Video Reviews

Perfectly Prolific : Jesse Welles “With the Devil”

Brian Carroll — Thu, 28 Aug 2025 17:17:20 +0000

If you are reading this website you already know who Jesse Welles is. Still, I feel the need to put it out there in case someone, somewhere has slipped through the cracks and is unaware of the pensive prolific poet who churns out thoughtful, poignant songs like most of us breathe air.

Somehow in the space between relentless writing, a juggernaut of an appearance at the famed Newport Folk Fest and sell out tours, he has granted us not one, but two gifts in the live video recording of “With the Devil”, which is a reconfiguring of his new studio album Devil’s Den. The video has such a groove, such a vibe…and when you scratch the surface and truly listen, he wields a pen like few others in today’s landscape or those that came before.

I’ll leave it at this, Jesse Welles is one of (if not the) most significant songwriter of this generation.

Get on it folks.

Video Review: Ruby Rose Fox “Dance of Frankenstein”

Brian Carroll — Fri, 23 Oct 2015 14:22:17 +0000

I have to admit I am a bit late to the party on this one. Ruby Rose Fox has made some tsunamis in the local music current over the past year or two and when I saw her new video posted I had to finally take the plunge into all that is Ruby Rose Fox…and I am hooked.

Soul for days. From the moment Fox’s deep and resonant tone enters into the picture I am entranced. The drum thumping like a heart, a very dance like vibe to it, but slow and steady all the while. When people use the term “pop” to describe something I usually apply negative connotations, but the songwriter’s “new wave pop” nod in her music is really something wonderful, catchy and infectious. She molds her vocal into the track in ways that I can’t really fathom…how does she go so low?!

Sure the fake nails and the scar on the face are a theatrical, but the undertones of the video certainly strike a nerve. The way it was shot and the washed out color really do pay homage to horror films of the 70s in this writer’s eyes (that zoom in during the pool scene), and for that I am grateful. Fox isn’t afraid to do some dirty work to get her point across, digging deep into a bowl of chicken wings and screaming in the shower…seems she does all her own stunts.

Check it out for yourself as I go dig into the backlog of Ruby’s music…you got a new fan in this guy.

White Like Fire “You Gave Up On Me ” Video Preview

Brian Carroll — Tue, 07 Apr 2015 14:52:55 +0000

Concept videos are pretty cool when done right. White Like Fire’s “You Gave Up On Me” falls in that camp.

With a vocal that is reminiscent of Boston’s Will Dailey, the catchy rock quartet that isn’t quite rock n’ roll but definitely not straight on pop-rock has an infectious sound that is surely worth giving a listen or 10 to.

http://www.whitelikefire.com/

Eva Walsh “Lost in my Mind” (Cover) : Video Review

Brian Carroll — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 12:52:00 +0000

As if being a singer-songwriter extraordinaire, ukulele aficionado, and fiddlin’ queen was not enough, Miss Eva Walsh has gone and added banjo to the list of instruments she will just pick up rock out on.

A really, really cool concept for shooting a video at home. Play all the parts yourself, tape the whole thing, and parse it together as it makes sense. Eva, hanging out on her comfy couch, strumming her old banjo and singing her heart out on her rendition of Head and the Heart’s “Lost in my Mind” and being backed by a band made up of herself on fiddle, and background vocals.

Girl has got some soul and fire in her voice, we will just ignore the fact that she is an immensely talented violin player for the time being. She is reminiscent of jazz singers of the past but she still has a modern day pop mindset that appeals to a large market of listeners (smart girl). Something I am sure she hears all too often is “you remind me of Ingrid Michaelson”, but then again, that’s really not a bad thing to hear. With a genuine appreciation for all types of music from classical, to soul, to bluegrass it is apparent that her repertoire is all over the map and her talents show no sign of being confined to any one style (classically trained violin player covering indie-folk…there you go). She has taken this song and made it her own.

Thanks for letting us in, Eva! Very cool idea…keep ‘em coming our way. And all your folks should head the general way of Eva’s website, get her last record and check her out live sooner than later…she is one of the few artists I feel confident saying you may get that “damn, I should have saw her when she wasn’t famous” feeling from in a few years.

www.evawalsh.com

Video Review: The Coloradas “Maxine”

Brian Carroll — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 21:40:00 +0000

Before you even get into this review, if you haven’t already heard the Coloradas first record (self titled) released back in December 2011…stop here, go download it/buy the CD/call up Roy and Bernie and have them play it for you live over the phone and enjoy the hell out of it. It is an excellent piece of work and will give you a great background on these fellas. Did you do it? Ok, now moving on:

The core of Portland, Maine based The Coloradas is made up of Roy Davis and Bernie Nye. The two swap vocal/songwriting duties and harmonize fantastically while Davis picks it out on his acoustic guitar and Nye twangs us to high heaven with his banjo. Often times joined by friends (nationally renowned bluegrass musicians) the boys harken back to the times where musicians danced artfully around one central condenser mic (a skill that looks much easier than it truly is) or picked out songs on a front porch together. The sense of community, sharing, and making music because the songs are great is evident in what The Coloradas are all about.

The majority of the songs that the gents craft are mellow in their tone and tempo, but for some reason this music excites the shit out of me. It’s simply raw, real music with brilliant songwriting. It’s emotionally driven, simple, delicate and beautiful. The two artists play off each other in a manner like they have known each other forever and just seem to fit perfectly as musical allies. There is certainly hints of bluegrass in the sound, but its authentic to both Roy and Bernie, they aren’t putting on a twang they don’t really have, they aren’t playing to cater to a certain group or region, you can just tell the guys love the style and have taken it to a place that is all their own.

If you head to their site they have a host of videos labeled the Mt. Airy Sessions. A very cool idea, the two sitting in chairs across from one another and playing..feels like morning coffee on a Saturday when you are up far to early. Again, simple, wonderful, but graceful and rich in its sound. For the sake of choosing one to review before the fellas release another new record. This song is called “Maxine”…

There is extreme hesitance and suceptability in Davis’s vocal. He sings a lot of material bordering on the sadder end of the spectrum, but still it’s incredibly powerful in its delivery. There is a relaxed focus from the two as they weave the tale, knowing where each other are going but feeling where the song has the potential to go at the same time. The structure of the song is solid, a recognizable repeating chorus and the verses are full of great lyrics…I mean GREAT lyrics.

She still carries cigarettes / though she hasn’t smoked in years

And still somehow / they disappear

Bernie Nye’s banjo plucks along with the words of the song as Davis spits words about a gal who is stuck where she has been for what seems like forever. I feel like I know this girl, the visuals pop into my head and Davis’s use of literary devices is impeccable. This is poetry put to some really well played and solid instrumentation. It’s not complicated, it’s not so out of the ordinary you do a double take, but it fits the song content perfectly. I honestly wish I could write 10 pages about this song, but to be honest with you and myself it just comes down to one thing…I love everything that these guys do and they are only getting better and better as a songwriting pairing. Do youself a huge favor and check them out next time they are around your city. You won’t be sorry.

Check them out online at :