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Today's Top Indie Music News

OCTOBER 11TH, 2005 - No.1 Band Online Community Newest Kid on the Block

OCTOBER 11TH, 2005 - New Internet Radio Station Features Something For Everyone

OCTOBER 11TH, 2005 - Eliot Popkin Joins the Ellie Fund in Raising Money for Breast Cancer Research During Breast Cancer Awareness Month

OCTOBER 11TH, 2005 - Amilcar’s Vacuuming the Forest Soars the New Age Charts

OCTOBER 11TH, 2005 - Max Bennett Promotes His CD "People & Places" on Jaijai Jackson's "Woman of Jazz" Radio Show on Xradio.biz at 8PM, October 14, 2005

OCTOBER 11TH, 2005 - New Compilation Showcases The Creme De La Creme of Independent Music Today

MP3 Reviews: 02.18.05

"Lullaby Of Birdland", by Daniel McBrearty
Genre: Jazz
Get the MP3 | Visit the website

Drop your cares for just a moment and step into the world of Birdland. This mellow, jazzy, rendition of the Ella Fitzgerald / George Shearing tune consists of a guitar and sax onversing with each other lightheartedly; lulling the listener into a pleasantly calm yet piqued place. The recording sort of takes you back to smokey lounge, harkening of the early days of swing and the big band era. No big band here, though -- just the sax (played by Daniel McBrearty) and one jazz acoustic.

The sax here is brassy and engaging. The saxophonist, is obviously an old jazzster; revisiting this tune with what sounds like a comfortable sweep into familiar waters. The guitar work, though simple, is nicely spaced and shows the talent and ability of the guitarist. The recording quality is fair but quality enough not to be distracting -- it sounds like a live show recording, which is nice. I truly enjoyed this tune. In fact I enjoy just about every thing Daniel has available on his website. Check it out if you like jazz standards . You wont be let down.

Courtney
Bandfreaks(c) Staff Reviewer

MP3 Reviews: 02.01.05

Songwriter Phillip Hough of The Fishermen

"Dream", by The Fishermen
Genre: Groove Rock
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This is a song in the groovy style of The Slip that weaves a tale of a relationship at its closure and the beautiful yet often painful array of human emotions that accompany such a journey. This is a true masterpiece. After listening to it I can feel not only the sense of acceptance the artist has taken on about the fate of this relationship but also the heavy hearted optimism -- or rather release -- which this sort of acceptance eventually evokes. This song kept my foot tapping and my body bouncing the whole way through .. and it is not a short song; five minutes and eighteen seconds, to be exact.

Another very positive thing about this song is the recording quality. It really does this track justice. It's crisp and clean and the instruments fit together perfectly. The song starts off with a single electric acoustic guitar with a short but sweet intro.

Then a single voice chimes in and slowly, the rest of the orchestration folds into the mix. This includes a second guitar, bongos or some other hand drum, a tambourine, shaker, keyboard or piano, and other instruments that are all placed very appropriately. They weave in and out of each other to create for the listener a whole world in which to explore. You really have to hear this one to understand just what I'm talking about.

Apparently The Fishermen are a group consisting of two brothers that live in the DC area. According to the information found on their website, they named themselves the Fishermen because they really like fishing (go figure). I enjoy them so much that if there were more information on this band I would have suggested they be featured on the front page. So thats my one complaint. I want to know more about the artist.

Let it be known that this is one of the best songs I've heard by such a relatively unknown band. Dream is definitely worthy of the number 1 ranking it has received at Garageband.com under the genre "groove rock". If what you enjoy is absorption and expansion in your music I suggest you check it out. Its really a treat.

Courtney
Bandfreaks(c) Staff Reviewer

MP3 Reviews: 02.01.05

"On the Day that You were Born", by Rey Varela
Genre: Acoustic
Get the MP3 | Visit the website

There is a place children burrow within us. Suddenly we become completely enamored with seemingly tiny accomplishments that to us signify a world of growth and expansion. That is the spirit from which this song is derived. Rey Varela adopts a jewel-like guitar picking style and combines it with his own soft melodic vocals to create an atmosphere of innocence that any parent can relate to.

Though I commend him on the optimistic approach he has brought to this piece I feel it as a bit watered down by the pacing of the song and quality of the recording or rather lack there of. The vocals are a little warm and many of the instruments in the background are hard to make out. I really enjoyed however the way Ray combines a tambourine, shaker, and bongos to recreate an eclectic sounding drum set. I actually thought this was a actual set the first couple of times I heard the arrangement ... and I may even be leaving some instrument out. There are some very interesting interchanges that take place within this song and I really enjoyed Reys whimsical tenor voice.

Overall the enjoyment of this piece depends on what your looking for and if what your looking for is optimism and innocence you are on the right track.

Courtney
Bandfreaks(c) Staff Reviewer

MORE REVIEWS:
	August 2005: 1
July 2005: 1 \| 2 \| 3	May 2005: 1	April 2005: 1 \| 2 \| 3
March 2005: 1	February 2005: 1	2005: All Reviews

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July 09, 2008, 12:23:23 AM

09.16.05 - Another day, another update. As we're completing updates to the main parts of the website, you can expect regular updates to continue as planned. Be sure to read the NEWS section for more information about the updates and to keep up on the haps here at Bandfreaks..

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