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Congrats to all the winners this year…we had a damn good time. We hope to be there again next year…enjoy the pics!

CLOUDBURST : an extreme form of rainfall, sometimes mixed with hail and thunder…

Recorded and mixed @ January Sound Studio (Dallas, TX) with drummer Tye Robison and bassist Kirk Powers.

Tye was one of the founding members of the post-grunge rock band The Nixons…as a producer/engineer, he has worked with multiple artists including Dennis DeYoung (STYX) and Drowning Pool.

Kirk has appeared on a staggering number of recordings, tours and other events. With contributions to RIAA-Certified Gold and Platinum recordings, his resume includes collaborations with Roger Nichols (recording engineer – Steely Dan), Jellybean Benitez (producer – Madonna, Whitney Houston), Deborah Gibson, and American Tears .

Mastered by John Cuniberti (former engineer @ The Plant Studios)

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Here are a couple pics from our studio trip last week…Tye Robison laid down the drum tracks and tackled the audio engineering. “Camera Man” Kirk Powers didn’t get his picture taken, but his bass playing more than makes up for it…we let him slide this time. The first single will be released in the coming months!

“Ashley’s dynamic delivery lays a strong / immediate impression down…Relatable lyrical dialogue is delivered well.”

“There’s a strong progression that snakes a very seductive melodic path.”

I must say that I immediately loved the Stevie Nicks influence to Ashley’ voice.  The lead vocal is the 1st and last impression made, with most listeners.  There’s a positive 1st duo / band impression made.  I also love the heavy bottom end to the rhythm section takes, that provides a respectful nod to Zeppelin.  In fact, your act’s sound has the ability to appeal to fans of Classic Rock & fans of Jack White’s multiple project base…I dig the fact that there’s a tangible retro feel, yet it’s also got a timely and timeless impact.

TAXI – The World’s Leading Independent A & R Company (July 17, 2009)

Have an opinion?  Get up on the soapbox!

Radiolicious is the leading mobile radio application which is available for free on the iPhone, iPod Touch, Blackberry Bold, Blackberry Curve, and the web. Radiolicious will soon be available for all Google Android phones. We now have our songs on available through this service – if you would like to help us promote through the web, feel free to embed the widget on your page.

COPY/PASTE THE FOLLOWING CODE:

<span class=”mceItemObject” width=”230″ height=”66″ data=”http://www.radiolicious.fm/images/miniplay.swf?id=38480&cache=1″><span name=”allowScriptAccess” value=”never” class=”mceItemParam”></span><span name=”allowFullScreen” value=”false” class=”mceItemParam”></span><span name=”movie” value=”http://www.radiolicious.fm/images/miniplay.swf?id=38480&cache=1″ class=”mceItemParam”></span><span class=”mceItemEmbed” src=”http://www.radiolicious.fm/images/miniplay.swf?id=38480&cache=1″ mce_src=”http://www.radiolicious.fm/images/miniplay.swf?id=38480&cache=1″ width=”230″ height=”66″ align=”middle” allowScriptAccess=”never” allowFullScreen=”false” type=”application/x-shockwave-flash” pluginspage=”http://www.adobe.com/go/getflashplayer” /></span> </span>

IMD PICK OF THE WEEK

Overall: 9/10
Artist: Aries Road
Album: Keyholder
Label: TonEscent
Website: www.ariesroad.com
Genre: Rock
Sounds like: Fleetwood Mac,Janis Joplin, Led Zepplin, Joni Mitchell
Technical Grade: 10/10
Production/Musicianship Grade: 10/10
Commercial Value: 7/10
Overall Talent Level: 10/10
Songwriting Skills: 9/10
Performance skills: 9/10
Best songs: Going Home, I’m Free,California, Old Soul, Leavin’ You
Strengths: overall talent, Ashley McCarty’s voice, sound
Weaknesses: track number 8 (real world)

CD REVIEW:

Aries Road, the husband and wife duo of Ryan and Ashley McCarty, release their first album, Keyholder. I’m not exactly sure where they are from because their bio on their website is kind of short, but they are now residing in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. I didn’t see any links to a MySpace or Facebook or any other pages, so I would say for the most part their internet presence is low, but regardless the website is nice and features all kinds of little things to get into and take up your time with.

The album starts with a medium-tempo song, Going Home, that has a nice blend of acoustic and electric guitars. I really like the electric guitar work in this one as it is very pretty and melodic and adds an extra dimension to an already good tune, but what really sets this song apart, and the whole album for that matter, is Ashley McCarty’s vocals. In this song in particular, it feels like she’s channeling Stevie Nicks from Fleetwood Mac, and that this is a song that had been locked away in Fleetwood’s vaults, just now being released to the public. I know the album is named Keyholder, but it could also be aptly named, Rumors 2, as a great sequel to Fleetwood Mac’s, Rumors. Next we have an upbeat number, I’m Free, track 3, that showcases Ryan McCarty’s talent for arranging and just how eclectic his music stylings can be. This song feels like the acoustic lovechild of a union between Blind Mellon and Soundgarden with Joni Mitchell/Janis Joplin/Stevie Nicks all singing together over top of it. There are a few musical breaks that feature electic slide guitar leads over a syncopated acoustic guitar that put me in mind of the English artist, Badly Drawn Boy. Then when we get to the chorus and I feel like I’m in the middle of the 60′s listening to a “Free Ride”. The dynamic duo goes on to show us that they can rock in songs like, California, with a nice solid beat, classic electric guitar riffs, and Ashley McCarty shredding and bending her vocals just like Janis Joplin. The last track of the album, Leavin’ You, brings it down a little with a nice blues/rock number that gives a nod to Led Zeppelin while giving us a soulful close to a good album.

There aren’t too many negatives to put out there for these two and their debut release, just that they should have maybe not included track 8 on their album. Its a southern rock number that suffers from some a.d.d. in the arrangement and gives the vocalist a little trouble in keeping her tone and staying in key. Near the end of the song there are some brief glimpses of what the song could have been when you just hear the bass and the drums rocking together with Ashley singing over top, plus there’s a nice little lead in there with some finger tapping and tasteful arpeggios. However, its just not enough to save the song and is a speed bump on an otherwise great album.

Overall, the duo of Aries Road make a great team and have made a wonderful album. Ashley’s vocal stylings are perfect for Ryans blend of classic and 90′s rock, and they are both excellent musicians and songwriters. Probably, the most impressive thing to me though is that they recorded and mixed this album themselves, as well as playing all the instruments and singing, with the exception of the percussion on “Old Soul”. These two are a complete package and have a lot of potential. I’m not really sure about their commercial value in the modern era of American Idol and Lady Gaga, but I love their music and think that those that love Fleetwood Mac and music from that era are going to love Aries Road.

Michael Nicholson

** READ MORE @ INDIE-MUSIC-DIGEST.COM **

Threw together a couple of pics from the website…feel free to share

After many countless hours of design…we are proud to release our “retro inspired” merchandise.  The throw back logo comes in colors Brick Red & Cream or Dark Chocolate & Cream and offered on a variety of T-shirts, baseball jerseys and more.  Check it out at the Online Merchandise Store.  Just for kicks – here’s a banner with the new logo…

<a href ="http://ariesroad.com"><img src="http://www.ariesroad.com/images/Aries Road Banner-Retro.png" border="0" alt="Aries Road"/></a>

FatCat Radio has extended the “Monday Marathon” to ALL DAY & ALL NIGHT!  Today’s lineup will feature Dave Rude Band, Christian D and the Hangovers, Snook, Treasure Cat & Aries Road.  Each album should air approximately 7 times today – so no excuses…stop by and tune in!

Read the full article here

Tune in

Husband & wife duo Ryan and Ashley McCarty deliver introspective, thoughtful music on their debut album, “Keyholder”. Their two-piece band, Aries Road, is their own labor of love from start to finish: In addition to writing, recording, and producing all tracks themselves, they’ve also released “Keyholder” on their own label. And they’ve done a great job without any outside input: Ryan McCarty’s guitarwork lays the perfect foundation for Ashley McCarty’s solid vocals (think Stevie Nicks).

Aries Road do hop genres a bit here: “Going Home” is an 90′s-flavored mellow alt-rock cut that brings to mind an updated Blind Melon, while “Leavin’ You” is a classic blues piece; “California” is a more rock-driven track, with some nice guitar riffs. Although each piece stands well on its own, it might be harder for them to connect with their audience if they try to cover too much musical ground at once. That being said, I enjoyed what I heard – and I think “Keyholder” is an excellent debut for this dynamic duo.

Beeb Ashcroft

Indie-Music.com (December 7, 2009)