“Payable On Death Skull” By Matt Templeton
If showing support for art created by emerging independent artists is something you do from time to time; then head over to talenthouse.com and choose your favorite logo design for P.O.D.
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There is no denying that NPR has spent the better part of 2011, consciously working to rack up some old-fashioned cool points. One notable example, being the rise in caliber of quality for artists they have chosen for their “First Listens” as of late. Simply put, their strategy has been the comparable equal to most this year, as in similar format, NPR has worked for some extra broadcast radio ‘Klout’ per say
However, NPR 25 year props to Def Jam, “The Mix”, feels contrived, coming across more as a “A Stretch”. Then again, let’s not forget that it is free, and that in the end; hey it is NPR. Sure, I will crank it up, who doesn’t like Def Jam anyway?
The Mix: 25 Years Of Def Jam Recordings
You know the little story of Def Jam Recordings, started way back in history by Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons. What you may not know, unless you lived outside of New York (like me), is how instrumental it was in bringing hip-hop to the masses. A new glossy coffee-table book, Def Jam Recordings: The First 25 Years of the Last Great Record Label, reveals that aspect of the label’s legacy in vivid detail.
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Public Enemy in 1987, as seen in the book Def Jam Recordings: The First 25 Years of the Last Great Record Label |
Now, here’s a little story I’ve got to tell
About a record label you know so well
It started way back in history
With Rick and Russell in an NYU dormitory
Artists In This Mix
3rd Bass • Beanie Sigel • The Beastie Boys • Boss • Cam’ron • Diplomats • DMX • Downtown Science • EPMD • Erick Sermon • Fabolous • Foxy Brown • Freeway • Ghostface Killah • Hollis Crew • Ja Rule • Jay-Z • Kanye West • LL Cool J • Ludacris • Method Man • Montell Jordan • Musiq Soulchild • Nas • Ne-Yo • Nice and Smooth • Nikki D • Onyx • Oran “Juice” Jones • Public Enemy • Redman • Rihanna • The Roots • Scarface • Sisqo • Slick Rick • T-La Rock • The-Dream • Warren G
Read more at m.npr.org
David BlackRyan Adams‘ new album, Ashes & Fire, comes out Oct. 11.You never know which Ryan Adams you’re going to get. Is he crooning, or is he raging? Is the music metal, or twangy country? He can successfully crib just about any style of popular music he chooses: the Dead, the Stones, The Flying Burrito Brothers — it’s all in his wheelhouse. You can’t help but ask: Will the real Ryan Adams ever stand up?
Now, throw into that complex mix his recent marriage to Mandy Moore, a two-year hiatus from music (long for him, certainly), and a chronic and painful inner-ear affliction called Ménière’s disease, which apparently causes him to hear strange tones and fall over things. No, it’s not the drink or drugs: He says he’s clean and living healthy. In a recent interview, Adams said he’s had to completely relearn music because of the Ménière’s.
This time out, we have a happy (we hope) and clean (we’ll take his word) Adams, making perhaps his sparest, mellowest record to date. His wife makes an appearance, singing a lovely, high harmony, and his friend Norah Jones pitches in, too. At the controls is the venerable Glyn Johns (father of Adams’ sometime producer, Ethan Johns), who, at nearly 70, has records to his credit by The Who, The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton and more.
The result, Ashes & Fire, is soulful and low-key; not without edge but certainly more lean and hushed than, say, Easy Tiger. The lyrics are considerably softer — “I will shelter you with my love and my forgiveness,” he sings, later adding, “Do you believe in love?” — but he’s allowed to have a honeymoon record, right?
It helps that Ashes & Fire, out Oct. 11, features the delicious work of keyboardist Benmont Tench, on loan from Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. Tench adds color and character, particularly in “Dirty Rain.” It’s not his first time working with Adams, and here’s hoping it’s not the last.
Check out “Cabaret”, an exclusive first listen from Moon Taxi’s upcoming album! You can hear them on air this week on Lightning 100 and this Thursday at Live on the Green. Want to win VIP tickets to their show? Click here to enter to win!
Image by wfuv via Flickr
My Morning Jacket tours US in December
My Morning Jacket are hitting the road again this fall, and are thrilled to be joined by friends Band Of Horses, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings and Delta Spirit. Tickets go on sale this weekend to the general public. Roll Call pre-sale begins today, September 19th. Go HERE to learn more about Roll Call, My Morning Jacket’s official fan club. Mailing List pre-sale begins tomorrow, September 20th.
Pre-sale information available at: http://www.mymorningjacket.com
12/1 Los Angeles, CA – Gibson Amphitheatre (with Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings)
12/2 San Francisco, CA – Bill Graham Civic (with Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings)
12/6 Tulsa, OK – Brady Theatre (with Delta Spirit)
12/7 Dallas, TX – Verizon Theatre at Graind Prairie (with Delta Spirit)
12/8 Houston, TX – Verizon Wireless Theatre (with Delta Spirit)
12/10 Boca Raton, FL – Sunset Cove Amphitheatre (with Delta Spirit)
12/11 Orlando, FL – Hard Rock Live (with Delta Spirit)
12/12 Greensboro, NC – War Memorial Auditorium (with Delta Spirit)
12/14 New York, NY – Madison Square Garden (with Band Of Horses)
Moon Taxi – 08/20/11 – Live at Cosmic Charlies, Lexington, KY
Set 1:
Square circles
Around the sun
Common ground
Hypnus
Whiskey sunsets -> *Blinded by the light (1st verse only) -> Whiskey sunsets
Southern trance
Gimmie a light
No alarm
The information -> Funky respiration
Hideaway
Set 2:
Cabaret
All the rage
Morning time
The stand
Skipping stones
Fools gold
Mustang
Pennies from the grave
**Take your mama
***Bulls on parade
E: Anchors
*Manfred Mann’s Earth Band (version)
**Scissor Sisters
***Rage Against The Machine
