songwriter | Music Junkie Press

Interview with Austin Winkler and he is back, stronger than ever!

May 15, 2014

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson When I think of the above quote, my favorite quote, it always reminds me of how strong you have to be to when you are faced with creating your own path or destiny. It inspires me when I see people make that great leap of faith and head off into that new path and become an even stronger person. I believe a great example in this is watching Austin Winkler as he has forged ahead in the new chapter of his musical career. It was last year that we brought you the news of Austin‘s departure from Hinder, but then to hear how he was going to continue with a new musical venture, I was truly elated. Austin has one of the most recognizable and beloved voices in the industry and I couldn’t wait to hear what he has in store for us. He invited us in to witness the [Read More]

Jesse Denaro’s debut album, Dear Love is out TODAY!

May 13, 2014

The dedication and passion that Jesse Denaro has put into his writing of his debut album, Dear Love is taking center stage today! Singer/Songwriter Jesse has done a wonderful job at creating an album full of emotionally driven lyrics, songs that connect the listener and engages them on his musical journey. It is quite a superb journey to be a passenger on as you will experience the ups and downs of life, love and loss. You can pick up the new for purchase at iTunes and is also streaming at the following sites; SubstreamMagazine.com, MSN.com and RelevantMagazine.com. You can check out one of my favorite tracks, Young & Naive here: Jesse‘s music is magical and his honest emotions shine through his passionate vocals with such a vulnerability yet a sense of comforting. It is an album that you will fall in love with, regardless of what your main love of music may be. His sound transcends the blurred lines of genres and creates a clarity through song. I will leave you with my absolute favorite track which I must have [Read More]

The Book of Curtis puts on a heartfelt soul touching set at the Troubadour

May 12, 2014

Saturday night we headed down to the Troubadour in Hollywood to cover the CD Release Party of Hard Rockers Diamond Lane which was put on by Lara Gladstone Presents.. The night was exceptional and not only did Diamond Lane put on a KICK ASS set which we will be featuring in a later post, but all the bands were amazing. Make sure you check out our other posts on Love and a .38, Diamond Lane, Bad Romantics and Delta Rose. The night started off with The Book of Curtis, which treated us all to a set filled with heartfelt songs that touched your soul. It was a set with a man and his guitar inviting us into his thoughts and world as we took a musical journey through his songs. The songs literally made you feel as if you were in the right place at the right time. Words and melodies sung through passionate vocals completely touched me. The warm vocals held me captive as I enjoyed every word that trailed off in song. Completely amazing set and [Read More]

Check out the new video by Matt Sorum’s Fierce Joy for The Sea

April 29, 2014

Earlier this year, I told you about one of my favorite releases this year, a solo project by Matt Sorum. Matt Sorum‘s Fierce Joy released his new album, Stratosphere on March 11th and it is a truly amazing work of art. Many know Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Matt Sorum for his role as legendary drummer of Guns n’ Roses, The Cult, and Velvet Revolver but now through his new album, Matt sheds a new light on his musical talents and once again has you in appreciation and awe. Matt wrote the entire album and plays the piano, acoustic guitar and lead vocals. He even chose to record it on a front end analog, Trident console. Once you take a first listen, you will be shaking your head ind wonder about why we haven’t been treated to the sweet sound of Matt‘s voice sooner. Matt recently released a video for the first single off the album, The Sea. You can check it out here: Matt‘s vocals take you on an emotional journey an his voice brings out such warmth to feed your [Read More]

Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Extraordinaire John Wesley releases special play through of Mary Will

April 22, 2014

John Wesley, singer/songwriter/guitarist extraordinaire has recently released his new studio album, Disconnect and it has been getting rave reviews. The album is filled with emotionally driven songs that feature and highlight John’s amazing guitar playing and his passionate vocals. Through his music, he blends his various inspirations and you receive a blend of alternative, blues, progressive and classic rock. His style is refreshing and inviting. He most recently released a play-through video for the track, Mary Will and you can check it out here: Another great song off the album is the title track, Disconnect and you can watch the video for that song here: John will also be playing a selection of live dates, including a support slot for Blackfield at their only US show this year in New York, and an appearance at Night Of The Prog Festival 2014 in Germany. Find all the dates below:29th April – Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ – USA30th April – Milkboy, Philadelphia, PA – USA1st May – Best Buy Theater (w/ Blackfield), New York City, [Read More]

Matisyahu is our Bottle Rock Napa 2014 Featured Artist of the Day

April 21, 2014

Today our Bottle Rock Napa Featured Artist is Matisyahu. Matisyahu brings a fresh new life to the music scene and has been inspiring people for the past decade with his reggae hip hop style and alternative music. His energy is infectious and when he sings you can’t help but feel lighter as your troubles lift away. Matisyahu has a very unique story of his upbringing and how he became to be known as “The hasidic reggae superstar”. His story, just like his music takes you into such depths with his songs and a journey. His music has evolved over the years, just as his spirituality. Listening to him, can create the perfect blissful mood. Matisyahu currently has his new album, AKEDA which is set to release on June 4th. Akeda is said to be his most personal album and one which he had the most creative control over. As Matisyahu says, “Akeda is the kind of album an artist makes when there is no other creative choice but to turn oneself inside-‐out, to scrape the [Read More]

Dave Mason premieres new version of Dear Mr. Fantasy from forthcoming new album

April 17, 2014

The iconic singer/songwriter/guitarist Dave Mason, the co-founding member of Traffic has premiered a new version of Traffic’s song Dear Mr. Fantasy. The song is off the rock and roll hall of fame inductee’s forthcoming new album, Future’s Past which features new versions of some of his classic songs plus new material is set for a May 13th Release on Something Music/MRI. You can listen to the re-interpreted version of Dear Mr. Fantasy here: “It [“Dear Mr. Fantasy”] came about redoing the chords,” MASON tells USATODAY.com of the bluesy rewrite. “I was doing some shows and I was trying to think of something to make it a little more interesting, so I just started playing around with it. I put it in a minor key instead of a major key, and I sort of developed it from there. Of the new album release, MASON says, “There is a version of ‘World in Changes’ that is absolutely nothing like the original and there is a great live version that is absolutely beautiful of ‘Sad and Deep as You.’ There are two or three [Read More]