“Bad Romance”: Covered

Posted on by Kristen

I’m not a huge fan of this song, but it seems to be getting a lot of coverage lately….I’ve largely been ignoring the omnipresence of Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance, but when my roommate sent me a video of Joseph Gordon-Levitt singing the tune, I decided it was time to take notice. He does add an air of intelligence to the tune, pointing out the Hitchcock references and killing the lines sung in french…a part skipped over in many of the covers.

There are several admirable versons of “Bad Romance” done by artists I enjoy. Both Lissie and 30 Seconds to Mars choose to slow down the tempo and bring out the sexiness of the song.

I was most impressed by the cover done by Paramore’s Hayley Williams. I feel she really makes the song her own…and she uses it to actually show off her vocal skills (plus she keeps it nice and short)!

But my favorite rendition of the song has to be the one done by Jealousy Curve. The quality of the video is not the best, but they performanced “Bad Romance” along with their song “Black Widow” back in Feburary in Boston. Watching this video was probably the first time I actually listened to the song…

I’m sure that is just the tip of the iceberg as far as covers are concerned…I still can’t get over how popular the song is. Perhaps beaten out only by Kings of Leon’s “Use Somebody” as most covered song of the moment. For more on that, check out Stereogum’s recent posting. Seriously, it includes a Tyler Hilton version…

Enjoy!

~ Kristen

New(ish) Band Love: Scarlet Grey

Posted on by Amanda

So awhile back I was up in LA on one of my music binges with my LMN cohort and came across a new band I fell head over heels for. Normally, I don’t pay much attention to opening bands. I blame it on my youth spent listening to poor openers while waiting for the bands I came to see. I learned how to skip the openers (or ignore them) to get to the good part. I’m the first to admit that only a handful have really caught my attention.

Well, this lovely band definitely made me take notice. They emitted this type of energy you usually don’t see in openers and it was really captivating! At first, Scarlet Grey reminded me a bit of The Academy Is… (one of my favorite bands) but there was something else there I couldn’t pinpoint at the time. After a chat with their merch guy, I found out they had toured with AFI (not on the west coast of course) and that’s when I realized they they were this wonderful hybrid of AFI and The Academy Is… As HitPredictor.com said, they are “Pop… with dirt under it’s nails.” You can check out their interview with Scarlet Grey here.

Even if you aren’t a fan of The Academy Is… or AFI I suggest you take the time to check them out. If you like catchy dark tunes they are worth some investigation. I can tell you that they got me hooked and I’m not the easiest person to impress right off the bat. If I still don’t have you convinced, you can check out their Myspace page and see for yourself if they are your style. Fortunately for you, they have a show tonight (Sept. 9th) at The Roxy where you can check them out in person!

For some curious folk about the band, Scarlet Grey’s frontman Ben Grey wrote an article for Sound Alarm about “Six Things Never to Say on Stage.” Also, you can check out Scarlet Grey on Twitter or follow frontman Ben Grey or both, depending on your style 😉

Enjoy friends 🙂

~Amanda

New Band Alert! Egyptian

Posted on by Kristen

What happens when two of the sexiest, most captivating singers I know get together to make music? That would be Egyptian, a musical endeavor featuring Aja Volkman (Nico Vega) and Dan Reynolds (Imagine Dragons).

Egyptian doesn’t really sound like either Nico Vega or Imagine Dragons…it’s not so much a band as it is two brilliant vocalists having fun with a keyboard. For those of you who have discovered Aja’s “Stick of Wax” video(as we did), I’d think more in that direction.

I’m not sure what the intentions are here with this side project, but they have quite a few songs up on their myspace. I’ve been listening all day and now consider myself a fan…definately putting this duo on my “watch” list. I just needed to share!

~ Kristen

Amanda’s (Late) Show Calendar 8/8-8/12

Posted on by Amanda

And we are back in business! Again we apologize for the website going down but we are back 🙂

It’s a pretty quiet week except for the SDMA awards and show on Sunday. It’s worth checking out if you get the chance. Have a good rest of the week folks!

Wednesday: Dead Feather Moon @ The Belly Up @8 $8

Thursday: Gregory Page @ U-31 @9

Friday: SDMA Acoustic Showcase  @ House of Blues @7
AND: A Scribe Amidst the Lions @ The Casbah @10 $6
AND: Gregory Page CD Release Show @ Lestats

Saturday: The Henry Clay People @ The Casbah @10 $10

Sunday: SDMA’s @ Humphery’s By The Bay @7 $30

Keep in Mind:

September 18th- Paramore @ Viejas Arena
September 18th- Hanson @ House of Blues San Diego
September 21st- Phoenix @ SDSU Open Air Theater
September 22nd- Muse @ Viejas Arena
September 25th- The Black Keys @ Soma
September 25/26- Epicenter @ Fontana
October 1st- O.A.R. @ SDSU Open Air Theater
October 1st- Spoon @ Soma @7 $28
October 14th- Frightened Rabbit @ House of Blues San Diego
October 14th- Motion City Soundtrack @ Soma @6 $20
October 16th- One Republic @ Viejas
October 21st- Interpol @Soma @7 $25
October 22nd- Flyleaf @ House of Blues San Diego
October 29th- Portugal. The Man @ House of Blues San Diego
November 14th-Blonde Redhead- House of Blues San Diego
November 16th- Mayday Parade @ House of Blues SD\
December 2nd-The Dead Kennedys- House of Blues San Diego

Kristen’s LA Concert Calendar: 9/6-9/12

Posted on by Kristen

I nearly forgot I needed to write this up as it kind of feels like the weekend is not over yet…because it’s not! YAY for three days weekends. I actually had some great plans for today but proceeded to sleep through all of them. I must have had way too much fun last night at The After Midnight Project show at The Key Club. The AMP boys put on quite the to-do and I am so glad some of you were able to make it out to see my most recent band obsession. I’ve got good reviews all around so I’m incredibly pleased. For more of my musical suggestions, check out this week’s calendar…if you’re looking to try something new, might I suggest Queen Caveat at Spaceland on Saturday.

As for the rest:

Monday: Happy Labor Day!

Tuesday: Imagine Dragons, Free Energy and Links at The Viper Room (9, 10, 11:15)
ALSO: Todd Carey at The Mint (8pm)
ALSO: Interpol at Space 15 Twenty (7pm)
ALSO: David Gray and Ray LaMontagne at The Greek Theater (7pm) 

Weds: David Gray and Ray LaMontagne at The Greek Theater (7pm) 

Thursday: Curtis Peoples at The Mint (9pm)
ALSO: Scarlet Grey and Red Light Sky at The Roxy (8pm)
ALSO: Cracker at The Echoplex (8pm)
ALSO: Ry Cuming and Justin Nozuka at El Rey (8pm) 

Friday: Hellen Stellar at The Echo (9pm)
ALSO: Andy Clockwise at The Hotel Café (11pm)
ALSO: Pink Martini at Hollywood Bowl (8:30) 

Saturday: Queen Caveat at Spaceland (8:30)
ALSO: Ernie Halter, So & So, Eckels Brothers (9,11,12)
ALSO: Rocco Deluca and White Apple Tree at Saint Rocke (9pm)
ALSO: Scissor Sisters at Hollywood Palladium (8pm)
ALSO: Pink Martini at Hollywood Bowl (8:30) 

Sunday: Pink Martini at Hollywood Bowl (7:30) 

To Keep in Mind:
September 18th: Heart at Gibson Amphitheater
September 25th: Band of Horses at Greek Theater
September 25th: Muse at Staples Center
September 30th: BIFFY CLYRO at The Bootleg Theater
October 1st: Brandi Carlile and The Avett Brothers at Nokia Theater LA Live
October 13th: Frightened Rabbit at The Mayan Theater
November 17th: Tyler Hilton at The Roxy
December 11th: The Black Crowes and Truth & Salvage Co. at Hollywood Palladium 

~ Kristen

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