Leslie Helpert is a singer-songwriter out of various locations in the US, as she describes briefly on her MySpace. Helpert will appeal to listeners that enjoyed our post on Brittain Ashford some months ago. Leslie appears to combine influences from Latin, folk, and indie-pop music. The result is something pretty, easy on the ears, sensual, and superbly produced. I'm not necessarily a connoisseur of the genre, but Helpert's voice is definitely comforting, so I like it, and you might too. I'd love to give a more in depth lyrical analysis sometime, so you may see more in the future.
Fire in the Eyes of the City
I've definitely been meaning to show some love for a friend's band here at Rowan University. Within the past year, Fire in the Eyes of the City have exploded into a legitimate powerhouse of a group wielding a force witnessed by my roommate: "The little dude singer can belt it so hard." I just wanted to give a mention here, but PFW Member Patrick will probably have more to say about them in the future. Check out their gorgeous MySpace in the meantime which recently boasts thousands of plays every single day.
The Ugly Club
The Ugly Club is the audio project of another group of friends and former members of listener favorites The Command Radio. Led by trumpet guy, Taylor Mandel, who's playing can be heard on the most recent Trophy Scars album, and by former TCR front-man, Ryan Egan, the group is more of an ideal and less of an actual band. Mandel and Egan, along with the rest of the group, gather to record and focus on only music and nothing else. You can definitley expect to hear more about this project when they get some quality recordings down - for now you can hear what they're tinkering with on their MySpace.
Just a quick update regarding a band we've discussed/played a number of times on PraiseForWallflower - The Command Radio. Central Jersey's rock/soul/funk powerhouse has recently undergone what seems to be a pretty major change. Two of the members (including the lead singer) left the group, and one new member has been added. According to their MySpace site directly following the change, it was a nescessary move for the group due to stylistic differences, and they assured their fans that no hard feelings were had. Other than that, they seem to keep pushing on with a handful of upcoming shows - and have posted up a new batch of rough demos onto MySpace, which are definitely different, stylistically, from their former collection. Check it out for yourself and see what you think.
Where do I start? Okay, lets look at the beginning. If you live in Central Jersey (it exists - lets not get on that subject) and you consider yourself a show-goer, then you'd be hard pressed to lie and tell me you haven't seen or heard of these guys. This includes their recent, former persona: Forrester, which were around years before TCR was even a festering idea. Well, they've ditched the old name, a few members, changed their outlook, grabbed some horns, studied their instruments, went on tour, played Rutgersfest, put out two albums, and are making girls weak in the knees all in the same breadth.The Command Radio, a six piece from South Plainfield, NJ, formed in mid 2006. They quickly put together what's easily my favorite independently made record of all time: The Electric War Demos. Gizacked, Browntown Rock, and Kansas City Shuffle are sincerely awesome songs (listening to Joe's nasty bass is as indulgent as eating cream cheese out of the foil wrapper). Recorded mostly live in a basement in South Plainfield, the record was a testament to how they'd matured since Forrester. I'd hate to label this album or their music in general, but to give you an idea, it reminds me of a mesh of The Fall of Troy and The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Unfortunately, it seems they've stopped advertising this record, since the addition of horns into their lineup.
Lets get more current: Taylor Mandel (trumpet) and Ike Ejochi (tenor sax) have joined the original TCR lineup that includes: Ryan Egan (vocals), Joe Scarpitto (bass), Paul Brasil (drums), and Matt Madurski (guitar). Early in 2008, the group released full-length "Take Control" under producer and recording engineer, Jake Antelis. Egan is grittier here than on the last record; he approaches each song with a stock of confidence that only began to peak through on the last record. Madurski , Scarpitto, and Brasil hold their own while the horns lay atop nicely without becoming the focus or being too upfront. Something worth noting: Six guys playing at once doesn't allow for an easy, smooth, un-muddled sound, but they've got it; production is excellent. (Look for a more in depth album review of Take Control, their latest release, here on PFW sometime in the near future. )
So, Ladies and Gentlemen, don't be confused, this is no ska band. This lineup has shown the music scene that funk isn't dead, that jazz isn't for old men, and that a rock show doesn't have to mean Lenny Kravitz at the Superbowl (my mouth is watering too) - it's awfully refreshing to listen to a group of musicians that aren't writing boring, generic songs that sound like they belong on All Time Low's B-Sides . After only 2 records and 2 years, The Command Radio have found their niche and claimed crown.
THE SKINNY: The Command Radio entered the arena with a goal in mind; they're going to make it. They run their band like a business and play their shows like it's their last one. TCR is talented, unique, and going places - it's only a matter of time.
FAVORITE TRACK: EWD - "Browntown Rock." TC - "Big Mouth Blues"
APPROPRIATE FOR:
- supplementing your classic rock collection with a more modern band.
- bobbing your head to something other than Marley.
- getting to know a group of musicians that are bringing improv back to the music scene.
FOR FANS OF: Jimi Hendrix, John Mayer Trio, Rage Against the Machine, The Fall of Troy
