The ADHD Mega-MashUp-Mix it Up-Mix

In the past 3 months I've had to drag my 33 yr old body into annoying, crowded, loud and annoying 20-something-filled clubs in Scottsdale, AZ and Las Vegas (my least favorite part of most bachelor parties). On both occasions it became quite apparent that the generations that have followed mine (X? I don't even remember my label)...the generations where every kid was allegedly afflicted with Attention Deficit Disorder...are now DJing in the clubs of America. I have nothing against the sonic collage that is the Mashup but come on! Don't people like to dance to a full song or atleast half a song anymore? The club mix was literaly 10-15 seconds of a popular chorus or intro or lyric and then on to the next clip. It was like the DJ went into the iTunes store and made a 5 hr long mix out of the 30 sec samples. My friends would get excited to hear the start of some classic early 90's hip hop only to have their joy crushed as it was immediately spliced into Beyonce or Queen or some other random genre. But the old guys were alone as the kids continued to dance around us.

Having said that, I will now recommend the "free" CD of mashups, Torn Up by E603 for 2 reasons. First, the mashups are quite inventive, spanning some great songs with some pop songs with some old songs with some stuff I don't even know if I heard correctly. Please don't go playing it in your club...just listen to it and play name that tune like the old radio contests. Second, the guy is taking the "free or pay what you want" model to the next, creative level. You have varying options from $0 to $1000 with more swag and what not thrown in the more you pay. What does $1000 get you?

live at my house for a weekend, and compete in a badminton competition with me.

Awesomeness. If only I was that rich...and he was a girl...and hot...and I was single. Cuz lord knows I do love the badminton. Check this blog for a more detailed review "I feel like a kid in a crystal meth shop"

E-603 - Lights Out (.mp3)

Glasvegas @ The Hollywood Forever Cemetery Masonic Lodge

Glasvegas - Daddy's Gone @ The Masonic Lodge (courtesy of mysugarspun)

Never been to a show at a cemetery before...guess I can check that one off the list. Friday's Glasvegas show at the Masonic Lodge inside the Hollywood Forever Cemetery was a good time for many reasons. I'm not goth enought to be THAT excited about just being in a cemetery but I have to admit it was quite peaceful and beautiful and not spooky at all. The sun had already set but there was still some light over the trees while we ate our takeout food (Mario's Peruvian!) and drank a large pale ale wrapped in its brown paper bag (classy!) in my phonebooth of a car before the show. After debating pouring out some of the brew for our new dead homies (RIP Katz! You must be loved to have a full picture of yourself carved on your tombstone) we wandered up to the Masonic Lodge. The caretaker must have been busy diggin ditches as about 7 of us walked right in without anyone taking our tickets. Score! (even though we already had paid $25 each, it still felt like a surprise freebie)

The Lodge itself was really quite cool. Don't think of a lodge...think more like a 1920's movie stars Hollywood hills home with its garden courtyard surrounded by long, lighted palm tree trunks and a stairway that leads up to the "antechamber". We grabbed a Newcastle (or wine...both $5) and walked up to said antechamber where we found the small soldout crowd waiting to be let in to the main performance hall. The large, old room with its woodfloors held a fireplace on one side, groups of chairs strewn about for people to relax and a table of merch apparently being sold by Geraldine herself (the star of Glasvegas' most popular song). Not sure why she gave up the social worker gig. I should've asked. After not too long we were welcomed into the darkly lit main hall where we took a comfortable seat along the side of the room and waited for the Glasvegans to start.

As we waited, it dawned on me how excited I was to be seeing a band I liked in a new venue in Los Angeles. Not that I've been to every theater and hall in Southern Cal, but I've been to enough to make this one feel special...almost to the point that I thought I was in a new city. Definitely reminded me of when I moved to NYC and I got to try out all the venues I had heard about from afar. Plus, I'm a sucker for concerts taking place in unique venues and/or old (semi-) historic buildings...just adds to the ambience. I believe this was the 3rd concert they've had at the Masonic Lodge (Lykke Li and Iron + Wine played in the past few months).

Glasvegas turned out to be just the Glas- part of the band as only half the quartet (James and Rab) played a very mellow set for us. I was perfectly in the mood for the quieter Glasvegas but there were a few angry fans who eventually left when the guys started playing the normally upbeat favorites (Geraldine, Daddy's Gone, etc) in the same somber tone. Good riddance...I can understand disappointment but you're still there to see the band perform THEIR songs the way THEY choose. Maybe they didn't want to wake the Ramones or George Harrison...or melt the ice sculpture. Don't worry though...they'll be back with the full band sooner or later. And when that day comes and you are watching them from the last row of the Nokia Theater you'll wish you were back in the cemetery.

Setlist:

'S.A.D Light'
'A Little Thing Called Fear'
'It's My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry'
'Flowers & Football Tops'
'Stabbed'
'Geraldine'
'Cruel Moon'
'A Snowflake Fell (And It Felt Like A Kiss)'
'Daddy's Gone'

Fee Free Wedensdays via Live Nation

"No Service Fee Wednesdays," kick off June 3 at 12:01 a.m., offering fans some of the lowest prices of the summer with no ticket service fees on any LiveNation.com-ticketed amphitheater show, and only at www.LiveNation.com.

Awesome...if you happen to want Lawn Tickets...and your show is at a Live Nation venue...and it just happens to be a Wednesday when you are shopping...you TOO can save yourself from those bullsh*t fees. Well anything helps and ditching those fee's in principle alone is nice.

Live Nation dropping fees on lawn tickets Wednesday [BV]

Waiting for new SIGUR ROS!

"Sigur rós have been at work in their sundlaugin studio in álafoss the past few weeks recording a full length album, which is now nearing completion. the recordings have been going very well and that the album is taking form as a slower and more ambient record…. he also describes the music as melodic but much less noisy and more “out there” than previous albums. the album does not have a release date set but is expected to be released sometime next year."

-sigur-ros.co.uk

Wow! Didn't realize that they were back to work so fast...excellent news! I sorta enjoy the Riceboy Sleeps album (Jonsi's bf's) - talk about AMBIENT! But I am looking forward to Jonsi's solo work. Man those Icelandic people keep busy...

Flight of the Conchords 8-bit Video Game!

Mr./Ms. BadAtom, whoever you are...you are one awesome mofo. 8-bit Brit + Jemaine travel throughout NYC battling Sugalumps, Epileptic Dogs and Mel among many other things. Murray and Dave make appearances and there is even a New Zealand level when the guys get deported back to the Lord of the Rings countryside. Word is that Jermaine has this on his computer. Download the game, soundtrack or poster over at BadAtom.com and check out the youtube clips for hot FOTC8B action.

Waiting for new Radiohead [of course]

"We've just started work [in the studio] last week," Colin told NME.COM. "It's really cool and everything is sounding great. It's early days and it is a bit like having a scrapbook at the moment because everything is up in the air, but it's good to be back in the studio."

Waiting for new Lightspeed Champion

I think Lightspeed Champion's next album is my most anticipated release of the new year. It should be interesting to see if he can match and surpass the first album...from the small snipets you can hear, I think it has a shot. Too bad I'm not gonna be in NY for Dev's upcoming June shows. I wonder if Lostie Dev will venture to Prof. Thom's bar to watch the LOST finale on Wednesday night. Check out his other in-studio vid's on YouTube.

Lightspeed Champion - Tell Me What Its Worth [.mp3]

Sigur Rós Play Endlessly [Pitchfork]

ONE WEEK ONLY: Sigur Rós: We Play Endlessly

The Icelandic band play with a full orchestra, weather a tornado scare, and rock out to the "Numa Numa" song in this 2008 behind-the-scenes feature. The 48-minute piece is presented in its entirety.

Watch it now over at Pitchfork TV

Boxer Rebellion

Excited to go see Boxer Rebellion at the Troubadour tonight...too bad nobody else is. Solo show! Check em out on KCRW.

UPDATE: Thought the show at the Troubadour was excellent. Didn't realize it but it was the band's US debut. BR is based out of London but according to the KCRW interview, their lead singer Nathan has only lived there about 9 years after moving from Tennessee...i.e., he has a pretty interesting accent when he speaks. Overall I thought their sound was just as good live as it is on their CD and I was quite content that they played all of my favorites. Check out Soviets and Semi-Automatic if you can find them (not currently on their myspace). Definitely one of my favorite CD's right now along with Metric's Fantasies.

All Star Weekend

Indie1031 Petition

LetIndieLive.com

I'm not very optimistic about the resurrection of Indie103.1 but a little petition signing can't hurt can it?  LA radio is dead, long live KCRW.  

(speaking of which...don't forget about the Winter Pledge Drive)

Phil Selway Sings

Phil takes the lead...vocals!

Enjoy the Phil written and Phil sung Family Madness from the first night of the new 7 Worlds Collide project in Auckland, New Zealand. Ed also joined him along with Neil Finn, Liam Finn, Wilco, KT Turnstall, Bic Runga and more.

And check out Jeff Tweedy + the band doing Fake Plastic Trees

So Long 2008...

a lil Mammoth, Lightspeed Champion, March Madness weekend, lots of goodbye to the NYC and all my friends and roomies, snickerdoodles, karaoke, yankees game, New Mini, DS Camping, back to NYC for Radiohead, 1st nephew Nate, Radiohead at the Bowl, Show Reeni LA, pPa, Joose and Beck with Ryan, Sigur in SD, family at the (Neil) Diamond, Cubbies+Dodgers, my music Jaimies, Macgruber+Goulet, Frightened Rabbit/pre-Obama bday, UCLA tailgate, New music friends @ Travis, High School Alumni game, NEW ZEALAND, Montieth's Brewery, Nate's 1st Xmas

Lebron's Nike Chalk Commercial

Another great Nike commerical with some nice beats courtesy of

Cornershop - Candyman (.mp3)

[courtesy of ScissorKick]

LOST: Jan. 21, 2009

LOST returns 1/21/09!

Slim Smith and The Uniques
My Conversation (.mp3)
[reggaehitthetown.com]

Stumble Upon...Broadcast 2000

I was stumbling around on the old Hype Machine tonight listening to some Broadcast when my stumbling lead me to Broadcast 2000 (the new improved Broadcast?? No). It seems the debut "mini-album" Building Blocks just came out this past August and was created, recorded and mastered by multi-instrumentalist Joe Steer in his North London flat. I could make meaningless comparisons to other groups that will just bias and disappoint you but I won't. Just listen to the first song I found and you'll see why I'm pretty excited to hear more from Broadcast 2000 and see 'em if and when they make it to the States.

Andrew Bird 2008/09 Tour

Andrew Bird (on Myspace):
Feb 18 - The Orpheum Theatre
Los Angeles, CA
Doors: 7 - Show: 8 - 16+
with Loney Dear

• $27.00 - 32.00 Day-of-Show (plus 2.00 Facility Fee)
• MusicToday presale - ($4.40 scg) - on sale Nov. 18 (TODAY...GO!)
• Ticketmaster.com - ($8.65 scg, $3.75 hand) - on sale Nov. 22

Other tourdates...

Andrew Bird
Scythian Empires (.mp3)
[slackworks.com]

Ed & Phil in New Zealand for new 7 Worlds Collide

From Dead Air Space...

Ed and Philip will rejoin Neil Finn in a follow up to the acclaimed Seven Worlds Collide project at the end of the year. Together with members of the original line up and other artists, the ‘supergroup’ will record an album of entirely new material in support of international development organisation Oxfam.

The original Seven Worlds Collide line up was Neil Finn, Ed O’Brien, Phil Selway, guitar supremo Johnny Marr, Soul Coughing bassist Sebastian Steinberg, songwriter and violinist Lisa Germano, and Liam Finn. Other artists joining the project include Jeff Tweedy, John Stirrat, Glenn Kotche and Pat Sansone from Wilco, and New Zealand songwriters Bic Runga and Don McGlashan. Behind the mixing desk will be master recording engineer Jim Scott. More names will be added to the lineup in the coming weeks.

The album will be recorded over the next few months in Auckland and is due for release in 2009. Like its predecessor, the project will also see a series of concerts featuring many of the artists included in the line up. The shows will take place in Auckland early in the New Year. Details will be announced soon.

Neil Finn said “Seven years ago I invited a few friends and fellow musicians to do a special series of concerts in New Zealand under the banner Seven Worlds Collide. The concerts were an amazing experience for all of us and we are delighted to have found an opportunity to gather again, this time to expand the concept and the line up too. What will make these sessions particularly meaningful is that all the proceeds of this recording will go to support the continuing great work of Oxfam International.”

Sweet!! I've always known that RH and I were soulmates....now I have concrete evidence. Not 3 weeks after I booked my December trip to New Zealand do we get word that Ed and Phil will be in town recording with Neil Finn and friends for the newest in Finn's Seven Worlds Collide project. Fan-F'ing-tastic! This trip gets better and better. Now I wonder where I'll run into them...sledging in Queenstown? Hiking the Franz Josef Glacier? Kayaking around Abel Tasman? Drinking wine and surfing in Gisborne? Ah who am I kidding, I'm not gonna run into them (come on reverse psychology!!) Check out the clip of their rehearsal from the first project back in 2001...

Travis @ Troubadour - 11.11.08

Travis @ Troubadour Montage (courtesy of mysugarspun)

Man I had forgotten how good Travis are live...their just so nice and so much fun on stage (or off stage like when Fran sang Falling Down from the audience). And I'm trying to think of a better couple of guitar solos than Andy's in As You Are and All I Wanna Do Is Rock (at least in the 'alternative' genre). All in all just a really great show by a relatively big band (they used to sell out the Universal Amphitheater right?) in a great small venue (good to be back at the Troubadour after my year plus absence). Highlights included the band honoring both the US electing Obama ("Europe and the world are in awe just like when you guys put a man on the moon first") and Nick Harcourt who really helped the band get big and is soon to depart KCRW. All I Wanna Do Is Rock was punctuated with Andy's one handed solo while climbing the side scaffolding above us...ah to try to be young again. I like Andy but dude looks like he's lived a rockstar's life for certain. Good for him.

The crowd was great...not only did they sing and dance to most of the songs but some very nice new friends I met are going to hook me up with tips for my upcoming trip to New Zealand and told us the best 3 hour long Morrissey story you'll ever hear. :)

SETLIST:
1. CHINESE BLUES
2. J. SMITH
3. SOMETHING ANYTHING
4. WRITING TO REACH YOU
5. LONG WAY DOWN
6. RE-OFFENDER
7. LOVE WILL COME THROUGH
8. AS YOU ARE
9. SIDE
10. SONG TO SELF
11. SING
12. DRIFTWOOD
13. FALLING DOWN
14. ALL I WANT TO DO IS ROCK
15. GOOD FEELING
16. CLOSER
17. BEFORE YOU WERE YOUNG
18. TURN
_______________

19. I KISSED A GIRL (Katy Perry cover)
20. THIRTEEN (Big Star cover)
21. FLOWERS IN THE WINDOW
22. SELFISH JEAN
23. WHY DOES IT ALWAYS RAIN ON ME?

Hiphopopotamus Halloween

Awesome Hiphopopotamus costume | Flight of the Conchords Completely UNofficial Fan Site

Flight of the Conchords (Live on BBC)
Hiphopopotamus vs Rhymenocerous (.mp3)
[whatthefolk.net]