» pop

Nov
8thMotopony Rides and TAB the Band says “I Love You”

The Seattle music scene isn’t what it was in the 1990s. Ask any member of Motopony, the Emerald City-based rocking, pop-ing folkish band, and they’ll tell you the scene has gone from grunge and plaid shirts to a folk and even hip hop social scene. In the Cornerstone offices in New York City, the quintet discussed that and their self-titled debut album and performed the track “Seer” off their record. If you don’t know the band by name, by the way, you likely know them by ear. Their smooth hypnotic single “King of Diamonds” has been played repeatedly on SiriusXM and other stations, but isn’t about Neil Diamond. Listen and watch below. “Seer” Live in NYC: [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmJhJS6POIw&w=460&h=315] Motopony Interview: [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlMY4HzUux4&w=460&h=315] The second band on “A-Sides” is another rocking act but with a more classic rock feel. The Duxbury, Massachusetts-based TAB the Band features brothers Tony and Adrian Perry, who are probably sick about you asking them what it’s like having Aerosmith legend Joe Perry as their dad. Along with Ben Tileston and Lou Jannetty, the quartet evoke more comparisons to Cheap Trick and have been touring in support of their album “Zoo Noises.” Last week, the quartet made some noises for “A-Sides” by performing a killer informal version of “She Said No (“I Love You”), which appears on that record followed by a Q&A below the vid. Mangia. “She Said No (I Love You)” [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TL06ja9f_I&w=460&h=315] What was the songwriting process for “She Said No (I Love You)”? [...]
Oct
28thThe Gift in a NYC Bathroom and Graffiti6 Gets Solo and Stripped Down

You can accomplish a lot in a bathroom. Aside from doing your business, you can read an article, perhaps text your friends, or do as I do: play Angry Birds on your iPad. OK, that’s T.M.I. and gross, but it brings us to our next “A-Sides” session. Nuno Goncalves of the Portugal psych pop band The Gift used the trendy iPad tablet — specifically a keyboard App — earlier this month in a dressing room restroom located backstage of Le Poisson Rouge in NYC to perform a track with his band. Two hours before The Gift headlined a show at that city venue, they packed inside the private lavatory to perform an intimate version of their song “RGB.” The song is off their new album “Explode,” which was released late last month. Before we get “live in the can”, here’s a breakdown of the Portuguese music makers: The Gift formed in 1994 by Gonçalves and bandmate Miguel Ribeiro. They’d later be joined by Sónia Tavares, John Gonçalves, and Ricardo Braga and soon dominated the Portugal pop-rock scene. I could tell you more about them, but you’ll get a better sense watching this: The Gift — RGB [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZm7nr6-Mdo&w=460&h=315] Jamie Scott didn’t perform a pair of songs in any bathroom in New York City. Why would he honestly? The singer/songwriter, who along with UK producer TommyD make up the duo Graffiti6, sat down with guitar in hand in a city apartment to perform two tracks acoustically. Scott and TommyD are currently [...]