Neethusha’s path was already mapped out, as she confessed her Indian upbringing and pressures from society could’ve hindered her journey, but it was her inner drive and determination to avoid letting the opportunity slip that has formed this free-spirited singer-songwriter.
After listening to the ‘voice in my head’, telling her not to back down, she began honing her sound and the Indian born vocalist is now here with her romantic ballad ‘Why Did I Lose You’.
However this isn’t Neethusha’s first jaunt into the music industry, she was lead singer with band StereoGrind, appearing on Kappa TV in her Kerala hometown. In the past she has performed at shows such as Facebook India Party and Femina Style Diva, South India in 2015 and since the band split has played solo gigs around the country including Elle Carnival in 2016.
You wouldn’t think life as a pop singer would begin as a computer science graduate, but as Neethusha embarked on life as an engineer in the Bangalore offices of Deloitte, it was music that provided the outlet to express herself.
She draws inspiration from a myriad of prolific artist’s which has inspired her open minded music. These include Savage Garden and Coldplay to powerful vocal performers like Shania Twain and Celine Dion, which would explain her aim to create music from a variety of genres such as funk, rock, and acoustic-led pop.
LINKS:
https://soundcloud.com/neethushavc
https://www.youtube.com/user/neethushavc
https://www.facebook.com/neethusha
https://twitter.com/neethushavc
https://www.instagram.com/vcneethusha
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Arlo – Rivers
East London based soul/ pop artist ARLO recently revealed gorgeous new pop song, ” Rivers”. Having been featured by Spotify New Music Friday and gaining the acclaim of a variety of publications, ARLO has revealed a stunning Jackson Ducasse directed video for the track.
The past few months have seen the fast riser take big strides forward, with two London sellouts at Camden Assembly and The Waiting Room as well as Mick Jenkins collaboration “Changing” cementing ARLO as an artist to watch throughout 2019. Clocking up over a million Spotify streams as an independent artist and press support from the likes of Complex, Highsnobiety, Nylon, The Independent and more, ARLO has been putting together a stellar catalog of releases and will continue to do so this year. Add him to your ones to watch list.
You can catch ARLO headlining 02 Islington Assembly on June 5th, 2019. Grab your tickets HERE.
LINKS:
https://www.iamarlo.com
https://twitter.com/iam_arlo
https://www.facebook.com/iamarlomusic
https://www.instagram.com/Iam_arlo -
KnightressM1 – Lock and Key
KnightressM1 has just released her new video for the track titled ‘Lock and Key’. the addition as a violin as a frontal instrument is captivating enough. If gives the song a whole new set of tonality and range that would not be there if a guitar or keyboard handled those melodic duties. however, that adds much flavor to an already flavorful track that the video really does a symphonic justice to.
But what KnightressM1 delivers is a complete and full track with a visual aid that adds a new and original cinematic flare that otherwise would not be there had this been another artist.
As of August 17, ‘Lock & Key’ will be available across digital outlets such as Apple Music and streaming platforms such as Spotify. The full ‘Dreams and Devastation’ LP is slated for release on September 25.
ABOUT KNIGHTRESSM1
KnightressM1 is a rock / metal power trio based in Oakland and the brainchild of violinist, vocalist, pianist and composer Emily Palen. Formed in 2011 with support from drummer Rob Ahlers (50FOOTWAVE, KrIstin Hersh), KnightressM1 was joined by bassist Uriah Duffy (Whitesnake) for the studio album.
Recorded at Foo Fighters’ acclaimed Studio 606 near L.A., this album was co-produced by Palen and esteemed producer John “Lou” Lousteau (Foo Fighters, Iggy Pop, Joan Jett). This 12-song collection is an ambitious concept album that explores both the emotional depths of personal transformation and the journey of cosmic awakening.
‘Lock & Key’ is inspired by the current planetary battle for human souls to break free from oppression waged down upon us by the hidden power structures. Ironically, this song became a personal anthem as Palen struggled to break free from domestic violence during the time of the album’s recording, ultimately illuminating that art/music is an unbreakable exit plan from the lethality of relational abuse.
“Recording gave me the courage to end a toxic relationship. It was like living in the sun, then going into the pits of hell. I trusted myself that I would get out of it, I just had to gather my resolve and courage. I always saw the truth of the situation but it was the being fully immersed with the recording of this album at 606 that helped me experience who I was, rather than how brutalized I felt in the relationship. I stepped towards the truth ultimately and broke out of that situation.
Music, art, expression, living in the depth of purpose, is a way to connect with the most powerful part of you. You will bring forth aspects of yourself that are strong enough to deal with one of the most difficult situations one can go through,” says Emily Palen.
KnightressM1’s sound is the sonic manifestation of Palen’s heart – relentless, always reaching for beauty and absolutely driven by intensity. Their music is fascinating in the integration of specific musical frequencies into her compositions. The further her journey with this band, the heavier and heavier the sound gets. The crushing intricate rhythm section blends harmoniously with her driving, searing electricified violin tone as the lead.
Fueled by a deep-seated necessity to defy limitation, they harness an intense internal life to fuel the trajectory of the band over the edge of the impossible. Their heavy driving bass and rhythm are rounded out with lots of harmonic layering and beauty.
KnightressM1 is the embodiment of musical manifestations, based on the thematic concept of a female galactic warrior, who comes to Earth to bring justice, hunt corruption and restore truth. Within universal language, M1 is code for unity. This is her identifier. Her frequency. KnightressM1 (KM1) is the vessel through which Palen creates and shares her unique contributions to what is more commonly known here on earth as the music industry.
“KM1 is me imagining my whole consciousness in a superhero avatar, a limitless being. A universal example of who we can all be, The power of harmony can break your heart wide open while the powerful rhythm and bass give you the strength to move through that opening. It’s heavily grounded while reaching very high. As with love and life, you must embrace all aspects of the spectrum to fully embody it,” explains Palen.
“You can’t change anything until you tell the truth about it. Once you expose the pain, the lies and the liar, then you have power. You can become free. You must first have the courage to face it.”
A violinist from the age of four (her mother was a professional cellist and violin/cello teacher), the classically-trained virtuoso has spent her life mastering violin, piano, singing and composition via rigorous training and practice. As a young adult, she began exploring the concept of transmitting consciousness through improvisation. Emily explored this power through sacred solfeggio in the steadfast belief that these specific audio tones have transformative power.
Since releasing her first solo violin improv album ‘Glass ~ Live at Grace Cathedral’ in 2012 and ‘Creation’ a year later, she’s become a sponsored artist with Engl Amps, a crucial part of KM1’s tone, and has played or recorded with Foo Fighters, Eric McFadden and Gretchen Menn, among others, both as a live performer and a compositional recording artist, Earlier, she became a finalist in the ‘My Grammy Moment’ competition and played live with orchestra at the Grammys, conducted by John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin).
“This album has saved my life in many ways. Everything that I have ever been through, every love gained and lost, every heartbreak that slipped away without justice now makes sense in the context of this album. It was all so I could write these songs and experience their alchemizing power. Music has always lifted me into an untouchable space, even when everything around me is breaking, even when I am breaking beyond what I can bear, beyond what I myself can repair, the music heals it.
When I’m completely honest with the music, it alchemizes the deepest pain and unforgivable betrayal into an unbreakable strength and love. We become greater because of the life we have lived, not in spite of it,” says Emily Palen.
LINKS:
https://www.knightressm1.com
https://www.facebook.com/knightressm1
https://www.instagram.com/knightressm1_band
https://youtube.com/emilypalen
https://open.spotify.com/artist/1rTKwDlXBNJnuOvmUhEQVy
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/knightressm1/id941125533 -
Twilight Fields – Demagogue
Canada’s Twilight Fields, the solo moniker of singer-songwriter Allister Thompson, has announced his new album ‘Songs from the Age of Ruin’, slated for release in early 2019. Ahead of this, he presents the first rather politically-charged single ‘Demagogue’, an expression of anti-populist sentiment.
Twilight Fields is truly a one-man show, with Thompson writing, playing, engineering, mixing, mastering and designing everything himself from his home studio in North Bay, Ontario.
‘Songs from the Age of Ruin’ is a warning to the present and an apology to a possible future. While Twilight Fields is best known for his blend of ambient, dream-pop and progressive rock influences, this album pays grateful homage to such artists as Billy Bragg, New Model Army, Killing Joke, Midnight Oil, and The Levellers, as well as other artists influencing his music like Leon Rosselson, Bob Dylan, Robert Wyatt, and Phil Ochs.
‘Songs from the Age of Ruin’ is also an uneasy but compelling song cycle that begins with the bombing of Hiroshima and the absurdities of the atomic age and proceeds to tackle such difficult topics as homelessness and economic inequalities (‘Lazarus’), the evils of populism and political repression (‘Demagogue’, ‘Taken Away’), the toxicity of social media communication (‘Offended’), animal rights (‘The Animal’s Song’), and the utter stupidity of war (‘Soldier Song’). It concludes with a three-part “climate change suite” (‘Loss’, ‘Barren Planet’, ‘Why Did We Do It?’) that lays bare the tragic human consequences of catastrophic climate change.
The album also contains two cover versions, including of Bruce Cockburn’s immortal classic ‘Lovers in a Dangerous Time’ and Thin Lizzy’s ‘Holy War’.
“While growing up, certain passionate, activist musicians were very influential to me. So much so that I’d say they changed and shaped the person I would eventually become. There has never been a more crucial time for musicians to step up and add their voices to the chorus of reason necessary to take us back from the brink of total destruction,” says Allister Thompson.
“The year 2019 finds the human species standing at a crossroads, with only two possible directions: survival or extinction. Artists should contribute their strong and clear voices to dialogues that could lead to our survival and renewal.”
Allister Thompson has had a varied musical career, initially playing with Toronto-based glam-rock band Crash Kelly, together with Sean Kelly (now guitarist for Nelly Furtado), and opening for such notable artists as The Black Crowes and Alice Cooper. He later veered towards making traditional folk music, progressive rock and ambient music, recording several ambient rock albums as Twilight Fields and numerous albums of ambient/Krautrock/psychedelia under the monikers The Gateless Gate and Khan Tengri.
As of December 6, ‘Demagogue’ will be available via online stores and streaming platforms, including Spotify and iTunes, as well as Bandcamp. The full album ‘Song From The Age of Ruin’ LP will be released on February 1, 2019.
LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/twilightfields
http://twilightfields.bandcamp.com
http://twitter.com/gatelessgate1