Atmosphere - Like the rest of us
Atmosphere - Dreamer

One of my friends, we’ll call him Kyle, is a huge indie hip hop fan. Unfortunately, thanks to my roots as a Texan/New Mexican - I didn’t grow up with such a great taste in music. (I mean, it’s way better than YOURS now, but it wasn’t always this way) I think my first compact disc I ever purchased for myself was Dave Matthews Band - Under the Table and Dreaming. Not such a bad disc - especially for the grunge overtones of the day.

I’ve since moved on from the Glen Philips, Dave Matthews, and Goo Goo Dolls of my youth. While I do revisit them occasionally, just for a sense of nostalgia, I no longer crave the acoustic guitar. So, when Kyle and I took a road trip on music, we first made a pit stop at Best Buy to pick up some new tunes. He bought two, and I bought 50. Mine were blank. His were ‘Atmosphere - When Life Hands you Lemons, you Paint that Shit Gold’ and ‘Lyrics Born - Everywhere at Once.’

If you’ve ever followed either of these artists, you know that both of them have a very unique style. Atmosphere - very angry white boy rap that isn’t Eminem, and Lyrics Born is a soul groover that raps to the beat of his own damn drum. And they’re both good. And about a month, they both released some new discs that have really shown that they are growing up.

Atmospheres Lemons’ is a journey of a 30 something white boy who is just now figuring out how to grow up and not be angry. Full of wit, honesty, and charm, Sean Daley (Slug) gives insight to all his previous records. He opens up, talking about his youth, the groupies, his son, his ex, and anything else he could fit on this astounding record. The music is just as clean as his new style, and won’t get on your nerves.

Lyrics Born, on the other hand, was a disappointment. Typically in the past, Lyrics will bring some funk, some soul, some light, some dark, and some really intricate records. And when you get into the first 3 songs off of ‘Everywhere at Once,’ you quite enjoy the pure funkadelic path he has choosen. The problem is, he never let’s off the pedal. It’s Funk, and it’s ALL FUNK. For me to dislike a record on first listen is very rare these days, but, Lyrics took the cake for June, I think.

Check out the tracks I included, and make up your own damn mind.

One question I’m frequently asked by co-workers and friends is - “How did you find that band?” And usually, this is after an incredible show that I’ve been to with them, or after I recommend a certain band, or burn them a mix disc.

Because I’m online entirely too much, and I love music like a fat kid loves cake, I manage to find a LOT of music for free. All the music I download is entirely legal, so I don’t have to worry about the RIA busting down my door and trying to seize my precious Macbook.

Due to my love for singer songwriters, one of the best sites out there that is finally getting the exposure it deserves is daytrotter.com. Daily, Monday through Friday, they release anywhere from 3 to 7 tracks of free folky goodness. This means that if you go every day, you get nearly 30 songs in a week. Granted, you won’t love all of it, but you’ll find some great new music that most people don’t know about. Like, did you know that Jeff Daniels (dumb and dumber) is actually a musician as well?

Many music lovers out there know that Amazon.com has released MP3 downloads, but have yet to participate. Over the past few months, Amazon has curbed my fear by allowing me to download free tracks. Follow these simple instructions to get some of your old favorites, and find new ones.

> Go to Amazon.com, and then Digital Downloads -> MP3 downloads
> Leave the Search Bar blank, and just press “GO”
> Sort the results as Price:Low to High

You’ll get a lot of music that you are unfamiliar with, but what the hell, why not try it out anyways? I mean, I’m no fan of Ted Nugent, but I’ll sure take a free song any day! You never know when you’re gonna be in a camouflage kind of mood.
I’m being very nice, and if you click on that above picture, it will take you to all the Free Downloads Amazon is offering as of June 4th.

You’re welcome.

Is it legal in California to marry an entire band?

Because if it is, consider this my premature proposal to any or all members of Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s. Have you ever been on a really awkward and uncomfortable first date? You know the kind where you accidentally insult your date’s dead grandma (Yes, I’ve done it)? Well, a night with Margot is completely the opposite of that.

Margot is that goose bump inducing “come over and watch a movie while I do my laundry” date. The one where movie watching and laundry washing are replaced with lots of making out and…other stuff.
I went to their show at the Casbah in San Diego on Memorial Day and was able to hunt down Margot’s drummer Chris Fry. He was kind enough to give me a few moments of his time and answer some life threatening questions I had about their 2nd album, “Animal!” set to release Sept. 21st, 2008.

(Not July 29th, like Wikipedia says…damn.)

First and foremost, why the hell isn’t ‘Payphone’ on the new album?!?! I heard a rumor about a month ago that it would be making its debut on Animal! but Chris shot down my hopes and dreams and informed me that that was not the case. He went as far to say that ‘Payphone’ is not that popular of a song and that none of the band members even suggested it as a track. I blame Epic records. I don’t know why but it only seems natural to blame the new ginormous label for the things that make me unhappy. And Margot might be the only saving grace of my relationship with Epic. Any friend of Margot’s is a friend of mine.
I asked Chris why they abandoned their prior label V2 records for Epic and he said V2 became strictly a catalog label and no longer produces new music. What label lets Moby and the White Stripes become free agents?? Bad move V2…bad move.

What was my absolute favorite thing about their show, you ask?? It had to have been the amazing/awkward, semi sing-along during ‘Quiet as Mouse’. I’m serious, that really happened. I’m not joking. About 2/3 of the way through the performance, Margot breaks out into ‘Quiet as a Mouse’ and when they hit “When I woke my back was broke from lying on the floor” the music died and the voices carried the song. The crowd knew the freakin’ words people! In San Diego? How cool is that? And yes, I was singing too.

So my suggestion to you, is to go to one of their shows…and then go to another. The set list always changes so you will not be disappointed, trust me. And as long as Casey Tennis is on stage you will not be bored either. By the way that guy moves I wouldn’t be surprised if he was a part of the Miami Sound Machine in a past life.

They’ll definitely play some favorites from “Dust of the Retreat” and they’ll also give you some “Animal!” teasers. Check out “I Will Be Your Lightning Rod” on YouTube. This song is a fair trade for ‘Payphone’ in my opinion.

Oh, and if you go to a show, stalk Richard Edwards and ask him why he’s obsessed with The Royal Tenenbaums and let me know what he says. I need an answer and I need it now. Click on pictures for some MNSS goodness.

Grand National Vs. The Bee Gees - Dancing in the Distance

Possibly one of the finer things in life that I’m beginning to enjoy. Mashups. This is where a DJ or just a music maniac will take two tracks of incredible music, and mash them together creating one massive, this is too good for radio - track. Today, in lieu of Grand Nationals 2nd album release, ‘A drink & A quick decision’ I’ve found a mashup of their first hit single ‘Playing in the Distance’ mashed w/ The Bee Gees ‘You should be dancing.’

Check it out, love it, live it, etc.

The Flobots - There is a war…
The Flobots - Combat
The Flobots - The Rhythm Method (Move!)

Despite what you may think, and what you may have heard out of this Denver hip-hop/rap/spoken word group, their ‘Fight with Tools’ album is damn good. Their single, Handlebars, isn’t their strongest tune, but it’s backed with a video that will spin your head.

It’s only been about 3 months since they signed a deal with Universal Republic Records, and already, they are selling out medium to large size venues. The months leading up to their deal, they were outselling major acts in album sales inside their native Denver.

Honestly, I don’t think it’s a surprise that a hip hop band with a political message is getting so much buzz. With it being an election year, our young generation is calling for a much needed change amongst our political system. Our ability to access information, music, and movies within seconds has us a bit on our heads. Because, when we ask our government to provide information about anything, we are ignored.

And this album cries out for us to be more pro-active. Regardless of its about racism, the homeless, the poor, the environment, or whatever issues are out there, The Flobots put a sense of purpose into each and every individual. Guess what? you can make a difference.

As political as I try to not be in my posts, I couldn’t help getting behind this astounding record. When Universal Republic picked up the Flobots, they picked up ‘Fight With Tools’ and didn’t touch it. All they did was re-release it nationally. And they promise not to curb the creativity, music, or message of The Flobots. I’m looking forward to future releases, and following how these guys blow the roof off apathy.

Damn, I can’t WAIT to see them live.