Will Donelson

BabyFirstTV invites Bon Iver to Perform on Show after Grammy Confusion

February 17, 2012 By Will Donelson Leave a Comment

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Bon Iver's Justin Vernon recently accepted two Grammy's, and while it was a joyous occasion for those who know who the man is, the Grammy wins were not universally accepted. Showing a rage, turmoil and confusion not seen since... Last year's Grammy's, Facebook and Twitter users ran in crazed circles, foaming at their mouths, ripping their hair out and kicking things over screaming the question; "Who is Bonnie Bear?" A tumblr page was recently started dedicated to the two social networking … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Music, News Tagged With: bon iver, justin vernon, The Grammys, the roots

Howlin’ Rain – The Russian Wilds Review

February 14, 2012 By Will Donelson Leave a Comment

Listening to The Russian Wilds by Howlin' Rain in its entirety for the first time is akin to doing a drug that instantly pulls you into an idealized version of 70s rock. Complete with all the delicate blues nuances, powerful singing, guitar solos, vocal harmonies, stylish organ, instrumental mastery and Rolling Stones nods you'd expect (and with a runtime to boot!). It's a drug in incredibly short supply (and, sadly, low demand) these days, and most of the kids looking to score don't even really … [Read more...]

Filed Under: CD/DVD, Featured Content, Music, Reviews Tagged With: blues, cd review, Editor's Choice, Howlin' Rain, review, rock, Russian Wilds, Salsa

Where to be in London this February

February 11, 2012 By Will Donelson Leave a Comment

Saturday the 12th BRAND NEW play the Roundhouse, Camden, 7:30 Thursday the 16th Silver Tongue Recommends: M83 play Shepherd's Bush Empire, 7:00 Monday the 20th THE BIG PINK play The Garage for the NME Awards, 7:00 Wednesday the 23rd PULLED APART BY HORSES, TENEBROUS LIAR and THE COMPUTERS play The Electric Ballroom, Camden, 8:00 Friday the 24th THE PHENOMENAL HANDCLAP BAND play The Village Underground at 9:00. Sunday the 26th IMOGEN HEAP plays The Roundhouse, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blogs, London, Music, The Scene Tagged With: Brand New, Brixton Academy, Fanfarlo, imogen heap, M83, Pulled Apart by Horses, The Big Pink, The Garage, The Phenomenal Handclap Band, The Roundhouse

Craig Finn – Clear Heart, Full Eyes

February 1, 2012 By Will Donelson Leave a Comment

Craig Finn may be separated from his familiar friends, The Hold Steady, but Clear Heart, Full Eyes proves he hasn't lost his unrivalled ability to write lyrics that absolutely clutch the heart and concept of what it's like to be young, confused, dystopic and, strangely, joyous. Craig Finn, in his entire career, has never allowed himself to wallow in his own sadness. Even his darkest songs, which take place in the furthest depths of depression, are written as a knowing afterthought. They come … [Read more...]

Filed Under: CD/DVD, Featured Content, Music, Reviews Tagged With: Album review, Clear Heart Full Eyes, Craig Finn, review, The Hold Steady

Community Possibly Going Into Syndication – Is the Show Saved?

January 28, 2012 By Will Donelson 4 Comments

A Reddit user (who for the sake of their job will remain anonymous) claiming to work at a (name not given) TV station recently posted the image to the left. They said it came from their latest company newsletter, and that his programming director included a statement saying he had paid to run syndicated episodes of the show in 2013. This is terrific news for fans as NBC recently put the show on hiatus, and it's fate is currently unknown. Syndication, if you are unaware, is how showrunners … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blogs, Entertainment, Featured Content, News, TV Land Tagged With: community, NBC, syndication

The Twilight Sad – No One Can Ever Know

January 28, 2012 By Will Donelson Leave a Comment

When you first listen to “Alphabet”, the opening track on The Twilight Sad's latest release, after a few seconds you begin waiting for the drop. The coming and fading tones, repetitious drums and detached singing all lead to the impression that at some point, the song will collapse under it's own (lack of) weight into the expected Twilight Sad “wall of noise”. What you're listening to isn't exactly a build, but at the same time you think that it must, must be going somewhere. Then you … [Read more...]

Filed Under: CD/DVD, Featured Content, Music, Reviews Tagged With: Album review, james graham, Twilight Sad

President Obama Causes Al Green Sales to Increase by 490%

January 27, 2012 By Will Donelson Leave a Comment

Last Thursday, President Barack Obama collectively made every teenage female Democrat (and me!) swoon when he burst into an impromptu rendition of Al Green's celebrated "Let's Stay Together". The President sang last week at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem, where he later joked "those guys didn't think I was ganna do it". As a result of the Commander-in-Chief singing the song, sales for "Let's Stay Together" have increased by almost 500% in the last week. The 1971 hit sold around 16,000 downloads … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Music, News, Politics Tagged With: al green, barack obama, let's stay together, president obama

Nickelback Engages in Embarassing Twitter War With Haters

January 25, 2012 By Will Donelson 2 Comments

Add the following to the "list of things I never thought I'd type": Poor old Nickelback. They've been having a hard time lately. No seriously, I mean it. From being voted the biggest musical turn-off to people protesting their gigs out of sheer hate for them, to being called the death of Rock music by a respected artist, they've been going through some real tough times. Sure, they showed some class in their response to Patrick Carney, but didn't really... stand up for themselves Well, it … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Music, Music, News Tagged With: nickelback, twitter