The Reynolds Number

The Reynolds Number  is a fairly new band from Austin, Texas.  The five piece group combines the calming and melodic with deeply meaningful lyrics and some amazingly intense guitar riffs.  Despite only being together since 2011, they've made waves in the Austin music scene with their unique melodic rock.  With Josh Atkins and Chris Soltani on guitars, Gabriel Elpers on bass, Mack Arnos on drums, and Om Shankar on keys/vocals, the band has crafted its niche in the Austin music scene by using choral guitar harmonies, thumping bass, intricate percussion, and powerful vocal melodies to captivate crowds.  Since their inception, The Reynolds Number has opened for Quiet Company, Minus the Bear, Saints of Valory, and many more.  They have played at festivals including South By Southwest, Rock the Republic, and 40 Acres Fest.

The band is currently getting ready to release a self titled album, which will come out in April of this year.  Their previous releases include an EP and 7 track album, "For November," which you can take a listen to here.  The band offers a free download of their song Awake on their bandcamp page. The "Music You Seek" blog had this to say about Awake: "Awake is an infusion of everything you have heard before and something fresh for the ears. It’s an intense ballad that haunts you and pumps you up at the same time."

"Awake" - The Rynolds Number
 

"Sleep Child Sleep" - The Reynolds Number

New Music At Your Doorstep

We are all about finding new ways to discover music. This week's discovery... Merch-Box.

Merch-Box is a fun service which sends a package to you every month for as long as you want to keep them coming.  It's kind of like a new music of the month club, but every person gets something different.  When you sign up, you take a survey about musical preferences, personality, and some other things.  This allows the packages to be personal.

People get all kinds of things in their boxes! They receive the obvious CDs, posters, and stickers, but a quick look at the Merch-Box Tumblr tag, and you'll see the cute notes, candies, and special surprise gifts patrons get in the mail.

All of that sounds great, right? But I bet you're thinking it's way out of your price range.  Well, here's the best part. It's only $10 a month.

Band of the Week: Cry Monster Cry

 



Cry Monster Cry is a folk rock duo out of Dublin, Ireland. The band features the brothers' beautiful harmonies packed with emotion and lyrics full of shared experiences. Cry Monster Cry was formed by brothers Richie and Jamie Martin in late 2010.  The brothers have been involved in music together for many years before the band's formation, but it is now a central focus for them. In 2012 Cry Monster Cry recorded their first EP, "The Fallen." Upon the release of their debut EP, "The Fallen" went straight to #1 on the Irish iTunes Singer/Songwriter chart and was promptly followed by a sold out launch Upstairs in Whelan’s. The band's music was also recently featured in Tourism Ireland's Jump Into Ireland online. Since the success of the EP realease, Cry Monster Cry has been touring Ireland with their original material. Over the past few months of touring, the band has played gigs with artists such as Sea of Bees, Wallis Bird, Hudson Taylor and Jape.

In between touring, Cry Monster Cry has managed to begin work on their debut album. Jamie  commented on the upcoming album, "We're working with the same producer from the EP, Keith Lawless. We are trying to hone our skills and deliver something well thought out and mature. We were very pleased with the EP, the trick now is to do better this time round and to mature as song writers." The band should have show dates once the album completed and released.

 Below is a track from "The Fallen" EP. If you like what you hear, follow the link for a free download of the song. The full EP can be found on iTunes. If you're interested in following Cry Monster Cry, they can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and on Youtube.
 

"If we're doing this, you can do it too." An interview with a band who just wants a chance.

The Bordellos are an interesting band to say the least.  They have evolved musically since their start as Onion King in 2004 after some changes in line ups.  The band as it is today consists of brothers Brian and Anthony Shea, and Brian's son Dan.  With 30 years separating the oldest member from the youngest, the range of influences of the band is staggering and combines to give the Bordellos a unique sound.  Here's what they had to say for themselves.

How did The Bordellos get started? When?

DAN- We formed out of the ashes of the band Onion King, with the addition of guitarist/producer Geoff and keyboardist/general musical genius Vinny. Then there was a drummer, Mike, who was really good and left to play with ska bands who would actually pay him. I joined by osmosis - my dad was a member and it got me out of the house. The first two albums, the only ones with any distribution, I'm not on, but gradually I've seeped into it and started producing too.
BRIAN- Yes, we formed after Geoff and Vinny heard our 4-track demos as Onion King in 2004 and wanted to turn our Songs of the Wickerman into the Footloose soundtrack, so we became The Bordellos and proceeded to play gigs and such. Then Geoff, Vinny, and Mike left the band, so I got Dan in to replace all three. He was only 14 at the time but had a great talent. Around about this time, Bomp Records heard our Songs For Swinging Stalkers LP that we had made but never released with Geoff and Vinny. It looked like for a while they may release it, but cooled on the idea when they realized I had replaced the lead guitarist, drummer, and keyboardist with my 14 year old son. But Northern Star Records then came into the fray and released the Stalkers LP as a download only LP and received fine reviews. We then released another LP called Meet The Bordellos on The American Indie Brutarian Records and also reissured the Stalkers LP on Brutarian.
 

Where is your favorite venue to play?

DAN- Anywhere that'll have us. Where we live, there's no scene, which is a shame on one hand but no scene equals no clique and familiarity breeds contempt. Or contentment - but no chance of that in a hurry. Basically, we don't do enough AC/DC covers for St. Helens.
BRIAN- As Dan says, we really do not do many gigs, only two this year. We did both as acoustic gigs, just myself and Dan - my brother and our third member was incapacitated at the time so they could not play...
 

What are your hopes for the band's future?

DAN- That someone will pay attention to us at some point, really. We're never going to be a fashionista favourite but someone (and this is where you and other places come into it) needs to give people the permission they need to enjoy us. After that point, should it happen, I don't know - I've got visions of string sections and Polymoogs.
BRIAN- Well, I hope to get better known and for more people to pay attention to our strange take on music. We have a backlog of about sixty songs already recorded and some more that just need mixing, so it would be nice to find a label to release some of them on.
 

What influences your music?

DAN- All sorts [of infuences], musically speaking. We've all got a fairly broad range of tastes and it changes all the time. I'm reading the Wreckers of Civilisation book about Throbbing Gristle at the moment, and it's really a shame there's not much as brave or exciting going on at the moment that I've heard of but I'm sure that's open to change. Musically, the big ones for me are 60's girl groups, Rowland S Howard (and everything else Nick Cave related), Burial's Untrue, anything with that thread that runs through all those running through it. It's not about genre, it's about mood. That same principle goes into the music too, I guess - disgust at how closed minded and needlessly judgmental people can be, useless irritation but hope that it'll all get better.
BRIAN- As Dan says, all sorts [of infuences]. We do tend to mix all kinds of genres of music together. Our latest release, the Bring Me The Head of Justin Bieber EP, out on Small Bear Records www.smallbearrecords.com is our tribute to The Jamc and an attack on the mobilephone pop that is being force fed to the kids on the radi. But my main musical loves are sixties beat bands and garage punk and psych with fiftes rock n roll and rockabilly. Our third band member has a unhealthy interest in seventies singer songwriters and is currently boring everyone in earshot with his one-man appreciation society to Bruce Springsteen, but he does like Neil Young so we will forgive him for that.
 

Is there a message you want to get out with your music?

DAN- "If we're doing this, you can do it too. Don't wait around for permission, just lose yourself and get right into it."
BRIAN- Our message is bring the fun and excitment back to music, where is the danger, where has the humour gone to, where has the shock factor gone in music?
 

How would you describe your music?

DAN- I wouldn't - I'd leave it to journalists and listeners to do that.
BRIAN- TWO WORDS: BLOODY ACE.
 

What genre do you consider The Bordellos to be?

DAN- That depends what release you're talking about. Lo Fi, Folk Off, for instance - that's pretty straightforwardly folk. But it's all pop music, isn't it?
BRIAN- We tend to genre hop so I would call us a "postpunkpsychgaragerockcountrybillyfolk" band.
 

Tell us about upcoming tour dates and recent/future releases.

DAN- Bring Me The Head of Justin Bieber is available for free download here - http://thebordellosbieber.bandcamp.com/ - you can also pay if you want, doesn't hurt to try, does it? I'm doing a solo gig at the Rendezvous in St Helens, that's about it for the future that I know of but you can follow my endeavours/download my stuff for free at - http://neuroticwreck.bandcamp.com/. That's a good listen if you like every other vaguely interesting electropop with dubstep influences thing that's out at the moment, but it's not groundbreaking.
BRIAN- We have Bring Me The Head of Justin Bieber EP out now via Small Bear Records and have two LPs that can be downloaded for free. The Lo Fi, Folk Off LP and the Monkee Complex are
available to download from our bandcamp page. Both LPs were recorded over a couple of days as a bit of fun, so they're not to be taken too seriously. We also have two LPs out on Brutarian Records, Meet The Bordellos and Songs for Swinging Stalkers, and have other split EPs and such released on various labels. The future, well, we are just finishing recording a new EP which is based on the old EP The Walker Brothers Brought Out in the Sixties Called Solo Scott Solo John. This one will be called Solo Brian Solo Dan and will have four ballads and it will sound great when they are mixed. We will be looking for a label to put it out, hopefully on vinyl. Dan and I have recorded some solo stuff under the name Honeyfuzzmole so we'll hopefully find some way of getting that out next year, all recorded on a very old four track tape recorder - very lo fi. Maybe play some gigs. And I had forgotten, we have a track coming out on a Small Bear Christmas LP which will be available at Christmas.

Concert Report: Last Thursday

In the middle of the night, on the East side of Atlanta, under a bar, last Thursday one of the most energetic concerts I've ever been to went down at The Basement.  The Basement is an extremely small venue with amazing acoustics, and the crowd was absolutely tiny.  I'm talking maybe ten people there who weren't in one of the bands.  I fell in love with the place, which was nice enough to let me into an 18+ show even though I'm not 18+.  Seriously, people in the Atlanta area, go to The Basement.  They need your patronage.  Anyway, onward.

The four bands performing were Wolves, Nico's Gun, Yip Deceiver, and Chappo.

Wolves is an Atlanta based, self produced alt-pop band made up of Kyle Dreaden and Zak Ray.  Their debut album, "Youth" was released in April, and is available for free here.  It includes eight songs, one of them is called 'Twenty Something' and I have had it playing in my head since the show.   Wolves has a unique sound that I can only describe as something to the tune of dance-rock.

Nico's Gun played a set of mostly funk, but ended their time on stage with two very different songs that had an almost metal feel.  Talking to them after the show, I asked them about why that was, and they said that, had they had enough time, they would have played some of their punk stuff.  Nico's Gun is great to watch live, if not for the music then for their look. Barney, the singer and guitarist, wore glittery fake eyelashes, the keyboardist was in a blue fur jacket and had his hair in a topknot.  The bassist looked like he could have stepped right out of a hard rock band.  With their unique mix of people, massive amounts of talent, varied influences, and general want to have a lot of fun, it's hard to tell just what Nico's Gun will do from one song to the next.

Yip Deceiver was definitely a surprise for me.  I had listened to their music before the show, but that didn't prepare me for the fact that the two piece electronic dance group is made up of Davey Peirce and Nicolas Dubbratz from of Montreal.  Having missed seeing Of Montreal earlier this year, I was excited to see Davey and Nicolas's side project.  They did not disappoint and had the small crowd dancing from the first song.

"Get Strict" - Yip Deceiver

Chappo was amazing, as always. I had a chance to talk to keyboardist Chris before the show.  We didn't really talk about anything important or interview-ish.  It was actually a lot like old friends just chatting, which was a good change from the normal "I have a blog, let's talk business" type conversations I've had with bands.  By the time Chappo went on stage, I had talked to the whole band.  Living in New York, they were lucky to have sustained little damage from hurricane Sandy and managed to be one step ahead of the storm while on tour.  Their set went by entirely too fast, but was very theatrical and very intimate.  Frontman Alex Chappo requested tht everyone in the audience form a semicircle around him and made sure to touch everyone at least once.  In a later song, he opened a bottle of water, poured part of it over his head, part on the floor, and the rest on the audience.  I definitely enjoyed the close quarters of their show, and preferred seeing them in a small venue opposed to outdoors.

(CHAPPO on stage at The Basement)

News From CHAPPO

CHAPPO has recently released their music video for "5-0." The band says, "There are no singing nipples this time, but there ARE some teenagers getting it on in bathroom stalls, taking pills, and driving recklessly." You can find the "5-0" video posted below.

 

If you're interested in catching CHAPPO live soon, check out their upcoming tour dates for their Fall Soiree Tour:

 

OCT 21 – Brooklyn, NY: 151 Kent – Rooftop Party and "5–0" screening

OCT 22 – Long Branch, NJ: Brighton Bar

OCT 26 – Philadelphia, PA: The Fire

OCT 28 – Richmond, VA: House Party (RVA Magazine)

OCT 30 – Charlotte, NC: Evening Muse

OCT 31 – Athens, GA: FreakFest Party

NOV 01 – Atlanta, GA: The Basement

NOV 02 – Durham, NC: Motorco Music Hall

NOV 03 – Washington, DC: The Pinch with Nicos Gun

 

Band of the Week: Wise Children

After a long stretch of no posts (which we sincerely apologize for), we're finally getting back up and running. So, without further delay, this week's featured "Band of the Week" is Wise Children.

Wise Children is an alternative folk-pop band from the South Coast of England. The band was originally a three-piece band, but now primarily consists of just its founder, Robin Warren-Adamson. "I started the project at uni with a line-up of 3, and then over the years people have come and gone. Sometimes I perform by myself, sometimes with others. It's mainly based on where abouts I'm living at the time and who is around. At the moment there are three of us in London," says Robin.

The band has released three albums over the past four years. The first is a self tiled EP, released in 2008. Wise Children produced Absence & Reunion just 2 years later (2010), with their most recent, The Woods, to follow the year after (2011). Robin describes his music as "delicate, atmospheric pop songs." He pulls from a variety of different influences to achieve his incredibly unique sound. "I listen to a lot of electronic music and experimental classical music. This influences the kinds of atmospheres I try to create. On top of that, Sigur Ros, Frightened Rabbit, Nick Drake amongst many others." The combination of Robin's hauntingly beautiful vocals and lyrics often filled with heartache make Wise Children's music more than memorable.

After taking a break for the summer, Robin says that he's really excited to get back to writing a recording. Plans for the band are small for now. Ryan told us, "I don't have any grand dreams for it [Wise Children]. It's just on-going and adapts to particular times. I really like how it doesn't ask too much of me." Wise Children's next show will be October 7th at the Notting Hill Arts Club in London. They will be performing with six other London-local artists that night and the event is expected to be a sell-out. The band prefers smaller, informal venues (especially house parties), but they would love to play at Union Chapel in the near future.

 

Here are a few of our favorite Wise Children songs. Enjoy!

 

"Absence" - Absence & Reunion (2010)

 

"Compost" - The Woods (2011)



 

"A Heart You Can't Find" - The Woods (2011)

 

"You Were a Single Red Blood Cell But I Lost

You in This Knot of Capillaries" - Wise Childern EP (2008)

 

"Artichoke" - Absense & Reunion (2010)

 

If you would like to hear more music by Wise Children, look them up on Facebook, Twitter, or Youtube. Also, check out their website for a free download of their EP, The Woods.



 

The Superjams: An Interview

The Superjams are a four piece band out of Stockholm, Sweden.  We did an interview with them, and we'll have more information about them in our next Band of the Week feature.  

Here's what we asked:

• Tell us about the history of the band.
• How did The Superjams get started? When?
• Do any of you have jobs other than being musicians?
• Where is your favorite venue to play? 
• What are your hopes for the band's future?
• What influences your music?
• How would you describe your music?
• What genre do you consider The Superjams to be?
• Tell us about upcoming tour dates and recent/future releases.

And here's how they answered:

The band actually has been around since 2007, when Joakim and Fredrik decided to quit their old band and started something more rock-oriented. They put out flyers to find a drummer and Max gave them a call. By the first rehersal Max (who lived safely in Solna, a suburb of Stockholm, his whole life) didn't find the place where they would rehearse, and pretty much ended up on the other side of town. Can't be easy being lost in the big city. Some years went by and the band played most of Stockholm's venues not only twice but sometimes three or four times. Fredrik also started playing live bass with electro/samba duo Adventure of, where Kalle played lead and arranged pretty much everything. One thing led to another and Kalle came to rehearse with Superjams, and everything worked out fine so he became a member. This is early 2012, and the band's sound drastically changed since both Joakim and Kalle sing and ofc there now are two guitars and sometimes some organ.

We're all students besides playing music, Joakim studies journalism, Fredrik media/management, Max studies Engineering and Kalle studies music. We got some other jobs also to get some extra cash, but those are not that exciting... Banks, Guitar teaching and so on.

We love to play the festival "En Midsommarnattsdröm", really small indie festival in the middle of Sweden, Hornstull strand and both of the Debaser venues in Stockholm. But mostly we like it sweaty, if there's a sweaty crowd we'll turn them into the English Channel and make the magic happen.

We really hope to get a lot of live following right now and that people keep on spreading the word about us. Also, we have been producing a promo EP that might hit the net soon, and with that EP we'll make a fresh start as a quartet. We're soon to go to Kingside studio in Gnesta to record an official EP, which we're super psyched about!

Our influences are kind of hard to pinpoint. Max listen to a lot of rap/beat, Kalle mostly to jazz and swedish beat from the 60's, Fredrik exclusively to Pearl Jam and Joakim to pop/rock. All this boils down to what we're about: a genuine love for music. Not that we would release a funk album or anything, but we absolutely draw our influences from a lot of good music with soul. If we were to describe our music that would be garage pop. It's a bit filthy but with a love for melodies and riff's that'll force you sing along. One of our newest songs are actually inspired by the Pointer Sisters!

We're going on an acoustic tour of Västra Götaland in Sweden this september, then we're hoping to play London for a week. Our booking agency is working on Germany! Besides that we'll go to smaller places around Sweden, like Lund, Katrineholm etc. Just to get to meet people and die at least once on every stage we set our feet on.

Band of the Week: Ducky and the Vintage

This week's "Band of the Week" goes to Ducky and the Vintage. The alternative/rock group is based out of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The band's lead singer, Matt "Ducky Duke" Ryan, made an appearance on Season 2 of the hit television show The Voice. This is where we first found out about his band. Although he didn't get any further than the "Blind Audition" of the show, we were immediately impressed by his talents. Ducky covered the song "Tighten Up" by The Black Keys for his audition, which we posted below.

 



Ducky and the Vintage's music is usually classified in the indie rock genre, but Ryan classifies it a little differently. "My music is basically a rock 'n roll, bluesy country, soulful vibe with some pop infused. I think the songs put across a vintage sound coupled with a more modern approach and they really sum up everything that I am as a person and a musician. It's just rock 'n roll in my own way."

Ryan's soulful voice is perfect for the dark but upbeat style of music the band plays. If you are a fan of bands like The Black Keys, Queens of the Stone Age, Foo Fighters, The Dead Weather, or the Doors, then you will probably enjoy Ducky and the Vintage. The band is signed with Decadent Suite Records and has recently released the EP Flowers on iTunes. You can also listen to the new EP on the player below! Enjoy!

 

A Few Words with Darling Norman

We saw Darling Norman at the Masquerade last week, and did a write up on what we thought of the night, which you can find here.  We decided to do a follow up interview with them, which went as follows.

Q. How long has Darling Norman been together?

A. We have been playing together for two years.

Q. How did you form?

A. We kept bumping in to each other musically and got together as a group one day and it totally clicked. The rest is history.

Q. What other music projects have your members been involved in?

A. David Drexler led the Atlanta band the Drexlers with his wife Annie. Daniel DeCriscio played in the bands June Fool and Zero Spanish (now Private Income) in Brooklyn. Derek Hensel and Dan played together in the band Son Aria in Atlanta. Dan Ra and Derek Hensel played together in 40 Watt Solar System.

Q. What and where is your favorite venue to perform?

A. We’ve enjoyed all the venues we’ve played at in Atlanta but we call Star Bar in Little Five Points home. It’s where we got our start, we love Luis, and their posh green room.

Q. Are there any bands or artists who influence your music?

A. Talking Heads, Television, the Pixies. That’s our comfort zone. But we all bring a lot of different tastes to the rock and roll buffet table. For example David grew up on REM and the Smiths while Dan the drummer secretly wishes he was Mike Bordin from Faith No More. Derek can play a mean 8 string bass while Dan Ra digs the Walkmen. Dan Ra managed to also get Dan D obsessed with GBV. It’s a tangled web we weave.

Q. What genre do you consider Darling Norman to be?

A. 70’s New Wave, Post Punk maybe? Wave Punk? When it comes down to it we just want to and want people that come to our show to have fun. No agenda. You’re free to throw stuff at us or throw your lingerie at the man playing the claves.  

Q. What upcoming tour dates do you have?

A. No formal tour. We’re playing our second year at NoPhest on Aug 23^rd at the Earl. Come one, come all!

Q. What is the name of your new EP and when does it release? Where will it be available?

A. Our EP should be done in early Sept 2012. On it will be three songs that will likely be on our forthcoming album which may be called “St. Peter and the Vacuum Cleaners,” “Gnarling Doorman,” “ROCK MUSIC,” or any other name that someone suggests that is significantly less lame than those, which should be easy. It’s being mixed in Athens, GA by Patrick Ferguson of FIVE EIGHT and is predicted to whoop a llama’s ass with a belt.  We’ll definitely get it up on CD Baby, iTunes, etc. Or just come to our shows!

The The The Thunder: Northwest Tour

The The The Thunder has announced their Northwest tour dates! They will kick off the tour on August 24th with a stop in Olympia, Washington at Le Voyeur. The band will be headlining at the High Dive in Seattle on the 29th. Seattle Weekly called it "the night's can't-miss event." The doors open at 8pm and admission is $6. Check out the flyer below for all of the upcoming tour dates!

About The The The Thunder:

TTTT is an energetic six-piece indie-rock band from Seattle and New York City with "quiet people, loud people, three definite articles, and a one-woman string section." Their debut album, All At Once, is out now and you can find it here: thethethethunder.bandcamp.com.

Also, if anyone has the chance to catch The The The Thunder live, I would love to hear your thoughts on the show!

A Night At The Masquerade

The Masquerade. It is located in downtown Atlanta. The building is a mill from the mid to late 1800s, and looks like it could be the setting for an incredible haunted house. This was the first  concert I had been to here, and the venue was very different than what I was expecting. From the outside, it looked like a run down, abandoned warehouse with an old neon sign barely clinging to the side. Despite the look from the outside, the venue was nice on the inside: old stone walls, wooden floors, and three themed rooms - The Purgatory, Heaven, and Hell. The Purgatory was where the Bad Veins show was. It had a small, quaint stage in the back of the room and a bar off to the right of the room. (Unfortunately I didn't get the chance to see "Heaven" or "Hell," so they will have to wait until another time...)

(Outside)

(The Purgatory stage)

First to take the stage was the local, Atlanta based band, Darling Norman. The four-man band is high energy with a unique vocalist and interesting lyrics. They were a really fun band to watch. (We will be posting an exclusive interview with Darling Norman in a few days.) The post-punk, power-pop band played about a 30-minute set before Stagnant Pools took the stage.

(Darling Norman)

Stagnant Pools took the stage around 9:00. They are a two-piece alternative/punk rock band from Indianapolis, Indiana. I will be honest, I didn't think that their stage show was as good as it could have been. They come off well in their studio work, so I hope their live show improves with more experience and touring.

(Stagnant Pools)

By 9:45 it was Bad Veins's turn. The Cincinnati duo was wonderful, just as expected. The indie/alternative rock band has an excellent stage show - interactive, great presence, and good energy. They played about a 45-minute set and did a meet-and-greet and merch signing afterwards. I stuck around and had the chance to talk to them about doing an interview with us, which they agreed to. (We will be posting that interview soon.) Bad Veins was very excited about getting to meet with fans and were very appreciative of them for attending and supporting the band.

(Bad Veins)

All in all, my night at The Masquerade was well worth the $12 I paid to get in. I will probably be going back at sometime this September or October, so be on the lookout for another post about The Masquerade and its other rooms!

20 Top-notch Music Streaming and Discovery Sites

Streaming music online has become one of the most popular ways to listen to music in this day of age. It makes finding and sharing music simple and you can take it with you anywhere. Music streaming sites are a great tool for discovery of new music and bands, as well. Here is a list of some of the best music streaming sites and services out there, or at least ones that I like and use often...

Well Known Streaming Sites:

1.) Pandora: A music streaming site where you can create unique "radio stations" based on a specific band, song, or genre. For each station you make, Pandora will play songs based on previous songs and selections that you liked/disliked. The site allows you to create up to 100 unique stations. Since it's start up in 2000, Pandora has been using listener information to further their work with the Music Genome Project. It is said to be "the most comprehensive analysis of music ever undertaken." (Click here to learn more about the Music Genome Project.) Pandora says that their name comes from Greek mythology. "The name Pandora means "all gifted" in Greek. In ancient Greek mythology, Pandora received many gifts from the gods, including the gift of music, from Apollo. She was also, as we all know, very curious. Unlike those gods of old, however, we celebrate that virtue and have made it our mission to reward the musically curious among us with a never-ending experience of music discovery." This site is one of my go-to sites to discover new music and enjoy music I already know about. Pandora is a really well thought out system. I highly recommend it to anyone with a need for streaming music.

2.) Spotify: A Swedish music streaming service that was started in 2006 (Spotify wasn't available in the United States until late July of 2011). Creating an account with the free service allows users to have access to millions of tracks. They can create playlists, use apps specific to Spotify, and connect and share with other users. Not only do you have millions of tracks available for use, the service also adds your own music library to your available tracks. Spotify's Facebook integration system allows users to easily share music with friends on social networking sites. Spotify is great for finding new artists daily with a vastly growing collection of songs and artists. It is wonderful for home and office music streaming.

3.) iTunes: A media player from Apple for your computer. Itunes allows users to buy, play, download, and organize music, as well as videos, movies, books, TV shows, apps, and more. With iTunes, you can bring your music library with you anywhere, anytime. One of my favorite features on iTunes is the iTunes Radio. It has thousands of radio stations from all over the world, making it very easy to find new music. I also like the featured free downloads that are offered weekly. I have found some of my favorite bands through these downloads.

4.) Grooveshark: A music streaming and discovery site that allows you to stream and upload music for playlists or immediate playback. Share your music on Facebook, Twitter, and more with just one click. The site makes music discovery easy by offering artist suggesions based on past preferences and site searches.

5.) SoundCloud: SoundCloud is classified as a "social sound platform." The site allows anyone to create and share sounds. Users can share their sounds privately with friends or publicly with blogs, social networks, and other sites. You can find nearly any kind of music/sound imaginable on SoundCloud. Often the songs and albums on SoundCloud are available for download and a lot of times are a free download. It is an incredible music disovery experience.

6.) YouTube: Nearly everyone knows what YouTube is all about, but for those of you that don't, I will explain. YouTube is a video sharing site for originally-created videos. It creates a forum for billions of people to connect, share, discover, inform, and inspire others. It's hard to fathom the amout of videos available on this site. I use it to my advantage, video jumping (as I like to call it) from one music video to the next. It's amazing the amount of obscure and unknown bands you can find by using the suggested/related videos on the side bar to video jump. It's fun once you get the hang of it.

Other Streaming Sites:

7.) 8tracks: Described as handcrafted internet radio (although I don't exactly consider it "radio"). 8tracks people can discover and share music through an online music mix/playlist containing at least 8 tracks (hence the name 8tracks...). Users can either listen to other people's mixes or make their own. Mixes can be found by a genre, artist name, or mix name. 8tracks say their service allows "listeners get a unique blend of word-of-mouth sharing and radio programming — long the trusted means for music
discovery — on a global scale." All in all, 8tracks is a really wonderful site and I use it extremely often.

8.) Jango: When Pandora still had limited listening time, I used Jango as a back up once I ran out of hours on Pandora. It is very similar to Pandora in that you can create stations based on bands, songs, or genres you like to listen to. The main difference between the two is that you can tune in to other user's stations. This site allows station sharing  with the Jango community as well as easy social network sharing. So, if you get tired of Pandora, give Jango a try.

9.) Musicovery: A very simple, but unique music streaming site that picks songs according to your chosen mood. The site allows listeners to choose "I like" or "I don't like" option for every song played as well as pick a familiarity level: listen to songs or artists you know and like, or discover lesser-known artists. Playlists are customized according to the choices of the listener (mood, genres, decades, artists, ratings, etc...).

10.) City Sounds: A global streaming site where you can listen to local music from almost every city in the world. The site has three sections: the latest chart, the popular chart, and individual city pages. The latest chart is a list of the recently updated cities. The popular chart is where City Sounds list the 32 most popular cities, which are based on tweets and Facebook posts about the cities. The individual
city pages allow you to find more tracks, genres, and stats for individual cities. City Sounds is a really neat site and I love it because you have so many kinds of music at your fingertips. It's an excellent cultural experience.

11.) thesixtyone: This is one of my favorite sites at the moment. Thesixtyone is a "music adventure" streaming and discovery site which uses collaborative filtering to organize, promote, and sell music uploaded by artists, many of whom are independent musicians. Each day thesixtyone has listener "quests." Listeners must listen to and vote on the available artists/songs to complete these quests. The webpage was named after Highway 61 (the route has many deep connections to American music culture). According to the site, "thesixtyone's guiding principle is to enable the creative middle class, providing talented artists the opportunity to make a living making music." Not only is this a great service to unknown artists, it is also a unique and fun way for music lovers to find these artists.

12.) Songza: A free music streaming site in a web radio format that is unlike similar web radios for two reasons. One being that the stations are made by members of the Songza community. The other being that Songza helps users find stations through personal interests. Not only are stations available by artists, songs, and genre, but they are also listed by themes, interests, and eras. The site's goal is "to help you find the radio station that perfectly fits your mood or whatever you're doing right now; in other words, to help you find your soundtrack." Songza is a really interesting site if you are in the mood for a different music streaming experience.

13.) The Hype Machine: This is actually a music blog collective. The Hype Machine keeps track of what music bloggers write about. The blogs they pick are showcased on the site and the music they write about is also showcased. It makes it easy for readers to find new blogs and new music. Their focus "is on making the most culturally rich music discovery experience on the web." The Hype Machine is "creating tools that empower independent voices that write about music. We think a select group of passionate people can produce more engaging conversation than a huge social mob, or a rigid hierarchy of editors. We amplify their posts and the audio they choose, to help this vibrant culture spread." Who knows? Maybe The Lesser Known will end up on The Hype Machine at some point...

14.) Musictonic: Musictonic is sort of like YouTube, but is specifically for music videos. The site combines related artists from last.fm with music videos from YouTube. It's great if you don't have the patience to search YouTube on your own. All you have to do is pick an artist or song and Musictonic does the rest. You can't hardly make music discovery easier than that.

15.) Drinkify: This is a really interesting streaming site. I haven't been able to find anything else like it. Drinkify automatically generates the "perfect" cocktail recipe to accompany any music. All you have to do is tell Drinkify what you're listening to or want to listen to (it will play music from the selected artist so you don't have to find it yourself) and it gives you the cocktail name and recipe to go with your selection. The crazy thing is, this site was created in 24 short hours.

16.) Stereomood: Similar to Musicovery and Songza in that it finds music for you based on your mood or what you are doing. It gives listeners "a tool to create playlists for every occasion, a tool to share emotions through the music." Stereomood is based out of Rome, Italy, so it is yet another way for you to find endless amounts of music you've probably never heard of.

17.) uwall.tv: This site is literally a wall of music. Scroll through and pick an artist of your choice and discover from there. It is very straight forward, so there's not really much else to say about uWall.

18.) We Are Hunted: An online music chart that features up-and-coming artists from all genres and streams their music. We Are Hunted says, "We listen to what people are saying about artists and their music on blogs, social media, message boards and P2P networks to chart the top 99 songs online right now. Looking at music this way, we detect sentiment, expression and advocacy to better understand what people like and dislike at any given moment." We Are Hunted is one of the apps that are offered on Spotify. Just one more way to discover music.

19.) Everyone's Mixtape: Actual mixtapes died out a long time ago, but with this music streaming site, mixtapes are back in style. The site allows users to add songs to an existing mix or to create their own and then share it with the world. Everyone's Mixtape's motto: "It's more than a playlist."

20.) This Is My Jam: A music sharing site in which you pick one song to share that means the most to you at the time (one that's stuck in your head or just one you really like). That song becomes yours for up to seven days. This Is My Jam allows users to follow other users and friends and listen to their jams. All of the jams are then put into playlists on the This Is My Jam Spotify app. This site was created by the creators of Drinkify.

And there you have it, 20 sites and services to find, stream, and share music. I hope you will find at least a few of these to be interesting and helpful in your music endeavors!

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Band of the Week: Bad Veins

Bad Veins is an indie/alternative-rock duo out of Cincinnati, Ohio. Benjamin Davis and Sebastien Shultz create very distinct sound through their use of less than traditional instruments, including telephones, megaphones, and various other gadgets. Their overall style is very similar to The Killers and Davis's voice is much like that of The Killers' lead singer,  Brandon Flowers.

In 2009, Bad Veins released their self-titled debut album on Dangerbird Records. The album was well received, being named #7 on ABC Amplified's Best Albums of 2009 list, the album's final track "Go Home" was listed on the USA Today's  Top 20 Songs of 2009, and the single "Gold and Warm" was featured on the blockbuster movie, Chronicle. The EP, Outliers, was released in 2010. In April of this year, they released their second full-length album, The Mess We've Made. Both Bad Veins albums are meant to tell a story of perspective and self-acceptance. "The first album feels a little bit like I'm dwelling on my own instability, whereas in the second record I'm confronting the instability and the issues. There's been a total evolution of Bad Veins since it started. If you listen to the first EP, and then the first album, and then the second album, they seem somewhat linear, [like] chapters in a story," says Davis.

The band has recently been listed on Paste Magazine's 50 States Project: 500 Bands+ on the Rise, along with their fellow Cincinnati local band, Pomegranates. Bad Veins has had a fairly extensive US tour this year and just got back from their first UK tour with We Are Scientists.

I had the chance to see Bad Veins live about a month ago at Bunbury. I had not heard of them before this and I imediately fell in love with their music. It was a wonderful concert. Fun, but simplistic. What amazed me most was variety and amount of sound this two man band produced. Incredible, to say the least. I will be seeing them again this Sunday in Atlanta at The Masquerade. I am expecting another fantastic show from Bad Veins!

(Bad Veins live at Bunbury)

Below are some tracks off of Bad Veins' full-length albums. Go on, give them a listen. They will make your ears happy! You can find out more about Bad Veins on their band page or on their Facebook page.

"If Then" - The Mess We've Made

 

"Afraid" - Bad Veins

 

"Don't Run" - Mess We've Made



"Falling Tide" - Bad Veins

"Go Home" - Bad Veins

"Dancing On TV" - Mess We've Made

Band of the Week: Joe Hertler & the Rainbow Seekers

Joe Hertler & the Rainbow Seekers hail from Detroit, Michigan and have become fairly well known in the Midwest. They smoothly combine a wide variety of genres like indie, folk, soul, and pop. With energetic lyrics and the playful sound of folk instruments, they easily pull the listener into their songs (in some ways they remind me of Matt Costa). The band has played along side several bigger name bands including The Civil Wars, Electric Six, and Frontier Ruckus, as well as having many sold out shows of their own. Joe Hertler & the Rainbow Seekers released their debut album, "On Being," in 2011 and just recently released the single, "Home For a Funeral."

So, how did I find Joe and the Rainbow Seekers? I found them on one of those pesky Facebook ads (just another of many ways that I stumble upon new music). When I followed the link and liked the page, I discovered that their new single, "Home For a Funeral," was available for a free download. Who doesn't like a free download (especially when it's good music)? You can find more about Joe Hertler & the Rainbow Seekers on their Facebook page and at their band website. Below are a few notable songs by them. Enjoy!

"What It Feels Like To Drown"

 "We Are Everything"

"Good Times"

Seeing Scars on 45 Live, Twice

Scars on 45 is hands down one of the best bands I've ever seen live, and trust me, I've seen A LOT of bands. Seeing them twice in one week, at two completely different venues, gave me huge respect for the band's music and the band's members.

The first time I became aware of Scars was when one of their songs was featured on Itunes this past April. I had honestly kind of forgotten about them until I saw that they were playing at the Bunbury Music Festival. They were the opening act for the outdoor music festival and there was a surprisingly small crowd. Scars on 45 is one of those bands that you can't help but be captivated by as soon as they take the stage. They had amazing sound, especially on the outdoor stage. Aimee's voice is unbelievable live. It makes you wonder how someone can have such a naturally pure voice. Their incredible sound, memorable lyrics, and wonderful personalities had me hooked. Before the show was over, I was already looking at their next tour locations, and it just so happened that they were playing at The Vinyl in Atlanta less than a week later.

Of course after seeing Scars on 45's show at Bunbury, I had to see them again. The Vinyl is a very small, bar style venue in downtown Atlanta. The band took the stage around 10:00 p.m. and had about an hour and 45 minute set. The small setting allowed the band to be much more interactive with the audience, which made the show even better than I had expected. The band members had conversations with the audience off and on throughout the show and, at a few points in the performance, they even came off the stage and mingled with the crowd during songs. With the smaller venue, the sound wasn't as good, but the band made up for that otherwise. It was yet another fantastic show from Scars on 45.

After both shows, the band did meet and greets with fans, talking and taking pictures with them, signing merchandise. All of the band members were genuinely excited to meet their fans and more than happy to sign merch. When bands truly appreciate their fans like Scars on 45 does, to me, it is priceless.

In conclusion, Scars on 45 is a band you should definitely see live if you ever get the chance! Believe me, you will be shocked at how good they are live. I know I was. And, as of now, I plan on seeing them again in the very near future.

My friends, my sister, and I at the Bunbury Fest. with Scars on 45

My friends and I at The Vinyl with Scars on 45's co-lead singer, Aimee Driver 

How Scars on 45 Came to Be

This is Scars on 45's official full biography by Melinda Newman:
How Scars on 45 Came to Be

And this is the song that set everything into motion (which I might add, I saw them perform this live and it was unbelievable in person):

"Friday, I'm In Love" Cover

(Includes the song and a band interview that goes along with the above article)

This band was obviously meant to be. Everything seemed to fall into the right place at the right time for them. It's incredible how things like that happen. Some of this may be a slight recap of my previous post, but I wanted give the full story and this is the best way to do it. Hope you find it interesting and enjoy the read!

One last thing! Here is the Scars on 45 Q&A with Billboard!!