Okay that sounds a bit egotistical, but it's pretty true.

Not sure how often I'll be writing in here anymore, but all things music related have been moved over to a blog I started with a fellow Kenna superfan, Charles.

The name of said blog is SOME KIND OF AWESOME.

So, come by and say hi! I promise there is so much great stuff over there it's not even funny.

There are plenty of organizations out there for you to donate to, but I just thought it was important to highlight the charities within the entertainment industry that are working together for the greater good.

Yele Haiti

Yele Haiti

Yéle Haiti is a foundation started by Grammy-Award winning musician, producer and social entrepreneur Wyclef Jean that is changing lives in this desperately poor but optimistic nation.

Through Yéle Haiti, Wyclef uses music, sports and the media to reinforce projects that are making a difference in education, health, environment and community development. In practical terms this translates to over 3,000 new jobs, close to 7,000 children being put in school, more than 8,000 people a month receiving food and approximately 2,000 young people a month learning about HIV/AIDS prevention.

STILLERSTRONG

Ben Stiller's charity, STILLERSTRONG, was originally established to raise money to build a school in Haiti but since has redirected all incoming donations towards disaster relief. With this particular charity you buy a headband and the money goes towards charity (much like the LIVESTRONG wristbands, which Stiller isn't afraid to openley say he stole the idea from).

Music For Reief

Founded by members of Linkin Park during the tragic tsunami in South Asia back in 2005, Music For Relief was designed to bring relief to disasteres and reduce global warming. Currently they are offering a free download of songs by Linkin Park, Dave Matthews Band, Peter Gabriel, Alanis Morissette, Slash, All-American Rejects, Hoobastank, Kenna, Enrique Iglesias and Lupe Fiasco in exchange for a donation.

Random fact: Kenna fans may recognize the song that Kenna is offering, "Never Let Me Down", as it was a track that randomly leaked on The Neptunes' message board a couple years ago that he swore up and down would never be released. Guess it was only a matter of time!

American Dance Party's Help Haiti t-shirt

Okay, so this one is more of an effort for Haiti from some rad Floridians that I picked up on when Anberlin lead singer Stephen Christian tweeted about it a few days ago and discovered that a lot of my friends back home are in on this. Marco Denis is the mastermind behind this t-shirt that 100% of the profits go towards the efforts in Haiti. They have partnered ourselves with "The Cathedral" in Evansville, Indiana, which run Haiti Christian Orphanage, located just outside of Port-Au-Prince. Haiti Christian Orphanage has been in operation for 35 years. Prior to the earthquake, it was home to 54 children, but with such a large increase in orphans, many more are currently seeking refuge there.You Can Help. 100% of what you give will be going directly to Haiti to aid in the relief.

A team will be leaving next week to the orphanage, bringing with them food, water, medical supplies, clothes, basically the essentials needed to preserve life in the area. They will be helping the community as well as the orphanage. Then, in months to come, they will be rebuilding. They will be taking a news team down with them to document the entire trip. We have received news that the orphanage survived the quake with the exception of some minor damage to the building, because of this it is now becoming a safe place for people to come to.

From what I understand shirts are already starting to ship out despite this being marked as a pre-order, so make sure you pick this up asap.

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If I find out about any other charities I will be sure to add them to the list, but this is all I know about thusfar.

Please do what you can to help!

Rad rockers A Lull are hitting the road for a few weeks starting January 21st for their Winter Classic Tour! Yippeee!

I cannot express to you how much energy these guys bring to their live show. Worth dropping a few dollars to check them out.

Dates as follows:

Jan 21 2010 Schubas, Chicago, Illinois
Jan 22 2010 Vollrath Tavern, Indianapolis, Indiana
Jan 23 2010 Skull Alley, Louisville, Kentucky
Jan 24 2010 The Indiana Players, Indiana, Pennsylvania
Jan 25 2010 Point Park University Ballroom, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Jan 27 2010 Bugjar, Rochester, New York
Jan 28 2010 Pianos, Manhattan, New York
Jan 29 2010 The Glasslands, Brooklyn, New York
Jan 31 2010 Galaxy Hut, Arlington, Virginia
Feb 1 2010 The Evening Muse, Charlotte, North Carolina
Feb 2 2010 The Elbow Room, Columbia, South Carolina
Feb 3 2010 Drunken Unicorn, Atlanta, Georgia
Feb 4 2010 The Engine Room, Tallahassee, Florida
Feb 5 2010 The Nick, Brimingham, Alabama
Feb 6 2010 Alabama Music Box, Mobile, Alabama
Feb 8 2010 Super Happy Fun Land, Houston, Texas
Feb 9 2010 Hole In The Wall (FREE), Austin, Texas
Feb 10 2010 Bills Records (In Store), Dallas, Texas
Feb 11 2010 Soundpony (FREE), Tulsa, Oklahoma
Feb 12 2010 The Replay Lounge, Lawrence, Kansas

I know I'll be at the Pianos show in Manhattan! Who's coming with me!?

Download:

• A Lull "Weapons For War"

My beloved Kenna has been MIA on and off for the past 2ish years since dropping Make Sure They See My Face. He briefly resurfaced with a teaser clip hinting at his newest musical endeavors, which included the artists that he'd be working with. Then a little while ago RJD2 sent a track into the webosphere featuring Kenna called "Games You Can Win", which sent fans a chattering. Now the little sweetheart has emerged from the darkness with a team of musicians, celebrities, activists, explorers and adventureors of all types to raise awareness for the global water crisis in an effort he's called Summit On The Summit by climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.

This band of clean water activists are currently on day 2 of their climb and Kenna has posted a track of his upcoming efforts entitled "Turn"."Turn" has the same kind of feel that "Static"/"Be Still"/"Wide Awake" had on MSTSMF, except this time the track is really stripped down to the bare essentials without being totally unplugged. You MUST give this track a listen with headphones, the attention to detail makes it feel so gentle and sweet. I'm absolutely in love with it. In fact, my eyes may or may not have watered the first 10 times I listened to it.

If this is what he's been sitting on for almost 3 years now in addition to wanting to change the world one glass of clean water at a time, I think I can forgive him for being so distant to us fans.

PLEASE make sure you go check out Summit On The Summit and support the cause if you can. You can sponsor a foot of the climb for just $2.

Download:

• Kenna - "Turn"
• RJD2 - "Games You Can Win (featuring Kenna)"

The 25 Albums That Kept My Attention All Year Long

25. Mos Def  The Ecstatic - Mos Def is way too awesome for his own good. Not normally the biggest fan of rap, but this is the kind of rap that I like. Very gritty and down to earth.

24. Sondre Lerche  Heartbeat Radio  - After doing the Dan In Real Life soundtrack, you can tell that Sondre has truly found his footing in his songwriting. I never get tired of his voice or his cute little face!

23. The Kickdrums  Just A Game  - Happy to have been introduced to this record, I found it to be so refreshing. It always seemed to hit the spot when I needed it to.

22. Record Club  The Velvet Underground & Nico - This collaboration that Beck did with various artists was really lovely. I especially fell in love with their rendition of "Sunday Morning".

21. Cory Chisel & The Wandering Sons  Death Won't Send A Letter - This guy is going to be around for awhile. The voice that comes out of this skinny little fella will knock you off your feet.

20. Jay-Z  The Blueprint 3 - Maybe I bought into all the hype, but little by little I find myself falling for Jay-Z. It didn't hurt any that my favorite UK underdog Mr. Hudson was featured on "Young Forever"

19. Richard Hawley  Truelove's Gutter - Probably my favorite crooner. I always have mixed emotions because I love how heart wrenching the songs are but feel guilty for enjoying someone else's pain.

18. Fanfarlo  Resevoir - One of my new "fall/autumn" bands. They don't even sound like they're from this decade and I love them for that very fact.

17. The Decemberists  The Hazards Of Love - Never been a huge Decemberists fan, but I think all I needed was this record so I could work my way back from there. A very comforting record.

16. Moby  Wait For Me - In my opinion this is probably his best record since Play. Although I enjoyed Last Night, Moby is SO good at the more ambient stuff. You put this record on and your cares melt away.

15. Mr. Hudson Straight No Chaser (not available in the US yet....) - Admittedly I had hoped it would be more A Tale Of Two Cities (his debut release as Mr. Hudson & The Library) but the tracks that I do find myself holding on to that aren't overly Kanye'd I play over and over.

14. Paramore  Brand New Eyes - Another solid album from Hayley and friends. I just have to mention that the first time I heard "All I Wanted" that it literally knocked the wind out of me. Hayley's range is ridiculous.

13. Fischerspooner  Entertainment - I was iffy about Odyssey but FS really stepped up their A-game for this record. I mean really you only buy any FS record so you have an idea of what the music will be like for the live show, which is where it's REALLY at, but this record is still great to listen to solo.

12. Black Moth Super Rainbow  Eating Us - You need something trippy and relaxing to get you through the day? This record is really good for that.

11. Julian Plenti  Julian Plenti Is...Skyscraper - In my mind Paul Banks can do no wrong. His solo project satisfied my Interpol craving and then some.

10. Beck  One Foot In The Grave (Deluxe Edition Re-Issue) - Am I happy to buy Beck reissues that have bonus tracks that I haven't heard before? YES!!! *swoon*

9. Passion Pit   Manners - I really think Passion Pit is going to be the new MGMT in terms of hitting the mainstream the way they seem to have done. It's quirky and fun = a win in my book.

8. Deadmau5   Lack Of A Better Name - I'm normally not one for house music, but the single on this record "Ghosts n Stuff" really sucked me in to the rest of the record. Great record to be productive to.

7. Lily Allen   It's Not Me It's You - I mainly love this record for the lyrics, although the songs are all quite catchy for the most part. The record feels really honest, like I could be friends with Lily and know a lot about her already.

6. Royksopp   Junior - This record makes me smile every time I put it on. I find "The Girl and The Robot" to be more of an anthem with every passing day.

5. The Dead Weather  Horehound - Honestly Jack White can do no wrong in my eyes. This record is hot. The energy that Alison Mosshart and Jack White have between them could light up several major cities for years.

4. Phoenix   Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix - I've been cheering on this band for a few years now and they've finally hit a home run. I just can't get enough of it.

3. Air  Love 2- This is the record that should have come after Talkie Walkie, not Pocket Symphony. There I said it. It's simply a beautiful record all the way through.

2. Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse  Dark Night Of The Soul - Oh Danger Mouse, how I love thee. This collaboration had me within the first 30 seconds of that first listen. It's a shame that it wasn't released properly.

1. Calvin Harris  Ready For The Weekend - I'm madly in love with this record. It has brought so much happiness to my life since it was released. You put this record on anywhere and you find yourself dancing along to it.

The 10 Songs That Rarely Left My Brain All Year Long

10. "Everyone's At It" - Lily Allen

9. "Ready For The Weekend" - Calvin Harris

8. "You Used To Hold Me" - Calvin Harris

7. Example - "Watch The Sun Come Up"

6. Miley Cirus - "Party In The USA"

5. "Little Girl" - Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse featuring Julian Casablancas

4."Ghosts 'n' Stuff" - Deadmau5

3. "Listomania" - Phoenix

2. "Young Forever" - Jay-Z featuring Mr. Hudson

1. "The Girl and The Robot" - Royksopp

The Best Shows I Attended In 2009

5. The Dead Weather's 1st public show @ Bowery Ballroom - April 14th, 2009

4. Passion Pit Pleasure Cruise - May 18th, 2009

3. Anthony Gonzalez from M83's ambient set @ World Financial Center - July 14th, 2009

2. Fischerspooner @ Webster Hall - May 8th, 2009

1. Mr Hudson @ Canal Room - July 15th, 2009

The 5 Albums I'm Glad I Found/Bought in 2009 Even Though They Existed Way Before That:

5. Ray LaMontagne - The Gossip In The Grain 

4. Mr. Hudson & The Library - A Tale Of Two Cities

3. The Beatles - Revolver

2. Aqualung - Strange & Beautiful

1. Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness

5 Albums I'm Looking Forward To In 2010:

Goldfrapp Head First  (March 22, 2010)

Example Won't Go Quietly (April 2010 - no word about US release)

The Dead Weather (TBA)

Kenna (TBA)

Snowden (TBA)

The Videos I Watched (And Giggled Hysterically At) In 2009:

"WHATEVER!"

kittens inspired by kittens

kitteh om nom nom

party in the usa / party in the fip

autotune the news #8

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What were your faves?

Like lists? You can check out my list from 2008, too.

So at the tail end of the summer one of my fave new Brits, Example, dropped probably one of my favorite songs of the year, "Watch The Sun Come Up". Well the little darling is back with a new single, "Won't Go Quietly", which is the title track for his upcoming album due in April of 2010. This is a great follow up to "Watch The Sun Come Up". It's not too poppy but it's just catchy enough to keep you coming back for more again and again.

"Won't Go Quietly" isn't available for purchase until January 11th in the UK. The single will include remixes from TV Rock, E.P.I.C, Juan MacClean, Cyantific, and DC Breaks. Pretty stoked to have a peep at those, too!

Be friends with Example on MySpace | Facebook | Bebo | Twitter

Just feast your ears on this song already! It may not have the same effect on you, but it sure as heck brought a smile to my face!

According to Rolling Stone, there will be a limited edition 7" (*drool*) and a digital download of the song made available on December 21st. Although I'm sure within the next few days someone will rip the stream from his MySpace and we will have ourselves a jam to rock a little earlier than 4 days before Christmas. I would rip the YouTube video myself, but I know the quality would be crappp.

If you're interested in receiving a physical copy of A Very Kibbe Mixmas (aka being put on my Christmas card list), drop me an email.