Left Hand Smoke Rocks! Can I Get A Witness?
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Just like rock band Left Hand Smoke’s fabulous tune, “The LA Song,” “I’m going to go where it’s really real, and not black and white,” you need to dial into the real music, of this terrific and talented Seattle based group. On a rock scene where there appears to be a dearth of genuine innovators, Left Hand Smoke’s music is far from black and white. It is colorful, creative, and inspires listeners to tap their feet, move their hips, and sing along.
Left Hand Smoke’s lead singer, keyboardist and primary lyricist Ben Mish, took time to speak with me a couple of times over the past month, providing insight into the band’s music, answer questions about their albums, and to talk about their gigs.
Nicole Atkins--Totally Personal
New
Jersey rocker Nicole Atkins is one of the most intriguing recording and
performing artists on the music scene today. Although she has been performing
since high school, she is still relatively closer to the beginning of her
career than she is to the midpoint, yet she and her band The Sea have appeared
on The Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show, Late Night with Conan
O’Brien, and the Late, Late Show With Craig Ferguson. Earlier this summer,
Atkins and her band The Sea, twice toured Europe, performing in festivals and
promoting the current album
Neptune City.
Vicci Martinez Is Stoked!
"At this point I have made a commitment to this career and my music. I want it to be the best that it can be. I don’t want to get into the mindset where I am just going to be the suffering artist who never gets done, what I want to have done, plays the same thing, and then a year later never want to play that song again. There is a business in this, and I think I am realizing that I am in the business of making good music, not to be a poet, and get what I feel out there. What I want to have out there is a positive message for people,” says rock musician and songwriter Vicci Martinez, in her typical laid-back fashion.
Sarah Slean Has Traveled So Many Miles
As I sat with singer/songwriter Sarah Slean in the dining room of a Vancouver hotel, it was difficult to imagine that less than twenty-four hours before, I had witnessed this now quiet, and slender woman cavorting about the stage, while she performed her first of two concerts in this west coast city. Now she appears reflective and delicate, almost like a porcelain doll, but during her performance, she rocked out on the piano at moments, while at other times she kibitzed with her fans while singing in cabaret style.
The spring release of her CD The Baroness marked the fifth major release for the singer / songwriter, and she continues to build on the legacy of her three 2007 recordings, Night Bugs, her self-titled Sarah Slean (EP) and Orphan Music.
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Just like rock band Left Hand Smoke’s fabulous tune, “The LA Song,” “I’m going to go where it’s really real, and not black and white,” you need to dial into the real music, of this terrific and talented Seattle based group. On a rock scene where there appears to be a dearth of genuine innovators, Left Hand Smoke’s music is far from black and white. It is colorful, creative, and inspires listeners to tap their feet, move their hips, and sing along. 
New
Jersey rocker Nicole Atkins is one of the most intriguing recording and
performing artists on the music scene today. Although she has been performing
since high school, she is still relatively closer to the beginning of her
career than she is to the midpoint, yet she and her band The Sea have appeared
on The Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show, Late Night with Conan
O’Brien, and the Late, Late Show With Craig Ferguson. Earlier this summer,
Atkins and her band The Sea, twice toured Europe, performing in festivals and
promoting the current album
Neptune City.
