My buddy, Arjan Writes, had the most unique opportunity to talk to rising British hip hop star, Tinie Tempah for an event in partnership with HP who demonstrated Beats Audio technology (check it out here).
Not only do I love Arjan, but I kind of am freaking out over Tinie and think he's someone that's going to be taking the US by storm pretty soon. I was so bummed that I missed this event, but thankfully, Arjan's got a bunch of photos and a video up so I can kind of pretend that I was there. Sorta. And so can you.
Those who know me know that I LOVE KE$HA. I think of her as the icon for the post-feminist movement, doing more for the advancement of socially equal rights amongst women than any other female icon of the millenium.
However, this news surprises me (only because it shows that others feel like she's awesome in similar ways):
POP SUPERSTAR KE$HA HAS BEEN NAMED AS HUMANE SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL’S FIRST GLOBAL AMBASSADOR
(New York – NY) Pop superstar Ke$ha has been named as Humane Society International’s first Global Ambassador. Her mission is to help HSI promote respect, protection, and compassion for animals around the world.
HSI vice president Kitty Block states, “We believe compassion for animals is a basic human condition that needs to be encouraged and celebrated. Ke$ha, with her passion for animals and international recognition is in a unique position to help us create a worldwide culture of compassion for animals.”
“I am honored to be the first HSI Global Ambassador because my music is inspired by the freedom and primal beauty of animals and the natural world," says Ke$ha. "I take this opportunity incredibly seriously because we are ALL animals. One of the main underlying sentiments of my music is to respect all living creatures just as they are. I believe that together, we can change laws that allow innocent animals to be unjustly mistreated and abused all over the world."
In her first collaboration with HSI, Ke$ha is asking her fans, to join her in signing on to HSI’s Cruelty-Free 2013 petition. The petition is aimed at making sure the EU honors its commitment to ban the sale of all cosmetics tested on animals by 2013, making the EU the world’s first cruelty-free zone. The move would force cosmetics companies around the world, including in theU.S., to stop the ugly business of animal testing or have their products removed from store shelves in the EU. The “Cruelty-Free 2013 petition” is available here: https://secure.humanesociety.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=4543.
Ke$ha is also teaming up with Tickets-for-Charity® on tour to offer fans an exciting new way to help Humane Society International with a special selection of premium concert seats for all North American shows in September! This exciting partnership offers fans and animal-lovers nationwide the opportunity to access fantastic seats in sold out sections to see Ke$ha rock the stage live while also helping HSI protect more animals and continue its vital work fighting animal cruelty, exploitation and neglect. These exclusive tickets are now available at www.ticketsforcharity.com.
Tokyo Police Club returned to Red Bull Studios Los Angeles yesterday for the second of 10, 10 hour long sessions to rehearse and record their cover of 2002's "Sweetness" by Jimmy Eat World.
Their cover is 100% perfection. It reminds me of why I love this song so much... "Sweetness" is really kind of effortlessly perfect.
The band is back in the studio today from 12pm-10pm PST to record 2003's "Under Control" by The Strokes, which will premiere tomorrow at 1pm EST/10am on AltPress.com.
i've got shit to do so i'm not going to be able to get into all the HAARP-filled conspiracies at this moment. but here's some quickies:
1. according to conspiracy theorists, the earthquake felt here was a "fore-shock"... as in a pre-courser to something bigger that is on it's way.
2. some dude from bank of american told Rick Perry that they'll be supporting him (but apparently, BofA is meant to be going down the shit hole soon: http://youtu.be/40K7p3kZO9c ... what's that have to do with the earthquake and hurricane? HAARP. By bringing disaster to American soil, the USA can finally ask for foreign aid from our friends in China. blah blah blah.
3. AND not to worry you tooooo much, but the Yellowstone Caldera has been gurgling a lot lately... and the earthquake in Colorado was fairly close to it. is it getting ready to burp?
keep this in mind re: the earthquake locations in Colorado and Virginia:
Colorado Quake Location:
37.070°N, 104.700°W
Virginia Quake Location:
37.881°N, 77.952°W
OK.... so that's just some stuff i pulled from around the web. they're not necessarily my feelings or concerns, but i'm just sharing them with you all...
Skrillex - the Patron Saint of Dubstep - just released his latest video for the track "First of the Year (Equinox)," which features a kid FUCKING SHIT UP. Fucking shit up in the vain of Dexter Morgan, that is.
We challenge you to not want to punch the air, punch your computer, or tighten your fist when the little girl yells "CALL 9-1-1!!!!!"
Justice is served:
And in the spirit of watching little kids fuck shit up, one of our favorite videos: Yeah Yeah Yeah's - "Y-Control":
The YYY's clip kind of reminds me of the London rioters.
I recently joined the judging panel of YouBloom (along with BOB GELDOF, Rupert Hine, Nigel Grainge, and Conor McNicholas)- a site/community with the purpose of finding and helping talent.
Artists upload their songs to the site and then people vote. The 10 artists with the most amount of votes move on to a judging round where 5 judges pick a winner. This happens a few times a year and the winner of each round gets about $2800. The grand prize winner at the end of the year gets about $14,000 and a bunch of other things.
I can't urge UNSIGNED musician enough: SUBMIT YOUR SONG TO THIS!
Seriously. YouBloom wont own your music. They will just help you out. That's it. You have nothing to lose.
Once upon a time, the Horrors played a show in my tiny Lower East Side apartment. Well... they played one song before the cops and fire dept showed up because someone decided to use a smoke machine and so people thought the building was on fire.
IT WAS EPIC.
Watch them performing "Jack The Ripper" right here:
My favorite genre of love is Stockholm Syndrome. I love any piece of art (music, movies, literature, etc) that plays with this idea. I think that love, in a way, is the ultimate form of SS. How many unhealthy relationships have we found our friends or ourselves in... just total hostages of our own hearts holding us captive.
Cults' "Abducted" is my new favorite song on the subject. I hope you enjoy:
And ... since I love any opportunity to mention Muse, here's their video for "Stockholm Syndrome":
As many of you might know, I spent the past year and a half working at Edelman (a marketing and pr agency) with one of my main clients being AXE. Over the time I worked on AXE, the folks over there began to really trust my taste in music... so much so that they let me choose the song that would be used in an online commercial for their Fixers product!!!
Now, it's no secret that I'm obsessed with Hussle Club. When my brother-from-another-mother, Josh Madden, turned me onto Hussle Club I immediately punched him in the face for holding them from me for so long. Black Terry fronting a goth band that sounds like Bauhaus at a rave? SIGN ME UP. This is why I'm BEYOND excited that AXE agreed to use Hussle Club's "Quarenteenagers" for the commercial!
I'm now at NYLON Magazine as the Director of Music Marketing, and I couldn't be happier about the legacy I've left behind! Please take a look at the commercial. Post it! Spread the love! Thank you!
Today in NYC @edgeshavezone (client) is giving away $50 at a FourSquare flashspecial btw 5p-7p at Prince & Mulberry. Info: http://bit.ly/EdgeOFG
We're also honoring an artist we feel is on the #EdgeOfGreatness, Anthony Morton. The 21 year old Pratt student from Newark's art will be featured on a billboard on that corner. Please come and check it out!
If any of you are in Atlantic City this weekend for Memorial Day break, I will be DJing at the Golden Nugget (formerly Trump Casino) in the Red Room on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night.
This song, "Still Life," is unfairly good. This song was written for every human who was ever a moody teen that listened to Echo and the Bunnymen and held on to every utterance from Ian.
I’m sharing this news because a) I’m stoked and b) many of you are musicians: In addition to the many fun music things that I do (DJing, booking live shows, talk about Britney Spears on TV, etc.), I've been asked to be a judge for Sir Bob Geldof's newest venture:http://youbloom.com/ !
YouBloom is an opportunity for unsigned bands/artists to be heard and judged by the general public and then ultimately (in finals) by a panel of distinguished music professionals including yours truly alongside Sir Bob Geldof, Conor McNicholas, Nigel Grainge, and Rupert Hines (http://youbloom.com/ybsc/judges)
The artists that get chosen by the judges win money and other amazing prizes.
The site is now accepting song entries for Q2 until May 23, so if you (or someone you know) wants to enter, please do so!!!: http://youbloom.com/account/signup/
We've all obviously seen that Chris Brown wedding procession video...
I love what T-Mobile did with their version for the Royal Wedding, and I'M IN LOVE WITH PRINCE HARRY (because you could totally see him doing this):
By the way, the song in the commercial is called "House of Love" by East 17. The track was released in 1992 on London Records. East 17 is basically what NKOTB would've been if they were being produced by the people behind EMF and Jesus Jones:
My roommate, Health Coach Quinn, is hosting a cooking party tonight at our apartment. These are super fun because there's awesome people who come, lots of wine that's gets drunk, and tons of food that gets eaten. PLUS, you learn how to cook the foods, which is really the whole point.
Oh! And a special note - Today's class will have recipes that are KOSHER FOR PASSOVER!
Wednesday April 6th: A Farmer's Market Feast (that's also Kosher for Passover) includes: snacks, well-balanced dinner, recipes, handouts, knife skills, cooking demos. BYOB cost: $45 time: 7-10pm location: lower east side (address upon registration)
NOTE: 99% of the food used at each Cooking Party is organic, all natural and in season…only the best for you. My recipes tend to be vegetarian, dairy-free and gluten free. Please let me know if you have any dietary restrictions and I will plan accordingly. And don’t worry, the recipes may be low on allergens but they are HUGE on flavor.
Today Gawker posted an article about how there's a conspiracy theory going around the web that says that all the on-air reporters that start to randomly speak gibberish is some sort of microwave mind control.
Now, I KNOW that i'm one to quickly jump on the conspiracy bandwagon, but hold up... I think there's something to this. I'm not sure it's as strong as microwaved mind control, but maybe there's something happening.
Here's what I experienced:
About a month and a half ago, I was out at the Interpol afterparty with a bunch of friends. A New York Times reporter asked me if she could ask me some questions for a piece she was writing. I agreed and after answering her questions she replied "Wow, thanks so much for giving me such coherent answers! How do you spell your name?" To which I answered "S-T-N-A no, wait... R-G-L wait. Why can't I spell my own name?!"
It was really weird. Kind of upsetting. Clearly a sign that I need to start wearing tinfoil hats ALL THE TIM.
i'm posting this on my blog since it's read by lots of people who are in, or know someone in, the music industry because you're all some industrious people and that ish DOES NOT PAY ENOUGH.
One of the brands I work with is Pepsi. They’re giving away over $1million/month to a bunch of music ideas(that typically have a charitable angle… but geez, the music industry is basically a charity), so if you have an idea --ANY IDEA RELATED TO MUSIC THAT NEEDS FUNDING -- just submit it here: http://pep.si/dUqRRl
Details about this are below in the pr pitch I yanked from the PR team.
The Pepsi Refresh Project is back for its second year encouraging consumers across America to submit bold, creative ideas that have the power to move communities forward and there’s a fresh twist -- the Pepsi Challenge. The Pepsi Challenge is posed in the form of a question consumers can answer by submitting their ideas. This month, the question is focused on music- Pepsi is asking America: How would you rock the house to support a good cause?
Starting today, submissions are open and accepted at www.RefreshEverything.com for the next five days – ending midnight ET, April 9. Then, voting will begin May 1 and last for one month. Ideas can also be submitted across the four standing grant categories Pepsi is focusing on this year – Arts & Music, Communities, Education – in addition to the Pepsi Challenge. For the innovative ideas with the most votes, Pepsi will award more than $1.2 million each month across all categories.
We know your readers are passionate about music and hope they can take part in the Pepsi Challenge. Need some inspiration? We were down at SXSW recently with YouTube celebrity DeStorm, who chatted with past music grant winner, Austin Halbert, to get his take on what rocking the house means to him. Check out the video!
Best,
Sarah
PEPSI REFRESH PROJECT OPENS 1st SUBMISSION PERIOD FOR 2011 AND CHALLENGES AMERICA TO ROCK THE HOUSE FOR A GOOD CAUSE
Second year of Pepsi’s Refresh Project Begins With Five Days to Submit Entries; More Than $1 Million to be Given Away Each Month in Education, Arts & Music, Communities and Monthly Challenge Categories
Purchase, N.Y., April 4, 2011 – Today, Pepsi launched the second year of its Pepsi Refresh Project, calling on people from across the United States to submit bold ideas that have the power to move communities forward, focusing on the categories that America cares about most: Education, Communities and Arts & Music. In addition to its standing grant categories, Pepsi will announce a newPepsi Challenge each month in the form of a question that Pepsi will challenge the public to answer with creative ideas. This month, Pepsi is challenging fans to channel their love of music to drive social change with its first Pepsi Challenge by asking: “How would you rock the house for a good cause?”
Believing that every individual can refresh the world, Pepsi is enabling innovative ideas through the Pepsi Refresh Project, a platform for inspiration, learning and taking action. By awarding more than $1.2 million each month to ideas that receive the most votes at www.RefreshEverything.com, Pepsiaims to encourage fun ideas that capture the youthful optimism in all of us.
Pepsi will accept project entries for five days from noon ET today through midnight ET April 9, and the first five days of every month thereafter. Up to fifteen hundred (1,500) ideas will then be selected randomly and posted onwww.RefreshEverything.com for voting for one month, starting May 1. For more details on the 2011 Pepsi Refresh Project, visit here.
In partnership with GOOD, the Pepsi Refresh Project’s social impact partner, Pepsi will continue to provide support to Refresh Project grantees. GOOD will continue to work closely with grant recipients to activate their projects, ensure the greatest impact possible, and tell the inspiring, fun stories of grantees making a difference in their communities. Pepsi will also continue its partnership with Global Giving to administer grant disbursements and monitoring.
Each month the Pepsi Refresh Project encourages Americans to dream big ideas and get them submitted. Pepsi will award up to 64 grants and more than $1.2 million tofund amazing ideas that refresh the world. Ideas with the most votes on www.RefreshEverything.comwill be funded. Submissions will be accepted for a 30-day period each month, with fifteen hundred (1,500) ideas selected randomly and posted on www.RefreshEverything.com for voting with the public deciding on who wins. To date, Pepsi has awarded over $20 million through the Pepsi Refresh Project and local grants to ideas across the country including grants to refresh over 123 schools, 78 parks and playgrounds, 21 foster homes and housing facilities, and starting up more than 60 independent organizations. In 2011, millions of participants engaging in the Pepsi Refresh Project will be able to do so in even deeper ways by learning about past winners, watching videos of fun ideas brought to life and discussing their newest ideas through group boards onwww.RefreshEverything.com.
About PepsiCo
PepsiCo offers the world's largest portfolio of billion-dollar food and beverage brands, including 19 different product lines that each generates more than $1 billion in annual retail sales. Our main businesses - Frito-Lay, Quaker, Pepsi-Cola, Tropicana and Gatorade - also make hundreds of other nourishing, tasty foods and drinks that bring joy to our consumers in more than 200 countries. With annualized revenues of nearly $60 billion, PepsiCo's people are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth, called Performance with Purpose. By dedicating ourselves to offering a broad array of choices for healthy, convenient and fun nourishment, reducing our environmental impact, and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace culture, PepsiCo balances strong financial returns with giving back to our communities worldwide. For more information, please visit www.pepsico.com.
My Chemical Romance recently visited BBC1's Live Lounge where they covered Pulp's "Common People" by Pulp. Knowing these guys, they've probably been planning on covering this track since 2001 and it shows. I think they did an amazing job!
I have no idea what this Snowman group is about, and I like it that way. I think the less I know about them, the more weird and strange they'll remain to me. Listening to this track "Hyena," all I can think about is some African jungle tribe doing some sort of 2012 Apocalyptic ritual where someone gets sacrificed to the Aliens ... hopefully not me.
recommended if you like: Animal Collective, Sigur Ros, Man Man
The video for Innerpartysystem's "American Trash" is probably one of my most favorite videos of the year. Done by the irreplaceable Penta, the video is a hypnotic dosage of anti-brainwashing propaganda. A contradiction, i know, but watch the video and you'll get what I'm saying.
The new video for She Wants Revenge's "Must Be The One," which was directed by the band's singer Justin Warfield, features a very familiar face... recognize the mom?
It's Deborah Foreman! AKA Julie from Valley Girl!!!!!
Valley Girl is one of THE GREATEST MOVIES OF ALL TIME. If you haven't seen it, go home NOW and watch it on Netflix.
Everyone seems to be talking about Friendly Fires' appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon last night... mainly due to the singer's dancing. Gurj had seen them at SXSW and said he danced like me, but everyone online seems to think he dances like Elaine Benes.
And the Elaine:
When I saw them in the summer of 2009 at Le Poisson Rouge I just remember him dancing like the party came from his body. I fell in love with them because of their song "Kiss of Life."
The Tarts of Pleasure (aka me and KarenPlusOne) will be DJing upstairs at the Tribeca Grand on Friday from 10pm-2am. The Drums will be playing a free show downstairs. Please come by!
Obviously this isn't really Bob Dylan, but this version of the track kind of puts a whole new prospective on the song. Also the line "gotta have my bowl," sounds kind of... different in this context:
Rebecca Black's "Friday" is about 2 hours away from being old meme, but there's something about this slowed down version of the track -- reminiscent of Sigur Ros's finest work -- that draws me in. Like the Devil disguised as a Syrian Jap strolling on Ocean Parkway talking about the uy-gay she's dating who has a store... I feel like I'm being happily brainwashed.
AXE [client] just put out a commercial for their new scent, AXE Excite, which features an exclusive cover of Air's 1998 classic track "Sexy Boy" by a choir called The Fallen Angels.
I already loved you. I saw your music video for "tik tok" and thought to myself: that's me circa 2005, but cuter and with a record deal.
You effortlessly barrel through life like a drunken bat out of hell, making out with boys, throwing them to the wayside, and treating the world like it's your giant glittery disco ball.
i fucking love you.
You didn't have to win me over, but holy eff, did you ever.
UNICORNS?!
MOTHER FUCKING UNICORNS?!
AND JAMES VAN DER BEEK?!
AND RAINBOWS?!
Britney, Katy, Gaga... they all wish they were as effortlessly amazing as you.
I dont know how this ended up on my hard drive, but it did. And i'm not sure if Mat wants me to share it, but I am until he tells me to remove it. This is genius. This is why i love him.
It's an OPEN BAR party during Social Media Week. I hope you can make it. Please go here to RSVP:
There's going to be a camera crew from The Ish Entertainment interviewing people about how social media has had a significant impact on their lives. We're hoping to capture some really compelling stories. If you have one, please RSVP and come!!!
Inspired by a conversation at work with Casey and Julia regarding champagne shaped bathtubs, I decided to look up vintage commercials. Many of these will just be familiar to those living in the NYC area during the 80s, but they're still fantastic.
All you have to bring is your love of everything...
and in the center of it all...
the magic, the mystery, the memory will live forever...
My brother Lawrence participated in the 23andMe genetic profiling.
My world was rocked a little when I found out that my mom's side is genetically Scandinavian, Moroccan, and Spanish, while my dad's side is Russian, Polish, Pakistani, Indian, and Asian.
Check out these maps. The areas that are darkest are where my genetics most likely come from.
UPDATED: A message from Lawrence:
Not quite: First, the dark colors are where the population of R1a1a and H1o are larger percentages. It doesn't necessarily mean origin. Second, those are just the Y-chromosome and mtDNA, respectively. What's more important is what population we're closest to and, according to my DNA, I'm right at the nexus of Palestinians, Bedouins, and Druze. That location, of course, is Israel:
The terror reigns in Mexico as the drug cartels continue to cause needless murders throughout the country. In Juarez, seven men were assassinated by Mexican drug dealers while playing soccer and appeared to hold not ties to the drug cartels in the northern part of the country.
I'm back with news. I had my head in the sand for a bit... so all this is news for me!
Philippine rebels shot and killed 5 police officers including a chief. The ambush came a week after Philippine government and communist rebel negotiators agreed to restart talks on ending the 42-year rural-based insurgency that has killed some 120,000 people.
A Seattle activist won a case against the TSA! Horay! In 2009, he was arrested for using a video camera in a public space and failing to show ID.
Cuba is getting broadband! I went to Cuba in 2008. The hotels had access to the internet, but not many other places did... AND you had to show ID in order to use the 'net. This is kind of a big deal.
Sarkozy talks G20 agenda. Main objective: Curb commodity price volatility. He warns that the world risks food riots and weaker growth if leaders fail to act.
The Pope has bless social networking. Says virtual friends can't replace real ones and warns of parallel existence, depersonalisation, alienation.
A few years ago, in a life long ago, Stolen Transmission (my now defunct record label) signed The Horrors. I love The Horrors.
The singer, Faris Badwan, launched a new band (in addition to the horrors) called Cat's Eyes and filmed the video for the song "I Knew It Was Over," from their first gig which at the Vatican. NO BIG DEAL.
Last night, my friend Robin Monheit, I attended The Secret Science Club at the Bell House which featured the amazing Astrophysicist Charles Liu. Astrophysics is my favorite kind of physics after quantum and particle, but after watching the amazingly hilarious, informative, and delightful Charles Liu... i may have to rethink that. The place was PACKED. At least 300 people, standing room only, and quiet enough to hear a pin drop. The crowd was filled with the kind of people you might expect at like, a Warpaint show... not the type of folk you might expect at a science lecture. Are science lectures the new indie rock show? Fuck, i hope so.
There's video of the lecture below -- 1 minute segments because that's how my G1 works... but the video also includes me on stage singing a couple songs with Liu. Kind of surreal. I was as excited about that as I was when AndrewWK put me up on his shoulders during one of his shows in 2003.
Anyway, I asked people to submit #astrophysicspickuplines on twitter. Here are the entries (including my own):
