This week we are pleased to present a live video of the first song that appears on Sean Rowe’s Magic album. This video of “Surprise” was filmed by Jerry Smith at the Rockwood Music Hall in NYC earlier this year. This version holds similarity to the album version only in lyric and melody. The final album version features drone keyboards, clock-like drum rhythms, and subtle piano accents. It’s a fine example of the production ideas that were applied to Sean’s songs on this album.

Along with revealing a new fragment of Magic each Tuesday here, Sean will be streaming two songs from the album at his MySpace page each week until April 21 when it is released. This week, listen to the studio versions of “Surprise” and “Time to Think”. These songs will be replaced next week when Sean returns from his trip to SxSW.

Speaking of… Sean’s official SxSW showcase will be THIS Wednesday, March 18th at Stephen F’s Bar (701 Congress Ave.). Sean will also be meandering his way around Austin, visiting the folks at Noteworthy PR (booth #117) and perhaps performing some impromptu sidewalk jams; who knows what will happen? Tune in to the Collar City Records’ Twitter account for up-to-date, last minute information!

Here’s “Surprise (live)”: