Ellen Kibble

There is a whole world of music. Every country has a unique style and sound but music as everyone knows is the universal language. Cliché but true and that is probably one of the many reasons I love music so much. I have featured artists from England, Norway, Ireland, Scotland and now my favorite country, Australia! One side of my family is Australian so I’m an Aussie at heart. Diving into the Australian music scene is something I have wanted to do for some time and we start of with the young artist Ellen Kibble of Melbourne, Australia.

Ellen Kibble was a great find on Bandcamp.com by just searching for Australian artists. You can purchase her Calvary EP for just over $4 USD. She is a very new artist trying to make a name for herself in Australia and has a very similar sound to another Aussie artist, Missy Higgins, who has made some waves in the U.S. According to her website her rocking chair is her favorite place to write music where she writes songs that are simple, and beautiful acoustic folk storytelling. She apparently is just a down home girl who isn’t afraid to talk back to hecklers at her shows. Then again what Australian isn’t?

Listening to Ellen’s music just makes me want to transport to some dimly lit pub in Australia with friends where she is playing live in the corner. If you are interested in buying Ellen’s music you’ll have to purchase it from Bandcamp as it is the only place where it is available in the U.S. Link provided below.

I hope you have enjoyed this little journey to the land down under. Make sure to leave your comments below with what you think of Ellen’s music and show your support if you are enjoying it and purchase her EP! Have a wonderful week!

http://www.myspace.com/ellenkibble

http://ellenkibble.bandcamp.com/album/cavalry-ep

Photos by Rachel Cook

Jenny & Tyler

Summer is finally here and my uber-white winter skin is finally showing some signs of a tan. Summer brings a whole new soundtrack to me as the mood is much different then winter or fall. This week’s new duo, Jenny & Tyler, is starting off the summer playlist. This young married couple met on a bus ride from their college (University of Deleware) to church in 2004 and almost immediately started writing music together. Several years later they were married, released their first album and were officially a duo.

After releasing their first album, A Prelude, in 2007 they decided to move to Nashville, TN to pursue their music career even further. This cute couple has a fresh and authentic sound that really shows their personality and heart. Jenny & Tyler have combined their individual styles of Jazz, bluegrass, pop and country to create their own unique sound. They released a second album in 2009 titled, This Isn’t A Dream and will be releasing a third album this fall.

This music is welcoming, friendly, and warm as well as deep. Many of their tracks explore the depths of our world, like their track, “Product Of Culture” about a girl who seeks love and affirmation in all the wrong places. Their track, “One Eyed Cat” is a whimsical song about the compromises and changes made when you fall in love. Jenny & Tyler will be a great addition to your summer playlist. So don’t forget to put of your sandals, wear your sun block, drink lots of water because summer is hear!!

http://jennyandtylermusic.com/

http://www.myspace.com/jennyandtyler

Don't forget to check out last week's giveaway post. Help me come up with a new name for my blog and win an iTunes giftcard. Contest will stay open until I give notice that it will be closed. I want to give you all plenty of time to use your creativity. Thanks all!

James Morrison

This week’s artist comes from across the pond where is has made a name for himself in the UK. James Morrison was introduced to me by a friend who was so affected by Morrison’s voice that even her husband was became a little annoyed. After hearing his music I couldn’t blame my friend for being so moved by it. James Morrison’s soulful and raspy voice as well as his passion filled song-writing make for music you can’t help but love.

James Morrison was born in 1984 in England and in the short years since he started his musical career has already, performed for Prince Charles, toured with Corinne Bailey Rae, and has recorded duets with Nelly Furtado and Jason Mraz. You can find the duet with Furtado, “Broken Strings” on Morrison’s new album and with Mraz, “Details In The Fabric” on Mraz’s latest album. Morrison is currently on tour in the U.K. and Europe. While he hasn’t taken the U.S. charts like he has in the UK it is only a mater of time before he takes the red, white and blue by storm.

Morrison attributes his unique voice to a case of whooping cough that almost killed him as a baby. It was years later as a teenager that his uncle introduced him to the guitar teaching him how to play a blues riff. Eventually Morrison started writing his own songs and began playing at a local pub in England for several years building up a following until he was signed to a record label. In 2006, his debut single "You Give Me Something" became a hit in Europe, Australia, and Japan, peaking in the top five in the UK and New Zealand. His first album Undiscovered came out that year and in 2007 he had several U.S. television performances which resulted in is album reaching #24 on the charts when is was released here. His second album, Songs for You, Truths for Me, was released in September of 2008 and it did tremendously well on the UK charts.

http://www.jamesmorrisonmusic.com/

http://www.myspace.com/jamesmorrisonmusic

I hope you have enjoyed this week's featured artist. Be sure to leave you comments below of what you think. Also, if you would like to help and support this artist be sure to share this with your friends. There are some new buttons below to help with that. Have a wonderful week!

Joy Williams

If you have been following this music blog then this week’s artist will be familiar. If you haven’t then shame on you! There is some good stuff here! Back in May I did a feature on John Paul White, which turned into a double feature as I discovered his new duo The Civil Wars with Joy Williams. I quickly fell in love with the duo and knew the name Joy Williams sounded very familiar to me. After doing some research on Williams I came upon some surprising information. This was the same Joy Williams who was once blond and released purely Christian albums! Now she is brunette and fully emerged in the pop folk and singer/songwriter world of Nashville. The transformation was so different that I only recognized her name! I remember her hit tracks that played on Christian radio and I was never really struck by them but now I cannot get enough of her music. If I really wanted to pursue being a solo artist the new Joy Williams is the type of artist I would want to be. Her music is moving, her style is vintage bohemian and all around wonderful. Can you tell I’m a huge fan? She has quickly become one of my top five favorite artists and I cannot get enough of her music on Brite Revolution. You all know how much I love Brite.

There isn’t much information on Williams online but I was lucky enough to find a bio on the Brite Revolution site. She is currently 26 years old and has been involved in music and touring for a decade. She signed with Sony/BMG at age 17 after turning down offers at age 14!! She has been nominated for quite a few Dove Awards. In 2005 she broke off from her label to try a new direction with her career. While I love some Christian music I feel that artist are often stifled and forced to adhere to a specific formula. I feel reaffirmed in my opinion hearing the difference in William’s music then and now.

I have a strong feeling that her music will be taking off very soon. Two of her tracks have been featured on Grey’s Anatomy, known for featuring new artist, including the very emotional season premiere. I was actually watching the premiere while doing my research on Williams and couldn’t believe it when I heard them play “Speaking A Dead Language” on the show. I’m pretty sure my jaw dropped. What are the odds?

Williams is currently touring with Ten Out Of Ten, which is a collaboration of ten amazing artist, several featured here, and a part of Brite Revolution. You can find several of William’s new EPs on iTunes as well as new music each month on Brite.

I hope you enjoyed learning a little about Joy William and hearing her music. If you like what you hear make sure you go purchase some her music or join Brite Revolution! You can see more on Joy's Myspace or check out her blog about her travels with Ten Out Of Ten. Also, if you want to check out her duo The Civil Wars there is a link on the side bar for their live album release.

http://www.myspace.com/joywilliamsmusic

http://yettonadventures.blogspot.com/

Please feel free to leave comments and let me know what you think! Happy Monday!

Eric Hutchinson

Some music just has a happy sound to it. Music that puts you in a better mood or makes you feel like you are somewhere else all together, perhaps on a beach or snuggled up in front of fire. Eric Hutchinson’s music makes me feel like I should be driving in an old convertible down the Pacific Coast Highway along Malibu’s Zuma beach with my best friends. Wind in our hair and not a care in the world. While that picture has never been a reality this music takes me there.

Eric Hutchinson is a 28 year singer/song writer who livens up his music with his guitar and piano skills making a perfect combination of rock, pop, folk and soul. After some bad luck on Maverick Records when the label shut down Hutchinson decided to self-release his album, Sounds Like This. His luck turned around when the album made it to the Top 10 on the iTunes list after his high school friend emailed Hutchinson’s myspace.com page to blogger Perez Hilton who then recommended it to all his readers. Aren’t friends the best? After his success on iTunes Warner Bros. Records picked up the album and rereleased it May of 2008.

The album’s single “Rock & Roll” is a favorite of mine as well as “Ok, It’s Alright With Me” which you’ll have to check out for yourself - I can’t make it that easy for you all ;) Hutchinson has already started writing songs for a new album and I can not wait. His style is very raw and real which is what Hutchinson was going for, “I tried really hard to keep it organic,” he says. “Music is human expression and what’s more human than to make a mistake? So to record something and then take out all the mistakes leaves the project with no soul to it.” Well Eric, if Sounds Like This is filled with mistakes I can only hope you will make many mistakes on the next album.

Hope you all enjoyed this week’s artist and are adding him to your summer soundtrack. Please share your thoughts, comments and music suggestions – I would love to hear them.

Rosie Thomas

In life there is some music that is the soundtrack to the emotions or experiences of the past. For getting over boy drama Colbie Caillet and Maria Mena is the perfect mix. For fun times with my best friends, Eric Hutchinson. Rita Springer is the music of choice for intimate times with God. And finally our artist pick of the week, Rosie Thomas, is the music that reminds me of the time when I was discovering what my greatest passion was and what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. Music.

Rosie’s music feels so personal to me because there are several of her tracks that feel like she was writing them especially for me. That happens to most of us with the music we listen to and I think it shows us that we are not alone in our struggles and experiences and that others have and will go through the same things, good or bad. My two favorite Rosie Thomas songs are “I Play Music” and “Have You Seen My Love.” It used to include the duet “Let It Be Me” but I have surrendered that song to my best friend and her husband who shared their first dance to that song. “I Play Music” was and is a song that I played often as I was realizing that I wanted to spend my days working with music in some capacity or another. I was nearing the end of college and had discovered that I had not majored in what I really loved and had no idea how I was going to make music my career. I was leading worship and giving singing lessons at that time and one line in this song that somehow gave me peace.

“So I play music that’s what I do. I when I sing I lose my self. There’s nothing more I’d rather do. Lord knows I’ve tried everything else.”

It’s a simple statement by Rosie but sometimes simplicity is all we need. I still don’t know exactly where I belong in this world of music but I am blessed to be a part of it, because I play music! “Have You Seen My Love” is pretty self-explanatory. Have you seen my love? Because I am looking and waiting for him. Anyone? Just kidding ;)

Well, I realize that I have made this week’s feature more about myself but sometimes that happens when certain music affects a person greatly. I encourage you all to share the music that has played a strong roll in your life.

Now back to Rosie. She has five albums including a Christmas album released last year and they are all worth purchasing. Rosie is originally from Michigan and even when she was young she knew that she wanted to entertain people. Rosie first tried acting only to discover that music is where she belonged. I was also very surprised to find in my research this week that she is also a stand-up comedian who performs under the name Sheila Saputo and wears a neck brace, arm sling and huge glasses. A woman with many talents indeed!

Rosie’s music reminds me of something old, almost like this would be the music I would listen to if I were living in the real life version of Anne of Green Gables. Somehow simple and complex at the same time.

Rosie has released several of her albums through her own label Sing-A-Long Records. Her last album These Friends of Mine was inspired by New York City where she wrote and recording the tracks for the album. Check out these Rosie Thomas albums and in the words of Will Smith, “Don’t download, go out and buy the record!”

* When We Were Small
* Only With Laughter Can You Win
* If Songs Could Be Held
* These Friends of Mine
* A Very Rosie Christmas


http://www.rosiethomas.com/

http://www.myspace.com/rosiethomasmusic

Greg Laswell

It is always a treat when I find new music deals. Purchasing music is one of the things that I splurge on more than clothes, shoes or make up with the excuse that it’s necessary since I work in the music industry. Amazon MP3 downloads has a special daily deal where they offer a different album each day for either $1.99 or $2.99 which in this economy is a great way for so many of us who are trying to save money to still get our new music fix. This week’s featured artist came from one of those Amazon daily deals. Greg Laswell’s album, Three Flights from Alto Nido, was the deal of the day about a month ago and after listening to his first two tracks I knew it would be worth the $1.99 for the whole album.

If you like Coldplay then you’ll probably love Greg Laswell since he has a Chris Martin sound in several of his tracks. But even if you are not a Coldplay fan don’t write Laswell off because his sound is definitely unique and in a different category of music. Laswell is a singer/songwriter but his talents do not end there. As well as playing the guitar, piano and drums he is also a recording engineer. It was those skills that helped Laswell produce his first album Good Movie in 2003 on his own label All The Best Records. He now works under his label 20 Inch Records which has associated with artist such as Anya Marina, Ingrid Michaelson, Molly Jenson, Derren Raser, and Minnie Driver. Laswell released his second album , Through Toledo in July 2006 after his divorce as his “breakup album” and resulted in a healing process for himself as well as effecting others emotionally to the point that he had people coming up to him doing his tour telling Laswell what they were going through. Three Flights from Alto Nido was released in 2008 as his third and most recent album.

Laswell was born in Long Beach, California in 1974 and currently lives in San Diego after he moved there to attend Point Loma Nazarene University. Several of his songs have been featured on Grey’s Anatomy, True Blood, Smallville, and the films Confessions of a Shopaholic and My Sister’s Keeper.

If you enjoy seeing artists live you can catch Greg Laswell August 6th at 8:00 pm at The Troubadour in Los Angeles. For more shows check in with Laswell's Myspace.

http://www.myspace.com/greglaswell

http://www.greglaswell.com/


Hope you enjoy Greg Laswell and the tracks from his new album and check out Amazon for those daily deals!

Katie Hercig

This week’s artist is a discovery from Brite Revolution, a great website where you can download exclusive music and help charities at the same time. Katie Herzig is one of Brite’s contributing artists, adding new music each month that you can’t get anywhere else. The songs Herzig has put up on Brite are some of my favorite tracks that she has done so I would encourage you all to check it out.

Katie Herzig is a Colorado native who moved to Nashville in 2006 to pursue a solo career. Herzig was the lead singer for her Colorado band Newcomers Home until they broke up and she took that as a sign to go solo. She started as the drummer of Newcomers Home due to her stage fright but eventually conquered that fear and became their lead singer.

Before she moved to Nashville Herzig recorded her album Weightless which she did as a do-it-yourself project. Several tracks from that album were featured on the hit show Grey’s Anatomy. Her recent album Apple Tree was made available digitally in 2008 and now on CD this past April. Several songs from Apple Tree have been featured in past months on One Tree Hill, Lipstick Jungle, and Ghost Whisperer and Sex and the City the Movie Soundtrack. Herzig will also have a song in the upcoming film, My Sister's Keeper.

Herzig’s music has a feel good quality to it and is perfect for a lazy summer time soundtrack. She also plays a Taylor guitar (my guitar of choice as well) so she is OK in my book. Check out Katie’s music on iTunes or any of the useful links below! Hope you enjoy!

www.katieherzig.com

http://www.myspace.com/katieherzig

http://www.briterevolution.com/artists/katie-herzig/

Griffin House

While researching this weeks artist I found out about an amazing new website that combines a love of new music with helping charities in need. Griffin House and many others, including Joy Williams (who you may remember from my feature on John Paul White and The Civil Wars), Caedmon’s Call are contributing their new music to Brite Revolution. Brite Revolution posts around 40 new songs each month from participating artists and gives 10% of its revenue to charity. You even get to choose, from about ten charities, which one you want your money to go to. Pretty rad I think. I get to download new music you can’t get anywhere else and do it all in the name of charity. It’s $4.99 a month and you can try it free for the first month. I joined last night and already love it and the songs sync to my iTunes seamlessly. AND the songs are all DRM free!

Well, back to the inspiration for this week, singer/songwriter Griffin House. House is another artist I first heard on Pandora Radio and was hooked when they played a track from his most recent album, “The Guy That Says Goodbye To You Is Out Of His Mind” (check out the music video below). The title alone peeked my interest and I immediately imagined him singing that line to me and my spirits were lifted. I value and treasure music that affects my mood and emotions and House’s music does it almost effortlessly.

It was that ability to affect people emotionally with his music that led this Ohio native to give up his golf scholarship to Ohio University to pursue a career in music. He became hooked to this power after he wrote his first song for his high school sweetheart and made her cry when he played it for her. According to House, “What I was drawn to was the power of the song, how it could affect people emotionally.” To do that House draws on his personal life experiences to write his songs including the experience of falling in love, getting engaged and then realizing it was all a huge mistake. House even takes inspiration from others such as his song “Better Than Love” which came from his uncle talking to him once about marriage and saying that sometimes when his wife put her hand in his that it was better than sex and that was all you needed. House took that advice to write this love song about a long-term relationship.

Griffin House has quickly become one of my favorite new artists and I am eager to hear his new music on Brite Revolution as he has committed to contribute one new song each month. The first two songs in our playlist are from his first album Lost & Found released in 2004 and “Better Than Love” and “The Guy Who Says Goodbye…” are from his most recent album Flying Upside Down released in 2007. Please check out more of House’s music as well as Brite Revolution.

http://griffinhouse.nettwerk.com/

http://www.briterevolution.com/

www.myspace.com/griffinhouse

www.briterevolution.com/artists/griffin-house/


Hope you enjoyed this week’s feature. Please feel free to leave comments on what you think of the music and if you like this page please become a follower. Thanks all!

Natalie Walker

I love it when friends share a similar taste in music as I do. You know, someone who when they find a new artist they love you know you will love it too. I have someone like that in my life who shares a love of music, especially artists you haven’t really heard of. Allegra is one of my nearest and dearest friends, an amazing mother, writer, photographer and blogger extraordinaire. She often tells me about artists I might like or songs that made her think of me. This week is one of those recommendations, so thank you Allegra Love for sharing life, love and music with me.

One of my favorite songs is “Colorblind” by Counting Crows and I’m not normally a fan of Counting Crows but I do love this song. Not to long ago Allegra told me I would love a song by the artist Natalie Walker called “Colorblind” and of course she was right. Its the same song done by Counting Crows with a little sweeter edge to it. Natalie Walker describes herself an electronica singer/songwriter with her new album With You that came out last summer. Her first album, Urban Angel, which is my favorite and features the tracks I’ve selected to share with you, is a little more on the acoustic side with just one foot in the electronica pool. Walker took more chances with her second album, stretching her creativity wings, while still appealing to her fans who love Urban Angel.

Natalie Walker is the former lead singer of Daughter Darling and is currently pursuing a solo career with two albums under her belt. Her music has been featured in the film, Marie Antoinette, and on the hit ABC shows, Grey’s Anatomy and Ugly Betty. Please enjoy her music and check out the music from her newest album.

www.myspace.com/nataliewalkermusic

www.natalie-walker.com

Please feel free to leave your comments on what you think of this music and any recommendations of artists you think I might like. Also remember if you have an artist you love and would like to write a little blurb about them you can be a midweek feature. Thank you!

Kate Havnevik

As an introduction to this week’s artist I have to give a little history behind my quest for new and unique music. When the show Grey’s Anatomy first started I became addicted to it along with most of my girlfriends. Along with the drama and romance in the show I also fell in love with the music. Almost every episode I would hear a song and would run to my computer at the end to find out what the song was. It was usually an unknown artist, many of which gained a new following of fans due to the show. I wanted to know who was behind finding this great new music, which is why I want to give credit to Alexandra Patsavas, the music supervisor for Grey’s and many other shows. She inspired me to explore more music and expand my music collection.

If you are a Grey’s Anatomy fan then you will most likely recognize this first song by our second feature artist, Kate Havnevik. Several seasons ago Kate’s song “Grace” was featured as the soundtrack for a very intense moment between the show’s main characters. After that episode the show’s fans, including myself, flocked to Havnevik’s myspace hoping that we could hear “Grace” again and she posted it especially for all of us messaging her to do so.

Havnevik is a singer and songwriter from Norway which is where I had to go to buy her debut album Melankton (online, not in person) before it became available in the U.S. Havnevik grew up wanting to be a classical and jazz musician like her parents until she joined a female punk band at 14 which widened her musical horizon and she began to mix her classical style with electronica.

Her music has a soothing melodic quality with the edge of electronica to make it unique. But what is really unique about Havnevik is that she is not sticking to one formula. She is working on several new albums including an acoustic album which you can get a sample of with her new single “ So:Lo”.

Look out for her new acoustic album, Embla. The release date is yet unannounced. If you like her track “Grace” you can only buy it with the Grey’s Anatomy Season 2 soundtrack.

I hope you enjoyed my second installment of Mary’s Monday Musicology. My goal is to feature a wide variety of musical types to appeal to all your musical tastes but I’m sure you’ll get a feel for mine after a while. Remember, I would love to hear your favorite artists that are under the radar and you can even write your own blurb about the artist or song and be one of our midweek features! Also please leave your comments on what you think of the music and what music means to you.

Brendan James

I am very excited to start off this new music blog with one of my favorite new artists. There are very few albums that I love every single track and this debut album from Brendan James is now one of them. Brendan released The Day Is Brave last spring showing that he has an amazing talent in the singer/songwriter category. I discovered his music while scoping out John Mayer’s website and started checking out the artists who would be joining John (yes, John and I are on a first name basis now…) on his John Mayer Cruise. After hearing just the 30 second snippet on iTunes I knew I would have to buy the whole album. If butter could sing it would sound like Brendan James. His voice mesmerizes me (he is pretty easy on the eyes as well, tehehe) and I hope some of you have the same affect.

Brendan James did not start pursuing a career in music until college when a music instructor heard him sing at a memorial service and told him, “I can’t get your voice out of my head.” The instructor encouraged Brendan to learn an instrument (he chose the piano) and to write his own songs. Brendan’s songs are very personal and usually about his own life experiences. Each song tells a story like my second favorite track on the album, “Green” which is about an ex-girlfriend who had a troubled family life and always wore something green from the store they both worked at. My favorite track from the album is “Early April Morning” which I decided not to include on the page to give you all incentive to look into him more and buy his album! And if you are in California he has several shows coming up including my old stomping ground San Luis Obispo at Downtown Brewery on May 7th and at my new stomping ground performing at The Roxy May 3rd (you know I’ll be there!). He has a bunch more shows you can check out on his webpage.

I truly hope you enjoy my first installment of Mary’s Monday Musicology and remember, I would love to hear your favorite artists that are under the radar and you can even write your own blurb about the artist or song and be one of our midweek features! Also please leave your comments on what you think of the music and what music means to you.