Tim Myers lives the good life

I wish I had a fraction of the talent California singer/songwriter Tim Myers has. A former member of the rock group OneRepublic, Myers does his solo thing his own way. Styles of artists like Pete Yorn and Andrew Bird are like putty in his hands as he molds the music into a way he sees fit.

His songs have been popping up in Target commercials left and right. Not a fan of that really, but I don't hold it against him. Everyone needs promotion.

The Good Life EP is available on iTunes

Smells like legal trouble

Can someone explain to what this DMCA thing is all about? I received an email earlier today saying I infringed on someone's copyright. The post identified is no longer available and honestly, I don't even know what was on there.

UPDATE: The post was about sticking it to the man and had a G.Love and Special Sauce song attached.

The email I received is as follows:

Blogger has been notified, according to the terms of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), that certain content in your blog infringes upon the copyrights of others. The URL(s) of the allegedly infringing post(s) may be found at the end of this message.

The notice that we received, with any personally identifying information removed, will be posted online by a service called Chilling Effects at http://www.chillingeffects.org. We do this in accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Please note that it may take Chilling Effects up to several weeks to post the notice online at the link provided.

The DMCA is a United States copyright law that provides guidelines for online service provider liability in case of copyright infringement. We are in the process of removing from our servers the links that allegedly infringe upon the copyrights of others. If we did not do so, we would be subject to a claim of copyright infringement, regardless of its merits. See http://www.educause.edu/Browse/645?PARENT_ID=254 for more information about the DMCA, and see http://www.google.com/dmca.html for the process that Blogger requires in order to make a DMCA complaint.

Blogger can reinstate these posts upon receipt of a counter notification pursuant to sections 512(g)(2) and 3) of the DMCA. For more information about the requirements of a counter notification and a link to a sample counter notification, see http://www.google.com/dmca.html#counter.

Please note that repeated violations to our Terms of Service may result in further remedial action taken against your Blogger account. If you have legal questions about this notification, you should retain your own legal counsel. If you have any other questions about this notification, please let us know.

Sincerely,
The Blogger Team

So does this mean I should be scared of someone taking legal action against me? Has anyone experienced this before? I'm not looking to pass other people's stuff as my own. I'm just here to let people know about good music. Most of what I post has been approved by the band or a publicist.

For the record, if you believe I've infringed on your copyright or if you want your material taken down, EMAIL ME AND I WILL TAKE IT DOWN IMMEDIATELY. NO QUESTIONS ASKED.

Across the asteroids and galaxies

The Asteroids Galaxy Tour is hitting me at lightning fast speed. The band, led by Lars Iversen and Mette Lindberg, comes from the lovely town of Copenhagen and is sharing its infectious danceable Swedish pop with the world. Their song “Around the Bend” is currently being featured in ads for the new iPod Touch.

The style of the Asteroids Galaxy Tour is hard to define, but there are bits of pop, soul and rock all thrown in with happy melodies. The six-piece band, including trumpet and sax players, clavinet sounds, a drummer and a guitarist, will be coming to the States this fall to play some shows.

The Sun Ain't Shining No More
from Around the Bend available early 2009

My friend who isn't really there

When I was a young child I had imaginary friends as many children often do. I had a few actually. One sttod out above all the others. Her name was Lisa. She was the outspoken rebel who always got me into trouble. We would have adventures with the Ninja Turtles and go on secret missions to remove the heads of my older sister's Barbie dolls (although Lisa never managed to get punished for it). I also made her birthday on any day I wanted cake. She would have multiple birthdays a year. No one else celebrated it but me because I was the only person who cared about an imaginary friend's feelings.

As I grew older, we lost touch. It wasn't cool to hang out with someone like Lisa. She was an outsider and I was trying desperately to fit in with the cool kids (which worked out as well getting a brick wall to move)

Nowadays, after moving away and coming back home, I have a very small circle of friends (who actually didn't even live in my city). I got to thinking about where Lisa would be since our childhood. I now picture Lisa as a chain smoking lesbian activist who reads a lot of books on art history and watches Project Runway religiously.

And because I want cake (and to make up for lost time), today is Lisa's birthday. Celebrate dammit!

Telekinesis! - Imaginary Friend
The Silver Seas - Imaginary Girl
Michael Jackson and Bart Simpson - Lisa, It's Your Birthday

Plushgun reads my blog!

Plushgun found my post on their show at Alley Katz last week and linked to it from their own blog.

Go here to read about their tour recap and then take the link back here.

I feel so special now.

In other news, Andrew WK did a remix of "How We Roll" which I find highly entertaining. Go and listen to it.

Joie De Vivre keeping it real

Emo band Joie De Vivre comes to us from Chicago. They describe themselves as American Football meets The Promise Ring, Death Cab For Cutie, and Mineral as far as sound goes.

I like what I'm hearing. A little rough around the edges, but honestly I think these guys have real potential. Some of the tracks I'm not too keen on, but others are just right. They've got room to grow and once they do, the world won't know what hit it.

Handshakes
Local Local
from The Ghost (not available digitally, but bug the band if you like it)

East Village Opera Company at Jepson Theatre, 10/20/08

I didn't know what to expect when I went to see East Village Opera Company perform last night. The New York group takes well-known opera masterpieces by composers such as Verdi, Bach, Mozart, and Wagner and mashes them together with rock, R&B, pop, soul and more. They take everything good about opera and update it for a new audience as well as reintroducing it to those familiar.

Judging from the age range of the crowd (mostly older), you could tell that they were season ticket holders who didn't know what was coming. "Those of you looking for traditional opera that's legit, you're going to be disappointed." keyboard player Peter Kiesewalter told the audience. "But open your mind. We think you'll enjoy it."

Once the show got underway, it was a no-holds-barred energy-filled riot for the next 90 minutes. I found myself feeling the emotional lament during Butterfly Duet [From Puccnini's "Madama Butterfly"] to standing in the midst of thunderous uproar of Soldiers [From Charles Gounod's "Faust"] to joining the celebration of Brindisi Libera (Pop The Cork) [From Verdi's "La Traviata"].

The best part of the performance was the interaction between the 9 members of the band. No one just stood there and played. They moved around on stage and played off each other very well. They took turns taking center stage giving all the members from the violinists to the keytar equal exposure and treatment. It was just really entertaining to watch and it was evident they were all having a good time.

EVOC is one of those bands that needs to be seen live. Their album can't convey the excessive amount of energy they have on stage and they need to be seen in their full glory to be totally appreciated.

Help Me (Jove, In Pity) [From Handel's "Semele"]
buy Olde School here

Loving Hearts of Palm UK

L.A. chick pop-rock group Hearts of Palm UK has been flooding the blogosphere as of late with their incredibly catchy synth-pop meets Tegan and Sara-like melodies and a little bit of 80s goodness thrown in. Listen for yourselves.

People & Logistics
I Flow
from For Life (buy here)

Theresa Andersson brings her pop style to VA

Soul pop singer Theresa Andersson has had a very busy year and it doesn't look like it's going to slow down any. She's going to be on tour in support of her album Hummingbird, Go! for the rest of the year and has a number of stops here in Virginia and other close by areas. Check her out if you can.

10/19: Charlottesville, VA @ Gravity Lounge
10/21: Washington, DC @ The Swedish Embassy
10/24: Arlington, VA @ IOTA Club & Cafe
10/25: Norfolk, VA @ Attucks Theatre

Na Na Na (Empty Heart)
Birds Fly Away
from Hummingbird, Go! (buy here)

Plushgun at Alley Katz, 10/16/08

Wow.

That's the first thing I said once Plushgun's amazing set was finished. I didn't know what to expect and was blown away, able to pick myself up and blown away a second time.

The crowd at Alley Katz, usually known housing hardcore rockers, was a hodgepodge of many different styles. There were indie kids, ravers, hipsters, suburbanites, hardcore rockers and high school kids (it was an all ages show). Such a wide variety of people left me confused and questioning everything.

Plushgun took the stage after handing out glowsticks to everyone ("We paid for them ourselves" yelled guitarist Taylor). After fighting with faulty sound during the first song, Plushgun managed to get everything working and deliver a great show full of happy synth pop mixed with hard rock. I didn't realize there was a full band in Plushgun. I had only thought it was lead singer Daniel with synthesized beats.

Some highlights include Taylor jumping into the crowd and dancing with the audience before Daniel yelled to him to get back on stage because his guitar part was coming up.

"This is our last song, so everybody here better be fucking dancing!" they yelled to the crowd. As they played, I turned around to the crowd behind me and, no lie, saw EVERYONE dancing. Even the people who were too cool to be dancing were dancing.

Electroacoustic synth 80s-like pop-rock at its finest.

Just Impolite

I will be happy once this damn election is over

Honestly, I could care less about the upcoming election. I know I should care and that my vote could determine the outcome, but the politics of today just leave me empty and bitter. I couldn't tell you what either Obama's or McCain's platforms are, but I CAN tell you every reason why I shouldn't vote for either of them. The fighting and mudslinging back and forth is at the center of this election and it doesn't look like it's ever going to end. From Obama being a terrorist to McCain ruining our economy even more. And we won't even go into everything about Sarah Palin.

Let's face it. This country is fucked. It's not a happy thing to say, but it's true. Our country is not, and will never be unified. We focus too much on the stupid differences that we fail to see the bigger picture. Voting one way or another will not change anything and even if it does, it will take years for anything to significantly change.

I'm happy in my ignorance but here's what I believe:

-I don't want a president that's just like me. I'm in no way qualified to run this country. I want a president who understands how this country is run, someone who is way smarter than me and someone who I trust enough to handle that responsibility. Not someone that I can have a beer with.
-Of course there will differences in opinion. That's the beauty of free will. But I want whoever is in charge to go to the American people and say "This is what is best for the country right now" and explain why. Not a simple task, I know. But an effective president is one who can at least get people to understand why they're choosing one option over another.
-I want to choose my country's leader based on a democratic system - the kind we learned about in grade school. Not a biased media outlet telling me I should vote one way or another.

Okay, getting off my soapbox now.

Farewell Flight - America Will Break Your Heart from Sound. Color. Motion. (buy here)

Will Colin Munroe stay?

Colin Munroe comes to us from Toronto, Canada and offers a nice mix of hip hop, funk, soul and pop for your ears to easily sift through.

"Will I Stay" puts me in a good mood and yes, I'd like it to stay.

Will I Stay
from Don't Think Less of Me coming 2009.

Take on Me - Literally

I know I'm late to the party on this one but this video has been making its way around the internets fasting than a hungry kid on cake. This cracks me up every time I watch it.

Take on Me - The Literal Version

Seth Bradley: Making sense

It's hard to describe how Seth Bradley's music makes me feel. It's upbeat, power-pop friendly and makes you want to move your feet but also scream in the air at the same time. It just made sense to me.

Then I read Seth's publicity material:

Sometimes music just makes sense. Sometimes an emotion is captured perfectly through a song. Sometimes you hear music and instantly connect with it. Seth Bradley has the uncanny ability to do all of the above through his music. People say, "It just makes sense to me."

Creepy. Cue the Twilight Zone music.

Seth has performed in his hometown of Chicago and all across the Midwest playing his energetic mix of fiery pop-rock songs that instantly captures the listener's ear and makes itself right at home.

Breaking Away
Chasing the Habit
Stars on the Ceiling
from Waking Up On Broadway (buy here)

Kissing you on the birdlips

Acoustic folk-rock duo Birdlips comes from Charlottesville, Va. Cliff Usher (vocals and guitar) and Lindsay Pitts (electric piano, organ, and backup vocals) take the folk sound and turn it on its ear. While some of their style comes from the mountains of Virginia, a lot of is in part of Usher spending time abroad in Valencia, Spain. They sound a lot like Nick Drake meets She & Him. A nice combination that takes the best of both.

Some Kind of Death
Tire Chains
from Cardboard Wings (buy here)

Hey love, you make me so damn sad

So I've felt kind of down lately and the reason behind it is none other than the fact that I've perhaps fallen in love again.

What's that? Isn't falling in love supposed to be a good thing? Well, usually when you find the right person and they love you back like in a classic fairy tale, yes. But in real life, it doesn't work out that way. What usually happens is that a) the other person does not feel the same way you do or b) the other person doesn't even know you exist and you end up pining after the person for God knows how long and just making yourself miserable in the process.

Yes, the latter has happened to me yet again. At least I'm smart enough to see it as it's happening. Last time, I was completely blindsided by my infatuation with someone, it took me weeks to get over them - and it was not pretty.

Anyway, this couldn't be a more perfect time to start listening to The Piano Creeps. Their music does just that -- creeps. It literally creeps into you as you listen. It's hauntingly beautiful with just the right amount of sadness.

Hey Love from Future Blues (For Me And You)
(out Oct. 14th - buy here)

So right now, I will listen to more of the Piano Creeps and figure out how to get over my current infatuation.

The Mixtape You Never Received

My submission to Studio 23's mixtape exhibit. "The Mixtape You Never Received" is a collection of songs whose meanings have drastically changed. The theme for this stemmed from an actual mixtape I made for someone who is no longer in my life. The songs on it (a few of them are part of the tracklist below and others have been added) had one meaning when I was making it. I was never able to give them the mix and while I was looking through it recently, I saw that the songs inadvertently had their meanings changed. Listening to it now, the songs no longer gave me the elated feeling of the time, but rather a dark and different meaning - ironic track choices and all. So I thought why not recreate it for this exhibit?

Tracklist:

Pete Yorn - Seventeen

At The Stars - This Is The Way

Amit - One Day

Plushgun - Maybe Tomorrow

Mobley - Didn't Get It

Earlimart - Happy Alone

Mae - All Deliberate Speed

The Alarmists - Light A Smoke

Samantha Mollen - Closer To You

Raine Maida - The Less I Know

Two lovely choirs to choose from

Keyboard Choir is group of five lads from England who have been playing their style since late 2004. They've played shows around the south of England, including headline shows in Oxford, Cambridge and London alongside support slots with Coldcut, Metronomy, The Egg and Fuck Buttons amongst others.

The song "Bugs" is a dark, apocalyptic vision of the only that will remain at the end of the world.

Keyboard Choir - Bugs from Mizen Head to Gascanane Sound (buy here)

If you haven’t already heard of the Danish band Choir of Young Believers, you are seriously missing out. The brainchild of frontman Jannis Noya Makrigiannis has already won widespread acclaim in their home country and are now looking to take on the rest of Europe. Their latest release This Is For The White In Your Eyes offers plenty of pop friendly goodness.

Choir of Young Believers - Next Summer from This Is For The White In Your Eyes (buy here)

Relaxing with Aviary Ghost

Aviary Ghost is a perfect example of Sunday morning front porch music. Relaxing, soothing and highly entertaining. If you like The Smiths or Wilco, Aviary Ghost is just the thing you need to be listening to.

The imagery of the band has a lot to do with birds and flight. We have this event in Richmond where purple martins fly in huge groups around their nesting area downtown and people came out in droves all summer to watch. It's actually quite a sight. But every time I listen to Aviary Ghost, I think of those purple martins.

The Hollow
Somewhere Else
The Brain Is A House
from Memory Is A Hallway (buy here)

What is going on in Sweden? doublePark moves to the city

Seriously, what is it about Swedish music that is so amazing? Are they just naturally more talented than the rest of the world?

doublePark is yet another excellent Swedish indie-pop sensation to hit my ears and I seriously can't get enough. It's upbeat and fun and definitely a good thing to get you through the day

"Moving to the City" gives the feeling of wanting out of the small confines of life and wanting something more. This song has not left my head for a few days.

Moving to the City
I Don't Want To Party

Check out the video for "Moving to the City"