[Night Out] Wrabel @ Rockwood Music Hall (Stage 2) 9/10/2014

Personal update: I'm trying to get back into the groove of going to at least two shows a week. I'm also I really exhausted from all the emails we get about bands I've never heard of and will most likely will never hear of because they're just "okay". To combat this, I've mostly been ignoring the majority of the emails that I get and just digging around the internet to find things on my own. Back in the day, I used to wander around record stores looking at album artwork and taking chances on art that I felt the most connected to and either give them a listen if they were at the listening bar or just straight up buy the album and take a chance. I found a lot of great music this way (VHS or Beta, Josh Rouse, Junior Jack, etc.). 

I started doing this again fairly recently on Rdio and Spotify for every New Music Tuesday. I just scroll around and look for things that are interesting and give them a try. It's less sexy than the thrill of buying an album and being like, "God I hope this is good," but whatever. This is how I stumbled across Wrabel (pronounnced RAY-bell, at first I thought it was rabble, lol) about a month ago. Purely judging a book by its cover, his EP, Sideways, felt familiar. I think it's because he looks like an American version of Mr. Hudson to me. Familiarity has continued to be an ongoing theme for me with Wrabel. His voice, subject matter, etc. all sounds and feels very familiar. Kind of like I've always known him. Obviously since you are reading this post he clearly was able to tick all the boxes I require to decide to keep tabs on him. 

After adding him to my extensive Twitter list to keep an eye on him, I noticed he was playing a show at Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2. We should get one thing clear: I love Bowery Ballroom more than anything in this world, but there's something about Rockwood Music Hall (both original and stage 2) that holds a special place in my heart. A chance to experience any artist at Rockwood is a thing you should always do, so I decided to venture solo to see how an intimate performance from this newcomer would pan out. 

First things first, this guy's voice is nothing short of solid. Dude has a very strong set of pipes that probably need little to no pitch correction in the studio or anything like that, so much respect in that sense. I soaked in every last second of him pounding away on the piano and serenading a disappointly semi-empty room sipping some white wine, a true "This Is Why I Love Rockwood" kind of moment. It must have been a weird juxtaposition for him though considering he casually mentioned at one point between songs that the night prior he performed "10 Feet Tall" alongside Afrojack at Fashion Rocks over at the Barclays Center, but he never made it feel that way in terms of his performance. Between songs he was very friendly and laid back. At one point he even joked, "My mom keeps telling me to write happy songs and I was like, 'I wrote one!'" It's refreshing for me to know that although he was fairly recently signed to Island that it hasn't gone to his head. It's a shame that that's an exception and not the standard. 

Wrabel performing at Fashion Rocks at Barclays Center, September 8, 2014. Source: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images North America 

As I headed home last night, I put on Sideways to refresh myself on the recorded version of what I had just heard. I started feeling the parallel with him and Mr. Hudson again like the day that I first stumbled across him. Remember before his Kayne moment with Straight No Chaser when he was Mr. Hudson and The Library and had a sound of his own that he could really dig into (a la A Tale Of Two Cities)? I worry that the direction in terms of sound that they're nudging him into is going to get him lost into the Flavor of the Week pile. It's both a blessing and a curse that his voice has moments of Chris Martin, Sam Smith, and Landon Pigg, with hints of Mat Kearney peppered throughout. It's my hope for him that Island didn't just go, "Oh crap, we need a Sam Smith! Ooo! This guy seems nice. *SIGNS*" I don't mind the synthy bits in "Sideways". I get that bassy EDM + pretty vocals on top = Ca$h Money Hoe$ right now. I guess my hope is that as he assumingly starts working on his debut full length that he doesn't allow himself to get overwhelmed by people trying to tell him to be trendy for the sake of moving units this moment. Or that if he does that he knows exactly what he's doing and plans to be in the spotlight for 4 seconds and then when he has a pile of money he just runs off and does whatever the heck he wants. 

Fact of the matter is, Wrabel is a voice your ears need to hear and I think if he plays his cards right that he will be staying around with us for awhile. 

Wrabel is on the internet in various places like Facebook, Twitter, and Soundcloud. Follow/like/add as you will. His debut EPSideways is available for purchase on iTunes if you're into that as well. 

[Download] Tommie Sunshine - Spring Sprang DJ Mix

You know what? It's just easier for Tommie Sunshine to explain this mix himself:

"Since the radio is full of mainstream dance music right now, I decided to pull things WAY underground for this mix. The world is operating at a fever-pitch and this is the soundtrack of you closing your eyes on a Saturday night and cutting the cords that hold you to this Earth. This is straight up, psychedelic dance music that is intended to cause a state of disconnection with the real world and its made with ultimate love. Do whatever it is that takes you to that place and turn this the fuck up and play it LOUD!"

And there you have it! It's 24 tracks at a whopping hour and 35 minutes long tracks that will reset your inner dance compass and cleanse you of that whole Duck Sauce on Glee last night experience....what the heck WAS that anyway!?

Have a listen to the mix below, or download it and play it from anywhere. If you care about the track list, you can check that out after the jump.

Tommie Sunshine – 'Spring Sprung' DJ Mix by tommiesunshine

1. Shinichi Osawa feat. Tommie Sunshine - Love Will Guide You 
2. TWR72 – Future Tool 
3. Evil Nine - It's You 
4. Cassius – Les Enfants [Gesaffelstein Remix] 
5. Moby - The Day [Lifelike Remix] 
6. Afrojack – Bubblegum 
7. Bob Sinclar - Fuck The Disco 
8. Green Velvet - Flash [Nicky Romero Remix] 
9. MyBack (Albin Myers, John Dahlback) - Clap Yo Handz 
10. Bart B More – Traction 
11. 2 Guys In Venice – Polizei 
12. Codes – God Bless 
13. Crookers Pres. Dr. Gonzo feat. Neoteric & Wax Motif – Springer 
14. Fuser – Bangtuk 
15. Crookers Pres. Dr. Gonzo feat. Savage Skulls – Bust 'Em Up 
16. Berou & Canblaster - Kapongo Dance [Congorock Remix] 
17. Brodinski – Manifesto 
18. Felix Cartal – The Joker 
19. Fat & Ugly - Elephant Attack 
20. Gigi Barocco feat. Jane Bang - Crunk It [Tom Deluxx Remix] 
21. Punks Jump Up - Blockhead [Hey Today! Remix] 
22. Bart B More & Tommie Sunshine – Drop Acid 
23. King Cosmic — Acid (In My Soul) [Kink remix/Snuff Crew Edit] 
24. Shinichi Osawa – Love Will Guide You feat. Tommie Sunshine [Edwin Van Cleef Remix]

[Watch] Chris Brown - “Look At Me Now” Feat. Busta Rhymes & Lil Wayne (Prod By Diplo & Afrojack)

The latest visuals from Chris Brown's F.A.M.E. single "Look At Me Now" featuring Busta and Weezy and produced by Diplo and Afrojack. All I got to say is Busta Rhymes' double time flow is outrageously sick.