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.
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)
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.
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.
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.
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!
:: 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 !)
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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!
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!!!
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
This is a place for all things "entertainment", which is essentially all things me. Music, art, movies, TV, new technologies, "everything" and (maybe) anything involved with entertainment. I put the words "entertainment" and "everything" in parenthesis for the fact that firstly some things I may find entertaining other people may not and secondly there's no way I can really cover everything out there.
Some of my entries may seem completely random but I feel as though spontaneity and randomness should be a part of life. Nonetheless, I hope this brings you some kind of enjoyment, for that's the real reason behind this whole thing.
The exact origin of the name "Danny b Funk" is unknown but it was developed years ago due to my funky bass playing and all around "funky" nature (whatever that means).
My outlook and attitude towards life, as well as inspirations are influenced greatly by:
1960's hippie culture, sounds, noise and beats, Funk, the Grateful Dead, cartoons, Les Claypool, comic books, the 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, professional wrestling, "the groove", Living in the country, rhymes, The Twilight Zone Dr. Seuss,improvisation, video games, standup and improv comedy, old school hip hop, DJs, Shel Silverstein, Drum Machines, Vinyl Discs, boat shoes, electricity, mythology, Eastern religion and philosophy, acoustic instruments, Mick Foley, jazz, awkwardness, music as a whole, antics, shenanigans and tomfoolery.
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