They're back.

Fivespeed is from Peoria, Arizona. They have been a band for eleven years and I have known them for many of those. They have an ep and a full length (trade in your halo) released on Arizona based record label "Sunset Alliance Records". They released the "bella" ep on Equal Vision records. And their record 'MORNING OVER MIDNIGHT" was released 2006 on Virgin Records. The band has taken a few years off but is back in the studio writing for their new record that will be available in 2010.

These guys are an amazing band and amazing people. Some of the coolest people I've known.
Generous, gracious, and they fucking rock.

Do yourself a favor and check them out.

myspace/fivespeed

Japan Invasion!

I am fascinated with Japan. The traditions and customs, their strange obsession with all things American Pop Culture, the game shows, the vending machines, and yes, the square watermelons. There are quite a few bands out of Japan that cite the US music scene as inspiration, and here are a couple:

JinnyOops!

Normally, I don't dig all-girl bands. These ladies are an exception.



JinnyOops! on myspace

Okamoto's

This quartet proudly boasts that they want to fill the boots left behind by the Ramones. They've even gone so far as to adopt an identical surname- Okamoto, of course. Whether or not Okamoto's is Japan's answer to the Ramones remains to be seen, but their unique sound of early 70's-inspired rock is fun to listen to.



Okamoto's on myspace

BRAHMS

This NYC band has only been together a short time, but they've made a big impact on the music scene with their fun electro-pop. Their first show was in front of an audience of 2000 people, and they scored an invite to SXSW this year.

Unfortunately, as is the case with many new bands, music is hard to come by on the web. You can find them on their website and myspace, or you can check out the live video below, courtesy of BIG LIVE.

BRAHMS from Big Live on Vimeo.

Givers

Outside of New Orleans, Louisiana isn't exactly a place that screams "musical mecca", but Givers aims to change that. With catchy melodies and poppy fun tunes, you'll be chair dancing in no time. Check em out:



Givers on myspace

The Mynabirds - Numbers Don't Lie

To me, Saddle Creek used to be this incredible powerhouse of a label. So many great bands! So much great music! But then things changed- Bright Eyes disbanded and Conor Oberst left for a country-tinged stint with Merge, The Faint started their own imprint, and Cursive just got weird. Saddle Creek is back on my radar now though, and it's all thanks to The Mynabirds. The band's debut album will be released April 27.

Kid Cudi - Pursuit Of Happiness ft. MGMT, Ratatat

Many of us are experiencing tough times, myself included. Whether it's political, social, economic, even personal. And, every once in a while there is a song that moves you, helps you drive on, put one foot in front of the other. An anthem that not only helps you to move forward, but makes you dance forward. Kid Cudi's Pursuit of Happiness from 2009 is one of those tracks. I'm singin' in with him:

"I’m On The Pursuit Of Happiness And I Know Everything That Shines Ain’t Always Gonna Be Gold; Hey, I’ll Be Fine Once I Get It; Yeah; I’ll Be Good"

MUSE live at SXSW

It's no secret that MUSE is probably my favorite band ever, and finally seeing them live last December just cemented that. These guys are incredibly talented of course, but there's just nothing better than having every one of your ridiculously high expectations exceeded at a live show. I'll be seeing them again in 19 days when they roll through Phoenix, and here's a little something to keep the anticipation up.

MUSE live from SXSW, via myspace.


Muse - Live from South By Southwest 2010

MUSE | MySpace Music Videos

SXSW picks, day eight

We have more great bands from SXSW today and you win, because I couldn't narrow it down to 5. Enjoy! 

After the jump: Master Shortie, The 88, Jonna Lee, Cymbals Eat Guitars, Maverick Sabre, The Boxer Rebellion, and Instrumenti.

Gavin Castleton, What the Hell are You?

Gavin Castleton. I discovered him while listening to artists at the last SXSW. And I can't seem to figure this guy out. His latest album is love gone bad/zombie movie. His tweets are a continuing story: twitter/gavincastleton
His music is indefinable. I really don't know what to make of it. I like it. A lot. But what the hell is it? Not that music necessarily has to be defined in a genre, but, I really would like to know what the hell is going on.
His latest album, Home, is described as "an album about the process of healing from massive heartbreak. Written over the course of a two- year breakup, this 14-song narrative blurs the line between fact and fiction as it details the extreme highs and gut-wrenching lows of Castleton’s first bout with love, presented in the motif of a zombie film."

Here is one of the songs, “Coffeelocks” a "50’s doo-wop/dub pop of - a love at first sight introduction in the coffee shop"



Listen to his entire new album HOME here: http://www.gavincastleton.com/

I'd love to hear what everyone else thinks about it.

SXSW picks, day seven

It's day two of the SXSW festival in Austin, and the Beards picks continue. Here are some highlights from today's performances.

After the jump: Avi Buffalo, Tigersapien, Le Loup, These United States, and Horse Feathers.

SXSW picks, day six

Today marks the official start of the music festivities at SXSW. While we can't be there to document all of the great music in person, the picks continue.

Check out today's selections after the jump: Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly., Hyperpotamus, Jill Barber, Surfer Blood, and Miles Kurosky.

SXSW picks, day five

The annual SXSW festival in Austin, TX starts tomorrow. We here at Beards would love to be there but alas, the magic ticket fairy didn't visit us this year. Fortunately, The SXSW website has a complete list of performers, so we'll be bringing you our picks over the next couple weeks.

Check out today's picks after the jump:

New Holy Fuck song! "Latin America"

Yes, it's completely badass and chair-danceable if you're stuck in the office. No, the embed code does not want to behave itself so instead, please have this delightful link:

http://holyfuckmusic.com/

Enjoy or die~!

"Kings of the basement party jam"

Straight outta Philly is Chiddy Bang, who some bloggers say is a "hipsters wet dream". Combining hip-hop and electronica with samples from MGMT, Passion Pit, even Mary Poppins, Chiddy Bang is the self-proclaimed "Kings of the basement party jam".


Opposite Of Adults (HD)

Chiddy Bang | MySpace Music Videos

Their story is as great as their music: http://my.sxsw.com/events/eid/11148

SXSW picks, day four

The annual SXSW festival in Austin, TX starts next week. We here at Beards would love to be there but alas, the magic ticket fairy didn't visit us this year. Fortunately, The SXSW website has a complete list of performers, so we'll be bringing you our picks over the next couple weeks.

Check out today's picks after the jump: Kaiser Cartel, Lost in Holland, Nico Stai, Suzanna Choffel, The Young Republic

SXSW picks, day three

The annual SXSW festival in Austin, TX starts next week. We here at Beards would love to be there but alas, the magic ticket fairy didn't visit us this year. Fortunately, The SXSW website has a complete list of performers, so we'll be bringing you our picks over the next couple weeks. 

Check out today's picks after the jump: Choir of Young Believers, Monarchs, More or Les, The Hounds Below, The Minutes

SXSW picks, day two

The annual SXSW festival in Austin, TX starts next week. We here at Beards would love to be there but alas, the magic ticket fairy didn't visit us this year. Fortunately, The SXSW website has a complete list of performers, so we'll be bringing you our picks over the next couple weeks. 

Check out today's picks after the jump: Doll and the Kicks, L. Stadt, The Black and White Years, The Howlies, The Pharmacy, The Uglysuit

SXSW picks, day one

The annual SXSW festival in Austin, TX starts next week. We here at Beards would love to be there but alas, the magic ticket fairy didn't visit us this year. Fortunately, The SXSW website has a complete list of performers, so we'll be bringing you our picks over the next couple weeks.


Check out today's picks after the jump: Diamond Rings, Jason Collett, Jenny Owen Youngs, Miz Metro, The Dirty Hearts

White Williams - Route to Palm

by J.Paul

Dude, seriously; I love the fuck out of this song. It's totally chill, surf-y and in my opinion upbeat with vague hints of melancholy in the guitar licks and his singing. My kind of song and perfect for an overcast March day in the Windy City.

OK Go- This Too Shall Pass

If you aren't familiar with OK Go, you've clearly been living under a rock. (If you need a memory jog, they did that cool synchronized treadmill dance in the video for "There it Goes Again") These guys not only produce some great, energetic music, but their videos are always worth watching. Insanely creative and usually band-produced, I haven't seen one yet that I didn't like. Their newest one, an alternate video for "This Too Shall Pass", tops even the treadmill dance. The band created and built the entire machine! Check it out:

Because The Beard Said So

Yeah, that's right, the beard in that picture on our homepage told us about this guy, Detroit's own Randolph Chabot's Deastro. According to his bio on lostfm; All the music is made in Chabot’s Detroit basement with the help of sampled children’s toys and synthesizers, blurring the lines between electronic and acoustic music.
Here he performs live in-studio at KEXP 90.3 FM Seattle:



Some behind the scenes magic, following Chabot around his Detroit home:

Aaron Thomas

I stumbled across Aaron Thomas' somehow optimistically-sung yet hopelessly-worded song "Any More" via SXSW. And I find myself moved every time I hear it, like the rest of his music. Somehow he combines the haunting with the uplifting.

Here is the first single from his second album of the same name, Made of Wood.



Aaron was born in Hobart, Tasmania (Australia), and has lived in the Ukraine, the United States and now resides in Madrid, Spain. His first album release was Follow the Elephants (Everlasting records/Recordings From the Other Side, 2008), recorded and mixed in Madrid by singer, guitarist, writer and poet, Julio de la Rosa (El Hombre Burbuja). Follow the Elephants led to invitations to play and sell his record in the US (CMJ and South by South West, in New York and Austin, Texas), the UK (Concrete and Glass, London), Germany (PopKomm in Berlin) and his native Australia (various headline shows and supports in different cities). Meanwhile Aaron was writing, rehearsing with his band - plucked from the best acts on Madrid’s avant-garde and indie circuits – Jorge Fuertes on drums and percussion (Doss, Pleasure Fuckers, NudoZurdo), Javi Díez-Ena on the stand-up bass (Dead Capo, Insecto, Ainara Legardon), Rebecca Lander on backing vocals (The Knot, Roman Lieske, Alek Stark, Kracovia), and Abraham Boba (Nacho Vegas, Julio de la Rosa).

http://www.myspace.com/aaronthomasband

The Laureates - No Kontrol EP

by J.Paul

Just saw these devilishly handsome gentlemen on Friday at the Hideout and had an absolute blast. They've got a high energy, well kicked out garage rock sound and have got me all stoked to see them play again. The show was a record release party for their latest, the No Kontrol EP which can be streamed below. My only complaint about it is that the vocals could be mixed up a bit louder in "Disconnected," otherwise these five songs ought to fuel your fire for rough around the edges rock'n'roll from four dudes who love what they're doing. Enjoy!


http://www.laureatesmusic.com/

Beyonce - Single Ladies(Endless Noise version)

by J.Paul

This shit is fucking rad! My motown bones are totally chair dancing right now. If Top 40 R&B still sounded like this, I would be tuned in all the time.