My Chic Life

BALLAS HOUGH

Happy New Year Chic readers!!! 2010 is gonna be a good year… So pump your-self up and get out there and take charge. This weeks tunage will help you make that first step… Its motivative, fun, and best of all super sexy. Honestly the Ballas Hough Band has never been on my favorites playlist, however, if they continue workin’ it the way they have with there first single MOVE  from their second album … I’m all about the Ballas!!! Both Mark Ballas and Derek Hough are former Dancing with the Star Champions and received little attention for their first album, BHB, which was released in 2009.  Move and their second album could be the next big thing at the clubs…. Personally I think its hot, sexy, and it makes me wanna assault the dance floor!!!… CLICK HERE to take a gander.. then tell us what you think.

The Wallflowers

I don’t know about you Chic Readers but I’m having a really hard time motivating myself into this new decade. 2009 was like a broken arm (replete with cast) and even after you got through it, you’re still left a little weaker, the proverbial shriveled untanned forearm, with no immediate plans for rehabilitation. I just feel blah.

However, if there’s one thing that can always lift my mood it’s music. So today I’m choosing a band that’s all but dropped off the face of the earth despite their meteor-like intensity during the late 90’s.

This is the Wallflowers cover of I’m Looking Through You. It’s exactly the right uplifting energy for a case of “the blahs”.

Enjoy!

THIRTY SECONDS TO MARS

Happy Tuesday Chic readers!!!! I hope you are nice and stuffed with Turkey…. It’s officially December and the season for giving. I will start it off by giving you this lil’ jem which is very dear to me. There are two kinds of people. People who like Thirty Seconds To Mars and people who can’t get over the whole “Jared Leto” thing. Personally, I have always been person number two… however, I think I may be a changed man. The First Single, Kings and Queens, is not only totally epic, but the video depicts a the part of Los Angeles that few non-Angelinos get to experience…. Fixies, white stallions, and downtown LA are a recipe of perfection if you ask me (east-side represent…). The album, This is War is set for a December release and I am eager to see how my little Leto has grown up!!!! Click Here to participate in Kings and Queens and judge for yourself!!!!

KID SISTER

HELLO CHIC READERS! Happy Turkey Day! I hope everyone sleeps in, eats too much, and gets great shopping deals on black friday! This thanksgiving I’m thankful for our next artist, KID SISTER, who’s album dropped last week and is one of 2009’s new MUST HAVES. Kid Sister, or Melisa Young, is from the the Chicago Rap Scene where she was discovered hosting DJ parties in the early 2000’s and later landed a gig with MTV. Her Debut Album Ultraviolet is a mixture of street inspired Hip-Hop mixed with Club Anthem. She has also been called the Black Lady Gaga, but don’t let that discourage you, Kid Sister has been strutting her unique style and sound way before Gaga even wrote her first tune…. See for yourself…. CLICK HERE to see Kid Sister’s new video for Right Hand Hi… Then go download it so you and the family can GET DOWN this holiday season!!!!

I like to think of myself as a music buff of sorts and there is nothing I love more than to “discover” new music, whether it be an old band or an up and coming sensation. The other thing I love to do is share music with people, because a lot of times they’d never hear about it otherwise. Well Chic Readers, today is the day that I will share some of my personal favorites with you!

Now some of you may have already heard of these songs but perhaps there are a few among you who haven’t heard these songs…or bands for that matter. So gather round and take notes! Mind you, I take my music very serious so I feel like I’m giving away my children here, so you better listen!

The first band I’d like to introduce is the Sundays. They were huge in the early 90s when the whole Dream Pop genre was in full swing but they’ve since fallen into obscurity. Still, their music reigns supreme. Also, Harriet Wheeler’s vocals are so icy that it’s like no other voice I’ve heard to date. Their bigger hits were Here’s Where The Story Ends and Summertime, but I LOVE You’re Not the Only One I Know.The Sundays had an uncanny ability to churn out songs that were just delicious to listen to, so there is not one song that I’ve not liked. Truly amazing. Be sure to also check out Goodbye and I Feel.

The next song is Ugly Girl by Fleming John. The song is about a scorned ex girlfriend and her disbelief that she has been left for..well, an ugly girl. Might sound kind of mean but it is such a good track! Go onto iTunes and preview. I guarantee you’ll buy it.

Another amazing group is The Radio Dept. These boys hail from Sweden and they’re part of the Shoegazing phenomenon. This band to me is one of those bands that would be part of the soundtrack of my life. The music is so smooth and ethereal that it can transport you to any memory, place or time. Everything from the guitars, the vocals, and all the scratchy nuances on each track blend together to make this gorgeous sensory cocktail. I get a thrill when I blast them with all my windows down at night. The 30 second clips on iTunes don’t do it justice, so go on youtube and search for the album versions! Definite songs to listen to are Keen on Boys, I Don’t Like it Like This, Pulling Our Weight, and Where the Damage isn’t Already Done.

Finally, the last stop on our musical journey ends with something a little more upbeat. This band is not so obscure but they’re still not way mainstream. If you’re ever in your car on the way to a club or with your friends and in the mood to dance, MYLO is who you put on. His Destroy Rock & Roll album is a virtual club on it’s own. Super catchy jams and beats that will get your body moving. Songs to listen to are In My Arms, Musclecars, Drop the Pressure, and Rikki.

Caetano Veloso

Happy Tuesday Chic readers!!! Happy November! November is about bringing friends and family together so what better way to do that than with music. We are gonna travel to Spain this week with the 2002 release of a Spanish film called Talk to Her, directed by Pedro Almodovar. The movie was not only the best of its year but also features one of my personal Spanish favorites… Caetano Veloso. He has a voice like an angel and is perfect for mixers or even relaxing by a window getting drunk off a nice bottle of Cab all by yourself (unless that’s just me)…. Although he doesn’t have any “music videos”, this is a clip from Veloso’s brief appearance in the film along with some nice montages. I suggest this song with good speaker or head phones… Sit back, close your eyes, and enjoy Cuccurucucu Paloma… Then go to ITunes and download!!!

Reggae Ting's Steve Edwards

Hey Chic readers!! Happy Tuesday!!! Whats chicer than music? How about music with a cause. Local Las Vegas radio host of Reggae Ting, Steve Edwards, is taking the airwaves over and changing his community all at the same time. Mr. Edwards has teamed up with the Las Vegas Habitat for Humanity in the assistance of completing 12 new homes for families who would otherwise be living in substandard conditions within Clark County Nevada. Steve Edwards is persistant to evoke change and has inspired Reggae musicians from Las Vegas to Jamaica to aid him in his efforts. This unstoppable humanitarian collaboration gave birth to “A New Day” which drops TODAY (November 10th) on ITUNES! The goal is simple, sell 100,000 copies by the end of the year. Go to Itunes now and help fight for those homes. To Learn more about Reggae Ting, Steve Edwards, or to order a hard copy of A New Day, visit www.reggaeting.com. A New Day is packed with nationally recognized bands that call Las Vegas home like Kronik, One Pin Short, and Mickey Gits. It also has newer Jamaican artists going world wide like Warrior King, Natural Black, and Luciano. All selections off this compilation were selected because they inspire hope and the positive message of change. This week’s pick is from one of the local bands who I have been told are incredible live, One Pin Short… the song Pick Me Up. If you haven’t been exposed to Reggae, what a great way to start and what a chic cause!!!!

RICHIE HAVENS

This week is a special flashback Tuesday Tunage… November is our “Bring Chic people together month”…. Its when we appreciate the people around us and show it. There is nothing more Chic than family…. No matter what family may mean to you. Born Gospel and raised folk, Richie Havens was not only a voice of Wood-stock but an entire generation. He is perfect for upcoming holiday party mixes! CLICK HERE. for 1970’s I Started A Joke …. Then Go Download!!!!

-And to the Ostro family, the chicest and most loving family spread out across the US… This is for you!

PRIVATE

Happy Tuesday Chic readers!!! Its official Denmark is the new France! Seriously! The music coming out of Denmark in the last two years is really turning heads and this weeks selection is no exception. What happens when you mix the 70’s, 80’s, Justin Timberlake, with a pinch of David Bowie? You get the Danish band PRIVATE. They first hit the scene a few years ago with a couple internet hits that made them go top ten over seas. They are virtually unknown in the United States, but I am bound to change all that. There is also talk of an album due out in 2010. Lead by Thomas Troelsen, an off beat androgynous euro chic character, Private is remenesant of old disco tech and 80’s grand master funk… Pump it up and CLICK HERE for SECRET LOVER!!!!

Florence Welch of Florence + The Machine

Okay everyone who has heard of Florence + The Machine… raise your hand… If you’re not raising your hand than you live under a rock and should get out more!!!! She is retro chic, sophisticated, and can ROCK!!!! Florence Welch is her name and she leads this ensemble from England right to your Itunes FAVES!!! A few months ago she released her first full length album titled Lungs.. which is hands down one of the most innovative albums I own… (Dog Days are Over is my favorite song… but I hate the video)…. A Kiss with a Fist is her first single and I think it will have you hooked just like It did me!!! CLICK HERE to see Florence + The Machine…. and then go download … LUNGS!!!