BrianLushRockwired2

Ah! A boy wonder who writes and plays every bloody instrument on his latest release! It sounds like a novelty these days but in the case of RAY GOREN, it's just the way that the seventeen year old whipper snapper does business. RAY is certainly no stranger to us here at ROCKWIRED. We practically heard this young man grow up before our very ears with a sound that spans gut bucket blues to all out rock n roll. The kid's musicality is a knowing one and has captured the ear of JIMI HENDRIX's legendary producer EDDIE KRAMER who continues to mentor this one-of-a-kind talent. One his newest  release FREE, GOREN widens his musical palette to include strong R&B and hip hop flourishes. 

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http://www.rockwired.com/temporarysite/rockwiredprofiles699.mp3

2017 marks the 25th anniversary of  a moment in time when rock n roll gave itself a grunge-y make under and took a rough and raw approach to getting people to bang their heads. If you're reading this we don't need to drop names or mention that these guys were largely from Seattle. At around the same time there was a jam band out East making there presence known in frat houses on the Villa Nova campus. Such an inconspicuous beginning for a band but didn't the CHILI PEPPERS start out the same way? Aside from gaining a massive following thanks to their electrifying live sets, RUGBY ROAD is a band that has achieved something spectacular. They have stuck it our for over 25 years now and their latest EP RUGBY ROAD III only goes to prove that these committed troubadours are all to eager to keep giving the people what they want - music that can get a crowd going. 

http://www.rockwired.com/temporarysite/rockwiredprofiles698.mp3

With rock n roll already on shaky ground in terms of it's public acceptance, it is strange to see bands such as SIGNALS OF BEDLAM embracing a high-end progressive metal sound. Historically it has always bands that took the direct and in-your-face approach that got people talking about rock n roll again but we at ROCKWIRED have embraced this band's adventurous, musical spirit which is in full force on their brand new release ESCAPING VELOCITY. CHIKA OBIORA on bass and RICH ABIDOR on drums lay down an intoxicating rhythm section while TOM HOY's virtuosity on the six strings elevates the proceedings to dizzying heights. On top of all of the musical know how is vocalist CERO CARTERA whose innate ability to go from bombastic to plaintive can only be attributed to his significant classical training. Just give the haunting vocal track PIECE OF US a listen and you will hear what an arsenal that band has in the way of a vocalist. But let's not put one man above everyone else. SIGNALS OF BEDLAM is a band with some serious musical ambition and in an age where GENE SIMMONS has declared the genre dead, that is really saying something.

CHECK OUT THE PODCAST AT:
http://www.rockwired.com/temporarysite/rockwiredprofiles697.mp3

Back in 2014 when  ROCKWIRED first became acquainted with Haida/Cree songwriter KRISTI LANE SINCLAIR, she had just been nominated for what was called the ABORIGINAL PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD for BEST ROCK PERFORMANCE for her album THE SEA ALONE - a moody collections of songs that showcased SINCLAIR's considerable Classical music training and her fondness for the maudlin rock lyric worthy of BILLY CORGAN at his best. It's no accident that we mention the name CORGAN. It was the SMASHING PUMPKINS that got SINCLAIR excited about the six-string and music making in the first place. From there SINCLAIR went on to study classical music but eventually found her own sound and voice and has released a a catalog of music marked by classical flourishes and rock n roll angst. On her latest INDIGENOUS MUSIC AWARD nominated album DARK MATTER, SINCLAIR embraces the punk and grunge sounds that got her going artistically in the first place and as a result we are taken on a dark and moody journey that most certainly exhilarates.

http://www.rockwired.com/rockisred/rockisred30.mp3

In all of the time that we've been doing ROCK IS RED we have feature a punk band here and a punk band there but we've never had anything as hard, heavy and fast as the band NO MORE MOMENTS. Hailing from the Siksika Nation in Alberta, Canada, NO MORE MOMENTS epitomize the D.I.Y. philosophy of punk. Formed in 2009, the band have shown what they are made of on the Calgary music scene and throughout the provinces. Their hardcore punk sound has proven to be a relentless as the band who have given their public something to bang their heads to in the form of two EPs MOMENTS REBORN and MOMENTS NEVER SAY DIE and now the band is riding the wave of their new release STILL GOING. After eight years of being together, the title of their latest EP sums up the band's solidarity and we've gotta give a shout out to the STAR WARS-themed CD cover. Short, blistering sets rules the day on this recording with the stand outs being CALLIN' IN, RETIREMENT PARTY and HANGOVER BLUES. In a time where what's left of rock n roll has become slick and refined, it's nice to hear a band like this keeping it raw. 

CHECK OUT THE PODCAST AT:
http://www.rockwired.com/rockisred/rockisred29.mp3

Rock n roll survival is all about endurance and BLAMESHIFT's ability to survive for well over ten years is truly a testament to the band's creative core of vocalist JENNY MANN and guitarist TIM BARBOUR. Back when ROCKWIRED did a radio show for the rinky dink radio station KTSTFM.COM in Anaheim, California, BLAMESHIFT made a stop at the station on THE JAKE LARSEN show. It was a show that I personally sat in on. At the time, the Long Island-based band had just received an endorsement from TACO BELL and were in the midst of a nationwide tour. Ten years later, the band still make their living on the road and are releasing one album or EP after another one and while the band isn't as TACO BELL fueled as they used to be, they are most certainly living that rock n roll dream that has eluded many. BLAMESHIFT has just released their new EP HEART OF STONE featuring the single MONSTER and the proceedings demonstrate a band that knows who they are and appreciates all that it took to get where they are now. Rock n roll could use more survival stories like this one.

http://www.rockwired.com/temporarysite/rockwiredprofiles696.mp3

On the dial between Country music and Americana, the music of A LITTLE BIT MORE leans closer to the country side of things but as the moniker of the duo suggests, there is "a bit more" to the story. JILL HAMLIN fell in love with the piano at age three and quickly developed into a musical prodigy which had culminated into studying music abroad and earning a degree in the not-so-prolific field of ethnomusicology. According to HAMLIN her degree "...is another way of saying you'll never have a real job." REED FIELDS honed his writing  and his rather fine voice in numerous country and rock bands over the years until a chance meeting with HAMLIN led to the formation of their musical partnership which sees the light of day on their glorious new release SILHOUETTES. FIELDS' rustic croon compliments the angel-in-flight vocals of HAMLIN over an inspired set of songs that celebrate the highs and lows of love and life. The songs GOOD HABIT, IF ONLY FOR A MOMENT and BEER BOTTLE only prove that this partnership knows what they're talking about when it comes ot matters of the heart but that doesn't mean they're afraid of taking on an issue like substance abuse as they do on the haunting WHERE I AM.

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http://www.rockwired.com/temporarysite/rockwiredprofiles695.mp3

It's no secret that bands these days have a rougher go at being able to maintain a lineup. One minute the chemistry is there and next it's gone. Singer NIKHIL RAO came in at the second act of the band A WAR WITHIN as they had begun putting together the ideas for what would become their latest album BELIEVE. If you ask us, there couldn't have been a better time to join a band such as this given the simple fact that BELIEVE is a fucking revelation. Boasting the aggressive power chording that makes metal metal and RAO's own vocal stamina which goes form plaintive to growling in a flash. A WAR WITHIN walks that thin red line between metal angst an melodic sophistication on an album that defies categorization. Is it progressive? Is it nu metal? Sounds like all of it to us. 

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http://www.rockwired.com/temporarysite/rockwiredprofiles694.mp3

The Chicago-based band REMADA is operating with the tag line "music heals". Being that we're a music publication we aren't going to deny that for a second but in the case of REMADA and it's front man MATT DANIELS, music doesn't just heal. It seems to be the only way to go. REMADA is the brainchild of singer and songwriter MATT DANIELS and in the beginning with no band to accompany him on the road DANIELS took matters into his own hands and REMADA go it's start as a solo hip hop project within the Chicago music scene. s the crowds grew and the music began to resonate with folks REMADA grew from a one man operation into a full fledged band with a fierce hard rock sound which ended up seeing the light of day on their previous album A REALITY TO CHOKE UPON. Now, DANIELS promises that a new sound has been forged with the release of an upcoming EP and our first taste of it comes in the form of their blistering new single A BETTER TOMORROW. 

CHECK OUT THE PODCAST AT:
http://www.rockwired.com/temporarysite/rockwiredprofiles693.mp3

Everyone wants drama in their rock n roll! That's natural. The story of a quick ascent, a record label signing and hopefully a hit song has to result in a fall because that's the way gravity works. BABYLON A.D. was a band that was signed to ARISTA (the late WHITNEY HOUSTON'S label) and had a bit of a hit with the single THE KID GOES WILD which was featured in the 1990 film ROBOCOP 2 and enjoyed heavy rotation on hard rock stations at the time. But one needs to remember that this was the late-eighties/early-nineties and grunge was just around the corner and the bombast of metal (or what some would call "hair metal") would soon be on the retreat. As would BABYLON A.D. But that didn't stop the band's charismatic front man DEREK DAVIS and in the long run time away form music helped BABYLON A.D. Not many bands from the past re-emerge with the original lineup intact. No drama here. Just music. And music is what is clearly what is first and foremost on the mind of DEREK DAVIS on his latest solo album REVOLUTIONARY SOUL which proves to be a significant departure from the sound created by BABYLON A.D. This time around DAVIS  kicks out a different kind of jam with a  full on R&B sound with touches of funk and hard rock. BABYLON A.D. may scratch their heads at first but this amazing set of songs (all produced and played by DAVIS himself)  will no doubt find a home on their i-pod shuffles. 

http://www.rockwired.com/temporarysite/rockwiredprofiles692.mp3