<$BlogRSDUrl$>

Friday, January 30, 2004

: Fun While Stoned: More Friday fun: Christine passed along this cool link to musicplasma : the music visual search engine. Unfortunately, no, it's not visual as in "britney pix" but visual as in spatial relationships. Still, it's cool.
... by Mick O/Redfishingboat @ 1:58 PM
: Fun Stuff Friday:Hardcore (the techno kind) is still around? Yes! There's a new Ministry of Sound collection that looks really... happy... and hard: 'Original Hardcore: The Nu Breed' And, nothing celebrates this underrated genre like a sweaty session of Original Hardcore Pinball complete with sloppily stitched hardcore sound clips for your epileptic pleasure.
... by Mick O/Redfishingboat @ 9:15 AM

Thursday, January 29, 2004

: Ford Pref, Represent! In a move that strongly suggests a radical new interpretation of a classic, Disney has announced that Mos Def will play Ford Prefect in the upcoming film. "New interpretation" is probably something of an understatement, as will be instantly obvious to anyone familiar with the books or BBC series. It's probably going to be "loosely inspired by" or perhaps "related only in name to" the original works. I am not opposed to this sort of culture-mining, so I'll still be looking forward to this.
... by Mick O/Redfishingboat @ 6:08 PM
: Hey Man, Nice Shot: Jason R sent along a link to James Brown's mug shot. Serious, this is the king of all funny photos, and all e-mailing of funny photos can now stop since we've found the best one ever. Tell everyone you know. We have a winner!
... by Mick O/Redfishingboat @ 1:45 PM

Wednesday, January 28, 2004

: []Bribery: Dani sends in this news "With the advent of CD burning many bands are putting enhanced material on their CDs to generate record sales. However, The Crystal Method have come up with a more creative and exciting way.....they want to meet you and sign you CD booklet!! As a “Thank You” to their fans, The Crystal Method is happy to announce that each person who brings along a copy of the inner booklet from their Legion of Boom CD will get to meet the band following each and every show." If you bought the files legally online, you may be out of luck though. Bummer. Did You Know: Jon Brion plays on the track "Realizer"? Here are the tour dates anyway:

2.26.04 Sacramento, CA @ the Empire
2.27.04 Boise, ID @ the Big Easy
2.28.04 Spokane, WA @ the Big Easy
2.29.04 Calgary, AB @ Whiskey Nightclub
3.01.04 Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
3.02.04 Seattle, WA @ the Showbox
3.03.04 Portland, OR @ the Crystal Ballroom
3.04.04 San Francisco, CA @ Warfield Theater
3.05.04 Sparks, NV @ New Oasis
3.06.04 San Diego, CA @ 4th and B
3.08.04 Miami Beach, FL @ Mansion
3.11.04 El Paso, TX @ Club Xcape
3.12.04 Albuquerque, NM @ Sunshine Theater
3.13.04 Tulsa, OK @ Cain's Ballroom
3.14.04 Oklahoma City @ Fritzi's Music Hall
3.16.04 Dallas, TX @ the Gypsy Tea Room
3.17.04 San Antonio, TX @ Sunset Station
3.18.04 South Padre Island, TX @ Louie’s Backyard
3.19.04 Houston, TX @ Numbers
3.21.04 New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues
3.22.04 Gainsville, FL @ The Palace
3.26.04 Tampa, FL @ The Masquerade
3.27.04 Lake Buena Vista, FL @ House of Blues
3.28.04 North Charleston, SC @ the Plex
3.29.04 North Myrtle Beach, SC @ House of Blues
3.30.04 Charlotte, NC @ Tremont Music Hall


... by Mick O/Redfishingboat @ 12:54 PM
: Bargain Hunting: Get all four (4) Sounds of Om compilations (including the brand new one) for $32. Sounds like a chillout lover's dream!
... by Mick O/Redfishingboat @ 10:24 AM

Tuesday, January 27, 2004

: Me or the Medicine? I know I must be delerious when I hallucinate this ska site where you can Ask Adamonkey and he will reply to you... using lyrics from the band Rush. Clearly, I'm hurting and need medical attention.
... by Mick O/Redfishingboat @ 9:13 AM

Friday, January 23, 2004

: [lamb]Be My Ears: Everyone knows I like Lamb. I have the latest album, Between the Darkness and Wonder, and I have listened to it... but I haven't really heard it yet, if you know what I mean. Maybe you can help me. Here's the track "Wonder". Is it any good? Discuss.

WMA hi
WMA lo 		Real hi
Real lo

There are lyrics, videos and other tracks on their site. If you like the CD, one good place to get the import cheap is CDQuest.

... by Mick O/Redfishingboat @ 5:51 PM

Thursday, January 22, 2004

: Hard Time: If prison is this fun, maybe getting jailed for file-sharing really isn't that bad! Come and get me! Not that anyone really is talking jail... well, nobody except the United States Senate. P.S. I don't really file-share...
... by Mick O/Redfishingboat @ 8:51 AM

Tuesday, January 20, 2004

: []A New Dimension: BT's soundtrack to the new movie Monster will come with a 5.1 surround mix on DVD. I wonder how techno it will be... I might have to reposition my speakers for this big event in February. Is there a difference in a 5.1 theater set-up and 5.1 devoted strictly to audio? I have so many questions... and the world looks to ASC for answers! I hope the soundtrack is more exciting than his last album.
... by Mick O/Redfishingboat @ 9:22 AM

Monday, January 19, 2004

: Rock + Activism = Rocktivism?: Unelectable? Ho ho ho, check out punXfordean.org and then tell me how unelectable he is! If that's not cred, I don't know what is. All the cool punks vote. Right? :-)
... by Mick O/Redfishingboat @ 1:51 PM

Sunday, January 18, 2004

: Sheep's Clothing: I just ran across this deviant skin for Musicmatch Jukebox. I'm running it now and it's pretty solid. I also found mmjbskins.com which sells skins for $5. I wonder if anyone actually buys them. I need skin designer Will to update the "bigart" skin for version 8.2. Then, there is Thao's "sandwich skin" which is currently 3 years in development and not even in beta yet...
... by Mick O/Redfishingboat @ 2:49 PM

Friday, January 16, 2004

: Music Live and Local: I took some photos of Lackluster Hero at Brick by Brick. My friend Adam Bates is the frontman for LH. What do you think?
... by Mick O/Redfishingboat @ 11:36 AM

Wednesday, January 14, 2004

: Cartoon Violence: This flash video for the song "White America" is rather stunning in its richness. It barely looks like flash at all. I'm not racist, I promise. Like Kid Koala says -- some of my best friends are DJs. Seriously though, Eminem is what he is. I don't know how to address him, but I know he's discovered something powerful. Blah. Besides, Jason sent in the link. Blame him!
... by Mick O/Redfishingboat @ 11:49 PM

Tuesday, January 13, 2004

: [winamp]State of the Art: I think if Wassily Kandinsky were alive today, he’d want to do visualizations for Winamp. I have been spending some time with Winamp 5 and I believe that the graphic presentations represent the real state of abstract art of my generation. I can’t say I am familiar with modern art criticism, but if there are any pages in respected journals devoted to static abstract art, then the author of those pages has their head in the sand. I believe that the connection between Kandinsky’s imagination and what he laid down in visual art finds its strongest correlation now with dynamic pattern generation, particularly attached with music.

I also consider myself fortunate to have discovered this.

... by Mick O/Redfishingboat @ 9:58 PM
: Take It From De Top: indieworkshop.com reports that The Hives have been told by Universal/Polydor that what they've been working on is not good enough. The band was sent back into the studio to come up with something apparently more radio-friendly.
... by Mick O/Redfishingboat @ 4:09 PM
: Busted! Screener copy of 'Something's Gotta Give' on Internet, reports MSNBC. This happens all the time, but this is notable because all the screener videotapes were watermarked, and the leaked version on the internet can be traced back to a single person, Carmine Caridi, an actor who appeared in the “The Godfather: Part II” and television’s “NYPD Blue.” Somebody's in trouble!
... by Mick O/Redfishingboat @ 3:22 PM
: Funk It Up: The first GRAMMY performers have been named -- and there will be a "special segment to pay tribute to funk."
... by Mick O/Redfishingboat @ 9:44 AM

Monday, January 12, 2004

: On Demand Cable Music: Music Choice Launches Customizable Cable Channels : "Using video-on-demand technology, subscribers can use their remote controls to create music channels that match their tastes. A series of menus allow users to choose music types by genre and sub-genre, and control the percentage of each type that will make up their personal channel, which they will then name."

It sounds like "station-mixer-on-TV." This is potentially a huge story. MC could tweak this further into a track-on-demand model, and take on the big online providers. According to the press release, it's pencilled in for Q4 2004. Meaning some time in the first half of 2005 in real-world dates.

... by Mick O/Redfishingboat @ 4:57 PM
: WMA for iPod: Hell Freezes Over as HP Announces iPod Pact with Apple: "HP's blockbuster deal with Apple will have one exciting side effect. The company will be working with Apple to add support for Microsoft's superior Windows Media Audio (WMA) format to the iPod by mid-year." 1/13 Update: Wired says it ain't happening. A fun quote from the Wired article: "Joe Wilcox, a senior analyst with Jupiter Research, expressed surprise that HP didn't insist the HP iPod support WMA." Surprised? I thought Jupiter was supposed to predict everything in this space -- nothing is supposed to surprise Jupiter! Overrated makin-up-shit motherfuckers...
... by Mick O/Redfishingboat @ 3:41 PM

Saturday, January 10, 2004

: Commercial Chill: It is impossible to watch TV for longer than half an hour without hearing some chillout track. Here is a Reebok commercial with original music by a collective called Human. This commercial gives me goosebumps -- mostly because it's cool, but also I am an Eagles fan. I like that they got original music for it.

In researching the spot, I came across AdTunes. As they describe it:

"What was the song used in that television commercial?" Now you can find the answer at Adtunes.com - the weblog of information on music from TV ads, film trailers, and more.

What a great idea.

... by Mick O/Redfishingboat @ 8:06 PM

Friday, January 09, 2004

: New. Morrissey. Album. New. Morrissey. Album. Will it suck? Will it satisfy his fans? Alan Whyte said: "It's going to be a great album. Think the fans will be really, really excited. I personally think it's the best Morrissey album to date."
... by Mick O/Redfishingboat @ 4:47 PM
: Did I Say Madness? In honor of Elvis' birthday: "Dressed in an Elvis costume, Shezad Eikmeier, 28, belted out songs for 40 hours and eight minutes, beating the previous record by more than 15 hours. "
... by Mick O/Redfishingboat @ 10:09 AM

Thursday, January 08, 2004

: The Story Continues: I'm happy to see CNN.com - Joss Stone in CNN's Music Room. It's a solid interview and more ballast behind a building story. She continues to grow, grow. I like her album.
... by Mick O/Redfishingboat @ 5:32 PM
: Chillout News: Looks like there's going to be a compilation called Portishead Lounge coming out. I wish it were a new Portishead album, but who knows if that will ever happen. Happily, the new original album from Zero 7 called When It Falls is finally being released on March 1. zero7.co.uk has some clip of an instrumental from the album, but I refuse to listen to it because it won't satisfy me and will dull hearing the full record the first time I play it.
... by Mick O/Redfishingboat @ 4:15 PM
: No Flash: FYI the iPod mini uses a small Hitachi hard drive -- and not Flash technology.
... by Mick O/Redfishingboat @ 3:40 PM
: Doctor Sicko: Is this guy's other patient Ted Williams?? Is anyone immune to the fame-induced madness?
... by Mick O/Redfishingboat @ 1:16 PM

Wednesday, January 07, 2004

: Throwback: People say bands today dont have talent, they don't have soul, they don't have originality. Maybe so, but more than that, I feel that bands today just don't have enough goofy sax players in shades.
... by Mick O/Redfishingboat @ 2:38 PM
: Too Hot For Television: Update on Universal Music TV venture. It's apparently co-owned by a pr0n conglomerate, and will focus on uncensored videos. Yikes! Bring it on.
... by Mick O/Redfishingboat @ 2:01 PM
: Rock in Pictures: Check out a couple pics of Phantom Planet at Tower Records in La Jolla.
... by Mick O/Redfishingboat @ 9:22 AM
: New Floral Decoratives: The new Apple iPod mini comes in some really weak colors. Seems like a real feminine push. Even the new Beetle comes in a tolerable black.
... by Mick O/Redfishingboat @ 9:15 AM

Tuesday, January 06, 2004

: Macworld Notes:

From Steve Jobs Macworld keynote

iPod mini
o 4gb (1000 songs)
o 0.5 inch thick (business card)
o Same solid state controls and UI as iPod
o Dock & armband included
o $249
o Targeted at high-end flash market
o 5 colors: gold blue pink green white
o Anodized aluminum
o Ships Feb04 in US, April04 rest of world

iPod stats
o 03q4 730K iPods sold
o 2 million iPods sold to date
o 31% portable player market share as of Oct03

o 10gig becomes 15gig for same price
o New in-ear headphones $39
o And... a new commercial

o Flash players = 60% of market
o High-end flash ($200) = ~30%

Latest iTms Stats
o 30 million songs downloaded
o Close to 1.9 million songs/week
o 70% market share
o The top spending account on iTms has spent $29,500 so far

iTms now on AOL
o Billed through AOL
o Sessions@AOL now part of iTms - you can buy the tracks

Just added: Billboard charts
o Hot 100 from 1946-present
o Upcoming charts for genres/years

Just added: 12000 classical tracks
o They got Deutsche Grammophone

iTms now has 500K actual tracks

Pepsi and Apple giveaway
o 100 million songs starting Feb 1 (Super Bowl)
o 300 mil bottles (yellow caps)
o 1 in 3 caps is a winner
o Lasts 60 days

iLife suite
o GarageBand + iPhoto + iTunes + iDVD + iMovie
o $49 bundled and free on all new Macs

... by Mick O/Redfishingboat @ 11:14 AM
: You Gotta Believe: R.I.P. Tugger. You're my all-time fave.
... by Mick O/Redfishingboat @ 8:47 AM

Monday, January 05, 2004

: [gilles]All Winners: BBC - Radio 1 - Gilles Peterson's All Winners Chart 2003 is up, picking his favorites of the past year (all new). Catch the re-broadcast of the show and check out the list. There are embarassingly many that I am not at all familiar with -- but this gives me something to shoot for. I'm hearing some soul gems in the show that are amazing. I finally got the Dwele album and it was real pleasant to listen to. Gilles is all about quality, if not actual originality. The stuff he picks just... sounds... good -- the very definition of a solid call. He is still my hero.
... by Mick O/Redfishingboat @ 6:12 PM
: Music... Television???: While I wallow in the throes of an addiction to VH1 Soul (ever since my MSO started carrying it) I came across this interesting bit: Major record label Universal Music is planning a TV station. This premium channel would carry concerts, videos, documentaries, etc. and be called 1AM. (Suposedly after the first amendement???) It's probably as much as a year away, but I'd love to see it happen. I think TV is underutilized in selling music. Maybe straight videos isn't the answer, but at least keep the programming music-centric. Will it only carry content from one label? Good luck.
... by Mick O/Redfishingboat @ 4:40 PM
: If He's So Smart...: Fast Company | Steve Jobs, Apple, and the Limits of Innovation: "The battle over digital music is just another verse in Apple's sad song: This astonishingly imaginative company keeps getting muscled out of markets it creates. So what does Apple have to tell us about innovation?" This is a long article that makes some mistakes (Microsoft is not the best example of a licensor), but makes the depressing case that innovation is not a sound business model. I also suspect the author can't grasp Jobs' more secular motives (rock star). Obviously, Apple products could be made cheaper, but isn't there room for something upscale?
... by Mick O/Redfishingboat @ 10:46 AM
: Second Time's the Charm: Coroner: Elliott Smith death open question. The fact that there were two stab wounds to the chest seems highly suspicious.
... by Mick O/Redfishingboat @ 9:12 AM

Friday, January 02, 2004

: []New Norah: Here's the tracklisting for the new album from Norah Jones. It's going to be out February 10 in the USA. Very exciting!

Norah Jones- Feels Like Home
Blue Note Records
2/10/2004 (US)
2/9/2004 (rest of the world)

1. Sunrise (3:21)- (Lee Alexander/Norah Jones)
2. What Am I to You? (3:29) (Norah Jones)
3. Those Sweet Words (3:22) (Lee Alexander/Richard Julian)
4.Carnival Town (3:12) (Lee Alexander/Norah Jones)
5. In the Morning (4:06) (Adam Levy)
6. Be Here to Love Me (3:28) (Townes Van Zandt)
7. Creepin’ In (3:00) (Lee Alexander)
8. Toes (3:47) (Lee Alexander/Norah Jones)
9. Humble Me (4:35) (Kevin Breit)
10. Above Ground (3:42) (Andrew Borger/Daru Oda)
11. The Long Way Home (3:12) (Tom Waits)
12. The Prettiest Thing (3:50) (Lee Alexander/Norah Jones)
13. Don’t Miss You At All (3:07) (Duke Ellington with lyrics by Norah Jones)

... by Mick O/Redfishingboat @ 9:24 AM

Thursday, January 01, 2004

: Fossils Can Talk: Readers of Guitar World magazine picked Limp Bizkit worst band of 2003. At the same time they listed "all new music" as a top disappointment, illuminating just how devoutly archaic their mindset is. Music criticism reveals the worst of human nature by completely bypassing all rationality and empathy. I can see the argument for being somewhat irrational when evaluating music, but I'm not sure why people are so anti-empathetic -- ignoring all other points of view. This highlights just how the enjoyment of music is both personal (experienced with internal emotions) and at the same time social (judged in context of interactions with others -- dating, raves, etc). The mob of Bizkit-haters becomes self-fufilling, but I refuse to cave!
... by Mick O/Redfishingboat @ 3:11 PM
: Happy New Year: Doesn't this piss you off? The mad distortion in the current mastering process.
... by Mick O/Redfishingboat @ 10:46 AM