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Beirut, the child of Brian Wilson?

post brought to you by: dyson

Beirut-Gulag_OrkestarWhen I first heard Beirut I was sold. I didn’t need the buzz and background to make me fall in love with his music. I listened to ‘Gulag Orkestar‘ and knew what was going on. I was once that kid in his bedroom, recording the music he knew and loved. (don’t go looking for any of my 4-track recordings though…)

There is way more to Zach Condon than just a talented kid with some instruments and recording gear putting out records. He has moved passed it all and grown into something way more promising than an ‘indie’ kid recording his music. And while we’re on the topic, can his music be put into the ‘indie’ category?? Who the hell knows.

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Crash Kings

post brought to you by: dyson

crash_kingsIf there was any band I really wanted to see succeed in the music world it would be the Crash Kings. Their music kicks ass. THEY kick ass. What more could you ask of a band?

I was lucky enough to have Tony Beliveau (keyboards and vocals) take some time out of their current tour and answer some questions regarding their sound, success, and what it’s like being a touring band based out of LA.

I highly suggest going to see them play this Sunday 1/31/10 at Great Scott in Boston. (or try to catch a date on the rest of their tour) Their record is phenomenal but live is where they shine. I spent a few years watching, having fun, and getting to know Mike and Tony (sadly don’t know Jason yet) but what I do know is that they are the real deal. They don’t mess around with music. They play what they believe and play what naturally comes out of them. We just happen to be lucky as hell, because what they produce is always incredible.

Check out what Tony had to say:

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Being Peter Katis

post brought to you by: dyson

peter_katisBands like Interpol, The National, Frightened Rabbit, The Twilight Sad, Fanfarlo, Mates of State have all become widely known, recognized, and loved amongst the music scene. They’re all great musicians who write great songs.

But there is one strong glue that holds all these bands together and has helped put them into our line of vision (or ears). That man is Peter Katis of Tarquin Studios. And guess what, he does it out of the comfort of his home.

I’m a sucker for the man behind the scenes because my entrance into music was known that if I was lucky, I would be the man credited in the liner notes. This is the life of a record producer/engineer who does it not for the money, but for the love of his craft. (more…)

Breaking news: Record labels can hurt music

post brought to you by: dyson

jon-fionaThe control that record labels have is no new news. It’s been a fight that’s been going on for years and we continue to reach that breaking point of making some sort of shift with it.

Many artists have and will try to rid themselves of this mess that major labels put them into. But to be successful and actually make a buck in the music industry as a musician means you need to be signed to a great record label. (if you’re looking my preference is Nonesuch and here’s to hoping this model changes)

The best case I can think of (and the one I spent all morning harping on) is the release of Fiona Apple’s ‘Extraordinary Machine’. There’s a whole story behind the release of this record. I can’t get all the facts straight because clearly I was not a part of it… But from what I gather it was a record Fiona wanted to give more credit to Jon than Epic Records wanted to. I’ve heard it was meant to be a Fiona Apple/Jon Brion release but Epic would not allow it. (more…)

Instructions for Insomniacs

post brought to you by: dyson

bacheloretteI’m not one to promote new music. (and this music isn’t really new) Everything I find is because of fellow music bloggers and friends who just go nuts over music. So I’ll let them continue on with what they do best and occasionally I may chime in (kinda like now).

This band came to me from a friend we’ll call ‘Bob’. He and I worked together for a while and traded off music like it was sorority girls at slutty colleges. (I went to Berklee so I know nothing of sorority girls and their ways and apologize for stereotyping but oddly was the first reference I could think of).

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Audio compression is a killer

post brought to you by: dyson

fleet-foxesI’m an audio nerd who can’t help but be bothered by what’s happening with records and videos these days. We are using WAY too much compression on albums and getting hurt by upload quality that makes video look OK but causes the audio to suffer.

I get flustered and instantly thrown off if I can hear compression. Compression is a tool that should never be heard by the listener. But most of you  have suffered from it.

It’s kind of like taking depression pills when you don’t need them.

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New Jack Swing

post brought to you by: dyson

newjackThere are more genres of music than I can count on 20+ hands. But one that seems to have gotten lost in the mix (but desperately needs a revival) is New Jack Swing.

In the close circle of people I can really get into music with, New Jack lives on strong. (Ledyard being a strong advocate as well) But I feel in the mainstream it has been lost to the wind. And this deeply saddens me. It was incredibly successful at blending popular genres that have lived on: R&B/Soul and Hip Hop. Genres that fit each other like white on rice. (besides of course Limp Bizkit and Kid Rock mixing Hard Rock and Rap…)

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What exactly is indie music?

post brought to you by: dyson

cigarettesThe term indie music is thrown around all the time. And it always leads me to question what that term exactly defines. Is Arcade Fire still considered indie? How about The Shins? Probably not.

This year I came across the rawest form of indie I have ever experienced in my years of music listening. And I didn’t have to look further than the dyson name for it. It came from an unknown artist called Greg Dyson (yes, we’re related)

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Making sense of it all

post brought to you by: calmstock

Which wayIt’s been a hectic fall. I attended my first Musicians for Music 2.0 meet-up, found my way to Music Hack Day Boston, tapped into some super smart brains on Twitter, started writing about what I was seeing and hearing, and read seemingly a dozen articles a day on the business of music for about 4 weeks straight.

And all the while I’ve been hard at work on the new Longwalls EP; recording, mixing, and wondering… wondering what the hell we were doing! Everything I was reading and hearing was having a real-time impact on what I thought about promotion, distribution, making “records,” managing a little label, and being in a band. It got pretty overwhelming at times and a fair amount of sleep was lost. But as I get ready to finally unplug for a week, I realize all the thinking has lead to a bit of clarity. Some things I’m thinking about heading into a new decade of music making… (more…)

Music makes you hip. Trust me.

post brought to you by: dyson

paste_hipsterAm I claiming that I am hip? Hell yes! Many people might disagree with that statement… But I stand by it proudly. Call me a hipster, call me indie, call me a geek. I will stand by any name you want to throw at me. I’d like to be called chief or holmes though at least a few more times in my life…

I just read about this topic today that has been going on for decades (especially when it comes to music blogging) but Paste Magazine did a great article on the Evolution of the Hipster. It’s really a laughable matter. We all would love to be ‘cool’. It’s in our blood people! You can deny it all you want, but some part of us wants to feel cool. That topic is not up for debate. Ask your therapist. (more…)


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