Ted Leo Wraps Up Room 205 Recording Session

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Ted Leo (sans Pharamacists) wrapped up his recording series from Room 205 with his classic tune “The Sword and The Stone.” The series was recorded in a bare, stripped down space and emphasized mainly Leo’s voice and sole guitar.

“The Sword and The Stone” comes from Leo’s 2005 EP Tell Balgeary, Balgury Is Dead.

You can watch the video for the recording right here.

 

PICTURES: Sloan @ the Bowery Ballroom, June 29th, 2011


Our favorite indie rockers, Sloan, did double duty in New York a few week ago and we were there to catch all of the action at their Bowery Ballroom show. Check out the photos below and stay tuned for an exclusive Modern Mystery interview with Jay Ferguson!

Check out MORE PHOTOS HERE and HERE!

VHS or Beta Announce New Album And Single

VHS or Beta will release their fourth album, Diamonds And Death, on September 27th via Krian Music Group/Chromosome Records… That’s a long time from now. It’s already been four years since the band’s last album, Bring On The Comets, was released; no doubt you’re getting impatient. While you wait for that day, you can already get warmed up by listening to “I Found A Reason,” the first excerpt from the album that just premiered on AOL Spinner. The track is bound to light any dance floor this summer and sets the bar pretty high for the rest of the album. Listen to it HERE.

 

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

Cass McCombs Announces Summer Tour, Premieres New Video

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If you were worried Cass McCombs was only going to do those few dates in May to support his album Wit’s End  (Domino Records), rejoice! He just announced a series of dates around the country (and Canada) where he’ll be joined by Lower Dens so you now have the entire month of July to see him play live. Check out where and when at the end of the post but not before you watch the video for the song “County Line,” off of Wit’s End, which Cass directed himself. The slow motion images of the American South blend really well with the mellow sound of the track.

Here are his upcoming tour dates:

Mon. July 18 — Cambridge, MA @ TT the Bears (with Lower Dens)

Tue. July 19 — Northampton, MA @ Iron Horse (with Lower Dens)

Thu. July 21 — Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg (with Lower Dens)

Fri. July 22 — Montreal, QC @ Il Motore (with Lower Dens)

Sat. July 23 — Toronto, ON @ Rivoli (with Lower Dens)

Mon. July 25 — Chicago, IL @ Schuba’s (with Lower Dens)

Wed. July 27 — Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St. Entry (with Lower Dens)

Fri. July 29 — Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge

NASH Premieres Arty “Sad Robot Harmonies”


It has been a long time in the making, but the moment that you have been waiting for is here. NASH’s video for “Sad Robot Harmonies,” dropped today on Baeble Music in all of its glory.

Directed by Christopher Mills (Modest Mouse, Broken Social Scene, Interpol, Blue Rodeo), with Illustrations by Gaelle Legrand, and Executive Producer Geoff McLean, the trio create a visual masterpiece to the upbeat and catchy track.

An animated NASH will take you on a comic book ride that gets more interesting with every view. This is one video you will have to watch more than once, because you aren’t going to want to miss a thing.

“The song is a large thank you to some really good people in my life which points out the contrasts between good-intentioned people and people with agendas, and my ability to deal with or be able to cope with the latter,” says NASH. “I figured I’d be ironic about it and tell it from the perspective of a robot with artificial intelligence who’s so frustrated with humans and the terrible things that they do that he decides he can’t take it anymore and resorts to building himself a tree house so that he can be removed from his human counterparts. The song ends with the moral of: ‘No matter how shitty things get, there’s always good, and love prevails despite the sadness of things around you.'”
Though the suburban Montreal native is only just in his thirties, he’s already gone through more experiences, turmoil and hardships than a person twice his age.

NASH embraced music in his teens and it has continued to be the driving force in his life through his ups and downs and stints as a music journalist, record company employee, concert promoter, drug dealer and addict, aquatics instructor, semi-professional athlete, artist manager, studio owner, construction worker, university student, non-profit organization founder, frequent hospital patient, repeated robbery victim, singer, songwriter, composer, musician and producer. Much of his professional music career has been split between Montreal and roach-infested abodes in Los Angeles, with significant periods also spent in New York City, Toronto, Vancouver, and touring across North America.

NASH’s musical influences range from the alterno-indie-cynism of Beck to Phoenix, the quirkiness of Cake to Spoon, the rhythms of reggae and the haunting vocal touches of Failure and Depeche Mode. He takes elements from these artists and infuses them with unique arrangements, unusual instrumentation, danceable beats and memorable hooks to create a sound that’s truly his own.