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Now that’s 2016’s winding down, it’s naturally time to begin thinking about “Best Of” live acts of the year. With thousands of international and local fests and shows to pick from, the competition’s fierce. One of this year’s best live artists making #CarlitasCut is Phoenix’s Mega Ran. Seeing him perform live at Boise’s Treefort Fest earlier this year, he commanded the attention of the whole room as everyone crowded in the middle to watch him expertly freestyle about the oddest items taken from audience members’ pockets. Between appearing at Comic-Cons, consistently hitting the road with artists like MC Lars and Sadistik, Mega Ran’s also found the time to release multiple podcasts and projects including ‘Mat Mania: The Album’ which features a collabo with Murs.

As we head deeper into the last quarter of 2016, the “Best/Top Album” lists naturally begin forming. Although I wait until the shiny ball drops in Times Square to officially lock in my picks (#CarlitasCuts), one album in that convo will be Statik Selektah and KXNG Krooked’s ‘Statik KXNG’. One half of the duo, East Coast jack of many trades Statik Selektah’s stacked discography includes other legendary collabos with artists like DJ Khaled, Action Bronson, Talib Kweli, KRS-One and Large Professor, to name a few. Being an on-air host on Eminem’s Shade 45 show on Sirius XM for well over a decade, adds to an already impressive storied career.

As the summer becomes a distant memory and fall hastiness begins, I find myself gravitating towards music that transports me away. A temporary sonic place where there are no stresses or cares and you find inner peace as an imaginary ocean breeze blows in the distance. Hirie’s recently release ‘Wandering Soul’ is the perfect vehicle to take me there. Her blend of reggae, pop and a little R&B move you spiritually as you get swept up in the island grooves.

If you call yourself a true fan of soul and jazz, you’ve been checking for Derrick Hodge for a while. Producer, arranger, composer, musician, Derrick’s putting an exclamation point on an eventful year by releasing his sophomore solo album on esteemed label Blue Note Records, appropriately titled ‘The Second’ today. Throwing his hat into the impressive arena of August music releases, the album mixes late-night smoky club smooth vivid imagery with modern-day genre hybridization, reflecting growth and deservingly racks up rave reviews.

For anyone with eyes, compassion for humankind and a heart, it’s obvious 2016’s been a roller-coaster year for many. There’s been darkness and death mixed with happy moments along the way. These extreme moments naturally bring forth introspection and pondering the meaning of life, with Selah Sue’s sophomore album ‘Reason’ arriving at the perfect time.

When compiling a list of the best blues rock guitarists around, it’s not a coincidence one name pops up repeatedly. Eric Gales’ name often appears on these lists, the musician who’d garnered comparisons to other guitar royalty, showing prodigy level talent before most teens can drive, dropping his first album on a major label at the tender age of 16. Known for his unique style of playing a right-handed guitar the opposite way, anyone who’s seen him live would agree his skill is magnetic. At 17 years old, he was flown in a helicopter to Woodstock to play with Carlos Santana. Spending some time with him at the Winter NAMM Show this year, beyond the cosigns in publications from Dave Navarro and Joe Bonamassa, I witnessed many other prominent guitarists featured in other booths take time out of their busy schedules to see him play or stop him while walking on the exhibit floor to express their genuine admiration. He took it all in humble stride, not letting the attention faze him, which impressed me even more.

A fan of DJ AM’s scratching style and clever mashups in the mid-late 00’s, melancholy washed over me as I read about his passing. The world saw a life cut short of a talented DJ with authentic good intentions, helping other recovering addicts but whose inner personal demons proved too potent to fight. Still there were lingering questions. What caused him to tragically end his life at 36? What made him turn to drugs in the first place? Were the pressures of fame too much? When I’d learned of the national tour of the ‘As I Am: The Life and Times of DJ AM” documentary coming in June, I needed to see the movie. Making the rounds at prestigious film festivals, the movie’s currently making its way to over 40 cities with a mass digital distribution planned for June 14th.

As the first third of the year quickly fades away and school end countdowns begin, that normally usually means one thing to a music fan- your fav bands are hitting the road and summer concert plans need to be locked down. One such group becoming road warriors again is LBC based Sunflower Dead. After the attention-grabbing album cover for their latest album ‘It’s Time To Get Weird’ caught my eye in one of my feeds, I needed to hear more. Produced by respected rock producers Dave Fortman and Channel Zero’s Mikey Doling with a feature from Korn’s Jonathan Davis, the album’s gotten rad reviews from death and nu metal fans alike.