by Brandon Lemons
With the top 40 charts being domitated by girls with shock value, many talented female artists are going unnoticed. Lemonade Magazine brings to you our top 5 girls, who in our opinion have even more wit, talent, and yes lyrics that will make your jaw drop...
This month's music reviews including, Band of Horses and B.o.B.
So here we are! This is my debut issue of my very own magazine. I can't tell you how exciting this is for me and I can't thank everyone who has supported me enough. If not for all of you this would just be a simple blog where I gave my opinion every day to blow off steam, instead what started out as a simple idea for an entertainment blog has turned into something really special in my opinion.
We live in an internet generation, but I am still a sucker for the good old days of wondering what's going to be on the next page, scrolling down has just never been my thing...but anyway moving on, I decided I would mesh both worlds to make a refreshing read that I like to call Lemonade Magazine.
I didn't want to just design a glorified blog with fancy graphics, I wanted to make this feel real and make it an experience of sorts. You've already seen the magazine table if you have made it this far. In future months, older issues will continue to be scattered on the table, so that you can go back and check out all the past issues as well.
If you follow the link to the "lounge" you will end up at another table full of mp3 players and such featuring some of the artists you see in this debut issue as well as other artists who have submitted their work.
To sum it all up, this magazine is a place for every opinion, genre, personality, and social status. You will find everything from street performers to stadium acts here, because that is how it should be, I don't believe in art being bound by any constraints.
I won't lie, we might get a little sour every once in a while, but I can assure you once the sugar kicks in you will be smiling once again. So that is Lemonade magazine, here is your copy. Enjoy! -B
Throwing Lemons Productions and Lemonade Magazine are proud to support Foodstock. This is Foodstock's first benefit concert and it features an outstanding lineup including Simple Shelter, IG88, and James Higgins and The Muddy Boots Band. More than anything though Foodstock benefits our friends that make life all the more liveable...our four legged friends.
Local no kill animal shelters work day in and day out to make sure that lost and abandoned pets have a place to be until they find a suitable home. The least we can do is help out while getting to listen to some great music and having an all around good time. We hope to see you on June 26th! On behalf of Bay Cafe, Throwing Lemons Productions and local no kill animal shelters, thank you.
- Everyone at Lemonade Magazine
Sometimes its all about the name right? For Drunk on Crutches, the name is only what hooks you, when you hear what is on their debut record People.Places.Things. that is when they start reeling you in.
Yes Drunk on Crutches is a kick ass name as well as somewhat comical, but its actually the irony of how serious about rock and roll Drunk on Crutches are that really makes you fall in love with them. Fronted by Jennifer Whittenburg who hails from Calhoun, Georgia and lead guitarist Andrew Alekel (an L.A. native), the duo work alongside each other at a music studio in L.A. In their spare time, they record music together, thus resulting in Drunk on Crutches.
As well as being talented writers and musicians, Jennifer and Andrew are the kind of people you just cant help, but love.
Make sure to check them out at www.drunkoncrutches.com
The Top 40 charts may be dominated by avant garde outfits, over the top personalities and catchy choruses (yes even I admit I have been "ear wormed" by many of them), however there is another world out there. A metaphoric island of female artists with the power in their punch to knock out some of these Top 40 princesses, but only if you start listening...
Angie grew up on Lake Michigan, before one day deciding to skip town and find warmer temperatures. While on a sailboat bound for South America, Angie learned to play guitar. She found it easier to play her own music rather than learning covers at the time, so along with having time to spend on writing while out to sea, this is where her singer/songwriter career really began. Her debut CD Given To Sudden Panic and Noisy Retreat has everything; stories about love, family, hate, sex, anger, and happiness, as well as being influenced by a variety of different music genres, but all the while staying true to who she is. When she sings live, she can make the most popular Patsy Cline cover seem like something brand new and has a way of subtly seducing her audience.
The confidence and natural intimacy her voice exudes would remind some of a female version of Chris Isaak back in the day, with that beautiful, haunting guitar that artists like Chris Isaak have made a signature of the west coast. She has a powerhouse voice, model looks, and can write with the best of them, so why haven't you heard of her yet?
You might have heard her cover of T.I.s Whatever You Like on Gossip Girl or you might have heard her song Satellite Heart on the soundtrack for New Moon, Twilight Saga, but chances are you don't own her debut album Miss Halfway or her even bolder sophomore effort Slow and Steady Seduction: Phase II. At first listen, you hear a cute, little voice that you would expect from the girl in the photograph on the cover, but listen a little harder and you hear a girl touching on everything from sociopaths to "manifesting men of all kinds"...in her spare time.
Anya does not lack in the guts department, Yeah you may hear of bands such as The Fray covering hip hop hits like Kanye West's Heartless, but a folk/pop artist covering a song with the lyrics "Late night sex, so wet and so tight" successfully? I mean damn girl! She seems to have everything needed to make it big in this day in age; ballsy lyrics, the ability to make jaws drop, not to mention an association with vampires, what's not to love?
It is crazy, growing up in the 90s, you wouldn't think that one day you would find yourself saying a singer was a "throwback" to Sheryl Crow or Liz Phair, but Jaime Wyatt certainly is just that. Jaime was born in Santa Monica, but moved up to tiny Fox Island in Washington State until she landed her first record deal at 17 and ended up moving back to California. You may have heard her song Light Switch in the mix with other artists such as Death Cab for Cutie, Life House, and Snow Patrol on the soundtrack for the movie Wicker Park, as well as having songs on a handful of other soundtracks including Undiscovered, Midnight Meat Train, and Feast of Love.
Making good music that can be enjoyed by anyone who is a fan of pretty much any genre definitely comes naturally to Jaime, so it's no surprise she caught Jonathan Sheldon's ear when he and his sister Jane were looking for a third member for their band American Bloomers. In Jonathan's own words "I had listened to a lot of singers (before Jaime), but couldn't find anyone that totally blew my mind." Well she has blown our minds as well, now how about the rest of the world?
There is a funny, but cute story about one of Meiko's first singing performances involving a classic Christmas carol if you visit her myspace page and if you have seen her perform live, you will very quickly realize that her personality and way of engaging an audience is hard to match and impossible not to love. Her self-titled debut is as charming as it is solid and yes even includes a hidden track about...hotdogs. Whether she knows it or not, Meiko has perfected the art of having depth in her lyrics while keeping them simple at the same time. It seems that every song she writes is both relatable and easy to listen to without becoming boring.
She has toured with the likes of Jewel, collaborated with the Crystal Method, and has even endeared herself to Perez Hilton, so it's about time you added her to your iPod as well.
Like Meiko and Jennifer Whittenburg (Drunk on Crutches); Sally Jaye grew up in Georgia and then steadily made her way out west to Los Angeles to pursue her singing career. Sally's traditional style of writing and voice would make you think she is a no brainer to fill in the spots that such greats as Loretta Lynn and Emmy Lou Harris have left behind. She doesn't just sing, she tells stories, following in the foot steps of folk and country stars of old. Her debut album Amarillo delves into her childhood, as well as her time spent in Texas and Los Angeles and is a must have for anyone who craves the sound of a true singer/songwriter, so you must have it right?
Many of us want to make a difference, most of us can make a difference, but some of us don't know where to start. Arrica Rose is one person who figured out where to start.
Arrica Rose (from Arrica Rose and the ...'s) is a founder and executive director of I Heart Inc. A charity designed to empower independent artists to use their own resources they have to inspire change in their communities.
In just a little under three years, I Heart Inc. has already started to become quite the success; their first project was a sold-out 350-person event. Their most recent event had an audience of 1200 people, and raised 10 times as much and its first effort.
I Heart has helped a number of causes including Sojourn Services for Battered Women and their Children, Silverlake Conservatory of Music as well as Cancer Schmancer (which helps low income, uninsured women get free cancer screenings). Throughout I Heart's endeavors, it has gained support and participation from stars from every walk of life such as Fran Drescher, Rachel Maddow, and Willie Nelson just to name a few.
Arrica is an independent artist herself, someone who decided to start giving back now rather than later. We want to make sure I Heart Inc. stays a success! Please visit www.iheartinc.com to find out how you can help out.
Every month we feature a spotlight review done by an artist about a fellow artist or band. This month's spotlight review is on Drunk on Crutches' debut album People.Places.Things. Contributing her opinion this week is singer/songwriter Sally Jaye. The spotlight review is followed by reviews from Lemonade's contributing writers who all have a different style in their reviews. We hope you enjoy them all.
If you're over female singer-songwriter records with bouncy piano tracks, songs about "stupid boys," mousey voices, cutesy songs, and overuse of the word "love"...read on, because women can still rock!
People. Places. Things., the debut record from Drunk on Crutches, fronted by Jennifer Whittenburg from Calhoun, Georgia, reminds us that good ole rock n' roll will always be in fashion. Once you make it past the first track, Tupelo (which you will repeat over and over), you'll be off and running with a record, that not once leaves you bored and wanting to skip to the next track. People. Places. Things. hands you an authentic story in every song. That's not to say we have inside information that they are all true stories, but Whittenburg sings them like they are.
In fact, Whittenburg writes and sings with the toughness of greats such as Lucinda Williams, Loretta Lynn, and Joan Jett. With a slightly dark sense of humor (she did name her band, Drunk on Crutches after all) and a fearlessness that sets her apart from many modern female singer-songwriters, still in her 20's, Whittenburg has something to say and proves that she's lived. "Im juggling butcher knives and isopropyl alcohol" she sings in track number two, Caroline.
Recorded at Grandmaster Recorders in Hollywood, California, Andrew Alekel (co-producer, engineer, lead guitarist) makes a fitting partner for Whittenburg with never a wasted guitar note and hooks that don't just accessorize, but define the songs. Mike Campbell is to the Heartbreakers, as Andrew Alekel is to Drunk on Crutches
Stand out tracks include Tupelo, Using Me Up, Apt. 16, Calif., You'll Have to Wait, and a cover of Neil Youngs, L.A.. People. Places. Things. is 12 tracks of hit songs without any gimmicks or trendiness. What you get is sexy, gritty vocals, rocking, balls out guitars, a few chords, of course, the truth and a break from what all the other girls are doing.
"Im gonna have your baby, Im gonna call him Mary, cause this life is just as likely as if it came from God himself"
Those arent just the words of a songwriter, those are the words of a poet. Angie Mattson picks up right where she left off with her debut Given to Sudden Panic and Noisy Retreat, bringing listeners an experimental folk/pop utopia called Skeleton Arm. Given to Sudden Panic and Noisy Retreat was a real hidden gem in my opinion, and there wasn't much need for improvement from it, yet even still in Skeleton Arm Angie seems to have found even more confidence in her writing and vocal abilities. It is the kind of music that embodies the term "Americana" because it really does sound like it has influences from various sub genres around the nation.
For instance the tracks Mississippi and Cool Water have hints of the dirty south and Billie Holiday-esque lyrics, while tracks such as Friends and Weapons bring you right back to the west coast with instrumentals that would fit comfortably into a Roy Orbison album. Skeleton Arm doesn't miss a beat, and Angie's writing is strong, especially in tracks like Mary, and Sunday Paper.
The problem: I think its pretty safe to say that I entirely enjoyed this album, one minor problem (and I mean minor) is its length, at about 27 minutes long, it is a relatively short album, but on the other hand every track is solid.
The remedy: As I said, every track is solid, so put your CD player on repeat and enjoy.
-Brandon Lemons
The debut album from ATL's own B.o.B, B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray shows off his musical versatility straight off the bat with the opening track Don't Let Me Fall that has hints of piano rock greats tearing through the background and then keeps with the rock vibe heading into Airplanes (feat. Hayley Williams). This CD features a wide array of guest stars including Eminem as well as Rivers Cuomo (Weezer). B.o.B. flawlessly blends all their different sounds with his own rhymes and never seems to hit a speed bump along the way.
Songs like Magic (feat. Rivers Cuomo) make this the CD you want to have on hand for all your summer beach parties, shying away from dark and sad lyrics thus resulting in a more upbeat sound, that leaves you feeling happy.
B.o.B.'s current single Nothin on You (feat. Bruno Mars), is a solid debut, but this CD has much more to offer than just that, making it seem that B.o.B is well on his way to being Hip-Hop's next big thing. In conclusion, don't waste your time just purchasing the single that is blazing the charts right now, go out and buy the whole CD. -Brody Enyeart
I will be the first to admit I didnt know a whole lot about Band of Horses until I heard their song No Ones Gonna Love You on the NBC show Chuck. As I do with many songs I hear on TV and love, I went straight to iTunes to download the song as well as the rest of Cease to Begin and from there my love of Band of Horses only grew. However, what I loved so much from Everything All the Time and Cease to Begin is completely lacking from Infinite Arms. The best way for me to describe how I feel about their earlier work is that it kept me guessing, almost like one song was a walk through the forest, and the next was like sailing on the open sea. Infinite Arms feels more like a slow walk down the beach, watching the sunset...the whole way through. Not to say that is an entirely bad thing, songs like Neighbor and Annabelle remind me of why I became a Band of Horses fan, but when it all comes down to it I just feel like this CD will be very forgettable in the future, unlike their other work, which is simply unforgettable.
The problem: It seems to me they were so afraid of being called "sell outs" that they didn't even try to think outside the box. This sort of boring, comfort zone will please faithful hipster fans who are chomping at the bit to drop the "sell out" bomb, but on the other hand it will unlikely gain them any new fans.
The remedy: Music is art, changing it up and experimenting isn't selling out it is what every artist should do.
Although released to record stores as though it was a full length album, after I did a little research, I found out that Night Train is in fact an EP that Keane recorded in several different recording studios while on tour for their last full length album Perfect Symmetry.
There are a few cloudy spots on Night Train including a minute and a half long, instrumental interlude titled House Lights, but overall I did find myself singing the songs all day long, so I suppose even the cloudy spots weren't enough to keep the "clear skies" from shining.
High Points: Clear Skies, Your Love
Low Point: Ishin Denshin (You've Got to Help Yourself)
-Thomas E
Fame is something I find difficult to understand. Fame is non-tangible, fame is rarely forever, hardly definitive, and can be a highly manipulative force among an impressionable media market. I say this, not from direct experience, but from a passenger side view of situations involving such fame. This is a difficult topic to discuss however, because fame can be interpreted in so many ways. Merriam Webster defines fame as the condition of being known or talked about by many people, especially on account of notable achievements. I believe the purpose behind your fame, and how you attain it, is a true indicator of character. I say this not out of resentment or regret, but from an honest, retrospective angle.
I grew up in an aggressive, run-down city on the east cost, wherein making it was a necessity, no matter how or where it happened. If you stayed, it was because you couldn't afford to relocate, you were a lucky one who had one of the few lucrative jobs left in town, or you were too disillusioned to understand or relate to the sterile economy. I was connected to a few of the people that rose above mediocrity, and became a part of that famed collective. There are several instances and several names; however I will only speak of a few.
Williamsville North High School~ I had dropped out of the school band the year before, because of discipline issues with the teacher. Meanwhile, I found a young group of rebellious individuals who would eventually end up being my band-mates for the next 6 years (in different incarnations). Michael Angelokos (now of Passion Pit) recruited me to join his emerging ska band named Cherry Bing. His vision, compositions, and honesty were both remarkable and new to me. I spent the next 3 years with Michael playing music while simultaneously maturing socially and physically (quite an awkward time for most people). We recorded 3 albums together and shared thousands of memories.
All too suddenly, it seemed he became more distant and removed from the band. It was the summer of 2002, during the pinnacle of our young career, when he decided to move on from the group. Concurrently, Shaant Hacikyian, a young-man displaced from a private school in Canada, moved to my High School desperately seeking company and purpose. I befriended him, because he seemed like an honest person at the time. He confided to me one day in the school library that he wished more than anything in his life, to be a musician. Still in shock over Michael's abrupt departure from our group, I didn't think twice of what he said.
Later that week at practice, Michael's father called an emergency meeting and met us in the practice space. He told us Michael's request: that we ceased performing all of the songs he wrote (virtually everything), and told us we would need to find new material. He told us if we continued playing his songs, there would be harsh repercussions. Hearing this at such a young-age was shocking to me; how could something that brought me such joy, also be so closely associated to overwhelming feelings of confusion and pain? We decided as a band we would move on and get a new singer/guitarist. We ended up finding Jeff Czum and Shaant (Cute is what we Aim For/Nocturnal Me). We played for two more years as Cherry Bing, eventually recording our final disc at the Chameleon West Studios in Buffalo, NY. The album was enough of a success that we were eventually able to tour throughout the east coast and even landed on the Warped Tour. We were then offered a contract with Drive-Thru Records. However instead of accepting the contract like we had agreed, Shaant and Jeff decided otherwise. They returned to the Chameleon West, dropped the horns and credits, changed the name, and re-submitted the material to a different record label. Shortly thereafter Cute Is What We Aim For had a paramount distribution deal and were signed to a major label. They had received almost immediate success. Because of their newfound fame, Shaant decided to slander us in several accusatory interviews, including nationally syndicated magazines like the Associate Press.
His second record was produced a year later by John Feldmann of Goldfinger, but eventually flopped along with his next Take Action Tour. When I went home this summer, Shaant had recently cut all of his own hair off and was alone at the side of the bar. His record label, and all the people he stepped on along the way, were gone. Certainly fame proved itself here, that it is certainly not forever. He took a huge risk to expose himself to the nation, but eventually he ended up worse than any of us: without a high school education, broke, and abandoned.
Michael had a brief stint with an indie band throughout the remainder of high school. We still hung out on occasion, and supported each others music, but ever since his departure from Cherry Bing, Michael saw no interest in re-kindling our roots.
A few years later, while at Boston University, he started a pop-electro band called Passion Pit, a completely original, intellectual version of electronica. Since their inception, both of Passion Pits albums have gone gold. I have offered my gratitude, humility and love to Michael in several emails and voicemails, as he continues to play sold-out concerts around the globe. As his fame rises, so does his forgetfulness, he has yet to return my calls or answer my emails, even though he roams through the Northwest every few months on tour.
No matter when he remembers, I wish him the best of luck, as fame has certainly changed my friend for better or worse.
However on the flip-side, I know another select group of people, who have acquired fame under different circumstances. Three gentlemen I went to high school with now playing professional football. While they have much more lucrative contracts than my musician compadres, and seem busier, learning NFL play-books and having multiple mandatory practices/interviews a day, they are much more humble and appreciative to those who supported them on the way up the ladder of success. Even though I knew Michael, Shaant and Jeff much more intimately than my sports friends, Dan, Chris and Rob Gronkowski, the athletes are still in communication with me today. The fact that we spent significantly less-time together in our youth, and their ability to remember and converse with me today, shows you sides of character rarely associated with fame;
humility and honor. The Gronkowskis have worked hard every single day since the moment I met them. Their fame, no matter the duration, will always be significant. They didn't use anyone besides themselves to reach their success.
I write this article not out of jealousy or contempt, because happiness for me does not come in a material form, and money is not my end-goal (although I would not refuse it). However, I do write this out of complete warning to those of you who will "make it". Be good to everyone, and as much as possible, respect those who have helped you along the way. There is too much suffering in this world to have ego be the dominant force in our society.
I was the ripe and tender age of nine when my parents set me loose on the world of music to begin to define my own sound. It was a few months later when I was running home with my packs of bubble gum from the corner store. I was never very fond of the bubble gum, I had bought it only for the Spice Girls stickers that came with it, and I had finally collected all five. That evening when my Dad got home from work I begged him and my mom to let me put them on my night table. My father's reply was brief and simple. "No, you aren't going to love them forever Sabrina."
"No Dad! I'll love the Spice Girls forever and ever!" I replied, trying to make a final plea in my defense.
By the time I entered high school the Spice Girls, Backstreet Boys, Hanson, NSYNC, 98 Degrees, Britney Spears, and Alanis Morissette CDs had been properly hidden and forgotten about. If anyone was to ever ask me, I never ever listened to them. Ever. I had reached the teenage musical shame faze, just as my father had told me I would.
I forget when I decided to reintroduce this 'shameful' 90's music into my daily routine, but one day the CDs found their way into my stereo and I found myself dancing around enjoying every single pop filled note.
So now here are my 90's music confessions, and I dare you to do the same, embrace the pop-tastic sounds we all still love.
Confession one: MmmBop is, and will remain to be, my bad day song. I can't not dance to it.
Confession two: Laundry folding is always accompanied with the Spice Girls Stop
Confession three: I know every single word to every single Spice Girls song ever.
Confession four: I have always, and will always, find guys who can admit their love for the Backstreet Boys or Alanis incredibly captivating and absolutely adorable.
Confession five: I own a Britney Spears photo album (pre-JT), and I never actually got rid of it.
Confession six: Finally, Spice World is one of my top 10 favourite movies.
There you have it, I am not ashamed and neither should any of you be! These were all part of the soundtrack to our childhoods and taking a trip down memory lane is never a bad thing...especially when it brings a smile to your face.
