Tag Archives: Mumford & Sons

My initial thoughts on the 2013 GRAMMY Awards

11 Feb

Another year of GRAMMY Awards have come and gone.  So much great music highlighted from the past year and of course a ton of great performances.  I’m also a fan of LL Cool J as the host, hopefully they bring him back for a third year.  So how about some ramblings from the show.

  • If you’ve ever seen Bruno Mars live you know what to expect from him and his band but their performance was just sick.  Sting singing a verse to “Locked Out of Heaven,” finally a tip of the hat to the Police influenced track and Rihanna joining the party with Ziggy and Damian Marley for a great tribute to Bob Marley. My favorite performance of the night.
  • Wow, what a great way to pay tribute to the late, great Levon Helm.  Elton John, Mumford & Sons, Mavis Staples, Zac Brown, Alabama Shakes singer Brittany Howard and T Bone Burnett, wonderful performance.
  • Justin Timberlake with the band and orchestra, a tip of the hat and that I have to say overshadowed Jay-Z guesting for me.
  • How cool was the rain during the fun. performance? So stoked to see those guys jump to stardom but every time I see Nate Ruess I am reminded of The Format, man do I miss that band.
  • Mumford & Sons, well at least the escalated from that rickety little stage from a couple years ago.
  • The Lumineers I sure hope they are the Mumford of two years ago and just reach new heights after the GRAMMY Awards. Let’s see how many units they move in the next week.
  • The Black Keys with Dr. John and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band was just simply rocking. Seen Dan Auerbach and Dr. John together but that collection of musicians, whoa.
  • Ed Sheeran getting to share the stage with Elton John, well done young man.
  • Jack White, a tip of the hat to you!
  • Frank Ocean, wish they would have had him perform earlier in the show.
  • LL Cool J, Chuck D, Z-Trip and Travis Barker – I’d love to see an entire concert with these four.
  • Was there an over/under on how many times they would show Taylor Swift?  And is there one song she didn’t sing along to?
  • Is it odd that I thought of The Hunger Games when they showed Carrie Underwood’s dress?  All it needed to do was catch fire!
  • Anyone else think John Mayer in the purple tux belonged in Alice in Wonderland and could have fit in the Taylor Swift performance?
  • I guess people know who Miguel is now.  A tip of the hat to @TonyDasco who’s been all about Miguel for two plus years.
  • Prince, he’s got to be up to something if he made an appearance.  I just wonder what.  I remember when he had his residency in Vegas, he would show up to one of the nightclubs I worked with an then have the curtains closed around him.  Odd then, odd now but still one of the greatest musicians/performers ever.
  • Did Kimbra and her ‘I’m not sure what she was wearing’ rival Bjork and her swan dress?
  • The other performances, meh. Or did I miss a great one?

Oh and the awards.  Here you go.

Five For Friday, Band of Skulls, Grammys, Mumford & Sons, Dizzy Wright, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Foxygen and more

8 Feb

TGIF and I’m back with a Five For Friday. Been a crazy start to the year and I’ve slacked on getting out some awesome nuggets of music news, new music, concerts and general info.

  1. This weekend in Vegas is going to be rocking with live music. If you had your sights set on the Imagine Dragons show, and feeling bummed since it’s sold out; head over to Vinyl at the Hard Rock Hotel where Band of Skulls will be raging in the intimate room. I promise they will bring it and so should you.
  2. The Grammy Awards are this weekend, don’t miss out as there are going to be some amazing performances. If you recall a couple years ago Mumford & Sons, The Avett Brothers and Bob Dylan all jammed together and look at what that did to propel M&S and TAB to the next level. This year all eyes are on fun. and The Lumineers even though there are countless other amazing musicians performing.
  3. Speaking of Mumford & Sons, did you see the announced this year’s Gentlemen of the Road tour? Catch the US dates and see performances by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Alabama Shakes, fun., Those Darlins, The Vaccines, Half Moon Run, Bear’s Den, Willy Mason and Old Crow Medicine Show.
  4. Monday, February 11 head over to ghostbar at Palms where Vegas’ own, Dizzy Wright will be performing as part of Red Bull’s Red Monday presents. If you want to see the next big thing in hip-hop, you’ll be there.
  5. Next Saturday, February 16 if you are in Las Vegas make sure you head to Beauty Bar where Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Foxygen will be jamming. This is definitely a show you do not want to miss. Trust me.

Sasquatch!, Sweetlife and Shaky Knees Festival Lineups Released Today

5 Feb

Busy Tuesday morning in Festival land where Sasquatch (Washington), Sweetlife (Maryland) and Shaky Knees (Georgia) all released their festival lineups!  Take a look at the below lineup posters and start your festival road trip planning!

SASQUATCH_2013_caramel

sweetgreen

6719_259483277517051_1104731545_n

DoYouHearTheMusic.com – Jump Into Fall Vol. II – Playlist

6 Oct

Here we go, time for another little playlist to help you Jump Into Fall! For October here are a bunch of tracks that are on constant rotation for me. Hope you enjoy and find some new tunes you like.

Thanks to the nifty little Spotify playlist button you can listen right here!

New Music Tuesday: Mumford & Sons, Lupe Fiasco, No Doubt, Ozomatli, Talib Kweli and more!

25 Sep

For the third straight week, New Music Tuesday is absolutely amazing with a handful of BIG TIME releases.  We’re talking Mumford & Sons – Babel, Lupe Fiasco – Food & Liquor 2: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1, No Doubt – Push and Shove, Ozomatli – OzoKidz, Talib Kweli – Prisoner of Conscious, Preservation Hall Jazz Band – St. Peter and 57th, Dragonette – Bodyparts, Green Day – Uno!, Anita Baker – Only Forever, The Soft Pack – Strapped, deadmau5 – >album goes here< and a whole bunch more.

As for my two top picks of the week, tough call yet really simple:

Mumford & Sons – Babel

Mumford & Sons fresh off their performance on Saturday Night Live drop one of the most anticipated albums of the year and I promise you won’t be disappointed.  Unlike their incredible debut Sigh No More, Babel is more upbeat from the start and really captures more of the live M&S experience.  Give a few spins through the record and you’ll be hooked.  If you’ve seen the fellas live, chances are you’ve heard what early on I have to say my favorite tracks on the disc are “Hopeless Wanderer” and “Below Your Feet” – oddly enough track 11 on both discs are my favorite (“Dust Bowl Dance” on Sigh No More).  Enjoy!

 

Lupe Fiasco – Food & Liquor 2: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1

If you know me, you know I’m a gigantic Lupe Fiasco fan so it’s no surprise to see his new disc here as one of my top picks.  I’m really looking forward to listening to the “follow-up” to his debut album six years and two albums later, as I’ve only heard a few tracks including “Around My Way (Freedom Ain’t Free)” which samples Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth’s “TROY” and from what I’ve read, it’s very politically and culturally charged.  He speaks load and clear enough that his message is heard and people respond.

Five For Friday: DMB, Imagine Dragons, Kanye, Doheny Days & New Music Tuesday

7 Sep

Five For Friday, here’s some good tidbits to get you in the right mindset this weekend.

  1. Recently a buddy of mine won an all expense paid trip courtesy of Volkswagen to see Dave Matthews Band at the Gorge over Labor Day Weekend.  Not only was I stoked for him because he’s a huge DMB and music nut like me but it’s the Gorge, a place I’m still trying to get to.  Little did I know that after the show him and two other friends would appear in a whole Rolling Stone slideshow documenting the weekend.   Check it out HERE.
  2. Hometown Vegas boys Imagine Dragons dropped their first full length release this week, Night Visions.  Pick it up and catch them on tour with AWOLNATION.
  3. Click HERE to listen to the new Kanye West track “Clique.” Some good guests on this track too!
  4. One of the final music festivals of the summer takes place this weekend, Doheny Days and features a pretty solid lineup where tickets are only $100 for two days.  Jane’s Addiction, The Flaming Lips, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Santigold, Steel Pulse, Delta Spirit, Milo Greene and Jeramiah Red and others perform.
  5. Next Tuesday is going to be one of the most ridiculous New Music Tuesdays ever, you’ve got Bob Dylan (Tempest), Dave Matthews Band (Away From The World), Chris Robinson Brotherhood (The Magic Door), The Avett Brothers (The Carpenter), The xx (Coexist), Thee Oh Sees (Putrifiers II), ZZ Top (La Futura), A$AP Rocky (LongLiveASAP), Ludacris (Ludaversal), David Byrne & St. Vincent (Love This Giant), Calexico (Algiers), Akon (Stadium), Aaron Lewis (The Road), DMX (Undisputed), Kix Brooks (New To This Town) and more!

New Music: Mumford & Sons – “I Will Wait”

7 Aug

Who’s excited? I know I am and counting down the days until Mumford & Sons release the much anticipated album, Babel on September 25. Here is the official audio of “I Will Wait” released today by Mumford & Sons.

Thanks for the tip, Paste Magazine.

New Music – Lollapalooza Edition: Dry The River

1 Aug

Lollapalooza Week on DoYouHearTheMusic.com continues with another rising act you should most definitely be listening to.

Three words: Dry The River

Who? A fast rising band from across the pond

What?  An English folk-rock band

Why you should listen?  How about they’ve not only played South by Southwest but the biggest music festival in the world, Glastonbury. And that was before their debut LP, Shallow Bed was released

A reason you’ll be excited?  Give a listen to their EP Weights & Measures and you’ll understand why they’ve been invited to play so many esteemed festivals.  On Shallow Bed listen to the tracks

Why I’m excited: I’m still fascinated by how much amazing music has been coming out of the U.K. the past few years and this is another group gaining a lot of steam.  I’ve also heard their live shows are much more rocking then their recorded works (think a la The Avett Brothers)

If you like: Mumford & Sons, The Head and The Heart, Fleet Foxes, Boy & Bear, Benjamin Francis Leftwich, King Charles

Final thoughts: Melodies, harmonies, real music.  These guys display all of it and in such a perfectly balanced way.

Friday, August 3, 3:20 p.m., BMI Stage

DoYouHearTheMusic.com Summer Playlist Vol.I

25 Jun

The first full week of summer is here and to help celebrate I give you the DoYouHearTheMusic.com Summer Playlist Vol.I.  To make this playlist available via Spotify I had had to kick out a few tracks (for now) but I hope you enjoy this little soundtrack to begin summer with.

Click HERE to access the playlist.

Baywood –  “I Can Breathe Again”

Jukebox The Ghost –  “Somebody”

White Arrows – “I Can Go”

Theme Park – “Wax”

San Cisco – “Awkward”

Electric Guest – “This Head I Hold”

Jump Jump Dance Dance – “Do It For Love”

Passion Pit – “Take A Walk

Between Borders – “Free”

Satchel Grande – “Put Up A Fuss”

Gentlemen Hall – “All Our Love”

Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds – “Untie My Shoelaces”

King Charles ft. Mumford & Sons – “The Brightest Lights

Vintage Trouble – “You Better Believe It”

John Mayer – “Queen of California”

The Lumineers – “Big Parade”

Dawes – “If I Wanted Someone”

Bag of Toys – “Eternal Optimist”

The Dirty Heads – “Spread To Thin

Donavon Frankenreiter – “Shine”

 

 

 

New Music: King Charles – LoveBlood

22 Jun

Two words: King Charles

Who? A rising singer-songwriter from London (to note – he is already a big deal in London)

What?  His debut album, LoveBlood (released May 8)

Why you should listen? Because he’s awesome and this classically trained singer-songwriter brings a bunch of sounds including some island vibes blended into indie, folk-pop

A reason you’ll be excited?  He got Mumford & Sons to sing on the track below

Why I’m excited: I believe I have found my album of the summer; yet another rising star from across the pond and he is very diverse in his music from track to track but makes it work. Just listen to the title track below too.

If you like: Vampire Weekend, Jake Bugg, Dry The River, Theme Park, Little Comets and obviously Mumford & Sons

Final thoughts: Hop on the train now because soon enough, everyone in the States will know King Charles and you just may be bowing to him