These guys played at the Cutting Room a couple of weeks ago, and they were FABULOUS– good looking, incredibly nice, and musically very talented. The first single off their Skybound album, “Better,” (in the video above) sounds a lot like early Coldplay, but their overall style is more eclectic than that, incorporating Latin influences, etc.

The number “Tell Her Today” was phenomenal live, but somehow doesn’t work in the video. Regardless, if the number of music executives present was any indication, these guys might really make it big. Click here for more info and tour dates.

This weekend I was fortunate enough to see Ben Taylor (son of James Taylor and Carly Simon) perform live at The Cutting Room with his mom and David Saw. While musically a modern-day clone of his dad, Ben’s hilariously honest songwriting sets him apart from others in his guys-with-acoustic-guitars genre. His song “Wicked Way” had people cracking up.

Carly’s performance was her first in 2 years. Although she’s known for suffering from stage fright, this was not apparent at all during her Saturday performance where she really let loose and sang her heart out (or “had a few emo moments” as some said). Despite not playing her popular hit “You’re So Vain” her performance was great - also, she looked ridiculously phenomenal for being 62.

David Saw was also awesome. His subtly named song “Buy My Record” was a crowd favorite and is definitely worth checking out.

Catch Ben Taylor and David Saw play again at the Cutting Room on Valentines Day at 10pm. I leave you with some Ben Taylor goodness:

Jan 17 2008 7:00P - Walt Disney Concert Hall Los Angeles
Jan 18 2008 8:00P - Fillmore Auditorium San Francisco
Jan 23 2008 8:00P - Metro Chicago
Jan 25 2008 8:00P - 9:30 Club Washington DC
Jan 26 2008 8:00P - Webster Hall New York

He’s playing in NY on my birthday! Amazing. He used to be one half of Flipper’s Guitar, a Japanese pop duo sensation, and now he’s a phenomenal electronic artist. Even if you’re not really into electronic music, his stuff is really interesting and worth listening to. Click here for Cornelius’ myspace.