Long before you listened to Postal Service or Death Cab For Cutie there was Monty Python. Before Monty Python, a character named Apollo C. Vermouth produced a top 5 single for a band called Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band and even let them appear in his groups film. Apollo C. Vermouth was Paul McCartney's pseudonym. The Bonzo Dog Dada Band were a rock-comedy band that emerged from the minds of British art college students in the 60's. After renaming themselves to The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band and eventually settling on [...]
Yes, it's my favorite comedy by a long shot and I could easily pull 50 blog posts about topics covered in this film. Yet another Nick Hornby novel-turned-film, High Fidelity was released in 2000 and still causes me to quote lines from it every day at work and seek some of the obscure artists Hornby re-introduces. Jack Black and John Cusack capture the perfect music guru/snob persona that we each encounter at **fill in your local indie record store here**. This past weekend, I drove to Gunnison for a few days of fun in [...]
Quick Trivia: without scrolling down , can you identify anyone of the two groups pictured to the left? The long weekend is over and most of you are probably sun burned, tired and wishing you had one more day to recoup before starting the week over. The Mountain Tempo is here to say Mondays aren't all that bad and that Friday is only four short days away. Here are three Monday songs to distract you from any paperwork while you plow through your first and second cups of coffee of the week. [...]
So, it's not that I'm lazy, I promise...it's that I think you are - which is completely fine on a day off, mind you. You should be out of the office like me, playing in the hills, listening to music and drinking coffee with friends and family. So, if you are reading this, thank you very much. But, listen to the songs, smile and then get back outside. Nonetheless, Happy 4th of July! I'll post on two songs today that have roots in the heart of America. No, I'm not talking Cougar Mellencamp's Midwest. I'm talking New York and New [...]
It's a half-day at work today and I'm gearing up to for a weekend in Gunnison with a bunch of coffee, bike riding, climbing and fishing with Ben. I'll still make sure to post a 4th of July-themed blog tomorrow for those of you unfortunate enough to be outside but fortunate enough to still read my blog! In the meantime, I must introduce you to Carney , a young firecracker band from L.A. who are all in their early 20's. Brothers Reeve (lead vocals and guitar) and [...]
Do you know Vincent Moon ? I'd bet you know of R.E.M. and maybe some of the 80+ smaller, emerging bands (Grizzly Bear, The Shins, Beirut, Arcade Fire, Jens lenkman, Vampire Weekend, The National, Bon Iver, Jason Mraz, Jose Gonzales, The Kooks, etc.) that have let Vincent Moon have their way with them. Mathieu Saura, aka Vincent Moon , is a Parisian filmmaker that is making a pretty big name in the music, blog, and film scene and has yet to hit his 30th birthday. I'm [...]
As I mentioned before, it is odd (or isn't it?) how artists collaborate with other artists in the same genre regardless of personality, schedule, origin, etc. Maybe it's because they wanted to impress me...or most likely because each share that one common root: phenomenally outstanding songwriting and singing. I won't do a full history lesson of a song like I did for Ritter or trace roots and vast webs of friends in great detail. I'll just catch you up a bit on Damien Rice in Part 2: As [...]
I'm singling out Damien Rice in a two-part post that will ramble a bit and offer you some highlights as to why he's among my favorite of favorites (is that possible?). I'll admit it, my mom introduced me to Damien Rice back in college and I immediately sat down with "Cannonball" over and over and learned the picking and lyrics on guitar. Now I'm not embarrassed that my mom introduced me to a favorite artist - she surrounded me with Simon and Garfunkel and Bob Dylan while growing up. The thing is, after the access to music I [...]
There's no Bee Girl dancing with outcasts among a beautiful field or the late Shannon Hoon spiraling with his shaded glasses. After officially disbanding in 1999, Blind Melon is back with a new lead singer, a new album and...they sound as good as ever. Despite the smash hit "No Rain," many don't realize that Blind Melon released OTHER albums and singles that sparked interest not only on the charts, but in the public eye as well. However, the video that accompanied the #1 single off of the Blind Melon's self-titled album [...]
Nope, the images you see above weren't just for a photo shoot. Tally Hall hail from Ann Arbor, MI, taking their name from a nearby indoor shopping center that no longer exists. Although most members of Tally Hall grew up together, the band officially formed at the University of Michigan in 2002 when a few members were in the same film production group together. They still produce handfuls of videos and short movies which have helped them gain a lot of publicity apart from their music talent. I highly suggest you [...]
Recently, it seems there's been a small, but noticable surge of modern artists expanding their music beyond current borders by expanding or integrating their genre into others. Whether it be acquiring an extra musician, covering a difficult piece or playing with an entire orchestra, The Mountain Tempo is here to fill you in, if just a bit. Case 1: Josh Ritter - According to his website , Ritter has an upcoming concert at the Symphony Hall in Boston with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, featuring a special reading from [...]
Rose Hill Drive may be the best band to ever come out of Boulder, CO. I'm not blind to Big Head Todd & The Monsters, The String Cheese Incident or the likes of Leftover Salmon, The Wood Brothers, or The Samples. When I sneak a track of theirs onto any party mix, I usually have friends inquiring about the artist immediately. I tell them they're a young band from Boulder that has been invited to play with The Who, Aerosmith, Van Halen, The Black Crowes, Wilco, Queens of the Stone Age and have performed at Bonnaroo, Red Rocks, and [...]
So, I may be the only blog out there that posts on Ritter, Dylan, traditional bluegrass, followed by this... Girl Talk is the stage name of 27 year-old Pittsburgh DJ, Gregg Gillis, who has just released his fourth album, Feed The Animals on Illegal Art. It's not breaking news that Girl Talk released another album...hell, I'm probably the 754th blog this week to touch upon this album becuase of the marketing behind it and the quality of songs within it. But, I have been stuck on his Myspace site [...]
The Punch Brothers may be the quintessential group of all-stars in any given genre of music right now. Now don't take me to literal just yet, but it's hard to think of any group currently performing that has the amount talent in each specific instrument as the Punch Brothers. Fronted by Nickel Creek's 26-year old mandolin prodigy, Chris Thile , the Punch Brothers seems to be the most famous unknown group, even in the bluegrass world. Why? maybe becuase they're all fairly young (especially in [...]
Aside from Paul Simon's Graceland , I'd have to say that Nil Lara's self titled album has been on my Top 5 since it's debut in 1996 from Metro Blue Records. I initially saw him open up for Rusted Root at the Paramount Theater in Denver the year his album was released and I bought it, fingers crossed, that the album might be half as great as his performance. Since then, his songs have been placed on too many mix CDs to count (tapes back then) and I've seen dozens and dozens of my friends scour and [...]
I have to thank my brother for introducing me to the rooted, scratchy, honest, and soul-revealing singer that is Ted Hawkins . I was finishing up high school and Ben brought home an album he'd heard in college from a man I'd never heard of before. "Bodie, you HAVE to play this album during a dinner date..." It's easy to hear that Ted Hawkins has gone through a lot in life when hearing just a few simple lines with his sandy and unpolished voice. He was an ornery man with a past full [...]
"Maybe I'm spending too much of my time starting up clubs and putting on plays. I should probably be trying harder to score chicks." - Max Fischer Do you remember the rebellious Max Fisher and his plethora of hit plays at Rushmore Academy? Another Wes Anderson classic and one of my favorite movies featuring Jason Schwartzman , Bill Murray, Luke Wilson, Mr. Little Jeans and more. Nope...no Owen Wilson in this film, but he did co-write it with Anderson. The soundtracks that Anderson compiles always seem to impress [...]
Isn't it sometimes odd how small the world is with all of our small networks and connections? I did a bit of research about some of my favorite artists and found a unique family tree that roots in England circa 1253 and connects my favorite artist (Paul Simon) with Bob Dylan, Sam Bush, Johnny Cash and Josh Ritter. I'm sure it would keep branching if I did more research but I'll give you a concise timeline below and how I was excited to know that my favorite artist directly influenced one of my new favorites, Josh Ritter. [...]
I remember hearing KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic for my first time back in 2003 when searching one of my favorite artists, Alexi Murdoch . As the show's host announced that Kat Maslich and Peter Adams would be singing backup for Alexi's studio performance, I was blown away at again, how it seemed that all of my favorite artists were friends with eachother. Kat and Pete were members of Eastmountainsouth and have unfortunately decided to follow different paths since. They did produce one hit that [...]
Weezer continues their rule over all music videos with a new release for their upcoming Pork and Beans single off of their new self-title "Red Album.". This time, no dogs, no Happy Days, no High Hefner or Spike Jonze...they round up and incorporate the last few years of Internet YouTube "stars." Did we really need to give Tay Zonday or Gary Brolsma another second of fame? How many can you name/remember? And yes, that is the real Gary of the Numa Numa and the real Tay Zonday featured in the video. Don't know those names? [...]
The Mountain Tempo
No Church In The Wild
CHROMATICS "THESE STREETS WILL NEVER LOOK THE SAME"
Nas - Daughters
The Rains of Castamere by The National
DIIV "How Long Have You Known?" (OFFICIAL VIDEO)
Avicii – Two Million
Yellow Magic Orchestra edit from Chrome Canyon
Beck – I Just Started Hating Some People Today
H&M Lookbook Mujer y Hombre Otoño 2012.
