November 2009
1 post
September 2009
1 post
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August 2009
1 post
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June 2009
2 posts
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May 2009
1 post
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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 back in Miami - back when he was a mere cub) and he said he’s had thousands of views of his raw Youtube clip and his Myspace page. And judging by the comments he’s receiving, he’s getting lots of positive feedback from Kutiman’s fans. (Yeah Andre!)
As of now, the Thru-you page isn’t working, which is a shame because it really is the best way to interface with these songs, mostly because of the interactive credits that dont show up on the Youtube pages (and the awesome deconstructed Youtube interface). I guess he’s too successful for his own good.
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November 2008
1 post
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September 2008
4 posts
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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 oral sex, but Bob is good.)
- Okkervil River (rock stars of the future)
- Jack White (with the Raconteurs) (not sure if it was black because his pale skin makes everything look black.)
The highlight for me was David Byrne looking very much like Christopher Walken in his white leisure suit leading his crazy band of singers and dancers in the old Heads song “Houses in Motion.” Above is a 1980 Head’s performance of that song.
No, Johnny, No: Chuck Berry joins chorus of musicians snubbing McCain's campaign →
independent.co.uk
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 song “Blue Sky” for Hillary Clinton’s DNC address last week. As uptight as she can seem, at least someone on her staff who likes good music (and maybe is from Boulder?). With 26 million pairs of eyes on their TV’s that night, hopefully Todd can sell a few more CD’s…
July 2008
4 posts
Not only a great lineup, but the best supergroup name since The Adam Bomb
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... →
christies.com
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 (Christie’s meant sequins, unless they have another way of spelling that too!-TT) and metallic embellishments.”
E-mail Addresses It Would Be Really Annoying to Give Out Over the Phone.
Found on Merlin Mann’s blog, who found it on
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 biking, but it’s not necessary. Just go to “podcasts” in iTunes and click “subscribe” when you find the right shows. You are officially the last person to hear about this.
Think about how much time you waste listening to the radio in your car. Do you really need to hear more Eric Clapton? Did I mention it’s all free?
So first of all, you need to hear WNYC’s “Radio Lab.” This is like NPR on shrooms: great, intelligent talk, woven together with amazing music and sound design to transcend the medium and possibly teach you something, definitely make you laugh. Their episode “Pop Music” will teach you why you can’t stop singing certain songs like “Crazy” or maybe “Buttered Popcorn” or whatever “ear worm” is infecting you at the moment. If you’ve ever read Oliver Sacks (“Awakenings”, “Musicophilia”) you will recognize a huge contribution from him. Other episodes on “Laughter” and “Deception” are standouts this season. This is brilliant, fascinating stuff.
Secondly, you need to listen to “You Look Nice Today”, an audio show beyond description, with no redeeming educational value, but fall-down funny. Just 3 guys talking, including Merlin Mann, a super-celebrity for 1 percent of the population, who I barely missed playing in bands in Tallahassee in the late 80’s. If you are smart and into laughing this is for you. If not, listen to your radio.
Finally, I think I am the last guy to find out about “Yacht Rock” a now-defunct web TV show that my friend Carl turned me on to recently. I watched all 11 five-minute episodes in a weekend and couldn’t believe how gunny it all was. Mocking the competition between 80’s smooth rock veterans like The Doobie Brothers, Kenny Loggins and Steely Dan, even Van Halen and Dr. Dre, “Yacht Rock” is extremely tongue in cheek, based on real trivia that guys who listened to FM rock can appreciate. You can check out all the episodes on Youtube, or you can download them (yes, free) from Channel101.com to take them on your iPod-like device. (If you download, you may have to edit off the .txt suffix for the file to play. Don’t ask.) The bad mustache on Hall and Oates is alone worth your five minutes.
