Posts By Mark Graham

April 14th, 2011 | 3:15 pm by Mark Graham (@unclegrambo)

Glee Star Matthew Morrison Teams Up With VH1 Save The Music

On May 10th, the VH1 Save The Music Foundation will kick off the Songwriters Music Series at the Hard Rock Cafe New York with an intimate acoustic performance by musician and Glee star Matthew Morrison. Presented by Starburst, the Songwriters Music Series which will launch in NYC, travel to Nashville on June 2nd with a performance by ACM Award-winning sibling trio The Band Perry at the Hard Rock Cafe?s Reverb Room and close-out in Los Angeles this September. All proceeds from the series will benefit VH1 Save The Music in their mission to provide all children with access to a complete education that includes music. For more info and to purchase tickets, please call (212) 846-7882 or email vh1stmtickets@gmail.com.

Matthew Morrison?s self-titled debut will be available May 10th on Mercury Records. In support of the album and the VH1 Save The Music Foundation, Matthew is launching a major summer tour, which will feature songs from his forthcoming album, including the hit single ?Summer Rain,? along with many of the Glee fan favorites. In tribute to the great glee clubs across the country, the tour will also offer regional glee clubs the chance to compete for the “opening act” performance slot in each market and the winner will be chosen by Morrison. Entries can be submitted at www.matthewmorrison.com/gleeclubcontest.

[Photo Credit: Getty Images]

April 14th, 2011 | 2:00 pm by Mark Graham (@unclegrambo)

Hanson Posted: From Conan to Denver In a Day

We just received the following missive from Hanson fellas, our Posted artist for the month of April. Rather than translating their words, we figured it would be more fun if we just turned the blog over to them for this one post. The floor’s all yours, gents!

Last Thursday was a pretty nuts day, which started off with an early call time at Conan to record his show that evening, and ended with a chartered flight to get to Denver in time for a radio show we had planned for some time with KALC. Conan was a blast. We love being on the show. We snapped a few pics during the rehearsals as everyone was getting their bearings. It’s always fun to play with a great horn section, even better if you have somebody named La Bamba in your section.

In order to pack in a big TV show in one city and a radio show performance in another city the same day you pretty much have no choice but to charter a flight; lucky for us, we were in Burbank recording Conan which put us close to the regional private airport of choice. Here’s a few pics from the trip inside the mini-plane which, thankfully, got us to Denver just in the nick of time. There’s also some corresponding vids from this little jaunt that we hope you enjoy.

Onward,
— Taylor,Isaac and Zac

We’ve got the video of Hanson performing “Give A Little” from the Conan show last week for you below, as well as all the pictures that the guys sent along.

April 12th, 2011 | 10:30 am by Mark Graham (@unclegrambo)

Sade’s Ultimate Collection to Feature Collaboration With Jay-Z

Just over a year after the release of Sade‘s most recent album Soldier of Love, Epic has compiled the 2-CD Ultimate Collection, coming May 3. The first disc largely replicates 1994′s quadruple-platinum The Best of Sade, but the second disc, in addition to five tracks and a b-side from Lovers Rock and three tracks from Soldier of Love, includes four new recordings: Thin Lizzy cover “Still In Love With You,” two new original tracks (“Love Is Found” and “I Would Never Have Guessed”) and a new remix of “The Moon and the Sky” featuring Jay-Z, the latter of which you can hear below:

Sade is no stranger to hip-hop collaborations; in 2001 alone she sang the hook on Krayzie Bone‘s single “Hard Time Hustlin’,” while her band’s own single “By Your Side” was remixed by The Neptunes. And “Moon and the Sky” is a hot track even before the stripped-down, added-low-end remix. But Jay-Z’s verse is fascinating. Outside of the framework of best-rapper braggadocio, he gets back to his storytelling roots and can really shine. Or maybe he just does a really really great Andre 3000 impression. Either way, it’s a great verse.

April 11th, 2011 | 2:30 pm by Mark Graham (@unclegrambo)

Love & Hip Hop Stars Somaya And Olivia Both Drop Their Singles; Whose Do You Prefer?

On tonight’s episode of Love & Hip Hop, we get to spend some extended time with the ladies as they prepare to take their next step in the music industry. First up, we’ve got Olivia, who has already tasted success in the biz. Not only was she the first artist ever signed to Clive Davis’s J Records, but she was the featured vocalist on 50 Cent’s number one smash from 2005, “Candy Shop.” Despite this success, she still feels like her fans have yet to hear the true Olivia on wax, so she heads to the studio to record a lovelorn ballad entitled “December.”

Then there’s Somaya.

April 8th, 2011 | 3:00 pm by Mark Graham (@unclegrambo)

It’s A Celebreality Dream Come True: Bret Michaels and Flavor Flav Duet! Really!

In what is surely the greatest combination of flavors since you got YOUR chocolate in MY peanut butter, two of your favorite Celebreality superstars just made some sweet music together. Literally.

TMZ reports that Flavor of Love star Flavor Flav joined Rock of Love star Bret Michaels on-stage in Dubuque, Iowa (of all the places!), for a killer version of Public Enemy’s 1990 Top 40 smash, “911 Is A Joke.” As you’ll see from the (admittedly crappy*) video above, Flav started the jawn off a capella style, but then Bret and his band joined in with some ferocious instrumental backing, at which point everyone in the audience got up and then got, got down.

What do you guys think? Should Flav and Bret go out on tour together? Or should they stick to romancin’ the ladies?

April 8th, 2011 | 2:15 pm by Mark Graham (@unclegrambo)

VH1′s Latest Rock Doc, Foo Fighters: Back and Forth, Debuts Tonight

If you were to ask us to rattle off a list of some of the worst band names ever, it would probably be awhile before we got to the name Foo Fighters. Not Dave Grohl, though; according to him, “Honestly, had I taken this whole career thing seriously, I would’ve named it something else [besides Foo Fighters], because it’s the worst f*****g band name in the world!” This revelation, along with many more about the band’s tumltuous 16-year career (which has been filled with drug overdoses, creative in-fighting and a rotating lineup of musicians), are all presented, straight from the horse’s mouths, in the new documentary film, Foo Fighters: Back And Forth.

The film, directed by Academy Award winning documentary filmmaker James Moll, made its debut in front of a raucous audience at SXSW a few weeks ago, but you’ll be able to catch it in the comfort of your own living room on VH1 tonight at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The level of access that Moll got into the world of the Foos was unbelievable, and you’ll see each of the band members candidly discuss the pros and cons of being a member of a band that formed in the wake of Nirvana’s untimely collapse. If you’re a fan of rock music, this doc is DEFINITELY a must-see. Set your DVRs!

April 8th, 2011 | 9:00 am by Mark Graham (@unclegrambo)

Exclusive: Head To Toe With Avril Lavigne

At the tender age of just 26, Avril Lavigne has already sold over 30 million albums worldwide. She first exploded onto the pop scene back in 2002 with an abundance of both hooks and attitude, and now, almost ten years later, her skills as a singer and songwriter continue to shine. Her latest record, Goodbye Lullaby, came out last month and has already spawned the hit track, “What The Hell,” which has been sitting near the top of the VH1 Top 20 Video Countdown for the last few weeks.

When Avril recently popped by our Times Square offices, we thought that her distinct fashion sensibilities (see also: Avril Lavigne’s Top 20 Hottest Outfits) made her a perfect candidate for our recurring style series, Head to Toe. “In fashion, you have the option to express yourself, go overboard and have fun with it,” the punky pop princess told us. “Never be afraid of what other people are gonna to think of your outfit. If it’s weird and out there and makes you feel good, then go for it.”

Check out our gallery of Avril images below, and be sure to follow along for a video where she discusses her look from, you guessed it, Head To Toe.

April 7th, 2011 | 4:30 pm by Mark Graham (@unclegrambo)

Over-Analyzing Taylor Swift’s Decision To Cover “White Blank Page” By Mumford & Sons

Listening to Taylor Swift’s catalog is, as she has admitted on numerous occasions, akin to reading her diary. Considering her stance as a confessional songwriter and performer, we feel inclined to believe that her decision to cover “White Blank Page” by Mumford & Sons during a recent visit to (the quite comely) Fearne Cotton’s BBC Radio-1 program wasn’t made willy-nilly.

So, what was it about the song by the upcoming Unplugged artists that appealed to Swift? If you’ll allow us to (wildly) speculate for a minute, perhaps it had something to do with the song’s strong sexual and religious undertones? One potential reading of “White Blank Page” is that it’s written from the perspective of someone whose religious beliefs strongly encourage them not to have sex before marriage (“Can you kneel before the King and say I’m clean, I’m clean?”), which clearly amounted to be a dealbreaker between of the lady that the song addresses and the song’s narrator. Which, if you’ve ever heard Swift’s “Dear John,” seems like something Swift can readily identify with.

April 6th, 2011 | 5:00 pm by Mark Graham (@unclegrambo)

Kings of Leon Take The Stage In Nashville For Storytellers

As a group known for keeping their personal lives close to the vest, it was a true treat to have Kings of Leon open up to our VH1 cameras last night in Franklin, Tennessee. Privy to an intimate performance that revealed the band – ??s versatile character, the audience did NOT want to sit down, and trust us when we tell you that this taped show —which will kick off an incredible 15th season of Storytellers on May 13th— is one that we – ??re extremely proud to eventually share! Even if he was a smidge nervous at the onset, frontman Caleb Followill led the Kings – ?? charge, discussing topics that spanned their early days as a group, his often-intoxicated songwriting process, succumbing to wearing tight pants they once found foolish, and their … wait for it – ?? sexuality.

– ??This is our dream and we want to do this forever, – ?? remarked Caleb as he ventured down memory lane, literally quoting his own thoughts from years earlier. In the music business for over a decade now, the close-knit group (comprised of brothers Caleb, Nathan, and Jared, along with cousin Matthew) has achieved a level of success that they admit once daunted them. Forced to ignore fears of surrendering their cherished solitude to the masses, the Followills continued to make music that they felt defined them. Now on the other side of fame, the humble rockers actively nod at their beloved Southern roots, and during our Storytellers shoot, showed appreciation for fans that believed in them from the beginning, and for the Nashville community where they call home.

April 5th, 2011 | 2:00 pm by Mark Graham (@unclegrambo)

Watch Death Cab For Cutie Shoot Their New, Single-Take Video Live On The Internet Tonight

Can't see the stream on your mobile device? Click here.

While many bands have successfully pulled off the “single-take” music video (think OK Go‘s “This Too Shall Pass,” think Feist‘s “1, 2, 3, 4″), no band has EVER attempted to complete a single-take video while also simultaneously broadcasting the events live on the web. Yet that’s exactly the challenge that Death Cab For Cutie has before them tonight.

As we let you know yesterday, the foursome will be streaming their “You Are A Tourist” video shoot live on Ustream at 7PM EDT/4PM PDT tonight as it happens. You can watch the exciting proceedings right here on VH1 via the video window we’ve got above. Let’s just hope that it goes better for them than it did for Kirstie Alley on Dancing With The Stars last night!