Kim Shires Encourages All To “Ride Your High”
This week, I got the wonderful chance to speak with up & coming artist Kimberly Shires, a native to the DMV area, about her new single called “Ride Your High.” “Ride Your High” is Shires’ debut single. The record is a bluesy rock tune with her sultry vocals and features her own father, Dean Shires, on the organ. The record was produced, mixed and mastered by Max Rich of Los Angeles, CA, who also played guitar and bass for the track.
While this is Shires’ debut single, it’s certainly not the first time she’s been involved in music. It might not even be the first time you’ve read her name on this platform. She is also one of the writers at Alchemical Records. Shires is the type of person who really goes for it, and in that vein she has been dedicated to different forms of music for decades.
Ruven Captures Millennial Malaise of 2020 with Vocal Debut “Alarming Times”
After a brief stint at conservatory, Hampton, Virginia native Brian Parker (aka Ruven) traded the remote mountains for the hustle of New York City, where his eponymous solo electro-pop project landed him writing sessions for Sony Music/Epic Records with Timbaland’s production team.
Parker adopted the Ruven moniker as a vessel for his electronic productions and following a year-long Fulbright research project in Chile, his Pour and Horizyn EPs were released on Dream Diary Records with support from DJs including Benji B, Bradley Zero, Matthew Dear, and Tom Ravenscroft. Working with the Brixton-based label helped forge inroads in London, where in 2018 he began working on new material marking a return to his work as a vocalist and lyricist.
His newest track is called, “Alarming Times” and it combines some elements of funk, pop, and alternative to create a very unique track. It was written and recorded in during lockdown in Virginia, and it’s about the barrage of events that was 2020. Our favorite part of the track is the hook, as he uses some very clever lyricism to get this portion of the track stuck in your head. Check out the track below.
