This will be offline tonight as I import everything into WordPress. Come back tomorrow and read some fine content why don’t you?

Jon W. Sparks was kind enough to make mention of this article from the L.A. Times on his blog, and I’ll do the courtesy of making the same mention. Having just finished working on a movie with Craig,…



[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Rachel loves Ryan Adams, so do you, so here you go. No review, listen and pre-order.

High Bandwidth Stream (Cable/DSL/T1)

Administrative Note: Happy Thanksgiving.

Low Bandwidth Stream (56k/ADSL)

Leave your comments here and tell us what you think.

There’s no way it’s too early to start asking about things I’d like for the holidays. While I sit here waiting for two more people to complete free iPod referrals and playing Dell’s instant win…



[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

For a city that regularly tops the U.S. charts in crime and unemployment, whose name is a virtual synonym for urban decay (OK, I’ll stop now; not that a Memphian has much room to talk), Detroit keeps cranking out astoundingly talented artists and producers who lend their own idiosyncracies to the city’s towering musical legacy. Of late, Jay Dee, Slum Village and Platinum Pied Pipers have carved a deep niche for gritty, soulful hip-hop sounds; Carl Craig, John Beltran and Kenny Dixon Jr. (aka Moodymann) have rescusitated the the jazz underpinnings of house and techno, and Amp Fiddler has lent a Sly and the Family Stone-style maturity to the underground neo-soul movement. The list goes on, of course, and I obviously haven’t even touched on The White Stripes and the Ghostly International family, for instance. Or Dwele. Damn …

Overlooked so far — as rock has so dominated the indie mindset the past few years — has been Detroit’s contributions to the future groove scene, the nexus of jazz-funk and meticulously programmed rhythms that falls into the ill-defined category of “broken beat.” Recording as Ayro, keyboard and MPC maestro Jeremy Ellis made a splash on the international adult-dance scene in 2002 with his “ElectronicLoveFunk” LP on Omoa Music, featuring the singles “Let This” and “Drink.” Who was this red-headed white kid with the voice like Stevie Wonder, with the analog synths and Rhodes piano deftly arranged atop classic ’80s-techno drum sounds? Detroit’s answer to London broken dons like Bugz in the Attic and 4Hero, that’s who.

A year later, Ellis’s roommate, the guitarist John Arnold, released his “Neighborhood Science” on Ubiquity. Without a winning voice of his own, Arnold brought in a selection of vocalists like Malik Alston (“Inside”), Fiddler (“Get Yourself Together”) and Ellis himself (“Rough”) to top off his highly musical and engaging beat workouts. Now Arnold’s back and more confident than ever in his MPC and production skills. “Style and Pattern” is a burner from top to bottom, delving into Puerto Rican bomba (“La Cocina”), frenetic grime (the title track featuring TY), teched-out Afrobeat (“Jangal” with Pathe Jasse) and even two remixes of “Inside” from the previous LP (by Mr. Scruff and Henrik Schwarz, respectively).

You might never have heard of any of these guys, but that just goes to show how much talent there is under the radar in Tha D, and how that proud city’s reputation precedes it in attracting international artists. The guests are only the icing on the cake for Arnold’s dancefloor-ready productions, on which he generally played every instrument (all triggered via MIDI from his guitar; how cool is that?!). As Arnold points out in a short essay in the liner notes, “It is a very Detroit concept to do everything yourself, most of us don’t have a choice.”

Check out the first single from “Style and Pattern,” “Rise Up” featuring vocals by Paul Randolph, Fiddler’s bassist and a consummate showman who reminds one of the legendary Bootsy Collins. Catch a slight whiff of Tower of Power in the rolling groove and insistent horn charts, and watch out for that cowbell!

When Elliott Smith died a little over two years ago, it silenced one of the most important songwriters of my generation. Elliott left behind a tremendous legacy in the indie world and a substantial body of unfinished work and b-sides. Some of those unfinished works were meant to end up on his posthumous release, From A Basement on the Hill, released last fall to wide critical acclaim. However, there were piles of other demos and unreleased material which made their way through trading circles, friends, and curious listeners. A labour-of-love 22-song compendium of sorts leaked its way onto the net nearly a month ago (while I was in movie land), being called Basement II Demos which reveals yet another layer of the Elliott that I once knew. It’s hard to listen to these recordings without recalling his earliest solo material, albums like the self-titled Elliott Smith or Roman Candle, and they are no less introspective or darkly tinged.

All of the songs are now freely available for download from elliottsmithbsides.com, though it is not known how long that will continue to be true. I suggest that if you’ve ever been a fan of Elliott’s music, you need to stop what you’re doing and head over there. Gorilla vs. Bear originally pointed out this story to the blogosphere and I’d like to thank them for doing so. I’d like to refresh the conversation about it for those who might have missed out. Enjoy these tracks, which are among my favorites from the Basement II demos.

Almost Over
Going Nowhere
Thirteen (Big Star Cover)
Fear City

Proceeds from sales of FABOTH continue to support the Elliott Smith Memorial Fund/Free Arts For Abused Children fund.

Donations can also be made to the following:

Elliott Smith Memorial Fund
c/o Free Arts for Abused Children
12095 W. Washington Blvd. Suite 104
Los Angeles, CA 90066

* * CHECKS MUST BE MADE PAYABLE TO: * *
“Elliott Smith Memorial Fund/Free Arts”

“Echo and the Bunnymen, the brooding rock band that helped define the post punk sound of the 80’s, are back with a new widely acclaimed new album, Siberia (Cooking Vinyl US) and poised to kick off a US tour on…

Just doing some testing, not much to see yet.