Soundgarden; Back For The Long Term?

Cover art from Soundgarden's 1994 album
"Superunknown"

Hey everybody thanks for checking out my past posts and I hope you keep on doing so in the future. Once again if there is a topic or an artist you would like me to check out and blog about please e-mail me at jesseastewartmusic@gmail.com. With that it is a nice day outside here in Iowa so this will be a short Friday blog but an interesting one at that.

As many music lovers may know the band Soundgarden, ever popular for their great music from the grunge movement in the 90's, have decided to reunite for some live performances this year after a long split. Now according to a Rolling Stone article it appears the band may be back for long term with a potential new album in the works.

What does this mean for the music world? It is hard to say. However I am excited to see what Soundgarden does. I am a fan of what Soundgarden has done in the past and I think a new record is an awesome idea and could lead to some great music.

Will their past sound succeed in today's commercialized music world? Its hard to say. I think they can definitely get away with being the Soundgarden of old and pumping out some high octane grunge rock and roll. Look at what fellow 90's rockers Alice in Chains did with their 2009 album "Black Gives Way To Blue." That album was highly successful on rock radio and with fans. They did not stray too far from their roots and sound and it worked out marvelously.

Soundgarden in my opinion can have the same success they had at the peak of their success; even if we are in this age of Justin Beiber's and Lady Gaga's. I am looking forward to what the guys of Soundgarden have in store and I will be anticipating that album to come out before year's end.

Until next time keep on rocking away music lovers,
JAS

Photo courtesy of Flickr/Creative Commons; Guille. 17

Country Music's Next Star?



Tyler Barham hails from the great state
of Montana.

 So it's Wednesday; hump day as many affectionately refer to it as, and I have another new artist for people to check out. This guy is one that I feel could be country music's next big thing. His name is Tyler Barham.

Barham is quickly becoming recognized for his immense talents. Below is a little background on Barham from his official website:

"Montana native Tyler Barham describes himself as an aspiring Country Singer/Songwriter, but with one look at his online Youtube and Facebook following, you’ll see that his aspirations are quickly becoming reality.

Born in Bozeman and raised in Florence, Montana, Tyler began singing when he was nine. Although he enjoyed singing different styles of music, it didn’t take him long to realize his heart (and eventually his baritone voice) belonged to country music. In his early teens, Tyler competed in various talent competitions in and around Montana winning several high profile competitions. But the majority of his popularity has come by way of YouTube and his covers of popular country songs which have introduced him to a world wide audience.

In 2008 Tyler made the leap from computer screen to TV screen on Great American Country’s nation wide talent search, "Next GAC Star", a competition in which he ended up placing 6th.

In September of this year, with the help of the songwriting/production team of John Griffin and Dave Flint, Tyler released an independent self titled EP that reached No. 39 on the iTunes Country Album Chart beating out several notable major label country music acts including debut CDs by Jerrod Niemann and Justin Moore. The following month, the song “17 & Young" broke into the iTunes Country Singles chart at No. 84.

In an industry that claims it takes 100 thousand dollars to break a new artist, Tyler is becoming a real Cinderella story in country music, all of which he credits to the support of his online friends and fans." (Courtesy of tylerbarham.com)

One can definitely see this talent when they check out his great number of YouTube videos featuring many covers of popular country songs and some of his latest original material. It is easy to see that this guy can sing and he definitely has that "look" that record companies covet so dearly.

Also his first self released EP is not bad. There are some great songs on there that could be on country radio as we speak. Songs like "17 and Young", "Tennessee Girl", and "Love For a Little While" are reminiscant of 90's country blended into today's sound. That is something that country music needs in my opinion; less emphasis on the rock aspect and more on the songwriting side.

Overall however it is my opinion that Barham has all the tools and the great songs to breakout in today's country music world very soon. I think that if Barham finds that big label backing there is no telling what he can do. However he needs the help to do that as his website says. So if you like what you hear then be sure to help promote this promising young talent any way you can. You would definitely be helping a gifted artist reach his dream.

Until next time keep on rocking away music lovers,
JAS

Photo courtesy of woody1778a; Flickr/Creative Commons

A Rising Star You Need To Hear

Hey everybody its a new week and time for a new blog post here at Music Reviews by a Musician. The topic of today's blog post will focus on an up and coming British guitarist/vocalist; Davy Knowles.


Shown above is Knowles' guitars, mostly
Paul Reed Smith's as he is an avid fan of them.

 
Knowles is a young guitarist from the Isle of Man. He currently plays with his band, Davy Knowles and Back Door Slam, and he has released two albums, "Roll Away" and most recently "Coming Up For Air" which was produced by Peter Frampton.

Knowles is definitely what I would like to call a guitar virtuoso. He has a great bluesy/rock sound and has the gritty voice and great songs to go with it. Just listen to rocking songs such as "Tear Down The Walls", "Riverbed", and "Come Home" or even acoustically driven songs such as "Roll Away" or "Too Good For Me" and you can see this young artist's musical potential.

This young artist has also covered some great tunes such as the Blind Joe Reynolds classic "Outside Woman Blues" and the John Hiatt track, made famous by Eric Clapton/BB King called "Riding With The King". In many of the songs that Knowles does you can definitely hear this guy's bluesy shredding ability.

Basically Davy Knowles has the ability to wow and amaze lots of people in my opinion. It is only a matter of time before he becomes a bigger name in the U.S. as he is already a big name over in Europe. Given time and exposure, I feel people will really see the great music that Davy Knowles has to offer.

Until next time keep on rocking away music lovers,

JAS