Band on the Rise: Get to Know ‘The Drums’

Sep
04

Band on the Rise: Get to Know ‘The Drums’

I’m going to just steal a line from their bio, their track “Let’s Go Surfing” features the best whistling in a song since the infectious Peter, Bjorn & John recent classic “Young Folks.” But, there’s more to this indie-pop-rock New York band than blowing air choruses. Thank goodness. Imagine if whistling was their only gimmick.

The Drums are a buzzworthy band who share a similar 80s new wave vibe with fellow indie-buzz band Surfer Blood, whom they’re fittingly on the road with. The band, whose brand of electro-pop has brought them many fans in New York City alone, just released their debut album and are committed to tour way through 2011. (On a related note, they just covered Arcade Fire’s “We Used To Wait,” and it’s kick ass.)
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Tags: arcade fire, horseheads, indie pop rock, indie rock, jonny pierce, let's go surfing, new york city, Surfer Blood, surfing, the drums, weezer, wilson phillips

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Sep
04

Coming soon…John Cena

by Jon Chattman

Tags: fu, john cena, legendary, pro-wrestling

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Sep
02

Donna Summer: Creating art with ‘Crayons’ at MGM Grand at Foxwoods

by Jon Chattman

Summer is far from over. R&B legendary diva Donna Summer, that is.

On Friday, the dance queen responsible for iconic hits like “On the Radio,” “Love to Love You Baby,” “Bad Girl,” “Last Dance” and “She Works Hard For Her Money,” will take the stage at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods to promote her most recent release, “Crayons.”

The album, which dropped about a year ago, is the first studio album with original tunes the singer has put out since 1991. It finds Summer working with young producers and writers most known for their work with such diverse contemporary artists as Rihanna, Pink, and Kelly Clarkson.

During a recent interview, the five-time Grammy-winner was asked about collaborating with a young guard, why it took so long to put out a full-length original album, and how she integrates the new tunes in with the classics during her tour.
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Sep
01

Tasty Way to Do It: Oates to Headline Aspen Music Fest

by Jon Chattman

John Oates has gotten a lot of mileage off his impressive work with Daryl Hall and his facial hair fury back in the 1970s and 1980s, and rightfully so. But after all these years, it’s time to recognize the man as a songwriter in his own right. Aspen will next month.

Oates is performing and leading the charge as executive producer of “7908: The Aspen Songwriters Festival” from Sept. 16-19. Specifically, the festival will feature an array of diverse, acclaimed songwriters including Allen Toussaint, The Bird & The Bee, and Mike Rayburn, performing at the Wheeler Opera House and throughout Aspen. Oates has had a say in who plays since jumping on board earlier this year.
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Tags: american idol, Aspen, Bret Michaels, festival, Hall and Oates, ipods, John Oates, missisippi, songwriting

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Sep
01

Same Old Emmy’s: More WTF Instead of OMG

Award Coverage,
TV

by Jon Chattman

It could’ve made for some epic television — the kind of moment that lives forever in boob tube history, and that’s not a Christina Hendricks reference. People would’ve been talking about it for years, possibly even decades. But, Emmy voters blew it like they always do. I am, of course, referring to the missed opportunity of awarding Conan O’Brien an Emmy for Best Variety Series over Jon Stewart and The Daily Show.

While there’s no question The Daily Show deserved the award (so did The Colbert Report for that matter), it would’ve made for a classic television moment if the ousted late night talk show host received an Emmy on the very network that kicked him to the curb. The speech would’ve been kick ass I’m sure, but we’ll never know. Suffice to say, it’s pretty standard in Emmy history. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Breaking Bad, conan o'brien, Daily Show, george clooney, Jimmy Fallon, Jon Stewart, mad men, matthew wiener, Ricky Gervais, The Daily show, The Emmys

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Aug
29

Disturbed Frontman Talks New Album and Evolution

by Jon Chattman

Ever since they burst onto the alt-metal scene over a decade ago, Disturbed have delivered high-octane rock with heart thumping hooks and lyrics that are, well, quite depressing. Listen to the words to “Down with the Sickness” or their latest single “Another Way to Die,” and you won’t exactly want to watch an uplifting rom-com or smell the roses. But, that’s a generalization and even if it were 100 percent true, it hasn’t mattered much to the multi-plantinum selling band. The hard rockers’ fanbase remains loyal (they’ve sold over 11 million albums and are on a highly successful “Uproar” tour with Stone Sour ), and their records continue to sell like “Glee” merch at a tween-infested fashion mall.
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Tags: Asylum, Black Sabbath, chicago, david draiman, disturbed, disturbed-band, glee, hard rock, Iron Maiden, metal, nu-metal, rock, uproar