candy for your ears

new tumblr site!

2011-08-07T01:51:00.002-04:00

To anyone left randomly checking this, I decided to give tumblr a whirl, since I can never remember to sign into the blog here. So, if you feel so inclined, check out http://candy4ears.tumblr.com/ and I'll try really super hard to post there more frequently than once every 3 months.

Cheers!

30 day song challenge: Day 3

2011-04-13T19:41:00.003-04:00

Day 3: A song that makes you happy.

Easy. Anything. And I mean ANYTHING by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros makes me immensely happy. And in honor of the Railroad Revival Tour that I get to go to thanks to an amazing friend of mine who helped me with the financial bit of getting me a seat on a plane, I give you "Janglin."

30 day song challenge - Day 2

2011-04-12T13:44:00.005-04:00

My least favorite song. How to pick?? I could go with the recent internet sensation "Friday," but that's too easy and too much fun to parody. I could go with an annoying autotuned 3 minutes of crap by T-Pain. But no, not enough hate. The song that fills me with hatred and fury is Toby Keith's "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue." You know the one where he talks about lighting up country's sky like the 4th of July? The song of "my patriotism is better than yours because I'm talking about killing people in retaliation." If I ever meet Toby Keith, I will not hesitate to sucker punch him in the jaw and knee him in the balls for creating this piece of shit song. Fuck you Toby Keith.

I'm not even going to post the song because I don't want it to get more plays than it already has.

30 Day Song Challenge

2011-04-11T11:12:00.006-04:00

This might be incredibly lame, but as an effort to get me to post more frequently I'm going to try to do the 30 day song challenge that's been floating around some of my friends' facebook pages. I'll probably get annoyed with it halfway through, but whatever. Scouring my music collection for songs that fit the day's description will be a welcome break from the last round of finals I'll ever have. Thank god for graduation in 2 1/2 weeks! Anywho, lets get started.

Day 1: Favorite Song.

God dammit. Who knew I'd get annoyed with this on Day 1. Ha. "What's your favorite song?" always makes me mad because it's damn near impossible for me to pick my all time favorite song. But, after some thinking, I *think* "Visions of Johanna" by Bob Dylan is my favorite. It's either that or "Don't Think Twice (It's Alright)". But for now, I'm picking "Visions of Johanna". The amount that I love Dylan's Blonde on Blonde album is probably unhealthy, and "Visions" is my favorite track from it, so logically this would be my favorite, right? That's what I'm sticking to anyways.

mp3 - Visions of Johanna

Check back tomorrow for my least favorite song.

a look back at 2010 (and tiny peek into 2011)

2011-01-02T09:56:00.003-05:00

I love music. I go to a lot of concerts. This is my attempt at trying to remember all the great shows I went to in 2010, and the ones I'm looking forward to this spring. Here we go!

January 2010 started off with a bang when Kid Cudi came to town. Minus the onslaught of openers which lasted way too long it was a fantastic show. "Daps and Pounds," "Pursuit of Happiness," and "Day N Night" were most definitely the highlights from the show. Now that he's more mainstream, I'm sure it will be hard to get him in an intimate setting like the Michigan Theater again. January also brought the 33rd Folk Festival. Highlights were for sure Iron & Wine who played some of the most gorgeous music my ears had ever heard. Also, Richie Havens who is always superb (and I got to meet him again!), Rosanne Cash, Ben Gibbard & Jay Ferrar, and discovering the high energy folk/bluegrass band from Philly, Hoots & Hellmouth.

In March I got to see the AMAZING Avett Brothers, with the also awesome Low Anthem opening. If you ever have the chance to see the Avett Brothers, for the love of all that is holy GO SEE THEM. They're headlining the first night of this year's Folk Festival and I couldn't be more excited. I also caught the Low Anthem on their headlining tour that came through Ann Arbor. If you're not familiar with them, they make the most beautiful songs with some old and sometimes unconventional instruments (they featured a saw on one song). For sure check out their first two albums "What the Crow Brings" and "Oh My God, Charlie Darwin".

October was an absolutely fantastic month for music in Ann Arbor, it was too bad that my midterms coincided with some of the concerts so I sadly had to miss out on a few good ones. But I was still able to catch a lot and made my ears ridiculously happy. I was able to see one of my favorite bands from the last couple years when Ra Ra Riot came back to Ann Arbor to play the Blind Pig. I absolutely love them, and they always seem to put on a fantastic show (based on the 2 times I've seen them haha). I also was able to see Arlo Guthrie again at The Ark, as well as Joe Pug with Vandaveer opening. Vandaveer was probably my greatest discovery this year and I was completely obsessed for months after seeing them play. Joe Pug is another one of my favorite artists to see live. He's gotten much much better at performing since he was given a one song slot at the Folk Festival a few years ago. This time instead of playing by himself, he was backed up by a pedal steel and upright bass. The version of "Hymn 101" with the pedal steel accompaniment was mind blowing (mostly because I may or may not have been nursing a significant obsession with the pedal steel at the time) but still, it was a great show.

By far the absolute highlight of 2010 was seeing Bob Dylan play at Hill Auditorium October 28th. My mom and I splurged on great seats in the 11th row and were not disappointed at all. He was in a great mood and played straight through for almost 2 hours. He played many songs from his newer albums, but threw in some of my favorite tunes, including "Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat," "Simple Twist of Fate," and the highlight for me was "Desolation Row." I was able to sneak into the front row for the encore and Bob and I totally had a moment where he looked right at me and smiled. Swoon. Hands down one of the best concerts I've ever been to.

Finally November and December brought The Weepies, Josh Ritter, and The Carolina Chocolate Drops to the area. I liked The Weepies well enough before seeing them in concert, but after seeing them play live, I'm completely enamored with them and hope they don't take another 4 year touring break. Josh Ritter was absolutely fantastic and adorable and had a huge grin throughout the whole show. I definitely will not be missing seeing him play again if he's playing anywhere close. The Carolina Chocolate Drops were totally amazing as well. You will not be disappointed by their show at all. In addition to hearing some great music you get little music history lessons in between songs that (if you're anything like me) will make you want to go spend hours at the record store looking through old jazz, bluegrass, and blues records. Other notable 2010 concerts included Abigail Washburn, Jackie Greene, and Ray Davies of The Kinks. I probably forgot some, but I can't remember where I packed all my ticket stub souvenirs. Sigh.

2010 was a fantastic year for music in the Ann Arbor area. With the 34th Folk Festival and Robert Plant coming in January, Jeff Beck coming in March, and a host of other shows in between, 2011 is looking pretty good. :)

2011 Folk Festival Headliners Announced!

2010-10-31T23:14:00.005-04:00

One of my most favorite times of the year happens at the end of every January: the Ann Arbor Folk Festival put on by The Ark. I start to get super excited about it generally in late October when the line-up starts to be announced starting with the main headliners and slowly filling out the bills with smaller more regional acts. The first night of the festival is generally full of artists who are expanding the traditional folk genre. Past Friday night acts have been Ben Folds, Jackie Greene, Jeff Tweedy, Rufus Wainwright, and Jay Ferrar & Ben Gibbard. While the Saturday night headliners are usually the classic folk and roots music pioneers. Pete Seeger, Kris Kristofferson, Richie Havens, Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin, and John Prine have all been recent Saturday night guests. You can read all about the history of the folk festival and see previous line-ups here.

The Ark began announcing the headliners last week, and I'm already getting anxious for January to be here. Headlining on Friday night is one of the best bands to see live, The Avett Brothers. Words cannot express how excited I am to be able to catch them live again. Also playing Friday will be Citizen Cope (I find it really odd that he's playing a folk festival, but maybe he's got some folkie gems hidden up his sleeve that I don't know about...) and local favorite Vienna Teng. Saturday night folk legend Judy Collins will play, along with Mavis Staples (!!!), and The Swell Season as the main headliner. I find it surprising that the main Saturday headlining spot didn't go to Mavis or Judy, but nevertheless I'm super excited to catch all three acts. There's also usually a "breakout" star of the festival, and I'm excited to see who that will be this year.

The countdown to January 28th, 2011 is on!

new obsession

2010-10-31T11:18:00.002-04:00

A couple weeks ago, I caught Joe Pug at The Ark here in Ann Arbor. I've seen him a handful of times now, and he just keeps getting better and better live. He's really matured in the last year or so since I've seen him, and I LOVE the band he's playing with. The upright bass and pedal steel really add another layer of depth to his songs. I'm holding out hope that he might record a version of "Hymn 101" with the pedal steel because it was amazing.

But this post shockingly isn't about him. It's about his opener, Vandaveer. I had heard a couple of their songs before, and liked them ok, but seeing them live was unreal. Vandaveer is Mark Heidinger's folk project that brings in Rose Guerin for some of the best damn harmonies I've ever heard. Heidinger's lyrics pull you in and Rose's vocal additions effectively nail you to your chair and don't let you move until your ears are the happiest they've been in a long time. I've listened to "Dig Down Deep" at least 100x since the show. Seriously check these guys out. They just finished up a tour supporting Joe Pug, and will hopefully be back on the road sometime soon.

Woolgathering - Vandaveer (mp3)

Robert Allen Zimmerman

2010-10-31T00:36:00.007-04:00

I was able to see Bob Dylan this past Thursday, and it was hands down one of the best shows I've ever seen. He played straight through for almost two hours, the band was tight, and it seemed like he was having an absolute blast on stage. I have a pretty sizeable obsession with Mr. Dylan, and had seen him live three times before, but this concert blew those out of the water.

Many people say Dylan should put a stop to his "Never Ending Tour" citing poor vocals and the reworking of his classics. Those people couldn't be more wrong. Sure, his voice has changed over the years but when he's on his game there's nothing like it. And to those who get upset about the reconstructing of some of his classics, I say shut the hell up. The man's been touring for 40+ years, he's allowed to do things differently. I'd get bored as hell playing the same songs the same way for that long. Stumbling through various reviews, I read something that pretty much sums it up. "Everybody struggles to make sense of Dylan, and all the while Dylan is stuck trying to make sense of all of us." Word.

He opened with a great rendition of "Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat" moved onto "Senor (Tales of Yankee Power)". What a great way to start! Other highlights of the setlist include an awesome "Simple Twist of Fate," "Desolation Row," "High Water (For Charlie Patton)" and "Ballad of a Thin Man." I was able to sneak into the front row for the encore of "Jolene" and "Like a Rolling Stone" and seeing Bob up close was probably one of the greatest moments of my entire life. He was smiling the whole time, and I'm convinced we shared a moment when he looked right at me and smiled. Swoon. Three days later and I still haven't come down from the high. Here's hoping he continues the Never Ending Tour for years to come.

back!

2010-09-23T15:42:00.004-04:00

Wooo. I know it's been a long time since I've posted anything but just wanted to take a quick study break and post a couple songs that I've recently acquired that I'm loving right now. First up is off of Justin Townes Earle's fantastic new album Harlem River Blues. This album is in my constant rotation, and I was really looking forward to catching him live next month, but it seems that he ran into a sticky situation in Indy and has suspended the rest of his tour (more on this here). But I wish him a speedy recovery and can't wait for him to be back on the road making people's ears happy. Definitely check out the album if you haven't already done so.

One More Night in Brooklyn - Justin Townes Earle

And the other track is off of Ra Ra Riot's new album The Orchard. I know I'm way late on the blog hype with this but whatever. I love Ra Ra Riot, I love the new album, and I can't wait to catch them when they're in Michigan in a couple weeks. Enjoy!

Boy - Ra Ra Riot

Well, that's it for now. But I'm sure I'll update again sometime soonish. October is looking to be an awesome month for concert-going. I've got Broken Social Scene, Ra Ra Riot, AA Bondy and The Walkmen, Joe Pug, Arlo Guthrie, Dr. Dog, and the one and only Bob Dylan on my radar so here's hoping school doesn't get in the way of my music enjoyment!

Namibian artist #1...Jackson Kaujeua..RIP

2010-05-31T16:22:00.006-04:00

It seems I discovered him about 4 days too late. Influential Namibian musician Jackson Kaujeua passed away from kidney failure on May 27. I literally just discovered his music an hour ago, and it's very hard to find his songs online, so this weekend I plan on picking up an album or two at the music store here in town. Until I can get my hands on full songs, here's one of his songs on Youtube, "Kalahari." For a little more information about him, here's an article in The Namibian:

UPDATE: found a better video that has a compilation of a bunch of his songs...check it out!

terrible pop music and slow internets in Namibia

2010-05-31T15:20:00.010-04:00

Oh boy. Do I ever need some good tunes. I'm currently in Namibia on an internship for grad school, and though it is totally awesome here, my ears are certainly paying a price. I am forever being bombarded by Celine Dion, Richard Marx, and Justin Bieber while I'm at the office working. It's usually the same 10 songs just repeated for 6 hours. I usually can't wait until I get home and can open my computer and play something that doesn't make my ears bleed. Glad I was able to snag Josh Ritter's FANTASTIC new album before I left, but in my haste (aka leaving EVERYTHING to the last minutes before I left the US) I didn't get a chance to grab the seemingly 4000 other new albums that came out in the last month or two (not to mention the ones being released in June). Now I'm left feeling like a junkie who just doesn't have the money for a fix. Normally this wouldn't be an issue, but internet is so painfully slow it takes 20 minutes to download one song! Ack!

My aim while I'm in Namibia is to check out the local music scene and hopefully post some updates on what music (besides terrible terrible American pop) people are digging here. So stay tuned...hopefully I'll make some good finds! For now, enjoy a song off Ritter's new album. The whole thing is completely amazing, and if for some crazy reason you haven't bought it yet, do it NOW!

Another New World - Josh Ritter

Help with the ultimate travel playlist

2010-03-20T20:50:00.004-04:00

Ok folks, I'm going to be doing an insane amount of traveling this summer. I'm spending most of the summer in Namibia (and possibly some time in Kenya) for my internship, and that equals DAYS spent on planes, trains, cars, and buses. I need your help in compiling the ultimate travel playlist (or playlists).

What are your favorite tunes to keep you sane when traveling? Comment here, email me, respond via twitter (@candy4ears), shout on last.fm (kari8306), whatever you choose. You have 2 months....ready GO!

trying really really hard to stay sane

2010-03-19T20:44:00.012-04:00

If anyone out there is still reading/following, I apologize for the lack of posts. The past few months have been a gigantic ball of stress and calling them an emotional roller coaster would be an understatement. It was mostly due to school, but now that I've nailed down an internship for the summer (and it's FUNDED!), I'm a much happier person. But enough about me, here's what's been keeping me happy and what I'm looking forward to:

The FOLK FESTIVAL. I never officially wrote a response. Well, it was BALLER. Even though Doc Watson couldn't make it (reason number 32849287234 to hate winter), it was still an amazing two nights of music. This year, like last, had a seemingly breakout crowd favorite, Hoots and Hellmouth. They were asked to come play the second night after Doc Watson cancelled and rocked out hard. I'm really looking forward to when they come back to Ann Arbor next month. Iron & Wine was mesmerizing the first night, and Richie Havens was wonderful the second night. Props to Rosanne Cash who "headlined" the second night, but I wish it was Richie. I could listen to him for hours and hours.

I got to catch The Avett Brothers in concert last week, and it was unbelievable. They are totally 100% awesome live. I had a bunch of their albums prior to the show and liked them ok, but holy shit. I've been listening to their music pretty much nonstop since the show. If they are playing anywhere near you (like 3 hour travel time radius) GO SEE THEM!!! The Low Anthem opened and they were great too. I'm probably going to see them on their headline tour in a couple weeks, so I'll try and get a more in depth review up for them then.
Slight Figure of Speech - mp3

And last little bit for this post, I FINALLY got Vampire Weekend's new album, Contra, last week and I like it a lot. I think I like it better than their debut. You can totally hear the Graceland undertones, but whatever. It's catchy and it makes me happy. And that's all that really matters. :)
Diplomat's Son-mp3

Quick note about what I'm excited about:

Ra Ra Riot is releasing a new album this summer. It's about fucking time. I cannot wait.
She & Him Vol. 2 is being released next week. I streamed it on NPR and loved what I heard.
SXSW NEXT year. After being updated multiple times a day by my friend that got to go this year, I don't care what's going on with my classes. I'm going to be in Austin this time next year.
Either the Deer Tick concert or The Low Anthem concert on April 7th. The concert gods apparently hate me and two of my favorite bands at the moment are playing on the same night 40 miles apart. I still haven't decided who to go see. Any thoughts?

That's it for now. Hopefully I'll come up for air from school again soon.

One of my favorite weekends!

2010-01-28T22:09:00.012-05:00

It's here! It's here! It's here! Folk Festival weekend is finally here! The Ann Arbor Folk Festival is one of my favorite times of the year. For those who aren't familiar, The A2 Folk Fest is basically a giant fundraiser for The Ark which is this awesome super small and cozy music venue that showcases folk and roots music. The Ark is one of my absolute favorite places to see live music. Not a bad seat in the house, the hallways are lined with photos of artists (both legendary and up and coming) who've played there, and the dressing room walls are covered in their signatures. If you're ever in the Ann Arbor area, you definitely have to catch a concert there.

This is the 33rd year that they've put on the festival. It's a two night festival, with the first night focusing on the "new direction" of folk and roots music, and the second night brings in musicians playing more traditional folk and roots. Since I've been back in the area, I've had the awesome opportunity to volunteer for The Ark, which means I get to work the festival and see the concerts for free. Best. Gig. EVER.

This year they've got Jay Farrar with Ben Gibbard, and Iron & Wine headlining the first night. Rosanne Cash, Richie Havens, and Doc Watson are headlining the second night. Those are some damn good headliners if I do say myself. But one of the great things about the Folk Festival is they showcase lesser known acts throughout the nights as well. That's how I discovered my absolute favorite artist of the past year, Joe Pug (I've since seen him three more times live and can't wait until his first full length album comes out next month). I'm hoping I can make a similar discovery or two this year. Check out the full line-up here.

So, as a preview, here is some music by the artists featured this year. Brace yourself for some post-concert gushing about how awesome it was...

He is going to be awesome to see live. True story.

All Along The Watchtower - Richie Havens
LOVE seeing him live. I could listen to him play and tell his stories for forever.

Hickory - Iron & Wine
CANNOT WAIT to see him.

Sea of Heartbreak - Rosanne Cash w/ Bruce Springsteen
I honestly don't know a lot of her music but I really love her album, The List, and I feel like it'll almost be like seeing her dad right? ;)

Love it. It will be neat to have seen both main members of Uncle Tupelo at back to back festivals (Tweedy headlined last year)

Of the non-headliners, I'm most excited to see this band. I've gotten a few recommendations to check them out, but keep forgetting so yay for Folk Fest for giving me that chance. haha.

Whew. It's going to be a busy but crazy awesome couple of days.

This Too Shall Pass

2010-01-20T21:37:00.003-05:00

I'll be honest. Aside from the epic treadmill video a few years ago, I don't really follow the band OK Go. I had no idea they released a new album recently. And I had no idea they released a new video. And surprise surprise, it's actually really really catchy. Their label won't allow embedding from YouTube (lame) but I was able to track it down on Vimeo. Head on over to their site to get the marching band version of the song for free (and to check out their new album, upcoming shows, etc.).

OK Go - This Too Shall Pass from OK Go on Vimeo.

This Too Shall Pass

pursuit of happiness

2010-01-17T00:55:00.009-05:00

Kid Cudi took a break from touring with Lady GaGa recently and made a stop in Ann Arbor. I was beside myself when I saw he was coming to town. He didn't disappoint at all. Though the barrage of opening acts almost made me go crazy...minus local rap legend One Be Lo...Kid Cudi was fantastic. The strobe light extravaganza blew my mind. The segue into Day N Night was amazing. I thought he was gonna do the remix version, but he broke it down into the slow burner that I love. The acapella "Daps and Pounds" was fantastic, and "Pursuit of Happiness" was pretty much perfect. DEFINITELY see this kid if he's performing in your area. He puts on one hell of a show.
Not the best quality but here's him performing Day N Night...trust it was amazing live...

Pursuit of Happiness

I also want to plug for local rapper One Be Lo. Not too many people paid any attention to his opening act, which is too too bad. It should have just been him and Kid Cudi. Def check him out. He was half of Binary Star, and has released three albums on his own label, Subterraneous Records. Def check out his album, S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M. It's time that he hit the national stage. He's way past due to be a breakthough star.

Evil Of Self

Tallest Man on Earth

2010-01-09T23:21:00.005-05:00

Let me just start out by saying that I love me some folk music. Give me a song with an acoustic guitar and some make you think type lyrics and I'm pretty much in heaven. So imagine my delight when I came across The Tallest Man on Earth (aka Kristian Matsson). He's got Dylan written all over him, which is probably subconsciously why I love him so much. After getting his album, Shallow Grave, and loving it, I came across his Daytrotter session and fell in love some more. His stripped down piano version of "I Won't Be Found" is absolutely gorgeous. He's got a great series of videos on youtube of him playing songs to a sunset (sigh...). Now he just needs to do another tour in the US so I can see him live.

2009.09.09 Tallest Man on Earth, Bardens Boudoir (Honey, Let Me in) from Tim Ferguson on Vimeo.

I Won't Be Found (Daytrotter)
The Gardener

Go On, Say It...

2009-12-15T23:20:00.008-05:00

Blind Pilot is a great band. I had the opportunity to see them live earlier this month when they played in Ann Arbor. I had their single "Go On, Say It" from a sampler CD, and I really liked it, and since I was volunteering at the venue, I didn't have to buy a ticket so I couldn't possibly lose in this situation...free live music, can't get much better than that. And I can honestly say I was not disappointed at all. Blind Pilot put on a great show. Their music is kinda low key, but apparently they've got some more upbeat songs up their sleeve that they just haven't released yet (see "We Are the Tide"). I was so impressed that I bought their CD, 3 Rounds and a Sound, from the merch table and it's seriously been playing non-stop since. Favorites include "The Bitter End," "Oviedo," and "One Red Thread," but all the tracks are pretty solid.

They do cool things too, like do bike tours down the west coast. Badass. You should buy their album and see them when they play in your area.

Bitter End
We Are The Tide
Go On, Say It

I'm making it back!

2009-12-03T21:56:00.005-05:00

Holy wow. I was completely unprepared for how much damn time grad school was going to take up. To the people who are still awesome and sending me music to check out, thank you!! I really promise I'm not ignoring you, it's just that classes like Principles of Chemical Hazards and Biostats have completely taken over my life....sigh...

BUT I've decided in order to keep my sanity I need music breaks. It's amazing how much better I feel after spending an hour or so poking around online for music and/or strumming out some tunes on my guitar. So, I'm bringing the blog back. I have to find some better file hosting sites, but be on the lookout for some new posts in the very near future. I've gotten to go to some pretty awesome shows in the last month and have some good ones coming up so I've got lots to say! In the meantime check out the new video from one of my absolute FAVORITE groups of the last few months, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros....If you haven't purchased their album, DO IT NOW! Seriously. It's def one of my faves of the past year.

Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros "KISSES OVER BABYLON" from Edward Sharpe on Vimeo.

Monsters on Conan

2009-09-23T10:28:00.005-04:00

I'm still obsessively listening to the Monsters of Folk album that came out yesterday, so no review just yet. BUT the guys were on The Tonight Show last night. And judging by what I've heard on the album so far and by watching their performance, I'm going to try my damnedest to catch one of their live shows. Check it out:

This video and song is pretty awesome too. Go buy their album now.

RIP Mary Travers

2009-09-19T00:46:00.005-04:00

Mary Travers died earlier this week from complications from chemotherapy. I'm not exactly sure why, but her death has completely taken me out of commission. Of all the "celebrity" deaths this year, I find myself the most sad over her passing. And I can't exactly place why that is. I didn't grow up in the 60s, I was definitely not a part of the emerging folk scene, wasn't alive during the civil rights movement, yet I am totally shaken by her death.

Peter Paul & Mary had the best harmonies of any folk group, period. They sang songs (mostly) about justice and civil rights. Even though I wasn't alive during their hay-day, I still grew up on their music. Their music is comfort music to me. I remember my mom singing their songs to me when I was little. I visibly remember singing along to their take on Tom Paxton's "Marvelous Toy" when I was 5. As I grew older and started exploring music on my own, I dove head first into the old folk my mom was so into. And I always came back to PP&M, Pete Seeger, and Bob Dylan.

Mary had such a powerful and beautiful voice that was completely complimented my Peter Yarrow and Noel "Paul" Stookey. Their take on Dylan's songs "Blowing in the Wind" and "Don't Think Twice it's Alright," Seeger's "If I had a Hammer," and Lightfoot's "Early Morning Rain" are mesmerizing. My attempt to surprise my mom with tickets to see all three of them live fell through, and I totally and completely regret not making it happen.

Travers stood up for those whose voice couldn't be heard. She was graceful and honest in her fight against the leukemia that eventually took her life. I keep watching Peter, Paul & Mary's performance in Washington in 1971 at the big protest against the Vietnam War, and I wonder why that's not being done now for Iraq and Afghanistan. The Untied States lost a true fighter for peace and justice. I can only hope that someone from my generation picks up the slack.

RIP Mary. You will be missed.
Early Morning Rain - Peter, Paul & Mary (boxstr)

Kanye's lame. Listen to Wale instead

2009-09-16T08:34:00.006-04:00

I'm sure by now everyone is aware of Kanye's great dislplay of douchebaggery at the VMAs the other night. I was unaware there was still an awards show on MTV for music videos. I don't think I've seen a music video on that channel in YEARS. But that's besides the point. Point is Kanye is a giant douche. True his first couple albums were genius. But ever since he stuck his head up his ass a few years ago, lets be frank, he sucks. He sucks long and he sucks hard.

So, if you're looking for a hype mc, just listen to Wale. I've plugged for him many times here at Candy for your Ears, but he is definitely more worthy of a listen than Kanye. Wale has four pretty freaking awesome mixtapes under his belt (if you still haven't gotten "Back to the Feature" go here to download it now) and is releasing a full length album soon. Check out his myspace for updates and keep an ear out for that debut album because it's gonna be hot.
My Sweety (boxstr)

A.A. Bondy release tomorrow!

2009-08-31T20:33:00.007-04:00

Is anyone else kind of excited for A.A. Bondy's album, When The Devil's Loose, being released tomorrow? If you're not excited, you should probably check out his music. I posted about him last month, but came across another one of his songs from the new album so I had to share it with y'all.

He's headlining a bunch of shows in September before heading off to Europe to tour with The Felice Brothers, and then he's back in the States in November to tour with Elvis Perkins in Dearland. Head over to Mr. Bondy's myspace to see if he's playing near you and check out the new album when it drops tomorrow!
I Can See The Pines Are Dancing (boxstr)

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zero's live @ Daytrotter

2009-08-31T20:09:00.005-04:00

So my most recent favorite band, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, stopped by the Daytrotter studio recently to play a few songs. I love it! If you are ANYWHERE near one of their shows, please for my sake go!! It sounds on these recordings like they kind of mellowed out a bit from other live recordings I've heard (especially on "40 Day Dream") but they still sound great! Daytrotter is giving away the songs from the session for FREE, so go check them out!
Up From Below (Daytrotter Session) (boxstr)

help!

2009-08-18T13:51:00.002-04:00

Ebony Bones - Warrior from maskomi on Vimeo.

I NEED this song RIGHT NOW.

Well maybe it's not that urgent, but I would still really like to be in possession of this song and any other songs by Ebony Bones! Seriously. I'm in a rut and I think she will pull me out. Any readers in the UK, Spain, Japan, anywhere it's been released want to help me out since this isn't available in the US yet?? Pretty pretty pretty please?

i need to read my emails closer

2009-08-12T11:47:00.002-04:00

So...I was going through all the emails I've had to hold off on, and lo and behold I got an email Jeremy at Vagrant, with a video of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros performing @ The Regent. It is fab and shows how awesome they are. So, check it out and now I for real promise to get through my emails in a more timely manner so I don't almost miss out on gems like this.

looking for utopia?

2009-08-12T08:56:00.007-04:00

If you're down with hippies and/or like the idea of utopia, you should check out the band Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. I heart them. They have this whole communal family feeling, and I just really really like their songs. Band leader Alex Ebert said in an interview recently that he wants to start a commune with his band mates and the whole communal idea behind music is what brought the band together. Awesome. If they ever tour in Michigan, or if I happen to find myself on the west coast where they're from, I'm definitely going to catch one of their shows (and maybe see if they need an extra person to shake a tambourine or strum the few chords I know on guitar...) They have an EP out, but it's really just 3 songs (40 Day Dream, Janglin', and Carries On) off their self titled debut album that was released a few weeks ago. So if you want a sampler get the EP, but you might as well buy the whole thing, as the EP leaves out my favorite track "Home." Their first single is "40 Day Dream" and it's awesome (See video in the post above this one...). Check back in a few months for new singles/awesome videos because I know I'll love whatever they put out next (at least I'm hoping to...)
40 Day Dream (boxstr)

On a completely unrelated note, I've gotten a ton of emails from people in the last month or so with songs to check out, and I PROMISE I'm not ignoring you. I've just been super super busy and want to be sure if/when I post something about the song you sent me, it's not half assed. But by all means keep the emails coming! Maybe I'll get my life somewhat back together this weekend and get some listening done...

Why is Iceland so awesome?

2009-08-04T21:24:00.002-04:00

So apparently Iceland is the place to be for new music recently. I'm currently battling an obsession with Lay Low's music, and now I've come across the band Retro Stefson. They're all sorts of poppy wonderful. I want to compare them to Vampire Weekend but I'm not sure I want to make that leap. They have songs in Icelandic, English, and Spanish, and they pretty much amazing. They just really seem like they're having a blast, which is really awesome for the listener. It's hard not to start smiling and bobbing my head when their songs come on.

Salvatore (boxstr)

NPR + Newport Folk Festival 2009

2009-08-04T20:39:00.007-04:00

Wow. I feel like I've been away for forever. Work is currently kind of crazy since I'm leaving in like 2 weeks (bye bye health insurance...*tear) to go back to school. It's basically like lets see how much work we can milk out of you before you leave. Sigh. So that's been seriously cutting into my blogging time haha. I hope you all (if there is anybody still reading) can forgive me.

You know who I love? NPR. It's probably because my mom not so secretly brainwashed me, as it was on NONSTOP growing up. I usually get most of my news from them and sometimes even get some good song suggestions via "All Songs Considered." And seriously who doesn't love Ira Glass and "This American Life"? Now I have yet another reason to love them... They have posted pretty much all of the performers from the Newport Folk Festival last weekend. If I try really hard, it's almost like I was there. Okay, well not really but it makes me feel a teeny tiny bit better about missing it. I'm also 85% sure you can download all the performances. Go here to check it out!

photo by Wiquan Ang

summer's ending...

2009-07-28T08:53:00.005-04:00

This is not the Modest Mouse I know and love, but I kinda like it. I came across this tune the other day, and it immediately went right into regular rotation. Isaac Brock kind of mellows out a bit over acoustic guitar and a sweet sweet banjo while lamenting the end of summer. Preach on. Preach on. To help make the end of summer not so bad try and catch Isaac and the rest of the band on tour. They're in Canada for a bit before coming back to the States for some shows in late August and September.
Autumn Beds.mp3

new release tuesday

2009-07-21T08:37:00.005-04:00

Do you like taking drives with just your thoughts and some good tunes? That's what Trevor Giuliani's debut album, Subcontrario (In Stereo), reminds me of. It's really chill, and makes me wish I had enough gas money to just cruise with all my windows down for hours. The album is pretty solid, there are songs that I like more than others, but overall it's a very good album. His stories just kind of draw you in, and soon you realize that you're completely lost in the music. I'm pretty sure Dovecote is still offering up the single "Wasting Your Town" as a free download, and you can also check out many of the songs on his myspace page. If you like it (which you should...) head over to Amazon, iTunes, or Insound and pick up a copy.
Nubian Forest (boxstr)

September 22nd is a good day..

2009-07-17T08:49:00.003-04:00

To release highly anticipated albums apparently. Wale stopped by the Jimmy Fallon show earlier in the week to help out Daniel Merriweather. In the hilarious opening segment he told Jimmy that his album Attention: Deficit will be dropping on September 22nd. Sweet action. That makes 2 albums to be released the day after my birthday that I'm REALLY looking forward to (the other one is the Monsters of Folk album from Conor Oberst, Jim James, and M. Ward). Wale has a dope (do people still use that word?) mix tape he released earlier this summer called Back to the Feature, which I HIGHLY suggest you check out.
Pretty Girls (boxstr)

When the Devil's Loose

2009-07-16T19:56:00.007-04:00

Holy cow. This is turning into the summer that could have been. Apparently Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band were in Detroit yesterday and I had NO IDEA they were performing less than an hour away from me. Son of a bitch. And he has a really really good opener touring with him, who is the focus of today's post (and how I found out that I just missed them here...sigh).

A.A. Bondy is touring with Conor Oberst for a bit this summer. Bondy used to front the Alabama rock band, Verbena, but when they broke up in 2003 he started composing stripped down indie folk tunes. His first solo album, American Hearts, is fantastic, and the title track from his sophomore album, When the Devil's Loose, is pretty awesome as well. The new album is set to be released September 1st on Fat Possum Records. If you go to his page at Fat Possum, you can download a track from American Hearts. It's free and it's good, so do it.... Though I'm bummed that I missed out on this show, if you live in Bloomington, IN or Athens, GA there is still hope for you! They will be in Indiana on the 20th, and Georgia on the 21st. If you don't conveniently live in or near those places, you should still take a minute and check out A.A. Bondy's music. It won't be a waste of time.
When The Devil's Loose (boxstr)

Farewell Good Night's Sleep

2009-07-15T12:51:00.004-04:00

So I keep getting all these little music samplers and the most recent came via NPR music promoting the 50th Newport Folk Festival coming up in August, and it's just like shoving daggers into my heart because there is no way I can go, and it reminds me that this is like the 4th festival of awesomeness happening this summer that I cannot attend. Sigh. At least I've discovered a crap ton of music in the last couple weeks that will get me through. Prepare for a multitude of posts in the next week or so...

First up for my new music discoveries is Lay Low. If you're in the mood for melancholic country-ish music (it seems like I have lately...) you should check out Icelandic singer/songwriter Lay Low. Her sound on the most recent album reminds me a lot of She & Him...Apparently she's been around the music scene for a few years now, but me being forever late for everything, just discovered her music last week. Her first album, Please Don't Hate Me, is definitely more bluesy that the most recent old school country inspired, Farewell Good Night's Sleep, but both are solid and worth a listen. If you join her mailing list she'll even give you a free download. Yippee! To hear more of her songs check out her myspace...
Last Time Around - (boxstr)

tribute to

2009-07-09T09:53:00.004-04:00

I could try really hard to put into words how awesome Yim Yames' (aka Jim James from MMJ) solo EP, Tribute To, is but I don't think I'd be able to do it. You just have to buy it and listen. The six song EP is absolutely gorgeous. He recorded the songs after George Harrison's death in 2001, and is just now releasing them. He released the songs digitally on his website this past Tuesday, and the actual CD and/or vinyl will be released on August 4th. You can get one of the tracks "Behind that Locked Door" for free, but I really suggest just spending the $6 and download the whole thing. Seriously it's beautiful.
All Things Must Pass (boxstr)

joe pug for FREES!

2009-07-08T09:12:00.005-04:00

You all should know by now how much I enjoy Joe Pug's music. So while I was poking around on twitter, I see that the WONDERFUL folks at Paste Magazine posted that Joe Pug is giving away his new EP, In The Meantime, away on his website for zero dollars. It pretty much made my day, and it's only 9:15am. All you have to do is join his email list and you get a link in an email to download the five song album. You know what would be an awesome thank you that you could give Mr. Pug? Going to one of his shows. They are pretty fantastic. I'm just sayin'...
In The Meantime (zshare)

whistling is funnnnnnn

2009-07-08T08:48:00.004-04:00

Andrew Bird was on Conan last night, and as I was watching the clip this morning (I'm too lame to stay up late during the week...) I was thinking about how even though his songs are not usually about happy fun things, but he puts them to such happy melodies and adds in the whistling and before you know it you're bobbing your head to music with lyrics like "Thank God it's fatal." I love it. He just released his fall tour dates, and it looks like I might be making a road trip to Kalamazoo this fall so I can see him again. And rising star St.Vincent is joining him for most of the fall tour. Yay.

Fake Palindromes (zshare)

happy discovery day

2009-07-07T08:55:00.007-04:00

So the Discovery LP officially dropped today. Hooray. It's all autotune wonderful. If you don't know who Discovery is, it's the glorious side project of Wes Miles of Ra Ra Riot and Rostam Batmanglij of Vampire Weekend. I know most of you probably have the majority of the album from the leaked songs BUT if you purchase it through Amie Street then $2 goes to Oxfam America, a relief and development organization. Good cause and some good music...
So Insane (zshare)

I've also been listening to Conor Oberst's most recent album, Outer South. It came out forever ago, but it took me a long time to really get into it. I think I still like his solo stuff better, but it's nice to hear Conor really kind of let loose with this album...I mean you definitely wouldn't have heard a song like "Air Mattress" on any of his other albums. I'm glad I didn't give up on this one.
Nikorette (zshare)

so much MJ so little time

2009-07-06T21:18:00.005-04:00

I know all the Michael Jackson tributes/mash-ups/remixes are soooo last week but this one was on repeat this past weekend, so I HAD to share it with those of you who haven't heard it yet. I love Q-Tip. I loved his last album, The Renaissance. So listen to this, and then go buy the album.
Breathe and Stop vs. Don't Stop Til You Get Enough (White Label mix) (zshare)
Gettin Up (zshare)

thank you concert gods

2009-07-02T00:31:00.007-04:00

So it looked really grim for the Alice Russell concert tonight. It started raining at like 5:30 and didn't look like it was going to let up by 8:30. I had resigned myself to the fact that it just wasn't in the cards for Alice to play in Ann Arbor this year. But thank you 8lb 4oz baby Jesus for making the Summer Festival people so flexible and figuring out a way to let Alice still perform. She ended up performing underneath the booze tent. It was almost better this way. It felt way more personal. There were only maybe like 50 people there, but I'm sure that everybody was glad that they braved the rain b/c she was just fantastic. She just had an acoustic guitar and a violin to back her, so sadly she didn't do "Seven Nation Army" like I hoped she would, but she did do an absolutely brilliant "Crazy" cover. I had heard her cover of it before but damn. Hearing it live is a whole different ballgame. I had goosebumps. She's headed to Canada for a couple shows then it's back to Europe for a little more touring. If you have a chance, go see her live. Her albums are great and all but hearing her live is just too awesome to pass up. I tried to take some video, but my camera battery died...I did get about 20 seconds of her singing "Turn and Run" though, which is still cool. Seriously go see her sing.
Crazy

Alice Russell @ A2 Summer Festival

2009-06-30T13:43:00.009-04:00

The Summer Festival in Ann Arbor is almost over (so sad). I've been fortunate to see some pretty awesome acts so far: Los Lobos, Savion Glover, Zap Mama, and Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings to name a few. Sharon Jones has DEFINITELY been the best one yet. There have been some great acts on the outdoor stage too that unfortunately I couln't go to. My My My and hometown favorites My Dear Disco and The Macpodz are the ones that come to mind...But one that I'm for sure not missing is Alice Russell tomorrow night. If you don't know who she is check her out right now. I know there seems to be a lot of singers crowding the "vintage" soul genre as of late, but Alice Russell is seriously really good. She was slated to open for Jose Gonzalez on the main stage, but after Jose canceled due to a family emergency, the festival organizers moved some things around so Alice can still perform. She takes the stage tomorrow on the outdoor stage (aka the free stage) at 8:30pm. I am SO happy that the organizers didn't scrap her performance. Her most recent album, Pot of Gold, is out now and it's really good, but you shouldn't overlook her earlier albums Under the Munka Moon and My Favourite Letters. They are worth a listen too.
Seven Nation Army (zshare)
Turn and Run (zshare)
A Blind Salamander - My My My (zshare)
White Lies - My Dear Disco (zshare)
Panama Jackalope - The Macpodz (zshare)

everyone needs some good drinking songs

2009-06-30T08:59:00.015-04:00

That's what Deer Tick makes. Fabulous songs that make you think you're in some dive bar with an old jukebox playing songs by guys with croaky cigarette laced drawls that sound as booze soaked as the guy next to you crying into his beer.

Last week, Deer Tick released their sophomore album, Born On Flag Day. It's got a bit of a different feel to it than their first album War Elephant. I was turned on to Deer Tick after hearing their songs "Art Isn't Real (City of Sin)" and "Ashamed." I had an instant connection with the song "Art Isn't Real (City of Sin)"...you know when you hear a song and think that it's totally the story of your life? Cliché, I know, but still. And if that's what it takes me to discover a really fantastic band, then so be it.

Anyways, Deer Tick released their new album and I really really like it. Maybe not quite as much as War Elephant, but it's still really good. The first track, "Easy", is really the most radio friendly track on the album. It really kicks starts the album. But after it's done the album kind of takes on a softer side for the next few songs. Not a bad thing, just a little different. "Song About a Man" is a powerful slow burner of a song that is the perfect end to the slower portion of the album. Things start to pick back up with "Houston, TX" which leads right in to the high energy honky-tonk meets "Johnny B. Goode" track "Straight into a Storm." The hidden track, a beer fueled cover of the standard "Goodnight Irene" is fantastic. So don't stop listening after "Stung" finishes up. This album is definitely worth your while. I also hear they put on rockin live shows so try and catch them live sometime this summer too.
Easy .
Song About A Man .
Straight Into A Storm .

the king of pop and sharon jones

2009-06-25T22:20:00.014-04:00

First and foremost a HUGE HUGE HUGE RIP to the one and only Michael Jackson. I think I'm still in shock that he's actually dead. True, he was completely bat shit crazy, but he pioneered pop music, and no matter what he will always be the king of pop. The "Thriller" video always terrified me but I watched it anyways b/c it was (and is) awesome. His music always takes me back to elementary school when our 4th and 5th grade classes sang "Man in the Mirror" at school assemblies. What a sad day. RIP MJ. What a shitty week in the entertainment world losing 3 icons in one week. Oofda.

But the main point of this post is Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings. If you haven't seen them live you are SERIOUSLY missing out. They played the Summer Festival here in Ann Arbor tonight and it was awesome. Some of the old fuddy duddies were upset that the main floor got turned into a dance floor but seriously. If you don't start moving when Sharon Jones is on stage something is wrong with you. Sharon Jones is a spark plug, whose petite 4'11" frame flies around the stage dancing up a storm, as she belts out funky soul tune after funky soul tune. You would NEVER NEVER guess that she was 53 years old. It is about time that she is getting the attention she very much deserves. She and the Dap-Kings have a new album coming out soon and from the tracks she played tonight from it, it's going to be a damn good album. Go see her live...she's playing a bunch of festivals this summer...and buy her albums. NOW!!
This Land Is Your Land
Humble Me
Nobody's Baby

Check it out...

2009-06-23T22:41:00.013-04:00

So I've been meaning to feature some of the stuff that's been sent to me for a looooooooooong time now. Sorry to the bands for the delay...I really do enjoy getting notes from people telling me to check out their stuff. I've received a pretty wide range of acts so far, and these are my favorite ones, so you should definitely check them out!

First up is Apteka. If you're a shoegazer you'll probably most definitely like this band. They're even offering up their tour EP for free download via their myspace page. Check them out!
If You Were Here

Next, Suds and Soda has been generating some buzz. Most of the time I have to be in a certain mood to enjoy the type of electro/dance pop that they do, and I'm either in one of those moods or they're just good. I'm going to lean towards the latter because on multiple listens I don't turn it off. They're busy doing lots of remixes and such so be on the lookout!
Style Over Substance

Joseph Scott makes some nice abient electronica music that is perfect to just chill out to. From his press release: "the hushed-pulsating-vibrating-still-dreaming-luminousintimate
sounds of this EP are abundant with artistic singularities and personal meanings." Kind of a mouthful of a description, but he's worth a listen!
Celeste

And last but not least, Trevor Giulliani. He has a Andrew Bird/Sufjan Stevens/Jens Lekman feel to his sound and it is really nice to just relax to. His debut album, Subcontrario (In Stereo), drops on July 21st, and you can pre-order it from his myspace or his label, Dovecote Records. I suggest you do so.
Wasting Your Town

That's it for now. If you want to submit something to me, I definitely encourage it! I can't promise everything will make it on here, but I'll do my best. So drop me an email and I'll see what I can do.

Mixtape mania

2009-06-22T20:51:00.013-04:00

My life has taken a turn towards crazytown lately, so I apologize for the lack of posts/not updating links since boxstr still sucks donkey nards. I went through and put in some better links in the most recent posts and I managed to find some time to share some new stuff I've gotten with y'all.

i know I'm late with this but Santigold's mixtape is hot. There was a contoversy b/c someone sent a cease and desist order to the maker (not Santigold...), Terry Urban, but there are still ways to get it if you search for it. My fave track is Andre 3000 and Bun B's contribution.
You'll Find A Way Player

And keeping with the mixtape theme, my favorite DC area rapper Wale released his mixtape "Back to the Feature". I absolutely love it. For those who don't know me personally, I am a HUGE fan of UofM football, so the shout out he gives to Tim Biakabutuka, the Michigan running back form the 90s, in the track "Wonder Why" makes me happy. Wale's wordplay is fantastic, and he has some hot producers and guest appearances on it. Def check it out.
5 Minutes feat. Skyzoo
Life's a Bitch feat. Talib Kweli & Joel Ortiz
Wonder Why feat. Big Sean, Ken Starr, & Mike Posner
New Soul feat. Yael Naim

Because I don't want to be at work...

2009-06-16T08:41:00.013-04:00

So because I REALLY don't want to be at work today, I am procrastinating and writing up a little note for y'all. Moving sucks. Just going to throw that out there. But there is some pretty sweet music that's about to drop, has dropped, and has been getting buzz lately that has been keeping my spirits up as I try to unpack and reorganize my life. But before I start on that, I just want to let you know that I've caught the Twitter bug. Follow me on there and you'll get random musings and notices about new posts. Check out the Twitter update box on the left side of the page...

There have been lots of leaked tracks from Discovery's upcoming LP lately. I like them. I didn't expect to because they discovered (ha!) their love of Autotune, and we all know how much I dislike Autotune. They're streaming 4 songs on their website. Check them out, and if you like them buy the LP when it drops July 7th.
I Want You Back

I also feel like Jenny Owen Youngs has been getting a fair amount of buzz lately. I might be lying but I feel like there was a week long period where every music site had something about her....Anyways, I saw her open for someone last year and I really liked her. Her stage presence is great....tells lots of great stories. And she does fun covers (see Hot in Herre video) and my favorite song of hers, "Fuck Was I," is off her 2005 album Batten The Hatches. Her new album is good too...check it out her myspace page and try to catch her live.
Fuck Was I
Led To The Sea

And finally there is an indie folk lover's wet dream in the making. Conor Oberst, Jim James, and M. Ward finally made an album together after touring together way back in 2004 on the Monsters of Folk tour. The new album drops conveniently the day after my birthday, September 22. Happy birthday to me.
Girl From The North Country

Boxstr Blows

2009-06-15T11:04:00.003-04:00

I apologize for most of my links not working...Boxstr decided to be all sucky and disappear. Argh. I'll work on reuploading the songs to a different site (anyone have any suggestions?), but it might take a while because I just moved and need to unpack. So, be patient...we'll be back up and running soon. Until then f you boxstr. You suck.

Flashback Friday #3

2009-06-12T10:00:00.009-04:00

I had a pretty fantastic week. I got into the grad school I wanted, I didn't have to stay late at work once, and I got a mystery check in the mail for $40. Life is goooooood. So in an homage to the 2am sing-a-longs that happened my senior year in college, today's Flashback Friday post is all about OLD Weezer. New Weezer sucks ass (see MGMT/Lady Gaga cover, Snuggies, that Beverly Hills craptastic song, etc.). However, their old stuff still rocks. Nothing will ever be better than coming down the stairs at 2am, taking a break from cramming for a Biochem test and seeing your housemates jumping up and down, screaming at the top of their lungs all the words to every song on The Blue Album. BEST STUDY BREAK EVER.
The World Has Turned And Left Me Here (hl)
In The Garage (hl)
Surfwax America (hl)

the more i buy the more i'm bought

2009-06-12T08:47:00.005-04:00

I know I've blogged about him before, but Joe Pug is awesome. The Chicago based singer/songwriter is going to be to playing the Newport Folk Festival this year, and I really really really really wish I could go. Seriously it's going to be amazing. Look at the line-up and tell me you're not impressed. I dare you. Anyways, I was browsing his myspace page the other day to see if there's any new material, and after being thoroughly impressed with his tour schedule (touring with Steve Earle and Josh Ritter and hitting up a bazillion festivals...), I found a video of him giving six concerts in six hours in Chicago. I love it.

I also came across tracks from a show he did at Schuba's Tavern in Chi-town thanks to Ghost of Electricity. I love Tom Waits and I think he does a pretty decent job on Ol' 55. Better than the Eagles version (I hate the fucking Eagles, man). I've been fortunate to see Joe live twice, and REALLY recommend that everybody try to catch him at least once this summer.
Ol' 55 (hl)

Simmer down simmer down simmer down...

2009-06-09T23:25:00.007-04:00

Mos Def was on Letterman last night (6/8) and rocked out on the timpanis performing "Quiet Dog." TOTALLY rocked it and made me love him even more. Plus the Fela Kuti intro was pretty sweet too.

As I said in my previous post, his new album The Ecstatic, dropped earlier today. It's pretty on point, minus a 3 song lull towards the end. After the track "Pretty Dancer" he kind of tunes out until "History" with Talib Kweli. Secretly (or not so secretly) I want there to be a Black Star reunion album sooo badly, so whenever Mos and Talib team up it makes me happy. The first six or seven tracks are definitely the best, and I'm sure they will move into my regular rotation quickly. Overall I give the album 3 1/2 out of 4....because maybe the 3 songs I hate will grow on me. But it's definitely a very very solid album. Buy it here...it's only $3.99....
Priority (hl)
Auditorium (hl)

Mos Def is back!

2009-06-09T10:38:00.005-04:00

IT'S FINALLY HERE! And it's hype. Well worth the wait. I'm in the middle of listening to it right now, but wanted to plug the new album right away. Seriously, I love it. Go buy it NOW. I'll post a better review after I've listened to it a few more times...

This track was posted in short on Mos's myspace page before the album dropped. When he posted it I was REALLY hoping it was part of the album and it was. holleRRR.

Seriously buy the album.
Wahid-(hl)

D.O.A.

2009-06-08T10:09:00.007-04:00

I HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE AutoTune. It's about time somebody called it out. I love you Jay-Z.

"I know we facin' a recession, but the music ya'll makin gonna make it a great depression....This is Death of Autotune, moment of silence"

word.
D.O.A. (Death of AutoTune)-(hl)

pack it up pack it in

2009-06-08T08:50:00.006-04:00

I'm moving this coming weekend, so that means that every spare second of my day is spent shoving everything I own into boxes. I HATE packing. In college when I'd move out of the dorms, I would usually wait until the morning my dad would pick me up to start shoving things into oversize garbage bags. He wouldn't be pleased but I'd get the job done. But now that I'm theoretically older and wiser, I'm trying out this whole "non-procrastination" thing. So to get me through packing (to the dismay of my current neighbors) I've been blaring my music. Yesterday I accidentally went on a Yeah Yeah Yeahs bender. To be honest I had never really listened to them a lot. They were one of those bands I knew I should like but could never really get into. Until yesterday. I was a packing MACHINE yesterday. Thank you Karen O. I started with "Zero" off their their new album, It's Blitz!, because it's all 80's synth wonderful. Instead of shuffling to a different artist my computer played a couple more songs off that album, and I was hooked. My living room was done in an hour and a half. I got to pack up most of my bedroom while rocking out to their back catalog. And to top off the wonderful day, just as I was coming down (aka giving up for the day), the acoustic version of "Maps" came on. PERFECT.
They are playing in El Paso, Texas on Wednesday and if my friend who lives there doesn't go to the show, I'm punching her in the face next time I see her. Well not really, but I'll be super disappointed...
Maps (acoustic) (hl)
Black Tongue (hl)
Phenomena (hl)
Y Control (hl)
Dull Life (hl)

RIP Koko Taylor

2009-06-03T23:27:00.004-04:00

It is a sad sad day. Blues legend Koko Taylor passed away earlier today from complications from surgery to fix a gastrointestinal bleed. She was 80 years old.

Taylor was the reigning Queen of the Blues, and leaves some HUGE shoes to fill. Her breakout hit was "Wang Dang Doodle" when she first signed to Chess Records in 1965. She held her own in the male dominated Chicago blues scene, with her signature growl and emotional singing style. After she moved to Alligator Records, almost all of her albums were nominated for Grammy's, and you'd be hard pressed to find a current blues artist who doesn't cite Taylor as a major influence. Koko you will be missed....
Voodoo Woman
I Got What It Takes

Bon Iver rocks my socks

2009-06-02T15:24:00.009-04:00

Man do I love me some Bon Iver. This live track I came across at box of boom via The Hype Machine seriously is my new favorite. It's from the Radio City Music Hall concert for the Dark was the Night/Red Hot Organization fundraising concert (remember I told you to buy the compilation b/c it's stocked with really great music and proceeds go to a good cause?). I have yet to see Bon Iver live (though I'm hoping to this summer...), so I'm sustaining myself by watching YouTube clips and blog surfing for anything that could remotely be considered new material and keeping what I do have in steady rotation on my iPod. I also love the video at the end of this post. I love it for the dog that wanders through, the random people who walk in on the impromptu concert, and for just making me smile every time I see it.
Flume (with My Brightest Diamond)

flashback friday...take 2

2009-05-29T08:27:00.014-04:00

I think I might make this whole "flashback friday" idea a regular thing. It's fun. If you don't like it don't read on Fridays. Ha.

If you can't remember the lyrics to "What I got", I'm afraid we can't be friends. I realized that it has been 13 years (as of May 25th) since Sublime lead singer Bradley Nowell died of a heroin overdose. Sublime was probably my absolute FAVORITE band from when they released the "What I Got" single until at least through 1998....I mean they're still up there now, but back then I was a little bit obsessed. I could probably still sing along with any of their songs off of their self titled major label debut album, Sublime, and at least a few other classics like 40oz to Freedom and Waiting for my Rucca. Apparently they had a reunion concert in March, but I would think that without Brad, they probably sounded like a good Sublime cover band. So, in honor of the late Bradley Nowell, here are some of my favorite Sublime tracks. Crack open some of the finest malt liquor available and enjoy.
April 22, 1992 (Miami)
40oz to Freedom
54-46/Ball and Chain
Jailhouse
What I Got
Waiting for My Ruca

Heartless Bastards live in studio

2009-05-27T11:12:00.005-04:00

One of my new favorite bands stopped in at Luxury Wafers for an in studio performance. I dig it. You probably will too. They are pretty sweet in concert (I saw them open for The Gaslight Anthem) and you should definitely check them out if they are coming to your area...

Heartless Bastards - The Mountain - Luxury Wafers Sessions from Luxury Wafers on Vimeo.

Sway
Hold Your Head High

Smoke em if you got em....

2009-05-27T10:24:00.005-04:00

I'm the first to admit that I am really really lazy. Which totally explains why I love music aggregating sites like the hype machine, elbows, stumbleupon, blip.fm, and pandora. I don't actually have to dig for it, the music kind of just comes right to me. Enter William Elliott Whitmore. Thanks to a friend's husband's love of Tom Waits, and Pandora's Tom Waits station, I discovered WEW. I love him. His voice is all gritty like, he writes about bums, and is just all around awesome.
Old Devils
There's Hope For You
Hell or High Water

reason #2394873 why i love stumble upon

2009-05-22T14:59:00.008-04:00

So while Stumbling through YouTube, I came across this video. I really dig her sound. After a little more research, I found out she is signed to Jack Johnson's label (which makes sense). She will also be playing at Bonnaroo. Apparently Zee Avi was discovered via YouTube by Raconteur's drummer Patrick Keeler, who forwarded the video on, blah blah blah. Basically check her out. Her first album was just released on the 19th. You should probably buy it.
Bitter Heart -mp3
Brushfire Records
Zee Avi's Website
Find Zee Avi on Myspace

flashback friday?

2009-05-22T11:19:00.012-04:00

Because I'm bored and my iPod was on point this morning, I decided to write up a short ode to the marvelous hip-hop of the early/mid 90's. My morning started off with Young MC's "Bust a Move", which I know isn't technically a 90's song but whatever. It made my morning SOOO much better. Then it played "Wild Thing" by Tone-Loc, but it played the Peaches remix that I have instead of the original. Kind of amazing. So here's a couple other favorite/guilty pleasures (plus a cover of Biz Markie's Just a Friend by a local band who are great....check out Tally Hall here) to get you through today and excited for the long weekend.

Just a Friend - Tally Hall
Just a Friend - Biz Markie
Humpty Dance - Digital Underground
Wild Thing (Peaches Remix) - Tone-Loc
Bust A Move - Young MC

who doesn't love the cello?

2009-05-19T15:35:00.009-04:00

I've been meaning to write something up on Ben Sollee for a looooong time but for one reason or another haven't until now. If you've never heard of him, go to his website and buy his CD. Coolest cello playing ever. I bet if more kids heard his music there'd be a flood of little 5th graders running to learn how to play the cello. I first saw him when he was touring with Abigail Washburn and the Sparrow Quartet (they are also AMAZING and you should definitely go see them if and when they tour together again...Bela Fleck is in it if you need some added incentive...which you shouldn't) and immediately bought his album "Learning to Bend." Then he came back to Ann Arbor last month with Vienna Teng and Alex Wong (he's in The Paper Raincoat...another band you should check out) and played a solo set. He didn't disappoint at all, and I think he gained a whole bunch of new fans, as his CDs almost sold out the first night of a 2 night gig. And he's a super nice guy. And he went after how lame Kanye's gotten. And he's been working with My Morning Jacket's Jim James on an upcoming EP. So basically check this guy out. Buy his music. See him live. Read this nice little article about him.
The end.

Dear Kanye
How To See The Sun Rise
Bury Me With My Car
Mute With A Bullhorn

good rappers ain't eatin' they olson twinin'

2009-05-18T15:53:00.010-04:00

I'm wondering why D.C. area rapper Wale hasn't completely blown up yet....his stuff is wayyyyy better than the mainstream crap that's married to the god damn AutoTune. He's been featured on a couple Roots' songs but besides that I've only been able to find a few remixes and random singles....Anyways, he's touring this summer so def check him out.

RH TV: Wale Live in Chicago pt1 from Ruby Hornet on Vimeo.

Chillin' - Wale ft. Lady Gaga
Nike Boots
w.a.l.e.d.a.n.c.e

Weezer doing MGMT and Lady Gaga

2009-05-18T13:47:00.003-04:00

hmm. I'm still undecided on this one but check it out for yourselves....

and if you decide that you like it here's a mp3 version
Kids/Poker Face - Weezer

Things I can't get enough of lately

2009-05-15T10:40:00.011-04:00

Ra Ra Riot- They make me happy. Buy their album and/or go see them live.
Blip.fm - check out what I'm listening to when I'm too lazy to make a post here. My DJ name is kari8306.
Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears - I think I'm a little slow on the uptake with them, but whatever. I've been waiting for a new voice in the blues/soul department since Otis Redding and Sam Cooke aren't going to be feeding my obsession with new material anytime soon. Raphael Saadiq kind of filled that void for a while but Black Joe Lewis has a bit more energy. I also hear they put on a great high energy show, so if they're playing near you go see them.

Can You Tell (Discovery remix) - Ra Ra Riot
Get Your Shit - Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears
Sugarfoot - Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears
Bitch I Love You - Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears
100 Yard Dash - Raphael Saadiq

lots o' new stuff

2009-05-12T14:51:00.004-04:00

New Mos Def song form his eagerly awaited new album, The Ecstatic, which drops June 9th. He's also got some sweet new vids up on his myspace page. And Wes Miles from Ra Ra Riot and Rostam Batmanglij from Vampire Weekend collaborated to form Discovery. I like it. You will probably like it to...

Casa Bey - Mos Def
Orange Shirt - Discovery
Osaka Loop Line - Discovery

this is cool

2009-05-07T09:29:00.006-04:00

So I've already professed my love for Radiohead multiple times, as well as my occasional love of mashups, remixes, and things of that sort. I came across this thanks to StumbleUpon (seriously the greatest thing ever...). The guy that does these mashups has a whole slew of them, most of them are pretty good, but this is by far my favorite. Be sure to check out the website for more cool sounds...

Radiohead vs. Dave Brubeck - mp3

things i like

2009-05-04T10:15:00.010-04:00

So I FINALLY got my copy of Bob Dylan's new album in the mail on Friday (woohoo!). I'm not a huge fan of all the songs but I would say the majority of the album lives up to the hype. His voice sounds pretty rough throughout the album, but he seems to know the limits of it and kind of speak sings his way through the songs, and it works. I'm drawn to the more bluesy tracks on the album, but I think that's just the kind of mood I've been in lately. All in all, I think this album definitely is worth buying...just give it a few listens and you'll be hooked!
It's All Good
Forgetful Heart

In other news, I've been turned on to the band Deer Tick. A friend listens to them and thought I'd enjoy their sound. Long story short; they're awesome. They rocked out at SXSW this year and have a new album dropping June 23rd, but their album "War Elephant" is out now and I highly recommend buying it if you enjoy the kind of Alt/Indie/Country sound. They will also be touring with some of my other fav groups Jenny Lewis and the Heartless Bastards. I'm sure that would be a GREAT concert.
Art Isn't Real (City of Sin) - Deer Tick
Ashamed - Deer Tick
Jack Killed Mom - Jenny Lewis
Out At Sea - Heartless Bastards

i want to punch chris martin in the face....

2009-04-26T02:11:00.002-04:00

I despise Chris Martin and his stupid band Coldplay. But I LOVE this:

check out the other videos from PS22. They are fantastic.

T-minus 1 week...

2009-04-21T21:01:00.003-04:00

Until "Together Through Life" comes out!!! I know you're on the edge of your seat too...I REALLY hope it lives up to the hype. You can stream the track "Feel A Change Comin' On" and pre-order the album on his website: bobdylan.com

His face is kind of fucked up...

2009-04-21T20:45:00.007-04:00

But holy shitballs Thom York and Radiohead make good ass music. I think I heard someone's so-so cover of "Idioteque" yesterday and all I can freaking listen to today is Radiohead. I think after 4+ hours I've now become borderline obsessive. And I think they (or at least their old label did) released deluxe versions/collector's editions/rare single ep's of Radiohead's first three albums....maybe I'll get around to checking those out. And if you haven't had the pleasure of catching them live DO IT. Even if you have to drive for hours to get to the closest show. Seriously. Until then enjoy some of my favorite tracks...
Jigsaw Falling Into Place
Idioteque
Fake Plastic Trees
2+2=5 (The Lukewarm)
Paranoid Android

woohoo for new vampire weekend!

2009-04-10T09:24:00.007-04:00

I'm about a month late on this find too....oh well. New Vampire Weekend song debuted on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon a few weeks ago. New album hopefully coming this fall. Check it out...
White Sky

Also this song is not Vampire Weekend related but it's cool too.
Gifted - N.A.S.A. feat Kanye West, Santogold (or Santigold...whatever she's going by these days..) & Lykke Li

andrew bird live = GREATNESS

2009-04-09T09:13:00.008-04:00

Go see Andrew Bird live. He has one of the coolest stage set-ups I've ever seen, complete with crazy phonograph type speakers made specially for him. He does this crazy looping thing with his instruments, and he whistles. A lot. I got to see him for free last night thanks to my awesome ushering gig. Minus a d-bag fellow usher who was trying to dance like he was at a fucking rave (I don't know you please don't stand right next to me when there's a whole fucking aisle to do your crazy ass raver moves), I had a great time. He played a some songs from his most recent album, Noble Beast, but also played songs from his older albums (woohoo!). His stories about how he ended up writing a lot of his songs were funny too. Moral of this post: Go see Andrew Bird live. You won't regret it.
Masterswarm
Scythian Empires
Plasticities

Concerts and Papercuts

2009-04-06T23:00:00.007-04:00

I've been on a concert streak lately and have had the pleasure of seeing some really great live music. Ra Ra Riot, Joe Pug, and The Gaslight Anthem to name a few. So I've been perusing all the venues in the area hoping to catch some more great acts. I came across a listing for a Vetiver show in May. Super jazzed for that show (loooooove Vetiver) but for kicks I decided to take a look at their openers: Papercuts and Aran Ruth. I must say I was pleasantly surprised by Papercuts. Papercuts is led by Jason Quever who has collaborated with Vetiver in the past, and the new album (to be released next week) is from the label run by fellow indie-folk artists Devendra Banhart and Vetiver's Andy Cabic. No wonder they are touring with Vetiver ha. Anyways, back to the music. Papercuts' sound is very chill, low-fi, and awesome. Check him out.....
Future Primitive (from new album, You Can Have What You Want)
Dear Employee
Buy Papercuts new album here

And because I feel like something more upbeat is needed,
She Came Along - Sharam feat. Kid Cudi

Hendrix on cassette

2009-04-02T15:46:00.003-04:00

Ok, this isn't a song posting but this is way too cool. Using my new procrastination tool StumbleUpon (check it out if you don't know what it is...), I came across across this artist's Flickr page. Iri5 is creating a series of portraits of mostly musicians using cassette tapes called "Ghost in the Machine." Pretty freaking cool if you ask me. Check out their Flickr profile here.

good music for a good cause

2009-04-02T13:10:00.006-04:00

I know I'm a little slow on the uptake with this one but my excuse is that I was out of the country for a few weeks...
Anyways, if you hate HIV/AIDS but love good music you should probably buy this year's Dark Was The Night charity compilation. Proceeds benefit the Red Hot Organization, which has been fighting AIDS through pop culture/music since 1989. Find out more about Red Hot here. So for a measly $13 you get 2 CD's of really great music (there's also a triple-vinyl option....which is pretty sweet) and you help support a good organization. Here are some of my faves from it...3 of which are covers...There are actually quite a few pretty decent covers in this compilation, but I digress. Here's the music:
Cello Song - The Books feat. Jose Gonzalez
Train Song - Feist + Ben Gibbard
Inspiration Information - Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
The Giant of Illinois - Andrew Bird
and because I'm currently battling a significant Bon Iver obsession his track from the compilation...
Bracket, WI

Together Through Life

2009-03-31T09:09:00.004-04:00

I may or may not have a sizable obsession with Bob Dylan. So I was really excited when I heard a few weeks ago that he's got a new album coming out at the end of April. Even more excited when I found out he's giving one of the tracks away for FREE on his website through tonight at midnight (3/31). If you're too lazy to make it to his website here's the track. I'm really hoping that the album is as good if not better than Modern Times (which is what some people are saying).
Beyond Here Lies Nothin'

e.e. cummings is so hot right now

2009-03-29T22:26:00.006-04:00

I freaking love Ra Ra Riot. So naturally I was pumped when I heard that they were playing the Blind Pig. They did not disappoint at all. They started playing pretty late (I've turned into an old woman since I've been out of college....sigh...) because there were 2 opening bands. The first one was just loud and forgettable but the second opener, Cut Off Your Hands, were pretty good. Definitely got me pumped for Ra Ra Riot. By the time Ra Ra Riot started my friend and I had weaseled our way pretty close to the stage, and minus some insane drunk girls in front of us, had a baller time. The show had some crazy good energy that lasted all the way through the encore. The cellist and violinist are good. I mean the whole band is great but man, I can't even imagine how hard it must be to play while moving all around the stage. Mad props to them. I HIGHLY recommend seeing them live if you get a chance....
Dying is Fine
Ghost Under Rocks
St. Peter's Day Festival

COYH - You & I

SXSW preview

2009-03-10T12:59:00.003-04:00

Because I'm so incredibly bummed that I won't be going to SXSW this year, I was excited to at least get a small taste of some of the bands that will be there this year thanks to NPR. Though this doesn't cover even half of the acts, it's still pretty good. Maybe I can make it next year...sigh.
SXSW preview album

Also, I put up a request on Facebook asking what people's "comfort music" was. A guy I went to school with wayyy back in the day (like elementary/middle school..) who is doing the music thing in LA, sent me his myspace page. It's definitely worth a look/listen: http://www.myspace.com/bryanhappens

This is cool too

2009-03-06T18:39:00.002-05:00

I have loved this song for like a year and a half now and this came out a few weeks ago....

Nation of Heat

2009-03-06T16:09:00.003-05:00

So, some more about this Joe Pug character. I'm a pretty big fan. I love his voice, his guitar style, and most of all his lyrics. I'm super excited for when he comes back to Ann Arbor to play at the end of the month. I still can't believe the A2 Folk Festival only let him play one song a night. LAME. Anywho...check him out. I think he has a full album coming out this spring/summer so be on the lookout. In the meantime check out his EP here, and if he's coming to perform somewhere near you go see him. You won't be disappointed....
Nation of Heat
I Do My Father's Drugs
Bury Me Far From My Uniform
Unsophisticated Heart

Flippy floppies?

2009-02-27T23:29:00.004-05:00

This is the ONLY time I condone the use of a vocoder. Otherwise they need to all be destroyed. Lonely Island feat T Pain "I'm On A Boat" is just freaking funny. Lonely Island's other songs are probably hilarious too but man. This is g-reat.

Got an attitude stank as a landfill

2009-02-26T12:40:00.007-05:00

I've had a track by the Saturday Knights for a while but recently re-discovered them thanks to my iPod being on shuffle. These guys are a lot of fun. Their video they put out last week (?) is absolutely hilarious. It's def an ode to old school sesame street complete with kids and puppets. They get some baller beats and their songs easily transition from straight hip-hop to synthy-pop to a garage rock sound and back again. From their myspace page (and I agree 100%...)
"Look, just go bust out the windows and pop the tires on your boyfriend's car, then leave him a note telling him you don't ever want to see him again because you're with The Saturday Knights now."
Their album, Mingle, is on emusic, amazon, and probably iTunes so CHECK THEM OUT!

45
Dog Show

In West Philadelphia born and raised....

2009-02-17T09:46:00.007-05:00

In the last couple of days I've gotten a bunch of new stuff. Most notably M.Ward's new album, Hold Time and Dan Auerbach's (from the Black Keys) album, Keep it Hid. I haven't had a chance to really go through them yet (I really like what I hear so far...) but wanted to post a couple other songs that I found...

Going back to the whole soul obsession + love of mash ups/remixes, how about this:
Smokey Robinson - Tears of a Clown (ActionJackson Remix)

And kind of doing a 180, I love the punk/pop/dance duo Matt & Kim. Kim on the drums and Matt on the keyboards....they're pretty great.
Matt & Kim - Daylight

And this is just too awesome not to share. I grew up watching Fresh Prince, and I still know all the words to the theme song. So how about an acoustic cover of it?
Kay Pettigrew - Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

Totally bummed

2009-02-14T14:08:00.008-05:00

I've been looking forward to Mos Def's new album "The Ecstatic" for a loooooooong time. It was slated for a Feb. 24th release and now there are conflicting reports saying it might have been pushed back to a June release. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I need some new Mos in my life. He's released 2 songs off it and I'm really hoping that the rest of the album lives up to these tracks.

Quiet Dog (hotlinkfile)
Life in Marvelous Times

Awaiting M. Ward...

2009-02-12T16:08:00.011-05:00

Things I’m looking forward to next week: M.Ward’s new album. Seriously CANNOT wait. If you don’t know who he is, you better wake the f up. He’s most famous as the “Him” of the group She and Him with Zooey Deschannel (the girl from Elf, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, crazy girlfriend on Weeds, etc.). Their album was prob one of the best albums of 2008 in my humble opinion. But his solo stuff is pretty darn fantastic (see post #1 about me and folk-y music...). Is it the 17th yet? In the meantime these songs have been rotating through my iPod with ever increasing frequency...

It's like Alvin and the Chipmunks took a bunch of speed and learned to rap...

Durrty Goodz - The Youngers

Girl Talk. I have a love/hate relationship….I have to be in a certain mood to enjoy it. BUT this just makes me crack up. From the album Unstoppable the beginning of this song is just too too good to not like it. Background music from Richard Marx’s “I’ll Be Right Here Waiting For You” and Khia’s “My Neck, My Back” on top of it, is pretty fucking funny. The rest of the song kind of blows but the beginning is soooo worth it.

Girl Talk - Non Stop Party

Though nobody can replicate OutKast’s greatness, The Knux are trying valiantly….

The Knux - Bang Bang

And finally Peter Gabriel covers (with Hot Chip) a song that mentions him. Ha. Very clever.

Peter Gabriel - Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa

sam cooke, spoon johnny cash, radiohead, jay-z, and wu tang clan = a good time had by all

2009-02-11T11:29:00.001-05:00

I have a slight obsession with old school soul and R&B. Sam Cooke and Otis Redding are some of my most favorite artists of all time. I can totally see myself pulling a Duckie from the movie Pretty in Pink tearing around a record store rocking out to Otis. So I was intrigued when I came across a Spoon cover of Cooke's "Bring it On Home To Me." I like Spoon but covering Sam Cooke can be kind of dangerous....but I kind of like their take on it.

Spoon - Bring It On Home To Me

Fun remixes and mash ups of popular songs also make me really really ridiculously happy. And when I came across this little gem by Irn Monkey a few weeks ago, I listened to it for like 3 days straight. Johnny Cash + Wu Tang Clan = a lot of fun. Also fun is Jaydiohead. Jay-Z songs mixed with Radiohead songs. This is my favorite one...

Jaydiohead - Dirt Off Your Android

First post!

2009-02-10T23:40:00.003-05:00

I started this blog because I absolutely love love love sharing what I’m listening to with my friends. So I figure instead of sending out little messages to a bunch of different people I can just put it in a centralized location. If you like something I post I strongly encourage you to buy directly from the artist/band. Most of the posts won’t be about crazy popular groups so any bit you buy directly from the source will probably be really appreciated (Or you can just email me and maybe I’ll make you a mix cd. You won’t receive it in a timely manner b/c I’m awful at getting things done on time...but beggars can’t be choosers) Disclaimer: If you are an artist/band and want a post removed email me and it will be done asap. Now onto the good stuff…

I’ve been on a HUGE folk-y kick recently. Maybe it was anticipation of the folk festival that was the last weekend in January but I just can’t stop listening to it. Be it Iron & Wine, Vetiver, old school Dylan, etc. etc., it seems to be physically impossible to listen to something else. Joe Pug needs to be getting more attention than he is (which is hardly any). They invited him to play one song a night at the folk festival and it wasn’t nearly enough. He’s got a great EP out right now and I’ve heard that if you email him and tell him you like his stuff he’ll send you a copy for free. But he’s someone who it would be totally worth paying the $10. Seriously check this guy out.

Like the rest of the music blogging world I have been completely infatuated with Bon Iver. Their music is kind of haunting but it’s SOOOOOO GOOOOOOOD. They just released an EP on emusic.com to follow up their album they put out last year…I highly suggest checking both out. “For Emma, Forever Ago” was one of my favorite albums of last year. And their collaboration with another new favorite artist of mine, Lykke Li, for her song Dance Dance Dance, is kind of awesome too. I’ve also been digging Andrew Bird. He has a new album out that I have yet to explore. And for something a little more upbeat try out Los Campesinos track, You!Me!Dancing!. It makes me happy. And if you missed the Grammys on Sunday Radiohead and the USC marching band did a pretty baller job with 15 step. It's taking forever and a day for me to upload the video I have of it so just the song will have to do for now.

Andrew Bird-Fiery Crash (filefactory)
Joe Pug - Hymn #101 (filefactory)
Lykke Li w/ Bon Iver - Dance Dance Dance (filefactory)
Los Campesinos - You!Me!Dancing!
Radiohead w/ USC marching band - 15 Step
(fileden)