Lady GaGa

Sippin Saturdays ~ Who's Next, Writers on the Rise

Apr18

This week, I enjoyed meeting a series of amazing songwriters who have worked with such artists as Rhianna, Chris Brown, Jaheim, Britney Spears, Toni Braxton, Beyonce, Shinedown and so much more! We were given the chance to chat with them and to see what projects they were working on! BMI, a songwriter's advocacy group has amazing sessions to introduce those who are apart of their organization to the press. Two years ago, (this was the first time they had created this function) Lady Gaga was apart of this group and deemed a person to watch. I also love that many of these songwriters also have their own albums being released. With so many stories, I will share a profile of the following: Michael Allen, Tina Parol, Shawn Fisher, Jaicko and REO. Each Saturday, you can learn more about them right here on Kitten Lounge.

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by: KittenCouture
Filed in: Sippin Saturdays Tags: beyonce, singer, Kitten Lounge, Britney Spears, lady GaGa, chris brown, Rhianna, bmi, Songwriter, Toni Braxton, Tina Parol, Jaheim, Shinedown, Michael Allen, Shawn Fisher, Jaicko, REO

Sippin Saturdays: April Smith & The Great Picture Show

Feb28

I never know where my emails will take me. A few weeks ago, BMI (much like ASCAP it's an organization for recording artists rights) sent out an email about April Smith who would be apart of their "BMI Pick of the Month Sessions". This is a great way for artists to continue to perform in front of various groups while also getting the support from this group!

As I entered the Mercury Lounge (217 E Houston), it reminded me of my days of doing PR for my digital artists. I loved seeing the band warm up, those who came to support and those that have a love for live music who decide to come in. I had never heard of April Smith; however, based on the press release that her music has been included in The Hills, Newport Beach and more. As I watched the Great Picture Show get on stage (they are the band behind her playing on keyboard, guitar, drums and bass), I almost missed this 5'2" girl being lead to the stage. April Smith is the tiniest person that I have seen but the range of her voice is amazing!

April Smith is not the typical artist that is easy to classify. She is pop, country, jazzesque, broadway and so much more. I loved every song; however, the first song that you hear on this video is "Battle of Eliyahu" which is a great song to lead off with and yet in the midst of her fun, jokes and theatrics - she can have a song that almost brings you to tears - "Beloved" was amazing. I loved the lyrics which were so haunting and yet we have all been there whether we were thinking of someone who we broke up with or someone who is no longer with us.

I suggest that you visit her site to hear her music and to also read her lyrics. For those of you out west, you should definitely see where she's playing next. I'm looking forward to future sessions (previous participants were Macy Gray and Lady Gaga)!

UPDATE 03.01: I love my readers and a very savvy one said that the first song you're hearing in the video is actually "Summer Spell". I also love that she was at the event as well! To also answer her question, this was the only footage I took as I didn't have enough space on my Flip; however, my next coverage of any show will be a lot more video!