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.
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
Kick off your day right with The Kicks & a free download!
Nashville’s hot little Southern rockers (and Krissie Mix alumni), The Kicks, have a new song up for free download over at Brite Revolution. If you like your rock with endless guitar riffs and the occasional 80s-rock reminiscent caterwaul, this song is a must have for you!
Fresh off a tour with Los Lonely Boys, these guys, who originally hail from Atlanta, are definitely picking up steam. One of their songs was recently featured on “Pretty Little Liars,” so look out…the little girls will be digging on them sooner than later. And you know what Samantha from Sex in the City said about success in showbiz … “First, the girls…”
And, if you REALLY dig what you’re hearing, head over to their website and pick up the “Pretty Little Thing” single for free, too – all ya gotta do is give ’em your e-mail address.
Here’s a video of them performing “Starchaser” acoustic – look at those faces, how could you not love ’em?
My favorite Young Sons, Saints of Valory, have a new song out for free download AND will be in Charlotte at the Live Out Loud Festival this Saturday, September 17.
You have three days, people. Three days to download one hot new jam from Austin’s blistering little quartet, Saints of Valory, for nada. Zip. Zilch. Free.
Go download “Young Sons” over at Pure Volume. Then thank the boys for the gift by following them on Twitter.
Or, if you live in Charlotte, go check out this phenomenal rock band, along with Sequoyah, Margolnick, Paper Tongues and 13 other bands, at the Live Out Loud Festival at NC Music Factory this Saturday, September 17. I have to miss it, and it is BREAKING MY HEART… so it would make me feel a lot better if they developed a massive following in Charlotte and had to keep coming back due to high demand. Seriously, please go out, support these bands and a good cause. Proceeds from the show go to Samaritan’s Feet and The Free Store to help Charlotte’s homeless and others in need.
And may you have a lovely little Tuesday earworm all day. “We are, we are, we are far too young…”
More Saints of Valory: Web | Twitter | Facebook | Bandcamp | iTunes | YouTube
Alpha Rev's giving away free music...again! Download "Black Sky" now and catch 'em on tour this fall.
The fellas in Alpha Rev hit the road today for a big tour that will take them all over the U.S. – Colorado, Utah, Washington, Idaho, California, Texas, Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan, Chicago, and the part that makes me happiest, the Southeast: North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee.
To celebrate their tour and the upcoming release of their EP, City Farm – Backyard, the guys are giving away a free song. It’s one of my faves, “Black Sky,” completely redone with new verse lyrics that I’m going to have a hard time singing because I want to sing the old ones. However, new is good, and I looooove it.
You will, too. I promise.
More Alpha Rev: Website | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | PledgeMusic (last day to pledge!)
jrzygyrl.com 