http://unratednyc.com Your Inside Connection To What's Hot Tue, 09 Mar 2010 04:50:50 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en 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.]]> http://unratednyc.com/2010/03/a-toast-to-the-irish-welcome-homemusic-of-ireland/ I couldn't believe there was such a thing as Disney Jail until March 7th, when Disney, the parent company for ABC, stripped the Academy Awards signal from 3.1 million New Yorkers because of cash dispute. Thirteen minutes into programming ABC appeared to relent by restoring the signal to New Yorkers, but has the damage already been done?]]> http://unratednyc.com/2010/03/they-rally-round-your-tv-with-a-pocket-full-of-shells/ If you're a music lover who has tried buying concert tickets from Ticketmaster and Live Nation, you've probably noticed how ridiculously difficult it is to find good seats. Blame hackers like the "Wise Guys", who were charged today with fraud, among other things. These hackers are behind the elaborate scheme to buy out the best seats and resell the tickets for more than face value. Today, three of the four self-titled “wise guys” appeared in Newark, New Jersey's federal court. The hackers are responsible for breaking into the computer ticketing systems to buy millions of the best tickets for numerous artists like Bruce Springsteen, Miley Cyrus, and Billy Joel, among others.]]> http://unratednyc.com/2010/03/hackers-charged-in-ticketmaster-fraud/ 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.]]> http://unratednyc.com/2010/03/the-musical-amalgamation-that-is-am/ 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...]]> http://unratednyc.com/2010/03/becca-empowering-rock-chicks-around-the-world/ 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. ]]> http://unratednyc.com/2010/02/carl-coxs-burning-man-inspired-audio-journey/ he general belief is that we in the Western World live in a civilized society. To keep it civilized we have all sorts of rules; some are legal and others are just forms of behavior we call common courtesy. This brings me to a pet peeve I have developed over the past few years. I believe that young children do not belong in upscale restaurants where patrons pay large sums to enjoy fine dining.]]> http://unratednyc.com/2010/02/fine-dining-with-children/ 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.]]> http://unratednyc.com/2010/02/the-bravery-come-for-blood-in-201/ The Cold War Kids' boss Nathan Willett had more than enough of his own toxic-guitar to go around on the band's latest EP, Behave Yourself, a slight dip in consistency from 2006's Robbers & Cowards and 2008's Loyalty to Loyalty. ]]> http://unratednyc.com/2010/02/behave-yourself-with-the-cold-war-kids/ 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.]]> http://unratednyc.com/2010/02/stellar-debut-album-off-maura-kennedys-to-do-list/ Vampire Weekend is back with their sophomore album, Contra. The four-piece indie rock band met at Columbia University before producing their debut album in 2008. The band has said that their influences are drawn from popular African music and western classical music. Give one of their songs a listen and you'll quickly realize how true this is – and indeed, how great it sounds. ]]> http://unratednyc.com/2010/02/vampire-weekends-contra/ Today, the charity song “We Are the World” originally written by Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson is being remade to benefit the Haiti relief efforts. Just as the original song included the biggest super stars of the time in 1985, the 2010 edition will include the biggest stars of this generation. ]]> http://unratednyc.com/2010/02/epic-all-star-remake-of-we-are-the-world/ 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.]]> http://unratednyc.com/2010/01/at-sea-low-light-video-shoot-on-location-in-brooklyn-ny/ Edward Rogers is a singer-songwriter, the East Village's man about town and has a weekly radio show, Atlantic Tunnel, on East Village Radio. He has released two solo albums, working with George Usher; his new CD, "Sparkle Lane," comes out on February 2, 2010. In fact, Pete, Don and Joe, the other comrades on this gig, all appear on "Sparkle Lane." ]]> http://unratednyc.com/2010/01/songwriters-workshop-in-manhattans-east-village/ How one welcomes the New Year varies in significance depending on who you ask. For some people it's just another day on the calendar; whereas, others may view it as a precursor to how one plans on spending the rest of the year. Everyone at Roseland Ballroom on New Years Eve brought in 2010 with a monstrous countdown followed by a heart-pounding set by none other than New York favorite, Paul Van Dyk. ]]> http://unratednyc.com/2010/01/welcoming-2010-with-pvd-and-a-new-york-state-of-mind/ 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.]]> http://unratednyc.com/2009/12/headbang-your-pain-away-with-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. ]]> http://unratednyc.com/2009/12/filo-peri-re-invent-trance-music-on-nightplay/ Now that MP3s are standardized the CD, like vinyl, 8-track, and cassette before it, is slowly being phased out, but is losing this medium really worth it for music fans?]]> http://unratednyc.com/2009/12/audio-sheep/ "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."]]> http://unratednyc.com/2009/12/echoes-from-the-broken-glass-on-sparkle-lane/ "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."]]> http://unratednyc.com/2009/12/raekwon-keeps-the-wu-legacy-alive-with-only-built-for-a-cuban-linx-2/