Music Blog

The Mercury Program And Maserati

Sun, 15 Jul 2007 13:06:32 -0500

A fan of The Mercury Program and Maserati.

It’s no secret that I love the Mercury Program. Their 2004 album “A Data Learn the Language” brought a surprising intelligence to what could have just been droning repetition. Lush, beautifully-recorded orchestration, the use of vibes as a melodic center, and intensely geometric (there’s no better word) song structures all led to an atmosphere of unusually vivid texture.

Collective Music

Sun, 15 Jul 2007 13:03:08 -0500

If you need music, book a collective!

The lamen, thinking only of Mick Jagger and his rooster strut might bark the former inspires the most wicked of onstage pleasures. But the musician, after all, has at least a little bit of "normal people," peasant blood in him. He's only human. You, sir: do you feel more at ease galavanting onstage like a lunatic alone, or with eleven other people? One might say that the members of the indie collective are more enabled to put on a good show, hop around like a monkey, lose their shit like a teenage girl screaming along at a Justin concert. There's a psychology of the masses, and it says this: even the most idiotic of ideas can gather exponential rushes of gathering energy behind them, which grow and grow into a spasmadic explosion of bliss; imagine what happens with a good idea.

Review: Minutes To Midnight.

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 01:22:40 -0500

Linkin Park's lastest spin is impressive!

After reading the outbursts of fans and the numerous people slamming Linkin Park's latest release, I was of course very curious to hearing Minutes To Midnight.

Review: American Doll Posse

Wed, 23 May 2007 12:21:41 -0500

Nice write up on Tori Amos' latest release, American Doll Posse.

The artist is Tori Amos, and the record is "American Doll Posse." It was released May 1, and I hadn't gotten around to picking it up because I haven't always been in love with everything she's done over the years... I loved Earthquakes and Under the Pink—played each of them hundreds of times, and then Boys for Pele felt like a kick in the head (it kinda was), and I left Tori to do her thing for some years. A year or two after Choirgirl Hotel came out I bought a copy, and was really impressed by over half of the tracks on there. Spark, Black Dove (January) are standouts.

Selling Off

Wed, 23 May 2007 12:15:31 -0500

It does seem like yesterday that Nirvana was performing.

Courtney Love is planning to sell a bunch of her deceased husband’s items….Former Singer of Nirvana…Kurt Cobain, who sadly passed in April 1994…last month making it 13 years ago…but still feeling like yesterday!

Word Of Mouth

Tue, 08 May 2007 00:33:59 -0500

A good introduction to music promotion and marketing.

Let me ask you something. Where did you hear about your last favorite band? Let me rephrase that. WHO told you about this “great” artist that you just had to check out? Granted it was somebody or something whose opinion you trusted. Behold the power of “Word of Mouth”.

Review: Summer Love

Wed, 02 May 2007 02:01:55 -0500

Good write up on Justin Timberlake's latest singles.

Is it me, or did all of Justin Timberlake’s singles get progressively worse in the order they were released in?

Selling Out?

Sun, 25 Mar 2007 11:32:58 -0500

Did Metallica sell out with their eponymous album?

Some Metallica Fanatics will tell you that their self titled album was the beginning of them selling out. I say just the oposite. Once they figured out the recipe for a great metal tune they could have repeated indefinately to make all the cash they wanted. Intead, their music was influenced by the culture around them, other's music, and aspects of personal life. That is what music should be all about.

Take That!

Sun, 25 Mar 2007 11:27:36 -0500

Nice post on the re-emergence of Take That.

There must be a moral to the story somewhere. After being one of the most successful boy bands, after splitting and having only very minor success as solo artists (with the exception of Robbie Williams), Take That reformed last year and were awarded with a Brit award in February 2007.

Write Music Every Day

Wed, 21 Feb 2007 09:46:01 -0500

Good tips on committing to music writing every day.

Are you an aspiring songwriter or a composer? Do you want to be a professional in the music business? The only way to become a professional is to do what professionals do. Pros develop good habits and they make no excuses. As a songwriter/composer, music is your product to market and the only way you are going develop a decent music library is to write everyday.

Garage Band

Fri, 26 Jan 2007 11:07:43 -0500

If you want to start a band in your garage, check out this new blog.

DIYbands is a new blog which will help unsigned bands to further they're music careers.

Robyn' Rakamonie EP

Wed, 17 Jan 2007 11:46:10 -0500

A big plug here for Rakamonie EP by Robyn.

Over here at Hotstuff Files HQ, we've been sent a copy of Robyn's Rakamonie EP - if you hadn't noticed from the headline above, and it is really amazing. The PR people state that "The Rakamonie EP is the sound of one ass-kicking little blonde who blasted through the industry bullshit…". Literally amazing!

Death Of Music

Sun, 31 Dec 2006 19:22:40 -0500

Is 2007 the year the music industry dies?

Welcome to the Death of the Music Industry blog!

Music Man-Date

Wed, 13 Dec 2006 13:49:13 -0500

Fun post on man-date etiquette at a My Morning Jacket concert.

I’m sure I’ve overlooked some things, but if you follow all of these rules, you should have a great time on your music man-date and keep your masculinity intact.

Hit Parade Report

Thu, 07 Dec 2006 21:06:13 -0500

Rod Stewart on Hit Parade again?

I’m not much of a metal guy these days, but I dabbled in high school. I heard about this list on the radio this morning and had to look it up. It’s bound for controversy. Freddy Mercury at #6? Scott Stapp and Fred Durst made the list but Billy Corgan didn’t? ROD STEWART AGAIN!!! This guy is haunting me lately.