Pierce Dipner
Pierce Dipner is another young artist who I learned about from Jon Sexauer. Pierce is an 18-year-old Blues Guitarist and singer. I really dig his guitar playing, it’s a real gritty type of playing. I would describe it as a Rock/Blues sound, kind of little of SRV with a little Duane Allman then you add a touch of Freddie King into the mix, now you have Pierce Dipner. I have to say Pierce playing is a refreshing sound, really has the old-style Blues of the late 60’s early 70’s nuance to it. Now let’s talk about Pierce’s singing. He has vocal style has that familiarity of Johnny Lang and Rory Gallagher. Pierce’s voice is made to sing the Blues. When Pierce sings you get that Deep Blues feeling in your Soul. Some people say that the Blues is dying out, well I have to say with musician’s like Pierce Dipner playing the Blues it will be around for many more years. Here are some links to find some of Pierce Dipner’s music. https://piercedipner.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@piercedipner4363 1. How long have you been playing music? I have been playing music since I was 8 years old, so 10 years now. I started on guitar, but quickly after began playing drums and cello. Around that time, I also took up singing. 2. How many bands have you been in? I’ve only played in 1 band which is my own, but I have sat in with a lot over the years. I do sometimes think that I would enjoy being in a band where I am just the guitar player to kind of get a different look at performing. 3. Where were you born? I was born in Pittsburgh PA. 4. Are you self-taught? I am not, I started out with lessons at a local music store and have had many great musicians help me out over the years. 5. Who are your biggest influences? The artists that got me into the Blues are Freddie King, Paul Butterfield, and Gary Clark Jr. There are so many more, but these artists started me on my Blues journey and are still some of my favorites today. 6. What style of music do you consider yours? I’d say Blues with Rock and Soul influences. 7. What was your first gig? How old were you? My first paying gig was opening for Nick Moss at the Blues Society of Western PA’s Christmas Party at Moondogs. I was 13. 8. What advice do you have for someone starting out in the music business? In Blues especially, the connections are everything. Also, a good social media presence. Getting out and going to jams is really what got me started, those musicians you meet will be the ones to help you or have you sit in down the road. 9. Do you write your own songs? Yes 10. What would people be surprised to hear that you have in your personal record collection? I have a large collection of old 45” s sent to me by an old friend of dads, along with my parents' large collection of albums of all mediums from vinyl to disc. 11. What would you be doing if playing music was not an option? I am actually in college right now studying to be a social studies teacher. 12. Besides your own songs, what is your favorite song to perform? It’s definitely a toss-up between Going Down by Freddie King or Anytime You Want by Sean Costello, both of which I usually end my sets with. 13. If you were strictly a songwriter, who would you like to see sing your songs? I’d really like to hear what Gary Clark Jr could do with one of my songs in his distinct style.
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“Dystopian Book Club”
By Nicole Boggs & The Reel This album came out in 2022 by one of my favorite bands, Nicole Boggs & The Reel. The three main members of this band are very talented musicians in their own right. Nicole Boggs, Alex Kramer and Sam Gyllenhall. Their most recent album is “Dystopian Book Club” this album has 9 songs on it. Nicole’s Dad CJ Boggs Produced, engineered & mixed the album, let me say he did a fantastic job. So, to give you a little background on Nicole Boggs & The Reel. To say that this band is a “Rock Band” to me is not telling you everything and also kind of an understatement. Yes this band does fall into the “Rock” genre, but they are much more than that. I feel that Nicole Boggs & The Reel is a band that has a base in “Rock”, but they take to the next level with their deep songs that they write. Which allows then to bring a little bit of “Pop” to their music. If you want to stick to saying that they are “Rock”, then you would have to refer to the late 70’s & early 80’s sound. Which they capture well. The most amazing thing about this album is that a lot of it was recorded during the band’s Wednesday night live streams, so if you ever watched those streams then you were actually there while the magic was happening. There are 9 tracks on this album, I would say that my 3 favorites are “Hard To Love You”, “Marina” & “Poor Little Girl”. Now these are just the one I really like, all the songs on this album are HITS. All songs were written by the band except for a few that a few extra writers were involved in. So, let’s talk about the sound of this band and why I think that they are one of the best right now. First off you have Nicole Boggs, who is the main vocalist of the band. Nicole’s voice has such a beautiful tone to it, along with her ability to control her voice when going from a soft low tone to a louder tone is impeccable. There is just pleasant sound to Nicole’s voice that you just get lost in the songs. Let’s not forget that Nicole is now the Bassist in the band, she recently learned it over the past few years. I think she is a natural on the Bass. Next is Alex Kramer who besides sing harmony with Nicole has a solo spot on an original song of his “Poor Little Rich Girl”. Alex’s vocals are kind across between a 70’s & 80’s Rocker. “Unusual Suspects” is one of the songs that Nicole & Alex do a duet on, I have to say that their voices real melded together great. Alex is also the lead Guitarist and really gives the band that rockin’ sound which is totally their own. Sam Gyllenhaal who is the 3rd main member of the band and guitarist. Sam also has a remarkable voice which really blends well with both Nicole & Alex’s vocals. Sam is also one of the songwriters of the band. I have been listening and into music for around 45 years, I have to say Nicole Boggs & The Reel is one of those bands that makes it worth while to be a music lover. For the simple reason that they have their own sound and that is what I always look for in a Band or Musician. So, to say that I highly recommend Nicole Boggs & The Reel to any Music Lover would be an understatement. If you don’t have this CD in your collection then your or any of their other ones then your collection is incomplete. Please go to the site below and check Nicole Boggs & The Reel out for yourself. https://www.nicoleboggsandthereel.com/ |
AuthorHello, My name is Michael. I am into music, have been for over 48yrs. Big fan of all kinds of music, right now it has been the Blues for the last 10yrs. I do not play any instruments, But I very interested in the recording aspect of the industry. Have messed around with it a little and always learning new things about it. I have met many wonderful people because of Music.. Hope you enjoy my Blogs... In the last two years I have been producing House Concerts. I also in the past 2 years got to produce and engineer an album for a very good friend of mine from Sweden "Magpie". Archives
February 2024
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