Shakedownstreet's Weblog

PIZZA MAN – I DON’T NED THIS SHIT Dedicated to the asshole that sent me 9 work related emails in three hours! If you found this page, you know who you are – jerk. ]<

UGLY KID JOE – EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU

Dream Trip – Someday I Suppose…

shakedownstreet — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 22:06:30 +0000

London, England. I know, the title of the blog is ‘Dream Trip’ and most people (including myself) would like to go to Hawaii or Fiji or hell, even Finland. Something about the British music scene got my attention years ago. Maybe its the aura about the old scene of the Beatles and Clapton. Even Hendrix was popular there before he was in the states. Maybe its the pure number of bands. On the site: Leed’s music Scene they list 1306 different West Yorkshire bands. Seattle, Athens GA, Austin TX and countless other American music hotbeds might have similar numbers of bands, but there are under 200,000 people living in this whole area of England.

Could it be that band heaven is in Leeds? Let’s take a glimpse at a few of these groups, shall we?
Buen Chico , like many Brit pop bands manage to have catchy, bouncy tunes. Vampire Weekend (I know they’re from Massachutes) pop with Arctic Monkeys drive. Have a see for yourself, would ya?

Jamie Lidell manages to veer dangerously close to white boy soul – if there is such a thing. He does, however, stay on the positive side of the line. Imagine if Jamiroquai were only a little less confused. You’d get Jamie Lidell. Not a spectactular singer. Not brilliant music. Somehow its pretty good though. Should I be embarrassed? I’m not.

I might be sensing a trend here. To jump from Jamie Lidell to O Fracas might not explain my attraction to the Leeds music scene. I think that Leeds might translate in some language = catchy. Or head bobbable (as in music head bobbing or bobbing for apples).

Hot Club de Paris made their biggest mistake by putting the word Paris in their name. They don’t over complicate things. No other problems here. I want to go and see them in a little bar with about two hundred other people crammed in there jumping up and down, wearing a constant smile of acceptance. Maybe in a place called the Jug and Barrel or The High Farm.

That’s it for today.

My IPod Loves Me

shakedownstreet — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 21:15:14 +0000

Yesterday I was out pretty late. I wound up on my porch when I got home and kept my IPod on shuffle after the walk home. Somehow, for the first time since I got it and spent about a month getting all of my music into it, it played one of the best series of songs I would never have arranged on my own. I have not blogged since January, but that list got my gears going.

The list is kind of long and I don’t think I’ll be able to get music for each song, but here goes:

U2
Myspace
Desire

Grateful Dead
Myspace
Looks Like Rain

Teitur
Myspace
You’re the Ocean

311
Myspace
Beautiful Disaster

Talking Heads
Sugar on my Tongue

Eric Clapton
Myspace
Watch Yourself

The Aqua Velvets
Myspace
Smoking Panatelas on the Blue Mediterranean Sea

Photek
Myspace
Ni Ten Ichi Ryu

Phunk Junkeez
Myspace
Magnetic Mic Control

Tommy Emmanuel
Myspace
Endless Road

B.B. King
Don’t Get Around Much Anymore
I couldn’t find B.B.’s video so I used Lina Romay’s version. She’s prettier anyway.

Taj Mahal
Myspace
Couldn’t find a video for this one.
I’m Ready

Beastie Boys
Myspace
No video for that one.
Dedication

The Zombies
Myspace
This Will Be Our Year

The Meters
Myspace
Soul Island

Prince
Myspace
And God Created Women

The Hollies
He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother

Mudhoney
Mysace
Blinding Sun

Foghat
Myspace
I Just Want to Make Love to You

Big Mountain
Myspace
Baby, I Love Your Way

Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds
Myspace
Jimi Thing

The Velvet Underground
Myspace
Sweet Jane

Elton John
Myspace
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Public Enemy
Myspace
No Video for this tune.
A Letter to the NY Post

Brown Nose – Grand-pa’s Kaleidoscope
No know webpage, myspace or videos. I might be the only person that even has a CD. BTW it is the worst song of the list anyway.

The Arctic Monkeys
Myspace
The View from the Afternoon

Jackopierce
Myspace
Late Shift

Pinback
Myspace
No video for this song.
Victorious D

The Shins
Myspace
The Past and Pending

The Guess Who
Myspace
Hang on to Your Life

Tommy Edwards
Its All in the Game

Naked Soul
No known video.
Helicopter Man

Barenaked Ladies
Myspace
What a Good Boy

B.B. King
Darling You Know I Love You

Soulfix
Myspace
Goodnight Suburbia

Jack Johnson
Myspace
Posters

Morphine
Early to Bed

The Meters – Look-ka py py

Jackopierce – March

Paul Cebar & the Milwaukeeans – Rainbow Summer

Happy New Year (just a few weeks late)

shakedownstreet — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 20:05:12 +0000

Well, I haven’t been blogging at all lately and I guess it is now time to turn over a new leaf. Enough with that already, let talk tunes. My buddy just turned me onto a few artists that I had heard of but had never heard. Keller Williams is one of those freakishly talented guitar guys that uses loops and pedals and you name it to create a unique and fun sound. The song, Dance of the Freak, is a great example of his work. Almost all or maybe even all of the sounds you hear are produced by one man – live in front of an audience.
[Audio http://www.kellerwilliams.net/mp3/Dance.Of.The.Freek.mp3]. Check out Keller Williams’ web page for more at KellerWilliams.net

This same friend of mine also just recommended that I have a listen to Martin Sexton. He’s got quite a few songs available on his web page MartinSexton.com Even though I don’t particularly care for wine, Sexton’s song Women and Wine if a nice tune. It make me want to go for a ride. But alas, it is freezing and I’m pretending to be at work. [Audio http://www.martinsexton.com/mp3/womenandwine.mp3]

A Week in the Making

shakedownstreet — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 19:53:52 +0000

This post has been a week in the making. My office has its annual unnecessary secret santa coming up and I’ve been trying to compile a few mixtapes for my beneficiary. That being said, I’ve listened to countless tracks this week. Its amazing how much more effort and devotion to quality you put into a mixtape for someone else. When I make one for myself I only need to like any part of each song. When its a mixtape for my wife, lyrics and meaning are often a factor. When its a mixtape for a coworker (albeit one that I would consider a friend), the pressure is really on. I don’t know for certain what his musical tastes are. I don’t know if I’m even in the same ballpark. But I do know that he will likely never know how much time I’ve spent compiling hopefully one or two of the finest non-meaningful mixtapes ever produced. In the future I will list the songs I put on and maybe let someone else decide. Until then, I will (not that I usually don’t listen to a hundred or so new songs a week) continue my quest for the ultimate non-meaningful mixtape. The one Christmas song that will be on there is the ever popular Billy Idol tune: God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen.

Stereogum has an amazing feature on their blog. They have started to compile every song that they post into an archive page. This goes back to every post they’ve made in the past year or so and there are literally hundreds of songs available for free (legal) download. You may want to check it out.

Enough about mixtapes already. This week I saw the ultimate tribute band Tributosaurus. For those of you scratching your head wondering tributowhat, let me explain. Every month this group of musicians gathers in Chicago and literally becomes a different band. They were the Allman Brothers on Tuesday. Depending on what type of band they are becoming, they acquire the services of different musicians from the Chicago scene. When they were, say Van Morrison for instance, there was an incredible horn section. When they were Pink Floyd, a crazy percussion section. For the Allman brothers, they had guys from Mr. Blotto, Mike and Joe, Garaj Mahal, and some I didn’t recognize but am sure I’ve seen in their respective bands elsewhere. My seats were highly obstructed so I didn’t get to really see them jam until near the end when I worked my way towards the stage during their finale. The real Allman Brothers might as well have been there. They played my favorite song, Blue Sky and even did the extremely lenghty toe tapping anthem In Memory of Elizabeth Reed.

I love Martyrs. They get some really incredible acts and the sound quality is usually awesome. I can walk there from my apartment and the food is ok too. I do have a few axes to grind with them of late though.

1. The staff (especially the bar staff) could not me more gruff or rude. They really don’t realize that they are making more money than some doctors when there is a big show. I know, its work for them and I know that no one really enjoys being at work all that much but these people are making cash money in piles that barely fit into the register. They hardly every speak, let alone nod and never say “you’re welcome” – the usual traditional response to “thank you.” We were seated at the bar and got there early. There were virtually no other patrons at the time and we were ignored to an obnoxious degree. I don’t know if they even have teeth. There was no smiling and there was certainly no way they would ever talk to you or repeat your order to you. Who knows, maybe the two of them were together in a car crash and suffered identical broken jaws that needed to be wired shut. Hey… Maybe I’m on to something.

2. Martyrs lets in about 100 to many people for most of the shows I’ve seen there in the last few years. I get that its money flowing, but you cannot move. At all.

3. My wife pointed out that it may have been the ugliest crowd ever assembled. There were plenty of people in their 40s and 50s, still clinging onto whatever past they love so much; reeking of petuli and I wasn’t sure if their hallucinogens hadn’t ever worn off or if they had just taken a new dose. Needless to say, by the end of the night the two of us were searching for any one person, (our beautiful selves excluded of course) that could be categorized as attractive. The total percentage might have approached .01%.

Those three things aside, I do still love the place and the band was incredible. Anyone that knows me knows that I was annoyed by that stuff. But I got over it (much quicker than usual). I can’t wait to see who Tributosaurus will be next.

Here is the real Allman Brothers song Blue Sky

Boogie Rock

shakedownstreet — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 20:57:26 +0000

Maybe because its Friday I am in a mood for dance rock. Electronic Rock or just plain boogie rock might be the way to describe my mood.

Unfortunately, Astra Moveo, a band that I’ve just been introduced to does not have any videos available although they share their MP3 files half way down their myspace page. One particular track, Drugs in My Body, is particularly catchy and gets me foot tapping right here at my computer. As far as I can tell, there is no album available, so I guess if they’re offering their music, go and get it through their myspace page.

If there was ever a promoter that wanted incredibly similar sounding bands performing at the same venue, an Astra Moveo and Fischerspooner concert would be all the electrorock that you would ever need. Here is Fischerspooner’s video for Just Let Go.

Another Day Spent in a Cube

shakedownstreet — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 19:13:32 +0000

Here I am. I am sitting here at work. I have very little to do today. Sometimes I do nothing at all. So I make blogs.

I can’t believe that another NFL player has been gunned down this year. Sean Taylor is now dead, joining Darrent Williams of the Broncos from last winter. Since 1992, nine NFL players have been shot.

Without getting too into this subject. Consider a few things as we listen to Hard Place’s song Demographic.
[Audio http://www.antennafarmrecords.com/mp3/hardplace/demographic.mp3]
Buy Hard Place’s album here:

Why is it so hard to separate yourself from your roots? Why is trouble always finding the same people over and over? It really is too bad. By all accounts Taylor was in the process of making a better life for himself, his little daughter and his fiancee.
Enough with the hopeless. Yes, I said hopeless. Opportunities so rare and so precious as being paid millions of dollars to play a game for a living are so often squandered. Ricky Williams can’t stop smoking pot. Tank Johnson likes his AK47s. Michael Vick is not allowed to play with animals anymore. Of Ray Carruth and Ray Lewis, at least one is a killer. Maybe the dream of being a pro athlete is better off just being a dream.

Ouchie – I got one

shakedownstreet — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 21:08:25 +0000

Its pretty sucky when you have a hurt knee. It was starting to feel great. So what do I go and do (besides occasionally losing my equalibrium)? I decide I’ll really try and get it stronger by doing menial exercise. Now it feels like it did right after I hurt it in the first place. But I digress…

I kneed (that’s punny) something upbeat, something that moves for me. Bi-Fi Record’s band Binary has a couple of songs that do just the trick.

Here’s New Class of Man.

[Audio http://www.bifirecords.com/sounds/binary/Binary_NCOM_(guitmix).mp3]

Here’s their crazy song Relate (Magoo Remix)
[Audio http://www.bifirecords.com/sounds/binary/Binary_Relate_(magoomix).mp3] You have no idea how much faster I can draw AutoCAD while listening to music like that. Its a jungle out there!

Icy hot crotches

shakedownstreet — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 21:41:45 +0000

The Fiery Furnaces may just be spawns of the Flaming Lips Speaking of the Flaming Lips, there are several songs from each of their albums that can be streamed on their homepage. I haven’t really listened to the Fiery Furnaces that much but I keep expecting to hear references of Yoshimi. Big reverbrating base lines and soft lyrics with very nice quality controls just beg to be listened to. It is so much like the Lips that they are strangely their own. I’m surprised I haven’t really listened to them so far. I just love weird weird easy to listen to music.
Their their songs:Waiting to Know You,Nevers & Benton Harbor Blues can be listened to on the Fat Possum Website. Just select Fiery Furnaces in the Select Artists scroll down thingy on the right side of the page. You can also hear Suplexes of the Dead, Automatic Husband and Ex-Guru on their homepage.You can buy The Fiery Furnaces’ Album through Fat Possum Records here.
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The Elephant Six Recording Company has several pages of MP3s available. Most are either not great to begin with or of poor quality or both, but Of Montreal’s song She’s My Best Friend is pretty darn catchy if I say so myslef.
[Audio http://www.elephant6.net/mp3/ofmontreal/OM_best_friend.mp3]