Music
A Hot Lover Gets A One-Way Ticket Home in “Take That Train” by The Nied’s Hotel Band

“Take That Train” is about the hardships of having a romantic relationship when you’re in a great rock band
Who gets the one-way ticket home, your hot lover or your amazing rock band? The Nied’s Hotel Band’s new song “Take That Train” is about a sizzling romance that fizzles due to the hardships of maintaining a relationship while you’re in a band. Listen to the song to find out if he lets the relationship go or if the band plays on without him! The Nied’s Hotel Band is releasing “Take That Train” on Friday, July 15th on MTS Records.
“Take That Train” originated in the early ’90s when guitarist Tim Hadley was working on a project with Ronda Z (who would later be a guest vocalist on NHB’s “Day the Lady Cried”). At that time, they only had a general outline of the song and a title. The band split soon after, but the song stayed with Hadley for over a decade. Inspired by Little Feat and New Orleans mid-tempo, funky grooves, “Take That Train” was resurrected from Hadley’s memory and ignited by The Nied’s Hotel Band.
Featuring a stellar lineup of musicians, the band included Ron Beitle, a powerhouse drummer with Gold Record experience (Wild Cherry – “Play That Funky Music”) and Russ Oblinger, his equally-talented rhythm section partner on bass. The song also features a fleet-fingered, rock n’ roll piano solo by Fred Delu in the bridge section, followed by a wailin’ sax solo by Ed Jonnet.
The lyrics to the song were created by John Vento, singer/leader of NHB, who took the simple phrase ‘take that train’ and crafted a whole scenario revolving around the difficulty of maintaining relationships when playing in a band, ending with him telling her to “take that train” because it’s over.
Once the band had fine-tuned the arrangement, they convened at Klint Macro’s Cobblesound Studio to record the track. Hadley added his Lowell George-inspired slide guitar licks and Jim McCullough laid down some tasty rhythm guitar. The song was featured on NHB’s “One Night Stand” CD release in 2014.
Fast forward to 2022 and the awesome talent that is Jim Pitulski was coerced into creating a cool lyric video for the song as The Nied’s Hotel Band continues on its’ mission to spread good music and good vibes throughout the known universe.
About The Nied’s Hotel Band
The Nied’s Hotel Band, voted Pittsburgh’s “Best Bar Band” in the 2016 Pittsburgh Magazine Readers Poll, is a powerhouse recording and performing rock-n-roll and R&B group from Pittsburgh, PA. (USA). NHB delivers the hardworking, blue collar, muscle that has made Pittsburgh a legendary rock-n-roll city. A recent review by The Pittsburgh City paper proclaimed, “The Nied’s Hotel Band could be called The E-Street Band of Pittsburgh.” In addition, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto has proclaimed July 17th as “Nied’s Hotel Band Day” in honor of the bands impact on the local music scene and their unwavering support of charitable causes.
The band includes some of the best-known and respected players in the region, including singer John Vento (who is, perhaps, the hardest-working front man around), guitarists Tim Hadley and Jim McCullough, plus keyboardist Fred Delu and sax man Ed Jonnet, who last joined forces as members of Pittsburgh’s most beloved rock/soul band – The Rhythm Kings. Newest members Eugene Perry (bass) and Greg McIltrot (drummer/vocalist) complete the stellar lineup. For more information on Nied’s Hotel Band, please visit their website.
Music
Shara Strand hits the emotional regulator with soulful single “My Green Light”

Shara Strand allows us to pause and think with “My Green Light,” her radiant new dance-pop single. The track is packed with such sincerity that nothing feels artificial. This soulful epic of a number takes listeners on a journey through the emotional intersections of life and love. Leading with her hallmark warmth and vulnerability, Strand’s let and notes remind us that sometimes the bravest act is saying yes to healing, to growth, to love, and most crucially, to ourselves. The Billboard chart-topper Strand has always been an artist who makes music that isn’t just noise.
She began writing her music early, motivated not by a desire for fame but by a desire to create songs that connect with the heart and soul. That mission comes through loud and clear in “My Green Light,” a song that doesn’t play as a performance so much as a conversation with an intimate. It’s a ballad of gentle might, crafted with lush imagery and earthy sentiment that can only come from a seasoned storyteller such as Shara. It never feels like his production takes away from the piece’s raw heart, although it’s fully polished. Strand’s voice, fragile but strong, slips over that melody like a steady current and pulls the listener in that subtle direction. It’s a song about the times when you’re frozen and don’t know what happens next.
Shara gives you the map, but more importantly, she gives you the go-ahead. “My Green Light” is an intimate song for anyone taking their power back, rising from a setback, or just starting to trust their own timing. It’s further proof that Shara Strand isn’t interested in chasing trends, so much as making art that makes a difference. As a musical contribution, this one does not just gleam. It glows. For longtime and new fans, “My Green Light” is just the reminder we need to know that the clearest path forward is often the one that creates the light within ourselves, and Shara Strand is there holding the torch.
Indie
JMT and Daniel Hex shares detroit’s dance DNA with genre-bending anthem “Yes, I Can”

Detroit’s underground is being completely redefined by JMT, who represents tradition and evolution in a single stroke. On his latest single, “Yes, I Can,” a collaboration with Daniel Hex, the genre-blending producer has released a world-reversal of GhettoTech that’s sultry, soulful, and fiercely future-forward.
Taken from his new album GHETTOTECHTROPOLIS, “Yes, I Can” is a chameleon combining the pulse of GhettoTech, the precision of Techno, and the velvet soul of classic R&B. Still, there’s an audacity to this cocktail nonetheless, one that manages to feel both nostalgic and next-gen at the same time.
The story of the song is about as rich as the song itself. Born out of a gloomy afternoon spent at Heaven Studios – founded by none other than Royce Da 5’9 the track started life as a slow burn groove, with Daniel Hex’s sultry, luxuriant delivery existing over an easy-moving 125 BPM. But in post-production, JMT pulled a reverse. He turned up the tempo, let the percussion bang that much harder, and invested the track with a restless energy that one would expect to find only in the dimly lit basement of some smoky party: 3 a.m., if we’re lucky.
What makes “Yes, I Can” so magnetic is its twin natures. It’s a dancefloor fire with a soft heart. Hex’s own vocals dance effortlessly over the beat, providing the track with a human pulse under the hood of the machine’s perfect drive. It’s a deliberate contrast, Detroit’s grit and soul conjoined. Ultimately, “Yes, I Can” is the driving force of the future. On it, they are a fearless, finely calibrated clash of vibes that designates JMT a visionary voice in the city’s next musical chapter.
Connect with JMT: Instagram
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