Featured Artist Gina Villalobos - Country Rock Has a New Queen Gina Villalobos has performed on countless stages throughout the world.  Her songs appear simple, but don’t let that fool you.  There are far-reaching meanings hidden behind her lyrics.  Her voice borders on tough, yet tender, at times. And after a few listens, you can’t help but read between the lines.  As a live performer, she is a treat—there is a polished difference between her actual recordings, but that is all.  I appreciate a good raw live performance, and I appreciate a well engineered recording.  Gina delivers both with her arsenal of CDs:  Tiles Away, Rock ‘n’ Roll Pony, Beg From Me, etc.. more Coalition of Independent Music (The Future of Music) - Is This the Answer for the Indie Artist? Interview with Justin Jouvenal - Communications Director Most independent artists struggle with getting exposure like radio airplay, mass distrrbution, etc.   And unless they are signed to a big label, rarely do the masses hear about them at all.  Sure, with MySpace and CD Baby and the plethora of digital distributors like iTUNES, the playing field hasn't capsized, and these musicians do have their small fan base.  But will the playing field for Indie artists ever rival that of the signed artist on a major label? Will the Madonnas and Beyonces of the independent world ever reach the fame they so justly deserve? more: CD REVIEWS Gina Villalobos' Miles Away Slide guitars, consistent drum beats, raw emotions.  These three elements encompass Miles Away, Gina Villalobos’ newest release. Gina has a knack for extracting her listener’s emotions with her lyrics in each one of the 10 tracks. more: Indie Picks By Lisa Trimarchi Allah Ali and Kosmic Flight Allah Ali and Kosmic Flight was a pleasure to listen to. How nice to hear some damn good folk music and guitar.  This man has a voice, similar in type to Elvis, but softer and with a strong vibrato that works well with his expert acoustic sound. more: Ben Johnson Ben Johnson, a classically trained artist, is someone who seems to really be suffering for his art.  On the cover of his debut CD, he appears to have a self-inflicted wound—a self-styled tattoo spelling out the word "Wait."  You will not want to wait to hear his self-titled CD, Ben Johnson.   more: Carol Martini's The Rose in the Boxcar Carol Martini has been a songwriter since she was a child. She started out with the violin, and because she is a songwriter, settled on the acoustic guitar.  The Rose in the Boxcar is her fourth independent CD, which is a compilation of her original material. more: Liza and the WonderWheels - Meet the Animal If you like not too hard-edged punk with a little bit of rock, you'll enjoy Liza and the WonderWheels' CD, Meet the Animal.  This is a group of musicians that know their craft.  The songwriting is great and the vocals are good.  Liza Garelik has a decent voice and the instrumentals are tight and somewhat complex—they are interesting on their own with vocals reminding me of Blondie from the early 80s. more: Interviews•Fashion•Columns/Articles•Travel & Entertainment•Indie Hotspot•Videos•Staff Index•Back Issues