Los Temerarios

A band coming out of Fresnillo, Zacatecas, Mexico that is barely breaking it out of the underground. They don't have a label yet, but they sure do deserve one. Los Temerarios is currently one of the top unsigned bands on myspace.com. They just got off tour around the United States traveling around Texas, Georgia, California, and even made it to New York. Some of their inspirations are Joan Sebastian, Marco Antonio Solis, and Enrique Iglesias. Their top song is "Si Tu Te Vas" currently. Check out their site at lostemerarios.net

Brian O'Neal

Brian O'Neal is a jazz artist out of West Bloomfield, Michigan. His talents reach far and wide. He has become very well known through out the nation. He has gone so far as to meet well known artists, such as Will Smith. 

His music is relaxing. I love to listen to it before I fall asleep. My favorite song by Brian O'Neal is "Mesmerized".  Mesmerized is a relaxing, upbeat jig that reminds me of my little kid days. It brings back memories of my grandfather and playing songs on his keyboard. It is a great combination of light drumming and keyboarding. 

His latest album, Jazzy Holidays, will appear on shelves on November 21, 2008. It will include mostly holiday music. This is a cd I will definitely be looking into. I have never heard such a talented jazz artist! Brian O'Neal has really come a long way from playing music at little bars to now having his own fan site on myspace.com. 

Another song I like by Brian O'Neal is called "For My Mother". It reminds me of an old love song. With my mother being one of the main people in my life, it really hits home. It's got a soft beat, but is upbeat and happy. It combines the fast beat of life and love with the slow beat of comfort. 

His song "Reflections" is a new type of song by Brian O'Neal. It is more along the lines of dancing songs, or hip-hop, than most of Brian's other songs. It makes me just want to get up and dance!

His most known influences are Daisy O'Neal (his grandmother) and Herbie Hancock. His record label is Indie. His genre is jazz.

To check out Brian O'Neal's latest music and merchandise, check out www.brianoneal.com. He even offers ringtones! 

J Minus

"She dressed in black, the color she preferred, it represented darkness, misrepresenting her. That was the girl she wanted you to see, the truth is always deeper than the surface in me." This is from J Minus' song "Someone for Everyone". It's lyrics are pretty up front, yet deep. Listening to J Minus makes me want to do soul searching, searching for who I am really supposed to be. This is my favorite song by them. It's about a girl who thinks love is just a game. She doesn't love this guy, but he loves her. Yet, it applies to many things.

It says, "she lost faith in all mankind...If you don't have hope then what do you have?" This is pretty much how I feel when I think about Barack Obama. Yes, I just connected this song to the recent election. When Barack Obama was pronounced to be our next president, I had lost hope in humanity. Barack is simply an abomination. That's how I feel. However, I realized that if I don't have faith that tomorrow will be better than today, then how will I survive? 

J Minus sings mostly about love, love gone bad. It reminds me of country with the lyrics, but alternative with its soft beat. The music they produce is very relaxing. It reminds me of music that would be playing in a coffee shop. In this coffee shop, a guy meets a girl and they exchange glances, smiling brightly, yet shyly. For that second they have great chemistry, but it is broken by the thought of failure. It may seem to be failure, but in reality it is not. It is a bond that is so strong it cannot be broken, yet it seems to be. These two people will forever be connected whether they realize it or not. 

J Minus is a small band out of Seattle, Washington. They call themselves an alternative acoustic band. Dylan Fant writes and produces most of the songs. He wanted to form a band that would be the "Wu Tang of rock". Apparently that didn't happen. J Minus has 5 members who all just want to express themselves through their music. You can view their website at www.jminus.com. 

Rebirth

Rebirth is a band that has the soul and R & B sounds. The name says it all. It is a rebirth of the old soul sound. It is a rebirth of musicians putting their heart and soul into giving the listeners pleasurable listening. Sandra Stevens, Shane Ries, Zach Rudulph, Micheal, and Gootch make up the band. Sandra as the lead vocalist, Shane is on guitar, Zach on the bass, Michael plays the keyboard, and Gootch plays the drums. Sandra Stephens recently left the band. She will be greatly missed. Their album Episode 4 really hit it off good around Southern California. 

Base 9 is Rebirth's record label. Base 9 is an Indie label. 

Their next concert is December 6, 2008 at Salon Sessions in Pasadena, California. 

Brand New

Brand New is a band based on Long Island, New York. The band is made up of Jesse Lacey, Brian Lane, Vinnie Accardi, and Garrett Tierney. Jesse plays the guitar and sings, Brian Lane plays the drums, Vin Accardi plays the guitar, and Garrett Tierney plays the bass. Brand New's major label is Interscope Records. Their genre is rock. Fans can purchase merchandise from the band's myspace site (http://www.myspace.com/brandnew) or on the band's official website (fightoffyourdemons.com). 

Brand New began in the basement of a band member in Merrick, New York. Merrick is a suburb of Manhattan. Their first record was Your Favorite Weapon. Their second was Deja Entendu. They have made it out of the underground, but I still consider them an underground band. Most of the people I know don't know about this hidden treasure. Besides their music, I also really like their apparel. They have their own official online store. 

My friend first introduced me to them after listening to a Thrice CD in her car. If I were to compare Brand New's sound to any other band it would be Thrice. They have very similar playing styles. It is a mix of hardcore rock and screamo. It can also be compared to Lincoln Park.  

While Brand New is not currently on tour, people should still check out their site and their music. I'm not one who enjoys screamo or hard rock, but for some reason I really enjoy Brand New.

Burning Down the Charade

Burning Down the Charade is a small band made of two individuals, Daniel Smith and Sean Herring, out of Chandler, Arizona. The best way to describe the sound of this band is alternative, but it is much different from the usual alternative bands. Strange noises shake the speakers with deep lyrics from the heart. These lyrics are written about life's ups and downs. Dan and Sean say their music is influenced by "anything in life that hurts or feels great... your ex-girlfriend/ex-boyfriend, your knowledge of depression... loving your life, hating your life, taking your breath as if it was your last...etc." All of these emotions come together to form the great sounding songs produced by Burning Down the Charade.

Burning Down the Charade is played on WLFC radio in Ohio. The songs are written and recorded by Dan Smith at "The Cave" in Mesa, Arizona. 

I like to listen to Burning Down the Charade during long car rides, flights, doing homework, and while I relax. My favorite song by them is "Married to the Sea". Here is where they play their infamous lyrics, "taking names and breakin' hearts in the back seat of my car," which is written on their band t-shirts. This song talks about the hardships in life. The background music sounds depressed, but happy at the same time. As if life is moving on, things will get better. 

Burning Down the Charade is not signed under a label. People can find their site at http://www.myspace.com/burndownthecharade. 

Pasadena

This group comes out of Pasadena, Maryland. Joey Harkum (guitar & vocals) and Ben Cowdery (drums) formed the group. Soon after, band members Will Finley (guitar) and Aaron Hooper (bass) joined. Other temporary members include Matt (rhymes) and Geoff (trumpet). People can check out their website at www.myspace.com/pasadenamusic. 

On their website it says, "Pasadena sounds like the music you want to listen to on a long drive home from work. The music you want to listen to on a hot summer night near the fire... Pasadena is music for everyone...". I personally have to agree. I was first introduced to Pasadena by my friend on our trip back from the Pittsburgh International Airport one weekend. It was exactly the music I wanted to listen to. Pasadena has a laid back tune and beat. It's very relaxing.

Perhaps my favorite song by them is "Sick and Tired". This song sings about how "this life is hard, but this life is ours" and life is what you make of it. It talks about how this man is "sick and tired of being sick and tired" or in other words, he is sick and tired of the same old routine. He goes on to say, "I wish you the best, but I cannot help you anymore" meaning that he is leaving his past behind. He's looking to get over this difficult time. Lately, this song has really come close to heart. 

They usually play around Maryland, but this year they are going all around the east coast from New Jersey and Pennsylvania to Florida and Georgia. People can find their tour schedule at their webpage I mentioned before. 

Pasadena is perfect for any situation. If you are angry, sad, happy, excited, or any other emotion you could ever think of. Check out this band soon!