A Very Merry Un-Birthday To You

It comes but once a year, like clockwork with the summer heat. My birthday month has arrived and I am reminded of the old saying "It's far better to give than receive." So this year, I've decided to give.

Starting next Monday, July 6th you can enter to win a pair of tickets to see Incubus live in concert, August 21st at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands!

Incubus is touring to support their greatest hits collection "Monuments and Melodies" and if you purchase the cd, you will be given access to The Vault at enjoyincubus.com, which includes over 500 rare songs, live performances, and b-sides from the band.

There will be more giveaways to come over the next few weeks, so check back often for new updates.

I leave you now with what is shaping up to be my latest summer playlist. Enjoy!

Kings of Leon - "Closer"

The Soldier Thread - "Make Believe"

Manchester Orchestra - "I Can Feel a Hot One"

Audrey Sessions - "Turn Me Off"

Kasabian - "Fire"

Anberlin - "Breaking"

Paper Route - "Are We All Forgotten?"

Jets Under Fire - "Like Waves, Like Sea"

Seabird - "Let Me Go On"

The Sounds - "No One Sleeps When I'm Awake"

june 19, 2009 03:34pm

"Cause enough is never quite enough..."

june 11, 2009 03:50pm

The Dead Weather

"I've never been able to totally succeed at planning something out carefully." - Jack White

Life is good. The sun is shining. Birds are singing. And Jack White is back to looking like Edward Scissorhands. White's latest project, The Dead Weather, is a far-cry from The White Stripes and The Raconteurs. This is darker, deeper and heavier rock that pulls back to the late 60's and early 70's for it's pre-protools sound. Joined by Alison Mosshart (The Kills), Jack Lawrence (The Raconteurs), & Dean Fertita (The Raconteurs/Queens of the Stone Age), White's new project is dirty and harsh, but in a good way. A very, very good way.

Just for fun...here's a chance for you to compare the past projects of The Dead Weather's members.

The Raconteurs - "Steady As She Goes"

The Kills - Tape Song

The White Stripes - Icky Thump

Queens of the Stone Age - No One Knows

june 11, 2009 10:02am

Wendy's and the Death of Autotune

As many of you have heard by now, Jay-Z's new track dropped last Friday and it ushered in a new era in hip-hop. The track called "DOA" or "Death of Autotune" is Jay's way of strongly suggesting that while Autotune served it's place in hip-hop, it's time to let it go. He acknowledges that artists like T-Pain, Kanye West and Lil' Wayne made some great tracks using Autotune, it's all the imitators that have taken things to an extreme. If you haven't heard the track, here it is.

In a recent radio interview, Jay announced that the final straw came when he saw a Wendy's commercial, making a parody of the Autotune phenomenon. If you are curious, here's what the face of Autotune's death looks like.

I for one agree 100% with Jay-Z and am amazed at the power that he has inside hip-hop and out. In just 4 short minutes, he was able to set a new standard for his entire genre of music. He took the hundreds of Autotune-infused songs that labels across the country were preparing to release and made them obsolete.

So let's take a look back on, in my opinion, the best thing to come out of the Autotune trend.

And let's not forget, that without the era of Autotune, we would never have been blessed to know this.

june 09, 2009 12:46am

Every fracture caused by the lack of it.

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PS: Lyrically, "Needle and Thread" may be the most beautiful song ever written.

When the world welcomes us in,
We're closer to Heaven than we'll ever know
They say this place has changed,
But strip away all of the technology
And you will see
That we all are hunters,
Hunting for something
That will make us okay.

Here we lay alone
In hospital beds tracing life in our heads
But all that is left
Is that this was our entrance and now it's our exit,
As we find our way home.

And all the blood and all the sweat
That we invested to be loved
Follows us, into our end,
Where we begin to understand.

We are made of love,
And all the beauty stemming from it.
We are made of love,
And every fracture caused by the lack of it.

"You were a million years of work,"
Said God and His angels, with needle and thread.
They kissed your head and said,
"You're a good kid, and you make us proud.
So just give your best and the rest will come,
And we'll see you soon."

And all the blood and all the sweat
That we invested to be loved,
Follows us into our end
We begin to understand

Maybe Hollywood was right:
When the credits have rolled and the tears have dried,
And the answers that we have been dying to find
Are all pieced together and, somehow,
Made perfectly mine, mine, mine
Made perfectly mine

We are made of love,
And all the beauty stemming from it.
We are made of love,
And every fracture caused by the lack of love.
Caused by the lack of love.

june 09, 2009 12:21am

"I Found You When You Were Broken"

Just heard this song in my car on the way home and remembered how much I love this guy. If you aren't familiar with William Fitzsimmons, please allow me the pleasure of making the introduction.

For some reason, William Fitzsimmons reminds me of a cross between Ray LaMontagne's beard and Cary Brothers' hair...Also, a combination of their sounds too, but I doubt anyone else has ever drawn that particular follicle comparison. Consider the following songs and I think you may see what I mean. Or, you may think I'm crazy. Either way, I guess you'd be right.

Cary Brothers - The Glass Parade

Ray LaMontagne - Let It Be Me