Go Vote

I'm not going to tell anyone how to vote or who they should vote for, but I am going to encourage you to vote.  If you have the right to do it, and the time available, there is little reason not to.  At least I don't think so.  Your vote is your opportunity to shape progress.  If you want to complain about what we do or do not do as a nation or a state or a community - you owe it to yourself to voice your concern through your vote.  Its a bit hypocritical to complain from the sidelines if you haven't made even the smallest of efforts (voting) to change it.

One vote may not count for some races in some places - but no matter what state or county you sit in, there is some race or some issue that might be contested.  There is some principal or maxim that is being challenged.   Stand up for what you believe in.  

While I might not be the only voice for SUPERGOODMUSIC, I do most of our writing.   I know that anyone who steps through our doors, anyone who wears a SUPERGOOD badge - I truly hope they are about love for all because gay people should be allowed to get married.    Any candidate who opposes gay marriage is not a candidate that SUPERGOOD endorses.  Gay people getting married doesn't affect anyone's life other than theirs and the people who attend their wedding.  We shouldn't deny love to anyone as a society and legally allowing gay marriage probably wouldn't be a bad thing for society because gay people really know how to party.  

That guides my vote and I hope it guides yours too...

by Brandon Dorsky @boomd @supergoodmusic

LA Talent Gets You Through Hump Day - VCC Debut & Far East Movement on the Strip

Tonight there are a handful of things to do in L.A., with lots of local buzzworthy talent hitting stages. Chart topping Far East Movement is performing on The Tonight Show and also on The Sunset Strip - but both of those are probably tough to get into at this point in the game. Another show featuring L.A. residents and artists, Voxhaul Broadcast and Eastern Conference Champions, still has tickets available. That show is at Spaceland.

You may remember ECC from their recent residency at Spaceland and you may be familiar with the name Voxhaul Broadcast because they have basically been playing everywhere in L.A. recently - and have another well publicized gig coming up at LA Weekly's show at Gibson Amphitheatre on Sunday. BUT, rather than see them at the Gibson, I'd advise going the intimate route and catching them inside tonight. The show will certainly be more intimate and definitely cheaper.

Not only are Voxhaul Broadcast and Eastern Conference Champions teaming up to deliver a presumably riveting indie rock performance for the eastside, they've also put out a cover of The Violent Femmes "Add It Up" which you can download here. Maybe if you're lucky they will play it tonight and if you're luckier - you'll have gotten to see them play it for FREE.

Enter our ticket giveaway contest by commenting here or mentioning the show and @supergoodmusic on twitter. Winner will be selected before 6 pm.

Anythings POSNible: The Evolution of Mike Posner from Mixtape MC to Pop Star

Last night I had the privilege of being at the 2nd performance of the Karmaloop Up 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.