There was a five-piece folk rock band called Passenger and the big money label behind it and there was a critically acclaimed debut album, Wicked Man’s Rest, but when the members of that band chose to go their own separate ways in 2007, Mike Rosenberg opted to stick with the Passenger moniker and trust in his music, his voice and his guitar to take him where it would. He took to the streets and discovered not only that the experience enormous fun, but it also proved empowering for the likeable musical troubadour.
He (Mike Rosenberg) first took his act in October 2009 to Australia where he supported acts like Lior and Sydneysiders Elana Stone and Brian Campeau, and then played One Movement, a major music industry-focus festival in Perth. This earned him a big following in Australia and was selling out 500-seater venues across Australia.
His debut solo album Wide Eyes Blind Love, was released in 2009.
The follow-up album was Flight of the Crow (2010) was recorded in Australia and saw him joined in the studio by various Australian independent musical talents including Lior, Kate Miller-Heidke, Boy & Bear, Josh Pyke and Katie Noonan, in addition to a fans-only limited release Divers and Submarines.
During the summer and autumn of 2012, Passenger toured around the UK, opening for Jools Holland, Ed Sheeran and joined Australian acts the John Butler Trio, and Josh Pyke with a co-headlined UK tour. He also opened for Ed Sheeran's 2012 North American tour. All The Little Lights was released in summer of 2012 in North America on Nettwerk Records. He also opened for Ed Sheeran on his four out of five sell out dates in Ireland in January 2013 and in Australia and New Zealand in early 2013, and supported Sheeran in his Brighton dates.
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I found Passenger on YouTube last month (April 2013) and absolutely loved him. His voice is so unique. I really appreciate artists with this type of singing voice, it's the calming kind. I love his album artwork too (seen on the lefy); it's very eye catching. It's just so creative and pretty.
The Lighthouse and the Whaler is a band from Cleveland, Ohio, though its name alludes to the waters off the coast of Massachusetts. Inspired by a theme from Moby Dick, the band's name alone is enough to make underpaid Literature teachers beam with pride.
It all started with two musicians -- Michael LoPresti and Aaron Smith -- who decided to collaborate in a field one sunny afternoon because that seemed nicer than playing in a basement. By the end of the day they had written their first song. They gave it a profound name: "The Field Song." When it was selected for a Paste Sampler CD, Aaron and Michael decided to make a proper run at it.
The Lighthouse and the Whaler released a four-song EP in 2008 and a self-titled/produced/released album in 2009. Two songs from that album -- "White Days" and "Under Mountain, Under Ground" -- found their way to TV and radio. With more fans to play for, The Lighthouse and the Whaler hit the road and toured across America. Somewhere between Boston and Seattle, the band picked up three new members -- Matthew, Mark and Steve – thereafter, fulfilling the prophesy that was to be five young men stuffed in a forest green Chevy Venture, searching for open ears and loyal hearts.
The Lighthouse and the Whaler plays indie-pop and does not believe that genre labels tell you anything you need to know about a band. It has nevertheless caught the attention of MTV, Paste, FILTER, Spinner, Under the Radar, Daytrotter, KEXP and other media outlets that cater to indie-pop music fans.
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I found them on YouTube just a month ago. They are now my favorite band.
They're the type of band that I call my own. At first, I didn't want to share their great music because I really don't like it when people (I personally know that are not indie fans) like my artists and claim that they found them first. But then I thought, they're really good and people seriously need to hear their music. So I pushed away my greed and then TA DAAA.
Enjoy! THEY'RE SERIOUSLY AMAZING. YOU WILL NOT REGRET LISTENING TO THEM AT ALL.
I am going to end this blog post with my personal favorite. This one's soo good. It's great to listen to it while travelling. Or like make it as a background song to your travelling videos. It's just simply great to listen to even if it's all just repeating. That's one thing I love about them. Plus this one is super catchy.
Buy their singles/EPs/album here. (or just search them on iTunes)
In many ways, Nina Nesbitt is a typical teen. She thinks about boys and growing up, mistakes made and lessons learnt, while watching the world change around her. But behind the bright blonde mane and the soft Scottish brogue is an 18 year old with extraordinary talent and a rare determination. Nesbitt doesn’t just brood about typical teen issues, she sets them, bewitchingly, to song.
“I was an extremely shy kid,” she says. “But from the age of 6, I wrote short stories, which I started putting to music when I got a keyboard at ten.”
One of the first songs she wrote on guitar, Standing On One Leg, about growing up, broke her in to the music business after a chance meeting with Ed Sheeran at a radio gig in Edinburgh last summer.
“I was chatting to him and asked for tips on becoming a singer,” says Nesbitt. “He handed me his guitar and told me to play something. I sang Standing On One Leg, nervously, but I must have done okay because Ed immediately offered me a gig in Glasgow.”
She turned down offers from labels to sign her. She wanted to build her fanbase and develop her sound.
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I found her on YouTube last December 2012 (I think) and I loved her ever since.
Fell in love with this song from the moment she pressed the keys:
This one is so catchy:
People have been saying she's the female version of Ed Sheeran. I honestly disagree. She gives me a different vibe. I don't like comparing artists.
I also love her sense of fashion (just putting it out there).
She is amazingly talented so don't hesitate to click the play button. Try and listen to her other songs/covers too!
Let me give you a brief 411 on the international bands playing for the said event:
The Temper Trap
+ An Australian indie rock band that formed in 2005.
+ Members: Dougy Mandagi (vocals), Jonathon Aherne (bass guitar), Toby Dundas (drums), Lorenzo Sillitto (lead guitar) and Joseph Greer (keyboards and guitar).
+ Their albums are 'Conditions' and 'The Temper Trap'.
+ If you've seen the movie '(500) Days of Summer' then they're probably familiar.
+ They're very known for their single 'Sweet Disposition'. (It's my personal favorite. It gives me that fresh, chill-y, cold feeling in the morning. It's also the song that's ALWAYS playing on my tv screen when you just turned it on. Thank you, Local Cable.)
+ In my opinion, this band gives me a fresh feeling. I can't explain how, but they just do.
Neon Trees
+ An American alternative rock band.
+ Members: Tyler Glenn (lead vocals), Christopher Allen (guitar), Branden Campbell (bass), Elaine Bradley (drums)
+ Their albums are 'Habits' and 'Picture Show'.
+ If you haven't heard their songs 'Animal' and 'Everybody Talks', then you're probably living under a rock.
Nada Surf
+ An American alternative rock band
+ Members: Matthew Caws (vocals), Ira Elliot (drums), Doug Gillard (lead guitar)
+ Their albums are 'High/Low' (1996),
The Proximity Effect (1998), 'Let Go' (2002), 'The Weight Is a Gift' (2005), 'Lucky' (2008), 'If I Had a Hi-Fi' (2010), 'The Stars Are Indifferent To Astronomy' (2012).
Avalanche City
+ A New Zealand folk music band from Auckland.
+ It was originally a solo project of David Baxter but he then assembled a group of musicians namely Ben Duncan (drums), Johnny Brock (bass), Ben Tolich (keyboards and manjo), Strahan Cole (electric guitar, banjo, ukulele and backing vocals), and Romelli Rodriguez on (violin, glockenspiel, piano accordion and percussion).
+ Their album is 'Our New Life Above the Ground'.
+ There's this app called 8tracks (it's really really cool so download it) where you go around and listen to other people's playlists/mixtapes depending on your mood and whenever I go through the Indie category, they usually show up there.
Color Coding
+ Cousins based in Sydney making pop music (that's what they said on their facebook)
+ Its members are Tim Commandeur and Chris Holland.
+ Their EP is 'Proof'.
+ I actually know the song 'Perfect', I just didn't know the artist until now. (I absolutely love the song.)
Tully on Tully
+ Melbourne band.
+ Natalie Foster (vocals), Iain McRae (bass), and Peter Corrigan (piano).
That's about it so... Save the date! May 18, 2013 at Globe Circuit Event Grounds.
