marina&thediamonds.

Marina and The Diamonds is my new obsession. She’s a welch singer who’s been getting a lot of recognition lately. She has a unique voice and not to mention style. Marina uses a wide range of musical styles ranging from upbeat new wave stuff to simple ballads and all are equally astounding. I love this video so much. I feel she really expresses the emotions in the lyrics in the video, plus her make-up and clothes are pretty rad. Be sure to check out Marina and The Diamonds other stuff such as, “Obsessions” and  ”I Am Not A Robot”(Clock-Opera Remix). Her powerful voice and meaningful lyrics won’t dissapoint.

The Music Is Your Special Friend Dance On Fire As It Intends The Music Is Your Only Friend Until The End.

When You’re Strange is a film about the band, The Doors. It was released mostly in smaller indie theaters on April 9. The film uncovers unseen footage of the band and takes you through the journey of their rise to fame. When You’re Strange is narrated by Johnny Depp, who said this in regards to the film; “Watching the hypnotic, hitherto unreleased footage of Jim, John, Ray and Robby, I felt like I experienced it all through their eyes. As a rock n’ roll documentary, or any kind of documentary for that matter, it simply doesn’t get any better than this.  What an honor to have been involved.  I am as proud of this as anything I have ever done.”

I went and saw the film a couple weeks ago with a friend and I loved it! I feel Depp’s quote really holds true to the film, as I feel like I experienced it through the members of The Doors eyes, as well. Considering that The Doors is one of my all time favorite bands and that Jim Morrison is my favorite rock icon/artist, I knew I would enjoy the film. I definitely recommend seeing the documentary even if you are not a Doors fan. You will have a new appreciation and love for the time period, music, and the Doors altogether.

If you don’t get a chance to see it in theaters, catch it on PBS tomorrow Wednesday, May 12 at 9 pm.

bonnaroo music & arts festival.

http://www.bonnaroo.com/

Bonnaroo is a music festival similar to other large festivals such as Coachella or Lollapalooza. It  incorporates music, art, cinema, comedy, and lots more into one crazy 4 day festival that takes place in Manchester, Tennessee. This year’s lineup is pretty insane with over 50 amazing artists playing. There are spots for camping and RV’s with provided amenities as well as good food, drinks, unique products and other activities put on by various sponsors.

I read that the name “Bonnaroo” originated in New Orleans, taken from the French word “bon” meaning “good,” and “rue” from the French word “street,” translating to “the best on the streets.” The creators of the festival felt the name represented exactly what they wanted to do; bring together fans to listen to and appreciate all different styles of music, the best music on the streets.

This year at Bonnaroo should be pretty epic, so fly, road-trip it, or start walking because you do not want to miss out!

‘juicy’ cover-lady biggie?

Since my last couple posts have been about kick-ass chick artists, here’s another. Emily Wells is a violinist from Texas who merges all different styles to create her own unique sound. She mixes classical with hip hop and soft lyrics, as well as all different instruments. She uses toy pianos, glockenspiels, synthesizers and also other toy instruments. To sum it up, this girl is the shit. During live performances she creates her own jams and tunes while performing and singing.

Check out this unique cover of the one and only Notorious B.I.G.’s hit “Juicy”. Although no one can do it like Biggie does, she adds an interesting spin on it that’ll mellow you out.

florence + the machine

Another artist I caught at Coachella this year, who happens to be my favorite right now, is Florence + The Machine. She’s an indie-pop/alternative british artist who does all vocal work but is musically backed by various musicians/artists. Their debut album ‘Lungs’ was released in July 2009 and has gained a lot of recognition including the ‘Mastercard British Album Award” at the 2010 BRIT Awards and also reaching #1 on the UK charts.

I love Florence’s voice, her rhythm gets me pumped and ready to dance, regardless of the beat backing her (which always happens to be amazing as well) . Below is the video from my favorite song of theirs, “Dog Days Are Over”. Enjoy and be sure to check out some of their other tracks like, “Kiss With A Fist”, “You’ve Got the Love” and her cover of the Cold War Kids jam “Hospital Beds”.

Coachella 2010: Imogen Heap

This year at Coachella I was fortunate enough to see an array of artists of all musical styles. This Friday night as I was leaving the Sahara Tent after watching an amazing dj called Pretty Lights, I stumbled upon Imogen Heap’s set. I’ve always loved Imogen Heap and was lucky enough to catch the end of her performance. This YouTube video is the end of her set at Coachella this year. She belted out ‘Hide n’ Seek’ in her unique high-pitched voice with an amazing white background with a sparkling tree and piano behind her.

Imogen Heap is an amazing British artist who hit it big in 2005 with her solo album ‘Speak for Yourself’. Her eclectic style blends hip-hop, electronica, singer-songwriter, rock and dance into a unique experience everyone should check out. She’s also on tour right now to promote her album Ellipse which has already been nominated for two Grammy’s, one of which she won. Check out this amazing video and the rest of Imogen Heap’s music—she’s definitely worth a listen!

Crossroads

I recently stumbled upon a blog with an article on the Top 10 Hip-Hop Videos of All Time. Since I love hip-hop and music videos, it was a perfect find. I chose to post this Bone-Thugs video “Crossroads” because I love the song and the tribute it pays to deceased rapper Eazy-E. This video came out in 1995 right after Eazy-E’s battle with AIDS came to an end. Eazy-E signed Bone Thugs N’ Harmony to his label in 1994 and helped them to become the famous and successful rap group that they are. The song “Crossroads” takes a look at the impact the death of Eazy-E had on his loved ones. It shows different scenes of death and sorrow and reminisces on the impact the loss of loved ones can have on people. The video has a strong message and not to mention very powerful lyrics.

I was watching the news with my roommates on Wednesday when we heard the 9-1-1 call come on. We were all terrified and waited for the rest of the story, which thanks to this young hero, ended up being a happy one. The 7-year old grabbed his little sister, a phone, and locked themselves in the bathroom to call the police. By acting so quickly and not to mention bravely, he saved his family from what could have been a devastating tragedy. I am amazed by this young boy’s courage and although I am about 15 years old than he is, I doubt I would’ve reacted so calmly and intelligently.

WE ARE THE WORLD 25

This is a 25th anniversary recording of  ”We Are The World” which was created in 1985 as an outlet of awareness for the extreme famine in Africa, and especially Ethiopia. The same producers of the song 25 years ago, Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie, recreated an amazing and touching new version of the song recorded in the exact same studio “We Are The World” was created in 25 years ago. It features 80 artists and performers all collaborating for an astounding cause, as Haiti is a broken nation, we must do all we can in the efforts of helping them to rebuild their lives.

I recently was shown this music video by a friend and replayed it over and over. Not only is it an amazing collaboration of artists of all backgrounds and music styles, it’s an outstanding way to gain awareness and relief for the Haitian people.