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January 23, 2009
Sean Hayes :: Concert Videos :: Vol. 10
Originally from North Carolina but now based in San
Francisco, Sean Hayes sings a timeless kind of Americana,
with a unique and beautifully expressive voice.
Posted by Kevin Seal at 09:51 AM | Comments (10)
January 19, 2009
Von Iva :: Concert Videos :: Vol. 9
Frontwoman Jillian Iva named this power trio after her grandmother: Von Iva. It's a striking name, and one that calls to mind a Nordic warrior princess.
Given their stiletto-heeled, punch-to-the-nose, broadsword-and-leather sound, that's a fitting association. Von Iva's music is a brash smashup of stomping soul, disco glamour, synthpop and fiercely swaggering rock. Here are four of their songs recorded live at Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco:
Posted by Kevin Seal at 02:12 PM | Comments (16)
January 14, 2009
Hip Hop Hooks :: The Musicology Show :: Vol. 41
Originating in Bend, Oregon but now firmly rooted in Oakland, V.E.R.A. Clique has been refining their hip-hop sound for many years. In this episode, the group's beat maestro (Dan Craig) and MCs (Anderson Ray and Macsen Apollo) walk us through the process they used to build a hip-hop hook on their song "Still Winn'n." Also joining us is hip-hop producer Johnny Igaz to talk about the approach and role that hooks play in production. Craig and Igaz both work here at Pandora as well. (9 mins.)
That link above is to V.E.R.A. Clique's site, but this one is to their Pandora artist profile.
Posted by Kevin Seal at 03:39 PM | Comments (0)
Play Listen Repeat Vol. 36
Hello again dear readers!
You know the line in the Talking Heads' song Psycho Killer which goes: "When I have nothing to say, my lips are sealed"? Well, while I wouldn't push any further into identifying with such a dangerous character, it does help explain why it's been several months since Vol. 35 of this series.
Thanks to all of you who have been requesting that we resume the discussion. I'm glad to know that you're as interested in these posts as I am in hearing your responses. I learn a lot from what you write.
OK, down to bidness.
Ever thought about bad music? Seems to me that the way each of us evaluates musical quality is not simple at all, and yet we do it on a nearly instinctual, automatic level. After all, it only takes a few seconds of hearing a piece of music for us to adjust our expectations about what's to come later on.
Now I'm not talking about whether we like a certain style or genre here, I'm talking about that something that we each intuit about whether the music was made competently or not, or if it somehow fails as music (what a mysterious thing that is: a piece of music is both music, and it's not).
I'm looking to hear your experiences and thoughts about that, such as: what kinds of musical incompetence matter to you, and what kinds don't? Which flaws enhance the music you like and which ones detract? Is it possible for music to be too perfect and therefore ineffective for you? Et cetera and on and on...
Looking forward to reading your replies,
Cheers,
mz
Posted by Michael Zapruder at 02:20 PM | Comments (32)
January 12, 2009
Asobi Seksu :: Concert Videos :: Vol. 8
One part
London-inspired shoegaze texture
Another part
Tokyo-spawned grammar and style
A third part
The pounding rhythm section from NYC
Asobi Seksu, fresh this week.
"I'm Happy But You Don't Like Me"
We interviewed Yuki Chikudate and
James Hanna (pictured at right), at
San Francisco's Rickshaw Stop.
Posted by Kevin Seal at 02:12 PM | Comments (11)
January 07, 2009
Glitch Mob :: Concert Videos :: Vol. 7
This is the first time we've featured electronic music in this video series, and it's fitting that the group to kick it off is Glitch Mob, the futuristic hip hop DJ collective of Ooah, Kraddy, Boreta and edIT.
Since so much of their set is improvised, we will leave the track names up to you:
This show captures the four gentlemen at the 1,000-capacity Mezzanine club in San Francisco, and yes, as the density of the crowd indicates, the Glitch Mob sold the place out.
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Here are individual artist pages for members of the Glitch Mob collective: Kraddy, edIT and Ooah.
Posted by Kevin Seal at 10:37 AM | Comments (25)
January 01, 2009
Concert Series archives
Posted by Kevin Seal at 01:18 PM | Comments (1)
