CK's music... iTunes and Beyond!
I have been exposed to all sorts of music my whole life. My dad has been a professional jazz drummer in Boston since he was 18 and we grew up with a house full of instruments. We had a piano, a metallophone, a xylophone, drum sets, guitars, a trumpet, a clarinet, you name it. With all the music in my house, it only makes sense that my musical taste is a bit all over the place. I download new (and old) stuff all the time. Since we do quite a bit of work with Atlantic Records and iTunes, I constantly find myself getting lost in iTunes browsing for something that makes the time go by.
Most recent purchases
iTunes Original - Barenaked LadiesNizlopi - Half These Songs Are About You
Oscar Peterson - A Jazz Odyssey
The Strokes - First Impressions of Earth
Albums and bands I really dig
Spiraling - TransmitterI had never heard of these guys before and out of the blue, they signed up to be The Kane Brothers' friend on MYSPACE. I was curious, so I checked out their profile, downloaded their album on iTunes, and now I'm hooked! This album is great for anyone is a fan of Rush. They have a tune called "Living Proof" that could be one of my "alone on a desert island with 10 songs to listen to for the rest of your life" songs. It's that good. Great harmonies, amazing bass, just a really dang great tune!
http://www.spiraling.net
Spiraling on iTunes
Elvis Costello with Burt Bacharach - Painted from Memory
I used to listen to the song "Every Day I Write The Book" in high school when I did my homework on the bar in the basement of my parents house. So, when I found out he was teaming up with Burt Bacharach, I was curious because the collaboration of such diverse artists could have gone either way. This album is an interesting contrast of Burt Bacharach's truly melodic music and Elvis Costello's gruff and nasaly voice. Somehow, they pulled it off.
http://www.elviscostello.com
http://www.bacharachonline.com
"Painted from Memory" on iTunes
The Divine Comedy
When I was living in Ireland, I saw these guys on the "TFI FRIDAY" show with Chris Evans. They played their hit at the time, which was called "Everybody Knows That I Love You (Except You)". I immediately fell in love with them. I went to the music store the very next day and bought 3 of their albums. The band is basically made up of one guy, Neil Hannon. He writes all the music, including all the scores for the orchestra that supports him. Unfortunately, they only have one album available on iTunes. If you happen to be in a music store, pick up their other albums. They're amazing.
http://www.thedivinecomedy.com
The Divine Comedy on iTunes
Chris Trapper and The Push Stars
"The Push Stars" are probably my favorite band of all time. No matter how many times I listen to them, I just never get sick of them. Chris Trapper is the singer/songwriter for them, but also has a few solo albums. My band, The Kane Brothers, had the privilege of opening up for these guys a few years back. On Chris Trapper's latest solo album entitled "Gone Again", he is accompanied by an 8-piece dixieland jazz band. It's a really interesting project. Check out Chris' notes on how the whole thing came to be
http://www.thepushstars.com
http://www.christrapper.com
The Push Stars on iTunes
Chris Trapper on iTunes
Fountains of Wayne
I love bands that can crank out tight catchy tunes...all in 3 minutes. Bands that make their trademark on long drawn out guitar jams (sorry Freebird) or tunes that seem to just go on endlessly with no clear structure bore me for some reason (sorry Phish and Grateful Dead). These guys have a great beatles-esque art of making really clean consise tunes that have melodic verses, catchy choruses, and chord changes that are unusual or unexpected. Yes, they are the guys who wrote "Stacy's Mom", but please listen to their other stuff and not just the hit single.
http://www.fountainsofwayne.com
Fountains of Wayne on iTunes
Barenaked Ladies
A college buddy of mine was playing "Gordon" in his car one time and I remember being blown away immediately. From that day on, I became a fan of their music, but knew absolutely nothing about the band. A few weeks later I was flipping through the Boston Globe and I just happened to see an ad saying they were playing at the Somerville Theatre in Davis Square. So, my brothers and I got tickets and checked out the show. There were probably about 150 people there max. During the show, we were thinking we could definitely hang out with these guys. Their show was so loose and fun and different. So, after the show, we headed to the loading area to tell the guys that we dug their music and the show. Ed Robertson talked to us for a while and was about to take a cab back to his hotel room rather than waiting for the bus to be loaded up. I believe it was my brother Mike who said "You're not taking a friggin' cab - You're coming with us!" Oh those trusting Canadians! He hopped in our car and we drove him back to his hotel, talking about the game "Myst" the whole time. When we dropped him off, we exchanged e-mail addresses and he said he would give us a buzz next time they were in Boston. Months passed, and sure enough, when they were in town we got together for dinner. 10 years (and tons of shows later), we're all really great friends (and they're one of our favorite clients)
Barenaked Ladies on iTunes
Journey
No explanation needed. "Open Arms" is and will always be the best love song in history. "The Lady in Red" is close second, but only because of the "I love you" whisper at the end.
http://www.journeymusic.com
Journey on iTunes
Rooney
I saw these guys on "The Today Show" a few years ago while I was eating breakfast. They have such a great sound. If The Beach Boys and Weezer ever made a baby, they could name it "Rooney".
http://www.rooney-band.com
Rooney on iTunes
Sarah Vaughan
I'm a HUGE fan of classic music. If there is one time in history that I wish I could transport myself to, it would be the 50's. Things just seemed so simple and the music was so uplifting. Sarah Vaughan's voice kills me, as does Ella Fitzgerald. These gals are so classy.
Sarah Vaughan on PBS
Sarah Vaughan on iTunes
Sloan
We have buddies from Canada who got us into this band. Just a no-frills rockin' band with a punk/early Rolling Stones-ish flair. If you shut your eyes, you actually wouldn't know if these guys were a current band or a band from the late 60's. Actually, you can keep your eyes open. You'll most likely be listening to Sloan with your ears.
http://www.sloanmusic.com
Sloan on iTunes
Augustana - All the Stars and Boulevards
Al let me borrow this CD and it's great. Maybe it's the music, maybe it's the fact they have a song called "Boston".
http://www.augustanamusic.com
Augustana on iTunes
Albums that I'd be absolutely bumming without
The Push Stars - Meet Me at the FairRyan Adams - Love Is Hell
Keane - Hopes and Fears
Duncan Sheik - Duncan Sheik - (there is a snare hit at the end of the tune "Out of Order" at approximately 3:47 into the tune. I can't figure out how the heck the drummer did it. It sounds like a one-handed roll, but it lasts an entire beat. This album - and most of Duncan Sheik's albums - are loaded with subtleties like that)
I am ALWAYS looking for new stuff to listen to. If you have a band or album that you think absolutely has to be heard, please .