Pepper’s Ghost Countdown: 1 Week!!!
It’s actually happening! I’ll see you all next Saturday:
If you haven’t already, I’d recommend getting your tickets in advance: http://www.ticketweb.com/snl/Search.action?query=peppers+ghost
~ Kristen
The Silent Comedy Tour: Get Pumped Up!
This is one of the best promotion videos for a tour I’ve ever seen.
[youtube Wt26QRphKZY]
One of my favorite San Diego based bands is going on a West Coast tour with Academy Award winning artist Ryan Bingham (wrote a couple songs for the film Crazy Horse). They hit LA on Feb. 5th (The El Rey) and are in San Diego Feb. 6th (House of Blues). For the rest of the dates and locations, watch the video…and then watch it again because chances are you’ll be too distracted to get the dates the first time around :).
~ Kristen
Mark Your Calendars: After Midnight Project- LIVE
Mark your calendars for Feb. 22nd! On that date, LMN favorite After Midnight Project will be releasing a live album. I’ve always contended that this band puts on one of my favorite live performances so I cannot wait to hear this album. Will there be new songs on it? Anything acoustic? Will they celebrate the release of the album with another show in LA???
SO many questions! Can’t wait to get them all answered…
One of the things I’d like to see on it; an acoustic version of this song (I enjoy the paradox of an acoustic song about screaming…):
[youtube Pla6shDY3eo]
~ Kristen
Read This!: The Brain’s Response to Music…
Came across this article in my daily Pub Med search. It links the two facets of my life (brain imaging and music), so I thought I’d share.
For a more palatable summation, check out this news article entitled “music rewards brain like sex and drugs”
Basically, it indicates that music we experience as pleasurable (they actually measured the sensation of getting chills), can lead to dopamine release in the brain. This dopamine is part of a reward circuit. An interesting point brought up in the discussion section is that this reward circuit is often linked to activities that are highly adaptive (sex, eating), but it is also associated with drug use, smoking, and other activities that might be associated with addiction.
My question is, can we look at music as something that is culturally adaptive or would it be more lumped in the addiction category? On the one hand, music can be seen as an imperative part of human survival. It brings people together, keeps them going through more difficult times, and can create and/or augment feels of euphoria. On the other hand, I’ve always speculated that I have a chemical addiction to music. I use it to get me though the day. I suffer from withdrawal if I don’t get it. Music can also be incredibly manipulative.
I suppose I would hypothesize that reward properties of music would be similar to that of say food, a substance that we need to survive, but that can also be abused. Then, my question would be, is there a “type” of person who would be more prone to this “music addition”? What would distinguish this person, physiologically?
Anyway, those are my initial thoughts on the article. I’d love to take the research a step further and look at the addictive properties of music…perhaps someday I’ll get the opportunity…
~ Kristen
I’m fairly confident that my nucleus accumbens is going crazy right around the bridge of this song:
[youtube Tm5PFIRdPfQ]
Amanda’s Top 10 Discoveries of ’10- Part 1
It’s now 2011. Which means, it’s time to reflect on all the things that happened in 2010 and all the things we want to accomplish in 2011. I for one, had a wonderful time discovering and rediscovering music that I love. This particular post is part one of a list I made of my top 10 favorite musical discoveries of 2010!
10. Assemble the Skyline-
Here’s the thing about Assemble the Skyline… they picked up Kristen and I on the Sunset Strip after a Scarlet Grey show. Normally, I don’t pay much mind to bands throwing cds at me but they did more than just plug the show and give us a free cd. They took the time to engage us about our night and were so darn adorable that it was hard for us to walk away. Once we played their song and heard the phrase, “you’re such a bitch and it thrills me” we were definitely curious and decided to go to the show.
While they aren’t the typical kind of music I like, they are so fun to see that its hard not to make space in your heart for them. Actually, they are a band that would be fantastic on Warped Tour. I’d love to see that and I will keep enjoying my guilty pleasure band.
9. The Howls-
I first saw The Howls open for my favorite San Diego band, The Silent Comedy. I wasn’t really sure what to think at first but I was intrigued. The more I’ve seen them play, the better they seem to get. They are currently in the middle of recording a new record but I can’t wait to hear what they come up with. You can download some tunes like the one below for free at their website. Do it!
8. Mumford and Sons-
If you aren’t familiar with Mumford and Sons, you must be living under a rock. It’s ok though. There is still time to discover how amazing they are. Mumford hails from West London and “have shared a common purpose: to make music that matters, without taking themselves too seriously.” I never thought I would be afforded the opportunity to see them as they sell out venues so fast. However, I got lucky when aforementioned band, The Silent Comedy, opened for them at The Belly Up! I wasn’t overly familiar with their music but fell head over heels for them. When I was able to see them once again in LA, my love was cemented.
7. Landon Pigg-
Landon brings back such great memories! I was familiar with him insofar as I knew his song from the mobile carrier commercials but I wasn’t really familiar with his music as a whole. Kristen on the other hand, was familiar and one day, saw a post about his upcoming west coast tour and a need for fans to merch. Kristen, knowing my deep seeded desire to merch for bands and hit the road told me about this wonderful opportunity. I replied to the request and we were able to work the show in San Juan Capistrano! The venue was great, the music was great, and the people were awesome. We made some serious buck for Landon and we hope to do it again soon.
By the way, this video totally melts me.
6. Fierce Creatures
Fierce Creatures came out of nowhere and hit me upside the head like a bag of bricks when I saw them (in the best way possible). You can check out a previous post I did on them here but I have to say, I was not prepared at all for their hurricane-like force. There was this crazy supernatural energy they emitted. Maybe it was all the banging on cans or the dancing in the crowd but I’m seriously hooked. They lived up to all the hype I heard and while I’m bummed they are up north, I can’t wait to see them play again!
Stay tuned for my top 5 discoveries!
Amanda’s Top 10 Discoveries of ’10- Part 1
It’s now 2011. Which means, it’s time to reflect on all the things that happened in 2010 and all the things we want to accomplish in 2011. I for one, had a wonderful time discovering and rediscovering music that I love. This particular post is part one of a list I made of my top 10 favorite musical discoveries of 2010!
10. Assemble the Skyline-
[youtube -RfWJmhbpHE]
Here’s the thing about Assemble the Skyline… they picked up Kristen and I on the Sunset Strip after a Scarlet Grey show. Normally, I don’t pay much mind to bands throwing cds at me but they did more than just plug the show and give us a free cd. They took the time to engage us about our night and were so darn adorable that it was hard for us to walk away. Once we played their song and heard the phrase, “you’re such a bitch and it thrills me” we were definitely curious and decided to go to the show.
While they aren’t the typical kind of music I like, they are so fun to see that its hard not to make space in your heart for them. Actually, they are a band that would be fantastic on Warped Tour. I’d love to see that and I will keep enjoying my guilty pleasure band.
9. The Howls-
I first saw The Howls open for my favorite San Diego band, The Silent Comedy. I wasn’t really sure what to think at first but I was intrigued. The more I’ve seen them play, the better they seem to get. They are currently in the middle of recording a new record but I can’t wait to hear what they come up with. You can download some tunes like the one below for free at their website. Do it!
8. Mumford and Sons-
[youtube 3KkUeRPjc-Y]
If you aren’t familiar with Mumford and Sons, you must be living under a rock. It’s ok though. There is still time to discover how amazing they are. Mumford hails from West London and “have shared a common purpose: to make music that matters, without taking themselves too seriously.” I never thought I would be afforded the opportunity to see them as they sell out venues so fast. However, I got lucky when aforementioned band, The Silent Comedy, opened for them at The Belly Up! I wasn’t overly familiar with their music but fell head over heels for them. When I was able to see them once again in LA, my love was cemented.
7. Landon Pigg-
Landon brings back such great memories! I was familiar with him insofar as I knew his song from the mobile carrier commercials but I wasn’t really familiar with his music as a whole. Kristen on the other hand, was familiar and one day, saw a post about his upcoming west coast tour and a need for fans to merch. Kristen, knowing my deep seeded desire to merch for bands and hit the road told me about this wonderful opportunity. I replied to the request and we were able to work the show in San Juan Capistrano! The venue was great, the music was great, and the people were awesome. We made some serious buck for Landon and we hope to do it again soon.
By the way, this video totally melts me.
[youtube kLfjhSmvFjM]
6. Fierce Creatures
Fierce Creatures came out of nowhere and hit me upside the head like a bag of bricks when I saw them (in the best way possible). You can check out a previous post I did on them here but I have to say, I was not prepared at all for their hurricane-like force. There was this crazy supernatural energy they emitted. Maybe it was all the banging on cans or the dancing in the crowd but I’m seriously hooked. They lived up to all the hype I heard and while I’m bummed they are up north, I can’t wait to see them play again!
Stay tuned for my top 5 discoveries!
Amanda’s SD Show Calendar 1/10-16
Is it Monday already? When did that happen? I guess time blends when you go up to LA for a show and come back down to SD and go to another show. As long as fun times were had (which they were) that’s all that really matters.
Happy show going!
Monday: Recover from your weekend 🙂
Tuesday: 30 Seconds to Mars @ House of Blues San Diego
AND: Everest @ The Belly Up @ 8 $6
Wednesday: 30 Seconds to Mars @ House of Blues San Diego
Thursday: Johnny Swim @ Lestats @9
Friday: Blackout Party and Brothers Grimm @ The Casbah $15 (sold out)
AND: Get Back Loretta @ Soma
AND: Miss Erika Davies @ Whistlestop Bard
Saturday: Josiah Leming @ Lestats @9
Sunday: Trevor Davis @ Lestats@9
Keep in Mind:
January 18th- The Album Leaf and Little White Teeth @ Casbah $17 adv $20 day of
January 19th- White Apple Tree @ The Casbah @9 $7
January 19th- Buckcherry @ 4th & B
January 20th- Nervous Wreckords @ Bar Eleven
January 21st- Transfer and New Mexico @ The Casbah $14 adv/$15 day of
January 21st- Wavves and Best Coast @ Soma
January 22nd- Dashboard Confessional @ House of Blues $22.50
January 24th- Dynamite Walls @ The Casbah @9 $8 adv/$10 day of
January 29th- Crocodiles @ The Casbah @10 $10
January 29th- Underoath, A Skylit Drive, Animals as Leaders @ Soma @7 $20
February 2nd- Interpol @ RIMAC Arena @8 $31.50
February 6th- The Silent Comedy and Ryan Bingham & The Dead Horses @ 730 $20
February 12th- The Pretty Reckless @ Soma @7 $12
February 13th- The Decemberists @730 $30 adv/$32.50 day of
February 20th- Linkin Park @ Viejas Arena