Portlandia star Fred Armisen improvises a startling number of New York City neighborhood accents for five minutes.
Watch 14-Year-Old Taylor Swift In High School Video Project
At 14 years old, the same year she signed her first song publishing deal in Nashville, Taylor Swift was a natural on camera.
She and some classmates had to put together a video project, so they came up with a fictional company called Paco’s Paradise Smoothies and made a commercial for it. Swift gets the indispensable role of “Island Girl 1.”
I’m not even going to tell you when she comes in – you’ll know.
The Music Industry’s Most-Loved Albums Of All Time, Part 29
This is part 29 of an ongoing series where the kind folk of the music business reveal their favourite album of all time.
Ask people in the music industry the seemingly simple and straightforward question, “What is your favourite album of all time?” and you’ll find that it’s not always easy. After all, my industry peers listen to hundreds of albums a month – thousands of songs during that time. Because the question isn’t the best album of all time – the one that’s made them the most money in sales – but the one release they personally can’t live without, that one title they have two copies of in several formats, in case one breaks. It’s also about that album that for them has the best back stories and the one that has the most meaning in their lives.
Terry Makedon, Editor In Chief of T-Mak World
The Dark Side Of The Moon, Pink Floyd
With no hesitation and no doubt in my mind, Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side Of The Moon is the answer. There is clearly a reason why it has sold almost 50 million copies and has been on the Billboard charts for 30 years. If I had a way to prove it, I would bet anything that this album will still be considered a masterpiece 300 years in the future much like we consider Beethoven or Mozart compositions in the same regard. There will be tribute bands trying to accurately reproduce the sounds that Pink Floyd laid down and there will be discussions about how the topics are relevant then. The production techniques of this album are so far ahead of their time that even now most albums can’t come close to the chilling effects and clarity of sound on Dark Side Of The Moon. The album cover is so iconic that it defines the Pink Floyd brand and sets the standard for album covers. Although musically the album is excellent, it are the lyrics and concepts that Roger Waters laid out that take it to a different level.The record gives a bitter description of human mortality in “Time” with a dire warning to not waste your finite time in this world. Greed and commercialism are what “Money” deals with and the wordless “Great Gig In The Sky” always induces goosebumps. Us and Them is a powerful song about war and the manipulation of the masses by those in power. This album has been the soundtrack of my life, and has been with me everywhere – I have a 30+ year tradition that I still follow to this day. Every time I am on vacation at a beach I will put on headphones and start up The Dark Side Of The Moon and spend 43 minutes staring at the waves rolling into the sand and somehow become one with the music. Trippy – but it is Pink Floyd after all.
Dustin Jansick, Editor-in-Chief, Way Too Indie
Punk in Drublic, NOFX
1994 was a great year for music. The year included gems like Weezer’s “Blue Album”, “Roman Candle” by Elliott Smith, and one of my favorite Built to Spill albums, “There’s Nothing Wrong with Love”. It was also the year NOFX released their fifth album “Punk in Drublic”. While the formerly mentioned albums might have more play counts in my iTunes library, the latter had the greater affect on me. This album tackles political topics, racial issues, and even some religious satire. But most importantly, “Punk in Drublic” contains good ol’ fashion punk rock–aggressive guitar riffs, energetic drum beats, and deviant attitude . It’s a complete album from front to back, beginning with the explosive song “Linoleum” and ending with the serene melody of “Scavenger Type”. And it’s best when listened to from start to finish. Which is easy to do since most songs are about two minutes long (don’t be fooled by that seven minute song at the end, most of the runtime is due to the hidden track). “Punk in Drublic” may not be the perfect album nor the one I listen to the most, but it’s one that I never get tired of hearing.
Ian T. D. Thomson, Host of the 7 Deadly Songs, CJUM 101.5
Crack the Skye, Mastodon
I was 16 years-old when I first heard of Mastodon. In a copy of Rolling Stone magazine, I was introduced to the bearded band and Brent Hind’s gnarly tribal face tattoo. I was immediately sold. I set out to purchase their latest album, without hesitation and without hearing a note of their music.
I don’t consider myself a massive metal fan. You won’t see me in a mosh pit and I certainly don’t know all the detailed sub-genres of the field (Deathgrind anyone?). Yet, Mastodon’s Crack the Skye is an album I don’t think I will ever grow tired of. This gargantuan 7-song concept album by the Atlanta quartet has a concise fluidity from track to track, yet each song feels like an adventure. One is truly sent on a wild ride through space and time with a storyline I still don’t think I fully comprehend (I believe it is about a man is space sucked into a wormhole and then put in the body of Rasputin?) To me, it really opened a wide range of possibilities of what an album can be, despite boundaries placed by its developed genre. The ability to play complex, hard, loud or fast riffs on distorted guitars and drums often defines metal, however this can sometimes limit what emotions can be portrayed. In the process, emotion and “soul” on a metal track can sometimes be lost or simply seen as “2-dimensional”. On Crack the Skye, Mastodon is able to pair sincere emotional displays with intense musical arrangements, giving metal fans their melodic complexity as well as a brand-new listening experience. While the initial purchase may have been an impulse buy, it is still probably one of the best musical purchases I have made. I still find myself coming back to this album with a new appreciation for the music and it’s the tracks.
Ian Gregg, Director of Programming at CFUR Radio, Prince George BC
You’re a Woman, I’m A Machine, Death From Above 1979
I first heard the single “Romantic Rights” on a late night Much Music show, around the time of night when tracks outside of the top 40 started to play. Rage Against the Machine were under my belt, but a lingering naivety on things like Darude and mainstream rap muddled with my taste as well. I couldn’t figure out what I heard, though I knew I liked it. How was that much sound coming form two people? How was this “rock” song so complex? It wasn’t heavy metal, it wasn’t rock, it wasn’t anything but good. When I tracked down the album after ages of scrounging through northern AB record sellers, I prioritized the purchase above all else, and was quickly rewarded. Romantic Rights became the tip of the iceberg as the rest of the album crashed through my headphones. The rest of my life has been forever better.
Pierre the French bulldog puppy takes a leap of faith
A French bulldog, Pierre, was only nine weeks in this video, and had never jumped off the couch before. He decided that this was the day he would attempt it, and he does it like a boss.
http://youtu.be/PiZqh2QgNJU
Nile Rodgers on Writing ‘Le Freak’
The last incarnation of our black rock band was called the Big Apple Band. We were R&B, fusion, jazz, rock-and-roll. One of the guys I had gone to school with had a major hit record called “A Fifth of Beethoven”—Walter Murphy and the Big Apple Band. People thought that was us, so we changed our name to Chic. I wrote our very first song for this new entity: “Everybody Dance.” We premiered it at a club called the Night Owl Cafe. From this one club, the song blew up, and the whole scene would go there just to hear this song.
That song and “Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)” became big records in the underground scene and they were popular on the radio. Grace Jones, who was a goddess in those days in the club scene, expressed interest in having me and Bernard Edwards write and produce her next album. This was huge! We only had one record under our belts, and we get a call from Grace Jones? But we had never spoken to her, so on the phone she had this very bizarre vocal affectation. We thought she was putting on this voice for us as part of her code message on how to get into Studio 54. So she says, “Tell them you’re personal friends of Miss Grace Jones.” [Said in a faux-Austrian accent.] We knock on the door and say, “We are personal friendzzz of Meees Graaaysss Jones,” and the guy slams the door in our faces and tells us to fuck off. And we say, “No, no, no. Seriously,” and we try and get it better. “Weeee’re personal friendzzz of Meeeesss Graaaaysss Jones.” We sound like Bela Lugosi. He slammed the door in our faces again. So we went to my apartment and started jamming on a groove, like “Aww, fuck off! Fuck Studio 54!” And it sounded great. Then Bernard, in his infinite wisdom, said, “My man, you know this shit is happenin’, right?” And I was like, “How are we gonna get ‘fuck off’ on the radio?” So we changed it to “Freak Off.” And Mr. Hippie, the acid head in me, said, “You know, like how about we call it ‘Freak Out’?” Bernard was like, “What does that mean?” And I was like, “You know, when you drop a tab of acid, man, and things go bad. Or, how about, you know when you go to a club and you’re freakin’ out on the dance floor.” And Bernard said, “My kids are doing that new dance called the ‘Freak.’ ”
So we took this negative experience and turned it into a positive one, and we talked about being in Studio 54 dancing this new dance. We took Chubby Checker’s “The Twist” and Joey D and the Starliters’ “ Peppermint Twist” and made it be about the “Freak.” To make it sound like it was ours, we called it “Le Freak.” But we didn’t tell people how to do the dance because we didn’t really know how to do it. It became better to speak of it in this euphoric way, and talk about the experience of doing it. We say, “Have you heard about the new dance craze.” We assume you haven’t. “We’ll show you the way.” But we don’t! The dance never became “the Twist” or even “the Hustle.” But the song is a triple-platinum single. And when we were on American Bandstand, Dick Clark introduced us in a really wonderful way. He said, “This is the biggest song by a band nobody knows about a dance that nobody knows how to do. Ladies and gentlemen, Chic! ‘Le Freak’!” It was so right on the money.
Via Vulture
Tom Petty On Fame
“A lot of people get famous now very quickly, and then they seem to have a turnover where they weren’t famous for that long, but someone else steps in to fill the slot. They’re sort of disposably famous I suppose. But I can’t keep up with who’s famous anymore … I know in my time, in my generation, if you had come, if they tried to offer my generation music by someone that had won a game show, it would have been hysterical. You would have been laughed out of the room. I mean we were suspicious of people that had hit records. I mean it was that different of a time.”
Via CBC
Vevo pays more than $500m to music rightsholders since 2010
Music videos service Vevo is losing its boss, with president and chief executive Rio Caraeff confirming this week that he’ll leave the company at the end of 2014.
But the press release announcing his departure includes an interesting statistic which, to me, is even more facinating – Vevo has paid more than $500m to music rightsholders since 2010.
“Earlier this year, the Vevo ownership group underscored its commitment to the joint venture by pledging continued support for Vevo and its growth initiatives, citing the company’s strategic importance. Delivering nearly 100 billion streams across its distribution platform annually, Vevo has generated hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue, growing its business at a rate of over 50% year-over-year since 2010. It also has invested more than half a billion dollars in music video programming through royalties paid to rights owners, artists and songwriters. Over the last five years, 365 music videos from more the 125 artists have generated over 100 million views each. In addition, Vevo has built strong relationships with sponsors and brand marketers, working closely with over 1,100 global advertisers representing 50% of the world’s top 100 marketers who spend across Vevo to reach the largest audience of passionate music fans.”
Watch Imagine Dragons play unannounced on a Las Vegas strip
Crackle’s original music series, “Playing It Forward,” is a special documentary-style music series produced by Team Downey, an entertainment company founded by Robert Downey Jr. and Susan Downey, as well as veteran music producer/composer Tony Berg and Kevin Lake. The “Playing It Forward” music movement showcases surprise street performances by some of the world’s biggest artists in unplanned, unexpected environments across the country benefiting music education and charities of the artists’ choice.
Imagine Dragons, heading to an unannounced show on the Vegas strip, are trying to figure out the exact nature of their approaching gig. “I think we’re just busking,” guitarist Wayne Sermon says.
“Are we putting out a guitar case, actually, for money?” frontman Dan Reynolds asks.
“We’re not gonna busk,” responds Sermon, barely helping. “Well, we’re gonna busk – but not the money part of the busk.”
Via Rolling Stone
Teller from Penn & Teller explains how this Egyptian street magician blew his mind
Once you get over the shock of, you know, hearing Teller actually speak, since part of his bit is never to speak, watch closely as you might miss a great lesson. In this clip, from a documentary Penn and Teller’s Magic & Mystery Tour, you get to hear Teller explain why a seemingly simple and unimpressive cup-and-ball trick is pretty genius. “The nicest thing you can do for a fellow magician, use his knowledge to fool the heck out of him.” Teller isn’t a fool. He gave his respect for a fellow illusionist, and earning his respect in the process.
Want To Ride The Tallest Roller Coaster In The World, Right Now?
A new theme park in Orlando, Florida, called Skyplex is scheduled to break ground in 2015 and open in 2017. The signature thrill ride will be the tallest roller coaster in the world, the Skyscraper, that will plunge from more than 500 feet above ground. It’s not open yet, of course, but now you can ‘ride’ in from the very comfort of your own computer. Or you can be like me, and just post this video and not even click on it, as I’m too much of a coward.
Nope.
Nope.
Nope.
Nope.
Nope.
