So Trae & I were riding to Athens last week (with our buddy Michael of the Sealions) to see the Bridges (of course) & we started talking about how we both missed podcasting. And it turns out it’s not all Trae’s fault, as I’ve been telling anyone who asks. It’s mostly Trae’s fault. But it’s also my fault. Neither of us has been taking the initiative. So then we both took the initiative. I don’t know why I’m typing all of this out.

I guess the important thing to note is that at 13:28 I was saying that virgins are under appreciated. Not that virgins need sex. I’m a virgin, myself. By choice. And I plan on being a virgin. Ok. I’m glad we had this little talk.

Also you’ll notice that it’s in the handy, dandy m4a format which means the little picture changes with each song if you’re listening in iTunes. Groovy, right?

If you aren’t subscribed, feel free to use the play now link at the bottom of the post for quick access. (note: will bring up a quicktime player in the page)

01. Dr Dog - Old News. (buy it)
- Back again / Staind?
02. Baron Von Bear - Live Off the Land (not yet available for purchase)
03. Coconut Records - West Coast (buy it)
- Open mouth, insert foot.*
04. The Virgins - Radio Christiane (not yet available for purchase)
05. Eastern Conference Champions - Power Hungry Mega Hurt (buy it)
- I’m totally over that.
06. Pico Vs Island Trees - Open Doors (buy it)
07. Bob Evans - Sadness & Whiskey (buy it)
- How We Do
08. The Procession - Don’t Hesitate (buy t)
09. Bright Eyes - If the Brakeman Turns My Way (buy it)
- Is it a verb?
10. Part Bear - Futures (not yet available for purchase)
11. Radiolucent - What Have I Done? (not yet available for purchase)
- We did a podcast.
12. Kay Kay & His Weathered Underground - All Alone (buy it)

<3

 The Jon Plus Trae Show - Episode 6: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

If me making a living off of music is going to dilute the music itself & harm the relationship between the artist & the fan or the fan’s ability to make their own decisions about what does & does not constitute worthwhile art, I’d rather just not go there.
I’m really sick of the music industry. Like… it makes me physically sick to think about it. Things have changed a lot this year.

My taste has moved away from anything that reminds me of the current state of the industry. If you aren’t going to endure, I don’t want to hear you. And I got a real job, doing corporate graphic design.

So I started a new blog. That’s less to do with what’s neat & catchy & might be the next big thing and more to do with what affects me personally. There will be much more thought put into what I post & a lot more subjective commentary. And I’ll probably rant up & down about the way the music industry is being fucked over six ways from sunday by a bunch of greedy, out-of-touch, self-absorbed assholes with no class, integrity, vision, or ability to identify talent. When I get some free time, I will. Because I have lots to say on that front.
Podcasts should resume soon. With Trae & also with other people. I want to play things that people genuinely care about.

If you read this, I appreciate it. That probably means you’re subscribed via RSS & it makes me warm inside to know that there are people who would want to return to my thoughts. But it’s time to move on.

So without further ado… When I Grow Up (To Be A Man).

I’ve been working on my “best of 2006″ list for so long. My internet kept me from uploading all of the songs in December/January & then I just forgot about it. But I remembered. And so I finished it. In order for it to be even remotely digestible, I’ve decided to post 10 at a time. So to start, it’s 50-41. Hopefully I’ll do another ten every other day or so. So without further ado, The Best of 2006.

Word on the street is that ringtone sales are topping off. lol. No kidding? People are getting sick of paying $3 for a snippit of a song? I never would’ve guessed!

XM & Sirius are working out a merger. And another format goes down the tubes.

Dave Goldberg, head of Yahoo! Music, & Robert Roback, his chief deputy, have left Yahoo! Music. Sad day. Goldberg was the champion of the DRM-free mp3 movement. I am excited to see what lies ahead for the two of them.

The Futurists posted a new song on their myspace last night, One Of Us. And it’s fantastic. The guys went into the studio with Atlanta producer Billy Hume. I can’t wait to hear the rest of the tracks.

I’m listening to the new Limbeck record & it’s probably the best yet. Check out the first single, Big Drag. This is going to be one of my very favorite records of 2007. I love these guys.

I’ve been meaning to post this guy for a while… Kato. I saw him at an open mic several weeks ago, apparently it was his second performance as a solo artist. This is one of the best new hip hop artists I’ve come across in a while. I didn’t know Athens had anything to offer since Danger Mouse left for greener pastures. The track Worldly on his MySpace samples the Beatles. New Day starts out with one of my favorite Eddie Murphy quotes. Great beats, great hooks, great flow, & socially conscious rhymes. What more can you ask for? He even produces all of his own beats. Check out Midnight Snack.

Oh, also… shameless plug… my band (foreverdown) is playing the International Pop Overthrow Festival here in Atlanta on friday with AutoVaughn, the Californias, & six other bands. 9 bands for $8. If you haven’t seen AutoVaughn (one of my very favorite unsigned acts) or the Californias (who are one of the funnest bands around), you should definitely come out. For more info, go here.

So we actually did a lot of work in December & January. It’s just that none of it got posted. Here’s the “lost” podcast from December. It’s a little heavy on the reverb. Maybe that’s why it was never posted? I forget. But uh… there’s lots of great tunes you should’ve had to opportunity to jam to a long time ago. My bad.

Episode 005 - The Lost Episode
———————————
1. Jason Suwito (of Marae) - All I Want For Christmas [Mariah Carey cover] (demo)
2. New Years Day - Who We Are (New Years Day ep, available now) [itunes]
3. Thunder Thunder (formerly Acceptance) - I Sold Out (demo)
4. Variac - Black Lung (Break It To Your Girlfriend ep, available now)
5. The Heart Attacks - Travellin’ Band [CCR cover] (Hellbound & Heartless, available now) [itunes]
6. Brave At Night - Penelope (demo)
7. In Stereo - Digging Up the Bride (Return To Alternative, available now) [itunes]
8. Dirty Tuxedos - Green Thumb (demo)
9. The Failures of Modern Science - Tip of the Hat (A Wheel In the Machine, available now)
10. The Format - Apeman [The Kinks cover] (Apeman single)
11. Mellow the Band - A Mushroom Song (1967, available now) [itunes]
12. Goldspot - Float On [Modest Mouse cover] (The OC Mix Vol 6) [itunes]
13. Deas Vail - Life In These Little Boats (All the Houses Look the Same, available soon)
14. Luzer - Sleigh Ride (Christmas EP)
———————
Running Time: 58:52

notes: Funny cat pictures.

Listen Now:

 Episode 005 - The Lost Episode: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

There’s been lots of buzz about the majors dropping digital rights management. So much, in fact, that Apple CEO Steve Jobs posted this open letter asking the labels to drop DRM. Now he’s being hailed as the champion of the movement, which is ridiculous, but whatever… if it gets the job done, it gets the job done (no pun intended). Paul Resnikoff gives some great perspective on the whole thing. It’s looking like unprotected mp3 sales are inevitable. Even the Economist is behind it. Warner, Sony BMG, & Universal are vehemently opposing it (in the press, at least), but EMI may be the first to move forward which would, even if only eventually, force the others to follow. EMI says the results of their mp3 “experiments” have been “very positive” & there’s rumors that they have been talking with digital stores about possibly selling unprotected mp3s, though they’re requesting an upfront lump sum from the stores to protect against potential losses. I think that Jobs is playing the opportunist here. Dave Goldberg & Yahoo! Music have been championing unrestricted mp3s for over a year & have been mostly responsible for the major labels’ baby steps (”experiments”) thus far… Jobs’ letter could be a response to EMI’s upfront requests. Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster says the chances of a DRM drop is less than 25%, but I think your hold out is only as good as your weakest link, & EMI is more than 25% interested in unrestricted mp3s.

DualDisc, dvd-audio, bonus discs… none of it is going to work. Full digital albums in high quality mp3 format (LAME encoded in vbr… maximize audio quality & file size) with no DRM at around $2.50 a pop. THAT is how you turn the industry around. Someone make me a record exec, dammit, & I’ll fix it all myself. How about it? Any takers? I’ll do it for about 1/200th of what Andy Slater got for leaving.

In related news, Debbie Foster recently won attorney’s fees from her defense against the RIAA. I want to rant a while about why what the RIAA is doing is so wrong, both morally & legally, & how much it’s hurting the industry, but I won’t because it’s all been said a thousand times before. Everyone should read the third comment at the bottom of this page, though. Maybe it will end soon. When the industry realizes that the way we consume music has irreversibly changed.

The Films’ Being Bored EP comes out on Tuesday, featuring two tracks from the forthcoming LP & two exclusive tracks. And then an exclusive bonus download if you pre-order here.

Don’t miss the Police on the Grammy Awards this sunday night. If we’re lucky, maybe we’ll get something like this… Walking On the Moon, as performed on the Synchronicity dvd. Stewart Copeland’s drumming absolutely KILLS me. And then the crowd comes in… man. Order the dvd here.

I’ve been listening to Cornershop a lot lately. Specifically, Brimful of Asha. I don’t know what it means, but I can’t get enough. This is one of the catchiest songs ever written. Even if it is mostly unintelligible. When the claps come in halfway through it sends it over the top. Everybody DOES need a bosom for a pillow. Supposedly they’re working on a new record. iTunes it here.

Oh I’m in love with The Bird & the Bee. Your Standard Life just turned me onto them. It’s a dude/babe pair, a lot like Frou Frou. If you’re into Frou Frou/Imogen Heap, you’ll love this band. Currently I can’t get enough of Fucking Boyfriend. Would you ever be my would you bee my fucking boyfriend? Not the best track on the record, but sooo catchy. iTunes it here.

Casey recently turned me onto a local band called Joy In Tomorrow & they’re becoming one of my favorite local bands. Their A Snapshot of Who I’ve Always Been ep was produced by Jeff Schneeweis of Number One Gun & The Victory is a killer single. If these guys aren’t on Tooth & Nail in the next six months, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle. Swear to god.

I Surrender recently picked up The High Court. In Bamby’s Eyes shows a whole lot of potential.

Gaby was kind of enough to bring to my attention an absolutely gorgeous cover of Cyndi Lauper’s Girls Just Want To Have Fun on Greg Laswell’s myspace. Apparently it was featured on this years’ Hills’ season premiere. I totally caught the episode, but not the song. Don’t miss this track. iTunes it here.

On the subject of covers, I Married My Highschool Sweetheart (Trever Dowdy of the Hillary Step, formerly of Two Week Notice) has an absolutely fantastic electropop cover of one of my favorite songs of all-time… Go West’s King of Wishful Thinking. I can’t hear this song without thinking of this chick that used to cut my hair years ago. And she’d cut my hair & we’d talk about late 80’s/early 90’s pop the whole time. She ended up insisting that I borrow a cassette copy of the Pretty Woman soundtrack (on which the original track appeared) & I can’t recall if I ever returned it or not. But this song has a special place in my heart & Trevor does it justice.

Trevor has the Cooler Kids in his myspace top 16, which brought back some memories so I thought I’d post All Around the World. They’re a disco/house group that features DJ Kazimir, Sisely Treasure, & ex-Luscious Jackson singer Jill Cunniff. They put out a record on Dreamworks before disbanding but Kazimir & Sisely are still together as boygirL. A dj friend of mine got me into them back in the ol’ college days. But apparently this track ended up on the Lizzy McGuire soundtrack. And it ended up on the OC during season one. iTunes it here.

I’m really digging Forever the Sickest Kids, which I picked up from Tim over @ the Daily Chorus. Think Relient K meets HelloGoodbye, but a little more aggressive. Believe Me I’m Lying & Hey Brittany are killer tracks. It’s funny how you can’t be a texas band these days without the vocoder effect. But they pull it off well. Apparently they’ve only been a band for a couple of months & immediately went into the studio with Geoff Rockwell. First show is in March. Someone better snap this band up quick because they won’t be unsigned for very long. Buy the two studio tracks on eMusic here.

If Nada Surf aren’t one of your favorite bands, they should be. Just check out their brilliant cover of Orchestral Manoeuvres In the Dark’s If You Leave. It’s from the OC Mix vol 2. It’s wonderful. iTunes it here.

Gaby also informed me that Jenny Owen Youngs just signed to Nettwerk management. “You know Jenny Owen Youngs, right?” “Yeah, the blind chick who plays piano, right?” “No, that’s Ginny Owens.” “Oh right, Jenny Owen Youngs. With the fuck song.” (It went something like that, at least.) And then I started wondering if I ever blogged about her before. I know I meant to. Maybe I did. But if I didn’t, I am now. You should download Fuck Was I. It’s been posted on every other blog in the world. Now on J+T. The record is currently unavailable, as it’s about to be re-released… I guess by Nettwerk. You can grab Fuck Was I on the Weeds sountrack, iTunes it here.

I read somewhere that the Jealous Sound has a record coming out this year on Militia Group. They damn well better. That’s all I have to say about that.

Hot Hot Heat are releasing their record soon. Finally. Maybe in May. Apparently they didn’t do the whole record with Butch Walker. They did 15 tracks with 15 different producers. That’s exciting. I can’t wait. Their guitarist, Luke Paquin, just put up a myspace of Canadian folky acousticy stuff & it’s way good. Peep it.

How great was Prince last night? Holy mackeral. If you missed it, he did a few songs @ the super bowl press conference (10:00) a few days ago. He closed with a killer performance of Get On the Boat, my favorite track from 3121. And then the half-time show (11:52) opened with Let’s Go Crazy, then went through bits of 1999, Baby I’m A Star, Proud Mary, the Wind Cries Mary, & Best of You. And then he ended with Purple Rain. In the pouring rain. Accompanied by a marching band. And Prince killed it. I think Prince is the greatest performer of all-time.

I’m LOVING Virb. Somehow they’ve managed to get around almost every single one of mypace’s shortcomings. Everything is designed fantastically & profiles are super easy to customize, in terms of both presentation & content. It’s got the communications features of myspace, (most of) the music logging features of last.fm, the music browsing features of purevolume & myspace, (most of) the lurking features of facebook, & the photo features of flickr. I really don’t know what more you could ask for. I don’t want to spoil all of the surprises, but there are some really neat features. This thing renders purevolume obsolete. And will, in all likelihood, grab myspace’s spot as the #1 social networking site. I just hope that as it grows, spam issues will be addressed. I’m a little disappointed that the music plug-in is iTunes only (and the name VirbTunes doesn’t seem to indicate that it will be WinAmp compatible any time soon), but I’m growing more comfortable with iTunes the more I use it. And I’m actually loving the Cover Flow feature in the lastest version. I haven’t tried to run it alongside the last.fm plug-in but the more time I spend on Virb, the less interest I have in last.fm. If you’re on Virb, feel free to friend me @ virb.com/joncole.

Kalen Nash just updated his myspace with some new tracks. He added Superman (the strings in the chorus are to die for… and then the bells…), a track from the forthcoming lp, & an acoustic demo of a new track, To Be. To Be shows exactly why Kalen is the real deal. Really both of the new tracks do, but the harmonies on To Be are where it’s at. Absolutely gorgeous. Someone needs to make a move on this kid.

Winston Audio is quickly becoming one of the best live bands in town. It’s a really beautiful thing when a band really commits & throws themselves headlong into an artistic vision. And that’s what Winston Audio does. Plus Michael’s leads are fantastic & Benji’s drumming is second-to-none. It’s to the point where their recordings no longer do them justice. They’ve improved so much over the last six months. Luckily they’re looking to hit the studio with Dan Hannon (who produced the Manchester Orchestra record) in a few months to record a few tracks. From the old ep (produced by Kyle Hale, who will likely do some engineering on the new tracks), check out Action, Reaction & Smoke Signal. Get the whole thing on iTunes here.

O’Brother returned from their first tour tighter than they’ve ever sounded. Their homecoming show was a blast & they killed it. Dignan threw it down hard, too. If you missed the homecoming show @ Under the Couch last week, you really missed out. It was a really affecting pair of performances.

I can’t get enough of Ryan Wilson’s If We Only Had A Minute. The songwriting reminds me so much of Butch Walker, but filtered through the Beach Boys. This kid can pen a pop song. Sooo catchy. Ryan is also one of the singers of the co-fronted Californias. If you don’t love this track, you probably have coal in your heart.

I guess the popular opinion is that Aerosmith sold out with Get A Grip. And I might agree if I were older, but I got into Aerosmith with Get A Grip… watching that badass video for Cryin’ with Alicia Silverstone (who I thought was a goddess back then). So I was really into a lot of their 80’s/90’s stuff. In fact, if Angel’s Eye had the bite of Last Child or Sweet Emotion, it would be one of my favorite songs of all-time. That riff is killer, but it’s just sooo slick sounding that it loses most of what it could be. Even still, it’s a great song. And to be fair the drums sound much better than Aerosmith drums normally do. I’ve been on a big Aerosmith kick lately. I highly recommend their O, Yeah! Ultimate Hits collection (as it spans their entire career, the Columbia & Geffen records). Grab O, Yeah! on iTunes here. Grab Angel’s Eye on iTunes here.

On the complete opposite end of the spectrum from Aerosmith is Christine Fellows. Kind of like the Mountain Goats with boobs. Lots of piano, lots of cello, lots of little clicks… a bit of brass… Her record came out in Canada in July of 2005, but was released in the US last November. So I’m just catching the second wave of hype, but this record is sooo good. There’s bits of Jenny Lewis in there. A little Regina Spektor. Cutesy lyrics & super catchy matter-of-fact melodies. I’m really excited about spending a lot of time listening to this record over the next few days & weeks & months. Check out Vertebrae. Grab the record on iTunes here.

I’m also really into Meghan Coffee’s Poster Child. It starts out a little mellow bit it really picks up a minute or so in. I think this song really shines live, though. There’s a little more energy. The record was produced by Geoff Melkonian who did the Modern Skirts record, and it kind of has that vibe in spots. Really fun song. Grab the record on iTunes here.

I’m really getting back into Goldspot. Their cover of Modest Mouse’s Float On has been getting loads of spins over here lately, but I’ve also been revisiting Tally of the Yes Men, their 2005 record. And I get it now more than ever. Check out Friday. You really should check out their record… it was one of the most underrated releases of 2005. Grab the record on iTunes here. Grab the OC Mix 6 (with the Modest Mouse cover) here.

And I feel like AutoVaughn deserves another mention. I haven’t talked about them in a while. Hold On Tight is my poison of choice lately. The chorus is fantastic, but it’s the ascending lead lick at the end of the chorus that really sets it off. This record is soo good. And they have the live show to back it up. Why these guys don’t have a deal is beyond me. Grab the record on iTunes here.

I got the new Anberlin today. So far I’m really into it, but I haven’t given it a proper listen just yet. Still listening to the new Melee a good bit. And I’ve been listening to a lot of Be Your Own PET. Seriously… if you don’t have Be Your Own PET’s record, go out & buy it right now.

So what IS the deal with Mando Diao? Those guys should be huge. Justin left the second “thanks for posting about Mando Diao” comment. In case you’re one of those poor souls not hip to Sweden’s glorious garage rock secret, here’s six tracks that will surely convert you. From 2002’s Bring ‘Em In, the frantic Sheepdog (if the drumming doesn’t make you want to start a riot, you need to check your pulse) & the epic To China With Love (the Doors WISH they had written songs like this). From 2004’s Hurricane Bar, the painfully infectious God Knows (the chorus is 24 karat pop gold) & Kink-revering Cut the Rope. And lastly, from last year’s Ode to Ochrasy, the ode to boredom TV & Me (a classic rock take on the Clash) & one of last year’s biggest & best rock anthems, Long Before Rock & Roll. You really should buy these 3 albums. Bands like these guys & the Films & the Strokes should be ruling the world.

Peep my review of New Years Day’s self-titled ep @ ap.net here.

I got an invite for Virb last night, Unborn Media’s (the dudes behind Pure Volume) MySpace alternative. It launches soonish… right now it’s in beta & is invite-only. It’s really really well designed. But so far my main beef is that it uses it’s own scrobbling plug-in that seems to be iTunes-only, whereas buddytown used a last.fm feed (which is Winamp supported). And I hate iTunes. I have too much music & I move files around way too much to use a library-based music player. But I digress. I’ll give you a Virb verdict soon.

Expect new material from the Futurists & Holiday Parade soon. Fun times. My buddy Mike is recording (well, re-recording) some stuff, too. And word is that things are coming along quite well… I’m pumped to hear that stuff, too.

I was pleasantly surprised by the Less last night. They were a lot better than I thought they would be. They kind of have that “We’re a Christian band trying to be secular” sound, but the songs are really solid.

I was also pleasantly surprised by Sparky’s Flaw. I dunno how I missed them at Atlantis. They’re from Charlottesville, VA (Dave Matthews country), which explains the somewhat awkward saxophone. But Will has a killer voice. I think they’ve got loads of potential. The new track on their myspace, The New Year, is really solid. Check out Moodswings & Melodies from their One Small Step ep. Plus they have a track on the ep about the Police breaking up. So they get points for that.

I’m really loving Brooks Chambers right now. He’s one of the best kept secrets in pop right now. His voice is huge and the songs are so catchy. If someone can get me a copy of this record. Looks like Feb 7 I will be heading out to Swayze’s to see him & Between the Trees so I can pick up a copy of this record.

I dunno if you’ve heard, but Autovaughn is awesome.

Cage the Elephant just posted some new songs on their space a week or so ago & they’re hot. If I had lots of money I’d drive to Nashville to see them with Be Your Own PET. I STILL haven’t seen Be Your Own PET yet. Someone give me a bitchin’ job, please. These are two more bands that should be ruling the world.

I’m super pumped for the new Biffy Clyro record. It sounds like it’ll be their poppiest record yet, but it’s still pretty ballsy. Check out the single, it’s crunchy, anthemic Scottish rock & roll. Saturday Superhouse.

Joel Hamilton of the Working Title just made a myspace for some acoustic demos & I’m absolutely loving Moving Units, a tale of the plight of being a major label musician without loads of label support. Or maybe just a subtle hint to folks who ask him the same questions over & over again. Or maybe both. But either way, it’s a great track.

I’m trying to get into the new Bayside record… I’m not into the mix very much at all. But the songs are good. There’s just so much Nightmare of You & I Am the Avalanche influence… Anthony sounds more like Brandon from NOY on each record they put out. But it’s growing on me. Check out the single, Duality.

If you’re wondering why I haven’t been updating, it’s because of my suck ass internet. This post is an entire day’s work.

This article is one of the best I’ve read in quite a while. Eric Pfanner gives a wonderful look at the (hopefully) burgeoning ad-supported interweb media trend. The dudes over @ Qtrax offer some fantastic quotes. In addition to the Kenneth Parks quote above, Allen Klepfisz offered this gem… “The closer you are with a business model to current consumer behavior, the better your chance of success.” Which is to say consumers are programmed to consume music in bulk these days, more than they can afford at the current prices. So the obvious new model is going to have to involve allowing the consumer to satisfy this desire for music in bulk. This means drastically dropping the price, ideally to free & relying on ad support.

Qtrax is looking good again, having acquired rights to distribute music from all four major labels & looking to launch soon, whereas Spiral Frog sits still delayed with two majors lending support. But the drm is still what will hold them both back… I’m hoping Qtrax will use their crippled mpq format to prove the system works, then lobby for drm-free mp3s in order to capture the iPod crowd. Either way, though, it’s a positive direction.

Lefsetz has sent out a couple of gems on the subject lately, too… What Dies First (In case you’re out of the loop, CD sales are in FREE FALL! Oh, the majors don’t want to broadcast the story, because they don’t know what to DO about it. They’ve tried suing traders, hyping the iTunes Store, nothing seems to make up for lost business. And they’re fearful if Wall Street gets wind, they’re really up shit’s creek.) & The End (Let me ask you. Suddenly, everybody with an iPod is going to leave it unfilled? Come on. That’s like restricting people to three networks when cable is available. Better yet, forcing those with HD sets to watch at the regular analog broadcast rate!).

Speaking of iPods, my second gen 20gb iPod (which I got through freeipods.com) finally died on me yesterday. It’s somewhat satisfying… it lasted far longer than any of my friends’ second gen iPods. He’s in a better place now. But it was still sad to see ol’ Barney kick the bucket. But it’s also exciting because, after much research, I’ve decided to replace the little bugger with Sony Ericsson’s w810i, the latest & greatest incarnation of the Sony Walkman. The Walkman personal tape player was the first musical device I ever owned… I broke the speaker pieces off of the headphones & I would run them up the arm of my Florida State Starter hoodie & I’d listen to DC Talk tapes during class. But nostalgia aside, this is a kickass little device… expandable to 4gigs of storage (which will require me to update my tunes often, which I never did on my iPod), 2-megapixel digicam, & an FM tuner. I can’t wait.

This you should know about… Devil Stole the Beat has made Valentines Day worth looking forward to. For us Atlantans, anyways. Wednesday night is the kickoff party @ the Loft. Thursday is the BMI showcase @ Smith’s Olde Bar, featuring, among other great artists, Right Away, Great Captain (Andy Hull from Manchester Orchestra), The Less, & (the brilliant & as of recently labelless) The Working Title. Then Friday is the ASCAP showcase, also @ Smith’s, featuring, among other great artists, Anna Becker (very Copeland-esque, very good), Summerbirds in the Cellar (featuring members of Now It’s Overhead), How I Became the Bomb, & Rouletta. It should be great times & wonderful music. There’s also talk of an online panel, where questions are submitted through the website & are answered on the website by industry professionals. I’ll update when I get more info… it’s a really neat idea.

Speaking of neat ideas, my band recently got our stack of Disc Revolt cards & they look ultra hot. I’m really excited about this thing. The gist of the service is this… bands sign up, upload their music, & receive cards to sell at their shows. (The cards are custom printed with band-specific artwork). It works like an online music store, but instead of paying with a credit card, you buy 15-credit cards at live shows (or 15 credit e-cards through the site). The suggested price of cards is $5, & most songs are one credit, which comes out to about $0.33 per song for the consumer. The bands pay $.50 per card, which means a $4.50 profit card. The idea is to help bands generate money while they’re on the road, when they need it most. $250 up front for 500 cards means you sell 50 cards @ $5 each to break even, then the rest of the $2,250 is profit. There’s not another service out there as good for both bands & fans. For bands, if you sign up now you’ll receive 250 cards for free… that’s $1,250 worth of merchandise to sell at shows.

And now some musical songs.

The Bridges are getting a lot of label attention lately… they just canceled a couple of dates in order to head up to NY for another label showcase. I am in love with this band. They’re easily one of the best unsigned bands out there. Check out All the Words on their myspace.

O’Brother just posted a demo of a new track on their myspace, Work Work. And it’s fantastic. Peep it if you know what’s good for you.

Also, I’m really lovin’ the new Baron Von Bear track, Live Off the Land. They put it up on their myspace earlier tonight & it’s hot. Those guys are so good.

I’m really into Brenn, too. The track Rooms is killer.

The thing about the Ramones… they can almost be described as Chuck Berry via the Beatles, only dumbed down to the bare essentials. But, apart from the repetition, they wrote great pop songs that translate really well & have proven to endure. Which is why Brats On the Beat, Go Kart’s Ramones-for-the-kids compilation, works so well. The tracks are super fun & cash from sales goes to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Check out Matt Skiba (from the Alkaline Trio) performing Rock & Roll High School. Buy the comp here.

For an even sexier take on the R.A.M.O.N.E.S., the incomparable Films offer an absolutely gorgeous take on Blitzkrieg Bop. I have no clue where this came from… Mike over @ freeindie.com posted it earlier this month (along with an equally brilliant cover of Maurice Chevalier’s Thank Heaven For Little Girls). If there’s any amount of justice in the world, the Films will be one of the biggest bands in the world by the end of the year.

I’m totally hooked on the new Melee material. Ever since I saw them play w/ the Calis a few weeks back they’ve been one of my favorite bands. Their version of Frequently Baby is killer. A little back story on the track… it was written with Ashley from New Years Day & was originally recorded in NYD’s first batch of demos. But NYD dropped it from their set so Melee wrote a new chorus & recorded it for their forthcoming record (Devils and Angels, out April 2 on Warner Bros).

Gaby turned me onto Mika (pronounced mee-kuh) the other day. And he’s sooo good. It’s all really flamboyant pop… lots of Queen, Elton John, Jellyfish, Wham!… I’ve been listening to the track Billy Brown a ton lately. The horns are fantastic & the melodies are gorgeous… it’s about an “ordinary” older dude w/ a family who has an affair with another dude. It’s almost like a gay, British version of the Format. Pre-order the import here.

If you’ve caught any of Jenny Lewis‘ tour w/ the Watson Twins, you’ll recognize her guitarist, Johnathan Rice. The two paired up for this adorable little not-quite-a-minute track… Little Boxes. It reminds me of some of Rilo Kiley’s earlier, more sparse arrangements. And they keep saying everything is made out of ticky-tacky, whatever that is. But it’s wonderful. * Apparently this is a cover of the theme song to the tv show Weeds. I’ll be on the lookout for the other versions. (Thanks Mike)
I couldn’t get into KT Tunstall’s first single (Black Horse & Cherry Tree). To be honest, I got really sick of hearing it. But I caught the video for Suddenly I See the other morning & I was blown away. The melodies are absolutely incredible. I dunno WHY this wasn’t her first single. It’s the perfect mix of blues, soul, and pop… and I just can’t get over the melodies. The pre-chorus is timeless, & the chorus hooks so hard, but it’s not at all a cheap hook. This is one of the best songs I’ve heard in a long time. Grab the record here.

I also recently became totally hooked on Gwen Stefani’s Sweet Escape. The chorus is soooo killer… I’ve always thought Gwen’s made fun songs, but the hooks were all really cheap & most of it was filler. But the chorus & the little turn around in the second verse are both sooo great. This song is up there with Madonna’s Holiday for me. Check out the radio version of the track. Grab the record here.

Now… I know what you’re thinking… Fred Durst’s incredible cover of George Michael’s Faith will never be topped. I thought so, too (not really), until I heard The Boy Least Likely To’s take. It’s up on their myspace. You can buy the mp3 here. But it’s only available until the 29th. There’s a banjo, hand claps, a little recorder action, a glockenspiel… it’s adorable. You will love it.

Speaking of adorable, Rappers Delight Club makes my heart warm. Basically it’s this dude who is a high school teacher. But he helps out at a daycare & they do monthly “clubs” & one that he does annually is the Rappers Delight Club. So these elementary school kids are rapping &… I’m sure the guy helps them write, but the flows are killer. Its like a miniature Wu-Tang Clan. Check out Hum, the kids rapping over the Elmo song. There are sooo many great lines… “They call me Rasilla, the microphone killa’, my face should be on the thirty dollar bill-a… ‘comes to makin’ money, I’m a gorilla, I rap so well they call me Rap-zilla…. Rap-zilla!” “I be siiiiizzlin’ like chicken noodle soup. I sold more cookies than your whole girl scout troop!” There’s even a little chick w/ a UK flow…

I was going through old mixes recently & there was one that Luis from The Secret Handshake (who you should absolutely adore if you’re into Young Life, AmEx, HelloGoodbye, etc) made. And on it was this track You’re So Gangsta by Chromeo & I was like “holy cow, I totally forgot how great this track is.” Like… I’m in love. So I listened to it about 10 times in a row. And now I listen to it a little less frequently, but still quite a lot. This is going to get tossed on several mixes in the near future. Grab the record here.

And lastly, the aforementioned Andy Hull (of Manchester Orchestra hype & fame) recently released a solo record entitled The Bitter End under the moniker Right Away, Great Captain! It’s really great, really dark folky indie. It’s gorgeous. Check out Like Lions Do. Grab the record on his myspace.

Also, you should know that I can’t get enough of Beyonce’s Irreplaceable. That chorus is soooo good. Between KT Tunstall, Gwen & Beyonce, 2007 has been great for super hot choruses in pop music.

Oh, & Degrassi is the greatest show of all-time. It has recently overtaken Friends’ spot at the top. I got totally hooked when I went to visit my mom for Christmas & I’ve since watched about 50 episodes. You can & should watch every episode from all six seasons over @ the official Degrassi myspace.

Is live music unbreakably linked to alcohol? There’s gotta be SOME way to monetize shows without selling alcohol… my vote goes for funnel cakes & milk shakes. Now THAT is a marketable combination. And you don’t have to fool with licenses or any of the innumerable complications involved with influenced patrons. And bands would have to be good to be enjoyed. That would be so nice.

The 585 was shut down by the cops last night. They showed up right after O’Brother’s set. Luckily Tim was around and the rest of the show was moved to the Masquerade, where Manchester Orchestra proceeded to rock it out pretty hard. Tim rules. But it really sucks about the 585… that was my favorite venue in town. Deke was doing such a great job. Here’s hoping it’s back up & running soon…

Trae & I watched Brothers of the Head the other night with some friends… it’s about a set of Siamese twins that are bought & forced into being a rock & roll band. Parts of it were super creepy. But I loved it.

iTunes got a huge, unexpected jump in sales after Christmas, setting a new sales record & temporarily bringing down the store’s bandwidth. This was immediately following reports that digital downloads were topping off. So I guess 2007 is anyone’s guess… if the majors take the hint & ditch drm & lower prices, I could see the industry getting back onto it’s feet. I love how Lefsetz compares it to digital photography… people just take more pictures these days. Just like they download more music. The industry is going to have to see the consumer trend for what it is & drop prices so that they’re making the same amount of money by selling more music. A drm-less Amazon store could be the savior of the music industry. You’ve GOT to grab the iPod consumer… there’s no two ways about it. Just look at the post-Christmas sales.

Catch the year’s SoundScan recap here. The big story (other than the overall sales drop) is that rap sales dropped 20%… even with Eminem & Jay Z both putting out records.

A few bands you should check out… Irene Carranza (quirky folk pop… kind of Regina Spektor meets Alanis), Dirty Tuxedos (my buddy Gray’s band… kind of like a laid back Strokes-y sound… very Athens sounding… I LOVE this stuff), Bombay Bicycle Club (Gaby turned me onto these guys… four 16YOs from London making great jangly melodic rock & roll), & Brave At Night (my buddy Mike’s older bro… Canadian pop rock that hooks. Kind of a super poppy Coheed & Cambria, minus all the cock rock. The keyboard @ the beginning of Penelope is really growing on me).

My #1 guilty pleasure of all-time is easily Amy Grant. Or maybe not-so-guilty… I’m quite proud to know every line from her Heart In Motion line. She could be the main inspiration for the karaoke birthday party I’m planning for myself. Anyhow… I’ve been rockin’ her new live record quite a bit. Because it’s really good. Even her pop hits, for the most part, have matured quite nicely. Check out Good For Me… the treatment is perfect. Grab it on Amazon here or or iTunes here.

My buddy Chris turned me onto This Bird Has Flown, a tribute to the Beatles’ Rubber Soul. It features, among others, Sufjan, Ted Leo, Rhett Miller, & the wonderful Ben Kweller who offers his performance of Wait. Grab it on Amazon here.

Peace in the middle east.

The site isn’t dead. Just a short coma. Sorry about that. The comment on the last post wasn’t by me. I think it’s obvious, but I thought I’d clarify.

I hope everyone had a safe & fun Christmas & New Years. My holidays revolved around Degrassi & AE girl pants. It was great. December has just been a crazy month, though. I decided that I’ve had my fill of Christmas songs. Only 3 really good ones came out this year. And I just wasn’t into it. I felt like I had to post Christmas songs. But I didn’t want to. I actually thought about ending the site, but then I realized it was just a seasonal thing. So the site is alive.

In fact, I’ve been writing quite a lot lately… my top 50 songs of 2006 will be posted in the next few days… it’s pretty intense. About sixteen pages of writing. But it’s worth the read, I promise. Coupled with that will be a Best of 2006 mix. Hopefully I’ll post a new podcast tomorrow, too.

But I have been really busy… part of what’s been consuming my time has been my band (consider this both an explanation for the hiatus & a cheap plug), foreverdown. If you’re interested, we recorded a Christmas song early last month… a cover of White Christmas. It’s a bit late for a Christmas song, but still it’s reasonably rockin’. And not too bad for our first try at recording. So we’ve been writing, recording, performing, promoting, planning for the EP, working up a bio, etc… all of the many, many musical & non-musical things involved in being in a band. If I no longer have any credibility in your eyes for posting about my own band on my blog, I totally understand. And I would probably feel the same way if I were in your shoes.

And I redesigned my space (a much more intense process than it sounds) & I’ve been working a lot on a novel, writing an essay on Christianity (that I’m really excited about), & dabbling with some other projects. Right now, actually, I’m working on a the Format “fan site.” (I’m posting that so that maybe someone will hold me accountable & it will actually get finished.) And I’ve been trying to get some more design work… if you have a band or something & need a website, you can peep my portfolio @ hit me up w/ an e-mail @ isntitnice.com(a comment on optimism & a play on the Beach Boys song wouldn’t it be nice, not a proclamation of my skillz).

The idea of guest posts popped up in the comments of the last thread… I’m totally down with that. Send me a message on myspace & if I dig your selections I’ll totally let you do a post.

There may be some changes to the site. I’m toying with the idea of doing two podcasts per month, one 20-ish song mix per month, & then concentrate on album reviews instead of blogs… but that might not happen. We’ll see. Right now I’m kind of into writing that’s been edited & that I can be proud of & shit, & album reviews leans more towards that. But we’ll see. For now, here’s some music.

Peter, Bjorn, & John are friggin’ awesome. They barely missed my Top 50. They’re Swedish born & their bio says “are” everywhere it’s supposed to say “is.” I love it. Bjorn also produced the beautiful Shout Out Louds record. I love Sweden. Check out Young Folks. Grab the import on amazon here.

This next song is dirty. If you’re not into dirty, move on to the next track. But if you don’t mind some sex talk, Robyn Carlsson (another of my favorite Swedes) put this absolutely adorable little piano cover of Prince’s Jack U Off on her The Rakamonie ep. It’s just a lo-fi recording of her on piano & singing & her voice is just… it kills me. I could hear her sing anything, but her voice compliments this song sooo well. This is one of my favorite songs at the moment. Grab the import on amazon here.

Speaking of adorable, I recently got a copy of Joanna Newsom’s earlier material. And the original recording of Peach, Plumb, Pair from the Walnut Whales ep is super fantastic. It’s a little slower & more over-the-top, vocally, than the Milk-Eyed Mender version. I love it.

Say Anything put Slumming It With Johnny as the b-side on the UK single for Alive With the Glory of Love. Word on the street is that an ep will be released stateside sometime soon (3 points for alliteration) with this and a re-recording of A Walk Through Hell, one of my all-time favorite Say Anything songs. Can’t wait for that.

I got a copy this sweet-ass Motown Remixed compilation that… if I remember correctly, it was put together by Roots drummer/producer ?uestlove. And it’s KILLER. I don’t mention it much, but I’ve got a reaaaaally soft spot in my hear for classic Motown. DJ Smash put his magic on Stevie Wonder’s Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours. If your friends are the least bit cool, this will be a smash at your next party. Grab it on iTunes here (with 4 exclusive bonus tracks) or at Amazon here.

I’ve been listening to a lot of hip-hop lately. I kind of slept on hip-hop this year. But I spent December waking up. ATL’s own Killer Mike THROWS IT DOWN on That’s Life. This… this is what people need to hear. This is the voice that black america has needed for a long time. Hell yeah. Grab it on iTunes here.

Brother Ali is finally releasing a follow-up to his absolutely gorgeous 2004 record Shadows On the Sun (my favorite hip-hop record of all-time) on March 6. The first single is out now… Truth Is. And it’s hot. I can’t wait for this record.

Anberlin recently put a single from their forthcoming record (Cities - out February 20th) on iTunes & it’s killer. Never Take Friendship Personal was one of my top 5 records of 2005, so you can imagine that I’m ultra pumped for this. Godspeed. Get it (along with the b-side Haunting) on iTunes here.

Also, be sure to grab New Years Day’s ep. It’s absolutely wonderful. And Marae’s ep, too. And Andy from Manchester Orchestra just released a solo record called Right Away, Great Captain, that you should get. And DJ DJ Dylan (yeah, that’s two DJs) has this wonderful Snowden remix on his myspace that you will love. Aaaaand… if you’d like to see the performance that made me fall hopelessly in love with the music of Prince, check out this youtube video. It’s him performing acoustic on his mtv Musicology special. He’s one of the most incredible musicians alive. Plus it’s hilarious that Sway keeps saying “the game” at the end. (”Hey, Sway’s black, let’s have him interview Prince… He’s totally & completely ignorant about everything that’s not hip-hop, but he is black…”)

That’s it for now. Be on the lookout for my Top 50 of 2006. It’ll be worth the wait, I think.