Decker Tweets

So, Decker just told me that he has a twitter. You can follow it here. What a lame-o.

Fancy Underwear

Here's the video for Weezy's new rock song, "Prom Queen."

Some observations:

a) So, apparently Wayne was a loser in high school. Does he expect us to believe that he actually went to high school? The truth is that he actually dropped out at 14 and later earned a GED.

b) He can play guitar.

c) That's Korn in the video. Apparently the band is down to three guys now that David Silveria left, so Jonathan Davis is playing drums.

d) I know too much about Korn.

Spring Break '09

This spring break I will be road dogging on this tour for a few dates, so make sure you come out and say what's up. Also features Fireworks, A Loss For Words, This Time Next Year, and Fireworks.

Spring Break Recording (3/3)

Yet another flawless show! And yet another lie. It was a good show, except for the submarine noises we heard in the studio. Anyways, we sorta had a Spring Break theme for this episode, which really didn't mean much because we never stick to our themes anyways.

So, to listen to the show, click the title above or right here to download the show or you can stream it below:

Spring Break Playlist (3/3)

The Game-California Vacation
Notorious B.I.G. - Going Back to Cali
Radical Face- Welcome Home
Young Jeezy- Vacation
Quicksand- Landmine Spring
Weezer- Pink Triangle
CunninLynguists- Sunrise Sunset
Tiger's Jaw- I Believe in Harvey Dent
Clipse- Breakfast in Cairo
Mistah F.A.B.- Sideshow
Tupac- 2 Of Amerika'z Most Wanted
The Diplomats- My Love
The Roots- Step into the Realm
RHCP- Get on Top
Beastie Boys- Super Disco Breakin'
Title Fight- Evander
Fireworks- David Mackinder vs The World
Incubus- The Warmth
Blink 182- Take Me Home
Natty Dread 'Pon the Mountain Top- Bad Brains
Jimmy Eat World- Bleed American
Zion I - Caged Bird Pt. 1
E-40- Yay Area
Coconut Pete- Pina Colada-berg
Jay-Z- Girls, Girls, Girls

Guilty Pleasures

Since it's midterms time, I decided I would avoid studying and write about my favorite guilty pleasures. We all have them, but for some reason, we act like our taste in music or movies or TV is above that. We have this innate fear of being like everyone else and must prove our superiority by listening to only artists that aren't on the radio. But like I've always said, there's a reason these artists aren't on the radio. Indie 103 failed for a reason. It's classic psychology, I think. We lie to ourselves instead of admitting to ourselves that we enjoy mass consumer culture. Admit it, you like that new Miley Cyrus song.

For some reason, we all like to act as if we are scholarly individuals who only partake in the best of things. We only watch shows like Lost or The Sopranos or The Wire and listen to bands that no one has heard of yet. In reality, we watch Gossip Girl, Desperate Housewives, and The Hills when no one is looking and our iTunes are filled with Limp Bizkit and Lily Allen. I'll admit it, I love the the "trash" of our culture. But I do need to make one thing clear, I actually do detest The Hills. I am above that fake MTV nonsense.

My point is this, everyone has guilty pleasures, so there is no need hiding them. There shouldn't be a stigma associated with liking the same music as an 11 girl who shops at Hot Topic or reading the same books as your 7 year old cousin.
Look at my last.fm page, I listen to Fall Out Boy more than I do my favorite band, Rage Against the Machine. I listen to Justin Timberlake more than I listen to Bruce Springsteen. Why might this be? Perhaps because Fall Out Boy and JT have mastered the ability to create universal appeal in every single one of their songs. They produces catchy music that I can listen to at any time, in any mood. Could I listen to Rage Against the Machine or Aesop Rock or Queens of the Stone Age or Radiohead at any time? Not really, unless I had serious emotional issues.
I decided to write this post because the great teen-punk band Paramore just came my iTunes and I didn't feel like changing it. iTunes shuffle is magical like that. Paramore, along with Fall Out Boy, Panic (!) at the Disco, and other bands that are "pop" seem to have a stigma that comes with listening to them. There may be no uniqueness or true artisitc quality to it, but these artists are making music that everyone enjoys, even your Mom. Basically, we should be able to accept people despite their musical tastes, however strange they may be. Unless they listen to country because that is just wrong. Who does that?

And what's with people trying to justify their liking of shows like The O.C. and bands like Paramore by saying they think the characters or singer is hot. Why can't we just admit it to ourselves that our lustful desires are not the reason we listen to Paramore or Evanescence. Sometimes we just need easy music that makes us happy. And, truth be told, they are capable of producing decent music, that is why they have record deals and you don't. But my god, how is every single character on Gossip Girl that attractive? It's ridiculous.

So, from this day forward, don't hide your guilty pleasures because what's the point in lying to yourself? Besides, everyone else is doing it...

Dave Holland- Mental Images

Being a bass player and a fan of jazz, I have always been a big fan of Dave Holland. He is a British musician who has risen out of the usual backdrop role of jazz bassists and founded a really great big band that has put out a handful of innovative albums. I remember buying "Overtime" in 10th grade and listening to it a few times, and even seeing Dave Holland perform with his band in support of the record, but I guess I never "got it". This week, however, I broke this record out again after 4 years, and I've got to say it's pretty slamming. Most of the tracks are pretty straight forward modern big band stuff, solid composition and great solos from Holland's band of all stars. One track, however, stands out to me as a modern classic. "Mental Images" is Holland at his best, a ripping 9 minute track bursting at its seems with energy and drive. It begins with some classic bass noodling from Dave but breaks into a rock solid groove highlighting the unsung heroes of the big band brass, the trombones. The song is in a really weird time signature which I've never really been able to pinpoint, but the fact that the rhythm section can hold such a tight groove with such weird time just makes the track even better. The brass brings several cool riffs interwoven around Dave's bass and the main horn riff. Anyway, even though the track weighs in heftily at 9 minutes, it definitely never drags or gets boring- a feat which few jazz tracks can accomplish. Not a jazz fan? Give this a listen. Toss your Kenny G discs and hear what a true OG can bring to the table- jazz lives!