Good Job at Failing, Gigantic Crumbling Music Biz

OK Go have a new single-take video that's sure to tear up the internets. Except their record label doesn't understand how to do this, and they've disabled embedded video for blogs and sites and whatnot. It's amazing that people with degrees in marketing and PR have no idea how Web 2.0 works, or how to use it as a promotional tool. The record industry will be dead in ten years. Tops.

...Oh, and the lists still exist. Just somewhere not called this blog.

Slicing Up Eyeballs

The Pixies on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon earlier this week performing "Debaser" and "Hey".





Alls I want to know is, who the hell are these foks on the fake fire escapes behind them?

[via Slicing Up Eyeballs]

Friemblies: Jeff Magnum and Elephant 6

Jeff Magnum at the Knitting Factory in 1998 courtesy of Merge Records [via Pitchfork].



Jeff Magnum's disappearance is still one big ball of mystery to me. I didn't get into Neutral Milk Hotel until after Jeff stopped touring and recording, but I can see why he still has such a rabid fan base. He's the kind of performer he throws himself completely into his act. And on top of that, his affiliation with the Elephant 6 Collective puts him into that awesome-est of musical cliches that really, actually work: friends making music together. It's why, ten years later, I'm still obsessed with David Bazan, Damien Jurado, Rosie Thomas, Sufjan Stevens and Daniel Smith, even if some of their recent material has been a bit uneven. They're not the sort to be unaffected by their music. And they don't mind handling background vocals for their peeps.

Basically a commercial for FOX, but I can live with it.

Absolutely gross product placement to lure both baseball fans and the patriotic, but come on...it's the cast of Glee singing the national anthem! Watch this show patriotic baseball fans! Your national anthem just got owned. Chalk another one up for corporate synergy!

Via TV Squad

They don't love you like I love you

 
Via Brian's Fun with Robots, Rogue Wave covers "Maps" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Beautiful stuff for your post-Halloween festivities.

Absolutely sick. Like 90s sick.

Via Jesse Thorn of ye old Sound of Young America, comes an insane vid from last night's BET Awards featuring Mos Def, Black Thought and Eminem. And while Thorn may be the whitest, baby-faced radio host on the planet, he's not far off the mark when he calls Em "probably the greatest freestyler of all time." OF ALL TIME!

/kanye'd

New Weezer, Same Old Problems

Stereogum has a new track from Weezer online for your streaming pleasure, featuring none other than Lil Wayne himself. Honestly, his verse is the best part of the track. The rest makes me want to kick a bunny. Not a cute one. But a bunny none-the-less.

p.s. That's the closest I can get to Weezy meets Weezer. Whoopi Goldberg with that dancing guy from all the dancing movies. Cause Rivers dances...right?

Day Twenty: Muppet Drumming with Buddy Rich

Honest question: WTF is Animal? This video is why the Muppets were the greatest invention of the 20th century. Or at least the greatest variety show ever made. If I can find some of the more bizarre vids from the Muppet show, I'll be sure to post them.

Seriously, we had it good when we were kids.

Day Nineteen: Daniel Johnston Will Steal Your Heart

When my brother David took Intro to Music at ole HC, Mike Rowley subbed for one day for I don't know what reason. David told me asked the class who the worl'd greatest songwriter was. Rowley's answer? Cat Stevens.

Wrong. The answer is in the video above. And if you think I'm being ironic or fey or fill-in-the-90s-indie-adjective-here, you and I have obviously never met. Daniel Johnston for the win.

Day Eighteen: How About Some More Music?

Neko Case. Our First Champion. Bringer of Light. Giver of Everything that is Pure and Holy. Also, Totally Hawt.

P.S. I think she lives in Vermont, too. And now, you're completely jealous. We're practically neighbors.

Day Fifteen: These Kids Are Cooler Than Your Kids

It's a little lengthy, but worth the 8 minutes. A string quintet of Zelda, Tetris, Mario, and much, much more. Courtesy of some of the coolest kids on the face of the earth. If this doesn't make your day, then go sleep until tomorrow, because nothing else will.

Day Nine: Underground

Remember when Ben Folds was seriously effing cool? And he had that punky/jazzy trio thing going on? I remember hearing this song on 96.3 the Edge just months before Brick dropped and blew them into the stratosphere. At the time, I didn't get most of the jokes. Having spied on the "scene kids" from time to time over the past ten years, I recognize it's brilliance on a whole different level. But even in 1996, this song kicked serious ass.

Day Four: Pop Songs Are Always Better With Muppets

Remember 2008, when you couldn't take two steps without hearing those damn iPod commercials, and you sort of stopped listening to Feist because her numbers song get kind of annoying for a while? Well, even Sesame Street got into the action, and I think maybe sort-of kind-of that their version is 200 gajillion times better, because while 1234 is a catchy little fricker, it works much better as Kids Bop than it ever did as a straight-up "adult" pop song. Because let's face it, adult artists kind of suck.

Day Three: Your Favorite New Band

Matt & Kim have been one of my favorite little rock bands for going on two years now, and while "Lightspeed" doesn't rock as hard as some of their other stuff, this fan-made video certainly turns it into one of their funner tracks. And yes, I just typed "funner". It's a blog. Get over it.

The most beautiful thing in the world

Also, I have something very special and incredibly lame planned for September. Stay tuned, True Believers!

Take On Me: Literal Video Version

"Ever wish songs just sang what was happening in the music video? Well now they do."

Awesome new lyrics to a-ha's "Take On Me," that describe exactly what's happening in the video as it happens. Redundancy is funny. Redundancy is funny. (Well, not in every case.)



(((Original video in case the new song didn't do it for you.)))

I love YouTube because...

The reason this blog exists? So that all four of my friends can see this lovely video. If Midwest Mindset were still alive, I'd post it there, too.

Oh well.

If you get bored, just skip to the 1:50 mark.

...Holy hell.

(Via The House of Hunt).

The two best pictures you will see all week out of all the pictures you could ever possibly see before Sunday.

So Rosie Thomas got married*, and guess who showed up?



Spot the semi-celebrities: Sam Beam, Damien Jurado, David Bazan, Denison Witmer



Pics courtesy of Paste Magazine.


*nnnoooooooooooooooooooooo! sniffle.

And the hits just keep on comin'

Damien, with his broseph Drake. Aka Hoquiam.

Notgonnahappen.

So a few weeks ago I heard that Over the Rhine would be playing in Rhode Island later this summer. After doing a bit of e-searching, I found out that they were participating in the Newport Folk Festival on August 3rd. Here is the entire list of performers for that very same day:

Sunday, August 3
Doors: 10:00 AM
Show: 11:30 AM to 7:00 PM

Jimmy Buffett
Levon Helm
Gillian Welch
The Avett Brothers
Calexico
Brandi Carlile
Son Volt
Kaki King
Over The Rhine
Jake Shimabukuro
Kate Taylor
Richard Julian
One Flew South

Adult: $89.00 / Child (2 to 12 yrs of age): $15.00 Buy Now!

*******************

And I'm thinking exactly what you're thinking (unless you're Paste Magazine): Crap on a stick. Why should I pay 89 bucks to see OtR and the Avetts and Gillian Welch?

So I sent them this kind email:

From: Jonathan Rice
Sent: Tuesday, May 06, 2008 6:45 PM
To: Info FestivalNetwork
Subject: Over the Rhine > Jimmy Buffett even on their worst day.

Dear Miss Info,

I know this is a ridiculous request, but is there any way of purchasing tickets for Sunday, August 3rd at a reduced price if I promise promise promise to leave before Jimmy Buffett? All I really want to see are Over the Rhine and the Avetts, and since OtR never tour this far east, I haven't had the chance to see them perform since I moved to Vermont two years ago. I would be forever and ever in your debt and would bake you cookies or write you love letters or both. $89 is alot to spend when one works for a non-profit and one will leave early because one has no interest in ever seeing Jimmy Buffett perform live. Ever.

BTW, Jimmy Buffett? Really?!

Huh.


Most sincerely and completely truly yours,

Jonny Rice

*****************

Honestly, I didn't really expect a response. But three days ago:


On Wed, May 28, 2008 at 3:56 PM, Festival Network - Box Office wrote:

Mr. Rice,

Unfortunately we are unable to grant discounted tickets for leaving early at the Newport Folk Festival. I am sorry that this is an inconvenience, but due to corporate policy and system inability we cannot. We also have no ability to verify that one has left with no return and as much as we take one for a honest patron, we are unable to grant your request.

Sorry again for the inability to discount the tickets.

Sincerely,

Festival Box Office.

The Festival Network, LLC

30 Irving Place

6^th Floor

New York, NY 10003

Office: 646.652.3965

Fax: 212.533.7293

E.mail: Boxoffice@festivalnetwork.com

Web: www.festivalnetwork.com

This message is the property of The Festival Network, LLC or its affiliates. It may be legally privileged and / or confidential and is intended only for the use of the addressee(s). No addressee should forward, print, copy, or otherwise reproduce this message in any manner that would allow it to be viewed by any individual not originally listed as a recipient. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any unauthorized disclosure, dissemination, distribution, copying or the taking of any action in reliance on the information herein is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please immediately notify the sender and delete this message.

**********************

This was very polite of them, I think.

Also, did I just break the law?