Tag: Reading

Lani Renaldo: Trainwreck

Posted on Posted in #ilivefor, 2020, Alternative pop, Artist Bio, Chill, Chill Rock, Emo Pop, Facebook, Indie, indie music, indie music playlist, indie playlist, Indie pop, indie pop playlist, Instagram, Pop Music, Pop Rock, Singer, Spotify, USATagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Lani Renaldo

Mora May PR

@jocronin

Editorial

Feelings suck.

They f**k with your head, and they can really make your day go to sh*t.

They straight up f**king suck.

I’m not just saying this cause I really love the “**”, because feelings really can take a toll on you. Most writers that are like Lani Renaldo, use songwriting and music production as a way to express their feelings. It’s the same reason why people go to therapy…

If you keep swimming in an ocean of thoughts and let your feelings run your life, then life just wouldn’t be fun and enjoyable. You can’t just sit in your room after a bad day and expect yourself to get over it in time. You need an outlet.

Lani uses her music as a way to understand her feelings. That’s her outlet.

If you don’t have an outlet, then stop reading this article. Stop right now… And find one.

Feelings suck. But you don’t have to let them control you.

Table of Contents

  1. Editorial
  2. Who is Lani Renaldo?
  3. Inspiration Behind Trainwreck
  4. What’s Next for Lani Renaldo?
  5. Thank You Notes
  6. Links
  7. Conclusion

Who is Lani Renaldo?

Music has always been a huge part of Lani’s life, she started at the early age of 3. At that age, she started playing drums. She grew up in the “golden era of Disney Channel,” watching people like Demi Levato and Miley Cyrus making it big as teenagers. “I thought because they were 16 and making music, I could too,” she says.

The young stars she grew up watching were her influences for her early albums, “I actually attribute a lot of my confidence, songwriting and guitar moves to them,” she adds. 

Lani tells me that she has a wonderful and supportive fan base that she feels really lucky to have, she feels like they really care about her music. “I’m queer – so I have a lot of fans that are queer as well, which is awesome. It’s really a community,” she says. 

Inspiration Behind Trainwreck

I was working at a job I really didn’t love and after coming home one day, I started to panic and seriously thought I was having a heart attack. It was really a turning point for me in a way, because in writing (Trainwreck), I realized that making music was really the only thing I loved doing and in not being able to have that creative freedom in my day-to-day, I was not serving myself.

Lani Renaldo (8/31/2020)

Lani’s music has a dark aroma to it, a lot like Halsey and Alessia Cara. I really like the symbolism in the songs, I feel it adds an unique twist her music.

I enjoy a lot of these songs, and for the ones that I don’t enjoy are more of personal taste. I would love to see her collaborate with the likes of WTCHOUT, Svniivan, Nikademis, and other EDM musicians that are well-known in the Unedited Music community. I also think it’d be cool if she experimented with an Alessia Cara sound.

Trainwreck, Body Language, Nineteen, and many more songs by Lani will be added to our Indie Unedited Spotify playlist. Make sure you check all of our Spotify playlists on our Linktree!

What’s Next for Lani Renaldo?

(Opening for Halsey) was a really great opportunity! I’d never performed in a venue as large as the Shrine, so it definitely forced me to level up performance wise. I spent a ton of time rehearsing and learning about what goes into a show of that caliber. Being on that stage is seriously one of my favorite memories. 

Lani

“I think I’m always looking to evolve my sound and push myself to outdo my last release. Right now, I’ve really been on a 80s inspired kick — I think it’s because I’m inspired by the 1975. I feel like they are fantastic about experimenting with new sounds and I’ve always wanted to replicate that in my own career. I just want to have fun and make music that people can not only relate to but that they can dance to, celebrate and enjoy!,” says Lani.

Lani actually just came out with a new album, so congrats to her. You can listen to NOHEARTBREAK2020 now on all platforms. She’s constantly creating new music and projects, so more is definitely planned to come out in the near future!

If you want to keep up with Lani make sure as always follow and/or like the links below!

Thank You Notes

I would like to thank Lydia May (Mora May PR Agency) for connecting me with Lani Renaldo, she is truly a rising star in the music industry. I am very happy and excited to see where her music will lead her in the future.

Lani Renaldo’s links:

Mora May PR Agency’s links:

Unedited Music Blog’s links:

Conclusion

Have a great rest of the week, and make sure you wear a mask in public and respect everyone they way you’d like to be treated. I am going to bust my a$$ to try and get the next article out before the end of Sunday, so keep an eye out for that!

No Heartbreak (2020) by Lani Renaldo

Elliot Lee Review: Bubble Gum Pop

Posted on Posted in #ilivefor, 2020, alternative, Alternative pop, Artist Bio, Backstory, Blues, Change Campaign, dark pop, dream pop, dreampop, electronic, Emo Pop, Facebook, Future Star, Good Vibes Only, Guitar, Indie, indie music, indie music playlist, indie playlist, Indie pop, indie pop playlist, Inspirational person, Instagram, Interview, Music, New York City, Pop, Pop Music, Pop Rock, Soundcloud, Spotify, USATagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

Elliot Lee

Shore Fire Media

@jocronin65

Photo taken by Shervin Lainz

Editorial

This month I have focused on musicians who are passionate about mental health. If I could give a megaphone to them, they’d all speak strongly in these subjects that they believe in.

The first week I wrote about Sarabean. Sarah is a 16-year-old musician from Florida, and has been open about her struggle with depression and loneliness in her music. She wants to make music that other people her age and/or are lonely too, and let them know they are not alone.

The second week I wrote about Trish Discord. After Trish graduated from college with a degree in psychology, she integrated her love in psychology and music by making songs that talk about mental disorders. She did this by writing about what people with a certain mental diagnosis go through both symptomatically and emotionally. She did this as a way to raise awareness for those disorders.

Last week I wrote about Seepeoples. After Will Bradford and the band decided to halt their music journey in 2011, Will went into rehab because he was struggling with addiction. When he came out of rehab and decided to return from Seepeople’s hiatus, the band continued to be a voice for their fans who have very different opinions and views than most of the society. The band stood for something that others are afraid to stand for, just like how so many who struggle with mental health are afraid to stand up for themselves.

This week I am writing about Elliot Lee. Elliot stands for a lot. She stands for mental health, stigmas, and much more. If you browse through her Instagram, she has been very vocal about standing with the Black Lives Matter movement too. Her music is for the masses as she says in her song Dirt, and if I could give the megaphone to anyone of these musicians I’ve mentioned above.

I wouldn’t hesitate to give it to her.

Table of Contents

  • Editorial
  • Who is Elliot Lee?
  • Inspiration Behind Elliot Lee’s Music
  • What’s Next for Elliot Lee?
  • Thank You Notes
  • Conclusion

Who is Elliot Lee?

Music has always been a huge part of Elliot‘s life for as far back as she can remember. “My earliest memory is of laying in a red flyer wagon & listening to music on my portable CD player while my mom pulled me around the parking lot on a warm, humid night in Hawaii,” she tells me.

As a child she had to move on from many homes and friends who were her people/things to lean on. At one point she found it hard to open up to people and kept everything bottled up inside her. According to American Songwriter, Elliot said that “I started listening to music that really spoke to me and I realized that I could use music as an outlet for myself”. As a result, she pulled out her ukulele and put her thoughts and feelings on paper as she played various chords.

Today Elliot doesn’t only have music to help her with her baggage, she also has fan base that is like a family. “It feels like life put us through so much & one of our rewards for surviving so long is this comfortable little community of fellow misfits, a place where we can finally feel understood & safe. That’s what it is for me, at least. I hope others feel the same,” Elliot says about her fan base.

(At one point) I went through a really dark time in my life, music felt like the only friend I could turn to. I started using songwriting as a means of venting & coping with my experiences. Since then, creating music has kind of become a survival tactic for me.

Elliot Lee (8/5/2020)

Inspiration Behind Elliot Lee’s Music

There are many people in society that struggle to keep a smile on their face without masking their emotions. There are also many people in society who don’t struggle to keep a smile on their face without masking their emotions. But what music does for everyone rather they like it or not is so powerful. Music finds that happy medium.

Elliot explains that Upside Down is “a deep dive into what it feels like to go through hardships & continually struggle to get out of bed while grappling with all the ‘what if’s’. What if l didn’t care so much about others’ opinions? What if l didn’t always feel inadequate? If I didn’t struggle with all of this, maybe 8 would be strong enough to lead my bubblegum soldiers to the top of the world, but for now I’m content with keeping them company down here. :)”

Music like hers is why so many people like myself consider music as an essential piece of their life, if there was no music then there is no coping strategies, no meaning to life, no purpose to share our thoughts or opinions, etc. This is why I admire her so much, and even the word “admires” doesn’t do the justice of how much her music means to me and so many others.

Four years ago I saw so few reasons to live. I felt like my voice wasn’t worth being heard, so I kept everything behind a closed door. But since finding this outlet, I’ve been able to help people, and that alone is my new reason to live…. I want people to hear my music & know that they deserve to be heard too.

Elliot Lee

What’s Next for Elliot Lee?

Elliot wants to continue making music that allows her listeners to have a safe space, but she also wants to try new things as well. “I sort of just plan to go in whatever direction feels fun & true to who I am as a person!” she says.

But for now, the pandemic is quite literally putting a pause to everything. She wants to meet her fans, but right now she’ll have to wait. However, that is not stopping her from writing and other creative things.

I implore everyone who enjoy her work as much as I do to click on the links below, and keep an eye on them for more content in the future!

Thank You Notes

Not to make Elliot feel bad, but this article literally took over a year to prepare. The reason why it took so long was because Elliot had a lot of moving pieces happening within that year. Long story short, I eventually tracked her down through her record label (Photo Finish Records). Who may I say are very nice and professional people! At the end of the day, everyone including myself is happy, and I wouldn’t of had it any other way.

Elliot Lee’s links:

Photo Finish Records:

Unedited Music Blog’s Links:

Conclusion

Have a wonderful week, and remember to respect other people and to stay safe. If you feel sick then stay home until a doctor or medical professional clears you. If you have to go into public also remember to wear a mask.

GoodBadUgly by Elliot Lee (2020)

Izzy Thomas [unedited] Music Review

Posted on Posted in 2020, alternative, Alternative pop, Artist Bio, Blues, Classic Rock, Facebook, Future Star, Guitar, Guns N' Roses, Indie, indie music, indie music playlist, indie playlist, Indie pop, Indie Rock, Instagram, Interview, Music, Pop, Pop Music, Pop Rock, Rock, Singer, Spotify, UK, UKViral50Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment
Photo taken of Izzy Thomas by Dorota Szostek Photography
Izzy Thomas (taken by Dorota Szostek Photography)

“‘But I don’t want to go among mad people,’ Alice remarked. ‘Oh you can’t help that,’ said the Cat. ‘We’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.’ ‘How do you know I’m mad?’ said Alice. ‘You must must be,’ said the Cat, ‘or you wouldn’t have come here.'” Alice In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. Stress is something that can cause a whole lot of emotions depression, anxiety, compulsive behavior, mood swings, and… It can drive you mad. Izzy Thomas is talking about a man who is driving her mad by denying they aren’t falling in love with her in her song Mad.

As a child, Izzy learned to write poetry at a young age and then merged her poetry into songs. It was at that point when she wanted to put a melody to her songs. These songs were heavily influenced by rock and pop legends like Lenny Kravitz and Michael Jackson.

Nowadays, Izzy finds influences in everything around her. “Whether it’s things that are going on in my own life, or someone’s close to me, if it inspires me then I create,” she says.

She tells me her ever growing fan base are extremely loyal to her, and she would even consider her friends. “They’re cool as hell!”

“I was pretty hung up on someone who did the typical, ‘I’m starting to like you, I’m scared, I’m going to pull away now!’ move. It was so annoying! A lot of people are so emotionally unavailable these days, i think if we all grew the f**k up, the whole love thing would be so much easier!”

– Izzy Thomas talking about Mad (3/18/2020)

I really enjoy listening to Izzy’s music, and I can certainly hear influences in her music such as Lenny K and Michael J. Her powerful voice really goes well with her rock and pop sound. A weird little observation I have is that if you listen to each song after the next, for instance Mad then Trouble… The two songs really transition well into each other.

One message Izzy has for her fans, is to “empower each other, lift each other up. Nobody is your competition, apart from you.” This is a powerful thing to say, especially with a pandemic affecting a lot of people worldwide that is also definitely causing a sense of panic at the sametime.

“I have a new song called ‘Everybody Wants Something From Me’. I wrote that after having a panic attack haha! Big cities can be pretty overwhelming places.”

-Izzy Thomas talking about her favorite song that she’s working on

A favorite new song that Izzy is working on is called Everybody Wants Something From Me, which is about how overwhelming big cities can be. She says that she wrote after having a panic attack. She really likes the direction she is currently taking, and this song will continue that trend. However, she wants to build her sound so she can make it stronger, “with out-of-the-box ideas” she says.

After the world has come back to normal and everyone stops talking about COVID-19, Izzy is hopeful to reschedule her tour that she was on. She was meant to be supporting Marisa and the Moths alongside Finding Kate this month, but of course that was cancelled due to the current pandemic. She is also holding off her new releases until this state of emergency is over, and she really hopes she doesn’t have to wait too long.

She tells me that, “In a couple of months I’ll definitely be giving my fans a new song. In the meantime, they will be able to support me directly, and watch new videos/live streams/behind the scenes stuff via my Patreon page at Izzy Thomas Official.”

Would like to thank Lydia Reed from LPR Agency for connecting me with Izzy Thomas and other amazing musicians. You can follow Izzy on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to her music on SoundCloud, Youtube, and Spotify. You can follow Unedited Music Blog on Facebook (@uneditedmb) and Instagram (@unedited_music_blog), and listen to other musicians reviewed by us on our Spotify playlist. Have a nice week! Stay home and don’t be stupid!

Mad by Izzy Thomas (2020)
Mad by Izzy Thomas (2020)

Overall: 5/5

Mad: 5/5

Trouble: 5/5

Top Song: Mad (2020)

Moana A. [unedited] Music Review

Posted on Posted in 2020, alternative, dark pop, Indie, indie music, Indie pop, Interview, Music, Only Sun, Pop, Pop Music, Soundcloud, Spotify, USATagged , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment
Moana Pionertown (Photo Taken by Sarah Lleon)
Moana Pionertown ~ (Photo Taken by Sarah Lleon)

I understand why Rita Ora says she doesn’t “wanna hear sad songs“. I get it, your in love… But what exactly is so bad about sad songs? Sad songs make us look at our happy lives and help us find that perfect medium. I bet there are plenty happily married songwriters who write depressing music, and guess what… They’re probably as happy as people who write more uplifting songs are! That’s why I loved Moana’s version of Kelly Clarkson‘s Since U Been Gone. Kelly’s version reflected “an empowering message of finding the best out of a potentially tough situation”. But Moana twisted that message into a darker and more cynical version. She says, “it sounds more like pretending to be okay, and trying to deal with strong feelings, while still showing vulnerability.” In my opinion, Moana’s version represents an equally powerful and relatable struggle. So I ask again, what is so bad about sad songs…

Like most musicians I have reviewed, Moana says music and song writing has always been a part of her life. For a long time she would keep her songs locked away just like a diary, because they would be just for herself. When she was a teenager her piano teacher suggested to her dad that she should go to Berklee School of Music for college because he thought she would thrive in that setting.

“I did and he was right,” she says.

Growing up in the Caribbean, Moana was exposed to all sort of styles of music and she took a little bit of each with her. Such as co-writing, “I love how the sum is greater than the whole when working with other people, because we can enhance each others’ ideas to new levels,” she says.

Her fan base doesn’t really know what to expect from her, because they don’t know exactly what kind of crowd she is looking to attract. However, they are very supportive of her nonetheless. “When I had a crowd-funding campaign in 2013, I felt humbled by all the help I received from so many people!”

“Growing up in the Caribbean, I heard ALL sorts of different styles of music, and took a little bit of each with me. One of my favorite things is mixing genres. When I’m going through rough times, songs just pour out of me, and it’s always been easier for me to write sad songs.”

-Moana A. (3/14/2020)

I choose to not review Moana’s 2013 album called Dotted since it was entirely different beast compared to her latest releases, so I will disregard that album and allow other people to give their own opinion.

“Wild Card is about being confident and unpredictable, without needing to fit the mold,” Moana remarks about her first single release of 2020.  This song is so powerful and reflective of what she is as a musician. Moana, like previously mentioned, has released a lot of different songs… So she definitely is unpredictable. But the vocals in this song represent how confident she is in what she makes.

Moana’s version of Since U Been Gone continues her pursuit into a newer sound, a sound that she might just continue to produce consistently.

I really like these two productions, and I am very intrigued to hear where she goes from here. I want her to continue to put out music she feels confident and vulnerable in, but I also want her to push herself and her genres. I would love to see her explore sounds that are unlike any other. It would be nice to hear something different just like what she did with Kelly Clarkson’s song.

“I want to write orchestral pop with film composers; acoustic, stripped down song; rock songs, pop songs, Caribbean songs. All the songs! The one consistent thing will be that I will be releasing new stuff consistently from now on.”

-Moana A.

Now I want everyone to take that introduction sh*tting on happy songs, and just forget what I said. Cause guess who has never written a happy song… Moana… And guess who wants to produce a happy love song…

“I started writing words. Then a melody came. I was afraid to show him, but when I did we immediately came up with a guitar part that I LOVE, and it became something so beautiful that now I’m scared of even finishing, for fear of somehow not making it perfect. I feel like this will be a very important song and I want to give it the best I have. We’re recording it this month.”

That’s right… Moana is going to be recording a happy love song this month… Talk about unpredictable…

*insert GIF here*

So I guess she will producing a happy love song in the future, but she will be releasing a lot more than that. “I want to write orchestral pop with film composers; acoustic, stripped down song; rock songs, pop songs, Caribbean songs. All the songs!”

One thing is for sure though, she will be aiming to release a new track for each month… Doesn’t that sound familiar… *cough cough Only Sun‘s 2018 tracks cough cough*…

So with that said, everyone and myself should be looking forward to another track from Moana this month… Don’t be shocked if it’s a happy song…

I would like to thank Moana for her continued communication, I was really excited to review her because she seems like a very kind and passionate person about her music. You can listen to her music on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, and SoundCloud. You can follow her on her social medias; Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Also, feel free to join Moana’s mailing list! You can follow Unedited on Instagram (@unedited_music_blog) and Facebook (@uneditedmb). You can also listen to other songs that have been reviewed on Unedited through both Spotify playlists (This Is Unedited (newest playlist in celebration of our 3rd year!) and UMB’s Favorites). I hope everyone stays COVID-19 free and healthy, and I hope all college boys and girls enjoy their extended spring break!

Since U Been Gone by Moana A. (2020) ~ Photo taken by Ananda Dhar James

Overall: 5/5

Since U Been Gone: 5/5

Wild Card: 5/5

Top Song: Since U Been Gone (2020)

Damien Gibson (unedited) Music Review

Posted on Posted in 2020, alternative, California, Chill, electronic, Facebook, Future Star, Hip Hop, Indie, indie music, Indie pop, Inspirational person, Interview, Music, Pop Music, R&B, Rap, Singer, Soundcloud, Spotify, USA, Warped Tour, YoutubeTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment
Damien Gibson taken by rollovbaer

I was going to add a nice long quote, like I’ve been doing recently for past articles, but you know what… You can’t really philosophies a philosopher. And that’s how I view Damien, he’s wise beyond his years… And those kind of people you can’t really find wiser words than their own. So I will begin this article by saying something Damien would be surprised to hear… I was actually kind of hesitant to review his work. I was afraid that after 2 years of really exploring and taste testing soo many different genres of music, I would change so much as to dislike his kind of music. But I was pleasently surprised because I actually didn’t hate it. I loved and still love his unique videos (especially his new music video for 18 Pañatas) and his tracks that had a feel of Frenship, Drake, Blackbear, and such artists. All in all, I feel like if you enjoy R&B, hip hop, and electropop then you’d definitely enjoy his most recent album called Domenika.

Then, I was going to dive into Damien Gibson’s answers to my questions about his past… But I think he was high cause here are his answers…

John: are you high? Damien: Depends. John: Okay um so, What inspired you to start making music? Damien: Pass John: What influences your songs? Damien: Totally random stuff John: So, What is your fanbase like? Damien: I don’t know. if you mean demographically or numbers. I’ll just say my fan base is amazing and I love them very much.

I took on this blog because I’ve always had a big passion for music and invested a lot of time in my life to discovering new music. The blog was a thing I wanted to do to prove that a boy from a small town can make something bigger than themselves. But not all people are living to improve the person they were, and that’s okay. This is true for Damien. Sure the guy always wanted to make music for his career, but he isn’t doing it to prove a point. He’s doing it to prove that a dream can be fulfilled through a pure passion. And honestly, that’s really cool because that’s why music is music… Now back to his review…

“What makes (my music) different is there an overwhelming sense of impending doom. Like you can just tell my crazy side is about to pop out at any moment.”

-Damien Gibson (8/8/2018)

I find myself listening to Damien’s music on my own time and keep liking it more and more as I do. His favorite song he’s made he said is Media Mirror, however I can’t find that song so I’ll just have to take his word for it. For a very long time I tried to comprehend what it was about his music that I loved so much. I knew that I absolutely loved the alternative sound mixed with electronic and dark pop… But he said it best with the quote above that refers to the sense of “impending doom” in each song. It’s an infectious sound he’s got, and it’s hard not to like and/or appreciate it.

“I don’t really have any. Just be an entertainer. Make music that feels good. That takes life to the next level I don’t know about five years but I know that I want to have 1,000 songs before I die so there’s that.“

-Damien Gibson

I don’t actually know what is in the works at the moment for Damien, but that’s cause I haven’t talked to him for a while. As soon as he tells me something that he’s working on I’ll probably announce it on Facebook and/or Instagram. Either way as soon as I hear he released new music I will share it on social media.

I wanted to thank Damien Gibson for being very patient with me, it’s been about two years since the interview was done. This article has been a long time coming, and I guess you could say I was waiting for the right timing. Anyways you can follow Damien on Facebook and Instagram. You can listen his music on Soundcloud and Spotify, and watch his awesome music videos on YouTube. You can follow Unedited Music Blog on Facebook (@uneditedmb) and Instagram (@unedited_music_blog). You can listen to other songs that have been previously reviewed on Spotify. Have a fabulous week!!!!

Continue reading “Damien Gibson (unedited) Music Review” →

J. R. August [unedited] Music Review

Posted on Posted in 2019 Pop Music, 2020, Alternative Americana, ambient, Artist Bio, Chill Rock, Croatia, Europe, Facebook, Folk Rock, Indie, indie music, indie music playlist, indie playlist, Indie pop, indie pop playlist, Indie Rock, Inspirational person, Instagram, Soundcloud, SpotifyTagged , , , , , , , Leave a comment

J. R. August

“A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, ‘This man was with him.’ But he denied it. ‘Woman, I don’t know him,’ he said. A little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them’. ‘Man, I am not!’ Peter replied. About an hour later another asserted, ‘Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean.’ Peter replied, ‘Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!’ Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: ‘Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.’”(Luke 22:56-61) Betrayal is everywhere, it’s even in the Bible. In fact, this quote was among many many other quotes of it’s kind. J. R. August speaks of betrayal and a lack of understanding in his song Crucify Me. Although he leaves the song open for interpretation, his meaning makes more sense to me. Out of all 10 songs that fulfill 58 minutes and 13 seconds of time to listen to, Crucify Me is my favorite song. This song (similarly to most of the songs in Dangerous Waters) is heavy and can be meaningful to so many.

“The sheer joy I felt while (making music) for the first time,” August tells me when I asked about his inspiration behind producing music. He goes on to explain that he started composing and writing songs as soon as he got his first synthesizer on his 4th birthday. August says, “it was a small red 2-octave Casio keyboard and I was so fascinated with it that I started spending more and more time with it. I always felt the need to create something that didn’t exist before and I’ve been creating ever since!” All in all, he felt an obligation to create music. J. R. continued to make music and up to now he has gathered a total audience of almost 12k (total of followers on both his Instagram and Facebook pages). He tells me that he loves his fans and that they are truly supportive of him and everything he does. They fund all of his expenses including his albums, music videos, merchandise, and more. August tells me he “tries to maintain one-on-one communication as much as I can, but lately it’s become much harder because there’s more of them each day!”

“Songs are such peculiar things and even though I write them, sometimes I don’t quite understand them until much later. They are similar to life in that way.”

-J.R. August(11/27/2019)

“For me personally, Crucify Me is about lack of understanding and about betrayal. I wrote it in 15 minutes few years back when I was in a really bad state due to my depression. Fortunately, I feel great now and as it turns out with songs, as I mentioned it before, it seems the song is about hope as well. I just didn’t know it back then.” I chose to begin talking about my thoughts on August‘s music with this quote cause it shows just how important his songwriting is to his production process. If your not used to songs being longer than 4-4:30 minutes long, then you would probably ask why write such long songs. August’s longest song reaches over 9 minutes, and of course I have yet to listen to that whole song (The Brown Trout and Nightingale). “I think, since I write them myself, I have the right to write them as long, or for that matter, as short as I like. This album is my first LP album and it’s dedicated to Mother Nature, to rivers and streams, to mountains, to friendship, to relationships we have with ourselves and with others… All these things take a long time to be born and developed, they don’t happen over night. I guess that’s why my songs are long. They mimic nature,” says August. With this said, I really admire how he chooses to use his music to express himself and how he produces his songs as well.

“I have more than a 100 finished songs and something like 10 albums ready to be recorded. That is why I really don’t have a favourite song at the moment, there are too many to choose from!”

-J. R. August

August is constantly making music and albums, but right now he is focusing on advertising his material. He is currently asking for help with advertising his music expanding his audience in other areas of the world outside of his home country (Croatia). “I’d really like to come to the UK and play some shows there,” he says. More music is expected to be released at some point this year.

I would like to say thank you to J. R. August for answering my questions, and Lisa from Knight PR for introducing me to this fantastic singer-songwriter. I don’t get requests to review musicians from the same small country that legendary football player Luka Modrić is from. You can check out August’s music on both SoundCloud and Spotify, and follow him on Instagram and Facebook. To read other articles please feel free to scroll through this website because they’re plenty more amazing musicians that you definitely have never heard of (at least that’s what I hope). If you like what you read about any of these articles then you can listen to them on Unedited’s favorite songs on our Spotify playlist! You can follow us on Facebook (@uneditedmb) and Instagram (@unedited_music_blog).Have a nice weekend, and go 49ers!!!

Dangerous Waters by J. R. August (2019)

Overall: 4.5/5

Dangerous Waters: 4.5/5

Top Song: Crucify Me (2019)

Cedric Brazle: South Florida’s King of R&B

Posted on Posted in alternative, Alternative pop, Artist Bio, Contact information, Emily Krings, Indie pop, Inspirational person, Music, Pop Music, R&B, Singer, Spotify, USATagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Cedric Brazle is coming in hot to the South Florida music scene. Motivated by his ability to connect with others through music, Cedric is on the path to hit some of his greatest goals. He hopes to create a non-profit to reach young boys through the power of music. He wants to empower the youth and inspire others to breaking free of their limitations and lead successful lives.

Humble Beginnings

With a talent stemming from a family tree full of musicians, Cedric was destined to fall in love with music. He first flirted with music as a child when he took piano classes. The love grew as he joined a local choir. Today, the piano and vocal chords are still his instruments of choice, but he would love to learn how to play the guitar.

In addition to his musical grandfather and uncles, Cedric is continuously inspired by the support team he has created and the dreams he hopes to make a reality. He is hoping that his music will carry him around the world. Cedric intends for his music to serve as a vessel for other people, as he only sings about things that he feels are relatable.

@b.lvvk@b.lvvk

The Inspiration Behind the Art

Some of Cedric’s favorite musicians are Michael Jackson, Sam Cook, Usher, Brandy and Chris Brown. He hopes to have the positive effect on others that these artists have had on him.

Two pieces of advice that Cedric has for anybody who hopes to be successful are “don’t let others put their fears on you” and “stay out of your head and keep pushing forward.” To him, a huge part of success is connecting with others.

With his glowing personality, heart of gold and undeniably beautiful voice, Cedric will surely go far. Keep an eye out for the big moves he will be making in his music career. You will not want to miss it.

Continue reading “Cedric Brazle: South Florida’s King of R&B” →

Moodbay [unedited] Music Review

Posted on Posted in 2019 Pop Music, alternative, Alternative pop, Artist Bio, MoodBay, SpotifyTagged , , , , , Leave a comment

Moodbay 2

A vast amount of musicians I know have been mostly self-taught, and for Anna Stephens and Alfie Cattell that is no different. Producer Alfie Cattell taught himself how to play the piano at 14 from which point he was inspired to make his own compositions. Singer/songwriter Anna Stephens started writing music on her own when she moved to Paris in 2014 and then made melodies on her mom´s piano in England. In my opinion, this is what makes musicians so special and a definite example of how talented they can be. 

Moodbay are made up vocalist/songwriter Anna Stephens and producer Alfie Cattell and are based in England. Alfie tells me his inspirations are his two brothers (who are both guitarists and songwriters), The Beatles, and Radiohead. The band seems to be influenced heavily by what Anna is inspired by, but for now they are looking up to musicians such as David Bowie and Chvrches. ¨Sometimes Anna will come up with a melody in the shower and run down to the studio in a towel before Alfie starts to put a groove to it. Other times, Alfie will come up with a song idea at about 5am whilst Anna is sleeping (we’ve got opposite body clocks). Anna will add vocal melodies to the song the following day. Other times we’ll write together, influenced by something we’ve heard or talked about recently,¨ said the band.

¨We have some enthusiastic supporters and we want to keep them interested. We’re also looking to grow a bit of a following at home in the North East, with the live side of things.¨

–Anna Stephens (Vocalist for Moodbay) [8/10/2019]

¨Alone is about a man Alfie saw when he was driving, and was walking towards traffic in the middle of the motorway at 3am. He had his hood up and you could just make out his mouth. This led to me and Alfie talking about what his story could be,¨ Anna says. It is amazing what you can make a song out of, in this case it is just a hooded man walking down the street. The imaginations that Anna and Alfie have are remarkable and another piece of what makes them so talented. Listen Up is no different, it´s minimalistic and sharp. There’s not a lot I can criticize the band, however I want to encourage them to use their imaginations and continue staying true to their sound and eclectic music.

¨We like all genres and we aren’t worried about whether the music conforms to a trend, so our music as a whole can’t be placed easily in any one genre. That doesn’t mean to say we are anti trends or anti anything.. We just try to make good songs and we use all the experience and tools we’ve learnt over the years to do our stuff.¨

-Anna

The band tells me that ¨the future isn’t certain but we know we still want it to be electronic, with human emotion.¨ They do hope to continue making music that keep getting better, and ¨as long as we can afford Polski bread and tea we’ll be laughing¨. After the release of Alone on August 16th, they are coming out with a debut album which will be released towards the end of the year with a love/hate theme to it.

I would like to thank Anna, Alfie, and everyone else for being so patient for this review. It wasn´t burn out because I love writing, and it wasn´t boredness because I literally get 6 to 10 review requests from bands ranging in so many genres every week. I guess it was the feeling of not being heard, but after so much support and encouragement I see now that people do read my articles and that’s all I ever wanted. Anna and Alfie are truly good people with an amazing talent and if you would like to follow them then you can find them on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to their music on Spotify. To see future posts and updates for Moodbay and all other musicians then please feel free to like/follow Unedited on Facebook and Instagram. Have a wonderful rest of your weekend!

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Listen Up (Dark House Radio Edit) by Moodbay (2019)

Overall: 4.8/5

Alone: 4.9/5

Listen Up (Remixes): 4.6/5

Listen Up: 4.8/5

Top Song: Alone (2019)

Bree Lefler [unedited] Music Review

Posted on Posted in 2019 Pop Music, alternative, Alternative pop, Artist Bio, Indie pop, indie pop playlist, Indie Rock, Pop, Pop Music, Singer, SpotifyTagged , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

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In my personal opinion, a song should never be forcefully written. Making a song should be about something that is meaningful. Now I understand all songwriters are different, and there are many or some writers that can just write a song without any personal influences. But to people who are rather emotionally creative people like Bree Lefler, music isn’t meant to be created forcefully… It’s meant to be therapeutic… “I’ve never been a formulaic songwriter, and all of my best songs have been inspired by my real, messy, beautiful life: ups, downs and all,” Bree says.

“I’ve always been very creative” says Bree, who at a young age started singing Disney songs. Then found passion and love for poetry. At age 14 she learned how to play the guitar and booked her first show in her hometown of Colorado Springs. “I remember preparing for the show and looking up videos of people like Taylor Swift performing live and thinking to myself, ‘this is it.  This is what I want to do with my life.'”  Bree says she´s inspired by life and mental health. Her fan base draws a lot of dedicated inspiration from her, rather younger or older then her. Young fans are dedicated to support her music online, while her older fans really relate to her music. “While I was on tour, I talked to some people who are substantially older than me about some really deep stuff and have heard so many inspiring stories about how these people have overcome addiction, mental health issues, you name it.  It’s all very cool to be a part of,” Bree shares with me.

“I strive to make real music and that brings light to the tough s**t that we all go through but don’t want to talk about. And the fact that it’s drawing in people of all ages and backgrounds is so great.”

-Bree Lefler (7/10/19)

Bree asked for a review of Hypochondriac, and her other music. “Hypochondriac is such a multi faceted song that it’s difficult to pinpoint one thing that it’s about.” When she was growing up Bree struggled from a debilitating autoimmune disorder that would have her on the couch for weeks at a time and found it to be too personal to describe to classmates much less her school administrators, and people usually told her that it was all in her head.  “And it made me feel crazy! I neglected my health for years after that because I was worried that my pain really was just in my head. So, I took that concept of being made to feel like you’re crazy and applied it to a very toxic on-and-off relationship I had been a part of,” says Bree. The idea of the song is about a very manipulative person tearing someone else down and tells the person struggling that they’re the crazy manipulative one. This idea for a song is unique, and I find a lot of inspiration from her creations such as this song. As a song writer it can be hard to be creative with such a frustrating subject, but Bree definitely has created something that is powerful after all her years of struggling  to believe in what she was dealing with.

What is something most fans don’t know about you?

“Oh jeez, I’m kind of an oddball so there’s tons of weird stuff about me that none of my fans know.  One fun fact is that I love boxing! I used to be in the boxing gym 5 days a week and I still make my way over there whenever I get the chance!  It’s a great work out and there’s something so therapeutic about getting to punch a 100lb bag for an hour straight!”

-Bree   

I have very few things to say about Bree, all of it is good. I will repeat that I really draw so much inspiration from Bree after listening to her music and getting to know more about her. Her music has already touched so many people, and she should look forward to touching even more in the future. I really like the first EP she came out with towards the beginning of her musical career in 2015. Her new song called Atmosphere is a great song added to the collection. All her songs are personal, and that’s why I really like them. As a musician who doesn’t seem to mind to be open about her past I hope this is something she continues to do in the future. Now I want her to go forward with bettering her musical sound, and maybe even produce a song that sounds like a song you hear on the radio.

“(Tin Can Telephone is) definitely one of my darkest songs and I honestly wasn’t sure if I was going to put it on this EP.  But after sending it to some friends and sitting on it for a while, I decided that I had to record it. It’s one of my most honest songs ever and the message is so powerful.  It’s also one of my heaviest rock songs, so it’s a blast to perform live!”

-Bree Lefler

Bree says she will be coming out with another EP on August 22nd called That’s Sobriety, “I knew I wanted to make it very reminiscent of 90’s rock.  It still has some cool pop elements to it, but it’s definitely a rock record.” This kind of new direction from her pop-rock music to 90’s rock is something she’s excited about. “Some of my favorite artists are rock bands from the 90’s and early 2000’s, so that’s definitely the sound I’m diving into with my music,” Bree says. For the future, she is planning to be a full-time artist and stay true to her “artistic vision”. She just released a new single called Atmosphere that came on July 12nd. She will be headlining at The End in Nashville for my album release show. “I’m so incredibly excited to finally be sharing this project with the world” she says.

I would like to thank Bree for the request to review her music and answering my interview questions almost instantaneously. If you would like to check out Bree’s music you can by visiting her Spotify profile, and if you would like to follow her then you can find her on Instagram (@breelefler) and Facebook. For future updates, please follow our Facebook and Instagram (@unedited_music_blog) pages as well as listen to our Spotify playlist to check out all the rest of the music we have already reviewed. Have a great day, and congratulations for the Apollo 11 crew who are celebrating their 50th anniversary of their moon landing!!!

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Overall: 5/5

Atmosphere: 5/5

Hypochondriac: 5/5

Through The Walls: 5/5

Tides: 5/5

The Bree Lefler- EP: 5/5

Top Song: Hypochondriac (2019)

The Elovaters [unedited] Music Review

Posted on Posted in alternative, Boston, Reggae, Spotify, USATagged , , , , , , Leave a comment

@Positive Vibe Media
Photo taken by Positive Vibe Media

Something about The Elovaters is relaxed and welcoming, and something like having their music in the background that lightens the room. Meridian, Live By Day, and all the songs that they’ve released and probably will be releasing reflect their personalities, attitude towards life, and overall likeness. This is a beautiful quality they all share and one that all people should aim for. I guess that’s also what I hoped musicians would strive to be like to their fans, open and welcoming.

After changing their name from the Cornerstone to the Elovaters and releasing their debut album the boys from Cape Cod area were seeing success early. But then on October 26th, 2018 they shot up to #1 spot in the Billboard and iTunes reggae charts with their second album called Defy Gravity. Two months following their rise the album was voted Album of the Year in 2018 by Surf Roots TV & Radio. They have since played at the Levitate Music Festival (2018 and 2019), Sugarloaf Reggae Festival (2018 and 2019), and many other locations across America. They have also opened for Of Good Nature, Sun-Dried Vibes, Badfish, and just finished touring with Stick Figure in April. I had the chance to interview Jackson Wetherbee who is the vocalist for the Elovaters on Thursday March 28th, 2019 before they played an acoustic set at Medusa Brewing Company in Hudson, MA where they released their very own craft beer called The Elovater (the official link to get your own can will be coming as soon as I can get a link!).

¨I will say that I generally write all my songs late at night. I’ll come home from a gig, I’m a night owl and I’ll stay up till like 3:30 some nights to like 4 in the morning and I just kind of sit at my table. I’ll have Netflix on or whatever be answering emails and I’ll have my acoustic guitar with me. It’s just in those moments I find it to be very spiritual like just the complete and utter silence.¨

-Jackson Wetherbee (vocalist for The Elovaters) [3/28/2019]

¨To be honest with you, what inspired me to start writing music was just other music. When I was younger I got really into Slightly Stoopid and I loved the Live & Direct: Acoustic Roots album. I also really got into Jack Johnson and Dispatch. And so it was kind of like all those culminated together,¨ Jackson tells me. The lead singer goes on to tell me about how he taught himself to learn songs through acoustic and stripped down versions because it was easier to digest. ¨I liked the way that Jack Johnson kind of did that. The Acoustic Roots album (by Slightly Stoopid) was just so mind blowing to me because it was so simple just two acoustic guitars and vocals but it still captured the whole entire feel of a whole band reggae,¨ he tells me. He usually writes about general life events and experiences, with occasional ideas for songs too. Jackson tells me heś grateful for all the success and fan support, but does say he believes they are still growing. ¨We have a very dedicated set of fans and it’s almost like they’re sticky. And it’s like they’re floating through life and then they accidentally touch someone else that like into the music and then they are stuck together for life. And then the amoeba just keeps growing and growing and growing and inflating. And it’s all just love. Our online presence is growing and everybody is giving us just tons of love. There’s no bad vibes with anybody, and we’re really really grateful.¨

¨I was always extremely heavily into the Beatles. I have actually toured through Europe and Liverpool. That was the whole reason I even went to Europe was just to go check out the whole Beatles excursion.¨

-Jackson Wetherbee

I really enjoy basically all of the Elovaters songs, but I would have to say most of the songs are from Defy Gravity. What makes a good Elovaters song has to be the good vibes along with eclectic guitar/drums riffs. Meridian is their top song on Spotify with over 150k streams, but So Many Reasons (2018) has the most streams with over 300k streams. Jackson enjoys playing Gonna Shine from the Defy Gravity album (2018), and his favorite song heś working on is Nostalgia. At the end of the day, basically any Elovaters song is a good song so far because I have yet to find one that I generally do not like. Reggae also is growing on me fast, and I will have to thank The Elovaters and Of Good Nature for that…

¨We definitely don’t want to ever be a stagnant band that just kind of is a one trick pony. We definitely want to grow, which I’m sure every band wants to do that. For us, we want to keep writing better music. We want to just be deeper.¨

-Jackson

The guys are currently touring on their new tour bus… A LOT. After finishing their tour with Stick Figure they are going to be ¨home for three weeks and then we drive all the way back up to California for probably two or three weeks then again we’re home. We’re probably gonna be going back out in August to the west coast and the west side of the middle of America and we’re going to try and probably re-hit a lot of the markets we already played.¨ After that they will be releasing singles with a few bands, and probably another album later this year or next year. ¨I think with every album you make you increase the focus like the Kings of Leon fourth album. The fourth Kings of Leon album (with Sex is on Fire and like Revelry in Manhattan) they were increasing their focus on each album until finally their focus was perfect. And I will say that once our focus gets to somewhere where I’m really happy with it I don’t want to stray extremely off the beaten path,¨ says Jackson.

I would sincerely like to thank the guys from the Elovaters for keeping me in touch, and I really can’t wait for the next time we meet! You can listen to their amazing collection of music on Spotify, and stay updated on how they´re doing on Facebook and Instagram. If you want to see what I think of their future releases please go like me on Facebook and Instagram for updates! Have a fantastic day!!!

Defy Gravity (album)
Defy Gravity (2018) by The Elovaters

Overall: 4.8/5

Defy Gravity: 5/5

The Cornerstone: 4.5/5

Top Song: Meridian (2018)