Beginning as subway buskers, Queens funk rock band LTrain’s story is a New York story. As featured in The Noise Beneath The Apple, an art book about the city’s street performers, the band began in January 2011 when Crystalla Gonzalez (vocals) and Gabriel Castellar (guitar/vocals) started busking with a song called “On The Train.”

Halting busy, side walkers with their dynamic chemistry, original takes on hip-hop, funk and rock, and indisputable romance for the city, the two quickly saw reward for their hustle. With the addition of Tristan Green (drums), the band have performed hundreds of New York shows at high-flying venues, including Knitting Factory, Arlene’s Grocery, and The Studio at Webster Hall. Fusing together influences dear and true to New York, including the Latin beats of Tito Puente, the cool jazz of Miles Davis, and punk rock of The Ramones, the band delivers an exciting sound that perfectly showcases the city’s multiplicity.

Set to debut this fall, Can’t Pay Bills is a concept album depicting the highs and lows of New York City life, from the “Party on Bedford” to “The Rent Is Still to Damn High.” The band is proudly ready to grow and become as indigenous to the city as the Brooklyn Bridge, dollar slices, graffiti… and the subway they’re born from. 

I'm not a musician, just a fan. A fan with a blog. 

Austen vs. Brontë is a literary thunderdome! Listen each week as Lauren and Hannah compare and contrast the lives, work and fandoms of the Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters.

Liz Mauritz (vocals) leads the energetic firestorm, rounded out by Zach Duarte (guitar), Ryan Rivas (bass), and Mike Britz(drums). Crisp guitars, upbeat drums and dynamic vocals entertain your ears, while Liz’s honest and raw lyrics get to your gut. The frontwoman is open about her struggles with anxiety, self-harm and panic disorder, an overarching theme in Gold Steps’ catalogue. “I know what it’s like to hurt, to feel alone, to want to give up in a moment of darkness; if we can make one person feel understood and less alone, we have been successful.”

The ups and downs of mental health burst and bloom on Gold Steps’ 2018 release, Incandescent. Liz explains, “these songs reflect my mental state at different points of my life in the last year: fiercely refusing to give up in the face of adversity; struggling with my sense of purpose outside the band; and glimpses of hope that I was ‘getting better,’ just to knock myself out again with self-esteem issues.” Tracked at Overcast Recordings and produced by Rick King of King Sound, the EP showcases the band’s strengths, with bright leads and fill-heavy drums supporting the vocalist’s dynamic range. Incandescent also explores the pain of those observing a loved one struggle with their mental health; closing track “Manic To Panic” expresses the exasperating desire to understand, while reassuring “we’ll get through it again.”

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Montréal | Singer Song-Writer
Label | @EnsoulRecords

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Knightlife's life span is unbound. Their independent record "Forever Fight" embodies what it means to be an east-coaster; marred in situations of doubt, conflict, and resolve. "Forever Fight" has taken upwards of two years to complete. Struggle and reward is very much on the mind of Knightlife, while they look to find their place.

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