Was anyone more emotional on stage than Joe? This is one of my all time favorites.

I have been spending a lot of time in the car as of late which is giving me a good chance to really dig into some new music. The album Machine Dreams (iTMS) from the Swedish group Little Dragon has been a distinct point of focus and enjoyment. Headed by the exquisite Yukimi Nagano (who was born and raised in Sweden by her Japanese father and American mother), the group blends musical influences to produce a fresh and beautiful sound. The track Feather stands out amongst a strong record and the band sounds great live. Little Dragon is currently on tour in the U.S., so check the schedule and go an see them. You won’t be disappointed.

Note Yuki’s dancing. Amazing.

Again, the dancing is almost as good as the music.

If you have ever been to the Rose Bar at the Gramercy Park hotel in NYC you will know the space isn’t huge. So when I heard that The Black Keys were playing a private show during New York Fashion Week I pretty much flipped my lid. I have seen the Akron duo about 25 times and this was by far the best venue / arrangement I have ever seen. I was so close that I could have reached out and grabbed Patrick’s ride cymbal.  Not to mention the Tequila was on the house; needless to say I was fully out of commission the day following the show. My video from the night is below — sound quality suffered due to my proximity. Enjoy!

Can someone work with Rick Ross on his own line of glasses? Ross has taken the eyewear game to the next level through his videos and it is about time Safilo or Luxottica step up and do a high-end line with the boss of the south. Not cheap glasses, I’m talking high-end, Made in Italy type of shit. Even if Persol did a collaboration that would probably suffice for me. I think Rick Ross is the stylish underdog of the rap game and should be respected as such. Further proof below.

Screen captures from Rick Ross videos, illustrating Mr. Ross’ prowess in not only money and women, but sunglasses, natch. Videos can be seen here. More images from my Flickr here.

It seems the Europeans are dominating the mobile-concert-video-concept. Between Black Cab Sessions and La Blogotheque (Take Away Shows), I don’t know which one to like more. Although, I do know which one I enjoy more, it is Blogotheque. They seem more interested in promoting and sharing music (and the videos!), than promoting themselves. Anyway both sites are making amazing content that keeps me happy-go-lucky. If you waste 20 minutes on the internet today, watch these videos below. It will be worth it, promise.

Black Cab Sessions | Doves

Take Away Show | Seasick Steve

Take Away Show | Delta Spirit

Black Cab Sessions | Ryan Adams

If you don’t know Janelle Monáe and her music, your life is missing something special. I have had the opportunity to see Ms. Monáe perform on several occasions and have been consistently blown away. I don’t know that I have ever seen a performer with as much enthusiasm and energy. I’m obsessed with her voice and her peculiar dancing. Take a few minutes and enjoy these two amazing performances below.

Plus the girl only wears saddle shoes — as if we needed another reason to love her.

Top two photos via Lorne Thomson

I spent the better part of a week down in Austin for the South by Southwest music festival. We saw so many bands and ate great Mexican food every day. Some of my photos from the trip are over at Men.Style.com. Check them out here.

The good folks at Bowery Presents (big ups to Mr. Josh Moore) were kind enough to invite me to see Mr. Dan Auerbach at the Music Hall of Williamsburg this past Monday. Mr. Auerbach was masterful on stage — performing songs from his recently released solo record Keep it Hid — with an extensive accompaniment of a base player, guitarist, keyboard guy (that looked like he was time warped in from the seventies) and not one but two drummers. Some photos and video from the night are below.

Entertainment for the ride over to Williamsburg…

Mr. Charles Goodbeard aka The Impossible Cool at Walter Foods before the show.

Mid-show Jameson refreshments.

The suits the Four Tops are wearing during this 1965 performance seem shockingly as relevant today as they were back then. This skinny lapel, the piping, the bow ties. Are they wearing Thom Browne? What an amazing group of well dressed gentlemen. Plus, they carry a tune pretty well too.

I made the 400 mile drive from New York to my hometown of Cleveland to see The Black Keys (one of my favorite bands) perform at The Agora (one of my favorite venues). Since The Keys are from Akron, the show was super packed. I was fortunate enough to see the performance with the band’s family from the loges at stage right, which was pretty exciting. Also exciting were the 24oz tall boys of Coors Light that the Agora sells for $4.50. Being accustomed to NYC prices, the bartender slams down the beer and says $4.50, to which I retort, “$14.50??” “No! $4.50,” she says as the sheer joy washes over me.

The show was absolutely worthy of the long drive. The Agora is such a great old school venue and I’m glad The Keys choose to perform there as opposed to The House of Blues. Over the past couple of years Cleveland has been losing some of its great venues due to either mismanagement or the increased competition from HoB. I hope that the Agora is able to weather the storm and host great bands for many years to come.