Musicians need to eat.  Simple right? I’ve begun to notice a trend involving food here on OurStage.  Among many ridiculous things, I have not only spotted food-inspired album art, but also heard songs about food as well.  Search “food” on OurStage and you’ll find a wide array of items.  Included in this list are videos of students talking about heath affects of eating correctly from an old competition.  You can even spot a hypnotic music video by Trystian rapping about everything from Doritos to tomatoes.

Continue reading ‘The Melophobic: Food For Thought’

Procrastination is a problem that affects many well-intentioned people, and it seems that musicians are often the most heavily influenced by the urge to waste time.  Lucky for us, The Colour Elect took some age-old advice from Ben Franklin—”You may delay, but time will not”— to heart. Formed in Los Angeles during the last months of 2008, lead-singer Josef Gordon, guitarist Kellen Mills and drummer Robb Hutzal wrote 12 songs together during a four months span. After deciding they wanted a more guitar driven sound, they invited guitarist Chris Wrate to join the band followed by bassist Leo B to round out the ensemble. By the summer of 2009, they were a fully-formed band poised and ready to take on LA.

Continue reading ‘Poptarts: The Colour Elect’

Bear Connelly seems no stranger to the folk scene, but the Rhode Island native has been experimenting with different kinds of sounds since college when he moved out west in hope of inspiration. Mastering guitar, piano, bass, drums, Rhodes, congas, melodica, synthesized strings and mandolin, Connelly plays under the name Talking About Commas.  His raw musical abilities have always supported telling stories that captivate listeners.

Continue reading ‘Folkin’ Around: Talking About Commas’

Did you know that “not all break-up songs need be depressing”? That’s the philosophy behind LA singer-songwriter Jenna Bryson’s song “Me Minus You.” The tune tugged at all the right heartstrings of the OurStage community with fans voting it to the top of the Pop Channel charts last month. Jenna was sweet enough to fill us in on the backstory of the tumultuous relationship that inspired her.

Continue reading ‘Liner Notes: Jenna Bryson – “Me Minus You”’

Think you have the pipes to impress the team behind one of the world’s biggest superstars? Get ready for the Beyoncé Sweet Dreams at The Wynn Cover Competition on OurStage! Enter your best take on Beyoncé’s hit “Sweet Dreams” in the musical style of your choice before February 19th for your ticket to live it up in Las Vegas . One high ranking artist will be selected by Beyoncé’s executive team to win an all-expenses-paid, 3 day/2 night stay at the luxurious Wynn Hotel where Beyoncé shot her latest DVD, I Am… Yours.

Finding the best rendition of “Sweet Dreams” can’t be done without your help! Beyoncé and her team want to reward one lucky judge with a Sony laptop preloaded with Beyoncé’s I AM …. Yours Live at the Wynn DVD! Starting February 1st you can judge the contest channel for your chance to win.

For more information on rules and entering visit www.ourstage.com/go/sweetdreams

While some folks might think that the ska revival died with the 1990s, this style of music is still going strong around both the country and world. One of the reasons for its continued success is the genre’s adaptability. While one of the most common, modern-day ska hybrids is ska/punk, many bands incorporate elements of soul & reggae (The Aggrolites, The Pietasters), funk (Fishbone) and latin music (Mento Buru) as well. This week, “Punk On The Rocks” has compiled a playlist of some of the best ska on OurStage, so put on your best two-tone suit and stompin’ boots and get skankin’! Continue Reading Punk On The Rocks: Skankin’ To the Beat!

Tonight- Friday, January 22- OurStage.com will join major television networks, popular online destinations, mobile carriers and terrestrial radio stations in the global benefit for earthquake relief in Haiti. Starting at 8 p.m. ET “Hope For Haiti Now” will stream live on OurStage, courtesy of a live feed provided by MTV Networks.

Newly added performers Beyoncé in London, Madonna in New York City, and Haitian artist Emeline Michel in Los Angeles will join the previously announced lineup: Wyclef Jean, Bruce Springsteen, Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige, Shakira, and Sting in New York City; Alicia Keys, Christina Aguilera, Dave Matthews, John Legend, Justin Timberlake, Stevie Wonder, Taylor Swift and a group performance by Keith Urban, Kid Rock, and Sheryl Crow in Los Angeles; and Coldplay, and a group performance by Bono, The Edge, Jay-Z, and Rihanna in London.

In addition to musical performances, Wyclef Jean in New York City, George Clooney in Los Angeles, and CNN’s Anderson Cooper reporting from Haiti, “Hope for Haiti Now” will feature President Bill Clinton, Ben Stiller, Brad Pitt, Chris Rock, Clint Eastwood, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Jon Stewart, Julia Roberts, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Meryl Streep, Morgan Freeman, Nicole Kidman, Robert Pattinson, Samuel L. Jackson, Tom Hanks, Will Smith with Muhammad Ali, and more than one hundred of the biggest names in film, television, and music.

A women and her injured baby are seen at a makeshift field hospital

“Hope for Haiti Now” will begin accepting donations at 12:00 p.m. ET/9:00 a.m. PT on Friday, January 22 via the following methods:

• Online: www.hopeforhaitinow.org
• Phone: 877-99-HAITI
• Text: Text “GIVE” to 50555
• Mail: Hope For Haiti Now Fund, Entertainment Industry Foundation, 1201 West 5th Street, Suite T-700, Los Angeles, CA 90017

Music performances from “Hope for Haiti Now” will be available for purchase and download on the iTunes® Store.  Beginning on Friday, iTunes customers will be able to exclusively pre-order both the “Hope for Haiti Now” full performance album ($7.99) and the full two-hour video telecast ($1.99).   Pre-orders will be delivered in the days following the telethon.  Individual audio performances will also be available for purchase and download for $.99 cents each in the days following the telethon.  Apple, the record labels and the artists will donate their share of the proceeds to Haiti relief funds managed by “Hope for Haiti Now” charities.

“Hope for Haiti Now,” will benefit Oxfam America, Partners in Health, the Red Cross, UNICEF, United Nations World Food Programme, Yele Haiti Foundation, and the newly formed Clinton Bush Haiti Foundation.  Proceeds from “Hope for Haiti Now” will be split among each organization’s individual funds for Haiti earthquake relief.  With the exception of the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, each partner organization was selected for its history of operation and collaboration within the NGO community in Haiti.

The Good

Madonna, others join “Hope for Haiti Now” concert

Madonna

Jesus Luz’s favorite cougar lady will join an endless roster of stars for the “Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief,” which airs this Friday at 7 p.m. CT/ 8 p.m. ET. The event will be telecast from New York, Los Angeles and London, and features musical performances by Haitian artists Emeline Michel and Wyclef Jean as well as Bruce Springsteen, Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige, Shakira, Sting, Alicia Keys, Christina Aguilera, Dave Matthews, John Legend, Justin Timberlake, Stevie Wonder, Taylor Swift, Keith Urban, Kid Rock, Sheryl Crow, Beyoncé, Coldplay, Bono, The Edge, Jay-Z and Rihanna. Or, to put it another way, every musician in the world.

For more information on how to get involved, call 877-99-HAITI, text “GIVE” to 50555 or mail Hope For Haiti Now Fund, Entertainment Industry Foundation, 1201 W. 5th St., Suite T-700, Los Angeles, CA 90017.

OurStage will be streaming the Hope For Haiti Now telethon live Friday, January 22 at 8 p.m. ET.

PS22 chorus does it again

PS22 Chorus

Sometimes it seems like the only news is bad news. If life starts getting you down, know that you can always turn to the kids at PS22 Elementary School on Staten Island to put a smile back on your face. Here they are singing Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind.” Enjoy.

The Bad

Courtney gets maternal
You know you’re in trouble when your actions leave Courtney Love feeling like a mother. Forget worrying about her own spawn, Love is more bugged out about pop’s sloppy party girl, Ke$ha, who’s just a few years older than her own daughter. In a long series of tweets on her Twitter page, Love voiced her concern that Ke$ha was being “molded into something not her that will fail,” and that she wants “to save her.” Frances Bean, say it with us: Physician, heal thyself.

Killers announce hiatus

Killers

The Killers have announced they will go on indefinite hiatus after wrapping up their tour in Australia in February. Citing exhaustion after 6 years of steady rocking, the group will take some time to focus on other areas of life that we “normal” people take for granted: watching “Jersey Shore” marathons in our living room with no pants on.

The Ugly

John Mayer’s Rolling Stone interview

John Mayer

Listen to John Mayer as he spins a long and self-gratifying yarn about his near misses with Vegas strippers, how it broke his heart to dump dear old Jen (again) and his love for Rosie Palmer. Put it this way, when he’s not stroking his own ego, he’s stroking something else.

Miscellany

• Jay-Z, Muse, Gorillaz to headline Coachella
• Vampire Weekend snatches #1 Billboard spot from Ke$ha
• Timbaland and Katy Perry team up
• Nick Jonas and The Administration “Who I Am” video debut
• Franz Nicolay leaves Hold Steady
• Thom Yorke co-hosts Gilles Peterson’s radio show on BBC

Last month OurStage launched one of its first premium channels in celebration of New Music Seminar heading to Los Angeles. The groundbreaking music industry seminar will be making its first west coast appearance after successful events in New York and Chicago on February 2nd. The NMS founders Tom Silverman, and renowned manager and touring expert, Dave Lory, wanted to make this edition of the seminar extra special by inviting pop, rock and urban artists to compete for several exposure opportunities with some of the industry’s most connected leaders. Eight artists were narrowed down from hundreds in New Music Seminar’s Artists on the Verge New Winter Artist Search to have an A&R package sent to top US labels. Of those eight, three were selected to be flown out to LA to attend New Music Seminar and compete for a career-making grand prize package worth over $25,000 in gear and consultation services from NMS partners.

Find out who the finalists and runners up are after the jump…