February 12, 2007
Great idea in video collaboration (featuring The Shins!)
This article in Wired details how Ths Shins short their newest video -- by allowing fans at their Austin City Limits festival gig to upload footage, then cutting it all together to make the video.
The Shins + Web 2.0 collaboration = cool!
Posted by Nakia at 05:11 PM | Comments (2)
January 17, 2007
Are record stores dead?
My Bloglines feed lead me to this Wired article which linked to this article in the Chicago Sun-Times about the survival of the record store in a digital age. Music sales are up. CD sales are down. Tower records has closed. Manifest was sold. The gist of the articles is that record stores can and will survive because of two factors. One, people will still want CD's (at least until the people of my generation all die off). There's a permanance to a CD that digital music does not have. There's complete ownership. And there is ease of transportability. Let me explain that last one. I have a second generation iPod (four buttons and a wheel) and a iBook. The hard drive on the iBook is full, mostly with music. The iPod is not full, but is beginning to fail -- battery issues and screen visibiltiy have rendered it all but useless. What am I supposed to do with the music that is on there? If it were all on CD, I'd have no problem putting it all onto a new computer and iPod. There would be labor involved, of course, but there is labor involved in any transfer, even a digital one.
The second reason record stores will stick around is they serve a communal function. People can come to the store and hang out with other people who like music. In a way, it's a niche. The record store serves people who want to physically come together to buy, learn, and talk about music. It's the Long Tail in action, sorta. Whether that niche is profitable is another matter.
I hope it is, because I'd like to see the record store stick around. Personally, though, I cannot remember the last time I was in a real record store. I've come to the realization that I am just not that into music anymore. I still like music, of course, but I lack the time, energy, wherewithall, or effort to hunt down new stuff, to stay current or do much exploring. It's laziness, I know. And I feel a bit bad about it, since music used to be so important to me. There are times when I want to buy new stuff, to learn more about new artists or a new genre (jazz is still untapped for me). But I've yet to really muster up the focus or energy to do it.
What about you? Do you still buy CD's? Do you visit the record store? Heard any good new music lately?
Posted by Nakia at 10:49 AM | Comments (1)
October 17, 2006
Friday Night Lights/Explosions in the Sky
Last Friday, Sarah and I watched Friday Night Lights, the film based on the popular book about high school football in West Texas. We liked the movie, even if the DVD kept screwing up. Although the impact of the well done Friday night lights was lessened by the fact that I had seen Varsity Blues. I kept expecting one of those guys to say "I don't want your life!". Anyway, the movie was about what you'd expect and good for that.
I really enjoyed the soundtrack to the film, which was done by an Austin-based band called Explosions in the Sky. I'd describe them as instrumental, angular, emotional indie-rock. Very good stuff.
Posted by Nakia at 01:43 PM | Comments (1)
July 31, 2006
Coheed and Cambria
I'm trying to figure out if I like Coheed and Cambria or not. Modern day Rush? Emo guys with literary imaginations instead of being hung up on their (non)girlfirends? Pretentious? Rockin'? Cool art?
These are the mysteries that occupy me on a Monday. I really need to do some real work.
Posted by Nakia at 12:28 PM | Comments (1)
July 17, 2006
Southern Songs
I just watched the The Greatest Southern Rock Songs on CMT. I don't really give much creedence to this network in any way. It's owned by Viacom. They never, ever talked about Johnny Cash until after he died. And Brett Michaels showed up on this particular special. Yet, I watched this countdown, because I am a huge sucker for any sort of countdown that remotely coincides with anything I am interested in.
I won't say the countdown is a load of crap, but one can't help but wonder. I knew "Sweet Home Alabama" would be at the top of it before it even started. I knew there would probably be at least three Lynryd Skynyrd songs, it was just a guess as to which other song would be on there besides "Freebird" and the aforementioned "Alabama" (is "Gimme Three Steps" really better than "Simple Man" or "Tuesday's Gone"? You gotta be kidding me.) The Allman Brother's Band songs were almost obligatory and obvious, although I was glad to see they made it on there twice. And then there was a bunch of random stuff. "Hold On Loosely"? I know .38 Special rose from the Skynyrd ashes, but that song sucks. As does "Fooled Around and Fell in Love". Blech.
What about some CCR or Tom Petty? The later is from Florida and wrote "Southern Accents" fer crying out loud. And I know CCR is from California, but so is Little Feet and "Dixie Chicken" made the list. No love for "Born on the Bayou" or "Long as I Can See the Light"?
How about some songs about the South?
I'd have to include Drivin' and Cryin's "Honysuckle Blue" on any list I made. And it's not Southen Rock, but Ray Charles' "Georgia on My Mind" says something fine about this part of the country. Ryan Adams has a bunch, when he's not being a NYC boy. "Jacksonville City Nights" is a country album about Jacksonville, NC. "My Sweet Carolina" just kills me everytime I hear it; I can see him sitting in some shitty apartment in Manhattan, wishing he was back in North Carolina. And while "Midnight RIder" and "Ramblin' Man" are great, give me "Jessica" for Allman Brother's jammin, or "Southbound" for some boogie, or even "Blue Sky" if you want some Dickie Betts vocals.
Any other additions?
Posted by Nakia at 07:14 PM | Comments (8)
April 20, 2006
I'm a musician!
Okay, it's not me, but this guys stuff is pretty good. And he knows the origin of our name.
Posted by Nakia at 01:12 PM | Comments (0)
March 08, 2006
I turned into a martian (whoa - oh -oh!)
For my birthday, I received an iTunes gift certificate, courtesy of my colleague Dave Vawter. I just got around to using it last night. Upon recomendation from my student, Josh, I bought Ryan Adams and the Cardinals "Jacksonville City Nights". I like a lot of Adams' stuff, but his prolifficness (is that a word?) works against him; he puts stuff out that, well, should be left in the studio until someone unearths them for a Basement Tapes. I haven't listened to "Jacksonville" very much yet, primarily because of my other purchase.
The gift certificate was for $15 and the Ryan Adams album was only $10, so I was poking around iTunes for five more songs. Venturing into the "iTunes essentials", I clicked on the "80's Hardcore" list, revisiting my youth in the process. There was Bad Brains, Minor Threat, and a bunch of other stuff that fuled the straigtedge-adolescent rebellion-self-construction of my high school years. On that list was "Bullet" by the Misfits.
I sampled the 30 seconds of "Bullet" and knew I needed a lot of Misfits RIGHT THEN. So, screwing the fact that I only had $5 left on my gift card, I just downloaded the entire 'Collection" of 13 or so songs. The Misfits are 2.5 chords, elvis impersonating zombie-evil monster movie goodness. I mean, wow. I wasn't the hugest Misfits fan in high school; I was more into bands that "said something" like Minor Threat. Now, however, I can really appreciate a band that doesn't take themselves too seriously, yet still has sound and fury. I mean, look at these songs I downloaded:
"Bullet"
"I turned into a Martian"
"Skulls"
"Die, Die My Darling"
"Where Eagles Dare"
"London Dungeon"
"Astro Zombies"
Only one "Die, Die My Darling" is over three minutes long (3:09). How can you not love these songs?
I really, really want to get some professors together and start a Misfits cover band. I know I don't play any instruments, but how hard is it to play these songs, really?
Posted by Nakia at 08:26 AM | Comments (11) | TrackBack
January 20, 2006
The Genius of Steve Perry
Breakfast conversation at the Pope house yesterday:
Sarah: "I have this damned song stuck in my head and I don't know why."
Nakia: "What song?"
Sarah: "That one, you know -- 'Just a small town girl . . . took the midnight train going anywhere.'"
Nakia: "Journey? 'Don't Stop Believin'?"
Sarah: "Yes!"
Nakia & Sarah, singing: "Don't stop believin', hold on to that feeling"
Nakia: "Dammit! Now it's stuck in my head. . ."
The only solution there, of course, is to play the song that's stuck in your head. Fortunately, we have Journey's Greatest Hits, so we spent the morning rockin' out to "Don't Stop Believin."
Of course I woke up this morning with "Lights" stuck in my head, so we just gave in and played the whole damn CD.
The power of Steve Perry.
Did you know that "Only the Young" was from the soundtrack to "Vision Quest"?
What, exactly, are we supposed to not stop believing in? What is "that feeling"?
Well, gotta go. They wheel in the sky keeps on turning and I don't know where I'll be tomorrow.
Posted by Nakia at 08:39 AM | Comments (7)
October 15, 2005
I'm the man that loves you.
Writing about the Wilco show is hard, just because it was so damn good. I'm tempted to say "words can't describe it" and be done, but that would be a cop out. It certainly makes the top five concerts ever, maybe even top three. Well, certainly the top three. Wilco was just incredible.
Thomas Wolfe Auditorium in Asheville is a nice place to see a show. The acoustics are good, it's not too big, and you can buy a pretzel if you want. And the parking situation is good, too. Sarah and I parked in the garage a street behind the auditorium, then cut through an alley behind the venue to the front. Across the parking lot was Wilco's tour bus. Who did we see as we were walking up that alley? None other than Jeff Tweedy, out for a little pre-show smoke and stroll. He was across the parking lot, back by his bus, so it's not like we got to talk to him or anything, but it was still cool just to see him hanging out by himself. It was a good omen.
Sarah and I grabbed a smoothie and muffin at Malaprops (very cool bookstore) before the show, then found our seats about 7:30. The opening band was Rose Hill Drive. They were skinny, very long haired guys who looked to be about 20 and sounded like they were in 1976. I tunred to Sarah and said "I think it's time to head down to Houston and get Aerosmith tickets." She cracked up. It was Foghat meets Ted Nugent. Not that they were bad. I just wonder what kid finds there dad's old record collection, pulls out the "Stranglehold" single, and says "We should sound like THAT!". They were also very loud, so Sarah and I listened to most of their set in the lobby (along with lots of other people).
Then, Wilco. They opened with "Misunderstood" which was just perfect (I was actually hoping for that song in an encore, and I got it first thing). Since I can't find the setlist on the internet yet, I'll do my best from memory and totally screw up the order.
Misunderstood
Hell is Chrome
Kingpin
Jesus, etc
I Am Trying to Break Your Heart
War on War
Hummingbird
I'm the Man Who Loves You
Ashes of American Flags
Monday (in Encore #2)
Outamind, Outasite (in Encore #2)
"A New song"
That's all I can remember right now. I'll update when I get home and can look over Summerteeth and A Ghost Is Born. There were a lot more songs, as they played for almost two hours. I would have liked to have heard "Heavy Metal Drummer" (that song's just fun) and "Theologians" but I ain't complaining.
A highlight: About halfway through, while they are between songs, Tweedy looks out at the first few rows and says "Hey! How old are you?" He's talking to this little girl on her dad's shoulders. She says "six". Tweedy says "Don't you know that Wilco is "adult themed?" with a big grin, then asks her "Is this your first concert?" The little girl says "no." Tweedy shrugs. She then asks "Will you play 'Hummingbird'? Tweedy says "We'll play Hummingbird in just a few minutes, sweetie, I promise. It's probably the only song that's appropriate for you anyway."
If the story ended there, it would be nice enough. But two songs later, when they do play "Hummingbird," Tweedy sets down his guitar, takes the mike out of the stand, the goes down into the audience to sing "Hummingbird" to this little girl. He even held her for a verse or so. It ruled.
The band was phenomenal -- tight when they needed to be, noisy and experimental enough to challenge the audience a little, but they knew just when to pull it all back together. Great energy. Sarah and I rocked out in our balcony seats and could not have been happier.
What surprised me a little was how everyone knew the words to the YHF songs, but clearly there were some people confused by the Being There songs. Granted, Being There is almost ten years old, but it's a lot more accessible and was on a major label. I guess YHF got people into Wilco, which is pretty cool. It makes me feel good about the music public.
I'm now convinced that Wilco is the best band out there. Period.
Posted by Nakia at 12:34 PM | Comments (5)
September 15, 2005
One Headlight
I was prompted to write this brief entry when the ITunes stopped on some Wallflowers. Is there any musician who faced(s) more pressure than Jabob Dylan? I mean, what can you do when your dad is an American musical deity? You can put out fairly simple but elegantly crafted rock, keep your head down, and plug away. Sure, he could do some project with his dad and make a million bucks, but he and his really talented band just keep putting out these albums that, while not revolutionary or anything, are high-quality and fun to listen to.
Posted by Nakia at 03:41 PM | Comments (0)
August 24, 2005
Nakia Killed the Radio Star
I like radio. I am not exactly sure what it is that prompts me to turn on the radio instead of putting in a CD or listening to the thousands of songs on the IPod. Maybe it's not knowing what's coming next. Maybe it's the possibility of hearing something I've never heard before. Maybe it's the idea that radio is a public medium, available to anyone. The point is, I like radio and haven't given up on it quite yet, despite the presence of XM and IPods.
The radio around here makes me want to give up.
I suppose I was a little spoiled by Charlottesville radio. I listened primarily to two independent (not owned by Clear Channel or some other huge conglomerate) stations: WNRN 91.9 and WVWV 97.5.. NRN is a non-profit station that plays a variety of stuff. I liked it because of the relative variety and *gasp* I could hear stuff I had not heard of before. Since I am now way out of the music loop, NRN was where I first heard bands like Death Cab for Cutie and The Shins. Sure, it had some issues (an odd station manager, an overabundance of nu-metal in the afternoon hours, same songs at the same time, and some snobbiness), but I liked it. WVWV was classic rock, so you got what you paid for there. I liked the morning show guys and they played the "Peanut Butter Jelly Song" on Fridays, which was always amusing.
Some of thestations I have programed in my radio here are:
95.7 The Ride
93.3 The Planet
106.5 The End
Some general observations about radio here:
1. People talk -- A LOT. There's a morning show where people talk, there's a drive home show where people talk, there's a night show where people talk. I thought music was involved in radio somehow. Silly me.
2. For the "Modern Rock" stations (The Planet and the End) music reached its peak in 1995. 90% of the stuff either comes from the mid-ninties or from bands that sound like they come from the mid-90's. While I like Alice In Chains, I don't need to hear "Would" three times a week. And, really, did we need to hear Candlebox ever again? Then there's all those new bands that sound like Nirvana-Jam-In Chains-Addiction. The epitome of all this was a "special live cut" of Staind (I think) playing Pearl Jam's "Black". That is just wrong on so many levels, it makes me throw up a little in my mouth.
3. I was all kinds of excited by The Ride, which plays deep cuts and album versions of rock songs, mostly classic rock. I heard lots of Beatles. There was Billy Joel and Fleetwood Mac and some Steve Miller. There was even some REM. There was also some Billy Joel, Fleetwood Mac and Steve Miller, followed by some more Fleetwood Mac and Steve Miller, then some Steely Dan after some Billy Joel. Seriously, I heard "Piano Man" four times in one week. WHY, IN GOD'S NAME, WITH ALL THE MUSIC AVAILABLE TO YOU ON AN ALBUM ORIENTED ROCK STATION THAT'S NOT AFRIAD TO PLAY DEEPER TRACKS, DO YOU PLAY THE SAME SONGS OVER AND OVER? Sorry, I got excited there for a moment. I just don't get it.
I am going to go listen to ITunes and calm down.
Posted by Nakia at 10:24 AM | Comments (10)
August 02, 2005
I saw rain, but not much fire
Saturday, Rich and Laura came down from Charlottesville and we all went to see James Taylor at the Verizon Ampitheatre in Charlotte. I'm not a big James Taylor fan. Sarah was especially enthused. Personally, I'm not a huge fan. I certainly like his stuff, but couldn't name more than a couple of his songs. Although I do know that "Fire and Rain" has nothing to do with a girlfriend and a plane crash. Anyway, we made the 45 minute drive to north Charlotte to see JT.
Laura put it best. James Taylor is like a comfy chair. Consistent, comfortable, and pretty safe. That best describes the concert as well. Nothing too flashy or spectacular, just comfortable. The uncomfortable part came about halfway through his first set, when it started to rain pretty hard. Fortunately, I had invested $20 in a giant tarp from Home Depot to sit on, since it had been raining on an off for a few days prior. It was big enough to sit on and hold over our heads. We spent most of the concert, arms held upward and outward, keeping the rain off of us so we could watch Taylor play "Carolina on my Mind" "Sweet Baby James" and a bunch of other songs I don't know. We stayed fairly dry, Sarah and Laura had a very good time, Rich and I had a good time seeing our wives have a good time, and, well, generally had a good time despite the weather.
(Rich came up with the title for this entry, btw. Credit where credit is due).
Posted by Nakia at 08:09 PM | Comments (1)
July 25, 2005
Harp Magazine
Just a quick one today, since I just got done with class and Sarah is on her way to pick me up. We're down to one car; her car was leaking oil so we took it in today. I hate car trouble. Anyway, we went to Columbia yesterday and dropped by Manifest. I picked up a copy of Harp Magazine, a music magazine I had never seen before. I guess the audience is "adults who are into music." This particualr issue featured interviews with Ryan Adams, Jay Farrar, and Bob Mould, with short pieces about Jeff Tweedy, Willie Nelson, and a bunch of other people. It also had LOTS of reviews. Very cool magazine.
Posted by Nakia at 08:09 PM | Comments (0)
June 10, 2005
Sherri was a waitress. . .
Last night, Sarah and I saw Robert Earl Keen at Ginter Botanical Gardens in Richmond. Good stuff (except for the parking situation).
Last night, Sarah and I headed east to Richmond and the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens to hear Texan singer/songwriter (and fellow Aggie) Robert Earl Keen. I like REK a lot, mainly because he can tell a great story, both traditionally and in a song. His best work gives us glimpses of love ("Gringo Honeymoon"), murder and desperation ("The Road Goes On Forever"), and longing ("I'm Coming Home, the wonderful new song "What I Really Mean"). All of these tuneful stories are infused with a vivid and definite sense of place. Most of the time, that place is Texas, though occasionally he ventures to Santa Cruz, Mexico, Tenessee, or (in the new song "The Great Hank") Philadelphia, where he sees Hank Williams in drag.
Last nights show was hampered by an obviously under-the-weather Keen, though he tried his damndest. With a scratchy voice that he described as "the love child of Tom Waits and Joan Rivers playing country music", he solidered though old favorites like "Gringo Honeymoon," "Feeling Good Again," and "Shades of Gray." He also treated us to new stuff. He played "What I Really Mean," and commented that it had been written in Charlottesville. The set also featured "Mr. Wolf and Mamabear" and "The Great Hank." Although Keen was not at his best and played a short set, I was still impressed, especailly by the obligatory "The Road Goes On Forver" as the closer. This song tunred into a guitar and mandolin jam that lasted ten minutes, with Rich Brotherton on guitar blowing me away. That was one of the best "Roads" I have ever heard.
A good time, to be sure, even if we just sat in the parking lot for thirty minutes after the show. One exit and no one directing traffic -- nice job, there, promoters.
And even though I was home and in bed by 12:30, I'm still beat. This means, of course, that I'm an old man.
Posted by Nakia at 09:33 AM | Comments (2)