A pleasant surprise

June 13th, 2012 No Comments

I love it when my favorite bands cover awesome songs. Unfortunately my iphone video doesn’t really do the performance justice.

We caught Dawes the other night on a whim. If you’re not a fan, I believe you’re missing out on some pretty awesome music. Think a modern-day Tom Petty with a younger sensibility and southern soul. A little more rough around the edges too. I like that :)

For you newbies, listen to and download:

That Western Skyline
Time Spent in Los Angeles
How Far We’ve Come
Love is All I Am

Taylor, the lead singer with the amazing voice, tweets. Ironically Griffin, his brother the drummer, doesn’t own a computer. “I can do all I need to from my phone.” Nice guys. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting them both at the shows.

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New Source for New Music

May 31st, 2012 No Comments

The Band of the Day iPad app not only helps you discover a new band and great music everyday, it also creates a playlist, “Mix Tape” of other bands just like it you can listen to while you work.

When it comes to apps, design and functionality count. BoD delivers on these levels as well.

After I discovered I love Civil Twilight on BoD, I went straight Rdio to add their album to my collection. If you’re not on Rdio, or any music streaming cloud, you’re missing out. Meant to replace itunes as your source for music, Rdio allows you to have unlimited music (yes, you can add ANYTHING to your collection), include your iTunes library, and sync it across all of your devices for $10 per month. That’s the cost of 1 album! If you need to own the song, you can easily buy it. It took me about 2 months to fully make the switch and understand I don’t need to own music. Now I feel so liberated to explore new bands and make tons of playlists.

Not to worry, Rdio is legit and the artists get paid for every stream. The Wall Street Journal actually just named Rdio as one of the companies that is helping to save the business of music.

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A new rock album! A must-download for my guys.

May 9th, 2012 No Comments

I fell in love with Neon Trees when I heard “Your Surrender” on their “Habits” album. Their latest, Picture Show, has yet to leave my rotation since it dropped mid-April. At least one song is on every spin mix. For those of you who are tired of pop and way-out-there alt rock, you’ll love their modern rock, energetic sound.

Songs to download first: Lessons in Love and Moving in the Dark. Listen on itunes here.

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Good music always delivers

April 15th, 2012 No Comments

Recently I’ve been so enamored with artists who deliver amazing energy I can shake it to, I’ve neglected the singer/songwriters. Last night I sank into the sweetness of Shane Hines (above) and the guitar greatness of Pat McGee (below), who sounds like Steven Kellogg and rips it like John Mayer.

We went on a whim with an open mind and weren’t disappointed.

I feel like it’s hard to commit to something so mellow….why is that…

Kinda like yoga or pilates instead of a high intensity workout. Or a well-rounded salad instead of a steak. Well, that might be a stretch :)

Anyway, per usual, the singer/songwriters served up entertaining performances that satisfied my soul.

Hope you enjoyed your weekend too!

Eddie’s Attic, Dectaur/Atlanta, GA

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My favorite performances at #SXSW

March 21st, 2012 No Comments

I saw at least 15 bands during the conference and Zeale was BY FAR my favorite!

He played at the CNN Grill and brought the house down, yo. If it wasn’t so dark in there you could see me “dominating” the dance floor in front of the stage with Mandy who got her gig on. You can actually hear me screaming “woo hoo” around 4:04. LOL. He had such a great energy, not to mention a more light-hearted approach to hip hop.

No album yet, but I’m following him closely @Zeale so I can be there when it drops.

Rock on man!

(P.S. Sorry for the bad sound, but this video is much better than mine.)

“We are young” acoustic!

We trekked all the way to some warehouse venue to see fun. and of course the equipment fails just before they go on! An hour and a half later, we’re all still standing there so the boys came out and Nate belted their hit song along with “Carry On.” I felt so bad them, but at the same time, I loved the acoustic and the crowd obviously did too when they take over at the end. Talk about an amazing energy!!!!

Follow them on twitter @OurNameIsFun and absolutely go see them in concert asap.

(Thanks for the video @albertjame)

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New song for your running playlist

February 29th, 2012 No Comments

One of my spin students requested this new Linkin Park song for class. It’s awesome. Perfect for a run. It starts off slow and introspective then builds to be full throttle for you to kill it at the end. One of the most motivating songs I’ve heard in a while. You can’t help but go faster!

You might have heard it already in the new HBO teaser for their latest series.

Thanks Howard!

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A MUST SEE concert for 2012

February 2nd, 2012 No Comments

Fitz and The Tantrums could possibly be the best thing I saw at CES in Las Vegas. And might go down as one of my top 10 bands to see live. Kudos and many thanks to CNET for bringing them to headline their party.

You probably already know about them and have heard their first hit “MoneyGrabber.” (You know I’m a little slow on the music uptake.) But! If you have never seen them live, you are missing out on their incomparable energy! The recordings just don’t do them justice.

Watch this video of this song I’m loving right now: We Don’t Have To Work It Out. You’ll see what I mean about the live v. cd version. Just imagine being the chick with the tambourine, especially at the end….no wonder she’s so toned!

Check for show dates here. They’re based out of LA so the West Coasters get them more regularly. Follow them on Twitter @FitzandTantrums – Fitz runs it himself!

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Awesome new music discovered without hunting

January 28th, 2012 No Comments

Rdio may not be as cool as Spotify, but it’s getting the job done for me.

All three of these albums have songs that made it to spin, pool, and night night mixes instantly. Download on your preferred streaming platform and enjoy.

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