envisioned taking the viewer into another world that exists within the circus tent. The relentless struggle and uphill battle the clown faces everyday to achieve his most fond desire of the High Wire girls love regardless of the cost. Our clown character was broken and burned but he never lost sight of his desires. He eventually triumphs in the end winning the heart/love of the High Wire girl. Rarely does the clown get the girl and in our story he does.

What was the process of making this video?

The video storyboard took a couple months to be completed. Mike and I had discussed a Black and White concept with only red standing out. The script for the story was basically the lyrics for the song. I had the idea for the old silent film intro at the beginning which worked out very well. Nathan, our video producer found the intro sound track that fit perfectly. This was the second time we had worked with Nathan’s company Kind Punk. He not only directed this video but was the main character the Clown. The High Wire artist was a joy to work with and she is not only beautiful but, She is also a very good actress. The video filming was somewhat difficult as the temperatures that day were in the 90’s and we were not getting a lot of air inside the circus tent. In the end it was worth it all. The video is like a mini movie that ties in with the song and lyrics. A great job by everyone involved!

Watch here:

Connect with Siren via:
Website I Instagram I Facebook I Twitter I YouTube I Spotify I 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: