Jenny Lewis and Jonathan Rice Debut New Single and Tour Dates!

It’s a fabulous day to be me because Jenny Lewis has released a new song with her boyfriend Jonathan Rice called “Scissor Runner” AND they’ve announced a tour together which means I WILL GET TO SEE HER LIVE! I’m pretty freakin excited as I’m a huuuuuuuge fan of Jenny and I’m really hoping she plays some songs from Rabbit Fur Coat during the set.  Anyway, “Scissor Runner” is available for a free download at their site if you sign up for their newsletter and you also have the option to buy their new album, released later this summer, in a number of packages.  The song definitely has some Fleetwood Mac undertones and is one you can’t listen to just once.   Tour dates after the cut!

Artist To Die For: The Watson Twins

So in the event you’re wondering why I’ve done two Artist To Die for posts in the past day it’s really because I haven’t written one since September.  (School has been owning my life) And the two sets of artists I’m writing about are amazing so just consider it double the amount of good music to add to your library.

Today’s installment features two women you might have heard of before.  If anyone listened to Jenny Lewis’s lovely “Rabbit Fur Coat” album, odds are you heard one of the tracks the Watson Twins were featured on, easily making it the most gorgeous album to come out in the past five years.  Last year the girls released their first full length album “Fire Songs” which featured the memorable cover of “Just Like Heaven” and with the release of their second album “Talking To You, Talking To Me” a month ago, everyone is finally starting to take notice.

Artist To Die For: Paris Carney

It’s been a while since I’ve done Artist To Die For, but that’s only because it took me forever to decide who to do because I’ve found so much amazing music lately. But this time I decided to do a true indie artist: the incredible Paris Carney.

If the last name sounds familiar, that’s because it is–she’s the sister of Zane and Reeve of Carney. For some strange reason though, she has yet to get a record deal. So please, SOMEONE get this girl a record deal! Because the girl has got raw talent. Her lyrics are poignant, and sung like you’re listening to someone’s diary. And her voice is laced in honey-drenched harmonies and vocals that can stop you dead in your tracks. If Johnny Long or Ray Lamontagne had a little sister, it would be her. Also reminiscent of Jenny Lewis, Jewel, and A Fine Frenzy’s confessional style of writing, accoustic sound and vocals, Paris’s music is the kind that you akes you over and doesn’t let go.

One thing that I personally find so inspiring about Paris is how hard she works so hard to be heard and get her name out there. If you sign up for her email list you’ll begin to notice she does A LOT of shows in and around LA. (And she’ll actually be opening for Johny Long pretty soon!) I think she’s a true testament to girls, and anyone else like me who’s nineteen and has a dream of doing something, that you can be anything you want to be as long as you put yourself out there, have the talent, and work for it. She’s also an incredibly sweet and gracious person which only makes you hope that one day she will get all the success she so deserves.

You can follow her on Twitter @ParisCarney and get all the info on upcoming shows, plus listen to new music on her myspace page at http://www.myspace.com/pariscarneymusic

And you can listen to a few of her songs below!

“Memoirs” (because the name of the song isn’t on the video)

The Top 10 Girl Crushes

For the record, I didn’t write this–if I did, it wouldn’t be a girl-crush, it would just be a crush.  But I really admire and look up to alot of the women on this list and it was a fun read, so let Liz Phair invite you inside for the top ten girl-crushes chosen by the Houston Press. 

Artist To Die For: Jenny Owen Youngs

So the other day I was listening to my latest obsession, Pandora Online Radio which lets you create artist stations that play songs by that artist and other artists or singers who are similar, and came across Jenny Owen Youngs.  I had heard of her before (she had a brilliant song on “Weeds”), but I had never actually listened to her music until I heard “What Beats Within” which had this extremely original and hypnotic opening complete with flutes and strings.  And after that, I was hooked.

In the style of Liz Phair and Jenny Lewis (who she looks strikingly similar to), Jenny combines witty and frank lyrics with catchy rock hooks.  Her lyrics can be sometimes explicit and raw, which is typically when they’re at their best, but also regretful and self-depricating.  Her latest album “Trasmitter Failure” was just released a few months ago and stays with you in the way only true great albums do.  It’ s mesmerizing, seductive, and dream-like–sometimes all at once–which is really all you can ask for in an album.

A few songs of hers below and after the jump…

Reese Witherspoon Is Druuuuunk With Jenny Lewis

Teeheee!!!

This makes me giggle uncontrollably.  I’ve never in my life seen Reese Witherspoon take the walk of shame so for that very reason, this deserves it’s own post. 

Last night, Ms. Witherspoon enjoyed a night out of drinking and fun with friend Jenny Lewis and boyfriend Jake Gyllenhaal at hot spot Hollywood Bowl.  The trio was photographed looking just a little tipsy as they made their way to the car.  In all fairness, this has never happened to Reese and it probably won’t happen again for a very long time so enjoy cackling about it while you can.

Oh and that black eye you see is not from her getting into a drunken brawl (although that would have been priceless) but from an injury on the set of her latest film.

More pictures of Reese, Jenny and Jake after the jump!

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