Wish List

It's not often that I listen to a band for the first time and wish that I owned a record label so that I could snag that band, sign them and make them huge but SXSW this past March proved me wrong.
Before the conference I took preparation to another level and decided to make the SXSW website my new favorite home. I spent days listening to every band that was on the bill for this years indie fest and took notes on which ones I liked and then made our itinerary according to that. One of the top bands on my list was Sissy Wish from Norway. Our intern contacted Sissy Wish's manager to let them know that we'd be at the show. Now of course the first night of SXSW is always a debacle of sorts; you get into Austin, get your badges, get to your hotel to primp and then try try try to hit all the shows and meetings that were on the schedule for that night all the while fighting traffic and ignoring phone calls and text messages that just might throw you off. We always bite off more than we can chew on the first evening, and the entire week for that matter. On our agenda for that evening was X-Wife, Black Moth Super Rainbow, the Eenie Meenie Records Showcase, Oppenheimer, Trances Arc, HarMar Superstar, Pink Nasty, hanging with our Money Mark friend and last but not least Sissy Wish. All of which we actually managed to do! Now Buffalo Billiards is one of my most secretly coveted venues in Austin despite their heinous rules and regs. The bottom floor is well, billiards but upstairs is this ginormous ballroom accentuated by a gorgeous bar that sits dead center. This is where Sissy Wish was playing. We got there a smidge late because that's how we roll but once we walked in we were so pleasantly surprised, the lead singer Siri had that stage and the crowd captivated.
There were people dancing and staring and even Rollingstone Senior Editor David Fricke was there and enjoying the set. Sissy Wish is America's answer to pop music, their melodies are poppier than God but because the music is so well thought out and not made in the cookie cutter pop box of this country it's just fantastic. Something that both 14 year olds and music snobs alike could sink their teeth into. And Siri, the center of this band was very Bjork meets Karen O but with more umph and sweetness.
After seeing them I was baffled, why wasn't this band signed in the United States?
The following day we met up with Sissy Wish and their fab manager Tonje and got the whole story. First off, this is their first time ever playing outside of Norway! Now this bands is no small beans in Norway, in fact Sissy Wish's lead lady in February of 2005 was awarded a Norwegian Grammy (Spellemannsprisen) in the category of ”best female artist” and has had the honor of releasing three of the most critically acclaimed records in Norway. Goodness.

They are in the process of trying to get over to the United States and boy will you be lucky when they do!
Sissy Wish has recently released her 3rd album, "Beauties Never Die", on Sony BMG in Norway this past March.
www.sissywish.com
www.myspace.com/sissywish

The Science Fair Ain't Got Shit on B.R.A.M.: Once Upon a Pocket Protector

Have you ever been seduced by someone and felt as though there was nothing that you could possibly do to say no?
Okay, now have you heard the band B.R.A.M. from Los Angeles? This bands music is positively intoxicating, you’ll feel it in every bone in your body. B.R.A.M. is comprised of members from several other bands that would be recognizable to the general music listener, for example the keyboard player plays with bands such as Mike Doughty as well. The music is fantastic and now you know why.
They haven’t quite recorded a full length record yet and from what I understand the only place their music can be found is on myspace (www.myspace.com/wearebram), AND you can download all four songs!
The song ‘1 Last Dance’, caught me off guard a bit, the first time I listened to it I was completely enthralled by the smart sounding synth and then I had to stop and play the song again. The second time around I realized that I felt like I was being seduced by a character from ‘Revenge of the Nerds’, the only difference between how the movie ends and how the song ends is that by the end of the song I was ready to let that nerd hit second base with me. It’s such a sexy song and the lead singer, Bram’s voice gives this little ditty a dainty and thoughtful yet hormone driven quality at the same time.
The tune that I immediately fell in love with was ‘Messages’, it has some of the same qualities as ‘1 Last Dance’, but different almost more mature and the keys really make the song special and force you to bob your head against your will.
I think that the moral of the story is that this is a band that you’ll have to be careful of, it’s one that I think could turn out as a heartthrobesque band based on my knowledge of the members and the blatant yet ever so soft sexuality of each song. Although I have yet to see the band live it seems that there isn’t a way in hell it wouldn’t be any less than an amazing show. They don’t play out nearly as much as they should but if ever in the L.A. area definitely check them out.
www.myspace.com/wearebram