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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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May
6th“The Office’s” Creed Bratton Performs and Talks Series Finale! -
Apr
29thThree to Watch (Courrier, Daniela Brooker, and Mission South)They say good things come in three’s. Actually, maybe it’s celebrity deaths but I forget. In any event, today’s A-Sides presents three artists who are each bring something awesomely different to the table. Austin’s Courrier reminds me of Coldplay but with an indie sensibility. Daniela Brooker is being called a cross between Taylor Swift, Shakira and Sheryl Crow, but this British teenager sounds far more original than to be blended in with those three vastly different artists. Lastly, D.C.-based band Mission South have been compared to Dr. Dog and will no doubt get thrown into The Black Keys genre-bending game, but the roots-rock band sound more like Mission South to me. Hearing is relative so forgive all my convoluted thoughts. Watch and hear these artists for yourselves in a series of A-Sides sessions all filmed within the Music Conservatory of Westchester in White Plains, NY. I feel in all of my loins you’ll be hearing a lot about this triple threat no matter what you think. Courrier released their sophomore album Cathedrals of Color in March, and already had a top 50 radio single with their debut “Love is a Fire.” That song, by the way, has appeared on numerous TV shows include Gossip Girland The Vampire Diaries. At an A-Sides filming two weeks ago, the band performed that track as well as current single “Inch of Rope” and spoke about each. Watch below, nephews! Courrier Perform “Inch of Rope” Courrier Perform “Love is a Fire” Courrier Interview: Everyone from [...]
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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
16thIgniting Heaven’s Basement’s “Fire” and Introducing A-Sides’ Delve Into Twelve CountdownApril 16,2013: Look, the world is turning upside down. It’d be nice if Democrats and Republicans would stop bickering like they’re 11-year-old boys on court playing a game of “off the wall A.S.S.” and focus on the real issues instead of stepping up when the fit hits the proverbial shan. It seems silly to go about “business as usual” and post a music column, but I am. Music has served as a form of healing throughout my life so I’m posting this today with full knowledge your time will (and should) be spent on superior examples of writing like this. It’s hard to write this column since I’m making metal horns, but someway, somehow I’ll truck through it. UK rockers Heaven’s Basement have been melting faces with their unique hard rock antics in their homeland – touring rigorously and opening for such artists as Papa Roach, Shinedown and Buckcherry, but now they’re setting their sights on our city streets with the release of their debut album Filthy Empire. The band dropped their debut album Filthy Empire earlier this month, and will be on the road supporting it for pretty much the rest of the year. In addition to their own tour, which took them to NYC for the first time late last month, they’ll hit the festival circuit, including this years Rock on the Range in Columbus, OH (May 17-19). and Rocklohoma (May 24-26.) On March 26, the band filmed an A-Sides session with yours truly at the Digital Arts [...]
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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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Apr
11thThe Mowgli’s in NYC; Cello, I Love You…Dom La NenaI’m a child of the 1980s, and still love just about every song from that decade….well, except “Shattered Dreams” by Johnny Hates Jazz. That said, since my teens, I’ve known full well that being a child of the 1960s and especially the 1970s was probably a much cooler and memorable experience. Back in those days, music changed lives and had the ability to change the world. Not to sound as old as Betty White, but you just don’t get enough of that in this day and age. Thankfully, there’s The Mowgli’s, a newish band out of California who are making infectious music with substance that evokes the eras in which I wish I was born into. Blending the best of the 1960s and the 1970s with contemporary pop, rock, and folk, the band is bringing a refreshingly retro-cool sound to alt-rock radio. Specifically, their first single “San Francisco” gained traction during last October’s SF Giants pennant run, and has carried over long after Marco Scutaro and Bruce Bochy’s team won their second World Series in three years.
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Apr
10thAwake to WintersleepIt’s hard to believe, but there’s more to Canada than Rick Moranis. Take the band Wintersleep for example, who have been churning out infectious indie rock for the better part of six years or so. The Nova Scotia natives’ latest Hello Hum has garnered them their usual critical acclaim from their homeland (they won a Juno Award) but also the states (they appeared on Late Show with David Letterman and opened for such acts as Pearl Jam and Sir Paul McCartney). Last week, the Nova Scotians (I’m making that a term if it isn’t already) stopped by the Music Conservatory of Westchester for a stripped-down performance of single “Nothing is Anything (Without You)” and informal interview on A-Sides. Watch. Listen. Love. Performance: Interview: About asidesmusic.com Jon Chattman’s “A-Sides Music” series usually features artists (established or not) from all genres performing a track, and discussing what it means to them. This informal series focuses on the artist making art in a low-threatening, extremely informal (sometimes humorous) way. No bells, no whistles — just the music performed in a random, low-key setting followed by an unrehearsed chat. In an industry where everything often gets overblown and over manufactured, I’m hoping this is refreshing.
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Apr
4thListen to Courtney Jaye and Bonzie Now; Thank Me LaterSeveral things in life are obvious. Dick Butkis will never grace the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition cover. The Ropers will never use Facebook, and Dido will never invite me over for breakfast. These are just facts – plain and simple, and with this post, I add another to my growing list of truths: you’re going to love these two singer/songwriters on the “show” today. First up is Courtney Jaye,a Nashville-based singer/songwriter who is touring this spring with comedian/singer/songwriter Stephen Lynch in support of her new album Love and Forgiveness. Ironically, the emerging pop star’s songs are the antithesis of the humorous and oft-dirty ditties that Lynch slays crowds with. They’re deeply felt tunes about love and life, and the journeys in-between. At an A-Sides session filmed at the Primary Wave Music’s Listening Room in NYC (by Alexander Stein), she performed a trio of songs. Watch. Listen. Love.
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A-Sides Live! Events
10.26 Alice Ripley at White Plains Performing Arts Center (WPPAC) wppac.com
11.2 Pop Goes the Culture Awards and Variety Show at WPPAC
12.14 Acoustic Christmas Show (visit asideslive on Facebook for details)
1.25.13 Come as You Were - 90s Salute Show at The DAE (details on FB)
3.14.13 Comedy at the DAE (TBD)
3.29.13 Punk at the DAE (TBD)
4.26 Singer/Songwriter Night at the DAE (TBD)
5.16 Comedy at the DAE (TBD)
5.23 Chatt B-Day Show at the DAE (TBD)
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Recent Posts
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- Three to Watch (Courrier, Daniela Brooker, and Mission South)
- Coheed & Cambria’s Frontman On Comics & “The Soundtrack to My Imagination”
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