A Few Zen - Music, Fusion, and Life

First of all, I dig this duo. I have seen them twice live and they are the best dynamic duo I have ever seen. I saw them once with the Flaming Lips opening (omg), and once at Chicago's Opera House the Auditorium Theatre (omg). They rock like all my favorite classic rock bands, but with 2 people. Jack is a genius. Meg bounces and kicks the heartbeat. Beat, rhythm, vocals. They keep it simple. This clip below is a good song off of their new album Icky Thump , "I'm Slowly Turning Into You".

The new album "Icky Thump" has a great country song to close the album, about 2 acoustic folk songs, 2 good classic rock numbers, and 3 solid blues songs. Plus 2 songs with bagpipes. Great songwriting. The album really isn't about soloing, it's about rhythm. And they deliver. Buy it.

This song rocks. Live at Bonnaroo like a week ago. This grungey distortion he kicks into. .....is like THE greatest distorted guitar/bass recording in about 30 years. Buy the album if you have ever liked them. 5 out of 5 thumbs.

Posted by JJ at 9:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Victor Wooten popped up for me about 5 years ago. The bass virtuoso. I'm about to record some bass for my own songs so I decided to get pumped up and typed BASS into youtube. Up pops Victor. He is a virtuoso. Sick talented maestro. I've heard him play stuff that no one has ever ever thought to play. And he plays it all, and seems like a nice guy. I give it up to Victor Wooten now.

Posted by JJ at 7:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I just turned another year older today. I'm not quite where I was last year at this time.

I'm listening to Bob Marley's youngest son Damian jam out right now. And the Arctic Monkeys, QOTSA, Satellite Party, Bowie, Thin Lizzy, Dangermouse, Grohl, Alan Moulder/Flood, Terry Date, Nigel Godrich, Beck, and Interpol.

The state of the world in 2007 disgusts me . The war, the corruption, and the criminal mentalities walking around free right now is crazy. I have tended to be pessimistic and sad about what the world is right now. Starvation, war, poverty, homelessness, medical corruption, genetically modified food and animal, tabloid tv world, AIDS, legal guns, Corporate Monopolies, and a terrible paid-off Media that has NO backbone at all. When I need to watch BBC news to see what's going on in the rest of the world.

The real estate market has also ticked me off this past year. Trying to buy a condo has taught me alot about the system and capitalism. Over-inflated prices paired with Sales. A crazy combination. A system right now where 40% of homebuyers are foreclosed on within the first year. They are building like crazy everywhere, no one is buying it, and they are charging way too much. The bubble will burst in a few years and alot will lose out on trying to cash in on selling real estate.

But I have turned over a new leaf today. To Optimism. To Hope. Skepticism has taken it's toll on me, but will not ever leave me. I just have to say that at this point in my life, my negativity serves me no purpose or good. It's just that it sucks to focus on life enough to be bummed out by it. The Bible-belt will talk of the Hope told in scripture. But that does not give me Hope, it's the years of seeing something in everything that changed me.

Some will say it's old age. The youthful spirit gives up its fight against the system. Yeh, once you work long enough and become part of the system, it takes it's toll. But I am not giving up my dreams. They have kept close to me my whole life. I just didn't have the finances to move on all my crazy ideas earlier on in my life. Had to work to get to do what I wanted. But it paid off.

This goes out to Paul McCartney and Meghan who's birthday it also is today. XOXOXOX

Posted by JJ at 9:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I have seen Gradius evolve ever since I was a kid. It was a side scrolling spaceship game. You pick up "power up" capsules and get crazy weapons. But the environment get's almost completely full of things trying to kill you. This game takes motor skills. This clip my friend Pete sent me is just ridiculous. Every Gradius game has levels like this. And I never got as far as this clip. FYI for fans of 90's video games.

Posted by JJ at 9:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Charlie Hunter is still probably the best bass player ever. He does play bass, but also guitar at the same time too. He plays an instrument with the deepest 3 bass strings ( E, A, D) and the highest 5 guitar strings ( A, D, G, B, E). He rocks, and grooves, and jazzmatazzzzes!

He covers 2 guys in any band or trio. He can groove like u don't even know. And he's young. Charlie Hunter had a non-smoking show at the "Double Door" in Chicago a few years ago. The SMOKIEST BAR EVER! And I kept getting caught smoking during the show. Kurt Elling came out for a few vocal numbers (best singer I have ever seen!) and made it all good. I used to see Kurt every week on Wednesday at The Green Mill with the Lawrence Hobgood Trio. It was the shit for a few months, until Kurt got big. But he was humble and great every time I met him. Charlie Hunter is a musical prodigy, the Mozart of our hip hop jazzy times.

Good Live Clip:

Posted by JJ at 8:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I have been a huge fan of these guys since I heard them on their "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not" album. This band is fast and super catchy. They lay down a punk feel that is very similar to what I grew up on 10 years ago mixed with modern animosity towards the pop world. They are out against posers and phonies. And everything about them speaks that. And they are less than 21 years old. That blows me away. But........these lads from England are not clueless about alcohol and drugs though, they are living it right now.

Their new album "Favourite Worst Nightmare" is better than anything they have done. It keeps the quick driving beat that initially attracted me to them. 9 of the 12 songs are really upbeat. "Do Me A Favour" is my favorite on this album. And it's the first video I found from their show at Coachella show 2007. All of this show is on youtube. It's a good one if you like any of their stuff.

One thing I like about the singer is that he sings in a strong cockney English accent and is 1970's punk at heart. No one sings with an English accent, you have to purposely do it. And I dig that. Plus it's like a poor english person's accent, but they use it and he has such a great melody and playing style. The singer solos and also holds down a rhythm. The band backs him up in a quick fashion. It all works nicely. And somehow, one can dance to it.

Here's them playing my favorite new song "Do Me A Favour" off of their new album at Coachella 2007. The live version lacks the 2nd guitarist's sound. But I like the overall feel at the show.

And here is another great song "Teddypicker" off of their new album also from Coachella 2007.

Posted by JJ at 7:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I didn't know what to think about P's new concept album.

I saw Porno for Pyros. And Jane's Addiction in two Lollapalooza's. This new band.......good drummer and bassist, Nuno on guitar from Extreme, Fergie from Black Eyed Peas, and P's wife (Jane's former belly dancer) on backup vocals. And Perry wanted this album to sound like a DJ mixing on a satellite, revolving around the Earth, having a dance party. Naturally.

But he stresses in interviews how Rock music has currently moved itself very far away from what the DJ's play in clubs. That's 100% true as a DJ myself. As a big Rock fan, I love to DJ say Modest Mouse. But if the Black Eyed Peas (or even Dr. Dre) are the hip hip hop, it's hard to mix those two songs based on the beats and the basslines. So Perry thinks he can make this album Rock, yet be mixable in between popular dance music and a good Guitar Rock song (wherever you are on the planet). OK.

But I like it. Not at the start of each song though. As soon as each song kicks into it's riff, and you get used to that riff, they switch into something either fast, unexpected, or both. I'm very critical of Nuno's soloing because he played in the cheese-ball 90's metal band Extreme. But I will say this......... he is wickedly talented. He is a virtuoso, but he works better with direction. On his own he just shreds ridiculously some type of Beethoven. But not money making. Whenever I doubt where Perry is going on any song, it switches into something I like.

This is a good concept album I recommend to any Perry fan who is curious. It grows on you fast. Perry actually got the rights to use a vocal sample of Jim Morrison on a track "Woman in the Window". And it sounds just like the Jim I love, but totally modern. And you almost can't tell it's mish-mashed over many years. It's cool. The album is all good because of the intricate song progressions they switch into to prevent any one thing from getting too boring. This album also has a great modern recorded sound. 5 out of 5 thumbs.

Posted by JJ at 8:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)