So check THIS out. We awoke today to be featured on the front page of MTVMUSIC.COM. Pretty exciting. We had 2300+ views in less than 24 hours. Currently we have the same amount of views as Jay Z. That kinda boggles my brain. Anyways. We are asking all of our friends/fans/anyone on earth really to VIEW IT HERE (this adds to our play count) and to use those "share" buttons to post it on your facebook, twitter, etc. 

We were really excited to be included on the 1% For The Earth compilation this year and even more excited to see that it briefly held the #1 spot on Amazon (at #4 now). Very exciting to think/hope that there are a bunch of new ears hearing the songs this week. Check it out HERE on Amazon, it features our good friend Madi Diaz, Jack Johnson, Mason Jennings, Jackson Browne and others.

Keegan DeWitt Original Score To Be Featured

in SXSW Film Premiere "Cold Weather"

The world premiere of "Cold Weather", the latest film to feature an original score by Keegan DeWitt, will premiere at the South By Southwest Film Conference and Festival this year.  Directed by Aaron Katz ("Quiet City", "Dance Party USA"), "Cold Weather" follows Doug (Cris Lankenau) a former forensic science major and avid reader of detective fiction, who, after making a mess of his life in Chicago, returns to his hometown of Portland, Oregon. There, he, his sister Gail (Trieste Kelly Dunn), and new friend Carlos (Raúl Castillo) become embroiled in something unexpected. "Cold Weather" is the third feature scored by DeWitt to premiere at SXSW.  His first, "Dance Party USA" premiered in 2006 and his second "Quiet City" was also nominated for an Independent Spirit Award.  The "Cold Weather" announcement comes as DeWitt returns from his recent European tour and enters the studio for the follow up to his critically acclaimed LP "Islands" (Izumi Records).

We had the opportunity to shoot a some live stuff with our good friend Benoit (Made in Palestine, Kites/Poppy) while we were in Paris. We found an amazing bistro connected to the Galeries de Vivienne and shot some footage of "They Ain't The Same", a song which may end up on the next record. Thank you so much to Benoit and Christian for their hard work on this.

 

**** 1/2 (out of 5)

Written by Linnie Green

Don’t expect any tacky tinsel excess on Keegan DeWitt’s Christmas Eve EP, a collaboration with Roman Candle, Madi Diaz, and Caitlin Rose.

Unlike the seasonal tunes blaring down the aisles at Harris Teeter, DeWitt’s latest shuns the ostentation of most holiday songs, packing four wintry gems onto an album powerful and sincere enough to bring Christmas Eve butterflies to every indie fan’s jaded stomach.

These Christmas tunes gain their impact through their earnestness. While it’s far from brooding, the album achieves the levity only Christmas songs can provide without sacrificing depth or honesty. Where other artists slather on sugary sentimentality, DeWitt and his crew of homegrown musicians rely on simplicity. On “Christmas Eve,” DeWitt’s lovelorn musings on the season shine without the usual bells and whistles, resting instead on his cozy vocals and guitar strums.

The highlight of the album pairs DeWitt with Roman Candle on “It’s Christmas,” an ode to the quirks and charm the holiday has come to embody. “Here comes my neighbor/He’s been out working/Gives me the finger as he smiles hello,” DeWitt and Skip Matheny sing. The duo’s voices blend as effortlessly as eggnog and brandy, and the song’s quotidian subject matter is infinitely more engaging than a Rudolph- or Santa-themed jingle.

It might help if you’re a sucker for Christmas, but on the Christmas Eve EP, it’s difficult not to find this pared-down set of originals to be the perfect antidote for all the Black Friday doom and gloom.

It may not convert true Scrooges to holiday cheer, but if DeWitt and company have any say in the matter, even those of us who won’t be waiting up for Santa can partake in a little merriment this winter.