Jurassic 5 - Ducky Boy

I just picked up this compilation from Decon Records that takes its title from their pretty cool blog. I'd been looking for some new hip hop grooves for a while and this one definitely hit the spot. There are some killer tracks on it including this short but sweet jam from Jurassic 5, and this funky joint from Izza Kizza I posted a while back. It also has the the bonus beats from RJD2, you might recognize the track as the title to that show Madmen that I don't watch.

BONUS BEATS!

RJD2 - A Beautiful Mine

More goodness in store for tomorrow...

Thornley - Changes

Thornley is coming to FredRock! Awesome! One of my all-time epic party stories, if not THE epic story, involves a Thornley show from Molson Snow Jam at Marble Mountain. I'd tell it to you, but it takes about 30 minutes and is best told over beers with The Franchise present to fill in the blanks. This is one of his lighter sounding poppy tracks, but it's still pretty good. When he really rocks out, he's frickin' awesome. I HIGHLY advise you to check this show out.

Wong bong!

Ohio Players - Fire

Aww hell yes! Let's take it back to '75. The Midnight Special, baby. A little funk for your junk. From the cats that brought us the "Love Rollercoaster", it's the original Ohio Players bringin' us mo' fire!

How you like yo funk?

The Doors - The End

One of the great characters of modern cinema has left us. Dennis Hopper was a brilliant actor and a legendary bastion of the psychedelic '60s. I will remember him for three great films in particular. Easy Rider, Apocalypse Now, and Blue Velvet all left indelible marks on the film industry and for that I send out this majestic performance by The Doors to Mr. Hopper.

Pabst Blue Ribbon.

Bryan Raydio - Pleiades

Here's the video I threw together for Pleiades. Nothing too flash, just a couple pictures spliced in with some Milkdrop again.

More madness next week.

The National - Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks

I was going to post the new Gord Downie video here but after listening to it I just couldn't help but think that it's just watered down Tragically Hip with a weird movie playing. So I picked these guys instead.

The National is probably something you should be listening to again in the relatively near future. They're talented musicians and tend to put thought into their lyrics. The song "Fake Empire" is one of my top songs of the decade. I haven't been able to give the new album much of a listen yet, but the two songs I did listen to, "Little Faith" and this one below, were both super cool. This particular performance isn't their best, but it does a good job of showing them off as passionate troubadours.

They're from the same city as WKRP!

Proper Villains - Big Top

It's been a little while since I had some crazy electro stuff on here. I have no idea who Proper Villains are but this is a lovely little ditty that reminds me of an old Mr. Oizo classic. I love the video too. I'll probably throw some bonus beats on the end of this post to. Yup, I'm gonna do it.

BONUS BEATS!

Funkagenda & Big Ed - Afterclub [Riva Starr Remix]

Dang, Riva Starr is on fire right now.

Rodrigo Y Gabriela - Tamacun

Talk about sweet. Rodrigo Y Gabriela. Nuff said.

Keep practicing everyone.

Urge Overkill - Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon

This has a kind of Spanish rock feel to it, which is sorta loosely mariachi-ish... ya there's no real connection but whatever, this is Urge Overkill performing their five minutes (three in this case) of fame with this sweet tune from the Pulp Fiction soundtrack. You might have to turn the volume up on this one.

Awesome.

Mariachi El Bronx - Slave Labor

Wow. It was Metal Monday last night at El Capitale, and after hearing Skull Fist rock out huge... no, hold on. Those guys kicked ass and took names. Think Fubar crossed with Iron Maiden. Epic insanity. Top show.

So Jarrett was playing some awesome hardcore stuff that I'd never heard before, and it was some guys from California called The Bronx. They sounded like Henry Rollins on speed. Awesome. So then he tells me that they have a side project called Mariachi El Bronx. That's right. Their side project is a freakin' mariachi band. How have I never heard of these guys?

This is what they sound like as The Bronx... awesome.

Santana - Soul Sacrifice

So yesterday was pretty awesome. It was Lawn Fest take one here at the stronghold. Good turnout, but we'll have to kick it up a notch next time. Here's some Santana from the most ridiculous festival ever, Woodstock '69. Note the ridiculous drum solo from Michael Shrieve, who was just 20 at the time. And that Carlos fella on the gee-tar isn't half bad either.

Epic.

Bryan Raydio - Pleiades

The Pleiades is a cluster of stars found in the constellation of Taurus. It's been rumoured that sentient beings from this star system have visited Earth already. Who knows how legit that is but I tried to imagine the journey through the stars from there to here, and how that journey might sound. This is what I came up with. It's probably the quickest song I've ever done from start to finish, only took about a week. This is another upbeat tune, a little more deep and spacey that the others.

NOTE: New link coming soon...

There you have it, enjoy your weekend!

Bryan Raydio - Mostly Awesome

This is the first of the tracks that I recovered off my failed hard drive, and I'm glad that I did, cause I'd been working on it for many long hours and there's just no way I could have re-created it. The working title was "Mostly Awesome" because I came up with a couple cool little percussion lines and then I couldn't think of another name for it, so I'm just gonna leave it as it is. This is considerably more upbeat than the other stuff I've released so far.

NOTE: New link coming soon...

Two down, one to go...

Bryan Raydio - Grinding

So here's the first original release in this day of threes. This is a concept piece, I wanted to make something in FL Studio using only the generic plugins that come with the program, no additional samples or VSTs, with the exception of George Yohng's W1 Limiter, which is a nice little free limiter that gets a really nice sound with very little CPU expenditure.

For those technically inclined, I used DrumSynth for all the percussion, a simple 3x Oscillator for the bass, Sytrus for some chords, FL Keys, FL Slayer, and the DX10 for a couple extra percs. The rest is just some EQing, some reverb, chorus, etc. I just wanted to show that you can make a decent sounding track using the basic materials.

Anyway this is my least exciting release of the three, but check it out anyway. You can't download it yet, but you can give it a listen thanks to SoundCloud.

NOTE: New links coming soon...

Two more on the way...

Green Jellÿ - Three Little Pigs

It's the long weekend here, that means three days off. These 3 Cities played at the Capital last night, and they were great. Three Sheet plays there tonight. It's going to be 30 degrees out today, and I have three new songs I'm going to post later on. It seems all good things come in threes.

This is Green Jellÿ (pronounced jell-o). It's a little rock story about some pigs that you may have heard of before. Coincidentally, these guys put out an album called "333". This is not from that album.

Stay tuned for more fun.

The Beatles - Day Tripper

It's hot out, the Heineken Cup is on, and there's a million things I've got to do today that aren't writing on my blog, so here's the Beatles.

Cheers!

Animal Collective - Summertime Clothes

It's summer. Really. For good this time. I'm sure of it. I'd like to see these guys at a summertime festival show some time. I don't really know much about them except that they're weird and probably fun to watch. Any band called Animal Collective just has to be. They make kooky videos too. Go put on your summer clothes and rock out.

BONUS BEATS!

Fake Blood - Fix Your Accent

Yeah buddy!

Coheed & Cambria - Delerium Trigger

The Franchise went to see Coheed & Cambria last night at the Sound Academy in Toronto. He had a ticket for me and sadly I still couldn't make it to Ontario to see it. This has been a recurring theme for me, I've previously had tickets for ridiculous bands I won't even mention (Tool was one) only having to miss out for various reasons. As I'm currently vigorously planning my overtaking of the world, I'm hoping that this will never happen again.

The good news is that after three months of work and waiting for parts, I have finally successfully repaired my old failed hard drive and restored countless hours of awesomeness that will soon be released upon the electronic universe to change everything. The anticipation is killing me.

I digress. Coheed & Cambria are awesome. One of my favourite bands ever, easily top 10, and this song might be my favourite of theirs. This is from their DVD "The Last Supper" which was taken from the Hammerstein Ballroom, and it's awesome.

Sorry I missed it Patrick, the next show's on me.

How To Destroy Angels - The Space In Between

And now for something completely different... How To Destroy Angels. Think it sounds a bit like Nine Inch Nails? That's because it mostly is. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross are the producers and Mariqueen Maandig (Trent's wife, by the way) is the singer. The first single was "A Drowning", this is the second. Besides the other obvious similarity, the vocal style reminds me of Massive Attack. Mild warning: the video is a bit bloody-ish.

A little odd, but intriguing.

Hank Jones - In A Sentimental Mood

Suresh let me know that Hank Jones passed away on Sunday. Hank was nearly 92 so this wasn't a big shock, but he's gone elsewhere just the same. For those into jazz, the man was a piano legend who played with all of the greats of the 20th century. Still performing at Monterey as recently as 2006, he had smooth, almost magical, style. For those not into jazz, sit down with a glass of your favourite vino and give this a listen, it just might change your mind.

And you should probably check this out too.

Tenacious D - Dio

One of the classic hard rock / metal singers has left us. Ronnie James Dio took over where Ozzy left off in Black Sabbath, and then rocked on in his own band Dio. Memorable tracks like "Die Young" and "Holy Diver" kick ass and take names even to this day. We also have him to thank for everyone and their dog (me included) doing the devil's horns thing with our hands any time there is a camera in our face. One of the bigger fans of Ronnie is Jack Black, half of the great Tenacious D. I therefore see it as appropriate to say goodbye to the man with this stirring tribute from the D.

He also rocked out with the D in this track.

Alien Ant Farm - Attitude

For some reason I just started singing this song in the car last night. Haven't heard it in ages and at one time it was among my favourite tunes. Not really sure what happened to Alien Ant Farm, but at some point later on I'll take a look see.

Might need to do a 2010 remake.

The Heavy - How You Like Me Now

These guys are super cool. Kinda like Curtis Mayfield on steroids. Soul flavour with funky horns and just enough grunt. The Heavy is a pretty bad-ass name too. I'd like to do a big beat remix of this one.

BONUS BEATS!

Coldplay - Trouble [Big Beat Remix]

Something cool like that.

Stevie Wonder - Master Blaster

Heading out on a road trip for a few days, so I'm in a bit of a rush right now. Don't worry, the blog will continue as normal! It was Stevie Wonder's birthday yesterday, so here's my favourite from the man himself.

To Halifax!

Tom Petty - I Should Have Known It

This guy can still rock. New album Mojo is coming out June 15th. Brand spankin' new Tom Petty. You heard it here first. Not even on YouTube yet. EDIT: it is now...

Wassabi Collective - Flowers

Funky percussive rhythms, chilled out vocals and some reggae grooves are what you'll find when you check out the Wassabi Collective. They're coming to town next Wednesday at Nicky Zee's. This is a pretty sweet track from them, but I do find the video a bit campy. Great festival music, or just for a good night of dancing and romancing.

Yaaaaa dance your Wednesday away.

Lena Horne - I'd Do Anything

Lena Horne passed away on Sunday. Best known for her part in "Stormy Weather", she was a talented singer with unique facial expression and a sultry style. She was also one of the early "left-wing" activists, partly due to her mix of African, Native, and European blood. It's fun to look back and see where popular music came from and wonder where it will be in 50 years time. This song is from 1957 and I dare say she doesn't use auto-tune.

Anyone else notice her wardrobe malfunction?

Bryan Raydio - Awaken

I've been back at 'er for a few days and put together this video yesterday. I did a video capture of the Milkdrop plugin in Winamp, faded in a picture I took of the moon at the beginning and end, and it turned out ok. This is one of my more intricate and detailed productions, with lots of different rhythms and vibes going through it. I wanted to encompass the journey that the mind goes through when dreaming, but also the awakening of the mind to reality. I'm pretty interested in existentialism and globalism so I wanted to find a way to represent the evolution of cognition that occurs when you are "awakened" to the behind the scenes, so to speak, of society. So this is my techno-ish interpretation of that idea. I'll post a download link of the full EP again later today or tomorrow, but in the meantime check out the video.

I recommend watching it in HD on fullscreen for best effect.

Daryl Hall & Chromeo - I Can't Go For That

First up, huge props to Andy Cotter, Rich Gloade, and Scotty Sampson for last night's show at the Wilser's Room. After six weeks on the road these guys came home and rocked out. Andrew Butler chimed in on some times with some slick guitar work too. They're at it once more tonight at the Snooty Fox, if you have the time I highly advise checking it out.

I stumbled upon this set the other day completely by random. I was looking for some new Chromeo stuff and found this beauty. Daryl Hall, of Hall & Oates fame, has a pretty cool little series called "Live From Daryl's House", where he brings in contemporary artists to jam with him at his house. It's a little hit and miss for me, but his collaboration with Chromeo is freakin' bang on. P-Thugg on the talkbox sounds so dope with Hall's soul harmonies... it's just awesome. You can check out the whole performance here. Anyone going to see them live together at Bonnaroo are in for a treat.

By the way that's the late Tom Wolk next to Dave 1. A great musician has left the world's stage.

Bonobo - The Keeper

It's Mother's Day. This is special for lots of people out there, because everyone has a mother. I love my mom and hope she has a wonderful day, but I have little interest in Mother's Day, Father's Day, Valentine's Day, or any of those sorts of days. I'm not trying to be a downer, I just don't see why we can't appreciate our loved ones on any given day just for the sake of doing so. Maybe some people just need reminders every now and then.

So no sappy music today, just something different. This is Simon Green, aka Bonobo, who is a trip hop producer from England. Lately he's been touring around with a live band as well, which is very cool and something I've been machinating recently. All in due course, I suppose. I have some new experiments that are almost finished, and hope to have something to show soon. In the meantime, enjoy.

That's lovely Andreya Triana on the vocals. She's also on this track.

Damian Marley - Pimpa's Paradise

Damian Marley needs no introduction. Which is good because I don't have time to write one right now. He's much more than just "Welcome To Jamrock", believe me. This is one of my favourites, shout outs to Harry.

That's his bro Stephen singing with him.

Eli Reed - Come And Get It

How about a little soul? Eli Reed says "Come And Get It!" When's the last time you heard something like this that was new?

BONUS BEATS!

Kora - Flow [Crazy P Remix]

Right on, right on.

Mantler - Childman

It's raining and I watched some pretty disturbing video today so I'm a little put off. Thankfully I have some Mantler to help chill out a little. This guy isn't a great singer, or a concert pianist, has a terrible haircut, and doesn't sound like 90% of the same old indie rock that's popular right now, but that's what makes him cool. He's got honest lyrics and a chilled out 70's style that just makes you want to sit and listen. Thanks to Matt for this find, and you can read his review of the new album "Monody" here.

I like this one too.

Manu Chao - Bongo Bong

Juan and Camilo played some cool tunes last night at Open Mic, and one of them was a nice little tune by Manu Chao called "Bongo Bong". You've probably heard it before somewhere, but might not know that the lyrics actually came from a Mano Negra song called "King Of The Bongo". This is definitely one instance where the sequel was better than the original. Another thing to note is that the instrumental to this track is also used in other Manu Chao songs like "Mr. Bobby", so it's no surprise then to hear him mesh the two songs together in this nice little performance from the Abbey Road studios in 2008.

Sometimes I dream about reality.

Herbert - Moving Like A Train

The sun is shining, the grass needs to be cut, and it's a good day for some funk. Matthew Herbert is an interesting guy who's done all kinds of wacky musical production concepts, and under all kinds of different names. This has a nice light groovy disco feel to it, great for a little summer patio soirée. The bonus beats today come from L'Aroye, who has done a very nice remix of People Movin' by The Shoes. Play one right after the other and keep that vibe goin'.

BONUS BEATS!

The Shoes - People Movin' [L'Aroye Remix]

Roll on summer jams.

Bobby McFerrin - Say Ladeo

I got back to the good life last night so today I need a little Bobby McFerrin to bring me back around.

This one is probably my favourite.

Weezer - The Good Life

"Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth..." - Ecclesiastes 11:9

A big high five for whoever can tell me what movie that line preceded.

Even though some Jay-Z guy keeps telling me that 30 is the new 20, and I like to think that I'm still "living the dream", every now and then I can't help but think that I've lost the best part already. Thankfully, I know that this is patently ridiculous. Why in blazes should the first 30 years of your life be the best when, in most cases, you're not even half way through the course yet? If that was really the truth, then what the hell are we doing wrong, and why should we even bother with the second half? No, I think this is nonsense.

I'm not an Oprah fan by any stretch of any imagination, but I did happen to catch this particular episode with Jerry Seinfeld and there's a nice little story that starts around the 6:10 mark that has some useful advice. Give it a listen and think about it for a bit.

Anyway this song goes out to the big P.W., to me, to all of you who think the best days are past, and to Rivers Cuomo, because Jesus is fighting for Weezer too. Even he knows I'm nothing at all without my mojo.

The best is yet to come.

Owen Steel - Twig Eater

Was listening to my man Jason do an interview yesterday, and one of the things he talked about was the value of community. That's probably why I've enjoyed Fredericton for so long, is because of its very strong links to each other, particularly amongst the artists and musicians of this city. Certainly things like the Capital and the Market and even the more recent emergence of Feels Good have helped this, but I think it's mostly attributable to the good people who live here.

I also think it's a tribute to the community that so many local artists and musicians seem to be branching out and thriving these days, and Owen Steel is no exception. Tall, quiet, unassuming, and a bit on the thin side of things, he's an exceptional songwriter and performer and I'm sure the best is yet to come. Thanks to Christine for sending me this link, it's a great performance from the Streaming Cafe in Kelowna, BC. That's Mike Humble, aka Mumble, on the box.

Check out Fergus' moose video featuring the studio cut here.

Tool - Vicarious

Tool is one of my all-time favourite bands. You won't find them on MTV, or in much mainstream media, but they're freakin' awesome. Intelligent progressive metal. So good. If there is one band I have to see live before my time is up it's Tool. I've seen A Perfect Circle, but it's not the same. So the point of me posting is to say two things: 1) Tool is awesome. 2) Don't live vicariously through others.

This video is not for the faint of heart. If you are one of those, harden up.

Unbridled awesome.

Gorillaz - Stylo

Good grief how did I miss this? Somehow I didn't even know that Gorillaz had a new album, even though I'm sure I read somewhere that Damon Albarn was galavanting about promoting it. Well anyway, creds to DJ Scout for bringing me up to speed, I am now fully Gorillified again. This track is frickin' sweet, and the video... I mean... Bruce Willis? In a frickin' music video? Done, son.

BONUS BEATS!

Gorillaz - Stylo [Alex Metric Remix]

Great tune, great remix.

Motörhead - Ace Of Spades

So I guess this is my 100th post. Yay. Well done. I'd celebrate, but I'm not really a fan of birthdays and such. Why should my 100th post be more exciting than, say, my 13th? Or my 84th? I mean, I really like those posts. Why throw a party for the sake of a number, when you can do it just to be drunk on a Wednesday and have a fun story to tell later on?

One guy who definitely knows how to party and enjoy himself is Lemmy from Motörhead. He has a real name but I don't remember what it is and can't be bothered to read up on it right now. It's not important. He's Lemmy. From Motörhead. He did a kickass song with Dave Grohl's Probot side project called "Shake Your Blood". He's a lot like Mad Max. Which is probably why this song is accompanying this video.

I hope my 101st post is half as cool as this one is.

Black Eyed Peas - I Gotta Feeling

Don't get me wrong, I don't hate the Black Eyed Peas. I actually dig some of their earlier stuff. It's just that they've become so ridiculously engulfed in the corporate cesspool that is modern pop music that they've tossed aside any remnants of artistic integrity by releasing rubbish like this. Now one might say I've stooped, myself, to a new low by posting this, but I just felt that Andy Rehfeldt did such a great job of re-interpreting this circus act that it merited some support. It did make me chuckle a little.

BONUS BEATS!

Black Eyed Peas - Imma Be [DJ Dan Vocal Mix]

Both better than the original.

Jack Johnson - You And Your Heart

Once a surfer, always a surfer. Once an Ironman, always an Ironman. Once a Muskateer... Jack Johnson is going back to his roots in this video. People often point out that he was a professional surfer before he was a professional singer, despite the fact that he was a "pro surf dude" for all of about two weeks. This isn't a knock against him though, as if it wasn't for his surfing prowess he probably wouldn't have met G. Love, and subsequently get noticed by bigger labels. Just goes to show it's all who you know.

Thanks Jack. That was swell.

Aloe Blacc - I Need A Dollar

This is the intro track from the HBO series "How To Make It In America". There's a blog that lists all the cool soundtrack tunes on it here. I haven't seen it yet, but it's getting decent reviews so I might give it a try later.

Anyway this is a sweet track from Aloe Blacc. It reminds me of John Legend. This video is kinda cool, and I dig the second part which is a snippet from another song called "Life So Hard", but I don't like how they cut the audio so abruptly. A little mixing goes a long way!

Check out the full-length cut here.

Them Crooked Vultures - Elephants

Take a little Foo Fighters, mix in some Queens of the Stone Age and mash it all up with a twist of Led Zeppelin and what do you get? Why, Them Crooked Vultures, of course. Josh Homme, Dave Grohl, and the legendary John Paul Jones pretty much kick ass and take names, as you can plainly see here in this live performance. I love the opening riff, very Zeppelin-esque. Just good ol' fashioned rock and roll. Who says I don't take requests? This one goes out to The Franchise.

FYI the other guitarist in the live show is Alain Johannes.

Esthero - Heaven Sent

Esthero released this killer track off her excellent debut album "Breath From Another" back in 1998 and then kinda disappeared. Apparently she released another one in 2005 and admittedly I haven't listened to it yet, but it's on my list of things to do.

BONUS BEATS!

Popof - Blow Me Down

Two bangin' tracks.

David Myles - Turn Time Off

Tonight David Myles performs at the Playhouse. To those with tickets (you know who you are), I envy you. Enjoy the goodness. And then don't come out to the Phoenix to hear something completely different... i.e. me playing crazy pumping house tunes. I'd love to sing you my own chilled out coolness, but I haven't quite refined my acoustic style yet. So here's some David Myles, with Alan Jeffries and Kyle Cunjak's moustache performing a sweet little tune in Duncan's Cove.

Nice job boys.

Claudio Sanchez - Here We Are Juggernaut

This is Coheed & Cambria lead singer Claudio Sanchez playing a brilliant acoustic version of the epic track off of the new album "Year Of The Black Rainbow". It's not the best Coheed album, but that's kind of like saying it's the least greatest chocolate in a stack of Swiss decadence. You can check out the original version here for comparison. This guy's probably my favourite lead singer out there right now, and this is a pretty good example of why.

And this guy writes comic books in his spare time...

Gang Starr - Ex Girl To Next Girl

Say goodbye to the Guru... half of Gang Starr has left us today for pastures new. Chilled out jazz beats and lyrics with a purpose, these guys have been reppin' the east coast for over twenty years. Thanks for the grooves guys.

Go get yourself Jazzmatazz 1 while you're out and about.

Plan B - Pass Out

This is British rapper Plan B's cover of Tinie Tempah's "Pass Out". Performed on the Live Lounge series from BBC Radio 1. As you can see, I like this live studio stuff. It has a little more honesty than heavily processed music videos. I suppose this is somewhat of an ironic statement from an electronic music producer, but we all have to understand our limitations. Or find crazy ways of getting by them...

BONUS BEATS!

Retrodance - Don't Stop Til You Get Enough [Ariel Perazzoli Remix]

I'll try to get my updates done earlier from now on.

Gnarls Barkley - Going On

This is Gnarls Barkley at their best "From The Basement". If you haven't heard of that production series yet, I highly recommend clicking on that link and checking out the website. Enjoy.

So good.

Team America - Freedom Isn't Free

In dealing with the harsh reality that I will have to find alternative methods of fund generation, i.e. another job, in the very near future, it has occurred to me that freedom is a grossly under-appreciated value in today's society. Every day new laws are being passed telling us what we can't take on planes; how much money we can give to our family members; how little peanut butter you can take in your sandwich to school. Sure, we don't have people driving around in tanks on our streets or landmines blowing up our children as they walk to school, but somebody somewhere does, and it's a hefty fee to pay.

I swear to Peter, if anyone told me when I was going to school that I couldn't bring peanut butter sandwiches for lunch, there would be hell to pay. If I'm to pay my buck o' five for freedom, it's coming with some frickin' peanut butter.

BONUS BEATS!

Dennis Ferrer - Hey Hey [Wayne Robinson Remix]

Oh hey check this out.

Regina Spektor - Somedays

Well I gave Dave a little airtime so I figured I'd better let Jay in on the act too. Luckily he does have this one wonderful performance by a certain Regina Spektor that I felt worthy of a post. There's an "unofficial" video of sorts you can see here that has the album version, but I find Ms. Spektor to be spectacularly alluring in this video. She's definitely not your traditional pin-up beauty but my goodness she looks good here. Anyway check her stuff out, she's really talented and she has a very unique style. A little Fredericton Playhouse action maybe? Dare to dream.

Wowzers.

Matisyahu - One Day

Anyone else tired of seeing "this content has been blocked in your country on copyright grounds"? That really grinds my gears. Thankfully this time it has a happy ending. I was looking for the acoustic version of this song by Matisyahu and instead while I eventually found it on Metacafe, I found this even cooler cut and I'm glad I did, it's pretty awesome. I really dig this guy's stuff, uplifting reggae in a Jewish flavour. I highly recommend it if you're into dee reggae or some good chill out tunes. You can check out the original version of this song here.

BONUS BEATS!

Oliver $ - Ginger Ale

What's the message in your bottle?

Wilson Pickett - Land Of 1000 Dances

Remember that classic John Candy and Dan Aykroyd flic from way back "The Great Outdoors"? What an awesome movie. If you haven't seen it you're missing out. The soundtrack is key too, and it included this shakedown from Wilson Pickett, a disciple of the James Brown school of rocking out on stage. Check out the hair on ol' Davey boy, and Paul's giving 'er on the keys too.

Sweet soul spectacular.

Akira Kiteshi - Ming The Merciless

I was talking to a fellow DJ the other day about whether or not dubstep was cool or not. I'm on the fence. My biggest complaint is just that I have no idea how in heck you're supposed to dance to it. He said something along the lines of "think giant robots on acid". This particular cut uses elements of dubstep but also electro, drum & bass, glitch, and lots of complete insanity. I think I kinda like it. I don't know who this Akira Kiteshi fellow is, but he's probably should probably go see an electrician about his noggin'. Props to Hexstatic for the ridiculous video.

BONUS BEATS!

Grizzler - Hell & Back

Wacky.

The Muppets - Bohemian Rhapsody

Today I am blissfully hungover and so I have few words except... what a show! I can't clearly remember all of it but it was an evening of pure madness and good times. Before the show the guys had on some music videos and this was one of them. I'm almost embarrassed to say that I hadn't seen it before. I'm sure you'll love it just as much as I do.

Amazing.

Jimmy Swift Band - When Worlds Collide

I remember my first JSB experience, way back in the day. Well, sorta. Bits and pieces really. Mostly a blur, but what a blur! If colour could stream out from the band and the instruments and the sound itself, and to be fair it often does, there would be a rainbow of energy so emancipating you would think you had slid down straight into the pot of lucky charms and had absorbed all their greatness in one fell swoop. There have rarely been live performers more spiritually liberating than these guys. I could go on, but we have music to listen to.

These guys rocked the UNB campus last night (sadly I missed it) but the amazing Aaron Collier and colossal Craig Mercer will instead don their Scientists of Sound outfits and obliterate our senses with the pumping madness of Daft Punk's "Homework" album once again. For those who missed the last show, read my review here, and for the love of all things awesome get out and see this show. Or don't. And be the one who missed out who has to listen to me and everyone else saying how freakin' awesome it was. Here's some JSB to get us through the day until we hit up the Capital.

That's mystical Mike MacDougall keeping it steady on the 7-string monster bass.

Pearl Jam - Just Breathe

A double posting of sorts today. We'll start with the "bonus beats". I wanted to wait until they'd finished their music video shoot, but they've just released a new single from their upcoming album, so welcome to The Arka Teks. Hailing from right here in sunny Fredericton are Tyler Lombard and Nick Fowler. Tyler has been doing his own acoustic stuff for a while now but in joining in with Nick's slick production work they've formed a beauty little combo, check out their YouTube channel for all kinds of goodness. Expect big things from these guys.

And first up but secondly is a band that needs no introduction. I saw them live at Maple Leaf Gardens in 1996 and it was positively monumental in its awesomeness. It's been nearly twenty years since that magical album "Ten" was released and it's fair to say they aren't the same band, but they can still rock out and even in their somewhat mellowed condition they've maintained their artistic integrity. This is far from my favorite tune of theirs, but it's sweet little tune just the same. The strings are a nice touch.

BONUS BEATS!

The Arka Teks feat. Danica Beaulieu - I Can Read

Freddy Beach reprazent!

Beastie Boys - So What'cha Want

Thanks go to some crazy russian site for allowing me to post the video of the Beastie Boys kickin' it with this wiggity wack track from way back, Jack! The Beasties apparently don't appreciate video embedding, which makes pretty much no sense at all to me. In fact, most things don't make a lot of sense to me, but then I probably don't make much sense to anyone else. Enough sense, ch-check it out.

BONUS BEATS!

Beastie Boys - Hey Ladies [Paul Nice Remix]

Giggity giggity.

Roulet - Kitamanda

I heard of this guy yesterday thanks to Disco Belle. I have no idea how people find out about stuff like this but I'm thankful that they do. Tiago Trole goes by the stage name Roulet, and he's from Portugal and is releasing an album in a few days with this track on it. It's got a nice 'ethnic' (i.e. ethic to us) feel to it, with lots of bounce. I love the video. Enjoy.

BONUS BEATS!

Crookers & Izza Kizza - What Up Y'All

Woo!

311 - Amber

I've never been a huge fan of these guys. They've done some cool stuff, but they've been largely hit and miss for me, and I've never found Nick Hexum's singing style particularly impressive. They like to mix up their styles a lot which is cool, but this is really the only song that I've listened to repeatedly. It's a great little summer jam, a twist of reggae somewhat reminiscent of Peter Frampton. It's not quite sunny out there today, but check it out and maybe save it for the next day of rays.

Groovy.

Snot - Stoopid

It was another sweet metal show last night at the Capital. The headliners were The Daisy Anthesis from Saint John, and I have to say they were pretty impressive. They're a trio, all clearly talented musicians, and they have great stage presence as well. Expect big things from these guys in the future.

Meanwhile, Jarrett played some Snot, something I hadn't heard or thought about in a while. It was a great reminder of how awesome those guys were, and it's a damn shame that their lead singer Lynn Strait left us in a car accident in 1998. There was an air of greatness about them.

BONUS BEATS!

DJ Disciple vs Prok & Fitch - Redlight

Completely unrelated awesomeness.

Etta James - Something's Got A Hold On Me

Today I think we can all use some more soul in our lives, so I've asked Etta James to grab hold of us and help us out a little.

Thanks Etta, I needed that.

Wolf Parade - Modern World

I'm rockin' all kinds of stuff at the Phoenix tonight, with DJ Bones throwin' down some mad indie tracks downstairs at the Capital. It's the official Wolf Parade after party, so you'd better warm up with a little somethin' somethin' from the paraders themselves!

BONUS BEATS!

Mark Knight - Party Animal

You'll probably hear that one tonight!

Len - Steal My Sunshine

Good googly moogly it's hot outside! April 3rd and it's summer already. Thank Peter. Last summer sucked. Let's kick it off in style with this classic one hit wonder summer gem. Turn it up and get outside!

Probably for the best that they only had one song worth remembering...

Citizen Cope - Son's Gonna Rise

I saw Clarence Greenwood, aka Citizen Cope, in an entirely inappropriate venue at UNB last year. He should have played at the Capital. While he's certainly talented, this is one artist I think you can get away with just listening to his albums. I don't mean that in a bad way, his albums are excellent, his stuff just doesn't really lend itself to live viewing unless it's in a really relaxed, intimate venue. He's not exactly Mick Jagger on stage, let's put it that way. Great tunes though, go buy his albums.

BONUS BEATS!

Citizen Cope - Awe

Sweet summer swagger.

The Cat Empire - Two Shoes

The Cat Empire began in Australia and has become something much much bigger and it has lots of reggae and ska and jazz and lots of horns and crazy grooves and lots of fun stuff and you should probably find out who they are and listen to lots and lots of their stuff cause it's fun and it'll make you want to dance.

This one's my favourite.