Paragraph - The Swankiest Of Words

With a vocalist who can "out-Prince" anyone, Paragraph, hailing from Staten Island, NY, kind of remind us of the Dandy Warhols by the way that they're so retro but so futuristic as well. Put it this way, if there was a Studio 54 in space, these guys would be the VIP section along with MGMT.


Anybody out in Florida? Check out four consecutive shows in the area:

August 19th - Exodus Coffee in Port St. Lucie, Florida at 8:00PM
August 20th - 1982 Bar in Gainesville, Florida at 9:00PM
August 21st - Cock N’ Bull in Sarasota, Florida at 8:00PM
August 22nd - Spank in Gainesville, Florida at 10:00PM

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/paragraphmusic

DOWNLOAD - Paragraph "Metal Murphy (Live)"

-SD

Ay Ay Capatin - We All Have Hooks For Hands

We think they're name should have been "The Indie Brady Bunch," but an ironic pirate/song structure name is still okay in our book.
The nine-piece band hails from South Dakota with an eclectic grounded sound which features some really loose vocals and borderline noise-pop guitar. We love this crew due to their unjaded pure sound that would fit in with any kind of scene-- be it the crazy L.E.S. and Brooklyn hipsters, Cali surfers that still shop at Abercrombie & Fitch, or even on a fishing boat somewhere near Lake Tahoe. (o people really fish at Lake Tahoe?)

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/weallhavehooksforhands
Twitter: http://twitter.com/hooks4hands

DOWNLOAD - We All Have Hooks For Hands "Made Up Of Tiny Lights"

-SD

An Inroduction To Sunshine - The Perfect Day

Think of a Central Park concert on a lazy Sunday with lots of grass... to sit on.
As simple as their sound may be, they definitely have the "X" factor of great, timeless rock; an essential classic. In short, they have a strong and steady folk rock style, catchy hooks, four part harmonies and melodic phrasing.
We would love to see An Introduction To Sunshine play a set with O.A.R. or a solid opening act for Dave Matthews.

Check out their super neato video for "A Lesson In Economics"

An Introduction to Sunshine - A Lesson in Economics from Alex Purifoy on Vimeo.

-SD

Are They The Best Men? - The Gentlemen's Bet

The Gentlemen's Bet is like that kid in your class who tried to be good at everything you weren't -- lucky for us, we're not 12 and don't seem to care. The Boston-based TGB blends just about every genre of music -- rock, folk, jazz, blues -- into one indescribable sound that can only be named as ''really good'' with due promise to marry into "great."

Start with their slow songs. Take the song "Beverly" - in our humble opinion, half rock half potential elevator music (we say this with a respect to jazz, not elevators), sprinkled with mellow psychedelic vibes -- this music is more than chill, it lets you peacefully melt away.

What really gives these gentlemen the extra punch is that they go beyond the standard 4 piece band. Their songs are embellished with the jazzy sounds of trumpet and alto sax. Skip on the vocals for now, and just delve into the good old fashioned music.

Let's give these guys a good chance. They're on tour now in the East, promoting their debut LP, From a Greater Height.

Grab a pair of ears and head downtown:

August 22nd, 2009 - 7.30pm - Spike Hill

184 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11211 - $5

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/thegentlemenboston
Twitter: http://twitter.com/gentlemensbet

DOWNLOAD: The Gentlemen's Bet "Zodiac"

Check out a little live action with their performance of

"Beverly" at Sullivan Hall:

-SK

Call Yourself - Is That A Mental Exercise?

This band is the epitome of what a punk rock band should sound like today. No eyeliner, no whiny pre-pubescent wails and no hipster wayfarers- without the lenses of course. Plus, who can resist a Bouncing Souls influence?
So here's the low-down. These five guys put on kick ass live shows all around Jersey. (If you don't believe me, click here).
If you want to listen to something a bit more nostalgic without the glitz, glamour and synths of 21st century radio, we beg you to check them out. Hell, they aren't even on twitter.

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/callyourself

DOWNLOAD - Call Yourself "We're Gonna Need A Bigger Boat"

-SD

Stella By Starlight - Great Jazz Reference Or Cosmic Mess?

Take some of Cobra Starship guitar-synth mix, add some 3OH!3 lyrical silliness, then stir in a dash of Imogen Heap, and you'll find yourself baking an imaginary metaphor.

Apologies for the buzzkill, but if it makes you feel any better these peeps seem like the kind of fun and outrageous friends you'd definitely want to partner up with at a bar-mitzvah. After all, we know how competitive it can be to get glow-in-the-dark necklaces and bracelets. (And how awesome they look?!)

Check out this video for the making of "Invisible". It's like they've redefined what a modern day electro-pop ballad should sound like, so take that Lady Gaga! They're new album is on the cusp of release according to their twitter.

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/stellabystarlightband
Twitter: http://twitter.com/StellaTwitt

DOWNLOAD - Stella By Starlight "As Good As It Gets"

-SD

Kittens Ablaze - Even PETA Would Love 'Em

We're just going to come out and say it. Kittens Ablaze kicks major bootay. They're confident with a definitive point of view, and their live shows look like more fun than Six Flags.

Structurally speaking, they have a seamless mash-up of some classical string instruments alongside some particular indie/folk sounding guitar and harmonica, all with some synth in there to really blow your mind.

Although they've gotten compared to Ra Ra Riot, Arcade Fire and the Pixies, and accurately so, we at Tambourine feel a bit differently. For starters, the aforementioned instrumental mash-up sounds a lot like the Islands, whose album Arm's Way is probably one of the best and underrated albums of 2008. We're glad that another act like Islands can come along and whip out a great repertoire of exciting and unique tracks. Oh, and we can't help but point out that vocalist Tim Spellman sounds like the love child of Brian Molko (Placebo) and Paul Banks (Interpol).


Myspace: www.myspace.com/kittensablaze
Twitter: http://twitter.com/kittensablaze

DOWNLOAD - Kittens Ablaze "Strobelight"

-SD

You Can Be a Wesley - Fresh From The Bakery

You can be different.

Premiering their new album Heard Like Us yesterday, the Boston-based band gives us a chance to hold on to a piece of their latest creation -- releasing their album in the i-never-thought-it'd-come-back vinyl form (but digital download comes with for all of you robots).

YCBW doesn't just stop at the vinyl. The quartet, all BU just-alums, brings us an old school indie sound, throwing us back to all the things we love. Lead singer Saara's clear and simple voice soars through the band's quirky songs, infused with heavy guitars and hard to miss hooks. Eat it up, Indie lovers, this summer album's infectious sound is something you can put on your good list, right between tight jeans and brimmed hats.

Check them out on the East Side:

August 29, 2009 - 8pm - Trash Bar - 256 Grand St. between Driggs & Roebling, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York 11211.

Site:http://www.youcanbeawesley.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/youcanbeawesley

Check out their rad video for "Creatures" right hurr.

You Can Be A Wesley - Creatures from Nick Zegel on Vimeo.

-SK

Vic Kingsley - Another Beautiful Letdown

Vic Kingsley's music reminds us of the good old days when we used to sit out on the hammock all day and watch A Walk To Remember at night. Those days never actually happened, but one can dream...
Kingsley is sort of like the new Jon Foreman of Switchfoot: heartfelt, deep and honest with all of the right influences. The stuff is raw and emotional, but you can't really get a forecast of what a live show would be like. We can imagine some teenage girls getting really into it while swooning over how cute and sensitive he is while writing "Mrs. Kingsley" all over their notebooks.
But what we think Kingsley really needs is a great producer, someone like Steve Lilywhite or even M Ward, to add a bit of appropriate noise and quirkiness to make him a true legend.

Myspace: www.myspace.com/vickingsley
Twitter: http://twitter.com/VicKingsley

DOWNLOAD - Vic Kingsley "Fall With You"

-SD

E.A.R.T.H. - aka West Coast De La Soul

Bottom line, this crew is all about the understated energy associated with most hip-hop acts of the 90s. That's the reason we took a liking to E.A.R.T.H., which stands for "Everything Around Revolves Thru Hip-Hop".

As expected, their lyrics are aimed crowd-pleasers which are witty and introspective.
Their latest sophomore album, Grass Roots: From The Ground Up, definitely has an old school vibe laced with some modern elements. Tracks like "Average Man" and "Feel Good Music" are simply themed, but our featured download, "Sexin' After Textin'" definitely documents some foreplay for phone sex. Although digital beats and some auto-tune blips definitely give their sound a minimal update, we would love to see some DJs get their hands on this stuff and remix the shit out of it.

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/earthcrew
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/earthcrew

DOWNLOAD - E.A.R.T.H. "SEXIN' AFTER TEXTIN'"

-SD

Submit Your Stuff

Hey you!

So we want to put your stuff up on our page, and if you're reading this then we guess you want to be a part of Tambourine too.

So here's the deal:

1. Shoot us an email at tambourineshake@gmail.com. Physical mailing address is available upon request for all of you still running around with a walkman, but who needs paper and plastic anymore? It's the future dudez save the environment.

2. In this email, tell us whatever you want about your music, college and your dreams of world peace. Also, we heart mp3s, and so does every college student. Streaming is a-okay, but downloads are awesomely awesome for peeps on the go so please include a link to your mp3s NOT your band site or myspace.

3. If you're playing any gigs, send over a list of tourdates, maybe we'll come by and check you out.

It's just that simple folks.