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May
10th“Come Back Anytime” – Fitz of Fitz & The Tantrums Discusses New Single and AlbumBack in the late 1980s and early 1990s, I watched Dance Party U.S.A. with my older sister and pretended not to like it. The series was sort of an American Bandstand for the New Kids on the Block generation so street-cred wise, I’d lose everything with any admission. See, the show was a chick magnet in the ratings arguably because of a dancer named Bobby (Catalano) who rarely took his sunglasses off, and I couldn’t admit to deep down wanting to be able to break out some fresh dance moves. Now in my 30s, I can honestly say I still can’t dance, but can say with full confidence that I’ll shamelessly break out some of my own moves any time I hear the featured guest on “A-Sides” today. Fitz and the Tantrums evoke the era of Dance Party U.S.A. in that their sound throwsback to those cheesy decades as well as 1960s pop and 1970s Motown. The nature of this business is all about comparing artists to the past, but while they’re retro cool, FATT sound utterly original and contemporary. Perhaps it’s best to just say their music make me want to dance (even though I can’t) because it’s catchy, fun, and everything that’s good about music these days. With the release of their sophomore album More Than Just a Dream this Tuesday (May 7), the Los Angeles-based sextet (Fitz, Noelle Scaggs, James King, Jeremy Ruzumna, John Wicks and Joseph Karnes) have further established themselves as music masters. Like the [...]
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Apr
23rdCoheed & Cambria’s Frontman On Comics & “The Soundtrack to My Imagination”Back in the day, I collected baseball cards so much more than comics. I remember getting so excited when I unopened a pack of 1986 Donruss in 1992 and found the ever-so-valuable “Rated Rookie” card of Jose Canseco like it was yesterday. Clearly, it wasn’t. There’s little value the card has now except for the fact it finds one-half of the “Bash Brothers” with a Todd Bridges-esque mustache. Anyway, cards always resonated more with me than comics. As a matter of fact, of the limited comics I collected, I never even bothered to read them because my friends told me they’d decreased in value if I creased them while scrolling through the pages. With that in mind, I placed them each into a plastic sleeve and forgot all about them. To a lesser degree, Coheed and Cambria frontman Claudio Sanchez’s childhood followed a similar blueprint. “I played Little League, and always looked for the rookie cards,” he said. That said, the fanboy at heart noted “I definitely collected a lot. Each Wednesday, I went to the shops and scrolled through the new [releases].” This should come as a surprise to absolutely nobody – at least no one who knows even a tiny morsel about the band.
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Apr
22ndCan’t Stay {Away} From Villagers, Cheatahs, or Danielia CottonNothing kills the momentum of a good weekend more then the realization mid-afternoon Sunday that your workweek is right around the corner. Mondays suck. They always have, and always will. To help ease your “case of the Mondays” today, here’s an eclectic mix of highly-talented artists whose music will have you thinking and feeling something. Sorry Ke$ha. Their debut EP Hollow Kind and full-length album Becoming a Jackal made them legends in their homeland, and led to a highly-prestigious Mercury Prize nod. Their follow-up, {Awayland}, is bucking the buzzworthy trend abroad and here in the states. They’re Irish indie folk band Villagers, and if you don’t know them by now, you soon will find yourselves hearing them somewhere and wondering quietly – almost immediately – to yourself: “How did I only just hear this band now? Where have I been? Where am I going? What is wrong with me?” Anyway, you get it. Earlier this month front man Conor O’Brien performed “Earthly Pleasures” and discussed it at an A-Sides session filmed at the Music Conservatory of Westchester in White Plains, NY. Watch the intimate performance and interview below, and scratch your heads no more! “Earthly Pleasures” Villagers’ Conor O’Brien Interview Cheatahsarrived at the Music Conservatory of Westchester in White Plains for an A-Sides filming, and were immediately taken aback. The London-based band had expected to fully plug-in for their performance, and didn’t really know what to do with the classroom vibe I provided them. Initially they were going to just [...]
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Apr
15thAnother Story Saying Kitten’s Chloe Chaidez Is Wise Beyond Her Years?The thing that sucks about writing about a band whose lead singer is a teenager is that you have to point out just that: he or she is a teenager. That statement leads one to write about how the singer may be young but are wise well beyond their years with music that resonates so much more than it should. No one likes generalizing a generation or riding a cliche, but here we are. Chloe Chaidez of the Cali-band Kitten is so much wiser, talented and articulate than you were at 18. OK, now I’m done – let’s focus on the music and her band. Kitten are two EPs into their career, and have already opened up for No Doubt, Twin Shadow and Charli XCX and are currently touring with The Joy Formidable. They’re about to hit the road with Paramore, which should – no doubt – propel them even further into the alt-universe. Good. The band, who sound like a 1980s band fronted by a 1990s rocker chick, work their ass off to sound good and it really shows with the respective Sunday School and Cut It Out EPs. Read the interview below with Chaidez and you’ll see why they’re so buzz-worthy. In addition, check out an exclusive performance of “G#” at LA’s Bootleg Bar, which the band blessed specifically for A-Sides. Boom. I’d imagine opening up for so many great artists, it’s forced you guys to raise your game a bit, right? I’d assume you’d be a sponge [...]
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Mar
26thDiamond Youth Loves “Orange” while Longreef “Likes the Ladies”About four years ago (I forget in my old age), I was contacted by a music publicist to come out and see a young singer/songwriter perform at a small club in New York City and interview her afterwards. I couldn’t make it that night for whatever reason, and two years later I’d kick myself… hard. A few years later (what year you ask? I’ll go through my gmail inbox after I publish this post), another publicist hit me up (not literally, because that would be wrong) and asked me to spend an afternoon with one of her clients: another singer/songwriter from England who was in her assessment: “the next big thing.” I couldn’t make it that day either, and my ass has been black and blue ever since (get it? I kicked myself again). The two performers I’m speaking of were respectively Lady Gaga and Adele. How was I supposed to know they’d break out like a pimple at the center of your neighbor’s kid’s nose? Anyway, I bring up these stories for a reason. This series I’ve created has allowed me to more than make up for missing out on those two interviews with those two immensely talented world dominaters. Take our two artists today for example, who are on the cusp of breaking through and arguably already have. The alt-rock quartet Diamond Youth, who come off as a poppier Queens of the Stone Age (I mean that in a good way), may be the best thing to happen [...]
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Mar
1stBig Willy Style? Here’s…Willy Moon!Three men approach a White Plains, NY studio within the Music Conservatory of Westchester where I regularly shoot my A-Sides sessions in. They standout instantly. One is dressed down in jeans and has his cellphone glued to his hand. Next to him is a much taller guy with slicked back hair, stylish gray slacks, and a match overcoat that cries “swagger.” The third guy is wearing an almost Indiana Jones-modeled hat, a Fonzie-free leather jacket, and looks like me 30 years from now. The first guy is the tour manager for London-based buzzworthy star Willy Moon. The second guy is Moon himself, and the third guy is… wait for it… my dad ladies and gentleman. My old man arrived early for a lunch date, and crashed the Moon filming. Prior to setting up for the interview (as you can tell by the shakiness of the camera – it didn’t take long), my dad cracked wise – usually at my expense – and ran up to the piano within the studio to serenade us with a Gershwin medley. If I was 13 or 17 I’d be humiliated. But, I’m not and I wasn’t. Neither was Moon, who clearly realized that second to perhaps having his song “Yeah Yeah” played on an iPod commercial and making an appearance on Vh1 just a day prior, this was the highlight of his young career. I’m, of course, kidding. Once my dad left the building and let me do my thing, I asked Moon about [...]
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Feb
26thImagine Dragons Discuss Their Success; Slay New YorkImagine Dragon’s Dan Reynolds at the Feb. 23 sold-out show at Roseland in NYC. Photo/Jon Chattman Lou Diamond Phillips is an icon in this business who unjustly hasn’t had a role he could sink his teeth into for years. That is, until now. In their music video for “Radioactive,” Imagine Dragons utilize the “La Bamba” and “Young Guns” star’s talents by casting him as the ruthless ring leader of an underground, illegal stuffed animal fight club. Don’t scroll back – you read that right and it may very well be Phillips’ finest hour. It’s like Pink Floyd used to say… “shine on you crazy Lou Diamond Phillips.” Well, they didn’t exactly say that, but we all know they should have. But, let’s refocus on the band whose talent extends far behind killer videos with a killer star.
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Feb
19thJustin Tranter Discusses Semi Precious Weapons’ New Path, While El Sportivo Takes Us “Lowe”Photo/ Blake Wood Having toured the world with pop goddess Lady Gaga for over a year (following their debut “You Love You,”) it would have been so easy for Semi Precious Weapons to just sell out for their next album. With a fan base rich in “Little Monsters” as well as their own disciples, it just seemed logical that the band would try to make a commercial pop record. But, it didn’t play out that way. Like Gaga herself, Justin Tranter, Cole Whittle, Dan Crean, and Stevy Pyne are in it for the art and are making music that’s true to themselves first and foremost. Having said that, the song doesn’t remain the same. Whereas “You Love You” was a glamified (I’m making that a word) rock record in the tradition of AC/DC, their new single “Aviation High,” which you can listen to here, and the new album it’ll appear on (released later this year) have a more AFI feel. Along with the new sound comes a new style for the band – so say goodbye to frontman Tranter’s high-heeled platforms (at least I think) and say hello to glamified (take note Conky) suits and ties. I caught up with Tranter this weekend, and asked him about SPW’s growth since their previous record and tour. As I discovered, Los Angeles clearly worked wonders for their evolution. “The basic way of life out here is so breezy that I found myself writing more about love, its dramas and my awesome friends, [...]
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Feb
13thRobert DeLong Talks “Global Concepts” and Skinny Lister ‘Forge’ the Mumford PathDoes anyone remember the Genesis song “I Can’t Dance?” It’s okay…they probably don’t either. The song resonated with me when it came out and it still does because I simply can’t bust a move – at least not sober. Robert DeLong, on the other hand, probably can cut a rug quite well (not literally because why would anyone brag about cutting a piece of carpet?) Anyway, with his debut album Just Movement on Glassnote Records, the innovative singer/songwriter/drummer/producer/music master is making speakers his bitch with danceable pop that resonates with alt-rockers and body shakers.
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A-Sides Live! Events
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3.14.13 Comedy at the DAE (TBD)
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4.26 Singer/Songwriter Night at the DAE (TBD)
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Recent Posts
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