Fifteen Minutes of Fame: An Independent Artist Music Review Blog

Originally Published October 29th, 2024 About the Artist It has to be something about the turning season; fall is most certainly upon us. With that, I just can’t get enough folk, enough roots, enough bluegrass. The organic feel of acoustic music accompanying the changing leaves, the soft percussion of rainfall. The silence of the morning air that can start to be seen from our breath in the morning. The crisp dew as is defrosts from the bitter night. These elements just seem to blend perfectly with nature’s music.  This connection to nature is a passion that  Ian Roland  certainly understands. In fact, he is often inspired by the beautiful and natural things around him. It’s what inspired his upcoming single, The Beacon. “The Beacon pays homage to the Adonis Blue Butterfly and the landscape of the South Downs National Park, near Hassocks, UK.” Ian not only has a love for nature, but he understands the importance of preserving it. Referencing similar observations by artists...

Originally published on October 28th, 2024 About the Artist  When I was growing up, I was an egotistical person. It shames me to say that I was a little full of myself. I knew I was attractive. I knew I was athletic. I knew I was smart. I knew I was artistic. I took many of the opportunities I had to exploit those attributes. If opportunities didn’t present themselves, I would make them. Go ahead, you can say it: I was a douche.  The thing is, I wasn’t really those things. I hadn’t learned to be honest with myself and I sought validation from others because I was self-conscious about who I was. I hadn’t begun to unpack the cultural and social traumas I had experienced. I found out that being popular was so much better than being bullied so, instead of confronting that, I ran to the “feel good” things. I bottled up all of the elements of my life that made me unique and I became what I thought the world wanted me to be.  The truth is, a lot of people do this. Young people a...

  Originally Published October 23rd, 2024 About the Artist "Tomorrow was better yesterday." Upon learning the meaning of that line, an understanding of who The Galaxy Electric  begins to form. Initial examination will refer to their 2020 album,  Tomorrow Was Better Yesterday , but I wanted to find out what they meant by that. "Inspired by early electronic music pioneers who soundtracked their favorite sci-fi movies & TV shows (Dr. Who, Forbidden Planet, A Clockwork Orange), The Galaxy Electric strive to continue this legacy of experimentation, innovation, and a belief that tomorrow was better yesterday." (TGE,  website , about) The Galaxy Electric are an American-based electronica band, though that may be an oversimplification of their music. I hear influence of House, they reference experimentations with psychedelic pop, dance music, and I also think there's a little bit of techno. I'm not talking about beat-dropping, table-turning, club techno. I'm...

Originally Published October 18th, 2024 About the Artist The more I learn about  Charlie A'Court , I find myself asking the same question over and over: “What can I write about him that hasn’t already been said?” After all, Charlie A’Court is an award winning, chart topping, leader in indie Soul and Roots music in Canada. Even now, his single “ Two Days of Highway ,” sits at the number one position of the East Coast Top 30; a position it’s held for two weeks. He is a 5-time ECMA winner and an 8-time Nova Scotia Music Award winner. Charlie has even been recognized as Entertainer of the Year. Charlie has toured Canada, Australia, and Germany. He has worked with songwriters like  Matt Andersen ,  Terra Spencer , and Colin MacDonald of  The Trews . Charlie A’Court has accomplished pretty much all an independent artist could hope to. So what does a guy like me; a guy who has a tiny little blog that’s only in its 4th month of existence, have to say about such an accomplish...

Originally published October 14th, 2024 About the Artist Today, there are a plethora of options for independent artists on social media. From Instagram to Threads, or X. Facebook and LinkedIn. TikTok and YouTube. Using these platforms, we can connect, promote, coordinate, network, and do many more things. With the devices we hold in our hands every day, we can manage a website, book a show, produce a song, and produce a music video. In 2005, we just had MySpace. MySpace was the unrealized and untapped potential of Facebook. But it was the pioneer of real social media as we know it today. If a band wanted a free website to manage and promote themselves, MySpace was the way to do it. There was a place to list band members, a bio, and show dates. They could also feature 4 songs on the profile that displayed a counter to let people know how many plays the songs had, post messages to friends and fans, and post pictures. Towards the end, bands could even embed videos of shows or music videos...

Originally Published October 14th, 2024 About the Artist Ireland. As an American who’s never been there, there are certain things that Ireland seems to be known for. Cold rain that will chill you to the bone, rocky oceansides, going to a pub in town to get a pint. Oh, and legendary musicians. We’re not talking about, “Oh, that’s nice.” We are talking about  The Cranberries  who shook the music industry all the way up to the untimely and tragic death of lead singer,  Dolores O'Riordan . We are talking about  U2 , a band that has found themselves atop the music industry for 40 years and are still going strong. We are talking about the late  Sinéad O'Connor  who was so adamant about artistic independence, she sacrificed mainstream glorification to have it.  I guess what I’m trying to say is there is a legacy to uphold to. With a country that has a population just over 5 million people, to produce the talent pool that they do, it is beyond impressive. I im...

Originally Published October 8th, 2024 Preface You know, it’s strange the coincidences we happen across on a daily basis. I experienced an occurrence today where an independent musician came into my virtual social space, witnessed a post I made that featured a political figure, and made a point to state that they did not believe art should be “too political,” because it was a “good way to get unfollowed.” First, I am going to address the less serious part of this artist’s statement: I don’t do what I do for followers. I won’t change my fundamental beliefs for any one person. I do this for independent artists to HAVE A VOICE- definitely not to supress one.  The more important thing this artist mentioned, “art shouldn’t be that political,” is an opinion this artist shared that is unfortunately 100% wrong. Generally, I say that nobody’s opinion is wrong. In some instances, when there is verifiable evidence to the contrary, an opinion can be misinformed. This artist’s statement is egre...

Originally Published October 6th, 2024 About the Artist Madyson Left ‘s Spotify bio says he is “a singer songwriter and producer based in Nashville, TN. On  Instagram , he says he is a “store associate at Borgin and Burke.” He has a few posts, even a few promoting his debut release. But, not much else. He doesn’t seem very interested in talking about himself. I, on the other hand, am very interested in talking about him and his new EP,  Start Again . About the Album “Start Again” is a 5 song pop rock, alternative extended play that released on October 2nd, 2024. It has a runtime of a little more than 21 minutes. Stylistically, it is comparable to that of the coveted Album of the Year Grammy winner,  Harry Styles . It features Madyson Left on vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards, and other accompanying instrumental parts. There are synthetic, ambient tones that fill sound space as well.  About the Music Start Again has a root feel of pop rock and alternative but each trac...

  Originally Published October 4th, 2024 About the Artist I'm going to start this review off in the most epic of fashions, with a completely random reference to something most people will not be familiar with: There is an underground alternative rock/rapper named  Quadeca , whose music I really get into. In 2022, he released, what I believe is his greatest work, an album called  I Didn't Mean to Haunt You . Within that album, there is a song that is entitled  fractions of infinity . And within that SONG, there is a line. The line states as follows: "Throw some grain on if you can and that is that. I'm in that space between your hands about to clap ." That line has resonated with me ever since I heard it because I thought it was such a profound description. I have found myself observing things, sounds, situations, and analyzing if that line applied to any of them. In order to that, I have to define what it means to me and I think that, what I have found, is it mean...

  Originally published October 4th, 2024 About the Artist When people think of October, the first thought that comes to mind is Halloween. Even now, as I write this review, I am in an office surrounded by Halloween decor that I'm going to be spending the weekend using to decorate for the festivities that will occur at the end of the month. Additionally, when I think of October, I think of it as the first real month of fall (technically, that would be September but Global Warming, am I right?). It's the month where we break out the flannel, cook our first pot of chili, football is in full swing, leaves are changing, and sometimes, we will be lucky enough to walk out one morning and feel that crisp fall air in the morning, for the first time after a long and treacherous summer persisting with its exhaustive heat.  I love the fall. It feels so natural to me. Woodsie. I think of the Appalachia Mountains, log cabins, fire pits, seeing my breath in the air in the mornings, and most ...