November 2009
1 post
September 2009
1 post
August 2009
1 post
June 2009
2 posts
WatchSoundwalkers
I know, this blog used to be a lot more audio-centric. There just isn’t as much cool sound exploration kind of stuff out there that really grabs me. This, however, brings it all back. It’s 30 minutes, but it’s worth every second.
WatchGreat song, great video
May 2009
1 post
April 2009
2 posts
March 2009
3 posts
More Kutiman
Great interview with the aforementioned Kutiman from Sasha-Frere-Jones at the New Yorker revealing that he hadn’t even heard rock or funk until he worked (for a day) at a 7-11 in 2000. I love it.
If there was any doubt about whether the artists should be upset for him sampling there work, I talked to Mighty Lion, the dancehall singer on track #2 (who used to be a recording student of mine...
November 2008
1 post
September 2008
4 posts
Notes from Austin City Limits Fest
Still recovering from a weekend of dirty sweaty fun at the ACL Fest. Lots of great bands. My one pearl of wisdom from the experience…All the “serious” songwriters are wearing black suits now. Did I mention it was 100 degrees?
Conner Oberst (but not his band)
Jakob Dylan (t-shirt under the coat, band in full suits)
Bob Schneider (and the Scabs) (OK, their songs are all about...
No, Johnny, No: Chuck Berry joins chorus of... →
I try not to be political in this blog, but you have to laugh how Republicans can’t find a musician willing to support their candidates. Not surprising, just funny. Add Chuck Berry to the list with John Mellencamp, Jackson Browne and Abba who have refused the use of their music.
And of all the music/politics mixes lately, I am most happy for the prime-time choice of Big Head Todd’s...
July 2008
4 posts
Not only a great lineup, but the best supergroup...
PAPALACIC AFTABLASTA II
Cyril Neville (vocals & percussion) Papa Mali (Guitars & Vocals) Rob Mercurio (GALACTIC ) (Bass) Stanton Moore (GALACTIC) (Drums) TBA (B3 & Vocals) plus many surprise guests!
James Brown's B-3 bought for $10k by... →
Sasha Frere-Jones has the details about James Brown’s auction yesterday. Says over 300 pieces of shwag brought in $857, 688. Wouldn’t get his caddy to LA with that money.
Paul Shaffer not only ponied up $10k for JB’s Hammond B-3 (with Leslie, natch) but he also took home “a blue satin cape emboidered with Thy name is Godfather of Soul and rhinestone, sequence...
E-mail Addresses It Would Be Really Annoying to...
Found on Merlin Mann’s blog, who found it on
McSweeney’s Internet Tendency: E-mail Addresses It Would Be Really Annoying to Give Out Over the Phone.
I still can’t stop laughing out loud
MikeUnderscore2004@yahoo.com MikeAtYahooDotCom@hotmail.com Mike_WardAllOneWord@yahoo.com AAAAAThatsSixAs@yahoo.com One1TheFirstJustTheNumberTheSecondSpelledOut@hotmail.com
Podcasts you need to hear (or see)...
I’m always amazed when people tell me they don’t subscribe to any podcasts. This is an amazingly under-used source of entertainment and comedy that you can enjoy FOR FREE if you have a computer (that glowing thing you are looking at now.) All you need is iTunes (yes, for Windows or Mac) or some other podcatcher. I prefer using my iPod or iPod-like device for listening while driving or...
June 2008
1 post
April 2008
3 posts
February 2008
2 posts
Practice in front of a bush: Captain Beefheart's...
Found this today on a great geeky audio blog, musicthing. Check out some of the cool videos posted there too. Then go play in front of a bush. Captain Beefheart’s Ten Commandments For Guitarists 1. LISTEN TO THE BIRDS That’s where all the music comes from. Birds know everything about how it should sound and where that sound should come from. And watch hummingbirds. They fly really...
January 2008
4 posts
The Death of High Fidelity : Rolling Stone →
I remember a teacher in my recording program putting on “Don’t Look Back” from Boston and showing us how the meters didn’t move much from full volume, even when the song sounded quieter. Producer/singer/songwriter Tom Sholtz was an MIT engineer who worshiped at the altar of Lost Dynamics. Today everybody compresses the life out of their tracks and they all sound the same....
The RIAA eats babies
OK, not really, but this interview with the people who sue their own customers to affect behavior is really enlightening, even as the RIAA loses power as EMI considers pulling out of the cartel. Here is a sample quote from your friends in the recording industry: “College students have reached a stage in life when their music habits are crystallized, and their appreciation for intellectual...
NPR: What is this Song? →
Check out this video of a man with truly more time on his hands than you…
Auld Lang Syne
It’s been a while. I’ve missed you. You lost weight. One of my new years resolutions is too write here more. And write more here. Went to a memorial for Jacques Milhomme from Rose’s last night. Jacques was run over on his bike last week in Hollywood, FL. If you were at Rose’s on the Beach in the 90’s, Jacques was almost always working the door and the stage. Booked me...
September 2007
1 post
August 2007
4 posts
Why MP3's are ruining music. →
The Dharma Bomb starts new CD, says goodbye to...
The Dharma Bomb started laying down tracks for our fourth (!) CD yesterday, by saying goodbye to our drummer of the last 10 years, Ari Schantz. Ari’s been with us for nearly 10 years now, but he’s moving to North Carolina. Now begins the daunting task of recording a full CD, but it all begins with the drum beat, so we laid down a handfull of tracks before Ari hits the road this...
MIA & LAX
Just got back from a weekend in LA.
Is it synchronicity that the two airports where I have been the most have the abbreviations MIA and LAX? Just seeing those letters on my tickets always makes me feel like a slacker.
How different would my life be if I had lived in Buffalo (BUF)?
July 2007
1 post
Floored by vinyl
I turned 40 this weekend. My best friend Jamin gave me vinyl. Records. Gave me a CD also, I guess to cover his ass in case my turntable no longer turned, but the records caught me by surprise. Stevie Wonder, Sufjan Stevens, Jolie Holland; stuff that would’ve been great on CD anyway, but there I was, just like it was 1985, unwrapping this large square package. I’m still increasing my...
May 2007
1 post
DI - About the perception of sound →