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Cut of the Week 02.21.11 - President's Day

Today is President's Day and with the U.S. celebrating one of its most venerated historical figures (George Washington), I decided to take things in a different direction. I though to myself, is there a song about one of the most villified Presidents in our history? The answer is an emphatic, "Yes!"

In keeping with a presidential theme, here is the 1973 funk classic, "Impeach The President" by The Honey Drippers which is obviously a reference to Richard Nixon's fleeting days in office before resigning as a result of one the biggest political scandals of all time. If you think you've heard the snare, kick and hi-hat of the initial drum break before, there's a good reason for that. The first 20-25 seconds is the basis of one the most frequently used samples in popular music, predominantly featured in countless hip hop songs from Audio Two's "Top Billin" to Biggie's "Unbelievable"(In fact, whosampled.com lists 152 different songs that have sampled "Impeach The President".)

Take a listen and enjoy your day off.



The Honey Drippers - "Impeach The President"

Interview with Grieves

Please check out my interview with Grieves that was just published on Neon Musical Insight (Click here for the direct link to the article). Grieves is a thoughtful and skilled MC in the independent hip hop scene who is a fast rising star. Go and check him out if you can as he teams up with his partner Budo, and joins Atmosphere, Blueprint, DJ Abilities and Sab The Artist on the Rhymesayers' Family Tour. Attention NYC heads: They have a show at Terminal 5 on April 26th.

I am proud and looking forward to working with such a tirelessly diligent and comprehensive site dedicated to music. Big thank you to Neon Musical Insight founder/senior editor Chris Brancato for putting the shine on me. I plan on collaborating with them more in the near future, so keep your eyes peeled...

Hope you enjoy.

Cut of the Week 02/11/11

I'm currently working on an overhaul of Music Hound in the hope that I can make it bigger and even better. With that said, I may have to take a short break with respect to crafting new mixtapes/episodes. However, this is a great opportunity to take a step back and check out some of the older mixtapes I have labored over in the last year. Simply peruse through the archives and enjoy the mixtapes you may have missed or forgotten about.

In the meantime, I will continue to post Cuts of The Week and other fun odds and ends dealing with the music world. So, in the spirit of unearthing undiscovered treasures, here is the title track from Two Steps From The Blues by blues/soul legend, Bobby Bland. Despite being unknown by many (including myself until very recently), over the last 60 years Bland's signature voice has enabled him to carve out a deserved place for himself in the canon of superstar classic blues/soul artists in the likes of B.B. King, Solomon Burke, and Otis Redding.

He continues to perform live at the age of 81.

Give it a listen. Enjoy.


Bobby Bland - "Two Steps From The Blues"

Episode #30: California Dreamin'

With most of the U.S. experiencing a prolonged deep freeze this winter, I once again turn to music to keep me from suffering seasonal depression. For this mixtape, I decided to select songs that conjure up images of sun, surf, and simply riding around with the top down. What better place to capture this ideal than our very own West Coast?

I believe the tracks here offer a nice smattering of genres yet still retain something undeniably sunny and westward-looking. The originators of beach-flavored tunes, The Beach Boys and the oft-overlooked King of the Surf Guitar, Dick Dale, are represented along with the best present-day incarnations of “beach pop,” Best Coast, Tennis, and Beach House. To offset the softer pop tunes I also chose to include a couple of uptempo hip hop tracks from some of my personal favorites from the West Coast scene, such as People Under The Stairs and Ugly Duckling, and a real rocker from the experts of loud, jarring beats, Sleigh Bells.

And for good measure, I just had to have Ice Cube’s classic ode to a perfect day in L.A.

I am going to take solace in knowing that soon enough summer will be here in New York. Soon. Real soon. Any day now…

Give it a listen and enjoy.

Track List:
1) Wouldn’t It Be Nice (2:24) – The Beach Boys
2) West Coast (3:32) – Coconut Records
3) Summer Mood (2:26) – Best Coast
4) The L.A. Song (4:27) – People Under the Stairs
5) Beach Girls (3:23) – Sleigh Bells
6) Cape Dory (2:29) (live at Daytrotter) – Tennis
7) Everything’s Alright (3:44) – Ugly Duckling
8) It Was A Good Day (4:20) – Ice Cube
9) California (3:50) – Joni Micthell
10) Walk In The Park (5:26) – Beach House
11) Shake N’ Stomp (2:12) – Dick Dale & His Del-Tones
12) California Sun (3:04) – The Dictators

Cut of the Week 01/26/11

With the winter slowly killing my soul, I find solace in watching old episodes of 30 Rock. If you haven't caught 30 Rock fever yet, you really don't know what you're missing. By far it's the funniest and smartest comedy on TV since my beloved Arrested Development left me.

Here is "Werewolf Bar Mitzvah" by Tracy Morgan's character, the incomparable Tracy Jordan. It is a stroke of sheer genius to fuse the Jewish rite of passage with the pagan holiday where we celebrate the macabre and dress in costume. Unrelated phenomena? I think not. Trust me, you'll think twice once you see my Bar Mitzvah pictures. I simply couldn't wait for Halloween to share this with you all. While the video is admittedly nothing special (and there is an obligatory 15 second commercial -ugh), it's still very much worth the listen.

Enjoy and stay warm.

Cut of the Week 01/21/11

Jason Schwartzman (yes, that Jason Schwartzman of Rushmore, Darjeeling Limited, and HBO's Bored to Death fame) heads a band called Coconut Records that released a gem of an album in early 2009 that I believe has gone undeservedly overlooked.

On Davy, Coconut Records employs a Beatles-esque pop formula, with a very staight-forward arrangement of drums, guitar and some piano. They are pure and simple pop tunes with nearly every song clocking in under 3 minutes. Even the song titles are intentionally uncomplicated and short, generally limited to one or two words. If you are a fan of Schwartzman's works, you will appreciate his wry, ironic humor peeking out throughout the record, including the chorus, "I was a drummer in a band that you heard of." This album could seemlessly fit into any of Wes Anderson's movies. And given that Schwartzman has starred in several, it makes perfect sense.

Despite being an actor first, Schwartzman certainly has a knack for making pop tunes with great hooks and a lot of heart, sometimes with a wink. I guarantee this song, Microphone, will get stuck in your head. Isn't that the sign of a pop song achieving its goal?

Give it a listen and enjoy.


Coconut Records - "Microphone"

Cut of the Week 01/13/11

While staring out of my window, the frosted-over scenery can be pretty depressing. So, in order to liven up these dark days of January I make a concerted effort to go off hunting for live shows in NYC on the glorious world wide web. Luckily, I had just received an email from a friend that just clued me in to an upcoming show at Music Hall of Williamsburg where Blockhead and Emancipator will be performing on January 28th. Tickets bought.

Now, I've featured Blockhead here on Music Hound before on the Episode #24: Loungin'. However, Emanicpator, a Portland, Orgeon native, I've known primarily for his gorgeous remixes of some Sage Francis tracks. While, Emanicpator can be categorized as a downtempo, hip hop instrumentalist, he is certainly a different animal worth getting to know better. Wanting to familiarize myself more with his body of work, I came across an interesting remix mash-up of Icelandic legends Sigur Ros and Queensbridge's own Mobb Deep. On paper, it seems completely incongruous, however, Emancipator carefully crafts a fusion of Sigur Ros' magnificent sonic soundscapes and Mobb Deep's gritty, stream-of-consciousness rhymes. It works beautifully.

If you like this, I suggest you check out Emancipator's other albums, specifically his 2006 release (and very timely for winter) Soon It Will Be Cold Enough, which employs strings, pianos, ethereal vocal samples, and elements of jazz and drum n' bass to create wonderfully lush mood music.

Or, come to the show on January 28th! Only $15.

Enjoy.

Concert Review: Sharon Van Etten @ Bowery Ballroom 01.08.11

Please click here http://thesilvertongueonline.com/?p=21512 to check out my review of budding starlet Sharon Van Etten's stellar performance at the Bowery Ballroom from last Saturday night.

You can also hear her right here on Episode #28, Bittersweet Vol. III.

Episode #29: Bringing Ska Back

Well, maybe not bringing ska back to its Third Wave Revival prominence of the mid/late 1990s, but a nostalgic look nonetheless at a genre that was irreverent most of the time, fun all of the time, and even helped catapult bands like No Doubt and Sublime into the mainstream. While those giants of ska are included here, there is also a roster of great ska/punk bands that have their best days behind them in terms of popularity and cultural relevance. However, that’s precisely what Music Hound is here for – to dig up forgotten treasure troves of music that is hidden from everyday view.

Incorporating elements of two-tone British ska, traditional Jamaican reggae and dub rhythms, and even infusing flourishes of melodic punk/hardcore, Third Wave Ska is a genre that brims over with unbridled energy and danceable hooks. While some dismissed the often juvenile or “sophomoric” lyrical content (songs about beer abound) of ska music, the infectious nature of the genre allowed it to breakthrough to the mainstream, peaking around 1998.

Third Wave Revival ska was certainly not monolithic. Some may prefer the ska that feature more hardcore elements of pop-punk or hardcore showcased here by tracks from Sublime, Less Than Jake, Rancid, Operation Ivy, and The Impossibles. Others may opt for the more straightforward odes to Jamaican reggae such as “Bones” by Bim Skala Bim or traditionalist skinny-tie ska like Hepcat’s “Earthquake and Fire” and Allstonians’ “Homeward Bound.” Whether you like your 90s ska laden with lots of horns or sprinkled with punk chords and shout-along choruses, ska music was the product of a rich musical tradition that incorporated a variety of other approaches to make something new and that was at its core simply FUN. Although it didn’t quite have the staying power for the long haul, it’s great to skank your way down memory lane anyway…

Give it a listen and enjoy.

Track List:
1) Take Warning (2:44) – Operation Ivy
2) Earthquake and Fire (2:28) – Hepcat
3) Mass Appeal Madness (3:06) – Spring Heeled Jack U.S.A.
4) Girl Take It Easy (3:54) – The Pietasters
5) Homeward Bound (4:15) – Allstonians
6) Don’t Let The Bastards Grind You Down (2:49) – The Toasters
7) No Face (1:53) – Suicide Machines
8) 40 Oz. To Freedom (3:03) – Sublime
9) Widowmaker (2:07) – The Impossibles
10) Super Rad (3:03) – The Aquabats
11) Beer (3:41) – Mustard Plug
12) Trapped In A Box – No Doubt
13) Bones (3:41) – Bim Skala Bim
14) Stuff (3:09) – MU3330
15) Ruby Soho (4:49) – Rancid
16) Boomtown (2:45) – Less Than Jake
17) Thick Ass Stout (4:53) – Skankin’ Pickle