Ploafmaster General

I'm a HUGE fan of the band Genesis.

Well, sort of. I'm a huge fan of the band Genesis when Peter Gabriel was the lead singer. I don't hate Phil Collins - I actually like his singing, and his drumming is incredible. I simply prefer the more "prog rock" style when Gabriel was singing lead (and Steve Hackett was still playing guitar).

I was obviously excited, then, when Mugs called me on the phone a short time ago to inform me about a Genesis reunion tour that's in progress - until I researched it a little bit. It turns out that Peter Gabriel couldn't join them because he's finishing up a new album (!)...but there's still hope, as there have been talks recently between the former band mates of touring with a full performance of 1974's The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. HOLY CRAP. I think I'd pay $100 for a ticket to that show.

But until that materializes, I think I'll just have to listen to "Dancing With the Moonlight Knight" to satiate my need for that sweet classic (really classic) Genesis sound.

Sufjan Stevens has the honor of opening up a tribute album to Joni Mitchell with her song "Free Man in Paris." I purchased this song on iTunes because it not only pays suitable homage to the original, but captures both the best of Sufjan's past musical efforts and a taste of what his future recordings have in store.

Tight orchestration (without quite going overboard), changing rhythms, and snappy vocal lines make for an entertaining and aurally enjoyable piece of music to complement the cranky lyrics.

Sufjan explained his understanding of the song and his ideas behind the remake on a page dedicated to the tribute album. There you can also listen to a healthy length clip of both Joni's original and Sufjan's version.

MaCNN reports that Apple just rolled out a hot new feature in the iTunes store.

Now, if you purchase a single from the store which later appears on an album, you can buy the album from iTunes and receive a full $0.99 credit on the song you already purchased. This works for any purchase of songs from an album with a later purchase of the entire album, with a full credit for each track, as long as the album purchase occurs more no more than 180 days after the song purchase.

Pretty slick! Less buyer's remorse should equal higher sales, methinks.

Not quite...

The Irish singer born Paul David Hewson cannot be called "Sir" rightfully because he isn't a British citizen, according to the BBC who reported on his honorary knighthood today.

Cool essay about an interesting musical context by Sufjan Stevens.

My musical mind is almost about to explode.

Indie-Hip-Hop emcee Busdriver has sampled Yes' "Close to the Edge" - specifically the "...I get up, I get down" portion from the middle of the track.

Wow, interesting song, cool groove, and crazy points just for busting the musical mold from all sides by bitin' from a progressive rock legend for a rap tune.

It's Friday, which means I'm noodling around more than working at my office. I figure I'll start off by posting a vid of an AWESOME cover of Outkast's "Hey Ya" performed by one fella, his voice, and some guitars. My buddy Nate pointed me to this, and I have to say, it's actually really pleasant and melancholy. Check it:
[youtube [www.youtube.com/watch](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-8nkkOA_AM&w=425&h=350])

I finally reclaimed the rest of my missing Weezer collection.

It's been about 6 years since I lost my original copies of Weezer's so-called Blue Album and Pinkerton, and though I was able to acquire the excellent 10th anniversary copy of the former, I'd held off on the latter in hopes they would release an equally tasty anniversary edition.

Alas, they didn't - spurning Pinkerton once again as they did when it failed to achieve commercial success the first go-'round. So last night I finally located a copy of the truly excellent rock album at Barnes and Noble in the Near-West End of Richmond.

I sure have missed such fantastic tracks as "Tired of Sex," "Across the Sea," "El Scorcho," and "Butterfly." The lyrics, the guitar solos, the bass lines - everything is fantastic. I think what really sealed the warm-fuzzies in my mind was the drive to Target later in the evening - Valerie, her sister, and myself cruising down the highway and Broad Street singing "El Scorcho" at the top of our lungs.

While I continue to mourn for the death of Rivers Cuomo's quality songwriting I'm relieved to reconnect with what is, in my opinion, some of his finest work.

I know I only have a few readers, and I know of those, none of you really listen to Radio Paradise (though I know Mugs has before). But PLEASE take a minute to read this clearly articulated description of the crisis now facing all internet broadcasters.

I know using a word like "crisis" is a bit dramatic, but consider the creativity, flexibility, and freedom that comes from being able to run your own low-cost broadcast station, and the choice that provides to music lovers everywhere: niche stations with no commercials, rare music otherwise unheard of, and creative DJs who favor intricately crafted play lists over the latest top 40 drivel.

Though I'm not entirely surprised that our government has favored business interests over the arts and fair use, I'm still really pissed off that the Copyright Royalty Board essentially ignored other opinions and went right along with the requests of the abominable RIAA. Screw those guys.

So this past weekend, of course, I was in Tallahassee to see my sister-in-law, Elizabeth, perform her senior violin recital.

As the lighting was too low to allow for photographing a musician-in-motion, I decided to try making a little video clip with my digital camera. So here it is, with poor sound quality and all (but still a good showcase of Elizabeth's talent):
[youtube [www.youtube.com/watch](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkVTRQEoKNE&w=425&h=350])

Check out this crazy dude playing the flute and beat-boxing at the same time, to the tune of the Inspector Gadget theme song (with a touch of Axel F thrown in there):
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59ZX5qdIEB0&w=425&h=350]

He also covers Super Mario Bros., and Sesame Street. Thanks to Elizabeth, my sister-in-law, for the tip.

Holy crap!!! Kenna is coming out with a new album! Go, quickly, to his MySpace page and check out the song, "Better Wise Up" - it's the super HOTNESS.

That's right...this sucker is post number THREE HUNDRED. Dang. I've been at this periodical writing thingy for around 2.5 years now, and I've found that I actually kinda like it. It's only fitting, then, that my 300th post has to do with music and The Web - a single entry which pretty well summarizes the general flavor of my past writings - a blog signature, if you will...

One of my staple reads is The Very Daily Weblog of Joshua Blankenship, and lemme tell ya - this guy practically oozes creativity. Ignoring the fact that his blog's structure borrows heavily from Kottke (to which he cops), this fella is a graphic designer, photographer, web designer, and musician. His latest post, in fact, is all about highlighting mind-blowing acoustic guitar players - something I've done from time to time on my own site. So rather than post a single embedded clip for each of the players Blankenship references, I figured I'd simply link to his post.

So go ahead and check out New School Acoustic Guitar Wizardry. Pay particular attention to Robert Taylor. Wow.

And stick around, you loyal 5 or 6 readers. I'm not going anywhere, and neither is this site. Even if I only add one new reader ever six months :-)

No, not the game series - an awesome delay/loop jockey with a mediocre voice but a great sense of timing:
[youtube [www.youtube.com/watch](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q02ompQhtY8&w=425&h=350])

I just got Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots by the Flaming Lips yesterday. Wow. I freakin' love it.

It turns out I'd heard quite a few of the songs with reasonable frequency such as "Are You a Hypnotist," "In the Morning of the Magicians," and "Flight Test." Having listened through the album several times, though, I'm really starting to groove to some of the other tracks - "One More Robot/Sympathy 3000-21" for instance.

The album in its entirety is spacey and musically cohesive. The vocals are a little on the weak side, but only if taken in isolation. As part of the rich audio landscape present on this disc, they are contributing - no, vital to the overall mood.

More exciting to me are the actual compositions. Catchy rhythm parts coupled with wonderful melodies and themes support the surrealistic vocals and production.

Here is an album I can see growing on me further with time. Big props to my buddy Joel for indtroducing me to this album way back when.

Dang, there really is some cool music coming out of Japan these days. An article in Slate Magazine explains how to sample some of the Asian hotness through iTunes, and after checking some out myself, I agree: it's a real shame that certain elements of the music bidness prevent simple international music distribution - especially in this digital age!

Peep this dude's incredible cover of Hendrix's "Little Wing":
[youtube [www.youtube.com/watch](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31QQ1gNpAaY&w=425&h=350])

These past few days I've been listening to Sufjan Stevens' Songs for Christmas album. While it officially released today, I got it Thursday afternoon because I supported the artist by pre-ordering the set from his label's site. It's a collection of five EPs he's recorded at home every year since 2001 (missing only 2004) comprised of his take on traditional carols as well as originals.

In short: BUY THIS ALBUM.

Why? Here are a couple reasons, in no particular order:
1. The music. Sufjan's covers are wonderful treatments of classic hymnal carols such as "Once in David's Royal City" and "O Come, O Come Emmanuel." He also thoughtfully includes non-carol hymns with content befitting the Christmas subject, such as "Holy, holy, holy." Especially excellent, however, are his original pieces. Sufjan manages to capture a "Christmas Song" feel in songs which still sound very much like his creations. Thoughtful lyrics and intricate orchestration - his hallmarks - are present as expected. The subject is simply Christmas rather than a state's popular historical figure. Highlights here include "Sister Winter" and "Star of Wonder."

2. The box set itself. The album comes in a fold-open box containing the five EPs in their own sleeves with details about each on the back. There's also a humorous Christmas comic strip, stickers, and a nice thick booklet containing essays, stories, and the lyrics - with chord names! This last bit is fantastic for musicians who want an idea of the song structure should they ever desire to learn/play the tunes. The essays and stories are also excellent, including the final, "Christmas Tube Socks," by Sufjan - a personal description of his experience with Christmas, from his initial disdain to his present awe and reverence.

Sure, the subject matter on these discs is fairly holiday-centric, but I think I'll keep these tunes in my regular iTunes/iPod rotation, even after December 25th.

Seriously the most amazing thing I've seen in weeks. The below video was created by a Norwegian bloke using expertly edited video samples of himself playing several individual hits on a drum kit, and notes on a piano. He otherwise doesn't know how to play drums or piano, but clearly has an ear for music. And some hella tight video editing skillz.
[youtube [www.youtube.com/watch](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzqumbhfxRo&w=425&h=350])

As a follow up to that Weird Al video posted below, I thought I'd link to the Slate article that led me to it in the first place.

Well written and nostalgic, the article reminds me of why I've always respected that man. Maybe I need to watch UHF soon...

You know it's a slow Friday when I'm postin' TWO videos! I just ran into Weird Al's video, "White and Nerdy."

Check it.
[youtube [www.youtube.com/watch](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xEzGIuY7kw&w=425&h=350])

Or rather, not denied...Below is one of the best interpretations of Stairway to Heaven I've heard/seen.

And these two, Rodriga y Gabriela, are freakin' amazing. Look for more of thier stuff on YouTube. I'll be looking for their CDs in music shops ASAP.

[youtube [www.youtube.com/watch](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNc5o9TU0t0&w=425&h=350])

Whoa...last night I saw a FREAKIN' INCREDIBLE PERFORMANCE.

My friend Robert invited me to come with him to the opening event at the John Paul Jones arena at UVA - The Dave Matthews Band. They were incredible. The musicianship was excellent to witness. The arena was exciting, and the seats were incredible. While my preference is still for more intimate club shows, I was reminded of why arena shows can be so excellent - the noise and anticipation of the crowd was infectious, and made it that much more fun to be there.

Good show, Carrothers, good show.

Whoa...to follow up the goofy with serious, I give you Raul Midon:

[youtube [www.youtube.com/watch](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynk6W3qM9-w&w=425&h=350])

Holy crap, this is hilarious...and still somewhat music related.

[youtube [www.youtube.com/watch](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56TqnexgzIA&w=425&h=350])