Friday, September 20, 2019

"Piña" La Mera Candelaria - NEW MUSIC REVIEW



  La Mera Candelaria is an amazing tropical band.   Lead singer Stephani is the queen of cumbia in Los Angeles.  The group performs an acoustic style of Mexican cumbia, blending it with genres like ranchera, Cuban son and more.  They’ve shared the stage with greats like Los Tigres del Norte and La Chamba. 


   La Mera peforms and tours a lot, and puts on an awesome and energetic live show. The band is incredibly talented, with amazing conga, timbales, bass and guitar solos. Stephani sings and dances her heart out with style and flair.  

   You can’t miss their new recording “Piña”  featuring Chhoti Maa, out today. It captures all the excitement of their live performances and more.  Stephani’s voice is sultry and strong.  This end of summer song is an instant classic, and reminds one of the old hits from Sonora Dinamita.  The synth keys on this recording are deliciously infectious. 

   Follow La Mera Candelaria on Instagram and Spotify, and give their new tune a like and listen.  For all the coolest new art and music stay tuned to SharksEatMeat daily. 

DAY 3256 - Red Fox Family in our Driveway

Photography by Mike Coulter

Sunday, September 15, 2019

DAY 3251 - Monterey Square

Painting by Phil Musen

El Santo Golpe - MUSIC REVIEW


   Los Angeles band El Santo Golpe has released a new single and it captures the vibrancy of their live performances wonderfully.  “El Ladrón” is a song for thieves with an upbeat and tropical vibe.  The style is in Son Jarocho, which strongly features the percussion of shoes on wooden boxes.  El Santo Golpe blends traditional rhythms all the way from Mexico to Colombia to the Caribbean to find a unique sound.  Cumbia, garifuna, son jarocho, and other rhythms and instruments find a home in El Santo Golpe’s repertoire, distinguishing them from traditional folk cumbia musicians.

    Ulises “Cheese” Rodriguez’s lead vocals cut through Analy Garcia and Eduvina “Duby” Orozco’s chorus with a rich timbre.  The multiple singers and vocal textures are excellent together. Jose Luis “Aguatl” Ledezma’s accordion intro is really lovely.  It’s jazzy and memorable with great movement.  The percussion is out of this world.  Ivan McCormick, Jorge Canchola, and Danny Orozco are rhythmic geniuses combining and transitioning between different dance beats from around the world.  Alex Reyes utilizes a uniquely small bass that’s fun to see played up close on stage. 

   This group is a blast too see live.  They look and sound amazing.  When the band is dancing you can’t help but want to move too.  Download their new single “El Ladrón”  and share with your friends.  You won’t want to miss this hit.

https://www.elsantogolpe.net/

Friday, September 13, 2019

DAY 3249 - Margot

Sculpture by Leah Aripotch

Dead Peasant Society - MUSIC REVIEW


   Stormy Days is an outstanding new album from Dead Peasant Society.  The folk punk group brings a hard edge to country and mountain melodies similar to the style of Devil Makes Three or Blind Melon.  This energetic string filled band plays hardcore west coast mountain music that you’ll love.

   “Flying my Sign”  starts the album off strong with a rebellious spirit.   “Old days” is one of my favorite tracks on the album with talented violin/ cello solos and melodies, and an upbeat and driving guitar rhythm that keeps the song moving.  “Famalam ramble D Jam”  is a great country ramble up there with The Yardbird’s “White Summer.”  The jam has all the energy of a moonshine run, and will make you want to get a car airborne a la Dukes of Hazard or Steve Earle’s “Copperhead Road.”  The track “Stormy Days” shows they can slow down the tempo and still keep their style.  “Zoo” is a great piece of contemporary folk story telling. The lyrics are fun and the instrumental breaks are moody and unique.  “Blujujamb”, is some shreddin guitar and fast banjo pickin that’s sure to get your feet moving. The recording is crisp so give this band some love and head on over to their Bandcamp.  They have a playful sense of humor, that shows on their site.   As always, stay tuned to SharksEatMeat for daily contemporary art and music news.

https://deadpeasantsociety.bandcamp.com/

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

NOYA - MUSIC RELEASE REVIEW



   Noya has been in the club and dubstep scene for a bit, and his 3 latest releases are worth checking out.  “Sentinel” came out earlier this year, blending synth wave with dubstep.  An echoey, near helicopter choppy, synthwave intro transitions to hardcore dubstep grinding and slicing.  It sounds like Autobots in a dance off against Decepticons, with unique metallic textures that sound epic. The heavy textures are turned into some wonderful melodies, whether you’re into electronic music or not, check this out and listen to something new and different.  Do yourself a favor and listen to these on some good speakers if you can.

   Noya also recently released Dreadnought.  It has a feel of a alien fashion show, where the Predator is hunting the runway models.  It is some extreme audio that may not be meant for human ears but despite the abrasive textures, the song is catchy and infectious and will make you smile.  I like songs that take risks and use uncommon noises, and this is no exception.

   “Vega” takes a very vaporwave approach to a dubstep beat.  It’s slower and there are a ton of smooth synth harmonies, while still using pumping club beats and drops.  It’s a great blend of the genres and amazing driving music.  Noya hit the ball out of the park with this one as a palatable, summer tune to listen to.

Check out Noyas music, as he’s always actively making something and follow SharksEatMeat for daily art and culture news.

https://soundcloud.com/noyadubstep

DAY 3247 - Fenetre

Collage by Andrés Gamiochipi

Monday, September 9, 2019

TINY ESCALATORS - ALBUM RELEASE - Review



   Folk trio Tiny Escalators have a new album out and you need to check it out now.  The self titled, 19 track album is full of amazing tunes.  You can find it on Bandcamp today.  The group is from Kansas City and brings a unique songwriting style and sound to the indie-folk scene.

   Earthy and honest, the album has a Neil Young, After the Gold Rush vibe that is really nice.  Singer-songwriter Nash High’s Long well crafted stories breath life into the soft acoustic melodies.   Melinda gives the group a full sound with violin and glockenspiel melodies and textures.  Mark Coulter’s unique percussion makes the band stand out.  Performed on a homemade bucket kit, with world music influences, Mark’s drumming distances the group from the cliche simple rhythms of other indie bands known for over using constant clapping.  Some of my favorites on the album are Ghosts, Little Circles, and Cobbled Together.  Ghosts features a great rhythm, and a fun story.  The interwoven vocal melodies and changing harmonies are really smooth.  Cleanly recorded and charming, “Little Circles”  harkens back to Appalachian mountain music.  “Cobbled Together” shows off some worldly violin riffs, and catchy lyrical hooks, that still have the quirky, surreal and personable tone Nash is known for.

   Other stand outs on the album are Morning Train Song, Our Potions, Threads, Telephone, and November Outro.  While a few of the songs sound more contemporary and poppy, others are timeless, and remind one of a traveling troubadour from centuries passed.  The album plays through solidly, and works as a nice cohesive collection, in a time when many artists are only releasing a single at a time. 

   If you want to see these guys live and are in the Kansas City area they are regulars at local bars, cafes, festivals, backyard parties and KC’s public libraries.  Give Tiny Escalators a download and check out all of their projects.   As always follow SharksEatMeat for more art and music news like this - Every day!

DAY 3245 - Donut

Sculpture by Kristen Liu-Wong