Studio Jams

Some jams to get me through the night.

Studio soundtrack.

Geographer

Last night thanks to Ken I went out to the city to see Geographer play at Rickshaw Stop.
Never either seen the band live or been to the venue. I even forgot for a moment who the band was. Haven't been to a show in a while, months, a year?

They did a rad cover of New Orders Age of Consent, I'm telling you New Order influenced everyone:


Pretty much what it looked like:

so long the days
that melt away
so loud the words
you could not say

Should've Called

Heard today that the wedding of a friend of ours got called off. He wasn't feel'n it anymore, hasn't been for a long time even before the proposal, thought the act would change it, but it didn't. He confessed, and wanted to still go through with it but she called it off.

Heard today that a friend of mine from college died. He was in a coma for a few months, sudden, from a stroke, a stroke? Who gets a stroke at 35. It happens when you're 60, 70, 80, 90 not 35 (would've been 36 next week). The thing was I honestly haven't talked to him for a long time and suddenly for about a 2 week period recently he entered my mind, out of nowhere, I wanted to call him and check in but never did, and this was before the stroke.

Went to a studio mates art opening today and found her to be absent. I inquired and heard that her father died. Wayne wasn't around as well, I didn't ask, but was told one of his good friends dad died.

Ran into today an old acquaintance from Davis, hadn't seen her in almost a decade. Surprised she recognized me, I don't know if I would have her. It was really pleasant for some reason.

I saw today Cheol for the last time, he was our summer intern from Korea, he goes back Sunday.

I decided today that I'm going to Kev and Beccas wedding in South Carolina the day after my last day of work. $400, $500, $600 Fuck it. It's worth it.

I go to the funeral Sunday.

Foster The People/Pumped Up Kicks

I just like it.



All the other kids with the pumped up kicks you'd better run, better run, outrun my gun

Family Tree

These guys used to be one of my favs.....
If you want a song I probably have it...on CD though. 
Still holding it down.

I want Poetry and Music and some laughs
And I don't think it's an awful lot to ask

Chinese Translation

 Old M. Ward video.

See I once was a young fool like you
afraid to do the things
that I knew I had to do

The Greatest Radio Station that Ever Lived!

It's been confirmed once again. KOST 103.5 is hands down the greatest radio station ever! KOIT doesn't even come close. This is affirmed each time I get back home..one of the best things about L.A. in my opinion. I don't even know why I question the dominance. I'll hop in the car and drive just so I could listen to the radio and then when I get to my pretend destination I'll sit there in the car getting my fix of Love Songs on the KOST.....and you get the weather too. "It's 74 degrees along(pause)the KOST."

I grew up on this stuff. My "heart music" I think is what it's called. Some of the songs are my story as if I wrote them myself. I can relate to these guys, and they to me. They have been with me through the good times and the bad; they cried with me in times of heartbreak, kept me company in hours of traffic, guided me through puberty, brought excitement to long roadtrips, helped ease the pain of moving...they've journeyed with me through much of my life. They're like family.

Here's a little taste. Be forewarned you might not be able to take it all in in one sitting. It's powerful stuff:












This right here is quality music. Classics.
Could be a dope mix tape....

Decoder Ring - Serac

What's not dope about this? I needed this nice dose of "how things work" today.

Music by Decoder Ring
Video Camera invented by John Logie Baird
Wonders of Life created by God

Decoder Ring - More Than Scarlet

Rad!

Derivatives

...and since we're at it:

Hazy

As I was looking for the William Fitzsimmons vid I happened upon this, that's how I find all the good stuff - randomly:



what if i went and lost myself
would you know where to find me
if i forgot who i am
would you please remind me
cause without you things go hazy

Damn

My cousin just told me that she's a part of a club at Berkeley that brings artists on to the campus for free concerts in front of the library.... last Friday they had William Fitzsimmons there. And she didn't even tell me (of course she didnt know I had a not so secret crush on his beard).
Damn!
Damn! Damn! (as I think about it more) Damn!



we're holding out for you
covered in snow
we'll keep the lights on low

Yahweh

Take these shoes
Click clacking down some dead end street
Take these shoes
And make them fit
Take this shirt
Polyester white trash made in nowhere
Take this shirt
And make it clean, clean
Take this soul
Stranded in some skin and bones
Take this soul
And make it sing

Yahweh, Yahweh
Always pain before a child is born
Yahweh, Yahweh
Still I'm waiting for the dawn

Take these hands
Teach them what to carry
Take these hands
Don't make a fist no
Take this mouth
So quick to critisize
Take this mouth
Give it a kiss

Yahweh, Yahweh
Always pain before a child is born
Yahweh, Yahweh
Still I'm waiting for the dawn

Still waiting for the dawn, the sun is coming up
The sun is coming up on the ocean
His love is like a drop in the ocean
His love is like a drop in the ocean

Yahweh, Yahweh
Always pain before a child is born
Yahweh, tell me now
Why the dark before the dawn?

Take this city
A city should be shining on a hill
Take this city
If it be your will
What no man can own, no man can take
Take this heart
Take this heart
Take this heart
And make it brave

Kero One

Mike Kim from the City, I never knew this guy did hip hop he always just told me he did mixes, I always thought it was dance music. I'm just now listening to his stuff, he's pretty dope though, has his own label, produces, Djs....I love entrepreneurship, always so inspiring. Oh and he just got married:







This one sounds cool too but I can't find the music video. It all comes together in the end:

I Like Stupid Songs

I like stupid songs I realized. I was talking to friend about a video she was doing and she turned me unto an artist named Bon Iver. I 've never heard of him before, I've not heard of a lot of people before. I'm one of those that would walk right past really big celebrities. Anyhow so I looked him up on youtube and damn his stuff is good. And then I started listening to the other similar stuff and dang theirs is just as good or better....so much more than the stuff I like. I only hear things on the radio, randomly hap upon them, a friend turns me on to them or pandora tells me the artist I should like if I tell them ones to already do. Speaking of pandora I ran out of the free monthly credits so I'm booted until next month. I initially resorted to Myspace because the artists put out a stream of tracks so I could let them run on auto without messing with it for a bit which is what I need my music to be..self sufficient. And today just as the 24 minute Myspace show was coming to a close my friend sent me 3 full albums, because 24 mins is definitely not self sufficient enough I need hours. Anyhow so with my limited exposure to music I end up liking dumb songs, but I really like them so that's where I camp in life, I'm content and once in a while a friend or some other how I'm turned on to really good stuff and for a moment I'm reminded that I like dumb songs. The thing is I used to really be into music, knowing the latest and greatest but at some point in my life I came to the realization that it was way too time consuming because it does take tons of time to follow that stuff and not to mention the money...so many CDs. It just wasn't and isn't a big enough priority in my life although I love music. Music and art.





And the other thing I discovered recently on this amazing journey of music discovery were these cool things called "take away shows". This was what my friend was doing, being filmed for one of these; they come in all shapes and sizes, but they're basically high quality street footage of artists playing music in super small venues like apartments, on the streets, subways even in elevators with no one really but the people on streets as their audience. They are street level. Free and accessible to everybody. They're just walking through the streets, right in between the crowds, even having to make way so people can make their way through, there's background noise, it's raw that way...there's even one where this old man comes and sings his own song with the guys. The people in the background are just as important as the performer. The band's just having fun...I don't know how popular these guys are in France but it seems no one even knows who the hell they are. So even fame is out the window. This stuff is dope. Makes me want to do something equivelant with visual art but what?




Dude to the left is feel'n it!

Wut Metaphysical - "Empathy Was a Liar"

My boy Wut Metaphysical's music video for Empathy Was a Liar featuring lots of good footage from our trip to Haiti in May.

Love Vigilantes

Love Vigilantes by Iron and Wine.
The original done by New Order (of Bizarre Love Triangle fame), which may very well be my all time favorite band. Nothing like the 80s for good music.

Too bad there's no dope video to go with it but there's a dope beard you can stare at for 3 and a half minutes. That's what I've been doing trying to figure out how I could get mine to look that way.



Here's the original....You'd think somewhere in the 30 years they've been around someone would've come up with a good video to be coupled with the song but oh well...photo montage works I guess.



Oh, I've just come from the land of the sun
From a war that must be won in the name of truth
With our soldiers so brave, your freedom we will save
With our rifles and grenades and some help from God

I want to see my family
My wife and child are waiting for me
I've got to go home
I've been so alone, you see

You just can't believe the joy I did receive
When I finally got my leave and I was going home
Oh, I flew through the sky and my convictions could not lie
For my country I would die and I will see it soon

And I want to see my family
My wife and child are waiting for me
I've got to go home
I've been so alone, you see

When I walked through the door my wife she laid upon the floor
And with tears her eyes did soar, I did not know why
Then I looked into her hand and I saw the telegram
Said that I was a brave, brave man but that I was dead

I want to see my family
My wife and child are waiting for me
Got to go home
I've been so alone, you see

I want to see my family
My wife and child are waiting for me
I've got to go home
I've been so alone, you see

Chair lift - Bruises

I heard this song randomly when I went short notice to meet up with an old college friend of mine in the City. I like it. It's about hand stands. kinda


Chairlift - Bruises (Official Music Video) - Click here for another funny movie.

Hadn't seen the guy in years, 2-3 maybe. He got married in Jersey and I didn't make it. He's exactly the same, I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing but he is, the way he talks, laughs after saying something embarrassing and even how he pokes, not once but twice. Drank a little too much, took a cab to get some Thai food, dropped Omicel home and went home to Oakland. Oh by-the-way when you're in really good healthy marathon running shape, you can really feel the alcohol, feels kind of like poison.

Amazing Grace

I saw this guy live, well via satellite..this was the actual feed. This is the best rendition of Amazing Grace. He records and plays back as he plays. Amazing.



Here's another version:
Amazing Grace

Imogen Heap

I like this. I was first introduced to Imogen Heap by an old friend of mine, she had discovered her at the concert her friend took her to. I still have the CD that belongs to her. If you haven't heard of her she did that song called "Let Go" as Frou Frou from the movie Garden State. Anyhow I just got a chance to listen to her latest album and it's pretty sweet, I was reminded. I like the images in the CD booklet and the lyrics are good too. I remember her description of the concert; she pretty much does it solo with recorded beats, live recording which she plays back right then as part of her song and synthesizer machines and maybe occasionally someone would join in to provide some additional background. I've seen someone do that once live..it's amazing. I don't usually splurge on shows but I think I would for one of hers.
Oh, she's self produced, writes her own stuff and self promotes...which makes it even better.