WHY? (11/2/18)

WHY? recently came to the Beachland Ballroom.  I’d been loosely listening to their music lately and do generally enjoy it!  This night ended up being more about hanging with friends than giving it a proper review.  Still - I liked what I heard!

Video Day #tzaupbeat

Digitalism is teasing some new music with their video release for Automation. Roisin Murphy releases another video from a  series of singles, showing a party that I’d *love to be at.  Ellie Goulding, Diplo & Swae Lee video for Close To Me was a refreshing addition to the constant deluge of Diplo collaborations. 

Bonus:  I just happened upon this Sam Fender artist and first really enjoyed the Dead Boys song via this video which I really enjoyed, then discovered the original:

Tomorrow: Rubblebucket @ Beachland Ballroom

It’s fun looking back and seeing my post from 2011 talking about taking a chance on an unknown band named Rubblebucket.  Then seeing them again in 2016 solidified their spot in my must-see list of touring bands. I’ve loved every album release since.  Now’s your chance - they’ll be at the Beachland Ballroom tomorrow!

Opening is a somewhat similar alt-pop band from And The Kids.  Should be a nice compliment!

Tomorrow: Amy Ray @ EJ Thomas Hall

I hate to say it, but Amy has always been my favorite Indigo Girl.  Her songwriting, her politics, her “punk” has always been appreciated.  I was surprised to see her booked at Akron’s EJ Thomas Hall, but hopefully it’ll be the same setup as the Michelle Malone show I saw back there in 2016.  Check out her new video and Scene article below.

"For more than 30 years, the Indigo Girls have been examining differences. ‘What separates me from you,’ asks singer-guitarist Amy Ray in ‘Tried to Be True,’ a track from the group’s 1989 self-titled major label debut. The pair have been longtime advocates, using their songwriting as a platform to explore a variety of topics and shine a light on different perspectives and important commentary.

Holler, the recently released solo album from Ray, finds the veteran artist continuing to dissect the world around her. ‘Sure Feels Good Anyway,’ which leads off the record, grapples with the divide that sometimes exists right outside of the front door for Ray in her hometown of Dahlonega, GA."

(Via Amy Ray Embraces Country and Draws From Her Punk-ish Past for Her New Solo Album | Scene and Heard: Scene's News Blog.)

Opening will be Chastity Brown.  A new name for me, but I’m liking everything I’m seeing so far.

Video Day #tzachill

Christine and the Queens continues to charm me, particularly with this video for The Walker.  Mike Edel, who you may remember from my last house concert, has a new video out for Challenger.  I recently posted the video for Baby by Clean Bandit on a #tzaupbeat post, but their acoustic version is worth the repeat!

Bonus:  Dan Bern’s been relatively quiet recently, but has recently dropped 2 videos: Take The Guns Away” and America Without the People.

Article: CDs Are Dead! ...Or Are They?

As we go into our holiday shopping season, one would think… 

"Although CD sales are far from what they once were, there’s still a healthy demand for what has now become a premium priced product with a large profit margin. According to Billboard, the A Star Is Born soundtrack moved 111,000 CD albums, while Eminem’s Kamikaze sold 68,000, and Greta Van Fleet’s Anthem Of the Peaceful Army sold 47,000 so far."

(Via CDs Are Dead! ...Or Are They? - hypebot.)

Video Day #tzaupbeat

Little Dragon goes MMO with their new video for Lover Chanting, preceding their new EP Lover Chanting on 11/9.  Clean Bandit tapped Marina & the Diamonds (!) and Luis Fonsi for their new video for Baby.  Carly Rae Jepsen is finally making her way back after her much lauded 2015 release with the new single and video for Party For One.

Bonus:  Oberhofer hams it up in this retro-tinged video for Dreamt.  I’m hoping this means there’s a new video and tour in the works!

Video Day #tzaupbeat

Tourist caught me by surprise by dropping this beautifully subtle video for Apollo.  Going completely the other direction, Charli XCX enlisted Troye Sivan to go back to 1999 in their throwback video laden with references from the era.  Toro Y Moi announced his new album coming out 1/18, alongside this video for Freelance.

Bonus:  Jamila Woods put out an epic video for Giovanni

Twenty One Pilots (10/23/18)

I was surprised the morning of this sold out show that I would be going!  I first caught Twenty One Pilots back in July of 2014 at the inaugural Alternative Press Music Awards, before I even knew anything about this band.  Their performance caught my eye, enough so that I caught them later that year at Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica.  Their blend of rock, rap, and pop was intriguing, and their stage performance was electric.  I’m not a fan of large venue shows, so I hadn’t planned on this show at Quicken Loans, but I’m so glad it worked out. What amazes me about this band is how, without traditional main-stream exposure, this band from Columbus, OH is able to garner such a rabid fanbase, fully donned in costume. They put on an electric performance, filling the space properly.  Check out some photos and a video below, with covers by the Beatles and Goo Goo Dolls at the end! More expansive reviews are below.

 

(more photos here)

"They started last night’s two-hour concert in front of a capacity crowd at the Q in dramatic fashion as singer-multi-instrumentalist Tyler Joseph arrived carrying a torch. Decked out in fatigue pants and a bandana, he looked like he could’ve been a fashion conscious terrorist/mugger as he climbed atop the shell of car that rose from underneath the stage and began singing the jittery opening number, ‘Jumpsuit,’ a single from the band's new album, Trench."

(Via Twenty One Pilots Put on a Spectacle of a Show at the Q | Scene and Heard: Scene's News Blog.)

"Ah, flair. And now we get to the real appeal of Twenty One Pilots: There are bands who write good songs. There are bands with good singers. There are bands who fire off exciting pyrotechnics. There are bands with Trans-Siberian Orchestra-worthy light shows. There are bands with lead singers who broadcast charisma like the aura of a sun.

Ain't too many bands, though, that have all that, and Twenty One Pilots is all that . . . and a lot more. Including flair."

(Via Twenty One Pilots soar over a dancing, joyous crowd at Quicken Loans Arena: concert review | cleveland.com.)

Article: Nomi Ruiz Calls Out Queer Appropriation on New Single

I’ve been a big fan of Nomi Ruiz since her early Jessica 6 album, even seeing her open for Holy Ghost! at the Grog Shop back in 2011! Well, Jessica 6 has a new album out today, The Eliot Sessions, which I’m really looking forward to checking out.  In addition to her music, I also appreciate her speaking out on behalf of the appropriation of queer artists.  Check it (and her) out.

"Mainstream artists profiting off culling inspiration from the underground is 'a tale as old as time,' Nomi Ruiz says. But that doesn't make it acceptable, and when the artists being squeezed like creative sponges — often without their consent — are of marginalized communities, those mainstream artists are complicit or even contributing to that systemic oppression. Today, the New York songwriter calls out one of the most famous of these perpetrators — Madonna — with the premiere of her new single, 'Ridiculous.'

The track is part of a forthcoming EP, The ELIOT Sessions, where she expands on the electronic dance-pop of her last two Jessica 6 full-lengths by circling back to her roots in R&B, hip-hop, and soul. That's where she'd started — solo, back in 2005 — before appearing on multiple tracks on Hercules and Love Affair's first album, before Jessica 6."

(Via Nomi Ruiz Calls Out Queer Appropriation on New Single.)

"Listen to the V Magazine & Gitano NYC present Nomi Ruiz/Jessica 6's Playlist below:"

(Via Jessica 6 is Here to Make You Fucking Groove | V Magazine.)