Live Music - Jónsi Live at the Wiltern

I was very excited to get the notice from Jónsi that the amazing out Icelandic artist was releasing a special live CD/DVD on iTunes available only in the US & Canada, taped at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles, California, during his 2010 US tour. I didn't get the chance to see him live - although I would have loved it - so getting the chance to have a good quality video sounded perfect to me. Discovering the 14-song outing was available to download for less than $10, I was near giddy.




Needless to say, I had to scurry off to iTunes and download the video, which did take a bit of time, as it is 81 minutes of progressive bliss. It features live performances of all 9 songs from his solo album, Go, which I, of course, just love. Jónsi's music is so evocative, so moody, so wrought with tension, emotion, and joy, and the video proves the singer/songwriter delivers it all live. This is the song Go Do.



The following is a clip of one of my favorite songs, Boy Lilikoi, caught at the show by a fan. Both clips, one professional and the other amateur, give you a feel for the show, with the tremendous visuals, a feast for both the eyes and ears, just brilliant.



To get your own copy of the DVD, check out iTunes here. Remember, that is just for residents of Canada & the US. I purchased my copy, and have watched it more than once already, and certainly plan to watch it again and again.

Free Download from Archy & Mehitabel

To celebrate the pending St. Valentine's Day holiday, Lee and Alex of Archy & Mehitabel want to not only share the love with their fans, but also with some people just discovering their brilliance. So those handsome and talented boys agreed to offer free copies of LIFE IN LÜBECK, a compilation of 7 tracks from Welcome to Lübeck and the Asanginica single, plus the video for Callisto and a never-seen-before digital art booklet. Check out the video for Callisto, and tell me you wouldn't want it on your iPod?



How can this FREE DOWNLOAD be yours? Very simple, really. Post a reply here, telling me one of your favorite romantic evening, a great way to spend a Valentine's Day, and you will qualify to win the LIFE IN LÜBECK package mentioned about. I'll start it all off, and say, for me, there is something about going out and sharing live music that exhilarates me, just makes me happy. After listening to great music, I feel such a rush, and I am on such a high...

So, what works for you, get's you in the mood?

Finally, via Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

In 1994, the Australian film Priscilla, Queen of the Desert was released on an unsuspecting audience, with a really incredible section using the CeCe Peniston song Finally. I swear, this might have been the inspiration for RuPaul's Drag Race and the ladies who LipSync for Their Life! No, really! There have been many a contestant who could have benefited greatly from watching this clip before going on.

Worth Another Listen - CeCe Peniston

For some, she stamped 1991 with a song that defined the time. For others, she was one of the most successful Dance/Club acts of the decade, topping the club charts five times out of six, with the other landing at #2. For some, she almost defines one-hit-wonder as her career became defined by that one monster song. No matter what group you fall under, you've got to smile when you hear CeCe Peniston's name, her familiar voice, or the opening notes of Finally, whether it be in a club or while watching Priscilla, Queen of the Dessert.



In 1990 & 1991, CeCe Peniston was working on her career, working with some other performers when her strong voice caught the ear of a record executive. The label was a bit wary of taking a chance, so they sent the singer into the studio to record a single. The lyrics were purported to have been written a couple of years earlier by the singer while she was in high school. The single was released, and Finally was soon playing on every Pop station across the country, and Peniston had her first hit on the Billboard charts, getting to #5 on the Hot 100, and #1 on Dance Club Plays chart.



This was not Peniston's only trip to the Billboard Pop Top 40. On the strength of that single, A&M records released the album Finally, which ended up selling over 3 Million units worldwide, and well over 500,000 in the US. The third single off the album, Keep On Walkin', also found it's way up the charts, scoring #15 on the Hot 100, and #1 on the Dance Club Plays chart.



The second single off the album was another winning cut, We've Got A Love Thang. As with the other 2 songs, this topped the Dance Club Plays chart, and made it to #20 on the Hot 100. It was certainly looking like the talented 22-year-old was going to be unstoppable, based on the performance of her first three singles.



Unfortunately, Peniston had only one more song hit the Top 40, the 1993 song I'm In The Mood. The song was off the sophomore offering, Thought Ya Knew. The song was the fourth from Peniston to hit #1 on the Dance Club Plays chart, as well as securing #32 on the Hot 100.



So, for all really paying attention, Ms. Peniston is far from a one-hit-wonder, with four songs in the Billboard Top 40, and five #1 songs on the Dance Club chart. Once the second album struggled with sales, there was a long hiatus while Peniston worked on new material. In fact, after 15 years of releasing the intermittent singles over the past 15 years, Peniston is rumored to be on the verge of releasing a new album shortly. This is only made stronger for fans when they go to check out her official website here, only to discover it is being renovated. But you can catch the latest news on her FaceBook page here.

Worth Another Listen - REM (Document)

There are times when I find it hard to believe that so much time has passed since I first heard a song or a band. This is once of those times, as I was thinking about the band REM, I band I first heard in the early 80s, while working at the college radio station. Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, Bill Berry and Mike Mills where on the forefront of a new style of music that was just starting to be heard, labeled as 'alternative' by the music industry. They were the first of several bands from the Athens, Georgia, area, very much the antithesis of what many thought rock music should be. Buck delivered a searing guitar work, often punctuated by crisp and clear solos, while lead singer Stipe, with his angelic face and shy demeanor, had a vocal style that was more invested in muddling the tone, on swallowing at times rather than projecting, ushering in a new style and feel that would change Rock for decades to come.



The first time the band had a significant spot on the US music charts was 24 years ago, in 1987! As I mentioned before, I had remembered hearing Radio Free Europe in the early 80s, but it wasn't until later that the band scored a Top Ten hit with The One I Love, the aching love song from the IRS album Document, the last one they had with the small label before being picked up by Warner Brothers. The song was written by the band, and was the first single released. It made it to #9 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #2 on US Mainstream Rock Tracks.



The band followed that up with the frantic song The End of the World As We Know It, which might come as close as you are gonna get to rap for a bunch of 80s rockers. And it brought the band out into the open, following up the plaintive and some might say whiny heart-ache of The One I Love with the politically charged and highly public rocker to cement a forming fanbase. Although the song only went to #69 on the Billboard Hot 100, it did score a Top 20 on the US Mainstream Rock Song chart.



The third single from Document didn't hit the Pop charts, and really wasn't a player on the rock chart either, but it is of interest because it showed yet another side to the band, and an oddly homo-erotic video. Finest Worksong was released at the beginning of 1988, and was the last single before the band was signed by Warner Brothers.



Way back when, there was much discussion about the relative charms of Michael Stipe, as both the boys and the girls were just crazy about him. Stipe seemed to shy away from talking about his personal life, at least until the new millennium, when he started referring to himself as a queer artist, although he pushed aside the 'gay' marker as too limiting. Whatever, he was now sleeping with guys, no matter the terms he feels most at ease with.

For more about the band REM, you can check out their official website here. With so much great music still to come, I am sure you will see them popping up again soon!

New Music - Aitan Valentine

I was just turned on to a new Los Angeles-based artist I am finding quite interesting at the moment. After getting a heads-up from agent/PR man Bob Bradley, who run Authentik Arists in LA, told me to keep an eye out on this guy named Aitan, I figured it was worth a listen. And I sure am glad I did, cause this gives me [and you] a chance to jump on board with a new talent from the start. According to the note, today Aitan is set to release a special two-song EP just for Valentine's Day. The EP, enticingly called Be My Valentine, can be picked up on iTunes for under $2. You can get it here. Here is a clip of the handsome young man talking about the new release.



While I can't find any video for either song on the EP, I can tell you I've heard both, and they are in my iTunes. Both songs have that so very current Pop singer/songwriter feel, kind of like Bruno Mars, only I really like Aitan's voice. The EP is produced by Stewart Cararas, a hot dude who has worked with many of the American Idol winners, including Kelly Clarkson, Be My Valentine is a sweet mid-tempo ballad, an honest exploration of love. The other song, To The Stars, is the real star of the collection for me. There is something that sounds so very real, so true to the song, I was kinda stopped in my tracks as I listened, and put it on replay to to really allow myself to be bathed with it. It has the feel of the alternative band acoustic song, the One Republic/Ryan Tedder specialty, only sung with real soul. I would highly recommend you buy this song, and get it on your iPod right away.



You can find it on iTunes here. You can also check out Aitan at his official website here.

Five on the 5th - Reminder for February

I received notice from Stephen Chapman about the latest edition of Five on the 5th. So I just wanted to take a moment to let everyone know, with plenty of advance notice so everyone can take advantage of the opportunity!

It's almost time for the next "5 on the fifth". As usual, everyone is welcome to take part. You can either take 5 random pictures of something that happens to you on the 5th of February (or the days leading up to it) or perhaps go for my suggested theme. This month, the theme is "Reflections".

So, there you go! This coming Saturday, February 5, will be the latest Five on the 5th, so get the cameras out and ready to get some pictures!