Live Show - Andrew Belle at Anthology in San Diego, CA

It's July, and I'm on a trip for work, so that must mean one thing - there's an Andrew Belle show I have to see! About a year and a half or so ago, I was fortunate enough to run across Andrew's music through the website Brite Revolution (which is now FREE, by the way if you didn't know). A few months later, I traveled to Nashville for work, so of course I figured I needed to catch some live shows. A friend of mine was playing with Andrew at the Basement for Nashville New Faces Night, so I figured I'd swing on over and see if this guy was as good in person as he was in studio. Boy, was I blown away! It's always a treat to find artists that are actually better live, even when you love everything they've recorded. Since then, Andrew was named the "Best New Arist" out of Chicago via MTV2, has had several songs featured on the show Grey's Anatomy, has toured with Ten Out of Tenn Vol 3, TOT Vol 2 Christmas, as well as many other artists around the country. It was such a treat to see that he would be playing in San Diego the one night I was there, and at such a great venue.

Andrew Belle
http://www.andrewbelle.com

Twitter: @andrewbelle
MySpace: Andrew Belle
Facebook: Andrew Belle

When I first went to buy tickets for Andrew Belle's show at Anthology in San Diego, I wasn't entirely sure what I was getting myself into. Most of the tickets at Anthology come with a requirement that you spend at least $15 on food and drinks, and the reservations are made several hours before the show starts. It was a little pricier than where I normally eat, but the food was absolutely fantastic! The atmosphere was unlike any other venue I've ever set foot in, and the huge open dining area and a booth so close to the stage made the night one I will remember for a long time.

Photo by Alexandra Jordan, July 18, 2010 at Anthology in San Diego, CA

As I said, I've caught Andrew several times over the past year, and I am thoroughly impressed by his performance every single time. Belle has built a solid band to back him, all phenomenal musicians in their own right. You can tell they've hit the point where everyone's comfortable on stage, they know how to read each other, and everyone enjoys each moment throughout the course of the night. Basically, Belle's shows are just a blast to watch. It was also fun to be 3000 miles away from home and see some San Diego fans singing along will all of Andrew's lyrics. 

Throughout the course of the night, Belle played most of the songs found on his All Those Pretty Lights EP as well as his full-length album, The Ladder. He has a way of bringing these songs to life in an entirely new way every time, to the point that I feel like every show of his I've seen has been completely different. Belle's voice has a melodic quality to it very similar to that of Isaac Slade (lead singer of the Fray), and he draws you in with the depths of emotion you can feel emanating from each song. Belle has the chops to go far in the music industry, and there's no sign of him slowing down any time soon.

Essentially, I had no idea what I was walking into venue-wise for at Anthology, but the night certainly did not disappoint. Andrew even said he felt Anthology was one of the best-sounding venues he's ever played, and I have to agree. The bottom line is that whenever this guy comes to your city, make it a priority to catch him. You won't be dissatisfied in any way. 

You can catch Andrew's cover of Greg Laswell's song "Sing, Teresa Says" from the San Diego show here. 

Also, you can find the official "Static Waves" video here.

Listen to These Tracks Now: "The Ladder," "Static Waves" (feat. fellow TOT-er Katie Herzig), "In My Veins," and "All Those Pretty Lights"

Always a pleasure! And I'd like to point out that I'm in 3-4" heels, and I'm still shorter... haha.

Project to Watch - Justin Branam, iPhone Sessions

First of all, I’d just like to say that I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to update! My initial intent had been to update a couple times a month, or once a month at the VERY least! Apparently launching a blog right before I closed on a house was a horrible idea, but I’m back, and I’ve got quite a lot of ground to cover. Let’s start off with an interesting new project by an independent artist in Nashville, TN.

Justin Branam
Twitter: @justin_branam
MySpace: Justin Branam
Facebook: Justin Branam

Justin Branam is an independent artist based out of Nashville, Tennessee, who originally hails from Indiana. Branam has been in the music business for a while now, dubbed “Best New Pop” by AOL in 2008, he later released a 3 song EP titled Introducing Justin Branam, which I highly recommend downloading off iTunes if you haven’t already. He’s opened for fellow Nashville artists Dave Barnes, Matt Wertz, and Mat Kearny, as well as the likes of Blessid Union of Souls, John Butler Trio, and Mute Math. Now Branam is looking to fund his latest record and has taken a unique approach to do so.

I sat down with Justin in Nashville back in March to catch up and see what he’d been up to, and he began explaining his latest endeavor of the iPhone Sessions to me – at the time an idea still beginning to take shape. Basically he wanted to create an EP completely on an iPhone – record the tracks, promotional videos, create album artwork, everything, using only an iPhone. Four months later, Branam has been able to bring this project to fruition. With the string of bad publicity Apple’s been getting lately with the release of the iPhone 4, Steve Jobs should be using this project in a new marketing campaign if you ask me…


As I mentioned, there is a larger purpose behind the creation of this unique and inspiring project that is sure to be duplicated by many an independent artist in the near future. Branam is using his iPhone Sessions EP to fund a more substantial project – the creation of a new full-length album. Having written over 40 new songs since last fall, Branam is ready to get back in the studio and get to work. The world of independent music, however, can be brutal, and studio time is not cheap. So how exactly does the iPhone Sessions EP help fund Branam's latest project? Go to the iPhone Sessions to find out more, but the idea is fairly simple. The website Kickstarter.com allows people to fund larger projects. Basically you can create a project and have other people become “backers” by donating a small or large amount to the project at hand. Depending on how much is donated, Branam has created a lengthy list of incentives for backers. The smallest donation ($5) gets you a download of the iPhone Sessions, and the larger the donation, the more creative incentives he tacks on – signed picks, handwritten lyrics, being thanked in the liner notes of his next album, video chats, YouTube videos, and on and on.

Here’s a glimpse at the iPhone Sessions. This is a promotional video Justin did of “Dial Tone.” Once again, using only an iPhone.
"Dial Tone"

So, to sum up as briefly as possible, Justin Branam is trying to create a new full-length album and needs help in raising $3000 to do so. He’s found a unique way to accomplish this task; at least take a moment to surf on over to the iPhone Sessions and see what he’s put together. It’s definitely worth your time.