Author: Kirsten Coachman

Kirsten Coachman is a Writer, Editor, and Arts & Entertainment Journalist from the SF Bay Area. When not listening to music or cheering on the San Jose Sharks, she's probably at the movies. Follow her on Threads: @kirscoachman

Mercury News Reveals “Durbin Day” Plans

Tonight on American Idol, we’ll find out which three contestants will advance to the Top 3, and get to return to their hometowns.  If you are not aware of how big a deal an Idol hometown visit is, check out this video of Lee DeWyze’s homecoming from last year below.

If contestant James Durbin makes it through, he’ll be returning to Santa Cruz, CA  for “Durbin Day” on May 14.

Here is what “Durbin Day” will entail!

– 11:15 AM – 12:15 PM – AT& T Store at Capitola Mall

James will be there meeting fans and possibly will find out what song the judges have chosen for him to sing the following week.

– 2:00 PM — Downtown Santa Cruz Motorcade

According to the press release the Mercury News cited, “The motorcade will start at Cathcart and Pacific and travel north on Pacific to Water Street at the Clock Tower. The motorcade will continue down Center Street to the Louden Nelson Community Center at 301 Center Street.”

– 2:30 PM Louden Nelson Visit – Blast from James’ Past

James will be visiting with media and local community programs that “developed his legendary vocal and performance skills.” The Santa Cruz Teen Center, Kids on Broadway and All About Theatre will be hosting James to visit the kids in their current programs.

– 4:30 PM — Travel to Beach

“Led by the Santa Cruz High School Marching Band and a police escort, James will travel down Center Street to Santa Cruz’ Main Beach. James will be followed by participants from the Teen Center, All About Broadway and the Kids on Broadway. ”

– 5:00 PM – James on the Beach Bandstand

James will “give a short performance of 2-3 songs” while be backed by The White Album Ensemble. He will also be honored by Santa Cruz City Mayor Ryan Coonerty.

These are the basic details, check out the Mercury News article for more information.

EDIT: James Durbin did not advance to the Top 3 on American Idol this week.

Video: Siobhan Magnus Performs “Beatrice Dream”

Remember Siobhan Magnus from last season of American Idol?

Here’s a reminder:

Siobhan recently released her first single, “Beatrice Dream” and last week did an acoustic performance of the song alongside co-writer Chaise Flanders at The Bluebird in Nashville.

Check out the performance below!

I really like the song! I really like the vibe, and Siobhan sounds fantastic!

“Beatrice Dream” is available now on iTunes! For more information on Siobhan Magnus, check out her official website!

Matthew Morrison and Darren Criss Duet on “Summer Rain”

Okay, so calling it a  duet is bit of a stretch, but Darren Criss does play guitar and sing-a-long while Matthew Morrison sings the lead single of his debut self-titled album, “Summer Rain” in the video below.

Afterwards, the two sing a mash-up of “Great Balls of Fire” and “I Saw Her Standing There.”

I’m sorry Matthew, but not even having Darren perform with you can make me like that song of yours. You should start performing, “Still Got Tonight” ASAP.

Matthew Morrison’s debut self-titled album is out today! You can download his second single, “Still Got Tonight” (co-written by Kris Allen) for FREE on iTunes!

‘Glee’ Music Preview >> “Rolling in the Deep”

Check out a preview of the return of Jesse St. James (Jonathan Groff) and his duet with Rachel Berry (Lea Michele) from tonight’s Glee.

I definitely like this duet in context of the show, and it’s definitely quite the entrance for Jonathan Groff’s return.

Glee’s “Prom Queen” airs tonight at 8 p.m. on FOX.

Music Review >> Glee Cast – “Rumours”

Just when I thought the “Born This Way” episode of Glee had a great mix of music; last week’s episode, “Rumours,” which featured songs from the Fleetwood Mac album of the same name, provided some standout vocal performances from our favorite glee clubbers.

Guest star, Kristin Chenoweth (April Rhodes) returned to the show last week, and had a duet with Matthew Morrison (Will Schuster) on the song, “Dreams.” I have always loved Chenoweth and Morrison’s voices together. And Glee always gives them great songs to sing. Chenoweth has such a great tone to her voice and when it’s combined with Morrison’s smooth vocal, the result is just delightful to listen to.

Kevin McHale (Artie) took on the song, “Never Going Back Again.” McHale is  usually given the big showstopper songs, but last week he had a little more of a demure track, which I liked. McHale has a big voice, and it’s nice to hear him dial it back and have somewhat of a vulnerable vocal performance. This song really proved McHale to be a truly versatile singer.

But, I must say if anyone had a standout vocal performance with their song last week, it was Naya Rivera (Santana) who took on “Songbird.” Her vocal performance on this track is absolutely stunning. You get a real sense of emotion from this track, which she conveys with such passion. This is the first track Rivera has taken the lead on where I actually believed the lyrics she was singing.

Continue reading Music Review >> Glee Cast – “Rumours”

Video: Kelly Clarkson Performs at Coca Cola 125th Anniversary Concert

Yesterday, Kelly Clarkson took part in Coca Cola’s 125th Anniversary concert, which additionally featured Natasha Bedingfield and Ne-Yo.

Check out Kelly’s 10-song set below! Credit to AIEW Blog for capturing all the video!

Continue reading Video: Kelly Clarkson Performs at Coca Cola 125th Anniversary Concert

Dulling The Magic of “Rolling in the Deep” One Cover at a Time

Late this past Thursday night, the tracks for next week’s Glee episode “Prom Queen” leaked onto the interwebz. Included in next week’s batch of tracks is Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep,” which is sung by Lea Michele and Jonathan Groff as a duet.

This Glee cover is the latest in a string of “Rolling in the Deep” covers that have hit the web, since the song was released last fall.  One of the issues I have with all the covers of this song is that most of them pale in comparison to the original.

As someone that loves music, I feel like “Rolling in the Deep” could possibly be on it’s way to being played out. The fact that Glee is has now covered it says a lot. And I’m not gonna front, I was excited at first to hear that Glee was taking on the song. I love Lea and Jonathan’s voices together, and I thought the result was going to be this intensely passionate, angsty vocal performance from the two of them. The Glee version actually sounds like a take of the John Legend cover of the song. To be honest, I was expecting more of a rock vibe from them, instead of a gospel vibe.

Continue reading Dulling The Magic of “Rolling in the Deep” One Cover at a Time

The Voice: Yeah, I Think I Like It!

I finally got a chance to sit down late last week and watch the full premiere of The Voice. Aaaaaaaaand I love it! The overall talent level is phenomenal. The coaches are HONEST with the contestants, especially the ones that they wound up not picking for their teams.

Honestly, the coaches for me, especially Adam Levine, were the big draw to this show, but I’m definitely going to continue to watch not only for the fabulous bickering between Adam and Blake Shelton, but because these singers are amazing.

I do like that the coaches have to legitimately put in the time with their contestants to help better their chances at possibly winning the competition and actually having a singing career.  Plus,  the competition between the coaches is so catty, I just love it. I thought Christina Aguilera was going to poke Adam’s eyes out over getting a particular singer on his team.

I cannot wait for tonight’s blind auditions, so we can finally get the competition going! Watch out American Idol, The Voice is trying to steal my heart! Time to step your game up!

BTW, Go Team Adam!