I wanted to do a feature on artists that I have discovered through MySpace. The only problem is that I haven't really discovered any solely through the site. MySpace is great for finding out more information about bands you already know. I like that I can hear 4 or 5 songs from an artist that I may have read about elsewhere. It's great for finding out more about my local music scene, but I've usually heard about these bands elsewhere, as well, and looked them up on MySpace to hear more.
However, I wanted to discover a band on the mega-site from scratch. I did a few searches and it's just so damn massive. I get discombobulated. I don't know where to begin or where to stop. Is there a thing as too massive of a selection? I never thought there was before, but I am beginning to wonder.
I think I may try sticking to the networking side of MySpace. Look up a band that I know I like and then see what bands they have on their top friends. But is that cheating? Did I discover that band solely through MySpace or did I find them because a band I already liked recommended them?
I'm gonna keeo trying, dammit. I'm determined to find something on my own with no connection to any band I currently listen to. We'll see how long it takes.
How do you find bands on MySpace or do you run into the same problems as me? I'm anxious to hear your thoughts.
There is a shitload of funny music videos out there. Thanks to YouTube, any dude with Garage Band, a digital camera and time on his hands can create a funny video song and become an internet sensation. Every now and then, though, I see one that I think is brilliant.
I like The Comedy and have been wanting to feature Comedy albums as I think they are an often forgotten about art form. Music and comedy go together so well and while I think a lot of people do it poorly, when it's done right it is a hobo kicking good time.
This sort of thing is always showed to you by someone else and this particular video was shown to me by my beer-brewing, burrito-eating friend Chase. It was shown to him by some round dude who broke a chair just by sitting in it. It's bound to be cool, right?
I don't know how long it has been out there. I am really behind on the whole YouTube thing so forgive me if you have seen this before.
Anyway, check it out. It does have some pretty sweet cussing in it so if your kids or grandparents are around-- beware. By the way-- cussing rules!!
You can find more videos created by Brad Neely on the great website superdeluxe.com
So last week was the massive SXSW festival and for those of us who have issues with crossing the Texas border, (I'm talking to you, Okie McFencejumper), and didn't get to go there are plenty of ways to take a piece for yourself. So gather up enough knowledge and pretend you were there. You saved yourself hundreds of dollars and the frustration of trying to hear your favorite band over a room full of talking industry types and Texan frat boys.
I've got two ways you can experience a small portion of the swollen beast that was SXSW
OPTION 1
sxsw.com lists 6 pages of bands that played, most of which have a free song to download. Just look for the green cassette (oh, cassettes, how I've missed your plasticy smell and hissing sound. The way I use to rewind you by twirling you around a pencil when my tape deck broke) next to the artist to indicate downloads. There's an assload, by the way.
OPTION 2
Visit npr.org/music. The crew from All Songs Considered hosted several shows there and streamed several of them live. They have since offered some of these as podcasts. You can get 30-40 minutes of some kick ass performances at the podcast directory on npr.org or just snag them from iTunes. Again they are all free.
Here is a list of the SXSW shows featured:
Lightspeed Champion
Yeasayer
Bon Iver
Jens Lekman
Shout Out Louds
On iTunes, just search for "Live Concerts from All Songs Considered." Not only do they have great SXSW stuff, but you can find lots complete shows from months past available for download. Once again, totally free and totally legal.
Don't break the law, kids. On top of hurting your ma & pa, you'll have to pay some already rich bastards a shit ton of your hard earned money.
One more thing. There was also a film festival going on at the same time. This featured a cool film shot and made in OKC called Rainbow around the Sun. So keep an eye out for that to come your way soon (It's playing in OKC this summer, I'm told). I hear it's pretty rad.
There was also a cool video made by a guy named Mike Hedge. It follows a goup of filmmakers doing some awesome stuff as well. So keep an eye out for them too. The song they used for this video kicks ass and the video itself is a series of photos used for only 3 frames each.
Just check it out for yourself (After hitting play, pause and give it a few seconds to load. You don't want it to freeze or you'll miss the full effect):
Spring is here and I couldn't think of a better album to welcome it with than Sex Death Cassette by Rafter. I'm walking down the streets of downtown Tulsa with this album, smiling at hobos and jumping wet cement. Hell, I'm practically skipping with this shit. School girl skipping-- real girly like. I'm Christopher Walken up in this mother, dancing around the room. I'm a robot. It's a happy robot parade.
Rafter's Influences (According to his own MySpace page): magicians doing magic, sweethearts making eyes, components doing their thing. house anthems, industrial screeches, big bands, sloppy singers, being in love, sweating. sweat. water. fat.
Ergo-- I am an influence of Rafter because I am fat, in love, sweat, and a sloppy singer.
Ergo-- No wonder I love Rafter . . . I created him. . . . Okay, that's a bit much, but Rafter is one of those artists that makes music I think I would like to make. After several failed attempts in high school, I gave up on creating music and now just enjoy enjoying it. But every now and then I hear an artist that is making music that seems to come from my own head. And as stalkerish as this is beginning to sound, I mean it in the most nonthreatening way. I'm just saying I can relate to it-- instantly. It's what girls and beatniks call "emotional connection," but I like to refer to it simply as familiar.
I want to slide. I want to kick shit for fun. I want to throw round shit into make-shift hoops. Ghetto school yard with this album. Eat jolly ranchers, drink whisky lemonade. I would wear a tank top for this shit and strut like a limping elephant. You don't even want to see my in a tank top, but I don't care. Sex Death Cassette is just that good.
From the schools of Al Green, James Brown and Curtis Mayfield came Darondo. Once a contemporary of these greats, Darondo, a rumoured former pimp, disappeared for a few decades and has recently re-emerged at SXSW in Austin after the release of Let My People Go.
The album is a collection of Darondo's singles from the early 70's and a few recently discovered gems from the same period. I'm anxious to hear what he sounds like today and hope he records soon because what I'm hearing on Let My People Go is "amaaaaaziiiiing" (I say in my best falsetto voice).
It's exciting to hear badaaaaaasssss soul music for the first time. So many of the great hits get replayed over and over again due to radio, advertising, and . . . I dunno . . . Tarantino movies and they can sometimes lose their edge after so many listenings (not just a flaw of soul music, mind you). That's why there is something soul stirring about hearing a great old R&B record for the first time and this is just the way I felt when listening to Darondo.
From the politically motivated title track to the all out sex jam of "Legs," Darondo gives you everything a good soul record should. It makes you want to vote and it makes you horny. He even has a song about his momma and poppa. The dude was probably a pimp which-- I'm sorry-- makes him cool. A pimp from the 70's? I mean, c'mon-- awesome. Even awesomer is a pimp who loves his mom and dad.
A few days ago I got Alopecia from the band Why? and holy shit this album is good! Seriously, internets, you got to check this out. For God's sake, it's got horses walking on clouds and shit. Four open palms, dude, coming out of another cloud. These guys like clouds.
Brilliant lyrics and layers upon layers of terrific sounds weave this album in and out of various genres. It's great for any mood. I've never been so vocal while listening to an album for the first time. "Fuck yea," "Aww shit," and "Yes!" peppered a stream of giggles as I drove down 244 on my way to work. However, later, I listened to it in bed and the album that had me vocalizing dirty sex sounds hours before had me quietly contemplating, reminiscing, and feeling all "dude that's deep."
Simply put, I would say this is music that can move you in all sense of the word, but that sounds too gay so I'm just gonna say this: It's music for awesome listening.
As for the sound itself, Why? really is a melting pot of hip-hop/electronic-pop/post-punk/art-rock and probably any other hyphenated sub-genre you can think of. Some people will hate it because they can't categorize it, others will hate it because it's not innovative enough. I say those people need to get laid.
These dudes are from the Oakland Bay area and they don't fuck around.
"The Vowels Pt.2" is the first song that won me over. It mentions a Chevy Cavalier, which immediately makes you kick ass.
"The Hollows" is pure brilliance. The lyrics to this song invoked the "Fuck Yea" mentioned earlier. I'm looking for the lyrics online so I can post them here. They are too brilliant for me to try and listen and copy them down. I'm known for seriously botching up lyrics-- just ask my wife. You know what . . . just listen to this awesome stuff yerself . . .
TJ is one big bastard. At 29 years old he is happily married and a father of three. By day he directs a travel show for an online channel. At night he shivers, shakes, and dreams of plates and plates of Mexican Food.
I've got two ways you can experience a small portion of the swollen beast that was SXSW
It's all in the track names:
