W♥M (Archive)

News: The Monkees' Davy Jones dead at 66

Theme from the Monkees Read More The Monkees Trivia: Rodney Bingenheimer , in the 60s, was best known as the stand-in for Davy Jones of the Monkees.

Not much to add, other than what started out as simply a Beatles knock-off band, The Monkees have certainly stood on their own, and not on the shoulders of the giant. What people liked about The Monkees was that they weren't going to take themselves too seriously, and you felt like you could hang out with these guys.

There are numerous breaking news reporting on Davy Jones' death, but everyone seem to point to TMZ as the source. They also broke Michael Jackson's death, which, at the time, I had never heard of TMZ.

I leave you with US Magazine's coverage:

Update: The Monkees' Davy Jones Dead at 66

February 29, 2012 AT 1:05PM By Justin Ravitz

He was a daydream believer.

Davy Jones, the lead singer of beloved TV singing group The Monkees, died Wednesday at age 66, his rep confirms to Us Weekly.  "He passed away in his home in Indiantown, Florida this morning, of a heart attack," the rep said in a statement. (TMZ first broke the story.)

The British 1960s pop idol passed away at Martin Memorial Hospital in Stuart, Florida, an official confirmed to the site. The circumstances of his death are not yet known.

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ +W♥M

Going for Gold 11

Keepin' it Gold, so I've been told.

>>>
AU
facebook.com/auband

AU's December single, "Solid Gold", was released on a very limited 7" record, via Hometapes.

With a massive upcoming tour dates, we find the Oregon-based duo AU (Luke Wyland and Dana Valatka) performing "Solid Gold" for Into The Woods.

The live performance shows off a full band, including vocalist Holland Andrews, alto sax player Reed Wallsmith, trombonist Nick Sweet and guitarist Dan Duval.

Their third full-length album, Both Lights, will be out April 3rd on Hometapes. UK peeps, look to The Leaf Label.

03/03 Portland, OR The Doug Fir 03/08 Santa Cruz, CA Crepe Place 03/09 Los Angeles, CA The Echo 03/10 Tucson, AZ Plush 03/11 Phoenix, AZ Rhythm Room 03/13 Santa Fe, NM SOL at Santa Fe Brewing 03/14 - 03/17 Austin, TX SXSW 03/18 Wichita, KS Rock Island Live 03/19 Lawrence, KS The Replay 03/20 Denver, CO The Hi Dive & 03/21 Boulder, CO The Cherryvale 03/22 Salt Lake City, UT Kilby Court 03/24 Boise, ID Treefort Music Festival 03/29 Brooklyn, NY Cameo Gallery 04/04 Zurich, CH Papiersaal 04/05 Faenza, IT Clandestino 04/06 Rome, IT Init 04/07 Terni, IT Palmetta

04/09 Vienna, AT WUK ~ 04/10 Munich, DE Kranhalle at Feierwerk ~ 04/11 Berlin, DE Festsaal Kreuzberg ~ 04/12 Hamburg, DE Kampnagel ~ 04/14 Warsaw, PL Cafe Kulturalna 04/15 Wroclaw, PL Puzzle 04/17 Gent, BE Video 04/18 Liege, BE Le Fiacre 04/20 Metz, FR Les Trinitaires 04/22 Rotterdam, NL Worm 04/27 Paris, FR Keep Portland Weird Festival 04/28 Bergen, NO Bergen Kjott 04/29 Oslo, NO Revolver 05/02 Stockholm, SE Fritz's Corner 05/03 Copenhagen, DK Huset i Magstraede 05/05 Luxembourg, LU EXIT07 ~ = w/ Xiu Xiu

SAVOIR ADORE
savoiradore.com

Savoir Adore is another Brooklyn band. This one is about two BFF, Paul Hammer and Deidre Muro. They have a new single, Dreamers with the B-Side "Sea of Gold", out now. On the same EP, you'll also find "Dreamers" remixed by Golden Pony, which you can download for free via Brooklyn Vegan.

See New York Post's "10 Bands To Watch", Savoir Adore, on tour:

Mar 1 - New York, NY - Santos Party House - SOLD OUT
Mar 3 - Hartford, CT - The Mill at Trinity College
Mar 6 - Washington, DC - U Street Music Hall
Mar 7 - Philadelphia, PA - The Blockley
Mar 8 - Savannah, GA - Savannah Stopover Festival
Mar 10 - Orlando, FL - The Social
Mar 11 - Atlanta, GA – Masquerade

Gold Fields: Treehouse Download "Treehouse" for free at goldfields.bandcamp.com

GOLD FIELDS
www.goldfieldsmusic.com

Gold Fields is a band out of Ballarat, Australia, their self-titled debut EP will be out March 13th via Astralwerks Records.

Never heard of these guys? Triple J has; putting their song "Treehouse" into their top 10. With only a year into their career and being on my favorite dancey label, Astralwerks, you should certainly keep an eye out for these guys.

Guitarist Vin Andanar had this to add about their debut EP, "From the beginning, we made it a big point to make every song sound different. We didn't want to be pigeonholed as part of any scene or specific sound."

Look for the band in the USA soon:

3/14-3/17 SXSW TBA
3/21 New York, NY Mercury Lounge
3/26 Hollywood, CA Bardot
3/27 San Diego, CA Soda Bar
3/28 Los Angeles, CA Bootleg Bar

BRIEFLY:

BROTHERTIGER myspace.com/brothertiger Brothertiger is the stagename for John Jago. His debut album, Golden Years, is coming out March 27th, and is described as "a chilled-out" and "lo-fi dance" experience. Oh, it's chillwave, you say? As long as it's not dubstep, I'm okay with it.

TYLER LYLE tylerlyle.com Starting this week, if you live in the USA, Amazon is having a promotion for you to grab Tyler Lyle's song "The Golden Age and the Silver Girl" from the album of the same name. What's the album about? Lyle said, "All these songs deal with a girl. One girl. Every girl. It's a theme album. It's a break up album.".

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ +W♥M

SXSW 2012 Preview

Read More SXSW The massive music+interactive+movies festival drew over 2,000 plus bands in the area. This year is supposed to be the "biggest yet".

I'm not in Austin this year for SXSW, but, per tradition, we are semi-covering it this year. Here are some SXSW announcements that were sent to me. Since I get over 100 emails a day, please put "SXSW" in your headline subject, otherwise your message will not be read or used for a future SXSW announcement.

IODA
www.iodasxsw.com

In their 8th annual SXSW Opening Day Bash party, IODA (Independent Online Distribution Alliance) announced the confirmed lineup: thirteen bands, playing all day March 14th on two stages.

What: IODA's Opening Day Bash at SXSW
Where: Red Eyed Fly, 715 Red River Street, Austin, Texas
When: Wednesday, March 14th, 2012
Time: 12 - 6 PM

Too kool to admit to not knowing some of these bands? No problem, download the free Sampler

Artists on the bill: The Wedding Present, Thee Oh Sees, Oddisee, Y La Bamba, Pillow Fight (this is Dan The Automator's latest project), Tycho, Poliça (Minneapolis' latest buzzzzzzzzz band), Dan Mangan, Ruthie Foster, Bright Moments, Tiago Iorc, Bam Bam, and Daniel Ahearn & The Jones.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST
www.conflictparty.com

Conflict of Interest event is free with Hype Hotel RSVP or a SXSW badge. Full details below:

The Syndicate Presents Conflict Of Interest
DATE: Tuesday, March 13, 2012
VENUE: Hype Hotel presented by Feed The Beat
ADDRESS: 504 Trinity
CITY: Austin, TX
TIME: 7pm - 2am
Free w/ RSVP or SXSW Badge

LIVE PERFORMANCES:
Delta Spirit
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.
Miniature Tigers
Little Hurricane
Incan Abraham
Oberhofer

w/ DJ Aaron Axelsen spinning all night

WUNDERBAR
www.initiative-musik.de/sxsw

Sounds delightful and tasty, check out Wunderbar – Finest Lunch With The Germans. Takes place on March 15th at the Parkside Restaurant from noon to 4pm. DJ sets from Apparat, Bonaparte, Coma, D E N A & Touchy Mob and food catered by Kochzeichen D

Other German artists appearing at SXSW:

Wednesday, March 14
Bonaparte @ The Iron Bear
Apparat Band @ Haven (1:00am - 1:40am)

Friday, March 16
Talking To Turtles @ St David's Bethell Hall (11:00pm -11:40pm)
Fenster @ The Loft (9:20pm - 9:55pm)

Saturday, March 17
Touchy Mob @ Karma Lounge

EMI
emimusic.com

I love EMI Records, as do many of you. I was sent their SXSW sampler, which showcase some of their artists at SXSW. Not on the list is Norah Jones, who is actually not performing – but will be previewing new music from her forthcoming album, Little Broken Hearts, a collaboration with Danger Mouse (to be released May 1st, 2012). The two previously worked on his album, Rome, which Dave reviewed.

The playlist, which is not commercially available, includes hot Australian band, Gold Fields, in an upcoming Going for Gold.

Below are the artists under EMI's umbrella:

• The Little Willies
• Graffiti6
• Robert Glasper
• Chiddy Bang
• Foxy Shazam
• Gold Fields
• Morning Parade

RIOT ACT MEDIA
riotactmedia.com

Riot Act Media's SXSW 2012 party is at Swan Dive this year (located at 651 Red River).

Lineup:

12:00: Follow That Bird
12:35: The Pharmacy
1:10: Nick Jaina
1:45: Brass Bed
2:20: Solander
2:55: The Spinto Band
3:30: Dana Falconberry
4:05: The Ettes
4:40: Sea Of Bees
5:15: Wooden Wand

We've previously written about Follow that Bird, Brass Bed, Sea of Bees, and Wooden Wand.

BRIEFLY:

KRIAN MUSIC GROUP krianmusicgroup.com Indie record label Krian Music Group (with BFM Digital) announced their SXSW 2012 showcase on Thursday, March 15. Bands on the lineup are: VHS or Beta, The Ettes, Capsula, Hands, The Strange Familiar, and Suckers. We've previously covered Suckers and VHS or Beta (which Sally said "were really great.").

POLARSETS polarsets.com Polarsets confirmed their SXSW dates. If you're into Kitsune and Neon Gold, you'll like this Newcastle band. You can read more about them on their press release. 16/03/12 – Sea Now Party, venue tbc 16/03/12 – Neon Gold party, Karma Lounge 17/03/12 – Northern Party, Latitude 30 17/03/12 – Filter Party, Bar 96

PS, Motormouth Media has not made their official SXSW schedule yet, but I'm sure I will mention them again because we like their artists: Blondes, Charles Bradley: Soul of America (documentary film), Class Actress, Girls, Kindness, Lee Fields & The Expressions, Light Asylum, Lower Dens, Magic Wands, Matthew Dear, Mess With Texas Event, Mike Wexler, New Build, Nite Jewel, OPN, The Step Kids, Thundercat, Trust, Twilight Sad, Vex Ruffin, Wymond Miles, and Zola Jesus

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ +W♥M

Bombay Bicycle Club at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (02/26/12)

Set List at 7th Street Entry (02/26/12) Tour Dates 02/27/12 Chicago, IL @ Subterranean 02/29/12 Columbus, OH @ Basement 03/01/12 Toronto, ON @ Phoenix (19+) 03/02/12 Montreal, QC @ Cabaret Mile End 03/03/12 Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall 03/05/12 New York, NY @ Bowery (18+) 03/07/12 Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club 03/08/12 Hoboken, NJ @ Maxwell’s 03/09/12 Cambridge, MA @ Middle East 03/10/12 Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer Read More Bombay Bicycle Club Bombay Bicycle Club were all fellow classmates and formed when they were 15 years old, just two years ago. They were named after an Indian restaurant…

Bombay Bicycle Club stopped by 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis last night. They are currently selling out most of their tour dates, including 7th Street, but walking around the venue, it didn't feel like it was sold out. Perhaps it was the cold snow that put people off? I have to admit, it was just perfect because it wasn't so packed that you couldn't move around.

Lucy Rose

Lucy Rose (who also doubles as a Bombay Bicycle Club band member) and The Darcys (we previously mentioned) opened up the show.

Both Rose and Darcys had very brief sets, possibly no more than 30 minutes each. Rose was as small as she was as quiet. The audience listened to her every note, and she thanked us because she said had played enough shows where people were just talking straight through her set. She also noted how cold it was, but that was fine, she prefer to put on her "jumpers".

Best song on her set was "Middle of the Bed", from the EP of the same name. You can see here.

The Darcys

Toronto's The Darcys took their name from two Darcys: Mr. Darcy from "Pride and Prejudice" and D'Arcy McGee, the first Canadian political figure to be assassinated. Although they look to be a young bunch, they seem pretty confident and comfortable being on stage.

With the recent release of covers of Steely Dan's Aja album, which available as a free download from thedarcys.ca, it wasn't a surprise to see "Peg" on their set.

As for Bombay Bicycle Club, they are stronger and more popular than ever. It's hard to believe that I wrote about them five years ago, when they were just starting to get their names out.

They pretty much stuck to the set list (see photo). Some of the highlight of the show was when Rose stepped up to sing "Leave It" on center stage. Also, should have ended their show with sing-along classic "Always Like This" with people chanting "I'm not whole" (which may sound more like "I'm not home"!).

Encores were "Shuffle" and "What If".

There are only a dates that they haven't sold out (thanks to venue upgrades), so grab your tickets if you can. Bombay Bicycle Club's latest album is called A Different Kind of Fix, which was available as a download last August, but saw a physical CD release last month, January 17th, via A&M/Octone Records.

Bombay Bicycle Club (with Lucy Rose) at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (02/26/12)

vu () ♥ bombaybicycleclubmusic.com ♥ thedarcys.ca ♥ facebook.com/pages/Lucy-Rose

Girls Girls Girls 8: The International Edition

Read More Kina Grannis Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Kina Grannis is giving away a free song called "Valentine"

Yes, if this enough for you, check out more Girls Girls Girls. This is the 8th installment.

>>>
KINA GRANNIS
kinagrannis.com

Kina Grannis is a Japanese/American singer/songwriter who won the Doritos Crash the Super Bowl contest in 2007. I mentioned her in February 2011.

Then, about three months ago, she had a massive viral hit music video for "In Your Arms", off her debut album, Stairwells, with over 5.5 million views as of this writing. If you haven't seen the video, get this: they used 288,000 jelly beans and took 22 months to put together. Talk about commitment.

On the strength of viral video, she's been after selling out dates (sounds familiar, Gotye?) in the UK and S/E Asia and Australia.

Kina Grannis returns to the US this April, below are her confirmed headlining tour dates:

Apr.9th Porter’s Pub San Diego, CA Apr. 10th Martini Ranch Scottsdale, AZ Apr. 13th The Parish Austin, TX Apr. 14th Fitzgerald’s Upstairs Houston, TX Apr. 15th The Kessler Theater Dallas, TX Apr. 17th Variety Playhouse Atlanta, GA Apr. 18th Cat’s Cradle Carrboro, NC Apr. 20th Sound Stage Baltimore, MD Apr. 21st Theatre of the Living Arts Philadelphia Apr. 24th 9:30 Club Washington, DC Apr. 25th Irving Plaza New York, NY Apr. 27th Paradise Rock Club Boston, MA Apr. 28th Corona Theatre Montreal, QC

Apr. 29th Phoenix Concert Theatre Toronto, ON May 1st Park West Chicago, IL May 2nd Beachland Ballroom Cleveland, OH May 3rd Blind Pig Ann Arbor, MI May 4th Univ. of Wisconsin – Madison, WI May 5th Varsity Theater Minneapolis, MN May 7th Bluebird Theater Denver, CO May 11th Aladdin Theater Portland, OR May 12th The Rio Theatre Vancouver, BC May 13th Neptune Theatre Seattle, WA May 17th The Fillmore San Francisco, CA May 18th John Anson Ford Los Angeles, CA May 20th Next Door Honolulu, HI

EVEN MORE:

PEPPER pepperofficial.com Not a whole lot of details given, other than that she just signed to Dirtee Stank Records. She also is based out of London. You can preview "Happy Girl" (Acoustic) via Soundcloud.

AMANDA MAIR facebook.com/amandamairofficial Remember Amanda Mair? Since I last mentioned her, she finally released her debut album (out on Sweden's Labrador Records on February 15th). She's not quite legal, she's 17 years old now. I have to say, I do really like Swedish pop music, and what I've heard of Mair, she's good. Check out the music video for "Sense" on Youtube . UPDATE: Her album will be released internationally on June 5th, 2012.

ANGELINA LAVO angelinalavo.com From Russia, with love… I've always wanted to start with that… although in her biography , she's been living in New York as of 2009. She unveiled her Circus Act in late 2011, which I did look at; it sounds very hip-hoppy. Lavo thinks her single is easily accessible: "My EP is easy-going & fun because everyone has terrible, tough situations, but my music puts all of that away. "

KITTY CLEMENTINE kittyclementine.com Kitty Clementine is from Sally's town, Sydney, Australia. Her self-titled album is coming out March 6th, 2012, via Clumpty Records (New Power Media). You can download a preview track, "Blow That Horn", at Soundcloud . Her biography said that she comes from Sydney's "warehouses and speakeasies" singing jazz ballads, baroque aria, and even screaming noise; all sounding very artsy and poetic… which is hard to place her music.

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ +W♥M

Erasure: Tomorrow's World

Read More Erasure Selections from the Essential Q Quiz Book: Name two members of Erasure.

Synthpop was big in my late teen and young adult years, which was about 15 to 20 years ago. Given that fashions and trends seem to make a comeback after about the same frame of time has passed, I see that today’s young generation is taking part in ‘80s nostalgia, and electronica and synthesizer genres are experiencing a resurgence. Sometimes I blink twice when I see teens wearing the same sorts of clothes that were popular when I was their age, but I smile a bit looking on the music scene and seeing names I recognize.

Vince Clarke is one of those names, and he’s been quite busy lately reprising many of his early musical collaborations. He was one of the founding members of Depeche Mode, and he recently teamed up with Martin Gore as VCMG, and the album Ssss is set to released next month. He also reunited with Alison Moyet as the duo Yazoo for a recent tour. And of course, he hasn’t stopped creating music with Andy Bell as Erasure. Tomorrow’s World is Erasure’s latest offering, released last October. The track “Fill Us With Fire” was released as a single last week, and Mute UK sent us a press release to help promote the album and the single.

I’m a big fan of music videos as promotional tools; no surprise, I think, as I grew up when MTV started.  Normally I take comments from YouTube users with a large grain of salt, yet I do think this top comment was worth a mention:

Erasure produced one of their best albums last year, and they got "this" aka 3rd hit music video from Mute? actually a lack of respect to the treasure they represent to the world pop music scene.

I think the frustration is understandable. I caught a good number of their music videos by way of Pop! The First 20 Hits DVD, which I watched with a couple of buddies back in high school. The videos were a mixed bag in my opinion; some were good and a few were lacking. Compared to their colleagues, and considering their success, yes, Erasure could use a better music video. I don’t expect something so rich and expensive as the Pet Shop Boys have done in the recent past, but I think it might be possible for Erasure to collaborate with someone like Anton Corbijn, who is very well noted for his involvement with U2 and especially Depeche Mode. Diehard fans collect videos just as much as albums, or at least that was my experience with the Depeche Mode mailing list in the mid to late 1990’s. I was connected to fans that had seemingly gargantuan, almost bottomless collections. One superfan, DJ Daniel “The Brat” Barassi, seemed to have everything and anything that was ever connected with DM, and was not long before he became the webmaster for DM’s official website.  We were all envious of his treasure trove. Video media matters, and it very much matters to dedicated fans.

There is one last little goodie that Mute offered us to share with you:

Enjoy. I’m hoping we’ll hear from Mute again when Ssss from Vince Clarke and Martin Gore as VCMG is released.

jaklumen () ♥ www.erasureinfo.com

Jungle Giants & San Cisco. Politely Awkward Tour. Spectrum, Sydney. 18 February 2012.

Friend of weheartmusic, Mr Graeme Hamer, moseyed on down to Spectrum on Sydney's Oxford Street to check out Brisbane's Jungle Giants and those kinds from Perth who seem to be everywhere these days, San Cisco.

While both bands were certainly polite, there was no awkwardness to be found when The Jungle Giants and San Cisco joined forces again at Spectrum last Saturday as they continue their tour of Australia. Although the bands are youngsters, both in terms of age of their members and the age of the band hemselves, the quality of performances was such that it was unclear who was the supporting band (assuming you could have a support act that comes after the main act).

The Jungle Giants performed known and new material, with frontman Sam Hales and bassist Andrew Dooris making the most of the tiny space that is Spectrum. Dooris managed to be everywhere at once and still play his instrument, while Hales delivered lyrics with precision and feeling.

Next up was San Cisco. The unassuming (i.e. the shortest) lead singer, Jordi Davieson, definitely took the awards for courage and determination, his voice clearly not at its best due to a minor cold (or too much "living the dream"?). Davieson revealed to the audience that he was onto the solution though, brandishing a bottle of honey and also suggesting that Ron Burgundy's (of the film "Anchorman") choice of scotch on the rocks was going to help. Did we mention these guys have just left high school?

San Cisco showed themselves to be reliable and versatile. Singing duties were shared around, with some indulgence of voice distortion for specific songs. Davieson retired his guitar at one point to take up a keyboard. Continuing his accelerating progression in the life of a rocker, he somehow managed to float off stage for a brief crowd surfing session, avoiding entanglement in the equipment suspended from the low ceiling, and being returned in time to finish the current song.

A few new songs from San Cisco were thrown in for good measure. Davieson informed that the band has been recording them in Melbourne, violating the golden rule of not mentioning the 'other place' in a positive or a neutral tone. Well, they're young. Next time, we're sure we will hear things of Melbourne that will send Victoria's tourism department into a spin. Ha!

Davieson's voice held up through the show, with the huskiness only really obvious when he related stories to the audience. After giving a solid performance of "Rocket ship" (scroll down to listen), we were certain that that was the end of Davieson's voice, and perhaps the end of the night. However, with true showmanship, the band powered to the end, finishing up with "Awkward". Scarlett Stevens on drums, hidden for most of the night, sang her part as sweet as ever. Towards the end of the song, it was time for a remix with some spacey synth interludes.

An earlier invite by the Jungle Giants for San Cisco to join them for a song was repaid not once, but twice. Such overachievers! Lost voices, crowd surfing, versatility in instruments, and now multiple guest appearances. At this rate, soon enough there may be little be left to attempt.

Overall, the only negative that could be maintained is that both performances were not out long enough, but that's more to do with a limited catalogue than anything else. No doubt they're working on it. Stay classy San Cisco.

If you missed this tour, never fear. San Cisco are pretty much heading straight back out on the road, this time with fellow Perth, kids the Voltaire Twins. So get in quick if you missed out!

The Rocket Ship Tour - Presented by Yen Magazine, Pedestrian, Beat, Brag, Rave and Db Magazine

Friday, April 27 - Mojo's, Fremantle www.oztix.com.au / 1300 762 545 / all Oztix outlets

Wednesday, May 2 - Corner Hotel, Melbourne www.cornerhotel.com / 03 9427 9198 / from The Corner box office directly

Thursday, May 3 - Fowlers Live, Adelaide [All Ages] www.moshtix.com.au / 1300 GET TIX / all Moshtix outlets

Saturday, May 5 - Groovin' The Moo, Bendigo

Sunday, May 6 - Groovin' The Moo, Townsville

Wednesday, May 9 - The Standard, Sydney www.moshtix.com.au / 1300 GET TIX / all Moshtix outlets

Thursday, May 10 - Elsewhere, Gold Coast www.oztix.com.au / 1300 762 545 / all Oztix outlets

Friday, May 11 - The Zoo, Brisbane www.oztix.com.au / 1300 762 545 / all Oztix outlets

Saturday, May 12 - Groovin' The Moo, Maitland

Sunday, May 13 - Groovin' The Moo, Canberra

Saturday, May 19 - Groovin' The Moo, Bunbury

Site Update (February 2012)

Whatever happened to Technorati?

I guess they're still around because they just recently interviewed TypePad GM Jeff Reine from Say Media. Reine pointed out that Rdio recently imported their blog to Typepad (you can follow Rdio via Typepad, although it's not made clear it's a TP blog when you land on its front page).

I did give Rdio and MOG a try, and, the long and short of it, is that I wasn't willing to pay to listen to basically on-demand radio. With cellular data caps and hassle of downloading music offline, it just seems much easier to turn on the radio in my car and listen to random traditional terrestrial radio (for free!).

Also, you might start noticing the hideous advertisement on the right sidebar. I'm experimenting with it. As a web user, I'm trained to not pay attention to ads, but if it gets too intrusive, let me know.

GADGET LUST: PLAYSTATION VITA

Sure, I had gadget lust when I first heard about the Sony Vita. If I had the money, there's no question about it, I would love to get my hands on one. The fact is the cost of owning the Vita is just way too expensive.

Here's a breakdown of a typical cost:

$300 Sony Vita 3G Model
$60 16gb Vita Memory Card
$50 Uncharted Game
$20 AT&T Data (optional)

That's about $430, which is pretty crazy when you compare it to a $250 Playstation 3 (outside of gaming, it is really an all-in-one media player device).

What bugs me is that the Vita requires you to have a Vita Memory Card (which I don't think is swappable with other Vita systems).

Since I can't afford it, I might as well dream about it in a Pro/Con listing for the 3G version below:

PROS ■ Graphics are the best among portable gaming ■ Upgradeable storage (maxed out at 32gb) ■ Free Applications like Maps, Web Browser, Email, Flickr, Hulu Plus and Netflix* ■ Physical buttons with Sixaxis and rear touch ■ Camera (better than iPad Touch) ■ Optional data plan with GPS

CONS ■ Battery life is not removable, only lasts 3 hours ■ "Too big" and "too thick" to fit in pants ■ Too expensive, games averages $40** ■ No video output (cannot put it on your HD TV) ■ Not UMD backward compatible ■ Requires a Vita Memory Card ■ Vita will only support a single user ID.

* Take that Xbox's "Gold" annual fee
** iPhone games averages $1

You have to ask yourself: Do I travel enough to warrant an exclusive gaming device? It's a hard sell, and not only the pricing, but if I'm just hanging around the house, why wouldn't I just game on a bigger screen with a real console? Also, as far as I know, the Vita isn't a product for productivity – I would rather much prefer to bring an iPad (or laptop) instead.

The cons outweighs the pros in my case, I probably won't be getting a Vita anytime soon. Perhaps when a second or third generation comes along, we'll see.

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ +W♥M

When Animals Attack! part 8: The Punk Edition

Yes, animal band names. So many of them… Read more When Animals Attack series.

SHARKS
facebook.com/sharksuk

Sharks are from the UK, with a debut album, No Gods, coming out on March 20th, via Rise Records. Fans of punk indie rock should check out their new single, "Arcane Effigies", via youtube . The video shows some youth getting a haircut, eating chips, hanging out with mates, playing football (soccer); it's all very British.

Although a pretty young band (described as "barely old enough to drive"), Sharks already been featured in such magazines like KERRANG!, The Guardian, NME (of course!), and America's Alternative Press magazine (calling the band "Most Anticipated Music of 2012").

Be on the lookout for their arch nemesis band, The Jets.

TOADIES
thetoadies.com

I actually saw Toadies a few years ago. The band recently announced some new EPs for 2012, the first one is called PLAY.ROCK.MUSIC. and will be out May 8th; also they'll be starting a tour with Social Distortion in April.

Do you know what's funny? Social D was one of the first bands I saw when I was living in Fresno, California. They were huge back then just coming off their big hit single "Bad Luck". It's good to see Toadies in good company.

3/23 Tyler, TX - Clicks* 3/24 San Antonio, TX - Josabi's* 4/4 Beaumont, TX - The Gig* 4/5 Denton, TX - Rockin' Rodeo* 4/6 Abilene, TX - Lucky Mule* 4/7 Austin, TX - Stubbs* 4/10 Portland, OR - Roseland 4/12 Portland, OR - Roseland 4/13 Seattle, WA - Paramount Theater 4/14 Kennewick, WA - Paramount Theater 4/16 Vancouver - Commodore 4/17 Vancouver - Commodore 4/19 Calgary - MacEwan Hall 4/20 Edmonton - Events Centre 4/23 Winnipeg- Burton Cummings

4/26 Minneapolis, MN - First Ave 4/27 Minneapolis, MN - First Ave 4/28 St. Louis, MO - Pop's 5/1 Memphis, TN - Minglewood Hall 5/2 Little Rock, AR - Juanita's (Headline Date) 5/5 Corpus Christi, TX - Concrete Street 5/8 Oklahoma City, OK - Diamond Ballroom 5/10 Boulder, CO - Boulder Theater 5/11 Salt Lake City - The Depot 5/14 Boise, ID - Knitting Factory 5/15 Spokane, WA - Knitting Factory 5/16 Bend, OR - Midtown 5/18 Reno - Knitting Factory 5/20 Pozo, CA - Pozo Saloon All dates with Social D, except * where noted

PS, I wasn't given Toadies' album artwork, so I'm using an old "Best Of" live album they released in 2002.

DINOWALRUS
dinowalrus.com

I actually like the band name, Dinowalrus. It just sounds like a really big confused animal (who likes to wear a smoking jacket). Dinowalrus' new album is called Best Behavior and promises to be more "listenable" than their experimental and "cryptic" debut 2010 album %. From my understanding, the band is influenced by krautrock, post-punk, psychedelic rock, and house music.

I did preview the album somewhat, it's loud, but it does have a melody to it. There are definitely some "jam" moments in their songs. The best song on the new album is "RICO", which sounds like it belong in the 80s with all that synth and disco.

Look for Best Behavior, out on March 6th, 2012, via Old Flame Records. If you live in the UK, look for it on Heist or Hit Records.

TOAD
facebook.com/TOADmusic

This is actually a metal band from Phoenix, Arizona, but I couldn't help but place them here because The Sleeping Shaman called their music as "a mash up of punk, black metal, crazy treble picking, utterly abrasive and yet catchy." Plus, I thought it was funny, having them next to Toadies.

In case you were wondering "TOAD" actually is an acronym for "Take Over And Destroy".

2012 Tour Dates below:

3/02/2012 Palo Verde - Tempe, AZ 3/03/2012 Lyzards - Prescott, AZ 3/04/2012 Burt’s Tiki Lounge - Salt Lake City, UT 3/05/2012 Curtis Street Pub - Denver, CO 3/06/2012 Kelly’s Irish Pub - Wichita, KS 3/07/2012 JR’s Lightbulb Club - Fayetteville, AR 3/08/2012 Downtown Music - Little Rock, AR 3/09/2012 Buccanneer - Memphis, TN

3/10/2012 WonderRoot - Atlanta, GA 3/11/2012 TBA 3/12/2012 The Tiki Bar - Shreveport, LA 3/13/2012 Tsunami - Monroe, LA 3/14/2012 TBA 3/15/2012 TBA - New Orleans, LA 3/16/2012 The Saturn Bar - New Orleans, LA 3/17/2012 TBA - Austin, TX

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ +W♥M

The 7th Australian Music Prize

The Australian Music Prize (The Amp) is now in its 7th year, The Amp has proved its worth both in Australia and internationally in helping to propel Australian bands to the world stage.

Last years winners Cloud Control have reaped the rewards, relocating to music hotspot London and signing to independent label Infectious. Their album ‘Bliss Release’ debuted at #16 on the Independent charts in the UK and received a raft of critical acclaim. Cloud Control went on to tour the UK and Europe with the likes of The Arcade Fire, Temper Trap and more, as well as being asked to play Reading & Leeds Festivals, Latitude and Lowlands.

This year, you can be in the room as the winner is crowned from this year’s top shortlist of the nine artists Abbe May, Adalita, Boy & Bear, Gotye, Gurrumul, Jack Ladder, Kimbra, The Jezabels and The Middle East.

Limited tickets are available to the public for standing room tickets only for $39 inclusive of wine, beer and water. The event runs from 12 noon. Please register your interest at [email protected]. First in best dressed as tickets are limited.

THURSDAY, MARCH 8^TH, 12 NOON

The Basement, Sydney

$39 standing room tickets for general public

For more information: [email protected].

http://themusic.com.au/theamp

Sally

[email protected]