American Idol

As you may have heard, American Idol is back. This year there are a few things different about America's favorite reality show. First, there is a fourth judge. (I guess Simon's mean comments and Paula's crazy antics weren't enough to get ratings.) Next, they are adding more music to the auditioning process. Yesterday we enjoyed some Journey "Don't Stop Believin'." (If you didn't know, judge Randy Jackson played with Journey in the 80s.) Tonight we have enjoyed some R.E.M and Joshua Radin (who I featured in the artist spotlight last week.)

American Idol is usually a place for pop music and nothing else. It is refreshing to see them featuring new and different sounds. Hopefully, this trend will continue on past the audition process. Maybe we will see some indie music played during the top 12 performances. American Idol was the place that featured "Bad Day" by Daniel Powter as their farewell song. This launched Powter onto the pop music charts. Perhaps American Idol has recognized its power within the music industry and will feature more indie music. Or better yet, maybe America will vote an indie artist as this year's American Idol. 

New Playlist

As I've said before I am the queen of the mix CD. I just created a new mix that I think you might enjoy. Check it out and let me know what you think. (FYI all of these songs can be found on iTunes)

Amy Macdonald- This is the Life

Bryan Greenberg- Someday

KaiserCartel- Seasons Song

Coldplay- Lost!

Snow Patrol- Take back the City

Lenka- The Show

Noah and the Whale- 5 Years Time

Slow Runner- The Stakes were Raised

John Butler Trio- Better Than

Daniel Martin Moore- That'll be the Plan

Jose Gonzalez- Heartbeats

Bic Runga- Sway

Jeremy Fisher- Goodbye Blue Monday

Joshua Radin- One of Those Days

Kate Voegele- Lift Me Up

Bebo Norman- Into the Day

Jason Reeves- Colors

Dashboard Confessional- Stolen

Sugarbomb- Hello

The Format- On Your Porch

Obama Inspired Music

President Barack Obama has inspired many people. These artists are no different. Below is a list of songs inspired by the election of our 44th president.

Dying to Survive (Feat. Barack Obama) - Ghostwridah

Barack Obama My Heroes- Roy Medina

Lookin' For A Leader- Neil Young

Black President- Nas

The People- Common

Barack Obama "Deans Way"- The Don

I Saw a Black Man in the White House- Lester Lewis

For more songs about Obama visit www.music.yahoo.com

Artist Spotlight--Joshua Radin

Joshua Radin's soothing voice and frank lyrics catch your attention and make you fall in love. If you love the mellow melody of the Garden State Soundtrack you will adore Joshua Radin.


This singer/songwriter does not sugarcoat his lyrics. Instead he mesmerizes you with melodies and a haunting voice.

Radin is just beginning to get airplay however, he has been around a while. His songs have been featured on television shows such as Grey's Anatomy, Scrubs (thanks to Zach Braff) and One Tree Hill. He also recently serenaded Ellen DeGeneres as she walked down the aisle.

As a Northeast Ohio native, this Cleveland born singer holds a special place in my heart. He enjoyed singing during his childhood, however, Radin never intended to be a professional musician. During his time at Northwestern University he studied drawing and painting. He held jobs as an art teacher, screenwriter, and art gallery employee after his years in college. It wasn't until he played one of his songs for pal Zach Braff that he began his career as a singer/songwriter. Radin's early work, a song called "Winter," found it's way onto Braff's TV show Scrubs in 2004. When fans started requesting more of his work, Radin decided to pursue songwriting and signed a deal with Columbia Records. In 2006 Radin released his debut album, We Were Here.


Radin then relocated himself to L.A. and began performing with the Hotel Cafe, a unique Hollywood venue specializing in performances by singer/songwriters. He then found himself on a national tour with other Hotel Cafe regulars such as Ingrid Michaelson and Sara Bareilles. He has continued writing and produced a pair of digital EPs which were released through iTunes. In late 2008 Radin released his sophomore album, Simple Times.





To learn more about Joshua Radin visit his webiste http://www.joshuaradin.com/ or www.myspace.com/joshuaradin. You can also find all of his work on iTunes. Enjoy!

And The Nominations Are In...

This morning Hollywood woke up early to announce the nominees for the 81st annual Academy Awards. There are only a few categories I care about (sorry outstanding achievement in sound mixing). The Academy has a history of surprising when it comes to nominations and winners for Achievement in music written for a motion picture, or what us normal folks call Best Original Song. (Remember when Three 6 Mafia won for "It's hard out here for a pimp.") This year is no different. Only three songs were even nominated and two are from the same movie.

Wall-E, "Down to Earth" by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman

Slumdog Millionaire, "Jai Ho" Music by AR Rahman with Lyrics by Gulzar

Slumdog Millionaire, "O Saya" by AR Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam

For a full list of Academy Award nominations visit www.oscar.com

Inauguration Music

As the inauguration of the 44th president comes to an end I would like to know what you thought about the music performed during the historic ceremony. (I'm not going to comment the fact that Obama struggled to recite the oath of office because that's not what this blog is all about.)

Aretha Franklin opened the ceremony with her rendition of "My Country 'Tis of Thee." Every American over the age of six knows the words to this song. Franklin, however, struggled. Maybe it was just me. She hid behind her soul background and belted out the few words she knew and let her background, pre-recorded music, do the work for her. The "Queen of Soul" maybe was not the best choice for this occasion.

Yo-Yo Ma, Hzhak Perlman, Anthony McGill and Gabriela Montero performed "Air and Simple Gifts" composed by John Williams. Did this song sound familiar to anyone else? If you grew up in church, it probably did. "Simple Gifts" is a Shaker song written in 1848 by Elder Joseph Brackett. Below are the lyrics to the one-verse song:

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free,

'Tis the gift to come down where you ought to be,

And when we find ourselves in the place just right,

'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

When true simplicity is gain'd,

To bow and to bend we shan't be asham'd

To turn, turn will be our delight,

Till by turning, turning we come round right.

If those are not the lyrics you remember from Sunday morning singing. That may be because the melody is used in many hymnals for the song "Lord of the Dance."

Let me know what you thought of the music used to celebrate this historic event.

Record Sales

We are now half way through January and, of course, new albums have been released. But, have we heard of any of them. Have you gone out to buy any new albums since Christmas? It is not hard to understand why record sales dropped 14 percent from 2007, according to Nielsen SoundScan data. 

Even though digital sales have increased, it is not enough to make up for the loss in physical sales. "We don't focus anymore on total album sales or the sale of any one particular product as the metric of revenue or success," said Mr. Caraeff, the executive vice president of Universal Music Group's digital division, "We look at the total consolidated revenue from dozens of revenue lines behind a given artist or project, which include digital sales, the physical business, mobile sales and licensing income."

Music industry execs should probably start looking at record sales as an indicator of trouble. Maybe sales have dropped because the public has lost faith in the supposed "artists" they are being asked to support. I know I have. 

These "artists" that are being signed to major labels are the people that the record companies believe have the right look. The "right look" means the artist can be marketed, they have mass appeal or they can be cross-promoted with their acting career. Whatever happened to artists being signed because they have talent? Executives pass over these true artists for someone who looks good on a album cover. The labels are looking for people who will make them money right from the start. Example, Miley Cyrus had a built in fan base for debut album due to her success as Hannah Montana. 

I am still an idealist. Music has changed my life. It has given me faith when I had nothing else to believe in. I believe that music can change the world, if artists and labels still care enough to change it. If the artists and producers put out music they do not believe in, why am I supposed to believe in it? 

I know I am not the only person out there searching for more meaning from the music on the radio. The music industry can return to its glory days, but that's only if the industry executives and the artists they sign care about the work they put out. If the people making the music start to care about the music they put out the public will respond and record sales will increase. But, of course, this is just one person's humble opinion.  

Travel Music

I work part time for a company that plans trade shows. We are involved in a travel show called the AAA Great Vacations EXPO. I was asked to come up with some music to play during the show. (My bosses know me well.) This is what I came up with:

1. Two Tickets to Paradise- Eddie Money

2. Beautiful Day- U2

3. Living In Fast Forward- Kenny Chesney

4. Vacation- The Go-Gos

5. California Dreaming- Mamas and the Papas

6. Beverly Hills- Weezer

7. California- Phantom Planet

8. Surfin' Safari- The Beach Boys

9. Hotel California- The Eagles

10. Say Goodbye to Hollywood- Billy Joel

11. Hit the Road Jack- Ray Charles

12. Free Ride- 

13. Baby You Can Drive My Car- The Beatles

14. Living On a Prayer- Bon Jovi

15. Viva Las Vegas- Elvis Presley

16. Fun, Fun, Fun- The Beach Boys

17. I'm Gonna Be (5o0 Miles)- The Proclaimers

18. The Great Escape- Boys Like Girls

19. Mexico- James Taylor

20. Kokomo- The Beach Boys

21. Movin' Out- Billy Joel

22. Love Shack- B-52's

23. Midnight Train to Georgia- Gladys Knight and the Pips

24. The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia- Vicki Lawrence

25. Sitting on a Dock of the Bay- Otis Redding

26. Wake Me Up Before you Go-Go- Wham!

27. I Ran- Flock of Seagulls

28. Chattahoochie- Alan Jackson

29. Sweet Home Alabama- Lynyrd Skynyrd

30. Boys of Summer- Don Henley

31. I've Been Everywhere- Johnny Cash

32. Down Under- Men At Work

33. Margaritaville- Jimmy Buffet

34. Here I Go Again- Whitesnake

35. Day Tripper- The Beatles

36. New York State of Mind- Billy Joel

37. New York Minute- Don Henley

Let me know if there is anything that I missed...

Artist Spotlight-Jason Myles Goss

I stumbled across Jason Myles Goss and my life will never be the same. I was sitting at work listening to Pandora online radio and this tranquil voice came out of the speakers. I instantly stopped. I had not heard a sound like that since. . .I can't remember when. Goss pairs a soothing voice with mesmerizing lyrics to create a sound that is dramatically different from everything else around.

Poetry is the only way to describe Goss's songwriting style. He is a thinking person's songwriter. He sucks you into his world and takes you on a journey with his disarmingly sweet vocals. Another Ghost is so amazingly diverse that you never get tired of listening. Goss is a resurrection of folk singers of long ago. His lyrically driven music transports you to a simpler time.

Goss began his career like many people do, as a fan. According to his website, he became a fan of Bob Dylan while riding in the car with his dad on their traditional Sunday outings. (You can definitely hear Dylan's influence on Goss's early writing style on the album, Long Way Down.)

Born in the small town of Hopedale, MA, Goss began recording not far from the flea markets he used to frequent with his father on their Sunday outings. In 2003 he pressed his first album, Long Way Down. Later that year he was chosen as one of the finalists in the Newport Folk Festival Songwriter's Contest. After a month-long trip to Ireland to find inspiration, Goss moved to Boston and entered the music scene. It was there that he discovered some of the music that would be most influential to his writing, among them Josh Ritter, Elliot Smith and David Gray. The next two years were filled with performing and working on his follow-up.

In 2005, Another Ghost was released at Club Passim in Cambridge, MA. One of its song was recently featured on the trailer for the independent film Reticence.

Goss is not yet receiving the airtime he so desperately deserves. However, other media outlets are praising his talents:

"A diamond in the rough. . . his talent and appeal are undeniable. If you are not convinced of this yet, just wait until you catch him live or one of his fans catches up with you." -Pat Keating, Insite Magazine (Boston, MA)

". . .Goss's musical performance was enticing; his combination of storytelling and singing lured in listeners and brought them to his own level, as if they were living the songs themselves. . ." -The Ithacan, (Ithaca, NY)

2008 brought release of his live EP, Dreamland. This record was recorded live at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge, MA. On his website, Jason writes, "Dreamland is a stepping-stone to a future album; these are not polished studio tracks, there are no smoke and mirrors, but the feeling is right. Throughout you can hear the bar staff washing glasses, shouts from the crowd braving the late hour; I can't think of a better place for these songs to live."

For more information on Jason Myles Goss visit www.jasonmylesgoss.com or www.myspace.com/jasonmylesgoss. You can also check him out on iTunes.

My Love Letter

Currently, my iTunes stores 4,523 songs and you probably haven't heard of half of the artists. I have become quite an audiophile in my 21 years. My library just keeps growing with each passing day and each concert I attend. 

It began when I was in junior high; everyone else I knew was obsessed with N'Sync and Backstreet Boys. And yes, I was a big fan of both bands. However, I also had two older brothers and a father who were introducing me to a variety of music while my 13 year-old girlfriends were only listening to the bubblegum pop that dominated the radio and Total Request Live (TRL).

I grew up listening to Simon and Garfunkel, The Beatles and James Taylor. I grew an appreciation for singer/songwriters early in my life. (Even though I would never tell my father this.) I realized that the popular boy bands of my adolescence were entertaining, but did not have have the same qualities as artists like The Beatles. But, they were good-looking and I was 13. What is a girl supposed to do? 

As I've gotten older, my interest in true artists and good music has grown with me. I work hard to discover new artists that truly inspire me the way Simon and Garfunkel and The Beatles did when I was young. However, it became harder and harder to find these artists. 

It wasn't until I got to college that I realized there were other ways to get music outside what the radio was playing and the top 10 videos on TRL. I discovered websites that helped me explore my passion for music, such as Pandora and MySpace. Then, I discovered my true passion. I went to my first small venue concert. 

I realized that the best way to find new music was not only scouring the internet and my friends' CD collections, but also discovering an artist at a live performance. A live performance can turn you on to an artist instantly. As well as introduce you to new music through opening acts. 

Since then, I have been collecting a diverse portfolio. Put my iTunes on shuffle and you will hear anything from Britney Spears to Frank Sinatra to Brand New. I have no limits to what I will listen to. I will give everything a chance because I believe that there is music out there to fit every one of your moods. However, I do get tired of the same old stuff that is played on the radio. 

I cannot remember the last time I listened to the radio; I am the queen of the mix CD. I do not get in the car without one. The radio is just too repetitive. I blame the record labels for that. They have forgotten what a true artist is. There are very few artists like Simon and Garfunkel anymore. Or at least signed to major labels. You have to scour the indie labels' MySpace pages to find something good to listen to. 

My dream is that this can be a place to help people discover new music and help me discover new music as well. There is so much more out there than what the media gives us to enjoy. It is my hope that I can share some of my insights on the music industry and indie music's place in said industry. This is my love letter to an industry that, I believe, has changed my life and possibly yours as well. 

Some of the things that I am listening to... 

1. Voices- Nick Drake

2. Somewhere Only We Know- Keane

3. Twilight Serenade- Jason Myles Goss

Blogs I'm reading....

1. www.hearya.com

2. www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily

3. www.indiemusicfilter.com

4. www.indieupdate.com

5. www.BrooklynVegan.com