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Pop Rock Nation

Author: George Bounacos

  • Sly Stone Turns 70, Contest and New Box Set News

    Sly Stone

    Sly Stone is Legacy Artist of the Month

    Sly Stone is 70.

    Now you feel old.

    Sylvester Stewart, the heart of Sly and The Family Stone, had a groove for everyone over a decade of crossover success when the band fused every music of the day from rock to funk to pop to soul to maybe drawing the line at Creole. Over a period of just several years, everything the Sly and the Family Stone released topped Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.

    You know the tracks, “Everyday People”, “Family Affair”, “Thank You” are just a handful. A pioneer at home on a stage with Jimmy Page or George Clinton, Sly had something to say about society and usually locked it within a groove that won over everyone.

    On Sly’s 70th birthday, we got two fun pieces of news. We already knew that Legacy Recordings had made Sly their third “Artist of the Month” following Janis and Nina Simone.  Today we learned that there will be a new multi CD box set released later this year to honor the Grammy and Rock Roll Hall of Fame winner.

    We also heard about a contest you can enter to design a funky Sly and the Family Stone poster and scoop up $500.   The poster contest details are online now, and you’ve got until April 11 at midnight Pacific Time to “create a fun design influenced by the…song titles that span the band’s legendary career.”

    I’m not an artist, but I’m guess the entries will be colorful.

    Happy 70th birthday, Sly.   Thank you for making so much music possible.

    Respect.

     

    Sly Stone photo courtesy Legacy Recordings

     

  • Hungry Hearts by Nause – Thursday Treasures

    Nause has nothing to do with your parents’ “Hungry Hearts” and has nothing to do with favorite Cleveland kid Eric Carmen.

    This Thursday’s treasure goes by the same name and reached number 1 in Sweden, but the similarities end there for this track from house band Nause.

    Members Jacob Criborn and Leonard Scheja are already well known in their native Sweden after appearances on a reality TV show last year and four top 40 hits in the last two years.   The US somehow managed to miss all four, but that may be changing very fast.  The duo is now in the US for three tour dates:   Miami on Saturday, LA in a week and Vegas on the 25th.

    Can you say showcase?

    And the Nause guys deserve a showcase.  I debated whether I wanted to make this Thursday’s treasure “Hungry Hearts” or the just released “This is the Song”.   Hearts won, but only by the tiniest margin.   The song’s hilarious  video (below) has nearly 2 million views on YouTube.  They’re not all me so plenty are digging the track.

    A slick dance pop track edited down to just under four minutes or in a full version at nearly 7 minutes, “Hungry Hearts” has enough lyrics for a David Guetta comparison with a decent vocal for clubs.  I would love to hear their lyric with a stronger tenor voice, but there is no doubt that these kids with the hungry hearts will command attention no matter who sings because of their infectious beats.

    You will be hearing more from Nause soon, and it won’t be on an import disc or Spotify stream.

  • 2013 Grammy Awards Fun, Not Memorable

    Watch the 2013 Grammy Awards with Pop Rock Nation

    Nothing has happened at the 2013 Grammy Awards yet, but I know that I never want one of my younger relatives dating Taylor Swift.

    I just learned Kat Dennings. a pretty actress on a bad sitcom, is presenting. I approve.

    Taylor enjoying the Alice in Wonderland dominatrix scene. She is now not allowed to date older or younger relatives. Somewhere Nicki Minaj thinks things are tame. Taylor writes a pop hook as well as anyone, but Katy Perry wants the schtick back. As I type that, the camera flashes to Katy wearing a halter thingy so she technically breaks the “no boobs, buttocks or genitals rule” CBS wanted tonight.  Those sure looked like boobs.

    Tswizzle?  Because Taylor Swift is, nah, never mind.

    (more…)