WorldArts Daily (video)

SLANT LIVE on the WorldArts Live Stage performing "Through My Own Eyes"

WorldArts Music presents The Clouds Below.   The Clouds Below began as an inspired idea by Malcolm Guess and Benjamin Jones. While working on remixes for their band Kaura, whom Ben and Malcolm founded and perform with; they accumulated a number of songs that they felt deserved to become it's own entity. Having both been fans of electronic music for a long time and having always talked about the idea of working together on an electronic project...The Clouds Below was born. Mixing styles of Glitch Hop, Rock, Bass and Downtempo; The Clouds Below released their first 5 song EP on July 30th 2013. Bringing their music and musicianship to the stage, The Clouds Below is an engaging visual and visceral experience with the addition of unique and impacting light show.

Alyeska is both the archaic spelling of Alaska and the name LA-based Montana native Alaska Reid chose for her "fuzz pop" band  

Mothlight is a 3 piece dream pop outfit from Los Angeles, CA. It has been called, at times, chillwave, dream pop, psychedelic pop. Blog Diamond Deposits described Annie as “Packing immense sky high vocals set among a lush psychedelic sheen of sunlit melodies. It’s quite the treat for the ears!” and German blog, Orange Peel, compared our sound “à la M83 oder Fleet Foxes.” Initially the solo project of Matt Billings, Mothlight released 3 EPs from 2008-2012. Matt joined with longtime friend, Grant Stevens, to release the Calico LP (2014) and after a year or so of writing new material the duo found and recruited drummer Andrew Smith and it’s been a happy marriage ever since. Mothlight will be releasing a new EP in early spring 2016.

Born and raised in the small country town of Pearl River, a suburb of New Orleans, Louisiana, John has been involved in ministry for a little over six years after discovering his passion to pursue music beginning in high school. Currently John leads worship every Sunday evening at St. Andrew the Apostle Catholic Church in New Orleans and during the week he travels throughout the country ministering, praying and worshipping at churches, schools and universities meeting people but most importantly inviting people to meet Jesus.   

Initially launching into the underground scene, Gone Avery, evolved into an energetic Alternative Rock band in 2012. Following the release of \"Left and Forgotten\", the Southern California based quartet started establishing themselves in many of the well-known venues in Los Angeles and Orange County. They frequently play at venues such as The House of Blues, The Roxy, The Whisky and The Slidebar. Also, having the pleasure of sharing the stage with The Sick Puppies, Set Your Goals, Too Short, T-Mills, The Who Show, April Sixth, The Summer Set and The Downtown Fiction to name a few. Gone Avery continues to bring a high energy stage show to their passionate fans with their slick pop hooks and sturdy organic rock, both melodic and hard-hitting. As they look forward to tour the West Coast in the Spring, fans can currently find their music on Amazon and iTunes, as well as listen to track \"Fields\" and \"Counting Down\" on KWSS in AZ and WXIN in RI.

Gone Avery continues to bring a high energy stage show to their passionate fans with their slick pop hooks and sturdy organic rock, both melodic and hard-hitting. As they look forward to tour the West Coast in the Spring, fans can currently find their music on Amazon and iTunes, as well as listen to track \"Fields\" and \"Counting Down\" on KWSS in AZ and WXIN in RI.

Initially launching into the underground scene, Gone Avery, evolved into an energetic Alternative Rock band in 2012. Following the release of \"Left and Forgotten\", the Southern California based quartet started establishing themselves in many of the well-known venues in Los Angeles and Orange County. They frequently play at venues such as The House of Blues, The Roxy, The Whisky and The Slidebar. Also, having the pleasure of sharing the stage with The Sick Puppies, Set Your Goals, Too Short, T-Mills, The Who Show, April Sixth, The Summer Set and The Downtown Fiction to name a few.

The band draws on a wide range of influences, citing acts from Arcade Fire, Billy Joel, Foster the People, Michael Jackson, The Killers, The Beach Boys, Weezer, Queen, and so much more. \"I think if you want to find success as a band, you can blend in with a genre that is on the rise and have a nice record deal, followers, and radio play for a few years. But if you want to have a career, and real fans, you need to create something that is new. The bands I respect the most, and seem to have survived, are those that have created a sound that was different than the bulk of the music being produced at that time\" says lead vocalist and guitarist Ryan Kilpatrick.   They began writing the songs for the new EP at a very crucial time in their lives. They had all graduated college and were fully invested in the real world. They were finally coming to terms with what being an adult meant to each of them. \"We believe that every song should flow naturally and that every detail should serve an artistic purpose. We added tempo changes where it made sense and explored varying chord progressions,\" says guitarist Heath Farmer. Accordingly, the songs lyrically take hold of themes such as coming of age, finding love (not only for a girl, but for life), establishing trust, and fighting through difficult times.

Since July of 2014, they've undergone the knife and emerged as Island Apollo, a name derived from the artificial islands off the coast of Long Beach Bay, each of which is named after an Apollo astronaut. Adamant about establishing a presence in the LA music scene, their attempts to create something new and lasting have not gone unnoticed. Despite only having a handful of shows with their new identity, Island Apollo is gearing up to be one of the most sought after bands in the area. The newly monikered indie rock outfit has already established that sweet, danceable type of indie rock that is capable of suiting any mood with perfection. Be it gearing up for a night out, contemplating the loss of something or someone special, or starting a new chapter of your life, Island Apollo will be right there with you.  

Having gained a seriously considerable following, Island Apollo is off to new and exciting things. After originally forming a band as teenagers in Irvine, California, the five indie rockers were able to pick up airplay on KROQ, win Orange County's \"Best Pop Artist\" from the OC Music Awards, open for Capital Cities and Third Eye Blind, and even managed to get a song placed in a commercial with Kate Upton. The band established themselves as one of LA’s hottest bands to watch with a slew of headline shows at legendary venues like The Roxy, The Troubadour, The Viper Room, and more. The band soon developed a reputation as one of the most licensed unsigned artists in So-Cal with songs appearing weekly on FOX Sports, CBS, TeenNick, VH1, USA Network, and national marketing campaigns for Sobe Drinks and Sprint.  

Since formation in 2010, the group has lived through its fair share of happiness and heartbreak, member changes, shifting influences, and requests to “play quieter.” Now with a solid foundation, Great States plans on taking the necessary steps to grow their music and continue sharing it with anyone willing to listen.  

There is something to be said about releasing a record independently; it isn’t glamorous.  Time – there isn’t enough of it.  Energy – there isn’t enough of it.  Money – there isn’t enough of it.  Dreams of million dollar studios are quickly replaced by university basements, vocal booths by bedroom closets, and record deals by personal bank accounts.  However, every once in a while the right group of people will find themselves together, and no amount of obstacles or pipe dreams can deter them from creating and sharing their music.  Great States’ debut full-length, entitled Gatsby, takes a small glimpse into three and half years of hard work and perseverance.   “We’re very happy with what we’ve accomplished over the last few years.  Before last May [2013], the idea of releasing an entire record seemed inconceivable… and yet here we are.  ‘Gatsby’ really is more than just the four of us; a lot of our fellow artists, friends, and family have left their mark on the album in some way or another.  It really is community music for us.”  

Great States is an alternative rock band that employs modern instrumentals, beautiful vocal harmonies, and thought-provoking lyrics to create a truly "one-of-a-kind" sound that mirrors the uniqueness of the Great Southwest.  They are now currently supporting the upcoming label re-release of their debut full-length record “Gatsby” (expected February 2016) and first music video/short-film for “Puget Sound, WA.”  Premiered back in April 2014, Puget Sound has since been screened at both the Albuquerque Film and Media Experience and Filmstock New Mexico festivals.  

Goody Grace is a young talent out of Winnipeg Manitoba that caught the attention of his idols by hitting social media hard and gathering an online audience. He is a singer songwriter that has played guitar since the age of 4 and is influenced by Bob Dylan as much as Wiz Khalifa. He plays his six string and sings and raps about being a kid with a dream and taking daily steps to become everything he's ever wanted to be. He signed with Cisco Adler and Bananabeat records and has never looked back. Together they crafted his raw talent into the well rounded artist he is now at only 18. He recently has co-written Cody Simpson's single "Flower" and Co-wrote and is featured on West Virginia rapper Huey Mack's song "Things Change" which is getting radio play all over Canada right now. Goody Grace is poised to be the answer to his own question. Can a kid from small town Manitoba with a big dream make it? The answer is yes and it will be a pleasure to watch this kid take over the entire world with his talent and charm. Stay tuned and follow the young future...  

Goody Grace is a young talent out of Winnipeg Manitoba that caught the attention of his idols by hitting social media hard and gathering an online audience. He is a singer songwriter that has played guitar since the age of 4 and is influenced by Bob Dylan as much as Wiz Khalifa. He plays his six string and sings and raps about being a kid with a dream and taking daily steps to become everything he's ever wanted to be. He signed with Cisco Adler and Bananabeat records and has never looked back. Together they crafted his raw talent into the well rounded artist he is now at only 18. He recently has co-written Cody Simpson's single "Flower" and Co-wrote and is featured on West Virginia rapper Huey Mack's song "Things Change" which is getting radio play all over Canada right now. Goody Grace is poised to be the answer to his own question. Can a kid from small town Manitoba with a big dream make it? The answer is yes and it will be a pleasure to watch this kid take over the entire world with his talent and charm. Stay tuned and follow the young future...  

Goody Grace is a young talent out of Winnipeg Manitoba that caught the attention of his idols by hitting social media hard and gathering an online audience. He is a singer songwriter that has played guitar since the age of 4 and is influenced by Bob Dylan as much as Wiz Khalifa. He plays his six string and sings and raps about being a kid with a dream and taking daily steps to become everything he's ever wanted to be. He signed with Cisco Adler and Bananabeat records and has never looked back. Together they crafted his raw talent into the well rounded artist he is now at only 18. He recently has co-written Cody Simpson's single "Flower" and Co-wrote and is featured on West Virginia rapper Huey Mack's song "Things Change" which is getting radio play all over Canada right now. Goody Grace is poised to be the answer to his own question. Can a kid from small town Manitoba with a big dream make it? The answer is yes and it will be a pleasure to watch this kid take over the entire world with his talent and charm. Stay tuned and follow the young future...  

When Jess was 20, she won the state-wide artist showcase, Stars of Alabama. In 2013, she took first place in a local singer/songwriter competition that took place over the course of 8 weeks at Workplay Theater in Birmingham, Alabama. Since then, she has performed at venues opening for both national and local acts across the southeast. 

Jessica was also a contestant on Season 3 of NBC's The Voice in 2012, where she made it to the blind auditions. In summer 2013, Jessica won a spot to perform a set at the Vans Warped Tour in Atlanta, Georgia. In 2013-2014, Jessica Meuse competed on the national television series American Idol, finishing in 4th place and becoming the first person in the history of the show to perform an original song, "Blue-Eyed Lie," during the finals. She went on to tour with the Idols LIVE Tour in summer 2014, visiting 40 different cities in the United States and Canada.  Post American Idol, Jessica released her first independent single, "Done", recorded and mixed by a small production team based in Los Angeles. On January 1, 2016, she released her second independent single, "Rio Grande," produced and mixed in Orange County, CA. She plans to release an EP as soon as possible and tour the country once more - as Jessica Meuse. Meuse is actively seeking management, writing new material, and participating in as many musical opportunities as possible.   

Jessica Meuse (also known as Jess Meuse) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist from Slapout, Alabama. She has been performing in public since the age of 10. In 2011, she self-released a debut album called "What's So Hard About Bein' A Man," with 9 original tracks. In addition to singing, writing, and performing, Jessica has always had a background heavy in music and plays several instruments; she is classically trained on violin, and self-taught at guitar and piano.