Ralph Edwards turns chairs (all four of them) in his 'The Voice' audition
Plus, a big-ole' dump of new music.
It’s too early to call who is going to win the new season “The Voice,” though I’m sure someone is tracking the over-under on the 14 competitors who have been chosen since the premiere episode last Monday.
I haven’t found it yet, sadly. I’ve looked.
BUT, if one were so inclined, they could make a pretty good case for 12-time auditioner (and proud Fresnan) Ralph Edwards, who got chair turns from all four of the judges with his rendition of Journey’s 1978 hit “Lights.
He was one of three contests to have all four judges fighting over them, but …
Reba McEntire said his was “the perfect performance.”
Niall Horan (of One Direction fame) gave a thumbs up to Edward’s resume as a bar-band singer. “If I walked into a bar and you were playing I’d never leave.”
Michael Bublé called it straight out: “Whoever you choose is gonna win The Voice.”
Ultimately, Edwards decided to go with Snoop Dogg as his coach. That seems fitting, what with Snoop’s history with and ties to Fresno (shows at the Rainbow Ballroom and Grizzly Fest notwithstanding).
It looks like the Blind Auditions run for the next few weeks, so it will be awhile before we get to see Edward’s next performance, but Vibe Check has a full slate of performances in October, so…
You can read more about Edwards over at The Fresno Bee.
New music dump: Six releases to put in your earballs.
I’ve said this before I’m sure, but it bears repeating: It’s hard to track all the new music being released these days, even if you’re really specific in what you’re listening to (like only music coming out of the Fresno/Central Valley for example).
Of course, I have the benefit of a platform (here and at The Fresno Bee, NewRock 104.1, Flowing with Famous, etc.) and people tend to reach out when they have stuff to be shared, which is better than trusting me to just sort of pay attention to what’s floating out there.
Still, one can get backlogged. Here are six recent and/or upcoming releases worth checking out.
Blake Jones and the Trike Shop — “Halloween Wind”
Recorded for the compilation “Chilling, Thrilling Hooks, and Haunted Harmonies: The Big Stir Records Halloween Grimoire,” which is out Oct. 10.
The 2LP double album features nearly two dozen bands, including Graham Parker and The Strawberry Alarm Clock.
This is like old-school vinyl shit, where the album gatefold art is part of the experience. In this case, the gatefold opens up into a full-on playable board game.
Jones dropped a video for “Halloween Wind,” earlier this month. It’s streaming as a digital single Oct. 17.
Sleeve — “Goop Enough”
Sleeve released a four-song EP early this month via Village Collective on Bandcamp.
This is for fans of early-era grunge rock. Hints of Nirvana’s “Bleach.”
The band did this video collab with photographer Rian Diener for the track “Marijuana.”
Vice After Midnight — “Hot City Nights”
Vice After Midnight is the hard-rock project from Clovis musician Slate Wilder, who based off of this debut single, is a shredder of a player and more than a bit smitten with 1980s aesthetics.
According to this interview, his dad owned a 1981 Pontiac Trans Am Turbo and the two would cruise around blasting Def Leppard and the like. That pretty well encapsulates what Wilder is doing with the project, I feel like.
“How City Nights,” is available across platforms now.
Blackwater Baptized — “Strange Shaped Clouds”
This is the second single from Blackwater Baptized in as many months and follows the mellower almost-ballad “Like a River.”
Here, we get good delivery on band’s whole blues-rock vibe (see: the Jeremy Logan’s vocals and guitar-work on the solo sections starting around the 1:45 mark).
ThatsOK — “Muscle Cars”
Between his multiple musical collaborations (including a stoner-rock-doom trio he’s debuting for October’s ArtHop), Matt Orme continues to release his own music under the moniker ThatsOK.
“Muscle Cars,” is Orme in his element. It’s moody and atmospheric, but also hauntingly pretty its own simplicity. It’s Granddy-esque, if you wanted to put that comparison to it.
That’s it for this week. Remember you can also hear me on the Homegrown Show Sundays at 8 p.m. on New Rock 104.1 FM. Tonight, I’m solo in studio with that new Strange Vine song, among others. Follow my other writing at The Fresno Bee. If you have anything you think I need to be looking at or listening to, feel free to let me know: jtehee@gmail.com