Bands, clubs, artists, and businesses that you may not have heard of yet…but that we think are going to make a name for themselves really soon ~ and you get to hear about them here, right before they make it big!

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Withered Sun
By Rebecca Carter

Withered Sun is among those fighting and thrashing to keep metal alive. Although the mainstream has strayed from its roots, New England has become the home for bands who still worship the hammer of the rock gods. Withered Sun is part of that underground.

Withered Sun is made up of Ben Fortier on vocals, Joel Lagace and Jeff Houle on guitars, Dan Lifshits on keyboard, Chris Helme on drums and Brandon Green on bass. The band prefers not to be branded as one genre. According to Green, the goal is to incorporate a wide variety of styles to form one unique sound.

“I think a lot of people could put us into the category of melodic death metal, but we have a lot of elements in our music that drift away from bands that have been playing it for years,” said Green. “The biggest influences that can be seen in our music are bands like At The Gates, Dark Tranquility, In Flames and Opeth to name a few.”

Traveling all over New England, the band has been able to gauge the metal scene throughout the region. What they’ve learned is that it’s important to stick with what works best.

“On most shows that we play, we usually find that even though we’re a metal band, we do not fit in very well because of our melodic roots,” said Green. “However, I think melodic death metal has its place in many people’s hearts. It is just a matter of playing in front of the right crowd and getting the attention.”

Withered Sun feels lucky to be part of a great music scene.

“There is no doubt in my mind that New England is one of the greatest areas to get noticed,” said Green. “There are a lot of people out there hungry for something new.”

For Green and his band mates, the best experiences come with playing with other metal acts. It helps them maintain an appreciation for what they do.

“My most memorable shows are playing with Smite the Righteous, Axiom and Protean Collective,” said Green. “All of them are solid dudes looking for the same things we strive for in this scene, and that is appreciation for originality.

“I guess we just have a blast playing in front of people who appreciate what we’re doing.”

With their second album due out in September and more live dates on the horizon, fans of the melodic side of metal can look to Withered Sun for a dose of the real thing.

Check out www.myspace.com/witheredsun for more information.

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Nawset – Sanity Was Left At Home
By Alex Kantarelis

Fans of metal can breathe a sigh of relief. While most bands today are attempting to sculpt over-produced, radio-friendly songs as a way to get rich quick, Nawset is doing it the old fashioned way. With an old school sound comparable to bands like Anthrax, Motorhead and even Pantera, the guys bring a refreshing approach to their music by writing songs with their own sound, not what they think everyone else wants to hear.

Nawset got their start two years ago, jamming together and writing songs that were bare to the bone metal. The guys kept things simple and played only what they knew best ~ pure metal. Larkin, the band’s bassist, feels the band enjoys the creative process.

“We let the sound develop from what we write and what we think sounds good.”

But at the same time, they know what they’re after.

“The way we look at it, if we’re not having fun playing, then what’s the point of playing?”

Their sound meshes together several different styles of metal but strays away from contemporary trends.

“All of us are fans of different [types of] metal,” said Larkin. “We each have a different genre we bring to it, which influences what we play.”

Their debut CD Sanity Was Left at Home is available at shows and online at the band’s website. The eight tracks of raw and totally old school metal will remind everyone of the way bands used to sound.

“There are so many CDs out there now that have so much post production and overproduction, and we didn’t want that,” Larkin said. “There’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s just not for us,”

The guys decided that self-releasing the CD was the way to go.

“You have complete control to what the final product is,” said Larkin. “You have no one to blame but yourself if it doesn’t go the way you wanted it to.”

So what’s next for the band?

“Ideally, world domination of course,” Larkin joked. “But if we could just pay our bills doing what we love to do, that’s the most important thing.”

Check out www.myspace.com/nawsetband and www.nawsetband.com for their plans, and be sure to check out their new CD!

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Ken Macy – Three
By Mary Ouellette

Central MA based singer/songwriter Ken Macy returns with his new EP, proving the old adage that good things do indeed come in threes.

Three, his new five-song EP, is the perfect blend of 70s infused rock and modern day blues and is capped off perfectly by Macy’s soulful vocals. With so much talent, it may be surprising to learn that he’s only in his twenties. In a time when the music industry is saturated with pretenders and wannabes, Macy’s sound stands strong and it’s evident that he’s not trying to emulate anyone but himself. His identity shines throughout the EP as each song takes on a life of its own. Each one offers up something a little different while maintaining the Macy magic.

Macy chose the path of a solo artist to focus on writing great songs.

“I wanted to keep writing more and bettering my songwriting craft,” he said.

The songs on his Three EP are proof positive of his efforts.

“The most important element in writing a song is being able to relate with yourself and your audience,” said Macy. “If you write about something that’s not true to you or that doesn’t really relate to you, it’s difficult to relate that idea to your audience and have them buy into it. I feel that your most honest work is your best work.”

It’s that raw honesty that leads the way through the five songs on the EP. Lyrically, the songs take the listener on a magical ride from basic love song (“Let it Shine” ) to the trials and tribulations of being in a relationship (“Out Of My Life”) and the dreaded breakup song (“Talking In My Sleep”). A virtual mirror of Macy’s soul, this trio of songs is heartfelt and catchy from start to finish.

Although the EP starts out as a soul-searching mission from love found to love lost, it ends with a bang with the last two tracks. Arguably the best tune of the bunch is “Queen Bee.” It’s a very upbeat song with a beautiful saxophone arrangement that tells about the virtues of a strong woman who knows what she wants and how to get it. Let’s face it, what’s not to like about that? The EP ends on one of its highest notes with the song “Brand New Day,” a bluesy-based mellow song in which Macy reflects on life as a whole.

“I wrote this one reflecting how I feel about life ~ look ahead, enjoy every day and make the most of what you have,” he said. “It’s about leaving the past behind you and looking forward to the future.”

So what does the future hold for Ken Macy? His personal aim is to “keep on doing what I’m doing ~ writing songs people enjoy, making the music I love and to put on the best live show I can.”

It’s hard to argue with that. Great songwriters are a dying breed. But with talent like Ken Macy, there’s great hope for the future.

With a healthy touring schedule that spans throughout Central, MA, be sure to catch Ken Macy live at one of his upcoming performances and pick up a copy of his new EP! You can check out all of his upcoming dates and more info about Ken on his MySpace page at www.myspace.com/kenmacy or visit www.cdbaby.com/cd/kenmacy3 to purchase the Three EP online.