Howdy all.
Today I come to you with a plea. No, I’m not asking for money. I’m asking for your recommendations.
I’ll be at the SXSW Music Festival this year and as I’m putting together my schedule I realize I’m checking off all my favorite bands. That’s cool but one of the things I love most is discovering new music.
Therefore, do you know of a band going to SXSW that I should check out? If so then hit me with your recommendation.
For those of you not lucky enough to be heading to Austin for the SXSW Music Festival, allow me to offer you a taste of what you’ll be missing. Just download this torrent and you’re ready to rock.
Now, before you get your panties in a twist, all of these MP3s are available for free from the SXSW website so it’s all legal. Someone was kind enough to gather them together in a single torrent.
For those of you that have never used a torrent, I suggest you download an aggregator. I happen to like Transmission for the Mac (if you really like the software, why not support the developer by making a donation).
Once installed, just open the torrent file with downloaded software and wait for all that musical goodness to arrive.
Happy Friday. Today I ask which pop diva makes you sticky.
(get your head out of the gutter)
I’m talking about memorability. In web parlance, they talk about the importance of stickiness. You can get people to your page but how long do they stick around? The longer they stick around, the better you’re doing… or something like that.
So let’s perform a little test.
I recently work on the latest crapfest from the director of the first two Harry Potter flicks (easily the worst in the series). In a desperate attempt to grab young viewers, this film features not one but two pop hits. The first is this little ditty.
The second tune is by this young lady who was featured not once, not twice but thrice on NPR (is this a sign of the apocalypse?).
When the credits rolled, it was the Ke$ha song that haunted my soul but the following morning I woke up humming Lady Gaga. Therefore, I posit that the Gaga song is the stickier of the two.
Do you agree or disagree? Which song do you end up humming in the shower?
If you’ve known me for more than a moment you know that 1) I love music and 2) I love making mixtapes. I’ve made them for long road trip, short jobs, and girls that think I’m “really nice but…”. I won’t bore you with the “how I curate my annual mixtapes” so let’s just get to.
“Tony’s 2009 Winter Mix” which is a collection of song I acquired from the second part of last year. Want a copy? This is what you gotta do.
But act fast because I only burned 10 of these guys and I’m not making more.
Speaking of which, a few of you owe me your thoughts from the last mix you received. Sean, Kate, Bella, Emily, I haven’t see your comments regarding the last two mixes you received. Come on, let’s hear what you got to say.
In regards to yesterday’s post, while movie awards don’t excite me music festivals send me to the moon. It is with that joy and energy that I present you with the Coachella 2010 lineup.
Of all those listed, I’m most excited about…
As was the case last year, I’m kinda hoping it’s “the year of the old man act” but I’d love to mix that up with some “I never heard of those guys and they blew me away” action too. Also, there’s a good chance I’ll see most of these acts at SXSW in March but maybe some of them will be worth a 2nd whirl.
So who are you excited to see?
When I first downloaded iTunes, I deleted all those pre-made smart playlists. I don’t need iTunes telling me which metrics to watch.
Years later, I saw my friend Todd Sklar post his 25 most played tracks and that got me curious. I put together a new smart playlist and… before you look at this let me just tell you that I’m positive iTunes missed a lot of play counts.
That said, here ya go:
How about you? Why don’t you post your 25 most played tracks. Come on, we won’t judge you (much).
Need help? In iTunes, click “File”, then “New Smart Playlist…” and use these parameters (FYI, I did this on my MacBook Pro but I’m sure it’s practically the same on a PC):
Looking forward to those lists and have a great Friday.
Earlier this month Neko Case was a guest curator on TCM. She showed four of her favorite films and then discussed them with Robert Osborne; this was one of the few times I wish I had cable.
What movies did she pick?
If I were you, I’d check out these flicks. I’m sure my baby wouldn’t lead you astray. And if that weren’t enough fun for this Friday here’s a link to Neko performing live; thanks to NPR for posting this for free earlier this year.
At the 5 o’clock hour this morning, while I waited for a reel to wrap after five hours on the job, I ran out for coffee. In the car I caught the tail end of an interview and I knew I had to hear the whole thing.
At the 7 o’clock hour I caught NPR interviewing Rachel Flotard, lead singer of Visqueen, about her latest album, “Message to Garcia“.
Allow me a digression. I stumbled upon this band and album when Amazon offered a free download of the lead single and said “…with Neko Case singing back up.” Here’s that song.
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The song kicked around my iPod and I kinda liked, it was growing on me, but there was also this “other” attraction. It’s hard to describe but that song was resonating with the dark of my heart and creating some interesting harmonies. I download the rest of the album from eMusic and my unspoken relationship with this set of songs grew more intense. I can’t tell you how many hours I sat absorbing the pop-rock that emanated from my speakers.
And then I heard this NPR interview
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I sat in my car leveled. It all makes perfect sense. I get why that harmony happened. I now love this album and band more that you can possibly imagine, more than I care to share.
That’s all I have to say about that.
Pink Floyd, Nine Inch Nails, The Cure, Sir Mix-A-Lot, Pulp, NWA, Gloria Gaynor, Nirvana… what do they all have in common? Each has had a song covered and now retired to the Coverville Hall of Fame. Therefore, today we celebrate Coverville.
Happy Fun Friday!
Okay, I know most of are asking yourself, “Cover-what?” Allow me to explain. First, a bit of back story. I jumped on the podcasting bandwagon the second I got my first iPod. One of my first subscriptions was Coverville, a music podcast by Brian Ibbott that celebrates the art of the cover. When I started listening, it was well before the show hit triple digits; as of this writing they’ve just posted episode #633, the one referenced above.
I could go into a long explanation about the Coverville Countdown or the Coverville Hall of Fame but let me just say that episode #633 is wall-to-wall awesome and these songs might never be played on Coverville again. Want a preview? Here’s one track you’ll find in episode #633. Warning: this song is not safe for work.
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If that doesn’t get you to subscribe, I don’t know what’s wrong with you.
Also, let me make a little pitch for Coverville. This is a free podcast, as in it doesn’t cost you anything. There’s only one or two commercials in the show and a list of sponsors at the end. Brian is a stand-up guy so he licenses all the music on his show and that’s a heavy financial burden. To ease that burden, he started the Coverville Citizenship program. Donate $40 and you’ll get a t-shirt, a DVD with the previous 100 episodes either as MP3 or AAC (which let’s you skip the commercials) and access to a bonus podcast.
Did I also mention that Brian put together a cover tribute to Spinal Tap? Did I also mention that it’s free, too?
So here’s your mission. First, subscribe to the podcast. Coverville is about to start their annual countdown so you’re guaranteed the cream of the crop. Second, download the Spinal Tap cover album. Third, if the first two things put a smile on your face do the right thing and become a Coverville Citizen. I’m a citizen and look at how happy Brian and I are…
(we’re also at the GABF but that’s another story)
Have a great Friday!
(Oh-my-God, my fingers are so tired from embedding all those links!)
In the spirit of the now officially open Christmas shopping season, allow me to add to your “Black Friday” frenzy and put my money where my mouth is… or would that be in your mouth?
…
Were you suddenly turned on?
Was that just me?
Let’s move on, shall we?
A couple of posts ago I explained why THE GREY ALBUM by Danger Mouse (with Jay-Z & The Beatles) is the undeniable album of the decade.
A few of you have heard of it but have never actually heard it. Well, if you’re too lazy to Google it you’re in luck.
All I ask is that you leave your thoughts on my blog (not on my Facebook feed).
Hope you survive the shopping madness and happy Friday.
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