As I’ve mentioned in a number of blogs here before, I spent the last year living in Philadelphia. At times, it was a rough ride to get through each and every day. Being from Florida, the six month cold spell was difficult to deal with. I didn’t leave my house often, which ultimately led to me sipping on a lot of soup and drinking a lot of beer with my roomies.
The times when I did venture out of my house to brave the cold it was usually to see a show in the Northern Liberties/Fishtown area. This one particular cold night back in March I went to go see one of my favorite Florida bands, Band Marino, perform at the M-Room. I was happy to experience a bit of sunshine from home while standing inside the cozy bar pretending as if the 30 degree weather and rain outside was non-existent. After Band Marino wrapped up, Lightning Bug, a band native of Philly finished out the night. And I have to say I’m extremely happy my Florida butt braved the cold that night.
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…unless you’re Li’l Kim.
On January 16th (next Thursday) the biopic “Notorious”, about the life of Christopher Wallace, aka the Notorious B.I.G., hits theaters. The trailer, embedded after the jump, premiered at the BET Hip Hop Awards in late 2008 and has had me waiting on pins and needles ever since. In this writer’s humble opinion, there is no single rapper alive today that can hold a candle to Big Poppa, and I’m really interested to see how Notorious”, directed by George Tillman Jr. (also responsible for Soul Food and Men of Honor), captures that.
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My favorite thing about listening to music is how it sounds when I’m driving in my car. Whenever I get new music, the first thing I do is get in my car and drive aimlessly through the country backroads of our rural Florida town. It’s a very intimate experience, and even after repeated listens I often harken back to that first time in my car when I heard the album. I’ve been doing this for several years now, and while it’s taken a substantial toll on my gasoline budget, I honestly don’t think I can truly digest an album without following this routine.
Matt Butcher’s debut solo release Me and My Friends is one of those albums that is tailor made for this kind of drive. It’s not an album in the vein of Born To Run that will make you drive fast enough to get several traffic violations, but a slow burning affair that serves as the perfect soundtrack for a pensive, moonlit drive. A gorgeous collection of alternative country songs, Me and My Friends sneaks up on you in a way that seems innocuous at first but eventually reveals itself to be a remarkable composition.
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What did I get for Christmas this year? The best rave ever.
Flyers are already hitting the streets and if you were out at all this holiday season in South Florida, you already know: Ultra’s phase two lineup is out and the third and final list is coming soon. Let’s skip the foreplay and jump straight to what I want: Prodigy headlines the Main Stage Saturday night.
Some stages are announced, and imaginary setlists have already started forming in my head. I wonder if Pendulum will spin right before Roni Size, or will Rabbit In The Moon close out Friday at the Bayshore Stage. Oh, you didn’t know Pendulum was coming? Pendulum is coming.
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It’s cold and the people in the tv box are telling me to buy stuff to prove I love my family. Smells like Christmas.
My favorite part about the holidays is the perfect arrangement of federally enforced days off. Stack your paid time off correctly and that’s a two week party! And a lot of time on Youtube. So whether you’re looking to escape your family for a bit or cue up some amazing music for your (insert appropriate religious/cultural winter solstice holiday) party - we’ve got you covered.
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I just…don’t know what to say. Earlier this week, a fellow Twitterer sent me this video of a group I had never heard of: Dschinghis Khan. I watched it, in utter amazement, as these Germans in the ’70s bounced around in perfect choreography, rocked out in fabulous costumes, sang addicting chants, and Santa Clause-esque “ho, ho, ho’s”. How did I not know about this band before?
On their site, it says: “In the 13th century, the Mongolian leader Genghis Khan (in German Dschinghis Khan) and his hoard of riders conquered a vast area of the world as it was known at that time. Centuries later, a colourful, historical and costumed music group from Munich did the same with a surprise attack on the world of music. Continue Reading »
