Tag: "Rock"

Ever wondered what it would be like to have an endorsement deal with a major music brand? Well you’re in luck, because Ernie Ball is extending this incredible opportunity to one lucky OurStage artist. They’re partnering with OurStage to host three competitions – one each for Rock, Pop and Country artists. The winner from each genre will win a year’s supply of strings and accessories.

At the end of the year, judges at Ernie Ball will select one Grand Prize winner from amongst the three genre winners to take home an endorsement deal and music man guitars for each axe slinger in the band. First up – pop. If you’re a pop artist with the knack for serious hooks, ENTER your best track in the Ernie Ball “Save Your Strings” Competition by April 22, 2013. Good luck!

It has been a minute since A Rocket To The Moon graced our headlines, but today they’re back with a new music video that is going to surprise you.

“Ever Enough” is a song that showcases A Rocket To The Moon’s evolution from teen-leaning pop rock act to full-blown alternative folk rock juggernaut with a finesse that is second-to-none. The clip features a couple on the run, with plenty of heartstring tugging sequences young love to make the lady in your life swoon. You can view the video below: Continue reading ‘A Rocket To The Moon Release “Ever Enough” Music Video’

How would you like to see your favorite pop artist win a year’s supply of strings and accessories from Ernie Ball? Now what if we added that one Grand Prize winner will also receive an endorsement deal from Ernie Ball, along with a Music Man guitar or bass for each guitarist in their band?

Pretty amazing deal, right? Well that’s exactly what we’re offering with our Ernie Ball Save Your Strings Competition. All you have to do is head over to the Pop channel by April 26 and get voting for your favorite artist.

For those of you who couldn’t stand all the sap in our Valentine’s Day playlist, this one’s for you. We’ve filled this week’s Soundtrax with heartache, misery, and a touch of independence for those of you looking to get away from candy-filled hearts and store-bought flowers. Frank Turner, the Buzzcocks, and OurStage artist the Airborne Toxic Event are just a few of the bands on this week’s list that are right there beside you.

More like this:

• Soundtrax: Songs For The Semester
• Soundtrax: Nighttime Driving

There’s nothing like a little UK rock to get your blood pumping midweek. Hailing from Belfast, Ireland and extending their reach as far as London and Rome, Unquiet Nights have been gaining notoriety since their 2011 release, 21st Century Redemption Songs. Taking ’90s influenced rock and roll to the next level with radio friendly riffs and gritty vocals, it’s no surprise that they’ve seen exposure through radio play on BBC and G3 and provided the soundtrack for several television and Internet broadcasts, including ESPN.

If that weren’t enough, the band has also broken into the OurStage Top 40 for Indie Rock with their song, “Someone’s Love On Drugs.” The charm of that single was enticement enough to check out the rest of the band’s catalog. 21st Century Redemption Songs may come in at only 35 minutes, but these guys make every second count. Where “Someone’s Love On Drugs” captures a softer side of the band, “We Were The Ones” charges ahead full force with unrestrained vigor, setting the tone for high energy, catchy tunes throughout, and making for an album that is simply bursting with ambition and potential.

Check out “Someone’s Love On Drugs” below.

More like this:

• Featured Artist: Noble Three
• Bronze Radio Return: Pro Artist Of The Week

OurStage has partnered with Ernie Ball for an incredible opportunity that could help launch your career. Throughout the year we’ll be hosting the Ernie Ball Save Your Strings Competition in three genres: Rock, Pop, and Country. Pop stars, you’re up first.

Not only will the finalist get a year’s supply of Ernie Ball strings and accessories, along with editorial coverage on OurStage.com, but at the end of the year, one Grand Prize Winner will receive an endorsement deal from Ernie Ball along with a Music Man guitar or bass of your choosing for EACH guitarist in your band. All you have to do is enter your song into the competition by April 22.

Oh, and you might want to start practicing your John Hancock. After all, you’re gonna need it when you sign that endorsement.

February is surely the shortest month of the year for a reason. Lucky for you, there’s a whole new slew of great albums to help you through the winter doldrums. Check out this week’s new releases.

The Bronx – The Bronx (IV)

It’s business as usual for these LA punks on their fourth album. Though The Bronx have spent time in their mariachi alter-ego Mariachi El Bronx, the band is back to full rock form on this release with brash, abrasive vocals that ride on jagged waves of distorted guitar. Read a full review here. Continue reading ‘New Releases 2/5/13: The Bronx, Jim James, Coheed And Cambria, Matt Pond, Frightened Rabbit’

Writing a sophomore album is a tricky prospect, especially when a band has received a massive amount of buzz and critical praise in relation to their relatively short lifespan. Groups crumble all the time under the weight of these expectations – whether from themselves or from the media – and often are unable to recapture the magic of their first major release: the one that they had their entire lives to conjure, instead of just a few months between tours and promotion. The rapid pace of the blogosphere has magnified the effect of this pressure, churning out new acts by the day that are effective sonic replacements for any formerly beloved group that has failed to pass muster on a new release. Add in the democratic and anonymous nature of the Internet, which emboldens the opinionated to release the type of caustic criticism that most would hide in person, and it is understandable why many bands today would have some trepidation regarding the release of new material.

Local Natives seem like they may be aware of, if not certainly reactive to, these perils. In part, because their second release Hummingbird does not stray far stylistically from Gorilla Manor, the debut album that put the Los Angeles group on the map in 2010. The band’s chiming guitar parts and multi-part harmonies remain, as do their intricate percussion lines that often form the focal points of their studio compositions and their energetic live shows. For some bands, the re-creation of a uniform sonic profile reminiscent of a past release could be interpreted as an insurance against loss, a way to satisfy those listeners who are expecting more of the same from a band they already enjoy. For other groups, the preservation of the same style could simply signify their love of that particular sound, and their desire to wring it dry for all of its latent value.

Continue reading ‘Review: Local Natives – ‘Hummingbird’’

It’s that time of the year again: gearing up for the inevitable onslaught that is the South by Southwest schedule. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. To make it a little easier to pick through the massive amount of events going on, we’ve highlighted the five best music-related films for you to check out, along with a handy “when to watch” guide to enhance your viewing experience.

Broadway Idiot & ¡Cuatro!

>

It’s a two-for-one deal for Green Day this year, so we’re grouping the dual documentaries on the band into a single punktastic category. Broadway Idiot focuses on Billie Joe Armstrong’s transition to the Broadway stage for the theatrical rendition of the band’s 2004 rock opus American Idiot, while ¡Cuatro! focuses on the making of the band’s recent trilogy of albums.

Watch it after: Missing your favorite punk band’s set in favor of that “awesome new shoegaze, EDM meets post-punk” act that your friend misguidedly recommended. Continue reading ’5 Most Anticipated Music Films Of SXSW’

In 1991 the Gulf War was raging, the youth of America were draped in flannel, and Irish indie rockers My Bloody Valentine had just released their second studio album Loveless, setting the bar almost impossibly high for future shoegaze records. Now, more than 20 years later, the band has finally released a new studio album entitled mbv, only their third in nearly three decades of existence.

Of course, the musical landscape has changed dramatically since the band was last in the studio. In keeping with modern times, My Bloody Valentine have embraced the multiplicity of formats currently available, albeit with somewhat head-scratching results. Even though My Bloody Valentine have posted all of their new songs on YouTube, they have also released the album with a tiered pay structure that may seem strange to many listeners. For $30, fans can grab the vinyl, CD, and digital download of the album. The band is also offering the CD and download for $22, and the download by itself for $16. While these high prices may seem strange for an indie band that has already put all of the songs on YouTube and is promoting the album with no label backing, the digital downloads are all available at exceptionally high quality as 24 bit, 96kHz WAV files, which is certainly not the norm for digital releases. Not sure if you want to drop the cash on the new release just yet? Check out the new tunes on the band’s YouTube channel first.

Check out OurStage members Foxtailsomersault if you’re into My Bloody Valentine.

More like this:

• 88 MPH: Foxtail Somersault Take A Ride On Slowdive
• My Sunny Valentine