Monthly Archives: January 2010

Kris Mark Covers ‘Guardian Angel’ by Ryan Leslie

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This is a great cover of Ryan Leslie’s “Gaurdian Angel” by Kris Mark and his friends. They completely reproduced the song and it sounds awesome. Kris may not be quite as active as some of the other big youtube singers but he’s someone you definitely shouldn’t overlook.

One of my personal favorites off of Ryan Leslie’s latest album entitled “Transition” you should cop it–its business. This particular song hits me hard ’cause I feel like every relationship (whether romantic or not) should function like in this song. Motivate and inspire each other! I would like to dedicate this cover to the victims and heroes of the Haiti disaster. Every donation counts.

I decided to do this cover in a little more all-out sort of fashion ’cause I had some free time after a long week of school. I (re)produced the drums, bassline, and percussion. Alan Kwan handled the chorus synth, and Michael Cupino tickles the electric piano. Big ups to them for bringing their gear to my place, turning it into a studio for a day, and rockin’ out with me for 4 hours to record both audio and video!

A special thanks goes to my guardian angel, Karina Ramos for filming. You’re one of the reasons I chose to cover this song =).

David Choi Covers ‘Hey Soul Sister’ by Train

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David’s back with another cover, and in his signature layered video style he sings the new single from Train called ‘Hey Sould Sister’. As always David does an awesome job. I really enjoy when musicians do things like this and seeing/hearing the different sounds they use to create the final product.

I’m glad Train came out with a new single! I fell in love with Train when I first heard “Calling All the Angels” years ago.

I shot the video footage on iMovie and dumped it into Adobe Premiere to get the “box effect”. I first shot video/audio of myself in the black shirt and guitar and added more parts as I went along. Usually, I would practice all the parts a few times before I actually recorded, but this video was all one take after the other which is why it sounds a little messy. I don’t mind though! :)

Seriously x Esna Yoon Cover ‘Two Is Better Than One’

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Seriously has teamed up with Esna Yoon to cover ‘Two Is Better Than One’, originally by Boys Like Girls x Taylor Swift.

Esna’s been all over Youtube the past couple weeks! Anyways they did a great job, and kept it simple and beautiful though if I had to compare I’d give the slight edge to the AJ Rafael x Kina Grannis cover from a while back.

Michelle Martinez Covers ‘Bad Romance’

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Michelle Martinez recently covered Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” and did a pretty great job. Her rendition is stripped down to just a piano accompaniment, which gives more room for her vocals. She’s a great singer and did a fine job though it’s almost a little too slow for my tastes. Also, the mixing is kinda muddy which is a pet peeve of mine (though I’m often guilty of the same thing in my own projects).

IZ Talks Briefly with AznRaps

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Almost as a follow up to his last interview with them, IZ makes a few comments to AR regarding his single and video “Never Fall 2010″ as well as what’s coming up in the pipeline. If things hold up and he keeps the momentum going, it looks like it’s gonna be a big year for IZreal.

Check the full transcript after the jump.

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Mimi leaves the Wonder Girls, Replaced by New Trainee

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I imagine most of you have already read this news elsewhere but in a surprising turn of events, Mimi aka Sunmi, has opted to leave the Wonder Girls in lieu of continuing her education. She will be replaced by a new trainee, Lim.

JYP Entertainment has announced that Mimi from the Wonder Girls has decided to postpone her musical career to pursue an academic career.

Mimi, the rest of the Wonder Girls members, her family, and JYP Entertainment have collectively decided to postpone her musical career for the time being.

JYP Entertainment said, “Mimi had a truly memorable, once in a lifetime experience while living in the U.S. and touring over 50 cities. We support her decision to pursue an academic career at this time. We will also support Mimi if she chooses to return to singing after her academics are complete. In the meantime, she plans to frequent JYP facilities and continue her dance and vocal classes.”

Mimi will remain with the Wonder Girls in the U.S., continuing with any scheduled performances and activities until the end of February. As of March, she will return to Korea and prepare to focus on her studies. JYP has named 17 year old Lim as the newest member to the quintet. Lim has gone through extensive training at the JYP Academy for three years and is fluent in four languages: English, Korean, Mandarin and Cantonese.

At the age of 17, I imagine it was a difficult decision for the young star though I applaud her appreciation for higher learning (if this is in fact the real reason she is leaving the group). Most KPOP stars do indeed have an expiration date, though I’m sure many question if her depature is premature. She’s one of the youngest members of the group but had some potential for growth although it could be argued she was the least noticed of the bunch. Regardless she’s been part of a hugely influential group, especially as one of the first Asian acts to make a sizeable dent in the US market.

We at a-Tunes wish her the best, both in front and out of the spotlight.

Source: AllKPOP

Utada Interview w/ PopMatters

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PopMatters has a new interview with Utada Hikaru. It’s a quick read but touches upon a lot of different subjects including her US debut in 2004, how she’s doing things different now and the inspiration behind some of her music. Our very own Music4UrSoul will be in attendance at Utada’s show in SF this weekend so you be on the lookout for her commentary!

Catch the interview after the jump!

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Baiyu x Ryan Leslie Release ‘When We Dance’ MV

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Baiyu, an r&b singer originally from the east coast has released her collaboration with Ryan Leslie entitled ‘When We Dance’. The song ain’t bad though like most current r&b tracks it does’t give the talent the opportunity to really showcase their vocals. Regardless the song’s got a pretty good beat. The video is a decent watch though nothing especially noteworthy. I knew Baiyu as a kid so it’s kinda crazy to see her doing big things after all these years. A huge congrats to her!

IBU Releases ‘Hardlife’

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Check out this new r&b jam from Chicago based group IBU called ‘Hardlife’. It’s a chill song and an enjoyable listen. It’s definitely a change of sound from the material on their latest album ‘Inspired By U‘. The music is set to some behind the scenes footage from one of their recent visits to the studio. If you ever wondered how things go down in the creation and recording of a song be sure to check this one out.

IBU had the opportunity to work on a project with Spank! Music and Sound Design on January 6, 2010. In the process we got to hang with Spank! staff Gary Guzman (Producer / Composer) and Rick Fritz (Producer / Engineer). We got the complete tour of the beautiful studio that’s based out of Chicago, IL, where the jingles such as “I Want To Be Like Mike” (Michael Jordan) and various McDonald’s jingles were recorded.

Lyrics after the jump.

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afterschoolspecial Interview w/ Steve Nguyen

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This is a great interview of afterschoolspecial as they talk with Steve Nguyen about almost everything that makes them who they are and what drives them to continue pursuing the dream. This group isnt your average band and they should be proud of that. Make sure you peep the video and get to know what the group just a little more.

Film producer Steve Nguyen takes you behind the scenes with Daniel Matthews (DanAKADan), Jaimie Block-Smith, Todd Olson, Victor Velasquez, Brian Figueroa and Keane Aranita of afterschoolspecial.

Formed in San Diego, afterschoolspecial is essentially a hip hop/rock band, ala Flobots, Gym Class Heroes, the Beastie Boys. The band puts their sweat and tears into every show that we do, according to Emcee Dan. Ive hurt my back, kicked myself in the face, and bloodied a few knees; if the crowds loving it, then Im loving it, too.

The band has shared the stage with the Flobots, Talib Kweli, Far East Movement, Souls of Mischief, Pigeon John, LuckyiAm (the Living Legends), the Blue Scholars, among others. Their debut EP Not One For Words was produced by Peter Rocks and engineered at 4th Street Studios in Santa Monica. They were nominated for Best Hip-Hop Act and Best Hip Hop Album at the 2009 San Diego Music Awards.