Our second featured artist in celebration of National Hispanic Heritage month is singer-songwriter Ambar Cruz who is professionally known as Ambar Lucid. She was born in Little Ferry, New Jersey to a Dominican mother and Mexican father. Those influences play deeply in her music. She is a self-taught multi-instrumentalist who plays the guitar, piano, the ukulele and produces her own music. She started singing when she was 5 years old and later started posting her covers on You

New Zealand singer-songwriter Amelia Murray professionally known by Fazerdaze has been creating a buzz in the indie music world. She is a multi-instrumentalist and she recorded her debut EP in 2014 all on her own. In an interview, she says that she is still growing and feels like we are all watching her grow. She says she started Fazerdaze as a way to document her development. She cut her teeth touring around the world opening for such acts as Connan Mokasin and Unknown Morta

I love when I'm blown away by the music of a band or the lead guitarist. While going through my Instagram I came upon the videos of the super-talented guitarist Tim Henson. I needed to find out more and discovered his band Polyphia. The band originates from Plano, Texas and their music is a mix of not only progressive rock but I hear classical, hip-hop, and metal. The band consists of guitarist Tim Henson, guitarist Scott LaPage, bassist Clay Gober and drummer Clay Aeschliman

The Indie rock/dream pop band, The Mary Onettes are taking the world by storm. The band from Jönköping, Sweden has been together since 2000 and their interest in 80's music is what bonded them. The band consists of lead singer/guitar, Philip Ekström, his brother Henrik Ekström on bass, Petter Agurén on guitar, and Simon Frasson on drums. The band is melodic and has its distinct style which they have been working on for several years. They made their debut in 2004 when they we

Canadian Indie rock/new wave band, Metric had me go back in time with their music. It's refreshing and done in a new way. The consists of lead singer-songwriter/guitarist, Emily Haines, guitarist/synthesizer, James Shaw, Joshua Winstead on bass and backing vocals, and drummer Joules Scott-Key. The band originally was a duo but expanded to its present lineup. The band members each have distinct stories of how they got into music. Lead singer, Emily Haines says her dad would re

Indie Alternative folk singer-songwriter Riley Pearce got his experience performing live while busking in his native Perth in Australia. He grew up watching his Dad perform with bands on stage and decided to pick up the guitar. When he turned 17 he started playing out on the streets. This came naturally to him and knew he wanted to be a musician. His music has a calm to it and quickly puts you at ease. Lyrically his words move you and send you to the corners of your mind. The

There is nothing like listening to a great song and great lyrics. Texas-born and bred singer-songwriter Barton Stanley David grew up on '60s folk music, 70's rock along with Motown. These influences have shaped his music which is a blend of country, folk with alternative rock. He has played the club circuits in Dallas and Austin and then moved here to New York City. In 2009 he released his album, Blue for East Broadway, and started getting some attention. He's been playing he

I love this British singer-songwriter's smokey voice, which is perfect for the Blues. Meet Elles Bailey from Bristol, England who has been winning audiences around Europe. She says when she was about 3 years old she became very sick with pneumonia and had a tube put down her throat. She says this accounts for her smokey voice. One of her favorite singers and who she counts as an influence is Janis Joplin. Janis was known for being one of the hardest-working women on the rock

I was excited to hear English Post-Punk band, White Lies new music. It brings me back to my days in college radio at WSIA-88.9FM in Staten Island, NY. Their sound reminds me of bands such as The Fixx and The Icicle Works new wave sounds from the '80s. The band consists of lead vocals, guitarist, Harry McVeigh, Charles Cave(bass guitar, backing vocals), and Jack Lawrence Brown (drums). The band got together in 2007 after they wrote songs that didn't feel right for their origin

Irish indie post-punk rock band, Fontaines D.C. wants to let people know that they don't have a license to speak for Ireland. Now that that's out of the way this exciting band from Dublin has been creating quite a stir on the indie music scene. The band consists of Carlos O'Connell (guitar), Conor Curley (guitar), Conor Deegan III (bass), Tom Coll (drums), and Grian Chattan (vocals). The band got together in 2017 when they met while attending music college. Lovers of poetry a

These days jazz is alive and very well in South London, the U.K. but there is also a big jazz scene in Finland. Jazz artists such as Timo Lassy and Kvalda are making beautiful jazz music and mixing it with traditional Finnish folk music or traditional jazz. There is another great Finnish jazz duo who caught my attention several years ago with their song, Pumping Iron. I loved their mix of jazz with progressive rock elements that reminded me of Emerson, Lake & Palmer, or the b

English rock band, Nova Twins consists of 2 female leads, vocalist/guitarist, Amy Love, and bassist, Georgia South. These 2 ladies can rock hard. The two friends met in school when they were kids and growing up were playing in different bands that were always on the same bill together. Logically they decided to form their own band. They first formed a band in 2014 called BRAATS and released the song, Bad Bitches. These ladies are involved in every aspect of their brand from d

The music of this singer-songwriter is smooth like honey. Meet Tiffany Majette who is professionally known as Orion Sun. She was raised in Mount Laurel, New Jersey where life became difficult due to her sexuality. She grew up in a conservative Christian household and was kicked out because of her sexual preference. She identifies as a queer black woman but that didn't stop her from pursuing her dreams. Since she grew up in the church the first music she heard was gospel music

Rockabilly music had always been around but became widely popular during the '80s when the band The Stray Cats burst onto the scene. Since then there are plenty of Rockabilly bands playing the club circuit around the country. I first heard about Al Dual when I came across one of his videos for the song, Cadillac Funk and I had to check out this talented singer. Alfonso José Martínez Martínez from Murcia, Spain, and professionally known as Al Dual fell in love with American m

This great Alternative Punk Rock band from Marrickville- Sydney, Australia has the music world buzzing. Their tunes are catchy and since 2014 have been playings gigs around their country. The band consists of guitarists, Teo Treloar, Carl Redfern, and new additions bassist Justin Tauber, and drummer Joe Parkins. The band says that they play the type of music that captures the raw sounds and energy of the indie bands they love. Some of their musical influences are The Pixies,

Here's a band that both writes great songs and has great live shows. Pom Pom Squad based in my hometown of Brooklyn, New York has been going through some growing pains and has come out the other side. The band consists of singer-songwriter, Mia Berrin, Shelby Keller (drums), Mari Alé Figeman (bass guitar), and Alex Mercuri (guitar). Mia Berrin moved to NYC to pursue acting and was studying at NYU when she met her band members. She ended up switching to the Clive Davis Institu

What a great name for a band! Unknown Mortal Orchestra from Auckland, New Zealand had me intrigued and I had to check them out. The band plays the kind of psychedelic rock with a groove. Mixing rock with R&B and LoFi. The band consists of founder/singer-songwriter, Ruban Nielson, bassist Jake Portrait, drummer/singer, Kody Nielson along with members, Quincy McCrary and Chris Nielson on keyboards, synths and backing vocals. The band is quickly gaining followers and that is mak

After listening to this singer-songwriter from Sydney, Australia I needed to find out more about him. Joshua Jon Pyke or professionally known as Josh Pyke has been making music since 2006. He started playing in his own band by age 12 and had no problem performing for his community at such a young age. At 14 he picked up the guitar and started writing songs. He applied for a grant from the Music Board of the Australia Council under the Buzz Project. This helped him record his

This Canadian band plays some good old-fashioned rock and roll. They have been making the rounds for a few years now and have quite a following. The band consisting of singer/guitarist, Luke Bentham, bassist Ross Miller and drummer, Kyle Fisher from Hamilton, Ontario is making the kind of alternative rock you can wrap your head around. They got together in 2006 and all met while in high school. The band started playing around town and gaining fans for their in-your-face type

MacKenzie Scott, better known as Torres is making the kind of music that can stand the test of time. This Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter/guitarist by way of Orlando, Florida is finding her way through life's ups and downs. She was brought up in a Christian home where the atmosphere was conservative. After seeing the Phantom of the Opera she fell in love with musical theater which is prevalent in her live shows today. She started playing at small places around town and lear