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ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER ARCHIVES Friday, September 19, 2003 Orange Pop MULTIMEDIA - Listen to song samples from these local bands By ROBERT KINSLER Special to the Register There are several ways to celebrate the diversity of Orange County's wide-ranging music scene, by taking in a local show or picking up the latest CD from a local artist. Here are three new discs that already rank among the best recordings by O.C. artists of 2003. --(the 2 other CDs mentioned above were here)-- Room 105, "Landmark" (Tru- One Records) - Although Room 105 formed in Anaheim back in 1996, the blues band took seven years to release its first full-length commercial effort. "Landmark" was worth the wait, with the eight-song disc showcasing singer Robin Nivans' dynamic voice and a band able to effortlessly incorporate soul, classic rock and soul into the blues mix. While Room 105's sound is rooted in the blues rock of the late 1960s and early 1970s (Room 105 in the Landmark Hotel in Hollywood is where Janis Joplin administered the fatal injection that killed her), the band's music is delivered with such power that it will please fans of modern blues and classic rock. Nivans' powerful pipes and lead guitarist Paul Keigwin's fret work provide the obvious firepower, notably on "Cottonbelt" and "Only Woman," but the entire band plays with a groove that elevates the blues band with the region's best. Room
105 will perform as part of the annual Race for the Cure, to be held
at Fashion Island in Newport Beach from 7:30 to 11 a.m. Sunday. Visit
the band's Web site at www.room105.com for more details about how to
get "Landmark" or future shows. You might like if you enjoy:
Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, Santana. |