I'm a big fan of EMA. She was probably my favorite new artist last year and definitely released my favorite album. I highly recommend you all check out her music. If you haven't, you can start with her new single/video "Take One Two." It continues her insane hot streak and contributes to a good cause – the Jamie Isaacs Foundation for anti-bullying. Plus, her spring 2012 headlining tour kicks off tomorrow. You don't want to miss any of this.
Private James Marshall Hendrix of the 101st Airborne, playing guitar at Fort Campbell Kentucky 1962
Every once in a while I come across a photo that is so mesmerizing all I can do is sit and stare at it. When this happens time seems to stop, I transport myself to that place, imagining what the subjects would have been feeling, thinking, saying. I was lucky enough to have that happen tonight with this photo. When it comes to someone like Jimi Hendrix it is easy to forget that they are a real person, doing real things. Could the soldier playing the drums possibly recognize the greatness that was to come? How could he not?
Read More...
Almost exactly a year ago, I embarked on a musical journey to acquire and listen to everything that record label Arts & Crafts put out in 2011. I called it Label Year. The final tally was a very diverse sixteen releases, plus two bonus articles related to one of my all-time favorite bands and label founder Broken Social Scene. Tonight I bring the feature to a close with a look back, as well as a glimpse of what's to come.
Natalie Prass is an enchanting and talented singer/songwriter of which I have recently become acquainted with. Not surprisingly, she is based out of Nashville Tennessee and has cultivated a quirky, care free, and quaint performance style. I really enjoy her vocal cadences and the way she plays with the speed and accent of her words. The strength of her songwriting speaks so clearly in this stripped down and minimal video performance which is brought to us by way of the good people at Live and Reel. If you're not familiar with their work yet please do yourself a solid and go check it out – some great things happening over there. I also think it is completely adorable the way Natalie looks upwards in the first verse as she looks inside of her own head to remember the lyrics. Finally, the tag team vocal ending with her partner in crime Kyle Ryan is a perfect fit for this irresistible pop sing-along. This might be the first of many soon to come posts about Natalie Prass, so keep your ears and eyes open.
For more on this soon to be well known songwriter feel free to hop on over to her Offical Webpage, Bandcamp, Facebook, and Twitter accounts.
Natalie Prass: You Didn't Know
Read More...
In his post Jay-Z and the Dixie Chicks, Dave wrote that there are really only three types of music: Classical, Jazz, and Pop. He was saying that the average listener will turn on the radio and hear a diverse array of music from different backgrounds, genres, and styles, but in reality they are all pop music and therefore more similar than dissimilar. This strikes a chord (music pun) with listeners who in someway define themselves by their musical tastes. I'm sure you all know someone who will throw out blanket statements like "I hate country music." or "rap sucks". Dave makes the point that structurally, all this music is similar (the same?) and the differences exist in surface level texture and marketing.
Read More...
Johnny Cash on a farm in San Antonio May 1959.
Johnny Cash would have been celebrating his 80th birthday this weekend, February 26th. In celebration of the event, Time LightBox has assembled a photo essay of the man with rare and unpublished photos from the Sony Music Archive. Johnny is legend and hold's a special place in the hearts and ears of all of us here at the Dig. Hit up the link and go check it out.
Read More...
Tonight we have a special new album to share with you. It's called Lost In Translation by Indiana-based artist Soy La Vid (the recording alias of Mark Abdon). Lost In Translation is a concept album that draws inspiration from nine paintings, all of which can be viewed at the Art Institute of Chicago or in the attached collage. Read on for my thoughts on this very cool and creative approach to music-making.
Rebekah Delgado is a London based singer/songwriter and the title track off of her forthcoming EP Sing You Through The Storm has been striking a lot of right notes with me recently. I think the orchestration of this song is very smart. Straight ahead piano harmonies alongside a charming vocal melody and a singing saw lay down the ground work for this savvy and hook heavy pop tune. Ultimately, the song culminates with a sing-along of choristers, drums, acoustic guitar, playful piano arpeggios, and a horn section.
If this song catches you in the right mood, and with maybe a little bit of privacy, I'm confident that you'll be singing along before the final chorus is over. The EP will be available March 24, 2012 so keep in touch with this songstress via her webpage, twitter, and facebook.
Read More...
I first encountered Friday Night Lights as a film. Among the many reasons I enjoyed it was the stellar soundtrack, which I acquired. I next became a huge fan of the TV show. After five incredible seasons (well, four if we are allowed to ignore the misstep-ridden Season 2) there is no doubt it is one of my all time favorite drama series. I decided to finally cover my one remaining blind spot by reading the book that started the whole phenomenon. My thoughts on it and what music it connects to are the subject of tonight's This Book Is A Song.
There are so many incredible things about youtube. It is a remarkable tool of the 21st century for marketing, sharing, teaching, logging history, or hearing about all the crazy 'shit people say'. What's also incredible is the amount of worth that is there going unnoticed while others are cracking into the stratosphere of views. Recently I was digging through some videos of classical musicians from the 1960's when I encountered this gem of Maurice Gendron & Christian Ivaldi performing Debussy's Sonata for Cello and Piano.
It's not just a beautiful and nostalgic video of a command performance, but it's also a piece within a time capsule of both musical social history. I believe that knowledge of social and musical history informs your decision making as both listeners and performers. If you never learned any other word for beautiful than pretty, how would you ever know what radiant or gorgeous looks, sounds, and feels like. If you don't know what came before, can you truly appreciate what you have now?
Read on for a few more facts and dates about this piece, the performers, the composer, and the world that surrounded this performance.
Read More...