A few creations by Ryan…

Following up on our last post, we have some exciting news concerning our music.  With the help of our friend and studio bassist, Kirk Powers, we have made arrangements to work with a new drummer from Texas – Mr. Mike Gage.  We will begin later this month and plan to release a 4 song EP sometime this year.  Although it’s been a bit frustrating for us considering we haven’t made the progress we had anticipated…it’s time to get our music back on track.

Update…we are continuing to build more of a following with new users registering on the website, Facebook, etc. and we have some big plans for the future…building this from the ground up takes patience (mostly on our part) as we are anxious to release our latest material.  We love you guys and thank you for all the support…Happy 4th of July!

I am slowly but surely making it through this stack of CD’s on my desk. I have heard some great music and some not so great music. In fact, the last few discs, until now, have ranged in the ‘not so great’ category. I was beginning to get discouraged.

Aries Road – Keyholder is a fantastic record. There are no over the top progressions or overzealous playing but that is what makes it so good. There is a certain energy here that permeates through this couples connection with one another that makes it special.

I am on my third listen now and I have changed my mind about which is my favorite track all three times. I love the acoustic and clean electric guitar sounds on this record, especially. A great example would be the track, Marianne, which happens to be my favorite at the moment. The multi layered guitars really bring life to the stereo field and sets an excellent backdrop for Ashley’s, Stevie Nicks like, vocals.

There were times that I started daydreaming a bit and thought I was listening to Stevie. I liked Ashley’s voice through most of this record, but I think the low point was the very last track, Leavin’ You. Ashley’s vocal on this track was much too raw and pitchy for my taste. Not to mention, standard blues type tunes bore me to tears. There are just too many artists that are really good at it –so if you are not –why bother? Of course, this is my personal opinion and should not take away from what I feel is a magical record, otherwise.

Tracks that really stand out are Going Home, California and Old Soul. I don’t know if I should bring this up but the song Real World really gave me a stony feeling (not hard stony but high stony.) It took me back to senior year in high school. It’s always a good thing when a song can take you to another time. The production on Keyholder is near excellent as well as the song arrangements. There is a market out there for this music and I hope that Aries Road is diligent at getting it heard by as many people as possible.

I think Aries Road had a good niche` with their more folk and light rock side. My only complaint is the last track. I just don’t think it needed to be on the disc. The rest of Keyholder is magical and I am anticipating more good song crafting from the McCarty’s. I would recommend this CD to fans of Fleetwood Mac/Stevie Nicks, All About Eve, and perhaps Gypsy Soul. Aries Road –Keyholder gets an A-.

Jimmy Caterine   READ MORE @ EvO:R

Just uploaded our latest…Stars! Free to download – check it out…

(CLICK ON THUMBNAILS TO ENLARGE)

Congrats to all the winners this year…we had a damn good time. We hope to be there again next year…enjoy the pics!

CLOUDBURST : an extreme form of rainfall, sometimes mixed with hail and thunder…

Recorded and mixed @ January Sound Studio (Dallas, TX) with drummer Tye Robison and bassist Kirk Powers.

Tye was one of the founding members of the post-grunge rock band The Nixons…as a producer/engineer, he has worked with multiple artists including Dennis DeYoung (STYX) and Drowning Pool.

Kirk has appeared on a staggering number of recordings, tours and other events. With contributions to RIAA-Certified Gold and Platinum recordings, his resume includes collaborations with Roger Nichols (recording engineer – Steely Dan), Jellybean Benitez (producer – Madonna, Whitney Houston), Deborah Gibson, and American Tears.

Mastered by John Cuniberti (former engineer @ The Plant Studios)

IMD PICK OF THE WEEK

Overall: 9/10
Artist: Aries Road
Album: Keyholder
Label: TonEscent
Website: www.ariesroad.com
Genre: Rock
Sounds like: Fleetwood Mac,Janis Joplin, Led Zepplin, Joni Mitchell
Technical Grade: 10/10
Production/Musicianship Grade: 10/10
Commercial Value: 7/10
Overall Talent Level: 10/10
Songwriting Skills: 9/10
Performance skills: 9/10
Best songs: Going Home, I’m Free,California, Old Soul, Leavin’ You
Strengths: overall talent, Ashley McCarty’s voice, sound
Weaknesses: track number 8 (real world)

CD REVIEW:

Aries Road, the husband and wife duo of Ryan and Ashley McCarty, release their first album, Keyholder. I’m not exactly sure where they are from because their bio on their website is kind of short, but they are now residing in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. I didn’t see any links to a MySpace or Facebook or any other pages, so I would say for the most part their internet presence is low, but regardless the website is nice and features all kinds of little things to get into and take up your time with.

The album starts with a medium-tempo song, Going Home, that has a nice blend of acoustic and electric guitars. I really like the electric guitar work in this one as it is very pretty and melodic and adds an extra dimension to an already good tune, but what really sets this song apart, and the whole album for that matter, is Ashley McCarty’s vocals. In this song in particular, it feels like she’s channeling Stevie Nicks from Fleetwood Mac, and that this is a song that had been locked away in Fleetwood’s vaults, just now being released to the public. I know the album is named Keyholder, but it could also be aptly named, Rumors 2, as a great sequel to Fleetwood Mac’s, Rumors. Next we have an upbeat number, I’m Free, track 3, that showcases Ryan McCarty’s talent for arranging and just how eclectic his music stylings can be. This song feels like the acoustic lovechild of a union between Blind Mellon and Soundgarden with Joni Mitchell/Janis Joplin/Stevie Nicks all singing together over top of it. There are a few musical breaks that feature electic slide guitar leads over a syncopated acoustic guitar that put me in mind of the English artist, Badly Drawn Boy. Then when we get to the chorus and I feel like I’m in the middle of the 60′s listening to a “Free Ride”. The dynamic duo goes on to show us that they can rock in songs like, California, with a nice solid beat, classic electric guitar riffs, and Ashley McCarty shredding and bending her vocals just like Janis Joplin. The last track of the album, Leavin’ You, brings it down a little with a nice blues/rock number that gives a nod to Led Zeppelin while giving us a soulful close to a good album.

There aren’t too many negatives to put out there for these two and their debut release, just that they should have maybe not included track 8 on their album. Its a southern rock number that suffers from some a.d.d. in the arrangement and gives the vocalist a little trouble in keeping her tone and staying in key. Near the end of the song there are some brief glimpses of what the song could have been when you just hear the bass and the drums rocking together with Ashley singing over top, plus there’s a nice little lead in there with some finger tapping and tasteful arpeggios. However, its just not enough to save the song and is a speed bump on an otherwise great album.

Overall, the duo of Aries Road make a great team and have made a wonderful album. Ashley’s vocal stylings are perfect for Ryans blend of classic and 90′s rock, and they are both excellent musicians and songwriters. Probably, the most impressive thing to me though is that they recorded and mixed this album themselves, as well as playing all the instruments and singing, with the exception of the percussion on “Old Soul”. These two are a complete package and have a lot of potential. I’m not really sure about their commercial value in the modern era of American Idol and Lady Gaga, but I love their music and think that those that love Fleetwood Mac and music from that era are going to love Aries Road.

Michael Nicholson   READ MORE @ INDIE-MUSIC-DIGEST.COM

“Ashley’s dynamic delivery lays a strong / immediate impression down…Relatable lyrical dialogue is delivered well.”

“There’s a strong progression that snakes a very seductive melodic path.”

I must say that I immediately loved the Stevie Nicks influence to Ashley’ voice.  The lead vocal is the 1st and last impression made, with most listeners.  There’s a positive 1st duo / band impression made.  I also love the heavy bottom end to the rhythm section takes, that provides a respectful nod to Zeppelin.  In fact, your act’s sound has the ability to appeal to fans of Classic Rock & fans of Jack White’s multiple project base…I dig the fact that there’s a tangible retro feel, yet it’s also got a timely and timeless impact.

TAXI – The World’s Leading Independent A & R Company (July 17, 2009)

Husband & wife duo Ryan and Ashley McCarty deliver introspective, thoughtful music on their debut album, “Keyholder”. Their two-piece band, Aries Road, is their own labor of love from start to finish: In addition to writing, recording, and producing all tracks themselves, they’ve also released “Keyholder” on their own label. And they’ve done a great job without any outside input: Ryan McCarty’s guitarwork lays the perfect foundation for Ashley McCarty’s solid vocals (think Stevie Nicks).

Aries Road do hop genres a bit here: “Going Home” is an 90′s-flavored mellow alt-rock cut that brings to mind an updated Blind Melon, while “Leavin’ You” is a classic blues piece; “California” is a more rock-driven track, with some nice guitar riffs. Although each piece stands well on its own, it might be harder for them to connect with their audience if they try to cover too much musical ground at once. That being said, I enjoyed what I heard – and I think “Keyholder” is an excellent debut for this dynamic duo.

Beeb Ashcroft   READ MORE @ INDIE-MUSIC.COM

FatCat Radio has extended the “Monday Marathon” to ALL DAY & ALL NIGHT! Today’s lineup will feature Dave Rude Band, Christian D and the Hangovers, Snook, Treasure Cat & Aries Road. Each album should air approximately 7 times today – so no excuses…stop by and tune in!

Read the full article here

Tune in

If you haven’t a chance to tune in for a listen…maybe tonight would be a good opportunity to brush up on some Oklahoma based independent music.  Broadcasting every Monday night from 7 – 11 PM (Central Time)…the show is brought to you by Rogers State University 91.3FM – Claremore and hosted by Davit Souders.  A shout out to Souders for spinning a couple tracks from our latest release “Keyholder.”  In case your interested, we dug up a little history on the show. (as stated on the Local Flavors MySpace page)

Local Flavors debuted on Rogers State University Radio Station KRSC 91.3FM in 2002. Original host, Charlie 7, left the show in 2005. Ryan Embry hosted the show from 2005-2006 calling it the Oklashow. In June 2006, RSU Radio asked Tulsa Radio Personality/Promoter, Davit Souders, to take over hosting and programming the show throughout the summer. Souders returned the show to its original name, Local Flavors. Souders hosted the local music show Home Groan (the original inspiration for Local Flavors, according to Charlie 7) for 8 years on Tulsa’s Z-104.5 The Edge.  At summers end, RSU Radio management named Souders full time host. Souders also hosts This 70′s Show on RSU Radio Sundays 1p-3p. The show features Top Forty 70′s Rock, One Hit Wonderful Music, Funk, and 70′s cowbell classics.  In addition, Souders programs and hosts, along with Producer Dustin Parkhurst, the broadcast/podcast Hometown Heroes featuring Tulsa Area Music at www.hometownheroestulsa.com . You can subscribe to the podcasts for free through iTunes.  Local Flavors, This 70′s Show and Hometown Heroes are diabolicasts produced for Diabolical Productions LLC.

FatCat…and yes, there is no space between Fat and Cat - just simply FatCat Radio.

Rock…Blues…Punk…Metal…Streaming 24/7…100% independent music!  Featuring shows such as The Big Show (Wednesdays @ 8 P.M. Central Time) hosted by ‘One Angry Swede’, Monday Marathon and the Indigo Lounge, FatCat has been supporting independent music for almost a decade!  A few months ago, we landed a couple of tracks on the AutoPilot section and recently on the Monday Marathon, sharing a 4 hour rock block with Last Stone Cast, Dave Arcari and SukuS.  Read more at The Cat’s Meow.  Tune in and check it out!

FYI – If you happen to be in the area of Wapokneta, Ohio on August 8th, 2009…FatCat will be hosting FatCat Festival of Rock.  Artists lineup includes: American Dog, Blame It On Cain, Johnny Mohawk and the Assassins, and more…