Once again I am revisiting this man called David Bazan.He has been such a big part of my life lately, and I just can't get enough of him. His Side project called Headphones, a indie synth rock band created back in 2005. It was a nice transition of music from Pedro The Lion to this jam band. When I first heard the CD I fell in love because it kind of reminded me of The Postal Service in a way. I finally got tickets for David's solo performance in December and I just can't wait to see him play.I have dubbed him my favorite song writer, his lyrics hit really close to home, because I am an alcoholic and I have struggled with that my whole life. His lyrics are very inspirational, in the sense that there is always a better way to live in this thing called life. Someday I hope to have some of the skills and confidence to play they way he does and write songs like he does. I have been working on a number of covers of his all this week, so I plan on having the videos up on youtube soon. These last couple weeks have been very stressful, so I haven't had the time to write this blog, but I am trying my hardest.
I can connect with David Bazan on every level ,he is starting to be one of my favorite artist right now in this time in my life. Between his words with god, relationships, love and drinking, i have found my self clinging on every word he sings, or as he says " I can't speak it like I sing it ." I have loved Pedro the lion for many years and The Headphones, and just recently I have been listening to a lot of his of David's solo stuff. David speaks his my mind the way I do, not afraid to lay it out on the table and show his true side for what it's worth. I have come to very difficult turn in my life right now, where I am in a bit of a rut, things have been hunky dory the last couple months but something has happened this last week. I understand I am not in control of people, places or things, but don't we all want to be able to make changes in that department? Anyway I have been listen to David a lot this week, to ease the stress of my life and fill the void of love or the lack of it. I am a hopeless romantic and it's really hard not to care about you when my heart is singing only your name. I feel almost sick with sadness someways wishing you might just tell me you love me and find your way back into these arms of mine you once called home.Meet me half way please cause it's getting harder for me. Anyway Dec 9th he will be playing close to me so I am going to get tickets here soon, only wish you might come with me and experience the words of a man who is helping me out along the way.
Imogen Heap is so amazing, I had a chance to see her a couple of years ago, it was seriously a beautiful concert. She had all of these loop stations on station and would loop her voice over an over , making this beautiful melody. She also had this clear grand piano, with a macbook built right into it. She was battling a cold when i saw her, but still sounded amazing. She started making music back in the 90's and released her first album 1998, and she was a part of a band called frou foru for awhile which i really like as well. the other day a friend sent me a link to her new material, and it was really good as always. Her music is crossed between electronic and has a little jazz flare to it. Just love her, and her British accent !
Now I am not one for hip-hop, but I can make some exceptions. I love Atmosphere, Slug the leader, is one of the most cunning lyrical master minds I have had the chance to hear. See what really turns me off to hip hop or rap for that matter is the way they talk about cash money and hoes... Okay whats new? Slug doesn't go there, he talking about really shit, that makes sense, and furthermore its like his diction is perfect. My friend Anthony and I used to be really in to these guys and memorized the lyrics to God Loves Ugly. I love his beats , they are so unique and raw , I had a chance to see him perform at warped tour when I younger, but I really didn't know who I was seeing at the time, this was before he got popular. anyway if you like good hip-hop that isn't commercial check this out .
The Dismemberment Plan is one of my favorite bands, because I have a really fond memory attached to them. One of my friends got me into the dismemberment plan back when I was in junior high. Anyway I had just started dating the love of my life, and we had spent the whole night together, and most of the morning. Can't tell how much I love this memory, when ever I am having a bad day, I just think about us together and how good things were. Anyway she stayed over until like 3 in the morning and she had to go to work early in the morning, So I devised a plan, anything to get to see her for a couple of minutes and steal a kiss or too. She worked at a vineyard selling wine on the peninsula, it was not that long of a drive but a couple of miles out there. I didn't care, I thought to myself I would cross the ocean for this girl. With butterflies flapping their wings up and down in my stomach, I hopped in the car to drive out there. My mom had just made some fresh tabbouleh, and I stopped at a little market and picked her up a drink. The day couldn't have been a more beautiful day, with sun shining and a cool breeze hitting my skin I made the journey, not even knowing if she was still working or not. I popped in The Dismemberment Plan and began singing so loud ! I was in such a good mood, nothing could bring me down. Finally got there and surprised her with some food and a drink and she was so thrown off, I could tell that she was super surprised and happy to see me. She pulled me into a workout room, and we made out for a couple of minutes, I was on top of the world. I miss her very much and the feeling we once shared, maybe one day we can share it again. On a sad note TDP is no longer a band, which is a bummer because I wish I had more memories associated with them.
Deftones is one of those bands that you grow up with and they never seem to get old. I have been listening to these guys since I was in grade school. I have seen them on many occasions, and also caught Abe's drum stick at a concert. I used to work with this guy named Tony, and his favorite band was Deftones, I mean die heart fan. We used to go to shows together and listen to them at work, that never got old. Chino Moreno is the singer of Deftones and has many side projects, including Teamsleep, Crosses. He has a really unique voices, I have ever heard. He can go from a soft whisper , to a intense squeal.Deftones was formed back in 1988, in Sacramento California. The bassist for Deftones is named Chi, and he was hit by a drunk driver a couple years back and is currently in a coma. I pray him, and the band because that is some sad shit, and he was a really down to earth kind of guy. Anyway I love Deftones and always will.
I am of course talking about Daft Punk, the greatest DJ duo I have ever heard in my life. These two really know how to make me dance. I have been a big fan since I was in junior high, these two french men have been making music for a long time, they became popular in 1993 when the release of Homework came out. I remember my first vinyl dust mats said Daft Punk on them, and that was before I even knew who they were. I would have to say that Discovery is my all time favorite album, all of those songs on that album are really classic. I also like the fact these two never show their faces, they play their live shows with robot helmets on, which I think is classic.It's kind of a guessing game, their are some earlier photos of them, but seeing how they never show what they look like, I think it is one of the worlds best selling points. Anyway really love these two, wanted to be them for Halloween this year, but the helmet is like $1,500 dollars, so I think I'll just make one next year.
The Postal Service is one of my favorite nostalgic bands ever. I have way to many memories with this band including some of the best days ever ! I used to listen to Give Up everyday for I would say about a year straight. Ben Gibbard from DCFC and Jimmy Tamborello of Dntel comprise this wonderful band of electro synth pop. I know every word to all of their songs, and own every album and ep . Just to put it out there I am a huge fan of anything Ben Gibbard does.Ben and Jimmy released Give Up in 2003, and the album blew up , every where I went I heard their songs. In 2006 the UPS sent a letter to them asking them to change their name, after negotiations an agreement was met and they played a show for them, god would I have liked to be there for that performance. I was listening to their Phil Colins cover of Against All Odds today and made me think of the things that have been going on in my life right now. I am just really happy to be alive today and have the power and motivation to just do simple things like this blog. Thanks!
I am of course talking about Baconhead, and side project that includes Ben Hudson from Ebola and Autobee they started this band back in 2009 and have been releasing some really heavy tracks. I love anything Ben does to be honest he is probably my second favorite artist. Baconhead is a cross between video game chip-tunes and at times heavy dubstep. Someday I hope to be as good as Ben at what he does, he seems to find the greatest little tweaks and glitches to add to his songs which make them all worth while. Hopefully I will have enough money in the next couple weeks to pick up their new ep that just dropped, but for now I have rocking wookies to enjoy in the mean time. Not that this has anything to do with music or Baconhead, but I have been sober for five months today and I am pretty damn proud about that !
Like music that puts you in a good mood Justin Broadwick is your man, now I am a big Godflesh fan, which my friend I keep on mentioning Anthony turned me on too. He actually has Street cleaner on vinyl , which makes me super ass jealous. Everything this guy seems to touch turns to gold , really like his use of ambient metal and melodic melodies. He formed this band Jesu after Godflesh broke up in 2003. He has numerous remixes over the years and seems to have what it takes in my opinion. Just heard that Godflesh might be getting back together to make a new album , today is a good day .... enjoy !
Last night I wen to go see The Album Leaf in concert, and just managed to catch the opening bands, one of which was named Writer. There are two guys in the band Andy and James Ralph and they of course happen to be brothers. They are a simple duo, but bring a really big rough and loud sound to the stage, it might have been because I was standing directly in front of the speakers ! I had a chance to talk to Andy after the concert, really nice guy, I picked up their 7inch and a shirt to support the band. They are from San Diego, which means I hope to be seeing more of them. I liked them better than The Album Leaf to be honest, they really rocked out. I believe he sang with a tremolo pedal the whole time, I thought it was kinda in genius. Check these guys out support them, sign up to their mailing list and get a free cd !http://writertheband.com/news.php
Lykke Li is an amazing artist, she does something to lyrics that just makes me melt and fall in love all over again. I first heard of her when my friend Joel turned me on to Kleerup and then shortly after burned me a copy of Youth Novels. I really fell in love with the track Wait Until We Bleed, that is on Kleerup's cd, I remember playing that song over and over again. I really connect with the lyrics to that particular song because it is about drinking and loosing something. We drink that fatal drop then then fall apart in parts, this reminds me of the situation I was in not to long ago with someone very dear to me. I fucked up, because I have a drinking problem, but I a, proud to say that I have changed my ways and I am coming up on five months next week! It's hard to think that something like a drink can ruin your life and break the bonds of love . <3 I can only work on this thing called life one day at a time and hope that one day she will have me as her man .
Skinny Puppy is one of those bands that for me started my love for a whole genre of music. I simply Love this band, I have seen them on numerous occasions and plan on seeing them on their next tour which should be pretty soon here! To me their are only two real main members left of Skinny Puppy they are cEvin Key and Nivek Ogre. cEvin does the programming and keys for the band, while Ogre does the vocals and an amazing stage show. I have never seen a live show like a Skinny Puppy Show, it is something truly amazing. I actually saw my favorite artist Otto Von Schirach at a Skinny Puppy show for the first time. Very dark electro industrial music, they are actually known for starting that whole genre in my book, but I think that is a fact. If you ever get a chance to see these guys do so, and be ready for a very strange adventure !
I really can't believe it has taken me this long to write about these guy, in my top ten favorite bands of all time. I have seen these guys five times in concert, kissed Jimmy Urine and stole part of his shirt once. I have always loved these guys since I was introduced to them back in high school. I have been a die hard fan for years know, love all of MSI's music and their side project The Left Rights which I will be writing about very soon. I actually saw them one devil's night when I had pneumonia which really sucked. MSI is comprised of four individuals Jimmy Urine vocals, Steve Right? guitar, Kitty drums and LynZ bass. Jimmy also does all of the programming for the songs which is my favorite part about the band. Their music doesn't sound like anything out there today, very fasted paced and cracked out electronically. If you don't know about these guys get with the fucking program, and if you ever see them in concert be aware it is going to be one of the best stage shows ever, Jimmy never stops moving .
I am talking about The Glitch Mob of course, one of my favorite electronic groups. The group is comprised of three very talented individuals such as edIT, Boreta and Ooah, it was a originally a four piece that included Kraddy as well. I have followed these guys for along time now, ever since I got into electronic music. I first heard edIT and them found out her was in the group. They call them selves crowd slayers which I always thought was really cool. I had a chance to see these guys in Santa Cruz California last year with Kelly a couple days before my birthday. We had a really good time, we got down on the floor when they played and danced a lot which was really fun. They put on a great live performance, because they play with touch screen drum sets and sound manipulators. They used to only remix popular club music, but they have really come into their own.Currently they are in the studio making a new album which I am really excited about. Hope to see them again someday.
