Tracey Thomas is a bit of a rarity in the music business. She recently celebrated 30 years of making music throughout Northeast Ohio and released two albums at the same time: “Queen of Nothing” and “Ghosts In The Woodwork: The Best of Tracey Thomas.” In the '80s, as the lead singer of Unit 5, Thomas found herself in the heart of the Akron new wave and punk scenes. Today, she is a folk-pop singer/ songwriter with seven albums under her belt. Along the way she’s shared the stage with everyone from Judy Collins and Black Flag, to Melanie and The Black Keys. Buzzbin Magazine: In the e...
Emii is a girl after my own heart — she’s into comic books, science fiction and video games. She has a penchant for martial arts and is inspired by the costumes in “Assassin's Creed.” A true girl’s girl, Emii has spent the past few years building a career that is on the verge of exploding. A self-possessed star on the rise, Emii’s stuff is unapologetically pop with a dance feel but a decided rock edge. In short, rock chicks won’t feel bad if they get caught rocking Emii in their car. Emii says she’s “pop and proud,” which is evident in her body of work. Her brand of pop ...
Dave Douglas and Rachel Hoskins have left behind the full band days of their musical pasts and developed into a power pop duo with a big, polished sound called Attack Cat. As for developing into a duo, Douglas says, “it wasn’t our intention at all — we originally were a five-piece and it just kind of happened that way,” with Hoskins adding, “and it just happened that we became a duo when it became popular.” In short, this is no bandwagon duo, so to speak, but the indie duo pigeonhole is one into which Attack Cat is often cast.” The live show, however, sets the band apart fr...
The ex-Iron Maiden, Wolfsbane and solo singer has been to hell and back again. He'll headline his first ever U.S. tour this fall including a Cleveland stop Nov. 4 By B.J. Lisko Youngstown Pulse Editor Blaze Bayley probably shouldn’t still be going. It’s not because the legendary metal singer doesn’t have the desire. It’s certainly not because he doesn’t have the voice. It’s not because he doesn’t have the ability or the talent or legions of die hard followers. Blaze Bayley probably shouldn’t still be going because the life he’s lived in the hard rock/heavy metal world and ...
Looking for something exciting to do during First Friday? Then head on down to the Arts in Stark stage to experience the power of Chris Wintrip's Guitar Academy. The Guitar Academy is a unique opportunity for a group of Chris Wintrip’s students, young and old alike, to get up on stage and perform in a concert setting in front of a live audience. The students jam with some of the areas most seasoned, professional musicians and get the experience of playing on stage with a professional sound system, lights, and special effects. The Guitar Academy began in Chris’ living room when a hand...
By Chris Drabick Between 2000 and 2005, the number of independent record stores went from a high of 3800 to less than 2500 just half a decade later. In an era in which the download was costing the brick-and-mortar record store 35% of its population, Square Records was birthed in 2003. Storeowners and operators David Ignizio and Juniper Sage (joined until 2005 by their former partner Geoff Crowe, who left to develop the graphic design firm Smoke Signals) thought, despite the changing music business climate, that they could turn their passion in to a career. “We all moved away fro...
By: Julia Kazan Local country/rock artists The Carter Twins, who come from the Hudson area, took the stage on Thursday night at Musica. The show was a combination of the twin's original songs and cover songs. It’s impressive to think that these two guys who haven’t yet lived through two full decades have been able to accomplish so much and become so successful. But they still have a long way to go. The Carter Twins just released their debut EP, Carter Twins, at the end of last year. The album includes their smash hit, “Heart Like Memphis”, a song that has gained them nati...
Over the years, Akron has produced the occasional musical success story. Devo’s quirky, tongue-in-cheek lampooning of the American Dream has solidified its place in pop culture. After relocating to London in the early ‘70s, Chrissie Hynde formed the Pretenders, who were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2005. More recently, the Black Keys have released seven studio albums (eight if you count 2009’s hip-hop collaboration Blakroc) since 2002, all of which have received widespread praise from both fans and critics. But, as it goes in the music business, for ever...
By Lonn Friend "Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently – they’re not fond of rules… You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify them or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things… they push the human race forward, and while some many see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do." -Steve Jobs I’ve spent 25 years in and around ...
By Bobby Owsinski Can’t figure the “Music 2.0” thing out? Want more contact with your favorite artist? Not sure how to make money without the support of a label? Need to develop a bigger audience but can’t afford the conventional machine to do it? Well gather around the screen with the cool blue flame because I’m here to tell you how all these things can be done and done better than ever before. It’s a concept called “tribal management.” I may not be smart enough to dream this up, but I am smart enough to recognize a good idea when I see one. Marketing guru Seth Godin has...
