the stepkids - direct to vinyl

I walked into Capsule Labs on Saturday night and my friend Cindy pointed out the downstairs room where the mixing for the evening would be taking place and directly above it, the upstairs space where it would be recorded straight to vinyl.

There’s something about Stones Throw Records (which I’ve mentioned before in my Aloe Blacc post), they have their finger to the pulse of what is just plain cool. It’s seen in their choice of artists, their choice of DJs, and in events like this show I went to - the second in their series Direct-to-Disc celebrating their 15 year anniversary (15 years?! They’re so young still and already have so much cache. I love it!).

The first installment featured Mayer Hawthorne (love) and Saturday night it was all about The Stepkids with an opening set from Gary Wilson and The Blind Dates.

I think all I can really say about Gary Wilson is that all of the members in his band came out in furry bear/huge afro/scary mask costumes and that one of the members on stage held a blow up doll for the entire performance. Their funky rhythms and upbeat melodies in their songs kept me interested without a doubt, and for those who love some freaky lyrics (i.e. “six foot four equals make out”) or bands who collapse into noise-making psychedelic reverie (i.e. taking the head of the blow up doll and “playing” the piano with it), it doesn’t get much better than Gary Wilson.

Gary Wilson - 6.4 = Make Out by planned_obsolescence

Reading about who The Stepkids are is to look through a hefty set of resumes for sure. Lead guitarist Jeff Gitelman, bassist and keyboardist Dan Edinberg, and drummer Tim Walsh have individually been on stages with people like Alicia Keys, 50 Cent, Lauryn Hill, and Zox, have scored movies and commercials, and have produced solo albums of their own before becoming the R&B, Funk force we know as The Stepkids.

Words in the blogosphere used to describe them are things like psychedelic, funk, R&B, and soul. These all fit for sure and they all invoke the retro feeling to their songs - like you could take out the music from the opening credits to any popular 70s sitcom and replace it with pretty much any Stepkids song and nothing would look out of place. Mid-way through the performance (when the people in the vinyl recording room were switching the disc over to side B causing a little break in performance...so flipping cool) I turned to Cindy and said, “They’re like if you had The Beegees, took away most of their falsetto, and injected them with funk and soul and took out their Disco DNA.”

Whatever they sounded like, the entire audience was eating out of their hands all evening. It shows that these guys have spent a lot of time on stages, they were very comfortable and their live sound was full and rich as a result.

Right now The Stepkids have a 12” single out with “Shadows on Behalf” and “La La.” Expect to hear more from these guys very soon.

The Stepkids - Shadows On Behalf by stonesthrow

Wilcox Sessions - The Stepkids (Santos & Ken) from Wilcox Sessions on Vimeo.

P.S. The girl in this video is distracting, sorry. Everything else about it was too cool to pass up.

the ram sees little dragon, falls in love again

Listening to Little Dragon reminds me of looking into a kaleidoscope. Something about the texture of their sound feels both colorful and circular in the same way that watching new combinations click into place inside the popular children’s toy.

I’ve been excited about seeing Little Dragon live for over a month now. I’m very spoiled because I’ve been fortunate enough to get to help out for many amazing artists in Apogee’s Berkley Street Studio as part of KCRW’s Sessions there. Last night it was Little Dragon’s turn to grace the stage that has now hosted David Gray, Interpol, Manu Chao, Janelle Monae, k.d. lang and more (and that’s just for KCRW, not to mention the other amazing people that have come through to record in this state of the art studio full of top of the line equipment). With the renowned Bob Clearmountain at the mixing board, Little Dragon had all the ingredients for a truly incredible performance.

Inside baseball note: The band was so sweet all day. They arrived early and were all gracious and very sweet, calm, and giggly. They had the staff figuring out the espresso machines and sipped on almond milk lattes (yay for vegans) before hitting the stage for some jam time. Listening to their sound check in the afternoon made me so giddy - like it was a secret just how great they were going to be for the packed crowd that evening.

And boy what a crowd. Garth Trinidad stood up on stage and said out loud what we were all thinking: it was a sexy group of people last night. Good looking people packed in all the way to the back of the room with a few musicians and DJs studded in the crowd including Robin of Quadron, Diplo, and DJs Mathieu Schreyer, J-Logic, and Eric J. Lawrence. Another little inside baseball note: as the girl partly in charge of how much booze we had at the party, I can tell you that all of our beer was gone before the performance even started...that’s 30 minutes of drinking time and an amount of beer we thought was more than enough, gone. I say that only to get across that the crowd was nice and loose and ready for some LD action.

First of all Yukimi Nagano is totally transfixing to watch. She was reserved and sweet all afternoon and then she got up on stage and turned into this sexy in charge woman with something to say. It’s easy to see how much the music lives inside her - it totally affects her body and presence on stage and she expresses it in her hip swings, her far-off stares, her warrior stances, and her hands that drum out the beats instinctually.

And there’s no question, the band totally shines. I was talking to Eric J. Lawrence after the show and we both really enjoyed the different idea they have about making what sounds good in a song. They have their own ideas for sure, but they never miss a step with driving beats, unique sounds, and melodies that somehow work despite often sounding like they could be for a different song entirely. Slap some Yukimi Nagano vocals on top of the slamming music produced by her high school friends and band mates and the result is just magic.

Good times had by all. And as J-Logic tweeted after the show, Robin of Quadron was introduced to Yukimi last night. Maybe a collaboration for the future? One can hope!

Little Dragon 'Ritual Union' (Live on Fallon) from lentetijd on Vimeo.

the ram has nothing original to say but must say it anyway

It seems silly for me to try to say anything about Fleet Foxes now. So many people have said so many amazing things about their new album Helplessness Blues and I feel the urge to back up and say, “Yeah...what he/she said!”

As I continue to write about music I love on this little blog though, it also feels like it would be a glaring omission to leave them out just because I didn’t feel like I could say something original.

So I won’t try to say something original. I think my favorite review of the album comes from J. Crosby on Aquarium Drunkard’s blog. He speaks eloquently to the progression from their last album, the brilliant introspection of their lyrics, and the simple beauty of their harmony.

For me, listening to Helplessness Blues reminds me of many hours listening to my parents Crosby, Still, Nash, & Young records. I’ve listened to So Far so many times it’s embarrassing. I can only imagine what my parents must have thought watching their eight-year-old daughter climbing up on a stool to carefully place the needle on the gently rotating 45 and then singing along to “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes.”

Fleet Foxes' new album has that same instant classic or destined for timelessness feeling as the music of their predecessor singer/songwriter/harmonizers. In truth, I have secret visions of a small Taryn digging through the then obsolute mp3 files on her mommy's old ipod some day for Helplessness Blues. Singing along proclaiming that if she “had an orchard [she’d] work til [she was] sore.”

Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues by subpop

Fleet Foxes - Grown Ocean from Fleet Foxes on Vimeo.

the ram in silk and lace

I was listening to Anthony Valadez’s May 17th show on demand on KCRW’s website on Sunday and toward the end of the first set I had to interrupt my listening to find the track list and figure out what the 5th song was - that’s right, I didn’t even get through the first set before Anthony had me saying, “Who is this?!” out loud in the coffee shop. He does that.

Later that same day I was listening to Jeremy Sole’s May 19th show and again in the first set, four songs in, I had to pause to find out what the song was. What I found was the same name from Anthony’s show...

Miles Bonny.

To be honest, I’ve been looking up things about this dude all over the interwebs trying to figure out what to say about him (put his name in a vimeo search and see the crazy amount of hilarious stuff that comes back at you). When I felt overwhelmed doing that I went to Eric J. Lawrence (my go-to for digestible information for the curious music lover) who couldn’t help - he didn’t know who I was talking about!! Not to worry, I set this straight and sent him over the songs below. ;)

What I can glean from the plethora of information out there by Miles, about Miles, related to Miles is that he is a DJ/Producer/Musician/Singer living in Kansas City who has been around for a while. He’s collaborated with so many artists to create a soulful sound that is utterly delicious - I mean it, it’s sensual in that way that’s so thick you could take a bite out. It’s like wrapping yourself in yards and yards of silk and lace. Yeah that’s right, I went there - it’s sexy music, friends.

Jeremy threw down this song in his great set this morning on Morning Becomes Eclectic.
Miles Bonny - Nothing But You by MPMCGN

(P.S. If you missed it you should take a listen for sure - lots of gems in there including a little Hall & Oates cover for a Wednesday morning. Listen here.)

His Lumberjack Soul LP comes out June 24th. Until then here's some more Miles Bonny love!

the ram's little heart belongs to typhoon

I’ve wanted to write about Typhoon for weeks now. I saw them on one of my favorite blogs, I am Fuel You are Friends, curated by the lovely Heather Browne - who I just KNOW is cool even though I’ve technically only had one email exchange with her. :)

I’ve been thinking about it for so long that finding the right words now seems daunting as I’ve grown to love their music so much. I don’t remember what my first impressions of them were at this point, but what I know is that with each time I listen I’m more impressed with the graceful way they wrangle the logistics of 10 people with instruments to create songs that are more than just nice to listen to but further: intimate confessions, rallying cries, celebrations of life’s lessons, and quiet moments of despair over life’s mistakes. Their lyrics deal with matters that feel very real with brave, bold strokes of string arrangements, horn blows, several guitars all strumming out rhythms and melodies, an array of percussion instruments and sometimes the voices of the entire group all at once.

KCRW has an excellent Guest DJ Project that has hosted some amazing people. One of my favorites sessions was with Annie Philbin, Director of the Hammer Museum here in Los Angeles. During her session she chose a song by The Arcade Fire (who Typhoon seems most often compared to) and explained her choice saying, “there’s something that really good artists do that has to do with capturing [the] feeling and the complex nature of childhood,” which she feels The Arcade Fire does particularly well.

In this same vein, I believe a big part of the reason those who talk about Typhoon draw comparisons to The Arcade Fire lies in their their ability to speak to the intangible small child that continues to live in each of us. While The Arcade Fire addresses these themes directly with their lyrics (most notably on their recent album The Suburbs), the ability of Typhoon to draw on themes of childhood is a little more subtle.

Something about the fantastical images in songs like “Belly Of The Cavern” (“so I drank the soil from the golden chalice”) and the playful mixing of voices like the end of “The Honest Truth” is reminiscent of childhood. Perhaps more specifically, something about Typhoon is reminiscent of the moments when one loses the innocence of childhood - feelings of simultaneous growth/the invitation to adulthood and the longing to stay put in play dates forever.



Like the note my parents still have from when one of my friends told me Santa Clause wasn’t real. My little five-year-old self (with the help of my parents) wrote asking Santa to sign a piece of paper so that I could show my friend he was indeed real, for he signed my letter.

Listening to Typhoon is like writing that letter and I truly love them for it.

Typhoon - CPR/Claws Pt 2 from Matthew Ross on Vimeo.

pumping up the ram's kicks

Anne Litt and Jason Bentley did a SXSW 2011 wrap up this year when they returned to LA and one of the stand out moments for them was seeing everybody scream along, party anthem style, to Foster The People’s “Pumped Up Kicks.”

My friend Cindy and I knew it was going to be a mad house to see them at Coachella so we did our concert-goer duty and got there early to stake out a spot in the tent. Holy cow - we were totally unprepared for how much people wanted to pump up their kicks. Unfortunately due to a former act going WAYYYY over their alotted time slot (*cough* Tinie Tempah *cough*) the band didn’t get a chance to sound check very well.

It didn’t seem to matter to the biggest crowd I saw at the festival. Everybody stuck around and jammed out singing along to every word and otherwise showing signs of utter fan-dom.

This all happened for a band with a single EP to their name. Yes, Torches didn’t drop until yesterday, which means all those people were hopped up on the buzz from whatever they were finding on the interwebs and a 3 song EP.

But if you’re going to have 3 songs out there representing you it doesn’t get much better than Foster The People’s “Houdini,” “Pumped Up Kicks (video below),” & “Helena Beat.”

Houdini by Foster The People

Helena Beat by Foster The People

To celebrate the release of their LP, Torches, Foster the People played a free show at Amoeba Records in Hollywood last night. As was expected, the line wrapped around the corner and LA kicksters showed up in numbers that filled every row all the way back to the hip hop and soul 45s in the front of the store (Amoeba had them set up with a nice little stage toward the back).

I’m in. I purchased Torches there on the spot and I’ve been listening to it since. I don’t know what to say other than...sometimes you just “got it,” and Foster the People have definitely “got it.”

Foster The People - Pumped Up Kicks from Foster The People on Vimeo.

the ram feels high

So I went to Yeasayer last night with few expectations. It’s funny - Yeasayer is a band that I know I like, but before last night I couldn’t have named any of their songs. What I knew about them prior to last night is that I heard lots of buzz about them from our DJs when their last album came out and they seem to collaborate with people I love (i.e. their Florence + The Machine remix on Lungs - listen below). All my favorite music people were making promises yesterday that it would be a great show - so I went knowing it would be good but with little explanation as to why they felt so assured.

Dog Days Are Over (Yeasayer Remix) - Florence and the Machine by Mar-Y

Before I say any more about Yeasayer, I HAVE TO talk about one of the opening acts Hush Hush. I tweeted after the show that I’ve never felt so fascinated and violated at the same time. I think that’s how I continue to feel as I look at his bandcamp page. Hush Hush has Sleigh Bells style heavy distortion and down beats going for him except this time he’s singing about things like, “drinking from my pussy cup.” That’s right. I kept turning to my friend saying, “He’s really saying what I think he’s saying.” His whole set had a SNL skit feel to it which, I think, is why he got away with everything without offending anybody - he played an applause track at the end of each song saying, “Oh wow! Thank you guys so much - it’s too much.” I’m not going to lie - I loved every second of it. There were lots of things said about this guy last night - that he was from Germany, that the members of Yeasayer found him homeless, that he’s a pervert - I can only qualify the last one. Who knows where Hush Hush is from but all I can say is wow...

WARNING - I’m cognizant of the fact that some of you may sometimes be in the presence of little innocent ears...I wouldn’t listen to the below until they’ve gone to bed and will never have to be corrupted by the insanity of Hush Hush.



Then Yeasayer took the stage and it was on and cracking for over an hour and a half. I had my first Coachella experience this past April and being at the Music Box last night was the closest I’ve felt to being totally enveloped by music since being in the tent for Leftfield and Cut Copy. With a crazy light show and bass you could feel in the floors and on your chest, music was suddenly living on my skin and in my eyes.

I’ve seen shows like this before and have been sadly disappointed. Sometimes, being a band like this, with a sound that appeals to all of your senses and makes your body move means that the urge is there to perform directly to your often heavily altered fans. While I totally enjoy this as part of the experience of going to see somebody like Animal Collective, there have been times that I’ve felt a bit left out - like I couldn’t enjoy it because I wasn’t quite altered enough.

Yeasayer did an excellent job living in all worlds. There was plenty there to find trippy - in sight, in sound, in feel - and instead of needing to be on drugs to enjoy it, being at the concert made me feel utterly high. I was dancing in ways that, in retrospect, I’m glad nobody was taping. I was screaming along with “Ambling Alp.” And at times I just sat there with my mouth open, soaking in the experience - feeing tingly through to the ends of my hair.

I can’t say it enough friends, go see Yeasayer. They’re currently touring and have dates lined up everywhere from San Fran to Houston to DC (that’s right I’m talking to you, my AU Alum Friends) to New York. Check out their myspace page for a full list of dates.

Yeasayer "ONE" By: Radical Friend from ODDBLOOD on Vimeo.

motopony love & free download

I first took notice of Motopony when the lovely Betsy, of KCRW's Web Team, tweeted that they were her new favorite band a few months back. (Betsy's in a super sweet little band too that you should check out - Barbara.)

At the time the song being played on the airwaves of KCRW was “Wait For Me,” which sneaks into the heart of somebody new every time it gets played. Seemingly every time I’m answering the phones at the front desk and Jason plays it on Morning Becomes Eclectic the phone lines go off with people asking, “What is this song?”

Wait For Me - Motopony by tinyogre

What I’ve noticed as KCRW has been allowed to play more songs from the new album (due out this week), is that the call-in response is not unique to “Wait For Me.” It happens with “King of Diamonds” and “June” and “Seer” and “Euphoria” and...basically the entire album.

Why? Really there are just too many answers to this question, but there are a few first impressions for me that might explain some of it.

The lyrics are honest. I’m always heartened when reviews of a band are strewn with lyric mentions and Motopony is definitely that kind of band. From the vulnerable “Wait For Me” sentiment that “all my life I have been waiting for a wife,” to the “King of Diamonds” concession that while he’s been “looking for the King of Diamonds” that “the Queen will do,” to the spoken as to make you shudder, “do you remember kids?” at the end of “Wake Up,” the lyrics in every song resonate on the level of secrets we dare only speak in our minds.

Musically the songs have catchy threads couched in expansive melodies and playful/soulful percussion elements and the vocals of frontman Daniel Blue, at times delicate and others powerful, weave effortlessly into Motopony’s tapestry of sound.

I think for me, my love for Motopony is derived most directly from the way they appeal to my emotions. I admit I’m a sappy, mushy romantic and the thought of a boy saying to me, “you’ve got everything I want,” makes me giddy on the inside. But more than just a girlish crush on these guys (have you SEEN Daniel Blue?), I’m struck by the way Motopony gets right at the root of my longings. Longing for love. Longing for patience. Longing for joy.

It’s this sense of longing, seen on the languid faces of Vegas-goers in laundromats, at bars, in swimming pools, etc. that is accurately captured in the new video for King of Diamonds.

Motopony - King Of Diamonds from tinyOGRE on Vimeo.

With the anticipation for the release of their new album in the air, Motopony has several appearances planned: tonight (May 23) for Chris Douridas’ It’s a School Night at Bardot, tomorrow (May 24) at The Troubadour, and they’re back on June 25 for a free concert hosted by KCRW at One Colorado in Pasadena. Don’t sleep friends!

Here's a free download from the band's myspace to tide you over 'til tomorrow...

the ram and the aloe blacc soul train

It was a total joy to see a group of happy people gathered at the Music Box last night to cheer on Southern Cali native, Aloe Blacc. It felt like a KCRW family affair with Jeremy Sole in the house on the turntables to set the mood right before Aloe and The Grand Scheme made their grand entrance.

Becoming a member of the Stones Throw family means, almost without exception, that an artist will be traveling all across the world to perform for international audiences. Gigging all around the world with very little time to rest has to take its toll but it also shows up in the polished performance that can only be the result of hours of playing together.

Aloe Blacc and his band, The Grand Scheme, were so smooth. Watching them play together was like watching a very fine piece of machinery running on all cylinders. Which is not to say they seemed mechanical - quite the contrary, they felt very alive playing together on stage. Aloe was charismatic, conversational, and personal at all times - I felt from the moment he walked on stage that he was a friend rather than a distant performer. He’s probably one of the only people I know who can sing to the crowd to make a space in the middle of a packed floor for a mini Soul Train dance break and have it happen without even one person hesitating.

I walked into the gym this morning and “I Need A Dollar” played over the speakers into the ears of the still half asleep gym goers. I smiled remembering Aloe’s live take on the song with his little Reggae, Rasta voice. I highly recommend seeing him if he comes through your town, friends.

Aloe Blacc - I Need a Dollar from LRG on Vimeo.

ram aloha

Growing up, I spent every summer with my Japanese family in Honolulu, Hawaii. My parents live there now so I finally feel legit calling it home, even though I’ve called it home for most of my life.

Something about the islands gets into your heart. It goes without saying that the natural beauty of the islands is awe inspiring but perhaps less is said that accurately captures the mythical aloha spirit. The feeling that when you’re there you’re “ohana” (family). It doesn’t matter if you’re Japanese, Ha’ole (White), Portugese, Filipino, Chinese, or Black - or as is most often the case in Hawaii, 1/6th of each. Hawaii is by nature a coming together of cultures and ideas as a bridge between the “East” and “American West.”

Booooooom! tweeted about a project this morning called Pow Wow Hawaii. Hype Beast took the time to make a small three part vimeo series describing the 2011 edition of Pow Wow, which it turns out, is a meeting of street/pop artists in Honolulu to collaborate on the creation of several art pieces for display. The videos profile the artists that took part in this year’s Pow Wow and why they feel it is important both to Hawaii specifically (noting that the art culture has been relatively dormant - which I can definitely validate) and to art and expression in general.

I am totally brimming with joy seeing these videos. I’m proud of the bringing together of these artists. I’m proud of the Hawaii spirit of Ohana these artists reflect. I’m proud that Hawaii is receiving a boost of adrenaline to its arts and culture scene. And of course, I’m jealous when the video captures scenes of the group roasting a pig and getting down on some serious local kine grinds. :)

HBTV POW WOW Hawai'i 2011 Part 1 from HBTV on Vimeo.

HBTV POW WOW Hawai'i 2011 Part 2 from HBTV on Vimeo.

HBTV Pow Wow Hawaii 2011 Part 3 from HBTV on Vimeo.

P.S. As is often the case, there is a lovely overlap between art cultures in these videos - street art and music being a classic example I feel. In addition to being nicely captured and spliced together, these videos also have some rad tunes in the background.

Check out the song behind the last video, Purity Ring - Ungirthed.

Ungirthed by PURITY RING

And here’s a free download of that Two Door Cinema Club Remix. Free Download.

Something Good Can Work (The Twelves Remix) by skorsz

what's the ram listening to?

Picture Taken from KCRW Website
Eric J. Lawrence, the music librarian at KCRW, is stealthy. Twice now he has unassumingly handed me CDs with little explanation other than, “Here you go!”

The first was Tristen’s Charlatans at the Garden Gate. I put it in the CD Player in my car and it didn’t leave for over a month. I get completely lost in her music both because of what she’s singing about and the way she’s singing it. There is a pain in most of her songs that I feel I understand. It feels like the pain of youthful love mistakes written down on a page and set to a melody.

She played this morning at KCRW and sang with such ferocity that many of her songs came out in a wicked amazing growl into the mic. What I loved most about seeing her in person was the total lack of pretense. She’s just Tristen. A little pixie of a woman who goes for the jugular with her music. You can take a listen to and watch the full session here. Below is a little preview:



Then Eric J. handed me the “new” (I found out it was released back in March) Generationals album Actor-Castor. Eric gave me the CD last week and I’ll give you one guess what hasn’t left the CD Player in my car.

I asked Eric if there was a specific reason he gave me that album (something in there specific to my tastes?) and he answered that while he can’t quite make the blanket statement that there’s something in Actor-Castor for EVERY music lover, it comes pretty close. Catchy rhythms, interesting vocals that are easy to sing along with, at times poetic/thoughtful lyrics - yeah I’d have to agree. Aside from musical value though, these guys are just plain fun to listen and jump around to. Talk about a welcome dance break from LA traffic.

Ten-Twenty-Ten by Generationals from Jubadaba on Vimeo.

the ram gets down and stays down

Not so many years ago in Falls Church, Virginia a small, female wild animal was born. Her mother gave her the name Thao and the music scene lay quietly waiting, unaware of the unearthly delights that would soon be unleashed from inside the tiny body of this Thao Nguyen.

Thao played with The Get Down Stay Down last night for a group of enthused UCLA students, employees, and friends. It was a student run show and I have to tip my hat to the choice of Thao as the headliner for the event. At almost every break between songs an enthusiastic (read inebriated) student would yell something up to the stage. Each time Thao was a quick draw with a quip and an implied wink. Or in the case of the “bro” that yelled, “Let’s fuck!” at her, quick with outright humiliation and utter fearless wrath - insisting that he, “Say it to (her) face!” over and over, asking for a spotlight on the random stranger until everyone was laughing full belly laughs through their open mouths of shock.

Thao and The Get Down Stay Down bring their Virginia Southern Twang to a shoe-gazer folk rock sound, making it very hard not to dance along - a little bit of “hoe-down” while rocking out never hurt anybody. Thao herself is an incredibly sexy, wild woman on stage. I should have known a woman with lyrics like, “bring your hips to me” and “everybody please put your clothes back on,” would appeal to me on a primal level. Instead I came in entirely unprepared for just how appealing a firey woman with a wrack of tricked out guitar dancing in cowboy boots can really be.

I was sad to have missed Thao and The Get Down Stay Down at Coachella this year, but even in the weird proscenium of UCLA’s Royce Hall I was not disappointed - they were worth the wait!

This is my favorite Thao with The Get Down Stay Down song. Such a cute video too - I think it gives a good sneak peek of what a live show from these guys feels like...

Thao with The Get Down Stay Down "When We Swam" music video from what rabbit on Vimeo.

P.S. If you need more Thao, I wrote a little something something for the KCRW Music Blog about her collaboration with another rockin' female artist, Mirah. They were produced by yet another bad ass female, Merril Garbus better known as tUnE-yArDs and their new album is crazy amazing. :) Check out these girls being generally friggin' awesome below...

Eleven (Thao + Mirah ft. tUnE-YaRdS) by thaogetdownstaydown

the ram loves a little dragon

Picture Credit: Jeremiah Garcia
Taken from KCRW's Music Blog

There’s no denying that Little Dragon has been a KCRW favorite for some time. Why? Because they’re bad asses. That’s really all I can say...

I came around to Little Dragon working on Garth Trinidad’s show. Garth has impeccable taste in emotional music that moves you from the inside out. I heard a lot of Little Dragon songs on other shows but for whatever reason the specific songs Garth chose spoke to me right at the root of where my emotions meet the muscles that move my hips.

“Nightlight,” a song from their forthcoming album Ritual Union has been seeing a lot of airplay these days/nights on 89.9 here in LA.

Little Dragon - Nightlight by VeeAre

Something about Yukimi Nagano’s “all out there” singing style on top of unique percussion and seemingly descant melody - sounding almost like it were working independent from the other players involved - just...works! The whole group seems to throw their work out their in a “What? You got a problem getting down with what we’re giving out?” way. It’s not a cocky move... okay, maybe it is a bit cocky, but I’m actually okay with it because they have the cojones to back it up. I figure, if they keep making music that sounds like this, I don’t have a problem if they know they’re good and get to have a little fun with that knowledge.

So, when you take a talent like Yukimi Nagano and ask her to be produced by SBTRKT and sing on top of a heavy beat the result is nothing short of epicly good.

Check it out friends, you can download it for free here. Have a listen...

SBTRKT - Wildfire by Voler

If that doesn’t make your body talk I might have to take your pulse...
Stay tuned... More Little Dragon love to come very soon. :)

See You At the Saloon, Ms. Ram

I suppose it makes sense that people would want to be transported on a Sunday evening. Something about watching the sun go down on Sunday night is like begging your playmate not to go home when you were little. With the end of the weekend and the beginning of the traditional work week at hand, some LA music lovers find their salvation in escaping to a different era. They might escape to the feeling of Elvis’ hips or Donna Summer on a dance floor or 80’s dancing to Pat Benatar.

I’ve experienced this LA tradition for Sunday generation transportation once before when I saw Vintage Trouble at The Tar Pit. These guys rocked me until I felt wild. As the blog says, I was dancing all night and I felt utterly alive as I pelvis pushed and twisted down low with the other Sunday escapees. This past Sunday I found a similar way to transport away to a different generation, but this time I was sent back to the days of renegade cowboys in whorehouses and saloons somewhere down south.

The Piano Bar in Hollywood hosts Brother Sal and his gang every Sunday night and what a perfect setting for this group. Dimly lit lamps light small circles in the exposed brick interior and the bar hosts liquors separated into sections with chalkboards from behind announcing their categories in fancy chalk lettering. Unassuming and quiet (in a calm before the storm way), the piano sits toward the back with a small space for the other band members. Just stepping inside, I already felt like it wasn’t entirely out of the realm of possibility that some of the customers had hitched their horse to a post outside.

I did some reading about Brother Sal after seeing him and a blog I found did an excellent job of summing up his style in two words: “Whorehouse Gospel.”

After reading it, I couldn’t “unsee” how amazingly “Whorehouse Gospel” fits Brother Sal and seemingly everything about him. There is a rawness and passion to his expression, both in his voice and on the piano, that would definitely not be out of place in a whorehouse. I haven’t seen anybody ride the piano (pun intended people) the way Brother Sal does - like he has the reigns of a horse and he’s telling it which way to go dammit! This strength, represented more in attitude and confidence than in actual physical force, makes him a hypnotizing piano player to watch.

Check out the piano playing in this song, “Broke/Busted.”



Then there’s that voice. I grew up in the south and have vivid memories of one of my third grade teachers singing the National Anthem every morning. She was a voluptuous black woman who was known among her colleagues for singing in her church gospel choir. Anyone who has ever heard a woman like this sing knows I don’t have any way of explaining the pure, from the gut, “if you could bottle that I’d sell it” soul that comes out of people like this.

Brother Sal sings from the same place in his gut and his heart that amounts to the thickness I can only call soul. It’s that soul that makes it possible for the band to cover songs from people like The Black Keys and Curtis Mayfield. You can watch Brother Sal’s cover of Hank Williams’ “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” on youtube.



With a niche genre like Whorehouse Gospel, a guy has to have some serious musicians to back him up. Here again, Brother Sal doesn’t fail us. With the combination of Deacon on Drums, Johnny Flaugher on bass guitar, and Shiben Bhattacharya on guitar and banjo (yeah, that’s right...banjo), the layers of music translate naturally and combine to create one big, body moving, soul shaking sound.

These are a lot of words that really add up to one thing: I’ll be back to see Brother Sal on another Sunday night. In fact, I’ll likely be back on Monday night for Brianna Rettig’s residency - she’s lent her spectacular voice to Brother Sal for a few songs the other night and just happens to be his beautiful woman.

For now I’ll tip my hat and reckon I’ll be seeing you all ‘round.

the ram enjoys some tea time

Our neighbors across the Atlantic totally fascinated me. They didn’t in the past - I admit it’s a relatively recent obsession. In fact, I formerly had an active disinterest in Paris and London - no reason, really...just because.

I think my attitude started to change somewhere between my friend at Carasoin Day Spa (total UK sentimentality, love this place) asking me if there was “bogroll” (toilet paper) in the bathroom and hearing James Blake for the first time.

Most recently I’ve become obsessed with a couple UK sitcoms: Sherlock - the searingly intense, edge-of-your-seat update to the Arthur Conan Doyle classics & Luther - the dramatic and emotional crime/detective story.

I’m not an expert in story depth or character development or boundary defiance on TV sitcoms so I can’t speak to their place in important TV programs being produced today. But I can speak to how impressed I am by the impeccable class and attention to detail in both shows. Ultimately, they keep me watching and get me excited for new episodes which, I would expect, is more than half the battle in the business of TV.

Examples of the “rad” factor...
Luther Trailer for the 2011 Season



At the end of the very first episode a song plays while Luther’s enemy prances away in a state of sociopathic bliss. I shazam-ed (love that that’s a verb these days) and it’s Emiliana Torrini’s “Gun” from Me and Armini. Nice choice I think...

Emiliana Torrini - Gun by rrr_marusya

michael kiwanuka

I can always tell i like an artist when I have questions.
Michael Kiwanuka struck me in a way that left me with thousands of questions.

Where is he from?
Who brought him up? His parents? Extended family?
Who would HE say are his biggest influences (since many who talk about him seem to name so many)?
When will he get over here to the U.S.?

What I know...
He's an artist based in London who is currently touring in the UK (with one date in Paris) with a three song EP available now - Tell Me a Tale (The Isle of Wight Sessions). His folksy/bluesy/jazzy mash up is pleasant down to my bones - like watching sunlight cast rainbow reflections onto my hard wood floor through a glass wind chime my window. It's uplifting - i'm buoyed by the powerful rawness of his voice.

Using a super 8 to get that awesome grainy retro look - "just how i like it" says Kiwanuka - the below video is footage from Kiwanuka's tour in Berlin with the title track to the new EP "Tell Me a Tale."