Girls Rock For A Cause

Founded only two short years ago, Girls Who Rock is an annual concert in NYC that aims to bring together the strongest voices in technology, entertainment, and design to advocate and fund-raise for girls’ education worldwide. On Friday night, the group staged said concert at the Gramercy Theatre with proceeds from this year’s event benefiting She’s the First, a not-for-profit that focuses specifically on educating girls in the developing world.

Among the artists who performed were up-and-comers KimberlyNichole, Nikki Jean, and Eddy. Of the three newcomers, I was most impressed by KimberlyNichole, who opened with a rousing cover of The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” and closed with inspiring take on Michael Jackson’s “Dirty Diana.” Still, Jean showed a certain penchant for songwriting that has pique my interest for her debut record, which is set for released on July 12th, and Eddy was like a ball of energy up on stage.

More seasoned performers Nina Sky and JoJo rounded out the lineup. I spoke with Nina Sky before the show and the sisters revealed that they had only first heard about the event a mere week before it was scheduled to take place, but they made a point of signing up. JoJo, however, has been involved with the organization for a while now, which was evident from her effusive praise for the event and its organizers. Both artists’ sets were great but, the night belonged to JoJo, who blew the roof off with her four song set. Down below I’ve embedded video footage of the 20-year old performing her new single “Jumping Trains” and a PSA she recorded for She’s the First. Anyone interested in donating to the charity can do so by visiting THIS LINK.

 

http://vimeo.com/13083615

STRFKR Adds New Tour Dates


Having already racked up 28 sold-out shows in 2011 (and counting) while touring in support of their latest album, Reptilians, Portland’s own STRFKR have just announced a slew of new North American tour dates with appearances at several summer festivals.

Amidst their numerous tour dates, STRFKR also found time to film a new video for “Julius” with director Jason Miller. Check out the video and a full list of dates down below.

 

STRFKR Tour Dates

Aug 10, 2011 – Soho Restaurant & Music Club, Santa Barbara, CA
Aug 11, 2011 – El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles, CA
Aug 12, 2011 – Outside Lands Festival, San Francisco, CA
Aug 13, 2011 – Outside Lands Festival, San Francisco, CA
Aug 14, 2011 – Outside Lands Festival, San Francisco, CA
Sep 2, 2011 – Electric Owl, Vancouver, Canada
Sep 3, 2011 – Bumbershoot Festival, Seattle, WA
Sep 5, 2011 – Kilby Court, Salt Lake City, UT
Sep 6, 2011 – Urban Lounge, Salt Lake City, UT
Sep 7, 2011 – Bluebird Theater, Denver, CO
Sep 9, 2011 – 12th & Porter, Nashville, TN
Sep 10, 2011 – The Masquerade, Atlanta, GA
Sep 11, 2011 – Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro, NC
Sep 12, 2011 – Black Cat, Washington, DC
Sep 13, 2011 – First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia, PA
Sep 16, 2011 – Knitting Factory, Brooklyn, NY
Sep 17, 2011 – Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY
Sep 18, 2011 – Middle East Downstairs, Cambridge, MA
Sep 19, 2011 – Il Motore, Montreal, QC
Sep 20, 2011 – Lee’s Palace, Toronto, Canada
Sep 21, 2011 – Majestic Theater, Detroit, MI
Sep 23, 2011 – MidPoint Music Festival, Cincinnati, OH
Sep 24, 2011 – Highdive (Pygmalion Music Festival), Champaign, IL
Sep 26, 2011 – Lincoln Hall, Chicago, IL
Sep 27, 2011 – Lincoln Hall, Chicago, IL
Sep 28, 2011 – Turner Hall, Milwaukee, WI
Sep 29, 2011 – The Cave, Northfield, MN
Sep 30, 2011 – The Vault, Sioux Falls, SD

The Rosebuds Return With Loud Planes Fly Low

After The Rosebuds released Life Like, their fourth album on Merge Records, the marriage that inspired the band ended. Ivan and Kelly were done, and The Rosebuds (Merge’s buoyant pop-rock couple who’d youthfully named their first album The Rosebuds Make Out) were in limbo.

Still, after much debate and agony, cooler heads prevailed and the duo were able to craft their new album Loud Planes Fly Low, a sad-eyed and bright new start born of the struggle to define their relationship as bandmates—and more importantly, friends—outside of the context of marriage.

Spin.com is currently streaming the new record, which is set for release next Tuesday. The site also sat down with Kelly to discuss the album’s dark subject matter and why making it was a cathartic experience for her.

This summer, The Rosebuds will hit the road for a nationwide tour, including certain dates with Bon Iver. Check out a full list of their upcoming shows down below.

The Rosebuds Tour Dates

July 14 Boise, ID The Neurolux
July 15 Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge
July 16 Denver, CO Hi-Diver
July 19 Minneapolis, MN 7th Street Entry
July 20 Eau Claire, WI House of Rock
July 21 Madison, WI UW Union Terrace
July 22 Riverside Theatre- Milwaukee, WI #
July 23 Riverside Theatre- Milwaukee, WI #
July 24 Chicago Theatre- Chicago, IL #
July 25 The Murat Theatre- Indianapolis, IN #
July 27 Ryman Auditorium- Nashville, TN #
July 28 Cobb Energy Performing Arts- Atlanta, GA #
July 29 Raleigh Ampitheatre- Raleigh, NC #
July 30 The National- Richmond, VA #
August 1 9:30 Club- Washington, DC #
August 2 9:30 Club- Washington, DC #
August 3 Tower Theatre- Upper Darby, PA #
August 5 House of Blues- Boston, MA #
August 6 Mountain Park- Holyoke, MA #
August 8 The Sound Academy- Toronto, ON #
August 9 The United Palace Theatre- New York, NY #
August 10 Celebrate Brooklyn, Prospect Park Bandshell- Brooklyn, NY #

# With Bon Iver

eMusic Set To Host New Army Navy Album


eMusic, the digital music service for independent music lovers, has tapped Army Navy as their latest eMusic Selects artist. As such, until July 12, 2011, the band’s newest album, The Last Place, will be available exclusively on eMusic.

“We proudly welcome Army Navy to our roster of eMusic Selects artists,” said eMusic Editor-in-Chief, J. Edward Keyes. “Their first album was a huge success with our members. Because of this, we’re particularly excited to bring this indie-pop outfit’s second album exclusively to eMusic, while giving Army Navy a forum to really connect with more music fans.”

The eMusic Selects program was launched in 2008 to spotlight talented, unsigned bands and has served as a launching pad for some of today’s most sought-after indie bands. Best Coast, the Rural Alberta Advantage, Crystal Stilts and Julianna Barwick are among the artists who have released some of their early material through the eMusic Selects program.