Reviews by Mark E. Waterbury

Rise - Uncertain Wonders
Sheheshe Records - OP4000
Scotland's Rise takes a sly dose of Celtic and native influences, and injects it into music that has euphonic folk qualities augmenting the evocative vocals of Debbie Dawson. Songs like "Thinking About You" and "Wild Mountain" will claw at your emotions while caressing you with their beauty. "Time and Tide" in which Debbie trades harmonies with multi-instrumentalist Gerry Geoghagen transports you to the lush hills of the Highlands while "I Wonder Why" has a more hooky almost singer/songwriter country quality with snappy rhythms flowing through the same delicate vibe. Overall a stunning music display by great players fraught with passion and the talent to display them in wondrous ways. URL: http://www.riseband.co.uk

Elaine Lachica - Self titled
The music from this Baltimore singer/songwriter seethes with beauty and although it is predominately mellow the passion brings forth a potent undercurrent. Reminiscent of some of the Cowboy Junkies more ethereal tunes nodding in the direction of Bjork. Lush, emotive vocals are the star here, carried by just the right touches of instrumentation to add a further dimension. A mesmerizing debut that will turn some heads. URL: http://elaine_lachica.home.mindspring.com E-mail: elaine_lachica@mindspring.com

Enode - Memory Still Fresh
Two Headed Boy Productions'
"Envelope" a song that could fit well on radio, kicks off the debut from this Brooklyn act with edgy pop alt that has a nice balance of power hooks and gutsy vocals,. The haunting "Pallbearer's Confession" has a more acoustic alt feel and "Coney Island" is a surprising ballad with a modern Lou Reed take. Most of the album leans more in the Cold Play direction, but Enode has a fresh perspective, throwing interesting subtleties into the tunes that mix well with their overall knack for writing solid music. URL: http://www.enode.bengitenstein.com E-mail: enode@bengitenstein.com

World Class Noise - Day & Night
WCN hails from the Windy City, and with their good time approach to R&B, soul, rock and jazz they can definitely stir up a strong breeze of their own. Nine members strong, the players all compliment each other with their talents and distinct musical personalities, rather then trying to overplay like many large outfits tend to do. Think a bit Otis, a bit B.B. and a touch of Tower of Power. The result is a toe tapping, foot stomping vehicle for the powerfully soulful vocals of Marc Pulido. The band is aptly named - they ARE world class and create very enjoyable music. URL: http://www.worldclassnoise.com E-mail: wcn@worldclassnoise.com

99 Names of God - Interwoven
Starting off with a near war drum beat with splashes of breathy female vocals and electronica flourishes, 99 Names of God may be one of the fresher acts to come out in awhile. It's hard to pin down comparisons for this Dallas area trio; maybe a bit of Cocteau Twins and New Order with a dash of trance, but this is their own hybrid and it smacks of musical genius. Powerful without being noisy and slyly hypnotic, this tripod is one to watch out for. URL: http://www.99namesofgod.com E-mail: redjewell2000@yahoo.com

Furniture Music - Satellite Life
Furniture Music is a fivesome from the Big Apple that fuels a primarily alt rock machine with interesting prog, folk and retro influences. The fuzzed up guitar snarl of "This Load" and the edgy folk ballad "Too Late" are some great tunes that show some different off ramps to their musical highway. You can feel influences here from the Verve Pipe and My Life with the Thrill Kill Cult to the Moody Blues and the Beatles. These guys have a real flair for distinctive songwriting and that is a real plus for this effort. URL: http://www.furnituremusic.org E-mail: trish@furnituremusic.org

Geomancer - Self titled EP
Instrumental metal bands are few and far between right now, and if this four song taste from Geomancer is any indication, they could become one of the hottest. From the unlikely town of Mystic, Connecticut, the band ignores most modern metal trends and instead fires up blistering progressive-slanted power to the shade of Maiden, Metal Church and Sacred Reich. They all have solid chops and let them loose in an abandon that is comfortably familiar - and best served quite loud. URL: http://www.geomancer.com E-mail: thickerpf@yahoo.com

Plum Village - self titled
If Eric Johnson went a bit easy listening he may write music akin to Anthony Aglione's brainchild Plum Village. Instrumental guitar prowess in the mellower non shredding form has interesting embellishments such as the African tinged rhythms in "Same World as Mine" and the delectable Spanish influenced guitar plucking in "Diablo." A tight band combining a backdrop cocktail of easy rock, light jazz and folk to convey the talented guitar work and unpretentious music bodes well for this NYC outfit. URL: http://www.plumvillage.com E-mail: anthony.aglione@roche.com

Michael Johnathon - Homestead
PoetMan Records - PMR70012
Kentucky's Michael Johnathon takes a bit of a different tack on the singer/songwriter routine. Combining luscious folk guitar plucking with subtle influences from Ireland to Italy to back woods deep south, the music is soothing but also gains rapt attention. "Winter's Eve" is a stunningly beautiful ballad, and the instrumental lead in to "The Homestead Suite" shows pure talent on the six string. The homey lyrics add a dimension that allows you to wrap yourself in this music like a comfortable old blanket; but you won't drift off because the music will keep you intrigued. URL: http://www.woodsongs.com E-mail: folkboy@woodsongs.com

Living Space - Fade Into Existence...
Dark Matters Productions
This threesome from San Francisco brings a touch of Brit pop to the west coast where the mesh it with an alt Americana feeling and splashes of reggae, folk and other morsels. For the most part an acoustic album, lively tempo-ed songs like "U.S." and "Down in Denver" are interspersed with atmospheric ballads like "Don't Be Long" and the twisted deep roots blues of "Stay Up." Truly unique with vocals that are melodic with a background intensity that laces the varied styles together. URL: http://www.darkmatters.net E-mail: proz@darkmatters.net

Kelly Keeling Live In Concert At The Velvet Underground/Hard Rock
Downtown Atlanta has a unique treat in store for it when Kelly Keeling drops in at the Velvet Underground at the Hard Rock Cafe on Saturday, July 12th for a special acoustic performance. Kelly is known for his days with such prominent rock acts as Blue Murder, Baton Rouge, King Kobra and Michael Schenker, among others. This show is going to give Atlantans a first glimpse at the new songs Kelly has written for his first solo project which will be released later this year. Kelly's new music is going to grab your soul with its intensity. The power his voice had when performing and recording with heavier rock acts in the past is still evident, and is now converted to pure emotion, conveying his poignant life experience into lyrics with astonishing effect. You can feel influences from Coldplay, Jeff Buckley, The Beatles and Temple of the Dog - but Kelly's own talent in songwriting, vocalizing and instrumental abilities is the real star here. Kelly will bring a guitar, a keyboard and his incredible vocal cords. Local guitar virtuoso Dominic Gaudious will join Kelly on stage for a few songs, and the Robert Barnes Band is going to perform an acoustic set to open the show. This is going to be a great night of pure musical talent, and a chance to see one of rock's most respected and talented vocalists take a step in a new direction, as Kelly Keeling exposes his true songwriting soul to his audience. URL: http://www.kellykeeling.net