Country Living Usa March 2018

Born in 1971 and raised in Bowling Green, Ohio, Sugar Brown was born as Ken Chester Kawashima to a Japanese father and Korean mother who both immigrated to the United States in the mid-1960s. Now a permanent resident of Toronto, Canada, Sugar Brown is a modern blues musician, singer and songwriter. His brand of dark, sweet, and inconsolable blues has caught the attention of the Canadian music scene, winning the 2013 Toronto Blues Society Talent Search and quickly receiving invitations to play at the Kitchener Blues Festival and the prestigious Mariposa Folk Festival in 2014.

RALEIGH, North Carolina — “There was a feeling back then of promise and that you might actually make a living at music someday. I’m not sure if 6 String Drag ever expected to play any stadiums, but we thought me might make a living in an NRBQ kind of way.” — Kenny Roby, frontman for the band.

From the moment Sound The People kicks off with “Next Level” – a wild and exuberant confluence of Bhangra music with anthemic, psyched-out twists – it’s clear that Red Baraat are very much taking their sonic signature to a new astral realm. On their fifth offering, the Brooklyn-based band continues their exploration of South Asian culture, while firmly placing it within the context of a globalized generation as demonstrated by the diverse backgrounds of its members.

This album is the first solo release by this Tennessee based progressive rock composer, MJD. Mark Jeffrey Dye's group, Elysian Fields, was formed in 1973 and released ten albums under that name. Mark has been involved with music since the age of 10. He played guitar, violin, and keyboards in various groups that he formed from 1965-1984. He also has a bachelor's degree in music composition from the University Of South Florida. In 1978 he moved to Los Angeles with his progressive rock group, Elysian Fields. After changing their name to Impulse, they released five albums on an indie label. While living in Los Angeles he became a midi and synthesis specialist for many top artists like Van Halen, Guiffria, Gino Vannelli, and even appeared on Entertainment Tonight as a technical adviser for electronic music. Mark no longer does work for other people. He is retired and recording and releasing decades of music that had been put aside while he waited for enough free time to accomplish them.

Living at the tender edge where jazz, world, and pop sensibilities meet emotionally forthright songwriting, this indie songwriter sings soothing, sultry vocals in English, French and Spanish enlivened by Latin, American and West African rhythms.

We feel more divided than ever.
This riveting analysis tells you why.

Tom Russell is perhaps the only living American songwriter who could get away with describing his album as "Jack Kerouac meets Johnny Cash…in Bakersfield." It may read like conceit, but his work over the last 45 years has earned him that claim. Russell is a renaissance man: He writes songs that have been covered by Cash, Ian Tyson, Doug Sahm, Iris DeMent, and more; he is also a fine painter, poet, essayist, and author.

Jazz and Latin Jazz vocalist, Lauren Henderson, paints reflective and impassioned stories with her haunting voice and enchanting compositions. Described as "somewhere between a comforting whisper and a cogent declaration" by The New York Times, Henderson's eclectic influences spread across genres producing a distinct yet versatile sound.