Global Musicians Fish Pond

Coming to you from Boston, MA is the talented duo of singer/songwriter Ashley Sonlin and guitarist/producer Juan Carreno.

But don’t let their innocent smiles fool you into thinking they’re contestants; full of spunk and a blend of power vocals and complex musical arrangements, Last Day Kiss knows exactly what kind of contenders they are.

Kicking off the EP comes an edgy head-banging track; ‘Nice and Easy’ is a superb blend of raw emotion, edgy vocals and musical talent. Leading right off; a catchy electric guitar riff and vocals that have you totally sold right from the start. Throughout the entire song there’s a feeling of contained fire ready to be set free. The electric guitar solo leading into the chorus is the perfect touch, the climax hits:

“…all that I’m made to do, just gotta push through,
just gotta Live My Life”

…and the fire has found freedom. With a final round of the chorus and leads from the guitar the song has found completion. Juan has demonstrated how second nature runs and solos are on the electric guitar, in all the right places. The song comes full circle, and gives a power-packed track with skills much higher then expected. You can just picture these two belting this one out on stage, in full effect.

In a much softer light the two produce ‘Drowning’, a simple yet beautifully crafted piece. With just a piano and vocals, Ashley shows a much more tender side in her voice, and the immense control she has vocally. You can hear her lyrics pleading to listeners;

“hear me, listen to this song from my heart”

Not in an invasive way, but simply demanding a silence so you won’t miss a single beat. Filled with many unexpected notes, both vocally and musically, there is obvious thought to every detail. The melody leaves just enough room to be “in” the song and live the journey, without being empty. They successfully create a personal connection to the song, as if it’s being sung just for your ears only. As the song finds it’s closing, you may find yourself following the last notes of the piano, making you begin to anticipate where the music will lead, and expect the last note to fall lower on the scale; but it stops just shy, leaving your breath caught for that final release, and needing to hear it over again.

Showing yet another completely different side themselves in the last track; ‘One of These Days’. You can just feel the pure joy in this song, like she’s singing with a smile in her voice the whole time. With a very poppy and upbeat feel, you’ll be grooving along in no time. With this track they prove you don’t always need wild electric guitar solos, or sky-high notes to have beautiful musical craftsmanship and catchy, quality songs.

Through the entire album Ashley demonstrates a sort of sweet and sassy flair with her vocals, while Juan does an exceptional job musically as well as in production. The two make quite the duet, and to quote the lyric of their own song, these two are “not going anywhere.”

You can read more about Last Day Kiss on their profile here, or buy their EP here.

By Pranam Bai Richter, Head of Global Publicity, the Fish Pond

Straight off the East Coast, with roots in Britain, Canada, and the USA, comes My Lucky Fish with their first album “Best Thing.”

A working progress for a full 15 months, major efforts were put into this album. Without question, it all paid off in obvious skill and craftsmanship of every track. From catchy pop/funk track; Bother Me, to soft ballad; Catch Me When I Fall. Dynamite vocals come from both male lead; David Smith (also on guitar) and female lead Rachael Schoellen (also on piano).

Their album-titled song Best Thing is a combination of jazzy flavor and funky groove. With beautiful harmonies from female vocal; Rachael Schoellen and male vocal; David Smith, Best Thing is a perfect blend of skilled musical arrangements and lyrical style. Starting off with a drum roll, the song comes in full force with energy. A steady foot-tapping rhythm throughout, with a steady build into the chorus, creates a signature song you won’t forget. A sudden pause in the second verse wouldn’t seem that significant, but it adds the perfect touch, proving the thought to each detail. Then a slight drop off into the bridge allows for yet another build into a musical jam fest of guitar solo and rock. Vocals coming back in at that point for a final round of the chorus, ending with just as much energy as it started with.

The real funk arrives with track four; Leave You. Starting right off with a bass solo, there’s no hesitation that this song, you will love. Rachel’s tender vocals glide in like a gentle summer breeze, but by the end of the first few lines she has you hooked. Starting into the second verse, you might take a double-take, An edgy rap hits full force, adding yet another layer to this already dynamic song. The blend is perfect, with neither singer over powering the other. The ending electric guitar solo is not only spot on hard rock, but the highlight to the song, leaving you wanting to listen to the entire song over again just to hear it.

Softening things up dramatically with a piano-based track is Change My Mind. A beautiful heartfelt ballad, filled with all the right touches of tender feelings, and raw emotion. Rachel demonstrates her range and ability to put just the right feeling in a song to make it an unforgettable song that may have you teary-eyed by the end. Not overly complicated, and a beautiful string solo in the middle, you can see the true craftsmanship throughout. The song drifts out in a romantic fashion, leaving the listener clinging to the shift in every last note. A true mark of musical talent and skill.

Offering yet another side to their musical style, yet still carrying that edgy flavor is; Butterfly. With a hint to the latin side, the intro guitar solo, which plays again throughout the song, creates the perfect setting of sultry desire. Rachel’s luring vocals drift through while David paints a picture with his raw-feeling lyrics. The song is filled with electric guitar solos, and impressive beat-keeping. With a good rise and fall through, the song takes you on a journey to some exotic island, with a forbidden romance between two long lost lovers.

Among the signature tracks on the album is a mixture of pop/funk style and killer guitar riffs, well executed musical bridges and thought provoking lyrics. The entire album gets you moving, and never has a dull moment. My Lucky Fish has done an excellent with production and fresh originality. The album is a strong collaboration, joined by Ricky Furr (Drums), Tom Graham (Bass) and Doug Sharpe (also on guitar) there is plenty of talent to make this album a real success.

Best Thing is one album that won’t make it to your shelf, because it will be playing in your CD player.

You can view My Lucky Fish at their website or on their profile, or go ahead and take the plunge – buy their album here.

By Pranam Bai Richter, Head of Global Publicity, the Fish Pond

Queen Caveat is a perfect example of an in-your-face alternative rock band you just can’t help but love from the first time you witness them. Lauren Little, a gymnastic and graceful ball of hard-rocking energy, Ben Epand with his solid riffing and beautiful-sounding gravelly guitar, Will Weissman holding down the 5-string bass runs like a master, and rock-star skinsman Jesse Magnuson. Together, they bring you their new single, Mr. California.

I first came across Queen Caveat while channel surfing; on a weekday evening, suddenly there was an amazing sounding (and looking) band featured on ABC’s 20/20 special, Sunset Boulevard. My roots are very much in the rock scene, and I loved what I heard. Their music was punchy yet intelligent, well-written, and beautifully performed. Little wonder that they are highly acclaimed to continue to expand on their success into 2013 and beyond.

“Mr. California” is the lead out single from their upcoming 2013 album. Right from the guitar intro, you can tell something a bit special is coming; and after four bars, there it is: with a bang, everyone is all-in, committed to the song, and the pace is set for a driving and energy-fuelled 3 minutes and 19 seconds ahead.

Lauren’s voice is showcased so well in the verses (as is her amazing onstage performance in the video version, variously described as “maniacal” and “ferocious”; I’d maybe differ by describing her as “lively”, “unique”, and “honest”), with Ben’s beautifully-toned guitar ringing on, and Jesse’s drums pushing the vocal along, she spits the lyric;

“You said Miss Oklahoma, really love to know ya,
But only for tonight;
You’ve got my attention, and did I mention,
I am full of fight”

And she means it, too.

All this pushes us forward on the crest of a guitar-powered adrenaline wave toward an epic chorus, which in some ways takes me back to the heady days of Faith No More and “We Care A Lot”. Perhaps it’s the mood, the anger, and the massive open chords in the chorus that take me right back to the early days of couldn’t-care-less power funk-rock.

“I won’t listen to you,
I won’t listen to you,
nothing but blame, nothing but pain
in your heart”

Consistently they return to that intro, catchy as ever and providing a perfect tagline to introduce every  verse.

It’s angry as hell, and they perform it like they’re just not going to take it anymore. With every verse and chorus succession, the tide builds; I can close my eyes and see a stadium full of people jumping along to it’s pace. The bridge is nicely designed to temporarily slow the song down, with huge vocal effect and well-used feedback from the guitar. Musically, it’s brilliantly constructed – I counted 16 beats over and over but it’s not in 4/4 time anymore – 32 half-beats of same-pace carefully planned emotional mayhem, with some memorable drum-riffing from Jesse, before slamming into a pre-last-chorus instrumental.  By the last chorus, if you’re not either singing it with arms outstretched, air guitar-ing while posing like Slash, slapping an imaginary bass, or drumming along on the nearest available surface; frankly, what the bloody hell is wrong with you?

Much kudos to the quality bass-work, by the Berklee-educated Will Weissman, which underpins and drives the entire song as any self-respecting rock number should be. The bass in general is easy to overlook, generally because a really good bass player blends perfectly with the song; in this case listen out for it. His skill and musicianship is obvious, and frankly the song wouldn’t be the same without it.  On top of that he absolutely rocks it, flinging that bass around like a madman.

Mr. California is a huge song. These guys have worked and continue to work hard at their craft, are musically well-educated, and it shows; the whole band is a joy to witness. Lauren of course pushes the bar even higher, by providing a magnificently unique take on dress-code and performance, which makes their music and their message the more believable because of its raw honesty.

A great band, really nice people, and with material like this, born winners. The king is dead. Long live Queen Caveat.

You can hear Mr California on their profile page here.

You can view the video for Mr California here or just watch it below.

By David Mark Smith, Global Musicians Fish Pond

With her new EP, ‘Hope & Heartbreak’, Natania Lalwani has succeeded in bringing together a combination of solid songwriting and creative musical arrangement.

Bringing experience from her roots in Mumbai, India, and her graduation from the Musicians Institute in Hollywood, she gives us a wide range of musicality and creative lyricism. Showing a very real part of her heart, Hope and Heartbreak takes us to a personal place in her life as she shares the many trials and triumphs of love.

Starting off the album with her debut single Cherry Love she instantly draws a smile with her whimsical lyrics, “you taste like sorbet on a sunny day.”

The playful mood she shows at the start of the song holds true for the full duration of the track, with the sweet accent of chimes throughout; hand-clapping filling the song after the bridge, you can tell that careful thought was given to every detail. While the catchy chorus “my cherry love, cherry love, cherry love” mimics the title, making it easily remembered, it also sums up the flirtatious lyric. Finishing the song with a “distant” round of the chorus, the song leaves you feeling joyful and ready to repeat; and ready to smile along with it all over again.

In the second number, ‘The Other End Of The Line’, Natania demonstrates the sensitive side of her voice. The first song on the album to talk about heartbreak, she does an excellent job of creating a rise and fall through the song. Instead of the lyrics being depressing (as some heartbreak songs inevitably are) Natania uses the soft texture of her voice to urge you to sympathize and understand her emotion, while her lyrics paint a compelling story in your mind. The soft steady rhythm slowly builds, with a sudden drop off into the bridge accompanied only by the piano;

“I thought I could understand it,
I thought I could see the in between bits of you and me.”

She then shifts gear into a powerfully high and beautiful “we tried like crazy, we tried like crazy” showing off the wide range of her vocal ability.

Once again she shows the vulnerability she has shared within the album on ‘Still Can’t Let You Go’. Bringing in male vocals from Ricky England, the duo feed off each other wonderfully to produce a beautiful harmony. The simple collaboration of guitar, vocals and piano for the first half of the song is simple, catchy, and beautiful. When the snare does come in, it’s not over complicated, but just enough to fill the song and make it complete.

Finishing off the album with a catchy track Baby You’re Beautiful. It starts off with some head-bobbing guitar work. The song lyrically presents questions to Natania herself, followed by answers from the purest feelings of love. Again she shows her wide range vocally as she effortlessly transitions into her falsetto, adding emphasis to key words in the song.

With a total of six songs on the album; including the bonus track, Natania gives a good balance of love versus loss. Throughout the album there is an impressive dynamic, including beautiful acoustic guitar finger-picking for the bonus track, ‘Carelessly Captivated’. Creating a warm and cozy feeling, this would be a perfect song to listen to on a cold winter night, while you’re curled up with that special someone.

Each track on the album has it’s own unique sound, leaving a distinct mark, and no two tracks leave the impression of being ‘samey’. Again, you can see the how much thought for detail was invested in each track, the production, and for the album as a whole.

The album is more than worthy, and overall a very pleasant listen. You can read more about Natania, and listen to a few of her tracks from ‘Hope and Heartbreak’ here.

by Pranam Bai Richter, Head of Global Publicity

So how do you describe Mighty Bones? One word…passion (and perhaps, looking at their new publicity shot, “onesies”, if such a word exists). Out of Switzerland and just bursting with fresh new musical talent comes a group of four dynamic and in-your-face pop-punk lads. In this production, you can see their dedication to their craft and their desire to constantly surprise you with their wit and creative ideas.

From the first time I saw the “teaser” for their new official music video for “What life may bring” – here – I knew these guys were the real deal.

With their fun-filled attitude and pop-punk musical style with some lovely alternative rock thrown in, they’ll have you groovin’ along from the first measure.

From the intro of edgy guitar and drums, the song hits you with energy and power, which lasts through the entire 3 minutes and 6 seconds of the track.

With such a feel-good vibe to it, the song is contagious; it’s impossible not to sing from the first hook:

“We all don’t know what life will show”
“We all don’t know what life will show”
“We all don’t know what life will show”

And we may not know; but musicians with heart and soul like this sure show us that they are more than in control of what life will bring to Mighty Bones.

You can hear the genuine fun these guys have with each other, the impressive and well-rehearsed way they interact with their vocals and instruments to bring you a great combination of electric guitar riffs and skilled beat-keeping, all the way to the well-planned wrap-up with an almost a capella round of the catchy chorus.

Without a doubt this is just the start of a long career for these guys, and I look forward to being a witness to their growth and what’s in store. Mighty Bones, you are a well-appreciated part of this global family.

You can read more about Mighty Bones on their profile page, here.

by Pranam Bai Richter, Head of Global Publicity, The Fish Pond

I’ve always been lucky enough to have a lot (I mean a lot) of family surrounding me, to help me up when I’m down, to make my light shine a little brighter because they’re in my life, to bring a smile, a tear, and a touch to my heart and move me in a way only family can.

When I first joined the fish pond and David said “welcome to the family” I was touched, but I’ll admit, I didn’t think I was part of a “family”. My world has changed. In a short few weeks, I’ve not only realized that, yes, this is in fact a family; it is that and so much more.

How many times can you say you’ve met someone who cares just because they can? Loves just because they know others need love?

That is what I’ve seen, and it is at the heart of every musician in the Fish Pond. We welcome any musician and music lover with open arms, and if you’re anything like me, you’ll find that almost anything you “expect” when you join is far from what you can actually achieve when you “dive in”.

I’m a musician, with love at the heart of everything I do. I can’t describe how joyfully overwhelmed I am every day I see family members post new music, collaborate, comment, and share their love and support; and it’s just because everyone has the same intention at heart. LOVE for music and for their fellow musicians. It is not an option in this family, but a necessity, and the only way to truly breathe is through the notes of our shared song.

What is most unique about what David has shared with us all, is that there is no pressure or constraint on what you can share, there is no right or wrong; only love, family, music and support. And it’s amazing to me that I’ve been lucky enough to stumble into such a wonderful place.

by Pranam Bai Richter, Head of Global Publicity, The Fish Pond

Before reading the rest of this review, I should warn you; I am a huge fan of the pop/punk genre. 10th Avenue, a three piece out of Saskatchewan, Canada, delivers everything I love about the style in this effort from their album, ‘Weiners’.

From the first riff, I’m right back into my own influences of Green Day’s ‘1039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hour’, which I was listening to back in 1991 when I was out playing the same style live. I ate it up at the time, and I love this track. It’s under-produced, as a song like this really needs to be.

The verse is simply, riffy, and it’s impossible – at least for me – to stop myself air guitar-ing along to it. The guitar is well executed, and the chord progression is catchy. Sorry, but I’m right back in the moment, pogo-ing on stage and right there with these boys.

But wait – what’s that in the chorus – they’ve introduced some Little Richard-style piano into the mix. And you know what, driving and deliberately discordant, it really works in this case. It fills out the second half of the chorus just enough.

“Is this the end or just the start?
Did I break of fix your heart?”

The essential solo is once again just as it should be. These lads have studied the genre, and they’re really natural at it.

“I don’t know what I’ve done
I don’t know where I’m from
I don’t hear anything you say”

There’s no doubt this is a feel-good track, albeit nihilistic, but very well put together. I’m sure we’ll be hearing a lot more from 10th Avenue down the stretch.

Visit 10th Avenue’s profile and listen to ‘I Don’t Know’ here.

I review and hear a lot of great music, proudly representing our fish pond family. Alexis Barreto’s debut single, ‘Hey You’, is no exception; a brand new talent with international roots in Switzerland and the US, she has a pure and distinctive vocal, and this is a catchy and sweet song which is bound to do well.

Well produced from the start, the guitar sounds beautiful. It’s hinting at a Nashville-style production, but as the drums come in, I soon had this down as more of a clever pop song, which borrows all of its best elements from a country sound. The sentiment is friendly, like an embrace, from the first line:

“Everyday we’re faced with the opportunity to say ‘hey’ to somebody new”

Truly this young lady’s voice, under the direction of the great David Barreto (an excellent musician in his own right), is something new. It’s simple, it’s pleasing to listen to, and the melody fits it perfectly. The thought that kept running through my mind; that I’d like to hear the unplugged version, with just an old Martin mahogany-body acoustic guitar, and Alexis’ beautiful, simple, and innocent vocal.

“Hey you, where you coming from?
Hey you, where you going to?”

For the axe-nut, there are some beautiful lead guitar licks after the first chorus, and once again I tip my hat to the production; this was really worth doing well, the experience of the people engineering in studio shines through, and pays off.

As the instrumentals gear down toward the end of the song;

“Hey you, I know you’re suffering
Hey you, I feel the same way to
Let me help you through the pain into the light
There I’ll stay till the very end
There’ll be others waiting to say;”

At this point, I LOVE the bold 4 second gap

“‘Hey you’”

It’s a well-written and well-performed song. Alexis carries it off well, the lyric is worth listening to, and the vocal has just enough effect on it to make this a very listenable effort, and as I would expect, it’s doing well in the US online charts.

“Hey You” is written by Gina Marie Gordon/ Wayne Edwards/ David Barreto for Elizabeth Easler who spent 9 months in and out of the hospital. Part of the proceeds for “Hey You” will go to help terminally ill patients and their loved ones who need medical supplies/ medical costs/equipment/ transportation/ meals.

Congratulations, Alexis, we’re glad to have you in the family and we look forward to much more to come in 2013.

Visit Alexis’s profile and listen to ‘Hey You’ here.

The best way to describe Haikaa is as a true artist; an accomplished author, and an amazing singer/songwriter, we’re so glad to count her as part of our global family. Like so many others in the Fish Pond, Haikaa has truly global roots to draw from, and a worldview which is peaceful, all encapsulating, and respectful.

It feels somehow right to be writing this review, and listening to really solid international music from our family while cruising at 38,000 feet above Hudson Bay on the way to Europe. The wonderful thing about a family of musicians like the Fish Pond, is that there are so many references from others to discover new family members. I thank Mr. Joel Heslop, DJ with Museboat Radio, and musician from Swansea-based band Mr. Spoon, for ‘liking’ Haikaa on Facebook. And there it was. A connection, a positive conversation, and happily a very accomplished new family member we can all learn from.

‘Everything I Know About Love’ starts in a really interesting way, prefacing the main riff with a lovely plain percussive intro and whispered vocal, a shadow of the lyric from the first verse; as a guitarist myself, I loved hearing that beautiful palm-muted acoustic guitar fading in and introducing the melody. What sounds like a Fender Strat, metallic, fulsome, and reverby, plays over it; and so to Haikaa’s vocal.

“You’ve read on books, you’ve seen it
on movies
And things;
About a beautiful kingdom
A princess
A prince;
I can tell our story’s not the same,
Can we say our destiny is to blame”

It’s a build from verse to verse, very “expensive” sounding instrumentals, perfectly performed and captured. The underlying guitar picking and chords are intuitive and quite a joy in themselves.

Then the unbelievable happens. A couple of lines leading out of the verse, then it happens; the hook quite unexpectedly washes over you like a huge warm wave. Goodness me, that chorus is…well, it’s just…unreal. Absolutely beautiful:

“Everything I know about love
I’m sure we’re really meant to be;
Everything I know about love
I’m sure this is it, if you let it be”

For me, this is an almost perfect popular song. Evocative and punchy – the lyrical theme is simple and lovely – it has a great guitar sound throughout, acoustic and electric, and Haikaa’s vocal is naturally fitting; it soars. The way the production has been put together is polished, as it deserves. It’s simply a Work of Art, as is the title of her 2011 album.

We’re very honored to welcome Haikaa to our family in 2013, and we look forward to much more of her music to come.

Visit Haikaa’s profile and listen to ‘Everything I Know About Love’ here.