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music you should hear
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new tv series - live from abbey road
posted on 07/11/2007 at 11:30 p.m.
 If you're any sort of music fan, you're probably familiar with "Abbey Road". Most people will recognize that as the title of the best-selling Beatles album of all time. It was the eleventh (and last) official album recorded by the band - although its release (in 1969) preceded Let it Be. The famous picture on the album cover was taken just outside of the famous studio where the album was recorded (and from where it took its name), London's Abbey Road Studios .
 Arguably the world's most famous recording studio, Abbey Road Studios is now the setting for a new music series currently being aired on the Sundance Channel, appropriately named, LIVE FROM ABBEY ROAD. I caught a promo (read, commercial) while watching a different channel earlier in the day, and the featured performers are what caught my eye. The series features both new and established performers in what I loosely describe as sort of a cross between VH1 Storytellers and Austin City Limits. Very cool show!
The "season" is broken up into 12 one-hour episodes with each featuring three different performers, although the episode I watched today featured four. The entire show takes place inside the studio environment with artist commentary (er, "intimate interviews") interspersed among song performances - each artist performs three tracks. The featured artist list is a varied bunch, numbering 36 in total. Many of which I am a fan of, including: Gipsy Kings, Josh Groban, Norah Jones, Ray Lamontagne, Amos Lee, John Mayer, Madeleine Peyroux, Corinne Bailey Rae, Damien Rice , and The Zutons. The show premiered on June 21 and airs Thursdays at 10:00 p.m. E/P on the Sundance Channel. Check it out.
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mika, you love him or you hate him
posted on 06/14/2007 at 11:15 p.m.
 A friend mentioned this artist to me off-handedly the other day, and was surprised that I hadn't yet heard of Mika (pronounced MEE-kuh). The London-based, songwriter, performer was playing a show at Metro that week, and she was bummed to learn that it was sold out. The mention from a friend (who's musical taste I respect), and the sold-out Metro show were enough for me to do some digging to find out what I was missing.
Mika Penniman was born in Beirut, and lived in Paris for a time before ultimately landing in London at age nine. The combination of moving around as a young child, as well as a tough time in school ultimately lead Mika to a point where he forgot how to read and write - and even stopped talking for a while. It was at this point that music became a focal point and he soon began formal music training which included voice lessons from a "terrifyingly tough Russian singing teacher". He ultimately dropped out of school to concentrate on creating music and recorded his debut album, Life in Caroon Motion. On the strenth of the single, "Grace Kelly" (the second single on the album to be released), the album shot up the UK music charts shortly after its release in February of this year. The album (on the Casablanca label) was released in the US in March.
Depending on who's doing the writing, you'll see reviews that proclaim his music as fun, exhuberant, and fresh, while others label him as a rip-off artist chanelling Queen who has jumped firmly on the bandwagon currently driven by the Scissor Sisters. But make no mistake, this guy can sing ... that is the one point that everyone seems to agree on. The comparisons to Freddie Mercury are unavoidable, and fans of Better Than Ezra may even hear hints of Kevin Griffin in Mika's voice.
For my money (and I did buy the album), this is fun, upbeat, catchy, sugary pop music to which you will likely find yourself singing or (gasp!) even dancing along. Well maybe not dancing, but it's definitely a great summertime listen and will definitely be a welcome addition to my iPod workout playlist.
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lollapalooza 2007 lineup announced
posted on 04/12/2007 at 11:05 p.m.
It's official. The lineup for Lollapalooza 2007 has been announced. While I wasn't impressed with what I saw on some of the lineup rumor sites over the last couple of weeks, the festival organizers have put together another really good-looking lineup. Pearl Jam - long rumored to be the band at the top of the bill - is confirmed as the headlining act. As is typical for Lolla, the lineup looks to as diverse as ever. While time slots have yet to be announced, you can bet that there are going to be some tough decisions for festival goers to make when it comes to schedule conflicts during the three day event. I first saw the lineup on the Metromix site earlier today, but the official announcement is scheduled for tomorrow. You can hear Perry Farrell announce the lineup when he joins Lin Brehmer on XRT tomorrow morning.
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the cat empire gets US release
posted on 03/01/2007 at 8:30 p.m.
 If you're looking for some music to warm you up (figuratively speaking) during these last few winter months, give The Cat Empire a listen. The band, founded in 1999, hails from Melbourne, Australia but have been making waves the world over. Their second studio album, Two Shoes, was recorded in Cuba (at Egrem Studio in Havana) and originally released in 2005 where it became a huge hit in their home country. The good news for music fans in the US is the album has finally been released stateside (February 6 on Velour Recordings).
The Cuban influence on the latest album is never far from the surface ... but that sound doesn't dominate. The Cat Empire mixex so many genres of music, their sound is kind of hard to describe. Perhaps the band puts it best, describing it as "where the hip-hop community dance to Gypsie, the jazz purists jump to hip-hop, the Latinos bop to reggae, the Rasters shake to latin, the elderly sweat to funk, the youth swing to dancehall and everyone wakes up a little happier."
If you haven't heard of this band yet, that is likely to change very soon. The band landed a slot at Bonaroo last year, even though they didn't have an album released in the US, and their song, "Sly" (the first track on Two Shoes) cracked the top 20 on American Triple A radio earlier this year. This stuff is rocking, engaging and just plain fun to listen to.
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brett dennen, so much more
posted on 01/20/2007 at 10:30 p.m.
 Anyone who is even slightly familiar with the music that I like will not be surprised to know that I recently bought - er, downloaded (from eMusic ) - the latest album from Brett Dennen . It was in my surfing through some "best of 2006" lists on the eMusic web site I came across him. His sound is very much in the singer-songwriter genre, with some categorizing his music as folk-rock.
Like many, I was initially struck by the sound of his voice. When I first listened to a couple of sample tracks off of the album, I wasn't entirely sure a male was singing lead vocals ... and if it was, he was surely a teenager. Turns out, Brett Dennen is a 6'5" tall, 28 year old (although he doesn't look it!), MALE singer songwriter originally from the small town of Oakdale, CA.
The self-taught guitairist has drawn comparisons to the likes of Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, Tracy Chapman, Taj Mahal, Jack Johnson and others, but maintains a sound that is uniquely his own. His self-titled debut album was released in July, 2005 on indie label Three Angels & A Saint Records. He followed that up in November of last year with his sophomore effort, So Much More (Dualtone ).
There's an ever-increasing buzz around Dennen ... he opened on the John Mayer and Sheryl Crow co-headlining tour last fall, and even ended up with a song on Gray's Anatomy this season ("There is So Much More"). If you like what you hear, Brett has a show coming up in February at Schubas.
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