One of my favorite bands on the scene right now is Brooklyn-based We Are Augustines. Currently on tour with Band of Skulls, the band will also make an appearance at this year’s Coachella festival.

Earlier today they released the music video to the poignant “Juarez.” Directed by Matt Amato, it follows the band’s life on the road. Coffee at truck stops, nights spent in hotel rooms and the continuous open road. “Juarez” is We Are Augustines’ next single and will be released on vinyl and digital May 21st.

During my interview with frontman Billy McCarthy last year he discussed writing candidly about his life within his music, something he likens to running down the street screaming his journal to rooms full of people.

“Honestly, it’s not always easy to talk about stuff in the literal sense and have to keep redoing it every night but I think it depends what kind of art you’re doing,” he says. “It is personal and I guess that’s just my commitment to the music that we’re making. I just want to be honest. It’s not always easy, but that’s what it is.”

My top concert of 2010, NEEDTOBREATHE‘s live show is like no other. It only makes sense that Taylor Swift hand selected the South Carolina rock band as an opener to her tour last year.

The group’s latest single “Keep Your Eyes Open” brings their anthemic rock to the forefront with soaring guitar riffs, wavering vocals and heartfelt lyrics. Watch their music video below and catch the band on tour this month.

Related Links:
• Q&A: NEEDTOBREATHE
• You Sing I Write’s Top 10 of 2010
• Band of the Week: NEEDTOBREATHE
• 5 Tips for Landing an Opening Slot

Since I’m interviewing Jordan Knight Thursday, I found it only fitting to feature him on You Sing I Write. This week’s song is a flashback to the 90s with his first single as a solo artist.

After New Kids On the Block broke up, Knight launched his solo career. “Give It to You” was released in 1999 and saw much success. The track features Knight’s signature dance moves and a callback to the film Grease with the carnival feature at the track’s end. Watch the video below. Is there anything you want to ask Jordan Knight? Let me know!

Earlier this week I wrote about British boy band, One Direction. The group made their US debut last weekend in Boston when they appeared at a local mall for an autograph signing and over 5,000 fans showed up.

I had a flashback to the 90s when Backstreet Boys, N’ Sync and 98 Degrees ruled the charts yesterday as I saw girls line up hours before their concert at Radio City Music Hall last night. I have a feeling we’re going to be hearing a lot more about One Direction soon. I’ll be interviewing them next week so be sure to let me know if there’s anything you want asked!

One of my most listened to bands of 2011 was Brooklyn-based We Are Augustines. Their standout debut album, Rise Ye Sunken Ships is a powerful LP of heartfelt and poignant songs.

I was lucky enough to catch them perform several times last year and interviewed frontman Billy McCarthy where he filled me in on his songwriting process, performing his personal songs live every night and the New York music scene.

Friday night, We Are Augustines made their TV debut on Late Show with David Letterman and played “Chapel Song.” Watch their performance below. For a free download from Rise Ye Sunken Ships, visit their Website.

There aren’t many artists that I would choose to see on a nightly basis but after a phenomenal set by Matthew Perryman Jones Sunday at City Winery, I had to see him again Monday when he performed an intimate set at Rockwood Music Hall. Onstage alone with acoustic guitar, his whispered vocals and heartfelt lyrics captivated everyone in the room. I’ve had his music on repeat all week long, this song in particular.

Watch Matthew Perryman Jones perform “Save You” live below and be on the lookout for a new album from him in the Spring.

Hunter Hayes’ latest single, “Storm Warning” has been stuck in my head all week long. Maybe it’s partly because the weather in New York has been less than stellar the past few days, but there is no argument that this country artist’s latest release is catchy. Watch the music video below.

The music world lost quite a songstress yesterday. Etta James, perhaps best known for her rendition of Glenn Miller’s song “At Last,” died yesterday after complications of leukemia. For more on her life and legacy, read The New York Times article here.  Watch her perform “At Last” below.

Just over two years ago I caught SafetySuit’s impressive set at Bowery Ballroom and quickly became a fan. Their powerful live show had me wondering why I never heard of the talented Nashville-based act before. Last week, the band released their sophomore album, These Times. They enlisted the help of fans for the music video and title track and the album.

Of “These Times,” frontman Doug Brown says it was written out of a social need.

“As a band, we were talking a lot about the songs on the record, and obviously, a lot of songs are gonna be about relationships, love and loss; that’s the most common emotion people have. But as we were looking at the track, we felt like something was missing: what the pulse of the nation is right now,” he said. “When we started thinking and talking about that, ‘These Times’ sprang out of that. The chorus goes, ‘Sitting alone here in my bed/Waiting for an answer I don’t know that I’ll get/I cannot stand to look in the mirror I’m failing.’ You just get tired of being on the short end of the stick; I think a lot of people feel that way.

“There’s a lot of people out there who would kill to just have a job so they can provide for their families. It’s tough, man—it’s tough for people, and that sucks. But we didn’t want to leave it at that, so we wrote, ‘These times are hard/But they will pass,’ and that’s important to remind people of. We’ve made it out of bad times before, and we’ll make it out again.”

Watch the poignant video below and for more on the band visit their Website.

Last night, I witnessed Elizabeth and the Catapult live at Mercury Lounge for a phenomenal set. Having seen the band perform several times throughout New York, I’m always thoroughly impressed. Whether frontwoman Elizabeth Ziman is playing her own material or covering LCD Soundsystem and Dawes, she makes each track her own.

With captivating vocals that hushed the crowd, Elizabeth and the Catapult performed a powerful cover of Dawes’ poignant track, “When My Time Comes,” all the while reminding me how much I love the song. Watch Dawes’ version below.