Big Rock Finish… reviews of independent music

This band was born out of blood, sweat and tears. Adam Rave was looking for solid band members and came across Matt Fox (bass) who strongly believed in the musical direction. Matt joined the ride and has been a part of this band ever since. Rave’s previous project was a hard rock industrial act that quickly evolved into something pop-based with a rock edge to it. The band had a growing following but knew that they had to re-think everything to really break into today’s market.That’s how ‘Roads To Rosetta’ came into existence.

Matt introduced Rave to Ethan Pounds (guitar); the chemistry was perfect and Ethan proved to be ‘the one’- he jumped right in and became a part of the family. The search for a drummer was next. Rave contacted one of his best childhood friends and asked him to give it a shot, and he did. Tom Piso was the final piece of the puzzle. Now fully complete, rehearsed, and armed with killer tunes, the band hopes to begin working on an album this year and plan to tour Canada.

Come see Roads To Rosetta at the upcoming events:
June 23, 2011 – Velvet Underground, Toronto Canada
July 1, 2011 – The Daisy Foundation – Charity Rock Show at the Rockpile, Etobicoke Canada
July 30, 2011 – El Mocambo, Toronto Canada

http://www.myspace.com/roadstorosetta

David is a singer-songwriter from New York who resides in Barcelona, Spain. His music fits decidedly into the Americana genre, blending elements of blues, country and jazz with an intense poetic sensibility.

He has been rapidly building an audience in Barcelona and its environs, where he gigs often with his quartet, The David Cevoli Band.

http://davidcevoli.com/

Her appearance may be at once celestial and disarming, yet Maya Solovey’s music is decidedly sure-footed and grounded. Although her compositions are unique and often unexpected, there is a palpable coherence and confidence to Maya’s music which allows her listeners to recognize the mark of a young musician who seeks perfection. As a result, Maya’s audience is always afforded the pleasure of feeling safe in her music. This is not to insinuate that her music is tamed, subdued, or simple–for it is anything but.

Raised in the Berkshire Hills and schooled in Massachusetts, Ecuador and Spain, Maya began composing and recording songs at fifteen, and released her first album at seventeen. Now, at age 25 Maya has merged the acoustic/folk songwriting tradition into the territories of pop, bossa nova, and even the high drama of cinematic scoring. Her music is a surprising, yet rational marriage between all these cultures–she sings in Portuguese, Spanish and her native English tongue. As a trilingual songwriter, Maya has trained herself in the art of honesty. She recognizes that certain emotions travel through lyrics that could only work sincerely in Spanish, Portuguese, or English because they fit into the languages’ cultural continuum and poetic tradition. Remarkably, Maya is able to successfully guide her different cultural influences and musical perspectives into a refined and studied genre of her own making.

http://www.mayasolovey.com

Lelia do the talking:

My career in bullet points because bios are boring:
- i was an egg, then i was fertilized, then i was born.
- first concert, paul simon age 3 the cajun dome in Lafayette Louisiana. cool
- Cajun Dome again, age 6, I sang Patsy Cline’s “Crazy” in front of 15,000 people, they cheered, that was cooler…

And it goes on from there, covering the next fifteen years in a similar tone, all the way through the recent release of her third full-length album Masquerade. Lelia’s been on a roll lately, with an Artist of the Month nod from The Deli Magazine, and an AOL Music premiere for her adorable new music video “Satellite,” all while her Youtube video cover of “Single Ladies” steadily notches over 2 million views. Her undeniable talent is turning heads everywhere.

In fact, the talented Ms. Broussard has just nabbed the FIRST PLACE PRIZE in RUSSELL SIMMONS’ MYSPACE CHALLENGE. Earlier this month music industry legend and mogul Russell Simmons hijacked MySpace and showcased 10 artists that he hand-picked as the most promising emerging talent for 2011. The public then voted to pick the best of the 10, and it was no surprise Lelia received the honors.

http://leliabroussard.com/

Team Genius will be releasing a series of 4 albums (3 EPs and an LP) starting in April.

www.thelovelyheartsclub.com

Deserts Xuan is a women of contradictions. I first saw her perform during MIDEM’s Taiwan Nights showcase. By far the best act in the lineup, her folksy indie pop style and silky voice drew the attention of a usually fickle MIDEM audience. “I was surprised how very calm and attentive the audience was. It was really touching to feel and see them listening to Chinese songs in such a sincere manner.”

But I had mentioned her being a ‘woman of contradictions’ with perhaps the best example being Taiwan’s premiere indie singer/songwriter while being signed to major label Sony Music. Considered a pop singer in Taiwan, she repeatedly exclaims “Lang Lang sucks!” in the middle of Times Square (considers him the Kenny G of classical music). A sweet girlish exterior with the mouth of a sailor (or more properly NYer). Xuan reportedly dropped out of high school because she “couldn’t stand the conservative restrictions”. Suffice it to say, Deserts Xuan has lots to say and is not afraid to say it.

Deserts is also vocal about her beliefs that the Taiwan government should take a more active role in supporting the country’s budding indie talent. “An opportunity like showcasing MIDEM should not just be for signed artists such as myself or 1976. The government needs to do their homework on the indie scene and identify those bands with the most potential, but that also reflects Taiwan’s unique culture. We have so much talent and potential in our small country, but the Taiwanese people doubt that potential most. The government can help develop it, in part by bringing such bands to events like MIDEM where they can realize what’s out there and what they are capable of.”

http://www.sonymusic.com.tw/pop/deserts/

Saidah Baba Talibah will take you on a trip, get you high, bring you to your knees and take you to that place called grace, all in one album. Toronto rock soul songtress Saidah Baba Talibah’s – who’s been described as Living Color-meets-Erykah Badu – debut LP (S)Cream is more than just an album: it’s an experience. The suggestive, choose-your-own-adventure parentheses around the ‘S’ in the album’s title are indicative not only of the album’s lyrical content, but of Saidah as an artist and as a person.

Born and raised in Canada, Saidah Baba Talibah’s music has been greatly influenced by Toronto’s musical and ethnic enclaves. She first created stories that reflect the multitude of sounds and styles emanating from the city as a founding member of the seminal soul/rock group Blaxam and was prominently featured on their 1998 EP, Kiss My Afro.

www.sbtmusic.com