She & Him Volume Two - Just in time for Spring!

Thanks to Twitter and @Redscroll Records, I found out yesterday that She & Him's Volume 2 is streaming over at NPR right now here: First Listen: She And Him, 'Volume Two'. It's definitely worth a listen. Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward's first She & Him album - Volume One - was really something unique with Deschanel's crooning voice and kind of old-fashioned but very classic and timeless sound. It was the kind of album you bob your head to in the car or secretly dance to when you're wearing a dress or skirt that spins - kind of like the dancing Deschanel does in the new video for "In the Sun," which I've embedded above.

You can do that even more with Volume Two. The songs are extremely refreshing, with their sunny pop style. I really like "In The Sun," but I think "Home" is my favorite song on this album. It's beautiful. Spring is in bloom here in Connecticut, and listening to Volume Two goes perfectly with that feeling. I agree with Stephen Thompson in his article on the NPR First Listen: "It's more confection than confessional, but it's a kind-natured one; the audio equivalent of a spring breeze that wafts in at a perfect time."

The album comes out March 23, just in time for Spring. I'm definitely looking forward to listening to it in the car on a sunny day with the windows down and that spring breeze.

Tom Petty tickets on sale today!

(Photo from livenation.com)

Got my tickets Friday through a River 105.9 presale, but tickets for the Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Crosby, Stills and Nash Aug. 17 show at the Meadows went on sale officially just a few minutes ago.

Went with lawn seats because they're fun and affordable, but the ticket prices range from $29 for lawn to $119 for closer seats. I saw Tom Petty with Steve Winwood a few summers ago, and it was awesome. This is sure to be just as awesome. I know someone who paid $50 to see part of Crosby, Stills and Nash, so this is quite the deal. Also, with a purchased ticket, you get a download of Tom Petty's new album, and after the show, they're releasing downloads of eight live songs.

The show is Aug. 17 at 7 p.m. at the Meadows, or Comcast Theater, in Hartford.

I had a quick review from the last show here: Summer Concert Reviews

Severed Inn Premiere Weekend

My story on the Sunday screening of "The Severed Inn" was in the paper yesterday. Here's the link (which will work for 90 days until it goes to the archives): "Severed' movie connected to local hot spots"

I wrote about the filming of this movie last summer, so I had to go to the premiere. It was everything I had hoped for and more. Producer and President of Legion Films Aaron Vnuk assured the audience that it was OK to laugh because this movie was as much a dark comedy as it was a horror film, and there were parts that were pretty funny. For more on Legion Films visit their website: http://www.legionfilms.com/

Celebrating Queen - the review

If you closed your eyes or looked away, you could almost pretend that Freddie Mercury was on the Warner Theater stage in Torrington Saturday night.

Joe Archambeault, who also goes by J.J. Midnight, lead singer of Celebrating Queen, a Queen tribute band, sounded like Mercury trying to do an impression of himself. His voice shrilled as he hit the higher notes, he carried around the half microphone, painted his nails and wore leather pants. He didn't look like Mercury, but he did a good impression, and when he wasn't trying too hard to sing, he really pulled it off. Celebrating Queen played all the hits, starting with "Princes of the Universe" and fake-ended with "Bohemian Rhapsody" featuring students from the Warner performing arts center. They came back for an encore with "We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions."

Some highlights: This was the home crowd. Archambeault, his brother who was on keyboards and another guitarist are all from Bristol, which isn't too far away from Torrington. The lead guitarist was from Naugatuck, and he definitely had friends and family there. Also, there was a pair of little kids from St. Louis with a band called "Pickletank." They sang "We Will Rock You" earlier in the show, before the big encore version. The red-headed kid was adorable and really into it. The best highlight of all, though, was that I got to sit next to the biggest Queen/Celebrating Queen fan in the world. He sang every lyric to every song and even harmonized with Archambeault. I was going to tell him that he should form his own Queen cover band, but as soon as the show ended, he left before I could.

Tonight: Celebrating Queen

I'm going to see Celebrating Queen, a Queen cover band, tonight at the Warner in Torrington. It should be a good show. Fellow Bristol Press staff writer James Drzewiecki interviewed the lead singer from Celebrating Queen for our entertainment page this weekend because the singer's from Bristol. James told me earlier this week that real Queen members have told this band they're doing a good job. It's all in his article here: Celebrating Queen is a killer tribute to Freddie.

The show's tonight at 8 at the Warner Theater, 68 Main St., Torrington.

Vampire Weekend plays in a house in Barcelona? That is the coolest thing ever!

Maybe I'm on a Spain kick, but I just saw @pitchforkmedia tweet this, and I just had to blog about it/embed the video here so when I look back on my posts, it'll make me watch it again.

According to the video description, this person's friend ran into Vampire Weekend at a bar after a concert on Feb. 27, and invited them back to this birthday party. Apparently Vampire Weekend went back and performed a little concert there. The video is awesome. It's obviously intimate since the band's squished into a tiny corner, and you can see that the mirror in back has "Fiesta" written on it, and everyone there is so excited and having a great time. I also like the guy smoking in front. If this were my birthday party, it would be the highlight of my life. Actually, I wish I could have been there because it would have meant I was in Barcelona, and I really miss Spain and need to go back, stat. Coolest thing ever.

Quick thought: I wish this were a real song.

I've been really feeling a lot of songs in commercials lately. They've been quirky and fun, and often they're by indie artists getting awesome exposure this way. One of my new favorite songs isn't a song at all. I don't even know what Kayak is (and no, I didn't look it up even though I'm including this commercial here), but I love the song at the end: Estas listas? Estoy listo! Vamanos! (Are you ready? I'm ready! Let's go!) I did a quick google search and found that it's not a full song - it was recorded for the commercial. It really should be a song. I'd buy the album. It reminds me of fun summers in Spanish-speaking countries, and I love it. Maybe I miss Spain. Or maybe I need a vacation..

Anyway, if you've watched any TV lately, you've definitely seen this commercial. But if not, or if you need to refresh your memory, I've embedded it here. (You can go to the :18 mark and skip most of the kissing scenes.)