I first heard William Darling's music years ago as part of a boozy variety show at a bar on the Upper West Side of New York, and I still have one of his hooks stuck in my head today. In the time between then and now, Will moved to Seattle and started to create some SERIOUS vibes through his electronic musical stylings. Today at the B-Rock blog, we talk music with a genuine Renaissance Man.
Live and Direct from the Othership, a Prez Powerz show is unlike any other in hip hop. The self-described Psychedelic Cyber Punk outfit combines hard-hitting hip hop beats, a breakdance crew from the future, and a socially-minded MC with razor-sharp lyrics and a laser gun whose business end you'd be well-advised to avoid. Peep the word...
Alyssa Robbins is a singer/songwriter with one of the most devastatingly beautiful voices you will ever hear. I've had the personal distinction of being Ms. Robbin's (djembe) drummer in the past, and she has graciously appeared on numerous BRBRCK tracks including Bedford Stop Blues. Alyssa was good enough to answer a few questions on her songwriting process, and what's on and poppin in the new year...
I met Ahmen at a set at Ella Lounge a while back, and there was an immediate mutual respect between the two of us. Since that time, my man A's been on a TEAR promoting his most excellent Hero Ball LP by rocking venues all over New York and New Jersey, and I've had the honor to step in and perform our debut collaboration track, Kaiju on a number of occasions. The big homey sits down to get deep on songwriting, and sends up a call-to-action for all you musical souls out there...
Melissa Czarnik is a poet and emcee who Deli Magazine named one of New York City's #1 Emerging Artists. Czarnik combines sharp lyrics with smooth delivery over the jazz-infused beats of Eric Joseph Meyer, and holy crap you need to go listen to her album Non Merci the second you're done reading this.
Julia Weldon is an indie folk singer/songwriter and a fellow Brooklynite. She's released two full length albums (czech em out here) and has been touring across the country, bringing her badassery to lucky concert-goers near and far. She has a frickin' Wikipedia page for Fark's sake. As The Advocate says, "Julia Weldon might be the most soulful singer you've never heard of." Ms. Weldon was good enough to share her thoughts on songwriting, touring, and more...
Jason Consolacion is a Vancouver-born, Houston-raised, New York-based singer/songwriter. He's also a dear friend of mine and the guitarist for my band, the iLL harmonic. Jason was good enough to take time out of his busy schedule to discuss his creative process and offer some advice for aspiring songwriters.
