It's been well documented that Donny & Marie were "a little bit country, and, a little bit rock n' roll." Our next A-Sides guest also blends two musical genres, but I'm guessing that's where the similarities to any Osmond end. Chicago native Alexander Kariotis is a rock opera artist who evokes Freddie Mercury while unleashing Giacomo Puccini. The innovative musician, who will drop his debut album this fall, has a deep background in both genres (he studied at Mannes Conservatory of Music in New York and trained with Luciano Pavarotti's coach John Wustman), and wants to usher in a new era of mainstream rock opera music. During the summer, Kariotis performed his track "Nessun Dorma No One Sleeps," which fittingly includes a piece from the final act of Puccini's opera Turandot., at an A-Sides filming at the Music Conservatory of Westchester. The rock opera superstar played a track and chatted about his career in front of some rock music students at the Conservatory. A student-driven Q&A will be released on asidesmusic.com later this month. In the mean time, watch my interview with AK and the performance.
A-Sides "Delve Into Twelve" Countdown
Each week A-Sides unleashes its Top 12 tracks of the week AKA the "Delve Into Twelve"based on the following contributing factors: songs I'm playing out that particular week NO MATTER WHEN THEY WERE RELEASED (think overlooked songs, unreleased tracks, and old favorites), songs various publicists are trying to get me to listen to that I did and listened to and liked (phew), posts and trends I've noticed on my friends' Facebook walls, and - most importantly - the songs my 1 1/2+ year-old son gravitates toward. Yeah, you read that right. This weeks follows below (LW= last week's rank):
12. "Hearts Like Ours"(LW-8) - The Naked and Famous
11. "Welcome to My Nightmare" - Alice Cooper
10. "Various Methods of Escape" (LW-9) - Nine Inch Nails
9. "Byegone"(LW-10) - Volcano Choir
8. "Bleeding Out" - The Lone Bellow
7. "Polaroid Picture" - Frank Turner (Watch him perform it here on A-Sides!)
6. "The Wire" (LW-3) - Haim
5. "Bitter Rivals" - Sleigh Bells
4. "Reflektor" - Arcade Fire
3. "Best Day Of My Life" (LW-7) - American Authors (* Watch the band perform this track on A-Sides this month!)
2. "Mercy" (LW-2) - TV on the Radio
1. "Pompeii" (LW-1) - Bastille
About A-Sides Music
Jon Chattman's "A-Sides Music" series was established in August 2011 and usually features 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 (sometimes 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.