Back to the Ordinary by Kid Astray

My 6 new favorite Norwegians are Kid Astray. Their new EP Back to the Ordinary (released in mid-December) is the perfect soundtrack for day drinking fruity cocktails by the beach in 70 degree dead of winter weather! #HumbleBrag ;)

Post by Kid Astray.

For more music from Kid Astray, hurry on over to their Soundcloud page!

$inmypocket by K. Raydio x Psymun - BONUS Track from Lucid Dreaming Skylines

Every time I listen to Aaron Byrd's Thursday night/Friday morning (12am-3pm) broadcast on KCRW 89.9 FM, it's like I'm being musically enlightened. Aaron's show truly is "a global exploration of sounds" & it is glorious.

My favorite discovery from Aaron's show last night is this bonus track from the K. Raydio x Psymun album Lucid Dreaming Skylines. The song is called $inmypocket & it's a super sexy, sweet 'n short jam. You might need to put it on repeat!

10,000 Emerald Pools by BØRNS

When I first heard 10,000 Emerald Pools on a friend's Spotify playlist in late December, I was convinced the lead singer was a chick but, when I saw BØRNS perform on Conan a few weeks later, I discovered the singer is actually a dude! His name is Garrett Borns, he apparently lives in a treehouse & he's kinda blowin' up right now. Thanks for the recommendation, Darin!

Anna by Will Butler - NEW SONG & Official Video!

My infatuation of the evening is the half-animated, super groovy, brand spankin' new, official music video for the 2nd single off Will Butler of Arcade Fire's upcoming new solo album Policy. The album drops via Merge Records on March 10th &, thanks to this new track & video, I'm now VERY eagerly awaiting its arrival! The 1st single Take My Side sparked my interest a couple months ago but Anna is my JAM!

If you're a member of Arcade Fire PLUS Win Butler's brother & Régine Chassagne's brother-in-law (as Will Butler is), there's a good chance you're a talented dude! So far, so good, Will!!





My 1 complaint is Will has not yet announced an LA tour date :-/

3/6 Boston, MA // TT the Bear's // BUY TIX
3/7 Brooklyn, NY // Baby's All Right // BUY TIX
3/12 Pittsburgh, PA // Brillobox // BUY TIX
3/13 Philadelphia, PA // Boot & Saddle // BUY TIX
3/14 Washington, DC // Rock & Roll Hotel //BUY TIX
3/15 Durham, NC // The Pinhook // BUY TIX
3/16 Atlanta, GA // The Earl // BUY TIX
3/18 - 3/21 Austin, TX // SXSW
3/24 Bloomington, IN // The Bishop // BUY TIX
3/26 Grand Rapids, MI // Calvin College
3/27 Toronto, ON // Horseshoe Tavern // BUY TIX
3/28 Montreal, QC // Bar Le Ritz PDB // BUY TIX

The Night We Met by Lord Huron - The 1ST NEW Single from STRANGE TRAILS

Lord Huron (aka singer/songwriter Ben Schneider) has released the soothingly beautiful 1st single from his upcoming sophomore album Strange Trails. 

The new album's release date is still TBD but, if you subscribe to the Strange Trails newsletter HERE, you will immediately receive an Email containing a free download of The Night We Met. I recommend you take advantage of this special Wednesday afternoon treat right NOW!

I don't expect this unauthorized video to remain up very long but, for now, you can also listen to the track below:


Finally, check out the groovy, new album teaser that was released just last week:

Hearts Racing by The Bones of J.R. Jones - Live at The Spindle Room

I can't thank my dear, fellow music-loving friend, Rachel, enough for including Hearts Racing by The Bones of J.R. Jones (aka J.R. Linaberry) on her magnificently well-curated best of 2014 Spotify playlist! It's such a simple, sweet song that truly does make your heart beat a little bit faster!

Although I, unfortunately, can't make it, I can encourage everyone to go see The Bones of J.R. Jones' FREE SHOW at Silverlake Lounge on Sunday, February 8th!! For more information, click HERE!

P.S. J.R.'s video below (which he posted over 9 months ago!) deserves about 10 million more views! I've given it 5 new views just today!

Dreamin' by Wax - NEW Official Music Video

Just this morning, Wax released the brand new, official music video for his hit single Dreamin', the 1st track off his 2013 album Continue. 

The Pedro D. Flores-directed video features Wax on a fast-paced, tripped-out, aggressive sleepwalk through Downtown Los Angeles. 

Step into Wax (& Pedro's) twisted subconscious below!



No More Love Songs was the 1st song I ever heard Wax perform live when I saw him play On The Rox in Hollywood in January 2010 & it's still such a good one:

Caravan By Juan Tizol (As Featured in the INCREDIBLE 2014 Film WHIPLASH)

Yesterday afternoon, George & I continued our Best Picture 2015 Oscar nominee homework by seeing Whiplash at The Landmark in West LA. We've seen 4 Best Picture-nominated films in the past 10 days (with only Selma & The Theory of Everything left to go before the 2/22 awards ceremony) & my current rankings of the 6 films I've seen so far are as follows:

1 - The Grand Budapest Hotel
2 - Whiplash (which is DANGEROUSLY close to #1 because it was SO incredibly good!)
3 - American Sniper
4 - Birdman
5 - The Imitation Game
6 - Boyhood

Whiplash is absolutely stunning...and a lot bloodier than expected! The music, the acting, the directing, the writing, the plot & the nonstop intensity are all pure perfection. J.K. Simmons & Miles Teller are both brilliant. How Miles Teller didn't receive a Best Actor nomination is beyond me! Do yourself a favor & go see Whiplash immediately!!



Per Wikipedia, "Caravan is a jazz standard composed by Juan Tizol and first performed by Duke Ellington in 1936. Irving Mills wrote seldom performed lyrics. Its exotic sound interested exotica musicians; Martin Denny, Arthur Lyman & Gordon Jenkins all covered it. Woody Allen used the song in two of his films, Alice & Sweet and Lowdown. The song is also heavily featured in the 2014 film Whiplash as an important plot element. The Mills Brothers recorded an a cappella version, making the instruments' sounds with their voices. There are more than three hundred and fifty recordings of this song by Duke Ellington's orchestra, the great majority of them now in the public domain."

Ray Gun Featuring DOOM by BADBADNOTGOOD & Ghostface Killah

A little 70's cinematic, hip hop funk for your Saturday morning :) I'm so pumped to see Ghostface at Coachella! It'd be rad (& perfectly timed publicity-wise) if BADBADNOTGOOD (BBNG), the Toronto-based music trio, made a guest appearance!

Doubt by Kele

Doubt is 1 of my favorite tracks off Kele's 2nd solo album Trick, which was released in October via his own label Lilac Records. Although I prefer Bloc Party over Kele's solo stuff, I'm still excited to see him at Coachella in April! The man definitely has stage presence.

Un Poquito Mas by Captain Planet Featuring Chico Mann

1 of my favorite tracks off Captain Planet's 2014 album Esperanto Slang is Un Poquito Mas featuring Chico Mann. If this song doesn't make you get up & dance, you need new ears!!

For more information on Captain Planet (aka by his UN-masked NON-stage name Charlie B. Wilder) check out his artist bio HERE.

Un Poquito Mas was a necessary addition to Concert Addict Chick's Best of 2014 Playlist on Spotify! See track #133!

My Type by Saint Motel

I have a feeling Saint Motel is going to be just my type on day 3 of Coachella 2015!! I've been hearing good things about their live shows &, based on their cheerful sound, I'm anticipating a big dance party!

When there's loving in the air,
Don't fight it, just keep breathing.
I can't help myself but stare
Double check for double meanings.
I'm a man who's got very specific taste.

Leaf Off / The Cave by José González - Brand NEW!

Check out a lovely new track entitled Leaf Off / The Cave from José González's self-produced, 3rd studio SOLO album Vestiges & Claws due out February 17th via Mute. 

Everything this man creates is pure magic. I'm still completely infatuated with The Secret Life of Walter Mitty soundtrack.


Vestiges & Claws Album Trailer


Website: http://found.ee/JGWebsite
iTunes: http://found.ee/JGiTunes
Spotify: http://found.ee/JGSpotify
Facebook: http://found.ee/JGFB
Twitter: http://found.ee/JGTwitter
Instagram: http://found.ee/JGIG
SoundCloud: http://found.ee/JGSC
Mailing list: http://found.ee/JGMailingList

The Party Line by Belle and Sebastian - Official Video!

Keeping the party vibes alive on this gloomy Tuesday morning with The Party Line off Belle and Sebastian's new 9th studio album Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance, which was just released via Matador Records yesterday (ON my birthday)!! Thanks for the b-day treat, B & S!

Coyotes by Modest Mouse - NEW!!

A 2nd new Modest Mouse track off their upcoming new album Strangers to Ourselves (due out via Epic Records on March 3rd) for my birthday?!? Plus an official new music video for the same track featuring an uber adorable coyote riding a light rail train in Portland (inspired by a true story from 2002!)? 

YES PLEASE!

Julep by Punch Brothers

I'm eagerly awaiting the January 27th release of Punch Brothers' upcoming 5th studio album The Phosphorescent Blues. The title alone intrigues me. Phosphorescent blues sound pretty :) Also, this new track Julep is quite fabulous.

Under Himlen by Veitner

The lyrics of a quality song don't need to be in English to be appreciated. This is a prime example & an excellent music recommendation from my entrusted music bud, Olav Christensen aka DVR: 

"I thought you might like this! This is my good friend and bass player for Roxanne! This is his solo project simply called Veitner! Even though it is in Danish, I find it very cool and very catchy! Enjoy!"

Nikki Nack by tUnE-yArDs = Kickin Ass Soundtrack Part 1

At a time in my life when I'm in need of extra musical encouragement & inspiration, tUnE-yArDs' latest album Nikki Nack is doing me a world of good. If only I had this album along with an iPod that functioned in below freezing temperatures when I was climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in January 2013! It totally would've seen me up the mountain!

Speaking of Kili, it's my & my dad's 2-year Mount Kilimanjaro SUMMIT-versary on Saturday 1/17!! It's wild to think where I was & what I was doing 2 years ago at this exact time. 

http://www.concertaddictchick.com/2013/01/boitano-kilimanjaro-domination.html

If anyone has interest in climbing Kilimanjaro, feel free to hit me up for advice &/or more information! I'd love to help motivate more people to climb Kili! It's a once in a lifetime experience I'll be forever grateful to have experienced with my kickass dad :)

Time of Dark


Hey Life

NO BS! Brass Band at littlefield NYC in Brooklyn - 1/10/14

When I walked into littlefield NYC on Saturday night, I had no idea which bands were playing & my expectations for the show I was about to see were relatively low. I was simply tagging along with a friend of a friend's birthday party crew in order to check out a local Brooklyn live music venue while visiting the east coast for the weekend.

I've never seen anything like No BS! Brass Band before! Their stage presence is impossible to ignore & the crazy positive energy exude while performing is undeniably contagious. When they threw in a cover of Jack White's hit single Lazaretto toward the end of their set, they officially secured me as a huge new fan! 

NO BS! Brass is a band of (count them) ELEVEN Richmond, Virginia-based dudes with incredible lung capacities who literally will BLOW YOU AWAY! Now they just need to book a gig in LA so I can bring all my friends to check them out! If & when they play a venue near you, do yourself a favor & GO SEE NO BS! BRASS!!!

Daffodils by Mark Ronson (Featuring Kevin Parker of Tame Impala)

My new favorite track off Mark Ronson's 4th studio album Uptown Special (which was just released yesterday) is Daffodils. It features Kevin Parker of Tame Impala (as do 2 other songs on the record) which means Daffodils sounds like FUNKY Tame Impala & it's funkin' AWESOME.

P.S. I don't care how quickly played out it's becoming...I still love Uptown Funk featuring Bruno Mars. Mark & Bruno put on 1 of the best SNL musical performances I've ever seen when they funked up the SNL stage back in November & immediately made me a new fan. 

You go, Mark Ronson! :)

Get It by Matt & Kim

Since I just returned from Brooklyn late Sunday night, the timing of Brooklyn-based, married couple Matt & Kim's 1st single off their upcoming 5th studio album New Glow couldn't be more perfect! 

Matt & Kim also announced a whopping 24 U.S. tour dates in just over 1 month's time (between 4/15 & 5/22) &, if you pre-order New Glow now, you'll receive early access to tickets! For more information, go to http://mattandkimmusic.com/

I'm seriously considering attending their 4/28 show at The Fonda Theatre in LA but wish they were playing Coachella again too. As you can tell from the video below (which includes live footage from a past Coachella performance), Matt & Kim's shows are pretty wild!

Too Many Rappers by Beastie Boys Featuring NAS - Official Previously Unreleased Video!!!

In 2011, Beastie Boys released their final studio album Hot Sauce Committee Part Two. 

There was a ton of hype surrounding the album's release including THIS star-studded Fight For Your Right - Revisited mini-movie & THIS Spike Jonze-directed action figure video for Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win (featuring Santigold). Many critics hailed Hot Sauce Committee Part Two as the B-Boys at their best which made it all the more tragic when, a year later, Adam Yauch aka MCA died of cancer :(

Now, over 3 years later, Beastie Boys fans are in for a real treat. Check out the previously unreleased, Roman Coppola-directed video for the HSCPT track Too Many Rappers featuring NAS! The B-Boys had countless huge names supporting them & Hot Sauce Committee Part Two & for good reason!

Beastie Boys forever!

Californiyeah by !!! (Chk Chk Chk)

Upon landing back in Los Angeles last night after an absolutely incredible 4 days in Brooklyn NYC, I couldn't get Californiyeah by 1 of my favorite live bands EVER, !!! (Chk Chk Chk), out of my head!

"California's in my heart."

!!! - Californiyeah from Warp Records on Vimeo.

Elastic Heart by Sia - Official Video Featuring Shia LaBeouf & & Maddie Ziegler

Sia's official new video for her latest single off her 2014 album 1000 Forms of Fear features the same young, super talented, tan bodysuit & blonde bob wig-sporting dancer from her widely acclaimed Chandelier video, Maddie Ziegler, &, strangely enough, it also features Shia LaBeouf. The entire video takes place inside a huge birdcage & it's quite the emotional experience. 

I like the song Elastic Heart significantly more than the Chandelier track but I'm still not exactly sure how I feel about this video. It's interesting to say the least!

The Coachella 2015 Lineup Is Here!!!

January 6th is officially the earliest Goldenvoice has ever released its upcoming Coachella lineup &, although a lot of people are complaining up a storm about how lackluster the 2015 announcement is, I choose to focus on the positive :) :)

Weekend 1 of Coachella 2015 will be my 11TH COACHELLA IN A ROW!!! I booked a fancy Holiday Inn Express "King Leisure" hotel room all the way back on May 12th (only 1 month after attending Coachella 2014!) then purchased 2 General Admission passes 4 days later on May 16th so I'm totally ready already! Woo hoo!

I'll admit the headliners didn't blow my mind at 1st glance (aside from Jack White of course!) but there are still PLENTY of stellar acts to check out over the exhaustingly amazing 3-day weekend like:

Tame Impala
RAC
Jungle
Chet Faker
Toro y Moi
Caribou
Lykke Li (please let her get better soon so she doesn't cancel this 2015 festival appearance as well!)
St. Vincent
Sylvan Esso
SBTRKT
Built To Spill
Kele
Sturgill Simpson
Flying Lotus
Interpol
Jamie xx
Allah-las
alt-J
Ratatat
Run The Jewels
The War on Drugs
Father John Misty
Panda Bear
Glass Animals
Ryan Adams
Fitz & The Tantrums
Milky Chance
Gramatik
Parquet Courts
Perfume Genius
Benjamin Booker
Florence & The Machine
Drake
AC/DC
Kaskade
Jenny Lewis
Cloud Nothings
Mac DeMarco
Vance Joy
Angel Olsen
The Orwells
...and I'm sure many more once I start doing my Coachella 2015 homework!

When I Get My Hands On You by The New Basement Tapes

1 of the best tracks off the album Lost on the River by The New Basement Tapes is When I Get My Hands On You. The entire album (which made my Top 25 Albums of 2014 list) is pure gold but I'm finding track #7 often stuck on repeat. 

When I first heard it, I thought Jim James (the lead singer of what I consider to be the greatest live band ever, My Morning Jacket) was singing but later learned the vocals are by Marcus Mumford of Mumford & Sons. Jim can at least take solace in the fact that track #1 entitled Down On The Bottom (for which he handles lead vocals) is another top fave :)

The New Basement Tapes' collaboration is 1 of the best things to come from the year 2014. Elvis Costello, Jim James, Marcus Mumford, Taylor Goldsmith & Rhiannon Giddens must be making Bob Dylan SO proud! Read the full story of how these long-lost Dylan lyrics came to life HERE -> http://www.thenewbasementtapes.com/info/

Nina Shallman @ The Mint - 1/3/15

Last night at The Mint on Pico Boulevard, I had the pleasure of seeing a super talented, up & coming, young singer-songwriter, musician & poet named Nina Shallman perform. The fact that her 19th birthday is still 2 weeks away blows my mind! I was told last night was only Nina's 4th time ever playing a legitimate live show but I find that hard to believe considering how fantastic she was! Her band & backup vocalists were impressive too!

Nina has a gorgeous, versatile voice & fantastic stage presence. She plays the piano & the ukulele but I wouldn't be surprised if she plays more instruments than that. She writes her own material but can also rock incredible covers. Nina's rendition of Dear Prudence seriously rivaled The Beatles' version & her performance Ask gave me a newfound appreciation for The Smiths.

It is my opinion that Nina Shallman will quickly become wildly popular & possibly even the next generation's version of Norah Jones.

The Moon Can Stay = A Nina Shallman original

The Moon Can Stay from Mike Schneier on Vimeo.

Ask = A cover of The Smiths

Nina Shallman "Ask" live from Entourage Studios from Mike Schneier on Vimeo.

Coming Home by Leon Bridges

In need of a little soul on this lovely 1st Saturday of 2015? Check out the song entitled Coming Home by Leon Bridges, a 25-year-old, Fort Worth-based, singer/songwriter who is channeling his inner-Sam Cooke like a boss. The fact that this track is produced by Austin Jenkins & Josh Block of White Denim just adds to his intrigue.