The Way It Is

For the fortunate ones(including myself) who got to see Nicole Atkins & The Sea live when they opened for The Long Blondes at Lee's Palace in June, it was a revelatory experience. She was so comfortable in her skin, with a soulful, torchy voice that resonated with so much emotion that I virtually had goosebumps. She already has a wonderful 6-song EP "Bleeding Diamonds" under her belt. I'm looking forward to her debut album "Neptune City"(regardless of what Spin says) being released October 30 through Columbia Records. A number of songs are streaming over at her MySpace and they're wonderfully fleshed out, at times, quite lush-sounding songs of melancholy. Nicole Atkins & The Sea are back in Toronto opening for The Raveonettes at Lee's Palace on October 14 but I wouldn't be surprised if an upstage was in order. Nicole makes her television debut on the Late Show With David Letterman on October 30. And did you know Nicole was an American Express card holder? Check out the television commercial she did for them below which apparently debuted on tv a few weeks ago:

YouTube: Nicole Atkins - American Express television commercial (2007)
YouTube: Nicole Atkins & The Sea - "Neptune City" (music video)
MP3: Nicole Atkins & The Sea - "The Way It Is"
MySpace: Nicole Atkins
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And in concert news:

Ms. Julie Doiron is at The Drake Hotel for a 19+ show on September 12, tickets $10.00. Julie will be performing at the 2007 Polaris Music Prize Gala party at the Phoenix on September 24, which is by-invite-only, fyi. My invitation must've got lost in the mail.

Toronto folk-country troubadour Justin Rutledge is scheduled for an all-ages show at Trinity St. Paul's on October 13, tickets $22.50. He'll also be at the Junction Arts Festival in Toronto on September 8.

Cuff The Duke are a The Mod Club for a two-night stint of alt-country on November 29-30. Their new record "Sidelines of the City" is out through Hardwood/Universal on October 23.