My favorite video - Friendly Fires

Bonus that I found it on Friday. Party!

New P.O.S. video

She's 13, she plays drums.

From a friend at work via this site.

Music is marketing

I wanted to share a pretty insightful and passionate piece of editorial from Jon Pareles of The New York Times. I worked with Jon a couple of times while in the music industry and remember him as a good dude. I like him even more after reading his probing story into the increasing use of marketing in music promotion, which closes with the following;

Perhaps it’s too 20th century to hope that music could stay exempt from multitasking, or that the constant insinuation of marketing into every moment of consciousness would stop when a song begins. But for the moment I’d suggest individual resistance. Put on a song with no commercial attachments. Turn it up. Close your eyes. And listen.

I feel like too many bands are putting the almighty publicity before the unsightly creative process. It's something I've seen first hand recently and I realize this is coming a career publicist... I'm not immune to the irony. Regardless, read the whole piece here.

Rainy Day Music

It's been raining for a solid 24 hours in Los Angeles. It never rains in LA, once or twice a year it seems. This extended rain has me realizing how nice it is sometimes to sit inside while it rains and listen to music. I've just stumbled onto this guy Bon Iver even though his CD is on all types of people's best albums of the year lists.

Bon Iver - Blood Bank

Lego Hip Hop

A nice selection of Hip Hop albums recreated with Legos. Fun times, clearly I love legos.

Pancake Mountain

Sometimes my job is really fun, like when I get to take part in children's web shows with bands like the Melvins at places like the Troubadour. I have much more to say about this, but everyone should know what Pancake Mountain is and buy the DVDs. For all of you with children, please share this show with them. It's great. Fingers crossed they get picked up.

Pulled straight from The Onion

Staten Island Historians Piece Together Genealogy Of Wu-Tang Clan

In what many are calling the most comprehensive study of its kind, Staten Island historians Robert Wilburn and Charles Tinsley have successfully traced the lines of the infamous Wu-Tang Clan all the way back to 1993 A.D.

While they have definitely faded in recent years, there is no way to argue with their 90's dominance.

Emerging from the slums of Shaolin—located near Wudang Mountain in Park Hill, Staten Island—the Wu-Tang Clan went on to form the largest contiguous rap empire of the late 20th century. The Clan flourished under the rule of RZA, who led his lyrical assassins into a number of heated freestyle battles, and introduced them to a string of new influences, including Kung Fu films and silver-age Iron Man comics.

"During its height, the Wu-Tang Clan acquired a great deal of wealth and notoriety," Wilburn said. "One need only look at Ol' Dirty Bastard's dental records to get a sense of the incredible treasures they possessed."

They played two free concerts in LA last week.

Chinese Democrazy

Chuck Klosterman reviews the New Guns 'N Roses album for the Onion's AV club. Pretty interesting musings on Axl, making music and narcissism.

Sometimes it seems like Axl believes every single Guns N' Roses song needs to employ every single thing that Guns N' Roses has the capacity to do—there needs to be a soft part, a hard part, a falsetto stretch, some piano plinking, some R&B bullshit, a little Judas Priest, subhuman sound effects, a few Robert Plant yowls, dolphin squeaks, wind, overt sentimentality, and a caustic modernization of the blues.

Has anyone heard it yet? Impressions?

Nothing More Needs To Be Said... Just Watch

Currently providing inspiration...

School of Seven Bells - Connjur

This is my new favorite song of the last couple weeks. There's lushness in the arrangement and the electronic sounds build and build but maintain a subdued feel. They are playing a concert here at the Music Box with M83 on Saturday after Thanksgiving. See you there?

For Shame

I just made my first official purchase from iTunes. It was scarily sudden and simple. Why do I feel like such a dirty sell out? I feel worse about getting music I've paid for than I do downloading something for free off a blog. I hope it doesn't become a habit.

Since it would be cruel and unusual to leave you with something as pointless as that previous paragraph, try wrap your head around this completely unrelated but fascinating piece of literature.

For all the fans of Tom Waits, The Wire, M.I.A. and Blaqstarr

Nuestro Website Favorito Hoy

Today it's YouTube. Where we consistently find awesome videos like this

Gnarls Barkley does Radiohead.

Justice coming to DVD

Robert Johnson

In 1938 Robert Johnson was murdered at the age of 27. For years there were only two known photos of Johnson, one of the best known blues musicians in history, also rumored to have sold his soul to the devil to play guitar. That may have recently changed, thanks to an unexpected source - eBay. There's an amazing story at Vanity Fair that talks about Robert Johnson, his legend and how the below photo came to be found. The rumored Johnson is on the left.
You may also remember a bit of Robert Johnson's story from "O' Brother Where Art Thou?" one of my all time favorites. You can see the original two photos on SuperTouch but let the intro by writer Frank DiGiacomo reel you in to the Vanity Fair piece...

In the seven decades since his mysterious death, bluesman Robert Johnson’s legend has grown—the tragically short life, the “crossroads” tale of supernatural talent, the genuine gift that inspired Dylan, Clapton, and other greats—but his image remains elusive: only two photos of Johnson have ever been seen by the public. In 2005, on eBay, guitar maven Zeke Schein thought he’d found a third. Schein’s quest to authenticate the picture only led to more questions, both about Johnson himself and about who controls his valuable legacy.

I will continue to blast Baracuda - but with renewed enthusaism

Click on the image to enlarge the text. Thanks SA!

UPDATE: Turns out the letter is a hoax, but sounds like Heart is still donating some proceeds to Obama, so I feel comfy singing, da nah nanana nah nah!

Saturday Soul

Its overcast and cool in LA today. A melancholy mist hangs over the Hollywood Hills. Its a perfect day for songs like this.

I Got The - Labi Siffre

Some of you may recognize a familiar sample from the middle of the song. If so, kudos.

Mr. Animation

Last night, as part of a Delicious Vinyl 20th anniversary party (at a silent movie theater of all places), I watched excerpts from a upcoming documentary on LA hip hop dancing from 1982-1989 called the Suns of James Brown, saw a performance by the Soul Brothers and became fascinated by Mr. Animation, self-proclaimed one of the Top 5 poppers in the world. Check out the myspace. There's more I want to talk about with this guy, but I have to sleep.

Hipster Rap?

I agree with my man here. But also recently purchased a pair of skinny jeans, so I'm stuck sharing some of the confusion voiced by Jay Smooth. By surrounding myself with something from hipsterville, is it cool? ironic? anything at all? Does it depend on how I rock them and the music I play while listening? Strictly hip hop, maybe. Hipster Rap? I don't think so.
From Ill Doctrine.