So, what are you listening to these days?

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Taking a break from her usual hard rock and metal, Finnish singer Tarja Turunen has been releasing a series of EDM and Caribbean inflected tracks over the past couple years under the band name Outlanders. Her partner on the project is German musician and producer Torsten Stenzel with other singers and writers contributing. Each song has a guest guitarist. In this case, that is Jennifer Batten who has played with the likes of Jeff Beck and Michael Jackson over her career as well as releasing some albums of her own. Like all of the Outlanders tracks, the video is shot on location in Antigua.


A full album from Outlanders is due out later this year.
 
Against the Current kind of lost me there for a while. And they weren't that active during the pandemic, either. However, they seem to back on track with a vengeance. The band is a trio of voice, guitar and drums but on their current tour, they augment with a bass and rhythm guitar to become a five piece. They have released a couple live videos a date in Cologne, Germany recently. Not sure if this means a live album is coming or what. As usual, vocalist Chrissie Costanza is front and centre. Like other favorite leads of mine, she combines solid vocal talent with a lively stage presence and ability to work an audience.


 
And upcoming band Concrete Castles reminds me a lot of ATC. They are also a trio, also started doing covers (under another name), and lead singer Audra Miller reminds me a bit of a younger Chrissie. In fact, Castles' first tour was as the opening act for Against the Current. And they are releasing videos in prep for their second full album. From a bunch of kids starting a cover band out of their music school. Concrete Castles have become polished performers and all three are top notch in their roles. Besides Audra, there's Sam Gilman on drums and the amazing Matt Yost on lead guitar.



The future is looking bright for this young band but they still keep to their roots, doing weekly covers as First to Eleven, their original band.
 
I found an artist named Ren. I fell into his rabbit hole. He’s something between folk, hip-hop - well you can’t put a label on him. He does everything. He’s phenomenal. This is “Hi Ren”. Listen through the first couple of minutes of intro. There’s a point to it. It gets more interesting.

 
(I watch reaction videos. They’re fun. I usually go looking for reactions to music I already know and like, I must admit. But Ren is blowing up the internet right now. Lots of artists block YouTube and reaction videos but Ren is using it to promote himself and it’s working. “Hi Ren” has 10 million views in 4 months! 30,000 comments. He has 807K followers.)
 
Wow - I have mixed emotions on this one. It took me back to the mid 90s, and my generation’s vibe. And yet, it’s brand new. They get it and are doing it justice. No bs “posing” with these two. They’re authentic. I’m so glad I found this musical artist. I think he’s a genius. From what I’ve seen he’s authentic in every genre he attempts. He makes his own thing out of it, at the same time.


(You have to go to the link.)
 

(*warning, some bad language) This is his tribute to the Beastie Boys, and another era. Give it a chance, keeping in mind the content of the first video. It’s a journey - or a dance, as he said.

OK this ‘kid’ can’t get any cooler. Sincerely.
 
He’s from Brighton, by the way. An old friend from high school moved to Brighton in the late 90s thinking that’s where he’d become a rock star. He probably thought he’d find more of this kind of talent - Brighton has a history of turning out talent - but at that time he said he found a lot of redundant electronica. He came back 6 months later, a bit disappointed. I’m not in touch with him anymore but I still think he’d love this.
 
Melanie performing on Johnny Carson in 1972. I can’t believe just learned of her through Ren sampling some of this song. I was reading in the comments that she sang at Woodstock. I had no idea she existed! Weird. I feel like I should’ve heard of her before.

 
Kimmio Laughterlove said:
Melanie performing on Johnny Carson in 1972. I can’t believe just learned of her through Ren sampling some of this song. I was reading in the comments that she sang at Woodstock. I had no idea she existed! Weird. I feel like I should’ve heard of her before.
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I know the name, but can't say I am all that familiar with any of her music.
 
Waterfall said:
"Brand New Key" and "Look What Theyve Done to My Song Ma", got alot of airplay in the 70's. I remember her well.
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Oh! I’ve heard Brand New Key before! I like that. It feels like something a quirky indie folk-pop star could do today and it would sound current! I’m trying to think who…maybe Regina Spektor. Actually even someone between then and today like Tory Amos. I could hear them doing it and it wouldn’t sound out of place. I could even imagine Rufus Wainright singing it and sounding great. I didn’t know who sang it. I can’t say I’ve heard it a lot but I have, of course, heard it. I guess that speaks to a timeless quality Melanie has.
 
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