what does Wolfgang want?

Just wanted to remind y'all that tonight, in one hour, I'll be on my friend Shawn's Internet radio show on UNregular Radio.

Go to unregularradio.com and click the link on the right side to listen live to the MEOW channel at 9pm. The show title is "What Wolfgang Wants."

Hope to hang with you then!

there is a map in my room on the wall of my room,

and I've got big, big plans.

After coming up with the first Mixtape Monday I eager and immediately started creating today's playlist, but seeing the snow today and feeling the cold has got the world feeling a bit different than I thought I might be seeing it at this time last week. People love getting cozied up, but just wait until you're done breaking it down first...

01.28.13 - Mixtape Monday

To Be Young (Is to Be Sad, Is to Be High) - Ryan Adams

Be Still My Heart - The Postal Service

Living Room - Tegan and Sara

Maps - The Front Bottoms

Long Division - Death Cab for Cutie

Two Notes And A Beat - The Lonely Forest

End Of The Affair - Johnathan Rice

Passion Play - William Fitzsimmons

Pachuca Sunrise - Minus The Bear

(Fork And Knife) - Brand New

The Weakends - Motion City Soundtrack

Great Big Plans - Jenny Owen Youngs

Again, to listen to the above - go here.

ALSO, some exciting news - tomorrow night (01.29.13) I'll be guest co-hosting on my friend Shawn's Unregular Radio Show "What Wolfgang Wants." Be sure to follow Shawn (@WolfgangTweets) and myself on twitter (@thefembot) or like his show on Facebook to get the appropriate links to join us for good tunes and good chats.

Above photo credit: Cassette Tape Still Life by Jim Golden Studio.

love like ours just never fits.

The joys of the internet strike again, kids, and I can't help myself - I've got to share the news.

Diehard fans sold out Brighton Music Hall, the intimate venue Tegan and Sara were performing at last night, within minutes of them going on sale. Believe me when I say that if I hadn't had previous concert plans I would've been a lion versus a lion tamer trying to get my hands on what felt like a ticket for a once in a lifetime opportunity - yes, I'd be the lion, and, continuing...

Luckily for myself, for some friends who missed on tickets, and for you the show was broadcast via the internet -  night number two of awesome shows for your FREE viewing pleasure. Man, what did we do before the internet existed? Anyways...

Here we have it, and thanks to the MTV Hive and the internet, it's now archived and able to be re-watched over and over for your viewing pleasure - Tegan and Sara live from Brighton Music Hall. You officially have no reason to say the internet never gave you anything. [[EDIT - The above link may no longer work, but there are videos on YouTube. Keep searchin', okay?]]

Minus the fact that Sara and her vocal chords are currently a bit under the weather, the ladies and their wonderful band (introduced as Ted Gowans - keyboards/guitar, Jasper Leak - bass guitar, John Spence - keyboards, and Adam Christgau - drums) put on a fantastic set of old and new tunes, something for everyone. Tegan was spot on with her banter, at one point giving a humorous comparison between old and new material after a fan called out approval of them playing older songs: "You know what? You're going to love the new ones too...The new songs are just as depressing as the old ones. They sound more upbeat, but I assure you this is like 'lay in your room by yourself like with a cloth between your teeth like prison shower cry' stuff." Guess what, Tegan? We're all on board, and we're ready to listen.

That previous statement and the music they make is a great testament as to why they're still considered an artist to watch by MTV Hive, and in general, as Tegan and Sara have done their fair show of growing up in front of their dedicated fan base with taking risks as to the music they release. No, you're not going to please everyone, every time, but there's always space in your heart for new music from your favorites. While watching footage from tonight's show, there was no better feeling than listening to them play songs like "Where Does The Good Go?," "Nineteen," and "Living Room" while integrating tracks off their forthcoming record ("I Was A Fool" and the first single "Closer") and hearing the crowd react with the same electricity no matter what drum fill or guitar part kicked off the next song in their set.

To make a playlist of top Tegan and Sara songs for your listening pleasure feels a little bit too difficult at the moment, so just be sure to do yourselves a favor by checking out their entire catalog (a true challenge, yes, but a worthwhile challenge) as well as look forward to the new album "Heartthrob" which drops this Tuesday (01.29.13). If you can't wait just one more day, which is completely understandable, you can still listen to the exclusive full stream on RollingStone.com - just don't let that stop you from going out to your local record store.



Photo credit for the album art: Lindsey Byrnes.

you make me want to forget what other people look like,

at least for tonight.

Thanks to a friend of mine who was big into Miracle of 86 (named after the miracle Mets baseball team of 1986), I was able to find out about one of my current favorite singer/songwriters. Tonight, Miracle of 86 (Kevin Devine, Mike Robertson, Chris McAllen, and Mike Skinner) played their first show since 2004 as a benefit to raise money for Hurricane Sandy relief as they originated on Staten Island. I wasn't able to make it to the show, but luckily they UStreamed the evening for all - for those who couldn't travel down there or get tickets as it sold out! Sometimes, I truly do love the internet.

Now that I've gotten these songs re-stuck in my head, I thought I'd share with you my top five favorite songs by Miracle of 86, all off of their release "Every Famous Last Word."

(Yes, I'm a sucker for making you all playlists now - they'll be a new Mixtape Monday very soon, as well.)

A bit of a story to go along with the below five tracks: when I first started going to Kevin Devine shows, he would 'cover' some of the above five quite a bit, so thanks to that friend and KD I was able to enjoy the greatness that was, and is, Miracle of 86.

"Knife"
"Nice Shirt, Salvador Dali"
"Dance! Dance, Revolution!"
"Sunday School"
"Every Famous Last Word"

You can listen here.



EDIT, as of 4:30 on 1/27: On Miracle of 86's twitter (@miracleof86) they shared two bits of information I think it's worth sharing -- a link of where you can watch the full set and also, that there may be more to come? All things to keep an eye on, of course. Also, worth sharing? A video of Kevin and Mike, along with Chris Bracco, performing "Every Famous Last Word" at KD's 10th anniversary of KD and the Goddamn Band on December 1st of this past year.

singing songs without a sound.

Most recently I shared with you some thoughts on what's been the latest and greatest in music, but for this first edition of Mixtape Monday (oooh, ahhh) I thought I'd veer towards music that I've been into for awhile - yes, let's take a look at my musical history on this great day in American history.

01.21.13 - Mixtape Monday:

"Sundays" - Daphne Loves Derby
"Developing Active People" - Via Audio
"Winter Winter Spring" - This Day & Age
"Gray or Blue" - Jaymay
"I Am A Leaver" - The Damnwells

"Mistakes We Knew We Were Making" - Straylight Run
"Decisions, Decisions" - The Starting Line
"The City Lights" - Umbrellas
"I Want To Hear You Sad" - The Early November

"Washington, D.C." - The Magnetic Fields

Click the above date, or here, to listen on Spotify.

Artwork thanks to handz Etsy shop, buy the print here.

keep your head up, keep your heart strong.

When compiling my top list from last year the easiest albums for me to place on said list were the top five. They're the ones I spent the most time listening to and connected the most with. If you'd ask me my true soundtrack from 2012, it'd be the following list (in countdown fashion):

5. "Half Made Man" by Ben Sollee -

To the core, Sollee has always made truly organic music, which paints a picture of what one should expect if getting the chance to see him live, and that feel has been continued on his fourth full length release. His known primary instrument is the cello, and really, how many singer-songwriter cellists have you come across? On this latest album, he's stepped outside of that box he's been categorized in showing off other musical skills on guitar and mandolin. He's broken the genre specific barriers by combining folk with Americana, bluegrass, some jazz, and a bit of pop too. One of my favorite moments on the album is during the last track "Some Lovin'" specially around the two minute mark. The runs that Sollee with his cello, guitar, and the rhythm section are able to create and combine feels a bit fairytale-ish or dream-like, and it's led into by the most honest lyrics that we should all keep in our back pockets: "'Cause you are not a false start / you are not a mistake / on the day nothing goes wrong / there still be amends to make / 'cause we are human."

4. "Don't Paint Your Days So Gray." by Man In A Crowd -

This album does nothing but fill me with joy. Now, I may be a bit biased because I've been around since the demos, but I can tell you that after countless plays I still get chills when listening to this album. That sounds silly? You can't argue the hauntingly memorable guitar lines and piano tones in "A Little Too Far" or when the drums and lead guitar reach the crescendo at the beginning of "I Can Feel It" and the band kicks in with the female vocals taking that first chorus. Stylistically this is an album that I feel can please the masses - someone who likes pop-rock? Done. Someone who normally veers towards the country sound? Done. How about rock? Done. But wait, what if none of those sounds are to someone's liking? I feel if someone were to ask me those questions it would be a test, but really, they've blended together all things that are good in music and made it easily accessible for all ears to enjoy. DPYDSG is absolutely able to add sunshine to your cloudy days, as I myself have rolled my car window down and blasted this on high volume to help tackle the wintery blues, and with that sunshine comes some positivity too: "So here's that hopeful song to sing when all you've got is going wrong. And I know it hurts like hell but we're gonna heal up, we're gonna move on." With songs that are so upbeat that'll make it hard for you to sit still ("Take The Edge Off") to the contrasting closer to the album ("Tides"), there truly is something for everyone with Man In A Crowd's debut album.

3. "Forget The Storm" by Tyler Hilton -

This is hands-down my guilty pleasure album of 2012. Before this album came out I hadn't ever listened to a Tyler Hilton record. Now I can say I'm glad Spotify doesn't freely share the "play count" of the albums you listen to because I easily went through this from top to bottom about fifty times straight after my first listen. Hilton is able to perfectly mix the pop sensibility that his fans had come to know and love with a little bit more grit and a lot more rock 'n roll. To be honest with you, the more acoustic driven songs are great, for example the final track "Hey Jesus," but for me the true excitement lies in those upbeat tracks like "Loaded Gun," which I heard first on the series finale of One Tree Hill. It's by far the most infectious song off the album, but to be perfectly fair the rest of the album follows suit. You can't help but find yourself humming any of the choruses to yourself, even if it has been awhile since your last listen. From the drum and organ intro of "Kicking My Heels," you're taken from one hit to the next, each song sounding more solid than the last - Hilton has definitely made his mark with this.

2. "II" by Bad Books -

Bad Books is a truly exciting musical venture combining some of the greatest lyricists accompanied by some of the greatest musicians. "II" absolutely blew their debut out of the water for me. My favorite song of the past year is off this: "Pytor." I heard it before the record was released thanks to a Nervous Energies session Andy Hull did, and I immediately fell for it. Hull and Kevin Devine have a way with storytelling and songwriting that hits home for most people, but this song felt different, it felt larger. Without knowing the backstory, I was immediately hooked to the intriguing dialogue which is complimented well with echoing harmonies on the finalized version. Some of the best moments on the album shine through with simplistic beauty and ease, especially with the final three songs: "42," "Lost Creek," and "Ambivalent Peaks." These songs bring a great contrast by breaking from the electronic, guitar-laced, heavier moments to take us back to the core of why we all love music in the first place - a truly great song. This has to be the musicians' best work to date, and again, I can't help but wonder what's next as "II" was able to go above and beyond my expectations.

1. "Every Kingdom" by Ben Howard -

From start to finish and with each listen, I'm in awe of the greatness of "Every Kingdom." Ben Howard is a standout with the way he's able to gracefully pick a guitar and compliment that with his slightly husky and majorly soulful vocals. This winning combination gives Howard a richer sound and has helped him create his own signature style. "Everything" most showcases Howard's impeccable guitar playing wherein the first twenty seconds you're captured by his intricate picking, and fortunate for us, that guitar line becomes the backbone for the entire track. The honesty that comes from his lyrics is refreshing as they mix both an autobiographical feel along with a bit of storytelling. Another highlight is "Keep Your Head Up," which is exactly what it sounds like - an uplifting song that works truly well as a motivator for the listener. It's a bit more fast paced than the rest of the album, but even then the verses are fairly mellow with a building feel to them. That feel leads directly into the chorus of "keep your head up / keep your heart strong." Howard has created a timeless piece.



Listen to these albums here.

Here we go.

Music + Writing + Blogger = the new home of NeverBeenHeard.

For quite awhile I'd been fooling around with posts on a different blog site, but now feels like the right time for NBH to have a fresh look and a fresh attitude to go along with this new year. With that, welcome and thanks for stopping by - hopefully you'll continue to check this out once the ball gets up and rolling.

What can you expect from NBH?

Since I can remember I've been a music lover and during high school I added avid concert attendee onto my list of "hobbies." (I was told once by a musician friend that I possibly 'attend more concerts a year than he performs.') I was never one to acquire the skills to play a guitar or carry a tune outside of either a shower or a 200+ choir, so I've chosen to do what I can to support the music 'scene' and those who provide us with the songs we just can't seem to live without.

Here you'll find my musings on all things music - commentary, news, album reviews, interviews, videos, etc. There are no limits, and really, why should there be?

Time to put on those headphones, and thanks for coming along for the ride.


(Thanks to Matt Lubchansky for the banner/logo.)