November - 2020

THE JW VIBE

Music That Sticks To My Soul

MIKE MONTREY BAND, In the Middle of Hope

Jonathan Widran

Nov 30, 2020

MIKE MONTREY BAND, In the Middle of Hope

Like a lot of artists whose brilliant and insightful songs seem almost prophetic in the way they meet our collective anxious moments of 2020, Mike Montrey makes a full disclosure upfront about his soulful yet alternately raw and sparkling EP In the Middle of Hope. The multi-talented front man, guitarist, singer-songwriter and eclectic Americana fusion mastermind of the popular New Jersey based Mike Montrey Band says, “I was looking through the lyrics and noticed that they all

MICHAEL CLEARY, Last Man Standing

Jonathan Widran

Nov 30, 2020

MICHAEL CLEARY, Last Man Standing

Longtime fans of Connecticut funk/pop/rock institution Michael Cleary may see the title of his dreamy and otherworldly, soulful pop/rock album Last Man Standing as an ode to his longevity (30-plus years) leading his longtime Michael Cleary Band, which has performed hundreds of shows and opened for the likes of Tower of Power, Average White Band and Little Feat. Those counting might celebrate the fact that the collection – which offers a spirited travel-minded trajectory from

LARRY SCHMID, Words

Jonathan Widran

Nov 30, 2020

LARRY SCHMID, Words

2020’s been one of those anxiety ridden years that’s forced us to take stock of what’s important and to try to find the silver linings – things that maybe would not have happened in a year not infected (literally) with the spread of COVID-19. When it comes to music, no “silver linings” album comes to mind quite as impactfully as Words, the stellar collection of Neil Young (and one Stephen Stills) deep tracks performed with raw, rootsy, edgy, sonically expansive and emotionall

SCOTT WATERS, Peace Signs & Dragonflies

Jonathan Widran

Nov 30, 2020

SCOTT WATERS, Peace Signs & Dragonflies

Striking all sorts of delightfully engaging poses as a romantic, fun-loving and defiantly optimistic retro rocker on his whimsically titled debut album Peace Signs & Dragonflies, emerging Connecticut based singer songwriter, Scott Waters doesn’t give us too much background info on himself on his website. We learn that when he was growing up, music was a refuge; he played on other artists’ albums over the years; he chose the album’s 12 songs out of over 100 home demos; and he

COSMOS SUNSHINE, The Way is Clear

Jonathan Widran

Nov 30, 2020

COSMOS SUNSHINE, The Way is Clear

If you ever wondered what the coolest advantages of being born and raised on a commune-like hippie settlement, let multi-faceted (pop, rock, blues, soul, et al) singer-songwriter Cosmos Sunshine’s life and music be a primer. You get to be born with a name so hip and out there that the first and middle name you use for your professional moniker almost seem made up (his last name is Heidtmann). More importantly, taking a ride from your digs on the Connecticut River, your parent

BALKUN BROTHERS, Here Comes The End of the World

Jonathan Widran

Nov 28, 2020

BALKUN BROTHERS, Here Comes The End of the World

If this is indeed, as the title of the Balkun Brothers’ scorched earth, guitar and drum intensive new album implies, the end of the world, there’s no better, darkly fun or bitingly incisive way to go out than with a rip-roaring, kinda depressing but insanely cathartic soundtrack by the well-traveled Connecticut based power duo of Steve (guitar, vocals, thumb-bone bass) and Nick “The Hammer” Balkin (drums, vocals). Perfectly embodying the siblings’ trademark rebel yelling and

DJ HELLO, Hello EP

Jonathan Widran

Nov 28, 2020

DJ HELLO, Hello EP

Reflective of both his stage moniker and the title of his deeply intricate, sonically adventurous debut EP Hello, electronic composer/artist Harrison Avery – aka DJ Hello – offers in just four tracks a dazzling introduction to his wide array of musical influences, deeply melodic and percussive sensibilities and flair for infectious, freewheeling productions that draw us in and keep us hypnotically engaged. The multi-talented 20 year old artist, who first started creating EDM,

BO JOHNSON, Falling

Jonathan Widran

Nov 28, 2020

BO JOHNSON, Falling

Taking a deep dive into the bio of Swedish songwriter, producer, artist and Billboard charting remixer Bo Johnson, we learn that the multi-talented force in deep/progressive house, pop and EDM music had a severe leg injury as a teenager and was told he would never walk again. He not only beat the odds but also became a bodybuilding champion, winning numerous titles throughout Europe. His determination to succeed later manifested in his emergence as an artist and remixer since

PAUL JACKS, Black Jackal

Jonathan Widran

Nov 25, 2020

PAUL JACKS, Black Jackal

With the release of his explosive, retro-synthy, sonically intricate and vocally hypnotic apocalypse/aftermath concept album Black Jackal, Anchorage based singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Paul Jacks is quickly becoming the indie pop world’s most engaging purveyor of the classic A-side/B-side aesthetic that was once the norm in the rock era. Back at the start of 2020 – admittedly a realm that seems like at least a century ago now – Jacks manifested his lifelong pas

YACHTCLUB101

Jonathan Widran

Nov 25, 2020

YACHTCLUB101

With no opportunity to perform and tour normally and restricted in the ways they can interact with fans, musicians have been taking the brunt of the COVID-19 lockdowns both creatively and financially. Double/triple that for club owners like Scott Ayers, who doubles as the brilliant artistic force and sonic mastermind of emerging 80’s-synth jam inspired powerhouse YachtClub101 and the former owner of RIC, a popular (now closed by the pandemic) club that hosted drag shows, jazz

PS THE REBELS, "Bumaye"

Jonathan Widran

Nov 23, 2020

PS THE REBELS, "Bumaye"

Already on a prolific roll this fall with the releases of their deeply grooving and soul transportive singles “Long Live King T’challa” and “No Idea,” brothers Pihon and SamUiLL Kalonji – aka the Nairobi born, L.A. based duo PS The ReBels – meet our current fraught, anxious moment boldly, brashly and purposefully with “Bumaye,” an uplifting and empowering anthem fusing their trademark alt hip-hop vibes, a clever and insightful narrative flow and an infectious tribal chant of

MICHAELA STEINHAUER, Changes and Choices

Jonathan Widran

Nov 18, 2020

MICHAELA STEINHAUER, Changes and Choices

Fusing a lyrical and melodic jazz-inflected showtune sensibility with whimsical free-form vocal and instrumental improvising, German born, New York based composer/lyricist and singer Michaela Steinhauer joins forces with her longtime trio of free jazz stalwarts (alto saxophonist Alexey Kruglov and pianist Roman Stolyar) to create Changes and Choices, a fascinating conceptual, narrative driven album whose sense of character and dramatic storytelling would translate beautifully

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