Current News
AMPED™ FEATURED ALBUM OF THE WEEK: CASEY ABRAMS/PUT A SPELL ON YOU
Casey Abrams was born in Austin, Texas and eventually made his way to Idyllwild, California. This multi-instrumentalist initially made a name for himself on the 10th season of American Idol – he finished in sixth place – and judging by his 2018 album PUT A SPELL ON YOU, he’s certainly learned a lot during his long and exciting journey. Unlike many other artists who are content to find a niche or genre they feel comfortable in, Abrams mixes and matches genres as he sees fit. This is not a former American Idol contestant that is going to fall in line and churn out a variation on today’s Top 40. Nope. Casey Adams is going to do whatever he damn well pleases! […]
ALLIANCE ENTERTAINMENT: WE STAND WITH PARKLAND
As many of you are aware, Alliance Entertainment is located just minutes away from the City of Parkland, FL and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the scene of the horrific school shootings that occurred on February 14th, resulting in the loss of 17 innocent lives, most of them children. There are no words to describe the effect that this devastating and senseless act has had on our community, it is hard to fathom such [...]
AMPED™ FEATURED ALBUM OF THE WEEK: MOOSE BLOOD/I DON’T THINK I CAN DO THIS ANYMORE
Just when you thought that Emo was out, Moose Blood pulls you back in. […]
MICHAEL W. SMITH PERFORMS ON GOOD MORNING AMERICA MARCH 13
Multi-Platinum, three-time Grammy-Award winning artist, best-selling author and acclaimed actor Michael W. Smith will perform live on ABC-TV’s Good Morning America Tuesday, March 13. The appearance was sparked by his two, back-to-back hit albums A MILLION LIGHTS and SURROUNDED out now from Rocketown Records and The Fuel Music. […]
AMPED™ FEATURED ALBUM OF THE WEEK: ALTAN/THE GAP OF DREAMS
When a dream is born from love and passion, it will never fade away. Altan, the traditional Irish outfit, is that dream come to life. Formed three decades ago by Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh (vocals/fiddle) and her husband Frankie Kennedy (flute/tin whistle), their shared musical vision became reality on a few duo recordings before forming a full-fledged band – Altan. Even though Kennedy passed away in 1994, Mairéad and her bandmates have continued to keep the musical dream alive. In 2018, they release the beautiful and inspiring THE GAP OF DREAMS. […]
AMPED™ FEATURED ALBUM OF THE WEEK: AUDREY ASSAD/EVERGREEN
While many Contemporary Christian Music artists are largely overlooked by the secular market, there are those artists who manage to make that breakthrough and touch the lives of listeners who would not normally tune into any type of praise music. Audrey Assad is one of those artists. Since her 2010 full-length debut, THE HOUSE YOU’RE BUILDING, she has released a series of albums that balance the joy of her faith with the trials of being human. EVERGREEN, her 2018 album, continues that musical journey in the most pure and honest way. […]
Chris Squire’s FISH OUT OF WATER reissued! Limited Edition Boxed Set and 2CD Set!
LIMITED BOX SET (Includes 2CD, 2DVD, 1LP and 2×7-inch singles) AND TWO CD SET 4.27.18 Esoteric Recordings are proud to announce the release of an official limited edition deluxe boxed set of Yes founder Chris Squire’s legendary 1975 solo album FISH OUT OF WATER. Recorded in the late Spring and Summer of 1975 whilst Yes was on hiatus as members recorded their respective solo albums, FISH OUT OF WATER was a breath-taking work, and equal in standard to any Yes album in terms of sheer invention and creativity. The album was essentially a collaboration between Chris Squire and his friend Andrew Pryce Jackman, a gifted arranger who had been a member of The Syn, Squire’s pre-Yes group. The sessions saw contributions from former Yes drummer Bill Bruford, Yes keyboard player Patrick Moraz and noted musicians Mel Collins and Jimmy Hastings. Released in November 1975, FISH OUT OF WATER was a Top 30 chart hit in the UK and made the US Billboard Top 75 album chart, going on to sell nearly 500,000 copies worldwide. […]
AMPED™ FEATURED ALBUM OF THE WEEK: LEE DEWYZE/PARANOIA
PARANOIA is the seventh album from singer/songwriter Lee DeWyze, best known as the winner of the ninth season of AMERICAN IDOL. Paranoia is an atmospheric and highly passionate album that blends the warmth of acoustic instrumentation with cold yet emotional electronic textures, creating something that is unique yet still very commercial. PARANOIA is a highly emotional concept album that details the many facets of a romantic Relationship – a subject that all of us can relate to. […]
AMPED™ FEATURED ALBUM OF THE WEEK: RUBY BOOTS/DON’T TALK ABOUT IT
Born in Australia and now residing in Nashville, TN, singer/songwriter Bex Chilcott – better known as Ruby Boots – creates music that slightly betrays both her homeland and her adopted city. In fact, she manages to cross genres with ease, rarely standing still long enough to adopt any genre as her own. Her 2018 album DON’T TALK ABOUT IT that supports that claim. […]
AMPED™ FEATURED ALBUM OF THE WEEK: BERNARD ALLISON/LET IT GO
Bernard Allison made his recording debut on GONNA BE A LIVE ONE IN HERE TONIGHT, a 1979 live album by his father Luther Allison. Recorded live in Peoria, IL when Bernard was only 13, this set was an auspicious debut for an artist that has continued to mine the soul of the Blues for over forty years. In the early ‘80s, the young guitar slinger became a member of Koko Taylor’s band as well as continuing to work with is father. While it took another 11 years before he released his first official solo album (1990’s THE NEXT GENERATION), Bernard has certainly made each release count. He may have inherited his father’s talents but Bernard has taken the Blues in new and exciting directions. […]