Covid claimed another live audience Hunnypot Live but we're a podcast so we recorded the show from the office again.
Show #454 happened and Holland Izz came through to get on the interview and performance microphones, and we were not disappointed.
Also joining us were music producer AntDawg, Sean and Maddie to make the night intimate and special. #WhereMusicLoversGoToPlay
Holland Izz is a recording artist & record producer from Compton, California that is culturally reinventing the sound of contemporary Hip-Hop. Effortlessly gaining traction with his energy fueled delivery & clever bars, he has been co-signed by some of the most notable hip-hop blogs including Zane Lowe, XXL, Lyrical Lemonade, and No Jumper.
Helping guide the next wave of LA sound, Holland Izz sets himself apart with cadence-driven bars and animated beats that highlight his sonic personality. A style that is hard to imitate, and impossible to replicate.
Hello friends, happy to still be able to serve you all as a boutique publisher. It's been a full 2 years since I've shared a compilation of the artists I'm currently working with and thought is would be a great time to catch you up. That said, Hunnypot is proud to offer up these fantastic artists for your listening and licensing pleasure.
Please support what we do here at Hunnypot and give a listen, hope to see you in person at a HUNNYPOT LIVE event soon.
-John "Hot Tub" Anderson
SKY CRIES MARY - L TRAIN
RORA WILDE - ABOUT YOU
SEAN THE STAR EMPERIOR - PARADISE
XHAANIA - PULL UP
ZEUS REBEL WATERS - LUV
LEGENDARY SHACK SHAKERS - THEY WON'T LET ME FORGET (ALL THE THINGS I CAN'T RECALL)
THE ROYAL HOUNDS - PICKIN' IN THE GRAVEYARD
SHY & DRS ft. JOSH SETTERFIELD - FLEX
INDICA - INTOXICATED
THE BELLRAYS - LOVE AND HARD TIMES
Location: Seattle, WA
Genre: Historic Seattle Psych rock band, Sky Cries Mary, releases their 13th studio album, “Wandering In the Vastness”.
Location: The Rio Grande Valley to Los Angeles
Genre: Powerhouse vocals soar over Alternative Pop/R&B sounds with moody & introspective lyrics
Location: Sirius Prime/Los Angeles, CA
Genre: Hip-Poppy earworm perfect for a kiki, a party, a drive and pretty much any situation that could stand for an extra dose of sunshine.
Location: Jamaica to Los Angeles
Genre: (Pronounced ZA-NEE-AH) Pop/Dancehall, saucy lyrics and fresh new approach to R&B
Location: St. Louis, MO
Genre: Gumbo/Hip Hop by an American artist/songwriter, entrepreneur, single-dad, community leader and philanthropist.
Location: Paducah, KY
Genre: Blues Roots Punk Band featuring frontman/author/artist J.D. Wilkes
Location: Nashville, TN
Genre: Fiery Honky Tonk With A Rock And Roll Edge
Location: Aberdeen, Scotland
Genre: Old Town Road Hip Hop/Country
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Genre: Electro-Pop/Hip-Hop Club anthem
Location: Riverside, CA
Genre: The BellRays is an all-original, high energy, Punk, Funk, Rock and Soul band fronted by Lisa Kekaula (Basement Jaxx).
Legendary Seattle Psych rock band, Sky Cries Mary, releases their 13th studio album, “Wandering In the Vastness”.
This collection of songs came together as a synthesis of feeling, thought, meditation, and experience during the global pandemic. So much isolation, loneliness, fear…How can you make an album when you can’t even be in the same room together?
The band found ways to collaborate despite the constraints brought on by lockdown and social distance. They wrote and collaborated from studios in Seattle, New York, Chattanooga, and points in between.
“I write from a lot of different instruments”, muses founding member Ben Ireland, “The pandemic gave us a lot of time to focus and expand our musicianship. Members were definitely encouraged to take risks!”
In the tradition of psychedelic pioneers Brian Jones, Terry Riley, and The Byrds, Ben co-wrote “Bright Biggest Eye” with Roderick. Beginning with an acoustic 12 string guitar, they texted song starts and lyrics back and forth later adding drones, bass lines, percussion, vocal parts.
“Raga Metal Machine”, a tribute to friend/idol Lou Reed’s ugly beautiful masterpiece “Metal Machine Music” involves 5 raga drone boxes run through a wall of Fender Twin Reverbs, guitar, some primitive voicings and features a 12 bar blues sung in reverse.
“Curt Eckman writes these deep sinewy bass lines that break the barrier between rhythm and lead” says Ireland. Eckman’s multitrack bass lines and special effects are featured on “L-Train”
Kevin Whitworth, a veteran guitarist for Love Battery and progenitor of the Seattle rock sound, infuses subtle guitar embellishments, with sampled SCM recordings, morphing them into an aural montage of shoe gazing crunchy grooves.
Sky Cries Mary founder Roderick Wolgamott is known for drawing from the spiritual and metaphysical for his lyrics. On Wandering in he Vastness, the lead singer and lyricist takes a more personal approach, sharing literal snapshots from life: A snowy evening in New York spent waiting, witnessing a friend’s relapse, a family’s resolve to survive hunger in the streets, a shout-out to a friend in Rock legend heaven.
“Sometimes my lyrics emerge from weird dreams, imaginings, and sometimes they come from waking life!” recalls Wolgamott. He adds that Debra Reese (who joined the band 2017) “is in the vocal personification of female animus and astral plane energy in my storytelling!”
Jack Endino, the acclaimed producer and engineer for Nirvana and Soundgarden, sits at the helm of the control booth once again. He also plays guitar on the album and returns to the drum kit on “L Train”. Throwing back to his early tape-op days, Endino includes one of his own called , “Jodo”. Throughout, Jack masterfully reunited the disparate parts, creating a hypersonic journey for listeners. The end result: the most creative and versatile Sky Cries Mary album since This Timeless Turning in 1994!
Hunnypot is proud to be Sky Cries Mary's official sync representative both Masters & Publishing, ask us about one-stop LICENSING!
Focus tracks: L Train, Bright Biggest Eye & Can't Find The Time
PRESS LINKS - GOLDMINE PROG ARCHIVES PROGZILLA
Hunnypot Live #452 was the last one for 2021. Yule see us again in January.
Lauren Brinker co-hosted with stories of ghosts from her recent past in the music business and redemption through her current endeavors and projects.
Myke Anthony returned to Hunnypot, fronting his own group, and performed amped up Rock 'n' B/pop bangers.
Love Stallion finally made it to Hunnypot Live and bucked up thoroughbred glam rock music.
Hot Tub Johnnie kept it festive with the party hits all night.
Recap/Photos: J. Gray 12/13/2021
Lauren Brinker is a native of Hollywood, CA. She’s a singer, budding songwriter, chorister, and general lover of all things music. Lauren began singing as a young child in the LA Children’s Chorus. She was lucky to attend L. A. County High School for the Arts, where she was immersed in music every day of the school week. From high school she went on to study opera and vocal pedagogy at UC Santa Cruz, where she stayed to do their master’s program. Since then, she’s taught music to kids, worked for regional opera companies, dabbled in session singing, conducted a community musical and worked as a ringer for Catholic churches up and down California.
Currently, Lauren heads-off her own music clearance company, Smoketree Music. She’s also a proud member of Nevenka East European Folk Ensemble, a non-profit women’s folk chorus that was founded in 1976. Lauren’s husband, Ray Brinker, is a renowned jazz drummer. She’s grateful to have a life and career that is music centered.
LA based, Michael Anthony Marigliano, p.k.a. Myke Anthony. is an American musician, singer, songwriter, rapper and record producer. He has released two albums (Broken Love & These Days), one EP, and one mixtape. Myke's newest single "Rockstar" is a must hear.
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Last week, rock guitar virtuoso Nita Strauss (perhaps best known as a touring guitarist with Alice Cooper), became the first female solo artist with a top 10 hit in the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart in almost 26 years. Say what? Wow! Strauss’ single “Dead Inside”, featuring Disturbed front man David Draiman on vocals, landed at number 10 to end the chart drought. “Dead Inside” was released in October as the first single from Strauss’ upcoming second solo album. It’s a killer tune with wide commercial rock appeal, certainly deserving of its chart success. Strauss has teased that her upcoming album will include other special guest vocalists as well. We can only wait in anticipation!
Taking advantage of a break in the busy Alice Cooper tour schedule, Strauss has embarked on a 28--city Winter Wasteland Fall solo act tour. “Hurricane” Nita and band stopped into Brick by Brick in San Diego the night before Thanksgiving, and I was ready to feast on healthy portions of loud crunchy metal-inspired Strauss guitar licks. The lively show was primarily an instrumental performance of songs from Nita’s 2018 debut album, Controlled Chaos. Strauss’ backing band provided the roaring engine required for Strauss to overlay a flurry of tasty and frenzied guitar wizardry. Bassist Christopher Dean and drummer Josh Villalta were a perfect monster metal rhythm section while Katt Scarlett banged the keyboards. Watching a smiling energetic Strauss kick major ass, with her long blonde hair flying all over the place, was simply awesome. You can see and feel her intensity and passion as her fingers fly away on her Ibanez shredding off riffs and leads in pure metal delight. Although it seems ages ago, this show was not the first time I’d seen Nita perform. I caught her many years ago when she was with the impressive all-female Iron Maiden tribute band, The Iron Maidens. It’s been a joy following Strauss over the years as her career continuous to flourish.
A few show highlights: Opening band Black Satellite’s lead singer Larissa Vale came out to join Strauss and sang Alice Cooper’s “Feed My Frankenstein”. Vale provided the appropriate gritty vocals as Strauss jammed next to the guest vocalist while also screaming out the catchy chorus. Later Strauss performed an impressive instrumental cover of Queen’s “The Show Must Go On”. Tastefully done, not overplayed, a nice slower tempo choice showcasing finesse that provided a nice balance to the show. Late in the set Strauss performed her current chart drought-busting hit “Dead Inside” utilizing pre-recorded Draiman vocals track. Hey, you can’t expect the Disturbed singer to show up at every Strauss show like he did in L.A. recently!
I can say with utmost confidence that with a few more hits like “Dead Inside”, Nita Strauss is destined for breakthrough superstardom. She’s got the guitar chops, the stage presence, the rock goddess looks, work ethic, passion, and proven ability to package it all together. Check out Nita Strauss on tour now and be on the lookout for her soon to be released second solo album.
Rock on and be well! - Greg Vitalich
Grant Owens, from We Found New Music, guest hosted with us, shared his love of music discovery and promotion, and shot us up with an anti-"bodied" playlist to tell his tale.
Poe The Passenger enlarged and warmed our telltale hearts with energetic powered pop rock to cure what ails you.
Mr. Max took us beyond the capacity limits with a 3 piece triple dose of punk, pop, and rock.
Hot Tub Johnnie administered doses of party music before, during and after our bi-weekly musical clinic.
Recap: J. Gray
Photos: J. Gray 11/29/2021
Innovative and resourceful music industry professional with extensive experience in talent discovery and development. Introduced artists such as Billie Eilish, LAUV, Yungblud, Arlo Parks, and Kim Petras through his popular Industry focused weekly showcase and artist discovery platform, We Found New Music.
Grant has been an official SXSW showcase Presenter since 2015 due to his oracle -like track record in artistic discovery, and vast network of industry professionals.
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Energy-fueled, Alt Rock trio Poe the Passenger is an indie force set on stimulating their community with togetherness, honesty and sustainability. The consistent theme running through their music is the aspect of loving yourself for being authentically you and spreading love to others despite our current turmoil. Their music is a constant reminder to listeners around the world that we are all in this together. Their fans voted them to #1 on The World Famous KROQ Locals Only in Los Angeles, proving their dedication to the band. Their Instagram engagement is consistently high, around 24%, and their reach is over 7,000. Likewise, their Spotify audience has grown 138% in a matter of months to about 10,000 monthly listeners. A considerable base of these listeners reside in LA, and they have 1,600 trackers on Bandsintown providing a reliable audience for local shows.
With Andrew Goodfriend of TKO added to their team and over 100 live shows completed to date, Poe the Passenger is ready to bring their infectious, raw, and energetic live show to the masses. They instantly convert attendees to fans, and they have been honing their live set during the pandemic into a visually captivating and sonically stunning event for 2021 & 2022. Fans are hoping to see them on opening tours with Palaye Royale, Nothing But Thieves, The Hunna & other Alt Rock groups.
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Mr. Max is a Los Angeles-based Indie/Punk band founded by frontman/guitarist Max Cohen. Growing up in Los Angeles' South Bay, Max was heavily influenced by the punk rock music native to that area. Mr. Max combines these early influences with more modern sounds from the surf, psych, garage rock and indie rock worlds to create something new and original.
Mr. Max has grown into a 3-piece band with Marisa Testa on drums and Arion Salazar (Third Eye Blind) on bass and has been putting on high-energy shows in Los Angeles and the surrounding areas.
Mr. Max recently released their new single "I Hate My Life" along with a wild music video featuring animation by Youtuber Harvey Seasalt- The song was featured on 2 Spotify official playlists- "New Noise and Noisy," Three Official Apple Music Playlists and received praise from Allison Hagendorf- Global Head of Rock at Spotify.
4 out of 5 toothpaste users recommend Hunnypot Live for a balanced breakfast.
Hunnypot Live #448 tipped the scales.
Nicole Sanzio returned to update everyone on INDIGI Music happenings and her own new solo piano record!
The roar in the wild, Rora Wilde, belted out ballads and bangers. Fairhazel, thrilled with subdued, meaningful pop music.
Hot Tub Johnnie kept the hits flowing all night and in to the after party.
As the Owner of InDigi Music and Executive Producer, Nicole Sanzio has helped their Artists, Writers and Composers get music placed music in Film, TV & Video.
Her accomplishments as an independent contractor has made her a sought-after expert within the fast-changing industries of licensing/publishing. Her music placements read like a “what’s hot” list in Film & TV programming, among them: MGM’s RESPECT (Aretha Franklin biopic starring Jennifer Hudson), Universal Pictures “Despicable Me 2” and “Fast & Furious” (4, 5 and 6), STX Films “Hustlers”, Better Things (FX), All American (CW), Ginny & Georgia (Netflix), Last Chance U (Netflix), Showtime’s “Ray Donovan” and “Shameless”, Empire (Fox), NBC Olympic Games, NBC “Today Show” and “Meet The Press”, NCIS (CBS), The Hype (HBO Max), In The Dark (CW), Batwoman (CW), etc. Her company has also secured a hefty list of other music placements on AMC, CBS, NBC, TLC, PBS, USA Network, Lifetime, Nickelodeon, MTV, Animal Planet, Netflix, Hulu and Amazon.
Rora Wilde is a pop r&b singer/songwriter Los Angeles, CA. Originally from The Rio Grande Valley, she began singing at the young age of 6 and fell in love with music. She studied cello in school, and taught herself piano and guitar.
At 13, she discovered songwriting and has been performing live ever since. The singer played any stage she could get her hands on; coffee shops, bars, clubs, theaters, etc.
At 18, Rora moved to Austin and continued to play live shows and further developed her sound. The singer explored different genres like alternative rock, synth pop, indie folk and even country-chasing a sound that truly represents her as an artist.
Today, Wilde's powerhouse vocals soar over her new Pop/R&B sounds with moody & introspective lyrics.
Fairhazel is the moniker of 23 year old British/South African singer songwriter Hugh Macdonald. Born in Brighton but raised in London, Cape Town and Paris, Hugh left Berklee College of Music in Boston in 2018 returning to London to work with Communion Music under the name Fairhazel, releasing his first single 7x7 in February to great critical acclaim. Roisin O’Connor of The Independent described it as having "tender, whispering vocals that recall the likes of Villagers, Ben Howard and Sufjan Stevens”. ?
Inspired by artists France Gall, Harry Nilsson and Andy Shauf among others, Fairhazel has established himself as a musical storyteller blurring the lines between fiction and true stories. ?
At his Los Angeles studio, he works on creating all aspects of his music himself from songwriting, arrangement, production, playing and engineering. Although Fairhazel is a solo venture, a band often accompanies him (Louis Giannamore, Alexander Naim Noorani, Karim Saber, Elliot Deubel, Matt Zajac, @yourfriendjuniper, Nate Daviau) at shows and he has opened for Agnes Obel, Banfi and Astræa. Recently he played Whispering Bob Harris's Under the Apple Tree, and featured twice on the lineup of the Counting Crows Underwater Sunshine Festival. His debut album, I'm a Friend of Fairhazel came out in January 2020, and his follow-up, I Sold My Soul For Fairhazel is out now.
Emoni Mathews returned as our guest host. She told her story of competing against hundreds of other players in music industry children's games to win big CEO prizes.
Litvar played tug of war with our hearts with emotional "indie" rock/pop numbers.
Zeus Rebel Waters brought his own team (Kent Grant, Lil Bimmy, Kendo & Keefo (feat Uno Escobar), Yerrty G, Moter Mouth, Zay$tacks, Scumlife Shotty, The Indigo Kid, SlymBoi Rakks, Montega Rebel) to compete in a Squid Game battle royale that resulted in all winners.
Bringing with her a distinguished reputation in the music industry, Emoni serves as the Co- Founder and President of Music Supervision and Creative Licensing for Blaze Unlimited, A creative Music Agency.
Zeus is an American Hip hop artist/songwriter/performer with a unique musical identity. Zeus builds his fanbase, called “The Rebels”, 1 fan at a time. Zeus got in to music early by singing and dancing in youth talent shows. In middle school Zeus formed the rap group P.O.G (Pimped Out Gangsters). The group tasted success by winning talent shows and touring on their hit single “Wobble”. Formerly and casually known as Rukapuff, his first solo single, “Angry”, immediately went in to full rotation on Q95.5(Radio one) in St Louis.
Zeus signed with Mack 10's Hoo Bangin Records. Mack 10 promoted a Rukapuff track, “Like this” featuring Nate Dogg. The song was used in TV commercials, NFL football games movies like Waist Deep, and various TV shows including The Sopranos.
In addition to recording and touring under his O.G. name, Zeus has his own indie record label, Born Ready Records, a clothing line called the Rebel Waters Collection, a film company called Trinity Films, and helps run a non for profit organization for young inner city youth called Rock the Community. Zeus Rebel Waters has arrived.
Did it hurt when Hunnypot Live #446 made you feel something?
Allison Shaw returned to update us on her music industry journey.
JAiRUS performed vintage-modern R&B Jams
MI$HNRZ (missionaries) spread the good word of mixed media music
Hot Tub Johnnie kept the party going from start to finish with music for the maskless.
Allison Shaw is the founder/CEO of Manic Monkee, a firm that does artist mgmt, strategic business development, brand partnerships for artists/music/brands and produces and talent buys for festivals/events/livestreams. Allison started her career in music writing for MTV/VH1 and founded national music magazine Hyperactive,. She also started the Hyperactive Conference and Music Festival and was the executive director for Santa Fe Muzik festival and was a commissioner on the New Mexico Music Commission. Allison currently is the SVP of Festival Operations, talent & strategy for Pure Imagination Music Festival in Arizona, talent buyer for livestream platform Ursa Live and Creative Director of A&R for syncing/licensing platform MDIIO. Allison is also on the Board Of Directors for Nonprofits Sweet Relief Musicians Fund and Charity Bomb.
Allison worked for Rachael Ray's entertainment company where she formed the music division and was co-creator and producer/talent buyer for the Rachael Ray Feedback SXSW. She also ran the label Listen Records/Sony. Shaw is also co-creator/talent buyer for the Annual Whole Foods SXSW showcase which produced the first ever Amazon SXSW appearance. Allison formerly was the Director of Brand Strategy for Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame Inductees Public Enemy. Shaw was also the talent buyer for Moogfest in North Carolina. Allison has worked with many companies across the music/tech/brand space including Fitbit, Stageit, Moogfest, Ticketfly, .music, MDIIO, Muzooka, Kickstarter, Ford, Comedy Central, Gopro, New Amsterdam, and more
JAiRUS, born in Prince George's County, Maryland now based in Los Angeles is a 21-year-old singer/songwriter. He grew up singing in the church where he discovered his passion for singing. After realizing, at a young age, his dream of becoming a musician he went to study voice at The Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington DC, where he was classical trained and worked with stars like Ledisi, Patrice Rushen, Bobby McFerran and Kenny Latimore. After graduation, he set off to LA where he recently received a degree in jazz studies from The University of Southern California.
His music can be described as the “new classics”. A nostalgic feel good sound that propels the past to the present. He aspires to create a timeless sound inspired by classic R&B/Soul, jazz, funk, and pop. With a rich creamy tone, he sets a mood and serenades audiences with songs that groove. And encourages everyone to Stay Groovy.“
Mi$HNRZ (pronounced Missionaries) is an independent Latin band Los Angeles based band formed by multi-instrumentalists Ismael "ISH" Cano and Matt "REEZY" Rey. The duo alternate lead musical vocals, rap and sing in both English and Spanish, and produce a captivating mix of dreamy latin electro pop, suave retrowave beats and subtle reggaeton flavors.
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Another Labor Day holiday Hunnypot where everyone put in a lot of work.
3 time Hunnypot guest host champion, Stephan Pine, painted out a hard rock curated playlist to accompany a metal as fuck interview.
Archer Valentine dug in and sweated out a sweetheart set of songs for young lovers.
Ariel Beesley hammered us with bossed up anger pop filled with full time hooks and hot looks.
The foreman, Hot Tub Johnnie, constructed a super set of party music that stood all night.
-J. Gray(Spectrum)
Guest DJ Stephan Pine moved out from Ohio a decade ago and is living the LA dream. He began his career working within the ABC Music Dept under the mentor-ship of the great Dawn Solar, Stephan has learned the ins and outs of music supervision, clearance and licensing. And being a guitar player he loves ROCK! Recently Stephan joined the music department at LIONSGATE FILMS
Stephan has supervising several popular Netflix originals from the Marvel universe, Jessica Jones, Daredevil and The Punisher. BIG SHOWS! Come on out for the hang and congratulate Stephan on his move to Lionsgate!
23 year old Singer/songwriter from LA, thriving through the live music scene. Began writing music in Nepal while working for the IUCN. Archer Valentine is now making music full time and playing everyday he can. When he’s not making music or skateboarding, He’s looking for Sugar mamas and a good time.
Ariel Beesley is an artist who puts feminism and the belief that anger is power at the forefront of her music. Hard hitting, honest pop songs is what she is all about. From cultivating a loyal fanbase headlining shows in Los Angeles and New York City, to founding and running her own nonprofit for sexual assault survivors (@ustarthere U Start Here,) Ariel Beesley’s music is built on the power of believing in yourself and your worth.
Her self titled debut EP was written in New York, Los Angeles, London, and Stockholm, and touches on themes of love, heartbreak, and whatever being in your 20s is all about. She is currently finishing her full-length debut album.