“Home Again” by Tini Grey

Tini Grey is emerging with unique and soulful songs akin to those of Jack Johnson and John Mayer.

Born of Samoan heritage, Grey grew up in a famous musical family. Despite his inherent musical talent, Tini shied away from the business until his 30’s. Tini began to contemplate his own musical destiny in 2006 and, not long after that, his innate passion to write and play inevitably became his life path.

Shades of Grey is a sophisticated blend of Acoustic, Pop and Soul. An exploration of love, passion, pleasure and empowerment through keen storytelling and heart-felt insight.

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“Home Again” by Tini Grey

Image and mp3 courtesy of Jennifer Thorington, Working Brilliantly

“Halfway” by Belmont Lights

Los Angeles, CA alt-pop-rock band Belmont Lights‘ highly anticipated debut EP Telegraphs is available for purchase on iTunes and Bandcamp.

Hailing from sunny San Diego, the band was formed in 2009 after frontman Isaiah Blas won San Diego’s Songwriting Competition, earning a spot on the House of Blues SD main stage. The band spent two years playing up-and-down the West Coast, honing their soaring, melodic sound.

Telegraphs was recorded at LA’s very own historic Westlake Recording Studios under producer Alejandro Barajas, engineered by Michael Sanchez and mixed by Mike Ault of Ault Sound. It was mastered by Robert Vosgien (Etta James, Demi Lovato, Saosin, Sick Puppies) at Capitol Records. The release lives up to its title, as from start to finish it delivers an ambient journey through the inner workings of relationships and the human heart.

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“Halfway” by Belmont Lights

mp3 courtesy of Tiffany Youhanna of LaFamos PR & Branding

Image courtesy of Belmont Lights’ Followgram

“What I’m Waiting to Hear” by Eric Schackne

Reputable as a singer-songwriter,Eric Schackne, also encompasses a unique piano-driven pop rock style all his own. He writes, plays and produces each song from top to bottom.

During his four years at University of Florida in Gainesville, Eric began polishing his songs further. He acquired his first acoustic guitar. Still, he often found himself sneaking up to play the pianos in the practice rooms of the university’s music building, discovering that was where his true passion was. After graduating with a degree in psychology, Eric ultimately decided to gamble on his talents, record an acoustic five-song EP, and leave the east coast for Los Angeles.

A little over a year after the release of his first untitled, six-song EP, Eric was ready to record again. This time he produced, wrote, recorded, and mixed every single song on his second album, Hammers & Strings EP, in its entirety. Have a listen to “What I’m Waiting to Hear” below.

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“What I’m Waiting to Hear” by Eric Schackne

Image and mp3 courtesy of Amanda Blide, Director of Publicity, LaFamos, Marketing & Publicity Dept.

Installment #2 of Two for Tuesday

It’s actually after midnight, so technically it’s Wednesday. However, I still would like to offer my second installment of my new series, “Two for Tuesday.” This week, we have the original version of the song “Outta My System” from Jim James and the rest of the psychedelic rock band, My Morning Jacket. It can be found on thier latest 2011 release Circuital. The second one is not a cover, but it’s a remix by Sub Pop’s Ernest Greene, a.k.a Washed Out. It can be found on a remix EP titled Remixez Y Friendz EP.

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“Outta My System” by My Morning Jacket

Image courtesy of EarplugsNOTIncluded

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“Outta My System” by Washed Out

Image courtesy of THE BLUE INDIAN

“Always Invisible” by Bells

The indie rock / post-rock / instrumental novices, Bells, started with two friends, Jon Hershey and Sean Hennessey, back in 2005. Hershey and Hennessey played casually together for years, with a number of line up changes. In 2010, Sean left his former band to seriously pursue music with Jon. This is when Bells was born.

Bells started writing and recording their first album at Hennessey’s Studio in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. During recording, Jon asked his close friend, Tim Kettering, to join the band. Therefore, the current band members are Sean Hennessey, Jon Hershey, and Tim Kettering. During live shows, they are supported by two additional individuals, Joe Terranova and Matt Greiner.

In short, our music combines layered guitars sprinkled with electronics, with occasional soaring vocals. We can be compared to Sigur Rós, Arcade Fire, and Mogwai. Our Debut album, “Our Forest, Our Empire”, will be releasing on August 28th…” ~ Sean Hennessey

[audio:Always Invisible.mp3|titles=Always Invisible|artists=Bells]
“Always Invisible” by Bells

Image courtesy of Sean Hennessey via Bells’ EPK

Installment #1 of Two for Tuesday

I am instituting a new series titled Two for Tuesday. On Tuesdays, I will post two versions of the same song by different artists. The first installment features the original song “The High Road” by Broken Bells. The song is found on their self-titled 2010 album. The cover is done by Joss Stone and can be found on her sixth studio album, The Soul Sessions Volume 2, recently released on July 23, 2012.

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“The High Road” by Broken Bells

Image courtesy of CAUSE=TIME

[audio:The High Road (cover).mp3|titles=The High Road|artists=Joss Stone]
“The High Road” cover by Joss Stone

Image courtesy of RockKent.com