Wanted to talk about a band I have kind of listened to off and on for the last couple of years. Formed back in 2004, The Ettes are a really beat-punk inspired group that when you listen to their songs, you can hear the influences from the Ramones, Rollin Stones and Blondie which they make into their on unique sound.
They have been compares to Blondie, along with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and the Strokes. The performances, which you can see below, are really full of energy and it will leave you wanting more. When they get asked at live shows for an encore, the band normally replys "If we're all still standing and the gear can still make noise, we'll do it.".........god you gotta admire the group........
So check out the music below to hear The Ettes insistent and irresistible sound that will take you into new music territory for a real revitalized wall of sound.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Sally Shapiro
Whispery sopranos and gentle pulsations of wistful warmth is the best way I could describe the music of Sally Shapiro. The pseudonym of a swedish singer, Sally Shapiro takes her influences from what I can really only describe as a cross between Italian disco and eurobeat.
One item that makes Shapiro stand out from the crowd is the fact that she shuns publicity. She does not perform live, give live interviews nor has she ever given out her real name. Her first album, Disco Romance, from 2007 got good reviews and her latest release , My Guilty Pleasure, follows in the same footsteps, much to the joy of her fans.
I have provided a couple of her songs below that show off her delicate and sensual vocals, along with the vintage 80's feel that her producer/writer Johan Agebjorn brings and I am sure you will be able to hear the influence that Kraftwerk and Katy Grey have provided.
Enjoy.....
Music start about 30 seconds into the video
One item that makes Shapiro stand out from the crowd is the fact that she shuns publicity. She does not perform live, give live interviews nor has she ever given out her real name. Her first album, Disco Romance, from 2007 got good reviews and her latest release , My Guilty Pleasure, follows in the same footsteps, much to the joy of her fans.
I have provided a couple of her songs below that show off her delicate and sensual vocals, along with the vintage 80's feel that her producer/writer Johan Agebjorn brings and I am sure you will be able to hear the influence that Kraftwerk and Katy Grey have provided.
Enjoy.....
Music start about 30 seconds into the video
Sunday, September 6, 2009
A blast from the past
I know I normally talk about newer indy groups, but today I was listening to a band from the 90's that someone felt was not much of a band..........today I want to show a little love to that band..........Toad The Wet Sprocket.......
Named in honor of a sketch by the Monty Python comedy troupe, Toad the Wet Sprocket became one of the most successful alternative rock bands of the early '90s, boasting a contemporary folk-pop sound that wielded enough melody and R.E.M.-styled jangle to straddle both the modern rock and adult contemporary markets. Singer Glen Phillips, guitarist Todd Nichols, bassist Dean Dinning (the nephew of '50s hitmaker Mark "Teen Angel" Dinning), and drummer Randy Guss formed the group in 1986 in their native Santa Barbara, CA. After honing their sound in local bars, the bandmates entered a nearby studio in 1988 and recorded their debut LP, Bread and Circus, in eight days at a cost of $650. Originally sold as a homemade cassette in Santa Barbara record stores, the album eventually made its way to the Los Angeles offices of Columbia Records, which signed Toad only after agreeing to the band's request to reissue Bread and Circus in its original form, without any alterations or remixes.
The somber Pale, produced by Marvin Etzioni, followed in 1990. After years of persistent touring, Toad the Wet Sprocket's commercial breakthrough followed with 1991's Fear, as the single "All I Want" -- quite nearly left off the album -- became a Top 20 hit. Another single from the LP, "Walk on the Ocean," fared similarly well, and the combination pushed Fear to platinum sales. Three years later, Toad returned with Dulcinea, which generated a third Top 40 hit with the single "Fall Down." While "Fall Down" seemingly catered to the grunge generation with its minor-key riffs and anxious vocals, the bulk of Dulcinea emphasized Toad the Wet Sprocket's acoustic craft, and the band scored another hit with the mellow "Something's Always Wrong."
In Light Syrup, a collection of unreleased material, appeared in 1995. Although it contained the hit song "Good Intentions," the album didn't sell nearly as well as its predecessors, possibly due to the inclusion of "Good Intentions" on the popular Friends soundtrack. Coil, Toad the Wet Sprocket's fifth proper LP, followed in 1997 and suffered a similar fate, yielding one single ("Come Down") but failing to command the attention of Toad's earlier work. Faced with a dwindling stream of hits, the group ultimately split in July 1998, with the compilation album P.S.: A Toad Retrospective surfacing in 1999.
Glen Phillips launched a solo career several years after the band's breakup. He remained the most visible member of the group, collaborating with Nickel Creek and issuing a string of solo releases during the early 2000s. Toad the Wet Sprocket reconvened for several tours during the decade's latter half, with Phillips often serving as the band's own opening act. Apart from the concert recording Welcome Home: Live at the Arlington Theatre, Santa Barbara 1992, however, they failed to release any material
Named in honor of a sketch by the Monty Python comedy troupe, Toad the Wet Sprocket became one of the most successful alternative rock bands of the early '90s, boasting a contemporary folk-pop sound that wielded enough melody and R.E.M.-styled jangle to straddle both the modern rock and adult contemporary markets. Singer Glen Phillips, guitarist Todd Nichols, bassist Dean Dinning (the nephew of '50s hitmaker Mark "Teen Angel" Dinning), and drummer Randy Guss formed the group in 1986 in their native Santa Barbara, CA. After honing their sound in local bars, the bandmates entered a nearby studio in 1988 and recorded their debut LP, Bread and Circus, in eight days at a cost of $650. Originally sold as a homemade cassette in Santa Barbara record stores, the album eventually made its way to the Los Angeles offices of Columbia Records, which signed Toad only after agreeing to the band's request to reissue Bread and Circus in its original form, without any alterations or remixes.
The somber Pale, produced by Marvin Etzioni, followed in 1990. After years of persistent touring, Toad the Wet Sprocket's commercial breakthrough followed with 1991's Fear, as the single "All I Want" -- quite nearly left off the album -- became a Top 20 hit. Another single from the LP, "Walk on the Ocean," fared similarly well, and the combination pushed Fear to platinum sales. Three years later, Toad returned with Dulcinea, which generated a third Top 40 hit with the single "Fall Down." While "Fall Down" seemingly catered to the grunge generation with its minor-key riffs and anxious vocals, the bulk of Dulcinea emphasized Toad the Wet Sprocket's acoustic craft, and the band scored another hit with the mellow "Something's Always Wrong."
In Light Syrup, a collection of unreleased material, appeared in 1995. Although it contained the hit song "Good Intentions," the album didn't sell nearly as well as its predecessors, possibly due to the inclusion of "Good Intentions" on the popular Friends soundtrack. Coil, Toad the Wet Sprocket's fifth proper LP, followed in 1997 and suffered a similar fate, yielding one single ("Come Down") but failing to command the attention of Toad's earlier work. Faced with a dwindling stream of hits, the group ultimately split in July 1998, with the compilation album P.S.: A Toad Retrospective surfacing in 1999.
Glen Phillips launched a solo career several years after the band's breakup. He remained the most visible member of the group, collaborating with Nickel Creek and issuing a string of solo releases during the early 2000s. Toad the Wet Sprocket reconvened for several tours during the decade's latter half, with Phillips often serving as the band's own opening act. Apart from the concert recording Welcome Home: Live at the Arlington Theatre, Santa Barbara 1992, however, they failed to release any material
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