Tag Archive for 'Ingrid Michaelson'

LIVE FROM T5: A SPOTLIGHT ON THE COMPETITION

Published by Sam C. on July 16, 2009 in Artist Feature and Playlists. 7 Comments Tags: A BIG YES...and a small no, alison krauss, bronze radio return, Brooklyn, denver, Ingrid Michaelson, iowa, jara johnson, JetBlue, jetty rae, joe purdy, kaylan rexer, Live From T5, paper bird, Regina Spektor, the little willies.

Earlier this month we launched the JetBlue “Live from T5″ contest. Artists from a variety of genres are entering their best acoustic songs into the competition channel for a chance to win a live set in JetBlue’s new T5 terminal at JFK International Airport in New York City. One grand prize winner will be selected to open for a headlining act at a “Bowery Presents” show at the Terminal 5 venue in Manhattan. Here are a few entries in the competition to keep an eye out for:

Jetty Rae

“I Love You” by Jetty Rae

Jetty Rae is a soul-folk singer/songwriter out of Ann Arbor, Michigan. “I Love You” opens with a melancholy violin solo which introduces Rae’s sultry vocals. This track is sure to be a favorite for fans of Ingrid Michaelson and Regina Spektor.

“His To Break” by Jara Johnson

Break up songs are a dime a dozen, but on “His to Break” Iowan singer/songwriter Jara Johnson bears her soul. Between the accompanying mandolin and Johnson’s sincere performance, you can feel your heart melt with each line.

“Stones Throw Away” by Bronze Radio Return

Bronze Radio Return

Fans of Joe Purdy will be right at home with Bronze Radio Return’s intimate, folksy delivery on “Stones Throw Away”. With breathy vocals and a touch of bluegrass with slide guitar, this track makes anyone feel right at home.

“I Think Its Sweet” by Kaylan Rexer

Kaylan Rexer’s ironically bittersweet “I Think Its Sweet” is musically an uplifting track, but its lyrics have a very different tone. Centered around “people getting stuck in their hometowns and having dreams but not working hard enough to reach them,” this track showcases Rexer’s talent as a songwriter.

“Lost Boys” by Paper Bird

For those of you who dig Alison Krauss and The Little Willies, you should check out Denver’s Paper Bird. The seven-member group features a banjo, multipart harmonized vocals, slide guitar and an upright bass to keep the whole thing together. It’s the perfect track for when you’re feeling a little “Oh, Brother Where Art Thou”.

“Looking Over My Shoulder”

by A BIG YES…and a small no

One of the original Bethany’s favorite OurStage discoveries is a happy-go-lucky Brooklyn indie pop group by the name of A BIG YES… and a small no. Their entry into the contest, “Looking Over My Shoulder” is funny and folksy love ballad featuring vibraphone. Yes, a vibraphone!

A BIG YES...and a small no

Unfortunately time and space doesn’t permit me to write about every awesome Live from T5 entry—and believe me there are many—so I will have to stop here. Don’t forget to check out the contestants for yourself and participate by judging. You could win a free pair of tickets from JetBlue!

The Curse of the Grand Prize

Published by jayschneider on April 24, 2009 in Editorial. 3 Comments Tags: Alanis Morisette, bands breaking up, coldplay, Ingrid Michaelson, northern room, oddway, petrina foley, Regina Spektor, Ryan Ordway, Sublime, u2.

The coveted Grand Prize at OurStage is as illusive as it is dangerous. We were curious about what happened to previous Grand Prize winners, so We put on our “Where are they now?” caps and found an astonishing truth. The OurStage Grand Prize may be just as cursed as opening an umbrella indoors. Sure, there’s glamour, exposure, and of course that $5,000, but something the artists didn’t plan on was an end to their band. That’s right, we’ve found a few cases where an artist will rise to the top only to find that their days as a band are over. Don’t believe in black cats and broken mirrors? Check out these groups and their stories. Draw your own conclusions about the curse of the Grand Prize.

Inspired by Coldplay and U2 (among others), Northern Room has been a familiar face on OurStage. Building synth melodies, energetic drumming, and soaring vocals are just a few of the characteristics that afforded this band a grand prize win in July of 2008 with their song “Last Embrace“. They were even featured on our blog during the July competitions, showcasing an interview between OurStage’s Alyssa Jayne Hale and lead vocalist, AJ. Despite their large scale aspirations, just months after winning the grand prize, the band played a farewell show and called it quits. Thankfully, the band’s inspirational and uplifting music can still be heard on their OurStage profile. Check them out and pay your respects to a timeless grand prize winner from deep within the OurStage archives.

Dig even deeper into those archives and you’ll find Oddway, a female-fronted rock band from Boston. Their sound can be compared to artists ranging from Sublime to Alanis Morisette. The bluesy, soulful melodies of singer Petrina Foley pair so well with the skillful guitar playing of Ryan Ordway that they seemed destined for greatness. After winning the first ever grand prize at OurStage in March 2007, the band enjoyed a month or two more of success in the charts. Then they met their fatal end, the well-meshed sound was just not enough to prevent artistic conflicts of interest that lead to the breakup.

ryanordway Two well-accomplished OurStage artists have since risen from the ashes of Oddway. Singer/songwriter Ryan Ordway has recently enjoyed success in the charts; fronting his own solo act has given him the artistic control he needed to thrive as a musician. Additionally, lead singer Petrina Foley has also posted her own badges of honor in the singer/songwriter (female) channel. Her style brings back memories of Oddway with a slightly more indie sound, suggesting hints of Ingrid Michaelson or even Regina Spektor.

Of course, a curse is only what you make it. The truth is, these bands achieved the highest honor that OurStage has to offer, and their music supports the award. So maybe the Grand Prize isn’t cursed after all. Oddway produced some phenomenal solo artists and Northern Room’s lead singer is optimistic about future musical goals for the band members.

So go ahead, keep listening, because in the music industry, you make your own luck. Our artists will keep submitting their songs even if a few of them will be throwing salt over their shoulder or knocking on wood.

Ingrid Michaelson @ Bumbershoot (J-Mo’s Biggest Fan Experience!)

Published by ejquinn on September 1, 2008 in Artist Feature, Artist News, Festivals and OurStage@. 5 Comments Tags: biggest fan, Bumbershoot, Ingrid Michaelson, Jessica Morris, OurStage@, performance, Pics, Pictures, Review, Seattle.

My good friend and OurStage PR guru Jessica Morris, affectionately dubbed “J-Mo” in the OurStage offices, was so enthusiastic about Ingrid Michaelson’s set at Bumbershoot, I asked if she’d write a quick review of her show. As J-Mo always does, she took the assignment seriously and knocked it out of the park. Here’s her review (with more pictures below):

J-Mo’s Biggest Fan Experience:

“I’m at Bumbershoot for work, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me from seeing my favorite artist on stage. This is my “Biggest Fan” experience brought to you by OurStage…

I Love Ingrid Michaelson… I first discovered her through Grey’s Anatomy and have been a fan ever since. I recently caught her show at the Berklee Performance Center in Boston and she did a great job engaging the audience. So, I was curious to see how she fared at a music festival where her audience isn’t quite so captive and she had to compete with many distractions. Again, she dazzled.

Ingrid’s concerts are like a buy one, get one free sale. You pay for a great concert and you get a bonus comedy show just for the hell of it!

While you ‘re watching her on stage, you come to an almost immediate realization that she is just a girl – just like everybody else in the crowd – she just happens to be the one with a microphone… and gobs of talent.

From her clumsy, yet charming strip tease, to her complaints about her muffin top waist, Ingrid isn’t necessarily helping the audience relate to her (although, we do). She’s actually doing the reverse: she is relating to her audience. She is looking out into a sea of adoring faces and seeing a group of her closest friends, at least for the next 45 minutes, and she isn’t going to hesitate to tell you all of her troubles, hopes and dreams. This time, she is so excited to tell us that Dave Matthews told her she gave him a musical woody… she’s blushing the whole time she’s telling the story.

I am definitely looking forward to her next comedy show!”

Thanks J-Mo! BTW, you can all see Ingrid’s next “comedy” show, tomorrow night (9/2/08) on Jay Leno. You should also check out her review on Daytrotter w/ free downloads. Here are more Ingrid pics from Bumbershoot:

Win Tickets to Bumbershoot Here!

Published by ejquinn on August 12, 2008 in Artist News. 33 Comments Tags: Band of Horses, Beck, Bumbershoot, death cab for cutie, Free Tickets, Ingrid Michaelson, Keyshia Cole, Lucinda Williams, Neko Case, Paramore, Stone Temple Pilots, T.I., The Black Keys, The Offspring, Win tickets.

Attention fans of Beck, Stone Temple Pilots, T.I., Death Cab for Cutie, Lucinda Williams, Keyshia Cole, The Offspring, Neko Case, Paramore, The Black Keys, Band of Horses and many, many more:

OurStage is giving away TWO pairs of tickets to all three days of this year’s Bumbershoot Festival in Seatlle this coming Labor Day weekend. How do you enter? Just leave a comment at the bottom of this blog post telling me who you’d be most excited to see at the festival and why.

Two winners will be selected randomly. We won’t be covering travel costs, but the tickets are good for ALL THREE DAYS of the festival!

What are you waiting for? Get your comment on!

UPDATE: Congratulations to Andrea and Leah, both were randomly selected to go to Bumbershoot! Thanks so much to everyone who participated! Remember to keep your ears and eyes open for more opportunities to go to the hottest festivals in the country, only on OurStage.

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