Rita & Ryan's Wedding

Release Date: 10.10.2010

Most musicians accumulate equipment throughout the years, so it’s only a matter of time before someone asks them to DJ an event. That’s exactly how it happened to me, and have since been “DJing” (occasionally) at parties and bars. What I quickly found out is that I really enjoy it since I love music, but dealing with people makes it pretty tough at times and can totally ruin an otherwise fun gig. What gig is the toughest? Weddings. They are by far the worst of the bunch, with Christmas parties coming in at a close second.
Weddings are tough because it is such a diverse group of people. It ranges from the kids that like to run around to the uncles and aunts with hearing aids.
“Don’t you have any new stuff?”
“Have you ever heard of XX band? You haven’t? Wow…that’s surprising since you are ‘supposed’ to be into music.”
“Sonny, can you turn it down? We can’t hear ourselves think in here!”
“Hey, can you turn it up? It’s supposed to be a party!”
When a friend of mine recently asked if I would DJ his wedding, I gave a half-hearted yes for the reasons above, but I have to say it wasn’t that bad.

Pros
The reception was outdoors and it was a beautiful Sunday with perfect weather. There was great food and just the right amount of people. I have to say I really enjoyed this gig. How could I not enjoy this wedding when the bride’s set list included Stevie Ray Vaughan, Led Zeppelin, Tori Amos, Cake and Van Morrison!!! WHAT?!?!? I really enjoyed it because I was able to play anything and everything I wanted and did not have to endure “The Chicken Dance” requests.

Cons
The only negative that I can think of was the lighting. Since the reception was outdoors, it was dark rather quickly. As people were leaving, they really couldn’t see each other, so they turned on the main lights. Well, with the lights on…no one danced.
The weather was great because a cold front came in. It made for a nice time. However, the next day, I was dying! I could not breath, was sneezing and simple could not think. Apparently, the cold front blew in tons of ragweed, which I found out I am allergic to. Zyrtec to the rescue!

Congratulations!
All in all, I rank this wedding as the best one I’ve done. Keep in mind that DJs can’t make everyone happy so it’s important to read the crowd and make them somewhat content and to focus on the people that pay your fee. Congratulations to Rita & Ryan! I hope you had a great day.

Interpol - Self Titled

Released: 09.10.2010

I knew little of the band. I knew Interpol were an indie band from New York and every once in a while I would hear them mentioned on satellite radio, maybe Guitar Hero World Tour, but it wasn’t until I heard The Heinrich Maneuver off of Our Love To Admire that I was totally smitten with the driving bass lines and awesome vocals, but I never went out and purchased a full CD. I guess you can say I am not “a real fan”, but I wanted to be. When I saw their new self titled CD out, I jumped at the chance.
Pros
The most intriguing part of this band, to me, was the pulsating bass lines. If you aren’t the dancing type, these made you take notice. The fifth track - Barricade is a perfect example of the rhythm section perfectly in tune with the vocals. This is definitely my favorite track and what I envisioned would make up the rest of the CD. Unfortunately, this was not the case.
Cons
The rest of the CD was not what I had hoped or expected. It is keyboard heavy. I have nothing against keyboards in a band, but they definitely made this recording a mood piece. I DO have a problem with the keyboard playing whole notes and ambient noises, which dominates all of the other tracks. This style is not my preference and I was disappointed. I normally spin a CD (really it’s ripped onto a playlist) for about a week before I attempt to write about it. This one made it two days.
Alternative Recommendation
This CD is for the diehard fan. Unfortunately, I do not qualify. What I did do was purchase Antics, an earlier album and LOVED IT! I’m hoping I can work myself through their catalog and eventually appreciate this one. I also read that bassist Carlos D has left the band. After listening to the latest and compared it to the older CD, I don’t blame him. As a bassist, I would be bored out of my mind playing these tracks live.

Before The Music Dies

Released: 2006

Like many people today, I am on Twitter. I don't usually have much to say so I use Twitter as a repository for news articles and to basically receive updates from people I find interesting, which is usually musicians. Questlove of the Roots (my favorite rap group) is one such example. I am not only a fan of the band, but also a big fan of Quest because it is clear he loves music and passes a lot of his knowledge to his followers. If he is not posting old school audio clips, he is sharing information about the music acts on the Late Night with Jimmy Fallon show.

In May of this year he annouced that the musical guest was going to be Sheryl Crow. The next day people kept asking him who the guitarist was that was in her band. Well I missed the show so I didn't have a clue who they were referring to. He explained that it was a Doyle Bramhall II and that he was basically one bad dude. Being from South Texas, I of course new who he is and found it funny that noone else did. Then Questlove posted a link to a YouTube video and said, "If you want to know who he is, watch this." I was intrigued and followed the link to a documentary called Before The Music Dies (B4MD). It was a series of clips and after a quick search, I decided to buy the DVD.

Let me tell you...this is the best documentary I have ever purchased. B4MD was released in 2006 and it takes a look at the music industry as a whole to try to idenify what is going on. It recognizes that the industry is in trouble, but tries to indentify the cause. Is it consumer tastes, the radio stations, or illegal downloads? To accomplish this, they interview musicians (e.g. Eric Clapton, Dave Matthews, Bonnie Raitt, and many others) and industry professionals for their perspective on what is wrong.

How is Doyle Bramhall II involved? He is used as a case study for the film. He is a prime example of a talented musician that was signed by a major label but was dropped because he didn't meet the numbers (sales) or the formula that they were requiring of him. To prove that today is simply about looks, B4MD takes an attractive model, who can not sing and transform her into a pop star by the use of real musicians, and audio and video editing.

I highly recommend this video. I feel everyone should show it to their kids and every music department in every school should show it to their students. If you would like to purchase the DVD, go to Road Wings Entertainment. If you would like to "see before you buy", go to YouTube.

I'm Back!!!

I’m one of the few people left that still buy CDs. I go to my local store every Tuesday to see what’s out. Having worked at a music store for years, I’ve been conditioned to look for new CDs on the same day every week (Pavlov’s dog??). Why am I still buying CDs when you can get them faster and cheaper by downloading them? Well, I prefer to rip my own songs and having an actual CD is the best back-up…plus I’m old.


My goal was to review new CDs or live shows I attended from the perspective of someone who enjoys various types of music and who buys their own stuff. Most reviewers receive an advanced copy and usually have a deadline. Do they REALLY listen to the music? I’m not sure, but my idea was to spin it for at least a week. Then I would come back and write about it weekly. Well, that didn’t pan out because life happens, so I adjusted to monthly, and that didn’t work out too well…
Here I am almost a year from my last post. Very disappointed because I still bought CDs and I still went to live shows. How many times did I write it down…zero. What would I have written about? Chevelle, The Black Crowes, Cross Canadian Ragweed,  John Mayer, Jay-Z, Pearl Jam, Weezer, and the Stone Temple Pilots just to name a few.


Now I’ve decide to give it another try. This time I’m going in with a bit more commitment and realize that I will write when I can but not wait a year. For now, I will leave you with what I have loaded in my iPod’s NEW playlist and would/should have made it to this site: Vampire Weekend (love it), Phoenix, Nick Jonas and the Administration, The Black Keys, The Roots, Eminem, and B.o.B. These are great CDs and I definitely recommend you check them out.