Portland, Oregon’s Dirty Revival, a five-piece soul-hip-hop group, are celebrating the release of their debut, self-titled full-length. Featuring the resounding, and resonating, front woman Sarah Clarke, Evan “evv’n’flo” Simko (M.C., guitar), Terry Drysdale (drums), Karl Ludwigsen (keyboards), and Jon Shaw (bass), the quintet delivers a record described by one concertgoer as “Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Earth Wind and Fire, and Rose Royce all blended up as one.”

Dirty Revival is a melting pot of influences and personalities, with all five members getting their voice, literally and metaphorically, contained within the sounds of the album. While navigating different musical waters, the album also vacillates between fiercely political uprisings to down and gritty party jams that are meant to make you smile and dance.

The record is as natural as the band’s beginnings, with no long discussions or debates, just things gelling and making sense. Have a listen to the single “Dirty Love” via SoundCloud or the player below.

“Dirty Love” by Dirty Revival

The latest effort from Winnipeg-based, singer-songwriter Elessar Thiessen was released on June 10 and is titled A Rainy Week in Paradise. It is a reflection of the growing influence of blues guitar licks in a modern pop rock context. It exposes us to longing, angst and agony, fear and shattered confidence, and yet comes through it all with hope and joy, rooted in love, truth and deep faith.

Filled with all sorts of tasty musical twists and turns, the ebb and flow of what Thiessen does on the album is inspirational. Members for the album include Cam Friesen (drums, percussion); Brody Britton (percussion); David Landreth (bass); Jordan Jackiew (organ, piano); Alexa Dirks (vocals); Catherine Wylee (supporting vocals); and Thiessen himself on vocals, guitar, organ, piano and programming.

Stream or purchase the record via bandcamp. And, for a glimpse of a new song taking shape, watch the video for “A Song in Carlsbad” via Youtube.

“A Rainy Week in Paradise” by Elessar Thiessen

Portland, Oregon-based northwest soul band, My Brothers and I, deliver an eclectic mix of pop on their debut album Don’t Dream Alone, released on September 18 via Expunged Records.

My Brothers and I bring a wide range of influences to their music, creating sounds that are melodic, soulful, and danceable. Their eleven-track collection is comprised of warm vocal harmonies, luscious grooves, and undeniable melodies.

The band is comprised of brothers David (lead vocals), Erik (bass and vocals) and Scott Wurgler (drums); plus childhood friends Jordan Roach (guitar) and Johnny Iliyn (keys and vocals). With this studio album, the quintet represents the idea of dreaming unselfishly. “People dream for themselves everyday,” comments lead singer David Wurgler, “but when you dream with or for other people amazing things can happen.”

Album highlights include the bright album opener “Dream,” the upbeat love song “Maddy Brown,” the late-night, dark soul of “Na Na Na,” the subtle funk of “Stay Here,” and the sparse and haunting album closer, “Scars.”

“Dream” by My Brothers and I

Some may know Shane Tutmarc as the front man for the Seattle-based indie-pop band Dolour, which featured Robin Pecknold (Fleet Foxes). After packing up Dolour in 2010, Tutmarc moved to Nashville, where he refined his sound, blending garage-rock, folk, blues, country, gospel and pop to create an Americana flavor that pays homage to its predecessors.

Having recorded a full-length in Nashville, Borrowed Trouble, which has since been placed on the back burner due to an investor in the album pulling out at the eleventh hour, Tutmarc has kept busy playing around Nashville and the Northwest, as well as producing other artists. However, he recently decided to release a single a month throughout 2015, with plans to compile the songs and release a full-length in 2016. The singles will be released by Portland, Oregon-based indie label In Music We Trust Records.

Tutmarc’s June single is called “Out of the Dark.” It is a late-night, subdued song that contrasts the darkness of his reserved voice. It is soothing and slow with an undertow melody. Tutmarc’s ability to vacillate between styles, and also merge them effortlessly when he wants, has made him a go-to man for co-writing in Nashville, as well as a producer.

“Out of the Dark” by Shane Tutmarc

On June 23, 2015, Portland, Oregon-based Chris Marshall & The August Light will celebrate the release of their latest full-length, Some Kind of Dream, a departure from the alt-country-Americana of previous offerings.

The August Light features Ryan Reetz on keys, William Joertz on bass, and Joel Swift on drums. Some Kind of Dream is a genre-bending punch that proves Marshall is a songwriter able to meld atmospheric rock, spacious melodies, and folk traditions into songs that are both gorgeous and poignant. The songs on the record are very different. But, they are tied together by struggle, each representing a moment in a difficult couple of years where Marshall felt like his career, his life — everything was in limbo and on the line.

Marshall is a preacher’s kid, which means he grew up with preacher’s music: Keith Green, Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant. Elements of those earliest influences have been hard to shake. Marshall drifted enthusiastically with his interests. As he built a discography, he played with acts like Tift Merritt, Elizabeth Cook, and Richmond Fontaine.

Have a listen to “Feel Like Running” streaming below, or via SoundCloud.

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“Feel Like Running” by Chris Marshall & The August Light

Los Angeles, California-based eclectic, melodic pop-rock duo, The Blue Dolphins, is comprised of Alfonso Rodenas (guitar, engineer) and Victoria Scott (lead vocals). Their six-song EP entitled Walking In The Sun is the prelude to the band’s forthcoming sophomore full-length, Come On, which will be released in the fall. Walking In The Sun embraces folk, pop, and roots-rock alongside the duo’s characteristic optimism and charm.

Scott grew up outside of London, England, fascinated by her father’s collection of Elvis Presley, Fats Domino, Little Richard, and Rolling Stones records. After learning to play the recorder, piano and guitar, Scott taught herself to sing, emulating the various styles of Carole King, Nina Simone, N’Dea Davenport and Aretha Franklin. Rodenas is a two-time Grammy-award winning sound engineer from Spain. His music career began as a bassist in the indie pop-rock band Vitamin Vil in Valencia, Spain.

Scott and Rodenas fatefully met at the legendary rock pit The Cat Club on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles and soon started playing and recording together. At the time, Scott was managing UK artist Zoe Scott (her older sister) as well as the independent record label Zeus Records, while also overseeing large-scale productions, including fashion show av hire setups. As part of her professional endeavors, she also handled AV rental for corporate meetings, ensuring that high-quality audio-visual setups were always available for business events. Rodenas was working in the studio with some of the best Americana bands in Los Angeles.

The duo’s debut, My Favorite Word is Today is a soulful blend of eclectic-pop-folk with hints of exotic sounds. They followed up My Favorite Word is Today with 2013’s In Between EP, which further showcased their ability to write warm melodies and heartfelt lyrics with energetic, upbeat vocal harmonies.

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“Walking In The Sun” by The Blue Dolphins

On May 26, Nashville-by-way-of-Atlanta singer-songwriter, Joshua Fletcher, will release Ready, Aim, a ten-track collection of honest, beautiful pop songs produced by The Damnwells’ Alex Dezen, on Portland, Oregon-based In Music We Trust.

Fletcher’s songs are about relationships. They’re about our loneliest hours; surrounded by the buzz of a city or alone in an empty house. They are about the moments we share with the ones we love, about turning something brief into something eternal.

Besides production duties, Dezen also appears on nearly every song, along with an impressive cast of musicians including singer-songwriter Madi Diaz and Whynot Jansveld (of Mosco Rosco).

Writing the majority of the songs alone at his house, on an acoustic guitar, some came to him quickly, while others took months to flesh out. Prior to recording, though, Fletcher played the songs out live, just the way he wrote them, with just his voice and a guitar.

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“The Eye and the Storm” by Joshua Fletcher

Shreveport, Louisiana-based, shimmer-pop band, Hydrogen Child (formerly Super Water Sympathy), have released the song “Sirens” as their new single.

Influenced as much by the cypress and bayou surroundings of Caddo Parish as their love of the soundscapes of Sigur Ros and the 80s-influenced alt-pop of The Killers, Hydrogen Child blends electronic sheen with rock n’ roll drive. With “Sirens” as the beacon for their next stretch of long road, the band hopes their music will inspire others to keep moving and keep dreaming.

Members include Ansley Rimmer (Vocals), Clyde Hargrove (Guitar), Chris Rimmer (Bass), Jason Mills (Keyboards), and Hali Kha (Drums).

Have a listen to “Sirens” and “Close Your Eyes” via SoundCloud. Plus, watch the video for “Sirens” via YouTube.

[audio:Sirens.mp3|titles=Sirens|artists=Hydrogen Child]
“Sirens” by Hydrogen Child

Six-time San Diego Music Award nominee, Gayle Skidmore, is following up her latest full-length and coloring book combo Sleeping Bear (winner of the “Best Pop Album” in the 2014 San Diego Music Awards) with two new songs, live staples that have been requested by fans to be able to purchase: “Rag Doll” and “Barrel, Trigger, Gun.”

Recently, her song “Paper Box” was featured on HBO’s new show Looking.

Classically trained on the piano from the age of four, Skidmore started writing songs at age eight and, to date, has written more than two thousand songs. She also plays over twenty instruments including guitar, piano, the mountain dulcimer, banjo, folk harp, and balalaika. She also composes parts for her cellist and violinist. Furthermore, she does the artwork for her albums.

In 2014 her cover of “Lola” by The Kinks, a collaboration with Brandon O’Connell (of Singing Serpent), was placed on a national commercial. In addition, she has co-written ads for Facebook, Target, and many others.

Skidmore has opened for the likes of Jason Mraz, Lisa Loeb, Sean and Sara Watkins (of Nickel Creek), Sam Phillips, Grant-Lee Phillips, Coeur d’Pirate, and many others. She has recorded with such artists as The Softlightes, Bushwalla, Jason Mraz, and Tyrone Wells, and branched out into several genres including electronic swing, indie rock, and classical music.

[audio:Barrel Trigger Gun.mp3|titles=Barrel Trigger Gun|artists= Gayle Skidmore]
“Barrel, Trigger, Gun” by Gayle Skidmore

Tomorrow, February 3, 2015, Mishka Shubaly will release his third full-length album, Coward’s Path, a document of his wasted years. It is twelve tracks of drinking songs, snapshots from a life careening out of control. Somehow, it’s also funny.

He recorded the bare bones of the album on an 8-track reel-to-reel in an unheated, condemned squat in Long Island City in 2008, then sat on those basic tracks for years. Finally, Shubaly brought the 8-track recordings to his longtime friend and composer, engineer and producer Erik Nickerson. The result is a record that is less stripped-down rock n’ roll, like his previous releases, and more ensemble work, featuring accordion, upright bass, mellotron, vibes, weird percussion, maracas, bells, tape hiss, and even the sound of a passing airplane.

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“Pickup Lines” by Mishka Shubaly

Early in his sobriety, shabbily also began publishing his writing with Amazon. His biggest seller, “The Long Run,” a mini-memoir, sold more than 80,000 copies. For Amazon’s Kindle Singles line, Shubaly wrote an account of his redemption through running, as well as other episodes from a colorful life. His latest single is called Of Mice and Me and it captures the journey we all take in life — from being loved, to giving love.