Jane Lui @ Rockwood Tonight!

We're in for a Monday night treat with Jane Lui! She'll be performing at 10PM at Rockwood Music Hall, NYC. Here's my first post about Jane. Hope all you music fans can drop by!

Elton John - free concert!

DATE: April 20, 2011
TIME: 5PM
LOCATION: North Cove of World Financial Center (North of Chambers)
PRICE: Free. Wristbands will be distributed at 4PM. First come first serve.

One of the most beloved musicians and pianist of all time, will be opening for the Tribeca Film Festival with a free concert! Link here for more information. Good luck!!!

Fail...

So a # of posts ago, I mentioned that I was excited to be able to see Jackson Tyler Hunt play in NYC! I was all pumped to go to his 11 PM performance on a Wednesday night, even though I had work at 9 AM the next day! I drank coffee like it was from the Fountain of Youth. Went to Barnes and Noble to pass the time. Got an onigiri (rice triangle) and ate it while walking in the park!! By 9 PM I was DONE. I couldn't...just couldn't stay up any longer. I was a sleep delinquent the days before and I should've known better =.=

By 10 PM I was home...

So sorry that I missed out! Sigh. I'll have to wait 'til next time. But who knows when that will be? Sometimes these moments come around like shooting stars! Ah, I will continue to follow this young and enthusiastic musician. On another note, I felt a whole lot better today and got some artichoke pizza in Chelsea with some crazies but besties. So creamy and crunchy and yummy...drool...

Drake and Robot

It's nice to see and hear famous people use their names to make their audience aware of certain matters...even if it's done in weirdly ways...

The clip below, from Funny or Die, shows Drake getting disturbed by a suspicious robot. And the only reasonable thing to do is to punch its lights out!! Down it goes!

The message this is trying to get across? "Be a real man. Real men don't buy girls." Yeah, I still don't know where the robot comes from but it definitely got a few giggles out of me, hehe. Oh, how you make the ladies swoon, Drake. Besides that observation, I am very happy to see Drake participate in this campaign (headed by Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher - www.demiandashton.org) against child sex slavery. This atrocity does not only occur in third world countries. It happens here in the U.S. as well. There is an estimated 12 million men, women and children, across the globe, who are sold into sexual slavery. About 300,000 of these souls, are in the U.S. There are things that you can do to help. But the most important thing (if not anything else) is to be in the know and also educate others about this. Thanks!

The next Piano Man - Jackson Tyler Hunt

Wow. Once I saw Jackson Hunt's face on his site (www.reverbnation.com/jacksonhunt) all I could think of was, "He wants to be Billy Joel?" A lover of the piano, Mr. Hunt has his own definition of what pop music is. He has the "stuff" to go the boy band route, though. But his bio states that he wants to follow in the footsteps of past piano greats like Elton John and Billy Joel, aka Piano Man. Currently, in his young career, he sounds more like Boys like Girls.

I can totally see him sing, "Throw it away, forget yesterday, we'll make the great escape!!"

This Missouri native is on the Reverbnation website, which supports indie music, musicians, venues, etc all in the name of music. It's also the only website (meaning no Youtube!) that has his songs available. Browse around it when you get a chance...after listening to Jackson's song, of course. His song, "Dance, Dance" is currently #3 on their chart! I'm excited to see what else he has in store for us.

Fortunately, for me, Jackson will be performing in NYC this week! He is scheduled to perform on April 13, at 11 PM at Banjo Jim's (700 9th Street, NY, NY). I'll have to go check it out. More reviews and pictures to come. Hope to see some of y'all there!

Listen Honey, to the Hot Sardines

There used to be a time when flapper dresses, feathers and fedoras were a part of casual everyday wear and not just reserved for Halloween. That time is lovingly nicknamed, the Roaring 20s. This decade also gave us such greats as Charlie Chaplin, Louis Armstrong, Josephine Baker, Harry Houdini, Duke Ellington and Babe Ruth! Life was certainly not any simpler back then (it was also prohibition era), but I'm sure it was plenty of fun with these types of talents.

Coincidentally, I've been looking on and off to see where I can enjoy some songs from this jazz age, live! Yes, I know there are speakeasies. But most of them are so secretive and exclusive that I probably can't get in with my ity bity list of credentials. But what d'ya know. My commute home helped me get my answer. I was in my usual mad rush (out of habit) when I stopped short in my tracks. I was stumped and had to stop and listen...amongst the tourists!

Time stopped for a mere few minutes when I saw The Hot Sardines performing in the station. Wow. In my great desire to find out the band's name, I walked back and forth and weaved through a few immobile listeners (can't really blame them, though) to get a mere glimpse of their logo standing upright on the station floor. Love the name. It is especially appropriate for rush hour commuters taking the trains.

This is hot jazz at it's best (at least in NYC). It's very New Orleans a.k.a. Dixieland. All you need is some friends, dancing shoes and whiskey. Even if it's in the subway station. The Hot Sardines are composed of: Evan Palazzo, Elizabeth Bougerol, Jason Prover, Peter Anderson, Justin Hines, and tap dancer, Eddy Francisco. Elizabeth has a strong and crisp voice which is also a match made in heaven for these songs. It will give you chills and make you want to dance...with Eddy! They sing jazz standards such as, "Everybody Loves My Baby," and "Dinah." These Sardines know how to give the originals a run for their money! Let's try to catch them the next time they're in NYC, shall we? Check them out at their website here: www.hotsardines.com/#.

Paper Cranes 2011

This past weekend, a bunch of my dear friends gathered at my place to fold cranes! We're sending them to the Student Rebuild/Bezos Family Foundation, which will donate $2 for Japan's reconstruction efforts for every crane received.

Our final count after the party is 257! We're with you, Japan.

Rammstein in NJ - May 2011!

Well, she did it again. My friend "Y," has somehow convinced me to go with her to watch the most famous German hard metal band from the other side of the Atlantic, Rammstein. Again. Not that I'm upset or anything. Just curious as to the set of events that lead to this, lol.

We will be at the Izod Center bopping our heads bedsides other metal heads and gearing ourselves for the pyrotechnics that the band so loves.

Rammstein formed in 1994 and has had the same line up ever since. Talk about commitment! They named themselves after the German town, Rammstein-Miesenbach, the site of one of the biggest air show disasters in history. About 70 people died and hundreds were injured. Yup.

Critics are usually divided on their music. Some say they are intense and brutal and encourages...bad stuff. They've had to defend themselves when some said criminals and terrorists were listening to their music. But others say that they are actually humorous and nothing but good entertainment. It's how you, as a listener, translates it. Well, of course.

Rammstein hasn't played in North America for almost 10 years. Part of that is due to the fact that they were banned. And my first time watching them was also their first return to North America. It was...actually quite the experience!

Oh Land, Oh My

This is absolutely not fair. I mean, sure there are beautiful people and talented people, but how many people have both!? Well, Nanna Øland Fabricius has GOT BOTH. Wow wee. This Denmark native goes by her stage name, Oh Land. At first, I thought her name probably has some indie meaning/twist to it. Oops. Don't assume! Oh Land's self titled album came out in March 2011. I was watching late night (shocking) a while ago and saw her perform live. Freaking mesmerized.

Her future hit (because it's that good), "Sun of a Gun," showcases her vocal talent and her destiny as a pop star. I'd group her songs with La Roux and Shiny Toy Guns and her beauty with Heidi Klum and Jamie King. Seriously. She's going to hit the big time in no time. I just hope her style doesn't change much for the corporate machines. Here's hoping.

Check out her FREE shows in New York this week!

Charles Bank Gallery
196 Bowery Street
March 29th to April 1st
Doors open at 8PM
Show starts at 8:30 PM
Space is limited!

BACK!

Oy. So where was I?? Oh, yes. Playing on the soft pink sands and breath-taking waters of the Atlantic. Ahhhhhh. And now back to reality, sigh. Here's a few pictures from my trip to Bermuda. I wish I had more time to enjoy these wonders! Be back soon!

DJ on the Subway

Gosh. The last thing anyone wants to think about after a long night is HOW LONG it's going to take to get home. I had to get a frappachino to assist me in my journey. Then my friend and I hopped on the subway in hopes of getting home at a decent time. It was a weeknight, after all.

Halfway through my trip, after my friend got off at her stop, I heard, "Sorry, I'm just being nosy." I turn around and see a woman all up in my neighboring commuter's business. She looked a little too happy. I'm thinking she had one too many happy hours that night! But I end up looking at his business, too. This guy was mixing on a turntable on his netbook! I see LMFAO, Usher, Lupe Fiasco, Korean music and SO MUCH MORE on his list. The DJ was gracious enough to hand her one of his earphones to listen to him mixing. He was more than excited to share, actually. The lady and her friend were having a ball! So was the rest of the train that looked on, haha. Then the party had to stop because DJ arrived at his destination. Sigh. Fun times, though.

Even for a mere moment, on a sleepy subway, in the midst of a Wednesday night, music can still take us away.

Japan - Earthquake~Tsunami

Waking up to news like this, puts your life in perspective. I have placed the people affected by this disaster in my thoughts. I hope Japan will be able to make a quick recovery. I hope that all loved ones will be able to find one another. Because in the end, that's all we care about.

Kisses - Keeps Us Warm ;)

The first thing I thought of, on this cold New York City day, was why did I NOT wear an extra layer?! Brr. After hopping onto the subway, I frantically searched for my ipod. I knew exactly what I wanted to listen to. All I wanted was Kisses!! Ah. Much better.

This L.A. duo first made their appearance in my life at the CMJ Marathon during the fall of 2010. Jesse Kivel takes reign of the vocals, while his girlfriend, Zinzi Edmundson, holds down the (very heavily synth) keyboards. I was hanging out in a corner at "The Studio" waiting for the cold Friday night to whittle away when Kisses took the stage. The first few notes caught me for the rest of their gig. As I watched and listened, I was flooded with memories of kisses from the warm summer breeze that gently touches my skin as I walked along the streets...without a care in the world. Makes you happy, dance and ready to fall in love. Just what I needed for my commute this morning!

Jesse's voice can reach impressively low octaves and remain very sweet and sensual at the same time. Wow. Kisses got a good thing going for them. They're an upbeat love story between 80s band, A-Ha and 90s band, Ace-of-Base. Seriously.

Their newest single, Midnight Lover, sounds similar to their older song, Bermuda. The lyrics are pretty interesting. They have quite a way with words to get a story across. Nevertheless, I still very much like them both. It's like saying Sarah McLachlan's songs sound similar. It's just their signature style.

Off to Bermuda!

Ray LaMontagne

His music is straight out of the 70s and what you would expect to come on the radio after "You've Got a Friend" and "American Pie". His voice is raspy and emotional like James Morrison. But the beard is all Ray.

When I'm listening to Ray Lamontagne's songs, I feel like I'm looking up and down the street, from Kevin Arnold's front porch on a hot summer's day. Basking in the satisfaction of drinking an ice cold lemonade, made by his mom, as a treat for us after a hard day's play at the school's playground. Ah, those were the days.

By the way, Ray Lamontagne is also a recent Grammy winner(!) for the Best Contemporary Folk album named, God Willin' and the Creek Don't Rise. Congrats! Yeah, I don't think he performed that night...

Ray grew up in New England and attended high school in (reluctantly) Moscow. He started his career back in 1999, playing in local indie bars. Since around 2005, his music started to appear in many movies and television series. Not too shabby. =)

Here's one of my favorite songs of his, Forever My Friend.

PS 22's Stellar Oscar Performance 2011

I am still gushing over P.S. 22's version of "Over the Rainbow"!! I must say it was the best performance of the whole show. So was Colin Firth's acceptance speech. And not much else...
I was so afraid of Anne Hathaway at the end of the performance when she gave the kids high tens. It looked like she would've pushed them off the stage with all the "woo"-ing bubbly force she was using!

Anyways, great job kids and Mr. B! Great job! Made us so very proud =D