Years in the making, Long Island-based Lights Resolve released their impressive debut full length, Feel You’re Different, yesterday. The trio will perform tracks off the LP tonight in Brooklyn. I’ll be there, so be sure to follow me on Twitter for concert updates.
You can stream the album here and purchase it on iTunes here. For more, visit their Web site and watch them perform “With the Pieces” live in the studio below.
At CMJ last year I stumbled into Rockwood Music Hall to find myself captivated by Matthew Mayfield. Onstage alone with nothing but his acoustic guitar, he silenced the room with his powerful vocals and telling lyrics.
While in California this summer, I met up with Mayfield before his performance at famed venue The Hotel Cafe and chatted with him about his music and songwriting. “Fire Escape” was one of my favorite tracks on his album so I asked if he was ever afraid to reveal too much in a song.
“Honestly, that’s probably the hardest one. I’m never scared because it’s like therapy for me. I need to do it, to get it out. I don’t know. I feel like there’s a release that you get from putting it on paper and singing it in a song that’s healthy. It’s always been an outlet for me since I was a little kid.”
Watch Mayfield’s captivating new video for “Fire Escape” with actress Brittany Snow.
Related Links:
• Q&A with Matthew Mayfield
• Artist of the Week: Matthew Mayfield
• Matthew Mayfield Debuts New Video, Plus Free Track
• CMJ 2010: Five Artists to Watch
Over 900 bands performed throughout New York this past week during the annual CMJ Music Marathon. For five days and five nights, music lovers scoured the City to discover up-and-coming acts, and in some cases found themselves new fans. Here are five acts from the festival to keep on your radar.
Friday afternoon I attended the “Beyond Blogfamous” panel where Bruce Warren, Assistant Station Manager/Programmer of WXPN, raved about Alabama Shakes. He said something along the lines of them being the one band that has a shot of bringing rock & roll back. Naturally, I was intrigued. Turns out they were playing later that night at Bowery Ballroom so I made sure to catch their show.
From the moment Brittany Howard belted her first lyric on set opener “Hold On,” she captivated every ear in the venue. Her voice brings to mind Amy Winehouse with the power of Aretha Franklin. A distinct ’60s Motown vibe is heard throughout many of their tracks. On “You Ain’t Alone” she growls, “If you’re gonna cry, cry with me” while the rest of the band adds to the mix. With bombastic guitar riffs, soulful keyboard interludes and a heart pounding drumbeat, Alabama Shakes prove they’re a force to reckon with. As one festival-goer told me during the show, “You feel like you’re watching something special.” I couldn’t agree more.
2. Deep River
I featured Deep River as a Band of the Week last year and their set Saturday night at Rockwood Music Hall reminded me just why. The Virgina based trio exude confidence, often joking with the audience and enticing fan participation while onstage. With alternated singing between Rachel Beauregard and Bryan Dawley along with Luke Brindley on guitar, the country-fused band transported the New York City venue to the South. With foot stomping rhythms and mandolin accompaniment throughout much of their set, the band impressed. Newer songs like the soulful “Settin’ the House on Fire,” co-written in Nashville, showcase the band’s staying power.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5x2zyDp75Hc&feature=player_embedded
Earlier last week I interviewed Matt Cranstoun and he informed me that he’d have gospel singers performing with him during his CMJ showcase Saturday night. I couldn’t remember ever witnessing gospel singers perform at a rock show so I was curious. Though his set only lasted for 30 minutes, Cranstoun and his backup singers held the room in the palm of their hands.
As each song ended, the audience hollered for more. From Cranstoun’s crisp singing style to soaring musical accompaniment from his band and the help of three powerful gospel singers, his audience was the most engaged of any CMJ showcase I attended. After the set, I praised their performance and Cranstoun said, “November 19th will be much better.” The day of his record release for The Last Drop of Color, he’ll be performing Nov. 19 at Mercury Lounge.
Having opened for Coldplay at 60,000 capacity venues, the South Africa-based band stopped in New York during CMJ for a performance at Highline Ballroom. Though the room was a bit smaller than the crowds they’re used to, The Parlotones didn’t alter their set in the slightest. Between frontman Kahn Morbee’s charismatic and theatrical stage presence, arena friendly choruses, and killer guitar riffs, the band won over their American audience. Songs like set opener “Life Design” satisfied with haunting vocals while The Parlotones’ energetic encore included a fast-paced Elvis Presley cover of “Burning Love.” While the band has sold more records than Coldplay, Oasis and The Killers combined in South Africa, it’s only a matter of time until the rest of the world catches on.
You know you really like a band when you attend more than one of their showcases during CMJ. Brooklyn-based We Are Augustines wowed a sold-out crowd at Bowery Ballroom Wednesday night. With gritty guitar, soaring horn interludes & frontman Billy McCarthy’s emotive, wavering vocals, the band had a similar effect at each of their remaining festival performances.
The band took the stage shortly before 1 a.m. Wednesday night and had the audience screaming along until the close of their set an hour later. “I hope this is a celebration for you because it is for us. It’s been a little while since we’ve headlined here so we appreciate it,” McCarthy said. The majority of their show included songs off debut release, Rise Ye Sunkin Ships along with a solid cover of Joe Strummer’s “Road to Rock ‘n’ Roll.” Songs like the energetic “Chapel Song” hypnotized while the poignant “Book of James” struck a chord. For more on the band, read my interview here.
I haven’t been able to stop playing this song by Elizabeth and the Catapult after their phenomenal CMJ showcase last night. With captivating vocals, striking guitar accompaniment and catchy whistling, it’s a memorable track that is bound to get stuck in your head long after the first listen.
Watch below as Elizabeth and the Catapult perform the track live from their showcase last year at CMJ. Stay tuned for my complete CMJ reviews in the upcoming days.
Matt Cranstoun’s powerful vocals make the listener take notice. Set to perform Saturday night at Brooklyn’s The Rock Shop, his show will include three gospel singers and a full band.
With so many showcases during CMJ Music Marathon, Cranstoun advises music fans to support independent artists.
“Everyone should support independent music and art. Go to CMJ. See 10 bands perform. If you don’t like one, walk out, you have the option to do that,” he said. “That’s the beauty of CMJ, there’s so much going on. You can find 10 shows that you should enjoy.”
Cranstoun began his music career at eight-years-old behind his father’s drum set. Once high school came around he joined numerous bands and soon afterward decided to take the solo route and moved to New York.
“I didn’t know what to expect so I came up here and started the real songwriter thing where you play by yourself. That was a whole new vibe for me and that’s what I’ve been doing ever since,” he said.
For my complete writeup, visit CBS. Matt performs tonight at 10 p.m. at The Rock Shop in Brooklyn.
Photo Credit: Wendy Hu
It’s hard to believe that four years ago today I launched You Sing I Write. What started as a creative outlet to keep up my writing, turned into something I could have never dreamed up.
Over the past four years I’ve attended numerous music festivals, interviewed hundreds of bands and witnessed more concerts than I can count. Along the way, I’ve met so many people that I’m happy to now call friends.
What I’ve always loved most about music is it’s universal power to connect. Whether it’s a specific lyric that jumps out at you, an insane guitar riff that causes your jaw to drop, or the emotion felt in a singer’s voice, music has a distinct power over people like no other.
While it’s no secret that this little ‘ol blog of mine has led me to freelance gigs at Rolling Stone, Billboard, AOL and CBS, it’s not something I plan to give up anytime soon. I take pride in the fact that every day I can write about whichever up-and-coming act I’m passionate about and share it with you in hopes that maybe you’ll give them a listen and check out a show.
That’s really always been the dream: to discover new bands and spread the word on good music. I can only hope that I’ve accomplished this in the past four years and continue to do the same. Thanks for reading, all your comments and support over the years! It means the world. Here’s to another four years!
For Brooklyn-based Savoir Adore, what began as a 48-hour challenge between two friends soon morphed into a band.
A band that’s scheduled to play 8 different showcases at the CMJ fest this weekend.
“Deidre [Muro] and I were both solo artists in New York. We were frustrated with our current situations so we said, ‘Why don’t we try to collaborate over the weekend? See what happens,’” says Paul Hammer.
Over the course of that weekend Hammer and Muro decided to record an EP and gave themselves rules, which included no acoustic guitar.
“That EP formed the band. It was never intended to be a band; it was just a fun recording project that ended up getting passed around,” Hammer said. “We were so excited at what we created that we kept doing it.”
For my complete article, visit CBS.
A week before their debut album, Feel You’re Different, is released, a band from Long Island is ready for their CMJ Music Marathon showcase.
Having played the festival for the past three years, Lights Resolve frontman Matthew Reich says CMJ has helped with the band’s success.
“CMJ has been a platform literally for us to take the stage and for people to learn about our band. I think a lot of people found out about us through CMJ because we did shows at Bowery Ballroom, Bowery Poetry Club,” he said. “We were on certain shows where people found out about us and now we’re some of those people’s favorite bands. It’s great to have that kind of festival with a built in audience that may not be your normal audience so you can tap into a new crowd.”
For my complete writeup, visit CBS. Be sure to pick up a copy of Lights Resolve’s debut release next week and catch them tonight at Maxwell’s in Hoboken.
“I like to say that music is the language of our friendship,” Heather Robb says of her band, The Spring Standards, who will perform at the CMJ Music Marathon & Film Festival Tuesday evening.
The Brooklyn-based trio, made up of Robb, James Cleare and James Smith, met while in high school, and what started as friendship quickly turned into a band. At fifteen, the trio began playing and writing original material together.
Years later, after a brief separation followed by a reconnection, their three-part harmonies and energetic live show has continued to captivate audiences.
Having played CMJ before, Robb said it’s different being a New Yorker at a New York festival.
“In a lot of ways you feel more at ease. You feel a greater sense of, ‘I’m from New York. I know this city. This is our community,’” she says. “You feel more interested in creating an atmosphere where bands traveling from far away can feel comfortable as opposed to trying to feel comfortable yourself.”
For my complete article, visit CBS. For more on The Spring Standards, visit their Website. They play a free CMJ show tonight at 8 p.m. at Rockwood Music Hall.
Martina McBride made history Friday (Oct. 14) night: The first artist to perform atop the Empire State Building, the country singer said it was an honor.
“It’s something I never dreamed of. It’s just really humbling to think that I’m performing on top of this iconic, world-famous building,” McBride said before the show.
In partnership with Stanford Women’s Cancer Center, McBride’s 30-minute NYC set included her powerful new single, “I’m Gonna Love You Through It,” a song about a woman battling breast cancer. She went on to explain the importance of singing it to a room of breast cancer survivors.
“I think it’s going to be one of the most memorable moments of my career,” she said. “It’s so powerful to be among these strong, courageous women and sing a song that means so much to me and I’ve been told means a lot to survivors as well. You can never really judge what impact a song is going to have, but I just felt in my heart that it would make a difference to someone. I felt like it would lift someone up, give someone hope and that’s why I did it. That’s what music should do.”
For my complete review, visit Billboard.