For those unfamiliar with Nneka, she is a serious political anti corruption activist minded artist of substance. Those who cherish and seek this sort of substance will love Nneka. Her songs often sound like personal love songs at first listen, only for the listener to get sucked into deeper messages with heavy stories of corrupt leaders, pillaged countries, stolen dreams and the desperate lives of real people in real places.
The full concert film below is of Nneka's performance at the The Rototom Sunsplash, shot in August 2013 during the 20th anniversary for the festival. Rototom Sunsplash takes place in Spain on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the resort town of Benicàssim, a NY walk from Castellón.
The entire concert is excellent, but a favorite start off point for return viewers is at the 22 minute point when she performs her song titled Do You Love Me Now, followed up by songs where the band grooves hard for the remaining 30+ minutes.
Trixie Whitley has been featured on The Indies family of music sites multiple times and her songs often reemerge onto the most played lists again and again.
She has been touring worldwide and there are so many great videos of her appearances. Just found this great take of of her song titled Need Your Love filmed live in Japan on a Internet show called On The Shelf TV. She delivers the song in a different way than I've heard before. It's a unplugged sort of thing with a swamp bucket funk sort of feel. It's soulful! Her accompanying musicians give it a minimalist flair and perfectly placed sounds. Love it!
Epick is a tight grooved R&B artist who raps with some funky rhymes and a fun flow worthy of a listen. The video was directed by Jamie Heinrich for 9000 wolves and was filmed in Reno, Nevada with random people Epick and the crew met on the streets.
Below is a great live performance by a gifted artist with a soul grounded in her unmanufactured skill set that will hopefully suck you in and make you forget everything for minutes. The artist has honed her craft since 5 when she began studying piano and jumped to cello when she was eight. Now in her early 20's, she has spent over 75% of her years woodshedding, writing, singing, and seriously playing. These are the kind of artists who deserve more recognition than karaoke singers auditioning on any wanna be Idol style program, in my humble opinion. She is Dominique Pinto who goes by the stage name of Dom La Nena. She is a polished cellist, vocalist, songwriter and all around recording and touring artist. Born in Brazil, but now firmly a well traveled citizen of the world who has trotted the globe not only to study, she travels far and wide to play for paying audiences large and small. La Nena's other songs and music videos at the links below are worthy of delving into for those who want to drop out and forget, if only for 40 minutes... her songs have a magic way of doing just that.
Dom La Nena - Ela (Live on Portugese TV in Europe)
*Credit for capturing this well shot performance goes to Portuguese language the late night TV program out of Portugal known as 5 Para a Meia-Noite.
Hear more Dom La Nena music on the following posts:
Here is another tasty Saucy Monky song from their series of Living Room Sessions :) This is one of the most underrated pop/rock bands on the planet with tons of personal and music soul. Enjoy!
Just below is the latest music video by Chance The Rapper to his song titled Everybody's Somebody's Everything, also called Everybody's Something, from the album titled AcidRap.
Out of France, here is a girl named Tina S. performing Eruption, originally performed by Eddie Van Halen. This was made when she was 14 years old. She is pretty darned good!
When she was about 10...
Tina S. performs Andante - Originally by Ferdinando Carulli
Tina S. performs Norwegian Wood looking like she was even younger...
A short film of cellist Zoe Keating filmed for "A Take Away Show", which is a series of live music performances filmed in random locations by indie director Vincent Moon. Usually shot in France, this particular installment of A Take Away Show was shot of Zoe Keating playing her cello in the middle of San Francisco International Airport.
A guy named Crash who ran a nightclub in Lake Tahoe in the 1990's shared this Oakland, California based band who used to play his club. Fungo Mungo is back at it with a very funky progressive rock band sound that has a wild sound slightly in the vein of where Oingo Boingo might meet the Red Hot Chile Peppers, and definitely as original as both.
Los Angeles based KCRW radio and their Morning Becomes Eclectic or MBE program comes up with fresh musical finds of rising as well as permanently obscure artists and bands worth hearing. The show is one of the great indie music hangouts of all time, where cameras roll in their tasty studio set up.
The latest MBE installment features the artist Hanni El Khatib and his band performing "Pay No Mind"
Saucy Monky is the name of a very tasty LA based four piece indie rock band with a big electric sound in a tight package. Saucy, as some fans refer to the group, is fronted by two adorably sexy and talented vocalists, Annmarie Cullen and Cynthia Catania, who both are solid guitarists, writers and arrangers on their own as well as together with Saucy Monky. The group has been recording a series of what they call their Living Room Sessions where they play in acoustic mode. This is their latest installment featuring their song titled "Turbulence" which was the title track of one of their past records. Enjoy!
Saucy Monky - Turbulence (Living Room Session)
and, next is one of their tasty songs and music video in 2006.
Saucy Monky - Disco Ball (2006)
and last but not least is their music video to their lesbian themed song titled Awkward.
Came across a great indie artist story on Hypebot.Com this morning. The artist is Alexz Johnson who has a great work ethic and some well crafted songs. The story on Hypebot illustrates the struggle that most aspiring recording artists wish they could go through. Alexz had managed to gain two different major label record deals, but ultimately they went nowhere. And that story is more common than not. Instead of become jaded and dropping out, she has kept at it. Rarely are artists able to keep their eye on the ball and stay in the game long enough to get any traction. Alexz Johnson is one of those rare artists who understands the mantra that persistence and determination alone can be omnipotent. Fortunately for Alexz Johnson, her music is solid and she has developed enough of a fan base to raise money to record and tour BEFORE she records and hits the road to tour. Besides just being a recording artist, she is like those in that ultimate entrepreneur class of business people who understand the idea that it is always best to get the order before buying the supplies. Alexz Johnson appears to be an artist and business woman worth keeping an eye on.
Here is a super duper tasty house track with some groovin' soul. Producers Artful & Ridney teamed up with vocalist Terri Walker to deliver the track that feels like a club hit titled “Missing You. Enjoy!
Stella Blackrose is one of those names like Led Zeppelin or Jethro Tull, for there is no person known as Stella Blackrose, just a solidly badass band. From Denmark, the group is fronted by a powerful lead vocalist named Rebecca Lou Armstrong.
I first wrote about the band several years back when they had self recorded some excellent raw tracks in their rehearsal studio with something like two mics. I loved those tracks very much because the pure intensity shined through the basic recordings in a way that I just knew this band has some powerful mojo.
The band searched for and found a producer, but in my opinion, ended up with some over produced tracks that lost that edge compared to when they were making recordings on their own. Oh well, it's happened to the best of 'em.
The songs and music videos below are fantastic, but happen to be part of the overly produced/slick batch of recordings referenced above. My gut is it would be great if the band re-released their basement tapes and strove to make other more raw recordings like them. The pure raw intensity of the group shined bright on those early self made demos. The band has that killer sound live. Bottled lighting! A real rock band!
Stella Blackrose - My Dying Sunset
These next three tracks below are all from a more recent Stella Blackrose album titled Death & Forever.
Stella Blackrose - Morphine
Stella Blackrose - My Sanctuary
Stella Blackrose - Feathers
*Update on Stella Blackrose - As of 2017, the band has gone separate directions and their former website is inactive. However, Rebecca Lou Armstrong is working on some solo material and The Indies has her featured at http://www.theindies.com/2017/03/rebecca-lou-no-surrender.html
Stella Blackrose
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Sydney Ward whose music project is known as Sunny War is a very authentic punk girl who I have seen and heard performing on the Venice Boardwalk for many years. She has developed into a master of old time blues. She has also developed a very unique picking style that can be hypnotic at times. She has attracted the attention of many legendary artists for collaborations, but I do not want to dilute her own name by dropping such big names. This is her latest live video. Relax for a few minutes and enjoy!
Teresa James is one of those artists who has a few songs that might remind you of Bonnie Raitt, except Bonnie Raitt comes to see Teresa play, leaving one to wonder who reminds who of who. The song featured below is not one of those, however. Instead, it has a style like it stepped out of the Motown era, beautifully!
A true indie, Teresa has that "it" thing in a real traditional and classic rock, blues and R&B sort of way and her band always nails it when playing live :) And, as far as her records are concerned, she only uses real players down to the last horn. Teresa James and her band known as The Rhythm Trams are the real deal for sure.
She's Got A Way With Men is The Indies favorite track off her album titled Come on Home
This is Sandhy Sondoro of Jakarta, Indonesia. The music video below is to Sandhy's song titled In The Name of Peace, which was song #5 from his 2004 album titled Why Don't We.
In the name of peace I'm gonna sell guns Spread all my hatred And start all those dirty wars In the name of peace I'm not gonna feel guilty For my nasty conspiracy Cause it's my own valiant commitment And I want you to join me At my community In the name of peace I would die to release Innocent people free Under my regime yeah In the name of peace Love and liberty I'm so proud to be a raper Of the entire human right And I want you to join me At my community And I'm not a braggart I'm the law No I'm not a god But yes I'm the leader of the freeworld
The Indies presents Hannah Cohen and the music videos for her songs titled Don't Say, Fantasty, The Crying Game and Sorry.
Please click the play button of the first video below and choose the high-resolution & full screen options. When the first music video ends, it will automatically be followed by the 2nd, 3rd & 4th videos, follwed by several more excellent music videos if you choose to let it roll. Press forward to skip any video or click the reverse button to replay or return to previous songs, or exit fullscreen to choose a new video.
Warning: Die Antwoord music videos may induce nightmares, scary twisted dreams and un-pure thoughts. They contains foul language and if you are under 18, your mommy might not want you to watch this.
Frame from Fatty Fatty Boom video, featured below
Die Antwoord is South African group that represents a unique style they proclaim to call ZEF. Their antics, freakishness and videos are works of art apart from their high art of music that they push to the limit in a very unique way. There will undoubtably be those "Moral Majority" types who will hope this band goes nowhere. These are artists who obviously feel free to be.
