This month’s music discovery comes to you by one our Associate Music Supervisors, Christian Zabala. Our February BrandRadio playlist has been handpicked by our entire music team to set your playlist in the right direction for the New Year.

LISTEN TO THIS MONTH’S PLAYLIST >

Hello world! I’m Christian and I’m an Associate Music Supervisor at PlayNetwork. For our Music Discovery post, I’ve decided to share some music knowledge with the readers on the nightmares of clearing samples. Let’s go down this rabbit hole together, shall we?! HERE WE GO!!!

When I’m not at work helping our music team get the freshest records out to our clients *wink* – I’m usually at home working on some sort of music project or idea while some rerun of The Flash, The Office, Friends, Modern Family, or late night television is playing in the background. As I stare at my workstation, I sometimes will pull up a folder of some soul samples I found just to see if I can […]

As part of our PlayLive concert series, we bring exceptional, diverse, artistic talent to the PlayNetwork offices, exposing our Music Supervisors to new and up-and-coming artists from around the globe. Many of these artists are already playing in-store at your favorite retailers, while others are on the horizon of breaking. Much of what we do hinges on music discovery for our brands, turning them into tastemakers for their consumers.

Juno award-winning Canadian artist LIGHTS recently performed cuts from her latest release, “Little Machines”, at our Redmond headquarters. Lights blew onto the electropop scene in 2008 with her hit “Drive My Soul”, and her brand of gleaming, heartfelt pop music has continued to captivate fans around the globe.

“Running With The Boys” opened the set, with the kind of powerful chorus you’d expect to hear chanted in arenas. “Up We Go” showcases Light’s gorgeously fun vocals, only surpassed by her on-stage energy. Much has been said about Light’s road to rediscovery during the writing of “Little Machines” (she shared that the verse for “Muscle […]

Cuban-born Alex Cuba is one of those rare singer-songwriters who sings both in English and in Spanish.  Having spent his youth in Artemisa, which was formally part of La Habana Province in Cuba, he started to play the guitar at the tender age of six under the tutelage of his father with a mix of Jazz fusion style and Cuban Soul.  In 1999 he moved to Canada and began making a name for himself playing alongside his twin brother in the duo The Puente’s Brothers while receiving his first acclaim with a Juno nomination.  This of course was the first of many more accolades to follow.

After going solo for the first time in 2004 with his brother helping out in songwriting duties he released his debut record “Humo de Tabaco” (Tabaco Smoke) that included local Canadian Ron Sexsmith as a collaborator.  With their song “Lo Mismo Que Yo” reaching #52 in the UK Singles Chart.  Having since released 3 more records while winning two Juno Awards for “Humo de […]

If you hang around the Seattle music scene long enough, you are bound to meet local singer-songwriter Kris Orlowski sooner than later. Much to our delight, he and his band recently passed through PlayNetwork  on our PlayLive stage for an intimate performance. It’s easy to see how he has firmly established himself as a familiar face in Seattle’s indie folk circles, and is very well positioned to expand into wider recognition regionally and beyond.

It’s been a joy to see firsthand people’s positive responses to hearing his music played overhead in places like Starbucks or at SeaTac airport. Kris really is a great example of how PlayNetwork connects with a great local musician and everybody benefits: the company, the artist, and the audience. Seeing social media posts from excited fans surprised to hear the music in unexpected places proves that PlayNetwork provides valuable exposure for artists and a valuable service for businesses and brands. And it makes Music Supervision a very fun job to do!

Kris’s most recent project, in collaboration with […]

PlayLive is excited to present Dragonette, a three piece electro-pop act from Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

The band’s collaboration with Martin Solveig for the number one dance hit “Hello” helped push them into mainstream in 2010.

Dragonette’s third LP, titled Bodyparts, was released this week on 9/25/12. The album is a lot of fun with some huge beats, memorable melodies, a pop formula, and infectious hand claps.

Dragonette is playing at Showbox at the Market Friday night as part of Decibel Festival, headlining the Decadance showcase with Icona Pop and The Knocks.

Check out the official video for “Let it Go”! [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KsPIJK17uk?rel=0]

Shannon Cook, Music Supervisor PlayNetwork

As the week comes to a close, we reflect back on a week that began with a blistering set on the PlayLive stage by Bay Area rockers, The Stone Foxes…

Somewhere between blues, rock and country you’ll find The Stone Foxes. This was the first I’d heard of this band and their set was the perfect pick me up for a Monday. The band’s four members (Shannon Koehler, Spence Koehler, Aaron Mort, Avi Vinocur) are long time friends and roommates, and the brotherhood (both literally and figuratively) and ‘knowing’ showed in their performance that was alternately taut and loose with each other.

It’s a bit unorthodox to see the drummer as lead singer, but it perfectly matched the intensity these guys brought to the stage, and when Shannon hopped out from behind the traps and belted out some worthy Chicago blues harp sounds, we knew we were in for a treat. The Stone Foxes are a sure fit for gritty rock and roll (listen to their song “

What better way to start the Labor Day Weekend than with some music? We’re much obliged to take that advice and are happy to welcome Gypsy Soul to the PlayLive  stage, tomorrow, Friday August 31st at 2:00pm.

Gypsy Soul is a California based Celtic soul band led by Cilette Swan and Roman Morykit that sings catchy folk based pop/rock songs.

Their music has aired all over the world and been featured in numerous television shows including Felicity, Roswell, and Providence.

The pair met in Scotland and formed a creative partnership that’s resulted in over ten CDs-including the latest, Grace and Tranquility.

They have been featured as critics Choice and Top Picks in numerous publications including the Seattle Post Intelligencer, LA Times, SF Examiner, Palo Alto Daily News, Bass Player, and Performing Songwriter.

In honor of their 11th CD they are offering a free download of their new song, “Where Did We Go Wrong” available here: http://www.gypsysoul.com/

Click below to view one of their live performances […]

Tacoma, WA native Vicci Martinez was a singer and musician long before her successful run on NBC’s “The Voice” in 2011. Identifying primarily as a singer/songwriter creating and performing original material, she was admittedly a bit hesitant to jump into the reality TV arena at first. Not wanting to compromise her artistic integrity, Vicci reportedly passed up an early opportunity with American Idol before coming to terms with the realization that the exposure to a massive TV audience is actually a perfectly viable way to launch a career in today’s music industry.

Working closely with Cee Lo Green, Vicci was able to take full advantage of the television platform by ending the show in 3rd place overall. She recently cut her first single “Come Along” with her famous mentor featured on the track. Picking up tons of new fans, industry connections, and adding the weight of a Grammy-winning artist to her debut release on the Universal label (sorry Cee Lo, no pun intended), Vicci Martinez is living her dream. […]

Last Friday we hosted an energetic set on the PlayLive stage by the fantastic indie pop duo, Mates of State. Not only have the Mates of State released seven excellent full-length albums over the course of their fourteen year career, a large majority of their creative output was done as a husband/wife team.

The couple, Kori and Jason met in Lawrence, Kansas where they both grew up. Originally playing together in a four-piece rock band, they soon left and headed for California, where they devoted their time to making music as a duo, and creating what would become the Mates of State. Eventually in 2001 the couple got married and had two daughters, Magnolia and June. Since having children, the Mates of States tours have become family affairs, and you can follow their life as family on the road, in Kori’s very entertaining blog titled “Band on the ‘Diaper’ Run”

In addition to being on the road with artists such as Death Cab For Cutie, Spoon, […]

Katie Herzig’s recent performance at PlayNetwork lit up the PlayLive stage,  and many faces in the crowd, with her all-girl ensemble and catchy pop songs. No, she’s not taking a page from Jack White’s playbook; she reconvened with her full band later that night, adding the guys into the mix for their show at the legendary Crocodile in Seattle. We lucky PlayNetworkers were treated to a stripped down, intimate performance of songs from her 2011 full-length album The Waking Sleep and other past projects. Katie and crew played with precision and control, the two guitars and cello combining to create an even and balanced sound that complimented her hushed vocals very well.

Her onstage banter between songs was a highlight of the set. Katie recalled accepting the challenge when called upon to relieve Fergie on a project for a movie soundtrack. The song born of that endeavor is the playful and irreverent “Hey Na Na” and due to complications onstage resulting from a tube amp and […]

Brent Knopf has accrued a lot of overtime at his job. At least from my point of view… I’m thinking about how many hours a week I spend at the office (I’m paid hourly, they cap me at 40). So when I consider doubling my workweek, besides feeling exhausted, I feel amazed to hear Knopf assert in a recent OregonLive article that he spends 80 hours a week or more working on band projects. Even for a prolific and devoted artist, that level of involvement and intense dedication has the potential to result in a serious case of burnout. Apparently not so for Knopf. As one-third of Portland based Menomena, several years ago he decided to branch out with Ramona Falls (because one band is just never enough), a new side project he named after a waterfall near Mt. Hood. Now releasing their second album Prophet, the band is nearing the end of this summer’s West Coast run and will be hitting the road again soon after for […]

With the weather being so incredible this past week, a few things come to mind: beaches, cold beer, and reggae. I can’t think of a better band to bless our stage this Wednesday than Kore Ionz. The band’s members seem to be a human melting pot from all walks of life, coming together for the love of reggae and music in general. With the reggae scene in the Northwest being small, Kore Ionz has built a surprisingly large local fan base, representing the genre to the fullest with uplifting melodies and world beats.

[youtube http://youtu.be/nCNOo4e0EwE]

They’ve taken their positive message off the stage as well, making regular appearances at fundraisers, schools, and juvenile detentions centers. The band even donated half the proceeds from their 2008 release Half-Hour Revolution to the Service Board, plus volunteering their time and expertise to Arts Corps (who PlayNetwork has also partnered up with), both Seattle nonprofit that supports youth programs. I, for one feel extremely lucky to live in a city […]

Horse Feathers is an indie/folk band born in Portland Oregon with a smooth and elegant sound.  Their albums could be strictly instrumental, stripped of vocals, and still be just as enjoyable. With spring upon us, their 2010 release Thistled Spring comes to mind. If I had to choose a soundtrack for the season this would be an excellent choice. The pianos and strings paired with Justin Ringle’s haunting voice in the title track remind me of the changing seasons. And that’s what Horse Feathers does for me, their music paints a picture and instills me with emotion. Their newest release “Cynic’s New Year” is a bit more upbeat than some of their previous work, but is just as melodic and layered. The track “Fit Against the Country” (listen here) is perhaps my favorite, with lyrics like “Nearly every day, we earn a lower wage/ To tell you what we’re made of, or a wage is what we’re paid/ It’s a hard country we’ve made.”, Ringle sings words of […]

Although today’s PlayLive guests, the French Indie Electro-Rock duo Housse de Racket were born and raised over 5000 thousand miles from our PlayLive stage, in a suburb of Chaville (France), the band member’s Pierre Leroux and Victor Le Masne developed and initial friendship over a T-shirt with Seattle ties.  Back in the 90’s the two teens who had previously snubbed each other in passing, sparked up a conversation when a Pearl Jam T-Shirt worn by one of the members, attracted the eye of the other. They began discussing Eddie Vedder, Kurt Cobain, and the Seattle music scene; a musical kinship which led to a friendship, and eventually a band.

Starting out as in-demand session musicians-for-hire with local bands such as Air and Phoenix, Housse de Racket were first brought to the fore as featured artists on a Maison compilation release; curated by French electronic label, Kitsune. The Maison series featured such artists as Bloc Party, Cut Copy, and Simian Mobile Disco, and also help break such bands as […]

Exciting news from the PlayLive Mainstage… we are gearing up for not one, but TWO excellent performances this week. We will be vacating our desks today and Tuesday to party with The Front Bottoms and Lost in the Trees. Man, work is such a bummer sometimes isn’t it?

THE FRONT BOTTOMS – Monday, March 26th

“We kinda thought we were a punk band but then we’d play on bills with real punk bands and we’d be like ‘Whoa, were not punks. What the hell are we?” – The Front Bottoms

With that quote from The Front Bottom’s drummer Mathew Uychich, it’s pretty clear that his band is simultaneously defying labels while searching for a defining identity. The fact that Mathew is also listed as the band’s official bullhorn player further supports that claim. The Front Bottoms have been tearing up the New Jersey (Bergen County, to be exact) DIY scene for some time now with their catchy brand of pop-punk. Their songs are irreverent, playful and above all thoroughly […]

Eric Hutchinson, acclaimed Singer/Songwriter will be gracing the PlayLive stage tomorrow (2/7)! Eric’s folk and jazz-inflected Pop-Rock is said to be somewhere between “Jeff Buckley and John Mayer”, and he’s been called, “one of the most talented singer-songwriters that Boston has to offer”, drawing comparisons to Jason Mraz, Stevie Wonder, Ben Folds, Cat Stevens, Paul Simon, and Billy Joel; many of which Eric cites as influences.

In 2004, Eric’s debut album That Could’ve Gone Better caught the attention of Maverick Records which had previously broken artists such as Alanis Morissette and Michelle Branch, but just as Eric’s major label debut was set to release, the label was shut down. Eric spent the better part of 2 years extracting himself from the contract before returning to his own label and releasing a tongue-in-cheek titled live EP Before I Sold Out, followed by his second studio album 2007’s Sounds Like This, which caught the attention of celebrity blogger Perez Hilton. After a single blog post by Hilton back in 2007, Sounds Like […]