The DJ Rollie D Story

Passenger is many things musically.  It has been both a band and a solo act with a backing band, and it has also explored a few different genres of music from the quieter side of the folk to full on rock, and also some bold Americana.  Though it has only spawned one song to the major radio charts ("Let Her Go"),  Michael Rosenberg (as he's known in real life) has a lot to be proud of and has pulled in multiple listeners in many different ways through the ten studio albums he's released over the last twelve years as well as massive concerts with a backing band and even some street and subway busking.  There's enough fans for both sides of the music (acoustic and full backing track) that Passenger's 2018 album "Runaway" was recorded with both versions for each track.  How cool is that?  I could go on and on about "Let Her Go" for ages, but that's the song everyone has heard off All The Little Lights , and there's a total of twe...

I was exposed to country music at a young age.  My late father would turn it on in the truck and there we'd be, listening to 99.9 Radio USA, hearing the voices of radio personalities such as Scott Hanson, Jessie B Hawkins, and Justin "The Big Deal" depending on what time of the day we were listening.  The music was always so new and fresh to me back then, about 2005-06, and there seemed to be a lot less artists and bands on the country radio spectrum than there are today.  Perhaps we were in a period of transition at that time? One of the bands that spoke to me a lot back then was the country group Rascal Flatts .  My mother always found them to be whiny, but through their songs such as "Mayberry", "Prayin For Daylight", and of course "Life Is A Highway" from the 2006 Disney smash hit Cars , they could turn their vocals into something amazing in my mind through the use of harmony and amazing syncopation and instrumenation.  In 2004 ...

It was a cold day in February, and I was at the bowling alley with my homies.  The bowling alley we're at uses Touch Tunes to pump out the tunes, and it's a win-win for both parties, because the person paying the money can subject everyone at the bowling alley to their favorite music, and the bowling alley will definitely profit from it. But on this night in February, someone chose to play a certain track, and it was instantaneously music to my ears.  They just had such a great sound, with tambourine and multiple guitars, and I think that's a little bit of sitar that we hear during the instrumental breaks, and then bongos to top it all off.  I had to pull out my phone and crack out Shazam to see what all the ruckus was, and man was I glad I did. Folk-rock band Lord Huron has been doing what they do for just over five years now.  They've released three albums and gone on the road several times to share their music with those who purchase tickets to their conc...

Israeli indie pop band Lola Marsh is relatively new to the music scene, having just released one album and an EP thus far.  Formed in Tel Aviv, their album released last year, Remember Roses has been spotted by me in several of the stations I've volunteered for.  The band has a nice sound to them, led by amazing vocals from lead vocalist Yael Shoshana Cohen and a warm diverse instrumentation to back her up.  They're really good at what they do, and I'm hoping they'll put out another album or two in the years to come. There's a song on the back end of Remember Roses that really speaks to me, enough that I recognized it as #4 on my Top 10 Songs of 2017 list last December.  In the song, Shoshana Cohen sings about an island in Southern Italy that "Looks like Louisana", where "A gentle breeze moves the white sheets on the terrace so tenderly", and it "Feels like the south, where time lasts forever".  These dreamy lyrics are put again...

I first discovered the music of Chance The Rapper back in August of 2016 during one of my first shows for KAXE/KBXE .  I saw that he did a track with rapper Kanye West  and also The Chicago Children's Choir , and instantly had to take a look and see what all the hype was.  Well, after playing the track All We Got , the lead-off track from his 2016 digital release Coloring Book , I decided it was time to check out another track from the album, as this one was wearing thin. It was February of 2017, so I was still pretty new to the whole radio thing, and didn't want to risk letting an expletive out over the airwaves during the morning hours, as I was on from 9am to Noon on this day.  So I looked through the album, and saw that I really only had a few choices.  There was D.R.A.M Sings Special , but that was only about two minutes long and I wasn't sure if I could take the risk of finding a new song and getting it ready in time.  There was also Bles...

Ah the wonderful sounds of the Christmas season!  The bellringers from the Salvation Army outside the grocery stores, the carolers going from door to door, and the sound of snow piling up on our door stoops.  Whatever other sounds, you may associate with this time of the year, I hope you enjoy the Christmas season whichever way you may celebrate it. Of course, let's remember the reason for the season (Jesus), and also remember that spending quality time with family and friends holds much more importance than making sure the kids have that wonderful new toy they've been begging for since they saw it on the shelves when the shops started pushing Christmas in September.  It also holds more importance than the Christmas meal.  Food is great, but it's not what would spoil a holiday. I have two things that would be considered "my favorite things" when it comes to Christmas.  The first is the Christmas lights.  Recommendations if you live in t...

Country music artist Toby Keith has released a lot of interestingly lighthearted songs in his time on the mainstream radio waves.  We've had the catchy I Wanna Talk About Me , which used to be something my sister and I would love to sing over and over again, the song that's more focused towards the drinkers with Red Solo Cup , and even the people down in the Trailerhood .  It's safe to say that a lot of the music from Keith, especially over the past fifteen years, has been focused on this more lighthearted material that doesn't exactly make you think too deeply about what you're hearing. Despite all of that though, Keith has managed to write some emotionally touching pieces that help him to come across as being unashamed of his roots, and while there are around five or so of them, there are two that were released between 2000 and 2005 that stick out to me and have always been worthy of another listen, and they tie into the place we as Americans call home and...

Christian band Mercy Me have some true talent in their band and format.  They've successfully done full-blown rock numbers ( Shake ) yet at the same time been able to hone in on a slower song ( Word of God Speak ), or produce something truly unique that you wouldn't expect from them like their song Greater , which is quite similar to what you'd hear from Rend Collective . The music is appealing and there are definitely times where you just can't help but sing along in your car, or in your basement, or perhaps in your kitchen.  If I had to make a prediction I'd say there's at least two more albums we'll see from them in future years before they consider disbanding or going on hiatus.  To sum it all up, their music is some of the best in the Christian genre. One of the band's songs speaks out to me particularly, and it came to me at a good time.  It was around July of 2015 that I was going through some stuff and feeling pretty down and not sure wh...