Posts by Gary Schwind

It’s hard to believe, but it’s true. The Dexateens have been around since 1998. Okay, that requires a bit of a disclaimer since the band took a hiatus from 2010 to 2013. Still, the band has been rocking for a long time, and their fans are probably happy that they are about to release a […]

Monte Warden is someone who has been around the Austin music scene for 40 years, ranging from his time with The Wagoneers to the time that George Strait recorded a song by Warden. He has consistently worked in the Americana realm, but not necessarily in the way you’d expect, and his style isn’t alt-country or […]

Boca45 (the nom de plume of Scott Hendy) is a DJ and music producer from Bristol, UK. He is known for his ability to get people on the dance floor with an old-school blend of soul and hip-hop. He has not only worked with some of the biggest names on the scene (one of the […]

Like a lot of musicians, Patrick Ames started writing songs when he was young. While music has always been a part of his life, he took a hiatus from writing songs, but in recent years he has returned to writing songs and releasing new music. You can accurately call Ames a singer-songwriter. However, his sound goes […]

According to Tia Carrera’s bio on Small Stone, “A calendar page, never changed, hangs on the wall of a machine shop or a dingy dive bar. It’s 1970.” Frankly, listening to the band’s new album Tried and True, you’d have to believe that calendar hangs in Tia Carrera’s rehearsal space. You have to give this […]

Mike Peters is the lead singer of The Alarm, a band that released its first EP in 1983 and its first full-length album, Declaration, in 1984. Throughout its history, the band has consistently landed on the UK singles chart. The band first toured the U.S. with a band you may have heard of: U2. However, […]

Jah Sun is a West Coast reggae artist. His new album Magic and Madness is his seventh full-length album, and it is a call for mindfulness and peace. Of the album, Jah Sun said, “One of the biggest takeaways…was realizing the synergy between me and my producer Jallanzo. We worked really well together and have […]

Dre Island is a reggae artist who has been promising his fans a debut album for five years. Admittedly, it’s hard to wait for a new album from an artist you really enjoy. However, if you’re going to do something, you might as well do it right. Sure, Dre Island has made his fans wait […]

Gary, Indiana, may not be as synonymous with soul as Memphis. However, it is the home of The Jackson 5, and the birthplace of soul artist Quinn Deveaux. Deveaux (like so many other musicians) now calls Nashville home after becoming known in San Francisco for his energetic live shows. No matter where he lives, it’s […]

The Haggis Horns is a seven-piece funk band from Leeds. While the band is English, you don’t have to listen long to know that the members have spent a lot of time listening to American funk. Throughout its previous four full-length albums, the band has produced songs steeped in the funk sounds of the 70s. […]

Texas has a long tradition of producing songwriters from Ernest Tubb to Willie Nelson. Like many musicians, Jarrod Dickenson started his music career in the clubs of Austin. However, it was when he took a trip to the West Coast that he realized he wanted to do more than play gigs in Austin. That was […]

Tessy Lou Williams was born to be a musician. Her parents started the band Montana Rose as a way to engage their three children in music. Tessy Lou has not only stuck with it, but admits, “There is nothing else in the entire world I’d rather do.” That’s a lucky thing for her fans and […]

Leon Michels first appeared on an album when he was in high school. The album was Thunder Chicken by The Mighty Imperials, and it is filled with songs that provide the perfect soundtrack for a session at the roller rink. From there, he toured with Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings among many other projects. It’s […]

Caitlin Cannon was given her first guitar at the age of 13 – a gift from her grandmother. It was then that Cannon realized playing guitar wasn’t just for boys. That epiphany was a good thing not only for her, but for her new album The TrashCannon Album. The album is filled with references to […]

Eric Rachmany is best known as the lead singer of Rebelution. In that role, he is known to write super-catchy reggae songs that can get you thinking and dancing simultaneously. Like a lot of artists, Rachmany has taken on a new challenge without abandoning the band that has kept him busy for the last decade […]

Grant Dermody is a prolific harmonica player who mainly plays blues, but also branches into other genres like bluegrass. He has recorded with artists like Eric Bibb and Cedric Watson. He has also released three solo albums, and three with bands. Of the new album My Dony, he says, “The new album is pretty much […]

Funk can take a lot of different forms, from the party-rocking sounds of Parliament to the grooves of bands like The Haggis Horns. On their new instrumental album Man from the Future, Seattle band Polyrhythmics explore a variety of funk sounds from psychedelic to jazzy grooves. The album came about in part when the band […]

Aloud is a rock and soul band from Los Angeles with two lead vocalists in Jen de la Osa and Henry Beguiristain. But this isn’t just another band from L.A., where musicians are a dime a dozen. Of Aloud, de la Osa said, it “took three states” to put the band together after she and […]

When people discuss music, it’s interesting how many different avenues can be explored – from technical expertise to genre to a band’s name. You might think it an unusual choice to begin a band name with a hashtag. Certainly, it’s not something you see every day, but it was probably a matter of time before […]

If you’ve spent enough time in the music world, you come to learn what you can expect from certain record labels. In the case of Small Stone, you know that you can expect some heavy grooves as well as a lot of volume and tempo. With that in mind, Lord Fowl is the perfect Small […]