Semi Precious Weapons: Aviation

Justin, Dan, Stevy, and Cole.  Four artists who have blended to make the perfect rock and roll fusion that is, Semi Precious Weapons.  The four started off as music school friends with their hearts set on becoming a respected, well-known artists that people can relate to.  Five years into this friendship, the four decided that they would move to NYC and pursue their dream together.

The name Semi Precious Weapons is catchy to say the least, but lead singer, Justin admits that his original intent was to name the band Semi Precious.  However, he later decided to add the word ‘weapons’ to give it a more rock and roll edge as per his father’s suggestion. 

Recently, the band released their album entitled “Aviation”, a title that came from the album’s natural theme of celestial inspiration.  “The word Aviation has an element of vintage glamour, and sums up that feeling of looking up and moving forward,” explains Justin.  The first single off of the album, “Aviation High”, marked the start of what promises to be an inspirational and empowering set of songs. 

Of all the songs on the album though, Justin names his favorite as “Healed” with no reason in particular simply saying, “I love the lyrics, I love singing it, and the sonic world my band members created around the vocals feels so special.” 

Along with the release of this album, the band is excited to be able to perform at different radio festivals all across the United States, and hope to soon expand their fan interaction to countries outside of the U.S. as well.

Be sure to check out the "Aviation High" which is the Single of the Week and can be downloaded for FREE by clicking here.

Download "Aviation" on iTunes!!

Facebook:  Semi Precious Weapons

Twitter:  @preciousweapons

Instagram: @semipreciousweapons

Tumblr:  SPWeapons

Johnny Petrop: That Felt Good

When we first heard from Johnny Petrop, he was simply starting his rap career with one single and a dream the size of the largest ocean. Now, about a year later, Johnny has finally released his very first mixtape titled “That Felt Good”, and is hoping to gain new fans and the respect of the public.  While he anticipated the album’s release to be much sooner, Johnny admits that the entire process of creating “That Felt Good” was an inexplicable learning experience that he will carry with him throughout his career.

 “That Felt Good” was released on March 5^th and since then Johnny has been working hard to promote himself and be heard.   However, the moving title to this project does have a story behind it as Johnny himself explains, “I always knew I loved this and to actually act on it—to go and follow a dream is one of the hardest things I think anyone does.  To go chase that—that felt good—to go out there and become my own man.”

The project consists of 16 tracks, all of which Johnny admits that he loves.  However he was able to single out a favorite song: Papou, featuring TJ Fox, another artist featured on A Vocal Accord.  In the process of making his mixtape, Johnny’s grandfather passed away, someone who has played an instrumental role in molding him into the man he is today.  “It was the first time I cried when recording a song” he says “that’s how much emotion was in this song.”  Johnny’s goal was to incorporate as much of his grandfather as he could into the song in order to make it as close to perfect as he could.

In the coming months, Johnny has different performances and all different kinds of promo in the works for his fans.  He is working diligently to make sure that his music is able to hit the ears of many and even reveals that he has something new coming out very soon.  “I didn’t stop at ‘That Felt Good’—I want to keep the ball rolling.”

If you want to see Johnny live be sure to check him out TOMORROW at 10pm at The Recovery Room in Flushing.  He’s excited to get everyone pumped and ready to kick off Spring Break!

DOWNLOAD THAT FELT GOOD

ChrystalChyna: Two of a Kind

Unique in their style and execution, the twins ChrystalChyna are nothing short of charming, talented and totally entertaining.  The two claim their admiration for artists like Beyoncé and Kanye West among others and say that musical influences have come from all different angles of life since the day they were born.  The 17-year-old high school seniors are the first to say that being in the business is nothing short of an uphill battle, but they are driven by passion and experience. 

Guided by their mommy manager, ChrystalChyna say that they are on a schedule where they balance schoolwork, music practice, and just being regular teens.  “It’s like a full day and mom has to make sure we maintain that,” says Chyna.  However, music is second nature to the pair, Chyna went on to explain, “We started singing because we have a musical background.  Our godmother is Natalie Cole and our aunt is Chaka Khan, so we have been surrounded by it a lot.” 

The challenge of being 17 year old girls and trying to pursue a career in music still presents itself for ChrystalChyna, “people kind of doubt you in a way, and you have people who are your age that don’t really understand.  They don’t want you to do it and they don’t understand why you do it,” says Chrystal.  This does not stop them though; in fact these roadblocks sometimes serve as inspiration for them to keep moving forward.  “You have to believe in yourself before anybody.  So that’s our message that we want to give out to people,” says Chyna.

Inspiration comes from all angles for these girls, but one thing they made sure to tell me was that they LOVE Beyoncé!  “We feel like we have a connection to her because like her she was put down a lot too,” says Chrystal, and Chyna adds, “Nowadays there are a lot of people who are good performers but not only is she a good performer she’s a good vocalist.  She’s a lady and she’s elegant.”  The pair hopes to one day get a chance to work with her as well as other artists such as Janelle Monet who they credit with having originality.

In the near future, we can look forward to hearing much more from ChrystalChyna as they are working on an EP at the moment.  As a part of their promotional efforts, they will continue to upload cover videos and share what they call their “Snippet Sunday,” which is when they upload small clips of songs and performances to give the audience a taste of what they do.  ChrystalChyna are not only talented, but they are sweet, charming and two of a kind.  Be sure to connect with them on social media to see what moves they make next!

Connect with ChrystalChyna:

Facebook: Facebook.com/ChrystalChyna 

Twitter: @chrystalchyna

Instagram: @chrystalchyna

Cinco Santos: Passion and Duplicidad

Cinco Santos—five men, intent on making powerful music for anyone who comes in contact with their unique and hip sound.  Their music could be compared to the style of artists like Mana; a raspy catching voice combined with profound lyrics and smooth compelling instrumentals.  But who are the guys of Cinco Santos, and what do they have to offer to the world of music?  I spoke with founder of the band, Lorenzo Montero who gave me some insight as to what the band has going on and what they seek to accomplish.

Cinco Santos’ name comes from the concept of musical passion, “for me, Cinco Santos was a name that I came up with because it really represents that coming together as a band for a single purpose, and that magic and passion that happens when you get that really cool chemistry and vibe between people who are musically fusing,” explains Lorenzo. 

The upcoming album entitled “Duplicidad” is centered on the same themes that the group itself focuses on: inspiration and passion.  Lorenzo says that each and every one of the songs provide some kind of inspiration or spirituality within them, however he also highlights that, “they all have their little surprises.”  He also shared, that each one of the songs on the album come from different experiences that the band members have encountered at some point or another in their lives.      

Cinco Santos’ current single is entitled “Azucar y Amor”, a song about the workings of society that the group has observed through living in Los Angeles.  Lorenzo describes the song as having a tongue-and-cheek message highlighting the superficiality of the society that the band has observed on a daily basis.  “There’s a lot of superficiality and focus on the material…we sometimes find that people like that are more concerned about how much money you have, what kind of car you drive, or what you do for a living,” explains Lorenzo. 

From the album, “Duplicidad”, Lorenzo admits that Azucar y Amor is one of his favorites, however, he also points out one other single titled “Candela”.  “We’re really excited to see how people react when it comes out because we really love that song…musically it is probably the song that is closest to representing the band’s fusion of styles.

Cinco Santos is a band that introduces unique flavor and duality to the world of music through their blend of styles.  “We want people to experience Cinco Santos in our unique fusion of styles and musical influences and really take the time to listen to our music, watch our videos and experience the same vibe and passion that we get out of this.”

Connect with Cinco Santos:

Twitter:  @cincosantos

Facebook:Cinco Santos-Official

Soundcloud:CincoSantos

YouTube: CincoSantosBand

Romeo Santos: Formula Volume 2 Release

Today, King of Bachata Romeo Santos releases his second solo album, Formula Volume 2.  The star has proven resilient, breaking boundaries in the world of bachata since his early days in the group, Aventura.  Now, with significant time and experience under his belt, he has been able to work with the likes of Marc Anthony, Drake, Nicki Manaj, and Carlos Santana, among others.  However, while blessed with extreme fame and millions of adoring fans worldwide he admits, “I am a man of few words when I am talking, I express myself better in my songs.  I get a little shy and nervous for these things, but obviously I have to speak.” 

Romeo Santos’ trajectory is lengthy, and in his early 30s he is already considered an icon in his genre, however Romeo considers his songwriting abilities to be what makes him the huge star that he is.  “Everything that I compose has to have credibility and I want people to believe what I’m writing,” he says as he describes his evolution as a composer. 

“In this particular album, I am writing about stuff that I’ve never written before.  I have a song No Tiene La Culpa and it tells the story of a guy who is homosexual and he feels trapped in the wrong body,” he notes.  Romeo, who is widely known for his private nature and separation of his personal and business life says that many may be shocked to hear a single entitled Si Yo Muero on this album, saying, “its probably the most personal song I have written.  This song does have to do with me, with Romeo, with Anthony.  With this song I talk about everything.”

Having changed the genre of bachata since the day he stepped foot onto the scene, it was interesting to note his advice to rising stars within the music industry.  “My advice for anyone who wants to make it in this music business? Above anything, perseverance, that is really important.  A lot of people said, ‘you’re not making it’…and I’m here.  Originality, that’s very important.  People don’t like copies—you can survive, but you will never be one of the greatest.”

Formula Volume 2 comes with more surprises than just the acts featured on the album.  Romeo Santos also announced that he will be performing at Yankee Stadium on July 12^th and some are already expecting it to sell out, “I never visualized myself singing in the stadium and to be able to have this privilege, to be the first Latino artist to achieve this, I think is a huge responsibility.”  Romeo expressed pride, nervousness and excitement when describing his feelings concerning the concert at Yankee Stadium, “to me it is a huge honor to be Latino and to represent all of you and I thank God first, my fans and you guys [media outlets] who are always here with me in all of my events and all of my situations—good  and bad it is truly an honor.” 

Connect with Romeo Santos:

Twitter: @RomeoSantosPage

Facebook: RomeoSantos

Instagram: @RomeoSantos

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