Silversun Pickups
United Center – Chicago, IL
March 12, 2010

Silversun Pickups left me with just one thought as they left the stage upon completing their set: This band should have won the 2010 Best New Artist Grammy Award that it was nominated for…these four musicians deserved to have won. Instead, the Zac Brown Band took home the coveted award that can make or break an artist’s career. What the hell was up with that? Silversun Pickups only performed eight songs while opening for Muse last Friday night at Chicago’s United Center, but those eight chosen pieces of music were LONG. The alternative indie rock foursome from California played for almost 45 minutes, alternating between new songs from 2009’s release Swoon and 2007’s breakthrough record Carnavas.

More photos of Silversun Pickups after the jump…

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Black Eyed Peas
Bradley Center – Milwaukee, WI
March 11, 2010

“Boom Boom Pow is my freakin’ style,” rapped will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas last Thursday night in Milwaukee. “What up Lexie? I know you’re lookin’ sexy.” The mastermind songwriter and producer behind the Black Eyed Peas spent a good five minutes freestyling alone on stage while reading off of the two jumbotron video screens hanging down on either side of the stage. The Black Eyed Peas vocalist/rapper was getting his ideas and cues from various BlackBerry Messenger texts rolling up the screens sent in from BBM-using fans in the audience. Putting aside the obvious fact that BlackBerry is the official sponsor of the BEP’s The E.N.D World Tour, it was pretty amazing to witness will.i.am coming up with rap verses on the spot while a steady beat played through the Bradley Center’s PA system. That man has some serious skills. This awesome display of talent was only the beginning of what would become an almost two-hour long outrageously entertaining concert from the Black Eyed Peas.

More photos of the Black Eyed Peas after the jump…

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All it took was for me to hear the opening guitar riff in V.V. Brown’s single “Shark In The Water” and I was in love. Then I heard the chorus. Words cannot express how insanely catchy that song’s hook is. The horn section! The layered vocals! The chord progression! The voice! The beat and groove! The guitar riff! The clapping! There is not one tiny thing wrong with that chorus. It is absolutely perfect. It serves its purpose: to get stuck in the listener’s head and have that person singing or humming along to the melody over and over all day long. That’s what it did to me upon hearing it the first time. “Shark In The Water” is still on repeat when I listen to it (over and over again). I am not only in love with the song, but in love with the woman singing it. Again, all it took was 20 minutes of conversing with V.V. Brown over the phone and my respect and admiration for her skyrocketed. V.V. Brown is by far my new favorite artist of 2010 and she should be yours as well.

Read on to hear what the British singer/songwriter had to say to The Dead Hub…

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Gomez
Vic Theatre – Chicago, IL
March 4, 2010

Having never seen or heard Gomez before last Thursday night, I had no idea what was in store for me. With no expectations and an open mind, I attended the opening night of Gomez’s current tour in the States. Quite honestly, it felt pretty cool to be seeing Gomez live in concert for the first time while they were kicking off their tour in my hometown of Chicago. The fivesome hailing from Southport, England are promoting their latest album A New Tide, which was released almost a year ago on March 31, 2009. Three lead singers told me that Gomez is not your typical English indie rock band. There is nothing ordinary about a band whose members play multiple instruments in addition to having three out of five of the guys sharing lead vocal duties. Gomez earned my respect the second they walked out on stage and picked up their respective instruments. My admiration for Gomez and the group’s songs only grew as each song finished and a new one began. I am now a fan for life and will be at every Gomez show in Chicago from here on out.

More photos of Gomez after the jump…

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Vedera
House of Blues – Chicago, IL
February 22, 2010

I will be the first to come clean and admit that if it were not for MTV’s “reality” (read: totally scripted) television show “The Hills,” I would never have heard of the band Vedera. Therefore, I want to get it over with and say “Thank You!” to MTV and “The Hills” for introducing me (and all of the show’s millions of viewers around the world) to an awesome band, great songs, and a female vocalist who can really sing. It also needs to be said that I only watch “The Hills” for the music that is featured on each episode. Whoever is responsible for the music supervision on this show is pretty good at what they do. Of course, there are a lot of mainstream pop songs on select episodes, but that is to be expected. Just about every song on Kelly Clarkson’s latest record was licensed and synched for the show last spring when her album was released. Cross-promotion at it’s best! Overall though, I discover some of my favorite new artists and music from catching brief samples of songs while having “The Hills” on in the background. I’m never actually paying attention to what is happening on my laptop screen, but when I hear a melody, beat, chorus, or voice that I like, I sure as hell jerk my head to look and see what is playing. When I found out Vedera was coming to Chicago this month, I jumped at the chance to catch the band perform live in front of me versus watching them chat with Audrina and Lo on TV…

More photos of Vedera after the jump!

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Timbaland
House of Blues – Chicago, IL
January 24, 2010

There were three “quotes of the night” as I like to call them at Sunday night’s (well, Monday morning’s) Timbaland concert at Chicago’s House of Blues. These three quotes/phrases were repeated by Timbaland’s DJ more times that I care to remember. Not a good sign that I left the show recalling the DJ’s ridiculously annoying shout-outs than Timbaland’s actual performance. Anyway, here we go…

1) “Get your merchandise!”

2) “Where’s all my single ladies at?”

3) Where’s all my Timbaland fans at?”

More photos of Timbaland presenting his Shock Value II album live in Chicago after the jump…

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Popularity: 5% [?]

Butch Walker
Schubas Tavern – Chicago, IL
January 7, 2010

Butch Walker is a Taylor Swift fan. That’s right, people. The critically acclaimed singer/songwriter/producer performed a cover of Taylor Swift’s massively popular song “You Belong With Me” during his late afternoon soundcheck last Thursday while in town to perform four nights at Schubas. Walker even recorded his own version of the Swift hit and released it on iTunes this past November (2009). I was lucky to make it to even one of Walker’s four shows in Chicago because they were all SOLD OUT. Funnily enough, the particular night I attended was where Butch played his most recent album Sycamore Meadows from front to back, which happens to be the only full-length LP I own by Walker. Therefore, I was actually familiar with all of the music the man performed that night. Mind you, I discovered all of this information after arriving at the venue and striking up a conversation with a few die-hard Butch Walker fans surrounding me in the front row.

More photos of Butch Walker from his third night in Chicago after the jump…

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Popularity: 2% [?]

John Legend
The Venue – Hammond, IN
December 30, 2009

Witnessing the undeniable talent of John Legend live in concert for the second time in my life ended up making me bounce between two utterly different emotions. First off, I felt inspired and was left in awe of how amazing a pianist and songwriter John Legend truly is. Second of all, I couldn’t help but feel like a complete loser for being just six years younger than John Legend and not possessing even half of the musical gift and skill set belonging to this man. Legend did not have an opening act to warm up the crowd before gracing the stage himself. And to be honest, with as much music as Legend has under his belt, John did not need an opener to precede him last Wednesday night at Horseshoe Casino’s The Venue in Hammond, IN.

More photos of John Legend after the jump…

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BUTCH WALKER TO PLAY FULL ALBUMS AND TWITTER REQUESTS AT FOUR SOLD-OUT SCHUBA’S TAVERN SHOWS

‘I Liked It Better When You Had No Heart’ (One Haven Music) Out 02/09 On Vinyl And 02/23 On CD/Digital

LA-based singer-songwriter and producer Butch Walker returns to Chicago January 5, 6, 7, and 8 for a career-spanning series at Schuba’s Tavern. Walker will play a different album from his back catalog in its entirety each of the first three nights. On January 8, he will treat fans to a special set of brand new songs from his just announced album ‘I Liked It Better When You Had No Heart’ (One Haven Music) plus other requests and one cover, submitted by fans via Twitter using the hashtag #butchwalkersetlist.

After Chicago, Walker will play another sold-out, four-night run in his hometown Atlanta, January 13-16 at 7 Stages Theater. He completed similar residencies in LA and NYC in December, both of which sold out instantly.

Butch Walker in Chicago:
Jan 5 – Performing ‘Letters’
Jan 6 – Performing ‘The Rise and Fall of Butch Walker…’
Jan 7 – Performing ‘Sycamore Meadows’
Jan 8 – Performing new songs and fan favorites

Butch Walker in Atlanta:
Jan 13 – Performing new songs and fan favorites
Jan 14 – Performing ‘Letters’
Jan 15 – Performing ‘The Rise and Fall of Butch Walker…
Jan 16 – Performing ‘Sycamore Meadows’

Butch Walker on The Web:
http://www.butchwalker.com/
http://twitter.com/butchwalker
http://maybeitsjustme.biz/
http://www.shorefire.com/clients/bwalker
http://www.onehavenmusic.com/butchwalker

About ‘I Liked It Better When You Had No Heart’:
Butch’s new album ‘I Liked It Better When You Had No Heart’ (One Haven Music) is about beginnings, endings, and the long journey in between. The album, featuring eleven new songs co-written by Walker and his new songwriting partner Michael Trent, will be released exclusively on vinyl on February 9, followed by a CD/digital release on February 23.

Unlike Walker’s previous, critically acclaimed solo works, ‘I Liked It Better’ was recorded quickly and collaboratively, with his band The Black Widows. “We literally went into the studio the day after our tour ended,” recalls Walker. “So the wheels were greased.” The album was recorded mostly “live” over just five days, using first and second takes. Strings were subsequently added at Abbey Road Studios in the UK, providing some of the album’s most interesting textures.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Rapper Kid Cudi has exited Lady Gaga’s Monster Ball tour, which he had been scheduled to be a part of through January.

“Kid Cudi has decided to take an early leave of absence from Lady Gaga’s Monster Ball tour, in order to balance his schedule surrounding the recording of his next album and acting commitment,” reads a statement on his official website. “Cudi does not want to disappoint his fans and will move forward with his individual show dates in December and throughout the month of January.”

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