Anthology

Kyler England

Los Angeles based singer/songwriter/guitarist KYLER ENGLAND has had quite a ride recently in the music industry. From numerous song placements in shows such as Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, Drop Dead Diva, One Tree Hill, Army Wives, Vampire Diaries to opening for Sting, Kelly Clarkson, and Avril Lavigne, to playing the Sundance Film Festival, and being signed to Universal Republic Records with her band in 2009, it’s hard to believe she’d even find time to think, never mind write and record a solo record.

Yet here she is. England has been hard at work with her band The Rescues, since 2008, and is now finally ready to release her first solo album in three years, Electric Hum. Filled with 10 emotionally charged songs produced by Bill Lefler, the album was born of a fascination with the sound of organic instruments paired with electronic ones. “The sound of Electric Hum, like the name itself, came out of a fascination with tension and beauty that’s created when you put organic instruments like a voice and piano next to electronic ones like programmed drums and synths. The collaborations with DJs I’ve done in the last few years revealed a different side of my voice that I wanted to explore. That combined with the fact that all but one of the songs were written on piano instead of my usual acoustic guitar led me down a different road than I’ve ever been down before sonically and it really inspired me,” says England of the new album.

Kyler is also known as Relyk (Kyler spelled backwards) among the electronica/dance community. Her collaborations with DJs resulted in her dance hit, “Cross the Line,” which continues to gain popularity.

“It was a whirlwind couple of years with so many amazing highs but not much time to process it all,” says England. “When I had some quiet time this January, the songs started pouring out and just didn’t stop till I had enough for two albums. There’s a hopeful and uplifting thread running through the entire record, they’re all very close to my heart.”

Also close to Kyler’s heart are her fans. Her latest record was made possible by pledges from fans across the world on PledgeMusic. When fans made a pledge, they were given a download of the new record prior to the release, access to exclusive updates from the studio and the road, as well as additional perks depending on the amount of the pledge including a house concert performed by Kyler. A portion of the proceeds were donated to the Kitten Rescue of LA, where Kyler adopted her own kittens.

Erick Macek

ERICK MACEK had a unique introduction to musical instruments. His first instrument wasn’t a guitar or a piano, but an accordion which his father forced upon him at age three and told him to “figure it out.” This was just the beginning of eclectic instruments that worked their way into Erick’s hands and turned him into the musician he is today. He picked up sports (on top of the trumpet, harmonica, recorder, and keyboard), and while enjoying his high school athletics and exploring them as career options, he suffered a knee injury that opened him up to a new path.

He performed in the musical “Crazy for You” in high school, but it wasn’t until college that his dream was realized. It was there that he heard Dave Matthews for the first time, and while his initial desire to play may have been influenced by an affection for the ladies, it eventually grew to much more.

Erick has been performing nationally as well as all over southern California since 2005. His style can be described as a blend of genres and grooves ranging from country and bluegrass to jazz, pop, funk, folk, and soul. Macek has been named “Best Male Vocalist of the Year” at the Los Angeles Music Awards, and of himself says, “I’m an honest singer/songwriter with an obvious passion for this thing called music. I’m always learning, and I’m always being inspired as ‘life always happens.”