Dry the River

Dry the River

[Jon Warren (Drums), Scott Miller (Bass/ Glockenspiel), Peter Liddle (Vocals/ Guitar), Matthew Taylor (Guitar/ Keys/ Vocals), Will Harvey (Violin/ Mandolin/ Viola) ]

Dry the River's Website

-Played shows with Two Door Cinema, & Deer Tick

-Booked to play End of the Road (Music Festival in England)

-London Band

-Song Writer Peter gets his inspiration to write music from what he studied in College (Medicine & Anthropology).

-3 Track EP available on their Website. Click Here.

-Numerous comparisons to Mumford & Sons.

-Influence include: Paul Simon, Van Morrison, Modest Mouse & Neil Young

Songs to Listen to: Coast, History Book, Bible Belt (Below)

Downloadable MP3 of Dry the River's History Book, Click here!

Conclusion: I fell in love instantly after hearing Bible Belt. With only a few songs to offer at this point, Dry the River is definitely a band to look out for in 2011. It sorta reminds me of Dallas Green mixed in with The Morning Benders and Mumford & Sons. Their music is completely enchanting and paints a beautiful picture of their lives. What I like best about them is the way the music makes me feel. Listen to them and Download their EP off their website...Also check out their Black Cab Session, CLICK HERE. You will not regret it!

Museum of Bellas Artes

The Museum of Bellas Artes

[Alice (vocals), Leo (Producer), Joanna (vocals)]

Check out their Myspace here!

-Stolkholm, Sweden

-Influences include: Four Tet, Joy Division, & The Cocteau Twins

-They are currently touring Europe

-No shows posted in Toronto

-Label: Force Majeure (Check out their other artists, super cool stuff there. Click Here!)

___There isn't much information out there about these guys, but from what I can tell, they seem like good company. I read this interview posted on Neu Magazine and it really opened a window into what inspires them to make music. They had them choose albums that reflect their musical interests and it really shows their wide range of taste. From the looks of it, they seem like a very psychedelic, harmonious, & synthesizer kinda band... and I'm liking it! What really got the UK population looking at them though was their cover of Who do you Love? by The Sapphires, and It's great. Check it out, CLICK HERE.

Songs to Listen to: Who do you Love, Painted Wall, Days ahead (Posted Below)

Free Downloadable MP3 of Museum of Bellas Artes - Days Ahead, CLICK HERE!

Conclusion: They are lots of fun! Very Saturday Night Live meets Cut Copy.... Interesting combination of sounds from bird calls to synth cowbells?? It's a cereal of cosmic fun... Some blogs have mentioned that they just might be another swedish pop trio... but I have faith in these guys to continue to make good and appreciated music ... but we'll see.

Video Footage of my experiences at The Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes shoe

Video Footage of my Concert Experience at Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros.

OHHHHHH, I COULD DIE!

Jesse Magallanes Top 50 Songs of the Year!

_Alright, so you're probably wondering... who's this Jesse guy? Well, he just so happens to be my best friend! He's amazing. Not only that, he has one of the best taste in fun dance/ house/ electro and misc music. Once Jesse tells me a song he likes is good, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that it's good. So here it is, Jesses TOP 50 Songs of the Year! (Note: Songs did not all come out in 2010 they are just his favourites of the year.) Enjoy! I know you will.

Click Songs to Listen!

Jesse Magallanes' Top 50 Songs of 2010!

50. Vampire Weekend - California English
49. Caravan Palace- Suzy
48. Dj Kaio- The Best F%!& the rest
47. Far East Movement- Like a G6
46. Sebastien Leger- Balkamaniac
45. Bjork- Hunter
44. Designer Drugs- Back up in the this (Cold Blank Remix)
43. Caribou- Odessa
42. Florence and the Machine- Dog Days are Over
41. Bingo Players v.s Chocolate Puma- Touch Me
40. Lykke Li- Dance Dance Dance (Buraka Som Sistema Mix)
39. Round Table Knights- Cut to the Top
38. Sia- Bring Night
37. DJ Mujava- Township Funk (Sinden Remix)
36. Muse- City of Delusion
35. Visti & Meyland- Yes Ma'am (Trentemoller remix)
34. Vampire Weekend- White Sky
33. Brandon Flowers- Only the Young (Roger Sanchez Remix)
32. Noisettes- Don't Upset the Rhythm (Kissy sell out Remix)
31. Hauswerks- Clockwerks
30. Bjork- Hyperballad
29. Fever Ray- Seven (The Twelves Remix)
28. Gigi Barocco- Think about the way (Spencer and Hill Remix)
27. Luke Dzierzak- Echo (Dahlback Remix)
26. The Dance Inc- The Boy Who
25. Vampire Weekend- Taxi Cab
24. Crystal Castles- Celestica
23. Shakira- Waka Waka
22. La Roux- Quicksand (Boy 8-bit Remix)
21. M.A.N.D.Y v.s Bookashade- Donut
20. Steve Aoki & Bloody Beetroots- Warp I.9
19. Laidback Luke & Diplo- Hey! (Autoerotique Remix)
18. The Temper Traps- Sweet Disposition (Axwell and Dirty South Remix)
17. Morgan Page feat. Lissie- Longest Road (DeadMau5 Remix)
16. Yolanda BeCool & DCup- We speak No Americano
15. Massive Attack- Paradise Circus (Gui Boratto Remix)
14. Fake Blood- I think I like it
13. D-Bag feat. Naan- Milk (Gigi Barocco Remix)
12. Crystal Castles- Vietnam
11. The Kills- Cheap and Cheerful (Fake Blood Remix)

TOP 10
10. Vampire Weekend- Diplomat Son
9. Spencer and Hill - Cool (Afrojack Remix)
8. Boy 8-bit- Baltic Pine (Run Hide Survive Remix) [The Circus song]
7. The Knife- Pass this on (Dahlback Remix)
6. Edward Maya & Vika Jigulina- Stereo Love
5. The XX- Basic Space (Astronamer's Remix)
4. Florence and the Machine- Cosmic Love
3. Droplet- NROTB (Autoerotique Remix)
2. Afrojack Feat. Eva Simons- Take Over Control

FAVOURITE SONG OF 2010
1. Lykke Li- Little Bit (Autoerotique)

Thank you Jesse Magallanes for sharing this with us!

Follow Jesse on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/JesseMagallanes

My Top 10 Christmas Songs Right Now

_____Christmas is just around the corner, so I thought it would be appropriate to compile a list of awesome "get me in the spirit" Christmas Music! :D With the help of my friend Jordan Angus, here is what we came up with!

AMANDA'S Top 10 Christmas Songs (No Order)

Florence & The Machine - Last Christmas (mp3) / Listen now

Hard not to love Florence rendition of anything.

Julian Casablancas - I Wish it was Christmas Today (mp3) Listen now

Julian performed this when I saw him on tour for his solo project in May... I still love it.

Coldplay - Christmas Lights (mp3) Listen now

Just newly released, typical Colplay song, never the less catchy!

5OH - Home Alone (mp3) Listen now (unfortunately not the whole mp3)

DUBSTEP MEETS CHRISTMAS!

Deer Tick - Christmas All Summer Long (mp3) No youtube link available

It's good fun, worth downloading if you're a fan!

Fine Frenzy - Winter Wonderland (mp3) Listen now

Sweet.

Ravonettes - The Christmas Song (mp3) Listen now

Always a classic around this time. Almost enjoyable all year round in my opinion .... haha

Lady Gaga - Christmas Tree (mp3) Listen now

She can make holy water sound slutty if she wanted...annddd make it a hit.

Zoey Deschanel (Elf) - Baby it's Cold Outside (mp3) Listen now

Aww Zoey >

Kanye West - Christmas in Harlem (mp3) No youtube link available

Just came out Dec 15!!

Idiot Glee - White Christmas (mp3) No youtube link available

It's mellow and great! mmmm :)

Now Enjoy some Christmas Lights synced to Daft Punk.

Beach House

Beach House

Twitter /Myspace/ Website

Alex Scally (Baltimore /Vocals + Guitar+ Keyboard) & Victoria Legrand (French/Vocals + Organ)

-Started in 2004

-Toured with Grizzly Bear, Cat Power, & Vampire Weekend

-Produced by Chris Coady, who also did TV on the Radio, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Blonde Redhead

"Despite its summery name, Beach House creates music that is dark, dreamy, and alluringly hypnotic."

-ALLMUSIC

"perfect soundtrack for wintertime solitude."

-Paste Magazine

Songs to Listen to: Zebra, & Walk in the Park (Below)

Free Downloadable MP3 of Walk in the Park, Click here!

Conclusion: Already at the first stages of my obsession over this band, I can safely say that I place their newest album Beach House up there beside my love for The Yeah Yeah Yeahs. According to the numerous articles and reviews I've read about them, this is the kind of band that mainly focuses on Tone and Sound. With this in mind, it's easy to see how much work was put into their album Teen Dreams, with the amount of intricacy beyond the vocals. They (Alex + Victoria) are both said to be very particular with what they like, so it's interesting to see the product of two perfectionists with different but obviously similar desires, finding and perfecting such a beautifully put album. Thank you Beach House, I need to see you guys live!

My Bests Records of 2010

In order of how much I like them, these are my top 10 Albums of the year!

Arcade Fire - Suburbs
Black Keys - Brothers
Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More
Beach House - Teen Dreams
Vampire Weekend - Contra
Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
LCD Sound System - Is this Happening
She & Him - Volume 2
Marina & The Diamonds - Family Jewels
Caribou - Swim

Freelance Whales @ The El Mocambo

Freelance Whales @ El Mocambo

December 7, 2010

Before I go into how interesting this concert was, I would like to say their opening acts were perfect for this show! First we had Doris Cellar (member of Freelance Whales) playing a little bit of her own thing at the beginning. She is adorable. I will leave a video for you to judge for yourself. But personally, I loved it!

After her performance, we had the pleasure of hearing Mia Riddle. I don't have an entry on them yet, but it is on its way! Mia's voice is beautiful. Perfect southern sound.But anyways,Freelance Whales! They were great!

For one thing, they were really creative with their instruments. It's always cool to see something different. For example Kevin (Guitarist) started playing his guitar with a special pedal and violin strum, and It sounded much like Whale sounds. So cool! Also Jake (Drums) had some odd peice of circular metal which he also place with a violin strum and it made its own weird noices... Weird in the best way possible! They also made sure to switch instruments a lot, which always kept things exciting! They were fun and definitely worth checkin out if they come through your town.

Check out MY footage of Doris Cellar performing No Place Like Home at El Mocambo Toronto.

Also, here's a video I found of Freelance Whales performing Kilojoules

Free Downloadable MP3 of Broken Horse by Freelance Whales, Click here!

Conclusion: Go see either bands if ever given the opportunity. :)

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros @ The Mod Club

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros @ The Mod Club

December 3rd, 2010

If you are not familiar with Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, check out my Artist breakdown here. Although I hope you are, because they are one of my favourite bands of the year. Well, where to begin? Let's just get this out there, I had the most amazing time December 3rd thanks to this extremely talented band. Wow. Let's do this the Tucker Max way.

1:55PM - Arrive at The Mod Club. Show is at 7:30PM. Somebody is anxious... lol

2:30PM - Still riding SOLO... I felt really awkward.

2:31PM - Time for Coffee... It's cold out.

3:00PM - I see a mysterious looking coach bus...

3:10PM - False alarm.

3:30PM - Taxi Cab rolls up with a beige "rape van" lookin thing behind it.

3:31PM - See a blonde inside the Taxi cab and realize HEY, IT'S NORA FROM EDWARD SHARPE!!!!

My heart was literally beating like crazy... typical fan girl symptom. It was expected though...

3:31PM - They come out of their vehicles and I introduce myself in a very... OMG I AM SO HAPPY YOU GUYS ARE HERE, HOW WAS THE FLIGHT? YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING.. I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE SHOW! (Also felt it necessary t

o show them my Edward Sharpe shirt, since showing up 5 hours early wasn't enough of a good fan indicator.

3:33PM - Shake hands with all the members of the band. Creep em out by knowing all of their names... pahaha. Also, Jade said she likes my Boots! :D Here they are for those of you who care.

They made their way into the venue and I commenced calling my mom to tell her HOW HAPPY I WAS! haha.

4:01PM - The Mod Club manager lets me in so that I don't freeze myself. At this point I'm listening to their sound check.

4:02PM - Txt my mom to tell her HOW HAPPY I WAS!!! ... again.

4:30PM - Christian comes out for a smoke and I shortly join him. For the record, I don't smoke.

Him and I were talking for a good 15 minutes about their tour and where they're off to next. It was awesome. Good news guys, they're coming out

with a new CD by Summer!! :D Just in time for my birthday! I asked him what his favourite place was to tour and he said it was Australia... good job guys! He was so nice.

5:40PM - My friends finally show up, just in time to catch Jade coming out for a smoke.

We sat with her and spoke about her experiences in Toronto. All good things of course... pahaha. I asked her how it was to tour with Dawes and she said is was awesome! She told me they're brothers and she was pleasantly surprised tha

t I already knew that... pahaha thank you Entry #30. :)

Anyways back to the Show. Best Concert Ever. They played all of their hits and some new stuff. Unfortunately they never played Jade. The reason why I found this unfortunate was because earlier in the day I had picked orange flowers that I wanted to give herduring that song. But! It was kinda cool that they never played it because I ended up giving them to Alex. So anyways, I passed the flowers over to him and he took them and looked at me and said THAT'S FUCKED UP. Hahahahahahaha. He lowered himself to my level and whispered in my ear. " In the airplane on my way to Toronto, flowers kept coming to me. At first I thought they were white flowers, but realized they looked mor

e orange. Thank you so much for these."

He was so touched and happy, he kept smelling them and looking at the crowd. I died.

He got back up and jumped off stage and into the crowd still holding my flowers. Gave me a big hug and continued into the middle of the crowd :) "Okay guys, I'm going to play one more song." Everyone around him sits down and all of a sudden I died a little more. He played one of the saddest songs I know. That moment couldn't have been more perfect.

Free Downloadable MP3 of Brothers by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Click Here.

I have never been so touched at a concert in my life. Thank you Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros.

Skrillex @ Wrongbar

Skrillex @Wrongbar

December 1st, 2010

So if you're not familiar with Skrillex, check out my Artist break down here. To summarize, Skrillex is a DJ who plays some majorly great dubstep/dance music. SO GOOD. The venue itself was pretty

small, which made for some intimate (painful) moshing. Because Skrillex's (Aka Sonny Moore from From First to last) fan base consists mainly on metal heads and "i'm going to push the s$#t out of you because I like pain" fans, you could imagine how

colourful my knees became after such a lovely night. Thank you knee high stage :).

Anyhow, because fans were so militant on pushing forward, I somehow crawled up on stage and was able to chill with

Zeds Dead (Also amazing DJS) & The Killabits (Opening DJ, who also openned for Nero last Friday at The Mod Club). I also ended up right beside

Skrillex, which was pretty awesome seeing as how I was no longer getting plummeted from behind. lol. He is AMAZINNNGGGG live.

AMAZING! It was definitely surprising... One thing is for sure, he has the hands of a super talented DJ.

Myself & One of the Guys from Killabits

GO SEE HIM LIVE IF YOU EVER HAVE THE CHANCE, TOO GOOD OF A TIME TO PASS UP.

Me jammin at the show haha. :D

Dawes

Dawes

[top left-right: Taylor Goldsmith (Vocals/ Guitar) & Alex Castnoff/bottom left-right: Wyllie Gelber (Bass) & Griffon Goldsmith (Drums) ]

Twitter/Myspace/Website

-North Hills area of Los Angeles

-Toured with Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, & Delta Spirit

- Played Bonnaroo, & Lollapalooza (Click Names for Footage)

-Album North Hills Released August 18, 2009 (A+album, I swear)

Free Downloadable MP3 of Love is all I am & When my time comes, Click Song title to Download.

Songs to listen to: When my time comes (Official Vid Below), Love is all I am (Also below) , Western Skyline

Conclusion: I am so sad that I never got into them before they played a show in Toronto. Who knows how long it'll be till i get the chance now. Well anyways, better late than never! Alright so this band is beautiful. Vocals/Instrumentals are definitely something to fall in love with. Absolutely amazing. If you like Mumford & Sons, or Deer Tick, this band is up your ally! Please check them out. North Hills is an album worth buying, which means a lot in today's time. Enjoy!

PS. Torontonians, check out this Vid of Dawes w/ Deer Tick at The Horseshoe Tavern Performing When my time comes.

At least there was no way I would have been there seeing as how i wouldn't have been of age... Still, FML. Until next time Dawes!

Wolf Parade @ T he Sound Academy

Wolf Parade @ The Sound Academy

November 26th, 2010

I wasn't a huge fan before the show but this was definitely the case of loving a band only after seeing them live. Know what I mean!? They were amazing! Totally with the crowd and just alive. Great feel for an ending show of a tour. Spencer and Dan's Vocals were flawless and I had a great time. Lots of crowd surfers but as Wolf Parade said, Don't Get Caught! Definitely reviewing past albums much more attentively. Great show!

Download Cloud Shadow on a Mountain for Free, CLICK HERE!

This is a Video of them live at another show! :) Sound Academy Vids are not yet available.

Conclusion: If it weren't their last show, I would highly recommend you go see them asap.

The XX Lollapalooza 2010

Oh my God, I'm at 8 seconds, far right. This is so jokes. :) Oh Lolla, how I miss you!

Oh Land

Oh Land

Twitter/Myspace/Website

-Singer/Song Writer Nanna Fabricius

-From Denmark

-Opera singer mother, organist father

-Works with composer Davide Rossi (who also did Coldplay, The Verve, & Goldfrapp)

-She started as a ballerina and began her music career after an injury in 2005.

“My goal is to sound like I’m from 2050, but still feel really classic, like the music is an old friend,”

-Oh Land

Free Downloadable MP3 of Sun of a Gun, CLICK HERE!

Songs to listen to: Sun of a Gun, Wolf & I (Below), Audition Day

Conclusion: Her song wolf and I really got me hooked on this chick, forget this video i posted. Check this live version that I was unable to post (CLICK HERE), it's great stuff! She sorta reminds me of Duffy with electro back droppings. Ps. Bjork fans, this vid just might be something for you!

Autoerotique @ The Mod Club / Kate Nash @ The Phoenix

Autoerotique @ The Mod Club

November 12, 2010

It wasn't anything too special. I definitely enjoyed their set in Guelph a lot more! I think it was because there were a lot more annoying people there this time. Aka these people you see dancing on the stage... Nobody is here to see you weirdos!! Also I don't think they brought anything to the table I haven't heard before. It felt like a very typical night at the Mod Club, which isn't bad, but it is $10 dollars cheaper. Check out this recording of them to see what i'm talking about.

Kate Nash @ The Phoenix

November 13, 2010.

She was great! Full of energy and her regulary cute self! The last time I saw her was earlier this year and she didn't play much of her old stuff but this time around she made room for all of my favourite Made of Bricks songs! Her set was prettier and she was far more outgoing! Also the turnout was a lot greater than her last show. She also made sure to meet the fans waiting outside afterwards. Good job Kate, I enjoyed myself! :)

Kate & I afterwards. :)

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros

[Guy in the front is Alex Ebert (vocals/percussion /piano /guitar), Girl in green on the right is Jade Castrinos (vocals /guitar), The other girl is Nora Kirkpatrick (accordion /vocals), Black hat is Josh Collazo (drums /percussion /vocals), Red plaid is Stewart Cole (trumpet /tenor ukulele/ keys/ percussion), Guy holding the guitar on the left is Christian Letts (guitar /vocals), Tay Straithern (piano), and the others are impossible to figure out using the internet! They include: Nico Agliettie (guitar /synthesizers /vocals /keys), Aaron Older (bass/vocals/keys ), Orpheo McCord (percussion /vocals), Nathanial Markman (fiddle) :)]

Twitter/Myspace/Website

-From Los Angeles

-Band ranges from having 10-12 "No more, no less" -ES&MZ

-Alex Ebert has another band called Ima Robot (Click to hear something)

-Played Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, and Coachella

-Was on Jimmy Kimmel, and David Letterman. (CLICK GIGS/SHOWS to watch performances!)

-There isn't anybody in the band named Edward. Edward Sharpe was a character developed by Alex in a book he worked on. "According to Ebert, Sharpe "was sent down to Earth to kinda heal and save mankind...but he kept getting distracted by girls and falling in love." (allmusic)

-Toured with the Dawes, and Grace Potter & The Nocturnals

Songs to listen to: Home (below), 40 Day Dream, Jangling

Free Downloadable MP3 of Home, CLICK HERE!

Conclusion: They're definitely one of the best bands I've heard this year. I saw them at Lolla and it was absolutely amazing! One of the best shows I saw there. Their album Up From Below is amazing, the best thing that could come from a 10 piece set. One of my favourite things about them is their energy and how much fun they have on stage. Being at their show you just get high on life. I'm checkin them out again this coming December at The Mod Club (Sold out) and I already ordered a shirt. AHHH, can't wait. CHECK THEM OUT!