Hooray for Earth, a band we’ve been working with for a few weeks now, was recently chosen for eMusic Selects, a monthly program featuring exclusive music from handpicked, unsigned new artists.  They’ll be featured for the months of December and January, along with the band Best Coast.

This week, eMusic teamed up with our friends over at ABC News to feature Hooray for Earth on Amplified.  Check it all out here, where the band talks about high school, braces and frontman Noel Heroux’s benevolent dictatorship.  Also, stick around for ABC News anchorman Dan Harris accompanying the band on a mean tambourine.

Here’s the first single “Surrounded by Your Friends” off the EP Momo, which you can download at eMusic here.  Also, check out the video for the song here.

Hooray for Earth – Surrounded by Your Friends

Our friends over at ABC News Amplified are featuring the second of five bands that played our CMJ showcase back in October.  Sleigh Bells is the kick ass Brooklyn-based duo Derek Miller and Alexis Krauss, who met when Miller was waiting tables.  The two struck up a convo while Krauss was dining with her mom, mom nominated daughter to join Miller’s next music venture, and the rest is history.

You’ll want to watch here because Sleigh Bells are so, so good.  But you’ll also want to watch for the amazing juxtaposition of Derek Miller’s former “hardcore band” Poison the Well and Alexis Krauss’ former “girl band” Ruby Blue.  Also, general video fun with our favorite TV anchor Dan Harris and Krauss’ signature pink spandex.  (I’ve always had a soft spot for pink spandex.)

Sleigh Bells – Ring Ring

Sleigh Bells – Infinity Guitars

Sleigh Bells – Crown on the Ground

If you wanna dance, now’s the time…

The first video featuring one of the bands that played our CMJ showcase is up on ABC News Amplified here.  We Have Band, the UK-based threesome (threesome?), talk about meeting at a record label, starting a sexy band, turkey basting, and their amazing video for “You Came Out,” which you can watch here.  The video was comprised of 4,886 photos of Darren Bancroft, Dede WP and Tom WP, each a unique face paint recreation.

Here’s some disco rock for you:

We Have Band - Hear It In the Cans

It’s been a week since our showcase, and we’ve finally recovered from CMJ!  The show was amazing.  I spent the day filming with ABC News Amplified, interviewing X-Wife, Phantogram and We Have Band.  Everyone was so amazing and gracious, especially considering they’ve been traveling all around the country and the world, making their way to CMJ, and then continuing on the road.

After the shoots, we headed over to Public Assembly, where our showcase got underway with the aforementioned bands, as well as Sleigh Bells (a huge CMJ breakout), our favorite foursome Electric Tickle Machine, and our resident DJ Heats.  The night rocked thanks to an amazing flow of people and our awesome sponsors, including Tainted Blue Recording Studio, Swagger New York and Et Musique Pour Tous.

So thanks for the support and an extra special thanks to Dan Harris, David Wharton, Jillian Kelleher, Sian-Pierre Regis, Hector Mendoza, Mark Heaton, Rob Loud, Hilary Bonaccorsi, Ian Vens, Shiva Krishna, and to all of our BANDS!

If you had as much fun as we did, and you miss all the bands as much as we do, you might want to download our party playlist here (for the memories).  Also, check out Rob Loud’s pics from the event here.

In addition to the video above, ABC News Amplified filmed the whole night, and will be featuring full-blown video interviews with each band, including snippets from our show, over the coming weeks.  We’ll be sure to keep you posted…

xx K+S

forthebeat Presents
CMJ Party for ABC News Amplified
Sponsored by:
Tainted Blue Recording Studio // Swagger New York // Et Musique Pour Tous

9 pm SLEIGH BELLS
10 pm PHANTOGRAM
11 pm X-WIFE
12 am WE HAVE BAND
1 am ELECTRIC TICKLE MACHINE

Wednesday, October 21st @ 8 PM

Public Assembly 70 N 6th St (between Wythe + Kent), Williamsburg

FREE SHOW – RSVP to forthebeat@gmail.com

Party playlist here.

Today is the day for Cincinnati-based, indie pop duo Bad Veins, comprised of Benjamin Davis (vocals, guitar, keys), Sebastian Schulz (drums) and a 1973 reel-to-reel named Irene. Dangerbird Records is debuting the band’s first full-length (and self-titled) album, now in stores and on iTunes – and we couldn’t be more excited.

We can finally retire the EP we’ve been listening to ever since Bad Veins rocked the first forthebeat showcase in April, playing with Paul and the Patients and Nite Club. BV kicked off their set with the song “Found,” my favorite on the album, and captivated our audience, utilizing a backwards-wired telephone and a megaphone to create a sound much larger than what we expected from the two-piece act.

Dubbed CMJ’s “breakout act” last year and having already toured with another forthebeat favorite Snowden, Bad Veins is excited to continue playing live, embarking on a North American summer tour and stopping at The Mercury Lounge here in NYC on August 6th (with Now, Now Every Children).

In a recent interview, Bad Veins explained that they’ve already accomplished more than they ever imagined. “If we can spend this next year on the road and see the world by playing the music we want to play,” said Davis, “then we’ve already succeeded.”

Our friends over at Amplified had the exclusive on the album a week before it went into release.  Listen here (through imeem).

xx kc