News/Thoughts

Monthly Archives: November 2021

Australian Country Music Storyteller

Hailing from Sydney, Australia, singer-songwriter Ronnie Joudo has developed a distinctive sound inspired by country music and Americana, with a fresh modern twist. He has connected with audiences and seen success with four top 40 hits on Australian independent charts. He was also an Australian Songwriter Association Finalist in 2020, for his song, “Falling in Love in Galveston.” He has ...

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From Medical Science to Musical Transcendence

After beginning piano lessons at the age of five, John Blangero embarked on a musical journey that, on the face of it, seems an extremely unlikely path to a place in the “Southern rock and soul” niche he currently inhabits, by way of his alter-ego project, Sun King Rising. By age 10, he had a firm grasp of classical and ...

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Something For The Kids

Known as a band that makes roots music with strong pop and rock elements, the Dirt Nappers, led by Frank Migliorelli, usually serve up songs dealing with serious adult themes of love and loss, cultural issues, and much more. However, as with every other band and artist in the world, the pandemic forced a change of focus for at least ...

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Riding The Positive Wave

On Jay Elle’s new full-length, 12-song album, Ride the Wave, he shares his way of dealing with the pandemic. “I think that much of what we do in life is ride one wave after another, as best as we can,” says Jay. “Some waves are fun to ride…and some are tough. Riding a pandemic is no picnic. But what choice ...

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Southern Americana from Once Great Estate

Once Great Estate is a band that was born out of the landscape and history of North Florida, the lifelong home (apart from a four-year college stint) of the group’s driving force, Tracy Horenbein. Along with fellow travelers Jeffrey Chagnon (bass), F. Matthew Burns (guitar and mandolin), Christopher Ash (fiddle and guitar) and drummer Steve Burke, in 2018 Tracy migrated ...

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Leaning Into Bluegrass

Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, and for 15 years now a South Carolina resident (on Hilton Head Island), Marty Falle’s first exposure to music was from parents who made him pick an instrument: “I was in second grade. I chose the viola. I don’t know why. Then I went on to tenor saxophone, then bass guitar, guitar and piano.” He jumped ...

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