Anna Graceman

This is a young 11 yr old girl that has formed a pretty big following for herself on youtube.  She was on the Ellen show when she was nine singing original songs that she wrote then.  Now she's a little bit older and her songs are better and her voice and piano playing is amazing for anyone let alone an 11 yr old girl.  Just thought she was super talented so I thought I would pass them along!  Enjoy!
Thanks Jodi for showing me this girl!





-Kev

Jake Morley

I just heard about this guy maybe three weeks ago from a great friend(Jessie Maltin, what what) and haven't been able to stop listening to him.  If you just sit and listen to his music you hear a semi typical singer songwriter sound but with other layers thrown on top.  Several of his songs have very deep bluesy elements to them which is very cool laid over the guitar.  The first main difference is the way in which Jake plays his guitar.  He lays it flat on his lap and plays it in a much more rhythmic type of fashion.  So, while he's still using the same instrument as so many his way of playing adds a whole new feel to typical songs...in a great way.  Secondly he writes some incredible stuff as far as melodies and lyrics go.  Some of his songs have cool storylines that they follow like "Feet Don't Fail Me Now" while other are more specific ideas that he follows like "Pondering On a Scenario In Which I am a Hero."  I also love that he uses some other instruments that aren't typically heard in singer songwriter music.  He uses a stand up bass and a hormonica which add a really nice element to his songs.   

His album "Many Fish to Fry" came out the 20th and I bought it the first day.  It's so worth the $9.99 on iTunes and I really urge you to go check it out.  From top to bottom it's a really fun and entertaining cd.



Here are some good links for ya:

JakeMorley.com
Jake Morley Myspace
YouTube Channel

Jana Kramer - I Won't Give Up

So, I've got to give some props to my girl Jana on her very first single.  It was just released about a week ago and it is so great.  You may know her from shows such as Entourage or One Tree Hill but now she's crossing over into the country music world.
To give you a little background Jana used to be my roomate a couple of years ago so I obviously have a soft spot for her.  But regardless of that, I love this song!  What a great slow country ballad.  I think it sounds so great and am so happy for her and her success.  Everyone, please listen to this song and go to her facebook and like her and download her single on iTunes.  Please support her cause she's awesome!



Here are some links for here stuff:
Jana's Website
Facebook Page

-Kev

Mumford and Sons

    So, I have to thank my friend Dustin for inspiring this post.  I'd heard of this band, but he's the one that got me to actually sit and listen to them.

     I recently bought their "Sigh No More" album and have not been able to stop listening to it.  From top to bottom it's one of the strongest albums I've ever heard.  Their single The Cave is a hit in the purest form and will be stuck in your head all day...because it's catchy and you'll love it so much you'll want to learn it and keep singing it. 



Their story telling on Dust Bowl Dance is fantastic and artistic and the way they build the song in I Gave You All rivals some of the best builds I've heard in a while.  Here are some other videos/songs of theirs that are great.





Mumford and Sons takes you on a great journey through this CD and I guarantee you won't be disappointed.  Please check out their website, and buy their stuff on itunes.

Mumford and Sons Website

-Kev

Creativity from places you wouldn't expect.

Let me just say that looking at the two guys in this video...you wouldn't expect what comes out of it.  Please just listen and enjoy!

Dan Black - Symphonies ft. Kid Cudi

This song is awesome.  I really like all the different elements that are thrown into into it.  It's got a very European vibe, but they throw in other things to mix it up.  I'm always a fan of Kid Cudi so if you put him in a song, I'm most likely going to enjoy it.  But the video is super cool.  Just like the song, there are so many different cinematic elements from different time periods that I just felt like I had to pass it along.  Enjoy everyone!

-Kev

An Ocean of Talent

I'm Back!!!
I know it's been quite a while since I last wrote, but the holidays and everything made it harder for me to find the time.  But I promise you, that this is worth the wait.

I don't know how many of you have heard of the artist John Butler, but if you haven't...you need to.  I've known about him for a while now and I don't know why I haven't passed him along sooner.  He is from Australia and tours with his band called the John Butler Trio.  He has several cd's out and I recommend getting all of them because his music is fantastic.  I love that he makes use of so many different instruments throughout his cd's including the banjo, and even the didgeridoo.  However, that's not what I'm going to focus on today.  I want to focus on one aspect of John Butler and that is the fact that he may be one of the greatest guitar players I've ever heard.  This aspect is so important in his music because all of his guitar sets the tone for what the rest of the song is going to be.

Now, there is one song in particular that I want all of you to listen to.  It's called "Ocean" and he has been playing it for years and years.  This song has been a work in progress for I don't know how many years and that is one of the most fantastic things about it.  I don't know how many hours I've spent watching videos of performances of this song on Youtube, but I have never heard one video that sounds the same as another.  There are definitely elements that carry through all the versions, but you can see him playing with and revamping the song each time he plays it.  The thing that I find the most fascinating about this song is the amount of emotion that it conveys.  As corny as this sounds, you literally go on a journey as you listen to this song.  I'm very tuned to the emotions of all songs, but this one in particular just grabbed me by the gut and pulled me through the highs and lows of the song.  I'm not going to go into too much detail with how it made me feel because I feel the beauty of good art is the interpretations put on it by the listener or viewer.  I will say however that if you don't feel anything listening to this...you're not human!



Here's another video so you can get an idea of what his normal songs are like.  It's called One Way Road:



I hope you enjoy and please check out his other stuff!

-Kev