AND JUSTICE FOR ALL...

JUSTICE HAS JUST RELEASED A VIDEO FOR THEIR SONG "STRESS".

"SHUT UP AND LET ME GO"

Have you seen the new Apple iPod commercial?  

"Shut Up And Let Me Go" by The Ting Tings is the song featured in the current ads airing on TV.  The Ting Tings are a band out of the UK - I featured them in a past post!  

www.myspace.com/thetingtings

NEW KATE VOEGELE VID!!

Check out the new video for "Only Fooling Myself" from singer/songwriter Kate Voegele. Some of you might know her as Mia from her most recent stint on ONE TREE HILL.




www.myspace.com/katevoegele

THEY PUT A SPELL ON US...

I would like to start out this blog by thanking the wonderful individual at Merge Records for giving us the opportunity to review last nights performance of She & Him, the amazing collaborative effort of M. Ward and the intoxicating Zooey Deschanel. The performance took place in the historical 80 year old Vista movie theater in Silverlake, which made for a very intimate event. Lavendar Diamond opened, and did a few special songs with Deschanel, which was a real treat. The lights came on, then down, the band came out, and even with expectation (as M. Ward is a musical genius, and Zooey is just, well, adorable Zooey), they blew our minds. Her powerful, effortless voice filled the theater that I'm sure showered the audience with chills. She would do cute little dances, play her tambourine, and shyly speak to the crowd. One of her friends, actor/musician Jason Schwartzman was kind enough to show up and play a few tunes on the piano and then M. Wards guitar. It was truly a special night, that I felt honored to be a part of. Their album She & Him Vol. 1 is out and i HIGHLY recommend getting your hot hands on it as it is definitely a classic already.

LOVE IT OR BEAT IT??

Fall Out Boy's version of Michael Jackson's "Beat It" has premiered!

"MERCY"...THE HILLS PICK OF THE WEEK!

Aimee Anne Duffy, known professionally as Duffy, is a Welsh singer/songwriter from the UK. Duffy has been busy these past few months getting TONS of radio play, hitting SXSW, making a stop off at The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and wrapping things up on at the Coachella Music Fest. Not only that, her music has been featured on ER and on Monday nights episode of The Hills.

Duffy has been compared to 1960's star Dusty Springfield & of course more recently with Amy Winehouse. It does have a very similar Winehouse sound, but Duffy definitely has made it her own.

Duffy could very well be the next big thing coming out of the British music scene. Her album Rockferry is scheduled for release on May 13th.

www.myspace.com/duffymyspace

The Decemberist....Colin Meloy

Monday night called for an amazingly brilliant evening at The Henry Fonda Theater or the Music Box or the 'Henry Fonda Music Box Theater', as Colin put it. The lead of the lyrical genius of a band, The Decemberists, has dropped a solo album Colin Meloy Sings Live, along with an EP of covers of Sam Cooke, which he performed Cooke's Cupid. He graced us, not only with his solo sounds, but also a few Decemberist tunes as well including Oh Valencia, which happens to be a favorite of mine.

In between his masterful, and power stricken songs, he talked about his travels, made jokes, and at one point called me an elfy gnome. He had an array of souvenirs that he has collected and introduced them to us as if they were human. It was quite cute.

Colin definitely proved to us his magic with his voice and his guitar, either with the whole band, or solo.

www.myspace.com/colinmeloy

PHOTOS: CORY RADKE

MUSIC FROM THE HILLS

Ugh...I'm so behind on all my posts this week! Sunday night after being gone all weekend, I went to the Musexpo at the House of Blues in LA. I am going to spend some time on a few of the artists that performed in an upcoming post later this week.

Until then...

Songs From Episode 326 of The Hills - A Date With The Past
Rebekah LeBeau - "Lay It On The Line"
Gavin DeGraw - "I'm In Love With A Girl"
Duffy - "Mercy"
Danity Kane - "Damaged"
Leona Lewis - "Bleeding Love"
Kanye West - "Homecoming"
Gavin Rossdale - "Love Remains The Same"
Carolina Liar - "California Bound"
16 Frames - "Back Again"
Daughtry - "Feels Like Tonight"
Colbie Caillat - "Dreams Collide"
Colbie Caillat - "Realize"

THE SILVERSPOON COACHELLA PARTY

So I never made it to Coachella on Saturday or Sunday, but I did manage to participate in one of the many parties happening near the fest. The Silverspoon party was at a house directly next to the Polo Field. A great location for the guest/celebrities to hang out before and after the show.

Bad pictures brought to you by my camera phone!

COACHELLA HANGOVER!

I just arrived home after spending much of the weekend in Palm Springs for the 2008 Coachella Music Festival. I must say I had such a great time and met so many great people and was able to check out the array of performers.

I arrived in Palm Springs on Thursday night and immediately headed for the jacuzzi to get in a little rest before the craziness of the weekend began. I ended up hanging out a little longer than expected, speaking with 2 lovely people from Miami & Utah and another group from El Paso, Texas. We all shared some stories, some laughs and a few bottles of champagne before I called it a night.

Friday came and we checked out of our hotel, grabbed some food and drove on out to Indio. Finally, after an hour of waiting in traffic to get into a parking lot, we entered the Polo Field. This HOT Indio day couldn't have been more perfect...the vibe of the festival was exciting and everyone seemed to be having a great time. We spent the first hour or so walking around the field checking out the people, art, food and of course the music. Jens Lekman was the first stop on our agenda, however, we were able to catch the tail end of Black Kids, the band that was playing right before him.

Black Kids is an indie band out of Florida who has spent much of the year out on the road supporting acts such as Sons & Daughters and Kate Nash. I wasn't able to catch their entire set, but I was impressed with what I was hearing. I definitely will be showcasing them in a future post!


After Black Kids, sweet little Jens Lekman took the stage for his set. If you have this view of Coachella being some sort of hippie love fest, then Jens is the perfect artists to represent that vibe. His music is just so light and fluffy... After Jens we walked around for a bit and then headed to the main stage to catch a bit of Tegan & Sara. I think I have seen them at least 5 or 6 times over the past few years. It never gets old watching them - I HEART T&S!


I was only able to catch a few songs from Tegan & Sara this time, because I needed to make sure I had enough time to get over to see The National. This was the first time I was able to see them and I wasn't really sure how I felt about this band. My photographer friend that always goes with me to cover shows is obsessed with The National and guaranteed that I would love them. I must say I was impressed and I completely underestimated them in the past. I apologize to The National for not giving them a chance.




Anyway, after getting hyped up from The National, I was SO READY to see the two people I have been wanting to see ever since their movie came out last year. Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova, aka The Swell Season. The sun had just set and it was beginning to cool, but these two kept it hot with their songs made popular from the movie Once. I must say I was in complete awe watching these two. It's a moment that is hard to explain, but something I can never forget - magical for me! Glen is probably the sweetest guy ever...constantly thanking us for watching them when we could be at the next stage checking out The Verve or The Raconteurs. You can tell that this is a band that doesn't take their success for granite or let the fact that they one an Oscar go to their head.



I was good to go after catching The Swell Season perform! I didn't need to see any other band that night and at that point I could have died happy! I wanted to end it on that note, so we left and headed back to our hotel for a little bit of rest. I didn't hit Coachella on Saturday, however, I did go to one of the many Coachella parties that were happening around town.

PHOTOS: CORY RADKE