POP CULTURE AS SEEN AND HEARD BY KEVIN MATHEWS
Singer-songwriter Maricelle Wong shares with us her thoughts on fellow singer-songwriters…
Kimbra is definitely somebody that you should know. Clad in body paint and passionately belting out the fragile honesty of the break-up song, the chanteuse shot into the public’s radar after collaborating with Gotye on “Somebody that I used to know”. This colorful Kiwi, already gone platinum in Australia, is definitely the fresh sound to lookout for.
Beginning a new series where we take a look at modern art’s impact on pop culture at large.
“It is a union that suggests the essential mystery of the world. Art for me is not an end in itself, but a means of evoking that mystery. ” — René Magritte on putting seemingly unrelated objects together in juxtaposition.
Mystery. It is impossible to appreciate a Rene Magritte painting without considering this quality. This quality, of course, was the province of the surrealists – to see the world in different perspectives. Belgian painter Magritte (1898 – 1967) managed to combine classical works with the surrealist idiom to create something unique and distinct. Recording artists have a certain affinity with the works of Margritte as evidenced by the artist’s powerful influence on numerous album covers over the years.
Just in case, you were unaware, Power of Pop is a content provider for NewsLoop, now available also for iPhone. More info below.
· NewsLoop is optimised for the iPhone 5 to offer a superb news reading experience on the go.
· Current users of NewsLoop can access their personalised NewsLoop profile on both their iPhone and their iPad. This means that the smart app, which has learnt your news preferences over time, can continue to recommend articles that appeal to you!
· Apart from continuing to provide articles in a fresh and easy-to-read magazine-style format, the app has also been updated to allow readers to preview the latest headlines in Hot Topics before deciding if they want to read the detailed story.
· Readers no longer have to scan through long lists of posts and click on link after link. Instead, they can enjoy quick access to all stories and images with a few swipes, making it simpler and more entertaining than ever to discover, view and share content.
· The app now enables users to add news feeds and timelines from LinkedIn and Tumblr in addition to Facebook and Twitter. This gives readers more options to share articles either via email, social networks or SMSes.
Official Site | Facebook
(Sony Press release)
Sony is inviting all aspiring singers, musicians and performers to step into the limelight and stand a chance to compete on a regional stage.
Nothing vaguely ‘modern’ about the music styles of Axel Loughrey as the singer-songwriter/model stretches back to the past to provide the inspiration for his art and craft. Born and raised in Paris, this current UK resident cites intriguing and varied influences like Seasick Steve, Lou Reed, Howlin’ Wolf, Rolling Stones, John Lennon, Allman Brothers, Pride ‘N’ Glory, Fleetwood Mac, Bob Dylan, Chris Isaak, Johnny Winter, Muddy Waters, Rick Derringer & JJ Cale.
A few random thoughts came to mind whilst I was at The Sam Willows EP launch at TAB last night, supported by Charlie Lim and ShiGGa Shay. One, was that I witnessing the future of our Singapore indie scene as these young talented artists – with all the potential they possess – are in the best position to bring the indie scene forward within and without our shores. Two, how different the indie scene looked in 2012, compared to 1992.
Continue reading “PoPINIONS: THE FUTURE’S SO BRIGHT, I’VE GOTTA WEAR SHADES [OP-ED]”
(Secret Service PR Press Release)
That’s the big question that industry insiders, fans and musicians have debated endlessly over the last several years. It’s also the title of a new documentary from musicians Adam Russell (Story of the Year, D.R.U.G.S.) and Ryan Phillips (Story of the Year, Greek Fire) who recently started a Kickstarter campaign to fund the creation of the film, which will explore the evolution of the music business over the last decade with interviews from musicians, producers, managers, record labels and more.
Continue reading “WHO KILLED (OR SAVED) THE MUSIC INDUSTRY? KICKSTARTER FOR DOCUMENTARY [NEWS]”
A breezy folk-rock for your approval this lazy Sunday afternoon. Check out the picturesque video for Buckeye Knoll‘s pleasing “Halfway Home”. There’s something about the tune that reminds me of the 90s Pop Underground and that’s a GOOD thing!
Bandcamp (FREE): http://tinyurl.com/9qlpz6c
Itunes: http://tinyurl.com/8bqq8kz
Spotify: http://tinyurl.com/8bc6c22
Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/9evktzs
For the first half of this wonderful album, Portland-based outfit Sassparilla (Kevin Blackwell, Colin Macdonald, Ross Macdonald, Naima Muntal, Justin Burkhart and Ben Stewart) parlays the fundamental influences (country, folk, blues and rock n’ roll) into a potent mix. Armed with banjos, harmonicas, slide guitars and decent pop tunes – Magpie lives up to its promise of delivering authentic Beatlesque Americana and channeling the likes of The Flying Burrito Brothers, Neil Young, Steve Earle, Tom Petty, (early) Wilco, The Jayhawks and more.
(Nickelodeon Press Release)
Nickelodeon launches an all-new, CG-animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series on Friday, November 16 at 6.30pm (SG/MY) in a special thirty-minute television event, bringing the turtles up from the sewers with the mythology and comedic sensibility for a new generation of fans.
(Sprout Entertainment Press Release)
After serenading a record 3500 crowd at the Sentosa Coliseum, YouTube Superstar Jason Chen returns to Singapore for his 2013 Asia Tour! Sprout Entertainment has confirmed that he will be back for a one night only stop in Singapore on 12 January 2013 at the SCAPE Warehouse.
Catch this living legend in action as he performs a mix of originals and covers of our favorite artists such as Maroon 5, One Direction, J J Lin and Wang Lee Hom.
Since his debut 3 years ago, Jason has wowed fans with his wide vocal range and expressive renditions of pop favorites; he has garnered over 500 thousand subscribers and more than 130 million views on YouTube. His all time record hit cover songs include “Just a Dream” by Nelly, “Tong Hua” by Guang Liang and “Payphone” by Maroon 5. His originals are no slouches, with Best Friend receiving more than 6 million views and Just For A Moment coming in at 5 million views.
Come 12 January, Jason will be rocking out with his fans, accompanied by his 3-piece band. As a special thank you, he has thrown in 50 VIP concert + meet and greet tickets, priced at $83. Grab yours before they’re gone!
For more information updates: like https://www.facebook.com/sproutentertainment?fref=ts and follow @sproutentertain
Date: 12 Jan 2013
Time: 7pm
Venue: SCAPE Warehouse
Concert Tickets: $58
Concert Tickets + Meet n Greet: $83
Get your tickets from SISTIC now!
Pancho-san is songwriter Patrick Abernethy (formerly of Beulah, and Rogue Wave) and, for sophomore album Americans, his old bandmates Pat Spurgeon (of Rogue Wave) and Eli Crews (of Beulah/tUnE-yArDs producer) provide invaluable assistance. By all accounts, the sound is a mish-mash of Roy Orbison, Brazilian pop and ’80s-’90s art rock! You can stream the entire album over at Bandcamp. The opening track – “Americans Can’t Be Romantic” – is available for free download.
I was rather fortunate to meet with Kate when she was in town for Music Matters and got a copy of her brilliant album, Nightflight. “Sarah” is one of the standout tracks that immediately caught my attention for its startling subject matter and Kate’s vocal gymnastics. The video itself is pretty functional but serves as a promotional tool – so long as you get a copy of Kate’s wonderful album. Do it now!
Is this a Riot Grrl revival?
Lead singers Brigette Herron and Mary Jane Hassell front Tunabunny, a refreshing perspective of the punk rock girl chick aesthetic. Channeling the inspirations of Pretenders, Blondie, The Runaways, Bikini Kill, The Breeders and Sleater-Kinney into a free-form punk-fueled rock style that is difficult not to be entranced by.
Highly prolific – Genius Fatigue is Tunabunny‘s third album in as many years – the band is shot in the arm especially if (like me) you’ve gotten a little sick to the gills of all the namby-pamby, girl group retro jive that hipster tweens seem to get a huge kick out of. There is nothing vaguely pandering (or lowest common denominator) in this collection of confrontational, uncompromising songs.
Tracks like the the hyperventilating “Duchess for Nothing”, the buzz-sawing “Government of Throats”, the atonal “You Do What You Want” and the reverb-drenched Spectoresque satirical “Slackjawed” bring together several strands of contrarian rock through the ages (e.g. The Fall, Pixies, Captain Beefheart, Syd Barrett and Pavement) where an abrasive sound coupled with cryptic lyrics provide a superb combination for musical enlightenment!
Highly recommended!!
Official Site
Weru Channels is a plucky new application that allows anyone to create amazing music channels to enjoy alone or share with everyone. We have created an impressive multimedia player that currently plays videos from YouTube or Vimeo and audio from SoundCloud (it actually plays MP3s too, but we haven’t added MP3 upload yet!) Set up a taste profile and receive the latest content for your musical preference or easily paste in a link to quickly add material to the site for all to enjoy. Create a channel and start curating! (From the press release)
As you can imagine, this kind of app is right up my alley and already I have three channels dedicated to melodic pop-rock (POP POWER), hard rock (ROCK HARD) and new music (FRESH) and I find it’s great place to aggregate playlists together (with video to boot!) and satisfies the wannabe radio DJ fantasies (without having to listen to my grating speaking voice!). Click on the links in this paragraph or go directly to the site and get started! I intend to upload more content in the days and weeks to come….
Sam Raimi’s original Evil Dead is/was a genre-defining horror classic with some of the grossest scenes ever committed to celluloid (tree rape, anyone?). This remake updates the original with Fede Alvarez at the helm and has Raimi and Bruce Campbell on-board as producers. Does it have any chance of coming close to the beloved original? Watch the redband trailer and make up your own mind. Not for the faint of heart – you have been warned! Hitting cinemas in April 2013.
Andy Burrows is perhaps better known as a drummer who has played with British bands Razorlight and We Are Scientists. However, Burrows is also a singer-songwriter in his own right and has just released his debut album, Company. Check out the official video for the first single, “Because I Know That I Can” and be enthralled by its smooth pop vibe. Review to come.
Official Site
(Base Entertainment Asia Press release)
Singapore’s aspiring young performers will have the opportunity to audition for the roles of the penguins and Santa’s Elves in the forthcoming UK production of SANTA CLAUS The Musical, which opens at the Grand Theater, Marina Bay Sands, on 14 December 2012.
27th October 2012, Saturday | 730pm TAB, 442 Orchard Road, #02-29
Tickets: $20 (inclusive of 1 drink)
http://www.ticketmash.sg/thesamwillows
https://www.facebook.com/events/118310064982887/
Check out the trailer below:
The Sam Willows will be launching its debut EP next Saturday, 27th October at TAB. Here’s a preview of the EP streaming now at Soundcloud. Check it out.
Official Site
*SCAPE is looking for bands/artists to showcase their music on its premises during the month of November and December 2012.
Details
Where: *SCAPE (usually next to McDonalds but subject to change by the management)
When: Every last Saturday of the month
Time: Usually 6pm – 8pm
How many bands per event: 3
Set Time: 30 minutes per band plus 15 minute sound-check
Criteria:
– Must be Singaporean
– Must play originals (1-2 covers is fine)
Objectives:
– To showcase local talent
– As a platform for local musicians to experience and practice performing live in front of a public audience
– Bands need NOT be extremely good or polished as *SCAPE’s objective is to let amateur bands / musicians perform
Please send EPK to ginelle.choong@hotmail.com
Singer-songwriter Jeff Finlin is going direct to the fans to fund his new album, Moby Dick.
Check out the video below for more details.
Kickstarter page
(Press release)
Snowbird Productions proudly presents “The Ataris: Live in Singapore”. This will be the exclusive first ever performance of legendary American punk rock band on local soil. This event will be held on Tuesday, 22 January 2013 from 7pm – 9.30pm at the Boiler Room, St James Power Station. Plainsunset and Rancour will be opening the show.
You can pretty much line up the influences that fuel The Demon Beat’s rock n’ roll machine and put a string right through them all. Less is Less for me, sums up the trio’s (Adam L. Meisterhans, Tucker Riggleman & Jordan Hudkins) manic agenda for world domination – pillage the best bits of fifty decades of rock n’ roll, pour into a cauldron and stir fuckin’ hard! A strange brew, indeed!
The Man with the Iron Fists promises to be a campy kung fu classic with a tag line to kill for – “You can’t spell Kung Fu without F and U”!!! To get us geeks in the mood, check out the character trailers below for Bronze Lion (Cung Le) and Madame Blossom (Lucy Liu).
Continue reading “GEEK OUT! THE MAN WITH THE IRON FISTS [CHARACTER TRAILERS]”