Categories
Song of the Week

Song of the Week: “Blue Christmas”

It’s that time of the year again! The cold weather is starting to settle in, houses are fully decorated and most importantly, it’s finally time for some holiday music. I’ll warn you now, the next few weeks will most likely have tons of holiday song features. This week’s “Song of the Week” is my all-time favorite Christmas song, “Blue Christmas” by Elvis Presley featuring a duet with Martina McBride.

Watch Elvis and Martina perform “Blue Christmas” live below.

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And to learn more about the album, Elvis Presley Christmas Duets, watch Martina McBride, Carrie Underwood, and other artists talk about recording with Elvis below.

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If you’d like to record your own duet with The King be sure to check out http://www.singwiththeking.com. You can put his recording as well as your own duet into an e-card and send to your friends and family. Come on, that’s a pretty unconventional Christmas card to send this year. I might send one myself . . .

Categories
Features

Introducing Fiction Family with Free MP3 Download!

Last November, I had the privilege of speaking at great length with Switchfoot frontman Jon Foreman after the band’s New York show. He told me about his side project with Sean Watkins of Nickel Creek:

“We started out kind of just joking around. It was one of those projects that was just like, ‘Yeah, let’s do it, it’ll be fun.’ And then four months into it we had four or five songs and they started sounding really good,” Foreman said.

He continued, “It was this type of thing that we started thinking, ‘Man this is actually a legitimate project that we’re both really proud of.’ And so, that’s kind of where it’s at now. I mixed it myself, basically in my bedroom back in San Diego. So we’re going to try to get somebody else to remix it — bring it a little bit more to life than my ears can. I stand in front of guitar amps all day, how good of a mixer can I be?”

Their self-titled debut album will be released January 20 on ATO Records (stay tuned for a review in the upcoming weeks). In addition, Fiction Family will kick off a 21-date nationwide tour beginning January 13. Visit their MySpace for the tour dates and to listen to “When She’s Near,” an exclusive track off the album click here!

And, if you haven’t read my interview with Jon Foreman yet you can check it out here.

Categories
Interviews

Joshua Radin

The first time I came across Joshua Radin was last spring when I caught the Hotel Cafe tour as it passed through New York. The night had some amazing performances by Ingrid Michaelson, Cary Brothers, Meiko and Priscilla Ahn, but Radin was one performer that left an impact on me. His soft voice and light guitar strumming seemed to put everyone in a trance and the lyrics to many of his songs stuck with me long after his performance was over.

Recently, I had the pleasure of speaking with Joshua as his second album, Simple Times, was released. Not only has his album received rave reviews as well as graced No. 1 on iTunes, but Ellen DeGeneres has been an avid fan, even having Radin perform at her wedding. He spoke candidly to me about the album, as well as his break from Columbia and the state of the music industry today. You can listen to an MP3 of my exclusive interview with Joshua Radin here and read it below as well.

Congratulations with all the success of your new album, Simple Times. It recently shot to No. 1 on iTunes. Did you ever imagine that happening?
Thank you so much. No, I didn’t. That was really cool. It’s one of those things [that] are so fleeting. You don’t want to give it too much credit, things like that or any monetary success. It’s basically like how a good review and a bad review are the same to me. If you take the good review to heart you have to take the bad review to heart. I just try to basically keep writing songs and do what I do and do it for the fans. The only reason to make a record really, is to be able to make another record. If you play a show in a city, you play the show so you can play a show in that city again. And if you keep your head up about it and keep that mentality, then I think it’s much healthier.

This is your second full-length album. How was the recording process different for you this time around?
We definitely did it in less time. The first record I made with a buddy of mine in his bedroom. It took about six months because I didn’t have any money and he was just doing it whenever he had time, which was so rare. So, this one was the first record I ever made with a label and got to hire the producer I wanted. We took six weeks at my favorite studio and I hired these amazing musicians. It was quite the experience.

Did you go into the studio with a specific concept for this album?
I don’t think so. I don’t know if I had a concept in mind for the record. It was more just like, this was really just the last two years of my life. I guess that would be the concept.

I wanted to ask you about your first single off the album, “I’d Rather Be With You.” That’s my favorite song on the album and I was just wondering what inspired it, it’s such a beautiful song. (You can listen to “I’d Rather Be With You” here.)
Thank you very much. Every song I write is true. The feelings I go through, they’re like journal entries. Really the record itself is about falling in love, falling out of love, it’s about my friends, it’s about my family, it’s about the world I live in. It’s a little more expansive, I think, than the first record, which was pretty much a breakup record. They were all songs that I had ever written that came out of a pretty gnarly breakup. I kind of got my life back together and started thinking, “I want to do something a little different.”

I think “I’d Rather Be With You” is a song that maybe has more of a grove to it. I wanted it to be a full-band on this record, I actually have drums on it. There are quite a few songs on the record, like “We Are Okay,” which is a lot of percussion from Lenny Castro, who is Stevie Wonder’s percussionist, who is just an incredible guy. I just wanted to make every song, production-wise, sound a little different on this record. Because, the first record every song, production-wise sounds very similar.

Do you have a favorite song on the album?
I think my favorite would probably be “You Got Growin’ Up To Do.” It’s one of those songs that came out in 15 minutes, which is pretty rare for me. And also, that I got to record it as a duet with one of my favorite songwriters in the world, Patty Griffin, which is just a complete and utter dream with just about the coolest person ever.

How did that come about?
I just sent her the song. I had never met her before, I’m just a huge fan and she loved the song and she didn’t even want to get paid or anything for it which is so cool.

What’s your typical writing process like? I know you said a lot of it comes out of breakups.
Well, the first record at least. The second record really is not much of a breakup record; it’s really about everything I have gone through in the last two years. I would say my writing process is, I usually have melody or something floating around in my head as I’m trying to fall asleep. Once I’ve got that melody that sort of comes to me, then I wait around until I have something to say about something I really need to express and then I put lyrics to it.

I know you said writing songs is like writing journal entries. Are you ever scared to write too much in a song or be too personal?
Yeah, I was when I first started writing. I started writing songs about four years ago, but I realized really quickly what people respond to is brutal honesty. That’s what people relate to. I’m as honest as I can possibly be when I write.

I read that you were on Columbia for your first album and then you basically bought out your contract to put out this album.
Yeah. Well, essentially what happened was I made that first record, We Were Here, on my own. Then Columbia signed me after hearing that record to a five record deal and re-released that record under their name as is. This was the first record I made with Columbia. I turned it in and they wanted it more poppy sounding and I said no, so I bought myself out of the remaining four record deal contract and put this out independently.

For a lot of artists, it’s their dream to sign a record deal.
Well, it’s much different now a days. The major record companies are dinosaurs, it’s impossible to get anything done with them. It’s just too much bureaucracy. One day someone’s telling you they love something and then the next day they’re fired and someone new comes in with a completely new set of criteria. When I signed with them originally it was to my understanding that I would have full creative control of what I released. And they were by no means dropping me, they just said, “We want a single on here that’s gonna make Top 40 radio.” And I said, “I don’t do Top 40 radio.” I don’t listen to anything that’s on Top 40 radio. There’s nothing about Top 40 radio that I want to be. It’d be fine if they played what I wrote and what I believe in on Top 40, that’s fine. I just don’t think that’s going to happen. At the end of the day you have to be able to sleep and be able to look yourself in the mirror and say, “I did what I believed in rather than what some guy in a suit in some office in New York believes in.”

Do you think artists have to be on a major label to be successful today?
No, not at all. In fact, there are so many that are hindered by being on major labels. It’s one thing if you’re like Beyonce or someone like that, if you’re a cash cow for Columbia, then you have the machine and you’re this big pop machine. But, they don’t have the money to develop artists anymore. They’ve lost so much money by piracy that there’s just no money to develop artists. So they make you sit around and make you write and write and write and write and try to fit you into a little formula that has worked with them before, like a movie studio that only has time to make sequels because they know that it’s something that has succeeded before and they don’t take chances. If you’re a huge pop act or you’re in hip-hop that’s one thing, or country music, those genres in our country sell like crazy. But, for my genre, which I deem whisper rock, it’s not going to see millions and millions of record sales. The only way for me to keep creative control for what I put out is to do it independently.

A huge platform are television shows and movies, which your songs have been featured in. I’m sure that has helped you a lot.
Yeah, for sure. But, I didn’t get any radio play on the first record and now this record actually “I’d Rather Be With You” has started to pop up all over the radio without a major label. It’s really cool to see that we’re able to do this and have a number one record on iTunes, something like that that’s commercially successful, but also do it my own way, the way in which I believe.

And you have Ellen DeGeneres backing you too. I saw a clip of your performance on her show and she said you performed at her wedding.
Yeah. She’s really cool. I played on her show in January and she came running up to me and said, “I would love it if you would play at my wedding.” And I said, “Okay, sure.” So a couple days before the wedding she called my manager, or someone from her show called and said, “She’d love to fly you in and you play her wedding at her house.” She’s been such an incredible support and she’s been talking about me on her show. She couldn’t be a more down to earth, mean what she says type of person.

How is it performing a TV show vs. your own concert vs. a wedding? Do you prepare a certain way or do you do something different?
No, not at all. I just get up and bring my guitar and play songs. I try to keep it as simple as possible. Which is why I called the record Simple Times because as much as we were arguing with the label about the record and everything like that, I just wanted to go back to how life started four years ago, just as honest and organic as possible and as simple as possible.

You’ve been called this generation’s Simon and Garfunkel. How do you feel about that?
I don’t think that’s it at all. If anyone wants to make comparisons, they do what they do. People always want to put you in some sort of box to make other people understand what you’re doing creatively and other things and I understand that. I just think I’m just trying to sound as much like Joshua Radin as I possibly can. I mean, I’m influenced by some of the songwriters; of course Simon and Garfunkel are a major influence on anyone that plays music I’m sure. But there are also tons of other musicians I’ve been influenced on and other features and novelists, my parents and my friends and my teachers. It’s pretty ridiculous, this generation’s Simon and Garfunkel. First of all, I’m only one person. Second of all, they’re incredibly prolific and music icons. I just started.

I read on Amazon that Rolling Stone called me this generation’s Bob Dylan and that’s absolutely ludicrous. It’s ludicrous! Bob Dylan invented music. I just feel like that’s putting a bull’s eye on the back of my head for everyone to be like, “No you’re not. You’re not really as good.” And I’m like, “Of course I’m not as good, I wrote my first song four years ago!” And I probably never will be as good. But, I bet you I’ll be much better at being Joshua Radin than Bob Dylan is. That’s all I can hope for.

Categories
Features

Artist You Should Know: Brent Shuttleworth

In one of his last performances of the year, Brent Shuttleworth exhibited the true definition of singer-songwriter to New Yorkers at Joe’s Pub Sunday night. Playing a nine-song set, Shuttleworth infused a mix of songs from his debut album, Witness, as well as some covers and a few new tracks, each well received by the packed room.

Taking the stage shortly after 9:30 with first song of the night, “When We Leave This World Behind,” Shuttleworth began alone on acoustic guitar before the rest of his band joined in. With his emotionally-filled lyrics quickly capturing the audience’s attention, as each word was sung you couldn’t help but get the feeling that he was wearing his heart on his sleeve.

While Shuttleworth’s guitar playing recalls early John Mayer, it’s his lyrics and vocals that set him apart. With vocals comparable to that of Ray LaMontagne but deeper with a smoother vibe and lyrics that bear his soul to the listener, Shuttleworth continues to stand out from the crowd.

Second track of the night was “When I Reach California,” currently my favorite song. A song about moving on, Shuttleworth said it also deals with “recognizing the realities of a certain situation and being proactive about doing something about it,” which for many is tougher than it seems. Singing, “You turned your back on me when I needed you/You buried me just like a funeral/I’m so sure right now that you never knew/What I had given up to be with you,” he really gave the audience the story behind his heartfelt lyrics. “When I Reach California” accompanied stellar harmonizing from his band as well as a solid instrumental interlude up to the fade out of the song.

Shortly after, he told the crowd about the inspiration behind “Witness,” the title of his next song. Having worked in South Africa helping with TAC, a campaign for treatment for people with HIV and reducing HIV infections through education and workshops, one day he was invited to a church service by his coworker. At the service, an American preacher from Kentucky was talking on the pulpit as a huge American flag was shown behind him, asking for each person’s weekly earnings to build satellite churches and missions for their communities.

Disheartened by the situation, Shuttleworth explained his surprise to the warmth between the community as they gave hugs to one another afterwards while saying, “You are my witness.” As if they were saying, “You’re a witness to me, to my life, to my existence.”

“The idea to have someone there for you has stuck with me,” he said. “And that’s the name of the next song and the title for my album.” Singing, “All of the nights alone/I never felt my soul was worth having/Won’t let one more day go by/Allowing myself not to be forgiven/When I’m broken/And I’m fading/I need a witness/When I’m beaten/And I’m bleedin’/I need a witness,” he aptly got his point across.

In addition to incredibly solid covers of Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time” with featured vocalist Amber Rubarth and the Cranberries’ “Linger” with Declan Bennett, Shuttleworth’s set entailed breathtaking ballads like “Satellite” and “Helpless,” a song he told the audience is not only for people in love but for people that want to be in love. “It’s a connection I made; describing the song and the state of being helpless to someone else, recognizing the fact that people take advantage of that vulnerability,” Shuttleworth said of his song. “Regardless of how much you give to a situation there’s no guarantee of any sort of return, in that vulnerability there’s that risk.”

The state of being helpless and vulnerable can be a very positive statement to be in, he explained. “It’s about being able to let your guard down and that state and relationship when you’re able to be vulnerable to someone else and liking the idea of being in love and wanting to be in that place.”

Another relatively new song, “Overcome,” Shuttleworth told the audience is a crowd participatory song. “Everyone is welcome to join in. You can clap, dance, get up onstage if you want too.” Definitely the most upbeat of the night, he had the audience liven up and sing along throughout the chorus.

“Stay” may just have been the most heartfelt song performed during his set. A song written for his late grandfather, Shuttleworth said his grandfather not only encouraged him to play music, “but to follow things that I believed in and things I wanted to do.” Lines like, “All we wanted was to be enough and that’s what we are” left a lasting impression.

Just when the room thought his set was over as the lights went on and music started playing from the speakers, Shuttleworth surprised the crowd by entering the floor between the couches and tables closest to the stage with his and Declan Bennett’s acoustic cover of “Linger” by the Cranberries. An intimate gesture, all in attendance clapped and sang along word for word.

As the year draws to a close and so does his performances, Shuttleworth promises more tour dates throughout the winter and spring. And, from his stellar set and the crowd at Joe’s Pub his fans will only grow with him.

Be sure to check out Brent’s MySpace if you haven’t yet and watch his video for “When I Reach California” below!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FT-MlVxQcoc]

Categories
Features

Listen to Live Audio Stream of John Mayer Concert!

You read it right. Just found this on my lunch break. I listened to the show Saturday night when it was streaming live (AMAZING), but didn’t realize it was still up. To listen to a stream of John Mayer‘s two-hour performance this past Saturday at LA’s Nokia Theater click here. This concert definitely gives you some insight into the singer-songwriter’s past and present. Who knew he could be so comical? Enjoy! You can thank me later 😉

Categories
Q&A

Blast From the Past: Interview with the All-American Rejects

Last night’s free All-American Rejects concert at Hammerstein Ballroom reminded me of my on the fly interview with frontman Tyson Ritter back in college. It was one of those situations that I look back at and laugh because sometimes I can’t believe half the things I’ve done to score an interview with some of my favorite bands. (Please, no groupie remarks I’m a journalist not a bandaid!) Anyway, last night’s show was pretty intimate as they were filming it for Wal-mart and it looked as if only a hundred or so fans gained access to the event. I’ll let you know when I find out the full details of when the concert will air. In the meantime, read below for this week’s “Blast From the Past” with the All-American Rejects.

When my friend invited me along to help cover a concert at the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton two summers ago, naturally I went. She was working on a piece for the Trenton Times about the venue and how it was trying to attract a younger crowd. Hence, the concert “Popfest” was put on by local radio station WPST 94.5 attracting many of its younger listeners. In addition to the All-American Rejects, performers included Nick Lachey, The Fray, Bo Bice, and The Click Five.

My friend was promised a press pass to interview some of the bands, but for some reason it fell through. This is where my ingenious Plan B came in. “Let’s just go find their tour buses,” I remember telling her matter-of-factly. And so we did. After waiting 10 minutes or so she was discouraged and wanted to leave, but I persisted. A few minutes later, drummer Chris came out of the venue but was short on time, so he told us to wait for the rest of the guys. Shortly after Tyson approached the bus where we were able to ask him a few questions about the event. It was probably less than a five-minute impromptu interview, but I’ll take what I can get!

How is it for you playing a show like Popfest at a smaller venue vs. your bigger arena shows?
Our first time to step out in an arena was with Fall Out Boy two months ago and we just got off that tour. So I guess coming off that tour this might seem smaller, but this is still a large show to us. Definitely a different energy though. At a pop show, people don’t move as much.

Do you enjoy playing shows like Bamboozle more?
Oh yeah. That’s like the voice of a generation all in one spot at the same time. They’re the future leaders of America. Even though they may listen to music that’s not contemporary or run of the mill, those people are a lot different when they go to Bamboozle. The people who go to Bamboozle are definitely . . . I don’t know, more cerebral than normal people, I find. Whereas at these shows people scream and go crazy like five seconds after they see us. At Bamboozle a kid will be like “What’s up Tyson?” and try to talk to you, as opposed to try to bombard you or scream until you give into some weird wish that they want. But it’s all fun.

Would you consider coming back to Trenton?
Oh yeah. It was great, the kids were loud, girls were giggly. The next time we come here we’d like to come and play a proper show. We had the option to headline but we wanted to make The Click Five look bad. We don’t like bands that don’t rock their instruments. There’s a difference between playing your instrument and rocking it. I don’t play my instrument. It’s really kind of, I like to call it ho-hum music because after one song you kind of go ‘ahhhh’ [referring to bands who don’t rock their instruments].

Gotta love the honesty. Be sure to pick up a copy of AAR’s new album when it hits stores, December 16.

Categories
Song of the Week

Song of the Week: “When I Reach California”

I caught a short performance from Brent Shuttleworth this past Monday when I covered the “A Holiday Benefit” concert and haven’t been able to stop playing his song, “When I Reach California” since. Definitely my favorite new tune, his deep vocals and emotion-filled lyrics really come across strongly to the listener. Lyrics like, “You turned your back on me when I needed you/You buried me just like a funeral/I’m so sure right now that you never knew/What I had given up to be with you” really leave an impact.

Below is the video for “When I Reach California.” If you like what you hear check out his MySpace page and if you’re in the New York area be sure to catch his show this Sunday at Joe’s Pub at 9 p.m. I’ll be there, so if you can’t make it I’ll have a write-up for you early next week!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FT-MlVxQcoc]

Categories
News

Follow You Sing, I Write on Twitter

You can now follow me and my music adventures on Twitter. Check me out at http://twitter.com/yousingiwrite. Musician Josh Charles has been raving about Twitter for a while and I’ll admit, at first I really didn’t understand what the big deal was. But, Twitter is addicting in the way that Facebook was when it first came out. So try it out and add me to your followers! I’m on Facebook and MySpace as well, so check out those links on the right side of the page underneath the “About Me” section of the blog. As always, feel free to email me with bands you’d be interested in learning more about.

In other news, be sure to read my latest review posted on Filter of Luke Brindley‘s show in New York last week here. Also, if you are interested in winning copies of Katy Perry and Boys Like Girls’ albums, enter the contest (deadline is end of day Friday so you still have a few hours). See the details in this past Sunday’s post.

I have a ton of interviews to finish transcribing and editing that I hope to post within the next week for you read/listen to so be on the lookout for those. Also, if anyone is in the New York area tomorrow I have an extra ticket to the All-American Rejects’ free concert at Hammerstein Ballroom tomorrow night. E-mail me for details.

Categories
Benefit Concert Reviews

A Holiday Benefit Concert Recap

The Canal Room was packed last night for the second annual “A Holiday Benefit” concert series. Featuring 13 New York performers playing over 30 songs, both original tracks as well as their own holiday favorites, the album release benefit show surely got concertgoers into the holiday spirit.

Sponsored by Rebel Spirit Music, all proceeds raised from the album and silent auction during the night will be donated to 826NYC, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting students ages 6-18 with their creative and expository writing skills, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write. With the mission to provide workshops and tutor students with their creative writing skills, being a writer myself, I couldn’t imagine a better way to spend my money this holiday season.

Most artists played between two and three songs during their set. Additionally, many of the individual sets drew former acts back to the stage to help out with numerous holiday classics. Not your typical show, you could tell that every musician truly loved being onstage and the community between each performer was evident throughout the night as each introduced every member onstage, whether it was from their band or previous performers.

Derek James started out the night with an incredibly fun and energetic set. He’s been called “a bluesy, ballsy Buddy Holly for the iPod generation” and I can see why. Beginning with his favorite Christmas song, the Hawaiian “Mele Kalikimaka,” complete with ukulele, James’ performance was just a glimmer of the great night ahead. A bit reminiscent to a mix of Jason Mraz’s quirky lyrics and Tyler Hilton’s vocals, James is definitely an artist to watch as his sultry vocals and catchy lyrics are sure to be stuck in your head long after the last word is sung. Ending his set with “What’s That Sound,” a memorable track with a kazoo feature, James had his band dancing and swaying along throughout the song, enticing the audience to do the same.

Jamie Leonhart took the stage next as Benjamin Wagner, host and creator of the annual concert series, introduced her as “one of the finest voices I know and one of the finest people I know.” Leonhart’s vocals are heavenly as she blends jazz, pop and soul together, making for a truly impressive set. Playing three songs off her debut album, The Truth About Suffering, Leonhart wowed the crowd. Comparisons to Ella Fitzgerald and Aretha Franklin can be heard throughout Leonhart’s classically elegant tunes. (You can listen to some of her MP3’s here to see what I’m talking about.)

Another solid vocalist, Kelley McRae played two of her more heartfelt songs. Her set began with moving number, “Johnny Cash” having concertgoers feel the emotion of the song as she sang each word while softly strumming her guitar.

Brent Shuttleworth has one of those familiar voices, as if I’ve heard his song in a movie or popular television show and for him; I think that’s a good thing. My favorite song of the moment is his ballad, “When I Reach California.” As he repeats the chorus, “You will never be good/Never be good for me/Wake me when I reach California” he captures the listener’s attention wholeheartedly. His rich vocals and deep lyrics have the listener coming back for more. Title track off his debut album, Witness, showcase the honesty and sincerity throughout Shuttleworth’s lyrics. Singing, “When I’m broken and I’m fading/I need a witness/When I’m beaten and I’m bleeding/Love give me a witness” you can’t help but want to be there for him. Another strong set, I’m extremely interested to see where Shuttleworth will be in a few years.

Rosi Golan, Deena Goodman and Blue Fringe all played one song each as well as collaborated on Hanukah song “Maoz Tzur.” Beforehand, Golan played “Think of Me,” an airy ballad that vaguely hints to Sheryl Crow’s early days (think “Soak Up the Sun” era). An angelic voice to listen to, Golan contributed to many of the artist’s sets throughout the night as did Goodman and Blue Fringe frontman Dov Rosenblatt.

Goodman and Wagner rotated introducing each band throughout the night as well as informed audience members the purpose of the concert — donating album pro
ceeds to the kids of 826NYC. “I know times are tough,” Wagner said, “but times are tough if you’re an eight-year-old kid too.”

The remainder of the night presented energetic sets from Ian Axel, (having a striking resemblance to Ben Folds down to the lively keyboard playing and glasses — see two photos above) Casey Shea (an incredible singer, easily rocking the Canal Room throughout his set) and Chris Abad (a contender to most energetic performer).

Before playing one note, Shea told the crowd, “[Tonight] is for a good cause. I’m happy to be a part of it.” In fact, he was so happy to be a part of the cause that he wrote “A Very Merry Christmas” specifically for the event. He’s had rave reviews from MTVNews.com: “Casey’s stage persona is equal parts James Brown, Elvis Presley, and Bono” as well as NME: “Casey Shea is an artist operating at the very top of his game and, by comprising the very best elements of Lennon, Davies and Stills, has captured a sound long since past” and I couldn’t agree more. The way he got the crowd dancing throughout his set is proof in itself that as a musician, Shea is here to stay.

A toss up for most lively performer of the night is a tie between Abad and Bryan Dunn. Another lively act, Abad had everyone on the floor around me dancing to his astounding rendition of Wham!’s signature hit “Last Christmas.” While Abad had the dancers’ attention, Dunn made every guitar player proud as he rocked his guitar harder than I’ve seen any guitarist in concert do before, all while playing his holiday song of the night, “Father Christmas.”

Last up before each singer reunited onstage for “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” was host Wagner. Extremely animated, jumping up and down with his band before he even started his set, Wagner was truly in his element Monday night. Leonhart joined him onstage for their rendition of “Blue Christmas,” definitely an enjoyable song with their voices blending perfectly together.

With the holidays in full swing, Monday night was a stellar night of music at the Canal Room. Every artist that graced the stage last night impressed and brought his or her own unique flavor. Lucky for New Yorkers, many of these musicians continuously play shows throughout the city so definitely check out their MySpace’s and catch a show when they’re in town! And, be sure to purchase the CD here or order it on iTunes where all the proceeds go to 826NYC.

Photo credit: Benjamin Wagner. For more photos of last night click here.

Categories
Contest

A Holiday Benefit Concert Tonight!

I just wanted to remind you all about the benefit concert tonight at the Canal Room. I blogged about it Saturday so I’m not going to be redundant, but here’s the info you need to know if you’re planning on going:

Who: YOU! and 15 New York singer-songwriters perform some of their favorite holiday tunes and tracks from the album, A Holiday Benefit, Vol. II
What: Album release party/benefit concert
When: Monday, December 1st, 8 p.m. – midnight
Where: Canal Room, 285 West Broadway NYC
Why: To listen to holiday music while raising money for 826NYC, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting students ages 6-18 with their creative and expository writing skills, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write.

It’s for a great cause and will be a night of amazing performances. Hope to see you there! For more info. check out the MySpace and Facebook event pages. Watch the video below as New York singer-songwriters record the John Lennon classic “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” at Kingsland Studios in Brooklyn for A Holiday Benefit, Vol. II.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKqvvd5Rp9M]