dinsdag 29 juli 2008

Jon McLaughlin Is Ready For Some Football

Photobucket

Jon McLaughlin has just announced that he will continue to support his native INDIANAPOLIS COLTS with a few AWESOME appearances throughout the season!

The first dates have just been announced. Jon will be performing the National Anthem on September 21st at the Colts game against Jacksonville.
He will return with his full band on November 2nd perform the half time show against the New England Patriots! He is currently rolling across the country on his headlining tour.

July
29 San Francisco , CA GAMH
30 San Diego , CA Belly Up

August
2 Phoenix , AZ The Brickhouse
4 Dallas , TX House of Blues
5 Austin , TX Stubbs
6 Houston , TX Warehouse Live
8 New Orleans/Kansas City Parish
9 Memphis , TN Newby's
10 Nashville , TN Exit Inn
22 Atlanta , GA Georgia Tech

Source: www.antimusic.com

zondag 27 juli 2008

Photobucket
D/L: You Can Never Go Back (snippet)
D/L: Things That You Say (Snippet)

Here are 2 new snippets of songs that will be
on Jon's upcomming album "OK Now"
I ripped them from his official Myspace
Hope to get the full versions soon!

Tell me what you think

zaterdag 26 juli 2008

Backstage with Jon McLaughlin

Interview conducted by WPLJ's Blake Hayes from New York City.

Exclusive Interview with Seattle Gay News

SGN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW - Jon McLaughlin rockets from the farm to the Oscar stage by Albert Rodriguez - SGN A&E Writer

At the age of 25, Jon McLaughlin has already done what some people dream about their entire lives: appear on the Academy Awards. After performing the nominated song "So Close" from Disney's urban fairytale Enchanted on the telecast, the native Midwesterner became an overnight sensation. Sales of his debut album Indiana surged more than 1,500 percent at Amazon.com, and he was soon asked to tour alongside Grammy-winner Kelly Clarkson, as well as breakthrough acts Colbie Caillat and Sara Bareilles. With a substantial lift of confidence, McLaughlin began working on his second album with a new team of writers and producers that had previously worked magic for such artists as Rihanna and Carrie Underwood. The result is Beating My Heart, a sophomore album set for an October release of this year. The leadoff, self-titled single has just been added to national radio stations and the music video now appears on YouTube. Should you go online to watch the video be warned: it's guaranteed to increase your heartrate significantly. Let's just say from head to toe, McLaughlin's got the whole package. The top-potential newcomer will perform Sunday night, July 27, at The Triple Door (www.thetripledoor.net) here in Seattle. Visit www.myspace.com/jonmclaughlin to ear-sample his music.

A recent transplant to Los Angeles from a rural farmtown, this All-American beefcake appears to be on the fastrack to bigness. From a tollbooth in Ohio, here's what Jon McLaughlin shared with me inside "The Music Lounge."

Albert Rodriguez: Are you in a tour bus or van?

Jon McLaughlin: I'm sitting in my van. I'm looking at it right now, it looks terrible. My trailer is falling apart. I literally have duct tape on the front of it holding the panel together. I can't give up on it, I've had it for too long.

Rodriguez: Where do you call home?

McLaughlin: Home has never been more ambiguous than right now in my life. I grew up in Indiana. Back in May, my wife and I got a place out in California, but ever since then we haven't been there. We've been in Indiana and now we're on the road.

Rodriguez: You're originally a Midwestern boy, corn-fed and the whole thing?

McLaughlin: Total Midwestern boy, every meal.

Rodriguez: What's the biggest change, aside from the weather, with living in California than the Midwest?

McLaughlin: The biggest change, I would say, is space, or lack of space.

Rodriguez: LA is so spread out, you're kind of forced to drive when you're there.

McLaughlin: I love driving in LA, to be honest. I would love it if they had a subway system or a bus system that was a little better, but you just can't do it because it's so big. I love driving in LA because everyone's a little crazy.

Rodriguez: Take me back to Oscar night, what was that like?

McLaughlin: It was the most extreme of every emotion I've ever had. I was the most nervous I've ever been in my life. I probably had one of the most fun nights of my whole life, definitely the most memorable. That's like a once in a lifetime thing to even be able to just go to the Oscars. So being able to sing and perform and be part of the ceremony, it's crazy. I had to pretend not to throw up.

Rodriguez: Who did you meet that blew you away that night?

McLaughlin: My biggest crazy moment, for me personally, was when Tom Hanks walked out to present. I hadn't seen him before then, he wasn't on the red carpet, I don't think, he wasn't sitting in the theater that I saw. We were sitting right in front of the podium that he walked up towards, so he was four feet away from us. For me, Tom Hanks has been my favorite actor my whole life. That was my big crazy moment.

Rodriguez: I would imagine the small town you're from in Indiana doesn't have any Gay bars, correct?

McLaughlin: I don't think so, none that I know of.

Rodriguez: You work in an industry that obviously has a lot of Gay professionals, from makeup artists to stylists. So Gay culture isn't new to you, right?

McLaughlin: It isn't, and honestly I feel like growing up I sort of had a unique experience because when I was younger, even in elementary school and junior high, I did a lot of musicals and plays. The Midwest is a different culture, like the city I grew up in is a small town in Indiana. But it's not to say there weren't these little communities within this small community. So when I did all these musicals and plays, I feel like I was exposed to a world early on that I'm exposed to now like you're saying. It's not like anything I've had to get used to or adjust to.

Rodriguez: Maybe your wife will meet some new Gay friends in California to hang around with while you're on tour, then you'll have nothing to worry about on the road.

McLaughlin: [Laughs.] True.

Rodriguez: After the Oscars, your first album, Indiana, enjoyed a sales splurge.

McLaughlin: It was really great, and it just goes to show how ridiculous the exposure is to be a part of the Oscars. I can't even fathom how many people around the world sit down to watch the Academy Awards.

Rodriguez: People in some parts of the world have to wake up to watch it at 2:00 in the morning.

McLaughlin: My brother-in-law actually was over in Iraq, he's in the Marines. He had a bunch of his Marines in a convoy, literally they were in a convoy, and pulled off in some tiny little town in the middle of nowhere and found a satellite - and they all crammed around it to watch the Oscars.

Rodriguez: Comments on YouTube for your video for "Beating My Heart" state the obvious. Does it ever bother you that fans prioritize your good looks over your music?

McLaughlin: I think regardless of how you look, if you're going to be in a profession where you're in front of people and be a quote-unquote performer, at some point you have to figure out how to deal with how you look and what your image is going to be. A part of me wishes we just had radio nowadays, for music to speak for itself. I never want to get any sort of advantages, or disadvantages, because of the way I look. As upset and anxious and tense as I get about the whole physical appearance thing, in the end it comes down to the music.

Rodriguez: But music is an art form, and part of that is being visually stimulating to the eye. Fans want to see who's behind the music. It's part of the package.

McLaughlin: You're right, it is an art form - all-encompassing. Ironically, as you say that, I'm getting more and more into video. But I still think bringing it down to how someone looks cheapens it somewhat, at times. I don't want people to focus too much on what I physically look like. I want them to see the video and get the whole experience, not focus on one aspect of it.

Rodriguez: If you didn't want people to focus on what you look like in your video, you should've worn baggy basketball shorts instead of form-fitting jeans and a leather coat.

McLaughlin: [Laughs.] That's definitely true.

Rodriguez: You're very young and I wonder if at some point you'll embrace your physical appearance - your sex symbolism, for lack of a better term. Justin Timberlake is a great artist, and he's hot, and he embraces that by injecting it into his music and performances.

McLaughlin: Justin Timberlake is obviously a very good-looking guy, and if I'm a Justin Timberlake fan - which I am - and if I go to his show, I want to see him do his thing. I want him to own it. I do realize that when I get up onstage, people come and want to be entertained. They want you to be confident, they want you to do your thing. So I'm working on it, I'm trying to embrace it.

Rodriguez: What's the last item of music you downloaded?

McLaughlin: It was either the new Raconteurs album, Consolers of the Lonely, which is like my favorite album at the moment, or the new Coldplay record.

Rodriguez: Who is an artist that you always support or always buy their music?

McLaughlin: It would definitely be my all-in-all guy, who is Billy Joel. But he hasn't done any pop stuff since '93. I would say now it'd probably be Ben Folds, regardless of what he's doing. I'll get anything he does.

Rodriguez: On your last visit to Seattle, did you have a chance to scope it out?

McLaughlin: The last time I was in Seattle was amazing! My band and I rented scooters. We got there early and across the street was this scooter rental place, and we rented these scooters. It was like the most gorgeous day in Seattle, and we just rode these scooters around all day long. Ever since I did that, I was thinking non-stop about scooters so I went out and bought one.

Rodriguez: Here's to gorgeous days and scooters! Safe travels to Seattle this weekend.

McLaughlin: Thanks, and I will see you soon.

posted Friday, July 25, 2008 - Volume 36 Issue 30

Source: Seattle Gay News

Original link:
http://www.sgn.org/sgnnews36_30/page38.cfm

donderdag 24 juli 2008

JM Summer Tour video

Check out the new Jon McLaughlin summer tour video, courtesy of his myspace.

Jon McLaughlin Summer Tour

dinsdag 22 juli 2008

New track: Smack Into You

Photobucket

Here's a track originally recorded for OK Now titled "Smack Into You", written and produced by Tricky and The-Dream.

http://www.divshare.com/download/4964284-1ea

Jon McLaughlin Live @ The Rock Boat VIII

Photobucket
D/L: Jon McLaughlin Live @ The Rock Boat VIII, Xanadu Lounge

"The Rock Boat" is the world's greatest floating music festival..
The Rock Boat VIII departed January 19, 2008 from Miami..
One of the many artist on the festival was Jon Mclaughlin, and
we have the audio of his concert!

Tracklist:

01. Places I Already Know
02. "Get a little snap going..."
03. Far From Home
04. Perfect
05. "learning about my own equilibrium"
06. One of Four
07. "that's how it's done on The Rock Boat"
08. Untitled
09. Indiana
10. "getting ready to make a new record"
11. Four Years
12. Amelia's Missing
13. Beautiful Disaster
14. Human
15. Industry

Please just use this for personal use only!!!
Further more... just Enjoy!!

Jon McLaughlin Readies New Album

Photobucket

Published June 17, 2008

Singer/songwriter/pianist Jon McLaughlin is previewing material from his forthcoming album during a coast-to-coast US tour.

The pop-rocker, who's been on the road since early June, will finish out the month with a couple of shows in his native Indiana and a Los Angeles gig opening for British singer/songwriter Duffy. He'll start up again July 10 in Boston and make his way across the US, playing clubs and theaters through late August. Details are listed below.
McLaughlin is gearing up for the Aug. 19 release of "OK Now," his sophomore set for Island Records. The lead single, "Beating My Heart," impacted the Hot AC radio format last week and is streaming at the performer's MySpace page.

The new record follows McLaughlin's 2007 major-label debut, "Indiana," which saw a huge spike in sales after he performed "So Close" at February's Academy Awards ceremony, according to a press release. McLaughlin sang that Oscar-nominated song in the Disney movie "Enchanted."

He also got plenty of exposure last year, touring with Sara Bareilles, Paolo Nutini and Kelly Clarkson, and performing on CBS-TV's "The Bold & the Beautiful" and NBC's "Today" and "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno."

Source: www.livedaily.com

Jon A Crowd-Pleaser, Even In Rain

Photobucket

Thursday, June 05, 2008

BEAVERCREEK — Rain and thunder didn't stop Jon McLaughlin from taking the stage at The Greene on Wednesday, June 4.

More than 800 concert-goers filled the Greene's town square despite the wet grass.

Extras"It actually turned out perfect, even with the weather," Kelli Kooken, The Greene's director of marketing, said. "We had one little downpour and there was a break, but people came out and still enjoyed it."

The Oscar-nominated artist rocked the stage and performed new songs and music from his first major label album, "Indiana." The alternative singer-songwriter and pianist made his silver screen debut in "Enchanted" last summer and performed at the Academy Awards in February.

Sam Coffey and Randy Miller, both 19-year-old Waynesville residents, were at The Greene by 4 p.m. to ensure their front-row seats, even though McLaughlin was scheduled to take the stage at 8 p.m.

"He is an incredible live performer," Coffey said. "It was a very energetic show."

Though the opening local band, Northmont, got a late start and a 30-minute rain delay cleared the green space, concert-goers came back.

"I'm going to stay until Jon McLaughlin comes out," Holly Gebert, 25, of Beavercreek, said. "It's only rain."

The Indiana heartthrob got a late start too, but it was well worth the wait. His power ballads and piano solos were crowd-pleasers.

"He is an amazing piano player," Allyssa Oney, 16, of Dayton, said. "He has so much feeling when he plays."

His 50-minute set included his new song "Beating My Heart," which debuted on radio stations Monday, June 2.

Source:www.daytondailynews.com

Jon Live @ The PST Studios



Jon McLaughlin performs his song "Beating My Heart"
live at the PST studios Juli 11th 2008

Jon Live @ a Philadelphia Morning Show



Jon McLaughlin performs live at a
Philadelphia morning show July 11, 2008!

maandag 21 juli 2008

Acoustic Performances

Photobucket

Here are some acoustic tracks I found online. It's a live in-studio acoustic performance set from The Coast at 93.1 FM in Maine on June 6th, 2008.

Beating My Heart
http://www.divshare.com/download/4964569-185
Beautiful Disaster
http://www.divshare.com/download/4995876-06

zondag 13 juli 2008

House Of Blues

Photobucket

Jon will be giving a concert at the Cambridge Room
@ the House of Blouse Cleveland on Juli 17th..
So if you're from around there..
go and buy your ticket now !!

BUY TICKET

Unreleased Track

Photobucket

Here's a unreleased track of Jon
that wasn't on his last album..
The track's titled "Proud Father"
D/L: Proud Father

Njoy!



Jon McLaughlin gives an up close and personal
interview with Seth Hancock.
The two talk about the new album, Jon's first
headlining tour, performing on stage at the Academy Awards,
and eating a Big Ugly Burger at Bub's in Carmel...

zaterdag 12 juli 2008

"OK Now" Promo Pics

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket

"OK Now" Albumcover & Tracklist

Photobucket

1. Beating My Heart
2. Four Years
3. You Can Never Go Back
4. Throw My Love Around
5. The Middle
6. You Are the One I Love
7. Always on My Mind
8. Things That You Say
9. Dance Your Life Away
10. Smack Into You
11. I'm Talking To You
12. We All Need Saving

Source: Amazon
Photobucket

All eyes were on Jon

“Beer and blues,” were literally the first words I heard as I approached the House of Blues, patrons wrapped around the block in the blistering evening heat. Frankly, the majority of the concert goers were well above the drinking age (contradicting my expectation of a mob of teenage girls) and, rightfully so, came to the House of Blues for, well, beer and blues. Coming specifically for the opener, Jon McLaughlin, I felt bad for the guy, expecting a barrage of booze, nachos and chicken wings to be thrown on stage and for the piano-pop star to be chased off with hoots, hollers and six-shooter backfire. I was ready to see if this young Indiana cat could hold his own in the south at his House of Blues (Dallas) debut.

Sitting backstage in an ill-lit corridor where they stash the equipment, Jon and I spoke very candidly about music, life and love.

Strictly for laughs and for the sake of being a cliché journalist, I popped the question: “How are the ladies?” Modestly, Jon giggled and told me about his wife and their healthy relationship despite his mounting rock-star status, the lengthy tour and of course the women obsessed with his tender love-lyrics and his boyish good looks.

“Yeah, I got married last year and my wife is actually here. She’s been with me on tour since the beginning. I’ve been on tour for about a year and a half now and I love it. You know, you get used to it.”

Every musician’s claim to fame is unique and Jon McLaughlin is certainly no exception.

“I was raised in a very musical family and I’ve been into music from the very beginning. I stopped playing for awhile after the wreck and then picked it back up my senior year of high school and just kept going and learning from there.” After shattering both of his wrists in a car accident – a horribly ironic scenario for any pianist – Jon lingered on, no longer concerned with or enthused by music. “I got back into it through the church and I just kept learning and playing.”

Finally, wrapping up with a personal inquiry, we spoke about his name and its correlation with venerated jazz guitarist John McLaughlin. “Yeah, I’m actually named after him. Its funny, my dad was pretty big into jazz and The Mahavishnu Orchestra [John McLaughlin’s jazz ensemble] and that’s where the name came from.”

In typical blues bar fashion, hoots and hollers arbitrarily spurted from all directions in the crowd, most of which beckoned headliner Johnny Lang. Nonetheless, it was time for the show and time to witness the Cinderella story of piano playing.

The curtain rose, Jon jammed and instantaneously he commanded the focus of the aloof crowd. He played like a man who’d broken both wrists and kept fighting, high energy with a level of on stage virtuosity that I certainly underestimated from a pop-star. On stage Jon McLaughlin transformed into a piano playing beast, striding, jabbing and playing eight finger chords with ease, completely surpassing my expectations of the modest, self-possessed guy I met backstage.

All eyes were on Jon as he pounded the keys, rarely staying seated on his piano bench. Supplemented with guitar, bass and drums that you could feel in your chest, Jon’s subtle and powerful vocal melodies rang pleasantly through the venue. Although not the blues, the forty-five minute set possessed its signature soul and poise, at times cutting loose into solos that made me salivate. Somebody get this man a Lonestar, he’s on fire.

Jon described his crowd pleaser, “Beautiful Disaster,” as a song about “self worth and truth and....convincing the woman you love that she’s beautiful.” He wrapped with a birthday wish and my favorite track from his debut LP Indiana, “Industry.”

Jon is living proof that impeccable vocals, beautiful lyrics, mastery of piano, piercing baby-blue eyes, a humble heart and an unflinching love for what you do will get you ahead in life.

Good guy, great show, bravo, Jon McLaughlin.

Source: www.fussmagazine.com
Photobucket

Jon McLaughlin Goes Soph in Aug

American heartland singer-songwriter and pianist Jon McLaughlin, whose show-stopping live performance of "So Close," the Oscar-nominated song from the Disney movie Enchanted, was seen world­wide during the 80th annual Academy Awards ceremonies, has returned with OK NOW, his second album for Island Records, due August 19th.
Fans got a sample with the release of the new single, "Beating My Heart," which impacted at the Hot AC radio format on June 9th.

"Beating My Heart" was written by Jon McLaughlin and produced by John Fields, known for his recent chart-topping work with the Jonas Brothers, Lifehouse, and Switchfoot. The new album is being mixed by Tom Lord-Alge and will feature the soon-to-be hit "Smack In To You," written and produced by the Grammy award-winning team of Tricky and The-Dream.

Jon's triumphant Oscar night performance ignited an astonishing 1,514% overnight sales increase at Amazon for Indiana, which neatly took over the #1 spot on the Movers & Shakers chart. "Musically, the big winner of the night was Jon McLaughlin," wrote FoxNews.com's Roger Friedman in his Oscars coverage. "He sang one of the Enchanted songs. Talk about a break-out moment! That's a phenomenal voice… McLaughlin could be the next big thing."

Indiana, Jon McLaughlin's first major label album, received maximum exposure on tours with Sara Bareilles last summer, Paolo Nutini in the fall, and then climaxing with Kelly Clarkson on her 24-city North American tour, October through December

Source:www.antimusic.com
Photobucket

"It's like who am I and why am I here?" "Beating My Heart"

A great deal has happened to Jon McLaughlin between the release of his debut Island Records album INDIANA last year, and his new, sophomore effort, OK NOW.
When we last saw him, the 25-year-old singer/songwriter was giving a show-stopping performance of the Oscar-nominated "So Close," the song he sang in the hit Disney movie Enchanted, on the worldwide telecast of the 80th Annual Academy Awards ceremony.
The appearance re-ignited INDIANA, spurring a 1,514% overnight sales increase at Amazon, sending it to the #1 spot on its Movers & Shakers chart, and creating solid momentum for his latest release. The single from INDIANA, "Beautiful Disaster" attracted over 420,000 digital fans when featured as Download of The Week.
And after getting major touring slots with Sara Bareilles, Paolo Nutini and Kelly Clarkson, along with dates with Colbie Caillat, Duffy and One Republic under his belt, Jon McLaughlin hit his stride on the road.

Flushed with that success, McLaughlin entered an L.A. recording studio last year intent on undergoing both a musical and stylistic transformation. The heartland piano player expanded his palette by working with new producer John Fields (Rooney, Jonas Brothers, Lifehouse, Switchfoot), co-writing with the likes of Jason Reeves (Colbie Callait's "Bubbly") as well as writer/producers Tricky and The-Dream (Rihanna's "Umbrella"), Troy Verges (Kenny Chesney's "You Save Me") and Brett James (Carrie Underwood's "Jesus, Take The Wheel").
McLaughlin admits the experience of appearing in Enchanted and performing on the Oscar telecast was a career-defining moment.

"The whole thing has taken on a life of its own," he says. "I wasn't even supposed to be in the movie. I love Disney ballads, but I didn't necessarily connect it to what I do as an artist. But that image of an old-school crooner inspired me. I was able to see myself as something different, which helped me open up to try new things on this album. I wasn't afraid to try on some new looks, either."

Jon describes himself as a "child of the '80s" in talking about the musical direction of OK NOW, with the very first single "Beating My Heart" the perfect example, an introspective, existential tune about nothing less than the meaning of life, with an elaborate pop-rock production that evokes Coldplay, thanks to soaring synths and a crackling backbeat.
With producer Fields playing bass, drums, slide guitar and a variety of other instruments, McLaughlin also enlisted the talents of ace players such as guitarists Tim Pierce and David Ryan Harris, as well as drummer Dorian Crozier in the studio.

"Smack Into You," written and produced by Grammy winners Tricky and The-Dream, is about falling head over heels in love, a combination of the Police's "Every Breath You Take" and U2's "With Or Without You," melding acoustic guitar and McLaughlin's piano to create a passionate undertow. "This song has such a great groove and is so fun to play live," says Jon. "It creates such a special moment in the room."

Jon describes "You Can Never Go Back," which he co-wrote with acclaimed L.A. singer/songwriter Bleu, as his attempt to write a "late-'70s, early-'80s Billy Joel song," an admonition to not dwell on the past that evokes the blue-eyed soul of the Bee Gees crossed with Hall and Oates, buttressed by Fields' George Harrison-like slide guitar riffs.

McLaughlin's soul/R&B croon also characterizes "Things That You Say," a bittersweet song about "loneliness, the isolation you feel when you're trying to connect with anybody, but end up with these shallow, going-through-the-motions relationships instead."

Synthesizers introduce "You Are the One I Love," a song Jon co-wrote with Jason Reeves, inspired by the tabloid reports about Amy Winehouse's stormy relationship with her husband Blake that shows an empathy to the beleaguered pair. The multi-layered production is driven home by Peter Gabriel-like tribal drum rhythms.

"I feel for them," McLaughlin admits. "Who's to say any of our relationships are any less dysfunctional? I think it's cool that they're so madly in love."

"The Middle" is about being able to take the Hoosier kid out of Indiana, but not being able to take Indiana out of the Hoosier. The youngster who grew up in a conservative Midwestern household admits home is where his heart still remains: "Let me tell you now where I went wrong/Hollywood is just another place/I don't belong."

"Four Years" is another Billy Joel-style, tongue-in-cheek take on a '50s rocker about high school peer pressure that advises freshmen not to worry about the dictates of fashion.

"You just spend so much time worrying about stupid stuff that just doesn't matter," says McLaughlin, who insists his own high school years were pretty good. "I wish I could get back all the money I spent on Abercrombie and Fitch back then. If I heard this song when I was still in high school, I still don't think it would change anything. You can't change high school kids' minds about these things...but I'm still going to try."

"We All Need Saving," a song about the importance of friendship, starts with a stack of Beach Boys-styled street corner doo-wop oooh-oooh harmonies McLaughlin recorded late one night on Garageband.com, which gives the song its sacred feel, while "Throw My Love Around" counsels that, with only one life left to live, it's preferable to take risks then end up having regrets.

That same spirit of taking chances informed the making of OK NOW.

"My philosophy has changed," nods McLaughlin. "Now I believe you should get crazy in the studio, explore different sounds, and I love the challenge of recreating the songs in the live setting –that's the best part."

OK NOW is OK to go.



Music video by Jon McLaughlin performing "Beating My Heart"
with John Fields [Producer], Ryan Travis [Video Director],
Ari Weiner [Video Producer]
2008 The Island Def Jam Music Group