Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Harry Fraud EP Cover & Tracklisting


Next week, rising superstar producer Harry Fraud will release a new EP called Scion A/V Presents: High Tide. The EP features Action Bronson, Earl Sweatshirt, Smoke Dza, Riff Raff, French Montana and more. Take a look at the cover above, the tracklisting below and get the new single, "Yacht Lash," below:

01 Rising [ft. Tech N9ne]
02 Loopy [ft. Chinx Drugz and Smoke DZA]
03 Tell Em Bout It [ft. Mistah F.A.B. and Troy Ave.]
04 Mean [ft. French Montana and Action Bronson]
05 Yacht Lash [ft. Earl Sweatshirt and Riff Raff] 

Quick News

TV on the Radio's David Sitek seems to have his finger on nearly every wild record coming out this year from Beady Eye, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and now, Kelis. Sitek produced Kelis' latest FOOD which will be out in September.

80's electronic legends Pet Shop Boys will release their new album Electric in July.

Clipse's Pusha T will release his debut solo album, My Name is My Name in July.

Killer Mike & El-P's project Run The Jewels will release a free album in June via Fool's Gold records.

Metallica will release their 3-D concert film, Through the Never in IMAX for one week only on September 27.

Iggy & The Stooges on Colbert Report

Watch Iggy and the Stooges perform "Job" and "Burn" off their latest, Ready to Die, on Colbert Report.

Monday, April 29, 2013

Live Pix - Dillinger Escape Plan @ Music Hall of Williamsburg


On Saturday April 27, Dillinger Escape Plan headlining a bone crunching free concert for Converse Rubber Tracks series at Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn. Our very own RICH D SMOOV was on hand to capture the action, take a look at some of his pix below:








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Quick News

Almost a year after losing Adam "MCA" Yauch to cancer, the surviving members of Beastie Boys - Mike D and Adam "Ad-Rock" Horowitz, are going to be writing a memoir about their lives and career together. The book will arrive in 2015 via Random House imprint Spiegel & Grau.

In related news, MCA will be honored in his native Brooklyn as Palmetto Playground will be renamed "Adam Yauch Park" on Friday.

Hot 97 DJ Pete Rosenberg announced on his radio show on Monday that Kanye West has finished work on his sixth album. According to Rosenberg, the album is "dark," and West worked with Daft Punk, TNGHT, Chief Keef, Azealia Banks on the untitled album. No word however as to when it will be released. West is set to perform on the season finale of Saturday Night Live and headline the second night of Governor's Ball in New York City in June.

After announcing their new EP, The 1975 have announced that their self-titled debut will arrive in September.

Indie rock fans rejoice! Neutral Milk Hotel have reunited! After years of rumors and solo tours from the bands main man, Jeff Magnum, the band will do a string of dates together this fall.


Wu-Revolution


November will mark the 20th anniversary of one of the greatest debut albums of all time, one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time, and one of the greatest albums period! Enter the 36 Chambers from Wu-Tang Clan. The New York collective have had a long career and with eight living members and eight personalities, this career has been rocky but steady and their influence is felt more today than ever before. 

After giving the world a show stopping performance at Coachella earlier this month and with the forthcoming release of a new album, A Better Tomorrow, out in July, the hype and promise of the Wu is something every fan of good music is looking forward to. RZA, GZA, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, Method Man, U-God, Masta Killah have a serious legacy to uphold and now, nine years after the passing of Ol' Dirty Bastard, the Clan need to continue to uphold his legacy. 

While the Clan have been a force together, their solo careers have been plentiful. With so many members in the group, and each constantly releasing material, especially this year with the release of Inspectah Deck's project with 7L and Esoteric - Czarface, Raekwon's Lost Jewelry, and Ghostface Killah's project with Adrian Younge - 12 Reason's To Die, as well as last years first Wu-film RZA's The Man with the Iron Fist, the demand for the group is greater than ever before.

Between the nine members of the Wu, over 50 solo albums have been released. We check off the best one's in celebration of Wu-Tang Clan through the years.

  • Method Man - Tical (1994)
  • GZA - Liquid Swords (1995)
  • Raekwon - Only Built For Cuban Linx (1995)
  • Ol' Dirty Bastard - Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version (1995)
  • Ghostface Killah - Ironman (1996)
  • RZA - Bobby Digital in Stereo (1998)
  • Ol' Dirty Bastard - N**ga Please (1999)
  • Ghostface Killah - Supreme Clientele (2000)
  • Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah - Wu Massacre (2010)
  • Ghostface Killah and Adrien Younge - 12 Reasons to Die (2013)
  • Inspectah Deck with 7L & Esoteric - Czarface (2013)

Stream Savages Debut Album


 Matador Records is streaming Savages debut, Silence Yourself, which arrives in two weeks. Take a listen!

Sunday, April 28, 2013

EXCLUSIVE! Protest The Hero INTV!

When Canada's Protest The Hero bursted onto the scene in 2005 with their brilliant breakthrough debut, Kezia, the metalcore band brought something to the table that many had not been doing. They brought along jazz riffs, melodies, harmonies, storylines and threw it in a bone crunching blender to perform the hardest and loudest music possible. As the band record their fourth album, they are taking a different approach and reaching out to fans on Indigogo to raise funds to create their next metal masterpiece. While the name of the record and release date is still unknown, we spoke exclusively to guitarist Tim Miller to gain a better understanding as to what the band are up to and what fans can expect from album four. Take a look at our interview with Miller below:


You chose to record your next record via fan funding on Indigogo, who came up with the idea to do that?

 This has been an idea the band has been tossing around for a little while now. We've seen it be successful with some other artists and think it's a better way to get funding for an album then taking a big advance from a label. It was good timing for us as we don't have any obligations at this time to any particular label.

 More and more bands are doing this fan funding, or fundraising to make albums. In this day and age, is it the best way to record?

I would say it's a good option for bands who have a dedicated fan base and it really reflects your popularity and how much faith your fans have in you to come through. With the easier access to music on the internet, this gives people an option to buy your record from anywhere in the world. There's places in the world where you can't go to the store and buy our album, so this is a way to guarantee you'll get the album when it is released. I don't know if this is the choice method for every band and there is an element of risk but it is definitely an alternative to the standard funding options.

 What can fans expect off the new record? Is there a new direction involved?

With each of our records, there is always a maturity of sound. Since there is usually 2 or 3 years between albums we all grow as musicians and songwriters. That being said, we are still the same people and will always have something that sounds like "Protest The Hero" and don't write with a particular direction in mind, just let ideas come out naturally.

On Scurrilous, Rody did a majority of the writing as opposed to Arif, do you think it change the dynamic of the bands sound?

Lyric writing, yes. We've always left this as an open area for anyone to contribute and Rody wanted to be more involved in the lyric writing process. We liked the stuff that he was bringing to practice and encouraged him to keep going.

The cover of Scurrilous is a painting by Arif’s grandfather. What does it represent?  When the band saw the painting, was it unanimous – this is what the cover has to be?

This was a painting that we have known for a long time as it was hanging in Arif's house when we were growing up. Arif brought the idea of using it and we all loved the piece of work. His grandfather's name was Jafar Petgar and he was a well known painter in Iran. Also, keeping it in the family and having a direct connection made it a lot more meaningful to us. I feel sometime bands don't put a lot of effort or thought into their artwork and I miss the days where bands would commission an artist to do an amazing piece of work to represent their album. We loved the painting and liked the idea of bringing it to a demographic that might never see it.

After nearly spending your whole lives together, being friends before you were even in the band, how much fun are you having doing this with your close friends?

We definitely have a unique relationship and I look at it as close friend who went into business together. We can't forget that we are a business and there's a lot of work involved, but it's pretty enjoyable work and I'm happy I get to do it with people that have always been so close to me.

Did you ever think you would get this far?

I take everything day by day. We started a band with the intention to play music and will continue to do that as long as we can. Nothing happened over night and we were able to adjust to how things were going as they were happening. It's always felt natural and no matter how much we accomplish there's still things we haven't done and that's what motivates me to keep going.

The sound of Protest the Hero has always intrigued me, because it is “melodic metal” as I like to call it. Who are some of your influences?

 My influences are all over the map, and I've always been a music fan of all styles. Some of the more heavy ones are Sikth, Propagandhi, Aeon, Symphony X etc but I'm also a fan of jazz and fusion music (Guthrie Govan, John Scofield) as well as was raised on classical music and am still a big fan of Beethoven and Rachmaninoff to name a few.

Your first record, the brilliant Kezia, was a concept record. Would you ever go back and do a concept record of that nature again?

I'm open to revisiting the idea of a concept record but you need to do a lot of pre planning before your start writing. On more recent albums, we've had lyrics come after the music is written so it's a lot harder to bring it together with a concept.

It was said that Kezia represented the band members, how so?

I've never heard this, but the name translates to 'song of hope' and if anything that album was just that for this band.

 What has been the best thing about Protest the Hero thus far?

Tough question. I think that just being able to be a musician for a living and essentially being in charge of your own destiny is something I'll never take for granted.

Now, void of a record label. Would you ever sign to a label again or just continue fundraising to make your art?

 I'm not against the idea of working with labels, but in the past we've depended on using advance money to fund our album. That was the big bargaining chip labels had on you. By removing this from the equation, it makes it easier to negotiate fairer deals. We will still need someone in different territories to release and distribute our records and make our music available. I think a better business standard needs to be set so bands are feeling like they are getting value from pursuing these relationships themselves.


Saturday, April 27, 2013

I Is Another Tracklisting


On June 24, I Is Another the project featuring Jonah Matranga and Rival Schools' Ian Love will release their debut album.In a press statement about the record, Matranga says, "Honestly, we didn’t make this record for any other reason than the love of making records. Ian had some tunes that he could hear my voice on, so he sent them over. We really took our time, just tried to make something worth listening to.” Take a look at the cover above and the tracklisting below:

1. Queen of Swords
2. Prayed for You
3. Bittersweet
4. Kerry Jane
5. Shake
6. Dear Departed
7. I is Another

Quick News

On April 21, Arcade Fire's Win Butler and wife / bandmate Regine Chassange had their first child together. They had a baby boy, the name of the child has not been reveled. Congrats to the couple.

English buzz band The 1975 will release their new EP, IV, on May 20.

Travis will release their new album, Where You Stand in August.

Taking to her Tumblr page, enigmatic and eccentric Lauryn Hill has confirmed she has launched her own record partnership with Sony music and is working on new material. No word yet as to when the music will come out or be released.

Steven Spielberg's kids, Theo and Sasha have formed a band together called Wardell. They will release a four song EP called Brother / Sister in June.


So So Glos on Letterman


 Watch pop-punk garage rockers, So So Glos make their TV debut on Letterman.

Iron & Wine on Fallon


 Watch Iron & Wine on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

Friday, April 26, 2013

The National on Fallon



Watch The National perform two new songs, "Sea of Love," and "I Need My Girl," on Fallon!

Snoop Lion on Letterman


 Watch Snoop Lion perform his hit single, "No Guns Allowed," on Letterman.

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Win Tix To See Saints of Valory @ Mercury Lounge in NYC




Officially A Yuppie are giving away two pairs of tickets to see Austin, Texas' Saints of Valory!



Saints of Valory will be performing a on Monday, April 29 at 6:30 at Mercury Lounge in New York City!



All you have to do is this, very simple - "Like" us on Facebook and / or Follow us on Twitter (@yuppieblog) and one winner will be randomly selected!



Already Follow us on Twitter? Or "Like" us on Facebook? No worries, just give us a thumbs up, retweet, comment or mention about this contest and you are in the running.
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Subject Rules: This contest is only open to New York Tri-state area residents only. Two Winners Will be Notified By Us. Contest runs 4/25 to 4/28 at 8pm. Transportation in NOT Included!

Early Nas Demo Surfaces!!


A demo tape from Nas that predates his groundbreaking 1994 debut, Illmatic has long been rumored to exist. But, thanks to the power of the internet and YouTube user DudeStillChillin, the demo tape has surfaced. Take a listen to it above and check out the tracklisting below:

1. Understanding
Featuring AZ & Biz Markie
2. Life Is Like A Dice Game
3. Just Another Day In The Projects
4. Déjà Vu
Produced by Chris Winston
5. Back To The Grill
Featuring MC Serch feat. Chubb Rock & Red Hot Lover Tone
Produced by T-Ray
6. Everything Is Real
Featuring Shapelle
7. I'm A Villain
Produced by Large Professor
8. Number One With A Bullet
Featuring Kool G. Rap & Whiteboy
9. Nas Will Prevail (It Ain't Hard To Tell Original)
Produced by Large Professor
10. On The Real (Original)
Featuring Akinyele, Screwball, & Cormega
11. Live At The BBQ
Featuring Fatal & Akinyele] 

Talib Kweli & The Roots on Fallon


Talib Kweli backed by The Roots tore up Late Night with Jimmy Fallon last night. Take a look!

Depeche Mode on Kimmel



 Watch the iconic Depeche Mode perform "Soothe My Soul" and "Heaven" on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Death Documentary Trailer



 Before The Sex Pistols, before The Ramones, there was Death. A band that took fast shredding guitar work and early raw punk and fueled it with afro and jazz origins and could have been poised to be the next big thing in music, especially in the 1970's. But, major labels did not want anything to with the band from Detroit since they were a black trio playing radically diverse and raw music. Now, a documentary directed by Jeff Howlett and Mark Covino on Death called A Band Called Death will hit theaters in June. Take a look at the trailer above.

Quick News

British band These New Puritans will release their new album, Field of Reeds, on June 10.

TV on the Radio has officially parted ways with Interscope records and are currently working on new material. Speaking to Spin, singer Tunde Adebimpe said, "Kyp [Malone] and I went to Dave's place and studio in L.A. the last week of March and we finished a couple of songs. I'm not sure what's gonna be out when, but there's new stuff coming. We're sort of collecting material for a record, but right now we're only thinking in terms of songs, smaller things we can put out regularly until an album seems possible... I like coming in and saying, "Let's make a couple songs," not feeling any sort of pressure to lock ourselves in a room. [Laughs] I don't think anyone has the space [in their lives] to do that ever again... There's actually no more room for too much messing around, or for any kind of negativity."

On May 5 at MoMA's PS1 in Queens, New York, The National will perform their song "Sorrow" for six straight hours as part of a collaboration with Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson called "A Lot of Sorrow."

The alter ego of producer and rapper Madlib, Quasimoto, will release a rarities collection called, Yessir Whatever, on June 18 via Stones Throw.

On May 4, Los Campesinos! will release their first live album, A Good Night For A Fist Fight. The album is available to pre-order for just $5 on the band's website.

Enigmatic producer and beatmaker, Zomby, will release a double album called WITH LOVE on June 17. Take a look at the cover below:

Phoenix on Jools Holland


To celebrate the release of their new album, Bankrupt! France's Phoenix performed "Entertainment" on Jools. Take a look!

***Please note, due to geo restrictions, this video may not play in all territories** 

Laura Marling on Jools Holland


Watch singer / songwriter Laura Marling on Later...with Jools Holland. 

**Please note, due to geo restrictions, this video may not play in some territories**

AlunaGeorge on Jools Holland


The sexy AlunaGeorge performed "Attracting Flies" on Later...with Jools Holland. Take a look!

***Please note, due to geo restrictions, this video may not play in all territories*** 

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Quick Spins


Ghostface Killah12 Reasons To Die
Taking his love of mafia films, horror movies, comic books, and music and rolling it into one epic album, Ghostface Killah returns with his best album since 2000’s Supreme Clientele. Working with Adrian Younge, Ghost brings a storyline that Hollywood wish they could write. 12 Reasons to Die is a concept record set in the 1960’s about Tony Starks, a man who is muscle for the Italian mob, when Starks falls in love with a don’s wife, they whack Starks but little do they know he will return as the Ghostface Killah. Rapping over an orchestral soundtrack, Ghost delivers a supreme hip-hop opera.
FINAL GRADE: A+


Frank Turner Tape Deck Heart
The British folk punk returns with his latest record and Turner drops the politics and picks up his desire to show that everyone is beautiful. Turner, who has been a master songwriter since leaving his hardcore outfit A Million Dead, nearly a decade ago, has shown his personal side and political side in each song he pens, yet, Tape Deck Heart, surprisingly may be his most introspective to date and is a feel good free for all.
FINAL GRADE: A

Yeah Yeah YeahsMosquito
The New York indie punks return with their fourth album and still keep is weird, and we love it. Yeah Yeah Yeahs link up again with David Sitek of TV on the Radio for production on Mosquito and even gain some help from a gospel choir and Dr. Octogan to really bring out the sound and substance on Mosquito. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs simply know how to have fun and that seems to be what Mosquito is all about.
FINAL GRADE: A-


Iggy and the StoogesReady to Die
The Godfather of punk returns with The Stooges and since reuniting in the early 00’s, finally – FINALLY, release a record that lives up to Stooges standards. Ready to Die is a guitar driven manifesto that shows that age is just a number and if anyone else thinks otherwise, then go fuck yourself.
FINAL GRADE: B+


Black Angels Indigo Meadow
The Austin, Texas, Velvet Underground inspired band return with their fourth album and display a much tighter and conscious sound than every before. Indigo Meadow is a step in the right direction for a band that really tries very hard to take a page out of previous bands books, but finally make a mark on their own.
FINAL GRADE: B+


Kurt VileWalkin on a Pretty Daze
The Philly guitar punk returns with his fifth record and is his most personal to date. Walkin’ on a Pretty Daze is Vile’s musical autobiography that fills with angst driven guitars, pounding drums, and presents itself as a full on rock and roll circus.
FINAL GRADE: B


The Front Bottoms Talon of the Hawk
New Jersey’s punks return with their fourth album and bring with them their most well-rounded and richest sounding album to date. The Front Bottoms capture the energy and excitement of their live shows and with just the perfect amount of magic in the studio and make Talon of the Hawk the bands best yet.
FINAL GRADE: B

Oberhofer – Nostalgia EP
For years this Brooklyn band has been gaining attention thanks to their leader Brad Oberhofer’s finger picking, however, the band were a total Vampire Weekend rip off and a poor one at that. However, since singing with Glassnote in 2011, the band are turning things around with their latest EP, Nostalgia, and are finally coming into their own. This EP is chock full of catchy anthems and stadium sounds that makes us want a full record of all of this.
FINAL GRADE: B


Caveman
Glimmering Brooklyn rockers comeback with their new album and after the success of 2011’s CoCo Beware, Caveman still roar and still make their own fascinating mind bending rock and roll.
FINAL GRADE: B-


Orchestral Maneuvers in the DarkEnglish Electric
The British New Wave legends return with their second album since reuniting in 2010 and bring forth more of their tactical synthpop meets classic electronica and after all of these years, still know how to make people move.
FINAL GRADE: B-

MudhoneyVanishing Point
The Seattle grunge legends return and bring forth the same formula that have had them creating and crafting their career all these years. Hey, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
FINAL GRADE: B-


Alison Moyet The Minutes
Making a welcomed return to her electronic roots, British singer Alison Moyet comes back in full form with a very dark record that one could dance to. A worthwhile listen that may rally in new fans.
FINAL GRADE: B-


House of Love She Paints Words in Red
The English New Wave band return with their first album eight years and while they may be a bit older and a bit wiser, they lack the fire to make any sort of a comeback. While The House of Love remain to be one of the most underrated bands of the 1980’s, this record will quench lifelong fans pallets but will not gain them any new ones.
FINAL GRADE: B-


Cold War KidsDear Miss Lonelyhearts
Between 2008 and 2011, something happened to Cold War Kids where their sound altered in a direction that had them sounding very swampy and stormy but also very unique, to simply sounding like nearly everyone else. Dear Miss Lonelyhearts is a combination of the bands early sound that got them on everyones radar and the unoriginal dull that turned some fans off.
FINAL GRADE: C+


PhoenixBankrupt!
Everyone’s favorite neo-New Wave band returns and after the mega success of 2010’s Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, Phoenix saw heights that they never thought possible from headlining major festivals to Madison Square Garden and bringing along fellow French favorites, Daft Punk. Now, after some becoming parents, or husbands, Phoenix come back and try to sustain their acclaim, but fail to capture the magnificent magic that Wolfgang had three years ago. Bankrupt! was recorded using the same control deck that Michael Jackson used to make Thriller, but falls short in trying to gather the sound, energy, and most of all, originality that both MJ and the bands previous efforts had. Bankrupt! sounds nearly effortless and very uninspired and unfortunately, at many points, straight up dull and boring, which is unfortunate for a band of this caliber.
FINAL GRADE: C-


The Flaming Lips The Terror
The Flaming Lips do not need to prove anything at this stage in their game. Hell, they can do whatever they want and they do and we love them for it. However, when a band this original decides to release a record of new material it is something to rejoice about, but The Terror, is nothing to cheer for. While it is supposed to be played as one long song, and not just album cuts, The Terror is a redundant sounding, distorted calamity that makes us wish they had done something more.
FINAL GRADE: C-


The Knife Shaking the Habitual
The Knife return with their new record, which sounds like a cat with the worse case of herpes walking across a Casio keyboard while the cat’s owner presses record. It is unlistenable a weird for the sake of being weird.
FINAL GRADE: F 

Live Pix - Suicidal Tendencies / Sick of it All @ Best Buy Theater


On April 20, RICH D SMOOV hit up Best Buy Theater to catch a double bill of the legendary Suicidal Tenancies with Sick of it All. Take a look at some pix below:

 Suicidal Tendencies 

 Sick of it All 







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Live Pix - Bonobo @ Webster Hall


On April 12, our very own RICH D SMOOV was on hand at Webster Hall to capture the action of producer and DJ, Bonobo backed by a very special live band to bring his music to life. Take a look. 






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Portugal. The Man on Kimmel!



Watch Portugal. The Man perform "Purple Yellow Red and Blue," and "People Say," on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Monday, April 22, 2013

Playlist


 As we inch toward the end of April, take a look at our 26 song playlist and hear it on Spotify!

Watch BLUR'S FULL COACHELLA Set



Watch Blur's first weekend Coachella headlining set in FULL!

RZA Joins James Blake at Coachella



While many say nothing happens on the second Coachella weekend, RZA and James Blake proved otherwise. Wu-Tang's leader joined the British beatmaker for their collaboration "Take a Fall For Me," which is on Blake's superb new album, Overgrown. Watch as the song makes it's live debut.

Swedish University Students Build A Robot For Robyn


 Students out of Sweden's biggest technical university, KTH, have dedicated an entire year to make a robot in tribute to Sweden's most famous pop star - Robyn. Last week, Robyn surprised the students and found out more about the project. Watch a little video clip about the robot above!

Sunday, April 21, 2013

EXCLUSIVE! Youngblood Hawke INTV!

Things move pretty fast for bands these days. In less than a year, Los Angeles' Youngblood Hawke have formed, released an EP and are set to release a full length at the end of this month. In their short time together, they have toured the country, and have been tapped as one of VH1's "You Outta Know" artists. The band mix folk, rock, and Americana and thanks to their exciting stage shows, they have been the talk of the touring circuit since gracing small clubs in California. As the band ready their debut, Wake Up, we spoke to singer Sam Martin about their formation, music, nonstop schedule, and with the NBA Playoffs in full force - we see if they are for Lakers or Clippers for city pride. Take a look at our interview with Martin below:


After forming in 2012, you released an EP and were already thrusts to the masses signing to a major label. Has this experience been a whirlwind for you?

Absolutely.  We can't really believe this is all happening!  To have people respond in such a positive way to the music we've put out so far is incredible!  We've been working so hard to get to this point and we don't take any of it for granted.  It makes us want to work harder, keep writing.  

Hailing from Los Angeles, how much has the City of Angels played an influence in your sound?

It's hard not to be positive when its sunny everyday...  LA is such a special place, a place we all call home now.  Everyones hungry there, everyones inspired, everyone wants to do something great with their lives. Its good to be around that energy, it definitely drips into our music.

After being in different bands before this, how has your experience in other bands made your realize this shoe fits the best and this band has the spark to go far?

Everyone in the band is really close.  I think thats what makes what we have so special.  Its a big family.  We really have a lot of respect and love for each other.  To do what you love everyday and with your best friends, its unreal.  We've been in other bands where that wasn't the case, its hard to have longevity in a band if you cant stand being around your bandmates.  

What is the song writing process like for this band?

Each songs starts with Simon and I sitting around in his tiny bedroom studio coming up with ideas.  Simon produces the songs and I write the majority of the lyrics.  Its very collaborative.  Once we have the backbone of the song, the rest of the band adds their flavor!  Drums, guitars, vocals, etc.    

This journey of music seems to be a journey of friendship above all else. Being around each other all the time, has this strengthen your bond as friends?

You learn a ton about people spending this much time together.  We're definitely closer than ever and we're having the time of our lives.

You were on tour with Keane, what has that experience been like?

Insane!  They're really great people and mind blowing musicians!  Every night the crowds have been wild and ready to have some fun!

Being a buzz band, especially in a day and age when buzz bands seem to come and go, is there any pressure to live up to the hype?

We don't really believe in all that.  We just make music that we really care about, music thats close to our hearts.  The rest is really out of our hands.   

What can fans expect from Youngblood Hawke in 2013?

Shows shows shows!  We'll be touring all year and releasing our full length album!  We can't wait to play in every city!

BURNING QUESTION: Since you are a band from L.A., is it Go Lakers! Or Go Clippers!?

Lakers.


Saturday, April 20, 2013

Primal Scream on Jools Holland


 Watch Primal Scream perform their new song, "Invisible City," on Later...With Jools Holland.

Friday, April 19, 2013

Quick News

The man responsible for some of rock and roll's most iconic album sleeves including Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here (A personal favorite), Storm Thorgerson, passed away at 69 after a long battle with cancer.

Following the tragedy in Boston, legendary Beantown punks, Dropkick Murphys are selling shirts to raise money for the city and its victims of the Boston Marathon massacre. The band have already raised over $65,000, to see the shirt and purchase one click HERE.

After announcing he was selling his stake in Brooklyn Nets to start a sports agency, Jay-Z has sold his share in the team. Jay said in a statement: Being a member of the Nets organization surpassed some of my greatest ambitions. It was never about an investment; it was about the NETS and Brooklyn. My job as an owner is over but as a fan it has just begun. I’m a Brooklyn Net forever. It’s been an honor to work with Mikhail Prokhorov, Dmitry Razumov, Christophe Charlier, ONEXIM Sports and Entertainment, Brett Yormark and all the wonderful people involved in making the Nets first class. My sincerest thanks goes to Bruce Ratner, who first introduced the idea of moving the Nets to Brooklyn. A thank you and deepest appreciation goes to the fans. You are the lifeblood of any team. The Nets have made their mark on the NBA and as they enter a new era, Roc Nation does as well; as we embark on Roc Nation Sports. Our newest endeavor is committed to building the brands of professional athletes as we have done for some of today’s top music artists. For Roc Nation Sports to function at its full potential, NBA rules stipulate that I relinquish my ownership in the Brooklyn Nets. It was a tough decision but as I stated earlier, it’s not about ownership. Congratulations to The Nets on a great season and making the playoffs! I will always be a Brooklyn Net. 

In related news, Jay-Z was named one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World along with wife Beyonce, Frank Ocean, President Obama and First Lady Michelle, Italian soccer star Mario Balotelli. To see the full list, click HERE.

Phoenix on Kimmel


 Watch Phoenix perform their new songs, "Trying to Be Cool," "Drakker Noir," and "Chloroform," on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Alt-J on Conan


 Watch Alt-J perform "Breezeblocks" on Conan!

Thursday, April 18, 2013

M83 on Kimmel


Watch M83 perform their title track to Tom Cruise's new Sci-Fi thriller, Oblivion on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Great Soundtracks - Slumdog Millionaire


In 2008 Danny Boyle took us all over India with his Oscar winning film, Slumdog Millionaire. The film, which centered around a boy from the slums winning the Bollywood version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, had the world at their feet. Much of the excitement of the film came about because of it's story, the timeless classic of a boy trying to reconnect to the woman he loves, but was forwarded thanks to the score and music of A.R. Rahman. Rahman found a way to mix the music of "old India" and "new India" together - mixing sounds of one generation, and the traditional sounds of the country and blending it with more urban and contemporary work of today. Rahman collaborated with M.I.A. on a track, M.I.A.'s international smash, "Paper Planes" appears twice on the soundtrack, once on its full release and another, as a remix by DFA. Rahman, rightfully won an Oscar for Best Original Score for his sublime compositions that had us travel to exotic parts of the world right in the comfort of our own iPods. Now, almost five years after its release, the soundtrack to Slumdog Millionaire is still something to smile about.

Recommended Reading - Kurt Cobain "Journals"




This month marks the 19th anniversary of Kurt Cobain's passing and the gaping hole he left behind in the music world with his songs and words. In 2002 a collection of Cobain's journals were published that dated between 1988 and 1993, each journal entry is a closer look into the mind of Cobain from starting Nirvana to ultimately ending it. Journals contains letters, drawings, lists, and Nirvana-related drafts, poems and the thought process of Cobain at work. It was a unique perspective for fans to pick apart the brain of the man they considered a hero, icon, and musical savior, however, Journals proves that Cobain could hardly save himself in the end. 

On it's release, Journals became a Best Seller and topped the New York Times Best Seller list and had everyone buzzing. While Cobain did not live long enough to see himself become a best selling author, he did leave behind a paper trail that cited why he will live on in infamy. 

Haim on Jools Holland


 Our April Rising Artist, Haim, performed "Forever" on Later...With Jools Holland on Tuesday night. Take a look!

Behind The Scenes with How to Destroy Angels


In a video produced by Coachella, the festival created a behind the scenes documentary of How to Destroy Angels first shows, the second of which was this past weekend at Coachella.

New Order on Kimmel



Watch New Order perform "Bizarre Love Triangle" and "I'll Stay With You" on Kimmel!

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Quick News

Coldplay will release their Mylo Xyloto comic book Saturday for Record Store Day. The comic, based off the title and songs of their lackluster 2011 release of the same name, will be the first of three installments released for RDS.

Much like he did with Joy Division's first two albums, former Joy Division and New Order bassist Peter Hook has been on tour with his band The Light, performing New Order's first two albums in full. Hooky is now releasing a live album featuring Movement, and Power, Corruption, and Lies, you can listen to songs and pre-order HERE.

Yuck singer Daniel Blumberg has left the British band for a solo career. They vow to continue on without him, and already are looking to record their new album in New York.

While Pulp is back on hiatus, Jarvis Cocker is back to being a book worm. The singer will release a book on the history of British folk clubs for Faber and Faber. Cocker, the Editor-at-large for the publisher will not be writing the book, but has acquired the book, Singing From The Floor by JP Bean to release.

Former Pantera and Down frontman Phil Anselmo will release his solo album, Walk Through Exits Only on July 16.

Deftones drummer Stephen Carpenter has released a statement via Facebook, over the loss of his friend and former bandmate Chi Cheng, who died on Saturday. Carpenter said, "There are so many things I can say, and yet, at this moment, none of it matters or compares to the loss everyone feels. There will be a hole in our lives where Chi once was. But that will be filled everyday with all of our love and memories we all have in our heart.He will always be here because of love. It's time we all give our love and best, and do our best to love. Especially ourselves, Chi would want that for everyone. All our healing will begin with love. I love you Chi."

Mega bassist Thundercat has announced his new album, Apocalypse, which will be released on July 8 via Brainfeeder. Flying Lotus served as the executive producer, take a look at the tracklisting below:
01 Tenfold
02 Heartbreaks + Setbacks
03 The Life Aquatic
04 Special Stage
05 Tron Song
06 Seven      
07 Oh Sheit It's X
08 Without You
09 Lotus and the Jondy
10 Evangelion
11 We'll Die
12 A Message for Austin / Praise the Lord / Enter the Void


Using the latest social media format, Vine, Daft Punk released the tracklisting to their new album, Random Access Memories, which arrives next month. Take a look at the tracklisting below:
01 Give Life Back to Music
02 The Game of Love
03 Giorgio by Moroder
04 Within
05 Instant Crush
06 Lose Yourself to Dance
07 Touch
08 Get Lucky
09 Beyond
10 Motherboard
11 Fragments of Time
12 Doin' It Right
13 Contact


Beady Eye have released the NSFW cover to their forthcoming, David Sitek produced second record, BE. Take a look below: