ARTIST PROFILES

On our last 2ferTuesday for 2022 I couldn't help but feature this cool rock duo, The Dirty Doves. The duo from Syracuse, New York have only been together for the past 3 years. They got together during the pandemic and started writing and recording. The duo consists of guitarists Jamie Cunningham and Anthony Saturno, they met about 5 years ago at a coffee shop and they have been making music ever since. Both guitarists have very different playing styles and writing styles but

At first glance, you may say what is going on in this picture? The members of the band Goat don't want to be recognized. The band originates from Korpilombolo, Sweden and their music is an experimental fusion of alternative music. and psychedelia. The band members are not ever divulged which adds to the mystery of this band. Thomas May is the only one in the group to do interviews concerning the band. The members of the band always wear masks and costumes and are veiled in se

As we come to a close for the year, what a way to end our Jazz Cafe 2022 with this jazz-soul band from Denver, Colorado. Bttrfly Quintet features Grammy-nominated drummer Adam Deitch and Grammy-winning trumpeter Eric "Benny " Bloom who you may recognize as members of Lettuce. Their mix of music is jazz with a futuristic soul sound. It's definitely funky and you must give it a listen. There have been plenty of bands that have members who are famous in their own right, for exam

British singer-songwriter Jamilah Barry from London has such a smooth sound that I needed to find out more about her. At only 25 years old she has been creating a serious buzz in the music industry. She has been writing her own music since she was a teenager. Her music is a mix of jazz, soul, and R&B. Her sound is very mature way beyond her years. She started getting attention after posting her songs on Soundcloud. She made her debut with the single Dance Moves and released h

New Zealand's rock band, The Veils caught my attention with their latest single, No Limit of Stars. The band consists of lead singer Finn Andrews, Sophia Burn on bass, Henning Dietz on drums, Dan Raisbrook on lap steel, guitar, and Uberto Rapisardi on keyboards. This alternative rock band at times reminds me of the goth bands of the 80s in certain songs and especially their lyrics. The band was started by lead singer-songwriter Finn Andrews when he was 16 years old. He had se

This past year there have been many great releases by jazz artists and this is one of them. Anthony Strong from Surrey, U.K. has released a new album that is such as pleasure to listen to. He studied music at the Royal Academy of Music and received his bachelor's degree in jazz piano from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He has worked as a sideman for many artists including Michael Bolton, Jocelyn Brown, Charlotte Church, and others. His music is a mix of jazz and po

Every musician has their own style of how they compose, arrange or write. Spaniard jazz drummer Iago Fernández composes as if he is writing poetry. He does actually write poetry and loves to paint. He has been performing since he was 18 years old and his musical influences range from jazz to Radiohead, classical music, and popular music from both Brazil and Spain. He has performed at many well-known jazz festivals all over the world. As a sideman, he has recorded over 40 wor

Who doesn't love to dance? I know I do and this artist caught my attention with her club pop songs. Rose Gray hails from London, U.K., and remembers seeing the Spice Girls film and being awestruck by them. She started singing at age 3 and remembers that music is where she felt most comfortable. She says she's always been a performer and loved acting as well. Her musical influences are Christina Aguilera, Lily Allen, and the great Amy Winehouse. She has also said that she dyed

I haven't seen a woman play guitar like this artist in a very long time. Meet Samantha Fish from Kansas City, Missouri and she is fire on that guitar. She didn't take to the guitar right away as a child. She started out playing drums but then by age 15 she made the switch to guitar. Her dad played guitar with his friends and her mother was an instructor for the church choir. Music runs in her veins for sure. Her musical influences are Bonnie Raitt and Stevie Ray Vaughn and it

I'm sure you will all agree that the sound of a saxophone is so soothing. It's how I felt when listening to jazz guitarist, Jussi Reijonen's song. This talented artist from Finland is not just a guitarist but also plays the Arabic oud. He can play both fretted and fretless guitars. He grew up in several places other than his native country of Finland but also in the Middle East and East Africa. The experience of living in those different countries with their native music has

There is nothing that I love more than featuring indie artists from my hometown of Brooklyn, NY. Widowspeak formed their band here in Brooklyn by Washington natives Molly Hamilton and Michael Stasiak. The indie rock band today consists of guitar player Robert Earl Thomas, Molly Hamilton on vocals and rhythm guitar, James Jano on drums, and Willy Muse on bass. Michael Stasiak left the band along with former bassist, Patricia Gravano-Coolbaugh. The band made its debut in 2011 w

Ethiopian-American singer-songwriter Kelela Mizanekristos who is professionally known as Kelela is finally making her mark in the music industry. She released her debut mixtape in 2013, Cut 4 Me, and has been going strong ever since. She was born in Washington D.C. and grew up in Maryland. At a young age, she started playing violin and sang in her school's choir. Later while in college she started singing at jazz cafe's expanding her repertoire. This singer doesn't let hersel

Singer-songwriter and rapper Aaron Hoffman better known as SonReal started off by recording mix tapes. In 2006 he released Trapped In the Streets and followed it up with a series of mixtapes. He released a mix tape every year starting in 2008 through 2014. It was in 2012 his collaboration with fellow Canadian hip hop artist Rich Kidd that gained SonReal attention for the single, Hometown. Since then he was nominated for a Juno award and has gained a large following. His music

Canadian blues-rock duo The Blue Stones caught my attention with their latest single Healing. I fell in love with this song and its lyrics. Upon closer inspection, the group is catching the attention of many. Their following is growing and I'm not surprised because the music has some teeth to it. Love the vocals and percussion on the music. The duo consists of Tarek Jafar on vocals, guitar, bass, and keys and Justin Tessier on percussion and backing vocals. The duo has been

The East Pointers are a folk-rock band from Canada that has me enthralled with their contemporary folk sound. The trio consists of cousins Tim Chaisson on vocals, fiddle, and drum machine, Koady Chaisson on banjo, tenor guitar, and synthesizer, and guitar player Jake Charron. The cousins grew up playing music together since they were 5 years old. They met guitarist Jake Charron at a folk music festival and the rest is history. The trio loves performing live and have played t

It's not often that a rapper catches my attention but Sainté did. This prodigy has been gaining followers at the speed of sound. At only 23 and hailing from Leicester, England he is one busy young man. Since his debut last year with the EP, Local MVP he has been performing gigs, going to school, and modeling campaigns for Louis Vuitton and Billionaire Boys Club. He says his musical influences are Jay Z, and 50 Cent and loves the 90s rap era. Sainté is not only a rapper but ca

Korean-born bassist SeaJun Kwon loves to compose in what he calls quiet chaos. He's been composing this way for quite some time. His jazz group consists of Aaron Dutton on Alto sax Jacob Shulman on Tenor saxophone, Michael Juba Prentsky on trombone, Michael Juba and Jacob Hiser on piano, Charles Weller and Amery Logan on drums, and SeaJun Kwon himself on bass. The band likes to explore the liminal spaces in composition/improvisation and chaos/order. When listening to their re

When you first listen to the jazz band Baiana you may think they are from Brazil but are from Liverpool, U.K. The band consists of lead singer Laura Doyle who spent several years living in Brazil and loved the music and the people of Rio de Janeiro. The music is a mix of jazz, funk, and pop. The band's name Baiana means Bahia women. The band has caught the attention of well-known BBC DJ and Brownswood Recordings owner, Gilles Peterson who loves them. The band had made their d

It's not very often that a song really captures my attention but this singer did. Meet New Zealand singer-songwriter Kimbra Lee Johnson aka Kimbra whose music some may find to be eclectic but to me and her thousands of fans, it's heaven. Her music is a mix of pop, R&B, and jazz with rock musical elements. She grew up around parents that are in the medical field but somehow music found her. She started writing songs by age 10 when her dad bought her a guitar. She started takin

Warhaus is the brainchild of singer-songwriter, Maarten Devoldere who is also the frontman for the Belgium rock band, Balthazar. He decided to create his alter ego and decide what kind of music he would like to create as a solo artist. It didn't take him long to figure things out. He said he wanted to make the type of music in the style of songwriters of the '60s. I think he succeeded. During his time with his band Balthazar he started writing during a five-year period for h