The Meme-Mandated, Semi-Regularly-Updated, Occasionally Coherent Thoughts of G.M. Skarka
Just confirmed that I will be a Guest at the first annual KC Game Fair (which combines several long-running local shows — ShaunCon 27, Borderwars 2009, etc. — into a single event). I’ll be at the show on Saturday the 21st, and participating in a Game Industry panel discussion at 7p.m. that evening.
Hope to see you there!
Here we go–
First off, I’m eagerly awaiting The Fame Monster, the new album from Lady Gaga, due on the 27th. Originally, it was just supposed to be a few new singles tacked onto a re-release of her debut, The Fame, but she successfully lobbied her label, and now it’s a full 8-track CD, available on its own, or packaged in a 2-disc deluxe edition with a copy of The Fame (for those who have ignored my Friday Music posts this year and don’t own it yet). Instead of posting one of the new singles, I’m posting an interesting version of a well-known one: stripped down, no band, no synths, just her and a piano. Lady Gaga – “Poker Face (acoustic version).”
The refrain from this song (“Bang bang bang bang… Vamanos vamanos!”) has been stuck in my head, ever since I saw the commercial for Left 4 Dead 2 that features it. A track inspired by traditional blues, from their recent album, From Beale Street to Oblivion: Clutch – “Electric Worry.”
I posted about Kutiman and his Thru You project earlier in the year — he took video clips of people playing music that he found on Youtube (piano recital, drum lessons, singers, rappers etc.), and mixed them into original compositions. This is one of my favorites- after listening to the song, go to the site (linked at the beginning of this paragraph) and watch the video, which stitches together the original video sources. Brilliant. He’s remixed the planet. Kutiman – “I’m New.”
Chiddy Bang are a Philly-area threesome, comprised of a keyboard player, a drummer and an MC. Check them out on their myspace page — great stuff. Sharp instrumentals and beats, with some seriously skilled rhyming, geek references, etc. This track, based around a tempo-shifted Sufjan Stevens vocal sample in the chorus, becomes their “cover” of one of his songs: Chiddy Bang – “All Things Go.”
More hip-hop, this time from the Pacific Northwest, with definitely its own regional feel, separate from the East/West/South sounds that have dominated the national scene. Chill organ samples, an almost Thievery-Corporation-esque vibe on the instrumentals, and some inventive lyrical structures. Ohmega Watts – “Stay Tuned (feat. Sojourn).”
Even more hip-hop — this track wormed its way into my head from its use during the recent World Series win for the Yankees — and it quickly became one of those tracks which makes me miss living in NYC: Jay-Z – “Empire State of Mind (featuring Alicia Keyes)”
Lastly, some House, which I don’t post as often as I should. Get yer asses moving: DJ Sprinkles – “Grand Central, Part 1 (Deep Into The Bowel of House Bassline Dub)”
There ya go. Enjoy.
We went to see Leonard Cohen last night — the tickets I purchased for
An absolutely amazing show. A 75-year-old man and his band of virtuoso musicians performed over three hours (not including a 20 minute intermission!) — phenomenal and moving. Laura’s post sums up the show, complete with set list.
It was *almost* perfect. Let down (and let down mightily) by the audience.
As I said last night: Hell is a concert full of Boomers. With a Bar.
Here are the ingredients for intense stabby-stabby-hate levels of annoyance:
1) Take a couple thousand members of the most self-important and overly-indulged generation in history.
2) Age them to their 60s, where their hearing starts to go, so any “quiet” conversations are anything but.
3) Add alcohol.
4) Put them in a concert by an icon who reminds them of their wild youth.
So yeah, a bunch of hammered, loud, rude assholes embarrassing themselves and pissing off those around them — especially us, who had the misfortune of being seated in the rearmost row in the floor seats — by the bar.
Cell phone users, merrily chatting away. Drunk cougars, looking like a casting call for the Real Housewives of Kansas City, belting out off-tune at the top of their lungs while staggering around with drinks in their hands, “dancing.”
GRRRR. Stabby-stabby HATE.
Even more so because they were the only negative (and a big one) in an otherwise PERFECT concert.
This post serves mostly as an exorcism — a rant to get the negatives out of my system, allowing me to file away the best memory of all: Cohen was awe-inspiring, and I’m incredibly blessed to have been able to see him live.