January 17, 2008
August 8, 2007
Jewish Music for Hitler
Associated Press: Report: Hitler HQ had Jewish music:
BERLIN - A collection of recordings taken from Adolf Hitler's headquarters at the end of World War II includes works by Jewish musicians and Russian composers, according to a German magazine report.
No word yet if this had any influence on the musical stylings of Genghis Khan.
June 14, 2007
December 4, 2006
Put On Your Yamuka, It's Time to Celebrate...
This just in from XM Radio:
DC-based XM Satellite Radio, a provider of satellite radio service to more than 7 million subscribers, said on Monday that it will launch a special channel to coincide with the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. The company said that its "Radio Hanukkah" channel, to air Dec. 15-23, will feature a broad spectrum of Jewish music and conversation.
With a specific focus on the music and traditions that celebrate the festival of Hanukkah, classic and off-the-wall renditions of traditional Hanukkah songs, such as "I Have a Little Dreidel" and "Maoz Tzur," will be showcased on the channel along with nightly broadcasts of the traditional Hanukkah candlelight blessings which will air at the appropriate times in both the Eastern and Pacific time zones.
In addition, Radio Hanukkah will feature specials focused on contemporary and traditional Jewish music, comedy, children's programming and more. Barenaked Ladies, Matisyahu, Al Franken, Kinky Friedman, Neil Sedaka, Dr. Ruth and Larry Miller are among the Jewish celebrities who will be participating in XM's Radio Hanukkah programming.
Oy Gevalt! What's more Jewish than Al Franken (besides Al Sharpton)? I think we should start a pool, here's how it will work: everyone who enters picks a number, and, at the end of the week, whoever's number is closest to the number of times they played Adam Sandler's Channukah Song wins.
October 23, 2006
Protocols
I normally don't go for this stuff, but this song has a catchy tune; I first heard it a while back on MySpace, and now I see you can get it on iTunes.
September 28, 2006
Operatic Tendencies
Nabucco (apparently Italian for Nebchadnezzar) is playing at the Baltimore Opera. I saw an ad for it somewhere online and found the teaser dialogue intriguing enough to click through:
“I am God.” --Nabucco
“I don’t think so.” --God
“Zzzzzzaaaaaaapppp!” --Lightning Bolt
Then I looked at the ticket prices, and was a little less intrigued. Culture's nice and all, but it also comes on DVD.
August 8, 2006
O.A.R. On Screen
In the movie She's The Man, several O.A.R. posters are visible in the opening scene.
She's The Man is based on Shakespeare's Twelfth Night (much in the way O Brother, Where Art Thou? isn't based on Homer's The Odyssey).
(Hat tip: Ari G.)
March 20, 2006
Matisyahu at Ram's Head Live
I've somehow managed to obtain tickets to tonight's sold-out Matisyahu show at Ram's Head Live. I'm debating whether or not to dust off the old Borsalino and dress up for the show. Peninah and I were at Ram's Head last week for O.A.R.'s show; it's a really nice venue, and they've got some pretty good shows (Friday night, Kansas is playing...KANSAS!). While the O.A.R. crowd was pretty monolithic ("Valley of Color" must be in refererence to the variety of polo shirts in the audience), I'm expecting Matisyahu to draw a more diverse audience.
We're planning on hanging out on the second level, so if you're at the show, stop on by and say hello (if you mention you read my blog, I might buy you a beer; or at least give you a sip of mine). We'll be the older, fatter guys trying to look cool with the women in shietels and knee-high leather boots.
Been Caught Learning
Perry Farrell, former member for Jane's Addiction and Porno for Pyros, has rediscovered his Jewish roots with the help of Chabad's San Francisco sh'liach, R. Yosef Langer. It's an interesting article, although the author seems a bit confused as to the proper usage of the phrase 'Messianic Judaism,' using it to refer to Lubavitch, which, while possibly correct, isn't the colloquial usage. I also find it interesting that, according to the article, R. Langer spends so much of his time with Farrell; it's reminiscent of Kabbalah's courtship of Madonna. Either way, I find stories like this interesting, not because I care if some former rock-star find religion, but for their explanations as to what aspects of religion led them back to their roots.
Farrell recently joined Matisyahu in San Francisco for Purimpalooza, a concert on Purim night, preceeded by a Megillah reading.
R. Langer calls Farrell by his Hebrew name, Peretz Farrell (reminds me of Rueven ben Peretz Farfel, for all you Frednecks out there).
March 9, 2006
January 12, 2006
To Zion Went Them
The Forward has an article on the upcoming O.A.R./Matisyahu show at Madison Sqaure Garden (this Saturday night, tickets are still available). Turns out that Matisyahu and some of O.A.R. all went on High School in Israel.
"Spiritually it got me in touch with a higher power, which was something I had never been through prior to my time there," Gershman wrote in an e-mail to the Forward. "I think, to put it mildly, the experience changed my life in a positive way, and I'm forever grateful for it."
The suburbs can be so uninspiring.
On a personal note, I once got in touch with a higher power in Israel, but that was because I forgot to use a voltage converter on my electric razor.
December 22, 2005
King With A Video
In case you haven't seen it, check out Matisyahu's new music video for King Without A Crown (that's Quicktime, other versions available at Matismusic.com and via Blogdigger Media search for Matisyahu).
I like how the lyrics are visualize; for those of us unfamiliar with the Long Island/Rasta dialect affected by Matisyahu, it helps us understand just what he is laying down. Noticeably absent in the display are such words as Hashem, God, Crown Heights and Moshiach. Strangely, without them, the lyrics come across as New Age platitudes. Then again, I'm not sure if adding them back in makes much of a difference. All the same, it's a great tune.
UPDATE: I'm always the last to know, but apparently Matisyahu is playing the 9:30 club in DC on Dec. 25th. If you want to go, too bad; it's sold out. I'm not worried, as I'm going to see him open for O.A.R. at M.S.G in January.
November 10, 2005
Hasidic Beatbox
Whoah, where am I...I started my car, radio set to 105.7 from the ride home, and there's someone on the radio singing about Moshiach and Hashem, with a Jamaican patois for added flare. Did Shweky eat the wrong brownies on his Pesach vacation in The Bahamas? Nope, it's Matisyahu! Somewhere in the last few weeks, Matisyahu crossed over from novelty act to pop culture icon.
Certainly he's a better representative than Esther Ciccone, but in the back of my mind I worry about things like what's going on at 770 and how that shapes the public perception (although I don't know anything about Matisyahu personally, but I'd say it's a valid concern). And of course, any time we start to get real comfortable here, I start to worry about things like this (OK, not really; I just think that clip is funny).
Anyway, Matisyahu definetly has mad skillz, yo. King without a Crown is quite good. He's opening for OAR at Madison Square Garden, so I'll get to see him this time (I'm hooked up for tickets on this one).
October 28, 2005
Matisyahu Sold Out
Matisyahu sold out the Recher. Not bad. Except I didn't get tickets. If anyone's got extras (anywhere from 2-8 tickets), please let me know (I'll pay for them...).
October 10, 2005
Hasidic Reggae, Hon, I mean, Mon
Matisyahu is playing the Recher Theatre on October 30. I'm thinking of going. Yeah, I know, I'm a hipster. Really I just want to see what kinds of folks show up for this kind of thing. Truth is, maybe I'm getting old, but I can't understand a word he says.
Also, word is O.A.R. is playing Madison Square Garden sometime soon. I am so there.
July 22, 2005
Music in The Air
I've become obsessed with Air Guitar. For those of you not following along at home, Fatima "The Rockness Monster" Hoang has been declared the new 2005 US champion. Check out his air guitar video of Old 97's In the Satellite Rides a Star (when you get addicted to that song, as I did, download this file). This is, admittedly, a bit high-brow for newcomers to Air Guitar; a sampling from the Air Guitar Hall of Fame might be a better place to start if you are new to the medium, such as this classic performance by David "C-Diddy" Jung.
It's hard for me to explain why I'm so in love with Air Guitar (or Air Drumming, for that matter; check out Tom Sawyer Air Drummer. That guy is on) without coming across as a total geek, but, suffice it to say, this is my bag, baby. I love the fact that something requiring no skill at all is taken, refined and elevated to an art form, to the point that we have a US Champion of Air Guitar. Some might bemoan the corporatization of the art form as a blatant attempt at co-opting the medium towards mass-market appeal, but I say, hey, we've been down this road before, and if it fosters artistic expression, then I'm all for it.
I think Frank Zappa said it best when he said, "Music, in performance, is a type of sculpture. The air in the performance is sculpted into something." So true, man.
May 6, 2005
Song of the Day
Through a serendipitous traversal of links I would up listening to an old live version of Crazy Game of Poker via Webjay. I noticed it was from Dec. 9, 2000 at the Recher Theatre in Towson (the Early Show), but didn't realize I was there until the fifteen minute mark, when Marc gives a few shout-outs to band members' families in the audience. Nice.
January 18, 2005
Popcorn!
I just found this playlist of Variations on Gershon Kingsley's classic, Popcorn. Hours of electronic musical enjoyment.
I also finally managed to find Throwing Muses' Not To Soon, which totally rocks. Check my playlist for the details.
October 31, 2004
Fool me once...
Maybe I'm being overly skeptical, but I'm certain Eminem was totally lip-syncing on Saturday Night Live. There were at least three distinct shots where lyrics could be heard, but the mic was nowhere near this mouth, nor were his lips moving.
Also, Weekend Update is totally out of ideas. That's the second Elton John appearence this season! Bring back Fallon!
September 21, 2004
I will get by
Last night, O.A.R. played as the backup-band for Bob Weir and Mickey Hart of The Grateful Dead at a benefit concert for Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT).
I asked Benj to ask The Dead which one of them had their leg stolen by the dog. That's a somewhat obscure 80's pop-culture reference that you probably won't get if you aren't around my age or didn't have cable growing up. Benj didn't get it, but Penny got it instantly. ;)
Do you get it?
August 9, 2004
Rocking the Vote
Justice Through Music, a D.C.-based organization encouraging youth to vote, gets a link simply because they have O.A.R. and Sleater-Kinney, two of my favorite bands, listed next to each other on their homepage. Anyone who can get these two bands together for a show deserves, well, a link.
And a word of advice, for all you kids out there: rather than blindly following the political opinions espoused by your favorite musicians (many of whom never went to college and spend considerable portions of their time blitzed out of their minds; to be fair, many of them have and don't), read lots of books, study history and talk to people smarter than you about the world. Not voting is bad, but voting for someone "cuz the lead singer of Suburban Nihilism* said to," is even worse. Democracy means thinking for yourself, no matter how dumb you are.
All that being said, I'd follow Carrie Brownstein into a fiery volcano.
* - Suburban Nihilism is the name of my new band (we play 80's synth-rock, naturally); we are currently looking for a violinist, flutist (electric only), a full woodwinds section and a luthier.
July 9, 2004
New O.A.R. live album
Via the O.A.R. Newsletter:
34TH & 8TH
We are excited to announce that the pre-sale for "34th & 8th" will begin on July 12th at MusicToday.com. "34th & 8th" features 2 live CDs (18 tracks with 2 songs that have not appeared on previous albums), as well as a bonus DVD. When pre-ordered through MusicToday, this 3-disc set comes in a limited edition, individually-numbered deluxe package. An exclusive "34th & 8th" t-shirt will also be available. Stay tuned for more details....
Rock On.
Also, sorry I missed the happy hour last night.
May 19, 2004
Presence Playlist
For those of you subscribed to my combined feed, you may have noticed some .mp3 files showing up in the mix. I started using a service called Webjay, which allows you to create playlists of .mp3 files freely available on the Internet. Anytime you find an .mp3 file you like (for example, Oh! by Sleater-Kinney), just add it to you Webjay playlist. You can listen to all the songs in you playlist with one easy click from the Webjay page.
The Webjay application is in Beta, but so far I've found it pretty easy to use. It would be nice if there was a one-click way to add songs from others playlists to one of my playlists (the best way I've found so far is to use their "Copy" method, which is a bit cumbersome.
Webjay exports your playlist in many different ways. I added the RSS output for my playlist to the Presence Blogdigger Group, which mingles the songs added to my playlist with my links (via Furl) and my main blog posts. Eventually, I'll get to using Webjay's Javascript export to put a listing of my recent songs on my home page. For those keeping count, that's four (4) separate tools all combined into one. It would be incredible if a single application could handle all this (nudge, nudge, wink, wink).
The best way to get started with a playlist is to go to Webjay's home page, browse through the playlists created by other users, and start stealing songs you like for your own playlist. Then it's simply a matter of finding free music around the web to add to your playlist. You could subscribe to the Blogdigger Media .mp3 feed, which lists the most recent posts that link to .mp3 files that Blogdigger finds, or you could visit the homepages of your favorite record labels (KRS, for example) and see what free samples they have available. Epitonic is also a good resource for lots of free and good music. I also just found another site similar to Webjay called SongBuddy (via SongBuddy Blogdigger Group) which offers similar song-sharing features.
March 19, 2004
Test
I don't sing loud enough you say, is this loud enough for you?
Even thought this is a test, if you can name the song the above line is taken from, you get two points.
February 18, 2004
Free Music (Free as in Beer)
I thought it only fair to pass along this hack that allows you to out-smart Pepsi and grab yourself some free music via iTunes.
While we're all feeling altruistic, why not use one of your free songs to purcahse O.A.R.'s cover of Fool in the Rain? You'll thank me later, I hope.
February 13, 2004
O.A.R. covers Zeppelin
from the O.A.R. newsletter:
We are excited to announce a special opportunity for all of you...Beginning February 17th, O.A.R. and Robert Randolph & the Family Band's recording of the Led Zeppelin classic "Fool in the Rain" will be available exclusively at iTunes. For only $0.99 you can purchase this track with the proceeds going to charity. The bands recorded the song at the legendary Electric Lady Studios in New York City before they headed out on tour together. So now, not only can you hear the song live at any of the O.A.R./Robert Randolph shows this winter, but you can also own it for yourself.
For those of you that are new to iTunes, go to www.iTunes.com to download the software now.
If you can't wait until February 17th, then check out the bands website (www.ofarevolution.com) where we're streaming the track.
Thanks to everyone for your continued support!
January 21, 2004
Automatic playlist generator
Alf Eaton, creator of the amazing blam! templating tool, has come out with a playlist generator bookmarklet. Simply drag the bookmarklet link into your links bar (usually in the top-right corner of your IE browser), and surf around till you find a page with lots of mp3 files linked. Then click on the bookmarklet, and you should get a .m3u playlist that applications like Windows Media Player and Winamp can play.
Extra cool: Alf is listing all the playlists created on his site. It looks as if only a handful of playlists have been created, but there is already enough music on there to keep me busy for the rest of the day (right now I'm listening to the KRS playlist I created. And I'm cruising the net looking for the motherlode of O.A.R. mp3s. The O.A.R. Setlist Archive sounds page might be a good candidate).
It's amazing to me that such a simple application wasn't created until now. Very cool.
January 12, 2004
O.A.R.'s new single is out
From the Lava Records newsletter:
"O.A.R. really had a great year with the release of their Lava Records debut In Between Now and Then. "Hey Girl" was the lead single from that release and now it's time for the follow-up. They've picked "Right on Time" as their next offering, a song guitarist Marc Roberge talks a little bit about on VH1 news: "This song "Right on Time" really is about a conversation with a guy and the higher power who ever it may be ya know. It's just kind of...I was driving through from Columbus to Maryland, all the time during college and I'd hear this preacher on the radio. I'm not a religious man but spiritual, and he's say, 'God might not come when you want him to but he'll be right on time...' and that always made me think." O.A.R. is currently putting together the video for that track. In the meantime, you can have a listen by clicking here: Real Player Windows Media
In other news, O.A.R. have announced their new Winter Tour dates. They will be teaming up with Robert Randolph and The Family Band on a dozen of these Click here for the full schedule."
"Right on Time?" More like "Not Soon Enough!" I guess "Better Late than Never." ;)
Incidentally, I'm totally crushing in the Google race.
Also, jeers for scheduling the Constitution Hall gig on Friday night.
November 25, 2003
O.A.R.'s latest
O.A.R.: In Between Now & Then (CD & DVD)
Check out the latest from O.A.R., one of my favorite bands.
Update: I posted this to my blog using blam! (more information on blam!)
September 17, 2003
O.A.R. coming to Wheaton
O.A.R. is coming to Wheaton for a free concert on Sunday, October 26. They are scheduled to play from 12:30-1:30.
Very cool; this could be Ezra's first O.A.R. concert.