Too Many Rappers by Beastie Boys Featuring NAS - Official Previously Unreleased Video!!!

In 2011, Beastie Boys released their final studio album Hot Sauce Committee Part Two. 

There was a ton of hype surrounding the album's release including THIS star-studded Fight For Your Right - Revisited mini-movie & THIS Spike Jonze-directed action figure video for Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win (featuring Santigold). Many critics hailed Hot Sauce Committee Part Two as the B-Boys at their best which made it all the more tragic when, a year later, Adam Yauch aka MCA died of cancer :(

Now, over 3 years later, Beastie Boys fans are in for a real treat. Check out the previously unreleased, Roman Coppola-directed video for the HSCPT track Too Many Rappers featuring NAS! The B-Boys had countless huge names supporting them & Hot Sauce Committee Part Two & for good reason!

Beastie Boys forever!

Californiyeah by !!! (Chk Chk Chk)

Upon landing back in Los Angeles last night after an absolutely incredible 4 days in Brooklyn NYC, I couldn't get Californiyeah by 1 of my favorite live bands EVER, !!! (Chk Chk Chk), out of my head!

"California's in my heart."

!!! - Californiyeah from Warp Records on Vimeo.

Elastic Heart by Sia - Official Video Featuring Shia LaBeouf & & Maddie Ziegler

Sia's official new video for her latest single off her 2014 album 1000 Forms of Fear features the same young, super talented, tan bodysuit & blonde bob wig-sporting dancer from her widely acclaimed Chandelier video, Maddie Ziegler, &, strangely enough, it also features Shia LaBeouf. The entire video takes place inside a huge birdcage & it's quite the emotional experience. 

I like the song Elastic Heart significantly more than the Chandelier track but I'm still not exactly sure how I feel about this video. It's interesting to say the least!

The Coachella 2015 Lineup Is Here!!!

January 6th is officially the earliest Goldenvoice has ever released its upcoming Coachella lineup &, although a lot of people are complaining up a storm about how lackluster the 2015 announcement is, I choose to focus on the positive :) :)

Weekend 1 of Coachella 2015 will be my 11TH COACHELLA IN A ROW!!! I booked a fancy Holiday Inn Express "King Leisure" hotel room all the way back on May 12th (only 1 month after attending Coachella 2014!) then purchased 2 General Admission passes 4 days later on May 16th so I'm totally ready already! Woo hoo!

I'll admit the headliners didn't blow my mind at 1st glance (aside from Jack White of course!) but there are still PLENTY of stellar acts to check out over the exhaustingly amazing 3-day weekend like:

Tame Impala
RAC
Jungle
Chet Faker
Toro y Moi
Caribou
Lykke Li (please let her get better soon so she doesn't cancel this 2015 festival appearance as well!)
St. Vincent
Sylvan Esso
SBTRKT
Built To Spill
Kele
Sturgill Simpson
Flying Lotus
Interpol
Jamie xx
Allah-las
alt-J
Ratatat
Run The Jewels
The War on Drugs
Father John Misty
Panda Bear
Glass Animals
Ryan Adams
Fitz & The Tantrums
Milky Chance
Gramatik
Parquet Courts
Perfume Genius
Benjamin Booker
Florence & The Machine
Drake
AC/DC
Kaskade
Jenny Lewis
Cloud Nothings
Mac DeMarco
Vance Joy
Angel Olsen
The Orwells
...and I'm sure many more once I start doing my Coachella 2015 homework!

When I Get My Hands On You by The New Basement Tapes

1 of the best tracks off the album Lost on the River by The New Basement Tapes is When I Get My Hands On You. The entire album (which made my Top 25 Albums of 2014 list) is pure gold but I'm finding track #7 often stuck on repeat. 

When I first heard it, I thought Jim James (the lead singer of what I consider to be the greatest live band ever, My Morning Jacket) was singing but later learned the vocals are by Marcus Mumford of Mumford & Sons. Jim can at least take solace in the fact that track #1 entitled Down On The Bottom (for which he handles lead vocals) is another top fave :)

The New Basement Tapes' collaboration is 1 of the best things to come from the year 2014. Elvis Costello, Jim James, Marcus Mumford, Taylor Goldsmith & Rhiannon Giddens must be making Bob Dylan SO proud! Read the full story of how these long-lost Dylan lyrics came to life HERE -> http://www.thenewbasementtapes.com/info/

Nina Shallman @ The Mint - 1/3/15

Last night at The Mint on Pico Boulevard, I had the pleasure of seeing a super talented, up & coming, young singer-songwriter, musician & poet named Nina Shallman perform. The fact that her 19th birthday is still 2 weeks away blows my mind! I was told last night was only Nina's 4th time ever playing a legitimate live show but I find that hard to believe considering how fantastic she was! Her band & backup vocalists were impressive too!

Nina has a gorgeous, versatile voice & fantastic stage presence. She plays the piano & the ukulele but I wouldn't be surprised if she plays more instruments than that. She writes her own material but can also rock incredible covers. Nina's rendition of Dear Prudence seriously rivaled The Beatles' version & her performance Ask gave me a newfound appreciation for The Smiths.

It is my opinion that Nina Shallman will quickly become wildly popular & possibly even the next generation's version of Norah Jones.

The Moon Can Stay = A Nina Shallman original

The Moon Can Stay from Mike Schneier on Vimeo.

Ask = A cover of The Smiths

Nina Shallman "Ask" live from Entourage Studios from Mike Schneier on Vimeo.

Coming Home by Leon Bridges

In need of a little soul on this lovely 1st Saturday of 2015? Check out the song entitled Coming Home by Leon Bridges, a 25-year-old, Fort Worth-based, singer/songwriter who is channeling his inner-Sam Cooke like a boss. The fact that this track is produced by Austin Jenkins & Josh Block of White Denim just adds to his intrigue.