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.

The Strokes Release “Taken For a Fool” Video


In perhaps their coolest video yet, Modern Mystery favorites just launched a new one for “Taken For a Fool.” It’s so cool we’re just going to let it speak for itself. There are more Strokes in here then you’ll be able to handle. That’s not a bad thing.

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