Tag Archive for 'tra.kz artist spotlight'

Tra.kz Artist Spotlight: The Beautiful Girls (“Don’t Wait”)

published
on November 4, 2009
by
Sandra
in artist/album reviews, music, and tra.kz artist spotlight
. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , , .


TBG_Don't Wait Cover

“Don’t wait is just a song about going out, finding a girl and dancing with her. Living life and having a good time. With everybody. Together. We don’t think that just because we have a reggae feel in some of our music that we should preach righteousness, sing about smoking ganja, or pretend to be Bob Marley. Enough people do that already. It’s just a pop song.” – The Beautiful Girls

Now that’s a refreshingly honest and unapologetic introduction to what is indeed a catchy poppy song with a reggae feel. It’s called “Don’t Wait.” Have a listen:

The Beautiful Girls hail from Australia and are indeed beautiful, albeit not female. The sound they create is an electric harmony of rock, reggae, pop and folk, which at times sounds a lot like the boys from the softer surfer-singer-songwriter corner (most notably Jack Johnson, to whom lead singer Mat McHugh bears a striking resemblance), and at other times sounds much less soft…

The rootsy carefree sound of “Don’t Wait’ will get you grooving in no time.

Controlled Substance Sound Labs Round-Up

published
on February 11, 2009
by
Sandra
in music and tra.kz artist spotlight
. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , .

controlled_substance_charcoal_biggerIt’s been a great day of new music releases on Twitter and everybody at MixMatchMusic would like to give a big shout out to the folks at Controlled Substance Sound Labs (label umbrella for Stoopid Records and Law Records) for making the tra.kz launch a promotion to remember!

BUT… the music isn’t over yet, as you’ve still got a chance to grab the Controlled Substance tracks and share them with your friends. Check out the complete list of songs that were released today, and download them to your heart’s content.

To download a track, right click on its ‘Download’ link below and click “Save Link As…”

“Behind Closed Doors” by Fishbone
Stream it here: http://tra.kz/f
Download
 
“Too Much (straight board mix)” by Pepper
Stream it here: http://tra.kz/p
Download
 
“Set Me Off” by The Expendables
Stream it here: http://tra.kz/e
Download
 
“Closer to the Sun” by Slightly Stoopid
Stream it here: http://tra.kz/ss
Download
 
“Under the Landslide” by Mat McHugh and The Blackbird
Stream it here: http://tra.kz/m
Download
 
“Feelin’ Alright” by Rebelution
Stream it here: http://tra.kz/r
Download
 
“Love 2 the DJ” by Sabotage Soundsystem
Stream it here: http://tra.kz/s
Download
 
“Season’s Change” by Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad
Stream it here: http://tra.kz/g
Download

To download a track, right click on its ‘Download’ link above and click “Save Link As…”

Tra.kz Artist Spotlight: Rebelution ("Feelin' Alright Dub")

published
on February 11, 2009
by
Alan Khalfin
in music and tra.kz artist spotlight
. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , .

rebelution_04_flatWelcome to the Rebelution experience! Rebelution has a roots-rock-reggae sound that would make Mr. Marley smile and the streets of Kingston dance. Feelin’ Alright Dub is a previously unreleased, fully dubbed out version of the track Feelin’ Alright from their album, Courage to Grow. Check it out here.

This Santa Barbara-based reggae quartet is on a mission to spread positivity, unity and awareness to any and all who will listen, and, lately, it seems as if the number of interested parties may never stop growing. Originally formed in 2004, the group consists of vocalist/guitarist Eric Rachmany, keyboardist Rory Carey, drummer Wesley Finley, and bassist Marley D. Williams. It was their mutual attendance of music classes at college in Santa Barbara that initially brought them together, and it was in this environment that the seeds of their successful future were planted.

“Courage To Grow” is an excellent album complete with crafty melodies, socially conscious lyrics and savvy musicianship. Whereas other SoCal reggae-infused groups such as Sublime and the Long Beach Dub All-Stars tend to be rock- or punk-based, Rebelution sticks much more strongly to a vintage “roots” reggae sound. The band is currently on their 2009 Winter Tour, so check them out when they hit your town! Rebelution is looking forward to a promising 2009 and the release of their second full length album.

Tra.kz Artist Spotlight: Slightly Stoopid ("Closer to the Sun")

published
on February 11, 2009
by
Alan Khalfin
in music and tra.kz artist spotlight
. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , .

slightlystoopid-band-2005 It’s safe to say that Slightly Stoopid does for music fans what Sublime did for fans in the 90s. They are the current leaders of a genre they helped define: brah brah. Today. they are releasing a previously unheard version of “Closer to the Sun” on Twitter,  from their Slightly Not Stoned Enough To Eat Breakfast Yet album. You can listen to it here.

The Slightly Stoopid story can be traced to before their Controlled Substance Sound Labs days in Ocean Beach, California, when childhood chums Miles and Kyle formed the group in 1995, mixing reggae and punk sounds into one smooth stylistic cocktail. Soon after, late/great Sublime frontman Brad Nowell caught wind of the group, and signed them to his Skunk Records label – while the band members were still in high school.

Illustrating the perfect underground success story (and a testament to the new music model), Slightly Stoopid, and their label Stoopid Records, has become a case study in how to ‘make it’ without the aid of radio or MTV circa the early 21 st century. Slightly Stoopid is all the proof you’ll need to show that once and for all, with hard work, new technology and file-sharing, die-hard fans, and the right tunes, anything is possible. The group – which features Miles Doughty (Guitar, Bass, Vocals), Kyle McDonald (Guitar, Bass, Vocals), Ryan ‘RyMo’ Moran (Drums), C-Money (Trumpet, Keyboard), DeLa (Saxophone), and Oguer ‘OG’ Ocon (Congas, Percussion, Harp, Vocals) – has built a large n’ loyal fan base, who are lovingly known as either Stoopidheads or Ese Locos.

In 2008, the band released their first-ever ‘odds and ends’ collection, Slightly Not Stoned Enough to Eat Breakfast Yet Stoopid – the group’s newest release for their growing label, Stoopid Records. Seemingly always on the move, there appears to be no slowing down in sight for Slightly Stoopid, and according to band, that’s precisely what fuels the group’s creativity. “For us, the most important thing in the future, we just want to stay busy and always playing music – whether creating, touring, or just sitting on your couch and jamming. I think we’ll always be recording. And just have fun – without the fun part, it ain’t worth it.”

Check out the video to their new single “2am” here.

Tra.kz Artist Spotlight: The Expendables ("Set Me Off")

published
on February 11, 2009
by
Alan Khalfin
in music and tra.kz artist spotlight
. 3 Comments Tags: , , , .

Blending reggae, punk rock, and 80s style dueling guitar solos, the Expendables have been turning heads since their early days in Santa Cruz, California. Growing up in NorCal was a laid back experience for the Expendables: surf, skate, party and play music. Now, they stake their claim as the NorCal representative on the Controlled Substance Sound Labs roster. Their self titled album dropped on September 2007, and now, they bring you “Set Me Off” — a live recording made at Pozo Saloon in Santa Margarita, CA that used to only be available on the Japanese release of their 2006 album Gettin’ Filthy. Not any more! Listen to it here and be sure to check out the Expendables in their upcoming spring tour.

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