Fun with FM Transmitters

Since I've switched over to the Westin Hotel in Tampa, I now have a 25 minute commute into work. Rather than listen to the rush hour junk on the radio, I decided to dig up my ipod and my FM transmitter.

My FM transmitter (seen below) is not the best, in fact, its a piece of junk. But it was cheap (somehting like $20 a few years ago), and manages to semi-work....



So I'm listening to my tunes, and I pull up at a stop light. All of a sudden, my radio switches from the Kings of Leon (great group, check them out), to some random country music. I chalked it up to the stop light and the car next to me.

Of course, as it turns out, the car next to me was going to the same place that I was, so I was treated to country, random club techno, and the song from Back to the Future at every stoplight.

I wonder what I'll get to listen to on my way home......it isn't my own music, but its still better than the crap on the radio.

Fancy biking.....too fancy for me...

The Flobots claim that they can ride their bikes with no handlebars. way too fancy for me.....but great, catchy song.

check it out

Video Link via youtube

Thanks for the rec Niraj....

Memories associated to music

its weird how music can trigger random and disparate memories.

For example, whenever I hear Metallica's "The Unforgiven", I think of Bram Stoker's Dracula. As it turns out, when I read Dracula for the first time (way back in 7th grade), The Unforgiven happened to be my favorite song, so the 2 random items became linked. Now, I can't read one (or listen to one) without thinking of the other.

So I'm at work today, listening to my ipod. Rather than going to my normal go-to disc (Lupe Fiasco's "the cool"), I decided to dig digger. I ended up on the Band of Horses. Not realizing it, but the last time I listened to them was the day that I was officially rejected from all 4 of the business schools that I applied to. So now, I'm rocking out to the Band of Horses while trying to ignore the pangs of my bshool failure.

its weird how such a great band (the band of horses) is now forever linked with that day....

And now rise....Rodimus Prime

Random internet links bring back random memories, and this one should be filed under the "way back" file....

I still remember hanging out with my cousin Sonu on Saturday mornings, anxiously waiting for Transformers reruns to start at 9:06 am on channel 9 in Minneapolis. For some reason, we weren't smart enough to realize that the show never started exactly at 9, and that the infomercial for Champion Auto Stores always ran over by 6 minutes, but still..we were kids, and we hated Champion Auto Stores every week because of it. To this day, neither one of us has ever set foot into a Champion Auto Store.....

So, back to my story, this is back in the mid 80s, and instead of normal reruns, we were treated to 30 min segments from the Transformers movie....so yes, we watched the Champion Auto Stores infomercial, just in case the show magically started early.

Now that I reflect back on the original Transformers movie, I think back to the wide range of emotions that this movie put me through. I remember crying when Optimus Prime died. Being happy when Daniel figured out how to use his jump suit to save his dad at the last second. And excited when Weird Al's "Dare to be Stupid" used a bad word.

But most of all.....the ending, when the punk (appropriately named) "Hot Rod" finds the autobot matrix, and finally reaches his true potential.....

well, that was a rambling story with really no point...but really only exists as a prelude to one of the greatest youtube vids of all time...enjoy, i know that I will

Radiohead @ Ford Amphitheatre, Tampa

First outdoor show of the year!

Last night, I went to the Ford Amphitheater, at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa. It was a little odd going alone, but I had a great time.

Doors opened at 6:30, with the opening act (The Liars) starting around 7. I arrived around 7:15, so I missed part of their show. They were loud and energetic, but I didn't dig them....good effort though.

Radiohead took the stage around 8, and I was blown away by their visual show. My pictures (see below) don't really do them justice, but it was quite amazing. I've seen Radiohead before, but this band is made to be seen outside.

The band sounds fantastic live, no drop off from their produced albums and their live show. They don't visit this side of the pond very often, so def check them out if they show up in your town!

New NIN album...free!

Head over to nin.com to grab the new Nine Inch Nails album for free!

I haven't grabbed it yet, but I'm going to grab it soon.....

Lyrics Born - Everywhere at once

Ever since catching the diet coke commercial featuring Adrien Brody, I've tried to keep up with the smooth-talking, East Bay based Lyrics Born.



His newest album "Everywhere at Once" continues on the Arrested Development tradition of combining a smooth lyric delivery with jazzy, funky, and yet oddly interesting beats. Similar to Arrested Development (the artist, not the hilarious show), Lyrics Born continues to use his words to preach the gospel of non-violence, stay away from drugs, and continue to work towards success. His smooth delivery keeps things interesting, and he's a very good storyteller. I like how he varies his delivery speed, and is able to flow as quick as Busta Rhymes when needed.

While the album is definitively interesting, I'm still not completely sold on it. Almost all the tracks mismatch the main chorus with the rest of his flow, and I feel like he's do a better job by getting rid of the majority of the choruses.

If you can, check out "I Can't Decide" and "Don't Change", the best tracks on the album (in my opinion). Of course, since I'm a huge fan of Lyrics Born, check out the entire album, and let me know what you think...

Sasha & Digweed at the House of Blues Review

My ears are still ringing, and my body is exhausted, and I plan on spending the entire day on the couch.



Venue:

The show took place at the House of Blues in Chicago, which is a great venue to see DJs and live acts in general. In the past, I've seen Richie Hawtin and Ziggy Marley there, so the venue is able to accommodate a wide variety of music. The DJ booth was set up towards the front edge of the stage, promoting a sense of intimacy between the DJ and crowd.

Sound System:

I don't know the specifics of the sound system. The bass was deep, but didn't overwhelm the rest of the sound. The sound engineer seemed to turn the music up when Sasha and Digweed took the stage, so my ears are still ringing, but in a good way.

Crowd:

As with most concerts, you will always have to put up with the random dbag that popped some pills, and doesn't know how to walk straight. That being said, the place was absolutely packed for the first 4 hours. It was one of those situations where you get to know your neighbors, and I had a great time wandering around the crowd, getting to know random folks. The crowd started thinning out around 2 am, and that's when things started getting nutty. Overall, can't complain about the crowd. It was a good time.

Music:

Perhaps the most important aspect of the evening....the DJs. The opening acts (don't remember their names off the top of my head) did a great job of setting the table for Sasha & Digweed. The first guy started with down-tempo house, and slowly increased the BPMs, and got the crowd into it. The next guy continued where the first left off, and is probably ready to start headlining his own shows.

Sasha started the duo's set with a nice 1 hour session, filled with his customary buildups and whatnot. Diggers took over, and threw down some dark dark beats...again, the place was rocking.

The duo tag-teamed the remainder of the show, playing about 30 minutes each, before switching.....

To recap - great venue, impressive sound system, relatively cheap drinks, knowledgeable and friendly crowd...and fantastic beats...all added up to a fun night.

I'm jealous that Jeremy gets to see them again on Tuesday!

My Event Calendar

I'm going to do my best to keep this updated...but drop me a note if you'd like me to add more shows, games, or events.

note - Chicago Cubs games are in Red....go figure

Whatever happened to.....Bone Thugz n' Harmony?

So this afternoon, I was driving to the airport...and the radio tossed on a classic song called the "Crossroads"...and it got me thinking..whatever happened to Bone?

Think back to the state of rap during the early and mid 90's.....NWA was gone, Wu-Tang was doing weird shit, and 2pac hadn't realy arrived yet (other than doing the Humpty Dance).....

When NWA disbanded, the main 3 picked their disciples to groom....Dr. Dre had Snoop, Ice Cube had Chris Tucker, and Eazy Z went to the hotbed of Cleveland, OH, and picked up a fast talking, smooth quartet named the Bone Thugs-n-Harmony to mentor.

The group stuck in Eazy's shadow until his untimely death. Their tribute to him (the "Crossroads") brought them to hte forefront, and they become known for their smooth lyric delivery....crazy cornrows...and insanely fast pace....

they were one fo the only groups to pair up with mortal enemies 2pac (on "Thug Love") and the Notorious B.I.G. ("notorious thugs").......and, since they "split up", I haven't heard from them....

does anybody have any updates??

Weezer

I'll admit, I'm not the biggest Weezer fan out there. My knowledge of Weezer comes from the Blue album, and that my trusty old Compaq Presario Pentium from about 1997 came preloaded with their "Buddy Holly" video.

I'm not sure why Compaq would do that, but I think it had something to do with the high class MPEG capabilities that I had paid for.

So, with the upcoming Weezer album, what are some of your favorites? I have a copy of the Blue album, but I want to branch out before the new album comes out....

Spring Music Buying Guide

Came across this list of albums coming out:

The Pitchfork Guide to Upcoming Releases: Spring 2008

After reading through the exhaustive and entire list, here's my small list of albums to check out (in order of date of release)

4/01:
R.E.M.: Accelerate [Warner Bros.]

4/08:
MSTRKRFT: Remixes Vol. 1 [Last Gang]
Spoon: Don't You Evah (single) [Merge]

4/15:
Buckshot & 9th Wonder: The Formula [Duck Down]
Portishead: Third [Island]

4/22:
Atmosphere: When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold [Rhymesayers Entertainment]
Flight of the Conchords: Flight of the Conchords [Sub Pop]
Sonic Youth: SYR7 [SYR]

4/29:
Joy Division: Best Of [Rhino] [North American release]
The Roots: Rising Down [Def Jam]

5/13:
Death Cab for Cutie: Narrow Stairs [Atlantic]

5/27:
Booka Shade: The Sun & The Neon Light [Get Physical]

6/10:
The Orb: The Dream [Six Degrees] [North American release]

6/17:
Weezer: TBA [Geffen]
Wolf Parade: Kissing the Beehive [Sub Pop]

anybody have any extra itunes money to share with me???