For this weeks playlist, I weighed heavily upon the XXL Freshman 10 and MTV’s MCs to Watch. Then for some reason, I added a Lily Allen song. Anyway, these songs hit HARD. Enjoy!

Next week, another guest takes the stage. Do you have what it takes to make a mindblowing playlist? Email me at lee@cutandsewn.com.

Coming out of Morrisville, PA just a mere 20 minutes from where our boy Lee hails from. He’s rapping what he knows, not guns and hoes, but fun with his bros (in college). Recently listed on XXL’s Top Freshman list and MTV’s MC to Watch, this guy can flow.

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Today’s playlist comes from someone we know very well, because she lives down the hall from Lee. Welcome Rachel!

As a single lady, society has told me I should be a bitter hag on V-Day. Those of you who were lucky enough to have received personally autographed VHS tapes of “Buns of Steel” plastered with my lipsticked kisses and sprayed with glitter in years past know that in reality I have nothing against this made-up holiday. While I may be drinking $3 Trader Joe’s wine straight from the bottle this Saturday night, by Sunday I will be stuffing my face with discount Sweetheart candy. So until then here are a few of my favorite “love songs.” I thought of going for disgustingly sappy and emotional in order to overcompensate for my single status or even disgruntled hate-sex songs. What came out though was a mixture of love ‘em and leave ‘em coupled with inflate ‘em and keep ‘em masterpieces. So today, let’s pay homage to Aristophanes and others with my V-Day play list.

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John Steele manages the blog for Solar States, a solar energy company dedicated to creating a solar industry, from the classroom to the rooftop. He has provided our playlist for the week with a great story below. Check our their blog and site.

When I saw that picture, a few things popped into my mind. First, awesome! I already have a TV, a radio, a dvd player, an omelet station, a blender and an XBOX in my bathroom. But with all available outlets filled and all circuitry going toward my entertoilet (entertainment toilet), how is a man supposed to charge his ipod while riding the porcelain bus?

But secondly, and equally as important, are there enough appropriate songs to celebrate such a monumental invention as the toilet-paper-holder-ipod-dock? There are plenty of songs about getting dumped, but what about taking one? So I set out on a quest to find the perfect playlist for this ipod. Get ready to go on a journey, from the bathroom line with N.E.R.D. to the final push with Salt ‘N Peppa and finally to lighting a courtesy match with Mirah. Once you are done listening to this as nature intended, I think you will agree that the only thing in your bathroom that doesn’t stink is the music.

Thanks to John for this playlist. Do you want a chance to make a playlist for us? Email lee@cutandsewn.com and you could be here very soon.

Kosha Dillz is embarking on a journey, he will perform 40 shows in the next few months. Judaism influencing his rhymes along with the world around him, he stopped in to talk to Cut & Sewn.

How and when did you rapping?
I must’ve began in 1999 at Braggin’ Rites NYC at Nuyorican Poets cafe.

How’d you know rap was right for you?
I really didn’t know that ’till recently. I knew I was able to hustle and like it and love it and I can of have a lost love for hustling anything. Music and me, its all great, when I started developing my artist identity, it becomes easier to know that its right for me. I just love hearing myself complete songs that move me and other people.

Who are your influences?
Pop culture. Food. Surroundings. Scenery. Current news. Spirituality. Israel. It can range from a number of things.

Tell me about your writing process.
It usually begins with an urge to write, sort of like caffeine withdrawal but with a pen. I just finished my LP Beverly Dillz in LA with Belief, a lot was done in socks on a couch. Just enjoying to force the creativity which i think it a great skill every artist must acquire. With another producer, someone forces you to write to beats you might not do so by yourself, in the end that can create a great song you might not have ever explored.

Keep reading for more questions and information on upcoming Kosha gigs. (more…)

Melinda Ortner started music from her father’s footsteps, now she’s recording her first full length album, making music videos and being shopped around for a record deal. After comparisons to Fiona Apple, Muse and Alicia Keys, she’s more than on her way. Lee had a chance to talk to her the other day.

C&S: So the first question has to be, how did you get started in music?
Melinda Ortner: Well, my dad was a music teacher and forced me, I was reluctant to play piano. I didn’t want to, but then I did. He made me practice. I couldn’t play with my friends until I practiced, which I’m very grateful for now. And then, I kinda dropped it. I wanted to do acting when I saw the movie My Girl. That was the moment, ‘I want to be an actress.’ Then I got recruited for the choir, because they needed girls. They didn’t know I could sing, I didn’t know I could sing either. So I said ok. And when I tried I and I thought, I’m not bad. And I went from there.

Which do you like more: singing or piano?
I like singing more, but I like doing both at the same time. That’s when I get  to my zone. But I also play a little guitar and I do play the flute. That was my first instrument.

Are you gonna bring any flute into your songs?
Honestly, I don’t think so, but after hearing things by Vampire Weekend, I could bring a whole world of sound to my music. Never know.

What music influences you?
I would say, Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington are the two singers that I wanted to sound like. From there, of course, Fiona Apple and Muse were like the obsessions I had in the last two years, where all I listened to was that. I would say I’m really really inspired by classical music and I try to incorporate it into my songs. Aside from that, Radiohead, and other bands that add regular piano stuff with electronica sounds.

Keep reading for more great questions and 2 awesome mp3s. (more…)

Eliot Murray, a good friend of the company, is our first guest DJ. He is an aspiring screenwriter and shade-tree musician living in Los Angeles. He writes,

So, given the recent re-embrace of unity among the leaders of the world via our nuevo presidente, I decided to wrangle some sweet “International-themed” music together. Some are local, some are foreign, but all dig into the cross-pollination of cultures to produce sweet results. Tchuss!

Although they formed just six months ago, Graydon is finding its place in LA’s crazy music scene. Packing places like the Hotel Cafe, they’re putting the fans in the seats. They’re about to hit the studio to record their first album, which from what I’ve heard from lead guitar/singer Matt Miller’s solo work, will be nothing short of awesome. He took the time to talk to Cut & Sewn.

Lee Frank: How did you get into music?
Matt Miller: Growing up there was always music around my house. My family is all musical. My dad’s a musician, a guitar player, my sisters all play music, too. I guess to start my career, I was in Italy and I had my guitar with me. Some friends decided we wanted to play at a bar there. I was living there for 5 months studying. We started playing some shows there and it was incredible. We played 3 or 4 shows and by the end of the semester, bars were packed and we played for tons of people. I could just feel it, for the first time that it was something I really wanted to do for my career.

You play the guitar. Do you play any other instruments?
I play piano. And I sing, I guess the voice is an instrument.

Who are your influences?
Like everybody else, The Beatles are a big one. That’s the first band I remember growing. I remember 4th grade, my dad had introduced me to Beatles albums. I remember listening to one with a bunch of friends in my class. We were listening to Magical Mystery Tour and I think as kids that’s a little bit weird, it looks kinda like a kids CD when you look at it. But I told my friends “we gotta listen to it.” And they were making fun of me because it was before they realized who the Beatles were. I knew for the first time in my life, I don’t even care what these people think, this is it, this is the real stuff. Also, I love a lot of old stuff like the Rolling Stones. Nowadays, I love Coldplay and Radiohead. I love bands that do something bigger, they capture something bigger than a couple hits. They have vision past hits on the radio, becoming something more than that.

After the jump the internet, belly dancing, and Little Richard. (more…)

So we missed a few weeks of playlists, major apologies. We’re making up for it big time this week with some fist-pumping, face-clenching rock jams.

Like a holiday sweater, this playlist is awkward even for Christmas.

The Main Drag hailing from Boston is the latest to talk to Cut & Sewn. Playing a vast variety of instruments, including synthesizers and glockenspiel, they have a sound that many bands wish for. Their last album, Yours As Fast As Mine has earned them Salon’s Best Unsigned Artist as well as reaching #78 on the CMJ top 100. The track A Jagged Gorgeous Winter is being used in Rock Band 2. Enjoy the interview and mp3s at the end, too.

Lee Frank: I’m talking to Matt Boch and Adam Arrigo of The Main Drag. What instruments do you both play?
Matt Boch: Adam and I are both multi-instrumentalists. Most notably we’re the singers in the band, but we both play guitar, keys, bass, xylophone, and I play the trumpet on some songs.
Adam Arrigo: Yea, we’re the front men. We don’t need the other people. Wait, I’m kidding.

How long have you guys been playing music?
I first started taking piano lessons when I was 3 and I’ve played music ever since. Since then, I’ve played rock music.
I’ve been playing guitar since I was 8.

Where did the name “Main Drag” come from?
It could be a lot of things. It could reference the main drag of a town. But maybe someone could interpret it as a Death Cab for Cutie lyric, but that’s not really cool anymore.

So you don’t want them to attribute that to them anymore?
I used to like that band.
No more? You don’t like Narrow Stairs?
No, I really hate it.
We’re indie snobs over here, I guess. The earlier stuff is always better. That’s why we’re not making anymore records.

Who is the heart throb of the band?
Jon Carter.
Oh yea. Absolutely.
He has that cool laid back guitarist vibe. You that manly attractiveness that no one can resist.
He gets really sweaty on stage, too, which I’ve talked to some girls and they found that to be a turn on.

What bands are your influences?
I’d say Broken Social Scene, John Vanderslice.
The Notwist, Neutral Milk Hotel.
Hot Chip, Of Montreal.

What do you think of the current state of the record industry?
It’s a mess. I think that there was some arrogance on the part of the major labels. They thought their continual sales wouldn’t be hampered by new technologies and they were unwilling to flex even late in the game when they saw that the technology was actually changing the industry. As a result, the forecast isn’t great for the record industry as a giant corporatized institution. However, I think the opportunities for the individual musician have never been better. Over the next twenty years, we will see more bands with fanbases and more total number of bands with pockets of fans all over the country. The recording tools have gone from being multi-thousands of dollars just twenty years ago to under $1000 you can make a record that sounds pretty great. Music as an industry is always going to exist and there’ll always be opportunities to have people hear your music and make money by playing live shows, selling merchandise, and selling music. But the current state of the industry as a whole is somewhat depressing. That said, I can point out a huge number of artists that I have respect for that are on major labels that continue to play that game pretty well. I’m a huge fan of the new Lil’ Wayne record. He has his game. There’s money to be made and he’s making it. Obviously, I don’t think the same sort of strategies work with our type of music and we want to be more ad-hoc about the development of our band and fans and push forward. We just aren’t really a perfect fit for a major label given how we sound and what our ethics are like. And indie labels are like ‘you guys are a little too pop, you should talk to the major labels.’ We find ourselves somewhere in between, but we’re finding success in that place.

The interview continues after the jump as well as 3 tasty mp3s.

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