Welcome to the South

[Insert Outkast lyrics here]

Charlotte returns to Savannah for a weekend and snaps this pic. Shotgun shack + Lincoln = Dirty South. 

Gaslamp Killer is ridiculous

This right here is just crazy...[Props to Evster sending me this.]

The Gaslamp Killer, Live @ The Drake, Sept 13 2009. Toronto. from mymanhenri on Vimeo.

Cut Copy "Where I'm Going"

Cut Copy just dropped this new track via RCRDLBL called "Where I'm Going" and it's a driving 80s-pop-meets-Eno-Krautrock jam.


Grab a copy of the song by clicking here.

The Pillage Vol. 5

Check out the fifth installment in the Pillage mixtape series from Dope Sandwich - a collection tracks from various crew members that range from live cuts to closet recordings and studio joints.
Here's a nice cut from Blue Collar.


Get a copy of the Pillage 5.

Or, take a listen to crew member Basik Lee riding solo on his album A Bunch of Crazy Shit.

New Caribou video

Somebody handed out some different meds at the old ladies home...and Caribou was there to film his new video.

Newark

This is my homage to Newark Airport...and existentialism...like man's struggle not to be dehumanized by his mechanized envrionment...maybe that's Marxism actually.

Down at the Co-Lab

If you've been to the Co-Lab lately, you might have noticed the mural up during the last few shows. Here's a nice little video of Alex Farkas-Worthy and Clayton Walsh painting parts of the mural, set to popular music from the 1960s.

Hula Hoop

This is actually the inventor of the hula hoop, not the band.

Hula Hoop was formed in Savannah about 2 years ago, if my memory serves. Although it took me a few shows before I actually got to see them, the guys were immediately embraced downtown, generated serious buzz and totally lived up to the hype once I finally did see them. Samuel Cooper (who recently struck the blogosphere as half of Sunglasses) was working on Hula Hoop a little earlier with comrade-in-jams Marshall Trotter and the result was fun.
Hula Hoop got a nice shout out in Nylon's "Good Listener" section, featuring the mag's five fav songs of the week.
The song of merit is "Ladies (Let's Go)" which also recently appeared on the Outlet Magazine music issue compilation.
Enjoy. 

Origins of "Game Theory"

I was grooving to some Sly Stone while doing the dishes, when this little jam jumped off the shelf at me...(Pay attention at 1:27)
"Life of Fortune and Fame"

That's when I realized it was the sample used by the Roots in the title track off Game Theory. (skip to :59)

Freestyle Fellowship vs. The Turtles

This is a hard chilling use of the Turtles' "You Showed Me" 


Here's the original:

Video: Gee Dubs "Lose It All"

If you grew up on the east coast in the 80s or 90s, this joint from Gee Dubs "Lose It All" (produced by Mike Chops) will be like seeing an old friend again. Hip Hop made using a timeless recipe. I like the fact that the video is low budget, but still effective. The editing of shots compiled while walking and driving around NYC actually adds something more than if he was just standing somewhere - like in the club, maybe - waving shit around and smacking asses (not that there's anything wrong with that, but it has it's time and place, and needs to be balanced by substance every now and then)...

Things that make you go 'mmhmm'

This is so good. 

A Real Adventure

Here is a little mix - or compilation, more aptly - that I've had done for a while but kept forgetting to post. It's a real doozy. Sort of wanders around era and style - some Italian film soundtracks, easy listening, funk, soul, instrumentals, jazz, and beyond. Grab a copy here and buckle your seatbelt.
 
Many thanks to Shorpy for leading me to the above image.

Tracklist for A Real Adventure:

1. 7 Guns 7 Holes - Solal
2. Synthi Waltz - Piero Umiliani
3. Gunslinger - Os Megatons
4. Title Unknown - Armando Sciascia
5. You Showed Me - The Turtles
6. Y la Amo - Santo & Johnny
7. Annie's Theme - Armando Sciascia
8. T Plays it Cool - Marvin Gaye
9. Elegant Soul - Gene Harris & The Three Sounds
10. Good Friends - Wah Wah Watson
11. Polo Pony - Ray Brown
12. Free Angela - Bayete
13. Invention in C Major - Swingle Singers
14. Insidieusement Les Elfes - Vincent Gemignani
15. Soul Makossa - Bill Harris & The Prophets
16. Jamaica Jump Up - Ray Barretto
17. Mother Nature Land - The Rascals

Covers Week Bonus

I originally set out to do a week of covers, but after I found this one I had to add on a bonus track...This one is totally worth it though, and, if you care about things like narrative arc, this brings us back to where we started, kick ass covers played on sitars...
Bill 'Ravi' Harris and the Prophets kick out a funky ass cover of the Meters' bayou break "Cissy Strutt"

Covers Week #7

I had picked out a different cover originally, but I'm gonna stick with the movie score covers for one more post to sneak in this absolute gem of a tune...latin jazz godfather Ray Baretto's take on the Bond theme for "Thunderball" - after all, who could say no to Senor Double-oh-Seven?

Covers Week #6

Sticking with the sub-theme covers of film scores that we began with the previous post, let's go ahead and get into what may be one of my favorite covers of all time - Big Youth's cover of the "Theme from Shaft."

Covering a tune like this could go horribly wrong in the wrong hands, but this jam is just incredible. So laidback. Seriously hard chilling is the only thing you can really undertake while listening to this. Professional leisure.

Covers Week #5

Today's installment is a doozy - an epic, slow-building film theme as translated by the Memphis legends Booker T. & the MGs. Their take on the theme from the 1968 Clint Eastwood vehicle (directed by Ted Post) "Hang 'Em High."



Now that we're five days into this little experiment, I just want to let you know that the cover theme is a bit of double entendre. Not only was it something I've been thinking about for awhile, but I've been on vacation for the last few days, making a conscious effort to be unplugged from the computer for a while, and so the covers have been covering for me...

Covers Week #4

We're gonna smooth things out today with jazz guitar impresario Maynard Parker's take on Roberta Flack's brilliant "Killing Me Softly."

I don't think Parker's cover really gets identifiable until around 45 seconds in when he hits notes of the title line. I pondered using the Lauryn Hill version, but what's the fun in that.  
This Maynard Parker record Midnight Rider is actually all covers, and if you go back in the archives with the helpful search function, you might find a post I did last year with his version of "The World is a Ghetto," which is one of the coolest instrumental covers ever.

Covers Week #3

The third installment in the covers series brings us to a real treasure. This time around, we have legendary  latin-soul musician Joe Bataan taking on The Dreamlovers' timeless oldie "When We Get Married."

Just in case you're not familiar with the original...

Covers Week #2

The second installment in the covers series brings us into some truly strange territory...A psych-blues-rock cover of Cat Stevens' "First Cut is the Deepest"courtesy of Koobas - a British group from Liverpool - off their album Barricades (1969). Highly recommend chasing down a copy of this record.

No Warp Record Jamboree

If you're wondering what to do on a Wednesday that will have awesome music, you should stop by Hangfire - play trivia early - then hang out for a psychedelic freakout courtesy of the Milwaukee Couple, Kris and Rebecca, who have a nice collection of all things groovy and far out. Kris put me on to Demon Fuzz a few weeks ago at Vinyl Appreciation. Good stuff.

Covers Week #1

After a terrible storm wiped out a bunch of household electronics - including my router, an iPod dock/speakers, a TV and some other odds and ends around the house, I've been going through some archives, and so to make that feel more productive than nostalgic, I'm going to indulge myself with a week of themed posts - rare covers - sometimes beautiful, sometimes bizarre - never the original artists.

To kick things off, we're going to go with a tune everyone knows, in a version you might not have ever really expected - unless you expect things like funky sitar covers...
Ananda Shankar's version of the Doors' classic "Light My Fire"

This comes from Shankar's 1970 album Snow Flower. The album also contains a sick cover of the Rolling Stones' "Jumpin' Jack Flash," but I chose the Doors cover because it's a little weirder. You should track down a copy of this album if you're into funky sitar jams - not all covers either.

Psychedelic Phinland

This two disc set came out in 2006. I'm not sure whether it's still in print, but if you can find a copy, and you like a weird variety of heavy psychedelic music that is sometimes sung in Finnish, then this might be your jam. This cut "Savu" by Hector and Oscar is one of my favorites, just because it's so mellow, but it's not really representative of the comp as a whole, which stretches from early Pink Floyd influenced (think "Corporal Klegg") to minimalist percussion-driven noise.

All Summer

Converse put together this pop super-trio to collab on a track. This is what happens when you put Kid Cudi, Best Coast and Rostam Batmanglij (from Vampire Weekend) in a studio together. The results are catchy - that 21st Century, slow-building, epic Hip-Pop that is becoming all the rage lately.
Head over to Converse to listen and download.

MED x Kweli = Classic

Wow. This track is stupid fresh. Go ahead and put this on a mixtape right after that Trek Life & J.Bizness track I just posted. You'll be groovin' proper in this heat.
"Classic"
MED - Classic feat. Talib Kweli by stonesthrow


The Stones Throwers say this might be on MED's new album. If it's not, then he better have 15 other tracks that are even hotter, because this joint is certified. Get more info here. Download a copy of the song here.

Trek Life & J.Bizness

This CA-based duo is starting to bubble - Trek was on tour in Europe with Diamond District a while back, and Oddisee makes a nice little cameo on this silky jam that fits nicely for your summer afternoon cruising.
"Clap"




Grab a copy here.

Reporter

Reporter hails from Portland, OR and if you're looking for some tweaked out, synthy, post-punk infused, semi-industrial, basement rock than this is your shit. Their album Time Incredible is out August 10 on Holocene.
Check out their new track "Click Shaw"

101 Strings "From Beyond the Year 2000"

101 Strings Orchestra records are a thrift store mainstay - like Ferrante & Teicher or late-career Herb Albert easy listening - original songs, not by the original artists. They played all the popular hits, at least that's what I thought until I stumbled across this little gem.

Check out this uber-psychedelic break.
"Flameout"

Ooh Lordy!

The guys from Dope Sandwich just unleashed this old cypher style joint over the weekend. It dropped on an old EP that may never have really seen the light of day. The beat is hot (courtesy of I Make Mad Beats) and the crew rips it.

Port Life Music

The struggle is so deep in Savannah, it's got it's own sub-genre in the hip hop community. No joke. These guys from Port Life are doing their thing. They've got a couple good videos - peep "Celebrate" if you want something more polished.

To get back to where we started, this joint "Run It" might be one of the best struggle tracks I've heard in a while (wait until after heads finish talking).

Chip tha Ripper Loves America

Chip tha Ripper celebrates America's birthday the way it should be celebrated - by giving something away - no taxes, baby! USA all the way...Coming straight out of Cleveland.

 I'm enjoying this joint off Chip's Independence Day mixtape.
"Here I Am" (prod. 6th Sense) -  Check the line about ginger ale a few bars in, Chip starts sounding like the Midwestern version of Biz Markie...In an open letter to DJ Steph Floss, I'm saying let the beat drop but cool it with all the yelling. We get it.


 

Dyme Def

Reppin' Seattle, these dudes Dyme Def are pretty nice. They just released a project called Sex Tape. While checking out the video for the first single, I found this video, which is a better song overall. I like the Kill Bill OST chop and the Saigon cameo.

 The single "Do Something" off Sex Tape,  is the Zeppelin drums from "When the Levee Breaks" that the Beastie Boys popularized, topped off with a little dance arp synth line that just wasn't doing it for me. It's like club banger content without a full commitment to making a dance track. You've got to do one or the other. Be smart. Or make a club track. "Do Something" tries to do both, but succeeds with neither.
Don't get it messy though, these guys are doing some things in the NW. Brainstorm can definitely spit. Check out the album and some tees by clicking here.

 

Hollyweerd x Don Cannon

ATL space-funk-hip hop quartet Hollyweerd join forces with the hitmaker Don Cannon for the long awaited Edible Phat 2.0, which dropped today via DJbooth.net - go grab a copy. If you don't go get this now, then you won't be able to tell people how long you've known about these guys when they really blow up next year.

Supermarket Blues

 Check out this little jam by Eugene McDaniels "Supermarket Blues."

Some of you hippity hoppers will recognize parts that appear courtesy of Madlib sampling on the 2nd Quasimodo record.

I hate it when I go to the store for a can of pineapple, but it ends up being a can of peas. Speaking of cans of pineapple, you need to be getting down with summer by chopping up canned pineapple and using it on hot dogs in lieu of relish. Hood trip to Hawaii. Salty and sweet.

KZL's Notes from Bonnaroo, pt.2

The second installment in our ongoing series of fond memories and hazy analysis from Bonnaroo 2010 by music and culture guru Keith Kozel, posted not for their timeliness (obviously), but because if the internet is the new historical record, then by god, we're going to have a say in how the future remembers things...

Day 2: It's just before 9:00am. I notice that outside of the comedy tent there were two long lines formed already. These are the lines for Conan O'Brien's "Legaly Prohibited From Being Funny On Television Tour."  A woman in khakis and neck badges asked the gathering crowd to form a third line if we were waiting for tickets to Conan's show, which is scheduled for 1:00 pm that afternoon. It's obvious that as a result of the fiasco of NBC's late show wars, Conan is more popular than ever. I myself have fallen to the charm of Mr. O'Brien's plight - rooting for the underdog. It's a modern day David and Goliath story with the part of lil Davey played by an unassuming, awkward ex-comedy writer whose sense of humor and humility appeal to my nerdy, vulnerable anti-authoritarian side. Dork with a penchant for self deprication and absurd mockery makes it big, but proves he's still human after all.

 

 After about an hour of waiting patiently in line, a random act of chaos ensued and the lines collapsed on themselves, with patrons crowding up against the gates to be closest. Still, one segment of line remained orderly; the oldest segment of the snaking queue. Some people in this particular line had been waiting since 6:00am and were now among the folks farthest from the entry. 

  It seemed Bonnaroo organizers vastly underestimated the popularity of Conan. The only solution was to give everyone in line a voucher for the show. We were then free to wander away and return closer to showtime or join one of two extremely long lines and wait again guaranteeing us a better chance of an ultimate admission. I  finally made it inside the 1800 capacity Comedy Tent. I was one of the last to enter, but I got a great, central seat. As soon as I sat down Summer and John from Baroness saw me and called me out. I tried to tell them what a great set they had played, but when the lights went down the cheers were deafening.

  Conan's band came out first. "The Legally Prohibited Band" consisted of Ronnie Gutierrez on drums, Scott Healy on keyboards, Mike Merritt on Bass, Mark Pender on trumpet, Jerry Vivino on Sax and the legendary La Bamba (Richie Rosenberg) on trombone. They hyped up the audience with New Orleans style jazz theatrics, running through the audience playing Curtis Mayfield's "Move On Up" and hamming it up. The crowd was on its feet, dancing and  hyped, but fell quiet as a film began with the words "two months ago". A destitute, long haired and long bearded O'Brien lay amongst empty beer bottles and pizza  boxes. A montage of hilarious, sad Conan bits played to the tune of "All By Myself"

Then it all turns around with a phone call tour offer which segued into another montage of Coco getting in shape and tearing off his fat suit while running on a treadmill.

  The crowd is amped up again, this time to a frenzied pitch as we heard and yelled along with his trademark intro... " Ladies and Gentlemen, Co-Naan    O...Briiiiiiiiaaaaaaaaan! The audience was ferocious with glee. Conan is at the height of fame. He appeared excited, humbled and amused by the outpouring. 

  Dressed casually and sporting a beard, Conan worked the room with practiced ease. Having seen him every night before sleep, its like seeing an old friend - one who has no idea who we are but is happy to pass the time with us by making site specific jokes and wicked observations; an old friend who knows that if he can just keep us entertained for 90 minutes we might just fall asleep without giving him a sweaty shirtless patchouli smelling hug. 

He kept the laughs coming, mostly with jokes about his current legal plight, evoking roars of mirth and boos of contempt for those who put him in this situation. He showed a film of himself lampooning an unnammed television executive, went through the psychic stages of loss experienced by anyone who loses a late night television show (shouts out to Arsenio Hall), he showcased one of his writers, and Triumph the insult comic dog (who phoned it in with puposefully bad bonnaroo specific overdubs).

Conan peppered the show with musical numbers, indulging in his long time hobby of kicking ass on the guitar. They even brought out a giant rock festival prop, The Bat from Meatloaf's "Bat Out of Hell" tour. Bouyed up by the support grown from his very public ex-communication from broadcast media Conan seemed to know how lucky he was to have been granted this position in life. I'll always remember his farewell speech on NBC, "Please do not be cynical... if you work really hard and you're kind, amazing things will happen!"

 Many people were indifferent to Conan O'Brien's comedy and media presence when he was on television, but when his fight with NBC became public he showed his true colors as a down to earth solid and classy guy. I've always been a huge fan, but now it seems, so is the rest of the world. I find this to be 100% Awesome!!! Conan closed his set with an over the top rendition of The Band's "The Weight".

 He plunged into his adoring audience, shaking hands, taking pictures, giving hugs to sweaty freaks. Hell, I even got a high five from him! Afterwards I got a photo op with La Bamba. This could prove to be my Bonnaroo highlight and I had barely gotten started.

Gettin Nerdy with the Co-Lab

 

Check out the upcoming show at the Co-Lab. It's all about getting your geek on. That's Geek-chic, not the old school circus geek who bit the heads off chickens for a quarter.