VHS or Beta @ MMS

"HELL YEAH!!!!", says the man in the red shirt in the front row

VHS or Beta - No Cabaret

This fella above is a good buddy of mine and he just so happens to be a big fan of VHS or Beta. In fact, I credit him with turning me on to one of the coolest new bands I've heard in awhile. (Think: Duran Duran mixed with The Cure mixed with Daft Punk.) Dude was my roommate for awhile and he goes by the nom de plum "Paloz" (a variation on his real last name, sort like King "Koopa".) Well, this picture was taken of him last Saturday night at The Patio when we saw VHS or Beta as part of the Midwest Music Summit. It was an awesome show that had me shakin my moneymaker and producing beads of sweat on my forehead the size of ping pong balls. There was some guy there who was taking pictures at each stop of their tour and posting the pictures on his site LastNightsParty. The photographer just happened to catch Paloz as he was exhorting the band with a couple "Hell yeah!!!"s or "Yeah bass!!!" or the relatively rare "Get nasty!!!". It was a really fun night of dancing around and screaming like kids hopped up on No Doz. If you go see VHS or Beta, an activity I highly recommend, make sure to dress appropriately (no sweaters or snowsuits) and wear proper shoes because you WILL 'get nasty'. I know I did.

Enjoy a little danceable goodness and Paloz's purportedly favorite VHS or Beta song, "No Cabaret". (Would you ever guess that the lead singer is a mulleted Asian from Louisville, KY? Didn't think so...)

Birthdays, Burritos, and Porch Music

the instigator

Yesterday was my buddy Casey’s birthday. The highlight of the night came at the end: Having the cops called on Casey over a disputed burrito with beans(that Casey's sister ordered specifically with "no beans"). The burrito in question was paid for, then after taking a few bites and the beans were discovered, the staff was alerted to the problem. At first Casey decided that he would take one for the team and eat the beany burrito. Then, realizing he had an opportunity for a free burrito since it was faulty to begin with, he requested a refund under the "customer is always right" statute. After the refund was requested and refused, colorful words were exchanged, which resulted in the disputed but already-purchased burrito being inexplicably thrown in a nearby trash can by the proprietors of the burrito establishment. This action produced the predictable reaction of more colorful words being bandied about by both parties. Within short order, it escalated to a threat of police involvement; a threat which Casey greeted with incredulity and then encouragement. Cops showed up and escorted him outside, but it all ended peacefully. It just goes to show you that sometimes birthdays and burritos don’t go together as well as you might think.

Anyway, I made a “porch music” mix for the dude's birthday. Check it.

1 - Paul Simon - Have a Good Time - Great 70's pop tune. Good riddance, Garfunkel
2 - Mose Allison – Seventh Son - Breezy, swinging jazz tune. Laid back, subtle vocals. Classic song.
3- Nick Drake – One of These Things First
4 - Bob Dylan – Tangled Up in Blue (bootleg version)
5 - Tony Rice & Friends – Scarborough Fair
6 - Iron & Wine – Woman King
7 - Sam Prekop – C+F
8 - Lemon Jelly – Soft
9 - Sam Cooke – A Change is Gonna Come
10 - Ray Charles – You Don’t Know Me
11 - Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto – Corcovado - The same pairing that produced "Girl From Ipanema", this song is just stunningly beautiful. Very early bossa nova.
12 - Nouvelle Vague – Love Will Tear Us Apart - A bossa nova version of the Joy Division classic. I've got a whole album of bossa nova versions of early 80's punk/new wave songs.
13 - Sam Prekop – Density
14 - Charlie Byrd – It’s Impossible
15 - Donovan – Colours
Van Morrison – Starting a New Life
16 - Tony Rice & Friends – Jerusalem Ridge - Tony Rice is one of the best guitar pickers in the world. He says it took him years to figure out how to play this song on his guitar and that it's the most physically demanding song that he plays. If you find better bluegrass than this, buy it.
17 - Gram Parsons – Do Right Woman
18 - Daniel Lanois – JJ Leaves LA - ADDED BY REQUEST 8/12! Super-producer Daniel Lanois brings his slide guitar stylings to the Hideaway. Delectable.

Once Again, Back is the Incredible

2 Mex is 2 dope 4 life.

2 MEX - Once Again

Songodsuns - Minors Into Fire

Hey, I’m supposed to be running an audioblog, huh? Well, fret not, hideawayheads, I haven’t forgot ya. It’s just that the jobby-job has been beatin me down. I won’t bore you with details, but I’ve been rode hard and put away wet. Lucky for you, I’ve found the next underground rap star in the mean time. That’s right, I’ve found the next #1 stunna. See, I realize that if I’ve got a definitive knack or a niche in this crazy musical world in which I orbit, it’s in finding the next dope rapper who sounds just different enough to make it. If the rap game was like the stock market, I’d be a googlionaire by now. It started back in college with two unknown rap collectives who had released EPs that year: a little group named “Jurassic 5” and a duo named “Blackalicious”. The last nugget I unearthed from the rap garden was ‘EDAN’. Now it’s time to reinvest, to start from scratch and find that next underground chart-climber. Mission Accomplished: I’ve found my diamond in the rough and he goes by the name “2 Mex”. His vocal style reminds me of Lyrics Born, and the production on these two tracks is definitely bangin, thanks to producer Squeak E Clean. Borrowing a page from Madlib’s playbook, he also has several aliases, one of which is “Songodsuns”. Gimme a hollar if you’re feelin this, blogosphere.

'The Bees Knees' or 'Attack of the Imported Bees'

A young hipster in training for his first beard of real bees. 'Good form; keep that chin up!'

A Band of Bees - These Are The Ghosts

A Band of Bees - Wash In The Rain

A Band of Bees - Horsemen

A Band of Bees - This Is The Land

In case you needed further proof of the fact that I’m about 24 times hipper than the average hip-cat, here’s some tracks to download from The Bees (or A Band of Bees, if you’re like me and you're not into the whole brevity thing). I had my grubby paws on this album about a year ago when it was released only in the UK. Finally, they got around to releasing this album in the US a few weeks ago. However, it really steams my veggies that they added 2 new bonus tracks on the American version. Quite the cruel joke on all The Bees completists out there, of which there must certainly be several. But, that’s what record companies are for, right?

I posted the song, "Chicken Payback" from this album awhile ago during my blogular tribute to the animal kingdom. Not surprisingly, it was universally ignored. If you want that song, you'll just have to buy the album and wish forever that you'd listened to me the first time around.

A Guilty Pleasure

Schnikies, I'm speechless

Amerie - One Thing (Siik Remix)

Yeah, so, I heard the best song of the summer the other day. It's a remix and I haven't even heard the original, but I just have that feelin in the bottom of my stomach that this is my guilty pleasure of the summer. It's kinda R&B, which is not normally my cup of tea (at least, not new R&B). See, I'm pretty far removed from Top 40 or radio, so it's totally possible that this song has already blown up and I'm arriving late to the party. But, I've played this song about 10 or 15 times since downloading it and I haven't gotten tired of hearing it yet. Subtle subliminal summer sublimity.

Keep holding on for a story or two from my trip. (I know, I've lost interest already, too)