Author Archives: Krissie

The Sunday Funday Playlist – October 17, 2011

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A week of battling some icky sickness has left me with not a whole lot of motivation to write.  So I apologize for the brevity of this week’s list … do not take it as any commentary on the quality of the music. 🙂

1.  Heartbeat – The Fray

I’m a big fan of these guys; they might be big time rock stars, but that doesn’t stop me from loving their distinctive writing style and their pop sensibility.  Loving this, their new single that was released this week.

2. Atlantic City (Springsteen Cover) – Benjamin Francis Leftwich

I have fallen madly in love with this Brit songwriter’s soft, lilting trill … so when I saw he had a FREE covers EP up for download, I snatched it up.  And imagine my joy when I saw one of my favorite Springsteen songs there.  While BFL’s version retains the eerie sadness of Springsteen’s, his voice definitely makes the song something new.  Totally digging it.

3.  Black Sky (Alpha Rev cover) – Carbon Leaf
As if they know that I’m completely freaking out about my three-day mini tour this week, Alpha Rev and Carbon Leaf have been exchanging video covers of each others’ songs this week.  This one is pretty phenomenal and (see my post from earlier this week) is available for free download and benefits Texas Wildfire Relief.

4.  Human Nature (Michael Jackson cover) – Gareth Asher

Gareth came through town this week and seeing him perform always puts a smile on my face.  Gareth has such a love for life and a passion for his craft, and when you pair those two things with his incredible voice, there’s nothing better.  He covered this Michael Jackson classic on Thursday night, and I haven’t been able to get it out of my head.  This is a live version from his Eddie’s Attic show on his birthday.

5.  Little Black Dress – Honor By August
A lovely little pop-candy gem from my favorite DC boys.  Pick up the studio version for free over at Noisetrade right now.  Until it’s available on SoundCloud, here’s the video from the first time they played the song live at Iota … proud to say I was there for the debut!

Carbon Leaf Strikes Back for Texas

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What do you get when two of your top 10 favorite bands go on tour and start a YouTube video battle covering each other’s songs? Well, besides a happy Krissie, you get a challenge to help a much needed cause.

After Alpha Rev covered Carbon Leaf’s “Let Your Troubles Roll By,” Carbon Leaf decided to strike back and post a video of them covering Alpha Rev’s “Black Sky.” (video below)

If you’ve been living in the dark, Texas had a severe drought this summer and the excessively dry conditions sparked raging wildfires around the state.  Alpha Rev lent their song “Black Sky” to a couple of causes promoting wildfire relief funds.

And here’s where Carbon Leaf ups the cool factor: They are giving away their cover of the song for free and encouraging fans to make donations to one of two Texas wildfire relief funds if they download the song.

That’s seriously amazing.  So I downloaded the song and donated $5 to the Texas Wildfire Relief Fund (you can also give to Pass the Hat for Texas) I don’t live in Texas.  But, some of my best friends and best bands do and I love the city of Austin like it’s my home.  Not only that, but if North Carolina were to go up in flames, I’d like to think that others around the country would support the firefighters here as they battled to save land, people and property. I challenge all of my friends, fellow music junkies, Carbon Leaf or Alpha Rev fans to make a donation to one of these causes.  A) Because its the right thing to do and B) Because these artists are insanely cool for using their time and talents to bring attention to the cause.

Then go support these incredible artists on tour.

Alpha Rev covers Carbon Leaf

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This.is.awesome.

I’ve been a huge Carbon Leaf fan for many years (thank you, little sister!)…so when I found out Alpha Rev was going on tour with them, it was like a mad dream coming true…because we all know that Alpha Rev is up there in my top 5 artists of all time.

So Alpha Rev covering Carbon Leaf?  The perfect thing to make me feel better as I sit home fighting off the flu.  Hope it brings a smile to your face, too.

The Sunday Funday Playlist – October 9, 2011

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1.  Audition – Red Wanting Blue

I was way late jumping on the Red Wanting Blue bandwagon.  These guys have been around for a decade, and I only started listening to them in February after seeing them with Erinn when they opened for Honor By August.  I am completely in love with Scott Terry’s voice and his old-school rock band dedication to making music.  Their new album, From the Vanishing Point, comes out in January, but this is the first single.  I have been singing it for days now.

2.  The Fear – Ben Howard

Brit songster Ben Howard’s new album Every Kingdom was released this week and it’s GORGEOUS.  This song speaks so much truth to me right now it almost breaks my heart. “I’ve been worrying that I’m losing the ones I hold dear; I’ve been worrying that we all live our lives in the confines of fear.” Brilliant writing.  This acoustic version is especially stunning.

3.  State of Love & Trust (Pearl Jam Cover) – Gaslight Anthem

New iTunes Session up for pre-order this week…some of my favorite Jersey boys, Gaslight Anthem.  Bunch of great covers listed, but this one was available to purchase and I’m SO STOKED about it.  This song was my anthem for the summer of 1996, when I was dating Charlie, a Pearl Jam nut who played drums in a cover band.  I spent the entire summer driving back and forth from Chestertown to Annapolis to see him play and I swear, I probably had six different mix tapes with this song on it.  Such memories.  Gaslight does it justice.  Unfortunately, the rock version isn’t available on SoundCloud…but this version, an acoustic version that sounds like it was recorded in someone’s living room after a couple of beers and is complete with them talking about the intricacies of the “guitar part”, is.  And it’s still awesome. Rock on, guys.

4.  Chains of Love – Ryan Adams

On Friday, Ryan’s new album, Ashes & Fire, arrived in my mailbox and although I’ve only had a few spins through it, I’m already well “in like” with the whole record.  Ryan’s one of those artists that is so complex sometimes that it takes me a good few weeks to get through all the layers and figure out what I really love.  That said, I can tell you that this record is way more up my alley than some of the stuff he’s done in the past few years.  Way back to his singer-songwriter style, that I love … So far, this one is my favorite.  But that’s bound to change by next week.

5.  Breaking – Christopher Jak

An exchange of e-mails with one of my favorite songwriters this week has inspired the last track of the Sunday Funday playlist.  See the post before this for me going on (and on and on) about Christopher Jak and his unbelievable talent.  This song is from his Folk EP, which you can download for free right now on Noisetrade.  Just listen to the first freaking line…the man is poet.

Christopher Jak … Free Music, Take 2!

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He may run, but he can't hide...Jak is back!

If you’ve never heard me talk about Christopher Jak…well, either you’re a new reader or I don’t like you very much.  In my top five artists OF ALL TIME, Jak is simply one of the best songwriters out there.  Period. The man is just brilliant.

In fact, he wrote my favorite line of any song, ever.  You can find it in his song “Something” … “All I want in life is just a color picture of beauty in a golden frame of mind…” It’s so wonderful.  And his writing is FULL of stuff JUST like this.  He calls some of what he writes “Sad Bastard” music….I call it genius.

These days, he spends more time producing that he does writing and putting out his own music, but occasionally, he surprises me with an e-mail letting me know he’s up to something.  This week, I got a note advising me that he’d put one of the EPs he released last year, The Folk EP, up for free download over at NoiseTrade.  If you don’t have it yet, I highly advise picking it up.

Let me give you some reasons WHY you should be listening to this little 5-song gem.  A) This is what the EP opens with…I swear to God, this is how the man writes…it’s unreal…. “I’m the human wrecking ball and you’re the love grenade, we leave a trail behind us like a suicide parade…”  B) Cover of Neil Young’s “Birds” that will leave you breathless…. C) Acoustic version of Jak’s own song “Begin to Cry” (which is probably his biggest sleeper hit)… D) This line in “Down Below”: “I was a man on fire asking you to dance, but having been burned before, you’re not chances on me…”

Seriously, what are you waiting for?

And…for you fans…rumor is that Jak has booked some studio time.  Perhaps we’ll see new music from CJ in 2012?  A girl can dream….

If you’re a new fan, pick up other Jak music here:  The Leadfoot Lover EP | The New Nostalgia | Applause of the Rain | (And here’s one that not many people know about) Christmas Wouldn’t Be the Same Without You (Breaking My Heart) – with The Heyday