The Apple Tree

Nina Nesbitt is a very talented 19-year-old from Edinburgh, UK.  The singer-songwriter is able to sing and play the guitar, piano, and keyboard.

She has five EPs available for download on iTunes (even the US):

1. Live Take (four tracks)
2. The Apple Tree (five tracks)
3. Boy (four tracks)
4. Stay Out (four tracks)
5. Way In The World (four tracks)

She announced on her Twitter last month that her debut album Peroxide is set to be released in February 2014 in the UK (sorry, US).  On top of that, she recorded a cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop" which you can purchase on iTunes and covered "Love Me Again" by British singer John Newman for BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge.

I love her voice.  It is somewhat raspy but sounds amazing.  My favorite song may be "The Apple Tree" from the EP of the same name.

She has several music videos for her songs including (but not limited to) "Stay Out," "Make Me Fall," and her most recent one, "Selfies," a song on her upcoming album.

[Source:  YouTube]

Summertime Sadness

The lyrics to "We Can't Stop" and the title Bangerz for her album have made Miley Cyrus one of the most well-known names in the music biz.  Despite her recent decisions (which have been viewed as "trashy" by some) I love her.  She has an incredible amount of talent and is perfect in so many ways.

I also love BBC Radio 1, the radio station in the UK. Well, Miss Cyrus was there the other day and did a cover in the Live Lounge of Lana Del Rey's "Summertime Sadness."  I have nothing to say except it was incredible.  Lana has such a distinct voice that I have felt no one can really mimic, but Miley does it beautifully.  Here it is:

[Source:  YouTube]

I am also blown away by how well she sings this live.  I sing Del Rey songs around the house and I always have a hard time.  I saw her in concert in 2009 for her Wonder World Tour and she was flawless then and continues to be flawless now.

She gets a lot of crap from so many people, but my cousins and I will always be true Smilers...forever!  Love you, Miley xx <3

Pretty Baby

Just want to say a quick congratulations to English boyband-er JJ Hamblett who is expecting his first child with girlfriend, model Caterina Lopez.

Hamblett is in the group Union J, a band formed on the X Factor in the UK.  The boys placed fourth in the finals.

The 25-year-old singer has received lots of support from his fellow band mates and fans, along with other X Factor alumni like Rylan Clark.  It's easy to say that I am very happy for the singer as well!  Congrats!! xx

Watch Me Fall

[Photo:  twitter.com]

I was lucky enough to receive a follow on Twitter from this adorable Brit, Greg Fidler.  I don't know much about him except for the fact he is based in London and has released an EP and single on iTunes.  Yes, even the US iTunes has this amazing singer.

His EP is entitled Watch Me Fall and has "Guess I Know (Acoustic Session)," "Watch Me Fall," "Faded," and "Watch Me Fall (Acoustic Session)" as tracks.  His most recent single is "Without You" and was released not too long ago.

I have gotten a chance to listen to all of his songs and they are incredible and his voice makes them even better!  The songs are very well produced and written and honestly, I haven't heard many people sing the way he can - his voice is phenomenal.  And he's attractive, so that's definitely a plus ;)!

He's a very talented lad and I really hope he makes it far.  That's partially why I am writing about him.  Artists like him make me love music even more than I already do.  People like him are the reason I do what I do everyday - write a blog!  Greg is definitely a singer I would love to meet and/or collaborate with.  So, Greg, if you see this, I thank you.  I thank you for your passion for music and for your awesome lyrics.  I guess that's what my blog comes down to now...awesomeness.

Lawson (Pt. II)

L-R:  Joel, Adam, Andy, Ryan

I posted about this band on July 24th, but I really have a big obsession with them right now.  Their US portion of their Everywhere We Go Tour took off yesterday in NYC and they are back to the UK September 23rd for their UK/IRL portion of the tour.  On September 23rd, they will be performing at the 2013 iTunes Festival in London.

I am DYING to see them perform.  All three dates near me didn't/don't work, so I am super bummed I won't get the chance to see them this year.

If you live in the UK, their new single"Juliet" was just released at midnight for pre-order on iTunes.

L-R:  Joel, Ryan, Andy, Adam

Now I am a complete creep when it comes to bands.  When I fall in love with a band, I spend hours upon hours learning as much about them as I possibly can.  I learn everything from all of their singles, to their siblings.  I know that may be a little weird and stalker-ish, but they wouldn't release that information if they didn't want people knowing, right?  Am I right???


But, I found out some really useful and inspiring information about these four lads...the band name.  Since the moment I heard of this band I have wonder

ed where they got their name "Lawson" from.  A couple of years back, lead singer Andy found out he had a brain tumor.  Sent to the hospital at 19, he spent his 20th birthday there, too.  The singer/guitarist went into surgery and was operated on by Dr. David Lawson, the doctor who saved his life.  When I found that out, I was in complete shock.  Andy has said that his experience changed his outlook on life and he had to learn how to walk again after the operation.

You know, I like hearing things like that.  Not the whole surgery and brain tumor part, but how he didn't let such a scary and serious part of his life ruin it.  So many people pity themselves, but Andy became an inspiration.  That's what I think of him as, especially now.  He's extremely positive and that's something that makes me smile (that was cheesy, but it's so true).

I didn't want to make this post only about how uplifting Andy is, but I did want it to kind of be the main focus of this post.  The other three lads of the band are pretty amazing, as well, so don't think I forgot about you, Joel, Ryan, and Adam!  I have been watching several interviews to give me an even bigger idea of what Lawson is really all about.  While they're a band who takes work seriously, they also enjoy playing pranks and joking around.  To me, their personalities mesh well together.  Personalities that go together well is what makes a band a...band, I guess.  I originally fell in love with Lawson's music, lyrics, and talent, but their senses of humor and love for job makes me fall even deeper.

L-R:  Ryan, Andy, Joel, Adam

**None of the pictures above are mine.  ALL CREDIT GOES TO THE OWNERS

Streetfight Silence

I first heard of this band when they followed my Twitter account for my blog.  I looked them up on YouTube and first listened to We Must All Learn and they're a very talented bunch.

Originating from Berkshire, England, the lads are just "trying to enjoy life" (as they described themselves on their Facebook page).  Now, you all know I love British bands but I am telling you, that is not the reason why I like them.  It's just an added bonus!  Their genre is pop rock/alternative, so think of them as the British version of Fall Out Boy or All Time Low.  I think that's a good comparison...right?

The members are Russ Merry (@streetfightruss), Chrissy Cooley (@cooleysfs), and Sam Belcher (@sambelcher62).  The boys have toured throughout the UK and France and released their debut album Cutting Strings in 2012 through independent label Angry Badger Records.  Their most recent song "Blame" was released as a free download on streetfightsilence.bandcamp.com.

Even though the band consists of only three guys, they really sound incredible.  They make me think of The Police because of how incredible they sound despite the fact they are a group of three.  Streetfight Silence performs the same way.  A lot of bands today have five guitars, two sets of drums, and a keyboard alongside a piano.  A band that is able to present music well with only three instruments is simply an example of talent and talent is something that this band clearly possesses.

You can purchase their 12 track album Cutting Strings on iTunes.  I had a chance this morning to listen to a preview of a handful of the songs and what I listened to was quite good - no complaints, very good!

I wish the lads would travel here to the US because I would love to see them perform live.  I think it would be amazing to collaborate with them or interview them - this band really interests me!

Follow the band on Twitter - @bandsfs
Subscribe to them on YouTube, too - streetfightsilence

Source:
https://www.facebook.com/streetfightsilence/info

Andy, Ryan, Joel, and Adam

Andy Brown (acoustic guitar and lead vocals), Ryan Fletcher (bass guitar and backing vocals), Joel Peat (lead guitar and backing vocals), and Adam Pitts (drums) are the four men making up the British pop band Lawson.  They are currently based in London and released their debut album, Chapman Square, in October 2012.  

I first found out about this band the same way I find out about a lot of music - Instagram.  Their sound is similar to that of The Wanted, in case you were wondering but are too lazy to look them up yourself which in understandable.  I am like that, too.

They have had five singles released over the past year and a half in the UK and IRL:

1. When She Was Mine (2012)
2. Taking Over Me (2012)
3. Standing In The Dark
4. Learn To Love Again (2012)
5. Brokenhearted (feat. B.o.B) (2013)

The only song available as of right now in the US on iTunes is "Learn To Love Again", all of their songs are available on the UK/IRL iTunes, but I am unsure about other countries.

'Cause I'm tired of sleeping alone

I'm very upset that "Don't Let Me Go" is not available on iTunes because it was leaked.  Someone is definitely in trouble for that! 

The song is by a member of the New Zealand duo Kids of 88, Sam McCarthy, and One Direction member, Harry Styles.  Styles sings the entire song while McCarthy collaborates with the boy-bander.  

The ballad is beautiful.  During the chorus there is a line, "'Cause I'm tired of feeling alone " and my favorite part is when they end the song with that line, but change it to, "'Cause I'm tired of sleeping alone."  Songs like this make me mad - how come I didn't write this?!  

Well, the song is on YouTube, so you should check it out there.

My drawings

Little Mix

I drew this last year.  As you may know, Little Mix is one if my favorite groups so I had to draw each of the members' logos. 

One Direction

My previous explanation is pretty much the same for this picture.  I could not pass up the opportunity to draw the boys.

Cher Lloyd

This one was so much fun to draw because I really just drew any shapes and colored with the first color I saw!

Let It Bleed

One of the greatest albums of all time.  The Rolling Stones did wonders with this album.  Several world famous hits came from this album. "You Can't Always Get What You Want" and "Gimme Shelter" are my personal favorites from the 1969 release.

The record, to me, plays an important role in where I am today with my respect for music.  Music today is so different from what it used to be. I wasn't around for the best era of music, but I know a lot about a little.  The Rolling Stones is such an iconic band that wrote about things that actually made sense.  That may be why I love this album so much.  

Take Me Home

Directioners are said to be psychotic fans who sit on tumblr all day and all night writing fan-fiction and reblogging pictures of the five Brits. It's all accurate. I am, and I will probably lose some viewers for this, a hardcore Directioner. I spend my time constantly tweeting to Harry, Louis, Zayn, Liam, and Niall while waiting for them to acknowledge my existence. Starting weeks ago, I made sure my mom knew exactly which album to get me and I chose the standard album because I love the cover. The band's sophomore album has the same sound as their first release, Up All Night, although the lyrics sound a little more mature. In other words, some parts of some of the songs are naughty and to be honest, I'm not really complaining. The album contains singles "Live While We're Young" and "Little Things" and their next single "Kiss You". The standard CD contains 13 tracks, the deluxe 17, and the Target exclusive 18. You probably think I am saying this album is great because I love One Direction, but I wouldn't tell you it's amazing if I didn't think so. Loving them doesn't mean the album has to be good, but this release really is.