Vinyl Notes

So maybe that’s a little harsh, but I can’t for the life of me figure out what Scarlett Johansson–who I like as an actress but let’s admit it, she’s a little bland–brings to the music industry aside from a complete lack of talent. Seriously. If you thought she was a bland actress, you’ll no doubt think she’s snoozeworthy as a songstress.

I’m sorry but that is NOT singing. Its an impersonation of what she thinks she should sound like IF she were a singer. But a singer she is not.

Ms. Scarlet, please stick to acting and leave the singing to the professionals. kthxbia.

Sometimes having a day job gets in the way of what we had going here. I don’t know how many people read or don’t read, all I know is that I have this music blog and it was one of the most important things in my life for a while…Writing about music in particular.

Then came along the day job–one I am grateful and blessed to have–and there seems to be no time any more.

But I still need someone to tell my thoughts about music, because it is so rare that I come across someone with whom I can actually have a conversation about music.

So I store up these thoughts and they build up and I lament never having posted them at all.

Well…I’m just going to dump it.

On Femme-Fronted Rock Radio Rotation: It really frustrates me that so few female voices make the radio. It does however bring me joy to hear Nico Vega’s “Gravity” on KROQ’s “Locals Only” broadcast. I guess if enough people request it, they’ll play it more, but it’s nice to hear them on the radio even a little.

Rock super group, Dead Weather–conceived by Jack White, fronted by Alison Mosshart–gets played on another local station, but they say “Jack White’s side project…” It makes sense, since Mosshart’s following pale’s in comparison to Jack’s; but would it heart to acknowledge the vocalist? I guess it must be like being the drummer…which is what Jack happens to be for Dead Weather.

On Lady Gaga: At first I wanted to hate her but she makes good pop music. What? She does! Doesn’t your body move despite you turning up your nose? Aren’t they silly and just burrow into your brain? Yeah, yeah, yeah her costumes are over the top, so what. The girl can sing, and she can put on a show. She’s entertaining and talented. That’s just about all I need right there. Mind you…I don’t like that “Love Game (Disco Stick)” song, but I just think the girl knows her audience on that one…aaaaaaand it wasn’t me. Her VMA performance may have been criticized as rough, but for a newcomer, I think she put on a fantastic show. She’s got room to grow, but if she doesn’t fall off in a few years, Gaga could well go through many transitions and be around for much longer than anyone expects.

On Kanye at the VMAs: That was shitty, but its Kanye’s shtick. He makes some douche-bag publicity stunt, people talk about boycotting and what an asshole he is. But notice, no one was talking about the embarrassment Tailor Swift suffered; which is good for Tailor Swift. The flip side of it not being all about Swift? It was all about Kanye. So he got what he wanted, people were talking about it, and there was buzz to support his latest project (which I won’t link, ‘cuz fuck that).

On the Cycle of Music: I watched practically every Fall premier this season (What? You can do that when you don’t watch live TV and you’re vegging out on a Sunday afternoon). It’s been kind of exciting to hear music I was writing about a year ago–up to two years ago even–being used in commercials, movie trailers and on prime time TV shows. The part of me that wants to love underground cringes when I hear The Kills’ “Cheap and Cheerful” in a promo for 90210 and Tilly and the Walls’ “Pot Kettle Black” in a Target promo for the new Anna Sui line, let’s face it though…these are good things for the bands. But seriously, a year for that level of exposure? Didn’t take long for the band with Jack White behind it though; they got in with the series premier of the CW’s Vampire Diaries. Some call it selling out, I call it smart business.

The other day I was asked who my favorite bands are right now. I answered the question, singing the praises of Janelle Monae and Dead Weather but I must admit that I forgot a few. So I figured since I’m always thinking about updating this blog, maybe I’d dump my brain for real and share my some of my new favorites with you, dear readers (if you’re still with me).

Of course there are the two mentioned above, one a super band created by a man most would agree is a rock GENIUS; the other an underrated member of the recent soul revival. Here are a few others:

Kings of Leon: The music is great and I have to admit that while like so many others I had never heard of KOL until “Sex on Fire” broke, I think they’re older songs are much better than the ones on the latest album. In fact, on my favorite tracks from Because of the Times (2007) is “My Party.” If you can sit still while listening to this song, you’re not alive and that is the simple truth. The only problem I see with KOL is that the energy in the music doesn’t seem to translate into an engaging performance. All the same, I’m perfectly happy bouncing around to their music without needing to see a live show.

Nico Vega: Anyone who has read any of my music blogs knows that I LOVE Nico Vega. This is one band whose energy does translate and transcend live. If you ever need a rock fix, Nico Vega has the cure for ails you. They’re already an underground sensation and definitely on the break.

The Lexingtons: These guys are as fun as they are dapper. A group of up-and-comers who sort of make you remember what cool really is. What do I mean by that you ask? Just have a look at this “Bad Kids” cover video. Doesn’t it just remind you of what a video should be? Videos may not make a star anymore but that doesn’t mean they can’t be interesting.

Flotation Walls: Orchestral and cinematic is the best way to describe this group. To see them live is to see just how hard they work. Acoustic, electric, violins, guitars, upright bass, synthesizers, percussion, drums, horns…you name it they can play it, sometimes all in the same show. And we’re not talking about some 10 person ensemble. The music is a wonderful combination of dramatically classical and sharp witted rocking edginess.

I’m sure I’ll think of more later, but for now, these are the folks at the top of my recommendation list. What are you listening to these days?

When The Kills opened for the Raconteurs at San Francisco’s Treasure Island Music Festival last year, it was apparent that the two bands well matched. The Kills gave one of the best performances of the weekend, warming up the crowd for The Raconteurs; one of the best shows I’ve ever seen (its a tie between Raconteurs @Treasure Island and Nico Vega @ The Viper Room).

I guess, Jake White felt the same way and has since recruited Kills’ front woman Alison Mosshart to front his latest side project, Dead Weather. The result is gritty, jarring and electric; a beautiful fusion of The White Stripes and The Kills.

Part of me wonders what this means for Kills guitarist Hotel, the other part wants to see Dead Weather go mainstream as proof that female fronted bands get airplay. I’ll not hop on my soap box about the radio blackout on female rockers though…

Check out the single “Hang You From the Heavens.” If you like The Kills and you were a fan of The White Stripes, there’s not doubt you’ll make room in your heart for Dead Weather

Ya fly as hell, swagger right, brown skin poppin’, ya know just how to talk to me, know just how I like it.
Ya turnin me on, ya turnin’ me on…

Almost a year ago, I wrote about Keri Hilson being the next R&B “it” girl and since the release of her debut album In A Perfect World… she has become exactly that.

I’ll try not to gush, because on some levels I like her despite myself. A beautiful voice, catchy song-writing, dance music, legs for days…The girl is hot hot hot and I might actually go purchase the album.

In the meantime, I’ll just play “Turning Me On” until I can’t stand it anymore.

Dime divas give it to me!

On Thursday a legend died.

I was surprised by my grief.

It wasn’t grief like that for a personal friend, but rather the sense that this person had contributed so much to the soundtrack of my life. He was a cultural icon the world over and had spent his entire life creating and sharing beautiful music with a message of love.

What I love is that in his death, no one chose to focus on the controversies surrounding Michael Jackson’s later years. There was an outpouring of love, which is exactly what he had given the world for so long.

One person asked if MJ would go to heaven or hell and wondered whether or not he had made peace with his demons. I believe MJ’s demons hunted him until the day he died and that his hell was here on earth. Pop critic Robert Hilburn wrote a beautiful piece on MJ’s wounded heart, from which he never recovered. If he only knew how much we really loved him…

Dennis Romero of DanceBlogga noted that Michael Jackson’s Thriller was the best selling studio album of all time and has told me time and time again, that Off the Wall was his favorite Michael Jackson album. How funny that “Off the Wall” should be the song stuck in my head from the moment I heard of MJ’s passing.

MJ was a major influence on music and culture. So many in my generation grew up listening to his music. Hell, every R&B boy from Usher to Chris Brown to Ne-yo and Akon, has gotten their moves from Michael Jackson.

The afterlife only matters to the living. Untimely or not, June 25, 2009 will be remembered as the day Michael Jackson died. And all I can say is that life ain’t so bad at all, when you live it off the wall.

I know the posting has been few and far between these days. I’ve been away for much too long. Truth be told, it’s been a long time since any music caught my ear enough to compelled to write about it. You can be sure I would have never thought it would end up being Ciara.

I always dug her sexy style but kinda wrote her off as another flash in the pan. She’s on her third album and while she may not be in the tabloids constantly, the girl is hot hot hot. And damn if she doesn’t remind me of a young Janet with the sensuality kicked way up.

This weekend she was on SNL and her performance was melt you into your chair hot. That is all. You check it out yourself.

The 28th Annual Ragga Muffins Festival in Long Beach drew a smaller crowd – could be the economy, or not enough mainstream artists to draw the parade of hipsters, pretty people and meat-heads so prevalent three years ago. In keeping with the festival’s oft spoken of return to its roots, this year’s line-up was about uplifting your spirits, not just shaking your booty.

In our preview we touched on the contributions of Lee “Scratch” Perry and Tony Rebel. On Sunday we got a history lesson on Leroy Sibbles…given by Sibbles himself.  A legend by most standards, Sibbles is not attributed for his contributions to reggae (most notably his famed baseline popularized in “Pass the Dutchie”).

Well, we can give Sibbles credit for injecting the day with energy and establishing a collective desire for communion. As he repeated the refrain, “love is in air” we could see it was, as strangers danced together and refreshments were shared freely.

Sibbles set left the audience well primed for Pressure, a performer who may lack wrinkles but does not lack depth. It was obvious he enjoyed performing as much as the crowd was feeling him. When the crowd started singing his lyrics, Pressure couldn’t resist a smile and wink, reveling in their energy.

Great performances abounded, but this Bob Marley Day clearly belonged to Stephen Marley. The acoustic gig had an ethereal power, commanding the crowd’s attention from a seat in center stage. The crowd was enraptured and reverent, receiving his music like an offering. Festival goer Addison Alkire said it best, “this feels like church.” While Marley’s rendition of his father’s songs were true to form, his use of flute & sax imparted his own resonance.

At the end of the set Ziggy and Julian joined their brother onstage. The audience responded with exuberance, appreciative to have so many Marley’s back.

It wasn’t all roses though. Introduced as “the son of a legend”, it seemed the Marley name got Julian a better time slot than he merited. Tanya even speculated that dubious intro might be foreshadowing. The audience was not impressed with his lineage and zoned out after the second song, missing repetitive melodies and gratuitous face grabbing.

By contrast, up-and-comer E-Dee’s energetic exhibition would have benefited from better placement; his was the first set on Sunday. He delivered songs heavy on bass with danceable beats, but it was like trying to light a wet match. After the set E-Dee acknowledged his attempts to draw audience, saying “If you don’t get hype the audience won’t.”

Another notable, Etana, also had a lackluster response, though for entirely different reasons. She blamed inadequate time for failing to get her message across; we humbly submit our own hypothesis. The instrumentation overpowered her voice from the start. As time went the strain on her voice was evident, perhaps from the effort of singing over the music. Even so, we must bear witness, she sings with grace, free of superfluous vibrato. And onstage she is regal.

Onto non-musical details. There were fewer vendors this year, but that was not a bad thing. Gone were the mass produced Bob Marley onesies sold at a dozen booths. When asked about the improved quality of the cultural wares, festival organizer Barbara Barabino said, “I was tired of the crap too.” She went on to say that she prioritized vendor selection this year, personally inviting real artists to “bring it back.”

Despite lower attendance, the 28th Annual Ragga Muffins Festival was a success. Buju Banton, Saturday’s headliner, said he makes music “to uplift, educate and eradicate negativity from the minds of the people.” That charge may well be applied to the real purpose of reggae music. This weekend that promise was fulfilled.

Hello dear readers. I know its been months since last I posted. Life has been hectic and I started a new gig and am just now coming up for air after a brief music writing hiatus. Great timing too because its time for the 28th Annual Ragga Muffins Festival (show coverage).

This year we’re being graced with reggae legends Buju Banton, Lee “Scratch” Perry, and Tony Rebel. Ever diligent, Queen Ifrica is returning this year as well a many other up and comers, and several of the Marley boys.

Full coverage to come. Stay tuned.

After getting lost in downtown San Francisco, I finally made it back to Treasure Island for day two of the festival and just in time for Vampire Weekend. To my surprise they were not nearly as boring live as I had expected. After being built up in the blogosphere and then ripped apart by critics for lackluster performances, the ivy league educated indie pop group has likely made some improvements over the last year.

For all of Dr. Dog’s supposed effort to recapture a by-gone era in music, their music was discordant and decidedly modern. The influences were apparent however, from the gruff exposition of Jim Morrison-esque vocals, the Jimmy Hendrix reminiscent noise distortions and harmonies evocative of The Beatles and the Beach Boys. The set was quite entertaining despite the feedback, the off sync arrangements and unfortunate imbalance of the instruments, which drowned out the vocals.

Twin duo Tegan & Sara were simply charming. The combination of infectious rhythms, dissonant chords and punk influences made for a excellent performance. Between songs, the pair engaged the audience with dialogue, providing festival attendees with bits of Tegan & Sara trivia. Once their set was over, there was a surprising mass exodus of younger audience members.

The Kills were electrifying. Of all the male/female twosomes to come out of the UK, The Kills are arguably the most gritty and caustic. Together, vocalist Alison Mosshart aka VV and guitarist Jamie Hence aka Hotel have a magnetic energy and drew the attention of the crowd, and definitely gained at least one new fan. Hotel’s appropriately jarring guitar rips were a great complement for the acerbic lyrics and gravelly voice of VV. The pair are one of the best up-and-coming rock bands of the current era. 

It was The Raconteurs who stole the show and blew the rest  completely out of the water. From stage presence to stage dressing, from arrangement to sound quality, The Raconteurs where enthralling and took the other bands to school in terms of how to put on a good show. From start to finish the Nashville quintet captivated the audience. The set spanned the gambit from bluegrass to hard rock to funky pop ballads. Jack White is the obvious star of the group, he stepped back into the shadows several times allowing other band members to have the spotlight.