When listening to Welcome To The River by Westrock, you can listen and feel all the crafted storytelling instantly. Of course, country music is notorious for this and Westrock does not disappoint. A standout track off the album includes Life From A Lift Chair with the musical arrangement that consists of an eclectic mix of guitar, killer vocals, and the fiddle. Some of the lyrics from the song include “Colorado, in the middle of March makes the world a little brighter, “worries fade into the sky” and it sets the environment for listeners. You can close your eyes and feel the cold air of Colorado through the lead vocals of August Huckabee. A beautiful mix of Americana and Country music, Westrock does an amazing job of setting the tone for this strong collection of songs that not only capture lighthearted emotion, but also that of an adventurer as well.
Upon listening to Songs From The Briarpatch, listeners are enveloped in the warm energy of his songs. A winning mix between Americana and Classic Rock, Will Jackson does an amazing job of creating a musical atmosphere that listeners enjoy settling in on. Hailing from North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, there is a Carolina vibe that runs through this album. A combo of easy listening and beach rock makes this album traditional and modern all in one. Stand out guitar riffs on the track Good Enough show the wide range of Jackson’s sound and arrangement on that track without a doubt. Throughout the album, there is quite a number of tracks that intertwine life messages, lessons, and stories along the journey. Jackson’s voice makes listeners want to hop in their car and drive.
It’s odd how much the consumption of music has changed since I started this blog back in 2009. As a garden variety audiophile, my goal back in the day was to amass the grandest collection of music possible – a collection that would rival the music gods. One August, I used tip money from my job as a camp counselor to buy a vast assortment of CDs from obscure 60s bands, and, when they arrived, I spent days burning these CDs onto my computer, so I could rip the Mp3s and add them to my growing collection. To think the youth of 2020 will not have that joy!
Little did I know, Apple was the god I was trying to emulate, and my quest would be stomped on by this omnipotent Zeus-like musical giant! Now, I diligently pay my monthly subscription to Apple Music, and have access to the Great Library of Alexandria of tunes. But, as they say, I still have the memories (and the Mp3 files stashed away on some external hard-drive). As I was driving around the other day – a necessary escape from the house during this quarantine – I got to thinking about how even now with this vast assortment of music, I have cherry-picked my slowly growing “go-to” songs that encompass my aptly titled “Favorites” list. This curated playlist is an eclectic mix, each song representative of the point in my life when I first heard the song/band. It’s a personal musical journey. And, within this list of personal favorites are several songs that I would label my “go-to” jams – songs that I’ll listen to no matter the mood I am in or company I am among.
I’ll share one of these gems with you.
Find me a better first line of a song than “Red and white, blue suede shoes, I’m Uncle Sam, how do you do?” The song is just a straight mover – it’s as anthemic as you will find with The Dead, and it’s tough not to sing along with its culturally interesting lyric. It’s a masterclass in Dead lore and a tune that just latches onto you and creates a vision of the U.S. that you can’t shake!
Hailing from Lithuania, Robertas Semeniukas pursues nothing short of passion and dedication in his music. With Backstage Stories consisting of 20 tracks, do not let that stop you from listening. Once you play the first track, you will be hooked. An interesting observation about this album is that it consists of 8 vocal tracks and 12 instrumental ones. Robertas Semeniukas carries a wordly sound in his music and this can be heavily attributed to him playing and recording with a variety of bands over the course of his music career. It is no surprise when one takes a listen to the album, they will hear the influences of Jeff Beck, Slash, Guns N’Roses, Queen, and Metallica to name a few. Semeniukas’s music clearly shows that he has an all around talent at producing, composing, and arranging his music into something extraordinary. With a dedication to his music, he has collaborated with musicians around the world and has performed amongst festivals as well. He is multi-faceted as he extends his musical talents to television projects, session musician, and producer/collaborator as well, Robertas Semeniukas is a prolific composer, producer, arranger, professional guitarist and singer. Pushing that level of passion even further, he also has extended his knowledge into educating future music makers in master classes in Lithuania and around the world. Driven by a deep love for his craft, Robertas’s music has earned him performances in festivals across the globe, from China to Texas. From the synthey guitar that reminds me of the best classic rock and 90s to slower paced tracks, Backstage Stories needs to be on stage, front and center.
If one merges the concept of eternity and experimental music, they will get the creation from Lightning Hunter. With the style of progressive rock instrumentally strung throughout the album, listeners identify quickly the raw and organic undertones that Charles Scandura intertwines in his music. With a heavy emphasis on time in this album and drawn out synths, you can hear the mixing of self expression and passion all mixed in one. Compared to the bands Placebo, Silversun Pickups, and Soundgarden, Lighting Hunter has made a name for themselves within the progressive music world. Between mixing references to brain science and our connection to the universe and more philosophical musings of our existence and our human-ness, they leave the listeners thinking. As an aside from having strong music, the songs on the album hold powerful meanings to the words that make up the lyrics, shattering the bonds of time and space infinitely.
The Music Court 