Sometimes you meet people who rivet your soul, challenge your deepest being and help you to become the very best version of yourself. Over a year ago, I met a woman like this and her name is Tatiana DeMaria. I’m thankful to call her a close friend today. This summer, I begged her to sing Adele for me at the first live show I heard her play at in New York. (Mind you, she played on Warped Tour for two years.) She obliged. And now, today, here is a version I can share with all of you. I’m pretty sure it will move your heart and soul. Enjoy. Tatiana is one of the most incredible people I’ve ever met.
Casey Shea and the boys came up on our office roof and rocked “Chelsea”. Of course we were busted mid-song by our kind and benevelont landlord who let them finish the song. Turned out they were standing on top of the skylight, with 2 inches of rubber between them and the glass structure underneath, but no one died! Totally worth it! Wait for the end to see the landlord pop up trying to break it up!
Look for “Chelsea” on the upcoming album in a few months, and listen to the current “Love Is Here To Stay” album until then!
Expertly shot and edited by Eric Weiner, with help from our own Lauren Glucksman. This is part one in the Family Live Sessions!
so epic + utterly unreasonable = <3
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Track:
ToBuildAHome_onetake
Artist:
Mailande Moran
Album:
Mailande Moran's Album
150 plays
Within ten minutes of meeting the marvelous and beautiful Mailande Moran, I knew we’d be friends forever.
One of my most favorite songs of all time is to build a home by the cinematic orchestra.
My first conversation with her consisted of us discussing this song along with a series of other crazy synchronistic moments.
Listen to her voice. I bet it’ll touch you.
i love music. my best friends play music. i love my best friends.
shannon dj’ing in top pic Friday night. antony drumming in danger is my middle name show last night.
some free indie shows in NYC this summer.
the xx, August 8th? CHECK.
(h/t dailycandy)
this is the dude I was in a music video with last weekend. david e beats and the whitehouse band. i just realized his latest video is being played with beyonce and mary j blige. muy interesante. i wonder what will happen with the video we taped together…
go download my awesome part-time roommie Tat’s four free songs. she rocks.
Free (or super-cheap) summer concerts - Time Out New York
i love summer.
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Track:
the chase
Artist:
Amber Rae Lambke
Album:
Ams Jams
145 plays
Another song I produced back in the day (aka college). This one is called “the chase.”
Last night I spent about an hour mixing a new song. I forgot how calming music is to me. Glad to be back in the groove…
let me know what you think.
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Track:
entice me
Artist:
Amber Rae Lambke
Album:
Ams Jams
200 plays
“entice me” — this is a song I produced back in college. i like it but the strings need to fade more quickly in the intro. i also think it gets better toward the end.
songs like this make me miss my grand piano. i want to learn this song. so beautiful. so perfect for an overcast New York afternoon.
comptine d’un autre été - yann tiersen
(thanks christy)
Dear Pandora and music platforms trying to make cash money… your model sucks.
Dear Pandora,
After many many months away from you, I’ve decided to try you once again in hopes of discovering more new music I like. While I think your platform is very powerful and has much potential, my 1GB library of music on shuffle always superseded your ability to “predict” the right song for me at the right time.
Four songs in, I’m quite impressed with what you’ve recommended so far. That said, I’m quickly reminded of another reason why I was turned off by your platform: your irrelevant and interruptive advertising model. As much as I support your monetization efforts and desire to drive usage, advertising that interrupts my music experience not only pisses me off but makes me not want to use your product.
I’m also not sure who to blame - you, the music platform, for selecting irrelevant advertisers who pay you well OR the advertisers / brands who should be an expert in knowing what their customers care about and how they use the internet.
Based on my past music stations, do you think I care about Clorox when I’m entering in “the xx” radio station?
Fuck no. And family music guide? #1 - I’m single so I’m far from thinking about family and laundry. #2 - I live in New York and therefore do not do my own laundry. I drop it off and have it done for me for $13. #failClorox - this is a waste of your advertising dollars.
The next ad takes a less family-centric approach with birth control. So maybe they are actually accidentally onto something with the birth control / sex angle (the xx is essentially sex in music, in my opinion) but still - way off and poor timing.
Third, when you (Pandora) tell me why you’re working with advertisers (aka “Why Ads?”), you fail and discredit the very brands paying you $$. You also shouldn’t have to tell me why the advertising fits within your platform. It should be a seamless and relevant part of the experience that encourages usage of your product and simultaneously helps a brand reach their business objectives.
That said, a few ways Pandora might improve their platform and advertising model:
- Improve artist/station prediction model to be based on mood/listening style: tap into how the user feels in the moment and the scenario in which they’re listening to music (writing, working out, cleaning, party, sexy time, etc.) - ASK and predict accordingly.
- Location-based advertising: Say I live in New York and Whitley comes on through the XX station… Say tickets for a Whitley show are going on sale in a week - BINGO! Perfect advertising opportunity.
- Location+artist-based advertising: Similar to above, artists could be recommended based on when they will be in town in your city. Since I live in New York, the new artists I’m exposed to could purely be from a pool of artists coming to NYC in the next 3 months. This not only provides a compelling and relevant advertising opportunity but it also creates an immediate call-to-action for me (if i like the music) and a way for me to sustain my interest in the band.
Lots more where this came from…
Much love,
Amber
what i’m listening to this morning - “sweet disposition” by the temper trap.
god i love this song.
and this vid’s a bit trippy but i dig it.
“can’t keep no good boy down” by the parlor mob is one of my most favorite songs in the entire world.
not only does the song immediately make me want to stop everything i’m doing to dance ridiculously and sing loudly BUT the lyrics too are rather fantastic.
i think the lyrics represent the type of woman who is manipulative, catty, hard-to-please and always dissatisfied (which is likely a result of her own internal dissatisfaction)…. this type of woman can’t keep no good boy down (as the song indicates) nor should she have the privilege of doing so.
some people just can’t be satisifed, no matter how hard you try. other people can be satisfied by the simplest gester. find and nurture the latter.
