After visiting Salt Lake City in November and playing to a pretty decent sized crowd at The State Room, Fanfarlo is set to return later in the month on the 27th at the Urban Lounge. If you happened to miss them the first time (shame on you!), I would highly recommend you make the trip the second time around, as I’m sure you’ll be entertained to no end with their warm, summery pop sounds of trumpets, violins and acoustic guitars.
But for those who may be a little cash-strapped, the folks at Atlantic Records have been kind of enough to provide a pair of tickets for me to giveaway for the upcoming show. To win these tickets, just email me at theyellowstereo.blog@gmail.com with “I want to see Fanfarlo!” in the subject line with your full name in the body.
I’ll probably run this until the end of next week (no concrete date, but possibly on February 19th at midnight).
It’s been twelve years since the death of Jeff Buckley, who drowned in the Mississippi River on that fateful day of May 29th at the age of 30. We were left with only one completed album to remember him by called Grace. Of course, we have what he was in the process of recording that ended up being Sketches (For My Sweetheart the Drunk), but knowing that it was incomplete and never intended to be listened to — I just can’t bear to hear it a lot of the time. We’re left with that potential though, of what he could have been if his life wasn’t so tragically cut short.
When I first picked up Grace at nearby music store, I remember the words the person working the cash register said to me when he noticed that I was purchasing it. “Every man should own this album,” he said. After listening to the album for myself, there isn’t one person I haven’t said that very exact sentence to when discussing this album. Honestly, what more is there to be said? How else could I describe that listening experience as a way of looking into the man’s soul.
His music lives on, and his influence is seen through many, especially through the many tribute songs, reissues, and new releases that have come down the pipe over the years.
Which leads us to this, in honor of the 15th anniversary of the release of the highly seminal album Grace, a DVD+CD package called Grace Around The World hit the shelves. It contains previously unreleased live performances, along with audio and video footage from television performances filmed during the first world tour in support of Grace from 1994-1996. The deluxe edition also includes the Amazing Grace documentary, available for the first time.
I’m just going to be up front with this and say that this is one of the best contests we’ve ever had the pleasure of running here on the site, and I’m incredibly jealous of who actually wins this. I was actually offered two different prizepacks for this, so we’ll actually have two winners, courtesy of Toolshed, Fun Palace Entertainment, Cornerstone and Jeff Buckley Music. That being said, a few of our lucky readers will be able to win this Grace Around The World prize package that includes the following:
– Jeff Buckley guitar picks/tattoos
– One Grace Around The World poster
– A copy of the Grace Around The World DVD/CD
– Postcards from Grace Around the World
– a Limited Edition Mystery White Boy t-shirt with Merri Cyr’s photo image of Jeff (and band)’
And another which includes:
Deluxe Package of Grace Around the World:
– Grace Around The World DVD
– Grace Around The World CD
– The award-winning documentary Amazing Grace: Jeff Buckley
– “Be the Best” T-shirt
– A Jeff buckley poster
If you would like to win either of these, please leave a comment with anything regarding Jeff Buckley that you would like us to know about. Whether it be his music, his life, etc. — just make it good! Let’s hear your stories of how you discovered his music.
Here are some extra goodies, including a series of podcasts conducted by Rolling Stone, which includes the likes of Moby, Duncan Sheik and Mary Guibert, Jeff Buckley’s mother.
Another contest is in order for you, our lovely readers, as we’ve teamed up once again with the fine folks at Insound.
Starting today and ending next Tuesday (6/9) one of you will be able to win a Gang Gang Dance t-shirt from the Soundscreen Design Summer 2009 Collection, who have curated and manufactured an exclusive line of t-shirts, hoodies and tote bags featuring original designs from 3 studios for 9 prominent indie-rock artists.
* Premium 100% organic cotton (clothing) and bamboo (totes)
* Custom sizing featuring full color eco-friendly printing
* Limited edition seasonal collection
To enter the contest and win one of these limited edition t-shirts, just visit this link and fill out the required fields (name, email, zipcode) and you will be notified via email on next week (6/9) if you happen to win. Good luck to all those participating and thanks to Insound for letting us run this contest.
Update: This contest is now closed. Congratulations to Jess! Thanks to everyone for participating!
The time between seasons of the hit comedy series Flight of the Conchords has seemingly gone by rather quickly as we’re now hot on the heals of the January 18th premiere of Season Two on HBO. I’m actually quite excited for the new season, even though I find myself enjoying the show more in bits and pieces than actually sitting through entire episodes. There are entire segments that are absolutely brilliant — just look some of it up on YouTube for proof — but if there’s an arc or ongoing storyline, than I honestly have no idea what’s going on.
If you happened to completely miss out on Season One, you can have a taste of New Zealand’s finest comedy duo, or “Formerly New Zealand’s fourth most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo,” as the entire premiere episode of Season Two can be streamed right now.
You may have thought I would’ve shared a link to watch all of Season One, but for one lucky reader, he or she will be able to do just that with a prize pack that includes the Season One DVD. Other FoTC goodies include the following:
+ Season 1 of Flight of the Conchords on DVD (already mentioned)
+ an FOTC notebook (to write stuff in, I guess)
+ FOTC guitar picks (to rock out with your imaginary guitar)
+ an FOTC poster and some FOTC postcards (see image above)
As usual, leave a comment (tell me something you absolutely loved about Season One) and an email address to contact you if you happen to win. I’ll pick a winner at random in about a week, which i’ll announce here on this same page. Unfortunately, this contest will only be open to U.S. residents only. Sorry folks, those are the rules. Don’t fret! You’ll still be able to get in on the fun in someway as can head over to FlightLipDub and participate in the Flight of the Conchords lipdub, which involves sending in a video of you lip-synching to a chosen song. You can count me out on that one, as I would just completely embarrass myself.
After the success of their self-released EP Southern Manners, The Watson Twins returned recently with their debut album Fire Songs on Vanguard Records. I was instantly hooked on their take on The Cure’s classic “Just Like Heaven,” and the rest of the album doesn’t disappoint, as the album showcases Chandra and Leigh Watson’s gorgeous vocal harmonies along with their strong take on country and soul.
Once again, we’re fortunate enough to be able to run another contest for a copy of Fire Songs on both vinyl and CD. As always, leave a comment with your email address and i’ll pick two winners (one for each) next week.
Once again, we’re bringing you another nice little contest, this time involving London-trio South. They’ve always been a highly underrated band in my opinion, since their great debut back in 2002 – which effortlessly blended Britpop with electronic ambience. I’ve yet to hear their recently released album, You Are Here, but I assume that it’s pretty solid from the few songs that I have actually heard. Anywho, the prize pack for one lucky winner will include a signed poster + signed copy of the new cd from the band. Just leave a comment if you’re interested, and i’ll pick a winner next week!
Lots of love and praise has been lavished upon both Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, aka The Swell Season, here on the site and pretty much everywhere else for the past year and a half. There isn’t one soul that i’ve met recently that hasn’t heard me go on and on about how amazing Once is, and i’ve mentioned it more than enough here – so we’ll keep that to a minimum.
With their recent Academy Award win for Best Original Song making them an official hot commodity and household names, it would seem only fitting that a live DVD be released for those of us not lucky enough to have caught them on previous tours and/or their current one. At least, that’s how I look at this DVD release, because I will not be able to catch the duo when they travel through Atlanta – which is a long story, so I won’t even bother to mention it here.
The DVD titled The Swell Season: Live from the Artists Den, will be released on April 15th and distributed by RED – An Artist Development Company. It will be the very first concert DVD of The Swell Season released, as it was filmed last year at the Good Shepherd Center Chapel in Seattle – which was built in 1906 – serving as a shelter for orphaned girls. It provided a very intimate environment for two hundred lucky invited guests, as the duo performed their amazing songs while being backed by two of Hansard’s bandmates from The Frames: Colm Mac Con Iomaire on violin and Joe Doyle on bass.
I’ve actually not heard of The Artists Den, as they’ve presented these kinds of intimate performances in unique settings since 2004. Some of the varied venues ranged from the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County to a 100-year-old ship docked in Manhattan’s South Street Seaport. Previous artists featured include the likes of Aimee Mann, Josh Ritter, and Patty Griffin – the latter of whom was the very first concert DVD released from the Artists Den.
I was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy to watch, and I must say that it’s truly amazing. Just watching the two perform together, while Hansard tells his unique stories to the crowd, it almost makes me sick with envy that i’m not actually seeing this in person myself.
Luckily for our readers, a few of you will be able to get a hold of this great DVD for yourselves, as we’re giving away what is hands-down, the best prizepack that we’ve offered here on The Yellow Stereo. For two lucky readers, you will receive the following:
1x The Swell Season: Live from the Artists Den DVD
1x Once CD soundtrack
1x Once vinyl soundtrack
Isn’t that fantastic?! Seriously, i’m extremely jealous of whoever gets these. We’ll run this the usual way, leave a comment with your email address, along with your favorite scene from the film Once. There are no wrong answers here, as there were plenty of memorable scenes throughout that film. I’ll pick two winners next Monday, so good luck!
Not too long ago I sang the praises of Canadian singer-songwriter Basia Bulat and her magnificent debut album, Oh, My Darling. The disc came out just yesterday, and Beggars Group USA has decided to give away a copy of the disc to one lucky Yellow Stereo reader… so the big question is, who will it be? So, from now until next Wednesday night just add a comment to this post with your email address and you’ll be entered to win a copy of this charming album! Remember, you HAVE to put your email in the post because that’s how I’ll let you know you won… So, start commenting away!
Also, to any of you lucky enough to live near one of these cities, go see her live. I hear she’s amazing, and if only I lived near one of these places, I’d be there too. Dates:
07 February 2008 Schubas, Chicago Illinois
08 February 2008 High Noon Saloon, Madison Wisconsin
09 February 2008 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis Minnesota
13 February 2008 Triple Door, Seattle Washington
14 February 2008 Doug Fir, Portland Oregon
15 February 2008 Sam Bond’s Garage, Eugene Oregon
16 February 2008 Bottom of the Hill, San Francisco California
17 February 2008 (((folkYEAH!))) presents @ The Historic Brookdale Lodge
19 February 2008 Hotel Cafe, Los Angeles California
22 February 2008 Walnut Room, Denver Colorado
23 February 2008 The Waiting Room, Omaha Nebraska
27 February 2008 Jammin Java, Vienna Virginia
28 February 2008 Tin Angel, Philadelphia Pennsylvania
29 February 2008 Bowery Ballroom, New York New York
01 March 2008 Middle East Underground, Boston Massachusetts
And, if you haven’t heard her yet, here’s an MP3 I posted earlier:
Ack! I completely forgot that I had the opportunity to give away a free copy of MGMT’sOracular Spectacular. The album, which has been available on iTunes, doesn’t see an official CD release until later this month on the 22nd. I haven’t heard the entire album myself, but the few songs i’ve sampled have given off a fun synthpop-ish dance sound.
For those around the Atlanta area, the band will be appearing at The Earl on Friday night with fellow Brooklyn band Yeasayer. I’m pretty sure the show is sold-out, but maybe you can use Val’s tips to get yourself in! The band also recently appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman, which you can watch below.
We’ll run this giveaway till sometime next week, so for those interested, just leave a comment with your e-mail address (i can’t specify this enough). Special thanks to our friends at Filter for giving us a chance to do this.
With Todd Haynes’ Dylan biopic I’m Not There finally finding it’s way to limited US release on November 21, i’m sure you’ll be seeing promotion for this everywhere soon enough. The film will detail different periods of his life, with each being portrayed by different actors that include Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale, Heath Ledger and Richard Gere.
That being said, i’ve been allover this film since the beginning of the summer, including the upcoming release of the soundtrack – which we caught a glimpse of with the tracklisting back in August. It’s an all-star listing of talented musicians which include the likes of Jeff Tweedy, Sufjan Stevens, Yo La Tengo and Cat Power that spans two discs and 34 tracks total.
I’m sure most of you want this soundtrack, right? Well, courtesy of the fine folks from Filter, i’m able to bring you one copy (yes – only one) to give away. If you’d like to have a chance at this, i would like for everyone to leave a comment describing what you’re favorite Bob Dylan cover is and why. That’s not too much to ask I hope. The winner will be announced next week on October 29. Also, please leave some way for me to be able to get in contact with you. If you want to increase your chances at this, Chromewaves and I Am Fuel, You Are Friends are running contests for this as well. Best of luck to you all!
It’s been twelve years since the death of 
Another contest is in order for you, our lovely readers, as we’ve teamed up once again with the fine folks at 
Update: This contest is now closed. Congratulations to Jess! Thanks to everyone for participating!
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