Gorbel

Former frontman of The Honorary Title, Jarrod Gorbel, is playing in Allston, MA at the Great Scott this Sunday night, 9/12/10 at 8 pm.

Gorbel, who is known for his THT hits, “Stay Away,” “Everything I Once Had,” and “Bridge and Tunnel,” released his first solo album, Devil’s Made a New Friend, on August 31st, and has already made a name for himself.

If you live in the Boston area, come down to the Great Scott Sunday night for a good hang with me and to catch Gorbel perform his latest hits,  including his newest song, “I’ll Do Better.”

For tickets, click here.

Right now, I’m totally digging All I Want is You, by Miguel. Based on a relationship that Miguel wants back, the song is relatable to almost anyone. The beat is easy but good, with the words sung softly to signify Miguel’s regret and sadness.

Catch the video below. It might seem  as if it takes place several years  in the future, but it’s creative and the song is a hit.

The CD is pretty good, although not much different from Train’s music. Today’s song of the day, Always Midnight, is also my favorite song off the album.

Always Midnight is a song that focuses on a relationship that is being torn apart by the girl’s obsession with drugs and alcohol. Monahan sings that he is tired of his girlfriend showing up after midnight and only wanting to be with him when it’s on her terms.

You’re right I must be crazy /You’re out getting high / I’m here pretending I’m in love / The sound of your heart, my head on your chest / Dropped your hands to your sides and gave up.

Monahan hits the chorus hard and powerful. It’s soft and slow, but painfully perfect when he sings,  “Are you blind? / Can’t you see me standing here waiting in line for you / Are you mine? / Not just when you want to be, all of the time, are you? / Are you blind?

Watch the video below to see Monahan perform Always Midnight.

I wish I could claim sole responsibility for finding The Gaslight Anthem, May’s last band featured on Sunday Spotlight, but unfortunately, the guys found me.

The Gaslight Anthem, a punk-rock band from New Jersey, have a similar sound to The Killers, which is best heard in my favorite song, Old White Lincoln.

The Gaslight Anthem’s latest CD, “The ’59 Sound” runs 12 songs deep, and is one of their best albums to date. The band is currently one of the most underrated punk acts, yet has had the opportunities to play shows with Against Me, The Bouncing Souls, and The Loved Ones.

The Gaslight Anthem had a rare effect on me when it comes to listening to new bands. I couldn’t turn off their album. With words that cut straight to the heart, it was an instant hook.

What’s even better is that The Gaslight Anthem, made up of Brian Fallon, Alex Levine, Ben Horowitz, and Alex Rosamilia, start their summer tour on June 6 in Mountain View, CA at the Shoreline Amphitheater, and head all the way over to Boston, MA. That’s perfect for me.

For the full schedule and a handful of their songs, head over to TGA’s MySpace. These guys will be big named stars in no time.

I cannot get Andrew Belle’s In My Veins out of my head. The song, which was played during the death of a doctor, not only solidified the moment on-screen, but it also increased Belle’s fan base, as many Grey’s fans are fast becoming Belle fans. Case in point, me.

Belle, who steals attention with his soft but emotionally hard-hitting words, But you catch a glimpse of sunlight, shining, shining down on your face, your face, on your face / Oh, you’re in my veins, and I cannot get you out / Oh, you’re all I taste, at night inside of my mouth, is worthy enough of being the song of the day, maybe even song of the week.

Watch the video below, and make sure you visit Belle’s MySpace to listen to his other hits, including, The Ladder, Add It Up, and Make It Without You.

With the summer fast approaching, multiple artists, including Mat Kearney, have begun announcing their plans for the summer. According to Kearney’s website, he is “going back to his roots and doing a road trip style tour with just a guitar, some friends, and his trusty van.” Sounds like the perfect summer to me. Nothing like a man with his acoustic guitar.

Kearney, who recently wrapped up a spring tour with Ingrid Michaelson, starts his summer on June 26th in Snoqualmie, WA,  plays shows throughout MA, NH, NY, VT, PA, GA, TN, TX, CA, and various other states before he heads back to Washington on August 28th to end his summer tour in Seattle at Triple Door.

While tickets aren’t officially on sale yet, head over to the tour section of his website so you can check out Kearney’s shows and mark your calendars accordingly.

I don’t care how cocky these guys are. They have genius songs and are way too easy on the eyes. I’ll be at the Boston show, rocking out and drooling. Want to join me?

Click here to see the shows that have been announced. You can purchase regular tickets, or if you’re a big fan with big money, you can choose between a meet and great package or a premium ticket package.

Dierks Bentley just released his new music video for his first single off his latest album, “Up On The Ridge.”

Bentley went bluegrass on us for his latest album, but judging on his first single, the CD will do just as well, if not better, than his previous CDs.

The video is fun, so is the song. You can watch the video below of Up On The Ridge. Be prepared to hit replay several times.

http://www.theboot.com/2010/05/10/dierks-bentley-up-on-the-ridge-video/

Jellyfish, a former power-pop group from San Francisco, released only 2 albums, “BellyButton” and “Spilt Milk,” before their 1994 break up due to creative differences.

My favorite song, and the band’s biggest hit, Baby’s Coming Back, is the song of the day. Baby’s Coming Back is a fun song about frontman Andy Sturmer having to give up partying after meeting a girl who sets him straight and forces him to clean up. After his girl leaves town, Andy relapses, and when he finds out that his “baby’s coming back,” he is forced to get clean to keep her.

The song is catchy and fun, but the video is even more fun. To boost your Monday spirit, watch the video below.

Gibbs’ EP is 5 songs strong and bares an uncanny resemblance to Howie Day.

For a little teaser of Gibb’s EP, here are my favorite lines from each song:

• Cut Me Off: Tell me you’ll break me off, tell me you’ll cut me off, tell me you’ll try to quit, tell me you’ll never wanna hear my voice again, because it might change your mind, could I bring you back to me?
• February: Look at my face, look at my eyes, look at my teeth and watch me walk away, do you think youll ever see me again?
• Complete: I can’t stand to be without you, now that you’ve figured out just who I am and I can’t stand to look into your eyes now that I’ve realized that you make me weak, you make me love, you make me want to scream your name at the top of my lungs
• All By Yourself: I broke my arms for something, everything about this place just keeps reminding me of you, and when you say I drink too much, it makes me think, “I don’t think enough”
• The Actress: I was the producer when I gave you the part, and I was the director when I gave you my heart, and you were like the actress when you ruined everything

Does he catch you? See for yourself what you’ve been missing out on by going to Austin’s MySpace.