Tomorrow: Taj Weekes & Adowa @ Wilberts

I love when an unusual (to me) genre catches my attention.  Tomorrow night Taj Weekes & Adowa will at Wilberts with their fresh reggae sounds.  What first caught my attention was this promotional bit:  "The brilliant reggae songwriter, children's philanthropist, & LGBT advocate from St. Lucia, Taj Weekes, embarks on a national tour next month.”The brilliant reggae songwriter, children's philanthropist, & LGBT advocate from St. Lucia, Taj Weekes, embarks on a national tour next month.The brilliant reggae songwriter, children's philanthropist, & LGBT advocate from St. Lucia, Taj Weekes, embarks on a national tour next month."  It’s not everyday you hear of LGBT rights & Reggae, but this guy is the real deal, particularly with his song “Here I Stand” which  you can listen to here.

Tonight! Bishop Allen @ Musica

Bishop Allen is performing tonight at Musica in Akron!  I actually forgot how much I loved these guys… More details on the Musica website. ($15)

Opening is Jesse Marchant (formerly JBM).  Sounds good!

Right Now! WRUW's Studio-A-Rama

Right now, through the rest of the day, is WRUW’s Studio-A-Rama on the campus of Case Western Reserve University.  Some great bands… I’ll definitely be there for the headliner, Bleached!

 

Here’s the schedule: 

Official Studio-A-Rama 2014 Schedule:
10:30 PM Bleached
9:00 PM Tacocat
8:00 PM New Planet Trampoline
7:00 PM Kill the Hippies
6:00 PM Black Puddle Noise
5:00 PM Murderedman
4:00 PM Blackgrass Baptism
3:15 PM Bwak Dwagon
2:30 PM Cruelster
1:45 PM Archie and the Bunkers
1:00 PM Likenesses

Here's some more details from Cellar Door: A Closer Look At WRUW’s Studio-A-Rama

Video Day

Getting back in the saddle.  August was one of the busiest months of my life, and an amazing way to start to close out the Summer.  Getting back to it… 

New funky-fun Foxygen coming out on Oct. 12th!  Here’s the first video / single for How Can You Really.  Bear in Heaven have an awesome take on “people you may meet on a night out” with the video for Time Between on their new album coming soon.  Missy Higgins is coming out with a new album and book - with an epic new video & song.

Bonus: I’m going to have to give it to one of the more influential musicians in my life.  Melissa & I go waaaaay back.  This isn’t too bad.

Gay Games Festival Village Lineup

It’s been a great start so far for the Gay Games in Cleveland.  Now begins the week of performances at the Festival Village!  Stop out every night… there’s something for everyone.

Monday:  JD Samson & MEN!

(and then head over to the White Party with Boy George!)

Tuesday:  Bright Light, Bright Light

But make sure to get there a little earlier to see Rollergirl! 

Wednesday:  Jenny Owen Youngs

Get there early for some Tom Goss:

Thursday: L1EF (probably the show I’m most excited about):

Friday: Scissor Sister’s Ana Matronic!  Practice up girls!

Before that, check out our local talent with Marcus Alan Ward & Sammy Slims!

And of course… MC’ing the whole week is Pandora Boxx!

Video Day

Bear in Heaven’s video for Time Between “is a kaleidoscopic portrait series of the many characters you might encounter on any given night in New York City”.  Alvvays is getting some buzz with their new album and single for Archie, Marry Me.  And the venerable Jenny Lewis is coming out as Just One of the Guys with her new video.  

Bonus:  Just finished the second season of Big Feedia (on Fuse TV) where they were making this video.  Seeing Big Feedia back in January ’13 feels like such a treat with all her recent success.

Tomorrow: Tori Amos @ Cain Park

Tori Amos at Cain Park tomorrow night!  While she’s not tops on my current list, I still wish I could be there…  Check out her new single (w/ her daughter!).

 

Tori Amos gets her groove back · Music Review · The A.V. Club

"In the last 15 years, Tori Amos’ pop albums have gravitated toward two distinct categories: those where she utilizes elaborate characters and extended metaphors to illustrate her points, and those where she uses more straightforward, subjective inspirations for her lyrics. For fans, this has been somewhat frustrating, as Amos has always been a confessional commentator—especially at the intersection of the personal and political—and deriving emotional attachment from her intricate fictions has often been challenging.

The engaging Unrepentant Geraldines, however, splits the difference between these categories perfectly—mainly because this time, Amos’ muse led her into a variety of deeply personal, vulnerable places. "

(Continued... Tori Amos gets her groove back · Music Review · The A.V. Club)

Video Day

New Videos for Beck, BANKS and Erik Hassle.  Beck is just great as usual.  BANKS has a nice track, with some nice physiques. Erik Hassle rocks his electro-R&B track Pathetic.

 

Bonus: A new find with Imaginary People.  I kinda wish I could dance like that (and have that boom box).

Strand of Oaks (7/31/14)

One of the things I like about seeing concerts is that it gives me motivation to dive into the music before seeing them.  I probably wouldn’t have given Strand of Oaks the time otherwise…  His "anthemic indie-Americana that draws from classic rock and folk” sounded superb, and his live show was almost as good.  My only critique would be that live, the vocals don’t go so anthemic... otherwise - go see these guys!

!!! (7/29/14)

Dance Fest!  The night opened with a spirited performance from The Very Knees!  A great primer for what would be a balls to the wall performance by !!! (chk chk chk).

These guys know how to bring it… I can’t even say I paid much attention to the individual tracks, because it was all about the dance.  Not a single person stayed at the bar for this show.  At one point I questioned the integrity of the floor.