Friday, July 21, 2017

New Music: Among Savages, Vinny Vegas deliver sophomore albums

Summer 2017 is ripe with new sounds vibrating coast to coast. Whether you reside east, west or somewhere in between, we've got new music to help you wind down from the work week. 

On July 21, from Los Angeles, Among Savages released a sophomore album entitled Accounts of Friend and Foe. Meanwhile, Maryland-based Vinny Vegas also introduced its second full-length album, Clear the Walls. 

Each anthology is rather melancholy but artfully conveys the emotion in two stylistically different ways.

Among Savages - Accounts of Friend and Foe

Among Savages is the musical vision of songwriter Peter Barbee. Accounts of Friend and Foe is a 38-minute compilation of nine songs that meld alt-pop and contemporary classical undertones through an electronic listening experience. The songs are often characterized by ambient synthesized strings and effects accompanied by layered vocal choruses and tribalistic percussion. "What Goes Around," "If You See Her," and "Getting Older Quicker" open the album on an uptempo dance-pop whim that is swiftly swallowed by slow, pressing ballads. Among Savages' promotional website describes the act as a "living, evolving musical." When you listen to Barbee's works from The Wanderings of an Illustrative Mind to this latest release, the compositions truly read that way. The challenge that Barbee successfully executes across Accounts is that each song is undeniably tied but uniquely defined in its own right.  






  • The one to hear: No Such Thing 
  • The one you'll be singing: If You See Her 

  • The official release party will be held August 21, 2017 in conjunction with School Night! 
    presented by Chris Douridas and Matt Goldman (MFG) at Bardot in Los Angeles. 

    Album available on iTunes and Spotify.
    Vinny Vegas - Clear the Walls 

    Vinny Vegas, new album, 2017, Clear the Walls Vinny Vegas is a multi-instrumental progressive rock band that The Rhythm Report first discovered during its first run at an underground music club in Canton, Ohio in 2011. Clear the Walls is a nocturne collection of 10 songs spanning 36 minutes saturated by crawling guitar medleys folded into panoptic harmonies of keys, an ever-present bass and assaulting drum patterns. The songs seemingly blend together in casual listening but as a collection deliver a soulful, steady theme that are electrified by front man Scott Siskind's yowling vocals and Aaron Emmanuel Lee's talent on keys. 

    The band's four-stop record release tour begins in Boston, Mass. on July 28 with additional shows to follow in New York City, Philadelphia, Penn., and Baltimore, Maryland. Visit VinnyVegasMusic.com for details.

    Album available on iTunes, Spotify, BandCamp and SoundCloud.



    Thursday, March 14, 2013

    Bethesda showcases at SXSW 2013 (Interview with Shanna Delaney and Eric Ling)



    Bethesda is making its second trip to South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas. Over the next three days, the folk-rock group has several showcases lined up including the Cleveland Rocks Showcase, which will also feature Winslow, Attack Cat and The Lighthouse and The Whaler.

    Shanna Delaney (vocalist) and Eric Ling (guitarist/vocalist) invited The Rhythm Report into their home for an interview one week prior to their take off to SXSW. They talked about what they learned from their first experience at the massive music event in 2012 and what they are expecting from their 2013 "unofficial" tour at the festival.

    The band's scheduled for showcases Thursday, March 14 through Saturday, March 16. Visit www.bethesdaband.com or follow the band on Twitter for updates.

    Share this video on Twitter:
    @TheRhythmReport
    @BethesdaBand
    #BethesdaSXSW

    Interview conducted by Priscilla Tasker
    Camera support provided by Stephanie Snyder

    Monday, March 4, 2013

    Monday Muse: Sean Benjamin "Love Me Like A Drug"



    Musical artist Sean Benjamin released this devilish music video last fall to the tune of his 2011 track "Love Me Like A Drug." His acoustic-hip-pop sound melds with a rhythmic lounge groove in this confession of love obsession. The music video was produced by Cleveland-based FNA Productions, which is heading out to Los Angeles this week to represent its 48-Hour Film Project winner, Phemimenon, at 48HP Filmapalooza 2013.

    Benjamin plays a free show at Buzzbin Art & Music Store in Canton on Friday, March 8 with Northeast Ohio staple, Oldboy, and Winslow, who recently released its sophomore album, Left of the Right Direction.

    Sunday, March 3, 2013

    Music Video: The Modern Electric "All We Have Is Now"




    For whom would you become a zombie? The Modern Electric's latest music video begs the question.  At the stroke of midnight on March 2, the band released a cinematic short feature complementing its single "All We Have Is Now."

    [SPOILER ALERT]

    Catering to the national zombie addiction, the video relates the dark commitment of a man to his beloved–in spite of her soulless condition as a bloodsucking, flesh-eating corpse. Initially, he runs from the exquisite monster as she chases him through a wooded path and neighborhood landmarks. Flashbacks to their relationship prior to her conversion reveal his enchantment with the girl. To preserve her existence, damned as it may be, he succumbs when he finds her threatened by a band of hicks ready to clobber the walking dead.

    The script is a bizarre take on a love song, but the imagery and the audio will stick with you. Watch the video and share your thoughts.

    The Modern Electric is up for best local act in Cleveland Scene's annual "Best of Cleveland" survey. See who else is on the list and vote here.