Welcome readers to a new feature, “Shockya’s Artist Of The Week”. Each week you will be introduced to a new artist or band whose music has garnered a closer look. “Artist Of The Week” is about the collective appeal of an outfit, not the promising nature of a single song. These selections were able to stop my unholy tendencies to quickly click from one new release to the next without “consciously” giving the track a shot. So, here it goes. The first of the batch of awesome bands coming your way is the California rock duo, Deap Vally. Comprised of Lindsey Troy (guitar, vocals) and Julie Edwards (drums), Deap Vally  [ Read More ]

Describing a band as “selling out” is an overly used expression and it has become more applicable to groups over the years thanks to the accessibility of auto-tune. “Selling out” simply translates to a band adding the “wrong” creativity to its repertoire in order to persist within the fleeting world of the music industry. For the most part, every outfit seeks to transform its sound from one album to the next, but those that do it unnaturally tend to welcome a flood of criticism. So, to those listeners about to slam Fall Out Boy for “selling out” since their “Take This To Your Grave” days, I am prepared to defend  [ Read More ]

With the recent breakup of My Chemical Romance and the reuniting of the Jonas Brothers, the dynamic of sibling bands has been frequently on my music radar these days. Sometimes the family relationship can strain a band and other times, it aids in keeping an outfit intact. Whether the rivalries occur or not, the music industry has undeniably been affected by the in-sync ways of these blood bonded bands. Oasis, The Kinks, Bee Gees, ACDC, The National, Tegan and Sara, Beach Boys, Jackson 5, and The Black Crowes have family connections within them and despite some notable tension (cough, cough Oasis), I believe their nature has been a key factor  [ Read More ]

With the exclusion of Perry Farrell of Jane’s Addiction and Kurt Cobain of Nirvana, female artists vocally dominate my list of favorite musicians. My gender bias can largely be credited to my love for Janis Joplin, which began in my teenage years. The legendary singer/songwriter set a precedent for females to widely perform without any vocal restraint. Clinging to this uninhibited style, I seek out contemporary artists with a similar demeanor of creating imperfect music. To my surprise, there still is a plentiful amount out there today; they are just overshadowed by the auto-tune clan of Britney Spears, Ke$ha and Nicki Minaj. Sifting through that mess, I present you, Shockya  [ Read More ]

Age is just a number. The teenagers of One Direction are currently devaluing this expression, but 19 year-old British singer/songwriter, Jake Bugg, reaffirms it by proving talent is talent and no number can stop an artist from being considered legendary. Widely established in the country of better music, the U.K., Bugg will be releasing his self-titled studio debut album in the U.S. on April 9th via Mercury Records. In the fall of last year, the youngster released his EP entitled, “Two Fingers” and just recently dropped his newest single, “Lightning Bolt”, on March 19th. Influenced by iconic musicians and storytellers such as Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles and Johnny  [ Read More ]

Remembering my high school moments immediately triggers the days when I opted for all black and listened to a mixture of My Chemical Romance and Coheed and Cambria. I am shameful of a substantial amount of my teenage music likings, but I will never trade in that “rebellious” stage for one more listen to ‘N SYNC’s “No Strings Attached”. A decade later, I am still a loyal fan of Gerard Way and Claudio Sanchez mostly because their bands introduced me to the far left side of music, where innovative tunes overshadow mainstream ones. Coheed and Cambria’s lead guitarist, Travis Stever, continues to not let me drift right with his solo  [ Read More ]

The theatrical component in rock music tends to be outshined by the need for a group to convey an edgy persona, which includes the wearing of flannels, leather coats, fedoras, rayban wayfarers and combat boots. A group individualizing themselves through their image rather than their music usually paves the way right to one-hit-wonder stardom. Alternative rock bands remain prevalent in the music industry not by their hipster vibe, but by their transcending sound. Unfortunately for you, upcoming rock outfits, The Airborne Toxic Event has both those areas covered, with their look and melodramatic tunes. The Los Angeles band, which consists of Mikel Jollett (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Steven Chen (guitar, keyboards),  [ Read More ]

With over 70 Grammy Award categories, the televised ceremony only shows a small margin of the winners. Adele, Carrie Underwood, Fun., Frank Ocean, Kelly Clarkson, Zac Brown Band, Gotye, The Black Keys and Mumford and Sons all donned the stage to accept their lofty honors. Dedicating a handful of the night to live performances, most of the Grammy Awards were given out during the “Pre-Telecast Ceremony”, which aired yesterday online at 4p.m. If you didn’t have a chance to see this coverage, there is no need to worry because Shockya will fill you in on handful of the unseen awards. You can check out the list below of the 2013  [ Read More ]

The Internet is buzzing with its fair share of past Grammy Award moments, but these lists are typically specific to either performances, wardrobes or outlandish occurrences. I’ve decided to condense the “Top Ten” selection even further and group all the Grammy moments into one read. Since the iconic award show is today, I expect you, Shockya readers, to be preparing for your Grammy parties and not surfing the web for too long. So, use your Internet time wisely and check out the brief list below. 1. Eminem & Elton John, “Stan” Performance, 2001 Still bitter about Eminem’s “Recovery” snubbed for “Album of The Year” in 2010, I, now, find myself  [ Read More ]

What’s not to love about the Super Bowl? It involves two football teams that you are forced to familiarize yourself with in a short period of time. You don’t want to be the one drawing a blank when asked, “Who is playing in the Super Bowl?” or my favorite question, “What states are the teams from?” Isn’t it fascinating how the sport makes two minutes stretch out to 15 minutes? If only an episode of HBO’s “Girls” can expand its time slot this effortlessly. Yes, I am a female breeding sarcasm as I comment on the Super Bowl, but every year I still watch the final game for the brief,  [ Read More ]

Typically, Grammy Award season leaves me disappointed. There are a select few artists who get under my skin and for some reason these talented folks are the ones at the podium. If I am constantly taking digs at you then your chances of being rewarded by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences are more than likely. So, Taylor Swift the odds are in your favor for winning for the painfully catchy song, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”. My Grammy Award complaints mostly surround the Academy’s annual indecisiveness about whether to choose mainstream artists as the winners or the alternative ones. In 2010, Ms. Swift won Album  [ Read More ]

As a diehard music fan, I have a tendency to be introverted from time to time. Whether it be the lyrical depth or the spatial instrumental sounds of a song, I find myself in floatation until the gravitating nature of a catchy tune reels me back into reality. These dual capabilities of music are what make the art untouchable in the entertainment world. Illuminating my extroverted side is the latest album, “Notes From The Underground”, from the masked group, Hollywood Undead. The outfit’s third studio album dropped January 8th via A&M Records/Octone. Comprised of Johnny 3 Tears, J-Dog, Charlie Scene, Danny, Funny Man, and Da Kurlzz, Hollywood Undead released their  [ Read More ]

In 2012, Christina Aguilera proclaimed her love for curves, Taylor Swift dabbled in the Kennedys and One Direction, Chris Brown and Rihanna continued to torture fans’ hearts, Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong proved he is not rock n’ roll perfection, Lady Gaga increased the number on her scale and X Factor host, Britney Spears, showed America that the clouds have yet to clear in her head. Within all this nonsense, the music industry gave birth to a slew of albums that will undeniably outlast the current pop culture relevancy of the musicians above. Yes, sometimes you need media gossip to self-promote an album (cough, cough Rihanna), but other times all  [ Read More ]

With the onset of November, you are almost guaranteed to hear Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” at least once a day. The tantalizing tune will surely be sprinkled not only amongst holiday classics, like Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock” and Dean Martin’s “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!” but also contemporary hits, such as those off of Justin Bieber’s “Under The Mistletoe” and Lady Antebellum’s “On This Winter’s Night”. Just as with rock music, the holiday genre transforms and consistently exposes different stylizations of timeless tracks. With his holiday EP, “And a Happy New Year”, native New Yorker, Mikey Wax contemporizes the festive  [ Read More ]

Flyleaf is reaching higher while recognizing the past with “New Horizons,” the band’s latest album. The album is a culmination of sorts for the band; this is the final album with frontwoman Lacy Sturm, who left the band this year. Some fans might feel it’s the end of an era with new lead singer Kristen May joining the group, but the album should probably be taken as both a “Thank you” to their loyal fans and a sign of the continuation of awesome music from the band. The band’s sound has been described as “cathartic,” and that sound continues in full force on “New Horizons.” Early favorites for fans are  [ Read More ]