New Tunes From T-Maze

Your iPod is soooo two thousand-and-late. It's time for some New Music suggestions.

Pop

Gym Class Heroes - "Stereo Hearts" (ft. Adam Levine)

Being released to iTunes yesterday, this song is hot off the presses (or whatever they call it in the music biz; I'm in News-Herald mode right now).



Cee Lo Green - "Bright Lights Bigger City" (ft. Wiz Khalifa)

After a few quirky singles, Cee Lo has joined the world of fist-bumping club anthems. And has Wiz Khalifa turned into 2011's Pitbull? He seems to be featured in every song these days.



Foster The People - "Pumped Up Kicks"

I wanted a pair of pumped up kicks back in the early nineties, but my mom wouldn't buy them for me. Instead, I believe I settled for a pair of LA Gear's.



Country

Craig Campbell - "Fish"

I never got the appeal of fishing, but if I did, I wouldn't mind vibing to this tune as I cast a lure into Lake Erie. *Warning* This song includes a few nauseating puns and double entendres.



Brett Eldredge - "It Ain't Gotta Be Love"

I can't help it. I'm a sucker for an acoustic guitar solo.



The Dirt Drifters - "Always a Reason"

Not saying I don't like this song, but I recommend listening to these guys because I love their name.



Rock

Foo Fighters - "Walk"

I have seen Foo Fighters three times, and they have won a Grammy after I checked them out. I must be Dave Grohl's good luck charm.


Cold - "Wicked World"

This is a band I'm happy to see get back together. They are fantastic live, as I saw them when Year of the Spider was on the charts.



Skillet - "It's Not Me It's You"

I've had many a fight with previous girlfriends by just saying the name of this Skillet tune.

Mid-June NEO Concert Calendar

Ladies and gents, what I have posted below is the concert calendar for Northeast Ohio this week.

Again, if you don't live in the area, you can skip this post and rejoin me for my New Music Wednesday feature.

Monday 6/13

Foster The People, with Canon Blue, Gardens And Villa (Sold Out)
Grog Shop (Cleveland Heights), 8 PM

Tuesday 6/14

"Glee Live! In Concert"
Quicken Loans Arena, 7:30 PM

Kate Voegele (Sold Out)
House of Blues - Cambridge Room, 9:30

Against Me!, with Screaming Females, Lemuria, The Sidekicks
House of Blues, 8 PM

The Cave Singers
Grog Shop, 8 PM

Wednesday 6/15

Musiq Soulchild
House of Blues, 9 PM

Thursday 6/16

Art Brut
Beachland Ballroom, 8:30 PM

Rubblebucket
Beachland Ballroom, 9 PM

Janis Ian
Cain Park, 8 PM

Corey Smith
Musica, 8 PM

Friday 6/17

Warren Haynes Band
House of Blues, 9 PM

Miranda Lambert, with Joe Nichols, Josh Kelley
Clay's Park, 6 PM

Zoso (The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Experience)
Rockin' on the River

Taylor Eigsti, with Becca Stevens
Nighttown, 9 PM

Ian McLagan
The Winchester, 9 PM

Brothers Past
Grog Shop, 8 PM

Saturday 6/18

Gary Allen, with Montgomery Gentry
Clay's Park, 2:45 PM

Hotel California (Original Tribute to The Eagles)
Lock 3 Live Amphitheater

John Doyle, with Karan Casey
Evans Amphitheater, 8 PM

Title Fight
Now That's Class

Kevin Seconds
Beachland Ballroom, 8 PM

Waterband
The Winchester, 9 PM

Wrapping Up The Week That Was

That's right, folks, 'tis Friday.

I know you are all anxious to see what I post for my Guilty Pleasure Song of the Week. Hold your horses, I'll get to that in a jiffy.

But first, the headlines:

Flo Rida was popped for a DUI and driving under a suspended license. The club can't handle him, but the Miami Beach Police Department had no problem doing so.

Even Gwen Stefani thinks her solo career has gone bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S.

Red Hot Chili Peppers have a new album set for an August 30th relea- OH MY GOD, WHAT'S WITH THE MUSTACHE????

Will.i.am. forgets the lyrics to a Black Eyed Peas song, and used his cell phone as a cheat sheet. These kids today and their rap music and their mobile phones.

I think I look better in hot pants than Christina Aguilera.

Buzzcocks frontman tells a story of stealing cocaine from Kurt Cobain. Looking back, maybe he should have taken the heroin and a shotgun from Kurt as well.

Speaking of drugs, Aerosmith is recording their first album in ten years.

The biggest and hottest band coming to a town near you is......Maroon 5???

Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson: "We're better than Metallica...and it's true!" In fairness, everyone is better than Metallica since 1991.

Two A-list rappers and a bunch of indie rock bands you've never heard are headlining Bonnaroo this weekend.

And now, for my Guilty Pleasure Song of the Week:

Savage Garden - "Truly, Madly, Deeply"

This is a "roll your car windows up" song for me. This is also one of those tunes you haven't heard in years, yet you vividly remember all the lyrics. Or maybe it's just me. Who knows. Anywho, enjoy the ditty, and have a fun-filled weekend.

Hot New Tunes For A Hot Day

I have been informed that, at the time of this writing, it is about 95 degrees outside. I would not know, since I have chosen some new music for you to download, in the comfort of my air conditioned home.

Pop

Coldplay - "Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall"

I could be wrong, but this may be the first time Coldplay will be bumping in the club. Never in my life would I hear Chris Martin's voice as I Moonwalk on the dance floor.



Big Sean - "My Last" (ft. Chris Brown)

Chris Brown is "gonna hit this drink up like...", well, make your own joke here. It's too easy for me.



Porcelain Black - "This is What Rock n' Roll Looks Like" (ft. Lil' Wayne) (NSFW)

This song wins the award for "Most Misleading Song Title", because this isn't what rock n' roll looks or sounds like. Unless, of course, I'm old fashioned, which may or may not be the case.



Country

Scotty McCreery - "I Love You This Big"

I haven't watched American Idol since Brian Dunkleman was on, so I admittedly do not know much about Scotty McCreery. However, how does that voice come out of this 17-year-old kid??



Kellie Pickler - "Tough"

Here's another American Idol contestant gone bigtime. This song is catchy enough for the mainstream, but country enough for the genre.



JT Hodges - "Hunt You Down"

JT Hodges is a rising star in the country world. Probably more folksy than country, but nonetheless some good toe-tapping music.



Rock

Sick Puppies - "Riptide"

Another single off their album, Tri-Polar, the beginning sounds A LOT like Green Day's "Brain Stew". But I could be just nitpicking here...



Limp Bizkit - "Shotgun" (NSFW)

Many bands change their style over the years, but not Limp Bizkit. "Shotgun" sounds like it could have been released during the Clinton administration.



Blue October - "The Chills"

After touring the country with an acoustic set, Blue October is back with a full-length album entitled Any Man in America. They are definitely capitalizing on this recent revival of alternative rock.

June 6th-12th Concert Calendar

Each Monday, I post pretty much all of the concerts coming to Northeast Ohio.

This way, I can inform you of all the national acts coming to town, along with some local can't-miss musicians. Northeast Ohio houses some great places to catch live music, and I have posted the times and ticket info for each venue.

After all, there's nothing better than checking out live music, right?

Tuesday 6/07

Panic! At The Disco, with Fun., Foxy Shazam, and Funeral Party
House of Blues, 6:30 PM

The Dodos, with Gauntlet Hair and Shoreway
Grog Shop (Cleveland Heights), 8 PM

Daryl Hance
Beachland Ballroom, 8:30 PM

Civil Twilight, with Pete Nischt and The Motions, and The Heights Band
Musica (Akron), 8 PM


Wednesday 6/08

Otep, with One-Eyed Doll, Blackguard, Sister Sin, and Destrophy
Peabody's Concert Club, 6:30 PM

Ray LaMontagne, with Brandi Carlile
Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica, 7 PM

Dennis Coffey
Beachland Ballroom, 8:30 PM

Nicole Atkins & The Black Sea
Beachland Ballroom, 8:30 PM

Hank And Cupcakes
House of Blues - Cambridge Room, 9 PM

Thursday 6/09

Jimmy Thackery & The Drivers
Beachland Ballroom, 8 PM

Friday 6/10

Kelly Richey,
The Winchester (Lakewood), 9 PM

"Canton Blues Festival" with Michael Burks
Downtown Canton, begins at Noon

Fortunate Son (CCR Tribute)
Lock 3 Live Amphitheater (Akron), 7 PM

Saturday 6/11

"Indians Music Festival" with Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton, and Jerrod Niemann
Progressive Field, 4 PM

Béla Fleck & The Flecktones
Evans Amphitheatre (Cleveland Heights), 8 PM

Neon Indian, with Oberhofer and Radio People
Grog Shop, 8 PM

"Canton Blues Festival" with Ronnie Baker Brooks
Downtown Canton, begins at Noon

Sunday 6/12

David Bazan, with Cotton Jones
Musica, 8 PM

The English Beat
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, 7 PM

Faster Pussycat
Ripper Owens Tap House (Akron)

Friday, Friday Blog

It is indeed Friday, Friday, and we gotta get down to brass tacks.

What I do on Fridays is wrap up a collection of the top headlines in the music world, as well as posting a few quirky, off-the-wall stories.

Also, I will embarrass myself each week by choosing a song from YouTube that happens to be a guilty pleasure of mine. By all means, feel free to post your sneers and jeers at me in the comments section.

But first, let's begin with the headlines of the week:

Sean Kingston has regained consciousness after a horrifying accident on a jet ski. He'll be hanging out with beautiful girls again in no time.

A handful of special interest groups have attacked Rihanna for her new music video, where she shoots and kills a man in cold blood. In other news, music videos are still being released.

Rolling Stone has released their 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Sadly, Eddie Murphy's "Party All the Time" and Master P's "Make 'Em Say Uhh" missed the cut. (*warning*: slideshow)

T-Pain has vowed to give up Auto-Tune for good. Unfortunately, he hasn't given singing up for good.

Ever wonder who Justin Timberlake is hooking up with these days? I've lost count, but this piece from Starpulse may help tie up loose ends.

Justin Bieber will be presenting an award at the CMT Music Awards. For the layperson, CMT stands for "Country Music Television". However, I would rather see Justin present a country music award than, say, Kid Rock.

Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees, Queens of the Stone Age) recorded a haunting version of Johnny Cash's "The Beast in Me" for The Hangover II soundtrack.

Ke$ha went to Twitter to find a name for her new puppy. How about $cruffy? Or $pot?

And now, the time you've all been waiting for...

T-Maze's Guilty Pleasure Song of the Week

This week, I have chosen "Your Love" by The Outfield.

Being that I'm only 23, I don't have a close association with '80s music, other than the fact that cover bands seem to be popping up frequently at your local watering hole.

But if I were twenty years older, I can see myself grooving to this tune while at the roller rink or with the windows of a Trans Am rolled down.

New Music for the Month of June

Welcome to my inaugural "New Music Wednesday" post. I hope you enjoy glancing over it as much as I did publishing it.

My goal for New Music Wednesdays is to open your mind and expand your iPod playlist. I occasionally catch myself saying that music ain't what it used to be (get off my lawn!), but maybe my mind is closed, or I'm just not listening to the right stations.

I pick three songs from three different genres: Pop, country, and rock (since that's mainly what people listen to anyway, amirite?).

Since today is June 1st, it is the unofficial start of summer for many (I, personally, feel like I've been on summer break for three months). The songs I have chosen for this week are tunes you can roll the windows down and pester everyone in your neighborhood with.

Pop:

DJ Khaled - "I'm On One (ft. Drake, Rick Ross, and Lil Wayne)" (NSFW)

Here we have the heavy hitters in the hip-hop world with this sure-to-be summertime anthem. I guarantee my 19-year-old neighbor will be blasting this song from his F150 at 3:30 in the morning very soon.



New Boyz - "Better With The Lights Off (ft. Chris Brown)"

Yep, I can see this song playing at the clubs, with 72,000 different remixes of it.



Owl City - "Deer in the Headlights"

Just like 2009's "Fireflies", Owl City comes out with another embarrassingly catchy tune. I see you tapping your foot to it. Don't lie.



Country:

Darius Rucker - "I Got Nothin'"

I got nothin' else to say about this song, other than you should listen to it. Darius Rucker sang the National Anthem at an Indians-Reds game at old Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, and it seemed all 50,000+ in attendance said in unison, "Hey! It's Hootie!" (sorry to bore you with that pointless story)



Colt Ford - "She Likes To Ride in Trucks"

This is a neat little diddy, but it's kind of a change for Colt Ford as he's a beer-drinkin' country rap artist. I didn't know there was such an animal! (and no, Kid Rock doesn't count)



Steve Azar - "Soldier Song"

This is a very nice song, especially since Memorial Day was just two days ago. If you can get through this song without shedding a tear, I'll eat my hat.



Rock:

Apocalyptica - "Not Strong Enough (ft. Brent Smith of Shinedown)

If you've never heard of Apocalyptica, then I certainly recommend you check out their catalog. The band is made up of three cellists and a drummer, and their songs all have guest vocalists from the rock world.



Rise Against - "Make It Stop"


"Rise Against are a bunch of sell-outs! I liked 'em better before they were popular!" <--That is an actual quote from an acquaintance of mine. I thought the goal in one's musical career is to play in front of packed amphitheaters, not run-down dive bars in Duluth, Minnesota?



Arctic Monkeys - "Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair"

The kings of British indie rock are back with this jaunty tune. Now hold up a second, I have to download this and toss it on my iPod...