The Lavers, through their exceptional musical style and laid-back songs,  were able to emerge as one of the most anticipated indie artists in Australia . The indie/rock band released their EP, ‘The Street Is a Symphony’, featuring five influential tracks last December 16, 2011.

If you love The Beatles, you’ll enjoy much of this band’s music as they bring to the table some resemblance but with a different twist. You can easily hum with their song, sway your head to the music, and just get absorbed to their songs all over again.

“Meet me at the Merry-Go-Round” is delivered with soft melody and sincere lyrics that will leave you nostalgic of a lost and happy love. “Old-fashioned girl” is fun and smooth and features an amusing tune and lyrics you will enjoy listening at any time of the day. Other tracks in the EP include “Tangled up in Dream”, “Blue Rose”, and “Cosmic Ambulance” that you will surely find entertaining as well.

Make sure to drop by their Official Website and Lavers Facebook page and download their EP, “The Street Is A Symphony” at bandcamp and SoundCloud. You can also find more info about the band at Unearthed.

At first, I actually thought it was a band name but was surprised to know that he’s a one-man band, songwriter, and producer! Yup, Proof I Exist is the brainchild of a very talented DIY artist from Cleveland, Paul Kulis.

Kulis just recently released his debut album, “Suburban Sci-Fi”, and I was actually blown away when I heard the first track, “Modern Day Love Song”. So impressive, I got hooked and just wanted to listen to all his tracks again and again. Each song is definitely a must hear whether you love indie music or not.

The self-released (Scatterbrainiac Records), self-produced album consists of 12 fascinating tracks that fans of alternative rock would surely love. But what Proof I Exist offers is an actual fusion of genre with garage, punk, blues, funk, reggae, and of course indie, combined together to create a psychedelic record. If I actually hadn’t read his introduction, I would have thought it’s a full band playing the songs.

Kulis has made each song very relatable with his compelling lyrics and magnetic musicality. Some of my personal favorites are Modern Day Love Song (of course), Trespassing in Heaven, Season of Make-Believe, Twentynothing, Out of Reach, SongBird, and Misbehave, but all the tracks are really amazing and a must-have on your playlist.

Proof I Exist is one admirable indie artist. A singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist – a band on his own, Kulis made a work of art from his pure passion that seems to root back to his college days.

According to his bio, his project began in 2003 with the release of anonymous tracks in the form of spray-painted EPs that were mailed to local college radio stations and newspapers.  After creating some buzz under a pseudonym, Kulis soon changed his project’s name to Proof I Exist.  In 2006, with virtually no budget and no bandmates, Kulis set out to record a debut full-length with a full-band sound and radio-worthy production values – which now we can enjoy as Suburban Sci-Fi.

From Indie Update, more power to Proof I Exist and thanks to your music!

Don’t forget to drop by www.proofiexist.com, which will take you to his Facebook page and get real-time updates on Proof I Exist. You can also find Proof I Exist at Reverbnation where you can also avail his tracks, watch his videos, and join his fans!

The Suburban Sci Fi CD from Scatterbrainiac Records (self-released) is now also available in Amazon.com

When the earthquake shook Japan last March, it did not take long before both the independent and mainstream artists started their move to help the disastrous country in recovering from the rubble. One artist specially captured our attention – Lisa Occhino, a young artist blessed with a beautiful voice and a thoughtful heart.

Lisa is an award-winning pianist, songwriter, and singer whom we adore for her compelling passion for music and charity. With various music genres on her palate including pop, rock, R&B, jazz, alternative, country, and Latin, Occhino is always capable of expressing evocative messages to her music. Her first EP Discovery, where she performed all the lead vocals, harmonies, and piano, is just an appetizer to what this young lady can do.

Just recently, Lisa sang live on FOX New CT’s morning show to promote the Love Conquers All: Music for Japan compilation, on which her song “The Pain Behind Your Eyes” from her EP is featured. Along with Lisa, over 40 other songwriters from the Berklee Community took part in this charitable deed where 100% of the proceeds will be donated to Save the Children’s disaster relief for Japan.

This is not the first time Lisa helped out through her music. She is also passionate about providing children with the opportunity to be exposed to music so she donates 20% of every purchase of a hard copy of her first EP to the Stamford Young Artists Philharmonic Outreach music program.

Lisa is currently an honors student majoring in Music Business/Management at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, which awarded her the Songwriting and Composition Scholarship. Lisa is also slated to have her original song “I Do It Better” on the 2011 Music Xray Hit Song Compilation – Great Tracks from Independent Acts, Pop-Rock Vol. 1 produced by Flicknife Records, an independent record label in the United Kingdom.

We at Indie Update are very excited to hear more of Lisa’s musical achievements this year. Her EP Discovery generally features songs of a sweet, youthful, and emotive female artist. “A More Beautiful World,” “I Wish I Was Over You,” “The Pain Behind Your Eyes” are the more emotional songs from the EP while “I Do Better”, “I Still Believe,” and “Surrounded” are pretty upbeat and more vibrant. If you love piano, heartwarming lyrics, and soft mellow vocals, you should check Lisa’s Discovery.

This Sunday on Memorial Day(May 29), she’ll be performing for her second time at Manhattan’s oldest and most famous rock club, The Bitter End, where music legends like Miles Davis, Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, Bette Midler and more have launched their careers. Last year, she was among the less than 1% of songwriters under age 18 who showcased their originals in front of the club’s famous brick wall.

Check out Lisa Occhino’s Official Website to know more information about her latest gigs. You may watch Lisa’s live performances on her YouTube channel or like her on Facebook for more updates.

We’ve featured plenty of artists here at the site and we’re up more…  Today, we choose to feature a band from Los Angeles who brings surf music in to the real thing—The Lovely Bad Things.

The way people define indie rock has evolved through generations, but what’s really amusing is to still find young artists make music the pure indie way, and that is: making creative music, bringing exciting live performances, and enjoying the music with audience!

The Lovely Bad Things are often described as a cross between the Pixies and Black Lips, and we couldn’t agree more. “Shark Week”, their first LP, features the band’s musicality of indie rock music, from surf to punk, garage to noise, psych to pop, and more—the  group has so much to offer in the music scene.  And there’s no doubt they are set to bring a stage on fire as they bring the excitement of live music back to the audience.

The Lovely Bad Things began in October 2009 with members Lauren Curtius, Camron Ward, Timothy Hatch and Brayden Ward. According to the group, no member stays on one instrument throughout the entire set with each member often playing every instrument at least once as the performance progresses. They all also share the vocal duties including four-part harmonies. Pretty amazing for such young musicians, right?

From their bio, the group began gaining popularity in the LA/OC collective DIY scene early on, which then expanded to a much larger spectrum opening up for larger acts and working with FYF. Acts they have supported include No Age, Wavves, Peter Bjorn and John, The Thermals, The Growlers, Screaming Females, Crystal Antlers, Abe Vigoda, Slang Chickens and many more. “Shark Week” was released in September 2010 on cassette for UVR. And now, The Lovely Bad Things are working on the release of a 6-song EP sometime this summer.

Keep it up guys! We at Indie Update look forward to featuring you again and your first EP as well!

Check out The Lovely Bad Things on MySpace, like them on Facebook and get updates about their upcoming shows and events. You can also find videos of the group’s performances on YouTube.

More Links for The Lovely Bad Things:

Last.fm
Twitter
Sonicbids

Brixton to Brooklyn apparently is very significant to Price as she definitely poured in her heart and soul to each and every song included in her sophomore album. From the lyrics to its production, Price has done it all by herself. She’s got the spunk of today’s mainstream pop/rock stars like Pink, Kelly Clarkson, and Katy Perry as many have compared her with but what I find about her to be the most influential is the powerful yet soulful authenticity of her voice that exudes in any genre she takes on. May it be pop, rock, or soul, Price’s vocals remain charismatic and enchanting in such a way that there aren’t enough words to describe her craft.

Kirsten Price is like a shooting star for many pop/rock music fans out there. Who wouldn’t be impressed with Price’s unparalleled performance in the album, not to mention the spellbinding lyrics she has put in each track? Too wonderful for words, Kirsten’s music has already become phenomenal as some of her contemporaries include Amy Winehouse, Joss Stone, Toni Childs, as well as Tracy Chapman. I guess you now can just imagine how brilliant an artist she actually is without even listening to the album yet.

Stepping up with her carrier single, “With or Without You”, you get to feel her music penetrating into you and in just the twinkling of an eye, you’ve reached the final track telling you to “Press That Button” (which should definitely mean “repeat button” in that sense).  I am pretty much blown away with “Keep Moving”, “Take Me To The Top”, and “Gone”. Yet ultimately, Kirsten Price and her album Brixton to Brooklyn are just two of the things we should not miss to share with our friends this Christmas.

So what are you waiting for? Check out Kirsten Price’s website, MySpace, and Facebook Fan Page for more information and updates about her album and her upcoming shows.

Brian Mackey writes wonderful lyrics and has fantastic vocals which blend in perfect harmony with the acoustics of his instruments. A boy who grew up in Florida, Brian didn’t actually have any formal training on playing the piano or guitar; yet listening to his bubbly music, truthfully, the thought of it would not even cross my mind because he really does a pretty good job in crafting his own music.

On that note, I will just unravel to you some of the things you can expect from Brian and his music because I actually think you’d be checking him out even before I wrap up this post. I’ve listened to his songs a few times already and every time I do, I always end up with this cheery tune playing over and over again in my head. His music which he describes as “manic romantic rock” sure does can reach to anyone who may have lost some sort of romance in their lives.

Why say that? Because you’d actually get a sense of happiness and a bit of a romance that you’d feel so much better after listening to each and every song. The sound is ultimately relaxing at the same time very refreshing — just right to make you want to listen to his voice over and over again.

Anyway, we’ve learned that our singer-songwriter Brian here has already released two EPs last year and have made a great impression to indie fans out there. But what greater news we have is that he’s just released a new CD entitled Honest Love which is also now available in iTunes. My personal fave from this CD would have to be “Honest Love” itself and “SunShower”; although, I do actually like the whole album because of the various emotions you can get from each song.

Watch out this November 25 for Brian Mackey’s music video for the new album. And on November 29, Brian will be playing live from Times Square 7th Ave on The Radio Show which is to be simulcast worldwide. That’s definitely a huge break for Brian!

So keep your eyes and ears up for more news and updates and might as well check out Brian Mackey’s MySpace and Facebook Page for his upcoming shows.

Paige Nichols has just released her debut EP “Little Men” last month, and from the album title itself you can already tell that it features the music of one empowered female artist. Paige has this unique and powerful voice that moves you to get up and go on. Regardless of what track of hers you listen to, you’ll find her music along with her amazing vocals fill you with emotions up to the brim.

Though “Little Man Big Gun” is upbeat and already stirring, “Haunted” reveals Paige as more than a raspy soulful singer-songwriter, but one that is musically expressive, sensitive, and exceptional with her heartfelt lyrics and honest sound – top it off with her incredible piano playing, which she have learned to play way back when she was nine and still living in a town in Ohio.

Now, Paige is in New York living her dream of becoming the next soul, pop singer-songwriter. She’s already worked with producer Mikal Blue (Colbie Caillat, One Republic, Carrie Underwood,) and even recorded with drummer, Victor Indrizzo (Alanis Morissette, Gwen Stefani, Shakira,) and guitarist Andrew Williams (Five for Fighting.)

You can find the very talented Paige Nichols perform solo with her piano this month in The Living Room, and The Bitter End. To wrap it up, I certainly believe that Paige Nichols has got the skills, the talent, and the spirit to hit mainstream!

Listen to Paige Nichols on MySpace and check her upcoming shows.

Fortunately, we got Kat Boelskov. She’s a Danish music maker who has just released her first album entitled “Amateur” in March this year. Her album, though the title sounds pretty straightforward for a first-time all around music maker, doesn’t really make herself an amateur.

Her music genre, electro-pop-rock, along with her amazing voice made me personally want to listen to all her songs over and over again. I started listening to “Everything” and it did set everything right. I actually get the feel of what kind of a music maker Kat is – passionate, strong, and contagious.

Having listened to all her tracks, I couldn’t imagine how she was able to do all by herself. From writing, recording, mixing, producing, and now, promoting her own music, I must say, Kat’s musical influences have done a pretty good job. With inspirations from Róisín Murphy, Dragonette, 90′s Bjørk, Sia, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and from many other female artists like Alanis Morisette, Sheryl Crow, Pink, Christina Aguilera, Alicia Keys, Cindy Lauper; she sure makes a great addition to this set of influential women.

As I was writing this post, Kat’s facebook music page has already reached more than 4300 fans – no doubt about that. In fact, she has already reached no.1 on the Reverbnation Alternative chart for Denmark, and we’ve heard many producers are in the process of remixing her tracks. Good job Kat! Here at indieupdate, your music is much appreciated!

Catch Kat Boelskov on MySpace and check more of her music and videos.

Tahni Handal on MySpace

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StickLips on MySpace

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