Entries by Samantha Slyter

I am LOVING this Norwegian songstress.



Not only is her music fun and infectious but I love the way she feels about music. She posted this on her Myspace and I had to re-post it because I feel the same way about music.

I've always been obsessed with music. Most of my memories, good and bad, have their own soundtrack (which is, by the way, by far the best thing about music). This is what does it for me: A song can remind you what it's like being in love. It can even make you fall in love. The right song can mend you, break your heart, and, well, change your life. I know there is a tremendously long list of songs that have changed mine. I'll probably be struggling to write change-your-life-forever-tunes the rest of my life.

She reminds me a lot of Lenka who was one of my favorite new artists in 2009, I'm sad I didn't find this girl sooner, but I am really looking forward to hearing something new from her. Her album isn't available in the US yet, but you can find her on iTunes.

Check out Maryanna Sokol's Myspace page.



She has an album coming out soon produced by the super awesome Andrew Futral (of The Age Of Rockets) You can catch some of the unmixed tracks on her page and they've got me really excited for the album.

She is certainly someone I'll be watching in 2010!

I didn't know what to expect from The Saint before I got there. I had never heard of the venue before and I was a little nervous about going out alone in Asbury Park. The exterior didn't make me feel much better and the surrounding area I found to be a bit daunting. I wasn't going to miss Bess play though, so I took a deep breath, parked, and headed toward the show.

When I entered I could hear a female voice performing and I was a little upset because I was under the impression I was 30 minutes early. What I got to hear was the last couple of songs by a young woman named Laura Warshauer, previously unknown to me but I was pleasantly surprised. My only complaint is that I didn't get to view her entire performance. This girl has an amazing voice live, I got a chance to talk with her a little bit after the show and you can expect to hear a live performance from her on Electric Eclectic sometime in the near future.

After a brief break 17-year-old Cara Salimando took the stage. She performed a short set but I was impressed by her ability in front of a live audience. To already be so comfortable performing live, I think we can expect great things from Cara in the future!

Next up the lovely and multi-talented Bess Rogers took the stage. It's been awhile since I got to see Bess with a backing band, and was very pleased to find that it was Chris Kuffner and Elliot Jacobson, the same duo that had accompanied JOY at the City Winery the previous weekend. I don't mean to leave out her bassist's name, I just don't know him... Sorry unknown bassist!

Bess opened up with the title track from her 2009 EP Travel Back and followed it up with the carefree ditty I Don't Worry.



In a dramatic contrast she played a new song that will be on her upcoming LP. I had heard Good Enough when she played it solo at John & Peter's a few weeks ago but with a backing band it was really tremendous and it only solidified that I CAN NOT WAIT for the new album to come out. Elliot's drumming really added to the darkness of the song that I hadn't picked up on previously.

She then welcomed fellow performer Allie Moss to the stage to perform Everything to Lose. Allie's stellar backing vocals really contributed to the song. Bess kept Allie on stage for another new one All In Good Fun in which she channels the late, great Patsy Cline. I'm really excited for the studio version of this song, and Bess is indeed right, "when you lose it hurts."

This was followed up by one more new song Come Home. I just want to reiterate what a treat it is to hear Bess perform with a band backing her. Don't get me wrong, she wonderful by herself but adding extra instruments really adds something and compliments her solo performance so well. Bess finished up her set with Bulldozer and I found myself wishing that she would play just a bit longer.

During the break a broken string was replaced and the stage was set for Allie Moss. I had heard some of her work before but for some reason it hadn't stuck with me. She was backed by Bess Rogers, Chris Kuffner, Elliot Jacobson, and Lauren Zettler on keyboard.

The opening song was Days I Regret, fitting because it instantly made me regret not owning everything this girl is a part of. She's got a really endearing innocence about her voice. She followed it up with her hit Corner which you may have heard on Grey's Anatomy.

Let It Go and Meloncholy Astronotic Man were next up, followed by Passerby. The guitar in it reminded me a lot of Ingrid Michaelson's Corner Of Your Heart, which makes sense since Allie tours with Ingrid. Additionally I Bess and Chris provided really nice backing vocals for the tune and it sounded fantastic live.



Next Allie had the band take a break on the stage while she performed a solo song I Will Go Anywhere. Her vocals really shined, and I kicked myself again for not buying her EP when it came out last March.

Next up was a new song that I can not wait to hear the studio version of. I'm pretty sure Late Bloomer is one of my favorite current songs, and I wish I could hear it again! The lyrics were eerily relatible and the melody was perfect.

Allie followed up with Dig With Me and Rubber Ducky, yes... It is what you're thinking and it was surprising really awesome.

The last song of the evening was Cling To Me, it was soft and pretty and I found it to be an excellent closer. After tonight, I love Allie Moss and I am really glad I finally got a chance to listen to her work and see her live.

See more photos and videos here. Including Chris Kuffner in the best hat ever!

I couldn't have been more thrilled when I got an e-mail from one of my favorite venues, letting me know that one of my favorite artists would be performing there. Getting a chance to see Jenny Owen Youngs at the City Winery in NYC was amazing. If you’ve never been to the venue check out their page and find yourself a good show because the atmosphere and the quality of sound are both top notch. The food and drinks are on the pricey side but everything I’ve had there has been delicious.

I arrived just as Jenny was getting on stage, later then I had expected so I wasn’t able to secure a table. This particular evening Jenny was accompanied by two of my favorite NYC musicians, the multi-talented Chris Kuffner and, drummer extraordinaire Elliot Jacobson. After a moment of instrument tuning because Jenny cares about us, they launched into If I Didn’t Know. I always feel like Jenny is at her best when her backing band is comprised of her friends and tonight was no exception.

The second song of the evening was Led To The Sea, followed up by my personal favorite Drinking Song. One of the best things about seeing JOY live, is that every time she performs she manages to make each song just a little different then the last time I heard it. It keeps the songs I love from ever getting boring while holding onto the aspects that I adore about them and to me it’s what shows that’s she truly a musician and not just a singer/songwriter.

Next in the set was Secrets. I adore that song and tonight was no exception. I wish I could get my hands on a recording of Jenny performing this song with Jim Ward the way they did during the revival tour of 2009, if you missed it you should be regretful, it was pretty amazing. I tried to snap some photos but my lame camera batteries died, luckily there were real photographers there and the amazing Deborah Lopez has been kind enough to allow me the use of one of her photos.
You can view more of her work at her Myspace page. She's taken some of my favorite photos of my favorite musicians.

Things slowed down a bit during No More Words but right after the trio rocked an amazing live version of Clean Break that was out of this world.

There was only one choice to follow up such awesomeness, fan favorite Fuck Was I. Numerous people in the audience were singing along and everyone was having a great time.

I didn't think the set could get any better until Last Person came on. It was really cool because a number of people there to support Jenny were also musicians that had appeared in the music video for the song and you could hear them singing along.

She followed that up with Voice On Tape, as the music started the recorded message from Regina played in my head. Transmitter Failure was next and finished up with the closing track from her latest album Start + Stop.

This was my favorite Jenny show thus far, and I have seen her many times in the last year, in several different aspects so that's kind of saying a lot.

After a brief break Emily Wells took the stage, I had heard some of her music on her Myspace page and it was all enjoyable but I wasn't sure what to expect live. She started out with a pretty slow acapella Patty LaBelle cover and afterwards announced that her drummer and guitarist wouldn't be playing. I got a little concerned that the whole thing would just be Emily up there singing by herself. I had no idea how blown away I was about to be.

Emily's stage performance was like nothing I have ever seen. She began playing a violin, then in front of our eyes looped a recording of it and picked up another instrument. She literally built a symphony in front of our eyes and when the music was ready she began to sing.

I am not familiar enough with her music to name every track that she played, she did a fantastic cover of Notorius B.I.G.'s Juicy that blew my mind a little. For the remainder of Emily's performance she continued to amaze me and she's become an artist that I am now seeking out performances of. If you've never seen her live, it well worth the trip.

Both performers were kind enough to hang out after the show and mingle with fans. I also got a chance to see Bess and Chris again, which is always nice. I got to meet Allison Weiss for the first time and she was adorable and charming, and I got a chance to talk to Dan Romer, which was extra cool for me since I find him to be a musical genius. If you missed it you should feel bad, because it was really fantastic.

Literature Lovers is the third EP from Jose (pronounced Jo-Sea) Vanders and she just keeps getting better. Vanders gained some notoriety in late 2007 when Perez Hilton featured her on his blog but I hadn’t heard much about her in the states after that. I was pleased to find out two weeks ago that she had an upcoming 8 track release.

The lead track These Times instantly made me feel good. With her cheery light piano Vanders hooked me in and didn’t let go. I was completely amazed to find out that she is only 19, her voice and piano playing are strong and her lyrics have the maturity of someone much older.

I’m generally a big fan of females who sing with an English accent. Kate Nash and Lilly Allen are two of my favorites and Jose reminds me of them while still managing to stand out as a promising individual. She channels Kate Nash particularly strong in the ballad Man On Wire. In Fear Of… her voice reminds me a little bit of Julia Stone (Angus & Julia Stone) whom I adore. Also, anyone who uses elipses in a title is okay by me.

The catchiest track is probably The Numbers Game, but I would listen to the disc in order since Jose herself has said that's how she feels music should be heard. I agree with her there, sometimes the order of tracks is as important as the melodies themselves.

I can honestly say I liked every track on this album very much. It's perfect for fans of female singer-songwriters and well worth the money.