AUGUST 13, 2008
IT'S ALL ABOUT CHEMISTRY
Z02 TALKS TO ROCKWIRED
ABOUT THEIR NEW ALBUM 'AIN'T IT BEAUTIFUL'
THEIR UPCOMING IFC TV SHOW 'Z ROCK'
AND THE CHEMISTRY THAT KEEPS THEM TOGETHER

Truth is about as strange as fiction. No wonder they ain't scripting TV shows anymore! The story of a band that plays birthday parties for kids by day, and gets lost in New York City's rock circuit by night, with all of its dope and ass, sounds like the brainchild of a television writer in desperation, however it's actually the true story of New York rockers ZO2 who have released their latest CD 'AIN'T IT BEAUTIFUL' and are the subjects of a forthcoming television series Z ROCK (a semi-reality show which also stars JOAN RIVERS, GILBERT GOTTFRIED, and JOHN POPPER of BLUES TRAVELER) set to air on IFC (INDEPENDENT FILM CHANNEL) on August 24, 2008. It's all to easy to dismiss the whole project as simply a grittier, more testosterone-fueled version of THE MONKEES, but after viewing the pilot episode of Z ROCK, I must declare that the show is funnier than shit! While press is eager to describe the show as CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM for the rock set, I can't help but make the inevitable comparison to THIS IS SPINAL TAP! - had that movie been stretched out into a ten episode series. Given the knack that the band has for improv (the show is unscripted), I had to ask myself if these were actors or if they were a band. "The thing is that a lot of people are saying that this whole thing is just like THE MONKEES but the truth of it is that we are a band first." reassures vocalist/guitarist PAULIE Z. "We've never acted before and never wanted to act. This is going to be the first show ever where there was a real band and then it became a show. THE MONKEES were obviously put together for the show. They didn't even know each other before the show. So we're very happy to say that we are the first to do something." (READ MORE)

WHO LOVES THE SUN?

SUNNY DAY THEORY highlights LISA HILTON's dexterity on the piano with inspired originals (HEATWAVE and AFTER THE FIRE) and surprising takes on familiar compositions such as HOAGY CARMICHAEL's 'SKYLARK' and JONI MITCHELL's 'LADIES OF THE CANYON'. Backed by ace musicianship from the likes of LEWIS NASH (drums), LARRY GRENADIER bass), and BRICE WINSTON (tenor sax), SUNNY DAY THEORY is an engaging listen where HILTON's artistry rings loud and true. (READ MORE)

AUGUST 6, 2008
THE SWEETEST THING
ROBERT HOPE OF SENECA TALKS TO ROCKWIRED
ABOUT THE BAND'S DEBUT CD
'SWEETER THAN BOURBON'
THE STUMBLING BLOCKS ALONG THE WAY
AND HOPES OF BREAKING THROUGH IN THE STATES

Irish rock band SENECA have released their debut CD 'SWEETER THAN BOURBON' to enthusiastic audiences and an even more enthusiastic press. Many, such as HOT PRESS MAGAZINE and THE LIMERICK INDEPENDENT are eager to put money on the hope that SENECA will be the next band to take off from Emerald Isle much like their elders, THE CRANBERRIES did fifteen years ago. In all honesty, 'SWEETER THAN BOURBON' is a sweet surprise! The album, written by lead vocalist/guitarist ROBERT HOPE, is a catalog of disillusionment and disappointment; the cornerstones of anything that is going to be considered "alternative rock". However, SENECA transcends that label with topnotch musicianship  and songwriting that knows the difference between desperation and sounding desperate. It will be very interesting to see what happens when these guys and their music hit the airwaves stateside. Disenchantment has never sounded so enchanting! (READ MORE)

THICK AS THIEVES
SCOTT WEDDLE OF AMELIA TALKS TO ROCKWIRED
ABOUT THE BAND'S NEW CD
'A LONG LOVELY LIST OF REPAIRS'
WORKING WITH PRODUCER MARK ORTON
AND BEING AT PEACE WITH THE WHOLE RECORD

'A LONG LOVELY LIST OF REPAIRS' is AMELIA's third release and with a little help from producer MARK ORTON, the band has released some of the moodiest roots music since the COWBOY JUNKIES released THE TRINITY SESSION twenty years ago. Lead vocalist and percussionist, TEISHA HELGERSON breathes an irresistibly soulful whisper into the band's melancholic prose, while band mates SCOTT WEDDLE and JESSE EMERSON provide a sparse yet compelling soundscape. (READ MORE)

JULY 29, 2008
SUPER-OVA!
EX-ROCK STAR SUPERNOVA FRONTMAN
LUKAS ROSSI TALKS TO ROCKWIRED
ABOUT HIS LATEST BAND STARS DOWN
THE ANTICIPATION FOR THE NEW CD
AND NOT DWELLING ON NEGATIVE SHIT

Since the advent of reality television and the establishment of programs like AMERICAN IDOL, pop music is full of Cinderella stories. Lead singers are no longer auditioning for bands in a garage, but on a Hollywood soundstage. Such was the case for Canadian rocker LUKAS ROSSI, who was a contestant in the controversial ROCK STAR: SUPERNOVA, showing off his chops before a panel of his future bandmates: TOMMY LEE (MOTLEY CRUE), JASON NEWSTED (METALLICA), and GILBY CLARKE (GUN AND ROSES). "Being judged by them on the show was a little weird." confesses ROSSI.  "I don't know how these people who aren't singers can judge singers, but they picked me to sing for the band and I was never really felt intimidated at all. Me and TOMMY always felt like brothers. It's kind of weird. Ever since I met the guy, he was like my big brother. These guys chose me because they knew I had what it took to be that front guy and the front guy is essentially the leader. I've learned a lot from them, but I'm sure they knew that I knew what I was doing beforehand." (READ MORE)

MOVED AND AMUSED
GUY BLACKMAN TALKS TO ROCKWIRED
ABOUT HIS DEBUT CD 'ADULT BABY'
THE BALANCING THE MUSIC BUSINESS WITH HIS CREATIVE SELF
AND WORKING WITH A LABEL OTHER THAN HIS OWN

'ADULT BABY' is an album three years in the making and although GUY BLACKMAN has been making music for years, 'ADULT BABY' is his first solo album. Complete with a cast of dynamic musicians, plush string arrangements and moody compositions brought to you by BLACKMAN himself, 'ADULT BABY' is a classic pop album in a world that has forgotten how cool a pop album can be. (READ MORE)

JULY 28, 2008
A BIT OF TITILLATION
SCI-FI VIXEN AND AUSSIE SOCIETY WOMAN
JANE BADLER TALKS TO ROCKWIRED
ABOUT HER DEBUT CD 'THE DEVIL HAS MY DOUBLE'
FINDING HER VOICE AND DOING SOMETHING ORIGINAL

JANE BADLER's 'THE DEVIL HAS MY DOUBLE' is a surprisingly dark and edgy listen in the vein of JULEE CRUISE or PORTISHEAD. The opening track 'WHEN WE GOT HIGH' brings to mind the urgency of MARIANNE FAITHFULL's 'TIMES SQUARE'  and JANE teams up vocally with JESSE JACKSON SHEPHERD on the playful 'I LOVE EVERYTHING',  where the results mirror the teaming of NANCY SINATRA and the late-LEE HAZELWOOD (had HAZELWOOD been a robot). With solid backing from the SHEPHERD fronted band SIR, 'THE DEVIL...' is a deliciously crafted concept album exploring themes such as fame ('EVERYBODY KNOWS MY SECRETS'), sex ('SINGLE TONIGHT') and loneliness ('THE DOLL THAT CRIES REAL TEARS'). The female psyche hasn't been put on display this artfully since EURYTHMIC's 1987 album 'SAVAGE'. (READ MORE)

NOT JUST A VOICE
NIKITA GERMAINE TALKS TO ROCKWIRED
ABOUT HER LATEST CD 'JUST KITA'
WORKING WITH KEVIN 'DARKSIDE' SMITH
AND FINALLY BEING ABLE TO EXPRESS HERSELF

NIKITA GERMAINE has released her second LP 'JUST KITA' fifteen years following her 1993 NARADA MICHAEL WALDEN-produced debut 'AS SWEET AS IT COMES'. GERMAINE has spent the time in between, doing exactly what she is was supposed to be doing; singing. This NARADA MICHAEL WALDEN protegee has been busy in the studio and on stage with various WALDEN projects all the while waiting for the right time and the right producer to work with."I had met people but the timing was never right and when I finally met up with KEVIN 'DARKSIDE' SMITH, who produced the CD, it was like magic!" says GERMAINE. "Everything clicked and it felt like it was right . Sometimes it takes a while for something good to happen. That's how I look at it." (READ MORE)

JULY 23, 2008
DON'T BORE US! GET TO THE CHORUS!
CURTIS PEOPLES TALKS TO ROCKWIRED
ABOUT HIS SELF-TITLED DEBUT CD
HIS BIG CHORUS MENTALITY
AND GIVING OUT SOMETHING GOOD

While twenty five year-old CURTIS PEOPLES is on the verge of releasing his self-titled debut CD, he's not exactly going out as a novice. At the age of eleven, CURTIS picked up the guitar and joined his first band; a project that lasted up until five years ago. Perhaps that explains why the songs on 'CURTIS PEOPLES'(THE CONTROL GROUP) sound like the offering of world-worn artist with a few extra years on him and not like some twenty-something whipper-snapper with an acoustic guitar, bleeding with overwrought JOHN MAYER-styled sensitivity. As a matter of fact, CURTIS is just the sort of chap solo artist the music industry needs at the moment, simply because he rocks! "...the thing with me is that alot of that singer-songwriter stuff is like really tender and sensitive." says PEOPLES.  "I've got a little of that in me but only so much." (READ MORE)

JULY 22, 2008
UNDER THE LIGHT
CAMERON WEST AND J.W. BROOKS OF THE GRUMPY
TALK TO ROCKWIRED ABOUT THEIR E.P.
'THROES OF CONTEMPLATION',SUFFERING A WHOLE BUNCH AND WRITING ABOUT IT

The Sacramento-based power-trio THE GRUMPY have released their E.P. 'THROES OF CONTEMPLATION', and after years of gigging around and releasing three prior recordings, it feels like things are finally begining to cement for the band. "We've done a lot of E.P.'s and have done a bunch of live things but this is the first CD where we went all the way through with the whole production value of it all and making sure that the mastering was done by a very reputable fella. We spent way too much time in the studio making sure that everything went the way we wanted it." says lead singer/guitarist CAMERON WEST of the band's more meticulous approach to recording this time around. (READ MORE)

JULY 10, 2008
GO
LUKE MULHOLLAND TALKS TO ROCKWIRED
ABOUT MULHOLLAND DRIVE'S LATEST CD 'FURTHER'
THE CHALLENGES OF BEING AN UNDERAGED ROCKER
AND LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

ROCKWIRED LIVE PRESENTS: LUKE MULHOLLAND
AND HIS CD 'FURTHER
SATURDAY, AUGUST 23, 2008 AT 5:00PM (PST) ON WWW.KTSTFM.COM
At the age of eighteen, LUKE  MULHOLLAND has released his fourth album 'FURTHER'. Four albums at eighteen! I'm still scratching my head over what it was that MULHOLLAND had to write about when he released his debut CD 'ROAD HOME' back in 2004 at the age of fourteen. When I was fourteen, I had braces, acne, and no visible means of attracting someone for some good old-fashioned necking, yet MULHOLLAND has a career that is four albums strong with guitar and vocal chops that make you think you're listening to a fifty-year-old, blues-influenced English rocker in the vein of ERIC CLAPTON, ERIC BOURDON, or PAUL RODGERS. (READ MORE)

JULY 1, 2008
WE WILL NEVER DIE!
SIMON YOUNG OF THE SLANTS TALKS TO ROCKWIRED
ABOUT THE BAND'S DEBUT CD 'SLANTED EYES, SLANTED HEARTS'
THEIR SUCCESS ON THE ANIME CIRCUIT
AND TAKING OWNERSHIP OF A STEREOTYPE

ROCKWIRED LIVE PRESENTS: THE SLANTS
AND THEIR CD 'SLANTED EYES, SLANTED HEARTS'
SATURDAY, JULY 12, 2008 AT 5:00PM (PST) ON WWW.KTSTFM.COM
'SLANTED EYES, SLANTED HEARTS' is a huge slice of electro-rock heaven, from it's anthemic opener 'SAKURA, SAKURA' to hypnotically pulsing tracks such as 'STRANGLEHOLD' and 'CAPTURE ME BURNING'. I've saved a place for this CD somewhere in between DEBORAH HARRY's 'NECESSARY EVIL' and JOY DIVISION's 'UNKNOWN PLEASURES'. Given the bands heavy electronic sound, -which easily conjures up cyberpunk imagery in one's head- it is little wonder that THE SLANTS have managed to appeal to a most curious demographic; anime fans. "I always wanted to play the anime convention circuit and I knew that this band would be a part of it but I never expected things to take off this quickly. So, it's been quite an amazing experience for us." says YOUNG. "They're not exactly the coolest, or the hippest kids in school but they're taking hold of the songs and can really relate to them."  (READ MORE)

LOVE LIKE THIS
MIKE ZITO TALKS TO ROCKWIRED
ABOUT HIS LATEST CD 'TODAY'
GROWING AS A SONGWRITER
AND MAKING THE ALBUM HE'S ALWAYS DREAMED OF

ROCKWIRED LIVE PRESENTS: MIKE ZITO
AND HIS CD 'TODAY'
SATURDAY, JULY 19, 2008 AT 5:00PM (PST) ON WWW.KTSTFM.COM
TODAY' is some of the finest roots rock this side of JOHN HIATT's 'BRING THE FAMILY'. Heartfelt and brash, ZITO's enthusiastic approach to songcraft is matched only by DAVID Z's flawless production and a top notch session band (which includes keyboardist BENMONT TENCH of TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS). While ZITO was in awe at the fact of working with an ace production team, it was actually something that he saw in the cards for himself, when as a youth he looked on the back cover of PRINCE AND THE REVOLUTION's PURPLE RAIN and saw DAVID Z.'s name as producer. "I've been a fan of PRINCE since I was in high school." remembers ZITO. "When I was a kid and saw the name DAVID Z., I always thought 'Maybe that guy's name is DAVID ZITO!' 'Maybe I'll get to work with him someday!' It's actually true. I told him (DAVID Z.) that when I first met him and he thought I was crazy. When DAVID came onto the project, we were able to get all of these wonderful musicians involved." (READ MORE)

A SECOND TIME AROUND
GIG MICHAELS OF SWAMPDAWAMP
TALKS TO ROCKWIRED
ABOUT THE BAND'S FORTHCOMING CD
GOING OUT ON THE ROAD AGAIN
AND WHERE HE'S AT IN LIFE

ROCKWIRED LIVE PRESENTS: SWAMPDAWAMP
AND THEIR CD 'THE RISING'
SATURDAY, JULY 26, 2008 AT 5:00PM (PST) ON WWW.KTSTFM.COM
Now, SWAMPDAWAMP is on the verge of releasing their eagerly awaited follow up CD, tentatively title THE RISING (BIG PENNY ENTERTAINMENT) which is scheduled for a July 2008 release. In the meantime, the band has released a three song taster entitled SWAMPDAWAMP 2.0, which features the free wheeling rockers 'DANCE' and 'FIRE IN THE HOLE' and the contemplative 'SHOEBOX MEMORIES'. "I think you're going to hear more musicianship, for one." says MICHAELS about the new album.  "You're going to hear me going out on a limb on a couple of the tracks." (READ MORE)

A PERSONAL JOURNEY
ALYSSA GRAHAM TALKS TO ROCKWIRED
ABOUT HER LATEST CD 'ECHO'
TAKING THE LISTENER ON A MUSICAL JOURNEY
AND FILLING PEOPLE WITH A SENSE OF HOPE

ROCKWIRED LIVE PRESENTS: ALYSSA GRAHAM
AND HER CD 'ECHO'
SATURDAY, AUGUST 2, 2008 AT 5:00PM (PST) ON WWW.KTSTFM.COM
ALYSSA GRAHAM is on the verge of releasing her follow up CD 'ECHO' (SUNNYSIDE RECORDS). This time around, ALYSSA's earthy coo showcases original material composed by husband DOUG GRAHAM, producer JON COWHERD, and longtime friend, BRYAN MCCANN.  "JON COWHERD wrote all of the music for the original tracks. DOUG GRAHAM and BRYAN MCCANN write the lyrics." specifies GRAHAM.  "I like to say that I'm the muse. I think that DOUG as a songwriter comes from a perspective that is very specific to our life together since we've been together for so long. He will constantly make references to real things that have happened in our life, and I tend to think that the first and best ingredient in a song is honesty." (READ MORE)

SOUND AND VISION
JEFF SHAPIRO ON CIAM TALKS TO ROCKWIRED
ABOUT THEIR CD 'ANONYMOUS'
MERGING ART AND MUSIC 
AND APPEALING TO OTHER SENSES

ROCKWIRED LIVE PRESENTS: CIAM
AND THEiR CD 'ANONYMOUS'
SATURDAY, AUGUST 9, 2008 AT 5:00PM (PST) ON WWW.KTSTFM.COM
With a band like the U.K. based CIAM (pronounced see-am) , the music is only a part of the story and/or package. "We're not trying to change the world, but we're trying to do something that excites different senses and represents a creative atmosphere and a backdrop for our music or perhaps the other way around." says the bands lead singer and guitarist JEFF SHAPIRO. "So it's more than just sitting down and writing a songs and putting chords together for it." (READ MORE)

LIKE FLOWERS THROUGH THE CONCRETE
MARK NANNI OF LOS BLANCOS
TALKS TO ROCKWIRED
ABOUT THEIR LATEST CD 'JUST THIS ONCE'
REELING IN THE AUDIENCE
AT MAKING FOLKS RECONSIDER MUSICIANSHIP

ROCKWIRED LIVE PRESENTS: LOS BLANCOS
AND THEiR CD 'JUST THIS ONCE'
SATURDAY, AUGUST 16, 2008 AT 5:00PM (PST) ON WWW.KTSTFM.COM
It's pretty standard in rock music today to have a band where everything comes down to the frontman, while the rest of the musicians are reduced to being nominal players. It is a strange situation where individual musicians within a band contribute individual pieces of music and come up front to perform them, with the exception of NICKS/BUCKINGHAM-era FLEETWOOD MAC or even THE BEATLES, but LOS BLANCOS - a roots rock outfit out of upstate New York - has maintained this band format for years and have continued to showcase each members distinct musical background on their sixth album 'JUST THIS ONCE' (CASBLANCOS RECORDS). "COLIN, STEVE, and myself contribute material to the band but we all have such different backgrounds that it brings so much spice and variety. We all respect each others styles immensely and therefore we stretch to learn each others styles to try to learn them as best we can. It's like we're a big old spice rack." Says the band's keyboard player, MARK NANNI. "One thing I do want to say about this band is that we really are a band. We're not a front guy with side guys. We truly are a band and ther are fewer and fewer of those today." (READ MORE)

JUNE 25, 2008
HOW DO YOU SPELL CAJONES?
ROOTS ROCK TROUBADOUR JEFFERY HALFORD
TALKS TO ROCKWIRED
ABOUT HIS CD 'BROKEN CHORD'
GROWING UP ALL OVER THE PLACE
AND THE LIGHTNING ROD OF INSPIRATION

ROCKWIRED LIVE PRESENTS: JEFFREY HALFORD AND THE HEALERS
AND THEIR CD 'BROKEN CHORD'
SATURDAY, JUNE 28, 2008 AT 5:00PM (PST) ON WWW.KTSTFM.COM
JEFFERY HALFORD and his band THE HEALERS have released their latest CD 'BROKEN CHORD' (SHOELESS RECORDS) to widespread acclaim with MIKE BERRICK of NO DEPRESSION declaring that "Broken Chord again highlights his strengths as a talented wordsmith with the soul of a rugged roadhouse rocker." BRIAN BAKER of HARP MAGAZINE writes "After five critically acclaimed albums, Jeffrey Halford has little to prove at this point. He's got a crack band in the Healers, he plays viseral guitar with slinky abandon and writes rootsy swampy blues songs that sting and soothe equally. Halford continues his quality streak with 'Broken Chord.'"

In speaking with HALFORD, he confessed that he had never written anything political before, but had felt inspired to write songs with a political slant once he and millions of others had witnessed the devastation in New Orleans caused by Hurricane Katrina and the devastatingly slow response of our own Government. "I wrote two tunes about the whole situation because I was pissed." remembers HALFORD. "Everybody was pissed. At least I hoped that everyone was pissed at how our Government responded to that whole thing. New Oreleans is like our musical sacred ground, right?"  (READ MORE)

JUNE 17, 2008