You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you. - Walt Disney

Artist, songwriter, and Chicago native, Astra Kelly, is a pure talent with a lyric-based, melodic sound and soaring vocals. Eclectic in style and genre, her music draws from her soulful Chicago roots fused with indie folk and Americana. Her performances are passionate, full of energy, and a powerful expression of her art and sound. Her songs often mirror the beautiful grit of being alive and open the way for a thought provoking and emotive musical experience.  She’s a career artist who has toured the country extensively, and has released ten records on her own label. In 2022, she embarked upon “The Making Music Tour,” an epic RV journey around the US to rediscover her creative mojo after the Pandemic, write a new record, and to allow space for grieving the loss of her Mom. The resulting album (summer 2023 release), “Soul Fires,” is nine songs that reflect spiritual/emotional healing and transformation, and embrace the power within universal love, the open road, nature, and the mysticism of life.

Presently based in San Diego, CA., Astra is also a vocal and songwriting coach, has managed multiple recording studios, writes and produces music for other artists, and is a voiceover talent represented by local agency Shaman Freitas. She’s also been a radio DJ and TV host. She is passionate about being in service through music, helping others tap into their creative source, and advocating for wellbeing, personal transformation, and emotional freedom. As a facilitator for a rehabilitative songwriting workshop at Donovan State Prison, she’s experienced the profound nature of songwriting to provide an outlet for healing and growth for people from all walks of life. This inspired her workshop series, soulsong.life.

Award-winning songwriter Lindsay White's latest album Lights Out debuted #2 on the iTunes singer-songwriter charts and was selected as the #1 Album of 2017 by Global Texan Chronicles. With influences ranging from Bob Dylan to Ani Difranco, White's songwriting has earned recognition from Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Kerrville Folk Festival, and American Songwriter Magazine. With a "familiar-sounding voice that blends folksy charm with a taste of the husky blues vibe of early Ricky Lee Jones" (San Diego Troubadour), her work has been described as "the lovechild of Hope Sandoval and Regina Spektor" (Curve Magazine). 

Lights Out is White's first solo record since 2010's Tracks. Both were recorded in San Diego at Studio Studios with producer/musician Alexander Dausch. (Her discography also includes three studio albums with former duo The Lovebirds, recorded at Berkley Sound with Jeff Berkley). 

Lights Out is a lyric-driven analysis on love and loss that will move you to tears and tear you to shreds. (Over the course of recording, White lost both her grandfather and mother.) In the record, she also articulates her longtime battle with anxiety and depression while simultaneously exploring several challenges facing the LGBT community. It's not all rainclouds, though. Moments of levity are offered in the form of genuine apology, sincere gratitude, unrelenting love, and overall acceptance.

White has shared the stage with many notable acts, including The Lone Bellow, David Crosby, Tristan Prettyman, Jack Tempchin, John C. Reilly, Susanna Hoffs, Raining Jane, Jason Mraz, Steve Poltz, and more. This summer, Lindsay will embark on a West Coast tour in promotion of Lights Out. Catch her in a listening room setting, and don't forget to bring all your feels. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll call your therapist. 

For more information, please visit http://www.lindsaywhitemusic.com

Podunk Nowhere is a poetically lawless, ORGANIC mix of Alt-Country/Americana bred from the illegitimate schools of Ryan Adams, Jeff Tweedy, and Lucinda Williams.  Fierce and sexy, sometimes solemn vocals reverberate over drearily beautiful guitar transitions.  This band brands the San Diego music scene with a fresh dose of originality, igniting intrigue across Southern California stages and beyond.

“Heather Janiga and guitar wielding hubby Johnny J. are a formidable songwriting duo. Her airy voice has an indie vibe, at times hinting at a folky Portishead or P.J. Harvey. Their country songs’ sweet vocal arrangements are akin to Lucinda Williams and Wilco.” 
-Derek E. Shaw of the San Diego Troubadour

“Since their fateful meeting years ago, the pair has become one of San Diego’s most popular acts on the singer-songwriter circuit.” 
Bart Mendoza of the Peninsula Beacon

“Podunk Nowhere has such a wonderful sound you could easily, as a critic once wrote of Billie Holiday, listen to them perform the telephone directory.” 
Jim Trageser of the North County Times

"This is Soul for today: tight, sophisticated, and up-to-date...a winner" (San Diego Troubadour). Tori Roze and The Hot Mess are a soulful force to be reckoned with. Gathering their musical thunder from an extremely eclectic time and space, spanning centuries. This band busts straight through the glass ceiling of genre-bending: original funky jazzy neo-soul music exploding with grit, integrity, and vulnerability. 
Roze is a key artist in conveying the emotional intent behind a song. "Hearing Tori Roze's sultry voice for the first time is like learning that Santa Claus isn't real: it absolutely breaks your heart. Roze seduces you with her Erykah Badu-esque flair, and just when you think she can't be any smoother, she claws her way into your ears with her rocking roars" (San Diego City Beat). The Hot Mess, comprised of five exceptional "pocket" players nailing unexpected original arrangements that “blow your top,” leaves you reeling with toe-tapping excitement.  Instrumentation: guitar (Johnny Alexander), bass (Harley Magsino), trombone/keys (Jordan Morita), flute/backup vocals (Lee Clark a.k.a. Tori’s mom), vocals/trumpet/hand percussion (Tori Roze), and drums (Charles Weller on drums/keys, Tim Newton on drums). The name says it all: The Hot Mess – a motley crew of incredible musical technicians. Do not expect for their music to be predictable or run-of-the-mill – this band is audibly unique. Musically likened to Chicago with a slap of Amy Winehouse + Janis Joplin-style vocals; these guys have got the recipe for eargasmic pleasure. 
Their debut album "From the Hip" was recorded live in one room, in one day, with 1-3 takes per song (something unheard of today) completing a full-length LP with Grammy Award winning engineer Alan Sanderson. The band’s sophomore album “Turbulence” (which Roze deems a “modern-day eight track” because the album boasts eight hearty tracks) was recorded by San Diego-based recording great, engineer/musician Ben Moore. And finally, their most recent single “Irish Coffee” was brandished by the welcoming company of highly reputable San Diego-based songwriter/engineer Jeff Berkley. Most recently, their song “Sweet Drank” appeared in the film 66 & Nowhere (IMDB). With over seven hundred shows played, six tours (New York, Austin, SF Bay Area, US West Coast, S. California), opening for huge acts (Nikka Costa, Sister Sparrow and The Dirty Birds), two full length albums, a licensed song, and a single under foot; the band has recently birthed their long-awaited third album, “Baggage Claim,” released on all major digital platforms in the late summer of 2018. Notably, all three albums have been produced solely by Tori Roze and The Hot Mess.
“We pride ourselves on not fitting into the mainstream. The beauty is in the difference. We make genuine art. We shape sound. We care about what we do. We like to put some stank on it, bottom line," Roze says of their fearless musical style. Their unique edge of heart-driven funky soul-jazz grooves enveloped in the emotionally potent lyrical truth that Roze serves up in spades; Tori Roze and The Hot Mess deliver serious human connection and an original sound that is absolutely unforgettable. 
For more info visit: http://toriroze.com

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