[Video] Mike Golden & Friends: "Every Morning Love"
Well, if you haven't heard, love is in the air. Adding to the Valentine's Day spirit is Mike Golden & Friends out of Chicago. The soul rock group adds another layer to the already heightened sense of the four letter word with another well-crafted video from the talented Elijah Alvarado. Never one to do things the same twice, Alvarado begins the video with Golden beginning a wall of dominoes, which then pace the first few moments of the visual depiction of the band's song "Every Morning Love", eventually sparking a mechanism, seemingly out of the opening scene of The Sandlot, that announces the title in one of the most creative ways I've ever seen it done. Remember when the song title and artist name were just white writing in the bottom left corner? It's 2014, people. Basically, Golden and Alvarado set up a girl's dream Valentine's Day morning set to a single off the band's latest project, Utopia. Check it out below.
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[Songs of the Day] Peter CottonTale's Valentine's Day Love Jams
Valentine's Day is nothing without the music. Sultry sounds and smooth beats can go a long way towards setting the perfect mood on your February the 14th, and few know this better than the one and only Peter CottonTale. When deciding on who to turn to for a romantic mix of music to get listeners in the mood for tonight, CottonTale, who evokes thoughts of old school jazz and soul music with his own production, seemed like a logical choice. With an eclectic taste, the Acid Rap crafter put together a group of songs that can give even the stiffest of dudes some swagger in their step. The playlist is available on Spotify, so feel free to take CottonTale with you as you venture out into the night. Without further ado, I give you "Peter CottonTale's Valentine's Day Love Jams".
[Songs of the Day] 2/13/14 (Feat. Jeremih, Kirk Night, Little Dragon & More)
There are a few over-arching themes throughout February that seem to dictate much of the music that is made in the thirty-one days that make up the second month of the year, and it seems each is touched on in our latest entry of today's "Songs of the Day". Leading off our list is Pro-Era affiliate Kirk Night, who lays down what's real in his latest track, "Pussy Facx" while EDM queen Odesza teams up with Madelyn Grant for a dance-inducing romp in "Sun Models". The Game and Problem showed that Midwest slang has finally hit the coast in "THOT", Vulkan The Crusader touches on the important questions this time of the year, offering up, "Do You Remember How To Love?"and Jeremih teamed up with EDM act Shlomo for a new track in "No More". MØ takes things back to "Spice World" on "Say You'll Be There" while Little Dragon gives us "Klapp Klapp". Chicago's young gunners got some play today too as Michael Christmas and Alex Wiley got together for "Step Brothers" and Jams Dean continues the Valentine's Day sentiment with "Why Do I Love You" where he reprises his positive collaboration with producer Netherfriends. Wrapping up today's tracks are RiFF RaFF going country in "Take You Away" and CyHi The Prynce offers up "Coretta" in honor of the wife of Martin Luther King Jr. Check it all out, streaming below.
Track of the Day: CyHi The Prynce: "Coretta"
Kirk Night: “Pussy Facx”
Odesza: “Sun Models” (Feat. Madelyn Grant)
The Game: “THOT” (Feat. Problem)
Vulkan The Crusader: “Do You Remember Love?”
Jeremih & Shlomo: “No More”
Jams Dean: “Why Do I Love You” (Feat. Abbi Rajasekhar, Epic Of BBU, Netherfriends)
Michael Christmas: “Step Brothers” (Feat. Alex Wiley)
MØ: “Say You'll Be There”
Little Dragon: "Klapp Klapp"
Riff Raff: “Take U Away”
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CyHi The Prynce: “Coretta"
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[Video] whysowhite Performs on AudioTree
Chicago funk band whysowhite has been incessantly working their way up the music rungs with their vibrant, fun combination of dance-inducing funk and hip-hop flows that come together to create one of my personal favorite live shows in the Windy City or elsewhere. Led by a trio of vocalist/MCs Davis & Charles Haines and Nick and Nick McMillan, the seven-piece band brings it every time they take the stage. Recently, they linked up with fellow Chicago outfit AudioTree to film a session for the website. Their set, perfected during incessant practice takes at their home/rehearsal space in a converted 'FireHaus' on the north side of the city, is wildly fun and imaginative, and available for purchase via AudioTree. The band has played gigs with the likes of George Clinton, Joey ChestnuTT and Macklemore, among others, and should turn this year's SXSW into a jump off moving forward. whysowhite has been boiling for a minute, it's about time they popped. Check out the full video, streaming below and if you're in Chicago be sure to catch whysowhite and Marrow on March 1 at Martyr's in Lincoln Square.
[Video] Jhene Aiko Performs "The Worst" on Conan
Songstress Jhene Aiko continued her tour of late night TV sets, last night making her rounds at the Conan O'Brien Show on TBS to perform her song "The Worst." The beautifull, charming Aiko killed the track, as was expected with her having performed the song now on Jimmy Kimmel, Saturday Night Live with Drake and on Jimmy Fallon, maybe she'll also help Seth Myers settle in next week? Anyway, it's always a good day when you can wake up and hear Jhene sing, check out the full video streaming below.
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[Video] RH First Look: ZMoney
The temperature continued to drop, hitting seven degrees as my photographer, Bryan Lamb and myself pulled up to Emma's, a restaurant on the west side of Chicago. As we drove west from the heart of the loop of Chicago down Route 64, the landscape began to change. Amongst a neighborhood with more storefronts closed or shuttered than not, Emma's is a bright light, with it's freshly-painted windows and well-kept exterior, a hand-written sign braving the bitter cold to announce the day's special of catfish. Walking in we were warmly greeted, with unexpected laughter erupting when we announced who we were there to see. "They here to talk to Z Money!" his aunt shouted in somewhat disbelief from behind the counter. It's hard to blame her, too.
The first thing I remember about Z Money is how frustrating it was to find a photo of him this summer when trying to post his music. Employing a homegrown marketing scheme, the west side artist, who only started rapping something like a year and a half ago and his team decided to drop two mixtapes, Heroin Musik & Rich B4 Rap side by side on the same day. The release and the songs it contained made Complex Magazine's David Drake take notice, quickly branding Z Money as an artist to know by including him on their list of "25 Artists to Watch Out For". No on had heard of him before that, he hadn't done an interview, few had seen his face; Z Money was largely a mystery.
To solve some of that mystery, Lamb and myself now found ourselves in front of two steaming plates of shrimp n' grits, the special at Emma's. The restaurant is owned and operated by Z Money and from what we could tell, staffed as well by family members. Named after his Grandma, the cozy spot serves soul food with a smile and some home made Kool-aid. You don't hear about a lot of 20-year-old aspiring rap artists who own their own company, let alone a restaurant. But, contrary to much of his lyrical content, Z Money is out to better those around him as his name continues to grow. Thanks to the folks at Vice, much of the country now in one way or another refers to Chicago as "Chiraq", a 'clever' marketing scheme to sell individual's realities as a product. Talking to Z, one can feel his passion for showing a different route, his penchant for being a role model and his hunger to continue to climb. There is talk of upping the game and releasing a trio of mixtapes later this year. For now, though, this young Chicagoan is reveling in life and preparing himself to be the next big thing from a city that has steadily produced some of the top up and coming artists in hip-hop over the past couple of years. Check out the full conversation I had with Z Money, below.
2014 MTV Woodie Award Nominees Announced
The MTV Woodies, the cable channel's reaction to indie music, announced the nominees for this year's award show, chosen by voters online yesterday. The nominees included a who's who of artists and acts that dominated the up and coming charts in 2013. In the hunt for the coveted "Woodie of the Year" are familiar names in Kanye West, Drake and Pharrell, as well as some more eclectic choices in Disclosure, Imagine Dragons, Lorde and Zedd. Chance The Rapper and director Austin Vesely are nominated for the "Best Video Woodie" for the "Everybody's Something" video. They will be up against some stiff competition from Disclosure ("Grab Her"), Passion Pit ("Carried Away"), Iggy Azalea ("Bounce") and Arcade Fire ("Afterlife"). Chance pops up again for his collaboration on "Life Round Here" with James Blake and Jhene Aiko and Mack Wilds round out a fairly solid list for "Breaking Woodie". Honestly, it's odd to find names like Beyonce and Jay Z on this list of nominees, which seem more tailored to Macklemore than the Grammys did a few weeks ago. Bob Dylan is nominated for a "Did It My Way Woodie". What's more 'My Way' than releasing an album (The Heist, Acid Rap) independently only to see it beat out the big guys? The line between independent and mainstream is being increasingly scrubbed away, and the 2014 edition of the Woodie Awards may be the best implication of that.
The MTV Woodies take place March 13 in Austin, TX, and will air March 16 on MTVU. Check out the full list of nominees below.
2014 mtvU Woodie Awards Nominees
Woodie of the Year:
Imagine Dragons
Lorde
Pharrell
Drake
Zedd
Disclosure
Breaking Woodie:
Bastille
Martin Garrix
The 1975
Jhene Aiko
Sam Smith
Mack Wilds
Best Video Woodie:
Disclosure, "Grab Her"
Passion Pit, "Carried Away"
Chance the Rapper, "Everybody's Something"
Iggy Azalea, "Bounce"
Arcade Fire, "Afterlife"
Did It My Way Woodie:
Beyoncé — Released her new, self-titled album without any prior promotion.
Kanye West — Created an interactive music video experience for Yeezus
Arcade Fire — Creatively utilized social media, street art and pop-up performances to launch the Reflektor album.
Childish Gambino — Hosted impromptu album listening sessions in public parks for Because the Internet.
Bob Dylan — Created a 16 channel interactive music video for "Like a Rolling Stone."
Performing Woodie:
Tyler the Creator
Ed Sheeran
Jay Z
Arcade Fire
The National
The XX
Best Collaboration Woodie:
A$AP Rocky and Skrillex — "Wild For the Night"
Avicii and Aloe Blacc — "Wake Me Up"
Just Blaze and Baauer featuring Jay Z — "Higher"
Kendrick Lamar and Imagine Dragons — "Radioactive (remix)"
Daft Punk and Pharrell — "Get Lucky"
James Blake and Chance the Rapper — "Life Round Here"
College Radio Woodie (Best College Radio Station):
Ball State University (WCRD)
Boston University (WTBU)
East Stroudsburg University (WESS)
Eastern Illinois University (WEIU)
Indiana University (WIUX)
Texas State University - San Marcos (KTSW)
University of California - Berkeley (KALX)
University of Illinois - Champaign Urbana (WPGU)
University of South Carolina (WUSC)
William Paterson University (WPSC)
[Songs of the Day] 2/12/14 (Feat. Common, HeadHunterz & #100Trill)
Hump Day was a slower day for a lot of big artists releasing content, allowing us to branch out a bit and see what was out there. RAC keeps things upbeat midweek with their delightfully bouncy, harmonic "Repeating Motion" featuring Karl Kling and HeadHunterz offered up a stadium-sized new track to get you out of bed in and into the polar vortex with their latest in "Breakout" with Audiofreq ("Weapons ready? Let's dance"). Maya Vik gives us some 80s soul with her new song, "Totally Right", MISUN keeps things tropical in the middle of the winter with "Travel With Me". Wild Beasts tease their new album, Present Tense with a grooving, deep-bellied "Sweet Spot" while Mariah Carey adds Trey Songz to the remix of her latest hit "You're Mine (Eternal)".
Once again, this Midwest had a steady string of hip-hop hit the web today as well with Fred Santana strapping on an auto-tune jetpack on "It's Only Right", Lil Herb giving listeners some new with "Koolin" and Lyric teaming up with Caleb James for "Weekend". The duo of #100Trill dropped the first single off their upcoming Muzik 2 Check Yo Bitch 2 EP, due out in time for Valentine's Day with "Contemplating" and we get a new song from Frank Leone in "Night Brigade".
Track of the Day: Common: "Made In Black America" (Feat. Ab-Soul): Common and Ab-Soul did a song together, there's really not much more to say. Listen below.
Common: "Made In Black America" (Feat. Ab-Soul)
RAC: “Repeating Motion” (Feat. Karl Kling)
Fredo Santana: “It’s Only Right”
Lil Herb aka G Herbo: “Koolin”
Frank Leone: “Night Brigade”
Lyric: “Weekend” (Feat. Caleb James)
#100Trill: “Contemplating” (Feat. King BL)
Headhunterz & Audiofreq: “Breakout”
Maya Vik: “Totally Right”
Joyner Lucas: “Eyes on the Ceiling”
MISUN: “Travel With Me”
Wild Beasts: “Sweet Spot”
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Mariah Carey: "You're Mine (Eternal) Remix" (Feat. Trey Songz)
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