They're huge in Europe...

Back at 'em! Pickin' it up with the funk...



Plantlife are a Los Angeles group that pretty much no one in Los Angeles knows about. Why? I dunno, probably because they're good. L.A. people aren't really into good music as a whole, friends of this blog excepted. They have, however, picked up quite a following across the pond, where people seem more interested in good new music in general. Gilles caned this record quite vigorously, and it was actually #1 on his year-end Worldwide Winners poll in 2004 - voted by the listeners, so there! It's a real throwback record, taking Parliament, Sly Stone and Prince, shoving 'em through the hip-hop tube and coming out the other end with one of the best pure funk releases in years. So yeah, the sound is retro and new all at the same time, and as you know, we like that around here...

Plantlife - We Can Get High

Buy It!

Word is to expect a new album this year, and I hope that happens. Maybe America will catch on this time. Somehow I doubt it though... sigh...

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So how was the big hoo-hah this weekend? I tried to watch some of it on the simulcast but my shitty DSL connection just made it too annoying. Video was almost non-existant and the sound wouldn't play more than 30 seconds without dropouts. I hate DSL so much... I hate it like it was the love child of Interpol and Deerhoof! Did anybody follow any of my recommendations? Are you praising my name for cluing you in on the awesome or are you cursing my bald head for wasting your time with the suck... lemme know!

This one's gonna be big...

Something brand new for ya, for a change!



Ben Westbeech is one of the first artists signed to Gilles Peterson's new Brownswood Recordings label, so you know he's got some game. A lot of people are comparing him to Jamiroquai, and I guess I sorta see it, although without the hat... but ya know, I'm over the hat, so I'll vote for Mr. Westbeech. As for the song, well... anthem of the summer anyone?

Ben Westbeech - So Good Today

I think just maybe...

--------------------------

And this, well... maybe the mash-up thing has run it's course after all! :P



Have a great weekend!

Diamond in the back / Sunroof top...

... Diggin' the scene / With a gangster lean / Ooooh...



William DeVaughn was basically a one hit wonder, but what a hit, huh? He was a Washington D.C. government employee with a part-time interest in performing music, and basically came up with this song, saved his pennies, and went and recorded it (with an ace backing band). Not too shabby. I, as probably most of you did, first heard this song through Massive Attack's very faithful cover on Blue Lines, and then picked this original up as part of a big-ass box set, which I won in a silent auction at some fundraiser thingy (best 50 bucks I ever spent, music wise). Enjoy.

William DeVaughn - Be Thankful For What You Got

Words to live by, folks, fo' real.

Enough of this Coachella nonsense...

... we now return you to the previously scheduled program...



The Amalgamation of Soundz are yet another one of those producing teams that are just a couple of faceless, yet most assuredly dorky, dudes who for some reason cannot miss when they put out a tune or remix... and they've put out plenty, on a number of different labels. This here track is the first one on their second full length album (creatively titled Part 2 - I guess they used it all up on the music), and what a starter it is... super smooth, atmospheric breaks...

The Amalgamation of Soundz - For Real

Ya know, it's hard to come up with a funny, relevant anecdote for such relatively anonymous artists... so here, for your comedic portion of the blog today, is a guy ghostriding his whip into a telephone pole...



That's gonna leave a mark! Boing!

Blog-achella - Set Times & Recommendations

They're heeee-eeere... the Coachella set times, that is. And even though I won't be attending this little soiree, I still got some set time love for ya. Just do what I say, and you'll be in Fun City all weekend. Defy me and you're in Suck Town!

FRIDAY


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2:00 - 2:45: Flosstradamus & Kid Sister (Coachella Stage) - Now, I know that no one ever actually shows up to this thing on time, but I'll start from the beginning of the schedule anyway, cuz that's how I roll, bee-yatch. And while I'm still sitting here in my cave of an office at Extra hating my life, you can be out in the sun catching some good tunes, so you better. These guys are a late add... fun hip-hop/party mix DJ kids, and should lay down some party-starting tunes. Check the links for music samples.

3:00 - 3:45: Brother Ali (Coachella Stage) - Dude, they put the albino out in the hot-ass sun... what a bunch of cacks!

3:45 - 4:30: The Comedians of Comedy (Gobi Tent) - The last 45 minutes of their show will most likely include Patton Oswalt's set, which will be full of hatred and bile... and laughs!

4:30 - 6:00: Go grab a beer and some grub. Seriously, you won't be missing anything.

6:00 - 6:50: Amy Winehouse (Gobi Tent) - From beer to Amy Winehouse = a fitting segue.

6:50 - 7:30: Digitalism (Sahara Tent) - You may notice I'm not allowing for walk time in between the stages. That is because I am assuming you will all have jet packs.

7:30 - 8:15: Peaches (Outdoor Theater) - Probably the best chance for fun in another mediocre time slot. She says "fuck" alot. It's fun to say "fuck". Fuck Fuck Fuck.

8:40 - 9:30: Peeping Tom (Mojave Tent) - Yeah, you could catch the last couple of Jesus & Mary Chain songs after Peaches, but i'm trying to be at least slightly realistic here. Mr. Patton doesn't have much competition in this slot, and should have some surprise guests. You know who doesn't like surprises? Hitler.

9:30 - 10:20: Brazilian Girls (Gobi Tent) - Because you know you want to sing "Pussypussypussy Marijuana" at the top of your lungs. Don't even front like you don't. I also wouldn't hate on anyone for splitting this time slot up between these guys and Faithless... actually that's probably the way to go.

10:45 - End: Bjork (Coachella Stage) - And then they fuck the electronic fans. Bjork, DJ Shadow and Evil Nine all playing at the same time. Fuckers. Bjork wins, of course, but I would be shaking my fist in Goldenvoice's general direction over this one.

Probably one of the weakest single days of Coachella I can think of, but still pretty dang good, because it has Bjork in it. Let's be real though, Friday's just a warm-up day anyway.

----------------------------

SATURDAY


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12:45 - 1:20: Fields (Mojave Tent) - 'Cuz ya gotta start somewhere...

1:30 - 2:15: Pharoahe Monch (Coachella Stage) - 'Cuz then ya gotta go somewhere after that, in order to properly work up your thirst.

2:15 - 3:15: Beer. Food. Plenty of it. You're going to be dancing for the next nine hours.

3:15 - 4:10: DJ Heather (Sahara Tent) - Starting with the only boompty-boomp house DJ on the bill. And we all need some boompty-boomp whenever we can get it.

4:10 - 5:00: Hot Chip (Mojave Tent) - Nerd out with the white boys. Dance with a cute girl with glasses.

5:10 - 6:40: MSTRKRFT (Sahara Tent) - The length of this set scares me a bit that it may just be a DJ set, but hopefully maybe it'll be half and half. Either way = bangin'! But hey, you can always bop over it PB&J if it ain't workin' for ya.

6:40 - 7:30: !!! (Mojave Tent) - I might be more impressed with the new !!! album than with anything else I've heard come out this year... just sayin'...

7:30 - 8:10: Ghostface Killah (Outdoor Theater) - You've been in the tents for a while now. Go out and get some air. Some extremely marijuana-heavy air.

8:10 - 9:10: Ozomatli (Mojave Tent) - I think ultimately Justice may just be a little too head-poundy for more than a quick look-see, so go with ol' reliable.

9:30 - 10:10: LCD Soundsystem (Sahara Tent) - Because they are awesome. But, you may notice that I recommend you leave a smidge early, and that is because...

10:00 - 10:45: Gotan Project (Outdoor Theater) - ... these guys under the stars is just too good to pass up on. Pry yourself away from the last couple LCD songs. You'll thank me for it.

11:00 - End: Cornelius (Gobi Tent) - As much as I have been digging The Rapture lately, this dude just feels like a better night-ender to me. Maybe I'm weird. Strike that, I know I'm weird. I just think the trippy visuals will be key, as opposed to looking at yet another group of scruffy dudes in tight pants. Or you could just entertain yourself by going to the big stage and throwing empty water bottles at Tiesto...

And that, my friends is a hell of a day.

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SUNDAY


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1:30 - 2:10: Kid Beyond (Gobi Tent) - If you can actually make it outta bed and to the show this early on Sunday, a) you are a beast and b) you will be rewarded with some seriously cool beatboxing and live-looping maneuvers.

2:10 - 4:00: Jack shit. You're not getting here before 4 anyways, so no sweat.

4:00 - 4:30: Explosions In The Sky (Coachella Stage) - Too early and too bright out for these guys, but they're worth a look. Then, after this, it's time to run around like a chicken with your head cut off thanks to a scheduling trainwreck...

4:40 - 5:00: Junior Boys (Mojave Tent) - Here's where you meet the cute girl with glasses you danced with at Hot Chip again. You only have 20 minutes though, so make it good.

5:00 - 5:40: Rodrigo y Gabriela (Gobi Tent) - Just too impressive to skip. You just missed all of Soulwax though. D'oh!

5:40 - 6:05: The Roots (Coachella Stage) - And you missed most of The Roots. More fist shaking is in order! But hopefully you've seen 'em many times before and that will ease the pain.

6:05 - 6:55: Kaiser Chiefs (Outdoor Theater) - Over CSS in a close one.

7:10 - 8:00: Klaxons (Mojave Tent) - Maybe mixed with a little Jose Gonzalez... but he's just so darn mellow, I see thumping from elsewhere possibly ruining his vibe a bit (see: Beck a couple years back).

8:35 - 9:25: Air (Outdoor Theater) - No explanation necessary. Although the sun will probably already be down... they should have put them on an hour earlier.

9:40 - 10:30: Happy Mondays (Sahara Tent) - Manu Chao and Teddybears are interesting, but to the Madchester fan in me, this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to get my melon twisted properly.

11:05 - End: Spank Rock (Gobi Tent) - Because Rage can blow me. I don't feel like joining a mosh pit after three straight days of Coachella goodness. Hell, I'm usually barely able to stand up by the end of Sunday...

... he says as if he's actually going. Nope, I'll be home catchin' all the festivities on the simulcast with a cat on my lap. But I expect to hear stories, especially if you dare to follow my advice...

Do you dare?

Do you?

They probably hate Richard Gere, too...

What a fantastic weekend... but it's over. Hopefully some music can take the pain away from the soul-crushing reality that you are now back at work...



Fitting as to start off the week of Coachella with a band that turned in one of my all time favorite sets there, British-Indian rockers Cornershop. 2nd stage - Saturday afternoon - 2002 - Can you believe that was 5 years ago? They were fantastic though, and LOUD! And they haven't released any new music since... the slackers! Their website claims that they are actually working on new material, and I hope so, because all three of their albums are primo and they are easily one of the most unique bands out there. This here is a cut off the very first record, and I'm pretty sure was the first track of theirs I ever heard, and I'm also pretty sure Chris Douridas was the one that played it on KCRW. Which makes for a perfect opportunity to remind Nic Harcourt that he can blow me...

Cornershop - 6 A.M Jullandar Shere

Will we have more blasts from Coachellas past this week? Only the shuffle knows...

The Sensory Wave, Manifested In The Hips... Huh?

Funky and Friday... they go together like bacon and eggs, Laverne and Shirley, stalkers and restraining orders...



Another old one here... The Mighty Bop's "La Vague Sensorielle" was one of the very first releases on Bruno Guez's Quango label, from 1995. The Mighty Bop is actually one of the many pseudonyms of that Frenchy pretty boy Bob Sinclar, which is actually a pseudonym, too. (Dude's real name is Christophe Le Friant, if you care... but how weird is that, having a pseudonym that is in itself a normal name? Like if I decided to put out something under the name, I dunno, Greg Johnson or something? WTF?). Anyhoo, this album found Bobby, as his friends call him, collaborating with DJ Cam and Le Funk Mob, so it was kind of a French hip-hop supagroop! Sample-heavy stuff, as the downtempo of the day tended to be...

The Mighty Bop - Le Voyage

Buy It!

Is it just me, or is that sampled guitar line the same one Gang Starr used in "Manifest", just pitched differently? You tell me...

Gang Starr - Manifest

Might very well be... but I know what you're saying. You're saying, "Tone, if you were really as cool as you think you are, you'd have that sample source right there on your little hard drive, too." Well, I just so happen to, cuz I is exactly cool as what I done thunk I is :P

James Brown - Bring It Up (Hipster's Avenue)

Okay, not exactly obscure. I'm still kinda cool... sorta...

A Lesser-Known Ninja

Yet another compilation track today. I swear I actually own some artist albums... you'll see...



I try to keep abreast (I said "breast"... hehe) of every thing going down at the mighty Ninja Tune label, but somehow Mr. Chris Bowden has generally escaped my radar. Yes, even though I obviously own some of his music. Hey, I got a lot of stuff, okay? I can't know every obscure song on every obscure compilation! I'm just a man, dammit!

Okay, I'm better now. Anyhoo, Mr. Bowden is apparently a jazz player by origin, a sax man. And Easy Access Orchestra are a couple of dudes who play horns in the Herbaliser live band. So all these horny dudes got together and twiddled their knobs and out came this lovely piece of bossa-tronica...

Chris Bowden - Crockers & Killers (The Easy Access Orchestra Radio Edit)

Buy It!

By the way, I totally invented that word just then, and if I hear you use it, you owe me a nickel. Pay up, bee-yatch!

Skateboardin' Blues

Today, we get retro, in more ways than one...



Tommy Guerrero is a pretty interesting case. Dude was one of the biggest pro skateboarders of the '80s, then when he got too old or whatever for that, he went into making music. Not bad skate punk, but really groovy downtempo stuff. Kind of like if Tony Hawk suddenly turned into Nightmares On Wax. Pretty cool, if ya ask me. But you don't get a Tommy Guerrero track today (although here's what he has on Hype Machine). Today you get a track off of his edition of the bomb-diggity Another Late Night/Late Night Tales mix series, wherein your favorite musical stars "compile an album of their favorite music that inspired them to make music their profession - their favourite of the favourites". Um, okay, sure, whatever. Great series, though, and these kind of compilations are often filled with groovy old nuggets that you might have never heard otherwise, 'cuz artists love to show off their obscure old records when they get a chance - ya know, to show how cool they are and shit. And then you get to hear stuff like this excellent Muddy Waters electric jam...

Muddy Waters - Tomcat

Buy It!

Didn't know Muddy ever got that funky, did ya? Well ya do know, sucka!

Oh, and here's Tommy in action over 20 years ago, street skateboarding in San Francisco.



I've never been much into skateboarding, but that is sweet...

Fishbone Is Red Hot!

This here is the kind of selection that proves that the shuffle truly is random.



I have loved Fishbone since, well, since I had hair... and that, my friends, was a long time ago. I think I've seen 'em live more times than any other band, at venues from the Lost Horizon in Syracuse to Dragonfly in Hollywood. Actually, at the Lost Horizon back (cough cough) years ago, Angelo (the singer/sax man) performed maybe the greatest crowd surfing feat I've ever witnessed, hopping off the stage and riding the crowd across the entire length of the club to the bar, grabbing himself a beer and making it all the way back to the stage without spilling a drop... all while the band played an extended jam in the middle of one of the songs. Classic. Fishbone, at the time, was at the height of their powers, playing in support of their classic Truth & Soul album. At the time I'd say they were the best funk band in the world, the best ska band in the world, and one of the best rock bands in the world, all at the same time. They came up out of the L.A. scene alongside the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and they were always the better band - tighter, funkier, and they had musical chops that were straight unfuckwiddable. They came thisclose to breaking big, even playing SNL, but while the Peppers just built and built momentum to become the chart stalwarts they are today, drug and personal problems eventually knocked Fishbone flat for a few years. They've never fully left though and they're actually putting out better music than they have in years (albeit with very few original members). Crazy how they pop up in the shuffle when their new album drops next week. What a coinkydink! (Honest... total coincidence... the shuffle works in mysterious ways!).

Anyhoo, today's track is a rather obscure yet excellent alternate version of one of the jams from Truth & Soul, from the CD single... taking a song that's original had manic horns and one of the most ridiculous slap-bass lines ever, and stripping it down to the raw funk:

Fisbone - Bonin' In the Boneyard (New & Improved Bonin')

And we'll wrap it up with some classic concert footage from 1992, 'cuz the YouTubes are the best thing since sliced bread.



Fishbone is red hot, indeed!

A Slight Distraction

Happy Monday, although with the fucked up shit that went down at Virgina Tech today... well, maybe a nice tune can serve to take your mind off of it for a second.



DJ Morpheus is a Belgian dude, probably most famous for being one of the top guns at the excellent Crammed Discs label and curating the legendary Freezone series of compilations. Every now and then he's put out a mix CD under his own name and, tragically bad cover art aside (seriously though, it looks like a movie poster for a bad buddy movie about a loveable loser and his inanimate sidekick... and another thing, if he's gonna call it In My Bag, why does he have a box? Shouldn't you either get a bag or call it In My Box? These are the things that keep me up at night. I need help), this one here is a real winner, featuring some fantastic mid-tempo funkiness. To wit:

Bah Samba - Black Blood (Funky Lowlives Mix)

Buy It!

Of course, you can pretty much never go wrong with Funky Lowlives and Bah Samba has put out a number of solid records over the years, so this one was kind of a slam dunk. What can I say, the shuffle has good taste.

Some NYC Styles

Something real funky for a Friday!



Codek Records is an awesome label straight outta NYC... I don't know how active they are these days, but go back 3 or 4 years and they put out a series of winners, including the Organic Grooves albums and some damn fine compilations. The label specializes in funky-ass tunes with a lot of live instrumentation, drawing from a stable of folks that work together in different combinations under various names. So, I got no idea exactly who Aphratec is, but I can say for sure that this track is a scorcher. Ya got yer breaks, ya got yer congas, ya got yer jazz flute... all that plus a groovy vocal line and Bob's yer uncle...

Aphratec - All Things

And that is why I own pretty much the entire output of Codek Records. As you can see, the word "organic" is very fitting. Although this isn't Organic Grooves... so that segue kinda sucked. Whatever :P

Have an awesome weekend!

EBTG... WATN?

The shuffle decided it wanted to make be feel old today. Sometimes I hate the shuffle :P



Walking Wounded, the album which made Everything But The Girl, previously an acoustic/jazz-lite duo that not many people outside of a Starbucks really wanted much to do with, big fat stars in the electronica scene... came out 11 years ago, people. Over a friggin' decade! I'm going to sign up for AARP as soon as I finish typing this blog, I swear. But whattaya gonna do? It still holds up as one of the best albums of the '90s in my opinion, and if you disagree, I will fight you.

Everything But The Girl - Single

Probably has something to do with the fact that Tracey Thorn has one of the best voices ever. She's got a new one out, too, called Out Of The Woods and the first single made it's way into the interweb tubes a little while ago, followed by some pretty nice remixes. Here's a very groovy disco-fied version by Escort, a group from New York who have been putting out some great tracks in the last year...

Tracey Thorn - It's All True (Escort Extended Remix)

As for Ben Watt, he's putting out the fourth volume of his Buzzin' Fly mix series next month, which promises to be quality. Watch this space ;)

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And this, well... File Under: Awesome

Gilberto Gil & Tropicalia

Interesting experiment yesterday...

I went ahead and hit the message board over at Coachella's website, announcing the existence of the Blog-achella, just to see what would happen. The results?

- Over 450 pageviews... wow! Let's just say that on a good day I've been getting a tenth of that.

- Some folks liked it.

- Most did not. Apparently the Indie kids are a sensitive and humorless lot. A couple of my favorite comments received...

"Whoaaa who do you think you are giving TPC a bad review, have you actually taken anytime to listen to thier tracks, get your infromatiuon straight."

Umm... who do I think I am? I'm Tone, dammit! That's all you need to know! And I'd also like you to know that my infromatiuon is always solid! My spelling, too!

"Wow, you are a total douche drinker. You hate all of the good stuff but you like a cover of Britany Spears. You should be banned from listening to music."

I can safely say that this is the first time I've ever been called a "douche drinker"... I'll have to add that to the list! And if you can't appreciate "Baby One More Time", you're kind of all cold and dead inside, if you ask me.

So you get the idea... Coachella - Feel The Love!

-----------------------

Anyhoo, time to move past that, and into my music collection. No more curmudgeonly comments from me, because from here on out, it's ALL good! I have set my iTunes to shuffle, and here is the first thing it has spit out:



Brazil, you may think, is all bossa nova and supermodels, but in the late 60s the country was in quite a state of turmoil, as there was a coup and the military took over the government and imposed an iron-handed rule for the next 20 years or so. Right after the coup, artists and musicians started a movement called Tropicalia, which was all about incorporating other cultures into their art and also had a socially and politically conscious voice previously unheard of in Brazil. Gilberto Gil was one of the leaders of the movement, and what did he get for his trouble? Arrested and exiled, of course! Those military dictatorships are even more humorless than the Indie kids! But it all worked out for him though... he's still recording and playing and he's even the Brazilian government's Minister of Culture now. This song here is one of the biggest Tropicalia hits:

Gilberto Gil - Bat Macumba

Buy It!

The lyrics however, are not political. They're not even real words... it's just all nonsense... but they look cool when printed out!

batmacumbaiéié batmacumbaobá
batmacumbaiéié batmacumbao
batmacumbaiéié batmacumba
batmacumbaiéié batmacum
batmacumbaiéié batman
batmacumbaiéié bat
batmacumbaiéié ba
batmacumbaiéié
batmacumba
batmacum
batman
bat
ba
bat
batman
batmacum
batmacumba
batmacumbaié
batmacumbaiéié
batmacumbaiéié ba
batmacumbaiéié bat
batmacumbaiéié batman
batmacumbaiéié batmacum
batmacumbaiéié batmacumbao
batmacumbaiéié batmacumbaobá

See, it makes shapes! Shapes are fun!

And I'll end the day by pointing you over to the blog list on the right and the most bad-ass Brazilian music blog in the world, Loronix. It's just an amazing amount of amazing music, and it is run by a talking parrot. Prepare to spend some time ;)

Blog-achella '07 - Amy Winehouse (Fri.) / Yeva (Sat.) / The Chuck Dukowski Sextet (Sat.)

You know, I got a bug up my butt. I don't wanna wait for tomorrow... let's finish this today. So now, without further ado, the final 3 acts of Blog-achella '07 (barring any last minute additions)!

Amy Winehouse

Who she is: How is it that some British, Jewish gal becomes the most bad-ass R&B singer to come down the pipe in years? Plus, she's an unrepentant drunk! What's not to love?

What she sounds like: The music... so retro. The lyrics... so now!

Amy Winehouse - Addicted

What I think: Amy Winehouse rules!

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Yeva

Who they are: All I can tell is that they're from Puerto Rico, and that one dude is reeeeeeeallly old.

What they sound like: Seems to be some kinda Rock En Espanol deal... but I can't find a song of theirs anywhere. You can listen on their Myspace up there though.

What I think: Yick. As much as I love almost all Latin music, Rock En Espanol doesn't do it for me. And no, I don't count Kinky as rock. Kinky is awesome.

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The Chuck Dukowski Sextet

Who they are: One of the scariest looking groups of people I've ever seen. Chuck was the bassist for legendary punk group Black Flag.

What they sound like: Sloppy psychedelic rock with some surf and punk influences. Or to some it up in one word... crap. So here's an old Black Flag song instead.

Black Flag - You Bet We've Got A Problem With You

What I think: So this is the only add they've made since the original announcement. Alas, we shall refer to 2007 as the year Coachella stopped trying... sigh.

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And so, there you have it! I hope this little guide helps y'all to maximize your Coachella experience to the point of supreme awesomeness. I'll go through the daily line-ups and make recommendations when the set times come out, and tomorrow this blog will resume it's true direction, delving into my 37,000 song iTunes library and sharing my favorite music with ya. Until then, here's a little bonus track...

Amy Winehouse - Rehab (Hot Chip Remix)

See you tomorrow. Blog-achella '07... over and out!

Blog-achella '07 - Rufus Wainwright (Fri.) / Gillian Welch (Fri.)

I hope you're wearing clean underwear today, because Coachella is about to rock your pants off!!!

Okay, not really.

Rufus Wainwright

Who he is: Sensitive Canadian-American singer/songwriter... so that means he gets both a hyphen and a slash, which is a lot of damn punctuation.

What he sounds like: I would like to see the Canadian side come out more, and hear beautiful odes he has penned to snowshoes, Gordie Howe and the city of Moose Jaw, but alas, 'tis not to be.

Rufus Wainwright - Going To A Town

What I think: He qualifies for both Canuck-achella AND MellowChella, so how's about that! Bonus points for being a white guy named Rufus.

----------------------

Gillian Welch

Who she is: Folk singer gal from Nashville. Plays a mean banjo. Needs better publicity photos.

What she sounds like: Makes our boy Rufus sound like Megadeth.

Gillian Welch - Revelator

What I think: Very nice voice, but seriously... Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz... not that I have anything against quiet, mellow music, but seriously, MellowChella is just out of control. I'm pretty sure you could go the entire weekend without seeing an act capable of getting your heart rate over 80. Unless you're fat. 'Cuz then the heat and all the walking will make your heart explode. You ever seen a fat person at Coachella? Me neither.

Tomorrow, we finish!

Blog-achella '07 - Julieta Venegas (Fri.) / VNV Nation (Sun.)

So, you find all the eggs the Easter Bunny left at your house? Make sure you check in the sock drawer... all the way in the back... I always forget that one...

Julieta Venegas

Who she is: Mexican singer/songwriter reppin' the LBC!

What she sounds like: Sunny pop en Espanol.

Julieta Venegas - Eres Para Mi

What I think: While nothing groundbreaking, this would certainly go over well on a warm Coachella afternoon with a cold Tecate in your hand. Now, if you could only take your beer away from those little holding pens they make you drink in...

----------------------

VNV Nation

Who they are: English & Irish dude based in Germany, which makes sense once you hear them. I would imagine zee Germanz love this shit.

What they sound like: Like a new version of Front 242, perhaps? Trancey/industrial beats with the deep and uber-serious male goth vocals.

VNV Nation - The Farthest Star

What I think: They can't find better electronic acts than this? Try harder next year, please.

--------------------------

And finally, a little something to while away the hours while you punch the clock. A little game called Serf's Up over at Grab.com. You're a knight, and you use a variety of instruments (baseball bat, mace, pink flamingo) to launch a Serf through the air and see how far he flies as he bounces off various shit that speeds him up or slows him down. That's really all there is to it, but it has proven to be insanely addictive. My personal record so far is over 2000 feet... I am easily entertained.

Memories of EEEEEEEEEEaster!

Actually, you kinda had to be there...

Tonegent - Big Chocolate Bunny (of infinite sorrow)

Blog-achella '07 - Travis (Sat.) / Paul Van Dyk (Sun.)

Hmmm... yesterday was the lowest number of visitors I've had on the blog ever! You mean people aren't lined up to get those hot, hot Tilly and the Wall and Tokyo Police Club mp3s?!?!? Man, what do I have to do, people? That's like Christmas and your birthday all wrapped up into one, for fuck's sake! :P

Don't worry, it's almost done. And one of today's bands is quite good... this one, in fact:

Travis

Who they are: Brit-rock veterans from Glasgow, which might explain why their publicity photo looks like the Trainspotting poster.

What they sound like: They're pretty mellow compared to some of the Brit Rock groups, but then again, the lead singer's name is Fran, and I really can't see a guy named Fran being all that loud and aggro. They have a new one out, but I'm gonna give you a classic.

Travis - Sing

What I think: You know about the Tone and the Brit Rock, so 'nuff said. I have a couple of their albums. Good stuff. Hunt out their cover of Britney's "Baby One More Time"... it's quite genius.

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Paul Van Dyk

Who he is: "I shall stand here at the wall. I shall glance at you over my shoulder. Feel my sexy gaze. You are powerless against it. With my hand pressed against the wall, I can feel your footsteps as you approach me... wanting me..."

What he sounds like: "I will make the sexy music for you. Feel the trance. Let the rhythm and the arpeggios and the nondescript female vocal and the snare rolls and the vaguely uplifting title move you. I shall now raise my hands into the air, and you shall worship me..."

Paul Van Dyk - Another Way

What I think: "What do you mean I'm playing this tent, when that little Dutch twat Tiesto got to play the Main Stage? Do you know who I am? I'm Paul Van Dyk! I am the world's number one DJ! It says so on my website! What do you mean it says that on his website, too? Oh, it's on now, bitch! Slap fight at the Tesla Coil at midnight!"

I would pay to see that, btw... have a great Easter weekend!

Blog-achella '07 - Tilly And The Wall (Fri.) / Tokyo Police Club (Fri.)

Google Analytics is the coolest thing ever, if you're a Blogger geek like me. It's just some invisible code you put in, and the amount of stats and info it gives you on who visits your blog is just awesome, and sometimes hella entertaining. Without it, I would not know that people have visited this week from new countries like The Netherlands, Chile, Israel and freakin' China! That is pretty awesome... but not as awesome as the fact that more than one person has happened across my blog by Googling "Kim Kardashian Watersports". Mention something once... :P

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Two bands I had absolutely never heard of today. How will they rate?

Tilly And The Wall

Who they are: A girls + boys group from Omaha. Considering this is the home of Bright Eyes and that ilk, I am wary!

What they sound like: Sugary pop with harmonized vocals.

Tilly And The Wall - Black And Blue

What I think: They're cute. They've got potential. With a little better songwriting, they might be on to something (there's some weird changes in the hook on that song, no?). All-in-all "meh", but they might be able to sucker me in, if I could be arsed to actually pursue a full investigation.

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Tokyo Police Club

Who they are: Yet. More. Canadians. Let's just move this thing to Saskatoon and get it over with.

What they sound like: Massively uninteresting Indie Rock..

Tokyo Police Club - Cut Cut Paste

What I think: I think they should be playing at 8 pm on Monday night at the free showcase at the Whiskey, not taking up valuable time at Coachella that could be used to bolster the meager hip-hop representation for instance. This is crap. Your buddy who's in a band - his band is way better than these guys. Tell him I said that and get me +1 at the door ;)

Blog-achella '07 - Teddybears (Sun.) / Tiesto (Sat.)

I can't think of a good lead-in today, so let's get right to it.

Teddybears

Who they are: Swedish dudes who used to be a heavy metal band...

What they sound like: ... but now sound kinda exactly like Fatboy Slim... not that there's anything wrong with that.

Teddybears - Cobrastyle (ft. Mad Cobra)

What I think: Well, they certainly followed the Fatboy's footsteps, because this song was everywhere, and rightly so... just a great fun jammy. Others I've heard of theirs are very similar, so I'm guessing a fun live act. Bonus points if they play the whole show with the bear heads on. I'm still amazed by Daft Punk's robot helmets from last year!

This song also has a really great video:



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Tiesto

Who he is: Mr. Tijs Verwest of The Netherlands, aka "The World's Number One DJ"!!!! Whatever. Is it just me or does he look really gay? Not that there's anything wrong with that either... just sayin'...

What he sounds like: Oh-so-predictable big-room progressive house.

Tiesto - Everything

What I think: While I don't have the same amount of bile and vitriol stored up against this guy that I do for Oakensuck, he's not too far away from it. Tiesto can blow me, and having him on the Main Stage is a joke, especially when the tickets this year were swallowed up by KROQ listeners and their ilk. I imagine it will be just like when Assenfold played there and nobody gave a shit. I hope the wind blows his records off the decks. Yeah, I'm catty like that.