Music of the World

OFFICIAL: https://skyorchid.net/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/skyorchidofficial/ TWITTER: https://twitter.com/skyorchidband Written by Pamela Bellmore, posted by blog admin “The River” opens Sky Orchid’s first release with a subtle statement of intent. Vocalist Gabriel Traknyak and an arrangement enveloped with a powerful sound and potent dynamics establishes Sky Orchid’s sonic and musical identity in an emphatic way, though they reveal different sides as their debut Oculus progresses. “Sneakers” is the first hint they possess a rare versatility. Brothers Gabriel and Daniel Traknyak are the sole movers behind this band and their multi-instrumental talents are responsible for every note you hear. Even on a recording, however, they demonstrate an obvious chemistry with one another that should make longtime fans and followers of this style wonder what they can accomplish live with these songs if they can find like-minded musicians. There’s a muted, nuanced quality ...

OFFICIAL: http://www.rhettrepko.com/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/rhettrepko/ TWITTER: https://twitter.com/RhettRepko Written by Pamela Bellmore, posted by blog admin Rhett Repko’s upward ascent accelerates with the release of his new EP Thnx For The Ride, a seven song collection of intensely focused rock songs with a sharp commercial edge. Despite their mainstream appeal, the songwriting never comes across like its pandering for audience attention; instead, the songs featured on Thnx For The Ride come across as a witheringly sincere collection of tunes with Repko’s emotional vocals at the heart of each song. It’s a sign of the handcrafted nature of his release that Repko, essentially, supervised every aspect of its production and it results in an EP packing every bit of the wallop we’d get from a full length rock album. The sound is muscular and in your face from the outset, but never threatens to bulldoze its target audience and embraces a lot of nuance alo...

OFFICIAL: http://www.joshuaketchmark.com/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/josh.ketchmark Written by Jay Snyder, posted by blog admin From the opening, gentle strum the heart-warming, tumbleweed kicking love song, “We Were Everything” and culminating in the rhythmically pulsating, winding electric guitar leads and spitfire soul vocals of closer “The Great Unknown,” it’s clear that Joshua Ketchmark has arrived.   Hailing from his humble beginnings in Peoria, Illinois and eventually carving a path to every big-time music city in the USA (LA just to name one of many places), Ketchmark is now twelve releases strong in a music career that spans too many genres to count.   Though he primarily operates in old school folk, country, pop and r & b, he also branches out into rock, blues and delicate balladry whenever the mood strikes him.    After the fiery lead-in of “We Were Everything,” Joshua switches into ballad mode with quiet acoustic guitar, d...

OFFICIAL: http://blackbluebirds.com/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/BlackBluebirds Written by Frank McClure, posted by blog admin One might tempted to call Minneapolis’ Black Bluebirds a hard rock outfit, but that’s missing much of what they do. Their ten song effort Like Blood for Music definitely kicks off with some straight up hard rock muscle on the song “Love Kills Slowly” and Simon Husbands’   lead guitar proves to be an excellent partner for Daniel Fiskum’s slightly droning voice and insightful lyrics. Black Bluebirds position themselves as a distinctly adult outfit nevertheless trafficking in musical content any listener will find appealing. Second vocalist Jessica Rasche has a lot to offer throughout the entirety of this album, but the opener arguably provides her finest moment on the album. “Strange Attractor” mixes things up a little without ever veering too far   The lean muscularity of the verses is a notable difference from the more chaotic ...

OFFICIAL: http://rejectionistfront.com/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/RejectionistFront/ Written by Daniel Boyer, posted by blog admin Rejectionist Front has tended to their musical development with all the attention you’d expect and have aligned themselves with causes and concerns clearly illustrating the importance of conveying their core beliefs through the vehicle of popular music. Their second studio album Evolve boasts twelve songs showcasing their exponential development since first debuting and they bring much of the same New York City assertiveness we heard on their first collection. Most rock bands in the modern music world adopt either five or three piece configurations in their journey to earn public notice, but Rejectionist Front is a four piece band with immensely creative rhythm section work and creative guitar playing compensating well for the absence of a second guitar player. The band’s appeared on a variety of high profile festival lineups and...