I would have a great introduction for this, but instead decided that it was for the best that the reader’s decide for themselves what bands are meant for them and which are not. I personally love music. The decisions to choose had me going right until the end. I wanted the perfect blend of musical styles, pages, and musicians messages. Who am I to decide what makes for a great page or not. However, here are eight I found totally irresistible. From Reggae to the Blues, decide for yourself. I am just a writing tool, to find interesting beauty and meaning in a musicians world.
The Doug Means Project/Rock/Hip Hop/Reggae
www.myspace.com/dougmeansproject
This out of the world band has an out of the world page! Visually I have seen nothing that can beat it, musically; they have a style that is so real, so street, So LA. They came from Long Beach, CA, Just a short drive to Los Angeles that they are true to where they are from. The tough streets of a city where the wealthy mingle with the poor, you can drive down one street and find mansions, a few blocks away The of this country has never seen, with music just as down and dirty, blending their infusion of Rock, Hip Hop and Reggae, in such a way, that your already saturated brain, has enough room, for their page, and only their page! After visiting this page which in look, may or may not have been inspired by the 101 freeway, which takes you from downtown LA, into Hollywood. Back in 1984 when LA had their chance to host the Olympics, they turned a small stretch of the 101 freeway into GRAFFITI ART. School children from some of the roughest schools in the area teamed with some great artist to show a cultural picture of Los Angeles so amazing that before the 1992 riots, that showed unity. It has faded a bit over time. Tossed around by racial tension that to this day, still simmers in the underbelly from the Valley’s to Orange County, The Doug Means Project, captures it physically and musically. Their music has a social message while delivering great entertainment. While all the songs are great, if you love infused music, listen to Don’t Worry Bout Nuna Dat, Toast, and Weird Ay. It will give you a great feel for the music, and the messages that have been tossed into Reggae from its birth. Even though they are a fusion of all musical arts, it is the Reggae themes and messages that totally prevail. Just open your mind and heart with peace and understanding.
The Messenger/Rock/Pop/Screamo
www.myspace.com/themessenger
This band who’s musical style is just as colorful as their page, must be in this column because their page is just amazing! With a blend of colors that are done in a pastel and black theme, it immediately catches your eye. The music makes you wanting more. The music is unlike anything is unlike anything I had heard before, but with its blend of Pop Rock and Screamo, it is a page that can only be called revolutionary! In many ways the page will carry you to the days when bright colors where the mainstay, and the music, while right now, is so cutting edge with influences from 80’s Glam Rock, Heavy Metal Thrash, with just the right dash of a hook, it is no wonder that these Southern California Guys, have had over 240,000 hits. It is fresh and new, with their new Cd has just been released, and can be found in stores, right now. The page may make you feel as if you are in the heart of Miami, where bold and bright colors are a mainstay. If you are into exploring music with an edge, and a page that is the perfect depiction of eye candy, this is a not to miss page. With actual photos of the band at the top, and almost genius graphics, you get a look into the bands heart and soul. With their tour date book full through the summer, banners to add to your page and appealing merchandise for sale at the top of the page, and a video for your viewing. They are worth at least a peek! I bet you will go back if you’re looking for a band that sees the world through different glasses than the rest of us, and a sound unlike another.
Paul Jeffery/Classic Rock/Piano/Love Songs
www.myspace.com/pauljefferymusic
When you enter the page of England’s Paul Jeffery, you seem too happened upon a page of pure romance. With its Piano and a single Red Rose, you feel you may have happened onto England’s version of the Piano Man himself Billy Joel. You want to find a lover, gather on your wonderfully comfortable bed, with 1,000 count sheets, and ask your lover to “Gimme Some Lovin” a cover that Paul does so beautifully, I didn’t realize that is was a cover of The Spencer Davis Classic, he does it with such passion, you don’t realize it is a cover, or a cover of one of the greatest songs of all time. His version is very different, which is the beauty of Paul. While his page evokes romance Paul is a Classic Rock music man, who does his own music, and remakes classic songs, with a great finesse, you hardly remember that the song is a remake. He is a master of fooling the ear. When you listen to his music it can lift or break your heart as well. Your Shadow, the first song on his My Space player is a song wrapped in depth, pain, and the heart of Paul. An amazingly soulful man, with a voice that is versatile as well as heartbreaking or sexy, depending if he is singing of heartbreak or passion and love, Paul has the ability to hit all the cords of your soul. In Seven Shades, another original, the Master of playing with your emotions comes out, taking us for a stroll in times lost to so many of us today. While we rush around, his music is slow and melodic, forcing the listener to just slow down. He is almost always booked unless it is his choice not to be. He is booked with throughout Northwest England, such as Leeds and Wakefield. This page is a hidden Gem, in the world of MySpace, Between heavenly Ballads such as Shades of Grey, and harder Classic beats such as Money From the Satisfied man, and the Beatles Classic Little Help From My Friends, Paul’s musicality and use of astetics should bring this page and musician out from the background, into a power page. He is an amazing musical Composer and Lyricist, a gem hidden in the Northern reaches of the U.K. Go visit the page; you never know if any of these songs will become part of the soundtrack of your life, in which we all have, you just may not know yet. Paul’s music is an outstanding piece of heaven, where you may find your wedding, anniversary, or I have “just fallen in love” moods. The music is amazing, the page visually stunning!
Lizzy Williams/ Rock/Pop/Indie
www.myspace.com/lizzywilliams
This brunette beauty has a page that perfectly suites her; it suites her angelic face, great music, and gives fans and visitors to her page a look into her life, on the outside, and just from the layout, written words, and vibe an idea of what her total package is; a talented musician, with an outward beauty to match what genuinely feels like a soul touched with Fairy Dust and Star Power in her Modelesque Almond shape and Chestnut colored eyes. Set on a purple background, Lizzy has so many special qualities that it is hard to choose a jumping off point. Considering that fact, I thought that the thing that most My Space readers may miss is an amazing slide show that with traditional photography, as well as computer altered photography of her band and Lizzy shows them at work onstage, knock your socks off stills and a like a nice smooth shot of an Almond Liquor like her eyes, should not be overlooked. To get to the slide show just hit slide, it will take you off the original page by simply clicking “view all images”, to a place that grabs the essence of Lizzy and co., better than just about everything on the page besides her songs and video. This Alto fairy dust musician can sing with a hard edge as can be seen in the video online “Lunatic Day” an acoustic version, done without anyone but herself, gives you a great feel for how her voice sounds live, to the songs on her player that bring you to the angry early styling’s of Alanis Morissette’s to alluring and sexy ballads like “Breathe” and “I’ll Always Be Right Here”. She also has quotes from Gandhi and shows her love for causes like animal rights and her yearning for peace, which is all that most people in this world are yearning for. All of these qualities are what make her so fascinating; Lizzy is a mystery. One moment sharing her darkest thoughts and feeling about life to the optimism she yearns for. These qualities always make for an appealing artist.
286/Rock/Metal/ Classic Rock
www.myspace.com/286music
This hard hitting hard rocking band is in its early stages musically, but they kick ass, and with over 80,000 hit’s to their page, and dedicated street teams, they may just be a Heavy Metal band to watch out for. Their page uses a hard edge, with a photo on top of the band page, with a great logo, a standout steel grey background etched with their trademark triangle logo to let fans know they have come home to the band they work so hard to promote, work with and give all their energy too. This is a true My Space built band. They have members of Anthrax showing love alongside fans on the right corner of the page, Scott Ian of Anthrax actually says “I pretty much hate all bands, but 286 rules”. That says a lot about their page, work ethic, and the band itself. Though there are other quotes going down the same column as Scott Ian’s, from fans, musicians and even foreign radio shows, Scotts quote says it all! People are passionate about this band who is striking with a searing hot Swipe of the metal world. As you go further down the page, you will see a video called The View Inside, done in 2008. They are so current, that even television seems light years behind. With banners for the band, and dedicated to their street team, 286 seems to understand better than almost any other group on the net, that it is the fans that drive a band, not the other way around. Right now they only have three songs up, but their constant work, and work ethic, demands them to keep going. The first of the three songs, The View Inside already has had close to 30,000 plays, and it rocks is a song made to rock you socks or any other body part you wish to rock, your heavenly body wants to shake about! No shirts needed! Vow and Sands are both around 5,000 plays but deliver a punch to make most happy go lucky music listeners fans. They are slowly making their mark, but they are Going to hit “Hot and Heavy”, like all metal bands should…one look at their top friends will tell you, this is a group to keep watching and following, not just for today, but for years to come.
Me Talk Pretty/Rock/Alternative/Industrial
www.myspace.com/metalkpretty
Open this page and you get hit with a tied died sunburst, orange surrounds the page with a beautiful, tied died like orange/yellow sunburst of a fireball. If the music wasn’t so cutting edge and upbeat, you may think you’re visiting a page that would be seen during The Summer of Love, where Janis Joplin and Grace Slick, helped break barriers. Instead you get lead vocalist Julia Preotu’s dynamic style. Which when you see her Angelic face and pouty mouth, perfectly glossed in red lipstick, you almost feel a bit like you’re looking at a woman a bit too young, that she becomes a Lolita like beauty. Just standing in what looks like a New York Subway with two of four band mates. Like many bands often do now, they sell T-shirts, and likely have a huge following in the Tri-State states of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. This band who has a nice sized following on My Space, show their talents well, A solid band, who’s songs seem to push out Julia’s versatile voice. You can hear a bit of Gwen Stefani, in the songs like Flame, while on other songs the band and Julia show what playing and singing versatility they have on other tracks. But the strength is when they take the Ska based sound, and turn out some very radio friendly tunes. There was not one song that is not likeable, from I Hallow Friends a song that seems to show the heartbreak from being burned in any number of interpersonal relationships, just to feel stalked after. All songs are strong and the guys in the band are not mere backup, but play their instruments with passion and where the entire band must feel like one. This is something all great bands know is needed to fill clubs, and sell product. They also offer a great slide show showing every member in action playing live, with videos, banners, and Ep’s that can be purchased. This site while it has the depth and content that musicians with major label contracts have. It is also chock filled with images to see, a leading lady who could be in a movie and talent, and a band that has poised themselves to be known throughout the world.
De Jah Dan Dah/Rock/Alternative/
www.myspace.com/dejahdandah
This band from Australia has taken the art of Music Videos, Graphic Arts and music, to new levels. Having won the Band Fest Rock Concert in their native land as well as several other music awards, has afforded this band to come to the United States with their politically charged music, and have mixed their My Space page into a site that mixes a military theme, with some beautiful sites, crafty and captivating music videos with words and music. The Background is clever. It blends the Camouflage background with their logo, another worldly like circular logo barb wired image, with what can only be assumed to be band members engaged in various poses, where it is difficult to tell if they come from stills of their stage performances or war games. That background in and of itself though confusing as it uses Graphic Arts, in ways that it tricks the eye into seeing what it initially wants to see. It is only after examining the background that you realize it is meant to look like a scene out of a war. De Jah Dan Dah also lists Shamanism, Buddhism, and other worldly beings as influences. This is one of the most interesting combinations that can ever be assembled in one place; with a beautiful woman slithering in one music video (it also says she is a Peta member Model), and in the same song “Tell Me What You Need” featuring the band as the stars, done this way it shows their most popular song from two different viewpoints. The video has two very different viewpoints; a sexy commercial version and typical band performing in bizarre places video (this time a car tunnel someplace in the world). However, even with all the other video’s and posters from Los Angeles performances is one of the most hypnotizing pages one can visit on My Space. Though they are not as intense or scary in their political lyrics as the Heavy Metal/Thrash band Ministry, they share similarities. Their lyrics to songs on their player all have lyrics; they range from angry political songs as showcased in “Tell Me You Need It” and “Anybody Live”, to two other songs that quasi angry songs “Tussen Live” and “Om Khea Ri Live”, that seem to be about love gone bad, and life and pain. Oddly, they are building a My Space following and world following as it seems, by bringing out their angry sides, rather than the more gentle sides that some of their influences suggest. It is very worth a few minutes of any My Space music junkie’s time, to visit their page and decide who and what this Aussie band is all about, simply put, they leave it to their listeners to use their own minds to draw the conclusion.
Peach/blues/rock/jazz
www.myspace.com/peachblues
Peach is an artist that is all heart. Her page is a kaleidoscope of her talent as a musician, and as a human. Showing various ways to present herself seems to be her specialty. The background is bluesy and varying; with images of herself, beautifully photographed, still alone, just with her guitar. If you look in the shading you see a woman in the shadows holding her guitar, though Its likely not Peach, it shows a passion and unity for all female artist, amongst a sky blue background with what can be the texture of another planet mixed amongst the images. The beauty shows a woman who is confident and deep in soul, in control of her thoughts and words in life, who saves all her emotions for her music. The entire page shows Peach in various states of being, with her long blonde hair flowing; sometimes straight as a pin, sometimes flowing like Ruplskultskins from the fairytales most of us know, some we love. Peach herself does not live in a fairytale, she lives in a place so real and soul bearing, it is simple to figure out Peach just knows how beautiful and cruel life can be. A blues artist from the top of her blonde mane of hair, to the tips of her toes, nothing seems hidden or misplaced on this page. Unlike many musicians she is not afraid to look like something she isn’t. In the video’s she has, you can see her raw and sweaty, not the most glamorous vision for a female artist of any age; she is just raw unbridled and full of talent, having won All Access Music awards, and I am sure other kudos. You can read her bio and know that she gives; to her art, the world and with her own foundation that she co-found Rock n’ Cure run out of an LA hospital for Breast Cancer and Stem Cell Research. Listen to the few songs of many she has on her page, of the many written and has recorded for albums, and you will get to know what she is about as a singer/songwriter. She has one with THE great Taj Mahal “Real Thing” that you believe the two of them where looking into one another eyes and falling in love during the writing and recording of the song. Though many of these songs are duets with partners “Dance with Me Henry” is all her… and the voice was heartbreaking and oh so soulful that you can’t help but feel her lives journey. One that must have been filled with the up’s and downs of real and soulful women, who have felt joy and pain. She is not a 20 year old powder puff, she is a Real Woman that has had the chance to live, love, loose and regain lives joys.
