BON IVER

So it’s a little early to pick my favourite artist of 2011 but the leading candidate has to be Bon Iver. This folk rock band from Wisconsin was founded in 2007 by singer-songwriter Justin Vernon. It’s hard to describe how incredible Vernon’s voice truly is. To me, it’s one of those voices that transcends time and could sound just as beautiful singing any genre of music. Luckily for us I feel that Justin has found a way to make Bon Iver sound incredibly unique. One of the most fascinating things I’ve come across when exploring Bon Iver was something that Vernon used to do during their earliest shows. Bon Iver has been made up of a lot of moving different parts over the years to accompany Justin’s voice and vision, but in the early stages Justin would only have a few people on stage with him. The problem was that in his head he envisioned the harmonies being sung by up to 500 singers in order to achieve the exact sound he was aspiring for. In an attempt to try and get as close to achieving this as possible, before his shows he would type out the lyrics to every song and walk through the audience handing everyone his sheet music so that they could sing with him during the show. He said “I don’t want to be that guy on stage alone with a guitar, its boring!” If that doesn’t give you a glimpse into the mind of a true artist and how dedicated they are to their craft and to their sound then I don’t know what could. I was fortunate enough to get to see Bon Iver live this past September and I can’t begin to tell you how absolutely amazing it was. I’ve been to more shows then I could ever possibly count and have become somewhat jaded in the fact that I rarely go to a show that I’m completely blown away. Bon Iver did just that! At one point in the show the nine or ten people accompanying Justin left the stage and it went dark. Suddenly a glimmer of light from behind Justin appeared showing him standing there alone without an instrument in almost an angelic state. He began to sing acapella and a sense of stillness spread through the crowd. No one could take their eyes off him while he stood there and belted out some of the most enchanting vocals I’ve ever heard. It was almost as if someone took over your entire body and all these emotions you had never felt were flowing through you. Mind you this lasted about 3 minutes or so and at the end the entire 6,000 plus Shrine Auditorium stood on their feet and gave the longest standing ovation I’ve ever been a part of. You couldn’t help but have tears come to your eyes it was that emotional and that phenomenal. I was speechless after and no other artist has ever made me feel that way. I’ve featured quite a few videos for you to begin your own discovery into Bon Iver. Enjoy!

-TYC

CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL

What happened to good old fashioned Rock n’ Roll? Where has it gone? My boss, who has worked for Capitol Records for 19 years, and I were having a discussion the other day and we were trying to come up with any band in the last decade that epitomized Rock n Roll. Any band from my generation that I could really say was true Rock n’ Roll. The sad thing is that we could only come up with a few names; The Strokes, The Black Keys, The White Stripes, Wolfmother, and we quasi agreed on Radiohead and Muse but that was it. What happened to the days of Woodstock and Monterey Pop Festival? It was extremely disheartening last year when Coachella decided to add an extra tent solely for Dubstep. It just added to my assumption that Rock n’ Roll is dying and dying fast. We had a marketing meeting the other day and there was a 30 minute video showcasing all of the new artists that we are working with and half way through my boss turns to me and says “we are the fucking guitars at?” And it was true everything was either electronic or processed pop. My father pushed a lot of Beatles, Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Mamas & The Papas, Flying Burrito Brothers, The Doors, The Who, The Grateful Dead and so many others on me when I was a child, but I think my favourite would have to be Creedence Clearwater Revival. Does it get any better than John Fogerty’s vocals? The featured track “Fortunate Son” is synonymous with everything that happened in the late 60’s; peace, love, war, sex, drugs and rock n’ roll. Creedence defined an era, they defined a generation, they defined a movement,  a feeling, a passion, they defined the emotion of an entire nation. What artist, band or even genre could I say defined my generation? It’s rare if not impossible to find music these days that has as much meaning behind it as it did back in the 60’s and 70’s. Here’s to hoping Rock N’ Roll never dies! This blog is dedicated to my dad and Aunt Lourie.

-TYC

IRON & WINE

The stigma of the term “singer songwriter” is very well deserved, and I know the music scene is flooded with them. (90% of which are difficult to consume).  But as a music lover and someone who truly appreciates the talent it takes to produce it, I hate that I instantly write off  singer songwriters without ever even giving them a chance. It’s like hearing the term “commitment” for most guys in relationships, it just leaves a bad taste in your mouth.  Now that I have all of you women rolling your eyes and uttering “pssshhh typical”, let me introduce you to Samuel Beam, better known as Iron & Wine. This singer-songwriter has been around for almost a decade now with his first album “The Creek Drank The Cradle” being released in 2002 by none other than my favourite record label SubPop. Iron & Wine really made his mark when he covered “Such Great Heights” a track made famous by The Postal Service. The interesting thing is that Samuel covered this track before it was even released on The Postal Service’s “Give Up”. Both artists were on Subpop together and the track was originally going to be released as a B-side on Iron & Wine’s debut album. His version was used in the Indie film Garden State and has been the catalyst that drives his popularity. I must admit I’m a little late in the game and just recently discovered Samuel, but I haven’t been able to stop listening to the featured track “Love Vigilantes”.  For as tough as all of us men would like to view ourselves, we all have those tracks that kind of hit a little harder on our sensitive side. “Love Vigilantes” is about a soldier who’s so excited to get home to see his wife and family. It takes you on his journey home and plays on the anticipation of that moment where he will finally get to see their faces. Only to find that when he arrives home his journey had been in a casket, he was coming home to be buried not to be with his family.

“When I walked through the door my wife she lay upon the floor

And with tears her eyes did soar, I did not know why

Then I looked into her hand and I saw the telegram.

Said that I was a brave, brave man, but that I was dead”

Hopefully this track will make you think about your loved ones for a moment and appreciate how precious your life is because of the people in it.

-TYC

HOLY GHOST!

Oh Holy Ghost! where do I start with you. I guess I have a few questions. Are you guys just a one-hit wonder? How can “Hold On” that you produced in 2007 carry you over a 4 year period? You didn’t make a single other track until you released the album “Holy Ghost” in 2011? Wait I’m confused! So let me get this straight, you guys really toured for 4 years playing the same track over and over and over haha? Don’t get me wrong “Hold On” is a fuckin epic track. The single was described by Resident Advisor as "one of the dirtiest little Italo tunes you're likely to hear this year". The drums make you instantly start bobbing your head, then the arpeggiated synth keys drop in followed by a driving synthesized base line and suddenly every white guy in the room finds his way out to the dance floor. I had the unfortunate pleasure of seeing Holy Ghost! live once, and next to Bloc Party it was probably the most boring set I had ever seen. Granted they were opening for Chromeo and maybe I just overlooked them in my shear excitement for the greatest electrofunk duo of all time. Well kind of like you give a jilted ex-lover one more chance to make it work, I’m giving Holy Ghost! one more chance tonight to make it work. If after seeing them tonight at the Music Box, I still walk away yawning and feeling less than satisfied I’m going to have to put Holy Ghost! in the grave, never to be seen of or heard from again. The featured track is what got you to where you are Holy Ghost! don’t you dare let me and everyone else down tonight.

-TYC

LITTLE HURRICANE

I’m in LOVE! I’m in LOVE! And I don’t care who knows it! “One day CC Spina and I are going to get married on top of a mountain and there will be flutes.” Well obviously I’m a little shy about it, but I have fallen in love and I have fallen hard. CC Spina is the beyond gorgeous drummer of a two piece band, Little Hurricane. This grungy, bluesy, rock duo are from San Diego and have only been a band since 2010, but have already created an incredible buzz for themselves. Anthony Catalano better known as “Tone” and Celeste Spina better known as “CC” oddly enough met through an ad that Anthony posted on Craigslist. They instantly bonded over their shared love of vintage equipment and dirty blues. They had only been a band for six months, but somehow managed to win Best New Artist from the San Diego Music Awards in 2010. It’s hard not to fall in love with their sound, they bring a mixture of White Stripes, Black Keys, and all the classic blues bands you’ve ever listened to. My favourite description of the band comes from CC herself when she says “We’re called Little Hurricane because we’re small but powerful”. If you happen to live in LA then you should count yourself lucky because Little Hurricane has a residency at The Bootleg Theatre on Mondays for the entire month of November and the best part is that the show is free. So if you live in LA and you can’t find a way to get your lazy ass to the Bootleg then something is wrong with you. I guarantee they will be selling out larger venues in no time. The featured video is “Give Em Hell” a track that showcases the talented CC playing both mandolin and drums while also laying down some amazing backup vocals along with Tone shredding some sick blues licks. I’m not a hundred percent sold on Tone’s vocals but there is always room to grow and right now Little Hurricane is the most refreshing thing to happen to rock n roll in a society where terrible pop and even worse electronic music is ruling the airwaves. I hope I see a few of you this Monday, but for those of you who can’t make it enjoy this video and these pics.

-TYC

DRAKE

Two posts about The Weeknd/Drake in one week! I guess that’s what happens when you’re about to drop one of the most highly anticipated albums of the year . Drake’s “Take Care” is scheduled to release November 15th worldwide, but it’s been leaked all over the place and has been heard by almost every internet savvy kid out there. Drake to me always fits “it is what it is”. Is Drake a talented rapper? Yes! Are Drake’s flows really sick? Yes! But does everything sound the exact god damn same? AAHHHHH Yes! Drake is good for one thing and one thing only, being featured on other people’s tracks. Now, you Drake supporters might start getting heated, but hear me out for a second. How did Drake get discovered? He was featured on a bunch of Lil Wayne and Young Money tracks. What is Drake’s number one track? “Fancy” which was originally a Mary J. Blige track featuring Drake but didn’t make her album cut. He get’s swallowed up in it by TI and Swizz Beats and it still includes a lot of Mary J. Blige’s original vocals. And I rest my case with what is the hottest Drake track out right now? “Wildfire” by SBTRKT that features Drake. Case closed! But seriously all of Drake’s tracks/flows/raps sound the same the only thing that ever makes them hits are the hooks sung by featuring artists. Anyways now that I’m done bashing Drake (who I think is an incredible lyricist don’t get me wrong) let’s talk about my favorite track off his new record.  “Crew Love” The collaboration of Toronto natives Drake and The Weeknd chalks up to pretty much exactly what I expected from these two dynamic artists. The Weeknd brings his infectious R&B vocals/swag/lyrics while Drake tears it apart with his verses. The beats are some of the simplest beats I’ve heard and yet somehow they sound so full and leave you satisfied. The featured track is a rip off of a radio edit release so please forgive the annoying disc jockey interruption the original is coming soon. “There’s a room full of niggas what are you following me for? It’s cause we blowing like a C4!” In the least hood way possible this kinda describes every relationship I’ve ever been in haha. Enjoy! (Also Featuring Drake Freestyle Live In Toronto with SBTRKT) 
-TYC 

Well Ladies & Gentlemen it doesn’t get much better than this! I’ve seen the featured video more than 100 times and I still get a semi every time. That might be a little graphic, but who would have ever thought Daryl Hall and Chromeo would be the toughest collaboration around? This instant connection was so hott they even ended up touring together in 2010 playing at the Bonaroo Festival in Nashville, Tennessee. Chromeo is the electrofunk brainchild of childhood friends P-Thug and Dave 1 from Toronto, Canada and Daryl Hall is the better half of the greatest “rock soul” pop act of the 1970’s and 80’s Hall & Oates. The premise of this featured video is that Daryl Hall owns this gorgeous house in rural upstate New York with an entire room/barn/incredible studio. Daryl Hall being the badass that he is, invites bands and artists that he digs, to stay with him for the weekend to jam, eat great food, jam, enjoy some cocktails, jam, bullshit about music, and oh yeah jam. They play mostly tracks from both the bands’ hits as well as Hall & Oates’ hits.  If you haven’t checked out DarylsHouse.com you really haven’t lived yet, there’s over 40 different artists featured on his site including bands like Fitz & The Tantrums, Neon Trees, Smokey Robinson and so many more. I know some of you might be weary of Daryl Hall as was I before I really got a chance to discover how truly talented he is. I’ve yet to find any other person that genuinely loves music more than he does. You can see it in his gregarious personality and dedicated passion to experiencing new and different sounds which is why I think Chromeo and Daryl clicked so easily because Daryl was intrigued by the unique electro sounds Chromeo incorporates within their music. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do and maybe even find yourself on Darylshouse.com someday.

-TYC