Woodhands

Woodhands is a Canadian indietronica band. Based in Toronto, Ontario, the band currently consists of musicians Dan Werb and Paul Banwatt. Past members and guest collaborators have included Roselle Healy, Pat Placzek, Maylee Todd, Laura Barrett, Roger Leavens, Taylor Trowbridge, Chris von Szombathy, Henry Fletcher and Jess Conn-Potegal. In an interview, Werb said they called the band Woodhands because he "wanted to let everyone know that there was an organic element to the ambient electronic music I was making."
Werb had previously pursued different incarnations of the band in Vancouver and Montreal before meeting Banwatt through their shared membership in Henri Fabergé and the Adorables. They began playing and recording together as Woodhands in early 2007, and signed to Paper Bag Records in the fall after playing the Pop Montreal festival. more .......

Give them a listen, you may be pleasantly surprised.

CP24

The official music video for Woodhands - CP24
From the album "Remorsecapade" available in early 2010 from Paperbag Records.
Shot/Edited/Directed/Effects by Jared Sales
Music by Woodhands

Remorsecapade is the follow-up to their insanely fun dancey 2008 Heart Attack… Right now there are people who either like or dislike Woodhands. I totally like Woodhands not because of their music. But don’t want to take myself too seriously and just want to have fun and dance away my troubles with their music. ~ MW
“Blue Monday period New Order with the pop elements of Depeche Mode” Q Magazine, June 2009: “The 10 Best New Bands On Earth”…By far the toppest of my tips is Woodhands. Energetic synthy new wave ‘Montreal sound’, but with added bite and more than a bit of Soulwax about it, their energetic show is the highlight of an above-average programme.” NME, Live Review

I Wasn't Made For Fighting

The official video for Woodhands 'I Wasn't Made For Fighting', directed by Asif Mian.

Galactic

Galactic is a funk and jazz jam band from New Orleans, Louisiana, United States.
Originally formed in 1994 as an octet (under the name Galactic Prophylactic) and including singer Chris Lane and guitarist Rob Gowen, the group was soon pared down to an instrumental sextet of: guitarist Jeff Raines, bassist Robert Mercurio, drummer Stanton Moore, saxophonist Ben Ellman and Hammond organist Rich Vogel, later adding Theryl DeClouet on vocals.
The group was started when Raines and Mercurio, childhood friends from the Washington D.C. area, moved to New Orleans together to attend college at Tulane and Loyola Universities, and became enamored of the local funk scene, populated by such legendary acts as The Meters and Dirty Dozen Brass Band and inspired by local legends such as Professor Longhair. There they teamed with noted New Orleans drummer Stanton Moore, saxophonist/harmonica (now producer) Ben Ellman, and Rich Vogel. In 2004, the band parted ways with vocalist DeClouet, and now continue as an instrumental group. They have been releasing ground breaking albums consistently since 1996. Many songs found on their latest album, titled From the Corner to the Block, include underground MCs widely regarded as elite and popular.

New Orleans is a city defined by its unique and colorful history. It’s for that reason that most tend to view the place as something of a musical museum while ignoring the town’s vibrant and innovative new music. In New Orleans, the hip hop at the heart of today’s culture emerged from an energetic, highly eroticized and occasionally gender-bending music called “bounce.” And the truth is, all the town’s seemingly disparate styles – jazz, brass bands and funk as well as the newer “bounce” influenced hip hop, are all intrinsically linked. There is a particular inclusiveness about the place, which connects both its people and their music. And now, for the first time ever, all these sounds have been combined on one original record. With Ya-Ka-May, long time NOLA residents, Galactic have made an album that reflects the city as they see it – blending all the town’s distinctive sounds in a way no band has before.

The making of Ya-Ka-May


Saints Superbowl Victory Party

Galactic's celebration at the Brooklyn Bowl for the Saints Superbowl Victory!!! Jeff Raines punctuates the moment with a monstrous guitar solo.
Brooklyn, New York - February 7th, 2010

Rehearsals with Cyril Neville

Kitarō - 喜多郎

Masanori Takahashi (高橋正則, Takahashi Masanori?), better known as Kitarō (喜多郎?), (February 4, 1953) is a Grammy award-winning Japanese musician, composer and multi-instrumentalist.
Kitarō moved to Tokyo to experience and become a part of the music scene, and it was there that he discovered the synthesizer. His first synthesizer was analog, and recalls he “just loved the analog sound that it made compared to today's digital sound”.
His parents were first opposed to the idea of their son having a musical career. Indeed, in an effort to manoeuvre him towards their vision, they made arrangements for him to take a job at a local company. In return, he left home without telling them. He supported himself by taking on several part time jobs such as cooking or civil service work, meanwhile composing songs at night.
In the early 1970s, he changed completely to keyboards. He joined the band "Far East Family Band" and toured with them around the world. In Europe, he met the German synthesizer musician and former Tangerine Dream member Klaus Schulze. Schulze produced two albums for the band and gave Kitaro some tips for the use of synthesizers. In 1976 he left the band and travelled through Asia (China, Laos, Thailand, India). more ........

I have always liked his music, now felt it time to feature it.

Matsuri

Kitarō in performance.


Jon Anderson does the vocals for this very cool Kitarō track.
Suggested to me by a friend in Mexico.

Lady of Dreams

Lady of Dreams:

Save me a place
In the heart of your hearts
When you think of love
Never forsake me
Wanting and dreaming you
Lying naked beside me
Only a Lady of Dreams
She will bring magic

To sing to your heartstrings
Only a Lady of Dreams
Come alive - you are all
That I desire!!
Something tells me
This is love that surrounds
Only a fool
Without wisdom can see
Blind as I am
In your eyes
My Lady of Dreams

Save me, save me
A place in your heart
tears escape from me
When we're apart
Please dream of me now
My Lady of Dreams
My thought and wishes
Are all that surrounds
Mysteries hold you
Then fly you away
You know you are my life
My Lady of Dreams

Save me a place
In the heart of your heart
When you think of love
Never forsake me
Wanting and dreaming you
Each time I think of you
Lying so naked beside me
Only a Lady of Dreams
Could there be magic
To sing to your Heartstrings
Only a Lady of Dreams
Come alive - you are all
That I desire

Emmanuelle Seigner

Emmanuelle Seigner (born 22 June 1966) is a French actress, former fashion model, and singer, best known as the wife of Academy Award winning director Roman Polanski, and for her roles in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007), and Frantic (1988). She has been nominated two César Awards for Best Supporting Actress in Place Vendôme (1998) and La Vie En Rose (2007).
Seigner was born in Paris, France to a photographer father and a journalist mother. She is the granddaughter of the respected actor Louis Seigner (1903–1991) and sister of the actress Mathilde Seigner. She was educated at a Catholic convent school, and began modelling at the age of fourteen. Capitalizing on her beauty she achieved international status as a professional model. She married the Polish film director Roman Polański on 30 August 1989. They have two children: daughter Morgane and son Elvis. He directed her in Frantic, opposite Harrison Ford and later in Bitter Moon (1992), as well as The Ninth Gate (1999), co-starring Johnny Depp.
Seigner appears as the main character in the music video "Hands Around my Throat" by Death In Vegas. In 2006, she became lead singer of the pop rock band Ultra Orange, and the group's name was changed to Ultra Orange & Emmanuelle. Seigner lives with their two children in Paris. Polanski is currently under house arrest in a chateau in Switzerland. She is an ambassadress of the Polish brand Dr Irena Eris.

2009 release from the French actress and former fashion model. The 11 tracks on the album were composed, written and arranged by Keren Ann and Doriand and includes duets with Iggy Pop and Emmanuelle’s husband Roman Polanski. The album was recorded by Tibo Javoy, mixed by Tore Johansson (Franz Ferdinand producer) and mastered by Chab. Features the first single ‘Dingue’. Sony/BMG.

Dingue - Teaser

" Dingue " est disponible en digital. (Streaming & téléchargement)
Titre extrait de l'album " Dingue " qui sortira le 08 février 2010.
The complete Embedding disabled by request

La dernière pluie - avec Iggy Pop

Iggy Pop sings in French! Who knew.
Emmanuelle Seigner en duo avec Iggy Pop pour le titre " La dernière pluie "
Extrait de l'album d'Emmanuelle Seigner " Dingue " sortie le 02/08/2010
plus d'infos sur [More info]

Just in case you were wondering where you had seen her before.
Emmanuelle Seigner & Kristin Scott Thomas - Bitter Moon [1992]

Lightspeed Champion

Devonté Hynes (born 23 December 1985 in Houston, Texas), better known as Lightspeed Champion is a British composer, songwriter and author, who is currently signed to Domino Records. Incorporating elements from a variety of musical genres, Lightspeed Champion marks a significant departure in sound from Hynes' previous dance-punk band Test Icicles. He released his debut album under the Lightspeed Champion name, Falling off the Lavender Bridge, on January 21, 2008 through Domino Records.
Hynes was born in Houston, Texas but raised in Essex, England since the age of 2, and currently resides in New York. The name 'Lightspeed Champion' comes from a series of comic strips Hynes drew as a teenager in his school mathematics books. Hynes was voted the 49th 'coolest person in rock' in NME's 2007 Cool List, jumping to position 20 in the following year's list.

I guess I'd have to say he's pretty cool, too.

Marlene

'"Marlene" A compass amidst a "Chancellors Nightmare" foretold through the soap of modern ages.' Dev Hynes 2009
Dev Hynes, the voice, ears, fingers, flesh and blood behind Lightspeed Champion, is back with a brand new single, Marlene, on 25th January 2010.
Majestic and epic, Marlene is full of headlong melodies and expansive arrangements, where the grandness is frequently allowed to loom rather than thunder, yielding to passages of repose, before the infectious rhythm kicks in again.

Devil In Disguise

Lightspeed Champion & friends got together & recorded a cover of 'Devil In Disguise' to celebrate the 75th Birthday of Elvis on the 8th January.
Lightspeed Champions new album 'Life Is Sweet! Nice To Meet You' is released on the 15th February. First single Marlene was released on the 25th January.

Midnight Surprise

This is the full 10 minute version of the video for "Midnight Surprise"..His second single..released October 15, 2007 on Domino Records.

Who Dat Champion?

Congratulations to the New Orleans Saints. Thoroughly deserved.

Animal Collective

How about some really wild videos, with music of course.

Animal Collective is a band originally from Baltimore, Maryland, currently based in New York City. Animal Collective consists of Avey Tare (David Portner), Panda Bear (Noah Lennox), Deakin, also spelled as Deacon or Deaken (Josh Dibb), and Geologist (Brian Weitz). Records released under the name Animal Collective may include contributions from any or all of these members; the lineup is not uniform. The band members met in school and started recording together in various forms of collaboration from a young age. The group also runs the record label Paw Tracks on which they have released their own material as well as that of other artists.

First up check out their "trailer" for their new album Oddsac.

A trailer for ODDSAC, a visual album by Danny Perez and Animal Collective. Screening dates and news: ODDSAC

Something from last year.
My Girls

A video for 'My Girls' from Animal Collective's album Merriweather Post Pavilion. Out now on Domino.
Produced by: Knowmore Productions
Animated by: Jon Vermilyea
Edited/VFX by: Chad Von Nau

Summertime Clothes

Video for Animal Collective's 'Summertime Clothes' featuring the Brooklyn based FLEX dance crew. 'Merriweather Post Pavilion' is out now on Domino.
Director & Editor: Danny Perez
Director of Photography: Ryan Samul
Producer: Lizz Morhaim, Daniel Grossman