MUSIC TUESDAY

I know this picture looks like some strange photoshop jumble of characters.
The current-day model on the far left, Olivia Newton-John on the right and a former member of Blind Melon down front.

But it's not.
This is Jypsi...one of my new favorite country bands.
All siblings, the Rische kids have found a way to blend bluegrass, folk and honky-tonk country into a perfect mix. Comparisons are sometimes lame, but consider Jypsi to be the new fix for all those who miss the Dixie Chicks.

All four siblings play (two fiddlers, one mandolin player and a bad-to-the-bone guitarist.) They all sing (girls are awesome, brother is really better at BGVs.) And the songwriting is outstanding, proving once again that country songwriting is some of the most clever stuff around.

In all honesty, Jypsi is struggling to find its place on country radio. I'd encourage you to give them a try and maybe even call your local country station and request them.

If you're a country music fan, you will dig Jypsi. (Songwriters, regardless of your personal preference, you'll love digging into these tunes.)

Weird, But True...

Awhile back, I rejoined TAXI. This is a subscription service for songwriters where you send in songs for music industry listings.

It's a complicated system, but essentially it works like this. TAXI tells it's clients what type of songs a label is looking for. If I have a song that fits that listing, I send it to TAXI. TAXI has industry professionals who review the song before it goes any further. TAXI either rejects or forwards the songs on to the labels. TAXI works as a middle man to weed out songs that don't fit the listings.

I was a member a few years ago, but nothing ever happened. But back in May, I joined up again, mostly to see if I could do anything with all of these little country/family tunes I've written.

After about a month, I sent in a tune called "Wash The Dishes" for a country-music listing. The other day, I realized I hadn't heard anything from them. So I got online, pulled up my critique and saw this:

"FORWARDED."

That's right...my little country song was forwarded to Capitol Nashville!

Who knows if anybody will dig it, but I am totally excited anyway!

I'll keep you updated!