Daxx & Roxane are a ‘full-throttle’ 4 piece rock n’ roll band originating from Switzerland, now based in London (UK).
Citing Led Zeppelin, AC/DC and Mötley Crüe as key influences, it’s no wonder that Kerrang! Magazine has hailed them as “tooth-and-nail, testosterone-powered rock.”. They believe in: “Rock ’n’ Roll is all about energy. All about creating an adrenaline rush”
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It moves, it swings, it rocks!
Satriani and his touring band, who all recorded remotely in separate areas of the world during lockdown, deliver an album-length journey that never dulls. The Elephants of Mars crackles with an exciting new energy, briskly traveling through stylistic roads that feel freshly updated, viewed through new eyes.
The guitarist had an aim to create a “new standard” when it came to crafting an instrumental guitar record. He strove to openly challenge himself to move away from what he describes as “the classic rock” tone of the past few albums he’s put out, replacing that with a new platform of his own design. “I do want to show people that the instrumental guitar album can contain far more complexity of creative elements than I think people are using right now.”
From the gripping, sci-fi madness of “Through A Mother’s Day Darkly,” to the isolation felt in a decaying urban landscape, as depicted in “Sahara”, to the general endorphin levels that peak as the elephants finally roar in the title track, The Elephants of Mars will stampede across your mind, leaving a sonic imprint that doesn’t fade.
Thanks to the pandemic removing all time constraints, The Elephants of Mars truly represents the album that Satriani himself hoped he could deliver with his band. And ultimately, The Elephants of Mars stands as one of the most intriguing and interesting albums of Satriani’s career.
“We did everything. We tried the craziest ideas. And we entertained every notion we had about turning something backwards, upside down, seeing what could happen.”
Martin is a standout guitarist on both electric and acoustic and can craft a pretty mean set of lyrics, too, which makes A Savage Life compelling and inspiring from end to end. The set was produced by the Grammy-nominated Chris O’Brien and was tracked in Belfast and Dublin in the latter part of last year. Many fans consider Martin to be the finest Irish blues player since Rory Gallagher, which is high praise, indeed, and the might of the tracks on this new release will do little to dissuade them.
Martin has been building a solid reputation for himself since his first four-song EP Easy Way Out emerged in 2018. He’s maintained a steady upwards trajectory that has already seen him win the prestigious Acoustic Blues Act of The Year at the UK Blues Awards twice and be nominated for Blues Instrumentalist of The Year and Emerging Artist of The Year. Not surprisingly, Dom has five nominations for 2022.
He made an immediate splash in the UK blues scene and with BBC Radio Presenter Cerys Matthews, who played his music on BBC Radio 6’s Big Weekend Show and invited him for a live BBC Radio 2 Blues Show session in London. Martin has toured the UK, Russia, and Europe and will be the UK’s representative at The International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee in May of this year. His future is looking so bright that we may all need to wear shades.
Martin starts A Savage Life with slow, heavy, and fuzzed-out bliss of “Unsatisfied.” His guitar tone sings and his vocals grind heartbreak into gravel just as the best blues singers have always done. Martin’s rhythm section of Dave Thompson (bass) and
Laurence McKeown (drums) backs him in a way that keeps the musical conversation between guitar and groove going without ever losing focus. You’ll snap your neck turning around when this one roars out of your speakers. Believe.
Martin gets quiet on the next cut “Here Comes The River.” He sings the blues of despair with the emotion of one who knows the feeling well and does it with nothing but his guitar, voice, and a Boss RC300 looper pedal. The entire song is delivered at the level of a whisper and that softness adds much to the depth of it. It hits like a friend telling you hard truths at 4 AM and all you can do is listen.
“The Man From Nowhere” is an old-time solo fingerstyle blues tune done with a resonator tone and the appropriate background noise that completes the 78 RPM experience. Martin’s chops and feel are beyond reproach. He plays it fast, loose, and razor-sharp at the same time and takes us directly back to the early days of blues music. If you live for the old ways, this one’s got your name on it.
The strutting “12 Gauge” is a super-sized blast of classic power trio blues/rock that kicks like a young Billy Gibbons. Bold and brash, it has that wonderfully-underproduced live sound we all love and Martin digs into it with everything he and his band have got. His playing is ripping, captivating, and raw like sushi. A lot of players struggle to fill out the trio format but Martin rises to it and makes it fly. Other impressive moments on A Savage Life include “Addict” and “The Parting Glass,” a traditional Scottish lament that closes the album. One spin of this new set and it’s obvious that Dom Martin is the next rising star in the global roots scene. Jump aboard now before he passes you by.
Reference Recordings is proud to present our fifth album with the prolific singer, songwriter, engaging storyteller, and masterful guitarist, Doug MacLeod. For ‘A Soul To Claim,’ Doug teamed with legendary producer and engineer Jim Gaines (Santana, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Luther Allison, Steve Miller Band) in Gaines’ Tennessee studio, not far from Doug’s new home on the Mississippi River in Memphis.
Like the old masters who taught him, MacLeod’s music expresses life and times through an elusive quality that may simply be a keen sense of what matters most. “There’s humor in my songs, but also messages on how to make it through this life. That’s what I learned from the old guys.”
Through twelve new MacLeod originals, Doug and his trusty Waterloo guitar P-nut are joined by Memphis studio veterans Rick Steff/keyboards, Dave Smith/bass, and Steve Potts/drums for five tracks, six tracks feature Doug alone and one is a solo instrumental. Liner notes from Doug MacLeod and Deems Taylor award-winning journalist Dan Forte (Vintage Guitar), provide liner notes for the release.
The way Doug sees it, “Blues is about the journey, it’s about speaking honestly from your heart. It’s a music of hope. No matter what cards you have been dealt—either the cards you started out with in this life, or the cards you’re holding now—if it’s not a good hand, you can overcome it.”
A perennial Blues Music Award nominee and multiple Blues Music Award winner including Acoustic Artist of The Year and Acoustic Album of the Year, ‘A Soul To Claim’ is Doug’s 22nd album.
“Hopefully I will make you laugh, cry, think. Most importantly, I hope I make you feel, because that’s what this music is about.”
