2020-2021 ARCHIVES: Music & Lyrics
|
Ruth Davies is the September 2021 Featured Artist of the Month. She is a Bay Area native who has performed with jazz and blues greats Charles Brown, Elvin Bishop, Clark Terry, John Lee Hooker, Bonnie Raitt, Jay McShann, Van Morrison, Maria Muldaur, Etta Jones, Elvis Costello, Eric Bibb, Keb' Mo', Sammy Hagar, Terry Gibbs, Jimmy Witherspoon and Little Jimmy Scott. Her discography (including several Platinum and Grammy-winning recordings) covers various jazz and blues styles as well as movie soundtracks. She has recorded with Charles Brown, Bonnie Raitt, John Lee Hooker, Van Morrison, Sammy Hagar, Clark Terry, Vassar Clements, Toots Thielemans, Ernie Watts, Elvin Bishop, Maria Muldaur, Jackie Ryan, and Ramblin' Jack Elliott, among others.
|
|
Bettye LaVette is the January 2021 Featured Artist of the Month. Hailed by the New York Times as “one of the great soul interpreters of her generation,” this six-time Grammy nominee is a vocalist who can take any type of song – jazz or country, pop or rhythm & blues – and make it her own. Bettye’s commitment to artistry has earned the admiration of musical peers, such as Jon Bon Jovi. “She doesn’t just sing the song, she lives in each of them,” he said. Singer-songwriter Bonnie Raitt also praised her as “…one of the most incredible R&B singers singing today…a force of nature.” After a career spanning close to six decades, Bettye was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame (The Blues Foundation) in May 2020. Her latest album, Blackbirds, has garnered Bettye her sixth Grammy nomination for “Best Contemporary Blues Album.” In curating the songs for Blackbirds, Bettye has established a dialogue with the great women who preceded her while reaffirming herself as a vital, living presence.
|
|
Jacelyn Holmes (a.k.a. JACELYN) is the July 2020 Featured Artist of the Month. She is a Toronto-based singer-songwriter, actress and former host of CTV. Awards include “Emerging Vocalist of the Year” (MARTY Awards), “Artist of the Year, Adult Contemporary” (Niagara Music Awards), and “Single of the Year, ‘Growin’ Up’” (Niagara Music Awards). Internationally recognized composer/arranger/pianist, Amina Figarova, partnered with Jacelyn to arrange and produce her upcoming debut album, Dovetailing, which will be released in the fall. Her latest single release “Kaleidoscope,” a song that addresses mental health issues, is a collaborative effort with Figarova, and ASHA, an American rapper.
|
|
Leanne Weiss and Derek Allan joined forces to form the country music duo October Rose in 2016. Since then, they've been touring nationally and writing new music. Their debut EP All In has received critical acclaim from various media outlets, with their first single “Heartbreak Song” hitting country radio last year. Leanne and Derek are also finding ways to give back to the communities that support them. The duo recently partnered with Shatterproof, a national nonprofit, to raise money to help with the war on opioid abuse. Readers will find their newly released video "Different Kind of High" in the May issue and can donate to the cause.
|
|
Monica Pasqual is the January 2020 Featured Artist of the Month. She is best known for her work with the Bay Area "super-group" Blame Sally, of whom rock critic Joel Selvin wrote: “…one of the most powerful word-of-mouth success stories I’ve heard in recent years." However, Monica has managed to maintain an impressive solo career both before and during the Blame Sally years. Already the winner of six Independent Music Awards (IMAs) and six Emmy Awards, she took home three more IMAs with songs from her new album release and sixth solo effort, "You Can't Kill Light." Her songs have been used on numerous network television shows, and she has composed soundtracks for PBS, The History Channel and National Geographic TV.
|
