Charlotte O'Connor Hates Fish

British singer/songwriter Charlotte O'Connor has pipes. In fact, she has style too.  And she's kind of cute.

Lucky for her, Quicksilver noticed. The 21 year old classifies her sound as acoustic tropical soul, and we'd have to agree.   Her lighthearted lyrics and carefree-flow conjures images of swaying palms, warm sun, and playful turquoise waves.  The perfect sound track to rock while enjoying a book between sessions, or on the drive to check out the stars with a special someone.

Look for her debut album "For Kenny" in March 2012.

Gypsie Jazz in the Park

Tucked into a sunny nook in Golden Gate Park today, we celebrated a friends birthday with a libations, delicious kebabs, a variety of games, and a bunch rowdy characters. Topping off the festivities was music from a collaboration of Ensemble Soulard and The Smilodons. All afternoon the four piece collaboration played carefree grooves that cascaded through the Meadow, keeping a smile on the face of anyone within earshot.

Hailing from San Francisco, the relaxed crew of musicians rocked two guitars, drums, and a stand-up base, as they played multiple sets of original finger-snapping tunes, along with some fun covers ranging from 1950's Caribbean island jams to modern rock/ska. Lead guitarist Nick Boots describes their style as a heavy dose of gypsy jazz and classic swing, but mixed with edgy originals as well as some classic bebop tunes. These guys aren't just another wanna-be garage band, but serious musicians with tight technique and solid vocal and instrumental exploration.

You can check them out every Friday night from 6-9 at Yoshi's in SF, or be at their newest bands launch in Berkeley on July 9th. Surf on over to Myspace and give "Banana Tree" a listen- I'll bet you go back for more this summer.

Numi Tea Garden- Brewing a Thousand Stories

Sometime you enter an establishment and feel immediately at home- like someone had been expecting you all along, thrown a pot of water on the stove, and set the table just for you. This was my experience today at the Numi Tea Garden in Oakland.

Following an excellent breakfast at Rick and Ann's in Berkeley and a brief walk through of a metal recycling facility in the pouring rain, my friend Robin (Spencer Environmental) and I decided to pop into a renowned tea garden just off the freeway. Surrounded by clutter and noise, Numi is a welcome oasis in the industrial sector of Oakland.

Natural light fills the earth-toned space as we took a seat on hand crafted chairs and comfy couches, and stenciled above my head the words In Each Cup Brew- A Thousand Stories promoted pondering. The tables are made from gorgeous finished stumps and casually face a modest stage in the corner. The staff was super welcoming and not afraid to deal with our terrible pronunciation and numerous questions.

Numi is best know for their Certified Organic Puerh (pronounced 'pu-err') Teas, an ancient Chineas healing tea with vast health benefits & rich taste. Numi's Puerh is harvested from 500 year old wild tea trees in the Yunnan mountains of Southwestern China.

The leaves undergo a "secret" fermentation process which not only yields a superior taste compared to younger pruned bushes- but aids in cancer prevention due to elevated levels of antioxidants, reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke by lowering cholesterol and triglycerides, provides Vitamins B,C , E, P, K & GANA, and rejuvienates life. While I can't claim to be a tea connoisseur or aficionado- I thoroughly enjoyed the presentation and taste of the robust Chocolate Puerh which we enjoyed until caffeinated to the gills.

In addition to the Puerh options, Numi's extensive list of teas includes a plethora of White, Green, Black, Oolong and Flowing Tea, balanced by an unassuming food menu featuring A Light Feast of Gormet Food Offerings from various local food purveyors. We snacked on a bowl of pistachios and dired mango and a killer Muhammara spread. I'm eyeing their organic muffins and scones for my next trip.

Next time you and a friend are looking for a great excuse for a lazy afternoon of shameless relaxation and worldly pondering, this is the place to go. The zen garden also holds monthly community events featuring local artists, films, and world/jazz/experimental music. Check them out- or at lease pick up some of their outstanding tea the next time you are in the east bay.

There's a band in my living room

It's another killer Saturday morning here on the Bay and I'm pleased to find the members of Mississippi Man strewn haphazardly around my living room- a girl friend of mine from Denver snuggled in the middle. It smells a little like booze and cigarettes, and their lack of stirring as the Dingo paws his way through the mess gives the impression that they had a pretty damn good time.

The Elbo Room was packed last night for a good reason. Mustaches and suave throwback 19th century outfits littered the venue as the 5 piece Mississippi Man got things going with a Americana, folky rock set with high pitched harmonization and high paced keys and drums. They have strummed a lick or two in our little apartment before, and I was happy to see that their stage presence is almost as solid as their freestyle jams. They have a little ways to come before they take it to the next level- but that's why they are leading off for a (slightly) more mature band in Silent Comedy.

Slient Comedy brings a bit of southern spice, revival, and good old rock and roll with their semi-formal black shirts and hats. A fiery fiddle draws you in as the guitar, bass and drumbs hold it down. They even throw in a nice touch of harmonica and keys to the mix and the occasional call and response/chant in such songs as Bartholomew. They are the kind of band that gets you off your death bed with a pure burst of euphoric energy to shake your ass.

So if you find yourself in Cali this summer tracking these guys down is a must.

FitzyRadio Fires Up a Mountain of Online Radio

Since the beginning of recorded history- music has been woven into the culture of every society, helping people to express themselves and confront the varying challenges they met. The mystical craving for a steady injection of music into our lives is a strange consistency across humans from every culture, background, and location in the world.

With the advent of the internet we have been granted access to a broad range of diverse music from artists in every corner of the world. We all have our favorite artists, genres, and tracks that we repeatedly return to, but with this access, I often find myself frantically combing through the clutter on the web in an attempt to find some new soul stirring sounds.

To date, however, I’ve found the process of blind searching largely arduous and unsuccessful; a bummer when you think of all those satisfying grooves that got away. This all changed for me with the recent unveiling of FitzyRadio.com. A free service which indexes thousands of online radio stations into one central location, FitzyRadio allows you to search its massive database of stations by song, artist, keyword, genre, or station name and listen to high quality music for as long as you like.

While there are plenty of other music services on the web, I particularly enjoy FitzyRadio because it is not limited to an algorithm of songs you might “like”, contained on a limited database. Each station is run by actual DJs who play music from their own collection- giving you the opportunity hear extremely obscure tracks from anywhere in the world.

FitzyRadio is also working on an interactive component to be released soon. You’ll have to hold tight in the meantime thought – Mr. Fitzy would have my head if I spilled the beans. So tune in and you might be lucky to stumble upon Edward Sharp and the Magnet Zero’s, some Dutch house beats, or a little known group from Nigeria that makes your day.

How do you navigate the sprawling landscape of music on the internet? What sites or services do you use, or do you listen to your personal collection? If you have a question, comment, or suggestion for FitzyRadio, fire away!