My iPod does not have an "off" position

Last night I got to continue my summer concert tour in Covington, KY at The Mad Hatter for the Passion Pit show. Passion Pit is a recent discovery of mine - not my typical grungy guitar and gravelly male voice fare. They are really like no other band I’ve ever heard before. If I had to place them in a genre, I’d say Electropop plus Indie Rock. Not one or the other, definitely both. Frontman Michael Angelakos’ voice reaches octaves so high that if you’re not watching them live you wonder, “Is that a girl?”. I’m becoming more and more a fan of synthesizers these days - and it’s bands like Passion Pit’s fault. Their music just makes you want to dance.

Passion Pit was a big hit on opening day at Bonnaroo - getting attention from the likes of even Rolling Stone - so I was that much more stoked to see them. Opening for them were Cale Parks and The Harlem Shakes. I really liked The Harlem Shakes. They mix the indie rock sound with a saxophone and make it sound good. Their lead singer looked like John Mayer but sounded like Bob Dylan.

Passion Pit hit the stage without much fanfare. Angelakos simply said, “Hey guys, we’re Passion Pit,” as though the crowd might not know. That’s one of the differences between rock stars and the up and comers that I appreciate - the little guys don’t have a ton of swagger. They just get on stage, play their hearts out, and hope that the crowd is as into it as they are. Passion Pit had this crowd from the beginning. The whole mass of people jumped up and down to the beat and sang along. 99% of the room was dancing for the entire set.

Passion Pit deserved all the buzz they generated at Bonnaroo. They are a talented live band. Even from the back of the room the songs sounded like the recorded versions. My friend commented that the drummer was really good, “He’s doing things with the bass pedal that a lot of other bands I’ve seen use drum machines for”.

I would have recommended you check Passion Pit out prior to seeing the show - but now I’m going to tell you they’re a can’t-miss group. I think you’ll be hearing a lot more about these guys in the future. Check out “The Reeling”, the first single from their album “Manners” and last night’s encore, below.

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Every month, the music magazine publishes a 100% free digital edition that has all the same content in it as the print version you can buy at news stands.  This month they’re also putting in links on many of the pages featuring artists so you can check out their music if you’ve never heard of them and want to see what they’re all about.

If you’re looking for new music or reviews on up-and-coming artists, check them out!  Click the banner above to head to the magazine.

With saxophones, the occasional banjo, Dave’s distinct voice and enunciation, and drumlines that are a mixture of rock, jazz, and marching beats, The Dave Matthews Band is like no other rock band in history. It’s the kind of music that you remember – the type you can pick out after hearing just a few bars. I believe DMB has already attained “classic” status and will be remembered as one of this era’s greatest groups, but that hasn’t stopped them from trying to outdo themselves.

The latest release from the veterans, “Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King”, has much to say. The band bid adieu to founding member and saxophonist LeRoi Moore when he passed away last August and they seem to have taken the sorrow and channeled it into making a record more epic than ever before. That is not to say that the tone of the album is sorrowful, as many of the songs have an upbeat tempo and vibe. A more appropriate description might be “contemplative”.

The album opens with a minute-long saxophone solo by Moore, which leads into the full-out rocking opening strains of “Shake Me Like a Monkey”. The wordless opening sounds much like the band is declaring “This one’s for you, LeRoi”.

The lyrics of “Funny the Way It Is”, the album’s initial single, are a comparison between happy and sad circumstances that seems to underscore the frailty of life, while “Dive In” examines the differences between the haves and the have-nots. My favorite lyrics come from the chorus of “Funny the Way It Is” -

Funny the way it is, if you think about it Somebody’s going hungry and someone else is eating out Funny the way it is, not right or wrong Somebody’s heart is broken and it becomes your favorite song

It wouldn’t be a rock album (or a Dave Matthews Band album, for that matter), without musings on the nature of love – and this album isn’t without those discussions. “Lying In the Hands of God”, “Spaceman”, and “You and Me” fit the bill. Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King’s catchy hooks, the obvious skill of the band’s members, and the lyrical commentary on life makes the album well worth a listen or three. If you haven’t experienced the music of the Dave Matthews Band before, there’s no time like the present to acquaint yourself.

I am on a mission this summer. I plan to attend as many live music events as possible. So far, I’d say I’m on pace for an excellent season. Last week it was No Doubt/Paramore/The Sounds and last night I caught the Cincinnati stop of the Coldplay Viva La Vida tour. I had a lawn ticket for this show so the seats weren’t nearly as awesome as my last event and I wasn’t able to get any video to share. But I can tell you that Coldplay puts on a show that lives up to all the hype.

16,000 people crowded into the Riverbend Amphitheater to hear Chris Martin and the guys play hits like “Clocks”, “Yellow”, “The Hardest Part”, “Viva La Vida”, and “Fix You”. The band got everyone involved in the show, even those of us relegated to the lawn. After the sun set, the guys made their way to a small stage set up at the front of the lawn between the covered pavilion and the grass. Chris sang “When the sky’s gone dark and everything is black, you’ve got to visit the people in the back.” They then played a few acoustic songs, including a cover of The Monkees’ “I’m a Believer”.

From his perch in the middle of the crowd, Chris also led the lawnfolk in “the first Mexican cell phone wave of Ohio’s summer”. Picture a stadium full of people doing “the wave” that you often see at sports events, only in the dark and with cell phones in their hands. It looked like a bunch of fireflies fluttering around the amphitheater and made up for missing out on the butterfly confetti that was dropped on the people under the pavilion. (Side note: If you are a guy and you want to make a romantic gesture that will awe your girlfriend - take her to a Coldplay show, pocket some of the confetti, and then have it made into a framed collage with Coldplay lyrics like “You know I love you so”.)

But I think the pinnacle of crowd participation was reached during “Viva La Vida” when the entire amphitheater sang along to the opening line, “Oh-oh-Ahhhhh-ah-ahhhhh-oh, oh-oh-Ahhhhh-ah-ahhhhh-oh”. Even after the show was over and everyone was walking back to their cars, you could hear voices singing the tune here and there. The final highlight of the show was that everyone who attended got a free CD of the band’s new Live album - “Left Right Left Right Left”. “Critics say it’s the best value for money Coldplay has ever given,” Chris cracked. Even if you don’t make it to a Coldplay show this summer, you can cash in on the value by heading to Coldplay’s website and downloading the album for free.

If you do have the opportunity to see Coldplay live, I recommend it. Even the worst seat in the house aren’t bad seats when it comes to this band.

“Crossing the Rubicon” is a popular idiom meaning to pass a point of no return. This phrase is often used by journalists in newspapers. It refers to Caesar’s 49 BC crossing of the river, which was considered an act of war. (via Wikipedia)

I’m new to The Sounds, so I’m not sure what they’re leaving behind, but where they’re going looks pretty good to me.

If you like your 2000s pop-punk laced with the throwback sound of the 80s, then The Sounds have an album for you! I was so impressed with their live performance on Saturday that I decided I would pick their new album up when it came out today. I’ve had a chance to listen through it so I thought I’d share what I heard with you all. There isn’t a downbeat track on the whole album. Upbeat 80s synthesizers dot the soundscape, making even the most heavy lyrics seem a little brighter. Mixed in with vocalist Maja Ivarsson’s spunky deliverance (reminds me a bit of a Nordic Avril Lavigne), I think most regular readers of The NOssip will enjoy at least a few tracks. If you’re in the mood for a song you can dance to, check out “Beatbox”. Really, the whole album is a little bit dance-able, but the performance I saw on Saturday had everyone moving and made it stick out in my mind. Have a listen by scrolling over the film icon next to the track title above. The single “Dorchester Hotel” is available for free download on Amazon.com today. I’m not sure how long that will last, so get it quick! My favorite song so far is “4 Songs and a Fight”. The opening strains are reminiscent of Franz Ferdinand or The Killers, and the sound flows through the end of the song. The band is also giving away the album’s lead single - “No One Sleeps When I’m Awake”. Check out the official music video below, then head to the band’s site to get a free download of the song or purchase the entire album.

I give Crossing the Rubicon 4 “Well Played”s out of 5. It’s danceable - without being ridiculous (*cough*Gaga, I’m looking at you*cough*) - and has just enough rock edge to draw in the powerpop fans. I think an early summer release was perfect for this record. It will mix well with sunshine and house parties that are the hallmark of the season.