Grammys 2011

Shall we discuss how Eminem got jipped? Or maybe not because it's too heartbreaking for me. But he was still so grateful of the awards he received. I enjoyed his Recovery album. Arcade Fire? Really?? But let's be fair.I haven't heard all of their songs and I'm guessing they at least deserve airplay since they also got nominated!


I loved Bruno Mars and his doo-wop performances with B.o.B. and got SO FREAKING EXCITED when I saw Janelle Monae on stage!! AHHHHHH!!! Artists like her deserve to be heard. I love that she still keeps her style. The un-Snooki poof, the suspenders and energy. Woo! Of course, I had to see this on the internet because I was still making my way home from snowboarding in Vermont =D And I might've gained a few bruises here and there.
But coming home to Eminem's performance made it all better.
Rihanna and Drake's duet of "What's My Name" was just hot. That's it. Though, I'd prefer to listen to Rihanna on record rather than live =/ But, yes, again, Eminem brought down the house. I'm not biased XD

And the big ol' catchy performance of the night belongs to Eminem, Skyler Grey and Dr. Dre. Stage full of talent (as Eminem sings his love song to Dre)! When Skyler sang "I need a doctor..." I just thought, "Wow, she sounds so familiar yet I don't recognize the name". After a little help from my friend, Google, BAM! Skyler Grey = Holly Brook. Years ago, Holly was the guest singer to Fort Minor's track, "Where'd You Go." I'm also a fan of her track, "Blood and Honey."

I can't explain the name change. It maybe for a new beginning. We all have chapters in our lives we want to close and open. Or it could be a simpler explanation, haha. Anyways, if you want to get into the masses, you perform everywhere. And the Grammys ain't a bad start. As of last night, I'm sure her name became one of the top searches on the internet. Alrighty, time for me to peace out for now. BBL!

Hi!

Whoops. Where have I been?

Sorry about the lack of (or none at all!) new posts! Just been busy this new year, vacation and then celebrating another new year! Happy Rabbit Year! May this year be filled with luck, prosperity and happiness for y'all!

New Year

For the new year, there's nothing that explains how I feel more than this song! Yes, it's from Glee, but how can you DENY how good this is!?
For my friends and family from the old year to this new one, you can always stand under my umbrella, ella, ella. For what awaits me in the new year, no matter good or bad, I'll always be holding onto the glorious feeling that will keep me singing in the rain and laughing at the clouds so dark up above ;)
And as always, I wish y'all much laughter and joy!

Happy 2011!

To Y'all,

If you couldn't WAIT until 2010 was over with, may this year find you more joy, happiness, success and love!!! For those who had a wonderful 2010, may this year give you even more!

XOXO,

Shirl =*)

Ruth on Craig

Some time a few nights ago, I spent my late hours with one of my favorite men, Craig Ferguson, hehe. I love his bunny puppet, too. I'm easily amused. Anywho, his musical guest, Ruth Gerson, was absolutely amazing. Stopped me in my tracks! She has to be one of the best vocalists I've ever heard. She has the look of Sheryl Crow and Tori Amos. But she is vocally much stronger and more mellow with her heart tugging lyrics about life that anyone who's "living" can relate to. Her music is alternative, pop rock, indie, jazz...I think that's about it. And then I looked her up. This Princeton grad made her first CD back in 1997. She was once listed as the second best vocalists in the Italian magazine, Buscadero. Ruth has been working on music since she graduated from Princeton and has also taught there. Why is someone like this not more famous...than Justin Bieber for goodness sakes!? Oy. This should be on iTunes. Ruth is now based in California. Her latest CD, "This Can't Be My Life," came out on July 20th, 2010. Check her out here! www.RuthGerson.com

Buon Natale!

Well, I see that my last entry was from...the last holiday! Hahaha...ahem. =)
Anywho, hope EVERYONE'S holiday season was full of fun, food, love and joy!!
After Thanksgiving, I made my way towards Italia! I can't wait to go back!! Firenze (Florence, but it sounds so much cooler in Italiano)was my favorite. Please go visit this Tuscan city when you get a chance. It's so beautiful and relaxing.

While in Rome, my campagni and I had to take the subway to get to our destinations. In every station, the radio/music was playing to keep commuters company. I'm pretty sure it was some sort of station like Z100 because I heard Katy Perry, Bruno Mars, Eminem, etc! I don't know why there wasn't any Italian pop. Just curious. Well, here's some of my pictures =) Be back soon!








Happy Holidays everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! As much as I am thankful for all the food that my family and I are going to stuff ourselves with today, I am even more thankful for everything good and bad in my life that has made me who I am. I am always excited to see what awaits me around the bend. I hope that you feel the same about yours. Because life is a WILD ride. This is for y'all!

Veterans' Day

Today is Veterans' Day. Thanks, to all of them =)

CMJ @ Bowery Ballroom, on a lovely Wed night

8:30 PM at the Bowery Ballroom. I was aching for my pillow. Way. Too. Sleepy. It was my fault for not sleeping earlier the night before. Hey, laundry day/night is very important. Don't come to me whining when you are down to your last unmentionables. Wednesday is also quite possibly the first time that I've sat at a bar and refused to get any alcohol. EVER. I was that tired. Crazy things have been happening in my life lately. So I guess I shouldn't be too shocked by this. That's what life is. A whole shocking shock of shocks!!

8:36 PM I had the darnedest idea who or what was playing. Good thing I took a picture! A few months ago, I signed up to volunteer for the annual CMJ (College Music Journal) Music Festival. The Festival is a convention for new, indie labeled, unsigned, signed bands to showcase themselves on the stages around NYC. Every night there's about 3/4 groups performing at all the venues listed for the CMJ festival. So you'll get a load of exposure for the $15-$20 you'll have to pay at the door. Or a whopping $250+ for the CMJ pass for the whole week! Yeah. I've been going to one/two shows the last few years. I've always had a great experience. But this year I volunteered instead XD


So, I was lucky to get assigned to Bowery Ballroom because I knew that you can hear the music at the entrance/bar area where I'd be working, anyways. But goodness. Lack of sleep, heavy music and a bar DO NOT MIX WELL. Remember that, kiddos.

Bad Books was the "show" of the night. Everyone who came in was making sure they were there for them. I even saw one of the band member's whole family come. Now that's sweet. Why Bad Books? I can't really explain the name. But it's memorable enough. I was excited to hear them, in part because the band before them were...interesting. Right Away, Great Captain! O.o I was anxious for them to be over. It was just a mess of music. Then I realized it's because their music is very tender and slow. Like Jack Johnson. And it was putting me to sleep. It seems more meant for a coffee bar/lounge place rather than the Ballroom. No hate. Just wasn't the right atmosphere. But I really like their song, "Love Come Save Me." I wish they'd do something with that name. "Oh, what's your band's name?" "Well, it's 'Right Away, Gre-'" "ZZzzzZZ."



RAGH is headed by the lead singer of Manchester Orchestra, Andy Hull. Their first album, "The Bitter End" was released in 2007. Latest, "The Big Bad Devil and Great Good God," was released this year.

Andy Hull is ALSO one of the lead singers of "Bad Books"! Two gigs, one night. Nice. The band is also lead by Kevin Devine, who is also a member of the Manchester Orchestra. I see them as an indie version of Snow Patrol(song - Chasing Cars). And definitely more mellow. I didn't think that it was possible to be more mellow than Snow Patrol. Bad Books only formed at the beginning of this year, and are getting a lot of buzz already. The band released their first and self-titled album on October 19, 2010. You can get their singles for free from their Facebook page. I ended the night with some pretzels and a cab ride home. Woo!

Introducing the Sultry Jane Lui

So, I was browsing on Yelp this past weekend and came across the events page. Then, I saw FREE CONCERT. I like free stuff =D

I looked up Jane Lui's site and it was sooo quaint and cute! Kind of like florals. Jane was born in Hong Kong but raised in sunny California. You can tell by her personality that she's from the West Coast. Very sunny. There's also Youtube clips of her singing covers and her own songs. Anyone who sings a rendition of Ducktales is awesome in my book! I'd compare her voice and style to Sara Bareilles, but more adventurous and sexy. If you have a chance, download her latest CD, Goodnight Company, for FREE at www.JaneLui.com. The physical disc will be available in January. I don't get how that works. But, hey! It's all good.




The free concert was at the right time and place for me to go, too. After a hard day of Monday's work, I ventured down to Rockwood Music Hall in LES. When I walked in, the hostess told me that they were sold out of tickets. "But Jane Lui's site said there was no cover." Hostess says, " Well, maybe it's free to stand by." Um, ok. "There's a free performance in our lounge next door. You can wait there and come back later to see if anyone dropped out." So I go next door to this great looking (but teeny) lounge. And I see Jane Lui getting ready on stage! Apparently the hostess was manning the door for Karen Elson. I mean, how silly of me to not spell out Jane Lui's name for her. Because obviously Karen Elson and Jane Lui sound so much alike.

Anyways, Jane played some of her old and new songs. She has a very strong, deep and sultry voice. Those Youtube clips does her no justice. You HAVE to see her LIVE! She's quite the comedian, too. She can entertain the crowd AND tune her instruments at the same time. Quite the multi-tasker, haha. Her songs are great if you're in a sort of melancholy mood. Just right for the bar lounge. Check her out! Again, her new CD Goodnight Company is FREE to download!

Darn-song-playing-in-my-head of the Week, Like a G6. Literally.

It takes quite some effort to keep a driver awake after a day of zip lining and jumping from tree to tree up by the Catskills. But we did it indeed and got home to our beds safe and soundly, haha. One of the many techniques to accomplish this, is to sing your FREAKIN heart out no matter how bad you are. Or talk about something smelly in your fridge. Not mine. Since Lady Gaga has been overplayed to death, the radio stations decided to move on to something just as good and perform the same overkill as well. But might as well enjoy it before it becomes a dead horse. And now it's stuck in my head, for who knows how long. "Now I'm feeling so fly, like a G6. Like a G6, like a G6."

This is by Far East Movement, a Los Angeles based quartet that encompasses hip-hop, pop and dance music. They are possibly one of the first Asian musicians(sorry, Utada) to hit it big on the music billboards! Yes, yes, I know it's the music that matters. I'm just glad that their songs are such big hits now. And hoping they don't fall into the one-hit-wonder category. It's catchy, poppy and will go pretty far. Last week, "Like A G6" was #2 on Billboard Top 100. Well, I guess it did go far. Congrats! Watch out for their next single, which is free this week on iTunes: "Don't Look Now ft. Keri Hilson." Far East Movement's first album Free Wired dropped yesterday(10/12/10)!

Imogen, hey old friend.

The last time I've heard Imogen's music was a sampling of one of her songs in Jason Derulo's "Whatcha Say." Yes, I really like his song as well. It took a long time to tell people that the catchy hook was from Miss Heap! That was a tad annoying. But as long as people enjoyed the music, I guess. And frankly, I think the mass public does not have the patience to listen to the actual song, "Hide and Seek." I'm drinking my salted hot caramel chocolate(!) at Starbucks as I listen to this song. It's slow, like she's talking to you and expects you to listen to every one of her words. The song is just beautiful.

I was at a photography event last night that was celebrating the winners and runner ups of an annual photography book contest. Do they know how to throw a party or what. Open bar and endless shrimp! Anyways, one of the books I picked up showcased artists (musicians, actors, artists, etc.) in their own comfort. On these pages, i saw Janelle Monae, some of the cast of "Heroes" (I loved it before the series whacked out), and Imogen Heap. It's like being reminded of an old friend. Her words and songs were my comfort through some rough times and also now, while I'm in good times.

"Say Goodnight and Go".

Trombone Shorty on CNN

AHHHHHH!! That's my reaction when I saw Trombone Shorty's interview (<= link) on the homepage of CNN, earlier today. I'm sooooo excited that Shorty has been getting more and more exposure since my last post about him. I hope you get to know him soon, too! This N'awlins native plays a mean trombone and has a voice that swoons the ladies. Finally, a young musician that's up and coming based on his talent and not as a manufactured auto-tuned Ken doll.

Colbie Tonight!

Thanks to my dear friend P, I'm going to see Colbie Caillat tonight! She got free tickets! Yes, I know Jay-Z and Eminem have they're thing going on at Yankee Stadium also tonight(!!!). Did I mention free?
Here's one of my favs from Colbie.



UPDATE (Afterwards)
So this was actually a recording for her "Live" DVD. Colbie was awesome. She sings GREAT live and is so beautiful! We had to sit through a few retakes, though. The experience was...interesting, haha. Her band mate, Justin Young, has a big part in helping her write songs and filling in for Jason Mraz's part when singing "Lucky." But goodness, it is sooo obvious how hard Colbie is crushing on him, ooOOoO. But hey, he is hot, talented and native of Hawaii. It seems that he's looking into doing some solo stuff after Colbie's tour is over, though. Justin is definitely one to keep an eye out for. And according to my friend, her own future husband, haha.
When we were getting seated, I saw this 10 year old boy asking a staff to promise to give his present to Colbie. The boy was so sweet and had so much joy in his face when the staff said she promised. During a break in between songs, the boy screamed out, "Colbie, did you get my teddy bear?" "Tyler? Is that you? Yes, sweetie. Thanks =)" I think that just melted Tyler's heart! It was definitely a sweet thing to see. Maybe because I'm a girl, lol.

Oak & Gorski - Cello Rock

This past weekend my friends and I gorged ourselves with fresh oysters and all sorts of seafood until our stomachs (but mainly our wallets) told us to stop. We were enjoying the beautiful weather and being in the presence of other foodies at Asbury Park's Oysterfest! It's a good way to round off the summer. =D

On the car ride back, one of my friends asked if we've heard of Ken Oak. She's a big fan and wanted us to check him out...after we recover.

Ken Oak, cellist and singer, started his journey after he graduated from music school in 2001. He met Ed Gorski (at a Halloween party!) a few years down the road and both have been playing together since 2004. This 2-man band has played in (also their hometown) L.A.'s Street Promenade for years. Ken Oak and Ed Gorski started out as the Ken Oak Band. But after their first album, the band changed to Oak & Gorski (<= link). Their songs are very mellow pop rock. A bit of Daughtry, a lot of Lifehouse and some parts Apocalyptica (another strings band!) with the seriousness of the hair. Oak & Gorski has been making their way through college campus gigs and from their schedule, are headed to Singapore for the next few weeks! Ken and Ed's efforts and dedication to the band didn't come easy. But let their blog tell you.

One of my favorite songs from them is Analog Girl. The video above is Summer's Kiss. Maybe I can request them to play in NY. Oak & Gorski's next and third album as a duo, Love Destroyer, comes out December 2010. Enjoy!