So I know this girl...

...And she's pretty freakin' cool. I expect to hear about obscure/cutting edge (not to mention excellent) music when I talk to her. She told me about this dude, Mason Jennings, who writes these amazing amazing songs. I happened to be in a bit of a sad/contemplative/evolving mood and I needed to hear something beautiful, so I threw this guy's album, Boneclouds, in my CD player and quickly listened to the beginnings of 11 songs (all of which rock, btw.) One intro really struck me, and I'm still trying to figure out if some of the chords are directly from "Stairway to Heaven", but basically that's not the point. Basically this song, "Which Way Your Heart Will Go" spoke to me directly and totally fit the situation and mood I'm in.

Isn't it weird how things work out that way?

All I wanna do is write a stupid song...

My All-time favorite Stupid Songs (a list to laugh at)

"Chewing Gum" by Annie
"Cherry Pie" by Warrant
"Apache" by Sugarhill Gang
"Dragostea Din Tei" by O-ZONE
"She's Tight" by Cheap Trick
"Sugar Sugar" by The Archies
"Dirty Little Secret" by All-American Rejects

^fun, fun, fun...closet classics, anyone?

Thirsty

My all-time favorite band plays an awesome song while acting like fools...What more can you ask for?


Videos by vMix Member:
ZOX

Weezer

I just found a gem of a video while searching for old Weezer mp3s. Check out the video for "Buddy Holly" on www.aolmusic.com

Weezer is a band that is not necessarily reliable musically, but some of their stuff rocks. My all-time favorite Weezer tune is "El Scorcho." I love the lyric about the Green Day concert...

Pride & Prejudice by Jean-Yves Thibaudet

The soundtrack to the latest rendition of Jane Austen's book Pride & Prejudice is as gorgeous as the movie. If that statement seems ambiguous watch the movie (and by the way it's GORGEOUS!) The soundtrack builds off haunting piano tracks and tunes perfect for holding grande balls, and creates a world that threatens to wrap you up and consume you within its reality. It excites all the right emotions for the movie at exactly the right moments, and besides being completely wonderful soundtrack music, it is also gorgeous on its own. Striking all the right chords (literally), creating the perfect dramatic tension, rising to the occasion, ending with catharsis, and in between being just amazingly beautiful, this is the soundtrack for rainy days and solemn nights, for sunny mornings and long summers, the falling of autumn leaves and mid-afternoon naps, this is the soundtrack for life!

Survey Time, baby!

10 MOST PLAYED ARTISTS

1. Pixies
2. ZOX
3. Apollo Sunshine
4. Green Day
5. Rancid
6. Led Zeppelin
7. The Specials
8. Operation Ivy
9. Cast Of Rent
10. Bob Dylan


What was the first song you ever heard by 6?
The first one I remember was "Communication Breakdown" one night driving with my dad at like 1 am. There's nothing better than loud Led in the middle of the night in a fast car, these things are what rock 'n' roll's about.

What is your favorite album of 2?
Take Me Home.

What is your favorite lyric that 5 has sung?
Toughy, but it would have to be "you can take my money, you can take my time, but you can't take my heart it's in the city behind."

How many times have you seen 4 live?
Twice.

What is your favorite song by 7?
"Little Bitch".

What is a good memory you have involving the music of 10?
Watching the rockumentary on PBS and realizing how much I love the music and how annoyed I am by the man.

Is there a song of 3 that makes you sad?
"Fear Of Heights", but it's more of a happy/sad feeling that cannot be described in words.

What is your favorite lyric that 2 has sung?
"I know if I fall I'll call out to you."

What is your favorite song by 9?
"Another Day." It's just amazing the way the song climaxes with all of the music and feeling and the voices battling in unison (if that makes sense?). Amazing.

How did you get into 3?
I heard them on the radio, and then this guy I liked wore their t-shirt.

What was the first song you heard by 1?
"Where Is My Mind?" at the end of Fight Club. Mind-blowing.

What is your favorite song by 4?
"She", the percussion rocks.

How many time have you seen 9 live?
Well I've never seen the play, but I've seen the movie twice.

What is a good memory you have involving 2?
Seeing them live (which you can read about in this journal btw ;) My favorite part of the show was when Spencer dedicated a song to "All the people who thought the only way in this place was up all those FUCKIN' STAIRS!!" You kinda had to be there to get the joke.

Is there a song of 8 that makes you sad?
No. Op Ivy is pretty much celebratory/angry music, not sad music.

What is your favorite album of 5?
Nevermind. I know it's a cliche, but I love that album.

What is your favorite lyric that 3 has sung?
"not like the green so high above and below, now I am an airplane, am an airplane, oo-ee-oo-ee-oo!"

What is your favorite song of 1?
Hey/Debaser/Where Is My Mind?

What is your favorite song of 10?
Don't Think Twice It's Alright

How many times have you seen 8 live?
They broke up in the late '80s! So I guess the answer to your question would be zero. Zero times, baby!

What is your favorite album of 1?
Surfer Rosa.

What is a great memory you have concerning 7?
Playing DDR with my cousin to Little Bitch.

What was the first song you heard by 8?
Knowledge. But I actually heard the cover by Green Day.

What is your favorite cover by 2?
Where Is My Mind? by the Pixies. I wish I had written that song, freakin' amazing!

April showers bring May flowers, what do May flowers bring...Apollo Sunshine

The concert started off with a rainbow. I guess that's a good sign. I've heard that some awesome Grateful Dead concerts started with a rainbow. But, even with the rainbow, Apollo Sunshine didn't have the electric energy I've usually found in them live. Yes, they were missing their 4th member (Sean Aylward) and yes, they'd just finished up a bunch of cross-country touring, but this Apollo wasn't the spirited band I love.

The music was amazing, as always. They started with "Today Is The Day", a staple that could get any crowd movin', and progressed through many songs from their first album "Katonah" and their latest, "Apollo Sunshine."

"Flip!" was a big hit, along with "Phony Marony", "Lord", "Phyllis", "Bed", "You and I", "Fear of Heights", and "I Was On The Moon." They played a few lesser known songs from "Katonah", but always kept the energy up with the audience (including a frosh-mosh pit.) The energy in Apollo's music is so tangible, it was sometimes a bit of a shock to the crowd to pass from "fast-upbeat" to "slow-melodic." Even some longtime fans felt these quick changes. I saw one guy rockin' out one second (singing all the words) and then looking confused a minute later.

The room was cramped, and hard to dance in, but that didn't stop anyone, and a couple of fights arose because of the lack of space. Jesse Gallagher, usually the ring-leader of Apollo Sunshine, seemed completely oblivious to the scuffles. In fact, the whole band acted as if the audience wasn't even there. Jesse spoke only a handful of times during the entire performance, mumbling song names, and half-heartedly showing us how to do the "Phony Marony."

Where were the stage antics? Where was the energy? The band looked tired when they came back for an encore. I was upset at first, hadn't I only seen them last fall, swinging their guitars (drum-sticks) with intense energy? I'd been so impressed, realizing it was probably the best performance I'd seen in the last year. This performance in comparison was horrible, maybe understandable for other bands, but not for my Apollo Sunshine. Of course I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and I'll be back at the next show they play.

GIRL POWER!!

The other day I had a conversation with some friends about all-girl bands. After much discussion and debate we could think of only a few great all-girl bands and a few really bad all-girl bands. Why is the all-girl band so uncommon? There are a ton of amazing female artists. Here's the list of the good, the bad, and the ugly...


GOOD

Floetry
The Supremes
Le Tigre
Sleater-Kinney
Indigo Girls
The Runaways (Joan Jett..."Cherry Bomb" anyone?)
Salt-N-Pepa
Hole
Obviously Aretha, Janis, Chrissie, Bonnie Raitt, Brodie of the Distillers, Patti Smith, Liz Phair (early stuff), Mazzy Star, that girl who sings "Sweet Jane" for the cowboy junkies, Kim Deal, Alanis, various other amazing female artists, but where are the all-girl bands?

BAD

The Donnas (Meh...I DO enjoy them.)
Spice Girls
The Pussycat Dolls
TLC
Destiny's Child
Obviously Lindsay, Hillary, Gwen Stefani (solo), Britany Spears, Madonna (pisses me off), Dixie Chicks, Macy Gray, Avril, etc.

Any of your own additions? Leave me a comment!

Cruisin' down the street in my 6-fo...

Dynamite Hack have been around for awhile. You need to keep this in mind as you read the next paragraph. They aren't the NEW thing. Oh, no.

For the last few nights I've been hearing Dynamite Hack's song "Boyz-N-The Hood" on the radio. I guess it was requested a ton last week (weird how things happen like that...) Here's the thing, IT'S HILARIOUS! Everytime I hear it (middle of the night!) I have to stifle intense fits of laughter. What's really weird is these people I hang with (some would call them "friends") have been quoting lines from this song all week long. Maybe there are Aliens messing with our minds, or maybe everyone just has their radios tuned to the same station. I guess I'll have to investigate further...

Soldiers...not what you're thinking

I've got a few band recommendations today.

The Rock "N" Roll Soldiers:

They've been on the scene for a while now, rockin' alt radio. Last year when I heard they were playing nearby my reaction was "mehh" (Do I really care? Kinda the way I feel about the Strokes.) Anyhoo, I decided to give their music another shot when I surfed by them on Myspace. "Anthem" is catchy, if not substantial, but there is an actual guitar solo in the middle. The vocals get a little grating, but sometimes they make me nostalgic for the days when production on Indie albums was shit (oh wait, for many it still is.) Wow, the sarcasm in this section is biting. I guess my main recommendation is that you check them out if, like me, you thought "mehh" when you first heard them playing on your radio. They're better than "mehh"...if only slightly.

RJD2:

Yes, more white-boy hip-hop (BUT IT'S SOOO GOOD.) I'm long-overdue reviewing this boy. What can I say? He makes great music. Check out the albums, Magnificent City Instrumentals and Deadringer. Very good instrumental hip-hop.

Wolfmother:

I try not to buy into hype, and these guys have received a ton of it (Not Arctic Monkeys ton. More like White Stripes ton.) I just listened to "Dimensions" and I must say that I like the music. It reminds me of Led Zeppelin through a pile of guitar mud. I'm a self-proclaimed "led-head", but Wolfmother pulls off the Zeppelin sound without being too good. What I mean is, they definitely don't have Jimmy Page's guitar, and although the vocals sound somewhat like Robert Plant, they never reach his intensity. Lyrically, Wolfmother is kind of boring. Their music is catchy and sometimes you get a glimps of Led Zeppelin through the muck, but otherwise stick to the real deal!!

Warped Tour Preview '06

Who else is excited about Warped Tour '06? If you aren't apparently you haven't seen the tentative line-up on the Warped Tour site.

Here are some of my personal highlight bands:
Against Me!
Anti-Flag
Bouncing Souls
Buzzcocks (?!)
Gym Class Heroes
Joan Jett & The Blackhearts (again, ?!)
Less Than Jake
The Living End
NOFX
Paramore
The Pink Spiders
Plain White T's (Thanks to my friend for "tuning me in" to these guys early!)
Rise Against
Silverstein
State Radio
Zox
and potentially Gogol Bordello & Flogging Molly!!

The only thing that could make this better is if Rancid makes a special guest appearance (unlikely. I can wish, can't I?)
Actually there are quite a few things that could make it better (like the resurrection of Jimi Hendrix) but we'll let that slide for now.

Strive Roots

I was going through my early morning iTunes New Music Tuesday routine, reading through the celebrity playlists and checking out the new albums. I was more than pleasantly surprised to find that Hannah Teter's (!) playlist included this band, Strive Roots. I can't believe I'd never heard of them before. They literally rock in a very funky way.

I immediately Googled and Myspaced them followed by a frantic download of their new album, Bio Resonance Therapy. It's all very good, a nice mix of reggae, funk and rock (think Chili Peppers with slightly better lyrics and a lighter sound.) Really, the only thing to say is that you should check them out and they should be touring pretty soon!

"Nolite bastardes te carborundorum!"

-Musicsob

A New Movement

From Oakland to San Francisco the Bay Area of California has long been a musical mecca. A place of new musical movements where everyone from the Grateful Dead to Green Day got their start. About a month ago while I was band surfing on Myspace I came across a band called Street To Nowhere from Oakland, CA. Their Myspace homepage was nothing special, but the music I heard while reading their bio was an intriguing blend of punk rock attitude and strong musicianship with a decidedly indie lo-fi sound (Elliott Smithish.) This style was both strange to hear and strangely refreshing, a far cry from the emo-punk and pop-punk that has lately been monopolizing the alternative radio stations. Skimming over Street To Nowhere’s bio I came across this message “There’s something going on in the Bay Area” followed by a list of local bands that are pushing the boundaries of punk music. True, Street To Nowhere may not be the next Green Day and their indie lo-fi/instrumental punk may not be the next pop-punk, but they are certainly creating a sound of their own along with some of their Bay Area friends:

Two Gallants: A little awesome, a little country, completely interesting. These men are creating a unique sound with their folk-with-a-punk-edge lyrics and country instrumentals. Think The Clash meets Old 97’s.

The Matches: This band succeeds in being both completely hilarious and completely cliched. Very straightforward pop-punk.

Audrye Sessions: Punk rock for the Coldplay generation. Quiet, pretty, and yet lyrically challenging. In the words of the prophet Jello Biafra “Punk’s about thinking for yourself.”

Push to Talk: Bringing in The Cars new wave punk attitude, this band screams ‘80s. Yet, as you listen their music it grabs you like Chicago’s Smoking Popes. Fluffy on the outside but with an edge.

-Musicsnob

The Hate Game, Pennyred, Scars Like Ours, Eulogy XL

The large room stuffed with comfy couches and tables slowly filled with goth and emo kids dressed in black and ready for some head-banging.
The Hate Game played first, starting off a little hesitantly, but quickly launching into their fun and fast catalogue of tunes. What they lacked in popularity they quickly made up for with stage presence and spunk, and the dance floor soon had small crowds of dark-clothed teens nodding their heads in approval. The first act is always a tough one, but the Hate Game did an excellent job revving up the crowd for the rest of the show.
Pennyred was on second, playing from their 2005 CD The Citystate Falls, a conceptual album following the Greek myth of the gods Apollo and Saturn. Although the concept is a little over the top it works for the band, who took their melodic punk-rock to an intellectual high as they played out the Greek dramas.
Scars Like Ours the locally well-known hardcore band played third. Everyone found a place on the small dance-floor to watch Max (guitarist) play barefoot, Glen (vocals/bass) smash around and jump on tables, Chuck (vocals/guitar) scream into the mic, and Gabe (drums) smash out some excellent rhythms. The boys put on quite a show creating an atmosphere dark, angry, and sarcastic and reminding me more than a little of the Alkaline Trio. The highlight of the show was definitely the end of Scars Like Ours set where all hell broke loose, the mic Chuck was singing in died and Glen threw his bass to the floor and dove into the drum set while Gabe was still playing the drums. Talking to Glen and Max after the show I found out that they’re working on their second album right now (they played a few new songs during the show) and won’t be playing shows regularly until about April.
Euology XL put on quite a good set too, slowing the music down a little after all the excitement of the Scars Like Ours set. The band has an album out now with a dark sound that reminds me of Nine Inch Nails. Ironically (or appropriately) enough the best song in their set was a cover of “Terrible Lie.”
Altogether an excellent show where four local bands showcased their talents and proved that punk rock is certainly not dead.

HOT TOPIC IS NOT PUNK ROCK!!!!

Hey people who read this blog!!

Check out MC Lars if you want a good time. I meant a musical good time, but you guys knew that...lol.

Anyhoo, I think I shall go buy his album...RIGHT NOW!!!! This very very second, because it is that good.

Peace love & all that jazz!

"Nolite bastardes te carborundorum"
-Musicsnob

Time For Biting by The Dents

The Dents are a female fronted Boston punk band known for their excellent live performances and their scathing commentary on love, friendship, and “the scene”. The Dents’ first full-length album, Time For Biting, is a whirlwind of punk rock music that is both extremely catchy and well-polished for such a young group of musicians.
The Dents, like Social Distortion before them, are straddling the fence between all-out rock ‘n’ roll and punk music. Songs like the bouncing opener “One More Time” show the punkiness of The Dents, almost leaning towards a California hardcore sound with the opening guitar riffs. The Dents real punk attitude shines on “Too Late”, an angry DIY anthem aimed at the conformists and nay sayers of punk music. Yet, it is on the fun, almost Guns ‘n’ Roses sounding “Not Through With You” that The Dents begin to embrace their total rock ‘n’ roll side complete with a guitar solo.
Although musically the songs are interesting and well-polished the lyrics are rather trite and most stick to the formula of an angry breakup album. The few songs that move away from the angry breakup formula are some of the most interesting on the album, including the aforementioned “Too Late” aimed at punk-poseurs, and the almost pretty sounding “Goodbye” that talks about a friendship gone bad. “Better Off” is one of the breakup songs that shines on Time For Biting, bringing a Riot Grrrl “I don’t care about him” attitude to the lyrics that makes it all the more powerful. Frontwomen Jennifer D’Angora and Michelle Paulhus alternately share vocals and bring a slurred anger to the music that adds a much needed bite to the overall sound of the music.
The Dents have an extreme amount of potential, with a tight rhythm section, good vocalists, and a powerful, angry sound, making Time For Biting a good start to what will hopefully become a long and interesting career in Boston’s music community. With a little lyrical fine-tuning, the Dents should be well on their way to underground success.

"Nolite bastardes te carborundorum"
-Musicsnob

I'm Not Okay (I Promise)

Sorry for the lack of updates as of late. I've had very little to report, although the music community is as alive as ever.

If you guys need a good laugh check out Butch Walker's Cover Me Badd-EP. He does a live cover of Since U Been Gone which is slightly hilarious while also savoring all the yummy pop goodness of the Kelly original (yes, I like it. Sue ME!)

I think I should probably plug Scars Like Ours, 1. Because they freakin' rock! and 2. Because two people I know, know Max (the guitarist with a mohawk.) They're definitely fun.

If you want something weird and oddly danceable check out Gogol Bordello. I'm officially in love with Eugene Hutz (AMAZING) and the rest of the band's unique, Eastern European/Dub/Punk/GYPSY flavored music.

"Nolite bastardes te carborundorum"
-Musicsnob

Stoodio53 - Mixtapes

The other day I was on iTunes randomly searching for free music in the form of podcasts (yay podcasts!) and I came across Stoodio53 mixtapes. There are about 9 of them that you can download off iTunes right now, and as I said they're free (premixed) music. The mixtapes vary, because they're mixed by different DJs, but generally stick to pretty straightforward underground punk, rock and pop. You can also find information about some of the artists, DJs, and setlists on the website linked above. I've listened to three so far, and my personal favorite was #7 (mixed by djMoo.) It's an eclectic mix including a song by Ween called "Push th' Little Daisies" that sounds like a breakup song sung by Cartman of South Park. Yeah, that weird, in fact so weird and ridiculous that it's also hilarious.

-Musicsnob

Lights & Sounds - Yellowcard

I began streaming this album off Myspace with low expectations. It seemed to me that the success of "Ocean Avenue" had propelled Yellowcard to heights undeserved. The album Ocean Avenue was a lackluster effort that didn't do justice to the energy found in the single. I was very pleasantly surprised when this latest endeavor proved to be a much more cohesive and interesting group of songs than those found on Ocean Avenue. To me, Lights & Sounds realizes all of the potential I'd heard from Yellowcard when listening to their last single "Ocean Avenue". The band has tightened their sound while also opening up to the insanely catchy melodies that make their singles such hits. The first few songs are a whirlwind of sound and pattern that blend nicely together while still remaining individually recognizable. "Down on My Head" is an excellent segue into the album after the crashing "Lights and Sounds". Yellowcard then lightens the sound a little with the nice "Sure Thing Falling", and embraces a soft melodic country twang with "City of Devils". "City of Devils" is one of the highlights of the album, with it's gorgeous sound and brokenhearted lyrics it resonates clearly with the feeling of loss that drives the album. Everything on the album runs smoothly until Yellowcard hits a speed bump with the seemingly well-meaning but underwhelming antiwar song "Two Weeks From Twenty". The lyrics on “Two Weeks from Twenty” are below the standard set by the rest of the album, and sound childish in comparison. Luckily, after this speed-bump the album jumps back up to the upbeat melodic pop-punk that makes Yellowcard so hard to ignore. Lights & Sounds is definitely a fun album, and in my humble opinion a huge step up from Ocean Avenue, both lyrically and musically.

"For every prohibition you create, you also create an underground" -Jello Biafra

"The Manifesto:

Music isn't about what shirt you wear or how ripped your pants are. Music isn't about the pins and patches you wear on your designer messenger bag. Music isn't about proving how much cooler the bands you like are to other people. Music isn't about a certain body type. Music isn't about being fat or thin. Music isn't about how many friends you have or the large crowd you hang out with. Music isn't about censorship. Music isn't about headlines and the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. Music isn't about being signed to a major label and getting a million dollar advance. Music isn't about different hair colors and different shades of eyeliner. Music isn't about social status or standing. Music isn't about being intimidated by what other people think. Music isn't about press shots and planned photo shoots and lead articles in Alternative Press.

Music is about being yourself. Music is about the visceral feeling you have that can't be summed up by anything but the butterflies in your stomach. Music is about finding a way to connect people with thousands of different backgrounds with one note or word. Music is about combining the mental, aural and visual. Music is about being eclectic and open-minded. Music is about growing and being experimental and different with the next note that comes out. Music is about the first amendment. Music is about screaming along with your favorite band from the first row. Music is about not giving a fuck what other people think. Music is about being both influenced and influential. Music is about standing for something you believe in. Music is about saying something, anything meaningful. Music is about connections. Music is everything."

-Stolen Bike Crusade

Does anyone else think this ^ is AMAZING??!!! I do. Friend Stolen Bike Crusade now, and you will not be disappointed.