Exclusive track from Billy Simons

Billy Simons is a singer/songwriter from NYC, but about a year ago he packed his bags and headed out west, like so many young men before him. (He chronicled his travels in a very entertaining blog.)

Simons is a heck of a wordsmith and has always written clever and complex songs, but the journey seems to have transformed him into a bona fide troubadour. "Who Turned Out the Lights" is his latest tune, and it finds him getting his armageddon on, in the vein of Bob Dylan's "Talkin' World War III Blues". It's just as catchy as the best of his earlier songs, but folkier and with that unstoppable Johnny Cash "freight train" momentum. There's a video on YouTube, but the download is a Guilt Free Pleasures exclusive.

For further listening, Simons also has a bunch of free tracks available on Bandcamp (including his entire last LP) and a bunch of fun covers on YouTube.

Who Turned Out the Lights [mp3]

P.S. There's two days and $2,000 to go on Sxip Shirey's Kickstarter campaign to fund his new album. Sxip's been featured on GFP more than once, and I'm sure I speak for both Em and myself when I say that I hope the album gets funded!

Jim Jones Revue - "High Horse"

This came through my inbox today and it's a lot of fun so I felt compelled to post it. This is from Jim Jones Revue's upcoming album, Burning Down the House, due out August 16th. This track is very old school rock 'n' roll and is sure to have you in a dancing frenzy.

High Horse [mp3]

Midpoint Music Festival

Hey folks! So I have bittersweet news. My time in the District of Columbia is coming to a close. I have a little over two sweet weeks here and then it's back to one of my favorite cities in the world, Cincinnati, Ohio. Yes, some of you may think I'm crazy for saying that since it's very much your average mid-sized city. However there are many things I truly love about it and the music is very much a part of that. I fully intend to keep on blogging as Cincinnati has a great scene and this is sort of my introduction to that.

Midpoint Music Festival! This year is the 10th anniversary of this fun three-day event in downtown and Over-the-Rhine (the neighborhood, not the band. Although there is a connection between the two as the band members are Cincinnati natives) Cincinnati. A lot of local Cincinnati and up-and-coming bands have made their mark at this festival. Former performers include Mates of State, the Felice Brothers and Chairlift. This year Cut Copy is on the bill, which I am very, very excited for.

For more information about the festival, click here: http://mpmf.com/

Enjoy :)

New track from Cut Off Your Hands

Cut Off You Hands just released a new track. Not my favorite of theirs but a good summer groove that is sure to have you dancing in your car with the windows down (at least once this unbearable heat wave that seems to be hitting most of the country is over). It's from their newly released album, Hollow, which came out on iTunes this Tuesday (though the physical CD doesn't come out until August 16th).

Hollowed Out [mp3] - ( Amazon / iTunes )

New Animal video and MP3

Today I had the pleasure of experiencing more of New Animal, a fun, psychedelic electronic band from Atlanta, GA. They have a fun, progressive sound, mixing a variety of vocals, including harmonies and vocals that clash nicely, as though they're just meant to clash. When it's slow, you feel it and revel in it and as it speeds up, you dance and it's just very joyful. I enjoy bands like New Animal, if you cannot tell.

Here is a new MP3 of theirs for the song "Lift you Up." You had better hurry ... there are only 100 downloads available.

[mp3]

The band also just put out a video for "Lift you Up" available here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMTYzupmusg. Bikers in masks riding through the neighborhood are the visuals accompanying the music in this video. It feels very circa 1955. I like it :)

http://newanimal.bandcamp.com/

http://www.facebook.com/NewAnimalNewAnimal

http://newanimal.net/

Next upcoming show:

August 25, Nophest, Atlanta, GA

What's your tonic?

This past May, Kaleidophone released a new album entitled "What's Your Tonic?" The album is the debut of this East London pop/indie rock band. Having been featured on the BBC, the band is making waves in the United Kingdom.

The first track "Googlebox" gives you a nice, upbeat idea for what's in store. The track is fun and poppy. The next track, "Mr. Palava," is their single. It also has fun and upbeat rhythms. I just love the line "Don't hold me on a whimsy." I love when groups play around with the English language.

Other tracks are slower and change atmospheres, such as "Wrecking Ball" and "I Will Wake."

Overall, the album has a lot of good vibes. The lyrics are deep and soulful. The rhythms vary between slower rock and pop rock that makes you want to jump up and down, and dance. These guys definitely have been hard at work and it shows as I listen to each track.

For a teaser video of the album, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjZhwsYzKkQ

To view the video for "Wrecking Ball," click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CYIjbu-c48

Upcoming gigs:

July 16, Maidstone, Kent, UK, Wardstock Festival

September 10, Maidstone, Kent, UK, Kent Life, Beer Festival

http://www.myspace.com/wearekaleidophone

http://www.kaleidophone.co.uk/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kaleidophone/57313773827

Summertime Beats

Here's a couple of tracks to accompany the season for all of our northern hemispheric readers.

First, Opiuo churns out a characteristically bangin' remix of Ray Charles doing "Let the Good Times Roll". He listed the genre as "funkadelic hippohop". It's irresistible.

Then, to take things down, an uncharacteristically chilled-out patio tune from Mochipet, featuring guitar by pro skateboarder Ray Barbee. It's actually from a 2006 compilation, but Mochipet re-released it as a free download this Memorial Day weekend.

Ray Charles - Good Thymes (Opiuo Remix) [mp3] (Opiuo)

Mochipet & Ray Barbee - Beats Ballet [mp3] (Boomkat)

Another Earth trailer + Cinematic Orchestra

I know, I know, I'm WAY behind on blogging. I still have tons of Bonnaroo stuff to write about and now Silverdocs too. I promise I will get to that but first I just want to post this trailer for the movie Another Earth because I have been completely mesmerized by it and by the music they used (props to the trailer editor and/or music supervisor). They used the haunting yet simple song "That Home" by The Cinematic Orchestra and it really is one of the best uses of music in a trailer I think I've ever seen and I can't wait to see what looks like a tragically beautiful and original film.

That Home [mp3] - The Cinematic Orchestra ( Amazon / iTunes )