NEWS FLASH! NEWS FLASH!! NEWS FLASH!!!
This blog has moved to a new location! You can now find it at www.la-story.com.
I haven't left Fashiontribes.com. I am still part of the staff. It was to streamline the blogs.
Why the move?
So you can find it easier and the pages will load faster.
There's a ton of new podcasts and features waiting to go up. So check out the new location and let me know what you think!
Stevie Wilson
NEWS FLASH! NEWS FLASH!! NEWS FLASH!!!
This blog has moved to a new location! You can now find it at www.la-story.com.
Attention Southern California Lifehouse fans!! Want to be a part of an exclusive major internet event with Lifehouse? Yahoo! Music and Geffen Records want you to join us when Lifehouse takes the stage for Nissan Live Sets in West Los Angeles, CA.
Check it out at the LA-Story.Com blog
Stevie Wilson
2nd Annual Night of Spirits Event Benefits the LA Chapter, Muscular Dystrophy Association
For MORE information on this event, please check out
www.LA-STORY.com for all the details.
If you don't know who Jane Monheit is, please don't skip over this podcast. This is really something different. It's not your typical 'indie rock/pop' person that I interview. Instead it's a singer whose vocal prowess is phenomenal and she's just as beautiful as her voice. Grammy nominated Monheit has just dropped her seventh album and still finds there's a goldmine of songs in the pop/jazz repetoire to sing-- and bring her own tone, "voice", personality to each one of these songs and make them her own.
Produced by the magician producer, Jorge Callandrelli (Celine Dion, Tony Bennett, Barbra Streisand and more, Surrender features 10 tracks of fab ballads and sexy and romantic bossa novas. Now you might not recognize all these names but you do know Stevie Wonder and Jane covers Stevie Wonder’s “Overjoyed” in a magical way. She also worked with Sergio Mendes’ on his “So Many Stars,” which he produced, arranged and guests on, along with Johnny Mandel & Paul Francis Webster’s “A Time for Love.” There's so much depth to these songs, that they don't sound like classics but fresh material.
Working with her core of musicians including Ari Ambrose (saxophone), Michael Kanan (piano and Fender Rhodes), Orlando Le Fleming (bass), Rick Montalbano (drums) and Miles Okazaki (guitar), Monheit has shown us that not only can she do the classics, but she can take contemporary material and make it gorgeous as well as venture into Brazilian jazzy bossa nova beats and produce a lush, sexy "meet me in Rio" feel to these amazing songs - and she's very very good at interpreting the romance of the language.
Check out the podcast so that you can learn the who, what, where, why and how about this album as Jane Monheit gives us some time to ask her about her newest "baby" and what she's doing in her life when she's not on the road or in the studio-- and you will be surprised at the things she really loves. Or -- if you already listen to Monheit-- you won't be surprised. She's a multi-faceted, fun-loving person whose enthusiasm for her favorite things should be 'bottled" for it's pop and fizz. Don't forget to check out the track listings-- there are 2 streaming songs!
Surrender Track listing:
1. If You Went Away
2. Surrender
3. Rio De Maio (with Ivan Lins)
4. Like A Lover
5. Só Tinha De Ser Com Você
www.concordmusicgroup.com/audio/asx/JaneMonheit-SoTinhaDeSerComVoce.asx
www.concordmusicgroup.com/audio/ram/JaneMonheit-SoTinhaDeSerComVoce.rm
6. So Many Stars (with Sergio Mendes)
7. Moon River
8. Overjoyed
9. Caminhos Cruzados (with Toots Thielemans)
ww.concordmusicgroup.com/audio/asx/JaneMonheit-CaminhosCruzados.asx
www.concordmusicgroup.com/audio/ram/JaneMonheit-CaminhosCruzados.rm
10. A Time For Love
Want to know more about Jane Monheit? Check out these websites:
Jane Monheit Concord Official Site:
http://concordmusicgroup.com/janemonheit
Jane Monheit Official Site:
http://www.janemonheitonline.com
Jane Monheit on MySpace:
http://www.myspace.com/janemonheit
Jane Monheit Surrender Tour Dates
06/02 The Cleveland Playhouse Cleveland, Ohio
06/05 -06/10 Catalina Bar and Grill Los Angeles, CA
06/13 -06/14 Soho Restaurant & Music Club Santa Barbara, CA
06/15 Anthology Restaurant Live San Diego, CA
06/16 Anthropology Restaurant Live San Diego, CA
06/17 The Coach House San Juan Capistrano, CA
06/22-06/23 Arturo Sandoval Jazz Club Miami Beach, FL
07/09 Kuumba Jazz Center Santa Cruz, CA
07/12-07/15 Yoshi's Oakland, CA
07/17-07/22 Jazz Alley Seattle, WA
08/10 The Birchmere Alexandria, VA
08/11 Mt. Gretna Playhouse Mount Gretna, PA
08/12 Planting Fields Arboretum Oyster Bay, NY
08/18 Mable House Amphitheatre Mableton, GA
09/01 On The Waterfront Festival Rockford, IL
09/22 Travis Park San Antonio, TX
09/23 One World Theatre Austin, TX
10/09-10/11 Blue Note New York, New York
Ready to buy now?
Maybe you have heard about the carnage in DARFUR.. or maybe not.
If not, call this a reality check because you NEED to know that there are people being slaughtered out there. You might think that there is nothing you can do. Maybe you feel that you can barely make ends meet and you cannot help in any way.
Guess what- YOU CAN.. By using your computer to watch the NEW DAY video from THE KIN trigger a donation to halt the brutal genocide in Darfur simply by watching The Kin's video hosted by Revver.com.
"The tragic genocide that the people of Darfur are being forced to endure is horrifying - my brother and I felt we had a responsibility to do whatever we could to help," says Isaac Koren, one half of The Kin duo. "The groundbreaking technology of Revver presented us with a solution where anyone with a computer - a child, grandmother, taxi driver - can make a difference immediately, to save lives and halt the genocide in Darfur."
The Kin aims to raise $350,000 with a high-tech campaign tapping the power of the Web, video and music.
A complex and bloody civil war that has left 400,000 people dead and more than 2 million displaced in just three years, the Darfur conflict is a calculated campaign of displacement, starvation, rape and mass slaughter unmatched in the 21st Century.
Aletheia Entertainment recording artists The Kin, led by Australian brothers Isaac and Thorry Koren, are the most recent artists to join the growing world contingent of concerned citizens.
The brother musicians have made a video of a stirringly soulful acoustic performance of their song, "New Day" available through Revver.com. (I know where it was shot because I saw them perform there -- just for me and my photographer-- that will come in another blog)
As a "Revverized" video, "New Day" has technology embedded into the clip which triggers a donation to SaveDarfur.org every time a viewer watches the entire video and clicks through to the sponsor's link displayed at the end.
Viewers who visit the video at http://www.thekin.com/savedarfur to see and hear "New Day" will definitely consider it time well spent.
"This is a song about overcoming oppression," says Thorry. "The words visualize a time when people come together for peace."
"A lot of people want to help, but they don't think they can afford the time or the money," Isaac Koren concludes. "We're happy to help bring critically-needed aid to Darfur in a very simple way: All you have to do is watch a video.
This fantastic spontaneous acoustic performance shot in a California parking garage, this is acoustic musicianship at its best.. with their gorgeous harmonies and passion for the topic with the accompaniement a single guitar, these guys are smokin'. The lyrical message is one of hope and that we can make a difference-- YOU can make a difference. They are trying to make a difference and have already started the process. You need only to watch the video and click on the link. Pass it on to friends and tell them to watch (they will love the unique vocalizations and style of this new band) and then click the link.
It doesn't get any easier than this my peeps. So watch the video.. it's an easy 3-4 minutes to see these guys LIVE acoustically --in a garage no less- listen to the power and passion in their voices, their lyrics, in their presentation. You can help.
.
Stevie Wilson
Maybe you have heard about the carnage in DARFUR.. or maybe not.
If not, call this a reality check because you NEED to know that there are people being slaughtered out there. You might think that there is nothing you can do. Maybe you feel that you can barely make ends meet and you cannot help in any way.
Guess what- YOU CAN.. By using your computer to watch the NEW DAY video from THE KIN trigger a donation to halt the brutal genocide in Darfur simply by watching The Kin's video hosted by Revver.com.
"The tragic genocide that the people of Darfur are being forced to endure is horrifying - my brother and I felt we had a responsibility to do whatever we could to help," says Isaac Koren, one half of The Kin duo. "The groundbreaking technology of Revver presented us with a solution where anyone with a computer - a child, grandmother, taxi driver - can make a difference immediately, to save lives and halt the genocide in Darfur."
The Kin aims to raise $350,000 with a high-tech campaign tapping the power of the Web, video and music.
A complex and bloody civil war that has left 400,000 people dead and more than 2 million displaced in just three years, the Darfur conflict is a calculated campaign of displacement, starvation, rape and mass slaughter unmatched in the 21st Century.
Aletheia Entertainment recording artists The Kin, led by Australian brothers Isaac and Thorry Koren, are the most recent artists to join the growing world contingent of concerned citizens.
The brother musicians have made a video of a stirringly soulful acoustic performance of their song, "New Day" available through Revver.com. (I know where it was shot because I saw them perform there -- just for me and my photographer-- that will come in another blog)
As a "Revverized" video, "New Day" has technology embedded into the clip which triggers a donation to SaveDarfur.org every time a viewer watches the entire video and clicks through to the sponsor's link displayed at the end.
Viewers who visit the video at http://www.thekin.com/savedarfur to see and hear "New Day" will definitely consider it time well spent.
"This is a song about overcoming oppression," says Thorry. "The words visualize a time when people come together for peace."
"A lot of people want to help, but they don't think they can afford the time or the money," Isaac Koren concludes. "We're happy to help bring critically-needed aid to Darfur in a very simple way: All you have to do is watch a video.
This fantastic spontaneous acoustic performance shot in a California parking garage, this is acoustic musicianship at its best.. with their gorgeous harmonies and passion for the topic with the accompaniement a single guitar, these guys are smokin'. The lyrical message is one of hope and that we can make a difference-- YOU can make a difference. They are trying to make a difference and have already started the process. You need only to watch the video and click on the link. Pass it on to friends and tell them to watch (they will love the unique vocalizations and style of this new band) and then click the link.
It doesn't get any easier than this my peeps. So watch the video.. it's an easy 3-4 minutes to see these guys LIVE acoustically --in a garage no less- listen to the power and passion in their voices, their lyrics, in their presentation. You can help.
.
Stevie Wilson
I love my iPod but wish I could easily hear the music in the car-- along with the cell phone, friends, (and an occasional police siren) without having to use earbuds or get a new radio/cd/iPod unit for my car. Problem solved courtesy of IMainGo!
This cool little product is about the size of your hand and it comes in five luscious colors (thank you for that! I addicted to all things pink or blue) that works for both guys and girls --which makes gift giving easier.
What's it really do? You take a fully charged iPod (duh), unzip the IMainGo and remove all the stuffings.
Insert fresh AAA batteries x 4.
Plug the IMainGo into the iPod
Place the iPOD face down (so you can see it the controls through the window).
Depending on your iPOD unit, insert any necesary adapter.
Flip the switch to "music".
Close and zip up the IMainGo.
You are ready to "rock and roll" because once zipped up you flip over the IMainGo and turn on your iPod and pick out the music you want to hear and hit play--
VOILA! Instant music! Perfect for the car, beach, hiking, vacation, and the iPOD is protected in case you drop it. Wristlet is included so you don't have to "carry" this, but can hang it off your wrist. (Do turn down the sound). It's only 9 oz so it's perfectly portable!
IMainGo can also be used as an external speaker system for any laptop, desktop computer, or sleek portable gaming device
This will be in stock at Apple stores in June! You can find more details or order NOW at IMainGo.com. It's only about $50.00 and you can give someone the perfect gift-- grad, dad, mom, bff, boss or yourself!
It's crunch time boys and girls! Shop till you drop or find the perfect gift for your mom. Here are some quick ideas that you can find online and in stores NOW!
If it's jewelry that catches here eye, Check out Tadam for some amazing pieces at affordable price points.
Bellmore Earrings are a smash hit for summer wear and into fall and would be a memorable gift.
Mom would be star struck with this fab necklace called
appropriately "Star Struck" also from Tadam Jewelry.
What mother wouldn't love a gorge robe like this? Silk Charmeuse bi-colored embroidered long kimono robe features a detailed embroidered peacock on the back with Chinese characters embroidered on the front symbolizing long life, prosperity and good health. Three color combinations peach/ivory, lavender/pink, sage green/celadon from Shirley of Hollywood .
Moms love handbags-- well who doesn't? Check out this adorable piece from Kipling-- a duffle in a hot RED called Anatomy that is perfect for spring/summer!
Want to know what's hot in the blogosphere? The newest trends in fashion, the best spots to shop, the coolest new item? Web Snob brings you the best so that you don't have to google around to find out what it's all about. Now you already know!
The Antrobus Convertible Bag is the perfect solution traveling light says Bag Snob!
Coquette picks her spring favorites from Kris Nations Jewelry.
eBelle5 reveals Jessica Simpson's version of Rafe's Rivington Handbag
Yes, you can wear a dress in emerald, fuschia, purple or any other bold color. According to Fashiontribes, the secret is accessories in nude or metallic tones.
An organized handbag makes girlawhirl’s life a little more manageable. Girlawhirl finds options from Alexandra Bee and Purseket
Kristopher Dukes does a non-tribute to the YSL "Tribute" shoe.
Give Someone Special the Gift of Love. LA STORY Suggests David Martin's Something In Your Eyes CD
Are reusable designer shopping bags truly the future? Papierblog finds out.
Second City Style interviews Project Runway winner, Jeffrey Sebelia.
SheFinds Asks: Dresses with Pockets -- Hot or Not?
Want to know what the StyleBakery.com editors are loving? They're sharing all the products they can't live without this season.
Styleaholics' Najwa Moses catches up with sneaker blogger Ms. Exclusive Sneaker Aficionado Illuminati
Hot Trend: Alice in Wonderland - Have your own mad tea party and revisit your childhood with these Lewis Carroll-inspired finds at the Stylehive.
Already looking toward summer jewelry accesorizing, The Jewelry Weblog discovered some yummy fruit jewelry.
Stevie Wilson
Undergear has definitely taken iPOD accessories where no gadget has particularly gone before .. (and I qualify that in certain terms , ok?).
We all love our iPOD. Some love them to death-- wearing them constantly and having speakers in every room to plug and play their latest Itunes downloads. I have seen-- and purchase-- clothing with special pockets for iPODs : coats and shirts are typically what I have found with inside pockets and easy to use loops to keep the cord in check.
For those "die hard" Ipod fans there is now leisurewear from online retailer, www.undergear.com that features pockets built into shorts, pants and briefs that allow you to relax and have your iPOD "on you" in special pockets and keep hands free for other tasks.
From Play™, the iBoxer comes in cotton and features a small pocket up front for cell phone, MP3 or iPOD to keep you "tuned" in but hands free! It comes in black, white, turquoise or orange with lime stitching for $22.
The Play™ I-Pant is an all cotton pant for comfort and it's easy wash and wear (though watch out for the dryer and make sure you remove all devices before washing!).
The i-Pant retails for $35.00 and comes in lime, turquoise or white.
Where to find this most unusual iPOD accessory yet? Check out www.undergear.com for the 3 different styles.
Stevie Wilson
Macy Gray was on the Jimmy Kimmel Live on Thursday, May 3, 2007 and did a performance.
LA Story featured the contest to win a pair of tickets to see Macy Gray LIVE on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
Wouldn't it be better to GO to the show and watch it live, for free!
One of the Fashiontribes contributing writers was on the guest list to get in to that concert for a review and we had it all nailed down since she recently did a phone interview with Macy Gray on a new website. You will see an excerpt of this great interview on the Fashiontribes Life & Style blog! We thought getting a couple of live quotes post performance would be pretty nifty.
While the PR had everything in place, it seems when the FT contributor showed up with guest in tow, that she suddenly wasn't on the guest list. No matter how much she tried to explain that she was press and on the list, Geffen Records and Jimmy Kimmel Live staff refused to let her and the guest in to the show. What's worse is that they offered her the option to watch OUTSIDE in the cold Burbank weather. What we aren't clear on is if she was to watch through a window or just simply standing but given that there was a seated audience- and that was where the writer was supposed to be -inside, this was really not an optimum result. If it were a sultry LA night, no big deal but the weather wasn't cooperating and it was windy, blustery and cold!
Knock Knock Mr. Kimmel and Mr. Geffen. LA Story plugged the HECK out of this contest on 4 different blog sites--which helped get you a lot of LOCAL LA people to enter the contest and another plug for Macy Gray's new CD. Yet you blew our writer out of the show so rudely and were offering her the chance to watch it through a window?
This little mishap is back out on all the blogs. This shows that Geffen Records and Jimmy Kimmel Live don't have a lot of respect for blogosphere writers. While they "use" us to get their clients out there and get the grass roots movement, bloggers are the first to get booted.
Doesn't make me much inclined to
1) watch Jimmy Kimmel Live;
2) support Geffen artists and
3) buy the CDs (yes some of us actually buy the CDS. I personally have purchased 50 CDs since the first of the year to cover some artists).
All I can say is Boo Hiss and a pat on the back for the writer who went from the far "Westside" of LA to Burbank for the event and got zip from it.
That's show biz for ya!
Stevie
This is a time of weddings, Mother's Day, graduations, and seasonal changes that often make one reflect on the "state" of your personal situation--particularly if you are "in love"; in a budding relationship or a more solid one; planning a wedding or newly married; or perhaps have a long standing relationship or marriage in place. No matter what, love is something that should be expressed because it creates a deeper bond between both partners. There is no one gift that can really create or nurture that sentiment or feeling better than music.
Recently released from Astonish Entertainment is the debut CD of gifted musician David Martin. He may not be a singer or musician you have heard of yet, but he's going to be burning up the airwaves and the concert trail pretty quickly. Don't let the "eye candy" looks fool ya! He's got the musical chops to drive you to tears with some of his songs. Lyrics are phenomenal and the music itself is amazing. This singer, song-writer, musician did all the composing and even produced his own CD to make sure it had the right "feel" while working with top notch musicians behind him.
Martin-- known in the industry as a rising star-- was asked to open the show for Bill Boards Annual event. The headliner was Sir Elton John-- so it was quite a coup to be asked and then actually get up there on stage and rock the house with his gentle melodies and harder edged tunes.
Something In Your Eyes is a collection of love songs-- some ballads, some uptempo, some with serious rock and roll vibes and some acoustic tunes. Gifted in crafting lyrics, particularly love songs and ballads, Martin displays a talent that has "legs" (longevity) and this debut CD displays this distinctive talent best because making a love song sound "real", "authentic" and "genuine" isn't the easiest thing in the world. This CD is a "diary" of his marriage of 10 years and how much he treasures his wife and the life they have built together.
Consider this a CD to be a collection of "love letters" to the woman he adores and it encompasses the good and the bad-- the hard times and the fun and "off the wall" times of being married to a musician who is essentially a traveling troubadour always on the road.
The title track racks up an impressive orchestral arrangement that would work equally as well with just a piano or a guitar. Check out the video because it's a real heart breaker (links below). The model in the video with him, isn't just a model... it's his wife. When I first saw the video, I had nothing more to go on but the music. I had very little information. I watched the video and saw that this was no "usual" video--sparks were flying between Martin and the girl in the video and I was betting that it was his wife-- but hesitated to put it into a blog.
I was able to interview David Martin via phone (such a nice guy too!) and we talked about the ins and outs of that video (interesting side note: the director was the actor who played the Cobra Kai karate champ in the Karate Kid movie. If you haven't seen No More Kings, check out the reference), where it was made, and I asked a lot of questions -- all of which are answered on the podcast which will be posted soon. (You didn't think I was going to give you all that 411 NOW did you?)
More than a musician, Martin is a husband who is passionately in love and wants to express this to his wife in the only way he really knows how-- that he loves her more than the first bloom of passion.
Quicktime high:
Quicktime low:
Windows Media high:
Windows Media low:
The other songs present different aspects of their relationship and there are the rough patches where they have to be strong. Stand is one of those songs as is Be Strong. The song that hit me the hardest and told me the most about David Martin's ability as a musician, a writer of significant poetic ability, and a producer (no mean feat that-- producing his own CD), was the song Connected. You will have to wait for the podcast to hear the details but it's more acoustic in flavor, but it's about what we all need to "know" and "do" if we are in a relationship. While we are busy with our lives, sometimes we forget to take the time to "connect" one on one, eye to eye, and reach the core of the other person's soul and heart. Martin does just that in that song. He reaches out and touches you and tells you how and what it takes to make a relationship work. For a musician who admittedly is circling the globe and spends not nearly as much time at home as he would like despite the use of the cell phone, there's nothing like being face to face with the one with you love .
If you are in a new or long-standing relationship, whether engaged or newly married, or maybe not married at all but in a partnership/relationship, this is a CD for you. It's a CD of hope and anticipation for those who aren't there yet-- because you too can have this sort of passion in your life. Just realize that this type of relationship requires work and it's not always easy and there is that rollercoaster ride of ups and downs. You can do it.
I highly recommend this CD. While I spend a lot of time reviewing music and cds in various genres, I make sure that I spend a lot of time listening to each CD-- immersing myself in the music --to get a feel of what each musician brings something to the plate that's unique. I have a deep appreciation for what each musician communicates in his music yet I listen, evaluate, chart the evolution of the music with a slightly detached perspective. Very few musicians dig a hole deep in my heart with their lyrics. This guy is one of them.
No matter who the special person is in your life, when you give this CD to them, note the changes in them as the music hits them that you are showing your partner that you really appreciate what you have together.
David Martin's SOMETHING IN YOUR EYES CD. Song entitled I Will Love You
Check out David Martin at DavidMartin.com
Visit him on myspace at www.myspace.com/davidmartin
Sold already? Want to buy this record? Check out Itunes for a download to your iPod.
Or you can buy it at Amazon.com.
Stevie Wilson
Enjoying the wave of the mixed media jewelry trend, the Jewelry Weblog is loving the mix of suede and glass from Sepia.
Vote for your favorite emerging designers in StyleBakery.com's third annual "On The Rise" contest and you could win a $500 shopping spree at ravinstyle.com
Papierblog's ongoing mother's day gift guide highlights fragrances from Chanel
How to look like a bathing beauty, even when you don't feel like one. When it comes to Summer '07 swimwear, Second City Style has the ultimate swimwear guide for your body type.
Alexa Wilkinson Has An Amazing Appetite for Life and Music Check out her Lullaby Appetite CD and Podcast on LA STORY
Girlawhirl Gift Guide: Mother's Day Gifts-- All with special discounts for girlawhirl.com readers!
Go nude! In a podcast interview with CoverGirl makeup artist Molly Stern, Fashiontribes learns the best tips & tricks for rocking this hot trend for summer.
A Gift Guide for Mother's Day from the Bag Snob!
SheFinds Asks Hot or Not? The Return of Wayfarers
Styleaholics : Month of May Sample Sales Galore from D&G to LeSportsac
Stylehive gets the inside scoop on Zac Posen's widely rumored new blog project - check out the exclusive interview with the charismatic designer!
Inspired by or a coincidence. EBelle5 discovers the similarities between BeBe and the Louis Vuitton Riveting Bag.
This platinum Stella McCartney bag's playing PETA-friendly is nice, but leatherless or lambskin, Kristopher digs it.
My Fashion Life says "hell no" to the Jeans Bikini pant
eBeautyDaily addresses a common home haircoloring problem and its solutions.
Coquette loves the look of cute cropped cardigans.
