Superbe version acoustique de Heal Over, extrait du premier album de KT Tunstall.

* writing
* football
* my iPod Nano which is 8GB of my life
* shopping
* music
* my family
* my friends
* my life

8 things i say or do often

* "damn"
* "totally"
* "like...so"
* go online
* worry
* watch movies/sitcoms
* laugh
* wonder

8 favorite movies

* 10 Things I Hate About You
* Grease
* A Knight's Tale
* Love Actually
* Back to the Future
* Troop Beverly Hills
* Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
* She's All That

8 things i could listen to all over again

* Golden Skans by The Klaxons
* At The Beginning by Richard Marx and Donna Lewis
* Young Love by Mystery Jets
* Crushcrushcrush by Paramore
* Crazy (Gnarls Barkley cover) by The Kooks
* I Feel It All by Feist
* Hopeless by KT Tunstall
* Time Won't Let Me Go by The Bravery

8 things I've learnt last year

* Good things don't always happen to good people.
* Never be impulsive; think thoroughly before making a decision.
* Always charge the camera before any big event.
* Rent a house that is full of life or you may just die a lifeless death.
* Indie music rocks so much better.
* Anytime available internet is always better than restricted access internet.
* Reading novels never go out of style.
* Never buy any clothing out of desperation; stop-gaps are never timeless.

Yeah I know, a post without photos, a rarity, but hey, even I have some photo-less moments.

Chaka Khan
Borgata Music Box
Saturday, August 9th - 9pm
$65

The multiple Grammy Award-winning singer Chaka Khan, known for hit songs such as "I'm Every Woman", "I Feel For You" and "Through the Fire", will perform at Borgata's Music Box on Saturday, August 9.

With the 2007 release of her album FUNK THIS, Chaka returns to her musical roots, bringing together a selection of her own compositions and collaborations with fresh readings of classic tunes originated by Prince, Joni Mitchell, and Jimi Hendrix.

A renowned proponent of ‘old school' soul music, her energy, dynamism, and passion through live performances for over three decades, Chaka has brought her special brand of vocal magic to audiences the world over.
New Kids On The Block
Borgata Event Center
Friday, November 7th - 8pm
$125; $85

New Kids On The Block - the group that forever defined what the modern boy band would look and sound like - are back together for the very first time in nearly 15 years with their hotly anticipated international concert tour stopping by Borgata's Event Center for a second show on November 7th.

The band, comprised of Jordan Knight, Jonathan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg and Danny Wood, are taking charge of their own destiny with new music that they found and funded themselves. The Kids' new tour will include all the familiar hits such as "You Got It (The Right Stuff)", "Cover Girl", and "Step by Step".

"I want it to be redemption for the fans," Donnie Wahlberg explains. "I want them to feel entertained, to feel treated to something special. And I want them to be so satisfied by what they get that they'll realize they weren't crazy all those years ago - that they put their heart into the right place back then and that it was worth the wait to come back again."

Borgata's Entertainment Schedule

Chelsea Handler
Music Box / July 5 - 8 p.m. and 11 p.m.

John Legend
Event Center / July 6 - 8 p.m.

Two Funny Philly Guys starring Joe Conklin and Big Daddy Graham
Music Box / July 6 - 9 p.m.

Russell Peters
Music Box / July 11 - 9 p.m.
Music Box / July 12 - 9 p.m.

Van Morrison
Event Center / July 12 - 7:30 p.m.

Eagles
Event Center / July 17 - 8 p.m.
Event Center / July 19 - 8 p.m.

Dom Irrera with Richard Belzer
Music Box / July 18 - 9 p.m.

Brad Garrett
Music Box / July 19 - 8 p.m. & 11:30 p.m.

Aretha Franklin
Music Box / July 25 - 9 p.m.

Crosby, Stills & Nash
Event Center / July 26 - 8 p.m.

The Killers
Event Center / August 1 - 8 p.m.

Earth, Wind & Fire
Event Center / August 2 - 8p.m.

Jill Scott
Event Center / August 3 - 8 p.m.

K.T. Tunstall
Music Box / August 8 - 9 p.m.

Counting Crows & Maroon 5
Event Center / August 8 - 8 p.m.

Stone Temple Pilots
Event Center / August 9 - 8 p.m.

Chaka Khan ***
Music Box / August 9 - 9 p.m.

Chris Rock
Event Center / August 15 - 8 p.m. & 11:30 p.m.

Herbie Hancock
Music Box / August 16 - 9 p.m.

Bob Dylan
Event Center / August 16 - 8 p.m.

Rod Stewart
Event Center / August 22 - 8 p.m.
Event Center / August 23 - 8 p.m.

Andrew Dice Clay
Music Box / August 22 - 9 p.m.
Music Box / August 23 - 9 p.m.

Carlos Mencia
Event Center / August 31 - 7 p.m.

New Kids on the Block
Event Center / September 27 - 8 p.m.
Event Center / November 7 - 8 p.m. ***

The Black Crowes
Event Center / October 11 - 8 p.m.

About Borgata
Borgata is a joint venture of Boyd Gaming Corporation (NYSE: BYD) and MGM MIRAGE (NYSE: MGM). Located at Renaissance Pointe in Atlantic City, it features 2,000 guest rooms and suites, 161,000 square feet of gaming, 200 gaming tables, 4,100 slot machines, 11 destination restaurants, 12 retail boutiques, a 54,000 square foot spa, 70,000 square feet of event space, and parking for 7,100 cars. For more information on Borgata or to obtain a copy of this press release, please visit theborgata.com or use AOL keyword: borgata. Additional news and information on Boyd Gaming can be found at boydgaming.com; additional information on MGM MIRAGE can be found at mgmmirage.com.

In this round of touring, Tunstall's show will highlight the way her vibrant and versatile music "distinguish(es) herself from the herd by demonstrating a wealth of musical possibilities," as a Boston Herald reviewer put it a few weeks ago. The artist notes: "I'm very excited to be bringing my vintage electric guitars over to the U.S. for this month, and mixing the acoustic roots of Eye to the Telescope with the more complex driving sounds of Drastic Fantastic."

For the whole article and much more, go to www.eyemusicnetwork.com

***

Suddenly I see
This is what I wanna be
Suddenly I see
Why the hell it means so much to me

~ as performed by KT Tunstall

***

I couldn’t sleep at all last night, for in my mind ran that old familiar tune of defeat.

I went to the kitchen to have a slice of pizza -- comfort food in an increasingly uncomfortable world. I sat there, in the dark, thinking about my future, wondering if I would be okay. These past sixteen months have been brutal. Now with every heartbeat I felt haggard and beaten down.

I use the term 'beaten down' in the figurative sense, but sometimes the pain is so difficult I check the mirror to make sure I’m not bruised or cut. Standing there, the emptiness is deafening, almost as thunderous as the cries of disenfranchised Florida and Michigan voters.

How could Democrats allow things to spiral this far out of control?

I think back to my studies: women’s rights, civil rights, freedom of speech. Had all that time spent memorizing every word of the constitution, of JFK’s stirring inauguration speech, of MLK’s defiant demand for equality, and of Mary Wollstonecraft’s “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman” been in vain? Should I question my teachers for insisting I read and savor these writings? Why should words mean much to me now when I have seen the rights of voters overlooked, their voices are silenced?

I have heard Martin Luther King Jr. repeat his timeless words over and over again in my mind:

“Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends. And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.'”

While I know he was referring to African Americans and the hardships they face in their struggles, these words have new meaning today.

JFK, too, once empowered me to look beyond the injustice I am witnessing:

“We observe today not a victory of party but a celebration of freedom–-symbolizing an end as well as a beginning–-signifying renewal as well as change.”

Too bad I can’t completely agree anymore.

It's been just over a month since thirty people decided to ignore the voters of Florida and Michigan, giving delegates to a candidate who didn’t earn them. Is it because he’s a man? Is it because he’s a black man?

I’ve given this countless hours of careful consideration. I’m well educated, I know my history and I’ve won my share of accolades in the field of human rights debates. I have no protest to the nomination of a well experienced, honest, steadfast African American candidate…there’s just one problem -- that’s not what we’ve got.

According to my youth and education, I should be voting for this candidate…but I’m not. And there’s a reason I’m holding onto my precious vote -- he didn’t earn it.

Throughout this historic process, we have seen many advances in America’s ability to be “color blind,” but we’ve also been dealt a heavy blow by the media’s reticent behavior when it comes to a female candidate. A highly qualified, intelligent, compassionate, brave, ready to step up and be counted WOMAN. A woman who has more than thirty years of experience working to better the lives of other women, children, the working class, Hispanics, African-Americans, the elderly -- everyday people.

A woman who has dedicated her life to helping and speaking up for those who cannot help or speak for themselves, who find it too difficult to get anyone to hear them…but she listens. For her many years spent on such a noble crusade, what does she get in return?

She’s called vile names, her very life is threatened, she is the victim of personal attacks, she is nothing short of abused. Abuse doesn’t have to be a slap or a kick in order to hurt. Having your life’s work, your legacy thrown back in your face hurts.

Every insult hurled her way hit me too; every cheap shot affected me just as much as her…if not more. I’ve become accustomed to the fact that powerful woman are often treated as less than powerful men. It constantly pushes into my subconscious, pulling at my already fragile faith in the advances we have made as women -- marching in protest, demanding the right to vote. Mothers, daughters, sisters and wives insisting men and other women treat them as equals.

These women are my heroes; they stood up and took action against the sometimes disheartening male dominated world they lived in. They expected to be treated with dignity and the respect they rightfully deserved. All the rights denied to them -- the right to vote, the right to equality, the right to have the opportunity for advanced education -- are freedoms we take for granted today.

In her book, Wollstonecraft contended that society will degenerate without educated women, particularly because mothers are the primary educators of young children. Every time the media shoots down a woman for being independent -- for not leaning on a man for support when things get heated -- one can’t help but wonder if they’d ever think these things about their own mothers. If you’re willing to say such malicious remarks about a woman who is merely running for a highly coveted office, and who has the experience and knowledge to execute the office correctly, you should also be willing to admit that you don’t take the women’s rights movement seriously. That your mothers, daughters, wives, sisters, and all the women in your life who are of any value shouldn’t be taken seriously.

I shall not give my vote to a party that has thrown Democracy to the wind. I will stand instead beside my fellow Americans, for we are all the victims of prejudice at times. We are women, men, children. We are white, black, rich, poor, young, old, well educated, smart enough to know the difference between right and wrong, between just and unjust. I stand because I refuse to allow a lesser candidate to take a nomination he didn’t deserve. I refuse to step down and accept that I am defeated In standing up for myself and my rights I am taking a stand against a media dripping wet with misogyny and sexism.

I stand for my country, my future, myself, and my President, Hillary Rodham Clinton.

A change in the wind is upon us, I intend to fill my sails and coast through the stormy seas of a mismanaged nomination process. I shall dock on the port of life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and equality for all.

United beside Hillary we shall all stand.

***

Aha! Festival time! The season when all publications pull out their stock book of cliches and plagiarise themselves in a transparent effort to seem at one with the zeitgeist! Huzzah! Boomshanka!

As if you weren't sick of it already from the endless coverage in every publication other than music magazines (that shithouse NME aside), as if you hadn't puked real tears from your colon upwards upon seeing 'style thermometers' in the broadsheets recommending which designer wellies to shove on your pointless feet, as if you hadn't already ticked off which hopeless, mediocre, electro-punk-fuzz rock/pop fusion supergroups you were going to lap up in lacklustre fashion like an artificial indie drone when you finally got to the hell of the desecrated countryside, they then go and put Glastonbury ON THE FUCKING TV as well.

For the purposes of this blog and in the vain hope of seeing a half decent performance (in comfort rather than from the back of an enormous marquee while trying to avoid a flag some South African twat keeps waving), I tuned in. I V plussed the whole lot and forwarded a hell of a lot of the crap.

That's a lot of forwarding. A hell of a lot. My forward finger's gone all bent.

Before I start, I should point out that I don't for one moment think that watching all of the BBC's output gives any insight into the festival itself. I'm clear that this is a BBC production and that many of those who went to Glastonbury won't have seen any of the crap outlined below and will have had a jolly wheeze. This is really a criticism of the rubbish on BBCs 3, 4 and 2 more than Eavis's garden fete. So if you went, don't get all defensive.

Trying to keep a chronological list of what I viewed would've been logistically difficult, so I'll highlight and lowlight what I absorbed.

Full-on, MOR bilge

Mark Ronson, step right up. Hours were dedicated to this little shyster playing his coffee-table cover versions. Except he wasn't really playing - he was whacking a cowbell while a team of session musicians joylessly flapped about behind him. To distract the audience from this fact, special guest after special guest was invited out to ruin perfectly good songs. The best example of this was Lily Allen shitting on the already shitty Oh My God by the Kaiser Chiefs.

Flat, atonal, vocally weak, if this wasn't an abject lesson in why famous peoples' kids shouldn't be indulged on the strength of their name, I don't know what is.

In addition to this, we suffered KT Turnstile, James fucking fuck's sake Blunt, Will Young (?!), Goldfrapp, Crowded Fucking House and yes, Vampire Weekend. Despite claims to the contrary, this band are as middle of the bloody road as a centrally plonked white line in a central motorway along the equator. So, so dull. Sting. The Police. Get lost.

Rubbish, weak, noughties indie

Pigeon Detectives. Kate Nash, Get Cape, Wear Cape, Get Lost. The Enemy. Editors. All of these were showcased on the BBC while interesting bands (interesting because I quite like them) such as Los Campesinos, Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Young Knives were all overlooked in favour of the flavour of the month, which inevitably left a bitter taste on the buds.

A handful of highlights

A song each on the main coverage from Spiritualized, Band of Horses, The Verve, MGMT, The National. Despite the fact that the latter were rather sullied when Edith Bowman made out she'd invented them. A few full sets on the red button (including some of the above groups) were alright as well, but were also non-recordable - which was handy.

Hip hop at Glastonbury

I'm a fan of a fair bit of hip hop music but as I'm middle class and from the midlands I try not to talk about it in public for fear of sounding anything like Tim Westwood. Jay Z's set was alright, considering live hip hop usually sounds abominable. What was hard to digest was the constant adulation the BBC presenters gave businessman and occasional rapper Jigga.

He's made a few great to excellent tunes, fair enough, and he's sold a lot of records, but he does put out a fair bit of shite. Anything he's done with that berk Pharrell is unlistenable. The constant 'bringing hip hop to Glastonbury' celebration the presenters brayed about was ludicrous - hip hop has been at the festival for years. Why don't the likes of Roots Manuva get the honour of bringing the genre to a festival it's already at? Nonsense.

The bloody presenters

Mark Radcliffe dithered but was amiable. Lauren Laverne was her usual geeky self - likable but irritating simultaneously. Phil Jupitus was wheeled out for nostalgic reasons. That Rufus chap with the comedy moustache had the unenviable task of showing the odd stuff that goes on away from the music at Glastonbury to entertain people on drugs and pierced bozos. All of these I could bear. Even that Grimshaw fellow was alright. The rest of them were horrible.

Jo Whiley, a woman who seems to be permanently wincing, kept trying to tell her audience that they were missing out by not being there where all other presenters were trying to convince them that they were better off at home watching footage. I've followed Whiley's career from the off. I remember her first ever transmission where she kept talking over a live Teenage Fanclub set on Radio One and she's not improved. Not one jot.

Annie Mac looked extremely vacant. She earns bonus points for having passively dissed Mark Ronson, but aside from that she was nothing more than a curly blur. Grimshaw (is that his name or have I made that up?) kept her afloat. She was clearly on hyper-intertia-drugs.

The booby prizes undoubtedly go to Edith Bowman and Zane Lowe.

It's baffling to me why these two are in gainful employment. Edith talks so earnestly and joylessly about stuff that's completely pointless that it makes the viewer roll their eyes frequently enough for it to resemble epilepsy.

Zane Lowe, on the other hand, sits like a twatty teenager thinking he's above everything. His wisecracks are second-rate, his wannabe laidback style conceals panic inside and his attempts at cool come off as horribly desperate. Putting these two together was a low shot from the BBC, designed to annoy the sit-at-home festival goer so much that they got to the point of watching the stuff on the red button, just to prove that people use that neglected function.

Apart from that - nothing to report. Amy Winehouse was a coked up, furry, stick-insect arsehole again - but what's new? I wish that fan had punched back.

CAN'T WAIT FOR NEXT YEAR!!!!!!!

*BANG*

*thud*

Pra quem não conhece o sou de KT Tunstall, vai ter a oportunidade de conferir nos clipes abaixo, e quem já sabe quem é essa mocinha, e ainda por cima curte seu som, meio folk, meio pop rock, terá a felicidade de ve-la em apresentação no país. Pelo menos no Via Funchal, os ingressos para o show custam entre R$ 100 e R$ 280, e segundo a assessoria de imprensa da casa, os ingressos já estão à venda.

Data: 15/10
Local: Via Funchal - r. Funchal, 65, Vila Olímpia, São Paulo - Tel:(11) 3044-2727
Preço: R$ 100 a R$ 280
Site: www.viafunchal.com.br

Data: 16/10
Local: Canecão - Av. Venceslau Brás, 215, Botaofogo - Rio de Janeiro - Tel:(21) 2105-2000
Preço: Ainda não foi divulgado
Site: www.canecaopetrobras.com.br

Other side of the world

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Saving My Face

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Suddenly I See

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Whenever I go to Starbucks I REFUSE to order in their pretentious sizes. Fuck that. This is America. I order in 3 sizes, "Mini", "Mid-Size" and "The Biggest One You Got Ho!!!!".

But in all seriousness, I do often find myself having to specify that when I want a large soda at a movie theater, I mean "The gigantic sized one that's only 50 cents more than the smaller one. NO I DON'T WANT A COMBO! I JUST WANT TO SEE MY MOVIE. SHUT UP. I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE REFILL!!!"

This article says that they (Starbucks) have finally decided to stop trying shovel their bullshit down my throat.

Quote: "In March, a scathing New York Times article reported that the chain was selling just two CDs per store per day."

Think about that. Two CDs per store per day. Now I'm no mathematician or anything, but I'm gonna estimate that about 500 people go into each Starbucks (on average) every day (give or take). This estimate is based on nothing. But I'm just saying...

So if only 2 out of 500 people buy CD's there per day, what does that tell us? Well, for one, maybe the PRICE POINTS WERE WAY TOO FUCKING HIGH!!! MORONS!

Really, you want me to spend $16.95 on the new KT Tunstall record? Does it have the "no no no no no no woo-hoo" song on it? NO!?!?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN THAT WAS ON HER FIRST RECORD?!!?!? Well what songs would I know from this one? NONE OF THEM? I'LL POUR MY GRANDE MOCHA SKIM NO FAT ALL OVER YOUR FLIRTY ASS, BITCH!!!!

And so fourth...

Add in the fact that aside from the absurdly high prices these last 8 years might have been the WORST YEARS IN HISTORY TO VENTURE INTO SELLING MUSIC and the fact that Starbucks offers an EXTREMELY limited selection of CDs (OH! BUT I CAN GET THE NEW PAUL McCARTNEY ALBUM "MEMORY ALMOST FULL" FOR A MERE $17.95!! WHAT A DEAL...PS "Memory Almost Full" might be the worst title ever given to a record that wasn't made by a 15 year old...and that photo of him? You just want to punch him in the face).

Turns out people DON'T go into Starbucks to shop. In spite of what I've been told byt he media over the last 5 years...

Also turns out the people HATE paying for music.

Strangely though, people still love to listen to music. Bizarre.

Because of how inexpensive CDs are to manufacture, they really shouldn't cost more than $7 ever.

I realize there are obviously a lot of middlemen who need to get paid in order for the music to get from the band to the listener. Fine. Distribution costs money. Record labels need money. Record stores need money. Great.

I'm not suggesting that everyone lose their jobs. But I think it might be a good time to get out of distributing, selling and paying for bands to record music.

Just saying.

PETA states that roughly 1 billion chickens are killed each year for KFC's buckets. This month PETA finally made advances in their 5 year campaign against KFC in Canada. Priszm Income Fund, acting on behalf of the franchises of KFC in Canada, pledged to improve its animal welfare standards and the treatment of chickens.

Regardless of your beliefs in relation to animal security, from a PR point of view, looking back at the various KFC campaigns the organisation really should be praised for it's efforts. Recently PETA have developed online games such as Super Chick Sisters (attracted over 500,000 visitors to the KentuckyFriedCruely website) and Bloody Burberry, to take their message to the younger generation. To strike a chord with gents everywhere they brought us the now famous "I'd rather go Naked than Wear Fur" campaign which featured actresses such as Eve Mendes and Pamela Anderson.

Other marketing tools employed by the organisation include ecards, branded merchandise such as t-shirts and lip gloss, online recipes, horrifying video's depicting animal cruely narrated by a diverse range of celebrities, to mention just a few.

However it's likely these PR skills will need to go into crisis management mode following recent reports that the organisation kills over 90% of animals in their care. I wonder if KFC are behind this? Perhaps Pamela Anderson could be called in to mediate...or Britney...or Paris Hilton!

We can sit here and laugh
But we don't know the half of it, in your defense
We've been talking a while
And it seems to me each time you smile
Lights are coming on
But they don't burn too strong
And they won't stay for long
And then they're gone again ]]> http://powerlinead.wordpress.com/?p=1661 Fri, 20 Jun 2008 05:15:08 +0000 John Curley http://powerlinead.wordpress.com/?p=1661

Selected live performances from this past weekend's Isle of Wight Festival in England are now available for on-demand listening at Virgin Radio's Web site. The performance clips will be online for about a month or so.

The Isle of Wight performances on the Virgin Radio Web site feature the following artists: Kaiser Chiefs, KT Tunstall, Amy MacDonald, The Hoosiers, Scouting For Girls, The Zutons, The Enemy, The Wombats, One Night Only, Kate Nash, and Newton Faulkner.

To access the links to the individual live performances on the Virgin Radio site, go to http://www.virginradio.co.uk/music/festivals/isle_of_wight/index.html?id=81036&mode=post&s=1.

For more inforamtion on the Isle of Wight Festival, see http://www.isleofwightfestival.com/.

Durante a semana na imprensa argentina ocorreram muitos boatos sobre uma participação da clássica banda de hardcore Kiss fazer uma apresentação no Pepsi Music Festival. Segundo as noticiais seria uma das apresentações da turnê sul-americana do grupo, mas nada foi confirmado. A revista Rolling Stone soltou a noticia que a gravadora Warner está disposta a processar o excelente grupo Stone Temple Pilots. A alegação se baseia que dois integrantes do grupo não respeitaram o contrato em vigor com a gravadora. Os músicos estão ameaçando não entregar o novo álbum por não concordar com a negociação feita com a gravadora para o lançamento do CD.

Para o lançamento do jogo “Guitar Hero: Aerosmith” a Actvision resolveu inovar na propaganda. O logo do jogo estará estampado no capo do carro 40 da Nascar. Dirigido por Dario Franchitti da equipe Chip Ganassi. O carro com o logo correra no GP de New Hampshire no dia 29/06, o mesmo dia do lançamento do jogo. Dois nomes internacionais anunciaram shows no Brasil, a primeira é da escocesa KT Tunstall. Os shows estão marcados para Outubro entre os dias 15 e 17 nas cidades do Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo e Porto Alegre. O segundo é Ja Rule, que confirmou 5 apresentações em Julho. Duas em São Paulo dias 2 e 6, uma em Brasília dia 4 e outra em Vitória dia 5. A última apresentação ainda confirmará dia e local.

O canal canadense MuchMusic realizou esta semana sua premiação anual de vídeos. E premiou os artistas canadenses Simple Plan e Avril Lavigne, e os internacionais Linkin Park e Fall Out Boys. A cantora Rihanna venceu a principal categoria “Melhor artista internacional” com o seu hit “Don’t Stop the Music”. Dois números expressivos de vendas aconteceram nos Estados Unidos esta semana. O rapper Lil Wayne vendeu 1 milhão de cópias do seu novo álbum The Carter III. E o novo do Coldplay depois de boa vendagem no Reino Unido conseguiu a marca de 316 mil cópias vendidas num único dia.

E pra fechar uma noticia do álbum que nem lançou virou um mito, por ser o de maior tempo sendo gravado e produzido, 14 anos com mais de 13 milhões de dólares gastos, a lenda “Chinese Democracy”. Vazaram na internet 9 músicas do álbum. Sendo três totalmente inéditas e seis já conhecidas, mas em processo de gravação completo. Quer escutar? Entra no google e procura.

Après CocoRosie et Feist, je vais aller voir KT Tunstall en concert ! Pour vous situer, c'est la fille qui fait "Black horse and the cherry tree", honteusement repris par la pub pour Alice et qui du coup a fait de la musique de KT, une sorte de jingle commercial tout pourri.

Alors pour lui rendre justice, il y a ça :

ou encore son passage à Taratata, où on la voit à peu près il y a deux ans en live. Chouette, chouette, chouette !

Aren't those just gorgeous? I mean, so Chuck Taylor-esque, yet so different. These Hi-top sneakers are from Raf Simons. Just ignore these post as you know, from time to time, I just insert a whimsical post about what I want to and feel like buying, and so far, once it appears on my blog, I have never bought it ever. So much for that dream, and I don't even know how much this pair of "dipped" shoes costs.

And also, from time to time, I also talk about music on my blog as you may already know. I am now taking a liking to Katy Perry, Christian girl-turned-rocker.

Her latest album "One of the Boys" have been getting a lot of attention on the Billboard Charts and Last.FM recently with her hit single "I Kissed A Girl" proving to be a bona-fide chart beater. Her music is reminiscent of Skye Sweetnam before her ill-fated second album with a tinge of an angst-filled Avril Lavigne plus a more rock-ish vibe. Other noteworthy tracks off the album are "UR So Gay" and the title song "One of the Boys".

Katy Perry is in a long line of near-Katy-named female artistes who I absolutely adore with the likes of KT Tunstall, Katie Melua, Kate Nash, and Kate Voegele before her. Yeah, just name your daughter Kate of some sort, make her sing, and you have a guaranteed fan in Wong Boon Ken. Coincidence, I assure you.

The lovely and ravishing members of The Near-Kate-Names Club, which Kate is which?

Rock-infused teens aside, The Do have also been a fixture in my recent playlist.

Their album "A Mouthful" is the epitome of pop and is one of my favourite pop albums of the year overall with "Stay" and "Playground Hustle" proving to be a pair of soothing and lovely songs.

Yeah I know, these sorta posts are self-indulgent, so sue me.

More self-indulgent posts next time, folks. I have to get back to campus now. Damn.

La escribo a modo de despedida.

Esta carta intenta ser un compendio de las cosas que, a riesgo de decirlas, nos pondríamos sensiblones y llorariamos como magdalenas pero de algun modo necesitan ser dichas.

Como toda buena relación, nos conocimos por casualidad, un bar atestado de gente, yo intentado huir de tí y tú inivitándome a tomar algo.

Con el tiempo fueron aumentando las risas, la confianza, las conversaciones a las tantas de la mañana con cigarros entre los dedos...

Has sido un grandísimo apoyo, a través de estos 5 años (y que serán más), has sido mi confidente. Imagino que habría bastantes cosas que no hubieran pasado de no haber estado tú, ahí. De no tener que sacarnos las confesiones a patadas cuando a los dos, en realidad, nos estaba pasando exactamente lo mismo.

Has sido un amigo un hermano para mí y aunque esto no sea más que un hasta luego, las cosas no volverán a ser como antes y es por eso que te agradezco todo lo que has hecho por mi aunque en realidad solo fuesen gestos o lágrimas de risa.

Gracias por lo abrazos, gracias por el entendimiento y por haberme ayudado a ser la persona que soy
y ahora, que eres tú quien lo pasa mal, sabes de sobra que aqui me tendrás.

Gracias por todo

Hasta luego

Audio: Como no podia ser de otra manera- KT Tunstall

Mmmm have been listening to KT again (well all the old stuff really) seeing as I'm going to see her next Saturday! I don't think I ever fully appreciated this song before. ETTT owns DF. I also found this clip which I remember taping off the TV at the time and watching over and over again because I just thought it was so brilliant!

It is though!

"Whilst being off work I have dedicated all my time to building 'The Tunstallator'. It has brought me many hundreds of hours pleasure and is my beacon of light in the misty sea of this foggy life as I float near the shore of hope with the anchor of guilt on my stern."

(p.s. this is apparently the "official" video for this song... lol!)
Some more here.

Also, is it just me or does Mr Fritter remind anyone else of Jack Selby's friend Joseph? Hmmmm... ;)


"me and kt in the ladies toilet at the rehersals for the brits at earls court in london. i made her sign my chest then the security man threw me out the fire door (hurt my arm). i havent washed yet!!!! (although i have washed other parts of my body but not my breast area). "

Segundo o site da casa de shows, a apresentação está marcada para o dia 15 de outubro, às 21h30. O preço dos ingressos varia entre R$ 100 (platéia lateral e mezanino lateral) e R$ 280 (platéia VIP e camarote).

KT Tunstall ficou famosa por sua música "Suddenly I See", de seu primeiro disco "Eye to The Telescope", de 2006. A canção entrou na trilha sonora de "O Diabo Veste Prada" (2006), estrelado por Meryl Streep e Anne Hathaway e se tornou marca registrada da divulgação do filme pelo mundo.

A música de Tunstall, cujo primeiro nome é Kate, possui influências do folk e do pop.

A cantora, que começou a tocar quando era adolescente, também lançou em 2006 um CD acústico intitulado "KT Tunstall's Acoustic Extravaganza".

No ano passado, Tunstall lançou seu segundo álbum de estúdio, "Drastic Fantastic", pela Virgin. Entre as faixas mais destacadas do disco estão "If Only", "Funny Man" e "Hold On".

KT Tunstall em SP
Quando: 15 de outubro, 21h30
Onde: Via Funchal (r. Funchal, 65, Vila Olimpia, tel. 0/xx/11/3897-4456)
Quanto: entre R$ 100 e R$ 280 (censura 12 anos)

Fonte: Folha

Festival Indie Rock:

O festival em sua segunda edição deverá contar com Vampire Weekend e The Futureheads, além de Broken Social Scene, que já foi comentado anteriormente. Segundo o Lúcio Ribeiro, o festival já tem até data, porém só foi divulgada a do Rio de Janeiro: dia 28/08. Bom, sobre o Kooks....nada por enquanto.

Vampire Weekend: cotados para o Indie Rock deste ano

KT Tunstall:

A cantora pop escocesa, mais conhecida pelos hits 'Suddenly I See' e 'Hold On' está confirmadíssima para fazer um show em São Paulo no Via Funchal, dia 15 de Outubro. Os preços variam de 100 à 280 reais. Mais informações.

Conor Oberst:

Conor Oberst who? Tenho certeza que você reconhecerá Conor se eu disser que ele é o dono do seguinte projeto: Bright Eyes. O cantor americano deve passar por aqui nos dias 16 e 17 de julho, e tocará no Studio SP, mesma casa de shows que provavelmente abrigará o festival "Invasão Sueca" (Peter, Bjorn & John, Shout Out Louds, Club 8), localizada na Rua Augusta. O primeiro lote terá um preço acessível, 25 reais.

*respira*

Atualização 14/06/08:

No site oficial do The Futureheads, consta que o Festival Indie Rock acontecerá nos dias 29 e 30 de agosto, respectivamente no Rio e em São Paulo.

Autor: Cédric Fanti

Quando: 15/10, às 21h30
Onde: Via Funchal (r. Funchal, 65)
Quanto: de R$ 100 a R$ 280
Informações: www.viafunchal.com.br

En ineens is er weer een topartieste die ik volledig gemist heb... KT Tunstall

Wat een fantastisch nummer!!

Sure everyone learns from mistakes, but honestly I hate them and I'd rather not make them unless I absolutely have to. I just hate the feeling. Analogous to my hate of dancing in public..--Yeah, yeah, ultimate uptightedness--just save the the shpeel about how "one should dance like no one is watching". Well, it's just not true! People are watching and the potential.. opportunity to be embarrassed is just unbearable. That's why I hate being pushed towards a field of beautiful colourful flowers with vague instructions such as, "make a bouquet of only the ones I like." Because after the 10 failed tries, the 11th success makes you wonder if you finally succeeded on probable chance.

It's been raining a lot these days.. summer seems reluctant to show up, and I'm home typing this miserable blog, listening to KT Tunstall's "Under the Weather" on shuffle/random mode on my iTunes.

'Under this national rain cloud
I'm getting soaked to the skin

Trying to find my umbrella
But I don't know where to begin

And it's simply irrational weather
Can't even hear myself think
Constantly bailing out water
But still like I'm gonna sink

[dailymotion id=x3uck5]

Deciding to use the truck to get there was a decision based on the fact that we'd probably be parking in a boggy field along with 5 million other cars and the truck would be better suited to driving around in the mashed up muddy conditions. However, we soon felt the sting for our choice when we pulled into the petrol station only to spend £70 ($140) filling the tank. £1.30 per litre. When is it going to stop?

I've certainly been doing my part to try and hurt the fuel stations over the last couple of months for I've hardly gone anywhere in a car instead opting for my very fuel efficient scooter or plain old pedal power come rain or RAIN. Because over the last month that is all it has done. Rain.

We traveled the hour to the concert in the rain, stopped and got a bag of chips along the way in the rain and pulled over into a scenic little layby to eat them. IN THE RAIN.

Upon arriving in the car park we unloaded ourselves in our wellington boots, three layers of shirts, jeans, coats and gloves (yes, it IS June here too), took our fold-up chairs and a large umbrella because, I'm not sure if I mentioned, IT WAS RAINING. As we started to make our way to the car park exit a male voice behind me shouted 'excuse me'. I turned around to find one of the parking marshals looking at me. 'Yes', I replied. "No umbrellas" he replied with a stern face.

I smiled as though he was joking. "No umbrellas?" I confirmed. He shook his head. I looked at Wil through the streams of rain dropping between us and looked back at the man whose expression was that of a man who was definitely NOT having a little joke. And then tossed my umbrella into the back seat of the car.

And that put the tone on the evening for me. Because here we go again and here is where I wonder once again, is this bureaucracy gone mad or is this me just being an old, angry, bitter woman?

The no umbrella rule, we learned, was due to good old Health & Safety poking it's ugly head in to take over where common sense once used to rule. That's right good people of England, you can't be trusted to use umbrellas because you might poke someones eye out.

I have a few issues with this the main one being as I just mentioned.

What happened to common sense?

Before all the people who feel they have to justify the rule by telling me 'umbrellas can be used as a weapon' or 'they block peoples view' or 'the last time you went to a concert the artist was harpooned by a stray umbrella' let me just say, I don't care. Because while they took the time to carefully list:

No cameras.
No video or sound recording equipment.
No glass bottles.
No cans.
No tables.
No anything else you might like to do or think about doing or think about thinking about doing
The event will continue regardless of weather conditions unless they are severe.

They most certainly did not include 'No Umbrellas'. And had they done so I would have been a little better prepared than just wearing my wellies and a warm coat. Like maybe worn some water proof trousers and a hat or a big bloody bin liner. The fact that Health and Safety determined that it was acceptable for a few thousand people to pay £35 each to turn up and sit in a field in pouring rain and get soaking wet goes beyond any sensibility I can imagine. How the hell do you enjoy your evening like that? Probably by getting so rip roaring drunk that you don't even feel it. But make sure you're not achieving your drunken state by alcohol contained in glass or cans because glass and cans are NOT ALLOWED.

Why would you think that glass and cans are not allowed?

Pretty good missiles aren't they, glass and cans and I imagine that Health & Safety made the decision people can not be trusted with them. So imagine my surprise when Wil returned from the drinks stall with a cup of hot tea and said 'funny that, they're selling drinks in cans over there'.

Are their cans softer when they get hurled into peoples heads?

This is the same cheeky business they carry out at the airport where they confiscate any kind of bottle or container you packed in your luggage but then happily sell you the identical item in the duty free section.

We watched our concert and after about 30 minutes of being sat in persistent drizzle we assumed the concert organisers turned the rain off, probably because sales of their own umbrellas weren't as great as they'd anticipated. I know, how cynical of me. No more cynical than when we saw one of the multitude of security personnel leaning over a group of people congregated on a picnic blanket and assuming the conversation that was going on Wil leaned over and whispered

"Ello, I thought I saw someone over here crack a smile. There is NO smiling allowed. No smiling, no talking and definately no listening to the music or singing, we don't allow that either"

And as funny as it was I couldn't help thinking he was probably spot on.

Is it just me or in a day and age where we can't be trusted with umbrellas at a rainy concert isn't it getting a little bit out of hand? I mean when are people left to think for themselves these days? Kids aren't allowed to have sports day if the grass is damp incase they slip over and they aren't allowed to play conkers anymore incase someone gets hit by a piece of projectile conker. You can't cross the road where you want to you have to use a crossing if there is one and I believe 'jay walking' in many places is actually a fineable offence. Health & Safety are responsible for the ridiculous zebra crossing that spans the width of the small road leading up to my office, which is at a dead end in a 5mph zone.

Health & Safety are raising a nation of idiots. A nation of drones who won't ever have to think for themselves because its all done for them. Babies will be born and issued a rule book on how to live and what to do and these kids will grow up like robots because common sense will be a thing of the past.

The concert turned out to be quite good and so did the venue despite the watchful eye over every move but just before it finished I took an illegal photo of the stage and then we left just before it finished just so we could find our way out of the car park without anyone telling us which way to go! That's called 'getting our £35's worth!'