Great new music from independent labels and artists all around the world

Music this week from Georgia (the state this time), Alberta, California, Australia, Montreal, Ontario and New York.
Summer seems to have arrived this afternoon. After what seems like weeks of dark cold grey skies, the sun came out, so did the poppies on the field edges.

Marvelous – Lexi Street (Atlanta, GA, USA)
I found the CD and remembered that I’d intended playing you the opening track ages ago.
Champagne Promises is the tongue in cheek title for Lexi Street’s long awaited second album which makes good on their promise to deliver. If you like Tom Waits, Shiveree, or moody broody music, with some playful attitude thrown in – then you’ll like this album!
www.lexistreet.com
www.myspace.com/lexistreet
 
Shy – F&M (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada)
F&M have been in touch to let me know about a new YouTube video that they have. It really is a beautifully made video and well worth getting over to their site.
Dates:
June 17 The Dirty Jersey at Kamloops, BC
June 18 The Minstrel, Kelowna, BC
June 19 NXNE Festival  – Czehovski / F&M showcase at  10:00 PM / Toronto, ON
June 22 Cafe Deux Soleils, Vancouver, BC  w/The Magician & The Gates of Love
June 23 Duncan Garage Showroom, Duncan, BC *This is an amazing listening room! / $12 in advance, $15 at Door/
June 24 Fort Street Cafe, Victoria, BC  / F&M w/Lane Arndt 
June 25 Whistle Stop Pub, Courtney / Comox Valley, BC playing a showcase set at 6PM as part of the Vancouver Island Music Business Conference
They are working on a new album which will may well be out later this year.
www.fandmtheband.com
 
Red Dog Speaks – Elvin Bishop (Lagunitas, CA, USA) 
Elvin Bishop “Red Dog Speaks” (mp3) from “Red Dog Speaks” (DELTA GROOVE PRODUCTIONS) Buy at iTunes Music Store More On This AlbumBorn and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Bishop’s earliest exposure to music came from the family’s radio, where in between “How Much Is That Doggy In The Window” and “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” young Elvin could sometimes catch classic records of Jimmy Reed, Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters. Once he’d got his feet wet, there was no turning back. He quickly acquired his first guitar and on his own began working out the basic outlines of the Blues, R&B and Rock & Roll that had captured his soul.
Elvin Bishop has been travelling the Blues road longer than most, and he’s got the stories to prove it – many of which are contained within the songs on this release. Stops along the way include his work as a founding member of the groundbreaking Paul Butterfield Blues Band in the early ‘60s, recordings with legends such as Clifton Chenier, John Lee Hooker, and The Allman Brothers, and Pop success with his own 1976 smash hit “Fooled Around and Fell In Love”. Bishop’s long and varied career has included plenty of side trips along the way as well, from deep down gutbucket Blues played in smoky South Side Chicago taverns, to raucous roadhouse R&B, to good time Rock & Roll on concert stages and festivals around the world. And at every stage along the way, he’s instilled all of his music with passion, creativity, and a healthy helping of wisdom, wit, and good humor.
He has a couple of dates this month in Canton Ohio and Nicasio, CA more dates on his site at
www.elvinbishopmusic.com
 
‘pon the Dancefloor – Dubmarine (Brisbane, QLD, Australia)
Dubmarine “Pon the Dancefloor” (mp3) from “Depth of Sound” (SugarRush Sol Records) More On This AlbumFeaturing their trademark bass-driven foundations, twin trombone blasts and thunderous synth explosions, the band rocks deep dancehall, reggae, dub, and drum and bass riddims, lead by the vocal gymnastics of indigenous superstar and Darumbal man D-Kazman. Dubmarine have a mission, to produce the sound and fury of electronic music live, in all of its bass crunching, rhythm pounding, hip shaking fiendish glory, all played by musicians, all real. 
Dubmarine’s debut album, Depth of Sound was meticulously crafted by studio wizard Andrew Stephens (Kingfisha) it is a culmination of hard work and dedication. The album covers many different genres including reggae, DnB, dubstep, hip hop, dancehall, ambient, minimal and dub creating a rich sonic soundscape and downright dirty beats!
19 Jun 2010 12:00 Festival Mundial – Tilburg, Netherlands
20 Jun 2010 12:00 Amsterdam Roots Festival – Amsterdam! Netherlands
25 Jun 2010 22:30 Trier Festival – Trier, Germany
26 Jun 2010 20:00 Afro Latino Festival – Bree, Belgium
27 Jun 2010 20:00 Wereldfees – Utrecht, Netherlands
16 Jul 2010 19:30 Colours of Ostrava Festival – Ostrava, Czech Republic
There is a video of a live performance of another track Point the Bone, on their MySpace site.

Dubmarine | Listen and Stream Free Music, Albums, New Releases, Photos, Videos

Dubmarine’s profile including the latest music, albums, songs, music videos and more updates.

 
Lost in your eyes – Antoine Dufour (Montreal, Canada)
Antoine Dufour “Lost in Your Eyes” (mp3) from “Convergences” (Candy Rat Records) Buy at Amazon MP3 More On This AlbumAntoine Dufour is emerging as one of Canada’s young stars of acoustic, finger-style guitar.
Dufour was born in the little town of l’Epiphane, near Montreal. He started playing guitar at the age of 15. He studied at the CEGEP of Joliette, where his teacher made him listen to Leo Kottke, Don Ross and Michael Hedges. His life and his vision of the guitar changed, and since then he has been completely devoted to finger-style steel string guitar. His musical style is a mix of the powerful rhythms of rock, the sensibility of classical music, a funky groove, and a pure folk melody.
www.myspace.com/antoinedufour
 
The Surprise – The Real Nasty (San Francisco, CA, USA)
San Francisco-based The Real Nasty has just released its debut full-length album Paper City.  Recorded completely live in the studio, “Paper City” captures The Real Nasty’s gritty, live performance in a studio setting, a feat often difficult to accomplish for live bands.  With a traditional, up-right bass and a self-made cajon percussion set counterbalancing country-blues inspired guitar, The Real Nasty combines an electric sound with a more down-home, acoustic ethos, and are sure to gain some much deserved attention with their debut release.
Formed in January 2009, the Real Nasty is comprised of 3 veteran bay-area musicians with diverse musical backgrounds.  Jacob Groopman’s guitar work is noticeably influenced by his bluegrass picking skills, and drummer Matt Smith’s deep interest in West African drumming is what informs his mastery of the cajon.  With bassist Ryan Lukas, a music professor at the University of Santa Clara, holding down the bottom end, The Real Nasty brings together 3 very strong musical backgrounds, forming a unit and a sound that is truly unique.
Now, with their debut album just released, The Real Nasty are focused on bringing their explosive live show to new fans all over the West Coast.  “Paper City” draws you in and keeps you there, and the album is only surpassed by the band’s live energy.  Don’t miss them, there is a string of west coast dates on their sites.
www.therealnasty.com
www.myspace.com/therealnastyband
 
NXNE Festival
We’re in the middle of NXNE week and AudioBlood Media have are presenting 15 bands during the course of the week. To celebrate, the good folks at Audio Blood have made a mixture available for us all to download free at: http://drop.io/abmixtapenxne
The Balconies have a new video of their track Serious Bedtime that is well worth a look at www.aux.tv/video/The-Balconies-Serious-Bedtime/
 
Needle in the groove – Brett Caswell and the Marquee Rose (Barrie, Ontario) 
Straight from the heart of the suburban wasteland of southern Ontario comes Brett Caswell, an emerging singer songwriter who has set his sights set on breaking your heart, then making you smile. Armed with his backing band, The Marquee Rose, (which contains members of Fox Jaws and other Barrie staples) 
Brett and the band are playing the Cadillac Lounge tomorrow night (Thurs 17 June) 
www.myspace.com/bcaswell
 
Code of a Mad Man – Brad Hammonds (New York, NY, USA)
From his Shoulders of Giants project. 
Brad Hammonds is an acoustic guitarist/ singer/songwriter from New York City.  His debut album, Through It All, is the sound of an artist discovering another enormous facet of his talent.  The Brazz Tree guitarist has earned a reputation as a great and inventive player, and now he has created a body of work that will add another distinction to his portfolio – that of “songwriter.”  On Through It All, Hammonds has simplified his music in the best sense of the word, letting the distinctive power of his songs and voice shine through, and what has emerged is the utter soulfulness of his artistry.
Hammonds has over twenty years of experience as a guitarist in numerous bands in Virginia, Chicago and then New York.  And in addition to his involvement in Brazz Tree, Hammonds has concurrently been studying jazz guitar, always looking to expand his vocabulary as a player.  It’s resulted in Hammond getting raves from greats like Vernon Reid, who has said of Hammonds, “Brad is a strong player in the Richard Thompson tradition, with a beautifully hypnotic approach.”
Sat 19 June International Festival of Arts, New Haven, CT  3pm
I’d recommend that you get over to his site and take a listen to the music from his debut solo album Through it All on there. If you only listen to one track, make it Indignation – some excellent open tuned guitar playing.
www.bradhammonds.com
www.myspace.com/bradrhammonds