Welcome to our first installment of ‘PLAYTIME!’ This has been an idea we’ve been toying around with for quite some time that we have finally launched. Let us explain to you what ‘Playtime!’ is. This will be a segment in which we film some of our favorite bands and artists. Think of it as a version of ‘Take Away Shows’ but on a playground in New York City. Bands will be performing stripped down performances of their songs as life goes on behind them. Sounds nice, huh? Expect a lot more these to come!
Up first is The Everyday Visuals!
Our first episode of Playtime! features Boston’s own, The Everyday Visuals. We took the band to the ABC Playground over the weekend where they performed two songs, ‘Heal Me’ and ‘Florence Foster Jenkins’ off their new self titled record.
The Everyday Visuals Perform ‘Heal Me’
The Everyday Visuals Perform ‘Florence Foster Jenkins’
The Everyday Visuals also performed an amazing show at Piano’s that night. An acoustic set if you will. In any situation the band can perform beautifully. Singer/Guitarist Chris Pappas’ voice is haunting and sends chills down your spine even when performing the most upbeat of songs. You can tell he is a true songwriter and it just comes natural to him. The accompaniment and backing vocals of Joe Seiders, Kyle Fredrickson, and Eli Scheer complete the sound as they play like seasoned musicians with a great deal of soul to them.
See more photos from The Everyday Visuals at Piano’s after the JUMP
Summer always needs a good band that brings the best out of the season; Foreign Born does it for me. Just when you think you may possibly die of heatstroke and if you live in California you know the intensity that I am talking about, you turn to a Foreign Born track and it all seemingly becomes cooler. The group came together in the Bay Area circa 2003 and soon after, ventured into the underground music scene of Los Angeles where they now reside. When I think of Foreign Born, I think “tropical.” I don’t mean that they’re fruity but that their music conveys a global influence. The group is quite fond of incorporating global music genres into their music such as African rhythms and Latin folk. They use anything from bongos to banjos to maracas. The combination of all the different flavors results in something so irrevocably tasteful. Their newest album ‘Person To Person’ is the greatest example and measure of this group’s ability. Being that I live under the blistering hot sun, I have the album on constant replay. The clash of singer/guitarist Mark Noseworthy and the instrumentals transports you to a much breezier coastal region that can bring you sanity during wicked times as these. If their sound appeases you and you want to travel father outside of the U.S. borders, then check out the group’s other band, Fool’s Gold. This group heavily emphasizes the diversity of their instruments as they produce Kenya and island inspired songs. Foreign Born is definitely a group you can’t ignore; they bring so much to the musical table. Recommended tracks: “Early Warnings” “That Old Sun” “Winter Games”
Modern Mystery 