The Kooks are an English Indie rock band formed in Brighton, East Sussex, in 2001. A self-described "pop" band, their music is primarily influenced by the 1960s British Invasion movement and post-punk revival of the new millennium. With songs described as "catchy as hell", The Kooks have experimented in several genres including rock, Britpop, pop, reggae, and ska, at times being described as "a less severe Arctic Monkeys". -Wikipedia
The Kooks are an English Indie rock band formed in Brighton, East Sussex, in 2001. A self-described "pop" band, their music is primarily influenced by the 1960s British Invasion movement and post-punk revival of the new millennium. With songs described as "catchy as hell", The Kooks have experimented in several genres including rock, Britpop, pop, reggae, and ska, at times being described…
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moe. is the preeminent progressive rock band on the music scene today. With 20 years of touring and just as many albums under its belt, the quintet of Al Schnier and Chuck Garvey on guitars and vocals, Rob Derhak on bass and vocals, Jim Loughlin on percussion and vibes, and Vinnie Amico on Drums, continues to push the standard for performance art.
Critical acclaim and a solid national and international fan base has built a dedicated following that grows each year. Whether touring across the globe,
headlining music festivals, or sharing the stage with such celebrated acts as the Allmans, The Who, or Robert Plant, among others, what keeps moe. at
the forefront of the music scene is not only the energy and vitality of their music and songwriting, but the showmanship in which it is delivered.
From its humble, inconspicuous beginnings as a local bar band in Buffalo in the late 1980s, to headlining Radio City Music Hall two year's straight on New Year's Eve, moe.'s journey has been one of hard work, perseverance, and dedication. Their music is clever, melodic, refined; their performances are
entertaining, mesmerizing and epic. There's a reason that Rolling Stone magazine placed Chuck and Al among the top twenty new "guitar gods," why the pair were featured in Guitar World and Modern Guitar; why Jim and Vinnie have been featured in Drum! magazine; why Rob in Bass Player and State of Mind magazines - all in the same year - because they're that good! Critically acclaimed for its songwriting and studio work, the group's 2001 studio album, DITHER, was awarded four stars by Rolling Stone. 2003's WORMWOOD received four stars by Blender Magazine. Their two latest efforts, THE CONCH and STICKS & STONES, received rave reviews including Rolling Stone, Paste, and Blender magazine. In honor of their 20th Anniversary, the band released SMASH HITS, VOLUME 1. Billed as a "Young Person's Guide to moe.", the album features band and fan favorites - some recast in new recordings that showcase the band's ongoing evolution. "It's what we and others perceive as our strongest crowd pleasers of the past twenty years," Rob muses. "It's a compilation that you can listen to over and over again. Something your mother might enjoy."
The band continues to tour extensively: from San Fran to Amsterdam, from Tokyo to Toronto, from Chi Town to Bean Town, from Austin to Atlanta, playing and packing venues large and small, or intimate and grand. Long a featured act at music festivals, they have performed at Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Langerado, and Vegoose, to name a few; yet made time to promote and perform at their own festivals - Summer Camp, Snoe.down, and moe.down.
moe. was recently inducted into the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame, being recognized not only for the impact they have made in their hometown, but for their charitable work on a national and international level as well. The band hosted a Tsunami Benefit concert at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City on February 10, 2005 and raised $150,000 for Tsunami survivors. The concert earned moe. its second Live Performance of the Year Jammy Award. moe. also raised over $100,000 for various charities, including the Red Cross for Hurricane Katrina survivors and for the music department at Bradley Elementary in Utica, NY, to help keep music in children's lives.
moe. kicked off their 20th anniversary in style, hosting a two-night stand in New York City at Roseland Ballroom, which included a special benefit concert for WHY (World Hunger Year) http://www.whyhunger.org/. Throughout 2010, moe. continued to bring awareness to World Hunger and other issues, working with Headcount, Freedom for Burma, and many other charities.
By all accounts, for this "legendary jam band," as Rolling Stone magazine recently described them, it would be best to keep your eyes on this band and
your ears tuned in to their music. Witness history in the making. This is welcome news for the moe. faithful and the band's ever-expanding fan base.
Yet - even better news for the world of rock and roll - moe. has finally come into their own.
moe. is the preeminent progressive rock band on the music scene today. With 20 years of touring and just as many albums under its belt, the quintet of Al Schnier and Chuck Garvey on guitars and vocals, Rob Derhak on bass and vocals, Jim Loughlin on percussion and vibes, and Vinnie Amico on Drums, continues to push the standard for performance art.
www.freshbeatbandlive.com. Also appearing 3/10 Detroit Music Hall, 3/15 Akron Civic Center, 3/29 Hershey Theatre. The Fresh Beat Band, Nickelodeon's popular preschool music group and stars of the hit TV series of the same name, will hit the road in February 2012 for the first time ever on a 15-week nationwide concert tour. Kiki (Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer), Shout (Thomas Hobson), Marina (Tara Perry), and Twist (Jon Beavers) will perform The Fresh Beat Band hits from seasons one, two and three of the live-action music series that teaches preschoolers about music appreciation and how to express their feelings through movement, song and instrumental music. Fresh Beat Band Party packages, which include a meet and greet with The Fresh Beat Band will be available.
The Fresh Beat Band is a live-action preschool musical sitcom set to original pop songs with preschool-friendly lyrics. Marina, Kiki, Twist, and Shout are the Fresh Beats--four best friends in a band who go to music school together and love to sing and dance.
For the Fresh Beats, just about any situation can lead to a full-blown song-and-dance performance. From the moment they wake up, everything that the Fresh Beats do is infused with musical fun. All songs embody an upbeat, contemporary format with preschool-friendly lyrics that the whole family will enjoy.
www.freshbeatbandlive.com. Also appearing 3/10 Detroit Music Hall, 3/15 Akron Civic Center, 3/29 Hershey Theatre. The Fresh Beat Band, Nickelodeon's popular preschool music group and stars of the hit TV series of the same name, will hit the road in February 2012 for the first time ever on a 15-week nationwide concert tour. Kiki…
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QFM96, Promowest, and Opus One present Brit Floyd, The World's Greatest Pink Floyd Show [Columbus, OH]
In less than one year the new BRIT FLOYD phenomena has been embraced by Pink Floyd fans worldwide, and acclaimed for its note-for-note perfection, unique Floydian animation and its state-of-the art sound & lights.
For 2012, especially created by BRIT FLOYD musical director Damian Darlington, to celebrate the release of the brand new official Pink Floyd 'Best Of' album 'A Foot In the Door', the performance will include all of Pink Floyd's best work, in its entirety - track by track - and as selected, personally, by the Pink Floyd band members themselves.
As an extra bonus, and back by popular demand, BRIT FLOYD's new show will also include a full, 23 minute show-stopping rendition of Echoes, taken from Pink Floyd's classic 1971 album, Meddle.
The BRIT FLOYD 'A Foot In The Door' show will include; Hey You, See Emily Play, The Happiest Days of Our Lives, Another Brick In The Wall pt2, Have A Cigar, Wish You Were Here, Time, The Great Gig In The Sky, Money, Comfortably Numb, Echoes, High Hopes, Learning To Fly, The Fletcher Memorial Home, Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Brain Damage, Eclipse and Run Like Hell.
A BRIT FLOYD show is truly the genuine reincarnation of the Pink Floyd live experience...
In less than one year the new BRIT FLOYD phenomena has been embraced by Pink Floyd fans worldwide, and acclaimed for its note-for-note perfection, unique Floydian animation and its state-of-the art sound & lights.
For the last eighteen years, Bill Maher has set the boundaries of where funny, political talk can go on American television. First on "Politically Incorrect" (Comedy Central, ABC, 1993-2002), and for the last nine years on HBO's "Real Time," Maher's combination of unflinching honesty and big laughs have garnered him 24 Emmy nominations. In October of 2008, this same combination was on display in Maher's uproarious and unprecedented swipe at organized religion, "Religulous," directed by Larry Charles ("Borat"). The documentary has gone on to become the 7th Highest Grossing Documentary ever.
He started his career as a stand-up comedian in 1979 and still performs over fifty dates a year in Las Vegas, and in sold-out theaters across the country. Two of his eight stand-up specials for HBO have been nominated for Emmy awards.
Maher was born in New York City, raised in River Vale, New Jersey, and attended Cornell University. He now resides in Los Angeles.
For the last eighteen years, Bill Maher has set the boundaries of where funny, political talk can go on American television. First on "Politically Incorrect" (Comedy Central, ABC, 1993-2002), and for the last nine years on HBO's "Real Time," Maher's combination of unflinching honesty and big laughs have garnered him 24 Emmy nominations. In October of 2008, this same combination was on display…
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Heritage Hunter Tour featuring Mastodon & Opeth with special guests Ghost
Mastodon have never really done anything the "conventional" way. The Atlanta-based band formulated their own brand of highly-skilled hard rock over a decade ago when others were rehashing 80s metal, and went on to mastermind a string of complex concept albums while much of the music world was centered on making digestible singles. The fact that Mastodon has received an outpouring of critical kudos along with public praise from respected icons from Metallica to The Melvins, The Flaming Lips and CeeLo Green and back, they've been humbled by the magnitude of appreciation. But rather than taking time to revel, they prefer to focus their attention on pushing musical boundaries even deeper by exploring their own creative process to the fullest.
Opeth has spent over two decades steadily amassing a body of work that is at once possessed of a fervent and unrelenting devotion to aesthetic progression (and perfection) while simultaneously scaling the summits of power, mysticism and might aspired to by the group's hard rock forefathers in Sabbath, Purple and Zeppelin.
The band's roots in the doom-laden shade of occult-infused Scandinavian death metal and dark romanticism are undeniable and will never elicit apology. But the transcendent emotional and melodic heights achieved on the brilliantly titled tenth full-length Opeth album, Heritage, marks a new chapter in the storied quintet's career. Band leader, singer, guitarist, songwriter and long-running consistent member Mikael Akerfeldt has reshaped the pathway forward for his artistic vehicle without sacrificing the hard won spiritualism of previous endeavors.
"I've become synonymous with Opeth," he says, acknowledging his dedication to perfectionism and his studied decision making regarding the group's methodical and deliberate shifts. "I've been writing the material since the first album. I've been steering the ship for many years now and I'm quite comfortable. It's something that I created and the people that have been in Opeth with me have helped make this into a very special band."
Mastodon have never really done anything the "conventional" way. The Atlanta-based band formulated their own brand of highly-skilled hard rock over a decade ago when others were rehashing 80s metal, and went on to mastermind a string of complex concept albums while much of the music world was centered on making digestible singles. The fact that Mastodon has received an outpouring of critical…
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We could tell you about Young The Giant's explosive live show, but there's really no point.
We could tell you what it's like to be in the sticky, sweaty crowd, jumping up and down in perfect unison, but that's neither here nor there.
There's just too much to be shared, like how lead singer Sameer Gadhia's pristine, powerful vocals translate as well live as they do on the band's self-titled debut album, recorded and tracked completely live with the entire band sitting in a room and playing together, like they always do.
But, don't take it from us.
Take it from Morrissey, who himself said he'd be kneeling with gratitude on a hardwood floor for many years to come over Young The Giant's "perfect" record, which the band co-produced with Joe Chicarelli (The White Stripes, My Morning Jacket, The Shins). Or from Incubus, who handselected the band to rile up the crowd as the opening act on their first US tour in three years. Better yet, take it from their main stage set at Lollapalooza or upcoming performance at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards as the only non-nominated band on the bill- all exciting twists of events that only occurred once bookers, agents and directors saw the group play live, and unquestionably knew they needed to see them again.
Hailing from separate states, countries and continents before meeting 55 minutes south of Los Angeles in Irvine, California as teenagers, their addictive, hooky songs and varietal nationalities oft leave them pegged as "radio friendly" "multi-cultural," or a small handful of other misdirected monikers that place the five piece's widely adored sound in a too-tight container.
Even though they collectively left school and multiple academic scholarships behind to pursue their dreams, including Sameer, who was enrolled as Biology/Pre-med at Stanford University, this isn't a story about five boys who meld together as a French Canadian-Persian-British-Indian-Italian musical melting pot. Nor is it of a group whose alternative rock chart-topping, anthemic explosion of a song "My Body" hits you like a kick in the back of the knee.
It's about a band that has meticulously written and crafted songs together for three years, lived out of shared bedrooms and messy suitcases for two years, and hopped on and off of planes, buses, vans, cars and their beloved bicycles for over one full year, having played more than 150 shows in the past 365 days.
And, whether they're playing to a sold-out House of Blues in their hometown or to 15,000 festival attendees in the middle of Indonesia on one of their multiple worldwide tours, they never fail to consistently and constantly resonate.
Last May, after Young The Giant performed just two songs on Later...With Jools Holland, their entire UK tour immediately sold out.
They had been in the country for less than six hours. It's that dedication, soulful essence and collaborative sensibility coming out on stage when they play their collection of songs that has proven to be, quite simply, impossible to ignore.
From the slightly unnerving tranquility of "Islands" to the captivatingly up-tempo take on the theme of transition in "Apartment," their music ebbs and flows from innovative refrains to heavyhitting melodic smashes and back again, making their debut effort not only engaging, but entrancing. To date, the band has received innumerable "Band To Watch" accolades from outlets like The New York Times, Spin and Nylon to name a few, and were selected by MTV as both a Push and Freshman 5 artist. And, with "My Body," the first single off the album which hit #4 on the Modern Rock charts in the U.S. and #1 on the Rock charts in Canada while reaching over 1.3 million YouTube views and "Cough Syrup" just beginning its radio ascent, there's something undeniably special about this band.
So much so, you may just have to see it to believe it.
We could tell you about Young The Giant's explosive live show, but there's really no point.
We could tell you what it's like to be in the sticky, sweaty crowd, jumping up and down in perfect unison, but that's neither here nor there.
There's just too much to be shared, like how lead singer Sameer Gadhia's pristine, powerful vocals translate as well live as they do on the…
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Doomsday scenarios are often predictive about an ending in life, revealing just what would occur if the world pushed itself to the brink of extinction. And the term "endgame" typically parallels such thinking, often evoking concepts of finality or termination.
But for Rise Against, this particular endgame might just be their beginning.
As the title of the band's sixth full-length studio album-and the moniker of the album's title track-Endgame is indicative of both a world that has run its course, and perhaps ushering in an entirely new start.
"It's about a dangerous time in civilization, the end of life," says vocalist/guitarist Tim McIlrath. "What if the life that we're living right now is this unsustainable bubble that cannot go on and perhaps does not deserve to go on? What if the world we created is a place that is so unnatural and ugly that it is a world that needs to come to an end, so that we could have a world that is better for everybody? It sounds very utopian, but it's not about a perfect place, but maybe some of these things we're doing, they need to come to an end."
McIlrath, bassist Joe Principe, drummer Brandon Barnes and guitarist Zach Blair have been making these striking personal and political statements, and providing prompts of great magnitude throughout their remarkable catalog by offering songs that aren't just merely sung, but very much thought about.
And it's thought that has made Rise Against such an important band to its ever-expanding fanbase. For the Chicago-based punk group, the creation of dialogue and discourse with listeners has allowed for a response and career trajectory that's been overwhelmingly positive since the band's launch over a decade ago.
Rise Against's previous effort, 2008's Appeal to Reason, further escalated the noteworthy attention already generated by prior successes, including The Sufferer and the Witness (2006) and Siren Song for the Counterculture (2004), which had provided such hits as "Swing Life Away," "Ready to Fall," "Prayer of the Refugee" and "Savior." And Endgame simply picks up on such highlights.
Endgame was largely assembled in the latter half of 2010. The band opted to return to production veterans Bill Stevenson and Jason Livermore at The Blasting Room in Fort Collins, Colo., and mixed with Chris Lord-Alge, who also worked on Rise Against's previous two albums.
The album's first single, "Help Is On The Way" was inspired by McIlrath's recent visit during a retreat in New Orleans.
"It was a post-Katrina New Orleans, and I was down at the Gulf, going to the Lower Ninth Ward, seeing the damage and meeting people," he recalls. "It was so eye opening to see how important the city was and to realize that a city like this existed within American borders at all and to see how much it was hurting was something that was really emotional and dramatic."
McIlrath notes that the song stems from a lot of that imagery that remains embedded in his thoughts.
"I wanted to paint a picture of what happened down there and what is happening down there, and even though New Orleans is moving away from the spotlight a little bit, there's still a lot recovery that people don't see that takes place every day and it's still an important place in America and in the world. It's a place that should not be forgotten about. It's a hopeful title in a sense, but there are a couple different things, as in help is on the way but it never came. It still needs a lot more help, it still needs to happen."
On Endgame, Rise Against also shifts the spotlight to homophobia via "Make it Stop," a topic McIlrath says really hasn't been addressed in the rock scene. The catalyst for the song occurred in September 2010, after a wave of gay teen suicides. According to McIlrath, the band received e-mails from gay fans who had contemplated suicide due to the harsh climates in which they live and the harsh world that judges who they are.
"That's something I've seen firsthand," he says. "It's bummed me out to create this community of fans, where you want everybody to feel accepted, but then to realize that there are people that don't feel accepted, even at your own shows, even at a Rise Against show, where we go out of our way to let you know that if you are here, you belong here, no matter who you are. It's a place where everyone is welcome. But we'd hear from fans about homophobia in the scene, or even hear from fans who are unsure about how Rise Against feels about homosexuality. That was what alarmed me the most, was to have a fan that even had a question in their mind about where we stood on it. I guess I looked back on our career and Rise Against had never made a definitive statement."
The definitive statement Rise Against makes on Endgame is that the band is open to any sexual preference. "It's something that we certainly don't judge," McIlrath says. "I felt there needed to be a song, which came from our world, because I feel that the rock world stays pretty silent. I wanted to put water where the fire was. I wanted to do a song that, first, lets fans know that we don't tolerate bigotry in our audience and, second, empower fans who are coming to grips with their own sexuality, empower them to be proud of who they are and that we accept them, and create a community that accepts them."
Endgame also features "Architect," a song inspired by the forefathers and historical figures of civil rights and activism, including Thoreau, Malcolm X and Howard Zinn.
"They were designing a world in which we would be able to live in," McIlrath says. "They fought for the design of everything that we can enjoy as Americans and people in the world today. The song is posing the question: Is our generation producing those architects now? It's wondering if our generation is so overcome with cynicism and apathy that we are in danger of not creating these architects. Every right that we enjoy as Americans, somebody was out there with a picket sign to get it."
And McIlrath sees Endgame's "Survivor Guilt" as a sequel to "Hero of War," which appeared on Appeal to Reason, hailing from the perspective of a ghost of a soldier who fought for his or her country.
But it's important to note that the spectrum of material presented on Endgame is counterbalanced with a number of personal subjects, including the song "This Is Letting Go" which is based around a story McIlrath had penned.
"The songs to me are a selection of who we are as people," says McIlrath. "We're not 100 percent political or 100 percent personal. We're people with many different cares and passions. Many different things make up our daily lives. I don't consider myself any more political than those out there who care about the world they live in."
And as for the pressure in following up its string of successes-which now includes three gold-awarded albums and gold singles-McIlrath says it's all internally generated.
"The pressure that we feel is the pressure that we put on ourselves," he says. "We try to step up our game on each record and create something that's relevant, new and fresh, and is still Rise Against. I want to give my perspective, and from the punk community, take in what's happening, interpret that and put it into a song, letting the world know how we feel about it. That's the goal behind a lot of the music."
Doomsday scenarios are often predictive about an ending in life, revealing just what would occur if the world pushed itself to the brink of extinction. And the term "endgame" typically parallels such thinking, often evoking concepts of finality or termination.
But for Rise Against, this particular endgame might just be their beginning.
As the title of the band's sixth full-length…
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Celebrating 10-plus years of sample-obsessed production and relentless touring, Gregg Gillis returns with All Day, his fifth album as Girl Talk, and his most epic, densely layered, and meticulously composed musical statement to date. Continuing the saga from the previously acclaimed albums, Night Ripper and Feed The Animals, Gillis lays down a more diverse range of samples to unfold a larger dynamic between slower transitions and extreme cut-ups. With the grand intent of creating the most insane and complex "pop collage" album ever heard, large catalogs of both blatantly appropriated melodies and blasts of unrecognizable fragments were assembled for the ultimate Girl Talk record (clocking in at 71 minutes and 372 samples).
Since the release of Feed The Animals, things have flourished for Girl Talk. He's played almost 300 shows and hardly taken a full week off from hitting the road. He's playing even larger venues and making even more of a spectacle-he's employed a small crew of toilet paper launching stage hands, who also propel confetti, balloons, and inflate oddly chosen props into the audience. For the New Year's Eve show to ring in 2010, a team was hired to build a life-size house, with attention to fine details, on the stage at Chicago's Congress Theatre. Described as the craziest house party ever, Girl Talk continues to please live audiences as the mass of sweaty bodies at his shows continually grows. Touring highlights from the last couple of years include the Vancouver Olympics, large festivals such as Coachella, Austin City Limits, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, V-Fest, Sasquatch, Rothbury, Monolith, Planeta Terra, and trips to Australia, Japan, South America, Europe, and Mexico.
Earlier this year, Girl Talk finally took a break from touring, festival dates, and college shows, in order to create an album that is being released immediately after its completion. While posting the album as a free download on the Illegal Art label's site allows All Day to reach his fanbase quickly and with minimal cost, Gillis spent more time on this album than any previous release and considers it the most fully realized and evolved manifestation of the Girl Talk aesthetic.
Celebrating 10-plus years of sample-obsessed production and relentless touring, Gregg Gillis returns with All Day, his fifth album as Girl Talk, and his most epic, densely layered, and meticulously composed musical statement to date. Continuing the saga from the previously acclaimed albums, Night Ripper and Feed The Animals, Gillis lays down a more diverse range of samples to unfold a larger…
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