You are here:
Home / In The Spotlight

The year was 1990, and the location was Hertfordshire, England, the same location where some of rock’s most historic events took place: Led Zeppelin’s final British show & Queen’s final performance headed by Freddie Mercury. Approximately 120,000 people descended upon Knebworth Park for the massive all-star concert benefiting the Nordof-Robbins Music Charity Centre and the Brit School for Performing Arts.
Posted by Sam on Monday, April 19, 2010 at 4:27 pm
Filed under Albums, Editorials, General, In The Spotlight, Reviews · Tagged "Badman's Song", "Comfortably Numb", "Everybody Wants to Rule the World", "Pinball Wizard", "Sunshine of Your Love", "Tall Cool One", 1990, Brit School of performing arts, david gilmour, England, Eric Clapton, Genesis, Hertfordshire, Knebworth 1990, Led Zeppelin, Nordof-Robbins Music Charity, pink floyd, Queen, Robert Plant, Tears for Fears

There was a new sense of vigor and excitement. We’d never felt more excited to be making music. I wrote songs frantically, all the time. I would go out and come home in the morning with my pockets full of napkins that I’d written lyrics on. The songs were darker, stranger.
Posted by Sam on Sunday, April 11, 2010 at 2:58 pm
Filed under General, In The Spotlight · Tagged 2010, Bass Anthony Burulcich, big hassle, Drums, fistful of sand, guitar, i am your skin, John Conway, keyboards, lead guitar, Lead vocals, Michael Zakarin, Mike Hindert, New York City, programming, Sam Endicott, stir the blood, the spectator

Love 2 is a dynamic collection of songs demonstrating the band’s sonic range, and when performed live becomes one part of the kaleidoscopic laser show which continues to amaze audiences around the world.
Posted by sfrank115 on Sunday, March 28, 2010 at 6:59 pm
Filed under Concerts/Events, Editorials, Galleries, General, In The Spotlight, Reviews · Tagged 2010, air, All I Need, astralwerks, Atlas Studio, Do The Joy, French Duo, Jean-Benoit Dunckel, live, Love 2, Love 2 world tour, march, Moon Safari, New York City, nicholas godin, Paris, Sexy Boy, terminal 5, You Can Tell It To Everybody

Playing raw, energy-infused melodic rock music, Eriko (guitar and vocals), Akiko (bass), and Kumiko (drums) have been making a buzz all across Japan since their 2005 major label debut. Now, with their latest Oricon chart-topping album “Kokuhaku” (Confession), they’re ready to infect North American fans with their catchy take on girl-rock power.
Posted by sfrank115 on Thursday, March 25, 2010 at 4:46 pm
Filed under Galleries, General, In The Spotlight · Tagged "Kokuhaku", "Miminari", "Seimeiryoku", 2010, akiko, audio, Austin, bass, chatmonchy, concert, Confession, Drums, Ear Ringing, eriko, festival, guitar, Japan, Japan Culture, japan nite, kumiko, Life Force, live, Maiden Voyage, omodaka, promotions, publicity, red bacteria vacuum, Rock, sony, Sony America, Sony Japan, Sony’s Ki/oon Records; photos, South By Southwest, SXSW 2010, vocals

Filmed at the Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas, this extraordinary concert features performances of over 30 songs from Beyoncé’s three multi-platinum solo releases, Destiny’s Child catalog and a few surprises.
Posted by sfrank115 on Thursday, March 25, 2010 at 11:42 am
Filed under General, In The Spotlight · Tagged 2009, 2010, Beyonce, billboard, cd, concert, Destiny's Child, dvd, grammy, Jay-Z, Las Vegas, live, Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop, sasha fierce, wynn, Wynn Hotel, “If I Were A Boy, “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It), ” “Diva, ” “Ego” and “Video Phone”, ” “Halo, ” “If I Were A Boy, ” “Sweet Dreams”

The record is all about what happens in Atlanta from 2 AM until noon. Your tour guide on this madcap adventure is the magnetic frontman and vocalist Elijah Jones, the ringleader of the twisted circus that is The Constellations, who spent two years writing and recording the album with producer Ben H. Allen (Animal Collective, Gnarls Barkley), along with some storied cronies from the local scene.
Posted by sfrank115 on Thursday, March 18, 2010 at 6:19 pm
Filed under Concerts/Events, Galleries, General, In The Spotlight · Tagged animal collective, atlanta, Ben H. Allen, Bowery, bowery ballroom, Constellations, Elijah Jones, EMI, EMI music, felicia, Flea Kuti, Georgia, Gnarls Barkley, Gorillaz, LCD Soundsystem, Love is a murder, March 2010, Milwaukee, setback, Southern Gothic, “Step Right Up (A Tribute To Tom Waits)"

Music of Ireland traces the origins of Irish music, and features exclusive interviews with U2′s Bono and Adam Clayton, Michael Flatley and Bill Whelan of Riverdance, Live Aid and Band Aid founder Bob Geldof of The Boomtown Rats, Sinéad O’Connor, Pete Seeger, The Chieftains’ Paddy Moloney, former Celtic Woman Órla Fallon, Black 47′s Larry Kirwan, six-time Academy Award-nominated director Jim Sheridan, the late Liam Clancy in his final U.S.
Posted by sfrank115 on Monday, March 8, 2010 at 9:48 pm
Filed under Albums, General, In The Spotlight, Movies · Tagged Bill O'Reilly, Bob Dylan, bono, Charles Dolan, Clannad, Gabriel Byrne, irish, Jerry O'Connell, Kermit the frog, Liam Clancy, Matthew Broderick, Mick Foley, Moya Brennan, Pete Seeger, Planxty, Regis Philbin, Riverdance, Rory Gallagher, St. Patricks day, The Clancy Brothers, the edge, Thin Lizzy, u2, Whiskey in the jar

You might say that AM is an artist who brings together the best of all possible musical worlds, rippling through classic roots sounds — AM pop and rock, obviously, and English Invasion stuff, or steamy soul/R&B persuasives and more and more of late the aerified melodic athletics of Brazil’s post- bossa nova tropicalistas. Yes, you might say that, but putting it that way, one risks sounding kinda corny.
Posted by sfrank115 on Wednesday, March 3, 2010 at 1:28 pm
Filed under General, In The Spotlight · Tagged 2010, air, AM, bossa, carol kaye, chris newman, darker days, daughters, future sons and daughters, jorge ben, live, Loyola University, mandeville, new orleans, sons, sun records, tulsa, when the dust settles

Becca is the newest American Import to conquer Japan’s eclectic music scene. Just days before the biggest gig of her life, a festival in Japan where she performed before 20,000 fans, UnRated NYC caught up with this shining bright new star to chat about how she got into the business, school life on the road, making friends, and of course, her love of Japan. She has been in the game for most of her life, and now Becca is living her dream. Find out how she did it…
Posted by Sam on Monday, March 1, 2010 at 8:53 pm
Filed under In The Spotlight · Tagged Alanis Morissette, Amy Lee, Becca, Bennie Becca, Chrissie Hynde, Cyndi Lauper, Heart, Japan Culture, Joan Jett, Meredith Brooks, Oregon, Portland, Shirley Manson, Sony Japan, “I’m ALIVE!

Taken from a storming 2 hour set at [Burning Man's] Opulent Temple in the Black Rock Desert this past summer, Carl Cox released his debut Global Underground mix album, ‘Black Rock Desert,’ on January 25th, 2010.
Posted by sfrank115 on Saturday, February 27, 2010 at 8:55 pm
Filed under Albums, Galleries, In The Spotlight · Tagged 2009, 2010, Adam Beyer, Alex Dias, Alex Dolby, Black Rock Desert, Burning Man, carl cox, Fergie, global underground, Gui Boratto, Guy J, James Zabiela, Joey Beltram, nevada, paul van dyk, skylark, Tim Baker

Maura Kennedy, one-half of the folk-pop mavens, The Kennedys, released her first solo album on Planned Effervescence Recordings on January 19, 2010. Parade of Echoes is a thirteen-song soliloquy to the light and dark sides of pop, cast in the brilliant sheen of her carillon harmonies and bell-like lead vocals.
Posted by sfrank115 on Sunday, February 7, 2010 at 9:34 pm
Filed under Albums, Galleries, In The Spotlight · Tagged 2010, acoustic, East Village, Effervescence Recordings, live, Maura Kennedy, Nanci Griffith, new york, NYC, Parade of Echoes, Pete Kennedy, Philly Folk Festival, Plan A Media, The Kennedys, The Newport Folk Festival

AT SEA’s captivating audio presence can be likened to a conglomeration of Jeff Buckley meets Muse meets Pink Floyd. In the spirit of fun — the band is unafraid to explore new territory in all directions, creating both walls of sound and quiet ballads, and performing in various configurations, stemming from an intimate one-man unplugged gig to shows housing a full–band-with- occasional special-guests appearances. “In the end, it’s about taking the listener on a ride,” says Jason, lead vocalist and founding member.
Posted by sfrank115 on Monday, January 25, 2010 at 11:56 pm
Filed under Galleries, In The Spotlight · Tagged Andrew Burns, AT SEA, CMJ 2009, College Music Journal, debut, EP, Geoff Council, Jason Brody, Jeff Olson, live, Low Light, NYC, Suffolk, TDoJB, The Death of Jason Brody, There Were Happier Ways To Go

It was the Adelita Bar. “There were a bunch of young, really pretty girls and I realized it was basically a brothel,” explains Rick. “I chatted with one girl, questioning why she was living this life? And I wrote a song about it. The band name emerged from the sad stories behind the ‘Way’ they lived at the Adelita—Adelitas Way.
Posted by sfrank115 on Monday, December 28, 2009 at 12:42 pm
Filed under Albums, In The Spotlight · Tagged Adelitas Way, Derek Johnston, EMI, Invincible, Keith Wallen, Las Vegas, Philly, Rick DeJesus, scream, Strip Search, Trevor "Tre" Stafford, Virgin Records

A 15-strong-track album of flammable-fresh at-home and in-club orientated music, it will again bring F&P’s name to the very epicentre of the dance scene. Filo & Peri have brought some of the world’s finest (and previously undiscovered) singers and songwriters into the spotlight.
Posted by sfrank115 on Monday, December 28, 2009 at 11:08 am
Filed under Albums, In The Spotlight · Tagged 2009, 2010, Caicos Bay, Closer Now, club, Filo, Filo & Peri, Fisher, Music Matters, Nick Stufano, Nightplay, paul van dyk, Peri, pvd, trance, Vandit

“Sparkle Lane is a street in England where my grandmother lived,” Rogers explains. “The concrete was mixed with pieces of broken glass, so when I was a kid and I’d go to my grandmother’s house in the evening, the street would always look like it was sparkling. That’s how life felt to me as a kid.”
Posted by sfrank115 on Wednesday, December 16, 2009 at 6:02 pm
Filed under Albums, Editorials, In The Spotlight · Tagged "Guy Fawkes Day", "last of the artful dodgers", "Symbols 'n Mascots", "you sometimes win", 2010, Amanda Thorpe, Bedsit Poets, Edward Rogers, England, February, George Usher, Green Rooftops, Marty Willson-Piper, New York City, Plan A Media, Rod Argent, Roger McGuinn, Sparkle Lane, Sunday Fables, You Haven't Been Where I've Been