SHAED on the High Dive
Multi-Platinum D.C. trio SHAED has released their anticipated debut album, High Dive via Photo Finish Records. The group has partnered with mental health organization Teen Line and will be donating a portion of proceeds from album sales to the nonprofit. The trio—made up of Chelsea Lee, her husband Spencer Ernst and his twin brother Max Ernst—finished recording during lockdown at their home studio in Northern Virginia.
Pirates in America
Pirate self-service, 24/7 studios have become the model in the U.K., offering keyless access to shared equipment and facilities. With a rise in popularity among musicians during the pandemic, Pirate has expanded its services, opening new locations in Queens and Brooklyn, NY, and multiple studios in L.A. With rates starting at $10 per hour, Pirate Studios include recording, rehearsal, DJ and podcast/interview rooms, and livestream capabilities.
Child of the State, Ayron Jones
Singer-guitarist Ayron Jones is a genre-blending songwriter from Seattle, and the music of the city’s greats are alive in his music. On top of sharing a stage with Run DMC, Guns ‘N’ Roses, Public Enemy and Jeff Beck, Jones has had a great festival run at SXSW, Sasquatch and will be playing Sacramento’s Aftershock in October.
Pictured (l-r): Scott Stevens, Ayron Jones and Marti Frederiksen after the “Mercy Session” at Sienna Studios in Nashville, recording the upcoming Child of the State, out May 21.
Dark Side of Light
Producer Grant Conway, one half of the indie/alternative duo, Dark Side of Light, is a seasoned producer, engineer, and music editor, pictured above working on DSOL's upcoming EP due out in June. Conway is a previous member of Silver Jet and has toured with Cheap Trick and Dogstar.
Sumo Cyco’s Initiation
Alt-metal group, Sumo Cyco, have released a new full-length, Initiation, via Napalm Records. The album runs the gamut of heavy metal grooves, pop hooks, electronica and punk, with plenty of punch from drums to riffs to commanding vocals. Singer Skye “Sever” Sweetnam got an early start as a child pop star and cartoon voice actor, with touring credits that include Britney Spears. She is now dubbed the “Gwen Stefani of Metal.”
Carlos Niño: The Communicator
Carlos Niño refers to himself as a "Communicator." Originally a nature sound field recorder, then a DJ at KPFK and a beat-maker, Niño has recently (within the last decade) been releasing music on his own, with eclectic influences, textures and voices—he is truly in his own lane as an artist. Hailing from Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley, Niño’s latest project is More Energy Fields, choc-full of a unique assortment of bells, chimes, cymbals, gongs, keyboards, shakers, shells, and more, is out now digitally, and out physically June 25.
ChrisLee is no Flight Risk
Pop artist ChrisLee records his new single "Flight Risk" with help from co-writer and producer, Devin Kenndey. “‘Flight Risk’ was written at the height of the pandemic when I truly didn’t know what was going to come next,” he explains. ChrisLee recently appeared on Season 2 of NBC’s Songland, where he wrote the winning Boyz II Men song “Love Struck.” He also wrote the breakout hit song “Don’t Need Love” by 220 Kid and Gracey, which landed in the Top 10 on the U.K. music charts and is nominated for Best British Single at the BRITS.
