Indie Band Saucy Monky Raise The Bar With Latest EP

There seems to be multiple layers to the band Saucy Monky and the more you peel away, the more complex the band tends to get. They're a bit indie rock, a bit pop, a bit 90s alternative and so much more. The nucleus of the band consists of Annmarie Cullen and Cynthia Catania. I got the chance to talk to these two talented ladies in an interview that I did for Rock Revolt Magazine that you can read here:

http://rockrevoltmagazine.com/interview-saucy-monky/

Alexx Calise Pushes Forward on AC3

Check out my review of the new EP from Alexx Calise entitled "AC3". This release may be the closest of all her releases so far to really show the true artist that she is. Alexx is definitely an artist to keep your eye on!

http://www.rockrevoltmagazine.com/album-review-alexx-calise-ac3/

Johnette Napolitano: Doing Things On Her Own Terms

Check out my interview with the amazing Johnette Napolitano of Concrete Blonde for Rock Revolt Magazine. We have a long talk and discuss everything from living in the moment, cameras and cell phones getting on her nerves and Italian crack!

http://www.rockrevoltmagazine.com/concrete-blonde-interview/

Lacuna Coil Launches Attack On US

Italian alternative/metal rockers Lacuna Coil have been busy the last few months. We have seen them burning up the road as part of the Music As A Weapon tour with Disturbed, Killswitch Engage and Chimara. We also saw the release of their newest CD "Shallow Life". I got to talk to Andrea "Andy" Ferro, co-lead vocalist of the band, backstage before their show in Charlotte,NC on April 13.

JP- "Well, let me first thank you for taking the time to talk to me Andy. I'm a big fan of the band and it means alot. My first question is dealing with your trademark of having duel lead vocalists with Cristina and yourself. How did that come about?"

Andy- "In the beginning, I was playing bass and singing, we were mostly deathmetal and hardcore with some melodies, but mostly heavy music. Then in the early nineties, we started listening to goth metal and alot of European bands and we loved their style. So, we started playing slower and slowing down our melodies. We decided to add an extra vocalist in the practice room. We found Cristina working in a store and she wasn't singing professionally, she was only singing karaoke and asked her to sing some background vocals. We knew she could sing and when we heard her sing with us it sounded awesome. We knew it was making a difference. We were not sounding like any other band with the addition of a second vocalist. So, we added her as a second lead vocalist, I mean it was a shame to use her for only background stuff. That's how we started because it sounded different from everything that was out there. It gave us more space and added to the atmosphere. Some people do that with keyboards, we thought with vocals it would be more original."

JP- "On your new CD "Shallow Life", you chose to use producer Don Gilmore, who has worked with Good Charlotte, Linkin Park and Avril Lavigne to name a few. Did you guys choose him or did he come to you. How did all that work out?

Andy- "Our management approached many different producers. We had worked with the same producer from our first album through our fourth. We thought that we had done enough with him. I mean, it's not a marriage, we need to refresh ourselves and work with someone else. Plus, the way that our songwriting was going with more rock sounding songs and more in a rock vein, our last producer had not worked with rock bands, just mostly metal bands. Out of all the names we considered, Don was the one who really wanted to do it. He really liked the demo that we gave him of the songs. He wanted to work with the band and he was available at the right time. We decided to go for it and we met him and wanted to see he was as a person. He came down to Milan for a couple of days and we went out to dinner to get to know him and it was immediately a good relationship. He was a simple guy to talk to even though he had sold millions of records with Linkin Park. He was very down to earth and easy going. The next day, we took him to the rehearsal room to listen to other demos and he loved them and offered some opinions of the music. We then kept in touch by email and his ideas worked very well.

JP- " I listened to the CD that you streamed early on your MySpace page. I really loved the different sound on some of the songs like "I Like It", did Don bring that out in you guys?

Andy- "The songwriting and main structure of the rough version was done by us, Don contributed on arrangements and he cut parts that were too long or he simplified parts. He didn't change or write anything musically. The song is exactly how we wrote it. We've been very open musically to do what we want. If we want to do a ballad, then we do a ballad. We didn't care about the cliche of the band. We wanted to refresh our sound and the only way we could would be to go anyway possible and see what fits and what's out of the picture. We ended up with 20-25 songs, alot were too extreme or too much out of the picture of where we were going. Some songs we didn't change that much but so we really went out of our way to be not so ordinary. We wanted to find a new, fresher sound and still make it interesting. Many bands just repeat themselves and sometimes that's good. For AC-DC, it's good for them to repeat themselves if that's what you do but for us, we try to change a little bit with each album. We're not the kind of people who want to make exactly the same record but at the same time, we're not going to do a techno or rap album either. That would be too much out of our way. We do want to experiment as much as possible within the spectrum of rock and metal."

JP- "I like to ask a few personal questions that are more for your hardcore fans. Do you and the band have any guilty pleasures that might surprise your fans? Is it something that we can print?"

Andy- "Ha ha! I think most people think we just listen to metal but sometimes when we are on the road, we have a dance part and listen to ABBA or the Bee Gees or crazy seventies music. I mainly listen to rock but it's good not to limit yourself."

JP- "One last question for you. 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?"

Andy- "Wow, one CD is very limiting. I guess maybe a sampler of metal with Alice In Chains and Metallica and other rock/metal acts. Maybe Bob Marley would fit the atmosphere of being on an island better. You know, drinking and being on a beach."

Our interview was then over and ventured back outside. Lacuna's set was first on the bill that night in Charlotte. They came out to a great response from the crowd and opened with "To The Edge" and the crowd, although small, was really into the band. They followed it up with "Fragments Of Faith" and "Spellbound", which got a great pop from the crowd. An incredible version of "Swamped" as next followed by "Not Enough" and the band closed with "Our Truth". Their set was limited to thirty minutes but it was a tight set and it was surprising how into the band the crowd was considering they were there mainly to see Disturbed and Killswitch.

It seems that I will get my wish to see a longer set as the band has just announced headlining dates here in the US. That was the only problem with a thirty minute set, there was so much more that I was dying to hear. My only other complaint was not getting to meet Cristina as she arrived at the venue late. Oh well, maybe on one of their headlining dates. My thanks to George at Century Media for the tix and photo pit pass and to their tour manager Gus. Everyone, especially Andy, was a class act.

Kerri Edelman: Psychologist By Day, Rockstar By Night

How about a game of word association? Let me throw a few words at you and you say the first thing that comes to mind. Singer. Powerful voice. Very compelling, dynamic and personal lyrics throughout her songs. Maximum security prison. CD cover that has a person dressed in black. Now, at this point I am sure that just about everyone has yelled out Johnny Cash, but I want to let you in on a secret. The artist in question, who does share alot in common with Mr. Cash is a newcomer to the music scene by the name of Kerri Edelman.

Kerri is not exactly your typical singer-songwriter. You see, Kerri graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Psychology as well as a Masters and Doctorate Degree in Clinical Psychology. She is currently employed as a Director and Clinical Psychologist in a maximum security prison. So, did your jaw just drop? Now, when you hear all of this, you may envision Hannibal Lecter from Silence of the Lambs. Then, you look at this very petite and beautiful woman and you really are confused.

I was intrigued and actually had a chance to talk to Kerri in order to settle my own curiosity on a few things. "I guess you could always say that I've been different. I was somewhat of a tomboy when I was growing up. When I was 11, I started surfing competitively. I was the only girl out there and of course I got resistance from some of the guys. Eventually, my persistence and hard work payed off; earning their respect. I am approaching my venture into music in a similar way," said Kerri.

Proving people wrong seems to be a reoccurring element in her story. "It seems like everything that I do, especially getting involved in music, has been done on my own with very little assistance, support and encouragement. Not alot of people think that I can do this and I guess that I am just going to have to demonstrate as I have in the past that with persistence and hard work what is perceived as impossible can be accomplished," Kerri said. A quick footnote to reference would be the track on her CD entitled "Vanilla Skies" which really captures the whole "I will prove you all wrong" spirit that she has.

So, how does one make the change from being a clinical psychologist by day to alternative rocker by night? "Well, it was about six or seven years ago that I began writing. I've tried putting a band together on dozens of occasions and it eventually fell apart for a variety of reasons. I have a very strong work ethic and I am a real go-getter. It's hard sometimes to find other musicians who share the same goals and aspirations that I do. It hasn't always worked out. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to collaborate with Chris Matty on this project. We have created some pretty amazing songs and I am very proud of what we have accomplished together," Kerri says.

I have to admit that I did expect her lyrics to be alot darker and disturbing than what I initially heard on the album, given her background. "I think some of my lyrics may be a little negative. I have had people tell me that they were shocked by some of the things I was singing about. I write about difficulties that I have been through and past relationships. People seem to be surprised that I have this darker side to me. I mean, I love horror movies and I love trying to figure out why people do the things that they do. It's kind of like Hannibal in Silence Of The Lambs. Stuff like that really intrigues me," said Kerri.

I do admit that the judging a book by its cover reference is going to pop up many times in her career. Kerri is definitely a walking contradiction in the visual sense. She stands, I'm guessing , not much over five feet tall. She has flowing, wavy auburn locks of hair. She seems like her voice would squeak like a tiny church mouse, but then you hear her sing. WOW! The power and emotion that comes out of her tiny frame is mind blowing.

Her CD entitled "Leave It All Behind' showcases Kerri's amazing voice and writing ability. She draws from her musical influences that include 3 Doors Down, Evanescence, Incubus and Staind as well as heavier bands such as In This Moment, Chevelle, Breaking Benjamin and Finger 11. Her songs do not contain the darkest lyrical content that I have ever heard, but song such as "Overcast" are somewhat personal. "This song was not written about one person in general, but deals with many people in my past as well as the present. The concept of this song is that every time you work hard and things begin to go in a positive direction, there is someone there that has something negative to say about your efforts and attempts to succeed," said Kerri.

Other songs seem to be bonded by the theme of relationships. "The song 'Goodbye' could be applied to getting involved in any type of a relationship where you really care about someone (boyfriend, girlfriend, best friend, etc.) but you are then led astray. The intentions that you thought the person had was ultimately wrong. Another track, 'Sinking In', was written about a person who puts on a facade and acts like he or she has your best interests in mind and at heart, but then you realize the person was being manipulative and deceitful," said Kerri.

I personally think that her CD is really good. It does have elements that are familiar to today's sound. Fans of Evanescence, Breaking Benjamin or Staind are invited to give this talented young woman a listen. Her CD can be purchased at CD Baby, i-Tunes, Amazon Music and other digital distribution mediums as well as on her website www.kerriedelman.com. To learn more about Kerri, you can visit her website and My Space page at www.myspace.com/kerriedelman. I encourage people to give her a listen and really pay attention to her powerful yet thought provoking lyrics. You can relate to the things she sings about and it really helps to make a personal connection between the artist and the listener.

The music industry needs a good dose of artists like Kerri. Even though she is a total package artist, she is more substance over style. An amazing voice and deep, meaningful lyrics show that she is talented enough to be around for the long haul. They say that dynamite comes in small packages and Kerri sure does make that statement true with a capital TNT.