[MUSIC] B.Mills - "The Life & Times Of An Eternal Optimist"

Hope. It's something that often can be expressed in cliched terms
but is one of the most meaningful elements of the human experience.
To that end, hope is something that doesn't suffer from too many 
avenues of expression. For B. Mills, it is a vital component of his
life and work. On his latest album, The Life & Times Of An Eternal
Optimist, that feeling is imbued throughout. Standing in at eight tracks,
Mills displays a versatility that spans the genres of R&B, soul and hip-hop
with a deftness that doesn't come across as heavy-handed. 

It begins with the opening notes of "And We Rise", as Mills's production
crafts a melodic intro that mimics the opening of a new day. It's a track
that is lofty, with a simple bounce and cheery vibe provided by his upbeat
lyrics. That sets the tone effectively, with "Get Up 2 Get Down" and "If
U Will" being highly infectious standouts that could stand on their own as
singles with the high level of harmony they both exude. B.Mills does plan
to have a full-length release on the way, and if this is a sample of what's
to come then the idea of hope will have a newly riveting and rhythmic 
definition. The Life & Times Of An Eternal Optimist is available now on
all platforms. 

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[MUSIC] Queen Naija

You may not recall Queen Naija - the singer who hails from
Michigan first came to prominence with her former husband
as part of a duo on American Idol's 13th season. Building on
that momentum and taking time after the separation, Naija 
honed her talents and has now delivered an EP. Listening to
it gives you a real sense that there is going to definitely be 
more from this artist down the line. 

[ART] Lamar Peterson

Photo Credit: Juxtapoz

Lamar Peterson is an assistant professor in the art department at the
University of Minnesota, and hails from western Florida. He's begun a
solo career with his work over the past year and a half with solo shows,
most recently in New York City. Peterson's work is a mix of pop culture,
a kind of youthful whimsy and some somber tones. 

[MUSIC] Nick Lamb - "Gettin' High Off Of You"

Photo Credit: Artist

"Feel-good" rock is something that can be doubly employed for the
genre as well as a cross-section of it. It takes a lot of plotting and 
a lot of enthusiasm to successfully approach this and to carry it out
with one's own personal style. And in that light, Nick Lamb is someone
who is in step with the beginnings of this journey. Lamb's own personal
story is a key blueprint - hailing from a small town in Pennsylvania's 
coal mining region, he credits his father's position as a cherished local
musician who played rock and roll and country music as well as his
mother's own writing ambitions as the bedrock for his own dreams. This,
coupled with a birthday gift of Def Leppard tapes and a cassette deck 
player was a spark that lit the flames of wanting to be a musician in him.
After college, Nick decided to embark on his musical career and is now 
on the verge of releasing his first album, Rock N' Roll's My Road.



This single, "Gettin' High Off Of You" evokes a boyish charm from the 
opening notes, one that's awash in a feel that has some kinship with
Tom Petty's musical stylings. Lamb shows a keen proficiency for framing
the lyrics, which paint a picture of a cool cat being enamored of a woman's
style and her own attraction unfolding in subtle ways with a strident 
rhythm that captures the teasing energy that's natural in those situations.
Lamb is almost a one-man show here on vocals, and lead and bass guitar.
"Gettin' High Off Of You" is a sentiment that one can jam out to, and one
that might just be a pointed welcome to all that who are inclined to check out
more of Lamb's music and revel in what they find.

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[FILM] The Making of "Isle Of Dogs"

This short video highlights the animators who helped
bring famed director Wes Anderson's latest film to light
in detail...

[MUSIC] Maxx the Muffin Man - "Every Summer Since"

There are many who flock to music as a release, and for that 
same reason you will find that true of the overwhelming majority
who create music. Some pick up on that knack early, and act on
it in steady movements. This group has a substantial amount of those
who claim rap as their life blood and joining those ranks is Maxx 
the Muffin Man. Maxx hails from the Pacific Northwest - Portland,
Oregon to be precise. The rap bug bit him from early on, and he 
made the decision to capitalize on his skills from the environs of his
college dorm room. But Maxx's ultimate aims are more expansive,
because he sees rap as a way to connect to others with a more positive
vibe and to undercut repetitive tropes often found in the contemporary
rap game. With that in mind, he began to work on music along with
a few trusted friends which resulted in a couple of singles being 
produced and released on streaming platforms such as Spotify.


Every Summer Since is a ten-track mixtape that was released this
past December. On it, Maxx displays a style that's a mix of the laconic
and the upbeat, with parts of the flow more along the lines of early
stuff by Wiz Khalifa. The production throughout is set up to evoke 
a kind of audio surrealism, at times taking on the kitsch found in
psychedelic rock. Maxx's flow is a consistent one, best emphasized
on "Puff Is Enough" where the production by Old Ben matches it
with a bounce that embraces the listener's ears. "Wavy Gravy" is 
like a Grateful Dead mashup through the speakers. The title track
is an evenly-paced song, and Maxx stands out for some clever bars
that highlight the joys of just being chill no matter what. Every Summer 
Since is available to listen to now at the artist's webpage and "Better
Than This" is available as a single now on iTunes.

https://www.facebook.com/maxxthemuffinman/
Spotify
https://maxxthemuffin.bandcamp.com

[ART] Tess Armstrong

"Chill Girl", Tess Armstrong (Photo: Artist)

Tess Armstrong is an artist with a definitive style that embraces
and adds a vibrant touch to the celebration of the magic of women
of all hues. A student at the Art Institute of San Diego in graphic
design, Armstrong's work employs a mythic surrealism that's coupled
with contemporary thoughts and culture points that captivate the 
eye. Check out her work at these links and look at her store for 
purchasing some of her artwork here. 

[MUSIC] Dima Kash - "All Night"

If there's anything to be said about persistence, it's that having
it instilled in you early sets you further apart from the pack. When
it comes to rising rapper Dima Kash, that persistence is propulsion
for a career that's already gotten some notable events. Hailing from
Minnesota, Kash was originally born in Russia and came to the U.S.
with his parents at a young age. From that time onward, he took
it upon himself to be more independent. It wasn't until the birth of
his son that he made the choice to turn his love of music into what
he wanted to do for the rest of his life. He went into music full time,
creating a professional studio and going on to release his first album
in 2013 called Vibe With Me. Since that decision, Dima Kash has 
slowly built up a solid rep by opening up for and going on tour with
various established artists on their tour dates through the Midwest
such as Wiz Khalifa, Twista, Travis Porter and many more. He's even
performed at SXSW and has done shows in Japan.

All of that serves as a springboard for more possibilities with his music,
which he's keen to seize on with the release of a new single, "All Night."
This track is a decent entry point for those who may be new to Dima Kash's
sound. It's one of crisp production that doesn't concern itself with extra 
effects that would distract from the bars that Kash and King Wayz drop.
Kash has a style that fits with the more clever of those rapping today but
there's also a seasoned tone one gets when he rhymes. Listening to the
single makes it highly apparent that for Dima Kash, persistence is the 
tool that expresses his insistence on being around in the rap game for
years to come. 

http://dimakashmusic.com/
https://www.facebook.com/dkashmusic/
https://www.instagram.com/dkashmusic/
https://twitter.com/dkashmusic
https://soundcloud.com/dima-kash
https://www.youtube.com/user/MrKashMusic

[MUSIC] The Peanut Gallery - "Tales From The Basement"

With any pre-existing genre of music, there tends to be changes
that take place within the outreach of music artists and groups. 
Whether you choose to use the term "reboot" or "evolution", it 
all becomes a necessary point for those looking to leave a lasting
impression on fans. With The Peanut Gallery, this is also true - the
duo that composes the group is a testament to that. MC's Orlando
and Flee Jones come from different environments - the former being
a former Army soldier with a prep school background and the other
being an orator from the streets he came up in. These two bonded
over their shared love of hip-hop and a desire to help restore some
authenticity that they felt rap had been lacking in after Flee wound
up dating Orlando's sister leading to the two linking up. They would
go on to be part of 5ive, a group that consisted of five members that
fizzled due to internal conflict leaving Orlando and Flee to team up.
Tales From The Basement is their project that they look towards in
making that message clear, right down to the comic-based art that 
the duo is known for - it beckons to fans with an aura of being highly
down to earth.

The Peanut Gallery - "Deep Thoughts"

Tales From The Basement starts out with a montage of clips in 
the intro, before jumping into the bounciness of "Deep Thoughts"
Both MC's employ a flow that is plaintative, but punctuated with
snappy bars that do take influences from both old-school East 
Coast rap artists as well as those who've made names for themselves
from the South. You get a strong sense of this on "Choppers", 
with a distinct 808 thump that gets your neck to snapping. Each
rapper does employ unique characteristics with their flow - Orlando
tends to have more of a whimsy to his bars, coupled with an
aesthetic that's inspired by the kid's show character and popular
meme Arthur. Flee Jones's bars bring up influences from the days
of the Ruff Ryders. This is brought forth with his solo joint "Go"
where you can hear the tautness of his lyrics weave and bob like
a middleweight in the ring. As the album continues, their back and forth
shines in the hilarious track "Made Me Feel Good Today" which 
details the two's escapades at a chicken joint and "Blessings", a
song that speaks to finding the positive on hard roads that may 
lay ahead. The Peanut Gallery are out to make listeners be more
engaged not just in their music but in the world around them, and
this album is a step towards that mission going further. Tales From
The Basement is available now on iTunes.

Facebook: http://bit.ly/2h9q2Tp

Twitter: http://bit.ly/2v5g4bd

Instagram: @_thepeanutgallery1

https://soundcloud.com/thepeanutgallery1/ 

[MUSIC] Danny Severance & DSCS Live Set at Rockwood Hall

One of the artists we've featured here in our "Seven Pillars"
interview series, Danny Severance, has been building up a 
strong and soulful discography. Check out the latest live set
he and his fellow bandmates put on last month in New York 
City. Find out more about his music right here.