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05/25/08 Bar 4 Brooklyn, New York
Discography
06/25/08 Googie’s Lounge New York
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I'll have to admit, I think Lara Ewen is very good looking, based on her photographs on her debut album, Ghosts and Gasoline (2007). I even love her mysterious angel wings on her left arm, which she wears proudly like a badge of honor.
By the way, the band's name is actually Lara Ewen and the Unstrung Orchestra.
The orchestra part is kind of amusing because I don't really recall any
traditional orchestra part at all (although it would be interesting to
hear her music set to wind instruments...)
Most of the songs are kind of folky and country, centered around Ewen's gorgeous full vocals. Such as the bluesy "Clear", probably taken from her debut EP. Her vocals suggest a sassy young woman in New York City, full of an American dream.
The minimal acoustic/bass/percussion song, "20 Years Ago", tells us about the writer's admission of regret of wishing she'd met this person "20 years ago" because "back then she was someone new". I am debating on whether this song is actually about Ewen - probably not because she seems like she's twenty-something, which would mean she would've been a baby, 20 years ago.
A couple of really good storytelling songs, but my favorite song off Ghosts... is "Untethered", which have an upbeat tempo and some insightful lyrics into her thoughts:
And the sky like this one
I could just go away forever
And since you've been gone
I come untethered
Interestingly enough, "Clear" is the only song from her original EP that made it onto the debut album, which sounds like she really love this song to give it a second chance.
If you're in the New York area, you should definitely check out Lara Ewen. Ghosts and Gasoline is out now, you can get it from cd baby.
04/26/2008 18:20:16
vu
my♥posts
unstrungmusic.com
myspace.com
| Tour Dates
04/29/08 Soho Revue Bar London
Discography
05/02/08 Bitterzoet Amsterdam 05/10/08 Blend Bar Ridgewood, NJ 05/14/08 The Delancey New York 05/15/08 Stone Pony Asbury Park, NJ 06/12/08 Bonnaroo Manchester, TN 06/12/08 Xpo Fest Camden, NJ 08/03/08 Lollapalooza Chicago, IL 08/09/08 All Points West Liberty, NJ 08/15/08 House Blues Atlantic City, NJ
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I've seen Nicole Atkins in concert before, so I'm glad to see that she's doing some promotional dates in the UK, just in time for her album Neptune City to be released in the UK on June 2nd, 2008. Since I already have the album, being in the US, I can tell you that it'll do well in the UK charts.
Prior to the album, her UK single will be Maybe Tonight to be released on May 26th. The one-track promo I receive doesn't have any album artwork, so I'm putting one of favorite photo of the 'magical' Atkins.
It's one of those songs that would play very well on the radio and you'll find yourself humming and singing to the catchy chorus of "I know we'll never meet again/Maybe tonight/Just tell me where and when", but failing to know any of the other lyrics.
The key thing you should note is that she's only playing a few UK dates, including a London date coming up on April 29th. If you're curious about how her UK dates turned out, check her 'space blog:
So I'm writing to you all from a beautiful and sometimes rainy day in Stockholm, Sweden. We're in the midst of our first European and UK promo tour and it is going splendid. This crew on this tour consists of all of the usual suspects, the four D's and I, but this time we also brought along our sometimes violinist (or as we call her now our cryolinist bc her playing is so pretty it makes us cry) ms. Gillian Rivers. Gillian also brought along her "guest," (ahem...fiance) mr. Russell Simmons, who you guys might know as the drummer for the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. We now know him as the Sea's new tambourinist! hahah jk russell.
Looks like things are turning up roses for Atkins. Be on the lookout for her single a week prior to Neptune City, in June.
04/26/2008 16:49:46
vu
my♥posts
nicoleatkins.com
myspace.com
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04/26/08 Best Buy [CD Signing] Dekalb, IL
Rating:
04/26/08 The House Cafe Dekalb, IL 04/27/08 Rolling Stones Rec Norridge, IL 04/30/08 Clearwater Theater W Dundee, IL 05/03/08 Big Easy Yorkville, Illinois 05/16/08 Sideouts Island Lake, Illinois 05/17/08 Goose Is Wrigleyville Chicago, IL Influenced By |
Sarah Vonderhaar just released Are You Listening Now on April 22nd. According to her notes printed on the CD, she lived with her manager, Bill Covert, for six weeks to record of this debut album.
The result? An impressive debut pop record.
She first found fame through CW's America's Top Model (Cycle 8), which translate to her massive fan base of mostly young women.
As I previously mentioned this being a pop record, most of these songs are radio friendly (which means they are 3-minute songs) and the nine songs only clock in at about 35 short minutes. It's actually a perfect companion on a typical drive to work.
I can see why she's made "Over You" available for download on her official website, it's a pretty pop song about a break-up.
I love the thumping chorus:
There's something missing in your eyes
But I tried to see it through
The tragedy of your disguise
But there is nothing I can do
But count the words and count the lies
Count the seconds to the time
When I am over you
I am also including her debut video for "Me", directed by Kerry Shaw Brown.
I'm a Chicago girl at heart. The eclectic nature of the city inspires me and the people are so warm and down to earth. My family and friends are here and they keep me grounded. They support everything I do, but they’re always there to remind me I’m just a quirky girl from Chicago. No matter what I’m doing, I’m still the same person inside. I’m most comfortable in my Chuck Taylor’s, jeans and a sweatshirt. That’s where we got the idea for the video for “Me.” Yeah, I can look glamorous for a photo shoot or a runway job, but when I’m hanging out with my friends I certainly don’t go for the “glam” look. I have my own style and I love it!
If things fall into place, look for her on tour this summer in support of her album, Are You Listening Now, which is out now. You can buy the album at most distributor, including Best Buy, where she'll be doing an instore today.
Edit: Myspace isn't behaving with its video - so apologies.
04/26/2008 11:36:20
vu
my♥posts
sarahvonderhaar.com
myspace.com
| Tour Dates
05/06/08 Johnny Brenda’s Philly, PA
Discography
05/0708 Joe’s Pub New York, NY 05/08/08 Bowery Ballroom New York 05/09/08 Middle East Upstairs Cambridge,MA 05/10/08 Lambi Montreal, Quebec 05/11/08 Mod Club Toronto, Ontario 05/12/08 Schubas Tavern Chicago, IL 05/14/08 Red Room Vancouver, BC 05/15/08 Triple Door Seattle, WA 05/16/08 Doug Fir Portland, Oregon 05/18/08 Bimbo’s 365 Club SF, CA 05/19/08 El Rey Theatre LA, CA
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As it, I came across Sweden's Anna Ternheim in association with El Perro Del Mar[W♥M], who apparently they are going on tour together in May (with Lykke Li).
And just in time, for America to catch up on Ternheim, Universal Music released a self-titled EP and Halfway To Fivepoints , which collects some of Ternheim's best known songs together. I wish they'd use a different cover artwork for Halfway To Fivepoints as it is exactly the same as her second album, Separation Road.
Songs including "Lovers Dream", a beautiful duet with Fyfe Dangerfield. I also really liked the moving violins on "Girl Laying Down".
Also noted is her very slow version of "Little Lies", originally by Fleetwood Mac.
Look for Halfway To Fivepoints in stores as well as catch her on tour with El Perro Del Mar, if you happen to live in those cities. I, unfortunately, am in the middle of nowhere and can't see them :(
04/23/2008 02:23:46
vu
my♥posts
annaternheim.com
myspace.com
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04/26/08 ITUNES FESTIVAL at Radialsystem V BERLIN
Discography
04/30/08 A38 BUDAPEST
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Edita Malovčić, aka Madita, is an Austrian singer and actress.
To be honest, I haven't seen any of her films, they're mostly European features, but they do look interesting. And who knew that she would also have a great voice to go on her second album.
I'll have to also admit that the first time I saw her album artwork, I thought of that M.I.A. woman, but although the DIY/weird mix of sounds is more to do with improv jazz as heard on "Fragile", I think in some ways, Madita is more classic and traditional.
I believe her single for this album is "Because", but I found that I rather enjoy "Better Brother" a lot more than "Because". Probably because it's about her brother vs "Because" which is about how great she is.
Surprisingly, these two songs are also bonus tracks for Too. They are more or less dance beats designed for clubs.
Too was just released on March 28th, but I think it's quite limited, so you may want to order it online.
04/23/2008 01:27:24
vu
my♥posts
www.madita.com
myspace.com
| Tour Dates
04/30/08 Music Mill - Indianapolis, IN*
Discography
05/01/08 Shank Hall - Milwaukee, WI* 05/02/08 Varsity Theatre - Minneapolis, MN* 05/03/08 Majestic Theatre - Madison, WI* 05/05/08 Uptown Grill - LaSalle, Illinois* 05/06/08 The Duck Room - St. Louis, MO* 05/07/08 Knuckleheads Saloon-Kansas City, MO* 05/09/08 Fox Theatre Boulder, CO* 05/12/08 Santa Fe Brewing Co - Santa Fe, NM* 05/13/08 Club Congress - Tucson, AZ* 05/14/08 Belly Up - Solana Beach, CA* 05/16/08 Troubadour - Los Angeles, CA* 05/17/08 Sings Like Hell Series - S Barbara, CA* 05/20/08 Independent - San Francisco, CA* 05/22/08 Alladin Theater - Portland, OR* * with Kathleen Edwards
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I am kind of excited to see that Megan Hickey, aka The Last Town Chorus, has a new single out called Loud and Clear (released last February). I believe it's just a one-track single that you can download on iTunes for 99 cents.
The Last Town Chorus, since the last time I reviewed her Wire Waltz on W♥M, I noted that all her songs are kind of mini-biography, or at it least seems so.
This song is a dialogue between listener and song, with her obvious trademark lap steel guitar sliding in and out.
Along with the song, it's also made known that she'll be on tour with Kathleen Edwards. I was curious enough to head over to check out her official website, where she made some of her older songs available for download. From the few songs I've listened to, she seems like a sweet and sensible gal.
Her new album, Asking for Flowers came out March 4th.
As for The Last Town Chorus, I am assuming that with the recent "Loud and Clear" song, she's currently writing new material and we should probably expect a new album somewhen in the near future.
04/23/2008 00:12:32
vu
my♥posts
thelasttownchorus.com
myspace.com
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04/12/08 Eclectic Middletown, CT 04/18/08 Horseshoe Tavern Toronto 04/19/08 Les Saints Montreal, Quebec 06/05/08 Mercury Lounge NY 08/09/08 Green Light Fest Ansonia, CT |
When I was writing the article to Yip-Yip, I ran into Mixel Pixel by accident. I have to admit, I really enjoyed their songs on myspace.
The next time I went to the page, I noticed they have "Sinking Feeling" available for download from their forth-coming album Let's Be Friends and it was so catchy, I've decided to talk about the song.
If you get a chance to listen to it, you'll hear that it's a duet between Kaia Wong and Rob Corradetti (?), with some quirky 8-bit sound and beats to make this song really catch and sweet.
Since I haven't heard any of the other songs, I would be really interested in checking out the rest of the new album. Look for Let's Be Friends on June 3rd from Mental Monkey.
More on Mixel Pixel later...
Special thanks to Rob for providing the cover artwork. I love his art!
04/08/2008 23:34:04 vu my♥posts www.mixelpixel.com myspace.com/mixelpixel
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04/18/08 All Asia Bar Cambridge, MA
04/24/08 The Lilly Pad Cambridge, MA 05/02/08 Rochester Institute of Tech NY |
Micah is a modernday folk singer/songwriter from Rochester, New York. Going to school and working on his music craft on the side, he was able to produce a four-track EP last August at GFI Studios in Rochester.
Again, I don't need to stress just how important to be searchable and brand recognition, especially because "micah" is a name that a lot of people share. I don't want him to change his name, it's just an observation.
Of the three tracks sent to me, I liked "Goodbye", with its acoustic notes to start the song, followed by a sweet and soulful folk vocals. I'm not quite sure if the protagonist in this song is threatening to leave or not, but I do get the impression that he doesn't want to end the relationship (but ultimately playing the fool is much too much for him!)
He's currently playing a few shows, so if you're in the area, you should check him out. He is also accompanied by Cory, his guitarist on tour.
PS, I didn't like feel the press photo accompanied my email would make a good cover art, so I made it orange and more interesting. Apologies in advance.
04/08/2008 23:09:08
vu
my♥posts
myspace.com/roctrio
micahmusic.wetpaint.com
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04/18/08 Club Sparks Bridgewater, NJ
04/19/08 Washington Theater NJ 04/22/08 Global Cafe Nashville, TN 04/25/08 Woodland Skate Lexington, KY 04/27/08 Wreck Kendallville, Indiana 04/30/08 Joe’s Java Wilmington, OH 05/02/08 Escape Zone Mt Vernon,OH 05/04/08 Journey Howard, Ohio 05/07/08 Vineyard Church Rochester, NY 05/09/08 The OasisPatchogue, NY 05/11/08 Extreme Tour Stony Brook, NY 05/14/08 Medford Skate Park Medford,NJ 05/18/08 Quakertown Skate Park PA 05/21/08 252 Underground Lansdale, PA 06/25/08 Extreme Tour Jacksonville, FL 06/27/08 The Extreme Tour Lake City, FL 06/29/08 The Extreme Tour Live Oak, FL 07/02/08 The Extreme Tour Live Oak, FL 07/04/08 Extreme Tour Columbus,GA 07/06/08 Extreme Tour Chattanooga, TN 07/09/08 Extreme Tour Morristown, TN 07/11/08 Extreme Tour Cullman, AL 07/13/08 Extreme Tour Tupelo, MI 07/16/08 Extreme Tour Memphis, TN 07/18/08 Extreme Tour El Dorado,AR 07/20/08 Extreme Tour Tahlequah, OK 07/30/08 Extreme Tour Council Bluffs, IA 08/01/08 Extreme Tour Stevens Point, WI 08/03/08 Extreme Tour Waterloo, IA 08/06/08 Extreme Tour Cedar Rapids, IA 08/08/08 Extreme Tour Kansas City, MO 08/10/08 Extreme Tour Coffeyville, KS 08/13/08 Extreme Tour Blackwell, OK 08/15/08 Extreme Tour Dallas, TX 08/17/08 Extreme Tour Sante Fe, NM 08/20/08 Extreme Tour Albuquerque, NM 08/22/08 Extreme Tour Las Cruces, NM 08/24/08 Extreme Tour El Paso, TX 08/27/08 Extreme Tour San Angelo, TX 08/29/08 Extreme Tour Ft Worth, TX |
It looks like New Jersey's Of Fate and Chance are going to do a massive "Extreme" tour this year. Looking at their myspace page they've already released five EPs and a full length, so these guys are constantly writing new material and (probably) evolving their music along the way.
Of the two mp3s, I received ("Bravery" and "Post Explosion"), I thought the first one is pretty good at displaying their energy and sound - but I also get the impression that they are very young. This is not meant as a putdown, but I could not picture someone in their late 30s pounding and pumping to a power song like this. Youth is on their side, and it should be interesting to see what they sound like as a band in five years.
I found out that the two songs are from the last EP called An Atlas to Solutions, which as of this writing, I do not think they have any available for sale on their merchandise store (only A Liar's Monologue and some T-Shirts are for sale).
So if you like the harder alternative (even punkish power pop) sound, you should check out these guys on tour. They seem to be doing the East Coast and then South-ish areas.
Special thanks to Platform One for sending in music.
PS, sorry for the awful cover art, there wasn't a better copy available online.
04/08/2008 22:21:04
vu
my♥posts
myspace.com/offateandchance
Niklas Tafra is a Swedish guy living in London, and I suppose people just know him as Tafra. You know, kind of like Steven Patrick.
Series Two Records sent over some of Tafra's music, I reckon it's from his album Why Even Bother?, which you can buy by paypaling $13 to Seriestworecords(at)gmail.com. I could not for the life of me open up their biography which was saved in docx (why doesn't Word 2007 documents work with Word 2003? For god's sake, text is text is text, right?)
So I really couldn't tell you much about Tafra, other than that he played on the third Suburban Kids WIth Biblical Names album, which you may remember Randy writing an article on them.
Based on the three tracks submitted, I thought "Cheesy Epic View" is the best among them. The synth melody reminds me of Russian disco, but the singing reminds me of warm milk. These's even some weird experimental breaks towards the end of the song which might wake you up and make you take notice.
04/08/2008 21:45:02
vu
my♥posts
myspace.com/tafra
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