» vh1

May
8thWatch Eric Hutchinson “Watch Him”

He’s been a VH1 “You Oughta Know” artist, has played just about every late night show on the planet, and has had a bunch of hit songs since the release of his 2007 debut Sounds Like This. The one thing singer/songwriter Eric Hutchinson hasn’t done, however, is perform a song in the basement of a music school in Westchester in front of an interviewer sporting a baseball cap and a rolled-out-of-bed look. Well, time for him to cross that off his bucket list. Last week, the multi-talented D.C. born artist filmed an “A-Sides” session with yours truly in support of his new album Moving Up Living Down. Hutchinson is currently in the midst of a jam-packed U.S. headlining tour that runs through the end of June in support of the album, which has already generated a lot of buzz (and this run-on sentence) thanks to his extremely catchy single “Watching You Watch Him.” From inside a Music Conservatory of Westchester practice room in White Plains, NY, he performed that track then sat down for an informal interview about it. Watch. Listen. Love. “Watching You Watch Him” [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lx2sHWJp_PI&w=560&h=315] EH Interview: [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdf_J7BJmJY&w=560&h=315] About A-Sides with Jon Chattman Jon Chattman’s music series 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 [...]
Jan
6thSharon Jones & the Dap-Kings: Some Funk and Soul Food for Your Ears

Aretha Franklin is the Queen of Soul, and always will be. Ditto for Michael Jackson and his King of Pop distinction. Sharon Jones made that abundantly clear in a recent “A-Sides” interview. Having said that, there’s still room for another queen in the worldwide music castle. Jones is the self-professed “Queen of Funk.” The lead singer of the appropriately named Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings is as good as it gets when it comes to soul and funk dominance. Whether you jumped on the bandwagon after seeing them perform at a festival show, caught on after the Dap-Kings backed the late great Amy Winehouse, or followed them since their debut LP Dap Dippin’ the band can make any hips shake and your ears dance along with your pants. I caught up with Jones backstage before her sold-out show last month at the Tarrytown Music Hall in Westchester, and spoke to her about her evolution (she bloomed late — having worked as a corrections officer and bank guard early on), and her anticipation of joining other “divas” on stage for a VH1 special. Oh, and she also performed an impromptu performance of “Mama Don’t Like My Man” and made it look so damn easy. A great way to start “A-Sides” in 2012 methinks… [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e32dd_iLCiE&w=460&h=315] [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGU_2DUxX7M&w=460&h=315] About A-Sides with Jon Chattman Jon Chattman’s music series 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 [...]