Crazy Instruments!

So, I couldn't narrow down what video I wanted to post, so I'm just going to post them all.  I've spent the last two hours watching all these amazing videos of how talented everyday people are and it has just blown me away.  I want to share them all with you.  Here are some of the cool new instruments that I've found that I think are just awesome.

This first video is an instrument that I've known about for a long time now called the Hang Drum.  I love the fullness of the sound and the way it can be used to make it sound like several instruments are being played at once.  These two guys do a hang drum song together and I think it just fills out the sound even more.  I love the way this instrument sounds, but man two together is like icing on the cake!!!



This video is another new instrument that I find absolutely fascinating.  It's called and Eigenharp and it combines a rhythm sequencer, keyboard, and woodwinds all into one instrument.  I don't fully understand how it works, but man is it cool.



One more new instrument.  This one is called the Nyckelharpa and it's a Swedish instrument that combines so many different things I can't explain it.  Google it!



Enjoy
-Kev

The sound of Success

Sometimes you have the privilege of hearing a story that makes you feel like a schmuck for ever feeling sorry for yourself.  Here's one of them.  Mandy Harvey was heading into her Freshman year as a vocal major at CSU in Fort Collins, Colorado.  Obviously being a vocal major you can probably place a safe bet that singing was her main passion and love.  That year at CSU she gradually started loosing her hearing to the point where a couple years later she is now legally deaf.  You can imagine what a dent that could put in your dreams of becoming a singer when you can't hear the notes you're singing.  Mandy gave up for a while, as most of us would.  It's so easy to fall into the victim mentality when you're going through something that is so tough like that.  Unlike some of us though, Mandy got back up and started doing what she loved again, whether it was going to be hard or not.  Now, because of her tenacity the rest of the world has the honor to be open ears for this beautiful story and her beautiful music.

Mandy does a lot of Jazz covers and has a CD called "Smile" in which she does many of these covers.  It's such a treat to hear classic jazz songs sung by such a young soul with such emotion.  That's the amazing thing with Jazz that can get lost in some other genres is the raw emotion in each song.  A good Jazz singer lets that emotion take them over and pours it out onto the audience.  Mandy's rendition of Smile definitely does that.  She takes an amazing Charlie Chaplin song and puts a velvet layer on top that is rarely heard or felt. 



Mandy is getting to release her newest album "After You've Gone" on November 27th.  I am very excited to hear some new songs as well as some originals that will hopefully be all over this album.  I honestly don't have a ton to write about Mandy that hasn't already been said.  She's so many things all in one: an inspiration, motivation to continue to challenge myself, proof that love for something can't be taken away, proof that you use your struggles to touch people even more than you did before, and more than anything she's a beautiful singer!



Please visit her website and buy her album on cdbaby.com!
http://www.mandyharveymusic.com/

- Kev

Danielle Ate the Sandwich

So, I wish the title to this post was something witty that I came up with to describe this artist, but it's not...it's actually the name that this girl goes by.  It's pretty apparent by her name that she has a sense of humor, but I don't think that does it justice.  All of her videos have some weird little intro/outro to them that doesn't really make any sense, but does make me laugh a lot.

The more that I watched and listened to her music the more I realized how important her humor was to her sound.  One thing that it does is keep the mood of her music upbeat and light.  She has a very childlike quality about her and her music and I think the humor is a big part of that.  Even more importantly though, the humor really helps counteract the sincerity in her songs and make them that much more genuine.  I feel like listening to songs these days is like putting every singer through a lie detector.  You never know which of the artists actually wrote their music, actually went through the things their singing about, or are a 16 yr old boy who has no idea what love is, yet sings about it in every song. (No offense Biebs.  I love you, but come on)  With Danielle I think the honesty is oozing out of her notes, lyrics, and voice.

I also love that she rocks the Ukelele in most of her songs.  That instrument adds such a unique sound and feel to music when it's used well, and she is a pretty darn good Ukelele player.  The simplicity of her and her Uke is a beautiful thing.  For some groups like Arcade Fire the craziness of all sorts of different voices and sounds is a huge asset, but for Danielle I think it's the simplicity that really shows her talent and rawness.  Anyone can autotune or layer tons of stuff so their singing is covered, but if you can sit, play, sing and it still sounds good...you've got some talent.



She also does some cool covers:


Danielle does tour some.  She was just at the Hotel Cafe her in Los Angeles and I know she lives in Denver, so I'm sure you can catch a show of hers if you are interested.  If nothing else it will be fun and keep you in a great mood!  To finish it off here's probably my favorite song by her:



Here are some links for her:
danielleatethesandwich.net/
Danielle Ate the Sandwich Myspace
-Kev

Amazing Cover

So, I know I haven't posted anything in a while so here's a little something for you all to enjoy.  It takes two of my favorite things in the world and combines them to make one amazing thing!  I like it as much as, if not more than, the following:  little puppies, Yogurtland, Asian tourists, the color mauve, and not being at work.  Here is The Rescues doing a cover of Teenage Dream.  AMAZING!!!



-Kev
Thanks to Eden for finding this.

Touching use of song

Sarah Phillips is a 16 yr old girl who lives in the England.  Earlier this year she was dealing with the thought of loosing her mother to cervical cancer.  The night that her mother died she was sitting in her home consoling many of her mothers friends and family members when it hit her that this was a strange place to be in for a daughter who's losing her mother.  She went up to her room and proceeded to record this version of Paolo Nutini's song "Autumn" (which I posted a couple of days ago.)  She recorded it on her cell phone and then had a friend provide the piano later.  I think the fact that it's raw and gritty adds to the feeling and emotion that's put into it.
I know a lot of people are going through loss and I felt like this was a perfect example of how music can not only help you deal with a tough situation, but how music can completely encapsulate the feelings that are hard to express.  Please, if you like it go to itunes and buy it cause all the proceeds go to a fund that was set up in her mothers honor for research into cervical cancer.  Here's the link to the fund page if you just feel the desire to go donate some money.http://www.debbiefund.org/

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE check this out.  I think it's moving and I think it's so important for us to always give back to causes like this.
-Kev

It's time to Fall

So, now that we're in the middle of October I figure it's time to start getting into the feel of fall.  I had the realization last night that it's almost Christmas time again!!  Maybe a little too early to start celebrating, so we'll take a couple of months to soak up that nice bite in the air that comes with the fall.  I decided I would do something a little different and post videos from several different artists that I just thought were not only fantastic songs but great Fall songs.  I hope you have a chance to sit back, curl up under a blanket, read a book, and enjoy these tunes.  Cause they make any activity better!

Paolo Nutini - Autumn Leaves
This song is just amazing.  It was written for his Grandfather when he passed away, but it has an amazing solemn piano that accents his simple vocals amazingly.  And the lyrics are wonderfully symbolic.


Melody Garbot - Baby I'm a Fool
Melody Gardot has an amazing story about music saving her life.  Regardless of that, she has some silky vocals that sit with ease on top of the strings in this song.  She'll make any day calmer and better.


Jason Reeves - Entwined
Jason has gotten most of his notoriety from singing with Colbie Caillat but he holds up so amazingly on his own.  This song is just sweet and soothing.  Enjoy.


Hope these give you something to relax to as we fall into fall.
-Kev

HOLLERADO - AMERICANARAMA

I just saw this music video today and thought it was one of the coolest I've seen yet. Really cool idea and they did a great job with execution too. Check it out!



-Kev

They'll come to the Rescue

If I were to tell you that I just found a great band with two guys and two girls in it I know what you'd say..."ABBA's old news."  Aha!  But alas, that's not the band I'm talking about you silly goose.  I think I may have found a band that is better than the European pop band...The Rescues. 

I love when you're watching a show and things are really going well.  You like the story line, you like the characters and all of a sudden a song comes on in the back round that most people would just breeze through, but for some reason it grabs you and heightens the moment into something beyond what you thought possible.  That's what happened to me this week.  I was watching a show and a song by The Rescues came on in the background and completely distracted me from the actual show itself because the song was so good.  I've continued to listen to that song about 30 times in the last 3 days so I'd say it's safe to say that it wasn't just a fluke. 

The Rescues are a Los Angeles based group who combine so many things so well.  They each come from different perspectives and different feelings but they are able to combine that into one sound better than most bands that I've heard.  The thing that really makes them stand out more than anything is their harmonies.  You can be watching them on stage all singing...all four mouths moving...and they blend so well that you only hear one incredible voice.  I believe that harmonies are sort of a lost art in music.  Everyone uses them, but few do it to a point that they accept and challenge the art of writing harmonies.  It's so easy to sing a chorus, pop it up a third and sing that harmony and enjoy the way that it fills the sound a bit.  However, with bands willing to challenge the art of harmonies you not only get a fuller sound, but you get a complete sound.  The Rescues sing a song called "My Heart with You" in which there is no instrument used.  They use their voices and their harmonies as the only instruments.  There are few times that I will listen to a song and actually make it all the way through, (I have a severe case of music A.D.D. so it's rare that I actually listen to more than half of a song.) and when the song ends I have such a case of chills that I have to sit in the silence to just allow it to take hold.  I know that sounds super dramatic but "My Hear with You" did that and has done that every time I've listened to the song.



The best part is that they carry those harmonies into all of their songs.  So you get to keep the sound that makes them so unique and combine it with the incredible song writing and musicianship that they also take ownership of.  Please listen to them and go see them if they come to a city close to you.  They are supposedly AMAZING live and I can't wait to see them when they come back to LA in December. 

I have to give some thanks to Eden Malyn for introducing me to them...even if I didn't realize it, went and found them on my own and then came back to brag about this new band I'd found only for you to tell me how you already told me about them.  haha.  woops.  Thanks.

I'll leave you with a couple videos and some links to their pages so you can hear more and find out their tour dates:
The Rescues Website
The Rescues Myspace

-Kev

Lip Synching at it's best

So, you may have already seen this kid, but for some reason I can't stop watching these videos.  They absolutely crack me up.  Maybe it's because a small person is lip synching famous songs(and you all know how much I love little people), or maybe it's because that little person doesn't even really take the time to learn the words to the songs he's lip-synching, or maybe it's because these videos are just blowing the top off the awesome scale.  I hate that I get sucked into watching this crap, but man it sure kills time at work.

SO FUNNY!

Here's his youtube channel if you want to crack up some more:
Youtube Channel


-Kev

Ok, Go watch these videos!

I'm sure everyone has heard of the band OK GO at this point, but I don't want to focus on their music as much as their videos.  These guys have used the use of music videos better than anyone in the last 5 years.  In an age when all the rap videos are chicks, cars, dogs, etc. few people even really care to watch music videos anymore.(especially since Music Television "MTV" doesn't even play them anymore)  Now that the age of youtube has really taken hold these guys have used music videos as an amazing way to spread their music to a broad base of people. 
Their videos range from colorful to conceptual to just down right awesome.  Whether they're dancing in their backyard or using treadmills, or pulling Rube Goldberg that seems like it's a mile long, you're basically in for an amazing ride from start to finish.  The really amazing thing about all their videos are shot in ONE TAKE!  That element alone adds to the final product because you know endless amounts of preparation went into it.
Without further ado, I'm just gonna post them so you guys can watch them.  I won't even try to do them justice with words.

And please check out their website and such to support them.
OK GO website
Myspace
-Kev

Britney Spears actually makes good music!

So, I feel like I need to start this blog off with some clarification.  Britney Spears isn't good.  She used to be really hot, she used to be a pretty darn good dancer, she used to sing well enough to get by, but these days lets all admit that she's fallen off the wagon.  It cracks me up when people are so excited because "She's Back."  I look at it like when your mom cooks your favorite meal after a really long hiatus.  It's not quite as good as it used to be, but it's been so long that you forgot how good it was to begin with.  Yes, she's back and selling lots of CD's but lets not get ahead of ourselves.  She'll never be at the level she was before, but since she made so many HORRIBLE choices for so long, people think she's some Harvard Grad now that she's not doing stupid stuff.  But, I digress...
Back to what I originally wanted to say.  As I sit in the horribly plastic life of sunless tanning that I spend a majority of my life in, I listen to a lot of radio hits.  As I was basking in the smell of burnt skin the other day the Britney Spears song "123" came on.  I did my usual hand gesture like I was shooting myself in the head and I continued this for roughly 2 minutes and 33 seconds until the song took a turn.  I suddenly lost my barrings.  I took a step back and grabbed my chest cause I thought I was having a heart attack.  I quickly realized that my heart was beating at a semi normal pace and that the reason for my twilight zone moment was because I was actually enjoying a little bit of a Britney Spears song.  The 30 seconds of this song from 2:33 to 3:01 are the best 30 seconds that I've ever heard come from the general vicinity of Ms. Spears in the last...well, ever.  There is something with the gentle quality and tone of this section that blends her vocals amazingly with the background notes.  They bring in a very soft bass beat that slowly builds and really adds to this surreal like feeling.  Granted, her lyrics aren't gonna change your life, but the blend of the tones works wonderfully.  It's an incredible juxtaposition to the rest of this train wreck of a song.
So, I'm lost in this crazy moment that I never thought I would have in my life and then 3:03 hits in the song and she dives right back in to the same crap that has made her so much money for the past several years.  I guess, props to her, cause she's proving that there's not a lot of talent needed to be amazingly successful in this industry.  So watch the video...If you're feeling risky try the whole thing...I would only recommend from 2:33 to 3:01.  If you watch more, you're risking your own well being!

I would give Britney Spears a big thank you right here, but I don't really think she had a lot to do with the writing of this section.  So, thank you to whoever produced this 30 seconds of this song...you've made my...30 seconds.

- Kev

Brendan James isn't Green to the music scene

I'm a sucker for the Piano.  Let me just throw that out there right away.  If there is any girl reading this that can play the piano please email me your phone number and I will marry you tomorrow!  Unfortunately for me this is a dude that plays the piano, but he plays it extremely well.
I first heard of Brendan James a couple of years ago, and I don't even remember how.  He, however has been one of those names that seems to come up randomly every couple of months for me.  Whether it be talking with musician friends, or listening to Pandora, or now having the pleasure to know his bass player(Ya Charlie!) his name comes up quite often...and for great reason. 
This guy is so talented I don't even know where to begin.  He is the purest form of a songwriter to me.  He has the ability to take a story and mix it beautifully(but not over the top) with metaphors and feeling.  Some songwriters are strictly storytellers(which isn't a bad thing) and some try so hard to be abstract with metaphors and similes that you have no idea what the hell the song is about, but Brendan molds those two worlds together beautifully.  His song Green is an amazing example of this, and so happens to be the first song I ever heard of his.  So, not only is he fantastic at the piano, writes amazing lyrics to his songs, but he also has the incredible ability or foresight(however you want to reference it) to sing within his abilities.  Now I know that doesn't sound like anything to brag about as a singer, but I think it's an incredible asset to his music.  His voice is very smooth and has sort of a velvety quality to it.  So many singers are out there recording albums trying to prove that they're the best singer in the world.  I think Brendan has a great voice, knows he has a great voice, and doesn't feel the need to try and prove it to anyone.  He writes songs that use his voice perfectly and then when he's recording/singing them, he lets the written notes do their work.  It sounds like such a simple thing but man I think it's important, and he nails it.

Brendan James is pretty well known at the point of releasing his newest album within the last week.  His album is currently #14 on the iTunes best selling albums list.  That proves that he has a good following and that I'm not the only one that follows him.  I bought his CD and was definitely not disappointed.  He continues to play to his strengths as well as playing some fun up beat songs and using some very creative writing, like in the song Stupid for Your Love.  With his new album he did a whole live set that they recorded and have on youtube.  Follow the link above to Stupid for Your Love and watch all the other ones so you can see that he is super talented without all the post production stuff that many artists need to succeed.( And look out for the super sexy Charlie Hajek playing the bass behind him!)

Here's a video for you so you can check him out a little more acoustically.  It's beautiful.  So go grab a glass of wine, put on some comfy clothes, buy Brendans' new self title album on iTunes, and sit back and enjoy.  I promise you won't regret it!

-Kev

Mix-n-Match

So I just found these guys on Youtube and I think they do a really cool job of mixing songs together. The guys name is Douglas James and I think he's super talented. He's got some good original stuff too that I might to a review on later. The girls name is Paulina and she does a ton of covers but has a song or two that are hers. Check out their myspaces and youtubes cause they're pretty talented!

Paulina
Youtube Channel
Myspace

Douglas James
Youtube channel
Myspace


Cool shout out to World Cup


Another Great mix.  Douglas gets more singing in this one.


-Kev

Don't lose HOPE

Click play on this video and then continue reading.  There's no better way to understand Hope as an artist  than to simply listen.


Hope is the audio form of the relaxation massage chairs at Sharper Image.  Her silky smooth vocals mix with the incredibly relaxing background music to allow you to just sit into the sound and forget about the outside world. 

Hope was born and raised mostly in New York(hence her song titled "Leave Me In New York by HOPE") but moved out to LA to pursue music more.  She slowly made a name for herself by spending hours and hours on the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica or at the Venice Pier.  It might not be a glamorous way to start a career, but through that she's been able to get a ton of her first self produced albums in to the hands of southern Californians.  While she was out grinding the streets to get her music into peoples hands, she was also doing that online.  She has a HUGE Myspace and Youtube following.  Through all of the grassroots work she did eventually she ended up in the hands of Atlantic Records and is about to release her first titled album in the fall of this year.
 

I've known about Hope for several years now, and feel like she's an artist that fits in every situation.  Whether your taking a girl out on a picnic, or sitting by the fire on a rainy night, or just sitting outside on a beautiful summer day it seems to always fit.  Not that I really do any of those things, but I imagine that if I did I would always listen to her.  From her song "The Rain Dont Last Forever by HOPE" that is soft and slow to her newest single "LOVE LOVE LOVE by HOPE" which is more upbeat, she never ceases to have her music absolutely filled to the brim with sweetness.  I wish I could just wrap my arms around her music and give it a huge hug.

When it all comes down to it I think Hope may be one of my favorite artists and would not be surprised if she was with the likes of Colbie Caillat, and Angel Taylor within the next year.  With her already formed following, complete devotion and understanding of her own sound, and now a label to back her...She's gonna be unstoppable.

And just remember...You heard it here first!!!

Please check out her websites and support her bacause she is amazing.
Hope's Myspace
Twitter

-Kev

Reactable

So, I found this instrument a couple of years ago and then completely forgot about it.  I was sitting, dwelling in the cavern that is my mind this morning, swatted down all the cob webs, kicked out the gnome that had made a home, and for some reason thought of this thing.  It took me a bit to find it again, but I swear this is one of the most interesting instruments I've ever seen.  I would try and explain it to you but I think that would be like me trying to teach Calculus with only a box of crayons.(that means it would be hard) So, I'm attaching a link to the founders of this thing so if you're curious how it uses the waves and blocks you can go read about it. 

http://www.reactable.com/




It's pretty freakin amazing if you ask me!
-Kev

New Take on "Teenage Dream"

I just found this video on Youtube.  I normally don't think these kind of things are that cool, but I listened to the original right after and I think I like this guys version better!  And the guy's a pretty good singer on top of it.  Just a little diddy to hold you over for the day!


-Kev

ZAPPA GUN GANG!

What would you think if I told you there was going to be a group with two guys a girl, who wore nothing but 80's and 90's neon clothing, four finger rings, clear glasses, silver teeth and they're gonna play electro pop music with rapping and a keytar?  Exactly, you'd say that this might just be the greatest group EVER!

When I first heard of the band Hyper Crush my buddy Robbie was getting ready to go to one of their concerts.  He basically told me what I just wrote above and out of sheer hilarity I was super excited to hear their stuff.  Now that I know all the above AND have heard their music I am a huge fan.  They have the most amazing mix of show and the music to back it up.

I mean the only word I should have had to say to convince you they were good was the word Keytar, but I've recently learned not everyone is as impressed with the Keytar as I am.  Literally the only way that this band can improve at this point would be to wear a piano necktie and use a red keytar instead.

The three members are, check this out, the rapper, Donny Fontaine, the sexy pipes, Holly Valentine, and the music man/beat man/DJ/keytarist, Preston Moronie.  With names like those I would expect nothing less than the cast from The Godfather joining forces with the Electric Light Orchestra and I kind of feel like that's exactly what I got.  They are all from Southern California and have been together for about 5 years now.  They started as a group called the Bel-Airs until they added Holly and became Hyper Crush.  Their first album, The Arcade, is a great introduction into their sound.  Songs like "Sex and Drugs" and "The Arcade"  give you a fun insight into the beats that form their music and the humorous lyrics that really fill it out.  With their second album, "Mix-Tapes Vol 2"  they continued to run with the nintendo themes of the song "The Arcade."  The entire album is laced with early NES references and sounds that really help you dive straight back into your childhood.  The best part about them is that they continue to fill out their sound and really improve with every single that comes out.  They recently released a couple singles "Keep Up" and "Ayo" which have the same feel as their early stuff with darker trancier beats.  I think "Keep Up" is their best song yet.  They have built up a pretty good following touring across California and opening for Lady Gaga on her European tour.
Basically what it comes down to is that when you're throwing an up beat party or in the mood to just jump around and be crazy, you can't go wrong with them.  Their beats and music are encapsulating while the lyrics are simple enough to learn and sing along.  Hope you guys check them out cause they're a blast to listen to!
 
Here are some links to check out more of their stuff:
Hyper Crush Myspace
Official Hyper Crush website
Youtube Channel
 
Kev

Inspiration for the Blog Nation

First off thank you so much for coming to check out my new blog!  I decided my first post would be a little diddy about why I decided to start doing this.  Reason one:  I love music.  Reason two: I used to do a blog for a website that I was on.  I was required to write a blog once every week or so and I never knew what to write about, so I always ended up writing about bands/artists/music videos/whatever.  so, I figure why not just start blogging about only music. 

I like to think that I have one of the more eclectic tastes in music.  From folk, to jazz, to rap, to musical theater, I pretty much like it all.  I have on various occasions caught myself spending hours on youtube watching rap battles, or clips from Musicals, or even just watching music videos of people I've never heard of.  (I know I shouldn't admit that but what the hell.)  So, in all of my exploration around the interweb I think I've collected a pretty good number of groups/siungers/bands that a lot of people haven't heard of.  Now, the fact that I enjoy them so much and no one else has heard of them makes me feel special to a certian extent, but at the same time I want talented people to be successful.  So, I decided I'm going to use my vast sphere of influence to spread the word about these people.  Okay maybe not vast, but at least you'll enjoy it, right mom?  I'm gonna post videos, pictures, links and pretty much everything juicy I can find on these people so that if you like them you can go support them.

So, I hope you enjoy it.  It will be trial and error for a while as I try to perfect the best way to do it, but if nothing else it will be new people and there will be lots of free stuff given out...okay scratch that, there will be no free stuff given out other the the free musical knowledge that I'm throwing your way.

Thanks for reading and here's a little something to start us off!

Kanye "Power" music video
 - this dude has amazing music but is such a visionary for new things.  This video is simple in it's concept but amazing in it's execution and idea.  Love it!

Kev