Jenn Grinels

My very first assignment at the Indie Music Reviewer, was to review Jenn Grinels' latest album release, "brokenHEARTbreaker." Well, I think I know why I've had so much fun working for IMR so far...because Grinels' album was right up my alley. I fell in love with her music instantly. Unfortunately, I couldn't write in first person, because I had so many personal thoughts I wanted to add to my review, but we have to write in third person. Anyway, as I wrote in my review, I felt like Jenn was a mix between Sara Bareilles and Fiona Apple with a lot of emotion conveyed in the lyrics and lots of piano in most of the tracks.

One of my favorite tracks (although I really liked every single one) was "Don't Wanna Be Happy." This song had a very "old school" feeling to it...I couldn't really figure out what decade, but it sounded like it belonged in the music era many decades ago. So, even though it had an older feel to it, I thought it was very refreshing because there really isn't much music out there right now that sounds like this song. I also really enjoyed how predominate the clarinet is in "Don't Wanna Be Happy" because I used to play clarinet for about 5 or 6 years back in elementary school, middle school, and part of high school. I think it adds a true beauty to the song. Everything about this song is refreshing and I could listen to it all day long.

Overall, "brokenHEARTbreaker" is one of those gem's that you can actually listen to straight through and not skip any songs. Jenn Grinels' has the gift of conveying every kind of emotion through music perfectly. I dare you to find a song on this album that you cannot relate to. I go into a lot more detail about the album on my review for IMR, so be sure to click on the link below for my review. As always, I'd appreciate it if you could show some love by FB "liking" the review at the bottom of the page! :-) I also included Jenns' official website, her ReverbNation website address, and some YouTube videos I found of her performing.

My review of "brokenHEARTbreaker" on IMR
Jenn Grinels' Official Website
Jenn Grinels on Reverbnation
Jenn performing "Don't Wanna Be Happy"
Jenn Grinels performing at the APCA Nationals '09
Jenn performing "Right From The Start"

Indie Music Reviewer Magazine

When I was younger, I remember telling people that it was a dream of mine to not only teach in an elementary school, but to also have a part time job doing something in the music field. Teaching and music are probably the two things I'm the most passionate about. So, when a friend of mine, Jen, contacted me on Facebook asking me if I'd be interested in writing for the indie music online magazine she works for, it didn't take me long to decide it was a great opportunity that I had to take. I obviously enjoy writing about music (as this blog displays) and I loved what the website represented. The Indie Music Reviewer showcases every different genre when it comes to independent music. Almost all of the musicians that are on the website are not well known. So, as writers, it's our job to introduce them to the public and paint a picture as to the kind of music they make. Over the years, I've listened to more indie music than anything else, so this really is a perfect fit for me.

In the week and a half I have been with IMR, I have written three reviews (with two being publish at the time of this blog post) and have read and listened to all the other musicians who have made it to our website. I find myself falling in love with music even more than before I was involved with IMR. It has exposed me to such a wide variety of talented musicians and I am so grateful for the opportunity IMR has given me. I know it's only been a little over a week, but I am having a blast being involved with this project.

From now on, along with my other blog post ideas, I will also be sharing my reviews I write for the magazine on here because our website is all about getting the word out through social media to give these musicians a chance to be heard. I really suggest you not only check out my articles, but the rest of the website. I can pretty much guarantee that you'll find a new musician that you will enjoy listening to. And if you know any indie artists who want to be reviewed by IMR, have them check out the website for more info on submitting their music.

Here's the link to IMR's website : Indie Music Reviewer

My first review that was published was part of Women of Indie feature IMR is releasing. Mycah Chevalier is a jazz, soul, and blues musician from D.C. I really had to open my mind to her music, just because in the past, I haven't listened to much jazz music. After taking some time to listen to her music, I found myself really enjoying her music. She has this soothing way of easing your mind and relaxing you as you listen. So, check out my review on Mycah and be sure to hit the "like" button at the bottom of my article...there's also a Facebook "like" button, too.
My review on Mycah Chevalier

My second review that was published yesterday, was also a Woman of Indie musician, and her name is Yasko. Yasko is a female rapper originally from Toledo, Ohio. My editor asked me what kind of genres I'm NOT into when I first started writing last week, and rap was one of the genres I said I wasn't really into. Well, we were running out of time, and he needed me to pick up another review that no one took yet, but it was a rap artist. He said I may not like the music, but to try my best. Turns out, I don't mind reviewing rappers now. LOL I actually really enjoyed Yasko's music. She uses a lot of popular music as her samples on most of her songs, so I got into the music more because of that tactic she used. She's got a lot of catchy songs and her album/mix tape is available for free download. Like all my other reviews, be sure to help me out and click the "like" buttons at the bottom the articles! :-)
My review on Yasko

Hand Claps and Whistles

Hand claps and whistling. Two of my favorite components in a song. If a song has hand claps or whistling (or even better...both!) there's a pretty good chance I will enjoy it thoroughly. Many people who know me may think my love for hand claps comes from my professional hand clapping debut on Mandy Moore's album "Amanda Leigh" on the track titled "I Can Break Your Heart Any Day Of The Week." That's right...google my name and Mandy Moore's official website comes up with my name in the credits. For those of you wondering....my friend's uncle is a producer and he produced "Amanda Leigh" in his basement outside of Boston, MA. It just so happens that Mandy (yes...we're on a first name basis lol) was recording this album the same weekend we went up to stay with my friend's uncle Thanksgiving weekend in 2008. Oh, and she was also staying in the house while recording, so we stayed in the same house as Mandy Moore. One day, when we were on our way out the door to go to the movies, Mandy asked us if we wanted to help her with some hand clapping on her one track. Obviously, we could not say no to Ms. Moore, so later that night before we went out to the bar, we stood in the stairwell (best acoustics) for about an hour and a half recording hand claps with Mandy Moore. And so my professional hand clapping career began!

Anyway, back to the hand claps and whistling. Because of my love for those two elements of music, I have put together my top 60 favorite songs with hand claps and/or whistling. I attached a YouTube link to most of the songs so you can listen for yourself. I also have this playlist public on my Spotify account. Enjoy and feel free to clap and whistle along!

112 - Dance with Me (Remix)
Adele - Rolling in the Deep
Andrew Hoover - Soul Sucker
April Smith and the Great Picture Show - Colors
Avril Lavigne - Girlfriend
Bangles - Walk Like An Egyptian
Bay City Rollers - Saturday Night
The Beatles - Eight Days a Week
The Beatles - I Wanna Hold Your Hand
Ben Lee - Catch My Disease
Bess Rogers - Everything To Lose
Bess Rogers - Travel Back
Bess Rogers - I Don't Worry
Beyonce - Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)
Big Mama Thornton - Hound Dog
Billy Idol - Mony Mony
Billy Joel - Uptown Girl
Billy Joel - The Stranger
The Black Keys - Tighten Up
Bobby McFerrin - Don't Worry Be Happy
Bruno Mars - Runaway Baby
Busta Rhymes - Make It Clap
Hall & Oates - Private Eyes
David Bowie - Golden Years
Eddie Cochran - Summertime Blues
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - Home
Feist - 1234
Florence + The Machine - Dog Days Are Over
Foster The People - Pumped Up Kicks
Gary Glitter - Rock And Roll Part 2
Gorillaz - Dirty Harry
Guns N' Roses - Patience
Ingrid Michaelson - The Way I Am
J. Geils Band - Centerfold
John Mellencamp - Hurts So Good
Juelz Santana - There It Go (The Whistle Song)
Kelly Clarkson - Hello
Lelia Broussard - Satellite
Little Big Town - Little White Church
Mandy Moore - I Could Break Your Heart Any Day Of The Week
Maroon 5 & Christina Aguilera - Moves Like Jagger
Matt Duke - Oysters
OneRepublic - Good Life
Otis Redding - (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay
OutKast - Hey Ya!
Paul Simon - Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard
Peter Bjorn And John - Young Folks
Pixies - La La Love You
Prince - Little Red Corvette
Queen - Another One Bites The Dust
The Rembrandts - I'll Be There For You
The Romantics - What I Like About You
Rose Royce - Car Wash
Scorpions - Wind of Change
Simon & Garfunkel - Cecilia
Solange - I Decided
Stealers Wheel - Stuck In The Middle With You
Toni Basil - Mickey
V V Brown - Shark in the Water
The Wonders - That Thing You Do!

Grumpy Monkey Puss (GMP)

That's the name of the cover band I've been singing with for a little over a year. For the past year or so, we've been holding practice most Friday nights with the intention of eventually playing out somewhere, but for the most part it was something we did for fun. Over the holidays, we finally decided to book our first gig at a local bar called Joe's. We ended up playing at Joe's a couple of weekends ago on February 18th, 2012. I think we were all pretty anxious about the gig and were curious as to how we would do for the first time playing out. We spread the word through Facebook, texts, and emails, and ended up getting a really big crowd to come out and support us (it was actually a lot more than Joe's expected, because they weren't very well prepared for our huge fan base lol). I've sang in front of people at karaoke weekly the past few years without getting nervous, but for some reason I was a nervous wreck all day beforehand. I was fortunate enough to have awesome support from my friends, my family (and even family who traveled from Pittsburgh and North Carolina) and my boyfriend, but I just couldn't calm down. It wasn't until I sang my first song (Tracy Chapman's "Give Me One Reason") that I finally calmed down and started to enjoy the moment. Overall, we did a great job for it being our first gig, and I think we all had a great time. Hearing all of that applause and cheers after each song is definitely an addicting feeling.

This gig also made me realize how blessed I am to have such a great support system...from family members to close friends to my boyfriend. Many of the people I love came out to support our band and it was very comforting seeing their faces in the crowd. I made sure I let each and every one of them know how much I appreciated it...they all rock! :-)

We haven't booked our next gig yet because we're working on new songs for a third set, but I'm sure we'll continue to have a great time playing out in front of our friends and family...and who knows, maybe we'll gain a bit of a fan base! ;-) Below, I included the link to our band page on Facebook which includes a lot of pictures from this first gig, so if you're on FB make sure you "like" our page! I also included YouTube links to some video that was shot from our gig.

GMP's Facebook Band Page

GMP - One Way or Another
GMP - Give Me One Reason
GMP - Sweet Home Alabama/Gimme Three Steps
GMP - Keep On Rockin' In The Free World (with our opening band, "Shoot For Noon" and my boyfriend, Adam, on drums)