Mike O’Cull, independent music journalist. www.mikeocull.com
Lockdown funkateers The Heard Eye do a fine job of driving body-moving beats underneath big pop/rock hooks on the group’s recent album Funkalypse. Available now on all major platforms, Funkalypse is a solid session from one end to the other. The band’s blending of old-school funk and Beatles/ELO-level melodic songwriting is a truly intoxicating mix […]
Singer-songwriter Phil Gammage delivers a soulful batch of 20th Century-influenced songs about the human condition on his new album Redeemed. Released in February of 2024, Redeemed is an understated jewel of a record that installs itself deeper into your life with each successive listen. Phil Gammage is Texas-born but is now based in New York […]
Easy Bees deliver a masterful helping of highly-melodic, singer-songwriter pop/rock on the band’s latest self-titled album. Available now on all streaming platforms, Easy Bees is a 12-song set influenced by high-end songwriting talents like The Beatles, Tom Petty, ELO, and The Traveling Wilburys. Big hooks and harmony are the building blocks here and the band […]
Them Dirty Roses achieve a perfect blend of old-school Southern Rock and present-day Hard Rock on the band’s new single “Candle In The Dark.” Released March 1st, 2024 on Garden Party Records, “Candle In The Dark” is a strong, mid-speed cut that goes all out from the jump. It’s built on huge-sounding guitars, tough drumming, […]
Hot-handed blues/rock guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter Mike Freund gives listeners a big doseof the heavy stuff with his new single “Kicking Dirt.” The track is set to drop on November 22nd, 2023 and impressively channels several streams ofguitar heaviness while still delivering an original sound and a relevant vision. It begins with aharder-than-Zeppelin drum beat […]
Vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter Les Fradkin unveils a perfect radio single, “Spare Change,” that dates from his days of working with legendary guitarist Mick Ronson (David Bowie, Ian Hunter, Roger McGuinn, Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Review). “Spare Change” actually dates back to 1982, when Ronson, bassist Fradkin, and drummer Hilly Michaels formed a new group […]
“ Paradise Reset, a.k.a. insanely creative songwriter, musician, performer, and producer Aaron Fitch, pushes the boundaries of how artful a pop single can be with his new song and music video “Take The Gold (There Was One).” Available now, “Take The Gold (There Was One)” is an upbeat, melodic pop/rock song rendered in a highly produced, stomping […]
Guitarist and singer Tom Gilberts and his mighty trio groove hard and get contemplative on their new single “Flow State.” Released January 27th, 2023, “Flow State” is a cracking, mid-tempo blues/rock track that’s all about feel and space. Gilberts is one of those players gifted with a magic touch and the ability to write tight, […]
