2007 in pictures

2007 is finally coming to a close. It has been a good year, and I've got a ton of concert pictures to prove it. Here's what I have to show after these long 365 days. These photos, however, don't include all of the shows I attended this year. There were a handful of shows in which photography was intensely banned, such as Snoop Dogg and Muse. Oh well, hopefully 2008 will be an even better year for everyone.

Here's to some good music in 2008. New releases are expected from the musicians in my top 3, Giant Drag, Amy Kuney, and The Like as well as from others, like Tyler Hilton. Cheers.

jjamz

The Like's Z Berg has an alter ego: Fahzu Qu. Supposedly, Z and her friends one night decided to recorded some tracks under the name JJAMZ.

Here's their backstory:
Karaoke night at Guys. We only had to pay five dollars to get in, instead of the usual ten. Fahzu, in her young and infinite wisdom, asked us, the boys, to back her up on "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)," by Looking Glass. The rest of the night was bong rips, Tecate and pro tools. Let the track click....

They have two tracks on their Myspace, Get What You Want and Square One. Square One has to be my favorite. In fact, it's from that song that I got the title for my blog. In the beginning of the song, they edited together some random clips of Z talking, one of them being "Turn my vocals up." I loved it and thought it would fit.

JJAMZ hasn't done anything besides those two tracks since they first put them up in November 2006, so I don't foresee much of a future for this lovely, lovely jam band. It's a shame, it's different, it's fun, I love it.

patrick watson

Merry belated Christmas! I hope everyone had a nice celebration.

I received a few cds, one being Patrick Watson's Close to Paradise. It's my new current music love affair.Close to Paradise, after only a few listens so far, calms me. The music is comforting, soothing, and almost warms me, if that makes any sense. Patrick's voice is different. It's smooth, soft, and passionate. He means what he sings and you can hear that in his voice.

The cd borders experimental at times, but not to the point where I skip any songs. The fluidity of the album maintains itself and it feels complete, not a random jumble of songs.

I believe I first heard of Patrick Watson on a Grey's Anatomy episode (another credit to that show) when it featured the song The Great Escape. Then Close to Paradise became an instore play at Barnes and Noble, where I work. I couldn't escape it, and now I'm glad I couldn't.

My favorites off the album so far have to be Close to Paradise, Slip Into Your Skin, Giver, Luscious Life, and The Great Escape. That's a great number for a cd with only thirteen songs, which shows how good this album really is.

Here's the video for The Great Escape, a beautifully emotional song.

feist

I feel confident in saying that you've probably heard of Feist, whether it be on the radio or on a commercial featuring jewelry or cell phones.

I first fell in love with Feist in 2005. I remember vacationing in Montreal, Canada and seeing her perform Mushaboom on a late talk show. I soon after bought her cd Let It Die. Her vocals talents are mesmorizing.

I will admit, though, at times it becomes difficult to determine what she says behind the smooth, flowy nature of her voice.

Since her third solo album released in May of this year, The Reminder, I have been listening to it nonstop. For the entire month of July, I believe this was one of the cds I had playing in my car continously.

Of course I love the singles, 1234 and My Moon, My Man, but one of my favorites has to be Intuition. Feist really bares it all on this cd, having some of the songs feature simply her voice and guitar. It's personal. It's beautiful, and I believe Intuition really captures this.

I look forward to hearing more things from Feist in the future. Without a doubt, I will buy whatever cds she releases. Feist has me hooked, for good.

Here's her music video for My Moon, My Man. It's elegant, yet fun, a perfect fit for Feist.

giant drag: silver bells

Annie, from Giant Drag, the wonderful person that she is, put up her version of Silver Bells on her Myspace page which she recorded with James and Louis from Dirty Little Secret three years ago. It's pretty kick ass and I've been loving it since she first played it last year on GTFU Radio.

It's even available for download, so start a clicking!

And yes, according to Annie, Santa is quite scary, wouldn't you agree?

dead man's bones

Would you have guessed that Ryan Gosling was in a band? I didn't realize at first, but as soon as I found out about Dead Man's Bones, I fell in love.

Ryan on vocals and guitar, with Zach Shields, also on vocals and guitar, together don't just make some decent eye candy, but some decent music. They currently have two songs up on their Myspace, my favorite being Paper Ships, but Dead Man's Bones is fun as well.

I love some of the influences they listed for their music, including leg lamps, naked ghosts, and the man under your bed not ours.

Dead Man's Bones list that they are working on a new LP and will be done when they are finished. I'll keep you updated.

Here's a fun treat of a song Ryan recorded awhile back on his own. It's called Put Me In The Car and a cute ballad.

amy kuney

Along with Giant Drag and The Like, Amy Kuney completes my top three favorite artists.

I first heard of Amy this summer when she opened for Tyler Hilton at the Knitting Factory in Hollywood. She absolutely blew me away. Her song, Thank You For Last Night, which is currently featured on her Myspace, is the one that really captured me.

Amy's voice reminds me of some old-school singers from about the 30s or 40s. It's not hollow or whiny like so many other artists today.

Amy recently started a blog as she visits her family in Honduras (she's a missionary kid!) and starts recording her new album which is due out this spring.

What's really cool is that Amy has agreed to let me help her out in terms of publicity for the new album. It will be great experience, and certainly a fun one, because I appreciate Amy's music so much. I'll be sure to keep you updated on what's happening with Amy.

ingrid michaelson

I have to thank Grey's Anatomy (yes, I love that show) for introducing me to so many new artists. They have this awesome music guide that recaps the songs from each episode.

One of the many artists that show has made me fall in love with is Ingrid Michaelson. She has this extremely smooth and buttery voice.

And you've probably heard her song, The Way I Am, in an Old Navy commercial about sweaters.



Ingrid will play a show at the Troubadour in West Hollywood on January 24. I think I may just have to go!

giant drag

Giant Drag, aka Annie Hardy, is my number one love in terms of music. Numero uno.

Annie, although 26 years old, can come off as a 12 year-old girl sometimes, because of her tiny frame and child-like voice. Her blunt and pirate-like comments, as a result, get people to stop and ask, what?

Regardless, Annie is simply amazing. You never know what is going to come out of her mouth, including a black tongue (which she had earlier this year).

Annie, and former bandmate-drummer-bass synthesizer expertise Micah Calabrese, who left the band in November 2006, released Hearts and Unicorns, Giant Drag's first full-length

album. Annie's first album was Lemona, a five song release.

Since then, Annie's toured all over the US and Europe playing shows and getting rave reviews.

After Micah left the band because he never was truly committed to living the life of a starving artist, Annie started working on a new album. However, she ran into a little bit of a road bump when Interscope, her label, decided to drop the band.

So, Annie's currently going on her own, recruiting new people to supplement her talents as a vocalist and guitarist.

According to Manimal Vinyl's Myspace:

"May 2008: Giant Drag: untitled EP (MANI-010) Four new songs written, performed and composed by Annie Hardy. Her first release of new material since the triumphant 2005

debut, Hearts and Unicorns."

I can't wait!

Annie, along with Aaron Farley and Jeremy Weiss, also host an online weekly radio show, GTFU Radio, and pretty much sit around and talk about whatever they feel like, playing music here and there. It's amazing.

Here's the video for her single, Kevin is Gay, which has to be one of my favorite music videos simply because of its absurdity.

You'll definitely be hearing more about Giant Drag and Annie Hardy in the future, especially because she's starting the Chilito Revolution.

kimya dawson and the moldy peaches

I found the voice behind the music in Juno. Kimya Dawson. Kimya has five songs featured on the soundtrack, along with the song Anyone Else But You, which I talked about in the Juno post, played by a former band of hers, The Moldy Peaches. The soundtrack also features that song played by Michael Cera and Ellen Page.

Kimya played with Adam Green in The Moldy Peaches starting in 2001 and released two albums together. The band went into hiatus after that, but supposedly reunited to play for the Juno premiere.

I'm definitely going to try to get a copy of The Moldy Peaches' second release, The Moldy Peaches, in addition to the Juno soundtrack. I've had the beginning lines of Anyone Else But You stuck in my head all day at work.

"A part-time lover and a full-time friend."

Kimya sings simply and child-like almost, in a sing-speak sort of way. I never would have guessed she is 35 years old. Her lyrics tell quite an interesting story and can be quite surprising if you just listen to the melody. It's somewhat deceptive that way. The cute little tunes disguise the twisted story within.

For example, she sings:
"and kill everybody who's in close proximity to the place I call my home."

Delightfully strange.

Kimya released five solo albums since the break with The Moldy Peaches and recently had a baby, named Panda, with her one-man-band husband Angelo Spencer. She goes on tour every so often, and recently came through Southern California. It always happens that I discover an interesting artist after they've already came and went through my town. What can I do?

I haven't heard too much about what's coming up next for Kimya, but I suppose she'll continue making fun songs and touring occasionally. I heard she recently put together a new solo album, Alphabutt e. pee, which is a collection of self-composed children songs. I haven't seen it for sale online yet, but I think she's been selling it at her shows. Sounds like fun!

juno

I saw Juno last night and absolutely loved it. Ellen Page (Juno) sincerely comes off as this offbeat sarcastic teenager who just happens to get herself in an unwanted circumstance and Michael Cera (Bleeker) shines in his trying to hard to be cool, awkward ways.

This video clip encompasses the best of Juno. The song in the video, Anyone Else But You, is Ellen Page and Michael Cera singing together. They weren't too shabby and the soundtrack wasn't too bad either. Let's just say it fit the tone of the film.

The one-liners and that hamburger phone were definitely the highlights, at least for me.

For example, the store clerk's response to the positive pregnancy test:
"That ain't no etch-a-sketch. That's one doodle that can't be un-did, home skillet."

Genius! I highly recommend this film. And so do the 2008 Golden Globe awards. The film is nominated for Best Motion Picture- Comedy/Musical, Ellen Page is nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture- Comedy/Musical, and the screenplay (Diablo Cody) is nominated for, what else, but Best Screenplay- Motion Picture. I'm not alone in my love for this film.

Go see it and tell me what you think.

the like: dance video

The Like were in London for the past few months recording their sophomore album. Yes! I loved their first album, Are You Thinking What I'm Thinking?, and my friends can testify that we've had a few dance parties in the car to those songs.

Z Berg (left) has this scratchy and addictive voice that's almost somewhat haunting. It's different and I love it.

I believe this trio just finished up recording and is already back in LA. Their album is due out sometime in spring 2008. The band has one of their newly recording songs, Release Me, up on their Myspace. It's a live acoustic version from a performance on Indie 103.1.

I've also enjoyed this new little ditty with Charlotte Froom (center) and Tennessee Thomas (right) they recently put up in one of their blogs. It seems as thought I'm not the only one who has dance parties to The Like songs.

greetings

Can you count me in?

Just kidding. I'm Audrey. Not unlike many other people, I enjoy music. A lot. I enjoy listening to the artists I love, going to shows, taking pictures, and finding new artists to listen to. How original, right?

Well, I love music and artists so much that I want to give back, publicity wise. Currently, I'm a senior at Chapman University majoring in Public Relations and Advertising. I specifically want to enter music public relations. This past summer, I was granted the opportunity to intern for the publicity department at Geffen Records. This experience certified my interest in music pr.

This blog will become, in a sense, my music journal. I'll discuss what I'm listening to, concerts I go to, photos I take, among other things. Along the way, I'd love to hear feedback and suggestions about what you're listening to and what I should check out. I'm always starved for something new.

Thanks for stopping by, and stay tuned :]