Song of the Day

**7/26/10

Tango in the Attic - Off To...

---------------Inevitably I will start going to shows and photographing more concerts once I stop working, which at this point feels like ten years from never. For now I'll cruise the internet looking for bands I'd want to see once I retire. Though Tango in the Attic will probably disband before I turn 67, I would shell out a few bucks to catch a set. "Off To..." sounds like the Kooks with a scottish bar chant thrown in the mix. Any fan of The Get Up Kids or the Wombats will love to add Tango in the Attic to their overseas rock library. Get "Off To..." from their MadLib album, Bank Place Locomotive Society.

http://www.myspace.com/tangointheattic

Song of the Day

**7/25/10

Scarlett Johansson - Bullet

---------------Been a while, hasn't it? I was on vacation where I was enjoying no technology and sunny shores. I did not however enjoy my dad's ipod playing mostly Barbara Streisand all day long. Not my stickkabutta, if you catch my drift.

Scarlett Johansson's cover of Steel Train's "Bullet" is my drift. It's nothing incredibly special in terms of vocal talent, but ScarJo makes it work for her with smoky whispers and clever echo effects thanks to a producer who must wear an "I love seductive-sounding indie movie stars/singers" t-shirt. Take a listen to it on Absolutepunk.net. The photo above features Johansson performing at Coachella Music Festival back in May. Lovin' the hat.

http://absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=1816082

Song of the Day

**7/12/10

The Doobie Brothers - Blackwater

------------------Finally I found a decent coffee shop that isn't a national chain in my hometown. I'm happy to be back in this caffeinated, aromatic heaven for my schnoz with a large New Orleans dark by my side.

Not all coffee shops play Miles Davis-style jazz and quiet songstress acoustic tunes. I've sipped on java tapping my toes to everything from Gorillaz to Zero 7, Flogging Molly and Angels and Airwaves. Where I am now, they're favoring classic rock, which always makes me feel like I have dust on my shoes, a tractor on an honest-living farm, and a little more "Amuurrica" inside of me.

The Doobie Brothers have sold more than 30 million albums in their career. Safe to assume then, that at least 30 million people have heard "Blackwater," the Huck and Jim river song that beckons a brewsky and a comfortable rocking chair on a patio. Get this hit from the 1974, 44-minute long album, What Were Once Vices are now Habits.

Song of the Day

**7/12/10

Hole - Anything By Hole

------------------On this Monday morning I am comfortably sunk into my couch sipping on a powdered just-add-milk cappuccino and puttering away through the world wide web. Meanwhile my sister is sweating her ass off doing lunge squat dip powersurge monster lifts on some Beachbody home workout DVD. I love being lazy.

Now that you've had a webcam into my room, I can talk about Hole. The female alt-rock band fronted by Courtney Love has been in music way before the mass text was sent out that they were suddenly cool again. THe band represents a whole lot of what grunge was about - a misunderstood, moody and aggressive voice that shattered the rock n' roll party image of the eighties. Hole had a small hit with "Celebrity Skin" but have been relatively under the radar in recent years. Rough and tough with a little softness, Hole has a handful of winners that make spitting out your pissed-off feelings seem okay.

Here's a breakdown of some essentials:

Doll Parts Malibu

Gold Dust Woman Violet

Song of the Day

**7/9/10

Girls Love Shoes - Bad Girl

----------------This electro-pop duo may have one of my favorite band names of all time. Speaks the truth, right? This made for TV, Los Angeles duet of Nadia Fay and Jay Condiotti make sultry, scandalous beats for the masses, good or bad. "Bad Girl" breaks down every chick with "eff you" painted on their middle fingers (Lohan?) detail by detail. Fay and Jay's burlesque pop sounds great for those who like somber falsetto voices and naughty nuances. Enjoy!

http://www.myspace.com/girlsloveshoesband

Song of the Day

**7/7/10

Drive By Truckers - This Fucking Job

----------------During the summer I never feel bad about watching shows on MTV with dialogue similar to the following example:

-"Oh my god. So and so is here."

-"Oh my god. I see him."

-"Oh my god."

...yeah. Anyways.

When I'm not doing that, I'm doing what most people are doing this summer: working at a part-time job. And if you're wondering what kind of cool record-labely, record shoppy gig I've been cruising through for $7.25 an hour, its nonexistent. I'll give you one word: food.

Pretty easy to see why Drive By Truckers have the perfect song for today. The lyrics are true to the petty hours and even pettier paychecks, and the southern rock with bluesy undertones brings the boys onstage right to your level. Hey, we all have to start somewhere, right?

Get "This Fucking Job" from DBT album, The Big To Do.

http://www.myspace.com/drivebytruckers

VIP Seat: Beyonce: I Am...Yours

It's pouring rain and it's been cloudy all day. This usually means I'll post up with my 50-song "Rainy Day" playlist and call it a sweatpants day, and of course, loads of TV.

Went to E! instead of True Life: I'm a Bisexual only because Beyonce Revealed was on. Those who know me best know that I adore Sasha Fierce more than words can express (she replaced my longtime love with JLo, don't ask). As I watched the behind the scenes of "Bills, Bills, Bills" I remembered "I Am...Yours," an exclusive, Storytellers-style concert in Las Vegas.

The concert begins with an acoustic set featuring a slowed-tempo knockout of "Sweet Dreams" and "Halo," among others. She dives into her B-sides as if they were her all-time hits, wailing and jumping through vocal gymnastics as easily as blinking. The acoustic "Irreplaceable" is more of a sing along, which is cool if you're in the audience, but I'm not about to scream "to the left, to the left," when I'm the only loser doing it.

Act two involves a more lively, uptempo story telling journey through the life of Beyonce. She sings some Destiny's Child classics with a remix of "No,No,No" and clips of "Say My Name" and "Independent Woman." There's even an interlude tap dance routine(?).

The finale is predictably "Single Ladies," but since the entire performance is catapulted by an all-female band, the pop hit embraces more of the big band and less of the MacBook.

If you're a big Beyonce fan or even a little one, you must watch or hear the performance. It's a near flawless, fabulous exhibition of her talent, and I'm not just saying that because I LOVE HER IN ALL CAPS!! Ahem, yeah.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilKFZJ6V97I - Halo (acoustic)

Song of the Day

**6/30/10

Crosby, Stills & Nash - A Long Time Gone

--------------As we're getting closer to the fourth, I'm pulling back from the future and trekking back to the past for some apple pie, Levi's and bandanas type music. Not to mention I'm a little jaded by artists who describe their music as "plucked from Saturn's rings or a meteor belt."

That being said, "A Long Time Gone" is the shirtless outlaw song that couldn't feel more right than at Woodstock. The footage from the video below reels through the 1969 festival's stage construction. It's wonderfully American, and will probably be part of a little series-type thingy of my favorite classic rock bands who made rock what it is. Get "A Long Time Gone" from their 1969 self-titled album.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PFCgAhZEO8

Song of the Day

**6/29/10

Stacy Clark - Matter of Time

--------------As a self-taught, sort-of-ok guitar player, I think Stacy Clark has major chutzpah for teaching herself well enough to perform folk music at 15 and killing it enough to be considered "the next Ani DiFranco." She saved up her record store wages to create her first solo project and toured and toured and toured. Lately she's been singing backup vocals for Jack's Mannequin ("Crashing" and "Spinning") and hearing her music on MTV-insert-dramatic-real-life-situation-shows.

"Matter of Time" is less guitar and more machine, but Clark's lyrics remain pop-friendly and pleasant when carried by her songbird voice. Thanks to the popularity of her 2007 debut, Apples and Oranges, she's worked with Phantom Planet, Copeland and many more.

http://www.myspace.com/stacyclark

Song of the Day

**6/28/10

The Rest is Up to You - Miss Jealousy

-------------I met TRIUTY frontman Brian Fried in a class entitled "Rock Lyrics: Society and Culture" (also known as "Megan: Here's Your A+"). He sat on the other side of the room, but I could tell he had a knack for some great tuneage when he used Brand New's "Seventy Times Seven" for lyrical analysis.

I came to find out that Brian was recording this summer, and asked him to send me a little of whatever he worked on, be it rough cuts or final drafts. This weekend he sent me "Miss Jealousy," a pop punk pledge of trust and throwing jealousy to the side. Bereft of synthesizers and motherboards that belong in NASA, "Miss Jealousy" makes power chords and effortless instrumentals cool all over again.

Fried's myspace page is on the way, once more recordings are done, including a cover or two. I promise to post the link once it's up. Here's a free download of "Just Dance."

http://www.sendspace.com/file/3unqbx