One Fine Morning - by Lighthouse

So glad I got to see them live... unfortunately, I heard most of the show with only one ear ('cause I had a headset on 'cause I ran a spotlight for the show!  I know - cool, eh?  :P     )

Lighthouse was formed in Toronto, On.  They started when Skip Prokop (voc's & drums) met Paul Hoffert (keys & vibraphone) in New York when Skip was playing his last show as a member of The Paupers & Paul was "working on his off-Broadway musical 'Get Thee to Canterbury'".  Guitarist Ralph Cole was recruited 'immediately', after having been convinced to quit his band Thyme, & "as weeks went by, the concept* began to take shape. They assembled a group drawn from friends, studio musicians, and Toronto Symphony Orchestra members"; they recorded their first 6 song demo & took it to MGM Records in NYCity.  They were signed, & "made their live debut at Toronto's Rock Place on May 14, 1969" (to which, as an interesting fact: it was Duke Ellington who introduced them!).  However, during the show, Vinnie Fusco (a manager) "cheerily popped in to announce that he had just signed the band to a hot deal with RCA records… he brokered a backroom deal between the two companies (RCA & MGM)".  & the rest, as they say - & I often say - is history (if/when I post another song by them, I'll continue the story!).  They've released over half a dozen studio albums & have toured the world & continue to do so.  This song is from "One Fine Morning" released in 1971.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvVN_KRriTM


* - this 'concept' that I mentioned was Skip's vision of a "rock orchestra comprised of three quartets - jazz horns, classical strings, and a rock rhythm section"

Out of My Head - by Mobile

I saw this song on MTV years ago, & as we didn't have satellite or cable at our house, I didn't ever see it again (except maybe partially & briefly once, but for the sake of the story, that didn't happen  ;) -. I knew what it was but I never found it when I searched all those years ago... but alas, I have prevailed!
Mobile is from Montréal, Qu. They started as Moonraker in 1997, & “After some initial success”, they found themselves moving to Toronto & signing on with Interscope Records (owned by Universal Music Group).  After a name change, they released their debut album on April 18th, 2006, called “Tomorrow Starts Today”. Two songs from that album - “Montréal Calling” & “New York Minute” - have both found a couple of spots each – both in games (“NHL 07” & “FIFA 07”) & movies/TV shows. They were nominated in the 2007 Juno’s for Rock Album of the Year; & won New Group of the Year. Their sophomore album followed: “Tales From the City” was released Oct. 7th, 2008; some of the inspiration for this album were drawn from Christian Bais’ (guitar) mother being diagnosed with breast cancer. Unfortunately, the Canadian band has since disbanded, announcing on Facebook in March 2011 that they were breaking up – they were working on their third album during the past 2 years, but it will not be released. This song is from “Tomorrow Starts Today”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOwfNN7iQlY

& for that matter, if you want to read up about the song & video, here's what Wiki. says about it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Out_of_My_Head_(Mobile_song)

Back to Innocence - by Stephanie Smith

I have seriously had this song stuck in my head for the past couple of days now.  But as usual, I'm quite alright with that.
Stephanie Smith is from Tulsa, OK, but moved to Pennsylvania at 6 months due to her parents splitting up. It wasn’t until she was 14 years old that she met her father, & “that was a train wreck. Through that low point that [she] realized music was something that really brought a lot of joy and [she] had a gift”. She went to Greenville College in IL (graduated 2006); & as some fun trivia, Stephanie met Toby McKeehan (aka tobyMac; owner of Gotee Records) while in college at the Agape Music Festival; after taking Toby’s own advice to not take the first offer deal to her, she declined his offer to be signed to Gotee when he called just a month later about a development deal. Yet, two years later, she was signed with Gotee working on her debut album, “Not Afraid”. It was released [digitally] May 27th, 2008. Some of her singles charted, & “Superstar” even got to #3 on the New & Active at CHR Radio. June 1st of the same year also saw the release of her book “Crossroads: The Teenage Girl’s Guide to Emotional Wounds”. She has since released two more EP’s: a self-titled one, released Nov. 17th, 2009; & “Celebrate the Day EP”, a Christmas EP released in 2010. This song is from her self-titled EP.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77PMkoatkxw

NYC Gangsters - by Manic Drive

I'm seeing them on Saturday, too!  Quite excited for that.

Manic Drive is from Toronto, On.  They (beginning with brothers Michael - guitars, bg voc.; & Shawn Cavallo - lead voc, keys & guitar) began as One Cross, & they independently released all their albums, beginning with "World Going Crazy" in 1997.  3 more releases followed in '99, '00, & '02; & at the GMA Covenant Awards in 2002, they were nominated for Best Rock Album of the Year for "Welcome to the Real World".  They were signed in 2004 to Whiplash Records, & released their label debut "Reason for Motion" on July 20th, 2005.  Their LP "Reset & Rewind" followed in 2007, & won them the Rock Album Of The Year; & the Video Of the Year for "Eleven Regrets" at the Covenant Awards.  "Blue" is their latest album, released Aug. 18th, 2009; it is 8 songs re-released from "Reset & Rewind" plus 4 new songs (resulted from a new distribution deal).  They're currently working on a new album, "Epic" (& they announced on their Facebook today [June 23rd]: "Mixing the final stages of the new album!").  This song is from "Reset & Rewind".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dggD-YdMWw

& for kicks, here's "Walls" (from "Blue")

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Buj2dQcEbSM

Can't Shut Up - by Anthem Lights

I be seein' them this Saturday…  :)

Anthem Lights is based out of Nashville, TN.  They started in Los Angeles in the fall of 2007 "when singer/songwriter Alan Powell joined forces with then aspiring solo artist Chad Graham".  Caleb Grimm & Kyle Kupecky came shortly after, & after a number of months, they signed with Reunion Records (Michael W. Smith, Kerrie Roberts, Tenth Avenue North, **…)(a subsidiary of the Provident Label Group).  The name 'Anthem Lights' was originally a solo project for Graham, & after the three others joined, they became 'Yellow Cavalier', under which they recored a self titled EP in 2009.  They've since changed to 'Anthem Lights' (clearly!…) & have released a self-titled EP & self-titled LP - released Feb. 1st, & May 10th, 2011, respectively.  This song is from both the EP & LP.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnsliQMi4PU

White Owl - by Josh Garrels

Awesome stuff - you should download his latest album (it's FREE!).

Josh Garrels is from Pontiac, MI, but now resides in Portland, OR.  He self-recorded, -produced, & -distributed 3 albums* before starting up his own record label, Small Voice Recordings.  ...& somewhere along the lines, he married Michelle Ramsdale, "whose art has accompanied his aural musings" since "Over Oceans"... .  His 4th release was "Jacaranda", in 2008, which was recorded in "an old, rural mansion - a friend's donated respite on an Indiana river in the woods"; the single "Don't Wait for Me" from said album also appeared on CBS' TV show "The Ghost Whisperer".  "Lost Animals" followed in 2009, which was a collection of singles, "Jacaranda" B-sides, soundtrack work & collaborations.  His latest now, however, is called "Love & War & the Seas Between", released June 15th, 2011.  This song is indeed from "Love & War…".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMaXzRZw3Ok (<-- & this video was put up only yesterday - the illustration & animation by Daniel Landarian)

* - the 3 albums were "Stone Tree" - 2002; "Underquiet" - 2003; & "Over Oceans" - 2006.

As mentioned, "Love & War & the Sea Between" is available to download for FREE - I highly recommend you do that!

http://joshgarrels.bandcamp.com/album/love-war-the-sea-in-between

Mamma Mia - by ABBA

I was a live sound (& light for 3 performances) engineer for Mamma Mia at a local theatre (my mother also sang & did a great job, I might add...  ;).  I figured it'd be appropriate to have this up after the weekend of the last set of performances.
ABBA is from Stockholm, Sweden.  Björn Ulvaeus (b. 1945) & Benny Andersson (b. 1946) met in June 1966; both were members of well-known bands at that time, when they started to write songs together.  1970 saw the release of their album "Lycka", with Anni-Frid 'Frida' Lyngstad & Agnetha Fältskog backing them up on a couple of songs - the four of them joined together to create Abba.  Björn & Agnetha were married, in July 1971; Benny & Frida got married later, in Oct. 1978.  In 1972, after attempting to make a good start as a group, they released "People Need Love", & got more attention.  From there, the rest, as they say, is history.  Hits followed, & they became one of the most recognized pop bands of the 70's.  Unfortunately, later on in their career, all 4 of them have divorced.  Fortunately, they were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2010, & have been inducted into others, as well.  This song is from their self-titled album, released April 21st (in Sweden), 1975.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unfzfe8f9NI

& of course, you can learn more about the play & movie here & there on the internet...

Watching You - by Rodney Atkins - (Happy Father's Day!)

For all the fathers & to-be's out there… 

Rodney Atkins was born March 28th, 1969, in Knoxville, TN.  He was put up for adoption not long after birth, at the Holston Methodist Home for Children in Greenville, TN; he was "a frail, sickly infant", & though he was adopted, he was returned to the home… twice.  "Then Allan & Margaret Atkins took him in. 'From what I understand, I became more sick than I had ever been during that time,' he says. 'But it just never crossed their mind to take me back'".  He recovered, & began singing at a young age in church, learning guitar & writing songs by the time he was going through high school.  He checked into Nashville, TN regularly, & by 2003, he released his debut LP, "Honesty", on Oct. 14th, 2003.  His big breakout came with his sophomore, "If You're Going Through Hell", released July 18th, 2006 - it made it to #1 for Billboard's Country Albums & stayed on the charts for 107 weeks.  "It's America" followed in 2009, & he's continuing to make music.  This song is from "If You're Going Through Hell".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqYUns2YQik

(^ that's actually his son, Elijah, in the music video)

Happy Father's Day, Dad.

I'm So Sick - by Flyleaf

This song came across my mind today partially because I literally feel sick (but it's only allergies...).

Flyleaf is from Temple, TX.  They originated in 2000 as Listen, & then changed to Passerby - they independently released 2 EP's ("Broken Wings" [2002] - which also had a special edition release - & self-titled [2003]) under that name.  Then they signed to Octone Records (Paper Tongues, Maroon 5, …) in Jan. of 2004, & changed their name to Flyleaf, releasing their first EP, self-titled, later that year.  Oct. 2005 saw the release of the hit & self-titled LP, which reached high into the charts.  Tours ensued, & the music video for this song even made it into the 2007 movie "Live Free or Die Hard".  A couple of EP's later - including a Connect Sets EP - & "Memento Mori" was released - on Nov. 10th, 2009.  The title is a Latin phrase, meaning 'be mindful of death'; it made it to #1 on Billboard's Hard Rock Albums chart.  They've since released "Remember to Live EP" in 2010.  This song is from "Flyleaf" - the LP.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWIADZKU9dw

Outrage - by Capital Lights

I must say, I'm excited to see what they'll be doing next.

Capital Lights is based out of Tulsa, OK.  They started as a screamo band called afterEIGHT - "'We had a couple people leave the other band's line-up, I stepped up from bass to singing, rewrote our material & we changed styles completely,' says front man Bryson Phillips".  They released 2 EP's & an LP (the LP came 2nd) as afterEIGHT, starting in 2003, & ending in 2007.  They were signed to Tooth & Nail Records that year, &, as Philllips said, they changed.  They released their LP "This is an Outrage!" July 8th, 2008.  Unfortunately, they announced their breakup in August of 2009.  Fortunately, it was announced late 2010 that they are planning on recording a new album, likely to be released sometime within a year's time (also on T&N Records..).  This song is from "This is an Outrage!".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAe9Ln5nTXE

(& here's seemingly better quality audio, though, I can't tell because I'm on my laptop at the moment…)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbaAHMoPRlo

Drink the Wild Air - by Asleep, Kodiak

I wish I could hear more coming from them...

Asleep, Kodiak is (/was?) based out of Collingswood, NJ.  Basically, all I can find is on their MySpace page:

"In December of 2009, the three started playing music together. Jonathan and Jordi are cousins, both learning how to play on bass. Later & unbeknown to the other, they both made the switch to guitar. After the discovery they decided to start a band together after years of throwing the idea around. Rob met Jonathan through selling Christmas trees & through many discussions about their favorite bands, the two decided to get together to jam. After a few weeks in Rob's basement, Asleep, Kodiak was started." (& on a side note, Jonathan was in the Philadelphia, PA based band Ships That Pass In The Night).

All I can see that they've released is a debut EP, "Volcano" [when, I'm unsure…], & "Evergreens" [2010].  It's Erika Ricchinni of Troubador singing in this song.

http://www.myspace.com/asleepkodiak

Wedding - by The Frozen Ocean

Appropriately beautiful.

The Frozen Ocean is based out of Connecticut.  The 'band' is Dave Swanson, plus fellow musicians that he will write & record with.  Swanson is also the guitarist and bg vocalist for Hartford, CT based Life In Your Way.  He's released 2 albums as The Frozen Ocean: a self-titled album, released Feb. 7th, 2009; & "In Exile", released late 2010 (i.e. late November, early Dec. - but no later than Dec. 2nd, as that's when I added it to iTunes, or so it tells me…).  The self-titled album is described as this, on Bandsonfire.com (& I think it was on TFO's MySpace page at one point, too…),

"1607-1610 Henry Hudson, an Englishman, makes three voyages in search of the Northwest passage to Asia through the Arctic Ocean. On his final expedition on board a ship named Discovery, he entered Hudson Bay and he mapped and explored the shoreline. When the ship became trapped in the ice, they moved ashore for the winter. When the ice cleared in spring, Hudson wanted to continure exploring but his crew wanted to return home. They mutinied, and set Hudson, his son, and some crewmen adrift in a small boat with no food or water. They were never heard from again."

Thematically, the album covers the final 3 days of Hudson's life.  Lyrically, it's about life, love, and loss.  This song is from "The Frozen Ocean".

http://thefrozenocean.bandcamp.com/track/wedding

You can download both "The Frozen Ocean" & "In Exile" completely free from the label he's with:

http://comeandlive.com/downloads

He also has a few cover songs you can download for free, too, from his bandcamp page:

http://thefrozenocean.bandcamp.com/

How High the Moon - as performed by Les Paul and Mary Ford

Today would've been Les Paul's  96th birthday.

Les Paul was born Lester William Polsfuss on June 9th, 1915, in Wisconsin.  From there, I'm going to send you to ( http://www.lespaulonline.com/bio.html ) as they have everything I'd want to say, & have put in a better way  :)  .  Unfortunately, Les Paul died on Aug. 12th, 2009 after having complications from pneumonia.

Mary Ford was born Iris Colleen Summers on July 7th, 1924, in California.  She's best known as Les Paul's wife.  The two met in the late 40's, & they "began reeling off a string of hit jazz standards".  They were married in 1949, but divorced in 1964.  She died in 1977 of complications from diabetes.

This song was written by Nancy Hamilton (lyrics) and Morgan Lewis (music).  First featured in "Two for the Show" on Broadway in 1940.  Les' & Mary's version was done in 1951, released on Capitol Records, spending many weeks at #1 on the charts.

This video here is live, showing off his innovative stylings - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0ffdwBUL78

Sweet City Woman - by The Stampeders

This song came on the radio today.  Needless to say, it didn't turn off.

The Stampeders' "beginnings can be traced back to Calgary in 1964 with a band called The Rebounds".  In January the next year, they changed their name to The Stampeders after a new manager entered the scene.  They relocated to Toronto in '66, & broke through in '68 with "Morning Magic".  They've released almost a dozen albums over the course of their career as a band - & they're still touring.  This song [is no doubt one of their biggest hits; &] is from their album "Against the Grain" - released in 1973.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IRjl3SWC2U

(& needless to say, I've got to stop saying "needless to say" so often...)

Red's new video for "Feed the Machine"...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zj2uZO7xnus
It's kinda epic.  Makes me think of what music videos used to be in the way that it's long, & it has a bit of a storyline.
& here's an article with what Red had to say about making the video:
http://www.artistdirect.com/entertainment-news/article/red-talk-feed-the-machine-music-video-premiere-on-artistdirect-com/8973922

Lots of fire + lots of awesome music = awesome = Red.

Make a Move - by Royal Tailor

I'm really liking this song right now.

Royal Tailor is based out of Nashville, TN & started roughly 5 years ago.  They independently released their "Love Like This EP" on July 2nd, 2009; Leeland & Jack Mooring (both of Leeland) heard it, & they sent it to Provident Label Group's VP of A&R - & 'the rest is history': They are now signed to Essential Records (a division of Provident & therefore of Sony Entertainment Group) & they released their debut LP "Black & White" on June 7th, 2011.  This song is from "Black & White".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rbsHB00G8g (P.S. the video was released at the end/near of May...)

We Are the Beacons - by Holding Onto Hope

OR: What You Make of Me - by Holding Onto Hope - if you want a bit of a lighter listen :)  .  I'd say a cross between mewithoutYou; Thrice; &, The Heel, the Serpent.

Holding Onto Hope is from San Luis Obispo, CA.  They formed in Aug. of '08, & did 3 nation-wide tours within a year-or-so's time. They self-produced & released their album "Of the Sea" on Come&Live Records not long after.  In 2010, they started & finished a KickStarter for their to-be project - they have since finished recording it & it's supposed to be out later this year; as well as a European Tour.  This song is from "Of the Sea".

We Are the Beacons:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBvKpGPUu0Y

What You Make of Me:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtlaozFcgkU

FREE download of "Of the Sea" from Come&Live Records:

http://www.comeandlive.com/CLD/HoldingOntoHope/index.html

(& all the other stuff that you can download completely free:

http://www.comeandlive.com/downloads )

Wooden Heart - by Listener

I seem to be in a talk music mood today... & I'm quite alright with that.

Listener is based out of Atlanta, GA.  Dan Smith (from Deepspace 5) heads the project "with first mate Chris Nelson"; they've been touring since 2002, & they've had 8 releases, starting with "Whispermoon" - released July 29th, 2003 on Mush Records.  "Ozark Empire" followed in 2005, then a Christmas album - "Just in Time for Christmas" in the same year.  "Talk Music" came next in 2006, with "Return to Struggleville" in 2008 being released independently, as well as all their subsequent albums.  Then "Train Songs" & "Not Waving Drowning" in 2009.  Their latest release is "Wooden Heart", was out on July 6th, 2010.  Since their start, they've toured around the world - Japan, England, Norway, Finland, Ireland, Canada - alongside the likes of mewithoutYou, The Myriad, Cool Hand Luke, Astronautalis, & of course, many more.  This song is from "Wooden Heart" - & the video was put up on YouTube (released?) just today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8k9rD7lx9c

Also: you can download the vocal tracks from "Wooden Hearts" for free from their BandCamp page:

http://listener.bandcamp.com/album/wooden-heart-poems

But quickly..:

Free EP from The Silent:
http://thesilent.bandcamp.com/album/the-spencer-creek-ep
Some details on it (from the BandCamp page)..:
"After we recorded our latest single there in the Spring of 2010, we decided to record this EP with acoustic versions of previously released songs in anticipation of its loneliness as a single. On December 5th, 2010, we got together at the studio with some friends and recorded the whole EP live off the floor. We then mixed the EP in a single afternoon on the studio's console; What you hear is what we got"


("Free" if you wish - it's the "pay what you want" sort of situation.)
...
I had other stuff I wanted to share, but I forget what it was... sorry.


But enjoy the music!

We Were Made for You - by Aaron Gillespie

Sorry I haven't been able to keep going daily - I've had work to do.  To which, I won't be putting that post up (yet) that I mentioned as I've still more stuff I need to get going on...

But aside from that...
~~

I had this song in my head the past couple of days.  You should let it sit in yours, too.

Aaron Roderick Gillespie was born July 18th, 1983 in Clearwater, FL.  He was invited to join as a drummer for the band Underoath when he was only 14 years old (in 1997); he also sang in the band (mostly the clean vocals) here & there.  He continued to play with them until 2010, & "despite the public outcry", he announced that he was leaving (of course, on good terms) the band.  But back in 2005, the band The Almost started up, in which Gillespie plays drums (in the studio), guitar, & sings (& writes songs, too).  Additionally, on March 8th, 2011, he released a solo album - on Tooth & Nail Records, where Underoath & The Almost are signed - called "Anthem Song"; to which, some of the inspiration comes after he was on a missions trip to Africa.  Aside from all the music, he also enjoys food (hence: his tumblr page: aaronrgillespie.tumblr.com/ ).  This song is from "Anthem Song".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9pFv311qQs - also: this music video was filmed in Haiti.

Just thought I'd pop this up...

... while I'm eating breakfast:
Falling Up posted another new song called "Diamnds"
https://www.facebook.com/fallingup

& hopefully soon (tomorrow?) things'll kinda be back to normal/regular...