Friday, June 29, 2012

FEATURE: Vibraphone Hero: Lionel Hampton

Jazz great Lionel Hampton pioneered the use of the vibraphone in popular music, but he also blazed much more important trails, helping to break down the deeply-rooted cultural barriers that kept American artists of different races from working together.


Wednesday, June 27, 2012

PLAYLIST: Mondo Radio (06/27/12)


Here's the playlist for this week's edition of Mondo Radio, which you can download or stream here. If you dig it, you can also follow the show on Facebook and Twitter.

Artist - Song - Album
Brian Eno - Glitch - Drums Between The Bells
Brian Eno - Bless This Space - Drums Between The Bells
David Lynch - Noah's Ark - Crazy Clown Time
David Lynch - Strange And Unproductive Thinking - Crazy Clown Time
Gil Scott-Heron & Jamie Xx - NY Is Killing Me - We're New Here
Gil Scott-Heron & Jamie Xx - Ur Soul And Mine - We're New Here
Blaqstarr - Turning Out - Divine EP
Blaqstarr - Oh My Darlin' - Divine EP
Kraftwerk - Showroom Dummies - Trans-Europe Express
Kraftwerk - Franz Schubert - Trans-Europe Express
Wendy Carlos - Timesteps (Excerpt) - Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange - Music From The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Wendy Carlos - Title Music From A Clockwork Orange - Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange - Music From The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Copernicus - Atomic Nevermore - Nothing Exists
Talking Heads - Ruby Dear - Naked
Talking Heads - Cool Water - Naked
Public Image Limited - Seattle - Happy?
Public Image Limited - The Body - Happy?
New Order - Every Second Counts (Live) - BBC Radio 1 Live In Concert
New Order - Touched By The Hand Of God (Live) - BBC Radio 1 Live In Concert
Joy Division - Insight - The Complete BBC Recordings
Joy Division - 24 Hours - The Complete BBC Recordings
The Human League - Darkness - Dare
The Human League - I Am The Law - Dare
Depeche Mode - World In My Eyes - Violator
Depeche Mode - Policy Of Truth - Violator
Cut Copy - Need You Now - Zonoscope
Cut Copy - Take Me Over - Zonoscope
Hot Chip - Over And Over - CD Single
Hot Chip - Ready For The Floor - Made In The Dark 
Trans Am - North East Rising Sun - Sex Change
Trans Am - 4,738 Regrets - Sex Change
Tortoise - TNT - TNT
Tortoise - Almost Always Is Nearly Enough - TNT
Pizzicato Five - La Dépression - The International Playboy & Playgirl Record
Pizzicato Five - Twiggy Twiggy/Twiggy Vs. James Bond - Made In USA
Noonday Underground - The Light Brigade - Self-Assembly
Noonday Underground - London - Self-Assembly

CONCERT REVIEW: Summer Soulstice Music Festival (North Avenue, Milwaukee)

I check out the 12th annual Summer Soulstice, which is not Milwaukee's most distinctive street festival by any means, but still one with plenty of local music (and beer) on tap.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

PLAYLIST: Mondo Radio (06/20/12)


Here's the playlist for this week's edition of Mondo Radio, which you can download or stream here. If you are so inclined, you can also follow the show on Facebook and Twitter.

Artist - Song - Album
The Nerves - Hanging On The Telephone - The Nerves EP
The Nerves - Paper Dolls - The Nerves EP
The Soft Boys - Kingdom Of Love - Underwater Moonlight
The Soft Boys - Underwater Moonlight - Underwater Moonlight
Cheap Trick - Clock Strikes Ten (Live) - 7" Single
Cheap Trick - Gonna Raise Hell - Dream Police
Ace Frehley - Rip It Out - Ace Frehley
Ace Frehley - Speedin' Back To My Baby - Ace Frehley
Hello - New York Groove - New York Groove: The Best Of Hello
Hello - Machine Gun Hustle - New York Groove: The Best Of Hello
Nick Gilder - Here Comes The Night - City Nights
Nick Gilder - 21st Century - City Nights
Nervous Eaters - Hot Steel And Acid - Hot Steel And Acid
David Bowie - Panic In Detroit - Aladdin Sane
David Bowie - Moonage Daydream - The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars
The Velvet Underground - I'm Waiting For The Man - The Velvet Underground & Nico
The Velvet Underground - Beginning To See The Light - The Velvet Underground
Brian Eno - No One Receiving - Before And After Science
Brian Eno - Some Of Them Are Old - Here Come The Warm Jets
Roxy Music - Out Of The Blue - Country Life
Roxy Music - Virginia Plain - Roxy Music
Elton Motello - Falling Like A Domino - Pop Art
Elton Motello - In The Heart Of The City - Pop Art
Devo - Gates Of Steel - Freedom Of Choice
Devo - Through Being Cool - New Traditionalists
Supergrass - Sad Girl - Road To Rouen
Supergrass - Prophet 15 - Life On Other Planets
Pulp - Monday Morning - Different Class
Pulp - Bar Italia - Different Class
Beck - Mixed Bizness - Midnite Vultures
Beck - Get Real Paid - Midnite Vultures
Of Montreal - Gallery Piece - Skeletal Lamping
Of Montreal - Plastis Wafer - Skeletal Lamping
The Flaming Lips - Thank You Jack White (For The Fiber-Optic Jesus That You Gave Me) - Fight Test EP
The Flaming Lips - Feeling Yourself Disintegrate - The Soft Bulletin
Heidecker & Wood - Grandest Canyon - Starting From Nowhere
Heidecker & Wood - Right To The Minute - Starting From Nowhere

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

CONCERT REVIEW: Night Flight (Quarters Rock 'n' Roll Palace, Milwaukee)

I finally make it out to an installment of Night Flight, the monthly live electronic music showcase curated by local synth maestro Stacian. This month's event featured performances from two diverse Chicago acts, Ariisk and Casual Encounter.


Sunday, June 17, 2012

UPDATE: "Hiroshi Teshigahara as Renaissance Man" on the Huffington Post

In case you missed it the first time out, my Network Awesome Magazine article "Hiroshi Teshigahara as Renaissance Man" found its way on to the Huffington Post!


Friday, June 15, 2012

AUDIO: Barrie Konicov - Subliminal Astral Projection

When I'm scanning the shelves at my local Goodwill thrift store, as I so often do, I look for two things. The first is stuff which I legitimately want to read, watch or listen to, and the second are items that make me scratch my head and ask, "What the fuck is this?" So over the years I've added many great albums and books to my collection, but I've also accrued quite a few oddities; strange, unloved and forgotten pieces of media which deserve to be heard and shared if for no other reason than how unusual they are.

One such find is Barrie Konicov's Subliminal Astral Projection. For those of you who are unaware, astral projection is the practice separating your consciousness from its physical form so that it can go traipsing across the universe, visiting other dimensions and whatnot. This tape promises to teach you how to achieve this via hypnotic suggestions, which on side one are presented subliminally, woven into the fabric of some new age-y music. Personally, I was unable to accomplish this feat (which is a shame because I was so looking forward to transcending the planes of existence), but to be fair, I did not commit to listening to it every day for two weeks as the case advises.

Creator Barrie Konicov is not only the president and chief hypnotherapist of Potentials Unlimited, who released the tape, he's also listed at number four on The Atlantic magazine's list of the top ten tax scofflaws of the 20th century. The libertarian Konicov, it seems, felt no need to pay his due to the IRS, and what's more, encouraged others to follow suit through a series of seminars. All told, 138 people took his advice, depriving the federal government of $3.3 million in revenue. Konicov was sentenced to 87 months in prison for his trouble.

I can't promise you'll have an out-of-body experience, but this is a pretty fun listen nonetheless, and Konicov's blissed-out ramblings are just begging to be sampled. And who knows, maybe you'll get lucky and attain enlightenment or something. Enjoy!  


Wednesday, June 13, 2012

PLAYLIST: Mondo Radio (06/13/12)


Here's the playlist for this week's edition of Mondo Radio, which you can download or stream here. If you enjoy it, you can also follow the show on Facebook and Twitter.

Artist - Song - Album
1000 Homo DJs - Supernaut (Trent Reznor Vocal Version) - Black Box - Wax Trax! Records: The First 13 Years
Lead Into Gold - Faster Than Light - Black Box - Wax Trax! Records: The First 13 Years
Nine Inch Nails - Down In It - Pretty Hate Machine
Nine Inch Nails - Sin - Pretty Hate Machine
Act - Ping Pong - BIPPP: French Synth Wave 1979-85
Deux - Game And Performance - BIPPP: French Synth Wave 1979-85
Gary Numan - Down In The Park - The Complete John Peel Sessions
Gary Numan - I Nearly Married A Human - The Complete John Peel Sessions
Venetian Snares - Kyokushin - Detrimentalist
Venetian Snares - Circle Pit - Detrimentalist
Squarepusher - Square Rave - Selection Sixteen
Squarepusher - Time Borb - Selection Sixteen
Tex And The Horseheads - Bandana - Life's So Cool
Portishead - Cowboys - Portishead
Portishead - All Mine - Portishead
PJ Harvey (Feat. Thom Yorke) - This Mess We're In - Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea
PJ Harvey - You Said Something - Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea
Arcade Fire - Black Mirror - Neon Bible
Arcade Fire - Keep The Car Running - Neon Bible
Tapes 'N Tapes - Hang Them All - 7" Single
TV On The Radio - Staring At The Sun - Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes
TV On The Radio - I Was A Lover - Return To Cookie Mountain
The Fall - Clasp Hands - 7" Single
Pavement - Passat Dream - Brighten The Corners
Pavement - Trigger Cut/Wounded-Kite At :17 - Slanted And Enchanted
The Fall - I Can Hear The Grass Grow - 7" Single
They Might Be Giants - Birdhouse In Your Soul (Live) - Severe Tire Damage
They Might Be Giants - They Got Lost (Live) - Severe Tire Damage
Eels - Tiger In My Tank - Daisies Of The Galaxy
Eels - Cancer For The Cure - Electro-Shock Blues
Folk Implosion - Natural One - CD Single
Folk Implosion - Nothing Gonna Stop - CD Single
Sebadoh - Flame - The Sebadoh
Sebadoh - Tree - The Sebadoh
Wire - Red Barked Trees - Red Barked Tree
Wire - Smash - Red Barked Tree
Mission Of Burma - Possession - The Sound The Speed The Light
Mission Of Burma - Forget Yourself - The Sound The Speed The Light
Pixies - Subbacultcha - Trompe Le Monde
Pixies - There Goes My Gun - Doolittle 

FEATURE: Hiroshi Teshigahara as Renaissance Man

Frequent collaborators Hiroshi Teshigahara, Toru Takemitsu, and Kōbō Abe are best known as a filmmaker, a composer and a novelist respectively, but each possessed a restless creative passion that regularly took them far outside their primary fields. 


Tuesday, June 12, 2012

VIDEO: Hardware Wars

When Ernie Fosselius wrote and directed the very first Star Wars send-up, Hardware Warsin 1977, there's no way he could have known how influential it would become. The San Francisco filmmaker of course realized that the first installment of the original trilogy was a smash hit, and thus ripe for satire, but had no inkling of the kind of lasting cultural institution the franchise was to become, nor could he have foreseen the entire subculture of fan-made tributes and take-offs that would spring up around it. The thirteen minute film, which describes the fantastic adventures of Fluke Starbucker and company, made the most of its shoestring budget, substituting toasters, irons and other household junk for the meticulously crafted models of the original to hilariously corny effect. Being one of the few Star Wars spoofs that George Lucas didn't try to destroy (famously calling it a "cute little film") certainly didn't hurt its cult classic status, but Hardware Wars wouldn't have become one of the most lucrative and popular short films of all time if it weren't so charming in its own right. Enjoy!


Problems viewing the video? Watch on Network Awesome!

Friday, June 8, 2012

CONCERT REVIEW: Juiceboxxx w/ Fat Tony & Rio Turbo (Quarters Rock 'n' Roll Palace, Milwaukee)


Fresh off a successful Indiegogo fundraiser for his eclectic label, Thunderzone, and anticipating the release of his upcoming LP, I Don't Wanna Go Into The Darkness, Juiceboxxx has been productive of late, and shows no signs of slowing down. But since he moved to L.A. a while back, Milwaukee hasn't seen much of him, which turned tonight's show into a homecoming of sorts before he hits the road, once again, for a tour of the Midwest and East Coast. It felt good to have him back, especially on such a well balanced bill.   

Starting things off was Milwaukee's own Rio Turbo, whose sleazy, sexed up party raps have only gotten more fun as he continues to collaborate with talented local beat-smiths. There's a welcome crossover funk feel to his newer material that layers Prince-style flourishes over the rough-cut four-on-the-floor that he's long relied on. It would be nice if he shook up his image a bit more often (the smeared lipstick is getting a little stale), but maybe he just realizes that the lithe Turbette back up dancers are getting the lion's share of the stares.

Houston rapper Fat Tony was up next, but first turned over the mic to his tour-mate 10ille (pronounced "Tennille"), a talented MC-chanteuse, for two songs. After that short interlude, he reemerged and ripped into an impressive set, swapping spitfire rhymes with Tom Cruz, with whom he's just dropped the new Double Dragon LP. Tony's got a knack for big choruses, as on a statement of purpose track about drinking Guinness and wearing denim, but he really shines on the verses, where his flow is almost inhumanly fast.

Then it was time for Juiceboxxx's long awaited performance, and though expectations certainly ran high, they were met handily. Recently, he's been experimenting with including live musicians in his set, and I can think of no one better to back him up than the current lineup of drummer Tony Dixon and guitarist Willy Dintenfass. The addition of live instrumentation perfectly suits the new material and adds a lot of punch to the old stuff, recalling the Beastie Boys Check Your Head, but the influence that looms larger than any other is The Boss, Bruce Springsteen. There's a serious Born to Run vibe running through the new songs (one even features a Clarence Clemons-esque sax sample!), but it's all incorporated without sacrificing any of the high-energy danceability. I've seen Juiceboxxx countless times, but he never ceases to surprise me, and the new set is no exception. Check it out if you get the chance.

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

PLAYLIST: Mondo Radio (06/06/12)

Here's the playlist for this week's edition of Mondo Radio, which you can download or stream here. If you dig it, you can also find the show on Facebook and Twitter.

Artist - Song - Album
LFO - Intro - Frequencies
LFO - We Are Back - Frequencies
Polygon Window - Audax Powder - (Surfing On Sine Waves)
Polygon Window - Quoth - (Surfing On Sine Waves)
Cornershop - Music Plus 1 - Handcream For A Generation
Cornershop - Candyman - When I Was Born For The 7th Time
Jean-Jacques Perrey - The Groovy Leprechauns - At Home With The Groovebox
Bis - Oh My - At Home With The Groovebox
Sebastian - Embody - Total
Sebastian - Ross Ross Ross - Total
Daft Punk - Aerodynamic - Discovery
Daft Punk - Technologic - Human After All
Ernie Ranglin - Phantoms Of The Bass (Short Version) - 12" Single
Chromeo - Needy Girl - She's In Control
Chromeo - You Make It Rough - Business Casual
Cameo - Keep It Hot - The Best Of Cameo
Cameo - Freaky Dancin' - The Best Of Cameo
Zapp - Playin' Kinda Ruff - Zapp II
Zapp - Doo Wa Ditty (Blow That Thing) - Zapp II
Parliament - Handcuffs - Mothership Connection
Parliament - Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker) - Mothership Connection
Prince - Dirty Mind - Dirty Mind
Prince - Partyup - Dirty Mind
Mitch Ryder And The Detroit Wheels - Devil With A Blue Dress On & Good Golly Miss Molly - 7" Single
Jessie Hill - Ooh Poo Pah Doo - Maximum R 'N' B! The Roots Of The Who
The Standells - Dirty Water - The Best Of The Standells
The Gants - Road Runner - 7" Single
Johnny Kidd & The Pirates - Shakin' All Over - Maximum R 'N' B! The Roots Of The Who
The Gants - My Baby Don't Care - 7" Single
Mitch Ryder And The Detroit Wheels - I Had It Made - 7" Single
Love - The Red Telephone - Forever Changes
Love - You Set The Scene - Forever Changes
Syd Barrett - Terrapin - The Madcap Laughs 
Syd Barrett - Dark Globe - The Madcap Laughs
The Mindbenders - Love Is Good - 7" Single
The Troggs - Love Is All Around - 7" Single
The New Colony Six - Just Feel Worse - 7" Single
The Mindbenders - A Groovy Kind Of Love - 7" Single
The Troggs - When Will The Rain Come - 7" Single
The New Colony Six - I Could Never Lie To You - 7" Single

VIDEO: Collection - The Sensational K-Tel Collection! 25 Smash Hits!

The K-Tel company used to sell all kinds of crap to gullible (or drunk) TV viewers, novel kitchen gadgets destined to collect dust and the like, but they really made their name in the music business, licensing the biggest pop hits of the day and releasing them as compilations. With hideous covers and titles like 20 Power Hits or K-Tel's Pop Explosion, these collections were unabashedly tacky, but they also have a weird kind of resonance, encapsulating a moment in pop music history like a fly trapped in amber. Presented here for your consideration are 25 of their most mind-melting musical commercials ("As Seen On TV!"), selected from across years of K-Tel bombardment. Enjoy!


Problems viewing the video? Watch on Network Awesome!

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

UPDATE: "A History of Soul: Otis Redding" on WFMU's Beware of the Blog

In case you missed it the first time out, my Network Awesome Magazine article, "A History of Soul: Otis Redding", made the leap to WFMU's excellent Beware of the Blog! Hooray!

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