By: Ryan Mulligan  Read more...

by: Ken Caudill

“Don’t never follow your first mind, cause that’s the one that’s wrong. ‘Cause the Devil beats God to you every time.”
- Son House

In the beginning was the blues, and the blues was with Son House, and Son House was the blues. Son House doesn’t play the blues; he is a conduit for it.  Read more...

Citizen Cope’s new album The RainWater LP is now available for digital purchase.   This release marks a milestone for Citizen Cope not only because it is his first new record in nearly 4 years, but it’s also his first release via his own RainWater Recordings label.

“Healing Hands” MP3 (approved to post)

Purchase The RainWater LP on iTunes  Read more...

2 24 10 Mata León by plugintodan

By: Daniel Ucko

San Francisco-based Mata León opened a growling late-night indie show at Hollywood club Boardner’s last week. The band performed on an outdoor stage inside a smoke-filled patio while a crowd of rebellious 18-year-olds and leather-stricken twentysomethings watched with a hint of awe. The set was short, but the four-piece put out some serious soul in its bluesy brand of indie-rock.  Read more...

by J. Brown

“Lend me your eyes I can change what you see / but your soul you must keep totally free. Awake my soul, awake my soul […] In these bodies we will live, in these bodies we will die / Where you invest your love, you invest your life.” —Excerpt from the song “Awake my Soul.”  Read more...

In continued support of Fantasies, Metric announces a short run of headlining dates this March on the west coast (see below for details).  This summer, Metric will tour as part of the traveling Lilith Festival, which will make stops nationwide.  Other participating acts include Mary J. Blige, Norah Jones, Tegan & Sara, Sheryl Crow, and many more.  Lots to look forward to!  Read more...

By: Adam Mekrut

“They all move to Brooklyn”, is the refrain among my friends as we combine spite for a city that seems to be stealing our talent and jealousy for the image of thousands of lofts filled with virtuosic musicians casually building culture. Tigerbitch moved from Southern California to Brooklyn for practical reasons, to be closer to a couple of musicians who had signed onto his vision and now he is back for the same reason.  Read more...

by: Katrina Nattress

In Chinese and Japanese astrology, Fire Horse women are thought to be dangerous, headstrong, and deadly to men. Singer/songwriter Pi Jacobs was born in the most recent Fire Horse year, and though the Californian is sweet as can be, she admits that she attributed the chaos in her childhood to herself.  Read more...

It’s Thursday night in Rancho Bernardo, California. The Project Rhythm Seed production crew are ensconced at the beautiful Rancho Bernardo Inn for the weekend. The place is completely full of music business people. Artists, managers, radio and record folk. It’s like Disneyland for a music fan. We are set up out on the patio, complete with guitars and percussion, an old record player and some classic old vinyl to listen to between interviews. The sun has now gone down and its a beautiful southern California night.  Read more...

by: Ryan Mulligan

826LA (http://www.826la.org), a non-profit, tutoring organization dedicated to nurturing creative and expository writing skills in children and young adults, has succeeded in giving voice to their students’ creativity with an inspiring project that merges lyrics derived from the imagination of students from the ages of seven to thirteen with the musical vision of LA indie pop band The Submarines. “Songwriting with the Submarines,” a music composition workshop in which the pop duo helped students craft original songs, saw the children develop their own bands, with such tremendous names as Pig Power, The Weirdoz and Jennifer Lopez. The resulting songwriting efforts have since been covered by such diverse artists as Fiona Apple (who is also a member of 826LA’s advisory board), She & Him, Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros, Cold War Kids and many more.  Read more...

Straight from Interscope and still hot out of the oven, here is the premier of the Black Eyed Peas newest video for “Imma Be Rocking That Body”

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Rounder Records is excited to announce the release of Kaki King’s bold and thrilling new record on April 13, 2010. Entitled Junior, it is the highly acclaimed singer/songwriter and guitarist extraordinaire’s fifth record, and first for Rounder. Junior delivers twists-and-turns: lyrically from exuberance and anger to heartbreaking melancholy; and sonically from experimental pieces to accessible pop. While there is plenty of the dazzling musicianship King has been renowned for, Junior showcases her further maturation as a well-rounded artist who defies categorization and expectations.  Read more...

Icelandic experimental indie-folk septet Seabear is preparing to make their first set of appearances in North America on a national headlining tour, including several shows at this year’s SXSW. The band will perform songs from their upcoming Morr Music release, We Built a Fire. As a musical cherry on top, Via Tania and Seabear multi-instrumentalist Sóley will play opening sets. Sóley plays solo with occasional back-up by other Seabear members in support of her Theater Island EP, also due out on Morr Music in March. All together, it promises to be a line-up of intricate, lovely tunes like you’ve never heard before.  Read more...

by: J. Brown  Read more...

by: Myles Crawley
Sunset Sessions is an industry only event that brings together radio stations, music supervisors from film and television, record companies, managers, publishers and booking agents together with the freshest new talent and some legendary favorites. Its main purpose is to expose the tastemakers of our industry, and in particular the Triple A format, to the bright stars of tomorrow. The event is held over 3 nights and is presented by M:M Music & Quick Clear Music. This year marks the 13th season for Sunset Sessions and will be presented this Thursday, Friday and Saturday (February 18th, 19th & 20th) at the beautiful Rancho Bernardo Inn just outside of San Diego.  Read more...

Inimitable rock ‘n’ soul sextet Foxy Shazam has announced the release of their self-titled Sire Records album on April 13, 2010. Produced by John Feldmann, Foxy Shazam is the Cincinnati, OH band’s major label debut.

To support the album, Foxy Shazam will be taking their good times mobile with a nationwide headlining tour this March and April. Stops in New York, Los Angeles and a stint at the SXSW Music Conference in Austin, TX will give fans a chance to experience their notoriously rambunctious live show. Prior to their US dates, Foxy will be heading across the pond to play the NME Awards show with Hole on February 17th.  Read more...

by: Ken Caudill
The specter of Robert Johnson haunts American music. He is an imp, a hoodoo man. His music slides between the notes; jumps in and out of time. He manages to be gutbucket and ethereal simultaneously.

Johnson is a minstrel and a poet:

When the train, it left the station
with two lights on behind
When the train, it left the station
with two lights on behind
Well, the blue light was my blues
and the red light was my mind
All my love’s in vain  Read more...

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