Lately our hearts have been tragically wounded by gigantic losses of so many music icons in the last year and a half. There seems to be an unending shock to the system every few months when yet another legend passes and it is gutting music fans. The worst part is that for those who love rock and roll, it almost seems that there is no one to replace these icons.

The alternative rock project of Manchester based producer and songwriter Mike Lawetto, Well Done You, has fashioned ‘Part Wolf’, a gritty but upbeat juggernaut of a song with a chorus that will be lodged in your head within seconds of your first listen.

Part Wolf is one of the oldest tracks taken from the upcoming album, but acts as a *perfect* introduction to how the rest of the record will sound to listeners. The creation of the album has been a time consuming but very rewarding task for Mike, and more singles are due before summer, with an EP and the album to follow towards autumn, finally rounding the year off with another single release.

Although it’s only been a few weeks since the official release for Well Done You, some recent airplay for the track on Kerrang! Radio, is definitely a promising sign, and I'm pretty sure there will be more after that!

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Passion and purpose tend to go hand in hand, so it’s little wonder that in the case of Shane Henry there’s an indelible bond that fuses his music to his message. One is intrinsically linked to the other. As a singer, songwriter and guitarist, he’s made it his mission to impart the emotion and inspiration he’s accumulated through the sum total of his life experiences. 

Hunter MacLeod is currently scoping out the latest and greatest unsigned indie bands to feature on upcoming #UnsignedTuesday articles, so in the meantime yours truly has decided to share with you some indie finds that I've discovered recently.

For this week's #UnsignedTuesday, I wanted to introduce you to an up and coming indie band that is tearing up the UK music scene, Franklin.

Busk, verb, to entertain by dancing, singing, or reciting on the street or in a public place.

We’ve all been there, generally in a larger city in which we live or travel. You go to a high traffic or tourist centric area, and there on the corner, or by a fountain, perhaps in a park is an individual that is perhaps playing an instrument with a hat or case open in front filled with some change and random bills. Sometimes they’re good, sometimes…Not so much.

If you ever get a chance to go to Seattle, the place to go and find some buskers is Pike’s Place Market. They are so prevalent that they even have a time limit. Many of them are actually very talented and entertaining. One such person that started her career there was today’s artist Whitney Mongé. She had moved to Seattle from her hometown of Spokane. She soon discovered that she was making more money busking than being a barista at a coffee shop and well, she never looked back. She was so good that she was featured in the 2014 award winning documentary “Find Your Way: a Busker’s Documentary”.

Mongé has two previous releases, the “Steadfast” EP and full album “Heartbeat”, has done a few West Coast tours, and an extraordinary performance on local influential broadcast Band in Seattle with her fantastic backing band. (It’s on Youtube if you’d like to give it a listen. You won’t be disappointed!) She has also has supported national acts, Ziggy Marley, Allen Stone, Lukas Nelson & The Promise of The Real, Crystal Bowersox, and Brendan James. She recently reached and surpassed a Kickstarter goal for her upcoming EP “Stone” being released January 16^th of next year, soon to be followed with a West Coast tour.

Mongé is an authentic and extraordinary song writer, but what really stands out is her distinctive and exceptional, rich, and sultry voice. In her own words she was raised in a house filled with rhythm and blues. She now likes to call her music Alternative Soul, being raised in the Pacific Northwest, with nods to being highly influenced by the regional rock music of the ‘90s.

Whitney Mongé is a pure talent, genuine, and straight up gloriously good. Mongé has vocal emotive chops worthy of comparisons to Brittany Howard, the deep well old-soul emotional story telling worthy of Tracy Chapman, all within a approach that is absolutely and uniquely her own. Whitney Mongé is a complete artist that touches the deep recesses of a listener’s emotional wheelhouse, whether those parts love to grove or feel deeply. The music is beyond pure entertainment, it taps the listener’s emotive edge of ache and bliss.

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About Hunter: Hunter is a freelance music writer that concentrates on finding outstanding, unsigned, unknown and under appreciated bands from around the world and unabashedly wields them onto the unsuspecting and the great unwashed. His work has appeared on music sites kilScene (NYC/Brooklyn), Mother Church Pew (NYC), and East of Eighth (Nashville). One of his writings has even been shared and press quoted by a Grammy Nominated artist (Do the Grammy's even matter anymore?!) After a particularly difficult and surreal week of work about five years ago Hunter decided to search the dark, dusty corners and obscure underbelly of the Internet. It was after hearing one of the same 30 songs that a so called "New Rock" radio station played yet again on his way home. That is what started him n his quixotic quest. Since then through many seasons of bleeding ears, anguish, and many neurotic episodes, he has learned well how to hone the power of the Internet in his search. Along with that, he has a vast array of concerts and music rouges throughout the US and around the world, and his goal is to find some of the most unique, fresh, and kick you in the ear hole artists and bands. You can follow him on Twitter or Facebook (if you can find him!) About Hunter: Hunter is a freelance music writer that concentrates on finding outstanding, unsigned, unknown and under appreciated bands from around the world and unabashedly wields them onto the unsuspecting and the great unwashed. His work has appeared on music sites kilScene (NYC/Brooklyn), Mother Church Pew (NYC), and East of Eighth (Nashville). One of his writings has even been shared and press quoted by a Grammy Nominated artist (Do the Grammy's even matter anymore?!) After a particularly difficult and surreal week of work about five years ago Hunter decided to search the dark, dusty corners and obscure underbelly of the Internet. It was after hearing one of the same 30 songs that a so called "New Rock" radio station played yet again on his way home. That is what started him n his quixotic quest. Since then through many seasons of bleeding ears, anguish, and many neurotic episodes, he has learned well how to hone the power of the Internet in his search. Along with that, he has a vast array of concerts and music rouges throughout the US and around the world, and his goal is to find some of the most unique, fresh, and kick you in the ear hole artists and bands. You can follow him on Twitter or Facebook (if you can find him!)

WALL OF ORANGE

Do you remember when music sounded lush? What exactly do I mean by that you may ask? I came of age at the tail end of the last gasp of the musical hegemony that was vinyl. It was still king and was the primary format in which music was released. It was a time when stereos were full systems. Amplifiers, equalizers, receivers, turn table, cassette/CD player, sub-woofers, tweeters (Not the users of Twitter for those confused), three foot tall floor speakers, etc. These HIFI stereos were monsters! A high end system could easily take up a good portion of an angst laden teenager’s bedroom. And  the mere volume of sound that these systems could push out…I mean seriously, if it was cranked up to the upper registers of their limits, at times you could hear the music from blocks (plural) away. It was not unusual back 20 or 25 years ago a kid home alone, blasting his favorite rock artist, would lead to a knock on the door by Johnny Law. This was invariably due to a noise complaint from a cantankerous old WW II Vet living three or four blocks away.

Wall of Orange from Dallas, TX reminds me through their self titled release that sometimes I wish I still had my old sound system that I ditched years ago because it was such a pain in the ass to set up every time that I moved. Honestly, Wall of Orange’s self titled debut release reminds me of a day when the music was expansive, huge sounding, rich & plush. The sound can be best described as nods to Shoegaze vocals, Psyche-Pop electronica, combined with luxuriant fuzzed out alternative guitar. The album is expertly layered, with beautifully nuanced soundscapes.

The group was born as a collection of songs via Gary Parks, an indie movie and commercial music producer and former member of Dallas space rock legends The Tomorrowpeople. After an extensive demo process, recording for the eight songs that would become the debut album began in the Spring of 2016. Parks enlisted longtime musical friends Danny Rix on bass guitar and Matt Hunt on drums and recording began at Pure Evil Studios. With the addition of guitarist Jay Spence and multi-instrumentalist/backing vocalist Aaron Long, the line-up was completed and rehearsals began for a regional tour in the Fall of 2016.

The initial track that introduced me to the group is opening track “Sweetest Blue”. With deep, distorted synthesizer and guitar transitioning to the spacious vocals of Parks this track definitely at times has the familiar echoes and flavors of perhaps The Jesus Mary Chain, Smashing Pumpkins or My Bloody Valentine, but with a deeper bottom end, and a fuller contemporary sound.  Other strong tracks include the driving bass line, trance-like synth tome of “Small Hour Crimes”. There is the beautifully composed and delicate, acoustic guitar-centric love song “Little Destroyer”. Combining the best of all elements from the entire album is the dynamic and gloriously optimistic “New Medicine”, this song is a keeper folks.

For an initial release, Wall of Orange has created a barrage of a magnificent sound, taking the best of Shoegaze, Synth-Pop, distorted guitar, and Alternative Rock, marking a truly unique new standard to be admired. In a word, this album is dazzling.

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About Hunter: Hunter is a freelance music writer that concentrates on finding outstanding, unsigned, unknown and under appreciated bands from around the world and unabashedly wields them onto the unsuspecting and the great unwashed. His work has appeared on music sites kilScene (NYC/Brooklyn), Mother Church Pew (NYC), and East of Eighth (Nashville). One of his writings has even been shared and press quoted by a Grammy Nominated artist (Do the Grammy's even matter anymore?!) After a particularly difficult and surreal week of work about five years ago Hunter decided to search the dark, dusty corners and obscure underbelly of the Internet. It was after hearing one of the same 30 songs that a so called "New Rock" radio station played yet again on his way home. That is what started him n his quixotic quest. Since then through many seasons of bleeding ears, anguish, and many neurotic episodes, he has learned well how to hone the power of the Internet in his search. Along with that, he has a vast array of concerts and music rouges throughout the US and around the world, and his goal is to find some of the most unique, fresh, and kick you in the ear hole artists and bands. You can follow him on Twitter or Facebook (if you can find him!) About Hunter: Hunter is a freelance music writer that concentrates on finding outstanding, unsigned, unknown and under appreciated bands from around the world and unabashedly wields them onto the unsuspecting and the great unwashed. His work has appeared on music sites kilScene (NYC/Brooklyn), Mother Church Pew (NYC), and East of Eighth (Nashville). One of his writings has even been shared and press quoted by a Grammy Nominated artist (Do the Grammy's even matter anymore?!) After a particularly difficult and surreal week of work about five years ago Hunter decided to search the dark, dusty corners and obscure underbelly of the Internet. It was after hearing one of the same 30 songs that a so called "New Rock" radio station played yet again on his way home. That is what started him n his quixotic quest. Since then through many seasons of bleeding ears, anguish, and many neurotic episodes, he has learned well how to hone the power of the Internet in his search. Along with that, he has a vast array of concerts and music rouges throughout the US and around the world, and his goal is to find some of the most unique, fresh, and kick you in the ear hole artists and bands. You can follow him on Twitter or Facebook (if you can find him!)

FUTURE THIEVES

So we’re less than a week out from Thanksgiving and into the dreaded “Christmas Music” season. You know what I mean, you go to the store, work, hell you even go into your favorite restaurant for lunch and there it is. “Let it snow, let it snow, let it snoooooooow…” Just remember you have 26 days to get your Christmas shopping out of the way. I know, I know don’t remind you right! But I digress. What is the best way to counter the season ear blahs? Why with a great new earworm for your listening pleasure!

Forming in October of 2013, Future Thieves based out of Nashville first started gigging and touring on a three song EP before laying down the first tracks during the summer of 2015 of their initial release Horizon Lines. After finally releasing it in October of 2015, Future Thieves hit the road performing at such festivals as; Summerfest, Bonnaroo, Forecastle, slots at SXSW. Moving forward, the band continued creating new material on the road which led to exposés by American Songwriter and Reverb Nation’s Connect “Discover” concert series.

Horizon Lines comes off at times like a contemplative, top-down, soundtrack for a day trip on a perfect summer day.  At other times lead singer Elliot Collett’s voice has hints of emotional rasp and release of better days. Horizon Lines musically can best be described as a melodic, expressively airy rock album with strokes of heavier grooves that I’m sure gets the crowd swaying and dancing. It’s a fun album, wrapped with poignant lyrics and stirring storytelling.

The heartening thing is that the music feels genuine in a way that says drummer Gianni Gibson, “The one thing we all found common ground on is when you listen to a band’s record, you want to know that there are humans still playing the music. That’s what makes the true connection. I want someone to listen to our song “On Fire” in headphones and truly feel like you are transported. It takes you somewhere.”

For a first unsigned indie album, Horizon Lines was a magnificent start to what looks to be a promising career. With an expanding fan base, gigging across the U.S. from NYC to L.A., and especially their home base of Nashville, Future Thieves is a band that if they are playing near you, that you should absolutely make a point of seeing. Live on stage is where they thrive and are known to throw a twist to their songs, just to keep things fresh and their fans on their toes.

Show them some love on their socials!

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About Hunter: Hunter is a freelance music writer that concentrates on finding outstanding, unsigned, unknown and under appreciated bands from around the world and unabashedly wields them onto the unsuspecting and the great unwashed. His work has appeared on music sites kilScene (NYC/Brooklyn), Mother Church Pew (NYC), and East of Eighth (Nashville). One of his writings has even been shared and press quoted by a Grammy Nominated artist (Do the Grammy's even matter anymore?!) After a particularly difficult and surreal week of work about five years ago Hunter decided to search the dark, dusty corners and obscure underbelly of the Internet. It was after hearing one of the same 30 songs that a so called "New Rock" radio station played yet again on his way home. That is what started him n his quixotic quest. Since then through many seasons of bleeding ears, anguish, and many neurotic episodes, he has learned well how to hone the power of the Internet in his search. Along with that, he has a vast array of concerts and music rouges throughout the US and around the world, and his goal is to find some of the most unique, fresh, and kick you in the ear hole artists and bands. You can follow him on Twitter or Facebook (if you can find him!) About Hunter: Hunter is a freelance music writer that concentrates on finding outstanding, unsigned, unknown and under appreciated bands from around the world and unabashedly wields them onto the unsuspecting and the great unwashed. His work has appeared on music sites kilScene (NYC/Brooklyn), Mother Church Pew (NYC), and East of Eighth (Nashville). One of his writings has even been shared and press quoted by a Grammy Nominated artist (Do the Grammy's even matter anymore?!) After a particularly difficult and surreal week of work about five years ago Hunter decided to search the dark, dusty corners and obscure underbelly of the Internet. It was after hearing one of the same 30 songs that a so called "New Rock" radio station played yet again on his way home. That is what started him n his quixotic quest. Since then through many seasons of bleeding ears, anguish, and many neurotic episodes, he has learned well how to hone the power of the Internet in his search. Along with that, he has a vast array of concerts and music rouges throughout the US and around the world, and his goal is to find some of the most unique, fresh, and kick you in the ear hole artists and bands. You can follow him on Twitter or Facebook (if you can find him!)