Kalyde infuses pop, reggae and rock and is fronted by Naia Kete. She was on Season 2 of “The Voice” Team Blake. Since the show, she toured and performed festivals including Bonnaroo and Outside Lands. Her last EP “Fire Breather,” was produced by Mikal Blue. She co-wrote songs with Colbie Caillat, Linda Perry, among others. Her new band Kalyde has released two singles and are working on their debut acoustic EP which has a May 7th release. Kalyde is a band to watch.
Contact: kalydeofficial@gmail.com
The Racer is an indie rock band from Monroe, New York who are currently wrapping up the recording process of their new album. The bands influences include Radiohead, Mutemath & Coldplay. The newest yet-to-be released album was produced by Dan Hannon, (Manchester Orchestra, A Rocket to the Moon). The band has released two albums, Stranger’s We’ll Become 2010 & Passengers 2013. Songs have been placed in Big Brother (CBS), The Real World, & The Jersey Shore, & “Coach Sitting Rattlesnake” can be downloaded in Rock Band 3. They just finished a 7 week long residency in Brooklyn, NY at Matchless and will be performing SXSW. “You’ll hear anthems that take you back to the late 90s (and an uncanny vocal likeness to Lifehouse at times), ambient soundscapes akin to Thrice’s Alchemy Index and upbeat rockers that may remind you (if only for a second) of Jimmy Eat World. It’s brilliant, from start to finish.” – Indiependent Music
Contact: theracer.ny@gmail.com
American singer-songwriter and Kings favorite Justin Klump has released a new song Ghost Town. His ability to craft catchy, sincere songs have garnered comparisons to James Taylor, Phillip Phillips, and Damien Rice, and recently a nod as one of music’s Kings of A&R “Top 8 Emerging Artists”. In less than five years, Justin independently released three albums, logged more than 100,000 miles performing across America and earned national media attention. In 2012, Justin released the album Sticks & Stones, which debuted in the top 10 on the iTunes Singer/Songwriter Chart. His latest EP The Night is Young, with the title-track continuing to receive radio airplay around the country. He has been featured by American Songwriter, SIRIUS XM’s The Coffeehouse, iTunes, among others. Justin currently resides in Nashville, Tenn. and is writing and recording new music.
Contact: justinlaklump@gmail.com
Buzz Track: Best of Everything
British Columbia-based indie-pop band Van Damsel just released their first single “Best of Everything” which comes off their debut album that has a summer release. The LP combines elements of rock, hip-hop, pop and EDM. Van Damsel received praise from Indie Is Not A Genre, A Music Blog, Yea?, Exclaim!, and ASAP Music Blog praised the band for being “a force to be reckoned with.” The band earned a top 20 spot in the 2013 Peak Performance Project and won The Shore 104’s $10,000 ‘Best of BC’ prize. This band is quickly gaining accolades making them an artist to watch.
Contact: info@vandamsel.com, Elyse@ei-pr.com
Freedom Fry is the the alter-ego of French songstress, Marie Seyrat, and Michigan-born musical chameleon, Bruce Driscoll (Blondfire / Avicii). The duo reside in Los Angeles, CA and make desert warm, bittersweet, retro-inspired, indie-pop music. They’ve played alongside Phantogram, Mothxr, Grizfolk, We Are Scientists, Echosmith, Superhumanoids, Dan Wilson (Semisonic), Juliana Hatfield & Matthew Caws (Nada Surf) and were the Artist in Residence at ALT 98.7. Where you’ve seen them: iTunes “New and Noteworthy,” Nylon, Filter, Glamour, Earmilk, Hilly Dilly, Indie Shuffle, Ryan’s Smashing Life, “How The Sun Sees You” (viral Youtube video with over 13,000,000 views), Wild Honey Pie, Kick Kick Snare, The 405, Mr Suicide Sheep, Blah Blah Blah Science, Daytrotter, MTV Artist To Watch, Les Inrockuptibles and more.
You have been building a strong base and fan community along with a buzz. Was there a pivotal moment when this began to take shape? Was it a song on the radio? A performance? A music blog?
Bruce: It’s hard to pinpoint a single pivotal moment. Being in a band is something akin to continually walking upwards on a staircase made up of the tiniest steps imaginable. You almost don’t know you’re getting somewhere until you stop for a while and look around and realize you’re at another level from where you started. These “look around” moments for us have been things like the first time we saw someone in the audience singing along or the first time we got to the top of hype machine. You kind of all look at each other and go, ‘hey this might work out.’
Marie: Everybody who’s supported and helped us get the word out has been vital. Every blogger, radio DJ, and fan has made a difference. After you first featured us a year or so ago we had a well known music supervision company reach out who discovered us on your site. We ended up getting lots of licenses from that and it helped build our fan base by getting the music heard.
Has social networking helped get your music exposed to a wider audience?
Bruce: One hundred percent. Looking back, I’m not sure how we could have done anything without it.
Marie: As an indie band it gives us a much louder voice and a means to communicate with anyone looking for new music. CONTINUE READING
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