Browsing all articles in Profiles.
JASON MRAZ
Ten years ago, Jason Mraz had a few t-shirts, some paper fedoras and a dream. He stuffed them into a worn backpack and travelled cross-country from his home in Virginia to California – a musical gypsy with a desire to share songs and expose his eyes fully to the world. His flawlessly accurate and controlled [...]
BOB SCHNEIDER
It’s Monday night in Austin, Texas. Indescribable streaks of color tear the atmosphere as the big southern sun sets. The regular crowd shuffles down South Lamar Boulevard filing into a blank looking building with a large lighted guitar attached to the roof. Outside, a 12-foot high silver suit of armor stands stoutly in front of [...]
NIKKI YANOFSKY
At the tender age of 16, Montreal-born jazz singer Nikki Yanofsky is shaking up the genre by bringing youthful energy to the microphone and a musical gift that comes along once a generation. Octaves are limitless vocal hurdles that are elegantly ascended with spot on pitch and rich tone. Yanofsky’s sound is uniquely her own [...]
STONE TEMPLE PILOTS
“You always were my favorite drug, even when we used to take drugs.” It’s simple English but what a profound statement, especially when you consider the source and put it in context. It’s a now sober sentiment to a soon-to-be ex-wife about a volatile relationship that included episodes of verbal and physical abuse, the demolition [...]
ALAN SILVESTRI
In 2007, Erin Clark and I were given the chance of a lifetime – to watch legendary composer Alan Silvestri score the blockbuster Beowulf at CBS Studios in Studio City… The following article first appeared in Artworks Magazine that winter. In October 2009, Silvestri also graced the stage at our inaugural Carmel Art & Film [...]
BRANDI CARLILE
“I’m home!” Brandi Carlile screams with a simultaneous sigh. Her first unsung words are met with uproarious applause erupting from the sold-out Seattle crowd. “It probably helps that I’m related to everyone out there,” the Northwest native jokes on stage. Whether with family, or faithful fans, the historic Paramount Theatre is packed with people who [...]
LISSIE
It would be easy to misconstrue Lissie. Slight and blonde, a pretty, guitar-playing slip-of-a-thing, you might easily take her for a sweet Midwestern girl, a freckled balladeer borne of milk and cookies and cornfields. More fool you. For all the flaxen hair and big blue eyes, this girl is smart and gutsy and tough, with [...]
ROGUE WAVE
The warning sign has been posted. Permalight it reads – a defiant statement against the darkness responsible for its depth. The acoustics of the surge seem sweet like a song suspended in harmony, but make no mistake this breaker’s been building by the ire of a jilted guitar. Drums dominate and synthesizers shout as the [...]
SERENA RYDER
It’s a voice that comes around only a few times a decade. Once heard, it cannot be forgotten. A three-octave treasure with Joss Stone power and Stevie Nicks spirit. It’s as sultry as a Mel Ramos pin-up, yet as beautiful as a Monet pond. It’s a soul drenched instrument that is at once a rustic [...]
ZAC BROWN BAND
Zac Brown Band has whatever IT is. The group possesses that intangible, indescribable thing that makes its music great and unique. Brown’s Georgia drawl blends organically with Jimmy De Martini’s sensual fiddle for a different kind of fine. The sound is a bit southern rock mixed with down-home country and bluegrass that collides for a [...]
