* Check out Radiohead's great new split-screen video for All I Need. Smart, well shot, effective - why aren't more videos like this?
* Speaking of videos, have you seenScarlett Johansson's for Falling Down? (I actually kind of like the song).
* Also, have you seen the new high-energy Nike ad directed by Mr. Madonna, Guy Ritchie? Not too shabby.
* Quick! A (cool?) new bootlegged Dark Knight trailer! If it's already gone by the time you click on the link, blame only yourself. If it's still up, good luck making any sense of the horrible visual and audio. (Moral: Bootlegs suck).
* And finally, missed David Blaine setting a breath-holding record on Oprah? See it here.
New Kids On The Block have officially announced their initial reunion tour dates and it turns out they are kicking things off in lovely Canada!
For all of you that want to see the (grand)fathers of the boyband trend live in concert, here are the details:
Sat, Sept 20th @ Bell Centre, Montreal
Sun, Sept 21st @ Air Canada Centre, Toronto
Tickets for Montreal go on sale May 10th @ noon.
Tickets for Toronto go on sale May 12th @ 11am.
One of my old friends saw them in concert when she was young, and after laughing at all the crying girls on her worn out concert VHS tapes, she was shocked and embarrassed to find herself in tearful hysterics when they hit the stage.
I hope that happens to her again come September. I'll obviously point and laugh at her. And then I'll start crying and screaming as well.
PS: Tune in to The Today Show on Friday May 16 to see the boys perform!
* Do you Twitter? Then why not start followingDiablo Cody's updates?
* Shenae Grimes, who plays Darcy on Degrassi: The Next Generation (and who is also a Fashion Television intern), landed the lead role in the new 90210 spinoff after Hilary Duff turned it down. Yay Canadian talent!
* Was Justin Long making out with a girl in a club who wasn't Drew Barrymore...? DRAMA!
* Heidi Montagcomes to the defense of Miley Cyrus. Eek. The last person I'd ever want coming to my defense is the Montag!
So... we here at MuchMusic.com have just launched our third installment of the increasingly popular First Spin SINGLES player. This is just a random collection of kick ass tracks that I can't stop listening to and wanted to share them with you. I had the awesome task of choosing the songs and let me tell you - although enjoyable to do it wasn't easy! There is just so much music (haha) out there and a lot of politics when you're a company like us promoting music. But I threw that aside because when it comes down to it, you really just wanna talk about the good stuff, right????
So I grabbed a little pop (Kylie, Natasha, Elise, Sean Kingston), for all you pop tarts out there and some really nice slow jams that you'll be sure to listen to over and over. Like The Constantines (feat. Feist) - WOW.
Then I was sure to add some music that you might not have heard of: Metro Station, Carolina Liar, The Jealous Girlfriends, and Kreesha Turner - four acts that you'll be hearing a lot of in the next few months and hopefully years to come.
Then I have some new music from classic artists such as Coldplay and Alanis Morissette! Sweeeeeet.
And (my personal favourite) little samples of amazing electronic and dance music from M83, The Ting Tings, Boys Noize, Sally Shapiro/Junior Boys. I freakin' LOVE this stuff.
I hope this entertains you, enlightens you and well... just keeps you listening for the 1.6 hours my iTunes playlists said this will run for. Please let me know what you think! - comment below!
Enjoy!
klye
PS: I'm already starting on Singles #4 - so if you have any recommendations or tracks you must hear in that - let me know!!
If you're a fan of the Arctic Monkeys, Kasabian, The Author and the like, then you'll really enjoy The Dykeenies. The fivesome, made up of three brothers and two childhood friends, are from Cumbernauld, Scotland. The band came together back in 2005 and released their first EP in 2006. A year later the guys released their first album which spawned a few singles including my favourite, Waiting For Go.
These guys bring a fresh sound to the Brit Pop scene with quality songs that are upbeat, great to sing a long to and are catchy! They also sound great when playing an acoustic set. On their MySpace page they have an acoustic version of another great song Pick You Up and it sounds great!
I'm hoping they somehow end up playing a show here but until that happens all I can do is hope and continue listening! Enjoy!
I was just doing my afternoon surf of various online music sites and came across this cool news from Spin Magazine: Motion City Soundtrack will be digitally releasing a five-tune acoustic EP on May 6th!
The EP will consist of songs from their latest album, 2007's Even If It Kills Me. (If you don't already have the original, find it, listen to it, and just try to not tap your toes. Try it). The songs on the new EP will be stripped down versions, but from what I've heard from the previewed Fell In Love Without You, which is streaming on the Spin site, nothing has been lost - I actually prefer the more mellow, contemplative sound!
So come May 6th, I'll be first in line, online, at iTunes. (That makes no sense, but you know what I mean).
It's been 3 years since Coldplay last released new material but the long and (if you're like me) anxious wait is over as 2008 marks the release of their highly anticipated fourth album, Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends. Although the album doesn't drop until later this year, we have the first single, Violet Hill, on our new First Spin Singles player!
The 10-track offering signals a sound and direction change for the 4-man group. "I think it's our boldest and most confident record," says bassist Guy Berryman. "We were much more open to new ideas and influences and much less afraid to experiment." "It can be easy to stop yourself from trying things because you're scared of what people might say," adds frontman Chris Martin, "but we forced ourselves not to do that."
And they ain't kiddin'! This album really stretches the band's boundaries and clearly takes them outside the comfort zone that brought them such huge success with their previous three albums - Parachutes (2000), A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002), and X&Y(2005). Don't get me wrong, it's still Coldplay...but different! Martin mentioned that they wanted to move from "black and white into colour" and if this first single is any indication (and I may be a tad biased here)...mission accomplished.
Yay! It would appear that Tokio Hotel frontman Bill Kaulitz is on the road to recovery after having vocal chord surgery in late March. Here are Tokio Hotel's rescheduled Canadian dates. Only two weeks away!
Tokio Hotel Tour Dates:
May 16 @ Sound Academy, Toronto
May 19 @ Uniprix Stadium, Montreal
Tickets for the Toronto show go on sale Thursday, May 1 at 10am ET and are $34.50 + fees.
And don't forget, more Canadian cities will be added. Patience!
* Shia LaBeoufsheds his shirt due to the heat at Coachella music festival this past weekend. (And potentially has heat stroke. 911, anyone...?)
* Coldplay have revealed the album art for their upcoming album, Viva La Vida.
* Swedish songstress Robyn, who hits Toronto on May 5th, performs a mellow version of her killer track With Every Heartbeat.
* Scott Weiland has been sentenced to 192 hours in jail for his DUI. Tsk tsk tsk...
* Emile Hirsch is a Disaster In Denim at the premiere of Speed Racer.
* Baby Mama's Amy Poehler and her funnyman husband, Will Arnett, are gonna have a baby in real life. That baby is either going to be hilarious or, in a desperate move to over-compensate, be really dull.
New stuff from Brazilian cuties CSS! Their song Music Is My Hot, Hot Sex, which was featured in an iPod Touch commercial, injected a little more life into their self-titled 2006 album. But now we've got new stuff to look forward to, cause the band (now sans bassist Iracema Trevisan) has a new album called Cop Donkey out July 22 on Sub Pop.
CSS debuted the first single from the album, called Rat Is Dead (Rage) on their redesigned website earlier today. And get this...Lovefoxx wants you to download it and listen to it for free. So go to their website right this very minute and grab it! It's making me dance and I love it!
Guess what! Simple Plan is finally going to celebrate the release their third album, Simple Plan with a cross-Canadian tour! And we really mean "cross-Canadian". Eight provinces. Even Newfoundland. And Saskatchewan!
The boys are so excited that they recorded this special message for MuchMusic announcing the tour to their fans. Watch it up top!
Plus, MuchMusic is presenting the whole tour, and here are the dates:
Simple Plan Spring 2008 Tour:
August 19 @ Mile One Centre, St. John's
August 21 @ Halifax Metro Centre, Halifax
August 22 @ Moncton Coliseum, Moncton
August 23 @ Saint John Harbour Station, Saint John
August 28 @ Scotiabank Place, Ottawa
August 29 @ Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto
August 30 @ John Labatt Centre, London
September 3 @ Vancouver, BC Pacific Coliseum
September 5 @ Rexall Centre, Edmonton
September 6 @ Pengrowth Saddledome, Calgary
September 8 @ Credit Union Centre, Saskatoon
September 9 @ MTS Centre, Winnipeg
Tickets will be on sale to the general public soon, but we want to be extra sure that you get your mitts on a pair, so we're holding a fan presale later this week. Stay tuned to the blog for more details - links and password to come!
Well I guess it's time for another Rock The Cradle, so let's strap ourselves in and get ready for the ride.
So from the intro, we are reminded that Lucy Walsh had the highest score last week, therefore she is "untouchable" from elimination. But someone (who? WHO?!) will be going home...
Ryan Devlin hits the stage, and his shirt is much more manageable this week, compared to last week's ill-conceived sweater-blazer combo.
And now let the backstage trash-talking begin! Jesse Snider is hilarious. The boy does not hold back. My favourite Snider-isms thus far:
Jesse: "I believe I'm the only one who actually 'rocked' the cradle. I think Crosby actually kind of rocks the cradle to sleep."
And...
Lucy: "I'm 'Untouchable!'"
Jesse: [whilst placing a finger on her arm] "I touched that bitch."
And speaking of bitches, what's up with Jesse Money? She was very quick to actually cut down Lucy's impressive performance. Jealousy sucks, eh Money?
And now to the singin'!
1. Jesse Snider: Billy Idol's "Rebel Yell"
Jesse, my favourite resident wise-ass, sounds pretty decent. Good song choice - it suits his voice perfectly. He lacks a bit of the Billy Idol growl, but I believe that is first acheived through experience. But I gotta say, I'm not really digging the mohawk, leather vest and shredded leather pants. He looks like a We Will Rock Youmusical cast member, no?
I give his performance an 8.5.
Belinda Carlisle: 8.5
Jamie King: 9
June Ambrose: 10
Larry Rudolph: 8
Total: 35.5
2. Lara Johnston: Aretha Franklin's "Respect"
So this week Laura is all about "connecting" with the audience. And even though I believe she achieved it better than she did with last week's ho-hum Avril tune, she didn't sound the greatest. She sounded good, but not great. To me, it was the ultimate karaoke song sung in a very uninspired way. Kind of screechy, kind of whatever, kind of saw someone do this exact same thing on Saturday night. Nothing special. But she is cute as a button.
3. A'Keiba Burrell-Hammer: Fugees' "Killing Me Softly"
Oh A'Keiba, I have such high hopes for her! And to me, she just underperforms just a tad to my expectations. I like her voice, but it's just not as strong as I want it to be and not as strong as she thinks it is. She had some questionable parts in the middle of this song, but overall, I did enjoy it. I just want her to bust it out more.
4. Crosby Loggins: Gavin DeGraw's "I Don't Wanna Be"
Crosby is an interesting one because everytime I see him perform, he is the one in this group that most resembles his famous parent - all I see is Kenny Loggins. That's neither good nor bad, just an observation. This performance is not too shabby. He starts off a bit rough with his mumbled articulation, but once he gets into the chorus, it starts gaining momentum. I dig it.
Like I do for A'Keiba, I have high hopes for Landon. He looks great, has stage presence, but his voice isn't that strong and it all seems like a bit of a struggle. But man, is this song ever a good one, so I can't help but to kind of get into it.
OK, I have to admit that I don't know this song. And hearing it for the first time, it kind of bores and annoys me, however Lil B. Sure does have some vocal talent. It just sucks that the entire song was sung up in his falsetto because that can get a bit grating, and his over-sized suit isn't doing anyone any favours. So although I think he'll be sticking around a bit longer, this performance was kind of snoresville.
Lucy was my favourite last week, along with the judges, and although this performance of "True Colors" wasn't as good as last week, she definitely is one of the most talented/charismatic/fun/sympathetic competitors. She looks and sounds great. I want to be her friend. Her and Jesse should date. I think they are the ones to beat.
I give this performance an 8.5.
Belinda: 8
Jamie: 8
June: 7
Larry: 8
Total: 31
8. Chloe Lattanzi: Three Days Grace's "I Hate Everything About You"
oh wow, go Chloe. It's unexpected to see her really let loose and break out of her shell. I see some shades of Evanescence rocker Amy Lee in this performance but, eventhough she's passionate, the vocals are definitely a bit inconsistent. However, it's an odd song choice for an odd girl which works out to be a pretty interesting combo.
So that brings us to the end of yet another Rock The Cradle.
Oh yeah, and goodbye to Jesse Money, who mouthed a not-so-subtle "what the f*ck" to the camera. Oh Jesse, we hardly knew ye, and for that I am grateful. (Ssshhh... I wasn't her biggest fan).
And congrats to the 'Untouchable' Jesse Snider! What bare-chested antics will he get up to next week? We'll find out in just one more fly-by week!
* And finally, Music Lovers Unite! Check out we7.com where you can stream music from all over the world. I've been listening to German Pop all morning. (Don't ask).
It's time for the FINALE!!!!!!! And soon we will find out who will be in GIRLICIOUS!!!
Excited Robin?
The episode started off with Chrystina telling Natalie that she feels like the underdog. Now, in the Rules Of Reality TV, this does not bode well for Chrystina since it means she's the first to be highlighted and therefore will be the one who is eliminated. But perhaps the producers of the show now know that we know, so maybe they've mixed it up, ya know?
But this underdog talk ends well with Chrystina and Natalie agreeing that no matter what the outcome, they will still be friends. Awwww. Puke.
Then we switch over to Nichole and Charlye who are all cuddled up together, talking back and forth about God knows what. Honestly, I could not make any sense of it, but they did a fine job of finishing each other's sentences.
"It's just looking beyond --"
"-- the surface of things."
And thus starts what I like to call "The Episode of Speaking In Cliches." But can you blame them? Week after week, we hear Robin bark out, "The rest of your life begins right now!" Of course this is gonna rub off on the girls, no?
And then for the PLASMA MESSAGE! (At least that's what I think this "Tyra Mail" rip-off is called. I never really know what they yell out here when the plasma message comes because even though these girls can sing, articulation is not their forte).
"Hey Ladies, what's up? It's your girl Nicole from The Pussycat Dolls."
Yeah, no shit, Sherlock. How unnecessary is that intro? Hey Nicole, how about you introduce the other girls in the group instead because I still have no idea who they are.
One of the other no-name Dolls then tells us that there is one final lesson: "Trust yourself."
I'm not convinced that "trust yourself" is a lesson. That's not even fortune cookie worthy. But this is Robin Antin we are talking about, the Queen of Cliches, remember? "Trust yourself" is probably just a leftover from her young days as Mistress of Mantras.
And speaking of cliches, Nichole now can't wait to use one:
"I just wanted to say thank you for seeing something in us." And then goes on to say that she feels so "lucky" and that it's "all hitting me now."
Everyone thinks Nichole is so innocent and sweet, but I see beyond that bubblegum exterior. She's a flat out brown-noser and it's all for show. She's even prematurely wiping non-existent tears. I'm on to her.
But Robin falls for it and actually produces real tears. Or is she just checking to make sure her latest botox injections aren't leaking? You decide:
After that spout of emotion, it's time to get down to business as Robin announces what the final performances are going to be.
We learn that first there will be a group performance and the girls will sing...
"Ladies Night!"
"by Kool and the Gang."
Wow. "Ladies Night" produces whoops of joy but "Kool and the Gang" is an instant kill joy. This goes to show that these girls simply have no clue. What version of "Ladies Night" were they expecting? The one by unknown Japanese songstress Ayumi Hamasaki?
[Side note: No wonder Chrystina feels like such an underdog. Homegirl wore flip-flops to dance rehearsal.]
We then find out that after the group performance, everyone will sing their solos. The only one who is upset, of course, is Chrystina who doesn't know her song: Heart's "What About Love."
Then it's time for some one-on-ones with Ron.
When Natalie is asked how she gets along with the other girls, she responds:
"Well I'm one of the most compatible people I feel like in the house to be perfectly honest."
Well Natalie, to be "perfectly honest," you are a liar; generally when people are talking with their eyes closed, they have something to hide. Just sayin. And apparently you are someone who can't figure out proper sentence structure.
Then it's Charlye's turn with Ron and when asked what would happen if she wasn't in the group, she responds with: "I think that if I don't make it in this group, I would go back to school."
Ron's reaction?
The look of death. I'm surprised we couldn't see actual smoke come out of his ears. If there's one thing that Ron hates, it's that evil education.
And then to jump on the cliche bandwagon, Ron goes on to say that he needs people in the group who will hold hands with him and jump off cliffs. OK, I guess that's not really a cliche, but more just the ramblings of a crazy person.
Then in singing rehearsal, Underdog Chrystina has trouble with her song to which Kenn Hicks says: "I think she needs to marinate with this and put herself in it."
Kenn would know all about marinating as apparently he's been marinating in a big tub of Vaseline and ultra shine lip gloss:
Though all kidding aside, I do have to say that I love Kenn Hicks. He seems to be the most compassionate person on this entire show and I dig that.
Then after dance rehearsal, Natalie becomes the sourpuss(ycat doll) and complains to Chrystina that Tiffanie was hogging all the attention. Chrystina tells Natalie not to get defeated, but Natalie thinks that being defeated is a good thing, stating:
"If I go into this blind, Chrystina, you don't understand, if I sit here and be like I'm in the group and then my name is NOT called? Do you know what that would feel like?"
Um, yes Natalie, she would since she's IN THE EXACT SAME POSITION AS YOU.
So then it's off to practice their solos and everyone seemingly has their doubts. And of course Natalie continues the game of cliches by stating:
"I will take it to the top."
"I will take it to the sky."
"For me, the sky's the limit."
Then the girls are whisked off to the stage for their final performances!
Everytime Mark McGrath shows up, I think:
a- I totally forgot he was part of the show,
b- I totally forgot he still exists, and
c- Who's the Neanderthal?
Hey Mark, 10,000 BC called - they need you for re-shoots.
The girls do their performance of "Ladies Night."
Not only do they try to out-sing each other, they also compete to see who can swing their right arm around the best.
Then Tiffanie does her solo of "Natural Woman."
There is absolutely nothing "natural" about this. All I see is the whites of her eyes and her hand slowly moving toward her naughty place. She's like Linda Blair as Cruise Ship Performer.
Charlye then sings "Before He Cheats." Meh.
Then Nichole sings "Giving Him Something He Can Feel" after which Lil Kim exclaims, "Oh Nichole, I just love you" to which Nichole responds, "I love YOU!"
Yeah right. Like Nichole has ever listened to a single Lil Kim song that wasn't Lady Marmalade. Likely story...
Speaking of Lil Kim:
I fear for her breasts. That top of hers must be screaming. Something will surely pop.
Natalie then sings "Say It Right." It's pretty boooooring, but my favourite part?
No matter what concert or function you are at, there will always be one tall, awkward white guy boppin' along to the beat.
Chrystina then sings "What About Love."
Ron seems to thoroughly enjoy it. Or he's had one drink too many:
He's probably just thinking about jumping off cliffs.
Then the judges deliberate. When the girls are called back, the first member called out to be in Girlicious is....
Nichole!
Who bursts into a solo rendition of YMCA.
And then the second girl to be in Girlicious is....
Tiffanie!
Scariest. Reaction. Ever. At first I thought she had been shot, but no, these are convulsions of joy apparently. And it's hideous. I'd hate to see her in actual pain.
Lil Kim is as equally disgusted as I:
Then Robin tells us that the next name that is called will NOT be in Girlicious. And that person is...
Charlye!
Charlye really got a raw deal here. Usually when people get kicked out, they get some time to share some parting words of wisdom, to hang up their boa, but no, not Charlye. She just walks into the black abyss that is stage right, never to be heard of again.
But then the twist! (That's not really a twist, but rather just something completely obvious).
Girlicious will be FOUR girls instead of three! Everyone falls to the ground in joy...
...but to me, it looks like they are all losing their shit as if they were in the firey pits of Hell:
After seeing this, I'm now fully convinced that Robin Antin is Satan and Girlicious will be her group of demon sidekicks. Absolutely frightening.
So there you have it folks: GIRLICIOUS!!!!
And now for their debut music video:
But I have to ask: who are these people? I don't recognize anyone from the actual show. The girl in the front looks like the lesbian bartender from The OC. And the others? Never seem them before in my life.
Which just goes to show that no matter who you are, in this funny business we call Show, you can be transformed into someone you're not. And isn't that what being a role model is all about?
*crickets crickets*
At least Robin is still happy:
Check out the following music videos from Girlicious!
* Guillermo del Toro, director of Pan's Labyrinth and the upcoming Hellboy II: The Golden Army, will direct The Hobbit. Next to Peter Jackson, he definitely is the best choice. Tres excited.
* Amy Winehousehas been arrested! Maybe this is a last ditch attempt at seeing Blake...? Love makes you CRAZY!
* Oh no! Mariah Carey's performance on Good Morning America this morning was one hot mess. Heads will roll...
Last night Radiohead performed House Of Cards on Conan O'Brien - and to keep it green they filmed it in London exclusively and then sent it over for our viewing pleasure. Oh those crazy carbon emissions! Radiohead always have something to say, and this time it was some "eco-like" comments ("Recycle your shopping bags, Conan!"), and a little political dedication.
Now: the song itself? Beautiful. Lovely. When it comes to House of Cards (from In Rainbows), my heart always melts as soon as Thom tells me that he "doesn't want to be my friend, he just wants to be my lover". The song was effortlessly perfect perfect perfect. Simple yet intricate. Stunning to say the least.
If you don't know Radiohead (*gasp*), get out from under that rock and go fall in love with them!
The lineup for this year's Rock The Bells festival has been announced and holy shack, it looks crazy.
For the 80s, we have Rakim, who basically fathered every rapper('s style) you know today. The 90s are covered with three of the best and most creative groups in hip-hop history: De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest and (!!) the reunited Pharcyde. For recently recent we have Red and Meth, Raekwon and Ghostface, Murs, and Nas. And for the next generation: Spank Rock, The Cool Kids, Kid Sister and Wale.
I'm excited about Nas because he has a pretty controversial CD coming out and I'd like to see how he handles himself. The Pharcyde were one of my favourite groups when I was younger and I know they didn't have a happy ending so it's cool that they are even back together. The Cool Kids are awesome, and everything I've heard from Wale is nice (Google image him for the pic of Lindsay Lohan grinding on him, it's gotta count for something). Oh and Raekwon and Ghostface will be huge.
So overall I'd say this is one of the biggest hip-hop events ever. If you live near Vancouver or Toronto I'd advise you to go - this is basically Woodstock '69 for hip-hop.
Canadian Dates:
July 20 @ TBD, Toronto
August 30 @ TBD, Vancouver
* Aw, three of my favourite things all in one lil' blog post: Rachel McAdams, the Apple Store and the TTC. Wait, the TTC is kind of gross, so scratch that: "TWO of my favourite things..."
* Naomi Campbell, who recently went all coo-coo bananas on a plane, is set to appear in the season finale of Ugly Betty.
* Mark Wahlberg's fiancee of 4 years is preggers with their third child.
So I just wrote about MSTRKRFT remixing Jesse McCartney which brings me to the topic of MSTRKRFT themselves.
Jesse Keeler and Al-P have been VERY busy since the release of their debut album The Looks in July 2006. They've remixed singles from over 30 artists, including Annie, Metric, The Kills, Bloc Party, Wolfmother, Justice, The Gossip, All Saints, Chromeo, Kid Sister and Kyle Minogue. Said singles have been played by OTHER big DJs worldwide. It's pretty much impossible to get through a night at a club without hearing either a song from The Looks (usually Easy Love, Street Justice, Paris or She's Good For Business) or one of their remixes.
When they weren't busy making remixes, they were jetsetting the globe DJing at festivals like Pukkelpop in Belgium and Oxegen in Ireland. At this very moment they're once again far from home (Toronto) DJing in cosmopolitan cities like Barcelona, Glasgow, Manchester, Dublin, Stockholm and Lisbon for twenty shows that bleed well into the summer.
By the time that string of shows is over, the release date for their second full-length album of original songs will be upon us: the currently untitled album will be released by Last Gang Records in September, but for the time being there are two new songs you can preview on the band's MySpace page.
The first one, the single Bounce features Isis of Thunderheist and N.O.R.E. on vocals and it's another wicked club anthem. You've got Isis and N.O.R.E. doing a call and response of "All I do is party...ha ha ha ha" over and over and it's so, so good. I'm dying to hear the rest of this album! September! In the meantime, I'll continue to listen to The Looks on a near-daily basis.
Allow myself to introduce myself. I am Paul Brothers and I am holding it down on the East Coast (the best coast) as co-host of the radical show Going Coastal.
One thing you need to know about me before I get going here in the blogosphere:
I am a loud, proud Newfoundlander!
All right now that you know that, I think we're cool. We cool? OK. Cool.
For this week's episode of GC, I went to my first ever wearable artshow. Now I thought I would see naked people wearing actual pieces of art around their necks. Lemme tell ya, what I did end up seeing will blow your mind! Gotta tune in to believe some of this stuff. Art students are nuts.
Out west, my partner in crime Lauren hits up auditions for So You Think You Can Dance. I personally can't wait to see if Lauren struts her stuff or not. Speaking of which, Leah Miller is the host of said show and I had a dream last night that she called me and said "Hey Paul, when I come to Halifax for SYTYCD, we should hook up for drinks!" and I was like "Yes, let's do it". I'll let you know if the dream comes true.
That's it for me, gonna leave with something I'm gonna try to keep updated as we go along. I'll call it the Going Coastal 3...GC3 for short. Three things for you to check out this week and let me know what you think about them. Could be bands, songs, links to something cool, anything goes!
GC3:
East Coast Band: The Fed Pennies. These Halifax guys opened for OZZY at the Halifax Metro Centre a while back. Insane! If you dig QOTSA, you will dig Fed Pennies. MySpace:The Fed Pennies
Canadian Record That Will Rip You A New One: CANCER BATS. Their new record Hail Destroyer is one big Kick in the teeth. Check out track 7 Lucifer's Rocking Chair and prepare for battle! MySpace:Cancer Bats
BLIND MELON is back!! What?? Spin Wishing Well and remember these guys wrote that great record Soup. MySpace: Blind Melon
Until next time, ain't sayin' goodbye, just sayin'...
Um. Did I miss something? Approximately when did cutiepie Jesse McCartney (who I once called a poor man's Aaron Carter...whoops) become a hit songwriter and subject of a dangerously cool MSTRKRFT remix!?
While researching for my case study on Jesse, I came across these two surprising bits of info...
In case you didn't already know, Jesse and Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic cowrote Leona Lewis's debut single, Bleeding Love, which has proven to be an absolute BEAST on all the singles charts. It's #1 in 28 countries and was the bestselling single of 2007 in the UK.
Then, while digging around for the new MSTRKRFT single yesterday, I came across a remixed version of Jesse's new single Leavin' - it is SICK. It's got the usual MSTRKRFT "touch" that manages to transform just about any song into a monster dancefloor hit.
I have no idea why they chose to remix this song in particular; maybe it was their entry for Jesse's MySpace contest, where fans vote for their favourite Leavin' remix (strangely though, MSTRKRFT's hasn't officially been submitted)? Soja and I both adore the original, untouched version of Leavin', but this one's on a different level. Once either MSTRKRFT or Justice have remixed your songs, you know you've kind of become a big deal.
Jesse's got a new album called Departure that comes out on May 20. Jesse JUST turned 21 two weeks ago. It seems like only yesterday he was enjoying "surfing and romance" as Bradin Westerly on Summerland!
I know...I'm self obsessed. I can't help it. You'll be happy to know however, I'm working on it. Anyway I'm much more known for being overly self-deprecating than showing displays of conceit. Although while I typed that I realized it's probably not any less annoying, but what are you gonna do? It's embedded deep in my Virgo-ean nature.
I have long since accepted that I shall never ever (naturally) achieve long beautiful shining cascading locks of hair. My hair grows up and out not down. It's cool I guess. I have managed to overcome boys throwing paper airplanes and gum in my hair and calling me Velcro head. Harsh.
Moving on, I have a love affair with summer and the changes in mood, attitude, and inspirations that come with it so apparently time is on my side. Namely this season for me my style (and hair) inspirations come from Diana Ross, 60s supermodel Dunlaye Luna and actress Dorothy Dandridge.
We all saw actress Zooey Deschanel warbling Christmas carols next to Will Ferrell in the holiday box office hit Elf. And now she has found a friend and collaborator in producer-songwriter M. Ward (who has worked with the likes of Cat Power and My Morning Jacket). Together Deschanel and Ward have created a sound that is sweet, pensive and ol' thyme-y. And they call themselves She & Him.
On their official site, they say they found a mutual inspiration in "the songs they grew up hearing on Los Angeles radio stations [such as]: Les Paul and Mary Ford, The Ronettes, Nina Simone, Chet Atkins, Linda Ronstadt, the Carter Family and about a hundred others." In essence, they capture this older sound yet manage to sound fresh and original.
I realize I'm full-on jumping on a bandwagon here, but you know what? I'm OK with that. Maybe there will be one or two of you out there who haven't heard of She & Him, and if that's the case, then I've done my good deed of the day by pointing you in their direction.
Check them out on MySpace to have a listen. They also performed on Conan O'Brien last night - and although Deschanel looked a bit nervous, she sounded great.
Tonight's episode of The Shift features Alexandra. She loves to sing so we gave her a behind the scenes look at the Canadian Idol auditions. We also talked to the judges who gave us the scoop on exactly what they're looking for. Watch Alexandra co-host The Shift with Sarah Taylor tonight at 9pm ET.
Alexandra's blog:
Hey, what's up!? My name is Alexandra De Luca and I had an amazing time on The Shift! Spending the day with Sarah was an awesome experience; she was so nice, down to earth, and she made me feel comfortable throughout the whole process. The best part about The Shift is that I got to see what it was like to live in that industry. It's always 'go, go, go!' which is somewhat difficult to get used to. I learned so many things that will help me in my future. For instance, Sarah took me to Canadian Idol as a part of the show and I got to go through all the rounds and audition. Some of the advice and feedback I received was very helpful to me and truly got me thinking of ways to improve my skills. Bottom line, I love to perform, so between Canadian Idol and co-hosting The Shift, I got to do that on television! I just want to thank Much Music for giving me such an amazing experience and a 'head-start' to my dream career. I would not trade it for the world!
* Coldplay have revealed 
Tonight's episode of The Shift features Alexandra. She loves to sing so we gave her a behind the scenes look at the Canadian Idol auditions. We also talked to the judges who gave us the scoop on exactly what they're looking for. Watch Alexandra co-host The Shift with Sarah Taylor tonight at 9pm ET.