Rachael Yamagata, the powerfully raw voice behind songs like “Be Be Your Love” and “The Reason Why” is back with a new collection of tracks in her indie-produced album, Chesapeake.
Chesapeake charms with the edgy “Starlight” captivating our ears and “Even If I Don’t” lifting our hearts (despite the somber message). Here are some facts you may not know about our favorite no-pain-no-gain songbird.
It was a Friday night. As usual, Little Tokyo in Los Angeles was full of night owls ready to socialize over good food and frothy drinks.
The patrons at the Far Bar on East 1st Street were no exception. The bar was full of mostly young and mostly Asian guests, all of whom appeared to be having a great time. However, this crowd had gathered for a purpose that went beyond just socializing. They were here for “A Celebration of Asian American Soul,” as presented by the online magazine Asia Pacific Arts and co-hosted by inVenture.
The star of the night was funk/soul singer Judith Hill.
ISA‘s first concert in Seattle was a smash hit as backstage passes alone sold out within the first fifteen minutes of release, it quickly became apparent that the International Secret Agents (ISA) Seattle Concert would have no shortage of hype and demand in its 2011 return to the stage.
“I don’t see many bands like this. And I get to be a part of it.” — Kaori Tsuchida
ISSUE: Spring 2011
DEPT: Personalities
STORY: Jimmy Lee
The razor-sharp rhythms — which are undeniable invitations to shake your ass — are just part of the evidence that The Go! Team has impeccable timing. Just when it felt like the band from Brighton, England, had fallen off the pop music radar, they reappear with a new, better-than-ever album. Released in February, their third and latest, Rolling Blackouts, continues to bring the joyful noise — a meticulous mélange of styles, from indie pop and noise to game show themes and hip-hop — found on its predecessor, 2007’s Proof Of Youth, which followed the sample-heavy Thunder, Lightning, Strike of 2004. Continue Reading »
This year’s Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival was bigger and better than ever before.
I know people use that phrase to advertise things all the time but in this circumstance, it was actually true!
I’ve attended this film fest for a couple of years in a row. Supporting my fellow Asian American artists and filmmakers, some whom I have the honor of calling friends now.
This year, I’m able to truly reflect how far we’ve come as Asian Americans working in the film and entertainment industry. And we’ve come far. Just take a look at these two AA institutions: Wong Fu Productions and Angry Asian Man.
As the first Kollaboration Boston wrapped up a few weeks ago, Han Cho looks back on putting together a movement.
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April 16th came all too fast for all of us.
All of us meaning the 20+ people on the executive team that had worked together since the beginning of the school semester to prepare for Kollaboration Boston 1.
We’re so excited about this week’s giveaway! We’ve always been a huge supporter of Kollaboration and we’re so proud of how much they’ve grown and expanded – they’re now in 12 cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle, New York City, Tulsa, San Francisco, and now, for the first time ever, Boston!
Boston is a truly unique city — it’s filled with talented young students and professionals from all around the world, so we’re not surprised that Kollaboration has finally settled there. The event will be the first city-wide Asian American talent show competition featuring all kinds of performing artists, including vocalists, musicians, dancers and instrumentalists.
We all know Asian Americans have musical talent. Have you heard Joseph Vincent croon a tune or Clara C bang on her tambourine? It must have been ingrained into us since the days of yore when our parents forced piano lessons down our throats gently encouraged us to play piano.
Are you tired of seeing Asian American musical talent being limited to the bounds of YouTube.com? Are you an aspiring solo singer or member of a vocal group that has always dreamed of making it big-time? Well, wait no longer! Here, at Audrey Magazine, we’re absolutely teeming with excitement to present to you a once in a lifetime opportunity. THE X FACTOR, the highly anticipated show produced by Simon Cowell that is debuting on FOX this fall, will be holding auditions in major cities around the country. You or your vocal group could be the recipient of an extraordinary $5 million dollar recording contract with Syco/Song Music and on your way to global stardom hood.
It’s not easy breaking into the music industry; it’s even harder being an Asian trying to break into the industry, but it’s amazing how the Asian community has grown in terms of musical artists. On Friday, February 4th, talented musicians shared the stage of the University of Southern California’s Bovard Auditorium in a concert put together by the Asian Pacific American Student Association (APASA). As one of the performers of the night explained: it’s funny how Asian parents always push us to learn instruments such as piano and violin, expect us to play them well (and by well I mean finish the highest level examination), but when we tell them we want to pursue a career in music, they just shake their heads in disagreement. Why build up our interests and discourage it later on? But nonetheless, the artists this night fought for what they were passionate for, and that’s something we should all look up to.
Joseph Vincent.
Opening the show was Oak & Gorski (oakandgorski), a dual formed by Ken Oak and Ed Gorski in 2004. They have sold more than 30,000 albums independently and have recently launched their newest album Love Destroyer. For the night, Ed was on the rhythm guitar and Ken on the cello as they performed several of their songs. Like Billboard Magazine described, their songs were very “soulful” and “calming.” Then, Jason Chen (miniachilles) followed with two Bruno Mars covers and his first single on iTunes, an original titled Just for a Moment. He has gained fame through YouTube in a short period of time, with more than 130,000 subscribers and more than 22,000,000 upload views. He sounds just like he does on YouTube, meaning he’s just as incredible, so it’s definitely worth seeing him live. Before intermission, guest performer Heavy Impact from ABDC hit the floor and showed us how they worked their bodies.
Oak and Gorski.
- Jason Chen.
As the audience sat back into their seats, Jason Yang (jasonyangviolin), a USC alumni, was glad to be back performing at the place he feels most comfortable. Not only is he majorly gifted, he’s also quite humorous, as he explains that he was going to say “Happy Lunar New Year” after the section of the performance that sounds especially Chinese. His youtube received over 4,000,000 views and as his fan said, Jason is really taking violin to the next level. After was the heart-throbbing Joseph Vincent (hoorahjencar), who greeted us with his charming smirk. He really knows how to sing, but more importantly, he really knows how to engage the audience, welcoming us to sing along. His YouTube channel has over 140,000 subscribers and over 27,000,000 upload views. Clara Chung (ClaraCMusic), whose debut album released last September,was brought on to end the show. She has over 88,000 subscribers on YouTube, but her live performances are even better because she’s super cute in person and very approachable. She wasn’t afraid to get comfortable on stage by taking off her shoes too!
Jason Yang.
Clara C.
Subscribe to all their YouTube channels, like their facebook fan pages and attend their performances to show your support for the Asian music community!
“I don’t have to work in the summer.”
-Joseph Vincent (when he found out he won a million dollars on The Ellen Show)
ISSUE: Winter 2010
DEPT: Personalities
STORY: Janice Jann
On The Rise
Photo courtesy of Carmen Chan | www.carmen-chan.com
When Joseph Vincent first performed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, he was nervous. If you watch the Youtube clip of the episode, you can see Vincent stepping onstage, his brown eyes scanning the audience in wide-eyed wonder, as if he can’t believe this is all happening. For a guy who regularly sings in front of more than 90,776 viewers, it may be surprising that he’s not used to that kind of attention. But it’s probably because those audience members are usually watching him on a computer screen.
Vincent may have risen to fame in 2007 when he started posting videos of his acoustic versions of Top 40’s on the video-sharing site, but the crooner prefers live performances. “[When] people see me on Youtube, I sing, boom, it’s done,” he says. “Onstage, they see me talk and say, ‘oh, I didn’t realize you were so funny or quirky.’ I get to be random.”
Vincent won DeGeneres’ heart (and $10,000 from her online talent competition) last summer and has since been signed with Plan C Management. The Filipino American singer is currently working on nailing down his sound. He counts Jason Mraz as a major inspiration. “That guy is just insane live. I hope to be on that level someday,” he says.
The level that Vincent is on is already impressive considering the 21-year-old only started playing the guitar when he was 15 and has never taken a singing or guitar lesson in his life. And it’s not likely that he’ll use his winnings to start either. When he learned that he had won the competition, his first reaction was, “I don’t have to work in the summer.”
Ironically, with a new CD in the works and gigs lined up across the country, it seems like Vincent will be working plenty in the new year. — Janice Jann
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