Just a quick update to let you know that I have shelved
World United Music indefinitely. If I’m able to bring some serious attention to
this project in the future, I will certainly return more determined to make a
difference because that’s what World United Music has always been about. For
the time being, I will be working at World United News where the information
demand requires my full attention. I leave music fans with a ton of great music
and hope it has helped some of the artists I’ve supported over the past six
years. ~ Stewart Brennan
The contents of every music Playlist below can be accessed
by clicking on the 3-line square in the top left hand corner of each YouTube
Video screen. The Play-lists will automatically stream continuously from
whatever point you choose. So sit back and enjoy the music!
Jay Scott & The Find is an exciting new act out of
London UK with infectious indie rock, powerful pop songs, and a live show that
has earned
the boys... a loyal fan base.
In March
2014, the boys completed their first record (Self Titled), with Steve Power
(Blur, Robbie Williams, Feeder, Ray LaMontagne, British Sea Power) at the helm,
recording at Abbey Road Studios and Angelic Studios. Soon to be released
Jupiter is made up of three
brothers from Temecula, California. After years of being in bands with an ever
revolving door of members, Jordan, Evan and Aaron decided to try their hand at
producing music on their own. Over the next three years they constantly honed
their singing, songwriting, production and recording skills as they continued
to discover their own sound and voices. They released Love Campaign in June
2011 and have recently followed that release with “The Fire” EP which was
released in April 2013. Having recorded and produced the albums themselves,
Jupiter is excited to continue touring and see what the future holds.
Jupiter has completed completed
three west coast tours and two runs to Nevada and Utah. In June of 2013 they
also covered California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah and Nevada.
Deering & Down is an independent duo living in Memphis
and playing music worldwide. Originally hailing from the Pacific Northwest, the
band has lived and played music in Alaska, Los Angeles, Ireland, Switzerland,
Canada and Memphis. Called “the best one-two punch in the city” by Memphis'
Commercial Appeal, the duo describes their style as defiantly unorthodox with a
smokey Memphis flavor cast in a glow of shimmering Northern lights.
“We’ve been making music for 11 years now, and we’re confident this is our best
album yet,” said Deering. “Working with Willie was such a great learning
experience, and it really shows in the bold new direction of our third
release.”
The album features a variety of Memphis’ most well-known musicians, including
Al Green’s notable Hi Rhythm section (guitarist Mabon “Teenie” Hodges, bassist
Leroy Hodges, keyboardist Charles Hodges and drummer Howard Grimes), and Rick
Steff, John C Stubblefield and Roy Berry of Lucero.
“…Weaving the two main streams of Memphis music—rockabilly
and Southern soul—the duo has created a hybrid sound that should transform them
from local heroes to roots-rock stars.” ~ Geoffrey Himes, Washington Post
“… She's got a voice like Loretta Lynn swallowed Rod Stewart. He plays guitar
like nobody you've ever heard. Great in a bar. Better in a hotel room. How's
that for a pull quote?” ~ Chris Davis, Memphis Flyer
At each stage of Carrie Rodriguez’s career—as a fiddler,
singer, and songwriter—the Austin, Texas, native has learned the importance of
letting go. That was certainly true when it came to recording her fifth solo
album, Give Me All You Got, her first of largely original tunes
in several years. “In the making of Love and Circumstance in 2008, I
chose to sing other people’s songs,” Rodriguez explains. “I needed to take a
step back from songwriting and think about the kinds of songs that feel
important to sing. Doing that inspired me to write again.”
On Give Me All You Got, she says, “I’m laying
out some extreme emotional highs and lows, which feels good. Take ‘Brooklyn’
[co-written with guitarist Luke Jacobs]. It’s very autobiographical, and I
remember thinking, would I really want to share this? I decided, of course, why
hold this back? It’s something that a lot of people can relate to—the
acceptance of failure in a relationship, learning from it, and moving forward.
‘Brooklyn’ is also a song about taking a pause in order to really experience
what you are feeling, something I find increasingly difficult in this modern
era of constant communication and stimulation.”
Rodriguez, who came to attention a decade ago performing
with singer-songwriter Chip Taylor, has established an impressive roster of
touring, recording, and co-writing affiliations—with Lucinda Williams, Rickie
Lee Jones, John Prine, Mary Gauthier, Alejandro Escovedo, guitarist Bill
Frisell, and others. Although she has issued three albums under her own name
and enjoyed major label support for 2008’s She Ain’t Me, the release
of Give Me All You Got marks a giant step for Rodriguez. The album was
recorded with her own band and produced by the renowned Lee Townsend, with whom
she has worked closely in the past. And the songs—which she wrote, co-wrote, or
handpicked from the repertoire of longtime collaborators—establish her musical
identity more powerfully than ever before.
While Carrie’s father, David Rodriguez, was an
accomplished songwriter, and took her on tour with him in Europe when she was a
teen, song craft, like improvising on fiddle and singing, didn’t come
automatically to Carrie. After sitting in on a sound check with her dad’s old
Houston pal Lyle Lovett, she detoured from a degree as a classical violinist at
Oberlin Conservatory and set herself on course to become a fiddler at the
Berklee College of Music. There, her teacher, Matt Glaser, and her fellow
students, including roommate Casey Driessen, helped her “find my groove and let
go of that wall I had put up as a classical player.”
Another turning point came when Rodriguez met veteran
songwriter Chip Taylor (“Wild Thing,” “Angel of the Morning”), who soon had
Rodriguez touring and recording, and encouraged her to sing and write. “I’ve
been a reluctant writer ever since I started, never quite feeling like I was
supposed to be doing it,” Rodriguez confesses. “But I’m drawn to songs that are
emotional and direct, and from working with Chip I learned that when you can
just be open and not analyze too much, that’s when the truth comes out.”
After recording four studio albums with Taylor, Rodriguez
made her solo debut in 2006 with Seven Angels on a Bicycle. “All of a
sudden I found myself in this position of being called a singer-songwriter,
which felt so strange,” she says. But she returns to that role quite
comfortably on Give Me All You Got. The album includes songs by Taylor
and Ben Kyle (with whom Rodriguez recorded the 2011 EP We Still Love Our
Country), but its emotional core resides in originals drawn from Carrie’s
personal experience. “I feel less afraid to write about what’s really
happening, both to me and to people around me,” Rodriguez says. The song “Sad
Joy,” for instance, arose from a conversation with Taylor about a loved one who
was maintaining a “bright, beautiful attitude” while dealing with Lou Gehrig’s
disease. “Chip and I were talking about how, when we are faced with those kinds
of things, as sad and difficult as they are, they can also bring about a type
of joy. The simple joy of people loving each other and holding each other up—in
times of both celebration and in mourning. We started strumming some chords,
and there it was, a song that lays out those raw emotions without being shy
about it. Celebrating them, in fact.”
Give Me All You Got deals with a few dark
themes, which is not surprising given that one of the first songwriters who
inspired Rodriguez in her early teens was Leonard Cohen. “I listened to Leonard
for a year and dwelled in the deep lowdown feelings he helped me feel,” she
recalls. The sound of the new album, however, is “a little more
infectious, rather than contemplative,” says producer Lee Townsend. “It still
addresses Carrie’s roots in Americana, but also with a bit of a pop edge. I
think it is her most mature record—every direction that is explored is
distilled to an essential kind of expression.”
Townsend, known for his work with Bill Frisell, Loudon
Wainwright III, Kelly Joe Phelps, Crooked Still, and many others, captured the
band—Carrie on fiddle, tenor guitar, and vocals; Luke Jacobs and Hans Holzen on
acoustic, electric, and lap steel guitars, mandolin, and vocals; Kyle Kegerreis
on upright and electric bass; Eric Deutsch on piano, Rhodes, and Hammond B3;
and Don Heffington on drums and percussion—essentially live in the studio. “The
live energy of the band is central to this album,” he says.
“Ever since I first met and worked with Lee at a music
festival in Germany, I have known he was the perfect producer for me,” Rodriguez
says. “His approach to making an album is almost like a composer writing a
symphony. He has the ability to group songs together and shape them so that the
story they tell is a complete one, and even greater than the individual songs
themselves. And like my favorite conductors, he manages to get the absolute
best from each musician by making us all feel at ease and appreciated.”
With the release of Give Me All You Got,
Rodriguez is ready to say the same thing about herself: “As a
singer-songwriter, I feel like I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing. It’s a
lifelong learning curve, and I hope I always stay as excited about it as I am
now.”
The Black Cadillacs are a blues-based indie rock band from
Knoxville, TN. With members from each of Tennessee’s major cities, the state’s
famous sounds are well represented. Nashville’s recent brand of rock ‘n’ roll
revival, Memphis’ soul, and Knoxville’s roots music combine to form an
authentic and original sound. “The group displays a repertoire of grooves,
rockers, and ballads,” says Red Bull Sound Select of the bands SXSW performance.
First cousins, Will Horton and Matthew Hyrka, founded the
band with lifelong friend and neighbor, Philip Anderson. In 2009 the lineup was
completed with the additions of John Phillips and Adam Bonomo. The Black
Cadillacs have a sound all to their own with diverse influences such as The
Rolling Stones, The Who, Queens Of The Stone Age, and The Brian Jonestown
Massacre.
Their live set is where this well-orchestrated yet explosive
blend comes to life. “Amazing energy from beginning to end,” says Consequence
of Sound. Paste Magazine agrees by calling them, “[One of] the top 10 Great New
Bands that played CMJ”. Relix Magazine anointed the group their “Summer Stars”
honor and featured them on the cover of their publication. The band is
currently touring (with performances at Bonnaroo, Summerfest, The Hangout,
Bunbury, Wakarusa, and Summer Camp) in support of their new summer single,
Radio Silence.
Tyler James' debut full-length record It
Took the Fire was
released in 2010 on his own Son of Geert Records. For the 27-year-old Nashville songsmith,
it's a coming of age album. "I'm part of a restless generation known more
for its apathy than for its voice," he says. "My songs are about the
struggle to find my own truth." With his heartfelt approach and raspy
croon, James sounds like an old soul. Citing influences from Paul Simon to Rainer
Maria Rilke, he has a reverence for past masters that does him good. With
meticulously crafted arrangements disguised as simple pop tunes, It
Took the Fire is one
part classic 70s, another part Memphis soul.
Co-produced with
acclaimed producer Neilson Hubbard (Glen Phillips, Garrison Starr), It
Took the Fire was
tracked in four days at Nashville's legendary House of David Studios.
"Like a lot of studios on Music Row, you often feel like you're standing
on hallowed ground," James says. "I used Elvis' piano on the record
and the studio still has a trap door entrance from when he tracked there."
Highlights on the record include the title track, which rings out like an old
spiritual when he sings: "It took the fire to save my soul/ It took the
fire to change me/ Glory shown in the ashes blowin' away." Other songs
range from heartbreak on the slow jam "All I Got," to coping with the
death of a friend on the Randy Newman-esque "A Sailor's Tune.”
Born in the
Pacific Northwest, but raised in small-town Iowa, James has often been an
outsider. "It was pretty much a few street lights and baseball diamonds
surrounded by cornfields," he says. "I'm a Midwest kid at heart, but
when you're young you don't see the value in it. Luckily I found a Dylan tape
in my sister's pick-up truck one day and it changed everything." Once out
of high school, James moved to Nashville and quickly found a home in the music
community. "The talent here is overwhelming," he laughs. "I had
the green knocked out of me pretty quick." James honed his craft while earning
a college degree and eventually debuted in 2005 with the aptly titled An
EP. Produced by
Jason Lehning (Alison Krause, Guster), the release was met with critical
acclaim, with Paste Magazine saying, "His vulnerable lyrics,
uncontrived vocals and memorable piano and guitar arrangements make for a sound
as accessible as it is meaningful.”
James' songs have
found their way onto television shows like ABC's "Brothers and
Sisters" and MTV's "The Hills." Additionally, his song
"Call My Name" (a collaborative effort with DJ Morgan Page) reached
number 5 on Billboard's worldwide dance charts last year. James has spent
the last four years traveling the country in his old VW, playing with the likes
of Ben Lee, Mat Kearney, Diane Birch, Bobby Bare Jr., Denison Witmer and The
Autumn Defense. "I can't tell you how many strange couches I slept
on," says James. "I don't do much planning ahead in the hope of
finding the back alleys." That approach would sometimes backfire on him.
"I'd end up freezing my butt off in the back seat at some dark truck stop
in the middle of nowhere," he says. More recently James was one of the
founding members of Ten Out of Tennessee, an acclaimed Nashville artist collective
whose tours aim to prove there's more to Music City than rhinestones and cowboy
boots.
With the release
of It Took the Fire, James seeks beauty in the mystic and purpose in
the disillusion that has defined his generation. "I wanted my record to
reflect the community we have in Nashville," he says. "I still have
hope that there are people out there who get together with friends, open up a
bottle of wine and listen to records.”
Mountain
Heart is the band that has been fearlessly revolutionizing the way acoustic
music can be presented and played. The band's name has been synonymous with
cutting-edge excellence in acoustic music circles since the group's creation in
1999. Widely known throughout the music industry for continually redefining the
boundaries of acoustic music, the band has gained legions of loyal fans both as
a result of their superlative musicianship, and more notably, their
incomparably exciting live performances.
As one of the most highly awarded ensembles ever assembled, Mountain Heart, or
members of the band, have either won or been nominated for Grammy’s, ACM, CMA,
and multiple IBMA Awards. They have appeared on the revered stage of the Grand
Ole Opry in excess of 125 times and have shared the stage with acts ranging
from Lynyrd Skynyrd, Montgomery Gentry, Merle Haggard, George Jones and Brad
Paisley to Alison Krauss, Tony Rice, The Avett Brothers, Yonder Mountain
Stringband, Levon Helm, John Fogerty and Patty Loveless.
Mountain Heart's musical virtuosity, unmatched energy, and keen sense of
entertainment dynamics have helped them to forge a highly unique sound, and
stage show, which appeals to an incredibly wide variety of musical tastes. From
large outdoor folk music and bluegrass festivals, to sold-out arena shows
opening for Southern Rock icons, Lynyrd Skynyrd, to co-headlining concerts with
the acoustic guitar legend, Tony Rice, Mountain Heart always makes an
undeniable connection to an audience, leaving them on their feet. In short,
this rare combination of abilities makes Mountain Heart one of the most
versatile acts ever assembled.
This year will see Mountain Heart booked to play some of the most prestigious
outdoor multi-genre festivals in the nation as well as theaters and clubs as
they tour in support of their 7’th album, “That Just Happened”, which was
released in late 2010 on their own imprint, MH Music Group.
It may come as a
surprise to hear the foot-stomping strains of Appalachian bluegrass channeled
through a rock band here in Los Angeles, but heartache, loss and regret have
always been the cornerstones of great music and this city has its share. In a
town better known for porn stars and face lifts, anything as authentic and
heartfelt as Rose's Pawn Shop, is a pleasant surprise.
Singer-songwriter Paul Givant grew up on the
disparate array of popular musical styles any late 20th century kid did. And in
that mishmash of rock, punk, country, pop, rap, and all the rest, it was
American Folk and Bluegrass music that rooted deepest in Paul, transforming him
and his songs. Having played in various rock bands since early high school, in
2004 Paul decided it was time to take his growing batch of old style/new school
folk songs, and build them into something greater, more ferocious. The songs
were there, volatile, almost flammable, but if they were to attain their
potential greatness, he was going to need help.
As so many fortuned events unfold, it was through a
series of chance meetings, twists of fate, and Craig's List, that Paul met
kindred spirits in Sebastian St. John, Derek O'Brien, Bill Clark, Derek
Swenson, and John Kraus. And in 2005 they began building the music and the band
that would soon be known as Rose's Pawn Shop. This group of young musicians
combined in their collective musical melting pot the old style American sounds
of Woody Guthrie, Bill Monroe, and Hank Williams, the high energy punk of The
Ramones, and The Pogues, and the melodic songwriting sensibilities of Elliott
Smith and The Beatles. They were creating something musically unique and yet
imbued with a familiarity and accessibility.
The final ingredient was added one fateful day when
Paul's scorned ex-girlfriend/former band mate in an act of revenge stole the
band's instruments and gear and took them down to the local pawn shop.
Priceless. Rose's Pawn Shop was born... The match was lit.
In spring of 2006 after months of playing live and
breaking ground around Los Angeles, the band recorded and released their debut
album "The Arsonist". The album quickly began receiving critical
praise from print and online publications as varied as "About.com",
"The Daily News", "Miles of Music", and "Music
Connection". A month after its release, Rose's Pawn Shop showcased and won
the grand prize in Billboard Magazine and Discmaker's: Independent Music World
Series. And in the summer of that year, the members of Rose's Pawn Shop dared
to quit their day jobs and hit the road, and what had started as a slow and
steady burn, began spreading like wildfire.
They have been touring the United States nearly
non-stop ever since. On any given day you might find Rose's Pawn Shop playing
the Georgia Theatre in Athens, busking the streets of Jackson Square in New
Orleans, opening for Jack White and The Raconteurs at the Henry Fonda Theatre
in Los Angeles, ripping the walls off the club in their month long residency at
the Parkside Lounge in New York City, or hitting the main stage of Floydfest in
Virginia. On any given day they're out there, growing their music, igniting
their passion, and converting an ever increasing congregation of loyal fans.
In early 2010, Rose's Pawn Shop entered the studio
with renowned producer Ethan Allen (Patty Griffin, Better Than Ezra, Counting
Crows, Luscious Jackson, The 88, Gram Rabbit) to record the second album,
"Dancing On the Gallows." In recording the new record, Rose's Pawn
Shop found themselves rising to new level song craft and sound experimentation,
while retaining the same fiery intensity and excitement of their early
material. The highly anticipated album is slated for an early August 2010
release.
What do they sound like, you ask?
With an arsenal of banjos, guitars, mandolin, fiddle,
pedal steel, upright bass, and thundering drums, their sound is a wholesome
mishmash of creek mud, rusty nails and your mom's cookin'. It's sincere,
straight-forward and sexy as fuck, effortlessly combining such disparate
musical styles as rock, country, bluegrass, and punk to create an
incomprehensibly smooth and accessible sound for true believers and skeptics
alike.
With wisdom beyond their years, they fearlessly
confront traditional country music themes of loss, lamentation, and redemption,
while throwing in some drinking-songs for good measure. Sure, they're borrowing
pages from the books of Hank Williams, Bill Monroe, and Johnny Cash, but Rose's
Pawn Shop takes those pages, tears them up and sets them on fire with breakneck
speed, bluegrass instrumentation, 3- and 4- part vocal harmonies and lyrics
that'll break your heart.
Whether it's the dreamy snake-charm-thump of
"Lone Rider," the wistful whisky-soaked wisdom of "Down The Line,"
the honky-tonk ruckus of "Funeral Pyre," or the Gypsy-infused
mandolin twang of "Reckoning," Rose's Pawn Shop will hook you. Like
catfish from the creek, they'll reel you in. And they won't let you go.
And you'll be glad they did.
Because something happens when you hear these songs.
No matter how low you've sunk, something in the music finds you. It picks you
up and carries you home.
Rose's Pawn Shop is:
Paul Givant - Lead Vocals, Guitar & Banjo John Kraus - Banjo, Electric Guitar &
Vocals Tim Weed - Fiddle, Mandolin & Vocals Stephen Andrews - Upright Bass & Electric
Bass Christian Hogan - Drums & Vocals
Psychedelic, Alternative, New Wave, Dark Wave – (2000 to 2019)
Psychedelic, Alternative, New Wave, Dark Wave – (2020 to 2029)
Rock, Alternative - (2010 to 2019)
Rock, Alternative – (2020 to 2021)
Soft Rock, Lite Rock, Alternative – (2010 to 2019)
Soft Rock, Lite Rock, Alternative – (2020 to 2021)
Pop Rock – (2000 to 2019)
Pop Rock - (2020 to 2021)
Folk Rock, Acoustic – (2010 to 2019)
Folk Rock, Acoustic – (2020 to 2021)
Hard Rock, Heavy Metal – (2000 to 2019)
Punk Rock, High Energy Rock n Roll – (2000 to 2019)
Southern Rock, Alt Country – (2000 to 2019)
Classic, New Age Classic
New Age Alternative
Ambient, Electronic, Relaxation
Music for the Revolutionary Mind
Welcome!
World United Music (W.U.M.) was dedicated to promoting a variety of music by Independent, Signed, and Unsigned artists. The goal of this project was to help artists gain recognition for their music by Fans across the World while also offering additional support to established artists that continue to create.
World United Music gathered the very best music and put it right here in one place to help listeners discover new music.
If you like what you hear, please consider sharing the music with friends and family.
I'm not in phase with what mainstream mediums have to offer, nor do I like being lied to. So I decided to build my own World where creativity, music, and truth prevail. Therefore I’m a photographer, Writer, Video Producer, News Reporter, Music Promoter, Radio DJ, Poet, Activist, Critical Thinker, and Problem Solver. Be sure to visit all my websites linked below for more of my world.
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