5 Hip Hop Groups That Also Deserve Biopics

Alright,I don’t about you but, I am really excited for tomorrow’s release of Straight Outta Comptom. As,I progress in my music listening I have come to really dig N.W.A.’s work and I think there is a great story behind the music to be told.

With that said I think there are some other groups that have just as an interesting story to tell. I will also be recommending titles for these perspective features. Also, please keep in mind that this piece is written by a really geeky suburban bred girl. So, please don’t be too harsh.

Wu-Tang Clan- This is a pretty obvious choice. RZA, GZA, Ghostface Killah, Method Man, Raekwon…well you know the rest. Staten Island’s finest are one the most recognizable names in hip hop and are still highly regarded ass innovators of the genre. I’m pretty sure a production is probably in development somewhere. I mean this is a movie that has to be made. My Title: A tie between Enter the Wu-Tang or Wu-Tang Forver

Public Enemy- Possibly the best thing to ever to come out of Long Island. Also, you know you want to know about Flavor Flav’s back story. How did the clock become his thing? How did Chuck D and the rest put up with him? My Title: Fight the Power.

Digital Underground- We needed another west group on this list and these guys were the pioneers of the alternative hip hop scene and they blessed us with the genius that was 2Pac. They took risks with their music that inspired a lot of artists in a way that promotes a dash of abstract concepts. Plus, I think Trent Reznor stole the rotating musicians idea from them. My Title:Same Song (I don’t think Humpty Dance would fly at the studios)

A Tribe Called Quest- Personally, I think this is a really underrated group. Not enough people know of them and that is a damn shame. They helped launch Jive records and I don’t think they get enough credit. Their songs are truly art and the lyrics are pure poetry. My title:Low End Theory

Beastie Boys- Oh, like you didn’t know that these guys were going to be on the list. Do I really have to go in detail about how these guys broke genre barriers, experimented with sound, and helped dispose of certain racial and gender stigma? Yeah, I thought so. My title:No Sleep Till Brooklyn (I also like That’s The Funky Shit

Those are my picks. What are yours?

Another 5 Songs That I Am Addicted To at the Moment

Don’t you just love it when you find some new tunage and then you go and binge on it for like a month. Well, that is what is happening to me. Actually, it always happens to me just sometimes I feel I can share without judgement. Who am I kidding? I have no shame when it comes to my taste in music. We’ll have to deal with it. Now, on with the list.

La Gusana Ciega-Entra En El Agua: A prime example of how universal music is. I can’t speak a word of Spanish, or the words I do know I don’t speak very well. But, I absolutely love this song and refuse to stop listening to it. Come on, Mexico. Why didn’t you share this band sooner? I don’t blame you, you probably wanted them to yourselves. I understand. Still, I fucking love this song!

Cloud Nothings-Now Here In: Why yes I do like up tempo indie rock with a great chord progression and a lo-fi sound. Every time I listen to this track I want bounce around the room. It’s one of those bands that should have been around for my teenage years, but alas was not. Damn it. Plus, the video is awesome.

Courtney Barnett-Pedestrian at Best: Yesssssssss! This song rocks. Plain and simple. Barnett is poised to take over as the Queen of the Alt Rockers. She’s bringing back some much needed sound and is the voice for those who are still trying to figure shit out.

Parquet Courts-Uncast Shadow of a Southern Myth: This is a song to chill out to. Just put it on and relax while sipping a nice cold beer. There is a hint of mystery in it, which kind of adds to the atmosphere of the sound. None the less, it’s a great Sunday afternoon tune.

Cherry Glazerr-Had Ten Dollaz: Oh, how I love songs that have a build up to them. This one starts of quiet and then ups the volume. Classic ‘loud quiet loud’ formula. The intro bass line is wonderful and pairs well with the vocal style. It’s easy to immerse yourself in the sound. So, listen well.

That’s it for now. Enjoy!

5 unintentionally hilarious songs

Some songs are just so bad that it reaches comedic genius. Don’t believe me? Go listen to any album by Wings. But, that pales in comparison to the list I am about to unleash on you. These 5 songs have made me giggle obnoxiously for hours on end. And that’s without the help substances. So, with out further a do : The List.

Hulk Hogan’s Theme-Real American: Everybody from my generation has got to be familiar with this salute to the American people. Brought to us from one of the most recognizable names in wrestling, this song has been haunting us all for a while. However, the amount of cheesiness in this tune makes it almost as funny as some Weird Al stuff.

Fabio-When Somebody Loves Somebody: Romance novel cover boy, Fabio released an album in 1993 and it was awful. He doesn’t sing as much as reads awful erotic poetry over music that sounds like it came from The Red Shoes’ Diary. It is complete with background singers and a saxophone. I have yet to hear to rest of the album, but I don’t anything can top this track.

Whitney Houston-Greatest Love of All: I know this a song that is meant to inspire, but really it just makes me want to belt it out during drunk karaoke. Despite Houston’s talent, this song sounds like something they play on after school specials about teenage girl self esteem. We are all beautiful on the inside… or not. There are some assholes out there.

The Sylvers-Hotline: This is probably why parents weren’t too fond of ’70’s. They kind of sound like if Earth, Wind, and Fire, if Earth, Wind, and Fire lost all of their sense of fun. Also, check out those fro’s and the dancing. It’s brilliant. Plus, I think this is song about a guy falling in love with a phone sec operator. That won’t end very well.

Corey Hart-Sunglasses at Night: He has to wear sunglasses, because he doesn’t want people to see in to his soul or something. This song never made any sense. Most people think that guys who wear sunglasses at night are douchebags. Therefore, this song is about a jerk trying to catch his girlfriend cheating on him. Of course, maybe because he is wearing sunglasses at night, that is her reason for seeing another man.

Enjoy!

Let the season of music festivals commence!

Now that award show season is over (thankfully), we all turn out focus to all the upcoming spring/music festivals. Get your sunblock, oversized sunglasses, denim shorts, and light weight band shirts ready, because in this post we’ll take a look at where to go and where to avoid. Basically, I am just going to give my opinions on the line ups of Coachella, Sasquatch, and Bonnaroo.

Maybe this Memorial Day Weekend, you’ll head to the Pacific Northwest to the George in the state of Washington. There, you might attend Sasquatch! Sasquatch has kept most of its credibility through out the years and usually has pretty good line up. This year is no different. Good old standbys Decemberists, Modest Mouse, Spoon, War on Drugs, St Vincent plus sone new faves like Courtney Barnett, Temples, and Perfume Genius along with many others will all be in attendance. Also Robert Plant will be able to entertain you parents while you sneak out to see the Dilated People set.

You may travel down south to Manchester,Tennessee. There you can experience Bonnaroo. With the exception of Belle and Sebastian and a few other, the line up if pretty flat this year. However you do have the chance to see Slayer and Mumford & Sons in the same weekend. You might want to send your parents, because Billy Joel, Robert Plant, and Earth Wind & Fire are all going to be there. Actually I could probably rock out to “September”. Shut up, it’s a good song.

Let’s go the California Desert and have magical time at Coachella. Over the years, this one has gotten a little stale. The distance from Los Angeles has made it into a sort of a place to be seen. However, even though Drake is going to be there, some really great acts will be able to divert your attention. Interpol, Jenny Lewis, and a reunited Ride is enough for me to go. Steely Dan is kind of surprising, but I guess Dad rock is back in style.

I would say that Sasquatch wins this, again. Although you can find something at all of these fine events. Hopefully no reality tv stars will there. They tend to ruin stuff.

Remember these 5 bands?

Hi kids, long time no post. But, we will save that for another time. Anywho, yesterday I was listening to satellite radio and I rediscovered some stuff that I had completely forgotten about. So, I decided to write a post about it. Some of these bands are still around, some have reunited recently, and some have morphed in to new
bands.Still, let’s take a moment to remember these artists in all their glory.

The Prodigy- At age 10 this band intrigued and scared the shit out of me. Keith Flint dual mohawks and Maxim Reality’s body paint had everybody kind of frightened. They were like the bizzaro version of The Happy Mondays. They recently released some new stuff, but in 1997, they were everywhere

The Verve Pipe- These guys put out one of the most depressing songs, ever. Then they kind of went away. It’s a little confusing because their hit song came out the same time The Verve (the Richard Ashcroft fronted outfit) was introduced to the States. Does anyone know what happened?

Seven Mary Three- Thanks to Comedy Central’s Workaholics we have all been re introduced to this Collective Soul like group. They were popular back when every lead singer had a deep voice and shaggy hair. It was what I like to call the Eddie Vedder effect.

Babes In Toyland- Kat Bjelland is a beast and pretty much one of the most awesome front women ever. Good news is that these wonderful ladies are doing a bunch reunion show in America. Hopefully, we may get some new material. Please…

Tripping Daisy- This band became the Polyphonic Spree after one of the members died of a drug overdose. But, before that, they had a really fun sound. They managed to make a likable crazy girlfriend song.

So, those are few. Do you have any to add to the list?

Beer and Band Pairings

Pairing cheese and wine is a popular activity. There are whole classes on it. Well, I don’t drink wine and cheese is delicious, but has nothing to do with the content of this blog. I decided that instead, I’ll do a post where I recommend what beer to pair with what band. These are pretty basic, but if you want throw in some suggestions, go ahead. I might do a follow up post.

Boddingtons and Oasis-

An obvious choice. A good pub brew with a good pub band. It’s hard to not burst into “Don’t look back in anger” while you’re sipping on a cold one of this English ale. The urge to fight with a sibling may or may not be side effect, but rocking out to the guitar solo from “Morning Glory” is pretty much a guarantee.

Stella Artois and Interpol-

Need to feel a bit more upscale. Try this combo. Make sure you drink your Stella with one of those fancy chalices while you are grooving to “Leif Erikson” or you don’t get the full effect. Dressing to impress is also a good way to go.

PBR and The Strokes-

10 years ago this pairing would have been all the rage. American garage rock with a cheap vintage beer? Hell, yes. Jam out to “Heart in a Cage” while quoting that famous Dennis Hopper line from Blue Velvet and chugging one of these bad boys is an achievement in Cool.

Belhaven and Franz Ferdinand-

Scotland’s best drink with one of Scotland’s best bands. Win all around. I’m pretty sure this bundle would make Alex Kapranos do a little of his on stage butt shaking in excitement. I know you all would love to see that.

Newcastle and The Arctic Monkeys-

Heavy, but not overly so. These two are a perfect union. Cool, but not pretentious. Delicious, but you can’t fill up too quickly. And, a good stand by that always sounds good. You can’t go wrong with this.

There you have it.

Holy Shit! It’s Festival Season!

Hey everybody, Long time no see. I’ve a bit busy in the real world. Any who, festival season has officially begun, as we are in the middle of week 2 of Coachella. Like most of you I am not there. But, never fear. More festivals are on their way. Especially, the big three of Bonnaroo, Sasquatch, and Lollapalooza. So, I thought we would check the line ups and see which ones are worth the money and which ones are just lame.

June 12-15th Manchester, Tennessee will be the place. Bonnaroo is usually a re pretty cool venue. Apart from Kanye West and Skillrex, the line up is pretty solid. Come on, Neutral Milk Hotel will be there! So will Arctic Monkeys, A Tribe Called Quest, Broken Bells, Damon Albarn, and Nick Cave. Musical diversity is the name of the game, so everyone one of you will have find an act you will want to see. I’d say it would be worth the tickets and travel price. The only downside is that there is a good chance at least one Kardashian will be there

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If you can only afford one festival, go to Sasquatch on Memorial Day weekend. By far the line up is the best. The National, Neko Case, Bob Mould, Queens of the Stone Age, Mogwai, and De La Soul will all be there! Plus some other great acts. Also, it’s held in Washington. That way there is a less of chance you will be severely sunburned at the end of the weekend.

Lollapalooza has a history. It used to be unique, but the line up this year is pretty lame. The only bandS I can be excited about is Interpol and Arctic Monkeys. There some other good artists, but mainly I would hold off from buying tickets. There will probably be a lot of scene people there and no one wants to deal with that. Plus it’s in August, so you will probably need a shit ton of sunscreen.

 

Any other suggestions?

 

 

Music My Parents Like That I Appreciate

It’s common to disapprove of your parents’ musical taste , when you are younger. How can they possibly understand the greatness of NOFX, when they are stuck listening to Styx? Well, in time you learn that your parents actually know a thing or two about good music. Or at least my parents do. I don’t know your parents. Soon, you find your self appreciating the work of Bob Dylan. Then you find out your dad bought every Black Keys album. Any who, we all come to appreciate stuff that we would have probably turned our nose up to before.

X- So, I’ve never really turned my nose up at them. Come on. They are one the seminal LA bands. However, I was introduced to them via my parents. Hard to imagine mom and dad seeing shows, but they have all the original vinyl releases.

Creedence Clearwater Revival- They were the first to wear flannel and wrote protest songs before any of us were even an afterthought. They are way more than the soundtrack to various Vietnam war movies. And I must admit that I have grown fond of John Fogerty’s solo stuff.

Talking Heads- Yeah, my parents were in to Art Rock. In some ways they still are. There is a running joke in our house that ‘Burning Down The House’ is about the eighth night Hanukah

Marianne Faithfull- Would we have PJ Harvey if this woman had not been around first? Most likely, but Faithfull is still fantastic. Thanks mom for the introduction.

Bruce Springsteen- I admit that I fully love this man. I always have to crank up the volume when he comes on the radio. I, also, may or may not have taken my mom’s Born in the USA tour t-shirt. Ok, I did. Happy?

The list could go on, but nobody has time for that. Remember, kids, your parents were once cool. Then you came along and screwed everything up. Or at least that is what I’m told.

 

 

 

Ban These Songs From Karaoke

Karaoke is awesome. There is no denying that. After a few rounds of liquid courage, you are ready to be a rockstar. Unfortunately, there are some songs that no one wants to hear that some idiot decides they have to sing. These people are under the illusion that they think that they are being cool or using karaoke as a showcase for their singing.

First off if you pick Journey’s don’t stop believing, you are an awful person. So awful that the bartender should charge you double for drinks. Everybody is sick of this fucking song and those who are oblivious to that need to be slapped. My suggestion is that you try something by an 80’s hair metal band. It’s still a little bit douchey, but not enough to have bottles thrown at you.

Never ever sing anything by Rod Stewart that isn’t Young Turks. Especially, if you are a dude with a ponytail. Women will not find it attractive, but creepy and will assume that you are a rapist. A good alternative is Bruce Springsteen. This will make you look like a good old boy and have everyone cheering. Who doesn’t love the Boss?

Radiohead is an incredible gift to the world. Their music is fucking genius. However, Creep is a terrible choice to sing at karaoke. The band even hates that song and this is not time for self deprecation. You want some Brit Pop, you bring out Oasis. Always a good choice for a room full of people drinking.

Natasha Bedingfield’s Unwritten has become an anthem for drunk white chicks. As a white chick, I am offended that this has become our karaoke staple. Well, I refuse to let it remain that way. Enter the Go Gos. Optimal choice for when you want to pack in some dancing during your set.

Hotel California is basically one big guitar solo, so skip it. Karaoke songs should be short and full of lyrics. People want to sing along. Also, Freebird is not a good idea either. You want to something that is folky from the 70’s, you do America.

Keep this in mind next time you karaoke.

 

 

5 More Songs That I Am Addicted To At The Moment

Hello, darlings. I’m sorry I have been MIA the past two weeks. Long story short, my computer had an accident. However, I am back and we can all have fun. Or not, that depends on you. On wards with the post. So, for the past there have been some songs that I can not stop playing. Why? I don’t know, because they’re AWESOME!!!!!! So, I thought that it would be nice if I shared them with you. Here we go.

Smog-Bathysphere

I hate my self for no know that this song existed, earlier. It’s one of those tracks with some mystery behind it. It almost feels like it could come have come out of  a soundtrack to a David Lynch film. Or at least a current Jim Jarmusch one.

Elastica- Waking Up

Brilliant cover! We need an Elastica reunion, right now! Seriously, this band needs to get back together. We are really lacking in quality female musicians. Get on it, ladies! (and Justin).

Surfer Blood-Demon Dance

Here’s a fun pop rock group to bounce around to. It’s feel good music with quality. Plus, these are adorable. I want to pinch their cheeks and buy them ice cream. Did that sound weird? Meh, I don’t care.

Cloud Nothings-I’m Not Part of Me

Modern day garage rock pour vous. I, myself, like a bit of low fidelity sound. I think that those who don’t are idiots. Plus, this song appeals to my inner angst filled teenager.

Fear of Men- Alta/Waterfall

Not too crazy about the band’s name, but the song is kind of neat. There are so many layers to it, that it’s kind of hard to describe it. I guess you’ll just have to listen to it.

Well, boys and girls, it’s good to be back. I missed you. I’ll try not to have any more technical mishaps. I can’t afford it.