Michael Jackson- Thriller from MQC on Vimeo.

Copeland is a band that somewhat exists in a world of their own. This carries over to their music and should be taken into consideration when listening to or going to a concert of theirs. Their lush and eclectic arrangements never fail to shift my perspective to an otherworldly place. After seeing them at The Basement, in Columbus just a month or so ago, I realized how important it was to be in the proper setting when seeing them live. Let me just say it was my 3rd time seeing them, and the first time I enjoyed their live show. And I rarely do not enjoy a live show.

I’ve been a pretty devout fan of Copland for about 4 years now, but didn’t get the chance to see them live until after about 2 years. The mistake at these first two shows were the other bands I saw them with (not that they were bad) and more importantly, the crowd. The first two concerts I saw were the same bill, different cities. The line up was Daphne Loves Derby, The Hush Sound, Copeland and Jack’s Mannequin. While I do enjoy all 4 bands to some extent, Jack’s being my least favorite, it did not foster the right sort of atmosphere for a Copeland show. While any good band should be able to perform well in a variety of settings, the crowd at these shows was, well, too young.

I was one of the tallest people there (and I’m not tall), and I felt like all the kids were more suited for some sort summer pop concert. Let me put it this way, when Jack’s covered “My Name is Jonas” by Weezer, 95% of the crowd looked at each other in confusion, as if to say, “What the fuck is this?”. Am I that old? Is Weezer no longer an everyday band name in the vocabulary of these hip youngens? Lame crowd. I even recall some of the crowd yelling for Copeland to leave the stage. It’s not that they were performing poorly, the crowd just had no appreciation for their style.

Luckily, when I saw Copeland in Columbus a month ago, they were headlining, and everyone there was there for Copeland. It was wonderful to be among a group of fans eager to watch such a talented group. It was the sort of fun you have when everyone around you has the same appreciation and you can close your eyes and be taken to Copeland’s own world.

Sure, Copeland isn’t for everyone, but I still believe they are one of the strongest acts around today. For anyone who is a fan of honest and beautiful music, I recommend checking out Copeland. Their most recent album is a true work of art and any one who appreciates music should find something to enjoy while listening to Copeland.

Alex Hoffman

alex.hoffman@ourvinyl.com

Our first interview landed us with The Compass Rose of Madison Wisconsin. We caught up with the band in the middle of their 2 week tour. The Compass Rose Quartet formed in January of 2008 and developed an eclectic sound that dances on the boarders of genres as diverse as hip hop, folk, and a cappella. Mike Drohomyreky served as a front man supported by Ida Pajunen’s violin, Scott Lamps’ upright bass and the vocal percussion of Anthony Lamarr. The release of These Parts Unknown allowed the group’s unique backgrounds to clash into a beautiful demonstration of creativity. The band has shared the stage with The Roots, The Black Keys, Matt Wertz, Stephen Kellogg & The Sixers, The Violent Femmes, Brett Dennen, Joshua Radin, Matt White, Matt Kearney, Lifehouse, Carbon Leaf and a handful of other mainstream acts.

Mike Droho himself has seen quite a bit of success as an independent musician and has sold over 11,000 records. While studying at The University of Wisconsin, Mike formed The Profits and put out 2 full length albums. In 2006 Mike released the album The Alleged Euphoric State of Self Actualization which included popular favorites Come for Me, The Groove Song, and My Own Fool. Since his start at the age of 19 Mike has preformed over 1,000 shows across the country and currently is competing in Madison, Wisconsin’s Triple M Challenge. The winner of the challenge will have the opportunity to meet with an A&R Rep from Atlantic Records, have their track played on 105.5 FM and potentially land a record deal.

Click here http://www.1055triplem.com to support Mike.

The Compass Rose’s Anthony Lamarr acts as the group’s drummer by adding vocal fills throughout tracks. Anthony virtually acts as a mobile snare while engaging the audience with his unique personality and style. He explains in our interview that he has been involved with art and music since an early age. Anthony keeps himself busy with other personal ambitions outside the group as well and recently finished writing his first musical titled Ballots. He plans to submit the musical to The New York Fringe Festival and hopes to be one of the 200 productions selected this upcoming year. To find more information about the musical check out ballotsthemusical.com.

The Quartet has recently decided to take a break but both Anthony and Mike are continuing to tour the country. They are already planning a Fall tour and we may see them soon with several new additions to the group. Below is the interview and live recording of the group’s newest song Jesus Louise.

Please feel free to comment and give us suggestions and recommendations for new artists in your cities!

Mike Reuther

mike.reuther@ourvinyl.com

All bands & artists performing at Lollapalooza have finally been announced. The complete line-up can be viewed below. Additionally, Lollapalooza tickets can be purchased here.

* Depeche Mode
* Tool
* The Killers
* Jane’s Addiction
* Beastie Boys
* Kings of Leon
* Lou Reed
* Ben Harper and Relentless7
* Thievery Corporation
* Snoop Dogg
* Rise Against
* Andrew Bird
* TV on the Radio
* Vampire Weekend
* The Decemberists
* Neko Case
* STS9 (Sound Tribe Sector 9)
* Animal Collective
* Band of Horses
* Of Montreal
* Arctic Monkeys
* Coheed and Cambria
* Ben Folds
* Fleet Foxes
* Silversun Pickups
* Kaiser Chiefs
* Crystal Castles
* Bon Iver
* Santigold
* Atmosphere
* Dan Auerbach
* Cold War Kids
* Deerhunter
* Lykke Li
* Robert Earl Keen
* Peter Bjorn and John
* Heartless Bastards
* Gomez
* Glasvegas
* Federico Aubele
* Dan Deacon
* Passion Pit
* Zap Mama
* The Raveonettes
* The Gaslight Anthem
* The Airborne Toxic Event
* White Lies
* Ra Ra Riot
* No Age
* Asher Roth
* Los Campesinos!
* Bat For Lashes
* Chairlift
* Gang Gang Dance
* The Virgins
* Amazing Baby
* Portugal. The Man
* The Knux
* Ida Maria
* Delta Spirit
* Friendly Fires
* Manchester Orchestra
* Constantines
* Ezra Furman & The Harpoons
* Hockey
* Miike Snow
* Alberta Cross
* Hey Champ
* Sam Roberts Band
* The Henry Clay People
* Davy Knowles and Back Door Slam
* Cage the Elephant
* Living Things
* The Low Anthem
* Blind Pilot
* Langhorne Slim
* Other Lives
* The Builders and The Butchers
* Eric Church
* Joe Pug
* Kevin Devine
* The Greencards
* Carney
* Thenewno2

For more information, please visit the Official Lollapalooza Website.

Below are the most popular theater tickets for March 2009. After a disappointing 3D movie, the Jonas Brothers have been much better sellers of theater tickets than movie tickets.

1. Jonas Brothers

2. Wicked

3. Jeff Dunham

4. Jersey Boys

5. Billy Elliot

Editor’s Note: The following is written by Jackson at ShowSanctuary. ShowSanctuary is two brothers’ take on the live music scene, providing the lowdown on the concerts to catch and undiscovered artists to follow. The brothers are devoted contributors to the TicketStumbler Blog.

Just heard about these guys today, but they are ultra-creative. Using no instruments and just their voices, these guys play everything from the guitar to the harmonica and all of their percussion. Mixing rap and R&B elements, this New York group is truly unique. Really cool stuff…..definitely give Naturally 7 a listen!

Check them out jamming in a Paris subway:

Check out this crazy guitar solo!!! (sorry for the quality)

Editor’s Note: The following is written by Jackson at ShowSanctuary. ShowSanctuary is two brothers’ take on the live music scene, providing the lowdown on the concerts to catch and undiscovered artists to follow. The brothers are devoted contributors to the TicketStumbler Blog.

I’m not the world’s biggest hip-hop fan, but when someone can combine catchy beats with thoughtful, intelligent lyrics, my ears are open. I’m a little late on his bandwagon, but K’Naan can straight-up spit it. Somalian born, Canadian bred and reggae influenced, K’Naan’s sound is profound. In his own words, he makes “urgent music with a message”, often urging peace and cease-fire in his homeland Somalia. His poetic lyrics are captivating and his anti-ganster message is refreshing in a rap culture where it is “cool” to let everyone know how gangster you are. He dropped his latest album, “Troubadour“, on February 24, 2009, and it features an array of extremely thoughtful, well-mixed jams. Definitely check him out.

Watch his video for “Dreamer”:
Dreamer - K’NAAN

Editor’s Note: The following is written by Jackson at ShowSanctuary. ShowSanctuary is two brothers’ take on the live music scene, providing the lowdown on the concerts to catch and undiscovered artists to follow. The brothers are devoted contributors to the TicketStumbler Blog.

Here’s some of the shows I’m liking this week. Click on the links for tickets!

Thursday 3/5

Ben Kweller @ 40 Watt Club in Athens, Georgia

This dude is ultra-talented, no doubt. Combining classical rock and country influences with the occasional punk jam, he’s sure to please. Additional Ben Kweller shows.

Friday 3/6

Donavon Frankenreiter @ Wilma Theater in Missoula, MT

I’ve been a huge fan of Frankenreiter’s laid-back jams for a few years now. He has long been known for his acoustic strumming, but his newest album, Pass It Around, has a more low down funky-groove vibe. Definitely worth checking out! Additional Donavon Frankenreiter dates.

Check out Franenreiter’s video for “Your Heart”:

Saturday 3/7

Ani DiFranco (with special guest Chad Stokes) @ Washington DC’s 930 Club

I have family coming to town this weekend and we’re headed to this one. Although we’re going more for the former Dispatch and current State Radio front-man, Stokes, we should definitely be entertained by the talented and seasoned DiFranco. Additional State Radio dates.

Editor’s Note: The following is provided by ROSCO at ShowSanctuary. ShowSanctuary is two brothers’ take on the live music scene, providing the lowdown on the concerts to catch and undiscovered artists to follow. The brothers are devoted contributors to the TicketStumbler Blog.

Artists: BUSH

Album: SIXTEEN STONE

Track: COME DOWN

love and hate, get it wrong
she cut me right back down to size
sleep the day, let it fade
who was there to take your place?

no one knows - never will
mostly me but mostly you
what do you say, what do you do
when it all comes down?

CHORUS:
cause I don’t wanna come back down from this cloud
it’s taken me all this time to find out what I need
no, I don’t wanna come back down from this cloud
it’s taken me all this, all this, all this time

there is no blame, only shame
when you beg you just complain
the more I come, the more I try
all the police are paranoid

so am I, so is the future
so are you, just be a creature
what do you say, what do you do
when it all comes down?

CHORUS:
cause I don’t wanna come back down from this cloud
it’s taken me all this time to find out what I need
no, I don’t wanna come back down from this cloud
it’s taken me all this, all this, all this time

Editor’s Note: The following is written by Jackson at ShowSanctuary. ShowSanctuary is two brothers’ take on the live music scene, providing the lowdown on the concerts to catch and undiscovered artists to follow. The brothers are devoted contributors to the TicketStumbler Blog.

The lady and I checked out the Tokyo Police Club last night at Washington, DC’s Black Cat and we were treated to a fast-paced, highly energetic show. We didn’t know much about them beforehand, but these Canadians knew how to rock. Their fast-paced style moved swiftly from song to song pleasing the sold out crowd. Their songs are on the shorter side, but with as much energy they put into their performance, I hardly believe they could have sustained for much longer. Eager concert goers were loving the more popular “Your English Is Good” and the base-riffs in “Nature of the Experiment”. They have become increasingly popular having played most of the top-notch festivals in 2007 and 2008 (Coachella, Glastonbury, and Lollapalooza) and opened up for Weezer on their 2008 Troublemaker Tour. Definitely check them out if you get a chance. Tokyo Police Club tour dates.

Check out their music video for “Nature of the Experiment”:watch?v=DPY5vTbLhs8