Love Stallion storms the music scene with original glamorous hard rock, sure to get your heart racing and ears pounding. Power riffs, memorable hooks, and electric flash capture the nostalgia of years gone by, bringing a fresh punch of rock & roll back to the universe in proper style.
Love Stallion began as an experiment; a spur of the moment co-write of the song “Big Rock Radio” by Aaron Hart & Crayton Huntly (aka Rob McLemore) outside of a concert hall in the fall of 2013. Inspired by the “big rock” sound of the 70s & 80s, rockstars David Lee Roth & Freddie Mercury, and bands like Van Halen, Kiss, and Def Leppard, the duo enlisted the help of industry pros Dr. Scott Martin & Kate Emerich, “Aaron Hart w/ Crayton Huntly” played their first show May 1st, 2015 at The Walnut Room Denver to a small crowd of friends.
As the crowd grew, so did the flash & flare of the live show. With the addition of Aero X (aka Aero Marquez) joining on bass, the band became recognized for their high energy live performance, flamboyant wardrobes of sequins, spandex and leather, and their signature Sexy Disco Legs.
Love Stallion’s ‘Unforgettable Ride’ was produced by Steve Avedis (Tony Bennett,*NSYNC) at Colorado Sound Studios and was released on June 2nd, 2018. The first video single “Slow Release” was released in March of 2018. It stormed to #1 on the IndiMusicTV charts and reached #4 on the iTunes Canada rock charts! The follow-up, “Big Rock Radio” has received airplay and charting on the Airplay Today rock charts. The latest single and video, “Valentine” was released in January 2019, following high profile gigs opening for Steel Panther, LA Guns and others.
Everyone loves a good story about second chances, and that’s exactly what Bill Abernathy’s story is all about. The Kansas City, Missouri resident began writing songs in his early teens. He played all through his school years, but then he stopped…Life took over.
Bill went about getting married, building a business career, and raising his children. After his kids graduated from school and started their careers, Bill picked up the guitar again and began trying to rekindle his love of music.
“Inspiration for my music comes from a variety of the many parts of my life,” Bill says. “Events and experiences of mine, my family, my friends, and sometimes even people I have never met all, contribute to the creativity of my music. I find it interesting and rewarding to let my imagination wander through the memory and spirit of life events and see where it takes me.” Bill is a pure “lyrics-first” writer…a bit of a storyteller. “I feel the story and lyrics talk to me and tell me what the rest of the song is supposed to sound like,” he says. His last album, 2017’s “Find A Way” reached #5 on the Roots Music Report Traditional Folk Album chart, and the single, “Goodbye Will Never Come Again” reached #1 on the singles chart. Bill’s latest collection of songs, “Crossing Willow Creek” is available now, with the first single, “Cry Wolf” hitting radio airwaves around the globe. The single reached the iTunes Top 100 Rock Songs chart while hitting the Top 5 on New Music Weekly’s country chart. Bill is also a December 2018 Billboard Magazine Emerging Artist. “Sometimes life is good to you and gives you a second chance. In my youth, I walked away from music for a myriad of personal reasons. Now, I’ve now been given a second chance to pursue this thing we love called music, and I am really enjoying the ride!”
Official Music Video By Jake Aldridge Featuring Kezia Gil
Multi award-winning hip-hop artist Jake Aldridge’s’ new single, Gullible is inspired by his new-found love of country music.
Released on January 6th, the song features guest vocals from BCMA Award winner Kezia Gill. It was produced by multi-instrumentalist Ben Haynes and artist RedNek, who has previously collaborated with the likes of Tinie Tempah.
Aldridge says: “I know this is a big change in direction for me, but since I’ve been exposed to country music, I’ve come to fall in love with its instrumentation, as well as the overall sound. I’m so excited for my fans to hear what I’m confident is my best song to date.”
Aldridge won Male Act of the Year at the 2018 International Achievers’ Awards, and received the Audience Choice Award at last year’s New Music Generator (NMG) Awards, at which he took more votes than 100 other artists. He described this as the proudest moment of his musical career to date.
The 30-year-old has played on US and UK network TV, including a documentary featuring Michelle Obama, and has been backed by BBC Introducing, who has played his tracks dozens of times, while his music has also aired on BBC Radio 6.
Aldridge was brought up in Reydon, Suffolk with two siblings, and was born to a Bangladeshi father and Canadian mother who met in Wimbledon. But Jake was just 11 when his father was killed after being struck by lightning during a family fishing trip, and this life-changing and defining event has informed much of his work since, for example, Aldridge’ 2011 single Heaven was about his father.
MORE ABOUT JAKE ALDRIDGE
30-year-old Jake Aldridge was born and raised in the village of Reydon, a small town in Suffolk, UK. Raised by his Canadian Mother & his Bangladeshi Father, who met each other in London when they were eleven years old, life was near on perfect for Jake. That all changed however, in August 1999 when during a family Fishing trip, Jake’s Father was tragically struck by lightning and sadly passed away. Jake was just 11 years old.
Struggling to come to terms with the loss of his Father, Jake was itching for ways to express himself. He took comfort in writing his thoughts down on paper. To begin with, his notes were in the form of a diary but he soon began rhyming the words he was writing. In time, his diary was transformed into a book of poems.
Inspired by ‘Rap’ Music, Jake’s method of performing these rhymes seemed like an easy choice to make. He knew nothing about Music Production and purchased a desktop microphone for £12 and used a sock to act as a Pop Shield. The wide-eyed teen had dreams of being as big as Tupac Shakur, Dr. Dre, and other Rappers he was inspired by. There was only ONE problem…. Jake couldn’t rap in time with the music…..
“Despite being a confident lyricist, I couldn’t feel the music in those early days… I couldn’t even nod my head to a Drumbeat”.
With practice and lots of help from his friends, Jake eventually started to feel the music. He began posting Music Videos online and was starting to build a small fan base. After establishing new relationships, and initiating collaborations with music Producers from all around the world, his tracks received airplay on dozens of BBC Introducing shows.
“I Remember telling my housemates that I’d heard back from the Director of Playboy TV, they didn’t believe me!”.
Seeking new ways to gain exposure for his Music, Jake came into contact with Phil Barry, the Managing Director of Playboy TV. Phil loved Jake’s music and enjoyed his originality. To the amazement of Jake and his friends, two of his songs ended up in regular rotation Play Boy’s Sky television channel. This was a huge milestone for Jake, who just a few years prior, couldn’t even tap his foot in time with a metronome.
Eager to continue climbing the musical ranks, Jake was striving for international recognition and decided to enter one of his songs into a ‘feature’ competition held by the Chicago Music Blog – ‘Daily Hip Hop Jamz’. He received more votes than any other Artist and in doing so, became the first artist outside of the U.S to ever win the competition. He later released a single titled ‘Illogical’, which went to #1 on South African based Zone Radio’s top 40 chart. As his music continued to circulate, Jake’s song ‘Fireman’, sparked interest from media company ‘Sound Net’, who distributed it to 2,000 Bars, Clubs and Hotels via their Jukebox.
Jake’s Music later fell into the hands of Maria Kempinska, the founder of Record Label ‘DingWalls Music’ and discoverer of Ellie Goulding. Maria invited Jake to perform in a Showcase at the Hippodrome in London Leicester Square. Jake was thrilled to have the opportunity of standing on the last stage that music legend Prince, ever performed on. The Showcase was hosted by Billie Laurie, an award winning Music Producer who is known for his work with Sir Paul McCartney, The Bee Gees & Tina Turner. Billie said that Jake “definitely has hit songs”. The gig was also televised, marking Jake’s first ever appearance on Sky TV.
“I felt like I was at the Brit Awards, my hand went over my mouth when my name was called”.
In September 2017, Jake was nominated for a New Music Generator Award by Cambridge 105 FM. The Awards ceremony took place at the Corn Exchange, Cambridge. Jake won the ‘Audience Choice’ award, receiving more votes than109 other talented Artist’s from East Anglia, a win which marked the proudest moment of his music career and a testament to his loyal fan base.
In 2018, Jake won ‘Male Act Of The Year’ at the International Achievers Awards and later had his music licensed by Road Trip Nation, a TV series based in the U.S. The new series is titled ‘Setting Course’ and even features an interview with Michelle Obama. Jake is now teaming up with Music Producer ‘Rednek’, who has worked with many successful Artist’s in the past, including Tinie Tempah.
ABOUT JAMES LEE BAKER: A classically trained musician, James Lee Baker fuses influences from acoustic singer-songwriters like David Mead, Ellis Paul, John Gorka, Gregory Alan Isakov, Bob Dylan, and Slaid Cleaves. He embraces open tunings to create an unconventional but welcoming sound and timbre to his playing. Trained briefly by Richard Gilewitz, a renowned fingerstyle guitar player, James Lee’s fingerstyle guitar playing is rich and melodic, pulling listeners into memorable motifs and atmospheres. James is a Billboard Magazine Emerging Artist with a Top 15 Roots Music Report chart hit, “Cowtown Blues.”
Neil Fitzsimon, the songwriter, and Bee Brogan, the vocalist, aim to produce “Pure Pop For Now People.” Preferring to remain faceless in an industry that holds image in high regard, the pair have gone on to form a songwriting/production partnership that led to placement of their songs in Film and TV, including a USA Sci-Fi Feature Film. They also wrote a musical, Jack Dagger, which was showcased at the Greenwich Theatre, London for the Musical Futures Award. It was also showcased at the Bridewell and the Royal College of Music in London.
Recently, the duo had a track reach number 3 on a French national download chart. Their song, “This Is Love” earned the duo Semi-Finalist status in the Eurovision Contest. Their lyric videos for “Big Blue World” and “Girl in a Gilded Cage” both reached #2 on the Beat100.com World Videos chart, for which they were recognized by the Indie Music Hall of Fame. The latter reached #1 on the Belgium iTunes singles sales charts. The Billboard Magazine Emerging Artists have been featured on the NBC Radio and Westwood One Radio networks. They’ve recently recorded tracks with longtime David Bowie drummer, Woody Woodmansey.
Across The Board is an award-winning Canadian rock band from Toronto, Ontario. Formed in 2013, Across The Board quickly gained popularity with their YouTube cover series Pick Up and Play (now with over 600 videos on YouTube), imprinting their unique and innovative musical style and videography on both contemporary and classic rock songs while featuring other local artists as guests. Across The Board includes founding members Jacqueline Auguste (lead vocals/lead guitar) and Andy Ramjatten (guitar/percussion), with supporting members Martin Heller (keyboards), Ryan Sousa (drums), Ben Healey (guitar), Tasha Henry and Shezelle Weekes (backing vocals). Across The Board’s debut album, Jane On Fire was released in 2016 to critical acclaim with their second record and EP, Amends, following in 2017. 2018 brought along their third record and album, Sonic Boom. Sonic Boom has achieved two gold medal Global Music Awards, while also receiving nominations for four Josie Music Awards. Across The Board is a recipient of the Indie Music Hall of Fame and the title track off Sonic Boom reached #4 on the Canadian iTunes Rock Charts in September 2018.
Simi Valley reached a $21-million settlement with a man who spent more than 38 years wrongfully incarcerated in the brutal 1978 murders of a woman and her 4-year-old son, officials said.
Craig Coley, 71, was released from prison in 2017 after he was pardoned by then-Gov. Jerry Brown, who said that DNA evidence and a painstaking re-investigation of the Simi Valley murders proved his innocence.
The city said Saturday that the agreement would mitigate long, costly and unnecessary legal proceedings. Simi Valley will be on the hook for roughly $4.9 million of the settlement, while the rest is expected to be paid by insurance and other sources, officials said.
“While no amount of money can make up for what happened to Mr. Coley, settling this case is the right thing to do for Mr. Coley and our community,” City Manager Eric Levitt said in a statement. “The monetary cost of going to trial would be astronomical and it would be irresponsible for us to move forward in that direction.”
The state approved a separate, much smaller payout last year. Brown approved a $1.95-million payment for Coley — $140 for each day he was wrongfully behind bars — that marked the largest payout by the state’s Victim Compensation Board for an erroneous conviction.
The victims were discovered by a relative who grew concerned when Rhonda Wicht didn’t show up for a family get-together. The 24-year-old had been strangled with an 11-foot macrame rope, her son, Donald, smothered in his bed.
Coley, a Vietnam War veteran who was going through a breakup with Wicht, was held for questioning that day and ultimately charged with the two murders. He did not have a prior criminal record.
A key witness against Coley was Wicht’s next-door neighbor, who said she heard banging noises and saw Coley’s truck parked outside the apartment complex the morning of the murders. She testified that someone with medium-length hair drove it away.
Another neighbor who lived downstairs told jurors that he heard noises from Wicht’s apartment at 5:30 a.m.
At Coley’s first trial, jurors spent four weeks deliberating before announcing they were deadlocked 10 to 2 in favor of guilt. A second jury convicted him of two counts of first-degree murder in 1980, and he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
But he always maintained his innocence. A retired Simi Valley detective named Mike Bender was instrumental in pushing law enforcement agencies to reexamine the case.
Bender has said that in 2015, he caught the right ear in Brown’s office. A year later, Simi Valley Police Chief David Livingstone also launched an investigation, just as he was taking the helm of the department.
In Coley’s claim for compensation and other court filings, his attorneys and prosecutors detailed troubling inconsistencies in the evidence against him.
The neighbor who heard noises from downstairs first told police, hours after the murders, that he heard the commotion not at 5:30 a.m., but an hour earlier, exactly when Coley, who worked as a night manager at a restaurant, was out socializing with former co-workers. Coley dropped one off at 4:45 a.m.
The new investigation also raised questions about Wicht’s next-door neighbor’s claim that she had seen a man matching Coley’s description drive away the morning of the killings. Exactly 39 years after Wicht’s murder, detectives returned to the neighbor’s apartment to peer out her window.
There was no way, they concluded, that she could have seen from her window whoever was inside a truck parked outside.
But the most indisputable finding that officials said supported Coley’s innocence came when detectives located DNA evidence once thought destroyed.
Craig Coley when he was booked on suspicion of murder, left, and after he was informed by authorities that he’d been cleared
A piece of Wicht’s bedsheet the night she was found dead contained another man’s sperm, along with a man’s epithelial cells. Coley’s DNA was not found on the sheet.
Investigators also tested stains, blood and semen on a child’s Mickey Mouse T-shirt that police at the time said they discovered in a pile of dirty clothes during a search of Coley’s apartment after the murders. New tests on the shirt revealed the boy’s DNA, as well as the sperm of several individuals. None of them matched Coley.
Soon after Coley was pardoned, a judge declared him factually innocent. Simi Valley police have not arrested anyone else in the killings.
Ron Kaye, an attorney representing Coley, said the settlement offers some closure and vindication for his client, though no amount of money can compensate him for the life he missed while imprisoned.
“He now can live the rest of his life, which we hope will be really well into the future, with the security he deserves,” Kaye said.
Craig Coley spent more than 38 years incarcerated for a grisly 1978 double murder in Simi Valley that he didn’t commit.
Across The Board – It Shouldn’t Be This Hard ( Official Music Video )
Across The Board (ATB) is an award-winning Canadian pop-rock band of multi-instrumentalist musicians with over 550 Youtube videos, debut album, a concept EP and now a second full length album, SONIC BOOM, who seamlessly combine creative talents to push their pop-rock sounds to the edge of the rock ‘n roll envelope with harmonious power vocals and catchy electric guitar riffs. Forged from garage jams and basement Youtube sessions, “Across The Board” finally broke out of the internet box with their debut album “Jane On Fire” in 2016. A collection of rootsie rock and pop-rock beats, “Jane On Fire” earned ATB critical acclaim for the single “Indifference” which also became their first track to hit the FM radio waves and launch them to a number one spot on the Reverbnation charts in Canada for pop/rock as well as winning them several indie music awards.
ATB is an Indie Music Hall of Fame recipient for hitting #4 on the iTunes Canada Rock Charts with their newest release SONIC BOOM- ATB wins two global music award gold medals and 4 Josie Music Award nominations for the record.
With over 550 music videos, three albums and sold-out tours across the country, Across The Board has gained a global following. The recipient of several independent music awards including the Indie Music Hall of Fame, Across The Board, has online and terrestrial radio airplay and reached #4 on the Canadian iTunes Rock Charts with the title track of their album, Sonic Boom. Across The Board will be performing at Indie Week Canada on November 7th at 10:00 p.m. at The Hideout Toronto, Nov 17th at the International Pop Overthrow at This Ain’t Hollywood in Hamilton, Nov 25th at the Movember Musical Marathon at The Rhapsody Barrel Bar in Kitchener, and then on Dec 1, at The Hideout in Toronto for the homecoming show of their SONIC AWAKENING TOUR. ATB will be taking to the rails Dec 28th through Jan8th as the Artists On Board celebrating NEW YEAR’s on Via Rail’s Flagship Train “The Canadian” traveling from Toronto to Vancouver and back with a show in Vancouver on Jan 4th.
ATB was featured at Canadian Music Week in April of 2017, premiered at Indie Week in Toronto in 2017 and again in 2018, and toured across Canada as part of the “Artist On Board” with Via Rail in the summer of 2017 to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday. ATB also toured Newfoundland and Vancouver in the summer of 2017 with their EP AMENDS and will be touring Canada again this summer with their newest full-length album SONIC BOOM. 2018 will mark their second Canadian coast to coast tour commencing Jan 4th in Vancouver and moving across to the east coast via planes, trains and automobiles!
Written by Jacqueline Auguste Produced & Recorded in Toronto by Darnell Toth & Matt Makarenko of MC2 Music Media.
If anyone tells you that they have the 2019 tax filing season all figured, they’re lying. By all accounts, the upcoming tax season is going to be tricky. Despite a shoestring staff due to the shutdown, new tax formsand new tax rules, the 2019 tax season is still set to open on January 28, 2019. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) claims that the season will operate as close to normal as possible—including issuing tax refunds.
So when are those tax refunds coming? Assuming no delays, what follows are my best guesses for expected returns based on filing dates and information from the IRS:
* No matter when you filed your tax return, if you claimed the EITC or the ACTC, don’t forget to take into consideration the required hold. Keep reading for more.
I can’t stress enough that these are simply educated guesses. I like math and charts as much as the next girl, but many factors could affect your tax refund.
My numbers are based on an expected IRS receipt date beginning on the open of tax season, January 28, 2019, through the close of tax season on April 15, 2019. To keep the chart manageable, I’ve assumed the IRS received your e-filed tax return on the first business day of the week; that’s usually a Monday, but if there’s a holiday (like President’s Day), I’ve skipped ahead until Tuesday. If you file on a Tuesday, the chart assumes that your refund will be processed the following Monday. That’s true even though the IRS can receive and process tax returns on each business day.
The same logic holds true for issuing tax refunds. For purposes of the chart, I’m assuming that the IRS will issue your direct deposit within two weeks of receipt of your return and issue paper checks the following Friday. In reality, the IRS issues tax refunds on every business day, so the date could move forward or backward depending on the day your return was received.
The IRS says that most refunds are issued within 21 days. Statistically, the IRS has pegged the number at 90%. Anecdotally, taxpayers with fairly straightforward returns and no flags or other issues receive their tax refunds in an average of 10-14 days. That means that assuming a window within 2-3 weeks of receipt—not from the date of filing or mailing—from the following Monday is a reasonable assumption.
Other sites may have different numbers, but remember they’re just guessing, too, since the IRS no longer makes their tax refund processing chart public. Do not rely on any tax refund chart—mine included—for date-specific planning like a large purchase or a paying back a loan. Relying on a date certain, especially in uncertain times, is a recipe for disaster.
Finally, don’t get ahead of yourself if you claim the earned-income tax credit (EITC) and the additional child tax credit (ACTC). By law, the IRS must wait until mid-February to begin issuing refunds to taxpayers who claim the EITC or the ACTC. In addition to normal processing times for banks, factoring in weekends and the President’s Day holiday, the earliest EITC and ACTC-related refunds are expected to be available on February 27, 2019; that’s assuming direct deposit and no other issues. If you’re looking for more information, the “Where’s My Refund?” tool will be updated with projected deposit dates for affected filers after February 23, 2019.
If you want to get your tax refund as fast as possible, the IRS recommends that you e-file your tax return and use direct deposit. If you file by paper, it will take longer. The IRS notes that processing times can take up to four weeks in a “normal” tax season, and this tax season promises to be far from normal.
Even if you request direct deposit, you may still receive a paper check. Since 2014, the IRS has limited the number of refunds that can be deposited into a single account or applied to a prepaid debit card to three. Taxpayers who exceed the limit will instead receive a paper check. Additionally, the IRS won’t issue a refund by direct deposit into just any account: It can only be deposited into an account in your name, your spouse’s name or both of your names if married with a joint account. If there’s an issue with the account, the IRS will send a paper check.
If you’re looking for more information about the timing of your tax refund, don’t reach out to your tax professional. Instead, the IRS encourages you to use the “Where’s My Refund?” tool. Have your Social security number or ITIN, filing status and exact refund amount handy. Refund updates should appear 24 hours after e-filing or four weeks after you mailed your paper return. The IRS updates the site once per day, usually overnight, so there’s no need to check more than once during the day.
If you’re looking for tax information on the go, you can check your refund status with IRS2Go, the official mobile app of the IRS. The app includes a tax refund status tracker.
If, after 21 days following the day you e-filed your return, or six weeks since you filed your paper return, you still haven’t received your refund and you did not claim the EITC or ACTC, there may be a problem. There might be an error on your return, it may be incomplete or require review, or you may have been impacted by identity theft. If the IRS needs more info, they will contact you by mail. Otherwise, you can try calling the IRS, but remember that phone lines may be affected by the shutdown. The days leading up to President’s Day weekend (February 16-18, 2019) are the busiest for IRS, so expect longer than average wait times even if the government is back in business.
You can always expect great things when it comes to the Josh Blevins Band. This is one of their original songs from the album they released and it will get you dancing the second it starts playing. The Josh Blevins Band has been doing massive things around central Florida and this is just the beginning of what is coming! This song is a really good example of what the band has to offer on their album.
