You Sing I Write – Page 59 – Follow Annie Reuter’s adventures attending concerts, traveling to festivals & uncovering the everyday life of a musician.

Lady Antebellum, Amos Lee Dazzle for Musicians On Call

Post author By admin
Post date October 14, 2010
2 Comments on Lady Antebellum, Amos Lee Dazzle for Musicians On Call

Lady Antebellum Fan Club Party
2009 CMA Music Festival
Photo Credit: Wendy Hu

Lady Antebellum filled fans in on the meaning behind their hits Wednesday night during the sixth annual benefit concert for Musicians On Call at New York’s City Winery. Having volunteered at St. Jude’s in Nashville, Lady A’s Hillary Scott explained how much the non-profit, which brings live music to the bedsides of patients at hospitals, means to the band.

“We’re very excited about helping the cause and raising money,” Hillary tells The Boot. “Music is so healing. Whether you’re in a hospital bed or you’re driving down the road just broken up with your boyfriend, it has such a healing power. What better way than to go into hospitals and equip musicians to sing for these patients who are just looking for a smile?”

Though Lady A have yet to perform at hospitals for Musicians On Call, with a chapter in Nashville, band members Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood say it’s a cause they plan to get involved with. “We’re not curing diseases or anything, but to be able to put a smile on somebody’s face during a tough time can always be a cure as well,” Dave says.

For my complete review of last night’s show, visit The Boot. Stay tuned for my exclusive interviews with Lady Antebellum and Amos Lee in the coming weeks!

Tags Amos Lee, City Winery, Interview, Lady Antebellum, Live, Musicians On Call

News

Save the Date: YSIW’s 3-Year Anniversary Bash November 12

Post author By admin
Post date October 13, 2010

I am beyond excited to announce that my site redesign will be complete next month! Wendy Hu (photographer and designer extraordinaire), Joel Brower (programmer guru) and I are working hard to migrate all the content and have the site fully functioning for my 3-year celebration November 12th at Southpaw in Brooklyn.

Since it’s just under a month away, I’ll be posting less frequently in order to make sure all the content is ready so follow me on Twitter for my up-to-the-minute adventures. With that said, feel free to read through past interviews (on the right sidebar) and I’ll be back from time to time because I can’t stop writing altogether!

I can’t wait for my big bash November 12th. I’ve been putting together shows for the past two years, but this year is by far the most diverse lineup and showcases bands you NEED to know! We have a solid mix of hip-hop, folk, rock and pop artists that I really think you’ll dig. Stay tuned for the official flier and for more info, check out the bands who will be playing below!

Friday, November 12th at Southpaw, Brooklyn (125 5th Ave)

The N Result / Alexa Wilkinson / Tor Miller Band / Whale Belly

18+ w/ ID

admission: $10

door time: 8PM

A portion of the ticket sales will go to the American Cancer Society

Watch Tor Miller Band perform a cover of Ray LaMontagne’s “You Are the Best Thing” at last year’s bash below. Maybe I can make another request for it this year. What do you think? Hope to see you November 12th!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J594jHHttKk]

Tags Alexa Wilkinson, Live, The N Result, Tor Miller Band, Whale Belly, You Sing I Write

Song of the Week Videos

Song of the Week: “Our Kind of Love”

Post author By admin
Post date October 8, 2010

Their third No. 1 single off sophomore release, Need You Now, Lady Antebellum have been making waves in the music scene. Being that I’ll be interviewing them next week and spent the past few days researching and watching old videos, I thought it’d be fitting to make “Our Kind of Love” my song of the week.

If you have any questions you’ve been dying to ask Lady A, let me know in the comments!

Watch “Our Kind of Love” below.

Tags country, Lady Antebellum, Our Kind of Love, Watch

Features First Person

Music As Religion?

Post author By admin
Post date October 7, 2010

For as long as I can remember, I’ve turned to music when questioning life and making major decisions. While some find solace in prayer, going to church or synagogue, I simply go to my iTunes playlist.

Blasphemy?

To some.

For me, not so much. My criteria is simple.

Major life questioning: Switchfoot

Simply unwinding: John Mayer

Nostalgic for my childhood: Backstreet Boys

And my most recent addition:

Sheer disbelief and being thankful: Pat Benatar

For my complete article, visit Busted Halo.

Tags Busted Halo, Freelance, Pat Benatar, Switchfoot

Concert Reviews

Gaslight Anthem at Radio City: A Review

Post author By admin
Post date October 6, 2010

Photo Credit: Tony Cano

New Jersey favorites the Gaslight Anthem packed Radio City Music Hall Thursday night for a marathon set of nearly two hours. While the band showcased songs from their entire catalogue, their gratitude to fans was apparent as frontman Brian Fallon continually thanked fans when he could find the words.

Shortly after 9 p.m. Radio City went dark while “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” played through the speakers. The band took the stage to screaming fans and powered through “High Lonesome,” “Boxer,” “We Came to Dance” and “The Diamond Church Street Choir,” an impressive variety of songs from their three full length albums before Fallon addressed the crowd for the first time.

“Radio City. We started playing in basements. Elvis might even show up. I know we’re in New York, but I imagine New Jersey is represented in the crowd tonight.”

For the complete review, visit BumperShine.

Tags American Slang, Live, New Jersey, Radio City Music Hall, rock, The Gaslight Anthem

Artist of the Week Band of the Week

Band of the Week: MayOrWest

Post author By admin
Post date October 5, 2010

Together since 2005, MayOrWest got their start practicing at guitarist Pete Cataldo’s apartment on Hoboken’s Jackson Street. The four-piece alternative punk rock band has since performed throughout Mile Square City at venues including Maxwell’s and The Dubliner, the location of their first show.

“Our friend bartended there and said he could get us a gig. We only had three original songs, [so I told him] we could play a bunch of covers,” Cataldo said.

The band played nearly 30 songs for three-and-a-half hours. An enjoyable experience, they’ve been performing and recording ever since.

I sat down with the quartet outside Hotel Victor Bar and Grill over beers as they filled me in on their lives as musicians, the inspiration behind their songs and near death van experiences traveling to gigs. Easy-going personalities coupled with a hard work ethic, MayOrWest is one Hoboken act to pay attention to.

For my complete interview, visit Hoboken Patch.

Tags Freelance, Hoboken, Listen, MayOrWest

Videos

Video Premiere: Benjamin Wagner’s “Forever Young”

Post author By admin
Post date October 4, 2010

Last week, I told you how you could be featured in Benjamin Wagner’s latest music video, “Forever Young,” the title track off his new album. Today, he was kind enough to allow me to premiere the video for the song. Watch the video below and if you missed the benefit and CD release concert this past Saturday, be sure to download a copy here.

Tracks on Forever Young include “Rainbow Connection” (with Amber Rubarth), “Golden Slumbers” (with Casey Shea), and “You’ve Got A Friend” (with Mai Bloomfield). Proceeds benefit children’s media research and advocacy.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwtoasaWzZA?fs=1]

For more information on the project and the inspiration behind each song, visit BenjaminWagner.com.

Tags Benjamin Wagner, Forever Young, Video Premiere, Watch

Concert Reviews

Miranda Lambert Kicks Off Revolution Tour

Post author By admin
Post date September 30, 2010
1 Comment on Miranda Lambert Kicks Off Revolution Tour

New York City’s Terminal 5 was packed to capacity Wednesday night for the start of CMT’s ninth annual CMT on Tour, this year featuring Miranda Lambert, Eric Church and Josh Kelley. New Yorkers put on their cowboy boots and hats for the three-hour show and proved that the city that never sleeps has some very ardent country fans. Hats, beer cups and even one girl’s cowboy boot were raised in the air multiple times throughout the evening.

David Nail and Lady Antebellum were spotted in the crowd, as was Josh’s wife, actress Katherine Heigl, who danced along to most of Miranda’s set. On the heels of their Beacon Theater performance, Lady A and David opted to spend an extra night in New York to catch the show before flying to St. Louis to continue their current headlining tour.

The first day of the tour, Miranda confessed she missed sound check and instead spent the night in Nashville to celebrate fiancé Blake Shelton’s induction into the Grand Ole Opry.

For the complete review, visit The Boot.

Tags CMT, country, Eric Church, Freelance, Josh Kelley, Live, Miranda Lambert

News

“Forever Young” For the Young and Young at Heart

Post author By admin
Post date September 29, 2010

On Saturday, Benjamin Wagner will release Forever Young, a 10-track album of cover songs and collaborations with some of New York’s finest musicians. The collection of songs, which include two Bob Dylan hits, connect to his childhood and were inspired by the birth of his daughter, Maggie. This weekend, Wagner and friends will debut the tracks at Rockwood Music Hall during two benefit performances Saturday at 3 and 8pm.

Tracks on Forever Young include “Rainbow Connection” (with Amber Rubarth), “Golden Slumbers” (with Casey Shea), and “You’ve Got A Friend” (with Mai Bloomfield). Saturday’s benefit show will include performances by Chris Abad, Jamie Leonhart, Casey Shea, Bryan Dunn, Emily Easterly, Tony Maceli, James Williams and more. Proceeds will be donated to organizations like Fred Rogers Center and Campaign for Commercial Free Childhood in support of their efforts towards advancing early learning and children’s media.

Next week, You Sing I Write will premiere the music video for title track, “Forever Young” and you can be a part of it! Simply upload a big, non-compressed image of yourself as a baby or toddler on Facebook by Saturday for a chance to be featured in the video. For more information on the project and the inspiration behind each song, visit BenjaminWagner.com.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brnuOlziaHM?fs=1]

Tags Benjamin Wagner, Forever Young

Band of the Week Concert Reviews

Band of the Week: The Boxer Rebellion

Post author By admin
Post date September 28, 2010

Currently on their first American headlining tour, The Boxer Rebellion have been impressing audiences with their atmospheric rock. With soaring guitar interludes, foot-thumping percussion and frontman Nathan Nicholson’s emotion-fueled vocals, the band captivated all in attendance during their show Saturday at The Bell House.

Performing just over an hour, the UK-based band showcased tracks off their albums, Exits and Union as well as debuted new material from their upcoming 2011 release. The first unsigned band in history to break into the Billboard Top 200 Charts with a digital only release, you can expect to hear much more from The Boxer Rebellion soon.

Currently featured in the film, “Going the Distance” with Drew Barrymore and Justin Long, Nicholson and guitarist Todd Howe confessed in an interview before their set that a lot more women have been showing up to their gigs, not that they mind.

“It’s good to be back in New York…in Brooklyn I should say. I don’t want any people to get pissed off,” Nicholson told the crowd after playing “Evacuate.”

With vocals that bring to mind U2’s Bono and arena friendly musical accompaniment, it’s easy to picture The Boxer Rebellion in a stadium setting. Hard to believe they remain unsigned, their American tour promises to be a success. Both lead guitarist Howe and Nicholson command the stage while bassist Adam Harrison and drummer Piers Hewitt flush out the sound. Throughout their set, the band transitioned from slower ballads to more rock centric numbers effortlessly. In fact, on some tracks each member could be found pounding away on some form of percussion.

Tracks like “Semi-Automatic” slowed down their set with solid instrumental interludes while others, like “Soviets” were a welcomed surprise. Switching gears from electric to acoustic guitar, Nicholson told the crowd that the song is “a kind of country song if there were such a song in our repertoire.”

While the girls were most excited to hear tracks from “Going the Distance” performed, the band managed to please all in attendance. Whether it was the females nearing close to the stage or the men back towards the soundboard nodding along, The Boxer Rebellion satisfied during their gig in Brooklyn. Lucky fans who stayed until the very end of their set enjoyed dancing and singing along with Nicholson when he jumped off the stage for last song of the night, “Watermelon.”

For more on The Boxer Rebellion, be sure to visit them on MySpace and watch a video of Saturday’s show here. Stay tuned for my exclusive interview and concert footage.

Tags Live, The Bell House, The Boxer Rebellion