Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Soundtrack To My Life: Fishbone

It was the Winter of 1992 when I discovered the band that would forever change my life. In one second, the band's name flew from the televised mouth of Jeremy Irons to my young ears and a few seconds later, everything I knew about music changed. Two years later, I finally bought three of their albums and began a life long love of one of the most amazing bands I've ever seen, met and listened to. That band was Fishbone.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Ben Sollee


Recently, I had the pleasure of seeing and meeting Ben Sollee. He is a very talented musician from Kentucky who plays cello and writes great music. Also, he's a really nice guy. Did I mention he plays cello?

Free Compilations From Amazon

Free music? Amazon? Free? Surely you jest. I do not and here's an awesome to spend your hard earned time instead of your cash as well as hear some new music.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

One Hit Wonder Or One Hit Blunder

Today's Subject: "Whip It" by Devo


"Crack that whip!" Everyone at this point knows that line and all the synth sounds surrounding it. One of the greatest opening lines to one of the best 80's hits by a group that does not deserve to be in the one hit wonder category but, like most forward thinkers and innovators, they were ahead of their time. Lucky for them, the one hit they had was a very memorable one.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Lollapalooza...Still Better Than The Olympics In 2016 But Still Not Interested.

The line up has been released and if you haven't had a chance to check it out yet, stop reading and visit Stereogum to find out what you may or may not be missing this year. As for me, it's another year to miss it but I almost came close to saying I'll go.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Slip Out Of Those Clothes And Slip Into A Frampton/Skynyrd Medley

Ahh, yes. Please allow time for the mood of seduction to fill the air while candles provide the room's sensual lighting. A chocolate dipped strawberry caresses your lips as our eyes gaze into each other's soul. You whisper sweet nothings into my ear and I push your hair back to nibble on your ear. As the passion begins to overcome our bodies, the erotic, adult contemporary sounds of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Freebird" feeds the air with a feeling best described as audio impotence.

DLC: The Battle For Supremacy...Sparta...Your Money?

At this point, you're probably thinking yourself, why should I care about this and who the hell still cares about any of this. My response is you shouldn't and no one. As a person who looks forward to a chance to play video game karaoke whenever free time is allowed, I, however, do still care about this.

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Interview: Vienna Teng & Alex Wong


Recently, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Vienna Teng and Alex Wong to discuss her new album, Inland Territory, live performances and Germany. Thanks to Vienna Teng and Alex Wong for spending their time with Hightower and Jones as well as Ward Williams for his contributions to her live show. Also, thank you for the encore. It was definitely one of the coolest experiences I've ever had.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

One Foot In The Soulmanure

Today, a reissue of Beck's 1994 indie-folk classic, "One Foot In The Grave" hits stores loaded with all the greatness of the original album as well as 16 bonus tracks of unreleased material and 7" tracks. It, at the time, was seen by the public as an odd release given Beck's popularity with "Loser" but respected by critics as it showcased another side of Beck briefly hinted at on "Pay No Mind." As time passed, this record became an out of print item and one song, "Asshole," found its way to Tom Petty who covered it on the soundtrack to "She's The One." Although it is great to see this fantastic album reissued, what about the other Beck album from 1994?

Saturday, April 11, 2009

The Return Of The Specials...

...and it's about time.

In the late 70's, a great thing happened. a band from Coventry called the Coventry Automatics formed. They were influenced by Desmond Dekker, Punk and the rise of unemployment and urban decay within the confines of their home. Within a few years, this band played toured the world, started a musical movement known as 2-Tone, gave people a reason to dance and be socially conscious, reached the top of the charts and just as quickly as they ascended, as is the case with most bands, they imploded. This band became The Specials and were one the most influential bands to come out of England's 70's Punk and Ska scene. Whereas The Clash headlined arenas and Sex Pistols became infamous, The Specials left a musical brilliance that is still recognized today thanks to artists such as Damon Albarn, Tricky and Lily Allen.

Friday, April 10, 2009

One Hit Wonder Or One Hit Blunder

Today's Subject: Funky Town by Lipps Inc. & Psuedo Echo


Ahh, the double one hit wonder. It is a rarity but happens occasionally. A song is so popular and so great that the song can be covered years later in a different genre and become a hit for another band. "Funky Town" is one of those songs.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

If You Listen To Fools...


Dio, Iommi, Butler and Appice. These four men are responsible for one of the greatest reunions ever. What was once Black Sabbath is now known as Heaven And Hell and if experience has proven anything, then their new album, The Devil You Know (due April 28th), will probably destroy weaker albums released that day, metal and non-metal. To understand Heaven And Hell, let us look at five songs that would best explain why Heaven And Hell's studio return is the greatest thing since peanut butter met jelly.

Monday, April 6, 2009

The Coathangers


Every so often, a band comes around that is refreshing and fun. A welcome break from the "I'm serious and my music is meant to solve world hunger and wars" or "now that we're the biggest band in the world, let's experiment with our sound because fans will buy anything we release" type bands that many artists end up becoming once they find success, fame, money and, on occasion, drugs. Sometimes, you just want to let loose, rock and have fun listening to music.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present The Coathangers.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Del Cahill, American Hero (April Mixtape)


1. He's A Mighty Good Leader by Beck (One Foot In The Grave, 1994)
2. Papilion by Rilo Kiley (The Initial Friend EP, 1999)
3. Innocent While You Dream (78) by Tom Waits (Franks Wild Years, 1987)
4. Repeating by John Frusciante (DC EP, 2004)
5. Bullet Proof...I Wish I Was by Radiohead (The Bends, 1995)
6. Wreck Of The Day (Acoustic Version) by Anna Nalick (Shine EP, 2008)
7. Holy Fall by Milla (Demo, 200?)
8. On A Joyride by Cody Chesnutt (The Headphone Masterpiece, 2002)
9. New Paint by Loudon Wainwright III (Album III, 1972)
10. My Head Is In The Sun by The Rentals (Seven More Minutes, 1999)
11. Cold Day In The Sun by Foo Fighters (In Your Honor, 2005)
12. Man Of The Hour by Pearl Jam (Rearviewmirror: Greatest Hits 1991-2003, 2004/Big Fish Soundtrack, 2003)

One Hit Wonder Or One Hit Blunder

Today's Subjects: "Bust A Move" by Young MC and "Ice Ice Baby" by Vanilla Ice.


Bust it! Bust it and do it with an awesome bass line provided by Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers. Doing this provided Young MC's with his first and only hit (as a performer. As a writer, he co-wrote "Wild Thing" and "Funk Cold Medina" for Tone Loc) and what a hit it was.