Rachelle Ramm: Rock's Sexy New Vixen

One part sex, one part attitude, one part determination and one part talent. If you put all of those together and blend carefully you come up with one delicious combination. That would be one way to describe Rachelle Ramm: delicious. She is a treat to all of the senses. First off, it would be hard to look at her and not notice that she looks like a model. She definitely knows how to milk sexuality out of the most uncommon elements. Secondly, there is her voice. It's a mix of the rock attitude of Pat Benatar and the emotion of the Wilson sisters of Heart.

I spoke with Rachelle recently after discovering her on MySpace. Her first Cd “City Of Sin“ has been out for a while and Rachelle has been gaining a building a following with her aggressive take no prisoners attitude and amazing vocals. I asked her how long she had been performing. “Well, when I was very young, I had a small tape recorder. All of my neighbors knew that I loved the movie Grease. I think I was like 3 or 4 years old and I was so into Olivia Newton John. I would sing 'Hopelessly Devoted To You' for them over and over. My poor neighbors! I really loved to perform for anyone who would listen. My family was also very into music. My mom was into the Doors and Hendrix and my dad loved Stevie Wonder,“ said Rachelle.

Rachelle does have a wide array of musical tastes and influences. I asked her who her influences were and what I would find in her ipod. “I have so many influences, where do I start? I absolutely love Heart! I also like alot of rock such as Metallica, Alice In Chains, Soundgarden, Guns And Roses, Hendrix, I could go on and on. Now, when I chill out I like to listen to Cat Power or Sting. I like to mix it up. As far as what's in my ipod? I have a wide mix in it now. I have some Cat Powers, Kings Of Leon, early Chris Cornell, some classic Janis Joplin, Zepplin and alot of others.“

Rachelle aggressive attitude and determination may be traced back to her love of extreme sports. “I am a very active person and I am very hyper. If you give me coffee late in the day or at night, you better look out! I have swam competitively since I was six years old and continued through college. After that, I got into wake boarding. My true passion is snowboarding. I also enjoy mountain climbing, anything that pushes myself.“

Given the fact that this woman is in excellent shape, I had to ask her if she thinks that there is a double standard in the industry as far as women are concerned? “Well, I think there is, but I don't work out and eat right because of the media. I do this because it's a healthy lifestyle that I choose. I mean, I do want to look my best but I like to push myself and challenge myself. The whole double standard thing, yeah, it's sick and twisted I guess. I call myself healthfully insane because of the challenges I like to take on.

Let me tell you people, after five minutes with this woman, you can see that she is on full throttle. Most people would kill just for an ounce of her energy. She is truly a dynamo!

So, with all this passion and energy, how does she channel that into songwriting? Is there a method to the madness for this energetic lady? “Most of my lyrics come off the top of my head unless I am playing around with the guitar. Then again, maybe something is inspiring to me and I run with that. I ask myself 'how it can relate to people?'. Sometimes, Hank Shermann will give me a riff and I will play with it. It strikes me sometimes late at night, there may be a situation that I am going through in life and I will write about it. I have so many little scraps of paper and napkins and anything that I could find to write on when an idea came to me.“

So let's talk a little bit about your CD “City Of Sin“, can we? “You better believe we can! I had so many ideas that I wanted to try on this CD that we could have done two full CD releases. It was a “DIY”, do it yourself CD. Next time, maybe it would be wise to get with a label so that they could help with advertising. I would love to be in the situation to have financial backing for another CD. It's on its way though, don't worry. We did record a new single not too long ago called 'Asphalt Lucky Lust'. It was quick and easy. Hank and I created the idea in one day!“

Her CD “City Of Sin“ is a great tool for her to showcase her amazing voice. It also has a bit of a mix of styles on it also to show her versatility. “Not Ordinary“ has a punk/pop kind of feel to it while “Animal Attraction“ is a slower tempo song yet not quite a ballad. I told her that I would love to hear her slow it down and sing a real ballad on the next CD. “It's funny that you say that because I have been feeling that too lately. I want to record a very sultry, powerful and emotional ballad soon, “ said Rachelle.

So, for a woman who cannot stand to sit still for a long period of time, what are her long term goals for her career? “First and foremost, I want to be happy and share my passion for music. You should never start in this business to become rich or to just do it for the money because it will make you miserable. I think my biggest goal right now would be to tour around the world. I want to perform live for as many people as possible and inspire happiness. What a feeling to look out and see that you're making people smile and feel it with you.“

My last two questions were more about what makes her tick. One was what is your guilty pleasure, if printable and the other was if you were trapped on a desert island and could have only one store bought CD, what would it be? “My guilty pleasure? Well, I guess it would have to be Absinthe alcohol. As far as the CD goes, that's difficult. In this moment, I'd say Guns And Roses 'Appetite For Destruction', I have extreme fond memories during the time it was released.“

I have to tell you that my interview with Rachelle was so refreshing and entertaining. She is like a whirlwind spinning in every direction! You should check her out at www.myspace.com/rachelleramm or at her official website, www.rachelleramm.com. She has a powerful voice that will reaches out and grabs you be your neck and demands your attention. Check her out and see what all the fuss is about.

Textures

Tiffany Shea probably wrote her first song inside her mother’s womb. It seems as if just seconds after birth she had booked her first show. I’m pretty sure that she got her first standing ovation from the visitors looking at her in the hospital. You see, Tiffany is more than your flavor of the week artist. In an industry of manufactured artists, she is definitely a breath of fresh air. She has the personality to win over the most unruly crowd and the spunk and determination to make her dreams come true.


Tiffany last stormed through Greensboro in 2004 when she played the SWET. "You know, I think that it was one of the coolest club shows that I have ever done. All of the kids were really close to the stage and they were really listening intently to what I was expressing. It was kind of like pouring a glass of water. As opposed to pouring it out all over the floor, each kid there was a glass and they were full of the water that I poured out by the end of my set. They really absorbed it and took it all in. It was really cool," said Tiffany in a phone interview we recently conducted.


Tiffany is not a stranger to the music scene as I soon learned. She has been performing since 1997, first solo and then with her band in November of that same year. She has released an amazing 13, yes 13, CDs in that amount of time. I think the only artist to put out more CDs on that time frame would be Tupac, but he doesn’t count since he’s not touring anymore.


She was born into a musical family with her dad being a drummer and her mom was a piano teacher. She then moved to singing in church and later community theater. Her love for the arts also extends to art and her love of painting. "When I was 19 years old, I went to see Sister 7 who were out of Austin, Texas. They were a power, passion funk/rock band. I knew the minute that I saw them perform that was what I wanted to do with my life. It’s kind of funny, Patrice Pike was in that band at the time and she and I will be touring together later this summer."


Tiffany’s sound, both vocally and musically is very unique. Imagine taking the over the top personality of Cyndi Lauper, add a little Pat Benatar, a touch of Tori Amos and sprinkle in some Ani DiFranco and put them all in a blender and process them and you get a touch of what this women is capable of. If someone were deaf and she had to paint a canvas to describe her sound to them, how would she do it? "Wow, that’s an amazing question. Well, you know I love to paint. I think all of my art is an extension of who I am. I think the canvas would have lots of bold colors and it would be multimedia with tons of textures so that they could touch it and feel all the differences. It would be abstract yet evoking a feeling that’s universal at the same time. My music is raw, human emotion. I think I capture that where it’s not cryptic or so black and white that it’s boring." I can say for certain, that boring is one word that has never been used to describe this young lady.


The music industry has been in such turmoil the last few years and yet Tiffany is determined to keep marching on just as she has done for over ten years now. I was curious as to what keeps her going? " I have been doing this since 1997. I have funded all but two of my CD releases, they were on independent labels. In the summer of 2005, I had a major career letdown and I crashed and burned. I was burnt out! I mean, I had been doing all of this by myself: I booked my own shows, I was my own graphic designer, I was funding my CDs, it just got to be too much on me. I just walked away from it and tried to figure out what it was that I wanted to do. I tried working in a office and quickly found out that wasn’t what I wanted to do. I went to audio engineer school and I constantly found myself wanting to be on the other side of the glass. I went to art school and I was constantly drawing about music. The songs just kept coming into my head and I had to get them out. It’s then that I figured out that, music, it’s not what I do, it’s who I am. It’s my gift and I have to be diligent with it."


Her 2003 release "Phoenix" garnered her praise from all over and numerous awards. What was it about that CD that registered with people? "I think it was the first album that really captured the sound and the feeling of me. It was also super high quality. We really took out time and we wanted it to be right and not just do it to do it, you know what I mean? The power of the music on that CD really did shine. Actually we just re-released a new version called ‘Phoenix II’ this year. It’s been re mixed and edited. There are a few songs that were left off from the original release and some stuff added to it. It’s like ‘Phoenix’ on steroids!"


On a personal note, do you have any guilty pleasures that you can share with your fans. Well, as long as they are printable? "Ha ha! If they’re not printable, I think I will keep those to myself. I guess my one big one right now would be chocolate chip ice cream....I sure am glad you didn’t ask me that question ten years ago!"
One more question as a more fun one for your fans. I always ask everyone that I interview this one. If you were trapped on a desert island and could only have one CD, it has to be a store bought CD, what would you want to have with you? "Oh that’s easy, it would have to be U2 ‘The Joshua Tree’, without a doubt. There are other favorites that I would also love to take such as Tori Amos ‘From the Choirgirl Hotel’ or Heart’s ‘Greatest Hits’ with their eighties stuff on it or Sting ‘Ten Summoner’s Tales’."


Again, Tiffany’s performance at the Somewhere Else Tavern is on Saturday, June 6 at 8:00 PM. If you have never seen her perform live, this will be a treat for all. Let’s just hope it doesn’t take us five more years to get her to come back and visit.

Move Over Strawberry Shortcake, Here Comes Sammy Allen

When I was three years old, all I wanted to do was play, eat dirt and try to constantly get into the kitchen cabinets. I guess you could say that I was a typical toddler. Sammy Allen, now she was a bit different. You see, at the tender age of three, she was putting on full stage productions of herself starring in the Strawberry Shortcake Story. She would sing her heart out! The seed was planted back then that grew into a promising singing career.

"My mom and my grandfather were both singers. My mom, Lorraine Allen, has got to have the best tone in the world. I simply adore her voice. I just knew that was what I wanted to do, sing. When I was eleven, my goal was to be in Les Miserables on Broadway. I moved from Virginia to New York on my quest for stardom. I had one small problem, I couldn't act or dance, but I could sing. So, I worked at karaoke bars and I was also a singing bartender. I made lots on contacts on those two jobs and actually met my manager there too," said Sammy during a recent interview that I had with her.

Sammy ventured to Los Angeles where she got a break when a couple of musicians who were looking for a vocalist to front their band. Sammy became that vocalist of the rock band was Seven Stitches. She continued singing for them for about three years before deciding to venture out on a solo career.

She recorded her first solo song entitled "Torn" and ended up getting a big break from a connection with her former band. "Jim Schramm, a distributor for the movie 'Vice', got in touch with me. He wanted to use one of Seven Stitches' songs in the movie. Well, I told him that I wasn't in the band anymore but I had just recorded my first solo song. I told him that he could use on of Seven Stitches songs or mine, it was up to him. Long story short, he chose my song and even got Michael Madsen, who starred in the movie, to act in the music video with me," Sammy said.

Sammy's newest single "I Can See Into Forever", which is a duet that features Hypnogaja, also has a tale within a tale associated with it. "My manager, Amanda Cee, was working with Hypnogaja. I recorded 'Torn' with Jeeve who is in Hypnogaja. Mark, also from Hypnogaja, and Jeeve took me under their wing and are producing my EP for me. It's not as confusing as it sounds."

Sammy has recording sessions booked throughout April and hopes to have everything done in early May or June. "I am dying to get out on the road and perform. I did lots of shows in LA when I was with Seven Stitches, but we never did a full tour. I really wanna get out and play for people. Hopefully, with the help of my manager Amanda, it will happen. I have been in L.A. for four and a half years now and I am very lucky to have her as a manager and a business partner."

The music industry has gone through some changes since Sammy started to focus on her singing career but one thing that has stayed the same is the double standard for women. "Oh yeah, there certainly is. I have encountered that anytime in front of the label. They ask me how old I am and if you are over 22 they would rather throw you to the garbage like you are useless. They tend to be very superficial. I have learned that when I go to meet with producers to take a guy with me. The producer says he wants to talk and then I go into their office and they start putting the moves on me. Yeah, the industry is definitely changing buy the minute. The labels seem to be hanging on by a thread. They need to give the music back to the artist and let them have more control."

Well, there is one thing about Sammy that she does not lack and that is personality. Her fun and sassy attitude came across in volumes during our talk. It seems that Sammy has a guilty pleasure that involves reality television. "It's true, I love just vegging out and watching people that I don't even know, even though I know all of their first names, get totally trashed and hurt themselves. I do have to balance it out and watch a few hours of the Science Channel so that I don't totally rot my brain out!"

I asked Sammy what CD she would want to have if stranded on a desert island by herself? "I would have to say Sarah McLachlan's 'Fumbling Towards Ecstasy'. I really love her sound. Her music just speaks to me."

My talk with Sammy was very entertaining and within minutes, you could tell that this young lady is like a can of Red Bull: full of energy, but way more sexier. She has a powerhouse vocal styling that has been compared to Ann Wilson of Heart, which is one of Sammy's influences. She's also been compared to Pat Benatar, which was one of my first comparisons that I also made being a longtime Benatar fan myself.

You can check out Sammy's music on www.myspace.com/sammyallenmusic. Her single "I Can See Into Forever " is available on i-Tunes. This dynamic young lady with two first names is someone to keep your eye on. She has got mad vocal skills and the drive and originality to stand out in overcrowded music scene.

Jennifer Benson: Rocking God's Message

Every now and then you hear a singer whose voice stops you in your tracks. I was searching through some bands and singers not too long ago on MySpace when I heard a female singer with an amazing voice. I did a little research and found out the singer's name was Jennifer Benson and this lady can really rock. I actually got to talk to Jennifer about her venture into music.

"I guess I was 15 when I turned to Christ and made my decision to follow him. I knew that I wanted to be a Christian artist but I had a few obstacles to overcome. I got married and then divorced, I made alot of wrong decisions. I had no support with my career. I had a baby and remarried and he's very supportive of my career. I feel like I am on the right track again," said Jennifer.

Jennifer's music draws upon her close relationship with God. Now, I know that some people may have a preconceived notion about contemporary christian music. I wish that people could just appreciate music for what it is: artistic expression. Jennifer's music is very positive and encouraging and I think that most people would be amazed at her style. You can definitely hear her influences on these songs. " My influences do vary from Pat Benatar to Superchick, the Barlow Girls and Pink and Avril Lavigne. My band Pierced and I have been together for about a year now. I have had trouble finding musicians that will stay committed, but God's calling for me to do this. I am focusing on my writing and moving on."

Jennifer seems to be focusing on delivering God's message through her music and she is determined to get this music train back on the right track. "I am focusing on getting ten good songs ready and putting out a full CD. I toured some last summer but the band fell apart and I want to make sure I have the right people on board. I will be auditioning for an A&R rep in May as a solo artist. I hope to get a record deal out of that and then start touring nationally. I want to share God's love through my music."

My interview concluded with my what CD would you like to have with you if you were stranded on a desert island? " Wow, that is a tough one. It seems like every period of my life is different. Right now I would have to go with Krystal Meyers CD "Make Some Noise", it's a great CD."

My talk with Jennifer really did make me think twice about how alot of people think contemporary christian music is not for them. I think too many people who are stuck in that mindset are really missing out on some talented artists like Jennifer. She has an amazing voice that is full of raw power and emotion. Her music is a great mixture of rock and pop and it definitely has God's message in it. Just listen to songs like "Oxygen" and "Run To Me" and you can tell that her music has a rock/alternative edge that sounds right at home with most Top 40 formats. It's very positive and encouraging and we all need a message like that in these times that we are going through right now. Jennifer is a very talented artist who deserves to be heard in this industry of manufactured stars.

If you are looking for some great music with a positive message, go check out Jennifer at www.myspace.com/jenniferbenson4u. You can also visit her official website at www.jenniferbenson.net. Her CD can be purchased at CD Baby and on i-Tunes. I think you will be pleasantly surprised with the end results.

Dreamkiller: Conceptual Rock Is Not Dead

Strong, assertive women have found their way into the pages or music royalty. Throughout the years we have had such icons as Billie Holliday, Janis Joplin, Tina Turner, Pat Benatar, Madonna and so many more that I cannot list them all. All of these women had several things in common, but they all had a strong work ethics and the drive to succeed. I recently met a woman who wants to follow in their footsteps. Her name is Christy Johnson and she fronts the band Dreamkiller.

Christy's resume reads like an entry into Who's who! She graduated from UNCG with both an MA and BA. She was Miss Jr. Greensboro in 2003. She has several big screen credits including Tobe Hooper's Mortuary and Leatherheads, among others. Her small screen credits include MTV's Road To The VMAs and MTV Making The Video Madina Lake and more. She is definitely a versatile woman who is very headstrong about being a success in the music industry. I had a chance to talk to her after a recent show in Greensboro,NC at the Greene Street Club.

"It seems like I have always been performing. My mom put me in all types of pageants at an early age. I remember trying out for my first play in the sixth grade. I actually got the lead part in it and it was Heidi. We had a band before this called the Arrival and it was more punk influenced. We actually released one cd. I then reformed the band under our new name Dreamkiller and I would say that our sound is more alternative/rock now," said Christy.

Finding the right pieces to the puzzle can be hard when forming a band. Finding the right chemistry and individuals with the same dedication can be hard, but it looks like things are falling into place. The band played its' first show since 2006 and its first with the new lineup at the Greene Street club in Greensboro, NC in late January. The band, consisting of David Lanning on drums, Erny Galvan on bass and Tian Garcia on guitar, performed a very tight set that night. It was really hard to tell that it was there first show live together.

Christy is every bit the flamboyant front person with her flashing and sexy outfits, but don't judge the book by its cover. This girl has some serious chops and has a vision in mind for this band. "Dreamkiller actually has a concept line with characters and a storyline. Kind of a throw back to rock opera. We have alot of ideas in store and hopefully it would all come to light on our new cd which we hope will be this year. We have one song already recorded called "RAGNAROK" which was used for the Superpower documentary."

I had a chance to catch both the show at the Greene Street Club and their headlining spot at the 2009 Winterfest on 02-14 at the Somewhere Else Tavern in Greensboro. The band is a very tight and cohesive unit. Tian is a beast on lead guitar and his harmonizing abilities bring a great element to the band. Although Tian appears to be a little subdued on stage, his guitar work screams volumes. Erny seems to like to cut up with the crowd more and his pounding bass lines combined with David's bashing of the skins seems to have molded into a powerful unit.

The band plans plenty of live shows planned for the future around North Carolina and into Virginia. It may take a little time for the average fan to pick up on the concept line of story and its main characters, but if you just want to rock out to some great rock/alternative music Dreamkiller is well worth the ticket price. I enjoyed the show so much that I actually felt undercharged. Check them out, you won't be disappointed.

The Chaotic Tales of Kelsey and The Chaos

Kelsey and The Chaos. Never has a name been more appropriate than with this young, upstart group. Chaos is definitely an accurate word to describe the last year for this four member band originating from the New York/Tri-state area. More has happened to them in a little over a year than happens to most new bands in their entire careers.

Lead singer Kelsey Merritt spoke to me recently to fill me in on all that has happened. "Well, the band was created by myself and our drummer, Nick Rotunno. We met at the Berklee College of Music. Brian Pascoe and Justin Stabler entered the picture a short time later and we had found all our parts. That was in January of 08 and we played our first gig in March of 08."

The band has definitely had its share of exposure also. They were part of MTV2s Battle of The Bands. "We saw it on a website called Addicted To Noise, which is an interactive site. We entered the contest which was to see who would be crowned the top band in New York City. It was judged by Chris Carrabba from Dashboard Confessional and Brendon Urie and Ryan Ross from Panic At The Disco. We did really good and placed in the top 5 and got some amazing works of praise from the judges."

That wasn't the only national exposure obtained by the group. They performed several dates on last year's Vans Warped Tour and were picked to open for Bret Michaels on his Rock Of Love Tour. "Opening for Bret and being in front of that big of a crowd, that was the point that I knew in my mind that this was what I really wanted to do with my life. I've been singing since I was 12 and I always knew I wanted to be a performer, but that was the moment that solidified it for me," said Kelsey.

The band released it's EP, "Against The Wall", in late 2008 and it was picked up by Hot Topic for distribution. The group's inspirations range from Pat Benatar and Joan Jett to more modern artists as No Doubt. One obvious comparison, given the sound and having such a visually captivating female front person, is Paramore. Kelsey commented," Wow! The comparison is very flattering, I'm honored by it, but we do want to stand out. Yeah, there are some similarities but we are also alot different too."

The band is currently on the road touring and will be on this years Vans Warped Tour. So, what does Kelsey see as the best and worst parts of touring? "The best would be , of course, doing what we love to do and that's play our music in front of people. Also, meeting our fans is really cool. Worst part? It would have to be having no actual home. It is kinda hard to take care of yourself when you don't have a stable environment."

Kelsey was then subjected to my question about being stuck on a desert island with only one cd, what would her cd of choice be? "I have to pick two. One would be the Kaiser Chiefs "Off With Their Heads" and the other would be Michael Buble "Time". Two different styles but I love them both."

I encourage people to pick up their EP at Hot Topic or on their page on MySpace. It contains only six songs, but it gives you a small taste of what the band is capable of. Songs such as the "You Can't Stop" and "Wrapped Around Your Finger" are stand out tracks that really showcase how amazingly tight the band sounds to be so early in their career. Kelsey is an amazing front person. Visually, yes she is stunning, but this young lady has some serious chops. She's not just another "gimmick" in this cash cow industry more concerned about cashing in on your talent today and not producing an artist with staying power. This band will be around for many more Warped Tours and their own headlining tour is not too far off in the horizon.