Introducing Melon & The Mayhem

"A sassy, female-fronted, five-piece band from Nashville reflects the sultry jazz singers of the 1920s and puts a modern spin on the saxophone-infused swing bands of Sinatra's time."

Melon & The Mayhem is a band from Nashville headed by Mary Ellen Klein (vocals/piano). The band has released their debut EP "Light On" in June 2012. This EP contains 4 songs of a quite varied music style. "Light On" combines rock songs as "A.D.D Song" with jazzy songs as "Alone Together". My favorite song of this EP is "Never". This song is more soulful, the rythm catchy. I never get tired of listening to that song.




This month they are back with a new version of their song "Alone Together". This song make us travel through the 1920s with a jazzy sound. The song is haunting and sultry. It's the kind of music we hear quite rarely now, but this song is a pure moment of relaxation.

Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/MelonAndTheMayhem
Twitter : https://twitter.com/MelonAndMayhem
Youtube : http://www.youtube.com/user/MelonandtheMayhem
Soundcloud : https://soundcloud.com/melonandthemayhem

Sarah Williams is back with a new album !

If you read this blog for a while, you may remember the Nashville duo Sarah & Lindsay and their 12in12 project whose I've told you about a lot last year. By now, Sarah Williams and Lindsay Georges are both returned on their solo career. After a first album "Ruby", released in 2009, Sarah Williams is back with her second solo album called "Come Back Around".

"Come back Around" has been released in June 2013. This album offers a varied music style to the listener, from americana to jazz with some touch of soul. Some of the songs make me think about Norah Jones. The 10 tracks talk about love and relationships.

We can feel easily Sarah's jazz influence in songs like "Big Wedding" or "Swing a Little". The album also contains beautiful ballads like "Come Back Around", "Loving You Again " ...

If I had to choose  some songs of the record, that would be "Be Sweet To Me" and "Gonna Take Me". "Be Sweet To Me" is a catchy song. I like the rythm of that song. "Gonna Take Me" has a haunting music guided by Sarah's piano. This song is really beautifull. 

"Come Back Around" is a great album which offers a amazing relaxing moment in music to the listener. It worth to give it a listen.

Website : http://www.sarahwilliamsmusic.com/
Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/sarahwilliamsmusic
Twitter : https://twitter.com/tuneintosarah
Youtube : http://www.youtube.com/user/tuneintosarah

Brooke Annibale

Brooke Annibale is a singer-songwriter from Pittsburg, PA and now based out in Nashville, TN. You have already had the occasion to listen to one of her song "By Your Side", which was featured on the Mixtape volume one : Indie Valentine. It's also how I started to get to know her music.

Brooke has released her first full-length album "Silence Worth Breaking" in 2011. This album has been described as  “phenomenal” by Stereo Subversion and Glide Magazine hailed as “the kind of record that some artists wait their whole lives to make”.

Brooke Annibale is back this year with a new EP "Words In Your Eyes", which has been released February 5, 2013. 
"the six tracks that comprise Words in Your Eyes are worth stopping whatever you are doing so they can be savored. “Silence Worth Breaking”—which did not make the final cut for the album it was named after—features Annibale’s new electric-meets-ambient sound and razor-sharp lyrics about the importance of communicating even if the subject is a difficult one."

 

By discovering all of her music, I've been immediatly captivated by her soft and bewitching voice. All of her songs exudes sensibility, accompagnied by well-written lyrics. This EP is an invite to a travel in the world of relationships, in the small world of things we feel, the feelings that we sometimes keep for us but whom "silence worth breaking".

Website : http://brookeannibale.com
Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/brookeannibale
Twitter : https://twitter.com/brookeannibale
Youtube : http://www.youtube.com/brookeannibale

Christmas Songs Series II with Heather Bond

Heather Bond wrote a christmas song. This song is "You're not Christmas For Me" and you can buy it on itunes.

Christmas Songs Series II with Penny Rae

Penny Rae is the acoustic collaboration between Randi Ryan and Andrew Adams, and is based in Nashville. They have released a Christmas single called "Baby, it's cold inside".

"From Patti Griffin and Journey to Ben Folds Five and Radiohead, Penny Rae draws on a wide range of musical influences making their sound difficult to define. In an effort to define the band’s sound, Andrew said “Think acoustic-based, vocal-driven Americana. With a little pop/country and minimal hipster. And coffee. Lots of coffee. I will not start wearing unnecessary scarves.”"

Website : http://pennyraemusic.com/

Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/pennyraemusic

Twitter : https://twitter.com/pennyraemusic

Youtube : http://www.youtube.com/pennyraemusic

Christmas Songs Series II with Ben Rector

Ben Rector made a Christmas EP called "Jingles & Bells" and this EP is available for free on noisetrade. If you leave a tip, all tips will go to Second Harvest Food Bank.

Christmas Songs Series II with Andrew Ripp

Andrew Ripp released a Christmas EP in 2011 called "Light Of Mine". This EP is actually available for free on noisetrade.

For those of you who don't know how noisetrade works yet, the principle is that you can download the music for free in exchange to share the link of it to your friends via twitter, facebook or email. You can also leave a tip to support the music of the artist.

In the case of Andrew Ripp's Christmas EP, all the donations will go to Thistle Farms. Thistle Farms is a residential program for women who have survived lives of prostitution, trafficking, addiction and life on the streets. As part of their rehabilitation the women work making by hand natural bath and body products.

Christmas Songs Series II with Sarah & Lindsay

Sarah & Lindsay performed "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" during an early morning rehearsal.

Christmas Songs Series II : Christmas Time With The Anna Johnson Band

Christmas is in 12 days so it's time to create a good christmas atmosphere with great christmas songs, covers or originals, by talented indie artists. Tonight I gonna start this 2nd edition of the christmas songs series with the Anna Johnson Band and their album "Christmastime"

"Chrsitmastime" is the first Christmas album Anna Johnson has made. It's a great album is enhanced by Anna and Julia's beautiful voices. The album features 2 entirely original songs, 1 remake of a more obscure hymn called "I Wonder As I Wander", 5 Anna Johnson Band arrangements of familiar holiday favorites, a party track, and a funny little bonus at the end. You can buy it on itunes, spotify or Anna Johnson's website.

Anna Johnson - "I Wonder As I Wander"

Anna Johnson - "Gloria"

Anna Johnson - "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas"

Anna Johnson - "Christmastime"

Sarah & Lindsay's last song of 2012 : "Just One Kiss"

Tonight, it's my last post of the year about Sarah & Lindsay's 12in12 project, as December 12 celebrate the last song of this incredible series. The december song is "Just One Kiss".

Sarah & Lindsay have their CD release party in Nashville tonight at 7 pm at the Noteable Blends. So if you live in Nashville, you still have few hours to plan your night and to go to the show :

"It is our pleasure to invite you to the Sarah & Lindsay 12in12 EP Release Party on December 12, 2012, at 7 p.m. 

Come celebrate the end of this amazing year and the 12in12 project! We will have food, wine, artisan coffees, teas and espressos, and we will be playing a few of the 12in12 songs for you! 

For directions to Noteable, visit their website: http://noteableblends.com/streetmap.html "




The girls made a video where they come back to this amazing year with this crazy project to do write a new song for the 12th of each month.

Sarah & Lindsay - Debut EP release and December Tour

If you are a faithful reader of this blog, you certainly know the Nashville jazz/pop duo Sarah & Lindsay and their 12in12 project.

Sarah and Lindsay are thrilled to announce the release of  their debut EP, “Let’s Call it Love,” on Wednesday, December 12, 2012. This EP will feature six songs chosen among the twelve songs written as part of Sarah & Lindsay’s 12in12 Project. The album will be available for download on iTunes and physical copies can be ordered on CDBaby.com. 

"“We chose our favorite six to release this December, on 12/12/12 of course. It feels really great to be releasing a record that is the culmination of this amazing year,” said George, who is a Brentwood, Tenn., native currently living in Nashville."

To celebrate the release, the girls have planned 5 shows in the USA :

- 12/7/2012 – Gloucester, Va., Short Lane Ice Cream Company – 3:00 p.m. (EST)
- 12/7/2012 – Gloucester, Va., The 2nd Annual Most Funnest Christmas Benefit – 7:45 p.m. (EST)
- 12/8/2012 – New York, N.Y., Googie’s Lounge above the Living Room – 8:30 p.m. (EST)
- 12/9/2012 – Kutztown, Pa., The Independent Space – 7:00 p.m. (EST)
- 12/12/2012 – Nashville, Tenn., Noteable Blends – 7:00 p.m. (CST)
So if you live near this venues, be sure to not miss these performances ! I promise you, you won't regret it!

“12in12 is hitting the road!” said Williams. “The tour and CD Release party are our way of celebrating with all of our friends, family and fans who have supported us this year…a nice chance to visit with everyone and say thank you.”

For more information, visit http://sarahandlindsay.tumblr.com/ or http://www.facebook.com/sarahandlindsay

Songs Before Bedtime with Heather Bond

Heather Bond has started a new project. During one week, she gonna write a new song before she goes to bed and post the video of that song on youtube immediately. People decide if they like this video or not. At the end of this week, people will have the possibility to choose their favorite song from the series and Heather will record that one. This is the 5th series.

If you RSVP to this event and vote for your favorite song at the end of the series, you will get a FREE download of the winner of the series once it's released! For that, go on her facebook page : http://www.facebook.com/heatherbondmusic

Heather has already post 3 songs. You can check them out below and http://www.youtube.com/user/heatherbondmusic.

Songs before bedtime - Episode 1

Songs before bedtime - Episode 2

Songs before bedtime - Episode 3

Reed Pittman

Reed Pittman is a singer-songwriter native of Atlanta and now based out in Nashville. This is how he describes his songwriting "I play keys, I write music... I put them together and out come songs. It's a recipe that we all have inside somewhere, and like cooking, we aren't likely to get it right the first time. Here is my attempt at doing some good cooking."

Reed Pittman has released his debut EP "Sunday Afternoon" in 2009. In 2011, he funded his new album "Ferris Wheel" thanks to kickstarter. You can find this 2 records on itunes and amazon.

Website : http://www.reedpittman.com/
Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/reedpittmanmusic
Twitter : https://twitter.com/reedpittman
Youtube : http://www.youtube.com/user/reedpittman21

Interview : Sarah & Lindsay + July song

You already have the possibility to listen to Sarah & Lindsay's songs on the blog each month now and I've quickly become addicted to their 12in12 project. I thought that after some month of featured, it could be a good occasion for people to learn a little more about them and also to celebrate my 300th post. Sarah Williams and Lindsay George have kindly accepted to answer to my questions.

TID: Could you tell us few words to introduce yourself? How did you meet each other and how this amazing 12in12 project was born ?

LG: Sarah and I are both singer/songwriters based in Nashville, TN. We met circuiting the jazz scene here several years ago, and we have become very close friends since that day. 

SW: We became friends by becoming workout buddies, and the rest is history! Haha, but seriously. 12in12 came about after we booked a Christmas show together at the end of last year. We realized how well our voices blend together and we decided to do a bit of a crazy project!

TID: One song for each month is an ambitious project. Where do you draw your inspiration for these songs ? 

LG: Most of the song ideas come out of our various personal relationships - just whatever happens to be on our minds when we sit down to write. 

SW: For example, the idea for the March song, "I'm Not Going Anywhere," came out of a conversation we had about our two early 1900s houses, and how we think they are haunted. So, we decided that day we would write a song about it!

LG: A big part of this project was our desire to write more songs in general, so we really have pushed ourselves to write, even on days when we aren't outrageously inspired. 

TID: This week we gonna discover the song of July. What is this song about ? I saw the picture of the place where you filmed the video of this song. It seems to be a nice place. 

LG: July's song is a love song for the season of summer in the state of Tennessee!

SW: We feel passionately about both, and we had a blast shooting the video at Percy Priest lake, which is a gorgeous lake outside of Nashville. 

Sarah and Lindsay - Tennessee Summer

TID: Can we expect an album containing all the songs at the end of the year ?

SW: YES! We are going to do a limited pressing of the 12 songs, and then after that, we will release a selected 6 as an EP on iTunes. 

LG: The records will be available on pre-order started in November on our website, and they will also be available at our release show(s). 

TID: You both also have your solo careers as well as your duo. Isn’t it too hard to manage both? 

LG: It's a balancing act, for sure, but I think Sarah and I are both such Type-A personalities (we love to PLAN and SCHEDULE things) that we are able to make it work. 

SW: As friends, before we ever worked together, we each loved the other's music, and we continue to be really supportive of each other's solo careers. It's great to have a good friend and musical partner that you can bounce ideas off of and who is very encouraging. 

TID: What are your projects for the months coming ? Do you have some shows ?

SW: Yes, we have a few shows lined up in Nashville in August and September, and really our main focus now is to finish the songs and get the record ready for December's release!

TID: The goal of the blog is to enable people to get to know indie artists. What are your favorite artists? What artists would you recommend to check out?

LG: We love some of our fellow Nashvillians...Check out: Molly Jewell, Lauren Homburg, Reed Pittman, Sam Hawksley, Ferrier, Caroline Batch...

SW: These are all people who we have played shows with or who have contributed their talents to our 12in12 project!

 Check out Sarah and Lindsay's website : http://sarahandlindsay12in12.tumblr.com/

Compass North

Compass North is a band made up of 5 american guys from Minnesota, Missouri, Tennessee, Wisconsin and California.

They have released their debut EP "This Is Living" in July 2009. This EP contains 5 songs. Their music style is pop/rock music. People who like the style of music of The Fray or One Republic, should appreciate this EP. Moreover you can download it for free on noisetrade so spread the word!

Website : http://compassnorth.bigcartel.com/

Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1834672758

Twitter : https://twitter.com/CompassNorth2

Sarah and Lindsay - "I Would" - 12in12

Like each 12th of each month, Sarah and Lindsay, the duet from Nashville, are back for a new song. The song of the month is a love song called "I would".

Jacob Gann - "When Will We Know What Is Now"

Jacob Gann has released a new EP called "When Will We Know What Is Now". This EP is available on itunes, spotify, bandcamp ... since May 4,2012.

This EP contains 4 tracks :
- A Love Lost, Wasn't Love
- Good Man (Cover)
- Chasing Time
- When Will We Know What Is Now

Right after the first seconds of listening, I could tell you that this EP is a real pleasure to listen to. Jacob's voice and songs have a captivating power. I can promise you, you won't be disappointed by this EP.

Sarah & Lindsay - "Taking To Freedom"

It's the 12th of the month. Sarah & Lindsay are back with a new song "Taking To Freedom" for their 12in12 project. Once again, Sarah & Lindsay offer us a great song. I like this duet even more at each new song !

The blog A Musing made an interview of Sarah & Lindsay. Check it out : http://amusingowl.tumblr.com/post/21655617921/interview-sarah-williams-and-lindsay-george-of-12in12

Jacob Gann - "A Love Lost Wasn't Love"

Ella Sinclair - CD release @Ugly Mugs, Nashville

Ella Sinclair - "Dreams"

Ella Sinclair - "Hold You Near"

Ella Sinclair - "I'm Just A Girl"