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Carolina Leena Rodriguez is a multi-instrumentalist who has all the tools to be a groundbreaking success. This dynamic individual writes, records, performs and produces her music in the comfort of her own studio. She’s fairly new in the writing game so she decided to explore genres like classic punk rock and blues to folk and jazz. This vast range of different genres really can contribute to Leena’s versatility that we find to be highly commendable. Leena killed the game with her debut EP, which reflects on not only the bridging in between them genres but her skills in productions and playing all the instruments in her songs. Over the past year, she has solidified her sound and has gone back to what got her to pick up the guitar in the first place. What’s super interesting about Leena and her artistry is how she began learning songs by ear and self-taught herself many instruments. This isn’t an easy task to do, and she accomplished the challenge. MBG’s single “Make My Day” on youtube was a blissfully magical song that puts Lena on a high caliber compared to the other artists in the industry. Don’t believe the hype? Well, check her out for yourself! Hey MBG, Welcome to BuzzMusic! So tell us, what exactly does MBG represent and stand for? MBG stands Music Box Girl. The origin story of the name was when I was maybe 16 or 17. When I started playing music at the time my parents couldn't afford any music instruments so almost every day after school I would bus to Long and Mcquade (which is a music shop in Canada) and stay until closing time practicing on their instruments and going to each section of the store learning all the instruments. Then one day this little girl was looking at me this whole time while I was practicing and she came up to me and said: "wow you play everything!" I laughed it off and then she said "you're kind of like a music box girl" and that kind of stuck with me ever since. MBG represents me as an artist and being this multi-instrumentalist that just loves to make noise. What inspired you to create this name? The most challenging aspect of creating music for me is having a mixture of overthinking and self-doubt on what I'm creating. I've been a musician for 10 years now but only started songwriting for a couple of years so it still feels like I'm walking on a tight rope 1000 feet up in the air. It becomes hard for me to really commit to a finished song without thinking its already trash or 'It's been done already come up with something standoffish like odd time signatures or something!' I try my best to ignore that part of my brain and just enjoy the process of writing. What’s the most challenging aspect of creating music for you personally? The funny part about this Debut EP is that it was never a vision, to begin with! I just wanted to create demos so I can send it to other local bands and venues to get gigs. When I was demoing my debut single 'Make My Day', I started tracking and layering a bunch of stuff on this song and overtime this 'demo' started to sound like a full song and I thought 'you know what? F**k it! let's make an EP!" and recorded the rest of the other songs in my home studio. There was no pressure to make this EP because I came into it not thinking it would turn into an EP. That it would just be a bunch of songs I curated and figured, why not put these songs out into the world? Let’s talk about your debut EP! What was the vision you had for this project? Were you under any pressure during the creation process of it? This EP is more of an experiment rather than a theme because it's just random songs that I thought are my strongest songs that I've written so far. Two of them are rock songs but the last two are slow and folky but I think 'Make My Day' is what I wanna aim for later into my career in terms of my sound and the production of my music. Which songs from your EP do you feel best represents its theme and why? How would you describe your songwriting approach to your EP? Melodies always come first for me when I'm songwriting or a guitar riff of some sort then lyrics after...Like way after haha. I try to use different approaches to my songwriting like writing song titles first and writing a song based on the title or funny sayings or quotes my friends say but this EP was mostly based on experiences I've had in my life like heartbreak and being in love you know the typical things musicians write about. What’s next for you as we enter 2020 MBG? oh wow haha! definitely another EP in the works that maybe could possibly turn into an album? right now I'm recording the EP while I'm writing new material so who really knows at this point. I'm just riding it out but in the end, there's gonna be a finished product with some new songs and old songs that have yet to see the light of day. I want to start playing more shows and possibly start doing small tours in Ontario. Performance is still foreign to me because I've always been a studio rat playing to myself in my bedroom so playing more shows will get me to be more comfortable on stage and give it the best I have that people are going to enjoy when they come to my shows. instagram.com/mbgisleena twitter.com/mbgisleena facebook.com/mbgisleena #BuzzMusic

Dirtycakes is an exciting three-piece band that can be described as DIY Ethos Punk. the members, Charley, Rick, and Becky, all come from vastly different backgrounds. With Dirtycakes, they aim to create music that puts equality above all. Dirtycakes is the power of three different people coming together to share Love & Angst. Personal turmoil or reflections on the darker side of life have long been a crucial muse in hard rock/punk music and within Dirtycakes’ writing. “Gimme Some” is one that cleverly hints at a certain struggle or battle but leaves just enough to the imagination that those feeling similar will be able to connect and relate to the words and the intensity of the music in their unique way. The grungey leading vocals throughout “Gimme Some” encompasses the varied emotions of the lyrics incredibly well. The verses are enough to fuse melody and grit with that unmistakable Dirtycakes tone, then you get the drop into the weight and scream of the hook, and the whole thing just pours emotion and volume into the room in a way that completely relieves you of your stresses for a while and releases you from the grip of uncertainty. Another step in the right direction for modern music, and yet another hit of creative individuality and musical realness from Dirtycakes. Listen to "Gimme Some" here. Welcome to BuzzMusic Dirtycakes! It’s such a pleasure to be chatting with you. How did each of you get started on your own musical journey, before Dirtycakes? Becky - I've been playing since I was 8... I've been trying not to take shit from people since I was born and realized women were treated as less than men & weak - I use my drums as my weapon & my lyrics to voice my outrage. I opened for The Cramps in 1981 drumming for the sick kids, played with and toured the world in The Lunachicks. Charley - I grew up listening to the "Top 10 at 10" on WBIG FM... I built an electric guitar in woodshop in 9th grade and finished it the day I was expelled. I spent my teen years and early 20s making records on tape decks, playing as often as possible at open mic nights and nerding out on any gear I could my hands on. I built a few recording studios and ended up going on the road playing rock and roll with several bands before moving to LA and starting Dirtycakes. Rick - Had a couple bands, (Supreme Beings Of Leisure, and Bitter: Sweet) Played lead guitar for The English Beat. You seem to be a band that puts a substantial amount of thought into your lyrics! Who/what has inspired each of you to be the artist you are today? Charley - Maybe this is a bit coy, but what inspires me the most is the art that challenges me, and the music that jumps off the wall. I never want our thing to be wallpaper, being ignorable is a waste of time. I want people to make a decision, the room will divide and folks will pick aside. I hope you dig it, but if you don't, it won't be some passive dismissal. The words give context to the boogie, for me, the boogie always comes first. Rock and Roll should hinder someone from being able to sit on both heels at once. The themes focus on honesty, resisting the need for validation from outside, which is how I get strength from the music. They travel from some braggadocio, to melancholy, and directly address intoxication, fornication and call back to my childhood time in the church... and very little is more powerful than those forces. "Gimme Some" is an incredible track! Can you tell us about how you come to create your authentic sound? Charley - Sometimes the simple answer is the easiest... what you've described as 'authentic" is just the sound of us in a room all playing together. We don't use a bunch of studio tricks, we don't have to auto-tune, we don't program our drums... we preach honesty and our music sounds "authentic" because of it. That, and we're all nerds about our gear, and have listened to several imperial system metric f*cktons of records over the years. Not too mention, we've also collectively played thousands of shows. How have you honed your songwriting style over time, and what do you think are the main qualities that make a song truly connect and last in the long-run? Charley - Songwriting, as an extension of your id... grows and evolves with time. Being on stage and having to be compelling to rooms full of strangers, forces you to be brutally honest with the quality of your work. When we take the stage, I personally have this duality of both being as inclusive and open with everyone in the crowd and the other bands... but I also, and more and more lately, flip on my 2 amps with full knowledge that this is “Cowboys and Indians”, and we're bringing home scalps. When you are willing to remove your ego, cut the tunes that don't win on the battlefield and be your own best critic, the live set gets filled with songs that can all stand on their own. Often I'll take a look at the live footage that fans post after the show. If your song is good, the phones comes out, and at the end of the show... any song that you don't have footage of, isn't good enough. When we finally hit the studio, the only songs we record are the ones who have come back from war with a backpack of skulls. What they tend to have in common, can vary widely... but we have found that when we are honest, open, inclusive, and unwaveringly committed to constant improvement and experimentation... the songs just get better and better. Thank you for taking the time to talk to us! What’s next for you after the release of “Gimme Some”? We just got back from Joshua Tree, making a record at Rancho de la Luna with Dave Catching and John Russo. We'll be releasing a 7" single on vinyl, and put together a full-length recording of our battle-tested set. We're going to shoot videos for every song and work on honing in new sounds and working on the getting next set of stories we need to tell, down on the fuzz and drums. It's scary, it's exciting, it's uncomfortable and we wouldn't have it any other way. I hope that we have a whole new set ready in the next few months. I hope we are terrible on stage for gig after gig. I hope we go through song after song until we can rely on a brand-spanking' new 27 minutes to come home victorious from battle. Growth and greatness comes from adversity, fuck the crutches and excuses... we'll break on through to the other side one way or the other. instagram.com/dirtycakesband #BuzzMusic

Rock music will always be an iconic genre of music that leaves everlasting impressions and memories on their listeners. Word on the street is that hard rock and alternative band from the San Francisco, Bay area who goes by the name of “Avidian” is creating serious buzz for themselves & they are no rookies to this! This band formed in early 2003 with singer and guitarist, Joshua Frederick Smith being one of the founding fathers of this group. The band recorded their first studio demo in early 2004 in Petaluma, California, and from that point on, they knew they were in it for the long haul. To date, none of the band’s new Material has entered a professional recording studio with the 3 members. However, the band’s founder, Joshua has carried the name of the band to new begging recently with Avidian “The Void “ (Remixes). Despite the lack of new music being put out, this just shows us this band is more serious in crafting the sound than others. Patience is always a virtue, and we always respect an artist’s genuine dedication, effort, and determination when it comes to releasing music instead of simply dropping lack-lustered singles. Avidian’s work-ethic seems unmatched. We took a listen to their music released so far and it was EPIC. The amount of talent this band is equipped with is killer and really lives up to the hype of the buzz. We can’t help but be even more excited to see what’s in store for Avidian in the upcoming year & we’re sure if it’s anything similar to songs like “The Void”, we are in for a pleasant awakening. Listen to Avidian's music here. Welcome to BuzzMusicLa Avidian! You guys have been around since the early 2000s which is extremely commendable. How has the journey for you been in one word and why? What has been the most monumental moment in your career thus far? We have .., well some of us lol. Keeping band members is like catching the wind with a flyswatter! It’s near impossible at times. But in one word - Challenging. Life changes, people lose interested in their dreams, most just are not ready to take the risks involved with Pursuing a career as a musician or in the arts. Aside from music I’ve been very fortunate to be a working actor. Getting to star in  huge music videos (David Guetta - Avicii ) to name a few...leading roles in films around the World (a few at least ) and a couple really amazing commercials recently, but musically I would have to say mastering at Capitol Records & getting some great Sync placements for our song “Set to Waste “ in commercials . We pay to make music, but getting paid to have it used on other people’s creative projects feels amazing. Tell us more about your music released in the early stages of your career. Were there any specific challenges you encountered when creating your first demo? Such a great question! I ponder this constantly ... going back and thinking about what else could be tweaked! But alas it was great for the time. We had no real idea what to expect in a studio, how long it would take to get it right. By the time we had finished 6 tracks we all agreed that we possibly did the wrong songs as the new ones were light years better lol .. but it was a great experience looking back. We spent a month basically living in this huge house in San  Fransisco during the process. In 2003, there were no Spotify or streaming platforms at all... it was lucky if you got a lower grade label or radio spins at the local FM station! I still believe the best songs haven’t been in the studio yet! I can’t wait for that time to come. In what ways has your sound and music elevated over the past two decades? Maturity and life experience no doubt! I have two children, have had a lot of ups and downs in the process of aiming high in my careers, with that comes unexplainable situations however the music gets richer, the layers get wider and the sound develops from all of it... pain and growth are huge contributors for some if not most musicians, unless your intentionally pushing “ empty shell “tracks, which by all means is ok, I haven’t been afforded the luxury of selling out just yet haha ! As you’re gearing up to release new music soon, what new arrangements or developments can we expect? Currently there’s a new EP “The Void “ which was a collaboration with several producers, musicians and a rad female vocalist .. aside from going into production on a music video for “The Void“ there will eventually be another EP which ultimately would have been a full Record, but that doesn’t make sense in the era of releasing singles now - Spotify has basically reshaped the strategy for music releases. Seeing the transition in the music industry since 03’, how do you guys manage to still kill it and gain great traction for your music? It’s remarkable! Thanks! I’m not sure if I’d say we’re killing it haha, but to still be making music after all this time is a remarkable feat no doubt! Honestly, for me, it’s the fear of never trying & regretting it one day that I stopped... there’s fear of success and then there’s fear of rejection. Self-sabotage would fall under fear of rejection which in turn paralyzes somebody to never even start. Our first shows were so terrible lol! Made up lyrics, the drummer was offbeat & bassist was on another planet soloing the whole 45 min set. It was such a marvelous disaster! This is why we still do this. Great laughs, memories & it just can’t be that bad again right?  :) Can you hint to our readers what we can expect from you in 2020? A music video for letting go & the Void, a few tracks off another EP & soon you’ll be seeing yours truly on a wicked awesome Lexus LC 500 2020 car commercial zipping around Los Angeles... We’re just getting started. joshuafredricsmith.com #BuzzMusic

Rising contemporary country/folk artist Jessica Sevier is back at it with her most recent single "Long Drive"! As an artist who has crafted her sounding and gained that pivotal songwriting experience, Jessica brings a sense of expertise to her music. Her approach to the overall melody of her overall sound as an artist is gentle and genuine. With a modern twist on her execution, she successfully brings a new element to country and folk music. We know that Jessica isn't done yet with expressing her artistry, and we're psyched to be showcasing "Long Drive"! Jessica has an amazingly soft touch on her music. Her voice is subtle and delicate throughout "Long Drive". The artist's latest track features velvety violin chords, mixed in with a flowing atmospheric environment. Do you know those tracks that sound almost whimsical when you listen to it? That's the exact kind of ambiance Jessica Sevier imparts onto her listeners--the feeling of being caught in a fairytale. That precise collection of instrumentals that Jessica picks to feature within "Long Drive" is what makes the track stand out, and ultimately complement the voice of Jessica even further. "Long Drive" is a track that shouldn't be missed out on, especially since the crafting of this particular track from Jessica is extremely eloquent. Give a listen to Jessica's single "Long Drive" here. Hey there Jessica! Thanks for taking the time to talk with us about your most recent single "Long Drive"! What an incredible sound you've managed to craft with this particular song. Can you tell us more about your creative vision for "Long Drive" and how you found the inspiration for the song? Long Drive came about one summer afternoon as I watched the smoke from the Parry Sound fires drift over the lake. It made me think about the fleeting moments of life and how people and things can come and go in an instant. These emotions manifested into words that I immediately wrote down. Little did I know that these words would turn into a song about finding what has been lost and the physical and mental imagery that comes along with that journey. Your music, especially your recent music such as "Long Drive" has an incredibly reflective atmosphere that we received as listeners. What's the main effect you want to convey to your listeners through "Long Drive"? When listening to Long Drive, I want people to feel a sense of longing and nostalgia. The lyrics are depicting the steps that the narrator is taking to find their other half. While on their way, they recall past moments triggered by imagery as well as all the motivations for finding this person. I want every listener to find their own meaning in the lyrics, but also feel like they are on the journey to discovery as well. Do you ever face doubts about your creative approach as you're working through the songwriting and recording process, or do you mainly stay confident with your musical insight? Like most artists, yes, I do face doubt momentarily while writing. Sometimes I feel that just because I like a sound doesn’t mean that everyone listening will like it as well. However, I am able to take a step back and reassure myself that it is okay if not everyone is a fan of my music. Everyone has different tastes and it is impossible to please every crowd. I feel many artists face this dilemma as well. Are you planning on performing in the near future to showcase your new music? Where has been your personal favorite venue to perform at thus far in your artistic career? Yes! I am planning shows in Toronto and London, Ontario. I can’t announce any events yet, but they will be very exciting shows. All updates about live events are always updated on my website and social media platforms. As for favorite venues, well, all of them have been my favorite! It is impossible to choose just one venue when everywhere I go I am greeted with such warm words and supportive people. Do you see yourself ever incorporating genres that you haven't worked with before into your new music? I definitely have considered touching upon other genres. I grew up listening to a lot of rock music and eventually I think it would be super cool to write songs that are more rock-based. However, right now I am happy with writing what flows naturally with my lyrics and mood. Thanks again Jessica for taking the time to come on BuzzMusic! Any parting words for the BuzzMusic readers? I would like to say thank you to everyone that has been streaming my music and taking the time to follow my musical journey. My social media is always a great way to keep updated with what I am doing if you are interested in knowing more about me my Instagram is @jessicasevier, Facebook is @jessicaseviermusic and website at www.jessicasevier.com. #BuzzMusic

This year has been nothing short of explosive for Montreal-based artist Neomi. Her singles “Tables” and “Dangerous” have garnered the alt-pop songstress an evergrowing amount of success. The Canadian artist kicked off the year by releasing “Tables” in January 2019, a single about an on-again-off-again relationship, emotional turmoil, and a rollercoaster of feelings, Neomi showed no signs of slowing down. She was swiftly back in the studio working on her next piece. Release August 9, 2019, “Dangerous” did not only grasp the listener’s ears with the expressive soundscape and lyrics, but it completely captured audiences because Neomi dropped a matching music video at the very same time. The visuals match the song’s sentiment perfectly with empowering scenes overflowing with Neomi’s confidence. “Dangerous” is uplifting in the most chaotically beautiful way. The video has amassed more than 5k views on Youtube alone. Not only this but Neomi has gained herself over 5k monthly listeners on Spotify and has only been active for a short time. With three singles out now, (“Body on Body”, 2018) Neomi is quickly on the rise and recently wrapped production on her debut album, expected to be released in 2020. Listen to Neomi’s music here! Welcome to BuzzMusic Neomi! Great to be able to chat with you, thanks for the interview! What can you tell us about the overall concept of your debut single “Body on Body”? First of all, thank you for having me on BuzzMusic again! I'm excited to do this with you guys. So a bit before Body on Body was released, I was working on a couple of different songs and I was going back on forth on what I wanted the first single to be. When I'm making music some songs just feel better than others when listening to them in their full production and so after finishing the production on Body and listening to it for a few weeks, I found myself gravitating towards it. I knew I wanted the first release to be uptempo and representative of the place that I was in my life at the time so Body was really fitting for that. “Tables” was an incredibly versatile and catchy track. Where did you draw the inspiration to create this particular type of sound? Thank you so much! I feel like what I wrote about in Tables is one of those situations and feelings we've all either been in or experienced in some sort of way. I was in this very one-foot-in one-foot-out situation going on during the writing of this and I got to a point where I didn't know exactly what I was feeling or how to express my current state of mind. I sat down to write this song and to kind of see what would come out and what came out was Tables. How would you say that “Dangerous” compares to the kind of music you curated when you first started out as an artist?! Interestingly enough Dangerous was actually the first song I wrote from everything I've released so far. I wrote Dangerous maybe like 3 or 4 years ago and it was the first single I had that was fully produced; the rest of my songs followed after. I held onto Dangerous for a while because I wanted to introduce my sound with some versatility first (more uptempo for Body and then a more melancholic feel for Tables) and by the time Dangerous was released, it felt like it fit into and help further establish my sound as an artist. You were so captivating in your music video! What was the concept behind the music video for “Dangerous”? How was the filming process for you? Thank you! For the Dangerous video, my director Chris Kells and I wanted to show the three major stages in a relationship in the way that I've experienced them. The first bit of the video shows an all-white, dreamy, untouched and virginal type of aesthetic which represented the beginning stages of a relationship; everything is super new and they're more or less no problems, it's just very blissful. Then going into the red scene, I wanted to represent the highest of emotions in the best and worst way at the same time; these were all fiery and explosive feelings in my mind like anger, lust, and all that jazz. The last blue-themed scene with the waterfall was my way of visually representing cleansing yourself from the toxicity of a relationship after getting out of it. I come out of the water with my makeup running and stuff (it's a miracle my false lashes stayed mostly intact during this part haha) which is how one might feel coming out of a rollercoaster relationship: a little roughed up but coming out stronger on the other side. The hair, makeup (done by Gabbie McGuire) and wardrobe choices (styled by Janice Katsof) were also specifically chosen to help further communicate what these scenes were each trying to get across. The filming process was honestly the most fun day of my life. It was an 18-hour shoot so it was very long but very fun. I had amazing people on set with me that I was working with as well as friends and family who came to support me. It was just a very fun day with a lot of love all around. I feel very lucky to have gotten to experience that. Do you prefer the more intimate recording process over live performance? How do you personally feel when you're performing your music live? I think both are so different. I'm an introvert at heart so by starting out with songwriting in my own space by myself I was able to really experiment with my sound and get comfortable with it before bringing it to the studio. The studio was a lot of fun. I got to try out different types of sounds and bounce ideas back and forth with my producer, Kevin Jardine. Performing live gives you such a rush and seeing people react to your songs right in front of you is very cool. Performing live also helps you distinguish your strong songs from your weaker ones. You can write a song and think it's the best song in the world and then you play it live and nobody's into it and the energy's just meh. Live shows help you see what songs people react to more which is awesome. So to answer the question, I think I prefer live performances just because I love getting to share my music with people face-to-face. It was great having you here on BuzzMusic once again! What’s can you tell us about your upcoming album? It was great doing this interview with you guys, thanks for having me! My upcoming album is going to be released in March 2020 and I'm super excited! I've been working on this album for at least 3 years, if not a little bit over 3 years, and these songs are so special to me. I'm really excited to put them out and see how people react to them. I feel like I'm sharing all the different sides of who I am. It'll be cool to put it out there and see if people can relate to it - or to see if they hate it, or love it, or whatever. I'm ready for all the reactions haha. neomimusic.com @thisisneomi #BuzzMusic

Hailing from Ontario, Canada, Kaleb Hikele is the brilliant artist and musician behind the project The Sun Harmonic. A classically trained pianist and a gifted folk/rock songsmith, The Sun Harmonic began a solo career in 2009 and is now accompanied by his rock band and even string orchestras. Kaleb’s 2019 has been undoubtedly the most ambitious year we’ve seen from the artist so far. The Sun Harmonic has gained an impressive following with his music. Releasing a live album titled “Sunshine in the Jazz Room” in April 2019, the indie artists showed no signs of slowing down. He quickly followed this up with singles “In The Forest” and “A Heart So Heavy”, which amassed an incredible amount of streams. From his emotionally-rich lyrics to his smooth sultry delivery, The Sun Harmonic can’t be pigeon-holed to one genre. Out now is The Sun Harmonic’s 4-track live EP “At Home In The Townhouse” that features 3 brand new tracks ranging from smooth ballads to hard-hitting folk-rock like “We Are Not Alone”. The Sun Harmonic is an artist with an endless amount of motivation, ambition, and incredible music. He pours his heart and soul into every release and is overflowing with passion for his music. Stay tuned for more! Listen to The Sun Harmonic’s new music here! Welcome back to BuzzMusic! It’s such a pleasure to be chatting with you again. "A Heart So Heavy" is the perfect track to introduce new listeners to your sound in 2019. Where did you draw inspiration for this particular track? Hey Buzz! Nice to chat again, thanks for the nice words. It's a good song to make introductions, definitely straight from my heart and similar to my latest records. To be honest, of all my releases I feel like Heart So Heavy is going to be the end of the line for my melancholy dramatic piano ballads (for now...) I knew that I'd release that song as a strong follow up to my Winter album (2017) for style and consistency, but the two projects I'm working on at the moment reach far from that sound. More guitars, strumming, folk influence, and a few loud upbeat rock n' roll songs recorded by my rock band. 2020 will be fun! Oh, and to answer your question, I drew inspiration for Heart So Heavy by falling in love. People seemed to like that song, so love pays off in more ways than one. “Love, A Mystery” is a great new track but it seems to have a meaningful message behind the lyrics. Can you tell us more about this song in particular? Thank you! "Love" is one of those songs that when I wrote it I knew it was something special, but I forgot about it for a while. I've never played it live in front of an audience and I haven't recorded it onto the record, this live video I shot at home in the Townhouse studio is the only time I've performed it, really. It's a song I wrote for my girlfriend in the earliest of our days together, it actually is a song written during the pre-cursor to falling in love. An interesting comparison to Heart So Heavy actually. It's slow, repetitive, almost contemplative, it captures that feeling of falling into love and wondering where your life is going. Not stopping it or speeding it up, just enjoying it and thinking it through. The performance of that song (in the video on Youtube and as you hear on the new EP) is only myself with an electric guitar, singing to my Hammond organ playing a pre-recorded drum rhythm live in the room. Nothing is overdubbed or edited, you hear me turn it on and laugh a bit before I turn down the tempo to the slow burn that it is. I really loved shooting that video with my friend Joel, I dreamed of this video for a few months and then we just made it happen to squeeze it into a busy day. The emotion in that song is real, heavier than other songs I've presented, and so I'm taking my time with how to release it. But I'm proud of this abstract off-the-floor performance and I'm glad you like it! Since you’ve been making music for several years, how would you compare some of the earlier material you’ve written to your newest release “At Home in The Townhouse”? Oh boy, the big question. The earliest material I've written is so far out of reach I almost forget what it was written about, I don't remember how to play most of my riffs. Even songs by early Sun Harmonic albums let alone about 5 years worth of high school songs are pretty well forgotten. I wish I did remember how to play them! Sometimes I have to teach myself my own songs. Anyways, if we're talking about material from earlier in the Sun Harmonic days, the first half of the 2010's to now, I would say that my songs have grown inward. I'm not an introvert exactly, you're not allowed to be and remain truly striving as a musician at the same time. But I do find solace in writing songs alone, sometimes keeping them to myself for months or even years before I sing them for my family and close friends. So my songs have taken a path of becoming far more personal, mostly in brutally honest lyrics or by storytelling. When I was off the road and wasn't able to play the guitar for a while (doctors orders) I started writing stories from my childhood into my songs. That was the best move I've ever made, those songs still make me cry when I sing them - some audiences and strangers are surprised by that but most have found it endearing. What is the overall theme and sentiments behind your new EP “At Home in The Townhouse”? I should have mentioned this earlier, by saying that "At Home" is an acoustic EP of performances from my home studio, not necessarily new songs or a proper release per-say. The recordings are actually collected from audio recordings from video shoots filmed in my home studio over the last few years. In 2009 I opened (ready for this name?) "The Townhouse Recording Facility & Sound Studio" in the east end community of Toronto called Riverdale. Many local bands and many late nights in the studio washed over my early 20's and the walls have many stories to tell, but I always wished I had shot more video in that space. In 2018 I filmed a few songs in the basement studio and in 2019, after a massive overhaul of positive vibes at home and quite the killer renovation, I invited my friends to sing my newest song and film it lives in the living room. The 4-songs on the EP come from these projects: A Heart So Heavy, the latest single; All To Myself, an old 'wedding song' that is coming out on an LP next year; Love, A Mystery certainly IS a new song that is being quietly debuted as a solo song; We Are Not Alone, a harsh punk rock track about aliens I recorded solo but was released by King Snake Crawl on an EP in 2016. The reason I released this EP under Kaleb Hikele instead of The Sun Harmonic is it's personal and intimate nature, the performances are just me myself and guitar. Some with lifelong friends (Jen Routhier and Elise Heikkila of our mutual hometown St. Thomas) But largely it is Kaleb, not the grandiose production I've been trying to accomplish with the late Sun Harmonic recordings. And while people are listening to this, they can jump back 12 years (ugh, I'm gettin' old) and listen to my first solo album from high school, Hikele released in 2007 (later re-imagined and remastered in 2017) How have you honed your songwriting style over time, and what do you think are the main qualities that make a song truly connect and last in the long-run? A friend once told me that "no one could really sing my songs the way I do", this was a long time ago when my songs were, let's say, questionable, or different maybe. Although it could be taken as an insult that my songs weren't so easy to cover or imitate, I took it as a compliment knowing that I wasn't writing predictable and "normal" songs for a young kid. I'm still trying to write differently, whether it's defying genres from one song to another or internally changing chord progressions from predictable to alluring (or alarming). My favorite thing to do is to change what should be a major chord to a minor chord (see the pre-chorus in Winter's "As I Go Away") and any fellow fan of Thrice will laugh at that (I hope one out there reads this!) Thank you so much for chatting with us. What else are you working on through the end of the year!? You're welcome. Thank you! I am editing and carving out the recordings I made on the road traveling from Vancouver in 2015 to my east coast train trip out to Halifax in summer 2018. Then I will finish recording those songs and release the full album in 2020. Even sooner in December, I will be going into a beautiful countryside studio north of Toronto, recording with my rock band live off the floor. It'll be 5 rock and roll songs on one killer EP! I can't wait for that, my recent releases have humorously taken 5 to 8 years to create, this EP maybe two months at the most. That's exciting for an old pop-punk kid like me. Stay tuned. facebook.com/thesunharmonic instagram.com/thesunharmonic twitter.com/thesunharmonic soundcloud.com/thesunharmonic #BuzzMusic

Fusing elements of blues, classical, folk and gypsy music, South For Winter was formed in September 2017 by New Zealander Nick Stone, Coloradan Dani Cichon, and Michigander Alex Stradal. The trio quickly dug their heels into the Nashville music scene, releasing two EPs and completing both a 15-state national tour, followed by an international tour to Canada all in one year! This year for South For Winter has been exciting, to say the least. The trio released 3 singles, all leading up to their greatly anticipated debut full-length album! Kicking off an exciting 2019 and gaining traction for the upcoming project, South For Winter released “Twine” in April. “Twine” is ultimately a freeing love ballad, and introduces the new trio’s established sound. This was soon followed up with “Ten Black Crows”, another folk anthem but with darker lyricism and a completely versatile and unpredictable sound. Now in November, South For Winter releases “All We Have” and I have to say this is my personal favorite of the year so far! Gentle and mellow by nature, but decidedly big seeming overall, the sentiment and the way the chords and the melody unite helps build a sense of togetherness, vastness, and possibility. South for Winter is now recording their debut album in Nashville with Grammy-nominated producer Matt Leigh of The Tracking Room, all while they still work full-time jobs. Listen to South for Winter’s music here! Hey guys, welcome back! We're completely captivated by your new single, you have such a strong and warming presence throughout your tracks. Can you tell us more about your intentions when you first began to write “All We Have”? Nick: Thanks so much! “All We Have” began years ago as a guitar idea and lyrical concept that I’d had while doing volunteer work out in Cambodia. Some of these communities have had very little, but the people were some of the happiest I’d seen. This inspired my perspectives on a minimalistic lifestyle and brought to mind the song lyrics of “All we have is what we need, where the sky touches the sea” and “If this is all we have, it’s enough for us.” After years of trying to write the song a few times and struggling to make it say what I wanted to, I met Dani. Her ability with lyrics brought the song to its full potential. You've had such a strong love and passion for music throughout your career together! How do you think South For Winter and your music have grown since you first started writing, versus now? Dani: Thanks, Jennifer! It feels like we’ve grown a lot in our two years as a band, but the biggest difference in our music now is probably the production. With our first songs and recordings, we were definitely a folk band, and we performed that way live as well. But since our debut album is being fully-produced by the awesome Matt Leigh, with multiple layers and a great rock rhythm session (Chris Kearney gets credit for the beats), we’re starting to write and play more like an indie-rock band with folk elements rather than as an acoustic folk band. It’s been really fun to figure out how to bring that recorded sound to the stage, like by Nick adding a suitcase kick drum to our setup, Nick and Alex both adding pedalboards to their instruments to make the sound feel bigger, and having me play more instruments or percussion live. Tell us about the writing process as a band for your April 2019 single “Twine" Nick: That one was fun to write because it happened so effortlessly - I came home from work, and Dani had basically written the whole song in one sitting. The melodies were strong and reminded me of a lot of the Paper Kites and Ben Howard (both artists I love), making it easy to craft guitar parts that matched them. The song felt like it wanted to naturally build, and it fits with apart from an old instrumental I’d written in the past. This turned into the rhythm change at the bridge. Once Alex added in his incredible cello parts, it naturally completed the song. "All We Have" is the perfect song to release to gain traction for your album. Where did you draw inspiration for this particular track? Alex: Thank you, we appreciate that. And we hope so! We didn’t really have an artist in mind as inspiration when we wrote and recorded All We Have; we sort of just let it evolve with the addition of every creative mind along the way. For example, our drummer/percussionist, Chris, tried several different rhythms that didn’t feel right until he played that back-beat that comes in at the first chorus. That really added to the feel of the song. Our producer, Matt, had the idea for the ambient “synthy” sound at the beginning (which is actually just me playing cello swells through my pedalboard). While we knew all along what vibe we wanted, we were pleasantly surprised when the pieces came together and we got there! Can you give us any hints about your new album? (ie release date, title) Dani: Currently, our release is planned for around May 2020 (give or take a month). We can definitely say we will be releasing several more singles leading up to it, though, with the next one coming out this January. There’ll be a new single released about every 6 weeks after that until the album is fully released next year. In regards to the album title, we’ve been playing around with that. It’s so tough to choose! We will say the title will be a reflection of the eclectic range of music on the album - for instance, something to do with parallels, light vs dark, yin & yang, that sort of idea. We’ll let you know as soon as it’s chosen! If anyone who’s reading is struck with inspiration for it - let us know! It was great having you here on BuzzMusic! Tell us more about what's next for you after this single release? Any shows in the near future? Nick: Thanks for having us! We’ve got some exciting things coming up. We’ll be releasing a music video soon for All We Have, which we filmed on Vancouver Island (so it’ll feature some pretty stunning scenery!). We just finished up a tour on the PNW Coast (unfortunately couldn’t make it to LA this time) which took us through incredible areas like Vancouver BC, Colorado, Utah, Washington. Our next US tour is scheduled for March next year - we’ll be hitting up the East Coast and going through New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, etc. Dani: We’ll be releasing that next single in January 2020, with a video to follow for that soon after as well. And we’re now planning our first tour of Europe and the UK for July 2020. We keep pretty busy, so if anyone who’s reading wants to follow the journey on Facebook or Instagram, we’ll be putting out a lot of content in the next few months! facebook.com/southforwintermusic instagram.com/southforwintermusic southforwintermusic.com soundcloud.com/southforwintermusic #BuzzMusic

Sunny Birla decided at a young age that music was what he had to pursue in life, music has always been his true calling of character. From a songwriting perspective, Sunny Birla is an artist that masters the set-up and builds to the drop of his songs beautifully. The hook resolves in a satisfying way, the title proves recognizable, easily memorable, and the fall back down to the verses fits in nicely and continues to keep you gripped. While his music is clearly a personal, intimate story, the details are balanced well with references that are a little vaguer, this has the effect of connecting with even the most distant of listeners in a genuine and powerful way. Targetting listeners and fans that can relate, Sunny's latest single “These Words” is pure pop balladry, taking the slow-dance form to a more introspective, lovelorn space. He consistently draws from his own life for inspiration, through his experiences of love, loss, emotional turmoil and his own battle with demons. “These Words” has been Sunny’s only release through 2019 but in 2018 he released 3 other pop singles that are well worth a listen. Currently, Sunny Birla is working towards releasing more music in the near future! Stay tuned for more from this incredible artist! Check out Sunny Birla’s music here. Hey Sunny Birla, welcome back! We're completely captivated by your single “These Words” yet again! Can you tell us more about your intentions when you first began to curate your recent release? Thank you! Yeah absolutely. These Words for me was a very intrinsically expressive song. My girlfriend had left the country to go work abroad and the difficulties that come with dealing with losing that proximity was the emotion that I tried to express. Everyone has dealt with some sort of loss. Be it the loss of a friend, partner, family and that loss could be a symbol of something too. My motivation was to capture that emotion, that essence and hopefully get people to relate. You've had such a strong love and passion for music at such a young age! How do you think you and your music have grown since you first started writing, versus now? I love this question! Music since a young age was so so different for me. My introduction to music was through the drums and I would listen to a lot of heavy stuff, much more of punk rock, alternative rock, and songs that challenged me on the drums. When I started writing, I found myself falling into more of a singer-songwriter genre, not intentionally, just happened to be that way because of my form of expression. So while my music journey has grown a lot, I hope it keeps growing and nurturing into something the world would be able to feel and understand. As well as releasing 1 single in 2019, you also released 3 singles in 2018! Can you tell us about these releases? Yeah absolutely! I released Meant to Be as my first song because I wanted to include some of that “rock” influence that kick-started my music. Reverie Lie was a very very emotional song for me. It was one of the first songs that I actually wrote a while ago and it took me time to get comfortable listening to it and putting it out there. This was probably the only song that I wrote about my own struggles and demons. Maybe this summer was more experimental for me. I wanted to make a song a little more upbeat and while the lyrics portray the hardships of a relationship, the music has an uplifting feel that gives the lyrics some hope. Can we expect a music video from you in the near future? Yes!! For sure! That for me is one of the biggest things on my agenda. With the new music, I definitely want to put out videos too. I love visuals, I love dancing and I want to capture everything I love in my music. So you can definitely expect music videos in the future. If someone could only listen to one of your tracks, what track would you suggest that fully encompasses the essence of your music? Reverie Lie. I can’t pick favorites but to be honest, this song for me was the most emotional. If anyone wanted to understand me in 1 song, this would be it. Sounds depressing but I don’t look at it that way at all. I think it’s more this song resembles the emotions that I’ve dealt with but also shows that I’m comfortable acknowledging those emotions and moving forward with them. It was great having you here on BuzzMusic! Tell us more about what's next for you? Any shows in the near future?! It’s been my pleasure! What next for me is more music haha. This year I haven’t released much as I’ve been working on new stuff. I’ve been working on my production too. So hopefully what’s next is very different from what has already been put out. I’m really looking to experiment, work with new people and hopefully produce a lot of my tracks myself. Regarding shows that’s definitely something that’s been on my mind. Early next year, I’ll be starting to play some shows around New York, definitely come by if you’re around in the area! Details would be all over my socials! facebook.com/sunnybirlamusic instagram.com/anuragbirla123 #BuzzMusic

Meet Logan Larson, originally from Waukee, Iowa who is taking music to a new level. An award-winning, classical music composer and Electronic Dance Music producer who inspires us to reconsider adopting instrumental notes into modern dance music. Well versed in musical theory, he received his Bachelor's degree in Music at Luther College in 2016 and a Masters’s degree in Composition at the University of Kansas in 2018. Currently, he is working towards obtaining his Doctorate in Musical Arts at the University of Miami. Larson has studied and worked with many accomplished musicians including; Brooke Joyce, Forrest Pierce, Dorothy Hindman, Lansing McLoskey, Melinda Wagner and Christopher Theofanidis. His work has been performed across three continents and launching his career worldwide in tours across the United States, Canada, Italy, and Australia. Larson has been selected to compose works for Grammy-nominated string quintet, Sybarrite5! Logan Larson's sound is one of a kind, with his ability to fuse many distinct genres of; Electronic Dance Music, Hip-Hop, Rap while incorporating contemporary techniques. Logarithmic Collective is a group composed of; vocals by Logan Larson, saxophone by Benjamin Morris and Trombone by Thomas McKee. Logan Larson is constantly expanding his sound and regularly will collaborate with featured guest artists. For those who have been waiting for evolution to EDM, here is the answer to your craving with his new debut album, “As We Grow”, released in September of this year. The album opens with, “Inside the Kaleidoscope” opens with sirens and powerful vibrato vocals. His lyrics harmoniously drop in and out of these textured beats. The song title could not be a better representation of the layering sounds featured in this track as a kaleidoscope is a constantly changing pattern or sequence of elements. Following this is, “The Beauty of Cosmic Things” with a lighter and angelic feel to it. Larson uses fixed media tracks filled with colorful melodies, timbers, and hypnotic rhythms to ensue the senses. Continuing to build his new genre or what Logan refers to “NWCAM”, better pronounced as “nuke-um”, stating for New Wave Classical Art Music. “As We Grow” has two versions, one which demonstrates his incredible piano skills with seamless additions of Hip-Hop beats while the other draws the listener to focus on his brawny and powerfully built vocals. Larson continues to soothe our senses with purely instrumental and vocal versions of other tracks including; “Tidal Wave Earthquake”, “Muffled Voices”, “Overzealous” and “On the Rise”. It’s hard to pick a favourite as each version provides a different experience. “Judgement Upon the Earth”, is another surprising track beginning with a calming Reggae tone and accompanying lyrics. The song continues to build with the addition of Benjamin’s skillful saxophone performance. As mentioned above Logan is a highly educated musician and this well represented in his tenor vocals displayed in “Let Me Save You”. One of the stronger lyrics, one that drew up so many emotions in myself was his self-expression of “I could be your love, let me save you”. To end this musical journey, I want listeners to finish this album feeling happy and carefree and what better way than with Larsons song, “Piping Hot Recoil”. I love his consistency and use of the clarinet in this track, from start to finish these pieces leave me feeling upbeat and swaying. Listen to Logan Larson & Logarhythmic Collective's full album here. Welcome to BuzzMusic and thank you for this new musical experience. Can you tell me what inspired you to combine EDM and contemporary music? Since the beginning of my career, my goal has always been to find new ways of combining classical and EDM. All of my instrumental acoustic works have some elements of EDM intertwined within them. In the early stages of my career, I wanted to only write acoustic music and leave the electronics out of my compositions. My mindset changed when I came to the conclusion that current EDM could use more layers and complexity, and any attempt of the fusion of the genres in the classical realm lacked intensity, power, and movement. Over my extensive college career I have been crafting this new genre that ultimately formed Logarhythmic Collective, and in turn, created “As We Grow”. Another inspiration for this fusion music is that I feel like I may be the only one who can create it. Everyone says that, but realistically how many people could write this music? I don’t know anyone else who writes EDM that has nine years of training in counterpoint, orchestration, theory, and analysis. I also don’t know another composer who has enough production skills or interest in EDM to create it. I feel like I owe it to both the Classical and EDM communities to bring something new to the table. We noticed that this album has both instrumental and vocal versions. Can you example the purpose of each version and how they add to the album? Being a vocalist, I use my voice throughout every step of my compositional process. While crafting the melodies of the solo instrumental works, I am constantly making up lyrics. These lyrics that I have in my head facilitate how I phrase and shape the entire piece. The vocal versions are a look behind the curtain of how I craft the instrumental versions of each piece. These vocal versions obviously add lyrics and voice, but also convey to the audience a more refined vision of the subject matter of each work. Each track is so unique and takes the listener through a different journey. What was the message you were trying to convey in “Overzealous”? My pieces are highly driven by either a storyline or a concept I want to explore. Being a fitness enthusiast, “Overzealous” draws on the concept of pre-workout and the effect it has on the body. The chemicals combine to generate explosive power within our bodies with the only way of expelling the energy is through high-intensity physical movement. Given that you are currently working on obtaining your Doctorate, what are you planning to specialize in? I’m currently obtaining my Doctorate of Musical Arts (D.M.A.) in Music Composition at the University of Miami through the renowned Frost School of Music. There are no formal specialties associated with my degree; hence, I am allowed to pursue anything that falls under the classical arts. The faculty has given me the freedom to carve my own path and put my passion for EDM into my classical music by exploring the relationship between acoustic instruments and the electronic elements of EDM. The results of my work formed a new subgenre I call “New Wave Classical Art Music” (NWCAM, pronounced nuke-um), which is the genre of the entire “As We Grow” album. Thank you for chatting with us. Seeing that you perform worldwide, where can we expect to see you next? Most of the upcoming performances of my music will be in the Miami area, but in March 2020 my music is being premiered in New York City at the Manhattan School of Music by Mezzo-Soprano, Natalie Rumer. Logarhythmic Collective and I will be performing around Florida and are currently setting up shows to perform across America. We will be releasing new music in 2020. Music update for Logarhythmic Collective and myself can be found through our social media pages and websites. instagram.com/__LoganLarson__ instagram.com/LogarhythmicCollective #BuzzMusic

Not much is known about producer Jon Kyoto and rapper KNOWBODY, but that’s what makes this collaborative project that much more interesting. ‘Shine Tsukuyomi’ is the joint effort of these two artists, based in Tokyo. Kyoto and KNOWBODY create a range of hip-hop tracks that covers all styles within the genre, giving listeners a variety of songs resulting in something for everyone. With first-rate production and a unique sound, this duo is nothing short of exceptional. The track "Shine Tsukuyomi" is like nothing we’ve ever heard before in the greatest way possible. It’s as though J-Pop meets rap with a mellow beat flowing throughout. The combination of different sounds gives the song a fresh approach to hip hop and the music in this genre. The listener is engaged throughout the entire track wondering what will be heard next. We are surprised at the last minute when the track takes a turn and sounds as though it is being played in slow motion. This changes the aesthetic of the song providing an interesting and exciting twist. We loved the sound Kyoto and KNOWBODY created with Shine Tsukuyomi and highly recommend checking out the rest of the album for a refreshing take on hip hop/rap music. Jon Kyoto and KNOWBODY are truly two names you need to look out for in 2020 as the mystery behind the duo leaves you craving for more. Listen to ‘Shine Tsukuyomi’ here. instagram.com/jonkyoto instagram.com/knowbodylovesyou #BuzzMusic