What I am Editing to
Unbelievable jam by the Dirty Projectors
Awesome mash up by WALE, he is going to be huge
LP
HOME: Mini-music mix
Our music guru master Kenny Laubbacher cares about you. He cares about your musical enrichment, and your growth as a well rounded, well listened person. He has put together this mini mix of songs that feature the theme of ‘home.’ As many of us at Invisible Children are always on the road, away from home, fighting to bring peace to a place that is not our home, but home to people we care deeply about, this theme carries with it a richness and complexity that hits home. 
Here is the link to download it. It will only be available for the next 6 days and only available to 100 people. So jump fast. It’s totally free.
https://www.yousendit.com/download/Z01OMFhqMGNZY1R2Wmc9PQ
“I’m out on the road thinking about HOME and what it means to me.
Here are a couple of songs that I think really capture the spirit.
NOTABLE Lyrics: “I never saw my hometown until I stayed away too long”
“Home is where ever I’m with you”
Listen to find out where and support these bands by buying their music” – Kenny L.
Welcome Home – RADICAL FACE
California – DR DOG
San Diego Serenade – TOM WAITS
Home – EDWARD SHARPE AND THE MAGNETIC ZEROS
On My Way Back Home Again – JIM WARD
Music we love: Mumford and Sons
Because of songs like “The Cave”, Mumford and Sons is easily becoming one of our favorite bands. They somehow have the ability to transport you to Woodstock. And isn’t it funny that somehow every one of our parents went?
As THE INDEPENDENT says:
West London’s latest folk movement has already been compared by some to the Laurel Canyon scene of the Sixties and early Seventies. The Thames Valley scene, if you like. But if Laura Marling’s fragile confessionals make her the Joni Mitchell, and Noah and the Whale are the soon-to-be over-exposed Eagles, then Mumford and Sons may be the slow-burning super-group, the Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.
(Take a listen to the 2 aforementioned bands as well)
Are you gonna be at CMJ Music Festival in NYC this week?
The CMJ Music Festival has definitely hooked us up
Thursday 10/22 | 12:30pm, NYU Kimmel Center (60 Washington Square S) | Room 405
Music we Love: Andrew Bird
This song is one you should have in your arsenal of great songs. Our friends at Daytrotter have a great way of describing his tunes:
“Bird and his music lend themselves to a myriad of postulations and elaborate ideas about where his music is first cradled and babied, where it’s nursed and doctored. From all that can be determined through it, Bird belongs to no known stratum, but a subtext that isn’t prone to easy answers. He does sneaky things with a violin and guitar. He can make his mouth and voice do impressive contortions, and all the while listening to him, you will find yourself not blinking or breathing much, just enough to get by until the next break in so.”
Enjoy.
Music we love: Joel P. West
Joel P. West is one of our favorites here at Invisible Children. His music has provided the soundtrack to many a road trip and mountain pass. His lyrics will rip out your bones, string them up like a marionette, and dance for your soul. …whoa.
To quote Nada Alic (from her incredible music blog Friends With Both Arms):
“He’s got that Bob Dylan quality, widely unknown, unknowable. Reclusive and soft-spoken, he writes songs to bring them into existence. He doesn’t ask them to do much else. He doesn’t tour, he’s a school teacher. It gets better: he began a project called The Dust Jacket, with the release of his latest album of the same name. The only way you could get Dust Jacket was if you contributed a piece of your art (anonymously) to his blog. By doing so, Joel created an open forum of artistic expression for anyone to share. Bias aside, it is one of the most remarkable records I have heard this year.”
If you have functional ears, and/or a soul, please click the links below and enjoy Mr. West (as his students call him).
Listen to his music, and trade art for art, at his website www.dustjacketproject.com
and also follow his blog here.
HOME SWEET HOME
Ed Sharpe and his band somehow take the cold live stage of a talk show (that are usually such an awkward environment for a band to play on) and they transform it into something so comfortable and familiar that it doesn’t take 8 listens to fall in love with this song, it takes just one.
Check out their myspace for shows and where to buy their music.
Stay tuned for an official IC music blog coming soon.
This Providence is spittin truth
Many thanks to our friends, the band This Providence.
They get how important it is for everyone to sign the petition to stop Kony. Now you should get it too.
Check out the video they made for us here.
Strike Anywhere writes a song about child soldiers
Our friends Strike Anywhere recently gave us a shout-out in the Washington Post, while promoting their new album, Iron Front. It seems they wrote a song entitled Postcards from Home, which chronicles a child soldier’s experiences, and commended us for our efforts. What great guys, huh? Check out the song here. We’ll be on tour with them from October 21-26, so come support them, and visit us while you’re at it.
La Blogotheque: Frenchies are cool
If you like good music and appreciate spontaneity… then you should know about La Blogotheque. Invisible Children and La Blogotheque have become good friends thanks to our very own music guru Kenny Laubbacher. He’s always on a phone call to Paris, discussing music and big ideas. This website is the brainchild of music lovers Chryde and Vincent Moon, and features something they call Take Away Shows.
“Every week, we invite an artist or a band to play in the streets, in a bar, a park, or even in a flat or in an elevator, and we film the whole session. Of course, what makes the beauty of it is all the little incidents, hesitations, and crazy stuff happening unexpectingly. Besides, we do not edit the videos so they look perfectly flawless, instead we keep the raw sound of the surroundings. Our goal is to try and capture instants, film the music just like it happens, without preparation, without tricks. Spontaneity is the keyword.”
If you like Yeasayer, Architecture in Helsinki, Arcade Fire, or Andrew Bird… check out their Take Away Shows.
Sufjan emerges in Brooklyn
One of our first ever videos at Invisible Children was the Global Night Commute information podcast. And it featured Sufjan Stevens. We’ve loved him for years, and his newest project is almost out (release date Oct 20).
“Sufjan Stevens is proud to present The BQE, a cinematic suite inspired by the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and the Hula-Hoop. Commissioned by Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), The BQE was originally performed in the Howard Gilman Opera House in celebration of the 25th anniversary Next Wave Festival in October of 2007″
Check it out here. There’s even a video excerpt and a streaming mp3.
Music we love: Delta Spirit
We sure do love Delta Spirit. We’ve toured with these guys, and we think you would really hit it off. Go ahead. Give ‘em a listen…
Stay tuned for the upcoming IC music page, where you’ll be able to see and hear all the music we love, tour with, and discover.
Listen to more and get their music here.