Broadtexter Weekly

When I first listened to Morgan Bracy I was most struck by the quality of her voice.  Morgan has such control over her vocal sound you feel she is capable of doing anything with her voice.  However, like many great singers such as Sarah McClachlan or Mindy Smith, Bracy has a way of keeping her voice reserved and calm…only to let it explode when she needs that extra push to send a song over the top.

It’s no wonder that Morgan Bracy has received her share of accolades over the years.  In 2000 Morgan was a finalist in Ed McMahon’s Next Big Star National Online Competition.  In 2002 she became a finalist in Embassy Music’s 7th Annual Songwriter Competition.  This past year Morgan was chosen as a finalist in the prestigious Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas; joining the ranks of past finalists Lyle Lovett, Lucinda Williams, and many others. 

One of my favorite songs off Bracy’s 2007 release Dirty Laundry is her song ‘Hang On’.  The production value alone on this track is worth mentioning.  Bracy has assembled a cast of uber-talented musicians to flush out her pop sound.  In particular, I feel that the guitar player and drummer are worth special note on this track.  The song also has a beautiful message of pain and struggle without being mushy or preachy. 

Not only is Morgan a singer who can deliver a strong vocal, she is also a writer who is not afraid to be vulnerable and honest in her lyrics.  Morgan has candidly said about herself, “I’m just a regular girl who’s been through some really tough times. Still, I’m determined to make the most of them and appeal to people with struggles by providing an outlet for their pent-up frustration and their joy through song.”

It’s clear Bracy has been influenced by such some great artists like Leigh Nash, Damien Rice and KT Tunstall.  However, Morgan Bracy has a sound all her own and is certainly an artist worth watching.

Leland Grant writes great pop songs with great production - If I was a music supervisor I would take a hard look at Grant.  One of things that I like about Grant’s brand of Pop music is that his songs have a positive message without being preachy.  A good example of this is the first song on his Myspace page ‘No One Gets Left Behind’.  This song is a real rock song that you could see actually being a stadium type anthem.  Yet, if you listen to the lyrics it is quite deep.  I hope that this next part does not come off wrong, but I would also say that young pop artists like Miley Cyrus (http://www.myspace.com/mileycyrus) would be smart to take a look at the writing of Leland Grant and think about covering some of his songs.  Not that Grant’s stuff is fluff at all.  However, it is just so well crafted that some songs lend themselves to this area of the music publishing world.  

Of course, not all of Leland’s material is quite so pop.  He also has an adult contemporary singer/songwriter sound reminiscent of Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty and even an artist like Jason Mraz.  The musicianship on Grant’s recordings is also worth noting.  I know that Leland Grant is based in Los Angeles, CA and he is definitely making good use of the abundance of great studio players out there.  I would be curious to know who is playing drums on his song ‘Lovers and Friends’!

Leland is not only known for his singer/songwriter talents but also for his acting.  Grant was the winner of the VH1 singing contest In Search of the Partridge Family.  Over the years Grant has headlined concert events to benefit the ONE Campaign and played well-known regional venues such as The Norva in Tidewater, Virginia.  Be sure to check out his Myspace page as he is a regular on the local LA singer/songwriter scene.

I especially recommend checking out the first song on their Myspace page ‘Anonymous Bodies’.  The song opens with a sound reminiscent of Six Pence None The Richer, but quickly moves into a much tougher, hard hitting, atmospheric vibe.  Lead singer Evan Rowe’s voice is smooth and very un-pushed in his delivery style.  He almost falls behind the beat at times with his phrasing but never too far and always stays right in the pocket.  Another stand out moment in this song is Rowe’s guitar solo.  Without a doubt, it is one of the freshest and non-derivative approaches to a guitar solo I have heard in a while.  This is a band I would love to see live!

Catalonia was founded by long-time friends Evan Rowe, Chris Horgan, and Kevin Brauss.  The band’s first full-length release An Island Is Land was recorded over the course of a year at The Jungle in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.  An Island Is Land is the long awaited follow-up to Catalonia’s self-titled EP from June of 2004.

It is clear that the band took its’ time in the studio while recording their latest effort.  Not only is Rowe’s songwriting incredibly polished and tight, the studio magic and production value are in full effect.  A much lesser band would have simply played their songs down and sent them out into the world.  However, Catalonia is constantly experimenting with sound and pushing the envelope as you can hear in a song like ‘All It Is’.  At the end of the song it sounds like all the equipment in the studio melts down completely and just explodes.  

I highly recommend finding out when this local Florida band is in your area!

Catalonia - Links
MySpace

Mobile Club 

The most amazing thing about Jason Moss is that he is only 15 years old.  How this singer/songwriter is so mature beyond his years musically is a mystery.  It may of course have something to do with the musical influences that inspire him to continue to write.  For fans of John Mayer and Damien Rice, you will have a new favorite musician - Jason Moss.

It’s hard to say what’s most impressive about Moss - his voice, his guitar playing, or his songwriting.  The Vocal quality of Jason is something that definitely leaps out of the speakers and brings the listener in immediately.  His voice is clear, strong and commands a major presence.  Moss’s sense of melody and harmony is also worth mentioning.  His song ‘Come Back Home’ opens with a finger picking reminiscent of the great Lindsay Buckingham.  When Moss’s voice enters he reminds me of the singer/songwriter Josh Rouse in his smooth and hushed delivery.  However, the song really takes off in the chorus over the lyric of I WANT YOU / TO COME BACK HOME.  This song is perfectly packaged for a prime slot in a Film or Television show.

Jason Moss - Face Your Fears

Digging a bit deeper, I found out that Jason has assumed the role of a ‘one-man band’ ever since he started piano lessons at 7 years old.  Moss even played all the instruments on his self-recorded demo tracks.  Moss says, “I love the vulnerability of being on stage alone.  It gives me a greater opportunity to bond with my fans.”  Impressively, not only does Jason handle all of the musical aspects of his career, but he also manages his own; promotion, marketing, and website/graphic design.

Jason can be found at venues all around the Bay Area, so be sure to check out his Myspace page for all his live performances.  His songs have earned him over 150,000 plays on Myspace and an online fan-base exceeding 15,000.  You can even hear Moss’s music played over the airwaves of Sirius Satellite Radio.  Be sure to check out Jason’s latest EP as it is now available on iTunes.

Realign is definitely a Hardcore / Progressive / Rock band in the truest definition of those words.  The vocals of lead singer Brandon Jamison along with the screaming vocals of (what I can assume is) brother Ryan Jamison are really what gives this band their distinct and original sound.

The band has recently recorded and released their sophomore record New Wine.  To help them capture their live sound on tape and help bring their songwriting to the next level, Realign recruited Billboard charting producer Jeremy Luzier (mixer for Kimberley Locke).  This collaboration has yielded a newer, edgier Realign sound with more depth lyrically and musically.  

Realign has also shared stages with some pretty big acts over the years such as Kutless, Thousand Foot Krutch, and Day of Fire. 

One of the things I like best about Realign is how they mix a hard rocking and screaming song with beautiful melodic sections.  For example, check out the song ‘Run Away’ available on their Myspace page.  This song opens with one of the best sounding distortion guitar riffs I have heard in a long time.  The timing and precision of guitarist Brandon Jamison is truly mesmerizing.  Not to be over-looked is the rhythm section of drummer Michael Dotson and bassist Mike Patten.  

Realign, based in Normal, Illinois, will be touring throughout the summer months in support of New Wine.  Be sure to check their Myspace page for a full listing of their upcoming performances. 

What I like most about Martha’s Trouble is the way they mix current singer/songwriter songs with modern day production, as well as referencing elements of the 80’s and 70’s.  Imagine if Amiee Mann of Til Tuesday continued to write songs…that would be Martha’s Trouble today.  Martha’s Trouble also manages to mix in aspects of newer Aimee Mann and Michael Penn, as well as Jonathan Brooke and The Story.  They also have a simplicity and optimism in their writing that reminds me of fellow Broadtexter band The Weepies.  It really shows on the song ‘Everyday Love’. 

Martha’s Trouble is a singer/songwriter band but they’re also a great Pop band.  The rhythm section of Rob, Jake, Paul and David is about as good as you could get.  The have the musical chops of bands like Del Amitre and Fleetwood Mac.  Be sure to check out the vocals of lead singer Jen.  I’m not sure who writes a song like ‘Why’ but what an amazing song it is.  I love the rhyme of NOTHING MAKES SENSE / I’M CLIMBING THE FENCE.  Also check out the Wurlitzer Keyboard as well as the great electric guitar solo.

It’s no wonder that Martha’s Trouble has been swimming in accolades for years now.  Jen was awarded Female Vocalist of the Week my reviewer’s in the Americana Genre, Garage Band Records.com.  Their album Sleeping Dogs won Best Americana Album of the year in the 2004 Just Plain Folks Awards.  They have also garnered numerous TV placements on networks such as Lifetime and CBS.

  

Martha’s Trouble works on the road, even with a rigorous national touring schedule, as you can see from the dates on their MySpace page.  Go to a Martha’s Trouble show and you’ll hear the same vocal quality and musicianship that you hear on their recordings.  They don’t hide behind studio magic….they are the real deal.

Daylight Broadcast is truly one of the best bands I’ve heard in a long time and most definitely a band to watch!  What’s most amazing about this them is how young they are.  They remind me of a ‘Foo Fighters meets Jimmy Eat World‘, but what really gives them their maturity is their elements of Death Cab For Cutie and older U2.  Also, I think that Randall’s hi-hat work is worth mentioning because it lays down an incredible rhythm for the rest of the band to work over.  His originality reminds me of young Stewart Copeland.

In ‘Hell or High Water’ they sing YOU SAID IT’S OVER / YOU SAID IT’S OVER…that really stands out as a ‘calling card’ for this band.  The lyric itself is very strong and I think (if performed correctly) would sound like things are falling apart; and that is exactly what Daylight Broadcast does at that point in the song - they fall apart.  The vocals go a little haywire, the drums start to fall apart, and yet it’s done with such calculated perfection that it sounds like things are falling apart together.  Even though the vocals are falling apart and doing weird slides, there is still a perfect harmony going on all the time.  

Daylight Broadcast are not just band members but also really good friends. That comes through in their music because it just ‘feels’ like there’s a real trust among them as they play.  They’re one of those bands with members who really listen to one another while they are playing their music.  The fact that they are a 5-piece (and not a 4-piece) makes all the difference in the world.

If label like Fueled by Ramen had any sense at all they would take a serious look at Daylight Broadcast. They are a band that definitely has Pop radio hits!

The thing that really stands out to me about Patrick Bloom is his rhyming patterns.  They’re completely original, incredibly complicated, and yet sound totally natural.  One of my favorite rhyming patterns is on  ’Queen of Oklahoma’ where he rhymes BUSTED with RUSTED and then ends with an open-ended, un-rhymed GO.  On the next line he rhymes CHECKS with BREAKS FIXED (which, by the way, would have been enough if he just used FIXED, but he added BREAKS) and then tops the entire thing off by referencing back to that open GO and rhymes it with TOLEDO!  A perfect rhyme, none the less.  This is the kind of masterful songwriting that you rarely hear these days.  You’ll hear it in an artists like Gillian Welch, David Rawlings, and Steve Earle, and maybe a handful of other contemporary songwriters, but, for the most part, folks with this kind of talent are few and far between.

The thing I like most about Bloom’s song ‘Don’t Come Back’ is that it has a true chorus.  The verses have incredible movement to them, like classic chord progressions that you’d have heard on Carole King’s Tapestry album or Carly Simon’s No Secrets record.  This song has the simplicity of the song ‘Our House’ On CSNY’s classic 1970’s album Deja Vu.  I love the harmony vocal of the female singer on this track…which I can only assume is Megan Valencia.  I’m also a sucker for a song that opens with the lyric YOU ALWAYS SEEM TO NEED YOUR SPACE / SO GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY PLACE.

For fans of Paul Simon and fellow Broadtexter artist David Mead, I would recommend checking out the song ‘Julianna’ on Bloom’s Myspace page.  When I dig a little deeper into the bio of Patrick Bloom, it’s no wonder that I see the type of critical acclaim that he has received over the years.  Patrick’s latest CD charted #10 on the Roots Music Folk Chart and #14 on the Euro Americana Chart.  Bloom was chosen by CDBaby.com as an Editor Pick and was also selected as a runner up in the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival Songwriter Showcase.  

Patrick Bloom has migrated from the black dirt of Iowa, through the housing projects of East Los Angeles, and the working class industry of Long Island’s Southern Shore.  All of these different life experiences seem to seep into the writing and rhyming of this great songwriter.  This is an artist who deserves a good hard listen.