Matt Webb

Ever wondered what it would sound like if Keith Richards had given songwriting advice to the Eurythmics? No worries if you haven’t – Matt Webb has already grappled with that question. And what we have here, in the shape of his debut solo EP, is the answer. Kind of.
“Cinnamon” is part minimalist funk, part Corey Hart, all hook, and possibly the last thing anybody would have expected from Webb on his first working holiday away from Marianas Trench. He even says so. “You know, I was a little surprised by it too,” he admits, laughing, “but I’m a big ‘80s sucker. I’ve seen Def Leppard live five times. The ‘80s just sort of rubbed off.”

Webb adds that his teenage musical diet also included the Matthew Good Band, blink-182, and Foo Fighters. But it’s the sophisticated pop lover who emerges on his upcoming EP. Or “Justin Timberlake if he played guitar,” as one friend put it, about an EP that also offers chest-bursting electro-ballads (“Goodbye Addict”), squelchy, neon, dancefloor-burners (Take You Higher”), and aerobic synth-funk (“Bad Girl”),

“I’ve been writing a long time,” Webb shrugs, “and I wanted to try something a little different. There are some extremely straight-ahead pop songs on there. But they were really fun to do.”

Of course they were! When Marianas Trench wrapped up its Masterpiece Theatre tour at the end of 2010, and Webb saw the opportunity to do his own thing, he promptly surrounded himself with friends. And not just ordinary friends – brilliant friends like Dave Ogilvie, who produced “Cinnamon” and mixed a substantial chunk of the finished record. “A consummate pro,” says Webb. “Who wouldn't want to work with the guy that produces Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson?”

He also roped in Fake Shark! Real Zombie! frontman and “dream producer” Kevvy Maher, who scores co-writing (along with Carly Rae Jepsen) and knob-twiddling credits on “Take You Higher”, along with production credits on “Goodbye Addict”. “I'll be working with Kevvy until I die, guaranteed,” states Webb. “We're also starting a side, side project called USB Mustache. Stay tuned for very mediocre quality Burt Reynolds inspired ‘70s songs with a hint of 2011 technological prowess.”

In Webb’s well-calibrated estimation, Ryan Stewart – who co-wrote and produced “Bad Girl” and “Runaway” - is a man who “lives and breathes super-hits.” Plus, he works out of his home. “Which is cool,” notes Webb, “because I can hit the studio in a leopard snuggie and no one objects.”

Finally, we have Webb’s MT bandmate Josh Ramsay, who produced “Stage I Remember” and co-wrote and produced “Landslide”. “I've learned so much about music from him over the years,” says Webb, “it seems totally natural that he would be involved. He's been helping me write and record songs since I was 15 years old.” It’s been a fruitful relationship. If Marianas Trench saw the duo’s punk roots evolve into majestic, baroque pop, this EP proves that they can also do sleek.

Webb’s debut is going to delight the faithful, surprise many others, and probably saddle the young guitarist with an unmanageably successful side-project. Which would be fine with Webb, since touring is his “favourite, favourite” thing to do. But if it should cause a little anxiety among the Trenchers, don’t let it. Assures Webb, “Marianas Trench is my number one priority and my family, so I’ll make sure this doesn’t interfere with it.”

“But,” he adds, “I’ll sneak it in whenever I can.”

Tags: indie, pop rock, pop-dance

NX Zero

NX Zero is a Brazilian emo band formed in 2001 in Sao Paulo, the band consists Diego Ferrero (vocals), Leandro Rocha (guitar and backing vocals), Daniel Weksler (drums), Conrado Grandino (bass) and Filipe Ricardo (guitar).
The band released their debut album for the label Urubuz Records entitled Diálogo? in 2004. After this, the band signed with Arsenal Music / Universal Music and released four more albums: NX Zero in 2006, Agora in 2008, Sete Chaves in 2009 and Projeto Paralelo in 2010. According to ABPD the Band has won two singles Disk Diamond, "Incontrolável" and "Consequência","Cedo Ou Tarde" with Platinum and "Razões e Emoções" with platinum, with a total of more than a 100 thousand downloads just in Brazil.
The band has so far six singles at No. 1 on the Hot 100 Brazil: "Razões e Emoções", "Pela Última Vez", "Cedo Ou Tarde", "Daqui Pra Frente, "Espero a Minha Vez" and "Só rezo".
Nx Zero was in ninth place in the top 50 best selling CDs in Brazil. The debut of the boys, NXZero, had more than 145,000 copies sold, and the "DVD 62 mil horas até aqui", about 43 thousand. They received a proposal to rewrite the songs in other languages. They released songs in English and Spanish.

Tags: emo, pop rock

Sixpence None the Richer

Sixpence None the Richer (also known as Sixpence) is an American rock/pop band that formed in New Braunfels, Texas, eventually settling in Nashville, Tennessee. They are best known for their songs "Kiss Me" and "Breathe Your Name" and their covers of "Don't Dream It's Over" and "There She Goes". The name of the band is inspired by a passage from the book Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis.

Tags: Adult Alternative, Christian rock, pop rock

Hellogoodbye

Hellogoodbye is a power pop band that was formed in Huntington Beach, California in 2001 by singer Forrest Kline. They were signed to Drive-Thru Records and released their first full-length album Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs! in 2006, in addition to their previously released EP Hellogoodbye and DVD OMG HGB DVD ROTFL. In 2010, the band released Would It Kill You? on their label Wasted Summer Records. The album was released in the United Kingdom and European Union by LAB Records on the 14th March 2011.

Tags: pop rock, Power pop, synthpop, synthpunk

Mi Vida al Cielo

Tags: pop rock

Cinema Bizarre

Cinema Bizarre is a band from Berlin. They released their debut album in 2007. Their manager is Lacrimosa singer and songwriter Tilo Wolff.
Their first single CD "Lovesongs (They Kill Me)" was released on September 14, 2007, two weeks after their first live performance in the German music show The Dome. The Norddeutscher Rundfunk (north German television broadcast) nominated the band for the national final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2008, but Cinema Bizarre did not manage to impress the audience. No Angels and Carolin Fortenbacher, made it into the second election round of the final.
They released their first studio album, Final Attraction, in 2007. This is the only album to feature keyboardist and backing vocalist Luminor. Three singles were released from the album: Lovesongs (They Kill Me), Escape To The Stars, and Forever Or Never.
On March 28, 2008, they began their first tour throughout Europe. In September, 2008, Luminor took a break from going on tour with the band. It was announced that his health was poor and he needed time off in order to get better. While he was on break, Yu's close friend traveled and played with the band.
On November 1, 2008, a trailer was released which stated the name of Cinema Bizarre's upcoming album to be ToyZ.
Initially, the first single from their new album was to be "My Obsession", a song Strify described to be a 'powerful ballad'. However, the single was leaked, and thus was pulled off the Internet. The album release date was also pushed back from May to August 21. "My Obsession", although it already had cover art, was not released. The band released a message on their official YouTube account expressing their disappointment, and that they would change the single. On their official website, they announced that their American album was going to be titled "Bang!". The first single from the albums "ToyZ" and "BANG! (Cinema Bizarre album)" was "I Came 2 Party", a duet with Space Cowboy (musician).
"My Obession" was chosen to be the second single from "ToyZ" and "BANG! (Cinema Bizarre album)" and was accompanied by two different versions of the music video.
On January 21, 2010, the band announced via MySpace that they were taking a break, as they felt that it was "time to start something new."

Tags: alternative rock, Glam rock, pop rock, synthpop

Kris Allen

Kris Allen is an American musician and singer-songwriter from Conway, Arkansas, and the winner of the eighth season of American Idol. Prior to Idol, he self-released a 2007 album entitled Brand New Shoes.
Allen's Idol coronation song, "No Boundaries" and his version of "Heartless" both charted within the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100, Allen's post-Idol self-titled album was released on November 17, 2009, through Jive Records. The album debuted at #11 on the U.S. Billboard 200. The album's lead single, "Live Like We're Dying", was released on September 21, 2009, and has so far peaked at #18 in the U.S. The album's second single, "The Truth", was released on May 11, 2010, the song featured Pat Monahan of the rock band Train on vocals. The third single is confirmed to be "Alright With Me", written by Allen and Joe King.

Tags: acoustic rock, alternative rock, blue-eyed soul, Contemporary Christian music, pop rock