Fishing season in the Eastern Sierras has opened and it’s time to head for the alpine lakes to try my hand at landing a trophy rainbow or brown. But before I tie off that first improved clinch knot here are some gems to either take home or toss back in the lake.

Lawson Rollins
“Infinita”
www.lawsonrollins.com
Style (Instrumental / Spanish guitar)
I fell in love with masterfully played romantic Spanish guitar from the first moment I heard Armik, and now Lawson Rollins delivers a new CD within the same genre for me to praise. Rollins guitar playing is outstanding and the song collaborations with internationally recognized musicians is phenomenal. I’m so overwhelmed by the musicianship of this CD I find myself somewhat speechless, a rarity indeed. And for my male readers, guys, if you want to make points with your lady, spending a romantic afternoon or evening putting together a Spanish influenced lunch or dinner (one where you my brother do all the prep and cooking), complete with a fine margarita or choice bottle of wine, this CD will absolutely set the mood and earn you killer points.
Rating 4 ½ (Hidden Gem) - listening to the CD the love of my life confirmed the mood factor.

Billy Morrison
“Stimulator”
www.myspace.com/billymorrison
Style (Rock)
The black and white cover image on the CD is vintage old school rock and roll photography of a guitar player all sweaty with a low slung Gibson (one hand on the neck and one arm raised with passion, energy and personality) and Japanese sleeves adorning both arms. Peeling off the cellophane, mindful of the parental advisory stamp because I just got my learners permit, I hit play with a little trepidation, having been snake bitten before by great cover art, and to my surprise Morrison’s look and sound are exactly as a perceived - gritty, sweaty, crunchy guitar rock and roll, mixed in with some updated filter effects. The kind of rock and roll sound I dig hearing walking up stairs into the main room of the Viper Room holding a three finger deep tequila shot. Reading the “thank you” credits within the CD, Morrison apparently knows some important and well established musicians within the biz, and to me this type of fluff is swamp boot deep, but this player delivers the goods with an awesome groove so the boots can stay put in the closet.
Rating 3

Govinda Sky
“Surrender”
www.govinasky.com
Style (Transcendental Hip Hop)
This CD took me by surprise, trips me out, and I like it! If you can imagine, because I definitely couldn’t, a musical mix of meditative yoga, hip-hop vocals, and lyrics keeping with the peaceful nature of meditative trance sound waves, then you’ll have found Govinda Sky. It’s not often you come across an artist or group that is able to successfully blend two oil and water contrasting factors into a cohesive coagulation of art that makes sense. Adding to the oil and water metaphor is the group three shot with one guy dressed in a yoga shirt, one guy in a typical black t-shirt, and the third, the young hip-hopper, wearing an unoriginal large gold chain. I definitely didn’t expect to like this CD but I’m drawn to the alchemy oddity. Not to mention the upshot of this CD is being able to light up some Japanese sandalwood incense and wear my new Ed Hardy bling.
Rating 3

Josh McCann
“Live Loud”
www.myspace.com/joshmccannband
Style (Rock / Indie)
With the first song (“She’s Airborne”) I had the idea that McCann’s influences and sound would be presented as Indie songwriter blended with medium to low grade commercialized punk. However, as the CD played through, and I became more aware of the lyrics, all I could hear was an indie songwriter whining about getting or losing a girl. Granted, lots of songs are written about the chase between members of the opposite sex, and McCann’s song writing sure doesn’t break new ground as it fits this mold to a “T”, but his voice, only six octaves shy of perfection, after a while is flat out annoying. As the CD played through I also found the music lying there desperately needing an infusion of passion. The commercials say Red Bull gives you wings, so there’s got to be more. And come on, the title of your CD is “Live Loud”. How on earth can I get into something titled “Live Loud” when while listening to it all I want to do is turn it off and quietly scold myself for not buying that case of Red Bull on sale.
Rating 1

Blackstrap
“Steal My Horses and Run”
www.myspace.com/blackstrap101
Style (Indie / Alternative)
Opening the CD I’m thrilled by the creative artwork this band from Stockholm has put together. The cover image is a city street at night and the inside band photos are blended multiple shots into separate single images which are exceptionally artistic and look great. Listening to the CD I find myself wandering into an underground night club entranced by the flashing lasers only to awaken standing in the middle of a lush green forest feeling the wind pass through the branches encompassing my body and spirit in a chilled but warm enlightening embrace. The songs Blackstrap has created have that “something” hook which makes them both unfamiliar yet familiar at the same time,and the production to bring the mix together is superbly done.
Rating 3

It’s been a busy couple months sifting through a plethora of CD’s trying to find those interesting enough to strike a nerve warranting a written comment. For this review though I employed a game of Russian Roulette instead of a game of Cash and Treasures. So with a spin of the barrel (zzing!!) whatever CD enters the chamber is the CD to get a review.

Dive Index
“Mid/Air”
www.myspace.com/diveindex
Style (Electronica / Collaborative)
Sometimes a collaborative ensemble can go horribly wrong and sometimes a jewel of music is created. In the case of what Dive Index has created with this collaborative piece, I’ve come across a jewel. Reading some of the information about this CD and how the musical talent was gathered from around the globe reminds me of what was created with the CD “One Giant Leap,” which is one of my top five CD’s to be left on a deserted island with. This CD from Dive Index won’t make it into my top five but I love the concept and the music that has organically been born of the collective. The songs flow from one to the other, evoking a feeling of tranquil meandering water flowing, mesmerizing and hypnotic. This band may be classified as electronica but this CD is far and away different from such a description. This is a CD to put on if you want to relax, chill out, kick back and let the stress of the day wash away.
Rating 4

Bayadera
“Rotation of the Earth”
www.bayadera.com
Style (rock / pop)
Though this is a 5 piece band the music comes across a as singer songwriter in need of an identity infusion. On the CD the energy doesn’t come through at all but instead lays there flat and sleeping waiting for someone to come along and shake it awake. However, given the right club or lounge atmosphere, the band’s sound would make for OK live music for kicking back on a barstool and sipping a favorite beverage. Having recently driven through southern Utah, a damn dry liquor state, the energy and production of these songs makes me feel like I’m on a flat featureless plateau and I can’t push the pedal any further through the floorboard so I can get off this damn road.
Rating 1

Dyslextasy
“Live. Die. Repeat.”
www.dyslextasy.com
Style (Alternative / Garage)
I sure hope this isn’t a prelude to the post-Seattle music scene. If it is a reflection of what’s happening up in the Pacific Northwest I for one will stay here in SoCal waiting for the next “thing” the record industry will be pushing from Iowa. The name of the band is interesting, the name of the CD I like, and I dig beer drinking party music, which is what I think the band was trying to go for with songs titled “A Bug in the Jar,” “Last Call” and “Imperial Stout.” However, these songs need a lot of work to bring out the party atmosphere. The more I keep listening to this CD (thankfully it’s only 6 songs long) the more I want another drink, a double preferably, because maybe after I’ve had too many then these songs will at least sound tolerable enough to put me in the party mood.
Rating 1 (another round for the corner barstool)

Big Linda
“I Love You”
www.biglinda.co.uk
Style (rock)
Despite the band name the group is made up of guys who deliver a rockin’ sound with some balls and an excellent vibe. The sound’s got a groovy rockin’ 70’s influence with an upbeat contemporary rock character that really comes across quite well. But what I dig most about the sound is how well it’s produced, allowing the energy to flow outward to infect and materialize inside my head. So many times bands come up short on the energy capture aspect but these lads from across the pond have found themselves the right producer, written some killer songs, and delivered those songs awesomely. Their MySpace indicated an upcoming Los Angeles gig at The Viper Room in May, and if the energy on the CD is anything like the live show it’s definitely going to be a kick ass show.
Rating 4

Death to Anders
“Fictitious Business”
www.myspace.com/deathtoanders
Style (alternative / indie)
The last time I listened to and reviewed a CD from this band I commented about the songs being roughly arranged and lacking solid direction, melody, and anything catchy to keep you interested for a long period of time. This time there is at least one chorus I find catchy (song “Swig Shift”) but aside from the chorus the rest of the song reminds me of passing time waiting for that last drop hanging from the end of a leaky faucet to descend into oblivion. At least I can say the band has delivered another disk of music following the exact same path as the last, and to be honest I respect that. As with the last CD, this new one is the kind of music for people looking for something off-mainstream. For me though it’s too convoluted, too easy going and soft with the vocals, and the more I listen to it (three times already) the more I find myself needing a double, or in this case a triple, shot of Jolt Cola to keep me focused.
Rating 1 (not as high as the last CD)

J-Henry
“Code Red”
www.jhenryband.com
Style (rock / southern)
Listening to this disk I hear the classic rock influences and oddly, since I spend plenty of time road tripping around California and Arizona , I hear what I’d refer to as a trucker radio sound. J-Henry’s got a voice that would sound better live in a bar, and it wouldn’t surprise me to know he really shines on stage vocally. Not to say he sounds terrible on CD but he’s just OK. Musically the songs are simple, straight forward rock & roll. The one issue I take with the CD, because there’s usually always one, is the energy within the songs being too suppressed and buried for what this music really is. For example, the song “Tequila Time” has an excellent bar drinking party vibe with all the right ingredients, as a well blended tequila should, but the energy’s not obvious enough in the production to push it into the Cabo Wabo “Mas Tequila” category. Overall I dig the direction J-Henry’s heading and would most likely get into the music more hearing it live.
Rating 2 ½

The Limit
“Reinventing The Sun”
www.myspace.com/thelimit
Style (rock / pop)
My first reaction to this CD is related to how much it reminds me of those days recording songs on a 4 track in the bedroom of my guitarist’s parent’s house way back in the 80’s. Oh the good ol’ times. Not to say this CD’s production value is limited to a 4 track quality, because it’s not, but these songs need more substance and pop to make a difference. Vocally the singer has some chops and the harmonies are in the mid-high range. The songs are up-tempo, which is good, and I detect three musicians who went to music school and did quite well. Lacking though is any one song to garner industry attention or that “one” song destined to have the girls (females other than wives, girlfriends, mom, and sisters) singing in their cars. The bio says the band’s been playing quite a lot in support of many bigger named acts, and I wish them all the best for 2008, but for this opening act I’ll choose to stay in my car downing a 12 pack until the headliner goes on.
Rating 1 ½ (only because these guys are talented musicians)

Tom Fuller Band
“Abstract Man”
www.tomfullerband.com
Style (rock / pop / indie)
Looking at the CD cover and the jacket photos I had an idea this may be a blues rock / Tom Petty sounding CD. I wonder if this preconceived notion came about because Fuller has a Tom Petty kinda look and his first name is Tom. Well someone better alert the paramedics and get the anti-venom drip ready because I’ve been snake bit again. What this is I honestly have no F-ing clue! And right now I’m glad I don’t own a firearm because if I did my poor CD player would be no more. Honestly why on earth bother recording these songs? Tom’s vocal style is downright annoying. The music lackadaisically meanders in such a way I wish a black hole existed right here and now to swallow it up. I’m wondering if Fuller is good friends with the director of the movie “Funny Games,” Michael Haneke, because these two so-called artists should hook up and collaborate creatively to produce art no one should ever have to hear and see.
Rating 0 (why must my CD player have to suffer?)

Upground
“Feel the Vibe”
www.upgroundmusic.com
Style (Latin / Ska / Reggae)
Grab your girl and hit the club for some dancing. What a fun CD this is from such a young band, and over time they will only get better. As the name of the CD implies there is a vibe that grabs hold of you, spins you around, and doesn’t let you stop moving for a breather until the end. Many months back I was at the Whiskey to cover a band’s performance and an opening act had this same sound (maybe it’s the same band, I don’t know) and I can still remember how awesome the music was live, how high the energy level in the club was, and the personality the music had from such young musicians. Maybe I’m drawing too many similarities between two different bands but there can’t be that many Latin / Ska young bands in LA able to pull this off. Like I said, this is a fun CD, and there’s no way such a sound will suck live, unless they have a terribly off night, which I doubt, so these guys are definitely worth a look if you dig Latin / Ska music played well.
Rating 4

Anew Revolution
“Rise”
www.myspace.com/anewrevolution
Style (metal / rock)
A strong metal tempo mixed with rock harmonies radiate from this band’s new offering. The vocals are rough and aggressive with breaks to display singing talent along with quality chorus harmonies. The songs are nicely arranged with intentional and meaningful tangents. But the thing bugging me the most is how most of the songs have an up-tempo rough and tough metal rhythm then slow down to Night Ranger power ballad speed. OK, I get that you guys have some writing ability and meaning in the songs you want to express, but I’d rather hear one power ballad on an 11 song CD then have this pattern repeated so often throughout the disk. I totally love the energy in track six “California Burning,” and won’t be surprised if this track sells well on iTunes, but I can’t get into this metal, power ballad, metal, harmonies format throughout an entire CD. This sound had potential but ends with disappointment.
Rating 1