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Sleepwave Releases Broken Compass – AP Review

Sleepwave - Broken Compass

Sleepwave Much of Broken Compass is a Direct Adrenaline Rush

Last year, Spencer Chamberlain promised that Sleepwave, his new musical vehicle with multi-instrumentalist/programmer Stephen Bowman, was going to snatch rock music away from the codified auspices of businessmen and bring back the unvarnished honesty he felt the first time he heard bands like Nirvana and Alice In Chains. To that end, the duo (along with producer David Bendeth) have made an album that transcends the radio-rock wasteland, as well as the furious menace Chamberlain was a part of during his stint in Underoath. There’s a certain kind of chrome-plated nostalgia at play on Broken Compass, one that hearkens back to the glory days of Alternative Nation, where bands like Smashing Pumpkins, Foo Fighters, Nine Inch Nails and Filter held court and garnered mass acclaim, but not at the expense of extracting their personalities from their art.

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Nashville Rocks Artist Showcase: Of Saints and Sailors

Of Saints and Sailors

Of Saints and SailorsNashville Rocks Artist Showcase: Of Saints and Sailors

The Nashville Rocks Artist Showcase is intended to shine the light on independent artists in and around Nashville and the Mid-South. The First Nashville Rocks Artist Showcase is none other than Of Saints and Sailors. They are a brand new band and looking to hit the ground running.

I recently got the opportunity to sit down with this new, eclectic, quirky, fun duo by the name: Of Saints and Sailors. Sitting across the table from Patrick Berhow and Joe Dionne I clearly got the vibe that they are serious about their music and style and love to have fun on stage. I asked who they were and what part in the band they played. Patrick is the lead vocalist and plays banjo and Joe Dionne plays guitar and provides backup vocals. They are Of Saints And Sailors.

[ca_audio url_mp3=”https://nashvillerocks.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Skylar-RUFF.mp3″ url_ogg=”” download=”true” html5=”true” skin=”small” align=”left”]

 

Check out their newest raw tune, Skylar
(above)
, while you find out more about them.
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Cassadee Pope – New Artist Spotlight – CMA Closeup

cassadee popeCassadee Pope

You’ve got to hand it to Blake Shelton: He knows how to pick winners. When he recruited Cassadee Pope for Team Blake on 2012’s “The Voice,” he found an artist with that rarest of assets: outstanding chops tempered by interpretive sensitivity.

On her debut album for Republic Nashville, Frame By Frame, produced by Dann Huff and, on selected tracks, Nathan Chapman, Max Martin and Shellback, Pope does hit the occasional spectacular high note, but these only emphasize rather than obscure the essence of the song. The final, skyrocketing note on “You Hear A Song” (Nathan Chapman and Pope) is even lowered in the mix, so that we hear it not as fireworks but as a continuation of the song’s complex message.

Her real strength shows in more subdued moments, as she gets inside of a lyric. On her first single, “Wasting All These Tears” (written by Caitlyn Smith and Rollie Gaalswyk), she takes us immediately into the heart of this forlorn story. We find the protagonist collapsed on her bathroom floor, desperate and despairing. Pope taps into her inner darkness on the verses; more impressively, as the melody climbs on the chorus, she uses the crescendos to make these shadows even more tangible.

From her first voice lessons at age 4 to her triumph on national television, Pope’s ascension has been steady and strong — and it’s just beginning.

For more on Cassadee Pope, visit www.CMACloseUp.com.

 

 

 

cassadee popeIN THEIR OWN WORDS

SONG YOU’D LOVE TO COVER

“I’ve always wanted to cover ‘Best of You’ by Foo Fighters. It’s so powerful and I could really have fun with it at a live show.”

DREAM DUET PARTNER

“I’d be absolutely honored to do a duet with Shania Twain. I grew up idolizing her and became the independent woman I am today because of her influence. We could do a sassy, empowering song together!”

PET PEEVE

“My pet peeve list is pretty long, but I’ll spare you and go with my top annoyance: some people’s lack of respect for personal space. I spend most of my life in airports, and there’s nothing more infuriating than someone bumping into you while you’re going through security. The process is hectic enough! Phew… Sorry. I’m done venting now. :).”

SONG YOU WISH YOU’D WRITTEN

“I wish I had written ‘Cry’ by Faith Hill.”

WORD YOU SAY OVER AND OVER AGAIN

“I say the word ‘badass’ a lot. It’s not exactly the best thing to say on live TV so I’ve had to restrain myself!”

FAVORITE MODE OF TRANSPORTATION

“I’ve always loved flying.”

FAVORITE FOOD ON THE ROAD

“I try very hard to eat healthily but it’s the most difficult part of traveling. When I feel like splurging, I usually want Italian … I’m talkin’ pasta, ravioli and lasagna. Anything of that nature is what I crave when I wanna be naughty.”

cassadee popeOn the Web:www.CassadeePope.com

On Twitter: @CassadeePope