Contest Winner

Congrats to Heidi for winning the contest! Contact me with your details and I will ship the DVD out to you asap.


Everyone else, sorry the blog has been so bland of late. I promise to spice it up soon. Thanks for entering everyone!

Brandon Flowers's First Solo Album Hits Stores Today

Go buy it.

Rich Cronin of LFO Loses Battle with Leukemia

Sad news yesterday about the passing of Rich Cronin from LFO after a lengthy battle with leukemia.

Don't kid yourself, you know you used to rock this song out.

Live Video Clip of the Day: T.I. "What You Know About That"

Well, T.I. is probably in some serious trouble after the events of this week and what a damn shame. I don't love rap music, but I have to say that I love T.I. Amazing raps mixed with killer beats. Aside from Jay-Z, he has to be the best rapper out there right now. Yep. He's better than Lil Wayne. I said it.

Let's hope he learns from his mistakes, because the dude should be releasing more songs, not sitting behind bars.

Live Video Clip of the Day: Brandon Flowers "Bette Davis Eyes"

So you might have heard me talk about my minor obsession with all things The Killers(like here, here, and here), specifically one Brandon Flowers, who is embarking on his own solo career for a while. Well, the dude has some small concerts going on and today's clip is from one of them.

Something so awesome when one of your favorite acts covers one of your all time favorite songs. Ladies and gents...I give you Brandon Flowers doing a cover of Bette Davis Eyes.


Yeah, you're welcome.

Live Video Clip of the Day: Tonic "If You Could Only See"

What a great song.

PS-I love that the drummer is wearing soccer shorts. So reminiscent of Freaks and Geeks.

Songs That Should Be (or Should Have Been) More Famous: Natalie Imbruglia "Smoke"

"What's up with that?"

Haha. I love that she asks the above question several times in this tune. Just a nice, little song with a haunting melody. Natalie Imbruglia should have been more famous than the song "Torn." This is one of the reasons why.

Here is the video:

Movie Music Mondays: Singles and Giveaway Info

One Sentence Review: A decent flick about being a 20 something in the early 90s with a lot of flannel and such, set against the backdrop of the Seattle grunge music scene.

Live Video Clip of the Day: Third Eye Blind "Losing a Whole Year"

Do you know what an earworm is?

It's not a creepy bug that crawls in your ear, but rather "a portion of a song or other music that repeats compulsively within one's mind." I'm not making this up. It is a legit term.

Studies show that everyone has been affected by earworms, however some people are more susceptible. Count me as one of those people.

Here is a classic earworm of a tune for me. I previously talked of my friends' odd obsessions with Third Eye Blind and this is a classic example of Third Eye Blind's pop/alternative vibe.

.  

Vintage Tune of the Day: Gene Kelly "Singing in the Rain"

A bit of a different take on today's vintage tune.

Probably the best scene from any movie. EVER.

Fun fact: Gene Kelly was sick with 103 degree fever on the day he filmed this scene and refused to go home at the request of the director. Oh, and the rain, yeah that was a mix of water and milk to make it show up on camera more than just water. Probably smelled really good after a few hours.

You're welcome.

Live Video Clip of the Day: Counting Crows "Anna Begins"

This song gives me serious goosebumps.

Every time she sneezes I think it's love.

Gosh those are some sweet lyrics. What nice vintage performance by these guys, as well.

First Giveaway Rules!

So, you heard about that whole giveaway thing, we are rocking at Inflamed Temperament, right?

If not, here it is: you can score a brand new copy of Singles on DVD. This particular DVD comes in a package with the flicks Home Fries and Mickey Blue Eyes. I am sorry for that.

So, I have decided that this flick will be the subject of next week's Move Music Monday's post, but for now, I will tell you the rules, so you can start entering right away. The contest will run until September 15th at midnight...eastern style. I'm from NY, I can't wait for you west coasters. A girl has to sleep. It is open to residents of the United States, only.

There are three ways to enter:

1. Become a follower of this blog. It has been around a while and still has less than twenty people who want to admit to reading it. Come on, people, we see the stats and know that more than 12 people read this guy every day. We don't bite. Follow us with pride. If you already do follow us, then hey, you're golden. We will automatically enter all followers.

2. Comment on next Monday's post with your favorite line of the movie, your favorite scene of the movie, your favorite song on the soundtrack, why you want to see the movie for the first time, whatever. You can comment as often as you'd like, but only one entry will be counted.

3. Spread the word. You will be entered one time for your help in spreading the word about this contest. Post it to your blog, tweet it, put it on the book (cool kid talk for Facebook), do whatever, but make sure you let us know via a comment, either on this page or next Monday's. Again this will count as one entry, but feel free to preach about it as often as you'd like.

So that's it. These rules will be posted again next Monday, so don't fret if you should forget them.

Best of luck!

The First Blog Giveaway!

Well, I have been wanting to do this for some time, but here it is, the big first blog giveaway.


Drumrolllllllllll.

Inflamed Temperament's first blog giveaway will be a DVD copy of the amazing early 90s flick, Singles.

Why Singles you ask? Isn't this a music blog? Well, tomorrow I will delve deeper into the contest rules and such, but for now I will just say that Singles has an amazing 90s soundtrack and we all know of my love for 90s music. It also has surprise appearances by various rock gods such as Eddie Vedder.

Here's the trailer and as I said, details on how to enter tomorrow:

Vintage Tune of the Day: The Animals "The House of the Rising Sun"

What a nice little tune about...a brothel, no bigs.

The most surprising thing you might learn today is that this song is claimed to have been made all the way back in the 16th Century and over time adopted in the late 19th/early 20th Century by Americans who changed the location to New Orleans.

In any event here is the most famous of all the different renditions this song has offered.

Songs That Should Be (or Should Have Been) More Famous: Nine Days "Wanna Be"

Welcome to a new column that will appear randomly on the blog, bringing songs that you may have forgotten or never heard. These tunes deserved more airplay (or just airplay in general). 

Ten REALLY Good Breakup Songs

I've been rocking a lot of break up songs these days. Ha, don't ask.

Even when you aren't going through one, sometimes these tunes can bring you back to those ultra dramatic moments in your life and I mean that in both bad and good ways.

For some reason, when we go through these times, breakup songs are all we want to listen to. Our friends get mad at us, our family gets concerned, but we don't care. We want our daily dose of sad song medicine.

Perhaps we want to hear about a situation we can relate to or a chance to point out that at least we aren't as messed up as the couple in that song, but whatever it is, these little nuggets can be quite cathartic. So you can call me Dr. Phil for the day. Wait, please don't do that. I hate that guy.

Here is a list of ten great break up tunes:

Live Video Clip of the Day: The Cranberries "Zombie"

This is not a strictly 90s music blog, but man, so much of the music I love was rocked during that decade.

Here's a tune I just can't get out of my head. This has been a three day issue. I'm passing it on to you now. So much better than passing you the flu or something.

Vintage Tune of the Day: The Drifters 'Under the Boardwalk'

I apologize to loyal readers (all three of you) for the slacking lately. It's summertime. In fact today's song is quite summer inspired.

On with the show.

Today's vintage song is a tune that I adore. It brings a smile to my face every time I hear it.



The Drifters, man, now that was a band. So many great songs.

Live Video Clip of the Day: Alanis Morissette "Uninvited"

This tune was on the City of Angels soundtrack. Alanis just rocks.

Live Video Clip of the Day: The Wallflowers "6th Avenue Heartache"

This song just never gets old.

Vintage Tune of the Day: The Beatles 'Revolution'

The best Beatles song of all time? Perhaps.

Live Video Clip of the Day: The Killers 'Jenny was a Friend of Mine'

People are always shocked when they ask me my favorite band of all time and I respond with The Killers. Not sure why. Amazing band with a sound that incorporates so many influences, they're like a cornucopia of music goodness. That mixed with lyrics that are another nice blend of honesty and fantasy, makes them amazing.

Oh, and it doesn't hurt that Brandon Flowers is the most gorgeous person...ever. Siiiigh. (*Dreamy*)

They are on hiatus for a while while Brandon Flowers does his solo stuff, but I can't wait until these guys are coming out with more music. The bass on this clip is bananas.






Damn, they're so good. Give them the respect they deserve...because I say so.

Live Video Clip of the Day: Arctic Monkeys 'Fluorescent Adolescent'

One of my favorite modern bands. Amazingly catchy tune. Awesomeness.


You might be interested in an earlier post featuring these guys, as well.

Vintage Tune Of the Day: The Platters "Only You"

This song has to be one of the best love songs...ever. That might make a good blog post. Ten best love songs. Watch for it.

11 Questions With...Jennifer Haase

Here is another new series we will be having on the blog. It is a chance for us to bring to you some great talent that we feel is on the cusp of big things. Have an act you think we should know about? You can let us know via comments below. Also, a simple email sent to inflamedtemperament@gmail.com would work as well. Please don't spam us. It hurts our feelings.

This week we tackle 11 Questions with singer-songwriter, Jennifer Haase.

After you finish reading the questions below, how about you go check out her website? You can help with the completion of her new album by donating some cash (as low as $15, which gets you a copy of her album when it drops). I strongly suggest it. This chick rocks and you can always tell people you knew about her way back when.




Now, drum roll please...

Go Check Out Levi's Pioneer Sessions for Free MP3s

Do you dig Jason Mraz? The Swell Season? The Shins?

All of these acts and many others are featured on the Levi's Pioneer Sessions website. You will find them covering some classic tunes and you can download each song for free.

Yep, free.

Live Video Clip of the Day: Matchbox 20 'Rest Stop'

This is an excellent song and that's all there is to say.

Oh So Shiny and New: Vintage Tune of the Day

Welcome to a new daily post here at Inflamed Temperament. As a lover of all things vintage, I suggest we stop calling music classic, and start calling it vintage.

Every day I will bring a vintage tune of the day.

Be warned to expect massive amounts of Sinatra, the Doors, and the Beatles. If you're not into that stuff...what's wrong with you? I kid. Not really...but seriously though.

Here is today's tune:



Ohhh, Sinatra. Love that song and before you tell me there are better versions, slow your roll.

Here's the Flamingos' version:




Two in one day. I'm nice like that. 

Movie Music Mondays: The Soundtrack of I Know What You Did Last Summer

I have previously confessed my minor major obsessions with ridiculous things like teenage soap operas. Here's another one: I LOVE CHEESY HORROR MOVIES!

Did I get ya hooked with the caps?

Beyond the terrible scripts and acting jobs these horror flicks get, the newer crop of films that started in the late 90s brought something of interest to the table: wicked soundtracks.

One of my all time favorites is I Know What You Did Last Summer. It's a film that is so absurd I have to think that it's without a doubt, genius. I don't know, maybe I'm blinded but the ridiculously good looking duo of Ryan Phillippe and Freddie Prinze Jr or my girl crush, Sarah Michelle Gellar, but I love this movie.

I Know What You Did Last Summer has an amazing soundtrack. I've had it ever since I first saw the flick in theaters as twelve year old back in 1997.

Track Listing:

1.	Hush (02:56) Kula Shaker
2.	Summer Breeze (04:57) Type O Negative
3.	D.U.I. (02:26) The Offspring
4.	Kid (03:16) Green Apple Quick Step
5.	This Ain't The Summer Of Love (03:09) L7
6.	Losin' It (03:01) Soul Asylum
7.	Hey Bulldog (02:31) Toad The Wet Sprocket
8.	My Baby's Got The Strangest Ways (03:59) Southern Culture On The Skids
9.	Waterfall (03:47) The Din Pedals
10.	Clumsy (04:27) Our Lady Peace
11.	One Hundred Days (03:40) Flick
12.	Great Life (03:50) Goatboy
13.	2Wicky (04:44) Hooverphonic
14.	Don't Mean Anything (03:43) Adam Cohen
15.	Proud (03:17) Korn

That's a lot of rock goodness right there. From appearances by 90s rock staples Soul Asylem to softer stuff like the track from Adam Cohen, this soundtrack epitomizes the variations of rock during the mid to late 90s.

PS- The Type O Negative cover of "Summer Breeze" is ultra creepy. Not sure how I feel about...13 years after first hearing it.

Yesterday's live clip featured a little Our Lady Peace. Here's a tune from the Din Pedals that I think is pretty beautiful:




Also "Hush" is a pretty sweet, little tune, which is a cover by Kula Shaker:



You check this soundtrack out at Amazon...but you might also find it on the cheap at local thrift shops as well.

Live Video Clip of the Day: Our Lady Peace "Clumsy"

A little Canadian flavor for your live clip today.

Saw these dudes at my college a few years back. Awesome show. Love the ending on this version (band AND crowd going bananas!) and Massey Hall up in Toronto is an amazing place to catch a concert.





On a related note this tune is in the flick I Know What You Did Last Summer, which just happens to be tomorrow's Movie Music Monday topic. All about connections.

Live Video Clip of the Day: Lifehouse "Sick Cycle Carousel"

Saw these guys many years ago at the Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater. Great voice on the lead singer.

That's all for today.

Rihanna Joins the Tour Canceling Trend

Rihanna is known for being a trendsetter, but it appears she's following a trend in music: tour date cancellations.

Following in the footsteps of the American Idol Tour and other acts like the Jonas Brothers, she has cancelled tour dates in Denver and Indianapolis.

How is this a surprise?

I live for concerts and even I can't afford going to see my favorite acts, because the prices are ridiculous in this economy. How about musicians not spend millions on ridiculous, over the top stage designs, and do some stripped down shows? I realize for an artist like Rihanna, whose power is in the presentation more than the voice chops alone, that this is tough, but a thirty dollar ticket sounds much better than a hundred dollar one.

Live Video Clip of the Day: Duncan Sheik 'Barely Breathing'

Wow, I used to LOVE Duncan Sheik. Picked up a cd of his at a thrift store for 99 cents the other day. Magical.

You can check out what Mr. Sheik is up to these days over here. He's busier than you may think as he picked up some Tony's for the super musical hit, Spring Awakening in 2006 and a Grammy for recording of the soundtrack, as well. Nicely done, sir.

Here he is just last month, singing one of his most famous tunes:

Buffalo Readers-Have You Rocked the Molson Canal Concert Series?

The Molson Canal Concert Series has some sweet acts this summer. Rusted Root and Our Lady Peace have already performed and tomorrow night is Gretchen Wilson. Get your cowboy boots and go check her out. You can check out the rest of the summer lineup right here.

Really can't the price, because it's free.

Amazing.

If you go and want to send us some pics, go for it!  Hit us up at inflamedtemperament@gmail.com.
We will post all that are PG and keep the dirtier ones for our private collections.

Kidding?

No, I really am kidding. Please don't send disturbing images that make me lose my lunch.

Live Video Clip of the Day: Maroon 5 "This Love"

Maroon 5 has a new single out, called Misery. It's pretty sweet if you like pop rock tunes.

I always have thought that Maroon 5 has been underrated in an overrated way. Yeah, confusing. What I'm trying to say (in a confusing manner) is that these guys do pop-rock better than pretty much anyone out there, but I think people tend to write them off as overrated in the sense of Nickelback. I've been a fan of these guys for quite some time and here's a live clip of a song that used to be my ringtone about 7 years ago.

Ew, I'm getting old.

American Idol's Tour of Mediocrity Just Became Much Shorter

American Idol has canceled 7 of the planned tour dates that the top 10 were supposed to play and rescheduled 8 others.

SHOCKING NEWS!!! I'm kidding, of course. Anyone who watched American Idol this season, and trust me I know there aren't too many of you, could tell you that the mediocrity of the top 10 was astounding. The 'best' in the country. Riiiiiight.  Also, I love how the article says something about no reason has been given, but then goes on to detail mediocre (a reoccurring theme with these people) ticket sales.

Ah, well, at least Tim Urban looks smoking hot without a shirt on.

Third Eye Blind at Empire State Games Opening Ceremonies

Well, this is random. Haha, but I am so there. Tickets are only ten dollars til tomorrow and 20 afterwards. Not sure what kind of set they will put on, but what's ten bucks?



The Halloween theme is slightly distracting there, but I love that song and the 9:30 Club has to be one of the best venues in America.

Remembering Lindsay Lohan's Singing Career

Remember back when Lindsay was fresh off her Mean Girls success, was being photographed partying all the time and everyone was like 'she's gonna be in jail someday.' Well, kids, that day has arrived.

Surely, you say, this is a music blog, not a gossip mag. And I agree, but let's take a moment to remember Lilo's song "Rumors" circa 2004-2005ish.



Why isn't this the live clip of the day? Hmmm, I don't think she's really singing that live, do you?

Good luck, Lindsay. I actually kinda mean that, because I was pretty obsessed with Mean Girls a few years ago. Don't judge me.

Buy One Get One at Water Street Tonight

Water Street Music Hall in Rochester, NY, is trying to help you beat the heat. They're offering buy one, get one tickets for the first 25 people there to see Fuel tonight.

It may be late notice, but with this heat, you may be surprised and could just snag one for a friend.

TV Tunes Tuesday: Javier Bardem on Glee??? Yes, Please

Over at Entertainment Weekly, they are saying some crazy things. CRAZY AWESOME, that is.

Javier Bardem will be playing a Spanish rockstar next season Glee. Say whaaaat? Yes. Get pumped!

Check Out a Nice Story on the Fashion News Live Blog

How about you go over to the Fashion News Live blog and check out this post. My cousin wrote it and it's a nice, little piece on a major music industry fashion trend. Just go give it a little read, mmmk?

Live Video Clip of the Day: Guster 'Demons'

Guster was sooooo huge back in my high school days, that it was borderline hysteria. You couldn't pass more than ten people in the halls without seeing the blue and yellow tee shirts that everyone bought at the concerts.

Lost and Gone Forever was epic to all of my friends, but here's one of their earlier hits from Goldfly.

According to Wikipedia (which I trust for all of my news) they are releasing a new album in September. Hope it brings back sweet memories.

PS- These guys put on an AMAZING live show.

Live Video Clip of the Day: Mariah Carey and Luther Vandross "Endless Love"

Two of my best friends are getting married today and I think this is their song.

This one's for you Anne and Joe:



Best wishes, kids! Love you both!

Live Video Clip of the Day: Michelle Branch 'Goodbye to You'

I wonder why Michelle Branch hasn't found more commercial success? I just don't think you get much better at the female acoustic-pop vibe than what she offers. Excellent stuff.

Check it.

Live Video Clip of the Day: Lisa Loeb 'Do You Sleep?' Live in NYC 2008

More Lilith Fair-esque live music today. I have a deep love for Lisa Loeb. She's great. Nice mix of acoustic pop with enough quirk to be interesting without being over the top.

"Do You Sleep?" has always been one of my top songs ever. It came out when I was about ten and I have to relay this bit of childhood nostalgia. When she says "You sat on the corner of my bed/And you smoked with the ghost in the back of my head", I always would get a mental picture of Casper the Ghost sitting on teh corner of a bed smoking a cigarette. You're welcome for that look into this twisted mind.



Awesome.

TV Tunes Tuesday: The Woefully Bad, Yet Woefully Addictive Instant Star

This week's TV Tunes Tuesday sees another tv show aimed at the kiddies. What? I'm immature, I know.

Canada makes some awful tv shows. The kind of awful that gets you sucked in and makes you want to watch weekly to see more terribly written episodes(ie. Degrassi). One of said shows that is no longer on TV would be the feature of this week's column: Instant Star.

The show focuses on Jude Harrison (yes, because it is a music related show it's chock full o' Beatles references). She is the winner of an American Idol type tv show and follows her through the ups and downs of four years in the music business. It follows her relationships (often ultra cheesefest drama style) with everyone from family, friends, and dudes, to business associates, fellow artists, and fans.

I can't pretend that this show is great. It's not. I really can't even pretend that it's good, because so much happens that has you furiously exclaiming "That would never happen!" Ridiculous moments happen with her family and especially with her producer/love interest Tommy, a much older, former boy band guy. But I gotta admit, it is quite entertaining. Every episode is heavy on original music and I believe each season has its own soundtrack available for purchase.

Star Alexz Johnson has a pretty haunting voice. It's not something I would generally dig, but the emotion that's lacking in her acting is apparent in her songs. I gotta say, I want to hear more from her post Instant Star.

I LOVE THIS SONG:


The caps were so necessary.

Other stars include her best friend Jamie (who's a guy and on/off love interest) played quite well by a guy named Krsitopher Turner. I just checked his IMDB and he's not in much that you would know, but I have to say he went from her dorky sidekick in season one to a smoking hot guy in season two. Mad impressive.

Another hot hot hottie from the show is previously mentioned Tommy Quincy, played by Tim Rozon. I can't say he plays this role that well, but it's ok, because most of his screen time consists of looking ridiculously attractive. No joke. This guy has to be one of the most beautiful people in the world. Get him some acting gigs, because according to his filmography over here, he's not in too much worth noting these days.Waste of a pretty face.

The relationships between Jude and her many men seems to take center stage over everything else and at times it gets borderline outrageous. I think there was a point where in 4 episodes she was in love with 4 different guys. Everything always comes back to Tommy, though, which is even slightly weird as he's supposed to be like 6 or 7 years older than her. The age difference is brought up occasionally but no one really seems that creeped by it, so I guess the viewers are supposed to go along with it. Normally I'm not a prude about such things, but I feel like if they wanted to make her and him a thing (which they do for four seasons), then she should have started the show at 18, not 15. Just sayin'.

Here's a clip of a bunch of Tommy Jude moments that a fan has made that I came across while looking for a clip from the show. I can't say I'm that obsessive, but you have to respect the effort that these fans put into this stuff:





"Breathe Me" by Sia must be the most used song when making fanvids. I think I saw it in about thirty of them in a matter of ten minutes. Off topic, but what a great song.

Live Video Clip of the Day:

Sticking with the Lilith Fair theme, remember when Sheryl Crow used to kick some serious ass? Damn, she was good.

She's still a good musician, don't get me wrong, but when someone starts releasing country music after being so rock for so long, it makes me sad. Always seems more out of greed than a genuine desire to make good music.

Check her out back in her element, being a total rock goddess.

Live Video Clip of the Day: Sarah McLachlan 'Sweet Surrender' on Storytellers

With the resumption of the Lilith Fair this summer, I feel I must have you rock out with some of the originals of the tour. Who better to start than the head honcho?



Beautiful song. 
Woman power.
Rock out.

TV Tunes Tuesdays: The Musical Episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Welcome to a rousing edition of TV Tunes Tuesday.

I effing love Buffy the Vampire Slayer. There. I said it. Whew. When I was younger, I used to hide my love, as if people were going to find me weird, but as the years have gone by and with the DVDs purchased, I feel I can come out of the Buffy Closet.

Speaking of which, it's always on the Logo channel these days. When I was flipping through the channels one day, I came across Buffy on Logo. I was unaware what channel it was, but was thrilled to see such awesomeness. As the commercials came on and there was a lot of man on man smooching, I realized Logo must be a channel gearing towards a gay audience, but that's cool. I may not be into other chicks, but were I to go gay, I can think of no one I'd rather do so with than Buffy. Not Sarah Michelle Gellar. Only Buffy. Yes. I am a 25 year old with a girl crush on a fictional character. Sigh.

Moving on.

During season six of the show, a little episode premiered that would change the world. By world, I mean my life. The episode in question? 'Once More with Feeling.' Yes. The musical episode. Logo recently had a full weekend marathon of Buffy Fan Favorites, and guess what came in at 1? Yep.


Buffy is often seen as a show that was worthy of Emmy's, but was too soon. Had it been made today, it almost surely would have been a perennial nominee for various actors, writers, directors, etc. This episode solidifies that thought.

Synopsis: A demon is in Sunnydale that makes people sing, then dance until they burn. Spontaneous combustion style. The catch is that everyone is affected and when they sing, it's not just a fa la la, but they sing their deepest, darkest secrets. None of the main characters are exempt, as Xander and Anya sing about doubting their upcoming nuptials (foreshadowing!), super hot Spike sings of his love for Buffy, Dawn whines about being ignored, and the most important nugget, Buffy lets her friends know that she was not in Hell when they brought her back from the dead, but rather in Heaven. Sounds ridiculous if you don't follow the show, but I swear, it's bunches of awesome.

Here is the best group number of the show:

Find more videos like this on www.truveo.com.

Giles has a killer voice. The actor, Anthony Stewart Head, actually has some music out. Google it.

Another favorite is the following Spike tune:

Find more videos like this on www.truveo.com.

Dear God. I love everything about that song. From his helpless love, to that super sexy look he has when he gives her the full body glance as he sings about being 'a willing slave', and the intensity. Va Voom.

I never understood why James Marsters wasn't more famous. He's a decent actor, plays sexual evil to perfection, and was always pretty hot. Dude should have a better agent. I always thought he should be in more stuff, but then I realized he's not even British (yep, fooled me) and he also seems super weird in interviews. I'm sure he's a nice guy, but I think I found my answer. Also, he's surprisingly hotter with super fake blonde hair. You think a guy must certainly not be hotter with the peroxide vibe, but take a look at the pics below. The first one says 'I'm artsy and affected', while the second says 'I look like one of your accountant Dad's work buddies, ya know, the one who used to be hot in the old days and now tries to recapture his youth by hitting on you and your 20 something friends.'

Maybe that last part is just me.

Regardless, the Buffy musical episode was genius. Secrets were revealed, some voices were surprisingly good, and the final shot is a smoking hot kiss between my crush (Spike) and my girl crush (Buffy).
INTENSE.

You can even buy the soundtrack:

Live Video Clip of the Day: Jack Johnson 'You and Your Heart' Live at iheartradio

I bought the new JJ album a couple weeks ago. SOLID. Perhaps a detailed review will come later, but for now he's the clip of the day.

Jack's growing up right before our eyes.

*Weep*




You can check out the full disc over at Amazon:

Vanessa Carlton Also Digs Chicks...Yawn

Big news today. Vanessa Carlton is a bisexual.

I lied. Who cares? Does she even make music still? She must have a new album hitting stores soon.

Live Video Clip of the Day: The Goo Goo Dolls 'Iris'

Come back tomorrow to check out a TV Tunes Tuesday post regarding a super, sweet, musical episode of a classic TV show.

For now, chickety check out this live video clip of the day, won't ya??
Remember how huge this song was in the 90s. It was super cheesey, but also, super amazing. Damn. It punches ya in the gut with emotion.

Western NY shout out!
2/3rds of the Goo Goo Dolls are originally Western NYers.

Did Ya Know?
Bassist Robby Takac started a pretty sweet charity that you can check out right here. Pretty awesome stuff.





You know you feel a little better about life right now. Or perhaps a little bittersweet.

Crossfire (First Brandon Flowers Single) Is On iTunes

Well, I think the title says it all.

Brandon Flowers of the Killers Releases a Teaser Single

Amazing little piece of news for ya. Brandon Flowers has been working on a solo album while the Killers go on hiatus and his first teaser single is streaming over on his website. So check it out, because I'm digging the sound.

Oh Heyyyy.

Oh, yeah. This blog has been quite stagnant of late. New posts to start coming quite soon, as in this week. Until then let's check out this live video clip of the day(or of the past couple months, as it would appear):



The first time I saw Ryan Star was when he was on that reality show on CBS, Rockstar. It was a decent show that had people who seemed like genuine musicians, as opposed to those on American Idol, which I would guess consists of about 10% musicians and 90% pretty people whose personas are generated by the show's execs.

Anyhoot, this guy was one of the better combinations of musician and showman, and let's face it, it doesn't hurt that he's ridiculously attractive. Nice to see that he's becoming more famous with "Last Train Home" and now this little nugget. Pretty good stuff.

You Need To Listen To The Features

The Features are a band you should know about, but might not. Great mix of folksy tunes with bag band influences. I was fortunate enough to catch them as the 3rd act of a four band concert up at Water Street in Rochester a few weeks back. AMAZING. I promptly came home and bought their latest album. It did not disappoint. Here's one of their more famous tunes that you may recognize:





Check out the album with this tune on it:

Live Video Clip of the Day: The Airborne Toxic Event Live 8.05.09 in Covington, Kentucky

This is a great song that is not currently available for download in a studio version. Pretty stoked for Airborne Toxic Event to come out with their new piece so I can have this play on repeat about 20 times a day.

TV Tunes Tuesdays: Watch Parenthood Tonight!

This is a random plug, but watch the show Parenthood tonight. I have a huge crush on Peter Krause and a girl crush on Lauren Graham. It looks awesome and I'm in desperate need of a show to watch on a weekly basis that is not on HBO or Showtime. It's on at 10 Eastern on NBC.

Not much about music, I suppose, but here is a trailer for it:

Music Movie Mondays: Catch and Release

 

One Sentence Review: A better-than-it-should-be movie with a rocking soundtrack.

Full Review: I have a deep, dark secret to admit: I love the movie Catch and Release. A movie snob to the core, normally, I would laugh it off as garbage and pretend I hated it, while secretly watching the DVD several times on the sly, but I can't this time. You need to see this movie. Most critical reviews I have read on the movie give it extremely negative reviews (we're talking 1's out of 5's and C-'s). Don't believe them.

Rewind. You're thinking, what does this have to do with music? Catch and Release has an awesome soundtrack, which I will get to momentarily. 

The movie itself centers around a woman whose fiance dies a few days before her wedding. As she tries to figure out life without him, she begins to find out secrets from his past. After moving in with a couple of his buddies and the return of his old high school friend, things get intense all around, and that's about as far as I'm going to take it with the synopsis, but it involves secret money, a kid, and unexpected love interests. It's not a romantic comedy, but it's not a drama. It lies in the space between the two and does so quite well.

Jennifer Garner is likable as per usual. Timothy Olyphant, her fiance's old high school buddy who comes home from LA, is ridiculously attractive and charming. He's a solid actor that does well even in mediocre flicks. Kevin Smith is actually funny. Don't send me angry notes about how great he is. What's so funny about Kevin Smith aside from original Silent Bob stuff? Not great. Maybe his Emmy (or Gemini since we are talking Canadian show, eh?) worthy performance in Degrassi? Probably not.

So, back to the music. 

The soundtrack is loaded with laid back jams from Joshua Radin and Gary Jules. It also has rocking tracks from Gomez and Deathcab for Cutie. It is a soundtrack worth buying, if you don't already own half the tunes. I love the Radin song that I featured in the live video clip earlier today and the Gomez tune "These 3 Sins" that plays on the way to a day of chilling by the river. Awesome picks all around.

Great soundtrack and surprisingly good movie. Check em both out. It's worth your time, even if you have to lie about it afterward.

You Could Fast Forward Through: I don't love the weird semi-relationship that happens between Smith and Juliet Lewis (especially a creepy moment that you can figure out when you see it) or her extremely annoying kid that I would give extreme eye rolls (they mean biz) to if I saw them out in public and he behaves like he does for 90% of his scenes. Also, the ending should be better than it is. It's pretty cliche, which is sad, because you get the idea that the movie never catches on that it could be great.

You Have To Watch: A smoking hot kiss between Garner and Olyphant. I wasn't going to spoil it for you, but if you don't get where the movie is headed about twenty minutes in, you should question your reasoning skills. It's so awesome that I have found the clip and provide it for you. Hot. Hot. Hot. 

 

 

 

Also, the cinematography is beautiful. It's so nice that you'll probably look up costs to travel to Colorado as soon as the movie is over. 

 

Fun Fact: Jason Lee was originally offered the role that eventually went to Kevin Smith and even though I love Jason Lee, I gotta say, Smith owned this role. Props to him. Dude's had a rough week. 

 Take a stroll on over to Amazon and check out the soundtrack.

Live Video Clip of the Day: Joshua Radin Live in South Carolina

My obsession with the Olympics has rendered this blog empty in the past week. Lo siento.


Here's a little bit for you and I promise I have a few entries up my sleeve for the week, maybe even another today if you're ultra lucky.

Here's a sweet little tune from a few years back. I've been on the Joshua Radin bandwagon forever and I'm pretty pumped that I've had three different people ask me if I've heard of him in the past month. Dude should be huge.




Go check out some of his stuff at Amazon:

The Killers Going on Indefinite Hiatus and I Cry Myself to Sleep

News broke a couple weeks ago, when The Killers canceled several shows in Asia, that the band is going on "hiatus".

Please let this be part time. With Panic! at The Disco breaking in half last year, the unsure times of Fall Out Boy, and now this, guyliner may just be a thing of the past.

Of course, I care much more about this band than the other two in that last statement. They're so awesome and always coming up with new stuff from album to album. I have really loved getting to see them progress as a band since 2004, when buying their album Hot Fuss became one of the best musical moments of my life. I've tried putting into words how much I love this band for the past hour, but I can't come up with anything. They're so good, they render me speechless.

Hey, guys, I know everyone needs a break, but please let this be a short term thing. If I have to live a life without The Killers, I don't know what I'll do with myself.

Until they reunite, I will be playing "Smile Like You Mean It" on permanent loop...in my heart.

Live Video Clip of the Day: Muse on Later...with Jools Holland, 2009

Just sweet.



Here's the mp3:
Undisclosed Desires

Note to Fans of Guyliner...Sadness May Soon Fill Ye Bones

Did you like totally hear the news, that OMG, Fall Out Boy is like totally omfg...breaking up?


Generic teen talk aside, this is actually a true story. The future of FOB remains uncertain as the players involved are "in different places", which is always a grim sign.

Like 'em or not, Fall Out Boy has had a major impact on the popular culture of the current times, not only in music, but in many other aspects. They were one of the originators of the guyliner craze, as well as skinny jeans for dudes and the revival of the flannel.

First Aerosmith and now Fall Out Boy. It's break up season for bands.

Wait...The Grammy's Were Yesterday?

So, this blog has been lacking a bit lately and totally missed out on writing a Grammy post, but in the anticipation that things will be picking up soon, here's a couple funny nuggets for ya.

• How about that performance by Drake, Lil Wayne, and Eminem? Seemed pretty sweet, especially all the silence 
• Taylor Swift made a boo boo, after a pretty sick night, including beating out Beyonce and Lady Gaga for album of the year.
• Speaking of which, Beyonce and the GaGa looked pretty much delighted when Swift won. Of course, by delighted, I mean terribly pissed. 
• Man, there a lot more, but I just read a humorous play by play of the event, which you can see here. It's much funnier than anything I could come up with.

Stay tuned for more entries this week. I swear. 

Live Video Clip of the Day; The Feeling Live from Abbey Road 2007

Sorry for the slacking on new posts as of late. Check out this sick tune by The Feeling from a few years back that appeared on the Abbey Road series on Sundance.

Awesome little beat with some great lyrics.

Live Video Clip of the Day: The Killers Live at Abbey Road

Romeo and Juliet is an amazing song. It was originally performed by Dire Straits and written by their lead singer Mark Knopfler. Really just a beautiful tune with lyrics that pierce the soul. Dramatic, right?

Here is a clip of the Killers singing it back in 2007 at Abbey Road. It has also been covered by Matt Nathanson.

Third Eye Blind is Still Kickin'...And I Like It

My friend Greg is happy that Third Eye Blind is once again relevant to the music scene. And he's not even the biggest fan of 3EB (does that make me seem legit?) that I know.


I have strange friends. I could name at least three right now that would consider Third Eye Blind their all time favorite band. Don't get me wrong. I used to be quite obsessed myself. I can remember Thanksgiving back in 1999, my mom was concerned about not having a pan for potatoes and sent my brother to K-Mart to buy one. As a 14-year-old I tagged along, not to make sure he bought the right pan(sometimes he was a little slow), but solely for the purpose of buying Blue, the band's second major album. I came home and listened to it all night, spending most of the holiday finding a quiet room and playing the cd on my discman(so 90s), jamming to "Never Let You Go", while the the family gathered to eat and be merry. I guess my friends aren't that strange after all. Third Eye Blind was a pretty kick ass band back in the day.


Fast forward ten years and I bet you didn't know that Third Eye Blind released their highest Billboard ranked album this past summer. Granted, it didn't sell as much as previous efforts in their first weeks, but a slow sales week gave them their highest ranking debut yet on the Billboard 200, which definitely came as a surprise.


A lot has changed for Third Eye Blind since the days of Semi-Charmed Life, which is the happiest song about crystal meth and oral sex that I bet will ever be made. Kevin Cadogan was forced out of the band and in turn, sued the other members amidst several ugly allegations, including one that lead singer, Stephan Jenkins, was a bit of a tyrant. Jenkins starred in a really awesome made for TV movie. I kid, it was awful, and his acting was atrocious, but at least he was looking good. Don't take my word for it, check out this hilarious review.


In 2004, they were dropped from their label, which must have burned a bit, considering their 2003 release was given little label help, because Elektra was being taken over by Atlantic during promotions for the album. It lead to only two singles being released and one video, as well as underwhelming sales. Then came a six year stalemate (aside from becoming a staple of the college concert circuit) and now, they're back.


These days, original bassist Arion Salazar is not a part of the group, but hasn't officially left for good. Leaving the drama in the past, Third Eye Blind has released a pretty sweet little album in Ursa Major. A slightly different sound may gain new fans, while true fans will appreciate songs that sound similar to the good old tunes of the late 90s, full of catchy beats and witty lyrics.


There are some stand out tracks on the disc. You have probably heard “Don't Believe a Word” and “Bonfire” on the radio, the second of which sounds closest to the band's previous success stories, the first has a pretty sick music video. “One in Ten” is a light hearted take on falling in love with a woman who likes women. Sounds like a joke, but it's kind of a sweet little tune and proves you can write about such a subject without getting ridiculous. I'm talking to you, JC Chasez. A couple of slower tracks, including “Dao of St. Paul”, get a little too serious for my Third Eye Blind tastes. I want them to sing to me about horrible, dirty, addictive things, but encapsulate them in nice, little pop rock packages that make me tap my toes.


The disc isn't great, but it's pretty good and that's enough. Their six year absence made the heart grow fonder and I'm a little bit convinced that even a terrible album would have been a welcomed effort. In an industry full of ups and downs, it just feels sweet to turn on a radio and hear a band you were into over ten years ago being played. Let's just hope it doesn't take another six years for it to happen again.

Live Video Clip of the Day: Dierks Bentley - Spirit Live Music Lounge, 2007

Did you know that in 2007 Dierks Bentley became the first contemporary country music artist to be invited to perform at Bonnaroo? Now you do.

I love this song. Great imagery in the lyrics and a nice little melody.

And how about the dude on the left? Chomp that gum, good sir, chomp away.





Check out the mp3 over at Amazon:
Every Mile A Memory (Album Version)

Live Video Clip of the Day: Matt Costa Live at Vans, 2008

Gotta love the wall of shoes in the background.

Man, this is a beautiful song.



Check out the mp3 over at Amazon:
Astair

Muse's Matt Bellamy Named Guitarist of Decade by Total Guitar Magazine

I don't think it's a big secret that I'm pretty obsessed with the skillz (the z is so necessary in this case) of Matt Bellamy from the band Muse. Every time I watch him play the guitar I have to wipe drool from my mouth. Slightly gross, but oh so true.

Well, he was just named the guitarist of the decade by Total Guitar Magazine. It's pretty amazing to see someone who is such a great musician stay true to his roots, while he and his bandmates are achieving immense commercial success. There is always that weird stigma that people get about bands, like it's no longer cool to like them when their music is on the local radio station.

It is now and always will be cool to like Muse.

Here is the article courtesy of Total Guitar:

Matthew Bellamy

Guitarist of the Decade

We count down 10 reasons why Muse’s frontman has shaped the last decade of guitar, from his blistering solos and heavy riffs, through to his electric stage presence and that superguitar.

10. He’s made classical cool again.

Present Zakk Wylde with a chamber orchestra and he’d probably eat the conductor for breakfast and pick his teeth with the baton. Matt Bellamy has a different attitude, instead hijacking the fusty world of powdered wigs and harpsichords and fusing its coolest ideas into his mould-breaking guitar solos and riffs. As you bang your sweaty head to Plug in Baby’s monster intro, you are actually listening to a bastardization of Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor. Bach’n’roll, baby…

9. His stage presence is off the wall.

Respect to the Muse set designer, but all the satellite dishes and acrobats in the world can’t compare to the spectacle of a small man from Devon losing himself in the music. Bellamy doesn’t ‘do’ banter, shout-outs or feet on monitors. Instead, he deals in unhinged virtuosity, stroking and strangling his Manson through the hits, jolt dancing like an electric eel, using nervous energy to power the greatest show on Earth (or any other planet).

8. He saved us from nu-metal

Sludge-tuned chugging topped with meathead rap was the sound of the new millennium, until Matt Bellamy arrived with Showbiz, fired stinger missile solos into the lumpen rock scene and reminded a generation that life doesn’t have to stop at the seventh fret. Without rubble rousing early guitar parts like Sunburn and Muscle Museum, this magazine would be full of potato-headed dullards mumbling about “playing for the song”. Nobody wants that.

7. He has a ‘superguitar’.

Actually, Matt has a bunch of superguitars; all built by UK luthier Hugh Manson and featuring more onboard technology than it took to put the first man on the moon. Matt’s guitars, including his famous ‘retired’ Delorean or Silver Manson, feature various combinations of Fernandes Sustainer pickups, Z.Vex Fuzz Factory stompbox circuitry and X-Y controlled KAOSS pads to allow him to manipulate his effects with his fingertips. Genius.

6. He made the most flamboyant debut album ever.

Muse released their first album Showbiz in 1999, the year of Britney Spear’s debut single Baby One More Time and not a whole lot else. Guitar music was flatlining, so the sight and sound of Matt Bellamy tearing at his guitar strings was exhilarating. Despite accusations from some quarters that Muse were little more than Radiohead rip-off, Matt’s heroic performance on songs like Muscle Museum proved that something special has arrived.

5. He bends all the rules.

On paper at least, a combination of progressive rock, classical music, electronica and pop shouldn’t really work… a bit like Genesis jamming to those horrible Hooked On Classics albums from the 80’s. Matt makes it work. Not many musicians can switch from a beautiful Danny Elfman style piano piece to a heavy as hell riff like he can. Listen to New Born (Origin of Symmetry, released in 2001) for evidence of the man’s genius.

4. His solos are works of art.

Matt’s solos are as beautifully constructed as his Manson guitars. A masterclass in expressive guitar technique his solos usually feature tremolo-picked passages, string scrapes, whammy bar clips and inventive use of effects. Matt has a fantastic vibrato and always manages to make his solos sound spontaneous, even if they are carefully constructed. Look up Knights of Cydonia: Live at Wembley Stadium 2007 to witness Matt’s killer lead guitar.

3. He has unrivalled creativity.

Matt Bellamy has some really serious chops. In addition to his incredibly unique guitar style, the guy kills on piano and has a three octave vocal range as demonstrated by his incredible falsetto singing on Plug in Baby and other gargantuan Muse ditties. As if all that virtuosity wasn’t enough, Matt is also the primary songwriter for Muse, composing classics such as Supermassive Black Hole, Stockholm Syndrome and Knights of Cydonia. Yeah, we’re jealous too.

2. He wrote the biggest riff of the decade.

If the sheer number of ‘attempts’ at music shows and in music shops is anything to go by, the Plug in Baby riff is this generation’s Sweet Child O’Mine or Stairway to Heaven. Like its illustrious forbears, Plug in Baby grabbed guitarists by the balls by virtue of its sheer inventiveness. The sick fuzz tone didn’t hurt much either. It’s one of those riffs that sounds fresh and unique, and it makes everyone wish they could play guitar.

1. He is the Hendrix of our generation.

Comparing anyone to Jimi Hendrix can get you in some serious trouble, but we can recon you’re on pretty safe ground with Matt Bellamy. Matt uses effects and feedback like a musical instrument, punctuating solos with weird pops and squeaks. Just like Jimi. In Matt’s hands the guitar is more than just a tool, it’s an extension of his body and his voice. Just like Jimi. He’s also that extremely rare combination of a guitar virtuoso who can write great songs that will stand the test of time. Again, just like Jimi.

Check this video out and you're welcome in advance:

Siiiigh.