Music of Ireland traces the origins of Irish music, and features exclusive interviews with U2’s Bono and Adam Clayton, Michael Flatley and Bill Whelan of Riverdance, Live Aid and Band Aid founder Bob Geldof of The Boomtown Rats, Sinéad O’Connor, Pete Seeger, The Chieftains’ Paddy Moloney, former Celtic Woman Órla Fallon, Black 47’s Larry Kirwan, six-time Academy Award-nominated director Jim Sheridan, the late Liam Clancy in his final U.S.

You might say that AM is an artist who brings together the best of all possible musical worlds, rippling through classic roots sounds — AM pop and rock, obviously, and English Invasion stuff, or steamy soul/R&B persuasives and more and more of late the aerified melodic athletics of Brazil’s post- bossa nova tropicalistas. Yes, you might say that, but putting it that way, one risks sounding kinda corny.

Becca is the newest American Import to conquer Japan’s eclectic music scene. Just days before the biggest gig of her life, a festival in Japan where she performed before 20,000 fans, UnRated NYC caught up with this shining bright new star to chat about how she got into the business, school life on the road, making friends, and of course, her love of Japan. She has been in the game for most of her life, and now Becca is living her dream. Find out how she did it…

Taken from a storming 2 hour set at [Burning Man's] Opulent Temple in the Black Rock Desert this past summer, Carl Cox released his debut Global Underground mix album, ‘Black Rock Desert,’ on January 25th, 2010.

There was a new sense of vigor and excitement. We’d never felt more excited to be making music. I wrote songs frantically, all the time. I would go out and come home in the morning with my pockets full of napkins that I’d written lyrics on. The songs were darker, stranger.

Maura Kennedy, one-half of the folk-pop mavens, The Kennedys, released her first solo album on Planned Effervescence Recordings on January 19, 2010. Parade of Echoes is a thirteen-song soliloquy to the light and dark sides of pop, cast in the brilliant sheen of her carillon harmonies and bell-like lead vocals.

AT SEA’s captivating audio presence can be likened to a conglomeration of Jeff Buckley meets Muse meets Pink Floyd. In the spirit of fun — the band is unafraid to explore new territory in all directions, creating both walls of sound and quiet ballads, and performing in various configurations, stemming from an intimate one-man unplugged gig to shows housing a full–band-with- occasional special-guests appearances. “In the end, it’s about taking the listener on a ride,” says Jason, lead vocalist and founding member.

It was the Adelita Bar. “There were a bunch of young, really pretty girls and I realized it was basically a brothel,” explains Rick. “I chatted with one girl, questioning why she was living this life? And I wrote a song about it. The band name emerged from the sad stories behind the ‘Way’ they lived at the Adelita—Adelitas Way.

A 15-strong-track album of flammable-fresh at-home and in-club orientated music, it will again bring F&P’s name to the very epicentre of the dance scene. Filo & Peri have brought some of the world’s finest (and previously undiscovered) singers and songwriters into the spotlight.

“Sparkle Lane is a street in England where my grandmother lived,” Rogers explains. “The concrete was mixed with pieces of broken glass, so when I was a kid and I’d go to my grandmother’s house in the evening, the street would always look like it was sparkling. That’s how life felt to me as a kid.”

“I’m really confident with what we’ve put together with II,” Raekwon states. “It’s another classic. I challenged myself and I didn’t try to repeat myself or topics. I just had to make sure I captured the feeling that the first one had and gave to the listener.”

McCready said, “I’d sum it up as kind of a tight, concise, rock ‘n’ roll record with kind of pop or maybe new wave elements to it… It’s a really quick record, but I like that element to it. I like the sparseness of the songs and the way that Brendan pulled us together and made us play as good as we could.”

After months, if not years of Internet speculation and rumor, the man many call The God MC, Rakim Allah released his long awaited new album The Seventh Seal on November 17, 2009. Guest artists include Busta Rhymes, Jadakiss, Maino, Tracey Horton, IQ, Styles P, and others, including Destiny Griffin, Rakim’s own daughter.

On September 15, British progressive rock band Muse is getting released their 5th studio album entitled The Resistance. In an effort to bolster opening day sales the band opened up for U2 on the east coast leg of their 360 degrees tour. You can also her the album’s first single, “Uprising” during certain highlights on ESPN’s Sportscenter.

Jamie T does things his own way. Take his novel approach to getting around the sophomore slump. How did the 23-year-old outfox any demons that might’ve dogged him while crafting Kings & Queens, the follow-up to his 2007 debut Panic Prevention? “I didn’t do my second album,” he says. “I did my third one instead.”

Multi-platinum hip hop icon Snoop Dogg just released his tenth studio album, “Malice N Wonderland,” on December 8th, courtesy of EMI’s newly re-launched Priority Records, where he also serves as Creative Chairma

UnRated NYC caught bassist Geoff Council, drummer Jeff Olson, guitarist Andrew Burns, and lead vocalist/guitarist Jason Brody on stage at The Suffolk in late October performing tracks off their self-titled EP to a group of enthusiastic concert goers.

Director Ridley Scott is the visionary genius behind such classics as ‘Thelma and Louise”, “Gladiator”, “Alien” and “Blade Runner”. If you haven’t already heard, he is now in the midst of re-making the classic Robin Hood story, which stars Russell Crowe as Robin Hood and Cate Blanchett as Lady Marion.

The band’s sunny disposition stems from their bouncing, funky beats, soothing rhythms and mosh-pit style shout-it-out choruses. That’s the stuff that a band with great promise is made of. If you like Sublime, then forget about Badfish and look to these guys for your fix of funky stoner tunes.

This psychedelic rock vibe is alluring and different from the everyday norm in psych rock. Blake plays his guitar wildly and purposefully in his solos, Paz is just a whirlwind powerhouse on her guitar, and Derek is wildly pounding, master of the drum set.