‘Blurred Vizion’ takes out anger through music while supporting research for the blind - Q&A PODCAST!

‘Blurred Vizion’ takes out anger through music while supporting research for the blind

By John Hacker

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Blurred Vizion (37:25)

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PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Brandon and Eli Olbeter have never had it easy. Losing their eyesight at ages 9 and 20 respectively, the two have had to struggle through life in ways that most people take for granted. But they haven’t let their genetic disability keep them down. In fact, they’ve excelled in many ways far beyond what most people would have expected from them. This is especially true when it comes to music.

While looking for a vehicle to channel their anger and frustration, the young Olbeter brothers found an outlet through music – specifically, Hard Rock. That sound and style became something through which they could release their anger. And though learning to play instruments was extremely difficult (Eli plays drums and Brandon plays guitar and bass), they overcame those obstacles and have now been creating music for more than a decade. Most recently they’ve been doing that alongside their friend, Joe Enlow, a vocalist and rapper who they met while in high school. Today the three of them make up the band Blurred Vizion, and their Hard Rock sound is about to come front-and-center with the release of their new EP “My Guardian Demon.”

The first single from the project, “Torture,” is slated for a June 6 release. It’s a song that sets the stage for a project the explores emotions of depression and self-doubt and anxiety – all things the brothers have dealt with while learning to live with their disability. Each of the six singles on the project will deal with those emotions and anger in some way or another. Following “Torture,” the other five singles will come out on all streaming platforms on the sixth of each month until Nov. 6, when the entire album will drop. 

“We kind of look at ourselves as a less political kind of Rage Against the Machine,” Eli said. “Kind of that hard rock with a little bit of a rap mixture, but we try to stay away from the political stuff as much as possible. We’re more about real life – more our own personal lives rather than the life in the world.”

Though the Olbeters’ battle with the genetic disease Retinitis Pigmentosa is unique to them, the feelings of frustration and anger and depression and anxiety are universal emotions that many people will connect with. And hard rock is the perfect vehicle through which to emit those emotions, Brandon said. And as they are able to connect with other people through music, their hope is to bring an increased awareness to blindness and the various avenues through which efforts are being made to help people dealing with disabilities like their own.

“Our disease starts with night blindness,” Brandon said. “It takes your night vision away first, then it starts to take your peripheral vision. Then it slowly takes that away until you have nothing. At some point, unless there’s a cure, we are going to be 100 percent blind.”

To help advance the chances of finding a cure, Blurred Vizion works with The Foundation Fighting Blindness. The Olbeters have participated in medical studies to try to help find a cure or treatment, and they also plan to sell T-shirts and donate the proceeds to that charity. But their biggest platform for awareness is the stage. And every time Blurred Vizion gets to perform live in front of a crowd, they’re showing the world that losing one’s eyesight doesn’t mean life stops.

“That’s the goal that Brandon and I always had,” Eli said. “To help come up with a cure so future generations won’t have to deal with this. It’s very tough to deal with, but we try not to let it affect us. That’s the whole point in the story behind what we’re trying to do. We won’t let this beat us down. There is hope that with the right mindset and the right attitude. Anything is possible. A cure can happen.”

Make sure to stay connected to “Blurred Vizion” on all platforms for new music, videos, and social posts.

https://open.spotify.com/artist/3GP6F0UiEb8Ucf08Sz9Gaf

https://youtube.com/shorts/IQvRDEDyyJ8?feature=share

https://www.facebook.com/Blurred-Vizion-109740658089580/

https://instagram.com/blurredvizion21?r=nametag

https://twitter.com/blurredvizion21?s=21

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZM879QkAJ/

https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/AX85CzfkM8X7WtQt5

AFRO -POP RECORDING ARTIST "CADAZE" STOPS BY AND TALKS ABOUT HER NEW SINGLE 'EASY LOVE' AND MUCH MORE!

 

Afro-Pop Artist Cadáze Hits the Jackpot with “Easy Love” single

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CADAZE (26:01)

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By Ann Swinderman

BOWIE, MD - Taking inspiration from hip hop, Afrobeat, and reggae, Cadáze blends her African heritage and American influences to create a signature vibe in her latest single, “Easy Love.”

“Music to me is art, and I believe art is the best way that I can express myself. I like to think that my music is unique and I also believes it shows my personality, my upbringing, my history and my ambitions.”

Born in Cameroon, Cadáze arrived in America at age 11, settled in Maryland, and began absorbing the American culture. After two years of building her discography, Cadáze’s music is synonymous with mixing cultures and genres. Taking inspiration from American artists, Cameroon and Nigerian trailblazers like Daphne, 2Face and P-Square, Cadáze creates her vibe with her music. “Afrobeat is taking over and I would love to be a part of that representation. You will hear everything in me,” she said. “I’m an afrobeat artist with two different cultures and influences by many people.”

Dropping on June 3^rd, on Spotify and other streaming platforms, “Easy Love” is Cadáze’s next hit which is a single from her soon to be released EP Skin. The EP has everything from singing to freestyling, to a beat that does not stop and a mystical ambiance-like vibe. “Easy love is about how an ideal love should be, lol. I want people to feel me, hear me, and experience what Cadáze is feeling,” she stated.

Paying tribute and honoring single mothers and women who struggle to survive in the U.S. and across the globe, the EP’s title song, “Skin,” is dedicated to her mother and grandmother who have been through many difficult times but still choose to do great things in their communities and families as single parents. “Many African Black women go through a lot, and I saw a lot of tough African Black women while growing up. ‘Skin’ celebrates Black women. I want African women to know they are unique and tough,” she said. With a relaxing beat and lyrics like “never play with the dark skin,” the track promises to mix Afrobeat with melodic vocals like nothing ever has.

In addition to her musical artistry, Cadáze’s resume includes a master’s degree and entrepreneur. She is working on launching a fitness apparel store that aids her fitness and exercise obsessions. Cadáze strives to empower women by encouraging them to achieve their full potential without letting society stomp on their dreams.

“As an artist, I’m always evolving,” said Cadáze. “My music is not just me signing; it’s a whole package of what I represent and who I am.”

Make sure to stay connected to Cadáze on all platforms for new music, videos, and social posts.

https://www.cadaze.com/

https://music.apple.com/us/album/easy-love-feat-rhamani-single/1620107043?uo=4&app=music&at=1001lry3&ct=dashboard

https://open.spotify.com/album/13XdFxIEsCGJ43vaAsGSJe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfaftnM4kJM

https://www.instagram.com/cadazemusic/

https://www.tiktok.com/@cadaze?

https://twitter.com/CadázeC

MUSIC RECORDING ARTIST 'TYSTRINGZ' STOPS BY AND TALKS ABOUT HIS NEW SINGLE "SHY" AND MORE CURRENT PROJECTS!

 

TyStringz is a cloud software engineer and Afrobeats enthusiast making a name for himself

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TYSTRINGS (27:11)

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By Brennan Stebbins

TyStringz graduated from college at age 19 and earned a master’s degree in computer science at 22, and then Microsoft came calling to hire him as a cloud software engineer.

The Nigerian native says he can write codes from morning to night, but his real passion lies elsewhere.

“Music is not work for me,” he says. “Music is fun.”

And so TyStringz, after finding success in his professional life, has now set out to make a name for himself as an artist, and he’s not wasting any time. He released his debut single just last year, and the official video earned a quarter of a million views in just 10 months. That single, “Shalaye (Reloaded),” went so far as to chart at No. 2 on the iTunes Chart Worldwide Genre. It even went above the most popular Afrobeats song of 2021 – “Essence” by Whiz Kid – for a couple of days.

 

His latest release, “Shy,” already has 50,000 plays in only two weeks.

 

 

“My music is a blend of different genres and styles of music,” he says. “I play six musical instruments and I can play you jazz, soul, Delta blues, bluegrass, rock and roll, R&B. I’ll play anything, but I’m Nigerian and I’ve only been in the states since 2015 so when I play those styles, those elements, those melodies you can hear the Afrobeats influence. I’m very big on lyrics and very big on melody. Melody is what draws emotion with the lyrics.”

 

 

Music has always been an escape for TyStringz, and when he found himself working from home during the pandemic, he decided to pick up his acoustic guitar one day and write “Shalaye,” the first song he’d ever written in his life.

 

 

He followed that up with “Far Away,” with the official video being viewed 550,000 times in the last three months. It’s an uplifting song he wrote about being in the kind of happy relationship with someone where “you want to get lost with somebody.”

 

 

“We’ve all been in that happy place in a relationship or in our life where we feel like man, nothing can go wrong from here,” he says. “Whether it’s 10 or 20 minutes, an hour, two weeks, whatever. That happiness, that is the melody.”

 

 

TyStringz teamed up with L.A.X. to produce “Shy,” which he says covers every aspect of Afrobeats from the melody to the emotion and the vibe it conveys. He wants to give listeners a sense of feeling from the music and its lyrics, which talk about a woman “trying to blossom but there’s a lot of things inside her that she can’t express herself,” he says. “Whether you like it or not, you are special.”

 

 

TyStringz tries to write songs with what he calls a “sunshine melody.” He wants to incorporate that happiness regardless of the style he’s writing. “Body” is more of a club banger, while he envisions “Far Away” being listened to at a wedding or tea party.

 

 

“What I’m trying to do with Afrobeats is blend it with different styles of music to appeal to a wide global audience,” he says. “Afro jazz, Afro pop, Afro R&B. But I’m using elements that are familiar.”

 

 

He’s already got as many as 30 songs recorded and ready for release, and anticipates the first of those will be out in a month or two.

 

 

Make sure to stay connected to TyStringz on all platforms for new music, videos and social posts.

https://www.instagram.com/tystringz/?hl=en

https://tystringz.com

https://apple.co/3JyO7uP

https://spoti.fi/3IwP0U4

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzu4IMMTZNnHSj7eISdsKlg

 

MUSIC RECORDING ARTIST "ADAY" STOPS BY AND TALKS ABOUT HER LATEST PROJECT 'VOICE MEMOS' AND MORE!

 Detroit artist Aday weaves R&B, hip hop sounds into newest album “Voice Memos’

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ADAY (28:54)

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By John Hacker

Her sound is soulful and strong and it comes from a heart molded by life’s experiences and challenges.

Detroit musician and songwriter Aday is working hard to pass on a message of confidence and perseverance as she paves her own way through the musical industry with the release of her newest album titled “Voice Memos.”

People who live in Detroit might recognize some of the names Aday gave the songs on this newest EP, including “Plymouth Rd,” I-75s,” M-53,” Featherstone,” and James Cir.”

“All of these titles are from the actual voice memos,” Aday said. “Wherever I was at the time I recorded a voice memo to remind me of something I wanted to record when I got home it was the name of the street address where I recorded the voice memo. The names aren’t connected to the content of the songs.”

Aday said she’s been rapping since before she could write. She attributes this to her mother who used to rap she was pregnant with her and in her younger years. 

Aday said she knew she wanted to be a star from the age of nine when she formed a musical trio with a couple of her cousins.

“It might not have made perfect sense at that point, but me and my two cousins, we formed a group and recorded a few songs,” Aday said. “They were two boys and they didn’t really take it as serious as me. One of them doesn't rap anymore at all and one of them he kind of tries but I eventually branched off on my own because I took it very serious.”

Aday said her name comes from a nickname her little brother gave her when he was just learning to speak.

“My stage name is Aday, when I was younger my little brother could not say my name,” she said. “My name is Adrienne and he started calling me Aday and everyone from my neighborhood, I grew up in midtown Detroit very close to downtown, called me that as well and that became my name, Aday.”

Aday credits her musical sound to the influences of her musical parents as well as artists such as Missy Elliot, J Dilla, Aaliyah and others.

The songs on the album “Voice Memos” reflect a time of great change for the artist.

“I think that this was a huge year for me mentally in my life and I went through a lot,” Aday said. “I moved back from Atlanta, broke up with an ex, got into a car accident. One of my cousins got shot, one of my cousins took her own life away, it’s been a pretty extreme amount of things going on this year. I’ve literally been in my car a lot. I was recording just off my phone or my iPad before I had to sell it, recording on my phone every singe idea that came into my head.

“It was all the experiences. A lot of the lyrics in the songs were things that were happening in my life and after that breakup type thing I didn’t want to date anyone and then boom, I found somebody I was messing with.”

Aday has an edgy style that cannot be confined to just one category. She performs a broad selection of genres of music including but not limited to house, hip hop, R&B, and rap. 

Make sure to stay connected to Aday on all platforms for new music, videos, and social posts.

https://music.apple.com/us/artist/aday/89054303

: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2r90f2blR1qJXt559pTPrK  

https://www.instagram.com/adayhendrix/

https://soundcloud.com/adayhendrix

https://linktr.ee/adayuniverse

SINGER SONGWRITER YUSUF MISDAQ STOPS BY AND TALKS ABOUT HIS NEW EP AND NEW SINGLE RELEASES!

Yusuf Misdaq ‘goes home’ with new EP meant for Afghan people

By Brennan Stebbins

 

 

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MASSTAKAI (40:04)

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Yusuf Misdaq takes a lot of pride in his Afghan culture – his new stage name, MASSTAKAI, is taken from the tribe his family descended from thousands of years ago.

 

 

“A tribe of people who were very joyful and musical and used to dance,” he says.

 

 

An accomplished solo artist who’s released nine albums and EP’s, Yusuf’s newest project is his first meant specifically for the people of Afghanistan. Born in England and now living in the US, Yusuf says there’s been a rise in consciousness of Afghan culture among those living in the West, and that’s influencing his new music.

 

 

“There’s so much to be proud of with Afghan culture, so much history and music and spirituality,” he says. “The Taliban just came back to Afghanistan and they ban music. It’s a big deal for me. I’ve been there, my dad was living in Kabul and I know the culture there pretty well. Needless to say, Afghans love their music, it’s a huge part of their lives. The only Afghans able to produce new music now are those in the West, but even that is kind of implicitly intended for Western audiences, or it’s music with a kind of depressive, heavy energy. So what I’m trying to do, because the Taliban are not sophisticated enough to filter out specific websites or videos, is to just reach people back in my country through these very raw, honest songs.

 

 

“It’s a sort of spiritual quest for me to touch my people, reach my people and really connect with them,” he says. “Connect with my heritage and my culture.”

 

 

Yusuf’s music sprouted from 90’s UK hip hop and added ambient, electronic synth-pop and acoustic folk sounds. His new release, the three-song EP Ziyara, is a nod to the 70’s and 80’s pop music that was once popular in Afghanistan. Slated for release on May 17, it incorporates some lo-fi and world music elements with an electronic background. The title track begins with a funky beat that expands into an ambient movement for several minutes, accompanied by Yusuf’s free word association.

 

 

“It’s very slow and dreamlike,” he says. “This constant sense of journeying and going deeper into consciousness, into your history. That’s the meaning of the word Ziyara.”

 

 

The EP uses an unusual – for Western audiences – 7/8 time signature, one native to Afghan music, and in a first for Yusuf, the lyrics are in the Farsi language.

 

 

“It’s not typical pop music, right?” he says. “the last track ends with a beautiful prayer in Farsi for Afghanistan. It doesn’t make it radio friendly. I look at my music, especially on this EP, as something more like a drug, so for the people it’s meant to reach I want it to sink into their heads slowly and affect them on a subconscious level where they might be more sensitive to spiritual things around them.”

 

 

Yusuf says the project is part of a larger worldwide movement of people “going home,” which accelerated during COVID as many people moved back home and out of the cities.

 

 

“People want to get in touch with what really makes them unique and what better way to start than your culture, your family history, the stories your parents told you,” he says. “I see it as a worldwide return, a spiritual homecoming that’s happening right now. One of the lyrics on the title-track is actually a principle in Afghan spirituality, Sufi philosophy, which literally translates as the journey home.”

 

 

Yusuf released his first album in 2004, and each project has served as a remedy for a different period of time in society. That first release, From a Western Box, was a response to the war on terror.

 

 

In addition to his new music, Yusuf is planning an online education initiative for Afghan girls and boys, utilizing platforms like YouTube and Instagram.

 

 

Make sure to stay connected to Yusuf Misdaq on all platforms for new music, videos, and social posts.

www.ymisdaq.bandcamp.com

“Ziyara”

https://youtu.be/t88iRUOUwMw

https://open.spotify.com/track/50ZAKcUzZnEIqdWZCJ02Gj?si=7DGvjAwUSru2LklDB2Yk4w

 “Wuz Gul”

https://youtu.be/JOzfpJBC-qE

https://open.spotify.com/track/3KqmhF4ZC9PRwi1DGM9q4q?si=UapcDvKHTaqmpb7tisxa6Q

“Radiating”

https://youtu.be/LCxLuRPgVOc

https://open.spotify.com/track/1gqWlOOUahloyttnKehH9j?si=nfw5BBvLRleFsKM-v79saQ

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/yusufmisdaq