Posts Tagged “indie artist”
When one looks at Kamilah Marshall’s CV, it belies a very hard working, almost ubiquitous performer and must wonder how she is not yet a certified household name. She has collaborated with some of the top producers in the industry, including Salaam Remi (Amy Winehouse, Jasmine Sullivan) and Nile Rodgers (Madonna, David Bowie) and enjoyed appearances on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with David Letterman, The View, and Oprah.
Since 2003, Kamilah has been one of the Staggering Harlettes, singing backup for Bette Midler, recently closing in The Showgirl Must Go On at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas performed on Broadway in RENT, Hairspray and Disney’s The Lion King, and then moonlit around her native Los Angeles at venues like Molly Malones and the House of Blues on the Sunset Strip.
The recent release of the soundtrack for Sex and the City 2, finds Kamilah singing an old standard “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered,” and she is featured on The Original Cast Recording of the Broadway musical, Hairspray and the soundtrack for the film, Hairspray, The Musical.
But beyond all of these accolades, we chose Kamilah Marshall in our blind taste test for the coveted MusicZeitgeist.com Indie Artist of the Month profile for July 2010 because we loved the funky, soulful and altogether unique sound of her recordings. That is ultimately the most important testament to her talent – the ability to deliver the goods to back up the press kit.
Here is a point and shoot Q&A with this refreshing indie artist:
WHO: Kamilah( ka.mee.la) Marshall
WHAT: Debut CD, GYPSY MOONSHINE . A fusion of Country/Blues/Funk. I call it FUNKABILY , a phrased coined by Nashville singer/songwriter Joanna Cotten.
HOW: I fell in love with Country music at an early age. When I started to make this record I found that I had a lot more than just country music in me. It became a beautiful fusion of everything I love about music in general.
WHY: Because what’s more fun than a black girl singin’ FUNKABILLY.
WHEN: Come July 9th you can get my CD everywhere possible. iTunes, CDBaby, amazon etc
WHERE: I’m in LA but hopefully in the fall I will be coming to a city near YOU!
VITAL LINKS
www.kamilahmarshallmusic.com
www.twitter.com/kamilahmarshall
www.facebook.com/kamilahmarshall
www.myspace.com/marshallkamilah
Listen now to “Sis Shaw” by Kamilah Marshall and other artists we have featured at the MusicZeitgeist.com’s free Indie Music Jukebox
To see your act in MZ’s Artist Profile, submit to our gig listing at Sonicbids today!
(not all acts are selected)
 Tags: best new indie music, Broadway artist, funkabilly, indie artist, music showcase, Oprah Winfrey music act, Original Cast Recording, soul singer
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 When he was seven-years-old, takashi Kamide lost his left foot shorty after having been diagnosed with cancer. By seventeen he had conquered the disease.
Not long after, another illness befell him for which there is no known medical treatment and by all appearances was terminal; he couldn’t eat anything, and lost weight from half of his body. It was another arduous journey to recovery, but as the artist states, what saved him was simply saying “LOVE”.
At that stage in his life, he was angry at everything and everyone, but his mother, father and many friends rallied for him, and never stopped believing he would fully recover, praying for him all the while he was fighting these illnesses. When at last it seemed he had beaten the disease forever, his doctor proclaimed it miraculous.
Now, takashi KAMIDE believes there are many miracles all over the world, and they can be realized readily, when you realize the potency of love.
But there is a parallel story that took place for KAMIDE: that of music. At six years of age, he was diligently practicing classical piano until discovering Bill Evans and Keith Jarrett which eventually led him to switch to jazz piano and subsequently an interest in the accordion. Working from a humble studio in his native Japan, he creates minimalist original masterpieces that evoke everything from Yann Tiersen or Penguin Cafe Orchestra to lost takes from Vangelis’ score from Blade Runner.
Music Zeitgeist chose the artist known as KAMIDE as the June 2010 Indie Artist of the Month, fresh from his debut showcase at Austin’s South By Southwest Music Conference. We had the opportunity to interview him and here is what we got:
Music Zeitgeist: Where in the world are you based?
I live in Japan, in the very beautiful city of Nara near Kyoto.
MZ: What inspired you to take up the accordion?
Because I practiced piano every day when I was young, when I picked up the accordion it felt like it could be a hobby. But when I heard Richard Galliano and Stegan Hussong playing an accordion, I realized it was not just a hobby, but that it had many other possibilities.
In fact, I am not using a standard accordion, but instead something called a “free base system.”
(The old accordion is from the 40′s or 50′s and the buttons are shell, not plastic, that’s why I love it.)
MZ: Listening to your music evokes so many genres, moods and eras not typically associated with traditional accordion music. Who are other influences?
As I mentioned I started really to play the accordion after listening to Richard Galliano and Stefan Hussong, but it was Keith Jarrett that inspired me the most. He plays so many styles of music that he seems like different people, but the emotion he invests is always of the same depth. His music goes into the center of his emotion and then he channels that out to move his audiences. I wanted to attain that same effect, that sound, using the accordion.
MZ: Talk about where and how you go about recording your music?
I recorded all the albums in my private studio using a very old Mac that is about fifteen years old. [smiles] Ironically I use my new Mac book for the internet.
MZ: You played the SXSW festival in Austin in 2010, tell us about your showcase
That was the first time I had ever been to SXSW. It was a fantastic experience for me. I didn’t really have a lot of time to prepare for my show. If I have a chance to do it again I will be more organized for that festival.
MZ: Where will you playing live next?
I play a small cafe in Japan every month. But my larger plans include the release of a new album on September 22nd of this year, and another October 27th. One of them consists of classical solo accordion music the other not only accordion but also piano and many other instruments. All of the material consists of my original compositions.
Discography and Release Dates
“Solo Solo Accordion” – Release Date: Nov 11, 2009
“My Grandfathers Clock” (EP) – Release Date: Feb 18, 2009
“KAMIDE” – Release Date: Mar 19, 2008
Vital Links
Official Website:
http://kamide.net/eng.html
Myspace
Facebook
Amazon
iTunes (opens app)
(not all acts are selected)
Tags: accordion player, Artist of the Month, best new artist, best new indie music, Bill Evans, indie artist, KAMIDE, Keith Jarrett, music showcase, overcoming cancer, Richard Galliano, Stefan Hussong, SXSW showcase, Vangelis, Yann Tiersen
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London singer-songwriter Conil has garnered a rosary of glowing reviews for his raw voice and standout songs he claims were inspired by wandering through the cobble-stoned city streets at night. Using an array of unusual ethnic instruments on his latest release Strange Part Of The Country, the album evokes an atmospheric road trip through the city’s underbelly. After a half bottle of Absinthe. And tossing a bloody hatchet into the Thames. But in a nice way.
The album was mixed by multi Grammy winner Tchad Blake – the man behind a number of Tom Waits and Pearl Jam records – and double bass came from legendary Danny Thompson (John Martyn, Tim Buckley).
Realizing that heavyweights of this caliber are difficult to get hold of unless you’re from a established record label, Conil emailed them some music under the pseudonym Phil Coltrane – which later became a lyric in ‘Dog Meat Stew’: “changed my name to John Coltrane ‘cos no one took my phone calls”. The plan worked. The quality of the songs impressed them and recording began.
Recorded mainly at night in his isolated home-studio in South London, Conil recalls “Sometimes I would not leave the house for days, experimenting with instruments like the dilruba and sarangi.”
Without a producer overseeing what he was doing, Conil found his sound as he went along. After 12 months of production, Conil took the tunes to Tchad Blake’s country studio where he spent his days working on Tchad’s farm – the Los Angeles native even taught him how to lasso horses. At night they would work in the studio drinking whiskey and raiding the wine cellar.
The record turned out raw and original but at its heart were quality songs and a unique voice.
With 4 star reviews by Q Magazine and support from BBC Radio 2, 6 Music, XFM and NME Radio in the UK, single ‘Years Between’ was released in the US and reached Number 3 in the Mediaguide Alternative Radio Chart. Blues Matters magazine featured Conil as the main front cover story, he supported US singer-songwriter Joseph Arthur on tour and was invited to perform at SXSW and NXNE.
Ever the maverick, at SXSW, Conil put up his trademark ‘One Way’ signs all over Austin – altering the familiar street signs to read ‘Strange Part Of The Country’ and points them to the gig venue.
He will be embarking on a street session tour playing gigs at planned spots coordinated via his website www.conilmusic.com
Each location will be marked by a Banksy-style plaque that reads ‘Strange Part Of The Country’. Previous street sessions have included gigs inside a meat market, next to a nuclear power station and in the middle of a dog track.
Beyond the release of the Strange Part Of The Country full-length album, Conil will be releasing three singles in the US and UK in 2010.
Find out more at:
Main: www.conilmusic.com
MySpace: www.myspace.com/conilmusic
YouTube: www.youtube.com/conilmusic
iTunes: www.itunes.com/conil
Think you got what it takes to be MZ’s Artist of the Month?
Submit your act to MusicZeitgeist.com through our SonicBids Gig Listing
Tags: Conil, indie artist, London, London music, NXNE, Pearl Jam, Strange Part of the Country, SXSW, Tchad Blake, Tim Buckley, Tom Waits, UK
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MiniBoone, a five-piece from New York caught our attention by seemingly encompassing the best traits of indie music from the past 30 years while leaving most of the annoying parts behind. Traces of The Cars, Talking Heads, Violent Femmes, Jesus Lizard, Pixies, Pavement, The Strokes, Arcade Fire, The Killers and then all that Christmas pageant sounding shit that took place after electroclash all figure (true story, listen to the EP and say it is otherwise), but it comes together in a solid-nostalgia evoking way that also feels very next. It was my turn to travel across the continent from the temperate climes of the Angeles of Los to the wintery but heartwarming streets of New York City to interview them.
Here’s what I managed to pry from their lips after admitting that they had been selected as the MusicZeitgeist.com January 2010 Indie Artist of the Month and that these bitches are about to blow New York’s dress up.
MusicZeitgeist.com: Who?
Craig Barnes – Guitar, Vocals, Keyboards
Taylor Gabriels – Drum Set
James Keary – Guitar, Vocals, Keyboards
Sam Rich – Bass Guitar
Doug Schrashun – Guitar, Vocals, Keyboards
MZ: What?
A rock band. A rock band with an EP coming out on January 26th. An EP called Big Changes. Six songs, guitars, drums, synthesizers, screams. An ability to find humor in the darker side of existence. A belief in the redemptive power of the human spirit. Beer. Whiskey. (Video games). Beards and eyeglasses.
MZ: Why?
“Anybody who picks up a guitar and tells you that there’s some inner message that they’re trying to convey…it’s nonsense. They’re not being honest. The reason they’re doing this is they wanna get lots of chicks and they don’t want to work for a living.” – Gene Simmons
I guess we’re not being honest with ourselves. Well, it would be nice to not have to work.
MZ: Until When?
Until 2018, which is when we’ll be too busy fighting aliens and using mind teleportation to save our space families to pick up a guitar.
MZ: Where?
We live in New York, but we hope to come to wherever you are reading this real soon. We’re hoping to tour down to Austin for South by Southwest this March.
Find out more at:
www.myspace.com/minibooneband
www.facebook.com/miniboone
As of January 26th, “Big Changes” will be on sale through www.miniboone.com, on bandcamp, iTunes, Amazon, etc. CDs will also be available through our website.
Listen to “Cool Kids Cut Out of the Heart Itself” by MiniBoone at MusicZeitgeist.com’s Free Streaming Indie Music Jukebox right now!
Think you got what it takes to be MZ’s Artist of the Month?
Submit your act to MusicZeitgeist.com through our SonicBids Gig Listing
Tags: Artist of the Month, best new music, indie artist, Jesus Lizard, MiniBoone, Pavement, Talking Heads, The Strokes, Violent Femmes
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 Wind’s Poem, the fourth full-length album for the Washington state-based artist Phil Elverum from the independent P.W. Elverum & Sun label gleams forth like a beautiful bad transmission, in keeping with its namesake and creepy artwork.
Carefully assembled artwork, and meticulously sculpted recordings have garnered high praise from the music criticerati. This fourth outing, influenced by black metal sounds more like a fever dream whilst listening to His Name Is Alive. Obfuscated, bleary tracks that sound like the score to a lost David Lynchian escapade press against your comfort zone, and yet feel, all the while, like that childhood comfort blanket that makes MBV’s Loveless seem so obvious. Like hearing the screams of war through the haze of the air purifier blasting 80 decibels of white noise, perpetually, in your shitty apartment.
Despite its obtuse, dark meanderings, this is a lucid, intelligent effort, destined to mine your subconscious murderer, dreamer and poet.
Listen to Wind’s Poem by Mount Eerie now.
Tags: black metal, David Lynch, full length, His Name Is Alive, Independent Music, indie artist, MBV, mount eerie, My Bloody Valentine, phil elverum, washington state, wind's poem
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