As a founding member and primary singer/songwriter of The Jayhawks, Mark Olson often sang behind the beat, letting the music dictate which direction his voice would travel, but on his newest album to date, Many Colored Kite his voice leads the inspiring sounds that create this beautiful collection of songs.

Playing birthday shows for kids may be a great way to meet hot moms and start a new prepubescent fan base, but get a record deal? Seems a bit far fetched if you ask me, but Z02 members Joey Cassata and brothers Paulie and David Zablidowsky (otherwise known as Joey, Paulie Z, and David Z) have been doing pretty well by this formula.

In June of 1970, guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Terry “Geezer” Butler, and singer Ozzy Osbourne gathered in the studio to record Paranoid, the album Time Magazine calls “the birthplace of heavy metal. This dynamic collection of songs, which include “Iron Man,” “Paranoid,” and “War Pigs” have gone on to influence bands such as Metallica, Megadeth, Iron Maiden, Slayer, etc

Rap music in the late 80’s and early 90’s was raw, violent, and eye opening to listeners around the world. Artists like EPMD, Ice Cube, N.W.A., and Snoop Dogg were at the forefront of a music revolution now known as “Gangsta Rap”, and the record label that gave their voices a mainstream audience was Priority Records.

With stellar songs like “Bad Jesus,” “Red Rats,” and my personal favorite, “Dirty Sexy Pig,” the album should have been titled kick your ass and leave you begging for more because that is exactly what it does. In the age of poppy crap rock Sweet Cyanide has written the blueprint for a modern rock music masterpiece.

When Justin Currie performed at New York City’s famed Joe’s Pub in mid-June the place was packed with people of all ages expecting to hear tunes from the group he co-founded in Scotland during the mid 80’s called Del Amitri. Songs like “Kiss This Thing Goodbye,” “Just Like A Man,” and “Always The Last To Know” gained notoriety because of Currie’s ability to combine uplifting tunes and darker lyrical themes

Director Stephen Kijak takes us back to the villa called Nellcote at Villefranche-sur-Mer in the South of France where the Rolling Stones wrote and recorded their seminal classic, Exile On Main Street. While watching the extraordinary film you get a sense of the turmoil and emotion that went into this record that sounds far removed from the band’s prior work.

Tracey is back with a high octane comedy series on Showtime about the many flavors of American culture called State of The UnionIt’s like a YouTube-mentality show. I don’t think anyone’s got the focus at the moment for 14-minute sketches, so I decided to make it fast and furious,” says Ullman. “It’s never boring. If you don’t like this bit, you’ll like the next bit.

Since we’re a couple, our love and musical communication gives the music a sense of urgency when we play live,” Cupcakes explains. “We create something new every time we play we play and invite the audience to take part in the process,” and that is exactly what happened when the

Linfinity are a New York City based group of musicians who helped form a band around enigmatic front man Dylan Von Wagner. The initial impetus behind the endeavor could best be described as a spark, or the clicking on of a light bulb.

Although “Bad Things” is the song that took off, Red Revelations is filled with heavy music that grabs at the soul with unbelievable precision. “Burn For You,” is a riveting song that emphasizes how hot the feeling can be when two people are madly in love.

He sports an old school style of rap reminiscent of lyrical geniuses such as Kool G Rap, Rakim, and KRS-One, and on a chilly saturday night in New York City the Man from the City of Wind blew the roof off Highline Ballroom to promote his new movie Just Wright, starring himself alongside veteran actor/rapper Queen Latifah

Painted On Water, the duo of star Turkish performers, whose current self-titled album project by the vocalist Sertab Erener and composer/guitarist Demir Demirkan, recently performed at the Hiro Ballroom in New York City. A highlight of their show, “Love” features a powerfully haunting and mesmerizing vocal by Erener with a rare background vocal by Demirkan.

New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) incorporates sampling and live instrumentation, while its more personal lyrics focus on themes of romance and relationships. Badu has described its sound as “very analog”. Recording during 2006 to 2009, a portion of the album was recorded at New York City’s Electric Lady Studios.

Head First is Goldfrapp’s most powerful trip to date, a speedy rush of synth optimism, euphoria, fantasy and romance. With life affirming lyrics and stellar production it lifts off at full tilt and takes us on a journey to the heart of 2010.