Music is Life… – Page 3

Archive by category "Music is Life…" (Page 3)

Stormageddon Recommends… Week #16

Today’s recommendation is the latest release from Weezer, which is their cover of the 1982 classic “Africa” by Toto. Covers are super important to me. They show many things about the artist doing said cover. It displays influences, likes, dislike, and more. I’m always intrigued by the earliest decision a band makes when covering, should it be an homage or make it more original to ones own style. I personally like both kinds of covers but many music listeners prefer one over the other which is OK too. For me this cover specifically important because I love Weezer a lot and “Africa” is one of my got to jams from the 80’s. It’s a fusion of two things I love very much.

Stormageddon Recommends… Week #15

This week I’m recommending one of my all time favorite songs by Peter Gabriel which is of course “Sledgehammer.” There are so many reasons to love this song, the vocals, the lyrics, the instrumentation and so on. For me thou it’s the incredible music video. Between the stop motion, claymation and incredible costumes it is a delight to watch from start to finish. Considering this came out in the mid 80’s the effects are just stunning and I don’t think to this day I’ve ever seen anything quite like it. This song is from his highly acclaimed 1986 release, “So”,…

Ep. #95 – Kayla Smith

Today, Matt welcomes Kayla Smith, vocalist for the band The Scars Heal in Time, a band consisting of Kayla, her sister Tayler Smith on drums, and Tyler Niccum on guitar. The band’s latest EP Unidentified is recently released, featuring the singles “Grip”, “In Your Flame” and “I’m About to Break.” With Matt, Kayla chats about how long she’s been playing and writing music with her sister and about the band’s origins. They dip into tour life, their influences, and the idea behind making a live performance video for the single “Grip”. And so, from some notes on the album’s cover art to more facts about Kayla and the band, here’s presenting Matt Storm and Kayla Smith.

Stormageddon Recommends… Week #14

For this week’s recommendation, In honor of the Bohemian Rhapsody, I’m recommending my favorite band of all time and one of my biggest influences and idols. I’m of course talking about Queen and Freddie Mercury. What is there to say about this band that hasn’t been said. Freddie Mercury is one of the greatest showmen and singers to ever live. Queen as a band defied genres and expectations. They were more than just their music. They were a theatrical experience. Picking one song of theirs for the playlist was tough. In the end I went with “Another One Bites The Dust” from their 1980 release “The Game.” This was one of the first songs I remember from my childhood and the first song I ever heard by them.

Stormageddon Recommends… Week #13

For this week’s recommendation I’m excited to talk about one my favorite vocalists, Florence Welch from Florence + The Machine. The band has a brand new single out called “Hunger.” It has an uplifting instrumentation and Florence’s heavenly vocals. The song has a climbing energy and strength that is not new for this band. If you’re looking for a song with a sense of self and power I highly recommend this one.

Ep. #94 – Feat. Kara Eliza

Today, Matt welcomes Kara Eliza, a singer/songwriter hailing from New York, NY. Known for making a splash on YouTube with her cover videos of “Empire State of Mind” by Alicia Keys and “Mirrors” by Justin Timberlake, Kara chats with Matt about her upcoming 2018 release and the process of writing for it. She talks about her early days singing and playing instruments, which artists have had the biggest effect on her style and songwriting, and why she chose to do covers for YouTube. And so, from the process of shooting her cover videos to some details on her live album at The Bitter End in NYC, here’s presenting Matt Storm and Kara Eliza.

Stormageddon Recommends… Week #12

This week’s recommendation is the first single off Jack White’s new album “Boarding House Reach” and that song is Connected By Love. I’ve always been a huge fan of Jack’s work whether it was in the White Stripes, The Raconteurs (one of his many many other bands) or just solo. His last solo record “Lazaretto” was my favorite album that year in 2014. His mix of classic rock, synth, blues, and gospel has always resonated with me. I’m always interested in where he takes his work and how it continues to evolve.

Ep. #93 – The Nerdlesque Festival Special Feat. Lefty Lucy, Anja Keister, and Heart Crimson

Today, Matt welcomes Heart Crimson, Anja Keister, and Lefty Lucy for a special episode that focuses on the much anticipated Nerdlesque Festival — the original festival dedicated to nerd and pop culture-related burlesque. Created in 2014, this festival showcases the best in nerdlesque from across the globe, all brought together for one jam-packed weekend in New York City full of shows, classes, parties, panels, and more! Meeting our panel, Lefty Lucy is a burlesque producer/performer based out of New Orleans and is the executive producer of The Nerdlesque Festival; Heart Crimson is a NY-based burlesque performer/producer, alternative model, stage manager, and Associate Producer for The Nerdlesque Festival; and Anja Keister a burlesque producer/performer based out of NY, is also the Sponsorship Manager & Chief Graphic Designer for the Nerdlesque Festival. Your host for this episode, Matt, a.k.a. Stormageddon, is the Official Festival DJ. The event will take place April 27th through 29th at Coney Island USA in Brooklyn. Tickets on sale now!

In this event spotlight, Matt is joined by Anja and Heart Crimson in the studio, with Lefty Lucy Skyping from New Orleans. Together, they chat about the origins of the festival, how each of them (and Matt) got involved, and they discuss the review process for selecting the hosts, featured performers, and headliners. They also chat about Lefty’s practice of offering feedback sessions for those who don’t make it into the festival. And so, from the importance of building supportive communities, to some verbal highlights, here’s presenting Matt Storm and the curators of The Nerdlesque Festival: Heart Crimson, Anja Keister, and Lefty Lucy.

Stormageddon Recommends… Week #11

For this week’s recommendation I’ve picked something that broke through the noise last week. That song is the brand new single “Crossing A Line” by Mike Shinoda from is forthcoming solo record. The song is a stripped down and heart felt tune about moving on and moving forward. I love Mike as a rapper but I’ve also always loved his singing and this song is all singing. I love the brief drum beat bridge towards the end as well. If you grew up loving Linkin Park like I did you should definitely check this out. If you didn’t it’s also worth checking out because I believe there is enough differences that you’d dig it too.

Stormageddon Recommends… Week #10

This week we’re traveling back to 2012 for my album recommendation. It’s for one of my favorite pop albums and my favorite album by MARINA AND THE DIAMONDS. That album is “Electra Heart.” If you like synth and sting filled pop/dance music then this is the album for you. Marina has such a stunning voice and there is this chip on her shoulder this whole record which gives each song so much power and impact. It is a frequent go to for me. The song Homewrecker is definitely one of my favorites, and the one I’ll be putting on my playlist, thou on this record I can listen straight through. Every track is great on this one.

Music is Life… and Life is Good!

Category: Music is Life…