Release Spotlight - Ingrid Michaelson

 Rawk Releases   

Artist: Ingrid Michaelson
Album: Be OK
Recommended if you like: singer-songwriter chicks
From the press kit:
Be OK kicks off the next episode in the singer-songwriter’s saga with typically adventurous attitude and—even more importantly—memorable tunes to spare. Michaelson is quick to point out that the disc, which combines covers, live songs and a passel of new songs, is something of an appetizer designed to satiate listeners between meals.
“I wanted to put something out as a gift to my fans,” says the 28-year-old native of Staten Island, New York. “I still feel funny saying the word ‘fans,’ but people who’ve responded really strongly to my music know a lot of these songs because they’ve heard me play them live. A lot of people have said they really wanted to be able to have them to listen to, and I wanted to give them that.”
Standout Tracks: “Be OK","Keep Breathing”
Worth a second listen?:
If you’re already a fan, this is required listening. If you’re not a fan, this is a great introduction to her music.
More info/listen: myspace

EIAC: Catching up on New Music

I spent some quality time catching up on the stack of promos on my desk. Here goes....

Artist: The Little Ones
Album: Morning Tide
Recommended if you like: indie pop a la Shins and early R.E.M.
From the press kit:
a collection of songs that take the word “pop” in “pop music” literally, bursting with effervescence and joy. - NME
Standout Tracks: “All Your Modern Boxes”, “Everybody’s Up To Something”
Worth a second listen?:
This album was upbeat and an easy listen. I did think the comparison to the Shins and early R.E.M. was pretty spot on.
More info: Official/myspace
Listen: “Morning Tide”



Artist: The Panics
Album: Cruel Guards
Recommended if you like: The Church, Nick Cave
From the press kit:
Despite what their name might suggest, Australian indie rockers, The Panics, don’t evoke a sense of chaos or hysteria.  In fact, they offer the exact opposite: interweaving melodies and atmospheres over landscapes of rousing instrumentation.
Standout Tracks: “Get Us Home","Don’t Fight It”
Worth a second listen?:
I liked this right away - it reminded me a lot of those other Aussies - Crowded House.
More info: myspace/official.
Listen: “Get Us Home”



Artist: Rachael Yamagata
Album: A Record in Two Parts: Elephants...Teeth Sinking Into Heart
Recommended if you like: triple a radio darlings, singer songwriter chicks, artists on the Hotel Cafe tour
From the press kit:
The CD, as its title suggests, contains two parts. The first, Elephants, is the darker and more vulnerable of the two. It plays like a film score, with orchestral transitions that expand as the songs progress. The more guitar-driven Teeth Sinking Into Heart is grittier and more defiantly cynical. Underscored by Rachael’s husky alto and expressive piano (and now guitar) playing, the two parts, when taken together, present a snapshot of the emotions that revolve around heartbreak and the inevitable challenges of relationships.
Standout Tracks: “Little Life”, “Faster”
Worth a second listen?:
The first part reminded me a lot of Cat Power. It is dark and brooding and is best left for listening when you’re not in a bad space. The second part does get edgy and is more my speed.
More info: official/myspace
Listen: “Elephants” (qt stream)/“Sidedish Friend”(qt stream)

Last Minute Tix available - Birdmonster at the Casbah tomorrow

 Rawk Shows   

I was flying across the country so I couldn’t post earlier...in any case, I have a spot on the guest list to give away for tomorrow’s Birdmonster show at the Casbah.

If you’re not hip to Birdmonster, they are currently out on tour in support of their new album From the Mountain to the Sea. Take a listen to “Born to be Your Man” here.

More info on Birdmonster: myspace.

If you’re interested, email me or post a comment with your email info. Deadline is tomorrow at 9am. 

New In Stores and on the Radio

 Rawk Radio    Rawk Releases   

In Stores 10/14
Keane Perfect Symmetry
I really loved their first album but their sophomore album didn’t do it for me. You can listen to the entire album on their lastfm.

Ingrid Michaelson Be OK
(Straight from the press release) This album features a mix of previously unreleased songs, covers, and live recordings that have become staples in Michaelson’s set list over the past year.  A portion of the proceeds will go to Stand Up To Cancer.

Secret Machines self-titled
After some lineup changes, the Secret Machines are back on an indie label and making their space rock. Listen to “Atomic Heels” and more tracks on their myspace.

Ray LaMontagne Gossip in The Grain
You’ve already heard “Meg White”, right?

Impacting on radio:
(alt rock)
Duke Spirit - Lassoo
Hoobastank My Turn
One Day As A Lion - One Day As A Lion
Ting Tings - That’s Not My Name
(triple a)
Keane - The Lovers Are Losing (listen at yt)
La Rocca - Half Speed
Radiohead - Reckoner
Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - Fix It

Kings of Leon and We Are Scientists @ HOB SD

 Rawk Shows   

So I decided that I was living the mastercard commercial on Saturday night ($38.85 = concert ticket, $107.91 = hotel room in Vegas, $174.50 = RT plane ticket to Vegas, getting to see one of your favorite bands on the opening night of their tour = priceless.) Tonight’s show had a lot to live up to and it didn’t quite measure up, but it was a good show. If I hadn’t seen how great they were yesterday I would have said it was an awesome show. I’ve become jaded, I suppose. Anyways, set list first and then commentary....

Kings of Leon
HOB San Diego
10/12/08

Encore:
Knocked Up
Manhattan
Slow Night, Slow Long

I decided that I would skip the Stills tonight and just head there for WAS and KOL. So as I drove down a little after 7, I was listening to Hal on KBZT speak with Nathan (drummer from KOL) who was doing the Coup d’ etat. Sweet. He’s a good interview and played some great tunes from his i-pod. By the time I actually arrived at HOB, Nathan had already gone back down into the music hall, but I got to hang with Hal, Jermsy and Owen for a bit before I headed in for We Are Scientists.

We Are Scientists were their usual charming selves and didn’t pull any surprises with their set list (complete list if you rawk on). They were cracking me up because Keith was talking about how cold it was in Vegas (it was! I freaking froze my a$$ off while I was waiting for my hotel shuttle - good thing I had a sweater in my backpack.)

Between the sets, I saw the group of people that I had met last night in Vegas so that was pretty cool. I then planted myself near the sound booth and found myself surrounded by some hardcore fans. Very nice. I’ve decided that KOL fans only come second to the rabid devotion of NINnies. That says a lot about KOL fans in my book. I was close enough in the sound booth to be able to take notes on the set list once the show started, so as my OCD settled down, I got to really enjoy the show. The set list was basically the same; the order was a little different but we got “King of the Rodeo”. Caleb mentioned that they had a long night in Vegas and they had partied it up and made excuses for his voice. (I thought he sounded fine - maybe a bit rough but I found it to be charming.) I thought it was cool that he complimented the crowd at some point and said that he thought the show was gonna suck ("you never know with crowds in California"), but that he was pleasantly surprised and was actually enjoying himself. Very nice.

So after hearing the new material twice now, I am thinking my favorite new song live is “Use Somebody” (You know that I could use somebody/Someone like you/And all you know/And how you speak/Countless lovers under cover of the street...) Still disappointed that we didn’t get “I Want You”. But hey, a girl can’t get everything she wants all the time, can she? That’s probably a debate better left off the interweb. All that matters is that I’ve got show afterglow. It could pretty much light up the sky at this point.

And back to my original premise.....
$42.80 = ticket to a show
$20 = merch for me and someone else
$15 = sugar free red bull and a shot of jager
getting to see one of your favorite bands and having them tell you that your crowd was the best they’ve had in SD = priceless

Now I get to leave the charmed life and get back to my regular programming. Flying out tomorrow, see you guys back in SD on Saturday night.

Kings of Leon @ the Joint in Vegas

 Rawk Shows   

So these people I met were really cool. All music fans so we got to talk about previous times we had seen KOL - they were stoked because in their native England (where KOL are HUGE, like fill stadiums huge), they would never be able to see them in such an intimate setting. For reference for my SD peeps, the Joint’s stage is a bit bigger than HOB, but not by much. Laid out better though - a section about as big as the HOB floor (but wider) then another raised section before the bar with clear sightlines. I didn’t go up to the balcony, but the Joint’s balcony is farther back but looked like there were good views. We had primo real estate - rolling about four peeps deep in the front. We were joined by another travelling KOL fan from Chicago, who is also going to be at the SD show with me tomorrow. So a good section of peeps to share a show with - all of us were just stoked all night. And who wouldn’t be with this set list?

Kings of Leon
The Joint at the Hard Rock
Las Vegas NV
10/11/08

Encore:
Knocked Up
Manhattan
Charmer
Slow Night, So Long

First of all, I was super excited to hear some of the new material - now that I look at the list again, they played seven of the eleven songs on the new album. The cool thing was that the crowd could already sing along to the new songs. Caleb was talkative with the crowd and kinda egged us on when we were getting into the show. Easy enough to do when you play “My Party” the second song in and then hit us with “Molly” soon after. “Taper Jean Girl” is also a crowd favorite. “Revelry” was one of my faves from the new album - it was cool to hear how it fit in with a mostly older set of music. Caleb asked for audience participation for “Sex on Fire” and we were glad to oblige him. And they just kept on hitting us with amazing material - I mean, really, look at that set list! Caleb was super expressive during “McFearless” - who could blame him with these lyrics....
I got the reigns and courage I was made of/And they’ve got fake love/So I know I must show it’s my show/I must go with my soul/Not my hand where I stand/It’s my role, it’s my soul
And I really loved “Use Somebody” to end the main part of the set. That song totally stuck out to me the first time I listened to the new album.

We knew we were getting an encore and what an encore it was - “Knocked Up” and “Charmer” are made for encores. “Manhattan” was a good choice from the new album. And of course, we got “Slow Night, So Long” to end the show. Afterwards, we stood around trying to grab a set list - our show buddy from Chicago scored it. Very nice. There were some notes at the end of the list of a few songs they didn’t play - “I Want You”, “Be Somebody” and “Arizona”. Sigh, I would have loved to get “I Want You”...but maybe in San Diego? One can only hope.

Okay, round two tomorrow, I must catch a few winks so I don’t miss my flight in a few hours.

We Are Scientists @ The Joint in Vegas

 Rawk Shows   

I’m doing the review of tonight’s show in two parts because it’s easier that way. I’ll start with waiting in line to get into the show. I got to the Hard Rock early because I hadn’t eaten anything and I figured I’d get some dinner (the 7.77 steak and shrimp special at Mr. Lucky’s - cha-ching). It was only 6 when I was done and the line was already forming for the 8 o’clock show. I started to line up but decided to get some coffee first which I know now was totally good fate because when I lined up again, I ended up with a couple of people from England that were there for the show, along with a couple of people from L.A. So the five of us hung out and talked music while we were waiting and then ended up hanging out for the whole show. Very cool.

Okay, so there were two openers - The Stills started the show and I have to say, I’m still not impressed. I saw them at the Casbah a couple of years ago and walked out of their show. There is just no melodies for me to pick out in their new material so I’m not feeling them.

We Are Scientists are another story. I’ve been digging them since day one and they have yet to put on a bad show when I’ve seen them. This show was no exception. Set list first....

We Are Scientists
The Joint at the Hard Rock
Las Vegas NV
10/11/08

Inaction
Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt
Chick Lit
Impatience
Let’s See It
Tonight
After Hours
Dinosaurs
It’s A Hit
Lethal Enforcer
The Great Escape

Starting off with two old favorites was genius - then their first single off the new album “Chick Lit” just kept up the momentum. The rest of the set was mostly new material. That’s fine with me though I did miss “This Scene Is Dead” - they are probably sick of playing that. But of the new songs, I think “After Hours” and “Dinosaurs” are my faves. Keith and Chris were their regular jokester selves, which is always a good thing. They had a ton of fans in the sold out crowd, I was not the only one dancing and singing along, which was nice....

(continued in next post....)