Katie Hercig

This week’s artist is a discovery from Brite Revolution, a great website where you can download exclusive music and help charities at the same time. Katie Herzig is one of Brite’s contributing artists, adding new music each month that you can’t get anywhere else. The songs Herzig has put up on Brite are some of my favorite tracks that she has done so I would encourage you all to check it out.

Katie Herzig is a Colorado native who moved to Nashville in 2006 to pursue a solo career. Herzig was the lead singer for her Colorado band Newcomers Home until they broke up and she took that as a sign to go solo. She started as the drummer of Newcomers Home due to her stage fright but eventually conquered that fear and became their lead singer.

Before she moved to Nashville Herzig recorded her album Weightless which she did as a do-it-yourself project. Several tracks from that album were featured on the hit show Grey’s Anatomy. Her recent album Apple Tree was made available digitally in 2008 and now on CD this past April. Several songs from Apple Tree have been featured in past months on One Tree Hill, Lipstick Jungle, and Ghost Whisperer and Sex and the City the Movie Soundtrack. Herzig will also have a song in the upcoming film, My Sister's Keeper.

Herzig’s music has a feel good quality to it and is perfect for a lazy summer time soundtrack. She also plays a Taylor guitar (my guitar of choice as well) so she is OK in my book. Check out Katie’s music on iTunes or any of the useful links below! Hope you enjoy!

www.katieherzig.com

http://www.myspace.com/katieherzig

http://www.briterevolution.com/artists/katie-herzig/

Griffin House

While researching this weeks artist I found out about an amazing new website that combines a love of new music with helping charities in need. Griffin House and many others, including Joy Williams (who you may remember from my feature on John Paul White and The Civil Wars), Caedmon’s Call are contributing their new music to Brite Revolution. Brite Revolution posts around 40 new songs each month from participating artists and gives 10% of its revenue to charity. You even get to choose, from about ten charities, which one you want your money to go to. Pretty rad I think. I get to download new music you can’t get anywhere else and do it all in the name of charity. It’s $4.99 a month and you can try it free for the first month. I joined last night and already love it and the songs sync to my iTunes seamlessly. AND the songs are all DRM free!

Well, back to the inspiration for this week, singer/songwriter Griffin House. House is another artist I first heard on Pandora Radio and was hooked when they played a track from his most recent album, “The Guy That Says Goodbye To You Is Out Of His Mind” (check out the music video below). The title alone peeked my interest and I immediately imagined him singing that line to me and my spirits were lifted. I value and treasure music that affects my mood and emotions and House’s music does it almost effortlessly.

It was that ability to affect people emotionally with his music that led this Ohio native to give up his golf scholarship to Ohio University to pursue a career in music. He became hooked to this power after he wrote his first song for his high school sweetheart and made her cry when he played it for her. According to House, “What I was drawn to was the power of the song, how it could affect people emotionally.” To do that House draws on his personal life experiences to write his songs including the experience of falling in love, getting engaged and then realizing it was all a huge mistake. House even takes inspiration from others such as his song “Better Than Love” which came from his uncle talking to him once about marriage and saying that sometimes when his wife put her hand in his that it was better than sex and that was all you needed. House took that advice to write this love song about a long-term relationship.

Griffin House has quickly become one of my favorite new artists and I am eager to hear his new music on Brite Revolution as he has committed to contribute one new song each month. The first two songs in our playlist are from his first album Lost & Found released in 2004 and “Better Than Love” and “The Guy Who Says Goodbye…” are from his most recent album Flying Upside Down released in 2007. Please check out more of House’s music as well as Brite Revolution.

http://griffinhouse.nettwerk.com/

http://www.briterevolution.com/

www.myspace.com/griffinhouse

www.briterevolution.com/artists/griffin-house/


Hope you enjoyed this week’s feature. Please feel free to leave comments on what you think of the music and if you like this page please become a follower. Thanks all!