Grieves and Budo LIVE

Last Friday night... In Minneapolis, MN at the Varsity Theater... I was in hip hop heaven. It was one of the first stops of the Together/Apart Tour, an amazing venue, and in front of a sold out crowd. Can it get any better than that? (The answer is no.)

Grieves and Budo, MC Type, and MaLLy put on one of the greatest live shows I've ever been to.  And in usual 'girl fan' fashion, me and my pal took pictures with the boys and had quick chats afterward. *Oh so Special* Such cool dudes though. Grieves and Budo also played a few songs at the Fifth Element in downtown Minneapolis the following day, so it was pretty amazing seeing them perform twice in roughly 12 hours. Not bad, eh?

I wish the boys on the Together/Apart tour safe travels, new fans, and some great damn shows like the one I was a part of. Check out more tour dates here. Oh, and if I haven't persuaded you hard enough to get to a show, Mr. Prof and DJ Fundo have also joined the tour for the rest of the dates. Just so you know, you'd be CRAZY not to go. Still not drinking the Together/Apart kool-aid? Peep some of these videos to take in the night and fall in love... hard. 

New Kid on the Block

Hello, so I’m just gonna’ be honest here, I am not Kara. Nor, will I try to be as hilarious or witty. I am merely her cousin, Jessica. Kara was kind-enough to allow me to offer up a blog, or two, every now and again...

Well, I really don’t want to blow your mind, but I guess I’ll start with a few facts about my “oh-so-interesting” existence. I am currently a Senior in high school, and also currently dying to be out of it. I have a burning passion for anything music related, and I’m a closet singer-songwriter, and….you didn’t hear me say that. I figure I will blog about things I like, or anything that strikes my interest. I’ll even go as far as offering up some cool music recommendations. Cool by my standards, at least. I hope you take a liking to what I gotta’ say. Thanks!

So, to start off, I would like to throw out a couple of my music obsessions at this point in time… although they change pretty darn often.

1. Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin ( the jewel of Springfield, MO)

2. The Weepies (the jewel of most indie movie soundtracks)

3. Freelance Whales (random band I found via a free download)

If you like good music, the probability of you enjoying these three is pretty high...

Well, I’m going to keep this intro-blog short and sweet, and leave you with a sad-realization of mine. I would just like to point out how, all of the sudden, the term “mainstream” has become the modern-day plague. Seriously, if any band/artist reaches the radio, they are automatically “not hip” any longer. This is sad…. and also, just proves that whomever buys into the “mainstream” crap is obviously more concerned about being “original,” than the actual quality of the music. Props to the bands that are getting noticed. And to those who are mad they did, it’s your fault they became so popular. ALL HAIL MAINSTREAM MEDIA! Can’t we just be glad that they actually picked a decent genre to make enormously popular? Okay, done with my rant. Thanks for reading! OH, and a BIG thank you to Kara, for allowing me to invade your blog. Till next time, or… not?

Cover Lover: Elton and Ellie

Cover songs are the ultimate tribute to the artist who created the original. It's so amazing to see how two different artists take the same song in such different directions. It just goes to show how personal style can really change the interpretation of music. What a beautiful thing.

First on the list of legitimate covers: Ellie Goulding- Your Song by Sir Elton John. Such a classic song, and Ellie's video is absolutely perfect. It's one of those videos that you just get completely lost in... Enjoy both versions below.

Girl Talk

 

Pittsburgh, PA. Legit mash-ups. Awesome shows.

"Hip hop hits, grunge masterpieces, glossy club-shakers, and rock anthems are all layered and meticulously together into one non-stop celebration of pop and excess." Only Girl Talk's magical touch could please both dance-crazed teenagers and mash-up geeks alike. His ability to seamlessly combine sample after sample  with butter smooth transitions is ridiculous. I don't even want to begin to know difficult it would be to accomplish what he does with every track. And with every genre of music. Check out the sampling lists for each track. No matter what your music taste is, he's bound to rope you in with something. And the amount of sampling he does per song--some of his mash-ups have over 20 different samples! He is giving these songs a second life, combining them with beats and lyrics that compliment and accentuate them perfectly.

Mr. Greg Gillis

Check out a few songs here: http://www.myspace.com/girltalk/music

Get everything for FREE here: http://illegal-art.net/allday/

Well, that was a GAMPO Show

"Prof, you're so rude and embarrassing, and they're so well behaved in comparison. PBR poppin', everybody watchin', yeah we in public, nah we ain't stopping." Call me crazy, call me out of control, call me whatever you damn well please, but Prof's sold out King Gampo Release Party at First Avenue last Friday made me and my partner in crime reach this "rude, embarrasing, PBR poppin" state of mind. Shit got weird. I blame it on the city. I blame it on the music. Or maybe I should blame it on the PBRs and vodka tonics... Meh. Check out some pics and videos to relive the magic of the evening. The magic comprised of Soulcrate Music, Blueprint, Brother Ali, St. Paul Slim, Slug, DJ Fundo, and the man of the night--Prof himself. It was a independent hip hop lover's dream.

Follow these Twitter Links to see what others had to say about the show:
Prof
Prof Retweet
Atmosphere
Soulcrate
Soulcrate
DJ Fundo
We All Have Hooks For Hands

*Check out more photos from the show here

Kids these days....

Just below are some beautiful videos that utilize kids in a very effective and artistic way. With these particular songs, the innocence and naive spirit of children really give the song and music video a depth that wasn't present before. Plus, they're so damn cute! Watch and enjoy.

Let's Swoon

This post is for all the Stallions out there, searching for the right way to saddle up a sweet little filly to call your own. No worries, I'm here to help you boys. This is really for the benefit of both parties involved, and success is almost guaranteed, so drink these next words in. All the way in. Borrowing from the always inspiring Lonely Island in their hit song Dick in a Box, "all you fellas out there with ladies to impress, it's easy to do. Just follow these steps..." 

You want to get a girl? It's easy. Well, sort of. Learn to play guitar and bone up on your singing. Once you sing some strategic heart-melting songs to your chosen damsel, she'll be more than willing to give you a shot. I mean my word, in her eyes, you're practically a musician! Which is something NO girl can resist. It's the law of the land... The most well known equation of all time.  Musicians > Any Other Boy. It's physics, biology, chemistry, evolution all in one. And you cannot mess with science, boys.

So what's it gonna be? Do you want to snag the babe with some chords and lyrics from the greats, or wait for the next man to do the same and sweep away the love of your life? Make the right choice. It may be cheesy, but the laws of love prove this selfless act to be one of the most effective ways to get the girl. Here are some songs to get you started on your journey to melting hearts.

1. Round the World- Slightly Stoopid

2. Love Song- 311

3. All Flowers in Time- Jeff Buckley and Elizabeth Fraser (Probably just Jeff's part, unless it's a duet deal)

4. All I Need Is You- Ziggy Marley

5. White Blank Page- Mumford & Sons

6. I Could Die For You- Red Hot Chili Peppers

7. Here Comes Your Man- The Pixies (Shoot for Joseph Gordon-Levitt style in 500 Days of Summer)

8. Laura- Girls

9. Everlasting Light- The Black Keys

10. I'll Be There For You- Bon Jovi (Channel your inner Ashton Kutcher via A Lot Like Love)

11. Keep On Loving You- REO Speedwagon (Oldie but a goodie)

12. Ordinary Girl- Rebelution

13. Can't Take My Eyes Off of You- Frankie Valli (Please get the local band involved like in 10 Things I Hate About You)

14. Lover, You Should've Come Over- Jeff Buckley

15. For Emma- Bon Iver