Bone Thugs N Harmnony

Bone Thugs N Harmony, to me one of the greatest if not the greatest rap group that has ever existed in the rap and hip hop scene.  But I just can't make this bold statement and not back it up with any evidence.  This is a group that I've been listening to since I was 10 and I still continue to listen to their great music.  Well let me begin by letting you know who Bone Thugs N Harmony are.  They are all from Cleveland, Ohio and the group consists of five members.  They Krayzie Bone, Bizzy Bone, Lazie Bone, and Flesh n Bone.  By now you can see that they don't have usual names,  I'm sure that is not their real names but to this day I know them by that.  While starting their music career they wanted to go big and went to Los Angeles to meet with the one and only Eazy E.  They were able to impress him so much that they got a record deal with Ruthless Records and the music career for Bone Thugs had begun.  Their debut album Creeping on ah Come Up was released in 1994.  While at first it had a slow start it was able to kick off and hit the mainstream of rap music.  Their single "Foe tha Love of Money" was one of their hits and featured the great and famous Eazy-E.  While the release of their first album was mainly violent rap lyrics their release of their second album E 1999 Eternal showed a whole different side to Bone Thugs.  It showed the diversity of their lyrics and stylings.  It debuted at #1 and it sold more than 307,000 records its first week.  Their single "Tha Crossroads" reached #1 on the Billboards Top 100.  This was it for Bone Thugs, they were able to successfully take the rap scene by suprise.  With their fast paced rap flow and their creative lyrics they started a whole new style for hip hop.  Bone Thugs N Harmony were able to release a number of later records all of them being successful.  They mixed with a whole number of different rappers including the great Notorious BIG and 2pac.  Well if any of you haven't given Bone Thugs N Harmony a try I say you get out there and give them a moment of your time, even if your not a huge rap fan I'm sure you will not be disappointed.

Kanye West

I wanted to change up my blogs a bit and write about a whole different genre of music.  Out of all the blogs I've posted I haven't mentioned any rap music or hip hop.  But in this one I'll be going over one of today's greatest and unique rappers, Kanye West.  While Kanye was a small child his parents divorced and him and his mother moved to the city of Chicago.  I always thought this was cool because I grew up about 20 minutes away from the city of Chicago.  Well anyways, Kanye attended school at the Chicago State University but later dropped out to continue his music career.  While pursuing his music career he gained some fame by producing for major rap artists like Jay Z, Common, Pall Wall, and Janet Jackson.  After producing for artists Kanye went off to start a music career of his own.  While returning one day from the music studio West was involved in a almost fatal car accident that inspired a lot of his music in his debut album College Droppout.  His faith in his religous views can be seen in songs on this album such as "Through the Wire" and "Jesus Walks".  What seperated Kayne from the rest of the rappers during this period was the really everything.  Kayne was really nothing like any other rapper.  He had a unique lyrical base to his songs and flowed his beats and rhymes so well to create a powerhouse of rap.  Most rappers were just flowing about drugs, money,  power and they all seemed to be the same, but Kayne was putting more soul in his music and thought.  He wasn't following the typical rapper path, he was creating his own.  Well the release of his gained him great fame and it looked the rap scene had a new star rising.  During this period Kayne was not only just working on his music he was still producing for the rap artists, such as Twista and Brandy.  He then went on to release his second album Late Registration which like his debut album received great acceptance by the fans and critics.  There were some great songs on this album including "Gold Digger" which was featured in Jaime Foxx's movie Ray.  This album went for further show Kayne West's great musical ability, not only in his lyrics our rhythm but in his ability to produce his music.  On the release of his album Kayne had a little race going with the rapper 50 Cent, on who can sell the most albums on the day of the release.  Kayne's album Graduation Day was able to sell more records and was the winner of the race.  I was able to experience the great music of Kayne West at Lollapalooza 2008.  He put on a great live performance and his music was even greater on stage.  I'm sure all of you have heard Kayne West's music but incase you really haven't go out there and give him a try, he's not the everyday rapper, he's a whole different story.

Radiohead #2

In the previous blog I talked about the one and only Radiohead.  I went over the band members and the beginning of their career.  The most important parts in Radiohead's career are still to come.  I left off after Radiohead was gaining fame with their hit "Creep" and it seemed like this band would just be another one hit wonder band.  But it didn't happen.  Soon after the release of their first album, the band released their second album called The Bends.  Unlike their first album that had more of a pop rock feel to it, The Bends was a something more creative and imaginative.  With Thom Yorke's voice and lyrics perfectly matching the brilliant played instruments, the outcome for Radiohead had changed.  Their album was well received by critics and fans and it now seemed that the band was on to something and they weren't going anywhere.  If their second album wasn't enough of a change for Radiohead they released their third album Ok Computer.  This album was a whole completely different story then any of Radiohead's previous music.  The band did indeed pull a 180 and change completely their style of music.  Ok Computer was a type of album that don't come around to often, it was one of a kind.  With Radioheads new use of electronic instruments and strange but brilliant music, they were able to show the world their wide variety of their musical capabilities.  This album contains some of Radioheads greatest tracks like "Paranoid Android" and "Karma Police".  Great songs that were able to back up that Radiohead were musical geniuses.  The release of their fourth album Kid A was the same story as their previous record.  It showed the great variety of different instruments and different types of music they used in their music.  Songs like "Idioteque" and "National Anthem"  were huge hits for them and some of the most unique songs ever created.  After this the album went some years without any music and they seperated from the their record album.  But in the year 2007 they released In Rainbows another groundbreaking album for them.  But they released this album in a very unusual way.  They posted their whole album on their website and fans were able to pay whatever they wanted to download it.  They could pay nothing or 100 dollars, whatever they wanted.  I thought this was an awesome way to distribute your music to your fans.  One of my favorite songs from this album is "15 step" because this song has such a huge variety of different sounds, instruments, and beats that truley make it great. In Rainbows was a great album and I really hope its not their last.  Well there it is, Radiohead.  If I haven't influenced you a bit to go out and give them a listen I don't know what will, so get out there and give Radiohead a moment of your time.

Zeppelin Without Plant?

There has been no shortage of Led Zeppelin rumors circulating this year since the famed one-time reunion the band underwent last December in London. Since this lonely reunion, there has been consistent talk of a reunion tour and new recording, all which seem to be held back by lead singer Robert Plant's refusal to cooperate with the newfound ambitions. This raises the question: should Led Zeppelin replace their famed front man Robert Plant? Led Zep still has the inner circle of Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and original drummer John Bonham's son, Jason Bonham, all willing and eager to continue the Led Zeppelin legacy. According to an article on Billboard.com, they may have found a solution in singer Myles Kennedy, front man of the alternative rock group Alter Bridge. According to Twisted Sister front man Dee Snider, the band is "saying [to Robert], 'We're all rehearsed, we're ready to go. Here's a gazillion dollars on the table. If you don't do it, we're going out with this kid. And he can sing the shit out of Zeppelin.' And they're gonna hope that Robert, at the last minute, will go, 'Okay,' and step in before having the lead singer of Alter Bridge out with John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page and Jason Bonham." This bold move by the members of Led Zeppelin brings up another interesting question: would people still go to see Led Zeppelin without Robert Plant? Personally, I would not pay the exorbitant amounts of money that would be charged for tickets to see the two original members, Bonham's son, and some kid. Although I'm sure the concert would still rock, I feel like it just would not be a real Led Zeppelin show. It would be nothing more than Jimmy Page playing with a cover band. From here on out I can only hope that Robert Plant will come to his senses, and make the decision to rejoin the group for a reunion tour. I believe he will make the right decision because I find it hard to believe that he could leave his brainchild, the beginning of rock n' roll, into the hands of a man who does a good impression. This has led to speculation on whether this could just be a big publicity stunt to get people riled up before a big Led Zeppelin reunion including Plant. Then, even if Robert Plant rejoins the group for a reunion tour, it has been thirty years since the group last toured together! Is it possible for the same Led Zeppelin to come out thirty years later with the same force they had in their time? Regardless of what kind of future Led Zeppelin has, it is destined to be one of the most highly publicized, and highly criticized tours of all time. So, keep your eyes open because you might miss history if you don't.

Radiohead

Well its getting close to the end of the semester and I wanted to get this blog out before it was too late. Yes the time is finally here to blog about the one only Radiohead. One of the most critically acclaimed bands in its generations, Radiohead has undergone a lot of changes throughout its career that have shown the world how diverse they are with they're music and the musical talent they have to back that up. Well like I do in my most blogs, let me start with introducing the band members to you. First to go is Thom Yorke, the singer and lyricst for the band. But don't think that this is the only thing he contributes to the band. Thom's musical ability shows in his wide variety of instruments he can play. Next there's Johnny Greenwood the lead guitarist of the band. Like Thom, Johnny has more than one way he contributes to the band. He plays the fantastic guitar but he can also play the bass, piano, and he is always messing around with some electronic device on stage to add a little something extra to their sound. Next on the list is Colin Greenwood the bassist of theband and older brother of Johnny. Colin and Johnny's dynamic brother bond has contributed so much to their bands accomplishments. The fourth member is Ed O'Brian the rhythm guitar and back up vocals for the band. Ed's style of guitar has gone along so perfect to that of Johnny and Thom's style, that its almost to perfect. Last but not least is Phil Selway, the percussionist of the band. His drum beats and fills back up the music so perfect that its extraordinary, he is truly an amazing drum player. Well now you the band members a little more, I now can go on and talk about the band as a whole, their changes throughout their career, and their many accomplishments. Radiohead was formed in 1986 in Oxfordshire, England. An unusual fact about the band is that when first formed they were initially called On a Friday, not a very good band name, but they picked it because while in high school the band would always practice in their music room on a friday. They then changed it to Radiohead because of an inspiration off of a certain song title, I think they made the right choice changing their name. Soon after the band formed they released their fist single "Creep" which did not get much attention. A year later they released their first album Pablo Honey .  The band then reissued their single "Creep" a year after this and it became a worldwide hit.  With the band only really having one hit it seemed they were going to be another one hit wonder pop band.  But this was definitely not the story, as everyone that follows Radiohead would know they became one of the most changing phenomenal band of their generation.  Thats were I'll end this blog and continue with the rest of their music career in the next blog.

Jersey Boyz

What does a New Jersey City Councilman and Grateful Dead tribute band The Dark Star Orchestra have in common? Shockingly enough, this past Saturday night it was the government official who acted inappropriately, and not the revelers that came to see one of the best tribute bands in the jam scene today. Saturday night, drunken New Jersey Councilman, Steve Lipski, was arrested for urinating on a crowd of concert goers from the balcony of a Washington City nightclub, police and sources told JamBase reporter Rich Schapiro. "He was very drunk," the source stated, noting that this is not the first occasion Mr. Lipski has caused a problem at this notable Washington night club. "We've dealt with this man before," the source added. "He's never peed on anybody, but he gets really belligerent and drunk." The councilman, who is currently serving his second term in office, was let off easily and charged only with assault. One of the funniest things about this incident is that this is not the first time a New Jersey official has been caught with his pants down. Photos showing Jerramiah Healy, still a councilman at the time, naked and passed out on his front stoop were widely circulated in 2004 days before he was elected mayor. These facts raise some interesting questions. Firstly, how were these men able to climb the social hierarchy high enough to be elected into a position of importance to the community? Secondly and more importantly, what exactly were the voters thinking when voting to put these men into office? Unfortunately, Mr. Lipski urinated on an audience that was attending one of my favorite groups, The Dark Star Orchestra (or simply DSO). DSO gained popularity by recreating sets that include songs from nearly 2,500 that the Grateful Dead wrote over their thirty year ride. They recreate historical sets almost exactly as the Dead played them; going song for song in the same order as the original set. This may suggest they are just copying the Dead note for note, but this is not the case. Although they copy the set lists exactly, they use each song as their own vehicle for musical exploration just as the Dead used to do. To add even more authenticity, DSO rearranges their musical equipment, phrasing, and voice arrangements to the era in which they are playing. For example, if DSO is playing a show from the 1970's, they will use equipment that actually sounds like it is from the 70's. At the end of every show, the band announces the date and venue where the show they just played originally took place. This allows for a true to life performance, which allows fans to actually "see" shows that happened long before their time. Although this recent catatrophe in Washington is an unheard of situation, lets just hope the fans didn't let it put a "damper" on their DSO experience.

American Rock Music?

You might be wondering what the title of my blog means or what its referring to but I will explain myself.  I was thinking to myself the other day and started to realize something about American rock music, its not good.  When I turn on the radio I hear the same thing over and over, pop rock music that is so mainstream that it all sounds the same.  You have bands like Metro Station or Good Charolette that have one hit wonder songs and they blow up.  But why? They're songs all sound the same, this bubble gum pop rock music that sounds exactly like the song before.  They also consider themselves alternative rock or rock when they are not.  Take a good American band like Rage Against the Machine or Red Hot Chili Peppers and compare them to the hundreds of pop rock bands that are out there ruining American music.  The biggest difference between Red Hot Chili Peppers and these pop bands is the genuine and unique sound that they lack.  My thought is that most bands start off creating their own music the way they want it to be, which is great play the music you want the way you want, all power to you.  But then they hear these so called rock bands on the radio being played over and over, and then it begins.  They start changing their music to the style of these bands to make it big and bring in the money.  They sell out their musical creativity and and another band to the list.  This way of thinking about music is horrible because it crushes creativity and difference between music.  I don't know about everyone else but I like to keep my ears and eyes open to new music, and when I keep hearing the same thing being played all the time it frustrates me.  But for some reason Europe really does not have this problem.  Take the UK for example, so many great genuine bands have come out of this country, but again there's the question of why.  I don't have an answer I guess in the UK they stick by their music it doesn't matter if you like it or not, its what they play and its what they will continue to play no matter what.  Thats always been my thoughts on how music and bands should be but thats just my opinion.

Bisco

What is the best thing that the University of Pennsylvania gave us? The answer is The Disco Biscuits. This particular jam band has dubbed their style "trance-fusion". This means that they infuse electronic elements into their rock and roll style, but not enough to call themselves electronic music. Disco Biscuit set-lists consist of mostly original songs which can be played inverted, unfinished, or "dyslexic". The Disco Biscuits (Bisco for short) break their songs up and bounce back and forth between each composition throughout the set, and sometimes even play sections of their songs backwards. These are called "inverted" or "dyslexic" versions. Lately, the band has even been experimenting with the hip-hop sound. They have been working with high profile Philadelphia producers like Don Cheegro and Dirty Harry, who recently wrote beats for Ludacris, Chris Brown, Beanie Sigel, and Fantasia. The Biscuits even started their own music festival in 1999, located in upstate New York. The festival was named Camp Bisco, and has since grown to be one of the largest yearly jam band festival in this country. The first installment of Camp Bisco featured artists like Snoop Dogg, Sound Tribe Sector Nine, Umphrey's McGee, and Thievery Corporation. Now, the festival features all these artists plus dozens of other bands, DJ's, and live entertainment. The band has also been involved in multiple large music festivals. Some examples include Rothbury, Jam on the River, Bonnaroo, All Good, Lollapalooza, Jam Cruise, 10,000 Lakes Festival, and Wakarusa to name a few. They also took part in the epic tour with Umphrey's McGee called the D.U.M.B. tour. This stands for Disco-Umphrey's-McGee-Biscuits, and I was fortunate enough to see firsthand the force of these two jam super groups together. The show was phenomenal. It was a combination of the driving "melt your face off" shredding of Umphrey's McGee, and the robotic, melodic style of the Disco Biscuits. Seeing the Disco Biscuits live is truly an experience. Their style is the perfect blend of rock and roll and electronic. Not too much rock, not too much electronic. The audience is always friendly and excited too. That is one of the best parts about going to see a jam band concert; the audience is always just as excited for the show as you are, and not one person in that audience has any reservation about expressing this joy with a stranger. All in all, the Disco Biscuits are another prime example of the jam band prowess. Great tunes, great people, great times!

Arctic Monkeys

Where to start with this band? There's so much that this band has accomplished in its short career, that having to cover everything is not an easy task. I'll start with the background of the band. The Arctic Monkeys are a British band formed in 2002. The band consists of Alex Turner on lead vocals and guitar, Matt Helders on drums, Jaime Cook on guitar, and Nick O'Malley on bass. These four band members have been playing together since they've been 13, so they know each others styles and know how to really play great with each other. This shows in all the music they play because all of them play their instruments the same way, fast and heavy. The style of their playing has paved a new direction for bands in Europe, a new generation of non stop guitar riffs, chords, and drum beats that creates a powerhouse of music that has the fans going throughout the whole song. Now that you have a feel for the band let me go into short but very successful musical career that the band has had. Before the band released any music in the stores or on any albums, they released the music they've been working on through the internet. Some people thought this wasn't a smart choice to do because you're just giving it away, but it definitely worked out for the Arctic Monkeys. This is because their music got spread throughout all of Europe and worldwide. When they released their first single "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" it went straight to number one in the UK charts. This was something never seen before, a band that has never actually released any music hit number one on the release of their first single. The word was out and it was time for the rest of the world to find out about the Arctic Monkeys. Next on their agenda was the release of their first album Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not. This album made history by being the fastest selling debut album in the UK. This was something incredible because the UK has had some amazing bands like the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, Oasis, The Who, The Clash, the list goes on. The band members were only 18 on the release of their first album and for them to break this kind of record was phenomenal.  By now you can see that this is no ordinary new band, they were something completely different.  Its hard to describe their music but what I hear when I listen to them is a fast paced get up and go, feel to their music.  Its the type of music thats uplifting and pumps you up.  The Arctic Monkeys also released a second album called Your Favorite Worst Nightmare that received great acceptance by their fans.  The Arctic Monkeys did it again, they were able to release another great album and keep their music genuine.  Well I've offered you a little taste of what the Arctic Monkeys are about, so its up to you to get out there and give them a try.

You Enjoy Myself

Want to know exactly what a jam band is? Phish is the living, breathing definition of everything that is jam music. The quartet's humble beginning took place in a dormitory at University of Vermont, and even before the beginnings of Phish the members of the band had a very promising future. Trey Anastasio (lead guitar/vocals) was then a Philosophy major, John Fishman (drums) was then studying chemical engineering, Mike Gordon (bass/vocals) was then an electrical engineering major, and Page McConnell (keyboards/vocals) was then a show promoter/organizer before he organized a small gig for Phish and hit it off with the band. From their beginnings in 1983 until 1989 Phish remained relatively unknown, touring the east coast and working to put together and release a studio album. It was not until May, 1989, that Phish was able to officially release their first studio album, "Junta". It is around this time that the group begins to gain wild popularity, and also starts touring the entire country. Phish begins selling out venues across the nation, using the cash earned to produce their second official album, "Lawn Boy". Over the course of the next few years, the group releases multiple studio albums, sticks to a strenuous tour schedule, and begins recording and distributing live recordings from their events. Thousands of obsessive fans start to tour the country with Phish. After years more of releasing Phish studio albums, Phish live albums, solo studio projects from all different members, and relentless touring, Phish had gained a fan base comaprable to the Grateful Dead. Each member began doing more solo work and less work with Phish as we entered the new millennium, and after the release of their thirteenth studio album, "Farmhouse", they decided to take a hiatus of unknown length. Although all the fans direly missed Phish, the side projects began to take the forefront as we would begin to see the talents that each member possessed outside of Phish. Their first unofficial appearance came in an April, 2002 episode of The Simpson's where Homer receives a prescription for Medical Marijuana and attends a Phish concert. In late 2002, the band began rehearsing for their hiatus ending Holiday tour, and made appearances on Late Night with David Letterman and Saturday Night Live. After the blowout Holiday Tour of 2002 and early 2003, Phish takes a short break before embarking on their said "final" tour before permenantly breaking the band up. The culmination of this tour is the massive "IT" festival in Limestone, Maine. The group later released a movie documentary of this festival, which proved to be truly stunning to any who could not make it to see Phish for their last days. Luckily for those of us who were unfortunate enough to miss the last days of Phish, they have finally announced, after over a five year hiatus, that they will play dates next year. Although there are not too many specifics yet, they have announced a three evening event in Virginia that will mark the return of the greatest jam band in the world. Tickets for all three nights sold out within minutes of going on sale, and are now being sold for unbelievable fees on eBay. Although I probably will not be able to make it to this March event, I feel confident that Phish will soon announce many more tour dates for the coming spring. With this amazing event ahead of me, I'm sure it will be a monumental summer for both me and the Phish community.

Find Yourself a show

So I was thinking to myself the other day that there are not a lot of concerts or gigs here at the Purdue campus. I mean besides the famous artists that come and play at Elliot Hall, since I've been here I have not been able to find myself one single gig or concert. Maybe I'm not looking at the right places or trying hard enough but there's nothing. But in mid October I was able to go back home and attend a concert at the Riveria in Chicago. The concert was The Kooks, and to me it was a must needed show. If any of you have never been to a small venue let me describe to you the feeling and atmosphere. The show was on a small stage, the floor is crowded with people, and the music is blasting through the small jam packed room. But don't get the wrong idea, even though its a small building and small stage it has the energy of a music festival. The fans are loving the music and rocking out because with the small venue you get a more personal connection with the band, because you'r right there and the band just seems like their singing to you. Also to me a band that plays at small shows, is playing more for the fans because they're not doing it for the money, their doing it for the fans and to spread through music. Well now that you got an idea of idea of what a small gig consists of the next step is to attend one. Let me tell you, your first gig will be unforgetable. At first its a strange scene and is a little overwhelming but you grow to love it. My first small show I'll never forget. It was also at the Riveria and it was a british band named the Arctic Monkeys. They started the show with one of their songs called "Brianstorm" and the room just exploded. The energy in the Riv that day was undescribable. The fans were full of energy and it seemed that the band never wanted to stop playing, because they were having as much fun as the fans, maybe even more. Well there you go if I haven't convinced you to attend a gig, I don't know what will. So go out and find yourself a show.

Finally!

Live concerts are a blast by themselves, but what can we as the audience do to make the experience even more enjoyable? At the concerts that I attend, the audience loves to decorate themselves with glowing jewelry and outrageous costumes. Many also bring expensive lasers and party equipment. About two weeks ago I ordered a spectacular kaleidoscope laser, and after weeks of anticipation it finally arrived. It is a thirty millowatt laser with a filter attached to the front that splits the beam into hundreds of smaller beams that can be controlled by the user. It is a difficult phenomenon to describe, but it is truly amazing. I can also remove the filter on the front to create a single, solid beam of green light. It is so powerful that it can actually pop a balloon! Besides lasers there are plenty of cool party toys out there. For example, I had (broke it) a pool toy that could be used out of water to create a portable dance floor. All you have to do is push a button and hold it overhead to create a stunning multicolored, morphing blanket of light across an entire room. Glowsticks are also a great way to enhance the show experience. Often at shows, people bring Sam's Club sized boxes of glowsticks and slingshot them into the crowd. This leads to massive "glowstick wars" where people pick them up and hurl them across in the crowd. It creates a neon shower that drives the party onward, and creates an extremely positive mood. Want to enhance your show going experience? http://www.raveworx.com/

Tribe

This is a band that blew up faster than it took to write this sentence. What about a musical group is it that causes them to be sky rocketed into stardom just as they are at their beginnings? Listen to Sound Tribe Sector Nine (STS9) for a perfect example of the heart-stopping, toe-curling, fist clenching sound that can take a group as far as fast as Sound Tribe has done. This is an instrumental band that is renowned for their live performances (this is beginning to seem like a theme with my blog). The group is rooted in instrumental rock and electronica, with influences of funk, jazz, and hip-hop. STS9 consists of Zach Velmer (drums), Hunter Brown (guitar/laptop/midi keyboard), Jeffree Lerner (percussion/laptop/handsonic) David Murphy (bass/laptop/midi keyboard), and David Phipps (keyboards/laptop). They got their beginnings in Atlanta, Georgia, but quickly relocated to Northern California in an attempt to take their sound where it may get more recognition. A live STS9 show is almost a theatrical production, including the stunning music, visually spectacular light shows, and elaborate stage decor. Since all songs are long journeys of instrumental improvisation, it allows every listener their own interpretation of a song. A well known fact about Sound Tribe is that the audience influences the performence greatly. If the audience is going wild for a track STS9 is playing, the group will often choose to extend the song, and add in more excitement and intensity. This is a great idea because it makes the performance a group effort on the part of the musician and the audience. Last time I saw STS9 was at the Rothbury Festival of Music in Michigan. Sound Tribe played a mind boggling three and a half hour show. An interesting piece of information that I recently came across was that this particular concert was taking place right after the headliner of festival, Dave Matthews Band, at a stage that was almost a mile from the main stage. Tribe turned out full capacity crowd before the show even began, and left the road from the main stage to theirs blocked with people. This means that a full capacity crowd, myself included, did not go to Dave Matthews, and instead went to an empty stage to wait for Tribe to begin. Another awesome fact that I recently learned about Sound Tribe is how environmentally conscious they are. Beginning in Fall 2006, STS9 traveled in a carbon neutral tour bus, and powered all their concerts with renewable energy. On top of this, they wanted to offset 100% of the carbon dioxide emissions from the tour by raising donations from their partnership with environmentally friendly companies. This is another example of an astounding amount of musical talent coupled with the desire to better the planet we live in, a rare characteristic that benefits fans and the world alike.

The Strokes

I've been waiting to talk about this band for a long time, and finally the day has arrived. With The Strokes its going to be hard to begin because of all the band history they have, but I'll start of by giving you some knowledge on the band members themselves. I'll start with Julian Casablancas the lead vocals of the band. The talented Mr. Casablancas not only writes most of the music for the band, but he plays quite a number of instruments in his songs such as keyboard, guitar, and bass. Next on the list is Nick Valens on lead guitar. Nick Valens to me has had and will continue to have some of the most attention grabbing, catchy, and dirty guitar riffs and melodies out there in the music world. We now move on to Albert Hammond Jr. on rhythm guitar. The son of a successful English pop/rock artist, Albert Hommond has continued his family's legacy by contributing so much to the rock world. Next is Nikolai Fraiture the bassist for the band. The only word that I can think of to best dedscribe Nikolai is sick. You might ask why or what this means, but I have a friend that loves the basslines in his songs and everytime he hears them he always says the same thing, "man listen to that bass, its so sick". But he's right, I agree with what he says about him, its a perfect word to describe him.  Last but not least is the drummer of the band, Fabrizio Moretti. He is a Brazilian drummer that has contributed greatly to his band with his simple but genius drum beats and fills.  Well know that you're informed of the band I'll go on and talk about their music and their career.  Even though most of the band members are from different places around the country and some even around the world, they started their band in New York City.  Before The Strokes came out with their music, the current rock music at the time, which was around the year 2000, was really nothing like the music the Strokes created.  There were bands like The White Stripes, that were changing the sound of alternative rock but the feel and sound of The Strokes was sorta unheard and New York City was the perfect place for them to release their music because their popularity in the city was able to spread all over the world.  Their first single release was "Last Nite", which sparked great hype for this band.  It seemed that everyone wanted more of the bands.  They then soon released their first album "The Modern Age".  The release of their first album started a bidding war between record labels because they knew that this band was like no other, they had something very unique about them.  Of course like expected the music scene changed going into the new millenium.  The Strokes influenced other newly created bands to a whole different sound.  Some of these bands that blossomed from the music of the Strokes include The Kooks, The Paddingtons, and one of my favorites The Libertines.  The sound of alternative rock changed and the Strokes were leading the way.  Like expected they released their second album "Is This It" which included great tracks like "Someday" , "Hard to Explain", and "Between Love and Hate".  By now the word was out and The Strokes were known worldwide.  The band was on a role and they knew they couldn't stop, so around a year later they released their their album "Room on Fire" which of course had more great songs like "Reptillia" and "12:51".  The album was greatly accepted by all the fans and received Best International Band by the NME magazine.  The band was getting recognition all over world for their unique, rhythmic sound, and their defining change in rock.  If the release of these three albums weren't enough they were able to release one more "First Impressions of Earth".  What I love about this last album, just like their other albums, is that their music never changed.  Most bands out their that make it big, change their style of music to make money or just go with all the mainstream rock.  But this band never changed their style for anyone or anything, they played the music they loved and they knew their true fans would continue to love it.  Well they you go the rundown on The Strokes,  get out their and give them a try, you'll learn to love them.

Less Is More

Judging by the title, one would be led to believe this particular blog is going to to written about a more simplistic style of music. I hate to disappoint, but by less is more I am referring to an artist who prefers the simpler way of life. I have chosen to write about Xavier Rudd, the multi-talented, multi-instrumental, Australian one man super group. The music is put together solely by Xavier, and in turn is performed solely by Xavier. The way he manages to accomplish this is through his incredible capability to keep is mind on multiple instruments at one time, and the unique setup that he has put together for live performances. He may begin a song with a simple acoustic guitar riff and some singing, then he will begin to play the drums with his feet on an electronic drum kit (while continuing to play guitar and sing). What he does next separates him from other musicians. In front of his face on stage, the audience immediately notices the three tube-like instruments that are fastened securely in front of his "workspace". The instrument is called the didgeridoo, and it is a native instrument of the Aboriginal peoples of Australia. It can create a variety of sounds, but primarily he uses it to make a bass-driven, buzzing rhythm on top of the rest of his sounds. The combination of the didgeridoo, guitars, drums, harmonicas, and serene vocals all coming from one man at the same time is enough to send a shiver down anyone's spine. Even in its fullest sound the songs of Xavier Rudd are still generally slow, gentle compositions. It is the kind of music you can just sway back and forth, and sing along with. Personally, I have had the pleasure of seeing Xavier live on one occasion. It is a wonderful experience, as he shares both his music and his thoughts with the audience. It was also the first experience I ever had where the girls that joined us for the show swooned over Xavier Rudd like he was Justin Timberlake, which was both a funny and awkward situation. Many of his songs incorporate socially conscience themes, primarily environmentalism. He describes himself as a full-time barefooter, claiming that he does not own even one pair of shoes. He is also a vegetarian, an activist with the PETA organization, and was awarded PETA's annual "World's Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity" award for 2007. Unfortunately, he does not frequently visit America to do North American tours. His last American tour ended in September of 2007, and I would expect to see him back in the states this summer at the very soonest. Here we have a truly innovative musician, a one man blend of rhythm and activism.

Zilla

Zilla is a band which had popularity from its conception. Their drummer, Michael Travis, happens to be the former drummer of the String Cheese Incident, their string instrument musician, Jamie Janover, was already a world renowned hammered dulcimer player, and Aaron Holstein, creator of the Vibesquad. Although they did not have to work to get noticed, their music defines creativity, and placed them firmly at the top of the improvisational/electronic genre. Most groups in this genre have 'songs' that are frequently played, but these 'songs' are used more as a guideline. This leaves the group free to improvise around the basic rhythms of this guideline. Zilla, on the other hand, is 100% improvised. This means that every single show is different from the previous one, making for a one of a kind experience every time. Even their studio albums are just clean, hi quality recordings from live shows. Born out of Boulder, Colorado, Zilla relies on their uncanny ability to listen and incorporate their individual talents into a rhythm focused style of live electronic dance music. Zilla has more of a repetitive, trance-like sound to it. The use of sitars and the hammered dulcimer give them an eastern sound. It is very relaxed, and every song builds from a simple melody into a complex piece of musical freeform experimentation. One of the goals of Zilla is to move away from the long soloing that is so much a part of improvisational jam music today. The collective whole is the dominant force of Zilla. This band, along with a few others, is attempting to redefine the very framework of what a jam band is. The success of Zilla, and others of the same style, definitely holds in store a bright future for this uplifting style of music.

Gimme some Moe.!

Here we have a band that has not only taken part in more music festivals than most bands on the planet, but has started multiple yearly festivals of their own. "moe." is an american jam band that pushes the envelope with a style that fuses an almost country/bluegrass/folk sound with the driving styles of progressive rock. Moe. was formed in 1990 at the University of Buffalo by Rob Derhak (bass/vocals, Al Schnier (guitar/vocals/keyboards), Chuck Garvey (guitar/vocals), Vinnie Amico (drums), and Jim Loughlin (percussion). In the words of moe.'s own Al Schnier, he describes moe. as, "an amalgamation of a wide variety of the history of rock, all regurgitated and recycled through the eyes, ears, hands, whatever of the guys in our band and all of that with a sense of adventure, a sense of humor, also a constant desire to push the envelope. All in this arena of taking chances, improvising live, and making things up on the spot." As I mentioned earlier, moe. has started multiple festivals of their own, most notably a festival called "moe.down". This began in 2000 at the Snow Ridge Ski Area in Turin, NY. The first year alone, the festival attracted three thousand people, while this past year at the ninth annual installment of moe.down almost ten thousand traveled to this wonderful fest. Another annual event that although moe. is not technically attributed with starting, everyone who attends knows and loves that it is moe.'s festival, is Summer Camp. Having attended Summer Camp for four consecutive years, it would have been impossible to prevent moe. from growing to be one of my obsessions. At Summer Camp, where there are dozens of the most notable names in jam band music, moe. is still reserved 3 nights in a row on the main stage at the main time slot (2008 was the first year moe. was actually given only 2 nights at the main time slot/main stage). Other non-annual events moe. has hosted was the snoe.down, the moe.-lennium, and moe.cruise. A particularly interesting event was the snoe.down, where moe. and friends held a three day festival at the outdoor venue of the Olympic Center in Lake Placid, New York. Here there were three days of ten to fifteen degree weather where over two thousand fans huddled for warmth through the sets of moe. and others. That is what I would call a dedicated fan base, which hilariously enough is a fan base that has been known to call themselves the "moe.rons". From 1992-2008 moe. released a staggering fourteen studio albums! Added on top of this is a six live album series titled the "Warts & All" series. The concerts for the Warts & All releases are chosen by the band and include an entire show without edits or overdubs. Unfortunately after this past summer, moe. has decided to take a short hiatus from their touring to pursue various side projects, and to take some much needed time off to spend with friends and family. Not to fear though, it is definitely not a break up, just a short break. Moe. is expected to play at various festivals and shows this summer, and let me speak for moe. fans everywhere, I can not wait.

Guitar Hero World Tour

I've decided to postpone the post about the Led Zeppelin blog and do something different. About a couple days ago I bought the new Guitar Hero, even though I play the real guitar, this game is still one of my favorite video games. Just because you can rock out to some awesome songs with friends, it doesn't matter who it is, anyone can pick up Guitar Hero and play their favorite songs. Well maybe the video game bloggers already covered the game but instead of talking about the game components and what not, I'm going to talk more about the music that is on it rather than the components of the game. Lets start off by saying that this games songlist is amazing, it included some of my favorite songs and some classics that I've loved my whole life. Some artists include Jimi Hendrix, Sublime, Creedance Clearwater, Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, Oasis, Lynard Skynard and the list goes on. I've also noticed that a lot of these songs include amazing solos because the game includes this solo feature for guitar that gives it a unuasul but pretty cool feel to the guitar. Not only are most of the songs on the list great ones, but the list is huge. Before actually playing the game I unlocked the songs just to check them out and the list just kept on going and going, and the more I scrolled down the artists just kept getting better. There is also a band feature where you are able to play other instruments with friends, this concept is really cool because to be able to jam out to your favorite songs with friends is something everyone should experience. I also want to say that this years game doesn't include as many heavy metal songs as the previous games, and if there are they're out numbered by the other different genres of rock songs. I thought this was the best part of the songlist, because it doesn't mainly just have one type of music on it, it includes music from all over the rock scene, which is something great because people are able to get a taste of all different types of music. The best feature I think about the game is the ability to create your own song in the game. The game includes this program that lets you create notes for different instruments and then once the song is created, it gives you the chance to give your song a try. This I thought was a really nice feature because some one with not so much experience with instruments or music can buy this game, make their own song, and then jam out to it and enjoy the feeling that you get when you play something you created. Well there you go a guide through the music of Guitar Hero World Tour. I'm sure you all have played the game and thought it was really fun, this one is no different give it a try I'm sure you won't be dissappointed.

Dethklok

Any avid adult swim viewers out there have undoubtedly heard of Dethklok. The death metal band is the star of the adult animated series "Metalocalypse". Although the group was featured originally as a fictional group, creator Brendan Small eventually released an album which debuted #21 on the Billboard Top 200 List. In the morbid dark comedy series, Dethklok is depicted as the most successful band on the planet whose popularity and power have made them a threat to world peace as we know it. With funds and strength rivaling the United States military, every episode begins in a top secret military base where their adversaries discuss Dethklok's latest developments. The show is hilarious because episodes both mock and honor death metal bands. Brendan Small did this by creating a group of dumb, innocent heavy metal rockers whose fame and power leads them to inadvertently cause worldwide panic, mass murder, and horrific catastrophes on a daily basis. The characters in the group are Nathan Explosion, Swisgaar Swigelf, William Murderface, Pickles, and Toki Wartooth. Although the show can be quite gruesome at times, there is constant comical relief in the personalities of these musicians. Every member of Dethklok is a raging alcoholic, and combined with the heavy accents and goofy voices of the characters there are some classic dialogues. In these, viewers come to realize that behind the tough persona of Dethklok there are actually just a bunch of cowardly, sensitive guys. One of the interesting things about Dethklok is all members of the band are based off of actual famous death metal musicians (something I would assume offended some of these legends). George "corpsegrinder" Fisher of Cannibal Corpse is the basis for Dethklok frontman Nathan Explosion. A combination of Alexai Laiho of Chidren of Bodom and swedish guitar legend Yngwie Malmsteen are portrayed in the pompous, heavily accented Swisgaar Swigelf. The Norwegian Mikael Akerfeldt of Opeth is represented by Toki Wartooth, and Geezer Butler of Black Sabbath is believed to be William Murderface. The group that actually creates the music of Dethklok announced that they would begin touring in 2007 in an attempt to support and promote Adult Swim. The tour was a major success, and the group called "And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead" even got a song on Guitar Hero called Thunderhorse. Overall, I am sharing about Dethklok more because I enjoy the show Metalocalypse than any legitimate taste for death metal music, but from a musicians perspective I have to give "And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead" credit. Death metal music can be extremely difficult to compose, and this group is no exception to that. The guitar scales, speedy power chords, and ridiculous drum double bass pedaling is definitely out of this world. Two back to back episodes of Metalocalypse are aired on adult swim (cartoon network) Monday through Thursday at 1:00 AM and 1:15 AM for the next two weeks until adult swim changes their lineup as they frequently do. Check it out, but be warned, grotesque acts of morbid comedy do not appeal to everyone.

Get the Led out pt2

My last post was on the band Led Zeppelin and I’m going to continue my blog on the band.  I left off with talking about the members of the band and now I’m going to go over their huge accomplishments over their musical career.  When the band first got together it was around 1967 and they started playing little shows and gigs.  The band was looked down by other artists, in fact Led Zeppelin got their name because certain musical artists said that the band would go down like a led balloon.  So the band ended up changing it up a little bit and called themselves Led Zeppelin.  One of the bands first song was “Communication Breakdown”. The song was released around 1969 and right away the song was a hit.  Soon after this they released their first self titled album “Led Zeppelin” and right away it was accepted by the world and it was looked upon like something that was never seen before.  It included their single “Communication Breakdown” and their huge hit “Dazed and Confused”.  The band was then looked at then just any other band at the time.  They were something totally different than any other band that was out.  They had a type of rock music that was never seen before.  Their music was a collaboration of different types of genres of music.  Jimmy Page with his influence in blues, John Paul Jones with his funky jazz bass beats, and John Bonham with the drum beats of something never seen before.  After their success of their first album the band released their second album titled “Led Zeppelin II”.  Which included hits like “Whole Lotta Love” , “Ramble On”, and “Moby Dick”.  Their second album was even greater success and reached number 1 in the US and Great Britain music charts.  By now everyone knew that this band isn’t going any where and that their music was going to chance rock and roll forever.  The band was touring the world and the whole world was able to enjoy the Zeppelin experience.  After touring and getting their name out to the world the band again released an other album this time titled “Led Zeppelin II”.  This album was recorded in a cottage in a small town.  The album had a very acoustic mellow feel to it.  This album showed how the band didn’t just have to stick with heavy rock, it was able to go outside the box and play anything they really wanted.  Their next album to me is their best and biggest album which if u can guess it was titled “Led Zeppelin IV”.  It included many of their career hits including “Stairway to Heaven” which is looked at as one the best rock songs ever.  There is still a lot more to the band that I want to talk about so I’m going to have to make this blog a 3 part and continue with Led Zeppelin on my next blog so make sure not to miss the history of Zeppelin. 

Waiting for May

Being that the majority of us are from either Indiana or the Chicago-land area, I'd like to take the time to share with everyone the joys of my favorite mid west music festival, Summer Camp. This past summer was my fourth consecutive Summer Camp, and it only gets better every year. It is a smaller, more community like festival in Peoria, Illinois. On the weekend of May 23rd, flocks of music lovers travel to this southern Illinois town for the best that live music has to offer. This is an event where a person can truly escape reality. What happens is, you pull up to a huge field in your car, and park. Next, you carry all the supplies that you and your fellow campers will need for the next four days into the festival grounds (this includes tents, food, clothing, camping supplies, liquor, etc.). From the moment you finish setting up your campsite on, kiss responsibility good bye because you will not have any for the next four days. Rather, you can feel free to walk through the forests, meet friendly people from all over the country, discover loads of new bands, and see some groups that you may have looked forward to seeing in advance. What separates this festival from others is the community atmosphere that is instilled at this place. Everyone is friendly, and everyone is willing and eager to stop and have a conversation with you. The attitude of the festival is something like, "Smile: You're at Summer Camp!" The festival features jam band super groups like Umphrey's McGee, Keller Williams, Moe., Yonder Mountain String Band, and Sound Tribe Sector Nine. These a few of the dozens of band that make appearances from noon to four in the morning every day. Even throughout the night you can hear the sounds of drum circles ringing through the forest, boom boxes pounding in the distance, and fireworks exploding overhead. It is fascinating to hear all this, and even better to take part in all this. Although a weekend at Summer Camp can be a bit pricey, once you have been to a festival, you will realize that a price cannot be put on this kind of fun. Hope to see y'all at Summer Camp 2009!!!

Kinfolk

To many, “kinfolk” is a forgotten term. Lost to the southerners and mountain men that turn the phrase to describe their friends and family. Strange language is not the only thing that these fine people have gifted us with that most have cast aside. I am talking about bluegrass music, particularly a group of young men who make up the bluegrass quartet Yonder Mountain String Band. Bluegrass, as I understand, does not suit everyone's taste, but I did not really realize that I even had a passion for these "hillbilly" rhythms until I gave it a chance. Although this may sound strange, I cannot think of many occasions where I have had more fun than the times everyone decided to lose the shoes, go to a Yonder Mountain String Band show, and have ourselves a good ole fashioned ho down. There are loads of bluegrass bands that do not play at the same caliber as Yonder, and it is due to this that the wonderful genre of bluegrass goes so unappreciated in our day and age. There is a fine line between bluegrass and country, and it is the country bands who call themselves bluegrass that gives bluegrass a bad name. Yonder, on the other hand, appeals more to my generation of bluegrass fans. The quartet keeps its roots, but feels free to experiment more with lyrics, melodies, and improvisation. Bluegrass is definitely greatly unappreciated in so many different ways. Yonder, for example, has four people on string instruments with no percussionist. Any musician knows that this makes keeping tempo very difficult. This problem coupled with the finger blistering speeds at which each musician plucks away at his string instrument makes for complicated compositions. Almost all styles of bluegrass share the common theme of creating upbeat music. When listening to bluegrass, it almost feels like your brain is in a race with the musicians. They move so quickly that without listening carefully, we completely lose the rhythm, and have to jump back into the race again at the next beat. My personal experiences with Yonder Mountain String Band have all been wonderful. I have gone to over eight Yonder concerts, and enjoyed every consecutive show more than the previous one. One of the unique things about Yonder Mountain String Band is the way they interact with the crowd. Often times, they joke and interact with the audience during bridges of songs which makes the show more fun for both the performer and the listener. I commented earlier about a “ho down”, and I meant it quite literally. You actually will see people linking arms, spinning in circles, releasing, reattaching to another person, and all the while flailing their legs wildly. It is a sight to see, but it is even more fun to take place in the shenanigans. Although it may make you feel a little bit out of place to listen to bluegrass, or to attend events like these, it really is all in good fun. It is at events with the Yonder Mountain String Band that it is okay to be a goof, and I will tell you firsthand, it is a blast.

Get the LED out!

I hope most of you know what I'm talking about when I say get the LED out but for those of you that don't I'm refering to rocking out to the greatest band that ever lived, Led Zeppelin. The quote get the LED out refers to anyone when they wanna jam out to the music of Zeppelin. I don't think I could get fit all the information on this band into just one blog so this might have to be turned into a two part blog. Before I start talking about the band as a whole and what they accomplished in their musical career I would like to mention the individual band members themselves. First one on the list is the great Jimmy Page, the guitarist of the band and to me the greatest guitarist that ever lived. With his mix musical background into a lot of blues, Jimmy Page interpretated this into his rock n roll music and created something that was never seen before. He was one of the pioneers to the early rock n roll scene and I know without him there's no way rock would be what it is today. Next on the list is Robert Plant, the vocalist of the band and a master of vocals. Robert Plant was one of those singers that was able to hit any note he wanted with his voice. Instead of describing his voice into words, check out the talent he has with his voice in one of their songs "The Ocean". We now move to John Paul Jones, considered the bassist of the band but contributed way more than any other bassist has to any other band. John Paul Jones was one of the most musicaly talented people I have ever seen. It seemed that there was never any instrument he couldn't master. Last but definitely not least is John Bohnam, the drummer of the band and what a drummer he was. With his insane beats and amazing fills John Bohnam was able to create something wonderful with his drumset. If you don't believe me check out this clip from his 20 minute drum solo. As I predicted I didn't think I was going to able to able to fit everything I wanted to say about Led Zeppelin into just one blog. But make sure you come back to read the next because I will talk about what this great band accomplished throughout their career and how they changed rock n roll.

"Welcome To The Future"

This past summer I attended a music festival called Summer Camp. It was late at night (or early in the morning depending on how you want to look at it), and I decided to follow my ears towards the robotic sounds that had been emanating from the stage area. When I arrived I was completely shocked to find an audience of thousands going absolutely bonkers (mind you this is at 2 AM) for a band that I did not recognize. I quickly spotted a few of my friends, and curiously approached them eager to get some information about this wild trio that was on stage. When I asked a friend what was going on, he simply replied in a robotic voice, “Welcome to the future!” As it turns out this was my first experience with Future Rock, a Chicago based trio whose music is the product of improvisational experimentation. If you listen to any live Future Rock, you quickly learn that their title is very fitting. “Did I wander through a time warp into the year 2050?” you begin to ask yourself as the show rages on. “Maybe we are the butt of some mad scientist’s cruel prank?” No. This is Future Rock. The group is composed of a keyboardist, bassist, and drummer. It really is quite shocking that a group playing regular instruments is able to put out the spacey sounds that Future Rock has come to be known for. The group gets some help from their DJ equipment, but for the most part it is completely live improvisation. The group released their debut album in May of 2006, and did not receive much attention from the music scene they were attempting to infiltrate. It was not until they began getting booked at music festivals like Summer Camp and Camp Bisco that they began to arise as a jamtronic powerhouse. Their quirky, danceable sound is what makes them so popular in the jamtronica scene. Each member samples and loops their riffs throughout a song to create an intense, chaotic sound. With a name like Future Rock, one might be led to believe that the band’s music sounds like that of modern DJ’s. By this I mean one might think that all the songs are driven by a repetitive pounding bass with high pitched synthesizers squealing in the background. However, this is not the case with Future Rock. They utilize a huge variety of calm rhythms and melodies, which gradually over the course of a ten minute jam will have more and more sounds layered on top of it to create the sound that is Future Rock. What intrigues me and the fan base of Future Rock is the new, fresh music they produce. This is not your run of the mill rock and roll band, and it is because of this fact that there is definitely a future for this style.

I'm Grateful!

I was racking my brain for a group to write about when it hit me. I do not have to find some kind of new music when there is such an amazing past behind me. I am choosing to tell anyone who has never heard the music of one of the best groups of all time, to go out and listen to the Grateful Dead. Born in the 1960's, the Grateful Dead had a very chaotic beginning playing solely at events called "The Acid Tests". I'm choosing not to go into these tests, but as you can imagine it was a very rocky start right from the beginning. Over the course of the next twenty years, the Dead was hit with an enormous amount of fame that none of them ever saw coming. Here we have a group of six men, some in their twenties and some not even out of their teenage years. This is a group of dropouts who were in it purely for the purpose of making music. This is something that distinguishes the Dead from many musicians of their time and our time. Having this attitude allowed the Dead to forget about what the music industry was telling them to do, and do music the was they wanted to. It is really shocking to listen to the music of the Dead and realise that this group came from the same age as Jimmy Hendrix, The Who, and Led Zeppelin. This group does not play the driving, heavy rock n roll sound of their time, but rather comforting music with American Folk at its roots. However, it is not surprising that the group had a cult-like following dubbed the 'Deadheads'. Many people, myself included, judged the Grateful Dead before even hearing the music. It is easy to judge a group if their fans are called 'Deadheads', but what you'll realise when you listen to the Grateful Dead is that they are composed of some of the most talented musicians of all time. What I have found is that it is very difficult not to like the Grateful Dead. The sound is pure happiness and joy, and who could say no to happiness and joy?

Blackalicious

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Inspiration

So I have been perusing my partner's blog material to see what has been striking his musical fancy, and I have to give him props on "Pick up an instrument". I could not agree with him more. I play guitar, keyboards, and drums (not well). Working with instruments has undoubtedly changed my perspective of music for the better. As he so wonderfully puts it, you really have a different take on music when you understand the mechanics of a group. For example, my taste in music may sound chaotic to the untrained ear. I believe that my experience with music allows me to organize the chaos into the rhythm that the musician intended you to hear. Understanding how something is made is extremely important if you really want to be passionate about a topic. College is the perfect example! You can not just go out into the world and get hired as a verterinarian without the proper training. Music has some of the same properties. It would be difficult to call yourself music fanatic if you did not understand how that music is put together. My partner described the nirvana achieved via the guitar, and I understand exactly what he means by this. I, on the other hand, am choosing to share with you one of my newest musical passions, DJ equipment. Right now I am saving my cash for the Denon DNS1200 Media Controller. If you decide to check this out, there is a product advertisement video along with the product information. This is simplest means of understanding how a product like a media controller actually operates, but please understand that the music used in the advertisement is a bit goofy (akk!). To use this device, we would first put our own input into it, whether it be a song from your ipod, something from a cd, or a homemade beat from your laptop. Once the song is uploaded into the media controller, the user basically has free reign to change the song as they please. We can loop sections of the song over and over, add our own beats to the background, add echo, add flanger, and even scratch (scratching is what you see a DJ do when they put their hand on the disc and wiggle it around to make a strange noise). The great thing about this product is the enormous variety of things you can do with it. I plan on using programs on my computer to put together my own beats, which I can later put into the media controller to play for live audiences. In my mind, this is the epitome of creativity for a new musician. I believe it is very difficult for a musician to be original in this day and age because everything has been done at some point. Then there is electronica. This is one of the newest, most exciting genres of music, and I feel it still has so much room for expansion and new additions. If you do not like the electronic music you have been exposed to, keep looking. I think you would be surprised if you really looked into the electronic genre. Already there are so many different styles and facets to it, and you find that there are multiple genres of electronica within the electronic genre. Keep your eyes open because once I save enough money for all my equipment, you can come see me live! It will be a ways away, but if the whole college thing does not work out for me, music is my back up plan. Once again, experiment with new music and have fun doing it!

RHCP

By the initials of my title some of you might already know what I'm going to be talking about but unless you don't RHCP stands for Red Hot Chili Peppers. To me they are one of the greatest bands that ever existed. With their funky beats and style, mixed in with some rock, and some mellow melodys, the Red Hot Chili Peppers have a style unique to any other band out there. No band out there has come close to their style, and I'm glad because I know if there was a band out there they wouldn't be able to keep up with RHCP. Well RHCP is a band from Los Angeles, California that was formed in 1983. The band consists of Anthony Kiedis(vocals), John Frusciante(guitar), Flea Balzary(bass), and Chad Smith(drums). All of these band members contribute greatly to what the Red Hot Chili Peppers stand for. Anthony with his unique voice, John with the guitar riffs of a rock god, and Chad with the drum beats that are the backbone to the band. But the one that I think has given RHCP its funky edge is Flea, with his slap bass, funky, psychedelic notes, he has showed the world that bass does not have to just be a background instrument. The band has released several records over the years, all of them being praised by the fans. Some of them include "Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magik", "One Hot Minute", "Californiacation, "By the Way", and their most recent release "Stadium Arcadium". Each of these records have included great hits(not saying that all the songs aren't good)that have showed that RHCP is not just any other one hit wonder band but a group of musical geniuses that together have showed the world that a band from Los Angeles can add a whole new genre to the rock scene. This is one of the reasons why I think the band is so great, to be playing together for over 20 years and still be able to release great music after all the years I think is an amazing thing to do. I'm sure all of you have experienced the great music created by this band but unless you haven't let me leave you with some songs to listen to that will change your view of what you know as rock. I don't want to leave any great songs out so get ready cause the list might be big. "Can't Stop", "Soul to Squeeze", "By the Way", "Under the Bridge", "Higher Ground", "Fortune Faded","Give it Away", "Otherside", "Scar Tissue", "Californiacation", "Dani California", "Snow(Hey Oh)", and "Tell me Baby". I guarantee you that any of these songs will make you give RHCP more of your time to listen to their great music.

Pick up an Instrument

So today I was finally able to go out and pick up some guitar strings because the strings on my guitar have been broken on my guitar since I have arrived on campus. I installed the strings, tuned the strings and played away. I could not describe the feeling I had when I plucked the first string and played the first chord. It reminded me of the first time I picked up my guitar. It was such a great feeling that I wanted to share with all of you the incredible feeling you can get if you play an instrument. It doesn't have to be guitar it really could be anything that you have an interest with. Let me start by saying that by playing an instrument it really does expand your thought on different types of music(well for me it did). You start hearing music a lot more differently, things about music that you probably didn't pay much attention to start appearing to you. You start wanting to listen to different types of music. Also your favorite songs that you loved, once you learn to play them is one of the most unnatural feelings you can get. You might ask why I say this but to me when I was younger and I heard a song being played by one of my favorite artists, to me the person playing the guitar riff or the drum solo seemed like a god to me. So when I was able to play the exact thing they were playing with my instrument and me behind the guitar, it really seemed unreal to me. At first it might seem really hard for you to play the instrument that you want to play but trust me its worth it in the long run. So listen to me when I say try to play instrument, it will open up doors you've never seen before

O Trice!

I know it is pretty rare for a guy like myself to listen to rap enough to actually put it in a blog, but every now and then there is a rapper that strikes me as "worthy" to write about. Today that rapper is Obie Trice. Here we have a rapper that most have never heard of, but has a style that is indistinguishable. Obie Trice is a true linguist. His vocabulary is comparable to a Harvard english student, but he mixes this with slang to gift his listeners with real stories about the street life. Obie was born and raised on the dirty streets of Detroit, Michigan. Rap battling at the Hip-Hop Shop put him on the map. He was first discovered by D12 member Bizarre, and was then in turn introduced to Bizarre's record executive, Eminem aka Slim Shady aka Marshall Mathers. After hearing one freestyle, Obie was signed to Shady records in 2000. In 2002, he received more recognition, appearing in a cameo in Eminem's life story, 8 Mile. His stardom continued to grow in 2003 with his debut album "Cheers" where he worked with legends like Busta Rhymes, Lloyd Banks, 50 Cent, Nate Dogg, Dr. Dre, Eminem, and Timbaland. 2005 was a busy year for Obie Trice. He released his second album, "Second Round's On Me" (sooooo good). This is a cd every rap lover should have. The first time I heard this album, I was shocked that I had never heard it because it is the epitome of gangsta rap. Unfortunately, after all of his success in 2005, Obie was shot twice at a Detroit nightclub in December. Although he survived, doctors still contemplate whether or not to remove the slug from his skull, as surgery may be too dangerous. He did manage to bounce back after this disaster though. Obie continued to work on his own mixtapes, and was featured on multiple albums and singles by other noted artists. Although the details are unknown, he separated from Shady Records in June 2008. Although he is off the major record label, he is by no means off the map. Shortly after leaving Shady Records, Obie started his own label, Worldwide Hustle. Understandably, he has not released any new records since this recent break from Shady Records, but his fans are anxiously anticipating his next release. All of you rap fans out there, I can only assume you are getting tired of the same tired lines about rims and diamonds. Next time you get frustrated with the newest rap on MTV, do yourself a favor and go to Best Buy, get yourself a copy of "Second Round's On Me", and become a fan of Obie Trice.

Flying Lotus

"Comfort for the Nintendo Generation," is how Steven Ellison, aka Flying Lotus, describes his music. If you have ever played the NES, Super Nintendo, or the Sega Genesis, picture the sounds and music that go along with classics like Galaga, Galaxian, Mario Brothers, or Sonic. Sounds pretty boring, eh? Now add in high tech basslines, unconventional time signatures, and a whole mess of instruments to it and there you have it, Flying Lotus. Steven was raised around music in Los Angeles, and describes himself as always being a very artistic person. His great aunt and uncle were John and Alice Coltrane, two innovative jazz musicians in the 1960's. Since John made it a lot bigger than Alice, she was the major influence in Steven's life. He talks about how he never knew she was a famous musician when he was a youth, until she began touring again decades after John's death. This is when his eyes were opened to the artistic world, and he began a path of his own. At first, he wanted to be a filmmaker, and it was not until about ten years ago that he was asked to go on tour with his Great Aunt to make a documentary about her historic life. In a film about Flying Lotus, he tells a story about how he was in Paris filming this documentary about his Aunt. A cab driver asked the group he was with if they were musicians, and everyone except Steven confirmed this. The cab driver gave a confused look at Steven, then Alice Coltrane stepped in and stated, "He's a musician, right now he just thinks he is a filmmaker." From here on out, Flying Lotus began experimenting with music and beats on his computer. He never thought much of his music until he caught a break with the late night television phenomenon Adult Swim. If there are any fans of Adult Swim out there, think of the awesome music that is played in between shows during the commentaries (the black screen with the funny comments). A large portion of that music is actually Flying Lotus. It was from here on out that Steven began taking his music seriously. The first full length, studio album was released in June, 2008 (NEW ARTIST!!!). It is a great album, seventeen tracks, called Los Angeles. Flying Lotus's studio recordings tend to have more of a relaxed, comforting sound to them, but from the live sets I've heard this is definitely not the case. His live sets are aimed at the club/nightlife fans that are looking for excitement. As he puts it, "If you're going to make an album it should be something that people sit and think about. It can be that engaging experience, not just mindless club music, mindless bass music. Which once again there is a time and place for everything." I have not had the opportunity to see him live yet because I just recently discovered him through an awesome web site called Jus' Like Music. This web site is a wonderful tool for anyone who likes electronic music. Just in the past two weeks of using this site, I have already discovered a plethora of new music, Flying Lotus being one of my new passions. Check him out on myspace, check out Jus' Like Music, you won't be disappointed.

Babyshambles

One of my earlier blogs that I posted was on the great band The Libertines but to this day they are no more. But when the band seperated some great bands came out of it. In this blog I'm gonna talk about one of those bands, the Babyshambles. The Babyshambles are a band created by one of the frontmen of The Libertines, Pete Doherty. Even though that Pete was mainly the reason The Libertines were created he was also the reason they broke up. But some one like Pete such a lyrical genius, great poetry and so musicaly talented there was no way he could stay from continuing making music. So he created the band Babyshambles. Another British band mainly from London the band consisted of Pete Doherty as vocalist, Patrick Walden on guitar, Gemme Clark on drums, and Jaime Perret on bass. When the band was created there was a lot of hype saying that it would not come close to what The Libertines once were. But in November 2005 the release of there first album "Down in Albion" it was greatly accepted by the fans and it hit number 8 in the UK charts upon its release. But this album really could not be compared to any of the albums of The Libertines. This is because they were two complete different bands, even though they were created by the same person the two bands really did not have much in common. The Libertines were more of a British garage band with the attitude of The Clash and Babyshambles were really none of that. In this band Pete Doherty's musical talent and his love for poetry really showed in the lyrics of their first album. A lot of his music was involving his acoustic instead of his usual electric guitar with distortion. But the change between these two bands was not a bad change. To me it seemed that Pete was able to express himself, write the music he wanted, the way he wanted and he was able to do it in this band. They had great songs like "Albion", "Fuck Forever", and "Killmangaro". They also released a second album "Shotter's Nation" which was met with greater acceptance than their first album. The band continues to tour and this spring and summer they are playing all over Europe. I'm still waiting for the day they come to the US because I was never able to see The Libertines live, I would hate it to never see the Babyshambles live on stage.