Singer and songwriter Luke James Shaffer, routinely found at the top of our ‘Best of the Best’ charts, has dropped a new video cover of “Silence,” originally a collaboration between EDM producer Marshmello and soul singer Khalid. Shaffer pares back the song to its core, and then builds his own robust arrangement, in a single live take, creating a series of loops of his own percussion and backing vocals. In doing so, he emphasizes the quality of the lyrics and melody that are the backbone of the sleeper hit. Watch:
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Luke James Shaffer’s “Cliff Dive”
Chris Ayer, “Stay Another Night”
Chase Gassaway Reimagines The Lumineers
We love the NPR Tiny Desk Concert Series, which has produced a whole bunch of great live, stripped-down performances, captured in the NPR studio. They’ve introduced dozens of new and emerging artists to the masses (well, the NPR-listening masses anyway), ourselves included. A nice by-product of the Tiny Desk Concerts came about when NPR put out a call last year for submissions from independent artists for a chance to be part of the series. We’re not sure how many submissions came in, but we’ve come across several great ones from OurStage artists in recent months, including this one, which just made the Top 20 in our Video channel last month. It’s by Roseville, California’s The Good Fortune, and it’s a stunningly great performance, with equally excellent production. It’s different enough from the studio version of the song to make for enjoyable side-by-side listening. It’s our video of the month and can be seen featured on the homepage, as well as…right here:
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Single Spotlight: “We Could Rebuild It” By The American Indie
Yonas Returns With “You F#cked Up” Single And Video
New Single And A Free Download From Air Traffic Controller
It’s not always easy shopping for the music lover in your life. If they’re fanatical enough, they’ve generally already bought themselves the things they’re really dying for. The old fallback of a few records? Who knows what they want? Can’t go wrong with a gift card, I suppose, but what better way to say, “I dunno?” We’re here to help. Here are a few ideas for music-related gifts that might just pleasantly surprise that special, confounding consumer of music. Click photos for links.
1. The Gramovox Floating Vertical Turntable
For a while there, it was tough to find ANY new turntables. But with the resurgence of vinyl over the past 5+ years came the proliferation of turntables. Some of them are crap. The cheap-o portable ones at Target? Crap. There are luckily some good ones available from reputable manufacturers now, very much modeled on the classic turntable, with perhaps a USB connection for ripping digital copies. Then…there’s this. A whole new way to do it. Looks amazing, a piece of art, American made, with built-in speakers, and not that much more expensive than an average, quality record player.
We at OurStage and Amazing Media are excited to be partnering with McDonald’s of Hawaii for the NextNext search for the Sounds That Spark Change. We are bringing together Hawaiian artists with music fans and local charities in an effort to spread great music and help worthy causes. Here, we’ll highlight some of the artists who have already signed up to participate, so that fans around the world get a chance to hear this great new music. You can learn more about the competition below.
Though we have a lot of great solo artists participating in the NextNext Hawaii challenge, there’s just something about a band that not only sounds great together, but has worked and grown together for the better part of a decade. Honolulu’s Kings Of Spade are one of those groups with a special chemistry that defies the typically short life span of a band and results in a wholly original sound.
The band is beloved by fans for their high energy club-banging funk, but it’s their foundational soul influences that set KOS apart. Frontwoman Kasi Nunes frequently cites Aretha Franklin as a major source of inspiration, and when she sings you can hear her reaching deep and coloring her phrasing with the kind of nuance perfected by the Queen of Soul – the kind of you just don’t hear from many of KOS’ blues/funk contemporaries.
Kings of Spade’s self-titled LP was recorded in Nashville with Grammy-winning producer Dave Cobb (Rival Sons, Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell). Having won “Best Local Rock Band” in the 2014 and 2015 Honolulu Pulse Awards, they’ve spent the last few years expanding their fan base by touring the US mainland multiple times. Listen below, and check out Kings Of Spade on NextNext.com.
About NextNext:
Designed to connect a community of artists and music fans around a positive message of helping important causes, NextNext Hawaii invites those artists to sign up and select a charity to sponsor. Fans, who can get votes by visiting any participating McDonald’s location in Hawaii, can listen to the artists on the free NextNext app, create playlists, and vote for favorites. With each vote, the artist’s selected charity gets a donation. At the end, the top-ranked artists will be awarded cash prizes, including a grand prize of $5,000 and the opportunity to have music released via Amazing Records.
We at OurStage and Amazing Media are excited to be partnering with McDonald’s of Hawaii for the NextNext search for the Sounds That Spark Change. We are bringing together Hawaiian artists with music fans and local charities in an effort to spread great music and help worthy causes. Here, we’ll highlight some of the artists who have already signed up to participate, so that fans around the world get a chance to hear this great new music. You can learn more about the competition below.
Let’s talk for a moment about LIV. She’s a singer/songwriter/guitarist from Oahu who, at just 15 years old is already in a second phase of her musical journey. Having begun as a guitar player in a couple of punk bands, LIV has evolved into a captivating solo artist. She draws from her guitar background to create instrumental motifs upon which she builds radio-ready chill wave pop.
LIV says the song she has entered into the NextNext Hawaii competition, “Sink Or Swim,” started as little more than a quick lyrical idea she recorded on her phone. To hear what that idea blossomed into is to once again marvel at the young artist’s maturity and inventiveness.
Just at the beginning of her career, LIV is pumping out singles now, and released this video for her song “Chasing Dreams” earlier this year. It’s another should-be hit and we look forward to hearing more and more from her. Check out LIV on NextNext.com.
About NextNext:
Designed to connect a community of artists and music fans around a positive message of helping important causes, NextNext Hawaii invites those artists to sign up and select a charity to sponsor. Fans, who can get votes by visiting any participating McDonald’s location in Hawaii, can listen to the artists on the free NextNext app, create playlists, and vote for favorites. With each vote, the artist’s selected charity gets a donation. At the end, the top-ranked artists will be awarded cash prizes, including a grand prize of $5,000 and the opportunity to have music released via Amazing Records.
We at OurStage and Amazing Media are excited to be partnering with McDonald’s of Hawaii for the NextNext search for the Sounds That Spark Change. We are bringing together Hawaiian artists with music fans and local charities in an effort to spread great music and help worthy causes. Here, we’ll highlight some of the artists who have already signed up to participate, so that fans around the world get a chance to hear this great new music. You can learn more about the competition below.
Born and raised in Hawaii, singer/songwriter Emi Hart is part of the fabric of her community. As an artist, she strives to reflect the easygoing and peaceful vibe of island life with her sound, which she likens to “Jewel, Katy Perry, and Ingrid Michaelson having a picnic.” In another part of her life, Hart is the Community Manager for Yelp in Honolulu, immersing herself in the culture (and, of course, the food) that makes Hawaii special.
She gigs regularly, and is at work on new music now. That she only began writing music in the last few years is a bit of a shock, as she sounds like a natural. In her music and her work, Hart exudes positivity, lightness, and a preoccupation with the pure humanity that connects us all. We only wish that she, as a busy working mother, had just a little more time to make music for us to hear. But let’s appreciate what we’ve got! Check her out on NextNext.com, where she’s supporting the Ronald McDonald House charity. They will get a donation for every vote cast for Emi.
About NextNext:
Designed to connect a community of artists and music fans around a positive message of helping important causes, NextNext Hawaii invites those artists to sign up and select a charity to sponsor. Fans, who can get votes by visiting any participating McDonald’s location in Hawaii, can listen to the artists on the free NextNext app, create playlists, and vote for favorites. With each vote, the artist’s selected charity gets a donation. At the end, the top-ranked artists will be awarded cash prizes, including a grand prize of $5,000 and the opportunity to have music released via Amazing Records.