Hey everyone, I know not all of my readers are American, but in honor of our big day today, I just had to post this video by Imagine Dragons. Check it! Happy 4th everyone!
Posts Tagged ‘video’
Song of the (Independence) Day 7.4.2012
Posted: July 4, 2012 by Kevin Collier in Music VideoTags: America, Dragons, Imagine, Muse, music, Olympics, video
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That is Ridiculous…ly bad! The Second Encounter!
Posted: June 27, 2012 by acelancin in Band Spotlight, List, RidiculousTags: ace, Bad, Gaga, Lady, lancin, Monster, music, Music Video, Pop, video, Watch
Oh goodness. I am going to step on some toes today… I’ll be honest, I am almost afraid to do this one, but I must. Too many people think this person is talented and fantastic and awesome and beautiful. I disagree with all points. What use is what I think? Why should my opinion matter? Like my bio says: I attended Musician’s Institute. I spent almost two years surrounded by amazing musicians. I got to sit in practice rooms with some of the best singers I have ever heard. I sat in on vocal classes during my free time to get a sense of what was and is a good singer. I have played with men and women that could sing the pants off of any, ANY!, pop/rock/rap singer on the radio. I live and breathe music. I KNOW MUSIC! It might be all I know, but I know it…
So… Now that that is out-of-the-way…
That is Ridiculously Bad!
Lady Gaga
If I wanted to watch a cheap, trashy, far less talented version of Madonna… wait, who am I kidding, I wouldn’t even listen to Madonna, so why would I subject myself to something worse?
If I pumped myself full of that much auto-tune, I too could sound half decent. But I can’t sing, and neither can Gaga. You know what Lady Gaga is in the music world? A rogue back-up singer. She can carry a tune, but can’t SING.
We’re talking about a girl who quit music school because she thought she was better than the other people there.. A girl who says things like, “I just wanted to do it alone, so it was me and my piano.” SOURCE! [1] Is this sound reason for dropping out of music school? no. That just sounds like a whiny little girl who didn’t get along with her music instructors.
Now my opinion of her beauty is, let’s face it, my opinion. so let’s just leave it at I don’t find her pretty.
NOW! The one thing I will give this tiny little freak, is her music videos are astounding. Visually. They are very VERY well done. So kudos on the visuals Lady Gaga. But lay off the “singing”.
Okay! That is all I will say about that.
-Ace (soon to be murdered by a raging Gaga fan) Lancin- RIP
That is Ridiculous. Rhan Saith
Posted: June 21, 2012 by acelancin in Band Spotlight, List, RidiculousTags: ace, band, bass, celebrities, electric bassist, Entertainment, http www youtube, Jaco, jazz, lancin, music, Music Video, Pastorius, video, Watch
I might be a little biased in the type of musician’s I choose to write about, but I don’t care. Which means, today, another bass player. Sorta. This guy was more than a bass player. One of the best players to have ever lived, A fantastic big band leader, an amazing composer, a noteworthy producer, and A psycho.
Jaco
Jaco Pastorius
This edition of That is Ridiculous has been somewhat difficult for me to get out. I started writing this on Tuesday June 19th and it is now Thursday June 21st and I still don’t have it done. The reason this is so hard, Jaco! Jaco was an inspiration to just about every bass player out there. “I think I succeeded in finding my own sound, but I think it’s obvious that Jaco is a big influence when you hear me play (at least sometimes).” -Marcus Miller-
Jaco’s playing style grabbed everyone’s attention right out of the gate. His first Album, Jaco Pastorius (1976) got him two Grammy Award Nominations. (When the Grammy’s still meant something.) And Jaco was inducted into the Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame in 1988. He was one of only four bassists get the honor, and the ONLY electric bassist to get the award.
Jaco has played with Weather Report, Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, Joni Mitchell, Trio of Doom, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Word of Mouth, Al Di Meola, Ian Hunter, Biréli Lagrène, Mike Stern, Flora Purim, and Airto Moreira.
Sadly, in 1982 Jaco was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. His behavior and antics kept getting stranger and more erratic. There are rumors of him stripping naked on stage and coloring his face with magic marker…
September 11th, 1987 Jaco sneaked on stage at a Santana Concert, he was thrown out of the concert. He then went to the Midnight Bottle Club, where he and the bouncer Luc Havan got into a fight. Jaco was put into the hospital where he slipped into a coma. And on September 21st, 1987 Jaco Pastorius died of a brain hemorrhage. Luc Havan plead guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to 22 months in jail, he served four of those months and was released on good behavior.
I know these articles are usually short. But I had to say more! IT’S JACO! All I can say, go listen to all the Jaco you can. Read what he had to say. Learn from him. He was such a great bass player it would be a shame to not learn from him.
Jerry Jemmott: “Any advice for musicians, young and old?”
Jaco: “Just to keep your minds open, keep an open head about music…
I grew up in Florida where there is no real musical prejudice,
there was all sorts of music, everyone was playing everything
from Cuban music to symphonic music…keep listening…
keep your ears open…”
-Ace Lancin-
That Is Ridiculous. Del Seks
Posted: June 13, 2012 by acelancin in Band SpotlightTags: ace, band, Banjo, Bela, Fleck, Flecktones, lancin, music, Music Video, video, Watch
I seem to be really bad at keeping a schedule…
Every time most men hear the sound of a banjo they think about Deliverance. And then they cringe.
When I think of banjo I think about the Prelude to Bach’s Violin Partitia #3. I think about Crazy fusion jazz/bluegrass. In short I think about Bela Fleck.
This dude really is ridiculous!
Notice how he plays that whole thing without reading the music. He’s got that mess in his HEAD!
I have been listening to Bela for years. Named a cat after him. His band Bela Fleck and The Flecktones is one of the best. Victor Wooten Trumps the low end for little ol’ Bela.
I recommend anyone interested in music should go out and check out anything they can by Bela Fleck, his music will open your mind to new musical possibilities.
Ace Lancin
p.s. You all wanna know something else ridiculous!? Prometheus! Go see it. It was extremely ridiculous. I need to see it again…
That is Ridiculous. Tertiary Phase!
Posted: May 22, 2012 by acelancin in RidiculousTags: ace, alternative, Bad, band, bass, Claypool, guitar, lancin, Les, metal, music, Music Video, rock, video, Watch
The man with the bass.
When I was attending Musician’s Institute I took a class that dumbfounded me. Who would make an entire class devoted to one man? What man, bass player at that, would be worthy of his own ninety minute class? Well! Les Claypool of course!
When people are asked to name some great bass players usually only a handful pop into peoples minds; Flea, Patitucci, Collins, and (of course) Claypool. But out of all of these bass players Claypool stands in a class all by himself. He redefined solo bass playing. He made bass cool and made Primus suck. (For those of you that don’t know, “Primus Sucks” was what the band Primus would get their crowds to chant at shows.)
Anyways. You aren’t here to read my rant on how awesome Les Claypool is. So let’s get to some music!
Look at that man play that wicked six string bass… Freak! Oh yeah… And Buckethead often comes out and plays with Mr. Claypool… What a small world…
This next video I am going to share is Les playing an instrument called a Whamola. One string, a pick-up, a pulley system, and a drum stick! It’s a dirty, gritty, gravely sound. Lovely. Oh, yes, Les is the monkey playing the stick…
AAAAAAnd there he goes off stage…
Hope you enjoyed this madness…. I think it is safe to say that Les Claypool is Ridiculous!
-Ace Lancin-
That is Ridiculous! (The Maiden Voyage!)
Posted: May 8, 2012 by acelancin in RidiculousTags: band, Buckethead, guitar, metal, music, Music Video, ridiculous, rock, solo, video, Watch
Okay.. Well it has been a while. I apologize. Honestly, I haven’t been inspired by anything new in a while. But! Something has inspired me! And I have an idea! I think I shall start a new series… One day a week I will Publish, what I am going to call, “That is Ridiculous!” I am going to pick an artist or band that I deem RIDICULOUS! for whatever reason. And not usually ridiculous bad…. That kind of ridiculous that makes you want to quit being a musician, crawl into the dark corner of your closet, and beg the world to stop being so cruel! But there will also be some bad ridiculous. I will not aim to offend anyones likes or dislikes in music, but if it happens… Maybe you should rethink your tastes! These will be short and sweet Articles right to the point.
SO! LET’S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!
THAT IS RIDICULOUS!
BUCKETHEAD
Brian Carrol, otherwise known as Buckethead is, well, how do I put this?… A freak. Buckethead is a guitarist. He mostly does solo work but he has worked in many bands and most of them, we all know and love.
I am most familiar with Buckethead through his work with Les Claypool. But i went and bought a recent album of his called Electric Sea. Total shock, it shocked me. It was beautiful, and smooth and i added to my sleepytime music list. I am a fan of the ridiculous.
Some people might look at this big tall man wearing the KFC bucket on his head and a blank mask and this he is all show… Those people are so wrong they should be hung by their toenails.
ok, enough talking. Let’s hear it!
THIS IS RIDICULOUS!!!!
GOOD DAY TO YOU ALL!!!!
I will see you next week!
-Ace Lancin-
Alice Cooper & Fair To Midland!
Posted: September 24, 2011 by acelancin in Album ReviewTags: ace, Alice, alternative, Anchors, Arrows, band, Barresi, brand new, Cooper, Fair, Ke$ha, Kesha, lancin, metal, Midland, music, Music Video, My, Nightmare, rock, Steven, video, Vincent, Welcome
For a long while now I’ve been a little jaded with what has been coming out in Rock. It seems like there are only two maybe three good albums every year. AND usually those aren’t rock albums… BUT!!!! This year has been pretty good! Alter Bridge, Foo Fighters, Staind, Bush, Dream Theater, Primus, and Anthrax are just a handful of the good rock albums this year.
blah blah blah I’m not focusing on those though!
Fair To Midland – Arrows and Anchors
This band. THIS BAND! Is just swell. Fair to midland is this groovy progressive metal band from Texas. kinda like Boy Hits Car… but not! They have this way of doing these really heavy riffs and crazy screaming vocals with some awesomely melodic interludes and vocals.
And with their new album Arrows and Anchors they have not disappointed. Once again we run into a fantastic album produced, recorded, and mixed by Joe Barresi. This guy just annihilates albums. In the best possible way. The album explodes with a melodic number and then drops hard into track two, Whiskey & Ritalin, and woo!!! It’s crazy from then on out!
The first single on this album is Musical Chairs
And that’s just a taste of the heavy on this album. But a good taste.
I would say, go buy this album. In fact! GO BUY THIS ALBUM! Don’t just download it or rip it from a friend. Buy it.
and…
Alice Cooper – Welcome 2 My Nightmare
:-O GASP! Who would have thought that Alice Cooper would have the gall to do a follow-up to his most revered album Welcome to My Nightmare. But ya know what? He did. And it is possibly the best album out this year. Welcome 2 My Nightmare is, dare I say, a masterpiece. A perfect follow-up to Welcome to My Nightmare.
This is where I would put a song… But I can’t figure out how to put a song in here without using YouTube. and the song isn’t on YouTube yet.
Opening track I Am Made Of You kicks off with the piano part from the Welcome to My Nightmare song Steven. Alice actually uses autotune… Which I usually hate, but it works in this song. And Alice Cooper can do whatever he wants. I don’t want to ruin anything that happens in this album, but it is a ride through trains, disco’s, loneliness, meetings, and a really bad date.
There are many throwbacks to the original Nightmare culminating with The Underture which is a montage of tracks from Nightmare and Nightmare 2.
And this chick who apparently sings in public a lot, Kesha (or as I see it is actually spelled Ke$ha), sings on the track What Baby Wants. Honestly at first I thought it was Milla Jovovich singing. THEY SOUND ALIKE!
Anyways, this album is a fun and kinda creepy ride. It is totally worth the money. GO BUY IT! Yes buy it.
THAT IS ALL!!!
-ACE-
p.s. on a personal note, I deleted my Facebook today…. IT WAS SO LIBERATING!
Press in the Clutch and let out the gas. (Part 1)
Posted: September 8, 2011 by acelancin in Band SpotlightTags: 2001, ace, alternative, band, Clutch, country, dan, death cab, Gaga, gaster, Independent, Indie, Jean, lancin, mains, Manchester, metal, music, Music Video, paul, rock, sult, tim, video
Today I feel like talking about a band that has been important to me since junior high. I have a special place in my heart, and music collection, for this band. They are one of th reasons I play music. And I take a whole lot of my playing style from their bass player.They have so much soul, and so much groove, and so much ROCK that I think anyone could like this band.
Straight from Germantown, Maryland…
Clutch
Oh, Clutch. Blasting my ears away with Country fried manly beard metal for over 20 years. Well, not my ears for 20 years, but the worlds ears. Formed in 1990 by Dan Mains on bass and Jean Paul Gaster on drums these two soon found Tim Sult to play guitar for them and a singer for the band. This singer couldn’t make it to a show and Neil Fallon got up and sang. And there it was, Clutch was born… Sort of, they went through a ton of band names and accidentally got stuck with The name Clutch.
Album Cover Transnational Speedway League
In 1993 they released their first full length album:
Transnational Speedway League
This is a really heavy album. Somewhat gritty, and muddy. and to my knowledge their only album with a parental advisory. Go figure.
It’s got some pretty nice tracks on it…
But…
Clutch album cover
It is Clutch’s second album. Their self-titled album that put them on the map. This is also the first album I heard by Clutch. Released in 1995 it was right at the end of the grunge era and the beginning of the boy band age. And somehow this band released an album so heavy and so strange and still got recognition.
It was the song Spacegrass that hooked me.
The band was labeled stoner rock and considered a staple of the scene in the 90′s.
In 1998 Clutched released The Elephant Riders. A really good album with some fantastic southern fried tracks. I have a lot of albums to cover. So, I’m just going to say everyone should check out the songs The Soapmakers and Wishbone. Great Tracks. (And Wishbone will make you hungry)
Pure Rock Fury, released in 2001
PURE ROCK FURY!
gave clutch their first hit single, Careful With That Mic. But the real magic on this album are the songs Immortal and Drink To The Dead.
Immortal is a cover/revision of the Leslie West song Baby I’m Down. A very loose cover.
It’s just a fantastic song. It’ll make you feel like punching someone in the face.
And Drink To The Dead is a great balladesque pub song. Have a drink and remember those you have lost and listen to this appropriate song.
Alright! We are about half-way through Clutch’s Discography. I am going to call it a night right here and continue later. So watch out for
PRESS IN THE CLUTCH AND LET OUT THE GAS! (PART 2)
ACE LANCIN
Manther Presents: Manther, A Review
Posted: August 29, 2011 by Kevin Collier in Album ReviewTags: '80s, '90s, Adele, band, Bombay, Carter, death cab, dr. dre, Draper, Ducks, Eminem, Gaga, Good, Hanson, hip, hop, Independent, Indie, Jay-Z, Kanye, Mad, manther, McVey, Men, Morris, music, Music Video, Oregon, Seattle, Sega, Sonics, Super, Throne, video, Watch, West, Will
man·ther [man-ther] noun, plural – menther, (especially collectively)
- A hybrid, composed of bits of man and panther
- Informal . The male version of a cougar; an older man who preys on younger women.
That is the definition of a Manther. When it comes to music, Manther is the definition of a funky, white boy hip-hop tribute to all things late ’80s/early ’90s nostalgia. Hip, Ironic, Silly. All of these words could easily describe the collaboration of members Kevan Hanson, Erich McVey, and Mitch Morris. Yet, you have to admire the attention to detail, flow, and clever wordplay of their lyrics. Upon first listen, these three may sound like they are just having fun, but the more you delve in and listen, you can’t help but bob your head, dance like a fool, and really enjoy the wonderfully crafted beats no doubt masterminded by producer Daniel “DJ Bones” Jones.
The album begins with a track called “Nerdy Girl.” The song sets the tone right away: Manther is different. Smart, funny, and dare I say catchy? Manther likes a girl with a little meat on her cerebellum.
Then they switch gears and serenade the girls with “Sweat It”, a track that does self promotion as most hip-hop tends to do, and does it well. And so also does this track introduce the listener to Manther’s obvious love affair with Rockstar Energy Drinks. Listen to this song “one time and you contemplate it.” Ok?
Then there are a couple of songs that are quite frankly forgettable. Oh wait, no…this is Manther we’re talking about. The next song takes us back to “1985″ a time that actually did not look much like George Orwell’s depiction of a dystopian future. But they don’t stop there, oh no, Manther takes us to 1925 with “them naughty flapper girls”. I won’t spoil the rest of the song for you, but again, subject matter aside, I literally can not stop myself from moving to the electric, bouncy beat of yesteryear.
With “Party on a Weekday”, Morris, McVey, and Hanson ride a sliding, poppy beat to the party that defies all odds. A party without alcohol, that occurs not on Friday or Saturday, but a weekday. This song reminds me of summer, which reminds me of Cactus Cooler for some reason. Don’t ask. This song, like nearly every track on the album, is something I definitely could hear playing at a party. The ironic thing would be to hear this at a party that consists of mainly beer pong and general craziness. Yet, I could still see it happening. As Kevan Hanson quips in the song, “Yeah, that’s right.”
At number five, we have “Freak This Beat”. This, along with the simply named “Dance” is so catchy it should be illegal. Now keep in mind, I don’t like most of what gets heavy radio play. I don’t think being catchy automatically means a song is good. But it’s nice and refreshing to hear a dance song with freak in the title not be rife with overt sexual references and the objectification of women. I don’t mean to get up on my high horse/soapbox here, but that’s overdone, especially in hip-hop. Manther may need to be lumped in with Will Smith on Eminem’s “don’t got to cuss to sell records” list. I do declare.
Now, here’s where I may start to get a little critical, if only to make things more interesting for the reader. “My Baby” is not my favorite track on the record. I like it, but I feel like the album could do just fine without it. As much as I enjoy the deep, vibrating bass lines in the song, the song is very repetitive and I could have done without a few repeats of the song’s title. Yet, as I say this, I notice that out of all the songs on the album, this song has the most listens on my iTunes. Curious.
On that note, we come to what is probably my favorite song on the album. “Dance”. Yes, it’s a command. What, you think I don’t like this song? I’ll show you; I played that song at my wedding. So let it be known, even if no one else has done it, Manther has played at a wedding and roughly 70 people heard it. Granted, some of them did not do as the song commands, but no song would have brought some of these people to the dance floor, it’s just not their bag, ok? Yes, but back to the song. There really isn’t much to it, but again, it’s refreshing to see a dance song that keeps it simple and clean. The song says, “Let me see you dance.” I say, listen to this song a couple times and let me see you not dance. I dare you to try it.
Then we come to “Ridin’ Like a Ghost”, a song that may or may not have sample Super Mario Bros. The games, not that ridiculous movie with John Leguizamo. This song is a tribute to the past time of, well, riding on a car with no driver. Unsafe? Maybe. Fun? Most definitely. But Manther doesn’t do anything halfway. “Kevan Hanson and those Creepy Crawlers” ghost ride the whip in style. Again, this is a track you may find yourself listening to over, and over, and over.
“I Am A Manther.” Well, not me, per se, but DJ Bones, Mitch Morris, Erich McVey and Kevan Hanson “try to keep it clean, never causing a scene or saying any obscenes”. This song is a Rockstar and candy fueled trip into the Manther lifestyle. The guys explain their individual styles and tastes in women while they bring back a style many thought lost. While programs like Mad Men and Pan Am seek to bring back 1960s style, Manther dares to embark 30 years into the future and bring back ’90s style. This song is aptly named, as it serves as a sort of mission statement for the band. These guys bring fun, nostalgic, catchy music to the masses without spoiling it with the four letter words usually associated with the genre.
“Goodwillionaires” reveals where the Manther guys find their latest fashions. Second hand stores have an important place in our society. Yes, they are a place for the less fortunate to go to afford clothes and outdated electronics. I mean, who doesn’t want a Sega Genesis without the power cord or a controller? Without it, I’ll look ridiculous pretending to play Sonic The Hedgehog. But really, step into a fancy store like Forever XXI and you’ll find throwbacks to the ’60s, ’70s and even the turn of the century, but where do you find ’80s and ’90s throwbacks? Where can you find all the stuff that Manther loves to wear? eBay? Yes, but come on, Ross and TJ Maxx just aren’t cutting it in that department. Manther rocks the gear they find at second hand stores, so much so, that they are VIPs. This is a fun song that explores the joys of shopping at a glorified yard sale. Good on ya, Manther.
“Missin’ The Supersonics” I already featured here in music video form. I have to say, I can relate to this song, as many people can. It’s a somber tune about a (semi) serious subject. Though I will admit I’m a fan of the Oklahoma City Thunder in its current incarnation, there was a special quality to the ‘Sonics. Of course, moving the team back where many people feel it belongs won’t bring back guys like Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton, it is sad to see a team with such a storied history just uproot and leave the city it’s most known for. The team may live on, but it will never be the same. This song memorializes the glory days of a franchise now disenfranchised. Now some may disagree with Manther’s pronouncement of Oklahoma City as “literally the worst town in the USA”, namely denizens of the aforementioned city, but these are the words of a group of men who have lost their beloved team. Give them a break…and a listen.
Now we transition from Washington to Oregon, Autzen, to be specific. Now here’s a song that masterfully crafts both a tribute to the band’s home team, the Oregon Ducks, beginning with a marching band that I can only assume, as a somewhat ignorant Californian, to be the team’s own battle cry and both The Mighty Ducks movie series and several ’90s references. Many people roll with the Ducks each season through a variety of sports. I haven’t spent much time in Oregon, but this song had me convinced that I too “should be rolling with the Ducks”.
Finally, Manther caps it off with a song that reminds me of exactly none of their other songs. A driving drum beat, a synthesized, spacey sound flows through it, making it epic, almost operatic sounding. The theme of the song is a journey, by boat, to be sure with the destination yet unknown. I like it, if only because it shows the range of this band and the lengths they will go to in order to set themselves apart from your standard issue hip-hop group. Land, Ho! Ahoy! This song makes me feel like a pirate as the album ends with waves crashing on the shore.
In summary, Manther is not your average hip-hop group and I think that’s great. They have their own sound, their own look, and dang are they classy. Whether you like Hip-Hop, Pop, Rock, Country, or really don’t care that much for music at all…give Manther a try. If nothing else, you may find you’re smiling for some inexplicable reason. How should I know? I just write about music.
If you want more Manther, check them out on Facebook, Myspace, and YouTube. As always, keeping checking back to The Stereo Lounge for more album reviews, band interviews, and general music information.
- Kevin
