The first time will always be special, but the second time has its own charm as well:
TL;DR version:
Best free concert ever. So good I almost felt guilty I didn't pay a ticket.
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 7
Sunday, September 14
[Music Sunday] Alice in Chains
Having the ability to watch MTV again since... I dunno, 2000 or something, has made me reminisce about the times when I was watching Alternative Nation in the mid 90's as a teenager. While I don't expect the Greek version of MTV in '08 to have shows specifically for grunge/alternative/punk rock, it does make for a nice memory.
Also, it has helped me remember all those bands I used to love in the 90's, but kind of lost track of them in the last years. One of them is Alice in Chains, a band I started listening to because I thought that was an interesting name, if a bit S&M-ish. I won't bore you with their history, that's what Wikipedia is for, instead I'll head right to the inevitable video, in this case of a song called Would?
TL;DR version:
PIE.
Also, it has helped me remember all those bands I used to love in the 90's, but kind of lost track of them in the last years. One of them is Alice in Chains, a band I started listening to because I thought that was an interesting name, if a bit S&M-ish. I won't bore you with their history, that's what Wikipedia is for, instead I'll head right to the inevitable video, in this case of a song called Would?
TL;DR version:
PIE.
Wednesday, July 9
[Off-Topic Wednesday] This isn't about comics or books
My PC refused to work yesterday, for reasons of its own. Maybe it wasn't in the mood, because it's working fine today.
And since that huge-ass piece I wrote on Monday was enough for not one, but three days... Eh, I find myself not having the willpower to write anything significant today. I did see The Offspring live yesterday though, I was a huge fan of the band back in high school but I seriously lost interest in them after their Americana album. Still, I was pleasantly surprised, as they kicked ass and took names in their live gig last night, and it also helps that their latest album is actually quite good.
So here comes the inevitable music video, a live performance of Self-Esteem from... somewhere. Who cares, this was the song that made me start listening to the band, heck it was the song that made me a fan of alternative/punk rock music in general.
TL;DR version:
George doesn't want to write that article on Thor.
You Gotta Keep 'Em Separated
And since that huge-ass piece I wrote on Monday was enough for not one, but three days... Eh, I find myself not having the willpower to write anything significant today. I did see The Offspring live yesterday though, I was a huge fan of the band back in high school but I seriously lost interest in them after their Americana album. Still, I was pleasantly surprised, as they kicked ass and took names in their live gig last night, and it also helps that their latest album is actually quite good.
So here comes the inevitable music video, a live performance of Self-Esteem from... somewhere. Who cares, this was the song that made me start listening to the band, heck it was the song that made me a fan of alternative/punk rock music in general.
TL;DR version:
George doesn't want to write that article on Thor.
You Gotta Keep 'Em Separated
Wednesday, March 26
American Gods, for free!
I'm in a sort of rotten mood today, so you won't have to endure my usual rants this time, I'll get right to the point. Perhaps it's for the best.
Neil Gaiman's (author of Sandman, amongst other things, all-around god amongst men) best-selling book American Gods is now offered online for free. Arguably one of the best novels of the decade, and definitely one of my favorites of all time. It's a good book, from Gaiman, for free. What are you waiting for? Go nuts.
While on the subject of free stuff, there was an article on a Sunday paper about Greek girl musicians, this one called Olga Kouklaki stood out the most for me. She has also apparently left the country, so hopefully she won't get dragged down by the mediocrity that reigns here. Funny how MySpace is becoming an almost useful site these days though, now that the hype has died down.
Neil Gaiman's (author of Sandman, amongst other things, all-around god amongst men) best-selling book American Gods is now offered online for free. Arguably one of the best novels of the decade, and definitely one of my favorites of all time. It's a good book, from Gaiman, for free. What are you waiting for? Go nuts.
While on the subject of free stuff, there was an article on a Sunday paper about Greek girl musicians, this one called Olga Kouklaki stood out the most for me. She has also apparently left the country, so hopefully she won't get dragged down by the mediocrity that reigns here. Funny how MySpace is becoming an almost useful site these days though, now that the hype has died down.
Thursday, December 27
Alizée is back
Monday, December 17
And in case you missed it...
Led Zeppelin reunited (sans John Bonham of course, who passed away in 1980) for just one concert, exactly one week ago. I was really bummed I wasn't there, but so were most others. I don't think there was a concert place big enough to hold all the Led Zeppelin fans that wanted to attend this concert.
At any rate, if you belong in that category, and even if you don't, here's Stairway to Heaven, taken straight from that gig. Not the same as being there, but it's the next best thing. Don't expect any comments on the quality of the concert, it's a fracking Led Zeppelin reunion, it's awesome by definition.
(My English -and Greek- is so broken these days, I blame the lack of sleep.)
At any rate, if you belong in that category, and even if you don't, here's Stairway to Heaven, taken straight from that gig. Not the same as being there, but it's the next best thing. Don't expect any comments on the quality of the concert, it's a fracking Led Zeppelin reunion, it's awesome by definition.
(My English -and Greek- is so broken these days, I blame the lack of sleep.)
Saturday, November 24
May I take a message?
I just caught a Tom Waits song on the radio, and I just realized that if you're caught off-guard by one of his songs, listening to it is an almost orgasmic experience. No joke.
The weirdest idea also crossed my atheist mind: "Tom Waits is proof that God exists, only he's nothing like we ever imagined him to be."
Not quite sure where that came from, I'm also still an atheist for that matter, I just felt like sharing it.
Intermission: so far Pavlos has maintained a solid 4.0 in his M.A. courses. What do you think his final GPA will be? Taking your bets now!
End of Intermission.
Anyway, here's a video of a Tom Waits song which I find is kind of fitting for this post, and is also what the title is referring to, God's Away On Business.
The weirdest idea also crossed my atheist mind: "Tom Waits is proof that God exists, only he's nothing like we ever imagined him to be."
Not quite sure where that came from, I'm also still an atheist for that matter, I just felt like sharing it.
Intermission: so far Pavlos has maintained a solid 4.0 in his M.A. courses. What do you think his final GPA will be? Taking your bets now!
End of Intermission.
Anyway, here's a video of a Tom Waits song which I find is kind of fitting for this post, and is also what the title is referring to, God's Away On Business.
Wednesday, October 17
In Rainbows
By now, you most likely will have heard all about In Rainbows, Radiohead's latest album, and the story of how they decided to leave their publishers (multi-national giants EMI) and instead distribute their album on their own, through the internet.
Phew, that was a long sentence. Anyway.
The best part about this, is that you get to choose exactly how much money (or how many monies) you want to pay for the album. But I assume you already knew about this, as well. Yes, you can even get it for free. No, you shouldn't, though. And if you did, it does not make you cool, no matter how much you think so.
I finally managed to buy the album today, but I haven't gotten the chance to listen to it carefully yet, I do like it so far though, my favorite song being "Bodysnatchers". At this point, I should also confess that I am not the biggest Radiohead fan around, as a matter of fact, this is the first album of theirs I've ever bought. When somebody tries to do something so radically different, though, I believe we all have to support it as best we can.
For the curious people out there, yes I did pay for it. How much? Less than the special edition's cost (40 English pounds, coming out on December 3rd), more than what a bootleg copy would cost. Happy now?
Regardless of that, I do hope that Radiohead's decision to promote their album on their own, without the influence of their company, could become the starting point for a whole new era in music. After all, Madonna had already left her big-name publishing company as well, and The Artist Formerly Known As The Artist Formerly Known As Prince distributed his last album through a Sunday newspaper in the U.K. However, both these artists have been around for a long while, and their careers have been in decline for a while now (Prince's more than Madonna's, obviously.)
Still, it's a common secret a music artist's main source of income comes from live performances, not record sales, as the publishers take most of those. And how did the last performance of Prince in the U.K. go, you ask? It was sold out. And Madonna's tour was her most successful yet.
What does that all mean, though? For me, it means that there's the blind hope that after almost a decade where hardcore marketing-type people dictated what music we listened to, what movies we saw and what kind of games we played, this fad may finally be nearing its end. I may be a bit too idealistic, but I feel that moves such as Radiohead selling their album for whatever amount their customers are willing to pay, may mean that artists will be able to reclaim control over their work again, beforelong.
As I said, I may be a bit too idealistic in my assessment this. But after so many years in which music, art in general I'd say, had to conform to certain strict standards in order to be commercially successful, I am really glad to see such a bold move from a well-known band.
Certainly, cynics have a lot to downplay this for, but you know what? Fuck cynicism. There's too much of it around already. Just enjoy your almost-free album, suckers.
Anyway, I'd like to end this post on a more positive note, so I'll just post an image of the cover for In Rainbows, which I find very beautiful in its simplicity, as it reminds me of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon in a way.
Wait, how did Stephen Colbert get in there? That guy is omnipresent, I swear.
P.S
A good read on the impact that In Rainbows could have to the music industry can be found here. The author concludes that "Unfortunately for the music labels, that change would only decrease their relevance and mechanisms to make money."
Boo-fracking-hoo, I say. Greedy bastards, the lot of them. Viva La Revolution, etc.
Phew, that was a long sentence. Anyway.
The best part about this, is that you get to choose exactly how much money (or how many monies) you want to pay for the album. But I assume you already knew about this, as well. Yes, you can even get it for free. No, you shouldn't, though. And if you did, it does not make you cool, no matter how much you think so.
I finally managed to buy the album today, but I haven't gotten the chance to listen to it carefully yet, I do like it so far though, my favorite song being "Bodysnatchers". At this point, I should also confess that I am not the biggest Radiohead fan around, as a matter of fact, this is the first album of theirs I've ever bought. When somebody tries to do something so radically different, though, I believe we all have to support it as best we can.
For the curious people out there, yes I did pay for it. How much? Less than the special edition's cost (40 English pounds, coming out on December 3rd), more than what a bootleg copy would cost. Happy now?
Regardless of that, I do hope that Radiohead's decision to promote their album on their own, without the influence of their company, could become the starting point for a whole new era in music. After all, Madonna had already left her big-name publishing company as well, and The Artist Formerly Known As The Artist Formerly Known As Prince distributed his last album through a Sunday newspaper in the U.K. However, both these artists have been around for a long while, and their careers have been in decline for a while now (Prince's more than Madonna's, obviously.)
Still, it's a common secret a music artist's main source of income comes from live performances, not record sales, as the publishers take most of those. And how did the last performance of Prince in the U.K. go, you ask? It was sold out. And Madonna's tour was her most successful yet.
What does that all mean, though? For me, it means that there's the blind hope that after almost a decade where hardcore marketing-type people dictated what music we listened to, what movies we saw and what kind of games we played, this fad may finally be nearing its end. I may be a bit too idealistic, but I feel that moves such as Radiohead selling their album for whatever amount their customers are willing to pay, may mean that artists will be able to reclaim control over their work again, beforelong.
As I said, I may be a bit too idealistic in my assessment this. But after so many years in which music, art in general I'd say, had to conform to certain strict standards in order to be commercially successful, I am really glad to see such a bold move from a well-known band.
Certainly, cynics have a lot to downplay this for, but you know what? Fuck cynicism. There's too much of it around already. Just enjoy your almost-free album, suckers.
Anyway, I'd like to end this post on a more positive note, so I'll just post an image of the cover for In Rainbows, which I find very beautiful in its simplicity, as it reminds me of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon in a way.
Wait, how did Stephen Colbert get in there? That guy is omnipresent, I swear.
P.S
A good read on the impact that In Rainbows could have to the music industry can be found here. The author concludes that "Unfortunately for the music labels, that change would only decrease their relevance and mechanisms to make money."
Boo-fracking-hoo, I say. Greedy bastards, the lot of them. Viva La Revolution, etc.
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