Friday, December 31, 2010

"Where At Least I Know I'm Free"

For all 12 of you loyal fans of this blog, you know from time to time I write about various beers I try. From Allagash to Sam Adams Seasonal's, from Blue Moon to Shipyard Pumpkin...I've tasted some pretty awesome beers. The weirdest thing happened the other day though. I tried Budweiser. Have you guys ever heard of this stuff? I mean, I'll tell ya. One sip and I was bleeding red, white, and blue.

I've heard a little about this beer before. I think I remember seeing a commercial during a Super Bowl at one time with these big horses with hairy white feet pulling a Budweiser truck, but I thought that was just an ad for horses. I mean seriously, who really advertises during the Super Bowl anyway? Just loser companies, right?

My friend Danny Noschese introduced me to this beer the other day over a few games of Golden Tee at our local watering hole in South Boston. We got a bucket of cold Budweiser bottles and literally, the second I opened the first one, I heard Bruce Springsteen singing "Born in the USA" from inside the bottle. Not only was Bruce singing at the top of his lungs, but suddenly everyone morphed into a Giants fan at the bar and brought out their portable grills. We started tailgating in the middle of the bar, cooking dogs, flipping burgers, tossing the pigskin around. Noschese went for a long fly pattern and ran directly into Uncle Sam who was on line at the bathroom. The place literally erupted into the greatest party I've ever seen. I was proud to be an American and a Giants fan, simply from opening a cold Budweiser bottle.

This beer unites people. It tastes like spring water with a hint of freedom; the after taste a combination between Apple Pie and the 4th of July. Fireworks erupt as you take each sip, as you truly know this is America...and this is a Budweiser.

Apparently this stuff has been out for years. My dad used to drink it with his white tee shirt on and jeans while singing Badlands and Glory Days around 114 Grandview. I didn't know that was Budweiser. I just thought it was an adult beverage with a weird name that made you smarter.

I can't recommend Budweiser enough. If you find yourself in a quandary at your local pub, or you're standing in the walk-in fridge at your nearest beverage mart debating what to buy, just listen for Springsteen. He'll be waving the American flag with his Desert Storm T shirt on, and he'll lead the way. If Lee Greenwood walks in behind you and points at the barkeep and just puts 2 fingers up, he means a few things. He'd like two Budweiser's and he's flashing the peace sign, because he is indeed Proud to be an American, where at least he knows he's free...to buy Budweiser.

Happy New Year folks. Cheers.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

3 Month's, No Posts / James Vincent McMorrow

I took a small, involuntary hiatus from blogging for some reason. I have no clue why. I left Citysearch and started a new job working for the Gilt Groupe, specifically Gilt City up here in Boston. Really cool site, inventor of the flash sale model, and one of the top start-ups in the online world. Maybe that's an excuse? Sure, I've been a lot busier, but I'm not sure that's the reason.

Wedding planning? Eh, we've pretty much nailed everything down from venues to menus, and music and booze. Everything has fallen into place nicely, so, still not an excuse to get away from writing.

Sometimes your passions get away from you and we lose a small piece of ourselves over time. Whether the guitar is sitting in the corner collecting dust, or your running shoes smell like roses, we all know that a piece is missing and we miss that void, however it's hard to get back into the swing of things. Writing a blog is simple. You sit down and start typing. Maybe I haven't been too moved by the music I've heard since my last post. Maybe I'm just bored of the music that I'm currently listening to? I don't think so. If anything, I've found even MORE artists that I want to share with people, artists that have made these new chapter transitions in my life a bit easier.

With all that said, blogs are simply logs of our thoughts, feelings, and happenings. You log your days, your nights, your new itunes purchases, and your last concerts. Sometimes, you even ramble about tasty beers you've tried. Not too hard, right? I have no excuse as to where I've been, but I'm back. "My dog ate my blog" isn't gonna work this time.

So, as an apology, please enjoy Ireland's James Vincent McMorrow. James toured with Bell X1, a band I used to work with at Intrigue Music a few years ago. Solid song foundation, Irish singer/ songwriter tunes. James' voice is impeccable. It's like he's whispering and doesn't want everyone to hear, then builds up to make sure you've been listening the entire time.

Cheers. Happy Holidays everyone.

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Passenger : "Flight of the Crow"

This record has blown me away, completely. Melancholy instrumentation and really nice vocals. Check it out. "Flight of the Crow" by Passenger, a UK artist.

Haven't stopped playing all of his 4 records over the past few days, but this one stands out. It's his new one. The title track is beautiful. Simple chord changes, but strong.

Below is a widget that streams the whole record. Throw it on in the background and go about your day. You may not hear every word, but your subconscious will.

Cheers,

Thursday, September 23, 2010

John Legend & The Roots: "I Can't Write Left Handed" (Bill Withers Cover)


Bill Withers is a true musical icon.  It's interesting, as I write this post from my Boylston Street office in Beantown, his classic "Lean on Me" comes on the radio.  Irony has its way of sneaking its way into your life, and right now it's singing to me.  Bill Withers is a musical genius.  "Live at Carnegie Hall" is probably one of my favorite live recordings in music.  It was recorded and released in 1973 in NYC, at the infamous Carnegie hall.  There was still a large amount of social unrest between blacks and whites at this time, but Bill took over Carnegie Hall and put together an amazing compilation of tunes that make you think, cry, and dance; 3 things we should do often.  One of his songs, "I Can't Write Left Handed," is a standout track. 

It's about a Vietnam vet who lost his right arm during the war.  The lyrics are autobiographical and filled with such an interesting view on the war, what happens while at war, and even about the guy who shot him. 

"I aint gonna live-I don't believe I'm going to live to get much older.
Strange little man over here in Vietnam I aint never seen, bless
his heart, aint never done nothing to, he done shot me in my shoulder."

Throughout the song you start to feel for the guy. In this "spoken letter" that the solder is writing, he keeps asking his mother to ask their local reverend to pray for him, as he feels he's about to die. He asks his family lawyer to get a deferment for his little brother so he doesn't get shipped out to Vietnam to potentially get hurt as well. It's such a deep, meaningful, storytelling song that blows me away everytime I hear it. On the Carnegie Hall record, you hear the entire band of 6 humming in the background while Bill tells stories and sings the tune. It has such a huge gospel feel and one that will make the room quiet whenever you play the song. Just listen to Carnegie Hall itself. You hear a few cheers and "amens" from the crowd, as if the hall was temporarily a Baptist church and Bill Withers was the reverend. It's beautiful.

Below is a really cool version done by the legendary Roots and John Legend, which was released on their record "Wake Up" which hit stores Tuesday of this week. The whole record dives into old school classics like Bill Withers and Donny Hathaway tunes. Really good stuff. Check it out.


Cheers,


Thursday, September 9, 2010

Biffy Clyro : "Many of Horror"

Check out the below.  Biffy Clyro is huge in the UK....maybe he'll finally make his way to our shores.

Shout-out to my buddy Mike Mayer for showing me this tune.  It blew me out of the water.  This version is stellar, live from the NME magazine set.

Cheers,

Friday, August 27, 2010

Ronald Jenkees: "Guitar Sound"

This guy is the future of music.  Take my bet that within the next year, Ronald Jenkees will have a #1 single as a hip hop producer, a la Timbaland, Kanye, Just Blaze, and Ryan Leslie.  Ronald has tons of Youtube videos out like this, of him playing tracks off his 2009 release "Disorganized Fun."  The kid has talent.  Absolute talent.  He was two records out, both mixing a combo of electronic synth funkinees with hip hop overtones...really cool blend of sounds.

What I love most about it is that he can't read a single note of music.  I can relate to that as I think learning notes takes away from the creative process.  However, Ronald laps me by about 10x in talent.  The kid is no joke.  Watch this video and his others on Youtube.  I have a link to the right with all his vids.

Mike Shinoda from Linkin Park recently blogged about Ronald, so watch out, the kid will be huge soon enough.

Cheers,

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Missy Higgins : "Where I Stood"

It's been forever, my bad, things are hectic in Beantown.  Anywhoops, check out this live version of "Where I Stood" by Missy Higgins, one of Australia's finest.  This is recorded from the KCRW studios out west; one of the best live music radio shows in the world.

This post is short and sweet, but I think the song speaks for itself.  Listen to her piano skills while singing, let alone her vocal intonations.  Beautiful.

Cheers,

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Howie Day : "Ghost / Beams of Light"

Check this out.  Howie Day is the king of the loop pedal.  Watch his feet when the camera zooms out.  Look at the setup.  He has a loop station w/ effects pedals to his left for his guitar, and a loop station to his right for his vocals.  All of the effects, drum taps, delay, is done by Howie himself...on stage, live.  One of the better loopers out in music now.

Notice at the end how he goes from "Ghost" to "Beams of Light" with a simple foot tap.  He hits the tempo button on the Line 6 Digital Delay Loop Pedal (button to the far right in picture to left) and it speeds up his loops to cut time (twice the speed).  Awesome.

The most killer part is when Howie hits the Octave pedal at around the 7 minute marker.  This pedal tunes your average guitar down a full step, making it sound like a bass guitar.  Everything he does in this version is remarkable and VERY hard, since the line 6's that he uses for vocals and guitar are not synced on tempo.  He needs to precisely trigger each pedal to match the tempo of each other.  Also, if he pushes the far left button above, and say he messes up and misses a note....he can't erase it.   Newer pedals have a delete function, but not these ones.  If he hits the wrong note, the entire song is ruined since he recorded it.... Talent.

Ah, technology.

Cheers,

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Eric Hutchinson - "Rock and Roll"

A lot of acoustic singer songwriters lose their edge and sound when they perform outside of the studio. It's simply what happens when a record is overproduced with bells and whistles and vocal filters, sometimes drowning out the actual tone of the singers voice.

This guy is different. Eric Hutchinson performing live is the same Eric Hutchinson in the studio. The vocals are DEAD on regardless of the venue. Below is a version of Eric singing his hit "Rock and Roll" off of his first record, "That Could've Gone Better" which was released in '03, and then re-released in 2008 when he started getting more press. This version is great because there are no bells and whistles. There isn't even a microphone. Eric is singing in a conference room of a radio station in Spokane. How awesome is that?

The vocals are identical to the record version. The guy rocks. Simple as that. He's got a cool soul feel mixed with a rhythmic, almost hip hop like delivery which is really cool to hear. It's like Jason Mraz had a baby with John Mayer, but the baby had a better sense of humor.

Shout out to Emerson College up here in Boston, which Eric went to. Great school and also produced one of the greater keyboard players who still jams, Page McConnell from Phish.

Cheers,

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Bee Gees - "To Love Somebody"

Having a retrospective Thursday, so here we go. "To Love Somebody." An absolutely beautiful song written and sung by the incomparable Bee Gees, covered by two of my idols, Ray LaMontagne and Damien Rice.

What an amazing tune and what a powerful performance.

Cheers,

Thursday, May 20, 2010

David Ford : "Go To Hell"

Not much needs to be said about the below video. When you start watching it, you really think it's just some dude in a kitchen playing with utensils, but keep watching. Everything that David Ford, hailing from England, is doing is being recorded on the spot. From knives to guitars, poland spring water jugs to piano, he harmonizes on top of his own voice and creates a full tune, on the spot.

He did this in a really cool and infamous recording studio in Brooklyn, not far from where I lived from 2006 - 2007. The entire studio, including kitchen, hallway, living room, and musical instruments are all mic'd. Everything David does is being recorded as he plays it.

I dare you to show me someone else who can make a song from scratch simply by walking around the studio, starting with a cup of tea.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Ray Lamontagne : "Empty"

We've all been through various things in our lives that we wish never happened. "Pain" is a word in the dictionary for a reason, because it's something that we all feel at one point or another in our lives. Some of us feel more than others, some tune it out as if it doesn't exists, but it's there. Whether it's heartbreak, the loss of a loved one, or it seems like nothing ever goes your way...we've all been there and will be there again.

It's how you get past the pain that matters and brings out the true character inside you. Do you hide and hope it goes away or do you lift your head up and keep pushing along? In my life I've always had music, so this was my remedy. By deeply listening to lyrics from various artists I've been able to say "this ain't that bad" and just keep going, because there's no point in just sitting still. Ani Difranco wrote a tune called "As Is" in 1998 that appeared on her record, "Little Plastic Castles." Sometimes you think you can't win, and no matter what you do in life, you're not meant to push forward. She says:

"Cuz when I look around,
I think this, this is good enough.
And I try to laugh
At whatever life brings.
Cuz when I look down
I just miss all the good stuff.
When I look up
I just trip over things."

Why lift your head up if you're going to keep tripping over things, and why put your head down if you're going to miss all that this life has to offer? It's such a beautiful verse because we've all been there. If you're having a bad day, sometimes you just want to put your head down and say "screw it." But, if you do, you may have just missed something that could lift you up. I like when she says "when I look up, I just trip over things." Would you rather have your head down and not enjoy or learn anything from your surroundings, or would you rather stay confident, keep your head up, and have some rough patches while pushing forward? I don't know about you, but I choose the latter. Why walk if you never want to run?

Ray Lamontagne is perhaps the best lyricist when it comes to pain, suffering, feeling down. He's notoriously not a very "happy-go-lucky" person, if anyone has ever seen him live. His shows are very spiritual and emotional in a way that has people sitting and truly listening, not slamming cocktails and dancing. Therapy sessions typically cost well over $100 per session. Ray Lamontagne tickets cost about $30. You do the math. People are there for a reason.

Ray wrote a song called "Empty" which is utterly beautiful. The entire song is about how he feels empty inside, and how no matter how hard he tries, he just can't enjoy the good in life. Lines like "I never choose to count my blessings, I choose instead to dwell in my disasters" truly sum up the meaning of this song and his struggles. Sometimes we all act as martyrs with the "woe-is-me" syndrome. Woe isn't you, and woe will never be you. "Woe-is-me" only shows up to the party when you've let your guard down and completely refuse to push forward. Yet, this line in the song can still resonate inside all of us.

Ray gets to a point in the song where it sounds like there's no return; he'll never be happy. I get chills every time I hear the lyrics in the last verse because it's so real. If you watch the video below you'll see that he's not just acting this song out. He truly has this pain inside of him which is beautiful to watch and to hear, and not in a masochistic way; in a sympathetic and empathic way.

"Well I looked my demons in the eyes,
Laid bare my chest, said 'Do your best, destroy me.
You see, I've been to hell and back so many times,
I must admit you kind of bore me.'"

"You kind of bore me!" If you didn't get chills there then check your pulse. Listen, I know this post is rather dramatic and emotionally "blah," but this is a line that we all need to take into perspective. Next time you get down on yourself. Next time you feel like nothing's working out. Next time you lose someone, get your heartbroken, or just have a bad day...think of this line. If you've felt pain before, you know what it is and you know how it works. If you accept it and realize that it's inevitably going to happen then you can walk forward with your head up, even if you do trip over things on the way to wherever your life is heading.

This is a shout out to my buddy Scott Pinker in NYC who lost his Mother at the end of last year. She was an absolutely amazing mother and friend to Scott and to all that were close to the family; you always felt good when you were around her. She resonated love and her laugh and smile will forever be missed. Scott first showed me this song back when I was living in NYC, and he forwarded me a post from his buddy who wrote for a music magazine at the time. His buddy lost his mother at the time this song was released and he wrote about this exact lyric, so I wanted to give Scotty a quick shout out and say I'm thinking about you bud. You're a great friend.

Cheers.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Jackson Browne : "The Load Out" & "Stay"

I remember being a kid out on the beaches of Montauk and Amagansett with my family.  Scott and I must have been about 5 years old when we started going.  The sand dunes and wooden walkways to the water are forever embedded in my mind.  It was so cool.  It was laid back, we were there with my whole family and our parents' friends, the McGuires and their kids...it was awesome.  I remember that the houses we stayed in always had gravel driveways, and the crunch of the gravel as we drove over always reminded me that we were either just getting to the house or we were leaving.  I didn't like the leaving part as much as the arriving.

I'll never forget the music out there.  My dad and Mac (Mr. McGuire) were music fanatics and always had the best taste in tunes.  I swear that these times out on Long Island placed a solid cornerstone into my appreciation for solid songwriting.  From the Boss, to Bruce Hornsby.  From Bob Dylan to Neil Young.  Music was always on and music was always enjoyed.

Jackson Browne basically lived at our beach house.  Similar to the Boss living at 114 Grandview, Jackson Browne was a fixture at the McGuire/ Brown summer vacation house, and he held the position as Entertainment Chair.  My dad showed me Jackson Browne's tune, "The Load Out" which transitions into "Stay," and the rest is history.  It easily goes down in my book as one of the best written songs, and one that I heard on repeat on many warm nights at our summer beach houses.

There's a specific moment that I remember that I think is great.  Mac and my dad loved cooking lobsters at the houses.  They'd get lobsters, pretty good sized as this was eastern Long Island, and they'd bring them home and let them somewhat roam free on the ground.  Of course, Scott and I being twins and not at all competitive (insert giggle and wedgie here), we decided to race the lobsters on the floor.  Man was that fun.  When I hear Jackson open up "The Load Out," all I smell is the beach, I hear gravel crunching as we drive into the house, and I think of lobsters.  It's an amazing memory that will forever stick in my mind.

The reason why "The Load Out" and "Stay" are such great tunes is because they are contextually about music, and what goes into performing each and every night in front of a new audience.  "The Load Out" is entirely about Jackson's road crew.  He pays homage to them and celebrates them, as if they are right on stage with them.

"Now the seats are all empty
Let the roadies take the stage
Pack it up and tear it down
They're the first to come and last to leave
Working for that minimum wage..."


That's his opening sentiment.  It's a mellow piano riff with some emotion behind it, and then right into it.  Later on he goes:

"Now roll them cases out and lift them amps
Haul them trusses down and get'em up them ramps
'Cause when it comes to moving me
You know you guys are the champs"


Throughout the rest of the tune he basically gives you an inside look on what it takes to put on his show every night.  From the roadies, to the tour buses, to "Richard Pryor on the video," this IS the life of touring with Jackson Browne.

Name another artist who will write a song, and perform a song, solely for their road crew; the guys in all black with long hair, flash lights around their neck, smoking Marlboro reds while they push cases of guitars and sound rigs into 18 wheelers. These guys are no joke and these guys deserve praise.  What makes this song even more powerful is that he plays it at the end of his shows, or as we know it, the "encore."  The "encore" is meant for one purpose and that is to appease the crowd.  The "hit" is usually played as the encore. "Running on Empty," or "The Pretender;" these are all huge hits.  Sure, "The Load Out" and "Stay" did well, but in no way were they bigger than his other tunes.  This was done on purpose, like "listen, my road crew is the best and this is for them.  This is what they do every night, so check it out."

The song then turns into something for the crowd, like Jackson is saying "this party hasn't ended yet even though we might be leaving, but nah..."  Jackson then sings:

"People stay just a little bit longer
We want to play -- just a little bit longer
Now the promoter don't mind
And the union don't mind
If we take a little time
And we leave it all behind and sing
One more song"

This blows up into a huge instrumental and they jam for about 5 minutes.  Female vocals come screaming in, harmony vocals, sax solos, guitar solos.  You name it.  This isn't the end of show, this is a party and we're not quite ready to go.   This is when the song becomes "Stay."  


What a cool concept of a song and what great memories I have of it.  Close your eyes and picture you're at a beach house while you listen to the below live version from '78; lobsters about to get cooked.  Mom, dad and their friends are enjoying some tasty adult beverages.  As a matter of fact, if you're reading this then you're of age, so grab a cold beer and enjoy Jackson Browne pay homage to his touring crew.  What a tune.

Cheers, 
Kevin Browne 







Thursday, April 22, 2010

Orianthi

I first saw Orianthi play guitar for Carrie Underwood at the Grammy's a few years back. I was like, damn, this girl can SHRED a PRS!!  I recently saw an interview with Carlos Santana where he said he was "passing the torch" to Orianthi. If Santana says that, you're good.

She's performed with Steve Vai, Santana, Prince, Carrie Underwood, and most infamously on "This is It" as Michael Jackson's lead guitar player. The girl can shred.

Ironically she's all over the radio right now with a track called "According to You," which is a huge pop hit with a grueling guitar solo in the middle. Trust me, I've tried to figure it out, it's impossible. Her fingers are like hummingbirds. Check her out.

Here's Orianthi showing how she got the gig to be MJ's guitar player on the "This is It" tour with her "Beat It" solo. Damn.  Don't mind Jojo and his amazing kiss-assing of Orianthi.  Sounds like someone has a crush...

Cheers,

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Jónsi: "Go Do"

Jón “Jónsi” Þór Birgisson... say that 10 times as fast as you can. For those who don't know "Jónsi" for short, he's the lead singer and guitar player for Icelandic band "Sigur Rós."  What an amazing band, seriously, what an absolutely unreal band. Jónsi created his own language and this language comprises the lyrics to all of Sigur Ros' songs. You've heard them in "Vanilla Sky" the Tom Cruise flick, although that was an instrumental.

At any Sigur Ros show you'll see Jónsi playing the guitar with a cello bow, literally holding notes as if he's in the Icelandic Philharmonic, but performing dreamscape / fantasy music. Every Sigur Ros record has blown me away, from beginning to the end. You find yourself in a trance like stare while self reflecting and thinking about things that were never top of mind until you pushed play. Listen asap.

Jónsi has put out 2 records solo, one in 2009 entitled "Riceboy Sleeps" and one that was release 10 days ago called "Go." Go get "Go" now! I am completely blown away. From the percussive elements of standard Sigur Ros tunes to absolutely mind altering hooks, this record will make you smile and truly enjoy the things that you never thought were there in music. Small timpani fills in the background, a 4 on the floor bass groove with huge falsettos floating above guitars and bass riffs. I'm speechless now and will end it here. This is one of the best records I've owned in some time now.

Check it out. Here's the title track entitled "Go Do." Listen to the hook, when the "1, 2, 3, 4," feeling comes in even heavier from the bass drums. Wow.

Cheers,

Friday, April 9, 2010

Thom Yorke

How awesome is this?  EASILY my favorite vocalist in music history.  Sometimes people can just open their mouths and you'll in turn be left with your jaw on the floor.  Thom Yorke is at the top of this list.  The dude is a walking musical composition and has the best falsetto out of any artists to date...and yes, I'm willing to bet on it.  I accept paypal.

And, by the way, you know that you're song is awesome when Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo perform it live.  I mean, seriously!?  Look at Cee-Lo's face right when the guitar riff starts.  Dude is like "damn right this is some Radiohead."  

Cheers, 



Wednesday, April 7, 2010

William Fitzsimmons : "It's Not True"

Often times in music it takes a few listens to truly "get" the meaning of a song. Often times in music it takes a few listens of an entire album to even decide if you like it or not. Upon first listen, you may think it's too slow or too moody, but then that record will be on one rainy day and it will be perfect; the best record you've ever heard.

I first heard William Fitzsimmons in about 2006 while at The Harry Fox Agency. My life was a lot different then. I was struggling to pay rent, working in a very "socially active" business, and at time sleeping a bit too much due to the hangover from the night before. I was listening to a lot of hip hop, funk, and eclectic music at the time; basically immersing myself in the genres of music that I found myself surrounded by at shows and at the office. My previous job was at Intrigue Music, and I was still deep into those artists' music.  Patrick Watson made me love uniqueness and songwriting, James Brown made me love the intricacies of what truly makes a song, and Braille made me love hip hop beats and lyrics on a conscious level, which was a breath of fresh air from the 50 Cent and Eminem tracks that smeared the radio. Basically, I was surrounded by really cool music, and William Fitzsimmons stepped into my life. A slow, moody, and somewhat depressing message in each song had me confused. I knew I liked something about it, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

I ended up downloading his first two records online, "Goodnight," and "Until We Are Ghosts." To be honest, I didn't like them at first. It was almost too moody. Of course everyone likes a little sad song from time to time, just to know that they're not alone in whatever they're going through, but this was actually making me sad. The lyrics and vocal tone were so melancholy that I found myself listening with a pouty lip and a trance like stare. I kept listening though, which was the interesting part. It's not like I'm glutton for pain or self punishment, but something in his music wouldn't allow me to move away from it. Then, it hit me.

Sometimes pain is beautiful. Sometimes hearing someone sing about loss, love, heartache, or death can be a beautiful thing; knowing that there are other people out there that have felt the same exact thing as you. William Fitzsimmons is a walking, breathing, strumming therapist who tells you about his life so he can make you feel better about yours. His lyrics are absolutely untouchable; 100% untouchable and completely honest. His live shows are riddled with his jokes about how "these are all sad songs," etc, however...people are there to see you, William. We KNOW that these are sad songs, which is why we're here to watch you sing them. We WANT you to sing them.

We're all in this together and William Fitzsimmons is here to steer us through. Check out the below live version of "It's Not True," which is the opening track off of "Goodnight," his 1st record. This performance is from "Deep Rock Drive," a cool interactive online music setting where users can ask questions directly to the artist, but there's nobody actually in the room except the artist. 

No flashy falsettos, no crazy loops or electronics, and no huge vocal changes; just a dude telling you about his life, with an awesome beard.

"Everyday is another chance to bury my regret.
"Everyday is another chance to make it but I can't."

Cheers,

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Nintendo w/ Pink Floyd?

Sorry ya'll, I've been a little distant as I was out in Chi-town since Sunday. Peep this real quick though. Anyone my age (21) grew up playing Nintendo. Additionally, anyone my age also grew up listening to Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd; a true musical masterpiece.

Now take the NES music from Nintento and produce the entire record from start to finish? WHOA.

This is the link to the entire album, but below is the opening track from the record. Thanks to my bro for showing this to me:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euLdKW_Db1k&feature=PlayList&p=7E74E32198876508&index=0&playnext=1


Thursday, March 25, 2010

"He Died of High Fiving."

I almost had to excuse myself after watching this SNL opening monologue by Zack Galifianakis 2 weeks ago. Seriously, check it out for yourself. The opening bit is good but wait till he gets to the piano. Pure comedy.

"My wife looks a little like Charlize Theron, and a lot like the Dog the Bounty Hunter." HAHA! Cheers to one of my favorite comedians out today. Sometimes the best part of a sense of humor is the simplicity of it.

Cheers.

Friday, March 19, 2010

Foy Vance: "Crosstown Traffic" (Hendrix Cover)

Ok, I need to post this real quick. There's one thing in music that goes against what I've said before about technology and overusing different devices to make yourself sound better, and that's this. The loop pedal. I've had about 5 of them in my life and LOVE them. Stomp on the pedal, play a riff, a drum beat on the guitar, a bass line...you name it. Stomp on the pedal again, on time, and you just recorded yourself. Now, you have a band, of you.

How about Foy Vance shows you in this cover of "Crosstown Traffic" by Jimi Hendrix. This is borderline "make work really awkward cause I'm about to dance in my office" type of stuff.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons: "Tennessee

There's a singer/ songwriter from Wisconsin (not Bon Iver.) His lyrics are stunning, musicianship is incomparable, vocal rasp a product of too many smokey nights; whiskey spilt on the floor....

His name is Cory Chisel and he's truly amazing. Ironically, the above all relates to Bob Dylan too, minus Wisconsin and add Minnesota. These guys would be perfect for a collaboration. If Prince and Bon Iver showed up then Minnesota and Wisconsin would be fully represented.

I saw Cory and Adriel Harris, the female in the below video, at City Winery in NYC just before I moved up to Beantown. I was blown away. The harmonies are absolutely dead on. Check out "Tennessee" from their recent full length record entitled "Death Won't Send A Letter." By reading the liner notes you'll see how powerful this guy is. Guest artists on the record range from Carl Broemel of "My Morning Jacket" to writing partner Brendan Benson of "The Raconteurs." Really solid stuff.

Cheers.

Friday, March 12, 2010

Peter Gabriel: Bon Iver Cover - "Flume"

I discussed things coming around before, with Foy Vance covering Bruce...here's another example. I'm down in Florida right now with my bro and our girlfriends, celebrating our 30th birthday which was yesterday. Scott and I are sitting in the computer room listening to tunes, and he throws this one on. Peter Gabriel is music. Scroll down below a bit and read about my appreciation for Bon Iver. Now, put the two together; Peter Gabriel covering "Flume" by Bon Iver. You know you're good when a guy who's been in the music biz for 30 years covers your song. Peter Gabriel's first record came out before Bon Iver was even born. This is like JFK walking into the White House and giving Obama a high five.

Check out the lyrics. Thank you Scott for showing me this. Amazing

I am my mother's only one
It's enough
I wear my garment so it shows
Now you know

Only love is all maroon
Gluey feathers on a flume
Sky is womb she's the moon

I am my mother on the wall,
With us all.
I move in water, shore to shore;
Nothing's more

Only love is all maroon
Lapping lakes like leery loons
Leaving rope burns reddish ruse

Only love is all maroon
Gluey feathers on a flume
Sky is womb she's the moon

Really solid stuff. Cheers.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Cinematic Orchestra feat. Patrick Watson: "To Build A Home."

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you'll remember my post about Patrick Watson from Montreal. He is, perhaps in my mind, the greatest thing to happen to music in my lifetime. He's not only a gifted lyricist, amazing pianist, and top notch songwriter, but he's also a tremendous collaborator. You see, certain athletes can get traded to other teams and completely break up the team spirit; adding in their own idea of what it takes to succeed and what it takes to get to the end goal, which is a win. Musicians are different. If a musician collaborates with another, or in this case another group of musicians, it is almost ALWAYS beautiful. The reason why? Musicians are artists and athletes are commodities. An artist wouldn't collaborate with someone they don't think would work; they have pride in their artistry. Athletes, eh.... Not to say that musicians are better than athletes, as I was both at one point in my life about 25 - 30 lbs ago, but they are very different when looking at the parts as a whole. A team can suck but have a great quarterback. A band can't, and a collaboration can't; or else it would have never happened.

Patrick wrote this tune for the British group "Cinematic Orchestra." It's called "To Build A Home." It's been in every ABC TV Series you can think of...for a reason. Listen to the tune as a whole. That is a group. That is a collaboration. That's what music sounds like. That's Patrick Watson at quarterback.

Friday, March 5, 2010

Allagash White: Damn Tasty

Allagash White. I treated myself to a few of these puppies last night while playing Golden Tee with my good buddy, Todd Yeager. Yeager shouldn't be confused with Jagermeister, but rest assured that Todd himself provides equal excitement, but a worse hangover.

Allagash is New England's only Belgian Brewing Company. These guys are based up in Maine and, well, the beers gives you a taste of Maine, but with clogs on. It's got some cool coriander flavors and all I can say is..."after taste!" You take a sip and you're impressed; there's no doubt that it tastes good, but hot damn! About 20 seconds later your taste buds are doing the running man and there's a party in your mouth. What a beer. I mean seriously, a fantastic beer.

It's the only interactive beer that I've ever had, and by that I mean this. If you order it in a bottle, there are directions and diagrams on the side that say what you need to do with this beer when you pour it. Who doesn't like directions, except ALL men. We just like to do things, build things, cook things, and hope it ends up right. We don't read directions or take directions, c'mon. Well, we need to follow directions this time. You pour the beer into a pint glass; easy enough fellas, right? The next diagram shows that you need to take the empty bottle and spin it a bit, as if you were mixing a martini with one hand. Apparently the yeast from the beer hanging out in the bottle for so long builds up into this FF. FF is "flavor foam" to the laymen, and yes I did just make that up. Then, you pour said FF into the pint glass on top of the previously poured beer and drink it. I almost fell off my chair (not drunk) when I tasted this.

Go buy Allagash White. Trust me. You'll thank me later over some Advil and a good story, but either way it'll be a fun one.

They have a ton of flavors. Check them out @ www.allagash.com

Cheers,
KB

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Bon Iver: "Re: Stacks"

Some people need million dollar recording studios to sound good. Some need autotune to sound like they can sing in key. Some need various plug-ins and effects to make their recording even resemble "music."

Others record their songs in their fathers log cabin in northeast Wisconsin and make it sound like it should; true, honest, heartfelt music. Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) is my idol. He's about 6'6", bearded, wears flannel...cool looking guy. The kind of guy you'd meet for a cold one at noon on a snowy day and talk about old Bob Dylan records, maybe while sharing an ashtray and a pack of Winston's.

Bon Iver is music. Bon Iver is how music should be done. Take your autotune, $450,000 tape delay, and your compression filters and put them outside in the snow, just past the barn, near the horse stable. Come into my log cabin, keep your boots on, dry your gloves by the crackling fire, grab a Keystone Light and listen to Bon Iver. Tell me that doesn't feel good.

Cheers.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Jeff Buckley : "Last Goodbye"

Do you remember when music wasn't all about flashy lights, crazy stage setups, singers rolling around in life sized hamster balls, and smoke machines? In the 60's and 70's there was just the music. You didn't necessarily need the "ambiance" of crazy lighting rigs and fog machines; or strobe lights and mirrors everywhere. The music spoke for itself. Sure, in cases like Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, YES, the psychedelic effect brought the listeners even deeper inside the music, but I challenge you to go home and put on Dark Side of the Moon at noon on a sunny day and see if you feel any different. And, by "feel any different" try not and compare it to a time when you "tried" to feel something different...if you catch my drift.

Music shouldn't need crazy lights, fog machines, etc...it should just need a few chord changes and some really, really well written songs. I love Phish. For all of you who know Phish, you know that the "best" part of their show is the lighting and stage setup. Don't get me wrong...this is one of the things I love about their shows, but the main thing is that their musicianship far exceeds the ability to make 14,000 120 watt light bulbs glow bright green in unison. It adds excitement, sure, but it doesn't add to the music. Why? Because a light doesn't make a sound, it just glows. A guitar can make a sound and glow on it's own, if played properly. As can a song.

The 80's kind of screwed us up because they were all about flash; guys dressed in drag singing about "Girls, Girls, Girls." Guy-liner was on every lead singer's eyes in every hair band, and the girl groups wore black and tried to look like the guys; leather everywhere and black lipstick. And, the songs were horrific for the most part...

Then we got to the 90's, and grunge hit. Pearl Jam NEVER had crazy lights at their shows. Go to youtube and type in "Pearl Jam live." It looks like they just showed up with their gear and plugged in. THAT is music. Just play. Are you paying $20 (back then) for a ticket and $10 to park, to go watch people turn lights on and off, or are you here to see a band play some rock n roll?

With that said, late 80's, early 90's was all about this man in my book. Jeff Buckley. Perhaps the best voice in the history of music in my mind, and perhaps the best songwriter in the history of music. He's most well known for his cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah," but I love it all. Check out this performance in Chicago in 1995. 4 guys on a stage, no lights flashing, a smiling Buckley and an absolutely phenomenal song called "Last Goodbye."

We lost Buckley too early. He randomly and tragically drowned in 1997. Sad to see him go but his music lives on forever. Everyone from Thom Yorke (Radiohead) to Justin Timberlake pay homage to him in their songwriting and vocal stylings. Check out his high end, or falsetto. Also, check out the lights, that stay still throughout the song. Whoa. What a concept!

Cheers.

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Jungleland: The Bridge

The man is a genius. 4:40 into this live "Jungleland" from 1975, Bruce is able to close his eyes and conduct his E Street Band (Orchestra) into one of the best instrumental bridges written in any rock song...ever. The bridge in music is my favorite part; it does exactly what it sounds like. You travel and then you get to a bridge. James Brown said it best in "Sex Machine" numerous times, by belting "take me to the bridge, take me to the bridge!" This is when a song really opens up and brings you into a new place, and then right back to solid land. "Jungleland's" bridge sounds a bit like Pink Floyd, and that is a huge compliment. It's mellow, chopped down into a slower time signature, and simply allows "The Big Man," Clarence Clemons to show off his tenor sax chops and drive you safely across the bridge. Thanks to Dan Noschese (shout out to your 30th birthday party last night, tasty Budweisers all around) for sending this over.

Sit back and enjoy The Boss.

Cheers.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

R.I.P. Teddy Pendergrass: "Love T.K.O."

Does it get much better than this? Smooth is the only word that comes to mind. We unfortunately lost Teddy last month...here's his best jam in my mind. Cheers.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Glen Hansard: "Say It To Me Now"

Glen Hansard's emotion while he sings will make ANYONE stop in the middle of the street and watch. For those that don't know who he is, he's the lead singer of an Irish band called "The Frames," and is most recently part of "The Swell Season" with his co-star, Marketa Irglova, from "Once"...my favorite movie. "Once" is about music, love, and everything in between (even though there isn't much in between). It's perhaps the most perfect depiction of what it's like to be a singer/ songwriter; living day to day with your songs as your motivation and your girl as your engine. These two met on the set of the movie and are now married, playing together in "The Swell Season" and touring around the nation. "Once" is a beautiful story...check it out asap. The soundtrack will knock your pants, skirt, kilt off.

Speaking of the soundtrack, the movie opens with Glen standing in the middle of an empty street in Dublin, very late at night. It's just him, his guitar (with multiple holes in it) and his voice. No mic, no amp, no listeners, no anything; the true epitome of what a true music lover plays music for...the music, not the fans. Due to copyright restrictions, I can't play the movie version here, but below is a live version of "Say It To Me Now," the opening tune from "Once." This was recorded at a screening of the movie up in Canada. If you don't get chills 1:10 into this video, well, then you should go to the doctor. I remember seeing this opening performance on the movie and forgetting to breath for about 2 1/2 minutes; totally in shock and awe at the level of emotion one man can emit by simply standing up with a beaten guitar and just his voice. I'm convinced that this movie is called "Once" because we've all been looking to relate, react, feel a certain way by watching and listening to music. Just this "Once" we're truly shown why we've been looking to feel this way. Glen shows it all; heart on his sleeve, and eyes closed. And, you can't just watch it "Once." I've seen the movie at least 6 times.

Cheers.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Rocky Votolato: "Red River"

This guy is true. This guy is real. This guy has rasp. If any of ya'll are looking for the best record to put on while cleaning the house, cooking dinner, talking on the phone, breathing...check this one out. Rocky Votolato is a Texan, born and raised in Dallas (Cowboys suck, Go Giants). I first heard him in about 2004 while working at The Harry Fox Agency handling his publishing companies' royalties, and I was hooked ever since. He has this storytelling vibe that truly makes him one of a kind. It isn't typical singer / songwriter stuff though. He catches you like Bruce, sings a bit like Stephen Kellogg, has songwriting skills like Van Morrison, but there's something to it that's different. I can't put my finger on it, but it might have something to do with him being labeled "Alt-Country" in most record stores. You'll find yourself totally immersed in a beautiful acoustic tune, and then the next tune will get your feet tapping and your spirits up; wanting to grab a bottle of Jack and a Winston. His new record "True Devotion" just came out 2 weeks ago. Check out the below track called "Red River." Absolutely awesome tune and really dig the vocals. It reminds me a bit of Bob Seger, in a higher key.

Cheers.

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Not Sure What To Say Here....Just Watch

So I bet a bunch, if not all of you, are waiting for me to write some introspective piece about the human voice and how it's all we really need to make a song into a piece of legitimate art. How the art of simply vocalizing is far more powerful than singing actual lyrics; how our voice is the true form of our contemplative self or something. Challenge. Nothing could be further from the truth in 99% of cases. Unless you're Bobby McFerrin, please, STOP "scatting"...especially if you're a creepy Russian in a late 70s/ early 80's American Bandstand/ Soul Train looking performance filmed in the heart of Communist Russia. All this dude does is say "la la" and "ya ya" awkwardly while popping in and out of the camera shot. This was disturbing and actually made me debate changing my entire perspective on music. Then again, this guy's perspective on music is to sound as close as possible to a russian Tickle Me Elmo doll after drinking too many Red Bulls while getting Botox, so I think I'm alright. Look at those cheeks. It's like Joan Rivers' twin. Hold your loved one(s) after this.

Cheers.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Erik Hassle : "Hurtful"

If this song isn't the #1 selling single on iTunes by May, I'll give you all $20. Seriously.

Sweden is back. Here's Erik Hassle w/ "Hurtful." Talk to me about vocal range! Wow. Ironically enough, as the US music scene is way behind Europe, this song has already been at the top of the charts in Sweden for the past year. Wake up America. Damn.
Cheers.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

David Sides : "Halo" (Beyonce)

Do I still need to praise the piano? I mean, seriously. Let's just let David Sides show you what I've been talking about this whole time. Music is made up of two cornerstones...the melody (vocals, the part we all hum to) and the rhythm (background-make-my-feet-move-stuff). Together, these cornerstones support the building structure which we all call the "song." I have an idea, why don't you play both the rhythm and melody at the same time and I'll shut up and go have a beer. Thanks, David Sides.

This guy has like 100 videos on YouTube, covering everything from Coldplay to Kanye...interpretation at it's finest. Reminds me of Stevie Ray Vaughan's version of Jimi Hendrix' "Little Wing." No need to sing when the instrument does it for you.

Cheers.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Ray Lamontagne: "Crazy" (Gnarls Barkley)

Ok, so check it out. Ray Lamontagne. Born and raised up in Nashua, NH...actually not too far from where I write this, on a snowy Tuesday in Boston. The dude used to work at a paper mill, or shoe factory or something and absolutely hated his life. He couldn't play an instrument, but one morning he woke up to Stephen Stills "Treetop Flyer" and decided from that moment forward that he wanted to be a musician. 30 something years and after connecting for 1 brief moment to a song recorded 30 years ago...he changed his life forever. Ray quit his job and started writing songs.

He then released "Trouble," his debut record, which was on rotation at 114 Grandview Ave for some time and I believe still is. The man is a genius. Listen to the rasp and smokey tone of this voice, covering Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy," the #1 song in 2006 at the BET Awards. THE BET AWARDS! Gotta love the interpretation. Who would have thought New Hampshire was so Urban.

Cheers,

Monday, February 15, 2010

Tyler Hilton : "Use Somebody" cover (Kings of Leon)

Piano is the most pure sounding, spine chilling, hair-stand-up-on-arm elements of music, outside that of our natural voice of course. However, the two are basically identical if you look closely. If you open up the top of a piano you'll see strings and these felt looking "hammer" things that are triggered whenever you hit a black or white key. That's really all it is. The strings are like our vocal chords and the felt triggers the note we're singing.

Put these two together and you can make any pop song sound like a true ballad. Tyler Hilton shows this perfectly with his mellow cover of "Use Somebody" by Kings of Leon. Musicians out there take note...stop using so many effects on your instruments and just play the damn thing. There's a reason why the instrument was born before the effect pedal and the delay moduler. Chicken or egg?

Cheers.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat


Now these things are tasty. Not going too in depth on this one since my head hurts a bit, but check it out. When it's 14 degrees outside, you've been playing Golden Tee since 2pm, you just finished candlepin bowling with good friends and you're looking for a tasty treat to sip on, well here you go. Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat. Lighter than Blue Moon and more refreshing than Hoegaarden, Leinenkugel is the way to go. Spring was in the air last night my friends, and after a few of these so was TLC Waterfalls at Farragut House karaoke. Drink Sunset Wheat beer and you sound amazing at Karaoke. Trust me.

Cheers.

Friday, February 12, 2010

The Script : "We Cry"

You don't need instruments to play music. You don't need top of the line amps, high end vocal filters, or even a single drum to make a cool sound. Check out the below. This band is awesome. "The Script" are from Dublin and blend a cool acoustic rock undertone with R&B/ Hip Hop to make something quite unique. Vocally most comparable to Jason Mraz or Citizen Cope, these guys take the beautiful Irish percussive approach to music, but add an urban flare that was born from their love for American hip hop.

This track goes out to Brandon Carney, one of my best buds. We used to jam all the time in college and in NYC, then he moved out west. I think you'll truly dig this tune, Brando. 3 dudes, 1 guitar, and brushes on a table. That's all.

Cheers,

Thursday, February 11, 2010

José González: Simple. Perfect.

Not much needs to be said about a singer/ songwriter by the name of José González who hails from Sweden. Why? Because of course the name José González immediately makes one think of Sweden...right? The son of two Chilean parents who migrated to Sweden in the mid 70's, José is the definition of a singer/ songwriter. In this cover of "Heartbeats" by The Knife, you truly see the art of musical interpretation in its finest sense. Some people cover songs and they drastically fail. Some sit in their apartment and cover Men at Work songs by candelight on a Saturday afternoon drinking Budweiser with sunglasses on (me). Some just have it down to a science. José is in this last "some," unless of course he drinks budweiser...

Classical guitar, nothing too crazy vocally, but a flawless performance. This was the song on Sony's Bravia commercial a few years back...the one with millions of bouncy balls going down a street in San Fran. Here you get José, his guitar, and perfection.

Who would have thought Sweden contributed more than Ikea and meatballs. I stand corrected. Cheers.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Needtobreathe : "Washed by The Water"

Short and sweet....

There's one thing I absolutely love about Christian music, or Gospel music as a whole for that matter and it's this. The vocal harmonies are the BEST you will ever hear, outside of the Beatles and The Beach Boys, who were neither Christian nor Gospel. Needtobreathe, a Christian rock group out of South Carolina is at the very top of my list of best songwriting and best vocals out of any group today. Listen to these guys, on Tulsa's 100.9 KXOJ radio show. Just 4 dudes, two guitars, absolutely untouched lead vocals by Bear Rinehart, backups on guitar and vocals by his brother Bo, Seth (bass) and Joe (drums) sitting in on harmonies, all in a radio studio belting the lyrics. This is one of my favorite performances of this song. Enjoy.

"Washed by the Water" by Needtobreath

Sunday, February 7, 2010

I Come From Down in the Valley...

My favorite thing about music is when you see things go full circle in the time it's taken you to "grow up." My father is a huge influence in my life and always has been. I remember being a kid and being audibly fed Neil Young records, Bruce Hornsby, Van Morrison, Cat Stevens; you name it. Scott and I were always surrounded by such amazing music, and I know it's played a HUGE role in our lives, mine especially. Perhaps the most influential artist that my dad ever played around the house was The Boss, Mr. Bruce Springsteen himself. Bruce had a way of connecting with you the second he spoke a word. From the screen door slamming to Roy Orbison singing for the lonely, Bruce is an icon; a man that is able to speak to any situation and somehow portray exactly what it feels like to be in it. My dad is my Bruce Springsteen, and he's showed me so much about life simply through his actions and especially through his passion for listening to The Boss. Life is a hard thing to teach, but with the help of a little music, the teaching handles itself.

In my house you were never told what you had to be when you were older. My parents were the most laid back, cool folks I've ever known. We laughed, we made jokes, we bbq'd, we watched ice pops fly out of the sky as if planes were dropping them for us, and most importantly we listened to really good music. Bruce Springsteen lived at my house. He lived in every speaker, vinyl record sleeve, compact disc, and cassette. His lyrics bounced off the mahogany walls of our living room, lived inside the rock speakers on the patio, and the voices of all those that sang his tunes at 114 Grandview on a daily basis. My dad was my Bruce Springsteen. My mom was my Max Weinberg (although a lot more attractive). My mom was the pulse behind the beat while my dad was the singer. She kept our feet moving and toes tapping at all times. Dad told us what it was like "Growing Up," at "The River," across the street from "Tenth Avenue Freezout." On any given summer day our back patio was the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, and we were all connected by the timeless storytelling of Bruce's lyrics and the unparalleled musicianship of the entire band.

I remember one day in the mid 90's, sitting in the living room with Scott and my dad. There's a live version of "The River" that chokes me up everytime I hear it, and it's because of this one day. I'll never forget Bruce's opening line, "how you doing out there tonight?" The crowd screams, and all he says is "that's good...that's good," as he knew that they were all ears and appreciative. My dad loved telling stories about his father and the various things he's learned from him, and we were always all ears. My grandfather was an amazing man, and he no doubt influenced my dad to be who he is today. In this 12 minute version of "The River," Bruce talks about how he and his father used to go at it all the time, fighting over almost anything. From his long hair to his loud Fender guitar, Bruce was never accepted by his dad. There's a line in the intro that we all relate to in our lives. "He would ask me what I thought I was doing with myself...and the worst thing about it is that I never could explain it to him."

My dad, Scott, and I sat in the living room in silence and listened. My dad probably had heard it 100+ times at this point, but his smile showed us that it felt like the first time. He was really connected to what Bruce was saying and I was too, Scott included. Bruce's dad goes on to say that he wants the Army to get a hold of him, to possibly create some guidance and direction in his life. Bruce then fails his physical after receiving his draft notice. Instead of his father being upset and lecturing him some more, his father simply says "that's good." In other words, he didn't truly want to put Bruce in danger by getting him "straightened out" in the Army. Maybe it was a scare tactic, but at the end of the day, he was his father. The crowd then screams after "that's good" and you get the feeling like Bruce was finally accepted by his father at that exact moment in time, EVERY time he sings the song.

I don't know why Scott and I connected so much with my dad that day. We were never told what to do, who to be, or where we should end up. We were always taught to be ourselves, enjoy being ourselves, and to lend a hand when needed and we will ALWAYS be his son. It's funny how Bruce stopped the spoken intro right after his father simply said "that's good." It's like he finally knew that his dad was on his side, even though he might not have shown it before. Scott, me, and my dad were all in this together, and I think this was the definitive moment in my life that I realized I wanted to be exactly like my father. We both got "it," even though we didn't even know what "it" is. I don't believe we ever know what "it" is, as we all have our own ideas and beliefs. I learned so much about my dad in that living room, and we didn't even say a word to eachother; Bruce said it all.

Music. No matter how you were born, raised, or taught, it will always bring people together. When it all comes back around is when you realize how truly special life is. Foy Vance covered "The River" on the BBC earlier this year, and it left my jaw on the floor. I felt like my father, when my father first heard Bruce Springsteen. I can listen to the words of Bruce through an artist of my generation, and still remember everything as though it's that one day in my living room. Below is the live Bruce recording, and the cover of "The River" by Foy Vance. Listen carefully to Bruce's opening and you'll know why I wrote this. Cheers.



Friday, February 5, 2010

"Land Down Under" w/ autotune- KB

Now. Yes, it's really possible to make voices match pitch perfect, even if you record something in one take. Here's the same track from below, the exact same version, but autotune added to the vocals. Kanye, Jamie Fox, and T-Pain make millions off of this one production filter. In all respect to my own ego, and not to say that I have such a bad voice, but it's funny how autotune can make vocals sound somewhat perfect (far from, but you get my point).

Gotta love technology...

"Land Down Under" - KB

A while back I was bored in my apartment out in Park Slope, Brooklyn and was messing around on Garage Band (shout out to the simplest, yet awesomest music program ever created, by Mac of course). It was either April or May of '08, if I remember correctly. About a week before said boredom I was up in Harlem (holla) at my buddy Ben's place, aptly nicknamed Benji, Ben Laden, or How You Ben?, and we were jamming acoustic guitars. For some reason we started playing a chord progression that reminded me a lot of "No Woman No Cry" meets "Crazy Game of Poker" by OAR, meet's "Land Down Under" by Men At Work. It was another one of those music moments; the one like "The Great Escape," but with a far less emotional and "I love you man" context to it. This was more like "wow, that was pretty cool man," while both our heads were staring straight up at the sky, screaming...."can't you hear, can't you hear that thunder. You betta run, you betta take cover!"

This song was then stuck in my head for a while, and that random day in Park Slope turned into a recording session. Instead of the birkenstock wearing, clove smoking, tree hugging, vegetarian version of the same tune we jammed earlier in the week, I decided that just a piano and the lyrics would do; kind of an Emo version if you will. Zero production, zero mixing, a midi keyboard, and one take. It's amazing how the context of a song changes when you take out all of the bells and whistles and just strip it down to the core; the original way it was written. Here's my take on "Land Down Under" by Men At Work. Thoughts are welcome (unless they're bad [joke]).

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Patrick Watson : Why I Love Music

Below I mentioned a few reasons why I missed working in the music business, and brought up a reason that I didn't miss it, at all. Taylor Swift, I still don't like you and that won't change. However, I feel I need to clear the air a bit. I LOVED working in music. I absolutely loved it. Since I was kid, music has been my right arm. From playing the drums at age 9 to working in the business for 8 years, I love everything about music. Everything. I loved hearing new bands, signing new bands, pitching new songs, and especially loved going to shows. If you've noticed a constant adjective within this post so far, it's love. That's what music is to me, it's love.

I never felt music like I truly did when I worked for Patrick Watson. I was taken under the wing of Superfrank Copsidas and Foye Johnson at Intrigue Music, snatched up from the William Morris Agency in 2003. These guys were big time to a somewhat recent college grad, and they still are today. Intrigue was James Brown's management company, and as befits the credo of being a member of the Brown family myself, I too had rhythm so I was convinced that James and I were related. That couldn't be farther from the truth, but it was a fun thought. Music was now a "professional" passion of mine, and I was about to embark on a truly amazing journey; a journey into the world of Music Publishing that will FOREVER stay engrained in my heart and soul.

In short, music publishing is this. There are two sides to the music world, 1) the label, 2) the publishing company. The label releases records, assists in tour funding (hopefully), and makes sure the CD/ MP3 etc is on the shelves. Publishing is more fun, and very different; you are responsible for collecting pub royalties, registering song titles with the appropriate societies (ASCAP, BMI), and most importantly, you're responsible for exploiting the copyrights. To the laymen, that last sentence means you get to listen and FEEL good music, and fit it in with TV shows, movies, commercials, you name it. It's a dream job. Think of Grey's Anatomy. Everytime you hear the Fray, someone pitched that to match the scene(s) perfectly. Speaking of Grey's Anatomy, back to Patrick Watson.

Superfrank and Foye gave me the task of getting their other clients' music off the ground and out into the public eye. At the time, Patrick's first record, "Just Another Ordinary Day" was just out, and we were putting it into record labels' hands. It was a task I was happy to take on. In addition to that, I was responsible for pitching the record for use in TV, Film, Advertising, etc. Again, shoes I was more than happy to fill. What happened from here on was unforgettable. I immersed myself so deeply into his music, that I could tell you what the chord changes were, and how long each song was. In other words, I was living his music. Then, "Close to Paradise" came out, his 2nd record, and I was speechless. I remember Foye and I sitting at our desks on speaker phone with Patrick, while he's at his apt in Montreal playing "The Great Escape" on piano and singing us the vocals. Both Foye and I were silent for the 4 minutes he played the song, and we knew it was "the one." I teared up, Foye did as well, and we looked at eachother and smiled. It was an absolutely amazing experience.

Bringing this entire post together...for those that have seen Grey's Anatomy, you've heard Patrick's music on 3 or 4 different occasions; one of them was "The Great Escape." This song became an absolute treasure. It was in the top 5 on itunes downloads, in 2 different movies, and countless television shows. Why do I love music? This is why. One random Thursday afternoon at Intrigue Music, listening to a new song by an as-of-yet unknown artist moved me like no other song I've ever heard. And then that song becomes a hit. It knocked me to the floor when I heard it live on speaker phone, and it still does today. You never know when "that" song is suddenly going to make it into your life, but you'll never forget it. You never forget where you were when you first heard it either, as it has it's own internal timestamp.

Patrick Watson is what music is truly meant to be: honest, truthful, and beautiful.

I found a cool montage of photos of Patrick with the tune behind it. Here you go:

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Fink: "This is the Thing"

Mellow delivery, cool guitar patterns, and an ABSOLUTELY AWESOME Video. I love this guy. He's a singer/songwriter (shout out to the previous post) from Brighton, just a hop, skip, and a jump from Guinness land on the neighboring island. Ladies and Gents, Fink (http://www.finkworld.co.uk/fink/).

He has four records out, all of which are released on Ninja Tune (www.ninjatune.com). He's most notably a DJ, rockin' clubs from Europe to the US on a regular basis, but he's a really solid songwriter as well. I love this track, "This is the Thing," off of his 3rd record, "Distance and Time," which was relesead in 2007.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Foy Vance : Ireland's Hidden Gem

"Singer/ songwriter" is now officially a genre within the iTunes store, which to folks that have followed the stylistic finger picking of guys like James Taylor, Nick Drake, Joni Mitchell, Ray Lamontagne, William Fitzsimmons, and Iron & Wine, this is huge. Folk music was a broadbased genre; something that encompassed the soothing sounds of acoustic guitars, 3 piece drum kits w/ 1 cymbal, and perhaps an upright bass. Drenched in accents from the East Village to the Southern US, and perhaps most comparable to country music, Folk music was the "history" section of our musical library, putting the talents of singers and songwriters into a genre based around a time period, as opposed to respecting that they were in fact very simplistic and individualistic in characterization. They were singers. They were songwriters. Now, respectively, they are classified as singers/ songwriters.

Perhaps the best singers/ songwriters that I've found in my search for the "perfect" blend of acoustic guitar, raspy vocals, and chill binding lyrics are from Ireland. From Damien Rice himself, to Glen Hansard ("Once," "The Frames", "The Swell Season") these guys know how to write songs, and more importantly, they know how to deliver them. Whether it's the lush Irish landscape, the comradery one experiences at the local pubs, or the emotional aftershock of the religious conflicts in the late '60s, these guys can sing and show unlimited inspiration to keep delivering great records and great songs.

I give you Foy Vance, from Bangor County, Northern Ireland. His record "Hope" came out in 2007 on Wurdamouth Records, and is easily one of my favorite singer/ songwriter records that I own to date. He knows suffering, he knows joy, and he knows how to deliver each one as if you are the one experiencing it. He's Ireland's "Bruce Springsteen" in a way. You always knew what Bruce was talking about. Foy is no different. He defines what it is to be a singer/ songwriter, and not a "folk" singer. This story is unique to himself, the first hand storyteller. He doesn't define history within his lyrics, he defines HIS history.

Below is a live performance of "Indiscriminate Act of Kindness," my favorite track on "Hope." In this song he shows what it truly means to help someone, and that no matter what state of mind one can be in, all we really need to do is help eachother and it is truly appreciated, even without a "Thank You."

"When you took your chances,
It was like you placed a bet.
And sometimes this is the reward you can get.
I was always taught,
If you see someone defiled,
You should look them in the eyes and smile,
And take their heart, no better still
Take them home, home, home."

Cheers.