Monday, February 22, 2010
posting a streaming song
i'm trying to post up a song that will stream. this is a new song i've downloaded and what better to guinea pig than a new fun song? push the little play button in a circle that's to the left of the linked song and enjoy.
marina and the diamonds - mowgli's road (steve wishes he was a man club edit)
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
acoustic covers on youtube
my brother's guilty pleasure is trashy tv. the trashier the better. during xmas break we were watching tv together with the controller in his hand. judge judy, jerry springer, jersey shore, the list goes on...
upon reflection i quickly realized that i have no televised guilty pleasure. i'm not guilty for liking the office, or spongebob squarepants. but i did realize that there is a guilty pleasure i partake in on a far too regular basis: music covers on youtube.
there have been a few major phenomenons on youtube, like the kid who played pachbel on his electric guitar and has 70MM views. or the chocolate rain kid. but those aren't my guilty pleasures. i search for and watch in their entirety amateur bedroom (mainly acoustic) covers of songs that i enjoy.
phoenix actually embedded this video on their blog, which is how i found this one. the guy is good, and the video makes you appreciate how the drums were written for this humongous song.
some people don't take themselves serious, and it's obvious they live in nowhereville usa, hence are bored.
some people are serious about their covers, they have some serious music equipment, their voices are obviously going through and effects platform, and you can see that aren't using their built in laptop computer microphones, like most of these covers.
sometimes i'll just search through the results of "acoustic cover", this is what i got during the composition of this post.
but like any guilty pleasure, i feed off of the embarrasment i feel for those sub-par performers. i can now relate to my brother's affinity for watching hair pulling trailer park couples on jerry springer.
upon reflection i quickly realized that i have no televised guilty pleasure. i'm not guilty for liking the office, or spongebob squarepants. but i did realize that there is a guilty pleasure i partake in on a far too regular basis: music covers on youtube.
there have been a few major phenomenons on youtube, like the kid who played pachbel on his electric guitar and has 70MM views. or the chocolate rain kid. but those aren't my guilty pleasures. i search for and watch in their entirety amateur bedroom (mainly acoustic) covers of songs that i enjoy.
phoenix actually embedded this video on their blog, which is how i found this one. the guy is good, and the video makes you appreciate how the drums were written for this humongous song.
some people don't take themselves serious, and it's obvious they live in nowhereville usa, hence are bored.
some people are serious about their covers, they have some serious music equipment, their voices are obviously going through and effects platform, and you can see that aren't using their built in laptop computer microphones, like most of these covers.
sometimes i'll just search through the results of "acoustic cover", this is what i got during the composition of this post.
but like any guilty pleasure, i feed off of the embarrasment i feel for those sub-par performers. i can now relate to my brother's affinity for watching hair pulling trailer park couples on jerry springer.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
my valentine
i've always had something against valentine's day. i've accredited it to having far more 'bad' valentine's days vs. good ones, and i'm not including simply being single on 2/14/xxxx as 'bad'. yes, bad means bad.
however there is one thing i can always count on when mid feb rolls around to boost the spirits, and that of course is my favorite woman in the world. mommma. there isn't a v-day in my memory where mom didn't have a valentine's day card for me, and this year is no different. "what's this? i've got a card in the mail?"
i lately acquired a scanner, and figured that i better share my card with the "cool" friends to see if they really will make fun of me for getting a valentine. and yes, i am telling you that there was $100 in the card.
or maybe the card just made me feel like $100 :)
however there is one thing i can always count on when mid feb rolls around to boost the spirits, and that of course is my favorite woman in the world. mommma. there isn't a v-day in my memory where mom didn't have a valentine's day card for me, and this year is no different. "what's this? i've got a card in the mail?"
i lately acquired a scanner, and figured that i better share my card with the "cool" friends to see if they really will make fun of me for getting a valentine. and yes, i am telling you that there was $100 in the card.
or maybe the card just made me feel like $100 :)
Friday, February 12, 2010
song of the day
in early december i was chatting with a friend online about music. i sent a song to them and expressed how much i liked this track i had recently discovered. they sent me a track in response and that’s when the idea sparked -perhaps we should email each other songs, one per day, and see how long we can keep it up?
okay i’m in!
before we discussed the ‘song of the day’ concept, i had been planning to send a second song over in response to my friend’s song. but after that conversation occurred i queued song #2 as a draft email and made a mental note to send it the next day . hence ‘song of the day’ was born. on the third day i sent another favorite of mine, and the fourth day dug a little bit deeper to find a song that could live up to #1, #2 and #3. and the cycle started. in fact, just about every day since that early december conversation i’ve sent a song.
now let me clarify, i’m not sending just any song here. that is far too easy. heck, my current itunes library has 26,000+ songs so technically i can send a song each day for the next 71 years with no need to download anything new.
but i’ll be the first to admit that of my 26,000+ songs, about half should be deleted, and of that half only a small fraction would i consider ‘good’ songs. a ‘song of the day’ needs to be a special song. it needs to be bangin’, or it has to touch you, something about the song must stand out, these are special songs. if it was so easy to find a true ‘song of the day’, then more people/places/things would be doing it.
since then ‘song of the day has evolved into somewhat of a game better yet a challenge for myself to keep up this once-a-day song share. there’s a slight pressure i put on myself to deliver a good song each day to my friend’s inbox. the songs don’t have to be new, they have to be good. there’s also negative points (self inflicted) if my friend knows the song, or worse yet has the song. this is about music sharing, expanding each other’s music collection, and sharing something between two people who have a common interest.
to date i’ve sent over 40 songs, and i’m proud of every single one. i haven’t received as many in return, but this wasn’t a 1 to 1 agreement, it was a ‘let’s see how long each of us can keep it up’. it’s also understood that we’re sharing only quality and quantity isn’t even on the table. we both would prefer no song in our inbox instead of a mediocre, or dare i say a bad one.
as i’ve been sending these songs i’ve thought about one song per day from another person’s perspective. i’ve tried to imagine how many people do i know would have the time, dedication, and interest in consuming one song each day? it takes much more than you initially think. i know people who would love to do this, but don’t have the time and would ultimately end up with a ‘song of the day’ pile up in their inbox. i know people who have the time on their hands to consume one song per day, but constantly being introduced to new music is somewhat numbing after the novelty quickly wears off. the person also needs to have a deep passion for new music already somewhat established.
then i did some self-reflection, i know that i am able to consume a song a day, i already do. there’s a handful of music blogs who post daily, which i frequent. keeping up with them is not easy it takes dedication and effort (sometimes i rely on the ‘song of the day’ motivation to fuel my new music listening efforts). but i may sift through 3-5 songs one day, and then 60 the next. of course new albums are coming out weekly, singles are leaked, and of course i can’t discount the infinite amount of music that i have yet to discover which has already been released. when i’m not catching up with blog posts there’s a few other portals i’ll visit where unimaginable amounts of music are readily accessible.
i don’t know if ‘song of the day’ will ever be more than an email/day from me to a friend. i’m not sure how long it will last. but i have kept a playlist of each song sent (in order to track but also detect possible duplicates). so i guess we’ll just have to wait and see what shows up tomorrow, like the ‘song of the day’.
okay i’m in!
before we discussed the ‘song of the day’ concept, i had been planning to send a second song over in response to my friend’s song. but after that conversation occurred i queued song #2 as a draft email and made a mental note to send it the next day . hence ‘song of the day’ was born. on the third day i sent another favorite of mine, and the fourth day dug a little bit deeper to find a song that could live up to #1, #2 and #3. and the cycle started. in fact, just about every day since that early december conversation i’ve sent a song.
now let me clarify, i’m not sending just any song here. that is far too easy. heck, my current itunes library has 26,000+ songs so technically i can send a song each day for the next 71 years with no need to download anything new.
but i’ll be the first to admit that of my 26,000+ songs, about half should be deleted, and of that half only a small fraction would i consider ‘good’ songs. a ‘song of the day’ needs to be a special song. it needs to be bangin’, or it has to touch you, something about the song must stand out, these are special songs. if it was so easy to find a true ‘song of the day’, then more people/places/things would be doing it.
since then ‘song of the day has evolved into somewhat of a game better yet a challenge for myself to keep up this once-a-day song share. there’s a slight pressure i put on myself to deliver a good song each day to my friend’s inbox. the songs don’t have to be new, they have to be good. there’s also negative points (self inflicted) if my friend knows the song, or worse yet has the song. this is about music sharing, expanding each other’s music collection, and sharing something between two people who have a common interest.
to date i’ve sent over 40 songs, and i’m proud of every single one. i haven’t received as many in return, but this wasn’t a 1 to 1 agreement, it was a ‘let’s see how long each of us can keep it up’. it’s also understood that we’re sharing only quality and quantity isn’t even on the table. we both would prefer no song in our inbox instead of a mediocre, or dare i say a bad one.
as i’ve been sending these songs i’ve thought about one song per day from another person’s perspective. i’ve tried to imagine how many people do i know would have the time, dedication, and interest in consuming one song each day? it takes much more than you initially think. i know people who would love to do this, but don’t have the time and would ultimately end up with a ‘song of the day’ pile up in their inbox. i know people who have the time on their hands to consume one song per day, but constantly being introduced to new music is somewhat numbing after the novelty quickly wears off. the person also needs to have a deep passion for new music already somewhat established.
then i did some self-reflection, i know that i am able to consume a song a day, i already do. there’s a handful of music blogs who post daily, which i frequent. keeping up with them is not easy it takes dedication and effort (sometimes i rely on the ‘song of the day’ motivation to fuel my new music listening efforts). but i may sift through 3-5 songs one day, and then 60 the next. of course new albums are coming out weekly, singles are leaked, and of course i can’t discount the infinite amount of music that i have yet to discover which has already been released. when i’m not catching up with blog posts there’s a few other portals i’ll visit where unimaginable amounts of music are readily accessible.
i don’t know if ‘song of the day’ will ever be more than an email/day from me to a friend. i’m not sure how long it will last. but i have kept a playlist of each song sent (in order to track but also detect possible duplicates). so i guess we’ll just have to wait and see what shows up tomorrow, like the ‘song of the day’.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
must share music
last night i sent this email to my friend.
then later i got this response after my friend read/listened to the attached song.
my friend's response was composed in realtime while listening to the song, which is the same manner that i composed my email about the song. there's few things that make me smile a big goofy "duh-huyk" smile like a solid song share.
the song can be downloaded or played
memory tapes - bicycle
friend,
i've just listened to this song 3 times back to back. i had to share it asap!
first of all 0:00 - 1:18 i know, not impressive... i sorta dislike this guys vocals and lyrics in the beginning. but it's all part of the plan.
but at 1:19 things get a bit interesting with the distorted bass line and air-y background vocals. but trust me, this isn't why i like the song. another breakdown [1:50] and you may find yourself playing air tambourine, but it takes more than some shakin' to move me (a pun right now? really ameer?)
2:22 you think that you know this song, it's honestly not bad and things are at what feels like the climax. another bridge, repeat chorus and we're done -right?
no.
3:23 hits. and this is where i first started paying attention. everything beforehand was built up to this. the song has progressively gotten better and better, which is why i deal with the beginning minute and 18sec.
you ask yourself, where did this come from? is that piano? and then electric 80's sounding guitar? OMG! if you appreciate this song 50% as much as me then you will still be in love with it.
5:21 it's over. repeat it if you like, i did. thank you for dedicating 5:21 to me today.
-me
then later i got this response after my friend read/listened to the attached song.
you,
-I like that the song starts right up immediately
- no slow progression, just jumps right in.
-Not crazy about the vocals but don't dislike them either. I did find myself wondering if he was faking the Brit accent
-loved the 1:19 transition. is that sitar? i think it might be. the middle easterner in me is impressed.
-1:50 feels like the soundtrack to a dream sequence. i like it. i could almost listen to a whole song just like this. it's happy. i feel like i'm going to find myself humming it later
-3:23 wow. wow. wow. i love this. your'e absolutely right, it's very 80s, the guitar is perfection, such a simple melody. and the chorus over it has me maybe a little bit dancing in my seat, i must confess. there are so many layers to this song. i haven't heard something like this in a long time. i love choruses like this. i know, i hate to bring up a madonna reference, but it's the reason i like "Like a Prayer'. i don't generally care for the song, but i LOVE a good gospel choir. fact: i can listen to people sing on and on about religion if they sing as a gospel choir. true story. did you know there is a reality show like "American Idol" but for gospel singers only? you're welcome.
i kinda just want to rewind and listen to 3;23-onward over and over. the song started out on a sadder note, but the end is heavenly! i feel like this would have been a great song for the flying mixes, actually.
Thank you music penpal!
~friend
my friend's response was composed in realtime while listening to the song, which is the same manner that i composed my email about the song. there's few things that make me smile a big goofy "duh-huyk" smile like a solid song share.
the song can be downloaded or played
memory tapes - bicycle
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
party animals
i fell in love with the concept of this video, and it inspired me to doodle a bit.
i'm not sure if this doodle is done or if i want to add more. perhaps i'll watch the video again and see if something sparks.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
the guy equivalent?
Me [2:14 PM]: yo
Him [2:22 PM]: yo
Me [2:23 PM]: my friend asked "what's the guy equivalent to a single girl with cats"
Him [2:23 PM]: dude what a good question ...
Me [2:23 PM]: right?
Him [2:23 PM]: snakes?
Me [2:23 PM]: the guy who married a pillow?
baseball card collector?
action figures?
is there a pet.. fish?
steve carrel in 40yo virgin?
Him [2:25 PM]: it's not a pet because that means nurturing and responsibility of some sort which means at least some lady will buy it "he's an ogre, but he has a kitten, that means he will be a good father" it's gotta be like a fixation which = cats for women
Me [2:26 PM]: right!
Him [2:26 PM]: a fixation with no potential earning power and not suitable for casual conversation
Me [2:26 PM]: i figure like angela and kevin from the tv show, 'the office'?
Him [2:28 PM]: your friend posed an excellent question
Me [2:28 PM]: how did we not have this answer
Him [2:28 PM]: which i will happily debate with you for like 3 hours haha let's break it down fixation
Him [2:28 PM]: socially unacceptable limited peers right?
Me [2:28 PM]: we need to come to an answer general enough but specific enough... and he will never get some, ever
Him [2:29 PM]: well that's the unifier being into something that not only doesn't help in getting action but actually inhibits it but he does it anyways
Me [2:31 PM]: 1990's tech/computer geek was the cat lady equiv, but that's changed.
Him [2:39 PM]: problem is too many of these typer of guys have wives we have it easier girls are less picky?
Me [2:40 PM]: have we concluded that a man can never reach the level of cat lady equiv?
Him [2:41 PM]: the problem is for us guys we don't choose the life partner we get tricked into it. it's all look at me, i hear heels, i look good, I will go drinking/clubbing with you, and slowly the temperature of the water rises but we don't jump because we are lazy and stupid then. suddenly we're driving our kids to soccer practice that is the natural order of things
Me [2:43 PM]: hahaha
Him [2:43 PM]: that's why there are cat ladies they need to do all the enticing up front the moment they give up on that, that's it.
Me [2:43 PM]: this is an eye opener
Him [2:43 PM]: for me too i feel like we stumbled across a new geometry proof
Me [2:43 PM]: we totally did we basically discovered something as huge as time travel is possible
Him [2:44 PM]: "...and thus the right angles make these lines the same length...holy crap!" so we've essentially proven that like there is no male cat lady there are guys who are in a cat lady type position but the difference is they can always claw out of it whereas with catlady you can't. also with the guy they tend to fixate on something that honestly if they had to they could walk away from.
these conversation excerpts were taken from an intellectual discussion about worldly topics concerning the betterment of mankind. another one of the many ways i spend my precious free time.
Him [2:22 PM]: yo
Me [2:23 PM]: my friend asked "what's the guy equivalent to a single girl with cats"
Him [2:23 PM]: dude what a good question ...
Me [2:23 PM]: right?
Him [2:23 PM]: snakes?
Me [2:23 PM]: the guy who married a pillow?
baseball card collector?
action figures?
is there a pet.. fish?
steve carrel in 40yo virgin?
Him [2:25 PM]: it's not a pet because that means nurturing and responsibility of some sort which means at least some lady will buy it "he's an ogre, but he has a kitten, that means he will be a good father" it's gotta be like a fixation which = cats for women
Me [2:26 PM]: right!
Him [2:26 PM]: a fixation with no potential earning power and not suitable for casual conversation
Me [2:26 PM]: i figure like angela and kevin from the tv show, 'the office'?
Him [2:28 PM]: your friend posed an excellent question
Me [2:28 PM]: how did we not have this answer
Him [2:28 PM]: which i will happily debate with you for like 3 hours haha let's break it down fixation
Him [2:28 PM]: socially unacceptable limited peers right?
Me [2:28 PM]: we need to come to an answer general enough but specific enough... and he will never get some, ever
Him [2:29 PM]: well that's the unifier being into something that not only doesn't help in getting action but actually inhibits it but he does it anyways
Me [2:31 PM]: 1990's tech/computer geek was the cat lady equiv, but that's changed.
Him [2:39 PM]: problem is too many of these typer of guys have wives we have it easier girls are less picky?
Me [2:40 PM]: have we concluded that a man can never reach the level of cat lady equiv?
Him [2:41 PM]: the problem is for us guys we don't choose the life partner we get tricked into it. it's all look at me, i hear heels, i look good, I will go drinking/clubbing with you, and slowly the temperature of the water rises but we don't jump because we are lazy and stupid then. suddenly we're driving our kids to soccer practice that is the natural order of things
Me [2:43 PM]: hahaha
Him [2:43 PM]: that's why there are cat ladies they need to do all the enticing up front the moment they give up on that, that's it.
Me [2:43 PM]: this is an eye opener
Him [2:43 PM]: for me too i feel like we stumbled across a new geometry proof
Me [2:43 PM]: we totally did we basically discovered something as huge as time travel is possible
Him [2:44 PM]: "...and thus the right angles make these lines the same length...holy crap!" so we've essentially proven that like there is no male cat lady there are guys who are in a cat lady type position but the difference is they can always claw out of it whereas with catlady you can't. also with the guy they tend to fixate on something that honestly if they had to they could walk away from.
these conversation excerpts were taken from an intellectual discussion about worldly topics concerning the betterment of mankind. another one of the many ways i spend my precious free time.
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