Songbird is another site to keep track of your music. It connects with your last.fm account as well as your itunes. It lets you know about upcoming shows in your area depending on what you listen to. It also connects you to youtube videos, Flickr photos, and live steaming radio. You can also get add-ons for lyrics, album art, Live tweeter, music recommendations, and Mac remote control.
Post by Renee Orenstein
On Sunday, I’m off to St. Petersburg, Russia, where I’ll be performing a few concerts and recording a new album with St. Petersburg Ska-Jazz Review. I’m pretty excited about this album. Our baritone saxophone player, Alexei Kanev, wrote the majority of the songs. I wrote the lyrics. They’re more personal this time–mostly about life in Russia. Anyway, if you’re going to be in Russia, we have a show on December 11 at Sochi Club in St. Petersburg, and on December 19 at Gogol club in Moscow. Here’s the video fo the single from our last album, Too Good To Be True.
-Jen Davis
So, a photography grad student interviewed me today about the idea of “guilty pleasure music” for a multimedia project he’s doing–this would be music that you’re ashamed to admit that you like. It got me thinking about all the 80’s pop I adore. Growing up, my absolute favorite band was Duran Duran. I finally got to see them live in 1986 on the Notorious tour. However, at this point they were touring with only 3 of the original members: Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, and John Taylor. I was infatuated with Simon Le Bon. Later, when I lived in NYC, I met this beautiful Italian woman named Elizabeta that had dated him for years in the 80s’. I was in awe of her. I saw Duran Duran again in 2000 in St. Petersburg, when they were touring with only 2 members: Simon Le Bon and Nick Rhodes. They definitely looked worse for the wear; Nick Rhodes looked like a chubby Andy Warhol on drugs. I went to the Press Conference, but was too shy to ask any questions or get a photo.
Anyway, in honor of guilty pleasures and Duran Duran, I’m posting the bands way bizarre Union of the Snake video from their classic 1983 album, Seven and the Ragged Tiger. It looks like the guys were going for a Mad Max: Beyond the Thunderdome vibe. Whoah, Nelly! They just don’t make videos like they used to.
-Jen Davis
Fader magazine is a publication based out of New York City, and it is dedicated to exposing new talent to their readers. It is not focused on one particular type of music, but rather on new music in general. The magazine is really funky and edgy. But the coolest part about it is that their website has the entire magazine available online for free. You download the mag as a PDF and it pops up in a preview window. It is the actual magazine from front to back, even including the ads. Fader was the first magazine ever to make the entire publication available online.
They have taken credit for putting rising stars on their cover such as Kanye West and MIA before either one had hit the big time. Also, the magazine has a double sided cover featuring two artists, one on each side. Its great if you like a really pretty magazine filled with info about new music.
Also, they give great information about upcoming concerts and shows in the NYC area.
Post by Renee Orenstein
What will young hipsters hang on their tree this christmas? A Bright Eyes ornament of course!
These limited edition ornaments that I discovered on Pitchforkmedia.com are for cool kids only. You can find them on Ebay for about 20 bucks a piece. All proceeds go to charity.
-Jen Davis
Thursday December 4: Soulive Doors open at 8
Friday December 5: To The Ruins (Minutes Per Second) Doors open at 8
Saturday December 6: Fuel for Truth Event (Smash Brothers) Doors open at 8
Tuesday December 9: HOT TUNA! Doors open at 8
For more information and pricing, visit: thewestcotttheatre.com
Posted by Steph
Regardless of how you feel about Britney Spears (yes i’m actually blogging about her twice today!), The new cover of RollingStone magazine is a great one. It’s natural, and she truely looks beautiful.. and sane. Just like other media outlets, RollingStone.com is trying their hand at multimedia. Check out this video from the Britney Spears photo shoot with the director of photography! Woo hoo! Click HERE or click the image above.
What’s i’m wondering is… is anyone actually watching these? I don’t even know how i stumbled upon it. I mean, I’m a photographer and I think it’s awesome to watch a video of a photo shoot regardless of who is being photographed…. What do you think? Would you seek out multimedia pieces like this?
Posted by: Steph
In entertainment news so far this week…. Britney Spears has had more searches on Yahoo.com than President elect Barack Obama…. hrmm.. I’m just not even going to continue with that one. Read the article on BBC HERE
Also, a recent survey discovered that mothers are rocking their children to sleep with , not traditional lullabies, but pop rock songs such as Oasis’s Wonderwall… yep. Read that article also on BBC HERE
Posted by Steph
I woke up on Sunday morning to the sounds of Liane Hansen and Jane Goldberg tap dancing on NPR’s Weekend Edition. I’ve been thinking about tap ever since. I loved tap dance as a child (inspired, as many young girls in the 80s’, by the movie Annie), but I didn’t actually take lessons until college. I even took lessons for a while in St. Petersburg from the city’s tap icon, Mikhail Mikhailovich–a a very tall, very thin man with a mustache that always wore a suit and a fedora. He taught me the waltz along with the shuffle step.
In honor of tapping, I wanted to post one of the greatest tap routines ever from the 1943 film Stormy Weather that featured performances by jazz greats, Lena Horne, Fats Waller, and Cab Calloway. This is the Nicholas Brothers dancing to the Jumping Jive by Cab Calloway.
-Jen Davis
If you are looking to get your band’s name out there in Syracuse, you should check out Hollerback Productions. The full service events/production company was formed in 2003 and works with some of the best sound engineers and security forces in Syracuse. They have worked with national, regional and local bands and have done events such as Middle Ages Brewery Annual Anniversary Party, HOPS, Jazz in the Square, World in the Square and Syracuse Winterfest Winterjam. They will help coordinate events for your band.
Contact Dan Mastronardi if you’re interested.
Post by Renee Orenstein
Syracuse Sound Review 