One Year Later...

Yeah, I know I haven't told you anything about anything that you should be listening to. Well, I have been busy. I'm presently trying to wrap up my first true album, tentatively titled "princewithathousandenemies," for a label which heard my music and decided to roll the dice on me. That is correct. I have signed to an indy label by the name of GrungeCake Records. A branch out from GrungeCake Magazine. I am also still releasing EPs on my own, the most recent being the first in what will be an on going series Travel Plans for the Agoraphobic: Brasil. So, give me a break and follow my music. I will be releasing a new Travel Plans every other month. In March you can expect Oklahoma.

It's Been A Long Time...

I think I'm back. Still have stuff I'm working on, but I can split my attention now. Where have I been? I've been working on music of my own. I've released 3 projects and am taking steps toward new things. Anyway, there will be a new write up soon.

Self-Promotion: Check out my stuff. It's all payment optional, but if you pay for "Theories of Blam" you'll get a bonus track and instrumentals, as well. Just click the pic.

When I Was Your Age... vol. 1


The Producer Remixes Songs Reinterpreted by Pomplamoose


The World Beyond Presents Theories of Blam: A Tribute to The Roots

Still Slacking

Yup still nothing written. I have a list of people to write about, but I've been otherwise occupied. I've been working on music projects (plural) of my own, and fund raising. I'm trying to raise $225 by August 17, and with no job that's quite a task I have before me (donations welcome). I'm theoretically at the $100 mark, so half way there. Anyone wants to chip in to help me reach my goal, so I can embark on my secret journey get at me. Or if you want to get me this it's almost just as good (I take an XL). Anyway, I'll have something written eventually. Keep an eye out.

I Come Bearing Gifts

Okay, I know I've been slacking. I haven't written anything about anything. So, to make amends I have a gift. Back in March, or so, I began a task that became an ordeal. I began a 90's hip-hop mix. I compiled hundreds of songs and was trying to sort through them to create the perfect mix. Certain, things popped out as a result. The first was the realization that this was going to have to be two volumes. There was simply too much good music. The next was that certain people produced so many hits that they deserved their own mix. Timbaland was one of those people. I wound up creating this Timbaland in the 90's mix. So, take this for now. I'll try to get back writing on musicians. You Should Be Listening to Rap from the 90's (Timbaland Edition)

What You Should Be Listening To EXTRA

Let's call this "What You Shouldn't Be Doing..." I'm lazy. I think people who know me can attest to this. I do what I need to do, but on my off time I am as immobile as possible. So, recreation for me involves going to movies, eating out **pause... or not**, going to friends homes and talking with them, and in the past there was video games. Technology exists to make people lazier. If that weren't true, we would all be walking over to the television to change the channel. It's for all these reasons I thought the Nintendo Wii was going to fail. If I want to be active, I can go outside. Again, my friends can attest that I play video games while lying down with my hands behind my head. Who wants to "do stuff" while playing video games. A game you play while doing stuff is usually called a sport. I hate sports. So, when Wii began to sweep through America, I initially thought it was just a price thing and Americans renowned sloth would soon spell the counsuls demise. Wrong. WRONG! People really seem to enjoy hanging out alone flailing their arms like idiots. Meanwhile, I haven't felt the urge to get involved with Wii. The virtual counsul has some good old fashion non-amulatory games, but that's not worth the price tag of the system. Now that I've gotten that out. I'll get back to more musical matters. You shouldn't be playing Wii. You look like a spastict idiot.

Wilson Simonal

Well, it’s been slow going with the updates here. I’ve been occupied by other musical matters but I’ll try to get back in the swing. In the past few months I’ve been getting a crash course** education on legendary Brazilian musicians. So, while I still have a long way to go, I think it would be an appropriate show of gratitude to discus some of what I learned. I present to you Wilson Simonal. Simonal was a phenomenal musician who managed to become one of his country’s first Black pop stars. One of the things that pulled me to Simonal was the style he pioneered, “pilantragem.” He would essentially rework songs from other artists and make them into something of his own. I make no effort to hide the fact that the Hip-hop in me gave a Cheshire smile at that. There came a time when Bossa Nova’s popularity was on the decline as more-and-more of the Brazilian public began to embrace Beatles-like pop music. Wilson Simonal remained resolved to follow his own passion and began to infuse his music with more elements of soul, jazz and samba. Simonal was a follower of his own passions. He recorded a Tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. He flipped the song “Lemon Tree” and made it a hit as “Meu Limão, Meu Limoeiro,” and he sported a part in his hair so precise, I’m certain in must have given his barber millions of dollars in new business. The man was a force, but he was still just a man. In 1971 he discovered his accountant was embezzling money from him. He chose to have some friends deal with him to get a confession, rather than take him to court. Again, he was still just a man and honestly, that’s likely the same way I would first think to handle it. Unfortunately, this would eventually lead to false allegations being made against him, as being a government informant. It was said that his job was to report on the activities of other musicians and celebrities. Despite there being no validity to the claims, the rumor was believed and the damage was done. He spent the rest of his years feeling like an outcast in the country he loved so dearly. His music was pulled from mainstream distribution and he was blacklisted. It wasn’t until after his death in 2000 that he was finally vindicated. In 2003 his family finally got the government to confirm publicly that Wilson Simonal was never a government informant. Only then was the music he recorded again opening sold again, for people to rediscover and appreciate. I had to do a lot of reading for this one, so I hope you all appreciate this. I’m done with school and you got me doing research projects and having to translate Portuguese websites. I hope I got his story right because God knows he deserves some truth spoken in his name. You should be listening to Wilson Simonal.


**Special thanks goes to my "tutor" and favorite stranger. Keep 'em coming!

Nouvelle Vague

“Love Will Tear Us Apart” by Joy Division is one of the greatest heartbreak songs ever. It stands shoulder-to-shoulder with “Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You)” by Stevie. So, for a band to be daring enough to do a cover of it, I would hope they know how high the bar is set. Nouvelle Vague rise to the occasion. Nouvelle Vague is a French group who do nothing but covers of punk, post-punk, and new wave songs. The flip is that they do them all is a sort of Lounge/Bossa Nova style. The singers only sing songs, whose lyrics they’ve never heard before to ensure that they put their own spin on them. The end result is this incredible blend of genres and emotions. “Heart of Glass,” “Too Drunk to Fuck,” “I Melt with You,” “Just Can’t Get Enough,” “Dancing With Myself,” “A Forest,” there is seemingly nothing they can’t reshape and yet still preserve. Not only that but if you’re looking for new old artists to get into, all you really need to do is just look up the sources for their songs. My ex put me onto Nouvelle Vague after a fight to San Francisco where she heard them on the plane. If you like Bossa Nova then you should be listening to Nouvelle Vague.