Category: Music

When singer/songwriter/producer/performer Robi Draco Rosa needed to think about his new album, he knew it would be best done blazing down the Pacific Coast Highway in a new ride with serious tunes popping from his speakers. “I’ve always had vintage cars,” reflected Rosa. “So I leased a brand new BMW 740 IL, and I took…

Every once in a while, an artist comes along who’s a star even before the rest of the world recognizes the fact. The list is short but memorable and admirable – ranging from Judy Garland to David Bowie. Ask anyone who knows Rosey – and that includes friends and fans on both coasts — and…

Sometimes, if you put your hand on the rails, you can feel the train coming. It’s in the air, on the tip of everyone’s tongue. All there is to do is patiently wait. Every once in a while an artist comes along with the force of a natural element and the only thing you can…

Josh Rouse knows it’s a bit of cliche. The words come out of his mouth with half a groan and half a grin. But anyone who listens to UNDER COLD BLUE STARS can hardly blame him for the sentiment. “I hate to be the guy that says, ‘I put a lot of soul into this…

While recording his first solo album, it would have been easy for Darius Rucker, lead singer of ‘90s pop/rock phenomenon Hootie & the Blowfish, to simply draw from his musical background. It turns out he did. The soul- and pop-powered “Back to Then,” his debut on Hidden Beach Recordings, is “the record I thought I…

True talent not only stands the test of time: It stands out in its own time, rising above the competition to connect with an audience and establish its own indelible, original voice. In 2001, the Epic recording duo known as Ruff Endz burst out of the mean streets of Baltimore, Maryland and onto the national…

INNOVATORS. ORIGINATORS. RUN DMC’s influence on the music of the new millennium goes every bit as deep as that of Elvis Presley or the Beatles. With the release of CROWN ROYAL on Arista, the seminal rap trio is returning to a stage they set not only for themselves, but for an industry – and a…

After eight months of recording at Mr. Small’s Funhouse in their hometown of Pittsburgh PA, Rusted Root have successfully created an organic sounding record true to their nature. The result is Rusted Root, the band’s third Mercury album. This new music displays Rusted Root’s expanded instrumentation and is a potent mixture of Latin, African, Eastern,…

“Being from Maine, we’re kind of naive,” explains Rustic Overtones singer-guitarist Dave Gutter, lying like a fox. Sure, Gutter and his five band-mates do come from Portland, a little seacoast city better known for lobsters and moose than music. But the swelling waves of sound they make are always smart and satisfying, packed with the…