Constant sorrow

If Cash were still alive, and if he got it on and knocked up the soundtrack to O' Brother, Where Art
Thou, and if their illegitimate bastard child played out in the obscure-ish artsy bars of St. Louis, it would sound so much like Elemental Shakedown that they'd be out of a gig and would have to go back to their day jobs. Lucky for them that hasn't happened, so they get to continue doing their thing. Lucky for us, too.

PS: Random country-folk cover of Robert Palmer's Addicted to Love? How awesome / hilarious. Ahhahahaha. So entertained.

Ole, ole ole ole

So. Went to see some rock music tonight. You know how I do.

The first band... What can I say? That reinforce every gut reaction I have about opening bands. It's like in a kung fu film, when you kill some kid's father, and he wants revenge. But you're a master, so you gotta be like, "No. Go and train for ten years, then come see me again." It wasn't that they were bad, really (except of course for the parts where they were, in fact, bad), it's just that they needed practice. At times they seemed unsure of themselves. And if you want to be a rockstar, gosh darn it, you have to OWN it. But, bless them, they tried. And isn't that enough? The answer of course is no, it isn't, but I'll give them points nonetheless.

Headlining were some Irish dudes I didn't know, and I was only there to see them cause I'd scored free tickets. The Coronas was their name, and I walked in expecting nothing. I quickly realized that they indeed had something. My first clue was the first song, which it seemed I'd heard before. Still, I took my time and played it safe, hoarding my best dance moves carefully. I let them do a few more while I figured out what they were about. As it turns out they are about rockin' Irish music, and I'm real glad I went in spite of it all (that being going solo, and a six mile roundtrip walk in the rain cause I didn't feel like biking). I toyed with the possibility of starting the dancing as the floor was wide open, but elected not to so as to save myself from embarassment. I kind of regret that decision as I missed my shot to show my conviction, though I more than made up for it later. Four girls that had a table up front jumped up for some song they knew, and I'd thought they'd snatched my thunder... But lo, they and the rest of the crowd that jumped up only danced for the one before becoming timid again. The time was mine. And I had a target. I saw that the not-lead-singer guitarist was quietly working his butt off, to the point that he was soaked with sweat, and I felt that deserved a bit of recognition. So. I sauntered over and stood right in front of him (he didn't see me). I took one foot, and brazenly put it up on the stage (he didn't see me). He played his little heart out, and I let loose. I worried that I was in over my head, but there was no turning back at this point. I am committed. I have to see this through to the bitter end. Nevermind how self-conscious I feel... as if I naked and on display, dancing with myself. Miraculously, somehow it all worked out in the end. Didn't go so far as dancing with any of the pretty girls there, but I did warrant a mention by the lead singer, and got a compliment on my moves talking to him after the show. I'll call that a win.

Other highlights:
~Seeing a guy on a bike huffing and puffing up a hill (one I know well, mind you), randomly yelling encouragement at him out of the night, his sense of semi-recognition that I was probably a cyclist on foot and not a jerk or weirdo, and his definite recognition as he passed and I could see the problem was he rode a fixie and said something to that effect.
~The first post ever entirely from a phone (sorry if there are typos and junk, I can hardly see what I'm doing), and still getting in music references even though I am without a computer.

New Music Monday: It's the real hip-hop

I've been drifting away from hip-hop of late as I've been exploring the many derivatives of rock for the last few months. There's a lot out there in the world of classic, indie and funk rock that I've yet to experience (which, honestly, is more than enough to rate a new music post in their own right, and in all fairness I should be writing first instead of posting this, and I feel bad for neglecting it now that something new and shiny's come along... I promise I'll give you some love and attention soon, rock... please don't be mad).

First up is the little track that sparked this whole thing, and fits true to life. It was as I walked through and caught the sound of this song on KDHX that made me think I ought to have a listen to what's being broadcast over the airwaves.
1982 - The Radio

Next is something you may have heard, or maybe not. Anyone with any exposure to hip-hop knows what Nas sounds like, and anyone with any exposure to anything knows who the Marleys are. But did you know Nas and Damian put out an album together? I was unaware. Hate me if you want.
Nas & Damian Marley - As We Enter

Hip-hop for Beatles fans, what what! Eleanor Rigby is my jam, lovin' that they sampled it, and the use of strings on urban songs? Fugedaboutit.
Evidence - Let the Beat Flip.

And now because we've established that dancing is awesome, a little something to get the blood flowing. B-boys and b-girls, stand up. Diggin' the strings on this as well, and the oldie soul sample is just killer.
JR & PH7 - Freedom [feat. Bambu, Rasco & Trek Life]

The subtitle of today's entry is, as many of them are, a quote from a song. This particular one is by Mobb Deep, only I didn't know that when I wrote it down cause I don't didn't listen to him. Nearly had an aneurysm trying to sort out where it came from. You guys, BLOGGING IS DANGEROUS, holy geez. Having obsessions is hard.



Dedicated with love to my B*tch of All Trades. And on our next episode: the most frightening post of all time.

One of four (thank you)

You know how when you're in a new car, and it's got that wonderful new car smell and feel? I have that feeling right now, only it's about a band. I love new band smell.

Canasta. Oh, Canasta. There was a lot to like about this show, and it all starts here. I first noticed them before the show started and before I knew who they were. There they were, sitting off to the side of the room, quietly, as if nothing at all was about to burst forth. "Hmm. Christmas sweater." is what I thought to myself. Then, slowly, there were more. "Apparently there's a theme on. I wonder why no one told me?" Not that I am particularly fond of Christmas sweaters, or even happen to own any. Heck, it's not even like I'm all that big on Christmas celebrations on the whole. But still, maybe it would have been nice to know ahead of time, Canasta. Maybe there could have been a memo. Anyway. I'll certainly give them that they had their own thing going on, and that's what being an indie band is all about: doing your own thing, independently. No matter if what you look or sound isn't mainstream. In this case, the look was ridiculous (hey Canasta, the Griswolds called, and they said quit pinching stuff from their closets) to the point that at times I was overcome. Couldn't even look at them. Just had to turn away and laugh. The sound, however, was superb. And infectious. From the start of the first song, they made the crowd come alive. And when I say "crowd" I really mean just one guy, but he danced so intensely that he made up for everyone else. I went up and danced along, couldn't leave him up there alone and unchallenged, but you knew that already. Canasta totally owns doing their own thing, with the musical prowess and the vocal chops to do whatever they want, and do it well. This included a completely rearranged rendition of a Christmas song that was so infused with their style of awesomeness that I couldn't even tell you what it was, and a wonderful cover of Elton's "Bennie and the Jets" that makes me wish I could take them home with me, or at least borrow the lead singer's voice to bring out to karaoke sometimes.

Canasta - Mexico City

Jon Hardy and the Public is everything a typical indie band is not. If The Man had a band, this is what I would imagine they'd look and sound like. Guys in ties and suit jackets + a girl in a dress. Competent guitarists + keyboardist + horn section, but lacking a vibrancy, or urgency, or energy, or soul. I mean, don't pull out a baritone sax if you don't know how to use it, kay? Go home and listen to some Tower of Power, then come back and we'll talk. The shame of it is had I not known what was to come from the next two acts and been unexpectedly blown away by Canasta, I probably would have liked them just fine. Some of their songs were in fact perfectly danceable, but if I stopped to wander away from the stage and talk to someone I didn't feel like I was missing much. I suppose I can give them one more chance to prove to me that they can rock, but they better bring it.

Elsinore was originally scheduled to be the headliner; due to an unfortunate incident involving a drunk driver after a show in Columbia that put the drummer out of commission the band had to drop out, but lead singer Ryan Groff stepped up to go solo for the remaining dates on the tour. Having seen Ryan perform with Elsinore countless times I felt I knew exactly what to expect, and it turned out I was pretty much dead on: soft spoken guitar, beautiful singing and masterful whistling. Ryan's got a pretty little voice, easily one of the best I've ever seen live, and he knows how to hypnotize a room. Without the band behind him it makes for a much mellower sound, which made quite the juxtaposition next to the other acts in the lineup. Such a change in the energy flow between bands is potentially a huge buzzkill and the kind of thing I'm rather particular about, luckily Ryan is supremely awesome. It's quite possible he's a minor deity, or more likely some sort of wizard. Despite the absence of the band, at times I could almost feel their presence and danced along to the energetic parts of songs just as if they were there. About the only thing that was surprising was his magical looping pedals, which I'm pretty sure he used to layer his whistling over itself. Magical Masterful Looping Whistling sure is a mouthful, and it's quite an earful as well.

With four bands on the bill I was quite afraid that the sets would be frustratingly short, and most importantly that I wouldn't be able to dance properly to Jumbling Towers (it's nice to jam along with songs you know). It's even fun to jam along with songs you don't know (they put out a new EP that I don't have yet), especially when the new man in the band is dancing up on stage. Now that's what I call exciting.

Bonus: After JT finished the sound guy turned on some music while the crowd made its way out and the band packed up. I thought it was likely some old classic rock band I'd not yet heard of because they started fifteen years before I was born, but it turns out they'd come through St. Louis just last week. Mental note: Mount Carmel might the best thing since Grand Funk Railroad. Further investigation required.

Pieces of a man

In a fit of musical exploration I went to the Pageant last night to check out some bands I've never heard of. This is perhaps a bit uncharacteristic for me at this particular time of year as I tend to go into hibernation mode in Fall and Winter, but I was helped by the fact that we have relatively balmy weather and that I acquired magical tickets. Score two for the good guys. In the forty-eight hours or so preceding the concert I did a little research on the bands in question to make or break my decision on whether or not I should actually go, and it turned out to be rather enjoyable, though not entirely what I expected.

Headlining the gig was Wolf Parade, who definitely represent themselves much better live than they do recorded. Listening to a smattering of tracks from their latest two albums I judged them to be just so-so, but they upped the energy level quite a bit on stage. Sadly it was not enough to encourage more than a few sporadic and intermittent dance moves from the crowd, but having no expectations I found it enjoyable.

The show stealer, however, had to be the opening act of Ogre You Asshole. I picked out a video at random and it happened to be one of their best songs. I don't know what it is these guys do to my brain, but I like it. Going in I was more excited about seeing them than Wolf Parade. Other than one frantically dancing guy the crowd never really warmed up to them - maybe because it was early? - but for me it was pretty special walking in just as they started my current top pick of their songs. They finished their set with one I've not yet heard but I for sure need to listen to - the bass solo was especially awesome, it's hard to believe anyone can play a bass that fast using a pick. I also did not mind getting Kei Mabuchi's autograph when he walked up and sat down right behind me. Does it qualify as being a fanboy moment if I've been listening to them for two days?

Japanese guys! In a box! Playin' music and havin' fun with confetti. At least the video isn't game show-inspired.


That's the good news. The bad news is I'm having a near-existential crisis over the state of organization of my music library trying to figure out how to file this properly. In what language do I title the albums and songs? Japanese with Japanese characters? Japanese with Chinese characters? Japanese using the Latin alphabet? English translations of Japanese? I am not helped by the fact that I've found the file names and metadata and general info vary between using ALL FOUR of these. Arrg... Ultimately, I feel the best compromise between authenticity and function is to use rōmaji, but I don't necessarily feel good about it. Order... need order... order which keeps me from going to pieces.

New Music Monday: Club Thing

An impromptu visit to the club for a little weekend dancing has clued me in to a few new bands to groove to.

#3. If Revenge of the Nerds were being remade today, the nerds would play this song to win the final event of the Greek Games in the climactic scene.


#2. Technically speaking when I heard the DJ spin this it was merely a reminder, as I found the track was already on my hard drive when I got home. Clearly it was a needed one. Now that it's gotten my attention for the second time, it's getting so much play. Sadly they aren't very prolific, the only work they've done basically consists of this track and a smattering of remixes. Put out a record already.
Flight Facilities - Crave You [feat. Giselle Rosselli]

#1. Fun songs + fun videos = win. WIN, I say.

The triumphant return of New Music Mondays

Been on hiatus for a little while, which I understand had a few folks a little disappointed. Sorry 'bout that. Let myself get a little distracted by other things. Here's hoping getting back into this will bring a degree of focus and balance back to my life.
A while back I was at a party where a pretty girl introduced me to Pretty Lights. Well, that's not exactly how it went. If you want the truth, she gave me just the tiniest hint only to snatch it away as I started to get my groove on. Thought that was rather a tease move to make, but it would seem that's how some folks roll. Ahem. I digress, as it all worked out in the end. I managed to catch their name before she tried to shut my dance party down, which is a musical and dancing discovery that may rank right up there near Rjd2 in terms of sheer importance, and I used my fly moves to basically crush all comers on the dance floor (er... I mean dance yard... luckily my moves work just as well on grass). It was quite the night. I suppose it would have been nice to get the girl in the end, but life can't always be a Disney movie. Anyway, Disney movies don't know nothing about stealth disco. For reasons not entirely known to me, I perpetrated an incident of ninja-like dancing skill. Sadly, there was no video, but rest assured that it was hilarious, if for nothing else then for the fact that I spent a solid few minutes dancing practically IN someone's back pocket without being noticed.

Pretty Lights - Look Both Ways & Understand Me Now

You think you've got me figured out

Last night I stepped out to see some old favs at the Firebird, where a good time was had indeed. Headlining the show was adopted band friends Elsinore fresh off the release of a spanking new album Yes Yes Yes. They hail from Champaign, but they've been coming to St. Louis so long they're practically local. As always, lead singer Ryan Groff was masterful with use of his powerfully sweet voice. Notable stops on the rest their tour are at Lincoln Hall in Chicago on Friday, August 20 and the Strutt in Kalamazoo on Friday, August 27. I suggest you take a listen and think about going to check 'em out if they're comin' through your town. I'm already waiting for them to come back again.

Moving backwards through time leads us to Jumbling Towers, one of the thankfully long-lasting local indie rock acts. Too many good local bands have fallen, cut down in their prime by whatever circumstances make bands break up. Where I used to have a stable of St. Louis bands to choose from, with someone playing a show practically every week, now there are so very few. Keep on trucking.

And last we come to those that played first. Opening things up was Dear Vincent, a band of complexities. The only group I can think of offhand with so many layers of instrumentation is Lost in the Trees. Dear Vincent doesn't quite have the depth as Lost in the Trees - and this is hardly a fair comparison to make considering Lost in the Trees is an indie rock orchestra - but they've definitely got a lot going on. I'd say there's reason to go see them again just for the sake of picking apart some of the different sounds that they used, as I'm sure I missed quite a bit. It just so happens that they play some pretty decent music. They sure restored a bit of my faith in opening bands and did a good job of getting the crowd warmed up and into the show. It also happens that the drummer is a cyclist. And that sometimes he follows me around. I bumped into him twice today while I was out and about. It was strange.

My only complaint about the evening was the lack of crowd participation. I've seen folks get into the groove in a rather serious way at both Elsinore and Jumbling Towers shows, so I figured the two of them together would produce some epic indie dance action. Plus Dear Vincent was so good starting things off I had high expectations. Alas, it was not to be. Maybe there was something off about the energy level of the place or of the bands, or the length of the sets (personally I felt like they were a little short). I did my best to hold it down on the dance front, and kept up the fight solo, front and center through two whole sets, but things did not jump off as I had hoped. And boy, do I feel self-conscious about it after the fact. Dancing like no one is watching while everyone else is dancing is one thing, but doing so while the whole crowd just sits back and chills is something else entirely. Obviously they can see you, cause there is no where to hide!

A whole mess of sound

At least the spirit of music isn't dead in the Loop. For four days in September 9oish bands will descend onto the neighborhood for a festival of epic proportions. Well, epic for St. Louis, anyway. The PLAY:stl fest runs the 15-18, though it remains to be seen how this will compare to the RFT Showcase. The low, low price of $20 gets you in to see all this glory. I'll admit it's a good deal, but that's versus a simple five spot for the RFT. And this thing is sponsored by Sam Adams. Again, I have to admit that it's a good beer, but we've got plenty of good beer a lot closer to home. I'm not convinced this is not a plot masterminded by Joe Edwards. Now that the RFT deal has moved elsewhere he's free to make a bunch more money off of anyone wanting to see a pile of bands in the Loop? Just a little wild speculation, though it remains to be seen what the real story is. Now that the schedule is up there are a whole lot of bands I don't know... but that could be good! If they're cool, what an intense period of new music discovery it would be. Most notably I see Art Majors are playing, been looking forward to seeing them for a minute. Might be worth checkin' out...

Five bucks, five bucks, five bucks

Whooo/ugh. That's the sound my body makes the morning after having fun at a kick ass show, but one which also kicked my ass. Partied it UP last night at the RFT Showcase, and though I had some reservations it definitely turned out to be a win. As I awaken, recover, and put the pieces of myself back together into some semblance of normality, I figure the best way to make sense of things is to do a run down of my own awards. You know, for posterity.

Best Bar: Hair of the Dog is what I would have to affectionately call a "rough in the diamonds". What concerned me most about the showcase's move from the Loop down to Wash. Ave. was the areas lack of pure venue spaces an overabundance of upscale snooty places. (More about that shortly.) HotD, on the other hand, is the kind of bar that wants you to come in and make yourself at home, no need to worry about taking off your shoes or spilling things on the rug. It's lived in. And they have shuffleboard!

Worst Bar: Lucas Park Grille - I've been out to the Showcase for a few years now, and like any good festival the beauty of it is the carefree come (and go) as you are vibe. This place was way too highfalutin. The first clue was the hostess asking people just ahead of us if they had reservations. Then the patio where the bands were meant to set up had almost no space for folks coming in to watch the bands; most of the tables in the place were set up for diners. That would be fine, if you want to be a restaurant. If you want to be a venue (even for a day), be a venue and let people come hang out. If you want to be a venue AND a restaurant, that'd be fine with me too, Cicero's and Blueberry Hill both have a system down with separate spaces to suit your tastes whether it be eating or rocking out. There are many different right ways to arrange things; this was an example of the wrong way.
Honorable mention in this category goes to Lola. The space is fairly new and nice, but I'm turned off by the fact that they also seemed to not have a sense of their own identity. I think more people were there to eat than to hear music, and I didn't really get the feeling that the music revelers like myself were welcome. Also the waitress with the frou-frou artsy trendy hairdo did not excite me. I just want to go to a bar for some tunes and drinks, not look at you attempt to be a runway model. (I didn't think of it until just now, but she kinda totally reminds me of Helen Strangé from Boomerang.)

Best Band to Get Me in a Dancing Frame of Mind: The Dive Poets came along at just the right time. Their set was the first at a venue as opposed to an outdoor stage, and being inside / in the evening it had finally cooled off enough for me to start drinking. I miss the fiddle, but they still brought it.

Best Band I've Seen Tons of Times: Jumbling Towers, how I've missed you! I used to kick it at their shows fairly often way back in the day, but it's been quite a long time. They rocked some new shit, they rocked some old shit, and I rocked my shit all over the floor right up front. People came in and packed the place during their set, which was great, but no one was dancing! That just wouldn't do. So, me being me, I scooted my behind up to the stage to help with the motivation. I only made small strides with the folks who were up there, but I did find a few possibly old school fans who knew their songs. Definitely going to have to get back into them.

Best Band I've Seen Tons of Times, But Missed: The Feed.

Best Band I've Never Seen: The Monads - Going to see them was a hard choice. They played at the same time as The Feed, and in this case I elected to go with new-and-potentially-awesome over tried-and-true-goodness. I wasn't sure to make of them while they were setting up. Upright bass, banjo, electric violin, giant bag of beach balls... Okay? They turned out to be real lively. I could see myself getting ragin', footstompin' drunk to this band in a good ol' Irish bar. ...if only I could find the perfect Irish bar in which to do it. The floor is open to suggestions.

Best Band I've Still Yet to See: Art Majors played after Jumbling Towers and I heard a little bit of them, but by that point I was tired and tapped out. It'd been a long day, and I no longer had the ability to properly cleanse my aural palate to differentiate between bands. It didn't help that no one in the crowd was into them enough to start moving, that might have convinced me to stick it out a bit longer. Gotta make a mental note to see them properly at some point.

Best Band for a Funky Good Time: Teddy Presberg kills. Literally. I saw someone drop to the ground of a funk attack, and I don't think they pulled through. DOA. Funkamedics could not resuscitate. The man is cooler than anyone has any right to be. My name is Teddy Presberg, and I'm gonna lay some riffs with this guitar in my lap for a lil' bit, izzat okay witchoo? Yes, please, Teddy. Gimme some more. And who else could pull of playing a show barefoot in such a shiny new bar? (He was at the aforementioned Lola) Bonus points for his man maiming folks with the bongo / drum solo funkassault.

Biggest Letdown Band: UG Project - From what I'd read about this group's style and genre-bending, I was really looking forward to something interesting. I ended up only catching maybe the end of one song at the end of their set, but my snap judgment from what I heard was underwhelming.

Best Friend: I didn't go very far out of my way to promote this thing ahead of time, and so did not attempt to bring a big crew down to check things out. I suppose it could have been fun having a pile of people to hang out with, but it also would have been a logistical nightmare. Almost seems better to go solo, or nearly so. I did invite Julie, who was awesome enough to come down, hang out, and pretty much follow me around to whatever band I wanted to see. I think she had a good time, so things worked out well for all parties involved.

Update: Official fotoes.

New Music Monday: Naked in the rain

Erykah Badu's latest album releases tomorrow. If the rest of it sounds as good as the track, I'll be quite happy to listen to it. Sister is still the Queen. While the video for the song is quite striking, before you check it out I suggest you set it up by watching the one that inspired it.





From Erykah, "[S]hot guerilla style, no crew, one take, no closed set, no warning, two minutes, in downtown Dallas, then ran like hell... I was afraid. But I was ready."

And from Questlove, "People were so stunned they forgot to break out camera phones."

New Music Monday: It's the rhythm you've been waiting for

Continuing the theme from last week, today's New Music Monday is on a girl with a funky 'do. I've been diggin' on Noisettes quite a bit these last days, and I'd love to tell you all about them. Only I have no idea where to begin. Is it soul? Rock and roll? Indie rock? Experimental? There's just so much going on, and each of the songs bounces between genres, sounding so distinct from the last that my brain is having trouble keeping up. It's just too much for me to wrap my head around. I like it, though. I don't care what it is, I just want more.

Noisettes - Don't Upset the Rhythm (Go Baby Go)

New Music Monday: Here come the future girls

Hello, is this Deltron 3030? I think I've just found your soul mate. Her name is Janelle Monáe, and she's got an interesting thing going. Of course if you're not interested I could maybe call Gnarls Barkley, but I figure the two of you have more in common. I bet one day you could make beautiful robot babies.

I'm not sure I'd agree with Sean "P Did-all Puff Diddy" Combs when he says she's one of the most important signings of his career... I mean, she's certainly got something, no lie. I've also got to give the girl points each for daring, creativity and theme. But the eclectic futuristic thing has been done before, ya know? And while it was a cool concept, it didn't change the world. In any case, she released an EP a few years back called Metropolis Suite I of IV: The Chase. Her first full-length The ArchAndroid - which will cover the second and third parts of the story arc - is scheduled to come out in May. The dance party rocker and nerd comic fanboy in me are having fights about which is more excited. Furthermore although she can stand on her own, how much better will this be featuring guest spots by Saul Williams (!) and Big Boi? The future, ftw.

Deltron 3030 - 3030
Janelle Monáe - Violet Stars Happy Hunting

Alright, it's gig time, what t-shirt am I gonna wear?

This weekend I stepped out to the Firebird for what turned out to be a perfectly awesome rock show.

We Landed on the Moon!: The flexibility and energy of this band is amazing. It is of course always great to hear someone playing some good music, which they surely did, but what really got me is how much fun they have doin' their thing. It's infectious. But not like "oh noes! I am disease-ridden!" More in a good way. Like, there has been an outbreak of rock n roll. People everywhere are coming down with it. Symptoms include smiles and wild dancing. Pleased be advised there is no cure; the only available option is to let the disease run its course, so if you find you are suffering the effects of this illness please report to the front of the stage for treatment.

Blind Eyes: What can I say about them? Local band, three white guys in standard arrangement. I was not wowed. I'm not knocking the idea of three white guys in a local band, mind you. I can think of at least one such group that has always impressed. But them... I believe I heard someone refer to them as "Bland Eyes", and that pretty well sums it up. My attention was not grabbed by the complexity or energy of the music, or by the depth of the lyrics. I did think they had a slightly interesting sound with their use of a blues guitar in a rock band, but it wasn't strong enough to stand out and make up for the band's overall shortcomings.

Elsinore: And speaking of complexity... I don't have any of their records, but I've now seen Elsinore a good three or four times. They're not local, but they come through St. Louis somewhat regular. It's only at this last show that I'm beginning to understand how much they've got going on in some of their songs. Somehow they managed to blend a beat that kicks with something as beautiful and sweet as a sea breeze. It's only because of their lead singer, I feel, that they are able to pull this off. The rest of the band is fairly adept as well, but it's he who really brings it all home. I was of two minds, torn between wanting to dance around and just bask in the music; ultimately I settled for dividing myself in two and using each half of my body to do both at the same time. The stage presence wasn't quite as strong as I've seen it be in the past - the last time they came through the lead singer was cracking jokes and bantering back and forth with the crowd - but I'm more than willing to forgive that as they were on day 28 of 28 of their tour.

But wait, there's more! Have some video goodness...





When I die, I sure hope I don't have pie all over my face...

New Music Monday: Talkin' all that jazz

Unintentionally - for I am not supposed to be letting myself get sidetracked by new music right now, and I promised myself I'd take a little break - I find myself with some fresh finds. Here I thought I was going to do this bi-weekly and use the word "fortnight" more often. Oh well. This week, we're gonna kick it with some new oldies.

Sarah Vaughan: In the midst of a recent Amy Winehouse kick I happen to take a look at some of the similar artists listed on her last.fm page. Randomly (or subconsciously?) I clicked over to see what Sarah Vaughan is about. (Amy does count her as an influence, after all, and drops her name in at least one of her songs.) I usually have to be in just the right mood to appreciate such mellow stuff, but her voice is so soulful and sexy that I couldn't help but fall for her.

Sarah Vaughan - In a Sentimental Mood

Marva Whitney: As mentioned in my recent post about the Ghetto Funk Power Hour there was one artist on that first listen who really grabbed hold. Mr. Griptite closed out the hour with Marva Whitney. What could have been chalked up to the excitement of the moment was proven to be more that. A quick search and listen on Hype Machine showed me that she is a standout. She may not be well-known among those of the interweb generation, but DAMN sister's got soul. And she shows that she can throw down the jazz flavor as well. I'm sold.

Marva Whitney - Sunny (with James Brown)

Either of these ladies would be worth investing in a time machine so I could go back and see them at the height of their glory. Unless of course anyone has a spare laying around that I could borrow for such a purpose. I promise I'll bring it back nice and shiny.

New Music Monday: Baby, you know I got soul

For my next trick, I will attempt to make New Music Monday a semi-regular occurrence. Perhaps bi-weekly, so I will not be under quite so much pressure to go through so many songs that I can come up with an opinion about someone I haven't heard before ever seven days (that's a little bit of pressure). Aiding me in this, on my left I have last.fm - for a geek about being organized, having so much information about who, what and when I've been listening to stuff is like pure heaven. On my right, I have blogger - I've just discovered the ability to post-date posts (and have them automatically published), which to me feels a little like having a time machine.

Now then. Some black folks are still mad about how Elvis Presley stole our music and made it big. I can't claim to know much about that, it was way before my time, and I've not taken the time to go back and study about that period of musical and cultural history. My appreciation for Elvis pretty much starts and stops with that remix of A Little Less Conversation; other than that, to me he just doesn't sound like someone to get excited about. I used to wonder if the reason he didn't move me was cause he's white. I mean, let's face it, there are simply some things that white folks just aren't good at, like clapping on two and four. Not that I like to perpetuate stereotypes, but this is something I've seen many a time with my own two eyes. This week I have found some white folks who clearly know what it's all about, so I'll have to lay to rest my previous theory about why Elvis ain't got no soul. Mental note: next time I see Mos Def I should ask him what he was singin' about.

Alice Russell: I can't now recall how it was I found out about this lady, but based on who she's worked with I imagine she must have found her way into my library in connection with the Quantic Soul Orchestra. I've been diggin' on those cats for a while now, and if I remember correctly I also had a solo track or to by Ms. Russell floating around. I believe I must have listened to it, but I guess I just wasn't yet in the right place to hear it. Listening to her makes me think of soul food (the slap-yo-momma kind), she's so full of life and power and emotion. She's also so incredibly vibrant she makes me think of classy sassy black ladies, or perhaps a diva who's been at this for years. Surprise! Turns out she's a white girl. Not only that, but she's from Britain. I knew they were famous for rock, but soul? Well then... shut my mouth. In light of these developments I would like to offer my profuse apologies to all the white people and specifically white girls who I ever spoke or thought ill of. In the future Iy'll even take it easy on teasing you about the clapping thing.

Alice Russell - Hurry On Now
And for further knowledge, check her out behind the scenes @ SXSW '09.

Leigh Jones: This is one currently in my brain's inbox for checking out in the immediate future, on the recommendation of one Peevee Wonder of Animate Objects. Actually, he suggested everyone google her. Me, I take that to mean I should last.fm and hypem her (I swear to Bob, if I ever hear anyone seriously use those terms as verbs I'm gonna go poke the interwebs in the eye with a big pointy stick).

New Music Mhursday

A-whoops. Maybe if I was better at posting on a regular basis, I could do a weekly thing about what I've been diggin (or not). And it'd be all alliterative and awesome. Think about how nice that would be! But I'm just me, sooo... Mhursday it is. I'm sure it's fine, because in the words of

Florence + The Machine: I have no idea where this one came from, but girl's got a big ol' voice. It's surprising to hear that much power coming from a vocalist these days, but especially so from one so young. And who knew white British people had soul? First Amy (she may be a hot mess in her private life, but she's got pipes and you know it), then Duffy, now Flo. Been listening to her take on quite a few covers and it puts quite the interesting spin on things. A lot of those have been of the rock and indie variety, but you can tell she's into history as well. Mad respect for anyone who's into Candi Staton. I just can't. Get. Enough. Wanna hear more, know more, and maybe marry her.

Florence + The Machine - You've Got the Love (Candi Staton cover)

Eternia: This one caught my attention from Bob knows where on the interwebs. It's terribly hard to find good female emcees these days, people that have a sound that says style, a sound that says class, a sound that says this is hip-hop. And if that's what you're looking for, don't stop, cause you won't find it here. I'll give her that she's got something going for her, and I'll likely give her at least a second listen before I put her away and forget about her, but after hearing what she has to say on Get Caught Up I can't say I'm all that impressed. Certainly I can't understand why anyone would go so far as to claim Eternia is "the best female rapper alive"*, as I saw someone comment on last.fm. That's the kind of bold statement that, I feel, deserves a bit of inspection. There are a lot of subjective and hard to measure variables that could qualify one as being among the best emcees alive. To list a few: 1. A firm grasp of the four elements (if you don't know what those are, go back to hip-hop kindergarten). For that, the first that controversially comes to mind would be Fergie; I know, I know she quite possibly ruined the Black Eyed Peas, and she really went off the rails with that solo shit she pulled, but for a while there BEP was one of the rare contemporary hip-hop groups that incorporated break dancing. For that, they will always have my respect. Even if it's locked away in a time capsule from the days of their first two albums. 2. The ability to tell a compelling story that draws in the listener. When it comes to this, I have to say it's hard to be better than Brother Ali, Aesop Rock, Immortal Technique (though he will get a little too into it for my tastes), or Slug (more for the early- to mid-2000s; wasn't so much diggin on that When Life Gives You Lemons...). All of them make me feel like a little kid listening to a bedtime story that I don't want to end. The skill to lay absolutely dope verses over some fresh beats. Jean Grae, Psalm One or Lauren Hill (back when she used to be about hip-hop, before she went all crazy and came out with Unplugged) can all do this in a way that'll get the crowd jumpin. I do have to give Eternia at least some credit on this aspect; her flows and beats do not suck. But on my first listen, it didn't sound like she was talking about anything. Nor did it seem she was bringing an energy that I could connect to, and the beats started to sound a little repetitive and mechanical. Give me something original and laced with fire. Maybe I'm being a little hard on the girl, but I'm particular about my hip-hop. After all, someone's gotta stand up and make sure the world isn't overrun by a bunch of crap rappers.

Eternia - Foul Child

*Technically, she said "raper", but we'll go ahead and let that potentially tragic typo slide.

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Now playing: Black Eyed Peas - They Don't Want Music [feat. James Brown]
via FoxyTunes

Does anybody like real music, sweet music, soul music?

My name is Marcus... and I like music. Is there an anon. group out there for me, I wonder? I should check that out, maybe get some help.

I don't listen to the radio much in this modern age as finding stuff on the internets is more suitable to my schedule and attention span. Between last.fm and hype machine I really, truly do not need to spend any more of my time discovering new music. (Really. Have I mentioned the addiction?) Sometimes, though, it really comes through. The other day on KDHX I caught the sound Choklate, just a taste, but enough that I wanted to look into it further. After listening to her latest album To Whom It May Concern, I am floored by how amazing this artist is who was nowhere on my radar. For the most part she's got this neo-soul flavor thing going, but mixed in at times is a bit of hip-hop and - slightly surprising - a hint of disco. My favorite track right now is "The Tea", which reminds me of Jamiroquai's style. Makes me want to get up and dance.

And because everything is degrees of separation, I was reminded to take a second listen to one of my longtime notable favorite emcees, Chali 2na (Choklate and Chali did a little something something together). Been diggin' him since back in the J5 days, of course, and also some of his collaborations (Chali + Galactic = fantabulously zawesome, that was easily one of the all-time best shows I've been to). Somehow I hadn't paid a great deal of attention when came out with his solo work Fish Outta Water. I don't know if on his own he quite brings the depth that was standard from J5, but it's definitely worth a few listens. I should slap myself for sitting on this for so long without putting it into heavier rotation.

A little closer to home...
Loyal Family isn't a... label? Production / promo company? I don't even know how to identify them, I know so little about them. I think they may have had something to do with a music festival I went to once upon a time, and maybe with a band(s) that I'm into. Not terribly sure, though. Whatever the case, they sure seem to be getting up to a lot lately. Checking back over the blog I see quite a few quality shows that I would have loved to see, had I not been so busy having my head up my bum. That's the only inexcusable reason I can think that I missed freakin' Digable Planets comin' through town. Gah. How silly of me.

Eleven magazine, formerly dedicated to expanding the musical horizons of the Wash U set, is trying to get all big for its britches. They'll now be aiming for a wider St. Louis audience, focused predominately on indie rock, rock, hip-hop, soul and funk. Yes, please, and yes, yes, yes and yes, I will take the works. I figure more exposure of the scene can't hurt, 'specially if they're going to hit pretty much all of my favorite genres without any uninteresting dead weight. Something new to keep an eye on.

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Now playing: The Roots - Good Music
via FoxyTunes