Musically Amusing

March 10, 2009 · 10:33 am

Calvin’s Latest

The beginning of Calvin Harris’ song “I’m Not Alone” caught me off guard with it’s s l o w n e s s. I thought Calvin had decided to go another way in his music and was confused. But, then after some saddening scenes of a little boy and his teddy bear, out pops the Calvin we know and love. The beat comes in, finding it’s niche. And Calvin’s got on some goofy glasses again!

I’m not exactly sure what the video is telling a story of, but whatever. I just wanted to dance, anyways.

I was amused with Stereogum‘s post on the subject:

The first time we heard Calvin Harris’ “I’m Not Alone” was a couple months ago when, in an attempt to avoid piracy, he gave it a somewhat annoying “I’m Your Nan” remix. With his second album ostensibly closer to its release date — but no actually release date or album title yet — Harris deleted the extraneous insertions and created a proper video for the single. He notes at MySpace, “It’s a bit weird.” The clip features Harris as a knife-wielding mad scientist, a bunch of female dancers/test subjects, and a kid with his teddy bear.

P.S. I just watched a couple other video’s of Calvin’s on YouTube. I might’ve developed a small crush on him. Though, I’m not sure what his obsession with acting like a crazy scientist is…(see above video and “It Was Acceptable in the 80s” video).

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February 17, 2009 · 4:56 pm

New Diplo!

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If you’re a fan of Diplo like me, then you were probably pretty happy when his new album came out earlier this month.

Diplo is DJ Wes Pentz who is originally from Philly (which I did not know). For his debut only being 5 years ago, Diplo is a pretty big influence in the remixing world. There aren’t too many of his works that I don’t like. That’s why I was just a tad disappointed with his newest release Decent Work for Decent Play.

Coming in with 12 songs (good), the album is only about 41 minutes long (not good)! Usually we’re used to having an average of 5 minute long tracks especially in this genre. But, some of them are just past the 2 minute mark. The first track off the album is Diplo’s “Newsflash” featuring Sandra Melody. I really like the song; does anyone remember Super Mario Bros. for Nintendo? The very original? And the scenes where you had to go through the castle to find and defeat Koopa? That’s what this song reminds me of. Good stuff.

Second, is a Spank Rock song. “Put that Pussy on me” is a decent song. I recognized it from Girl Talk using parts of it in one of his tracks on his newest album Feed the Animals.

I don’t know for sure what it is about the third song, but I love it. It’s all Diplo himself and the name of the song is “200”. That’s that.

Samim’s “Heater” is one of those happy dance songs. I’d already heard it on my Sirius one day, and had it downloaded. So, it was nice to know that I already knew one of the tracks.

There’s a couple I could go without hearing more than a few times, though. “Way More Brazil” starts out awesome, but loses it’s shine. “Smash a Kangaroo” is another one I am not super into. Interesting title though, huh? I like that. Pretty much, when you listen to the album, the first half gets you going and loving it. Then, the second part kind of slows you down to where you’re half moving, and staring at the speakers wondering, “What’s going on?!”

I’d also like to add that “Baby” featuring Vybz Kartel has some more Nintendo sounds in it. This time, it sounds like Super Mario Bros. 3. Particularly when Mario is underwater. Am I imagining this? Am I subconsciously longing for my childhood days of playing old-school Nintendo for hours? I don’t think so…but maybe Diplo is?!

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Tagged as dance, Decent Work for Decent Play, Diplo, DJ, electronica, new album, Nintendo, Philly, remixes, Super Mario Bros.

February 13, 2009 · 12:06 pm

Coming Up on Tuesday

Today I’m going to announce 2 new albums that are going to be available on Tuesday, the 17th.

First, is Plushgun’s Pins and Panzers. You might remember my post a little while ago about them. (If not, click here.)

The band’s first single “Just Impolite” has been on MTV’s “The City” and you can check out the song here and the video (that features Brittany Snow) here.

The record release shows are being held in New York on the 18th and Boston on the 19th. For more info on Plushgun, click here.

Second, is Eleni Mandell’s new album Artificial Fire. It’s the follow-up to 2007’s Miracle of Five. Her music includes many different genres that include jazz, country, folk, blues, rock and pop. Phew!

Listen to the title track “Artificial Fire” here, and check out “Right Side” here.

February 19th is the record release party in LA at The Echo. And March begins the tour:

March 5 New York City Joe’s Pub

March 19 San Francisco Cafe Du Nord

March 22 Seattle, WA Triple Door

March 26 Chicago, IL Schuba’s

March 27 Minneapolis, MN The Cedar

March 28 Kansas City, MO Davey’s Uptown

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February 11, 2009 · 11:52 am

Guitar Center Sessions Presents: Kenny Wayne Shepherd

More news from Guitar Center: their “Guitar Center Sessions” series provides inspiration from iconic artists in the industry to aspiring musicians.

: Sorry ladies, Kenny married Mel Gibson’s daughter Hannah in 2006, and they had a child in 2007.

This time, their speaker is four time Grammy nominated, blues rock musician, Kenny Wayne Shepherd. This free event is being held in Pasadena, CA at the local Guitar Center. It’s next Wednesday, the 18th, at 7:00 pm. Highlights from the session include secrets from Kenny on topics ranging from technique to songwriting. He’s also going to talk about his own new guitar design for Fender, called the Fender Signature Series Stratocaster.

Kenny Wayne Shepherd has received two Billboard Music Awards, two Orville H. Gibson awards, and the Blues Foundation’s Keeping The Blues Alive Award. At the age of 21, he opened for The Rolling Stones! He has sold millions of albums with his most recent release being a DVD/CD project entitled 10 Days Out: Blues from the Backroads, which follows Kenny as he travels the country to jam with and interview the last of the authentic blues musicians.

Some of his best known songs include, “In 2 Deep”, “Last Goodbye”, and “True Lies”. But, as usual, you can go to his website for any more information.

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Tagged as blues, California, Guitar Center, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, musicians, Pasadena, rock

February 11, 2009 · 11:13 am

Coming Soon: The Atomica Project

Wade Alin and Lauren Cheatham formed The Atomica Project back in 2004, and released their debut Metropolitan in 2005. Their down-tempo beats and never before heard version of electronic music caught them some attention. Actually, it was considered to be one of the best independent albums of the year.

Last May, almost 3 years later, they returned with their follow-up, Grayscale. But, NOW they are going on a tour along the East Coast to support their newest album, First in a Series of Dramatic Events. The duo has added two additions to their lineup: keyboardist/turntablist Dean Dunakin and drummer Corey McCafferty.

You can go check ’em out next month at Your Inner Vagabond. They’ll be there on March 7th, at 7:00 pm. If you’re into Bjork and/or Portishead, you might enjoy The AP. But, if you aren’t sure, you can take a listen before-hand either on MySpace or Last.fm.

The Atomica Project Schedule:

02/26/09 Chicago, IL – Subterranean
02/27/09 Cleveland, OH – Wilburt’s Food & Music
02/28/09 New York, NY – Arlene’s Grocery
03/01/09 Buffalo, NY – Broadway Joe’s
03/02/09 Brooklyn, NY – TBA
03/03/09 Danbury, CT – Cousin Larry’s
03/04/09 Baltimore, MD – Metro Gallery
03/06/09 Boston, MA – PA’s Lounge
03/07/09 Pittsburgh, PA – Your Inner Vagabond

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Tagged as chillout, down-tempo, electronic, Grayscale, Metropolitan, show, The Atomica Project, Your Inner Vagabond

February 5, 2009 · 3:46 pm

Speaking of folk music…

Somehow I forgot to mention another great act that’s coming to town…on Monday, actually!

Matt Jones, from Michigan, has a new debut solo album that’s going to be released on the 7th. But I will tell you, I’ve heard it, and it’s good stuff. The Black Path is a good cd to have on while you’re cozied up on the couch reading a book. My favorite tracks are “Threadlines” and “Holy Light”, though all 11 songs are beautiful; melancholic, but captivating.

On Monday, the 9th, he’ll be performing right here in the Burgh. Guess where? Morning Glory Coffeehouse!!! So, check out Matt on last.fm (where, again, I’ve posted the show under his profile)…and then go see him in person. THEN, in another week and a half, you can go again to see The Accident That Led Me To The World!!!

Oh yeah, you can go check him out on MySpace, as well. (Of course!)

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Tagged as acoustic, folk, Matt Jones, Morning Glory Coffeehouse, show, The Black Path

February 3, 2009 · 8:07 pm

It Wasn’t an Accident

: Cover from self-titled debut album

“Will disappear into the horizon in the blink of an eye, leaving your panoramic ocean view fathomless and without object.” That is the last sentence in the description on last.fm for The Accident That Led Me To The World. That one sentence sums up their entire persona.

Sometimes we need to be reminded that being a musician takes more than being able to pick out cool beats and mix ’em all up. Mark Mandeville, Raianne Richards, and Zack Ciras can show you all about being musicians. Just listening to their melodies forces you (in a good way) to remember and appreciate the skills necessary in making music.

It’s impossible to get bored by their sounds because of how many instruments they play. They’ve got guitars, bass, a banjo, and clarinet. Not to mention their voices themselves.

They’re a folk music trio from Massachutsetts, and they’re coming this way! They’ll be here in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, February 18th, playing at the Morning Glory Coffeehouse. (I’ve added the event onto their page on last.fm that you can find here.)

If you love listening to music in a relaxed, intellectual setting with like-minded people, you should definitely come to the show. Even if you don’t go to relaxed settings to listen to ‘quieter’ music often, you should still come to this show. It’s a Wednesday people, save your fist-pumping drum-blaring jams for the weekend! (ha!) Show these guys how awesome Pittsburgh is!

: Cover from newest album “The Island Gospel”

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January 29, 2009 · 12:25 pm

And the winner is…

Last month I wrote about Guitar Center’s annual drum contest that was held in LA this year. Well, 22 year old Jerome Flood II defeated the rest and was crowned winner after competing with 5 other finalists.

What a feat, too, since the finalists were being judged by today’s drummer greats. The judges included past title holder Thomas Pridgen from Mars Volta, Danny Carey from Tool, Alan White from Yes, Taylor Hawkins and Drew Hester from Foo Fighters, Kenny Aronoff, The Rev from Avenged Sevenfold, Snoop Dogg’s drummer Trevor Lawrence Jr., Angels and Airwaves’ Atom Willard, and Street Drum Corps’ Frank Zummo.

The five rounds of competition took FOUR months, with Flood ultimately beating around 5,000 other contestants.

On January 14th, he also was able to make his TV debut on Last Call with Carson Daly. The Atlanta resident says, “The world is going to know about me thanks to this. I’m really thankful to Guitar Center for this opportunity, because it’s really changed my life.”

If you’d like to see the winning video of Jerome rocking the house, click here. If you want to see him on TV, click here.

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January 21, 2009 · 4:25 pm

Don’t Keep it on the Low

I wanted to take the chance to tell you guys about my boy Brando. He’s a great friend and cool guy that’s been making music in some form or another for years. He’s recently moved to Orlando, and has just posted a new song up on his MySpace page.

His music ranges from acoustic and reggae and mostly whatevers in between. His new song, “Keep it on the Low” is fantastic. So, if you get a chance, swing by his page (by clicking here) and check it out (along with his other jams, too!)!