So, apparently this video has just gone VIRAL. I'm talking over 23 million views in the last few weeks alone. So, I'm probably one of the last people with a computer to talk about it. But, in my humble opinion, it's still well worth posting just in case you a) haven't seen it or b) need to see it again.

A good cover is hard to find. You want it to sound enough like the original so that you still actually enjoy the song, but it needs to have enough character on its own to be even somewhat decent. (This is why karaoke never works or constitutes as a 'cover', because neither of the aforementioned requirements are met.)

This cover stays true enough to the original song but IS PERFORMED WITH ONLY ONE GUITAR.



Apparently these guys have been around for a bit and have gained a bit of notoriety for covering some other songs as well-- they're from Canada, and all I can say is that I'm excited to see what else they've got.

This song is INFECTIOUS. Seriously. It is going to seep its way into your blood until you are dancing like one of the classy ladies in this video.

I'll admit I ignore (read: don't always have time to read) a lot of the promotion-esque emails I get about bands/songs/videos. I try to get through them and listen, and lucky for me and my laziness, I was able to give this Animal Heart track a good listen. Frankly, I don't know that much about the band - which is usually something I'm pretty adamant about before I post. But, there's something about this track that I just don't hate. It's electro-ey, it's dance-ey, it's even sort of slutty. It's like if the guy from Phoenix had better teeth and teamed up with some electro band I don't know the name of. (Sorry, it's really not my genre.)

Anywho, check out the video below.



And, while you're there-make sure you take a look at the REMIX YOUR OWN VERSION thing you can do. Pretty sick if you ask me. Download here

I'm a sucker for catchy Indie Pop. If you've ever read this blog, talked to me, or perused my Itunes top 25, you'd know that in a second. But My God. This new Fun song is just damn good. Now, for those of you who got caught up listening to The Format in your later high school years were probably as devastated as I when they broke up in 2007. But, thankfully, frontman Nate Whatever-His-Last-Name-Is-It's-Really-Not-Important has a new project with a second album due out in February.

If you watch Glee (I don't, but I am alive so I heard about it), you saw a rendition of their single "We Are Young" recently. Still, just recently they released their second single "One Foot." This is one of the most unique songs that doesn't suck that I've heard in a long time. It's got that hint of hip hop (since it's produced by one of Kid Cudi's old producers), but in true fun-esque style, it's irresistibly catchy and still features clever Christ-hating lyrics and Nate's infectiously versatile voice. It bounces and stomps and shakes and screams. You'll hate it for the first 5 seconds and love it for the next 3 and a half minutes. And then 20 times more after that.

NASHVILLE. Get your party pants on. The Features Record release show is this Saturday at Mercy Lounge (everybody's favorite...or at least mine), and they are going to rock the town down. If anyone was at the block party last week, then you know that Mercy can host a hell of an event. Plus, Nashville's finest will be playing a show to release their newest album. Check out what Mercy has to say about it:


"The Features’ exhilarating new Wilderness (Serpents and Snakes/Bug Music) quickly establishes the Nashville-based combo as one of the most exciting and imaginative bands working today. Songs like “Another One” and “Fats Domino” are marvels of pop ingenuity, animated by vivid lyrics, unshakable hooks, and experimental soul. Wilderness is an amalgamation of influences and inspirations – spanning elements of Krautrock, indie, psychedelia, and classic AOR – to conjure up The Features’ own inimitable, indescribable sound.

'I feel like we walk this fine line,” says singer/guitarist Matt Pelham. “We’re not weird enough for a certain crowd and we’re a little bit too out there for the other crowd. We fall in the middle somewhere between mainstream and hipster, which puts us in this weird place, but we’re all pretty happy to be here.'"

The guys are playing with The Seth Timbs Thing & PUJOL, and the show starts at 9. 10 bucks in advance, or 12 dollars at the show. You decide. I've lived in Nashville for 2 years and have yet(MISTAKE!) to see The Features live in action.

A Prediction: Milo Greene will be a group to erupt the music scene just as swiftly as its relatives. By relatives, I mean the likes of Local Natives, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, and The Head and the Heart. Now (more than ever), the sound of a woman's back-up vocals, the resonance of multiple string instruments, and the simple beat of a snare drum aim to help build the folk revival we've all been waiting for. Though the group only has a handful of songs available for download, the little ditties are well worth it. Check out their songs on their site (http://milogreene.com) and stay tuned for upcoming tour dates.

If you're in the one and only Nashvegas, be sure to hit up the basement this Thursday to see the lovely Amy Lavere. 'She’s touring in support of her new album, Stranger Me (out July 19th), produced by Craig Silvey (The Arcade Fire – The Suburbs), which is a follow up to 2007’s Jim Dickinson-produced Anchors & Anvils.'


I love a girl with a stand up bass! Be sure to check her out on NPR's The Mountain Stage here

And treat yourself to a little interview action:

These guys have been featured in Rolling Stone as an "artist to watch," and I will be the first to admit that I could not take my eyes off their video "Bang."(Granted, it is a video where two people hook up the whole time and someone sings in the forefront. Still, though, it's a sexy background to a sexy song.) --They were also in Rolling Stone's 'Choose The Cover' contest, but were eliminated in round three.

Also, check this out: 'Since their formation, Empires has tenaciously written, engineered and produced every track they have created, allowing their fans to download their music for free. Through an organic word-of-mouth, Empires have reached over 70,000 album downloads and counting.'



The guys will perform at Nashville's The Basement this Friday (7/15) and then continue on through a winding tour of the U.S.





July 14 Charlotte, NC The Casbah at Tremont Music Hall United States
Time: 8:00pm. Admission: $8. All Ages BUY TICKETS

July 15 Nashville, TN The Basement United States
Time: 9:00pm. 21+ BUY TICKETS

July 16 Atlanta, GA The Masquerade United States
Admission: $7 / $10. Age restrictions: All Ages. BUY TICKETS

July 18 Austin, TX Stubb’s BBQ (Indoor) United States
Time: 9:00pm. Admission: $10. All Ages BUY TICKETS

July 19 Fort Worth, TX Lola’s United States
Time: 9:00pm. Admission: $8/$10. All Ages BUY TICKETS

July 20 Oklahoma City, OK The Blue Note United States
Admission: $5. 21+

July 21 Kansas City, MO Record Bar United States
Time: 10:00pm. Admission: $7. 18+ BUY TICKETS

July 22 St. Louis, MO The Firebird United States
Time: 6:00pm. Admission: $8. All Ages BUY TICKETS

July 23 Chicago, IL Wicker Park Fest United States
Admission: $ Donation. Age restrictions: All Ages.

September 07 Cleveland, OH Case Western Reserve University (students only) United States

September 08 Grand Rapids, MI MXTP United States
Time: 6:00pm. Admission: $8 / $10 door. Age restrictions: All Ages. BUY TICKETS

September 09 Dekalb, IL Middle West Fest United States
Admission: $30 festival pass or single show. BUY TICKETS

September 15 Iowa city, IA Blue Moose Tap House United States
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Time: 7:00pm. Admission: $6.00. Age restrictions: All Ages. BUY TICKETS

September 16 Ames, IA The Maintenance Shop United States
Admission: $5 / $6. BUY TICKETS

September 17 Decatur, IL Millikin University United States

September 21 Grantham, PA Messiah College United States


September 29 Minneapolis, MN 7th St. Entry United States
Time: 9:00pm. Admission: $7

October 07 Ewing, NJ The College of New Jersey United States