ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Calvin Harris

Credit: MSOPR

Credit: MSOPR

It's been a good year for Calvin Harris.  Between dropping his "18 Months" album and releasing a handful of chart-topping singles ("I Need Your Love" featuring Ellie Goulding and "Sweet Nothing" featuring Florence Welch, to name a couple), Harris has been making a solid name for himself in the world of mainstream EDM.  Right now, he's busy waiting to hear whether or not he won Best Dance Recording or Best Dance/Electronica Album at this year's Grammy Awards.  Everyone at Roman's Rap-Up finds something to love about Calvin Harris.  While many are aware of these recent hits, however, fewer have heard his vastly different freshman and sophomore albums.  I Created Disco and Ready for the Weekend, respectively, were two fantastic disco-revival-esque albums.  I Created Disco, while not quite as polished as his more recent work, offers a glimpse into Harris' fun, dancy roots.  Ready for the Weekend acts as a more transitional album, with more of that mainstream vibe coming through.  Any who consider themselves to be fans of his recent work should give these albums a good listen.  You may just be surprised at the transition he has made in the span of just a few years.  Take a listen below:

The 56th Annual Grammy Awards airs January 26th, 2014 at 8PM EST on CBS.

Avicii Announces North American Tour

It's been a few years since Avicii last went on tour in the U.S, but today, that changes! The "Wake Me Up" producer announced this morning that he would be hitting the road starting April 10th on the "#TRUETOUR"! Find when he is coming to a city near you below:

April 10: TD Garden, Boston

April 12: Jiffy Lube Live, Washington, D.C.

May 8: Ak-Chin Pavillion, Phoenix

May 11: Toyota Center, Houston

May 15: Allstate Arena, Chicago

May 17: Rogers Centre, Toronto, Ont.

June 28: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Tickets go onsale January 31st at 12PM local time on Ticketmaster.

Aer Releases Self-Titled Album

Credit: www.freshaermovement.com

Credit: www.freshaermovement.com

Indie-hip hop-alternative-duo Aer just dropped their new, self-titled album "Aer".  The new album traverses a handful of genres, combining hip hop drum beats, synth-pop keyboard sounds, and acoustic guitar samples with occasional rap-like vocals.  Aer has achieved a near perfect blend of all that's hot in the current music industry, currently holding a spot in the top 10 on iTunes.

With a new album comes a new tour.  The "Word Of Mouth Tour" is getting underway and will continue into late June.  Roman's Rap-Up team will be bringing you more coverage of Aer in the following weeks, and we couldn't be more excited about the new album.  For more info or tickets to the "Word Of Mouth Tour", click here.

Katy Perry Announces North American Tour Dates

Katy Perry released the North American tour dates today for "The Prismatic World Tour". The tour will include stops in 46 cities across the United States and Canada. Here's what Katy said in the official press release:

THE PRISMATIC WORLD TOUR is coming to light up some of my favorite North American cities this summer, as well as some new cities that you introduced me to through your video requests," said Katy. "This colorful show will bring you all the songs you know as well as ones from my new album, PRISM. I'm so excited that I got to hand-select some of my favorite artists to join me on this journey - I know you'll love Capital Cities, Kacey Musgraves and Tegan and Sara as much as I do.

Check the tour dates below to see if she is coming to a city near you:

6/22/14 – Raleigh, NC – PNC Arena *
6/24/14 – Washington, DC – Verizon Center *
6/27/14 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena *
6/28/14 – Atlanta, GA – Philips Arena *
6/30/14 – Tampa, FL – Tampa Bay Times Forum *
7/2/14 – Sunrise, FL – BB&T Center *
7/3/14 – Miami, FL – American Airlines Arena *
7/9/14 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden *
7/11/14 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center *
7/15/14 – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre *
7/16/14 – Ottawa, ON – Canadian Tire Centre *
7/18/14 – Toronto, ON – Air Canada Centre *
7/22/14 – Pittsburgh, PA – CONSOL Energy Center *
7/24/14 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center *
8/1/14 – Boston, MA – TD Garden *
8/4/14 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center *
8/7/14 – Chicago, IL – United Center *
8/10/14 – Grand Rapids, MI – Van Andel Arena ^
8/11/14 – Auburn Hills, MI – The Palace of Auburn Hills ^
8/13/14 – Columbus, OH – Nationwide Arena ^
8/14/14 – Cleveland, OH – Quicken Loans Arena ^
8/16/14 – Louisville, KY – KFC Yum! Center ^
8/17/14 – St. Louis, MO – Scottrade Center ^
8/19/14 – Kansas City, MO – Sprint Center ^
8/20/14 – Lincoln, NE – Pinnacle Bank Arena ^
8/22/14 – Minneapolis, MN – Target Center ^
8/23/14 – Fargo, ND – FARGODOME ^
8/26/14 – Winnipeg, MB – MTS Centre ^
8/28/14 – Saskatoon, SK – Credit Union Centre ^
8/29/14 – Calgary, AB – Scotiabank Saddledome ^
8/31/14 – Edmonton, AB – Rexall Place ^
9/9/14 – Vancouver, BC – Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena #
9/12/14 – Portland, OR – Moda Center #
9/13/14 – Tacoma, WA – Tacoma Dome #
9/16/14 – Anaheim, CA – Honda Center #
9/19/14 – Los Angeles, CA – STAPLES Center #
9/22/14 – San Jose, CA – SAP Center #
9/25/14 – Glendale, AZ – Jobing.com Arena #
9/26/14 – Las Vegas, NV – MGM Grand Garden Arena #
9/29/14 – Salt Lake City, UT – EnergySolutions Arena #
9/30/14 – Denver, CO – Pepsi Center #
10/2/14 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center #
10/5/14 – Memphis, TN – FedExForum #
10/6/14 – Tulsa, OK – BOK Center #
10/8/14 – New Orleans, LA – New Orleans Arena #
10/10/14 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center ~

*With Capital Cities
^ With Kasey Musgraves
# With Tegan and Sara
~ TBD