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LINER NOTES:
ABOUT KOUTERFEIT CHANGE
Kounterfeit Change is comprised of five unique musicians of different musical backgrounds all geared and committed to taking Reggae in California to a higher level. The members are spread out across Santa Clarita, Ventura and Los Angeles areas. Incorporating elements of both rock and reggae, as well as an arsenal of other musical styles, Kounterfeit Change is bringing the party, positive vibes and the good karma nightly. The majority of the band has been close friends, and playing music together for the better part of their lives.
Kameren Chase Neal (KC) lead singer and front man of Kounterfeit Change has been performing in front of audiences since the age of 8. Kameren's family played a major role in his love and appreciation of music. Kameren wrote his first song, "Time to Listen," at age 5, and recorded it at 12. He had a love for music, life and culture at an early age.
Kameren first met Michael Carlito, lead guitarist of Kounterfeit Change in junior high school. The two made fast friends, and their first musical project together was BIC (brothers in crime). Carlito has been playing guitar for bands since a very young age. In his early high school years he met drummer Tyler Halloran while performing in a punk garage band, Grimace.
John Vardanian (Johnny V) keyboardist for Kounterfeit Change has been producing hip-hop influenced electronic music since his early teen years, making his own unique brand of Middle Eastern infused dance beats. The music caught the ear of Kameren in high school and the two began collaborating.
Working on a side project involving guitarist Jamie Hoeper, Kameren went out on a limb and asked Jamie (Hoops) to pick up the bass and give it a try. A week later Jamie was on the road as a part of Kounterfeit Change for their San Francisco tour, and the band never looked back.
They recorded their debut self-titled E.P. in Santa Clarita and released it in 2009. The band is currently working on their first full-length album titled On Reserve, set to release mid-summer. Since the drop of the E.P. in '09, they have been playing and grooving audiences everywhere. Kounterfeit Change has been blessed to share the stage with artists such as Barrington Levy, Iration, SOJA, Dirty Heads, Shwayze feat. Cisqo Adler, Mystic Roots Band, OPM, The B Foundation, The Supervillains, Tribal Seeds and many more.
ABOUT SHAY ASTAR
Having grown up in the spotlight, singer-songwriter and actress Shay Astar is best known to audiences worldwide as "August" on four seasons of award-winning sitcom "3rd Rock From the Sun" and "The Imaginary Friend" on "Star Trek: The Next Generation." Her impressive acting resume also lists roles on hit TV series "China Beach" (her first role at age 7), "ER" and "Cold Case" and in feature films "Earnest Scared Stupid" and cult hit "The Lost."
In the 2000s, Shay started making her mark as a musician, as part of the electro-folk duo Uffie, as a demo singer for Rancid frontman Tim Armstrong, and as a solo artist, recording her own original folk songs. She has been the headliner of charity concerts in Central Park, at the Salt Lake City Salt Palace, and in front of thousands on a charity cruise for terminally ill children.
Having completed her first solo album; "Blue Music," to be released in late 2010 on GB Records, Shay Astar is wowing audiences all around with her brand of soulful folk, graced with the unmistakable sound of her rich, melodious vocals, her effortless, strong stage presence and naked lyricism showing profundity beyond her years.
ABOUT THE McGRATH PROJECT
"A new take on classic rock" was how The Signal newspaper described The McGrath Project's music with the release of the band's self-titled debut CD in 2009. Off this album, the band had two top ten Internet radio hits on www.iradiola.com and www.underworldmusicradio.com with "The Chance" (#10) and "Where You Belong" (#1).
In 2010, the band released its second album, a two volume set called "Love is a 4-letter Word, Volume 1 & 2." To promote it, the band is performing 8 to 12 shows a month including a regular gig on Monday nights at Lucy’s 51 in Toluca Lake, Calif. Past performances and current ones are at such notable Los Angeles establishments as The House of Blues Voodoo Lounge on the Sunset Strip, The Cat Club, The Knitting Factory and Rusty’s Surf Ranch, as well as performances in several cities during The International Pop Overthrow festival, including Los Angeles, San Diego and Phoenix.
You can currently hear the band's music on more than 100 FM radio stations across the continental United States and Canada, with the release of the first two singles off the double CD, "Love is a 4-Letter Word Volume 1 & 2". The punk-influenced, in-your-face energy of "Your Secret Is Out" and the country-esque, slyly humorous female anthem "Piss Me Off" show a sample of just how many different styles this band incorporates into their sound. This is not your average band where the members have grown up together and listened to the same records through the years. The McGrath Project is a group of musicians, all respected in their own right, drawing from experiences gathered from living and breathing music, touring the globe, and now coming together to create music that couldn't possibly be categorized or pigeon-holed. Catchy, yet innovative, simple, yet experimental, comic, sinister, heartfelt, perceptive, rock'n'roll, punk, blues, psychedelic, country, jazz ... you will hear it all in one listen to "Love is a 4-Letter Word."
ABOUT THE HOST
Stephen K. Peeples is a Grammy-nominated record producer ("Monterey International Pop Festival," 1992), award-winning radio writer-producer ("The Lost Lennon Tapes," 1988-1990) and veteran record company executive (Capitol, Elektra/Asylum, Rhino). A 22-year resident of Canyon Country, Peeples has written about the SCV music scene for The Signal newspaper since 2004 and has been Online Editor of The Signal since October 2007. In 2009 he was honored for Best Website by the California Newspaper Publishers Association. A jazz and rock drummer since 12, Peeples was a member of the underground West L.A. garage band Peaking Duck from 1977-2008. He now plays with an SCV-based jazz quartet.
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