10 Artists/Bands I ♥ ♥ ♥ Mightily!

Ladyhawke, is a New Zealand solo singer-songwriter, formerly a part of the Wellington band Two Lane Blacktop. Before assuming the name Ladyhawke, she formed part of the Sydney duo Teenager with Nick Littlemore of Pnau. Her music can be classified as Electropop, Indie or New Wave. My Favorite song is 'My Delirium' and others like 'Paris Is Burning & 'Manipulating woman'.

Does It Offend You, Yeah? was formed in Reading, UK in 2007 and released their first album in Spring 2008. They made it onto the best alternative music list of 2008 on iTunes USA, along with Foals, MGMT and Santogold.Their music is classified as Dance-punk, Electro and Indie rock. My best song from the band is 'Dawn of the Dead'. They got an eclectic mix of songs that all sound different. The band members are James Rushent, Dan Coop, Rob Bloomfield.

Tinchy Stryder [real name Kwasi Danquan] is a British grime music artist of Ghanian origin from East London. As well as being a solo artists, he is also a member of the grime group Ruff Sqwad. Tinchy Stryder had his first UK number one in the Singles Chart with the aptly named song 'Number 1', [a collaboration with N-Dubz]. I don't skip any song from his 'Star in the hood album but my favorite is 'Take me back' featuring Taio Cruz.
Passion Pit was formed in late 2007. In 2008, after playing only a handful of shows, they were voted Best New Act in the The Boston Phoenix's Best Music Poll. Soon thereafter the band was signed to the New York City-based Frenchkiss Records and Columbia in the UK.Their kind of music is electro-pop. They are the most played band on my ipod right now and all of their songs are great! my favorites are 'Live to tell the tale', 'I've got your number' & 'Sleepyhead'. Band members are Michael Angelakos, Ian Hultquist, Ayad Al Adhamy, Jeff Apruzzese, Nate Donmoyer.

Friendly Fires are from Hertfordshire in the Uk. Band members; Ed Macfarlane, Jack Savidge & Edd Gibson all met while they were aged 14 and formed their first band, a post-hardcore outfit called First Day Back which existed until they began university. Upon leaving university they formed a new band inspired by dance music, "lush shoegaze melodies", and classic pop songwriting. The name Friendly Fires originates from the opening track of the Section 25 LP Always Now. The band consider German techno label Kompakt, Carl Craig and Prince to be their greatest influences. My favorite songs are 'Jump in the Pool' , 'Paris' , 'Skeleton Boy' & 'Photobooth'.

Black Kids is an indie pop band consisting of Reggie Youngblood (vocals and guitar), Owen Holmes (bass guitar), Kevin Snow (drums), Dawn Watley (keyboards and vocals), and Reggie's sister Ali Youngblood (keyboards and vocals), formed in early 2006 in Jacksonville, Florida. My favorite songs are 'Not gonna teach him how to dance with you' & 'Look at me when i rock wichoo'.

Jack Mcmanus is a 23 year old Brit School educated pop, soft rock singer/songwriter from West Wickham, Kent in England. His debut album Either Side Of Midnight was released on Polydor Records/UMRL on May 5th 2008, preceded by his first single "Bang on the Piano" on April 28th. I first heard his song "You Think I Don't Care " in the movie 'Wild Child' [which i've watched about 8 times] then i decided to find him on myspace and i got to admit it was worth the time.

La Roux are a British electropop synth duo band made up of singer and synth player Elly Jackson[daughter of actress Trudie Goodwin, known for her role in the TV series The Bill], and co-writer and co-producer Ben Langmaid. My favorite songs from the duo are 'Quicksand' & 'In for the kill'.

Metronomy is an electronic music group formed by Joseph Mount in Totnes, Devon, England in 1999. The current band consists of Joseph Mount (Composer, Singer, Keyboards and Guitar)and Oscar Cash (Saxophone, Backing Vocals and Keyboards). Their music consists of instrumental electronic music and more recently, with the release of Nights Out, vocal electronic pop music. My favorite song is 'Heartbreaker'.

Foals are an indie-rock, dance-punk band from Oxford, England made up of Yannis Philippakis (Vocals and guitar), Jack Bevan (Drums), Jimmy Smith (Guitar), Edwin Congreave (Keyboard), Walter Gervers (Bass). The band are signed with Transgressive Records in Europe and Sub Pop in the USA. A full length album—entitled Antidotes—was released on 24 March 2008 in the UK, and 8 April in the USA. My favorite song from the band is 'Olympic Airways'.

Electro-Pop Sensation Noah[Live Show]

Listen to some of his music on his Myspace page.

NOAH ( Get Familiar )

Following the release of his debut single Mannequin off the album Human Geometry on the 10th of march this Dubai born, Ottawa , Canada based pop sensation is being heralded as the new pop sensation. His Sound is a mix of electronica, pop and dance. His full albums drops summer 09.What influenced the title of your debut album ?

The album had a theme, but no singular title...One day I was making tea and I burned myself..the burn was a perfect circle on my hand. Then it all made sense. Human Geometry - How you can shape yourself!

Any particular reasons for making Mannequin the first single?

Mannequin is kind of the epitome of what my music is - big, detailed danceable music, but with real vocals and real subject matter. It’s a good representation of who I am as an artist, with a little bit of a taste of what else is to come. Plus it’s just a fun song!

What are fans to expect from you on this album?

You can expect to be moved - in more ways than one! Physically, you'll be dancing - but in your mind, hopefully you'll be thinking. Hopefully I can instigate some sort of self-reflection in you so that you don’t leave the club completely wasted. (laughs)

5 reasons to buy this album?

>It is emotionally/mentally stimulating
> It is REAL music. Electronic/dance music that isn't made in a factory!!
> It is visually stimulating. You're going to see colours and shapes when you listen..
> SUPPORT INDIE ARTISTS!!
> It will definitely get you moving on the dance floor!

LAST GANG ( GET FAMILIAR )

Kristian Walker (pictured 3rd from left) the lead singer of the UK band Last Gang recently featured in Burberry The Beat fragrance ads ( see previous post ). The other band members are Matt Knee (pictured first), Mark Crossley (second) and Ritchie Townend(pictured fourth). Riding on the new publicity for the band i thought to catch up with the Burberry man and ask him a few questions.
What inspired the name- Last Gang ?

We got our name from The Clash, they had a song called Last Gang in Town so we just took the first couple of words. There's a certain togetherness about the name which is reflected by how the band are.

Can you tell me a bit about you and your bandmates?

I write songs , sing and play guitar. That's about it really for me. Ritchie Townend plays lead guitar and does backing vocals, Matt Knee plays the drums and Mark Crossely plays the bass guitar and does backing vocals.

What kind of influence would you want your music to have on ppl ?

Iwould stay a positive influence on people.I like to tell people that they have got their own mind and that they can make their own decisions. We are always been told how bad things are by the influence of T.V'S and newspapers but its not that bad, we could all sit around feeling miserable but whats the point. Stand up for yourself, do what you think is right, it might not be the best decision but we all learn from our mistakes.

What are the dreams and aspirations of The Last Gang?

I just want our music to be heard all over the world.I want to play in front of thousands of people. Hopefully people will listen to the words and be inspired in some just like i was.

Click Here to get a listen to their songs which are incredible by the way. You can also check out their Facebook and Myspace pages. SHOW SOME LOVE TO THESE GUYS PEOPLE & DO LISTEN TO THEIR SONGS.

Patrick Philips.....MULTI TALENT

Patrick Phillips is an acoustic singer/Songwriter from Columbia, M.O in the U.S who gained local success with his pop-rock trio March to Glory. He accepted a basketball scholarship to Hunter College in New York City and has called New York home for two years, paying his rent by modeling for companies such as Barney's and H&M as well as designers like Alexis Mabille and Dries Van Noten while working on his English degree. How did you venture into modelling?

I moved to ny to play basketball at Hunter College. I didn't care so much about basketball as much as I cared about getting out of Missouri. One of the first days I was in NY, I met up with a friend to see a movie in Times Square; before getting there an agent on the street approached me and the next day offered me a contract.
where did your love and inspiration to do music come from?

I'd always been musical going back to when I was a little kid riding in my dads car and he'd blast Tom Petty or Sonic Youth or Public Enemy. Also in middle school I would put on Boyz II Men and sing the entire album at the top of my lungs. But I really found out music was a part of me when I started writing songs. I started writing songs when I was like 17. The first song I wrote was a song called "Typically" about a girl I liked across the room in my math class, haha. When I finished it I got such a feeling of satisfaction, I was able to perfectly reflect my emotions through a song. I'll always keep writing because it has a calming effect on me, and because I just need to write them.

What comes first for you , modelling or music?

Music definitely comes first. I'm not going to talk sh*t on modeling because it's a great opportunity and it's brought me all over the world and allowed me to meet some pretty cool people. But man, music saves lives.

Looking up your resume :oD you seem to have to the most fun jobs, how different is it in reality ?

Man, I feel like I'm fighting the early 20's battle, and it's a tough one. When you're in your early 20's there's so much uncertainty surrounding you. You want so many different things but there's no direct route to get there. You want to make a difference, be successful, fall in love, all that stuff. It's hard but the only way is to just go day to day and try to treat people well and be true to yourself. Everything will eventually fall in place and find its way.

What do you look towards in the future for you :oD?

(Laughs) man, I get down on the future but I shouldn't. I got a little sister and a little brother (12, 15) and I'm just excited to see them mature and grow up. For my future, I just want to be a person I don't hate.

Watch the live performance of his song Sway on into me produced by Tyson Moore, from his upcoming album scheduled to be released this summer.

David Mensah

London based soul singer David Mensah who trained under Patrick Jean Paul Dean at his academy has got a sound fused with good looks set to propel him very far in the music industry. After i heard his song -food of love- i knew i had to catch up with this fast rising star. what kind of music influenced you growing up?

Wow everything to be honest. Pretty much like anyone else I went through phases though perhaps mine were a little more extreme. It all started off with my Dad who was a DJ playing soul morning noon and night. My mum on the other hand seemed to have the reggae or lovers rock version of all the records that Dad was spinning. I am slightly embarrassed to admit that the first record I bought was Paula Abdul and MC Scat Cat which at the time I thought was the coolest thing in the world. In my teens I listened to everything from Shabba Ranks to Nirvana but my favourites were R.Kelly, Jodeci, Mary J Blige, Faith Evans and of course that man with the voice of an angel Luther Vandross.

What was it like training at the patrick jean paul dean vocal academy?

It was good. It definitely helped to build my confidence. There were some pretty heavy duty singers in the class so it really pushed you to be on top of your game. You got to learn from everyone else. I can still remember when I first started , just singing in front of 30 people was such a huge deal. I sang a song by Usher and lets just say I didn't do it justice (laughs)

Your sound has been described as silky,sexy and soulful, in your own words how would you describe it?

I wouldn’t describe it, I always leave that to others. I would hope that people hear that I really feel the songs and mean what I am singing about. To me it is all about being able to get into the moment. And by that I mean becoming totally absorbed with what is happening at that very second, not thinking about what you just sang or what you are about to sing but focusing on what you are singing and meaning it 100%.

Who are the other musicians or producers you'd love to work with someday?

There are so many I don’t know where to start. I feel so lucky already to be working with the producers I am working with. They all work in different ways so it keeps me on my toes. I just like working with talented people.

What's the ultimate for you concerning your career?

The ultimate to me is singing one of my songs on stage and having the audience sing it back. It is a feeling I cant describe.

Who's your style icon?

There are lots of stylish peeps out there. Personally I just go for what I am comfortable in but artists like Pharell have a wicked sense of style.

Thisday music festival in Lagos rocked!!!!!!!

Except for the delay- due to the last minute change of venue- the Thisday music and fashion festival totally blew off my feet. It was the biggest fashion event I had ever attended and at such I was very anxious about what to expect. The event had kicked off in Abuja-capital city of Nigeria- with the likes of Rihanna and Jay-z performing in concert with local acts. Naomi Campbell and Tyson Beckford the most popular colored models of this time were on hand to lend their support and create enough awareness for the show.

The first act of the night was no other than the Quintessential Queen of R&B Mary J Blige. She dazzled the crowd with her performance and was able to carry along both the grown folks and the little ones, thanks to a career spanning over a decade. She stunned me with her energy, she was so mobile on stage with her 6 inch knee length boots and of course, her energetic and unique dance moves. She performed for over an hour and left for the next performer Chris brown.

The stage had to be transformed to give Chris the chance to indulge in one of his favourite habits, dancing. It took over 30 minutes to get it set as the drums and other technical stuff were moved to an elevated platform. During this period the irreverent Basket mouth-Nigerian comedian- entertained the crowd with his jokes and even took on the stage engineers and made everyone giggle with delight. Chris finally came out and performed a series of his songs serenading the ladies. A little girl beside me was weeping profusely out of joy I guess, the whole atmosphere was electrified with the performance of songs like kiss kiss and wall to wall. When he finally performed his hit song with you, it was like a volcano erupted. All the ladies totally went bonkers even guys and mothers surprised me. Then finally he ended the performance with one of my best Chris brown songs “forever”.

After he left the fashion show kicked off and designer to the stars Chris Aire wowed the audience with his dazzling pieces for both men and women. Ojy and Oluchi Nigeria’s hottest models started and ended the catwalk just like they did for Deola Sagoe later.

Then came Fat Joe’s performance and the most interesting thing about it was that while he was performing his hit song “what’s love” the hot and sexy models came out onstage doing their thing. And I could only wonder how many guys made the decision to get married to models that minute; at least I know I did.

It was time for Savile Row king Ozwald Boateng to show the stuff he was made of and of course he did not fail to deliver. His models conducted themselves with military precision and they were over 50.

After Ozwald then came Deola Sagoe Nigeria’s brightest light in the world of fashion. She totally delivered and showed that she could stand next to any other world class designer.

The next performer after Deola was musician shank and I must confess his rendition of his hit single “Julie” was the highest moment of the show for me. His female dancers, 5 in number and one in particular who had some flesh and not the typical dancer frame sent me crashing to the ground as she jiggled her hips and twisted her waist in the most complex moves with such precision that it brought back this Nigerian saying to my mind”ikebe no dey heavy the owner” translated means one’s weight is not heavy for him/her.

Finally the rave of the moment in Nigeria, music artist 9ice closed the show at about 4.am in the morning with his hit single Gongo aso.

P.s i'll upload videos later, blogger's giving me stress!!