JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Dire Straits frontman and creative mastermind Mark Knopfler’s 76th birthday.
Throwback: R.I.P. Sheila Jordan
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates the life and music of the legendary Sheila Jordan.
New Audio: New Jersey’s Nuse Shares a Gritty, Mosh Pit Friendly Ripper
Formed back in the ’90s, Hillsborough, NJ-based metal outfit NUSE — Mike LaMastro (vocals, guitar), Eric Mangual (bass), Bob Mangual (drums) and Mike Wilday (guitar) — exploded into the regional scene with the release of a handful of early EPs before, their full-length debut, 2022’s Hung Well, which was re-released in 2005 through No Joke Records.
Their sophomore album, 2008’s Forever Starts Today featured the underground smash “Beat to Death.” Building upon a growing profile, their third album, 2012’s All American Beat Down, which featured “Breath & Fluid,” “War Face,” and “Free Tattoos,” broke through nationally, charting in several key markets, including Kansas City (#5), NYC (#8), Philadelphia (#7) and Hawaii (#5) while receiving streams globally across Pandora, Spotify, iTunes and others.
2018’s The Pain Collection featured “Top Hat Man,” which broke into the Top 10 in NYC and Philadelphia while arguably being their most critically applauded album of their career to date. In 2020, the band, which had long been a trio added Ixion Lux‘ s and Spin Psykill‘s Mike Wilday, Jr., whose rich harmonies and intense leads helped the band’s sound evolve.
Nuse released the highly anticipated Evolution Vol 2 EP last month. The EP’s lead single “Malibu,” is a gritty mosh pit friendly friendly ripper that sounds as though it would fit in perfectly with the RidingEasy Records roster — but with a lovingly familiar, East Coast aggression. Play extremely loud, and open up that pit, folks!
Throwback: Happy 52nd Birthday, Hip-Hop!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates the 52nd anniversary of the creation of hip-hop.
New Audio: Tori Bell Shares a Summery, Club Friendly Banger
Splitting time between Santa Monica and San Francisco, Tori Bell is an emerging singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer, whose deep passion for lyricism, storytelling and melodies has been the driving force behind her restlessly exploitive creativity; “I use technology to take on different voices across many genres to tell my life story,” the California-based artist explains. “Most songs are autobiographical or detail commentary on heavier topics like social issues, love, rejection, longing, limerence, mental health release and more.”
Bell’s latest single “bad good” is a slickly produced, summery Ibiza-meets big festival stage bop featuring glistening and glitchy synth oscillation, tweeter and woofer rattling thump and enormous drops which serve as a lush bed for Bell’s sultry pop starlet delivery.
Throwback: Happy 82nd Birthday, Ronnie Spector!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates the 82nd anniversary of the birth of Ronnie Spector.
Throwback: Happy Belated 57th Birthday, Sam Fogarino!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms belatedly celebrates Interpol multi-instrumentalist Sam Fogarino’s 57th birthday.
Throwback: Happy Belated 66th Birthday, Kurtis Blow!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms belatedly celebrates Kurtis Blow’s 66th birthday.
Throwback: Happy 62nd Birthday, Whitney Houston!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrate the 62nd anniversary of the birth of Whitney Houston.
New Audio: JOVM Mainstays Club 8 Share Breezy and Saccharine “Sneaky Feelings”
Last year, Stockholm-based JOVM mainstays Club 8 — Karolina Komstedt (vocals) and electronic music producer, artist and Labrador Records founder and label boss Johan Angergård — released their 11th album, A Year With Club 8. Since then, the the duo have been busy, releasing a single or so a month over the course of the year, including the previously released “ooo,” “None Of This Will Matter When You’re Dead,” “Staying Alive,” and “Born The Wrong Time.”
The Swedish duo’s latest single “Sneaky Feelings” is a woozy bit of indie pop featuring alternating boy-girl vocals paired with atmospheric keys, a propulsive backbeat, an irresistibly saccharine melody and the pair’s unerring knack for catchy hooks. “Sneaky Feelings” evokes an adult cynicism about love — of trying to catch yourself from making yourself a fool; of trying to avoid inevitable heartache. Will the narrators be successful? Knowing human nature, probably not.
New Video: Sol ChYld Teams Up with Kaicrewsade on Soulful and Lived In “Travel Size”
Camden, NJ-based emcee Sol ChYld exploded into the national scene with 2023’s Something Came To Me, which featured the viral single “NBC.” Since then, the Camden-based artist has been busy: She toured with Erick the Architect, premiered a new song “PSA” in a n attention-grabbing COLORS Session and shared the “On the Radar,” freestyle, which helped bolster a growing profile.
Sol Child’s highly-anticipated third album REBIRTH. Theory is slated for a September 26, 2025 release through MNRK Music Group. The 10-track album reportedly sees the New Jersey-based artist at the peak of her powers as a lyricist and curator, collaborating with DRAM, Kaicrewsade, Kingsley Ibeneche and Eric Scott — all while eschewing the use of samples. The Dissect Podcast once compared to her to a young Kendrick Lamar, but REBIRTH. Theory sees her continuing in a more neo-soul leaning tradition of earnest, deeply felt lyricism and creativity of the likes of Eyrkah Badu, André 3000, Lauryn Hill and others.
REBIRTH. Theory‘s latest single “Travel Size,” features a vibey, neo-soul-tinged jazz groove-driven arrangement with skittering beats that serve as a lush and soulful bed for Sol ChYld and Chicago-based emceee and community organizer Kaicrewsade to spit the sort of conscious, deeply lived-in bars that would remind folks of Common, Black Thought, Mos Def and the like.
Directed by frequent collaborator Wayne Campbell, the accompanying video is a gorgeously shot and vivid visual shot in and around Camden and nearby Philadelphia.
Throwback: Happy 64th Birthday, The Edge!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates U2 guitarist and vocalist The Edge’s 64th birthday.