Jay-Z and Alicia Keys perform "Empire State of Mind"

Jay-Z got to perform his song, "Empire State of Mind" featuring Alicia Keys at Game 2 of the MLB World Series.

After being pushed back from Game 1, most likely due to weather conditions, the performance went off without a hitch in front of thousands of New York's finest fans. Even better, the Yankees pulled off their first 2009 Series win, evening the seven game series at 1-1.

The track is one of many singles off of Jay's newest studio album, "The Blueprint 3", and is quickly becoming the modern day anthem of New York City. It was played at almost every Yankee game since it debuted right there alongside Frank Sinatra's famous "New York, New York". Plus this is the inaugural year of the new Yankee stadium itself...it's a bigger deal than you think.

Have a wild (but safe) Halloween weekend and GO YANKEES!

Stuck In Your Head of the Day: "Baby Come Back"

I think after the "ABC's" and "Mary Had a Little Lamb"...this is the song most ingrained in my brain.

Thanks to Christine for bringing it up and an equally heartfelt, "Damn you Christine." for getting this song stuck in my head just in time for the weekend.

Player - "Baby Come Back"

Who Dat Wednesday: Jeff Bujak

WHO: Jeff Bujak

WHAT:

Jeff Bujak generates heavily organized piano progressions, twists and winds them amid constantly evolving poly-rhythmic electronic beats and constructs a sound that is not only unique, but extremely fresh to the underground music scene. Bujak is a solo performer that uses computers, keyboards, effects, samplers and vocals to create a "progressive-piano groove."

Bujak really covers a LOT of sounds here. His groove is undeniable...equal parts Electronica act and Jam Band. He's toured with the likes of U-Melt, Lotus, The New Deal, and Marco Benevento. That should shed some light on what you'll find out of Jeff Bujak's music...but I encourage you to go deeper. There's a lot more than meets the eye. If you ask me...the future is very bright for Jeff Bujak.





...AND OH YEAH! Bujak allows tapers at most gigs!
So be sure to check out his shows on Archive.org!

God Bless The French

Exchange with my co-worker:

(4:52:49 PM) CO-WORKER: I'm on my lover song period right now
(4:52:49 PM) CO-WORKER: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqU2WXKcUb0&feature=channel
(4:52:58 PM) ME: oh jeez
(4:53:00 PM) ME: u dance to this?
(4:53:07 PM) CO-WORKER: I make love on this :-)
(4:53:11 PM) ME: bwahahahahaha
(4:53:29 PM) ME: "lover song period"
(4:53:32 PM) ME: Jesus thats good stuff
(4:53:38 PM) CO-WORKER: hey
(4:53:41 PM) CO-WORKER: I'm french
(4:53:45 PM) CO-WORKER: so I'm romantic :-)
(4:53:47 PM) CO-WORKER: right?

(For the lazy people, the video is Boyz II Men - "I'll Make Love To You")

Weezer and Weezy, that's a lot of weez.

Weezer's last studio effort, "The Red album" proved to be a grower. One of those albums that I simply didn't approve of until listening to it a handful of times. At which point it became tolerable. Not the greatest thing ever, but good, tolerable, Weezer-esque music.

Their next album, "Raditude", is due out November 4th of this year. I fear it may fall into the same category as the last, but they are certainly moving in new directions.

Take for instance this track, "Can't Stop Partying" which features none other than Lil Wayne. (who himself has a highly anticipated rock...yes, rock...album coming out titled, "The Rebirth".)


Weezer f/ Lil wayne - "Can't Stop Partying"


Post your take in the comments...HOT or NOT?

Them Crooked Vultures First Single

Them Crooked Vultures have released their first single, "New Fang", off their highly anticipated debut album. I mean HIGHLY anticipated. Perhaps the most anticipated of 2009.

Why?

The band consists of music legends Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters), John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin...need I say more?), and Josh Homme (Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age)...clearly putting them into "supergroup" category.

The track is available for your listening pleasure below. It's VERY good and will make you want more...which you'll get soon enuogh. They've announced tour dates so far for the West Coast, Australia, and Europe.

Funny Friday - Pulp Fiction With A Laugh Track

How does this have only a few thousand views!?

It's the scene from Pulp Fiction where Marvin get's shot in the face...with a laugh track added to it. Completely changes the nature of the scene.

I also love the "Seinfeld-esque" corny music opener.

Awesome Mashup of the Day: MC Trebek

YouTuber Tronovitch has crafted a lot of great mashup vids in the past...usually hilarious remixes and 'auto-tunes' of pop-culture events.

His most recent is the hilarious mashup of MC [Alex] Trebek of "Jeopardy" fame!

Sure to put a smile on your face...and who doesn't want that today? TGIF!



(P.S. locked in tickets to Night 1 of Phish at MSG Dec. 2!!)

Hudson Mohawke Is The Sound of the Future

Have you ever wondered what alien music might sound like? Music from the year 3000?

:: mind explosion ::

Don't think too hard, because Hudson Mohawke (A.K.A Hud Mo) is a Producer/DJ who has been blending genres and crafting beats that sound - literally - out of this world. From another planet or something.

His sound is a mix of electro, prog, hip-hop, and techno. It trickles through your skin, pumps through your veins, and then just smacks the crap out of your brain...and you love every second of it.

Though he's been doing his for a while, this most recent album, "Butter" is sure to make him a staple in the ever increasing indie/electronica realm. Don't let that stop you from listening though. Hud Mo is the real deal and his genre-crossing antics are sure to please almost everyone.

Here's the track, "Fuse" from his most recent LP Butter which released in September of this year.

Hudson Mohawk - Fuse

Awesome Web App of the Day - Let Them Sing It For You

I've always been a fan of Text 2 Speech conversion. You know what I'm talking about...the software that allows you to enter in a sentence or some words. The words are then converted to "speech" by the computer and output using a number of different pitches and volumes to sound like an actual person. (Though often, it pretty much sounded like a robot.)

Well the site, "Let Them Sing It For You" brings txt2speech to the modern world by doing exactly what it says. It sings your text to you. How so? It uses clips of words taken from popular songs and splices them together to create your supplied full sentence.

For example the sentence, "Are you hungry?" might take the ARE from Kansas' "Dust In The Wind" ...the YOU from Bob Dylans "The Times They Are A Changin"...and the HUNGRY from Duran Duran's, "Hungry Like The Wolf". It then combines them to complete the sentence!

It's rather fun and can lead to some hilarious results. Here's one I did fast to demonstrate this to my coworkers.

I typed in: "It is such a nice day outside and I am stuck inside the office."



Check it out and have fun! Let Them Sing It For You

Lil Wayne Headed to the Big House

This is sort of breaking news...most media outlets are JUST picking it up.

Rapper Lil Wayne, (born Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr...thanks Wikipedia) has pleaded GUILTY of attempted weapon possession.

Police found the weapon on his tour bus in 2007 and used a DNA profiling technique to pin the weapon on Weezy.

Lil Wayne has said himself that he expects a 1 year sentence.

OUCH...and this is on the heels of Cash Money's CEO announcing that Lil Wayne will release two new albums before the end of 2009. The much anticipated album "The Rebirth" as well as "Tha Carter 4"...the next in Weezy's "Tha Carter" series which pulled in a best rap solo performance Grammy last year for "A Milli."

Our Take: Weezy's got enough material to last him into 3010. While I hope this doesn't turn into the judge using Lil Wayne to, "Set an example"...it's safe to say whatever the outcome, we'll still have a lot of Weezy on the airwaves.

Catchiest Song You'll Hear All Day: "When We Swam"

Some of you may be familiar with the infectious vocal swagger of Thao Nguyen.

As a member of Thao with The Get Down Stay Down, we get that same awesome sound multiplied with folk/pop flavor.

The combination is incredible and it certainly shows on the new disc, "Know Better Learn Faster".

I'll shut up now and let this video of, "When We Swam", off the new album do the talking. Then you can let me know how right I was in the comments.

"When We Swam"

Free or Die Tuesdays: Umphreys McGee 04/09/2009

New little idea I had that's going to work two-fold.

Firstly...I was a huge fan of the "jam band" ideal back a handful of years ago.
On any consistent basis there was a live CD playing in my car, on the stereo at home, and even on my 1st generation iPod (which I ironically nicknamed livePod because well...it housed ONLY live music)
Phish, The Grateful Dead, Mule, and recent acts like Tea Leaf Green ruled my soundscape. It was just too easy to hit up the wonderful www.Archive.org and have LEGAL access to all the live music I desired.

Then came the big folk/indie boom of the late 00's and while I kept my grips with the live scene and still regularly catch shows...I started to get back into the studio album. Acts like Dr. Dog spearheaded the jump for me. Just something about hearing the music from the standpoint of the artist. In the context they wanted you to hear it at first listen. This also made the live experience more enjoyable because you had a basis for judgement.

Anyways, enough banter...the point is I want to GET BACK into the live world.

So each Tuesday that I can remember (had to throw in the disclaimer) I will post a live show from the Archive that you can download at home.

Note: a majority of these will be jam bands...but hey, thats just the policy of that genre...recording is encouraged to help spread the music. That said, a lot of times recordings are done by fans...so these will try to be the best quality sound I can find.

Kick it off first with:

UMPHREYS MCGEE
04/09/2009
LIVE @ Town Ball Room

Show:
Buffalo, NY
http://www.archive.org/details/um2008-04-09.um.aud.flac16

Utopian Fir
Utopian Fir >
Utopian Fir
Anchor Drops
Fusssy Dutchman
All In Time > Senor Mouse
All In Time
Ocean Belly
Search 4
FF >
FF> August
Bridgless
Encore Break
Liquid
Roulette

Download the show NOW as High Quality Mp3 or hit the link above for lossless audio and individual song downloads.

(Have an artist you'd like to see here? Shoot an email or post in the comments. Like I said...two-fold here, maybe you all can introduce the rest of us to some new bands!)

Monsters of Folk Are "Golden"

Jim James, M. Ward, Mike Mogis, and Conor Oberst are the four men known as, The Monsters of Folk.

I've mentioned them a bunch here on Coffee Con and they're getting a lot of attention as they just started touring in support of their debut self-titled album.

The reviews are coming in about their first few shows and so far "Epic" and "The Real Deal" seem to be scattered amongst all of them. It also seems like, while they're playing a lot off their debut, they're also digging into each others deep catalogs.

YouTube user reils1029 just uploaded this awesome cover of "Golden" by My Morning Jacket. The vid is taken from the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland, OR from their October 14th, 2009 show.


I HAVE to scrounge for tickets to the November NY gigs...have to.

Happy Birthday to the Grateful Dead's Bob Weir!

Bobby turns 62 today!!





This means today is a GREAT day to go back to THE FIRST post I ever made here on Coffee Con.

Awesomely Bad Music Video of the Day - Bobby and the Midnites, "I Want To Live In America"

...and be sure to catch Bobby, Phil, and the rest of the great great great amazingly great lineup of the newly formed Dead band, "Furthur" on tour this year!

FURTHUR WEBSITE

Your Band for the Weekend - The Black Seeds

The Black Seeds are a New Zealand band who are crafting some seriously fresh dub reggae tracks with subtle nuances of Afrobeat, funk, and even a surf rock sound (that description sounds good enough to eat, I know. Too much "Iron Chef America" lately.)

The group consists of 8 members and a past lineup even included Bret McKenzie, half of the Flight of the Conchords duo.

They've released 5 studio albums to date, but none of them have really seen major success stateside...that all could change FAST.

Their most recent LP, "Solid Ground" is finally being released in the U.S. on Easy Star records on September 29, 2009. Expect track after track of vibrant reggae rooted sounds but with a modern twist that's as inviting as warm milk.

Dance Dance


Sling Shot


So True

Underrated Fridays - Beastie Boys "The Mix Up"

Released in 2007, "The Mix Up" is the 7th studio album released by The Beastie Boys consisting entirely of Instrumental music.

It won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Album and has sold over 250,000 copies worldwide. That said, this album isn't the first thing you think of when you hear The Beasties in conversation, in fact I often find it to be forgotten altogether.
A shame really as the sounds on this album are accessible to nearly all ears. It's got hip-hop, funk, soul, jazz, punk...it's all there...it's just been forgotten.

So I highly recommend you get this album by whatever means necessary. Then pop it in your car and blast the bass because it makes for some pretty bad ass road trip music.

The Electric Worm


The Gala Event


Freaky Hijiki

R.I.P. - Captain Lou Albano

Words cannot express the loss we are feeling today.

We lost one of the greats today and he will surely be missed.

Whether you knew him through his wrestling career or his many acting gigs, Lou was always just trying to put a smile on your face.

Rest In Peace Cap'n...



2009 is so close to over...it's been a terrible year for major celebrity deaths.

Hear This Now: Big Boi - "Shine Blockas"

Big Boi and Gucci Mane get together and confidently create the track that you're going to be playing for the remainder of 2009.

That's as far into it I'll get, as I'm probably not the best guy to be talking "hip hop"...(I'll leave that to the pro's @ pitchfork) but I know what I like when I hear it...and this tickles my fancy.

Every Kramer Entrance In Chronological Order

This must have taken a hell of a long time to make, but it is completely worth it.

It's every entrance that Kramer, Michael Richards' character on Seinfeld, made into Jerry's apartment.

Some of them have me 'rolling on the floor...laughing'




Which is your fav. entrance? What's your fav. episode?

Creepy Face Paint of the Day: California Raisin

Wow...I dare you to watch this the whole way through.

DARE YOU

Michael Jackson - This Is It



While this isn't the strongest song we have heard by MJ, it is a welcome addition to the library of songs that lets us hear his amazing voice. Apparently this song was written by Jackson and company before the Dangerous album hit stores, but was tabled and then later performed by Puerto Rican singer Saphire. With minor edits and editions, this is it has me wondering is this it? Only time can tell what this genius has hidden away for us.

Phish 2009 Fall Tour Announced

Glory be...

I present you with the news of the day...because who really cares about Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize?

Check the link after the jump to see a sweet video announcement which involves some claymation tree faces I guess...

1. 11.18.09 Cobo Arena, Detroit, MI
2. 11.20.09 U.S. Bank Arena, Cincinnati, OH
3. 11.21.09 U.S. Bank Arena, Cincinnati, OH
4. 11.22.09 War Memorial at Oncenter , Syracuse, NY
5. 11.24.09 Wachovia Center, Philadelphia, PA
6. 11.25.09 Wachovia Center, Philadelphia, PA
7. 11.27.09 Times Union Center, Albany, NY
8. 11.28.09 Times Union Center, Albany, NY
9. 11.29.09 Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland, ME
10. 12.02.09 Madison Square Garden , New York, NY
11. 12.03.09 Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
12. 12.04.09 Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
13. 12.05.09 John Paul Jones Arena, Charlottesville, VA

http://www.phish.com/fall2009/

Battle for Milkquarius Rocks...Seriously!

A few days ago the California Milk Processor Board re-launched a fantastic ad-campaign from 2008 featuring a guitar shredding, spandex rocking hero known as White Gold.

The website for the campain features a 20 minute long rock opera called, "Battle for Milkquarius." which tells the story of White Gold's journey to save his hometown after all the milk is stolen by his nemesis, Nasterious. Adding to the plot, Nasterious also kidnapped White Gold's lady friend, Strawberry Summers.

I know...it sounds crazy...but it's true.

Check out the music video for their soul-icious track, "Almost as Beautiful as Me" below:



I think they've finally outdone "Got Milk?"

Hitler Learns The Phish Festival 8 Cover Album

I've covered the whole Phish Festival 8 thing here before...when they were determining on the site the location of the festival.

Once I found out they had brought California BACK on the map and that indeed was the location of the festival, I was less than pleased. It was a great concept, but removing a state and then putting it back sort of...killed the excitement in my opinion. Whatever...what's done is done and it's not going to have any effect on the awesomness of the concert.

That said there are still more secrets to be had.
As is tradition with a Phish Halloween festy, the band will cover an entire album that up to this point is unknown.

If you goto the Phish homepage you'll notice there's an interactive list of album covers, each represents a possibility of the album that will be covered at Festival 8. Similar to the map system they used for determining the festival location, every few days, a few albums are "knocked off" the list (represented by a knife, arrow, axe and blood dripping from the album)...of course this means that album WILL NOT be played.

The last album remaining will be the covered album.

It's still unknown and the rumors are abound...but here's one of those classic Hitler remixes related to the subject. I LOVE THESE THINGS!

Blow Your Mind of the Day: The Talking Grand Piano

That's right...you are about to watch a grand piano that talks. It's reciting the Proclamation of the European Environmental Criminal Court at World Venice Forum 2009.

Unfortunately the video narration is in German, but the actual "speech" you will hear is all in English.

Notice "Speech" is in quotes, because it's not speech as in words and formal language. It's the notes of a piano.

That said, even though we hear the notes of a piano, it's not really music either.

A bizarre concept indeed...thats why it will blow your mind for the day.

Gabriel's Trumpet?

Black Kids - New Music - More Music Videos

The video is out there and so is the song, but it's gets me moving everytime. Take a look. If you like it check out Im not going to teach your boyfriend (how to dance with you). Let me know what you think in the comments.

MAS QUE NADA


I know this is soooo old by now. But I remember hearing it on a commercial and loving it, but I could not figure out what it was. I mean obviously the Black Eyed Peas are involved and while they continue to soil themselves in more recent years, this was back from when their dance beats and songs weren't yet annoying. I came across this finally while I was streaming Pandora based on my favorite Brazilian singer (and mega hottie) CeU. Ill post up something about her later on. So check her out. Anyways, it's Tuesday, but press play; close your eyes; and fast-forward to Friday night. Its so close I can taste the tequila.

These United States - Everything Touches Everything

I've featured the quickly rising act These United States on this blog in the past.

After having caught their set opening for Vetiver at Brooklyn's "The Bell House"...I came away very impressed by their sound and energy. (The amount of beer I sloshed on the floor from dancing was proof of this.)

They just released their 3rd studio album, "Everything Touches Everything" and along with it is the video for the title track:



You can expect great things to continue to come from this band...I recommend jumping on the train now!

Mondays "Funky, Funky, Funky, Soul"

At first I was confused by this video but closer inspection of the title brought everything together.

EIT are the guys over at Everything Is Terrible...dedicated to finding long lost gems of entertainment. They were invited to a local access music show for kids called, "Chic-a-go-go". Bizarre music producer and perhaps the first and only "soul bag pipe player" Honey Blo performed that night.

What they came away with is pure, comedic, gold...whether they expected to or not. One thing is for sure though, Honey Blo is extremely rad.



P.S. Why isn't there more local access television? I don't care if it comes on late at night. I'd watch if it's THIS good.

New Vampire Weekend Track - Horchata

Indie rockers Vampire Weekend have released the first song off their upcoming LP, "Contra" today.

The track, titled "Horchata", is exactly what you would expect from Ezra and co...very reminscient of their early 2008 self-titled release.



They also have an upcoming tour, where I'm sure you'll be able to get a taste of the new album.
Here are the Dates:

10-06 Montreal, Quebec - Le National
10-08 Toronto, Ontario - Horseshoe Tavern
10-15 London, England - King's College
10-22 Paris, France - Nouveau Casino
11-02 Long Beach, CA - The Art Theater
11-05 Pioneertown, CA - Pappy and Harriet's
11-07 Lafayette, CA - Town Hall Theatre
11-08 Santa Cruz, CA - Catalyst
11-09 Visalia, CA - The Cellar Door
11-10 San Luis Obispo, CA - Downtown Brew
11-12 Bakersfield, CA - Chencho's
11-14 Lomita, CA - VFW Hall
11-17 Tokyo, Japan - Tokyo Unit
11-21 Sydney, Australia - Oxford Art Factory

Kid's Got Skillz and What is Whopping?

Check out this Liberian kid performing a dance known as "whopping"

I've never seen nor heard of this, but it's pretty bad ass.

That band's On First. Which band? That band!

By now, you may or may not have heard that Thom Yorke of Radiohead is starting a new band. I guess you could call it a "side project" but at the same time you might call it a "supergroup"...so it's sort of staking new territory here since most of the members are still successful in their own right.

The band's lineup consists of course of Thom Yorke, drummer Joey Waronker, percussionist Mauro Refosco, RHCP's Flea, and producer/"6th member of Radiohead" Nigel Godrich.

The news came only a few days ago, and hot on it's heels comes news of the first gig. How fast is that you ask? They haven't even come up with a name for themselves yet! Not that there's anything wrong with that...we'll take what we can get.

The show is being billed as a 'warm-up show' and was announced on Radiohead's website today:

Hey what are you doing tomorrow night?
ok now with a link that works hopefully

so yes that band thats doesnt really have a name that im working with at the moment??????
have decided to do a warm-up show on Friday Oct 2nd around 9pm at the Echoplex in Los Angeles
Its not that big, it'll be total chaos and its kind of a rehearsal but .. if you are near by..
below is a link to get tickets.
hope you get lucky with it.

so ain't no point hanging around if u dont im afraid

all the best

Here's the link for tix...wish I was in the area!

Like Father Like Son - Harper Simon

On October 13th, Harper Simon will release his self-titled debut album on his own Tulsi Records.

AHEM...I said the offspring of one of the greatest American singer-songwriters, Paul Simon, is releasing an album.

You can jump right in and stream the first single titled, "Shooting Stars" below.

The track really showcases his lyrical finesse and his inherent ability to put it all together over a beautiful melody. He's crafted a great pop song that is equal parts "with-the-times" as it is reminiscent of 60's & 70's Nashville country scene. I'm willing to bet this track's steel guitar work will lodge itself in your brain all weekend...and that's a good thing. You'll be coming back for more.

Harper Simon - "Shooting Stars"


Also catch him on TOUR if you can. He's hitting a lot of the big spots!

10/14 – The Echo – LA
10/15 – Jimmy Kimmel Live! – LA
10/29 – World Café Live – Philadelphia
10/30 – Mercury Lounge – NYC
11/03 – Iron Horse Music Hall – Northampton, MA
11/04 – Café 939 – Boston, MA
11/06 – Puck – Doylestown, PA
11/07 – The Southern – Charlottesville, VA
11/08 – Jammin Java – Vienna, VA
11/11 – The Warhol – Pittsburgh, PA
11/12 – Magic Stick – Detroit, MI
11/17 – Hi Tone – Memphis, TN
11/20 – The Bishop – Bloomington, IN
11/21 – Rumba Café – Columbus, OH
11/22 – Lincoln Hall – Chicago, IL
11/24 – Cedar Cultural Center – Minneapolis, MN

Your Band for the Weekend - Dawes

Dawes are a SoCal Americana outfit who just released their debut album, "North Hills" at the end of September.

Already the album has the likes of JamBase.com claiming it a, "...future classic waiting to happen."

Only time can truly tell but I'll say that they're on to something, and the album released at the perfect time. The vocals and harmonies on a lot of the tracks just scream, "Autumn!" at me. You'll definitly hear that old time-y "Band" sound in them.

Dawes - "The Western Skyline"



Dawes - Love Is All I Am


What's your take on Dawes? If you've got any other artists/songs/albums that remind you of the Fall...hit the comments!

MGMT on Yo Gabba Gabba

Yo Gabba Gabba is a childrens television show broadcast on Nickelodeon's Nick Jr.
(Yes...that is the channel aimed at pre-schoolers)

There's a difference...instead of Sharon, Lois, & Bram you have featured acts such as:

Jack Black, The Shins, Biz Markie, Rahzel, The Roots, Of Montreal, Mates of State, The Ting Tings and many others.

Well add onto that list, MGMT, who's seen here performing the song, "Art Is Everywhere" on the show.



...this video is going to attract a lot more than ages 5 and under.