In a small and cozy dimly light red room at Rockwood Music Hall, Scott Matthew graced the audience with his presence and talent.  The crowd quietly listened to the Australian born New Yorker play his new album, Gallantry’s Favorite Son, at his record release party.  The drums and bass were pushed far back as we listened to Matthew gently strum his ukulele.  There’s nothing more classic than watching a passionate musician only with his guitar, if there only was a fireplace crackling to the side, it would have been the perfect setting on a cold winter’s night.

The intimate environment went well with his personal songs about love and life’s complexities.  He sang some melodramatic melodies about past relationships, threw in some whistles and lightened up the mood.  It’s difficult to categorize his voice which makes it truly is unique and endearing. It features a touch of rasp, but yet feels pure, filled with vibratos and crescendos that create the right mix for his gentle folky ballads.

If you’re in the mellow mood, Gallantry’s Favorite Son is definitely worth listening to.

The Asteroid’s Galaxy Tour (once again) rocked their performance in NYC and played at the Irving Plaza.  It wasn’t too long ago where they played at the Bowery Ballroom. There were several similarities within the shows: the size of the venue, the wooden floors were shaking from the uncontrollable movements of the crowd, Mette was stunning as always, and their standout jazzy tones captured the audience’s heart. The one major difference was that they just released their new album, Out of Frequency, that day. We were all in for one big surprise….

They opened with a long instrumental introduction before Mette walked onstage.  Waiting in anticipation to see her ensemble, considering her role as a boundless fashionista, I instantly admired her look.  Looking as if she stepped out of Marc Jacobs’ Daisy ad, she wore a vintage inspired navy blue dress with a lace collar, pieced with Janis Joplin-looking sun glasses.  Accompanied by the intricate lighting, her blue dress beamed through the entire performance, literally. There are pictures to prove it.

Throughout the show, they played a variety of their old and new songs.  The six member band produced multiple layers of heavy jazz, classic funk, followed with a pop-rock twist, while incorporating a high-hitting perfect pitched voice.  I call the latter mix, “The Asteroid’s Galaxy Tour’s formula,” and it has yet to be topped.  They give an effortless attempt to master the funky and fun, yet casual and hip show. They played their classics; Sun Ain’t Shining No More, Golden Age, Sunshine Coolin’, Around the Bend, and ended with Push the Envelope.  Some songs they rocked from Out of Frequency included Major, Heart Attack, Suburban Space Invader (which they played in concert for the first time).

I’ve expressed my deep rooted love for this talented band because they are truly a jewel within the music industry and fresh breath of air.  My only question remains, when are they coming back to NYC?

This previous Saturday I was lucky enough to sit down with the fellas from the boom booms followed by their concert at Sugar Nightclub in Victoria.
Prior to the interview and concert I was excited as The Boom Booms are an up and coming band who seem to be perpetually expanding in song choices and career moves. Their success grew further recently as they were awarded the high up in the Peak’s “Top 20 BC Bands of 2011″.

The boys have remained humble and focused during the process of further recognition. They explained to me that they are doing what they have always done, but now they have greater recognition from the public and thirsty record producers. This of course feels nice to the band but is not the foundation of why they approached the music industry.

Every member of the six piece rock/Latin/reggae band emanates something musical, in their gate and the way they speak and the way they communicate with one another. They all complement one another in conversation and on stage. This is evident of a band that chooses members that are suitable and compatible. They have travelled extensively together and four of them live in the same house in East Vancouver, while the 2 members live within shouting distance. When asked how they manage this they explained cohesively; they have become used to one another and being together just feels comfortable.

The boys are taking off to Brazil this week to expand feed their musical curiosity, expand with their music and shed light on the current issues that attack one of the most influential countries in the world.

The Boom Booms live is an interactive experience, they make it their responsibility to get limbs loose on the dance floor which is exactly what happened in the packed in the Raptors venue. They each interact with the crowd and make sure the audience is connected, this connection is what makes their performances electric and lithe.

Their set lists are commonly designed before each show based off of who they are playing with and how they are feeling, allowing authenticity to each performance. The fellas include choreographed dance sways, sing alongs and even Nelly covers. The underlying foundation of the Boom Booms is fun, I anticipate this quality to stick with further musical evolvement during their time in Brazil.

Pretty Good Dance Moves are about to release their new full length album, Limo, on February 7, which is divided between 8 different magical Movements.  Luckily, they have residency in New York City’s venue, Pianos, so you’ll have plenty of opportunities to check them out.

Are you excited for the touring circuit?

PGDM: We are excited to get on the road and out of NYC for a minute. You know the best part about leaving is coming back. I’ve been locked in the studio all winter working a few different projects so it will be fun getting out with some PGDM tracks again.

What’s your favorite thing about being on tour?

PGDM: Meeting new people and playing every night. Good combo.

Can you talk about the 8 individual Movements in the album? 

PGDM: The record was originally supposed to be 1 track with no breaks but we decided we should give the option to skip around.

Did you ever have the urge to title the songs differently? 

PGDM: TNo, not at all actually. If we break the record up into “tracks” we can’t title them because then it would be defeat the purpose of what we are going for. We didn’t want to release singles but a full record to be listened to from cover to cover.

What are the main differences between Limo and PGDM EP? 

PGDM: The EP was just a handful of tracks we  picked from about a dozen that we recorded one winter.  The tracks all had there own thing and it was more synth popped. Limo has it’s own vibe. Originally, it was going to be an instrumental record (till Sabina blew us away). We didn’t go in trying to make songs, but just surrounded ourselves with Moogs, a prophet, Wurlitzer, bass guitar, drum set, sequencer, Juno etc… And whatever we had after weeks of tracking is what we would go with. Just experimented.

I love the playful theme of your video “Dancing Demons.” Do you have any ideas for upcoming videos?

PGDM: A 32 minute long music video directed by Antoine Wagner that’s shot here (in NYC) and in Paris. It’s the first video we didn’t do completely ourselves. It’s in the editing phase now, and it looks good.

What are the perks of being an electronic based band? 

PGDM: Hmmm, probably the best stuff we have ever recorded we have never released because it’s too “out.” We are saving it for a different project I guess. This band is great because it’s a collaborative project and we get to work with different people. My favorite artist/record is probably Edan’s “Primitive Plus.” We would love to step in that world next. That would be sick. Growing and getting better.

I have to ask, what would you say is your favorite dance move? 

PDGM: Copter.

After seeing Caveman perform at the Bowery Ballroom, I now understand why it was a sold out show.  To put it simply – it was amazing.  All of Caveman’s unique features were enhanced during their set.  If you are like me and have listened to Coco Beware for the past five months on loop, seeing Caveman made me Decide how Thankful I was to have such a Great Life.  Ok, I’ll stop having fun with song titles and try to portray how these New York natives put on such a colorful performance.

Each member of the band played an integral part with the ensembles. The keyboards, tambourines, two guitarists, and multiple drums added many layered elements to their four-part harmonized songs. The talented lead singer, Matthew Iwanusa, mastered the multi-tasking while he covered songs using drums and tambourines while singing each high note right on pitch.  Although I’m not aware as to the meaning behind their band title, I can rightfully say, the show/members embraced caveman-like tendencies.  Slightly hunched, Iwanusa ardently banged on the single drum while the rest of the sounds beautifully rang through the ballroom as if it were inside an echoey cave.

Compared to their album, the show had several psychedelic components to their set. The long resonating outros to certain songs reverberated throughout the venue and had a powerful impact on the listener.  On top of some new songs they performed, they played their entire album.  They ended with Great Life and brought some of their talented friends to beat the drums with them on stage. Not only did I slightly feel I was watching a mini drum circle, but was intrigued by this spiritual experience.  Although it was just a couple of guys having fun and jammin’ to a great song, it was a moment that every concert attendee pays and prays to see-the organic development of watching the performers getting lost in the music. Priceless.

Dallas Green aka City and Colour came through Terminal 5 in New York on his latest tour. This was the first City and Colour tour since the Alexisonfire breakup announcement, and also probably the biggest City and Colour US tour yet. Last time I spoke to Dallas Green was on Warped Tour 2009 when Alexisonfire was still going strong and they were touring in support of what would become their last record, Old Crows/Young Cardinals. Since then, City and Colour has blown up in America and they’ve played a variety of big shows including the big FYF Fest MWTX show at SXSW and Coachella. It was evident that night at Terminal 5 that City and Colour has come a long way since the acoustic tunes that Dallas Green used to put out and play on the side from his original post-hardcore band.

When I first saw you play as City and Colour, you were supporting Tegan and Sara at the Music Box sometime around 2008. What’s changed for City and Colour in America since then?

Something that would be completely different would be that we have a band. I’ve also put out another record. Quit another band, got older, got a little grey hair, haha but that’s ok.

Do you have any plans or desire to do something more with Tegan and Sara in the future? Maybe a record?

I desire to be with them every day of my life because they are two of the best people I’ve ever met. But, I can’t.

The set you played at Coachella this year was much different than what I originally saw at the Music Box. The new album is much more full sounding than Bring Me Your Love was. What brought on the change?

There were definitely songs that I heard as a full band. When I demoed them, I demoed them without instruments and I listened to it and thought, “Yeah, I like that.” I didn’t want to make a record folk because that’s what people thought it should be. That’s not what I do. I write songs that I want to hear and make me happy first and hopefully people can listen to them and enjoy them as well.

Tell me about the decision to end Alexisonfire and do City and Colour full time.

It was not my decision to end Alexisonfire. I quit Alexisonfire and subsequently, they decided to break up because another member had an opportunity to do something else and the other guys just decided not to continue. Well I spent 10 years doing that and 5 of those years I was doing this at the same time. It just got to be too much for me. My heart was leaning more towards writing and touring on these songs, rather than it was trying to find new ways to be in a genre of music that I didn’t want to be in. I was struggling to find ideas for new songs and I wasn’t enjoying the touring because I knew I had this and wanted to try to fully put everything I had into this. So many things were happening with City and Colour without me putting all of my efforts. I thought, if I don’t do this now, then ill resent everything that I’ve done looking back on it now. Now I can appreciate the 10 years of being in that band.

Are you going to miss playing loud and energetic shows?

Occasionally, yeah. There are some pretty loud moments in the City and Colour show. Right now, this is where I need to be. Especially, with my voice; I feel like this is how I should be singing. When I was screaming at the top of my lungs of for an hour and a half it just didn’t feel that’s what I should be doing. I was always worried and it was always a struggle. Whereas now when I go out, I can just enjoy it.

The breakup announcement on the Alexisonfire website mentioned the possibility of a round of 10th anniversary farewell shows. Any possibility of an epic Gallows/City and Colour/Alexisonfire tour bill?

I would 100% be a part of it, and no I don’t see it happening.

Do you prefer the frontman role or the supporting role you had previously?

Well, if you notice, I don’t stand in the middle I stand out to the side. I have no desire in the middle and be a frontman. I know the band is my thing, but I don’t ever see it in that way. Some musicians love being in the middle and having that limelight. We actually tried it on this tour in Detroit. I stood in the middle and we were going to change everything around. Next night, we were like “That was pretty good, right?” Then I was like, “I’m going to go back to the right,” and everyone was like, “Yeah, get back to the right, it’s way cooler. I think of guys like Ryan Adams or Ray LaMontagne where they always stand out to the side too. I know it’s mainly my songs, but I have this band of my friends and I have been standing on stage right for 10 years.

From what I’ve been told, Canadian artists can get money from the government to tour and make music videos. Do you think this plays a big role in helping out smaller bands? How has it helped you throughout your career?

It helped Alexisonfire because one of the main things is called VideoFact that apply to make a video. We made a video in 2002 and it got played on so MuchMusic,(Canada’s MTV) and it got on this fan-voted show and reached number one. This was back when that genre of music was not even remotely popular. The fact that we were able to do that on this mainstream television show where we got to make this video of these screaming kids running around, was amazing. That was a huge development for us and our fan base in Canada. It allowed for so many kids across Canada to see what we were doing. We made tons and tons of videos now and it was helped payed for by the government. They also helped us tour. Alexis was huge touring band and toured everywhere. That’s why on alot of Canadian records that come out, you will see a note that says “Funded by the Canadian Government.” It’s a lot easier for us to do that because our population is 33 million which is the size of California. It’s great to able to come from a society where they help the arts. It is probably most of the reason why I can sit here in this interview with you.

Why do you think America has never created some sort of program like this?

American has so many people to take care. In Canada, there’s only 30 million of us in a giant country. That’s why Canadians are so nice, because there’s not enough of us to get on each other’s nerves hah.

What’s in the future for City and Colour? New album? More touring?

I’m going to go tour Canada in the Winter. The cold weather and snow don’t bother me because I’ve grown up there. It can get tough because shows get canceled and things like that just happen.

The Devil Wears Prada - Jeremy DePoyster

The Devil Wears Prada

The Devil Wears Prada - Mike Hranica

The Devil Wears Prada - Mike Hranica

Setlist: TDWP in Montreal
Full set of photos: jakemullan’s flickr

SANDÉ ON THE ROAD WITH COLDPLAY IN THE UK AND EUROPE THIS MONTH

New York, NY — Scottish-born singer and songwriter Emeli Sandé, who has been thrilling fans across the Atlantic over the past year with her rich, soulful voice and sophisticated songwriting, will release her debut album in the US, entitled Our Version of Events, in late spring. The recent winner of the BRIT Critics’ Choice award (previous winners include Adele and Florence + the Machine), Sandé’s album will include UK singles, “Heaven,” which climbed to No. 2 on the British singles chart, and the recently released “Daddy,” which she performed on the UK edition of The X Factor.

Sandé has also been hand-selected by superstar rock band Coldplay to open its current arena tour, including shows in London, Paris, The Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium this month. She also opened for Alicia Keys earlier this year in London. Keys was so impressed she told UK magazine Dazed and Confused Sandè’s, “a magnificent new artist… We did some writing together for my upcoming record. I just love her style and her flow – super raw” and Adele, upon viewing Sandè’s performance on Jools Holland, simply Tweeted “How incredible is she?”

Sandé was born and raised in Aberdeen, Scotland, the daughter of a Zambian father and a Cumbrian mother. A fervent songwriter since the age of 10, she relocated to Glasgow for college where she studied medicine for six years before deciding to commit herself to a life as a musical artist. She scored her first Top 10 hit with “Diamond Rings,” a track she wrote for British rapper Chipmunk, and scored another, “Never Be Your Woman”, with grime DJ Wiley. A favorite of music impresario Simon Cowell, who called her “his favorite songwriter at the moment” and tapped her to write for Leona Lewis and Susan Boyle, Sandé has also worked with Tinie Tempah, Cheryl Cole, and Professor Green, scoring the No. 1 “Read All About It” with him.

Our Version of Events, which will be released in her native land in February, reveals Sandé to be an uncompromising creative force in the vein of Nina Simone, Joni Mitchell, and Lauryn Hill (each of whom Sandé namechecks as a key influence on her heady, unforgettable sound. Taking a cue from Mitchell and her other songwriting idols, she achieves an irresistible contemporary-yet-timeless quality on Our Version of Events. “I can still relate to a Joni song, even though it’s 25 years old, which is what is important to me,” she says. “I’m not too bothered about what category my music goes in and there’s no point in limiting who you can reach, but I want it to be respected.”

As The UK’s ID magazine has noted: “Emeli Sandé is not the next so and so. She’s the person other acts will be compared to in the coming years.”

“dreamy, melancholy and utterly captivating” – NPR World Cafe

“[Marissa Nadler] isn’t the work of an artist who discovered what she wants to sound like;
it’s the work of an artist who’s just discovering what she’s capable of. ”
- Pitchfork’s Albums of the Year: Honorable Mention

Watch “In Your Lair, Bear” video

Boston-based dream-folk artist Marissa Nadler has debuted a brand new video for “In Your Lair, Bear,” the first track off her critically acclaimed self-titled full-length, that Pitchfork awarded with an “Albums of the Year: Honorable Mention” and was featured in American Songwriter, WXPN, and Drowned In Sound ‘s favorite albums of the year lists. Marissa produced the video alongside Alec K. Refearn, who also directed it. Shot in her Massachusetts home, Nadler said “This is a video to encapsulate the themes that are lyrically portrayed in the song.” Nadler is now putting the finishing touches on a followup EP to her s/t release due out in 2012, and will perform a one-off show in San Francisco and a NYE show at the Boston Public Library with Cass McCombs, Ida and Drew O’Doherty. More details about the forthcoming release to follow.

Nadler recently gave away two covers of Loudon Wainwright III’s “Motel Blues” and Tom Petty’s “Learning to Fly” from her Covers Volume II album available now at her Etsy shop. Covers Volume II follows her s/t album released earlier this year with her own Box of Cedar Records. After releasing several albums with Kemado (and having one of her songs inspire the name for vinyl start-up Mexican Summer), Nadler ventured out independently for this s/t album, which has been featured on NPR “World Cafe: Next,” NPR First Listen, Vogue, KEXP, Pitchfork ‘Overlooked Records of 2011′ with an 8.1 album review, one of SPIN’s “5 Best New Artists for June.”

Marissa Nadler Live

12/8 – San Francisco, CA – Cafe Du Nord w/ Emily Jane White
12/31 – Boston, MA – Boston Public Library-Rabb Hall
w/ Cass McCombs, Ida and Drew O’Doherty

Buffalo, NY melodic punk rock band Pentimento has just announced dates for a 2012 European tour with Light Years. The tour, sponsored by NO DECLINE BOOKING, Hope This Helps Booking, FUZE Magazine and All Schools Network, kicks off Feb 17th in Belgium. Pentimento’s Wrecked EP is out now on Panic Records. A split with label mates Young English will be released in early 2012.

European Tour Dates:

17.02 – Merksplaas, Belgium – Jh Jig Zag
18.02 – Leuven, Belgium – Jh Sojo
19.02 – Nottingham, UK – The Chameleon
20.02 – Manchester, UK – Tiger Lounge
21.02 – Sheffield, UK – Tbc
22.02 – London, UK – The Bridgehouse 2
23.02 – Margate, UK – Westcoast Bar
24.02 – Essen, Germany – Cafe Nova
25.02 – Stuttgart, Germany – Juha West
26.02 – Dornbirn, Austria – Cafe Schlachthof
27.02 – Würzburg, Germany – Cairo
28.02 – Dessau, Germany – Beatclub
29.02 – Berlin, Germany – Cassiopeia

Pentimento’s US Tour with Light Years starts December 27 in Cleveland, OH.