music artist

3 Artists We Would Like to See More of (Or Hear about More Often)

March 18, 2014 By Fred Mitchell Leave a Comment

People all over the world are hooked on television shows and live contests that aim to search and discover all sorts of talented people in different areas, from singing, to dancing to doing all sorts of unseen-before artistic acts. These shows, usually containing words and phrases such as “got talent”, “voice”, “stars” and so on, bring to the attention of the general public a bunch of true prodigies who go through a competition against each other for some big prize, world fame and who knows, a kick – start to their artistic careers.

Everybody dreams to be “discovered” during such show and win it, being in the favored position of getting an impresario or an agent, signing contracts and shooting for the stars (with additional fame and fortune). However, these shows end at some point (only to resume next season with other equally talented and spectacular contestants), while the world is expecting the former winners to become international celebrities. Granted, some actually made it to the entertainment industry, while others disappeared just as fast as they showed up. Today we will take a look back over 3 artists we would like to see more of, or at least, hear about more often.

3. Duo Flame – Ukraine’s Got Talent

Even if recently things got hot (and are getting even hotter) in Ukraine, this doesn’t mean we should forget some very fine artists, like the Duo Flame dancing couple – described as being incredibly talented dancers who, given the opportunity, might have a lot of success in the entertainment industry on an international level. Maybe the odds will be in their favor and we’ll hear good news about them or see them soon in grand shows and tours.

2. Susan Boyle – Britain’s Got Talent

Susan was quite famous back in 2009 in Great Britain and became a true sensation when she first opened her mouth and started singing, as the jury and the public were misled by her … simple (almost peasant – like) looks and outfit. This is not an unseen phenomenon: a simple looking individual gets up there on stage and stands a bit of mockery and incredulity due to age or looks, and then shows off his or her talent to the amazement of everybody. Susan Boyle was such a phenomenon and it’s a pity we didn’t hear more about her or a potential singing career.

1. Rose “Osang” Fontanes – X Factor Israel

Another sensation in the international talent shows, Rose is a Filipino caregiver who won X Factor Israel quite recently and was described as a “role – model” and a hope for all dreamers out there who manage to gather up the courage to follow their dreams and do whatever it takes to nurture their gifts and talents. Rose is among those artists we would like to see more of, as she impressed not only the jury, but the public all over the world with her singing performance and it would be a true pity to lose her in the shadows of anonymity.

BONUS

Amira Willighagen – Holland’s Got Talent

This little girl made all Europe stand up and applaud, because her tiny body managed to utter an angelic voice, while the 9 year old child prodigy chose to impress the jury and the public with very hard and complex opera pieces that brought tears in many watching TV eyes. Since we were also impressed, we dug up some information and it seems little Amira is on her way to celebrity, as she is about to release her first album this spring. She is one of those artists we would like to see more of in ten – fifteen years, as she has a strong shot to become one of the next best opera singing stars and the world would truly benefit from her presence on international stages.

There are plenty of artists who won talent shows and competitions, in Europe, the U.S. and even farther corners of the planet, and who deserve a shot to accomplish their dream of singing, dancing or entertaining the world.

30 Seconds to Mars and Jared Leto: A Success Story

March 7, 2014 By Fred Mitchell Leave a Comment

You cannot help yourself from being swept away by Jared Leto, and this is not an “girls – exclusive” talk, this is serious. Either you are a fan of his interesting filmography, his music or simply his looks, Jared Leto proved that he is not just one complete and rather surprising superstar, but also a man of many trades and many traits as well. Now we all know he received his first Oscar Award at 42 years old (which, between you and us, might be pissing off Leonardo DiCaprio a little to say the least) and even he had an on and off relationship with the movie industry, he managed to deliver some brilliant performances along the years. If you remember Requiem for a Dream, you know what we are talking about. But today we will focus more on 30 Seconds to Mars and Jared Leto as a success story and an inseparable unity, because just as Jared often declared, music is a constant, consistent and vivid part of who he is. And if the guys from Concertfull are not mistaken, 30 Seconds to Mars and Jared Leto will perform live on stage on 8th of March, on Hartwall Areena in Helsinki. So let’s take a look back to both band, musician, actor, philanthropist and one of those hot guys who actually get better with age, and see the success story of 30 Seconds to Mars and Jared Leto.

30 Seconds to Mars and Jared Leto: The Music

It is all about the music apparently and, as we said before, the band is on its way to tour the world. From Moscow, Russia, to Sydney, Australia, from Tokyo, Japan, to Bucharest, Romania, 30 Seconds to Mars seems to be on top of its game as a valuable alternative rock band ready to conquer the world. Will the band take advantage of its new – gained leverage of having an Academy Awarded lead singer? If we were to bet, we’d say the concerts will soon get sold out in many cities where concerts are scheduled this spring and summer. And even if Jared Leto had some sort of quirky relationship with cinema, being on and off the wagon for many years, the band is pretty well appraised by music lovers, fans and critics. About a year ago, a columnist from WhatCulture listed the best ten songs of the band with Attack ranking first place. They may have not sold hundreds of millions of copies, but they established themselves a solid position in the world of music and given the news, we may be in for a lot of surprises in the years to come.

30 Seconds to Mars and Jared Leto: The Humanitarian Activism

You’ll say that every famous band and every celebrity is involved one way or the other in charity, fund – raising and social activism. This may be true, and it is true, don’t get us wrong, but in this particular case, it seems that the band and its lead vocal (and also guitar, bass and keyboards) are getting involved in big and tragic causes without hunting for publicity. It may be just an impression, but in the last years you rarely heard of Leto or his colleagues bragging around for saving humanity. And still, they were involved in Habitat for Humanity’s projects, Red Cross projects, a charity auction in the benefit of 2010 Haiti earthquake victims and supported a bunch of other organizations in humanitarian purposes. Again, this is something most celebrities do, but we are glad that 30 Seconds to Mars and Jared Leto do it also.

The hot stud and the emotional Oscar Awards Speech

Seeing Jared Leto on stage would make you think you have hallucinated for the entirety of Dallas Buyers Club, but you didn’t. He is indeed a very sexy gentleman, as you can see for yourself, as he graced with his hot and sophisticated persona the cover of the Flaunt Magazine when he was “just” an Oscar Award Nominee. If you didn’t see his acceptance speech, find it on YouTube and watch it. It sounds honest and emotional and humble and many people were happy to see a man not being corrupted by fame and fortune yet.

If you want to know what’s in store for 30 Seconds to Mars and Jared Leto, well, keep yourself updated to the news. Now that they are all in the spotlight, we may be seeing more of him, hear about the band a lot more often and maybe be lucky enough to attend a concert or buy tickets to his next movie.

Come Back, Jack! 5 Music Artists We Would Love to Resurrect

January 28, 2014 By Fred Mitchell Leave a Comment

How bad did your heart feel when you heard about Michael Jackson’s demise? Are you still mourning for Amy Winehouse or Janis Joplin? Do you still wear T-Shirts saying “Lovers Forever” with the faces of Jim Morrison or Kurt Cobain printed on them? Is your musical world emptier, poorer and sadder without some great artists in it? If they could only come back from the dead…

We’re sure that some of you wouldn’t sell their soul to the devil only to have Jackson resurrected, while others will sign and seal an eternal contract with the dark planes just to see Joey Ramone perform on a stage one more time. Music is still a matter of taste and, not wanting to offense anybody, we will just list here the five music artists we would love to resurrect for the greater good of mankind. And music as an industry. And for everybody to stay happy, we’ll mention the legends, mostly. Other legends, besides Cobain and Morrison, of course.

5. Michael Jackson

Would be the world a better place if Michael would return? Perhaps if he could be resurrected in his early career years and prevented from becoming a constant source of mockery and public resentment because the way he ended up looking like. But for the music, yes, for the dancing, yes, for the charity and friendship he showed others? Definitely yes. Jackson is among the music artists we would love to resurrect because he was and still is an icon in pop – music and many others still would have a thing or two to learn from him.

4. Elvis Presley

Since everybody believes (or at least pretend they do) in second chances, why wouldn’t the King have his share of divine benevolence and come back from the dead (if no one minds, at the age when he could actually perform at his best, we don’t buy tickets to a cracked zombie’s show, do we?). But Elvis deserves to come back and Jailhouse Rock us once more. For the memory. And for the pelvis shake.

3. Joey Ramone

You may not be the punker older generations were, but Joey Ramone deserves a come – back. He represented everything you could label as “counterculture” back then, The Ramones are still considered one of the biggest bands that ever blessed a music scene, while Joey, may his sins be forgiven, could make an unforgettable show.

2. John Lennon

If anyone deserves to come back from the dead for a final show, that would be Lennon. An icon for music and for generations in a row, his life was cut short too fast, too brutally and too absurdly for him not to deserve a proper resurrection, at least for one last show. Imagine how that would be! And we want Lennon just the way he was, no modifications!

1. Freddy Mercury

People said it before and they will say it until the end of time: Bring Freddy Back! Bring one of the most talented, crazy, charismatic, original, psycho, eccentric and unique artists of all time. A voice and a performance that holds it ground still, after so many years, Freddy Mercury is the number one star we would love to resurrect, if not for him to rock us, at least to attend one of his one – man shows and start believing that everything must go on.

Bonus – Ozzy Osbourne

No, don’t fret, Ozzy didn’t leave us yet, but in case this happens (although rumors say he’s immortal), but if this happens, we want to be the first to open a free sign petition to send to whomever is responsible and have Ozzy brought back. No matter the age, he is badass anyway. So for your information, we include Ozzy among the greatest music artists we would love to resurrect, just to have all things cleared from the start.

If you have other resurrection proposals regarding musicians, we have a non-stop clerk who files petitions. So feel free to speak your mind.

5 Fake Music Bands We Wished Were for Real

January 15, 2014 By Fred Mitchell Leave a Comment

You know when you see some movie that is music – centered or not, doesn’t really matter, but comes with a fake music band or artist you wished was for real? The subject has been debated before, granted, and there are also some bands that even if don’t officially exist, were created for marketing purposes only and became so popular, they actually sold tons of records. But the reason why we are going to expand on this topic is that we need a bit of a fresher perspective on the matters, as everybody knows about Spinal Tap, Sex Bob-Omb, School of Rock, Alvin & The Chipmunks (actually very big name in music) or Josie and the Pussycats, among many others.

So today we will present you with yet another list of fake music bands we wished were for real and which turned the movies they were presented in into awesome pieces of cinema, even if some were not your regular blockbusters.

1. The Soggy Bottom Boys – O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)

Admit it, when you saw Clooney standing there singing I am a Man of Constant Sorrow MAKING THOSE FACES, you fell off your chair, paused the movie, rewind, started with the singing scene again only to have enough time to learn the lyrics and suffocate in laughter. This singing performance, together with the others shown in the movie made the entire film’s success (besides the brilliant plot and acting of all of them) and this specific soundtrack is still considered one of the best in cinema to date. So if this was the real band, some people would pay big money to see them live on a stage.

2. Stacee Jaxx/Arsenal – Rock of Ages (2012)

Admit it ladies, when you saw Tom Cruise looking and performing rock music the way he did, you decided you’d become the most faithful groupie of all ages. Stacee Jaxx and the Arsenal is among those fake music bands we wished were for real only to remember the glorious days of the glorious 80’s rock music. Many people wondered who inspired Stacee Jaxx as a character and rocking sound and you can pretty much assume it was a little bit of everything, from Rolling Stones, to Guns’n’Roses, to Doors and, most importantly, these bands’ leading / superstar performers. Stacee Jaxx, if you’d be for real nowadays, you’d fill stadiums with the nostalgic.

3 & 4. The Barden Bellas and The Treblemakers – Pitch Perfect (2012)

Now considering these two college a cappella music bands, girls vs. boys, of course, managed to deliver a very nice movie about college competition, some love and some hero journey to self – development, we can honestly say that these can successfully make the list of fake bands we wished were for real. Honestly, wouldn’t you pay a ticket to see the Bellas (the new formation, of course, not the old uptight – housewife – prone to hysteria one) perform on stage, or the Treblemakers bringing a refreshing perspective of the old glorious age of pop boy-bands? And, since no instrument is involved and only voices mattering, it would be quite a change in assessing musical talent, scene – acting, coordination and artistic value.

5. Where’s Fluffy – Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist (2008)

If you didn’t see this movie yet, we recommend it for its cuteness and lightness, as is a sort of romantic comedy, with the plot is based on some mysterious band that should perform in a concert, while both Nick and Norah spend a crazy night trying to make it to the said musical performance. Spoilers don’t matter really at this point because the movie doesn’t hold some unspeakable secrets we swore not to reveal. Why would we wish Where’s Fluffy to be for real? Well, if the movie would be true, these guys would be like the hottest band that ever existed. A whole city would be desperately running around to get to their show. Everybody’s listening to them. So if they are so big, we want to hear them sing!

There are, of course, other fake music bands we wished were for real and we’re sure you have some of your own too. Those of you who’d die for the “Rock the Boat” bands to perform live, we understand you deeply, honestly.

5 Women Portrayed in Famous Songs We’d Like To Say a Few Words To

December 23, 2013 By Fred Mitchell Leave a Comment

When it comes to music industry, great artists and performers, bands that are older and more established than time itself, it is hard not to find in their history as musicians at least one song about a particular girl or woman who either broke their hearts, is about to break their hearts or at least messed up with their lives completely. From the old and golden days of rock, to the modern pop music and post – modern trends in music, it was not only men who sang about some very special ladies featuring very special character traits or behaviors, but women too. Search all you want, look into archives, and see for yourself that there are at least a few women portrayed in famous songs that deserve a bit of attention, if not to find out who they are, at least to give them a piece of our mind.

So given the fact I personally love music and I can’t type a damn word without some tune pleasantly enveloping my brain, I decided that it was about time to look a bit deeper into the matters and browse some of my favorite lady – inspired songs and have the ladies hear my thoughts on them.

1. Michael Jackson’s (Dirty) Diana

Now Michael had some interesting relationships with women, both in his personal life and throughout his music. While he swore that Billie Jean’s baby wasn’t his, the boy had his eyes, so Billie Jean is off the hook for now, as who knows what they actually did on that dancing floor? But Dirty Diana? Lady, you are a shame to the female kind, stalking the superstar like that, scheming and plotting and making his official girl have a heart break (and attack, probably). You are one of the worst women portrayed in famous songs and if I wouldn’t be a dedicated Jackson fan until my last breath, I would skip this one every time it reaches my playlist.

2. Therapy’s Diane

Run, for God’s sake! The psycho has a knife and he kinda promises some rape and murder is almost granted in his sick mind. So Diane, dear, you made a famous song famous just because you are about to die every two lyrics. You’re young, you’re cute, seriously, does your mother know you’re dating murderous perverts?

3. Eric Clapton’s Layla

Now you lady have some serious issues! And again, you shame the female kind with your games, bringing a man down to his knees to beg like that, to make a fool of himself, to be on the verge? Who taught you that, young lady? After all, you’ve kinda been dumped (no, I don’t believe Eric saying you got let down – your old man dumped your sorry pompous personality) and come on, woman, Eric Clapton! And you are the ones complaining men aren’t emotionally available, are twisted, confused, driven by ego and moody! You must be one of the most emotionally challenged women portrayed in famous songs! Shhiiish…

4. Dolly Parton’s Jolene

Jolene dear, I understand that you are a gorgeous woman, you have the features of a goddess and you are probably more of a woman than any other women out there, but don’t take Dolly’s man, for cryin out loud, she’s whining about it until time ends and if she had an ounce of brain she would end elegantly her unhappy relationship, as it is obviously her man is no longer with her in spirit (and I believe in body, either), and get a life for herself, far away from the guy who can’t make up his mind already. But both Dolly and her man seem incapable to take mature decisions, so Jolene, dear, find yourself another home to wreck, this one is just not worth it.

5. Rolling Stone’s Angie

Woman, what happened there? You were doing so fine! And you seem to be the victim here, despite your beauty, your bright spirit and your deep soul. Apparently despite all your efforts to keep the bum close to you, as he thinks it is time to say goodbye. Did he ask you first? Was it a mutual conclusion? Can’t this falling apart be solved somehow? Don’t you just stand there, do something about it! On the other hand, if you stay together he’d probably never get to sing this song so…. my heart is confused…

I have others, don’t fret about it, but these were my first choices of women portrayed in famous songs that I needed to have a chat with. Feel free to add your own ladies to the list!