Hopefully you've been watching your step in the music game in early 2013 - because then you might already be familiar with Mind The Gap and their edgy bouncy electronic pop rock single "Find My Way." To celebrate their ballsy anthem - they released a performance video yesterday and made the song available in exchange for an e-mail address on their website www.mindthegapsound.com. Teenagers to 30 somethings filled with angst about life need this track on their mobile phone, ipod and computer STAT - it speaks directly to the struggles we've all experienced trying to figure this thing called life out and the song beats hard and f'ing pops! "Find My Way" is the first single off of MTG's forthcoming EP Youth due out sometime later in 2013. If this track portends what the rest of their EP is like - I'm expecting fierce and energetic dopeness in a diverse package. And why shouldn't I have that expecation? MTG may be able to lay claim to the title "most diverse rock band" as they're a truly unique quartet spearheaded by a Jewish vocalist from the suburbs of Cleveland, OH, and backed by Sri Lankan hip-hop producer, a Mexican guitarist/producer and a Korean songwriter. Not only does their diversity make a statement - their musicianship and on-stage chemistry truly validates the famous Abdul line "opposites attract" and evidences that sometimes the best content comes in the most unlikely and colorful of packages. You can catch MTG performing at The Hotel Cafe on February 15th, but check their website for updates as there will likely be a few other performances popping up and peep the video below with the filthy remixed outro....
Fun unoffensive poppy dance-inducing act Dragonette is back at it with a video drop for "Live In This City"off of their Bodyparts record - available September 25th. Los Angelenos can catch them next week at El Rey Theatre the day their album drops! Get tickets here - Frank + Derol and The Knocks support.
Pacific Festival announced the set times for their solid cast of electronic, indie rock and quasi pop artists. Get your tickets here and use discount code 'supergoodmusic' for $5 off.
Pacific Festival announced the set times for their solid cast of electronic, indie rock and quasi pop artists. Get your tickets here and use discount code 'supergoodmusic' for $5 off.
PSY is back with "Gangnam Style" which he claims will "penetrate the foundations of modern philosophy." Bold statement. Bold video. Check out the South Korean mega star. Would he make it in the States?
PSY is back with "Gangnam Style" which he claims will "penetrate the foundations of modern philosophy." Bold statement. Bold video. Check out the South Korean mega star. Would he make it in the States?
Esteemed Bayou-based talent Royal Teeth started their summer celebrating the release of their debut studio record, Act Naturally, on LA based Dangerbird Records. The candy indie electro pop is definitely edgier live - which is why you can't miss your chance to catch them here in Los Angeles as they parade through The Satellite and The Library at The Redbury.
The vocal duo of Gary Larsen and Nora Patterson shine on this genre melting project that certainly doesn't sounds a bit more LA than NOLA. Lead single "Wild" is only a sampling of the flavors they have on their record, which includes a sexified version of The Knife's "Heartbeats" that they sunk their proverbial Teeth into.
You can enjoy their delicious poppy delights at The Satellite tonight as JJAMZ close out their free June residency. Hopefully they include a cover of "Heartbeats" at the performance- because they certainly do it justice.
British rock troupe The Wave Pictures crash into Los Angeles this weekend for a performance tomorrow night at Echo with Allo Darlin' and Yellow Red Sparks. With almost a decade's worth of self releases, and a name change to boot (formerly were Blind Summit) - David Tattersall, Franic Rozycki and Jonny Helm have earned their stripes.
Vice Magazine has said that they have "one of the most distinctive lyrical voices in Britain" and their charming pop is easy to feel on the tasty track "Spaghetti." Its one of their newest tracks off of Long Black Cars, which was released on April 2nd.
British rock troupe The Wave Pictures crash into Los Angeles this weekend for a performance tomorrow night at Echo with Allo Darlin' and Yellow Red Sparks. With almost a decade's worth of self releases, and a name change to boot (formerly were Blind Summit) - David Tattersall, Franic Rozycki and Jonny Helm have earned their stripes.
Vice Magazine has said that they have "one of the most distinctive lyrical voices in Britain" and their charming pop is easy to feel on the tasty track "Spaghetti." Its one of their newest tracks off of Long Black Cars, which was released on April 2nd.
Tic Tic Boom! released a brand new EP today - Before The Sun Rises - and its admittedly pretty damn good. The release comes amidst a hectic three months that already included multiple Official SXSW performances, 5 sets at Coachella and a handful of other shows and also brings a residency all the month of May at Lot 1 Cafe.
Starting on Wednesday May 2nd you can expect to hear a handful of Tic Tic BooM! originals each week of May at Lot 1 Cafe. I strongly encourage you not to miss the opportunity because Boom's latest record shows a lot of growth. Not only have they begun incorporating more electronics and self-made vocal samples, but the hooks are pretty catchy ("Constellation Boy" is a rocker). Before The Sun Rises is a welcome departure from lots of the melancholy LA indie rock I'm used to these days and also a fresh take on synth pop. Judging by their recent climb up Hype Machine's popular charts with "For Feeling" (reached #9 on the popular twitter chart) - it seems the blogosphere agrees.
You can sample the new sounds on their website and you can watch them jam some of their latest tunes live in Jam In The Van below.
For a taste of their older material - check out this relatively new video for "The Open" which was on their 2011 release Reasons and Rhymes.
Tic Tic Boom! released a brand new EP today - Before The Sun Rises - and its admittedly pretty damn good. The release comes amidst a hectic three months that already included multiple Official SXSW performances, 5 sets at Coachella and a handful of other shows and also brings a residency all the month of May at Lot 1 Cafe.
Starting on Wednesday May 2nd you can expect to hear a handful of Tic Tic BooM! originals each week of May at Lot 1 Cafe. I strongly encourage you not to miss the opportunity because Boom's latest record shows a lot of growth. Not only have they begun incorporating more electronics and self-made vocal samples, but the hooks are pretty catchy ("Constellation Boy" is a rocker). Before The Sun Rises is a welcome departure from lots of the melancholy LA indie rock I'm used to these days and also a fresh take on synth pop. Judging by their recent climb up Hype Machine's popular charts with "For Feeling" (reached #9 on the popular twitter chart) - it seems the blogosphere agrees.
You can sample the new sounds on their website and you can watch them jam some of their latest tunes live in Jam In The Van below.
For a taste of their older material - check out this relatively new video for "The Open" which was on their 2011 release Reasons and Rhymes.
As the opener for a heavy hip-hop slated Kosha Dillz presents OY VEY LA event at The Viper Room on Wednesday February 15th, the young opener Dean Risko delivered an unexpectedly soulful set of quasi pop-tunes, including "Trouble," a potential future hit that he just released a video for.
The 23 year old Johannesburg, South Africa native sings, raps and even has a little b-boy steeze wrapped up in his skinny, stylishly fashioned frame. His whole ethos and style reminds me a lot of Mike Posner, just with less cheesy lyrics and a swagger that seems a bit more authentic. Its like Risko is doing what Posner does better than Posner does it. Maybe its because Risko is a better dancer, because Risko is more attractive (doesn't he look a little like the white guy from Chromeo) or maybe it's just because Dean hasn't been cast in the limelight yet. I can't really put my finger on it, but there is certainly something that I am feeling a bit more than I felt "31 Minutes Til Take Off." Go see Dean's live show if you're not convinced by the song, writing and video. (Caveat - Mike Posner's live show is still superior to Dean's. Dean is solid and carries a performance well - but Mike's got a bit more experience and a whole band.)
Dean penned "Trouble" himself and with hooks like "I don't know where you're from, but you're in the wrong place if you're looking for love. Now, if trouble is what you want. Well, come and get you some, come and get you some" - Dean is hitting on themes that resonate for many. The Echo Park resident carries himself with a casual demeanor, but an intense hunger to succeed, and with tracks like "Trouble" it is only a matter time before he does.
As the opener for a heavy hip-hop slated Kosha Dillz presents OY VEY LA event at The Viper Room on Wednesday February 15th, the young opener Dean Risko delivered an unexpectedly soulful set of quasi pop-tunes, including "Trouble," a potential future hit that he just released a video for.
The 23 year old Johannesburg, South Africa native sings, raps and even has a little b-boy steeze wrapped up in his skinny, stylishly fashioned frame. His whole ethos and style reminds me a lot of Mike Posner, just with less cheesy lyrics and a swagger that seems a bit more authentic. Its like Risko is doing what Posner does better than Posner does it. Maybe its because Risko is a better dancer, because Risko is more attractive (doesn't he look a little like the white guy from Chromeo) or maybe it's just because Dean hasn't been cast in the limelight yet. I can't really put my finger on it, but there is certainly something that I am feeling a bit more than I felt "31 Minutes Til Take Off." Go see Dean's live show if you're not convinced by the song, writing and video. (Caveat - Mike Posner's live show is still superior to Dean's. Dean is solid and carries a performance well - but Mike's got a bit more experience and a whole band.)
Dean penned "Trouble" himself and with hooks like "I don't know where you're from, but you're in the wrong place if you're looking for love. Now, if trouble is what you want. Well, come and get you some, come and get you some" - Dean is hitting on themes that resonate for many. The Echo Park resident carries himself with a casual demeanor, but an intense hunger to succeed, and with tracks like "Trouble" it is only a matter time before he does.
The Head and the Heart, the six-piece pop-folk band from Seattle, WA, released their debut self-titled album in early January of this year. The sextet give a new feeling to the traditional pop-folk trend set by artists such as Fleet Foxes, Band of Horses, and The Tallest Man on Earth. Unlike these other fold bands, however, The Head and the Heart’s debut packs a ton of energy behind the traditional folk sound, especially in the first two tracks on the album: “Cats and Dogs” and “Coeur d’Alene,” which transition into each other seamlessly.
And, of course, behind every great folk album are the lyrics. The Head and the Heart write many of their songs about traveling, friends, and the sheer beauty of nature, giving the album an authentic Americana feel that would have made Walt Whitman proud.
As much as you may have loved Fleet Foxes and the other aforementioned folk artists, The Head and the Heart have an incredible advantage over them with the infectious energy that they have accomplished with this album. The energetic piano and contrasting, prolonged “Ooh’s” and “Ahh’s” create a near-perfect balance, and contributes to much of the album’s substance.
Perhaps whats best about the Head and the Heart, though, is that every song is remarkably distinct. Songs like “Down in the Valley” portray the purity of their Americana-folk feel, while the changing tempos of “Sounds Like Hallelujah” vaguely reminds me of Queen’s famous “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Here is a video of them performing "Down In The Valley"...
The Head and the Heart is bound to appeal to faithful fans of the current folk trend, as well as fans of great alternative pop. And if they keep up the great sound found on their debut album, they very well may surpass folk artists like Fleet Foxes and Band of Horses in both fame and critical acclaim.
You know Martin Solveig? The guy who's got that song "Hello" that sounds like "Paper Planes" remixed that people have been spinning and gushing about for the last few months?
Well, he had a hit in 2009 called "Boys & Girls" too that sounds wholly original and is pretty damn catchy. I dusted it off for my end of the year shenanigans and think you should too. Here's the music video...the girl in it kind of looks like the actress from Tank Girl, right?
Peter Carrol and Manzur Iqbal, better known to most as FutureCop!, just leaked some of their latest music to the blog community - including the track "Venice Beach" which I was happy to premier to the world in The Concert Blast that went out earlier today.
Anyhow, the track is catchy, fun, danceable and has a quintessential L.A. essence too it. I only hope they come back to the states, and more importantly, California, to rock this single live for us because I loved seeing these guys perform and get the electro-pop party jumping when they were here with Keith Masters in April.
Last night I had the privilege of being at the 2nd performance of the KarmaloopUp In The Air Tour at House of Blues on Sunset Blvd. In addition to a grip of solid supporters, including Far East Movement, Bad Rabbits and 2 AM Club, the night was highlighted by one of the hottest acts in the game right now, Mike Posner.
Flying high off his debut release, 31 Minutes to Take Off, Posner soared to new heights last night with his sensational performance. In less than a year, I've personally witnessed the MC/singer transform from mixtape maestro to charismatic and fun performer to the NEXT Justin Timberlake pop-star.
He began the night with "Please Don't Go," the second single off his record. Immediately you could see Mike's development because he quickly and easily got the crowd clapping for the majority of the song. Staring down the House of Blues crowd from behind his cooler than you sunglasses - he moved fluidly from the single to his sexy sleeper "Cheated." To my surprise, it felt like the entire room knew and was belting out the lyrics. Sitting next to a group of college aged women (or possibly younger - it was all ages) during the songs' chorus, it was almost like I was at a sorority sleepover.
But Posner's consistent requests for crowd feedback reminded me that I was, in fact, at the House of Blues for his performance. Now backed by a smooth band of brothers (he was not backed by a band at previous performances), Mike is free to spend more time engaging with and massaging the crowd. And Mike certainly took advantage of his new found freedom - he paced from end to end of the stage, reached for the hands of young co-eds near the stage and demanded attendees to move their hands from side to side. So I did....because I basically would have been the only person not doing it if I didn't participate. I kept waving my hands because he got all Michigan rapper on me and busted out perhaps my favorite song of his "Drug Dealer Girl."
What I thought would have been the song that helped me identify who in the crowd was a long-standing and true Posner fan (i.e. fan before 2010), I found myself blown away by the number of tweeners in braces who knew the opening lines "Now you may never be on a maybelline commercial..." And I certainly knew I was in California when the entire crowd chimed in for the follow up "but you always let me know when you got some purple." I bet some of the 15 year olds in the audience probably had never smoked weed, let alone driven a car (he performed "Smoke and Drive" later on), but that wasn't stopping them from singing along.
Posner riffled through some more of his R & B and ballad type material, including "Bow Chick a Bow Wow" (probably my least favorite) and a little Red Hot Chili Peppers medley as a homage to Los Angeles. Of course, these were part of a sequenced build up to the hot single "Cooler Than Me."
BUT, before that closer - Posner finished his R&B medley with his take on Electric Light Orchestra's "Evil Woman." A song that I've seen him perform alone, it is clearly better with the backing of his new band. Gone is the slightly Fischer-Pricey sounding synth or clavinet or whatever that sound is (or at the very least it is muted out by the other instruments). Posner's back-up vocalists gave this new live band twist just the right amount of soul and Mike laid his vocals down pretty smoothly too.
Anticipating that it might be the end of his set and knowing the single still had not yet been played, the crowd began chanting Posner before him or the band even made a motion to leave. The band abruptly cued up "Cooler Than Me" and within a few seconds of the beat dropping the floors shook so hard you questioned whether there was an earthquake. Keeping his street level, fan friendly cool, Mike passed the mic over the crowd to get West Hollywood's version of the catchy chorus before finishing the vocals off himself.
Posner and the band walked off the stage and it easily would have been a perfectly satisfying performance. But, with half the crowd anxiously awaiting a possible encore return and claps and hollers brewing, the man of the evening returned to his piano. He treated the crowd to a short keys solo before doing two songs, the last of which was "Gone In September." The show was spectacular , but the increase in the volume and frequency of crowd participation is what really blew me away at House of Blues. Whereas your typical hip-hop show will call for the occasional swaying of hands, and the cliche "all the ladies say, all the fellas say ho," Posner's repertoire of tricks to engage the crowd feels considerably larger. Perhaps he studied what more veteran acts were doing all summer on Warped tour? Maybe he just got more comfortable after experiencing some pop success? Or maybe it just takes time for a performer to find their comfort zone? Regardless, it is clear that Mike Posner has come a long way in a very short period of time.
The recent Duke graduate has dramatically improved his stage presence since I first saw him on October 16, 2009 at The Roxy. At that show with Big Sean he certainly was an exciting performer, but he hadn't quite mastered the art of maintaining crowd participation and controlling the crowd with the simple point of a finger. His next performances at The Roxy (New Years Eve and a brief appearance in February at a Gift of Gab show) exhibited the artist's maturation on stage - Posner was noticeably more active, energized and comfortable in the now familiar venue. He'd engage the crowd and keep the party moving, eliciting more of a response from the audience at each performance. But, last night was EPIC.
Whether it be calling for hands to go up in the air, requesting people to snap or clap along, encouraging the crowd to sing the hook or simply pointing to sides of the room for their responsive screams - Mike does it - and he has become really good at it. The maturation of his performance is impressive. Simply put, Mike Posner has begun to the master the art of being not just a touring artist, but an entertainer/performer.
It is clear that a hit single, a summer on WARPED tour and the backing of a full band were all this Michigan man needed to vault him into the exclusive category of NEXT BIG THING. The guy has swagger, charisma, stage charm and talent. He writes creative flows, raps and sings them well enough and he really gets the crowd involved.
With a top I-Tunes single ("Cooler Than Me") at his disposal, a top 10 Billboard album (I know 31 Minutes to Take Off hit #8...may have gone higher), and now a top notch performance - Mike Posner should be on your radar because he is not going anywhere anytime soon. Check Posner out in a different city on the Up In The Air Tour - tickets are available here. (FYI - they may sell out, so buy them NOW)
Below is the very first ever SUPERGOODMUSIC interview, its an interview we did with Posner in February 2010 before he even knew how much hype the album would receive.
