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Live Music
Moby + Music That Changes the World + Jay Leno = Awesome
Moby performed his track “The Poison Tree” on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno last night. The song is featured on “Music That Changes the World” from the David Lynch Foundation. You can buy your copy of this very awesome, one-of-a-kind, limited box set at your local record shop — find a record store near you. Or you can purchase the box set at speciallimitededitionboxset.com. Digital tracks also available on iTunes.
Weekend Round-Up: The Internet, your music archive.
Beyoncé is just one of the many artist’s utilizing social media to promote their brands and engage their fans. Beyoncé’s new tumblr features personal and candid shots of the singer as well as great archival photos and videos from her past. It’s a very new thing for artists to participate in generating viral content for their fans. For a long time, we’ve relied on other fans sharing videos and pictures they’ve taken of their favorite musicians. However, the relationship between the artist and the fan is changing slowly. We used to put our favorite artists on a pedestal, now we expect them to engage with us in the ongoing social conversation that is Facebook, Twitter, and the web in general. The Internet keeps track of all these little exchanges for us, so we can look back on them and remember why we love the artists we love.
Rare footage of Nine Inch Nails performing at Dance Party, USA in the 1980s
Courtesy of Pitchfork, we’ve got some great footage of Nine Inch Nails performing their debut single “Down In It” on the the all-American dance show. I’m sure fans of the band and/or Trent Reznor will love this footage.
Trent Reznor even tweeted about the video: Many years ago, a young and naive Nine Inch Nails were asked what TV shows they’d be interested in appearing on. As a joke (and likely drunk), they thought of the most absurd choice they could come up with at the time. They were then informed their bluff had been called and were actually booked on said show… They hopped in their Honda Civic touring vehicle (hatchback) and travelled many miles to (I think) NJ for the big show. They had a laugh making fun of the people, their fashion choices and hairstyles. Life was good. Years later, the Internet is here… There’s a moral in there somewhere. Come to think of it, Skrillex may indeed owe me some publishing on that hairdo…
G.O.O.D. Music Fridays are back?
From August to December 2010, Kanye West launched G.O.O.D. Music Fridays where he would release new, fully mastered singles completely free for our listening enjoyment. Now, it seems like G.O.O.D. Fridays are back. This Friday, Mercy, the first single off the Good Music compilation album will be released. The single will feature Kanye West, 2chainz, Big Sean, and Pusha T. Last week, Ye released Theraflu, to much fanfare in the blogosphere. Take a listen to Theraflu below, and take a look at this throwback of Jay-Z listening to Kanye West’s Big Brother for the first time.
Amy Winehouse, Pre-Drugs
An amazing performance from the late musical goddess, allegedly before all the drugs. Regardless of her state of mind, these videos are a testament to her talent. R.I.P. Amy.
Weekend Roundup: The Academy of Country Music Awards
Yesterday was the 2012 Academy of Country Music Awards, just in case you were living under a rock and missed it. Las Vegas’s MGM Grand was teeming with the hottest artist’s in country music. I wasn’t at all surprised by the winners (Taylor Swift never fails to win something), but I was pleasantly surprised by the great performances. I find that country music award shows are one of the few big music events left that you can guarantee the singers actually know how to sing.The ACM’s had great hosts in Blake Shelton and Reba McEntire, who kept the show fun and light all night long. Reba can do no wrong in my eyes, except for those few instances in the past where her hair got the best of her. We’re just going to overlook that. Here’s a complete list of all the winners and some of the great performances of the night.
Complete List of ACM winners 2012
Taylor Swift – Entertainer of the Year
Blake Shelton – Top Male Vocalist
Miranda Lambert – Top Female Vocalist
Lady Antebellum – Top Vocal Group
Thompson Square – Top Vocal Duo
Scotty McCreery – Top New Artist
Miranda Lambert’s “Four the Record” – Album of the Year
Jason Aldean & Kelly Clarkson’s “Don’t You Wanna Stay” – Single record of the year & Vocal Event of
Eli Young Band’s “Crazy Girl” – Song of the Year
Toby Keith’s “Red Solo Cup” – Video of the Year
Jason Aldean & Kelly Clarkson’s “Don’t You Wanna Stay” – Vocal event of the year
and now, the performances…
Carrie Underwood performing “Good Girl.”
The Band Perry – Postcard from Paris
The 4 Ways Sound Affects Us
Sound transform us at all times, every single day. Our human relationship with sound is purely unconscious and we don’t even realize how or when these changes occur within us. Here are four ways that sound affects us on a daily basis:
1. Physiological
Imagine sitting in the woods at night, when all of a sudden you hear a large wolf howling. Your body instinctively goes into fight/flight response by releasing the cortisol hormone. Some may stay calm while others may punch the person they are next to in reaction, which is a jerk move. Sounds are affecting your hormone secretions all the time, but also your breathing, heart rate, and brainwaves.
2. Psychological
Steps to Productivity: 1) Headphones 2) Suit 3) Business
Music is the most powerful form of sound that affects our emotional state. However, music is not the only kind of sound to the attention of your emotions. Natural sound can do that, too. Bird sounds are a sound that most people find reassuring. There is a reason for that. Over hundreds of thousands of years, we’ve learned that when the birds are singing, things are safe. It’s when they stop that you need to be worried.
3. Cognitive
You can’t understand two people talking at once. Your brain has a very small amount of bandwidth for processing auditory input, which is why noise like this is extremely damaging for productivity. You are 1/3 as productive in open-plan offices as in quiet rooms. If you work in spaces like that, carry headphones with you, put them on, and your productivity goes back up to triple what it was in the loud space.
4. Behavioral
With all the stuff going on around us, it would be amazing if our behavior didn’t change. Would a person listening to this drive at a steady 30 mph? Probably not. At the simplest level, people will move away from unpleasant sound and towards pleasant sounds. For people who can’t get away from noise like this, it can be extremely damaging for their health.
Relevant: Bad Sounds will hurt you
Take control of the sounds around you. It’s good for your health. It’s good for your productivity. If we all put ourselves in better sound environments, I like to think we will all be in a state of sound living in the world.
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Feel the Riddim, Feel the Rhyme. Get On Up It’s Blog Post Time!
Feel the rhythm! Feel the rhyme! Get on up, its bobsled time! COOL RUNNINGS!
While feeling the rhythm and feeling the rhyme may have been a unique thing to bobsledding, in Jamaica the riddim is pretty common everywhere. “Riddim” is the Jamaican Patoi pronunciation of the English word “rhythm,” but in dancehall/reggae parlance it refers to the instrumental accompaniment to a song. Thus, a dancehall song consists of the riddim plus the “voicing” (vocal part) sung by the deejay. This creates a very unique song structure. A given riddim, if popular, may be used in dozens – or even hundreds – of songs, not only in recordings, but also in live performances. The most prolific Jamaican rhythm section would be the production team of Sly and Robbie. Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare are estimated to have played on or produced 200,000 recordings.
Beginning in the 1980′s, riddims started to be originally composed by producers/beatmakers, who give the riddims original names and, typically, contract artists to “voice” over them. Riddims are the primary musical building blocks of Jamaican popular songs and are the instrumental backgrounds of reggae, lovers rock, dub, ragga, dancehall, soca, bouyon, grime compositions, and in some rare cases, reggaeton.
Robbie Shakespeare
However, riddim is not restricted to Jamaican music culture. Some urban contemporary songs have become riddims, as well. The instrumental of Ne-Yo’s “Miss Independent” has become a popular riddim for many dancehall artists, as well as George Michael’s song, “Faith”.
This idea of riddim can be applied to all music really. If you need help trying to find the pattern between songs, start with Bob Marley and the Wailers, then Sublime, then Third Eye Blind, and you can find the basic instrumental within their songs that are overlapped with a few more instrumentals and voicing.
Not saying that songs are not unique, each one is, but it is interesting to hear how music has very direct roots and are related to each other with a rhythmic DNA.
In an entertaining fashion, here is a video of many popular songs that share common chords and “riddim”. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pidokakU4I
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I’m a S.I.N.ner
It’s okay to sin (in some cases), and in this case, it was okay to S.I.N all over the 9:30 Club. What I’m referring to is the “Strength In Numbers” national tour that was in Washington, D.C. this past Tuesday night. The tour features an excellent line-up of great bands, each bringing their own flavor to the mix.
Strength In Numbers Tour
What brought me to this show (besides the great music) was Sparks The Rescue frontman Alex, who I met when the band was playing on The Noise Tour with There For Tomorrow, Mayday Parade, and others. I took a liking to Sparks The Rescue, and decided to visit them again at the 9:30 Club. Also on the S.I.N Tour is headliner DRUGS (Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows), Hit The Lights, and Like Moths To Flames.
I arrived at the 9:30 Club right as the doors opened giving me time to talk with Alex in an indoor voice, no screaming over blaring rock music. We had a drink at the bar and a chat about Sparks The Rescue and the music industry. Then I joined the band in their dressing room and met the rest of the gang. They are a great group of gentlemen who like to make great music, and encourage all types of shenanigans and good times, which I am always game to join.
Sparks The Rescue on The SIN Tour
When their set was about to start, I headed down in front of the stage to get the full Sparks The Rescue experience. They are normally a bit more pop-oriented, but for this tour, they are performing a more varied selection of songs. I definitely applaud their choice to play the heavier songs, based on my own personal preference, and think it fits in better with what the concertgoers want. BRAVO Sparks The Rescue! You get better every time I see you!!
DRUGS on the SIN Tour
The other band I watched was DRUGS. I have seen Nick Martin, Matt Good, and Craig Owens perform many times in different bands throughout my life, and to see them all in one band was a treat. Heck, I’ll even admit that they were a part of the inspiration for my decision to pursue a career in the music industry. Even though I was bummed that Craig and Chiodos parted ways, DRUGS sure makes up for any disappointment I might have felt.
For fans ….make sure you get tickets and plan your trip to catch one of the dates on the S.I.N Tour, because this is one hell of a show, get there when the doors open so you can experience music from some great bands.
Here is the list of tour dates:
SIN Tour Schedule
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College Venues Launching Pad for Aspiring Musicians
Life as a struggling artist is, in a word, hard. You essentially have two jobs. Daytime Ramen noodle thief, nighttime Ramen noodle eater, thus leaving little time for those noodles on your guitar.
Most college kids are always at least one of these
You also don’t want to squander all your hard work and creativity. Posting on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube or Datpiff isn’t enough to get recognized. I’m not saying it doesn’t work, just look at Asher Roth. Or don’t, he does reflect the sun something awful. It’s great for your friends, but the point is, you need a venue. People will talk when they see how you are live. Gaining a cult following in this way is the first way to blow up. Wale did it in D.C., then expanded by playing in all the local venues. He still does. It’s so easy to find him.
The thing is, you may be asking, where do you go? How do you get booked without a manager? The easy answer is, with connections. All it takes is one. As a member of the University of Maryland’s Music Business Society, we are always looking for talented artists to bring to campus, whether they are well-known or local. We get this done by emailing the band directly or whoever they are associated with to let them know we are interested in having them perform. Of course this works the other way around too. Contacting and sending a sample or two of your music is a great way to get noticed. Music lovers in the music biz are always willing to give something a listen.
You might be thinking, “I’m not a big enough name to actually draw people, why would they choose me?” Well, Mr./Ms. Sadsack, college bars and small-time businesses with room for live music are always looking for up and coming acts to open for larger names. A new bar at UMD, The Barking Dog, has been trying to draw in the kids. Facing tough competition from more established venues, they have been bringing in local artists to perform live, to build interest.
So if you’re in school already, look up the school clubs and find one that organizes functions where you can perform. If you’re not in school, do the same thing! Other options include contacting your local government if they are heavily involved in your community. Mine puts on free concerts during the summer. C’mon guys, FREE CONCERT, people will be there. Live music is amazing, so get over your stage fright and get up offa that thing and try to release the pressure!
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One Down, Two to Go
Every Summer there are three major music festivals that any music lover would die to go to: Coachella, Lollapolooza, and Bonnaroo. Each festival provides an eclectic, power-packed lineup of both popular and lesser known artists. There is something for everyone at each festival, from jam bands to rap to electronic dance music. Although the 2012 year has just begun, the wildly popular summer music festival Coachella is already sold out and it won’t be too much longer before Lollapolooza and Bonnaroo are too.
The crowd at last year's Coachella (2011)
Not long after they released their star-studded lineup for 2012, which includes headliners Radiohead, the Black Keys, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, Coachella reported that all tickets were sold out. Other outstanding artists that will be performing include Florence and the Machine, Kaskade, La Roux, Arctic Monkeys, and many more.
Although Lollapolooza and Bonnaroo have yet to release their 2012 lineups, fans have much to look forward to. Judging by Lollapolooza’s lineup from last year which featured Eminem, Coldplay, Muse, the Foo Fighters, and Deadmau5, 2012′s lineup should not disappoint. For those unlucky music lovers that couldn’t get their hands on Coachella tickets in time, Lollapolooza is sure to be a worthy replacement plan.
While Bonnaroo has yet to release their 2012 lineup, last year they mixed it up a little bit with some older artists, such as Neil Young and G. Love & Special Sauce. However, Bonnaroo’s 2011 lineup still showcased many of the same artists who performed at Lollapolooza and Coachella. Eminem headlined at both Lollapolooza AND Bonnaroo!
So don’t be discouraged if you couldn’t get tickets to 2012 Coachella, try for Lollapolooza or Bonnaroo this year, you can’t go wrong.
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Decisions, Decisions…
It’s Friday night again and there are more than a few options for music lovers in the DMV area. We here at Altavoz have narrowed it down to three possible options for a solid music filled Friday night at some of our favorite venues:
At The Black Cat tonight, Oh Land will be performing at 9:00pm. Oh Land is a fairly new and up and coming electronic/pop artist who has been described as a hybrid of Feist and Robyn. Hurry up and get tickets as soon as possible, because they could sell out at any time! Biscuit Miller & the Mix will be at Madam’s Organ in Adams Morgan at 10:00 pm. Bisuit Miller & the Mix is a blues, rock, and funk group from Chicago. And finally, Comet Ping Pong will be hosting a record release party tonight. The Jet Age, a local DC indie band, will be there along with Deathfix and The Mean Ideas. The event goes from 10:30pm-1am.
As unfortunate as it is, we can’t be in three places at once, so give us your opinion or let us know if you’re going and maybe we’ll see you there. Have a good Friday!
