Shoshana Michel Releases Solo Piano Album ‘Storyteller’

February 19, 2024

Soundslikecafe is proud to present this wonderful solo pianist from the USA.

The music from Storyteller was inspired by and reflects different facets of Shoshana’s life, emotions, people and memories. It is a blend of compositions written not so long ago and those that were, but for one reason or another were not recorded, until now.

About

Shoshana Michel is a classically trained contemporary solo pianist. She has performed different genres of music at different venues from ragtime at Knott’s Berry Farm to contemporary solo piano at The Galleria at South Bay in Redondo Beach, California.

Storyteller is Shoshana’s seventh solo piano album. Her music has been used in documentaries, a promo film, has received accolades, nominations and awards and is featured on Sirius XM Radio – The Spa, Calm Radio, Whisperings Solo Piano Radio and many other stations worldwide.

Shoshana’s playing has been described as “graceful and flowing” and “refined and elegant”. Her music will inspire, stir the heart and touch the soul. The music she writes is inspired by life experiences, people and emotions. Shoshana feels that music is healing and is passionate about sharing her music with others. She currently resides with her avian family in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Album Credits

All pieces composed and performed by Shoshana Michel

Produced by Shoshana Michel

Recorded on a Shigeru Kawai SK7L

Engineered and mastered by Joe Bongiorno at Piano Haven Studio, Sedona, AZ

Graphic art and design by Matt Strieby

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Silphie Releases Single ‘Sulpicia’s Birthday’

February 2, 2024

Featuring Silphie’s sublime highly trained vocals, a Harmonium, cello, viola and nylon string classical guitar, the debut release for this neo classical/world music act from the NSW Central Coast is sure to have ears lighting up. The quality of the recording, the players, the juxtaposition of the vocals switching from Latin to English and the overall sound of this track will put you in a medieval soundscape that could be part of a beautiful old film shot on 70mm.

Sulpicia was a female poet who lived in Rome in 40BC. Sulpicia’s Birthday is the second in a series of six poems. The story describes her ecstasy, as Sulpicia writes to her lover to tell him she has arranged for the two of them to spend her birthday together, frolicking in Rome.

Lisa Haymes photography.

Michaele Archer graduated (with distinction) from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music Opera School and has performed nationally and internationally. She also attained a Masters in Applied Science, researching breathing techniques for opera singers from the University of Sydney.

Her research in breathing techniques was presented in Paris at the International Congress of Voice Teachers. Recently Michaele has been performing and studying in Los Angeles and Switzerland with vocal expert Robin de Haas and has been certified as an Advanced Breathing Coordination practitioner.

Lisa Haymes photography.

Michaele’s love of ancient instruments and language led her to the work of Sulpicia, a female poet who lived in Rome in the time of Augustus. ‘Garland, the love poems of Sulpicia’ is her latest recording project.

Sulpicia’s poems were included in a publication of the famous roman writer Tibullus and originally attributed to him. The mystery around Sulpicia as a young woman breaking taboos, writing of a secret love affair and the rich sound of the Latin text drew Michaele deep into the project. The poems form the text for the album. Written for harmonium, guitar, cello, viola and vocals, Michaele’s recordings embrace a tone palate that is analogue, raw and dark.

Silphie is a collaboration with Michaele Archer (vocal and harmonium), Rachel Whealy (cello), Giuseppe Zangari (guitar), and Gab Stelle (viola). The name Silphie is inspired by the ancient world’s herb Silphium which was used for everything from perfume and cooking to medicine.

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Watch the official music video

Video premiere

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Extra Time Releases New Album ‘Songs With Long Titles’

January 22, 2024

So it has been four years since our last album. We have been winnowing down the stories that we would like to tell and twelve new tunes made the cut. Taking badly recorded demos and some wildly inaccurate charts to Damien Gerard Studios in Gosford, Australia, we spent four days recording and knocking together arrangements into some kind of shape. Many of the musicians who played on the first record kindly agreed to go around again and try and make sense of what we had.

We had a few base principles. No samples, no Click, no Grid and no Autotune. Everything on the album was performed live by a musician. Our drummer was our click track. The whole album was recorded to 2” tape and then digitized into Pro Tools. The whole process was a lot of fun and hopefully that comes across in the music and the performance and in the behind the scenes videos that we will be releasing. We were looking for a high fi, harmonically interesting sound that would live up to all of the great records made by our heroes. Its up to you to decide whether we succeeded.

‘Songs With Long Titles’, the second album for Extra Time is a journey through intriguing stories of life, death, delusion, joy, passion and dreams in classic rock album format along with just enough jazz and blues influences to keep it interesting. Think Steely Dan meets Supertramp if you like references.

Lyricist, composer and singer Brendan McNamara has been honing his craft over many years and for this record teamed up with ex Los Angeles co producer and engineer Andrew Beck at Damien Gerard Studios in West Gosford. A veritable A List of session musicians were called in through the 20 plus days of recording and mixing.

The record was mixed at the same facility by Brendan and Andrew and Mastered by Grammy Winner William Bowden. Now released to the world in double gatefold vinyl – 3 songs per side for maximum quality, and digitally across all platforms on 22 January 2024.

About Extra Time
When you think of classic album rock names like Pink Floyd, Steely Dan and Supertramp spring to mind. You might be surprised to know there is a Sydney based band that has been toiling away for some years creating some truly classic sounds and songs with a similar aesthetic and instrumentation.

The guys met at school and hit it off as a young band and writing team, but ever since have been involved in other projects and built careers locally and internationally. Extra Time became a creative outlet to record and release music they love.

The first album came out pre-covid, scoring some decent streaming figures and TV sync activity.

MUSICIAN CREDITS

Tim Firth                  Drums
Brett Hirst                Bass
Aaron Blakey            Keyboards
Peter Koopman        Guitar
Amanda Easton        Vocals
Sarina Jennings        Vocals
Paul Murchison        Trumpet
Matthew Keegan      Trombone
Bridget Darby           French Horn
Luke Bartley             Tuba
Jane Stanley             Strings
Andrew Beck            Tubular Bells

Songs With Long Titles is OUT NOW

MUSIC VIDEO FOR SINGLE ‘WHERE IS THE LIGHT’

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Extra Time – ‘Where Is The Light’ (Official Music Video)

January 22, 2024

Orchestra Indigo Releases Album ‘The Small Hours’

January 14, 2024

Our first feature album for 2024

Orchestra Indigo is an ambient music project created by recording artist Rick Randlett. Like many new artistic projects, the impetus for it was the the Covid pandemic, with it’s months of isolation and no live performances. Reaching back to his college studies in composition, orchestration, and electronic music, Rick is creating a unique orchestra electronic hybrid with neoclassical overtones that envelopes the listener in relaxing waves of sound.

A message from Rick…

“The Small Hours is a soundtrack for one sleepless night from midnight to dawn. Sitting alone, in a small dark room with drink in hand, a man contemplates his life, and ponders the decisions that have brought him to this place.”

Track Listing

1. Midnight (4:28)

2. The Small Hours (4:16)

3. Moments Of Uncertainty (5:48)

4. Walking Dark Streets (3:42)

5. After The Rain (6:22)

6. Hour Of The Wolf (4:33)

7. Meditation On Departed Friends (4:28)

8. Sleepless Once More (5:13)

9. 4:44 AM Blues (3:52)

10. Dawn’s Arrival (4:57)

11. Day Spring (5:20)

About

The fascinating story behind the emergence of new age artist Orchestra Indigo and its beautifully melodic and deeply inspiring debut album ‘Farewell to Memories’ has its roots in the lockdown early in the pandemic, when musicians around the world, with their regular gigs suddenly stripped away, were trying to figure out their next creative steps.

Having released his fifth blues rock oriented album ‘Night Songs’ in February 2020, multi-talented singer/songwriter, guitarist and keyboardist Rick Randlett had every intention of hitting the road in support of the project. That had been his m.o. for years, playing up to 125 regional club and festival dates in and around his adopted home state of Florida for nearly a decade and a half after launching his solo career in 1999 with ‘All Alone’. Three of his releases reached the Top Ten on the Roots Music Report charts, and he collaborated on the album ‘Hauntings’ with fellow blues singer Cassie Keenum in 2017.

Turning his anxiety over the sudden work stoppage into a fresh stream of creativity, he began exploring ambient, new age style compositions. Rick embraced the freedom of composing longer pieces combining piano melodies with an array of dynamic colors he created using synthesized strings.

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Foghorn Christmas Releases

December 6, 2023

Get Into The Christmas Spirit With Gareth Koch’s Instrumental Album & Daxton’s Homegrown Blues/Jazz Album

‘Exquisite & ancient music reimagined with a shimmer of jangle. An audiophile recording.’

Imagine timeless European Christmas music played instrumentally, as if upon a choir of lutes. Ancient & exquisite songs, deep within the human psyche, are now newly arranged by ARIA Award winning guitarist Gareth Koch. The interpretations reveal his signature blend of contemporary flair laced with medieval sensibilities.

The arrangements are both elegant & appealing, sidestepping any notion of commercialised Christmas clichés. Re-imagined as troubadour-like ballads or tender Austrian folk songs, each carol receives a unique treatment. The listener is invited into an array of soundworlds, ranging from the early medieval to English folk-revival.

The music of this album leads us away from the bustle of many modern realities. Instead, we are drawn into a gentler universe, filled with subtlety & nuance. In any year, at any time, this album presents a Christmas message we all need to hear.

Song Descriptions
Little Drummer Boy
This timeless mid-tempo classic Christmas carol is dealt with not just using multiple classical guitar parts but with hand percussion and rice shakers.

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
A very old piece, dated to the 16th century and referred to in Charles Dickens ‘A Christmas Carol’. Gareth recreates the vocal melody perfectly and becomes a terrific hum along piece. Bass guitar rounds out the arrangement featuring multiple guitars: acoustic, nylon string and electric creating a lush sonic tapestry.

About Gareth Koch
Gareth Koch is an ARIA Award winning recording artist, guitar soloist, composer & songwriter. He has recorded a diverse repertory across multiple albums spanning works for classical guitar, flamenco, original compositions, arrangements, medieval projects & song writing.
Gareth is involved with many cross genre projects. Over recent years he has released two collaborative albums with ARIA Hall of Fame inductee Steve Kilbey (The Church).

All DSP’s and CD’s from official store below

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Daxton ‘On The Eve Of Christmas’

There is a good chance in any Christmas album you will hear the well known traditional songs about mistletoe, stockings and large jolly gentlemen in red suits. Many artists have been there but not all write their own songs. Daxton Monaghan has just released his own unique jazz style Xmas album for 2023.

After deciding last Christmas that there wasn’t an album of Christmas songs that suited him, Daxton has spent the past year slowly crafting a tasty array of melodic songs for his own special Christmas album. Entitled ‘On The Eve Of Christmas’, the nine tracks include some well-known and Daxton family favourites: White Christmas, Little Drummer Boy and of course, Jingle Bells. The rest of the album is made up of Daxton’s own songs. These compositions have been inspired by Daxton’s family Christmas gatherings. Bouncy rhythms, heart warming lyrics, sing along harmonies, strings, brass and Daxton’s familiar vocals all feature.

Song Descriptions
Let The Carols Sing
A classic sing along Xmas tune from bluesman Daxton. Some fine holiday vibes from the sax, beach boys style ‘ooh aah’ backing vocals and keys.

Little Drummer Boy
This timeless tune gets fine reworking by Daxton. Programmed drums and keys give the song a modern edge with Luke Gallen’s sax the icing on the cake.

About Daxton
Daxton has appeared at major festivals including the Sydney Blues & Roots and Tamworth Country Music Festival where he supported artists such as Kasey Chambers and Beccy Cole. He also has had one of his tracks ‘Moody Liz’ featured in the popular American TV series Doll House.

Based on the Central Coast, Daxton is best described as a blues/rock artist with a twist of pop and rock. He plays slide guitar rock/blues songs with a fresh and innovative sound. His last album, ‘Electric Satellite’ was released in 2022 and featured his signature heavy and rustic blues rock sound.

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Gareth Koch Releases New Album ‘Ghost Stories’

September 8, 2023

In ‘Ghost Stories’, Gareth Koch creates an ethereal sound world, blending the aesthetic nuances of medieval chant with rock psychedelia. The mood of the album is defined by chiming cathedral-like textures, as if the monks themselves are playing guitars, percussion & lyres.

This record could perhaps be described as prog-rock, yet it effortlessly manages to be much more than that. The listener will discover the album’s unique identity & subtle references to music past & present. This is a refreshingly new recording which deftly sidesteps easy characterisation.

‘Ghost Stories’ could be seen as an evolution of Gareth’s duo albums ‘Songs From Another Life’ with Steve Kilbey , and ‘Music in the Afterlife’ with Martin Kennedy. While the previous albums might serve to shed light on the preoccupations of this one, it is very much a standalone & distinctive creation.

The titles & ambience of ‘Ghost Stories’ guide us on an otherworldy journey. We are led variously through imagined states of being to experience Catacombs, Unblessed Spirits, Longing & Redemption via this shimmering & beautifully crafted recording.

Recorded in and inspired by the mystery and wilderness of Tasmania.

Song Descriptions
Redemption
The first track from the album is uptempo and has a fully formed rhythm section underpinning the many layered trademark guitars. By no means his usual classical/world offering, although some elements remain. This song has a more rock orientation featuring electric guitars and big drums.

Old Church
A melodic and hypnotising bass line underpins this modern instrumental rock track. The drums are powerful and help to drive the tune along, while layered guitars and keys keep the interest even without vocals. His lead guitars offer a crisis section to the song before resolving into a fine outro section.

Dance Of The Unblessed Spirits
Another short and sweet frenetic full band instrumental rock piece with plenty of breakdowns that remind the listener of his classical roots. A fascinating piece of music by a master of his craft at the top of his game.

Benedictine
The title evokes a monkish, monastic vibe and from the beginning you can hear this in the piece. It’s not rock, it’s not classical but it is certainly superb instrumental guitar. This tune is a break from the first few on the album, dispensing with drums and sticking with guitars.

About Gareth Koch
Gareth Koch is an ARIA Award winning multi-instrumentalist, recording artist, guitar soloist, composer & songwriter. He has recorded a sizeable repertory across multiple genres spanning works for classical guitar, flamenco, original compositions, arrangements, medieval projects, rock & songwriting. He has appeared at major festivals within Australia, Europe, Asia and North America.

Born in Milan, Gareth began his musical studies on piano and clarinet, and at age 12 was accepted into the Mozarteum in Salzburg. He received his Bachelor of Music degree at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music before winning scholarships for advanced guitar study at The Royal Madrid Conservatorium & the Vienna Academy of Music. He holds a PhD in Music & has lectured in music across Australian & European universities.

In 2002 Gareth formed the first guitar supergroup with Karin Schaupp & The Grigoryan Brothers, Slava & Leonard. Saffire – The Australian Guitar Quartet soared to #1 on the Classical Music Charts and even featured on ARIA pop charts. The quartet released a total of 3 best-selling albums & was Australia’s biggest selling classical act for several years.

Gareth is involved with many cross genre projects & has released a succession of collaborative albums with Martin Kennedy & with ARIA Hall of Fame inductee Steve Kilbey (The Church). His recent release ‘The Guitar Player’ received a coveted 5 star review from The Sydney Morning Herald. Gareth’s current output has a strong rock bias with classical overtones & his writing is increasingly focussed on the ethereal nature of music.

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Reviews for Jack Nolan’s Album ‘Jindabyne’

August 27, 2023

Jack Nolan Released and Launched his New Album ‘Jindabyne’ earlier this month and
now the Reviews are in – here are a selection of some standouts and the links.
Recorded to tape in Nashville and with players like this theres no wonder folks are raving about it.
Producer guitarist Justin Weaver (The Chicks/Wynonna Judd), drummer Jimmy Paxson (Lindsey Buckingham/The Chicks/Ben Harper) and bassist Chris Autry (Josh Turner/Lee Anne Womack).

“As I’m listening through Jindabyne, I’m taken aback. It’s such a solid, mature, full-bodied album of unflinchingly well-written songs. He’s not fucking around.”
Coyote Music

“Perhaps the delay worked in Jindabyne’s favor as it’s rare to hear such a coherent and complete collection. It’s Jack Nolan’s finest moment yet.”
Curious For Music

[About the last track ‘All The Ships In The Ocean’
“This one is also reflective of the recent pandemic…At one point he asks the question, “What’s a nation?/Does anyone know?” When the world gets all weird, some of the questions that, at one time would have had easy answers, start to get overly complicated.”
Skope Magazine

““Jindabyne” has a quiet grandeur, with Jack Nolan’s robust and assured voice telling tales from lives lived most fully.”
Beach Sloth

“As a true purveyor of Americana, Jack stays true to the staples of roots music while also taking the genre to a fresher perspective with his Aussie twist. Named after the New South Wales town of the same name, “JINDABYNE” feels familiar, yet nostalgic, as it truly bridges two distant sides of the world, as if there was no ocean between them!”
Ghost Echoes

The Album
Jack Nolan’s JINDABYNE, released August 4

The same band assembled again to record, with no backing tracks, all but live to tape – and why wouldn’t you

The album’s title is lifted from the ever so sweet ‘Solo Sailor’ that lets us in on a journey. Other highlights include, the up-tempo ‘She Knew’ where nothing’s perfect, but she knew he loved her, and her knowing that will have to do for now, and the timeless finger picker, ‘All The Ships In The Ocean’.

Two years of stolen liberties has only hardened Jack’s resolve, to remain forever suspicious of rule makers and even more dedicated to his ongoing contribution to art, to song writing. JINDABYNE is a record for this year, where we are all staggering on after two years of madness, and we have all arrived back to that place we had drifted too far from, the simple things, love and reality, family, and community.

Based in Sydney, Australia, singer songwriter Jack Nolan has been performing and releasing music and albums since the mid 1990’s. Along with a six-album solo catalogue Jack also fronted The Kelly Gang, with Rick Grossman, bassist for The Divinyls and Hoodoo Gurus along with Midnight Oil drummer Rob Hirst and guitar player Martin Rotsey. Their 2004 album Looking for the Sun is still considered a hidden gem, with an incredible line-up of musicians that delivered passionate and energetic live shows of the time.

Within Nolan’s music, mysterious and shimmering chords unite his sound. Once quaintly described as ‘Darlinghurst Country’ his sound unites elements of folk, country, rock ‘n’ roll and ambient atmospheres fusing Nolan’s passion for intensely charged electric guitar and finger-picked acoustic guitar.

Of recent years, the critically acclaimed 2018 album ‘Our Waverley Star’ was followed by the equally impressive 2020 outing ‘Gabriel’. It was these two outings that cemented Nolan’s love of recording in Nashville, with guitarist/producer Justin Weaver (Dixie Chicks/Wynonna Judd). What started with a one-off phone call, developed into an alliance that Nolan describes as “arriving in town, in the northern winter, when everyone’s off the road, with my swag of songs to greet all the boys again to collaborate”.

Performing in & around the traps Jack’s Australian band includes Travis New (Andrew Farris/Imogen Clark) on guitar, Tim Samson (Christine Anu/Andrew Farris) on bass and long time drummer & Hamish Stuart (Don Walker/Ian Moss et al).

Jindabyne album is OUT NOW
Quay Records

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Jack Nolan Releases Album ‘Jindabyne’

August 4, 2023

Jack Nolan’s JINDABYNE, released this month was so frustratingly delayed by that virus. This is an album that waited in the wings while lockdowns and rules ran their course. “March 2020 the world was turned on its axis and we all went into lockdown –suddenly there were no certainties in life; this created a sense of urgency in me, so I made a conscious decision not to waste the time and went to work writing JINDABYNE. As soon as I could post lockdown, I was booked and took off back to the US.”

The same band assembled again to record, with no backing tracks, all but live to tape – and why wouldn’t you with personnel like producer guitarist Justin Weaver (The Chicks/Wynonna Judd), drummer Jimmy Paxson (Lindsey Buckingham/The Chicks/Ben Harper) and bassist Chris Autry (Josh Turner/Lee Anne Womack).

Jindabyne album is OUT NOW
Quay Records

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Peter Sterling Releases Mystic Voyager Album

June 1, 2023

PETER STERLING

Mystic Voyager

Soundslikecafe are proud to add Nightwind to our playlist lifted from Peter’s new album just out today – just one of the many outstanding pieces – read all about it and listen below.

Calling his 16^thalbum “my most ambitious and creative work to date,” Peter Sterling’s Mystic Voyager is a remarkable, genre-transcendent collection that finds the veteran award-winning harpist delving deeply into his longstanding passions for ethereal new age, contemporary instrumental/smooth jazz and global fusion music, its nine compositions serving as a reflection of his multi-faceted life journey, multitude of world travels and the inspirational people he has met along the way.

Driven by the longtime Sedona, AZ resident and spiritual sojourner’s largest recording ensemble ever, the serene yet soulful, gently grooving collection’s unique title speaks to the many mystical, otherworldly experiences that have guided his impactful, ever-beautifying life and career since he first felt the presence of angels answering a prayer on how to fulfill his life’s purpose some thirty years ago. Mystic Voyagerincludes contributions from #1 Billboard charting guitarist Steve Oliver, Grammy winning pianist Darlene Koldenhoven, Grammy nominated Renaissance flute player David Young, vocalists Chianne, Seay and Nina Starsong and Richard Hardy (flute and sax).

Mystic Voyagerincludes the previously released single “The Long Cold Winter,” a haunting, lyrical, accordion laced and largely improvisational piece whose powerful and distinct Eastern European feel sparked Peter’s visual imagination, leading him to collaborate with Sara Pozin, a 20something, award winning Slovenian animator to create a video tribute to the brave people of Ukraine as they continue to struggle and survive the 2022 Russian invasion. The video featuring Pozin’s compelling minimalist, foreboding artwork has won multiple awards at prominent international film festivals.

Success came quickly for Peter, when the music label “World Disc” released his first album Harp Magic which was nominated in 1994 for NAIRD’s (now A2IM) Best String Album Award. In 2004 Sterling’s album Hap Dreams sat at the top of New Age Radio’s Top 100 for 8 weeks and garnered an Album of the Year nomination. In 2005 peter signed on with renowned new age music label Real Music to release his Shadow,Mist and Light cd. Peter’s self released 2008 effort The Sands of Time earned a nomination for a Hollywood Music Award for Best New Age Album. His 2012 release Patterns of Reflection soared to #1 on the ZMR 100 International Radio chart, also grabbing a nomination for Album of the Year. The very next year his album Twilight Serenade ascended to the #1 position on the ZMR Chart, while the track entitled “Isle of Light” earned a Bronze medal in the Global Music Awards for 2016. And his 2017 CD Sacred Visions went to #3 on the ZMR and won a Silver Global Music Award. In 2021 Peters album Sanctuary of Light won the Hollywood Music in Media Award for Best New Age Albums as well as the COVR Silver Visionary Music Award. In 2022 Peters album The Winding Way won Gold in the COVR Visionary Music Awards for Best New Age Album.

A favorite on Internet radio such as Pandora, Sirius, XM Satellite, and Soundscapes Radio as well as United and American airlines, Peter’s angelic music will continue to reach the masses, heal lives, balance brains, open hearts, and connect people to their innate spiritual essence.

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