Indie Music Universe

Jared McCloud's natural, earthy tone and thought provoking lyrics showcase his talent and ability to draw his audiences into his story. Starting his musical career in "Hard Rock" bands, Jared decided to go solo, and released a self produced record while playing all over his native Connecticut to promote it. Honing his skill in small venues and coffee houses alike, Jared grew his fan base and wowed large music halls with his live performances. Picked up by Sling Slang Records in 2008, McCloud began touring all over the Northeast as well as performing on radio and television. More recently McCloud released his latest record, "Romance Of The Atlantic" and put together a live band to further enforce his vision.

Today, McCloud continues to tour the East coast, graduating to bigger and more prestigious venues. Be it with his wonderful band, or just a guitar for a solo performance, he strives to experiment and tweak his live performance, making sure the listener has gotten all they can from the song.

With this arsenal of new and exciting music and his "anytime-anywhere" gigging attitude, expect to hear a lot more from Jared McCloud.

Instrumentation:

Solo show:

Jared McCloud- All guitars, vocals Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 14% [?]

Cory Brown is a California-grown Singer/Songwriter with a distinct gift for crafting songs that draw fans from a variety of ages and backgrounds. Born into a musical family just north of Hollywood, Cory began playing guitar and singing at a young age. Aided by his father Barry (songwriter and lead singer for the early seventies band Morning, who shared stages with such artists as Jimi Hendrix and Chicago), Cory developed his natural talent for melodic songwriting and moving musical performance. The latest result is Cory's new debut solo album, Days In A Life, available now.

In 2001, after moving north to Berkeley, CA, Cory co-founded the Alternative-Americana Rock band 7th Direction. As their lead singer and primary songwriter, Cory also produced their debut LP Hundred Miles Gone. The album was praised by Relix and Pause/Record magazines, and Dennis Cook of JAMBASE.com named it one of the best albums of 2003. Relix Magazine, featuring 7th Direction in their 2003 article On The Verge: Artists You Should Know About, raved over Cory’s vocal performance and songwriting on his “soaring, harmony-laden” single Forgotten. The song was also featured in January 2003 on NBC’s hit television series Ed. Reviewers placed Cory’s catchy and intelligent songwriting style on the level of such music legends as David Crosby, Neil Young, and Joni Mitchell. Fans compared Cory’s music to contemporary favorites such as Jack Johnson, Ryan Adams, Dave Matthews, and Elliot Smith. Cory’s fans continue to be moved by his melodic yet powerful voice, a unique sonic-blend that gives an extra flavor to his already crowd-pleasing repertoire of songs. He is determined to touch fans and music professionals alike with his talent for captivating turn-of-phrase and everlasting musical melody. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 17% [?]

Timid and soft spoken during early childhood, no one imagined his future interests might include songwriting and stage performance.  Attending schools in The West Indies, Japan and various parts of the states, exotic locales like Okinawa and Jamaica helped to shape +Spanx cosmopolitan worldview and love of different cultures and music.

The eldest of three talented siblings, his father remembers the infant +Spanx (too young yet to walk or speak) humming in tune The National Anthem while being coddled during its repeated performance at a theater.

As +Spanx showed great promise, his parents later encouraged him to study the cornet which led to a discovery of numerous instruments.  He became proficient on electric bass while performing with Top 40, retro-pop and classic rock groups, also developing a versatile yet powerful vocal that ranges from ballads & barbershop to hip-hop and hard rock… measured experiences which led to +Spanx fronting the Miami-based trio kNiption FiT, an enigmatic power-pop band best described as "The Monkees meet Rush…"

Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 34% [?]

"If you feel you’ve been going through the motions, take your hands & just let go." 21 year old Tulsa native, Jonathan Van Risseghem sings on his full length release The Motions. The motion of his career has greatly accelerated recently, as he experiences a fast growing following.

Within 6 months of releasing The Motions, Van Risseghem has been regularily played on a variety of Westwood One and Clear Channel radio stations across the nation. Title track, "The Motions" has been added to frequent rotation in Delta Airlines national/worldwide in-flight radio and boarding entertainment as well as broadcast on 17,000+ (AMC and Cinemark and more) theatres as pre-movie entertainment. Van Risseghem's songs are also featured on the KNYZ104.5 compilation CD, the Hollywood Music In Media Awards Compilation CD, and voted for KHTT106.9 Listener's Choice.

Perhaps it's something about the excessively commercial nature of pop music these days that make people want to reach back in time. Or, maybe it is just the music itself – spirited, direct, colorful. Whatever it is, Van Risseghem taps that energy of yesterday’s music with it’s tones & rhythms, producing a rich-textured sound topped off with an engaging vocal delivery. He joins these solid arrangements with ear catching melodies in any chart topper of today’s music.

Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 28% [?]

Singer/songwriter Johnny Nicholson reflects a deep and diverse talent. Unafraid to venture into new territory, he’s lived in California, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Europe. Nicholson’s motley of adventurous explorations in geography is paralleled with his musical styles. He can play it all, from pop folk, to reggae, to smooth lullabies, to rock.

Grown in Geyserville, CA, Johnny picked up the violin at age five and the guitar at age seven, he has been writing, recording, and performing for the better part of his life.

"Ultimately, Nicholson is an artist you would take with you to celebrate, to ponder, and to live. While his sound is predominantly smooth and calming, Nicholson also produces music to match the many moods of life. Easy to relate to, the singer/songwriter seamlessly tells snippets of his autobiography…" (Lauren Proctor, Northeast Indie In Tune)

By January 2010, Johnny will have graduated from Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA, where he has been studying, practicing his craft, and building Monkey Rock (TM) Presents/Records/Apparel. Johnny founded Monkey Rock in 2006. The organization has grown into a community comprised of artists and friends, from all over the world, who support each other by working, promoting, and performing as a group. May ‘08, Johnny released his first EP (available on iTunes), March ‘09, Johnny was selected to work in a songwriting workshop with Paul Simon, and June ‘09, Monkey Rock had a featured article in The Boston Globe. In January ‘10, Johnny will release a new record – with a video for each song, produced by different independent animators/film-producers.

Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 23% [?]

"Sorry Jill Scott, not so fast Angie Stone, not that we don’t love you ladies, but Mavis SWAN Poole is the clear choice for Midpoint. This street wise, world traveled, diva in the making, can sing anything she wants. Smoky jazz club ballad, neo soul funk fest, low rider speaker shaker, Mavis attacks and conquers any style that comes her way. I wonder if Mavis is the reason Lauryn Hill has gone into hiding." -MIDPOINT MUSIC FESTIVAL 2009, Cincinnati

"Mavis can sing almost anything and has a huge vocal range, both high and low. When I asked her to do "Fly Me To The Moon," she flawlessly skipped up a whole octave at one point, becoming a soprano. She trained her radiant smile on me for the whole tune. I was in love." -LOUIS MARTIN, Editor @ CoastNews.com, San Francisco

"And of what she sang I know not, but her voice touched every chord of my being; something hand alone cannot make. A voice that takes on many shades and colors, and out pours many musical instruments that all come alive from one being ethereal." -the late, great, ULYSSES SLAUGHTER, Vocal stylist, technician, teacher

Crowned “Little Ellla" by the great Curtis Fuller, and guilty of inspiring people to sing because of God-given creativity, Singer/Songwriter/Composer/Bandleader Mavis ‘SWAN’ Poole is stirring up the music scene as we know it. She possesses an unrivaled brilliance of shattering barriers with her rich and smoky sound, undauntedly amalgamating jazz, R&B, soul, funk and hip hop. Swan is a sassy, soulful, fiery SongBird (which is the literal translation of MAVIS) whose music promises to stand the test of time.

Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 19% [?]

MELBOURNE based musician Sam Pollard started playing the piano at the age of five and never looked back.  As well as writing all of his own music, Sam plays piano and keyboards, electric and acoustic guitars, cornet, trumpet and trombone, and sings in various styles.

Raised in the UK but relocated to Australia, Sam's musical influences include the best of British rock as well as classical and jazz styles.  Classically trained, with live experience ranging from rock to big band jazz and improv, Sam's excitement for music shines through in his performances.  “Sam Pollard blew us away when he did a couple of live acoustic tracks in the studio” said Mark Missen, President of Southern FM Radio in Melbourne.  “It was a sensational off the cuff effort and shows just how talented this performer is”. Sam’s songs have received extensive radio play in Australia and internationally.

Sam has recently completed a professional studio recording of his album "World of Difference" with his band and producer Jimi Maroudas at "Sing Sing" studios in Melbourne. The album received a GrIndie award from RadioIndy who said “Pollard’s vocals are rhythmical and have a fashionable flair of alternative pop/rock.  His lyrics are narrative and bouncy and he delivers a message within each song as a chronicle of events.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 34% [?]

Off interstate 66 in the far northern end of Virginia, a winding road leads past houses separated by farms and thickly spread trees. There, almost every night a group of young musicians practice in a garage packed with instruments and speakers.  Solace Sovay’s songs come at you like a light gust of wind which gradually increases, urging you to stop and reflect on the moment.

Their first EP (self-titled) takes on an indie rock style, but with a folk rock twist. Self recorded in an unheated garage in the dead of winter, the young musicians would spend weeks layering different instruments on to a simple machine.  Electric and acoustic guitars are binned together with percussion, heart shaking bass, echoing pianos, wailing pedal steels and a haunting cello.

  Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 15% [?]