R&B SINGER SONGWRITER 'JAY ANTHONY' STOPS BY AND TALKS ABOUT HIS NEW SINGLE "WORTH LIVING" PLUS MUCH MORE!

Jay Anthony is Here to Share His Gift of Music with the World

By: Paul K. Barnes

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Some people believe the gift of talent they’ve been given was meant to be regifted with the world. By sharing it with the world, they not only feel fulfilled with a sense of purpose but the happiness people feel when receiving their gift is priceless. Jay Anthony takes this even farther.

“The real goal is to fulfill God’s purpose for my life. It’s that plain and simple. That’s what I’m here to do.”

Jay Anthony is an R&B/Pop singer with a large Gospel influence throughout all his music. Whether it be the spiritual angle of his subject matter, the way he sings, or the way the music is arranged, he keeps God first in all things. His latest single, “Worth Living” from his EP Music & Me was written from a very vulnerable place and offers encouragement and motivation to anyone going through something. Jay explained that he actually began writing the song in 2021 and after going through the loss of his Grandmother, depression and therapy, was able to complete the song this year. He shared that losing her was what caused the depression which led to him temporarily losing his love of music. Since he grew up with multiple musically inclined family members and lives a family centric life, losing her was like losing a piece of the love that was in his heart. But, by completing this song he found the motivation to compose the rest of the EP.

“When I finished writing this song, I cried. When I heard the finished version, I cried. When my Mother - who didn’t know about all of my crying - heard it for the first time, she cried. I knew if it had that effect on us, I had no choice but to share it with the world. The song gave me hope to continue. I knew I had to finish this project and I knew He [God] didn’t give me these words just for me to keep them to myself.”

Jay purposely released this song during this time of year because of how depression affects so many people around the holidays. He wants people to know that it’s okay to not be okay and to get the therapy they need and keep living. All the music Jay writes is made with intentionality like this. For him, every song he writes is like a child which means they all need love and nurturing from him. And because of that love within them, he believes the music will resonate with people today and with people 20-40 years from now. He knows the music will be timeless because the lyrics within them and how they reached him are timeless. 

“It’s spiritual for me. The Most High gives me these lyrics and I’m just a vessel for Him.”

The spiritual perspective of the music creation comes directly from Jay’s background in the church. And with him, he’s found that all music comes from gospel. Whether it’s chords or melodies - all of it goes back to gospel. By learning this, he was able to apply techniques from that world to a plethora of other aspects of music. His Grandmother reinforced this perspective by teaching him that the key to it all is singing from the heart. 

“When you sing from the heart, you’re going to touch people.” 

To produce timeless music, you also have to study timeless music. That’s why Jay cites legends like Michael Jackson, Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Luther Vandross and others as inspiration. And yet, he’s not trying to copy them - he’s letting the legacy they made set the tone for the legacy he wants to have. For Jay, he wants the next generation to be inspired by him just like he was inspired by them so the cycle continues. And with this EP, he hopes that when the music enters the ears, hearts, and minds of people, they feel happy. People experiencing happiness through his music brings him happiness and purpose as he shares his gift with them. 

“You have to start with a great melody that will stay in the hearts of people forever. When people smile, cry or feel triumphant because of my music, I feel happiness. My mission as a singer/songwriter is to inspire and nurture the human spirit. Music is my gift to everybody else.”

Jay Anthony’s EP Music & Me is out now. 

You can learn more about Jay Anthony’s gift of music by following him on his social platforms:

https://www.instagram.com/jayanthony2u/

https://x.com/JayAnthony2U/status/1850198293139112238

https://www.tiktok.com/@jayanthony2u?_t=8rJmAGaCO1j&_r=1

https://youtube.com/@jayanthony2u?si=X8wbbqC9D835ageC

MUNDANE MIRACLE TALKS ABOUT HIS NEW TRACK "CULMINATION" AND MUCH MORE!

With “Culmination,” electro artist Mundane Miracle launches his music into the market

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By Kurt Beyers

Electro, like a lot of music, can make you want to sing along, or play the steering-wheel drum, or get a body part moving, but it generally works by first taking over your head and holding it still for the coming bombardment of sound.

So it is with “Culmination,” the sixth track this year, releasing on November 24, from Mundane Miracle.

“Listening to electronic music is like an explosion in your brain, with all these crazy things going on,” he said. “It just really sets your brain off.”

“I think, with all my songs, it’s kind of like a flow of consciousness,” he said. “It is trying to put out different sounds, and once I have a little base, then I try out different elements, listening repetitively to the song trying different elements.”

Mundane Miracle, is starting to put out the music that he has wanted to make since 2010, when he first heard Matthew Dear’s “I Can’t Feel.”

“Culmination” is somewhat different from the five other songs he has put out so far.

“I started out basically creating the atmospheric undertones to it, and I thought I was just going to have that as a song, just that atmospheric sound.”

That’s the sound that hooks a listener at first. He describes it as “almost eerie, kind of ominous.”

“Most of the songs I’ve been working on more recently have that kind of eerie undertone, but at the same time they’re — I feel like there’s a happiness to them.”

But then he kept on listening, over and over. 

“Sometimes, I’ll keep listening to something, and with ‘Culmination,” I thought, ‘Oh, it would be good to have this here, and this here, and it just kind of evolved from there.”

“Eerie, kind of ominous” is an apt description of the atmospheric underlayer, but coming in and exploding over it is a fireworks display of sound.

He said he started hearing in it hints of other electronic music that he liked, and when he listened to those songs he tried to identify the kinds of things that he liked so that he could incorporate in his song the feelings they aroused.

“I tried to capture the feel as best I could in my own song, and I was really pleased with it, and so, ‘Culmination’ — I called it that because I think it’s a culmination of my being.”

His background is not music, but he has always been a listener. He says he loved classic rock — Jethro Tull was a favorite — and also krautrock, which he called “kind of like classic rock mixed with some electronic.”

But the thought of making music, let alone publishing it, never entered his head as a realistic possibility.

And then he heard “I Can’t Feel.”

“I loved all different types of electro music, but for some reason that hit me in a way that I said to myself, ‘Wow, I really want to try this.’ I thought it would just be a fun hobby.”

He recounts in his artist bio that he was inspired to contact Dear to compliment his song and to ask about music production.

And Dear responded.

“Although my intent was to simply do this for a low-level hobby,” he writes, “he provided a timeline for when I could expect to write and release a song, which I never imagined would even be possible.”

Fourteen years later, it has become a much higher-level hobby. He is putting out music and promoting it and working on more. He has a “lot of other singles in the making.” His genre, and he will stick with it, is lo fi, instrumental electro, “but within that I bounce around between different styles and approaches.”

“It’s still a fun hobby,” he said, “and I am so happy with it right now.

His fun, the happiness, is reflected in the titles he has so far put out: “Magnum Poopus,” “Herculean Homunculus,” “Confetti Illuminati,” and “Sweatpant Euphoria.” His first was “Surreal.”

“If I could make a living off it — I don’t need to be famous; I don’t even know if my genre really lends itself to being really popular — but even if I could just make a modest living off it, that would be a dream come true.”

Experience the music and connect to Mundane Miracle on all platforms for new music, videos, and social posts.

 

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SINGER SONGWRITER KELSEY DODD STOPS IN AND TALKS ABOUT HER NEW EP TITLED "FOREVER EVERGREEN" AND MUCH MORE!

Kelsey Dodd’s New EP "Forever Evergreen" Celebrates Holidays, Family, and Timeless Memories

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By Natalia J

Kelsey Dodd, at just 17, is no newcomer to music. Since age five, Kelsey has been on a steady journey fueled by her passion for singing and the performing arts. From vocal lessons across genres and styles, to musical theater, and training on piano, ukulele, and (a recent dabble in) guitar, she’s set to release her debut EP, “Forever Evergreen.” Originally planned as a holiday project of reimagined Christmas classics, Kelsey shares that during the process of selecting songs, she became inspired to create an original track that captures her deep, imaginative connection to the colors, emotions, and memories of the holidays and family. 

Based in Saratoga, New York, Kelsey brings a vibrant blend of musical influences to her work, from contemporary pop, soul, jazz, and classical sounds. She’s drawn inspiration from greats like Barbara Streisand and Ella Fitzgerald to contemporary artists like Adele and Kelly Clarkson, for her ability to sing powerfully, and convey deep emotion through her voice. Kelsey shares that her style has also been shaped by her background in musical theater, where she’s learned to give each performance its own narrative. She really commits to delivering the story behind each song—something you’ll experience when you listen to “Forever Evergreen.”

The EP’s title track, “Forever Evergreen,” co-written with Cassandra Kubinski, and produced by Joel Moss and Jim Mastrianni, is the emotional centerpiece of the project. This original song embodies Kelsey’s authenticity and love for the holiday season, which she describes as a time when, no matter what happens throughout the year, the holidays serve to reconnect with family, yourself, and the things you cherish most. 

“No matter what we’ve lost, no matter what we knew,

Who had a golden year or who’s feeling blue

Those memories wrapped in red on that snow white scene

The moments that we share this season stay forever evergreen,” she sings in the chorus line. 

Kelsey describes the Evergreen tree as a symbol of both nostalgia and continuity—a constant rock, much like family and tradition. The color green represents the refreshing, and regrounding elements of connecting with her family, where each time, they get to create new moments with one another.

In addition to her original song, the EP includes four classic Christmas covers. She laughs that the selection process started with her bringing a binder full of 30+ Christmas covers to her team that she knew and loved, but needed support narrowing down. Her team comprises Grammy-winning producer Joel Moss, whom Kelsey met through the Saratoga Children’s Theater, producer Jim Mastrianni, and musical director Cassandra Kubinski. The team’s creative process included brainstorming over dozens of these holiday tracks, finally landing on the songs that sparked the most joy and musical uniqueness with Kelsey’s delivery. 

Joel played an instrumental role helping Kelsey cultivate an animated experience in the EP, full with live instruments like saxophone, clarinet, and organ to capture that classic Christmas warmth. She mentions not wanting to give too much away, but loved some of the creative touches they made to each track; Nat King Cole’s “The Christmas Song,” features a nod to the Nutcracker, while “Let It Snow” gets a jazzy twist with playful hints of “Jingle Bells.” Each song infuses Kelsey’s emotional connection to holiday memories and colors, and combines nostalgia with the newness of each season. While initially planned as an EP of just covers, the team delightfully realized that an original track would complete the collection, rounding out the project. 

For Kelsey,  “Forever Evergreen” represents more than a musical project. The EP celebrates self-expression, authenticity, gratitude, family, and tradition. Through her music, she hopes to inspire fans to embrace their own roots and cherish the people around them. “This project allowed me to bring myself to the table, to share my memories, and to watch them come alive in the lyrics and music,” she says. It captures a very real and foundational part of herself. 

As Kelsey steps into her future with dreams of performing and releasing more original music, she’ll be headed to NYC to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Musical Theater. 

To readers and future fans, Kelsey offers a closing piece of advice: “Don’t be afraid to share yourself with the world, being genuine and authentic can lead to some of the greatest gifts life could give you. Don’t be afraid to open those doors.” 

For a musical reminder to celebrate family and the little things that make this season so special, 

Catch “Forever Evergreen” coming out November 15th. 

THE BLAST HAVERS STOP IN AND TALK ABOUT THEIR NEW TRACK "TESTED ON ANIMALS" AND ALSO AN EXLUSIVE NEW TRACK DUE OUT IN JANUARY!

Blast Havers debut their paradoxical blend of slower beats and high energy while examining life’s absurdities 

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When Bay Area electronic outfit Blast Havers sits down to make new music, they do so with the dance floor and the people on it in mind. 

But that’s not all––after all, the group is isolated and often seated at a desk when a new tune comes to life. And so Blast Havers aims to make music with more than just danceable beats in mind, and the group’s quirky sound design and witty lyricism are meant for a wider audience. 

“The audience has to be expanded to people who want to be on the dance floor at the moment but aren’t,” the group says. “We’re listening to it in the car, at a desk, and we’re imagining where we want to be at that moment, having fun. We’re bringing a different angle to it where it’s not just on the dance floor and losing your mind to the music, but maybe there’s something else that hooks you.”

To that end, the music from Blast Havers––technically tech house––features a slower tempo that allows for more space within the beats. The result is something more chill and laid back, but still brimming with raw energy, and it fits the group’s overarching goal: make you dance while taking you back to the roots of electronic music. The group says they thrive on paradoxes, like the slower BPMs and some “high-energy tricks” that keep momentum going. But at its roots, the music from Blast Havers is about taking listeners on a whimsical journey through what they call “a musical maze.”

Blast Havers’ first single, “Tested On Animals,” is a perfect encapsulation of the outfit’s refreshing spin on electronica, and love of the absurd. It was inspired by a package of dog treats in a store that carried the label, “Product is not tested on animals.” That everyday irony is what fuels the group’s creative engine. 

“You have to throw some tricks in there to keep it interesting and that’s where the lyricism comes in; we’re sometimes a bit more heavy on words than most of that genre and with the space between the beats you can throw a lot more in there,” Blast Havers say. “By slowing down the tempo it allows everyone to slow down a little bit. We’re always in a rush for everything and the trends in music are to push the tempo and make things faster. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to be higher energy. The roots of house music came from disco, which was a little slower. And the connection between these absurdities we see in life and mentioning them in song is hopefully something that connects a lot of people.”

Blast Havers was inspired by everything from James Brown old-school funk to Daft Punk, Gorillaz and Pendulum, with hip hop flair from the likes of De La Soul. 

That first single is set for November release, and the group plans to release a string of singles going into 2025, including “Content Schmontent” in January and “Take The Ride” in February. They also plan to expand their visual efforts in the future. 

At its core, Blast Havers is just about having fun––for the audience, and the creators. Or, a better way to put it: “Just having a blast,” the group says. 

Stay connected to the group for new music, videos and social posts: 

https://soundcloud.com/blasthavers

http://instagram.com/blasthavers

http://facebook.com/blasthavers

https://blasthavers.bandcamp.com

SINGER SONGWRITER RECORDING ARTIST " ROSE PRINCE" STOPS IN AND TALKS ABOUT HIS NEW SINGLE "FREAK" AND MUCH MORE!

Rose Prince Encourages Listeners to Carpe Diem with “Freak”

By: Paul K. Barnes

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Rose Prince is an artist who thrives on the emotional authenticity of his music. And, through his own emotional authenticity, he hopes to find relatability with his listeners. His new single “Freak” is one that compiles a series of late night adventures he's had in his life. He hopes it reminds people of their own exciting nights out.  

“I’m picking up diamonds and curating certain experiences from my life. I want to say it's like a dark dream…somewhere between fantasy and reality. It’s not like my life is like this every day…but I wrote this song because I’ve been there.”

Written over the course of years, “Freak” is a song Rose Prince hopes people queue up in their pre-game moments, add to their *spicy* playlist, or blast through bass-boosting car speakers on the way to the afterparty. As a songwriter who always writes with intentionality, he wants the lyrics of the song to resonate with people. He also wants the song to give people confidence in their “carpe diem” moments. Through the song’s entrancing production, heavy bass and overall mystical sound, the dreamlike state Rose was going for is strong throughout the entirety of the track.

“When people hear this, I want them to be like ‘Oh wow, this is hard.’ I want them to feel that way about the beat and the lyrics.”

Rose Prince is an artist that doesn’t only create or listen to music but absorbs it. When listening to his favorite artists, lyrics and production stand out to him clearly. He admires artists like The Weeknd, A$AP Rocky and Metro Boomin, who are all known for immersive sonic cohesion in their music. The emotional resonance he has with lyrics of his favorite songs is the blueprint for the effect his own music is written to have. 

“I write the music I want to hear.”

The song “Freak” is a track whose lyrics paint specific pictures in the listener's mind. They take the person hearing Rose Prince’s words to the moment he was in and the mindstate during those events. 

“There’s no limit to what you can write. Lyrics are pure emotion turned into words and you take that emotion and build whatever you want with it.”

For Rose Prince, the sounds around the lyrics are just as important. Rose often envisions melodies and sounds in his own head and works with producers to bring the full concept to life. Sometimes, the producer brings something different than what he had in mind and the end result is one that is even greater than what he envisioned. Collaboration is something he embraces and he’s well aware of the positive results it can create. 

“I’d say my strength is in songwriting…I want to find producers who can take my vision for a song and craft a professional quality production…I’m not willing to sacrifice quality…I think combining skill sets is important as a creator.”

While “Freak” sits in the lane of electronic, pop, rap-signing, Rose plans to go for something completely different with his next release. However, the intentionality with the music remains. By having such a diverse interest in the multi layered beauty of music, Rose Prince is able to take inspiration from his influences and craft something that best reflects who he is. He knows that no matter what he writes, they will be his words and they will be expressed in the way that he wants them to be. The emotional resonance and relatability will remain at the forefront as he crafts his story his way. 

You can keep up with Rose Prince on the following platforms:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rosexprince/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rose.x.prince

HIP HOP ARTIST "BURT BANKKZ" TALKS ABOUT HIS NEW SINGLE 'DREAMS' AND MUCH MORE!

Burt Bankkz puts his music to melodic work in hip-hop statement track “Dreams”

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By Kurt Beyers

On the surface, “Dreams,” the latest single by Burt Bankkz, is a righteous hip-hop ballad about going after dreams, in his case, music as a way out of the hardship of growing up on the streets of a hard section of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

“I made the song based on the past struggles that I’ve been going through with life, growing up as a kid in a poor community and stuff.”

The guitar and the beat gently rock through his story of escape. Burt delivers the lyrics at speed but in waves set to the slower pace of the melody, telling a story of dreams, not just in life and livelihood, but also in music.

The song is based on his life, but it is also about what he wants to do with his music.

“It’s basically just to shine light on areas where, like nowadays, rappers are mostly rapping about killing people or all this other stuff, all this other negativity. I’m just trying to shine a positive light.”

I’ve been down this road

They tellin’ me slow down

’Cause I’m getting’ too old

I do this for my family

And people up the road

The lyrics delivered by featured artist T-Rell come fast and hard, focusing on the work that makes the dreams reality.

I ain’t never lettin’ go

I got too much to do

I got big dreams

The video and the track dropped simultaneously.

Bankkz has been rapping since age 11, growing up in the hardship and violence of the Deepside neighborhood of Fort Lauderdale. 

“The neighborhood wasn’t too good, you know, a lot of robbing, killing and selling drugs and stuff like that. Just a typical neighborhood.”

He started rapping with his older brother, who encouraged him to continue with it. Gradually, he began putting his focus to the music instead of the street. 

He put in the work, “the hustle,” and “Dreams” is about the work as much as the dream. For the video, he drove 20 hours from Fort Lauderdale to Oklahoma City, where T-Rell was, to shoot the video because “it would have been more money for me to fly him down to Florida for the shoot.”

His previous releases have been more straightforward rap, but with “Dreams” the music, the melody and the rhythm out front.

“I want to take a different path, because, like I say, everybody around me is doing the same thing. Especially in Florida, everybody’s doing the same thing. So, I wanted to try to give the world, who I really am, just do stuff naturally, how I feel I should do it.”

“Dreams” pulls the listener in. The dream is told through Bankkz’s lyrics, coming in bursts that are tied to the easy rhythm of the instruments, and the slow beat. Together, they create a dreamy vibe yet build up to the intensity of T-Rell’s insistent declaration of purpose.

Going forward, he said, his music will be more like “Dreams,” and his last two songs, the melodic “Only God Can Judge Me” and “They Don’t Know” rather than the machine-gun rap of “Clark Kent” and “Check.”

“I’m trying to find a clearer route, a clearer crowd,” he said. “I’m just trying to find more ways where I can be creative and learn.”

His plan is to develop his music and do the work involved in seeking his fan base — writing and putting out more songs.

And learning the business of music.

“I plan to hit the ground running, trying to network with mainstream artists, and get to the next level, elevate my music and get it heard — learning more about promotion, running ads, the whole nine yards.”

Connect to Burt Bankkz on all platforms for new music, videos, and social posts.

“Dreams,” YouTube

Website

 

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THE STEWARTS STOP IN AND TALK ABOUT THEIR NEW SINGLE "STAND" AND MUCH MORE!

The Stewarts are back with the fast, dance infused R&B-funk-Motown gospel single “Stand”

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By Kurt Beyers

With a message of brotherhood, sisterhood and faith — gospel delivered at high speed in a joyful fusion of pop, funk, R&B, Motown and dance — The Stewarts, brothers Del and Garry K., are back with “Stand.”

Joy is a hallmark of all their music.

“‘Stand’ is a good-message song for the world, for brothers and sisters to come together, to show love to one another,” said Garry. “No more hatred. Show love. Pick up your brothers and sisters when they fall down. Pick them up.”

“In my personal opinion,” said Del, “‘Stand’ will generate hopefully more conversation about coming together, about treating people fairly, standing up for each other — brothers and sisters coming together.”

“And stand up for your faith,” added Garry.

Show the love of Christ

If you have the choice of colors, do you love one & hate the others

We’re all sisters and brothers — show love, show love,

Show love to each other, oh stand, stand up for each other

“We were going with the drum beat initially, and the words just came to us,” said Dell. “We were ping-ponging the words back and forth because we knew people needed to hear a positive-message song about brotherly love and sisterly love.”

On the mix of music, Del said, “Garry and I, we sat down and we went back to our roots. We went back to the ’70s.”

The clavinet sound comes from Stevie Wonder, and others come from the Dayton, Ohio, group Slave from their song “Slide.”

“We were listening to their production, and we incorporated that as well as the Stevie Wonder production into our song,” said Del.

The Stewarts, who have been writing and performing since the ’70s, were opening a new phase of their career back in 2020, getting ready to move out into the world with their music. That was when “Stand” was written, but they put it on hold because two other songs, “His Door Is Open” followed by “Faith,” took off, reaching the top of the Upcoming charts, Nos. 1 and 2 respectively.

About the time they were ready to push out “Stand,” Covid hit. The virus took down Del and Garry at different times.

“It threw us behind,” said Garry.

“But also we know that God is good, and once we started feeling better, we started putting things together,” said Del. “We said, ‘Hey, let’s get back on our feet and rock and roll.’”

“Sometimes, when you experience setbacks,” he said, “it also makes you stronger when you come back, because God is good all the time, and when you fall, you gotta get up and continue to try.”

The brothers come from a musical family. Johnny Hodges, who played sax for Duke Ellington, was a cousin. Their mother, Corinne, sang gospel with Sam Cooke. Del and Garry were introduced to Motown’s Howard Davis by another cousin, Luther Bond of Luther Bond and the Emeralds.

Their faith infuses their music. R&B, rock, funk, pop and Motown help propel the gospel of The Stewarts. Joyous worship accompanies the messages in their songs, messages indicated in the titles: “Stand,” “His Door Is Open,” “The Truth,” “Walk With Me Jesus,” “Battle of Survival,” “Family Affair.”

They are working on other songs, including an EP, but for now the focus is on promoting “Stand” because, said Del, “the world needs to see the video and listen to the lyrics, and, hopefully, we can captivate a different type of audience.”

“This is a song for everyone, from the young to the old,” said Garry. “You can be 8 years old and get something from this song.”

“We want the listener to enjoy the song. The beat hopefully would capture the attention, but the lyrics would also capture the attention as well, because we were writing the song so that it’s uplifting,” said Del.

Share the music of The Stewarts on all platforms for new music, videos, and social posts.

“Stand,”  Spotify

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