Bark + Bite

Brandy takes over New York's Best Buy Theater

Grammy winning R&B performer Brandy, took over New York's Best Buy Theater on Monday (October 15), giving those in attendance an intimate, energetic performance. The show, which was hosted by Power 105.1 and RCA Records, allowed Brandy to celebrate the release of her latest album, Two Eleven, with fans.

After Roc Nation's Bridget Kelly and Hal Linton warmed up the crowd as the opening acts, Brandy hit the stage dressed in all black, raising the energy in the room with "What About Us" and "Full Moon." Brandy then took the crowd back a few years to her early and mid 90s classics with "Top of the World," and earlier hits "I Wanna Be Down", and "Baby" while moving across the stage, showing off smooth moves which flowed with the songs.

While Brandy left the stage for a quick outfit change Luke James sang his hit "I Want You" to the ladies in the crowd.

But Brandy wasn't gone for long before kicking off the second half of her set with a tribute to the memory of her idol and mentor Whitney Houston. The tribute reached full steam by the time she got to performing Houston's "I Wanna Dance With Somebody," which found Brandy embodying her late mentor's bold and fiery spirit.

It was after this segment of the show that Brandy took some time to ask for a moment of silence to remember Whitney and shared her love for Houston and how the album's title Two Eleven was inspired by Houston's untimely passing.

After performing for almost an hour, Brandy wrapped up her set with her latest single " Wildest Dreams," and revealed that she would be previewing a clip from the song's music video on 106 & Park. Before Brandy left the stage for the night she "Put It Down" on the crowd with her neck-snapping, trunk-rattling single. It was a noisy but fitting finale to Brandy's monumental comeback campaign so far.

Brandy's latest album, Two Eleven, hit stores October 16, and is available on iTunes.

Miguel, Leah LaBelle, Marcus Canty and more headline J&R Musicfest

Last Friday (August 24^th) Epic Records took over New York City’s J&R Records store for day two of J&R’s annual Musicfest.

Some of Epic Records newest talent including Leah Labelle, Deon Young and X Factor’s Marcus Canty were on hand to showcase some of their new material. The show also included headlining performances from Ryan Leslie and Miguel.

Harlem native and up and coming R&B artist Deon Young who is currently grabbing attention with his cover of J. Cole and Missy Elliot’s "Nobody’s Perfect", hit the stage opening the show promoting his latest mixtape "Forever Young", with a live performance of tracks from the tape including his latest hit ‘Party Life’.

Concert Review: Tender love and fun. at the 9:30 club in Washington D.C.

Photo: Tommy Dingus

Fun. puts on the kind of show that makes you want to grab the nearest person and hug the crap out of them. Accompanied by a manufactured haze, an entertaining LED backdrop and a band of five, Nate Ruess and fun. emerged ready to take the sold-out crowd on an emotionally-charged hour-and-a-half romp. You can imagine how hot and sweaty it got on the floor, bouncing to what seemed like a style concocted from ballads, electro-pop, lullabies, emo power and Irish drinking songs.

Ruess found the right combination of these elements and a way to deliver his signature sound with a sweet, melodious voice. That smooth delivery and ability to hold a long note inspired listeners to respond in kind and voice their approval. There were several instances where Ruess had to gather himself, visually taken aback by the overwhelming response from his fans.

This shower of love continued throughout the show and in the end, led to a double encore.

Kid Cudi and Avicii headline the 2012 Sweetlife Festival

Photo credits: LaVan Anderson

It had gotten dark at Merriweather Post Pavilion and seven o'clock had passed. Fans had piled in to the venue (Merriweather's current capacity is 19,316) and sat through a light shower of rain in anticipation for the headlining acts. Kid Cudi entered after the curtain was lifted kicking off his highly anticipated set. He was backed by the other half of WZRD, Dot Da Genius, and guitars and drums.

Cudi took the time to speak to fans and shout them out. Even those way back in the lawn. The G.O.O.D music rapper also took time to say that he would be going through some of his older work throughout the set and bringing out some of his mixtape tracks. The crowd roared in response and he kept his promise running through songs from 2008 like "Man on the Moon(The Anthem)", and even spit his first verse from the "Cudi Spazzin'" acapella.

Cudi also did material from his first two albums, running through material like "Ghost", "Refovev", "Erase Me", and "Mr. Rager," from the Man On The Moon II, while songs like "Soundtrack To My Life" "Cudi Zone", "Pursuit of Happiness" and"Day N' Nite" held down fans from the earlier albums.

Cudi's vocals were tough to hear for fans far in the back. High energy tracks like the David Guetta-produced "Memories" helped pull everyone into the festivities.

Another impressive moment was the improptu acapella or freestyle moments that Cudi incorporated in his set. He extended "Pursuit of Happiness" into a drawn out jam session, adding extra ad-libs. He extended another song by launching into a section with a loop of "Day N' Nite" Crookers remix on repeat.

Explosions in the Sky and The Shins take center stage at the Sweetlife Festival

Photo Credits: Dustin Whitlow

Explosions in The Sky was a band that many concertgoers were experiencing for the first time as they took center stage at the Merriweather Post Pavilion. The venue had not reached capacity but there was an early presence of fans at the concert from the earlier sets and awaiting the bigger acts later in the evening. The setting featured the large Sweetlife  banner and a Texas flag draped over sound equipment to homage to the band's home state.

Versatility was shown by band members Munaf Rayani and Michael James. The two group members played two instruments throughout the set, with Rayani adding on drums for certain portions of songs and James operating a bass guitar at times. Whenever the drums were added or the melody changed due to the bass, it was a sonically powerful experience for members of the audience.

The band dove in to their music, which features no vocals, letting their instruments do the talking. The pit featured multiple crowd surfs during the set, with security pulling in the crowd surfers like gutters in a bowling alley. It was a light-hearted affair from the beginning, with band members shouting out a friend's birthday and encouraging the crowd to make bird noises.

fun. and A$AP Rocky make sweet noise at the Sweetlife Festival

Nate Ruess of fun., performs at the 2012 Sweetlife Festival
Photo Credits:Cristi Demnowicz

Photo Credits:Cristi Demnowicz

Guests piled in to the Merriweather Post Pavilion as noon passed. The clouds were heavy and it was clear that a rain storm was in the near future. But the rain wasn't enough to keep the fun. away.

The band kicked things off with great energy at the start of the festival. Their upbeat, sing-a-long tunes had concertgoers  buzzing thanks to their recent success with the hit single "We Are Young" featuring Janelle Monae.

Judging by the warm crowd reaction to their set, the band likely gained a few more converts that day. Latecomers could be spotted grooving as they made their way into the venue during the band's set. Highlights from their set included the lithely melodic "Some Nights" and the quirky "At Least I'm Not As Sad." But of course, "We Are Young" is the anthem that everyone came to hear, and fun. didn't disappoint.

fun. is on an upward trajectory, having gone from a mostly Internet-based fan base to the full glare of mainstream exposure. Their mainstream success is also notable due to the fact that they're a pop-rock band. Rock as a music genre has been in a bit of dry spell. In fact, the Billboard Hot 100 hasn't been topped by an alternative/rock act since 2008's "Viva La Vida" by Coldplay. So their success is a breakthrough for a genre that's been fighting to maintain its relevance in pop music.

With Bonarroo around the corner, fun. demonstrated their festival strength at Sweetlife. Fans should expect a good time from fun. if they catch them in an upcoming festival set.

A$AP Rocky hits the stage the 2012 Sweetlife Festival.
Photo Credits:LaVan Anderson

As fun. departed the stage, there was a DJ set to fill in the time until it was time for A$AP Rocky's set. A$AP Rocky was brought onto stage with a strong response with fans chanting "ASAP!" continuously. Rocky's set kicked off with "Pretty Flacko" as he and his crew stomped the stage. The folks in the pit were riled up and bouncing along with the rapper. The A$AP Mob help Rocky's stage presence and also intensify the crowd response, especially for notable verses like A$AP Ferg's on "Kissin' Pink". 

A$AP Rocky proved he is a force of his own as he commanded the fan favorite "Wassup" to a rowdy response and some of the earliest crowd surfs of the day. The energy was high for what seemed like a short set. A$AP Rocky finished with a bang by performing "Peso," arguably his biggest song to date. He thanked his fans for their support to this point and any new fans just discovering the A$AP movement.

A$AP Rocky could be spotted later in the evening enjoying other shows and greeting fans throughout. It's good to see that despite their success, there are still humble acts out there willing to mingle with the people.

Photo Credits:Cristi Demnowicz

Concert Review: Ed Sheeran wins with heart and honesty in Washington D.C.

As people filed in to the 9:30 Club in Washington D.C. to catch the Snow Patrol show, most of them weren't aware that there was a superstar from the UK in the house. Ed Sheeran is a multi-Brit award winner and Elton John protégé. His videos have amassed tens of millions of views on YouTube.

And yet in the U.S., Ed Sheeran is only getting started. He took to the stage at the 9:30 Club in Washington D.C. with honesty and humility. He shouted out his parents who'd flown out from the UK to attend the show and he politely introduced himself to the crowd, "And for those of you who don't know me, my name's Ed Sheeran."

But the seemingly polite and shy singer also wasn't afraid to dirty things up a bit, like when he mashed up 50 Cent's "In the Club" or when he led the crowd to chant KRS One's "Sound of da Police." His mix of acoustic soul, hip-hop, reggae and pop went over well and if the crowd didn't know his name at the onset of the show, they definitely did by the end of his set.

Sheeran performed 5 songs — "Give Me Love," "Lego House," "Wayfaring Stranger," "A-Team" and "You Need Me I Don't Need You" — which were mostly from his debut album +. He bolstered his songs with improv, interactive portions of the show and he got the audience to sing and participate in the spectacle. Yet for all of the big crowd moments, he also managed to make the event intimate, like when he had the entire 9:30 Club go silent so he could sing the end of "Wayfaring Stranger" acapella with no mic.

By the time Ed wrapped up the show his set with the defiant "You Need Me, I Don't Need You," he'd proven that nice guys can finish first. And that the music can sometimes speak for itself.

Check out a few videos from Ed's performance below.

Jay-Z and Kanye prove that they're friends forever in Watch the Throne tour

Subtlety has never been The Throne’s strong suit. The supergroup, separately known as hip hop juggernauts Jay-Z and Kanye West, released an album earlier this year full of showy, convoluted beats overlayed with equally flashy, I’m-richer-and-cooler-than-you verses. So, when talks began circulating of a joint tour, imaginations went wild.

Both are known for pretty spectacular stage shows. Jay-Z exhibits more stage presence than most rappers, which is intensified with lighting and the use of a full backing band. West's show is filled with all kinds of theatrics not limited to a full ballerina troupe or tailoring an entire show around a spaceship. So, a lavish spectacle of ancient Roman proportions was something many fans anticipated.

But, like the true innovators they are, The Throne went completely left. The roughly two-hour show in Baltimore, Maryland was surprisingly no frills. Just two MCs, a few props and lights and a DJ.