Amused Now Blog
  • Home
  • YouTube
  • Podcasts
  • Products
  • Benefits
  • Testimonials
  • Business
  • Sponsor Us
  • Buzz
  • About
Home » Posts by Cynthia Kahn
ReverbNation Winner ~ The Christopher Brothers
  • Musicians
Jun17

ReverbNation Winner ~ The Christopher Brothers

posted by Cynthia Kahn

The Christopher Brothers are adorable, articulate and extremely talented. It’s hard to believe that they haven’t yet graduated high school! All three sing. Cameron plays drums, Charles plays lead guitar and Ethan plays bass. We picked The Christopher Brothers as our ReverbNation Contest winner because we love their upbeat music and hit single and video for Somebody Just Like You. So, the first thing that I asked the boys about was to tell me the back story behind that song. Cameron told me: “None of us read music, so we came up with the melody and went to Charles and said ‘I have this song and I think it’s cool.’ I sang it to him and he wrote the chords. The song is about feeling alone in the world, but knowing you can’t be alone. There has to be somebody else just like you.” Somebody Just Like You is from The Christopher Brothers’ new album Dog Daze. The single Let Me Out is another one of my faves, so I asked about this song too. Charles explained: “The song Let Me Out is about wanting to be out of a relationship, but you can’t be let out of it. In your mind, you’re stuck in a relationship with a girl.” All three brothers laughed and agreed, “Yeah!” On The Christopher Brothers trailer video, all three mentioned being greatly influenced by The Beatles. Who else influences these guys? “Green Day, we really like Green Day. We also like The All-American Rejects, Blink-182, Plain White T’s, Harvey Danger and a lot of bands like that.” Since the boys don’t read music, I wondered if they have taken lessons or are they self-taught musicians. Cameron said, “We used to take lessons a couple years ago. Afterwards, we decided to pick it up and move with it by ourselves.” Ethan and Charles nodded in agreement. Cameron continued, “Charles can look up any song and figure out the chords. I’ll listen to the drums and learn the part that way. When we’re songwriting, it can start either on the guitar or the piano.” Ethan added, “Or it can start with the vocals and the words, and we combine them together.” I wondered what it was like, brothers working so closely together. Do they fight a lot? Charles told me: “It’s the best experience. Even if we fight about little things, it’s nothing in the grand scheme of things. We have each other all the time.” Another benefit to being a band of brothers: band practice can be any time. Cameron describes it: “We practice whenever we want. Other people tell me that they only meet once a week for band practice. We can do that any day, any time. Our parents understand. So, even if it’s at 9 o’clock at night, we can start band practice. We go for an hour or two, and our parents are cool with it.” When The Christopher Brothers aren’t songwriting, singing, rehearsing, recording and playing out, what do they do for fun? All three chimed in: “We play video games, basketball, Wiffle ball, swimming and that kind of stuff.” All three brothers act too, so that takes up a lot of their time. They’re in commercials and music videos. The Christopher Brothers have over 300,000 Facebook fans. How much time do they spend on social media? Charles explained, “We use Facebook the most.” Cameron added, “We started getting fans, and it kept rolling and rolling, more fans and more fans.” Charles continued, “We love being in contact with fans. We put photos up almost every day. We also write back to them right away. It’s a great way to keep in touch, because we have fans all over the world.” What advice does The Christopher Brothers have for other young artists? Charles advised, “Never give up. That’s probably the most important thing.” Cameron added, “Get ready to work...

»»
Black Amser ~ POUR TOI
  • Musicians
Jun15

Black Amser ~ POUR TOI...

posted by Cynthia Kahn

My name is Davy Lansky aka Black Amser born on the 3rd of July 1989 in Gabon. I’m a 25 years hip-hop recording artist based in South Africa, Pretoria. My passion for music started when I was a kid. My father is passionate about music, so he is the one who made me like it. At my younger age, I was able to memorize and sing everything my father was listening to. As I kept on listening to music, I started to write lyrics for my friends and me. Unfortunately, that didn’t last long, because I had to focus on my studies. But nothing is more powerful than music. Music is the only thing that can change your mood. It is the only thing that can come through your mind and do whatever it wants to do without your knowledge, whether you want it or not. When something is aimed to be, it will happen. As I grew up and felt more confident, I started to be more serious about the music industry, and I have decided to continue from where I stopped. My studies don’t have anything to do with my music career, because they don’t really follow the same path. So, at school I am just an ordinary student, and outside I am a musician who is dreaming to reach the highest level and help others. I have been in the professional music industry for years now, working with professional musicians from other countries. I have been taking advice from them, I have been learning from them and I hope that I will find a way to make it in Jesus name. My music is not always focused on myself. I try to touch all the aspects of life, so that older...

»»
Straw ~ To A Higher Place
  • Musicians
Jun11

Straw ~ To A Higher Place

posted by Cynthia Kahn

Danish country rock band Straw is changing the face of country music in Denmark. Straw is a family affair. Henriette and Carsten Fabricius are the heart of the band. The two write, record and perform with their three lovely daughters Nellie, Sally and Denise. Straw’s new hit single and video To A Higher Place has attracted a global audience. The song is wonderful and the video visuals are amazing. Henriette explained what inspired the song: “We wrote the song at our place in Sweden. We spent time with our old friends, good friends. When Carsten played his guitar, the motion and mood was very good and the words just came out. It’s a love song. It’s about the good things in life, going for a walk and holding hands. It’s about being aware of what you have. It’s a positive song.” As I watched some of Straw’s older songs and videos, I came across the video for I Hope. I got goose bumps as I watch and listened. I just had to know more about this song. Carsten told me: “Henriette wrote the words, but it’s definitely about me. I had some very bad times and some very bad habits. After a while, I realized that I had to make some changes. This song is about making changes in your life. You have to show that you are making changes, and everyone has to see those changes. We have to accept that we are changing all the time, and we have to give each other new hope.” All three girls in the Straw family sing. When they sing together, they form a choir, a very special sound. Nellie is the youngest, and she sings and plays piano and guitar. Carsten and Nellie plan to play guitar together on an upcoming record. Sally is in the middle. She sings, plays piano and writes songs to the piano. The band plans to include more piano parts as Straw begins to record more of Sally’s music. Denise is the oldest. Everyone laughed when it was Denise’s turn, because she admits to not playing piano or guitar very well. She sings and writes songs too. Denise’s songs are lighter, and Sally’s songs are more melancholy. Henriette is the mom. She sings and writes most of the lyrics together with her husband Carsten. The two write music together. Henriette plays a little guitar, but not on stage. Carsten is Straw’s guitar-player. Straw tours with 3 of the Danish top musicians: Helge Solberg (bass), Jakob Storm (drums) and Miki Skjold and Jens Runge (guitars). How does Straw keep family harmony both in and out of the studio? Henriette laughed, “We don’t!” Denise explained: “We give each other space. It’s OK to be angry, and it’s OK to be sad and cry, and it’s OK to be happy. Everything is allowed. We are honest. There was a time, before Straw, when it was a problem. Then, we made the changes that we sang about in the song I Hope. We have to talk to each other and listen, listen a lot. And show love.” I was surprised to learn that there are country bands in Denmark. Henrietta told me: “It’s a difficult question, because we all don’t agree on the topic of country music.” Denise elaborated: “When you use the word country to describe music in Denmark, Danish people don’t know what it is. They think the song Jolene is the only country song. You don’t think Alison Krauss when you talk about country music in Denmark.” Henriette laughed: “They listen to it, but they don’t know what it is.” Danish people would describe Straw’s music as pop with country flair. The family credits a wide range of musicians that influence their music, including the Eagles, Alison Krauss, Gabrielle Aplin, Taylor Swift, Whitney Houston and Linkin Park. What advice does Straw have for other family bands trying to make...

»»
ReverbNation Winner ~ Jessica Meuse
  • Musicians
Jun08

ReverbNation Winner ~ Jessica Meuse...

posted by Cynthia Kahn

We picked Jessica Meuse to be our ReverbNation Featured Artist Contest winner because we love her raw sound, her lyrics and the single Blue-Eyed Lies. So, I just had to know the scoop behind the song. Is it about someone Jessica dated? Jessica admitted, “It’s a true story. Even when bad things happen, sometimes you can get good out of it. I try to do that through my music. I tried to make something wasn’t necessarily great into something productive.” Jessica Meuse recently released her first independent single Done. The song is awesome and I love the YouTube video clip. I just had to learn more about Done and where I could download my own copy. Jessica informed me: “Done is available literally everywhere. It’s on Google Play; it’s on Amazon; it’s on iTunes. The song is about something I’ve been going through the last couple of years, even before American Idol. It’s about another relationship that didn’t really work out and I was just done with it, so I wrote Done. I think I got the point across.” With a big smile, Jessica added, “I’m really, really proud of it. The song was created with the help of my small, small production team of four people in Los Angeles. It’s raw; it’s real; it’s me. I’m much happier with it than anything I could have otherwise put out. We chugged it out and I’m so proud of it.” What does Jessica Meuse look for when she collaborates to produce her music? “I look for our ability to work together and to be in synch. The energy should flow and build and feel good. There should be no destructive or negative energy. It should be easy to work with somebody. You should have ideas...

»»
Karen Marrolli ~ Twilight Songs
  • Musicians
Jun03

Karen Marrolli ~ Twilight Songs...

posted by Cynthia Kahn

Singer-songwriter, composer and conductor Karen Marrolli has everyone talking about her new EP called Twilight Songs. All four of the songs are beautifully arranged, and Karen Marrolli’s voice is lovely. I asked Karen to tell me about the making of the EP: “I wanted to document some of my guitar songs. It started out with the idea of recording only one song with someone who knew what they were doing. I went to Frogville Studio here in Santa Fe and worked with Bill Palmer. The project quickly went from one song and grew into a complete work. All four songs are guitar songs with piano. We added cello arrangements and overdubs of background vocals. I’m glad that these songs exist. It’s so wonderful to hear them and have them out in the world. It’s like birthing a baby. I’m really proud and excited.” I wondered if there was a back story to the EP that Karen Marrolli wanted to share. Karen told me: “There’s a line in one of the songs that says, ‘you’re just a twilight song.’ I made that the title of the EP. Three of the songs are very much an example of how songwriting can come out of the ether. I’m not really sure where they came from, but these are songs where my better angels came out to help. I’m sure a lot of songwriters can relate to that feeling that they’re co-creating when they write.” My personal favorite song and video are for the single Sanctuary. The scenery is amazing. It reminds me of the Painted Hills, here in central Oregon, but I assumed the video was filmed in New Mexico, where Karen Marrolli lives: “The song has this idea that there’s somebody out there in the world...

»»
Ashleigh Sladen ~ Frost Flower
  • Musicians
Jun01

Ashleigh Sladen ~ Frost Flower...

posted by Cynthia Kahn

Hi, my name is Ashleigh Sladen. I’m a singer, songwriter and musician from Verneuil-Sur-Seine, a little town near Paris. I currently live in Plymouth for university studies in Marine Biology and Coastal Ecology. My music can be classified as acoustic-pop-rock. I recently released two of my original songs called Hide & Seek and Frost Flower. Like most children, I had piano lessons when I was six, I but wasn’t really into it. I gave up after a few years. I first got really interested in music in 2005, when I auditioned to sing in a school show. I decided to try guitar, and I really got into it when my childhood best friend, my little sister, and me formed this all-girl pop rock band called Ashbagui in 2010. Our first concert was for the anniversary of our school. We entered this music competition called “Emerganza,” where we played a few shows until the semi-finals in Paris. The band parted ways in the last months of 2013, when we knew we couldn’t see each other often with our different timetables and future locations. Since then, I took a break from music to focus on entering university. I started playing music again at Jam House, an event organized every Thursday night by some students. One night, BBC Introducing came to hear original songs by students. I played two original songs and, since then, I do gigs around Plymouth every week. All the music I create is written and composed mainly by me, but some are also co-written and produced by Jared Harding, currently a 3rd year music student at Plymouth University. When recording in studio, the music always starts off with my voice and me playing the acoustic guitar. Afterwards, we suggest ideas on how the...

»»
Da Professor ~ I Love Myself
  • Musicians
May31

Da Professor ~ I Love Myself...

posted by Cynthia Kahn

Jamaican singer-songwriter Da Professor has people all over the world talking about his hit single and video titled I Love Myself. It’s a fantastic, uplifting song. I just had to know more about the song’s back story. Da Professor told me: “This first single from Spiky Records was composed at a time in my life where I was reevaluating everything I had accomplished in my music career. I realized that I needed to embrace loving myself in order to reach the goals I set for myself. It was a turning point.” I Love Myself is the first song in a trilogy that will be released by Da Professor over the next six months. Being from Jamaica, you can definitely hear island influences in Da Professor’s music. When I asked Da Professor about who he considers his major music influences, he gave me an thought-provoking answer: “I listened to a lot of artists growing up, not just Reggae. I think you should give every artist involved with music credit. I listen to both good music and music people say is not good, so I can hear what makes a song successful and hear the mistakes. I pick the goodness out of all of that. I always try to be myself and be original.” There’s an interesting story behind how Da Professor got his artist name: “The name Da Professor was given to me as a nickname by my friends around age 17. I was very mature for my age and always took on leadership roles. I think the name suits me, so I work with it. Da Professor stands for a professor of life, not just music. You can get a lot of inspiration from me and my music.” Da Professor moved to the United...

»»
Jon Collins ~ Happy Breakup Day
  • Musicians
May27

Jon Collins ~ Happy Breakup Day...

posted by Cynthia Kahn

The Jon Collins Band’s new hit single and video for the breakup song Don’t Believe in You has everyone talking. The video laughingly depicts scenarios in which partners find their significant other cheating on them. Everyone wants to know if any situation in the video is based on Jon’s own personal experiences.  Jon laughed when he told me: “I find that songwriting is always a bit of truth and a bit of fiction. I’ve certainly had a couple of breakups, but this video is a little over the top. I didn’t experience the things in this video, but the song came from some real place, for sure.” The band’s soon-to-be released new single is called Happy Breakup Day, so I’m sensing a theme here. Jon brushed it off saying, “It’s a little bit of a coincidence that these songs came out back-to-back. They’re both breakup songs and they both have a fair bit of humor. You can take this serious topic and you can make the song really serious or you can put a little spin on it. We had fun putting a little spin on this topic. Jon told me that he’s just finishing up the edit on the video for Happy Breakup Day: “In some ways, this video is crazier than the last one. The premise is a guy realizes that his relationship isn’t working, so (to save face) he shows up at his girlfriend’s birthday party and sings her this song.” Members of the Jon Collins band have day job where they are hired by one partner to show up at parties and break up with the other partner. The video takes advantage of their unique occupation: “It was a lot of fun to shoot. We had a 3-day shoot here...

»»
Lucy Rash ~ Forest Falls
  • Musicians
May25

Lucy Rash ~ Forest Falls...

posted by Cynthia Kahn

Which images, ideas, or emotions do the two words forest and falls conjure up for you? Let your mind go a little AWOL for a second; there’s no correct answer to that question, by the way. For the six of us in this band, the name Forest Falls epitomizes in a single statement why it is we make music. It’s the embodiment of a journey: from how we met to where we want to go. It’s equal parts history book and travel guide. It’s what inspires us every day, as six equals and six best friends, to write and perform our music. Why did we want to write this blog? Because we’d love to offer you a taste of it too; what it feels like to be following the creative path you were always meant to take. Our music is honest. No facades, lies or cover-ups. We want to share that feeling! Forest Falls is a band born out of a love for collaboration. It’s such a cool idea really, that a whole can be greater than the sum of its parts. Think about what that actually means! We can do in a group what we can’t do on our own. It was this idea that started everything: the imperative for our lead singer, Jon, to create music with others. When he left Perth a few years ago, he piled his life into a Tarago and headed off to Melbourne in a bid to meet other like-minded musicians. Jon met Jamie, who knew Jez, who knew Gabe, who met Shaun, who knew Lucy from Uni. It was almost as if it was meant to happen this way. The evolution of the band which you now see is the evolution which finally feels as if...

»»
Bree Noble ~ Female Entrepreneur Musician
  • Arts Education
  • Broadcasters
May20

Bree Noble ~ Female Entrepreneur Musician...

posted by Cynthia Kahn

Bree Noble is one of the busiest musicians I know. She’s a singer-songwriter, radio and podcast host and founder of the brand new Female Music Academy that launches June 1. Because so many female musicians are struggling to make it in the music industry, I invited Bree Noble to join us and talk about her projects that help female musicians with the business side of music. First, I had to learn more about her new Female Entrepreneur Musician podcast: “I started the podcast in the beginning of April, and we are putting out Episode 8 this week. We talk to female musicians who have been succeeding in the music industry. They’ve succeeded in creating a sustainable income to pursue their passion and make a living doing it. We talk to female industry pros about where they’re working in the music industry and advice that they can give female musicians. It’s been going over really well. I get emails all the time where women tell me they love the show and cannot wait for the next episode. We’ve been at the top of New and Noteworthy on iTunes and on the front page, so that’s been exciting.” The brand new Female Musician Academy is where women can learn, grow and connect with other female musicians. What are the benefits of membership? According to Bree Noble: “We are going to have training every week to help with marketing, connecting with the audience, attracting listeners and special subjects on request, such as songwriting, contracts and lawyers. We want to help musicians put the pieces together to advance their music career.” In addition to the above coursework, the Female Musician Academy will have training from professional industry representatives. The first scheduled industry professional is Dave Kusek from New...

»»
Oleg Frish ~ Duets With My American Idols
  • Broadcasters
  • Musicians
May18

Oleg Frish ~ Duets With My American Idols...

posted by Cynthia Kahn

Growing up in Soviet Russia, it was very tough to find different types of music, simply because there wasn’t a lot of variety. Foreign music was off limits. That didn’t stop many people from listening to music from the 50’s and 60’s secretly playing in one lucky person’s home. Friends and family would gather for a listen to the exotic, forbidden overseas rarity called Rock ‘n Roll (American music). As hits such as Hello, Dolly, Volare and Sunny seeped through, I heard the sounds that I have loved ever since. It was a dream come true. I loved American music, anything that I could listen to. I loved singing along. My passion for music spans for decades and knows no language boundaries. I love singing and entertaining people; it brings a smile to my face and warms my heart. I was fortunate enough to have my own TV and radio show that provided me the opportunity to meet wonderful people, music legends and various interesting people that share my passion for the arts. Because I am an entertainer, I learned hundreds of songs in different languages. Having met so many wonderful people, artists that I looked up to, I was truly blessed to record a whole album with these legends called Oleg Frish: Duets With My American Idols. I am most excited now for the official release of my album on May 19, 2015, to see the hard work of myself and so many others involved come to fruition.  Though the work put into this album was hard, it was also utmost enjoyable. I am truly blessed to have wonderful friends who lend their voices and songs to my duets album, friends such as Gary U.S. Bonds, Ben E. King, B.J. Thomas, Lainie Kazan,...

»»
Patrick Middelthon ~ New Night
  • Musicians
May18

Patrick Middelthon ~ New Night...

posted by Cynthia Kahn

My musical journey over the years has been nothing short of diverse. I’ve jumped from band to band, trying to find the style and genre that fits who I am. I started singing in a metal band when I was in seventh grade, but I slowly matured into a beachier, laid back feel with my friends from Atlanta, Mango Tango. I went to a military boarding school, so we only wrote and performed together through the summer following graduation. I had a blast, but eventually I knew we had to part ways for college. It was a process, acclimating from a rigid military school to a liberal arts college in the heart of Nashville. But in the end, I know attending the Belmont School of Music was right for me. Ever since I was young, I’ve anchored myself through music. It is how I express myself, cope with life’s hardships and connect with the world around me. I base my songs off of my desires or events in my life that shape me. The song could be about a wild day exploring the Tennessee country or articulating the internal struggles I’ve faced through maturing into a young man. Name a topic, and I can write a song about it from a deep, personal level. Song writing and composition are both very important to me, and I don’t know what I would do without them. Music is who I am in every sense of the phrase. Currently, I am a solo artist in Nashville, focused on playing out and recording the many songs I already have in my repertoire. I have one single officially released as well as a collection of free songs from my work in Atlanta. I am also in the works of...

»»

Indie Fan?

Hot Hot Hot!

  • Nickey Duke ~ Our Time Shall Come
  • Alyssa Jacobsen ~ Rising Star
  • Scott McMahon ~ Film Trooper
  • Andrew Harding ~ HWSNBN
  • Baxter Robertson ~ The Tiger Club
  • Jumpship Astronaut ~ Humans

Stay Connected

Jake Green

Jon Collins

Da Professor

Celeste Buckingham

Pages

  • Advertise with Amused Now
  • Amused Now is Hiring Sales Executive
  • Amused Now Offers Interview Coaching
  • Amused Now Offers Podcasts
  • Attract More Business
  • Cynthia Kahn ~ Amused Now Back Story
  • Cynthia Kahn ~ Voice of the Indie Movement
  • Featured Artist Interviews have many Benefits
  • Increase Your Fan Base With Amused Now
  • Purchase Amused Now Services Today
  • Tell Your Story on YouTube

Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by Wordpress