The Stuff

I’m a fan of the cut-n-paste sample-based music from the 80’s and 90’s — Public Enemy, PWEI, Wax Trax!, Negtiveland, EBN, etc. This YouTube video features William Shatner sampled and cut up in a way that actually produces a song. It’s fun, and you can dance to it. I give it a 9.

There’s a band called Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head. How awesome is that? About as awesome as the chocolate and Cheetos I just had for dessert.

Here’s their video for Sophisticated Side Ponytail (whatever that means).

natalie portman’s shaved head - sophisticated side ponytail from thatgo on Vimeo.

They’ve definitely doing something right: a minute and change of punky electronica, just crazy enough to confuse the jocks and give them the slip. That’s the way to handle jocks, BTW: rainbow colors and loud noises.

Issac Hayes died today.

This weekend officially sucks.

Korg’s Kaossilator is a fun little music device that allows you to compose strange and wondrous musical compositions with a twist of a knob and a swipe of a finger. It’s ridiculously easy to master. I’ve started working on my next album, and I’ll feature the Kaossilator on it. In the mean time, here’s a small sample of what it can do:

No one will get this joke.

Sesame Street mashup with That Mitchel and Webb Look. LP cover from LP Cover Lover.

80s Hardcore music isn’t for everyone, but I enjoyed it… in the 80s. I still enjoy the songs when I hear them now. No surprise then that men in their 40s would want to put together a band to do 80s Hardcore covers. I think the singer is that Canadian Gavin from Vice, Street Carnage and Politically Incorrect.

80s HARDCORE LIVE OUTDOOR SHOW

I used to hope that musical instruments would instantly evaporate (especially microphones) when ever someone older that 39 tried to use them. Now that I’m almost 40 (YIKES) and since kids aren’t doing anything musically interesting these days, I’m withdrawing my hopes, and cheering whatever midlife crises takes its glucosamine & chondroitin and hobbles up on stage. Music belongs to Generation X and older.

I realize I can’t buy every musical instrument I come across, but someday I might procure one of these The AXiS-64 pro MIDI controllers. I love electronic instruments with non-conventional interfaces (not a piano style keyboard) like my Kaoss pad instruments and theramins.

This one is rather cool:

The Dirtbombs are one of the most rockin’ bands in world, and they are currently on tour. Their sound ranges from punk to R&B, their singer has one of the best voices in rock, and their bass player is a cutie.

I will see them next weekend at the Asbury Lanes in Asbury Park New Jersey, so if you were looking for an excuse to purchase me a drink, that’s where you’ll find me.

Here’s some cellphone video for you:

Album art has been a dying art ever since the CD first hot music store shelves. Now an “album cover” is a postage stamp sized thing that appears in a tiny iPod window. Feh!

This is the cover for Enoch Light’s Spaced Out, one of the better album covers ever printed on a 12″ square piece of cardboard. Here’s more information about the album, and here’s more info about Enoch Light (no relationship to Enoch the Sleestack).

Thanks to the proprietor of Spandex Justice for hooking me up with my own copy.

An 8 year old kid scratching hip hop records.