Friday, Jan. 29, 2010

10 ways to get your winter music fix

The coldest days of the year may have passed us by, but there's a good chance we still have quite a bit of undesirable weather coming before spring brings us the beach-worthy temps and sunny skies we've come to love.

And although this edition of Kicks is all about getting out and enjoying the winter, I'm willing to bet there's a good portion of our readers who - like myself - would rather ride out the rest of this chilly, rainy season indoors enjoying some great tunes.

Whether that means holing up in a local venue for a live show or just staying home and discovering some new music, there's plenty of good stuff to be heard. Here's 10 great ways to get your music fix this winter:

Live shows

1. Villanova (Feb. 10 at Hot Fish Club, March 12 Beaver Bar): Mark my words, you need to catch this Columbia-based rock band playing local bars, because sooner or later these guys are going to be playing packed arenas.

Their sound is an amazingly catchy mix of substance and style that is relentlessly hard hitting and soulfully melodic.

They put together an amazing debut called "Make Noise" in 2007 (available on iTunes) that I haven't been able to stop listening to since discovering it last summer, and tracks such as "Memory" have gained plenty of airplay on S.C. radio stations.

Although not yet signed to a major deal, the band spent the fall recording with producer Rick Beato (Shinedown, Creed, Trey Anastasio) in New York and is currently working on finishing a new album for release this spring.

2. Alice in Chains with Middle Class Rut (Feb. 27 at House of Blues): After regrouping from the loss of their lead singer Layne Staley in 2002, alternative stalwarts Alice in Chains are back to making new music and will stop in North Myrtle Beach to promote their 2009 album, "Black Gives Way to Blue."

Fronted by new singer William Duvall, the band still carries the same hard rock/acoustic sound they made famous in the '90s and will surely mix in classic hits such as "Would?" "Rooster" and "Man in the Box" among their new material.

3. Marley Gras (Feb. 6, The Boathouse): This fourth annual show is the perfect way for fans to pay tribute to musical legend Bob Marley on what would have been his 65th birthday.

Featuring music by Mystic Vibrations, this will be a mellow evening of classics such as "Is This Love," "Jamming" and "Buffalo Soldier," not to mention it'll help hold over fans of The Boathouse's outdoor concert series until summer.

4. The Ultimate Elvis Tribute Contest (March 20, Legends in Concert): You likely don't need me to tell you whether or not you will love this show.

But even as just a casual fan of The King, there's something oddly intriguing to me about watching a dozen or so grown men run around trying to act like a dead rock star. It's kind of like "American Idol" with jumpsuits.

5. Kiss Kiss, The Venetia Fair and From the Heart (Feb. 12 at Drink!): Featuring a couple of up-and-coming East Coast bands and an appearance from Myrtle Beach native Nick Allen (From the Heart), this show is a must-see for those looking for something different.

New York-based indie rockers Kiss Kiss lead the way with a standout live show that features their experimental yet accessible tunes with an electric violinist and multiple synthesizers. They gained a good deal of buzz on the indie scene with their 2007 debut "Reality vs. The Optimist" and have continued to record and tour the country the past few years, releasing "The Meek Shall Inherit What's Left" last year.

In addition, The Venetia Fair is a three-ring circus of theatrical rock - which rivals that of My Chemical Romance or Panic at the Disco - with an over-the-top vocals and crashing piano riffs. But don't take my word for it, check them out yourself by downloading their full-length album "The Circus" online (www.purevolume.com/thevenetiafair).

Online music

6. Internet radio apps: Listening to streaming music online is nothing new for most folks. Internet radio sites like Pandora (www.pandora.com) and Last.fm (www.last.fm) have become popular over the past few years, providing millions of users with personalized stations based on their likes and dislikes.

The breakthrough, however, is that these once-struggling streaming services now offer "apps" that can be downloaded to mobile devices. These little programs, combined with the explosion of smart phones, MP3 players and other always-online devices, mean more and more people are gaining access to an ever-expanding library of on demand tunes from their pocket.

This instant gratification may sound unnecessary to some, but trust me, it's an amazing feeling to be able to instantly look up that bad '80s song that's been stuck in your head all day.

7. Amazon MP3 (www.amazon.com/mp3): Apple's iTunes may grab all the headlines, but its America's biggest online retailer, Amazon.com, that offers the best deals in online music. The usability and "wow factor" of buying on Amazon may not stack up against iTunes, but these days it's hard to argue against lower prices, especially when it comes to feeding disposable desires like your music collection.

Amazon has grown its selection to more than 10 million tunes and routinely goes out of its way to give you a reason to check there first, offering downloads of newly released albums for $7.99 - as opposed to most of iTunes' new releases at $9.99. In addition, it offers lots of well-known albums at $5 each, a daily MP3 deal that serves up current albums as low as $2.99 and still offers some tracks at 79 cents each.

8. "United State of Pop 2009" (DJearworm.com): Want to bone up on this year's biggest songs, but don't have time to listen to all those albums before Sunday's Grammy Awards? That's OK: Mashup master DJ Earworm has got you covered with the latest in his series of year-end wrap ups.

This downloadable track combines the 25 top songs of the past year, according to Billboard, and mixes them down into one five-minute blast of pure pop goodness. From Black Eyed Peas and Lady Gaga to Taylor Swift and Kings of Leon, this high-energy MP3 and accompanying video are something you have to hear to believe.

9. The MB Underground podcast (mbunderground.podbean.com): Not to be confused with The Myrtle Beach Underground Web site, this show is a couple of local song spinners, Paul Inman and Matt Sellers, talking about music and more from Sellers' currently under-construction facility, Stone Clover Studios. Although releases of the show have been a bit sporadic, the content is top-notch. With segments that range from informational - rundowns of upcoming shows and interviews with local artists - to ridiculous - "Hey, I know a guy!" jokes and Ye Olde Guitar tips - the show is definitely worth a listen.

10. Indaba Music (www.indabamusic.com):

While this may not be for everyone, anyone who likes to dabble in making music will love the idea behind Indaba. The site is a social networking site, stripped down of all the cuteness and silly games of Facebook and MySpace, where musicians can get together and collaborate. You can use online mixing tools to take others' creations and combine them with your own ideas or simply interact with like-minded individuals from all over. Even if you're just looking to make connections locally, there are a fair number of folks from the area using the service.