Music can heal. It can inspire you, turn you on, and/or serve up instant nostalgia like nothing else can. I know constantly listening to Radiohead got me through some deep family issues last year. Listening to Weezer's "blue" album, on the flipside, evokes my late great friend Stephen Spruck's memory, because he turned me onto them. Similarly, a Broadway tune -- especially off the "Les Miserables" cast album -- can make me think of my dad who is a musical junkie. I have a boatload of these examples. To put it mildly, I believe in the power of music, and I don't care how incredibly cornball that sounds.
With that notion, I'm launching my own music series on the Huffington Post appropriately dubbed "A-Sides with Jon Chattman". The series will feature a few artists (established or not) from all genres -- performing a track, and discussing what it means to them. This informal series focuses on the artist making art in a low-threatening, extremely informal (sometime humorous) way. No bells, no whistles -- just the music performed in a random, low-key setting followed by an unrehearsed chat. In an industry where everything often gets overblown and over manufactured, I'm hoping this is refreshing.
In the first installment, a trio of acts perform a track and discuss its meaning. First up, the Aussie duo of Kate Cooper and Damon Cox -- better known as An Horse -- performed "Dressed Sharply" off their acclaimed sophomore effort "Walls" live on a pool table within the Arctica Bar in New York City.
Next, Never Shout Never, a band whose debut release "Time Travel" drops next month and is led by Internet sensation Christofer Drew, performed their track "Silver Ecstasy" at The Studio at Webster Hall in New York- hours before they'd play it to a sold-out crowd.
Lastly, J. Aims is an up-and-coming singer/songwriter from New York City (by way of Ireland) whose debut folkish rock album "Scene Not Herd" debuted earlier this year and it's killer (try not getting "Sex with Strangers" out of your head.). He performs non-album track "The Only Thing I Can't Resist Is Temptation" below also at Arctica Bar in NYC.
In any event -- watch and listen...
An Horse:
J. Aims: