SXSW--The Beginning

It's been a busy month preparing for South By Southwest in Austin, TX, and boy was it worth it. Austin stands on it's own for being the coolest southern city, with the hippest people around playing music, drinking Lonestars, and rockin' cowboy boots and the sickest vintage boots I've seen.  Since there was so much music (thousands of bands) and so much talent, my next few posts will be about each day of my festival experience in the wonderful city of Austin (perhaps my future home).

It was great to be back working with my friend and mentor coldsmokefilms, and we had an interesting first two nights.  The first band we stumbled upon was none other than a Led Zeppelin tribute band (and no, it was not "Lez Zeppelin").  These guys had it down.  They were wearing wigs and replica outfits (a bit too cheesy in my opinion) and put on a fantastic show, but lacked the sex appeal.  The highlight of the night was being summoned to the stage by "Robert Plant" who exclaimed how much he loved the flower in my hair.  "Jimmy Page," who's been playing Zeppelin songs for 20 years, had some damn good solos.

The following night we had the pleasure of stumbling upon a U2 cover band, although not one of my favorite bands, they were able to hold our attention for a few songs.

I can't wait for the original, new music to come over the next 4 days!

Congrats Delta Spirit...

For selling out Bowery Ballroom!  

I do have to be honest and say this was the least enjoyable Delta Spirit show I've been to.  The energy was off for some reason.  Maybe it was the larger venue, or the fact that the singer was throwing picks at the audience with a sour look on his face.  Yeah, I'd like to be totally entranced with the music, but people talk during a show, sometimes people don't dance or move during a show; that's just the way it is.  But don't get mad at your fans if you can't bring the energy!  I won't stop listening to your music, but was disappointed to find out you weren't the rock stars I thought you were going to be.

On Repeat: Adele--Best New Artist

I’ve been listening to the beautiful Adele nonstop recently. She’s captivated the world and outshined even Katy Perry and the Jonas Brothers by winning the “Best New Artist” and “Best Female Pop Vocal Performance” awards at the Grammy’s this year. Her debut album, 19, produced by heavy hitters Mark Ronson and Eg White, has received critical acclaim and is extremely solid. According to iTunes, "Adele displays a formidable talent as a vocalist, underplaying her lines with insinuating feints and seductive shadings...what grabs the listener most are her soul queen moves, tossed off with a sultry flair that can be mesmerizing." My favorites include “Hometown Glory,” “Right As Rain,” and Bob Dylan cover “Make You Feel My Love.” Her New York show on May 5th is sold out, but keep checking on Craig’s List!

Breathtakingly beautiful, my dear.

I'm listening to:

Band of Horses, "Cease To Begin"

Eric Hutchinson, "Sounds Like This"

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, self-titled

Radiohead, "In Rainbows"

The Black Crowes, "Shake Your Money Maker"

Cat Power, "Jukebox"

Handsome Furs, "Plauge Park"

The Felice Brothers, self-titled

Yeah Yeah Yeahs, "Show Your Bones"

Gossip, "Standing in the Way of Control"

bonnaroo

Although I've never been to bonnaroo , I've wanted to go every year and have just never made it down to Tennessee.  The June line-up is just as good as expected!  This year, is it Coachella to hang with the LA hipsters, or Bonnaroo to chill with the new age hippies for me?

Sex On Fire

Caleb Followill had me at "Sex on Fire."

I was lucky enough to get floor seats to the (gasp) sold out Kings of Leon show at Madison Square Garden on Friday night (thanks Joyann). Here we go with those damn sippy cups again. These boys usually belt out the same sexy guitar riffs and similar rock songs that I love. The shows are usually as expected, and the seven or so I've seen haven't been very diverse. But they get me every time.

The boys of KOL have great style, and Caleb looks great with his now short hair tucked behind his ears, his shirt open just so, hipster vest, and tight tight jeans that perhaps were a pair his mom used to sew for everyone in the band. In his latest interview with Rolling Stone, it's hard to imagine that he was deciding who would be the "front man who gets all the ladies" with his brother, and stated "I don't want to, but I will." It would be interesting to know how many ladies he really does get. I have a feeling it's a large number. His voice is the perfect amount of raspy-ness, and drives me crazy with "On Call", "Knocked Up", and of course, "Sex On Fire". You move in ways you've never moved before! Being a part of Caleb's " biggest moment of my life" with graphics floating by of the lights of NYC, a killer light show, and a stadium with hipsters actually dancing, was worth the large venue and even the after party snub. Oh, and congrats on the Grammy boys.

Current obsessions:

Adele 19

Belle and Sebastian BBC Sessions

Stars Set Yourself On Fire

Annuals Be He Me

The Felice Brothers, self titled

Jessica Lea Mayfield With Blasphemy So Heartfelt

Jem Down To Earth

Jessica Lea Mayfield

So I haven't been able to write much lately since I'm pretty much trying to figure out my life and all, but I came across this artist and you need to know about her. Mayfield's voice is insane. She is 19 years old people! I could go on about how great her voice is, but I've posted a video for you to see for yourselves (sorry for the annoying intro). And, in a nutshell, a few writers describe her better than I can; "Sweet and twangy, Mayfield's voice is all smoky, twangy loveliness, and maybe it's because of that sweetness that her songs cut deep, radiating pain like a punch to the solar plexus" (emusic) and "Mayfield's voice is lifting, aching, and magnetic...this young lady sings with an old soul" (The Huffington Post). For those of you that dig Cat Power and Feist, this is right up your alley.  Download her album, With Blasphemy So Heartfelt, engineered and produced by the Black Keys' very own Dan Auerbach.

Coachella 2009

The 2009 Coachella line-up has been announced!  I will say it's pretty amazing.  Stand-outs include The Cure, Morrissey, Paul McCartney, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Band of Horses, Black Keys, Fleet Foxes, TV on the Radio, Girl Talk, Ghostland Observatory, and Peter, Bjorn, and John, to name a few.  They are even offering a payment plan during these economic times, and I recommend NOT camping because it gets VERY hot. Consider yourself warned!  Get a house with a bunch of friends and leave for the show early everyday.

MMJ Madness

Well people, the year was filled with so many ups and a few downs, but I ended up having a perfect last day of 2008.  The morning was filled with chilaxing and prettying myself up, and the evening started with an amazing home cooked meal, red wine, prosecco and other various party favors.  It was the perfect pre-party before heading to Madison Square Garden (thankfully away from Times Square) to see My Morning Jacket’s THREE AND A HALF HOUR totally rockin’, full of love, New Years Eve bash of a show.  Surrounded by seven of my favorite people in New York, sippy cups of beer (those are so dangerous), champagne, and MMJ lovers, the night was a bit hazy but enjoyed thoroughly nonetheless.  By some miracle I recently scored two great seats in the first section (thanks Matt), and the 10 or so other people I knew at the show sneaked in and were able to sit with us the entire show, with only one short security run-in.  I’d like to note that the very old security man was adorable.

Now to get to the band praises.  They played perfectly—no surprises there.  Apparently I missed the memo from Jim James asking everyone to dress black-tie, and the band themselves had about 2 (maybe 3?) slick suit changes and played 3 (maybe 4?) covers (Hall & Oates, James Brown, that “celebrate good times” song).  Which were great, but I would have rather heard their own songs!  They did play most of our favorites but all of them have been played at the other 3 shows I attended this year, and it would have been nice to hear a bit more variety (so the covers were appreciated).  When the show was over, it also felt like some songs were missing; but when I listed them off my friends assured me they played them.  I mean, what can you miss in three and a half hours?  A bit too much champagne for Eve I think!

I thought for sure they would be playing one of the encores at the stroke of midnight, but the countdown was displayed on a large screen and amidst tons of kisses and confetti, it lifted at midnight and revealed the band.   They continued on to play for an hour and I wish I could tell you the rest of the dazzling details. 

Remember to cherish every moment in the new year, be thankful for what you have and who you love, and get lost in the music whenever you can.

Holiday Gift Ideas--Eve's Picks of 2008

If you're stumped on what to get your loved ones for the holidays, go out and grab some CD's the old fashioned way. Or, just download songs from your source of choice and make your own CD's; even better, a "best of 2008" mix catered to the individual. I've tried my best to split the best of the year into music personality types (sorry, no country here). You've got loads to choose from folks! Oh yeah, and happy holidays.

For the kid that likes good pop:

Beyonce "I Am...Sasha Fierce"

Katy Perry "One of the Boys"

Keane "Perfect Symmetry"

Rihanna "Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded"

Jason Mraz "We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things"

Sia "Some People Have Real Problems"

Brett Dennen "Hope for the Hopeless"

Lykke Li "Youth Novels"

Vampire Weekend, self titled

Coldplay "Viva la Vida" and "Prospekt's March"

The Killers "Day & Age"

Ray LaMontagne "Gossip In the Grain"

Ting Tings "We Started Nothing"

The Kooks "Konk"

For the boys & girls that like to dance:

Cut Copy "In Ghost Colours"

Girl Talk "Night Ripper"

Santogold, self titled

MGMT "Oracular Spectacular"

Black Kids "Wizard of Ahhs"

Foals "Antidotes"

CSS "Donkey"

Does It Offend You, Yeah? "You Have No Idea What you're Getting Yourself into"

Those with an eclectic taste:

TV On the Radio "Dear Science"

Crystal Castles, self titled

Portishead "Third"

Of Montreal "Skeletal Lamping"

Radiohead "In Rainbows"

The Kills "Midnight Boom"

Weezer "The Green Album"

Calexico "Carried to Dust"

Ratatat "LP3"

Flight of the Conchords, self titled

The Breeders "Mountain Battles"

Sigur Ros "Med sud i eyrum vid spilum endalaust"

Indie/Alt Lovers:

Fleet Foxes, self titled

Ra Ra Riot "The Rhumb Line"

Jenny Lewis "Acid Tounge"

She & Him "Volume One"

Rachel Yamagata "Elephants...Teeth Sinking Into Heart"

Beck "Modern Guilt"

Conor Oberst, self titled

Death Cab For Cutie "Narrow Stairs"

Raveonettes "Lust, Lust ,Lust"

City and Colour "Bring Me Your Love"

The Felice Brothers, self titled

Bon Iver "For Emma, Forever Ago"

The Virgins, self titled

Little Joy, self-titled

For the folks that want to Rock:

Kings of Leon "Only By The Night"

My Morning Jacket "Evil Urges"

Black Crowes "Warpaint"

The Smiths "The Sound of the Smiths"

No Age "Nouns"

Cold War Kids "Loyalty to Loyalty"

Delta Spirit "Ode to Sunshine"

The Raconteurs "Cosnolers of the Lonely"

Metallica "Death Magnetic"

The Black Keys "Attack & Release"

The Clash "Live at Shea Stadium"

The Duke Spirit "Neptune"

The Black Angels "Directons to See a Ghost"

AC/DC "Black Ice"

Hip-Hoppers:

Kanye West "808s & Heartbreak"

T.I. "Paper Trail"

Lil' Wayne "Tha Carter III"

The Knux " Remind Me In 3 Days..."

Your parents might like:

Raphael Saadiq "The Way I See It"

Bob Dylan "Bootleg Series, Vol. 8: Tell Tale Signs-Rare & Unreleased 1989-2006"

David Byrne & Brian Eno "Everything That Happens Will Happen Today"

The Clash "Live at Shea Stadium"

Ray LaMontagne "Gossip in the Grain"

She & Him "Volume One"

Sia "Some People Have Real Problems"

Coldplay "Viva la Vida"

Death Cab For Cutie "Narrow Stairs"

The Felice Brothers, self titled

Bon Iver "For Emma, Forever Ago"

On Repeat: Rachael Yamagata- WOW!

If there was anything that could cheer me up last week it was seeing the great shows that I saw. Rachael Yamagata was out of this world. She is witty, beautiful, and has a perfect, crystal clear, intoxicatingly stunning voice. Even though her songs are emotional, sad, and mostly about heartbreak and getting back on her feet, she has the crowd wrapped around her fingers and entranced. The audience was cracking up when one of her band members stated "Lay off the sauce!"

There's nothing like dancing at a Ghostland Observatory show on a Friday night with friends. The show was at Terminal 5, a venue that needed a little more warmth and inclusiveness for the audience, but they still put on an awesome show and the light show was incredible, as always. It's a wonder to me how only two people can make so much noise and lovely music (such as the Black Keys), and more so have the amount of energy you see on stage. Aaron Behrens takes the cake on that aspect of the performance...I've never seen a male human dance quite like it. He is damn good. Damn good.

On Repeat: The Killers are Back

I was mesmerized and blown away by The Killers performance of two immediate hits, "Human" and "Spaceman" from their new album, Day & Age on Saturday Night Live. The sound of Day & Age is classic Killers and Brandon Flowers still evokes so much emotion with his innocent voice. "A Dustland Fairytale" and "Joy Ride" are familiar tunes, and "I Can't Stay" is one of my favorites.


I've been a Killers fan since day one, and not only did Brandon Flowers make me swoon (and still does), Hot Fuss, their first album, made me excited about music again and I was so pleased that there was something so different and fabulous out there. Hot Fuss is still one of my favorites and it's one of those albums that brings back fond memories of certain crushes, and two New York concerts with the girls full of screaming sing alongs and dancing like there's no one watching and there's no tomorrow. Hopefully Day & Age lives up to those expectations, and the Killers keep playing fun loving songs.


Check back tomorrow for Holiday gift ideas.

Goodbye MTV.

NY Shows You Should Buy Tickets For

Check out their myspace pages to see if they are touring in your area! A lot of these bands are also playing in DC.

Delta Spirit @ Bowery 12/6, Webster 12/7

Rachael Yamagata @ Bowery 12/10

Ghostland Observatory @ Webster 12/12

My Morning Jacket @ MSG 12/31

The Raveonettes @ Bowery 1/18

Tapes 'n Tapes @ Bowery 2/25, Music Hall of WB 2/26

Cut Copy @ Terminal 5 3/21

Be Me For A Few Minutes!

I've posted some footage from the Black Crowes and My Morning Jacket shows that you might enjoy. The quality is not top notch but hopefully you'll get the idea and be lost in the happiness of it all.

Woodies.

Last week was the annual mtvU Woodie awards at Roseland Ballroom.  I'm so glad I finally got to attend.  The crowd was full of tweens but thankfully I glided past them up to the VIP area stocked with free booze and food.  There's nothing like getting typsy the MTV way with close colleagues, execs and VJs.  Besides the surprise Blondie appearance and watching my promos air on all of the monitors in between performances and presenters, I was most excited for the Santi (formerly known as Santigold), Vampire Weekend, Chromeo and Lykke Li sets.  Lykke Li was definitely the stand out.  Not only was she wearing hot glittery pants, she was banging on instruments and killing it on the mike.  She is uber cool.  I was told another stand out was the Chromeo and Vampire Weekend joint performance, yet I was waiting about a half hour at the bar for a drink and totally missed it.  I was not happy about that.  Thankfully I caught the last of Vampire Wknd which ended the show and was off in a rickshaw to the VIP after party.  My favorite coworker and I literally got thrown from the rickshaw (those drivers are crazy and not cheap) into the crowd trying to get into the club and made quite the entrance.  It was nice to party with the folks that have worked so hard on the mtvU channel and it was great catching up and dancing the night away.  Check out more commentary, some music and pictures from the event here.