Laura Meets Musicians

Karen Harding On 8th March 2024, Melbourne based singer/songwriter Karen Harding unveiled her brand-new single, "Judge You" , the second single release from her upcoming album, "Behind The Mask". This emotionally powerful ballad explores our inner workings - specifically how self-judgment affects us as individuals, while at the same time revealing our protective mechanisms at play behind such internal dialogues. Karen Harding is a folk/pop singer-songwriter with a passion for sharing a relatable expression of human emotion and inner experience within her music. For Karen, music is not only an outlet for expression of her feelings and emotions drawn from a lifetime of experiences, music is a soul conversation, that allows the masks that we hide behind to fall away for a moment of sharing, a moment of mutual understanding, in a language that does not discriminate in any form. Through her path of introspection during counselling sessions, "Judge You" grew to

Thompson Newkirk Thompson Newkirk is New York City's southern pop-rock artist. Thompson's music is guitar forward, upbeat, and lyric based. He tells stories about love lost, getting kicked out of Canada, run ins with the law, and not letting the harsh realities of life win over the soul. His main influences stem from groups like Jason Isbell, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Dire Straits, and Phish. Almost every one of Thompson's songs start in one place and through twists, rhythm changes and breaks, end somewhere down the road. His high energy and audience participation style makes for a show that you don't want to miss.  Thompson's songwriting journey started when he was in High School - he used to write about tumultuos emotions while now he writes about stories that I have experienced throughout his life. All of his songs are about something specific and tell a specific story, he doesn't really have any party songs or songs that are just for fun. He loves catchy riff

Mariano Mallia Singer/songwriter Mariano Mallia is a familiar face for those who have followed my blog for awhile. I talked about his inspiring and challenging story when he released his debut single "Don't Change" , after a vocal injury that stopped him from making music for years (you can read here ).  Mariano Mallia, who spent childhood summers visiting family members in Italy, says that it was in Italy that his passion for music was first born.  From those times, Mallia developed a deep appreciation for music, and ultimately decided to devote his life to music. However, the young singer’s pursuit was put to a halt in December of 2018 when he suddenly lost his voice. We talked further about his journey and the challenges he had to face when I interviewed him on YouTube (see here ). Despite the difficulties, Mariano refused to give up on his dream of pursuing music. Since the beginning of 2023, he has consistently released one single each month, putting hard work, musi

Tony Venuto Tony Venuto, the talented musician who embarked on a solo journey in 2023, following his debut success with "20 Years", has just released his newest album, "City and Sand". This release continues Venuto's distinctive blend of New Wave, Pop, and Indie Rock, celebrated for its innovation and appeal.  Venuto's debut album garnered attention on college radio and Spotify, propelling him toward a  dynamic musical evolution. Now, "City and Sand" elevates his artistry further, with his musical exploration manifesting in a melodic fusion that captivates audiences. The album is about emphasizing love and embracing the power of positivity, even in the darkest of times. It tells stories of hope, love and liberation. "Creating 'City and Sand' was a deeply personal journey", Venuto shared. "This album  represents my growth as an artist and storyteller, showcasing diverse emotions and musical landscapes". This article wil

Pamela Tully A brain tumour diagnosis in the middle of the pandemic with a possibility of having speech complications as a result of brain surgery led to taking chances and realizing dreams. Pamela Tully is a Pop/Rock singer songwriter from Kilnamanagh in Dublin , who has finally decided that now is the time to bring her music to life. She shares: "My genre of music is inspired by PopRock, think Lady Gaga meets Pink . Also Kelly Clarkson, Anastacia and Becky Hill influence me a lot, among many others. Since releasing my first single in 2022 I've been exploring my songwriting ability, getting more creative pushing the boundaries with this new single Paranoid. To date my music has been recognised and supported right here in Ireland by Irish radio; The Shift on WLR, KCLR, Dublin South FM, Dublin City FM, Tipp FM, Loughrea Radio, reviewed and featured by Hotpress, Newstalk's Alive and Kicking with Clare McKenna , IMRO, Music Times, Rising Artists Blog, and added to playlists

The North Café Series: the storytelling episodes Among all the musical projects that I've watched growing up from scratch, The North Café Project is definitely my favourite. Passion, storytelling, art, instrumental music, love... this ambitious musical project has them all, and even more. Conceived of and created across continents in the aftermath of a global pandemic, it is the brainchild of instrumentalist, John Silvers (USA/UK), who has collaborated with co-founder and musician, Elfin Bow (UK), sound designer and producer, Woody Woodward (UK), visual artist, Gus Lopez (USA) and mastering engineer, Derek Smyth (AUS) to create a unique and intimate offering of story and music. At a time of division and isolation, this global effort to unite and uplift, is a double album release comprising both an episodic story in four parts, with instrumental musical excerpts, and an accompanying album of the full compositions by John Silvers (ukulele) and Elfin Bow (piano).  Creating someth