Amita here with your daily dose of pop culture for the Big Sell 30 Day Challenge! Join us and try one new piece of pop culture every day for 30 days.
Most of my Big Sells on Inside Pop and in the #BigSell30 are usually musical. I grew up playing the piano, violin and french horn and was in the orchestra, marching band and sang in choir all throughout school. Music is in my veins and I don’t think I can go a day without listening to something. So, when I started to put together a list for The Big Sell 30, it was no surprise that most of my choices were songs or music videos. #Predictable or #Reliable?
So, it’s no surprise that today’s Big Sell is another music choice! I’m selling a really fantastic Jazz/Pop/Country quartet called Lake Street Dive. About 2 years ago I found them while I was doing some online research for something music related and I was hooked. I watched their great jazzy cover of The Jackson Five’s “I Want You Back” that was recorded on a sidewalk in Boston (They met while attending The New England Conservatory of Music). You can watch that awesome video here. The lead singer, Rachael Price has an incredible voice and the group has really strong and smart harmonies that I just eat up.
Their EP, Fun Machine features that cover along with a few others like George Michael’s “Faith” and Hall & Oates “Rich Girl”- but that’s not my Big Sell! (Fooled ya- but you should check that out)
They’ve released 2 albums of original music since the Fun Machine EP and their most recent album, Side Pony was released earlier this year. (Still not my Big Sell…keep waiting!)
As soon as I discovered Lake Street Dive, I listened to their self-titled debut album on repeat and this song just spoke to me. It has so much soul and I will always turn it up and sing along. No more fake sells- THIS is my Big Sell! The single “Don’t Make Me Hold Your Hand” by Lake Street Dive- You can listen to it here on Spotify.
Check it out and let me know you think!
Follow Inside Pop on Twitter and Instagram @PopInsiders and don’t forget to send us your Big Sells for #BigSell30!
Wendell and Nate’s Big Sell is the singer/songwriter Ben Folds. And whether you’ve followed Ben Folds’ career for decades or are only slightly acquainted with his music; after listening to this Big Sell you are guaranteed to have a greater appreciation for the musician. It’s Everything You Wanted to Know About Ben Folds But Were Afraid to Ask!
I saw promos for this series starring Minnie Driver and I was intrigued by it’s premise. A family with 3 children, Dylan, Ray and J.J. – who has cerebral palsy, is nonverbal and confined to a wheelchair but has normal intelligence and uses a light and a keyboard to express what he’s saying to everyone. Minnie Driver is great as Maya, the unapologetic mother of a child with special needs who only wants the best environment for her son and has uprooted her family from school to school to school to school (seriously- they list like 5 or 6). Even if it means that they have to live in a dilapidated house right next to a train track because it’s in the right school district and sometimes at the expense of her other children who have to continually make new friends.
I woke up to this fun party song as it was playing on the radio when my alarm went off and then had the pleasure of hearing it again in my Spotify Release Radar playlist and I was hooked.
Earlier this week Amita and I saw a screening of The Birth of a Nation. After the screening and the cast & crew Q &A she and I stood outside the theater and wrestled with our feelings about the film. My conclusion – the film was solid, but not great. Well made, but not extraordinary. Moving and glorious in parts, but also flawed throughout.
Temperton passed away at the age of 66 last week. I’d like to take this opportunity to Big Sell you on his amazing discography. He’s best known for penning songs on Jackson’s masterpiece albums Off the Wall and Thriller. Those songs – “Thriller”, “Rock with You”, “Baby Be Mine” – make him one of the greats. But his musical career spans well before and after those albums.
Today my #BigSell is the comic book A Nation Under Our Feet written by Ta-Nehisi Coates and illustrated by Brian Stelfreeze. The new paperback edition collects the first six issues of the run into one volume. Coates is one of our great modern day writers and thinkers and it’s thrilling to see him lend his talents to a new interpretation of the iconic Marvel character.
This week, we are reveling in the gifts of Black Excellence bestowed upon us by the pop culture Gods in film, television and music! We had the exclusive opportunity to watch visionary director Ava DuVernay’s latest documentary, 13th, and discuss why we were so extremely moved by this powerful film.
Then, it’s hoodies up as we geek out over our immediate (and spoiler free) reaction to the premiere of Marvel’s Luke Cage.
