Turn It Up!: Dala - Horses (Music Video)

I first discovered the musical duo Dala when I saw them open for Chantal Kreviazuk last year and I've been hooked ever since. The duo, whose name derives from the last two letters of the members first names (AmanDA Walther, the blond, and SheiLA Carabine, the brunette), hail from Scarborough Ontario (15 minutes from me) and have already released 4 albums in their 10 years together.

With their rich harmonies and down to earth musical performances at numerous music festivals across Canada, Dala's fanbase has been growing considerably. The song Horses is from their album "Everyone Is Someone" (2011). If I remember the story correctly, Sheila wrote this song after visiting with a group of physically disabled and comatose kids at a local Children's Hospital and one boy in particular told her that when he sleeps he can run like the horses he used to ride.

Their new album "Best Day" is available now on i-Tunes.

Picture This: No Doubt - Settle Down (Single Cover)

New No Doubt Coming Soon!

I am so excited for this release! No Doubt haven't released new original music in 11 years, but on September 25th they are releasing their 6th studio album "Push and Shove" with the first single "Settle Down" being released this summer.

There's no official release date for the single yet, but rumour has it they will be performing on Good Morning America and The Jimmy Fallon Show in July, so it may be safe to assume we're looking at a July release date. Also, there have been no official details released about the album (other than the release date), so I wonder what the general sound of the album will be? "Rock Steady" was a great combination of dance and reggae infused pop gems, if they followed that recipe again, I would be incredibly happy. But, if a new direction is in store then I will gladly go along with that too. Anything to keep Gwen singing about Shit and Bananas....ANYTHING!!!!!!

The colors of the single cover look very Ska/Reggae-ish, wouldn't you say?

Laugh It Up: Mario Cantone - Laugh Whore (Clips)

In 2004, Actor/Comedian/Singer Mario Cantone wrote and starred in his second one man show "Laugh Whore" at Broadway's Cort Theatre. The show ran from October 2004 to January 2005 and earned him a Tony nomination for Best Special Theatrical Event.

Mario's comedy routine runs the gamut from impersonations of famous diva's (from Liza Minnelli to Faye Dunaway), to comedic musical numbers, to stories about his own life experiences and career choices.

These are two of my favorite clips from this show. One, about his years working on a childrens show called "Steam Pipe Alley", and the other about famous women he wished he could have seen perform in The Vagina Monologues. Hilarious!

Turn It Up!: Mitsou - Deep Kiss (Music Video)

I'm adding this video by 90's French Canadian Pop Artist Mitsou for two reasons. One, because I love her and I'm feeling nostalgic. Two, because I was talking about her with a few friends on Twitter (American friends lol) and they had never heard of her (except for my friend Joe), and well, I think that's a shame. Now, most of them disagreed with me when I said I preferred her version of the song "Heading West" over Cyndi Lauper's original version (the one time I will ever choose another artist over Cyndi), and that's fine by me, but in order to showcase the brilliance that was Mitsou back in the early 90's, I've chosen to post one of her other cross over hits.

For those of you also unaware of who Mitsou is, she is a French Canadian (born in Loretteville Quebec), singer, businesswoman, radio and television personality and occassional actress who had mild success with singles like "Dis-Moi, Dis-Moi", "Heading West", "Deep Kiss", "Bye Bye Mon Cowboy", and "Comme j'ai toujours envie d'aimer" back in the early to mid 90's.

Though she had much radio success, her video's were always a bit too racey to be played on Much Music and were often times banned from the station until the creation of their late night program "Too Much For Much". This video must have been alright by them though, since I remember seeing it repeatedly played when I was 10.

In the years that followed her mild Pop success, Mitsou was a co-host on a Morning radio show in Quebec, hosted the show Au Courant for CBC Newsworld, a news program that featured Hot new trends and places in French Canada (among other television gigs) and is the editor of the Quebec magazine "Clin d'oeil".

I dream of the day when she'll release new music, until then I'll listen to her back catalogue on repeat.

Turn It Up!: Xenia - Sing You Home (Music Video)

Not much has changed since the public last saw this 17 year old on the first season of NBC's The Voice. Yes, she has a new 4-track EP out entitled "Sing You Home", a video for the title track, and numerous followers on Facebook and Twitter (okay, so some things have changed), but her performance demeanor still seems as withdrawn and stiff as it was when she was on the show, but now that she has these new opportunities at hand, I'm sure she will gradually loosen up and be less nervous.

Having said all that, I think this is a great song for her to have debuted with. The piano/drum/bass beat is fantastic and her voice really soars towards the end. If she can let the rest of her body be as free as her voice, then she would be a force to be reckoned with in the world of teenage pop artists.

Listen Up: Spice Girls Announce Viva Forever Musical

The Fab Five reunited this past Tuesday to announce the completion of their latest (and probably last) group endeavor, a musical which will be based around their music (a la Mamma Mia!) entitled "Viva Forever".

The Girls have been talking about this project since the end of their "Return Of The Spice Girls" Reunion Tour in 2008, and thanks to the "Absolutely Fabulous" Jennifer Saunders (who wrote the show) and producer Judy Craymer (of Mamma Mia fame) it has become a reality.

All 5 girls arrived at St Pancras Hotel in London (where they shot the video for their infamous first single "Wannabe" back in 1996) for the launch party, and caused quite a commotion, as they do. Watch the video to see the girls reflections on the venture and to hear a little about what to expect from the show.

Tickets for "Viva Forever" at the Piccadilly Theatre are onsale now! Damn, I really feel like going back to London for vacation.

Turn It Up!: Jay Brannan - Rob Me Blind (Music Video)

Here's the official video for the third single, and title track from Jay's latest album "Rob Me Blind". The video features Jay silently dreaming of the possibilities of a relationship/life with a cute stranger in an elevator, seeing a new scenario upon the arrival of each floor and ultimately stopping at the top with an ambivalent but hopeful ending.

I've tried to write this post a couple of times in the past few hours, and I seem to have a hard time expressing myself when it comes to my love for Jay's music. For me, he is the kind of artist that you listen to and you think, "This guy could be one of my best friends if we knew each other, because from the sound of his lyrics, he just get's me." His songs are very relatable, he expresses the way I feel on pretty much a daily basis, to the point where I think, if I had the ability or the talent to write music, it would probably sound exactly the same as his. So, thank you Jay for being a musical soulmate of sorts.

If you don't have his new album, I highly suggest you pay a visit to i-tunes, amazon, or even www.jaybrannan.com and buy away. You won't be disappointed!!!

Turn It Up: Janet Jackson - Escapade (Music Video)

I want to say a quick thank you to whoever has been investing any amount of time looking at this silly little (Non-blog) Blog of mine. I really only ever post nonsense because I just kinda do it for me, but I've received over 1000 views today and that is so nice to see. I hope you'll keep coming back and enjoying the posts, I like to think they're kinda fun (I should probably post more than I do).

In honor of this nice benchmark, and as a thank you to you, the reader, I've added the music video for one of my favorite Janet Jackson songs from the album "Rhythm Nation 1814". When my brother first bought the album on cassette back in the day (I was 8 I think), I remember we would listen to Escapade over and over on a loop, rewinding at least 6 or 7 times before moving on to the rest of the album. I loved (and still love) the frivolous/celebratory essence of this song.

"Cash my cheque, I'm ready to go. I promise you I'll show you such a good time!"

Thanks again! xoxo

Happy 60th Birthday John Goodman

Have you ever been asked the question, "If you could choose any tv characters to be your family members, who would you choose?"

Well, when asked this question, I have always said that if I could pick a tv Dad to be my Dad, I would either choose Laverne's Dad from "Laverne & Shirley" or DAN CONNOR!!! John Goodman played Dan Connor as equally loving, playful, and funny as he played him tough, tragic, and flawed, which to me (especially in the 90's) was the most exemplary way to portray a father figure on television. He wasn't perfect in a Mike Brady way, nor was he simply a buffoon like Al Bundy, he was beautifully human.

So, I'd like to toast the man on his 60th Birthday for all of his fine work in film and television, but mostly for Dan Connor!

PS. I probably could have picked a better clip, but I think this episode was hilarious and it also showcases the comic genius that is Laurie Metcalf (Jackie). "Is this the sink? Am I shrinking?"

Talk To Me: Alanis Morissette with Jon Pareles

There's one thing that closely rivals my love for listening to Alanis sing and that's, of course, listening to her speak. She expresses herself so eloquently that it's hard not to become transfixed by her vocabulary choices (even if at times it just sounds like a bunch of meandering gobbledy gook). She is very sorted and self assured about her opinions when it comes to her path in life.

Here she sits down with NY Times journalist Jon Pareles to discuss the creation of her upcoming album "Havoc & Bright Lights", her new role as wife and mother and how each has informed her art, and the path that she has taken from her early pop days to the present that has helped mould her into the woman she is now.

One of my favorite parts of the interview is when she says that fans can go and buy 1 song on an album for 99 cents on i-tunes if they wish, but if they want to get the entire snapshot, listening to the entire album is the way to go because songs are like brothers and sisters, they talk to eachother. I love this description because for the last few years, I have noticed that I now prefer to listen to entire albums as opposed to listening to music on shuffle when I'm going to sit down and listen. The only time I enjoy shuffling music is in my car, at a party, or on the treadmill. Otherwise, I prefer listening to an artists chosen landscape in full. It helps me connect to them in a strange way.

So anyway, it's kind of a long interview, but if you have an hour and a bit to spare, watch away.

Happy Birthday Judy Garland!!!!

On this, what would have been Judy Garland's 90th Birthday, I pay tribute to the ultimate silver screen legend and one of the most incredible voices of all time, by sharing several video's from her phenomenal career. Even though she only lived to the young age of 47, her legacy will always live on through her films and the amazing music she brought to us all!

Turn It Up: Fiona Apple - Every Single Night (Video) + Pitchfork Interview

Today, Fiona Apple finally released the music video for her new single "Every Single Night" from her new album "The Idler Wheel..." which will be released on June 19th.

Though the release is only a week away, Fiona has been leaking a few of the tracks from the album on Soundcloud via her Facebook fan page. By the sounds of it, the album is going to be very stripped down and minimalist without much production.

She sat down with the folks at Pitchfork Media to explain her thoughts on the music industry, touring and the making of The Idler Wheel... (extremely interesting)!

Check out the Interview Here!

Liven It Up: William Fitzsimmons - Maybe Be Alright (Live In San Diego)

This is one of those posts where I don't even want to write anything about it, I just want the music to speak for itself.

All I'm going to say is that William's healtfelt and sometimes brutally honest music is so beautifully subdued and soothing that it almost makes me want to cry. I really feel every word. Please watch it (and hopefully love it).

This track is taken from his album "The Sparrow And The Crow" (2008)

Turn It Up: Lisa Marie Presley - You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet

I'm madly in love with Lisa Marie Presley's newest album "Storm & Grace"! This is her first album since 2005's "Now What" and you can really hear the difference that 7 years makes in a growing artists life.

On her first two albums Lisa seemed to be trying to prove that she could follow in her infamous father's footsteps, and geared her sound toward more radio friendly Rock Pop gems that didn't always hit the right mark. But on this album, she has found her place in the musical landscape and was able to speak her truth (good and bad) in the form of 15 country laden folk/blues songs.

The first single "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet" sounds lyrically as though it's targetting her critics over the years ("You can think that I'm evil and I'm off the rails, you ain't seen nothin' yet. If I don't get with your system then I'm sure to fail, you ain't seen nothin' yet"), and many of the songs do seem to be about past relationships (one or two even being about the death of her ex husband Michael Jackson).

Anywho, the video for the single is beautifully dark and reminds me in some ways of something Stevie Nicks might have released, but that is a fantastic artist to emulate and emote.