ANOTHER BRITNEY SNIPPET! Another snippet of a new Britney Spears song hit the web over the weekend. “(Drop Dead) Beautiful” is the latest song to make its way online. It was produced by Benny Blanco, Ammo, JMike and Billboard. Spears’ Femme Fatale album arrives on March 29th. Take a listen to…
ANNOUNCING LIFE IS GOOD RADIO
by •
The Life is good Company is excited to announce the launch of Life is good Radio. The station can be found on the Life is good homepage (www.lifeisgood.com) and heard in Life is good company-owned retail locations. The programming on Life is good Radio will be eclectic, stemming from a variety of genres and eras…
NETTWERK MUSIC GROUP SIGNS PETER MURPHY
by •
Nettwerk is excited to announce that PETER MURPHY has signed to its label roster to release his upcoming ninth studio album, aptly titled NINTH, out JUNE 7, 2011. The former Bauhaus iconic frontman has also just announced spring tour dates, including a stop in Austin, TX during SXSW. Murphy is the latest addition to…
JAMIE MCLEAN BAND SET TO RELEASE FOUR NEW EPS IN 2011
by •
Soulful, southern fried roots rockers the Jamie McLean Band are set to self-release a series of “electric postcards” i.e. four brand new EP releases in 2011. The first EP entitled TIME OF MY LIFE is due out on March 3rd and features the core electric trio — Jamie McLean (vocals, lead guitars), Ben Mars…
TINY ANIMALS RELEASE MUSIC VIDEO FOR “WAIT FOR MEâ€
by •
New York City power-pop trio Tiny Animals have a reputation, as American Songwriter put it, for leaving folks “head over heels in love.” With prominent placements on popular television shows like MTV’s Jersey Shore, Teen Mom 2 and The Real World, it’s clear that Tiny Animals offer what the Washington Post Express called “unapologetically hooky…
DANCE ROCK PHENOM POLARIS AT NOON TO UNVEIL NEW EP ON APRIL 12
by •
Orange County based indie dance-rock outfit Polaris at Noon has announced plans to release their new EP, En Pointe, on April 12. Fans are invited to visit www.polarisatnoon.com to check out a new teaser video as well as news, tour dates and music that will be unveiled in the coming weeks. Seamlessly fusing…
MTV RADIO’S MORNING FACTS FOR MONDAY, MARCH 7th, 2011
by •
KE$HA TALKS WRITING NEW BRITNEY SPEARS SONG Britney Spears’ new single, “Till the World Ends,” which is available on iTunes now, was written by Ke$ha and produced by Dr. Luke and Max Martin. Ke$ha told MTV News that she considers herself a songwriter above everything else and said “It’s an honor to write for one…
The Last Act, Still Standing
by •
Get ready for the hard rock/metal act from Calgary that call themselves The Last Act. These hard-rockin’ Canadians will prove to you that they are no joke. The new record is titled ‘Still Standing’ and this band is standing mighty tall after it is all said and done. The group is made…
Bright Lights, Bright Eyes, Illumination at The Tabernacle
by •
Conor Oberst has come a long way from the early cassette recordings of a sensitive boy with a wavering voice and a knack for poetic storytelling. He has grown up both emotionally and musically and has also become quite the confident stage performer.
EYE’Z FEATURED ON NEW GRM VIDEO
by •
Eye’z is taking over Youtube & music in general these days. The non-stop Pop/R&B musician is letting the world know what talent is coming out the Bay Area! The first is a piece commissioned by GRM (Grand Royal Music), an East Bay production company, that records and creates events with local artists. Check this piece…
MARCH 2011 SONICBIDS “ARTISTS 2 WATCHâ€
by •
Welcome to another amazing month of music from the incredible musicians that make up the Sonicbids.com community. We have chose a select group of amazing musicians that will be speaking directly to the Skope readers. As always we encourage readers to dig deeper and check out their EPK’s.
MATT & KIM ANNOUNCE MAY/JUNE SIDEWALKS TOUR
by •
Be forewarned, Matt and Kim declare war on dull nights out during their official SIDEWALKS headlining US tour, kicking off May 28th at the Sasquatch Music Festival and including Bonnaroo on June 10th. It’s the official tour in support of their third full-length, Sidewalks, out now via FADER Label, and the plan is to tear…
Young Galaxy, Shapeshifting
by •
A band’s previous record can often dictate their upcoming release with pinpointed accuracy. While Young Galaxy’s previous full length, Invisible Republic, contained some synth-laden and at times, symphonic masterpieces, (“Long Live The Fallen World”) the band’s overall aesthetic was most prominent on the equally synth-heavy but much more atmospheric numbers. The band managed to…
YELLE RELEASES TWO NEW VIDEOS FOR MINI FILM
by •
Today Yelle is releasing not one but two new eye-popping videos, which together form a miniature film for their forthcoming album Safari Disco Club (March 29th; V2/Cooperative Music USA/Downtown Records). In the first half, which is fthe video for the album’s title track, the trio hit the dance floor to create a real-life safari…
FOSTER THE PEOPLE ANNOUNCE DEBUT ALBUM RELEASE
by •
In early 2010 Mark Foster, Cubbie Fink and Mark Pontius released “Pumped Up Kicks” under the guise of Foster The People. The band put the unknowingly, transmittable song on the internet and emailed it to a few friends. A year later, over 1.4 million streams and a song that every DJ from California to Australia…
SKYSAW SIGNS TO DANGERBIRD RECORDS FOR DEBUT LP
by •
SKYSAW, featuring acclaimed drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, DC-based singer Mike Reina and guitarist Anthony Pirog, has announced the forthcoming release of their debut album, Great Civilizations, in May 2011 on Dangerbird Records. The Los Angeles-based indie label most recently released new records from Fitz and the Tantrums, The Dears, Silversun Pickups and Maritime, among others. SKYSAW…
BRIANNA KAHANE PERFORMS ON OPRAH AT 9 YEARS OLD
by •
Nine-year-old violinist Brianna Kahane was chosen by Oprah Winfrey to perform in the widely-celebrated grand finale episode of Oprah’s ALL-TIMEWORLD’S MOST TALENTED & AMAZING KIDS show to air in Oprah’s final season.
MTV RADIO’S MORNING FACTS FOR THURSDAY, MARCH 3rd, 2011
by •
CHRISTINA TO COACH CONTESTANTS ON THE VOICE Christina Aguilera has been named as a musician coach on NBC’s new musical competition series, The Voice. Aguilera joins previously announced musician coaches Cee Lo Green and Adam Levine. The Voice will be hosted by Carson Daly and the winner of the show receives a…
Ellen Tipper, The Juggler
by •
Pianist/singer/songwriter Ellen Tipper releases her latest CD “The Juggler” in 2010. Tipper is an accomplished player & composer from Maine. She has a string of releases to her credit, & had notably worked with many folks over the years. The recordings themselves provide a very folksy, earthy approach putting the piano & Tippers amazing voice…
Jon Wirtz, Sea Level
by •
Solo pianist Jon Wirtz releases his latest CD “Sea Level” in 2010. Wirtz is an accomplished player & composer from Colorado. He has a string of releases to his credit, & had notably worked with many folks over the years. The recordings themselves provide a very conservative, gentile approach putting the piano front & center.…
G. LOVE DEBUTS AT #1 ON ITUNES ROCK CHARTS
by •
G. Love’s new country blues album, Fixin’ To Die, debuted at #1 on the iTunes Rock chart and has reached the #35 spot on this week’s Billboard Top 200 Chart with 11,834 units sold in the first week. Radio stations across the country are responding well to the first single, “Fixin’ To Die,”…
MY M.O. DEBUT VIDEO “BONFIRE MAN”
by •
“Bonfire Man” is the first single from their sophomore EP aptly titled Bonfire. For a limited time only, the Bonfire EP is available for free download at http://mymo.bandcamp.com/album/bonfire-ep, and then will be officially released through iTunes on Unemployable Music this June.
THE LOW ANTHEM NEW VIDEO “BOEING 737”
by •
Here is the new video for The Low Anthem’s stomping jam ‘Boeing 737’ folks, a song of epic proportions that sees the Rhode Island quartet stray from their delicate folk sounds. ‘Boeing 737’ is taken from the new record ‘Smart Flesh’ and the video was shot by friend of the band Thom Zimmey within the…
K.D. LANG AND THE SISS BOOM BANG ALBUM OUT NEXT MONTH
by •
k.d. lang and the Siss Boom Bang will celebrate the release of Sing it Loud by playing the complete album live at two intimate shows the week the album is released. They will perform at the Troubadour in Los Angeles on Monday, April 11 and at (le) poisson rouge in New York City on Thursday,…
ESTATE OF SKY SAXON SUES FOR ROYALTIES
by •
SKY SAXON, the singer and songwriter behind the 1960s garage-rock band The Seeds, died in June 2009. However, for most of his career and to the end of his life, he received no royalties at all from his record company or his music publishing company. The reason? According to those companies, Saxon…
Steve Warner & the Rolling Coyotes, Train of Life
by •
Over the years we’ve seen American & Country Music slowly erode itself into over popish nothingness. Artist after artist presenting themselves as superstars in the making with nothing more than a pretty face, pushed in front of a microphone with an acoustic guitar by the corporate giants in the hopes of making a quick superficial…
Young Livers, Of Misery And Toil
by •
This is one that will most certainly kick your ass ten times until Sunday. Of Misery And Toil, the second full-length from Young Livers, a fervent and dedicated four-piece that only adds to the already strong reputation that No Idea Records has built for itself. If you get a chance to come up for air…
NEW VIDEO FROM NYC BAND MAKE OUT
by •
Trading on Mortensen’s manic take on pop music and the musical sensibility Hennessey developed from her own frenzied upbringing (and influence of her stepfather, The New York Dolls’ David Johansen), the band hooked up with producer Nicolas Vernhes (Dirty Projectors, Animal Collective, The Fiery Furnaces) at his Rare Book Room studios in Brooklyn. Crafting a…
HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD TO HEADLINE REVOLT TOUR 2011
by •
After a massively successful tour with Avenged Sevenfold, A&M/Octone recording group Hollywood Undead will return to the road to headline the Revolt Tour. Kicking off in Boston on April 6th the tour will feature special guests 10 Years, Drive A and New Medicine. On April 5th, the band returns with their second album: American Tragedy.…
SICK PUPPIES GO POLAR OPPOSITE WITH NEW RELEASE
by •
Australian rock trio Sick Puppies are set to release Polar Opposite, on March 1, available exclusively at WalMart and all digital retailers. The eight-song release, produced by Rock Mafia, features re-imagined tracks from their smash sophomore release Tri-Polar as well as their first hit “All the Same” from their debut album. This is Sick…
STACIE ROSE LAUNCHES MUSIC WEB SERIES: ‘SUITE SONGS’
by •
NJ/NYC based songstress Stacie Rose has just launched an exciting and original, new independent music series SUITE SONGS! SUITE SONGS is an intimate series about the personal & collaborative process of song making.
VANESSA CARLTON SIGNS WITH RAZOR & TIE / VIDEO
by •
Razor & Tie is excited to announce the signing of singer-songwriter Vanessa Carlton. Her fourth studio album and first for Razor & Tie is set for release on June 21st, 2011. The album, titled Rabbits on the Run, was produced by Steve Osborne (U2, B-52’s, KT Tunstall) and was recorded in the UK…
HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD RELEASE VIDEO FOR “HEAR ME NOW”
by •
Hollywood Undead have just premiered a video for the song “Hear Me Now” and fans can check it out here. Leading up to the video premiere the band posted 15 teasers for the video on their YouTube and Facebook pages. [youtube pdoIs1jZbCY nolink] www.hollywoodundead.com/revolt
RANDOM STABBINGS & ARTLESS CRITIQUE, MARCH 2011
by •
Ben Kono, Crossing (Nineteen Eight Records) Nu-jazz, purportedly Asian influenced owing to multi-instrumentalist Kono’s (Japanese, I believe) heritage, however my immediate overall impression was of a fairly straightforward Western blend. “Castles and Daffodils” opens the record to rambling effect; originally a paean to a downcast Stanley Kunitz poem, the originally effect was scrapped and…
IT’S SAFE TO SAY ELIZ CAMACHO GOT IT GOING ON
by •
It looks like Stoli and Windows Media Guide both agree that Eliz Camacho is an artist on the rise. While they beat me to it by a week or so I am real excited to have Eliz here on Skoped Out. Eliz knows what looks good, sounds good, and she knows how to juggle multiple…
MTV RADIO’S MORNING FACTS FOR TUESDAY, MARCH 1st, 2011
by •
WILLOW SMITH DROPS “21st CENTURY GIRL” Willow Smith has released “21st Century Girl,” her highly anticipated follow-up to “Whip My Hair.” The dance track is on sale at iTunes now. The daughter of Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith made a splash last fall with her debut single, “Whip My Hair,” which became an Internet…
DEPUI: FROM COURT JESTER TO MODERN DAY MINSTREL
by •
Bent Ivar Depui Tversland can trace his lineage back to the royal courts of France where a presumed ancestor named Depui served as court jester. As the tale goes, eventually the king’s fool was banished from not only the court, but the entire country due to certain improprieties. And while Bent may be carrying on…
THE BEST OF CHICAGO’S MODERN MUSIC LEGACY COME TOGETHER AS CANDY GOLDE
by •
With more than 100 years of accumulated rock ‘n’ roll history as a foundation, Candy Golde is the Midwestern musical collaboration of Nicholas Tremulis, Bun E. Carlos (Cheap Trick) John Stirratt (Wilco) and Rick Rizzo (Eleventh Dream Day). The distinctive blend of blues groove, power pop, Americana and alternative shows itself in the self-titled…
LADY GAGA NEW VIDEO “BORN THIS WAY”
by •
The clip was directed by Nick Knight, along with Lady Gaga, the Haus of Gaga creative team and choreographer Laurieann Gibson. The pop star confirmed last week that she will unleash another “Born This Way” video as well. The second version, she says, “is a more stripped-down version of the song that will be released…
SARAH JAFFE FIRST EP ANNOUNCED
by •
Kirtland Records is set to nationally release Sarah Jaffe’s first ever EP — Even Born Again — on March 8th. The decision to put this out comes on the heels of an incredibly successful year with her debut album Suburban Nature — which made Jaffe one of 2010’s breakout artists — topping year end…
