Tag: "Starbucks"

I know today is Halloween, but we just can’t wait for the upcoming holiday season! There are so many great things in store, one of which being the Holidays Rule compilation released yesterday by Hear Music, a joint venture between Starbucks and Concord Music Group. The release features holiday (mostly Christmas) classics covered by some of today’s most noteworthy artists such as the one and only Paul McCartney, The Shins, Andrew Bird, The Civil Wars, fun. and many more! If you’re ready for a glimpse of Christmas future, heat up some hot coco and listen to fun.’s cover of “Sleigh Ride” streaming here! If that doesn’t get you in the holiday spirit, then you might be a Scrooge.

If you like fun. then you might also like OurStage’s own Ivory Drive.

More Like This:

• fun. Perform “We Are Young” On X Factor UK
• Sufjan Stevens, New Video Includes Christmas, Claymation, Zombies, Bloodshed, And More!
• “Watch This!” Wednesday: Nicki Minaj, Taylor Swift, & fun.

Mieka Pauley of the Mieka Canon

Mieka Pauley had already achieved some traction as a solo artist before linking up with Brian Cassagnol and Andrew Morgan to form the Mieka Canon. There was the Starbucks Emerging Artist Award, the New York Songwriter’s Circle Award and gigs opening for KT Tunstall, Natasha Bedingfield, Ben Kweller and John Legend. Now, with Cassagnol and Morgan in her corner, Pauley’s music underwent rigorous training, doubled its muscle weight and is now strong enough to take on the mainstream.  Take “Colossal,” for example. Crushing drums and towering guitars (reminiscent of John Frusciante) push Pauley’s soulful husk to aggression.  With hooks coming at you from all angles, you may as well surrender.  In “We’re All Gonna Die,” Pauley channels her inner bad girl for a careening kiss off, while “Faster” is conversely slower – a glossy power ballad that showcases Mieka’s serious lyrical chops. There may be many who prefer Mieka’s pared down, softer work as a singer-songwriter. But for those who like to see a female contender on the male-dominated modern rock charts, put your money on Mieka.

One of the biggest problems an indie artist can face is gaining industry buzz and momentum. Daria Musk disproves this theory by gaining significant industry credibility to add to her talent and brand and it’s not just prestigious awards that mark this artist’s notoriety.

“Daria Musk has one fantastic voice. It soars, whispers, laughs when she herself is not, technically, laughing, and it could probably belt out hard rock with real credibility if it wanted to,” Jennifer Layton said in a review posted on Indie-Music. This article echoes countless others that share the same opinion. Daria Musk distinguishes herself from other artists through her lyrical style and tendency to be a storyteller through song. Check out Daria’s performance at the Mercury Lounge, and you’ll agree that she certainly sustains strong emotion throughout her entire set.

Daria’s impressive resume includes a Musician’s Atlas Spotlight in 2008, two honorable mentions in the International Singer/Songwriter awards, a semi-finalist spot in the International Songwriting Competition, and a semi-finalist spot in the Starbucks Emerging Artist Competition. She has also showcased at SXSW, NYC Songwriter’s Circle, and several others. Daria is currently working on her debut album (release date not specified yet). She will be showing off her live performance abilities for an online web series called “Acoustic Stories” for Rock Me TV. This will be a live webcast from time square on April 6^th, at 8:00 pm (an all ages, free show). Stop by and be part of the audience if you’re in the area. Be sure to join her fanclub and stay updated on her upcoming shows and news about her debut album release.