Scars on 45 have a new video for their song “Give Me Something.” Quite a fan of this band. They’re from England, but they’ve been spending quite a bit of time in the US. They’ll be back in LA on May 4th playing at The Hard Rock Cafe.
Enjoy!
~ Kristen
SO excited that Egyptian (that’s Aja Volkman from Nico Vega and Dan Reynolds from Imagine Dragons…if you didn’t know) finally have some tunes out for sale.
Check out their EP on ITunes. It includes track 15 off my 2010 end of year music mix!
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/egyptian-ep/id433029207
What’s next? Some live dates? We can only hope…
~ Kristen
I’ve been listening to Chicago’s Empires all afternoon. I thought that perhaps seeing them at SXSW would make me crave them less…but the exact opposite has occurred. I hope everyone in Chicago knows how lucky they are to have this band! Their next local date is May 21st at The Beat Kitchen. Don’t miss it!
If you haven’t heard of Empires, just go to their webpage where you can get a link to a free download of their song “Damn Things Over”. While there, check out all their videos…like this one for their first single “Bang.”
Empires is one of the bands that made it to round 2 of Rolling Stone’s choose the cover competition. Go here to vote for Empires and download two additional tracks (for free!!), including my new favorite song “Hard Times.”
Gotta love it!
~ Kristen
So many things were going on in Austin the week of SXSW that it’s impossible to do/see/even know about it all. One thing I was tangentially aware of was Hanson’s efforts to raise money for those in Japan suffering from the tsunami fallout. Apparently the brothers put together a fundraiser in less than 24 hours that brought in over $100,000 worth of donations for the Red Cross. The fundraiser was in the form of a telethon that took place on the last Saturday of SXSW and featured so many wonderful artists coming in and giving exclusive performances that were then streamed live.
Sxsw4japan.org is re-streaming the performances RIGHT NOW!: http://sxsw4japan.org/
Even more exciting, ITunes and Amazon.com are now selling a digital album called SXSW4Japan featuring nearly 50 tracks from the artists that participated. All proceeds are going to the Red Cross.
So, what are you waiting for? GO and get it!
http://www.amazon.com/Sxsw4japan/dp/B004UY1TSY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1302031272&sr=8-1
Some of my favorite artists featured include: Hanson, The Lonely Forest, Cary Brothers, The Boxer Rebellion, Laura Jansen, Alpha Rev, Jenny O, Keaton Simons, Anna Nalick, The Parlotones, Kina Grannis, Michelle Branch, and Rooney…but there are SOOOOOO many more!
Charlie Mars at the SXSW4Japan benefit:
Hanson covers “Lean on Me”
~ Kristen
Not only do I love this band, but I love their taste in music. Tom Petty, Foo Fighters, The National, etc. Check out The Lonely Forest’s mixtape on Baeblemusic.com.
http://www.baeblemusic.com/featuredarticle/tgi-mixtape-101-curated-by-the-lonely-forest.html
And if you haven’t already, pick up a copy of their CD, Arrows, which includes songs like this one:
~ Kristen
Some excellent tunage currently spinning on my IPod (and helping me through the this particularly difficult work day). If you’re looking for some new music to check out, here’s what I’d recommend:
Matt Duke– One Day Die
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Matt-Duke/14795879411
One of my favorite Philly (as well as Hotel Carolina) artists, I’ve been looking forward to this release for awhile. I just purchased it today so time will tell how it stacks up against his last CD which I consider to be a masterpiece. Looking forward to getting to know One Day Die a little better and to seeing Matt again (hopefully he’ll come out to LA sometime soon).
Matt is ready, are you?
The Lonely Forest– Arrows
http://www.thelonelyforest.com/
I’ve been in love with this band from Anacortes, Washington since SXSW ’10. “We Sing In Time” struck me from note one. Their first full length album came out last week. It features that song as well as many other gems. Seriously, I really like every single song on this album…
Wakey!Wakey!- Almost Everything I Wish I’d Said The Last Time I Saw You…
Wakey!Wakey! has been on my radar for awhile now, but since seeing Mike Grubbs perform live, this CD has taken permanent residence in my best of playlist. My fave tune right now? Anything heavy with the violin…like “Almost Everything” or “Light Outside”
BONUS:
Biffy Clyro– Only Revolutions
You all know I’ve been obsessed with this CD since I first saw these Scottsmen open for Manchester Orchestra, but this week, the CD has finally been released in stores in the US. SO, what are you waiting for? GO OUT AND GET IT! This is hands down my favorite CD released in the last couple of years. Now if only I could get a copy of Lonely Revolutions (B-sides for this CD)…
Happy Listening!
~ Kristen
Just got back from seeing Biffy Clyro at The Troubadour. I find it difficult to express just how much I love this band. So, I’m going to use some BC lyrics instead…from their song “Machines” off their album Puzzle…
“I’ve started falling apart. I’m not savoring life. I’ve forgotten how good it can be to feel alive. (take the pieces and build them skywards)”
This is the song that is playing on repeat in my head.
I’m even more excited to say I’ll be seeing Biffy Clyro again tonight!
~ Kristen