Holiday season is undoubtedly upon us, and we all know what that means…
LOTS OF HOLIDAY PARTIES!
While some people may have taken offense at the lack of “Christ” in Christmas (see Jon Stewart’s take on the phenomenon), others are relishing the all-inclusive festivities, and none more than in the music industry. This week alone, Frenchkiss Records, Daptone, Mom+Pop, SPIN, and Family Records held either happy hours, VIP cocktails, full-on Holiday parties, or, as Family Records did last night, explosive extravaganzas of live music.
Casey Shea opened the showcase at Bowery Ballroom with some serious rock star action. We had the long hair, the on-the-floor guitar solos, and of course, the talent. They were followed by the lovely Rosi Golan, who should be on anyone’s ‘de-stress and dream’ playlist. She dedicated her duet “Hazy” to all the “lady-loving ladies and the men-loving men” out there by singing it with all-female vocals, and all the couples who liked each other snuck cute glances and kisses each other’s way when she sang “I Like You.”
The next act was Wakey!Wakey! You may know them from the TV show One Tree Hill, where the lead singer, Michael Grubbs, played the part of a very true-to-life bartender and soon-to-be discovered performer named… Grubbs. The act was excellent and included some old songs, some recent songs and some world premieres as well. The crowd loved it, and so did I! You better get moving on that next album guys! A major highlight of that act was violinist Caitlin Moe, whose music-makin’ was as incredible as her performance.
Pearl and the Beard had the honor of closing the extravaganza, and they certainly rose to the challenge. We had the privilege of hosting them for a mini-performance at The Orchard earlier that day, which certainly whet our appetite. But, as they promised, it was nothing compared to their set at Bowery Ballroom. Emily, Jocelyn and Jeremy brought their A-game and made the crowd dance, sing, clap, cry, cheer and thank the heavens for Wesley Verhoeve and his label, a happy family The Orchard is honored to be part of.
Matt Singer, another Family Records family member, also made a whistlin’ appearance, as well as YouTube sensation Sophie Madeleine, who sang a Katy Perry cover of “Firework” with Pearl and the Beard.
In case you missed them, I’ve created a special Family Records playlist on Spotify and Rdio for your listening pleasure.
Click here to listen on Spotify, or here if you’re more of an Rdio-er, and, as Pearl and the Beard say it best in their song “Oh, Death!,” let these guys share with you how they “love you the way you are, the way you’ve always been.” You’ll be sure to love them, too.
Note: Spotify has 4 extra songs on the playlist!
Aside from playing everyone’s favorite musically-inclined bartender on The CW’s One Tree Hill, Mike Grubbs is also the frontman of Brooklyn chamber pop outfit Wakey!Wakey! in real life. The band released their extraordinary sophomore LP, Almost Everything I Wish I’d Said the Last Time I Saw You, earlier this month via Family Records/Timber St., and to celebrate Grubbs is taking to Facebook to do live performances for his fans every other Monday following the show.
Starting this Monday, 2/15, at 9:30PM, Grubbs will appear live on Facebook via USTREAM to perform a few songs, with fans being able to chat about the performance while they watch. All they need to do to be able to view these exclusive shows is to become a fan of Wakey!Wakey! on Facebook.
Become a fan of Wakey!Wakey! on Facebook to watch live performances starting 2/15:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/WakeyWakey/20283793584
Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Michael Grubbs and his band Wakey!Wakey! released their impressive sophomore LP, Almost Everything I Wish I’d Said the Last Time I Saw You, today, and fans can listen to it in its entirety all week on CBS’s Street Date. The album is rife with bouncy pop melodies and moving ballads, all anchored together by Grubbs’ classically-trained piano playing and powerful tenor vocals.
The Family Records/Timber St. artist plays bartender Grubbs on The CW’s hit show One Tree Hill, which kicked off the 2010 leg of its seventh season last night. Grubbs’ character on the show shares more than the same name with the man himself; he’s a struggling musician who tends bar so he can pay the bills. There are a lot more exciting developments for Grubbs the character (and perhaps Grubbs the man) in the coming weeks, so fans should tune in to The CW every Monday to catch the latest.
Wakey!Wakey! also premiered the single “Twenty Two” on AOL Spinner last week, and this week AOL Music is hosting Almost Everything… on their Full CD Listening Party. And check out the official Apple iPad promo spot here, where Wakey! track “Almost Everything” comes in at the 5:10 mark.
Wakey!Wakey!’s breakout LP, Almost Everything I Wish I’d Said the Last Time I Saw You, may not hit stores until next week, but the band debuted their catchy new single, “Twenty-Two,” on AOL Spinner yesterday. The Almost Everything… standout, like the album, is full of lush chamber pop melodies courtesy of bandleader Mike Grubbs, who One Tree Hill fans will recognize as the multi-talented bartender at the show’s music venue, The TRIC. When Grubbs isn’t filming The CW’s OTH, he’s offering Grammy predictions to CBS – no, really! He also had a part in another huge web premiere yesterday – check out the official Apple iPad promo spot here, where Wakey!Wakey!’s “Almost Everything” comes in at the 5:10 mark!
The “Twenty-Two” single is now available on iTunes, with “Almost Everything” as its b-side. Purchase the pair of buzz-worthy tracks here.
Listen to “Twenty-Two” on AOL Spinner:
http://bit.ly/dqHD0W
For the rest of the world today is all about the iPad, for me, it’s about my current 3 favorite Orch-artists (and the iPad):
Surfer Blood – Astro Coast debuted at #2 on the Top New Artists/Heatseekers chart , #116 o on the Top 200 , #29 Alt Charts, #1 Alt New Artists, #19 Independent charts and, lastly, #38 Digital Albums. Good thing this happened because it reminded me to get my friends to buy tix for their Feb 28th Mercury Lounge show. Good times.
RJD2 – The Colossus landed at #4 on the Top New Artists/Heatseekers chart, #168 on the Top 200 and #114 on the R&B chart. He’s always been a favorite of mine and this album is no exception; today I’m loving the soulful track “Walk With Me”. Go buy it and let me know what you think. While you’re at it, go watch his video for Let There Be Horns.
Wakey!Wakey! – Back to the iPad: “Almost Everything“, the title track from next week’s full-length debut from Wakey!Wakey!, plays at the 5:10 mark on the iPad promo video. I started watching it just to hear the song, which led to me being completely entranced in the video and, now, I officially want an iPad.
