It's Friday, Friday!
Getting' down on Friday!
We're partyin', partyin'....FuN FuN fUn FuN!
Without further adieu, here is today's YOLO Friday selection: Memorial Day Weekend Edition! Sit back with your burgers and beer and check out these artists, all covering MGMT.
This is Patrick Cederberg. A Toronto native, Patrick is all of the above and, according to his roommate, "A great guy!"
You may remember Patrick from the last post as the gentleman who covered Animal Collective. But, as with all Youtube posters, he has a life occurring apart from the glow of the computer screen.
Patrick's relationship with music developed through exposure at a young age. His father played in a bar band until Patrick was 9 or 10. His immediate and extended family members were also avid musicians. In short, he says music "constantly surrounded" him during his formative years.
It makes sense then, that Patrick, too, should pick up this hobby.
Now, at the mere age of 21, Patrick has ten years of guitar playing, four years of self-taught piano, three years of bass, and a bit of percussion under his belt.
In order to share his diverse talent, Patrick began in an unlikely place: the basement.
After graduating from high school, Patrick made the decision to take a year off before college. During this time, he gave in to his tendency to be a self-proclaimed "basement dweller". There, he conjured up musical creations to post on Youtube.
Of this time, Patrick says "[A]ll my friends moved away so, when I wasn't working, I was downstairs
making music on my own. YouTube seemed like one of the best ways to get
myself out there and at least have something to show for the work I put
into it on my own."
Posting on Youtube provided "affirmation to keep on going," he says.
Still an avid poster, even now that he's in school again, Patrick states that Youtube has proved to be more than just an instant audience: "It helps me hone a sound and find out what works and what doesn't based on the comments people leave"
Additionally, he shares his music through Soundcloud, a website dedicated solely to sharing voices, moments, or music (according to the site).
He uses Soundcloud to upload full length tracks from his current band: a three-member outfit called Shy Kids. Though they made a music video together, he states that they're waiting to upload it to Youtube until they get the mix "just right" on their album.
"We're perfectionists," he says.
If you're in the Toronto area this summer, be sure to look for Shy Kids, as they plan to tour around the city.
Let the bad decision making begin: buy shoes that look great, but feel like firewalking; stay up later than you should, like 10:30 instead of 10 PM; and procrastinate doing laundry till Sunday, even though it badly needs to be done now. Who cares if you don't have any clean underwear? Not you. You DGAF!
As you can see, ever since I entered the "real world", the definition of "bad" in my decision making has become distorted and tamed by my growing levels of responsibility as an adult. Now that I'm 26, not peeing before long car rides is typically the poorest choice I make...
Before I launch into further examples of my ever-looming quarter-life crisis, I present to you a new series in my blog: YOLO Fridays! This is the time when I link you up to your wild 'n crazy weekend soundtrack!
So, without further adieu...
If you like:
Beach House, The Beach Boys, going to the beach, The state of California
A long time ago, in a far away place - last year, in Allston, MA - my roommate and I nursed pipe dreams of forming a band together. Our instrument of choice: the keyboard. She would sing; I would play; we would be famous.
Naturally, we wanted to call ourselves "Two Girls, One Keyboard".
But, thankfully we never did get around to bringing that vision to fruition. Turns out, there are two talented gentlemen in the UK who have adopted an eerily similar namesake for themselves. Enter our quirky Youtube duo: Two Blokes, Two Ukes.
This blurry pic depicts the gentlemen (formally known as Ian and Stevo) at the genesis of their internet musical career under their new moniker. In case you didn't recognize the ridiculous standard pattern of all bus seat covers, these two pals birthed their Youtube project while on a 30 hour bus trip to Switzerland.
Due to the length of the trip, all electronics died and they were left to entertain themselves with Stevo's Sponge Bob-themed ukulele and Ian's non-Sponge Bob uke. Thankfully they were surrounded by their music-loving peers on this band tour. By the end of the trip, Ian and Stevo's unwitting audience was egging them to film videos for Youtube. And thank goodness they did, 'cause they are fantastically charming and musically precocious. Check their collaborative cover of "School of Rock", their personal favorite cover so far (they're the two guys with the ukuleles, of course):
What makes this pair fantastic is their vast knowledge of music and their clear passion. These two have mastered 7 different instruments between them, not including the old ukulele. They say "[b]oth of us has been heavily involved with music for many years now. Ian
started off playing the drums when he was ten, but quickly moved onto
clarinet when he was twelve, which became his main instrument. Stevo has
played drums for over ten years. He has now moved to London and is a
professional session drummer."
While they love to play together, obligatory schooling has prevented them from doing so more often. They make up for this by joining forces in the summer to play festivals with something they call a "Uke Box". Just like a Jukebox, they take requests for covers. They say this is most successful in pubs amongst an intoxicated audience. In such events, they can make up to 200 pounds in two hours, which is like $400 for us folk on the unfortunate side of the currency conversion.
So, what started as an experiment on Youtube turned into something bigger. After getting cover requests from people they didn't know, the pair decided to keep going. They turned the videos into a personal competition to make better and better covers.
Currently, Ian and Stevo are using more professional equipment to "take advantage of all the instruments [they] can both play to make multi-instrumental tracks." A lovely, seamless example of this is their cover of Muse, "United States of Eurasia":
Whether they're Two Blokes with ukes, pianos, or drums, this pair is undeniably talented. Their quirky Youtube creations have even earned them a spot on an advertisement for THE GRAMMY'S. If that isn't an awesomely big deal, I don't know what is!
If you like what you see/hear from this British duo, be sure to check them out:
I, Julia, have returned from the murky depths of the end of my second-to-last Grad School semester. Shit got heavy, but I finally finished up (for the most part) this week. I have one last 4-5 page paper that I should be doing now, but I suddenly - inexplicably (wink, wink) - got the urge to revisit my Youtube reviews. When inspiration/procrastination strikes, you must follow the crazy creation train.
Anyway. Exciting news on the Youtube Reviews front. I have a response from Mr. Johnnie Shaneyfelt to share, as well as what I'm assuming are well-wishes from Haley Barnes and those crazy folks from Ancient Cat Society.
After firing up the internet machine and surfing over to Ye Olde Facebook and Google+, I found our young musician friends amongst the tangled web of social networks. With only a little bit of groveling, I received responses back from both featured folks, which was super exciting.
Unfortunately, I have not heard back from Haley since her initial response, even after sending her a list of my best interview questions. I am now assuming the Ancient Cat Society has voted Ms. Barnes in as resident Goddess of All Felines, which I can imagine keeps her quite busy. Haley, if you read this, I wish you nothing but success, whether in music or in ruling over the society of meow meows,
On the other hand, I did receive a lovely response from Johnnie Shaneyfelt. This is like the closest I've ever come to speaking with a famous person, so I was pretty psyched to get such a heart-felt email in return.
So, without further adieu, I present to you the story of Johnnie Shaneyfelt, told by the humble man himself:
First of all, I am quite flattered. Thank you for taking the time to write about some guy that put some videos up a long long time ago in a galaxy far far away.
I've never done this so I apologize if my story seems a little scrambled.
I tried to sing before I could talk. I would just hum to myself all the time. After acquiring some vocabulary, I immediately started singing my heart out in church. Singing has always been my instrument of choice. My grandmother bought an old tired no name acoustic guitar from my uncle when i was about 6 or 7. It was always around and i learned a few chords. I didnt really pick up the guitar until I was about 15 or so and started writing my own songs. Honestly while most of my friends were in their room mastering scales and shredding their fretboards, I was jamming Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men singing until my head would hurt. I remember listening to Silverchair and deciding that i had to at least write one song that would impact someone the way a Silverchair song impacted me. My music has always been simple, so I never have been super flashy on guitar. As long as I could pluck a few chords that would help carry a melody.
Sometimes I will just waste half a day on YouTube. There are so many people like you and I out there that go to school or work and no one knows how incredible their talents are. I took a long music hiatus and when I found some videos on YouTube it inspired me to do the one thing I truly love again. I'm currently in a band called Colossal Gospel and I love doing it. It's good to play music with people and not just in my room. Our record comes out in late may/early june. You can stream the whole thing at colossalgospel.bandcamp.com
Thank you Julia
-johnnie
(Seriously, please do check out Johnnie's new band "Colossal Gospel". Folksy fun goodness. Sounds kinda like Grizzly Bear mixed with a little bit of Heaven.)
In other news, I promised a review of Alain de Courtenay. I will provide this.
Alain de Courtenay (anaker00 on the Tube) is a dapper young fellow whose covers of Regina Spektor and and Stevie Wonder make me swoon. Maybe it's the perfect pitch. Maybe it's the skillful guitar playing. But, most likely it's the wife beater he's wearing in his cover of Stevie Wonder's "Knocks Me Off My Feet". I'm sold.
This gentleman is easy on the ears AND the eyes.
So, god only knows why the font formatting changed when I copied that email into this post. I apologize. I spent 20 whole minutes trying to fix it! While I may be able to write adequately well, my abilities in technology are severely lacking. Super Secret Confession: It's because I'm 26 going on 80.
Speaking of which... keep your adult diapers in easy reach, cuz I'mma throw some guys with ukuleles at you next post!
(...They're so good, they'll make you poop yourself, is what I'm saying...)
UPDATE: FONT FIXED! (But I still have the weeknight bedtime of an 80-year-old.)
Remember that time I started a blog, then stopped, then started again - right now? Yup, that's me. I got a case of the ol' writer's block, which I thought I could solve by posting random responses to the McSweeney's writing prompts. Nope nope, that only frustrated me more 'cuz it strayed in a direction I wanted to avoid, which is to say: Serious Literature Writing. I also realized that I didn't really have a coherent focus in the blog as a whole. The most successful blogs focus on one thing, like cooking or some shit. Well, I racked my brain and realized I don't know a single thing about cooking aside from boiling water. There is only so much to be said about making cold water hot, so I knew I had to think of something different...
After many moons, I decided to write about something I'm fiercely, dearly passionate about: Youtube music videos! There are some seriously amazing unsigned artists out there, so I wanna give 'em some press.
Without further adieu, I present to you Onelastpiano, aka Johnnie Shaneyfelt and Dollie90, aka Haley Barnes, aka Ancient Cat Society
Johnnie Shaneyfelt:
One afternoon when I was sick with a cold and a bad case of boredom, I passed the time by listening to cover songs on Youtube. My growing jealousy of other people's musical talents helped to soothe my running nose and aching head.
Then, I discovered Mr. Shaneyfelt's cover of "No One" by Alicia Keys. Now, Alicia Keys has a voice like smooth butter and it would be nearly impossible to out-sing her soulful tune - but, I feel this rendition might do just that. Johnnie Shaneyfelt, with a messy mop of brown hair and that hipster beard, channels John Mayer, Iron and Wine, and the sound of liquid gold to produce this heart-breakingly good cover. Check it:
Be sure to check out the rest of his videos, particularly his original song "Life Preserver" which features some damn good guitar chops. Unfortunately for all of us, he hasn't uploaded any new recordings in a couple years, though he did just recently update with some of his old videos. Nevertheless, he was definitely the first person that came to mind when I decided to review Youtube musicians.
Haley Barnes and Ancient Cat Society
I first discovered Haley Barnes when I did my usual Youtube search of Beirut cover songs. That search is generally a great (if not pretentious) starting point for finding decent indie covers. Otherwise, if you search general covers, you end up with those over-produced videos that make me think of future versions of Toddlers and Tiaras.
ANYWAY, I was totally sold on Haley Barnes when I found her original song called "Mississippi". She has a super unique voice that defies comparison. Further searches into her videos reveal some awesome covers of Beirut (duh), Elliott Smith, and Dead Cab for Cutie, as well as many other indie rock faves - but her original creations show her talents the best.
Don't forget to give Haley's songs from her folksy outfit "Ancient Cat
Society" a listen. With the addition of a few gentlemen to Barnes'
bird-like voice, Ancient Cat Society boasts the best band name ever AND a
truly great sound.
Secret confession: an actual ancient cat society sounds like my kinda people!
So, a change in blogging focus is a good thing. I want to keep writing and my mom says I'm good at it - which means I should keep chugging. If my mom thinks I'm cool, then I totally must be doing something right!
Stay tuned for the next post, in which I review Alain de Courtenay, who makes my heart skip a beat with his covers of Regina Spektor and the Postal Service. Let me know if you have suggestions for others!
Two things, before I launch into something that will probably knock your socks off.
1. I changed my blog layout! I'm really proud of it. That sassy lady you see in the header is a character from my favorite graphic novel (I'm pushing up my imaginary glasses as I say this in a really nerdy voice, FYI)Ghost World by Daniel Clowes. The character's name is Enid Coleslaw, and, if you can't guess by the name, she's pretty much the epitome of cool. I want to be her when I grow up (so...a fictional teenaged girl who has an awesome record collection?)
2. I really want to keep up with this blog, but I don't always have something interesting to say. I feel like talking about my daily adventures would put people to sleep, so I'm reduced to talking about dysentery and my fascination with everything about the 90's. Also, if I try to force the intellectualism, it turns into pretentious junk, like this. Barf-o-rama.
So, in light of not droning on and on about the sassafrass middle school children I work with or my lame homework, I've taken on the challenge of responding to one of these Mcsweeney's writing prompts for the next 13 days. They're better than your average writing prompts in that they are nonsensical and silly. Here goes day 1!
Prompt: Write a scene showing a man and a woman arguing over the man’s friendship with a former girlfriend. Do not mention the girlfriend, the man, the woman, or the argument.
I am made from the soft earth of South America, mixed with hand fulls of the Amazon river. 1,000 years ago, I was leaves on a Brazil Nut tree. I was bits of sweet fruit and carcasses of beetles and snakes. I was once a living organism with cells and a nucleus - producing, reproducing.
I was molded by brown hands caressing me as I spun around and around in an endless cycle of evolution. All of the living parts inside me melding together, dampened and smoothed by more drops of the Amazon - all of the living parts taking shape into a new, rounded, hollow object.
I was thrown into flames. I hardened as the living parts of me died. I glistened blue and black in the sun. I was filled and refilled with water. Some days, it felt like I was full of pride instead of gallon after gallon. I enjoyed these days.
Then, there came a day when I was no longer an object of purpose. I retired from my job of carrying precious goods inside of my hollowed center. I was placed on a shelf where I did not shine as brightly as I once had.
And there I stayed, occasionally holding flowers less beautiful than the ones I remembered from the rainforest. Red, small flowers whose perfume paled in comparison to the wild orchids that helped create my clay body.
I realized I had become an object of beauty. Pretty, but essentially useless. I wondered if I would ever be filled with pride, water, anything ever again.
And then, today, my purpose changed once more.
In an instant and without pain, I was hurled against the stained wall adjacent to my shelf home. Bits of myself scattered over the maroon carpet. I have traveled many miles for this moment.
This is my life cycle: purpose, beauty, violence, burial. I am back in my dirt home. Perhaps I will one day be found: crushed and mixed with water, remade into clay, remolded into a pot, repurposed once more. Or maybe I am an object of time now. A relic to be dug up and put on display for future eyes. I do not know. But, I will wait. And I will see.
That was a tough prompt. In case my response was too convoluted (probably), I took the POV of a vase or pot that one of the angry lovers I'm not supposed to mention threw against the wall in the argument I'm not supposed to mention. I'm pumped for tomorrow's prompt...but you'll just have to wait. And see!
The 90's were a decade of unparalleled hotness in the department of male celebrities. Let's reminisce together!
Macaulay Culkin: The Real Inventor of the "O Face". So maybe Macaulay Culkin wasn't a hottie in the traditional sense of the word - but he was the one who, when I was the tender age of 7, taught me how to feel. Inexplicably, he was the first person I ever had a legitimate crush on. This only solidifies one true fact: love makes no sense!
Jonathan Taylor Thomas (JTT!!) This fellow was the original Justin Bieber. He made floppy hair cool way before the Biebs was even a thought in God's pocket. He was the heart and soul of Tiger Beat.
When I was 8, my friends and I wrote a love letter to him and put it in the mailbox to be sent. Unfortunately, that was before we knew the importance of labeling an envelope with more than just a person's name on it.
Hey, it had always worked for Santa!
Blink 182 - specifically Mark Hoppus. Who doesn't love a 12 year old trapped in a 23 year old's body? With lyrics about boobs, farts, and an entire song called "I Want to Fuck a Dog in the Ass", these men stole my middle school heart.
Brandon Boyd The inventor of pelvic cleavage gives new meaning to the term "happy trail".
Gavin Rossdale: there are no words, except... Is it possible for a picture to cause early-onset puberty? Because I'm pretty sure that would have happened if I saw this one back in the day.
And...finally...the face that launched a thousand ladyboners: Leonardo DiCaprio!
He was number one in the hearts of just about every female except for myself. I found him attractive, but I wasn't one of those girls who saw Titanic 10 times before it even went to video. No, I was NOT one of the masses who were quite literally obsessed with Leo's lady-like features.
Also, curiously, this guy has not aged well. Unlike a fine wine, his features have become distorted. Gone are the notes of sandalwood and vine ripened berries; this vintage is rather more of a mediocre grape juice now.
If only Inception were real
so this face could capture America's heart once more!
Jonathan Safran Foer, you are a god among men. Moreso, I would say, than that Tebow guy who apparently plays football. (I just learned that today!) So, it pains me to give this post such a sacrilegious title. But, I must, because your movie has U2 in the trailer and that alone is enough to inspire nausea...
Simply put, there is no possible way this movie will do the book justice. I know that's a cliche said about pretty much every cinematic attempt at a book. And usually this cliche is valid. But, I think for this book, the validity of this statement is even more poignant. The things that make this book beautiful: the pictures, the visual dynamics of the text, and the subtle nuances of Oskar Schell's character - are impossible to replicate in a film.
Before I fully launch into my manifesto, let's rewind to the first time I encountered this novel...
Fall, 2008. I had just moved to Boston and begun my time with City Year. While I spent my weekdays at school, I spent my weekends working at Starbucks or wandering aimlessly around Boston. Up until that point, I had spent the majority of my life in the same 50 mile radius in southern New Hampshire. I had always dreamed of living in a city - New York, San Francisco, Seattle? - it didn't matter where. So, as soon as I graduated college, I made that dream come true by moving to Boston.
In those precious hours of free weekend time, I would often end up at the Boston Public Library. This was the typical city library of my dreams - some halls dirty and dingy and with stained carpets, other halls pristine and marble and intricately designed. On one such trip, I stumbled upon the book in question. After reading the first sentence to test out the feel of the book (a trick I learned from a high school English teacher, who stressed the utter importance of that first sentence. Thanks Mr. Dutton!) - I was hooked:
What about a teakettle? What if the spout opened and closed when the steam came out, so it would become a mouth, and it could whistle pretty melodies, or do Shakespeare, or just crack up with me?
These first few sentences tell you all you need to know about Oskar: he is a boy who is deeply sad and probably has Asperger's. I mean, turning a teakettle into a replacement father figure? This is not your average quirky kid. This is a kid who invents elaborate contraptions and gives himself bruises to battle his emotions about what happened to his dad.
Anyway, after finding this book on the shelf, I spent the next couple hours at the library that day, sitting in a sunny spot and falling in love with the character of Oskar Schell. The next day and the next, I read this book on the T as I rode to the school in the morning. I read it during lunch in the teacher's room. This book accompanied me everywhere!
In a way (this is a big stretch), I felt like I could relate to Oskar. He was having an adventure throughout New York City, just as I was having an adventure in Boston. Similarly, after 9/11 happened, Oskar saw his city in a new and potentially ominous light. As someone who grew up around apple orchards and a bunch o' white folk, Boston became my own ominous landscape. I wasn't sure how nervous I should be while riding the T by myself. I clutched my bags and the handrail every time I was on the T. So... Oskar and I, two little people with big imaginations having an even bigger adventure in the city.
The last few pages of this novel are not text, but images. I've never before or since seen images used so effectively in an adult fiction novel. These last couple pictures are simultaneously heartbreaking and uplifting. Simply put, Jonathan Safran Foer used these pictures in an Extremely Clever and Incredibly Imaginative way that will NOT transfer over into the film. There's just no way.
In conclusion to my manifesto: this book made me feel things I didn't know I knew how to feel (the grammar in this sentence is cray-zay!) And the movie makes me angry. And I want to marry JSF.
Last night, I decided to add yet another random station to my already long list on Pandora. I don't usually build by songs, but rather choose stations based on a particular artist or band. I have everything from Kesha to Yeasayer to Marvin Gaye (which I never listen too, but you know...just in case...)
It's been a while, Marv.
Anyway, my new addition is definitely my favorite, by far. It is.... 90's Alternative/Grunge!!! And it seriously completes me in a way I cannot fully explain, though I will try. I am overcome with emotion just thinking about it, so bear with me as I try to sift through unimaginable joy, nostalgia, and heartache. Ok...let's start at the beginning... when my brain first acknowledged music and began to have preferences. So: 6 or 7 years old.
When I was a youngin', my momma did a good job of exposing me to the drug-addled rockstar world of Nirvana, The Pixies, and Liz Phair. While other kids were playing Red Rover or some shit, we were cruising in her cherry-red Honda civic (a color I chose, probably because I knew it was bad ass), listening to Smells like Teen Spirit. As a 6-year-old, I could only imagine what teen spirit smelled like. I had not an inkling that it would resemble the stench of sweaty armpits and humiliation after having failed the gym teacher's torturous mile-dash.
As I got older, I briefly went in a new direction. In 2nd grade, I developed a love for TLC, which I learned was not an acronym for Tender Loving Care. So deep was my avoidance of chasing waterfalls! I even recall a childhood musical argument (in preparation for those pretentious "My Music Is Better Than Yours!" conversations sure to come later in life?) over the merits of TLC vs. Mariah Carey. While Mariah Carey sung tunes about sweet, sweet, false fantasies, T Boz, Lefteye, and Chili crafted philosophical (but melodic!) scores reflecting on AIDS. They were clearly superior, for they were music with substance.
Crazy, Sexy, Cool Role Models!
Sometime after this affair with the world of R&B and whatever was on JAM'N 94.5 (usually Salt 'N Pepa), I rediscovered alternative rock. This time, I explored Green Day, Everclear, and No Doubt with all of the gusto that a 5th grade girl in rural New Hampshire could muster. I'll be honest, I did not have a lot of friends during this time. So, I guess I understood Billy Joe's angst-ridden songs in Dookie. In a way, we both suffered from a lack of love and admiration; we were both trapped in the doldrums of white-bred America. I was 10 years old. I could relate to that.
Then middle school happened and everything changed again. The hormones that flooded my brain also clouded my judgement. Suddenly I was all about Hot Topic and baggy jeans. I actually ENJOYED Korn and Limp Bizkit. How I thought that was viable music is a mystery that remains. All I can use to explain away this severe lack of musical standards is the switching on of my pituitary gland. That bastard in my brain did not think Fred Durst was literally the worst human being in the history of the world. It thought quite the opposite, which is just...ew.
But, I digress. Last night, I was reminded of my musical history when I found that gem of a Pandora station. I was suddenly transported into a world where I knew the words to every single song. Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Everclear (which I now realize was a seriously underrated band. They were so good!), Lit, Eve 6. These were the musicians that defined me when I was growing up. What I lacked in friends and a social life was made up for in time spent listening to WFNX and building up a library of lyrics that is still accessible to me today. I can proudly say that I do not regret my choices!
I do, however, really, really regret ever listening to something called "Freak On A Leash" - and not hating it.
