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The Place To Find The Best Indie Artists

Res The Artist

Res is a powerful soul rock singer whose single, They Say Vision, was a Top 40 hit with the remix going to number 1 on the dance charts. Other singles from her debut album, How I Do, include Golden Boys and Ice King both which received radio play and struck a chord with music lovers from all walks of life. This album has paved the way for her cult following today.
RES
Res’ live show is incredibly engaging and entertaining. Her dynamic vocals pull all of the attention to the stage and the audience is in awe of her energy and stage presence. Many of her fans profess that her live performance is one not to miss and that she often sounds better than her records. A Res performance can consist of a few different band configurations. She can do everything from a DJ set to an acoustic guitar format and all the way to a full band.

Res completed work on her second album (Black Girls Rock!) and planned for a 2006 release. After some label shakeups the album would ultimately be shelved and Res would eventually break away from her label. While fans were looking for Res and her follow up album, instead she popped up singing supporting vocals for Cee Lo Green of Gnarls Barkley on his St. Elsewhere World Tour for the smash hit “Crazy”. Following the tour, Res decided to follow the path of an independent artist and released Black Girls Rock! all on her own. This decision was in direct response to the overwhelming demand from fans thru her social media touch points.

While steadily working on new music, Res found a ying to her yang, with Brooklyn rapper, Talib Kweli. This musical connection morphed into their side project, a group called Idle Warship. The group’s debut album, Habits of the Heart, was released in November of 2011.

Also during this time, Res teamed up with director, Steve Zegans, to tell her story in the form of a documentary titled, “The Res Documentary: An Industry Diary”. Res is the main subject of the film but within her story, you will relate to the challenges of most indie artists today as well as see her as a dedicated lover of music and entrepreneur. Res gives you the insiders view on the pros and cons of being both a major label artist and an indie artist. She lets you into her life thru her family, daily work activities, intimate acoustic performances, her achievements and harsh realities of being a DIY artist.

Res’ latest EP, ReFried Mac, is a dedication to Fleetwood Mac’s vocalist Stevie Nicks. Res respectfully transforms five of her favorite Fleetwood Mac songs into her own. The first single is Dreams and was released in the Fall of 2013.

Res Refried

Res is presently finishing up a new album of original songs entitled, RESET, to be released in 2016.

To finish RESET, she is asking her fans for help. There’s just about 2 weeks left to make your contribution for some great perks. Check them out here.

Signup for #Reset Mondays on her website, Follow her on Facebook and Twitter, and check out the interview below.

CynDiva

CynDiva

She is CynDiva, a Baltimore native, has been singing and performing nearly all of her life. She has performed at many talent showcases, fashion shows, plays, improvisational sketches, and special events locally and across the globe. She is a sought after mistress of ceremonies, poet, actress and motivational speaker. CynDiva can currently be heard on WDGPradio.net every Saturday from 4pm-7pm EST as co-host of The Mellow Mix, a show that spotlights independent R&B and Soul artists and their music.
She has just completed her first independently released EP, Dreadloc’d Soul Volume 1: Friend Request. The EP was written, produced, arranged and executive produced by CynDiva and Knatty 410.
She was a semi-finalist in the 2010 UK Songwriting Competition with “At The Water’s Edge”, A song written with songwriter, Nico Rizzutto of the UK. The two have never met in person. This highly awarded song was written, produced and arranged entirely over the internet. CynDiva was a finalist in the MS Big, Big Show on Broadway. She was also the “People’s Choice Award Winner” in the Mayor’s 18th annual Billie Holliday Vocal Competition, Baltimore, Maryland.
She was voted “Best Up and Coming Soul Sista”, by City Paper, and earned the title of “Dominican Idol” on 98Rock’s Morning Show; winning an all expense paid trip to the Dominican Republic. She has been a featured artist in Music Monthly Magazine, and on rockinmoms.com.
America chose CynDiva as a Grand Prize winner in the Snuggle.com “Be a Singing Scent-sation” Contest, a national competition for mothers of America who dream of being a rock-star. Winners were selected by an online vote to become a five member-singing group called the Snuggle Scentsations. The Prize consisted of a trip to California, several performances at Westwood One’s Backstage at The Grammys, radio and television interviews with local and national press, and tickets to the televised Grammy Awards show.
Her philosophy on her musical style is that she simply sings from her soul, because her heart is too fragile for such a weighty task.

Nov 2012 DUB Mic
” I don’t sing from my heart. My heart is fragile. It can and has been broken. My soul, on the other hand is big, strong and eternal. That is where the strength of my music comes from. I want to connect with my audience on a much deeper level, on the soul level. I want to connect on the level where time, space, size, shape, and ethnicity become irrelevant. I want longevity”, says the young diva with zest. “Basically, I want my music to mean as much to my listeners as it does to me.”

Now in 2016, she is about to release her sophomore project, Dredlocked Soul Volume 2. We will be at the CD Release party on March 20th at Sonoma’s, located at 7284 Cradlerock Way, Columbia, Maryland 21045 find out more from the event page. Follow her on Facebook , visit her website, and most of all, enjoy the music all the time by adding it to your personal library.

“Snuhgie” Stocks

His style has been described as “old school bought up-to-date,”and compared to the likes of Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye. Bursting with a multitude of talent, this singer/songwriter/producer can grace any stage, and really “brings it” with soothing textured vocals, wrapped in with the amazing ability to play several instruments. Snúhgie is no stranger to the music industry, as he has worked with a range of noteworthy artist from John Legend to Yolanda Adams and Wynton Marsalis, and served as Music Director for Dawn Robinson and Anthony David to name a few.

Sunhgie 3

The name Snúhgie was affectionately given to Robert by his late Aunt, it literally just stuck to him over the years and has become the name that his fans have grown to recognize. As a native of Washington DC, Snúhgie attended Duke Ellington School of the Arts. Upon graduation Snúhgie founded his own publishing and production company (Rhythmic Sounds) where he was able to build, create, and display his love for music. This company has been a vessel to bring together a host of independent artists in the DC area. As a musician, Snúhgie takes pride in always promoting a strong message of love, relationships and inspiration in all of his music ventures.

Snúhgie is an artist who understands the complexities of coming from humble beginnings. When he is not belting out melodic sounds, he serves as a positive role model for his community regularly performing philanthropic work, including having raised more than twenty-thousand dollars in scholarship funds for students in Belize.

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Take a listen to the Conversation from May 23, 2015, find out more about him at his website,  then add him on Facebook, and Twitter; and most importantly, add him to your Music Library.

Douye’

Douye'

 

Douyé (pronounced Doe-Yay) pays homage to the mellow blend of silk and soul made iconic by artists such as Sade, Dianne Reeves, Chanté Moore, Regina Belle, and Rachelle Ferrell. Featuring the musical prowess of fellow Nigerian and multi-platinum producer Dapo Torimiro (John Legend, Justin Bieber, Toni Braxton), Grammy-nominated multi-platinum British songwriter Terry Shaddick (Pointer Sisters, Diana Ross), guitarist/ producer Chris Sholar (Beyoncè, Mariah Carey, Kanye West), JR Hutson (Jill Scott, Musiq, Lalah Hathaway)  and Grammy-nominated jazz keyboardist/ producer Philippe Saisse (Chaka Khan, Al Jarreau), So Much Love is a breathtaking tour de force that adeptly revisits the sound of early 90s Urban Adult Contemporary radio with a unique spin. Laced with Douyé’s smoldering vocals and seasoned with elements of jazz, R&B, and a dash of spicy Afrobeat, it goes without saying that So Much Love is destined to be one of the more feted independent releases of 2013.

The Nigerian  born singing Princess joined me on Conversations almost 2 years after I heard her sultry soulful voice.  (WDGP apoligizes for the substandard audio at the beginning of the interview. It seems that night we had gremlins in the machine) The conversation was so much better than I imagined. She is thoughtful and funny and a whole lot fun. Best of all she is so talented and humble. I hope you enjoy getting to know her as much as I did. I am such a “fan” of this beautiful lady. If you haven’t heard her, or if your a long time fan, you will enjoy this program. When your done listening keep up with Douye’ via her website, Facebook and Twitter and more importantly, add her music to your personal library.

 

Queen B

Queen & Janice

February 8, 2014, that’s when the Duo of Janice B and QueenEarth came to visit Conversations. They call themselves Queen B, a combination of both their names, which just happens to suit them so well. Janice B has been a previous guest on Conversations and we are so happy to her back as well as our new friend QueenEarth. These two are a tribute and a testimony to Acoustic Soul.  Their sound is smooth and soul stirring. Of curse you don’t have to take our word, Just listen and form your own opinion. When your done, make your way over to Bandcamp, or Itunes or their websites and add them to your personal music collections.

Queen B

Janice B

 

Links For Janice B

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www.markpetinga.com

Links for QueenEarth

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Yolanda R

Yolanda R is a classically trained vocalist, who started off like many great singers, singing in the choir.

Yolanda R. #2 She perfected her instrument at LaGuardia H.S. of Music & the Arts and  Harlem School for the Arts. Despite her  love of, and passion for singing , she strayed from her calling on more than one occasion. After meeting with many failures and internal fears, she decided that she wasn’t “cut out” to be a singer. It took many years for her to understand the words of motivational speaker Les Brown “I will fail my way to success.”

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We have to make A LOT of mistakes before we get it right. And Dion Jordan is a motivational speaker who has impacted her the most in her life. He said ” I may not be the best __ [singer] , but I have the potential to get better.” In 2011, she resolved that before her lifetime was over, she would give her dream all she had. Yolanda’s burning desire to leave a musical legacy reflective of who SHE REALLY is in this world moved her to record and release her own music. It was such a pleasure to speak with Yalonda. Listen as she shares herself and her music with me on Conversations, then check her out on ReverbNation, Facebook, Twitter and her site, Yolanda’s Voice. Most importantly, add her music to your personal collection.

Gwendolyn Collins

I first met Ms. Collins in October of 2013. She was supporting other Indie Artists at a showcase in Washington, DC. I became aware of her because of a friend who was visiting. He heard her voice and said to me that he would love to have her do a drop for his Radio station in the UK. I convinced him to ask her and we found out that she was also an Indie Artist in her own right. Carl had offered her his phone to record on. She said that she would do the drops for him and for me and send them to our respective email addresses, which she did as well as a few of her tracks. Once I heard her sing, I was an instant fan. Gwendolyn is sweet, talented and down to earth.

gwendolyn-collins

It is incredulous to me that she she has only been a solo Artist since August 2013. She is a generous performer, who happily shares the stage with her talented friends. If she ever comes to your town, be sure to get your ticket. It  was such a pleasure speaking with Gwendolyn on Conversations. The interview below is from January 11, 2014. She has been on the show since then and I can hardly wait to share the second one with you, but for now, enjoy this one and then visit her website, Befriend her on Facebook, follow her on Twitter and most importantly, add her music to your personal music library.

Chris Jasper

Chris JasperWe couldn’t think of a better person to spend time with on the show of Conversation 2015. We had the pleasure of speaking with and getting to know R&B Icon Chris Jasper.

If you are familiar with THE ISLEY BROTHERS, then you have heard the music of CHRIS JASPER, who was primarily responsible for writing and producing all of THE ISLEY BROTHERS music during this time, including such beautiful love songs as “For The Love of You” and “Between the Sheets” and uptempo funk such as “Fight the Power.” His arrangements and instrumentation as a classically-trained musician, and his expertise on the keyboards and synthesizers, are the foundation of the legendary “Isley Brothers Sound.” When the six members of THE ISLEY BROTHERS disbanded (1984), Marvin and Ernie Isley joined CHRIS JASPER and formed ISLEY-JASPER-ISLEY. Without this crucial musical component, THE ISLEY BROTHERS were no longer a self-produced, self-contained group.

CHRIS JASPER brought his “unique sound” and musical talents to ISLEY-JASPER-ISLEY, and topped the charts singing lead vocals on “Caravan of Love” (1985), a song that was covered by English recording group, the Housemartins, an international #1 pop hit. “Caravan” was also used in commercials as part of a Dodge Caravan advertising campaign. He was also awarded a CEBA Award For Excellence for a Miller Brewing Company commercial. The music for that commercial formed the basis for “Brother to Brother” from the “Different Drummer” album, which supported the anti-apartheid struggle going on in South Africa at that time. His music has also been used in radio and television commercials, most recently “Who’s That Lady” (Swiffer) and “Between The Sheets” (L’Oreal).

When ISLEY-JASPER-ISLEY disbanded (1987), CHRIS JASPER brought his “unique sound” to his own solo projects, topping the charts with “SuperBad,” a song promoting the value of education. CHRIS JASPER has continued to write songs and produce his own R&B/Gospel music, as well as other artists, for his independent record label, Gold City Records (www.goldcitymusic.com).

Chris Jasper collage

It was a treat t discuss his music and music in general. We can’t wait to hear music from is son, Mike Jasper. Enjoy the interview and then go buy the music. You can find out more by liking his Facebook page. or visiting the Gold City Music Website.

Meet Frank McComb

Frank McComb

It was such a pleasure to welcome Frank McComb to Conversations, It was like seeing an old friend after a long absence, even though we’d never met. That’s the personality of the Man. He is a people person. He has been on stage and in studio with some of the Musical Elite, yet, he’s just Frank McComb. Take a listen to the interview, then check out more Frank McComb via these links,

FaceBook
Twitter
You Tube 

 

 

 

 

A Touch Of Soul

On January 31, 2015, we had the pleasure of speaking with a few of the Artists that will be performing in the Bronx in New York on March 7, 2015 at the Ralpael Hernandez Auditorium, located at 997 Tiffany St, Bronx, NY 10459

It’s always a good time when The Smooth 1 is in the house and we got up close with members of The Best Kept Secret and  Jenee Evans. Also on the show will be Crysta Notez, Princess Lanita, Dijon, Little L and LesBoggie & Jimmy Dee will Masters of Ceremony. If thi interview is any indication, patrons are in for a real treat. Enjoy the interview and then be sure to get your tickets and enjoy the performances on March 7th.

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