Young Broke & Fameless is the critically acclaimed debut mixtape from PAZ. His ultra-catchy mashup of clever rhymes with rock riffs and hip-hop beats has quickly caught the attention of both fans and established musicians like The Black Eyed Peas and Tim McGraw.

Legendary L.A. super-promoter Tommy Alastra called PAZ, "Hottest new act right now, bar none. You hear this kid once and you know he's what everyone's gonna be sounding like."

This is a MUST DOWNLOAD, awesome sound (specially when acoustic), really cool voice, fresh style and really funny lyrics (the song "Monday" above all).

We learned today from TorrentFreak that this Mix tape is being promoted with every download of uTorrent.

Inspired by the trends-setters, the people at BitTorrent Inc. have now decided to launch a marketing campaign of their own, promoting the mixtape debut of PAZ, titled Young Broke & Fameless. For uTorrent and its parent company BitTorrent Inc. this is the first step in a new direction, that of actively supporting artists who want to distribute their content using BitTorrent.

“We want to continue to build on the successes that we have already seen with Pioneer One and the Yes Men. In both cases, their creations were wildly downloaded and consumers showed their enthusiasm by opening their wallets and donating to these creators so that they can continue to make future content,” BitTorrent Inc. spokesperson Jenna Broughton told TorrentFreak.

And here's a message from PAZ:

This is a preview of the mixtape -- you can download the missing tracks for free at:

www.facebook.com/whoispaz

And if you tweet -- or if you tell your friends you don't but secretly do under the assumed identity of a promiscuous 19 year old girl -- drop a line:

www.Twitter.com/pazpaz

And if you see me at a show, say the code words: "I like to eat bacon and walk around the house naked."

You will be rewarded.

Or laughed at.

Much Love,

PAZ

Related Links
PAZ.fm
www.facebook.com/whoispaz
www.twitter.com/pazpaz

Girl fronted rock band... another Paramore in the making? With the success of female fronted bands slowly on the rise again, Nomoredolls is taking a crack at the formula. Fronted by talented and highly energetic Cecilia Miradoli along with an equally diverse and talented band; Nomoredolls delivers alternative pop rock with a jagged edge.

Although based in Italy, the group has written their tracks in English for a more worldwide appeal.

This self titled debut gives you 12 powerful, energy driven pop rock songs that make you bounce around. Whether they have what it takes to make it big, you be the judge.The name Nomoredolls came about because of Cecilia's past. The high-energy female used to perform at jazz clubs and essentially played Billie Holiday covers. She confesses that she always felt that people treated her like a "doll" while on stage singing jazz covers.

Although she adores jazz music, she realized that it simply wasn't her calling and decided to focus her attention to alternative pop rock music. Nomoredolls gave her the opportunity to explore a long repressed side of her that was just craving to get out.

All 12 tracks in this debut album exhibit edginess in every corner. Starting out with upbeat and surprisingly catchy "Electric Sheep," the band manages to open up their album on a positive note. It is easily one of the best tracks in the entire compilation. "Invisible," on the other hand, starts up slow and builds to a fast pop rock track coupled with sweet vocals from Miradoli . "Another Girl" was released as a single and won a huge audience in Italy as well as other parts of Western Europe.

Nomoredolls can definitely rock out, although the lyrics are not completely impressive and the enunciation is a bit distracting at times, the album is worth checking out for those who have a special affinity for female fronted alternative pop rock bands.

Related Links:
Nomoredolls Official Website
Nomoredolls on Yahoo Music
Nomoredolls on Myspace
Nomoredolls on Facebook

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Alternative pop grunge rock at the hands of the French. Grunge rock definitely works great in the hands of the French as proven by Miss Daisy Black. The band is composed of four band members exploiting alternative pop rock and occasionally acoustic rock.

Nevroses comes equipped with 11 French rock tracks that showcases plenty of grunge style guitars, electronic beats and angst driven drumming. Most of the songs have an industrial/dancy feel to it and the vocals are interesting. Oddly enough, if you don't listen closely, you won't even notice that the guy is singing in French not English.  If you are looking for a band that sounds like popular indie and Jamendo favorite, Fresh Body Shop, this album is a good way to start.

Although you can definitely call their music as "pop rock," there's no doubt that it tips the scale to the rock part as opposed to the pop side. Listening to Nevroses makes you think of hard rock grunge bands in the 90s if only they wailed out French lyrics and were slightly (every slightly) had a happier disposition.

It's not unusual to hear hints of influences from bands like Nirvana, Nine Inch Nails, Stone Temple Pilots, Deftones and Soundgarden, among others, since these are some of the bands that the members of Miss Daisy Black have on their playlists.

Nevroses opens up with an acoustic upbeat track "Le Dernier Mot," which works great in letting the listener have a taste of what the rest of tracks are like. Although its not as heavy as other songs on the album, the guitar work and throaty vocals make it work. The humming in "Mort Ne" is catchy enough to induce LSS to anybody who listens to it long enough.

Personally, I think the album is a great listen, although the quality of the recording could be greatly improved. Not sure if this is caused by mixing though. Anyway, despite the lo-fi quality, the album is a sure hit for those who love alternative, pop rock and grunge. This goes, even for those who have zero French comprehension.

Related Links:
Miss Daisy Black on Last FM
Miss Daisy Black on Jamendo
Miss Daisy Black on Myspace

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.

Dreamy acoustic folk pop in a Japanese wrapping. Secret Ocean is Hiroumi Takatsuka on vocals and he creates laid back acoustic indie folk rock. Kokoro No Furyoku is the Japanese singer songwriter's latest release and is filled with 11 acoustic driven songs. Seven cuts from the album is available for free download on Jamendo, but if you want all 11 tracks, feel free to help out the singer and buy the album at CD Baby or Amazon.

Although he cites influences from U2, Coldplay and Del Amitri, they are not really as pronounced on the release where Hiroumi's prominent sweet vocals takes center stage.

Secret Ocean is an indie acoustic group based in Japan. Led by Hiroumi, Kokoro No Furyoko contains sweet vocals, plenty of harmonica and melodic acoustic guitars. The album contains tracks that are both in English and Japanese. Each track contains an upbeat and fun sound that is perfect for a relaxing listen.

Probably one of  the catchiest tracks in the album, Photograph, is a perfect opener. The relaxing feel of the beat matches Hiroumi's heartfelt and expressive vocals. On the other hand, title track Kokoro No Furyoku, opens with a pleasant beat and incorporates sweeping guitars as well as complimenting vocal work. The track makes for a perfect background track while sipping lemonade in your patio. Up in the Cloud is a nice Japanese English cut that infuses classic lyrics to an otherwise relaxing song.

Even if half the time you might not understand what he is singing about, the Japanese tracks communicates in a universal language. Essentially pouring out through the endearing vocal work, the sweet strumming of the acoustic guitar, the heartfelt lyrics and the beautiful harmonica work.

Related Links:
Secret Ocean on Last FM
Secret Ocean on CD Baby
Secret Ocean Official Website
Secret Ocean on Myspace
Secret Ocean on Jamendo

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.

Johannes Hopfner brings back indie folk pop with great acoustic guitar work in his Soft Night album. Songwriter, composer, and accomplished guitar player; Hopfner has been playing his favorite folk songs ever since he was 15.

Soft Night features beautiful guitar work and enthralling often chilling vocal quality from the artist. Although his odd enunciation might annoy some, it works perfectly with each track. Most songs are a nod to the 70s and makes you wish you were in a commune or park somewhere, playing lovely music with your six string.

Johannes started his musical career early, playing old folk songs that his father taught him in various Copenhagen bars. By the time he was in high school, in 1994, he had performed a song that he wrote "Dismal."  During his early years, he was heavily influenced by Black Sabbath and Nirvana. Some of his songs do show traces of this influence although the blues and acoustic feel overwhelms it.

For eight years, Hopfner practiced his craft, until he decided to get a formal education by attending EDIM, a school for music. During his two year stay, the artist honed his skill and improved on his musical craft.

Throughout his career, he has joined plenty of bands, including Katakinda; a progressive rock band. In his earlier years, he was also a member of Streams of Consciousness which was a metal band. Despite all the musical exposures he has had, Hopfner says that he prefers to focus on creating his first love: formulating acoustic pieces.

Soft Night is a result of this love for the acoustic sound. It contains 15 tracks that were made with great quality. Each track is of considerable length showing how the artist definitely put his best foot forward in recording and creating the album. The guitar work is impressive in almost every song. However, despite the relaxing atmosphere that the album exudes, there were parts that seemed detached. In most tracks, it was a bit tough to connect to certain songs since they seemed intensely personal, just like an inside joke that no one gets unless an explanation is given.

Nevertheless, if you are up for quality indie acoustic folk work, listening to Hopfner will definitely do the trick.

Related Links:
Johannes Hopfner Official Website
Johannes Hopfner on Last FM
Johannes Hopfner on Facebook
Johannes Hopfner on Myspace

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Acoustic rock and folk blues that brings you the flavor of the South. The Dada Weatherman is a blues inspired acoustic folk rock music outfit headed by Jonathan "Zedadawaizeurman" (according to their Facebook account.)

With a knack for catchy, blues inspired beats along with simple and poetic lyrics, The Dada Weatherman are simply fun to listen to. If you are looking for an eclectic mix of tracks done in great taste, then you might find it here.

Mind of Blue is the band's latest album. Their previous releases includes the simple yet enthralling The Green Waltz and heavily acoustic and piano filled Earthquakes and Failed Mutations.

After encountering Bright Eyes' Fever & Mirrors, founder of  then, Lost Minded, and the now, The Dada Weatherman, Jonathan, decided to create his own music. He is a self confessed guitar player from the "soul" despite the fact that he is a trained piano player.

Mind of Blue is a mixed bag of acoustic, blues, a bit of country sound, and a hint of electronic. It features 10 tracks that individually has its own appeal. Opening with  "Whirlwind," and its blueesy acoustic guitar vibe, it is easy to get hooked right from the start.  Another easy favorite would be the Bright Eyes sounding World of Dylith. Its synth sounding vocals and harmonica in between the verses add to the eclectic flavor of this track. As for title track Mind of Blue, its difficult not to imagine having this song playing in some intimate acoustic blues rock club downtown.

From guitar hero idol Jimi Hendrix, folk rock legends Neil Young and Bob Dylan to popular bands like Led Zeppelin, The Doors and the Beatles; The Dada Weatherman definitely has the bases covered when it comes to their major influences.

All their releases are available for free download under creative commons but if you want to help out the artist, you can go for a higher quality version of the tracks by buying them for a very small price.

Related Links:
The Dada Weatherman on Jamendo
The Dada Weatherman on Last FM
The Dada Weatherman on Myspace
The Dada Weatherman on Facebook

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Folk indie psychedelic act that mandates YOU listen. Central New York has certainly contributed their fair share of impressive musicians; yet, another band to add to this already long list is Mandate of Heaven. Essentially, the band was founded by Greg Pier, of which, he also serves as lead songwriter and singer.

Pier is a multi-instrumentalist that plays almost all instruments in the group's recordings.  Their music is a mix of indie folk pop with a touch of psychedelia. The Next Valley Over lumps together 11 acoustic driven melancholic sounds along with Pier's soft gruff vocals. With an impressive 10 full records under the group's belt, Mandate of Heaven have certainly not wasted any time creating music. Although Mandate is pretty much referred to as a group, Pier also uses the title, Mandate of Heaven, for his solo performances and recordings.  At certain points in recording the albums and throughout his career, Pier has played and recorded with many different musicians including Thursday keyboardist Andrew Everding.

The Next Valley Over features plenty of cryptic and melancholic guitar work which worked perfectly with Pier's soul-search-triggering vocals. Tracks like "Riverbed" feature a slight 70s folk sound along with a hint of psychedelic influences. As for the title track, The Next Valley Over, it opens with a swamp rock country style guitar and upbeat drumming that brings back to mind Creedance Clearwater Revival.

Other influences that Pier cites include artists like Neil Young, Rebecca Gates, The Jesus Lizard, Led Zeppelin, Sonic Youth, Guided by Voices and Cheap trick; among countless others.

Mandate of Heaven has made all of their albums available for free download under creative commons.

Related Links:
Mandate of Heaven on Jamendo
Mandate of Heaven on Myspace
Mandate of Heaven on Facebook

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Power pop that mixes alt rock and a touch of British sound. Gidgets Ga Ga is a Chicago based band that belts out catchy power pop, alternative and rock tracks that are consistent and will keep you head bobbing for some time. The Big Bong Fiasco is filled with 18 massive punk pop songs that consists of great beats, catchy melodies and enjoyable vocals.

The band is made up of vocalist/lead guitarist Mickey Flores alongside bassist Zac Zildron as well as drummer Larry Beers. Gidgets Ga Ga has been steadily gaining an audience locally and globally. The band is described as "running on drive, heart and a belief in their own destiny." Handclaps, catchy melodies, jangly guitars and slightly scruffy vocals, Gidgets Ga Ga certainly deserves an ounce of your time with The Big Bong Fiasco.

These Chicago natives are not afraid for their music to be identified as "pop," where, since the advent of Britney Spears, has received a less than stellar reputation. However, Gidgets Ga Ga adds their own twist to the genre by incorporating an alternative sound that is reminiscent of the alt/rock even grunge movement of the 90s. The band is also obviously influenced by a good number of Brits. Gidgets Ga Ga are certainly considered a pro in mixing various genres and influences they have received from the past and weaving their own music out of it.

The Big Bong Fiasco is an ambitious 18 track album, that contains songs which are surprisingly likable. With opener "Beki," the trio starts strong but if you keep listening, you'll realize that they have more to offer. Oh, so much more. Beki is instantly likable and the type of song that triggers LSS with relative ease.

Of course, out of the massive collection, there has to be a dud in there somewhere. Although there were a few that seemed out of place in terms of the band pushing for an alternative power pop sound, most of the songs are good enough to not make you want to turn off the player completely. For instance, tracks like "Offer You Can't Refuse" simply sounded like a Gin Blossoms song, but not in a very good way.

Gidgets Ga Ga definitely created a goldmine of tracks with The Big Bong Fiasco. Some are hits others were complete misses, but it's good enough for a fun and relaxing afternoon drive.

Related Links:
Gidgets Ga Ga Official Website
Gidgets Ga Ga Review
Gidgets Ga Ga on Not Lame
Gidgets Ga Ga on Myspace
Gidgets Ga Ga on Facebook

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