Singer-songwriter Mira Goto originates from Santa Cruz, California. Even before she migrated to Nashville, country music was already flowing through her DNA. Now there is the wonderfully long-awaited EP 'Before', five tracks recorded in the heart of Nashville at Prime Recording Studios, under the watchful eye of producer Derek Garten. Album opener 'Enough To try', like the rest of the album, is a combination of pop beat with wonderful and light country tunes. Mira's fragile voice is an instrument that immediately gives us a lot of goosbumps. Check it out, highly recommended! 

We all know it... that guitar intro from 'Johnny B. Goode' that still sounds just as sparkling and fresh so many decades later or the sentence 'it's got a back-beat you can't lose' and there are many more examples. This is just to say that Chuck Berry was one of the biggest and probably the biggest influences on rock 'n' roll. Keith Richards and John Lennon readily admitted this. Not only rock 'n' roll as a music genre, but also upcoming guitarists mentioned and still call Charles Edward Anderson Berry as their great example today. The Atomicat label bundles thirty tracks on 'The Chuck Berry Sound', all influenced by the great master. These tracks include cover versions of Berry's songs as well as tracks by artists who absorbed Berry's sound and gave it their own twist. However, all thirty of them have one thing in common, namely that they are all extremely catchy uptempo songs. Anyone who has mastered Chuck Berry's technique is Brownie McGhee in 'Anna Mae'. You can hear Sonny Terry on harmonica and the beautiful guitar work can be attributed to Mickey Baker. The same Baker is also the guitarist on Buddy Lucas' 'Oh Mary Ann'. Song modeled after 'Maybelline'. The Berry riffs pop off the album. Chuck's influences also adorn 'Justine' by Ray Sharpe. Song for which Lee Hazlewood came up with the arrangement. It wasn't just Berry's guitar playing that provided influences. That also applied to his songs. Be sure to listen to 'Rock To The Top' by Billy Peek, who was inspired by 'Roll Over Beethoven'. You also get 'Roll Over Beethoven', but in a female version by Margaret Lewis. Nicely done by the way! A wonderful Berry inspired instrumental comes with The New Blockbusters and 'Rock & Roll Guitar Part 1'. Eddie Clearwater, who would later provide excellent music as Eddie 'The Chief' Clearwater, is present here with 'I Was Gone', on which he is assisted on guitar by none other than Freddy King. Clearwater was also the guitarist on Eddie Bell's recognizable 'Johnny Be-Goode Is In Hollywood'. Johnny Winter was 15 years old when he recorded his debut single 'School Day Blues' with The Jammers, a song that opens with the guitar riff of 'Brown Eyed Handsome Man'. Glenn Garrison was clearly inspired by Chuck's 'Sweet Little Sixteen' for 'Pony Tail Girl'. Tommy Roe had world hits in his hands with 'Sheila' and 'Dizzy'. Here you can hear him with the 1960 released 'Caveman', which floats on the riff of 'Johnny B. Goode'.
Terry Gale performs a really good cover of Berry's 'Betty Jean'. Covering in an original way is also perfect for Scotty McKay in 'Brown Eyed Handsome Man'. Female vocal support and excellent piano solos certainly contribute to this. A very special arrangement, which even sounds a bit bluesy, graces Jimmy Breedlove's version of 'Rock 'n' Roll Music'. You can expect another original cover from The Gadabouts in 'Too Monkey Business', including the monkey sounds overdubs. Jim Miller's cover of 'Carol' with a fresh honky tonk piano is also inspiring.
Chuck Berry's influences were enormous. His impact on rock 'n' roll and the inspiration he was for other artists is invaluable, so is this awesome compilation.

Fischer-Z frontman John Watts bridged the gap between pop and rock in 2017 with the great album 'Building Bridges'. But he also referred that title to his socially and politically oriented texts. And John remains faithful to that item on his new long player 'Triptych', the successor to 'Til The Ocean Overflow' from 2021. Wats went to the Studio Vega in Carpenras, France, and recorded twelve original songs. Songs that are full of political, social and personal developments. Many tracks were previously on his 'Triptych EP 1' and 'EP 2'. 

Tibetan artist Lobsang Chonzor sings about his life from childhood to exile.  A wonderful piece of spellbinding art.

In 2018, this trio surprised us with their album 'Boogie In The Shack'. Although we could expect quality, we could deduce from the line-up. After all, the members were no strangers to the rock 'n' roll scene. First there was the energetic Jake Calypso, also known from the band with His Red Hot, The Corals, Mystery Train and Hot Chickens. There was also Helen Shadow, who we remembered from The Blue Ridge Rockets, The Johnson Family, The Queen Bs and The Shooting Stars. And finally there was Ricky Lee Brawn, who earned his nods with The Stargazers, The Big Six, The Space Cadets and Johnny Back And The Moonshine Boozers. Now, roughly 6 years later, the trio is still there and they have come up with 'Generation Rock n' Roll', released as a Rhythm Bomb Records 20th Anniversary Edition. Jake is still the bass, harmonica and guitar man. Traditionally, Helen Shadow is busy on the six strings and Ricky Lee Brawn flogs the drum heads. All three are responsible for the vocal parts.
The album has 13 tracks, the majority of which came from the pens of Jake and Helen. The trio immediately takes off with 'Back In Black', a Calypso composition. Their craftsmanship is immediately reflected in a rock-solid song with a sublime guitar part. Helen Shadow immediately signs for successor 'Chickies', which is also bursting at the seams with energy and can boast of Jake's pumping bass. Things get even wilder in 'Miss Pussy', which gets started with a quirky intro. With the instrumental 'Timeless', which sounds somewhat spacious, the gass pedal is given some rest. Not for long, however, because with the title track, which nods to psychobilly, it becomes 'pedal to the metal' again. A great authentic rock song is without a doubt 'Don't Know Where I'm Goin'', a composition by Helen. A super beautiful track is also the quieter, country-influenced 'I'll Be Just Fine'. 'Party Doll Got Married' makes the thoughts wander to that guy from Lubbock Texas, called Buddy Holly. In French, Jake's native language, the album ends rockingly with 'A Plein Coeur'.
With 'Generation Rock n' Roll' by The Nut Jumpers it's party time, although sometimes a break at the bar is necessary. A hell of an album!

​A rich mosaic of contemporary and traditional influences with pulsing beats and samples.
A successful combination.

Deman Rogue is a young blues rock ‘n' roll band from Alken, Belgium. With a unique style of alternative blues they catapult themselves into the blues rock firmament. The band is inspired by that seventies groovy sound, all adorned with that pure rock 'n' roll energy. It is a musical blend of dark country, blues and rock 'n' roll. Four years ago they had a self-titled debut album on the shelves. Now there is 'Deman Rouge II'. Even now, blues remains the basis, although they agree on a nice mixture of very different styles, and that is what makes their sound so unique. 

The band Max Merritt and The Meteors may not immediately bring back memories for you. That is the case in New Zealand. After all, in the period 1959 - 1963 they were the hottest rock 'n' roll band that introduced the new music genre there, as well as in Australia. Moreover, they were involved in the rock 'n' roll scene for a long time.
Maxwell James Merritt was born on April 30, 1941 in Christchurch, New Zealand. Already at the age of 12 he took guitar lessons for fun. At the age of 15, he left school and went to work in his father's construction company. At that age, Max also fell under the spell of the emerging energetic rock 'n' roll and the construction company no longer interested him. He used his wages to buy his first electric guitar and made it a point to make a living as a celebrated rock 'n' roll artist. In the first version of The Meteors, Max perfected his performance. From 1955, American soldiers were stationed in Christchurch. A year later, Max Merritt and The Meteors were often guests at the American base, where they played the American hits of the time for the staff. In 1959, Max and his colleagues signed a contract with His Master's Voice. That same year they also made their first recording with 'Get A Haircut / Dixieland Rock'. An original recording linked to a cover that Elvis sang in the film 'King Creole'. The same pattern was followed for the second recording. The original rocker 'Kiss Curl' was given the cover 'You Made Me Love You' as a b side. The line-up of The Meteors underwent quite a few changes and studio musicians were also hired in addition to The Meteors for the recording of the long player 'C'mon Let's Go'. In early 1962 the band moved to Australia. There they recorded two singles for His Master's Voice with cover versions of songs by Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran and the British group Dave Sampson and The Hunters. After His Master's Voice terminated the contract, the band signed with the New Zealand Zodiac and Viking labels. The first punk bands emerged in the mid-1970s and although Max then found refuge on the Arista label, further success failed. Nevertheless, his songs 'Slippin' Away' and 'Hey, Western Union Man' did hit the Australian charts. At the end of the decade, Merritt moved to Los Angeles. During the last seven years of his life, he was affected by a rare autoimmune disease that produces antibodies that attack the lungs and kidneys. Max Merritt died on September 24, 2020 in the middle of the corona period, so no funeral ceremony could take place. That same year he was inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall Of Fame.
On 'Get A Haircut' the Rockstar label puts Max Merritt and The Meteors in the spotlight on the basis of 24 tracks. The tracks contain 22 recordings that Max Merritt made together with The Meteors. He recorded the other 2 songs as a solo artist. All songs were recorded between 1959 and 1963. The tracks come from the 45 tours and the LP 'C'mon Let's Go' and contain both original songs and cover versions. It quickly becomes clear that Max Merritt and The Meteors had the fiery rock 'n' roll in temp. The origineels 'Get A Haircut' and 'Kiss Curl' should certainly not turn a blind eye to American rock 'n' roll. Merritt sings convincingly and The Meteors lay an extremely tight musical foundation. In addition, 'Weekend' is a beautiful song, in which the more acoustic side of Max is discussed.
Merritt's craftsmanship comes to the surface very impressively in the traditional 'I'll Take You Home Again Kathleen', a folk song that he transforms with verve into a full-fledged rock 'n' roll song. Superior!
The fact that Max could also relate perfectly to covers is evident in, among others, 'Sea Cruise', the Elvis-known slow 'I Was The One', 'Tennessee Waltz', Ray Charles' soulful rhythm & blues 'Hallelujah I Love Her So' and Cochran's ‘C'mon Everybody’. The 'Teen Beat' borrowed from Sandy Nelson and the original 'Soft Surfie', a beautiful surf song, provide nice instrumentals. As a solo artist we hear Max in the guitar-driven instrumental 'The Slow One' and the equally instrumental rocking 'Cossack', with which the album also ends.
'Get A Haircut' by Max Merritt and The Meteors is a more than formidable album and definitely worth discovering.

Live at The Scala Theatre is the latest recording from blues troubadour Eric Bibb, which follows 2023's Grammy nominated album, Ridin'. Performed in front of a live audience at Stockholm's Scala Theatre in 2023, the atmosphere captured in these recordings is electric. As Eric reflects on his musical journey, gratitude pervades. Evolution is evident in his voice and guitar playing, with his words grounded in truth and fostering a vision of unity in a world filled with divisive rhetoric. Eric Bibb is more than a blues troubadour - he is a storyteller and philosopher. Live at The Scala Theatre contains a selection of songs cherry-picked from Bibb's history, infused with the folk and blues tradition with contemporary sensibilities

These three CDs house more than 70 hours of music related to Laurel Canyon. Yet, compiler David Wells clearly points out that Laurel Canyon is a location rather than a sound. And that raises the question why this wide range of artists and styles - from The Monkees to Zappa and from The Millennium to Captain Beefheart – were given the same denominator.
For one, the Canyon functioned like an artistic community, with stars and starters playing on each other’s records, sharing the same studio or producer, exchanging songs and helping one another:  Monkee Mike Nesmith and Stephen Stills were pals, while The Turtles sponsored Judee Sill and befriended The Doors.
Secondly, because the Canyon did give birth to a genre we would later label as folk rock: The Nitty Gritty Dirt band, The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, Dillard & Clark or The Flying Burrito Brothers, all have Laurel Canyon in common.
Finally, because nature, friendship and peace somehow led to harmony, togetherness and balance, as is clear from the sheer artistry of The Mamas and The Papas, Judy Collins, The Association, The Turtles or James Webb.
Presented chronologically, this collection allows us to follow the evolution of pop music between 1967 and 1975, before drugs, money and fame led to destruction. This wide-ranged Cherry Red compilation mixing the famous, the forgotten and the misjudged, is a unique opportunity to discover sounds and artists you may have overlooked or never heard of, such as Clear Light, Jo Mama or Essra Mohawk.
Radio 68  broadcasts a Laurel Canyon special on Wednesday 3 April 2024.