New Release: Winehouse

Amy Winehouse may be dead, but she's still releasing new music. Her new album, "Lioness: Hidden Treasures," will hit shelves Tuesday, to mixed reviews.

The album is a collection of 12 songs; some of which were recorded pretty early in her career, in 2002. The songs are a mixture of Motown, R&B and Jazz.

This is her first posthumous album, but there are rumors that it won't be her last. Producers have dismissed the rumor, but who knows.

Most people don't like the idea of posthumous albums. It's creepy, greedy and disrespectful to the artist.

Since the songs weren't being produced at the time of her death, this is just the music industry's way of milking a cash cow to its last drop. Winehouse only produced two albums before she died at age 27 earlier this year. It's understandable that many fans would love to hear more, but at what cost?

Winehouse's father has told reporters that he won't listen to "Lioness: Hidden Treasures" anytime soon. It's too painful. Anyone who actually cared about Amy Winehouse as a person would probably say the same.

Amy Winehouse didn't want these songs released; to her, they weren't good enough. If they were, they would have been on her albums already. Songs don't get any better just because the artist dies.

Respect her family. Let her rest in peace. 

To a true artist like Amy Winehouse, music is a part of the soul. To reveal it is the artist's decision. Or it should be.

But if you're a fan and can't resist supporting greedy producers, the official release is Tuesday, and you can pre-order online.

Some titles have leaked already. Here's one, "Like Smoke," featuring Nas:

- Heather Butterworth
 

The Wonderful, Musical World of MACRoCk!

ATTENTION CONCERT GOERS...

Who has ever heard of the strange little acronym MACRoCk?  Well, for those who have never heard or seen it, then you have been missing out on one of the best and most convenient music festivals in our area. 

The Mid-Atlantic College Radio Conference (or MACRoCk for short) is a non profit organization that is based in Harrisonburg that holds a yearly weekend festival that promotes the independent music community.   MACRoCk tried to project a message that music can thrive without bug corporation influence, and that the independent music scene is alive and well and give these bands a much larger audience then they would usually have.
 

In 1996, MACRoCk was created as a branch for WXJM, JMU's own amazing radio station. After ten years of partnership, MACRoCk left to become an organization of its own.  The organization relies heavily on volunteers for the annual April festival, and on donations from the Harrisonburg and JMU community.  

Every year, the festival has grown immensely, by picking up more bands, and getting more recognition and attendees.  Because I am affiliated with WXJM, I have had the privilege to experience MACRoCk firsthand, and have volunteered the past two years.  From an attendee's point of view, how MACRoCk operates is that it occurs the first weekend in April and is two full days of music and panels.

Patrons buy either a daily or weekend wristband which gives them unlimited access into the places where the bands are hosted, like the Artful Dodger, Clementine, Blue Nile, Court Square Theater, and Dave's.  

There have been hundreds of bands that have performed in the past like Algernon Cadawaller, Converge, Owen, US Christmas, Antlers, Screaming Females, Menzingers, and many more.  Some of the more well-known bands that have performed are Animal Collective, Bouncing Souls, Dashboard Confessional, Dillinger Escape Plan, Coheed and Cambria, and Mastodon.

Besides the whole music and concert aspects, MACRoCk also hold panels on the second day of the festival that are enlightening and rewarding.  A majority of the topics surround important issues currently happening within college radio and the independent music community.

Each panel tries to enlighten its audience to the underground world of college radio and how they play such a large role in promoting underrepresented music around the country.  Without these stations, the music we listen to would be repetitive and mundane.  

MACRoCk this year is being held April 6th-7th and not much else is known so far about what bands will play or what the panel topics will be.  If you really want to immerse yourself to a new world of music and just grow a new appreciation for independent bands and all their hard work, then you definitely need to check this out.

-MM

Don't drink by yourself, drink with Drinkify!

Imagine this:

It's Saturday night and you're all alone, listening to music.
Suddenly, you get a craving for a drink.

You then realize that you're about to have a sip. Alone. By yourself.

Don't you fear weird just sitting and drinking by yourself?

Fear not, Drinkify is here to save you!

"Never listen to music alone again."

Drinkify is a new music website that asks what you're listening to, then creates a custom drink order that enhances your listening experience.

For example, let's say you're listening to Aqua's smash-hit, Barbie Girl. All you will have to do to enhance your drinking experience is plug in "Aqua" in the search field and viola! You now have the perfect* drink.

Drinkify is completely free and has amazingly an complete database thanks to two application programming interfaces (API)  called 'The Echo Nest' and Last.Fm.

The Echo Nest gives Drinkify the terms to draw songs based on your search criteria.

You can search based on song name or artist with Drinkify and The Echo Nest in conjunction with Drinkify. Then Drinkify will either pull out the particular song, or a popular song from the artist that you searched.

Last.Fm gives Drinkify the ability to supply album art, spelling of names, and provides a list of the most popular tracks from each artist that you search.

These APIs give Drinkify and application builders detailed access to over 3 billion songs, so you'll always get a satisfying result!

Drinkify has a sense of humor too! Some of the artist and drink matches are made to poke fun at the band and it's fans.
Out of all the matches I've seen, this is one made me laugh the most.

Drinking blood does seem popular now-a-days...

Drinkify has attracted the attention of other blogs sites too, like Buzzfeed.com. They spent a booz-filled day with Drinkify and picked out their favorite combinations. To read their blog post called, "The Best of Drinkify" click here!

Now that you know all about Drinkify, why don't you try it out??


Here, let's get started!

*Drinkify does not guarantee that EVERYTHING will taste exactly right. Just most things.

-MR

Glamour Kills: A Harmonious Combination of Music and Fashion

Who knew that a high school kid could have a major impact in the fashion and music industry?

In 2005, Mark Capicotto founded the clothing company Glamour Kills, while living in his parent's basement and just finishing high school. By day, he was a pizza delivery boy, trying to make an honest dollar and by night he used the money he earned to start his very own clothing line.  He knew nothing about the fashion industry, how to print t-shirts, how to design shirts, let alone know how to run a small business. 

Despite his cluelessness about business and a lack of capitol, Mark slowly but surely began to build up his company, started selling his clothing to local stores, and launched his own website.  Today, Glamour Kills is sold in major clothing stores like Zumiez and Tilly’s, and has their own location in Beacon, New York. 

Mark’s biggest inspirations for Glamour Kills was, and still is, rock music and the culture that embraces it.  Bands that have proudly sported the brand are those more associated with the alternative and alternative/punk genres such as All Time Low, Boys Like Girls, A day to Remember, Bayside, and many others.

 Back in 2009, Mark was interviewed by the website, hottostartaclothingline.com and talked about how the main reason for the growth of his company is band sponsorships:

“The exposure gained through sponsoring a band is astronomical. When fans of a certain band can associate your company with the band, they then in return, become fans of your company.  If it wasn’t for the bands that we sponsor, Glamour Kills Clothing wouldn’t be where it is today.”

There is another article on that website written by Ryan Miller of Carraway Clothing that discusses the process and importance of band sponsorship.  To sum it up, the more you give to bands, the more you get back.  Besides the costs of the apparel itself, it is practically free advertisement.  For clothing companies just starting out, this is a vital way to get the name out, especially if the bands participate in major tours, like Bamboozle Road Show, Zumiez Couch Tour, or the granddaddy of them all, Vans Warped Tour.

In 2009, Glamour Kills was asked to be a partner all summer long with the Vans Warped Tour.  This was the dream publicity that Mark had been longing for his company.  The tour was a perfect platform to promote because their audience and demographic was present, the bands were what Glamour Kills tried to target, and the tour traveled across the nation to thousands of kids.

Since Mark created his first template with the infamous winged pig in his parent’s basement, Glamour Kills has drastically grown into a well known label that can be seen in music magazines like Alternative Press, skate shops, malls, music tours and is instantly associated with several bands and their image.  The movement and image that Mark tried to create has become a full-blown success.

-MM

Tour Alert: Rammstein in America

Rammstein are coming to America. It's official: The legendary German industrial metal band will be playing in major US cities (including Baltimore) from April 20 to May 5.

They came to New York City and Los Angeles earlier this year, but it was probably easier to meet the pope than to get an un-scalped ticket. All of their shows sold out in less than five minutes.

Fans know that this is a big deal. Before this year's Made in Germany tour, the band hadn't been to America since 1998, when Massachusetts police arrested two of the members for simulating sodomy onstage. Thanks, Massachusetts. Meanwhile, they've been touring and selling out on every continent but North America (well, and Antarctica, if anyone even really considers that a real continent).

They've had hits and have been nominated for Grammys and MTV Awards, but their music isn't mainstream. Jam Showbiz once called it "music to invade Poland to." 

The band, which formed in 1995, is still going strong and gaining fans. They've released six albums, most of which are great, and have managed to please fans by keeping their hard roots. They focus on stunning visuals and pyrotechnics, but this isn't KISS. Rammstein aren't a gimmick band.

Other than their stunning performances, Rammstein have attracted publicity through controversial videos (like "P***y") and unfortunate attention when it was revealed that the Columbine shooters liked Rammstein's music. 

Americans who aren't fans might recognize their hits "Du Hast", "Amerika," "Feuer Frei!," "Ohne Dich" or "Links 2-3-4." Rammstein were also in the Vin Diesel action movie "xXx."

The singer, Till Lindemann, has said that he wants to retire within the next two years. This could be the last time they ever tour.

Pre-sales start today on TicketMaster and LiveNation. The opening act is Combichrist. Tickets go for $45-$85, depending on the venue and if you're in a nosebleed seat or close enough to feel the fire. On both sites, the band has the maximum rating (five stars) for performances.

Check out this music video for "Mein Teil," a song about the (real) cannibal case in Germany a few years back.

- Heather Butterworth

James Madison Concerts

When people think music majors, most automatically think of classical music. For many James Madison music students, classical is far from the only genre of music played.

James Madison University boasts one of the most accomplished and comprehensive music programs in the state of Virginia.

Students are immersed Jazz, World, Percussive, and many other types of music.
With a wide variety of studies offered, that means there are copious amounts of concerts to be attended!

The remainder of the music program's month boasts a remarkable amount of concerts.

The headliners are the Arcos Trio. The trio plays music written by women composers and more interestingly, music that crosses classical boundaries and incorporates popular themes.

The Arcos Trio will be performing on November 16 at 8 p.m.

Credit

Also being featured in November is the Guitar ensemble playing traditional American folk and jazz, under the direction of a James Madison University alumnus, Keith Stevens. 

The guitar ensemble is well known in the music community for their well loved and talented guitarists and fantastic concerts.

Credit

December is an exciting month for the music program.
Holidayfest is a James Madison University tradition in it's 43rd year that consists of the best Christmas music in the valley.
This year, Jazzfest and the Jazz Ensembles of James Madison are making an appearance on day one of this three day concert. This year, they are presenting a jazzy twist on Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker suite.
The concert series also features a surprise local celebrity at the Saturday and Sunday performances.
The final and earliest performance features child friendly activities in the grand lobby.

Holidayfest takes place on December 1 and 3 at 8 p.m. and December 4 at 2 p.m.

Many of James Madison University's concert gems aren't advertised very well. Many graduating juniors and seniors provide wonderful full recitals and half recitals only advertised inside the music building.

While most of these concerts are not free, all of the events are great for people who love amazing music.

For the complete James Madison University music performance schedule and ticket prices, click here!

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Check out this amazing music video by Ok Go!

-MR

The Return of Beavis and Butt-head

 MTV’s Beavis and Butt-head are back. Although the beloved ’90s show now makes fun of reality shows like 16 and Pregnant and Jersey Shore, they also make fun of music videos.

That’s right. The channel that legally changed its name from Music Television to MTV has music again.

The show ran from ’93-’97 and gathered a cult following. Since then, channels like Comedy Central have shown re-runs. They released soundtrack CDs. All of the seasons have been released to DVD, and there’s been no shortage of Beavis and Butt-head action figures. The show had a spinoff, “Daria,” which also became popular. Marvel made a Beavis and Butt-head comic book. The show’s movie, “Beavis and Butt-head Do America,” got $60 million at the box office.

A whole new generation will be exposed to music through the (mentally challenged?) teenagers. From fresh dubstep to the bubble gum horrors of Katy Perry, artists will get the opportunity to be made fun of (and get some new fans).

So it’s safe to say that both artists and fans are excited about the show’s return. It’s just as funny (and as lewd) as it ever was.

So far, they’ve shown videos from MGMT, Skrillex, LMFAO, Deadmau5, Cage the Elephant and Benny Banassi.

This could mean the return of the music video. The art of the music video has faded over time. What was big in the ’80s has lost appeal for artists, since most TV channels don’t feature music videos anymore. Sure, there’s YouTube, but many artists don’t want to put a costly video out there without getting paid.

It’s too early to tell now, but since the season premiere on October 27, MTV has been linking the videos on their site. They’re getting a lot of views. That comes as no surprise to all the B&B fans out there. And they’re definitely out there.

Beavis and Butt-head airs on Thursdays at 10 p.m., EST. on MTV. Enjoy.

Check out Skrillex’s “First of the Year” video they featured. Spoiler alert: a little girl kicks a child molester’s @$$.

-Heather Butterworth