Song of the Day - "Wannabe in LA"

Title seemed appropriate.

By the Eagles of Death Metal

Click to watch

9.28.11 update

Still staying crazy busy with school...and trying to figure out what direction I want to take the blog. It may just be a collection of reviews (concerts / movies / music ) and whatever I'm up to right now. Between school and two internships it's somewhat on the back burner.

I've become aware of several friends doing a song/video of the day....going to give it a shot. Most likely will be an artist I've been listening to a lot or recently become aware of. I also figure that daily reminder might help get me back in the steady groove of blogging.   I also figure that this can serve several purposes: share music I love, possibly turn someone on to a song/artist they didn't previously know, and keep a timeline of what I'm listening to.

Also, I'll be guest blogging for Next Big Sound.  Check out my debut entry regarding R.E.M.'s breakup and how it affected social media trends

So to kick things off...

Red Hot Chili Peppers.  "Brendan's Death Song" Still LOVING their new album I'm With You ... they went in some diverse directions as far as sound and influences. I'd been disappointed at the departure of guitarist John Frusciante, but Josh Klingenhoffer seems to be filling the void nicely. They seem to have matured which is apparent in their songwriting and stage presence. Very impressed.

9.10.11 Update

I've been m.i.a. from the blogosphere for close to 6 months now....during which time I've been crazy busy (mainly with school). In May, I moved back to Boulder, Colorado to finish up my marketing degree at CU.  I was in summer school classes and had a chance to run home to spend some time with the fam.  I'll be trying to go back and update the blog on a lot of events. I enjoyed writing on it, but found it got to be very time intensive. Moving forward, I don't entirely know what it will become. I'll keep the same site link since I plan to be back in LA fairly soon. For the time being (once I've updated the last 6 months) I'll probably just post about shows I've been to around Denver and reviews/music news I think is interesting. Who knows....no set gameplan. We'll see what it turns into :)

Recommended viewing...
A blog started by my friend Yvette (who I met at the internship). It will also feature Joby and Melody (other friends from Cali). I think I'm a guest author there as well (will probably post show reviews here and there)

midwestrunaways.blogspot.com

Upcoming entries... (subject to change)

Fitz & the Tantrums in Santa Barbara
Coachella
Big 4
Weenie Roast
Sanibel vacation
4th of July in CO
Foo Fighters in Memphis
Athens reunion
Bassnectar @ Red Rocks
Avett Bros. @ Red Rocks
Flaming Lips @ Red Rocks
Deadmau5 @ Red Rocks
Spotify / TurntableFM

Eric Clapton 3.9.2011

A friend of mine had offered to help get me into the sold out Eric Clapton show at the Gibson Amphitheatre (capacity - 6,000) I invited a friend of mine who moved to L.A. recently from Lexington (and taught me guitar...so I thought it would be cool to invite him)

All I knew was that I was to park backstage. I had no proof of tickets so was a bit nervous. Parked backstage no problem.  We went to check in at hospitality and were given VIP wristbands as well as tickets. The backstage area was set up outdoors and had a variety of snacks and open bar. We went in for the opening band at 7:30 which was Los Lobos and were seated seventh row. Instead of having people stand backstage on the sides, the first 10 rows were reserved. I was amazed -- ticket prices for this show ranged from $100-350!! There's no way I probably would have gone to this show on my intern budget so this was a really neat experience. I had never really heard Los Lobos' music, but they were quite good!! In between bands we went out to reload on drinks. I ran into a security guy I knew from the Foo shows.

This was my first time seeing Clapton perform and the show was great. He was the only guitarist on stage, but had a great variety of supporting musicians/performers. He played some well-known songs (Layla, Wonderful Tonight, Cocaine, Crossroads) in addition to some more rare and bluesy numbers. During the middle of the set he played several songs unplugged (including Layla which I would have preferred the electric version...but was still very excited to hear it live at all!)

After the show we lingered out back where many people were hanging out. The members of Los Lobos and the other performers were all hanging out. We decided to stay in hopes that Clapton might come out. We spoke to the keyboard player for quite some time who has performed with Clapton for thirteen years. He was explaining that tonight the sound was good and they were really happy with the performance, but the previous night the sound was totally off, Clapton was almost shouting to sing, and they were all fairly frustrated after it. Definitely sounds like we came to the right night!  He mentioned that he lives locally and plays fairly frequently at a jazz club down the street from where I live and invited us to come out sometime.  We chilled a bit longer, but the crowd was starting to disperse so we joined them.

Coming soon...
-Motorhead @ Club Nokia
-Shepard Fairey gallery opening

Foo Fighters Back & Forth trailer released

Can't wait for this next month!!! They're going to play it for one night only in 80 theaters across the country followed by a live broadcast concert

3.5.2011

After several weeks of cooler temperatures and some occasional rain, the weather finally hit 80 again. I took advantage (and luckily had the day off!) by going to run at Runyon Canyon. Many other people had the same idea...and it was gorgeous out.

Girls Day Out 2.28.2011

There are three other interns I've hit it off with at Rhino. Two are from Ohio and one is from Arizona. We've started going out in Hollywood together and had girls day out last Monday. We got tickets for Chelsea Lately -- a talk show which Chelsea Handler hosts on E!

After the taping, we went out for dinner and happy hour to the Cabo Cantina. 

We hung out at one of their apartments before going to see Steel Panther at the House of Blues on the Sunset Strip. 

Steel Panther is an 80s cover band with a huge following. Lots of people go, dress up in 80s attire, and lots of girls end up onstage. It was definitely an experience. They got Bam Margera (from the MTV show Jackass) up onstage to singalong to Van Halen's "Jump"

After the show we hung out in the Foundation Room which is the VIP area upstairs. It's really interesting architecturally -- lots of secluded nooks and interesting decorations. The ceiling in particular has famous blues  and rock musicians. Lots of interesting rocker types hanging out up there

Infected Mushroom 2.26.11

The luck continued when I won tickets to see Infected Mushroom in Anaheim. I saw them perform last November in December (a friend of mine was writing a review for the show and invited me to go). This time I interviewed a friend of mine from Lexington who now lives in Newport. All day it poured rain so I left early in case traffic was rough.

The opening group, Gunslinger, was quite good. They're local, but their next show, ironically, is in Broomfield, Colorado. They are categorized as "alternative-dance" and have both elements of a band (guitarist and drummer) along with electronic effects. I rarely go out of my way to go see an opening band again, but I'm very interested in going to their next show!

Infected Mushroom is originally from Israel and known as psy-trance. They also are a combination of live music with electronic elements. (During the first video the song really kicks in around the 3:20 mark)




Ironically enough they covered a Foo Fighters song.

EMP Pop Conference Keynote Discussion

I learned so much during this presentation that it was hard to take notes on / remember it all so I'm very grateful that local public radio station (and sponsor) KCRW videotaped parts of the discussion!

EMP Pop Conference 2011

Last weekend I attended the EMP (Experience Music Project) Pop Conference 2011. This is an annual gathering of professionals to discuss the music industry and money. There are a variety of panels over the course of three days.  It traditionally takes place in Seattle, but this is the first year it took place in LA (on UCLA's campus). The drive out following Sunset Boulevard was quite enjoyable--going from the historic rock venues of the Sunset strip through the mansions of Beverly Hills to UCLA's campus in Westwood.

The panels I attended included:
-Roundtable: "Getting the Brand Back Together: Branding, Music & Money in the Digital Age"
This panel described the newfound relationships between artists and corporations. Corporations can provide the funding that artists are seriously in need of while artists can provide the "cool appeal" or access to a target market which a corporation may desire. Mountain Dew and Red Bull have created record labels to appeal to artists. Scion has become known for free parties/concert series as a marketing tool. There were a variety of people on this panel including an exec. for K-Swiss (formerly of Puma) and an artist. The exec made the point that they don't force the relationship. In his most recent video, Dr. Dre is wearing Pumas and wanted to set up a sponsorship...but Puma refused to do the deal if he didn't actually wear the clothing on a regular basis. The artist recently had been on a DJ show where the winner won $100,000, but the show was sponsored by Smirnoff and trying to reach black males ages 22-30. He in several meetings with the corporate heads indicated being uncomfortable in his image being used this way. These relationships are increasing as the industry is decreasing.

-Lunch roundtable: Burn on Cuyahoga
During this discussion, three punk musicians (Cheetah Chrome, Bob Pfeifer, and Mike Hudson) described growing up in the Cleveland punk scene, and their experience with publishing, both in the music and literary worlds. They described how book publishers are going the way of the music industry (where there are only a few select giants left).

-"Paid in Full: How Artists Make Money Making Music (Past, Present & Future)"
There were several presentations during this panel. The first was an artist/lawyer presenting "Label Deals: How They Suck and How to Make Them Better." John Strohm was a young musician who got a bad deal which he eventually got out of. As a 19-year-old, he didn't read the deal and simply signed it. Now he provides legal counsel to many musicians so they don't end up in the same conundrum. The next presenter was in a band who got hired to record a jingle for Budweiser. Especially being a punk band, he felt that they were selling out, but the other three band members had their eyes on the dollar sign so by default they did the ad. He made the point that although he's still embarassed about the ad, the money he received allowed him and his girlfriend (now wife) to afford health insurance and have their daughter...so that he can't hold too much of a grudge anymore. The third panelist described the merchandise table. This is still a very profitable way for artists to make money by selling CDs, t-shirts, and posters. In some cases, certain artists are finding ways to get more money thru this route. Artists such as the Melvins are selling very rare art-pieces or even items out of their own collections for several hundred dollars which die-hard fans will buy. A member of a band named Gang of Four has a philosophy on the merch table: don't pre-price the items. In his experience, if a fan only has $5, but you let them pay that for the $20 CD or t-shirt, you'll score points and have a fan for life. If you let a fan pay what they think an item is worth, they often paid more than what the band would have priced it for. (Although it depends on the band/fans....Metallica on a recent tour sold their tshirts for $40...but this negatively affected them and upset a lot of fans!!) I found this to be a really interesting experiment. Some bands recently have used the same tactics with their music. They have made it available for download on their website and told fans to pay what they think it's worth. Many people take it for free; however, many fans will pay at least something for it. When Radiohead did this, they still made several million dollars. The final panelist was noted singer-songwriter Ben Lee. He is Australian by birth, but now lives in the states. He was showing how he's increased the amount of sync and mechanical licenses he has and how he's streamlined costs to make more of a profit.

-"Facing New Deals"
This panel discussed the 360 deal which gives the record label a cut of an artist's profits across the board (touring income, advertising, merchandise, etc) It was described as the labels trying to "have their finger in each of an artist's pies" as a way to cover their backs since it's a gamble which way the industry is going. They have given artists outrageous advances to do this, but there's some concern whether they will even get their initial investment back.

-Keynote Discussion: "Career Possibilities: How Musicians Make Do and Keep Their Souls Alive in a Changing Pop World" (to be continued...)

-"Sentimental Productions"

-Lunch Interview: "Seymour Stein: A Conversation"
Seymour Stein fouded Sire Records and is now a VP of Warner Brothers Records. He signed many famous artists such as the Talking Heads, the Ramones, and Madonna. He was very humble and entertaining and was full of great stories!

-Roundtable: "Let's Get Physical: Box Sets & Specialty Reissues in the Digital Era"
This panel discussed companies (like Rhino) who do specialty releases and box sets and why people continue to buy these when they won't buy CDs. In every specialty, there are always diehard fans and collectors. Many people will buy an item just for the sake of having a rare item. To enhance the value of these box sets, there are also particularly detailed sets of liner notes as well as some memorabilia (a poster, a vintage backstage pass, an interesting case, etc)  Even though sales for these items have generally decreased, they are still higher than a typical CD release. (and since the price for a box set is generally higher, they can come out okay selling fewer) Proof of this is in a Grateful Dead box set I worked on. It's not coming out until September, but they've already sold out of 1,500 copies at $500 per box. It will be 66 discs in a road case (a bootleg of every show from the European tour of 1972)

-Dynasty: The KISS Panel
This panel contained one of my favorite authors, Chuck Klosterman. They discussed the incredible (and ridiculous) amount of Kiss merchandise, but how people will continue to throw dollars out for whatever Gene Simmons creates next.

A general trend I definitely picked up on through the conference was the frustration of artists with major labels. They indicated that they are beneficial as far as getting a check and easy access to a team of professionals (marketing, distribution, etc) but many feared that label execs honestly don't care for the artists and are only looking out for themselves. Many bands are looking for alternative routes for distribution, such as going to independent labels or even doing it themselves. There also is quite a lack of uncertainty as far as the direction of the industry which makes it a scary/exciting time to be involved.

Saturday night I was exhausted after listening to various (albeit) interesting panels for 12 hours. Driving home, I passed a variety of parties for the Oscars. It was quite cold (and even snowed in Burbank) so I decided to get some carryout sushi and stay in for the night.

Driving home Sunday (two hours before the Oscars) I was in a sea of black Tahoes and limos, presumably heading to the Kodak Theatre. I also passed set up for more parties, including the famed Vanity Fair party which had two lanes of traffic closed. In oncoming traffic I noticed a white van being driven by a man with a familiar profile and a person in the passenger seat with a video camera. He looked like Mike Dirnt, drummer of Green Day (but I figured it couldn't be). Later, while checking Twitter on my phone I noticed a post that Dirnt was playing a secret show that night at the Troubador with an afterparty at the Viper Room (so it was him after all!)

For a late lunch, I went to the Counter, a well-known build-your-own-burger bar. You are handed a checklist where you can select your ingredients (apparently there are over 300,000 possible combination). I chose a turkey burger on multigrain bun w/ jalapeno jack cheese, roasted green chilis, roasted corn & bean salsa, and mixed greens...and it was quite possibly the best burger of my life!  Very tasty. I'll definitely be back!

Coming soon...

-Internship update

-Girls Day Out

Fitz Update

Just found a video on YouTube from last night's show:

New Foo

Today the first single from the Foo Fighters' new album Wasted Light (rel. date April 12) was released. I like it quite a bit. The new album has generated a lot of buzz. They recorded it in Dave's garage not digitally using ProTools (as is the standard these days), but they went old school and recorded it directly on tape. They used producer Butch Vig who recorded Nirvana's Nevermind. In recent years the Foo Fighters have experimented with their softer side, releasing an acoustic album, but the new material is definitely a return to their rock roots which I'm excited about.






Rope by Foo Fighters



The new album art was released today as well which I honestly have to admit that I'm not a huge fan of (Gasp!)  For album and t-shirt art I've never been a huge fan of the band using photographs of themselves. If you picture some of the most classic album covers, none of them feature band photos. Not that I get any say in the matter....just my own personal rant!

Fitz & the Tantrums - 2.22.2011

I saw Fitz & the Tantrums open for Flogging Molly at Red Rocks in September 2009 and have been a fan ever since. Rarely does an opening band really make an impression on me, but their unique sound and style certainly did. They released an EP and were signed to Dangerbird Records. In August 2010 they released their first full-length album and have really exploded in popularity ever since. They've been hitting the tour circuit hard. It's been really neat to follow them from under the radar to the top of the alternative/indie charts.

They're from Silverlake, but have been on the road since I moved to Los Angeles. I recently purchased tickets to several of their local shows in April which I'm very much looking forward to. On Saturday I became aware of a contest that a local radio station was having. The station, 98.7, has a penthouse apartment and patio at the Hollywood Tower where they occasionally have private intimate shows with different bands. In the past they have had Cage the Elephant, Linkin Park, Mumford & Sons and Vampire Weekend. You can win tickets to these events by listening/calling in or by entering the contest online. I entered online and received an e-mail Monday morning letting me know I'd get to go!  

I arrived to the Hollywood Tower and was greeted by free valet parking. (Parking in Los Angeles is nearly impossible / very expensive so this was fantastic) I had to sign in and received my credentials. I entered the hotel lobby and rode the elevator upstairs. The elevator is the one that the Hollywood Tower of Terror ride at Disneyworld is based on!

I rode up to the fifth floor and walked out onto the patio which was very attractive. They had an open bar set up as well as catering. To the north you could see the Hollywood sign and Griffith Observatory and to the south you could see many Hollywood landmarks including Capitol Records and the Roosevelt Hotel. There were only about forty other people so it was a very intimate setting!

The band came out and performed "Don't Gotta Work It Out," "Breaking the Chains of Love," "L.O.V.," and "Moneygrabber." There was an MC who asked the band questions provided by audience members in between songs. Some of the questions were serious ("Who is your greatest musical influence?") and some were more fun (To Noelle: "What's the best pickup line you've ever gotten?")  After the show fans could pose with the band for a picture. Since there was a line I didn't get to talk to them long, but made a point to tell Fitz (lead singer's real name: Michael Fitzpatrick....hence the name Fitz) that I had seen them at Red Rocks and how fun it had been to watch them grow in popularity and really develop. That for them had been a very memorable show and he seemed impressed that I saw them "way back then." He made a point to tell several other band members that I had been at that show. I'll be seeing them at small bars April 1 and 2 and will hopefully have a chance to speak to them more then! (Some of the pictures are mine and some were taken by the radio station)

I took video of the intro to "Moneygrabber." I've also attached videos of several other songs they played (from other live performances)

What I like most about them is their different sound and the dynamics between Fitz and Noelle. They not only perform the songs, but they truly are entertaining to watch. Fitz had a vision of what he wanted his band to be and it's not like every other band coming down the pipeline. They truly have created something special with a fusion of funk/motown/indie-pop. Even though I love the guitar, I very much respect them for creating a full sound as a band without using a guitar (only a bass). They've just announced spring tour dates, and if you ever get the chance to, I highly recommend going to see them! Since the show was over I headed back downstairs. 

I wanted to grab a cup of coffee so I went across the street to the 101 Coffee Shop which I've heard of, but never been to. It has the vibe of an old-school diner. I got French toast with fresh berries which I hadn't had in years, but was quite good!! Fun fact: Fitz has a menu item named after him here. The "Mikey Fitz" is two eggs, two pieces of bacon, and three silver dollar pancakes or a piece of French toast. Apparently, he used to live around the corner from here and ate at least two meals a day here. When the band is in town they still frequently come out to eat here afterwards!

Banksy Strikes Again

I have to admit that a week ago I was unaware of the elusive artist known as Banksy. He directed a documentary, Exit Through the Gift Shop, about the rise in popularity and prevalence of street art (different from graffiti/tagging). This documentary is up for an Academy Award next weekend. He is unique in that he remains anonymous and that even for interviews he often has a dark hood or a monkey mask. The Academy Awards have assured him that he is welcome, but they don't want him wearing any disguises to receive his award. 

He lives in England, but appears to have arrived in L.A. (and made his presence known!) His work popping up has created quite the buzz. He began by hitting a billboard along Sunset Boulevard on Wednesday. The work was promptly removed and rolled in a ball (which is a shame because it could have apparently gone for six figures). The company who paid for the billboard has asked for the art and plans to display it in Las Vegas. 

Next he did two figures: one of Charlie Brown with a gas cannister and the other of a dog. "Charlie Burn" sold for $8,100 on eBay and the owner of the building has actually cut the section of concrete out of the building. 

The work creating the most buzz is an image of a boy soldier with a gun, but rather than bullets the gun shoots crayons. This work is on the side of an Urban Outfitters store in Westwood. 

The store already was selling an art book with photographs of his work (which they promptly sold out of) and they are known for supporting alternative culture so many people think that this store should keep the art. Many people have also flocked to it for photographs before anything happens to it. Overnight on Friday someone dumped paint on it, but on Saturday a local cafe owner came to clean the work. Ultimately the owner of the building will decide on the work's fate. This has become one of the most popular stories this week. People anxiously await more of his work popping up or to see if he appears at the Oscars. Granted I don't generally support the direct violation of property, but it's been interesting in that the art (and documentary) opened my eyes to a world that I really didn't know existed. I didn't know that people put that much effort into the art work (and also learned the difference between street art vs. graffiti/tagging). Some of these street artists have also developed loyal followings and have had art shows that have brought in huge figures. 

Coming soon...

Cha Cha Lounge

Downtown Independent

All-Star Weekend

Key Club

Pink's