Ropeadope Music News

STONEHENGE WAS A RAVE

2009-01-06T05:23:00-05:00

A university professor who is an expert in sound and a part-time DJ believes Stonehenge was created as a dance arena for listening to "trance-style" music. dig.

ALLMANS BEACON DATES ANNOUNCED

2009-01-05T04:35:01-05:00

I've come full circle with The Allman Brothers. They were my first all time favorite band growing up as i smoked my first joint to the sounds of "Eat a Peach" and saw god somewhere deep into the "Mountain Jam". Then I got into jazz and became too cool for school, dismissing Greg and Duane as copycats feeding off the sweat of the black man. When I finally grew up (for the second time) I realized that (i) Duanne was really the god I saw in The Mountain Jam; (ii) Greg's voice IS the blues; and (iii) the annual ABB run at The Beacon is a testament to the bands importance and staying power. 10 new dates for the oh-nine just announced. get 'em here, dig some clips of days past here.

INDUSTRY DOWN, VINYL UP

2009-01-05T04:32:00-05:00

Good people of this Ropeadope nation - we might be asking for hand-outs at some point because, as we all know, this business of music is FUCKED. and as all the year end/year beginning reports flow in, they all say one thing - music industry sinking like the Titanic. But hey, vinyl is still up and ummmmmmm so are we! standing strong in the oh-nine and beyond.

FLOPPY FLOP FLOPS

2009-01-05T04:28:00-05:00

Flop is such a harsh word, but ummmmm, it does express a certain sentiment. So, according to many, here is a list of albums that flopped in 2008. Notice Axel leads the pack? Don't believe the hype - dig through that album and you will find at least three banging tracks.....which doesn't really cover up the fact that Axel has turned into the Michael Jackson of rock - old and weird.

MIRROR NOIR

2009-01-05T04:22:00-05:00

Arcade Fire always has a special place in our hearts. what they been doing? caught this great interview on pitchfork that touches down on some of their 2009 stuff. Always a visual band it's no surprise that we'll see as much as we hear this year including the documentary Miroir Noir and scoring The Box. Take a taste, free download here.

FOUR RANDOM THINGS

2009-01-05T04:17:01-05:00

(i) Professor Ferenc Sasz has found evidence that "rap battles" actually started in Scotland in what was called "flyting". (ii) One Laptop for Every Child has brought new digital images and speech of John Lennon; (iii) Elliott Carter is the 100 year old composer; and (iv) another hope to save the music industry, will Spotify be it? Just gotta love their logo and slogan, " Everybody Loves Music", wonder how many people worked on that one.

FOUR OTHER THINGS

2009-01-05T04:12:01-05:00

(i) Ski jumping world cup: picture number 5 is amazing; (ii) Take a peak of Budapest at night; (iii)Is he a War Criminal? and (iv)Some very cool guitar hero mods

WHY MUSIC?

2008-12-22T05:19:00-05:00

From The Economist print edition Biologists are addressing one of humanity’s strangest attributes, its all-singing, all-dancing culture. enticing first sentence: “IF MUSIC be the food of love, play on, give me excess of it.” And if not? Well, what exactly is it for? The production and consumption of music is a big part of the economy"and the rest will not dissapoint, only fascinate. dig it

ALL UP IN THE KUF (KNOTZ)

2008-12-22T05:14:00-05:00

Next best that already is? kuf knotz throws it every which way AND loose. when folks axe me (and i've been axed several times now that the year has ended and polls have been posted) they axe me and axe: "who's the next best thing from the land of philly bring? " and 9 times out of 10 i lace 'em with kuf knotz. check him back in the day as a burn-down all star; or here on the way with the hustle. i'm tellin' ya kufi kills it. and it down't matter what it is as long as it has something remotely related to music. makin' moves.

HYPEBOT LIKES ME

2008-12-17T05:37:00-05:00

And I like hypebot. I know, I know, you told me about it months ago, but now, I really get it, honest. this time you must believe the hype.

LATE NIGHT ROOTS

2008-12-11T04:52:01-05:00

So finally after all the rumors and waiting it has been announced. The Roots will be Jimmy Fallon's house band when he takes over for Conan. This news is perfect to be hearing after their recent bus crash in France.

THE PROBLEM WITH THE BIZ

2008-12-11T04:47:00-05:00

Why is the music industry is in such bad shape? 3 reasons. Here are three reasons (i) Britney (ii) Billy. And of course Gene.

BLUR REUNITING

2008-12-10T02:32:00-05:00

The original lineup of Blur is reuniting not just for a show at Hype Park, but for good. Oh man, I hope they bring back the little milk guy somehow.

MEGA BLOG

2008-12-09T04:53:01-05:00

It's come to this - the Bloggers Unite, we cannot be defeated: Catbirdseat, Chromewaves, Fluxblog, Largehearted Boy, and Said The Gramophone team up for one megablog, MBV.

WHERE’S MY FREE DR. PEPPER?

2008-12-02T07:50:00-05:00

In that crazy promotional stunt Dr. Pepper tried to bank on Chinese Democracy and Axel Rose. Too bad it didn't work right at all, but this time it wasn't Axel's fault so now Rose is bringing in the lawyers. was it worth it? here and here

NEVER GONNA LET YOU GO

2008-12-02T07:41:00-05:00

How did this happen? Who at Macy's thought of this? brilliant. just beat the Obama one and oh how I wish this was real.

FIND OF THE WEEK

2008-11-25T06:06:00-05:00

From ropeadope man on the streets tommy williams: The Menahan Street Band is a collaboration of musicians from Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, El Michels Affair, Antibalas and The Budos Band, brought together by musician/producer Thomas Brenneck to record hits in the bedroom of his Menahan St. apartment in Bushwick, Brooklyn. With influences reaching beyond the funk/soul/afrobeat architecture of their other projects into the more ethereal realms of Curtis Mayfield and Mulatu Astatke, the Menahan Street Band creates a unique new instrumental soul sound that is as raw as it is lush.

PASTE’S BEST OF 2008

2008-11-25T06:05:00-05:00

If you need to act cool when folks ask you for your favorite album of 2008, paste magazine has the ultimate list. dig it.

NEW OLD NAT KING COLE

2008-11-25T06:03:00-05:00

A new Nat King Cole album entitled “Re:Generations” will feature guest appearances by The Roots, Just Blaze, Cee-Lo, Nas and more. The goal of the album is to construct a tuneful bridge between generations, cultures and races. “RE:Generations” honors Nat King Cole’s cultural influence around the planet, 90 years after his birth. more info here.

FEMI TAKES IT DAY BY DAY

2008-11-20T04:20:01-05:00

Not content to merely follow in his father's footsteps, Femi Kuti continues to expand his musical palette with his latest studio release,Day By Day, a hybrid of Afro-pop, jazz and urban influences. The album has been a long time coming: seven years since his last studio album Fight To Win and four years since the live Africa Shrine, which contains early versions of three songs from this new album check out some sounds here, video here, pick it up here.

3XOUTKAST

2008-11-18T05:19:00-05:00

Big Boi is getting his second solo album, Sir Lucious Leftfoot: The Son of Chico Dusty, back on the good foot. The street-embedded member of Outkast says that despite a delay, his record is still coming. “The South got something to say, and we gonna keep on talking,” he told us recently in Atlanta. The roll-out plan for his LP seems to coincide once again with that of his partner, Andre 3000, and the ‘Kast have been putting their heads together in preparations. full story here. classic outkast here and here.

SWEEDISH DANCE BANDS FROM THE 70s

2008-11-18T05:18:01-05:00

This shit is so strange, but you're gonna click here anyway to see a random photo documentary of swedish dance bands from the 70s. (seriously).

SOULIVE ANNOUNCES ANNUAL HOLIDAY RUN - NEW YEAR’S EVE IN BOSTON

2008-11-14T04:13:00-05:00

Soulive will once again embark on their annual holiday run in the Northeast, culminating with two nights at Boston’s Paradise for New Year’s Eve. Soulive has had a busy year; they have unveiled their Royal Family concept which unites all the projects in the Soulive realm, performed as a trio and a quintet with horns and recorded two new records, live in Japan and original studio. Stay-tuned for updates on the two releases. For the five night run Soulive will be joined by Ryan Zoidis and Sam Kininger on horns. They will be playing a mix of classic Soulive, and will debut songs from their November sessions at Alan Evans’ Play On Brother Studios. The Philadelphia show at the Electric Factory will include longtime collaborator Robert Randolph and the Family Band. Robert and Soulive have shared the stage on numerous occasions and he appears on Soulive’s record Break Out.

MUST BE THE SHROOMS

2008-11-12T00:42:00-05:00

If the violin sounds good, it might be the mushrooms. A Swiss researcher announced Thursday that treating maple wood with a certain mushroom improves its sound quality. Speaking at a conference in Basel, Switzerland, Francis Schwarze said his maple violin, a replica of a 1698 instrument made by the Italian master Antonio Stradivari, has a sound comparable to the elusive timbre of a Stradivarius, according to a report from Agence France-Press.

BEN HARPER’S NEW BAND

2008-11-12T00:40:00-05:00

Ben harper is boss. can't front on him and he is also one of the most underrated guitarists on the scene. taking a break from his band the innocent criminals ben's got a new bag called relentless seven and they don't suck at all.

DARK SIDE OF THE MOOG

2008-11-10T03:47:01-05:00

Got a random email from the boxing lesson telling me about a "killer animation: the Dark Side of the Moog. the music is....totally randomly rock-out-cliche but the video is dope. see it in high def here, low def YouTube Video here.

LISTEN WHILE YOU WORK

2008-11-10T03:45:00-05:00

Am i the last one to the party here (louis?) why didn't anybody tell me about samurai.fm? get lost in the samurai here and you will rejoice in the sickness and freshness of the beats and streams and downloads.

NEW JAZZANOVA

2008-10-22T01:21:00-05:00

One of my all time favorite music collectives, jazzanova, is back (finally!) with their first new album since their ropeadope debut 7 years ago for their new recording, Of All The Things, Jazzanova worked with several different and equally distinct voices. Leon Ware, soul legend and writer/producer of Marvin Gaye's I Want You, covers - together with Dwele (soloist for Common and Kayne West) - his own song, "Rockin' You Eternally" from 1981. With Phonte (Little Brother), Jazzanova returns to their hip hop roots on "Look What You're Doin' To Me" and "So Far From Home." Other guests include Paul Randolph from Detroit, Ben Westbeech from London, Thief, Pedro Martins, Bembe Segue, and José James from Minneapolis - who recently released his debut album on Gilles Peterson's Brownswood label. There is a lot of soul, life and depth in this music, and those who have followed Jazzanova's path know that their interest in exploring new productions keeps on growing. listen to some here, buy it here.

JERK IT JERK IT

2008-10-22T01:20:01-05:00

Yea, this is sort of gimmicky and sort of pornographic (not that there's anything wrong with it!) but this jerk it jerk it video (and song!) makes me smile.

RADIOHEAD PASSES EXPERIMENT

2008-10-17T01:59:01-05:00

While Trent Reznor has been very open in discussing the results of his various business model experiments, Radiohead has been notoriously quiet about it -- leading some to falsely assume that the experiment was a failure. CNN even called it one of the dumbest moments in business last year. That seemed ridiculous on its face, as it was quite clear that the experiment was a huge success for Radiohead, even if the band was quiet about the numbers.

BBC PLAYER

2008-10-13T02:24:01-05:00

According to my man hamid, this is the best thing that he has encountered lately and the best place to advertise. chock full of music, videos and life.

TOBACCO: SONGS TO GET KILLED IN THE WOODS TO (MP3)

2008-10-13T02:20:00-05:00

Living up to the title, Anticon's Tobacco plants his crop in the darkest strands of the psyche, rolling hip-hop, psychedelia, and spoken-word snippets into something bitter and wondrous dig in here.

NEW EST

2008-10-03T04:31:00-05:00

The journey for e.s.t. (the Esbjörn Svensson Trio) now comes to an unfortunate end with Leucocyte, the last album after Svensson’s accidental death while scuba diving near Stockholm. To say Esbjörn Svensson will be missed is a massive understatement, but his legend lives on with the wonderful expressive music of e.s.t. The name of the album Leucocyte comes from its literal definition - white blood cells, a part of the human immune system that protects the body against foreign pathogens and must periodically be renewed to continue their work. Similarly, e.s.t.'s spontaneous jam sessions were precisely their way to renew and rejuvenate. By using this method they were able to fuse traditional jazz, funk and rock to create a tapestry of genres, and Leucocyte shows e.s.t. taking it to the next level with their most daring, innovative and ground breaking performance. The recording was the result of a two day jam sessions that took place at the famed "Studios 301" in Sydney during the band's 2007 Australian tour.Leucocyte pays tribute and carries on the memory of one of the most innovative jazz trios of our times. Capturing the incredible concert performances, Emarcy will simultaneously also release a double live album, Live In Hamburg.

RAD DIG SPOTLIGHT - Kicksville

2008-10-01T17:02:00-05:00

Our esteemed colleagues on the Kicksville Town Council are getting some digital ink these days over at Wired.com. Here at home we're expecting more news as we prepare for Kicksville's song of the week project. The band will release a song every Monday for 13 weeks, beginning onNovember 11 th. Check in here for links, and get your Kicksville audio history here.

MORE FROM SHINES

2008-09-29T04:46:00-05:00

Straight out the funk bucket, U.K.-based Soul Jazz Records is offering the long-lost French cult classic “Les Stances a Sophie” on DVD. Filmed in Paris in 1970, the film is known for its wacked-out soundtrack scored by the Art Ensemble of Chicago. It also features some dope footage of the war-painted supergroup in a sweaty Parisian basement. The DVD features performances with Fontella Bass, Archie Shepp and Ornette Coleman. Check a clip here

VOTE FOR WILCO (AND FLEET FOX)

2008-09-25T03:41:00-05:00

Such tumultuous times. And in the spirit of giveaways that seem to be sweeping the nation, we've got something free for you. No it's not a pile of cash (sorry) but rather an audio postcard of sorts from a summer's night in Oregon with our friends the Fleet Foxes & a lovely Bob Dylan tune. All they ask is you check the "I pledge to vote in the 2008 Election" button below. If you can spare it, they also encourage you to consider a donation to Feeding America . (and please feel free to pass this link along to friends, family members, etc.).

THE GENIUS OF RAPHAEL SAADIQ

2008-09-25T03:37:00-05:00

Says dj cosmo baker "This mix is a representation of Raphael Saadiq's sound - from the early days of Tony! Toni! Toné! through his solo work and the neo-soul era, to his latest endeavors - includingmusic from his latest album. Solo records, collaborations, guest appearances, productions, remixes, exclusives and more... I hope I did Raphael some justice". without any further ado ladies and gentlemen, Cosmo Baker Presents "Genius: The Sound Of Raphael Saadiq" oh. speaking of cosmo dick into COSMO BAKER Presents "The Funk Doc Chronicles"

BYE BYE BHEKI

2008-09-18T04:20:00-05:00

We turn the floor over to skerik: "Friends,Please check out this amazing musician who just passed away. Bheki Mseleku was a good friend of mine when I lived in London in the mid 80's. We played together, right before he went world wide and played with everyone. He was the most brilliant musician I have ever seen play music in person, many of you remember my stories of him. I think one of the reasons why he was so prolific, was there was always something more important than music in his life. I will miss him. Please check out his music Best, Skerik....."

Deleon - Rahelika Baila

2008-09-18T02:21:00-05:00

Fresh from our homies at j-dub i'm freakin in every possible direction to the new deleon record. and then i clicked onto this video for their stop-motion video filmed in omaha, san francisco, boulder, la, portland, and minneapolis, edited on long drives in between those cities, and capturing the spirit of this young band on their first national tour. made me want to hug every one of those kids also peep a video from deleon's celebreate brooklyn set. do you want more (jdub?) dig The Sway Machinery and in all other digital outlets. here's a free taste take a moment to check it out!

VINYL GETS ANOTHER SPIN

2008-09-16T05:19:00-05:00

The wall street journal reports on the rebirth of vinyl and how amazon now stocks 1/4 million titles. amazing

OTIS POSTS RANDOM MIXTAPES

2008-09-16T05:13:00-05:00

otis fodder has started a new series of posts on wfmu's beware of the blog called the mix machine.He's off to a GREAT start with rips of roadium mixtapes, which were mixes produced in the '80s by dr. dre, tony a (hi-c's dj) and a host of other influential west coast dj's. they were primarily sold out of the roadium swap meet in torrance, ca. they featured freestyles by rappers like eazy-e, tone loc, ice cube, as well as crazy mixes of electro, miami bass, hip-hop, and more.

RAD DIG Spotlight -Carlon

2008-09-06T18:59:00-05:00

What would happen if Ropeadope released an Indie Rock record???? The answer: Carlon. Carlon made a record and the result is Johari Window, an epic 12 track tour-de-force influenced by all influences - music, life, and love. it rocks like a hard rocking thing but wait til you hear our boys sing! with lyrics that make poetry bring....forth the dreams and schemes of 4 jersey boys to men whose story never ends. Bookmark this page so on release date (9/30) you can have the scoop on buy links and fully experience Carlon.

RATM SHUT THE FUCK DOWN

2008-09-04T04:15:01-05:00

Rage Against the Machine shows up to the republican convention to voice their opinion and get shut down by the cops? only in america. watch it here. Rally 'round the family.

THIS THAT AND THE THIRD

2008-09-02T03:46:00-05:00

Ropeadope Tom writes in "local jerz rapper Dave Ghetto, Philly native DE expat Hezekiah and West Coast singer/rapper Mystic combine on some Voltron shit to for This That And The Third. i've been chewing my nails waiting on this album and its looking like a reality. peep and listen to the first song. love it."

LENNON AND DYLAN DRUNK IN A CAB

2008-09-02T03:44:00-05:00

Man, I can't believe I never saw this before - so badly wish I was the driver!

Z-ROCK

2008-09-02T03:40:00-05:00

You z-rock yet? the independent film channel has this randomly entertaining new show called zrock a comedy series that follows three friends leading a double life: by night they’re a hard-partying rock band and by day they’re a kids party band. Z ROCK is (kinda) based on the true story of the band Z02 (brothers Paulie Z and David Z, and lifelong friend Joey Cassata) and gives a satirical look at the dark underbelly of the rock n’ roll dream. check out the trailer here.

Christian Scott at Bohemian Caverns 8.22.08

2008-08-26T14:03:00-05:00

Last Friday, a small club in the historic U St. Corridor of Washington DC, welcomed a young, bright new face in jazz, 24-year old, Grammy nominated trumpeter Christian Scott. Hailing from New Orleans' 9th Ward, by way of New York City, Christian and his twin brother Kiel, missioned it through 6 hours of traffic to support the brooding local DC jazz scene. John Lamkin, an old friend and long time drummer for Christian's uncle, Donald Harrison, had asked Christian to sit in, with a local all star lineup featuring DC's own Kris Funn (bass) and Allyn Johnson (keys).

The quintet played two riveting sets of unrehearsed tunes, with Christian calling out tempos and keys between songs. While the first set was grounded in straight ahead and bebop, the second set showcased Christian's true voice- a lyrical, mysterious and minimalist style of playing that reminsices of Miles' late blue period. For more, check out Christian's critically acclaimed sophmore release for Concord Jazz, Anthem

For the rest of the photos, visit Root Down

FELA THE MUSICAL:From rad beat writer Drew Stoga

2008-08-20T13:17:00-05:00

A new off-Broadway musical based on the life and music of Fela (appropriately and enthusiastically titled Fela!) is now playing daily at 37 Arts in New York City. With music performed and arranged by Antibalas, it is pretty much guaranteed to be way better than Cats. Two of Fela’s many sons are also currently touring and carrying on the Kuti legacy. Femi Kuti has his own modern take on Afrobeat while Seun Kuti leads Egypt 80, his father’s former band. Seun played a scorching set at Central Park’s Summerstage earlier this summer and is about as close to the real thing as you are going to get. Also worth checking out are: Akoya Afrobeat Ensemble, Chicago Afrobeat Project, and Nomo who have a terrific album that just came out.

NOT ENOUGH DJS: SOULWAK TOAST THE LOST ART OF MIXING

2008-08-18T06:02:00-05:00

Every body i know these days claims to be a dj, but really - are there enough?

DAVID BYRNE AND BRIAN ENO TALK ABOUT THEIR NEW ALBUM

2008-08-18T05:58:00-05:00

It's been over two decades but byrne and eno are back together again. click here to hear how/what/why and when.

HEAT MAPPING AT FESTIVALS

2008-08-14T12:21:00-05:00

3VOOR12, a multimedia platform for music is piloting a new heat-mapping system at this year's Lowlands music festival, which takes place next weekend. Using familiar web terminology—Hot or Not—the festival's visitors will be able to let others know which of twelve venues is hosting the hottest show at any particular moment. The voting system will run on a mobile app that users can download to their internet-enabled phones. check it out here

Live from Camp MMW - Post-Camp, Day 3

2008-08-14T01:14:00-05:00

I'm still working on the big ol' photo album with all my camp pictures, but while I'm working through that I'm going to string you guys along with this video clip of Medeski playing piano after the whole band master class on Day 2.

It was the first real day of camp, everyone was still feeling shy and awestruck and I was really worried about taking pictures and videos during the workshops. Then after the workshop where MMW broke down their song "The Lover" (see Day 2), Sandy asked John some more questions about the theory behind it.

Some explanation is required to appreciate this clip. You see, as part of "The Lover", John had been talking about playing C minor blues licks over varying chord progressions. More often than not in jazz, if you're "going out", the melodies go in and out while the chords stay the same, a la pedal points, So What, Impressions, Coltrane, etc. In "The Lover", the chords go from C minor to E major, which is totally outside of C minor, and the melodies stay in C minor blues. So in this clip, you'll see John playing C minor blues licks with his right hand, but notice as he's trying all kinds of different chords in his left hand all the while. This polytonal approach was further elucidated in his "The Ins of Going Out" workshop later in the week.

Anyway, I also like this clip because at the time I was so psyched that this lady who I would later find out is named Sandy had asked a question which had caused John to go off on the piano for another ten minutes, which was like getting to peek over Mozart's shoulder. And it's a weird angle because, essentially, I was trying not to have anybody notice I was recording it - if for no other reason than to not make anyone self-conscious. Also, check out Chris, then Liz, then Gabrielle looking over one by one in the background.

More tomorrow, campers!

Love,

Larry Legend

PROTOOLS REMOTE IPHONE APP

2008-08-13T04:48:00-05:00

Far out labs has created an iphone app that lets you control protools remotely. using wifi, you can tweak all the settings on up to 32 channels from anywhere you please, even on the other side of the planet. future versions will work with other digital audio workstations. dig this clip on how it works buy it here get it here: proremote.

Live from Camp MMW - Post-Camp, Day 2

2008-08-13T00:20:00-05:00

We're all getting back in the regular life groove here...and then Scott Burton -- camper and bass player for the Moroccan Sheepherders -- hits us with this -- an audio recording of MMW's last song that closed out the last night of Camp MMW.

I was giving Scott some audio snob grief about his recording and mixdown settings earlier today until I heard the extra gritty crunch that it gave this track... it sounds like Scotty Hard has already had his way with it.

Anyone know the name of this song? I guess I've been a little out of the loop. It's like a Bubblehouse for the new generation.

Also, for those of you who like a little video with your audio, here are a couple short clips I got of that song on my digital camera.
First clip
Second clip

Campers - make sure to check out the SFTP site that Phil set up - there's some really good stuff going on there from Brian, Scott, et al.

Love,

Larry Legend

Live from Camp MMW - Post-Camp, Day 1

2008-08-12T00:12:01-05:00

After 24 hours back in real life, Camp MMW feels like one of those beautiful dreams that you try to keep from forgetting after you wake up. So as soon as I got back on Sunday, I jumped on my drums and tried out a couple of 5 minute solo improvisations as per Billy and John and then the right brain practicing exercise that Chris talked about.

As for the latter, Chris' observation along the lines of "I have a feeling this may be more difficult than it would seem at first for a lot of you" was definitely correct. I tried playing some exercises I'd been working on from G.L. Stone's snare drum rudiments book Stick Control. Immediately my breathing got shallower and I was tempted to hold my breath. Busted at step one! So then I started with just breathing, then playing some slow quarter note single strokes while trying to keep that calm, relaxed breathing going. That worked. Eventually I was able to build up to doing the Stick Control exercise slowly. And I realized I had turned a mundane exercise into a whole brain meditation that was fully engrossing and a lot of fun to work on as a result.

Back at work today, I felt a little more relaxed than usual (although a week off in the Catskills had better do that to you!) and more patient during a couple of meetings. And I reminded myself that Medeski said that listening is an act of giving as I paid close attention to each person's comments.

But real life is not all cherries and deep revelations - there's laundry to do and dishes and old bills and new bills and a backlog of tasks of all kinds that need to be attended to. And definitely some sleep to catch up on. But like everyone else, I'm just trying to get some of that done while keeping that positive, rooted, inspired feeling from last week going. I think the audio recordings from the classes may help a lot with that as well. Let me know how it's going for all the rest of you!

And if listening to me prattle on isn't helping you get that feeling back, try this clip from MMW's afternoon set with Scofield on Friday.

Love,

Larry Legend

Live from Camp MMW - Day 6, Vol. 1

2008-08-11T02:08:01-05:00

Today was the sad goodbye for Camp MMW. After a grand finale breakfast of french toast, bacon, and made-to-order omelettes, we signed each others notebooks, packed up our instruments and dirty laundry, and one by one, went our separate ways. Some had only a handful of miles to go, and some had thousands and are probably still on their journey home as I write this, traveling back to places like California, Canada, and Portugal.

When I picture Billy honking the horn on his old Dodge Ram as he drove away with his family this morning, I feel a little tinge of that deep, hopeless sadness that Chris talked about in his master class on Saturday morning. And it feels good.

But for those of you out there on the interweb, Camp MMW is not over! Starting tomorrow night, I'll be posting LOTS more pictures, movies, and musings throughout the week. We learned a ton and were inspired so much that I want to continue to share some of that with you. For me, Camp MMW was literally a life changing experience -- and a curmudgeon such as myself does not say something like that lightly. Also, I think that as people get back home, they'll also be sharing the photos and things they recorded so I'll try to keep track of some of that as well.

Huge, huge, grateful thank yous to John, Billy and Chris; Liz and Gabrielle; Dave, Greg and Jed; Henry and the staff Full Moon Resort; and last but not least, all you other campers.

As I signed in my roommate Kenneth's notebook, "See you next year at camp!"

Love,

Larry Legend

Live from Camp MMW - Day 5, Vol. 3

2008-08-10T04:44:00-05:00

One more for tonight -- here's a shot of Sco with MMW this afternoon.

Larry

Live from Camp MMW - Day 5, Vol. 2

2008-08-10T04:35:01-05:00

Tonight the guys in MMW had all 76 of us participate in a giant rotating conducted jam. What an amazing end to an amazing week. I have tons more photos and videos too which I'll have to sort through and post up tomorrow or Monday. Kenneth & I helped Dave, Greg, and Jed load out all the band's gear for a couple hours so I'm totally beat right now and about to go to bed. I feel terrific though! Tomorrow is breakfast and the teary goodbye.

Larry

Live from Camp MMW - Day 5, Vol. 1

2008-08-09T22:32:00-05:00

Day 5! Last day. I am already feeling a sad to go tomorrow so I'm not going to post that much right at the moment. Just to sum up - last night we saw some incredible films of Cuban and other Latin music from the 1930s, 40,s 50s, and 60s presented by Henry Medina. Heavy! This morning I went to Medeski's workshop, appealingly titled "What the F*$^& Are You Saying" and it did not disappoint one bit. Then this afternoon Chris absolutely killed it with an amazing master class about the right brain, the left brain, creativity, internal dialog, and how to practically practice playing from the deep, music making part of your right brain. Then Scofield (the special guest - I told you so) joined up with the band for a really hot set and some Sco Q&A. Dinner just now and the band plays in 15 minutes.

BTW the photo is from one of Henry Medina's films of Tito Rodriguez.

Love,

Larry Legend

Live from Camp MMW - Day 4, Vol. 3

2008-08-09T04:32:01-05:00

Before I go to bed, check out this video of a spontaneous Camp MMW drum circle (~40MB) that was going on before lunch today. Listen to that pocket! That's what these guys are doing to all of us -- turning us into interlocking groove machines. You can even hear some of the clave patterns that are from Billy's book that we've all been working on this week so the stuff is sinking in already. By the way, that wacky kid strutting around around is actually a great accordion player and the woman clapping (Sandy) is a badass pianist and singer. They're just high off the rhythm and it makes them look like a couple of noodle dancers.

I took a ton of pictures today and I'll put them up tomorrow for sure.

Love,

Larry Legend

Live from Camp MMW - Day 4, Vol. 2

2008-08-09T03:13:01-05:00

Speculation abounds about tomorrow night's special guest. There are a few people who claim to know but they are stonewalling the rest of the campers. DJ Logic, Calvin Weston, and Marshall Allen are some names I've heard bandied about. The jammy kids are hoping for Trey but I think they are more likely to run into him at the grocery store next week. My personal reconaissance suggests it's that nerdy looking guy in the flannel shirt playing in the youtube video playing with Jaco.

Live from Camp MMW - Day 4, Vol. 1

2008-08-08T16:10:00-05:00

Live with the latest! Here's a quick video clip from this morning's ensemble class with Billy. He was teaching us his new tune -- I can't remember the title -- it's inspired by an African percussion instrument that has a string and essentially just makes two notes. It sounded like a cross between a berimbau and a jaw harp. The clip is kinda big so expect to give it some time to load. That's Phil on guitar and Dmititri on organ and ~~can't remember the guy's name~~ Gabe who is playing the Rhodes.

More later! Greg is going to show me how to fix a Wurly and I have to go meet up with him.

Love,

Larry Legend

Live from Camp MMW - Day 3, Vol. 2

2008-08-08T00:38:01-05:00

Holy cow! Just got back from MMW's set with Ribot! I'll let guest blogger Kenneth give it the review:

"Amazing! One of the best MMW shows ever! Ribot tore that guitar to pieces and you could feel Chris' low notes in the next county. Some funky-ass stuff!"

Kenneth is right. Nasty!!

Live from Camp MMW - Day 3, Vol. 1

2008-08-07T16:07:00-05:00

Larry Legend here, live and direct from Camp MMW!

Things just keep getting better and better. Yesterday afternoon Steven Bernstein gave a master class -- a couple hours of freeflow widsom from the master. Here are a few tasty snacks I saved for you from the feast of knowledge:

"I want to help you guys out with the secret I learned about harmony, because I was confused about it for a long time. I used to think it there is the I chord, and the IV chord. But I had it fucked up. Turns out there IS no IV chord. The IV chord is just the I chord. There's the I chord, and the V chord. Those are the only two chords. If you can find the V chord in the song, you're good."

"You can do it on your own terms and these days, I think it's the ONLY way to do it."

"....and another thing this guy said [referring to a nameless older trumpet player] -- and for a jerk this guy had a lot of good information -- is when you listen to a recording of yourself and you hear something you don't like -- THAT'S your STYLE."

Later in the evening yesterday.... Steven did a workshop style performance with us campers. As part of the performance, we were conducted by the maestro himself mid-performance a la Sex Mob and MTO... AND i got to sit behind and play Medeski's full keyboard rig (like butter) (but those damn things still don't quite play themselves though... except for maybe the Clavinet). After that the campers left the stage and MMW joined Bernstein for a couple songs including a spooky, deep, soulful Bernstein arrangement of the Marianne Faithfull/Mick Jagger song "As Tears Go By".

Then later - hanging at the cantina with MMW's sound & tech badasses Dave, Greg, and Jed, plus my roommate Kenneth and Mike, who knows how to fix Hammonds. Madi on lounge Wurlitzer. Dave and Greg and Jed were happy to talk shop about what it takes to keep John's keyboards and amps going, what it's like to drive a giant gear truck, what it's like to sleep on roadcases, and what it's like to accept a Grammy from the UPS man. Jed even gave us a pandeiro lesson.

This morning we had ensembles with Chris! Splitting off into ad hoc bands, trying to come up with an arrangement of a field holler song in 20 minutes, and then getting critiqued as a band by Chris. The amazing thing is how bad a bunch of OK musicians sound jamming without any arrangement, and how great a bunch of OK musicians can sound with a proper arrangement. It made me think of bands like the Rolling Stones and the Strokes.

Before I go -- make sure to check out the new photos I just uploaded of Bernstein in action yesterday and this mini-video of Steven conducting a camper ensemble at the workshop performance.

That's it for now -- more later!

Love,

Larry Legend

Live from Camp MMW - Day 2, Vol. 1

2008-08-06T16:24:00-05:00

Day 2 here at Camp MMW. Beyond incredible. This morning started off with breakfast at 8 am, then a 9:30 masterclass with the band. After years of listening and transcibing and scouring interviews for any sort of musical content, the master class was like having the motherlode unlocked. You know Gus Johnson? The guy with the key? What happened to Gus? What happened to Gus is he showed up this morning and dropped science.

The fellas started off by playing a stripped down early morning version of Syeeda's Song Flute. Then some talking about general musical stuff, and then....they took a song - a seemingly happy and simple and innocuous song that is classic MMW as classic MMW gets - "The Lover" and broke it down. Not the Rolling Stone, "I wrote this when I was on the road thinking about how I missed my girlfriend" breakdown. Broke. It. DOWN. To the ground. For music nerds only.

Like what chords go to what and why. C minor to E major with C minor pentatonic on top. How they came up with the groove, how Billy thought the cowbell intro groove he was playing was lame. Why Medeski chose C minor to E Major. Why MMW cover bands inevitably and incorrectly play F instead of E. why the bassline is busy in one part and simple in the other. Stuff like that. They really tried to remember back to 10 years ago when they came up with the song, how they came up with the individual parts. Billy said the drum break - the "boom BOOM bap BOP boom BOOM bappy BOP" part - was originally a mistake of turning the beat around somewhat on his part that they ended up keeping in.

Then the "???!??!!?!?" blockbuster of the morning. Guess where Medeski jacked the keyboard part to the C section of the The Lover is from? That not a soul besides Medeski including the band knew until today.....not Ellington. not Sun Ra. not even Schoenberg. Where??? From a dirty, dirty, nasty ass Lil Kim song off her first album Hard Core entitled "We Don't Need It". (listen at 1:04 right after when the dude says "If you ain't suckin' on head..." Then compare back to the MMW's The Lover at 2:55. WARNING: Your perception of this song will be tainted forever.

Before I go, here's a link to a couple photos from last night and this morning. http://my.ropeadope.com/photo/photo/listForContributor?screenName=kh3a6wek8bt2

And a couple excerpts from my notes from the master class --- they don't read quite as well as the epiphanies they were this morning, but just for some flavor:

Chris - talked about hearing the space while you're practicing. focus on the space when you play more than the notes you're actually playing

John - noted that musical styles that have more complex harmony and more complex linear melodies often have a swing rhythm to them. Jazz, brazilian music, etc. Compared to fusion or shredder rock - the crazy lines don't go well as straight 8ths or 16ths.

Kristof Pendorecki - Threnody for Hiroshima - blast on 10 at 3 in the morning while driving through Southern Georgia.

In a few minutes - "ensemble" with Medeski in the performance space. I believe this could mean getting a chance to sit for a moment at Medeski's keyboard rig, with Hammond, Wurlizter, Clav, Moog, Wurlitzer combo organ, and last but not least, a Mellotron, which I have never ever trtried. ?!?!??!!!!

--- Larry Legend

Live from Camp MMW - Day 1, Vol. 1

2008-08-06T01:46:01-05:00

Hello internet! My name is Larry Legend and I'll be making blog entries to ropeadope.com from Camp MMW all week. I'm going to make this first post really quick and have a lot more for you tomorrow.

First - it looks like Camp MMW is going to be INCREDIBLE. Exceeding all expectations. So far we've had check-in, dinner, a opening talk from Billy, John, and Chris about schedule, the master plan, etc; and then we went to the performance space and heard a blistering hot set of MMW from 9 to about 10:30 pm. Bananas. and then NOW, now there are movies and jam sessions until midnight!! Unbelievable. Who doesn't want to hear MMW play in a wood beamed room half the size of Tonic in NYC and then go jam with a bunch of like minded musicians with the deep vibe still buzzing? The band, Gabrielle, and Liz appear to have put a lot of effort and thought and love into figuring out how this thing was going to go.

In fact, I hear the jam going on right now downstairs and I can't restrain myself any longer. Um, did I mention the keyboards provided are all from John's personal collection? Including the fuzzy B3 and a Steinway heirloom he got from his piano teacher.

Also, don't know why, but after all these years of hearing and watching Chris Wood play his ass off but never a word, hearing him talk at the opening comments was a little bit like if Harpo started talking.

More tomorrow.

Love,

Larry Legend

Dumpstaphunk at City Tavern in Wash DC- 7.25.08

2008-08-03T20:47:00-05:00

Photos by Arthur Shim

New Orleans' #1 funk family hit the road last weekend, kicking off their late summer run in the nations capital, Washington DC. Dumpsta brought the funk to an intimate, 200-person grand ballroom in the historic City Tavern Club of Georgetown. Highlights included tunes from their new album (dropping soon) and in true chocolate city style, a cover of P-funk's Unfunky UFO.

Ian Neville

Ivan Neville

Tony Hall

the view from Raymond Webber's drums

GNARLS BARKLEY COVERS RADIOHEAD

2008-07-29T22:15:01-05:00

And it's really freaking good.

Cee Lo Green and Danger Mouse (better known as Gnarls Barkley) have been mixing "Reckoner" (from In Rainbows) into their sets as of late and it was only a matter of time before someone uploaded a pretty good version of it onto Youtube.

I reckon that's some good tasting "Reckoner."

DAVID RYSHPAN TO GET REMIXED BY ANYONE

2008-07-26T15:26:01-05:00

David Ryshpan, Canadian pianist, composer, jazz-man and (very) active member of the Indigone Trio, is involved in a very interesting open-source musical project entitled Soundscapes. For those who aren't fond of clicking, this 3-step project (in conjunction with the Biennale Montreal 2009) started with Ryshpan composing a soundtrack for Rick Leong's painting Dancing Serpent in Dawn's Quiet (see painting to the left). Check out the song on his Myspace.

Now step 2 is when things get even more interesting: the Ryshpan original composition will be available to DJs, musicians, producers or just about any ordinary Joe with some good old fashioned gumption (or Logic Express). The best remixes will be featured on a compliation disc that will be released May 2009.

By my calculations, that gives you future Timbalands and Rick Rubins around 10 months to get your shit together and create something wondrous. To get involved, e-mail music@biennalemontreal.org

And after you remix that, why not enter JD73's remix contest? All the cool kids are doing it. Don't you wanna be cool? Huh? Don't ya?

REMIX THIS!

2008-07-09T13:00:00-05:00

spin it, flip it, remix it and win it - enter the JD73 remix contest, get all the raw tracks, sprinkle them with your magic dust and send them back to the band
and win some great prizes from JD73. all the info is right here .
learn more about jd73 here, download the band's ropeadope debut here .

JAY-Z COVERS WONDERWALL, SQUASHES BEEF WITH OASIS?

2008-07-03T13:28:00-05:00

In case you weren't in the know, Noel Gallagher, member of a little band called Oasis and not to be confused with this rascal, was a bit perturbed that Jay-Z was asked to play Glastonbury '08.

Quote from Mr. Gallagher himself:

"Glastonbury has a tradition of guitar music and even when they throw the odd curve ball in on a Sunday night you go 'Kylie Minogue?' I don't know about it. But I'm not having hip-hop at Glastonbury. It's wrong."

"OH SHIT, I AIN'T HAVIN' DAT. It's wrong....IT'S...WRONG!" We all know the jigga man is above petty beefs, so Jay-Z offered his response/last word by covering Oasis' biggest hit "Wonderwall" at the festival. Hova butchers the song vocally speaking, but the point was well established.

Jay-Z: 1

Oasis: 0

RAGE + VOLTA = LIONS?

2008-07-03T13:08:00-05:00

Pitchfork reported yesterday that Rage Against the Machine frontman, Zack de la Rocha, and ex-drummer for the Mars Volta, Jon Theodore, will be joining forces and releasing an EP under the moniker One Day as a Lion.

According to the duo's myspace:

"A defiant affirmation of the possibilities that exist in the space between kick and snare. It’s a sonic reflection of the visceral tension between a picturesque fabricated cultural landscape, and the brutal socioeconomic realities it attempts to mask. One Day As A Lion is a recorded interaction between Zack de la Rocha and Jon Theodore from Los Angeles, California."

I enjoy that phrase "recorded interaction."

Anyway, the EP is due out July 22nd on Anti- Records and should be quite an interesting venture. If nothing else, it's an excuse for me to post videos of Jon and Zack freestylin' on their instrument of choice.

Track list

01. Wild International
02. Ocean View
03. Last Letter
04. If You Fear Dying
05. One Day As A Lion

Sigur Rós - Með Suð í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust

2008-06-26T16:06:01-05:00

"With a buzz in our ears, we play endlessly" is the translation of Sigur Rós' latest record title and will probably be how I refer to it from now on. I've had little problems pronouncing the rest of their work (except maybe on ( ) where I wasn't sure how I should pronounce it so instead just referred to it as Bears Attack Bees) but upon first glance of that intimidating piece of Icelandic verbiage, I was caught going, "Mee....Meow So ee. Meow Sue eye Vaio? Eh, fuck it."

But confusing Icelandic titles aside, this new record officially knocked me on my ass, three weeks prior when I heard their first single "Gobbledigook." This seemed to be a different Sigur Rós -- instead of beautiful melodies that move along at the pace of a snail, here we have beautiful melodies that prove to be more energetic and alive, most of the credit going to Orri Páll Dýrason for his smashing percussion (and mean 'smashing' quite literally).

So have Sigur Rós gone pop? No, not exactly. On this record of mostly-under-five-minute gems there are a couple of classic "build, build, build some more, explode" type songs like "Festival" and "Ára bátur." Some critics find fault with this, while others appreciate a little slice of familiarity. I can see where both sides are coming from but tend to side more with the latter. "Ára bátur" is 9 minutes and rather sparse at first. I can certainly see the challenge this track presents, especially when the album is packed with brief pop songs that achieve something so great in a short amount of time.

However, the song manages to be one of the most outstanding tracks of the group's career. Done in one take with 90+ musicians on hand, it truly is the definition of grandiose. Sigur Rós continually improve on their earlier work with each new release and Með Suð í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust is no different.

SIDENOTE: To all you damned critics who continually find it necessary to compare Sigur Rós to Coldplay: this one is for you.

TORTOISE HEAD OUT ON THE ROAD

2008-06-24T19:00:01-05:00

The founding fathers of post-rock, Tortoise, will be hitting the road for some scattered summer dates starting July 12th. It also seems like the guys will be spending some time in Europe with festival appearances at Ireland, Belgium, Norway and France.

While you peruse the dates, check out this video of the band performing "Salt the Skies." Totally righteous. Also, check out guitarist Jeff Parker's underground jazz side project A Cushicle and

their record Introducing the Freakadelic Sessions, still every bit as good as it was when it was released 2 months ago.

* 07-12 Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
* 07-19 Dublin, Ireland - Analog Festival
* 07-20 Dour, Belgium - Dour Festival
* 07-26 Louisville, KY - Forecastle Festival
* 08-04 Chicago, IL - Pritzker Pavilion
* 08-14 Oslo, Norway - Oslo Jazz Festival
* 09-04 Ann Arbor, MI - Blind Pig
* 09-05 Toronto, Ontario - Mod Club
* 09-06 Guelph, Ontario - Guelph Jazz Festival
* 09-12 Paris, France - Jazz a La Villette
* 09-19 Monticello, NY - ATP New York

Maelstrom Trio w/ Skerik at Telluride Jazz 6.7.08

2008-06-24T04:17:01-05:00

10,000 feet above sea level, Skerik & Co. (Brian Coogan on keys and Simon Lott on drums) brought the rage to the 2008 Telluride Jazz Celebration in Telluride, CO, sharing the town park stage with legends Dr. John, The Neville Brothers, Maceo Parker, Joe Lovano and others. The crowd of wine and cheese eating jazz afficinados interspersed with stoned ski bums was in for a real shocker when Malestrom ditched its in-the-pocket NOLA funk for industial tones and textured dissonance. After a 45-minute set of bizarre, otherwordly noises the crowd emerged disoriented yet dumbfounded by the sheer power and brillance of the Maelstrom ( [MALE-strum] n. a powerful whirlpool in the sea or a river). Dun dun dun...

Later that night, the trio took the stage at Fly Me To the Moon Saloon, where the Hammond B3 reigned and funky grooves prevailed.

Telluride Town Park. photo by greg aiello

photo by arthur shim

Late night at Fly Me to the Moon Saloon. photo by greg aiello

photo by greg aiello

For more fun from Telluride dig the photos by Arthur Shim and Greg Aiello

Coldplay - Viva La Vida

2008-06-17T18:32:00-05:00

If I had to grade a band's ability to help Apple sell iPods and music downloads for iTunes, then Coldplay would pass with flying colors. You don't really understand how effective that Viva la Vida iPod commercial is until it squirms its way into your home and takes a hold of your loved ones.

Case in point: as my grandfather and I sat down for our regular viewing of Scrubs, that damn commercial came on and my grandpa was immediately sucked into its web of dazzling colors and majestic instrumentation. He immediately began to ask me about this "Coldplay" and even asked if the song was free since I own a Macbook. It isn't that much of a stretch to think that someday Apple will pre-load Coldplay's entire library on all Macs sold.

But I digress...as far as the band's new album Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends is concerned, the guys have finally got on the right track and it's great to be able to say that after the disappointing X&Y. I was more than intrigued with "Viva la Vida" and "Violet Hill" as they were departures from the "same"-y quality that plagues most of Coldplay's discography. I'm sure the enlistment of producer Brian Eno (U2, Talking Heads, Depeche Mode) helped with the process: these songs are filled with the most interesting intrumentation and arrangements that Coldplay has ever had to offer. "Yes!" mingles a slide guitar with Eastern style string arrangements, "Lost?" successfully intertwines a church organ with tribal percussion, giving a Peter Gabriel feel to the track. Even the aforementioned "Viva la Vida" will have you hitting "repeat" many times. It's got an honest pop sensibility to it but with no conventional hang-ups or tiring qualities.

However, one thing that hasn't changed is Chris Martin's lyrical skills that have yet to graduate from elementary school. Martin's got a great voice, but his lyrics never challenge me. It's the equivalent of grading an essay that only consists of an introductory paragraph: Martin sings about love and loneliness a whole lot but never delves into the topics.

Besides that and the fact that there are some moments on this album that will make you say, "Oh, hey there obvious Radiohead influence, what are you doing here?" this ain't a bad record. Not bad at all...a long way from revolutionary, but it is listenable and a step in the right direction for the band most likely to put you to sleep.

Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III

2008-06-12T19:32:00-05:00

We have a winner, ladies and gentleman. His name is Lil Wayne.

After all the drama, disses, mixtapes, leaks and beef, Dwayne Carter aka Weezy F. aka Lil Wayne has delivered a masterpiece. Tha Carter III isn't good. It isn't even great. It's transcendent. This has to be one of...no, scratch that...this IS the tightest rap album of 2008 (so far). Haters be damned, I will carry this to my grave.

So what makes it so great? Is it the solid production that's provided by a handful of greats? Or is it Wayne's lyrics that are so clever that you'll want to hit rewind to hear that line just one more time? It is a wild marriage of the two, my friend. To top it off, Weezy isn't just aiming to put out an album full of catchy club hit singles. Take "Dr. Carter," where our lyrical superstar acts like a doctor of hip-hop. Each verse starts off with the diagnosis from his nurse and Wayne aims to cure his patients with his sick flows. Throw in stunning production by Swiss Beatz (seriously, I mean it when I say "stunning") and you have yourself the standout track of the album.

Individual tracks aside, this album as a whole is solid. Some critics are claiming that the album feels disjointed and unbalanced. I would have to agree: there is no real central issue that Wayne is pushing except HIMSELF. Rappers love to boost their own egos and Weezy is no different but his boasting isn't just the side dish to some tasteless main course, it IS the main course (and it tastes delicious, by the way). On "Mr. Carter," he proclaims, "Next time you mention Pac, Biggie and Jay-Z, don't forget Weezy, baby!" You're well on your way, Mr. Carter, but I'm sure you already knew that.

SUMMARY: If you're a fan of rap, you need this album. Simple as that.

JACOB FRED JAZZ ODYSSEY ON TOUR

2008-06-12T14:55:00-05:00

The Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey is coming to the east and midwest in June to celebrate the release of their new album Lil Tae Rides Again. The trio will once again be accompanied onstage by Pete Tomshany on guitar, to help re-create the lush sonic tapestries found on the new album. Prepare for sensory overload as JFJO further envelops the evening in Lil Tae by enlisting VJ Golden Child to present projections every night. Even those who have seen JFJO before should prepare to have their minds blown.

DATES:

06/17 Regattabar at the Charles Hotel - Cambridge, MA
06/18 Main Pub - Manchester, CT
06/19 Narrows Center For The Arts - Fall River, MA
06/20 Sullivan Hall - New York, NY
06/21 World Cafe Live - Philadelphia, PA
06/23 Rex Theater - Pittsburgh, PA
06/24 Wilbert's - Cleveland, OH
06/26 University of Wisconsin - Madison, WI
06/27 Lakeshore Theater - Chicago, IL
06/28 The Yacht Club - Iowa City, IA
06/29 Cafe Paradiso - Fairfield, IA

HEY, YOU CAN STREAM COLDPLAY’S NEW ALBUM, TOO

2008-06-10T17:08:00-05:00

Know how you can stream Sigur Ros' new record that's due in two weeks? Well, you can stream Coldplay's new record as well over at IHeartMusic.com. Besides streaming the new record, you can also get your Coldplay fix in a variety of different outlets: there's a photo timeline, all of the band's videos, ringtones, lyrics, meanings behind the songs and even a poll that lets you vote on your favorite Coldplay record. Gratuitous? You bet your gas.

MP3s TO BE REPLACED WITH…MT9?

2008-06-10T13:44:00-05:00

My efforts in obtaining a minor degree in Music Production is proving to be a waste of time thanks to some folks in Korea. With Music 2.0, listeners will have complete control over every track in a song thanks to MT9 technology. Innovative yet career-crippling at the same time! And if nothing at all this will prove to be more fodder for the YouTube livestock! Hot damn!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRINCE

2008-06-09T14:58:03-05:00

my man prince rogers nelson tunrs fifty this week and really - the guy just keeps getting better with time all the while fucking with the media and music biz. adding new meaning to pop life.