King Washington Review

KING WASHINGTON

I still remember the first time I saw King Washington perform live and that is because they made an impact, like any good band should. There are thousands of run-of-the-mill bands out there, whose performances are simply unimpressionable, so when you see a band like King Washington it’s a breath of fresh air. It’s not often that you walk in to a room and immediately feel a connection with the band and that is because they know how to rock out a venue!

Born and bred in LA, King Washington is made up of Tyson (vocals/guitar), George (vocals/guitar) and Billy (bass), forming the awesome threesome. Forever in sync with each other and with impeccable harmonies, which would make The Beatles proud, what more could you want? 

King Washington @ The Bootleg Theatre
'The Overload' Record Release

Besides being the kings of good old fashioned rock’n’roll, a portion of their set list consists of the most beautiful, timeless compositions, such as ‘The Legend of Red Mahogany’ an enchanting tale with a stunning, lyrical narration. Like a fine wine, their ensemble of songs are mature, yet intoxicating.

Songs like ‘Terrible Affection’ and ‘Don’t Expect My Love’ form the perfect recipe for their latest, ingenious album, ‘The Overload’, which includes:

Tight, technically accurate guitars. 

Passionate, poetic lyrics. 

Unique, melodic riffs. 

The eye-wateringly, beautiful ’Terrible Affection’ consists of haunting dynamics and Tyson’s stripped down, honest vocals creates a heartfelt, sincere song, with lyrics which any girl would fall for! This distinctive sound, complements their other contrasting songs on the album, such as the epic ‘Don’t Expect My Love’ a song with raw, frank lyrics. Their music never gets old, their songs are imperishable.

A pet hate of mine, are when bands feel the need to change their sound according to what the music industry wants or what the ‘now’ sound is. In my opinion, bands should stay true to their sound and believe entirely in what they are doing. And that’s exactly what King Washington do! Write music for themselves. They have their own sound, their own style, their own way of doings things and it’s evident that it is clearly working. They are the perfect example of a band with real musicianship and every aspiring musician could learn a lesson from them.

KW are another BalconyTV LA band and performed their song ‘The Gears’ off their first album last year. Watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zwNZh4ONKU

A little birdie tells me there may be another KW BalconyTV performance coming soon. Keep your eyes peeled folks - trust me when I say, you won't want to miss it!

I admire KW’s versatility, which is apparent in both albums, ’The Gears’ and ’The Overload’. Whatever these guys are doing, they are definitely doing it right, with an ever increasing, loyal fan base, they are set to storm the world with their polished sounds and unadulterated masterpieces. 

Seeing KW live isn’t just a gig, it’s a performance, a night to escape reality and be taken in to another universe of musical prodigy. Check out their gigs here: http://www.kingwashingtonmusic.com and GO! 

Buy their album here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/king-washington/id341790816

These guys are musically gifted and I can see a very bright future ahead of them. 

Until next time, 

Lyds

XXXX

King Washington @ The Satellite 

Harper Blynn Review

HARPER BLYNN

The first band that I feel completely compelled to blog about, are the incredible, LA based Harper Blynn. Consisting of four of the nicest guys and hailing from the Big Apple, J (vocals/guitar), Pete (vocals/keys), Whynot (bass) and Sarab (drums) are definitely making their mark in the music industry. Recently supporting both chart topping artists Sara Bareilles AND OneRepublic on their tour, Harper Blynn’s fan base and recognition have soared! 

I first discovered them, performing on BalconyTV LA with their stunning performance of ‘Knife’. Watch it here: 

Trying to describe music is a difficult thing to do, especially when it is SO good! The last thing I want to do is to sell anyone short! But here it goes anyway... 

Harper Blynn’s first album ‘Busy Hands’ has all the ingredients for a perfect album; captivating rhythms, alluring melodies and flawless vocals, consisting of beautiful 3 part harmonies. And as if they couldn’t top that, the boys are back in the studio for a brand-spanking-new album, with even MORE bangers! They have recently released a lyric video to their latest song ‘GO’ a catchy, upbeat song which leaves you in suspense up until the chorus. The haunting guitar riff and driving bass drum, along with J’s falsetto peaking at the pre-chrous, accomplishes an all round awesome performance.  

As well as their sheer talent and ultimate song writing skills, the one thing that makes Harper Blynn stand out, is frontman J’s phenomenal vocals. There are few people who can cover a Marvin Gaye song, without it sounding like someone has trodden on a cats tail and Blynn pulls it off without even breaking a sweat. When his dreamy falsetto hits the highly anticipated note, there is nothing more satisfying (apart from maybe the cold side of your pillow)! Covering songs like ‘Lets Get It On’, Beyonce’s ‘Halo’ and Fleetwood Mac’s ‘The Chain’, emphasises the true extent of Blynn’s extraordinary vocal range. With these crowd pleasing covers, combined with their own impressive songs, their live shows go down a storm and make for a memorable night. 

If you want to check out this mind blowing performance of ‘Lets Get It On’ (which I highly recommend you do - if you don’t, you can leave now) then click on the video below: 

I know… AMAZING right?! You might want to take a few minutes to recover! 

I’ve lost count of the number of times I have seen them perform in LA and every time it gets better. Not one show is the same and their positive energy on stage makes you crave them more and more! They have complete control over the crowd during the entire performance.

If you are in LA, then check them out ASAP, before they get too big and you have to spend silly amounts of money, wait in long queues and stand in crowds of thousands of swooning girls. 
Here is their website for latest gigs and news: http://www.harperblynn.com/Home.html

It’s a show you don’t want to miss. You can thank me later!

You can buy their album here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/harper-blynn/id341442654

I am so excited for these guys and I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for them. 

Check back next week for another review of a killer band! (If you want to, you don't have to, although I would love you too!)

Until next time, 
Lyds XXXX

Harper Blynn & myself! Circa Nov 2012

Hello virtual world!

Hello virtual world! 

I'm going to do something I've never done before, so bear with me! 

Something I'm becoming more aware of working in the music industry, is that I am constantly coming across music blogs, whether it's emailing them whilst interning at a PR company, or simply indulging myself and researching the bands I personally love, I'm forever reading what other people have to say. 

Until one day that is, when I thought to myself 'I can do this... Surely! Even an infinite gap year student like me!'

I love music and I like writing (I think) at least I studied English Language at college, so I should hope so! 

Plus, I think I'm quite good at it, because if you hadn't already noticed, I LOVE to talk... Excessively! 

Talking about music in particular is something that I feel comes naturally to me, as I've grown up in a family of musicians and therefore it is something I'm passionate about. 

Having the opportunity to spend time in LA and being able to work on BalconyTV, I'm hugely aware of what unsigned music is out there and I've noticed some of the most talented bands are being overlooked, therefore I feel that these unsung heroes deserve a little limelight. 

Not that my blog will make any difference of course! 

I created this blog to share with you (whoever 'you' may be) some of the AMAZING talent that is going unnoticed here and abroad. 

So essentially I've decided to stop being so self indulgent, by keeping these bands to myself and that it is only fair that I share them with anyone who may stumble upon my blog.

If it only makes the difference of a couple of new fans I will still feel that I have accomplished something and given back to the music community. 

Until next time, 
Lyds XXXX