I had the very special pleasure of seeing Mumford and Sons play at the Vogue theatre last Saturday. The show was everything I hoped it would be, with lots of energy and passion, dancing and sing-alongs. Be sure to check them out when they have a show near you.

I had not heard of the open act, King Charles, before the show started. I was happily surprised to discover his awesomeness. Seriously, anyone who can get up in front of 1100 people, in the tightest, white pants I have ever seen, and ask the crowd, “Have you noticed how tight my pants are?” is some kind of something special!

It wasn’t just his chutzpah I was impressed with, his songs are unique, with very interesting lyrics, and his voice is quite lovely. Give him a listen:

Love Lust – King Charles

King Charles just released a 2 song ep, called Alone On The Throne, on iTunes and Amazon. Check it out for more!

The best part of King Charles’s performance was his fabulous re-make of the Billy Joel classic We didn’t start the fire, which he has this video for, that I believe, he does not appear in.

More King Charles videos!

To promote the special, time sensitive pricing of Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros album Up From Below, their label is giving away a remix of Janglin by RAC for all to enjoy!

Check it out: Janglin (RAC Mix)

Also, be sure to catch the super fun Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros on tour if you can!

Dates:

Sept 1 – Wow Hall – Eugene, OR
Sept 2 – Wonder Ballroom – Portland, OR
Sept 3 – Wonder Ballroom – Portland, OR
Sept 4 – Bumbershoot Festival – Seattle, WA
Sept 25 – Virgin Mobile Free Fest – Columbia, MD

Oct 7 – Rialto Theatre – Tucson, AZ
Oct 9 – Warehouse Live – Houston, TX
Oct 10 – Austin City Limits – Austin, TX
Oct 11 – The Collective – Shreveport, LA
Oct 12 – The Lyric Oxford – Oxford, MS
Oct 14 – The Howlin Wolf – New Orleans, LA
Oct 15 – DeLuna Festival – Pensacola, FL
Oct 16 – The Ritz – Tampa, FL
Oct 17 – The Social – Orlando, FL
Oct 19 – Culture Room – Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Oct 26 – The Grove of Anaheim – Anaheim, CA

If you are going to sing out loud, might as well sing about singing! What? Here’s a collection of tunes all about singing!

Sing – Blur

Minimalistic masterpiece was both on Blur’s 1991 album, Leisure as well as on the soundtrack for the 1996 movie Trainspotting. Blur is currently giving away the new track, Fool’s Day, which the band recorded for Record Store Day, April 17th. Pick up a copy at Blur’s site.

Sing – Travis

I don’t know what to say about this tune… it is a modern classic that always gets me singing along about singing when it comes on. From Travis’ 2001 album Invisible Band.

Sing Sing Sing – Benny Goodman

Classic big band tune, originally written in 1936 by, Louis Prima, redone by many, and instantly recognizable by swing kids of all generations.

Soul Singing – The Black Crows

Despite the fact that Soul Singing is from the Black Crows 2001 album, Lions, which earned less love than the band’s earlier offerings, the tune still gets be singing out about singing from my soul every time it comes on.

Singing In The Rain Remix – Mint Royale

I couldn’t skip this masterful ditty. Leave it to Mint Royale to bring the mix-mastering to a classic show tune! Released on their 2005 album See You in the Morning.

Easy to Love – Ivan & Alyosha

This duo from Seattle made quite and impression at last years SXSW, and really have nowhere to go but up! Check out their EP The Verse, The Chorus, and watch for more from them in the future.

Did you watch HBO’s Carnivalé? It remains one on my favourite shows. So haunting, and beautiful. The soundtrack, for the most part, fits those adjectives as well. My favourite tracks from the soundtrack have an elegant interplay between the banjo and the violin.

Dora Mae’s Funeral

Carnival Convoy

Beautiful and haunting.