While not technically a Halloween song (is there actually one besides the Rocky Horror Picture Show or Monster Mash?), Rock Lobster by the B-52's is a sort of weird song with a ton of slightly spooky organs. I love it though, finding a Rock Lobster out of the blue would be pretty scary. That makes it Halloweenie to me, plus everybody had matching towels!
Go eat some candy.
The B-52's - Rock Lobster (YSI) (filesavr)
Last week, I wrote about Rod Stewart, and how sickened I was to see his name attached to a Sam Cooke LP. This week… well, it gets worse, folks, it gets worse.
Plastered all over Boston are ads for Rod Stewart’s most recent album (released on Tuesday), entitled Soulbook. You can tell it’s a terrible album just by looking at the CD cover (see left). It is vomit-inducing. What, Rod, you think you have soul just because you close your eyes and snap your fingers? Please, you’re probably snapping on one and three (music nerds holla!). Love the hair, by the way.
Soulbook is a collection of classic soul tracks covered by Rod Stewart, who claims them as his inspiration: “This is the album I’ve waited my whole lifetime to record…These are the songs that I’ve danced to, made love to...” Woah, stop right there, Rod. No one wants to think about you making love when one of these tracks comes on the radio! Seriously, that’s just in poor taste…you’re 64 years old!
Apparently, Rod does have good taste in music, as it’s quite a collection of songs he’s chosen to butcher on Soulbook. Among them: “My Cherie Amour” by Stevie Wonder; “Wonderful World” by Sam Cooke; “Tracks of My Tears” by Smokey Robinson; “Just My Imagination” by the Temptations; “What Becomes of the Broken Hearted” by Jimmy Ruffin. The list goes on (at least he didn't touch Otis Redding). And, for some strange reason, Smokey Robinson and Stevie Wonder even join Rod on the album. What were they thinking? (Sub-question: Is it in fact unfair to criticize a formerly great artist for his latter day sins, is it better to burn out or fade away?)
Look, the original versions of these songs are all classic recordings, performed by young men many years ago. Part of what makes these recordings so stellar is the youthful exuberance, the spirit, that is present throughout. How can 64-year old Rod Stewart do that spirit justice? It's impossible, and would be even if his voice hadn't sucked to begin with. Rod, loving these songs is not reason enough to record them!
I could provide you with a few tracks off of Soulbook. And maybe I should—they are hilariously awful. But, I’d rather leave you with some good music; so instead, here are a few of these songs in their original form. May they forever drown out Rod Stewart’s sleazy rasp!
Jimmy Ruffin – What Becomes of the Broken Hearted (YSI) (filesavr)
Smokey Robinson – Tracks of My Tears (YSI) (filesavr)
Stevie Wonder – My Cherie Amour (YSI) (filesavr)
We're big fans of The Very Best - a collaborative project between two European producers called Radioclit (Johan Karlberg and Etienne Tron) and Esau Mwamwaya, a Malawian singer. Their mixtape took the world by storm, making our Best of 2008 list and winning over some ears. Since then, they've released a full length album, spawned dozens of baller remixes, and become a big name to watch in independent music. We recently caught up with The Very Best's Johan Karlberg to ask him about some things we've been pondering. Check it out!
The Stu Reid Experiment: To much of your US audience, you really came out of nowhere last year, with the mixtape dropping late in the year with little fanfare and then gaining a word of mouth following. But you had already been pretty well established as Radioclit before connecting with Esau Mwamwaya and forming The Very Best. Tell us a little bit about how you got into music.
Johan Karlberg: I came from a producer background in hip hop, I used to be in a Swedish rap group called Stacs of Stamina. I met Etienne who was a DJ and worked for Big Dada/Ninja Tune Records in London about five years ago. We just started doing fake radio shows for our website and mixtapes and DJ sets, etc. - then we started to produce together and it led to remixes and some production work for artists. We did a couple of EPs on Switch and Sinden's Counterfeet label, we did an EP with No Surrender and TV on the Radio singer Tunde [Adebimpe], we did some more dance singles and remixes, and then we met Esau and here we are.
Who would you say are your biggest musical influences?
Too hard to say. Our lives. Nature is a big influence too. I decorated my studio with lots of plants and African fabrics covering our acoustic treatment. We watch nature films and listen to classical music and animal noises…true story.
Anybody we might be surprised to hear has influenced your work?
Phil Collins, Enya, Karl Jenkins.
You met Esau while shopping in his thrift store, is that right?
Yeah, Esau was running a second hand junk shop on the street outside our studio and Etienne used to walk in there looking for stuff. One day he bought a bike from Esau and invited him to a house warming party. That’s where I met him and he told me he was a drummer so I invited him to the studio. Turned out he was an amazing singer - when I played him some beats and he started singing. That day we recorded "Chalo," which is still an album track.
Was it the kind of situation where you knew immediately that it was going to be something special, or did that realization come later?
We probably did something like six to eight songs together over six months before we realized we were making an album. But we knew from day one we had something really special and that Esau could be a big star.
When you are recording/producing songs, what is the dynamic like between you and Esau? Do you guys do your thing, hand it over to Esau and wait for him to add his vocals separately, or is it more of a collaboration during the creation?
Usually Esau picks beats and writes and then we work on them, so everything works. You need to give Esau a lot of space on the tacks 'cause hes got such a big voice and big melodies, so we keep the production pretty minimal and let Esau do his thing. The process is usually pretty fast. One song per day, or tops two days.
Explain the name “The Very Best”. Obviously it’s a bit of a big call – did you name the group as a tongue-in-cheek joke, or you do you think you live up to the name? Whose idea was the name?
The name comes from Etienne's little cousin. He used to have a band called The Very Best and we always liked it, thinking it was really funny. When we needed a name he had split the group and we asked if we could take it, so that’s how it happened. Obviously it's a tongue-in-cheek name - you can't take life or music too seriously!
When The Very Best Mixtape started getting a lot of buzz, did it come as a surprise to you? Did it happen overnight, or did it sort of slowly seep into your consciousness that “Hey, people are giving us some love for what we’re doing?”
Well, while we where recording the album we did the "Tengazako" track over M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes," and put it on MySpace. All of a sudden Esau was on the cover of Fader magazine and getting a lot of attention in the UK and Europe, and some in the USA too. After the album was done we kept recording and did the mixtape. We wanted to introduce people to our musical universe. We didn’t really know what to expect. We had a lot of confidence and thought we’d done something pretty good and different, but it's been wonderful to see all the great feedback. And having more than 300,000 people download it...The whole process has been wonderful working with Esau - and still is 'til today. So we're just happy people like it.
You’re embarking on your first big tour as The Very Best. What is that like?
Obviously we're super excited. Now, we had this passport mess with Esau’s UK visa application taking longer than expected, which made us miss the first half of our tour, which was a real real shame - and we apologize to everyone who was going to come and see us. We'll try to make up for it as soon as possible. But we're just happy we get the last five shows of the tour. It's always amazing touring in America - haha, it's been so far, we've only done like six shows here. Feedback live is so great and people are really responsive to the music which is amazing…I say amazing a lot don’t I? Well this whole thing is amazing, life’s amazing!
Is it tough to translate the songs you created in the studio to the stage?
For now we play with DJ and dancers, so not really. The live show will keep building into bigger things down the line, but for now its pretty simple. We play some of the hottest remixes people have done for us too, so not just straight album and mixtape stuff.
What else is in the works for The Very Best? What happens after this tour ends?
We go on Euro tour, then Australia and New Zealand. We've just been in Malawi shooting a video and played Lake of Stars Festival out there, which was amazing. We're slowly working on new The Very Best songs too. There's a million things. Radioclit producing other artists (Sky Ferreira, Kano, Marina, African Boy etc) and projects and singles and dance tracks and remixes etc etc etc etc etc hahaha
I’ve heard that The Very Best have a track on the upcoming Crookers album, is that true?
Yeah it's true. Radioclit and Crookers produced a track together and Esau sings on it - so does Marina (ex Bonde Do Role) and an Italian rapper I can't remember the name of now, sorry!
What is your opinion of music blogs and the “blogosphere”? Are they a necessary evil? Are they good for musicians? Good for music? (No need to candy coat, we have thick skin).
They made us what we are - if it wasn’t for blogs The Very Best would have had a very hard time. And if it wasn’t for the internet and blogs, the globalization of music wouldn’t be what it is and a project like The Very Best would have a much harder time. We don’t mind. Look at a band like Phoenix - one of the most blogged bands in the world - still selling a good amount of records. There's space for all these things. The music industry is slowly changing with this, and it should. There are some really clever ideas out there to tackle these issues and I think they will prevail and labels will suffer unless they change too.
And finally, a question we ask everyone we interview…what is the most awesome piece of clothing that you own? Bonus points for pictures!
We haven't really been posting many videos recently, but this one caught my eye and I couldn't say no. It's a cypher from the BET Awards featuring Mos Def, Black Thought (of The Roots), and Eminem. All three of them completely slaughter the beat, and their different styles make it awesome to watch.
It's even better than the last cypher we posted of Charles Hamilton vs. a fan.
Saw this first at Pigeons and Planes, all credit there.
I just realized that I haven’t posted about The Antlers here on The Stu Reid Experiment, despite my ongoing love affair with their debut album, Hospice. I was sorely disappointed to miss them in Boston this past weekend (I was out of town, unfortunately) since the album is exceptional and their live show – which I was able to sample thanks to the inimitable NYC Taper – seems to match the standard set by the record.
The disc, which I reviewed over at Pretty Much Amazing, is a desperately beautiful piece about a loved one’s battle with cancer. I am enthralled by it, despite Zack’s observation that it can take a certain amount of mental distancing to truly enjoy it given the heavy subject matter.
Two tracks stand out for me – “Bear” and “Atrophy”. The first is Hospice’s most accessible track. It’s singable, listenable, and has a poppy vibe at times (again, despite the subject matter). The latter is one of the record’s darkest and hardest, but most incredible at the same time. I really can’t get enough of this record – it fits my gloomy days perfectly.
The Antlers – Bear (YSI) (filesavr)
The Antlers – Atrophy (YSI) (filesavr)
Its not too often that I come across a new Boston band that really gets me excited. But Truman Peyote from Jamaica Plain sounds pretty awesome. Their jam New Wife, New Life sounds a lot like Animal Collective (and even a little like !!!) in a good way, with swirling group vocals and a churning guitar line that drives the entire track. Some great rhythmic claps don't really hurt either. Truman Peyote just ooze frenetic energy and potential. I can't wait to find them in concert around the Boston area. The second track Sara Delta is more abstract and noisy, but interesting nonetheless. I would love some more music by these guys, but their debut LP Light-Lightning is sold out. If you're out there, I would love to hear more from you Truman Peyote!
Truman Peyote - New Wife, New Life (YSI) (filesavr)
Truman Peyote - Sara Delta (YSI) (filesavr)
Weakness, thy name is man. I was wooed on Thursday night by a songstress named Laura Marling. You may know her as a former member of the illustrious Noah and the Whale, or as the charming woman who recorded a folk duet cover of Eminem's "Brain Damage." I now know her as my ultimate indie crush, a tiny English woman with the voice of a siren. I would never have guessed, when Marling took the stage at Club Passim, that such a small frame could produce such a voice. And perhaps that's the beauty of it.
Marling took a packed Club Passim by storm, singing a number of new songs as well as old favorites "Ghosts" and "My Manic and I." She was fairly distant as she sang, engulfed by the song and concentrating on belting out on-key notes. Between songs, however, she was warm and appreciative of the welcome she received in Boston.
Rather than do a standard encore, Marling paused after her penultimate song to announce that in order to avoid awkwardness, she would play her encore now. "If you don't want an encore," she riffed, "this is the last song. If you did want an encore, that song I just played was the last one." The audience spontaneously gave her a huge ovation, as if demanding the encore she had just announced, and Marling beautifully obliged.
Laura Marling - Ghosts (YSI) (filesavr)
Laura Marling - Brain Damage (YSI) (filesavr)
Drawn by British acoustic goddess Laura Marling, Chris, Claire and I arrived at Club Passim a few nights ago anticipating a great show. We were not the only ones excited. The place was packed and pretty rowdy for Club Passim. Chris is going to talk about Laura Marling tomorrow, but we were all impressed by the opening act: Danny Schmidt. Schmidt, a folky singer-songwriter from Austin, TX is a storyteller. With a voice straight out of a faded black and white photograph, Schmidt spun dusty tales of loss, revelation and time mesmerizing the crowd along with his deft guitar work. While his albums feature strings and other instrumentation, Schmidt performed with just an acoustic guitar that he jokingly mentioned made the show sound like it was on vinyl because of a bad connection. Despite support for protectionism, Schmidt's songs resonate and are moving, if a little somber. The standard of musicianship was set very high with Laura Marling up next. She certainly did not disappoint.
Danny Schmidt - This Too Shall Pass (YSI) (filesavr)
Danny Schmidt - Stained Glass (YSI) (filesavr)
The above two tracks are off his second album Parables & Primes. Check out Schmidt's website.
To Whom It May Concern:
I recently went to my local record store looking to purchase a record or two. I’ve only just started my collection, and so was looking for a few cornerstones upon which to build. Fortunately, my trip was successful, and I found two records that I was seeking, one of which was a 180-gram audiophile recording of Sam Cooke’s One Night Stand: Sam Cooke Live at the Harlem Square Club, produced by your company.
I was thrilled. It’s maybe the best live album of all time, and I had a vinyl copy of it in my hands! And then I turned it over, and found the following quotation:Live at the Harlem Square is one of my favorite live recordings of all time. It captures the true energy of this staggering, passionate talent. It’s such an intimate recording – you can hear cracks in his voice, the madness of the crowd who are so with him, encouraging him, shouting for him in each song. A particular favorite is ‘Twistin’ the Night Away.’ Sam Cooke will always be a tremendous influence on me, and who knows, if there weren’t a Sam, there might not have been a Rod.
…
- Rod Stewart, June 23, 2005
Rod Stewart? Really? Who thought this was a good idea? Are you really asserting that Rod Stewart, the singer of such atrocities as “D’ya Think I’m Sexy” and “Tonight’s the Night,” belongs on the same page as the immortal Sam Cooke? The last line is particularly brutal. If there weren’t a Sam, there might not have been a Rod… Now, I could never wish that there hadn’t been a Sam, but to even nudge me an inch in that direction, how dare you?
What was wrong with the original back cover? Maybe there was a rights issue—I know these things can get complicated. But seriously, a blank back cover would have been better than this. Why not a quote from Sam? This is an audiophile LP release; do you really see a lot of audiophiles browsing through a record store, picking up this record, reading the Rod Stewart quote, and saying, "Rod Stewart likes this album? Well then I'm sold!"
I’m sure that the record sounds great, and I know that I’ll listen to it a lot. The recording is classic; it’s a record I want to sing along with, to bob my head to, a record that I want to dance to. Please forgive me for not wanting to think about Rod Stewart every time I put it on.
Do better.
Ben
Sam Cooke - Bring it on Home to Me (live) (YSI) (filesavr)
Sam Cooke - Having a Party (live) (YSI) (filesavr)
It's no secret that we're big Brother Ali fans around these parts. I happen to think that he is one of the most impressive voices in the rap game, and his story is exceptionally interesting. Recently we had a chance to catch up with Ali for an interview, check it out!
The Stu Reid Experiment: You’re on tour right now, aren’t you?
Brother Ali: Yeah. Just rollin’ into LA. About half way through a ten week tour.
Is it going well so far?
It’s amazing man, just really really good. We got a great crew. We put a lot a lot of work into preparing the overall show – not just my set, but the whole show. Me and my DJ BK-One put a lot of work into preparing the whole thing, and we really saw it as a three and a half hour show, not just our set, you know what I mean?
Definitely. I read somewhere on your twitter account that you were re-arranging songs to work with a live band, is that right?
Yeah, yeah. My DJ is a trained musician, he comes from Jazz – piano and vibes and organ and stuff like that. So we try to really make him be the band. So we brought musicians in to recreate some of my beats so that we can take them in different directions and re-arrange them for the live setting. And then, just, you know the whole night of it. We brought all these different people’s beats together: mine and Toki Wright’s and Evidence’s and tried to really approach it like a band would as far as transitions between songs, transitions between sets. Kind of like a momentum that builds during the night.
On Us you used a lot more live instrumentation in the studio.
Yeah, it’s all live instruments, there’s no samples on that whole album.
Do you feel like that changed your recording process at all?
It really did, yeah. Basically what we did was me and Ant spent like two months making demos of the songs at his house, which is what we always do. We usually spend a year doing that but this time we had like 2-3 months. He came with the basic ideas, the basic outlined structures of what the music would be, I wrote the songs at his house, and then he spent a month in the studio with the musicians fleshing out his ideas.
I wasn’t allowed to sit in on that because he wanted me to be objective when I heard it. He didn’t want me to see the process and then become invested in it because of seeing it, you know what I mean? He wanted me to hear it fresh and say yes, no, change this, change that. And that’s exactly what I did. There were things that I really liked, things that I really hated, things that I was like “I don’t really know about this, I need to hear it mixed differently.” And then once that was all straight, then I went in and laid down all my vocals. And then me and him arranged the album together, for the most part. He did most of it, but I sat in on all the sessions and had a lot of input.
We always give each other complete input on what we’re doing. It’s funny, I made a song on here called “Bad Motherfucker Too” where it was just me kinda braggin’, you know, exaggerating – what we call ‘signifying’, just talking shit. There’s nothing really true about that song. But I figured this was my first…
There were certain words I would say where he was like, “that’s not you,” or, “you shouldn’t say that.” He definitely had a ban on certain words, like, “you’re not allowed to say this, this, this, and this.” And same thing with the music. I would say, you know, this flute just doesn’t sound right. I can’t fuck with this.
Is there one song on the album that you feel particularly proud of?
“The Travelers” and “You Say Puppy Love.”
Why is that? Do you just connect with those better?
I mean, “The Travelers” is a song that I’ve wanted to write all my life, since I’ve been writing songs. I just never quite knew the approach for it – it really just kinda came together magically. We made all these songs in really cold winter, and I went over to Ant’s house on Christmas at like four in the morning, and heard that music, sat down and wrote it, recorded it, and did a little bit of rewriting, but for the most part that’s what we wrote. “You Say Puppy Love” – I’ve never written a song like that before, like a relationship song like that. And I’ll go ahead and say that – both of those songs – no rapper has ever written anything like either of those songs. I’m not saying they’re better or anything else, I’m just saying that no MC ever has written anything like those two songs. Ever.
Career-wise you have kind of trended toward the positive side of things – your music definitely isn’t all puppy dogs and sunshine, but it seems like you’ve kind of established a niche as a rapper with a positive message. Is that something you consciously tried to create, or did it just happen on its own?
Nah, that happened on its own. I’m saying, my music is positive, but all of it is about pain and struggle. Damn near. I’ve made two happy-ass songs in my life – “Fresh Air” on this album and “Ear to Ear” on the last album. But the thing is that I always talk about pain the way I feel, which is an opportunity to learn, an opportunity to grow. I always find beauty in pain.
This album is called an upbeat and positive hip hop album, and it’s about rape and slavery, depression and murder.
And I guess what fans see is the ability that you have to find positive things in all that ugliness and all that hatred.
Yeah, and there’s definitely something to that.
Tying that together with being on tour, a lot of your songs are about your life and tough times that you’ve been through. Is it hard to get on stage and talk about the bad times that you’ve experienced every night?
No. It’s just such a part of what I have. I’m not a person who tries to escape – I don’t do the escape thing. When there’s a problem, I run towards it full speed ahead. I feel like it’s here to stop me, it’s here to challenge me. And so it’s my job to figure out how to overcome it, and then overcome it and dwell on that. So I dwell on the problem until I figure out how to solve it – I don’t just sit around and pout and focus on it, but I figure out how to solve it and how to beat it and how to conquer it. And then after I do, I dwell on the fact that I was able to conquer it and I’m thankful and grateful for it. So that’s what my happy songs are about – being grateful.
Also, I want my fans to hear what they’ve done for me. I was telling the audience last night that my happy-ass songs – that’s how all these people feel. All these rappers, all these tough rappers that are successful, that’s how they feel on the inside. They just don’t know how to say that and so they wear a big chain to show you that they’re celebrating their success. They’re not allowed to say, in the environment that they’re from, “Man, shit’s great, I’m happy”. They’re not allowed to say that. So they wear a big ass chain and they pull out a full bottle of champagne just to show you how they celebrate. But I don’t have those same things, so I can just say I’m happy and I’m appreciative. I worked hard for this and I love my life, I love the people I work with, that I’ve built all this stuff with.
I wanted to get your opinion on this – there’s a community in Florida (Ed.’s note: info here) where a councilman is trying to ban hip hop shows. There was a stabbing outside of a concert and he says that hip hop shows encourage that type of violent behavior. What do you think about that?
That shit is so 1996. Like KRS and Ra-Kim and Chuck D and all those guys, they covered all that back in the late 80’s. That’s like people thinking Elvis is gonna ruin their daughter. I mean, with people like that – that’s what American politics has generated into, like “What are we against?” Motherfuckers just need something to be against so everybody is going to have some group that’s going to be against them at some point. It’s like, man, grow the fuck up and figure out what you want to do. Try to unite people behind something you’re for, not something you’re against.
I hear you on that. So what’s next for Brother Ali after this tour? Are you headed back to the studio, taking a break for a little while?
No break. More tour. After this tour: more tour. And then more tour and then more tour and then more tour. No this one that we’re on right now is 10 weeks. It was a week of college shows, kind of to just gear up for it and get the budget – get a nice little float budget going on. And then we did a week in Europe, just to be like “Whatup Europe”, you know what I mean? “We got a new album, you guys should check it out.” And they’re like “uh, yeah, no thanks.” And then we were like alright, cool. So now we came and we’re doing 9 weeks in the states, headlining and then go home for about three weeks or something like that and do our laundry, have a lot of sex with our wives, try to convince them not to leave us, then go to Australia for a couple weeks, then we go to Europe for a couple weeks. Then we come back and do Canada so that they can calm down. Every time you do a tour and you don’t do Canada they take that shit personal. It’s like “man, you’re doing a tour and you’re not doing Canada?” and it’s like “Man, I’m in Texas.”
And it’s January and negative 20 degrees in Canada.
Exactly, yeah exactly. And as a band – man. You know in Europe they have special rap police that just fuck with rappers. On the border, they have band police. They don’t call them that, but they do, they have special shit just for bands. They have a bus crossing – special taxes, special searches, special asshole lines. And they just bust your balls, whenever you go into that country and whenever you come out. They humiliate you and they talk to you like you’re four years old and it’s just like fuck! Every time we go over there we have to deal with this shit. Then we drive for like four days between cities to play for a hundred people.
But you know what? Those one hundred people are awesome.
And I’m sure those hundred people are the ones who love you most for making that trip, too.
Yeah, and that’s why we do it. Even in the states we play a lot of little towns, where it’s like man – there’s only 150 hip hop fans in this city that actually have the time and money to come to a hip hop show. So that’s all it’s gonna be. But it’s worth it. It’s worth it to get in front of them and connect with them again. And it’s true that we love doing this so much. It’s the only thing we really care about doing this much to make all these sacrifices and stuff. So I’m just kinda tongue in cheek bitchin’ about it because the reality is that when we can’t do it any more we’ll be so sad.
And you know the fans appreciate it. I’m certainly looking forward to catching you when you come to Boston on November 8th.
At the Paradise this time. I love Boston man, I love playing shows there. It’s a crazy place – it’s not the most welcoming city in America to outsiders, but nothing wrong with that. You don’t have to be welcoming, you just have to be decent. But in terms of shows, it’s great. It’s a great place to play a show – people appreciate it. They give you as much as you give them.
Just one more question, and it’s a question that we ask everyone. What’s your opinion on music blogs? Do you think they’re good for music, bad for music? Are they good for young musicians but not more established artists?
I think they’re fun. I think they’re a lot like TV. I would say that they’re fun – I look at them every day. I got like 4 that I look at every day, and it’s like TV. You get to see like…let me sit down and watch Glasses Malone write a song or do an interview. I mean, check out what Kanye West is talking about. That shit’s a lot of fun to watch. But the thing is that I think everybody that’s too closely tied to those things grossly underestimates – it’s an artificial reality, it’s not real. It doesn’t translate to sales, it doesn’t translate to fans, it doesn’t translate to people coming to your shows. The fact that people will click on a little box and watch you do something for two and a half minutes does not mean that they’re your fan, and it doesn’t mean that you’ve connected with them, and it doesn’t mean that they really care.
Like, I’ll watch Real Chance At Love, but do I give a fuck about those dudes? Hell no. I’ll watch it because it’s entertaining. And I don’t really watch it, but you know what I mean. It’s like one of those things where you watch it ‘cause it’s there, but you don’t really care. And I think that a lot of younger guys, their head is all fucked up because they think that because they have a presence on the blogs, that means that they made it.
And it’s like no man, until you touch somebody to the point – especially the people that are on the blogs, since they’re the people who get the most free music – until you touch somebody in a way that makes them say “I want to own this. Not only am I going to click on this, I want to own it, I want it to live in my house, I want to wear your shirt, I’ll pay $15 and drive to another state to watch you stand on a stage and perform these songs that I love. That’s what it’s about.
Because when I came in, me and the people in my circle started the whole DIY punk rock style of touring within underground rap. Slug was doing it, Slug taught me how to do it. There were a few other people doing it, but nobody was really doing it like him. I don’t care what anybody says, Slug invented this shit. In terms of 50 and 60 city tours in the U.S. for underground rap. I mean that’s not – the legends were touring, other people were touring, but nobody was doing Boseman and Spokane and Missoula, you know what I’m saying. In terms of underground rap, Slug fathered a lot of shit including that.
But you know, you holla at these kids and it’s like “yo, I think you’re tight, you want to come on tour” and they say “word, how much I get? How much am I gonna get?” Like well, you shouldn’t get shit motherfucker. You’re gonna get fans. What do you mean how much am I gonna get? You’re gonna get 50 chances to stand in front of an audience.
It’s kinda like what you talk about on some of your songs like “Backstage Pacing”
And that’s why we bring family with us. We bring our crew with us. People that – they’re head is in that space. You get a guy like Toki Wright, he just wants to rap, he just wants to perform. And it’s not about money, it’s not about the money. It’s about attitude, about the approach, and the things that people choose to prioritize.
And this time we got Evidence out here with us, who won a Grammy with his group, and now he’s starting his solo career so he’s treating himself like a new artist. And somebody like that who will come out and open for me, he’s done way more shit than I’ve done with his group.
But he’s not afraid to take it down a notch and come out and support you.
He’s not, he’s investing in himself. And he’s supporting what we’re doing, but he’s investing in
himself and saying “I’m going to build this new brand of me” as a solo artist, so I’m going to start over again and treat myself like I’m new. And that’s what these kids are missing – because they don’t invest in themselves.
Many thanks to Brother Ali for talking with us!
Brother Ali - Us (YSI) (filesavr)
I am sure that many of you have already heard the new single by hipster heartthrob Ellie Goulding entitled Under the Sheets. The track is catchy as hell and Goulding's voice is melodious as usual, but she seems almost overly polished on here as compared to some of her earlier tracks and TSRE faves, like Guns + Horses. The synths seem a little too heavy and a lot of the endearing quirkiness from other dancey tracks like Starry Eyed is lacking on Under the Sheets. Its still a fine song, but sadly not quite up to snuff with her earlier stuff.
Ellie Goulding - Under the Sheets (YSI) (filesavr)
On the flip side is Basia Bulat who is folky hip while remaining rugged. Her voice is strong as bull and Gold Rush is a campfire throw down. Unfortunately I don't know a lot about Basia Bulat yet, but thats soon to change. Like a more orchestral Alela Diane, Basia Bulat is a folk force to be reckoned with. She also has a new album coming out in January. Check out her website.
Basia Bulat - Gold Rush (YSI) (filesavr)
I’ve been listening to a bump of thumping jams recently, and my ears got tired. Sometimes it’s just nice to take a deep breath, step back from the thudding speakers, and partake in some good old relaxed and relaxing music. I like to get my heartrate below 200bpm every now and then.
So it was perfect that a few such songs found their way into my playlist in the last week or so, and I frankly can’t get enough. The first comes from The Dimes, a band based out of Portland, OR that just put out a full album inspired by the history of Boston. Being from Boston at the moment, the disc spoke to me, especially as the first tune namedrops the street I walk down every morning on my way to the train station. It’s a smooth song that fits nicely with kicking your legs up and taking off your shoes.
The Dimes – Damrell’s Fire (YSI) (filesavr)
The second tune, which I heard originally a few weeks ago, comes from an album called Alela and Alina fittingly created by Alela Diane and Alina Hardin. Alela Diane is a fave around these parts, so I was psyched to hear this track. The first time I heard it, though, I wasn’t enthusiastic. It lacked the punch that I was looking for – maybe because it was sandwiched between industrial techno remixes or something. Revisiting it again this week, though, I am blown away. The two singers’ voices mix beautifully, and the repetitive folksy melodies are given a shot in the arm from the more ornamented vocal melodies creating a really enjoyable song that doesn’t try to be more than it is. Which is beautiful.
Alela Diane and Alina Hardin – Bowling Green (YSI) (filesavr)
Remember when Mortal Kombat used to have little midi files playing in the background all the time? Or the Russian music that bumped while you played Tetris? Those were the days.
Instead, today, kids have…like…real music to listen to while they rot their brains. Oh the humanity.
Video games have become a great way for up-and-coming artists to make a name for themselves and get heard (like a thousand times) by the people who will then probably buy their records. Brilliant marketing.
The new NBA Jam has recently been released, and I got a chance to hear B.o.B.’s new track from the soundtrack. It’s pretty solid – typical B.o.B. flow with lots of sing-songy stuff and a good sense of humor. I dig Bobby Ray’s style, but I wonder whether he really has the broad appeal to make it big. This is a good jump for him, we’ll see where he lands – you never know with someone who can seriously use lines like “I wake up and piss excellence, every day” and “this looks like the crowd is pandemonium.” Let’s get a sense/grammar check up in here.
B.o.B. – I Am The Champion (YSI) (filesavr)
In addition to the music that backs our games these days, there’s a fair amount of music inspired by the games themselves. One of the cooler projects in this genre is the Marvel v. Capcom mixtape. The project features rappers rapping about video games and the like, and although the tunes share only a tenuous thread of a connection, it’s a great little mixtape. It features big names like Talib Kweli, Oh No, and Raekwon, but the track that I like the most is from MC Supernatural. It’s called “Power Up” and is utterly ridiculous and awesome.
MC Supernatural – Power Up (YSI) (filesavr)
Another weekend come and gone. As Sunday evening rolled around, I realized that I needed some great tunes to get ready for the upcoming week. To kick off this rut busting party we have the Magic Kids, about whom I know perilously little, but can say with certainty that they sound like cute hipsters. Not a bad thing at all in this case. Strings, bells, horns, male/female vocal interplay and various other tinkling things make Hey Boy a fun reinterpretation of something you would hear in the 50s or 60s.
The Magic Kids - Hey Boy (YSI) (filesavr)
The Sweet Serenades make this post not only because of they catchy track, but because they wear GREAT flannel on the album cover. Not only do they know how to make some catchy rhythms, but they also like the most stylish and practical of all fall fabrics. Nice.
The Sweet Serenades - On My Way (YSI) (filesavr)
This is just a jam. What else could you call a mashup of Biggie and Miley Cyrus. Its socially acceptable to indulge your guilty pleasure of Miley Cyrus songs when you have some classic rap to back it up. Not the greatest mashup ever, Party and Bullshit (In the USA Remix) certainly will get your head bobbing.
Notorious BIG - Party and Bullshit (In the USA Remix) (YSI) (filesavr)
I promised last week on The Stu Reid Experiment twitter feed (@tsre – follow us!) that the Astronomer Remix of Micachu and the Shapes’ “Lips” would make an appearance on the site. Who am I if I do not live up to my promises?
This tune has been rattling through my braincage for a couple weeks, quickly climbing the playcount charts that iTunes embarrassingly maintains. Astronomer does a fantastic job taking a song that doesn’t sound like it needs a remix and really upping the ante. The song - which started life as a fairly out there indie rock/folk something something – is transformed into a tension/release banger with effected crunching beats and a pulsing lower register. Makes me want to do something awesome.
Micachu + The Shapes – Lips (Astronomer Remix) (YSI) (filesavr)
Also, it’s been a minute or two since we’ve featured hip hop on this page, and I’ve been waiting to use this picture since Craig sent it to me a year ago, so here’s a track from Clipse’s “upcoming” Til The Casket Drops. I’ll believe it when I see the album drop – until then I remain a skeptic. Regardless, this tune is pretty hot. I definitely like it more than some of the other stuff I’ve heard out of the Clipse camp recently, and I’ll be intrigued to see how these fairly different singles fit in the context of a full LP. Two up two down, out.
Clipse f. Keri Hilson – All Eyes On Me (YSI) (filesavr)
I’m in the midst of reading Nick Hornby’s High Fidelity which features music centrally as it tells the tale of Rob, the thoughtful and confused record storeowner. There are references to songs, albums, and artists throughout, but one chapter in particular struck me as particularly loaded with great tracks. It’s chapter seven, in which he describes his past experience as a DJ:For a couple of years, at the end of the eighties, I was a DJ at a club in Kentish Town…I was a good DJ, I think. At any rate, people seemed happy; they danced, stayed late, asked me where they could buy some of the records I played, and came back week after week.
The story continues, as he details how he met Laura and, more famously, describes how to make a (mix) tape (“making a tape is like writing a letter”). But along the way, he rattles off one of his characteristic top five lists, in this case, the top five “floor-fillers” he used as a DJ:
- “It’s a Good Feeling” by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
- “No Blow No Show” by Bobby Bland
- “Mr. Big Stuff” by Jean Knight
- “The Love You Save” by the Jackson Five
- “The Ghetto” by Donny Hathaway
This list struck me. On first read, I didn’t know several of the songs. Once I sought out the rest of the list, it just seemed an odd list for a late 80s dance party. Not one of these songs was released in the 80s—in fact, they range from 1953 (Bobby Bland) to 1971 (Mr. Big Stuff). And in my experience, dance parties are usually dominated by more contemporary dance and r&b hits.
Furthermore, there are some big differences between these five songs. They could all be loosely classified as soul, but they range from a simple, jazz-influenced shuffle in “No Blow No Show,” to a slower funk groove on “The Ghetto,” to the unfettered ebullience of “The Love You Save” and “It’s a Good Feeling.” Yet, according to fictional Rob the DJ, they all got everyone off of their seats and onto the floor.
I can see why. I would love to be at a dance party DJ’d by Rob. It would be so invigorating to show up at a party and hear classic soul music like this blasting out of the speakers in place of the Black Eyed Peas and Beyonce (which isn’t to say that I don’t like the Black Eyed Peas or Beyonce… I just like soul music more, and feel more comfortable dancing to it). DJs, take note: more soul music!
Anyways, here are a couple of the tracks from Rob’s list. Enjoy. Dance around. See how fun it is.
The Jackson Five – The Love You Save (YSI) (filesavr)
Smokey Robinson and the Miracles – It’s a Good Feeling (YSI) (filesavr)
Bobby Bland – No Blow No Show (YSI) (filesavr)
Last Thursday night I went to see Anti-Pop Consortium play at Great Scott in Boston (a show I photographed and reviewed over at Melophobe). It was an interesting show – although it missed the mark a bit – and I’m glad I went. It was an interesting variation on the typical two turntables + microphone hip hop affair, and struck home the oddity that is Anti-Pop Consortium.
I had never heard much APC until recently, when I caught some songs from their upcoming album, Flourescent Black. The song that really grabbed my attention, and continues to do so now, is “Volcano”. It’s the poppiest you’ll hear Anti-Pop Consortium, featuring a catchy chorus, popping beat, and some of the best verses I’ve heard from the group. The layered chorus of is the cat’s pajamas. Needless to say, it rocks on record and rocked on stage.
Also, an old favorite of mine, Keiran Hebden (better known as Four Tet) has done a pretty classically fourtet-ish remix of the track. It goes without saying that it’s a textured, expansive, but still thoroughly approachable retake of the original, and it’s definitely a track that I’ll keep spinning for quite some time.
Anti-Pop Consortium – Volcano (YSI) (filesavr)
Anti-Pop Consortium – Volcano (Four Tet Remix) (YSI) (filesavr)
October is awesome, but for some reason I feel myself nearing the precipice of a massive music rut. Unfortunately the great new album by Volcano Choir aka Bon Iver and friends, has done nothing to save me from this impending doom. The tunes are ramshackle and woodsy, two things that usually really pique my interest, but right now they only serve to remind me that it is getting darker and colder. Don't let my melancholy sour you on this album, Volcano Choir has crafted an engrossing album of intimate, folky tracks perfect for the coming of winter.
Volcano Choir - Island, IS (YSI) (filesavr)
Volcano Choir - Cool Knowledge (YSI) (filesavr)
We've written about Max Vernon a bit before here and here on The Stu Reid Experiment. Recently, we got a chance to catch up with him about his past success, his upcoming projects, and what he counts among his influences. Check it out!
You burst onto the scene with a synthy cover of Katy Perry’s “I Kissed A Girl’ that got a lot of press in the blogosphere – was the success you had with that track completely unexpected?
Pretty much! I was in Los Angeles trying to make a demo of some songs that I’d written in the previous year, and my friend and I were laughing about the Katy Perry song, which was just starting to get heavy radio play. I worked out my arrangement of it in a few hours, and recorded it on a whim, between mixing sessions. Honestly, it wasn’t meant to be much more than a joke for me and my friends…I’d never sent my music to blogs before- I was really excited when it got written about by The Music Slut and Hypeful. Then about a week later, New York Magazine picked up the story and the cover took on a life of its own.
In an earlier conversation you mentioned to us that you are trying to distance yourself from that cover – a bit of a gift and a curse situation. Do you feel like you’ve been pigeonholed as “that Katy Perry cover guy”?
I’m really grateful that the cover helped expose my music to a broader audience. I think the thing that really intrigued people about the cover in the first place, was how much of a stylistic departure it was from the original. Since a lot of my music explores similar sonic territory (jazz, ragtime, doo wop, etc.), people have been really receptive and enthusiastic about it.
That said, I think that song is about the only thing Katy Perry and I have in common…
Tell us about your new album. You’ve chosen to release the album in 3 distinct portions, starting with a section called “Manic Impression”. What made you decide on that unique release format? What differentiates this project as a cohesive album rather than three separate EPs?
The format choice was more about recognizing that the album era is fleeting, and that in an age of information/stimulation overload, sometimes less is more. But I think altogether the songs still stand as a cohesive whole.
I also think a LP is a very definitive statement. These EP’s show where I’ve come from and where I’m going, but I would ultimately like to rerecord once I have a larger budget and can get a little crazier with my orchestration.
Your piano playing is one of the most noticeable aspects of your music. How long have you been playing piano?
About fifteen years.
Do you still take classical lessons? What percentage of the time are you writing/performing your own songs as compared to playing classical music?
I stopped taking lessons about five years ago. I still love classical music- Beethoven and Ravel continue to blow my mind- but honestly, I didn’t become really passionate about the instrument until I quit taking lessons. I think when you play music you have to make sure it’s for the right reasons. With classical music, I kind of just felt like a dog that could do really awesome tricks. It’s much easier to find the desire to sit down at a piano and practice for a few hours when I’m working on my own stuff.
When did you first decide to make your own original popular music? Was there a sort of epiphany where you realized, “Hey, I can do this for real”?
Around ninth grade I started writing music because I needed some kind of outlet. My first couple songs were really just for myself, but eventually I showed a couple of close friends what I was doing, and they were all really supportive and encouraged me to keep going with it.
While there was no specific epiphany, I do remember one time I played some songs for my mom and she said, “You know your music is like eating nine courses of foie gras…no one wants to eat that much foie gras.”
But then I thought… I want to eat that much foie gras, dammit!
Sorry to any animal rights activists that may be reading. No geese were force-fed in the making of this interview.
Right now you’re doing most of your recording in a “humble home studio”. Have you had any contact with music labels, or are you pursuing things independently for the moment?
I’ve recently been contacted by a couple major labels, which I think are a bit curious about the kind of music I’ve been making…
Ultimately however, my biggest concern is not so much whether I end up on an indie or major label, but whether I have the creative freedom and opportunity to keep evolving as an artist. In this day and age, I feel like every band is expected to blow up into some enormous overnight success, and as a result a lot of potentially incredible acts are coming out half-baked and over-hyped.
Just kidding, Drag City call me if you’re reading!
Any plans to take your show on the road?
Yes actually. I’m currently planning on my first tour in Spring 2010. Right now I’ve been mainly booking with colleges on the east coast, but I would love to play all over the country ideally.
Who are some of your influences/inspirations? Anyone in particular that you feel has influenced your musical stylings?
My all time three is LAURA NYRO, Stevie Wonder, and Joni Mitchell. In terms of what’s going on now, I’m really inspired by Joanna Newsom, St. Vincent, Beach House, and Final Fantasy, among others.
As an up-and-coming musician, what’s your feeling on the “blogosphere”? Is it good for musicians? Is it good for music? (No need to candy coat, we have thick skin).
I think it’s great! The pros definitely outweigh the cons 18,043: 1. In the past when I’ve met with people from labels, unfortunately, the conversation has often been along the lines of who’s sound/career do you want to emulate? I think because the gatekeepers of music taste have changed, artists have more freedom to make music that doesn’t sound like the Pussycat Dolls, and still have opportunities for exposure.
That doesn’t mean the blogosphere is perfect- I sometimes feel like it can be hard to get attention if you’re not a band from Brooklyn named after an animal. But overall, bloggers have exposed me to great music, and the ones I have met in person have been universally, very cool.
The last three albums you listened to beginning-to-end?
Fever Ray’s self-titled, Florence and the Machine- Lungs, Liz Phair- Exile in Guyville.
And finally, what is the most awesome piece of clothing you own? Bonus points for pictures.
I have this crazy surreal jacket where one of the arms is about eight feet long, but it’s at the cleaners right now, unfortunately.
For a runner up, I’d have to say this slightly deranged looking Comme Des Garcons hobo jacket. It’s paper thin, but I spent all the money I had saved up for a winter coat on it, so I froze. Oh well, fashion before function I guess…
Max Vernon - Around Your Finger (YSI) (filesavr)
Max Vernon - Your Girlfriend (YSI) (filesavr)
What a perfect fall weekend and to top it off its also Northeast Ultimate Frisbee Regionals. I've been listening to Ice Cream a lot recently to pump myself up recently. I know my love for Muscles is probably excessive, but man I love this song. Whenever I hear Ice Cream, a film reel of myself making sweet, dramatic plays starts running through my head. It doesn't hurt that the track is thumping and Muscles sings off key the whole time. Well, off to dominate the Northeast. Ballo-metrics!
Muscles - Ice Cream (YSI) (filesavr)
It’s hard to turn on the radio these days without hearing Jay-Z. Each of the three singles he’s dropped off of his most recent effort The Blueprint 3 has hit hard, gaining both airtime and my attention. Furthermore, these three tracks are back-to-back on the album, creating one of the more powerful three-song sets since tracks 4-6 on Thriller (I may be eating my words after these tracks are all played out in 6 months). I enjoy all of these singles a great deal, but my deepest appreciation is reserved for that first single, “D.O.A. [Death of Auto-Tune].”
What really set’s “D.O.A.” apart for me is the instrumentation—that slinky, strutting guitar that gives way to a soaring, big-band-style clarinet. When I was first getting into the song, that guitar riff struck me as oddly familiar, but it took me awhile to place it. I had to delve back years into my music listening history to figure out why, all the way to middle school. But finally, it clicked. The Beastie Boys’ “What’cha Want” off of the 1992 classic Check Your Head. You’ll have to wait for the chorus, but when you get there, you’ll hear a similarly raunchy little guitar riff.
Granted, the two riffs are not close to being identical. Yet the effect of each is similar, which is striking given the 17 years that separate the two. Why the similarity? Well, there’s a pretty easy answer to that question (though it’s impossible to know if it’s right). Both the Beastie Boys and Jay-Z worked with Rick Rubin, the producer who pioneered the fusion of hip-hop and rock with acts like Run-DMC, the Beasties, and the Chili Peppers. Rubin was the Beastie Boys’ first DJ, and was integral in the production of their debut Licensed to Ill. He also produced the biggest hit off of Jay-Z’s The Black Album, “99 Problems,” in 2003. Connection made!
A little background research into Rubin reveals a pretty remarkable character. He’s worked with everyone from Public Enemy to the Dixie Chicks to Slayer. In 2010, he’s slated to produce an album by Linkin Park and an album by Neil Diamond. He has seven Grammy awards. And he looks like a mystic musical guru (see picture above). A true King Midas of the music world who can't be done justice in a paragraph. This guy deserves a book.
Here is “D.O.A” and “What’cha Want.” I've also included a mash-up of the latter track and “In 3’s,” also from Check Your Head. I really dig the 3:4 rhythmic overlay that results from the mash-up; it works well yet is consistently a tiny bit unsettling, keeping you on edge. Enjoy.
Jay-Z – D.O.A. [Death of Auto-Tune] (YSI) (filesavr)
Beastie Boys – What’cha Want (YSI) (filesavr)
Beastie Boys – 3’s What’cha Want (YSI) (filesavr)
Retro fashion is back these days no matter what circles you inhabit and in music its no different. The 80s continue to be a goldmine of synth goodness for current artists, but many other musical aspects of the 80s remain overlooked. Rather than get all complex here, we're going to look back at a more simple 1980 with The Feelies and their perfectly carefree first album Crazy Rhythms. The tracks are brash and angular, but also so, so beautifully simple in a such a way that you don't realize that they are that simple. There are some strong foundations here that are catchy as hell. Check out the reissue of Crazy Rhythms and their other albums out now!
The Feelies - Everybody's Got Something To Hide (Except Me And My Monkey) (YSI) (filesavr)
The Feelies - Original Love (YSI) (filesavr)
We've mentioned Jovi Rockwell a couple times on this here page (see here and here) but had never really gotten a chance to hear what she was really all about. A young Jamaican artist making some big noise in the dancehall game, drawing comparisons to M.I.A. and Santigold is sure to turn some ears, and everything we heard out of her camp was straight fire. So we jumped at the chance to catch up with her and ask a few questions about what she's been working on, her thoughts on being a young artist in today's music world, and who her favorite producers to work with are.
She very recently got out of a large record deal with Epic and is a free agent, so keep your eyes on her and pass on the good words about the fire she's been whipping out. Her first full mixtape drops on October 19th, so stay tuned for that and in the meantime, check out our exclusive interview with Jovi Rockwell!
It’s rare to read an article about you that doesn’t mention M.I.A. and Santigold. Obviously it’s great to be compared to such great artists, but do you get tired of the comparisons?
No I never get tired of comparisons to cool people. It simply means, maybe people see me as good as those artist or at least having the talent to do good things just as those artist would! I feel as people get more familiar with my sound, my music, they will see me in my own right. But I'm not mad at that, at all. Its a great vibe!
Your sound is a mixture of reggae, hip hop, dancehall, electro, and pop. Who are some of your influences/inspirations? Anyone in particular that you feel has influenced your musical stylings?
I mean I listen all types of music, I'm a big Michael Jackson fan (as the rest of the world should be) Alanis Morissette, Bob Marley, Stevie Wonder, Modonna, Jay Z come to mind. Meth, Nas, dancehall artist Vybez Kartel to name a few. I couldn't say my musical stylings are influence by any one particular artist, I think music just comes to me. I'm like a birdie who just loves to sing. Music is my influence, but I'm a fan to a lot of artist!
You recently had some big success with a guest spot on Diplo and Switch’s Major Lazer album Guns Don’t Kill People…Lazers Do. How did that collaboration come about?
The producer, Diplo, is a big fan of Caribbean music, he had this idea and he thought my vibe would be perfect, so he reached out to my management. I heard the ideas he had , I thought it was great and the rest is "Can't Stop Now" - Guns Don't kill People....Lazers Do."
After coming up with the Mystic Urchin Music label, you’re now signed to Epic. What has signing to a big name label like Epic been like? Has it altered the way you approach your music?
Professional! In a way it has altered my approach to music in a positive sense, because I take the good with the bad, that helps me to be better!
We’ve heard rumors that your record deal with Epic is potentially 5 albums! That seems like a lot of production for such a young artist. Is that rumor true? What is it like to make such a large commitment early in your career?
Yes I signed a five (5) Album deal, and as for pressure, I make music, this is my work, I love it. The more I make music is the more fun I'm having, I escape in music when I'm stressed, so music is my therapy!
You’re releasing a mixtape on October 19 (Woot!). Tell us a little about the album and what went into it.
The Album is a introduction to The Rebel Love Goddess so it's basically a compilation of different vibes, a lot of love for the fans went into this album, hard work and pride. I want my fans to - to feel inspired, to feel good, make them wanna dance, and make babies! It's that freshness in ya ear!
The beats on songs like “Rizzla”, “Tonight”, and “Killin Dem” are complete fire. What producers have you worked with recently? Any personal favorites?
Wow, all the producers are fun in their own right, Mad Scientist - he is mad cool, Heavy Weights, Double Trouble, Diplo, Artsy, Detail - crazy fun. Lil Boy Fresh Smoker, Chuck Harmony - cool! The Levine brothers out LA always partying! The producers I've worked with are all cool peeps, they make me better!
As an up-and-coming musician, what’s your feeling on the “blogosphere”? Is it good for musicians? Is it good for music? (No need to candy coat, we have thick skin).
Hell Yeah! its good for music, everybody everywhere is blogging. I now have fans in Malaysia, and it's because of blogging, I think the Blogosphere is good for music. Follow me on Twitter @Jovi_Rockwell .
Any plans for a US tour in the near future?
Sure, as soon as the cities and dates are finalized. They're going to be published everywhere!
What are the last three albums you listened to beginning-to-end?
Essentials Of Michael Jackson, Amy Winehouse - Back to Black, and Neyo - Year of the Gentleman!
And finally, what is the most awesome piece of clothing you own? Bonus points for pictures.
My Jovi Rockwell shirt . I love it! Had some printed and I could barely get to hold onto one for myself. Its cool though,I love rocking it. Pictures coming soon!
Jovi Rockwell - Killin' Dem (YSI) (filesavr)
Jovi Rockwell - Rizzla (YSI) (filesavr)
Major Lazer - Can't Stop Now f. Mr. Vegas & Jovi Rockwell (YSI) (filesavr)
