Jay Nash & What Every Music Lover Should Be Required To Own August 25th, 2008

Hope you are all having a great summer. I'm pretty excited about dropping a line today. First off, my music life got about 500 times better within the last month and I wanted to share. Some of you are going to be appalled by this, so I hope you are sitting down. As much as I try to stay on top of finding quality music under the radar, I am such a late adopter of technology it is not even funny. My girlfriend bought me my first Ipod for Christmas a year and a half ago, and I had not done jack with it. It's been sitting in the console of my car for about a year and a half. I'm not really into the whole having head phones in all the time and not being a contributing member of society. However, for my birthday I just got the best present I've ever received in my entire life. It's a Portable wireless Ipod Dock Music System.

Portable Wireless Link

You just connect your Ipod to it, charge it up and you are gone. The sound is great, and it will play for 18 hours without needing another charge. Take it to the beach, camping, and you are set. This will be the best purchase you will ever make. Period!


Then on top of it, A great artist just absolutely fell into my lap within the last hour. His name is Jay Nash. I don't have much to say about him since I just started listening to him, but what jumped out and grabbed me is the quality of his voice. It's incredibly soulful and seems to come from a place much deeper then human vocal chords, very similar to what made me like Ray Lamontagne or The White Buffalo. Check him out...you will love him.

Start with "Over You"
Jay Nash's myspace page


mark

2:06 PM - 4 Comments - 6 Kudos - Add Comment

Old Man River / Passenger (U.S. Tour) July 27, 2008

Hope you guys are having a good summer. Before I go into my monthly "feature", I wanted to give you an update on a band that I had previously posted.

The band Passenger is going to be hitting the states for the first time for a little mini-tour. I wanted to get the word out for you junkies who, like me, are always looking for that opportunity to see a band with a lot of potential while you can still see them in a very intimate setting. And, for those of you who do go, can you please do me a huge favor and send me a review of the show. The closest they are going to be to me is San Diego which would be a six hour drive for me to check them out so I'm kind of on the fence….so I need someone to push me over…or pull me off of it. Know what I mean?
I've posted some reminder videos as well as where they will be playing.

Thing's You've Never Done

Walk You Home

Wicked Man's Rest

Passenger's Myspace Page

7/31/08 8:00 PM
New York, New York
The Living Room

8/1/08 8:00 PM
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
World Café Live (Upstairs)

8/3/08 8:00 PM
Annopolis, Maryland
Rams Head

8/5/08 8:00 PM
Louisville, Kentucky
Gertle's Place

8/5/08 8:00 PM
**US ALBUM RELEASE** US

8/7/08 8:00 PM
Minneapolis, Minnesota
The Hollow At The Local

8/9/08 8:00 PM
Denver, Colorado
Meadowlark Bar

8/11/08 8:00 PM
Los Angeles, California
Hotel Café

8/12/08 8:00 PM
San Diego, California
House of Blues San Diego (Delta Room)

8/13/08 8:00 PM
San Francisco, California
Swedish Amerian Hall

If you go see them, please let me know!!!!!!!


Old Man River

So one of you guys turned me on to this cat out of Australia probably more than a year ago. I'm sharing him with you guys, not because I had any kind of spiritual experience with his music…no goose bumps or anything. However, I'm sure there are at least a handful of you who will absolutely love him. He definitely has his own very unique sound. He has some great use of non-traditional instruments and I dig his tunes. He reminds me of a Mason Jennings with a little more pop/hook driven tunes. Hope you like…

Sunshine

Wedding Song

La

Old Man River's Myspace Page

Take it easy…I hope you enoy!
mark

5:04 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Brendan James July 2, 2008

Can I just let you in on huge pet peeve of mine as it pertains to music suggestions via myspace ? These days, I think it is really hard to find a good amount of quality up and coming music. Every now and then you might be able to find a real nugget, but it seems like its becoming more and more rare. I personally think it has a lot to do with the current music business landscape. Record companies are falling by the wayside more and more, so there is less money that is fueling the breaking of new bands, thus there is less opportunity for new bands to survive

So given the state of affairs, I am increasingly more selective about what I pass along to you. I know you are all busy people, and I value your time. I realize I might only get 5-10 minutes to pass along my opinion to you every two months or so, so I try to do all my research, I might sift through 20-40 videos on an artist I want to write about, and just point you in the direction of the best one or two songs. Which brings me to my pet peeve.

When you guys just send me an email that says…."Hey, I really think you will like at least one of these bands!" which is quickly followed by a list of 47 bands that you might like, with no background, no favorite songs…no thought or anything, it is really annoying.

On the other hand, sometimes you guys will find an artist that I have never heard about, write a quick few sentences to kind of sell the artist to me a little bit, include a link to their favorite songs, and every once in a while I hear a real gem. I've mentioned before that when I started this little project I call "Icon Music", I did so with the intention of being the sole finder of these great artists and passing along the information to anyone who cares to listen. But I didn't expect that you guys would actually turn me on to at least half of my new favorite bands. For that, I thank you.

So thank you Allen for sending me a quick note about Brendan James. This is right up there with the most beautiful songs I have heard in quite a while. I've included the lyrics to read as you watch the clip from you tube. I find it beautiful, not because I know anyone who is in Iraq, nor is it because it agrees with or influences any stance I might personally have with our foreign policy. However, when artists are able to poignantly sing from a third person's perspective and paint a story with words that makes me think about the plight of another person of which I haven't given my fair share of thought to, I thoroughly enjoy it.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

Hero's Song

Brendan's James Myspace Page





Here I am
In the desert again
A compass and a weapon
A lost American

I started out with a simple plan
And a locket in my hand
But the sun is so unforgiving
And the wind so hard to stand

Fall out, fall out
With the rest of your brothers
With the rest of your sisters
Heroes on the line

Carry out what your leader says
For what his leader says
Is that his leader says
This is right for the people

No one will ever understand *why*
Thousands of beautiful healthy young statues must fall
Smoke and explosions surround me
A flood of hate, it drowns me
I cannot live this way
No I cannot live with
Doubt and confusion
They find me
They run up right behind me
I cannot die this way
No, I cannot die this way

In the water, in the sand
Is the blood of a culture
Is the blood of an ancient people
In whose holy war I stand

I hear the world like a cannon roar
Say I can win this war
I promise them this
Is not what I signed up for

No one will ever understand *why*
Thousands of beautiful healthy young statues must fall
Smoke and explosions surround me
A flood of hate, it drowns me
I cannot live this way
No I cannot live
With doubt and confusion
They find me
They run up right behind me
I cannot die this way
No, I cannot die this way

7:23 AM - 3 Comments - 6 Kudos - Add Comment

Grace Potter & The Nocturnals April 28, 2008

Hello again Neighbor!!! It's been a long time since my last blog. Looks like about five months to be exact. Up until this point, I have usually been writing something about once a month. But honestly, in the past five months, there hasn't really been anything that has inspired me enough to write a blog about and I'm not going to just write one just for the sake of writing one….not how I roll.

However, a chica by the name of Grace Potter musically kicked my ass this weekend at a little festival in Scottsdale called McDowell Mountain Music festival. The fact that she stood out is even more remarkable when you consider the line-up….ie Robert Randolph and Family Band (who if you remember won my best show of the year award for 2006), John Butler Trio( who is always a favorite of mine), and the Wailers.

Grace Potter has every possible positive trait in a performing musician. Let's see where do I start? She has an absolutely killer voice with a character range that pierces with extreme clarity on the highs, but scratches the back of your soul with a perfect blend of grunge and moan when the time is right. She's a great lyricist. She is sexy as hell…..I mean she is sexy enough to bring a straight woman to the other side….I know because I heard the rumblings. And oh my god is she soulful. I just love watching her perform because when she feels it, she wears it on her entire being whether it be when she can't close her mouth with her head tilted back or whether she is just banging her head around to the music. I absolutely could not take my eyes off of her. One interesting fact about her is that she's actually legally blind and cannot wear glasses on stage because she can't keep them on her face the way she flails around.

One thing that I'm kind of ashamed to admit is that was the third time I've seen her. I first saw her at Bonnaroo two years ago, but only saw them perform one song before I had to go over to Jackie Greene's set so that doesn't count really. The second time I saw her was just months later at this little dump of a venue in Phoenix called the Modified. The facilities are so bad there, they didn't even have a chair for her to sit on for when she was playing piano so she had to kneel down on the ground. The sound sucked, and I just never really got into it. But this time….i "got" it….and boy did I "get" it big!!!!

I put hours of thought into picking the videos I've included so I certainly hope you enjoy them. Take it easy and I hope it won't be another six months for me to be inspired again.

mark

"Treat Me Right"

"Stop the Bus"

"Ah Mary"


Grace Potter & The Nocturnals Myspace Page

1:19 AM - 2 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

Honeycut November 28th, 2007

So today I offer you a little band that I came across at San Diego Street Scene this year. Even though they were the first band to play the entire weekend with one of the smallest crowds, they were actually the highlight of my entire festival because when a band that you have never heard of has your ass moving from song one until the end of the set...and you had no idea what was going to hit you, nothing beats that feeling....nothing. Never miss an opening act….ESPECIALLY at festivals.


To have your best chance at "getting" them, please watch the entire clip...not just the first 20 seconds. Things that really caught my eye about this band.

a)Although it sounds like they have a drummer, they don't. All percussion is played by the dude's fingers with absolutely no looping on a little drum machine.

b)Although in some songs it sounds like they have a guitarist, they don't. All their funky guitar riffs are played by the keyboardist who is dancing the entire show like it's a Richard Simmons working out to the 70's video.

c)That singer can just rip that funky harmonica

d)Because it's always nice to hear such a fresh sound.


Again, I don't have their recorded stuff, but do not miss a chance to see them live.

Honeycut live at Bumbershoot

1:43 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Martin Sexton October 8th, 2007 (Playing in Phoenix October 15th @ The Rhythm Room)

Are there any artists that truly moved you the first time you ever got to listen to them? The ones where you remember where you were, who you were with and what you were doing when you had this discovery…a musical awakening of sorts. Now, every time you listen to that same cd…that same feeling that time cannot even seem to weaken returns? That is the kind of admiration I have for Martin Sexton.

The topic of conversation for this little project always starts at music…and normally up and coming artists. I know that Martin has been around for years, but for some reasons that will never be known, he will never really catch on in the mainstream…and that is just fine with me. Flying high above the seemingly endless sea of singer/songwriters, there is something very special about Martin. For me personally, it is his ability to tell a story within a song, his percussive strumming techniques that come through while playing melody and sometimes the hints of a bass line all on one acoustic guitar, his smooth jazzy voice effects, and his overall amazing interactive and upbeat live performance that make him hands down my favorite singer/songwriter. And I'm certainly not the only one who feels that way about him.

(Warning! Warning! Warning!!!!!! For those of you that hate John Mayer…he is about to be quoted within the next paragraph. Brace yourselves. I happen to be of the opinion that if I come to be a fan of an artist through word of mouth or the internet or some other way, no matter how much the mainstream media tries to shove that artist down my throat, I will always have some level of respect for that artist, and I am still a big fan of John Mayer.)

"This is a stunning artist who couldn't catch a break with his record label. Can you guess why? That's right. There's no answer. Meet Martin Sexton, one of the greatest singers of our generation. This is the music of my LIFE, people. I discovered Martin in Boston in 1997, learned how to write songs beside it, got my first cheap ass apartment and listened to "Black Sheep" just to get my soul over the fence of night and into the next day. I listened to Martin every night I drove from my cookie cutter cubby apartment to play Eddie's Attic. About 25 Miles each way, and I dreamed my fucking heart out to this music. I may just quit my job and go follow Martin and make a fuss everywhere I go, just to make sure that people don't go their lives without hearing this man sing to them."
-John Mayer

If you do not have any of his albums, I'm not a fan of his studio albums. His raw live material is so much more authentic…Martin Sexton is too good to be produced.


"Goin to the Country"

"Diggin You Digging Me"



For you kids that dig lyrics…I love these so much, I've listed the lyrics for Hallelujah"
"Hallelujah" (The song starts at 1:04)



Does Satan wear a suit and tie
Or does he work at the Dairy Queen
Does he listen to rock and roll
Does he feed the mean
Singing Hallelujah

What about Jesus
Didn't he do it too?
Hang out with prostitutes
And have a drink or two.
Power of example
My mama said it and I heard
She says one ounce of action
Beats a ton of words.

Singing Hallelujah.
Mama said there would be angels
Mama said there would be sun

Is the devil in Elvis to go where no white man went
Or hiding in Hugh Hefner's body or maybe even Larry Flynt.
Say, hows about the President shielding all them stones
Man if I could find a shield like that I'd run 'round naked
in my glass home.

Sippin' Hallelujah
I think my angel's gone to Vegas
Sippin' Hallelujah
Holding aces in her hand. Hallelujah
As she's singing rock of ages. Hallelujah
On the table at the Sands. Hallelujah

Does Satan wear a suit and tie or
Does he work at the Dairy Queen.
Does he listen to rock and roll
Does he feed the mean
Streak in all of us.
All us saints here on earth
Hypnotized and over-advertised
'Til we're numb at birth

Singing Hallelujah
And my angel's turning pages
Singing Hallelujah
And she just don't understand. Hallelujah
That the devil's hot on her trail. Hallelujah
On the road to broken promised land. Hallelujah
On the TV and the radio. Hallelujah
Good and evil look the same to you











For those of you in Phoenix, he will be here next Monday October 15th at the Rhythm Room. For everyone else, do not go your life without letting this man sing to you.


Thanks for coming by..
mark

1:46 PM - 6 Comments - 10 Kudos - Add Comment

Passenger September 1st, 2007

I threw down the gauntlet that I have been dry for new tunes, and you guys delivered. Thank You!!!!! I'd say the majority of bands that I have blogged about here I have found out about from you guys, kind of funny how that works. Since it seems that new relevant music kind of blows up geographically and spreads from an epicenter, it's nice to have so many ears all over the place. And let me tell you, my man F. Scott really came through for us today. Thank you...thank you thank you.

Question: When was the last time I did two blogs within a two week period.

Answer: Never

But I couldn't wait one minute longer. I just found out about this band an hour ago, and you might as well get on the band wagon now because I haven't seen or heard a sound that is going to be this massively infectious for a long long time. It's not a matter of if this band takes over the world, but when. I started watching these three videos at 12:30...and first I was kind of like, that sounds a-nice. By 12:50....I'm thinking to myself....wow they are really good....1:30 rolls around, mind you still playing the three videos over and over,....and by now my heart rate is way up and I'm pacing around the house.....who am I going to tell first. You ever been that excited about a band?

Their album isn't available until September 3rd out of the UK, and not even sure if they have a release date yet in the U.S. but DAMN!, I hope you are as excited as I am about these cats.

"Wicked Man's Rest"

"Walk You Home"

"Stray Dog" Live


I haven't been this proud to post a blog since Scott Matthews.....

mark

1:38 PM - 6 Comments - 10 Kudos - Add Comment

Jaymay August 21st, 2007

This is going to be a quick one because I don't really have a lot of history with Jaymay being that I just found out about her on Sunday (thank you Monica!!). She doesn't really fit into my favorite type, the type that gets my body moving. That being said, I think her voice is smooth enough and her lyrics are poignant enough to make her a relevant up and coming musician and I thought I would pass her along because I know at least a handful of you are going to absolutely love her.

While we are on the subject, I am really going through a dry spell with finding new artists this Summer, so in case you come across someone who you think is awesome, please pass them along. If you go to a concert, you can live by my motto and...never miss an opening act, that's where I find a good portion of my gems.

Hope you are having a great summer, if you find an amazing artist...please pass them along!!!

Jaymay's myspace
Start with "Gray or Blue"


take it easy,
mark

5:18 PM - 14 Comments - 14 Kudos - Add Comment

Don McCloskey and Bonnaroo notes July 6, 2007

Within the last few months of my concert going, an ongoing theory of mine as it pertains to the enjoyment that I get out of live music has been confirmed. The theory that I have eluded to in a recent blog that I posted is how important the size of venue, climate, and crowd size are to me.. I was so excited to go to Bonnaroo just a few weeks back, and how could you not be with such an incredible line-up. However, when all was said and done, I was incredibly disappointed with my musical experience. As opposed to last year when I "discovered" multiple new acts, this year the three acts that I was most excited to see were the ones that I walked away with being my favorite. It was my first Xavier Rudd show, and he completely exceeded my expectations. I can now understand what people have meant by his live performance being a religious experience. Being that I am a sucker for an artist who can have a meaningful message while keeping my body moving and my head bobbing, he delivered. So much so that after seeing him at Bonnaroo, my girlfriend and I made the trip to see him at the House Of Blues in San Diego in front of only about 800 people. Being able to watch him through the lense of a smaller exceptional venue actually drove me to the thought that it might be a good idea to get up on stage and dance while he was playing. For that brief 30 seconds while he was looking me in the eye in what I understood as approval for my seemingly foolish act right up until security snatched me off the stage, it's confirmed. Seeing Xavier Rudd live is in fact a religious experience. So much so, (not sure if I'm sorry to admit) I actually had tears in my eyes when I had the unexpected opportunity to meet him after the show. He is a truly incredible talent.

As far as Bonnaroo, other highlights came while seeing Michael Franti & Spearhead for the first time and while seeing Mute Math for my second time on a Thursday night performance with a decent spot in a comfortably sized crowd. Those guys are just plain legitimate. They put on such a great show and are easily my favorite band at this point in time. They have great tunes melodically while being able to meet the human need of uncertainty while improvising their show onstage. You never know what is going to happen next watching their performance live. I'm fairly confidant I will not be able to encounter them in a small venue for much longer before they take over the world ala Coldplay and I'm stuck watching them from the lawn of an oversized amphitheater. My advice is when you get the opportunity to see an exceptional act such as these guys in an intimate setting, enjoy the moment!!!

Before I leave my earlier ramblings and complaints about Bonnarroo, I am still searching for the perfect music festival. One that matches fans starving to encounter new acts with the comfort of acceptable sized crowds and weather that does not leave you beat down from the harsh summer heat and 90 minute dusty roundtrip walks from your campsite to see the music. If I can't find one, I vow to create one because I believe the opportunity is there.



Don Mccloskey

As for "Weeding through the musical crap and serving up interesting nuggets without an agenda...."(which is my new Icon Music motto), I'm pleased to point you in the way of Don McCloskey out of Philadelphia. Check out this thoughtfully creative and equally creepy video that I just found online today. I'm pretty sure you will be like me and watch the entire thing because it's just plain interesting. He is a great lyricist and incredibly diverse with influences that range from Bob Dylan to James Brown, from Neil Young to The Beastie Boys, and Biggie Smalls to Beck. If you dig him, I'm a big fan of his first cd called "Bombs Over Bristol". As far as his latest release, in the famous words of Borat, "ehhh, not so much".


"Mr. Novacaine"



And as bonus nugget, another current favorite of mine from Jackie Greene.

Check out "A Thing Called Rain"
"A Thing Called Rain"

As always, I'm extremely grateful that you gave me a few moments of your time to listen to my humble opinion about the music for which I am so extremely passionate.
mark

1:51 AM - 7 Comments - 5 Kudos - Add Comment

The White Buffalo June 4, 2007

Only 10 more days tell Bonnaroo!!!! I absolutely cannot wait for this years festival. If you are going, I have put the entire schedule into an excel spreadsheet because I wanted to make sure I wasn't going to miss any of the good acts on the really small stages. If you want a copy, I've researched every single act that will be there and have highlighted where I will be. If you want a copy, I'll be more than happy to send it to you!



The White Buffalo
I've only seen this guy once opening for Donovan Frankenreiter a couple of years ago. So far he has only released an EP, but for someone who mainly records and performs solo, this guy is something else. He is so unique, especially in his look and his voice. There are only a couple of artists who perform solo acoustic who can keep my interest through an entire show and he is one of them. He has such a passionate delivery, he is definitely worth a few minutes of your time and if you ever have a chance to check him out live, do not miss the opportunity.

I'm going to include three links. The first are two videos, the other is his myspace page. The videos are both a song called "Love Song #1". I've posted it twice because the first has great sound quality, but the second is a better look at his live delivery although the sound isn't as great. I hope you enjoy his music!!!

Love Song #1

Love Song #1 perfoming live

The White Buffalo myspace page


Hope to see you at Bonnaroo!!!!

mark

4:39 PM - 5 Comments - 6 Kudos - Add Comment