2011 was apparently the year of the live show. I somehow managed to attend 27 shows this year, which is a new record for me. I saw some artists for the first time, like Rihanna, Goo Goo Dolls, and Keith Urban. I also tallied up more shows from some of my favorites, like Gavin DeGraw, Kris Allen, and David Cook.
Continue reading Wait…WHAT?’s Favorite Concert Moments of 2011
Earlier today the music video for Javier Colon’s lead single, “As Long As We Got Love” off his current album, Come Through For You, was released. The sweet video features The Voice winner, as well as the talented songstress Natasha Bedingfield.
Check out the video for “As Long As We Got Love” below!
I love simple, sweet videos like this! And Javier and Natasha look and sound great!
If you haven’t already, check out Javier’s album, Come Through For You on iTunes. And for those of y’all in the Christmas spirit, check out his new EP, A Very Acoustic Christmas!
As someone who listens to music and reviews various acts throughout the year, you can imagine trying to narrow the list down to just five songs was a bit of a task. I basically went with the songs that immediately came to mind. All five tracks are songs that I still listen to on a regular basis and that’s what truly makes them a favorite. Throughout this past year, these are songs that have been there for me, allowed me to let go of stress, or just simply put a smile on my face. Or in one particular case, got me up and movin’ like Jagger. So without further ado, allow me to present to you my Five Favorite Songs of 2011!
Last night I received a text from my lil’ bro about an up and coming singer, Lianne La Havas. She’s been touring with Bon Iver and has also been named as a BBC Sound of 2012 Artist.
She has an EP available on iTunes called Lost & Found, which features the track “No Room For Doubt” with Willy Mason. Check out the music video for the song below.
Amazing voice, right? I think her sound is just stellar.
Make sure to check Lianne out on her official sites:
Kelly Clarkson released the music video for her latest single, “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” and it seriously just kind of makes me want to get up and get my dancin’ on!
Check out Queen Kelly’s new music video below!
Get it, gurl! The song rocks, Kelly looks amazing, and her dancing at the end is kick awesome!
What do y’all think of Queen Kelly’s new music video?
Singer-songwriter and Oklahoma City native Graham Colton released his latest record, Pacific Coast Eyes Vol. 2, this past October. This new volume of Pacific Coast Eyes includes three new tracks, “Hold Onto My Heart,” “My Resignation,” and “Wide Open Inside,” as well as alternate versions of three previously released tracks.
In support of his latest album, Colton partnered up with CNGnow as a way to advocate for the use of compressed natural gas versus diesel fuel. In addition to driving a CNG-fueled vehicle throughout the tour, the singer-songwriter has been documenting his experience on CNGnow.com.
I recently had the opportunity to speak with Colton, who shared with me his decision to embark on a green tour, what keeps him motivated while writing new material, and the benefits of being an independent artist.
What was the inspiration behind doing this green “Go Natural” tour?
Well, I think it started with just the ever-changing landscape of not only the music business, but the touring business, which is how I made my living and connected with my fans for the last almost-eight years now. It’s really hard to not only tour the country by myself, let alone with a band: to pack everyone in the van, trailer, bus, train, plane, whatever you want to call it.
It really started with me trying to investigate ways that I can not only tour the country, but [do so] cost-effectively. And once I started researching, I started thinking about the environmental aspect, and I came across the CNGnow.com website and what natural gas can do for not only our environment and our alliance with foreign oil, and, really, my pocketbook. It’s been kind of a perfect marriage of the two things.
Continue reading Graham Colton Goes Green on His Latest Tour
Chad Wolf, lead singer of Carolina Liar, discusses touring with David Cook and Gavin DeGraw and the band’s latest album, Wild Blessed Freedom.
Continue reading Carolina Liar’s Chad Wolf Talks Touring and “Going For Broke” on ‘Wild Blessed Freedom’
On November 21, American Idol season 10 favorite James Durbin released his debut record, Memories of a Beautiful Disaster, on Wind-Up Records.
The 11-track album, produced by the highly acclaimed Howard Benson, is a well-crafted mix of rock music. From the roaring “Higher Than Heaven” to the nod to Aerosmith on “Love in Ruins,” to the power anthem “Stand Up,” 22-year-old Durbin proves to be a real contender in the world of rock.
Last week, I had the opportunity to speak with Durbin, where we discussed his debut record, which collaborator he’s learned the most from, and what’s coming up next for him.
How does it feel to have all your hard work out there for people to hear?
It feels great. That’s exactly what it was; it was a lot of hard work. I actually finished the vocals on the record in two and half weeks. It was basically singing three songs a day and getting them finished, having to sing each song 15 times or so to really get the right one. That was a lot of wear and tear on my voice, but it was well worth it.
On the release date, were you more anxious or more excited about your record coming out?
Definitely more excited. Before the release, all my fans were counting down the days, and I was counting along with them. It was very, very exciting. I think it’s more exciting to have it out there. I found out today that I sold 28,000 copies my first week. It’s like, wow, you know? This is like the moment of truth. This is what all the hard work paid off for. It wasn’t just having a record out there, it was really seeing the extent of my fan following. It’s so great to know that I sold that many. It’s unbelievable.
So you had a signing in your hometown of Santa Cruz the day your album was released; what was it like being home on your big day?
It was great. Not only that, but one of my favorite things to do is to see all my fans; just to see all my fans face to face, see who’s buying this record, getting to thank them and shake their hand. And be like, “You know what, thank you so much for your love and support. It means so much to me, it means so much to my family.” This has been my dream. And now my dream’s come true. I get to work in music and support myself and support my family in the process. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.
Continue reading James Durbin Discusses His Debut Record, ‘Memories of a Beautiful Disaster’
When I was in high school, I was a big fan of Britney Spears. I loved her music, her dance moves, and her cute boyfriend! Today the pop princess turns 30 and to celebrate Britney, I thought I would share my favorite Britney videos with y’all! Happy Birthday, Britney!
To kick things off, this is my very favorite Britney video, “Boys”!
I must admit that this week’s Glee tracks are possibly the best collection of songs they’ve put together for a single episode in awhile. The running theme of the songs is “by ladies and for ladies,” as declared by Cory Monteith’s character Finn Hudson during this week’s episode.
You can’t have an episode called, “I Kissed a Girl,” without having one of the tracks this week be Katy Perry’s hit, “I Kissed a Girl.” I mean, I guess you could, but Glee loves them some Katy Perry music, so it was kind of inevitable. Taking the lead on this track is Naya Rivera (Santana) and Lea Michele (Rachel). Granted, Glee didn’t do anything particularly special with the arrangement, but the song is just as much fun to listen to as Perry’s original.
Rivera really gets to show off her vocal prowess alongside Idina Menzel (Shelby) on KD Lang’s “Constant Craving.” I feel like with each episode that Rivera gets pushed a little more to show how talented she is, and what better way to prove it than pairing her up with Menzel. Both individual vocal performances were impressive and when combined, the two singers sound just stunning.
Continue reading Music Review >> Glee Cast – “I Kissed a Girl”
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