soundbetter.net

Almost called this post "Michael Jackson still alive" though quickly realized it'd be viewed as a cheap stunt to grab hits. But with performers (and performances) like this, the spirit of Michael Jackson is well entrenched for the foreseeable future. Music will never be the same.

Tired of looking at Wax yet? Me too. Bigger update on the way with new music to talk about, but for now, check out Danger Mouse's newest project which label EMI has decided to shelve. Perhaps that's because you won't find the next crazy Gnarls Barkley hit or hear anything you'd expect from DM (except superb, lush production, per usual.)

About 2 minutes into watching this video for the first time I knew I'd post it here. Been meaning to post about Wax for sometime anyway and then he drops this new youtube video that might be my favorite thing I've ever seen or heard from him. Unfortunately, right in the middle of head nodding to this almost flawless flow, Wax hits a bridge of "I shit in your girls' mouth and she likes it, yea, yea, she likes it, she likes it."

I've never seen either band perform live, though own all of JA's albums and all of NIN's up to The Perfect Drug era (Halos 1-11 or something, then I gave up.) The With Teeth album started to bring me back a few years ago and lately, in part due to Trent's well-focused angst against corporate music control, I've been meaning to seek out NIN's new material. This song, while not all that new now, was the one that got me seriously re-interested a few years back.

Now comes word that the original Jane's Addiction lineup will be touring with NIN, doing small clubs over the next year. I will go. Not because I want to relive the past, which is why I skipped the Pixies and Violent Femmes recent reunion tours (somewhat regrettably) - but because I think these are important artists who have, in some ways, reached the pinnacle of success, but now find themselves focused on the music and the passion. It sounds like its not about selling out the biggest venues they can and selling $35 t-shirts to adoring fans. (That could still happen, I'd imagine.) But it sounds like they might just want to create some new magic. Maybe that's all bullshit. Maybe just wishful thinking. I'll be there to find out.

Trent's words from NIN.com

Eric's (Jane's bass player) words from JanesAddiction.com

I've been feeling Raashan Ahmad for about a year now, having been waaay late to the Crown City Rockers and Mission records that deserve all the underground love they've received over the years.

That said, it wasn't until I watched this new video that I was compelled to post something here. This man should be a star, with his name on par with the likes of Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Q-Tip, Common, Black Thought, etc. That's not to compare stylistically, because that's just too easy, too obvious and far too limiting. But my point is that most certainly recognize the names listed above and associate a certain level of respect and quality with their work. Many have never even heard the name Raashan Ahmad and yet his work is consistently impressive and inspiring. Things ain't like they used to be - otherwise this video would be in heavy rotation on MTV and I'd already be sick of hearing it on the radio (which would be a good thing.)

At this moment [you should be with us...], if I could listen to only one song for the rest of my life, this would be it. The In A Silent Way Sessions has long been my favorite Miles' period, somewhat of a bridge to the hugely popular Bitches Brew which was recorded later that year (1969). I recently just popped disc 3 in (from the Complete Sessions box set) for the first time in years and was greeted with the opening phrases of The Ghetto Walk. I keep returning to it, almost daily. There's so much soul in these recordings... and you know I'm always searching for more soul.


The Ghetto Walk
recorded February 20, 1969, Columbia Studio B, NYC

Miles Davis - trumpet
Wayne Shorter - soprano sax
Joe Zawinul - organ
Chick Corea - electric piano
Herbie Hancock - electric piano
John McLaughlin - electric guitar
Dave Holland - bass
Joe Chambers - drums

The 2009 Jazzfest Lineup has been announced!


Highlights include:

1st weekend: Wynton Marsalis, Dave Matthews Band, James Taylor, Joe Cocker, Earth Wind & Fire, Wilco, Erykah Badu, Robert Cray, Etta James & the Roots Band, Mavis Staples, Johnny Winter, Hugh Masekela, Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, Galactic, Terence Blanchard, Trombone Shorty, Rebirth Brass Band Reunion with Kermit Ruffins, Ivan Neville & Dumpstaphunk, Big Sam’s Funky Nation, Henry Butler, Astral Project.


2nd weekend: Aretha Franklin, Ben Harper and The Relentless7, Tony Bennett, Kings of Leon, The Neville Brothers, Bonnie Raitt, Common, Emmylou Harris, Dr. John, Buddy Guy, Los Lobos, The O’Jays, Toots & the Maytals, Allen Toussaint, John Mayall, Solomon Burke, Chuck Brown, Meter Men: Zig, George, and Leo, Tab Benoit & the Wetland Allstars, Marcia Ball, Ellis Marsalis, Bonerama, Midnite Disturbers, Otra.

This from Glide Magazine's quality music news page (though they sourced NME on it) - the Jackson 5 are planning a reunion tour and are currently in the studio working on new material. Yes, the entire Jackson 5 including White Mike. (I'm allowed to call him that since I'm also a White Mike.)


I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say... this will suck and I'm not excited at all.



You know, while the above statement may be true, I may be just a bit intrigued. New Jackson 5 material? In 2008? I mean, just how awful will it be? In my mind the bar is set so low that it will probably exceed my expectations. I'm expecting a Justin Timberlake cameo (which could actually help) - perhaps Nelly Furtado and the standard Will.I.Am guest appearances also. I'm sure they can talk Santana into playing a 30 second solo and then plaster his name all over promotional material. Wow. Suddenly this has the makings of a huge hit record!

This is gonna be great.

Caught this on Washington DC's 89.3, WPFW yesterday. Classic yet timely.

For over a year the ForQuarters Collective have been producing a killer, monthly Funk and Soul showcase called the Soul Full Party. This Friday the party makes it's debut at the 8 x 10 in Baltimore with special guests Ms. Sara & The Help and The Grilled Lincolns joining Soul Full mainstays, Higher Hands.

You are listening to the SoulFull Sampler - October 2008, featuring the ForQuarters DJs, Jason Joseph and J Mack, and hosted by the funkiest cat in town, Jay Crawdads of the Higher Hands. Produced by SOUNDBETTER.NET, this mix gives you a taste of what you can expect at a Soul Full Party. Highlights include a few choice cuts from the Soul Full DJS and two live Higher Hands tracks from the last Soul Full Party. Special guest Kevin Basiliko of The 8ohms appears on saxophone for the 2nd live cut, tearing it up as he and Matt of the Higher Hands trade solos back and forth. Killer stuff.

So, not finding the time to update as often as I'd like and because of this I end up never getting all of my ideas up here as I imagine them. So here's some scattered things I want people to know about.


Current listening: Palmetto Records

Have to thank the MMW listserve for this lead. I had been meaning to pick up Robert Walter's latest called Cure All, featuring Johnny Vidacovich on drums and James Singleton on bass. This music was written after Walter moved to New Orleans and had been playing with Johnny V and Singleton regularly. I've always liked Robert Walter's records, though not necessarily loved them. Adding two of New Orleans finest made it an obvious choice. Unfortunately (or actually for me, quite fortunately) I've been grabbed by the two other releases I picked up from Palmetto at the same time.

I mentioned the tip came from the MMW camp. That's because John Medeski, along with Stanton Moore and Andy Hess, play on Will Bernard's new release entitled Blue Plate Special. The first song is Baby Goats which has been an unnamed song played regularly over the past year at MMW shows. Sure enough, John Medeski is given the writing credit in the liner notes. Further connection, the band also performs a version of Gonzo, a song in MMW's rotation from 1998 - 2001. I didn't recognize it by name at first, but hearing it immediately had me thinking it was an MMW tune. It's not, having been written by Deadric Malone and performed by James Booker, but Medeski and Bernard don't stray much from the MMW arrangement I recall.

So with all this MMW connection the record must be good, right? That's what I'm saying, no? I will openly admit, I can't think of something John Medeski has been associated with I didn't dig, so that's a major plus for me. But this record is built on very solid compositions and grooves. Stanton is a heavyweight and his playing is solid and confident. I wasn't familiar with Andy Hess (bass) but probably should have been seeing that he had a short stint with the Black Crowes and appeared on their Live album from 2002. (He's most well-known as the bass player for Gov't Mule, but he also performed on Britney Spears' Baby One More Time? No shit. It's on his website.) Then there's Will Bernard, the underrated guitarist leading this group. He's not flashy, which may be why he isn't talked about more, but the guy definitely has chops and plays in and out of a groove with ease. I've seen him a few times with Stanton's trio and sitting in with the aforementioned Robert Walter. Always good, but never steps up to take the spotlight. His playing fits that same mold here. Again, it's more groove and feel than licks and solos.

Next up, Dr. Lonnie Smith's Jungle Soul. This is someone I've been sleeping on way too long. Having seen him live and loving it, I had still yet to purchase one of his cd's until now. Didn't even know he was on Palmetto, which is true for all of these cats. I'll admit, I haven't made it through the whole cd yet, that's how fresh all of this music is to me. But it's killer enough for me to be up at 1 am typing in the dark. (That and I'm tired of seeing my quick hitter of a last update because I was too lazy to actually talk about how much the Raconteurs kick ass these days, not just their website but the actual band. Hope you've figured that out by now, with or without my help.)

Seriously though, I'm listening to this recording right now and it is crushing. And you know what the best part is, Palmetto has their ENTIRE CATALOGUE available to stream online. And not just 30 sec samples, you can play the whole song from any album! Not to mention buy any 2 cds and shipping is free! Now that's the kind of record company worth supporting. By the way, the song I was playing at the start of this paragraph was Freedom Jazz Dance. And sho 'nuff, you can play it right now.

Damn. Those aren't scattered thoughts at all. All focused on Palmetto Records and my current listening.


Here's some other quick hits.

- My man Danny Powell just launched the 3rd installment of Keeping the Lights On over on RopeadopeTV. An independent film series that shines a light on independent artists... check it out and keep up with the stories as new episodes are added each week.

- My boys the Higher Hands released their debut album Grab Hold on August 1st at the 8x10 in Baltimore. Check out my man Carl Jr.'s pictures of the night, including openers Raashan Ahmad and Skribe. Since then Higher Hands have opened for Soulive at Rams Head Live (you already watched the video right?) and DC's own Mambo Sauce. Making moves, stay tuned.

- Saw Mos Def and his Big Band at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC this past weekend. Mos Def at the Kennedy Center. Mos Def at the Kennedy Center. It sounds strange. Is there a more important artist in Hip Hop today? Important. I mean, content aside, you're in a different class of artists when you can say "Oh yeah, the Kennedy Center? I've played there." Too late to get too detailed. I'm cheating you on this one. I will say Mos played almost entirely new material, which was very exciting. Rather than just hearing his classic songs with some added string arrangements, we were treated to new, unreleased material, including a stand-out track produced by Madlib. You can read a luke-warm review here. The reviewer gets it mostly right, the exception that while he was left with an overall feeling of wanting more, I was lifted by the understanding of just how far Hip-Hop has come and excited by the glimpse of where the art form can go.

- Google Mos Def and find this link on the top results. If you've made it this far you should definitely click that link for the gem of this entire post, Stuff White People Like.

- And to come full circle on these quick hits, my man Danny hipped me to this unreleased Mos Def track a few weeks back, via his super-secret, underground source... Okayplayer.

It's not a political statement, but a sign of the times just the same.


ABC producer Asa Eslocker was arrested at the DNC last week. What's telling here is that he's forced into the street by an officer as other pedestrians are clearly walking in the same vicinity. He is not charged at the time with committing a crime. Two hours later more police arrive to arrest him. Notice he's told to "relax" after being choked by an officer. This is a news crew standing on a public sidewalk.







Just yesterday, Amy Goodman was on the floor of the RNC when she received word that two of her producers for the show Democracy Now had been arrested. She is arrested when she approaches officers to get information about the arrests and where the producers are being held. She attempts to show credentials but is ignored and detained.





Now many say what makes Amy Goodman special? She got what she deserved. She was warned, didn't obey and was arrested. And that's the problem. It's not about rights it's about obeying an officer's orders regardless of legality. She is a reporter, not a protester. The credentials she tried to show are the highest credentials a reporter could have had at the event, allowing her access to the main floor of the convention. But somehow this is inconsequential to the police and in truth, to many Americans as well. Freedom of the Press is just another liberal, hippie buzzword these days.

The producers, Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar, are expected to be charged with "suspicion of rioting" and as of now have not been released. Amy Goodman was released last night after being held about 3 hours.


UPDATE 9/2, 1:30pm: Both producers have been released however still face felony charges. All three appeared on this morning's broadcast of Democracy Now to recount their story and those of other journalists arrested, including AP photographer Matt Rourke.

...CABLES these days?

Needed a 4 pin to 6 pin firewire cable today. Looked online and found one as cheap as $2 plus $5 for s/h on Amazon. Amazon also sells one with free overnight shipping for $15. Great. Would like to have it today though so I walk down the street to Radio Shack to see what they have. They have one, Radio Shack brand. Cool. I'm thinking Radio Shack brand is fine for this since they're all practically the same anyway. I'm a bit annoyed that they want $23 for it but I want the cable immediately and it's no hassle, walk out the door with it. I even tell the salesperson I can get it $10 cheaper on Amazon but I'll just pay extra. But then the kicker. Get it rung up and... what?! A whopping $40 shows up! Saleperson checks the price, its right. $40 for a cable that sells for $2 online. This is the business of audio/video cables these days. My cable from Amazon will be delivered tomorrow.

I first came across the ridiculuous mark up scam of retail cables a few months back. I was researching mic cables (XLR) and found some great sources for quality alternatives to Monster. At the same time I discovered the well-documented debate over the mark-up policy of Monster products. (It's not much of a debate really, since it's only between informed consumers and Monster.) That $100 HDMI cable you purchased? Could have the same results from a $20 cable purchased online. Monster speaker wire? Sure, you pay extra for the thickness of the rubber around the actual wire, which 99% of the time won't provide better results on the sound being transferred. Not here to convince though, just alert. One you start clicking links the wealth of information on the mark-up scam on all cables is enormous.


Here's just a couple of places to start:

Monster Cables, Monster Ripoff from The Consumerist
The Truth About Overpriced Cables, Again! from The Guru Guys


And a few alternative retailers worth checking out:

Amazon (check out these HDMI prices!)
Blue Jeans Cable
Monoprice
Parts Express


One thing to be clear on is that Monster does produce high quality cables, in some cases even "better" cables than some cheaper alternatives. But "better" is relative to if you can see or hear a difference. There are cheaper, quality alternatives just a Google search away. For consumers and experts alike, the results are indistinguishable. So the point is...

I know, I know. Enough John Ellis already. Well, what can I say? I teased this recording over a month ago in a post called Coming Soon ("soon" being relative, of course, to whenever I get to it.)

Wanted to make sure the artist was ok with me spreading the recording far and wide. Even in this day and age of youtube, myspace, free music madness, I try to get the artists' blessing before putting any of their material out there. Well, thankfully John Ellis is cool with it. And so it's my pleasure to be able to share this killer recording and performance with you.

Some of you paying close attention may have noticed the name Danny Powell under my sidebar section VISION. Some of you may have even clicked on the name, looked around a bit and moved along. But what you undoubtedly hadn't seen until just this month is Danny Powell's latest vision, the epic documentary series Keeping The Lights On [KTLO].

KTLO is simply about artists and their day jobs. The series (thus far) tells the artist's story through their own voice and perspective. It passes no judgment, gives no opinion. It simply looks into an artist's life in an attempt to manifest their constant struggle of balancing creative passion and earning an income.

Yet as with any great story, there are layers. And where KTLO truly shines is in the reflections of society that find their way into these personal stories. While providing perspective on one's own life, perhaps one's own struggle, KTLO also gives perspective on broader concepts such as the role of business in art, how different cultures vary in thought, and how people see the world in general.

The series was picked up just last month by Ropeadope's newly launched RopeadopeTV. Each Tuesday a new part is added to the site.

Below I've included the first two parts from the first installment, George Ferrandi, a visual artist from Brooklyn. You can view both of these parts as well as Part 3 and Part 4 over on Ropeadope. This week the first installment concludes with George Ferrandi: Part 5. (scheduled for release Tuesday, July 8)




George Ferrandi: Part 1







George Ferrandi: Part 2







You can stay up with what's happening at the Keeping The Lights On blog. The site includes new episode announcements and a budding community of artists sharing their own stories.

While Keeping The Lights On may focus on one artist at a time, its overall vision is to provide a center for the vast community of creative people, all headed on the same journey yet each traveling down different paths. I dig.