by rudyards | July 20th, 2013
Gods Of Wine (Houston, TX)
https://www.facebook.com/GodsOfWine
A gathering of liked minded Houston musicians who’s goal is to bring you some of the metal songs that defined an era. Gods Of Wine’s motto is: If a song is loud, heavy and has a solo then we’re playing it…If you have a song in mind that would fit our playlist, send us a message and if we pick your tune we’ll owe you a beer….
Ensane (Houston, TX)
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ensane/159589304063093
Born in San Fransisco Ca. Raised in East Palo Alto by his grandmother, this young artist started writing lyrics at the age of 11. Using loops from various instrumentals from artist such as Onyx, E-40, 2Pac, Brotha Lynch Hung, Ghetto Boys, he learned the art of hip-hop and began driving his grandmother crazy with constantly playing music at all times of the day. Instead of making him stop, his grandmother encouraged him to learn read and write, so that he would have “something to say”. He hasn’t stopped since. Years later he found his way to Houston Texas where he began his life. Later on he meets his producer and good friend That Purple Bastard, and Hip-Hop hasn’t been the same since. Together they created That Purple Bastard Productions TM., and Ensane’s first album was born: That Purple Bastard Presents… Ensane The Him in 2009. Since then they have been climbing up the Hip-Hop ladder and have been introduced to the Houston Underground scene. Together they host a bi-weekliy Hip-Hop event called Turnin Headz (Founded By That Purple Bastard) and have stretched their arms out wide to the Houston Hip-Hop Community. Ensane is currently working on a second album,features on That Purple Bastard’s Hater Repellent Vol1,and a collaboration with his good friend Jon Black, calledPayper Boyz Ent./That Purple Bastard Prod presents…The Killafornianz. There is more to come from this up and comming artist so stay tuned…
Karma Jonez (Austin, TX)
https://karmajonze.bandcamp.com/
Texas has a new leading lady and her name is Karma Jonze. Known for not following the norm and creating her own unique brand of southern hip hop flows and lyrics, Karma is setting a new standard as she takes the south by the storm one fan at a time. By any means, do not compare her to others because you simply can’t. Her unconventional approach and out of the box method of style has made it quite difficult toplace her in any one type category which is simply perfect for Karma who chooses to create her own lane. While every other artist is out there claiming that their style has yet to be rivaled, Karma is busy creating the platform and paving the way for future female hip hop/rap artists to follow in her footsteps.
Austin, Texas—-the “Live Music Capital of the World” is where Karma calls home. Inspired at a very early age by recording artists Queen Latifah and Missy Elliott, Karma spent countless hours in the studio perfecting her craft as well as the underground scene learning how to hustle her mixtapes for her cousin’s rap duo group. Overcoming all obstacles and making no excuses, Karma was determined to rise to prominence and make her mark in the hip hop music industry. Producing what she set out to do early on in her career and fulfilling a life long goal, Karma put her skills to work and on October 25, 2010, she released her first mixtape titled “Instrumental Institution”. Tracks like “Her Swagger” and “First Class Misses” may have provided the ladies a new anthem but make no mistake, Karma Jonze is not your typical female rapper.
Although “Random Blue Daze”, Karma’s first LP which was released on May 30, 2011, has been very successful and to date is still creating quite a buzz, she just released highly anticipated album titled “RetroActive” which was be dropped December 25, 2011 and knowing Karma, she won’t stop there!
Ashbury Keys (Houston, TX)
https://www.ashburykeys.com/
Ashbury Keys is a Texas-based alternative rock band centered around brothers David and Darwin Keys. David Keys acts as the band’s principal songwriter, lead vocalist, and guitarist, while Darwin Keys provides drums and vocals. Bassist and vocalist Bill Walter rounds out the band’s core lineup. With a premium placed on strong melodies, Ashbury Keys has assimilated the sounds of such influences as the Beatles, Radiohead, Coldplay and the Smiths to produce its own brand of rock that has garnered critical comparisons to bands ranging from the Foo Fighters, All-American Rejects and Weezer to the Cure.
The band’s catalog contains three full-length cd releases: Ashbury Keys, Dancers and Growing Up. The releases resulted in multiple nominations for Best Alternative Rock Band by the Houston Press, performances on nationally syndicated television shows, song placements in MTV’s The Hills and Degrassi, featured tracks on industry websites such as kings of a&r and notlame.com, and significant airplay on college and internet radio. The band has provided live showcase and conference performances in venues from Los Angeles to Chicago to Austin, and shows supporting acts such as Oleander, Evan Dando, the Deftones, Splendor, Blue October, Bob Schneider, and the Subways.
Ashbury Keys released a new EP this year titled Wake Up. Engineered and produced by Louie Lino of Nada Surf and Matt Pond PA acclaim, the new recording provides yet another sample of the superb melodic rock of Ashbury Keys. The band just completed successful shows in Liverpool, England supporting the EP as part of the 2012 International Pop Overthrow Festival, and will perform additional IPO shows in San Francisco and Austin later this year.
