Music

Cyber-Cowboy Post-Apocalyptic Kung Fu

I found a great "cyber-cowboy post-apocalyptic fu" music video on another blog this morning. Watch for the appearance of Col. Wilma Deering, the Planet of the Apes Statue of Liberty and the film crew in a mirror: This video for Muse's "Knights of Cydonia" is the work of Joseph Kahn, a prolific music video director whose next project is a film based on William Gibson's Neuromancer. (Via Stan!.) ... (read more)

2008/10/28

Henry Hey's 'Palin Song'

Before you dismiss Palin Song as a slam against the candidate, listen to it a few times to see how jazz musician Henry Hey stalks her speech with his piano. The song takes me back to Mister Rogers neighborhood. (Via Michael Sippey.) ... (read more)

2008/10/23

Going to Buckethead at Jacksonville's Freebird Live

Last night I took my 12-year-old son to see Buckethead at Freebird Live in Jacksonville Beach. In the past year all three of my sons have developed an appreciation for, and I hope I'm using the term properly here, people who can shred an axe. They acquired this taste by spending most of their waking hours and some REM sleep playing Guitar Hero. To give you an idea of how out of place I was at this event, the last musician I saw perform live was Janet Jackson at the MGM Grand in Vegas back in ... (read more)

2008/10/23

Rivers Cuomo of Weezer Hearts Nirvana

Weezer's new Red Album includes Heart Songs, a song that credits a bunch of musicians who inspired singer Rivers Cuomo and states that Nirvana is the reason his band got started. The lyrics that give Nirvana's Nevermind its due: Back in 1991 I wasn't havin' any fun 'Til my roomate said, "Come on" and put a brand new record on Had a baby on it He was naked on it Then I heard the chords That broke the chains I had upon me Got together with my bros In some rehearsal studios Then we played our ... (read more)

2008/07/19

Buscarlos Sonidos Magicos de Ecuador

Liking this song exposes me to "you know how I know you're gay?" ridicule, but every time I hear "Ecuador" by Sash I crank the knob up to 11 and reinsert "Escuchame!" back into my vocabulary. ... (read more)

2008/07/02

Music: Scapegoat Wax's 'Perfect Silence'

While experimenting with the social music site Imeem, I found "Perfect Silence" by Scapegoat Wax, one of the bands on the defunct Beastie Boys label Grand Royal Records. I don't know how Imeem has permission to share this, but it's a great song by a band that disappeared after Grand Royal declared bankruptcy in 2001 -- just as the group was getting radio play for the song Aisle 10 (Hello Alison). You can't even find its songs on iTunes today, but singer Marty James performs with One Block ... (read more)

2008/05/02

Tay Zonday Rains on Reporter's Questions

In an interview with MSP Magazine published in January, Tay Zonday, the deep-voiced singer whose "Chocolate Rain" became a YouTube sensation, challenges every premise of the reporter questioning him. Q: Let's talk about the art. What percentage of your success do you attribute to the William Hung factor? A: I don't really follow William Hung. But the blunt question is, "Do I suck, and do people laugh at me because of it?" I don't know. How does any artist know that? Why would any artist worry ... (read more)

2008/03/24

Si Se Puede, Kumar Patel

Andres Useche has released Si Se Puede, a Spanish response to Will.i.am's "Yes We Can" music video for Barack Obama. If you're in the camp that's inspired by Obama's campaign, as I.am, you'll probably like this one too. It's a nice though politically barbed call for Latinos to rally behind Obama in the Texas primary March 4. There's an unexpected guest star at the 3:44 mark. That's the actor Kal Penn, an American of Gujarati Indian descent. This is the first time the star of the Harold & Kumar ... (read more)

2008/02/25

Jake Shimabukuro's Ukelele Gently Weeps

When a musician does something great on late-night TV, it tends to show up the next morning as a search spike on Google Trends. Here's last night's discovery, ukelele hero Jake Shimabukuro performing George Harrison's While My Guitar Gently Weeps on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. O'Brien called it "one of my favorite performances on this show ever." I didn't realize how great Harrison's song was until Prince burned the house down playing it in 2004 with Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne and Dhani Harrison ... (read more)

2008/02/20

Google Searches Lead to Nicole Atkins

I've never heard of singer Nicole Atkins, who popped up on Google Trends this morning as a search spike. She performed her song "The Way It Is" on Late Night with David Letterman in October, a lover's lament with a great heartsick Roy Orbison wail. She's scheduled to perform at this year's SXSW in Austin. ... (read more)

2008/01/08

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