Mr. Boston Debut/Blue Plate Christmas Party

Come see the debut of Mr. Boston, featuring members of Braving Dawn, Jo(h)n Squared & the Codeman himself! They'll be playing the best songs of the past few decades with a lot of surprises!

There are a bunch of drink specials going on at the Blue Plate this year and we can guarantee that you will eat, drink and be merry as we rock the face off of Christmas!

Josh A. EP Release - December 10th at Billings Forge

This December, local Hartford based artist Josh A. will be releasing his very first EP featuring some exciting new music. These brand new tracks bubble over with the creative energy and unique style that has become indicative of Josh's music, and are a treat for ears of all ages. Rich vocal harmonies drift hauntingly back and forth against an alluring backdrop of compelling synth soundscapes, though within each piece there is a clear central message of hope driving it forward. Preview the tracks now at http://josha.bandcamp.com/, then come out to hear them live and get your free copy on December 10th; just bring a flash drive or iPod with you and the EP is yours for free.

October 23rd and other stuff

I'm happy to announce that the first official mcgriz Productions show will be taking place October 23rd at The Blue Plate in Plainville, CT. The show will be featuring a variety of talented performers, and the night will be capped off by a very special reunion show by The Logan Groovers in honor of Fairfield U's alumni weekend. More details to follow shortly once the lineup is finalized.

In other news, this band is extremely worth checking out. They're a uk band known as Foals and they're my latest musical obsession.

Another Quickie

It's been a while since a blues band has really caught my ear, but Dudley Taft seriously made me sit up and take note. The guitar work is really stellar, and the vocals are delivered in a deep, scratchy voice that sounds like the vocal chords producing it were designed expressly for singing the blues. If you have 4 minutes available and any interest whatsoever in blues rock, listen to Long Way Down.

Quickie

Things are still a bit crazy, but I just stumbled across this and thoroughly enjoy it. Well produced, interesting hip-hop out of Atlanta, GA courtesy of REHAB. The flow is fantastic, the beats and instrumentals are deeply engaging, and the vocal harmonies are pure sugar for the ear. Suggested Listening: Graffiti the World.

AFK, in a Good Way

My apologies on being conspicuously absent for a few weeks, the "Weekly ReverbNation Sweep" might as well be termed Monthly instead at this point. However, it's been a productive absence, and there's a lot of wonderful new music happening.

• Tomorrow night at Cafe Nine in New Haven will be a great show featuring Matt Thomas, Kyla Pitruzzello, and a new project known only as Them Moving Giants.
• Saturday night at The Rock Cafe in Rocky Hill will be another performance by Kyla Pitruzzello, possibly featuring a few surprises along the way.
• New music up at JohnnyMac Music, and also be sure to check out my collaboration with the fantastic FloMotive, featured on his page. Much more is in the works and soon to be seen, be sure to check back for some fresh collaborations and new beats.
• There is an Event in the planning stages right now for sometime in mid-October, a rather large music festival of sorts with a possible pre-Halloween theme. If you'd like to get involved in some way, please e-mail me. We're also still booking bands as of now, but we'll be looking to get a lineup set by early September so that we can start promoting, so if you're interested in playing let me know as soon as possible. We have a location but we're still settling on a date; I'll post both as soon as it's all confirmed.

ReverbNation Sweep #2

Cole Stacey
Suggested Track: "Walk to Midnight"

Upon first listening to "Walk to Midnight," I was struck by the range of expression that Cole Stacey achieves with his voice. He shifts effortlessly from a low, subtle half-whisper to a full-bodied tenor vibrating with emotion and back again over a backdrop of interlaced guitar, piano, and vocal harmony. It all serves to create a very visual musical experience, and in turn each song seems to tap directly into the listener's imagination. Relaxing, fascinating, and deep: this is just great music to listen to, plain and simple.

51/50s
Suggested Track: "Lies"

This music is downright Fun, the kind of sound that would pull me in off the street if I were walking by, and it's no accident. Each song is a wonderfully crafted, high-energy thrill ride propelled on a wave of soaring guitar, undulating bass, driving drums, and thick backing vocals that compels the listener to sing along, and dance while they're at it. The more I listen to these songs, the more I hope there's a US tour in store for these guys sometime in the near future.


CT MUSIC SPOTLIGHT:
Rod Washburn
Suggested Track: "Might Turn Around"

As many of those who know me are aware of, I am traditionally not a fan of country music. However, every now and then a particular artist will catch my ear and turn that opinion around for little while; Rod Washburn happens to be one of those artists. His voice is rich and passionate, and it meshes easily with beautiful guitar melodies and a variety of accompanying instruments. Harmonies come wafting up in just the right places, and the songs balance delicately between an overlying sense of down to earth simplicity and a substructure of finely crafted complexity.

Tales from the Studio

mcgriz Productions is excited to be in the studio today with Kyla Pitruzzello working on a few tracks for her forthcoming debut CD. As long as we've got her here, we figured we'd learn a little more about this dynamic singer/songwriter.

mP: So Kyla, when did you first get started playing music?

KP: Well I played saxophone all through elementary school and middle school, but I started playing guitar at 15 or 16. I found a guitar in a closet, it was my mom's old guitar, but I wasn't really serious about it, I just kinda messed around with it here and there. I probably became addicted to playing guitar when I started living by myself. I needed to occupy my time in some way. Living alone made me realize I think about stuff way too much, playing music was like my therapy, so to speak.

ReverbNation Sweep #1

Flo Motive Beats

Suggested Track: "American Beauty"

Based out of Tappahannock, VA, Flo Motive Beats provides intoxicatingly intricate beats paired with some fantastic ambient backdrops. His style is unique to be sure, and his songs constantly shift and evolve from one section to the next. Just brilliant composition and enjoyable music overall. His remixes also deserve special note and are definitely worth a listen, it's very interesting to hear the way in which he infuses his own particular style into each track.

Axel Weiss

Suggested Tracks: "FlowRaw", "Precious Energy"

As I was sifting through the thousands upon thousands of artists on ReverbNation, this page caught my eye. Artist, painter, jazz guitarist: this could either be really cool or completely horrible. Gladly, this fell heavily into the cool side of the spectrum. Many other unfortunate forays into this genre of music seem at times to be nothing more than a series of notes randomly flung against the listener's eardrums to see what sticks. Weiss's music, on the other hand, feels like a living, breathing organism seeping through the speakers. Each piece has a deep sense of meaning and direction to it, and it's sensational to sit back and let it whirl around you and draw you in.

CT MUSIC SPOTLIGHT:

Political Animals

Suggested Track: "Wannabeez"

This dynamic rap trio out of Naugatuck, CT boasts an unbelievably rich and full sound. I was at least halfway through listening to Wannabeez before I realized that the whole track is just bass, drums, and vocals. They break hiphop down to its most basic and crucial elements, and the music suffers nothing for its simplicity. Instead, the sound comes across as refreshingly bold against the backdrop of a genre increasingly obsessed with autotune, recycled beats, and heavily compressed tracks often overlayered into insensibility. The best part? They sound just as good live, and they're consistently playing dates all over CT.

The 20 Most Influential Albums of My Life - Tino

#1 Led Zeppelin II - Led Zeppelin
Key Track: Bring it on Home
This album choice needs little explaining. Led Zeppelin was my first CD, the first tracks I ever memorized on an instrument, and generally my favorite.


#2 In the Slot - Tower of Power
Key Tracks: Ebony Jam, In the Slot
Tower of Power picked up in Chicago with their full horn section and outrageously syncopated grooves. Rocco Prestia is one of my earliest memorable bass influences, and his work with Dave Garibaldi on drums is delicious.
#3 Jaco - Jaco Pastorius
Key Tracks: (Used to Be A) Cha Cha, Portrait of Tracy
So few bass players can match Jaco's beautiful, expressive nature and his incredible talent. He really brought the bass guitar to the front of the band and changed its role in music permanently.

The 20 Most Influential Albums of My Life - JohnnyMac

1. ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead – Worlds Apart

Key Track: "Would You Smile Again for Me"

This album warrants repeated listening in a major way.  I’ve always been a fan of albums that are written to work as one large piece of music, and this is one of the best in that category. Themes develop and recur throughout, and the way each song fits into the bigger arc of the record is masterful.

2. Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin IV/ZOSO
Key track: "When the Levee Breaks"

I heard the first side of this album on vinyl repeatedly in my childhood, and the first time I heard the opening to Black Dog at the age of 5 or so, it was a life changing experience. However, when I finally wound up listening to the rest of the album in earnest years later, the epic nature of When the Levee Breaks and its bone quivering backbeat captured me entirely.

3. Clutch – Pure Rock Fury
Key track: "Red Horse Rainbow"

Clutch took a bit of openmindedness to get into, but once I did I was hooked, largely due to the incredible and unique style of drummer Jean-Paul Gaster. Playing along to and learning the songs on this album opened doors to me as a drummer that I never knew existed at the time.

The 20 Most Influential Albums of My Life - Jon

In no particular order...

1. "Yourself or Someone Like You" - Matchbox Twenty
Essential track - "Hang"
You know all the hits, but the heart of this record lies in the last track, a ballad that could be a throwaway track, if not for the haunting lyrics. Fun fact: First CD I ever owned.

2. "Full House" - The J. Geils Band
Essential track - "Musta Got Lost"
Before its "Love Stinks" glory days, The J. Geils Band was a bluesy powerhouse that could blow the tops off of arenas. I listened to this over and over again on my dad's turntable.

3. "Pulse" - Pink Floyd
Essential track - "Shine On You Crazy Diamond"
The best live record I've ever heard, especially without one of Floyd's founding members - Roger Waters. This two-disc masterpiece includes a spot-on run-through of Dark Side of the Moon...all of it. Live. Suck on it Roger.

The 20 Most Influential Albums in My Life - Teig

1. Matthew Good Band - Beautiful Midnight 

Key Track: All

This album is front to back alternative rock masterpiece. From the intricate melodies to the lyrics (that have never been bettered), this is a lost classic.

2. The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds 

Key Track: "Don't Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder)"

Before Pet Sounds, there wasn't anything like this in music, save Beethoven and Mozart. After it, there wouldn't be anything else to compare again. This invented modern pop.

3. The Replacements - Let It Be 

Key Tracks: ALL

This band showed me that music was fun, and loose, and full of attitude and passion, and that even if it doesn't sound perfect, it can Be perfect.

And awaaaay we go

Today marks the beginning of something new and exciting, the official launch of mcgriz Productions! The site will feature samples of music from the artists we're working with and information about upcoming events and performances. For some information about what exactly we do, check out the What is mcgriz? tab.

We'll also be featuring posts and discussions about music and other topics near and dear to our hearts led by our talented staff writers Teig and Jon.

If you're interested in recording or if you want more information about us, please feel free to contact us (mcgriz@mcgrizproductions.com) or e-mail any of our members.