Tom Woll Photography

Clap Your Hands Twice is a punk band out of Germany that has released an acoustic EP in June of 2010.  I discovered this a few months ago and I have to say this was a very good find. The music on this release definitely has a punk rock feel it and mixes elements of blues, country and folk here and there.  The songs are catchy, heartfelt and have an edge to them.  There are a couple that are almost blues-rock and others that are straight rockers and they flow very well together. The songs are well crafted and musically interesting. The band plays them with urgency and this keeps things sounding like they could fall off the edge at any moment but are still kept in a ring of control. I believe this is due to the band being a punk outfit, they can keep an edge and a bit of chaos in the mix. I don't really know much about this band and could not find much info on the interwebs but I really dig this EP.  You can find Clap Your Hands Twice on Facebook .  Listen below...

This made me laugh.  Enjoy Click for a larger view

Dallas, TX duo Expressure have a self recorded & released album titled album We'll Think Of Something.  Expressure is comprised of Emily and Ian Kaskan but they are in the process of putting together a full band to back the album. The music can be best described as pop-rock-blues-jazz.  Sometimes I hear this as a blues band with pop & rock sensibility with a handful of jazz thrown in. Other times I hear this as a jazz-pop album with a hint of rock and a bit of blues tossed into the mix.   To me this is one of those albums that will sound different depending on your mood, and that is a rare and very good thing.  The songs are sung by Emily Kaskan with the vocals, guitar, bass, drums & piano all sharing an upfront area in the mix.  This does not make for a cluttered sound but rather a more pleasant and full sounding mix.  The sound is big, and full without being overbearing.  It works very well for the musical and vocal style throughout all o...

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I have been listening to a young singer from California's bay area named Tara Priya for a while now and I'm digging her old school style.  She sounds a bit like a late 50's or early 60's jazz/soul hybrid with a good measure of blues and pop sensibility thrown in to keep things more interesting.  She has released an EP that is soulful, beautiful and almost haunting in a good way. Tara's music seems to draw on such renowned artist as Norah Jones, Alicia Keys, Etta James, Sam Cooke & early Billy Joel. All of this while holding an identity of her own.  The songs have a clean structure yet the melody is diverse and filled with emotion.  Play this in a ballroom and I think the dance floor would fill up in a hurry.  I would love to spend an evening in a small club listening her belt out tune after tune. A quick visit to her website and I learned she is the great-niece of the renowned Persian poet, Sohrab Sepehri .  It seem artistic ability runs in her family....

No not a Klingon battleship.  Ok my geek was showing there, just a photo I found in the archives and thought I would share.  I hope you enjoy. Click for a larger view

Hailing from Dayton, OH comes a rock band with blues sensibility and a psychedelic twist.  The White Soots released a self titled album of fuzz-guitar centered rock.  The vocals have a cool echo on each track that would sound out of place in many bands but not only works but fits this band perfectly.  This album shows the influences of the Soots without sounding like a cover band.  There is the obvious Zeppelin comparison due to the fact the songs are rock with a foot firmly planted in the blues and a dirty sounding guitar.  I can also hear references to Pink Floyd, The Black Crows, Faster Pussycat & Jeff Beck just to name a few. The music ranges from all out rockers, to full on blues, to slower softer rock all blazing forward with the intensity of a freight train going full steam on the open range.  For fans of 70's rock or 90's grunge fans to fans of today's modern hard rock this is a definite addition to your collection.  The album sounds raw an...