I still want a 12-string Rickenbacker

So we've all heard the stories about big musicians who go into producing once they retire from "the road," but have you ever wondered what happens to the musicians who never quite make it big but still have to move on to something (read: a real job)? It seems they often find their way behind the scenes too. Take Danny Benair. He was in one of my favorite bands growing up: The Three O'Clock. They were an incredible L.A. band in the Paisley Underground movement back in the 80s, of which I was a big fan. I believe I was the first person to tell almost all of you (my wonderful, dedicated readers) about this band, which tells you something about the level of commercial success they achieved. Well, I found Mr. Benair again -- he's working in the industry, marketing music for placement in tv, movies, commercials, etc. He also has a website that just so happens to have a large collection of complete songs publicly available. Have a look. Once the main page loads, click on "music vault" and then select a song.. Oddly (and unfortunately), he doesn't have any of his own songs up.. I just might email him and ask if he would remedy that..

And just in case you feel like listening to some good paisley tunes:

The Three O'Clock fan site on Myspace

Michael Quercio on Myspace
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Ichigeki on the Back Beat

You don't have to be a fan of breakdancing to marvel at this clip nor to appreciate the amazing moves these guys pull off. I think this is the team that won last year's world championship. Check it out.

Going Retro (or should I say vintage?)

I walked off to work today with headphones on. They were plugged into my old portable tape player. I actually worried a little what my students would think if they saw me -- I don't want to appear too out of touch! The most appalling moment, though, came when I noticed that my listening selection was from further in the past than I had realized. This is 2007.. New Order's Substance 1987 came out 20 years ago. Ugh. I'm old. Or, at least, I feel that way while I'm teaching all these 20 year olds...

Today's Playlist:

New Order -- Substance 1987
The Ted Top 23 of 2000
The Smiths -- Strangeways, Here We Come (this came out in 1987 also! I hadn't realized that at the time...)

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So Why Not "The West Side?"

For those of you still waiting to see David Lynch's new movie Inland Empire, Lynch put up a site with trailers, stills, etc., and a map that lets you know when it passed through your town without you realizing it. If you are one of the lucky ones, there will be a yellow dot on your section of the map, meaning you will have another chance to catch it. Good luck!

http://www.inlandempirecinema.com/

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"...but i watched it way too long..."

"Surely it’s not a coincidence that the 1990s were the heyday of Nine Inch Nails, the decade when Mr. Reznor went from cult hero to mainstream rock star. And perhaps he misses his days as an underground favorite. (Now that just about any kind of music is, literally, accessible, it’s no longer clear what 'underground' means.) Even the electronic noises on 'Year Zero' sound a bit old-fashioned: a throwback to the days when computer-generated music was full of static and blips. If 'Year Zero' feels warm and, for better and worse, familiar, this is why. It’s not really a cautionary tale: it’s a reminiscence. "

The New York Times (yes, that's right) reviews the new Nine Inch Nails album and all the associated hidden websites.

And if you go to the main site, you can listen to the whole album for free (but you have to join the mailing list). Listen here.

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Aloha, Don Ho

Say a fairwell to Don Ho, and watch a clip of him (actually, a cartoon version of him performing in Hawaii in the style of many music cartoons of the late 60s - early 70s) doing a cover of Peter Gabriel's "Shock The Monkey" (is that weird enough, or should I try harder?)

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The Birthdate Of Punk?

Iggy Pop, the Godfather of punk, is turning 60. There is a "birthday card" website up just for fans to leave birthday wishes. Leave your message here.

"..and I ride, and I ride"

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Eye Candy

Here are a couple of videos put out by a Parisian artist group called Pleix.

Birds

Bleip

Enjoy!

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More Than Just Sprawl

If you happen to be interested in Los Angeles architecture, check out this site.

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Am I Dreaming?

Anyone want to see Paul Weller performing "Town Called Malice" with The Charlatans?

Here it is. And while we are at it, here's The Jam doing it.

The Charlatans are on tour. Maybe they'll come to the states. If they do, I'll let you know how the show was.

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More bands to check out:

Some of these are fairly well known, so you might be familiar with them.
Some of these are pretty obscure, so if you already knew about them, then why haven't you told me about them yet?!

The Subways

Arctic Monkeys

Highwired

Silversun Pickups

(so today's playlist is poking around myspace band pages..)