Amanda Abizaid Paints An Emotional Canvas

Have you ever discovered something that you wanted to keep a secret, yet couldn't wait to share it with someone? Like when you tried ranch dressing on your french fries or tried dipping your fries in a chocolate Wendy's frosty? Well I was fortunate enough to hear an artist live last summer in my small town that totally blew me away. Her name was Amanda Abizaid and her show in the humid Virginia summer air gave this music fan chills.

The American Lebanese singer, songwriter just released a new CD entitled "This Life" and I could not wait to hear what this prolific storyteller had to say. Most people are familiar with her song "A Place In Time" from Paramount's "The 4400" and "Dreams And Ashes" from Lifetime's Odd Girl Odd, Smallville and Charmed. Don't let this artist fool you, she is no one trick pony. Her versatility is one that will shock and amaze you on many levels.

The lead off track is entitled "Blue Star Red Sky" and it sounds unlike anything that I have ever heard before. It is one of my fave tracks on the CD. I could hear such pioneers in music as Prince or Beck doing something this original. Amanda has a very sexy, soft spoken vocal delivery on this song that fits it perfectly.

Two tracks use an instrument called the bouzouki in such a way that almost makes it sound as contemporary as the drums or keyboards. The instrument is of Greek decent and is similar to a mandolin. It produces a sharp, metallic sound when played. "Wash Me" uses the bouzouki with results that make this song popish and even radio worthy. The song also has an insane drum loop that is very infectious. The other song that utilizes the instrument is "My Friend" which is a slower song with deeply rooted lyrics speaking of friends reaching out to each another.

"How Can I Explain" takes a turn in the blues direction with more lyrics from the heart. I am not sure if Amanda is writing from her own experiences or from friends close to her, but the lyrics on this song and others on this CD and very personal and heartfelt. The title track is a very emotional piece about being out on the road when trying to keep a relationship together. The vocal delivery on this one shows a soft side to Amanda's vocal styling that really makes the listener feel the impact of her words.

Overall, I think this is an excellent CD. The only complaint that I would have is that it clocks in at just under thirty minutes. It left me wanting to hear more! There are definitely no "filler" cuts on this CD. Amanda wrote and produced all the tracks on the CD and she also plays the flute, piano and acoustic guitar on it. Now, how's that for versatility.

To find out more about Amanda, you can visit her at www.myspace.com/amandaabizaid4400 or at www.amandaabizaid.com. Her CD can be purchased at www.cdbaby.com. If you are lucky enough to see her live, do not pass up the chance. Her personality is very infectious and you will fall in love with her and her music within minutes. This CD just goes to show that the talent inside this lady is abundant and worthy of recognition.

Atomic Blonde Show The Bigboys How To Rock

The metal scene seemed to take American by storm back in the late eighties. It has mostly been a testosterone driven style of music that women have a hard time being taken seriously in. Whether it's metal or hard rock in general, women have had a negative stereotype brought against them when it comes to playing in this male dominated field.

Through the years, many female rock/metal bands have come and gone. Remember Vixen? The Donnas are still around. Lita Ford pops up from time to time as well as the never aging Joan Jett. There's a new force to be reckoned with on the scene. They are Nashville, Tennessee's own Atomic Blonde. They are a mix of pop, metal, punk, sexiness and attitude. The ladies brought their style of playing to the people in 2004. The band consists of Dacia on guitar and vocals, Kendra on drums, Fran on guitar and Danielle on bass. I spoke with Dacia recently about the band and what's going on in their career.

Being an all female rock/metal band, do you find that there is a double standard for women in this industry? "Yes, it is difficult at times, especially in rock music. You are constantly being told by the labels that there are no all girl bands doing this. You have to keep your focus and believe in yourselves. We don't want to be pop, so we are not going to change for anyone. Alot of legendary groups have similar stories. You stick to your guns and wait for that right person who believes in your vision with you," said Dacia.

The band has different influences and it can be heard in their sound. "We listen to alot of stuff. I'm influenced by everyone from Gwen Stefani to Sheryl Crowe to Nirvana and to Chris Cornell. Kendra loves Primus and Nickelback and Linkin Park. Fran tends to be into bluesy stuff like Hendrix."

The band has a six song self titled CD that is available on Amazon.com , CD Baby and i-Tunes. It can also be purchased at their official website www.atomicblonde.net. It is a great showcase for how talented these women are. there are too many stereotypes in this world, whether it's in music or not. These women give the men a run for their money. The rhythm section of Danielle's pulsating bass and Kendra bashing the drums gives them a tight sound that is way beyond their actual years of playing together. Fran is a beast on guitar and Dacia......it's hard not to be taken away by her beauty, but this woman brings it to the table each and every time she gets behind the microphone. This woman can sing and she demands your attention.

Can we expect to see these ladies burning up the road anytime soon? "I think we will more extensively in the fall. We want to play more shows so that we can win over our audiences. We have to do everything ourselves so maybe we can get them to help us carry our equipment?"

Speaking of playing live, I asked Dacia if she had any interesting road stories to share with us? "One of the worst stories would be at this venue that we played that was not set up for live music. Two songs into our set, we blew the breaker. We had no electricity. One of the better memories was when we played at a film festival and it was really late. There was a guy in the crowd moshing and he actually ran into our bassist Danielle and knocked her into our drum kit. The next thing we knew, she had taken off into the crowd and was ready to kick this guys ass!"

So, how has the band coped with this double standard that we spoke on earlier? "It seems like the whole entertainment industry, not just music, is so much about image. First impressions can be lasting ones. We always hear people scream out, 'Girl bands suck!' Then at the end of the night, they come up to us and tell us how good we were and that they didn't really expect us to play as well as we did."

With the music industry in such a transitional stage, I was curious as to what Dacia's thoughts were? "The industry has had a hard time keeping up with technology. Radio is absolutely dead! Labels seem to be unwilling to look at new things. In the eighties, labels would take a band and put money into them and develop them. That's not happening anymore. Most bands have to do all of that themselves. As an artist, doing both the management role and the creative role is very hard. This past year I have suffered from writer's block because of it."

My last question for Dacia was my stuck on a desert island with only one CD what would it be question. "Wow, that's a good question. I have to pick two if I can. One would be Linkin Park's 'Hybrid Theory' plus Justin Timberlake's 'FutureSex/Loveounds'.

Do you want a dose of sexy rock and roll with a punk edge plus catchy hooks? I dare you to check these young ladies out. Don't think about the fact that they are an all female band and the fact that all four look like models. What if you were blind and put on their CD? Forget the image aspect and just listen to them for their musicianship and amazing songwriting abilities. You will find yourself rocking out with them in no time.

Chrissy Coughlin Looks Ahead To The Future

Sometimes it takes a life altering experience to change ones life and make them refocus. This is exactly what happened to Chrissy Coughlin. She knew that she wanted to pursue music, but it was the discovery of a tumor in her leg that gave her a new sense of direction. "I started singing in the ninth grade and gaining musical knowledge. I started writing in graduate school. I moved to DC and started playing live and gaining confidence. I was working in the environmental field and about 5 years ago the doctors discovered a tumor in my calf. It actually gave me the inspiration to make a change in my life. It was then that I decided to put all of my focus on my music," said Chrissy.

Chrissy is one of those unique artists whose vocals can transport you to another place. She does an amazing cover of "Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars" and you feel as if you are transported to a smoke filled jazz club and she's lying on top of the piano singing to you. It's a very sexy translation of the song. "My producer works with alot of Brazilian music and I've always loved the song. I've never sung the song, but I thought that I should give it a try. There is a part that is sung in Portuguese and I was very adamant about keeping that in there. I think it turned out pretty good," said Chrissy.

Another standout track on her newest cd "Look Ahead" is an interesting choice of a cover song, Robert Plant's "Big Log". I asked her how that cam about. "I wanted to do a cover of a song by a male vocalist and I have always loved that song. I wanted to do something, but not one that everyone knew automatically but not one that was very obscure. I also wanted to put a female twist to it. At the time, Robert was in the news because he was working on his collaboration with Allison Krauss. I told Tim , my guitarist, about it and that i wanted to do a kind of bluesy cover of it."

Chrissy's cd "Look Ahead" also contains very personal songs that touch on the human emotion element of everyday life. "I write about whatever captures my eye. Whether it's observations of people in my life or just walking down the street and seeing something that catches my attention. Some of my songs are about personal relationships. I want to write more about emotions and not necessarily about the environment." Listeners need to look no further than to standout tracks such as "Do It Out Of Love" and "Perfect Time" to hear fine examples of these.

So, who does Chrissy site as being inspirations in her musical journey? "I love Lucinda Williams. I love her grittiness and she just says it like it is. Her lyrics are very simple yet so powerful at the same time. I also love Patty Griffin. She is a poet with very soulful lyrics. You can actually picture what she is singing about because she's so elegant in her delivery. I think Stevie Nicks' vocal ability is just amazing. I think U2 is one of the few bands around who can actually get it all right."

Chrissy's sound is also one that crosses different classifications. She's a little pop, a little country, a little adult contemporary. Songs such as "Perfect Time" or "Back To You" actually have a Sara Evans kind of feel to them. "Look Ahead" also has a certain Sheryl Crowe feel to it. "I don't really follow country closely, but I do know it. I think country fans are some of the most loyal fans out there. I love the comparisons."

Chrissy hopes to do a few mini tours around the Boston, Portland and DC areas to share her music with the masses. No big tours are in the plans right now, just smaller, regional ones. I concluded my interview with Chrissy by asking her if she was trapped on a desert island with only one cd, what would be her choice? "It would have to be something powerful. Probably REM's 'Murmur'. That was such a great release for them. The songs just take me to another place, it definitely relaxes me. Their earlier stuff was just so amazing."

It's easy to listen to Chrissy's cd and hear her influences. Her vocals have a calming, soothing sense to them. Just like her influence Patty Griffin, Chrissy's lyrics do enable the listener to see what she is singing about. Her lyrics touch you and you can feel and hear the emotion in them. Check her out on MySpace or her personal website, www.chrissymusic.com.