For this week’s Storm Watch, I’m bringing you two artists that have broken away from their bands to pursue solo careers, and one artist that I love from a popular singing competition. As always, all of the songs I mention as well as a few additional ones are put together in a playlist at the bottom of the article for your convenience!
Bohnes (aka Alexander DeLeon)
Remember The Cab? They haven’t officially broken up, but they haven’t released any music in nearly three years. They dropped an EP entitled Lock Me Up back in 2014, and their last full length album was Symphony Soldier, released in 2011. Have no fear, though, because The Cab’s lead singer, Alexander DeLeon, has embarked on a solo project under the pseudonym Bohnes. As of right now he only has three solo songs available to listen to, but they are all incredible. It’s not better or worse than the work he did with The Cab, but it’s a very different vibe and I highly suggest you check it out! In the playlist below I have included the first song he released as a solo artist, as well as two of my favorite songs by The Cab because no matter what happens, they will always have a special place in my heart.
Andy Black
Another band member that has chosen to go solo under a pseudonym is Andy Biersack, the frontman of a band called Black Veil Brides. These two artists aren’t in the same boat, though, as Andy is still actively pursuing the band that he started when he was only 14 years old. Black Veil Brides is a very heavy rock band, but the music released under Andy Black is quite the opposite. My favorite thing about Andy Black is that he’s not afraid to sing about topics that he genuinely cares about, while keeping the songs emotional and upbeat. For example, Andy suffers from social anxiety and the first song he released as a solo artist called We Don’t Have To Dance discusses the issue in a way that the underlying meaning is strong, but not overpowering. Ironically, this song is one that I dance to often, but when it’s broken down, the message is actually very important. I have included three of my favorite tracks in the playlist, but Andy Black has an entire album called The Shadow Side, available on iTunes and Spotify if you’re interested!
Taylor John Williams
If you watch The Voice, you might be familiar with this artist! Taylor took fifth place on Season 7 of the singing competition as a member of Gwen Stefani’s team. It’s not very often that I follow artists that appeared on these types of shows, but Taylor John Williams is certainly one of my favorite artists that I’ve ever seen come from The Voice. The only way to describe his voice is hauntingly beautiful. Since appearing on The Voice, he has released two EP’s and has amounted a following of over 60,000 followers on Twitter. In the playlist I have included my favorite covers that he did on the show which are Mad World and Jolene, which he sang in the battle rounds against an artist by the name of Amanda Lee Peters. I also included my favorite original song that he has released so far entitled The Mates of Soul, off of his debut EP Song of a Dead Man.