Ariella (and Nicolaas)
Infusing Funk, Jazz and Samba with Blues Soul and Tango, Award winning International Touring artists Ariella and Nicolaas (video) have created a memorable ear-catching sound. Formed in September of 2013 they quickly became one of the top acts in their native Tampa Bay music scene, as evidenced by their nomination for best local group in Tampa Bay and Ari for best Jazz vocalist.
And they continue to excel as this comment on social media says: “They are so hot and steamy on stage, they should advertise themselves as “Viagra for the Soul!” Marvelous! Superb and Fun Musicians. 10 stars.” Visit them on Facebook
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Band of Heathens
Band of Heathens
Performance Video — Heaven Help Us All
When The Band of Heathens decided to dub their sixth studio album of original material Stranger (its first since 2017’s Duende), the veteran band, formed in Austin, TX nearly 15 years ago, had no idea how prophetic that title would turn out to be. Although the name references the famed existential Albert Camus novel and Robert Heinlein’s sci-fi classic Stranger in a Strange Land, it also touches on the “strangers” who make up the band’s loyal fan base, who supported the band during this period with all touring canceled.
As co-founder Ed Jurdi acknowledges, it is certainly an unusual time to release a new album. “The strangest,” he says. “Maybe no time stranger. Since we started, there have been sweeping, revolutionary changes in the music business, but, in this global pandemic, we’re just a microcosm.”
“We’re really fortunate that we have been able to turn directly to our fan base during the pandemic,” adds fellow co-founder Gordy Quist. “The last few months we’ve spent four nights a week live-streaming personal private concerts to fans, and one night a week publicly live-streaming with the whole band Zooming in from their respective homes in California, Texas, North Carolina and Tennessee. At first it seemed very strange until
these walls started coming down and we realized how connected we are by the fabric of music.”Extending the metaphor of Stranger even further. The Band of Heathens traveled to another city, Portland, OR, with a brand-new producer, Tucker Martine [The Decemberists, My Morning Jacket, Modest Mouse, Camera Obscura], and the result is something different – a more airy, intimate atmosphere, with added emphasis on songcraft and intricate arrangements set in a spacious sonic landscape that reinvents the band’s sound. These are songs stripped of pretense, but teeming with the emotion borne of personal experience, as has been The Band of Heathens’ method from the very start. Stranger moves off into a new place, but still echoes the group’s artful songwriting and multi-layered narrative observations.
The Stranger was released in 2020 and is a top ten roots rock album riding high in the charts.
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Nick Lowe
Nicholas “Nick” Drain Lowe, is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer. A noted figure in power pop and new wave, Lowe has recorded a string of well-reviewed solo albums. Along with vocals, Lowe plays guitar, bass guitar, piano and harmonica. Wikipedia
Nick Lowe has made his mark as a producer (Elvis Costello-Graham Parker-Pretenders-The Damned), songwriter of at least three songs you know by heart, short-lived career as a pop star, and a lengthy term as a musicians’ musician. But in his current ‘second act’ as a silver-haired, tender-hearted but sharp-tongued singer-songwriter, he has no equal.
Starting with 1995′s ‘The Impossible Bird’ through to 2011′s ‘The Old Magic,’ Nick has turned out a fantastic string of albums, each one devised in his West London home, and recorded with a core of musicians who possess the same veteran savvy. Lowe brings wit and understated excellence to every performance, leading Ben Ratliff of the New York Times to describe his live show as “elegant and nearly devastating.”
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Rickie Lee Jones
Rickie Lee Jones occupies a unique space in the American musical landscape, serving as a bridge between the gritty bohemianism of the late 1970s and the sophisticated, genre-bending artistry of the modern era. Often hailed as the “Duchess of Coolsville,” Jones burst into the public consciousness in 1979 with a sound that felt entirely new. Her eponymous debut album arrived with a mixture of street-smart poetry and jazz-inflected phrasing. The massive success of the single “Chuck E.’s in Love” turned her into an overnight sensation, making her the face of a new kind of singer-songwriter—one comfortable with both beatnik aesthetics and pop sensibilities.Her nomadic childhood laid the foundation for this restless spirit. Born in Chicago and raised across several states, Jones developed a worldview as a permanent outsider. This sense of displacement became a central theme in her songwriting, fueling the cinematic narratives of her albums. By the time she reached Los Angeles in the mid-1970s, she was a fixture of the Troubadour scene. While her relationship with Tom Waits during this period became legendary, it was her own musical identity—characterized by complex arrangements and a refusal to stick to a single tempo—that defined her legacy.Following her debut, Jones defied the “sophomore slump” with Pirates (1981). To many, this remains her masterpiece. It was an ambitious, darker record featuring sprawling tracks like “The Last Chance Texaco.” Pirates showcased her ability to weave intricate stories of the American road into a tapestry of jazz, rock, and R&B. During this time, her reputation for being uncompromising was solidified; she followed her muse rather than industry trends.As the years progressed, Jones continued to surprise audiences with stylistic shifts. She delved into the Great American Songbook with albums like Girl at Her Volcano and Pop Pop, proving herself one of the finest interpretive singers of her generation. Her ability to deconstruct a standard allowed her to stand alongside jazz greats. Yet, she never stayed in one place; in 1997, she released Ghostyhead, an experimental trip-hop album that proved her songwriting could thrive even in electronic contexts.The turn of the millennium saw Jones leaning into her role as a chronicler of the human condition. Albums like Balm in Gilead showcased an artist grappling with spirituality and aging. Her voice gained a weathered, soulful quality that added weight to her lyrics. In 2021, she released her memoir, Last Chance Texaco, providing a raw look at her life from her traumatic youth to her enduring commitment to her craft.Recently, Jones found a new home in New Orleans, which influenced her 2023 album Pieces of Treasure. This return to jazz roots earned her an eighth Grammy nomination and feels like a full-circle moment for an artist who has retained her edge. Rickie Lee Jones remains a singular figure, a troubadour finding beauty in the margins and poetry in the everyday.
