master of doin' it

what is this, a blog that just post videos? shhhh, i know, i know. but i loves to share that vids that i enjoy. so today, here's my latest find & share:

i grew up loving a variety of music, and was blessed with an older brother with good taste in music. i got to experience in brit music, college rock, and rap all before a lot of my peers. but metal, that was all my own. and i loved metallica. had the shirts, the music, everything i could get my hands on. for a class project we had to write a letter to someone famous, i chose them. i actually got a signed photo in return, which was awesome to junior high me. as an adult, i'm not as much into metal, but throw on an old metallica album and i'm there. i've also grown in my appreciation of music, especially funk, from the 70's. seriously, i think stevie wonder's songs in the key of life may be one of the best albums ever made. while i can't say i've listened to a lot of herbie hancock beyond rockit (that video scared the shit out of me as a kid), i enjoy this mashup and what he lays down on it. i think i may need to dig into his catalog a bit.

bleed into one

over the past few years i've really gotten into watching documentaries.  i currently have a handful in my netflix queue, i have 2 on my dvr right now, and enjoy finding new ones on subjects i've learned about. the internets is good for that.

well, today the internets brought me bleed into one.  it's a documentary about Xian rock.



i will patiently wait for this documentary, since it says coming soon, but doesn't give a release date.  it looks pretty damn interesting, and it has a ton of good bands in it.  seriously.  p.o.d., mxpx, sixpence none the richer, phil keaggy, the prayer chain, zao, living sacrifice, u2, switchfoot, jars of clay, 77's, and the crucified (fresno represent!).  i grew up listening to these bands, among others, and so it will definitely take me back to my youth.  i'm just sad they don't have project 86 or sometime sunday listed, because then my heart would jump out of my body.

now, i can already tell that this documentary is coming at Xian music from a perspective i agree with, so i suppose we could say it's not a documentary in the truest, objective sense, but i'm okay with that.

tv on the radio - you

although it took me until the 2nd album to really get into these guys, i'm in now. enjoy a little mini movie they made for their song 'you.'

history of the wah wah pedal

got an hour? want to learn the history of the wah wah pedal? check it out.

Cry Baby: The Pedal That Rocks The World from Joey Tosi on Vimeo.

upcoming and interesting

so, there are a lot of cool shows coming to fresno and the area in the next month and beyond. this is great news for me, as i haven't been to a show in ages and have missed hearing live music.

nov. 1 - the generationals & el olio wolof @ audie's olympic. i've never heard of the generationals, but they have a pretty cool sound. sort of reminds me of old motown, but not totally. anyway, i'll be at this show without a doubt because it's el olio's last fresno show ever. i don't know why it's their last show, but whatever. i love their music, and will be there to give them one last cheer.

nov. 5 - the dodos and rademacher - my love for rademacher is well documented, so it shouldn't be too surprising that i'm interested in going to a show of theirs. really, i'm pumped to see them open for a big, touring band. and, several of my friends are really into the dodos, so that's good for them. this shows in visalia @ howie & sons pizza, where i've never been, but i hear decent things about the place.

dec. 18 - the grouch and brother ali @ the cellar door. brother ali has got to be my favorite hip hop artist. i love his cadence and vocals, and his lyrics are amazing. this shows a ways out, but that gives you time to save up the $22 for tickets. also, it's @ the cellar door, so it'll be a great, intimate venue.

whitney avalon & cee lo - thoughts

so, the other day i tweeted about how cee lo's new song, f--k you isn't good. a few people i interact with tweeted how they liked it, and i made a response back about how the lyrics were weak, the music was mediocre and all that it had was being catchy. then i tweeted that herpes was catchy and stayed with you as well. all good fun.

since then, i actually looked up the lyrics, and they're aren't as bad as i thought, but i still don't think they're great. i also still stand by my assessment that the song isn't very good. but, if you like it, fine.

today i saw a rebuttal to the song, done by whitney avalon. honestly, i think it's on par with cee lo's song.




i don't have anything against cee lo. he was a great part of goodie mob, and has been on some of my favorite outkast songs. i dug the stuff he did with gnarls barkley. i just think he can do better.

fred the raver

so, this kid is like our friend woody, but much younger. and blond.



but, it reminds me of seeing his daughter sing along to songs.

have another

get yourself high - the chemical brothers

check out this dopeness from the chemical brothers featuring k-os.

bohemian rhapsody a la bluegrass

fun little remake of queen's bohemian rhapsody by hayseed dixie.

merry christmas

enjoy your holiday with some festive music played on beer bottles.



more info here.

blondie we three kings

you go, debbie harry.



blondie, still rocking after all these years and slated to release a new album soon. i doubt it will touch heart of glass, one way or another or rapture, but here's to hoping it will be good.

metro by berlin

so, i've recently become a little obsessed with the song metro by berlin. i heard it at a local establishment and not only did it remind me of my enjoyment of synth pop from this era, but it also reminded me of some other things. but i also think the song in kick ass, and totally worthy of listening to. so do it.



at one time i had looked for the song on itunes, and it wasn't there. but it is now. so, you know what i purchased the other day? metro. it's also got me thinking about maybe checking out one of their greatest hits.

the song also brings back a bit of nostalgic memories to me. i didn't have this tape, but i remember listening to it on my first walkman at my aunt kat's. i think she might have lived in this little apartment in santa rosa at the time. she had the tape, and while we were there visiting i just remember listening to the song, rewinding, listening, rewinding and so on. good times.

it's an icicle's last show

there are last shows, and then there are last shows. which one is this going to be? i don't know. but i saw a myspace bulletin that this would be fresno indie band it's an icicle's last one.



don't have any details why, or if it's completely over for the band, but it's too bad, they had an interesting sound and it seemed they were on the rise in the fresno scene.

the fay wrays @ starline

looking for something to do this evening? want to re-aggravate your post st. paddy's headache? well i've got something for you: fay wrays @ starline.

they're playing tonight as a part of the regular show that aesop fables puts on over there. should be nice. fun. loud.

musical notes

i was listening to music today, and thought i'd post up like tim duncan and let you know what i'm groovin on right now. some of it's new, some is a little older.

del the funky homosapien - del's been around for quite some time, and he's a great illustration of what hip hop is. tight rhymes, good beats, and flair. he's also a bit of an oddity because he's pretty much straight up hip hop in an almost east coast style but he's from the west coast, specifically bay area, and he's ice cube's cousin and so sometimes that sort of gangsterish feel slips in. right now, as i type this post up i'm actually listening to his album 'both sides of the brain' which is sort of geared to really illustrate that dichotomy.

tokyo police club - brian put me onto this canadian band. they're very nice indie sound. if they have a full length album out, i don't have it. i do have their ep and a single. how to describe them? well, whatever band indie band that is making waves right now, e.g. vampire weekend, sucks in comparison. well, perhaps that's unfair and inaccurate. but they've got nice booming bass, synths at times, thoughtful lyrics, guitars that wail. if you like bloc party, tv on the radio, or rademacher. check them out. if you don't like any of those, well, i don't know what to do with you.

swollen members - these guys are veeeerrrrrrry nice. west coast hip hop, with roots in l.a. and vancouver. i was riding my bike earlier listening to their first album, 'balance.' i've also got their later releases, 'bad dreams' and 'black magic.' all are good.

brother ali - nick put me onto brother ali. i've mentioned getting brother ali here before, but i thought i'd put it out there again in brief fasion. i've got his 'champion ep' and 'shadows on the sun'. both are worth picking up. east coast hip hop.

ted leo and the pharmacists - justin first into'd me to them, but i actually got into them when the last album came out. i saw him playing a live set (on tv), just him and an electric guitar all fuzzed out. crazy good and rockin. felt like a full band his sound was so big. his albums hold up to that, only actually with a full band. he sort of reminds me of weezer's first album, maybe even their second album.

blu & exile - i heard about these guys through mike oz from the bee. not directly, like we were talking or something, but through a column or something like that. well, i should have gone and seen them @ starline when they were here. but, i was lazy and didn't. oz described them something like 'a new version of tribe called quest.' i don't know if that's exactly what he said, and i'm too lazy to find it now, but it's pretty spot on.

so, what have we learned today:
i like hip hop
i like indie rock
you can download all those groups on emusic.

julia dawn's holiday extravaganza

last night was a really fun time. it's too bad more of our immediate crew couldn't have been there, but heather, adam and i had a blast.

nick nocketback opened up the show with some comedy stylings. this is tough, because you're doing comedy and everyone is there for music. and, it's at a club, so everyone is sitting around talking and not paying attention to you. nick was as shocking as he could be, but he still struggled to really grab a hold of them. but a good effort none the less.

ibid came on next. before ibid's set, i spoke we julia dawn and she mentioned that they had some technical difficulties but they were all worked out now. well, there were still a few bugs in the system as ibid's music wasn't working. so, short delay. i've seen ibid several times, at both tokyo garden as well as at club fred. he's a wonderful mc. i think the crowd gets into him a little more @ tokyo, while it's more intimate, you're jammed against the stage feel. i feel like i lose ibid's stage presence @ club fred. outside of that, i felt this may have been the best sound quality i've heard from ibid, but i still would've turned his vocals up a bit.

next on stage was tommy delgado and armen nalbandian. they had a real nice sound, real laid back. tommy played drums and some guitar and armen was on the keys, as well as a few other instruments sporadically. i actually think they would have been a little better suited to open the show, let the crowd kind of come into the music. but anyway, these guys played some good, interesting jams and had a good time on stage.

finally, everyone got what they came to see, julia dawn and her o.g. hump day band. julia always puts on a great show, and i'm constantly amazed that such a big voice comes out of such a little lady. and, her lyrics are soulful and deep. this concert showcased those elements of julia, but also her fun spirit and her talent as a performer. julia belted out several of her older tunes, some of them with updated style. she also played a few new tunes which i enjoyed. of course, her ensemble cast was amazing, and showcased what fresno has produced and what they are still producing. jason jurzak, eva scow, randy stindt, jeff simpson all ripped up the stage with julia.

click over and watch some videos of julia's set, including a great vid of nick nocketback's mad skillz as a dance machine.

el olio wolof

take some time, and enjoy a little bit of el olio wolof, recorded thursday @ tokyo garden.



now enjoy the rest of your day

rademacher live blog

lots going on in fresno. fuego played chivas usa. you'll have to see adams blog for a recap of that. van halen is playing at the save mart center, see the fresnan for that. me, I'm seeing rademacher, ibid and another band. i'll be trying to live blog this.

ibid opened the show. for you emusic fans, go over there and download
his album. You'll luke it. trust me. great lyrical hip hop out of merced, ca. i've seen him several times and always enjoy the show. tonight was solid, and ibid drew me in with each song.

the next band was the monolaters. energetic, poppy, punkish indie rock. very fun stuff. the crowd was really into the energy. Of this band, as was I. Cool set, I'll have to try and find them on myspace or something. If you hear that they're plating near you, go see them. Adam says, "they were fun. I enjoyed that set. They were enjoyable." then he went on about something of simple accolades for a simple band.

rademacher is up third, and they are fan freakin tastic. i've really
enjoyed them, but these last few shows i've seen them they have really stepped up their game. tonight did not disappoint. such a good time. crowd had fun, looked like the band had fun. my only request: arguments. it's a song off of one of their e.p.'s and i never hear it anymore at shows. damn i want to. but beside that, really well done tonight rademacher. hearts to you. and facebook tells me that brad <3 greer. well, it told me they are engaged so i'm making that assumption.

amen break

UPDATE - I HAVE THE DATE ON THIS POSTED FOR WEDNESDAY - NEW POSTS FOLLOW BELOW...

got 18 minutes? and speakers?

enjoy music? like thinking about usage, copyright and sampling?

well, i'm posting this video mainly for woody. so, you had better watch it.

it's about the "amen break."

radiohead skips record industry

radiohead, who is currently not on a label, is going to try something different with the release of their next album on october 10th.

you get to choose how much you pay. from 0-?, you make the call. the album will only be available for the first few weeks by download and will be able to be played on all digital players.

this is pretty interesting to me. sales of music is allegedly slumping. but, people download, legally mind you, more and more music each day. yes, there still are people out there illegally downloading music. but i would venture that people still buy more music than they get for free.

radiohead knows you want their music, and are making it available to you. i'm not sure how much i'll pay. i really like radiohead. i wish i was in a band that people would compare to radiohead. but, the offer of something for free...may be too much to pass up initially. especially if i do this, "The band will also offer a special edition boxed set for 40 pounds ($82) which will be available later and will include two vinyl albums, a CD version of the new album and a second CD with additional new songs, artwork and photographs of the band." i know, $80 is a lot of $, but you're getting so much. and i like vinyl. so, if i order that, i'm cool getting the digital version for free initially.