In The Moment

I dig this band the Smith Westerns. You should too.

Girl In Love:



Boys Are Fine:

Ton Up

I was bitten by the bike bug a few years back, and man, it's an illness worse than the dengue.*

Unlike a true fever though, the only remedy for this sickness is more spark and horsepower. Fortunately, for obsessives like us there's a new tv show called Cafe Racer TV on HD Theater.

Go ahead and tune in to all the Brylcreem action. Blast the Eddie Cochran and inject yourself into the Brit-rock sub-culture.

*Disclaimer: Don't say I didn't warn you about the bugs...






Cafe Racer TV promo:



Eddie Cochran - Nervous Breakdown:



Eddie Cochran with Wolfman Jack intro - C'mon Everybody:

The Art of Rock Photography: Lynn Goldsmith

The Police in Studio.

Just a short little post about three dudes who were once in a highly successful punk rock outfit that went bonkers with fame.

I cannot confirm with complete historical accuracy, but I strongly believe that a certain someone broke his Syncronicity tape through repeated use. He also may still be able to recite lyrically every single song on the album.

Oh, and the photo magic is 100% from the lense of renowned photographer, Lynn Goldsmith.

The Police in Montserrat.

The Police in Times Square. NYC.


The Police. NYC.


Stewart Copeland. NYC.


The Police. NYC.


Sting. London. 1982.

Cape Cod

Gant Rugger Fall/Winter 2010.

Unbeknownst to me (before now), Gant Rugger has teamed up with the band U.S. Royalty to promote their fall/winter clothing line.

Check out their promotional movie Cape Cod and tell me that it's not a brilliant piece of marketing. Afterall, you can't go wrong with motorcycles, music, and the great outdoors.

Just Because

And, Just Because:

Stop Making Sense

Stop Making Sense. No, seriously.

The title of the 1984 Talking Heads concert video which has been hailed as "one of the greatest rock movies ever made". I concur. Directed by Jonathan Demme, it was shot over the course of three nights at Hollywood's Pantages Theater in December of 1983.

I own it. Have seen it at least a dozen times. And it gets better and better the more I watch. After repeat viewings you begin to notice the subtle nuances that make it so great. The slow introductory roll into Pyscho Killer. David Byrne's quirky-jerky style as he shuffles around on stage in his oversize suit. His mannerisms are so well executed that they seem almost scripted (maybe they were). The wild excitement of the backing singers and the raw emotion of the band. It is pure performance art and everyone is having a blast.

I await a Talking Heads reunion with baited breath as individual egos continue to stifle communication. I suppose that (ultimately) a reunion would be too perfect.

Afterall, it wouldn't make sense.












Psycho Killer:



Life During Wartime:




Making Flippy Floppy:




Burning Down the House:




Girlfriend is Better. The title of the concert video comes from lyrics in this song:




Tom Tom Club's party hit, Genius of Love. A side project by the husband and wife team of Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz:




And my all-time personal favorite, This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody):




Here's an encore in-studio version, because I love the song so much:

Home

LCD Soundsystem "Home"

Just Because

Ready For The Weird?

A few years ago I read a small article in Rolling Stone magazine about an avante-garde/synth-rock band up in Pittsburgh called Black Moth Super Rainbow that had been making some waves in the local music scene. I purchased their third album, Dandelion Gum, fell in love with the sound, and worked my way through their back catalog. I had the chance to catch a live show last year here in Washington, DC and was blown away. BMSR is currently on hiatus as band members explore side projects.

On May 25th, Tobacco (songwriter and vocoder-man of BMSR) released his second solo album Maniac Meat, featuring vocals by Beck on two tracks, "Fresh Hex," and "Grape Aerosmith."

I haven't had the chance to listen to the entire album yet, but the two artsy videos below may throw your brain into sensory overload. The second should be viewed at your own risk. Don't say I didn't warn you:

TOBACCO - Grape Aerosmith (feat. Beck) Official Video.

Watch this next one at your own risk. No, seriously. It's NSFW:

TOBACCO - Super Gum.

ISO50 Playlist 9

The ISO50 Playlist #9 is now available. Trek on over to their blog and have yourself a listen.

Vinyl Trip

I picked up two relatively new albums this past weekend at my favorite local vinyl one-stop-shop. Don't hate. I may be a tweenie bopper but at least I stay Current.

The thing I love about the revitalized record biz is that most companies now offer either a free mp3 album download or a free CD included in the packaging. If you can't beat the heat you can at least save a little coin.

Anyway, both albums are pretty dope and I'll be rocking them until the end of summer.

Carry on...

Just Because

And Just Because...

Midsommar: U.S. Royalty

I may be totally late to the party here but I've just hit upon a DC area band called U.S. Royalty that have built up quite the following.

Their music is refreshingly honest without all of the built up "hipster wanna-be-ness" that tends to circulate around sensitive indie dudes with beards and tattoos.

I suggest you check them out on their MySpace page.

Live Aid: 25 Years On

Live Aid is all over the news again today as it was...uhhh...25 years ago. That's still a hard number for me to stomach.

The multi-venued concert was held July 13, 1985 at London's Wembley Stadium and in Philadelphia at JFK Stadium; featuring a powerhouse lineup of pop and rock stars joined together in the fight against poverty in Africa. Ethiopa in specific.

For weeks leading up to the event tv watchers in the US had been bombarded with images of poor starving families in war ravaged nations clinging desperately to each other for survival. In fact, there was such a large disconnect for so many people in the US "living the American dream" that the shockingly graphic images evoked disbelief; even laughter. Caught up in the swell of the moment I am guilty of having chuckled at the myriad of jokes circling playgrounds accross the country. Fear of the unknown. I was only 8.

Live Aid is largely credited as being a roaring success, with not a little bit of controversy thrown into the mix. It far exceeded the expectations of organizers. Not just for the cause, but for the artists and the networks. MTV in particular. The moon man practically busted down our doors, turned on our televisions (in "stereo sound"), and occupied prime couch real estate all damn day.

A reunited Led Zeppelin. Plant and Page.

Singers Valerie Simpson, Teddy Pendergrass (confined to a wheelchair) and Nicholas Ashford (both men in sunglasses) backstage after performing at the Live Aid benefit. Photo Credit: David Mcgough. Life. July 13, 1985.

Rock N' Roll Royalty. Hard to believe that Princess Di and Prince Charles had been married four years by this point and that she had already given birth to her two sons. Photo Credit: Nils Jorgensen.

No bats in sight. Rock star Ozzy Osbourne pouring water over his head after performance at the Live Aid concert. Photo Credit: David Mcgough. Life. July 13, 1985.

Who's That Girl? Madonna at Live Aid.

Rolling Stones lead singer Mick Jagger performing at the Live Aid concert. Photo Credit: David Mcgough. Life. July 13, 1985.

Singers Tina Turner and Mick Jagger performing at LiveAid concert. Photo Credit: David Mcgough. Life. July 13, 1985.

Freddie Mercury of Queen sporting some ridiculously tight jeans.

Bono solidifys the international rep of U2 at Live Aid.

International Pop and Rock artists collaborating on stage at Wembley. Photo Credit: Jeremy Nicholl. The Times.

Crowd shot at Wembley Stadium.

The Legwarmers: Encore Set

This is the encore set from last weekend's Legwarmers show. Best 80s cover band ever. The first song is Any Way You Want It by Journey, and the second song in the set is Fight For Your Right by the Beastie Boys. If you're a fan of tight pants, big hair, and mix-tapes you'll dig this video.

I hadn't been drinking therefore it turned out surprisingly well. Minus the annoying fist-pumper next to our group.

Bitchin'...



Oh, and I had to share this concert "warm up" video posted by the band. If you practice these deep thrust moves you'll surely be ready for the show.

This Ain't No Picket Fence

How does one man make trippy/awesome 60s pysch rock without all of the self-defeating incestuous band relationships?

Like this hombre Tim Presley and his band White Fence.

Shuffle on over to MySpace and give it a listen.

The Fixx

I was lucky enough to see The Fixx perform live in concert at the Celebrate Fairfax festival in 2009.

I'm a big fan of their music.



One Thing Leads to Another

Stand or Fall

Saved By Zero

Retro Arcade DJ

My last post got me to thinking about an oft forgotten aspect of the great video arcades of the 1970s and 80s...the music. At the Aladdin's Castle in the mall near my home in Texas, these soundtracks featured a colossal mashup of rock, r&b, punk, pop and new wave hits, coupled with cheesy DJ commentary during segues between songs. If I remember correctly some of the syndicated programs even had advertisements for new game consoles during commercial breaks.

So with that being said, and with far too much time on my hands, I created a playlist of my own. It's best listened to on random.

Enjoy:

Easter with the King

A couple of weekends ago, well, Easter weekend to be exact, I had the chance to check out the new Elvis exhibit at the Newseum in DC.

I am a "recovering" Elvis junkie, truth be told, have all of the greatest hits collections, seen the movies, read the books, been to Graceland, peanut butter and 'nana sandwiches, fried bacon, TCB Mama, the works, etc. etc.

With Elvis memorabilia it's easy to develop a "been there, done that, seen it all" sort of mentality. Especially if you've been away from it awhile like I have.

But then a crazy thing happens. You get sucked in. Again. Next thing you know you're buying the '68 Comeback Special on DVD for $30 at the gift store. You go home and watch the tape and realize all over again...damn he was good.

And there will never be another artist like him.


Elvis's black leather Harley Davidson jacket from the 50's "greaser" years.

Elvis's 1957 Harley Davidson.



This terrible photo is of the display containing the suit Elvis wore to open the '68 Comeback Special, the Gretsch "Country Gentleman" guitar he played in 1969 during a four-week engagement in Vegas, and the belt he wore when he met with President Nixon at the White House in 1970.

The jumpsuit Elvis wore during rehearsals for the "Aloha from Hawaii" concert in 1973.

The famous cape. The actual outfit he wore during the concert is at Graceland.

East Coast Summer Swelter

ISO50 Playlist #8 is now available on the TYCHOMUSIC Blog. It hits you like a warm summer breeze.

Click here to give it a listen.