Marshall Sidbury - Carry the Load [Music Review]

“Leon Helm and The Band would be proud to hear a modern roadman like Marshal Sibury. Authenticity is hard to come by but in ‘Carry the Load’ you can hear the miles behind Sidbury.

I rarely share an artist’s bio but this one is too rih not too.

Marshall Sidbury has been writing songs since he left home, in the New Mexico desert, to work as a cattle hand on the rodeo circuit. One night after the rodeo, he was stabbed by a jealous husband in an Arkansas juke joint and had a spiritual awakening.

He quit the rodeo and left the next day to play the piano in a traveling Pentecostal revival, until he was bitten multiple times by a venomous snake and could not travel to the next destination.

After he recovered, he took a job in a tobacco warehouse near Durham, North Carolina, where he lives today. Along the way, he’s picked up songs and musical styles. From Mexican border towns to the work chants he learned as a prisoner during a brief stint in a Texas penitentiary, Marshall blends them all into his own brand of American music.

Yes he does!”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Neon Pilgrim - Getaway [Music Review]

“Often Rock music leans into a nostalgic vibe, at least timeless Rock does, and that is the case here with Neon Pilgrim’s, latest song, ‘Getaway.’ The Indie/Alt Rock vibe is pure and clean and right away you know what the vibe is of this track. A song that will take you back but make you feel in the here and now as well. ”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Beautiful Dudes - Cherries [Music Review]

“Garage Rock isn’t a term bandied about much these days but Beautiful Dudes are turning back the clock with ‘Cherries.’ Rooted in a sound that now is most commonly called Alternative Rock, the band has achieved a sound that would have worked two decades ago as well as it does today. That is not to say they sound dated because true Rock and Roll is always timeless.”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Francisca Valenzuela - SOS [Music Review]

“Chilean artist, Francisca Valenzuela has long stamped her place in the landscape of of Latin music with multiple ALtin Grammy nominations. Now poised for global stardom with evocative tracks like ‘SOS’ Valenzuela is gaining attention of audiences and with such prolific talent her music transcends language barriers.”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

The Replicants - I Remember [Music Review]

“The Replicants like to joke they make music they are passionate about but is unlikely to earn them enough to escape their mom’s basement. As a curator I am not sure how I feel about this because if they are making music like this down int he basement I hate to see them leave and get jaded by the industry. However this band is too good to stay in the shadows for long.

Straddling the line between Indie Alt Rock and Alt Pop, ‘I Remember’ is one of those songs that simply feels timeless and would fit in any era from the last three decades. ”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Jag Farrah - Falling from the Ceiling [Music Review]

“Being happy and comfortable in your own skin isn’t an easy feat to achieve. Jag Farrah sings about this on ‘Falling from the Ceiling,’ a track specifically rooted in not feeling to need to force your way into a relationship. The confidence and self assured vibes are evident in the performance though the track still has a light carefree feel that makes it all feel uplifting.”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

TEHYA - Love Overdose [Music Review]

“The friend zone is an oft ridiculed place to be, but true love is often rooted in friendship. Making the leap from one to the other however is a scary endeavor and TEHYA takes on those feelings with Indie Pop glory on the track, ‘Love Overdose.’

This Canadian artist performs the song with tender vulnerability that truly brings the stellar songwriting forward for the listener. ”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Zolita - HARDCORE [Music Review]

“Singer, songwriter, filmmaker, and queer pop visionary Zolita will unleash her album, HELL’S BELLES, on August 28th. A genre-bending concept record split into two distinct sonic worlds, the album balances the softer, more romantic spirit of BELLES with the dark, hedonistic pulse of HELL.

The title track was released last month and now we have ‘Hardcore’ which ushers inthe albums darker side. The Electro pop track is sultry and twisted in the best of ways.”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

ALANI - More Than Friends [

“The friend zone can be a place of deep regret and ALANI has tapped into that with her single, ‘More Than Friends.’ A track about the blurred space between romance and friendship and the unspoken emotions that can be born when you find yourself in those murky water. The song carries a tinge of sad longing and is a reminder that sometimes we just have to take that leap to get where we want to be.”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Ella Quynh - Iconic [Music Review]

“There is nothing quite like a first crush. Those feelings and memories tend to linger forever and Ella Quynh has done an artful job of capturing the wonder, fear,a nd doubt involved. ‘Iconic’ is an Alt Pop that doesn’t stray too far from an emotive singer/songwriter vibe which will no doubt lead to comparisons to Taylor Swift.”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Mathias Julin - Where We Are [Music Review]

“Mathias Julin has the kind of emotive vocal style that makes listeners stop and lean in from the first word. And his latest track, ‘Where We Are’ is written with the same level of emotional engagement so the combination leaves us with a song you can feel as much as hear.

Lyrically the track is about two people who don’t fit the mold, and don’t need to. In a world where everyone’s attempting to cultivate the illusion of perfection, “Where We Are’ is a love song about a couple who sees each other’s imperfections and loves each other because of them, not in spite of them.”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

MICHAELA - TTYN [Music Review]

“We’ve all been on a bad date r found ourselves chatting with someone that we’d like to get away from. MICHAELA leans into those moments with a bit of fun irreverence on her latest Alt Pop single. ‘TTYN’ or Talk to You Never is about making that realization in real time and simply acting accordingly.”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Ryann Ross - Irish Exit [Music Review]

“Say hello to Jersey born, LA based artist, Ryann Ross. Or better yet stop and listen to her artful and emotive delivery on ‘Irish Exit.’ No Irish goodbyes necessary as you will want to stay for the full ride.

As does much of the music that speak to me, this track blurs the genre lines. Alt/Indie Pop, or heartfelt Americana. I can make a case for either but why bother. The important things are the emotion and evocative delivery to sell those words in a way that makes feel as if you are actively living every word.”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Lucy Frost - Lead Paint [Music Review]

“This song is a bitter pill of truth we all face at some pint or another. ‘LEad Paint’ by Lucy Frost is a track about those moments of realization you have fucked up and wound up in a relationship that has zero potential for the future.

Delivered in a sweet almost baby doll brand of vocals, the track’s lyrical edge feels just that much sharper.”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Félix Collin - i still replay [Lyric Video Review]

“Félix Collin leans in on Indie/Alt Pop vibes to deliver ‘I still replay.’ The track is tender and vulnerable while also maintaining a distant loneliness to sell the emotion of the lyrics. The song deals with emotional attachment and an inability to move forward at least in a timely and healthy fashion.”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Silver Otto - Favorite [Music Review]

“Silver Otto is a rising Alt Pop star that blurs the lines of genre and style. ‘Favorite’ asks the question what if we are living a lie and then twists it by asserting who cares if we are because sometimes the fantasy is far more fun than reality.

The artists as well as the song seems to dance on the edges lending an extra air of intrigue.”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Amy Swift - Under [Music Review]

“Amy Swift bursts with sultry and defiant attitude on ‘ Under.’ The soulful Alt Pop track is all about that dangerous kind of love. The kind where lust leaves you hungry and desperate even though you know toxicity lurks in the depths of the relationship and it’s only a matter of time before the passion takes a dark turn.”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Gabrielle Ornate - Sun And Moon [Music Review]

“Gabrielle Ornate gives us a celestial and forbidden love story about the ‘Sun and Moon.’ The track offers an ethereal take on classic rock style vocals to create an engaging and spot on vibe that gets the wheels turning about the universe at large as wella s how things sometimes don’t work out for reason beyond our control.”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Starling - Cupcake [Music Review]

“Alt Pop can take any number of directions and here rising UK Pop star Starling unleashes a stream of conscious style narrative about shedding self doubt and flagellation in favor of enjoying life exactly as who you are. Written on her birthday it feels like a self-awakening we all need from time to time.”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger

Mount Saint Elias - Lorem Ipsum [Music Review]

“Life takes us all places we never planned to go. ‘Lorem Ipsum’ is a track about waking up and realizing life has led you to a place you don’t necessarily want to be. A song for anyone that has ever been stuck in a rit and longed to break free and taste life for all that it can be.

Mount Saint Elias has captured the emotions of day to daylife and managed to make them entertaining and thought provoking.”

— Travis Erwin ~ LA on Lock Blogger