Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Myth of Myself (A Ruse To Exploit Our Weakness)


"What is this thing that lives inside of me? I can't look directly in my eyes without using in a mirror. I can't bite my own teeth. And I can't meet the 'I' that makes me 'me'." - Alan Watts

Fanfarlo have released the first song from their forthcoming third album, stating "Myth of Myself is a rallying cry to (wo)man the barricades against the individual and all those who would have us believe this ruse. It is also the first song from our forthcoming third album, a record that in its own playfully serious/seriously playful way looks at human evolution and the weirdness of being this thing we call a person."

You can download the track Myth of Myself here.

Monday, July 15, 2013

My Life As Music, Part II: 1960 - 1963


Granted this video is from 1968, but it perfectly encapsulates the sound of early 60s pop music from February 3, 1959, the infamous "day the music died," to February 9, 1964, when The Beatles first appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show.

In a sad and tragic post-script to this story, Roy Estrada, the singer in the video, was jailed last year on charges of child molestation. 

Frank Zappa former Bassist


Sunday, July 14, 2013

Ivan & Alyosha



Here's Seattle's Ivan & Alyosha performing in Santa Monica at KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic.  

Talk of faith and exalted things is rare in indie rock today.  But Ivan & Alyosha takes their names from a scene in Dostoevsky’s Brothers Karamazov where the main characters discuss the existence of God.  Ivan, in particular, questions the idea of God.  Alyosha, on the other hand, is a monk, a believer, some may say, a holy fool.

Ivan & Alyosha will be playing the Plaza Stage at Bumbershoot in Seattle on Monday, September 2, at 7:30 pm.

Friday, July 12, 2013

Boards of Canada



Let us now praise Boards of Canada and their new album Tomorrow's Harvest (Number 4 on CMJ's Top 20!).  This is magnificent stuff.

Thursday, July 11, 2013

The Flavr Blue


Alex, I'll take Bands I've Never Heard Of for fifty dollars.

Seattle's R&B-meets-electro-synth-pop band The Flavr Blue will be the first band performing at Bumbershoot this year, taking the stage at 11:45 am on Saturday morning, August 31.  Since no other bands are scheduled for that early hour, it looks like I'll be kicking off the weekend seeing and hearing a new (to me at least) band kick off the festival.

According to the Bumbershoot website,
Following the release of their debut album, Pisces, last year, synth-pop trio The Flavr Blue has been igniting parties from their hometown of Seattle to New York City with driving bass, shimmering melodies, dazzling visuals and a lot of verve. Featuring vocals from all three members, the band’s music ranges from bright and dreamy to sultry and moody, and their live performances are infamous for being highly energetic and extremely fun.