U.S. Royalty's MIRRORS Out TODAY!

MIRRORS, the debut album from U.S. Royalty, is out now! For those who haven't wrapped their happy little hands around the record, it's a rootsy, bluesy, burning and emotional romp that rocks from beginning to end. I've been enjoying this record a lot. I'm totally in lust with "Hollywood Hollows," seriously in lust. "Monte Carlo" is something that reminds me of the well crafted 70's classic rock of Fleetwood Mac while "Equestrian" mixes modern alternative with a bit of early Santana flavor. Maybe that's just me though. I put MIRRORS on my list of recommended listens.

MP3 Grab: "Equestrian"

Lelia Broussard Effervescent At Rockwood Music Hall

Lelia Broussard: January 20 @ Rockwood Music Hall, New York, NY

Thursday night had me paying a visit to the LES. I went down to the Rockwood Music Hall to catch singer/songwriter Lelia Broussard.

Broussard came onto my radar with her latest album Masquerade. The record is a great collection of catchy pop/rock tunes. The thing that caught my ear when I first heard the record was her voice. When Broussard launched into her set at Rockwood Thursday night, it was immediately clear that she was the real deal. There was no hocus pocus, bibbidi bobbidi trickery going on to try and fool the audience. This is a woman who can sing. While Masquerade leans more towards the poppier side of rock, her show, those songs leaned more on the rocker chick side of things.

Broussard is an infectious performer. You couldn't help but smile while she rocked out. She and her band were crammed onto Rockwood's tiny stage and became even more crowded when Broussard invited fellow musicians/friends up throughout the set to help her sing songs. I enjoy her recorded works but it's live where she shines. You would be doing yourself a disservice if you didn't check out her live show or her record for that matter.

(More photos HERE)

"Hipster Bitch"

Adam Taylor Launches Kickstarter Project

One of QNYC's favorites, Adam Taylor, has launched a Kickstarter project. Taylor has been hard at work on a new record (yay!) but could use a little help. There are a ton of things that go into getting a record into our happy little hands and this project will, if his goal is met, make that happen quicker. Check out the video below and visit Taylor's Kickstarter project page HERE for details and pledge options.

The Blue Pages To Release New EP In February

Rock band The Blue Pages have announced that they will release their new EP, Anthropology, February 1. The album will be available exclusively online through Bandcamp.

For a little taste of things to come, The Blue Pages are offering up the first single "Run Back Home" for free. Check out the handy widget at the bottom of the post for that.

The Blue Pages have partnered up with the nonprofit organization Education Through Music (www.etmonline.org), which provides quality music instruction to disadvantaged schools throughout New York City. The mission of enhancing students’ academic performance and general development through music is something all members of the band strongly advocate, and as such The Blue Pages will be donating 50% of all album proceeds from Anthropology to Education Through Music.

Fans will be able to download the full album by naming their price through Bandcamp (http://thebluepagesmusic.bandcamp.com). Select tracks from Anthropology will be streaming on the band’s Facebook (www.facebook.com/thebluepages) and Myspace (www.myspace.com/thebluepagesmusic) pages.

About The Blue Pages:

The Blue Pages are an Alternative Rock band based in Brooklyn, New York, progressing their catchy rock sound with electronic influences. In 2010, the band completed two U.S. tours with Cash Cash in May, and another with Down With Webster and Let's Get It in July; and have performed in the past with Panic at the Disco, A Rocket to the Moon, and members of Passion Pit. The band has been featured in Alternative Press and AMP magazines, as well as highlighted on Clear Channel Radio’s NEW! Artist to Watch. In December 2010, they were featured as Hot Topic’s Unsigned Band of the Month.

Alcoholic Faith Mission Announce New EP

Alcoholic Faith Mission have announced the release of their upcoming record. Running with Insanity EP will be released March 29 via Paper Garden Records. For those of you who want to check them out live here in our little spot of land in the world called New York, they'll be playing a couple of shows before they head down to SXSW. March 13 they'll be at Littlefield and March 15 they'll be at the Knitting Factory.

For those who like visuals, check out their latest video, "My Eyes To See" below.

Though they hail from Denmark, Alcoholic Faith Mission was actually formed in Brooklyn in 2006 by high school friends Thorben and Sune. When the pals stumbled upon Brooklyn's Apostolic Faith Mission Church, they reasoned that alcohol was as necessary an elixir as religion is for the pious. Thus, their own Alcoholic Faith Mission came to be. Brooklyn resonated deeply with the guys, so much that they returned to live there 18 months later. Named after their address, their sophomore album 421 Wythe Avenue was released through PonyRec in April 2009, and received critical acclaim.

Track List

• Running With Insanity
• Legacy
• When They Bleed
• Drowning (In Myself)
• Dancing Fools

Alcoholic Faith Mission - My Eyes To See from Guy Manly Movies on Vimeo.

Kaki King Announces Acoustic Tour

Kaki King will be doing a solo acoustic tour beginning in February. Gig alert! New York, she'll be making three stops in our lovely city. February 23 at the Museum of Modern Art's Celeste Bartos Theatre. Then April 7 and April 8 she'll take the stage at City Winery.

Kaki King will return to her acoustic roots this winter for a national tour that will make stops at renowned venues such as the Moma in New York City, Yoshi's in San Francisco and World Cafe Live in Philadelphia. Kings career has been enthralling, as it has evolved from its virtuosic acoustic busker beginnings in the subways of New York to creating cerebral soundscapes with Tortoise's John McIntyre to being included on Rolling Stone magazine's short list of "Guitar Gods" to collaborations with Dave Grohl and Eddie Vedder. In her 10-year career, King has released five full lengths and two EPs. She has scored for television and film, most notably alongside Vedder and Michael Brook as composers for Sean Penn's Into the Wild for which she received a Best Original Score Golden Globe nomination. King also contributed to the Grammy-nominated August Rush soundtrack, and in 2009, Ovation launched their Kaki King signature guitar model, which is now for sale worldwide.

Tour Dates

• February 23 - Museum of Modern Art: Celeste Bartos Theatre, New York, NY
• February 26 - Salon Vive Cuervo, Mexico City, Mexico
• February 28 - The Loft - UC San Diego, San Diego, CA
• March 2 - Largo at the Coronet, West Hollywood, CA
• March 3 - College of the Sequoias Theatre, Visalia, CA
• March 5 - Ashkenaz, Berkeley, CA
• March 6 - Harlow's Night Club, Sacramento, CA
• March 8 - Jambalaya, Arcata, CA
• March 9 - WOW Hall, Eugene, OR
• March 10 - Mississippi Studios, Portland, OR
• March 11 - The Triple Door, Seattle, WA
• March 12 - Biltmore Cabaret, Vancouver, BC, Canada
• March 24 - Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis, MN
• March 25 - Space, Evanston, IL
• March 26 - The Old Rock House, St. Louis, MO
• March 28 - Southgate House, Newport, KY
• March 29 - The Birchmere, Alexandria, VA
• March 30 - World Cafe Live, Philadelphia, PA
• April 1 - Center for the Arts, Natick, MA
• April 2 - Iron Horse, Northampton, MA
• April 3 - Infinity Hall, Norfolk, CT
• April 7 - City Winery, New York, NY
• April 8 - City Winery, New York, NY
• April 9 - Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY

Alison Krauss and Union Station Announce New Record

Alison Krauss and Union Station have announced that they will release their new album, Paper Airplane, April 12 via Rounder Records. The 11 song record is Krauss' 14th and Krauss' first release since her acclaimed collaboration in 2007 with Robert Plant. This is great news for bluegrass fans. Krauss and Union Station are special talents.

Alison Krauss and Union Station features the talents of Krauss (fiddle and lead vocals), Dan Tyminski (guitar, mandolin and lead vocals), Barry Bales (bass and harmony vocals), Ron Block(banjo, guitar and harmony vocals), and Jerry Douglas (Dobro and harmony vocals). Paper Airplane was produced by the band and recorded in Nashville with engineer Mike Shipley (Maroon 5, The Cars, Def Leppard, Joni Mitchell). As bluegrass virtuosos the members of Union Station are beyond compare, and the music they create together transcends all genres. Their work on films such as Cold Mountain and O Brother, Where Art Thou? has contributed immeasurably to a renaissance of American roots music.

Track List

• Paper Airplane
• Dustbowl Children
• Lie Awake
• Lay My Burden Down
• My Love Follows You Where You Go
• Dimming Of The Day
• On The Outside Looking In
• Miles To Go
• Sinking Stone
• Bonita and Bill Butler
• Opening Farewell

Voxhaul Broadcast To Release New Record 3/22 + MP3

March 22, Voxhaul Broadcast will release their debut full-length record, Timing Is Everything. The record was produced by Tom Biller. Add this to the list of records to look forward to.

For your listening pleasure, we have the lead track from the upcoming record, "Leaving On The 5th." Check out the MP3 Grab at the bottom of the post.

Produced by Grammy Award winning producer Tom Biller (Silver Sun Pickups, Seawolf, Liars) with additional production from Chris Thorne (Blind Melon), Timing Is Everything captures the power of the quartet’s live performances while still holding true to their trademark blend of r&b, rock and soul.

The still unreleased album was #4 on KCRW’S “Top 50 Most Played Albums” in the final weeks of 2010 and came in at #67 on KCRW’s “Most Played Records of 2010.” Staple stations KEXP, KROQ & WXPN have been previewing tracks from the full length as well.

Licensing has also jumped on board with VB, as they’ll be featured in an upcoming Michelob Ultra commercial with Lance Armstrong set to air during the Superbowl on Feb 6. Expanding their musical reach to every medium, Voxhaul's music can now be heard in movie trailers (Life As We Know It), commercials (Toms Shoes), TV shows (CSI) & promotional videos (Marc Jacobs).

MP3 Grab: "Leaving On The 5th"

The Caulfield Sisters Two Songs From Mohawk" Out Today

Brooklyn based trio The Caulfield Sisters, Cindy Wheeler (vocals/guitar), Mary Guidera (bass/backing vocals) and Kristin Mueller (drums) released their new digital single Two Songs From Mohawk via American Laundromat Records today. They are the first new original tracks from the group since their EP Say It With Fire several years ago. The tracks were produced by The Caulfield Sisters at Wheeler's home in the Catskills.

Gig Alert! The Caulfield Sisters will be at The Gutter in Williamsburg on Friday, February 18. They're on at 10PM. To get you in the spirit of things, we have music for you! We have for you, all shiny and new, a track in our MP3 Grab below. Check it out, buy the single and tell some friends.

MP3 Grab: "Caterwauling"

Lelia Broussard To Play Rockwood Music Hall, Thursday, 1/20

This Thursday, January 20, Lelia Broussard will play the third and last of her residency shows at Rockwood Music Hall, Stage 1. She goes on at 8PM and it'll cost ya zip. Yep, that's right, it's FREE. Swing by, have a beverage or three and hear some good music.

Broussard released her new record, Masquerade, this past November. I'm digging it. Perhaps you should check it out. That's what I would do if I were you. That being said, my song of the day, "Hipster Bitch" from the record. Give it a listen using the handy dandy widget below.

Hipster Bitch by MuseBox