Tender Forever

Stephanie JUST told me about this band, and they are amazing. I know nothing about them so I will give you the wiki :)

"Tender Forever is the moniker of Portland, Oregon-based musician Melanie Valera who has recorded 2 albums for K Records."

YEA, talk about small time. She has two albums out tho!
~The Soft and The Hardcore
~Wider

and here's a thing someone else wrote about them in their blog, NOT my words
"Tender Forever started as a project between Melanie Valera in Bordeaux, France and some dude in San Francisco. They sent each other tracks through the majesty of the internet and *winces* the mail. Now the band has four people in it, plays real music live, and generally has little to nothing to do with the Postal Service, the United States, Ben Gibbard, or whatever.

They do play sort of electro-pop with sort of indie rock vocals and sort of fake drums. But wait guys! Wait! They have real drums too! They use amp static! They rock out sometimes! They don’t write about kissing tenderly and blah blah blah. In the end, Wider is a great album with a lot of depth to it. There are moments of quiet intimacy, like the beginning of, “I’m so Tired.” There are moments of restrained jubilation, all quiet guitars and melodica and bassy fake drums (”No One Will Tell No One For Sure”)."

Telekenesis

I found out about this guy because apparently he's touring with An Horse in june! I wish they were coming to portland, but apparently not :/ anyways, this guy's style is actually pretty similar to an horse's, but I think he's has just a bit more bite. Not saying that either band is better than the other, but I listen to An Horse when I want to pump up and get in a good mood; whereas telekinesis is more, i dunno. Basically, I'd say he's a hybrid between death cab and the shaky hands. Which is an amazing mutt to be in my opinion! you can get to his page here.

favorite song by this artist: Coast of Carolina

Feeling Good

I woke up to this today, it was amazing

Fleet Foxes

I love this band, but they have been around far longer than I originally thought they were. I came on to them pretty late but I got sucked in just as quickly as anyone else who knows these guys. Bordering a folk/religious band (I don't think they're religious....I could be wrong), they are hands down kickass. His vocals are SO smooth, and the whole aura of the band just adds to it.

They caught the attention of Seattle producer Phil Ek and he helped them record their first demo in 2006, the self-released Fleet Foxes EP. By late 2006 the Seattle press began to take notice of the band; Tom Scanlon of the Seattle Times stated that he was impressed with the band's lyrics and musical maturity. They were getting pretty popular by 2007, with a quarter of a milion song plays over two months on their myspace page. They performed at SXSW music festival in March of 2008 (which really launched them into the public eye), and released their debut album Sun Giant in April of 2008. While the group enjoyed moderate success in the United States, Fleet Foxes was better received in Europe, selling over 200,000 copies in the first five months following its release.

You have to listen to the whole album all the way through to really grasp and appreciate their talent, I think, but for some people maybe it only takes one go. Anyways, listen, learn, love.

Bumbershoot Suprise

soooo....I found that this year at bumbershoot (which I have been told is way too much of an indie fest and I shouldn't go), Uh Huh Her AND Matt&Kim are playing. So I'm going hands down. The official lineup and single day tickets don't come along until june I think so I might just wait until then. But you can buy a 3 day pass NOW for $80. If you live in the portland area tho you should just drive and not take the train, that way you can sleep in the car and hopefully not stink too much :)

anyways, here's the link to the official page and myspace, and really consider becoming a bumberfan cuz you get sweet deals on tickets I think.

http://www.bumbershoot.com/
http://www.myspace.com/bumbershoot

ITS GONNA BE AWESOME

Passion Pit

Passion Pit, even for those who don't dig techno, are one of those catchy bands that everyone wants a remix with :P The way I came across with them was when stereogum released a track of RaRaRiot's song "ghost under rocks" that passion pit had modded with. I guess I was kind of far behind as musical junkies go because apparently these guys have been mixin for going on 3 years now. I love almost everything I've heard from them, and they're playing at sasquatch this year! since I can't see them there, I'll probably go see them at the wonder ballroom on the 24th. If you've never been to an electro concert, GO. its insane :)

anyways, here's the wiki:

Passion Pit is an American electro band from Cambridge, Massachusetts. Passion Pit formed in late 2007. In 2008, after playing only a handful of shows, they were voted Best New Act in the The Boston Phoenix's Best Music Poll. Soon thereafter the band was signed to the New York City-based Frenchkiss Records and Columbia in the UK.

The band's debut EP Chunk of Change was released on September 16, 2008. Originally, the set of six songs was a Valentine's Day gift from Angelakos to his then-girlfriend that became popular throughout Emerson College, which Angelakos was attending. The song "Sleepyhead" contains samples of the song "Oro Mo Bhaidin" by Irish harpist Mary O'Hara. "Sleepyhead" has gained media exposure through its use in a Canadian PSP advertisement as well as in MTVs 'What the Flip?' campaign. Pitchfork included the "Sleepyhead" music video, directed by The Wilderness, in its top 40 music videos of 2008 list.CMJ Music Marathon 2008 named Passion Pit one of the top bandsresulting in an MTV feature. Passion Pit placed ninth in BBC's Sound of 2009 list of up-and-coming acts. The band is slated to appear in Josh Schwartz's online show 'Rockville' in 2009 which will air exclusively on TheWB.com.

On February 24, 2009, iTunes released "Sleepyhead" as a discovery download song.

Following the band's exposure on the BBC's Sound of 2009, Sleepyhead has started to receive airplay on NME TV in the UK.

The band has recently finished a full-length studio album, called Manners due to be released on May 18, 2009 in the UK and May 26, 2009 in the United States. In a preview article, ClashMusic.com commented that the album "has every chance to rank as one of the year’s best" and that "it reveals additional nuances with each visit: a sure-fire sign of an album with true longevity".

The band's live performance has also been received well, having opened for bands such as Death Cab for Cutie, Girl Talk, and These New Puritans. .

On April 21, 2009, Passion Pit released on their youTube page the official video for the first single from Manners: "The Reeling".


Passion Pit - The Reeling from Smoke My Tabaco on Vimeo.

Dallas Green

Dallas Green is frontman for the post-hardcore band Alexisonfire, and has a side project fondly known as "city and coulour". This amazing guitarit and volcalist is the kind that only come around once in a blue moon. Folk guitarist skills with vocals he can belt for miles, I love Dallas Green, and I'll listen to anything he makes.

now for the wiki :)

Dallas Green (born September 29, 1980) is a Juno Award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter and musician, known for his work as guitarist and singer for the post-hardcore band Alexisonfire and his folk side project, City and Colour.

Before joining Alexisonfire, Green was in a band called Helicon Blue, producing several songs before breaking up. The three piece band also featured Marce Lanteigne on bass and vocal, and Nicholas Osczypko on drums. The band recorded a self-titled release with Greg Below from Distort Entertainment, who also recorded a second record with the band which included; My Last Breath, Sunder, Greater Victory & Perpetual Healing.

Dallas began playing with Alexisonfire in late 2001. Since then, they have released three albums (Alexisonfire, Watch Out!, and Crisis), and several EPs. His melodic and piercing vocal range often brings a large presence in most of the band's songs.

In 2003 he appeared (along with George Petit) on Jude the Obscure's album "The Coldest Winter", doing additional vocals on 3 songs.

One of the first appearances of Green outside of Alexisonfire is on Neverending White Lights' collaborative album Act 1: Goodbye Friends of the Heavenly Bodies, released in 2005. He contributed vocals to the song "The Grace". Green provided additional vocals on the track "INRihab" with Every Time I Die as well as on the track "Black Albino Bones" with Fucked Up on their second full length album, The Chemistry of Common Life.

City and Colour's first music video, "Save Your Scissors", from the now gold-rated album Sometimes, was released on January 17, 2006, featuring some of his best friends, band mates and favourite places in his hometown, St. Catharines, Ontario. The second video, "Comin' Home", went number one on MuchMoreMusic's video countdown.

City and Colour also released a live CD/DVD entitled Live on March 6, 2007 which includes two different live performances and a special performance with Ron Sexsmith. A limited edition has also been released at the same time. It included a USB key with footage from MMVA and Much on Demand performances[3].

On February 12, 2008, Green released a new full-length studio album entitled Bring Me Your Love under the moniker City and Colour. It was published under the label of Dine Alone Records. The music video for the first single, "Waiting...", was released on January 24, 2008. On June 6, 2008, "Sleeping Sickness", the second single for the album, was issued and on June 27, a music video was made by Montreal-based director Vincent Morisset. This second single also features The Tragically Hip's Gordon Downie's vocals in the second verse.

Bravo! aired an hour-long City & Colour performance for their Live at the Concert Hall... series on August 26, 2008. The performance included interviews, several songs from his latest album, Bring Me Your Love, and also a few songs from his debut, Sometimes, where he included his backing band into the songs.

As well as singing and playing guitar, Green is a skateboarder and has been skating since the age of 8. However, Green resists skateboarding on tour, for fear that he could injure himself. He has also stated on his live DVD that he is a fan of basketball. He is also a self-described "hardcore fan" of former WWE wrestler, Razor Ramon as well as a fan of Mike Holmes, the star of home renovation show Holmes on Homes.

He has reportedly been dating MuchMusic VJ, Leah Miller since at least 2006. In 2008 it was reported that the couple were living together. The couple married during a private ceremony at their home in Toronto on New Years Eve'.

Fever Ray

Karin Elisabeth Dreijer Andersson (born 7 April 1975) is the lead vocalist of electronic music duo The Knife, formed with her brother Olof Dreijer. Andersson was previously the vocalist and guitarist of the alternative rock band Honey Is Cool. Andersson released her debut solo album under the name Fever Ray in 2009. Her vocal style is notable for both shrill and deep, distorted tones combined with her distinctive accent and the use of pitch-shifting, while her image as a performer tends to include the wearing of masks and other theatrical elements.

Fever Ray is the title, of both project and album, an evocation of the music’s sound, intense and anxious, yet luminous. It’s the culmination of work that began in 2007 when Karin and Olof, the brother-sister duo who are The Knife, decided to take time out following a handful of incredible live shows. Their first two albums did well in their Swedish homeland; their third, Silent Shout, went to Number One, won six Swedish Grammys, underlined their reputation as an act capable of the truly extraordinary and was pronounced the best record of 2006 by Pitchfork. Karin needed a break – she was about to have her second child – but couldn’t stop writing.

The Knife is currently on haitus, which has left many of us PLEADING for its return. But in all honestly, Fever Ray is a phenomenal piece of work and I'm happy for anything else from this Swedish native. Some people say that the vocals are too eerie and/or uninteresting, but I would STRONGLY beg to differ. I will admit its very anti-midstream, but if you can really key into the undertones and harmonics in the work, its really just a feel good album that you can sit back and relax with, instead of having to analyze the hell out of every song.

“Half of what the songs are about is the subconscious,” she says, “ideas of things happening. A lot of it is like daydreaming, dreaming when you’re awake, but tired; a lot of stories come from that world. I try to write when I‘m in that state - I’m very bad at remembering later, so I have to do it right away.”

Opportunity taken, Fever Ray works its magic. Here’s your chance to fall under its spell.

Minus the Bear

soooo... Vicky pointed these guys out to me, and I really like their stuff. She ALSO called me a music lesbian and said that I only listen to female artists/bands, so this is proof. Along with many others. I already mentioned how tired I am of researching to write long bios and I just wiki now instead, so here comes the good stuff :)

Minus the Bear is an indie rock band from Seattle, Washington. The band features current and former members of Botch, Kill Sadie, and Sharks Keep Moving. Their sound is a combination of Pele-esque guitar-taps and electronics, with sophisticated time signature composition.[2] The name "Minus the Bear" comes from an inside joke among the band members, referring to the 80's TV show B. J. and the Bear.

On January 2, 2006, Matt Bayles, keyboardist and producer for Minus the Bear, announced that he was leaving the band in order to focus on record production work. His last performance with the band was on January 28, 2006. Subsequently, he was replaced by Alex Rose, who previously worked as a sound engineer on Menos el Oso.

An album of remixes of songs from Menos el Oso, entitled Interpretaciones del Oso, was released on February 20, 2007,[3] including a remix by underground rapper P.O.S..

The band's third full length album, titled Planet of Ice, was released on August 21, 2007, and contains ten tracks. On top of an exclusive iTunes track, a bonus CD was also released containing 2 B-sides, a demo track, and a remix also done by P.O.S..

In 2006 the track "We Are Not a Football Team" from their first album Highly Refined Pirates appeared in a TV advertisement for mobile network operator O2 in the UK and Ireland.

In 2008, tracks from "Menos el Oso" such as Pachuca Sunrise, have been used as clips for the intro and outtro to NPR's All Things Considered.

The band has a video posted on their website of them rehearsing in their practice space, working on a new album.

In Focus

A lot of things have come into focus for me lately, and of course being the freak that I am, I have been thinking of what songs fit my life best :) A little background info..

A) I'm officially going to Portland State University next year
B) I'm quitting my job
C) I'm going to start focusing on getting a band going

PS: I realize these songs are pretty emo, but you need to read into them

and the songs that fit my life are:


An Horse: Listen from Shoot The Player on Vimeo.

New Thread

here are a couple of vids I came across recently that I think are worth posting :)