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gomez kicks off spring tour in chicago!

Viki — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:11:00 +0000

With Spring comes warm weather and the start of countless US concert tours. Last week, the English indie rock band Gomez kicked off their Spring tour in Chicago at the Vic theatre. With six studio albums, the guys has a plethora of hits to show off including “See The World” which was featured in an episode of the Fox show House. As with every Gomez live performance, the guys always put on an entertaining show. To keep fans on their toes, Gomez fires off their hits with not just one vocalist, but three. No matter who is singing, the music comes off playful, energetic, and free-wheeling. As an encore, the band came back out to perform my two personal favorites – “How We Operate” and “Airstream Driver”. Gomez will continue their Spring tour through the rest of March with supporting acts One Eskimo and The Little Ones. Be sure to check them out live and at www.gomeztheband.com

Enjoy these two great shots from the show taken by our friend Brendan Shanley.

one eskimo captivates crowd

Viki — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 20:52:44 +0000

Last night, Chicago’s Vic Theatre played host to two excellent bands – Gomez and One Eskimo. For those who do not know of One Eskimo, they are a four piece indie rock band from London, England. Lead by the beautiful vocals of Kristian Leontiou and backed by a raw acoustic guitar and driving drum beats, One Eskimo produces some of the most soothing ambient acoustic music out there. To further the experience, an animated cartoon series called “The Adventures of One Eskimo” is played on a huge screen above the band. Never before have I been so mesmerized at a concert like this. With the music playing soundtrack to the animated love story of One Eskimo tracking down his mate Little Feather, I was completely engaged and captivated. Songs like “Kandi” and “Hometime” are standouts, but all are arranged so beautifully. If you ever see One Eskimo coming to your city, I highly recommend taking part in this magical experience. www.oneeskimo.com

Enjoy this trailer for “The Adventures of One Eskimo”.

the rock band network music store is now open! vervelife lends a helping hand

Viki — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 15:59:27 +0000

Harmonix Music Systems and MTV Games, announced that the Rock Band Network Music Store opens to the public today, giving Rock Band fans and music lovers a new avenue to discover music and providing musicians and labels the opportunity to produce and promote tracks for the Rock Band platform. The Rock Band Network, announced in July, is a ground-breaking initiative that gives musicians, publishers and record labels the ability to author their original recordings into gameplay files to promote and sell their music as playable Rock Band tracks through the Rock Band Network Music Store (RBN Store).

“The Rock Band Network Music Store gives artists at any level the opportunity to reach new fans through our deeply engaging interactive platform,” said Paul DeGooyer, senior vice president of Electronic Games and Music for MTV Networks Music Group. “This new pathway for discovery is a huge win for passionate music fans, as well as an opportunity for artists to promote themselves while positively impacting their bottom line.”

Artists who submit songs for the Rock Band Network Music Store are able to choose from multiple pricing tiers for individual tracks and receive a royalty of 30 percent of the retail selling price (excluding tax) for every track purchased through the RBN Store. There are currently more than 100 songs available for purchase in the Rock Band Network Music Store from artists including The Shins, The Hold Steady, The Main Drag, Bang Camaro, of Montreal, Jonathan Coulton, Skeleton Witch, 3 Inches of Blood, Lacuna Coil, Stroke 9, and Steve Vai*. There are more than 300 artists in the RBN pipeline, with additional tracks already on the way from Flight of the Conchords, The Smashing Pumpkins, Twin Atlantic, All That Remains, Clutch, Prong, The Gaslight Anthem and many more coming soon.

With more than 1,100 tracks available to date in the original Rock Band platform, the Rock Band Network Music Store will immediately boost the number of available songs, further securing MTV Games and Harmonix’s position as the leading provider of downloadable content for music-based video games.

VerveLife helped with the launch of the RBN Music Store by authoring six tracks:

          Breathe Carolina – Hello Fascination

          Chiodos – Lexington

          Of Montreal – An Eluardian Instance

          Otep – Smash The Control Machine

          Revolting Cocks- Robo Banditos

          Sarah VonderHaar – All Mine

Be sure to visit the new store and play some of these new tracks.

pallen's pick - bob schneider - lovely creatures

Viki — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:33:40 +0000

With SXSW coming up, I thought it would be fitting to pick an album from one of Austin, Texas’ finest, Bob Schneider. Although the CD has been out for a few months, I finally got a chance to listen to it several times this past weekend, and truly dug everything about it. Lovely Creatures, which is Bob’s eleventh solo album, is an eclectic mix of music styles that have made Schneider a popular and successful musician over the years. In addition to including one of his live classic hits “Tarantula”, this album also features the smooth and catchy “40 Dogs (like Romeo and Juliet)” and the melancholy duet “Changing Your Mind” with folk legend Patty Griffin. Be sure to give Lovely Creatures a listen and if you get the chance, be sure to see Bob live. He puts on a killer show for his audience. To learn more about Bob Schneider, please visit www.bobschneidermusic.com

alex band visits the vervelife office

Viki — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:05:03 +0000

Alex Band, former lead singer/founder/songwriter for The Calling which released the #1 Adult Pop Song of the Decade “Wherever You Will Go”, stopped by the VerveLife office yesterday. After leaving his label over 5 years ago, Band bought back his album and started his own label AMB Records. Throughout 2010, Band will be traveling the world performing and promoting songs from his debut solo album “We’ve All Been There” as well as all of the old favorites from The Calling. While in the office, Band and his guitarist performed “Wherever You Will Go”, “Why Don’t You and I” which he originally did with Carlos Santana, “Adrienne”, and his new single “Tonight”. Be sure to check out the video of Band signing the VerveLife Wall-o-Fame and performing “Tonight”.

To learn more about Band and his upcoming schedule, please visit www.alexband.net.

pallen's pick - broken bells

Viki — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 18:16:56 +0000

This week’s pick is the creative side-project for Brian Burton (better known as Danger Mouse) and James Mercer (lead singer of The Shins). The pair decided to start this Indie Rock band after meeting at a Danish music festival in 2004 and finding they were fans of each other's work. Their debut album as Broken Bells will be released on March 9, 2010. The first single released was “The High Road” followed by “Vaporize”. The result of this incredible pairing yields very melodic and soulful music. To learn more about Broken Bells, visit www.brokenbells.com

pallen's pick - dawes

Viki — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 16:53:34 +0000

Yesterday, I got a call from ATO Records requesting I go see their band Dawes at the Double Door in Chicago. Now I have seen Dawes at the Double Door before and they blew me away. However, that was over a year ago, and at that moment, they were unsigned. Now, a year later, these Los Angeles rockers are signed to ATO and have been receiving high accolades from several magazines including Rolling Stone. Dawes’ debut album, North Hills, was recorded in Laurel Canyon, California and captured on analog tape giving the music that vintage sound. Part Neil Young, part Fleet Foxes, part Wilco, and part Delta Spirit, these four guys are making music that is very hard to stop listening to. With smooth harmonies, mid-tempo arrangements, and that 60’s whimsy vibe, Dawes is sure to have a promising future. Stand out tracks include “Love Is All I Am” and “When You Call My Name”. To end their set last night, lead singer Taylor Goldsmith got all Bruce Springsteen on their hit “When My Time Comes”, which completely rocked the crowd. It was too bad there was another band after them…we all could have heard a lot more of Dawes! To learn more about the band, please visit www.myspace.com/dawestheband

is it worth checking out? vervelife says yes!

Viki — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 20:13:40 +0000

Sprite’s first ever-global marketing campaign, titled The Spark in reference to the brand’s updated logo, is set to launch in March, encouraging creativity through music and film. The Spark features hip-hop musician Drake and includes online music remixing and movie-creation tools. In addition, the brand is leveraging its NBA relationship through new efforts such as an amateur dunking contest, as well as its “Step-Off” step-team competition awarding $1.5 million in college sponsorships. What’s really worth checking out though is The Spark Music Project, an online music-mixing tool encouraging consumers to make their own music. The interactive Spark site will let visitors remix music by Drake with music from emerging artists around the world. Users can share their remixes, as well as vote on other fan remixes, and save their song as mobile ring tone. Whether you’re a Drake fan, an aspiring DJ, or just an occasional Sprite drinker, check out The Spark Music Project next month!

pallen's pick - alex band - "tonight"

Viki — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:24:11 +0000

If you had listened to the radio at any time during the early 2000’s, then I can guarantee you heard Alex Band’s voice. As the lead singer of the Los Angeles alternative rock band The Calling, Band provided the signature sound that made their song “Wherever You Will Go” a smash hit. In 2005, the band decided to take an indefinite hiatus, forcing Band to embark in a solo career. During his time alone, Band provided the vocals to Carlos Santana’s “Why Don’t You & I” which became a number 1 hit on the AC charts. Band’s highly anticipated debut solo album We’ve All Been There will be released in April 2010. The first single will be “Tonight” which will definitely bring the powerful voice of Band back to the radio. It is still hard to believe that this huge rocker voice comes from a little guy like Alex. To learn more about Alex Band, be sure to visit www.alexband.net

pallen's pick - cold war kids - behave yourself ep

Viki — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 21:01:31 +0000

On Saturday night, I had the pleasure of checking out the Cold War Kids at a sold out show at Chicago’s Vic theatre. This show was one of four that the band was doing to promote the release of their Behave Yourself EP. Recorded in between tours with Death Cab For Cutie, the EP contains four tracks, with a bonus fifth song found only on the physical CD. Throughout the show, the guys showcased these new gems including the catchy lead track “Audience”. Overall, this short release portrays a lighter, smooth sound similar to that of a Jeff Buckley. With Behave Yourself, these Long Beach California natives prove that talent and confidence can be expressed in less than 15 minutes! To hear more from the Cold War Kids, be sure to visit www.coldwarkids.com