Anywho, it’s the last gasp of the first decade of the greatest century in someone’s history, everyone’s just not sure it’s going to be them. Whether you look back on 2009 like it’s a grotesque animal. Whether the last year left you feeling like you’re part of an empire of dust. Whether you’ve got no prospects or career opportunities or affordable health care. Whether you think you’re fighting for a lost cause. Or whether you believe a change is gonna come, listen to these 8 songs and kiss 2009 goodbye.
Cause as my main man, Darryl Hall, says: She’s gone, and I’d pay the devil to replace her.
True nerd alert: I love streaming internet radio. I really do. I’ll even go as far to keep a post-it on my desk so I can note the names of bands who I’d like to check out further on their Myspace page. It’s sort of the 2.0 version of listening to the radio on a tape deck boombox and recording the songs that you like on a Memorex (born in the 1980s alert).
No online station gave me as much streaming enjoyment in 2009 as WOXY. Primarily, because it streams the best on my questionable internet connection at work. Most people however who rep online radio stations put WOXY, based out of Austin, TX in the upper echelon of those living online that play independent bands too (KEXP, KCRW).
Yesterday on WOXY’s blog The Futurist they announced the availability of their Best of SXSW 2009 Lounge CD, a collection of tracks recorded at last year’s festival at James Stevens at EAR studios in Austin, Texas.
2009 was another great year for music in the WOXY Lounge. And it was another great year for our lounge recordings during SXSW 2009 as well. We were back at EAR studios again this year for a new record 27 live sessions.
The CD will be available later in the week, but you can download 12 tracks from the WOXY Lounge on The Futurist now, including tunes from the Mother Mother, Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band, and the reigning kings of coming up with song titles, the Future of the Left – get ‘Arming Eritrea’ on Futurist; see also ‘You Need Satan More than he Needs You’ ‘adeadenemyalwayssmellsgood’ and ‘I am Civil Service’ by FOTL on their MySpace.
The music portion of this year’s SXSW runs from March 17-22, and I’m sure the WOXY folks are hard at work going through this ever-growing list of showcase bands at the 2010 festival, which is already 466 names deep.
If I was in Zun Zun Egui, I’d immediately change the name of the band to Aardvarks.
First off, if you don’t own this movie you can’t possibly be human. And if you do own this movie and you don’t know this song by heart, you can’t possibly be human.
I don’t need to explain this one. It’s Daniel LaRusso and Kobra Kai (says, No Mercy!) fighting to “You’re the Best Around”. I know you know all the words to this song. You don’t have to admit it.
This isn’t a fight per se, but only because the fax machine doesn’t fight back. But there are weapons involved and you can never go wrong with a Geto Boys song, so it makes the list. Deal with it.
One of my favorite movies of all time. In this classic clip, Kung Fu Joe roughs up a few cops while, wait for it………”Kung Fu Fighting” is playing. Does it get any better than that?
Ah, Charlie’s Angels. Ah, Charlie’s Angels. Ah, Charlie’s Angels. Gotta give this movie mad props. They could’ve just left it at 3 beautiful women kicking tail. That would’ve been good enough. But they went the extra mile and dropped a track like “Smack My B*tch Up” in the middle of 3 beautiful women kicking tail.
The rumors started percolating yesterday in the blogs that Frusciante is no longer with the band and would be replaced by the enigmatic Josh Klinghoffer, oddly enough someone who’s most notable for his collaboration with Frusciante. As recently as a few hours ago, however, the headlines still read Frusciante Quits Chili Peppers?
All speculation aside, for those interested in a deeper dive into who exactly Josh Klinghoffer is, he’s got stats. Along with playing with Frusciante – including the two recording an album together, A Sphere in the Heart of Silence – Klinghoffer has been linked to records and tours with Beck, Butthole Surfers, Gnarls Barkley and PJ Harvey to name a few. Him and Frusciante also hooked up with John Lally from Fugazi to record two albums under the name Ataxia.*
If you want to get real granular with your rock analysis, he’s got that thin, disheveled weirdo look down pat, which bodes best for fitting in RHCP; see Frusciante, Hillel Slovak. (DN, sorry hombre.)
We’ll have to wait for something hard confirmed from the band before writing this one in stone – maybe a good opportunity for Flea or Kiedis to sign up for Twitter? Until then, check out some videos below from Klinghoffer’s body of work and check out the madness that this guy would be bringing to the table.
Much like Ron Burgundy thought diversity was an old wooden ship, the soccer populus seems to believe that Group of Death represents the least desirable World Cup group to be placed in for middling soccer countries. False. The Group of Death is a metal band.* Just look at this poster from their Facebook page; the theory checks out…
The Group of Death is actually a soccer inspired rock group. ESPN’s Rob Stone gave them a nice plug, reporting live from NYC soccer bar Nevada Smith’s today during the World Cup draw.. Here’s the description of G.O.D. on Facebook:
The Group of Death is the world’s foremost football (soccer)-inspired heavy metal band. “The Group of Death” is also the nickname given to the toughest group the FIFA World Cup.
All this needs to seem fully legit is some actual tunes, and here it is – check out The Group of Death’s hit single “We Call It Awesome.”
*The former in the above statement is 100% true, and even casual U.S. soccer fans have to be extremely happy that we didn’t find ourselves in, say, the Ivory Coast or Portugal’s current situation. Happy World Cup Draw Day!
Starts off with some motivation from that old sage, 24-year old second-year NFL QB Matt Ryan…35 seconds in Lil Jon switches themes to getting crunk at the club, obviously.
Record Club is what happens when a bunch of musicians get together – the likes of Nigel Godrich, Andrew WynGaarden and Ben Goldwasser from MGMT, Giovanni Ribisi? – with the previously mentioned Mr. Hansen to record a classic album in a single day. They change nothing from the original arrangements of the songs – just simply adding their own interpretations.
That was them doing Leonard Cohen’s “Suzanne”, here’s “Sisters of Mercy”…
Entourage could go off the air tomorrow without a whimper, and I wouldn’t be the least bit broken up about it. It used to be one of my favorite shows. A great antidote for a feeble mind on a Sunday (i.e. a show where no problem can’t be solved in under 8 minutes). Even the most lethargic of Lazy Sunday routines have an expiration date, I suppose. Now, we just watch Mad Men in the same state, and are left pondering every wacky thing that Peggy Olson does.
Where Entourage continues to thrive and excel however, is the end credits. I don’t mean that in a snide “thank god that 22 minute show is finally over, hyuck hyuck” sort of way. More specifically, the music the producers select for the fade to black – whether they put much thought into it or not – always delivers.
Check out my top-10 Entourage end hits below – including three gems from this current season – and let’s hope that, for the next 1-5 seasons that they prolong this show, HBO reverts to a format where you get to jam to the credits, see if the very brusque Bob Saget is making another filthy guest appearance, and then should you choose, opt-in to watch the actual episode.
The Doors – “Peace Frog” (Season One, Episode Six)
Outkast – “Da Art of Story Tellin’ (part 2)” (Season Five, Episode 63)
Muse – “Time Is Running Out” (Season Two, Episode Nine)
Ace Frehley – “New York Groove” (Season Four, Episode 52)
TV On The Radio – “Staring At The Sun” (Season three, Episode 33)
The Dutchess and The Duke – “Reservoir Park” (Season Six, Episode 72)
Yeasayer – “Sunrise” (Season Six, Episode 74)
Rolling Stones – “Tumbling Dice” (Season Three, Episode 36)
Funkadelic – “Can You Get To That” (Season Five, Episode 66)
The Buzzcocks – “Why Can’t I Touch It” (Season Five, Episode 68)
We’re all aware of Kenny Loggin’s trancendent work on Caddyshack, or Survivor’s contributions to The Karate Kid, Rocky III…Rocky IV…some movie called Vital Signs (All but one song on their greatest hits record can be found on a sports movie soundtrack, I think). I’m even fairly certain that nobody I know has seen the movie Chariots of Fire – but they all know the title track!
The songs on this list come from classic sports films that you’ve definitely seen (maybe not Hot Rod). Hopefully, from artists that you know (Gang of Four, Explosions in the Sky), but probably didn’t know the specific song (or any of the songs in the artist’s catalog, ex. Twista).
“Your Hand in the Mind” – Explosions in the Sky (Friday Night Lights)
Several people have told me that EIS are one of the bands that when you see them live the whole crowd just stands at attention, and no one makes a sound. Well, they certainly cast quite a grip with their soundtrack contributions to Friday Night Lights. “Your Hand In Mind” is the theme song, and man does it make Billy Bob Thornton look tense.
Here’s a taste of it live too…
Other tracks of merit:
“Six Days at the Bottom of the Ocean” Explosions in the Sky
“First Breath after Coma” Explosions in the Sky
“Bring the Noise” Public Enemy
“Never” Moving Pictures (Hot Rod)
We watched the credits the other night, and there are eight songs in this movie by Europe that aren’t “The Final Countdown.” However, “Never” by Moving Pictures is the most memorable track in Hot Rod, thanks to one epic fall by Andy Samberg. (Well aware that this whole thing was a spoof on Footloose. Unfortunately, that movie does NOT qualify.)
Other tracks of merit:
“Danger on the Track” Europe
“On the Loose” Europe
“Rock The Night” Europe
“Ninja” Europe
“Love Chaser” Europe
“Cherokee” Europe
“Heart of Stone” Europe
“Time Has Come” Europe
Desire - Gang of Four (The Karate Kid)
In Cal-if-for-knee-ya.
I haven’t seen this movie in years, and have no idea when it shows up in the movie – I guess we can rule out the sequence when Mr Miyagi is trimming his bonsai tree.
Gang of Four is best known for their post-punk offerings of the late 70s, and have been cited as major influence by the likes of Rage Against the Machine, Fugazi and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I’m thinking those musicians relate more to GO4 tunes like To Hell With Poverty and Damaged Goods, still this song also has some nice a-slappin da bass.
Other tracks of merit:
“NO SHELTER” Broken Edge
“YOU’RE THE BEST” Bill Conti
Twista Feat. Faith Evans (Coach Carter)
Gospel rap crossover, not by R.Kelly or P.Diddy, for once.
I took Spanish seriously this entire movie (which was not easy, considering how many time Samuel L called him and everybody else sir).
“Locked Up” Akon
“Let the Drummer Kick It” Citizen Cope
“Get Low” Lil Jon
Hoop Dreams – Tone AKA The Deacon (Hoop Dreams)
This one harks back to the days when 97% of rap song began with Yo, wat up, wat up, wat up. And sorry, but ‘embedding disabled by request’ still occasionally remains the bane of our existence.
About 30 secs in Tone AKA The Deacon delivers the line the streets continue to test me, like a full court press, gee. After that, it get’s painstakingly redundant, but that one bit, I thought, was pretty solid.
Other tracks of merit:
“Fast Break” Tone AKA The Deacon
“The Original Lesson” Shock-G
Burn On – Randy Newman (Major League)
I abhor a lot of Randy Newman’s stuff – especially, his soundtrack work as matter of fact. He’s much more well known for his ghastly contributions to, for example, the Toy Story franchise. But hey, “Burn On’ is not half bad. Here’s a clip someone created, not from the Major League, but of the history of Indians franchise. Another shining example of how much Indians fans have embraced Major League…
Other tracks of merit:
“Wild Thing” – X
“Must Have Got Lost” J.Geils Band (3:32) (Miracle)
Respectfully, nobody ever did Geils better than when Sandler does Love Stinks in Wedding Singer. However, most people don’t realize that J. Geils practically built his career around a fan base of hockey players in the late 1970s. Hence, that’s how Musta Got Lost made it’s way into the movie about the greatest achievement by that group of dudes, who in their downtime sipped budweiser, wore polyester track jackets, grew sweet mustaches, and listened to J.Geils.
Other tracks of merit:
“Don’t Fear the Reaper” Blue Oyster Cult
“Dream On” Aerosmith
“Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” Brenda Lee
His next courtside seat might be in-between Nicholson and that weird Adler guy, because Lil Wayne love, love, loves Kobe. His new song, aptly titled “Kobe Bryant” opens…
Kobe doing work.
2-4 on my shirt
he the greatest on the court
and I’m the greatest on the verse.
Going for the fourth ring
like it was his first.
Gotta get the gleam, do it for Kareem!
