Rockapella is a group of five guys that take popular songs and sing them all acapella. They use their voices to imitate all the instruments on the original tracks. I happen to listen to this music a lot. The Rockapella group and their music has become so popular that they have pretty much made their own genre of music, rockapella. Many groups have imitated the Rockapella group, especially in college choirs.

Often imitated; never duplicated, this certifiably unique pop musical group has taken the previously stodgy music genre of a cappella and brought it full-force into the 21st century.

For more information about Rockapella, visit their Web site here.

One of my most favorite Web sites on the web, especially when it comes to music, is radioandrecords.com.  I was first introduced to this Web site by a good friend of mine.  I usually go to the Web site to look at the latest rankings for many different genres.  Unlike billboard.com, radioandrecords.com measures the amount of play time for a song on the radio.  I think it’s pretty sweet.  This type of ranking lets you see what songs and artist will be big in the weeks to come.

Radio & Records is the preeminent information company serving the key decisionmakers in the radio and record industries. Founded in 1973, R&R offers a broad line of print, Internet, research, convention and seminar products providing radio- and record-industry executives with access to critical research information, including the most comprehensive music-airplay data in the industry. (www.radioandrecords.com)

I first started listening to Michael Buble when I first heard his rendition Frank Sinatra’s “Fly me to the moon.” I have always been a big fan of Frank Sinatra and I was amazed to hear this guy sound so much like him. Now, I would have to say that Frank’s version is better, but Buble did a good job on the cover. My roommate actually went to a Buble concert in the city last month and he loved it. He said the guy sounded awesome in concert and he was really funny. Buble voice is very calm and mellow. He has become of fan of many people all over the nation.

Here’s a link I think you would be interested in. Recently Rolling Stone had a Q&A with Panic! At The Disco’s Ryan Ross. Panic! At The Disco has been an up and coming band here in the states. According to Rolling Stone:

Their debut, A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out, drops electronic drums, barrelhouse piano and synth stabs amid speedy, stutter-stepping grooves and the sweet-and-sour vocals of emo pinup Brendon Urie, 18, which touch on girls, religion and being “a wet dream for the Webzines.” (more this article here)

Here is the link for the Q&A with Ryan.

Where does music appear in our daily life? Have you ever seen a movie without music? It would be one in a thousand, if any. How many television acts can oyu spot without music. Why is the music there? You go for a workout at the gym and there is music. You go shopping at the supermarket or the mall and there is music. Why?

Why do we listen to music so much? What is it about music that can put us in different emotional states. This is one of the reasons I love the power of music. I listen to music in some for for probably at least 5 to 7 hours a day. How much do you listen to music in a normal day? Just some open questions for you to ponder.

Today, April 25, 2006, Taking Back Sunday debuted their third album. Accroding to Rolling Stone:

Long Island screamo dudes Taking Back Sunday spent the fall in Los Angeles, recording the follow-up to 2004’s hit Where You Want to Be. Their major-label debut, Louder Now, brings more of the aggression that made their name.

takingbacksunday.com

Listen to Taking Back Sunday at purevolume.com

Again, after searching around on the internet, I came across a Web site that mentioned the Web site, purevolume.com. Purevolume.com is a Web site that is devoted to music awareness. They let bands of all types upload there music and basically the Web site is a place where bands can create a blog amongst other bands. They give awareness to, not only popular bands, but also up and coming bands that are not yet signed. One very cool part of the Web site is, they give you an option of browsing through the bands. You are able to find bands in your hometown and see where they will be touring.

Check out the prevolume.com Web site here.

Through many hours of browsing on the internet, I came across this very different music genre. I actually kind of like it.

Bastard pop is a musical genre which, in its purest form, consists of the combination (usually by digital means) of the music from one song with the a cappella from another. Typically, the music and vocals belong to completely different genres. At their best, bastard pop songs strive for musical epiphanies that add up to considerably more than the sum of their parts. (www.wikipedia.com)

I usually refer to bastard pop as mash-ups, they actaully mean the same thing.

The best-known mashup in the United States is an unauthorized album-length project called “The Grey Album,” assembled by Brian Burton, known professionally as Danger Mouse. The vocals are from Jay-Z’s “The Black Album,” and the musical bed is a highly processed and reorganized version of the Beatles’ “White Album.”

Here are some sample mash-ups that you can check out.

The Beat Worx – I’m In Love With All Strippers (T-Pain vs. Mötley Crüe

Robbiee – What You Know Little Girl? (T.I. vs. Death From Above 1979)

Recently, I’ve been hanging around my fraternity house during the day. Most of the people in my house know that I have a love and passion for music. So, when someone hears about a new music group, I usually hear about it. The other day I was at Spring Sing practice and everyone was talking about this new group, “Cartel.” Check them out for youself and see what you think.

Click here to listen to Cartel performing “Runaway.”

Click here to listen to Cartel performing “The Minstrel’s Prayer.”