Sporting fresh shiny new black locks and her naturally strong candid female presence, Singer Susan Hyatt teams up once again with original Stimulator guitarist/producer/co-songwriter and co-founding member Geoff Tyson.   The result is signature Stimulator with sweeping melodic guitar melodies and world class James Bond style production.

The third CD, appropriately entitled “Lovelier in Black,” showcases Stimulator simply doing what they do best, rocking out with no apologies. Susan plays every inch of the Gothic princess but admits to having more in common with vintage PJ Harvey than with the blockbuster epic dark popsters Evanessence.

“I grew up listening to and watching artists like David Bowie and Debbie Harry experiment and take artistic chances. ” It’s no surprise that Susan has played with so many different musical genreswith Stimulator. From wrapping herself up in duct tape embracing her punk rock and new wave roots crawling around onstage on the WARPED TOUR to playing artsy sophisticated ballads to huge crowds opening Arena Tours with Duran Duran and the GO-GO’s; Stimulator has been on the forefront of reviving new wave rock and roll and classic Disco.

“I think it’s really important to always try and reinvent yourself as an artist both musically and visually to stay relevant.” It is this artistic commitment that keeps fans so loyal to Stimulator. When Stimulator’s record label, The LAB, went defunct in 2006, fans donated their own money and paid for the production and release of the second album. It was that kind of faith that kept the band going even through the roughest times of the music industry.

Stimulator now consists of singer/songwriter Susan Hyatt (Pillbox/MP3TV UK TV Host), lead guitarist and Producer Geoff Tyson (T-Ride, Snake River Conspiracy), drummer Paul Rinis (IO ECHO), guitarist Jesse Beckman (formerly with Kissing Violet, Tila Tequila) and bassist Michael Brent (formerly of Phantasm – NYC).

Gin Wigmore’s eagerly anticipated debut album ‘HOLY SMOKE’ was released in her native New Zealand (Double Platinum) and Australia (nearing Gold) and will follow here in the States March 16th. Recorded in Los Angeles with a ‘dream team’ of production and musician talents, Gin’s album represents the latest chapter in a story which began back in her home town of Auckland, New Zealand.

After months preparing to record her album, songwriting alone and with Martin Terefe (Jason Mraz, KT Tunstall, James Morrison), Dan Wilson (Dixie Chicks, Semisonic), Mitchell Froom (Crowded House) and Mike Elizondo (Eminem, 50 Cent, Gwen Stefani, Fiona Apple), Gin once again packed her bags and headed across the Pacific to commence recording in April.
At the helm of ‘HOLY SMOKE’ is Grammy® nominated producer Mike Elizondo (Alanis Morissette, Fiona Apple, Nelly Furtado, Maroon 5) and vocals were recorded at his Phantom Studios in Westlake Village, Los Angeles.
Performing on ‘HOLY SMOKE’ are the highly successful and renowned The Cardinals (of Ryan Adams & The Cardinals fame). Full band tracking and the majority of the vocals were laid down at the legendary Capitol Studios.

What do you get when you cross equal parts of soul/R&B with rock, tinged with funk and presented in a sexy package? Why, Ezina, of course. This former Miss Black USA’s second release is at once purring and rocking.

Ezina wrote or co-wrote all the songs and contributed guitar to go along with her sultry vocals. She was also the executive producer for the album, which is on her label. Sometimes it is a bad idea for people to trust their own ears instead of a third party, but not in this case. The production and song selection are bang-on here.

The direction is split between up-tempo rockers, inviting ballads and Tracy Chapman-style songs with a bit more guitar. Think Joan Armatrading (Me Myself I era) for a rough comparison.

The record intro is a minute long spoken word piece that begs the question, how do we value women? It’s followed by the title track, “Power Of A Woman,” which is the centerpiece of the record. It’s an almost six minute powerhouse that showcases Moore’s strong voice and guitar abilities. A husky guitar is added towards the end of the track that propels it nicely to the finishing line.

“Scream” is another excellent song that has a seductive melody line with great vocals. Some nice guitar plucking motors “Back In The Day” over which flutters Moore’s versatile voice, proving that she can be as restrained as she can be commanding.
“Fly So High” and “Had Me” are two rock-ish songs that feature her energetic guitar style, as well as on “Same Ol’ Music,” which is a rapid strum-fest. “Wrote Me Off” continues the riffage.

The solo voice and guitar-featured “Evil Ways” showcases her emotive, come-hither vocals. You can almost see a cocked eyebrow as she sings that she’s changed her evil ways… although “sometimes I backslide just a little.”

Power Of A Woman is a winner of a record. Great vocals, strong songs and melodic but raw guitar help make this an engaging listen.

“For those who worship the ground that Jewel, Ani Difranco or any other independent female artist walks on, you’ve been paying homage to the wrong diva.” – Adam Jonas, Iowa State Daily (Ames, IA.)

Tina Schlieske was born in Chicago and raised in the music hub of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Her mother – herself the daughter of a Russian Opera diva, adored music and passed her passion along to her children. Tina was weaned on 70′s FM radio and the music her Mother blasted from her stereo. Joni Mitchell, Janis Joplin, the Beatles, and Elvis were all early inspirations. But then an Aretha Franklin tape her sister Laura gave to her sealed Tina’s musical fate.

She had her first guitar at 13, and her first electric guitar at 16 and taught herself out of the chord books she found in her sister’s piano bench. As a teenager with an independent streak, Tina formed a band, Tina & the B-Sides, a rock/soul/blues concoction that went on to become one of the most popular bands in the Midwest.

Starting her own independent label Movement Records along with an aggressive touring schedule of back-to-back two hour plus shows and an onstage energy that ignited the crowds earned Tina a reputation that was hard to ignore. Seymour Stein from Sire records went to see a Tina and the B-Sides show at the famed CBGB’s in New York and she was signed the next day.

“A white soul singer from Minneapolis? Don’t laugh. Like Janis Joplin 30 years before her, Tina Schlieske collides guitar-based rock with gutbucket R&B and puts on a frenetic live show.” – Terry Crawford, Shreveport Sun (Shreveport, LA.)

Tina stayed with the label for 4 years and recorded 2 albums with Sire, Salvation (produced by Paul Fox) and It’s All Just the Same (produced by John Fields). They had songs in three major motion pictures, “The Traveler”, “A Simple Plan” and “Very Bad Things” as well as major TV commercials such as Motorola. Tina and band shared stages with acts like Lenny Kravitz, Susan Tedeschi, the Indigo Girls, The Wallflowers and Etta James. Moreover, Tina had collaborated with such diverse artists as Stewart Copeland, Me’Shell Ndegeocello and Minneapolis native Dan Wilson. During that time, she was also considered to play the role of Janis Jolpin in Paramount Picture’s “Piece of My Heart” a film about the late singer’s life.

After 12 years of fronting her band the B-Sides, releasing 8 records, selling nearly 100,000 CD’s (mostly from word of mouth) and touring for an epic decade-and-a-half in front of throngs of passionately loyal fans, Tina wanted a change.

One of the changes was a decision to leave Sire and go back to the band’s grassroots once again. To celebrate their new independence, Tina and the B-Sides played two nights at Minneapolis’ First Ave to sell out crowds and recorded the event. The result was their 1999 double live CD, The Last Polka, which became the band’s swansong.

Tina moved West after the band’s breakup and for all of 2000 she toured the country solo with just her and her acoustic guitar, playing the small clubs that had been so supportive during the B-Sides’ reign. Additionally, she formed a cover band to pay homage to her early inspirations, Lola and the Red Hots. Lola released two CD’s including the unendingly popular Christmas album, “Have Yourself A Red Little Christmas”

She also began exploring new and different outlets for her talents. In 2001, Stevie Ray Vaughn’s band Double Trouble approached Tina offering her the lead singer/rhythm guitarist slot. Throughout that spring and summer Tina stunned hard-nosed blues-rock fans and critics alike with her gritty voice and passionate performances.

“The highlight of the set was when DT blew the roof off of the Tabernacle with the cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Rock & Roll” sung by Tina Schlieske. If Robert Plant had been present he surely would have shrieked and danced…” – Adam Geitgey, Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Atlanta, GA.)

But Tina decided not to stay on permanently with DT, and returned home to write new material for her solo debut, something she had been putting off doing for too long.
With several records’ worth of material, Tina is preparing to enter yet another phase of her career, this time on her own. “Music has been and always will be a huge part of my life. I am so thankful for the longevity and the ability to be able to continue this dream. I’m looking forward to the next ten CD’s!”

Two years ago Laura, Sienna and Megan were three strangers with one thing in common: the ability to rock. It was this commonality that drew each of them as regular performers to the stage of Mr. T’s Bowl; the cradle of L.A.’s fiercely independent rock scene. Wedged into the seediest block of Highland park, Mr. T’s is the kind of place where you’re just a likely to slow dance with a toothless granny as swap tips on mohawk styling. The girls fit right in.

The Randies were making great music while developing a solid fan base playing at popular venues around L.A., but they still hadn’t found their dream drummer. When the girls hooked up with Kelly, (who was fresh off the road with Green Day and Blink 182) they knew they had found their missing piece and punk/pop world domination was at hand.

The Randies caught the ear of the Production Team “Elicit Music” who quickly signed on to record the band’s debut album, “At The Friendship Motor Inn”. You can spot The Randies about town and across the country hard at work preparing for their October 26, 2004 release date through Elicit/Majestic Recordings/Navarre. The Randies are having the time of their lives bringing their unique brand of melody driven punk to their legions of fans.

Even though Buffy the Vampire Slayer had worn itself out by the time it ended, only a year later, it’s startling how quickly the premise– that a young girl can fight and defend herself just as well as a man– has vanished from the airwaves. Just the next year, two of the biggest television events were the biopics of Elizabeth Smart and Jessica Lynch, two young, helpless girls who exist only to be rescued. We got a flashback to what we were missing when the Buffy spin-off Angel ended its own run. In one scene, a red-faced demon stalks up to a skinny, defenseless-looking brunette and taunts, “Take your best shot, little girl”; the brunette, unimpressed, reels around and throws a fist right through the chauvinist demon’s face, killing him instantly.

PJ Harvey’s fans are waiting for her to do much the same thing. Every time a new album’s announced, part of her audience hopes she’ll step up again as the loudest, boldest female guitar hero. It’s not that Harvey sounds tame these days: Her confidence on stage and her edgy glamour have kept pace with her voice, which she has developed into one of the most powerful and seductive in rock. But the blaring guitars of Dry and unusual meter of Rid of Me were a quicker fix, and without them, Harvey’s studio work grew cloistered and difficult.

Since 1995′s To Bring You My Love, each of her albums has turned off some chunk of her fanbase. The subtle character studies and trip-hop backdrops of Is This Desire? struck some as cold or dissonant, and her John Parish collaboration, Dance Hall at Louse Point, is (wrongly) dismissed as erratic and avant-weak, even as it showcases her most striking vocals– at turns chilled and self-absorbed, shriekingly gruesome, or tortured by rapture. And Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea won Britain’s Mercury Music Prize, but even some diehards called it slick and easy; and post 9/11, Stories actually sounds creepy, whether for the references to helicopters over New York, the song “Kamikaze”, or that duet with Thom Yorke, which is hairlessly erotic like newts 69′ing.

Now, four years later, Uh Huh Her– with its guttural title, punk-ugly cover and its advertised guitar-focus– is billed as a “return to form.” But even if guitars dominate Uh Huh Her, the album ignores all expectations. Harvey plays everything but drums, and you can recognize her rough and earthy tone on the electric, played like she’s molding clay. But even the buzzing distortion is focused and spare, mounted the way a collector hangs a precious Japanese sword. It actually resembles Radiohead’s Hail to the Thief, a guitar album that also succeeded because of its mood– not because the mood saves the songs, but because the terse, simple writing makes the album so intimate.

The scenes of sexual tension and crisis here resemble those of Is This Desire?, but this time they don’t require names or places. “The Pocket Knife” resembles a folk murder ballad, with a simple, perfect guitar part and lyrics like, “Please don’t make my wedding dress/ I’m too young to marry yet/ Can you see my pocket knife?/ You can’t make me be a wife.” Harvey murmurs “The Desperate Kingdom of Love” over a gentle acoustic, and the delicate imagery enhances a straight-up love ballad; and if the final song, “The Darker Days of Me and Him”, promises recovery after a bad break-up (“I’ll pick up the pieces/ I’ll carry on somehow”) the tone stays grim, and Harvey’s not patting herself on the back for knowing better.

Yet as careful as the atmosphere sounds, Harvey’s ready to tear it apart at any time. “Cat on a Wall” actually sounds murky and misplaced, but “The Letter”, the album’s first single, builds in sharp bursts and terse riffs under the shrewd sexual imagery: “Take the cap/ Off your pen/ Wet the envelope/ Lick and lick it.” And the two-minute tantrum of “Who the Fuck?” devolves into the caveman-talk promised by the album title– for example, the bridge: “Who/ Who/ Who/ Who/ Fuck/ Fuck/ Fuck/ You.” Britain’s Guardian newspaper cites this as proof that Harvey’s a “certified lunatic,” probably because they don’t get the concept of “catharsis.”

By the time you hear the accordion-and-guitar interlude, or the full minute of seagull calls, it’s clear that Harvey isn’t making a “rock” record per se. And maybe to preserve the mood, Harvey doesn’t give us her most striking material. Outside of a few tracks like “The Letter”, “Pocket Knife” or “The Desperate Kingdom of Love”, the album is stronger than the sum of its interludes. But if you take it as a whole, Uh Huh Her is deeply engrossing: Harvey has never explored the minimal-verging-on-primitive side of her music so thoroughly, or captured so exactly the sound of a mood swing.

And once again, unlike many of her peers and fellow 90s veterans, she refuses to categorize herself. Her recorded work shows her not as a diva singer, or a rock goddess– no matter how much her fans, or the world, want that– but as an artist, who will seize the world or retreat from it completely if it serves her ends. Harvey has never recorded a weak record, or even a transitional album; nothing set the audience up for this disc, and we may wait another four years until she’s satisfied with the next one. And that one probably won’t sound like Dry, either.
-Chris Dahlen

There is a combustible quality about newcomer Rachael Yamagata that for a lot of listeners will call to mind Fiona Apple. A first spin of Happenstance can make you itch with the thrill of discovery, but it also leaves behind the impression that its singer is vaguely dangerous; which is exactly what makes these songs so absorbing.

“Everybody’s talking how I can’t be your love,” she pouts in a melodically engineered stutter on opener “Be Be Your Love,” one of several tracks pairing her with a piano that seems to take the brunt of the punishment for her wrecked relationships. The rest of the disc unravels with similar heat: When she growls in her full-time rasp that “(You’ve) worn me down/like a road/I did everything you told” on the very infectious indie-rock leaning “Worn Me Down,” you believe her. But the less stormy numbers work as well, with “1963″ coming off as flower-power pop grounded by a voice that knows better and “I Want You” wending its way through a fat, heartsick wallow to emerge someplace burnt in honesty.

A late minute-long instrumental feels more tasteful than pretentious, adding to a monster of a debut already fueling hopes that happenstance–the term, not the album–will play a miniscule part in Yamagata’s eventual output.
I discovered the husky, growl in my voice after joining the Chicago band Bumpus – a highly energetic funk/soul/hip hop band influenced by Sly Stone, Prince, Mos Def, George Clinton, and others.

Self taught as a pianist, I had never thought to be in a band, but when I saw them I had the irrepressible urge to be on stage with them – tambourine was my first role. I’d bring them coffee and donuts at 2am during practice and sit on the roof of their rehearsal space singing along. One day they needed a third harmony and I was there. They changed everything for me – introduced me to the fantastic interplay between bass and drums, electric live performances, horn sections, and band dysfunction which of course is a rich songwriting foundation. I had to find that Joplinesque power somewhere or face a public crash and burn competing with huge bass amps, guitar rigs and so on… Therefore, in true go-out-and-do-it Cher-like fashion, I did. With four writers and three front people, I also learned the art of crafting set lists and live shows and working an audience.

Alas, I kept falling in and out of love and needed some creative outlet for those emotions. Surrounded by guys who weren’t really coming from Carole King, Roberta Flack, James Taylor, Ricki Lee Jones, Simon and Garfunkel etc…the trail I began with them started to diverge. My writing didn’t fit, so in a cathartic breakdown six years later I decided to try an open mic with these other songs and see what happened. The next day I ran into an artist that handed me the business card of the scout that led to my first showcase at the Viper Room in 2001.

Every part of my musical experience has worked somewhat backwards, so I expect the insanity. My first solo show in NYC was at the Living Room on an out of tune piano. My second was a sold-out show at Madison Square Garden opening for David Gray. So yes, it’s crazy and no I don’t like to think about it too much or it does freak me out.
At this time I met my first manager who ran the CD duplication house that made copies of my five-song demo. Several more rounds of showcasing for major labels followed until I finally settled in at RCA Victor Group.

So began the whirlwind of co-writes, producer searches, booking agents, publicists and so forth. In the winter of 2003 I began work on an EP with producer Malcolm Burn (Emmylou Harris, Bob Dylan) in Kingston, NY. This happened to be 20 minutes from my parent’s house in Woodstock.

My initiation into solo recording was similar to my initiation to solo performance: fast and intense. Malcolm is a wonderful genius that pulls it out of you no matter what. He’s earthy, raw, organic, and truthful and a handful for a new artist that hadn’t had time to figure it all out on her own. Our work connected enough to garner some great reviews in the Chicago Tribune, New York Times, Philadelphia Inquirer etc. and earned me a place on MTV’s ‘You Hear It First,’ and CNN’s ‘The Music Room.’ From there the EP has since conquered The Gap, a Northwest airlines flight to France, a golf course in Virginia, and a fruit stand in Woodstock – so my friends and family tell me. I have just found out about a Starbuck’s sampler and I’m hoping that guarantees me some free coffee.

I’m grateful for all of it, but I have to remember calm, calm, calm, don’t dwell, don’t dwell, don’t dwell…

I’m 20 and I feel like I’ve already had a wonderful journey.

I started playing music when I was 5, my folks got me some violin lessons. They were actually for my older sister Lina, but after her first lesson the teacher said her fingernails were too long and that she had to cut them in order to play. She decided never to go back, and since my folks had paid for a month’s worth of lessons, they gave them to me. Thank goodness for that. I feel that my classical training has helped me so much with my music today. Thanks to mom and dad for that one.

I didn’t start singing till I was 12, I sang in choir, and I guess this story goes back to that same sister. Lina went to the same middle school, had a great voice, so the choir teacher wanted to see if I could sing like my sis. It worked out, and that’s kinda why I do what I do. Right after that, I started with the guitar, and immediately began writing songs. Thanks to Lina for that.

A couple years later I met a wonderful guitarist/producer Chazz Bessette. If you guys wanna know anything about guitars go visit him at Guitar Center in Tacoma. He’s the guitar guy, pretty cool! Him and I did an album together in 2000 called “VMB.” We eventually want to redo it, but we’re not sure when. There’s some great songs on that disc. I did a couple acoustic cd’s, and planning on doing another one pretty soon. I also came out with my latest album in July of 2003, “Sleep To Dream,” produced by me and Paul Speer…http://www.rainstormrecords.com.

I’ve done some pretty cool stuff. I got to be on the April 9th episode of the CBS talent show “Star Search.” (2003). I won that round and went on a couple days later…no win, but a great time! In November of 2000 at Seattle’s King Cat Theatre, I was chosen from 23 other finalists, who were selected from over 4,000 participants statewide, to win first prize in “Believe,” a vocal talent competition. That was nice because I won $1000 and got to fix my crappy car. Some people don’t know this, but I tried out for the first American Idol. I was selected to go to Hollywood, but after receiving the contract, (along with paid tickets to Cali) I decided not to sell them my soul…good move for me since I write all my own music…ah well.

I’ve had a great time meeting a lot of cool people that are doing what I’m doing. Lotsa cool bands! Jude Bowerman, Flowmotion, Danny Godinez, Combustion Collective, Steve Stefanowicz, Holly Figueroa, Sean Campbell…the list goes on and on. I’ve been privileged to play with many great musicians. Rod Cook (guitar), Doug Barnett (bass), James Clark (bass) , Barbara Blue (bass), Darin Watkins (drums), Derek Brown (bass), Casey Miller (drums), Chris Brooks (drums), Chad Quist (guitar), Andrew Cloutier (drums), Kerry O’Connor (keyboards), Marcus Vann (bass), Cliff Colon (saxophone), Sue Orfield (saxophone), Alexey Nikolaev (saxophone), Keith Lowe (bass), Steve Bishop(guitar), Lisa Mann (bass), Joey Porter (keyboards), Eric Bryson (bass), Zachary Stewert (guitar), and my little friend Abigail Fein (percussion/back up vocals).
Its been a great ride, and I can’t wait for the rest of it. With what we all go through in our lives, we need something to bring us comfort…music is it. Everyone deserves to be happy, and happiness is in a song.

Christel Rice is originally from Philadelphia, where she attended the Philadelphia College of Performing Arts as a classical flutist. She attended the school under the direction of Adeline Tomasone, (an international performing flutist who has performed solo with the Philadelphia Orchestra, and has performed with artists such as Tony Bennett and Rod Stewart.) While she attended the University, she performed in orchestras, quartets, and was principal flutist for theatre productions at the Forrest Theatre in downtown Philadelphia.

It wasn’t until she finished attending the Philadelphia College of Performing Arts that she found an extreme fondness and an innate attraction to such as local Irish Philly pubs The Bards, The Plough and the Stars, and the Mermaid Inn. Coming from Irish descent (her great grandparents arrived to the states in the early 1900′s), Christel grew up hearing the stories of her great grandfather playing Irish music on various instruments. After a focused year developing her skills in Irish traditional music, she quickly gave up the modern silver flute at age 23 and began playing its wooden counterpart, putting her 17 years of experience to use in a different genre.

She then moved to the Boulder foothills for a change of pace and became active in the local Irish music scene, whose cumulative talent is as good as nearly anywhere in the U.S. Now a flutist of nearly 23 years, she has gained the respect of anyone who has the luck of hearing her lush tone and groovy sense of rhythm. Currently she is performing and touring the Colorado based group the Wayfarers, performing at the The Mabon Festival at Planet Bluegrass and the Fox Theater as well as countless local pubs and theaters. Her upcoming Album “Tunnel Vision” will include the talented musicians in the Wayfarers as well as Tabla virtuoso Ty Burhoe, Bassist Eric Thorin, and NYC based Fiddler Tony DeMarco.

In 1994 I left my home in Montreal to join a big American band. My official life in music had begun.

I played bass in Hole for an intense 5 years, and then joined Smashing Pumpkins to support their last album and farewell tour. They were incredible years of my life educational, like a Bachelor’s degree in rock followed by a Master’s. All of which led me here: Auf Der Maur, my first solo album.

The recording process started in March 2001, but the songwriting took place over the last decade. For creative reasons, it was important for me to do this on my own, before even entertaining the thought of a record company. So I got a plan together and spent every penny I’ve made. I just needed to make my album with no thought of how it would get out there.

I love music and I invited all of my friends down to celebrate it with me. Music to me is about collaborating. There are a lot of musicians with whom I worked on this album: Chris Goss, who produced Queens of the Stone Age; Josh Homme from Queens of the Stone Age and Brandt Bjork, who were both in Kyuss (I think I was their biggest fan); Eric Erlandson, with whom I played in Hole; James Iha, with whom I played in Smashing Pumpkins; and Steve Durand and Jordan Zadorozny, my original bandmates from my first band, Tinker.

This wasn’t about just working with someone because I loved their musicianship. This was about musicians in my life in one form or another for over a decade, people who knew and were sensitive to the fact that I had spent time in someone else’s musical world and wanted to build my own. They supported me with their generous time and talent as brotherly musicians.

I wrote the majority of the songs, but I consciously made room for two other songwriters: Josh Homme and Steve Durand. Josh is one of my dream musicians and a complete inspiration. Steve is my best friend and from my first band. These guys represented my roots and my dreams.