Monday Morning Playlist

Each week we post five ten songs, old or new, that we hope will help you get through the work-week (or in our case, the school-week). Put them in your iPod (or mp3 player of choice) and press repeat. We promise that the weekend will come faster.

John Mayer Trio - "Gravity" (mp3)
Arctic Monkeys - "The View From the Afternoon" (mp3)
Augustana - "Boston" (m4a)
American Hi-Fi - "Art of Losing" (m4a)
Hellogoodbye - "Here (In Your Arms)" (m4a)
Cary Brothers - "Blue Eyes" (m4a)
Jay-Zeezer "99 Luft Problems" (mp3)
Uffie - "Pop the Glock" (mp3)
Kyle Riabko - "Before I Speak" (mp3)
Presidents of the U.S.A. - "Boll Weevil" (m4a)

Updates and Apologies

First off, I'd like to apologize for my slackness in posting this week. It's hard to get back into the hang of things after spring break, especially when you don't get back home until Saturday at 2 in the morning. I'll try to get things back going this week and have the Monday Morning Playlist next week with some extra songs to make up for not posting it this week.

In other news, I will be traveling up to East Rutherford, NJ Wednesday to play in the pep band with the UNC men's basketball team in the Sweet Sixteen and (hopefully) Elite Eight game of the NCAA tournament. We have a lot of down time, and lucky for me we won't be far from good ole Manhattan. Needless to say, I'll be spending every bit of spare time that I have hitting up the NYC. I've talked to my favorite NYC bloggers, the Music Sluts, and have found some shows that weekend that I'll try to attend. Since I'm still underage (dammit) I can't get into some of them, but be sure I'll find the best ones I can and will have info up on this site ASAP. If blog posts become scarce this weekend, you'll understand why. Either I'm at a basketball game or lost somewhere in the city.

Keep checking out the site for some good reviews and info about my inevitably interesting trip to New York City.

Minus the Bear Announce Spring Tour

Thanks to my handy-dandy Myspace bulletin page, I found the dates for Minus the Bear's spring tour with The Honorary Title and Chin Up Chin Up. Unfortunately they're not coming around my neck of the woods, but be sure to check them out in your area.

4/26 -- Seattle, WA -- The Vera Project
4/27 -- Portland, OR -- Hawthorne Theatre
4/28 -- Eugene, OR -- Indigo District
4/29 -- Reno, NV -- The New Oasis
5/1 -- Orangevale, CA -- The Boardwalk
5/2 -- Santa Cruz, CA -- The Catalyst
5/3 -- San Francisco, CA -- Great American Music Hall
5/4 -- San Luis Obispo, CA -- Downtown Brew
5/5 -- Los Angeles, CA -- Ex Plex
5/6 -- Solana Beach, CA -- Bely Up Tavern
5/8 -- Las Vegas, NV -- House of Blues
5/10 --Colorado Springs, CO -- The Black Sheep
5/11 -- Lawrence, KS -- Granada Theatre
5/12 -- Iowa City, IA -- Picador- TBA
5/12 -- Des Moines, IA -- House of Bricks - TBA
5/13 -- Champaign, IL -- High Dive
5/14 -- Sauget, MO -- Pops
5/15 -- Chicago, IL -- Beat Kitchen w/ Honorary Title AA show
5/15 -- Chicago, IL -- Beat Kitchen w/ Chin Up Chin Up 18+
5/16 -- Milwaukee, WI -- Pabst Theatre w/ Honorary Title, Chin Up Chin Up, Maritime
5/17 -- Minneapolis, MN -- Triple Rock Social Club
5/18 -- Minneapolis, MN -- Triple Rock Social Club w/ Honorary Title, Chin Up Chin Up, POS
5/19 -- Fargo, ND -- The Aquarium
5/21 -- Omaha, NE -- Sokol Underground
5/23 -- Denver, CO -- Bluebird
5/24 -- Aspen, CO -- Belly Up
5/25 -- Salt Lake City, UT -- Club Sound

Jay-Zeezer

Most people have heard of DJ Dangermouse's "Gray album", the mixture of The Beatles' "White Album" and Jay-Z's "Black Album". But one smart man decided to mix Jay-Z's "Black Album" with Wezzer's "Blue Album", to form the "Black and Blue Album". This album is free to download at http://www.jay-zeezer.com/. About half of the songs sound really good and work together, "Undone" sounds really good. It's free and if you like Jay-Z and Weezer than you should download it.

Music Video(s) of the Day: "My Boobs" and "Float On"

First off, I'll have to credit the guys at stereogum for tonight's posting. I found both of these videos on their blog and both were exciting/strange/bad enough that I though they were perfect candidates for Music Video of the Day.
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Norwegian songstress Lene Alexandra assures us (though after watching this video, I don't think that's necessary) that her "boobs are ok." A few fun things to notice about this video. First, the fact that she repeatedly makes fun of her own intelligence. At least she's honest. Also, she creates the 27th letter of the alphabet, "boo," to make "boobs" a three-letter word. She's an innovator. Third, you gotta wonder how much she paid for those "OK" boobs. Let's see how long it takes for this video to reach TRL.


If I didn't already have enough reasons to hate American Idol, the no talent ass-clowns had to go and ruin "Float On" by Modest Mouse. Whoever decided that this video of the Modest Mouse cover should be based around old-school 90s hip-hop with huge boomboxes and break dancing should be fired and shot. Then again, this is American Idol we're talking about. We can't expect too much. Thank God the clip is only 44 seconds long.

---

Just after writing this post, I headed over to Idolator during my normal music blog browsing and found an mp3 of the Kidz Bop version of "Float On." I thought that American Idol was the worst thing that could happen to Modest Mouse...obviously I was wrong. Is the "YEAH!" really necessary after each line of the verse? And is Modest Mouse just whoring this song out now?? C'mon now guys.

Kidz Bop - "Float On" (mp3) [via Idolator]

Shit You Should Know...For Your Own Good

Cute Is What We Aim For

I'm usually not a fan of the whiny emo-ish music sung by guys with hair combed over their forehead, zip-up hoodies and scarves, but I stumbled upon these guys sometime last year, via the knowledgeable music resource PureVolume, before they released their now popular debut album on Fueled By Ramen (hell, you could even buy it at Target for a while). For some reason I can deal with the whiny vocals. I'll probably be ashamed of this in the future when they explode and become the next emo craze that every teenage girl falls in love with, but right now I'm enjoying their debut album, The Same Old Blood Rush With A New Touch (see, they even have an entirely too long album title a la Fall Out Boy).
I'm really into these two songs, the ones I originally downloaded off of PureVolume.

Cute Is What We Aim For - "Lyrical Lies" (m4a)
Cute Is What We Aim For - "Teasing to Please (Left Side, Strong Side)" (m4a)


The High Speed Scene
This LA-based trio have been pretty dormant as of late, but according to their website, they're still together and are getting back to work. The lighthearted punk-rockers (that's the best way I can describe them) released one of my favorite albums, their self-titled debut, in 2005, but I didn't find out about them until they came across my Pandora playlist last year (does anyone still use that thing?). They mix punk-rock with lighthearted and often extremely comical lyrics to create a sound that has you bopping around and smiling like an idiot. You should definitely download the songs below, but also pick up their album. You won't be disappointed.

The High Speed Scene - "the IROC-Z Song" (m4a)
The High Speed Scene - "Assingear" (m4a)
The High Speed Scene - "Hottie" (m4a)

P.S. You don't know how hard it was to pick two songs to put on the blog...so I put 3.

Myspace is Yourspace: Boots Factor

Every once in a while, we at the Noise Bazaar will take the time to sift through the crap on Myspace and find something that is actually worth hearing.

I feel like I'm beating you readers to a pulp telling you about Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers, but I can't seem to help myself. If it's any consolation, this post isn't really about SK6ers, but rather about their drummer Brian "Boots" Factor and his Myspace page.

During the short time last year when the band wasn't touring, Boots took the time to record an EP where he plays 90% of the parts, with a little help from band-mates SK and Kit on the album. It's nothing mind-blowing, but given the small amount of time to write, record and mix, it's a fairly impressive EP. You can get it on iTunes or listen to most of it on his Myspace page. I highly recommend picking it up and, of course, checking out him and SK6ers when they come around the country this spring.

Boots Factor's Myspace Page

The 20 Worst Cover Songs in Pop Music History

While I write this I'm laying on an entirely too comfy white bed of a fancy-shmancy Marriott hotel in Winston-Salem, NC. Why, you might ask? Well one of the few upsides to being in the UNC Marching Tar Heels is the opportunity to travel with the men's basketball team to the NCAA tournament, the first round of which happens to be in Winston-Salem this year.

All bragging aside, this means there might be more posts than usual since there will be way too much down time chilling in the hotel. Depending on your point of view, that could be a very good thing or a very annoying thing.

While relishing in my newfound boredom, I came across this interesting list on stereogum that they took from cracked.com. The guys at Cracked decided to compile the 20 worst cover songs in pop music history, and in my opinion did a pretty bad job.

20. "You Shook Me All Night Long" — Celine Dion and Anastasia
19. "Downtown Train" — Rod Stewart
18. "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" — Guns N Roses
17. "Demolition Man" — Manfred Mann
16. "American Pie" — Madonna
15. "My Generation" — Hilary Duff
14. "It's My Life" — No Doubt
13. "Video Killed The Radio Star" — The Presidents of the United States of America
12. "Walk this Way" — Macy Gray
11. "Another Brick in the Wall" — Korn
10. "I'm A Believer" — Smash Mouth
09. "Satisfaction" — Britney Spears
08. "Sweet Child O Mine" — Sheryl Crowe
07. "Big Yellow Taxi" — Counting Crows
06. "911 Is a Joke" — Duran Duran
05. "Anarchy in the UK" — Motley Crue
04. "Behind Blue Eyes" — Limp Bizkit
03. "Feel Like Making Love" — Kid Rock
02. "Dock of the Bay" — Michael Bolton
01. "And It Stoned Me" — Bob Dylan

They're completely right about the Sheryl Crow, Korn, Britney, Duff and Dion, but come on, Dylan as #1??? You've got to be kidding me. I also have to say that I'm a huge fan of the Presidents of the U.S.A. version of "Video Killed the Radio Star."

What do you guys think, is Dylan's version really that bad, or are the guys at Cracked on crack?

Talk amongst yourselves.

Say Anything's New Music Video

This new music video from Say Anything's "Wow, I can get sexual too", is down right tongue and cheek. It has Bollywood like dancing, the Fonz, Max Bemis licking a car and impersonating Justin Timberlake. What else could you ask for? If this video wasn't so funny, it would just be creepy. It's just a creepy song, but it is great!

Ben Folds Plans Second Show for Central NC

Surely this can't be. Surprisingly enough, the North Carolina native is slotted to play an opening gig for John Mayer at Walnut Creek Amphitheatre July 31st (six days after my birthday...hint, hint). This comes after announcing the Memorial Hall show in Chapel Hill on March 28th that hundreds of students camped out for (including me) and the 900 student tickets sold out before noon.

I wish I had known this would happen before I slept outside on the ground without a tent, but that's OK, I'd rather see him in the smaller setting anyway. It was a good experience, too.

Music Video of the Day: Ben Kweller - "Penny On The Train Tracks"

I know it's been a while, but I'm bringing this thing back.

Nothing says a good music video like an 82-year-old woman dancing around in tights at a gym, right? Well, at least Ben Kweller thinks so. This video for his new single, "Penny On The Train Tracks," dangerously toes the line between cute and downright disturbing (especially the commentary at the end). The video was shot by Ben himself and the woman in the video is his grandmother dancing around the gym at her condo. I have no idea who that other woman is.

I'm a fan of the song, but I don't know if I'll ever be able to sit through that video again.

Say Anything...Is on TRL?

For some crazy reason I never thought that this would ever happen. According to Billboard.com and the band's website, Say Anything's new video for "Wow, I Can Get Sexual Too" (featuring the timeless and ageless Fonzie) will debut on MTV's Total Request Live this afternoon.


From SayAnythingMusic.com:

If you haven't heard already, our new video for "Wow, I Can Get Sexual Too" will be debuting on MTV'S TRL Monday, March 12th.

Now......i know that most Say Anything fans aren't the "stand outside of TRL" types, but there will be some people down at the MTV TRL studio (1515 Broadway, between 44th and 45th) with signs and posters, so feel free to head down and join in.

As much as I love Say Anything, I don't think this will entice me to watch the worst thing that ever happened to music videos. I can't help but wonder how the kids watching the show (and their parents) are going to react to Bemis singing "I called her on the phone and she touched herself."

If you haven't seen the music video with Bemis calling random girls from a hotel room and smacking himself on the ass one to many times, you can check it out at their Yahoo! artist page.

Has Say Anything sold out? I sure as hell hope not, and really don't think so. Either way, I'm excited about their sophomore album, "In Defense of the Genre," which should be out by the end of the year. You can read more about it in the Billboard.com article.

Say Anything - "Every Man Has a Molly" (m4a)

REM Coming Out With a New Album!

Via NME.com:

REM are to record their 14th studio album with Grammy-winning producer Jacknife Lee, the man behind recent LPs by Bloc Party and Snow Patrol.

Singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck and bassist Mike Mills hope to release the follow-up to 2004's 'Around The Sun' before the end of the year.

The band had used Pat McCarthy as producer on their last three albums, but have decided on a change for the new record.

Lee said of his new challenge: "REM are consistently one of the great bands, if not the greatest. The new songs they've written are some of their most exciting and visceral yet. They're a beacon for any band wishing to remain honest and challenging."

I thought these guys were done for good, for some reason, after their "Best Of" album and tour. Guess not. It will be interesting to see what the Bloc Party producer is able to do with them; hopefully he won't mess it all up.

R.E.M. - "Bad Day" (m4a)

Monday Morning Playlist

Each week we post five songs, old or new, that we hope will help you get through the work-week (or in our case, the school-week). Put them in your iPod (or mp3 player of choice) and press repeat. We promise that the weekend will come faster.

Damien Rice - "The Blower's Daughter" (mp3)
Straylight Run - "Tool Sheds and Hot Tubs" (m4a)
Rilo Kiley - "Portions for Foxes" (mp3)
Sister Hazel - "Beautiful Thing" (m4a)
OK Go - "Get Over It" (m4a)

Review-apalooza Part 1: Hush Sound/Straylight Run

If there was any doubt before, it is official: I hate the Lincoln Theatre. The four worst shows I have ever seen have been the only four I saw there, and it was not because of the bands, but rather because of my fellow attendees.

I'm a strong believer of the idea that when you pay to see a concert/show, you owe it to the performer and the people around you to pay attention to the music and shut up. If you came to be social, you came for the wrong reason, but at least do everyone else a favor and talk with your annoying friends at the bar area so you don't ruin the show.

Now I will step down from my soapbox.

That being said, I enjoyed seeing these two shows this weekend. Though they were only two days apart, the difference between the atmosphere of the two is unbelievable. There was a modest crowd at the Pablo/Spitalfield/The Hush Sound/Straylight Run show, many of which were waiting in the cold out front for the doors to be opened when I showed up.

Pablo came out (surprisingly on time) and played a quick, soft acoustic set that sounded something like what would happen if Conor Oberst grew some balls or made a love child with Ray LaMontagne. Shortly after, the slightly out-of-place Spitalfield stormed onto the stage in matching zip-up hoodies, playing that tired pop-punk-rock that Good Charlotte and Simple Plan made me hate a long time ago. Even my 14-year-old sister (and former fan of GC and SP) noticed that "every song sounded the same." That's not a good sign.

Finally The Hush Sound, the reason I came, took the stage and played a great, albeit slightly boring and far too short, set of songs that were mostly from their newest album. I love this band to death and every song they played sounded great, but any energy the band had during th songs was counter-balanced by a disappointing lack of stage presence and crowd interaction. Nothing too much to complain about, and it was fun to have the 70 or 80 people there all sing "We Intertwined" together.

To be honest, I didn't know too much about the final band of the evening, Straylight Run. I picked up some of their music the day before and gave it a listen and liked what I heard, so I was interested to see what the live show was like. I wasn't at all disappointed. Not only did I fall in love with Michelle but I was impressed with the intensity and energy the quartet brought to the stage. Though it was a little over-produced for my taste (too many prerecorded sound effects and tracks used in transitions and songs) it was pretty sweet to watch the band play musical chairs between acoustic guitar, piano and electric guitar. They also previewed a few tracks off their upcoming album that I will be sure to get after seeing this show.

If you ignore the fact that the venue was more than half empty and the kids (yes, kids) that were there seemed for the most part disinterested the whole night, the show was amazing. But that fact was pretty hard to ignore. I only hope that I'll get to see these guys again in a much better place (and preferably in Chapel Hill).

Now for recordings of my favorite parts:
-The sing-along of "We Intertwined" - The Hush Sound (m4a)
-An amazing and simplistic rendition of "Your Name Here (Sunrise Highway)" - Straylight Run (m4a)

**Photos taken by Andy.

Boston Singer Found Dead

Some sad news to report on this otherwise glorious weekend. Brad Delp, the lead singer of Boston was found dead in his home in New Hampshire on Friday. He was only 55 and was alone at the time. They don't think any foul play was involved.

From CNN.com:

The band's Web site carried a statement, "We've just lost the nicest guy in rock and roll."

The Hush Sound and Straylight Run Usher In Spring Break

This was exactly what I needed after the hellish week I've been through. After somehow struggling my way through four exams and three papers this week, I've finally made it to Spring Break!! I kicked off my week of supreme relaxation perfectly with a rocking show at the Lincoln Theatre with Pablo, Spitalfield, The Hush Sound and Straylight Run. The show was awesome and I've fallen in love with Michelle Nolan from Straylight Run; she is way too cute (Exhibit A: picture on right). And that voice...

Anyway, I'll have a full review of that show and some pictures (depending on how they come out) in the next couple of days, as well as a review of the Sister Hazel/Pat McGee band show on Saturday night. Until then, I need to catch up on some sleep and go see my Tar Heels play in the ACC Tournament!

I leave you with my favorite Straylight song from tonight's concert.

Straylight Run - "Tool Sheds and Hot Tubs" (m4a)

Traveling Wilburys at Austin City Limits??

Don't get too excited yet, it's just a rumor. According to the Austin City Limits Wikipedia page (reliable source, I know), the 2007 festival is rumored to include the Traveling Wilburys as well as Bob Dylan performing separately. I can't help but start to wonder who will join them in the reunited supergroup.

The rest of the RUMORED lineup looks pretty amazing. If it is remotely true, this will be, in my opinion, the best festival of the year.

Complete Rumored Lineup:

Neil Young
Buddy Guy
Ryan Adams
Norah Jones
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Belle and Sebastian
Wilco
Dave Matthews Band
Bob Schneider
The Noobs
The Timberline Hike
Death Cab for Cutie
David Gray
Christina Bell
Bob Dylan
Counting Crows
Sufjan Stevens
The Slip
Band of Horses
The Hold Steady
Arcade Fire
Asleep at the Wheel
The Traveling Wilburys
Blue Mother Tupelo
Kaiser Chiefs
Cold War Kids
The Good The Bad & The Queen
Midlake
The Polyphonic Spree
Del Castillo
Nine Fifty
Xavier Rudd
The Decemberists
Pavement
Crowded House

According to the Wiki page, the only two confirmed artists are Blue Mother Tupelo and Asleep at the Wheel. Check back here for more information when the actual lineup gets released.

Traveling Wilburys - "The Devil's Been Busy" (m4a)

Hanson and Andrew W.K. - WTF?!?!

I seriously thought (or really hoped) these guys had fallen off the face of the Earth, but apparently they're not only still alive, but still playing music. According to Spin.com, the Hanson boys "rocked" NYC's Supper Club to the delight of hundreds of prepubescent girls. Believe it or not, they're still apparently playing that damn "MMMBop" song, too.

The worst part (and something that I know will break Andy's heart) is who decided to join them for the encore. Via Spin.com:

But the true climax of the show occurred during the encore, as surprise guests Andrew W.K., Adam Green, and an all-ages choir joined the brothers Hanson for a jam-heavy rendition of Cat Stevens' "Peace Train."

There are so many things wrong with that I'm not even sure where to begin. I'm pretty sure you lose all bad-ass rock cred when you perform with Hanson. But that's just me.

Lily Allen in Simlish

This is way too freakin' cute. You know I'm already obsessed with this cute English pop star, but this just tops it all off. She has rerecorded her single "Smile" in Simlish, the fake language that makes up the very popular Sims computer game. You have to feel kinda dumb when you're just singing jibberish, but somehow she pulls it off and makes this song enjoyable. They even created a little Sims video to go along with the new song.

Check out the video here.

The Hush Sound Coming To Raleigh

This month is turning out to be a great one for awesome shows in central NC. Indie pop-rock geniuses The Hush Sound will be touring with Straylight Run this March, including a show at Raleigh's Lincoln Theatre this Thursday (March 8). I've mentioned this talented quartet a few times already and even though they didn't make it all the way in Spin's Artist of the Year tournament like I had hoped, you should still get out to see them if at all possible.

With this show added to the SK & the 6ers/Matt Wertz show, the Guster/The Format show, the Sister Hazel/Pat McGee Band show, the Cold War Kids show, and Ben Folds making his way back to Chapel Hill, there isn't much to complain about this March (oh yeah, and college basketball...but this is a music blog so I will stop here).

Complete List of Dates:
Mar 7: Allentown, PA - Crocodile Rock Cafe
Mar 8: Raleigh, NC - Lincoln Theatre
Mar 9: Knoxville, TN - Bijou Theatre
Mar 10: Atlanta, GA - Masquerade
Mar 11: Cordova, TN - Skatepark of Memphis
Mar 12: Little Rock, AR - The Village
Mar 20: Dallas, TX - The Door
Mar 21: Tulsa, OK - The Other Side
Mar 22: Kansas City, MO - Grand Emporium
Mar 23: Papillion, NE - The Rock
Mar 24: Des Moines, IA - Hairy Mary's
Mar 25: Milwaukee, WI - The Rave

Check out more info about the band and tour at their website.

Re: Top Ten Best and Worst Instruments

Corey posted the best and worst instruments earlier but I am going to give you my own twist of this.

Worst:
1. French Horn (or Horn)
2. Phil Colins
3. Recorders
4. Emo Screams
5. Megaphone
6. Clapping
7. Glass Breaking
8. "UH-HU"
9. Oboe
10. Saprano Saxophone (the Yanni Saxophone)

Best:
1. Electric Guitar
2. Snare Drum
3. Bass
4. Double Bass Pedal
5. Slide Whistle
6. Fire! -I really wanna hear someone record fire
7. Tuba -I had to do it
8. Tubular Bells
9. Trombones
10. Turn tables

Top Ten Best and Worst Instruments

While doing my daily music blog browsing (normally in some class that I really don't care about) I came across a cool list on Idolator that was taken from British music magazine The Word. A couple of things caught my eye. First, the acoustic guitar is listed as the #1 worst instrument ever. Interesting call, I must say. But what excited me the most and prompted me to write this entry was that the #5 best instrument ever is the sousaphone. Confession: Andy and I were band geeks in high school (I still am, but only for UNC basketball tickets) and we played the sousaphone (the marching version of a tuba...the really big thing). So you can imagine my excitement when I see that it's not the geeky instrument I once thought it was, but one of the top ten coolest (ok, so I changed the meaning a little bit) instruments. I will now carry that 35 lbs. piece of brass with pride.

Here is the complete list:

Worst
1. The acoustic guitar
2. Fretless bass
3. Sitar
4. Children's choirs
5. Paul McCartney chewing vegetables for percussion
6. Feedback
7. Simmons drums
8. The voice of Mariah Carey
9. Flying V guitar
10. Side of pork which Scott Walker punches for percussion on The Drift

Best
1. The vocoder
2. Double bass
3. Glass harmonica
4. Mellotron
5. Sousaphone, as played by John Simon with the Band
6. The Pet Sounds box of fun
7. The voice of Björk
8. The Flaming Lips' boombox orchestra
9. Roland TB-303 bassline
10. The melodica

Link [Idolator]

More Indie on Your Radio

As a part of their payola (the practice of bribing radio stations to play certain songs) investigation, the FCC has helped form an agreement between the station groups and the American Association of Independent Music that would set aside "8,400 half-hour blocks of time for independent music."
Via Reuters:

Peter Gordon, founder of Thirsty Ear Recordings and A2IM's chief negotiator, said in an interview that the "agreement in principle" is a way to get independent music on the air that also avoids undue government interference.

"It's a private relationship between the radio groups and the independent music sector," he said. "It's a chance for all of us to embrace each other's cultures, and it looks like the best way to get good stuff for people to listen to."

The free airtime would be granted to companies not owned or controlled by Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group and EMI Group; do not have a market share larger than 5%; and are represented as independent through sales tracking firm Nielsen SoundScan.

If this all goes well, maybe I'll start listening to the radio again.

Best Use of Kazoo in a Rock Song: Nominee #2

I'm sure if you've kept up with this blog at all you already know that I'm just a little bit obsessed with the little band from Massachusetts, Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers. So when Andy was quick give The Spinto Band the Grammy for Best Use of Kazoo in a Rock Song, I couldn't help but slow his roll and add another nominee to the category.

So here, for the millionth time on this blog, is Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers with their rousing saloon-style rocker, "Uninspired Gambling," with Kellogg playing what is known as the SK & the 6ers "horn section" (about seven kazoos shoved into a harmonica neck holder). The bassist-turned-piano player (for this song) Kit, aka Goose (these guys have fun nicknames) takes it to the next level by whipping out a sweet keytar solo that brings down the house.

Sorry about the video quality. I didn't do it. If you want to see part two of the song (full of a water drinking contest and drum solo while the rest of the band throws stuffed animals at the drummer), click here.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: you need to see this band! Head to their website right now and see when they're coming to your town this Spring!!!

Music Video of the Day: Rock and Roll at Its Best

If you ignore the fact that this has to be set up (or there is one seriously crazy Asian guy running around with a guitar) this is one of the funniest music videos I have seen in a while. Nothing beats hearing "House of the Rising Sun" screamed out with a horrible accent and a, for lack of a better word, interesting guitar solo performed on both knees. If you can't get enough of this music phenom, you can also check out his two other songs from the same "performance," "Country Roads" and some nonsense song I can't understand.

Monday Morning Playlist

Each week we post five songs, old or new, that we hope will help you get through the work-week (or in our case, the school-week). Put them in your iPod (or mp3 player of choice) and press repeat. We promise that the weekend will come faster.

"Forever Young" - Alphaville (m4a) -- For all you Napoleon Dynamite fans.
"Me and Julio Down By The Schoolyard" - Peter Bjorn & John (Paul Simon Cover) (mp3)
"Memphis & 53rd" - Minus the Bear (m4a)
"Na Na Na Na Naa" - Kaiser Chiefs (m4a)
"Carolina In My Mind" - James Taylor (m4a) (GO HEELS!)

The Spinto Band

I have to give this band the award for "Best Use of Kazoo In a Rock Song" (they should have that at the Grammy's). Cool song, also give a listen to "Oh Mandy". The Spinto Band has a fair amount of good song, Check em out!

Shit You Should Know...But Have Probably Never Heard

Mike Willis
With his new band, The Escape Artists, this Atlanta based singer/songwriter has released his second full length album, Holding My Breath, which is essentially a copy of his first solo album, In the Red, with a band and a few new songs added. Willis has an awesome soulful voice and writes songs drenched with passion and emotion. His fast-strumming acoustic style adds a sense of urgency that conflicts with the laid back country feel of the songs. Rather than completely changing the original songs, The Escape Artists add depth and color to the Willis originals, making In the Red seem like the rough draft to Holding My Breath.

Both albums are well worth a listen and, if you're feeling generous, a purchase.

Mike Willis - "Lighthouse" (m4a)
Mike Willis and the Escape Artists - "She Comes Around" (mp3)


Roman Candle
This Chapel Hill group has been creating a buzz in the underground/indie/whatever the hell you want to call it, circuit with the release of their new album, The Wee Hours Revue, released in 2006. Paste Magazine named the album the 38th best record of 2006 and local magazine The Independent named their CD release party as one of the best live shows of the year. I haven't gotten a chance to see them live, but I'm in love with the songs I've been able to get my hands on. I figure since they're from around here, I'll get to see them sooner rather than later.

Roman Candle - "Winterlight" (mp3)
Roman Candle - "Something Left to Say" (mp3)