From New York comes a4 member Rock band known as “Dog Society” who just released his latest effort Emerge (2012). Dog Society is strongly established in that region and this latest release is a collection of 12 amazing songs. Dog Society are:   Band members include Bruce Erik Brauer (guitar), Guerzon (Bass) and Joe Ranieri (Drums + Percussion) and last but certainly not least  Brian Schnaak (vocals). I always listen to the opening track extremely carefully. It’s the opening track the artist has selected to hit your ears first and foremost. The opening track "Being Here” set the stage rather well for a Rock CD like this. It was a great intro piece that stuck in my head and had me eager for what lied ahead. All in all the whole CD is brilliantly delivered with a richly woven Rock Americana-ish textures yet with songs that have a serious Rock-Popish staying power. Music will remind you of Fleet Foxes, Robin Pecknold, Bob Iver, and Local Natives. The Tallest Man on Earth and Iron and Wine. To be honest I can’t say enough about Dog Society and their overall likeability. Emerge captures a pretty straight forward sound but it really grabs the listener right from the get go, and refuses to let go through to finish. Dog Sciety has a sound that favors many popular psychedelic rock bands of the 70’s like Led Zeppelin but with a more modern twist. I’ve never heard an artist so skillfully combine an older style of music with a modern retro-songwriting approach before. Weather this is by design or simply by accident it’s amazing.The songs that stuck with me the most were “A Good Friend” and “spoken Word.”Conclusion: If there was one word I would use to describe Dog Society it would be consistent. This CD will simply make your day more entertaining, but there is an undeniable rocked-out passion beneath all this. They guys in Dog Society  are very capable players and the proof is in the picking, but it’s obvious to me their primary goal as a band is to make this world a better place one party at a time. If that’s sounds corny so be it. Overall Rating: 4.5/5

I always listen to the opening track extremely carefully. It’s the opening track the artist has selected to hit your ears first and foremost. The opening track "Toys” sets the stage rather well for a melancholy CD like this. It was a passionate intro piece that stuck in my head and had me eager for what lied ahead. All in all the whole CD is brilliantly delivered with a richly woven Alternative-Rock Gypsy Jazz-textures with songs that go far deeper than the next independent artist. Music will remind you of Born Ruffians, Islands, DeVotchKa and even Department of Eagles and a bit of Panic at the Disco. To be honest I can’t say enough about Stages of Sleep and their overall sound. One quote from their bio strikes me: The Stages of Sleep is best described as experimental/alternative gypsy rock. Heavily influenced by such bands as Radiohead, Beirut, Emily Wells, Grizzly Bear to name a few, the end result of their eclectic sound could be characterized as Indie-Cinematic-Gypsy-Rock. The band members, however, prefer to say that their music encompasses and defines a “cross-genre” style of music. The main cast of The Stages of Sleep originates from the San Francisco Bay Area, with collaborative efforts from additional artists around the country. Be warned you may not want to listen to this CD on the day you get fired. I happen to love dark and slow moving melancholy music that doesn’t try to hard to win you over – that’s how I would describe Stages of Sleep. They have a sound that favors many Alternative artists in the late 90’s yet with a modern day feel. I’ve never heard an artist so skillfully combine so many genera’s into one unique sound. Weather this is by design or simply by accident it’s amazing. The songs that stuck with me the most were “Behave” and “Dancing on the Leaves.”   If there was one word or phrase I would use to describe Stages of Sleep it would be “true to self”.  I give Stages of Sleep high marks for being themselves and  letting the chips fall where they may. This CD will simply make your day more interesting as some of the lyrical content is hard to understand. No doubt the true meaning of some of this material is buried deep between the lines, but there’s an undeniable passion beneath it all. These people are capable songwriters but it’s obvious to me their primary goal as an artist is to make the world a much more interesting one song at a time. If that’s sounds corny so be it. 

I always listen to the opening track extremely carefully. It’s the opening track the band or artists has selected to hit your ears first and foremost. The opening track "Perfect Girl” sets the stage rather well for this CD. It was a great intro piece that stuck in my head and had me eager for what was ahead. All in all the whole CD is brilliantly delivered with a powerful Acoustic Smokey Saloon Rock, guitar driven texture with song that at times can bite you in the ass and hit you hard with serious melodic staying power. Music will remind you of The Flaming Lips, Pavement, Cake, NOKX, Pennywise and even Cobra Starship. His bio describes it best: Sterling Witt is a as a man who plays his guitar upside down and backwards – well played.  Looking at his site it’s obvious to me Witt is the unessential artist. Witt also represents a fresh new voice in modern rock sound and present a strong message that are zany, boldly honest, aggressive, upbeat and highly melodic.  “Sterling Loves You” presents a very loud, youthful and at times even in your face sound.  Each piece is real, not so overly- corporate sounding and very defiant in nature. Amazing work!Sterling Witt will also remind me of a variety of bands from the 90’s in the heyday of the Alternative Rock movement. I can even hear bands like Sublime and even Red Hot Chili Peppers in there as well.  If there were one word I would use to describe Sterling Witt it would be energetic.  This CD will simply make you feel more upbeat and positive about the world we live in mainly because he speaks the truth about it, and will confirm all your thoughts a feelings. TURNS OUT YOU ARE NOT CRAZY AFTER ALL – STERLING WITT SAID SO. At the end of the day Sterling Witt is a real jolt to the senses.