RIP 285 Kent: A Documentary

Pitchfork have released a documentary on famed DIY venue 285 Kent in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and the events that lead to it shutting its doors late last year.  It features interviews and performance footage from Deafheaven, Fucked Up, DIIV, Dan Deacon, Pictureplane, Lodro, Wolf Eyes, DUST, and more.

Darkside Gig Poster

Like the Medusa: Queens of the Stone Age and Nine Inch Nails poster I did a few weeks ago, I have done for the DARKSIDE concert that I am going to this weekend.  I have this black and white version and 3 different coloured versions I will be sharing over the next few days. I will be giving away 20 A3 prints of these at the show (5 of each of the variations). Also check out DARKSIDE and their fantastic 2013 album Psychic.

Future Islands perform Seasons on Letterman

Future Islands made their TV debut earlier this week on Letterman and although I have been a fan of these guys since I first heard Beach Foam in 2008, I have never had the chance to see them live.  I have to say that I really want to see them after they destroyed my expectations on Letterman.  The singer's voice as incredible as it is on the album is even more unhinged live and his delivery is as theatrical as a voice like this should be.  His dance moves are reminiscent of Carlton on Fresh Prince of Bel Air but  less comical as he intensely stalks and sways across the stage, even though they should still make you smile.  Up to this point these guys have released a lot of excellent music with little recognition, so maybe with the upcoming release of their album Singles and this TV appearance they will get the recognition they deserve and tour enough that I can finally see them.  I have also included some of my favorite songs off older albums.

  
 
 

Broken Bells Cover 'And I Love Her' by the Beatles

James Mercer and Danger Mouse (Broken Bells) played the Beatles' And I Love Her featuring a video loop of vintage Ringo Starr last night on David Letterman as part of Beatles Week.  Every night this week a different band will play a Beatles cover to celebrate the 50th anniversary that they first played the Ed Sullivan show (David Letterman is filmed in the Ed Sullivan Theater).  This is a cool psychedelic version and Mercer's voice is perfectly suited for this song

Nine Inch Nails: Tension Tour 2013 Live Concert

Nine Inch Nails are one of the best acts to see live and luckily I have been able to see them 4 times (number 5 coming up in March on their Australian leg of their world tour).  Every time their stage show  is completely different and unmatched by any other live band.  Their lighting rigs and use of screens is always changing, both overtime and over tours but also over the course of one show as the rigging is always evolving, giving each song a personalized visual estetic.  Their latest Tension Tour is their ambitious and costly tour so far and this video documents one of the last stops on the tour before they pack up and fly over to Australia to unveil a new tour once again.



Below here are two videos documenting the behind the scenes efforts and production to get a tour like this off the ground, and just how improvised and intuative the whole process is at the beginning.

Beck covering David Bowie's Sound and Vision

This is a trailer for a new series, Hello, Again, in which a current artist covers a past song.  For the first episode Beck covers Sound and Vision from Bowie's classic album Low.  The full video and song will be posted on February 10th.  Below is the original Bowie version, as well as a remix reinterpretation that Beck did last year for a Philip Glass tribute album, which is definitely one of my favorite songs from 2012.

A$AP Rocky live on Letterman

His debut album dropped today and the celebrate he showed up on Letterman with some help from A-Trak and Araabmuzik.

WU-TANG CLAN with THE ROOTS

Didn't think I would ever see this on live TV.  Amazing.  They sound awesome...Hopefully one more Wu-Tang album.  The Man with the Irons Fists soundtrack is awesome but Wu-Tang have one more awesome album before their 20th anniversary.  Sadly no Method Man.

Trash Talk: Exile on Broadway

Click on the link to listen to Exile on Broadway on SoundCloud by Trash Talk.  They release their first album, titled 119, next Tuesday (Oct. 9th) and if this song and their first EP are any indication this album is going to be awesome.  If your lucky enough to live in Southern California they are playing a free show at their house on Saturday at noon.

Animal Collective Live on Conan

Animal Collective stopped by Conan last night and performed the first single, Today's Supernatural, from their latest album Centipede Hz.  I just bought tickets to see these guys again and I can't wait for January to get here to witness the madness again.

Acoustic Animal Collective

Animal Collective: Crimson

Animal Collective stopped by KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic and played two songs off their new album Centipede Hz as well as a new song Crimson, which in my opinion is better then almost any song on the new album.  Actually I think I like the live versions better then the album versions.

A$AP Rocky: Goldie Live on Jimmy Fallon

Purity Ring: Fineshrine Live in NY

Definitely one of my most listened to albums of the year, the electro, future pop duo from Edmonton perform a cut from their debut album.  There is also a bit of an interview and lots of flashing lights.

Tom Waits Performs Chicago on Letterman

Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire Freestyle

Here is Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire freestyling at a stripclub while a few guys shout out words for him to use.  This guy is awesome and has 2 EPs coming out in the next few months.  Huzzah EP comes out July 3rd and Power and Passion in September.

June 9th. Brauheist at the Wolf.

Reggie Watts at TED

AraabMuzik

This guy is so damn fast...

Too Much Copyright

Originally copyright was to promote useful arts, but aging properties of corporations have seen the laws continually changed to protect these properties and keep them in the public domain.  This clip debates the usefulness on government imposed bills such as PIPA, SOPA, ACTA and whatever will come next.  Governments and corporations have a very different view from the public, and those that understand as to what copyright is and should do.

The movie RiP: A Remix Manifesto is a movie that focuses on the DJ, Girl Talk, whose music is a collage of hundreds of different copyrighted samples.  It tells of how he gets around copyright, fair use, and creative commons.  As a day job Girl Talk (Greg Gillis) is a biomedical engineer so the movie also talks about how copyright and patents stifle and limit what can be done in the medical and pharmaceutical industry.