Welcome back, The Future of Rock and Roll!
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Tag: music
Probably the weirdest, coolest thing ever posted on YouTube: Album Cover War
I should also mention that The ChickenFish Speaks has a forum. Register and post! The ChickenFish could easily be the beacon, at least locally, for cultural/A&E news and views, rivalling the Dayton City Paper for absolute, total control over the hearts and minds of hipsters and wannabes in the Miami Valley.
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Posies live on CJLO radio
The Posies performing live on CJLO in Canada. Includes audio and video clips. Jon and Ken rule.
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Downside, an upside
Finally, after three or four days of nearly agonizingly languishing meditation on the fate of my latest song, comes the breakthrough I’ve been lusting after: I had gotten up to go to bed, and the moment took me completely by surprise. And at first, I did not even know that it was the missing piece that I sought.
Rising from my chair and extinguishing one of my last cigarette butts in my desk ashtray, I found that I had a melody already in my head, complete with an accompaniment of washing, ethereal rhythm guitar. It was nothing more than background noise; the blips and bleeps that randomly orchestrate themselves into patterns of thought or waves of sound. The type that usually functions merely as a filter through which to perceive the void in front and behind you as the world, as reality, often taking on the arduous task of giving you a rhythm with which to shuffle your feet forward.
And then it struck me: I had a bit of an interesting thing going on… I wondered if I should take a moment to figure out the melody and the chords underneath, so as not to forget it when I awake, seven hours later and a completely newborn human being all over again.
As I considered how best to record this thing without having to actually turn on my digital multitrack recorder, it hit me once more, as if to carry the point home: what if it goes with the thumping, driving, slow groove I’ve already got? Yet again was I assaulted with more forceful, intuitive instruction from within: Turn the fucking recorder on, you idiot! Do not lose this! It is perfect!
I turned on the recorder, hastily gathered together a few effects pedals (after trying to figure out how best to save the current patches onboard the VS-880EX recorder for the drums, without losing the careful nuances I’d already fine-tuned), plugged in an electric guitar, and ran it through.
It fit. Perfectly. The rising melody, like a siren calling from a forgotten time; the cascading, echoed rhythm guitar burbling underneath like waves upon the ocean; the bass, thumping along like exhausted, yet somehow furiously driven oars hitting the water with a great, unified FLONGT.
[SHIFT]+[STORE]. Save Current? Y.Must leave, go to bed, reboot, so as not to ruin it with overthinking things. Tomorrow, I will begin again.
Poweroff/Restart? 0.
Thomphsss, sleep now.
So You Wanna Be a Drummer… Really?
(A Cynical Glimpse into What Challenges Await All the Would-be Drummers in the World)
By my friend, the exceptionally gifted Michael Christmas.
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Downside
Lately i’ve been working, taking as much care of Holly as I can humanly manage (and managing to piss her off once in a while, too – oops), trying, frankly desperately, to keep my head above water financially, and trying – my god, I’m trying – to manage my creative life. Primarily at the moment I’m working hard on a brand new song. This one’s heavy, with a low, funky “Those Shoes” kind of vibe. The working title is “Downside,” and lyrically, it’s about the hear/see/speak-no-evil attitude of rich people when dealing with those of us on the Other Side of town. The Battle of the Haves vs. the Have Nots. That could always change, as these things do, when the lyrics start getting downright sophomoric. Low bass, some common and twisted chord changes, and chaotic, mind-bending guitar, with a Soundgardenesque vocal melody. Probably been done before, but this one’s mine.
Over time, I plan on posting a sort of mini-log of how it’s going. If possible, i’d love to post a running mix as it develops; however, my creative time is severely limited, so this might take a longer time than I’d like. For anyone who might read this who’s a home-recording nut, this one’s for you. DIY, baby.
I had no idea: the famous Iggy Pop peanut butter incident was provoked by Dayton’s own Rev. Cool (from WYSO)!
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Kirk & Spock get “Closer”
This is quite possibly the greatest thing the internet has come up with: Kirk and Spock: Closer (warning: completely NSFW). It’s a fan-made (T. Jonsey & Killa) slash-fiction remix/mashup of Star Trek: OS moving pictures, set to Nine Inch Nails‘ classic pants-creamin’ body-rocker “Closer”. It’s a music video with a silly, yet wholly erotic theme.
This is the culmination of all that is Great and Good about teh Interwebs! Finally, we can unplug our rigs and live wistfully happy, idyllic lives among nature now. It has happened. Utopia can start now k thx. The Interwebs has fulfilled its function. 42 my ass.
Whoa. I just went to a job interview (cross your fingers for me, or pray to whatever sinful, heathen idols you worship), and was interviewed by Grog from the Oxymorons!! (He also runs Mutant Renegade Records and the excellent zine The Chickenfish Speaks)
Okay, for those of ya outside of Dayton, the Oxymorons were this great post-punk band in the late 80s-early 90s. After they split up, their singer fell off of a balcony and died :( so they are sadly no more. But he’s still really active in music. I still have their tape Bash On Regardless in storage – i have to dig that up and see if it still plays; it was one of my favorites way back in the early 90s!
The interview, i felt, went great, and we spent most of the time talking about music, although i also learned a lot about the company. I am really really hoping i land this one. It’s right up my alley in so many ways!
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Good Times Bad Times
Good and Bad news for Cincy music fans. First the bad:
97X WOXY.com is closing. Yet again. This time, probably, for real, and forever. 97X was THE alternative radio station for most of the 80s and all of the 90s; the greatest radio station ever, it was college rock on a pro level, with 100% great (and diverse) alternative, underground, and indie music (and some commercials). It closed down as a physical station a couple of years ago, and has continued its legendary legacy purely online ever since. Good bye, alternative radio.
But… at least the Afghan Whigs are showing signs of life! Nothing to start a new religion over just yet, but four new songs is something.
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Music via PC
I’ve been filling up my hard drive with all of my favorite CDs lately. I’m up to about 33 straight days’ worth, ~60GB, over 10,000 songs. I’ll post a list of the albums in about a week. It’s a hell of a job, and i thought i’d burnt out my DVD drive until the nice folks at eMachines advised me to simply uninstall and delete the drivers and restart Windows. Once restarted, i had nothing to do whatsoever but continue ripping, as XP already had the correct drivers reinstalled by the time the desktop had loaded.
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We Are The Web
We Are The Web – coolest video i’ve seen in a while, and it’s got a Net Neutrality message, too! Plus, it’s got Peter Pan guy, who’s site i first ran into way back around Y2K or so! Watch for those wacky Chinese Backstreet Boys lip-syncing guys, too! Awesome.
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Buddy Rich
Not fictional! He actually threatens a fucking trombonist! I actually did not know what a dick he was until today.
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The Roi of Clubs!
Elbo’s is under new, IMPROVED management! In fact,
- the name has changed to The Roi
- no previous staff will be working there
- no meatheads at the door
- Craig is a musician
- Libby went to my alma mater
$www$.myspace.com/roiofclubs
This is the greatest news to hit the Dayton music scene since Bob Pollard started screwing around with Radio Shack microphones.
UPDATE, 15 Sept 2006: Sadly, there will be no Roi of Clubs. Not entirely sure what happened.
EQ tips – excerpt from “The Mixing Engineer’s Handbook” by engineer Bobby Owsinski
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R.I.P. Billy Preston
Billy Preston has left the studio at the tender age of 59.
A kinder, sweeter man i have never met. He had tons of heart. He saved the Beatles in their last year. Rock music wouldn’t have been so good without this wonderful man. Here’s just a partial list of credits. He also played with Earth Wind and Fire during the group’s heyday.
(1970) Let It Be — including “Get Back”
(1970) All Things Must Pass (George Harrison)
(1971) Sticky Fingers (Rolling Stones)
(1971) The Concert for Bangladesh (George Harrison And Friends)
(1971) There’s a Riot Goin’ On (Sly & the Family Stone)
(1972) Exile on Main Street (Rolling Stones)
(1973) Goats Head Soup (Rolling Stones)
(1974) It’s Only Rock’n Roll (Rolling Stones)
(1975) Blood on the Tracks (Bob Dylan)
(1975) “You Are So Beautiful” (Joe Cocker’s biggest hit)
(1976) Black and Blue (Rolling Stones)
Pink Floyd Echoes Music Video with 2001 A Space Odyssey – Google Video
Very cool.
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Some older songs
Music page updated slightly with some old songs, and an early, super-rough mix of the one i’m finishing right now.
