SEVYN STREETER HOMETOWN: Haines City, Fla. INFLUENCES: Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Yolanda Adams ALBUM: Album due out 2014 WEBSITE: sevynstreeter.com Sevyn Streeter believes the art of live singing is therapeutic for the performer and audience. “Music is emotional. Your job is to make people feel something,” she says. “The best way to do that is to sing and speak to something they’ve personally been through.” Streeter first achieved... 

NATHAN EAST With his first solo album, the renowned bassist shortens his bucket list By Jeff Tamarkin For more than four decades, Nathan East has contributed dynamic and innovative basslines to recordings and live performances by a vast array of artists, including Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Michael Jackson, Beyoncé and duo Daft Punk, whose Grammy-winning platinum album Random Access Memories features East on 10 tracks, including the smash “Get... 

AIMEE MANN & TED LEO                        Creative chemistry turns songwriting buddies into new duo the Both   She’s a Grammy- and Academy Award-nominated songwriter; he’s a socially conscious punk-rocker. Together, Aimee Mann and Ted Leo turned a friendship honed online into a new project they’re calling the Both. What began as an onstage collaboration grew into plans for an EP, which then expanded into a self-titled album... 

RODNEY CROWELL For the veteran songwriter, patience is the key to creative success   In 2010, Rodney Crowell began the album that would become Tarpaper Sky, recording half a dozen songs before getting sidetracked with other projects: Kin, a collection of songs he wrote with memoirist Mary Karr, and last year’s Grammy-winning Old Yellow Moon, a collaboration with longtime friend Emmylou Harris. “Those beautiful women got my mind off my work,”... 

CONOR OBERST  The Bright Eyes frontman releases a new solo album More than a decade ago, Omaha native Conor Oberst—as Bright Eyes—ignited the neo-folk movement and put Nebraska indie label Saddle Creek on the map. Since then the singer-songwriter has recorded as part of a number of different groups, including Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band. But for his latest, his Nonesuch Records debut Upside Down Mountain, Oberst goes it alone. The... 

JACK BRUCE The legendary bass ace returns with his first solo album in a decade Jack Bruce cemented his legacy when he composed one of rock’s most enduring riffs—the signature bassline of “Sunshine of Your Love.” But his many contributions to the 1960s supergroup Cream—which he formed with Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker—comprise but a fragment of a career that’s veered from jazz to metal to R&B. In the years since Cream broke up,... 

MINDI ABAIR A diverse group of collaborators showcases this sax star’s versatility The last few years have been quite a ride for Mindi Abair. She was the featured saxophonist on American Idol in 2011 and 2012. She toured with Aerosmith the same year, and hit the road with E Street Band drummer Max Weinberg—including one night when the Boss himself sat in. She also contributed to Dave Koz’s Summer Horns in 2013 with fellow ace saxophonists Koz,... 

KELLY WILLIS & BRUCE ROBISON When this roots-country couple combines talents, the result is magic It took singer-songwriters Kelly Willis and Bruce Robison nearly 20 years of marriage before they collaborated on a duets album, 2013’s stunning Cheater’s Game. “I always felt we were trying to be protective of our marriage,” says Robison. “We finally agreed that if we were going to work together, we were going to do it the right way. We... 

SINÉAD O’CONNOR The iconoclastic singer reveals her love of the blues on her 10th album Sinéad O’Connor’s new album, I’m Not Bossy, I’m the Boss, is something of a milestone. “I see it that way in terms of being a songwriter,” she says. “In the last few years, I’ve studied and immersed myself in the blues—not the unhappy kind of blues, but the Chicago funky style of blues. Because of that, I feel I’ve advanced and broadened... 

WIZ KHALIFA The laid-back rapper lets the good times roll on another smoking party set Among the artists originally slated to guest on Wiz Khalifa’s fifth album, Blacc Hollywood, was Miley Cyrus. The controversial pop star’s presence probably wouldn’t have hurt sales, but if Wiz is bummed or angry about her track getting cut, he doesn’t show it. This will surprise no one acquainted with the rapper’s work. Born in North Dakota, raised in... 

THE JOHN BUTLER TRIO   An Australian favorite shrugs off labels and limits For more than 15 years, Australian roots-rockers the John Butler Trio have consistently reinvented their blend of acoustic folk and alternative rock. Defying definition has allowed the band to sidestep preconceived notions and stay sonically adventurous. “You don’t want to be limited to a certain type of music,” says frontman and guitarist John Butler. “You want to... 

ROXANNA HOMETOWN: Tehran, Iran INFLUENCES: Julio Iglesias, Olivia Newton-John, Michael Jackson ALBUM: Exotica, out now WEBSITE: roxannamusic.com A native of Tehran, Roxanna has fond memories of a childhood spent listening to her idol, Olivia Newton-John. When her family immigrated to Istanbul, Turkey, during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s, she expanded her horizons. “It opened my heart so much more,” she says. “I was able to catch up with the... 

MALINA MOYE HOMETOWN: Cleveland, Ohio INFLUENCES: Prince, Sly and the Family Stone, Funkadelic ALBUM: Rock & Roll Baby, due out in October WEBSITE: malinamoye.com Malina Moye boasts an impressive musical pedigree: Her father was a session bassist and her mother sang backing vocals for Tina Turner. Following in their footsteps, Moye began playing guitar at 9, and fronted the family R&B group Les Moye Ice as a teenager. With a distinctive upside-down... 

CHELSEA BAIN HOMETOWN: Phoenix, Ariz. influences: Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, George Strait ALBUM: All American Country Girl EP, out now WEBSITE: chelseabainmusic.com Chelsea Bain grew up riding horses—a pastime that became serious. A testament to her prowess, she won a dozen national and world championship titles from the American Paint Horse Association. “I’m always up for a good challenge,” she says. “Growing up in that environment made... 

Continued Reading: Joseph Llanes – photography – page 26 – https://mmusicmag.com/m/2015/07/lasting-impressions/ Brian Friedman – photography – Page 28 – https://mmusicmag.com/m/2015/07/freeze-frame/ Chris Baldwin – photography – Page 30 – https://mmusicmag.com/m/2015/07/unflinching-focus/ Buddy Guy – 3-pg Musician – Page 42 https://mmusicmag.com/m/2013/10/buddy-guy-2/ Gregg Allman – 3-pg Musician – Page 44 https://mmusicmag.com/m/2011/08/gregg-allman/ Branford... 

LASTING IMPRESSIONS Photographer Joseph Llanes deftly captures essence, spirit and beauty Art and music figured prominently as factors that propelled Joseph Llanes toward a career in photography. Relocating from Mexico to the U.S. at 12, Llanes was fascinated by the images on album covers owned by his older stepbrothers. After graduating from college, the L.A.-based lensman went on to work with a myriad of entertainers from Coldplay, Lenny Kravitz... 

FREEZE FRAME Photographer Brian Friedman captures onstage moments in a snap Love of music figured prominently in Brian Friedman’s evolution as a photographer. A drummer since age 6, the Long Island-based lensman converted a teen hobby shooting local concerts into a lauded professional career. Vibrant and distinctive, Friedman’s work has ranged from photographing Michelle and Barack Obama to shooting unforgettable performance images (like the... 

UNFLINCHING FOCUS Photographer Chris Baldwin captures lasting impressions of grit and grace Chris Baldwin was smitten the moment he got his first camera at 15, and immediately began relentlessly documenting his love of nature. Following college, he worked as a field biologist before returning to his first love. Based in L.A., Baldwin has established a reputation for capturing striking images in the world of sports, lifestyle and music (like the above... 

John Legend remembers vividly the day that he and Roots drummer and bandleader Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson first met 10 years ago. Legend, then an aspiring singer, songwriter and keyboardist attending the University of Pennsylvania in the Roots’ hometown of Philadelphia, had been drawn to the buzzed-about series of public jam sessions the hip-hop group had been putting on at the Five Spot nightclub on Bank Street. “They were the heart of the... 

HEARING RED Taylor Swift turns up the emotional heat on her latest smash album By Russell Hall t’s midafternoon, and word has been circulating throughout the day that Taylor Swift is set to star as Joni Mitchell in a forthcoming biopic—but nothing’s confirmed. “If you see paparazzi shots of me shooting a movie,” Taylor says, “then you’ll know I’ve signed on to do it.” In any case, it’s quite likely the 22-year-old Swift will sooner... 

LINDA PERRY Blending the tried-and-true and the unorthodox is her hit-making secret By Michael Gallant “If you want to make music that’s safe, something that’s been done before, I’m not that person,” says Linda Perry. “If you want to go edgier, get heavier and dig deeper, I’m your guy.” After gaining recognition as the charismatic lead singer and chief songwriter for ’90s rock band 4 Non Blondes, Perry has built a singular hit-making... 

BUTCH VIG The pioneering platinum producer continues to explore new sonic landscapes By Michael Gallant When Butch Vig helped create Nirvana’s 1991 masterpiece Nevermind, little did he know the project would fundamentally transform the rock world. Though the Grammy-winning, multiplatinum producer had been toiling behind the glass for nearly a decade, that iconic album marked the beginning of a singular career. Following Nevermind, Vig helmed groundbreaking... 

Imagine Dragons finds success takes some getting used to   Sudden fame can be a double-edged sword. Just ask Imagine Dragons’ frontman Dan Reynolds. “It sounds cliché,” he says, “but I never got into rock ’n’ roll for fame or drugs or girls. For me, rock ’n’ roll was about people doing what they wanted to do and saying what they wanted to say. I’m hardly a typical rock star. I have a wife and a 2-year-old daughter, and I love... 

J’CHELLE HOMETOWN: Long Beach, Calif. INFLUENCES: Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder ALBUM: J’Chelle, TBA WEBSITE: jchelle.com J’Chelle was preparing to enter law school when her life took a dramatic turn—she auditioned for America’s Got Talent. While the singer-songwriter born J’Chelle Magbitang, only made it to the week three semifinals, she became a background vocalist on American Idol, supporting acts like Mary J. Blige, Chaka... 

Road Scholar With his latest, Melody Road, pop legend Neil Diamond proves every song is a learning experience Neil Diamond has been writing songs for 50 years, so you might think it comes easy. Not so. Although melodies spring forth almost magically—“If I have a natural gift, that’s it,” he says—lyrics remain his bane. “It’s grunt work, requiring huge amounts of patience, diligence and focus. It’s ditch-digging, and unfortunately... 

World of His Own Eighteen years after Guns N’ Roses, Slash releases an explosive new record that finds him at the peak of his creative prowess I’m an energetic and aggressive player,” declares Slash. “I attack hard—it’s very much a physical thing for me. What excites me most is the off-the-cuff, spontaneous energy you get from live performance. That has a huge impact on me.” That impact began at a young age when the future musician—born... 

UNPLUGGED & ON FIRE Ed Sheeran pushes acoustic boundaries to find new musical territory He arrived on the mainstream music scene three years ago with a massively successful debut album of delicately crafted acoustic ballads. So it might have been understandable if the world had gotten used to thinking of Ed Sheeran as a laid-back, reliable balladeer. But the 23-year-old troubadour has since emerged as a pop phenom, a creative dynamo whose varied... 

SLOW BURN Country firecracker Miranda Lambert keeps the sizzle but embraces her softer side on her latest A decade ago, Miranda Lambert burst onto the country scene, branded as a volatile, gun-totin’ spitfire. But these days the sassy singer-songwriter has mellowed a bit. “All the fiery stuff is what set me apart in the beginning,” Lambert says, “because no one else was doing it. With success, I’ve been able to calm down and acknowledge... 

  MARIAH CAREY The Record Industry’s Focus I’m not much of a Mariah Carey fan. I always thought she was more technique over soul, same with Whitney Houston. Then again, in Houston’s case, she had some songs—“The Greatest Love of All,” “I Will Always Love You”—that had so much soul in them that technique couldn’t blow it out. Anyway, a billboard.biz tweet did catch my eye: “How To Solve the Mariah Carey Problem: Former Record... 

TIME TO SHINE Life’s hard knocks stoke the creative fire for Sarah McLachlan By Russell Hall For Sarah McLachlan, life in recent years has been punctuated by loss and change. Her 2010 album, Laws of Illusion, mourned the dissolution of her near decade-long marriage. Since then she’s endured the death of her father, and—less traumatically—ended a 24-year partnership with her management team and record label. “Losing my dad, separating from... 

KORBY LENKER HOMETOWN: Twin Falls, Idaho INFLUENCES: Neil Young, Paul Simon, Doc Watson ALBUM:Korby Lenker, out now WEBSITE: korbylenker.com The son of a mortician and an educator, Americana singer-songwriter Korby Lenker began taking piano lessons at age 8. He spent his teen years as the leader of alt-rock band Clockwork Orange, singing cover tunes in coffee shops around his hometown. “We covered ‘Under the Bridge’ by Red Hot Chili Peppers,”... 

KAYLEE RUTLAND HOMETOWN: Dallas, Texas INFLUENCES: Reba McEntire, Carrie Underwood, Sara Evans ALBUM: Kaylee Rutland EP, out now WEBSITE: kayleerutland.com Singer-songwriter Kaylee Rutland’s first gig in front of a live audience happened in an unlikely place—the Dallas Zoo. “Aside from my family, I think there were more animals watching than people,” she says, “but it was a great first experience.” Later appearances at the Hard Rock... 

THE BRIGHT SMOKE HOMETOWN: Chicago, Ill. INFLUENCES: Junior Kimbrough, the National, Patti Smith ALBUM: Virginia Et Al. EP, out now WEBSITE: thebrightsmoke.bandcamp.com A former classical ballet dancer, the Bright Smoke (née Mia Wilson) abandoned her career plans following a serious injury in training.  So she shifted her interest to music, and credits her parents with encouraging her to explore artistic avenues beyond the barre. “Growing up,... 

TOKYO POLICE CLUB    A new creative focus raises the bar for the seasoned indie rockers  You can tell a lot about an indie rock band by how they spend the Monday following South by Southwest (SXSW). The young and crazy ones nurse hangovers and search “removing burrito stains” on Google. The annual Austin festival is about excess—lots of showcases fueled by lots of beer and Mexican food—and it’s easy for “buzz groups” to get burned... 

KARMIN After online fame and chart hits, the quirky duo finally releases an album Covers of songs by Nicki Minaj and Chris Brown found Karmin an Internet following and a record deal, and songs like “Brokenhearted” brought chart success, but it has taken the duo three years to produce an album. For the couple behind Karmin—Nick Noonan and Amy Heidemann, both 28—that time was spent developing a personality outside social media. “Everything... 

BOY GEORGE The colorful ’80s icon returns with a new perspective “When you’ve lived a dramatic life, you’ve got a lot to draw from,” Boy George says with a laugh. As the lead singer of Grammy-winning band Culture Club, he’s sold more than 20 million albums powered by megahits like “Karma Chameleon” and “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me.” But after dominating radio in the mid-’80s, the band’s red-hot streak cooled as the decade... 

SUZANNE VEGA The eclectic folkie samples hip-hop and explores her spiritual side In the seven years since Suzanne Vega released Beauty and Crime—her last studio album of original material—she released four collections of her songs in reworked forms as the Close-Up series. For her latest album, Tales From the Realm of the Queen of Pentacles, she changed her tack. “The focus of the new album is wider than the Close-Up series,” says Vega. “We... 

KEB’ MO’ Life’s challenges inspire the multi-instrumentalist’s latest set “I’m a control freak,” Grammy-winning blues artist Keb’ Mo’ declares flatly. Indeed, the Nashville-based musician had a hand in every aspect of making his latest album, BLUESAmericana, including playing many of the instruments. But, he confesses, “When I couldn’t make something sound as good as I wanted it to sound—sometimes my touch wasn’t strong... 

NICKEL CREEK The bluegrass trio reunites with a new album that defies categories   Grammy-winning Nickel Creek took an indefinite hiatus in 2007 to pursue solo projects. Now the trio—mandolinist Chris Thile, fiddler Sara Watkins and her brother, guitarist Sean Watkins—has returned with a new album, A Dotted Line, which coincides with their 25th anniversary. Featuring eight originals and two covers—Sam Phillips’ “Where Is Love Now” and... 

JAKE E. LEE The ace guitarist gets back in the hard rock game with a melodic new set  Veteran guitarist Jake E. Lee hadn’t recorded an album of original music since his acclaimed solo A Fine Pink Mist in 1996. Like a proverbial metal Moses, the ex-Ozzy Osbourne axeman wandered in a self-imposed musical exile. “I outlived my shelf life as far as being cool,” says Lee, 56. “The only calls I got were from bands that loved Ozzy and wanted his... 

KAISER CHIEFS                         With a new lineup, the British rockers set out to get an Education     It would have been easy for Kaiser Chiefs to simply call it quits. Following the departure of drummer and primary songwriter Nick Hodgson in late 2012, the remaining four members had doubts about carrying on—before deciding to prove to their fans, and to themselves, that they were capable of continuing. The result is Education,... 

DOLLY PARTON A country treasure showcases her many colors on her latest album Dolly Parton wears many impressive hats: singer, actress, producer, musician, author, entrepreneur, philanthropist. But first and foremost, the Tennessee native is a songwriter, penning more than 3,000 compositions, including smash hits “I Will Always Love You,” “Jolene” and “9 to 5.” “I love writing songs—I always have,” she says. “Telling stories... 

JONNY LANG A former guitar prodigy shows he’s all grown up with a sharp new set By Jeff Tamarkin At 33, Jonny Lang has been recognized as a master guitarist and vocalist for nearly two decades. A teen prodigy with a 40-year-old voice when he cut his debut album Smokin’ in 1995, he’s grown up in the public eye—and so has his music. In his early years Lang made his mark playing and singing blues-rock. He was so gifted he was taken under the... 

GLEN BALLARD The acclaimed producer favors artistic relationships over one-hit flings By Michael Gallant Glen Ballard’s resume is stuffed with big names. He’s collaborated with everyone from Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones and Alanis Morissette to Dave Matthews, Annie Lennox and Christina Aguilera. His production and songwriting chops have earned him six Grammy Awards, worldwide sales of more than 150 million records, and a reputation as one of... 

“Jive Talkin’” BEE GEES Thank the public works department of Biscayne Bay, Fla. One of their bridges—the Julia Tuttle Causeway—inspired the song that redefined the Bee Gees’ career and became the first of their disco-era No. 1 hits. Barry Gibb recalled that he and brothers Robin and Maurice were working on the Main Course album. “We were trying to make a comeback. It was 1975—and we were sort of out of vogue at that time,” said... 

“Heartbreak Hotel” ELVIS PRESLEY  A suicide note was the unlikely inspiration behind the song that became Elvis’ first No. 1 hit and million-selling single. Steel guitarist and session musician Tommy Durden read a newspaper article about a man who had killed himself, leaving behind a note with the haunting words: “I walk a lonely street.” Durden brought the article to his friend and co-writer Mae Boren Axton. A 41-year-old high school... 

ISAAC HAYES HAD JUST WRAPPED A CONCERT WHEN photographer Norman Seeff shot this session for the soul legend’s 1977 album, New Horizon. “We rented a beautiful studio in San Francisco,” recalls Seeff, “and didn’t begin shooting until 1 a.m. I told him, ‘I’m concerned; you must be exhausted.’ He said, ‘No, no, I’m fine.’” Hayes sang for Seeff and his team. “Everyone was transfixed,” says Seeff. “There was an energy in the... 

“Crying”   ROY ORBISON  Roy Orbison’s ultimate aria of love and loss had its roots in a real-life episode. “I was dating this girl and we broke up,” the singer recalled. “Two or three years later, I went to the barber shop to get a haircut and looked across the street, and there was the girl I had split up with. I wanted to go over and say, ‘Let’s forget about what happened and carry on.’ But I was very stubborn. So I got in... 

NORMAN SEEFF HAD RECENTLY MOVED TO NEW YORK from South Africa—with dreams of becoming a photographer—when he shot this session for the Band’s 1970 album, Stage Fright. “I bought six rolls of film, borrowed a car and a strobe, and set out for Big Pink—their house in Woodstock,” he recalls. “But I got lost and arrived more than two hours late. The guys were furious.” Seeff tried to make the best of the situation. “I rearranged the... 

“American Pie”   DON MCLEAN When Don McLean wrote “American Pie” in 1971, he was thinking far beyond the usual scope of a pop song. “I was conscious of the fact that I was trying to create a rock ’n’ roll dream sequence,” said McLean. “But it was way more than rock ’n’ roll. It was about an America that was coming apart at the seams. I was trying to create this song that connected with parts of America that mattered to me,...