• Entertainment

    RHONY: The B Is Back

    The B is back! Bethenny Frankel makes her return to Bravo’s Real Housewives of New York (RHONY) this season, promising to bring the dramz. Her life –post divorce and failed talk show– will be documented as the Founder of the wildly successful Skinnygirl brand picks up the pieces of her crumbled, and broken, person life. For fans of the show, you’ll remember Frankel as the RHONY’s relatable comic relief delivering her quick-witted one-liners while struggling to build her brand and find love. Following her departure from the series, the Skinnygirl went on to sell her liquor brand for a rumored $100 million, launched a talk show with producer Ellen DeGeneres and released a number of New…

  • Entertainment

    First Listen: Five Knives “Savages”

    If you’re a long time follower of my musical tastes, you’re likely already in-the-know about the electronic pop act Five Knives. I named them the top artist to watch in 2012, and watch I did. I watched as the band, who started as a hardcore punk-rock band with electronic driven beats, toured the U.S. with acts like Smashing Pumpkins, Twenty One Pilots and Icona Pop and I continued to watch when their singles slid up the Billboard Dance charts. And now, I’m watching again as the band prepares for the release of their first full-length album — out June 2nd — with the catchy lead single “Savages.” As a lead single, “Savages” redefines…

  • Shelly Fairchild
    Entertainment,  People

    Take 5: Shelly Fairchild

    We all love to know what inspires our favorite stars and we want to know what – or who– is behind our favorite lyrics. But why is every interview so damn serious all the time? ‘Take 5’ is a regular feature on Listen! It’s Vetrano that gives readers insight into some of the lighter things in your favorite stars’ lives. And next up in the ‘Take 5’ hot seat, Nashville’s resident bad ass and super vocalist Shelly Fairchild. In an interview with Fairchild earlier in the month, we talked about her return to music with the PledgeMusic campaign she launched online (see: Shelly Fairchild Pledges Return to Music here). In no time at all, the campaign…

  • Entertainment

    Introducing: Anna M’Queen

    As her name may suggest, Anna M’Queen is not your average girl. The Five Knives frontwoman is a force of nature. Dancing and jumping her way across a stage while delivering fiery, infectious hooks with her bandmates, M’Queen is primed to be one of the boldest new names in music. Nashville-based Five Knives debuted their punk rock, electronic sound in 2013 with the release of their EP The Rising.  It wasn’t long after I saw my first glimpse –at a secret showcase that ultimately landed them a record deal with Red Bull Records– that I knew I was hooked. The fresh beats and unique take on electronic-punk was inspired. And with Anna at…

  • Entertainment,  People

    Take 5: Trent Dabbs

    We all love to know what inspires our favorite stars and we want to know what – or who– is behind our favorite lyrics. But why is every interview so damn serious all the time? ‘Take 5’ is a regular feature on Listen! It’s Vetrano that gives readers insight into some of the lighter things in your favorite stars’ lives. And next up in the ‘Take 5’ hot seat, Nashville singer-songwriter Trent Dabbs. Last month, I chatted with the singer about his new release Believer, his upcoming plans for a sophomore Sugar & the Hi-Lows record and why he loves Music City.  You can read my full interview with Dabbs here. But first, Take 5…

  • Shelly Fairchild
    Entertainment,  People

    Shelly Fairchild Pledges Return To Music

    Remember when country music was still country? Before the days of cross-genre, country-pop, tailgate hits? It was a fantastic time for music, especially in Nashville. It was also a time when Mississippi’s Shelly Fairchild was about to break out as the genre’s hottest new starlet. In 2005, Fairlchild released her debut album Ride on Columbia Records and toured with some of the biggest names, including Rascal Flatts and Blake Shelton. Her single “You Don’t Lie Here” was a Top 40 country hit on the Billboard chart and her voice was unlike any others. Following the success of her debut, Fairchild switched gears –both personally and professionally– and released the soul/rock record Ruby’s Money.…

  • Trent Dabbs
    Entertainment,  People

    Trent Dabbs Makes Us Believe

    Trent Dabbs is a Nashville treasure. A singer-songwriter that released his first solo record in 2005; the same year he co-founded the musical collective Ten Out of Tenn. Since then, he has released nine albums, including his latest labor Believer, written songs for artists like Ingrid Michaelson, Mat Kearney, Ashley Monroe and The Civil Wars vocalist Joy Williams, and created the successful duo Sugar & the Hi-Lows with fellow singer-songwriter Amy Stroup. With a new album recently released, a second Sugar & the Hi-Lows album on the way and the 10th Anniversary of Ten Out Of Tenn, this may be Dabbs’ busiest year yet. In a brief moment of downtime, I got…

  • Entertainment,  People

    Take 5: Asher Monroe

    We all love to know what inspires our favorite stars and we want to know what – or who– is behind our favorite lyrics. But why is every interview so serious all the time? ‘Take 5’ is a regular feature on Listen! It’s Vetrano that gives you a quick insight into some of the lighter things in your favorite stars’ lives. Next up in the ‘Take 5’ hot seat, pop music performer and actor Asher Monroe. I chatted with Asher in February upon the release of his EP On My Way: Part 2. You can read the full interview, where the singer talked about his roles in Fame and Parenthood and working with Chris Brown on his latest…

  • Entertainment

    Cassadee Pope Sings “Let Me Go”

    Cassadee Pope took the stage at the Girls of Winter event at Nashville’s City Winery tonight. And despite the choice of venue (see my note about my first unfortunate visit to City Winery here), Pope dazzled the crowd when she emerged among the group of Nashville based ladies to close the show. In addition to The Voice winner’s smash debut single “Wasting All These Tears,” which she performed with the song’s co-writer Caitlyn Smith, she debuted her rumored new single “Let Me Go.” A gorgeous ballad telling the story of a misunderstood girl tied down by “chains” controlled by someone who doesn’t understand her. Cassadee gave audiences a glimpse into…

  • Kelly Clarkson - Piece By Piece
    Entertainment

    Kelly Clarkson: Piece By Piece | Album Review

    Since the release of her last record, Kelly Clarkson‘s personal life has done a complete 180º turn around with the marriage to her manager’s son, Brandon Blackstock, the birth of her first daughter River Rose and a continued battle of public scrutiny about her weight. Though she has never been one to flaunt her personal life through the tabloids and often ignores stories of her weight, Clarkson instead shifts focus on her music and her voice. The voice that won her the title of America’s first Idol in 2002, a bundle of Grammy Awards and countless radio hits. On Tuesday, the singer will deliver her seventh studio album Piece By Piece, which has been noted as the singer’s most…

  • The Hills_Vanderpump Rules
    Entertainment

    The Hills Are Alive With Vanderpump Rules

    Fans of the early 2000’s series The Hills often feel misty when they think of the days long before Housewives were flipping tables and Bad Girls were tearing out weaves, back when Lauren Conrad (known then only as LC) was just a girl with a dream discovering Los Angeles on her own. Well, along with her sassy and well-dressed friends always in tow to bring the drama. When the show said its final farewell, many tried to fill the void that the larger than life cast of characters left behind. Who would be America’s sweetheart with tears as black as night? And who would be the sassy neighbor, always looking for love…