Billy Grima is a singer/ songwriter living in
the Caledon Hills of Ontario, Canada. Born
in Blacktown, NSW Australia, Billy started
writing at a very young age and was singing
in a church choir by the age of 8 years old.
At 15, Billy moved to Canada and settled in
Toronto. Like classic singer/songwriters,
Billy Joel, Jim Croce, James Taylor and
Bob Dylan, life’s daily realities and
everyday events are a source of Billy’s
inspiration. His smooth and soulful sound
has earned him comparisons to
contemporaries Jason Mraz, Ed Sheeran,
Jack Johnson and even Bruno Mars.
Billy has 3 albums to his credit: I’m Just
Standing , A Little Piece Of Heaven and his
latest, titled Sugar & Cream, produced and
engineered by Pete Swann (Glass Tiger’s
Alan Connely, Adrian and Justin Lifeson,
sons of Rush’s Alex Lifeson.) Sugar &
Cream features a tasty blend of pop, rock,
soul and Americana, including the first
single, “Pleasure To Have Met You.” The
album is going for worldwide radio adds this
spring.
“Writing a hook or humming a melody is
medicine,” Grima says. Let Sugar & Cream
be the prescription for your perfect playlist.
Why and how people enter and exit my life has always been a mystery. If you’re an almost famous, semi-public figure with a long and winding road through the infinite, intimate environs of rock n’ roll, freaks, faeries and friends appear and disappear with cosmic regularity. Some are here for a moment, others hang around for a spell. Sometimes they hover for a lifetime. Kris Hadlock found me on Myspace in the spring of winter of 2008. Don’t look for my Myspace page. It’s gone. But Kris is not. He just doesn’t go away that easily. Fascinated by his authentic talent for writing songs that hearken that loud and ‘lude decade of decadence I documented as editor of RIP magazine and host of the Friend at Large segment on MTV’s Headbanger’s Ball, I was curious about this head case from upstate New York.
We spent some time in Los Angeles and a short time later, I flew east and visited his home studio on a snowy December day. That’s when I got to know the dreamer Kris Hadlock. In the wake of that trip, I composed a bio titled, “The Curious Case of Kris Hadlock,” inspired by the remarkable David Fincher film about a human freak who gets younger rather than older as the years of his life go by. Talk about nailing the metaphor on the head. Kris’s passion and love for the music of his youth, especially that one significant superstar band from New Jersey, has kept him in a state of eternal youth. He’s a local hero in Rochester, a teacher of riffs to the kids with the gifts, a twisted preacher who will not let go of the dream who believes that even though the clock is ticking, there is a still a shot that he and his stalwart Hadlock band mates, Richie Roccisano, Ron Lee Brock, and Robert Maslin will one day step on that arena rock stage somewhere, some time, and tear the roof off the joint.
Our friendship has evolved over the past couple years and recently, a series of events and conversations organically led to a concept for a rock video and my directorial debut. Hey, you gotta keep trying new things, right? “Superstar (Lost and Found) is a brutally honest, autobiographical song that could have worked back in the day but fits just as nice in the here and now. The images of the “real” Bon Jovi are culled from a VH1 TV demo I made in the summer of 2001 called, “Rock A Mile with Lonn Friend,” that never made the cut. I shot the stuff myself and the footage has never been seen. These ghost like frames help put the song and the artist into perspective and will hopefully aid in connecting the clip to fans out there from the BJ loving masses. Not quite half way there, living on more dream than prayer, Kris Hadlock continues to rock and I’m proud to be playing a small part in that ongoing story.
Hi everybody! My name is Lisa Sweet Caron (pronounced Ca-RONE). My brothers are Michael and Robert Sweet from Stryper, and Janice Sweet is my mother. Back in the 1980’s I worked in the Stryper management office alongside my mother, who was also Stryper’s manager from 1984-1992. I did whatever needed to be done in the office related to Stryper; one of my biggest jobs was reviewing the fan mail that came in and coordinating responses based on need. Some letters requested merchandise; others were ministry outreach (people who needed help, testimony about how the Stryper ministry inspired them, etc.). This was was back in the days before computers and e-mail, and we got a ton of fan mail, so I definitely had a full time job! But before that I was Michael and Robert’s sister, and that was the most interesting job of all! l will talk about that in my interview, and so much more! Hope you enjoy it!
Brandon Cook has been a name synonymous with excellent guitar playing for many years in Portland, Oregon. He studied at Portland State University with Jerry Hahn, obtaining a Bachelor of Music in Performance. After college, he studied with Marty Friedman(ex-Megadeth) and Al Pitrelli(ex-Megadeth, currently in Transsiberian Orchestra). The training received here took Brandon’s playing to a much higher level.
Brandon worked with Chris Caffery for a short time allowing him to share the stage with several amazing musicians including: Jeff Plate, Mark Wood, Alex Skolnick, Nick Douglas and Tim “The Ripper” Owens.
Since that time, Brandon returned to Portland and began focusing on teaching and projects like Appetite for Deception, one of the most authentic Guns n Roses tribute bands on the planet, State of Balance, his original metal band.
King James is a Hard Rock band recalling the classic era of Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Whitesnake, and Scorpions.
Formed in 1993, the original line-up was called a “Super-Group”, featuring Rex Carroll (Whitecross), Jimi Bennett (Sacred Fire), Robert Sweet and Tim Gaines (both of Stryper).
They recorded two successful albums in the mid-90’s, with accompanying tour dates. In the 2000’s, while the individuals each persued their various other group endeavors, the following of King James has slowly and steadily increased to the point where their second album “The Fall” was re-released in 2010.
Adding fuel to the fire, the group has reformed with original members Rex Carroll and Jimi Bennett, and solidified the foundation with the addition of Michael Feighan (drums and vocals) and Benny Ramos (bass and keyboards).
The new album “Maximus” is a towering, signature moment. Soaring vocals, beautiful melodies, incredible guitars, stadium-sized drums and bass, and songs that simply WILL NOT leave your head.
King James is back and better than ever, and they’re on tour NOW.
Members: Founding: Rex Carroll – Guitars Founding: Jimi Bennett – Vocals 2012 Lineup: Rex & Jimi Michael Feighan – Drums Benny Ramos – Bass & Keyboards Previous Musicians: Tim Gaines – Bass Scott Banks – Bass and Vocals Robert Sweet – Drums Michael Feighan – Drums Dave Geer – Drums Additional musicians: Rick Wells – Keyboards Chris Cameron – Keyboards Russ Daughtry, Leia Thomas, Kristy Smith – Additional Vocals Arnie Roth – Violin Kim Scholes – Cello Official Fan Page For Rex Carroll & Jimi Bennett
Genre: Christian Metal/Rock
Hometown: Chicago and Atlanta
All the members of American Bombshell have joined together for the soul purpose of writing and performing kick ass original Rock N Roll songs.
Straight ahead Rock has been missing from the musical landscape for number of years, taking a back seat to Pop and Rap.
The Metal genre has been diluted into so many sub genres that its hard to even tell whats what anymore.
But at the core of it all there has always been Rock N Roll. The 5 guys in American Bombshell all come from successful local acts and have all shared
stages together in their other respective bands but it was the love of pure unadulterated, unfiltered, bad ass, bad attitude, dirty, broke,
drunken Rock N Roll that got them to band together. Killer original songs infused with elements of punk, blues, glam, dirt, anger, and sex and drugs
plus a high energy, sweat and beer soaked live show brings that feeling of the killer rock bands and shows of yesteryear.
Bringing Rock back to the masses one show at a time….that is the mission.
Rock N Roll is not dead people…….you just haven’t heard American Bombshell yet.
Faithsedge is a heavy Heavy Metal/Hard Rock/Progressive project
started by singer/songwriter Giancarlo Floridia in Huntington Beach,
California. Giancarlo has a solid musical background, having
previously worked with renowned producers such as Mike Talanca
(David Bowie/Foreigner) and Juan Croucier (ex-Ratt) among others.
Giancarlo contacted producer and bass player Fabrizio Grossi (Steve
Lukather/Alice Cooper) after not only being impressed with his work
on numerous albums as a producer but also with his amazing bass
playing skills.FAITHSEDGE 2 Fabrizio has worked with some of the
biggest names in the most diverse music genres (George Clinton, Ice
T and Cypress Hill are among his endless list of collaborations) and
after hearing Giancarlo’s demos put together an incredible band to
back up the project along with himself playing bass duties and
producing the resulting debut CD in 2011 on Scarlet records/ E1
distribution worldwide.
Alex De Rosso joined Faithsedge on guitar. Having handled live lead
guitar duties in Dokken, with whom he toured the world and shared
the stage with the likes of Scorpions, Whitesnake, Ratt, Warrant and
Firehouse among others, Alex has also played on many critically
acclaimed albums with artists such as Joseph Williams (Toto/Disney’s
The Lion King), Kelly Hansen (Foreigner/Hurricane) and Pamela Moore
(also known as Sister Mary from Queensryche’s concept album
‘Operation Mindcrime’).Tony Morra completes the line-up on drums.
Tony owns his own studio in Nashville, Tennessee, the Downtown
Batterie and has played with many great artists such as Rebecca St
James and Van Zant among others. He is also credited for playing on
the Grammy Award winning album ‘Songs From The Neighborhood – A
Tribute To Fred Rogers’ in 2006 and for touring as a member of pop
legend Stevie B’s Band and Sweet Sensation. Tony has also played
drums for different movie soundtracks such as ‘Chronicles Of Narnia’
and ‘Just Married’ to name a few.Faithsedge 1The resulting effort is
a perfect mix of hard rock, heavy metal and progressive, with lots
of vocals and hooks, shredding guitar solos, pounding bass and drums
and plenty of melodically challenging songwriting. ‘Faithsedge’ 2011
debut was mastered by Tom Baker of Precision Mastering (Judas
Priest/Motley Crue) and received critical acclaim.
In 2014 Faithsedge return with the same lineup as the debut with
help from two melodic rock greats on keyboards Eric Ragno (Trixter)
and Alessandro Del Vecchio (Hardline). With a new more aggressive
approach yet keeping the same melodic and progressive elements to
please hard rock fans of the debut .The new album was mastered by
Peter Doell of Universal Mastering (David Lee Roth /Richard Marx).
March to May
When is the right time to take a chance? Who are the right people? What are the right
conditions? March to May was born under unusual circumstances. Neither Darren nor Beth
realized the musical potential they shared when they first met in December 2012. It took several
chance encounters — passing vocal harmonies on a trip to the coast with friends, tentative
instrumental work one cold winter evening, comments here and there on lyrics and melody —
before the spark hit. But when it did, it didn’t take long for them to catch fire. By March 2013
they had co-written their first two songs, by April they had a paid gig under their belts, and by
May they had a name and shows booked out into the months ahead. Both halves of the duo are
passionate about the music they write and play, and view March to May as a constant evolution;
from pursuing collaborations with other artists (with styles ranging from classical to hip hop and
electronica) and keeping an ear attuned to the myriad ways they can expand the range and
expression of their own music, their primary interest is to keep the music fresh and personal. And,
above all, to keep love – love for the music, love for each other, love for the world they live in – at
their core.
Darren Guyaz (guitar, vocals, keyboard)
Darren roamed the northern Appalachians through his childhood, plinking & plunking the
classical keys until he ventured West to his birth-state of Montana, settling in Missoula to finish a
degree in Geography. One evening on an old, historic homestead in the hills north of town, he
picked up a friend’s guitar and began strumming, teaching himself how to play a few chords,
finger-picking his way through the frets, and forever changing his musical expression.
Soon after, he headed south on an open-ended ticket to South America, criss-crossing the Andes
until finally resting for a month on a small goat farm in Patagonia. Here, on long rainy nights
straight out of Márquez’s 100 Years of Solitude, he borrowed an old guitar from Matias, the
owner of the little farm, and began writing songs in a small, dilapidated cabin over many glasses
of cheap, Chilean red wine.
His vagabond days came to a close after falling in love with Seattle and the Pacific Northwest,
where he now spends his days wandering the mountains, and his nights playing music with the
newfound collaboration March to May.
Beth Wesche (Celtic harp, vocals)
Beth spent her formative years wandering through the Andes and across a smattering of U.S.
states. The daughter of a U.S. Foreign Service Officer, she stayed in each place just long enough
to fall in love with it before moving on to the next adventure. Music wove its way through her
life from an early age – she sang in choirs from elementary school to college, beginning classical
voice training and starting to sing a cappella as she grew older. While living in Ashland, Oregon,
she picked up the Celtic folk harp and found herself captivated by the sound. However, a few
short years after beginning to play, she moved to the East Coast, leaving her harp silent in her
family’s living room for five years and largely convincing herself that music would have to take a
back seat in her life.
In December 2012, though, things changed: she moved back to the West Coast, settling a few
short blocks from the little acoustic instrument store in Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood where her
harp was created many years before. Perhaps she should have taken it as a sign. Within a few
short weeks, music surged back into the forefront of her life when she found another musician
with whom she shared an unmistakable musical chemistry, and she began to question how she
had ever left it behind to begin with. And thus, March to May was born.
The Water’s Edge is the debut release from March To May, out April 25th, 2015. For more information,visit
Billy Grima is a singer/ songwriter living in the Caledon Hills of Ontario, Canada. Born in Blacktown, NSW Australia, Billy started writing at a very young age and was singing in a church choir by the age of 8 years old. At 15, Billy moved to Canada and settled in Toronto. Like classic singer/songwriters, Billy Joel, Jim Croce, James Taylor and Bob Dylan, life’s daily realities and everyday events are a source of Billy’s inspiration. His smooth and soulful sound has earned him comparisons to contemporaries Jason Mraz, Ed Sheeran, Jack Johnson and even Bruno Mars.
Billy has 3 albums to his credit: I’m Just Standing , A Little Piece Of Heaven and his latest, titled Sugar & Cream, produced and engineered by Pete Swann (Glass Tiger’s Alan Connely, Adrian and Justin Lifeson, sons of Rush’s Alex Lifeson.) Sugar & Cream features a tasty blend of pop, rock, soul and Americana, including the first single, “Pleasure To Have Met You.” The album is going for worldwide radio adds this spring.
“Writing a hook or humming a melody is medicine,” Grima says. Let Sugar & Cream be the prescription for your perfect playlist.
RECOMMENDED IF YOU LIKE:
Jason Mraz, Ed Sheeran, Jack Johnson, Billy
Joel, Bruno Mars
ALBUM INFO
-Music and Lyrics by Billy Grima
-Produced, mixed and mastered by Pete
Swann at Attitude Productions Studio,
Aurora, Ontario
TRACK LISTING
1. Pleasure to Have Met You
2. Calendar Girl
3. I Miss You Baby
4. You Mean The World To Me
5. Sugar & Cream
6. Living The Dream
7. Picture of You and Me
8. Caroline
9. There With You
10. Baby Please Don’t Cry
RECOMMENDED TRACKS:
“Pleasure To Have Met You”, “Picture Of
You and Me”, “Calendar Girl”, “There
With You”
Billy Grima is a singer/ songwriter living in
