Listen Up
June 2007

CellDweller Breaking Down the Walls

With the explosion of viral marketing on the Internet as online fans tells their friends about new music (multiplied out several hundred times a day), indie artists have not just gained a foothold in the marketplace, they have created a whole new landscape for artists. As with anything that creates equal footing for indie and major label artists, there will surely be a proliferation of crap. You won't find any on CellDweller's albums though.

Holed up in a Detroit basement, this guy has an uncanny ability to weld flying breakbeats, layers of smoking guitar and symphonic flourishes together in ways unique to him alone. His self-titled CD release has placed him in Spiderman 2, Constantine, The Punisher trailers, just to name a few, with "Switchback" and "I Believe You" being standout tracks.

This high-velocity music is superbly crafted, impossible to ignore, and -- perhaps coolest of all -- is constantly multiplying in the form of digital singles at: www.myspace.com/celldweller. I just checked out "Baseline" and "The Last Firstborn," and I'm an even bigger fan now than I was fifteen minutes ago. I used to say there's never been a better time to be an indie artist, but now I would say there has never been a better time to be an Internet artist.

Combining myspace with youtube can be a powerhouse combination, provided you have something worthwhile to sell (well, that's not true...just look at Tila Tequila!). CellDweller is pioneering a brand new marketplace with unstoppable sounds...definitely worth a listen.

Aaron Richner's Inland Blues

Jimi Hendrix Magazine called him the best guitar talent in the Pacific Northwest. And that wasn't even discussing his singing, which is also first-rate. Aaron Richner is a fantastic blend of blues and blue-eyed soul, striding confidently into John Mayer's electric territory.

The brand new Aaron Richner EP is chock full of buttery guitar work and silky vocals...there's just no other way to describe it. The propulsive "By My Side" contains flawless, formulaic blues-rock punctuated by Richner's stratospheric, smooth falsetto. It's a stellar recording and a wonderful sound that in some ways is quite deceiving since Richner has musical wisdom well beyond his years (he's not even 25 yet).

You can check out Richner's work at www.myspace.com/aaronrichner, or even better stop by the Lake Roosevelt Summertime Musicfest on July 21st in Marcus, where Richner will be laying it down live.

Michael Pickett divides his time between music and graphic arts. Check out the single, "Beautiful One," from Michael's new album at www.soundclick.com/michaelpickett.

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The North Columbia Monthly provides news, views, humor and a calendar of events for an area that stretches from Nelson in British Columbia south to Spokane in Washington State and covers all points in between. A free (and free-thinking, progressive) magazine, The Monthly is available at several hundred spots throughout the region and now is also available on-line at www.ncmonthly.com. Published once a month since 1994, The Monthly is an independent magazine that often challenges contemporary wisdom by encouraging critical thinking about issues and attitudes in the region and beyond.

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