Blessed with roughhewn, down-home vocals that hark back to when rhythm and blues repped for both components, Noel Gourdin's influences range from hip-hop to gospel and songs that are nakedly emotional and truthful. Noel Gourdin states his case on his refreshingly heartfelt debut CD, 'After My Time', coming soon. Watch the video for hit single 'The River'.
Butta Verses, a Bronx-bred rapper who now calls Fort Lauderdale, Florida home, made his debut appearance on De La Soul’s 2004 release The Grind Date spitting back to back with Posdonus on the song “No.” Butta’s name was bestowed upon him by fellow MCs at local ciphers but once his mixtape reached the ears of DJ Maseo from De La Soul, his rhymes started reaching neighborhoods around the world. Maseo signed Butta to his Bear Mountain Entertainment label and he began touring with De La Soul to promote The Grind Date. Butta released several mixtapes while playing over 200 shows on De La Soul’s international tour and began recording with his crew GCD (Glee Club Detention) as well as Seattle’s Vitamin D and Bean One for his Bear Mountain debut, Brand Spankin.
Having completed his term with Bear Mountain, Butta focused on live performances, sharing the stage with such veterans as Wu Tang Clan, KRS-One, Boot Camp Click and many others. Though no longer signed with Maseo, Butta was heard in late 2006 on De La Soul’s old-school flavored track, “You Got It” from Impossible Mission. All along, Butta has seen a great deal of his catalog licensed for television (NBC’s Saturday Night Live and A&E’s Dog The Bounty Hunter, to name a couple) and ringtones through his partnership with NYC-based licensing company, Beats and Rhymes.
Today, Butta is wrapping up his follow-up album, Six Minutes To Ten, with such guests as CL Smooth, and A-Butta of Natural Elements with production help from The Mighty V.I.C. and Tzarizm among others. March of 2007 will see the release of an exclusive Butta V track produced by Marco Polo on hip-hop upstart label Audio Clutch. The label's debut release will be available in record stores and online everywhere. Expect more from this rising star in 2007.
Courtesy of Butta Verses on MOLI.com
After 6 months touring the UK conquering its four corners and everything in between, Liverpudian indie kids, The Steeples will release their second single Loosy Lucy on 23rd June. A combination of crafted songwriting, passionate performance and shear ‘blood, sweat and beers’ have seen them already convert unsuspecting gig goers to bona fide ‘Steeple People,’ throughout the land.
With a bouncy boyish playfulness, and heartfelt yearning, the Steeples ‘Loosy Lucy’ takes us to a familiar heartache of a past relationship when the grass seems greener. Their sincerity is balanced with a jovialness that results in an upbeat pop song, saving us from an unwanted adolescent angst or depressing dirge. There is a certain romantic charm to these boys as they sing of their despair that will leave Lucy’s everywhere flocking to their next gig.
With ‘Album of the Month’ in Maxim and ‘Single of the week at Xfm’ they have already created quite a buzz with their pretty boy looks, cheeky northern accents and great indie pop riffs. The Steeples offer us a fresh ‘Doherty-esque’ sound that remains tight and together, and possess a certain quirkiness that few bands can convincingly convey.
Earlier this year the band were invited to play Liverpool and Blackburn’s Oxjam events alongside The Bluetones, The Wedding Present, The Thrills and Rumblestrips. With the single out this June, closely followed by the much anticipated debut album, ‘Tea For Two’ in July The Steeples are sure to be a towering success. 2008 will see the band storm through the Indie scene as they embark on their first nationwide tour.
Ocean Park took www.SO-U.TV on a guided tour of their amazing new exhibit Animal Month in High Definition. It is first ever stingray encounter in Hong Kong, and largest collection of exotic frogs in Southeast Asia, debut of world record holding sand sculptors and their larger than life sand sculptures and a brand new show Sea Dreams!
Kenneth L King is the man behind many Country and Western hits. This song is taken from his own debut album - Do You Remember My Name? From Real2Can Records - www.real2can.com
