Though Italian Japanese are a fairly new band who may seem easy to compare to more popular counterparts in their genre — like The Killers, Silversun Pickups and Interpol — don’t be mistaken.
Category: FEATURES
Feature stories and artist interviews
THE EMOTRON OFFER “DRINK A BEER FOR ME” MP3
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The aforementioned album is entitled “Vampire Lunch Lady Tits,” and is due to drop August 10th , 2010 on Los Angeles-based electro label Slanty Shanty Records.
BUCKCHERRY PROCEEDS FROM “OUR WORLD” TO BE DONATED TO VICTIMS OF OIL SPILL CATASTROPHE
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Rockers Buckcherry are taking their desire to help raise awareness for the tragedy in the Gulf Coast one step further: as of today, a new version of the track “Our World,” from the forthcoming album ALL NIGHT LONG, will be available for purchase as an iTunes exclusive with all of the band proceeds from the…
MAROON 5 NEW SINGLE “MISERY”
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GRAMMY winning recording artist Maroon 5 is back with their highly anticipated third studio album, Hands All Over (A&M/Octone), set for release on September 21st.
LANCE COMER: A NEW GENERATION OF TALENT
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One of my favorite local bands from the 60’s were the Sir Raleighs. My good friend Mike Comer was in this group that my girlfriends and I followed around to local venues. We lost touch for a number of years but recently got together and found out that Michaels son Lance, is a…
JOHNNY RICHTER OFFERS FREE MP3 “LET’S GO”
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Kottonmouth Kings’ frontman Johnny Richter is offering fans a free download of the track “Let’s Go” online. The track appears on Richter’s upcoming solo album, “Laughing”, which hits stores on July 6th through Suburban Noize. Johnny Richter will be appearing on this summer’s Strange Noize tour alongside (Hed)pe, Kutt Calhoun, Big B and Blestenation throughout…
BIG BOI NEW VIDEO “SHUTTERBUGG”
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The world knows him as Big Boi -Antwan Andr̩ Patton Рone-half of multi-platinum, five-time Grammy Award-winning supergroup OutKast, whose albums and singles have sold over 25-times platinum in the U.S. alone.
SLAYER DIVERSIFY INTO THE APP BIZ / VIDEO DEMO
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One of heavy metal’s most respected and influential bands, Slayer is about to enter the “app age” with the launch of Slayer: Pinball Rocks, a new pinball game app developed in conjunction with American Recordings/Columbia Records, Sony Music Entertainment and Gameprom.
GENTLEMEN HUSBANDS RELEASE “FAMILY ECONOMICS” MP3
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Gentlemen Husbands are setting out on a very action packed summer! Having just played a number of well-received sets at this year’s North by Northeast Music Festival, the band will spend the rest of the summer on the road playing festivals and bringing their feel-good alt rock and roll to new stages!
GETTING LOST IN THE DUST WITH STEVESHOT / VIDEO / MP3
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Are you ready for the man…the myth of eccentricity they call SteveShot? If so, brace yourself because he, his image and his music are a hell of a lot to consume all at once. You have to take in this whimsical artist one note and one word at a time, so you can…
NEW VO RICHE OFFER “SHE’S NOT YOUR GIRL” MP3
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New Vo Riche’s debut album Thing Parade follows the group’s EP Rhetoric, both combining the trio’s love of genres like indie, rock, folk and alternative music.
“GOOD WORK (IF YOU CAN GET IT)†MUSIC FILM RELEASED BY IKE REILLY
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To celebrate the end of the school year and the beginning of summer, Ike Reilly has released a music film for the song “Good Work (If You Can Get It).” The tune “Good Work” is off of Reilly’s latest album, the critically-acclaimed “Hard Luck Stories,” and the film features members of the Libertyville High…
RAME ROYAL NEW VIDEO “THE SAME RAME” / “DON’T PUSH ME”
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Here is the brand-new Rame Royal video for”The Same Rame” & “Don’t Push Me”. Both songs are produced by Breakfast Club (L.A.) and the video features cameo appearances from Richie Rich, plus Casual and DJ Toure’ of Hieroglyphics.
DIAMOND RINGS RELEASES VIDEO FOR “SHOW ME YOUR STUFF”
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Toronto-based genre-bending artist, Diamond Rings, is pleased to announce his latest video for the title track “Show Me Your Stuff” off of his latest limited edition 12″ single The vinyl record will be available as the debut release from new label One Big Silence Records, founded by notorious Toronto rock and roller Mike Haliechuk, of…
STOLI KICKS OFF SUMMER ON THE BEACH WITH JARET CAMPISI
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The first day of summer is here, and we wanted to have a guest on that reflects that summer feel! Coming out of Santa Barbara, CA is Jaret Campisi. Jaret has a new EP out ‘We Come and Go’ and it is a reflection of how talented he is. As you know I like to…
EVERYDAY TRAGEDY OFFER “BURN” MP3 OFF ‘BLACKHOLE CAROUSEL’
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Everyday Tragedy, the Orange County, California-based alt-rock band will digitally release its second album, Blackhole Carousel, featuring songs about “love, life and the misfortunes of each,” on July 20 through Antihero Records.
SWITCHFOOT RELEASE THE “THE SOUND” VIDEO
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Today is civil rights activist, John M Perkins, 80th birthday so it seemed befitting that Switchfoot’s song that was written in his honor be released this week.
KAISER CARTEL NEW VIDEO “FAVORITE THINGS”
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Their latest album, Secret Transit, was released June 8th, and is a departure from their highly successful debut album, March Forth.
MACY GRAY NEW VIDEO “BEAUTY IN THE WORLD” WORLD CUP INSPIRED
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Macy Gray is in the soccer spirit. In fact, she just released a new soccer-themed video for “Beauty in the World” to celebrate the World Cup.
STOLI HEADS TO PHILLY TO MEET MONGREL MIX
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A very Happy Father’s Day edition of Skoped Out. The sun is shining, the weekend is here, so lets turn the music up. My next guests are some eccentric, talented, and seasoned musicians that when together call themselves, Mongrel Mix. Coming out of Philadelphia, PA this band merges Blues, Rock, Latin, Jazz, and Funk with…
EXCLUSIVE: THE MOVEMENT INTERVIEW PLUS GIVEAWAY
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South Carolina rock/reggae band shares a tireless work ethic, diverse musical influences, and a mutual dislike of Afroman. At the end of this article is a Q&A Giveaway where The Movement are offering autographed copies of their album, ‘Set Sail’ to four lucky Skope readers!
WILLIE AMES OFFERS MP3 “DESERT RUN”
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Willie Ames has independently toured all 50 United States with international touring pursuits as a singer/songwriter/guitar & banjo player rockin out original/cover songs of acoustic/folk/rock music and has personally distributed 30,000 copies of his self titled original album in all the States!
ALEXA WILDING RELEASES “BLACK DIAMOND DAY” MP3
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New York City based singer-songwriter Alexa Wilding is excited to announce she’ll be touring with galpals Au Revoir Simone, as well as playing additional NYC dates, throughout the summer.
THE NICEGUYS NEW VIDEO “NOT AT ALL”
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The Niceguys release their video for “Not At All”, The first from their latest EP The Green Room. Filled with alcohol, girls, and even pyrotechnics, this video covers all the basic elements of a cliché hip-hop video.
ALAIN JOHANES OFFERS “ENDLESS EYES” MP3 OFF ‘SPARK’
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With a resume that includes co-founding the band Eleven and collaborations with Queens of the Stone Age, Them Crooked Vultures, Chris Cornell, Mark Lanegan, and Spinnerette (Brody Dalle’s latest project) among numerous others, Alain Johannes has already established himself as a gifted and prolific musical talent.
ENLOU OFFERS NEW MP3 “AMPHIBIAN” OFF NEW EP
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Cincinnati-based quintet Enlou will release their third EP Body of Friends, Body of Water July 27th on Lujo Records. The 5-song EP shows the band honing their distinct blend of knotty psychedelic pop with beach-inspired melodies, perfectly suited for the EP’s mid-summer release. The band will tour behind the EP this summer and fall.
PLANETARY NIGHTS SHINE ON JANGO
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Planetary Nights, with lead singer/sole songwriter/rhythm guitarist R.J. McSweeney at the helm, are proud to announce that they have surpassed the 10,000 fan mark on Jango.com! (www.jango.com/music/planetarynights) This includes hordes of screaming PN fans from over 100 countries and all 50 U.S. states getting in on the action. It’s no surprise to…
CHRIS SHIFLETT & THE DEAD PEASANTS “GET ALONG” MP3
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On 7/13/10, Chris Shiflett & the Dead Peasants will be releasing their self-titled debut album on Le Coq Napoleon/RCA Records.
OK GO NEW VIDEO “END LOVE”
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They premiered their newest video at Bonnaroo on Saturday and now it is available for the world to see. In their newest endeavor OK Go is playing and dancing with time, some friends and a goose named Bill in Los Angeles’ historical Echo Park.
CATE LE BON’S VIDEO FOR “SHOEING THE BONES”
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Many of you have heard Cate Le Bon’s song “Shoeing The Bones,” off her debut album Me Oh My. Now you can watch the music video to the song that has already caught many ears! As with Cate’s other music video, this one is full of surprises that are sure to shock you…
CIVIL TWILIGHT NEW VIDEO “LETTERS FROM THE SKY”
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The South African trio formed their band during childhood and relocated to Los Angeles in August, 2005. After settling in the U.S., brothers Steve (singer/bass/piano) and Andrew McKellar (guitar), and Richard Wouters (drums) established a significant following on the west coast.
SNOB DOODLE
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It looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today. We thought Snob Doodle read Billboard?
Showtime: Plants and Animals at Bowery Ballroom
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The three members of Plants And Animals stood on the stage of New York’s Bowery Ballroom covered in sweat and completely exausted. It’s no surprise to those in the audience who just witnessed the bands energetic set on that rainy Wednesday night in New York City.
SKOPE TV PHONER FEAT LOVEHEAD
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On Saturday at noon we had a first for Skope TV. We had our first international phoner with Ali from the incredible band, Lovehead, who are based in London.
BIBI TANGA AND THE SELENITES RELEASE “BE AFRICA” MP3
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On Dunya, Parisian musical patch-worker Bibi Tanga crafts an interstellar inoculation of grooves and grit. With a wildly eclectic heart, the record references fellow afro-futurist Fela Kuti, funk foundationalist Curtis Mayfield, British post-punk pioneers The English Beat, famed New Orleanian jazz soloist Sidney Bechet, and a list of luminaries that gets increasingly obscure with each…
STOLI FINDS THAT IF YOU MIX TALENT + BEAUTY YOU GET LORENZA PONCE
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I am feeling in a mellow yet soulful mood today and my next guest could not be any better fit. If there is one thing that I respect in a musician it’s work ethic. Lorenza Ponce takes work ethic to the next level. Lorenza has done so much as a vocalist, violinist, and live performer…
DAMN THE MAPS: QUICKLY RISING UP FROM DOWNUNDER
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Their Indie Rock music has been described as stunning, superby conceived and wonderfully crafted. From Austrailia, Damn The Maps exploded on to the international scene in 2008 with their debut album “Input Output”.
Passionate Proprietors of Electro Pop; Passion Pit Play Atlanta
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Cambridge, Massachusetts natives Passion Pit hit the stage at Atlanta’s Tabernacle Wednesday night to frantic applause from the adoring crowd.
JENNY WILSON NEW SINGLE MP3 “ONLY HERE FOR THE FIGHT”
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Swedish sensation Jenny Wilson is going to release her US debut Hardships! stateside on August 24th, and would is giving away her track “Only Here For the Fight” to celebrate!
SHANNON STEPHEN’S OFFERS MP3 “CATCH THE MORNING LINE”
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This July 20, Asthmatic Kitty Records is proud to present the re-press of Shannon’s self-titled debut (2000). Produced by Stephens and her former Marzuki bandmates Sufjan Stevens and Matthew Haseltine, this superb collection of Shannon’s own songs includes contributions by Marzuki cellist Jamie Kempkers, Kenny Hutson (Vigilantes of Love) on pedal steel guitar, Mews and…
