The Troops Go Gaga...

Telephone Remake @ Yahoo! Video

Our troops do their video version of Lady Gaga's "Telephone." It gets better as it goes on. Though not *that* much.

A Case of the Fridays

Local modern-rockers No Second Troy just dropped a new album, Colors, this week. During the recording process, lead singer Jeff Wharen said they looked to “capture the band at its most authentic.” As a result, Colors is a more organic-sounding record, with less digital editing, and more focus on "pairing the aesthetics of the musical and the lyrical." Check out “Leap of Faith” from Colors below, a beautiful acoustic-driven ballad with its fragile harmonies and atmospheric electric guitar. No Second Troy will be having their CD-release party this Saturday, May 1st, at the Black Cat in DC.

MP3: Leap of Faith – No Second Troy

I first came upon Ryan Star (see above) during season two of Rock Star (Rock Star: Supernova). He impressed me with his raspy vocals and strong finish in the competition; however, I really hadn’t considered what would become of him afterwards. But when I heard his recent recordings, my interest was definitely piqued. Though Star's new album, 11:59, keeps getting delayed, several of its new tracks are available as an EP (Last Train Home) - kind of a teaser until the whole album drops, and the EP title track is a wonderful slice of anthemic, triumphant modern rock. If you like what you hear, Ryan Star will be at IOTA in Arlington Sunday, May 2nd.

MP3: Last Train Home – Ryan Star

El Prezidino Gives VA Props

Yeah, no doubt you’ve heard Jay-Z’s ode to New York, “Empire State of Mind,” but doesn’t New York already have enough songs? So DC-based Virginia-native hip-hop artist El Prezidino takes things back, reveling in his proud twist on Jay-Z’s hit with his live recording of “Excuse My Commonwealth.” Hey, we’re in Virginia, and he knows we need an anthem (so put your damn hands up!) that you can check it out below. El Prezidino flips things VA-style, throwing out regional references left and right, even getting Richmond neo-soul singer Nickey McMullen to play Alicia Keys to his H.O.V.A. while his band, M.O.R., nails the instrumentals. His new mixtape, Almost Genius, Almost Crazy, is dropping May 31st, but you can catch him before that Friday, May 7th, in DC at The Red & The Black.

El Prezidino - Excuse My Commonwealth by 3Fingers Music Group

Gang Starr's Guru

I had always meant to get around to listening to East Coast hip-hop legends Gang Starr. Unfortunately, it took today's death of their MC, Guru, to get me to do so. I'm really liking what I hear so far. And I'm especially digging the above track "Militia," with its irresistibly funky bassline and rhythm track and muscular rhymes.

Caleb Stine Takes Upperville

Sunday night I was lucky enough to catch Baltimore singer/songwriter Caleb Stine at a house concert out in Upperville, VA, where I could actually see the Blue Ridge Mountains in the afternoon and the Big Dipper when the sun went down. Caleb has a folky bent to his music, playing solo acoustic guitar with a very nice finger picking technique, and vocally, he reminds me just a bit of John Gorka. There's a wonderful intimacy to Caleb's voice and lyrics, drawing the listener in, like he's sharing his inner-most secrets. Here's a very well-done video (not from the house concert, alas) of him performing the achingly lovely "My Service Isn't Needed Anymore" live.

1/10-Scale Nissan SE-R Still Drifts

A 1/10-scale R/C Nissan SE-R does some very nifty driving and drifting in this Nissan commercial. Definitely worth a look.

More Gaga Coverage / Lissie

I'm really digging this cover version of Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" by Lissie. Her voice is a powerful growl, kinda smoky with a tinge of country, and it works extremely well on the alt-rockish arrangement of the tune.