Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Bryan Greenberg



Bryan Greenberg is probably better known as the actor who appeared on shows like One Tree Hill, October Road, and is currently starring on the HBO show, How To Make It In America. He also starred in movies like Bride Wars, Perfect Score, The Good Guy, and Prime. I found out that Bryan is also a musician when I saw his character sing on One Tree Hill. Turns out he had an actual CD out. He would probably go into the singer/songwriter category. He often plays acoustic shows when he does tour. I saw him play at World Cafe Live in Philly two years ago and really enjoyed his music (he's lovely to look at, too). It was pretty exciting being that close and seeing him in person as well, since I'm a huge One Tree Hill fan. Last week, Bryan came back to the World Cafe Live, but this time he was with a full band. The show was great, and he's got a great personality, as well. In between songs, he would share some stories that went along with the songs, or just interact with the crowd. The only thing I wasn't a fan of during this show, were the many younger girls who came because of his character on One Tree Hill, and they weren't really there for the music. But Bryan embraced this crowd with friendly smiles. Bryan actually sang a lot of new material because he's releasing a new CD in January 2011, titled, "We Don't Have Forever." After the show, my friend, Amy and I stuck around to meet Bryan and get a picture with him. There were a lot of girls who stayed around, as well, but we didn't have to wait TOO long to meet him. Unfortunately, we didn't have much time to actually talk to him, but he seemed really cool and nice in the short time we did spend with him. I included a video of Bryan performing his song, Someday, which he sang on One Tree Hill. This video is a couple of years old because I couldn't find any current videos of him performing live. I also included a video of him performing the song, You Can Run, which features Kid Cudi (who is also on the show "How To Make It In America").

Bryan Greenberg featuring Kid Cudi "You Can Run"
Bryan Greenberg "Someday"

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Social Distortion


Well this was definitely an "out of my element" kind of show, but I was really excited to experience it. I had heard of Social Distortion, but never really knew any of their songs. My friend, Steve, introduced me to them when he invited me to go to the show in Philly with a few of our other friends. Like the music lover I am, I had to download some of their songs so I would be somewhat familiar with the music at the show. I ended up downloading their Greatest Hits CD and I must say I enjoyed the music. I had never really gotten into this genre of music before, and I was glad I took the plunge. We went to the show at the Electric Factory on October 29th and had an awesome time. It was also a great show to people watch...lots of different types of people there. I was pleased to hear that Social Distortion ended up playing a lot of the songs from the Greatest Hits CD. In the days of auto tune, lip synching, and choreography, it was refreshing to see a band who's been around for thirty plus years who know how to play great music. I included a couple of their videos below if you've never heard them before.

Social Distortion - Story of My Life
Social Distortion - Ring of Fire (LIVE)
Social Distortion - Ball and Chain

TFDI Tour



The TFDI (Totally F-ing Doin' It) Tour featured three singer/songwriters, Tony Lucca, Jay Nash, and Matt Duke. These three musicians had toured in the Fall of 2009, and decided to tour again this year. I saw this tour in September 2009 at World Cafe Live in Philly, and absolutely loved them. The last tour, they each came on stage and did their own set by themselves, and then at the end of the show, they all performed each other's songs together (one song each). Their harmonizing was amazing, and they had such a good vibe together that they recorded an EP called TFDI earlier this year. This time around, the tour came to the Tin Angel, and they started off the show together on stage singing a few songs that they recently wrote and recorded together (they'll be releasing another TFDI CD soon). Throughout the night, they stayed on stage to sing each other's songs, but there were also moments when the other two left the stage to let the one musician sing a few of his songs on his own. My friend, Joanna, and I actually volunteered at this show to work their merchandise table, but we were still able to enjoy the show and we had the opportunity to hang out with all three of the guys before and after the show. They are some of the most down to earth and hilarious musicians I've ever met. Their voices are so refreshing to listen to, especially when they harmonize together. If either one of these guys come to town, I highly suggest catching their show. For the ladies out there, they are also very nice to look at, which doesn't hurt either! lol I've included a video that the boys posted which was mostly filmed in Philadelphia at the Tin Angel show I was at. I also included a video they made from the first TFDI Tour which is the first time the phrase "TFDI" was introduced. These guys actually film a lot while they're on the road and some of the videos are quite entertaining.

The Introduction of TFDI
TFDI Tour at Tin Angel in Philly
TFDI performing "Hurtin' Kind" LIVE