Music to the People

Ryan Bingham

2010-01-18T19:22:00.000-08:00

What a bad ass picture. When I picture myself as a cowboy, this is how I picture myself. Except I'd roll my own cigarettes, just like the cowboy in "All the Pretty Horses." I like Ryan Bingham a lot. Great voice. Nice & raspy. His band goes by the name of "The Dead Horses." Awesome. He is from Texas & kinda sounds like "The Drive By Truckers." All his tracks sound great. I haven't found a track that's a best track. He's just a solid artist all around. Now, release your inner cowboy. Yeehaw!

Hockey

2009-06-09T09:47:00.000-07:00

I have been busy and uninspired by music until recently, and these guys have gotten me excited again. Hockey. Not a great name for a band because if you google them, you will mostly find ice hockey articles, but whatever. They come from Portland officially. Again, great things still happening in Portland. They are vegans, and kind of look like it. Best band since Passion Pit.

Matt & Kim

2009-02-09T12:34:00.000-08:00

This is just some good ol, down home fun music. Kinda puts you in a good mood, and since it's raining today & I hate the rain, they're perfect. Matt & Kim formed in 2004 when they met at Pratt in the NYC. They look like a couple but they aren't. They just released their 2nd album which is great. There's just 2 of them in the band. She's the drummer and he's the keyboardist. Not sure who does all the clapping. Big Gulps huh? Welp, see ya later.

VV Brown

2009-01-30T10:52:00.000-08:00

I haven't been inspired in a while, but VV Brown promped me to post today. VV has had a long road to where she is now, and it is those struggles that makes her music so fun and fresh. She freakin uses a 1 string guitar. Anyway, the music speaks for itself. I'm kind of tired of my slow depressing stuff right now, and this has been a perfect pick me up this week. If you love the oldies like I do, this is a fresh take on it. Looking forward to her album in May.

Mates of State

2008-10-21T15:56:00.001-07:00

Models? No. That embrace is genuine. This husband and wife duo got together about 10 years ago in Lawrence, Kansas. Great place. I suggest you visit when you're 19 again. He plays drums and she plays the organ...mainly. Nothing flashy but I've been listening to them a lot, and I thought I'd post it up for you.

The Verve

2008-09-24T11:15:00.000-07:00

Once again, I try not to post mainstream music on this site, but I just love this song and this band so much that I had to. I love Richard Ashcroft, the lead singer, in his solo albums and with the Verve. Glad these guys are back together for the time being. Hope they can make it last. Maybe ask Metallica for some advice on that one. If you like this song, watch the video...it takes it to another level.

Kings of Leon

2008-09-08T14:22:00.000-07:00

With the upcoming release of Kings of Leon's new album, I have become very excited about their music again. They have grown up a lot over the past many years, and their music continues to get better. Three brothers and a cousin make up this band. Growing up in Tennessee, traveling the state with their preacher father, Leon, the boys were home schooled most of their lives. Hard to believe that such a sheltered life could yield such great music, but I guess that's where the authentic rawness in their music comes from. I ran into these guys in a bar like 4 or 5 years ago and they seemed quite uncomfortable and out of place. Hard to believe, cause if I were to picture them, I'd put them on top of the tables kicking over glasses and breaking beer bottles, yeah! I actually struggled with which picture to post of these guys because they are sporting a new flashier look now, but I love their old weird hair days much more, so I decided to go with that. I mean, if I were a rock star, which I am, I would look like the lead singer with the glasses for sure. Every album is great. This is one of their new songs off the upcoming album.

Passion Pit

2008-09-05T12:05:00.000-07:00

Well how bout some new music? It's been a while, and I usually don't post bands like this because I think it will only appeal to a few people, but I have been listening to these guys quite a bit lately and they're stuck in my head...so I think that warrants a post. They are a new band that just makes noise that sounds good. This music guy I used to read a lot started his own record label and signed these guys. All the members are still in college at Emerson and Berklee at in Massachusetts. I think they'll get a nice bit of buzz when their album drops later this month. If you like this song, try "Better Things," it is superb.

Antony and the Johnsons

2008-08-22T01:55:00.001-07:00

Today I am very excited because one of my favorite artists is coming to LA, and I've been waiting patiently for many years to see him. Antony and the Johnsons is one of the most truly artistic acts in music today. Antony's voice transcends what is usual and takes hold of something deep in your soul. Born in England (of course), moving to the States, and finding his home in the New York cabaret scene, Antony is a musician who's art is truly music. His voice is an instrument that expresses emotion like no other. A lot is made of his transgender issues, but I wouldn't put too much emphasis on that. He is unique and wonderful because of his music. He plays the oddest of venues so this show at the Disney Concert Hall (so odd) will be no exception. Be patient as his music is a bit slow. Once it sinks in, you won't be able to get it out of your head. This is the first song of his that I heard.

Blind Pilot

2008-08-07T18:31:00.000-07:00

So these guys are from Oregon. Just nice down to earth guys...pretty typical of Oregon I'd say. They have just put out a great record. These guys are actually about to go on tour by bicycle. Hilarious. They actually toured together a few years ago just playing impromptu shows at campsites and such, but that bicycle tour was cut short in San Francisco when their bikes were stolen. Once again hilarious. I like their faster songs a lot more than the slow ones. This is one one their best. If you like this, try "One Red Thread" next.

Brazilian Girls

2008-08-06T09:34:00.000-07:00

So I've never liked these guys but there is this 1 song that I am loving right now. I wish all there songs were like this but they just aren't. Maybe someone told them their music sucks and that they need to make more songs like this. That's what I would have told them. I've said it before and I'll say it again, the way to my heart is just someone talking over a retro beat, then throw in a foreign accent and you've got gold. Well at least they made 1 good song. Now enjoy it.

Justice

2008-07-28T12:49:00.000-07:00

So I wanted to mix it up a little bit today. This is a dj duo that had probably the best song of 2007. I was listening to it today and thought I'd post it up because it would be a shame to let this song be forgotten. Kimmel had them as a musical guest, and it was a hilarious lineup of impersonators. There was Michael Jackson on vocals, Rod Stewart on keyboard, Prince on guitar, Rick James on bass, and Stevie Wonder on drums. Truly amazing. I really don't know too much about these guys. They have an unspoken Christian message which I think is cool. They seem like pretty decent guys, everyone says they are nice. I'm not really into techno anymore, so I'll just post the song. Great track.

Kate Bush

2008-07-24T18:26:00.000-07:00

Washed up? With a pose like that? No way. Sure she's an odd bird, but very interesting and entertaining. And anyone who lets their brother play the didgeridoo on their album is a good sister in my book. I think my favorite thing I've ever heard about Kate is that after being signed to EMI at age 16, she took her large cash advance and enrolled in interpretive dance classes. That is just amazing! My wife knows a thing or two about interpretive dance so I can appreciate that. This cover of another one of my favorite bands, The Futureheads, shows that she's still got it. You guys might not like this one, but I'm quite fond of it. Either way, here ya go.

Mason Jennings

2008-07-20T14:03:00.000-07:00

So Mason is my new obsession. Actually, I just like him a lot, it's my wife who is obsessed. Mason was born in Hawaii, although he looks more Kentucky-ish to me. He writes very simple songs. His last album was created in a cabin, deep in the Colorado mountains, just him and 2 microphones. He would write a song in the morning, then record it at night to maintain the childlike simplicity. Interesting tactic...and I think it works. Mason has a lot of good little songs like this, but this is my current favorite. If you like this, try "California," my wife loves it.

Nina Simone

2008-07-17T10:15:00.000-07:00

Well today I'm taking it back old school. Nina Simone has been around for a long time influencing countless musicians & changing the face of American culture through the cival rights movement, but a lot of people might not know her today. So today I'm happy to be able to post this great remix of one of her older songs to introduce you to her music if you don't already know her. If you like this, you will love all 40 of her other albums. Thanks to Mike Mangini of The Verve, another one of my favorite bands, for remixing this song and bringing it back to life. Now enjoy!

Shwayze

2008-07-11T17:03:00.001-07:00

Well, I was hesitant about putting this up, but I decided why not. So this is my summer track. It's quite catchy. I think it would play perfectly at a BBQ or at a fire on the beach. So a little bit about Shwayze. Well, I know he grew up in a trailer park in Malibu, near Point Dume. Did you even know there were trailer parks in Malibu? They truly are the nicest trailer parks you've ever seen, so don't feel too bad. Cisco Adler pretty much took Shwayze under his wing, and what's next but a MTV reality show because you just can't be a star today without one. So against my better judgement, here is the summer song you'll love and I'll hate in probably 2 months.

Leona Naess

2008-06-20T10:14:00.001-07:00

I have recently discovered Leona and am shocked that I haven't given her a chance earlier. I've heard of her for years but just dismissed her. Well don't make that same mistake. This song is gentle and beautiful. Like most artists on my site, she is from London but moved to New York and went to NYU for anthropology. Never heard of that before. Her dad divorced when she was 8 and remarried Dianna Ross. She has 4 albums and this is my favorite song.

Chris & Thomas

2008-05-22T10:33:00.000-07:00

These are guys you just want to root for because they seem so nice and will just never make it big. They met up in an English art school and studied film. In the late 90's and then went on the road producing a traveling cooking show out of a van. In 2003 they got back to music, and then came this song which is quite beautiful. Their voices and instruments are simple and take you to a quiet corner in your head. I love this song.

Coconut Records

2008-05-21T16:05:00.000-07:00

Usually actors in bands suck, but I have to hand it to Jason Schwartzman, Phantom Planet was was a good band and Coconut Records is pretty damn good too. Sure, not all their songs. A few are decent, some are bland, but one is spectacular and worth writing about. My sister actually turned me onto this song a few years ago from China of all places. I have no idea how this song found its way out there, but it found its way back home to me in Venice. Probably my favorite part of this song is the subtle "yeah right" near the end of the song. Jason is a great actor and a great musician which seems impossible these days. Just ask Russell Crow.

Destroyer

2008-05-12T15:36:00.000-07:00

Ok, so this band has slowly grown to be one of my new favorites. And another band from Canada, Eh? This guys even looks like my friend Colby...that's wierd. Anyways, Dan Bejar writes very simple songs that you can get lost in. This band is his solo project and this is his 8th album, and by far his best. His main other band is "The New Pornographers," a great band that sounds like "Arcade Fire," and quite an opposite sound. Bejar himself calls the Destroyer universe simply “a catalogue of the stuff I think about.” Sounds about right. The whole album sounds something like this song, but this one is the most beautiful and my favorites.

Griffin House

2008-05-07T22:12:00.000-07:00

Griffin is one of the best singer songwriters that I have ever heard. His songs impact your soul unlike any artist I know. Now for a little story. Born and raised in Springfield, Ohio, the athletically gifted House turned down a golf scholarship to Ohio U. to persue music, even though he couldn’t play the acoustic guitar nor had he yet written a song. “I took a couple of guitar lessons and got so frustrated that one day I kicked the strings off my guitar,” he recalls with a laugh. “It sat there for about a year, but I took it to school with me and made up my mind I was gonna learn how to play. One night I picked up my guitar and wandered around campus till I could barely keep my eyes open, trying to play this one chord over and over. Finally, around 4 a.m., my hand got used to it and I formed my first G chord.” Soon after he wrote his first song for the high school sweetheart with whom he’d parted ways after graduation. When she came for a visit, House played it for her, and it brought her to tears. I bet you it was the song below. If you like this song, you will love others like "If You Need Me" and "Better Than Love."

The Sleepy Jackson

2008-05-06T11:27:00.000-07:00

So these guys, or this guy, Luke Steele, is truly unique and amazing. In the past 10 years, over 30 musicians have passed through the band. Luke even sacked his brother because Jesse was more committed to his girlfriend than the music. His autocratic single-mindedness has been just one of the contributing factors to the changing membership. During the earlier years of the band's life he was also an alcoholic. After the death of two close friends, Steele quit drinking and became something like a born again Christian. His passion for God then became a problem for some members. He describes his ideals for the band to make "music to meet God to."

The band's original drummer, Leonard Jackson, had a serious case of narcolepsy, and they gave him the name Sleepy Jackson. Luke thought it was a cool name for a band. See, I knew I could relate to these guys in more than just their music. Take it easy on the sleepy drummer. If you like this song, you'll love the whole album.

MGMT

2008-05-02T18:31:00.000-07:00

I didn't like them when they were "The Management," but something happened when they changed their name. Their music got a lot better. They toured with "Of Montreal" from Athens, so I'm sure that had something to do with it. As we all know, Athens is the greatest place on Earth. These guys are kinda wierd, not really my style, but my friend knows one of them so they must be pretty cool guys. Their music videos suck. So much potential there just gone to waste. Anyways, their latest album is great, but this song is by far the best. Enjoy.

The Black Kids

2008-05-01T12:36:00.000-07:00

Well this is probably the only good thing to ever come out of Florida. We all know about jorts. Anyways, these guys started getting a lot of good buzz after their performance in Athens, the greatest place on Earth. This should be a lesson to all. Leave the armpit of a state called Florida, get up into the beautiful South, and get your life back on track. This is a catchy track and I like this band a lot. Give a listen.

Joe Purdy

2008-04-30T17:04:00.000-07:00

This guy is truly amazing. He can command the stage with just he and a piano. His voice is mezmarizing. I wish all his songs were like this. His others are good, but not this good.

"Outlaws" by Joe Purdy

The National

2008-04-29T17:09:00.000-07:00

Enough new music. This is my favorite band of the last 5 years. They are truly amazing in every way. Live shows are amazing, literally every song is as good as the next. If you like this song, buy every album. I can't say enough good things about them.

The Magistrates

2008-04-28T09:39:00.000-07:00

I like these guys a lot. Very unique sound. The singer definitely has a Prince thing going on. Another interesting English band for ya.

Los Campesinos!

2008-04-23T13:13:00.000-07:00

Los Campesinos! roughly translates to "the Peasants." Gareth plays the glockenspiel, enough said. These guys have a heck of a lot of energy. Think Broken Social Scene 10 years ago. It gets pretty crowded on stage with all these guys. Still pretty rough around the edges, but sometimes that is good. Most of their songs are like this, but this is one of the best.

Tall Firs

2008-04-22T10:30:00.000-07:00

These guys grew out of an over-the-phone collaboration between 2 teenagers who were school friends that lived too far away to walk to one another's houses. But that was back in 1990. I'm not a huge fan of all their music, but this one track is worth hearing. I love it.

A Weather

2008-04-21T15:45:00.001-07:00

Now this is a quiet lovely band that will never make it big, but they are perfect for that rainy day or that certain mood. Perfect for a Portland band. Maybe that has something to do with it. The songs are so simple but just swirl in your head like crazy. Aaron, the lead, is a residential counselor at a group home for people with mental illnesses. Another band mate is a psychiatrist. Fascinating. To top it all off, this band started off as a posting on craigslist. Gotta love that. Now listen to this beautiful song. You might not like it right off the bat, but I guarantee it will be in your head in a week.

The Teenagers

2008-04-20T16:28:00.001-07:00

An 80's sound with French accents is pretty much my favorite thing in the world. Add a little narrative and you've got the cherry on top. Now their on stage presence is quite lackidasical, which is in tune with their attitudes, but I wanted a bit more. However, anyone performing like they are on a karaoke stage, shooting their finger guns from the hip, brings some sort of entertainment value I guess. What started as a joke is now my favorite band of 2008. Not all their lyrics are appropriate, but they have about 6 killer songs. Here is one of them.

Flobots

2008-04-19T09:25:00.001-07:00

First of all, when is the last time you have even heard of a band coming out of Denver? If you can get noticed there, you know you are doing something right. Camping trips to discuss their band concerns...nice. And with the lead singer going by the name of Jonny 5, you can't help but want to root for these guys right off the bat. I haven't seen a band like this in a while. They remind me of Rage Against the Machine. Their songs build from quiet to impassioned so nicely that I can't help but make the comparison. Zach went to Harvard, Laurie went to Brown, I'm just saying. Have you even heard of the Gift of Gab? That's rhyming in five syllables. It is truly a talent. The whole album is great. Another rarity these days. This song is probably the best and catchiest on the album. If you like this, try out "Rise" and "Stand Up."

They are in the process of forming Flobots.org, a non-profit organization that will recruit and train members of their fan base to be foot soldiers in the field of community activism. Now that's commitment.

120 Days

2008-04-19T09:04:00.001-07:00

This band has a few shotty songs, but this one song has been in my head for days so I figure these guys were worth mentioning. Bands from Norway are fascinating. I have never seen a keyboardist / lead singer play so few keys with so much enthusiasm and body contortion, hilarious. So check out this song. It is solid. You might like the album too. Don't let me dissuade you.

Cloud Cult

2008-04-10T10:48:00.000-07:00

These guys rule. I know they've been around a while, but I've just discovered them, and anybody who is on a not-for-profit environmental record label is cool with me. Did anyone even know that those things existed? Hillarious. They even have 2 people that make paintings live at their shows. Lead singer Craig Minowa lost his 2 year old son and great things are born of pain. Give them a listen and thank me later.

Does It Offend You, Yeah?

2008-03-22T11:10:00.000-07:00

Well, this is my first post, and what better way to start it off than with the title track of my blog. If you haven't heard of these guys, you will. These guys will be the hottest new band of 2008 and all as an accident. Any band that starts off as a joke, I love them. Prime example is the Cold War Kids. Something about the accidental rawness. Anyways, have a listen. This is already picked as my song of the year.