Okay so this year I finally succumbed and started watching the show The Voice. I never watched it before because I felt like it was a rip off of American Idol, but it is actually quite different and it has some real talent on it. I will watch anything where I can see some raw talent for the first time.
Right now Im into this old head that is on there. This guy Nicholas David is pretty amazing. He looks like a bum with long shaggy hair and he is like 50 years old but when he starts singing he has so much soul. His understanding of music is crazy. He is possibly the most soulful hippy ever. Nicholas David is on Cee-Lo 's team. Im also a huge Cee- lo fan , clearly he has good taste. If this guy doesnt win the whole show I am sure he will still be successful. Mark my words.
Itunes has a section with singles featured on the show. Just go on Itunes and scroll down and you will see an icon in red and says The Voice. Click on that to get to the singles. Again, the guys name is Nicholas David and he has 3 singles featured on Itunes so far I think.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Monday, October 29, 2012
Black Star / Mos Def and Talib Kweli
I marked another item off of my bucket list Saturday night. I saw Black Star perform in Atlantic City at the House of Blues. Black Star is comprised of Mos Def and Talib Kweli. Both of which are lyrical geniuses. Atlantic City actually started evacuating while I was there so the show was very intimate. Wasnt crowded at all and I got to be very close to the stage.
Neither artist has aged a day in 10 years and their show wasnt lacking at all for a couple of middle aged guys. I would rate the show right up there with Wu Tang who I saw when I was 15. They had tons of energy through the entire show and even their dj was amazing. Mos danced the whole show like a crazy person and they smiled and joked with one another. The chemistry they have is amazing. A crowd favorite of course was when they did Talibs "Get By." My favorite was when they did a track over Slick Ricks bed time story song. It was sooooo hot. Knock 'em out the park Mos , knock 'em out the park. Talib danced and mimicked swinging a bat during that segment.
PICS!!!!!
Neither artist has aged a day in 10 years and their show wasnt lacking at all for a couple of middle aged guys. I would rate the show right up there with Wu Tang who I saw when I was 15. They had tons of energy through the entire show and even their dj was amazing. Mos danced the whole show like a crazy person and they smiled and joked with one another. The chemistry they have is amazing. A crowd favorite of course was when they did Talibs "Get By." My favorite was when they did a track over Slick Ricks bed time story song. It was sooooo hot. Knock 'em out the park Mos , knock 'em out the park. Talib danced and mimicked swinging a bat during that segment.
PICS!!!!!
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
ohDanger! Interview (Jim Colliton)
I have a special treat. Its another addition to my series of local artist interviews. I interviewed a DJ out of Salisbury that goes by the name ohDanger!.
His real name is Jim Colliton. Some people may not agree that a DJ should be considered an artist or musician. I dont think it is for me to decide on that, I asked him what his opinion was on that topic. He gave me a semi cryptic response. He said "Producers are musicians. I like to think of Djs as chefs who use the ingredients made by producers to make something tasty." I can see where he is coming from with that answer. I mean a lot of the songs we hear are played for us by a dj whether it be on the radio or in a bar or club and some djs have as large of a fan base as any artist (Pauly D, Funkmaster Flex, Spinderella, etc).
ohDanger! got into music in the most unlikely of ways. Believe it or not the United States military is what led him down the path he is on musically. In 2003 shortly after he graduated high school he joined the air force. They almost immediately shipped him off to Germany. When he arrived there his main interest were classic punk and just plain rock, but after spending two years there in the services he had grown more inclined to listen to electronic music which is more main stream there than it is in the US. The album that first got him hooked on that genre was Fat Boy Slim : Live at Brighton Beach. After his two years in Germany, Jim was stationed in Hawaii. There he met a friend that got him into Drum and Bass. He fell in love with it and that is the style of music that he does sets of now.
Most people here in the US are not familiar with Drum and Bass, but dubstep has recently become popular and it could be compared to something like that. Now that he is out of the military, Jim, resides in Salisbury, MD and djs as his hobby. He has done a few gigs here and there but is limited due to the style not being highly sought after here in the states. ohDanger! hopes to make a name for himself and is looking into making a career out of being a dj one day.
As for Jims personal life, he says he doesnt party much. I know that we all probably picture djs to rage with the best of 'em, but apparently that is not the case. We probably assume that since they provide the music that we the people rage to. He says if he is not doing a set he is probably just hanging out with a few close friends. As for girls...he says that he "enjoys the company of women."
I also asked the up and comer what album he would chose if he were limited to only one for the rest of his life to listen to and that would be Modern English: After the Snow. SOOOO Im going to link you to some of ohDanger! s music and if you like that then perhaps you should check out some of his favorites, which I will also provide links for. His one recommendation for his fans is that you should all visit Europe one day and check out the music scene there, the contrast is vast.
Favorites:
Depeche Mode :Everythings Counts
Ebony Dubsters: Ra -original sin remix
Robin S. : Show me Love
ohDanger! himself:
Above is the equipment he uses
ohDanger! Doin The Damn Thing!(mix video part 1)
***I actually watched this video and there were some parts that were fire, definately worth checking out***
His real name is Jim Colliton. Some people may not agree that a DJ should be considered an artist or musician. I dont think it is for me to decide on that, I asked him what his opinion was on that topic. He gave me a semi cryptic response. He said "Producers are musicians. I like to think of Djs as chefs who use the ingredients made by producers to make something tasty." I can see where he is coming from with that answer. I mean a lot of the songs we hear are played for us by a dj whether it be on the radio or in a bar or club and some djs have as large of a fan base as any artist (Pauly D, Funkmaster Flex, Spinderella, etc).
ohDanger! got into music in the most unlikely of ways. Believe it or not the United States military is what led him down the path he is on musically. In 2003 shortly after he graduated high school he joined the air force. They almost immediately shipped him off to Germany. When he arrived there his main interest were classic punk and just plain rock, but after spending two years there in the services he had grown more inclined to listen to electronic music which is more main stream there than it is in the US. The album that first got him hooked on that genre was Fat Boy Slim : Live at Brighton Beach. After his two years in Germany, Jim was stationed in Hawaii. There he met a friend that got him into Drum and Bass. He fell in love with it and that is the style of music that he does sets of now.
Most people here in the US are not familiar with Drum and Bass, but dubstep has recently become popular and it could be compared to something like that. Now that he is out of the military, Jim, resides in Salisbury, MD and djs as his hobby. He has done a few gigs here and there but is limited due to the style not being highly sought after here in the states. ohDanger! hopes to make a name for himself and is looking into making a career out of being a dj one day.
As for Jims personal life, he says he doesnt party much. I know that we all probably picture djs to rage with the best of 'em, but apparently that is not the case. We probably assume that since they provide the music that we the people rage to. He says if he is not doing a set he is probably just hanging out with a few close friends. As for girls...he says that he "enjoys the company of women."
I also asked the up and comer what album he would chose if he were limited to only one for the rest of his life to listen to and that would be Modern English: After the Snow. SOOOO Im going to link you to some of ohDanger! s music and if you like that then perhaps you should check out some of his favorites, which I will also provide links for. His one recommendation for his fans is that you should all visit Europe one day and check out the music scene there, the contrast is vast.
Favorites:
Depeche Mode :Everythings Counts
Ebony Dubsters: Ra -original sin remix
Robin S. : Show me Love
ohDanger! himself:
Above is the equipment he uses
ohDanger! Doin The Damn Thing!(mix video part 1)
***I actually watched this video and there were some parts that were fire, definately worth checking out***
Monday, October 8, 2012
Nicki Minaj fights Mariah Carey
Well everyone knows what American Idol is. As wack as the concept may seem, I have enjoyed a few seasons of the show myself. Im always looking for new talent and I enjoy the fact that after the performances if you like the contestants version of a song you can purchase it on tunes. So far the only two purchases I have made was of Ruben Studdards "Tears of a clown" and Haley Reinharts "House of the Rising Sun" . One was from like 2004 and the other was from the year before last. Needless to say Im picky. Anyhow this year the judges of Idol are changing. For the last two years it has been Jennifer Lopez, Steven Tyler, and Randy Jackson. Lopez I could do without but Steven Tyler was amusing. This year those two have both moved on and now there will be four judges. Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj, Keith Urban, and of course Randy.
I know a lot of people hate on Mariah Carey but at the end of the day no one in the world can sing more octaves than her. Thats in the guiness book of world records so check it out. If you dont know what octaves are then you dont know as much about music as you think and you need to see Google about that. Her opinion shall be respected by me. It is a singing contest after all.
Now as for Ms. Minaj, I do like some of her music but she is terribly inconsistent. She is gangster one minute and barbie the next. Personally I prefer the gangster Nicki. I guess her multiple personalities is part of her appeal to the masses though. Now for her being a judge on Idol I dont know about that. I dont feel like she has been in the game long enough, also it is not a rapping competition it is a singing competition.....She was brought in only to bring the attention of a younger audience but I think they will probably lose out on the older audiences that religiously watch the program.
Keith Urban is country and they do need a country judge so Im cool with that. The thing that is the big deal is that there is apparently this ongoing beef between Minaj and Mariah. It was a rumor until today when a video came out of the two in a heated argument. Minaj is shown screaming in the video "I told them I wasnt dealing with your fucking highness over here" as she then looks at Carey. Mariah is shown saying something back but you cant tell what she is saying. Poor Keith Urban has thrown up his hands and is sitting there looking perplexed while Randy Jackson tries to break it up. Noone knows who released the video and no one is commenting on it. Im gonna have to go team Mariah on this one just for the simple fact that Minaj shouldnt be there in the first place. Thats not her fault though she is just collecting a check.
I know a lot of people hate on Mariah Carey but at the end of the day no one in the world can sing more octaves than her. Thats in the guiness book of world records so check it out. If you dont know what octaves are then you dont know as much about music as you think and you need to see Google about that. Her opinion shall be respected by me. It is a singing contest after all.
Now as for Ms. Minaj, I do like some of her music but she is terribly inconsistent. She is gangster one minute and barbie the next. Personally I prefer the gangster Nicki. I guess her multiple personalities is part of her appeal to the masses though. Now for her being a judge on Idol I dont know about that. I dont feel like she has been in the game long enough, also it is not a rapping competition it is a singing competition.....She was brought in only to bring the attention of a younger audience but I think they will probably lose out on the older audiences that religiously watch the program.
Keith Urban is country and they do need a country judge so Im cool with that. The thing that is the big deal is that there is apparently this ongoing beef between Minaj and Mariah. It was a rumor until today when a video came out of the two in a heated argument. Minaj is shown screaming in the video "I told them I wasnt dealing with your fucking highness over here" as she then looks at Carey. Mariah is shown saying something back but you cant tell what she is saying. Poor Keith Urban has thrown up his hands and is sitting there looking perplexed while Randy Jackson tries to break it up. Noone knows who released the video and no one is commenting on it. Im gonna have to go team Mariah on this one just for the simple fact that Minaj shouldnt be there in the first place. Thats not her fault though she is just collecting a check.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Coheed and Cambria Concert AC
Lets talk about the Coheed and Cambria concert in Atlantic City that I just went to. AMAZING. Claudio (lead singer) was much more talkative than he usually is. He really is so down to earth. I had noticed that almost every one at the show were wearing their Coheed band t shirts. Thats a pretty lame move in my opinion. I would never wear the band t shirt to the show of that band. I was thinking about blogging about that actually when Claudio came out and to my surprise he was rocking a Coheed shirt also. Then he spoke, he said that it would be the first and last time that he would ever wear one of his own bands shirts. It was so funny that I didnt even care about everyone elses fashion offenses at the show. He said he did it because he was in a funny mood.
The songs were incredible as always. The crowd was rowdy, which is the norm. There were about 7 fights that night. I personally saw 3 or 4 people escorted out including one female. But what do we expect to happen when the band has lyrics about slamming a girls head in the fucking door? Its sung beautifully though. The opening band was Deer Hunter. They were surprisingly good. Better than any other band I have seen open for Coheed. I bought their album from the merch table and then actually had a conversation with the guitarist who was rocking a black flag shirt, much better attire than Claudio lol. Unfortunately I was not very impressed with the guitarist personality wise. Good thing his music makes up for it. All in all this was the best Coheed show that I have seen since the first one I saw in 2006 at HFStival. I will be posting pictures this week.
The songs were incredible as always. The crowd was rowdy, which is the norm. There were about 7 fights that night. I personally saw 3 or 4 people escorted out including one female. But what do we expect to happen when the band has lyrics about slamming a girls head in the fucking door? Its sung beautifully though. The opening band was Deer Hunter. They were surprisingly good. Better than any other band I have seen open for Coheed. I bought their album from the merch table and then actually had a conversation with the guitarist who was rocking a black flag shirt, much better attire than Claudio lol. Unfortunately I was not very impressed with the guitarist personality wise. Good thing his music makes up for it. All in all this was the best Coheed show that I have seen since the first one I saw in 2006 at HFStival. I will be posting pictures this week.
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