HARD Beats and Soft Skin

Two weeks of Alternative mayhem played in my head after amazing shows by Deftones, Alice in Chains, Temper Trap, and Minus the Bear. But, my introduction to Electro music at Hard Haunted Mansion this past Halloween weekend has over-ridden the sounds of string instruments and garage-band jams.The music of RUSKO, Bloody Beetroots and almost any Dubstep remix, as long as its not applied to a mainstream song on my "Never Play" list, have overshadowed my recent obsessions with uncanny indie groups like Menomena, Fugazi, Grizzly Bear, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Suckers, and the like. Electro music can never be fully appreciated until heard live and preferably where everyone is dressed in outrageous costumes and covered in glitter. Prior to Hard, I enjoyed listening to electronic music while out with friends, but never actively sought it out for myself. What I had once written off as aesthetically produced sound is really inexplicable bass beats and ingenious euphonies!

Who Lights Up Your Life?

Katy Perry fans, you do not want to miss this opportunity! 

For those of you who do not know, I am interning at EMI Music/ Capitol Records this semester. One of the artists I represent is Katy Perry and she is holding a contest inspired by her new single "Firework", from her Teenage Dream album.

Do you know a Firework?  Someone that lights up your life, or the lives of others? Katy Perry wants you to tell her about this person (it could be yourself!) in a YouTube video.

Enter Katy’s Firework Contest and review the official contest details at  http://www.katyperry.com/katy-perrys-firework-contest/

The grand prize winner gets a trip for 4 to London to hang with Katy at one of her concerts!

Lets Get Fooled by the Night

I'm getting ready to have some "Absinthe after dinner" B4 "we drink hard again" and move "from sea 2 land dancing" at the MINUS THE BEAR concert in "the dark streets of L.A" tonight! So "put the right music on" 2 "[lead] [me] astray" so I can "[fall] in lust with an accident." I think [we've'] got the right idea" 2 "stay out late as we can" and let...these nights "connect." No need 2 worry, " I can leave "my blinds drawn [til] twelve noon" tomorrow.

 Mid-term season has left my blog dry for a couple weeks now. No need to worry, REVIEWS for: BlackDiamondSkye (10/12), Miike Snow (10/14), Minus the Bear (10/22), and Temper Trap (10/23) concerts coming SOON!

Set a Sultry Vibe While You Study, Siesta, or Sweat

I'm loving the Portishead Dummy album, especially while I study, relax, or run. It Could Be Sweet is one of my favorite songs off the album. The sultry melody and Beth Gibbons' pure voice flawlessly and simply convey lyrics about a dwindling relationship and the frustration and grievance that coincide with trying to redeem what .."Could be sweet." 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmKFsMqfoyU

Phoenix Says It Best Themselves: "This Is Show Time"

What a great way to start a Fall Tour! Phoenix sold out all 17,000 seats at the Hollywood Bowl last weekend, and I was lucky enough to have gotten one of them! They played all of their "sweet-tempered, a little nostalgic and always danceable" (LATimes) songs off their new Wolfgang Amadeus album, starting and ending with two of their biggest hits: Lisztomania and 1901. The Hollywood bowl was the perfect venue for this indie music sensation. Their resilient and colossal melodies filled the    

packed outdoor amphitheatre. The whole audience stayed on its feet dancing to the catchy tunes of these musical missionaries. The phenomenal lighting and the band’s flawless live vocals and instrumentals made for a complete sensory experience. Mars even pulled out one of their French tunes in the middle of the audience. With a neon microphone in hand, he serenaded the crowd no more than 7 feet away from my seat! (Pictured) 

From Mars’ boyish blushing face to the band’s nonchalant hair flips, I left the Bowl thinking, "what a 'precious weekend ending'.” 

News That Will Make You Hit the Pavement

Brace yourselves, take a sturdy stance, maybe even sit down; after 11 years Pavement has officially re-united for a Fall 2010 Tour! Run to the box office or hit up Ticketmaster, they will be in Los Angeles on September 30th! 

Politics and Pop Music- Where Do We Draw the Line?

Last night the 2010 Video Music Awards gave tribute to another year of Billboard music. And, predictably, music was not the only thing celebrated. The notoriously scandalous Lady Gaga had something else to preach to the 11.4 million viewers. Scantily clothed in a mini dress of the latest meat couture and with an entourage of homosexual veterans she protested the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" military policy. 

As a devoted Gaga fan (yes, gotta have me some Bad Romance), I was not shocked by the outlandish display of protest by the pop diva. However, it got me to thinking, how does a pop star, or any musician, actor, or comedian, acquire credentials to speak out politically? And, to what extent does the media control our country's political opinions? To claim that there is disconnect between entertainment, including the music industry, and politics would be mindless. 

This is no new phenomenon, however. Musicians have infamously used their power as public icons to display their political beliefs. In July, I saw Tool at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco (RIDICULOUS!). The former Dead Kennedys lead singer, Jello Biafra, opened with a quite bold political statement, "F*ck capitalism!" I quickly covered my gaping mouth but noticed that the other groundlings conformed without hesitation. Their fists stayed in the air, smiles continued on their faces, and their dancing long-lasted to the peculiar sounds (and mimes) of his political slurs. A shuffle through my ipod would reveal the political opinions from bands like Fugazi, Rage Against the Machine, and even Tool themselves. 

We can continue to enjoy these talented artists' political anthems, but we must remember to listen critically!