New Years Eve


Welp, 2009 is about to wrap up, bringing an end to the first decade of the 21st century. Man 10 years gone already? Pretty wild eh?

Well tonight, whether you choose to spend your celebrations (or lack of celebrations) with your family, friends, co-workers, strangers, people you don't even like, loved ones, or simply yourself, I wish each and every one of you a very happy New Year with whatever you choose to do (or not do).

Let's give one last hoorah for the 00's.

Happy New Year everyone.


-b Funk

32nd Annual Kennedy Center Honors 2009 - Bruce Springsteen



I really don't even like Bruce Springsteen all that much, but I thought this was really nice. Give it a little check eye. (on a side note, I DO like Robert DeNiro)

Louie and Miles RE-mixed

The Apple Juice Kid has combined two of my very most favorite things, JAZZ and BEATS. In these two remix projects he has reworked some Miles Davis and Louie Armstrong classics. Some very cool, chill-out type stuff. Check it out.


Download - here




Download - here

Thundercats...THE MOVIE




Snarf Snarf.

Brad Pitt, Vin Diesel, and Hugh Jackman...humanoid cat-people?

Hmmm, might be cool (or terrible)

Snarf.

Watch

ThunderCats Movie Trailer - Click here for the funniest movie of the week

Talking Heads Tuesday


I've really been lacking on the posts as of late. I apologize and here is a little somethin' somethin' for you all.

TALKING HEADS TUESDAY! One of my favorite bands ever. David Byrne and the rest of the Heads. Come on, cut it out, just Stop Making Sense. Check it out.

Twas The Night Before Lipsmas....


Oh how clever Dan.

Wayne Coyne and Steven Drozd from the Flaming Lips perform a few Christmas Classics (in a very Flaming Lips fashion)

Twas the night...


White Christmas



Silent Night

New York City During Christmas



Everyone should at one point go to New York City around the Holiday Season. It's just so nice and festive and if you let it, it sort of helps put you in that holiday mood. Go see the fuckin' huge tree at Rockefeller Center, go to Central Park, go ice skating (unless you hate it), walk around the city, catch a show, go out for dinner, get drunk, do whatever, just get there at some port. It's nice.

Wu

Iron Man 2 Trailer


What up Tony Starks? Check out this official Iron Man 2 trailer. Looks pretty awesome. Mickey Rourke pretty badass by the way.



Curious what other supervillains might make an appearance? Check out Super Heroes R Us Top 10

Free Holidaze Joints from Slightly Stoopid


Aw how nice.

From now until Christmas Eve Slightly Stoopid is offering a nice little free album download. Hell, it's free...why not? Do it to it right HERE.

Get them "joints" before they...burn out. (sorry I had to)

Phish: Naked Guy



I don't know how I didn't hear anything about this until now. Hahaha check it out, it's great..really..it is...I mean it.




Thanks CoventryPhishBlog

This Weekend: R5 Productions' Punk Rock Flea Market


This weekend (December 19th and 20th) Philadelphia's R5 Productions will be hosting their bi-annual PUNK ROCK FLEA MARKET at The Starlight Ballroom (right below 9th & Spring Garden Sts)

Sadly I keep ending up missing this every year but that doesn't mean you have to!!!
Check it out if you are in the area, it's for a good cause.


(From the R5 Productions Newsletter)

All proceeds raised will go towards the purchase of necessary equipment and supplies to ensure that all ages shows continue to remain a reality at The First Unitarian Church in Philadelphia - mainly an annual payment for their liability insurance policy. The left over funds will go to purchasing additional PA equipment and lights for The First Unitarian Church. Do not let the "name of the event" lead you to believe that it's just punk records, clothes etc. - it's a full on flea market with everything from furniture, to laptops / computers , to stereo equipment, to handmade apparel, to vegan treats, information from various non profit groups, book stores, artists selling their work, bicycles & skateboards and whatever else they can fit onto the ballroom floor at The Starlight Ballroom

In addition to the normal flea market stuff there will also be a full bar and food service kitchen to make the day go by a little faster as well as a rotating shift of WKDU DJs!


TAKE A LOOK AT THE SELLERS LIST

Once again:

:: Saturday December 19th and Sunday December 20th 10:00am to 5:00pm
At The Starlight Ballroom (460 N 9th Street - 9th & Spring Garden-ish)
All Ages / 21+ To Drink / $3 Entry Donation /



THE PUNK ROCK FLEA MARKET HOLIDAY EDITION

(130+ tables of vendors selling old records, clothes, art, music, food, junk, bicycles, stereo equipment, instruments, automobiles, tools, posters, furniture, computers, skateboards and lots of other stuff ! all proceeds go to making sure that all ages shows remain a reality at the First Unitarian Church !)

BEAT THIS: A Hip Hop History

Your history lesson for the day.An early HipHop documentary. Check it!!!

Techno Jeep

My brother sent me this. Really cool.

F@%&*!!!!!! $h*# !!!! @$#*&%^ !!!!!!

Cartoon Censorship

RIP Jack Rose February 16, 1971 – December 5, 2009


(photo/courtesy North East Indie Records)

Just over a week ago, Philadelphia guitar virtuoso Jack Rose passed away. Rose began his career in the 90s with the band Pelt but he was best known for his beautiful solo acoustic work on both 6 and 12 string guitar.

I can't do him justice here, so I'm sending you over to the DailySwarm for a really nicely written tribute to him. Check it out

Rest in Peace, Jack

'94 Phish Interview

Classy.


Part1


Part2(intro part is the same but it really is the second part).


Down with Disease

Railroad Earth @ The TLA


This past Saturday I finally got the chance to catch the band Railroad Earth live at the Theater of Living Arts in Philadelphia. Let me say I was not disappointed in the least bit and the band's performance was much more than what I had expected.

Prior to the concert, I had been listing to the band's albums for at least a year or so (thanks Ludwig) and had really enjoyed what I heard. It's just all around good music. (on a side note their song "Been Down This Road" happens to be one of my favorite songs for some reason unbeknown to me). Anyway, I had always considered the band to be pretty much a bluegrass band, but according to a writeup on the band's website;

the members of Railroad Earth aren’t losing sleep about what “kind” of music they play – they just play it. When they started out in 2001, they were a bunch of guys interested in playing acoustic instruments together.


After seeing the band live, I've got to say they are absolutely much more than a bluegrass band. They incorporated elements of country, americana jazz (thanks to the saxophone work of the band's multi-instrumentalist Andy Goessling) rock and roll, and even had a few Grateful Dead-esque jams thrown in. This is a really talented group of guys, from Todd Sheaffer's lead vocals and song writing to the amazing back and forth "call and response" type instrumentation between Tim Carbone on violin and John Skehan on mandolin, everyone in the band contributed to the great music.

I certainly wasn't the only one who enjoyed the show, as there were rampant smiles and dancing throughout the entire night.

Thank you Railroad Earth.

Give em a listen.

Don't Sweat It Man



Worried about finals?
Work gettin' you down?
Too much Holiday shopping?

Hey it's Friday!

Don't Sweat it!!!

"That Guy" Of The Day


Hey look at that guy. What guy? That guy. The one with the...and the....and the.... and the.....Come on how can you not know who I'm talking about?

James Brown Interview



The other night when I went to see The Duke and The King, one of the guys in the band made some sort of joke about this interview with James Brown. It's hilarious, check it out.

The Great British Synth Documentary Parts 6-10



Here's the second half of the synthesizer documentary I posted the other day. Man some of these bands were hilarious, electronic music has really come a long way.

Enjoy.

Part6


Part7


Part8


For some reason Part9 isn't available in on youtube in the US due to some sort of copy-write issue

Part10

The Duke, The King, and The Church


Tonight I caught another show in the intimate side chapel of Philadelphia's First Unitarian Church (same place I saw J. Tillman a few weeks ago).

Tonight's show was Simone Felice's (of the Felice Brothers) band named "The Duke and The King" (names after the characters in Huckleberry Finn). The group consists of Bobby Bird on bass/guitar and vocals,Nowell Haskins on drums/vocals, Simi Stone on violin/vocals. During their performance the band did quite a bit of moving around as they traded instruments back and forth but those were they primary roles for most of the show. Additionally, twice in the performance Simone stepped aside to let Bobby perform two songs on his own.

Overall I was delightfully impressed with this performance. The combined country folk and soulful songs from the group's debut album "Nothing Gold Can Stay" certainly held up, if were not better, in this live setting. Everyone in the group has a really strong voice (especially Simi and Nowell) and the backup vocals and harmonies really stood out. Not to mention the group had a ton of energy (at one point they even came out into the isle of the crowd) and it seemed as though they were having a great time.

Really some great songwriting and overall good music. I highly suggest giving this album a listen or catching them live.


If You Ever Get Famous



One More American Song

1980s Record Producer?



I dunno, anybody else see it?

The Great British Synth Documentary Parts 1-5



One word, SYNTHESIZER.

Here is your history lesson for the day. The first 5 parts of the Videodrome Discothèque Presented "Great British Synth Documentary". Some pretty cool stuff here about the early beginnings of electronic music from its' experimental,artsy,industrial,punk influenced, "pop", roots and onward to the 80s. I'll be back tomorrow with the second half (now don't go checking it out on your own now!) Check it out.

Part1


Part2


Part3


Part4


Part5

Get Dirty!


Tryna get dirty? Of course you are! Get down with one half of PANTyRAID, Marty Party's set from Coachella. Download it HERE

Delinquent



(I know I can't spell)

Moe Throwback

Since it seems as though I'm on a little jamband kick here, I figured I'd do a nice throwback to 2002. This moe concert from November 3 at the Kirby Center was my very first time seeing the band.

This night was pretty special for me and was a fantastic introduction to a band who, at the time (and for the next few years), was on top of the scene. Since that date I've gone on to see these guys at least once a year for the past 7 years but this show will always hold a special place in my heart (aww).

A bunch of favorites here but a few are: New York City, Big World, Head, Rise, Money, Buster, Nebraska....aw shit it was all good.

Check it out.

Sound Tribe Saturday



Yahooo!!!

It's Saturday !!!

But not just ANY Saturday. It's Sound Tribe Saturday. That's right! Another reason to be happy that it's the weekend. A little something that should "instantly" give you satisfaction. So cool out. Dance around. Whatever, it's the weekend! Enjoy.

-b Funk





Psss, STS9's new album "ad-explorata" will be on sale this Tuesday, December 8th. Also they are going on a nice two month tour beginning in February.

Dates:

February 11 – House of Blues – San Diego CA
February 12 – Wiltern Theatre – Los Angeles CA
February 13 – Fox Theatre – Oakland CA
February 14 – Grand Sierra Ballroom – Reno NV
February 18 – Crystal Ballroom – Portland OR
February 19 – Crystal Ballroom – Portland OR
February 20 – Showbox (Market) – Seattle WA
February 21 – Showbox (Market) – Seattle WA
February 22 – Wilma Theatre – Missoula MT
February 25 – The Depot – Salt Lake City UT
February 26 – House of Blues – Las Vegas NV
February 27 – Marquee Theater – Tempe AZ
February 28 – Rialto Theatre – Tucson AZ

March 03 – George’s Majestic – Fayetteville AR
March 04 – The Lyric Theatre – Oxford MS
March 05 – Cains Ballroom – Tulsa OK
March 06 – House of Blues – Dallas TX
March 07 – House of Blues – New Orleans LA
March 10 – The Music Farm – Charleston SC
March 11 – Amos’ Southend – Charlotte NC
March 12 – The Norva – Norfolk VA
March 13 – 9:30 Club – Washington DC
March 14 – 9:30 Club – Washington DC
March 17 – Mr. Small’s Theatre – Pittsburgh PA
March 18 – Madison Theatre – Covington KY
March 19 – The Pageant – St. Louis MO
March 20 – The Pageant – St. Louis MO

Kid Cudi and Vampire Weekend?


There's a new Kid Cudi freestyle out where he raps over Vampire Weekend's track "Ottoman". Shits nice if you ask me.

Check it out HERE. Cudderisback. Short and sweet.

U Still Rap? New Sock The Rapper Mixtape



With the help of Black Cloud Clothing,Philadelphia rapper (and Largo, Maryland native) Sock The Rapper recently dropped his new mixtape "U Still Rap?"

Stripped down beats so you can actually listen to what the dude is saying. It's a bit hard to describe but like Sock says on the track Be Easy, "What type of music do you make? Is it club shit, thug shit, hot shit, pop shit, rock shit, hood shit,...nah man it's good shit"

Check it out mayne, you won't be disappointed.

Cop his earlier "The Purple Tape" right here
Check out the video for "Guillotine" here.

You Still Rap? from Konnoisseur Creative Group on Vimeo.

Deeeez Nuts!!!!



Sorry, I'm immature.

No I'm not.

Not sorry that is.

=)

-b Funk

Phish: Bittersweet Motel (Full Movie)


I have yet to see the complete film of Phish's "Bittersweet Motel" (i know it's a damn shame) but I now plan on changing that. Watch the whole movie online right here!

Thanks to CoventryPhishBlog for first posting this!!!

The Worm Wednesday


Probably my favorite basketball player ever. One of the best rebounders and overall defensive players of all time, "The Worm" Dennis Rodman.

Man, when I was little I used to try to collect as many Rodman basketball cards as I could find. I even had that sick black jersey. I gotta see if I still have that!!!

Philadelphia Concert Schedule December-February


12/01/09 :: Tuesday
Imogen Heap
Back Ted N-Ted
Tim Exile
Theatre of Living Arts

12/02/09 :: Wednesday
Twisted Sister
Keswick Theatre

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
First Unitarian Church

The Queers
The Barbary

Josh Ritter
The Low Anthem
Theatre of Living Arts (TLA)

12/03/09 :: Thursday
Kid Cudi
Semi Precious Weapons
(but Lady GaGa is the headliner)
Susquehanna Bank Center

Bowerbirds
Elvis Perkins in Dearland
First Unitarian Church

12/04/09 :: Friday
Hot Tuna
Loudon Wainwright III
Keswick Theatre

Rob Zombie
Nekromantix
Electric Factory

The Indobox
Psychedelphia
The M Room

Ghostland Observatory
Slapping Purses
JAYO
The Trocadero

12/08/09 :: Tuesday

The Duke & The King
First Unitarian Church

12/09/09 :: Wednesday
(for all you pop fans)
Jordin Sparks
Justin Bieber
Owl City
Cobra Starship
The Fray
Jay Sean
Pitbull
Wonder Girls
Susquehanna Bank Center

12/10/09 :: Thursday
Weezer
Jack's Mannequin
Motion City Soundtrack
Susquehanna Bank Center

Splintered Sunlight
Brownie's 23 East

Fanfarlo
Johnny Brenda's

12/11/09 :: Friday
Get The Led Out
Electric Factory

12/12/09 :: Saturday
GWAR
Job For A Cowboy
The Red Chord
Electric Factory

Think Pink Floyd
Sweeney's Saloon

DJ Mark Farina
The Barbary

Railroad Earth
The Infamous Stringdusters
Theatre of Living Arts (TLA)

Ryan Montbleau Band
World Cafe Live

Preservation Hall Jazz Band
Zellerbach Theater

12/18/09 :: Friday
Badfish: A Tribute to Sublime
Electric Factory

Toubab Krewe
North Star

12/20/09 :: Sunday
Garage A Trois
Skerik
Mike Dillon
Marco Benevento
Stanton Moore
North Star

The Greyboy Allstars
World Cafe Live

12/27/09 :: Sunday
Swift Technique
Heylady
Upstairs Live @ World Cafe Live

12/29/09 :: Tuesday
Ourafter
Doc Watson's

12/30/09 :: Wednesday

Rebirth Brass Band
Joseph Arthur
Johnny Brenda's

The Word
Theatre of Living Arts (TLA)

12/31/09 :: Thursday
MSTRKRFT
Lotus
Electric Factory

Brothers Past
Orchard Lounge
Theatre of Living Arts (TLA)

01/02/10 :: Saturday

Little Feat
Keswick Theatre

01/15/10 :: Friday

Average White Band
Freddy V
War
Keswick Theatre

01/16/10 :: Saturday
Gene Ween Band
World Cafe Live

01/28/10 :: Thursday

Charlie Hunter
Sellersville Theater 1894

01/29/10 :: Friday
Charlie Hunter
World Cafe Live

01/30/10 :: Saturday
State Radio
Electric Factory

02/04/10 :: Thursday
RAIN - A Beatles Experience
The Academy of Music

Galactic
Tea Leaf Green
Theatre of Living Arts (TLA)

02/05/10 :: Friday
Kansas
Keswick Theatre

RAIN - A Beatles Experience
The Academy of Music

02/06/10 :: Saturday
John Brown's Body
North Star

RAIN - A Beatles Experience
The Academy of Music

02/13/10 :: Saturday
Slayer
Megadeth
Testament
Susquehanna Bank Center

Rebelution
Zion I
SOJA
Theatre of Living Arts (TLA)

Get The Led Out
Sellersville Theater 1894

02/14/10 :: Sunday
Get The Led Out
Sellersville Theater 1894

02/16/10 :: Tuesday
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue
World Cafe Live

Tegan & Sara
Tower Theater

02/18/10 :: Thursday
Citizen Cope
Theatre of Living Arts (TLA)

02/21/10 :: Sunday
John Mayer
Michael Franti & Spearhead
Wachovia Center

02/23/10 :: Tuesday
The Pink Floyd Experience
Merriam Theater

02/25/10 :: Thursday
St. Vincent
Wildbirds & Peacedrums
First Unitarian Church

Still Life Still
Wild Beasts
Johnny Brenda's

North Mississippi Allstars
World Cafe Live

02/26/10 :: Friday
Flogging Molly
Frank Turner
Electric Factory

RJD2's Sweet Digs



Check out RJD2's sweet and "homie" home studio in West Philly and learn how to make some apple cobbler.



Thanks ElectricIndependance

Spooooookeeeeeey



Blah blah blah

The Wu-Massacre


These videos started coming out at the end of October but I wanted to wait until all three came out to post them up (and it's been hard for me to wait this long).

Just watch them, I feel like me explaining it will ruin everything. Just know this:
Method Man, Ghostface Killah, and Raekwon.
1


2


3

"That Guy" Of The Day


Hey look at that guy.

What guy? That guy.

The one over there who looks like he just got smacked in the face with a bed pan.

The guy who looks like he got slapped with a dirty piece of ham.

That guy? Little Steven?

Yeah that guy.



Check out more "That Guys" here

BLAKROC and Black Friday


In more ways than one today is BLA(c)K Friday. It's the biggest shopping day of the year, where it might not be be odd to see two mothers fighting over the last Nintendo Wii at Best Buy while their husbands are next door at Sears duking it out over the last set of Craftsman Power Tools.

Too much man!

Anyway, here's something to celebrate. Today the BlakRoc album drops! If you haven't been following, BlakRoc is The Black Keys project with: Billy Danze (of MOP), Jim Jones, Nicole Wray, NOE, Mos Def, ODB, Pharoahe Monch, Q-Tip, Raekwon, & RZA.

Pick it up here

Check out the BlakRoc webisodes here

Happy Thanksgiving!!!


Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Today is a day of celebration. A day of family, food, and friends.

What are you thankful for?

Enjoy the day and night everyone.

Thanksgiving Eve




Tonight is Thanksgiving Eve. Celebrate. Have Fun. Be safe.

Enjoy the night everyone.

The Eigenharp



Check out this crazy new instrument created by Eigen Labs. It's called the Eigenharp Alpha and is an electronic stick-like (it actually looks like a bassoon) instrument with a breath pipe, 120 top keys, 12 percussion keys on the bottom and a whole bunch of other stuff! It has a lot of versatility due to all the different patches on it and you can play sounds resembling anything from an electronic guitar to a clarinet.

Oh and it's only 3,950 euros. Actually there is a smaller version called the "Pico" that runs about 350 euros (which isn't that bad). Anyway, check it out!

Demo 1


Performance

BLAKROC EPISODE #10 !!!!



BLAKROC you know, the collaboration between The Black Keys and: Mof Def, Raekwon, Q-Tip, ODB, RZA, Jim Jones,Nicole Wray, Ludacris, NOE, Pharoahe Monch, and Billy Danze, has returned with Episode number 10

In this episode, the lovely Nikki Wray returns to lay down another track with Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys. Check it out!

Watch the other week's episodes HERE

Men at Work Monday Has Returned!


Ohhhhhhhhh it's back!!! But sadly it's also Monday.

You know the routine:

The weekend is over.
It's Monday.
Time for school.
Time for work.

But it's also almost Thanksgiving, a fine holiday if I do say so myself. So think of it this way. It being Monday only makes it another day closer to the holiday. So go ahead, take Monday by the horns, spin it around and give it a good swift kick in the ass. Happy MEN AT WORK MONDAY Everybody!!!

The Word Fuck



Various usages of the word fuck, performed by Jack Wagner

Vampire Weekend: New Album Release Date!


Mark your calendars kiddies.

Everyone's favorite(well one of mine at least) hip and trendy band will soon be releasing the followup to their fantastic 2008 debut. That's right! Vampire Weekend will drop their new album, entitled Contra, on January 12, 2010. I love me some VampWeek (no I don't actually call them that) and I am more than excited for their new album. If you still haven't listened to their first, seriously do yourself a favor and pick it up.

Check out their new single "Cousins"


Contra

Timbaland Shock Value 2


I saw this a while ago but I forgot about it until now.

From Uncut Magazine

According to publicized reports, the album will feature appearances from Justin Timberlake, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, The Fray, Chris Daughtry, Nickelback's Chad Kroeger, Brandy, Keri Hilson and Young Money superstar Drake.


Yeah. "Shock Value" is a perfect title for this album. Miley Cyrus? Daughtry? NICKELBACK? (does anyone actually like Nickelback?) Drake? Real original. Timbo...really? What the hell is wrong with you? Maybe a better name for this would be "MakeMoneyOffShitPopMusciansThatAreHotNow". Good Lord Man.

Flaming Lips: "Watching the Planets" Video



*WARNING*
*EVERYONE IN THIS VIDEO IS BUTT ASS NAKED*
*WATCH AT YOUR OWN RISK*


I've been waiting to see this for quite some time and ummmm it's been...a while since I've seen something so outrageous, disturbing?, great? Just because I don't really get it doesn't mean there's something wrong with it. God I love the Flaming Lips.


For some reason I can't embed the video so go to NME and watch it there.

Or you can watch a squeaky clean (and fully clothed) live version HERE.

PLORK: Princeton Laptop Orchestra


Check out what Princeton is working on HERE.

Here's my opinion on the whole thing. I love electronic music, and Princeton might be on to something. They aren't exactly the first to try something like this (maybe the first university). A lot of electronic acts out there are using laptops on a network to make music and send back and forth information to each other, but this might be the largest scale of its' use that I've seen at least.

It is my belief that in its' very essence music is social. Of course their are certain aspects of music that are more personal. People write songs about personal experiences, feelings, etc but they also evoke feelings in the people that listen to them, sort of making it a shared experience. The orchestra kind of has something social going for it, I mean an orchestra in itself is a pretty social event (except for the fact that one person conducts it and the music that's played is usually written by one person.....well some bands are like that too, shit where am I going with this? Actually there's nothing wrong with an orchestra playing the music one person wrote, it's actually extremely impressive that one person can do such a thing. Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, and the countless other composers are all geniuses. )

Anyway, everyone is in a room together, that's a start. I feel that instead of just following someone's complete direction, all these muscians should each contribute their own musical ideas/sounds/elements to the mix and create an entire sonic landscape. In my opinion that would be much cooler than what I heard on the (above) video. It would also be pretty cool to see what other types of music could be composed through this though as well. Anyway, it'll be interesting to hear how this progresses in the future.

Thanks for reading
-b Funk