Category: Features

A Night In the Studio: Recording at Brooklyn's Galuminumfoil Studios

Post author By admin
Post date November 21, 2011

Photo Credit: Monica Rozenfeld

It’s hard to believe that I’ve been writing about music for several years, but have never actually been in a studio while a band was recording. Always a dream of mine, when Benjamin Wagner invited me to join him at Galuminumfoil Studios in Brooklyn I couldn’t say no.

For the past five years, Wagner and friends have been recording A Holiday Benefit, a selection of holiday classics while putting their own spin on the music. An annual benefit concert is held each December where the CD is available for purchase and all the proceeds are donated to 826NYC, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting students ages 6-18 with their creative and expository writing skills.

I’ve been covering the benefit shows since their inception in 2007 and each year discover new musicians that I soon become a fan of. So, on a cold Friday in November I headed to Galuminumfoil Studios, not exactly sure what to expect.

Shortly after 8 p.m. I entered the studio where half a dozen or so artists were hanging out, writing lyrics to sing and trying to decipher the right piano chords to play with the track. That night, the vocals for the group number, “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” were being recorded.

A huge fan of the song, Wagner said “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” is the reason A Holiday Benefit came together.

“I went to Chris [Abad] and said we should get everybody together and do something. It’s because I loved this song when I was a kid,” he recalls. “What if we got all our friends together and did one on our own and made money for a charity?”

In it’s fifth year, over $15,000 has been raised for 826NYC.

While some of the artists have been friends for years, others met for the first time that night. Her first year singing for A Holiday Benefit, Georgia native Mary Bragg was excited to be part of the project and even wore a pair of Santa Claus socks to get her in the spirit.

“We’re not a band that has been rehearsing together. Sometimes things happen and you have to redo it,” she said of the recording experience.

As Wagner finished writing the lyrics to the song, singer-songwriter Misty Boyce took to the piano to record the last of the instrumentals. Meanwhile, studio engineer and producer Jeff Berner gave her further instructions for the track.

“My idea is to have some ethereal piano in the background. This is going to be a long fade and we’ll dub more parts in,” Berner said.

Once the piano part was perfected, the solos were assigned and each singer took turns at the mic for a few takes.

Bragg was up first and impressed with spot-on vocals. Though the first take sounded like a keeper, everyone in the room had her sing it two more times for their own enjoyment.

Initially excited to sing Bono’s part in the song, Boyce was nervous during her recording session.

“When I get nervous I get cold,” she told Wagner who urged her to do some jumping jacks. “I’m Bono. Fuck, it’s too much pressure man!”

“I’ve been singing this song for 25 years, you can sing it for 25 minutes,” Wagner replied to which Boyce started dancing around the studio.

Soon after, Bryan Dunn, Sarah Nisch, Dan Scott and Philip Drennen of Astoria Boulevard, Chris Abad and Wagner recorded their solo parts before the entire crew got together for the group chorus.

“This is gonna be interesting. I’m glad we’re saving this for last,” Berner joked.

As the group huddled together and shared headphones and mics, it was hard not to get into the holiday spirit. With their perfected harmonies and all around talent, A Holiday Benefit, Vol V. will no doubt be a success.

After a few takes, the group was satisfied with their performance and went into the studio to listen to the song on the speakers. Nodding along and at points, mouthing the words they seemed satisfied at the final product.

“And that’s how it’s done!” Bragg said, summing up the night.

Be sure to catch the artists perform December 14 at Rockwood Music Hall II. For a complete lineup and to order your tickets click here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5cX_ncZLls

Features News

Taylor Swift Profiled on "60 Minutes" Tonight

Post author By admin
Post date November 20, 2011

Country music sweetheart, Taylor Swift will be profiled on tonight’s episode of “60 Minutes.” The night before her final two sold-out tour dates at New York’s Madison Square Garden, Swift talks to Lesley Stahl about being a role model.

“It would be really easy to say, ‘I’m 21 now. I do what I want. You raise your kids,’ but that’s not the truth of it. The truth of it is that every singer out there with songs on the radio is raising the next generation. So make your words count,” she says.

Well known for her interaction with fans, (remember that infamous 15-hour autograph signing at CMA Fest last year?), Swift asserts she’s never had a bad incident meeting the fans and it’s certainly not part of a bigger business plan.

Tune into CBS tonight at 7pm ET/PT for the complete special. Be sure to follow me on Twitter tomorrow night for up-to-the-minute details on her show at Madison Square Garden.

Tags 60 Minutes, Taylor Swift

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Daniel Wayne To Perform At Glasslands Gallery Thursday

Post author By admin
Post date November 15, 2011

With a distinct sound that some say exude Jeff Buckley and Roy Orbison, Brooklyn-based musician Daniel Wayne has been busy making a name for himself. With the recent release of his debut EP, he’s playing a show in his home borough this week.

Born in Cincinnati, Wayne was immersed in country and bluegrass music as a child. It’s no wonder that his music is a distinct blend of both these genres and also embodies rock influences.

“My mom was born in Kentucky and my stepdad is from Kentucky and they were always listening to bluegrass music. I guess I just got immersed into that,” he said. “I think that’s where my influence comes from as far as that country side.”

Honesty is the key to standing out as a musician in New York, Wayne said.

“I just try to keep it sincere and honest. I think the main objective of any artist is to find their own voice and sing from that perspective. If they do that, they’re going to stand out naturally,” he said. “If you’re coming from a perspective of sincerity and just being yourself, everybody can stand out.”

For my complete interview with Daniel Wayne, visit CBS. Be sure to visit his Web site for more information.

Contest Features News

You Sing I Write Nominated as MusiCares Blogger Finalist

Post author By admin
Post date November 14, 2011

Last week, I made the final round for a chance to be on the red carpet at the MusiCares Person of the Year event in February honoring Paul McCartney! One of six bloggers selected, I have a chance to head to Los Angeles the week of the Grammy’s and interview all the musicians attending the event and cover the show as well.

Many of you have been following You Sing I Write since day one and this is a huge opportunity. For more information and to vote, click here. Make sure you Like MusiCares, click on the Enter Now button, type in your Name, Email and select me (Finalist #5 – Annie at You Sing I Write: MusiCares: Changing Lives One Song at a Time). Voting ends November 30th.

If I win, you can be sure I’ll be taking some of your questions to the red carpet to ask all the artists performing. Who knows, maybe I’ll even get to stay around for the Grammy’s. Thanks for all your support!

Features News Q&A

Interview with You Sing I Write

Post author By admin
Post date November 13, 2011

Photo Credit: Wendy Hu

Last month, I met fellow music journalist Markos Papadatos while covering Martina McBride’s performance at the Empire State Building. This weekend, Papadatos was kind enough to interview me for Suite101.

We chatted about my beginnings as a writer, You Sing I Write, some of my favorite interviews (which include Switchfoot’s Jon Foreman as seen above) and being one of six music bloggers nominated to cover a red carpet event honoring Paul McCartney during the Grammy’s. Below is an excerpt from his article.

“Annie Reuter is one of New York’s most accomplished, dedicated and passionate music and entertainment journalists. Reuter’s articles and feature interview profiles with some of the biggest names in pop and country music have appeared in such prestigious outlets as Billboard‘s official website, Rolling Stone, Marie Claire’s website, AOL’s The Boot, CBS, MTV, among many others; moreover, she is the founder of her successful music blog, ‘You Sing, I Write.'”

Read the complete writeup here.

Features News

Watch As Hellogoodbye Record New Single "Killing Time"

Post author By admin
Post date November 10, 2011

There is nothing I enjoy more than learning how a song comes together for a band. This week, Buick released a video that showcased the writing and recording process of indie rock band Hellogoodbye. Tasked with the challenge to write a song in two days while on the road, frontman Forrest Kline expressed his nervousness.

“We’re trying to come up with and record a song in basically two days, against my better judgement probably,” said Kline. “I like to sit and tweak the things for days on end. We’re trying to capture the whole progress of making that and the end result.”

Constantly on the road touring, Kline admits that the road is actually a really good place to get inspired.

“On the road things happen that you don’t plan for and you learn from all those experiences. With this track, we really just tried to write an honest song and capture it in an honest way,” he added.

Watch below to see Hellogoodbye’s songwriting process. To download the track, like Buick on Facebook. For more on the band, read my interview with Forrest Kline.

Features News

45th Annual CMA Awards Tonight on ABC

Post author By admin
Post date November 9, 2011

With over 20 performances by nearly 30 musicians, the CMA Awards is the show to watch.

Airing on ABC at 8/7c, be sure to tune in for performances by Kenny Chesney, Faith Hill, Taylor Swift, Jason Aldean, Lady Antebellum and many more. Watch the pre-show red carpet interviews and more exclusives below. I’ll be covering the show via Twitter, so be sure to follow me @countrynyc.

cma on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free

Features Festivals News

International Pop Overthrow Hits LES To Showcase Rising Talent

Post author By admin
Post date November 3, 2011

The traveling music festival known as the International Pop Overthrow (IPO) is in New York City this week, as a number of bands take the stage on the Lower East Side for a massive showcase of up-and-coming talent.

Festival founder David Bash conceived the idea – to introduce bands from all over the world to the masses and have them play together under one platform – in 1997, and a year later, the first edition was held in Los Angeles, Calif., where 120 bands performing throughout 10 days.

Three years later it became a traveling festival when New York and later Chicago and Liverpool got added to the bill. Today, IPO is held in 16 cities throughout the US and Canada. A major success in Los Angeles, Bash said it took convincing from bands who continually played the festival before it went on the road.

“It was really more just urging of bands, who I think didn’t want to travel as far and thought it would be cool to have it at a place where they lived,” he said. “I’m glad they did that. It was immediately fun and successful.”

For more on the International Pop Overthrow, visit CBS.

Features

MusiCares: Changing Lives One Song at a Time

Post author By admin
Post date October 27, 2011

I really don’t know what my life would be like without music. Nor do I care to imagine.

So much of life’s biggest moments are defined by music. From falling asleep on long car rides to the sound of the Beatles and Elvis Presley as a kid to waking up every morning to John Mayer on my alarm clock today, my entire existence exudes my love of music.

In middle school, I would lock myself in my bedroom for hours with Backstreet Boys on repeat, pouring over magazine articles. When my grandmother died in the ninth grade I found solace in their song, “Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely” when nothing else seemed to make much sense at the time.

In high school, not much changed. Switchfoot’s The Beautiful Letdown eventually became my anthem with its introspective lyrics and my constant questioning of what life in college and the dreaded “real world” would be like.

Today, I can’t help but think of how this early obsession with music shaped who I am. While I no doubt was made fun of for my music taste as a kid, I know that my early love of music is what led me to creating You Sing I Write and had a major factor in my determination to become a music journalist.

Very few things in life have the power to connect and heal the way music does. Whether it’s hearing Adele’s heartbreaking new ballad, “Someone Like You” to convince you to move on from a relationship or witnessing that favorite song performed at a concert for the first time in years, music plays a huge part in our day-to-day lives, more so then we often realize.

It’s organizations like MusiCares® that transcend that love of music to an even bigger purpose: helping those in need. For music to provide emergency financial assistance, addiction recovery and safe harbor rooms, it is furthering it’s job as a mere hobby to some and actually making a difference in someone’s life. I can’t imagine a better partnership.

Luckily, as a music blogger I get to experience this firsthand and evaluate it each day. It’s not always an easy job to do, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Disclaimer: This blog post has been written for entry into the MusiCares® Music Blogger contest.

MusiCares® helps and supports the people who dedicate their lives to making the music I blog about. Please join the Be A Part of the Heart MusiCares® mosaic at https://beapartoftheheart.com and be entered for a chance to win a trip the 2012 GRAMMYS®!

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Lights Resolve Celebrate Record Release Tonight at Music Hall of Williamsburg

Post author By admin
Post date October 26, 2011

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.