Year 6, Day 75

Good Morning! Today's song is Alive & Kickin' by Jesse Dee.

I've had this song saved for a long time and have never found the right day to show it to you, but I think enough is enough, so you get it today. So Jesse Dee is an American singer whose been around since the late 90's and currently has two albums under his belt. This song is from his 2008 album, which was his debut. And before that he was in a group called Decifunk, and also was the voice in The Dirty Whites. If this song peaks your interest enough you should check out his other album, which he released in 2013 and has been touring extensively for. That one is kind of his baby, and while I guess maybe I could have done a song from there, I would feel like I was cheating on this one. So listen to both and compare and contrast with me.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 74

Good Morning! Today's song is Bitch by Meredith Brooks.

Meredith Brooks in a singer who was active from 1976 to 2007. She started out in a band called Sapphire, but they broke up in 1982. She released a solo album in 1986, then joined two other girls in a group called the Graces the next year. The trio released an album, but then got dropped by their label in 1991. She got signed as a solo artist in 1995 with her debut album out in 1997 followed by a tour. Her second album came out in 1999, then the next one was released in 2002. She signed to a new label in 2004 and re-released her old albums. She made a children's album in 2007 and then basically retired from music without any fanfare, just slipped out of the industry. She's gotten a writing credit on one of Bebe Rehxa's songs in 2018 because it borrows melody from this song, which I hope they worked out before releasing the song. I thought she was a newer artist than she is so reading about her was surprising. Maybe it'll be the same for you.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 73

Good Morning! Today's song is Barracuda by Heart.

Heart has been around since 1973 and are made up of Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson, Ben Smith, Craig Bartock, Chris Joyner, and Dan Rothchild. Originally the band was called The Army, then they switched the name to White Heart (a reference to a book by Arthur C. Clarke) before shortening it to Heart. It wasn't permanent though because the name changed to Hocus Pocus. The band members all on their own ended up moving to Canada, and restarted Heart there. Their debut album came out in 1976, and became a huge success. Unfortunately some of that success was from the studio suggesting the sisters in the group were sexual partners. It pissed Ann off enough that she wrote this song. They left the label, signed with a different one and released an album, then the old label released a half finished album of theirs only to have to recall it so the band could finish it and release it with their new label. They made it big from those, but started to decline in popularity in the early 80's until they switched their sound a bit in 1985 with their new album. In 1995 when one of the sisters left to focus on family, the band technically took a hiatus, with other projects keeping them busy. Heart came back in 2004 with a new album (their first since 1993), and continued on until 2016. The sisters stopped speaking to each other because of an incident involving their families and have been touring with their own bands, but said that Heart was on hiatus not broken up. Apparently this year they are back together with a tour planned, but only time will tell.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 72

Good Morning! Today's song is Love Is A Battlefield by Pat Benatar.

Pat Benatar has been in the industry since 1972 when she joined a lounge band called Coxon's Army. By 1975 she performed at an amateur night in the Catch A Rising Star club, and became a regular member there for years. She got signed in 1978, then released her debut album with 1979. The next one came out in 1980 which featured her first big hit. The next album came out in 1981 and won her her second Grammy. There was another album before this song came out in 1983. She has continued to make albums and tour extensively through the years, and is even still releasing songs as recently as 2017 which I hadn't known. I kind of assume automatically that anyone who found fame in the 80's has retired by now, but writing these is just proving me wrong. Are there any artists you guys can think of that you were surprised to find were still in the industry? Let me know.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 71

Good Morning! Today's song is What A Feeling by Irene Cara.

Her full name is Irene Cara Escalera and has been active since 1968. She started off doing shows, on and off Broadway, then starring in some television shows. She got cast in Fame in 1980 as a dancer, but when they heard her sing they rewrote the part to incorporate her voice. She sang two songs in the film and ended up nominated for both at the Academy Awards. She continued doing more acting through the 80's, reaching true stardom when she sang the song for Flashdance in 1983, winning a Academy Award, Oscar, and Golden Globe. She released three albums, and collaborated with a group called Hermanos for a song. She mostly toured during the 90's, then formed a band called Hot Caramel which she's been focusing on, releasing an album in 2011. So if you're curious about her newer stuff look up that group and let me know your thoughts on it.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 70

Good Morning! Today's song is Love Shack by B-52's.

These guys have been around since 1976 and are made up of Kate Pierson, Fred Schneider, Keith Strickland, Cindy Wilson, and Ricky Wilson. The name B-52 is actually after a beehive hairdo meant to look like the nose of a Boeing B52 jet… which props to them for even finding that and thinking that was band name worthy. They released their debut album in 1979, and another released in 1980. The next album came out in 1983 and saw some members switch instruments. After a year long break, they came back to write in 1985. Writing together wasn't working so they decided to work on songs separately. Later that year Ricky Wilson died from AIDS, which he hadn't told most of the others about so they wouldn't worry about him. They released the album they had been working on, but the whole band was in mourning so they took two years off to recover. They came back with an album in 1989 which is when Love Shack was released. After one more album without Cindy, they stopped writing music, instead opting on touring and performing, collaborating with some other artists individually, and doing songs for pop culture installments. The next album came out in 2008 (16 years later) and has been doing tours with all kinds of people since. I'll admit this is the only song by them that I know right now, but I'm planning to look up more and I hope you are too.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 69

Good Morning! Today's song is Whip It by Devo.

Devo has been around since 1973 and have had a lot of members, but currently they are made up of Gerald Casale, Mark Mothersbaugh, Bob Mothersbaugh, Josh Freese, and Josh Hager. The name devo is meant to mean de-evolution, that humanity in regressing, which...yeah, I can see that. The media labelled them as a joke band which obviously stuck since that's all I ever thought they were, but that seems a little in-congruent with what actually sparked them to start the band for real, which was a shooting at their school at what I'd consider a peace rally. De-evolution indeed. They released eight studio albums from the 70's to the 90's before decreased popularity, label financial issues, and general band conflict caused them to take a hiatus to try and change the collision course they felt they were on. The hiatus lasted from 1991 to 1996, but they were getting together during that time and doing songs for films, so they weren't truly gone. They came back in 1996 and spent time doing shows while music was released from the band's side projects, although nothing under the Devo mantle was done until their new album in 2010. This song played into the silly reputation, and is the best known song of theirs to hit my generation's ears, which was released in 1980. Because of it I've always known them as the dudes with the weird hats, but learning some of the facts about them makes me think there is way more to the group. I'm not going to get into all of it, as I'm still trying to learn it myself and don't want to mess up facts, but if you're curious, look them up.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 68

Good Morning! Today's song is Let's Have A Kiki/Turkey Lurkey Time from Glee.

It doesn't have the same vibe as yesterday's but if you saw that one it's a little themed. I chose yesterday's song because of a Glee cast thing so I though it only fitting to use one of the last remaining Glee songs I have saved to follow it up. This is easily one of the strangest songs they did on the show, and a mashup at that (and I should probably have waited until Thanksgiving) but I am in the mood for weird. And as strange as I always found this one to be, I also find it oddly intriguing and like to inflict it on others. Today that's you! I've also included the links to the original songs: Let's Have a Kiki by Scissor Sisters and Turkey Lurkey Time from the musical Promises Promises, in case you want to hear those as well or instead. So hopefully enjoy this and if not don't hate me too much for it.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 67

Good Morning! Today's song is Last Friday Night (TGIF) by Katy Perry.

We all know Katy Perry and I know I've done her bio before so we're just going to skip it. I chose this song mostly because of the Glee roast that made me cackle which I'll link to here. It wont really be that interesting unless you were a gleek, and I know it's actually the writers of the show putting those burns in, but it's still great. It's actually a lot more vicious of a Drop the Mic than I've seen from others and there are some really good roasts in there... one of which is a reference to this music video. So I thought that would be a good choice for today.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 66

Good Morning! Today's song is Rumors by Jake Miller.

Jake Miller has been active since 2011 when he won a national talent competition. He got money towards his career, and started performing alongside a bunch a big names before releasing his EP in 2012. He signed with a label, and released another EP and his debut album the next year. He did another one in 2014 and followed with a tour for it in 2015, during which he released a surprise EP. In 2016 there was yet another and he also announced signing with a modeling agency. His second album came out in 2017, and another in 2018. That all is... a lot. I mean EPs are only four or five songs so it's not too much, but it's still impressive. Considering the history I expect there will be something later this year, so I guess we'll wait and see.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 65

Good Morning! Today's song is Lay Me Down by Timeflies.

Timeflies is a pop duo active since 2010 and consists of Cal Shapiro and Rob Resnick. They met in 2007 and Resnick invited Shapiro to join the band he was in at the time called The Ride. After they graduated the band kind of dissolved until it was just the two of them writing music together. They decided on the name Timeflies and started posting on YouTube. They got more exposure when Shapiro's roommate took one of their songs and started sending it around to music blogs. This led to their debut album, released in 2011, which topped iTunes charts. They had an EP in 2012 which also did well, then released another album and EP in 2013, as well as started their own label. Their next album was out in 2014 and was the first to be through their own label, with another following in 2015. They've been pretty quiet since officially, but have been posting music consistently to their YouTube so if you want more go and check that out.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 64

Good Morning! Today's song is Please Don't Go by Joel Adams.

Joel Adams is an Australian singer, whose real name is Joel Gonçalves and has been active since 2012. He goes by Adams because his last name is hard to spell and pronounce, so he uses his mom's maiden name instead. He got his start on X Factor Australia, but got eliminated in bootcamps. Still, it was enough exposure to start a career on. This song is his debut single which came out in 2015. It topped the charts in more than a dozen countries, earning him a spot on Spotify's Most Influential Artist in the World list in 2016. As of right now he only has one other single out, but he's been writing and working on his debut album so if you like this song, keep an eye out for that.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 63

Good Morning! Today's song is Save Tonight by Eagle-Eye Cherry.

So Eagle-Eye Cherry is a Swedish singer active since 1990. He moved to New York when he was 12 to do music and acting, enrolling in a performing arts high school with some other famous names. He kept doing acting until moving back to Sweden when his father died in 1995, and decided to focus on music. He released his debut album in 1997. Since then he has done four more albums, with the last one coming out in 2018. This song is easily his most notable song, and it's also was of his earlier ones, so if you start here you can follow his discography and hear his progression. Have fun!

Peace.

Year 6, Day 62

Good Morning! Today's song is Closing Time by Semisonic.

Semisonic has been around since 1995 and is made up of John Munson, Jacob Slichter, and Dan Wilson. Munson and Wilson had been in a group called Trip Shakepeare before, and when it broke up these three formed this band. They released an EP, and the and album the next year in 1996. They were still relatively unknown until their second album in 1998 which had this song on it. Fun Fact: this song was actually written about the birth of Wilson's kid. Their third album came out in 2001, which didn't do as well, and the guys went on indefinite hiatus after because they were too busy with normal life to really get music going. They reunited for some shows multiple times in 2017 and an album was re-released last year for its 20th anniversary. I don't know if there is any plan for future stuff, but it's been long enough that they might have a less hectic personal life to work around. I don't know, I guess we'll have to see. In the meantime, enjoy this song.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 61

Good Morning! Today's song is Take My Breath Away by Berlin.

Berlin has been around since 1978 and they've had so many members over the years so I'm just going to focus on the band as a whole. Originally they were called The Toys, but they switched to Berlin to seem more exotic. Their success came after restructuring after the failed first album, with an EP featuring a song meant to be banned from most radio stations. That song became a hit and got them signed to a large label. They re-released the EP in 1983, and came out with an album in 1984. They gained huge success with this song, and then tried to release another album, but it wasn't successful, leading to the group disbanding in 1987. In 1991, one of the members bought the rights to the band name from the founder, and recreated the group in 1997. In 1999 they opened for The Go-Go's, then spent a couple years contributing to tribute albums. They were featured on the show Bands Reunited, then they went on tour with INXS in 2011. They released a new album in 2013, the third with the new generation. In 2016 the original members got back together to write new material, and are planning to merge with the new. They had plans for an album to come out last year, but I don't see it added to their discography yet, so it will probably be out this year. It'll be interesting to see the two versions of the group come together, so check it out.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 60

Good Morning! Today's song is Sister Christian by Night Ranger.

Night Ranger is a rock band around since 1979. They've got a bunch of past members, but currently the band consists of Jack Blades, Brad Gillis, Kelly Keagy, Eric Levy, Keri Kelli. After a funk band called Rubicon broke up, some members banded together to form Stereo. By 1980, they had changed the name to Ranger, then changed it again in 1982 to Night Ranger when they found out another group had the other name. They've had twelve studio albums to date, plus nine live albums and a couple of compilation albums. This song is from 1984, closer to the beginning of their career and is one of their better known songs. They've toured with basically every big 80's band you can think of and have a had a long career that's still going strong, so if you're curious check out their new stuff and tell me what you think.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 59

Good Morning! Today's song is Santa Monica by Theory of a Deadman.

Theory of a Deadman is actually a Canadian band whose been around since 2001. Currently the members are Tyler Connolly, Dave Brenner, Dean Back, and Joey Dandeneau. The name comes from one of their first songs for the debut album in 2002. Their next album came out in 2005 followed by a tour and some promotional stuff with WWE. The next album came out in 2008 then did some performances, including at the Juno's, the Grey Cup, and Crue Fest 2. They've continued on this way. An album release in 2011, another in 2014, followed by an EP in 2015 and another album in 2017. After that they shortened the band name to Theory... although I've never heard anyone call them that. They toured after that all the way through 2018 and are set to be making their next album now so check that out.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 58

Good Morning! Today's song is Everybody Hurts by R.E.M.

R.E.M. was a band active from 1980 until 2011 made up of Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe. The name is the abbreviation for rapid eye movement which they selected at random out of a dictionary after a couple other failed names. They have fifteen albums under their belt, all interspersed throughout the years with the last one out the same year the group split up. They thought about quitting before, but wanted to go out on a high note, proving that they could still make great records. After how long they've been doing it, they've earned their retirement, so we'll send them off with no bitter feelings, just a thank you for the great music they left us.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 57

Good Morning! Today's song is I Wanna Know What Love Is by Foreigner.

Foreigner is an English band around since 1976 when Mick Jones rounded up all the members. They started out with the name Trigger and sent out a bunch of tapes, where an A&R guy thought it was another group and listened. He realized it was a different group, but liked them and got them signed. They changed their name, choosing Foreigner because no matter where they were, some of the group would be foreigners. Their debut came out in 1977 and then they toured for almost an entire year. They released albums steadily, releasing seven more by 1994. They did a lot of touring after that while remastering their albums. They released a new album in 2009 and then did more touring and shows while the members were dealing with personal health issues, going in and out of the band over the years. Most recently they've been doing a reunion tour with all the old members, which was probably a pretty cool show to be at. But since none of us get to see that, for now we'll just enjoy this song.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 56

Good Morning! Today's song is Whoever Broke Your Heart by Murphy Elmore.

I can't find any official bio on Murphy Elmore, so I'm just going to word vomit the things that I know are true and call that a day. So he's from Nashville and has been active since at least 2014. He released an EP in 2016, and has a couple singles since then. Listening to his music and looking through his Instagram he seems like your typical country boy with a lot of guitars, trucks and outdoor shenanigans happening. Which is great, I'm glad he's having a good time. If you guys can find any concrete bio on him send it my way, but regardless we're all here for the music and I can say for a fact that it is good. Enjoy.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 55

Good Morning! Today's song is Tattoo by Hunter Hayes.

Hunter Hayes is a country singer whose technically been active since 1997 when he performed for the president as a kid. He eventually moved to Nashville and got signed in 2008 as a songwriter. By 2010 he was signed as a singer, and started working on his debut album, released in 2011. He did some touring, on his own and with Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, and Rascall Flatts before releasing his next album in 2014. His next album came out a year later, and he's done some collaborating with other artists since then, so if you're curious who those people would be, look up his other stuff.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 54

Good Morning! Today's song is No Matter Where You Are by Us The Duo.

Us The Duo consists of the married couple Michael and Carissa Alvarado. They've been active since 2011 and actually got their start on Vine. A year after they got married, the couple started posting covers on Vine which garnered enough attention that they were signed by Republic Records in 2014. They've released two studio albums and gone on tour with Pentatonix all over Europe. They also did their own tour in the States in 2016. The most recent news about them was that they went on America's Got Talent and made it to the semifinals in 2018 before being eliminated. I don't know how I feel about professionals competing on a show like that. It's like how the Olympics were only for amateur athletes, although apparently they've changed that now. These guys don't need the show to be popular in my opinion because they are great. I'm kind of obsessed with this song, but let me know what you think.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 53

Good Morning! Today's song is What If I Kissed You by Temecula Road.

Temecula Road is a country group who's pretty new to the industry and comprised of Emma and Maddie Salute, and Dawson Anderson. They're all in their late teens, but have already started off strong with a record contract, hit singles, and performances at festivals. They've gotten a lot of radio play and been heralded as young up and comers, and have opened for a lot of big names in the country genre. This is one of their breakout songs, so give it a listen and if you like it keep an eye out for these guys. They're still pretty new, but I would bet their star continues to rise.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 52

Good Morning! Today's song is Last Name by Carrie Underwood.

So Carrie Underwood has been active since 2005. She was supposed to get signed when she was 14, but new management went a different way. She had quit music after high school until deciding to audition for American Idol in 2004, which led to her winning that season. Her debut album came out in 2005 which became the best-selling female country album three years in a row, and won her lots of awards. Her next album came out in 2007 which is where this song is from and caused her to win more awards (come for the second year in a row). She joined the Grand Ole Opry in 2008, which is a weekly country concert in Nashville. Her next album came out in 2009, then toured through 2010 for it. 2012 saw the release of her next album which has some darker songs, but actually features some of my favorite tracks from her. Since then she's done two more albums, have had some acting credits and has toured all over. She's got a huge career, I cut it down to the basics so this wasn't an ungodly length, but look it all up if you're bored.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 51

Good Morning! Today's song is You And I by Lady Gaga.

Lady Gaga is Stafani Germanotta whose been active since 2001. She has been going to school for musical theatre when she left to focus on her music career. She made some songs for an audiobook in 2005, and started a band called SGBand with friends. She was discovered by a talent scout after her performing in 2006, got signed, and coined the term Lady Gaga from a Queen song. She got dropped from the label after a few months, and started performing at neo-burlesque shows, working on her stage presence. She started performing with Lady Starlight as Lady Gaga and the Starlight Revue, and they ended up performing at Lollapalooza in 2007. She got signed again, and signed as a songwriter which led to her writing hits for some pretty big names, until Akon heard her voice and signed her to his label as well. Her debut album came out in 2008 and launched her into stardom. She toured with The Pussycat Dolls and wrote an EP at the same time, releasing that in 2009. That EP made her even more popular, and with her popularity increasing she did world tours and collaborated with other industry leaders. Her next album came out in 2011 followed by a tour in 2012. These years kind of marked when she didn't have to do crazy things to be heard, she stood on her talent alone. She's made three more albums since then and has continued to gain respect from other generations that might not have liked her at the beginning, and overall become a staple in the industry. She's done well for herself and is a great addition to the music world so I'm happy to feature her song today.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 50

Good Morning! Today's song is Playing To Lose by Lemaitre featuring Stanaj.

Lemaitre is an electronic duo from Norway active since 2010 and made up of Ketil Jansen and Ulrik Denizou Lund. I think this might be the first Norwegian group I've ever featured so give it up for Norway! The name is from Georges Lemaitre, a Belgian priest who first proposed the Big Bang Theory of the universe. They have eight EPs and one album to date. The album came out in 2017 and is titled Chapter One, which certainly implies there will be more and I cannot wait. Stanaj is Albert Stanaj, an Albanian singer, which is definitely a first for me so give it up for Albania too! He was in Albanian music videos when he was younger and probably could have transitioned into that music scene, but when he started making his music he decided to sing in English. He moved to California in 2014, got signed in 2016 and released an EP. Then he toured with Jojo before releasing another EP. He's been doing collaborating with others artists (like with this song) and no doubt has more in the works. Everyone I featured today has amazing potential so I hope you'll check out more of their stuff if you like this song.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 49

Good Morning! Today's song is Crazy Love by Audien featuring Deb's Daughter.

Audien is Nathaniel Rathbun, a DJ around since 2009. He was signed when he was 17, and has been releasing singles since then, with a couple EPs along the way in 2010, 2011, 2015, and 2017. In between he's performed a lot including performances at Tomorrowland and Lollapalooza. This song came out in 2016, and featured Deb's Daughter who is an EDM artist. Like some others in the industry she's a masked character so there is no information about who is under the mask, or why there is a mask, but like I've said before it doesn't matter. The music is the only thing that I care about and this song is fantastic. I hope you think so too.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 48

Good Morning! Today's song is Back For Me by Electric Guest.

Electric Guest has been active since 2011 and is made up of Asa Taccone, Matthew Compton, Luke Top, and Reese Richardson. The name comes from something said to Taccone one, when he was called "an electric guest of the universe." Taccone and Compton are the main guys, who were living in the same house and started collaborating, which led to the band. They released their album in 2012, as well as performed singles on late night shows, and had a song featured on Teen Wolf. They've done a ton of touring, and at some point the other two guys joined, but I'm not sure when or how that happened. They had another album released in 2017 and it's been pretty quiet since then, but I'm looking forward to more. Hope you guys are too.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 47

Good Morning! Today's song is Feeling by COIN.

COIN is an indie pop band active since 2012 and made up of Chase Lawrence, Ryan Winnen, and Joe Memmel, with a previous member in Zach Dyke. They all went to the same school and started making music together, and recorded some tracks in order to get gigs. Once they started playing live, they got pretty popular. They released an EP later that year, and another in 2013. They re-released an old single in 2014, then a new single in 2015 which got a lot of radio attention, and acted as a prelude to the release of their debut album. They went on tour and dropped singles along the way until releasing their second album in 2017. Their next album was released at the beginning of this year, so if you like thing song go check that out.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 46

Good Morning! Today's song is Bulletproof by Citizen Way.

Citizen Way is a Christian rock band whose been active since 2004, although originally they went by The Least of These. It's currently made up of David Blascoe, Ben Calhoun, and Daniel Olsson. So they've been together for a long time, since university, but their debut single was released in 2012, with their next single in 2013. They have two albums, one from 2013 and one from 2016, but that's all the information I've got on them. They've mostly charted in Christian charts, which I don't keep track of since I'm not religious, but it was suggested on YouTube and I liked it, so I'm sharing it with you. Tell me what you think.

Peace.

Year 6, Day 45

Good Morning! Today's song is Dying For You by Otto Knows featuring Lindsey Stirling and Alex Aris.

I'm planning on featuring Lindsey later on some time so I'm skipping her for now in favor of the other guys. Otto Knows is the stage name for Otto Jettman, a Swedish DJ active since 2010. After his remix of a song caught Avicii's attention, Otto started working on songs with a couple other DJs. In 2014 he released his own single, this being his second one with the first released in 2012. This song is his fourth single, released in 2016. Alex Aris is Alexander Ryberg, a Swedish singer, who is working on a solo career since 2015, but before that, starting in 2012, was part of a duo. Originally they were called Taped Rai, but switched to Max Elto in 2014. The duo is still technically active, but both guys are working on building their followings individually before they plan to reunite at some point in the future. Writing all these posts I'm realizing that there are a lot of Swedish musicians making waves right now and I gotta say I'm digging this turn of events. Bring on the international artists, I love it. If you guys know of any other Swedes you think I should listen to, send them my way.

Peace.