05.31.08
THE LUCKY BUCKS
The Lucky Bucks are on the verge. The new trio is made up of brothers Matt and Andy Thompson with lead singer Jay Clementi. Although Clementi is the front man, the two brothers can also deliver fantastic vocals as witnessed in their two former creations – The Thompson Brothers and The Massacoustics. Both acts are also two favorites of The Music Advisory and THIS CD is still one of TMA’s all time favorites. Each Thompson incarnation could easily be featured here, but we thought best to share their latest musical evolution.
The Lucky Bucks were in the studio for a while with producer Radney Foster and you can get a taste of what they cooked up on their MySpace site and on YouTube. One of the videos is below.
This is an extremely talented group of guys. Jay has prime vocals, Matt can own the drums and bass (at the same time!) and Andy blazes on lead guitar. Together they have a sound that must be heard and a show that needs to be seen live.
Word has it that the guys lost their major label deal at Warner Brothers after being courted by them and Sony/BMG. This even before a debut single was released to radio. Another story coming out of Music Row that doesn’t make any sense, but The Music Advisory expects their luck to change for the better and that we will be hearing more exciting offerings from The Lucky Bucks.
05.27.08
CHASEN
Chasen is a band I was turned onto in February after their first single cracked the charts and their debut album was set to be released. I immediately gravitated to their fresh sound and found half a dozen tracks that I thought were stellar. They are a recently successful Contemporary Christian act, but they could easily be heard over multiple formats because of the quality of their work. In much of the same way that Switchfoot made the impacting move across genres, so could this band eventually if they wanted to.
Lead singer/songwriter Chasen Callahan, guitarist Evan Silver and drummer Aaron Lord recorded their own independent project and it eventually found its way into the hands of OMG, a new indie label in Greenville, South Carolina.
Their debut album, Shine Through the Stars, was released in April and was produced by Noel Golden, whose credits include Matchbox Twenty, Edwin McCain, and Lee Ann Womack.
Where so many bands fall short because they are banal and one dimensional, Chasen successfully finds relevance and distinctiveness. The Music Advisory highly recommends.
05.10.08
The Music Advisory: MUTEMATH
Many musical acts come and go as my favorites. I add their music to iTunes and then I burn it out. I see them once live and am not motivated to lay down money to see them again. There are but few who’s music I do not get burnt out on and who I will see every time they come to town if I am able.
One of those artists is MuteMath.
I first saw their intense show at the Exit Inn in Nashville several years ago and was blown away. Witnessed the four piece band several more times in Nashville and Austin. From the initial EP to their first official full length release, they have never failed to impress me with their music and talent.
Check them out for yourself with the creative “backward” video of their single “Typical” below and their Mute Math Myspace and Wikipedia sites. You may find they have a sound reminiscent of The Police and U2. Definitely has an 80’s tint to it.
Here’s a video from the second Exit Inn show I saw them at in 2006. It is the uniquely instrumental song “Reset”.
*The Music Advisory will be a regular element on this blog and will spotlight new or established artists I think stand out from the rest.
