One of the best feelings as a music correspondent is stumbling upon an emerging artist with real humble beginnings (not fake Hollywood ones that look good on paper), in her own blues-influenced lane who is ridiculously talented and you see immediately has the potential to break through in a big way. Such a thing happened last year when I came across ZZ Ward , an opening act for a sold-out show I attended at the Troubadour in LA back in March 2012. I luckily interviewed her [...]
Listening to artist Bitch’s new track In Us We Trust , I immediately loved the hype dance and frenetic energy of the song. Hooked by the 80’s alt electro-pop and modern day EDM influences, I had to hear more. Collaborating with Billie Jo (who goes by Alligator) to form Beach, Bitch’s new album, In Us We Trust drops on July 16th and has garnered attention from outlets like Vibe Magazine already. Insistently picking up the violin at just four years old, her [...]
Boston Celtic punk band Dropkick Murphys have just released a three song EP Rose Tattoo: For Boston Charity EP to help support Boston Marathon bombing victims affected by the recent terrorist attack tragedy that occurred a few weeks ago. Known for their philanthropic and political support for various causes, this latest effort is no different. The EP includes the title track "Rose Tattoo" , assisted by classic rock legend Bruce Springsteen and two live versions of two other tracks, "Don't Tear Us [...]
Being an entertainment writing aspiring Angeleno, a lucky opportunity arose recently to attend the Digital Hollywood Los Angeles spring conference at the end of April. For four days, music, TV, movie, advertising and communications execs got together to share advice on breaking into the biz, where to obtain funding for your indie movie or music projects, getting more bang for your marketing buck and leveraging different platforms for your content. All things as an indie artist, filmmaker or writer can be forgotten but you should know, trying to make a decent living in the wonderful fickle and unforgiving [...]
For the remainder of the month, Video of the Week has been taken over by a Deadbolt wine. They believe they have the chops to knock our socks off. Deadbolt isn't just a new wine, it's making its own rules and creating a new type of wine culture through great music promotions, sponsorships, and even a series of concerts to lend aid to these musicians giving them a voice to a larger audience. So let's see what kind of chops they have. [...]
Disturbingly catching my eye this week with their brilliantly creepy video for their single, “Big Fan” premiering this week, LA new wave psyche pop duo Touché released their debut album It’s Fate on May 1st. Featuring fatalistic themes and provocative images, they’ve crossed dance, pop and house genres with ease. Getting props from Filter, MTV, XLR8R and All Music recently, Touché have officially touched down on mainstream media consciences. [...]
For the remainder of the month, Video of the Week has been taken over by a sponsor. Deadbolt isn't just a new wine, it's making its own rules and creating a new type of wine culture through great music promotions, sponsorships, and even a series of concerts to lend aid to these musicians giving them a voice to a larger audience that only Pernod Ricard can provide. So let's see what kind of chops they have. Coming from the ilk of many alternative [...]
It’s common knowledge that as NY (Let’s Go Knicks and Yankees) as I am to the core, I’ve always had a soft spot for Boston (or as we say Bawston) boys. Especially Boston rappers. Mixing members Everlast, DJ Lethal and Danny Boy of the historic group House of Pain with rising Beantown lyricists Slaine and Ill Bill, La Coka Nostra started making their mark in 2005. Performing with the group, launching a successful acting career and dropping solo projects, Slaine’s got a full slate on the horizon. Dropping his latest effort a few weeks ago, [...]
UNSW10 Welcome to another edition of Unsigned and Wound Up, volume 10 ladies and gents. The top three vote-getters will receive a professional review from a staff writer. The top vote-getter receives an interview feature. Past episodes Unsigned and Wound Up 9 Unsigned and Wound Up 8 Unsigned and Wound Up 7 Unsigned and Wound [...]
Guards will join Portugal. The Man on tour in June and July, rounding out a busy couple of months on the road that includes dates with Palma Violets , Best Coast , Alt-J , and appearances at Lollapalooza, Primavera Sound, and more. On tour in support of their new album In Guards We Trust (Black Bell Records), the New York-based band just performed a highly-praised set at Coachella. The Wall Street Journalstates "on tour behind In Guards [...]
Very few can deny the 90’s yielded some of the best hip-hop trios and quartets ever. The East Coast definitely repped during the era but the West equally held it down (including Vancouver and the Pacific NW) with groups like Juno-winning, platinum selling Swollen Members (including Prevail , Mad Child and Rob The Viking ) immediately coming to mind. Weathering the storm of drug addiction, dark periods and legal issues remaining together, the group released their tenth album, Beautiful Death Machine in March. Collaborating over the years with respected heavy-hitters like Everlast, Talib [...]
The one and only electronic duo Daft Punk are finally back! In anticipation of their new record Random Access Memories out May 21, here is their very first official single from the upcoming project. It's called "Get Lucky", and features special guest Pharrell Williams . You may remember they teased us with those SNL TV ads a while back. Find all the songs listed below, leaked via Twitter's Vine app . [...]
Another Planet Entertainment, Superfly Presents and Starr Hill presents, in a partnership with the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, are very proud to announce the lineup for the sixth annual Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival. The world's only gourmet music festival that Rolling Stone called "one of America's best," will once again take place in San Francisco's historic Golden Gate Park August 9 - 11, 2013. Tickets will go on sale this Thursday April 18 at 12 noon PDT via www.sfoutsidelands.com. A significant portion of every ticket sold will directly benefit San Francisco's Recreation and Park Department. [...]
Flume just wrapped up his first (and massively successful) tour of the US, which followed a breakout run at SXSW and Ultra Fest. He sold out virtually every show on tour, an amazing feat considering he had previously only played in New York City, and during the insanity of CMJ, no less. Now he's back home, gearing up for his Infinity Prism Tour, an Australian run of dates in massive rooms, which will feature a new centerpiece to his show. He's sharing a new video for album track "More Than You Thought," premiered today on Pitchfork TV,which reveals [...]
Yay for the interwebs. Since falling into the wonderful (or potential addicting) world of social networks, I've been blessed to have some amazing artists come to me in random ways. Case in point. I discovered an artist Fuze the MC recently followed me on Twitter . Who was this person? Lo and behold, I discovered a million plus Twitter-followed “Atlien” with a few dope albums under his belt who’s garnered a slew of industry props from the likes of XXL, MTV, Big Boi, Melanie Fiona, Blu (who would [...]
Unfortunately we have some bad news to report. Bassist Chi Cheng of Deftones has passed away. Deftones first formed in 1998, and went through several bass players before meeting Chi. He immediately became a permanent fixture of the new band, and was also partially responsible for shaping their unique sound. He was involved in a car accident in 2008, and has been struggling with a comma ever since. There were some good and hopeful moments when it seemed like he would fully recover. His final moments came yesterday, on Saturday the 13th. He was [...]
Post by our very own Gilles LeBlanc (@ ROCKthusiast ) I’ve never been to California, let alone the Coachella Festival, but it’s been destination viewing for me since 2008. They produce the best webcast in my opinion. I know pretty much every major music festival can be viewed from the comfort of one’s home these days, but for whatever reason, Coachella consistently keeps me glued in front of my computer screen all weekend. Maybe it has to do with the weather we usually have here in Toronto or the always-stellar lineups being beamed from the desert year [...]
Photo Credit: Jonathan Hyde Doldrums has solidified his position as one of the year's most progressive and promising new artists, lauded by critics as an innovator whose approach is shaping the future of electronic music. Following the Arbutus Records release of the well received debut, Lesser Evil , this past February, Doldrums delivers a fiercely energetic live show, with a national tour supporting Crystal Castles kicking off next week. FADER just premiered a swooping cinematic short film for "Lost In Everyone" today, co-directed by Angus Borsos [...]
Detroit duo Jamaican Queens has debuted a brand new video for their single 'Caitlin' with Nowness, and are excited to announce their first ever West Coast tour dates. The video for the single is taken from their acclaimed debut, Wormfood on Notown, utilizes innovative green-screen techniques and colorful animation. The song was written by Ryan Spencer as a Secret Santa gift to comfort a friend, Caitlin, who had recently suffered a tremendous loss. For the video, the band collaborated with Dan Demaggio, another Detroit native, who spent a month creating the animations for the [...]
Two of our favorite hip-hop artists have collaborated together...again. We have been following both K. Flay and Danny Brown since late 2011/early 2012. And now it's been just over a year ago when the two first hooked up. In March of 2012, they dropped a track "Party All The Time", which was a K. Flay remix. Now they are back again with the brand new "Hail Mary". Both are not only great MC's, they both also share a passion for electronic music. Just wait until you hear this eargasm. [...]
Editorial Emissions
Luce, Silvia Capasso: testo e video della finalista di The Voice of Italy
IS TROPICAL – Dancing Anymore (2013)
Coast
Feed Me to ‘stop’ DJing ‘for a while’
