Thursday, June 30, 2011

RGB Has a New Home

Never Fear!

I have not abandoned you all. RGB has just moved to a wordpress site and the more official sounding: ramgoatbull.com.

Switch your bookmarks and take a cruise over. Meet you there, friends! :)

Hearts!

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

motopony at one colorado


Having worked with the production team on a few events now, I can’t say enough the tremendous difference it makes when the band we’re working with is pleasant, self-sufficient, and otherwise fun to be around.

This past Saturday, KCRW had the pleasure of presenting Motopony at One Colorado in Pasadena for the second night in their Summer Nights Free Concert Series.

I’ve written about how much I love this band before and Saturday did nothing but make me love each of them even more. These guys drove up in a huge van, loaded themselves in (and out at the end of the night), sound checked, took care of themselves for dinner, and were ready to go on time. As part of events production, I can’t say enough how much all of that means to those putting on the show. And the cherry on top: they smiled and genuinely thanked KCRW and One Colorado for having them all day and night.

Then they got on stage. I didn’t think it was possible for them to blow me away more than they already had for their session on KCRW for Morning Becomes Eclectic.



And then Motopony got up on stage and did the following: debuted two new songs, had a small crowd on stage dancing towards the end, and ended with “Euphoria” during which Daniel Blue had what can only be called a musical transcendence on stage (he was in the planter behind the stage, hanging from the tree for a small moment and it all felt totally appropriate).

"Blown. Away." Doesn’t. Do. Them. Justice.

These guys are back for a show at The Echo on July 29th. Don’t sleep friends - I’ll see you all there!

Wait For Me by tinyogre

Monday, June 27, 2011

beats, rhymes, & life



Earlier this month my friend Sierra asked me if I was interested in seeing “Beats, Rhymes, and Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest,” at the LA Film Festival. I had heard lots of buzz around this movie from people returning from Sundance and was stoked to hear there would be a screening here in LA.

Here’s where I make a confession. Before Friday night, I knew maybe a handful of Tribe songs. I mean most everybody knows about wiping their feet on the rhythm rug...

A Tribe Called Quest - Can I Kick It by Soundvibz

...But I definitely didn’t grow up as a fan nor could I have said I was truly aware of their influence on the Hip-Hop community. I was a little worried that I’d go to see the documentary and would be so out of the loop that I wouldn’t be able to adequately enjoy it. But I went anyway, hopeful that I’d be able to enjoy something about it even if I wasn’t familiar with all the content.

I’m happy to report after seeing the screening this past Friday evening that everybody - fans of Tribe especially, but also people new to Tribe, even people who don’t have any real interest in Tribe - should see this documentary.

The movie profiles all the members from childhood, to their rise to fame, to the challenges of becoming an international sensation, to the present day goings on of their lives with a hopeful tease for the future. It does what all great documentaries of this kind do, making each member of Tribe utterly human - with all the emotions, sensitivities, and occasional attacks of the ego that humans have. And even better, I totally fell in love with something about every one of them: Q-Tip’s deep need to create, Phife’s spark, Ali’s sweet, easy peaceful nature, and Jarobi’s loyalty.

From a filmmaking perspective, I couldn’t have asked for more. Actor Michael Rapaport (who is apparently the son of a radio program manager) makes his full length directorial debut with a bang, earning the 2011 LA Film Festival’s Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature. 944 Magazine profiled Mike in their latest issue who told them he’s been talking about making this movie for ten years as he’s been a life-long fan. With music supervision by Peanut Butter Wolf and appearances from Pharrell, Common, Questlove, Mos Def, The Beastie Boys and tons of other influential musicians it’s hard not to recognize the film as remarkably pedigreed.

So what did I do when I got home? I bought Low End Theory & Midnight Marauders - and all I have to say is “yo”...



I’m serious - if this comes through your city, make the time to see it. You will totally regret it if you don’t.

Friday, June 24, 2011

RGB Sampler June 24

From the awesome mind of Parry Gripp - baby monkey riding backwards on a pig


In honor of Becky’s Weekly Personals idea that I turned into a missed connections feature last week, I give you a bad ass book of illustrated missed connections by Sophie Blackall.


I’ve been hearing this Mr Little Jeans cover of The Arcade Fire’s "The Suburbs" a lot lately but I just can’t get enough of it.
Mr Little Jeans The Suburbs by timmytheterror

The Fox is Black introduced me to James Roper this week and I just absolutely LOVE this series of his called Rapture. Check out the little write up to discover what it’s about and cruise to his site to see the other cool stuff he’s up to.


Aaron Byrd introduced me to this song when he played a few tracks from the forthcoming SBTRKT album this past Wednesday. I agree with him - this album is going to be a must buy for me.


One of the things I work on during the week is the Good Food Blog’s Pie-A-Day posts. I can’t share the specifics because the post isn’t up yet, but one of the judges for the third annual upcoming KCRW Pie Contest (the reason for the pie-a-day posts) submitted her post this past week and I prepped it to go up on the site June 30th. In her post she talked about a cookbook curated by Vincent Price and his wife Mary. :O WHAT?! THE Vincent Price? Yes friends. The blog post describes the awesome (albeit somewhat hilarious nowadays) 70s photographs and the captions from Price himself. I want this cook book.


Bon Iver covers Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me” and “Nick of Time.” It’s worth it to travel here.


I was watching a PBS Documentary this past weekand discovered Sally Mann for the first time. She’s not new but discovering her felt earth changing to me. Her pictures are heart breaking, haunting, uplifting, miraculous and they’re all taken with an antique camera. This one is my favorite that I’ve seen so far.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

hooray for EJL and Earth


At this point it’s a little embarrassing the number of times I’m writing about albums Eric J. Lawrence has handed me. The reality is that Eric has become a great friend and musical inspiration to me as I continue my journey through understanding my feelings about what I like (and dislike) about music. He is truly an honorary co-curator of the thoughts I share here.

So thanks, EJL. :)






With that out of the way I can tell you about the latest album EJL handed to me - Hooray for Earth’s True Loves.

Hooray For Earth - True Loves from Dovecote Records on Vimeo.



Eric and I agreed that it took us two or three spins before we fully decided upon liking this album. This is something unusual for EJL as he gets hundreds upon hundred of music submissions for the music library at KCRW. He’s trained to give something a listen and quickly formulate an opinion. But something about this album kept bringing him back, which is exactly what happened with me.

I listened to True Loves in my car from beginning to end three or four times without having a strong opinion about it. The last song was one of the first ones to really grab my attention.

Hooray For Earth- Black Trees by esophus

Then slowly it was like the album took shape in front of me when I listened to it again. It’s truly one of the most awesome experiences I’ve had with music as I tend to stay in Eric’s camp most of the time - quick to like or dismiss something.

I highly recommend getting your hands on this album and giving it a listen like people used to do in the days of 45’s - beginning to end, not skipping through. There’s a story here for sure - I’m not sure I 100% understand it but when it grabs you it’s definitely music magic.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

The Mad Scientists My Morning Jacket


Picture By Jeremiah Garcia from KCRW's Music Blog

Last week in KCRW's music library these words came out of my mouth...
“Sometimes it just feels so good to oh-whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa!”

I was talking about My Morning Jacket’s “Holding On To Black Metal,” which has been a staple on Morning Becomes Eclectic at KCRW in preparation for their exclusive performance for KCRW members (tickets sold out in just hours during the members only pre-sale which meant the house was packed with people who dig in their pockets and give money to the station - just. too. cool.) last night.



In preparation for tickets going on sale, there was a lot of talk around the station about My Morning Jacket being well known as one of the best live bands of the past several years. Period. I can’t speak to the origin of this sentiment but I can now attest to the quality of My Morning Jacket in live performance.

Before I can accurately capture why My Morning Jacket is so awesome in performance though, I feel I have to start by talking abut their fans. I don’t know if it’s the music or the band members or the alchemic combination of both that inspires the kind of following My Morning Jacket has but their fans were giving all they had as great audience members! People had their hands up in the air, they were dancing, shouting along, head banging - I got to sneak away to a room upstairs and get a birds eye view of the crowd and it was goose bump inspiring to say the very least.

I’m resisting the urge to look up information about Jim James and the other band members because something tells me I won’t find answers there. Their performance was captivating. The lighting and effects were trippy and interesting. The sound was crystal clear. The band rocked out and made the intimate space feel simultaneously like a garage session for a group of friends and a rock arena.

I’m not sure what else to say except that I don’t think anybody could ever go to a My Morning Jacket show and be disappointed. These guys are like the mad scientists who have figured out the elements that go into a rocking live show and they show up and bring their special sauce for people wherever they go.

With that - I leave you with one of my favorite songs from the evening. People got their jam on to this song and it was amazing to see.

Outta My System by My MORNING JACKET

P.S.
KCRW had the event at a truly remarkable recording studio with an amazing CEO and an equally amazing team - check out The Village Recording Studios. Oh yeah and MMJ's production team and the production gals at KCRW... we did it!!! :)

Monday, June 20, 2011

machine saints from denmark

Listening to KEXP this past Saturday evening my ears were treated to a band that caught my attention within the first few notes of their song - although I also have to hand it to Michele Myers for setting them up nicely with a little introduction explaining how excited she is about this “new” (to the States at least) band from Denmark: When Saints Go Machine.

When Saints Go Machine - Kelly from Cosy Corners on Vimeo.



When Saints Go Machine has made lots of their music available on the interwebs. In fact, if you like them on their Facebook page you can download their three song EP for free. Or you can head to their soundcloud page and have a listen to the songs from their EP as well as a couple remixes and their new single Kelly (music video above).

Fail Forever by When Saints Go Machine

What’s harder to find is information about who they are. Paste magazine did a nice little write up about them and their forthcoming album Konkylie last week. It says the band is made up of four high school friends. Each of them had their own very different sounding projects they were working on before they decided to start working together. With members coming from electronic backgrounds, others from techno/house roots, and still another from an obsession with the mixture of jazz and “neo-soul." It took a minute for the group to find their stride Paste says- what sound did they have to offer as the best possible outcome of their collaboration?

I agree with Paste that the “easiest way to describe the band is to say that they sound like an electronic band with all of the emotion of a folk singer.” Their vocalizations and lyrics are emotional - at times haunting and others beautiful. This against the upbeat, danceable percussion and synthy electronic melodies result in the something that made me stop what I was doing and take note.

Currently the band has a small tour in Europe (France, Germany, Great Britain, etc.) with no dates in the states listed so far. I’m hopeful with the buzz that’s starting to pick up, however, that it won’t be long before I’m standing in the line outside an LA venue to see them.

Friday, June 17, 2011

RGB Sampler June 17

In my daily journeys through the blogs I love, I come across some simply amazing stuff. Sometimes they spark a train of thoughts and ideas about other things that inspire me to the usual posts found here. Lately I’ve been feeling like some of the things I come across though, can stand alone with less talking from me.

With that in mind I decided it might be fun to leave some space for some videos, songs, other cool posts I love to exist in a mash-up, weekly digest style.

Thus, I present to you the first, of likely many, RGB Sampler! Cruise through... some funny stuff, some beautiful stuff, some interesting stuff... and enjoy. <3 <3 <3



You have to love the Brits and their hats.






love this next to the below for some reason...



and really it has to be followed by...



Cliffs Along The Sea from Christian Sorensen Hansen on Vimeo.



Taryn’s heart breaks to hear Ray is married and then is buoyed because he seems so in love with her through all of the usual “ups and downs.” Love the ravaged guitar story. :)





Dan Funderburgh’s stuff is just too cool. Check out The Fox Is Black’s cool little write up about his bad ass new installation at the Montclair Art Museum.

And finally - inspired by my friend Becky's recommendation that I feature a "Personals Advertisement of the Week," I sifted through a bunch of the missed connections on Craigslist this past week and found this gem...

Vanessa w4w 33
we danced at "haute" - the girl party - on saturday night to "suavemente"... i led first, then you did, to my surprise and appreciation... 'talked briefly about our mutual disdain for the butch-femme dichotomy. i had to bounce too early...


Happy Friday y'all! :)

Thursday, June 16, 2011

ooooo weeee oooo i look just like

My Dad’s love for lyrics, which I mentioned in a previous post, had an interesting affect on the way he listened to music from the fifties. For the most part my Dad agreed with the sentiments coming out from early hippies that most of the music from the fifties was just a sugar frosted coating for the real stuff that was happening in the world. Songs like “Little Darlin” are undeniably classic but definitely weren’t the first thing my Dad reached for when he put on some music.



Of course, there were a few exceptions. In typical Taryn’s parents fashion, the songs from the fifties that I grew up on came from the people who were rocking the societal boat in some way - Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, etc. One of the people you would have found a miniature Taryn singing along with and dancing around the house to was Buddy Holly.



Knowing that, it’s easy to understand why I was beyond excited to hear about a new Buddy Holly Tribute Album coming out June 28th: Rave On Buddy Holly.

Songs keep leaking into the radio waves and onto the interwebs like little teases - you can generally catch Fiona Apple and Jon Brion’s awesome version of “Every Day” at some point during Morning Becomes Eclectic these days. Everything I’ve heard so far is supremely good.

Tribute albums are interesting to me because it’s essentially buying an album of songs that you very likely already own. Why would I listen to Fiona’s version of “Every Day” when I have Buddy Holly’s version already? Obviously the two songs sound different but is it different enough that I might prefer to listen to that version over the original sometimes? At the other end of the spectrum, is it too different - just different for the sake of being different - and I’m attached to the old version so I don’t like the reinvention?

Producer Randall Poster put it nicely when he called gathering the tracks for the album a process of finding “pieces of a complex and original puzzle.” I haven’t heard the album from beginning to end, but what I’ve heard seems to walk the above described line between different enough to be new and similar enough to be recognizable extremely well.

I cannot wait until June 28th to hear the album as a full beginning to end story but until then I’m content savoring the little gems that are starting to pop up. One of the standout tracks I’ve heard is Florence + The Machine’s version of “Not Fade Away.” Check out the fun little video for the song...

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

love for the collective


The first time I heard about RAC was from Rachel Reynolds, the music publicist at KCRW. Being the lovely sleuth that she is about all things hip and current, she reached out to the Remix Artist Collective to find out who they were since their remixes were starting to become buzz tracks around the station. The resulting blog post about it is really great - explaining who they are and what their remix philosophy is.

Since then I’ve watched as more people have started to get behind them and give them some buzz - including one of my favorite people in the world, Sierra, who also wrote a little blog post on her fantastically curated blog with her picks for favorite RAC remixes available as free downloads from their website.

That’s right, you read correctly: available for FREE download. Just travel to their website and you’ve got over a hundred mixes to check out, almost all of which you can download for free if you dig them. Like this awesome Peter Bjorn and John “Second Chance (RAC Mix).”

RAC Portfolio by RAC

RAC will perform tonight at Mesa in Costa Mesa and man I wish I lived anywhere near that location so I could go check it out. I’m hopeful they end up adding some other LA dates to their tour schedule, because if not it looks like I’ll be taking that trip to Miami after all. ;)

In the spirit of staying home to catch them, I have to share this video the RAC gang shared on their tumblr site of their Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros’ “Home (RAC Mix)” set behind scenes from that epic early nineties saga Homeward Bound.

A La Maison (TO DA HOUSE) from Lush Larry on Vimeo.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

diego garcia v. the dos equis man



I’m the first to say I get weak in the knees for musicians. I know it’s cliche - I’m definitely not the first girl to think a guy with a guitar crooning into a microphone is hot.

That being said, I’m not sure why it would be funny to see girls falling all over themselves over a singer but what can I say? It’s awesome. And it was definitely happening this past Saturday for Diego Garcia’s free performance at One Colorado in Pasadena.

I’ve heard Deigo’s songs from his new album “Laura” on the station for some time now. He’s one of those artists that makes songs that are so pleasant they kind of float in and out of the consciousness of his listeners - like a gentle breeze against your cheek. Seeing Diego perform is a slightly different feeling for it puts all of his music into a more attention-grabbing context.

Yes he’s dreamy - that’s undeniably part of it. Yes he’s charismatic. Watching him perform for a packed in crowd at One Colorado I felt like I was watching every audience member fall in love with him one by one. I can’t really explain how. It wasn’t in something he said. It wasn’t because he sang his songs differently. It wasn’t because he danced around or was so in your face that you had to take notice - not even close.

Beyond being a beautiful, charismatic performer, Diego just has that...“je ne sais pas.” The only way I can begin to describe the feeling is: Watching Diego perform is like having a new lover whisper “I love you,” into your ear for the first time. It’s the same fluttery-heart, stomach doing backflips, grin-so-hard-it-hurts experience.

I think Diego knows this - in a good way, not an egotistical “I’m so beautiful it hurts sometimes” way. He signed CDs after the Pasadena show and took time with each eager, swooning fan - momentarily making her feel like she was the center of the universe.

I was certainly not exempt from the feeling of falling in love with Diego. Hook, line, and sinker my friends. I listened to this song on repeat all day Sunday.

Monday, June 13, 2011

belle brigade at satellite


Working at the front desk during Morning Becomes Eclectic at KCRW is always fun but one of my favorite moments is answering the phone when a band is playing for a person inquiring, “Who is this?!” What’s even better is when I’m answering a series of those phone calls - people so excited about what they’re hearing that they can’t wait for the interview to hear who’s playing.

The Belle Brigade performed back in April and it was one of those mornings. The brother-sister duo is invigorating to watch and it came across that morning over the radio waves.

I wrote a little something about them for the KCRW Music Blog that details their k.d. lang cool points, their crazy talented lineage (John Williams, what?!), and a cute story about their proud Dad calling into the station after their set.

So I knew I loved them even before I went to see them at Satellite for the first show of their tour last Friday night but as is usually the case seeing them live left me feeling like The Grinch with his heart growing three times it’s original size.

The crowd was full of Gruska friends and fans which made it feel like watching your high school friends jam out in their garage with smiles and love hanging in the air. The band stoked the flames from their fans breaking into random jam moments including their new song “Hey, look at my feet. Yeah!” after Barbara made a comment about being jealous of he brother's bare feet on stage and for the second to last song they had five of their friends from the audience come up and sing back up with them. The girls stayed on stage for their last song “Losers” which felt like the best cherry on top of a gourmet cake of an evening.

I said it in the KCRW post but it bears repeating: watching these two perform feels like standing on the edge of something big. And the best part: they seem totally unfazed - like they’d be playing the same way if there were three people in the audience or three hundred.

I wish them all the best. I absolutely cannot wait to say, “I saw them for $12 at Satellite in Los Angeles! Can you believe that?!”

Enjoy a couple videos below to get a little taste of their live performance...



The Belle Brigade - Where Not To Look For Freedom" (Live at SXSW) from Claire Marie Vogel on Vimeo.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

but have you seen his director?

Usually when I find a kick ass music video it prompts immediate searching for information about the artist behind the song - I’m always curious about peoples’ stories: where did they come from? where do they live now? how did they meet? While I generally cruise around for a while, watching lots of videos, reading interviews and listening to lots of music, this is usually as far as I get - who is the singer/songwriter/band. Recently though I’ve started seeing the same names popping up in the “producer” or “director” spot for some music videos I’ve been watching, which caused me to stop and take notice - who are the other creative forces behind these videos?

I came across this video Tuesday night on Gorilla vs. Bear and was instantly in love.

Memory Tapes "Yes I Know" from Najork on Vimeo.



The drippy man is kind of creepy but interesting and some of the other visuals are just captivating: the black and white pictures that flip and fold and turn upside down revealing one another, the strange disruptions in the streetlights/moon, and the flock of birds that drift into the word “GONE.”

I wanted to know more about the director behind the video and found Eric Epstein’s site with a couple demo reels and other fun studies. The reel from 2009 is pretty bad ass and makes me remember there are all kinds of amazing artists out there doing things that we don’t even necessarily notice. For example, in that reel, there were tons of animations from Food Inc. Not once during that movie did I stop to think about the animator behind those images but seeing them out of context in Eric’s reel made me realize how cool they really were.

Another person that recently peaked my interest is David Altobelli whose ability to tell a story in a music video is commendable to say the very least. I first noticed his name on the recent Cults video for “Abducted.”

Cults - Abducted from David Altobelli on Vimeo.



Then I came across another great example of his maybe less creepy but very heartfelt story telling for The Belle Brigade song “Losers.”

Belle Brigade - Losers from Jonathan Wang on Vimeo.



Watching Kanye videos for my post yesterday I noticed Chris Milk’s name in my Vimeo search for the “All Falls Down” video. It turns out Kanye also worked with him on the video for “Touch The Sky” - I loved this video back in college with its 70’s throw-back concept and the hilarious confrontation between “Kanyevil” and afro-clad “Nia,” with her ass-promoting side-kick hating on the Kanyevil’s girlfriend played by the Pamela Anderson.



More recently Chris Milk created an “interactive film” that had everybody at KCRW crying a few months back. That’s right - remember that video for the Arcade Fire’s “The Wilderness Downtown”? The one where it asked for the address to the house you grew up in and then proceeded to have all these google shots of that house mixed with tear jerking images of vague figures running and neighborhood shots (i.e. birds against the sky). Oh yeah - that with the Arcade Fire lyrics of longing for youth in the background and an ending asking you to write a letter to your former child self...instant tears.

If you didn’t partake in the crying, you can go here to experience it yourself. You can also check out the song against the kind of cool story board Chris Milk posted below.

The Wilderness Downtown - Original Animatic from Chris Milk on Vimeo.



Usually there many, many people involved in the creation of something great. Working on production teams for events has given me some insight into “it takes a village” nature of most events. These music videos are great because of the songs and the artists that made them but they’re also great because of the team of creative people making it happen. While director is by no means an entire team, it feels good to acknowledge somebody besides the singer/songwriter/rapper/star sometimes.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

kanye love...i said it

Ok so, I’ll say it out loud...

I’m a Kanye West fan.

I know. I know. You don’t even have to say it. Pretty much everything I’ve ever seen him do or anything I’ve read about him is just further proof that he’s an egomaniacal douche bag. I’m not going to argue that he’s really a sweet guy. I’m also not going to say it’s okay that he seems to act like he’s above it all.

But I mean...I love this song...



...and this one...

∙Kanye West - All Falls Down from Chris Milk on Vimeo.



...both of which feature Kanye’s midas touch - first as producer and then as producer/rapper.

I’ve kind of always been a fan and thus always kept a half ear on what Kanye was up to. But I started taking a more active interest after he showed up at the MTV Music Awards a few years back and performed “Love Lockdown.”



I was totally hooked. Something about that tribal beat with Kanye talking about heavy stuff struck a chord with me.

Then the thirty minute video featuring songs from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy was blasted out into the universe in various forms. Most commonly in the nine minute, ultra vulnerable, intricately choreographed portion for the song “Runaway.” I actually only recently watched the entire 30 minutes and took in all the meteor crashing, forest in flames, phoenix lady, deer in the back yard greatness.

Kanye West "Runaway" from JLP on Vimeo.



Ok so maybe the Kanye acting isn’t greatness. But those opening notes for “Lost In The World” are hard to beat thanks to Bon Iver as is the banging touch Kanye puts on it for the shots of him running through the woods.

This is all really just background leading up to the newest Kanye video for “Monster” also from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. I feel like it’s always a good sign when a video starts with a disclaimer that it isn’t meant to be “misogynistic or negative towards any groups of people” and that “it is art and it shall be taken as such.” I mean...you have my attention already.

Kanye West - Monster (feat. Rick Ross, Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj, and Bon Iver) from Thomas' Official Blog on Vimeo.



There were petitions circulating asking that this full length video not be released after a teaser was leaked earlier. It’s obvious why. When you stand there calmly reciting your lyrics with the severed head of a girl in one hand you might make a few people angry.

I haven’t decided exactly how I feel about it yet. It’s definitely a little graphic for my taste but I also can’t stop watching it. Not in a can’t-take-your-eyes-off-the-giant-scar-on-her-face way but in a sucked in, hypnotized way.

What I can say I like about this video and really about Kanye in general is the way that he makes me think. I don’t always agree with or like what I’m thinking about but I can’t deny that the videos Kanye makes and the songs he writes force me to contemplate. With this video it’s about whether I like it, whether it’s redeemable as art, and if I’m okay with the images as art even if they are violent and only violent for the women in the video. How about the question of what the job of an artist is today. Are 30 minute videos with a story and several of your songs covered in one swoop going to be an expected standard going forward?

I further appreciate Kanye as a fellow boundary explorer. It’s like being a kid, when you slowly lowered your hand closer and closer to the burner on the stove just to see how close you could get before it started to burn. Sometimes you’d go too far and a nasty blister was your reward.

It’s the same with Kanye. He pushes to the far edges of what’s acceptable, what’s expected, what’s can be done and sometimes he goes too far. But most of the time, he lands in the middle of something I’ve never thought I’d see (taiko drums for “Love Lockdown” on MTV??!) that is really undeniably brilliant if we were all being honest with no bias toward Kanye-hate. In all of his forms of expression Kanye impresses me as an explorer of art and how we make it.

So I get it - it’s easy to dislike him. And there’s a big part of me that wants to say I don’t like Kanye...but I’d be a liar if I said that. So even as he writes verses like the below (about 1.5 minutes in) that make me continuously question my allegiance, I mostly just appreciate that he’s still doing things that make me question how I feel about him.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

suiting up for battles



Sometimes it just takes a while before a band sticks with me. I’m notoriously bad, for example about rejecting people based on their names before I even hear their music.

A few weeks ago Eric J. Lawrence (there he is again) handed me a compilation of new music coming through the station that was starting to catch some buzz. One of the songs was Battles’ “Ice Cream.” The below video has since blown up on the blogosphere as something totally trippy and weird but also undeniably exciting and awesome (the girl dancing in echo of herself is just plain rad). The Fox is Black’s Bobby Solomon summed up it’s hip factor very nicely.

BATTLES - Ice Cream from CANADA on Vimeo.



It’s appalling for me to think about saying now, but I had pretty much written them off based on this song. For whatever reason, I figured I didn’t get down with what they were putting out because this one didn’t grab me right away.

So when Eric J. handed me their newest album Gloss Drop as a “strong recommendation,” I took it knowing that he’s usually right about what I’ll like (see previous EJL post). That same day, I went home to find the leading post on La Blogotheque was A Take Away Show with Battles.

At that point there were just too many people whose opinions I respect telling me it was awesome for me to ignore it.

What I found was that, while “Ice Cream” is great in its own way, it doesn’t begin to capture the entirety of Battles’ sound. Listening to their songs like “Futura” and “Inchworm” are like looking at Pollock paintings. There are innumerable textures, colors, and layers of things to hear. If these songs were tangible, you’d be able to take a magnifying glass and examine them for hours finding new nooks and crannies to appreciate with every sweep.

It’s in this way that La Blogotheque gets it SO right (like they always do). Their video for Wall Street has an entire section with cutaways of the different band members doing different things as well as a blank dark space. These rotate and change and appear and disappear and create a spastic and yet totally appropriate and controlled visual representation of Battles’ music.

Battles | Wall Street | A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.



So EJL wins again. Battles is going to live in my CD player until I can peel myself away from studying it like a science project.

Monday, June 6, 2011

not nascar, way better


I have never seen The Echo as packed as it was last Friday night (June 3rd). People were squeezed in to the far edges of the venue: back toward the door, up against the bar, all the way to the sound booth in the back. People were buzzing and it was all about Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.

I continue to be fascinated by the bands that can put out an EP and ride buzz from festivals like SXSW into sold out shows in Los Angeles. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. has a full length LP (It’s a Corporate World) coming out tomorrow but as of Friday night, the music that most everybody had their hands on was their four song Horse Power EP. Based on just four songs, some buzz from SX, and perhaps some hipster cred from places like KCRW and Pitchfork, LA people flocked to The Echo in numbers I’ve never seen before.

But man was it ever a great move to be there Friday night even if it was based almost entirely on instinct. The duo pulls from a wide array of sounds: from Beach Boys style harmony to heavy Yeasayer/Sleigh Bells style distortion to tUnE-yArDs’ driving yet playful percussion. The result is an arrangement of pleasant, danceable, singable songs that had everybody moving and singing and eventually screaming along at the end.

One of the things I love most about these guys is how much fun they look like they’re having. They showed up for their KCRW Morning Becomes Eclectic performance in full on NASCAR jumpsuits and on Friday night, in preparation for their release of It’s a Corporate World, the duo came out on their jumpsuits but then stripped down on stage revealing suits and ties (like their promo below). The audience got another jolt to their funny bones halfway through the show when the band invited eight people up on stage to wear skeleton masks and provide the background singing for their new song “Skeletons.”



In the middle of all of this Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. managed to mash up one of their songs with a rendition of “I Will Always Love You” and close with their own take on the late Gil Scott-Heron’s “Almost Lost Detroit.” Then the encore came and it was one of the best encores I’ve seen in a long time. The group did one of their big singles “Nothing But Our Love,” but they reinvented it a bit, taking it from the dreamy songscape on their album to a garage rock, head banging, heart pumping, jump up and down anthem. Luckily, there is footage of this alternate take on “Nothing But Our Love” from their performance at SXSW.



These guys are traveling all over the country in June and July. If they come through your city don’t sleep - go see them now before you’re going to see them at huge venues and they’re tiny ants from your faraway seats and you have to watch on a projected screen. In the mean time you can stream the album in its entirety as part of KCRW's Album Preview.

Friday, June 3, 2011

in conversation with brother sal


I love this story Sal told me: a young Brother Sal in the pew of a Black Church in Indiana. Wide eyes watching a Gospel singer in the pulpit, tugging on his father’s shirt sleeve to say, “I want to sing like that when I grow up.” Sal says his father laughed and said, “Good luck!”

I was there again Sunday night for the madhouse that descended on the Piano Bar to see Brother Sal and his band do their thing and I can honestly say I don’t think Sal needs any luck to sound like a gospel singer.



I had the pleasure of having a conversation with Sal after his Sunday night show and learned a little more about the man behind the piano. Warning - I wouldn’t try to do this while he’s at the piano, I’ve seen a couple drunk fans learn this the hard way.

Sal told me his father was in the Navy so while he was born in Norfolk, Virginia, he spent a large portion of his life in Naples, Italy with other sporadic years in places in the northeastern part of the U.S. - i.e. Jersey and Indiana.

At some point in the laundry list of cities he grew up in, I was expecting something like South Carolina, Georgia, or New Orleans but no southern cities were named, which prompted me to ask where he picked up that soul that drips from the piano every time he plays. He explained that he never lived in the south but his grandmother was his first piano teacher and taught him to play using gospel music. On top of that, he credits his parents as having discerning taste in music which he feels distinctly influences his sound today. His father, for example, loved “old, black women singers” on records, and his mother loved Motown and introduced him to his favorite band to this day, The Band.

Sal says he listened to music along the way and picked up on the things he liked and just kept them.

When I asked about what things he’s listening to, being inspired by, and potentially keeping these days Sal had lots to tell me about what he’s reading. First on his list is his re-read of Last of the Mohicans. He explained to me his fascination with the intense amount of history the United States has gone through in its relatively young 400 years of existence. Further, he talked to me about how inspiring he finds it when artists take the “terrible tragic places they [are/were] in” and make something beautiful out of it. Whether it’s the French and Indian War in Last of the Mohicans or the music of Hank Williams and Steven Foster (which he says are two of the first people he would pay to see perform if he could see anyone dead or alive).

I was also curious about his plan to return to The Hotel Cafe on Saturdays in June. What was special about this space when compared to other places he plays in LA? What I got was a list of names. Not in an icky LA name dropping way. Not even close. In a, “I’m Brother Sal. This is my Family Shield. And all of these people belong under and are protected by my Family Shield.” Overwhelmingly what came across in listening to Sal talk about The Hotel Cafe was how much the community felt like a family of artists all there to support each other and participate in the love of music. Sal told me The Hotel Cafe is where he met almost all of his best friends as well as where he met most of the musicians he’s played with.

For some artists the thought of a close-knit community of musicians might scare them away. But law of attraction works its magic again, for Sal is nothing if not one to cultivate a feeling of community and family. Watching him walk through the crowd at the Piano Bar is like watching the host at a family reunion walking around giving hugs to brothers, aunts, and distant cousins alike. I’m sure seeing him at his Hotel Cafe Home will be no different.

What speaks even louder about Sal than anything he can tell me is the way that his band mates talk about him. I hung out with these guys too and the deep rooted love each of them has for Sal is palpable. I haven’t known Sal for very long and have only had a few passing conversations with him, but I can see why these guys feel that way. Sal is a generous, kind soul and I am so happy to get to support an artist who cultivates love through his words, his actions, and his art.

Yes, at this point I’m going to sound like a groupie but I’m kind of okay with that. I’ll be at The Hotel Cafe this Saturday at midnight to see Sal and his band throw down for their first Saturday (June 4th) in their Saturday residency there in June. If anybody wants to buy me a gin martini while I’m dancing, I won’t complain. :)


Scenes On Sunset

Brother SAL | Myspace Music Videos

Thursday, June 2, 2011

the ram is in the basement mixing up the medicine


I have a soft spot in my heart for Bob Dylan. He was one of the first musicians (aside from The Beatles) that I grew to truly love through my Dad.

My Dad was a fan of poetry and to this day I carry with me Alexander Pope’s notion that “hope springs eternal in the human breast,” handed down in the form of a highlighted, starred, underlined set of words in an old, enormous red volume of Pope Poems.

Dad brought this same tenderness for words to his love for Bob Dylan. I remember the first time I listened to “The Times They Are a Changin,’” with my Dad lovingly bringing my attention to lyrics like, “For the loser now / Will be later to win” and “Come mother and fathers / Throughout the land / And don’t criticize / what you can’t understand.” I was enchanted from that moment forward with the power of words and specifically the powerful impression left by thoughtful lyrics in great music.

Bob Dylan - Times They are a-Changin by michaelvanasse

Today when I hear artists reminiscent of Dylan and his “one-man-and-a-guitar” with “lyrics from the soul” style, I admit I have an immediate bias toward love. Sometimes the love wanes but with a few artists I’ve been introduced to recently I’ve been finding myself returning to their music over and over alongside Dylan’s “Positively Fourth Street” and “Like A Rolling Stone.”

The first is The Tallest Man on Earth (the moniker for Kristian Matsson) and the second is Joe Pug.

The Tallest Man on Earth received a lot of play on KCRW leading up to his killer Morning Becomes Eclectic performance that I have to admit I’ve watched about 500 times. I saw him at Coachella and was pleasantly surprised by the large group of people who had gathered in his tent to scream, “I want to be the King of Spain!”

What I love about the music that Kristian Matsson puts out is it’s marked lightness despite often dealing with themes of deep love and/or life lessons. There’s something spunky or triumphant about his songs that keeps me searching for the secret he knows - where does he give me the key to keeping it all in balance so that I’m always singing songs full of imagination through heartbreak and defeat?



More recently, Heather Browne of I Am Fuel, You Are Friends produced a very special “Chapel Session” with Joe Pug. Heather explains that she had to pleasure of hosting Joe and his musicians at Shove Chapel on the campus of Colorado College. The pictures of the recording session and her account of his music are so vivid - definitely worth a read.

I agree with Heather that Joe Pug carries the wanderer end of the Dylan-esque singer/songwriter stick. Joe’s songs beg to be played on an open road, literally and figuratively, as he croons gently about physically wandering from place to place as well as the decisions in life that move us - from person to person, place to place, choice to choice. His lyrics are accompanied by wistful melodies that sound like reminiscing feels. I find myself often caught up in thoughts of life already lived listening to Joe Pug - like a lovely trip back in time before returning to my life at present.

Joe Pug from Lake Fever Sessions on Vimeo.



While I don’t think anybody will be able to replace my musical relationship with Bob Dylan, these two gentlemen have carved out their own special places in my heart and continue to rest there by the strings of their loved-on guitars.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

miguel atwood-ferguson throws a talent parade at JazzReggaeFest


Sunday, a sold out crowd gathered on the intramurals fields at UCLA to get their jam on at Jam Day for the Jazz & Reggae Festival. It was a perfect day for some Memeorial Day Weekend jamming - sun out, slight breeze, happy people with sun-kissed skin.

I unfortunately missed The Stepkids (so glad I got to see their secret show), and Lee Fields & the Expressions but I got there in time to catch Little Dragon again who rocked out just as hard for thousands of people as they did for the intimate crowd in my previous post. The remaining acts for the day were Miguel Atwood-Ferguson and his Ensemble with special guests, and Lupe Fiasco.

I want to say that Lupe did a fine job. He drew the crowd to the front, played a mixture of songs from all of his albums (yeah “Kick, Push”), and otherwise gave a solid performance for the screaming group of people.



I have to say though, for me, the highlight of the day was undoubtedly Miguel and his host of take your breath away talented guests.

I’ve seen Miguel Atwood-Ferguson two other times now. Once at Zanzibar in Santa Monica and another time as part of Grand Performances at the California Plaza. Both times I was struck by the incomparable musicianship of Miguel and his musicians. But it wasn’t until this Sunday that I truly appreciated how much Miguel is a musician’s musician.

I’ve heard DJs talk a lot about how Miguel is just a scary, awesome, mad scientist, genius. Jeremy Sole said this today when he introduced Miguel and an ensemble that filled the stage with horns, trumpets, flutes, keys, drums, bass, violin, and guitars. The number of people who want to associate themselves with Miguel speaks to this genius. The parade of people there with him on Sunday was remarkable to say the least. One after another great voice after great talent after great musician kept coming out on stage. Coco from Quadron to Talib Kweli to Meshell Ndegeocello, they all were gracious and brought another layer of flavor to the Miguel Atwood-Ferguson magic.

I was most struck by Talib Kweli’s appearance because of the incredible juxtaposition of beautiful string, instrumental arrangements from Miguel and his band underneath Talib’s straight from the heart, no fumbles, quick speaking hip hop floetry. It was such an impactful marriage of sounds and with Miguel at the helm, conducting with his violin bow, it all went down flawlessly - as if this was how all of Talib’s songs were supposed to sound in the first place.

Miguel and his Ensemble play out quite a bit if you’re in the LA area. Definitely make some time to catch them if you haven’t already.

Here’s some video of his performance with Flying Lotus at the Grand Performances set last summer.

Miguel Atwood-Ferguson Ensemble "Drips/Take Notice" feat Flying Lotus from Miguel Atwood-Ferguson on Vimeo.