My friend Trina posted this video on Facebook. It's anime girls dancing to Eddie Rabbit's "I Love a Rainy Night." It makes a lot more sense that you would think.
The first 20 seconds or so is a bit jumpy but then it smooths out. Link directly to the video: http://youtu.be/qvE892xEDn0
Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts
2011-05-22
2011-05-07
Shatner-Palooza: Searching for Major Tom
While everyone can surely agree that "Has Been" by William Shatner (earlier comments here, here, and here) is one of the best albums of the 21st Century (oh, calm down, I said one of the best), many have asked what he can do to follow that up. Well, the answer is he can go find Major Tom.
Major Tom was a great song, and more recently represented a poor marketing decision by Lincoln. But it does have a certain melodramatic element that lends itself to Shatnerness.
Shatner's new album is due out later this year and will feature covers of popular space related ( or quasi-space-related) songs. Among the songs he plans to cover are:
And...
of course...
the one song that started it all...
and made us love and hate the man at the same time...
bringing silliness and awesomeness to its epic confluecne
ROCKET MAN
You can see the full track list here and read more about it here.
Thanks for the link, Britt!
Major Tom was a great song, and more recently represented a poor marketing decision by Lincoln. But it does have a certain melodramatic element that lends itself to Shatnerness.
Shatner's new album is due out later this year and will feature covers of popular space related ( or quasi-space-related) songs. Among the songs he plans to cover are:
- Bohemian Rhapsody
- Iron Man
- Walking on the Moon
- Major Tom
And...
of course...
the one song that started it all...
and made us love and hate the man at the same time...
bringing silliness and awesomeness to its epic confluecne
ROCKET MAN
You can see the full track list here and read more about it here.
Thanks for the link, Britt!
2011-03-27
A SXSWi Moment
As I walked along 6th Street in Austin during SXSWi, I could hear the strains of band after band pouring through the open windows and mixing with the buzz of the crowd and the smell of beer and street sausages.
Outside of a bar one band set up shop on the sidewalk. The four women of The Scarlet Effect apaprently had not yet booked a show during the music festival but drove out from Mcallan, TX, to busk on the street. Apparently, that effort actually earned them a show at one of the venues, which is an awesome story in and of itself.
I stopped to listen to them for a few minutes and they sounded great. Check them out if you get the chance.
The four of them stood against a building singing and playing guitar in hard rock, punkish, garage band style. The sound quality wasn't great, but they were using a loud, small-ish amp, that one of the band member was carrying while performing. One guy in the crowd, after listening briefly, stepped up to the woman with the amp and started adjusting the knobs on it, tweaking the sound. The band never stopped playing, the guy stepped back into the crowd, and someone remarked, "Wow. That does sound better."
How many places are there where random guy in a crowd of people has the expertise, can go up to a random group, fix their sound, step back, and everyone is cool with it?
It was one of my favorite moments at the show. You can check out The Scarlet Effect on their Facebook page.
2011-02-16
Tokyo Travels Part 20: Tower Records
I got back to the hotel after my first night in Shibuya, and showed the GF my pictures. She saw this one, her eyes lit up, and she made and excited gasp.
I knew I would be going back to Shibuya.
After a day of sightseeing and tracking down squashed penny machines, we made it back to Tower Records. It's much like the Tower Reocrds locations that used to be spread around the US.
Once we walked in the front doors, I wandered about and found an open listening station where you can sample various CDs. I tried a few disks at different stations. The GF did likewise and we picked out some music.
I grabbed "Rock 'n' Roll Circus" by Ayumi Hamasaki. I chose it because I liked the cross between pop and "big" music. It's hard to describe what I mean by big music. It's like Meat Loaf. Except Hamasaki doens't sound like Meat Loaf. But the arrangements are both big, complex, and powerful, and the singers seem to push out powerful passionate emotions. Of course for most of the album, I have no idea was Hamasaki is singing about, but I like the sound. Here's a random review I found later on.
The GF found music by Moumoon who has a more mellow sounds. It was another great choice.
Eventually it was time to leave. We paid, and the cashier said something to me. I was used to cashiers saying things to me as a I was leaving and had no idea what she was saying. I smiled and nodded and said thank you. I started to put my receipt in my wallet and she stopped me. She and I tried a few gestures and she knew a few words of English. It took a couple of tries, but I finally understand that there was a special contest and instore promotion associated with the Hamasaki album. She was telling me to go to the desk near the door and show the woman there my receipt.
I really appreciate how hard she worked to make sure I understood that, and how hard she continued to work on that after I understood it.
I headed over to the desk, showed the woman my receipt, and she pulled out a raffle box. I reached my hand in there a won a prize:
It's a dangly, puffy little thing designed to hang on my cell phone, I think. There were other prizes I could have won, so the whole promo wasn't focused on these little things, but I still think it's pretty cool. And definitely unexpected.
In short, we had a great visit to the Shibuya Tower Records.
I knew I would be going back to Shibuya.
After a day of sightseeing and tracking down squashed penny machines, we made it back to Tower Records. It's much like the Tower Reocrds locations that used to be spread around the US.
Once we walked in the front doors, I wandered about and found an open listening station where you can sample various CDs. I tried a few disks at different stations. The GF did likewise and we picked out some music.
I grabbed "Rock 'n' Roll Circus" by Ayumi Hamasaki. I chose it because I liked the cross between pop and "big" music. It's hard to describe what I mean by big music. It's like Meat Loaf. Except Hamasaki doens't sound like Meat Loaf. But the arrangements are both big, complex, and powerful, and the singers seem to push out powerful passionate emotions. Of course for most of the album, I have no idea was Hamasaki is singing about, but I like the sound. Here's a random review I found later on.The GF found music by Moumoon who has a more mellow sounds. It was another great choice.
Eventually it was time to leave. We paid, and the cashier said something to me. I was used to cashiers saying things to me as a I was leaving and had no idea what she was saying. I smiled and nodded and said thank you. I started to put my receipt in my wallet and she stopped me. She and I tried a few gestures and she knew a few words of English. It took a couple of tries, but I finally understand that there was a special contest and instore promotion associated with the Hamasaki album. She was telling me to go to the desk near the door and show the woman there my receipt.
I really appreciate how hard she worked to make sure I understood that, and how hard she continued to work on that after I understood it.
I headed over to the desk, showed the woman my receipt, and she pulled out a raffle box. I reached my hand in there a won a prize:
It's a dangly, puffy little thing designed to hang on my cell phone, I think. There were other prizes I could have won, so the whole promo wasn't focused on these little things, but I still think it's pretty cool. And definitely unexpected.
In short, we had a great visit to the Shibuya Tower Records.
2011-02-14
Sit or Stand
On Saturday, the GF and I saw Cake in concert at the Moore Theater. She's a big fan and tries to catch them whenever the come to Seattle. I enjoyed the show, too, and I learned that Cake actually did the theme song for Chuck which makes them even cooler.
Most concerts feature either sitting crowds or standing crowds. It's not uncommon for the seats at a show to be nothing more than place holders for people's stuff while they stand in front of their chair and bop along to whatever they are hearing.
At other shows, people will sit back and sing along in their chairs.
The Cake show had a pretty good mix of the two. Generally, I prefer a sitting crowd. I'd rather not stand the whole time, and no one should see me dancing, anyway. But I don't begrudge the standers at a concert. At a movie, sure. A Broadway show? Of course. But at a rock concert? C'mon. It's a rock show.
A few people stood in front of us, but neither the GF nor I were in much of a standing mood. For a few songs that meat our view was completely blocked by parents and teenagers. For other songs, our view was partially block by just dancing teenagers. Mildly annoying, but okay.
The old, big guy sitting next to me didn't seem to agree. First of all, if you're a big guy who only kind of fits in your seat, then you should take off that puffy jacket. After all , it's not like it's cold in the crowded theater.
About half way through the show, he had enough and yelled at the girls in front of him to sit down because he couldn't see. The woman behind him thanked him. The girls sat down, crest fallen. They would stand up again for the last couple of songs.
So, was he wrong? Were the girls wrong?
Where do you stand -- or sit -- on the concert standing or sitting at a rock concert issue?
Most concerts feature either sitting crowds or standing crowds. It's not uncommon for the seats at a show to be nothing more than place holders for people's stuff while they stand in front of their chair and bop along to whatever they are hearing.
At other shows, people will sit back and sing along in their chairs.
The Cake show had a pretty good mix of the two. Generally, I prefer a sitting crowd. I'd rather not stand the whole time, and no one should see me dancing, anyway. But I don't begrudge the standers at a concert. At a movie, sure. A Broadway show? Of course. But at a rock concert? C'mon. It's a rock show.
A few people stood in front of us, but neither the GF nor I were in much of a standing mood. For a few songs that meat our view was completely blocked by parents and teenagers. For other songs, our view was partially block by just dancing teenagers. Mildly annoying, but okay.
The old, big guy sitting next to me didn't seem to agree. First of all, if you're a big guy who only kind of fits in your seat, then you should take off that puffy jacket. After all , it's not like it's cold in the crowded theater.
About half way through the show, he had enough and yelled at the girls in front of him to sit down because he couldn't see. The woman behind him thanked him. The girls sat down, crest fallen. They would stand up again for the last couple of songs.
So, was he wrong? Were the girls wrong?
Where do you stand -- or sit -- on the concert standing or sitting at a rock concert issue?
2011-02-08
Voice by Perfume
Perfume is a Japanese pop-music trio with millions of fans. This is another video I first encountered on The Daily Onigiri.
This is an amazingly creative video that uses paper cutouts, live action, and animation. It plays games with perspective, scale, and timing. And, while I don't really know what the song is about, the music and singing sound pretty great, too.
Here's the link.
This is an amazingly creative video that uses paper cutouts, live action, and animation. It plays games with perspective, scale, and timing. And, while I don't really know what the song is about, the music and singing sound pretty great, too.
Here's the link.
2010-11-18
Stomp in Seattle: Everything INCLUDING the Kitchen Sink
Last weekend, The GF and I saw a perfromance of Stomp in Seattle. It's a show I've wanted to see for some time.
Stomp is a working class tap dance show that looks nothing like any other tap dance show. It's an ensemble of 8 people who clap, flick, rustle, bang, swish, and, yes, stomp across the stage. They tell little stories, develop characters, and tell jokes, all without a single word of dialog.
If there's a overriding message to the show, it would be that music is everyhwere, and music is cheap. If you have a newspaper, a broom, or a bucket, you can make complex music.
If there's another message, it would be that teamwork makes all the difference. While one person can make fascinating music with a cigarette lighter or trash can, it takes a whole team of people working together to make it truly extraordinary.
Most of the segments begin with one person playing an improvised instrument. Then someone else comes in and builds on that, then someone else builds on that, and before you know it, there's a symphony going on.
The opening sequence is a great example of that. One guy comes out pushing a broom. He sweeps to a rythm. Then he starts adding broom taps to the rythm. Next, someone else comes out, also pushing a broom in rythm. His actions with with the broom are different. Maybe he taps it differently, or sweeps in a different sequence. Eventually, there are 8 people on stage with brooms and they've built up this whole, intense musical experience using just percussion -- no melody.
In some respects, it reminds me of the Kid Beyond performance I saw at w00tstock! last year. In that performance, he made a sound with his voice, and looped it, then added another electronically. Obviously they are two very differnt things. Kid Beyond was one guy who could also do melody and do it all electronically. The similarity is in the way they start with one simple sound and then layer complexity on top of that.
Stomp's chroeography was impressive as well. It wasn't just about banging stuff. At points they were tossing items to one another while playing them. So in additioanl to the music, and dance, there were also elements of juggling.
The show surprised me with its nuance. It exceeded my expectations with its story telling and character interaction. I expected it to be a fantastic exlporation of rythm and percussion.
Keeps your eyes open and find a team. Extraordinary things like Stomp are possible.
2010-09-10
Marian Call and Molly Lewis in Fremont
From MarianCall.com:
I first learned about Marian Call on the Seattle Geekly podcast. If you are interested in the geek goings on in Seattle, you should be listening to Matt and Shannon's show, too.
Marian Call's music is basically Lounge meets Torchsong meets Nerdcore. When I learned should had a show coming up and -- wonder of wonders -- I was going to be in town for it, I knew I should go.
I almost skipped it, however. I was tired from a prior trip, and since I hadn't purchased tickets in advance I wasn't forced to go. It just seemed easier to skip it for no good reason. I get that impulse from time to time, and I resist it.
For several years, I had a sign up in my bedroom that said, "Don't not do stuff you enjoy for stupid reasons." This mantra is what got me out the door on Thursday evening. And I'm glad I went to the show.
Molly Lewis opened for Marian. Molly, you may recall, also plays at w00tstock! and she often tours with Jonathan Coulton. Molly sings awesome ukulele songs about Wikipedia and the Abraham Lincoln assassination. I've now been to 5 shows where Molly played, meaning I have seen more of her concerts than I've seen of Billy Joel concerts.
Molly really seems to have grown as a performer over the past two years. She appears more confident on stage with both her music and her crown banter. She's less self-conscious than she did the first time I saw her.
Bottom line is that she did an awesome job.
Marian Call was a surprise in a couple ways. For one thing, she is a surprisingly petite woman. With her voice I expected someone a little taller and, well, bigger. For a another, she seemed a little more self-conscious on stage than I expected. For a third, she used a mechanical typewriter as a musical instrument.
That's all minor stuff, though. The amazing thing about Marian is the power and richness of her voice. There were probably about 100 people in the room (maybe more), and I think Marian could have performed without a mic if she needed to.
It's not just the volume, but also the richness and energy of he voice.
I can imagine listening to here sing while I sip a cocktail in a lounge in Rio De Janeiro on the hot evening of day 3 of a 4 day artificial intelligence conference. Other attendees will be whooping it up in a sports bar down the street watching soccer, while just half of the tables at the lounge are occupied by couples and singles who know they are experiencing something special, in a unique place and at a unique time as Marian slowly sings, and the waitresses slowly pour themselves around the tables.
At the Fremont show she sang songs about love and science fiction -- about space travel and pick up trucks. She sang about cheerleader zombies and karaoke. She sang about Geek pride and insecurity.
It was a great show. It didn't have the same zany energy you see at other shows, but that's not what this one was about. It was a lower key event and that was just fine.
The show did lack a sense of intimacy, but that's likely because Marian rarely performs with a band or (I gather) a crowd this size. The show also seemed to be something of a homecoming for Marian. And that's a tough balance. I imagine that as Marian gains even more success (a given) she'll become more experienced with this format.
Regardless, if you get the chance, catch her show. She has shows coming up in Vancouver, BC; Bellingham, WA; and all over the east coast as she strives to perform in all 50 states. You can see her upcoming schedule here. You can also learn more about arranging a house concert on her site.
You can listen to her songs for free here.
It's certainly not a bad way to spend a Thursday evening.
Marian Call delivers whimsical Alaskan folk funk for the Coffee Counter-Culture. She sounds a little like Joni Mitchell &; Regina Spektor raising the child of Jason Mraz &; Erin McKeown. Call's sound is always soulful, honest, and clever, loved by all types -- computer geeks, church ladies, teenage thugs, NPR listeners, and urban hipsters worldwide.
I first learned about Marian Call on the Seattle Geekly podcast. If you are interested in the geek goings on in Seattle, you should be listening to Matt and Shannon's show, too.
Marian Call's music is basically Lounge meets Torchsong meets Nerdcore. When I learned should had a show coming up and -- wonder of wonders -- I was going to be in town for it, I knew I should go.
I almost skipped it, however. I was tired from a prior trip, and since I hadn't purchased tickets in advance I wasn't forced to go. It just seemed easier to skip it for no good reason. I get that impulse from time to time, and I resist it.
For several years, I had a sign up in my bedroom that said, "Don't not do stuff you enjoy for stupid reasons." This mantra is what got me out the door on Thursday evening. And I'm glad I went to the show.
Molly Lewis opened for Marian. Molly, you may recall, also plays at w00tstock! and she often tours with Jonathan Coulton. Molly sings awesome ukulele songs about Wikipedia and the Abraham Lincoln assassination. I've now been to 5 shows where Molly played, meaning I have seen more of her concerts than I've seen of Billy Joel concerts.
Molly really seems to have grown as a performer over the past two years. She appears more confident on stage with both her music and her crown banter. She's less self-conscious than she did the first time I saw her.
Bottom line is that she did an awesome job.
 |
| Image by Brian Adams at http://baphotos.com |
That's all minor stuff, though. The amazing thing about Marian is the power and richness of her voice. There were probably about 100 people in the room (maybe more), and I think Marian could have performed without a mic if she needed to.
It's not just the volume, but also the richness and energy of he voice.
I can imagine listening to here sing while I sip a cocktail in a lounge in Rio De Janeiro on the hot evening of day 3 of a 4 day artificial intelligence conference. Other attendees will be whooping it up in a sports bar down the street watching soccer, while just half of the tables at the lounge are occupied by couples and singles who know they are experiencing something special, in a unique place and at a unique time as Marian slowly sings, and the waitresses slowly pour themselves around the tables.
At the Fremont show she sang songs about love and science fiction -- about space travel and pick up trucks. She sang about cheerleader zombies and karaoke. She sang about Geek pride and insecurity.
It was a great show. It didn't have the same zany energy you see at other shows, but that's not what this one was about. It was a lower key event and that was just fine.
The show did lack a sense of intimacy, but that's likely because Marian rarely performs with a band or (I gather) a crowd this size. The show also seemed to be something of a homecoming for Marian. And that's a tough balance. I imagine that as Marian gains even more success (a given) she'll become more experienced with this format.
Regardless, if you get the chance, catch her show. She has shows coming up in Vancouver, BC; Bellingham, WA; and all over the east coast as she strives to perform in all 50 states. You can see her upcoming schedule here. You can also learn more about arranging a house concert on her site.
You can listen to her songs for free here.
It's certainly not a bad way to spend a Thursday evening.
2010-08-21
Free Music for Bloggers and Fans
Jamendo is a site where musicians share their music for free. You can download thousands of tracks and albums from new artists and explore wide range of genres.
By free, I mean the music is available under a Creative Commons copyright. Unlike traditional copyright, which reserves all rights to the owner (except, of course, the right to fair use, despite what some holders might claim), a Creative Commons copyright grants explicit rights to reproduce and reuse the content in many ways.
For example, you may recall my w00tstock! videos. At most concerts, you will be kicked out for recording the performances. At w00tstock! they encourage you to record and post it -- for noncommercial purposes.
Most of the videos I post to YouTube I release under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.
Most of the content on Jamendo is under a similar license. That means you can download it for free, copy it for free, and share it with friends for free -- as long as you comply with the rather liberal copyright terms.
You can search by genre, country, license, and more. When I was looking for some music from Japan for an upcoming blog post, I downloaded dozens of tracks from Jamendo until I found just the right one. And I can use that in my projects without fear of a take down notice. The other music I found will just go on my iPod.
If you are a blogger and looking for music for a post or project, check out the libraries on Jamendo.
If you are interested in the new wave of intellectual property and the social experiment of how new artists share their music with audiences around the world -- without a big music label making all the decisions, check out Jamendo.
If you just want to hear what is possible without a big studio, you guessed it, check out Jamendo.
2010-08-04
Podcasts and Authors
In the same week I listened to podcast interviews with two of my favorite authors. Chris Hardwick of The Nerdist interviewed Scott Sigler, while Matt and Shannon of Seattle-Geekly interviewed Marjorie Liu.
If you are a fan of geek culture at all, or the process of stand-up comedy in particular, you should be listening to The Nerdist podcast. Add Seattle-Geekly if you live in Western Washington.
The problem with the interviews is that they barely talked about the books I read. The Sigler interview was fantastic, covering both culture and process. Sure, Sigler was there to promote Ancestor, but I wish they would have spoken more about Infected and Contagious. I suppose spoilers could make it problematic, for new listeners, but I still wanted to hear more.
The Liu interview seemed to be more of a missed opportunity. I'm guessing that Matt and Shannon were not too familiar with the Hunter Kiss series. The books take place predominantly in Seattle, and Liu lived in Seattle for many years. Rather than just exploring Liu's geek nature (which is still awesome), and her new video game adaptation, I wish they would have spoken more specifically about Seattle and the influence the city has had on Liu's writing. The strength of the Seattle-Geekly cast is the local tie. Instead, the interview (while still good) could have been done by a podcast in most any other city.
Despite those concerns, these were both good shows. Ancestor is the next book I need to read, and now I need to add Feed to my list (thanks to the podcast). Plus, the latest Seattle-Geekly episode just introduced me to some awesome geek musicians. The shows are worth subscribing to.
If you are a fan of geek culture at all, or the process of stand-up comedy in particular, you should be listening to The Nerdist podcast. Add Seattle-Geekly if you live in Western Washington.
The problem with the interviews is that they barely talked about the books I read. The Sigler interview was fantastic, covering both culture and process. Sure, Sigler was there to promote Ancestor, but I wish they would have spoken more about Infected and Contagious. I suppose spoilers could make it problematic, for new listeners, but I still wanted to hear more.
The Liu interview seemed to be more of a missed opportunity. I'm guessing that Matt and Shannon were not too familiar with the Hunter Kiss series. The books take place predominantly in Seattle, and Liu lived in Seattle for many years. Rather than just exploring Liu's geek nature (which is still awesome), and her new video game adaptation, I wish they would have spoken more specifically about Seattle and the influence the city has had on Liu's writing. The strength of the Seattle-Geekly cast is the local tie. Instead, the interview (while still good) could have been done by a podcast in most any other city.
Despite those concerns, these were both good shows. Ancestor is the next book I need to read, and now I need to add Feed to my list (thanks to the podcast). Plus, the latest Seattle-Geekly episode just introduced me to some awesome geek musicians. The shows are worth subscribing to.
2010-07-09
Doggcatcher on Android
I have dozens of apps on my Droid. You can see my current list here. I've only paid for two of them, however. One is the Zagat's app which I rarely use. The other is Doggcatcher and I use that all the time.
Doggcatcher is easily worth the $10 I spent and is the best podcatcher I've tried on the Droid.
I tired the Media Fly apps, the Google Listen app, and several others. I was about ready to give up on Podcasts on the Droid until I got Doggcatcher.
I like that it manages feeds well. It downloads the Podcasts to my phone when I have 3G access. It also has settings to limit to restrict it to WiFi only, if you prefer. Through Doggcatcher, I subscribe to:
Unlike my iPod, there is no syncing involved. I don't have to think about making sure I have the latest content. It's just there.
Unlike other Podcast and music apps for the Droid, Pause and Fast Forward work well. Since it's not streaming I never have to deal with buffering.
I'm actually listening to my Podcasts more often since I almost always have my phone with me. Even when I'm walking to the grocery store I can easily be learning more stuff. With my iPod (which I still use sometimes) there are the extra steps of getting the iPod and then carrying it with the other stuff. Doggcatcher on the Droid solves that problem.
It's not perfect. The list that shows what will play next is a bit confusing. It works but it's not as intuitive as it could be. The main interface also confuses me sometimes. I'm not sure exactly how to fix it, but I hope that gets more polished in time.And I'm not sure if it stores content on the SD card (which is where I want it) or on the phone (where it takes up valuable space).
It boggles my mind that there are so few good Podcatcher/player apps out there. But Doggcatcher is a good one and is well worth the money.
Doggcatcher is easily worth the $10 I spent and is the best podcatcher I've tried on the Droid.
I tired the Media Fly apps, the Google Listen app, and several others. I was about ready to give up on Podcasts on the Droid until I got Doggcatcher.
I like that it manages feeds well. It downloads the Podcasts to my phone when I have 3G access. It also has settings to limit to restrict it to WiFi only, if you prefer. Through Doggcatcher, I subscribe to:
- This Week in Tech
- This Week in Google
- Manager Tools
- Career Tools
- This American Life
- Nerdist
- RadioLab
- Paul and Storm
- Podcast Answer Man
- NPR Technology
- Stuff You Should Know
- Seattle Geekly
Unlike my iPod, there is no syncing involved. I don't have to think about making sure I have the latest content. It's just there.
Unlike other Podcast and music apps for the Droid, Pause and Fast Forward work well. Since it's not streaming I never have to deal with buffering.
I'm actually listening to my Podcasts more often since I almost always have my phone with me. Even when I'm walking to the grocery store I can easily be learning more stuff. With my iPod (which I still use sometimes) there are the extra steps of getting the iPod and then carrying it with the other stuff. Doggcatcher on the Droid solves that problem.
It's not perfect. The list that shows what will play next is a bit confusing. It works but it's not as intuitive as it could be. The main interface also confuses me sometimes. I'm not sure exactly how to fix it, but I hope that gets more polished in time.And I'm not sure if it stores content on the SD card (which is where I want it) or on the phone (where it takes up valuable space).
It boggles my mind that there are so few good Podcatcher/player apps out there. But Doggcatcher is a good one and is well worth the money.
2010-05-10
Geek Culture Part 02: w00tstock 2.0
I'd like to write an insightful review of the show, but I can't. There was just too much awesome to break it down. I'd like to write a detailed commentary on each set. They were so amazing they deserve it. But I'd don't think I have the spare brain cycles for that right now.
So here are some quick notes.
Wil Wheaton's reading about his first Rocky Horror Picture show was great.
Paul and Storm killed with "Opening Band" despite being pelted with only two pair of panties (apparently Portland kicked our butts with that the following night).
Molly Lewis had one of the best sets I've seen her do.
Hank Green sang about Star Trek and particle physics. How could you go wrong?
We heard prerecorded musical interludes featuring George Takei. Catch his rendition of Springsteen's "Fire" someday.
I hadn't seen MC Frontalot before, but his Locutus meets Dilbert stage outfit was perfect for the audience. Unfortunately, his audio was poor. He's a Nerdcore hip-hop artist and the music overwhelmed his voice. I couldn't understand 90% of his lyrics so the performance lost something.
LoadingReadyRun had some great sketches.
Stephen “Stepto” Toulouse explained just what sort of folks he deals with enforcing community standards in the XBox Live universe. It was a surprisingly hysterical performance.
And Adam Savage, who just seems to love this audience, regaled us with tales from Mythbusters and Jamie impressions.
The show felt different than the one I saw in San Francisco. It felt a little less personal. Then again, there were probably more than 1000 people in the theater, which can't help but have a negative impact on the intimacy. At the same time, that lager crowd also made the whole show bigger. So it was no better or worse than San Francisco -- just different.
The performers released the show under a Creative Commons Attribution, Non-commercial, Share-alike license and encourage recording and rebroadcast. I manged to record about 60% of it before my camera batteries died. So if you want to experience the show from 6 rows back, and don't mind a little shaky camera work and an annoying laugh, watch any or all of the 22 clips below.
And when w00tstock 2.x comes to your town (next up are Minneapolis and Chicago) just go.
w00tstock Seattle Part 1
w00tstock 2.0 Part 2 -- Opening Band
w00tstock 2.0 Part 3 -- LoadingReadyRun
w00tstock 2.0 Part 4 -- Install Linux
w00tstock 2.0 Part 5 -- Molly Lewis
w00tstock 2.0 Part 6 -- Molly Lewis
w00tstock 2.0 Part 7 -- Molly Lewis and Wikipedia
w00tstock 2.0 Part 08 -- Molly Lewis and Kristen Shirts -- Conjunction Junction
w00tstock 2.0 Part 09 -- James Ernest and Mike Selinker
w00tstock 2.0 Part 10 -- Generic Film
w00tstock 2.0 Part 11 -- Wil Wheaton Rocky Horror Part 1
w00tstock 2.0 Part 12 -- Wil Wheaton Rocky Horror Part 2
w00tstock 2.0 Part 13 -- Wil Wheaton Rocky Horror Part 3
w00tstock 2.0 Part 14 -- Paul Plugs
w00tstock 2.0 Part 15 -- MC Frontalot Part 1
w00tstock 2.0 Part 16 -- MC Frontalot Part 2
w00tstock 2.0 Part 17 -- MC Frontalot Part 3
w00tstock 2.0 Part 18 -- Paul, Storm, and Wil in an Eastern European Lounge Song
w00tstock 2.0 Part 19 -- Hank Green Part 1
w00tstock 2.0 Part 20 -- Hank Green Part 2
w00tstock 2.0 Part 21 -- Recursive Wil and Stephen "Stepto" Toulouse
w00tstock 2.0 Part 22 (of 22) -- Stephen "Stepto" Toulouse Part 2
2010-04-04
Weird Al, Eat It, and Japan
Here's Weird Al performing on a Japanese TV show. If you're not sure which one is Al, he's the least weird person in the video.
Don't miss the lobster towards the end.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXDgTo9Nsio&feature=channel
2010-04-01
RIAA To Pursue Mixed Tapes
Ah, the Mix Tape. It was an icon of 80s youth.
There were 2 kinds. The first kind we made off the radio. I tried to keep a tape cued up, and the record function just a quick button away. If I was paying attention, and the DJ didn't banter too much, I could collect all my favorite music without gambling on the invariably scratched 45 RPMs from the record store in the Green Acres Mall.
The second kind was the deliberate one. It was the one you made to collect your deep emotions. You pulled it together from your radio dubs and your actual purchased tapes. It often involved cables strewn across the living room. It could be the theme to a friendship or the overly flirtations, trying-to-hard, method of attempting to start a new relationship.
But as with all youthful indiscretions, these too, will come back to bite you. Old data doesn't go away.
Today (2010-04-01) I got my demand letter from the RIAA and I was served with a court order.
It seems that back in 1983 my mother bought me a pack of blank tapes with a credit card. Yes, the records apparently are still around from the THUNK-THUNK days of credit card processing. From that receipt, they knew I had the tapes and tracked me down. According to the letter:
And it was signed by the appropriate people. The accompanying court order did just that.
Two hours later I got a phone call from the attorney representing the RIAA. He was in a conference room with the Federal Prosecutor for Intellectual Property Crimes in the Pacific Northwest.
They laid out the situation for me. Based on there assumptions of what I had (I, of course, said nothing), they explained the situation was particularly bad. Not only had I recorded music off the radio, I kept that music for more than 20 years. And I traveled out of state with it. They were drafting an International Warrant in case I fled, and flagged my passport so I couldn't leave the country.
If convicted, I could face penalties of up to $150K per song, plus 5 years in prison for each song. In other words, if I had everything in that list, and if those were the only songs I recorded off the radio as a kid in the 80s, and if they don't find more when they execute the warrant, I will have to pay $1.95 million and serve 65 years in Federal Prison.
Or I could settle now. For the low price of $10K I could pay all fines and avoid jail time. Plus I would need to report everyone else I knew who had a made a mixed tape.
I said I would think about it.
I headed out for coffee, and thought about all this on my walk. I got to the shop, and the soft tones of Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors" greeted my ears.
Great. That's just what I wanted to hear now.
Then I made my next mistake. I began singing under my breath
BAM! My cell phone rings. It's the RIAA lawyer again. It seems they'd been following me. The coffee shop had a license to play the music, but I didn't have a license to sing it -- to engage in a "Public Performance." And they have it on surveillance. Because I am such a recalcitrant thief, the settlement cost now jumps to $20K.
So right now, I'm dealing with all this. I think I should probably get a lawyer, but I just can't bring myself to get that done yet. What I really need now is to stop and get some fresh air. Afterall, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."
Oh, hang on a moment. My phone's ringing.
It's the MPAA.
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There were 2 kinds. The first kind we made off the radio. I tried to keep a tape cued up, and the record function just a quick button away. If I was paying attention, and the DJ didn't banter too much, I could collect all my favorite music without gambling on the invariably scratched 45 RPMs from the record store in the Green Acres Mall.
The second kind was the deliberate one. It was the one you made to collect your deep emotions. You pulled it together from your radio dubs and your actual purchased tapes. It often involved cables strewn across the living room. It could be the theme to a friendship or the overly flirtations, trying-to-hard, method of attempting to start a new relationship.
But as with all youthful indiscretions, these too, will come back to bite you. Old data doesn't go away.
Today (2010-04-01) I got my demand letter from the RIAA and I was served with a court order.
It seems that back in 1983 my mother bought me a pack of blank tapes with a credit card. Yes, the records apparently are still around from the THUNK-THUNK days of credit card processing. From that receipt, they knew I had the tapes and tracked me down. According to the letter:
You have or had blank audio tapes (Brand: Realistic; Length: 90 Minutes (45 minutes/side), Noise Reduction: Dolby B).
Research shows that tape users such as yourself primarily use them to steal music from artists without paying for it. Such users created "Party Mixes," "Road Tunes," "Mood Music," and "Mixed Tapes."
Further, interviews with other current and former New York residents known to be associated with you have confirmed that you are a blatant large scale music pirate and at one point stole music such as:
- The Russians are Liars (Z100 Morning Zoo parody)
- Tarzan Boy (Baltimora)
- When the Rain Begins to Fall (Jermain Jackson and Pia Zadora)
- Hard Habit to Break (Chicago)
- I Know You're Out There Somewhere (Moody Blues)
- I Always Feel Like Somebody's Watching Me (Rockwell)
- Just a Gigalo (David Lee Roth)
- Patience (Guns 'N' Roses) (Illegal back yard performance)
- Elvira (Oak Ridge Boys)
- Toy Soldiers (Martika)
- The Rain (Oran "Juice" Jones)
- A View to A Kill (Duran Duran)
- Glory of Love (Pete Cetera)
There is no statute of limitations on this craven theft, and we are pursuing this case to the fullest extent of the law. You are hereby notified that this investigation is ongoing. The accompanying court order prohibits you from destroying or damaging any audio recordings or documentation related to this matter.
Investigators with the appropriate search warrants will arrive within the week to seize the appropriate evidence.
Thank you for your cooperation in this manner.
And it was signed by the appropriate people. The accompanying court order did just that.
Two hours later I got a phone call from the attorney representing the RIAA. He was in a conference room with the Federal Prosecutor for Intellectual Property Crimes in the Pacific Northwest.
They laid out the situation for me. Based on there assumptions of what I had (I, of course, said nothing), they explained the situation was particularly bad. Not only had I recorded music off the radio, I kept that music for more than 20 years. And I traveled out of state with it. They were drafting an International Warrant in case I fled, and flagged my passport so I couldn't leave the country.
If convicted, I could face penalties of up to $150K per song, plus 5 years in prison for each song. In other words, if I had everything in that list, and if those were the only songs I recorded off the radio as a kid in the 80s, and if they don't find more when they execute the warrant, I will have to pay $1.95 million and serve 65 years in Federal Prison.
Or I could settle now. For the low price of $10K I could pay all fines and avoid jail time. Plus I would need to report everyone else I knew who had a made a mixed tape.
I said I would think about it.
I headed out for coffee, and thought about all this on my walk. I got to the shop, and the soft tones of Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors" greeted my ears.
Great. That's just what I wanted to hear now.
Then I made my next mistake. I began singing under my breath
Show me a smile then
don't be unhappy, can't remember
when I last saw you laughing
if this world makes you crazy
and you've taken all you can bear
you call me up
because you know I'll be there
BAM! My cell phone rings. It's the RIAA lawyer again. It seems they'd been following me. The coffee shop had a license to play the music, but I didn't have a license to sing it -- to engage in a "Public Performance." And they have it on surveillance. Because I am such a recalcitrant thief, the settlement cost now jumps to $20K.
So right now, I'm dealing with all this. I think I should probably get a lawyer, but I just can't bring myself to get that done yet. What I really need now is to stop and get some fresh air. Afterall, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."
Oh, hang on a moment. My phone's ringing.
It's the MPAA.
Related Posts:
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2010-03-29
"Still Alive" sung by a children's chior in Racine, WI
I found saw this in @MikeDrucker 's Twitter feed. It's just awesome. I only wish the video quality was better.
This is Jonathan Coulton's "Still Alive" which wrapped up the video game Portal. You can see Coulton perform it here.
This is Jonathan Coulton's "Still Alive" which wrapped up the video game Portal. You can see Coulton perform it here.
2010-03-25
The DEW Line of Rock and Roll: Brown M&Ms
The DEW Line was a system of RADAR installations in north Canada built by the US in the late-50s and operated by Canada. It's purpose was to provide an early warning in the event the USSR launched a bomber attack on the US.DEW Lines also have their place in large operations and projects such as Rock Concerts. While they don't draw this analogy to military installations, Fast Company recently published and article about how to spot problems before they become big ones. There are some interesting examples, but my favorite is the one about Van Halen.
In the hey-day of hair bands, Van Halen put on an incredible show. It was filled with effects and required careful coordination of the band's crew and the arena's staff.
According to the article:
Van Halen did dozens of shows every year, and at each venue, the band would show up with nine 18-wheelers full of gear. Because of the technical complexity, the band's standard contract with venues was thick and convoluted -- Roth, in his inimitable way, said in his autobiography that it read "like a version of the Chinese Yellow Pages." A typical "article" in the contract might say, "There will be 15 amperage voltage sockets at 20-foot spaces, evenly, providing 19 amperes."
Van Halen buried a special clause in the middle of the contract. It was called Article 126. It read, "There will be no brown M&Ms in the backstage area, upon pain of forfeiture of the show, with full compensation." So when Roth would arrive at a new venue, he'd walk backstage and glance at the M&M bowl. If he saw a brown M&M, he'd demand a line check of the entire production. "Guaranteed you're going to arrive at a technical error," he wrote. "They didn't read the contract.... Sometimes it would threaten to just destroy the whole show."
... More
A single brown M&M may not be an extensive cold weather RADAR purpose, but it would alert Roth that there were likely other problems -- that were more important than candy -- that needed to be addressed.
What are the brown M&Ms in your work?
2010-03-23
Logitiech FreePulse finally works for me
I lived with them in 80s when I had my Walkman because that was all there was. Still, I went through several pair as I damaged one part of the wire or another. Eventually my activities took me out of the Walkman world (I stopped listening to so many tapes that played slower and slower as the day wore on).
A couple years after moving into my current apartment building, I got tired of straining to hear the TV at three in the morning. Turning up the volume wasn't an option because some people have this crazy idea that 3:00 AM is sleeping time. Damn sleepers making life inconvenient...
The solution was a set of wireless headphones. I picked up a Panasonic set for about $100. They did a pretty good job until once again, my old nemesis, the wires, caused problems.
In 2006, I joined a cult when I got my iPod. And yet once again I had to contend with headphone cables. I really hate them. They get tangled in my pockets. They get caught on things. The look messy. And quite frankly I have none of the natural grace required to look like something besides a complete dork with them. And I figured it was only a matter of time before I broke them.
This was one solution I found to the part of the problem. Cool, huh?
So one year for Valentine's Day, The GF decided to surprise me with a set of Logitech FreePulse Wireless headphones for my iPod. Since they run on Bluetooth, there is no cable to connect them to the MP3 Player which had the potential to be awesome.
They "work" with a transmitter. The transmitter plugs into the headphone jack on an iPod and transmits the sound to the headphones.
But the headphone demons weren't done with me yet. When I set the system up, it dropped out an entire class of sound in music. Those frequency drops made music sound poor but made podcasts inaudible. It simply didn't work right.
I contacted Logitech and they sent me a replacement. Again, it didn't work. I think it was the same problem. The whole system had great promise, but Logitech seemed unable to execute on it. I put my two defective sets in a box and drifted on to other projects.
That's where they stayed until this weekend. I was cleaning up my office and stumbled across the parts. Even though they didn't work, I couldn't bring myself to get rid of them. Then I gave it some thought. It seemed the transmitter part was the problem, so could the headphones be okay? After all, Bluetooth is an industry standard. Of course, the iPod 60GB doesn't do Bluetooth.
But Droid does.
I plugged in the two headset and let them charge for a day. The first one wouldn't power on for more than a few seconds, let alone pair with a Droid. I held my breath while I ran through the setup on the other pair -- and it worked. It paired right up with my Droid and began playing audio exactly as it should.
I rejoiced in my technological victory and gave it some more testing, and it still works.Now I can download podcasts directly to my Droid. The sound quality is fantastic. It's much better than I expected. I can even leave my phone in the center of my apartment and the headphones keep their link 20 feet away and even through walls.
So I am thrilled. I resurrected something from my closet. I get to use a very thoughtful gift. I can enjoy podcasts without carrying my iPod everywhere. And I get now listen while I work out on the WiiFit (stop laughing) without nearly strangling myself with a cable.
And I feel just a little better about Logitech.
2010-02-27
Paul and Storm and Jonathan Coulton and Molly Lews at the Moore
They did their classics (Opening Band, Nugget Man, Captain's Wife's Lament, It All Makes Sense in the End, Code Monkey, Ikea, Skull Crusher Mountain, RE: Your Brains, etc) but they also played other stuff. It's great that even though last year's show was a hit, they didn't just recycle the set list.
One of my favorite moments was at the very beginning. I made a stupid joke on Twitter about Think Geek and the T-Shirts everyone was wearing, and Paul and Storm read it and then mentioned it from the stage. Yes, I am aware of how pathetic and sad it is that I'm taking such joy in their analog retweet, but it's still awesome to have that brush with fame.
Of course, the fans know most of the music and lyrics already. Much of time the artist could just name that song and let the crowd sing the rest of it. When the fans aren't singing they are talking back to the stage. Paul and Storm work the crowd better than many groups, though at the times members of the crowd get a little too confident with the comments and catcalls. A Paul and Storm live performance blows their CDs away.
The great thing about this show those is the audience. A passionate, positive geek crowd is like none other. It's over 1,000 people where Princess Bride, Gaming, Star Wars, video games, etc are all mainstream. It's one of those environments where I am not the geekiest person in the room, by a significant margin. But even if I was, that would not be something to feel any embarrassment over.
So get your geek on and check out these folks when they come to your town. I've already got my tickets for w00tstock. If it's half as good the the October show was, it will be well worth it.
2010-02-07
Billy Joel and Elton John Face 2 Face Concert in Seattle
I attended this show at Key Arena on Saturday night. My ticket was just over $100 and my seat was in the upper reaches of the stadium. This is the best picture I got of the performers when I zoomed in:
Was it worth it? Nearly. Now, let me alienate a chunk of my readership here with this next statement: It definitely have been worth it if Elton John wasn't on the bill, and it was all Billy Joel.
The show opens with a half hour of Billy Joel and Elton John playing their own pianos, facing one another. They alternate songs -- an Elton song, followed by a Billy song. They sing each song together. After that first half hour, Billy Joel goes away, and his piano sinks into the stage (which is pretty cool) and Elton plays songs for an hour. Then, Elton goes away, and Billy comes out for an hour. After that, Elton comes back and they do another 45 minutes together.
I like Elton's work. He's a great musician. But I don't own any Elton John albums. All the Elton songs I own are on various compilations. So, while Crocodile Rock, Daniel, Tiny Dancer, and others are all great songs, I'm not a big enough fan to go out an buy them.
In contrast, I have all the Billy Joel albums. In many cases I have the same album on both cassette and CD.
The problem is that most people probably had a significant preference for one artist over the other, and this hurts both of them.
After a pretty intense opening sequence, the show slows down for Billy Joel fans as we wait for an hour through the Elton John concert to get back to the performer we really wanted to see. For the Elton John fans, they experience a great start, then another hour of Elton, then the show kind of stops for them as Billy Joel comes back out to perform, and they are left waiting for the conclusion.
The problem is that regardless of whom you're a fan of, the momentum of the show is going to hit a wall at some point.
But what about those who are just casual fans of both artists? With ticket prices of $89, $108, and $181.50, I don't think casual fans are attending.
I'm not sure if the momentum issue was the reason behind my other observation or if it has more to do with the nature of Seattle fans.
When Jon and I saw Billy Joel in Vegas in 2006, it was an amazing show. The whole show quickly turned into a sing-a-long for 12,000 people. The fans loved what they were hearing and even sang along with the more obscure songs.
In Seattle it was different. Is that the Seattle concert fan? I'm not sure. But for most of the show, nearly everyone actually stayed in their seats. There was no great mob singing along to the classic tunes. People for the most part observed the concert.
Is was a diverse crowd age wise. The 50+ set was well represented, as was the 25- set. And the rest of us in between, so that may have had something to do with it. But it was definitely weird.
That's one of the reasons why that Vegas show, or the show I saw him at with Scott and Adam in 1989, was a better show. Those shows were much more fun. We were all a part of something. We found it exciting and could not contain our enthusiasm. That wasn't the case at the Seattle show.
To be fair, it wasn't a Billy Joel crowd. It was an Elton John crowd. When Billy made his initial entrance everyone cheered. When Elton made his, the crowd erupted. Probably 2/3 of the crowd was there to see Elton.
But they still stayed in their seats during the whole show.
Unless a critical mass of people were going to just assume they could sing and stand and go nuts, no one was going to do it. And I'll admit to bowing to the social pressure to be more reserved than I would have cared to. But it was clear that sort of behavior would not have been welcomed by the patrons sitting near me.
Perhaps if they had separated the Elton John fans from the Billy Joel fans, it would have been a more exuberant crowd, like at a High School basketball game. We all could have been surrounded by our "own people," and the enthusiasm could have built. I can't really expect the Elton John fans to know the words to Allentown, Scenes from an Italian Restaurant, and We Didn't Start the Fire.
Momentum, format, and Seattle-ness all impacted crowd behavior.
So how was the rest of the show?
Elton did a nice job with his songs. He doesn't really engage the crowd, though. Friends on Facebook have said it looks like Elton is phoning it in, and I can see it. The only time he talked to the audience was when he screwed up his song order. A couple times, he "conducted" the audience. Had I known his songs better, I could offer more insight, but all I can really say is it was a very capable performance.
Billy put on an enthusiastic show. I'm not sure why he even has a piano stool. He just keeps bouncing off of it. He talked to the audience between songs, acknowledged the crowd, and told jokes. He also made a point of introducing each of his band members after they were featured in a song. He really seems humbled by the fervor of his fans.
He even slipped a few bars of "When the Saints Go Marching In" into a few songs, presumably because of the Superbowl. I don't think Elton did anything like that, though if he did slip in something that calls to mind Manchester United, I would have no idea.
Billy puts on a great show, and he really seems to love what he does. He runs around with energy and enthusiasm that are fantastic to see. Elton seem more technically minded. I suppose you could say Elton is the Spock to Billy's Kirk.
The sound quality in the Arena wasn't great. The mids and highs seemed muddled. The instruments would blend together (not necessarily in a good way) and they would drown out the singers.
I do like the idea of these two great pianists working together, but a more tightly integrated show might have worked better. Or better still would be to do a more intimate show for maybe 100 people and make it more of a discussion of the music. We could hear Elton and Billy talk about their songs and piano-playing experiences.
Of course, there is no way I'd ever be able to get tickets to such an event so it's a a moot point.
Still, despite my kvetching, Face 2 Face was a very good show, and I'm glad I went.
2010-01-03
Christmas music on my iPod
It's time once again for my pre-CES ritual. It's time to remove the Christmas music from my iPod.
About 80% of my iPod listening time is for podcasts, but during the remaining 20%, I often just set it on on full shuffle and have it go through all 8,000 music tracks and individual tracks of the Lord of the Rings audio books.
I don't need to have Christmas music popping up in August when I'm not shopping at Crazy Eddie. It goes on the iPod in early November and comes off in early January.
I realized last night that I haven't listed to much of it this year. With various travels and other adventures I just haven't played through that genre all that much. I feel like I let my iPod down somehow.
So now I'm binging on Christmas music while I sleep. I just let the iPod shuffle through those 250 tracks while my head hits the pillows.
And for some reason I find visions of sugar plumbs dancing in my head.
About 80% of my iPod listening time is for podcasts, but during the remaining 20%, I often just set it on on full shuffle and have it go through all 8,000 music tracks and individual tracks of the Lord of the Rings audio books.
I don't need to have Christmas music popping up in August when I'm not shopping at Crazy Eddie. It goes on the iPod in early November and comes off in early January.
I realized last night that I haven't listed to much of it this year. With various travels and other adventures I just haven't played through that genre all that much. I feel like I let my iPod down somehow.
So now I'm binging on Christmas music while I sleep. I just let the iPod shuffle through those 250 tracks while my head hits the pillows.
And for some reason I find visions of sugar plumbs dancing in my head.
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