Wait…WHAT? Exclusive – Page 9

Video: Sirk and The Dirty Minds Live at The Viper Room

This past weekend I was in LA with a group of friends, and Sunday night we checked out this ~new band, Sirk and The Dirty Minds. Okay, not that new of a band.

If you’ve been keeping tabs on Kris Allen this past weekend, you know that he and his awesome band played a not-so-secret midnight show at The Viper Room on Sunday night.

Can we say kick awesome?

I’ve never been to The Viper Room before, and it was just amazing! I just love small venues like that, because the show is more intimate and personal.

I have to say that Kris and the guys were just on fire. The show was such a blast. My friends and I had the best time. Seriously, good times all around!

I did bring back presents to share with everyone! Check out videos below of Kris’s new untitled track that we’re calling, “Shut That Door & Keep That Devil Out” and “Leave You Alone.” Enjoy!

I love the bluesy feel of “Shut That Door & Keep That Devil Out.” I really hope that Kris really embraces that sound on his next album, because he sounds great!

What do y’all think of the new songs?

Video: Bonnie Dune Live at Bottom of the Hill

I headed out to San Francisco last night with one of my friends to check out the band Bonnie Dune at Bottom of the Hill. Cory Monteith, who plays Finn Hudson on Glee, plays the drums in the band!

I had heard a handful of their songs prior to the show and really dug their sound. After seeing Bonnie Dune perform live, I can attest that they are pretty awesome! I strongly urge you to check them out if they ever roll through your town!

As always, I brought something back from the show to share with the class! Enjoy Bonnie Dune performing, “Haunting”!

Awesome, right?

For more info on Bonnie Dune, check out their Facebook & Twitter pages.

Video: Clay Aiken Live at The Warfield

Yes it’s true, last night I went and got my Claymate on in San Francisco.

I may get around to writing a review this week, but in the meantime, enjoy a couple videos! The first is a medley of songs from his earlier albums, and the second is Clay getting his Katy Perry on!

Ear Candy: New Politics — “Dignity”

If I had to choose one band right now that I think everyone and their momma should listen to, it would be New Politics. I think they’re one of the best bands on the music scene right now. The music is great alternative rock, with good hooks, and solid lyrics.

The trio (David Boyd, Soeren Hansen, and Louis Vecchio) have released their second single, “Dignity,” off their self-titled debut album. MTV has also named the band one of their “2011 Artists To Watch.”

The band recently made their network television debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live, where they performed “Dignity” live.

Check out their performance below.

If you ever get a chance to see New Politics live, they are not to be missed. I caught them opening for The Spill Canvas in San Francisco last April and also at Music in the Park in Downtown San Jose in July. Both were absolute stellar shows. David Boyd is an amazing showman. You will leave wanting more.

Make sure to check out their tour dates at newpoliticsrock.com!

Ear Candy: Britney Spears — “Hold It Against Me”

Britney Spears is hitting the music scene again with her first single, “Hold It Against Me” off her seventh studio album slated to be released later this year.

With all the hype for Ms. Spears’ new album coming out this spring, I was expecting her first single to be the best we’ve ever heard from her. Frankly, it’s just not.

“Hold It Against Me,” which is the work of producers, Dr. Luke and Max Martin, is a definite club thumper. The beat immediately makes you want to get up and dance, but maybe not sing-a-long to.

The lyrics definitely leave much to be desired. They seem so amateur and ridiculous in comparison to lyrics from past lead singles. Britney songs aren’t literary masterpieces by any means, but usually they have some kind of substance to them. Also, during my initial listen of the song, I feel like the lyrics are too slow for the song during the verses.

The one part of the song that I did enjoy is the breakdown. The beats are fantastic. I hope that there will be some excellent choreography to be paired with it for the music video.

I really expected a lot more from Britney’s first single. This doesn’t scream to me that she’s back; It actually feels like she picked out a leftover song from 2007’s Blackout. As a longtime fan of Britney’s, “Hold It Against Me” is an absolute letdown.

Take a listen to “Hold It Against Me” below.

Follow me on Twitter! @KirsCoachman

Backstreet Boy A.J. McLean Heads Back to Rehab

It was announced earlier this week that Backstreet Boy A.J. McLean is headed back to rehab.

In a statement released by his publicist McLean said, “For personal reasons, I’ve checked myself into a rehab clinic. With 2011 being a busy year for Backstreet, I want to be healthy and perform & sing for the people at my very best and happiest. None of this will affect our current tour plans and I look forward to seeing everyone really soon! Thank you for all your support and respecting my family and friends privacy during this time.”

It was during the summer of 2001 when McLean entered rehab for the first time. Four members of the Backstreet Boys, Brian Littrell, Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, and former member Kevin Richardson made an appearance on MTV’s Total Request Live (most notably referred to as TRL) to make the heartbreaking announcement to their fans.

The Backstreet Boys are heading out on tour this summer with their predecessors New Kids on the Block. Blue Bloods star and NKOTB member Donnie Wahlberg tweeted this message in support of McLean.

“As a friend of A.J. McLean- what matters most is his health. As a partner in this band- nothing will stop all 9 of us from doing this TOGETHER.”

Follow me on Twitter! @KirsCoachman

Wait…WHAT’s Favorite 2010 Concert Moments

In case you hadn’t noticed, I am prone to attending a ton of live shows. I get asked from time to time what my favorite shows have been, and I figured I would pull some of my favorite moments from shows I attended this past year to share with y’all!

Without further ado, here are some of my favorite concert moments from 2010!

“If I Had You” — Adam Lambert, San Francisco, 07.23.2010

This was such an amazing show, I am happy that I was able to land a ticket so last minute! Say whatever you want, but Adam is an amazing live performer. “If I Had You” was one of the best moments of the night!

“Paint It Black” – – Siobhan Magnus, Sacramento, 08.18.2010

Siobhan has a voice to be reckoned with. Her performance during the Idol tour was nothing short of phenomenal. The last big glory note…chills.

“Send Me All Your Angels” — Kris Allen, San Francisco, 04.14.2010

This song holds special meaning to me, and to get to hear it live just really meant a lot. Plus, you really can’t go wrong at an acoustic Kris show.

“Home” — Daughtry & Jason Wade, Sacramento, 05.07.2010

I love Daughtry and I love Lifehouse. When Jason Wade joined Daughtry on stage to sing with the band, I could barely contain my excitement! To make the moment even more special, I was at the show with my Aunt Ruthie who absolutely loves Daughtry, and it was great to be able to share that night and moment with her.

“Missing You” — Tyler Hilton, San Francisco, 04.29.2010

My friend Karen hooked me up with a ticket to check Tyler out for the first time. Man, he puts on such a great show! While he was on the show One Tree Hill, he recorded a cover of “Missing You,” which was one of my favorite songs during college. I was very excited when he performed it at the show.

Continue reading Wait…WHAT’s Favorite 2010 Concert Moments

Wait…WHAT’s Favorite Albums of 2010

It’s that time where I reveal 10 albums that I enjoyed throughout the year. My picks are personal favorites that were in constant rotation in my car stereo. I think a couple of the albums are no brainers that they made the list, and there might be a couple surprises.

So, in no particular order, here are my favorite albums of 2010.

Music From Glee: Journey to Regionals EP

I have reviewed a lot of Glee music this year, and my favorite batch of songs came from the Journey to Regionals EP. I love the Journey covers, but the shining gem is Jonathan Groff’s cover of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Seriously, go take a listen. It’s absolute ear candy.

Darren Criss: Human EP

Darren Criss is hands down the best thing that’s happened to my iTunes this year. His Human EP is made up of five relatable tracks that will pull on your heartstrings. I can’t wait to see what this singer-songwriter can do with a full studio album.

Ke$ha: Animal

I didn’t really know what to make of Ke$ha when “Tik Tok” first came out. After taking a listen to her album, I realized that homegirl’s music is absolutely infectious. If you want to feel good and dance, Animal was where it was at this year.

Continue reading Wait…WHAT’s Favorite Albums of 2010

Song By Song Review: Lee DeWyze — Live It Up

This past New Music Tuesday, Lee DeWyze’s major label album debut, Live It Up hit store shelves. As an American Idol fan, the day the winner’s album comes out is always fun for me.

After listening to the album a couple times through, I felt the best way to talk about the album was to talk a little about each song. So here we go!

Track 01 — “Live It Up”

I feel like “Live It Up” really encompasses what the album is about, and more so sets the overall tone of the album. In a way, this entire album feels like a relationship, which I will expand on later, and “Live It Up” is that first meeting/first date.

This track was originally supposed to be DeWyze’s first single. I do understand why it was swapped last minute. I do think that it’s a better song than “Sweet Serendipity,” but I don’t know how well it would fair on the radio.

Track 02 — “Sweet Serendipity”

Before the album came out, I reviewed “Sweet Serendipity” for BlogCritics, and for what it’s worth, the song has grown on me since that initial review.

Now, it’s still not my favorite track on the album. I still think it sounds very similar to Kris Allen’s “Live Like We’re Dying,” but my big issue that I have with the song is all the ad-lib singing, where the chorus could have been incorporated. I really noticed this during the live performances, and I just think if the extended chorus was added in before the ad-libbing it would make it that much more sing-a-long friendly.

Track 03 — “It’s Gotta Be Love”

Never judge a song by it’s cheesy title. Or it’s 30-second snippet, that upon first listen did the song absolutely no favors.

I actually really like this song. It has a fun melody, that will make it a great song to perform live. DeWyze is very honest in his songwriting about those feelings you get after you meet someone and spend time with them for the first time. Granted, the lyrics “my knees are weak, my heart skipped a beat” are cheesetastic, but the song as a whole is good.

Continue reading Song By Song Review: Lee DeWyze — Live It Up