So last night I was all snug in my bed watching the series premiere of X Factor USA.
I love me some Simon Cowell and his blunt-tell-it-like-it-is-even-if-I-hurt-your-feelings ways and those black skin tight v-neck t-shirts....well I missed those too.
But I digress.
I tweeted how ridiculously fabulous Paula Abdul looked (she did...like le damn hot) and then I figured I should follow her...
When I tried, this came up:
My first ever celebrity Twitter block.
Now I doubt it had to do with my 'you look fabulous' tweet....(unless she lives in her own opposite world) but maybe it had something to do with the time I tweeted she was being all crazy-like with the incoherent talk on her days on American Idol. It was tough love for Paula I know and perhaps she took it really hard. But I was being her Canadian female version of Simon - sometimes you need to hear the truth...even if it's hard to hear.
Now I fully realize it might not have been her that actually blocked me...maybe one of her 'people' did it...but I'd like to think she was sitting in her dressing room late one night and saw one of my tweets during American Idol and said "bitch I'm blocking you, I am Paula 'Straight Up' Abdul' and no one talks about me like that and gets away with it".
Shutty it SO could have happened like that.
Now I know I should be maybe a little sad - I mean, I did worship the ground she walked on back in the day - but this one made me giggle and maybe, just maybe, made me feel like I had finally arrived on the Twitter scene (and cue me dabbing my eyes with a tissue).
So to commemorate my first ever celebrity twitter block, I figured a triple shot of Paula Abdul videos were in order.
And Paula if you ever do forgive me for whatever it is I said....you can find me on Twitter at @cbernardi
There's a new band on the Canadian music scene...they have a hit single which you've likely heard all summer long.
The band? The New Cities (Sony Music). The single? Heatwave
The New Cities hail from Quebec (the original core of the New Cities hails from Trois-Rivières) and they seamlessly blend together a mix of pop, punk, modern rock and dance into a radio friendly vibe and their live shows are getting a lot of attention.
They may already have a hit single under their belt, but The New Cities are already itching for what comes next. Their high-voltage live show is making a mark on the Canadian concert circuit, but the band’s vision is wider than that...as band member Nick Denis sees it, “There’s a mentality where you don’t feel like you can take it out of Quebec. You always feel like it’s more of a dream than a possibility.” No such limitations exist for the New Cities, as they’ve signalled to their label and management. “We made it really clear that we love to play in Canada, but it’s always good to know you can go further.”
The New Cities have a new album coming out on September 27th called 'Kill The Lights' and during a stop in Ottawa on their massive promo tour (as they gear up for a big concert schedule), I had a chance to catch up with Julien Martre (bassist/singer) and we chatted about their live shows and growing up in Quebec.
Your band has a really strong online/social media presence. How important is for you as a band to connect with fans on that level?
It is very important to us to be able to connect with our fans on a regular basis. Their overall feedback for sure has an impact on some of our band decisions!
Growing up in Quebec - were you influenced any way by the very unique and distinctive Quebec music culture?
I think everyone in the band has listened to some Francophone/Quebec music at some point, I personally really like acts such as Jean Leloup and Daniel Belanger and I'm sure we got individually influenced by it at some level.
If we had to come up with a 'New Cities: These are the bands that inspired us' list, what 5 bands/artists would be on it?
Hard to speak for the whole band but I'll try! Daft Punk, Blink 182, Bloc Party, NIN, Death From Above 1979.
Now it's your turn to play DJ and create a 'New Cities Playlist'...what 5 songs are you listening to right now that you love?
Skrillex - First of the Year (Equinox)
Band Of Skulls - Fires
Take The Night - Take This Party Home (awesome brand new act from Montreal)
Awolnation - Sail
Blink 182 - Up All night
So you've done a lot of touring with major acts...BEP, Katy Perry, NIN....any stories from the road that you want to share? Any favourite touring moment?
Definitely a lot of awesome and memorable moments, the NIN concert was definitely one of them. We were totally amazed by them definitely one of our favourite moments! As far as touring stories...a very recent one actually...Nick and I literally got attacked by a wasp on stage, good thing our stage tech, Jeff resolved the issue quickly!
With all the touring you've done you're known as a great live act that is fun and very energetic...what is it about performing live that you guys love so much?
The connection with the audience is definitely our favourite part, no matter what type or size of venue it is a really important thing for us to make everybody dance and have a blast!
Last word is yours....anything you want to say to your fans?
Well we just want to thank all our fans, in Canada but also everywhere in the world and assure you all we will be seeing you very soon as we plan on doing a crazy lot of touring for our new record Kill the Lights!!
If you want to check out The New Cities fun and dynamic live show in person...here are some upcoming Canadian tour dates:
October 16: Toronto / The Opera House
October 18: Ottawa / Ritual
October 19: Hamilton / The Corktown
October 20: Windsor / The Blind Dog
December 1: Sherbrooke, QC / Theatre Granada
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I came across this artist earlier this week when I was going through the new music releases on iTunes and I haven't stopped listening to him since.
So who is Steve Moakler? Think the musical vibe of Jason Mraz meets Jack Johnston meets John Mayer in his early days....with a touch of David Gray and David Garza thrown into the mix.
Steve Moakler has never been one to shy away from taking chances. He left his hometown of Pittsburgh, PA to pursue the dream of a music career in Nashville. Since that time, Moakler has released two EPs & two full-length albums, performed for thousands of fans at clubs and colleges across the country, and has had his songs featured in several television shows. Not a bad resume for a dreamer who's only 23 years old.
His latest record "Watching Time Run" is about beginnings and ends, hellos and goodbyes, searching for yourself and finding someone to share the journey with. It represents the personal stories of a 23-year old making his way through life and watching time move on, set to a backdrop of pop, rock and country music. Many of us can relate to trying to move forward, but watching things move by too fast. We long to slow down and appreciate the beauty of the ride and the people that come in and out of our lives. Moakler has experienced a lot of growing up in the past two years and he lets you in on all those experiences and life lessons by listening to this new album.
Steve may be "watching time run" but he certainly isn't letting it slip by.
All I know is that I instantly fell for his musical stylings. Listen. Love it. And then go buy his albums on iTunes.
Waiting
Best Thing
Can't Stop Thinking About You
And this one (one of my favourites)....is where Steve channels his inner David Gray...he really does.
All the Faint Lights
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