Latest Blog PostsLatest Blog Posts
-
Indaba Music’s Community to Remix Matisyahu’s “One Day”
The top online destination for music creation, Indaba Music, is proud to announce that Matisyahu fans and fellow musicians can visit www.indabamusic.com/remixmatisyahu to remix the singer’s track “One Day,” and have the chance to win a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a new song with the artist. Matisyahu, whose music merges reggae beats, hip-hop and rock, wants fans to create a new version of the tune, which has been used extensively as the theme song for NBC’s “Countdown to Vancouver” Olympics campaign. “One Day” is the lead single from Matisyahu’s third album, Light, which was released by Epic Records in August, 2009.The “One Day” Remix Contest will launch on Thursday, February 11th –one day before the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics. There will be a four-week submission period and a two-week voting period. A public vote will determine the top 10 winners to receive a pair of Skull Candy Agent headphones and be featured on both www.matisyahuworld.com and www.myspace.com/matisyahu. The First Place Winner and two Runners-Up, selected personally by Matisyahu, will also see a link to their mix Tweeted to Matisyahu’s 1.2 million followers and will each receive a year’s Indaba Music Pro Membership and a signed vinyl copy of Light. The First Place Winner will also be awarded the opportunity to participate in a one-on-one collaboration with the singer through Indaba Music.
Matisyahu will play a pair of shows during the Winter Olympics — at The Whistler Village Square on February 14th, and LiveCity Vancouver on February 15th. Indaba Music will integrate news and content from the Winter Olympics throughout the contest period.
Since his very first album, Matisyahu has had a reputation as an artist who transcends boundaries – musical, religious and ethnic – and encourages a united world view through his music. The singer emerged in 2004 with his debut album Shake Off the Dust…Arise, followed by Live At Stubb’s, which reached #1 on the Billboard Heatseekers charts. His sophomore studio album, Youth, debuted at #4 on Billboard, reached #1 on the Reggae Albums charts, and featured the hit single “King Without a Crown.” Appearing on shows such as Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Late Show with David Letterman and The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien, Matisyahu is a true global artist and citizen of the world, selling nearly three million records and hundreds of thousands of concert tickets worldwide.
Indaba Music offers the leading suite of online tools that enable artists all over the world to create music together online. Members can connect with an international community of musicians to create online recording sessions, editing and mixing tracks recorded in different parts of the world using its digital audio workstation (DAW). Indaba’s collaboration opportunities have previously featured such diverse artists as Weezer, The Roots, Yo-Yo Ma, Mariah Carey, Crystal Method, John Legend, Alkaline Trio, Har Mar Superstar and more.
http://www.matisyahuworld.com
http://www.indabamusic.com/featured_programs
Comments so far: No -
Looking for a Great Last Minute Christmas Gift? Give the gift of music!
If you’re like me, there’s a couple people on your Christmas list that are almost impossible to find gifts for. You could get a tacky Christmas gift pack from Walmart, but where’s the fun in that? Instead why not give them the gift of music?
Beginning Monday December 14, the Amazon Music Store will begin a week of hot lightning deals, and they’ve done all the guess work for you. Visit the calendar for great prices on music, including a day of all Beatles deals: http://www.amazon.com/gp/browse.html?node=2233633011
So head on over and get your family or friends some great tunes to get them through 2010!
(Photo: SXC.hu/LotusHead)
Comments so far: No -
Music Review: Fort Knox Five and The New Gold Standard 2
Looking for some funk in your life? Tired of the only options to keep your groove being pop-rock choices (like the Black Eyed Peas)? Then you need to do yourself a favor and check out this group – Fort Knox Five or pick up The New Gold Standard 2available on November 17, 2009. If you can’t wait, you can check out their music on their Myspace page or download their DJ mix “All Good Things Come in 5′s” for free from SoundCloud.com.
About Fort Knox Five
FORT KNOX FIVE is a DC based funk and global recording four-part group and they’ve had a huge impact on the international funk and breaks scene over the past couple of years. With the release of five critically acclaimed singles on their own independent label, Fort Knox Recordings, the FK5 have been thrust into the spotlight and caught the attention of music lovers around the world.
Review:
I received an advanced copy of the album for review and knew nothing of Fort Knox Five before listening. What impresses me the most about the Fort Knox Five songs on this album is the complex layering of sounds, instruments and vocals. This truly is modern funk at it’s best. With some of the songs feeling extremely old school (like the Jazz-funk track “The Sax Pusher”) to the modern, Eastern-influenced single “Shift”. All of these songs are great for a club or to get you moving at home.“The New Gold Standard 2″ is a compilation and a follow up to 2006′s “The New Gold Standard” and contains 15 new tracks including “Shift” featuring hip hop and international masterminds Afrika Bambaataa and Mustafa Akbar. It’s great to have a compilation album that isn’t just the same 14 songs you already have on your iPod and one new song, so if you’re looking for some new music, this is a great purchase.
If you’re interested in learning more about Fort Knox Five check them out on Twitter, Fort Knox Five, or Myspace. Also check out their upcoming shows in November in Hawaii, Hong Kong and Singapore.
Comments so far: 1 -
Tea Stain Clothing Launches “The Music Fashion Project”: Style, Music and Charity!
Shop for a good cause! Tea Stain Clothing has just launched The Music Fashion Project. This philanthropic initiative pairs some of the rock scene’s biggest names with their favorite style of Tea Stain Clothing to raise money for music-related charities. Participating bands include well known bands like Papa Roach and The Donnas. The project also features some bands ‘on the verge’ like Framing Hanley, currently holding the #1 video spot on Fuse TV, and Lovehammers featuring Marty Casey from NBC’s Rock Star INXS. Some benefiting charities include VH1 Save The Music, Little Kids Rock and Rock ‘N Renew. To contribute to the project, fans simply purchase their favorite band’s selected charity style. Tea Stain Clothing takes care of the rest by donating a portion of the proceeds directly to that band’s specified charity.The project is web based and every band’s feature is completely sharable. “This is the next generation of social media and web based marketing. We wanted to make a difference and make it easy to spread the word.” founder Devin Hajek says. “Even if someone isn’t able to spend money on a shirt, they can still support their favorite band/charity by simply clicking ‘share’. From there they have the option to email their friends or post it on their myspace, facebook and a host of other social networking outlets.”
For more information check out – http://www.teastainclothing.com/
Comments so far: No -
Miss the Beach Boys’ Endless Summer Tour?
The good folks over at DLF.tv have posted a great behind the scenes teaser video with the Beach Boys concert in Fairfield, Iowa (on Sept 7th, 2009).
You can even sign up on their site to be notified when the concert footage goes up! So head on over to DLF.tv and get some good vibrations going on: http://dlf.tv/
Comments so far: No -
Kenny Chesney Rocking Vegas
Country music superstar Kenny Chesney is launching his new clothing line Blue Chair Bay at MAGIC Marketplace in Las Vegas and is kicking his latest venture off in style with an invite-only concert at the Hard Rock Hotel on Tuesday, September 1, 2009.Chesney’s new clothing line Blue Chair Bay, a vintage brand of ageless, simple styles, will launch at MAGIC in the Premium Men’s platform – on the Concourse (Booth PR20800). A non-traditional booth set-up, Blue Chair Bay will exhibit in a vintage Airstream trailer (a first for MAGIC!) and will also host a Corona-sponsored Happy Hour on Monday, August 31st from 4:00 – 6:00 pm.
“They tell me MAGIC is the biggest show for this sort of the thing in the world, and I love the idea that these clothes are out there for the buyers who truly know – to get to see them,” says Kenny Chesney, the biggest North American concert draw this century. “The clothes are casual, comfortable and easy to wear wherever you’re headed… and that was the whole point. Whatever you’ve got to do, something in this line will work — and for someone who lives gone most of the time, one place to find everything — like MAGIC — is a real gift.”
“MAGIC offers the ultimate exposure to its exhibitors and is the perfect setting for Kenny Chesney’s clothing launch,” said Chris DeMoulin, MAGIC International President and Executive Vice President of Advanstar’s Fashion Group. “MAGIC provides a day-to-night platform that encourages a variety of exciting lifestyle launches like this, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to have Kenny.”
Blue Chair Bay captures Chesney’s laidback style for men and women. The line reflects his casual lifestyle with ageless, simple styles and a focus on quality fabrics, textures and details. The mid-priced line (ranging from $35 for a T-shirt to $72 for khakis) will include t-shirts, khakis, shorts and button-down shirts with the feel of that shirt that you’ve had forever. Chesney was extremely involved in the design process and even named a few items after friends.
Comments so far: No -
Felicia Day is a goddess (and so is the members of the Guild)
Buy (Do You Wanna Date My) Avatar (feat. Felicia Day) MP3 on Amazon
|| Buy the music video on iTunes
The extremely awesome Felicia Day and the Guild have released a fantastic music video (Do You Wanna Date My) Avatar. This is a must watch. Tell Katie Perry and Shakira, there’s a new sexy diva of pop music.
Comments so far: No -
New Yo-Yo Ma Box Set is “Outside the Box”
Sign up to get notified when Amazon carries Yo-Yo Ma: 30 Years Outside the Box
.
Craving some Yo-Yo Ma
now? Buy it on Amazon!
Comprising ninety discs, Yo-Yo Ma: 30 Years Outside the Box is a salute to Yo-Yo Ma’s monumental musical achievements and to his 30-year legacy with Sony Masterworks. The exciting story of his life and work is eloquently told in a quality hard bound book of over 312 pages, lavishly illustrated with more than 150 color and black-and-white archival photos, original album artwork, liner notes and credits. Further enriching the story of this musical giant is a warm and insightful foreword by his longtime friend and esteemed fellow artist, pianist Emanuel Ax, as well as a lengthy, insightful essay by noted critic Richard Dyer. The set is scheduled for release on October 27, 2009.
Beginning with Ma’s debut recording of Saint Saens’s Carnival of the Animals, Yo-Yo Ma: 30 Years Outside the Box includes wide-ranging treasures, from his matchless performance of seminal cello works like the Dvorak Concerto to his tribute to film music maestro Ennio Morricone and last year’s all-star, world music holiday celebration Songs of Joy and Peace, which found him in the company of such luminaries as Ren e Fleming, Chris Botti, Diana Krall and Dave Brubeck.
Category: Music Comments so far: No -
Backstreet Boys Gear Up For New Album: “This Is Us”
They’re baaaaaack.The Backstreet Boys have announced a new album, to be released on October 6th, 2009 on Jive Records. This will make for the group’s 7th album. Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell and AJ McLean collaborated with a group of producers and songwriters on This Is Us that included T-Pain, Max Martin, RedOne, Soulshock and Karlin, Jim Jonsin and Claude Kelly.
From the sound of it, the tracks are about the boys grown up, but without losing their pop sound.
“We’re really excited to release this new album and know that our fans are excited too. We worked with a group of amazing artists and producers that we’ve never worked with before, exploring new sounds and territory and know the final product turned out incredible,” says Carter.
Backstreet Boys plan on spending the second half of 2009 and all of 2010 on the road. A European tour has already been announced and a full North American headlining tour will be announced shortly. Tour dates can be found on the group’s official website www.backstreetboys.com.
Want some Backstreet Boys now? Check out Amazon.com.
Comments so far: No -
Sunset Strip Music Festival Sept. 10 – 12
Dying for some live music this fall in Los Angeles? Check out the Sunset Strip Music Festival featuring CHRIS CORNELL, PEPPER, KOTTONMOUTH KINGS, LMFAO, SHWAYZE, SHINY TOY GUNS, UNWRITTEN LAW, THE DONNAS, FISHBONE, IGLU & HARTLY, LIVING THINGS, THE RINGERS, THE PRICKS, NICO STAI and THENEWNO2. The Festival takes place at famous LA venues like the Cat Club, House of Blues, Key Club, The Roxy Theatre, Viper Room and Whisky A Go-Go. They’re also doing the first street fest on the legendary Sunset Strip.
Tickets go on sale this Friday, July 24 via Ticketmaster. Street festival tickets are available for a special three-day sale rate of $35 through July 26. Beginning July 27, tickets will be $39.50.
If you’re in Los Angeles, make sure to check out Shiny Toy Guns, I absolutely love them. If you’re not in LA buy their album Season of Poison
.
Comments so far: No -
Music Review: Sub Pop’s Cybersex Digital Sampler (2009) [CWG Review]
I’ve started doing some album reviews for CWG and I thought you guys might enjoy. Make sure to read the entire review over at CWG! – TabzReviewing a compilation CD is a bit like reviewing a cheerleading squad. You have to not only score the relative hotness of each girl as an individual, but how they work together as a team. Then you must factor in things such as presentation, costumes and pep. So when I sat down to review Sub Pop’s Cybersex Digital Sampler (2009), I was a bit overwhelmed, but in a good way.
Sub Pop Records is a Prolific Seattle label that has a quirky, buck-the-system attitude to making music, as evidenced by their album. You won’t hear a sugary pop song on this album, but instead you’ll hear compelling lyrics, complex rhythms and tambourines. Yes, I’ve got a thing for tambourines, so sue me.
First up on the album is “Strictly Rule” by the band Vetiver. This is probably one of my favorite songs on the entire sampler. I love the incorporation of 70’s style rock with a smooth vocal that gives it a simple but profound sound. The lyrics are perfect and I love how they turn common phrases (“Once chased now this bitter taste as I swallow my pride…”).
Read More Over at Chicks with Guns.
Buy Tight Rope by Vetiver Comments so far: No -
Free Music: The Great Luke Ski Pens a Tribute to The Wisconsin Dells
The Dells, that area of Wisconsin known as the “Waterpark Capital of The World”, now has its own novelty song. On July 7th the artist known as The Great Luke Ski released We’re Goin’ To The Dells (The Wisconsin Dells). The song serves as both a tribute to and promotion for The Dells.Luke “the great Luke Ski” Sienkowski is a dementia artist- a musician who writes funny songs- who has become one of the most popular artists on the nationally syndicated Dr. Demento Show . He writes pop and rap songs about various pop culture and nerdy topics such as Star Trek, Babylon 5, and Family Guy. Recently he turned his songwriting muse to a place where he spent a lot of time growing up.
“I’ve been in love with the place since childhood,” says Luke “and this song is my love letter to it.”
Luke also hopes the song will help promote The Dells which were hurt last year by flooding. The floods caused Lake Delton to breach its shoreline which emptied the Wisconsin River in just four hours. Many homes were literally washed away and local businesses that relied on the lake couldn’t operate because the lake had mostly emptied.
The song pays tribute to the entire area, often mentioning some of the more popular attractions by name even though Luke is not formally associated with any of them.
At Big Sky Drive-In your ceiling is starry.
Pirate’s Cove Mini Golf, where the staff is all “ARR!-y.”
I used visit reptiles at Serpent Safari,
Now I’m a Flowrider at the Kalahari.We’re Goin’ To The Dells (The Wisconsin Dells) by The Great Luke Ski is currently available as a free download from The Funny Music Project at www.TheFuMP.com.
Comments so far: No -
Mary Mary Named 2009′s Best Gospel Artist at Annual BET Awards
Buy Mary Mary CDs
Mary Mary was named this year’s Best Gospel Artist at the 2009 BET Awards ceremony held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 28, airing on BET. Mary Mary’s soulful performance of the group’s “God in Me,” with guest artist Queen Latifah, was one of the highpoints of an emotional BET ceremony.The groundbreaking contemporary gospel duo had racked up seven BET Award nominations in years past, beginning with a Best Female Group nod in 2001, culminating in 2007 with noms in both the Best Gospel Artist and Best Group categories.
Mary Mary also won 2009′s Best Gospel Performance Grammy while taking home this year’s NAACP Image Award — for Best Gospel Artist (Traditional or Contemporary) — and the Urban Recorded Song of the Year Dove Award for “Get Up,” one of the key tracks on the group’s #1 Gospel chart-topping album, The Sound
.
.Heralded as “Praiseworthy” by People magazine, Mary Mary’s latest album The Sound peaked at #1 on a variety of Billboard Christian and Gospel albums charts shortly after its release in October 2008. The Sound entered the Billboard Top 200 at #7, giving Mary Mary their highest charting — and second Top 10 — album on that chart (2005′s Mary Mary peaked at #8 on the Top 200). Mary Mary and The Sound achieved one of the highest chart debuts on the Top 200 of any gospel album released in 2008. A bona fide crossover smash, The Sound made a “Hot Shot” debut on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart at #2.
“Get Up,” the Grammy-winning lead single from The Sound, garnered massive crossover radio play on Urban, Urban Adult Contemporary, Rhythm Gospel and Dance radio formats while charting in a number of formats. “That song embodies what the whole album is about,” says Mary Mary’s Erica Campbell. “It asks people, ‘Why are you waiting? Why do you care what other people think?’ It reminds us that your beginning can be whenever you want it to be.”
Comments so far: No -
Jet Blue and Superfly Marketing Group are Bringing the Music
I enjoy traveling. Well, the traveling itself. The packing and making sure everything is in order is for the birds. But, I enjoy the traveling. And of course, like most Americans, I’ve said to myself: “you know what airport travel needs? A concert!”Right?
Okay, maybe I’ve never thought of that, but I wish I had.
The good folks at Jet Blue (seriously, it’s one of my favorite airlines to ride — I wish they went more places) and Superfly Marketing Group are bringing concerts to JFK with Live from T5.
Live from T5, a six-month, 12-date live music concert series at the airline’s new Terminal 5 at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). The concert series, which takes place on select Fridays throughout the year, will feature hand-picked emerging artists from around the U.S. as well as bands chosen based on public votes in a national online competition hosted by OurStage.com.
According the the press release, “Today through July 22, aspiring artists can upload one original song to www.OurStage.com/go/jetblue for a chance to win one of five acoustic gigs at the JetBlue terminal in New York. Winners will be announced during the first week of August. In addition to a show during Live at T5, the top artist as determined by JetBlue and Superfly will also perform as the opening act for a headlining artist at Bowery Presents’ Terminal 5, the popular concert venue in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood, or another Bowery Presents show.”
So Jet Blue has managed to merge two of my favorite things – a live concert and flying out somewhere. My only disappointment is it’s New York and not Los Angeles. I have to give this marketing campaign props. Not only is it a hip and fun way to add something unique to your image (I mean all airlines fly, not much you can do to change that), but it extends their mission to be entertaining for their passangers. And who doesn’t like a good acoustic concert? AND they’re supporting small time artists. Win, win and win.
So the next time you’re in JFK and think you’re hearing music playing Eli Stone — it might not be in your head.
Comments so far: No -
Pre-order the Twilight: New Moon Soundtrack from Amazon.com
Amazon.com is now taking pre-orders for Twilight: New Moon Soundtrackdue to be released on on October 6, 2009. Why so early? I guess they’re trying to capture the Twilight hysteria.
If you have a burning desire to pre-order feel free, and remember the awesome thing about Amaon pre-ordering – if the price drops, you get the lower price.
Twilight: New Moon is due in theaters November 20, 2009.
For more information check out New Moon in IMDB or watch the awesome trailer.
Comments so far: No
