DeckMonster.com - Music

What About 9?!?

dave@deckmonster.com (Deck) — Mon, 12 May 2008 00:42:00 -0700

Another interesting video tonight...

This one of course is from my favorite band, Barenaked Ladies. It's from a new CD called Snacktime just released by the band. However, as you might be able to tell from the song, this CD is intended for a slightly unique audience...

"Our collective kids now outnumber the band more than 2 to 1," explains vocalist/guitarist Ed Robertson. "We set out to make a record that would be entertaining for themnot strictly a children's record, but a record that children would really enjoy. Our kids are in to all kinds of music. They love the They Might Be Giants kids records, but they also love The Beatles, Fountains of Wayne, Randy Newman, Black Eyed Peas and Green Day. Making the focus about what our kids like was a truly liberating process and fun for the whole band."

I believe it when he says it was fun for the whole band. I've played the whole disc (24 songs!!) twice now, and I've had a ball listening to the lyrics and picking out all of the musical styles that are there to find. There's one song called "Eraser" that starts with Ska, has a brief flirtation with Pink Floyd and then Queen, and ends up back with Ska again. Where else can you find that kind of variety?

Highly recommended for children of all ages.

Apple Mac Music Video

dave@deckmonster.com (Deck) — Sun, 11 May 2008 00:16:18 -0700

Very cool video, produced entirely on an Apple Mac...

The catchy though repetitive song is "Again & Again" by The Bird & the Bee.

Like, oh my gawd! Totally tubular!!

dave@deckmonster.com (Deck) — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 23:46:06 -0700

I'm having an 80s flashback! (No, it's not drug related. )

I've been watching MTV circa 1983 (in stereo!) for most of the night. Someone posted three hours worth of MTV on Google Video from the time when they used to actually play music videos and stuff...

The videos are pretty cool: Night Ranger, Huey Lewis, Prince, The Police, Quiet Riot, etc. (And a really strange Tubes video called "Monkey Time".)

But it's actually the commercials that are the most interesting slice of 80s life. When's the last time you saw a commercial for an Atari 2600?

If you remember the 80s fondly, check these video clips out. They're gnarly! (That's a good thing. )

(via Boing Boing)

Introducing Penelope Fortier...

dave@deckmonster.com (Deck) — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 23:27:46 -0700

I've noticed a striking brunette in a number of different commercials lately, but didn't actually make the connection until tonight that they were all the same brunette...

Her name is Penelope Fortier and in just about each new commercial I've seen her in, I've thought that she reminds me a little bit of Kate Beckinsale (although not so much in this photo).

She has recently appeared in commercials for Radio Shack, Verizon, and in Mastercard's "My Favorite Things" spot.

However, in addition to her acting/commercial appearances, Penelope is also a talented singer. Check out her MySpace page to hear a selection of her tunes or watch her music video.

Or you could clicky-click the 'Continue Reading' link to see these videos here and now.
Continue reading "Introducing Penelope Fortier..."

Feist

dave@deckmonster.com (Deck) — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 10:02:13 -0700

I love the internet! It took me about 15 seconds to fulfill my curiosity regarding the video featured in the new iPod Nano commercial. The artist is a Canadian singer-songwriter named Leslie Feist, popularly known simply as Feist. The song is called "1 2 3 4"...

Very cool! I wonder how many takes were required to get that right?

While I didn't learn the answer to that question, I did find an interesting "Making Of..." clip that shows the filming of the video.

I think this is the start of big things from Feist.

Work of Art #2: Canon Rock

dave@deckmonster.com (Deck) — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 18:40:22 -0700

Canon Rock is a rock arrangement of Johann Pachelbel's Canon in D major by the Taiwanese musician and composer Jerry Chang (JerryC). The song became popular on the internet after a video of JerryC's playing the song was posted online...

The rendition has since been featured on newspapers, magazines, and television shows.

Awesome!

Sweep the Leg, Johnny!

dave@deckmonster.com (Deck) — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 00:27:03 -0700

Too funny! A band named No More Kings managed to gather some, uh, special guests for their new video, called "Sweep The Leg" (hint, hint)...

S.O.S. - Save Our Streams!

dave@deckmonster.com (Deck) — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 12:36:29 -0700

Pandora is a very interesting service... It is an online music site that asks about your favorite artists and dynamically constructs a custom radio station just for you. In addition to songs from the artists you selected, the site will analyze your choices and deliver tunes from different artists that (hopefully) also fit your taste. You can further guide the playlist by clicking thumbs up or thumbs down for songs you feel strongly about. If you're an impulse shopper, links are available to iTunes and Amazon to buy the current song or album then and there. Nice.

Unfortunately, Pandora and other online radio stations like it might not be available for our listening (and shopping) pleasure very much longer. The Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) has recently released a revised fee schedule for internet radio. For most Webcasters, this new royalty rate represents more than 100% of their total revenues. Left unchanged, these rates will force most independent internet radio sites to shut down. The RIAA has effectively convinced this federal committee to establish rates that make online radio a non-viable business.

A site called SaveTheStreams.org has been created to provide information on this issue and what we might be able to do to reverse this decision. An online petition is available, as well as links to snail and e-mail addresses for your local representatives in Congress.

Maybe together we can prevent big business from limiting our soundscape.

BNL Video or YouTube's Greatest Hits?

dave@deckmonster.com (Deck) — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 12:27:00 -0700

The new Barenaked Ladies video is out for the song "Sound of Your Voice"...

An entertaining video, but I already have so much BNL material in this blog, why include this also, you may ask?

The schtick of the video is that all of those people became "famous" as a result of videos published on YouTube. I consider myself to be a serious Internet geek, and I have to admit that I only recognized about half of the YouTubers featured in this video. So, I thought I might do a little research (i.e. a bunch of YouTube searches) and present for your browsing convenience the comprehensive list of the videos that made these people the pop culture icons that they've become. Enjoy!

'man vs. magnet' - Matt Smithson
'Brookers' - Brooke Brodack
'Barats and Bereta' - Luke Barats and Joe Bereta
'Geriatric1927' - Peter Oakley
'Eepybird' - Fritz Grobe and Stephen Voltz
'Boh3m3' - Ben Going
'Thewinekone' - Tony Huynh
Winston Spear
'Numa Numa' - Gary Brolsma
'Evolution of Dance' - Judson Laipply
'Where the Hell is Matt?' - Matt Harding

Six Degrees of BNL

dave@deckmonster.com (Deck) — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 12:09:00 -0700

What do the Pussycat Dolls and the Barenaked Ladies have in common? (Aside from being almost completely repetitive.) According to the BNL blog, turns out that the PCD's appeared as the dancers in BNL's "One Week" video...

Who would'a thunk it?

Concert Vault - Where Live Music Lives

dave@deckmonster.com (Deck) — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 01:02:00 -0700

If you are a fan of classic live music, you owe it to yourself to check out the Concert Vault site, which bills itself as "the world's greatest collection of vintage concert recordings."

As I type this, I am listening to a streaming audio feed of Bruce Springsteen's concert at the Winterland in San Francisco on December 15, 1978. And there are literally hundreds of other live shows available on the site ranging from .38 Special to Neil Young, with more recordings added every week. How cool is that?!?

Where does it all come from? In 2003, the Wolfgang's Vault vintage music and memorabilia site acquired master recordings from the archives of Bill Graham Presents. Bill Graham launched the rock and roll concert industry in the mid-1960s. From then until his sudden death in a 1991 helicopter crash, he promoted more than 35,000 concerts worldwide at venues including the Fillmore West and Winterland in San Francisco and the legendary Fillmore East in New York City. Graham's first venue, the ground-breaking Fillmore Auditorium, was home to many of rock's greatest performers; Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, The Doors, The Grateful Dead, Otis Redding and Jefferson Airplane.

Graham recorded thousands of these live performances and stored the tapes in the basement of the BGP headquarters. No one is quite sure what he intended to do with these recordings, but now they (and additional collections as well) are available for our listening pleasure. Free!

Now if you will excuse me, I want to listen to a couple more songs before I head off to bed. BRRRRRRUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCCCCCE!!!!!!!!!

Bank Job

dave@deckmonster.com (Deck) — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 21:51:22 -0700

Been listening to the new Barenaked Ladies album (are they still called albums?) Barenaked Ladies Are Me.

So far I think I've picked out at least three songs that I like a lot and that probably have commercial potential.

However, my favorite song so far is a cute one called "Bank Job" that tells the story of a failed bank robbery attempt. I'm not sure how much commercial success it will enjoy, but I'm sure it's destined to be one of those cult hits that BNL fans love so much.

So, with very little further ado...

Bank Job
Barenaked Ladies
(Page, Robertson) - 4:27

It was an upset in two minutes flat
We were back on the freeway, foot to the mat
I can't understand it; we had it down pat
It's very upsetting, could we leave it at that?

We all had positions; we each had a role
We'd over-rehearsed it; we had full control
They can't teach you acting, it's there in your soul
It's the same with a bank job, and each thing we stole

So I don't need attitude
Cause you knew just what to do
We all did our best now
We all need to rest now
Leave me alone
Wait by the phone

I was the driver; you ran the show
You had the last word, the go or no go
I knew every laneway in Ontario
But it's not what you're sure of, it's what you don't know

It should have been filled with the usual ones
Throwing their cash into mutual funds
We all had our ski masks and sawed-off shotguns
But how do you plan for a bank full of nuns?

Well, I guess we panicked - we all have taboos
And they were like zebras; they had us confused
We should be in condos with oceanfront views
Instead we're most-wanted on the six o'clock news

So I don't need attitude
Cause you knew just what to do
We all did our best now
We all need to rest now
Leave me alone
And wait by the phone

Inside the police car you tried to explain
your crisis of conscience; the voice in your brain
And now that the whole thing has gone down the drain
I think we all know who should shoulder the blame

Cause you made a choice there, almost sublime
I'm all for compassion, just not on my dime
You looked like an amateur, and that's the real crime
So I'll take a walk now, and you do the time

And I don't need attitude
Cause you knew just what to do
We all did our best now
We all need to rest now
Leave me alone
There's no need to phone

We all did our best now
We all need to rest now
Leave me alone
We all did our best now
We all need to rest now
Leave me alone
Leave me alone

Barenaked Ladies are Easy

dave@deckmonster.com (Deck) — Sat, 09 Sep 2006 12:43:30 -0700

If only that were true. [sigh]

Actually, I'm referring to my favorite band, the Barenaked Ladies, and "Easy" the first release off their new album Barenaked Ladies are Me. The video is a little unusual because it's animated in a vaguely "what if Monty Python had CGI technology available to them?" kind-of way, but I love the song.

Enjoy!

Duran Duran Gets a Life Life

dave@deckmonster.com (Deck) — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 23:08:38 -0700

Not sure how I missed this piece of earth-shattering news when it initially came out last week...

The 80's pop music group Duran Duran announced that they are planning to get a life; a second life in fact... The members of the band will appear and perform as custom designed characters, called avatars, in the Second Life 3-D online virtual world.

Second Life is a virtual world entirely built and owned by its residents. Since opening to the public in 2003, it has grown explosively and today is inhabited by more than 400,000 people worldwide. Users can build virtual homes, have fantasy jobs, experiment with alternative lifestyles, and apparently enjoy online music concerts.

I'm pretty sure that a Second Life appearance won't be enough to trigger a full-blown Duran Duran comeback, but it's a decent way to get some cheap press coverage. Rock on!

I got Hammered last night!

dave@deckmonster.com (Deck) — Fri, 28 Jul 2006 21:21:05 -0700

Relax, it's not what you think...

Last night, I went to see Marty Casey and the Lovehammers play at Blueberry Hill, a "St. Louis Landmark". The Duck Room in the basement of Blueberry Hill was a great place to watch Marty and the band perform. The room is named in honor of Chuck Berry, who performs his signature duck-walk there regularly. I think he might also sing and play a little guitar too.

And perform they did! In addition to Lovehammers tunes like "Hold On", "The Tunnel", and the soon-to-be-classic "Trees", they also played amazing covers of Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here", Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" and "Paint It Black" from the Rolling Stones. Overall, they were on-stage for at least an hour-and-a-half and were called back for three encores. It was a terrific show for a great price (15 bucks).

For those of you in the shallow end of the pop culture pool (i.e. those of you with real lives), Marty Casey was the runner-up from last season's Rock Star: INXS on CBS. Personally, I was pleased that he didn't win the INXS gig outright because I think he's much better with the Lovehammers. They haven't hit the bigtime yet, but I can't help but think it's just a matter of time.

I'm going to go see them again in just a few weeks when they play at the Canopy Club in Urbana over by my alma mater, U of I. Tickets are available for purchase here. Hope to see y'all there!