In my other life – the one where I’m not a world-famous music blogger - I work in the tech industry and pay pretty close attention to the ins-and-outs of the Valley. It’s pretty cool when my worlds collide, both because I’m duly interested in anything having to do with music and tech, but also because the havoc surrounding the music industry and its fights with individuals downloading MP3s, file-sharing services and little ‘ole bloggers like ourselves, is one of the most interesting challenges and potential battles of our age.
Where the hell is music going? How can musicians still get paid for thier craft? When will the record companies release their iron grip on the collective nut sack of American music fans? It’s a seriously interesting story, complete with heros and villains, corporate profit versus a motivated citizenry.
ReadWriteWeb, an outstanding tech blog, recorded a great podcast on the subject, with executives from iMeem, Yahoo! Music and RealNetworks discussing the current state of online music services and the future of the music industry in general. It’s a fascinating discussion with five (including the hosts) very smart people and something near and dear to all music fans’ hearts. Take a listen below:
It’s finally here. Though the months of anticipation, Outside Lands-related posts and Radiohead worship have been fun here at the Stranger Dance, it’ll be nice to get this bitch done with, so we can have some fun. So, in the spirit of community, good citizenship and milking this high-traffic cow one last time, we present the Stranger Dance Outside Lands Survival Kit. This will (hopefully) be everything you need to survive the day, minus the tickets, money, booze and drugs … if you’re intothat type of thing.
If you’re a music fan, or merely an interested drinker, swing on by. Cousin Chris will have CDs for sale, we’ll have lovely Stranger Dance t-shirts for sale, and it should be a good time. You can even berate The Stranger for his unhealthy Tom Waits obsession … wait, that’s what I plan on doing. Sorry. Hope to see you there!
The album is currently only available through their website, which also features a free download of the single “Strange Overtones.” You can stream the entire album in the player above.
So, exciting times around these parts. Not only are 5 bajillion cool bands playing at Outside Lands a mere nine days from now, but we’re also breaking out of our little shell and throwing a party to celebrate the release of Cousin Chris‘ debut album Moon Paper. We’re inviting all our readers and fellow bloggers to join us next Thursday, Aug. 21 at House of Shields downtown (New Montgomery b/w Market and Mission) between 6PM and 10PM to celebrate the release of a great album and prime the pump for a great weekend ahead.
For those who don’t know, Chris Schreiber, aka, Cousin Chris, is a local boy who wrote, sang and played every instrument on Moon Paper. Rooted heavily in a blues (but not at all derivative), bathed in slide guitar and accented with his unique voice, Moon Paper carves out an original sound that, while minimalist, is still compelling and – most importantly – interesting. The album was recorded at John Vanderslice’s Tiny Telephone studios where bands like Death Cab for Cutie, Spoon, Nada Surf and Mike Watt have all recorded. Cousin Chris sat down with me for a chat, which you’ll find – along with a sample of his music – after the jump.
And don’t forget to come out to House of Shields next Thursday and support a local musician (and bloggers!).
Finally, the moment we’ve all been waiting for… San Francisco’s Outside Lands Festival has finally announced the stage schedule. There will be six stages and in my opinion they’ve done a pretty good job spreading out the acts. The only major problem I have is that the Black Keys and Beck are playing the same time slot on Friday night. What do you guys think?
Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr. passed away yesterday after being found unconscious near a treadmill in his home in Memphis. He was 65.
It would be difficult to overstate Hayes’ importance to ’60s and ’70s music. Hayes’ work with Stax/Volt Records in the mid-’60s layed the foundation for the Memphis soul sound. His hugely important solo career furthered the range of soul and R&B, and also contributed to both disco and rap.
What else do you have to do on a Friday night besides watch the Jose Cuervo Air Guitar Finals at The Grand Ballroom in San Francisco? If you said nothing, you’re correct. The top 25 air guitarists will compete for a spot to represent the U.S. in the 2008 World Championships in Finland.
As the rhythm designed to bounce,
What counts is that the rhymes
Designed to fill your mind.
Now that you’ve realized the pride’s arrived,
We got to pump the stuff to make us tough
This was the mainstream rap of my youth. Sure, Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power” never climbed as high on the charts as MC Hammer or Young MC, but most kids my age knew who Chuck D was and had a cursory understanding of what the band stood for.
Not so, for the last 10 or 15 years. It’s stupid to once again lament hip-hop’s slide toward materialismland … blah, blah, blah. Let’s instead look at a couple of really encouraging signs of rap’s return to political relevance – and I can’t imagine a better time.
As with seemingly everything they do, Radiohead have always pushed the limits with videos for their music – check out the video for “Knives Out,” directed by Michel Gondry (who directed “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” and “Dave Chapelle’s Block Party”), or “No Surprises” which is straight creepy.
The group’s new (-ish, it was released a couple weeks ago) video for “House of Cards” isn’t so much inventive in story or structure, but in technique – it’s done entirely without cameras.
Radiohead - “House of Cards”
Wired’s “Listening Post” blog (which should be essential reading for any music fan) has an easy-to-digest write up and behind-the-scenes vignette of how the video was shot.
As they mention, its a new process and the video is more jaw-dropping because of context, rather than content, but still very cool stuff.
MP3s on this site are available for a limited time and are for sampling purposes only. If you like the music, please support the artists. If you represent an artist or label and would prefer that we remove a link to an MP3, please send an email to MP3@StrangerDance.com. Thanks and enjoy.
