Upcoming: Bright Light Bright Light at Pianos, 8/2

GIG ALERT!!!  UK electro-dance artist Bright Light Bright Light (Rod Thomas) will be performing a solo set at Pianos on Thursday, August 2.  It all happens at 8PM and it will cost you $8.  Head on down and show him some love.

Check out the video of "Disco Moment" below.  The song is from his debut album Make Me Believe In Hope which was released last month.

Upcoming: Brown Bird at 92YTribeca, 8/2

I have a gig alert for you New York.  Rhode Island duo Brown Bird will be taking the stage at 92YTribeca on Thursday, August 2.  It happens at 9PM and it will cost you $12 adv/$14 dos.  Head on down and show them some New York love.

And, if that's not enough for you and you're among those who scored tickets, the duo will be playing this year's sold-out Newport Folk Festival this Saturday, July 28 on the main stage.  They're scheduled to go on at 11:40AM.  I may have gotten a little giddy at last year's festival when they launched into their excellent rendition of "Jackson" which happens to be a favorite of mine.

Newport Jazz Festival Schedule Cubes

For a printable schedule, click HERE. For additional festival information, visit the Newport Jazz Festival website. Click image to enlarge.

Video of the Day: Maren Parusel - "Tightrope Walker"

Today we have for you a video from electro rocker Maren Parusel.  The video is for the song "Tightrope Walker" which I have fallen in lust with.  The clip was directed and edited by Greg Schoenwald and Dead In 60 Years.  The song is the title track of their new album that was released last month.  Check out the video at the bottom of the post.

Front woman Parusel had this to say about the film:

“Many thanks to Dead in 60 Years, a group who supports indie music and local music events in Fresno. We met the crew a year ago on a trip up to Fresno while on tour up the coast and they offered us to make our first music video, “Kiss You.”  We liked it so much that we asked them again this time around.
 
We started shooting the video after driving to Fresno the night before. The shoot started at 6:30 am to about 2 am the next morning, after which we drove 5 hours back home to San Diego. Special thanks to the crew of Dead in 60 Years, who never stopped with the determination to finish the video in a one day shoot. We went from climbing hills to an Alice in Wonderland Amusement park, had several jumps in the coldest pool in the world and ended up performing in a scary haunted house. Maren's sister, Lena who was visiting from Germany was doing costume design and was performing as a scary masked clown in the video.”

Upcoming: The Dreamscapes Project at Arlene's Grocery, 7/28

The Dreamscapes Project are coming back to New York!  They will be at Arlene's Grocery on Saturday, July 28.  They go on at 9PM and it'll cost you $10.  Head on down to the LES, check them out ... they're a fun live band, show them some love ... all bands like love, and in general have damn good time ... it's what you do when good music and a bar are involved! 

Upcoming: Allen Stone Live From T5, 7/26

JetBlue Airways will be presenting singer Allen Stone on Thursday, July 26 at 6PM at Terminal 5 (T5) at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York.  The performance, a part of JetBlue's Live From T5 series, will be available to ticketed customers and contest winners.  The airline has partnered with Relix.com and WFUV for a local contest.  Fans can tune into WFUV to enter to win passes to the exclusive concert.

"Allen Stone’s powerhouse sound has brought him to the front row in the music industry,” said JetBlue Brand Coordinator Albert Hsieh. ”His energy, unwavering attitude and individuality are similar to JetBlue, a brand that truly values independence. JetBlue loves to break new ground and introduce quality artists to our customers. Those traveling through our terminal at JFK’s T5 will get a real treat as Allen Stone performs following his sold out show at the famed Bowery Ballroom the night before.”

Video of the Day: George Wein interviews Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks

With the Newport Jazz Festival a couple of weeks away, I thought I'd start whetting my appetite.  Today we have for you festival founder/producer George Wein interviewing Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi.  The pair will bring their Tedeschi Trucks Band to the festival on Sunday, August 5.  If you haven't got tickets to the festival, which takes place August 3 - 5 in scenic Newport, RI, what are you waiting for?  Click HERE for tickets.  You don't want you to miss out on a great weekend of music! 

Newport Folk Festival Schedule Cubes

For a printable schedule, click HERE. For additional festival information, visit the Newport Folk Festival website. Click images to enlarge.

Audio Fiction To Release New EP, First Single Out Today!

New York based rock band Audio Fiction (Kristin Wilson, vocals; Charles Park, guitar/vocals; Mark O'Toole, drums; Dean Perry, bass) are gearing up to release their third studio record, Worlds Apart, via Liminal Records at the end of the summer.  With the help of a supportive fan base, the album was fully funded in February by a successful Kickstarter campaign. The first single and title song from the record, Worlds Apart is available now!  You can check out the video for the track at the bottom of the post. 

Worlds Apart, produced by former bassist Darren Korb (creator of the award winning soundtrack to the hit video game Bastion) and mixed by Jeremy Parker, finds Audio Fiction delving into some darker waters.  ""The old saying goes "art imitates life imitates art imitates life" - Sometimes life throws curve balls at you. It's not life's problems but it's how you deal with these obstacles that can define you. I was able to channel some of my feelings from a difficult time and my break up into a more dramatic fashion. The bitter-sweetness of our first AF album turned a little more bitter than sweet...." commented Wilson on the darker lyrical content.

As always, Audio Fiction have given fans a well crafted piece of work that is a force to be reckoned with.  They blend hauntingly beautiful, powerful vocals, a blazing guitar and incredible rhythms into the perfect mix of pop-rock perfection.  The highlight for me is "Lying Awake."  The rather upbeat song is so infectious that it begs you to hit the dance floor. 

GIG ALERT!!!  Audio Fiction will be taking the stage at Pianos on Friday, August 24.  They're a fantastic live band and for my fellow guitar fans, at some point during the show, Park will be unapologetic when he melts your face off.

Video of the Day: Lunic - "Far Away"

Today, we have for you "Far Away" from Lunic.  The song is from their upcoming record, Future Sex Drama which is scheduled for release on September 1.  Check it out below.

The all-female electro-pop outfit are on the verge of releasing their highly anticipated sophomore album, Future Sex Drama, due out September 2012. The seductive video will not only capture your ears, but your eyes as well. The piece is colorful yet dark simultaneously, with haunting vocals. The intriguing video gives you a glimpse of Lunic’s musical beauty and the electro-glam that follows.

MP3 Grab: "Far Away"

Saint Motel Release Debut Album

Los Angeles quartet Saint Motel released their debut album Voyeur last week. Voyeur is delightful to listen to! The album is full of dance inducing, cheeky pop. Check it out for yourself. Stream the album using the handy widget at the bottom of the post. I must warn you though, it's rather addictive. Once you've become caught up in it, you'll want to buy Voyeur either digitally or physically.  And, add to my list of likes, the album artwork. It is just outright fun!

Voyeur is lush with stories that reveal themselves through thematic twists and turns with a narrative voice both subversive and sincere. With themes ranging from the lure of plastic surgery, to the dangers of honest feedback, to the taboo bonds of friendship within the Heaven’s Gate cult, we end up with tongue-in-cheek notions strung together by honest motifs, delivered with charm, often leaving the song’s meanings open to interpretation.

   SAINT MOTEL - Voyeur by saintmotel

Citizen Cope Releases One Lovely Day

Today marks the release of the new album from Brooklyn based Citizen Cope.  One Lovely Day is one of those records that you put on and just fall in love with.  I was all set to sit down and write a "review." I listened to it several times before I came to the realization that I couldn't put into words why I like this record.  I'm listening as I type and the words still escape me. So, I give to you my review... One Lovely Day is simply a beautiful piece of work and I like it. 

Cope will be embarking on a Summer/Fall headlining tour beginning June 24.  And while it's not listed among the dates below, he will be making a hometown stop.  New York, head on up to the Beacon Theater on November 3 and show your love.

For over a decade, Citizen Cope (Clarence Greenwood) has been building a profoundly dedicated following, tirelessly bringing his urban folk-with a band or simply his guitar- to far corners of the US and beyond. Recorded in Brooklyn and written/produced by Cope, the sounds on One Lovely Day are Southern rural, big sky lonely, concrete urban, and painfully romantic.

Tour Dates:

• June 24 - San Luis Obispo, CA / Avila Beach Resort                   
• July 25 - Lewiston, NY / Art Park
• July 26 - Toronto, ONT / Phoenix Theatre
• July 27 - Montreal, QUE / Corona Theatre
• Aug 12 - Burlington, VT / Burlington Waterfront Park
• Aug 14 - Dewey Beach, DE / Bottle & Cork
• Aug 15 - Hampton Beach, NH / Hampton Beach Casino
• Aug 17 - Norfolk, VA / Norva Theatre
• Aug 18 - North Myrtle Beach, SC / House of Blues     
• Sept 12 - Ponte Vedra Beach, FL / Ponte Vedra Concert Hall
• Sept 13 - St. Petersburg, FL / Jannus Landing
• Sept 14 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL / Revolution
• Sept 15 - Lake Buena Vista, FL / House of Blues
• Sept 17 - New Orleans, LA / Howlin' Wolf
• Sept 19 - Dallas, TX / AT&T Performing Arts Center
• Sept 20 - Houston, TX / House of Blues
• Sept 21 & 22 - Austin, TX / Stubbs Ampitheatre
• Sept 25 - Tempe, AZ / Marquee Theatre
• Sept 26 - San Diego, CA / House of Blues
• Sept 28 - Los Angeles, CA / Wiltern
• Sept 29 - Oakland, CA / Fox Theatre

HITS Releases Debut EP

New York based HITS (formerly Jump Into The Gospel) released their debut self-titled EP last week.

HITS is a tight piece of work.  The songs are overall more polished while the band maintains the natural charm and fun of their previous incarnation. The album is reminiscent of mid-80's dance pop and tend to get stuck in your head forcing you to put them on repeat. 

The wickedly wonderful "St. John" has been a longtime favorite from their live shows.  The recorded version is less funky and more pop but maintains its infectious dance quality and bad ass bass groove of their live performances. The catchy "Singularity" stands as the commercial appeal track and has great potential in the licensing world. 

On "Twin Peaks" first of all, is that even vocalist Louis Epstein singing?!  The vocals on the album sound strong and more confident in general.  But, on this low key, dreamy sounding track, the confidence particularly shines through in the deeper, richer tone.  Somewhere out there, teens in angst are declaring this their song.

After several listens, I have decided that "Madness" is possibly one of the sexiest songs of the summer in a geek girl love fest sort of way.  It makes me feel like I should be at this very moment lusting over some slightly odd, vaguely nerdy guy with a somewhat weird view on love. 

If I have any complaints about the EP, it would be as a fan of guitars, they're a little too tucked away in the mix for my personal tastes ... more of guitarist Ben Vescovi please and thank you.  And, a live favorite, "Start A Following" didn't crossover into their new world.

Get on board with this album and band.  They are ready to take their star turn and you don't want to be the only person to miss the boat.

GIG ALERT!!!  HITS will be at Pianos on Saturday, July 21.  They go on at 9PM and it will cost you $10.

You can listen to and buy the EP using the handy widget below.

Upcoming: NY Pin Up Club Presents Old Hollywood Burlesque

Cherry La Voix

New York fans of burlesque, the NY Pin Up Club is hosting their monthly burlesque show this Thursday, July 5.  They will be paying tribute to the Hollywood of yesteryear.  Head on down to the Bowery Poetry Club for an evening of shaking, shimmying and in general good old fashioned fun.  Doors are at 7PM, show is at 8PM.  You have to be 17+ to enter, 21+ to drink and it'll cost you $15. 

Scheduled to perform, Sincerely Yours, Cherry La Voix and Jean Willickers.

Don't forget to be extra loud in your appreciation.  It will make the evening even more fun!  

Get there early and get a good seat.