DJ is a producer, musician, songwriter and DJ from Georgia US. Artists come to him with an idea and he’ll work with them until they have a track both are happy with.
He loves song writing but nothing can beat DJing at live gigs. Getting the crowd hyped and playing his music and debuting new artists and tracks. I had a chat with DJ about his music. How he works and how he’s coped with the pandemic.
DJ Dizzy Bandz is signed with https://www.ex47records.com they have a working partnership when it comes to organising gigs. DJ loves to work with independent artists but plans on collaborating with some big names in the future.
I love that DJ adds a mixture of music genres in his gigs. R&B, heavy metal, hip-hop, pop. I’ve never heard of this before and he explains it to me in the Behind The Pen episode.
I had the opportunity to chat with young and upcoming rap and hip hop artist 7o BENZO (pronounced seven o benzo)
His latest album Hood Quote which was released in February this year has a mixture of styles from freestyling to collaborations with other rappers. However, what makes 7oBenzo and this album more amazing is that he produced, mixed and made this album by himself whilst in lockdown. Using his small make shift studio in his living room and beat pad for his instrumental sounds, this whole album was created in lockdown and produced by just one person.
You can listen to the tracks on the album here. Some of the songs are raw with emotion and energy, others are a little bit more laid back, however, all the tracks use explicit language and many of the lyrics refer to violence. So that’s the only warning I’m going to give. I found 7oBenzo to be polite, and just talking to him displayed how much passion he has for rap and making music and being able to pull off making an album in his living room, just goes to show how talented he is. Please watch this interview and get to know the man Behind The Pen.
Violets Leap are a 4piece alternative rock band from north wales, UK.
Formed in early 2018 with a shared desire to make music that illustrates a range of influences but with its own recognisable sound. By summer 2018, the band had pulled together a short set of original material and began gigging around the local area.
Violets Leap combine elements of punk, metal, grunge, metal core, emo and more into their own brand of alternative rock. High energy and sweeping melodies are a strong feature on all tracks.
By autumn 2018, the sound and songs had matured enough to release their first EP, Ghost of Violet.
Early 2019 saw a return to the studio to release their second EP, ‘Broken Futures’. Four more edgy songs with intriguing stories and catchy melodies which were accompanied by a run of performances at clubs and festivals.
Late 2019 saw a return to the studio and the release of a third ‘Source of Addiction’, soon to be available on digital platforms.
What can I say about this track. Just wait until those drums and electric guitar come in. Awesome!
When I was chatting with the guys on FaceBook I asked them where they got their name from as it’s such an unusual name for a rock band. The story I got back deserved a mention. There was a woman named Violet, a con woman who managed to con a man out of a fortune by telling him she was coming into a large inheritance and would pay him back. Well sex and money, so no more. Only on the day, she was due to get this inheritance her car was found in the sea. It looked like a suicide, but a body was never found. She would have gotten away with it but she was seen and recognized in Scotland where she was hiding. So the cliff drop was named Violets Leap.
In this day and age where bands can’t go out and do live gigs or are in lockdown and can’t get to the studios, it’s more important than ever to support independent bands. So have a listen to Violets Leap’s music. Send them a message, buy their EP’s and show your support.
With 40 writer’s artists and poets taking part in this virtual book fair.
Get Access to Hundreds of Authors On DemandLearn how to start streaming with Miami Book Fair Online! A free and simple registration is all that’s required to access Miami Book Fair Online. To get started, visit MiamiBookFairOnline.com and sign up using your email or Facebook account. Complete your profile and share your interests to receive personalized email notifications about programs and activities as they become available.
Here are some of thing you have to look forward to.
Author workshops
Panels and discussions, where you can join in.
Book shop selling, ezines, graphic comics, novel, swag and official merch from the event with many publishers showcasing their authors work.
Children’s Alley with interactive storytelling, music, art, science, world cultures. So much to see and learn.
Explore the sunshine state of Florida with an interactive map that will take you around to see, art, watch films, see amazing photography, music. Over 100 projects to see and feel part of.
Just like an author writes a book and tells a story, so does a song.
AKoustic Soul titled ‘Finite Eternity’
This is what Amit has to say about the song.
Mental health is a very important aspect of our lives that gets ignored at times and Finite Eternity, though an abstract concept, gets very real with the feelings & emotions many of us, including I, have been through, especially in the early period of the lockdown.
The simple message that I hope to spread through this song is to look out for ourselves and those around us always & support each other.
Watch the lyric video
Subscribe to AKoustic’s YouTube chanel to see and hear more great videos.
Those who watch Stranger Things may recognise the title. The Upside Down is the debut track by Cannon Beach.
This is such a catchy tune. That’s officially released 30th October. This UK based band will be featuring in the break of November’s Author Assist Radio Show, on the Artist First Radio Network. At 1.30pm EST
Combining classic emo themes with a distinctive 80’s synth beat, Cannon Beach have concocted a signature sound in an unexpected way. Coming from the creative minds of producer Daniel Jeffery (Inherit The Stars), and singer Beth Connelly (Crimson Tide), Cannon Beach is an exploration into new territory for the pair, who have worked together in the past on previous projects, but never as a joint venture such as this.
Eager to create a more upbeat sound during these tumultuous times, Cannon Beach was approached almost as an homage to pop culture, reviving the futuristic sounds of the 80s and bringing them into the 21st century. When asked how they would describe Cannon Beach, Beth and Daniel said to “Well, we’re heavily inspired by popular movies, tv shows, video games…even our name ‘Cannon Beach’ is a reference to where they shot a scene from Goonies. We want to capture and recreate the same fun you experienced but as music. It’s new, yet totally nostalgic at the same time.” True to form for both Connelly and Jeffery, Cannon Beach is very much about coping with the hard times by surrounding yourself with things you love, in this case the very best that pop culture has to offer, and being reminded that you are not alone. Expect more single releases from the South Yorkshire outfit within the coming months.
Believe me, if this track is anything to go by, their album is going to be blinding. Keep your ears and eyes open for more from this band.
Join me and my guests we go live, worldwide 1pm EST – 6pm UK. Listen Live
On this show, I’ll be chatting to Karen Ford who os a master financial coach and author of Amazon’s number one bestseller, Money Matters.
In the break I will be featuring the awesome UK indie rock band Salt Water Shakedown and their new song, Sign of The Times.
Salt River Shakedown have been playing the UK gig circuit for the past 4 years providing sheer ‘RAW AND FUZZALICIOUS BLUES’ that make crowds go wild!
SRS are ready to unleash their unique brand of sleek blues rock to the world! \m/
ArtistFirst Radio’s “Author Assist Host: Karina Kantas” is a LIVE one-hour prime-time worldwide promotional radio show on the ArtistFirst Radio Network, broadcast about independent and NYT bestselling authors, their books, their lives and their struggles. It’s a comfortable fun chat with some music thrown in for good measures.
Karina will also be tackling some of the main topics within the industry and throwing in one or two surprises for her guests. The show first aired on February 2017 and has created thousands of loyal listeners.
Anyone can tune-in on their smart phone, wi-fi radio, tablet, laptop, or any internet device anywhere in the world by clicking: or logging on to http://www.artistfirst.com/kantas.htm and clicking on the “On Air” button.
Over 500 million hours of ArtistFirst Radio Shows have been downloaded or streamed since September 2007.
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAssistRadio I currently have spots open for authors, publishers, PA and anyone working in the industry or contact me if you’re interested in affordable advertising spots. For those that didn’t listen to the live show, you can click on the link and listen to the archive,
Email kkantasauthorassist@gmail.com
For those that didn’t listen live. You can hear past shows in the archive section of the show page on the Artist First Radio Network and click here to hear Friday’s show. With my guest, Craig DiLouie and V.S.Holmes and music by Inherit The Stars
I’m a huge fan of the Athens based rock band GhostSeason. Not only is the opening and closing track of my radio show are songs from their awesome album Like Stars In The Neon Sky, but my book trailer for In Times of Violence also features one of the songs, War Of Voices from their album.
As you probably know, I live in Corfu Greece. Which if you know of your geography Athens in mainland Greece and it would be very difficult for me to see GhostSeason live.
They are about to leave Greece for a UK Haunting tour 2019.
19th July – Ipswich – The Black Horse
20th July- Swansea- Crowley’s Rock Bar
21st July – London – Fiddler’s Elbow
22nd July – TBA –
23rd July – High Wycombe – Pheonix Bar
24th July – Newscastle – Trillions
25th July – Northampton – The King Billy
26th July – Plymouth – Rock Bottom Bar
27th July – Felixstowe – Bands In The Sands
28th July – Sheffield – West Street Live
But lucky for me, I’m over in the UK at the moment and they are actually playing in what just to be my local bikers’ bar King Billy, in my home town Northampton. So I’m so frigging excited that I’m going to meet them and have the opportunity to listen to them live.
Watch and listen to this haunting acoustic version of Highway from their new EP From The Otherside.
Band bio
Ghost Season is a high energy Alternative Metal band from Athens, Greece.
Formed back in July 2013, Ghost Season was an idea spawned by Dorian Gates (bass). Within weeks Nick Christolis (guitar) joined to complete Dorian’s vision. The purpose was to create fresh, new material in patterns of Hard Rock and Alternative Metal music. Among the bands that inspire Ghost Season are Revelation Theory, Shinedown, In Flames, Disturbed, Crossfade, Pop Evil, All That Remains, Alter Bridge ect. The goal of the band is to play dynamic and vibrant music, bridging aggressive and melodic elements while keeping the focus on live energy and enjoyment.
Ghost Season completed recording their first EP release “Ghosts like Her”, which was released on September 2014 and received positive reviews especially in the US from fans and critics alike, while they were working at their full length album and scheduling numerous upcoming shows locally in Athens and around Greece. In September 2015, Hercules Zotos joined Ghost Season as their voice and Helen Nota sat on the drummers seat.
Late 2015, Hercules and the band went in the studio for the recording of their first single titled “Break My Chains” which was released on December 2015 as a first taste of their upcoming album.
The band signed with Pavement Entertainment and released their debut full length album “Like Stars In a Neon Sky” in January 2017 featuring the video “Fade Away”. The key in “Like Stars In a Neon Sky” is the participation of J.Loren Wince, vocalist of the American-based Alternative Rock band HURT, as co-producer giving also different directions and perspectives and getting involved in every single song.
2017 followed by the “Like Stars In An Eastern Sky Tour” in Eastern Europe and the “Like Stars In a Neon Sky Tour UK” in the United Kingdom.
In February 2019, with the recruitment of their new singer Tasos Lazarus and drummer Jerry Dzerefos, Ghost Season released their 2nd EP “From The Otherside” which contains acoustic versions of songs from their first LP “Like Stars In a Neon Sky” and 2 cover songs. With the success of the album “Like Stars In a Neon Sky” and hopefully the EP “From The Otherside” the band will continue down that same road of success and planning to release their 2nd full length album also in 2019. Ghost Season are standing firmly on their feet ready for the next chapter in their story. Keep your ears to the ground and prepare to be GHOST SEASONed! The band will be touring United Kingdom on their “The Haunting UK Tour 2019” starting July 19th 2019.
Hailing from Switzerland, NadineCarinais an electronic folk/pop songstress experimenting with in various genres while always keeping song melodies and a dream-like quality at the centre of her art.
After moving to England in 2010 to study at the renowned Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA), Nadine releases a string of self-released music ventures, albums and EPs via American Label (Furious Hooves) and Swiss labels (Oh Sister Records, On The Camper Records and Stattmusik Records). Nadine‘s first album ‘Magic Box’ was released by Stattmusik Records at the end of 2011 featuring a collection of songs including traditional folk material alongside an array of experimental tracks. Her second release ‘Little Bits’, a self-released EP, instantly captures the attention of Liverpool’s music scene in which she starts playing more frequently in clubs and venues. The city’s famous free magazine ‘Bido Lito’ have Nadine grace the front cover with a 2 page feature/interview while she is still a student at LIPA.
In 2012 Nadine travels between her home country of Switzerland and the UK to play many concerts. After a long stint of going back and forth, Nadineresides back in Liverpool and starts experimenting with a 4 track cassette recorder purchased from eBay. These experiments lead to an acoustic self-titled EP, which US label Furious Hooves release as a limited run of physical cassettes. The release is an immediate success and is sold out after only a few days. Nadine released the EP ‘Where I Love’ in 2013; her first time playing with a full band both live and on record, creating a dimension her other EP’s never explored; the 50’s & 60s era. The EP is greeted with a warm reception as Nadine is selected for the Orange New Talent Contest in Switzerland, and is invited to perform at the Caprices Festival on the same stage as Mika and Nelly Furtado. During this year, she is invited to play a showcase concert for Bido Lito and is nominated for the Liverpool GIT Award.
The album ‘Never Been To Heaven’ is released on 18th Sept 2015 through Swiss label Oh Sister Records. Following the release, Nadine plays a string of headline shows in the UK and as a support act for the Lapsley UK tour. The album gains recognition both in Switzerland and in the UK. The albums first single ‘By The Lake’ is featured for the online H&M Studio Spring Collection advertisement, and the second release ‘Crystal Eyes’ is included on official Spotify and Apple Music playlists, is played continuously on Swiss radio, as well as selected for a US short movie scene.
Nadine has collaborated with some interesting electronic producers over the years, including Sun Glitters for the collaborative split EP ‘SGXNC‘ (released on Abandon Building Records in 2016) and Swiss artist Sensu (Quartz Records). She has also played many concerts – a few notable examples are support for CoCo Rosie in Zurich, the dates at Daytrotter and Birthdays in London, Sofar in Manchester, Electrosanne Festival in Lausanne and the Liquid Room in Tokyo for the Red Bull Music Academy event EMAF.
Nadine has now completed her new album ‘Reverie’ which was recorded in a house in the middle of nowhere – in the countryside of Switzerland. From its infancy, the album aesthetic was to return back to a more organic sound and captures songs often spontaneously written during long sessions alone in the studio. In Nadine‘s own words ‘Reverie paints that sense of being pleasantly lost in daydreaming, in a haze of sweet loneliness and fading memories’
Reverie Album release date to be announced soon in 2019.
Explosive Writer 