Click the Pic for More Concert Photos Of TTR

 Check out more from Through The Roots!!!

Photography by: Jimmy Iles | Director of Artist Relations | Jimmy Iles Photography | Beat-Play & Music Without Labels,LLC

MewithoutYou would give you directions to the closest independent store if they knew you would go buy their album there, so it’s a bit ironic that I found out about Ten Stories while looking for new music on a popular streaming service (which shall not be mentioned).  Yes, I do struggle with the fact since I’m working in the seemingly care-free industry, but hey, now their music will be shared with everyone that reads this article.  However, I think mewithoutYou would rather have people listen to their music through any means, than not hear it at all.  Now is the most important time, as Ten Stories has been crowned the rightful follow-up to their 2006 release, Brother/Sister, and 2004’s Catch for Us the Foxes.  The difference between their past albums and Ten Stories is that this one was released independently.  See how it came together and hear their thoughts on the new record by checking out their official EPK.

It seems to be a common theme these days; bands choosing to leave record labels, instead of resigning with them.  It’s almost a bit disastrous for some of these companies, but I believe that it’s shaping music into what it was before… true art.  MewithoutYou’s latest project, which was just released May 15, 2012, allows the listener to experience so much more than 11 songs.  Ten Stories can be purchased as a deluxe box set that includes over a dozen original paintings, custom sleeves, etchings, and bonus songs.  Even if a fan decides to purchase a digital download, it’s hard to avoid the intricate detail in the album art.  The band has been creating significant albums like this since they started over a decade ago, but their creativity now is better than ever.  Just listen to vocalist Aaron Weiss describe the inspiration for the lyrics of the album, and you’ll see why.

“They’re not quite children’s songs,” vocalist Aaron Weiss explains, “with not quite coherent storylines, but there is an overarching and kind of child-like narrative: a circus train crashes in 19th century Montana. Some animals escape, others stay in their cages. The traveling menagerie re-rails, stays its course, and struggles to fill in the missing attractions. Meanwhile, freed from institutionalized life, the rice-cake rabbit takes to a peripatetic fortune teller, the monastic walrus is tempted by a hedonistic owl, a fish falls for an eggplant. Other songs describe a contemplative Fox’s prophetic dream, a starving Bear’s vision of a martyred saint, and an indecisive Peacock & gnostic Tiger learning the virtues of megalomania from an ego-annihilated Potter Wasp.”

Mind blown.  When you hear his “manic, unorthodox hollering” combined with the intricacies of these stories over the band’s solid groove and extraordinary sense of melody, you’ll get it.  Ten Stories has even been dubbed “the best Hayley Williams (of Paramore)-approved circus-train concept album.”  Have a listen to the first track on the record, “February, 1878.”

If you like what you hear, find out more about how you can get Ten Stories by visiting their website at mewithoutyou.com, or click on the incredible album art below.  Support these guys, enjoy this record, and remember to listen to more music!

By Steve Harpine | Nashville Ambassador | @Steve_MWL | Beat-Play & Music Without Labels, LLC

Writing for this music blog is a blessing.  Often people send me links and press releases for new bands and new music in hopes of some good ole fashion publicity.  I welcome it.  I’m pretty intrigued by bands creative processes and I rarely write a negative review simply because the music I like and listen to has been slaved over by the artists that have created it.  This brings me to this weeks blog.  While sifting through the ever growing list of submissions on top of bands I like on my own I stumbled upon a band called Plants and Animals and in hopes of not being corny, that was the end of that.

02 The End of That

Ok I’ll get this out of the way.  The similarities are undeniable.  Tom Petty.  I hear a little bit of Tom Petty when I listen to these tunes.  I absolutely hate making comparisons like that, but in this instance a. there’s no denying it (i ran it by a bunch of my friends) and b. if I were going to be compared to any one I would want it to be Tom Petty too.  O.k. now that’s over.

07 HC

First impressions and vocals aside what caught my ear in the first place was the guitars on this record.  The grit/ dirty ‘southern’ drawl on songs like “Runaways” and “Why and Why” which has since become my favorite tune on this record provides a cool vibe. A Canadian rock outfit from Montreal Plants and Animals is a three piece band.  Singers Warren Spicer, Nic Basque, and Matthew Woody are a musical threat each playing guitar, bass and keys, and drums respectively.  Having released their initial EP in 2004 the band is road weary and and with Juno award nominations under their belt they are not shy of accolades.  With their most recent release “The End Of That” on shelves now they are touring the US with their self proclaimed “indie- post classic rock”.  That 1960′s-70′s Laurel Canyon folk rock and roll vibe blends well with the modern indie rock sounds on songs like “LIghtshow”.

04 Lightshow

I’m on my third listen all the way through and I’m pretty much loving this.  Every song seems to bleed well into the next.  It’s a very coherent record.  When I get to the end of the record I hit a tune called “No Way”.  Every song up to that point featured the guitar work which, as i said, stood out to me in the first place.  Then all of a sudden ten songs deep I hear this tune kick off with clean, bold, full grand piano.  What?  Needless to say I was surprised.  It’s a cool song and a good way to end the record.

10 No Idea

11 Runaways

Plants and Animals is making its way to LA this weekend!!!  (Imaging the bells and sirens of a great opportunity going off in your head).  Tickets are a steal at 12 bucks.  It’s going to sell out at the door so make sure you buy your tickets now and get there early, we’ll make room.  They have kindly invited me to join them so I will hopefully be there to review the live show and here these awesome new songs live and in person.  Saturday night they take over the Satellite in Silver Lake and I’m expecting everyone who reads this blog to come out and support.  HERE is the link to the venue website and HERE is the link to Plants and Animals upcoming tour dates.  There are a bunch of really cool bands supporting this weekend and the show goes really late so make a night of it, bring a DD and lets get elegantly wasted together. See you there!!

By: Steve Rippin | Beat-Play Ambassador Los Angeles | @stevewithMWL|Music Without Labels & Beat-Play, LLC

Beach House is a band I listened to a couple years ago soon after the release of their third album, Teen Dream.  There were some great songs on that record, and the album received great reviews from artsy music blogs around the country.  While I might not get as deep or describe the album as thoroughly, it gives me great pleasure to announce that the band has just released a brand new record, titled Bloom.  I’ll leave it up to you to get what you want from it, so let’s get right to it.  Here’s the first track on the album, “Myth.”

If you have listened to Beach house before, you can already tell that they’ve stuck with their dream pop sound that has made them distinguishable from their contemporaries.  Bloom is a continuation of what the band has been doing through the years, but embellishes the vibe created by past albums.  The new record is more of a family of songs that belong together, rather than a collection of tracks that happened to be recorded in the same period of time.  It has been eight years since the band formed in Baltimore, Maryland, and they’ve stayed committed to the cause with a strong fourth full-length studio album.  Beach House is composed of Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally.  The duo have always decided to keep it simple, playing live and recording by sticking with their setup of organ, programmed drums, and slide guitar.  Scally believes that their simplicity has allowed them to maintain a good creative process:  ”One of the reasons this has been such a fulfilling experience for me is that with two people, it’s so much easier to achieve things that feel exciting and new.”  Check out the official music video from on of my favorite Beach House songs, titled “Zebra.”

Their spirit of simplicity translates to their online presence as well, as you can begin to see from the video.  Even the Beach House website maintains a minimalist approach to the internet, which is extremely rare and unique in today’s industry.  Although it all might seem bland to most, this is what has always worked for them, and they’ve been able to keep the focus on the music.  There are no fancy marketing ploys and no eye-catching merchandise items.  They treat their music like art, and that’s where the focus remains.  Pretty cool.  Here’s another track from their new album called “Lazuli.”

Beach House has always been somewhat of an ironic name for the duo, as many of their songs don’t necessarily put you on the beach below the palm trees.  On the other hand, it has been extremely fitting.  Bloom echoes the sound that many have come to love, and it’s perfect.  If you like what you’ve hear from the album so far, go get it by clicking on the album art below.  As always, listen to more music!

 By Steve Harpine | Nashville Ambassador | @Steve_MWL | Beat-Play & Music Without Labels, LLC

Tribal Seeds’ New Single –  ”Did Wrong”

Check out the official Tribal Seeds website!!!

Photography By: Jimmy Iles | Director of Artist Relations | Jimmy Iles Photography | Beat-Play & Music Without Labels,LLC

Thousand Foot Krutch is a rock band originally from Ontario, Canada that has been around for years.  They started in 1998 and remained independent until signing with Tooth & Nail Records in 2003.  I even remember listening to some of their older songs growing up.  When I was told by their team that they were releasing a new album this year, it took me back to the days of riding a school bus with an original or burned (come on, we all did it) CD in a portable CD player and headphones that lasted more than a few months.  Oh yeah.  That’s when we were excited about new albums, and we actually bought them… in a store.  While those days may be fading, the power of music is still evident and going strong in forms of digital download or streaming.  The End Is Where We Begin is the highly anticipated follow up to Welcome to the Masquerade (2009) and a huge addition to TFK’s discography.  Check out “Let The Sparks Fly.”

Let The Sparks Fly

After reading the title of the article and hearing that the band’s history dates back to when I was in junior high, you might feel like this is just another band making an appearance on the charts.  However, what if you knew that Thousand Foot Krutch walked away from record label life before recording the album?  That’s right.  Even though they actually received quite a few offers, the band decided to do this one on their own to “reignite the passion for the new album that first emerged over a decade ago.”  Keep in mind that this is a band with years of strong album sales, music awards, publishing, and radio play.  TFK relied on support from fans to cover recording and marketing costs by offering pre-release packages and free downloads of songs from the album to those that donated.  You might be wondering how detrimental their decision was for their career and success in the music industry, but that would be naive.  It was probably the best decision they ever made.  The End Is Where We Begin debuted at number 5 on iTunes and recently charted at #14 overall on Billboard 200.  Not bad for an independent, eh?  Here’s “Light Up The Sky.”

Light Up The Sky

Not only has TFK’s decision to leave the record label landed them at the top of the charts, but songs from the album have already been picked up by ESPN for TV programming.  It wouldn’t be the first time that TFK’s music has appeared in pop culture.  Many of their songs have received placement on other TV programming like NASCAR, MLB, NHL, NFL airings (including the 2010 Super Bowl), and WGN-TV’s “Smallville.”  They have also had music used in the “GI Joe” movie trailer and EA Sports’ “NHL 2010″ video game.  The buzz around their latest album release even prompted a thank you video from TFK’s frontman, Trevor McNevan.  Trevor lives in Nashville, and it seems like the city has been a main hub for the TFK.  Nashville has always been an outstanding city for lasting relationships and solid people, especially in the music industry.   It’s no doubt that TFK has used some of these relationships to successfully release their latest album.  They have the story and they have the music, so go get it by clicking on the album art below.  Thousand Foot Krutch- welcome to the independent family!

By Steve Harpine | Nashville Ambassador | @Steve_MWL | Beat-Play & Music Without Labels, LLC

Portugal. The Man - All Your Light (Times Like These)

Be sure to check out Portugal. The Man!

 Photography By: Shane Suski |Ambassador of Photography | San Diego, CA| @shanewithmwl | Beat-Play and Music Without Labels, LLC

The MWL Live Tour has only just begun and already amazing opportunities are presenting themselves. Earlier this week we decided to leave Los Angeles a few days earlier than we originally planned. We had a large gap in between shows and felt the urge to keep moving! Sometimes you have to trust your instincts, trust the world and keep truckin! We drove all night and woke up in a beautiful apartment overlooking San Francisco. We didn’t have anything lined up for our first night, and I joked that if we made the right decision, that something really good would pop up! Sure enough I got a call from Yann Tiersen’s tour manager- YANN TIERSEN. I repeated his name in my head 20 times while trying to get in touch with Shane who was exploring Castro Street. If we wanted to shoot an interview with Yann we had to be at the venue in about an hour! I wasn’t missing this opportunity!

We arrived at the beautiful Regency Ballroom just in time and were escorted to the third floor to set up our equipment. I was in awe, not only was I about to interview Yann Tiersen, but it was happening at a 103 year old venue, adorned with turn of the century chandeliers and artwork – I could feel the history around me. When did all this become a reality? A little sign from the universe that we’re on the right track! Watch the interview with Yann above, and be sure to stay posted for more MWL Live Tour exclusive interviews!

Visit Yann Tiersen’s official website for tour dates and information on how to purchase his latest album, Skyline, that was released in the United States last month!

By: Katie McVeay| Spokesperson |Music Without Labels & Beat-Play, LLC | crookedsunshine

The Laundry Shop-"Overhead"

Be sure to check out THE LAUNDRY SHOP and their upcoming album “Exit at Salvation”

Photography By: Shane Suski |Ambassador of Photography | San Diego, CA| @shanewithmwl | Beat-Play and Music Without Labels, LLC

It’s Friday.  Maybe you’ve got somewhere to be tonight, maybe somewhere with a) drinks, b) girls, c) dancing, or d) all of the above.  Don’t answer, doesn’t matter.  It’s multiple choice and the night’s alive with possibility.  Maybe when you get on to the subway or in your car or when you stride down the street on your own two personal ambulatory devices, you toss some tiny white earbuds in.  Maybe you catch your fingers moving to pull up an old Guster track or blast DMB because that’s what your friends partied to in college.  Please.  I beg you.  Don’t.

Here’s what you’re gonna do:

Turn around, go back inside, click the picture and download the EP.  Get real headphones (or better yet, a boombox) take two shots of whiskey, put on your shit-kicker shoes and try again.  If you get to your destination and you’re not deaf from the roar of the guitars, if your knees aren’t weak from the insistent, destructive pulse of the drum machine and your voice hasn’t gone hoarse from shouting along to each and every chorus, then go ahead, enjoy the night.

If – like the rest of us – you’ve succumbed to the lo-fi, scuzzy, blues-punk beatdown hit repeat and dance off into the night alone.  With songs like these, who needs friends?

Chris Cullari | Beat-Play Ambassador Los Angeles |@Chris_Cullari | Music Without Labels & Beat-Play, LLC |