MTV Buzzworthy Blog › Locksley

Locksley, a Brooklyn-based indie foursome from Madison, Wisconsin, call their catchy, commercially friendly sound "doo-wop punk" -- not only do their songs make you wish sock hops still existed so you could go to one, but you also kind of want to break something (small and inexpensive) on the way there. Fun for everyone!

The band recently stopped by Buzzworthy HQ for an exclusive live performance, and now we have the videos to prove it. Up first, the boys performed a stripped-down version of "The Whip," which you might recognize from... oh, everywhere (seriously, it's in like, every commercial). And we're not sure how, but we think the live version might actually be more addictive than the original. Next, "In Celebration" will have you reaching for your party pants, and maybe your striped socks, too, because Locksley makes them look really good.

+ Check out Locksley's live performances of "The Whip" and "In Celebration" below.

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Tags Buzzworthy Exclusive, Buzzworthy Live, Locksley, Videos

Hats off to the Brooklyn-via-Wisconsin band Locksley. They know how to keep time. In this video for their song, "Darling, It's True," the four-piece speed up and slow down all over NYC, with director Chris Stocksmith's camera always arriving just in time.

It's always nice to see a clip that perfectly captures the attitude and energy of a song. And with this video, the song becomes as much a love letter to a city as it does a girl.

Love the hand-claps by the newsstand (with the cashier getting in on the action), the sped-up, slowed-down film speed, and the way Stocksmith flips it and reverses it a few times, sending singer Jesse Laz back in time.

It all makes for a great, innovative clip that matches up nicely with the upbeat jam underneath. Look for Locksley's Be In Love album next year.

Tags Locksley, video

Last week, we told you all about our crazy red carpet adventures at the 2008 mtvU Woodie Awards. And in addition to stalking Locksley's publicist, making moony-eyes at Boys Like Girls' Martin Johnson and gulping down a seriously unhealthy amount of mini sliders, we also managed to score killer seats to the show.

Which means we had an un-frickin'-believable view of Lykke Li and All Time Low's performances, Paramore's acceptance speech (Oh, like you didn't already know they won) and Santogold's Aladdin-meets-Purple Rain parachute pants.

So check out a few more pics from the show (and yes, that's Hit The Lights making the most of the beer pong table) and tune in tonight on mtvU to catch the entire thing!

Meanwhile, for those of you who demand instant gratification (as in, you can't wait another SECOND without knowing whether or not There For Tomorrow got wood) here's a list of all the big winners.

+ Plus, head over to the official Woodies site at mtvU.com to flip through the show highlights. And check back soon to catch the full performances online.

Tags All Time Low, Boys Like Girls, Hit the Lights, Locksley, Lykke Li, Paramore, Santogold, There For Tomorrow, Woodie Awards

What'd you guys do Wednesday night? Nothing? Sounds like fun! Hey! Wanna know what we did?? We went to mtvU's 2008 Woodie Awards, flirted with Boys Like Girls on the red carpet, got rejected (and un-rejected!) by the All American Rejects, found out Paramore's favorite movie and sat with Locksley and Andrew McMahon of Jack's Mannequin.

Okay, rewind. We've (occasionally) been known to exaggerate (or, as we like to call it, "make the story better') so we should probably back up and start at the beginning. Which brings us back to 5:45pm yesterday, the time we arrived at the mysteriously dark/freezing place called New York's Roseland Ballroom, grabbed our press pass and saw Santogold (looking super cute n' cozy in a gray hoodie and hoop earrings!) rehearsing on stage with Spank Rock.

Note: There were no pictures allowed inside before the show (Not that they would've come out, anyway -- mysteriously dark place, remember??) so you'll have to settle for this red carpet shot of Santogold wearing a shiny, silvery dress by Marc Jacobs that appears to be made from 100% Reynold's Wrap (though Santo swears it's actually way "softer" and more skin-friendly). And she's posing with Lykke Li. (LOVE her!)
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Tags All Time Low, All-American-Rejects, Andrew McMahon, Asher Roth, Boys Like Girls, Chasing Arrows, Jack's Mannequin, Kid Sister, Kim Stoltz, Locksley, Lykke Li, Moby, Motion-City-Soundtrack, Paramore, Q-Tip, Santogold, There For Tomorrow, Vampire Weekend, Woodie Awards

When you're finished up with your birthday cards for Kathy Griffin and Diddy (oh, you didn't know it's Diddy's birthday today? I'm sure he'll remind you via some swaggertastic, anti-bitch-assedness viral video), don't forget to go do your civic duty! And no, I'm not referring to bangin' the booty, in the immortal words of Booty Juice.

Take a cue from the late, great Deee-Lite -- seen here in a 1992 MTV Rock the Vote spot -- and vote, baby, vote!

+  Plus: check out MTV Choose or Lose voting videos by Fall Out Boy, Pink, Calle 13, Murs, and Locksley, and find out more about the election at think.mtv.com.

Tags Calle 13, Deee-Lite, Diddy, Fall Out Boy, Locksley, MURS, Pink

We admit it -- we have a massive pop culture obsession, a raging reality tv addiction and an incurable love of terrible movies (Fact: We own The Prince and I on DVD.) But that doesn't mean we don't also like to get serious from time to time, especially when something -- like, say, next week's presidential election -- is weighing on our minds.

And since we sneakily like talking politics almost as much as we like watching reruns of My Super Sweet Sixteen, you'd better believe we're gonna be hitting up the Pre-Election Buzz Party at Virtual MTV. So join us (along with politically-active music artists like Locksley and Murs) to talk policy, snag some sweet campaign swag and, of course, to critique John McCain's performance on this weekend's SNL.

The action starts the day before Election day -- i.e. Monday, November 3rd -- so help us get the party started by logging onto Virtual MTV and joining the debate! We hope to (virtually) see you there!

Tags Choose or Lose, John McCain, Locksley, MURS, VMTV

There are no words to describe Locksley's latest Choose or Lose tour diary. And we don't mean that in a cutesy, metaphorical or pseudo-philosophical kinda way. We mean, literally, there aren't any words. Like, at all. Unless you count the director (or whoever that guy is) saying "Okay, gentlemen, from the top." And we don't.

Still, the guys have tapped into their inner pantomimes and found the perfect way to express their unspoken thoughts through ... the medium of interpretive dance. So let the happy music take you away, admire Locksley's ventriloquist-like ability to speak without ever opening their mouths, and watch as the band takes a (much-needed) break from video games (finally!) to commemorate the halfway point of the Choose or Lose tour.

+ Not so much into silent films? Check out Locksley's far more talkative first and second tour diaries, and head to Think MTV for a complete list of the guys' remaining show dates.

Tags Locksley

If the theme of last week's Choose or Lose diary was practice, practice, practice, this week Locksley remembers what being in a "Rock Band" is really all about. Turns out, it has something to do with interactive video game-playing (a.k.a. "rehearsing") and giving Jerry Seinfeld-esque monologues in front of noisy, Iowan mobs. Watch as the Choose or Losers (Worst nickname ever?) give it up for their favorite -- and only -- city so far this trip (HELL YEAH, DES MOINES!!) then stay tuned to catch them in Joe Six-Pack's hometown of Minneapolis. Oh, and don't forget to vote, eh?

+ For a complete list of Choose or Lose show dates, go to Think MTV. It's kid-tested, Locksley approved!

Tags Choose or Lose, Locksley

Everyone has their patented pre-show rituals. The Foo Fighters blast Michael Jackson songs and shoot Jagermeister before every performance, while Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor reportedly downs three pots of coffee and smokes an entire pack of cigarettes. So how do the guys from Locksley mentally prepare for their next gig? With grueling training sessions that require intense concentration, unwavering commitment and the latest version of Mario Kart.

Check out the first Choose or Lose tour diary -- or in this case, pre-tour diary -- from the former Artist(s) of the Week and admire the Wisconsin powerhouse for their matching outfits and (ahem) innovative rehearsal style. Then, find out more about Locksley's upcoming tour (like how it benefits U.S. military veterans!) by hitting up Think MTV for a complete list of show dates.

Tags Choose or Lose, Locksley

Back in 2003, Locksley started out (like almost all good things in this world) in Wisconsin, but their music comes from a much more distant place. To find the origins of their peppy brand of pop-punk, you have to travel across the ocean and back in time to the age of the British Invasion. Infused with the same classic, quirky hooks that propelled The Beatles, The Kinks and The Who to immortality, Locksley tap into the primordial brilliance that gave birth to rock 'n roll. But it hardly ends there. Equal opportunity adapters, Locksley also mine the brash, lip-biting fire that landed millions of modern babies in Ramones onesies. Is that too abstract? What we mean is that Locksley kick that boyish Beatles charm into angry overdrive with a wallop of punk adrenaline, straight outta 1977.

The boys in the band themselves are more outta like ... 1985. Ranging in age from 18 to 25, Jesse Laz, Kai Kennedy, Jordan Laz and Sam Bair grew up together in (you can never mention it enough times) Madison, Wisconsin, before moving to Brooklyn together. According to our bro Wikipedia, it wasn't the easiest of trips, but you can do that research yourself. Around here the music takes precedence.

Starting off without significant label attention, Locksley took their futures into their own hands and released an album and an EP on their own. Their first stand-out single, "Don't Make Me Wait," was quickly snapped up by Starz, Payless Shoe Source (both of whom licensed the song for ads) and basically everybody else who heard it. Sales of 50,000 and five years of touring with everyone from Hanson to The Hives later, Locksley are still unsigned, but that won't stop them from re-releasing Don't Make Me Wait as a full-length album September 9.

And it certainly won't stop them from blowing your minds with original videos as our Artist Of The Week that you'll be seeing all over MTV for a while. And you can see them below! 

There's a few of those live performances we were talking about earlier, but there's stuff there that's even more important. More important than music, you ask? Yeah. The band is excited to make a difference in this, an election year, and that's why they're speaking out on MTV and joining in the Choose Or Lose discussion. 

We've also got tons of exclusive photos from their shoot in Washington, D.C.! Look!

Tags Locksley