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WRMusicReview Podcast: Episode 20 [SXSW / March 2010]

Tune-in to the WRMusicReview Podcast SXSW Special and discover some of the finest independent female musicians the world has to offer!

WomensRadio Music Review Podcast: Episode 20 [SXSW / March 2010]

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Genre(s): Alternative, Americana, Blues, Celtic, Comedy, Electronic, Experimental, Folk, Hip Hop, Indie, Irish, Lo-Fi, Pop, Punk, Psychedelic, Rock, Singer-Songwriter, World

Sweden’s Next Rising Star, Sofia Talvik, Takes on SXSW 2010 [Interview]

Join Brian Ball, Host of WomensRadio Music Review, in welcoming Sweden’s next rising star, Sofia Talvik, as she shares a wealth of information about her soon-to-be-released 4th album, Florida, her upcoming appearances at SXSW 2010 and of course…her favorite shoes to bring on tour!

Also discover Sofia’s production and songwriting influences, tour anecdotes, recommended listening, future goals/aspirations and preview samples of her upcoming release…all in just under 12 minutes, right here on WomensRadio!

“Standing up and playing guitar in high heels is kind of difficult…” –Sofia Talvik

*Name Drops: Makaki Music, Lollapalooza, Suzanne Vega..

Michele Vreeland’s Indie Approach to Making Big Waves in LA + SXSW 2010

Join Brian Ball, Host of WomensRadio Music Review, in welcoming Los Angeles Singer-Songwriter, Michele Vreeland, as she shares a plethora of information about her innovative and independent music-biz strategy, her plans for SXSW 2010 and an insider perspective on the Los Angeles music scene.

Discover Michele’s musical (and non-musical) background, her future goals and aspirations and her love for early-morning punk rock in this brief-yet-jam-packed interview, alongside several of her personal music and fashion-related recommendations.

*Name Drops: Spin It Indie, Red Gorilla Music Fest, 100 Girl Spill Records, Linda Perry, 4 Non Blondes, Custard Records, Bill Hicks, Model Mayhem, Third Street Promenade, King King

**Recommended Listening:  Mitchell Schaffer, John Clinebell, Misty, Jenni Alpert

***Check out Michele’s SXSW/Tour Schedule at MicheleVreeland.com (click on “Calendar”)

More about Michele Vreeland:

An electrical aura of energy surrounds the music of singer/songwriter Michele Vreeland and flows into songs that crystallize dreams, emotions and intentions. With her CD, Never Not Myself, Vreeland infuses this alchemy into a powerful litany of seven exquisitely crafted songs.

The third oldest of 11 children, Vreeland grew up in the Los Angeles suburbs of Whittier, Long Beach and Norwalk, California; a graffiti-dotted landscape of warehouses and strip malls. While life in her Mormon household was complex, she recalls that regular trips to her grandmother's immaculate home revealed another reality. It was here she was taught where the notes were located on the piano.

"I learn things uniquely," Michele remembers. "I'm the kind of person who takes the good from everything and I leave what doesn't work for me." As a creator, Michele has a wealth of compatible talents. Prior to her musical career, she worked in feature films and editorial fashion campaigns as a hair and makeup stylist; and she is both an accomplished seamstress and a painter. She avows that as a visual person, it is her gift to see colors. "I can visualize something before I do it. Music and color are very tied together – when I'm singing a note, I hear it exactly for what it is. Also, when I'm writing, I'm telling a story. And visually I have told stories through editorials and fashion. Songwriting is another medium to do that."

These creative hues are diffused into the themes that comprise Never Not Myself. "The title of the album should be an umbrella under which the songs exist," explains Michele, who also produced the CD. The opening track, "Wanted to Say," expresses the poignant silences that can exist between two lovers. "I'm a Person" moves forward to reveal the inherent paradoxes with the lines "Sometimes I just feel like I'm begging to be / The one true thing that I know that lives in me."

As a performer, Michele is equally at home with her full band or in a solo setting where she accompanies herself on electric and acoustic guitars. (She is also experimenting with adding her own kick drum.) She performs in a range of venues from Los Angeles listening rooms like Kulak's Woodshed, and Molly Malones to such disparate venues as Six Flags Magic Mountain and the Antelope Valley Gay Pride Festival. "My audiences are incredibly diverse," she notes, "and different listeners hear themes in my songs that reflect their own realities."

It was far from Southern California, in Salt Lake City, that Michele wrote a poem about returning home. These words evolved into the lyrics to "L.A. Dream," a song that could be the anthem for every hopeful young musician, songwriter, actor, artist or outcast who ever envisioned the glittering panorama of possibility that is Hollywood. It is Michele's story too. "I've made things happen that should not have happened in my life," she says, "because I fought for them and I focused." She references a quote from her great aunt, the legendary fashion editor of Harper's Bazaar and editor in chief of Vogue, Diana Vreeland. "Keep the rhythm of your life -- never look back, always look forward."

Moving forward is what Michele Vreeland does best. Propelled by an imaginative and restless spirit, a curiosity about life and art and the willing ability to share it with a growing audience, she projects a vibrant mission of meaning, motivation and magic.

Follow Michele on Twitter

Befriend Michele on Facebook

Send Michele a Friend Request on Myspace..
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MusicMonday 2010 [Week 11]

What a week!  We are VERY excited about all of this week’s submissions (SXSW, Haiti/Chile Benefit etc.), and as we prepare to head to Austin, TX for SXSW 2010, we’re assuredly going to be bringing back A TON of fantastic music for you to explore throughout 2010 and beyond!  Check out our diverse submissions from such geographical areas as Ireland, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Finland, Romania, Bulgaria, Canada and Brazil – and from all throughout the United States!

If you're on Twitter, you probably are already hip to the use of hash tags (#) to identify topics and trends ... and you probably see the same ones every Monday, "#MusicMonday", "#musicmonday" and "#MM".  These hash tags facilitate worldwide recommendations/promos/plugs/playlists/reviews/concerts/gear and MUCH more throughout Twitter, and now the entire web!  ..
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2010 Playlist Update #02

Alt. Rock, Americana, Ambient & New Age, Blues, Classical, Contemporary, Country, Bluegrass, Electronic, Folk, Hardcore, Punk, Holiday, Indie, Jazz, Lo-Fi, Metal, Pop, R&B, Gospel, Soul, Rap & Hip-Hop, Reggae, Ska & Dub, Rock & Roll, Singer-Songwriter, World, ... + much more!

Listen Live Online 24/7 by Clicking Here!..

Sydney Wayser: SXSW 2010 Preview [Interview]

Join Brian Ball, Host of WomensRadio Music Review, in welcoming 23 year old French-American singer-songwriter, Sydney Wayser, who is about to embark on a tour to Austin, TX for SXSW and over to Europe for the Les Femmes s'en Melent festival.

Sydney shares anecdotes surrounding her upcoming album (which is to be recorded at The Magic Shop in NYC with the uber-accredited Steve Rosenthal), her brand-new van which will facilitate her upcoming tour to Canadian Music Week in Toronto and out to Austin, TX for SXSW, bits about her December ’09 Hotel Café residency and more recently, her co-hosted live webcasts and interviews on Justin.tv.

*Name Drops: Norah Jones, Arcade Fire, Coldplay, Lou Reed, The Living Room, Kickstarter, Pretty Good Dance Moves, Hotel Café Tour, Rachael Yamagata, Ingrid Michaelson, Thao Nguyen, Nicky D'Agostino, April Smith, The New York Times, The Taproom at Six, Yoko Ono, Paul Simon, John Lennon

**Recommended Listening: Grizzly Bear, The Scandinavian Half-Breeds, Jeff Buckley, Animal Collective

***Check Out Sydney’s SXSW/Tour Schedule + Receive A Free Download at SydneyWayser.com

More about Sydney Wayser: ..
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Maria Bamford: Comedian. Actor. Nice Lady [Interview]

Join Brian Ball, Host of WomensRadio Music Review, in welcoming one of the most original and innovative comics of all-time – the one and only, Maria Bamford!

Maria was the first female comedian to star in two half-hour Comedy Central Presents specials.  Her latest CD, Unwanted Thoughts Syndrome was named one of the best comedy albums of 2009 by Amazon.com and Punchline Magazine, and one of the top ten comedy albums of the decade by The Onion’s A.V. Club.  You can hear her voicing characters on the Emmy-winning PBS animated series WordGirl, and she joins WomensRadio to share a little bit more about herself, and what she’s got coming up in 2010. ..
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MusicMonday 2010 [Week 10]

As the excitement of SXSW grows…as do our radio/podcast submissions!  This week we’re proud to share with you a handful of artists that we’ll be either shooting HD Video of, recording audio, interviewing, writing about during/after SXSW, or are just plain enamored with!  Also, check out a variety of submissions from around the world (Sweden, UK, Brazil, Canada & the US)!

If you're on Twitter, you probably are already hip to the use of hash tags (#) to identify topics and trends ... and you probably see the same ones every Monday, "#MusicMonday", "#musicmonday" and "#MM".  These hash tags facilitate worldwide recommendations/promos/plugs/playlists/reviews/concerts/gear and MUCH more throughout Twitter, and now the entire web!  ..
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Geela - "The Veil of Life" [Album Review]

In this timeless release the listener is granted an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look into the world behind the veil.  This true and hidden world is only accessible to those wishing to move beyond convention, those who are ready to take a leap of faith into the unknown, hand-in-hand soul-by-soul with none other than the most adept of guides, Geela. 

Throughout The Veil of Life, there are many standout moments, including the caliente Spanish dance number, “Bailalero”, the thoroughly entertaining, “Faith Is Magic” and most definitely, “Behind The Veil Of Life”; all of which you can discover through the AudioAcrobat® player at the top of this page.

Don’t be fooled, The Veil of Life is one of the most honest and sincere world / new age / pop albums you’ll discover this year, and we’re overjoyed to share with you the love and light of Geela!..

Pumping the Canadian Arctic Full of Musicals and Youthful Songwriters

Join Brian Ball, Host of WomensRadio Music Review, in welcoming Jack Cooper of Cooper Studios/Pump Records.

Jack, along with his brother Jan, run two Canadian vocal performance schools, one in Vancouver, British Columbia, and another in Edmonton, Alberta.

Throughout the past 20+ years, Jack has been going above and beyond the call of duty in his career as a vocal coach and artist development to help introduce musicals to the Canadian Arctic, as well as showcasing many young, up-n-coming songwriters, through Pump Records, his BC/Alberta-based youth label.

Discover just how much one person can do to make a difference in the world…in less than 10 minutes! ..
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