Rosi introduces me to Wakey! Wakey!
Oct 23, 2009 Artists
Rosi Golan
Jake Phillips
Rosi, Me, Jess
Jpax, Rosi, Me
Rosi & Me
Rosi Golan
A friend of mine recently got married, and her mom was telling me how she thought her daughter would be sad when it was all over. All the planning would be done, all the money spent, all the fun had and it would be over just like that. I thought that was the most ridiculous thing I’d heard, until the day after Rosi Golan (and her sidekick Jake Phillips) played at my house. I was sooo unbelievably sad because the party was over, she was gone, and it was just quiet. It leaves you with this sadness knowing that one of the best nights of your life is now behind you. But I’ve moved on, hoping maybe she will come back around again and maybe with her good friend Wakey! Wakey!, Mike Grubbs. She was telling me, when she was at my freakin house, that he is a singer/songwriter that is going to play a bartender role on One Tree Hill. That alone made my day, so of course I checked him out. Him and his piano playing are amazing, so please listen to him. His songs speak of such brokeness. I don’t know what is up with the name “Wakey! Wakey!” because it doesn’t fit this sensitive music, but apparently he is pretty funny so hence the funny name?? I don’t know why, but I don’t care. I’ll call him whatever he wants to be called, as long as he keeps singing to me.
Wakey! Wakey!
Tags: Amanda loves, Indie, Rosi Golan, Wakey Wakey
Underneath this beating heart
Oct 9, 2009 Artists
Rosi Golan
I’ve written about Rosi Golan before, but she is so good I think she deserves another post. And another and another. You get my point. There is something very soothing and uplifting about Rosi’s music. This album of hers is one you can play no matter what type of music you might be in the mood for. When I saw her at Radio Radio back in July I fell in love. Not many people are that good live and she is hands down the best. Most of her songs are about love and all the impatient, tiring , confusing and hopeful emotions that come with it. If I may bravely say so, there have been so many acoustic folk chics coming out of the wood work these past couple years that it’s hard to really care to listen to anymore. But that is not the case with Rosi. Her very intimate debut album just came out and I’m dieing for the next one.
In about a week, Rosi will be at my house performing a house concert for me and my friends which is still too much to take in. I promise to take lots of video so look forward to more Rosi posts. In fact, here’s a video below with a new song of hers she recently performed in MD. It sounds like she’s got more good stuff on the way. Yay for talented people who are brave enough to share themselves with us!
Tags: Folk, Indie, Rosi Golan
Let Loose the Horses
Sep 16, 2009 Artists
I can’t remember how I found this group…Twitter, IHeartRadio, random Googling or MySpacing…Not sure. So sorry I can’t give someone credit for helping me find The Rescues. This group is sooooooo talented. A four person group with Kyler England, Rob Giles, Gabriel Mann and Adrianne Gonzalez. All talented solo artists and song writers, but together is where it’s at. Their strong voices and multi-part harmonies are just killer and their songs are both emotional and catchy. Two thumbs up for that! Gabriel Mann’s vocals, especially in Can’t Stand the Rain, are my favorite though. Anyways, check ‘em out. If you think you’ve heard them before, it’s probably from Grey’s Anatomy.
The Rescues
Tags: Grey's Anatomy, Indie, Pop, Rock, The Rescues
Unsigned Bands at Leeds Music Festival
So Leeds Music Festival is going on as we speak in the UK. I am so jealous. White Lies, a UK band I saw at Lollapalooza who rocked it, along with a bunch of other well known and unsigned bands are going to be playing there this weekend. I haven’t gotten to listen too much to the bands playing at Leeds since I just found out about this maybe an hour ago, but what I’ve heard so far I like. Take a listen!
Leeds Music Festival
Enjoy the afternoon! If you want to go to a music festival in Indy this Saturday full of unsigned and local artists check out Knollfest. And thank you to http://www.theunsignedguide.com/ for introducing me to these bands!
Chicks Rock!
Aug 21, 2009 Artists
I’m sure if you like to watch independent films, tv dramas or romantic comedies you have heard of Ingrid Michaelson, Imogean Heap and/or Colbie Caillat. Well, all three of them have new albums coming out next week on August 24th/25th. Ingrid Michaelson has been releasing a new song everyday on all of her websites up until the release next week of Everybody. So you should check it out. Very good stuff. Very very. Imogen Heap, as always, puts out music you won’t hear anywhere else. And Colbie Caillat fulfills my pop needs with her pretty little voice and catchy tunes.
If you like these artists, I have suggestions for you…
Meiko - Meiko is very real and cute and romantic. She looked very innocent, upon first glance but not so much. She doesn’t mind cussing to get her point across more fervently and her songs are about life situations, funny or not. Although, when she cusses she does so very sweetly.
Lenka- Her branding scheme looks like a little kid’s attempt at “artwork” and it works for her because her music is a little like that. It is very naive, but imaginative and funny and I love it. Very Regina-Spektor sounding.
Ashley Brooke Toussant- I met someone at Lollapalooza who told me about Ashley and I was surprisingly impressed. Her music is very relaxing and umm french. Even though she’s not. Or so she says.
April Smith and The Great Picture Show - April opened up Lollapalooza this year. If you like the circus April is your gal. Very vampy and gives off a warm vintage feel.
Sia - She might have a crazy life, as shown through her lyrics, but I love her. Her smoky voice combined with a wide variety of moods and vocal stylings she expresses in, Some People Have Real Problems, make life that much tolerable.
Tags: April Smith, Ashley Brooke Toussant, Colbie Caillat, Folk, Imogean Heap, Indie, Ingrid Michaelson, Lenka, Meiko, Melodramatic, Pop, Rock, Sia
Good Winter
Aug 18, 2009 Artists
A mean hacker deleted my site last week so I am back with a new look! No one can stop Mr. Domino (Playstation reference)! Anyways, you may see some minor site changes within the next couple days, but I hope this will be the last of changes for a while. Soooo back to Lollapalozza bands. Today, we salute Bon Iver. It was funny observing the crowd for Bon Iver versus the other bands at Lollapalooza. Everyone just shut up and focused when they got on stage. People were getting pissed at others for obstructing their views with umbrellas and talking too loud. All the overly dramatic people were annoying, don’t get me wrong, but I found it amazing that everyone wanted to experience Bon Iver in peace and quiet. It was a nice break from all the rock bands we heard that day. The lead, Justin Vernon, has a nice high range and soft voice and the beautiful harmonies between him and his band members pull at your heart. He gives emotion in all the right places of every song and he makes me want to find the good in life. There was one point during his performance where everyone just starting singing along with him. It really is a beautiful thing hearing thousands of people join together at the same time for the same purpose: loving music. Please download his cd. Bon Iver deserves all the praise in the world. Much love to my good friend Aaron for introducing me to his music.
Bon Iver
Bon Iver – For Emma (A Cappella)
Tags: Amanda loves, Bon Iver, Folk, Indie, Lollapalooza 2009
Somebody’s got a case of the blog vomits
So tomorrow I head north. I’m Chicago bound in seek of great music and a great time. Hopefully no shananigans will be involved, but I can’t make any promises. Maybe I just don’t want to. Next week I should have much more music for you to listen to after going to Lollapalooza. For months I’ve been listening to the bagillion bands that are going to be there this weekend and I can’t tell you how excited I am. If you can make it to Chicago this weekend, you most definitely should. In the mean time, there are a couple of artists that haven’t made it to the top of my “blog priority list” lately so I lay them before you now. This is a bit of what I like to call blog-vommiting-of-the-mouth so I apologize. And I apologize to them for not getting my full devoted attention, but by no means does it mean they aren’t fantastic.
Lights – My brother actually introduced me to her music. She is a Canadian chic who makes “intergalactic-electro music.” It’s pretty cool unique stuff. Not for everyone though. http://www.iamlights.com/
Alexi Murdoch – Most of the music from the movie Away We Go is from Alexi. Very Iron and Wine. Chill music and oh so delightful. http://www.aleximurdoch.com/index_site.html
Musikanto – I found him through Joe Pug on Myspace and was seriously impressed. His stuff is darn good, like the song Flowers and Stinging Bees. But he doesn’t seem to be marketed very well. Someone needs to get a hold of him. http://www.musikantomusic.com/
Betsy Roo- I found her through Kate York on Twitter. She writes music for a lot of people, including Mindy Smith whom I love and adore. http://www.myspace.com/betsyroomusic
Ok, enough blog vomiting. I promise next week to write full blown blogs about the amazing bands I am about to partake in. They are just a night’s sleep away.
Tags: Alexi Murdoch, Betsy Roo, Indie, Joe Pug, Lights, Lollapalooza 2009, Mindy Smith, Musikanto, Pop, Rock
Eden was a Garden
Aug 4, 2009 Artists
I was listening to this song and I felt this urgency to be sitting on a porch swing in South Carolina drinking sweet tea. Or maybe aspire to be a hippie? Roman Candle has this southern earthy rock feel to them that I LOVE! Skip has such experienced vocals and smart lyrics you just know he’s been making music since he was born. I really think that because the band members are family you hear a connection that other bands can’t possess. I feel at peace listening to them.
Roman Candle is a band that I found by following isoundcom on Twitter and even though I’ve only been on Twitter for a couple weeks now, I must say I don’t know if I could find a band more intricate, down to earth and hopeful. This isn’t their first cd so I’m kind of sad I haven’t found them earlier. After listening to Oh Tall Tree in the Ear to death, I’m going to dig up some of their earlier stuff to see what it sounds like. I’m sure it is just as good. Take a listen for yourself.
http://www.myspace.com/romancandle
Tags: Amanda loves, Indie, Pop, Rock, Roman Candle
Hard to Know
Jul 8, 2009 Artists
When I was a sophomore in college, my friend handed me Mindy Smith’s debut album One Moment More. Instantly, I fell in love with her soft voice, folk harmonies and spiritual lyrics. Her music has a way of getting to the heart of things and it really affected me emotionally. That is why I got really excited when I recently found out she has her fourth album coming out August 11th, Stupid Love. To be honest, her other 2 records didn’t grab me as much as her first. Still, she is definitely someone you want to hear and not just because of the pretty sounds she makes, but because her music can change how you live your life. If you truly embrace it.
“Hard to Know”
Well, you should’ve heard the way
I’ve been talking to myself
Treating her like common trash
On the side of the road
And you should’ve seen the ride
I was taking straight to hell
Handing my soul
To the likes of the devil
Sometimes it’s hard to know
That you need to be saved
‘Til you hit the bottom
And rattle that cage
Sometimes you just gotta keep
Digging awy
Until you break through
To the light of day
I really didn’t care
‘Cause I was trying to hurt myself
A sticky situation
I’m still trying to work it out
And I didn’t want to know
That I was the one to blame
Pointing my finger
Tryin’ to push all the blame away
Sometimes it’s hard to know
That you need to be saved
‘Til you hit the bottom
And rattle that cage
Sometimes you just gotta keep
Digging awy
Until you break through
To the light of day
I don’t wanna die this way
I don’t wanna die this way
I don’t wanna die this way
I know Jesus is alive
And He’s saving me everyday
It just took a little while
To figure out I had to pray
Sometimes it’s hard to know
That you need to be saved
‘Til you hit the bottom
And rattle that cage
Sometimes you just gotta keep
Praying away
Until you break through
To the light of day
The light of day
The light of day
Tags: Amanda loves, Folk, Indie, Mindy Smith
I Don’t Wanna Wait
Jul 6, 2009 Artists
A couple months ago I was searching the online music directory from the tv show One Tree Hill.
http://www.cwtv.com/music/one-tree-hill
I know, a little juvenile, but that show has amazing music. Anyways, I found what I now claim is the most mythical music I have ever heard . Her name is Rosi Golan, born in Israel, and her voice and music can put you into a dream-like state. I listen to a lot of music that sounds the same, but Rosi has a unique sound and style with words that are so simple and real. If you have the honor of seeing her live, she will leave you mesmerized. Listen to her ENTIRE cd and I promise you you will get a much more than $10 in return. My personal favorites are:
> The Drifter & The Gypsy
> Come Around
> Think of Me
> Hazy with William Fitzsimmons
> Been a Long Day
Ok, I think that’s enough favorites. 
Tags: Acoustic, Amanda loves, CW, Folk, Indie, One Tree Hill, Pop, Rosi Golan
