Wednesday, February 27, 2013

On Tour: Capital Cities


CAPITAL CITIES ANNOUNCES “DANCING WITH STRANGERS” HEADLINE TOUR
L.A. DUO WILL ALSO PERFORM AT SXSW, ULTRA, EDGEFEST,
SASQUATCH! AND FIREFLY FESTIVALS
SINGLE “SAFE AND SOUND” CLOSING IN ON
TOP 10 AT MODERN ROCK RADIO


February 25, 2013 — New York, NY — Capital Cities will launch the “Dancing With Strangers” tour – its first-ever North American outing – on April 23 at the Crescent Ballroom in Phoenix, AZ.  The headline run will include a show at New York City’s Irving Plaza on May 9 and wrap up with a hometown show at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles on June 6. Tickets for the “Dancing With Strangers” tour go on sale to the publicthis Friday, March 1, at 10 AM local time. The band will also perform at SXSW and at numerous festivals, including ULTRA, Edgefest, Sasquatch! and Firefly. See below for itinerary.
Dual frontmen Ryan Merchant and Sebu Simonian – jingle writers who met on Craigslist – have created significant buzz with “Safe and Sound,” the first single from Capital Cities’ self-titled EP. The track is fast approaching the Top 10 at Modern Rock radio with major airplay on such stations as KROQ-Los Angeles, 987-Los Angeles, Live 105-San Francisco and The End-Seattle and is also garnering adds at Triple A radio stations. “Safe and Sound” is No. 1 on Sirius XM’s Alt Nation and has already sold more than 82,000 singles. It has been heard on The CW’s 90210 and in promotional campaigns for HBO, Smart Car and more than half a dozen other spots. The band’s video for “Safe and Sound” has more than one million views.  

  
Neon Gold hailed “Safe and Sound” as a “sonic head rush…an easy, breezy, beautiful slice of effervescent-electro-pop that absolutely kills it” while Status magazine said: "Consider yourself warned, listening to Capital Cities is habit-forming.” The EP, released by Capitol Records in mid-December 2012, is available digitally and as limited edition 12” vinyl editions. It’s title track and first single is selling upwards of 7,000 copies a week. The band is currently wrapping up work on its debut album, due out later this year, and a ‘Safe and Sound’ remix EP will be released on March 19th. A new remix off the EP, ‘Safe and Sound (Cash Cash Remix)’ will premiere on the popular dance music blog DancingAstronaut.com  Wednesday, February 27th.
Capital Cities – Upcoming Tour Dates 
3/13      Mission, TX                    Las Palmas Racetrack – Never Say Never Festival
3/14      Austin, TX                     Empire Automotive/SXSW/ The Roxy Theatre showcase @ 10 pm
3/15      Austin, TX                     W Hotel/SXSW NYLON Day Party – 2-5 pm
3/15      Austin, TX                     Lucille’s/Green Label House Party DJ SET**
3/16      Austin, TX                     Perry Brooks Building
3/16      Austin, TX                     The Belmont/SWSW Live Nation Labs Showcase @ 9 pm
3/16      Austin, TX                     Austin Music Hall/SXSW Perez Hilton Showcase
3/22      Miami, FL                       Bayfront Park/Ultra Music Festival (Weekend 2)                   
4/23      Phoenix, AZ                   Crescent Ballroom 
4/24      Tucson, AZ                    Solar Culture
4/26      Austin, TX                     Stubb’s Bar-B-Q
4/27      Frisco, TX                      FC Dallas Stadium/Edgefest                                  
4/28      Houston, TX                  House of Blues – Bronze Peacock 
4/30      New Orleans, LA             House of Blues Parish
5/4        Washington, DC             RFK Stadium-Lot 9/ DC 101 Chili Cook Off             
5/8        Boston, MA                    Paradise Rock Club 
5/9        New York, NY                Irving Plaza 
5/10      Philadelphia, PA              Theatre of the Living Arts 
5/13      Toronto, ON                  Virgin Mobile Mod Club 
5/14      Cleveland, OH                Cambridge Room @ House of Blues 

5/15      Detroit, MI                     The Shelter 
5/21      Colorado Springs, CO      The Black Sheep
5/22      Aspen, CO                     Belly Up
5/23      Fort Collins, CO  Aggie Theatre
5/24      Englewood, CO               Gothic Theatre
5/26      Quincy, WA                   The Gorge Amphitheatre/Sasquatch! Music Festival  
5/29      Portland, OR                  Hawthorne Theatre
5/31      Sacramento, CA              Ace of Spades
6/1        Santa Barbara, CA           Soho Restaurant & Music Club
6/5        Anaheim, CA                  House of Blues 
6/6        Los Angeles, CA El Rey Theatre 
6/23      Dover, DE                      Dover International Speedway/Firefly Music Festival  
Additional dates to be announced.
For more about Capital Cities, please visit:

Monday, February 25, 2013

Naama Kates "King for the Day"



Naama Kates
"Imagine if suddenly everything happened your way

Oh wouldn’t it be grand to be king for a day, everyday?

‘Stead of sitting around watching old patterns repeat

Nothin’s shakin; just makin’ ends meet" 



- "King for the Day" Naama Kates


Naama Kates is back, after her critically acclaimed debut "The Unexamined Life" and the hit single "Before You Lose It" Naama has released the first single and video "King for the Day" from the album of the same name, which drops March 12...!

Ms. Kates has this to say about the song: "I wrote it when I was working on"The Unexamined Life", it was the first song I wrote after that record, while it was in production because I felt like, I was kind of living this dream really that I didn't even imagine, having my record done by this amazing producer, its like a lot of musicians' dreams when they come to LA I think".

I first met Naama when I interviewed her for the album "The Unexamined Life" for "Chorus and Verse" http://www.chorusandverse.com/content.php?id=20120428A

As a fan, I am looking forward to the new album and seeing her perform live at The Silverlake Lounge on March 13th, coincidentally the day after "King for the Day" is released.

Naama's style is uniquely her own and it works! As Naama describes it: 

"I think my music has a lot of sort of different time period sounds and styles in it
but mixed together to make something new:and a little humor, a little sexy, smart and simple. Its just perfect".

Here she is "King for the Day" Ms. Naama Kates...!



It's good to be "King" at: http://www.naamakates.com/


Tuesday, February 19, 2013

On Set: "Where The Bears Are" Season 2

Lions & Tigers...nope, only "Bears" the WTBA Gang
That's right, those wild and crazy Bears: Nelson, Wood & Reggie are coming back for round two! Along for the ride as well are Hot Toddy & Detective Winters with some spanking new faces added, this season of  WTBA is wrapped in a cloak of secrecy....

As a fan of the first season and a blogger/journalist I was invited down to the evening shoot at The Faultline Bar in Los Angeles, CA to check it out, a shout out to Joe Dietl, Ben Zook & Rick Copp - thanks for having me!

While I can not give anything away that I witnessed being filmed I can tell you two things 1) You will see me in this years season and 2) Things are definitely getting harrier. Was that vague enough for you?

So instead of continuing to tease you with what I'm not allowed to say how about I show you some behind the scenes photos I took? Yeah, that works...Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

What could be possibly be happening in the The Bathroom?















Caged Bears















"Action" Joe Dietl, Bear Director 



















Hot Toddy Anyone?















Detective Winters I presume...












\





Keep up with The Bears on the trail to Season Two at:

https://www.facebook.com/WhereTheBearsAre?fref=ts

Check out Season One on: http://wherethebearsare.tv/

Sunday, February 17, 2013

"Win The Diet War" With Dr. Nina


Dr. Nina
Nina Savelle-Rocklin aka Dr. Nina is here to help you take charge of your relationship with something you really need...food.

 The Los Angeles, CA based Dr. Nina is a psychoanalyst/psychotherapist who specializes in eating disorders, and she wants to help you "Make Peace With Food" by tuning into her Podcast "Win The Diet War".

Let's hear what Dr. Nina has to say about her podcast:

"The podcast is designed to help people stop dieting and start feeling better about themselves! It's for anyone with an unhealthy, unhappy relationship to food. They can make peace with food"!

This refreshing take on loving ones self and being healthy has garnered Nina a devoted following that just keeps on growing.

With a book in the works bearing the same name as her podcast, Dr. Nina is sure to be coming to a syndicated show on a station in your area in the very near future.

The podcast is informative, insightful and most importantly comes from a place of understanding and wanting to help.

Watch your back Dr. Phil!

"Win The Diet War" with Dr. Nina at: https://www.facebook.com/DrNinaSavelleRocklin and http://winthedietwarpodcast.com/

She's on iTunes too:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/win-the-diet-war/id592074473

"Make Peace With Food" at: http://makepeacewithfood2day.blogspot.com/

Friday, February 15, 2013

James Durbin Is Having A Tattoo Contest, Ink James Yourself!

James &  His Lovely Wife Heidi


This year for Valentine's Day, James Durbin wants to get a tattoo in honor of his wife Heidi. But he is shaking things up some, and giving this task over to the Durbinators...!

Yep, that's correct, JD fans, you get to design it, and the winning design ends up as a tribute to Mrs. Durbin on James!

Oh and guess what?! You'd better werk, you only have until February 28th, for rules and a video of James explaining them jump down and check it!

Keep the love flowing...


Contest Rulz: http://www.durbinrock.com/contest-rules

Art Submissions via: twitter.com/durbinrock or http://instagram.com/durbinrock

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Sandy Zacky "Love Is Everything"



Sandy & Her Husband Ron
Happy Valentine's Day Everyone ! On this day of love I thought I would check in with "Entertain Me"s favorite Chanteuse Sandy with a "Y" not "E" Zacky.

Sandy has been a busy performer with a Birthday Tribute of her music on "Oldies Your Way" with Bud Francis www.oldiesyourway.com . 

Also not one but two programs on Donna Linn's "Show Me Talk Radio" one called "Sandy Zacky Radio" www.showmetalkradio.com .

The other for the lover of life & people that Ms. Z is a Valentine's Day Gift "Love Is Everything - A Valentine's Day Special" with her singing partner Mike Clifford www,showmetalkradio.com/jukebox.php .

Ms. Zacky recently celebrated her 50th, yes that's right, her 50th Wedding Anniversary with her husband Ron. So who better to wish you all a Happy Day Of Love than Sandy with a "Y" -

Here with  Valentine's Day wishes for everyone is Ms. Sandy Zacky...!


1) I wish everyone love. All kinds of love. Partners,kids,friends,pets heroes, anyone that brightens ones life and makes them smile on this day or any day.

2) Sharing with one who may not have someone in their life to make them feel special. Call them, send a card, an e-mail, whatever lets them know you are thinking about them.

3) Complement someone. Someone you know, or better yet, someone you don't.


4) Smile at everyone you see that day. Even though they may not return the smile somewhere in their heart they're feeling it. 

5) Don't forget to call a loved one you may not have spoken to in awhile. It will make both of you feel good. Somehow we forget the ones we should never forget. 

6) Also,I don't care what anyone says, a box of chocolates,preferably See's, because all others, Godiva, or whatever is "the" chocolate of the day may be, nothing beats SEE'S,(even though I can't eat candy).

Bring on the See's! with Sandy at: 



Monday, February 11, 2013

TV Watch: "Dallas" Is Back...!



Who knew the original nighttime soap from my youth would be back, in a big intelligent way, oh and it's in season deux...!

Yes, it's "Dallas" and in many ways, I think it's better than the original series. They took the older cast and story lines, and combined them with the new cast which equals - TNT - Turner Network Television.

Not that I want to give the story lines and characters away to the uninitiated....but it picks up with the offspring of the original Ewing clan...

With JR Ewing's (Larry Hagman) offspring, J.R. Ewing JR. (Josh Henderson) and Bobby Ewing's offspring Christopher Ewing (Jesse Matcalfe) ...facing off!

The lovely Jordanna Brewster (Elena Ramos) and Julie Gonzalo (Rebecca Sutter aka Krebs) join them as two of the hottest and smartest females on TV....

Also who would have guessed that the voice of "Desperate Housewives" Brenda Strong would show up in such a significant and strong role (no pun intended) as Bobby Ewing's (Patrick Duffy) wife.

Oh, and Hello Linda Gray as "Sue Ellen Ewing" or as "JR" says it..."Swellen" ...nice to see  you again.

We all know that the late great Larry Hagman has passed away. They will be including JR's funeral in the second season.

Cheers to the re-boot of "Dallas" lasting a spell.

Ride Em' Cowboy! http://www.dallastnt.com/

Thursday, February 7, 2013

EG Daily Is "Wide Awake"

My friend EG Daily has just done an amazing, quite raw cover of the Katy Perry song "Wide Awake" I wanted to share it with everyone and check in with EG herself about her thoughts on it...

MS: So you recently went viral with a video of you and a piano player covering Katy Perry's "Wide Awake" I loved it!

EG: It's my favorite Katy Perry song, I got with my piano player, and I wasn't going to post it because I thought it was so raw. Me in my living room my piano player, Lee Miles and I playing around with the material....then I thought: "Fuck it, post it"!

MS: It's really funny, I'm not a huge Katy Perry fan but I really like this song.

EG: The song is really good, right? It's a great song.

MS: Totally!

EG: I didn't think I liked it until I heard my piano player playing it one day and I said how beautiful the song sounded, he said it's the Katy Perry song, I told him it didn't sound like it. Then we started messing around with it, and I told him how much I loved it, good lyrics, good song.

MS: The lyrics are amazing, the best thing about it. Very healing, things are so rough for everybody right now.

EG: Yeah Honey, I know.

MS: Your cover is really raw, but I like raw.

EG: I do too, it's the real thing.

MS: You are completely Fucking awesome when you are raw!

EG: You are so sweet! It's a cover that I love and it's a beautiful song.


Wake-up, It's EG: https://www.facebook.com/pages/EG-Daily-Official-Fansite/278563988840167?fref=ts
Or: www.egdaily.com

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

TV Watch: It's a "Smash" !

Although I enjoyed Season One of "Smash" and sure I was going to watch the Second Season. I was not one of those people who was totally blown away by it.

Sure it had one of the best ensemble casts on TV and some knock out musical numbers, but there was something that did not quite push it to the greatness that it could be, very entertaining for sure, but that extra something just was not completely there that matched the ambition of the show.

Well, jump back! Season Two is off to an amazing start! With a two hour premiere that is already more dynamic and stakes claim to the ambition that was almost realized from Season One.

Things I loved:

1) Jennifer Hudson as "Veronica Moore" - J-Hud is a great addition to the show and, was great herself in it.

2) Katherine McPhee's "Karen Cartwright" - new found jaded and world weariness, is a much needed change from that wide eyed girl from Season One.

3) The new opening credit sequence, slick and jazz hot!

4) Julia (Debra Messing) shacking up with her writing partner Tom (Christian Borle) - so "Will & Grace" with a twist and an edge.

5) Jeremy Jordan as "Jimmy/Danny", hey bad boys are fun boys, especially in a nighttime drama/musical.

6) Liza Minnelli as an upcoming guest star and the return of Bernadette Peters. Enough said.

7) Visibly higher production values, they added greatly to a show that is as big as this.

8) Jack Davenport (Derek Wills) this is a personal thing, ahem.

9) Megan Hilty (Ivy Lynn) - always a spot on singer/actress

10) Anjeica Houston, Anjelica Houston, Anjelica Houston...ever since I saw her in "Prizzi's Honor" I have been hooked, one of my favorite actresses.

The funniest thing that happened to me whilst watching the "Smash" Season Two premiere was I had totally forgotten, until I saw them duet together that J-Hud and K-Mc had both been on "American Idol" they have both risen so far above their humble beginnings they no longer need to list the show on their resume'...

Looking forward to the next episode, bravo everyone !

Get "Smash"'d at: http://www.nbc.com/smash/

Monday, February 4, 2013

Pentatonix On Tour...Now!


Photo: Andrew Ryan Shepherd
Hey, did you know the best acapella group in the world,  Pentatonix is on tour?!

Well they are and their first stop on the 2013 trail was The Henry Fonda Theatre in Hollywood, CA, and I of course as someone who covers them and more importantly as a fan was there thanks to their publicist and all around awesome guy, Ken Phillips.

My friend and fellow PTX fan Danny Bozarth was my plus 1 for the evening. Since the kick off at "The Fonda" Pentatonix has been playing to sold out crowds. Translation: if they are playing in a city near you and you want to see them live, get your tickets and get them now...!

Is there anything more that I can say about this amazing group that has't been said already? If there is, I'll save it for another time and let this exclusive live footage, shot by Danny, from the show speak for itself...PTX rules!


Hurry and get your tix to see PTX Live at: http://ptxofficial.com/tour

Friday, February 1, 2013

Checking In With: Grace V. "Don't Wanna Be Waiting"


Grace V.
I first encountered Grace V. (the V. stands for Valerie) via an interview request from Project Publicity for the music site I write for, Chorus and Verse.

Every person I interview is uncharted territory until you have been there. Grace V. turned out to be a delightful intelligent woman who, in my book loves to do the most important thing in life, laugh...!

Here is the link to my full length interview with her for her first hit single "When The Lights Go Down" where she looked like a cute spandex mummy in the video.

http://www.chorusandverse.com/content.php?id=20110607A

Grace has been very busy since and has a new single and video out, now, called "Don't Wanna Be Waiting" let's "Check In" with the effervescent Grace Valerie!

MS: Hello gorgeous what have you been up to of late? 

GV: "I've been very busy lately promoting my new single "Don't Wanna Be Waiting". It is also produced by the one and only Randy Jackson! I just got back from NYC where I did a lot of press and radio appearances. I also had an amazing show in Connecticut at Sin City in Jan. I am gonna have few shows in LA in Feb-March".
MS: Initiate the unfamiliar with your music please.
GV: "I think my music is sensual, dancy, fun, very pure. I only sing what is dear to my heart; you want to drive your car and sing along with my songs very very LOUD. It is just awesome! I am very passionate about my craft. And I love to enjoy my life to the fullest"
MS: Chat about your music video.
GV: "My music video is exclusively released today on MTV logo. Tomorrow we are gonna upload it to my YouTube channel and I hope we can beat my "When The Lights Go Down" record!
MS: Do you have a motto? Most artist have a motto, tell us yours.
GV: "I recently found a great quote in The Bible: "For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under Heaven. A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance." That's my MOTTO"
Check out the lyric video for the song, "Don't Wanna Be Waiting"...


Grace is the word at: http://www.gracevalerie.com/

Check out the official video for "Don't Wanna Be Waiting" at: http://www.newnownext.com/grace-v-dont-wanna-be-waiting/01/2013/