OurStage Blog

Introducing SIREN

Scott Janovitz — Tue, 05 Aug 2014 18:08:06 +0000

A few years ago, we got really into a young singer named Skyler Stonestreet, who was running the table in several of our monthly channels and ended up winning the opportunity to track a song, “Out to Sea,” at L.A.’s Sanctum Sound Studios.

Stonestreet has now joined forces with another great talent, Kat Ostenberg, to form SIREN. The duo signed to Warner Bros. this summer and debuted their single “I Think I Like You.”

Today, they dropped “Kanye,” a tremendously infectious single produced by The Chainsmokers, whose own track “#SELFIE” became a big smash earlier this year. “Kanye” is actually released as The Chainsmokers feat. SIREN.

If you like your sweet indie pop with a lot more hip-hop, you are going to love this shit.

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Download of the Week: Skyler Stonestreet [Sanctum Sound Studios Winner Exclusive]
Sugar High

Nikki Lynette’s Excellent Kmart Spot

Scott Janovitz — Wed, 30 Jul 2014 15:39:31 +0000

Nikki Lynette is awesome. She’s a crazy talented artist, but also startlingly honest and often hilarious. We highly recommend following her on Facebook and Twitter, as her content there is all killer, no filler (or filter). It was from those sources that we learned of her appearance in a new national commercial for Kmart.

If you’re like us, when you first hear the concept, “rapping lunchladies in a commercial for Kmart,” you imagine the cringe-worthy worst. Instead, it’s incredibly well-done and very funny. Never doubt a creative team savvy enough to include Nikki Lynette.

In addition, Lynette is a very good writer of prose and frequently contributes to Chicago Now, as she did with this piece discussing the new commercial. Very worth the read, and typically insightful, as she connects this opportunity to the options now available to artists:

So what I will do is remind my fellow indie artists that it’s a new day in the entertainment industry. More and more opportunities are available for us now so we don’t have to be so limited. Just change your perspective. From where I’m sitting, things are looking pretty good to me.

Her new album, Respect My Disrespect, is due in the coming months.

NikkiLynette.com

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Backstage With Nikki Lynette
Nikki Lynette Reviews The New ‘Pirates’ Movie On MTV’s NextMovie.com
Hey Nikki

Air Traffic Controller And Tragic Thrills On The Road

Scott Janovitz — Mon, 28 Jul 2014 15:47:17 +0000

#TTTATC is a “go.” Our former Artist Of The Week Air Traffic Controller is capping off this summer by hitting the road with The Tragic Thrills. The two bands will spend their August crossing the U.S. and spreading their message of melodicism and excellence. ATC are promoting their new single, “The House.” Watch the trailer below, and see tour dates below that.

Tour Dates with The Tragic Thrills:

Sat 02 Seattle, WA – Barboza’s (21+)
Mon 04 Reno, NV – Singer Social Club (21+)
Wed 06 San Francisco, CA – Bottom of the Hill (AA)
Thu 07 Los Angeles, CA – Bootleg HiFi (21+)
Fri 08 Phoenix, AZ – Electric Ballroom (AA)
Sat 09 Las Vegas, NV – Container Park (AA)
Sun 10 Salt Lake City, UT – Loading Dock (AA)
Mon 11 Denver, CO – Lost Lake (21+)
Wed 13 El Paso, TX – Lowbrow Palace (18+)
Thu 14 Austin, TX – Holy Mountain (AA)
Fri 15 Houston, TX – Warehouse Live Studio (AA)
Sat 16 Dallas, TX – Prophet Bar (AA)
Sun 17 Little Rock, AR – Rev Room (AA)
Tue 19 St. Louis, MO – The Demo (AA)
Wed 20 Chicago, IL – Schubas Tavern (AA)
Thu 21 Pittsburgh, PA – Hard Rock Cafe (AA)
Fri 22 Arlington, VA – IOTA Club (21+)
Sat 23 New York – Mercury Lounge (21+)
Sun 24 Philadelphia, PA – Ortlieb’s Lounge (21+)
Tue 26 Boston, MA – Great Scott (18+)

More like this:
Air Traffic Controller Release “Pick Me Up” Music Video
Air Traffic Controller Takes Off With ‘NORDO’
Songs Of The Revolution: Nemes

Sleeperstar Tease ‘Apocalypse’

Scott Janovitz — Mon, 28 Jul 2014 15:16:41 +0000

Sleeperstar have released a teaser for their new single “Apocalypse,” which is due to drop on August 11. The video looks damn cool and the song is hooky as hell, with a wonderfully drum-heavy mix. Sleeperstar worked the road hard before coming to our attention as the winners of our Big D NYE challenge, which resulted in the band performing for 30,000 of their fellow Texans (plus, oh, say, 500,000 watching on TV).

Check out the clip:

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Big D NYE Winners Sleeperstar Play Their Biggest Show Yet
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Editor 2010 Picks: Heavy Rotation Playlist

Ayla Nereo New LP And Tour With Mr. Lif And The Polish Ambassador

Scott Janovitz — Thu, 24 Jul 2014 18:35:13 +0000

Not long ago, we brought you the first collaboration between Ayla Nereo, Mr. Lif, and The Polish Ambassador. It was such a success that the trio started work on a few more songs for an EP, but soon had a full-length album’s worth of material on their hands. Now they are all heading out on a 30-city tour, along with the artist Liminus, spreading not only their latest music, but an educational message of ecologically holistic sustainability known as permaculture. The group is offsetting the costs of bringing a team out on the road with an IndieGoGo campaign, where you can pre-order the new album. Watch the video, and see tour dates below.

Back Here With Aloud Again

Scott Janovitz — Tue, 22 Jul 2014 16:17:14 +0000

It weren’t so long ago we was telling you about It’s Got To Be Now, the new record from Boston’s Aloud, and how nice and good and rock it was likely to be. Now we are pleased to tell you that we were correct in our predictions and equally pleased to hip you to their new video, for the song “Back Here With Me Again.” Comprised entirely of live footage, the video deconstructs videos themselves, and features both kinds of guitar dueling, passive and aggressive, but never passive-aggressive. Enjoy it:

Alexandria Maillot Releases “Time”

Scott Janovitz — Tue, 22 Jul 2014 15:54:35 +0000

OurStage member, former MTV ‘Needle in the Haystack’ winner, and pride of British Columbia Alexandria Maillot just dropped a new single called “Time (On Your Own).” It’s a hypnotic, groove-heavy heavy-groove adorned with sweet and airy harmonies and a single reverbed-out guitar and maybe a baritone guitar riding a riff over the beat. It’s deceptively simple and kind of perfect for mid-summer evenings. She’s got it up on Bandcamp for free or pay-what-you-like download. Get it now.

Time (On Your Own) by Alexandria Maillot

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Needle in the Haystack Follow Up: Alexandria Maillot
Teen Spirit
Press Shuffle: Songs To Tell The Future To

Panic! At The Disco and Walk The Moon Fight Westboro Baptist

Scott Janovitz — Mon, 21 Jul 2014 15:06:48 +0000

The Gospel Tour, featuring headliner Panic! At The Disco and OurStage members Walk The Moon, has seen the universally reviled Westboro Baptist “Church” appearing at recent shows to protest the bands’ insufficient level of hatred for other human beings or something. Both bands are turning that frown upside-down by donating to human rights charities. PATD pledged to donate $20 to the Human Rights Campaign for each WBC ~~brainwashed dipshit~~ protestor, but when only 13 showed up, the band bumped it up to $1,000, plus a portion of their merchandise sales. For their part, Walk The Moon has pledged the profits from their night’s merch sales to the youth group Everyone Is Gay.

So…keep it up, WBC.

See the full Gospel Tour dates below

Tour dates (per WTM FB):
7/18 – Magna, UT @ The Great Salt Air* -http://ow.ly/tXquj
7/20 – Kansas City, MO @ CrossroadsKC -http://bit.ly/1kTqRGH
7/22 – Milwaukee, WI @ The Eagles Ballroom* -http://bit.ly/1fOz0Iv
7/23 – Indianapolis, IN @ Farm Bureau Insurance Lawn at White River State Park* - http://bit.ly/MVKIdl
7/25 – Chicago, IL @ FirstMerit Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island* - http://bit.ly/1eqJexC
7/27 – Rochester Hills, MI @ Meadow Brook* -http://bit.ly/1eclyli
7/29 – Columbus, OH @ LC Pavilion* -http://bit.ly/MVKRgS
7/30 – Cleveland, OH @ Jacobs Pavilion At Nautica* -http://bit.ly/1fnQ11d
8/1 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE* - http://bit.ly/1fnQ11n
8/2 – Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun* -http://bit.ly/Ov1XDC
8/3 – Boston, MA @ Blue Hills Bank Pavilion* -http://bit.ly/1fnmYLi
8/5 – New York, NY @ The Theater at Madison Square Garden* - http://bit.ly/MpuOHr
8/6 – Toronto, ON @ TD Echo Beach* -http://bit.ly/1fnQ2Cs
8/8 – Toms River, NJ @ Pine Belt Arena* -http://bit.ly/1mtbSER
8/9 – Philadelphia, PA @ Festival Pier* -http://bit.ly/1eqJoFt
8/10 – Baltimore, MD @ Pier 6 Pavilion* -http://bit.ly/1hjkewT
8/12 – Cincinnati, OH @ PNC Pavilion at Riverbend Music Center^ - http://bit.ly/1dqGQHO
8/13 – Charlotte, NC @ The Uptown Amphitheatre at The Music Factory^ - http://bit.ly/1hLQzQv
8/15 – Boca Raton, FL @ Mizner Park Amphitheatre^ -http://bit.ly/MVLnvB
8/16 – St. Augustine, FL @ St. Augustine Amphitheatre^ - http://bit.ly/1mtcfPK
8/17 – Atlanta, GA @ Chastain Park Amphitheatre^ -http://bit.ly/1bGVcbT
8/19 – The Woodlands, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion^ - http://bit.ly/1ecmgPt
8/20 – Austin, TX @ The Moody Theater -http://ticketf.ly/1ewT3z0
8/22 – Dallas, TX @ South Side Ballroom^ -http://bit.ly/MVLB5V
8/23 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Zoo Amphitheatre^ -http://bit.ly/1c2l6ag
8/26 – Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre^ -http://bit.ly/Q8vyU4
8/27 – San Diego, CA @ SDSU Open Air Theatre^ -http://bit.ly/1fnQfWj
8/28 – San Jose, CA @ San Jose State Event Center^ -http://bit.ly/1mDFLG7
8/31 – Portland, OR @ Edgefield - http://bit.ly/1itRPYU^

KahBang Festival Relocated To Portland, ME

Scott Janovitz — Mon, 21 Jul 2014 14:12:02 +0000

Our friends at the KahBang Music & Art Festival last week announced a rather sudden change of venue, relocating the entire festival from Bangor, ME, where it has been held since its inception six years ago, to Portland. Organizers insist that the move was essential to the survival of the festival, and point to the advantages of the shift, including a significant increase in lodging options.

With headliners including St. Vincent, DMX, and Wheatus, not to mention our pals in Late Cambrian, those of us in the Boston area are not complaining much about suddenly being 130 miles closer to the festival, which also includes a film portion, to be held at Portland’s Longfellow Square, and an arts portion, to be held at the city’s Community Television Network. The music will be spread around familiar venues like the State Theatre, the Big Easy, and Port City Music Hall. (h/t Vanyaland)

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PyInfamous On CNN’s “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown”

Scott Janovitz — Mon, 14 Jul 2014 14:58:45 +0000

We’re just catching up on some reality TV lately and were psyched to see PyInfamous, the grand prize winner of our 2011 Coors Light Search For The Coldest, on the fantastic Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown on CNN.

The coldest MC we know was featured in the episode in which Bourdain explores the culture, music, history, and of course, the food of the Mississippi Delta. PyInfamous’ “Look Here” was featured, and the rapper contrasted race in the South with the North: “I think there are some deeply ingrained problems in Mississippi that are connected to a very ugly past that we share with some other Southern states. However, I think as far as when we talk about racism expressed through a classist lens? I think Mississippi and New York are on par.”

Well worth checking out.

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PyInfamous Takes The Title Of The “Coldest” MC In The Nation!
PyInfamous Hits The Stage With N.E.R.D. And PacDiv
Introducing…HIP HOP HABIT