Alternative

Forever and a Day

by The Nouve

The Nouve Band Logo


For Leonard Cohen, Felix Flaucher, Karl Liebknecht & Rosa Luxemburg…

So yes, I’m writing songs, producing songs, mixing songs, writing lyrics, novels, screenplays, essays, doing video clips, short films, sure… but you want to know WHY? Great Question, man! What makes us doing what we do? Is there a rational and catchy answer, maybe a citation (Where is Leonard Cohen when you really need him? Why did he had to go at all??) – Well, “Music was my first love”, eh right, that’s what they all say… but that never led to give up their normal lives: they never had the idea to look behind the curtain, sell themselves at the Crossroads and die on the dream to release just this one and only song that sounds like it did in their head once before they recorded it.

So why? It doesn’t make sense if you could have stayed on the safe and secure consumer site, does it?

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One True Song

by Anna Karney

credit: Tanja Nixx

After my previous album, Creatures In The Garden, I didn’t think I had another one in me.  But suddenly this chorus just popped out, lyrics, chords, and melody all at once,  “We will all come out together for love, love, love.” And I really needed to hear these hopeful words, because of the daily barrage of sad news. It was enough to start me off on my next album journey.

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Too Goth to be Punk. Too Punk to be Goth.

by Scott Hays of Black Rain


Black Rain – Three grumpy men from the North East of England. We are excited to share our debut album with the world. We’ve poured our hearts and souls into creating something that truly reflects who we are. We’ve always felt like we exist in a unique space – “Too Goth to be Punk. Too Punk to be Goth.” – a phrase from a review of one of our early gigs, and we felt it captured what we are about far more concisely than we have ever managed to.

We’ve come to embrace the idea that we don’t fit in to one particular musical pigeon hole and in fact it’s something we wear with pride. A sonic storm of raw energy, brooding atmosphere, and razor-sharp intensity. The music blends the cold, jagged edges of classic post-punk with a modern a unrelenting drive and dark overtures. You’ll find haunting melodies, pounding rhythms, and a relentless emotional pull that we hope you won’t be able to ignore.

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Memphis Tattoos

by Michael Graber of Delta Stardust

Delta Stardust - Snakes Made of Light


Delta Stardust began as a studio project. We were seeking that alchemical, psychedelic sound from blending acoustic, electric, and digital instruments. We also wanted to capture a haunted, mystical Memphis/North Mississippi vibe even as the music–the song forms and sonic undercurrents – kept expanding. We call the genre Roots Psychedelic music.

Our first album, Snakes Made of Light, was released in January. One song was written after I was nearly hit by a bullet while jogging in America’s most crime-ridden city, my hometown of Memphis.

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Unbearable Circumstances

by Vadym a.k.a. last past.

last past. - do you feel?


I often think about injustice in life. Sometimes, circumstances turn out so that the life you lived yesterday no longer exists today.

I could feel it when I left my hometown to go to university and left my closest friends behind. I still miss them very much because we can’t see them often.

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How an Emo Rock Opera Saved my Life

by Tucker Coughlin a.k.a. In Luna’s Garden

Mina / In Luna's Garden


Desperation Breeds Creativity.

Mina vs the Pit of Despair is an album born out of desperation. I’ve struggled with chronic depression and suicidal thoughts since I was 11 years old. I’m sure many of you can relate to teenage years full of tumultuous emotions and searching for answers. My memories of high school and early college are filled with trips to the doctor, seven different therapists, countless medication modifications, and reading philosophy and religion, all culminating in a 3-month inpatient residency. No matter what I did, nothing could convince me that life was worth living. In a final attempt, I decided to construct my own thesis on why life is inherently good. This effort would coalesce over two years into my debut album, Mina vs the Pit of Despair.

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Story is Everything

by Lincoln the Lawyer


When I was a kid, I discovered Marty Robbins’ “Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs” in my Dad’s record collection and played it obsessively. I fell in love with the stories that that album told and the colorful characters in songs like “Big Iron” and “El Paso.” It was immediately apparent that to me, music was not just a melody and a beat; it was also visual and preferably cinematic. The story that the lyrics told was what really brought a song to life for me.

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In Solitude

by K Gocebe a.k.a. The Strange & Odd Secrets Club


What is The Strange & Odd Secrets Club? It’s not a club, or even a band. It’s really just one person – Me. Hello there! I try to put an emphasis on making my songs sound like a collective effort rather than the solo project that it truly is. Through some “social experimenting” with other musicians I found that I work much better in solitude. Part of this is due to my insecurity surrounding vulnerable lyrical and arrangement ideas, but also because I love taking on the personal responsibility of creating each element of a song.

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Living in the Now

by J V W N


JVWN — which stands for Just Vibing With the Now — is more than just a name; it’s a whole vibe, a way of life, and a philosophy that defines how we make music. We’re all about being present in the moment, letting the energy around us guide what we create, and finding inspiration in everything happening right now. Each of us brings something unique to the table, but together, our approach to music is one of freedom, expression, and constant growth.

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Riff Rafting

by Ed Rawlings


I love guitar riffs. Great riffs encapsulate the chords, melody, and feel of a song. They are a force that propels the songs forward. A good song also tells a relatable story, but a great guitar rock and roll riff can draw people quickly into that story.

Sometimes, riffs are memorable guitar melodies, like The Rolling Stones’ “Satisfaction” or  Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run.” I particularly like riffs that are part chord, part melody, and are often as memorable as the lyrics, or maybe more so – like Chuck Berry’s opening riff for Johnny B. Goode – one of the classics of rock and the inspiration for many riffs to come.

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