Vibes blog

The 2009 Voodoo Experience kicked off in New Orleans on Friday, and what started out as a hot and sweaty day quickly cooled off in temperature and heated up sonically.

Thanks to far walks, slow transportation and the help of a man in a golf cart, I finally got checked in around 3 p.m. and made my way out into the festival grounds at City Park.

It’s definitely a different setting, yet similar setup when compared to Bonnaroo. There are two main stages that are on opposite sides of a track. A few smaller stages are set out among the trees and pathways. Odd sculptures dot the landscape.

I caught a snippet of the set by The Vettes – rock fronted by a female, that sounded pretty good from a distance. Next up, across the way, was The Cool Kids who hinted at the hip-hop that was yet to come that night. (more…)

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KMFDM with Angelspit

The Fillmore

Oct. 28, 2009

The Deal: Industrial music pioneers, KMFDM, performs at The Fillmore. Sydney, Australia-based band Angelspit opens.

The Good: KMFDM! Fronted by Sascha Konietzko and Lucia Cifarelli, – who controlled the beats and sang – along with guitarists Jules Hodgson and Steve White, and drummer Andy Selway, the band emerged on stage and immediately began blasting off industrial beats with “D.I.Y.” The group played an assortment of powerful tunes, both in English and German. Konietzko smoked a cigarette during most of the show. Highlights included “Bait & Switch,” (side note: This song features lyrics from the Christmas hymn/carol “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”) off of the groups 2009 album Blitz, as well as other pulsating melodies like “Hau Ruck,” (meaning “Heave-ho” in German), “Looking for Strange,” “Megalomanic,” and a much heavier version of “Free Your Hate” off of 2005’s Hau Ruck. KMFDM played more than 14 songs and came out for two encores, after the crowd loudly chanted “KMFDM sucks.”

The Bad: Opening act Angelspit was a bit of a disappointment. Comprised of two members (Destroyx and Zoog), the band delivered throbbing industrial beats, without any real impressive elements. It was hard to hear the lyrics to the songs, as most of the members’ vocals were drowned out by the music. In addition, the audience was quite small at the start of the concert (during Angelspit), but by the time KMFDM arrived on stage more folks had arrived. Hmmm…I wonder why they came so late?

The Verdict: Go see KMFDM the next time they are in town. Get there late if Angelspit is opening.

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Each Friday, we bring you 10 recently released CDs reviewed in 10 words each:

The Del McCoury Band Family Circle — Bluegrass legend’s latest effort celebrates his 50th year in music.

Wax Tailor In the Mood for Life — Soul, funk, 60s pop merge into hip-hop-y Portishead groove.

Train Save Me, San Francisco — Band gets back to original lineup, returns to old sound.

Carly Simon Never Been Gone — Revisitation of old Simon songs in new, mostly acoustic arrangements.

Debbie Davies Holdin’ Court — 22-year road veteran releases latest disc full of blues.

Mac Arnold & Plate Full O Blues Country Man — South Carolina-based blues band releases Southern-fried blues album.

Jazz Around the World — Putumayo gathers up variety of jazz from around the world.

REO Speedwagon Not So Silent Night — Rockers put their own spin on number of Christmas classics.

A Family Christmas — Redbone, Sam Bush, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy among Christmas songsters.

The Pantones Inside the Sun’s Wild Flame — Band combines brit-pop and modern flavors into something easygoing.

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Jewel w/ Meiko
The Knight Theater
Oct. 28, 2009

The Deal: Folker gone country artist Jewel brings along new sensation Meiko for acoustic/vocal showcase. (more…)

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ESPN is a fairly hip network.

Their on-air talent make an effort to stay current with their  slang and with tons of production staff still in their 20s, its no wonder you hear so much new music on The Worldwide Leader in Sports.

Kind of like long snappers, music beds on TV are generally unnoticed unless something’s wrong or off but ESPN’s fondness for Jay-Z’s 11th #1 album, Blueprint 3, is an epidemic.

Sure I’d love to hear an “on to the next one” reference after an Adrian Peterson stiff arm but since the day it’s dropped, there’s no doubt people who don’t even like Jay-Z or own the album, know every freakin’ song. (more…)

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We’re constantly posting information on Twitter with the #charlottemusic tag… and I’m personally sending out concert information and updates via my page there.

Tonight, Jewel is performing at the new Knight Theater in Uptown Charlotte. Want to win a pair of tickets? Simply send out a Tweet stating, “I want to win Jewel tickets!” and tag it with #charlottemusic. The first one to show up on the Music page’s Twitter feed wins.

Good luck!

(And stay tuned, I’ll be posting blogs and Twitter updates from the Voodoo Music Experience in New Orleans this weekend.)

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So, it’s time for Halloween. That one time of year where you can dress up like the opposite sex, get really drunk and jump out and scare people – and actually not get arrested. Where ladies can dress like a nun – if said nun was a hooker in her spare time. Or a nurse – if this particular nurse was a hooker on the weekends. Or a cop – if this cop was… you get the idea. Every year, you always gather around the t.v. and watch scary movies. You know like Dirty Dancing, Steel Magnolias, or anything with Matthew McConaughey.

And the radio stations and djs play those always popular spooky tracks. But here’s where they get it wrong. They always play “Thriller” or “Monster Mash.” They might get really wild and break out “Weird Science”. The problem is simple. These songs aren’t scary. There are plenty of scarier options. So djs and party goers, if you really want to freak out the crowd, just fire up one of these diddies – if you dare! (more…)

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Late last night, while hip-hop heads who couldn’t sleep on the East Coast or those on the West Coast were still on their Lakers ring ceremony high, Lil Wayne’s mixtape, No Ceilings, leaked in its entirety before its expected Halloween release. Even without artwork, tens of thousands downloaded the mixtape, which features Wayne goin’ in on other artists’ hit instrumentals, from all over the net.

Here’s a tracklist:
Swag Surfin’
Ice Cream Paint Job
D.O.A.
Interlude
Wasted
Watch My Shoes
Break Up (Feat. Gudda Gudda & Short Dawg)
Banned From TV
Throw It In The Bag (Remix)
I Think I Love Her (Feat. Tyga & Shanell)
Interlude 2
Wetter
I’m Good (Feat. T-Streets)
Make Her Say (Feat. Jae Millz)
Run This Town
I Gotta Feeling
Outro

Link via 2DopeBoys here.

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Chris Brown is apparently done wearing big bowtie’s on CNN and taking a break from highway garbage collection, to do the thing he did so well before he went after Rihanna like a spider monkey.

His new video, “I Can Transform Ya,” with Swizz Beats and Lil Wayne seems better suited for the Transformers 3 soundtrack than radio stations but the video is kinda hot. I’m personally not a fan of ninja extras/backup dancers but whatever works right? Here’s the video.

“I leave the pussy micro soft like Windows Vista…”

Ahh, it’s been a while since we’ve heard the clever quips of Lil Wayne on other people’s beats but the return of “Mixtape Weezy” is a very welcomed voice to CD decks and iPod’s everywhere. (more…)

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Here’s a quick rundown of some of the new albums being released this week:

Atreyu Congregation of the Damned

Devendra Banhart What Will We Be

Jack Johnson En Concert

R.E.M. Live at The Olympia

Stephen Stills Live at Shepherd’s Bush

The Swell Season Strict Joy

Tegan and Sara Sainthood

Train Save Me, San Francisco

Wolfmother Cosmic Egg

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