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AMPED™ FEATURED ALBUM OF THE WEEK: CHAI/CHAI
Japanese quartet Chai is comprised of twin sisters Mana (vocals/keyboards) andKana(guitar) plus bassist/lyricist Yuuki and drummer Yuna. Formed in Nagoya in 2012, the four musicians came together to create music that would exist outside of the formulaic J-Pop music that infiltrated the charts. Their own musical tastes were drawn towards experimental Pop and Hip-Hop and they embraced a style that reflected all of their individual tastes. With songs written by Mana, Kana, and Yuuki, Chai released three singles between 2013 and [...]
AMPED™ FEATURED ALBUM OF THE WEEK: HERB ALPERT/WISH UPON A STAR
Although some may not realize it, trumpeter Herb Alpert changed the course of music in the 1960s and 1970s, paving the way for thousands of musicians that followed in his wake. And while he may best be remembered for the series of hits with The Tijuana Brass (TJB), he was – and is – so much more than that. He was the co-founder – alongside the late Jerry Moss - of A&M Records, the label [...]
AMPED™ FEATURED ALBUM OF THE WEEK: JOHN MAYALL’S BLUESBREAKERS/LIVE IN 1967 – VOLUME THREE
Without British Blues multi-instrumentalist and vocalist John Mayall, we would never have had RUMOURS, one of the most successful albums of the 1970s. And while that Fleetwood Mac album remains one of the most beloved Classic Rock albums in the US, John Mayall’s connection to the band can sometimes get lost in the mists of time. It all began when Mayall, already a well-known Blues musician in London, formed The Bluesbreakers with bassist John McVie [...]
AMPED™ FEATURED ALBUM OF THE WEEK: JEFF ROSENSTOCK/MELLMODE
Acclaimed Punk and Alternative singer / songwriter Jeff Rosenstock - born in Long Island, New York – is now best known as a solo artist but his career reaches back nearly 30 years when he formed his first band, The Arrogant Sons of Bitches, in 1995. The group issued a series of releases – including BUILT TO FAIL (1998), PORNOCRACY (2000), and ALL THE LITTLE ONES ARE ROTTING (2003) – before splitting up in 2004. [...]
AMPED™ FEATURED ALBUM OF THE WEEK: HISS GOLDEN MESSENGER/JUMP FOR JOY
Founded in Durham, North Carolina, Indie Folk / Alt-Country band Hiss Golden Messenger was founded by MC Taylor and Scott Hirsch in 2007. Formerly members of The Court And Spark, Taylor and Hirsch blending of Folk, Country, Soul, Blues, Gospel, Bluegrass, and Pop was uniquely their own, although they were inevitably filed under the Alt-Country, Indie Folk, and Country Rock genres. Truth be told, Hiss Golden Messenger is a band that is difficult to pigeonhole. [...]
AMPED™ FEATURED ALBUM OF THE WEEK: GREGORY ALAN ISAKOV/APPALOOSA BONES
Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, Folk singer and songwriter Gregory Alan Isakov moved to the US with his family when he was seven years old. Initially based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Isakov began playing in bands by the time he was 16. He then moved to Boulder, Colorado to attend Naropa University, where he began performing the occasional solo gig while attending school and working as a gardener. Gradually, his attention to studying horticulture gave way [...]
AMPED™ FEATURED ALBUM OF THE WEEK: CASKETS/REFLECTIONS
Heavy Metal began as a subgenre of Rock ‘n Roll in the late 1960s. Blending Psychedelic, Acid, and Blues Rock and turning the volume up several notches, the music was louder and more powerful than anything that had come before. Initially, many artists from the late 1960s and early 1970s who are considered pioneers of Heavy Metal merely played Hard Rock and the style we think of today as Metal came towards the end of [...]
AMPED™ FEATURED ALBUM OF THE WEEK: TEENAGE WRIST/STILL LOVE
Formed in 2014 in Los Angeles, California, Teenage Wrist is an alternative rock band founded by Marshall Gallagher (vocals / guitar), Anthony Salazar (drums), and Kamtin Mohager (vocals / bass). Influenced by shoegaze, grunge, and other forms of ‘90s alternative rock, the group’s members focused on writing their own material and released their debut EP, DAZED, in 2015. The band’s popularity began to grow, and they began to attract attention from various label. After the [...]
New Label Announcement: COMPOUND INTEREST!
AMPED™ Welcomes New Label Compound Interest to the family!Compound Interest was founded by Brian Shafton in 2021. During his decade long tenure as VP of Sales, Shafton cut his teeth during the golden era of hip hop at Priority Records (NWA, Ice Cube, Master P, Dr. Dre, Jay-Z, Friday soundtrack, etc...). Shafton leveraged that success as he formed his own company, RBC Records in 2002. RBC Records had two divisions to it. The first segment [...]
AMPED™ FEATURED ALBUM OF THE WEEK: MIYA FOLICK/ROACH
Singer, songwriter, and musician Miya Folick was born and raised in Santa Ana, California. After graduating from high school in 2007, she studied acting at New York University for two years before heading back to the West Coast and graduating from the University of California in 2011. Initially interested in theater, she refocused her attention on music and released her first EP, STRANGE DARLING, in 2015. Her following began to grow with the release of [...]
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