Category: News

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Features News Q&A

Interview with You Sing I Write

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.

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Features News

Watch As Hellogoodbye Record New Single "Killing Time"

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.

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Features News

45th Annual CMA Awards Tonight on ABC

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
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Features Festivals News

International Pop Overthrow Hits LES To Showcase Rising Talent

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.

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Features News

Lights Resolve Celebrate Record Release Tonight at Music Hall of Williamsburg

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.

Related Links:
• Q&A: with Lights Resolve
• Rolling Stone Names Lights Resolve Band to Watch
• Lights Resolve Win Opening Slot On Rock Band Live Tour
• Lights Resolve Tear Up the East Coast
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Features News Videos

Brittany Snow Featured in Matthew Mayfield's New Video

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

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Features News

You Sing I Write Celebrates Four Years Today!

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!

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Features Festivals News Q&A

Brooklyn’s The Spring Standards Take The Stage At CMJ 2011

“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.

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Concert Reviews Features News

Martina McBride Lights Up Empire State Building For Breast Cancer Awareness

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.

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Features News

Zac Brown Launches Southern Ground Music and Food Festival

Country singer Zac Brown thinks something major is missing from the concert experience.

“The normal fare at a concert is a pretzel, a hot dog or a dry pack of corn chips with some Cheese Whiz. Why not be eating something amazing while you’re watching something amazing?” the frontman of the Zac Brown Band says. “In the South you’re always gathering around the food. I really think we can extend that experience all over.”

That’s the former chef and restaurant owner’s goal for the three-day Southern Ground Music & Food Festival, which runs October 21st through 23rd at Blackbaud Stadium in Charleston, South Carolina. Two hundred fans will sit onstage and eat a gourmet meal while the band performs a few feet away.

“It’s always been a dream of mine to enhance the concert experience and really give ’em the full sensory overload,” Brown says. “Our goal is to redefine and put all the elements of the South into this festival: the hospitality, the food, the music.”

For my complete article, visit Rolling Stone.