
Day number two finds me in the Caribbean-themed frat bar Wicked Willy's. I'm not entirely sure how I ended up here, but I had heard a bunch of artists were playing stripped down sets without their bands, and this wasn't something you get to see a lot of at CMJ. First up was Christina LaRocca . A Brooklyn staple with powerhouse pipes. Backed only by partner Satchel Jones, she projects a warm R&B flavor either when singing in French, or when covering classics like 'Ring of Fire.' [...]

Day number two finds me in the Caribbean-themed frat bar Wicked Willy's. I'm not entirely sure how I ended up here, but I had heard a bunch of artists were playing stripped down sets without their bands, and this wasn't something you get to see a lot of at CMJ. First up was Christina LaRocca . A Brooklyn staple with powerhouse pipes. Backed only by partner Satchel Jones, she projects a warm R&B flavor either when singing in French, or when covering classics like 'Ring of Fire.' [...]

Jeremy from Fingertips scours the betterPropaganda archives, highlighting gems buried a few years back in our database. This week we bring you "This Life" from La Rocca . A comfy stomp of a piano riff leads, brain-buzzingly, into a song as brash as it is cheerful, as expansive as it is, also, introspective. This young Irish band will bring some inevitable early-U2 comparisons, both for the country of origin and for singer/guitartist Bjorn Baillie's semi-resemblance to a young Bono. But the comparison doesn't hold for long, to my ears. There's some deep-seated, [...]
The Anatomy of a Blogger show is up on http://breakthruradio.com/ and OMG I'm cringing here listening to my voice! Anyway if you have an hour free you will hear the following! 00:57 Cate Blanchett - Oppenheimer 05:28 The Pull of the Pint - Bill Coleman 11:57 Blue Skies - Jaymay 15:50 This Life - La Rocca 19:21 Sophia - Butterfly Explosion 25:12 Boy With A Coin - Iron And Wine 29:18 Asking For Flowers - Kathleen Edwards 35:16 I'm Alright Now - David Ford 39:50 [...]

Tomorrow marks the start of my residence for Blogger of the Week on Break Thru Radio. It is a cross promotional week where my regular 2 U I Bestow features appear on the BTR website and I make the radio show Anatomy of a Blogger. This show is based on the musical influences of Mixtape4melfi and 2 U I Bestow blogs. Within the tracks chosen are international acts such as David Ford, Jaymay, The National and The Gutter Twins as well as the following Irish acts I have chosen. This radio broadcast will appear on Thursday and can be accessed [...]

The Whispertown 2000 I received the December issue of Paste today. I really do love this magazine. Great format, photos, reviews and the free monthly CD sampler. She & Him's M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel grace the cover for winning Paste's album of year award . I don't agree with the pick, but they explain their decision in the issue. Look for features on Damon Albarn, Steven Soderbergh and a review of Ryan Adam's 'Cardinology'. Los Angeles' The Whispertown 2000 record 'Swim' is creeping [...]

Se me acumulan los grupos en mi ordenador, por más que intento ir publicando a un buen ritmo, cada día tengo más bandas pendientes, así que vamos a ir dándoles salida poco a poco. Los elegidos para hoy son La Rocca, cuarteto formado por Bjorn Baillie (voz, guitarra),Simon Baillie (voz, bajo), Nick Haworth (voz, teclados, guitarra) yAlan Redmond (batería). Formados en Cardiff, no tardaron en mudarse a Dublín, posteriormente a Londres, y finalmente, en el año 2005 se establecieron en California, donde residen actualmente. En el año 2006 se produjo su debut discográfico, con la publicación [...]

Over a week behind on this.... Noteworthy Albums Released on 9/30/08: Dungen : 4 (Kemado) – While I've heard they draw somewhat heavily from early Swedish pysch rock 'n' roll, they sound unique to me. The Swedes' fourth record is their most group oriented effort yet. Gustav Ejstes moves behind the piano and limits the flute solos. The album has a mellower vibe than the last two, with more emphasis on the free jazz; but they do manage to rock out a couple of [...]
Maybe it's just us, but fall always seems to be such a depressing time of the year. The sky darkens earlier, the weather gets colder and colder, and aside from a few fortunate lucky kids in Texas, the music festivals are few and far between. Then again, the season does mark a rather stellar time for new music, something certainly reflected in this week's edition of our Friday Mixtape. So maybe things aren't so bad after all... NEW Singles: "Turn Me Off" by Audrye Sessions [...]

(Kid Sister) Download: The Gentle Guest - "Down At The Still" Download: Shawn Hewitt - "Keep Them At Bay" Download: La Rocca - "Sing Her Song" Download: Chandeliers - "Mango Tree" Download: Chandeliers - "Big League" Download: Jeremy Messersmith - "Skyway" (Speaking of The Replacements ) Download: Kid Sister - "Family [...]

When it comes to music, I'm what you might call a habitual harmonizer. Doesn't seem to matter what song I'm listening to, when I sing along to it I start devising some sort of vocal harmony. I'm not sure where this urge stems from, but I think it has to do with learning to sing the alto part when I was all of six or seven years old. My father directed our church choir and he would let me sit in and practice with them (better to keep an eye on me, I think), [...]
Today's free and legal mp3 downloads: Chop Chop : "Northern Armies" [mp3] from Screens Chop Chop : "C Train David" [mp3] from Screens other Chop Chop posts at Largehearted Boy The Cute Lepers : "So Screwed Up" [mp3] from Can't Stand Modern Music other Cute Lepers posts [...]
Argghh I can't figure this whole format thing out, so I apologize for the spacing. Here's the track-list for Triphop Vol 4. 01 - Fishtank No 9 - Gone (Remix by Anji of LSD) 02 - Supreme Beings of Leisure - Never the Same 03 [...]
La Rocca - Goodnight A Dead Giveaway - Sleep Tight Madrugada - Life In The City Something Corporate - Punk Rock Princess (Radio Edit) Chevelle - Sleep Walking Elite Avantasia - Carry Me Over (Radio Edit)

Give me your eyes I need sunshine... I am now commuting, something I said I would never do. So far I have not really done anything during the commute. This morning I mostly mouthed the lyrics of this song at random people. "I'll Believe in Anything" - Wolf Parade ( mp3 ) I am driven by the desire to talk to random people and I usually do. I make a big show of reacting to whatever occurs. I dislike the smell of B.O. On the way home today [...]
I didn't listen to a lot of music this past weekend. Most of the time I was sitting in my apartment watching Top Chef marathons, What Not To Wear (my roommate has given me this wonderful addiction) or countless cheesy movies while sniffling and coughing away. I was on a good amount of medication. If I sat in my room and just listened to music, I probably would have passed out. However, I am back and breathing fairly normally again, and it feels nice to be out in public. The only time I [...]
Comin' atcha first thing every Monday morning, it's The Pony Track, a super-fantastic long distance dedication to BadmintonStamps Collective founding member Aaron "Pony" Child. No fancy links, no clever write-ups, 'cause these awesome songs don't need no splainin'. So c'mon, ride the pony!
I woke up this morning, ready to grab my badge and camera and head to Fader Lounge for a breakfast Red Stripe. Once I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, I realized that it was Monday. Back to work. No more free drinks. No more bandfest during the day. Sigh. I was a little bit sad. I'm sure the sadness will lessen as the days go by and I start to count down the days to SXSW. Austin is already calling my name. Anyways, here's a mix for you to enjoy. Back to regularly scheduled posts [...]
(no picture now but if Blogger starts to like me, I'll toss one up here later today.) La Rocca play piano-based power pop, kinda like a Ben Folds Five meets Franz Ferdinand. This is the first song off their album, The Truth. Fun lyrics. Uptempo beat. A perfect song to start November with. La Rocca ~ Sketches (Twenty Something Life) Buy It Other favs ~ The Walkmen: Many Rivers To Cross ~ Snow Patrol: Chasing Cars ~ Teddybears: [...]

Wow, lots of great stuff going on in the Twin Cities tonight: (Birdmonster) Tuesday, October 24, 2006 - 400 Bar Late Show: 9:30pm - 18+ $10.00 Birdmonster w/ La Rocca and Los Abandoned I missed San Francisco's Birdmonster last time they played here in September as I was in Europe. [...]