Friday, February 13, 2009

The Future of Music and iPhone Apps

Developers are coming up with all sorts of iPhone apps for interacting with music in ways that are impossible with a traditional release.

The most innovative iPhone app for distributing music might be a 10-track iPhone app from the Grammy-nominated electronic artist Deadmau5, developed by an Irish company called Future Audio Workshop. It lets anyone with an iPhone, regardless of their level of experience, mix and remix every song in the album. This is only the first step: The company plans to apply the same approach to several other electronica albums as well.

Deadmau5's iPhone app ($3 on iTunes) lets you load any of 10 quantized Deadmau5 tracks into its dual-track playback engine, which works pretty much like professional DJ software while being easy enough for anyone to experiment with.

You can change BPM, control up to four concurrent effects, skip to the next phrase or back to the last one, loop a phrase, and cross fade between the two tracks, or from one to the next.

So now anyone can be a DJ! Wiggy wiggy!!

'You're Welcome America' gets reviewed, picked up by HBO

New York Magazine reviews Will Ferrell's Broadway smash hit You're Welcome America. A Final Night With George W. Bush.

I simply cannot wait for the HBO premiere of this on March 14th. Click here for a behind the scenes look with HBO's The Buzz.

Microsoft Plans to Open Retail Stores

I've been wondering for a couple years now why Microsoft refused to recognize that a huge part of Apple's success is that it has completely gorgeous Apple Stores as a destination for its customers, providing something real and tangible, a face to the consumer.

Well, Microsoft finally seems to be realizing that 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em'. First, they launched an ad campaign with founder Bill Gates and comedian Jerry Seinfeld, then followed it up with the more recent 'I'm a PC' which featured dozens of famous and non-famous people eager to proclaim their allegiance to the typically tyrannically thought of tech company. Now, finally, it appears they have plans to open their very own Microsoft retail stores across the country.

'Bout time and good luck with that.

Click here for the full story from the New York Times.

Obama lays the smack down



I only heard about this yesterday, but thought it best to post in case anyone else missed it. Basically, our newly elected President is, as we all know, pretty... pretty good. Watch the video above to see him clarify exactly how important a stimulus bill is.

Southwest covers a plane with a swimsuit model

There are so many jokes here I don't even know where to begin, but they definitely include the terms 'cockpit', 'landing strip', 'rear exit', 'flotation device', 'bringing things to an upright position', 'mile high club', 'captain's log'...well, you get it.

Southwest Airlines has plastered a huge photo of Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue cover model Bar Rafaeli on the side of a Boeing 737 in a shameless promotional tie-in with the magazine.

The plane's temporary livery debuted at LaGuardia Airport, where Refaeli appeared in the flesh alongside a 100-foot-long likeness of her showing a lot of flesh. "This definitely seals the deals on Southwest Airlines’ FUN and edgy factor!" Southwest spokeswoman Christi Day gushed. "It is an absolutely beautiful plane, and hopefully you'll get to travel on this sometime soon!"

Yoko Ono asks fans to recreate iconic 'bed-in for peace'

Yoko Ono has sent a message to fans asking them to recreate her and John Lennon's 'bed-in for peace'.

The original bed-in took place at the Amsterdam Hilton Hotel from March 25-31, 1969, and saw Lennon and Ono demonstrate against the Vietnam War by inviting journalists into their hotel room to talk about peace.

Another weeklong protest took place at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal from May 26 - June 2.

Posting on Imaginepeace.com, Ono asked fans to recreate the famous demonstrations and send in their pictures or stories to the website for publication.

Vice Squad

This is what the world would be like if you could make girl’s pants invisible and stare at their strange bruises.

Stuff White People Like - #80 The Idea of Soccer

soccer.jpgMany white people will tell you that they are very into soccer. But be careful, it’s a trap.

If you then attempt to engage them about your favorite soccer team or talk about famous moments in soccer history, you are likely to be met with blank stares. This is because white people don’t actually enjoy watching soccer, they just like telling their friends that they are into it.

In fact, the main reason white people like soccer is so they can buy a new scarf. As you may or may not know, many soccer teams issue special scarves, and white people cannot get enough of them!

Most white people choose a favorite soccer team based on either a study abroad experience or a particularly long vacation to Europe or South America. When they return, they like to tell their friends about how great “football” is and that they are committed to ‘getting more into’ now that they have returned home.

Some white people take this charade so far as to actually play in adult soccer leagues or attend a local professional match.

The best method for exploiting this is to ask a white person who their favorite football team is and how they came to be fans. This will allow them to tell you about their time abroad and feel as though they have impressed you with their knowledge. Once they have finished talking, it is acceptable to ask for favors.

Note: Europeans are actually into Soccer and are exempt from this entry, however they are free to use it to their advantage when in North America.

Fail of the Day

Thursday, February 12, 2009

MGMT, Pharrell, the Morning Benders, Röyksopp, and more design T-shirts for Playboy

Since 2007, Playboy has been doing an annual promotion called Rock the Rabbit, wherein musicians design T-shirts inspired by Playboy's iconic bunny logo. They feature these shirts in the magazine and sell them on Shopthebunny.com, donating a portion of the proceeds to charity. They also put MP3s and interviews and stuff like that on their website. Everybody wins.

In 2007, Playboy convinced luminaries like the Flaming Lips, Metric, Soulwax, and, um, Lil Jon to take part. Last year, they snagged Daft Punk, T.I., Duran Duran, the Shins, the Pipettes, and Iggy Pop, among others.

And Playboy has just unveiled this year's lineup of Rock the Bunny contributors: A-Trak, Chromeo, Diplo, Dragonette, Eulogies, Harlem Shakes, Jackson Swinton, Jay Reatard, Kenan Bell, Lady Sovereign, MGMT, Midnight Juggernauts, Mötley Crüe, Perry Farrell, Pharrell Williams, Q-Tip, Röyksopp, the Kooks, the Gay Blades, the Morning Benders, the Wedding Present (WTF? - Ed.), and Yelle. Pretty good roll call there!

A bunch of this year's artists will also appear in a fashion spread in the magazine's March 2009 issue, fully clothed and everything. Rock photographer Mick Rock (who I had the privilege of interviewing whilst at NYLON magazine. Cool dude.) took all the snaps.

Also, Playboy is hosting another SXSW party. Might go. If they're lucky.

Gmail's New 'Add Location' Feature Might Be Too Honest

At least that's what one fellow over at WIRED magazine thinks. Read on for his two cents:

Most of Google's web-based tools are all about empowering users, but the latest release from Gmail Labs is actually a step backward in that regard: Turn it on, and you give up your ability to easily lie about where you are.

The various enhancements to Google's free e-mail service have been arriving at a furious rate -- we've seen Sync for mobiles, Multiple Inboxes and Tasks in recent weeks, and we love just about all of them. But we're dubious of this latest feature, which adds a text string announcing your physical location to your signature in Gmail.

Normally, location data adds value to just about every web service. It increases the relevancy of search results, makes online mapping more useful by a factor of ten, and, when combined with a good social network site, it makes meeting up with friends easier. It's also an essential ingredient to the concept of Address Book 2.0, whereby adding location data to your social graph gives communication more context -- let your friends know when you're in New Zealand, and they'll be encouraged to send you an e-mail rather than call.

But any truly useful location-awareness tool must include the ability to broadcast fake data. It's the only way to ensure the user is in complete control. Gmail's newest Labs feature doesn't let you lie, and you shouldn't turn it on until it does.

Silversun Pickups reveal new album details

Silversun Pickups have revealed details of their highly anticipated forthcoming album. 'Swoon', the follow-up to their 2006 debut 'Carnavas', is due out in the U.S. on April 14.

The album was produced and mixed by Dave Cooley and Tony Hoffer, who worked on the band's first album.

'Swoon' "sounds like a nervous breakdown," frontman Brian Aubert said in a statement. "I felt that we started this thing with a complete blank slate just kind of staring at a big mountain, not knowing where this was going to go. Everyone worked so insanely hard and I feel like you hear that we were in there every day trying to make the best songs that we could."

"This is the first time we've ever actually written anything straight through, then gone into a studio," he added.

The band will unveil two new songs prior to the album release via the 'Guitar Hero World Tour' video game. 'Panic Switch' and 'Nice to Know You Work Alone' will be available as downloads for game players.

The band are also gearing up for a performance at California's Coachella Festival in April.

GM to mold San Fran and D.C. into early adopter markets for Chevy Volt

If General Motors has anything to say about it, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. will be the first early adopter markets for its plug-in hybrid Chevy Volt.

The company is currently working with the local municipalities to flesh out the details. The goal is to make tax incentives for purchasing electric cars and build an infrastructure that'll support them.

San Francisco is already part of the way there since they, along with San Jose and Oakland, have already endorsed Better Place's $1 billion plan to put electric grids in the Bay Area.

Southwest details in-flight WiFi plans, announces partnership with Yahoo!

Southwest has fired up a single Row 44-equipped flight, and it has announced plans to equip three more airplanes with in-flight WiFi by early next month. Furthermore, it has nailed down a partnership with Yahoo! in order to offer an in-flight homepage with "destination-relevant content."

The service, which has yet to receive final FCC approval, will be tested over the next few months, and if all goes well, the airline should roll it out fleet-wide. There's no mention of an actual price here, but free sounds fine to me.

The Walkmen to tour the U.S. with Kings of Leon



Boston, MA Agganis Arena (April 19)
Montreal La Sala Rossa - solo headlining show (20)
Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre (21)
Pittsburgh, PA Palumbo (22)
Fairfax, VA Patriot Center (24)
Philadelphia, PA Spectrum (25)
Norfolk, VA Constant Convocation Centre (27)
Raleigh, NC Koka Booth Amphitheatre (28)
Charlotte, NC Bojangles' Coliseum (30)
St. Augustine, FL St. Augustine Amphitheatre (May 4)
Orlando, FL UCF Arena (5)
Miami, FL Bank United Center (7)
Tampa, FL Sundome (8)
Charleston, SC North Charleston Coliseum (10)
Cincinnati, OH National City Pavilion (12)
Cleveland, OH Tower City (13)
Phoenix, AZ Mesa Amphitheatre (19)
San Francisco, CA Bill Graham Civic Auditorium (21)

Vice Squad

The train to Pixieland is always late (dewdrops on the line) but at the station you get free copies of the Twinkle Gazette and the girls are made out of snowflakes.

Stuff White People Like - #77 Musical Comedy

One of the more interesting things about White people is that they love singing comedians.

This style of humor involves a person or group singing a song but rather than singing about something serious, it has funny lyrics. It’s not any more complicated than that, but white people can’t get enough of it. Weird Al Yankovich, Tenacious D, Sarah Silverman (sometimes), Flight of the Conchords, Dennis Leary, and Adam Sandler are all excellent examples of the genre.

It’s a pretty good idea because when you have jokes that aren’t that great and music that isn’t that great, you can mix them together and create something that will entertain white people.

So how you can use this knowledge to your advantage?

If you find yourself at a corporate retreat where you have to put on a skit for the other employees in your office, it’s always a good idea to suggest doing a funny song. The rest of your group will get very excited and start work immediately on some clever lyrics. Do not worry about the music part, if you have more than two white males on your team, it is certain that one of them can play the guitar.

Fail of the Day

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Melbourne, Australia

Live Nation, Ticketmaster Merger May Create Monopoly

The two of the biggest forces in live music today — Live Nation and Ticketmaster — are set to merge into a single behemoth of ticketing and promotion that will call itself "Live Nation Entertainment."

The new powerhouse may be able to run from an unpopular brand — "Ticketmaster" is for many synonymous with niggling "convenience" fees and the stress-inducing process of vying for limited supplies of concert tickets, especially since no method of matching supply with demand seems particularly fair.

But it cannot hide from the antitrust scrutiny the deal is virtually certain to attract from governmental agencies since the combination could reduce competition and result in higher ticket prices.

The Justice Department says it will investigate the merger between Live Nation and Ticketmaster.

Radiohead's Thom Yorke for 'Terminator: Salvation' soundtrack?

Radiohead's Thom Yorke may contribute to the soundtrack to the forthcoming film 'Terminator: Salvation', according to the movie's director.

Speaking at the New York Comic-Con, which ran from February 6-8, director Joseph 'McG' McGinty Nichol said that Yorke may contribute a "couple" of songs to the soundtrack.

"We talked about [composer] Gustavo [Santaolalla] getting with Thom Yorke from Radiohead, which I thought would be a very interesting combination," he said.

He added that although since the discussion composer Danny Elfman had been signed up to compose the film score, "they [Yorke and Santaolalla] still may do a couple of sounds for the movie".

Biggest Solar Deal Ever Announced

The largest series of solar installations in history, more than 1,300 megawatts, is planned for the desert outside Los Angeles, according to a new deal between the utility Southern California Edison and solar power plant maker, BrightSource.

The momentous deal will deliver more electricity than even the largest nuclear plant, spread out among seven facilities, the first of which will start up in 2013. When fully operational, the companies say the facility will provide enough electricity to power 845,000 homes — more than exist in San Francisco .

Camera Obscura is back

The new album, My Maudlin Career, will be available April 21 in the U.S. It was produced by Swede Jari Haapalainen (Peter, Bjorn & John, the Concretes), who helped Camera Obscura with their 2006 breakthrough, Let's Get Out of This Country.

In a press release, lead singer Tracyanne Campbell describes the LP as "quite dark" and "brutal,". The title track, which is currently downloadable from their website.

The album's first official single, "French Navy", will hit April 13. The band is gearing up for the release with a warm-up tour that will hit SXSW (I will be in attendance at this show. Awesomeness.), London, New York, and Glasgow.

My Maudlin Career:

01 French Navy
02 The Sweetest Thing
03 You Told a Lie
04 Away With Murder
05 Swans
06 James
07 Careless Love
08 My Maudlin Career
09 Forest and Sands
10 Other Towns and Cities
11 Honey in the Sun Dates:

Shows:

03-16 London, England - The Lexington
03-18 Austin, Texas - SXSW
03-24 Brooklyn, New York - The Bell House
04-23 London, England - Shepherd's Bush Empire
04-26 Glasgow, Scotland - Barrowlands Ballroom

Vice Squad

It’s OK to “own it” if you’re black or gay or something else that some people think is shitty but isn’t shitty at all. However, being too lazy to walk IS shitty.

Stuff White People Like - #69 Mos Def

In the olden days of white culture, people used to look up to Kings and Princes. These were the people that they adored, and every night they wished and hoped that somehow they could wake up and be just like them. But with Royal Families crumbling, that role has been filled by one man: Mos Def.

He is everything that white people dream about: authentic (”he’s from Brooklyn!”), funny (”he was on Chapelle show!”), artistic (have you heard “Black on Both Sides?”), an actor (”he’s in the new Gondry film!”) and not white (”I don’t see race”).

He has done an amazing job of being in big budget movies (The Italian Job) and having one of his songs become a white person wedding staple (Ms. Fat Booty) but still retaining authenticity and credibility.

If you find yourself in a social situation where you are asked to list your favorite actor or artist, you should always say Mos Def. This way you can name someone that everyone has heard of and you don’t look like you are trying to one up anybody. The only possible negative consequence is some white people might think “I wish I had said that first.”

Fail of the Day

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

15 Companies That Might Not Survive 2009

With consumers shutting their wallets and corporate revenues plunging, the business landscape may start to resemble a graveyard in 2009. Household names like Circuit City and Linens 'n Things have already perished. And chances are, those bankruptcies were just an early warning sign of a much broader epidemic.

Notable names that might not survive the year include Chrysler, Sbarro, Six Flags, Blockbuster, Krispy Kreme, and Sirius Satellite Radio. For the full list and story, click here.

The $99 iPhone rumours continue

Apple may be planning an "entry-level" $99 iPhone, one that would look and feel the same as its $199 and $299 siblings, but come with fewer features and a more budget-oriented data plan.

RBC Capital Markets analyst Mike Abramsky said in a report today the new phone will likely be introduced in June or July, when an upgraded iPhone 3G also is released. Also expected is a 3G iPhone performance upgrade.

The $99 iPhone, he said, will not run on AT&T's faster 3G, or third-generation wireless, network, but rather use its slower 2.5G, or second-generation network. The phone will have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, just as the first two versions of the iPhone have had. It would also have the same 3.5-inch screen of the current iPhone, with a resolution of 480-by-320.

Sprinkle Brigade

As the saying goes, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

Well, some New York residents calling themselves Sprinkle Brigade decided that when life gives you dog shit, they should decorate said dog shit and photograph it.

The result is a collection of images that are a bit repulsive, yet very clever and amusing.

F*ck My Life

My friend Jason introduced me to this entertaining little website, www.fmylife.com.

It is a forum for anyone with an embarrassing, disappointing, infuriating, deprecating, or in anyway amusing story to share. Examples include:

Today, I went shopping at JCrew and got in line. When It was my turn, the cute cashier asked for my number. I responded "oh, I have a boyfriend." The cashier's response was "I need your number so JCrew can send you coupons." FML

Today, my boss fired me via text message. I don't have a text messaging plan. I paid $0.25 to get fired. FML


Today, on the crowded train, a cute guy called me over and told me to stand next to him because there were less people there. We started talking, but he left before I could get his number. Just when I was about to tell my friends about it, I find out that he stole my phone. FML

Enjoy!

Vice Squad

Being proud that you think “forbidden fruit is the sweetest” makes us think of pedophiles, rapists, guys that fuck old ladies, and people who eat illegal tiger meat.

Stuff White People Like - #121 Funny or Ironic Tattoos

stashtat

When you think about tattoo parlors, it conjures up images of sailors, gang members, hepatitis, and spring break. All of these are things that white people do not like, except for sailors but that only counts if they were sailing before Vietnam. Yet in spite of this, more and more white people are getting tattoos.

But do not make the mistake of thinking that white people like all tattoos. In fact, they hate a great number of them:

* Anything with an American Flag or Eagle

* References to Military Services

* Tribal Arm Bands

* “Heritage”

* Faces of children, spouses, or dead people

* Tattoos with more than one color

A white person getting a tattoo is a major step in their life as it presupposes that their taste at this given moment is good enough to sustain them for the rest of their lives. Needless to say, this is a near impossible task. This is why you don’t see a lot of white people with R.E.M. or Strokes tattoos.

White people can only get tattoos of the only thing that they are guaranteed to like in five years, and needless to say it’s a short list. But two things will never go out of style with white people: humor and irony.

An ironic/funny tat can come in many forms: a piece of bacon, old Nintendo characters, mustaches on the inside of their finger, or Asian Characters that say something funny and self-aware like “dim sum,”"chicken fried rice,” or “I can’t read Chinese.”

The Chinese or Japanese character is an interesting case study about the dangers of getting a tattoo with a personal meaning. You see, about fifteen years ago these were considered to be acceptable. Then the wrong kind of white people started getting sentences like “trust no one” or words like “beauty,” “truth,” or “endurance.” To make a more modern analogy, it would be like The Arcade Fire being featured on a Jock Jams CD.

White people learned their lesson.

A white person with the right kind of tattoo is generally very popular within the white community since they have shown a demonstrated commitment to irony, humor, and in some cases, self-deprecation.

If you find yourself competing socially with one of these people, there are a few things you can do in order to defeat them.

Your saving grace is the fact that white people not only enjoy getting funny/ironic tattoos, but they really enjoy talking about them too! Therefore, it is essential that you already have 2-3 clever tattoo ideas ready to drop into a conversation.

“Yeah, that finger mustache is pretty cool but a lot of people have it. (Note: this is the meanest thing you can say). I’m thinking about getting a tattoo of a donut around my belly button or a picture of a hamburger on my forearm so I can order food when I’m in Japan.”

Your conversation partner will likely then tell you about the clever tattoos that they have been thinking of and before you know it they have forgotten all about your competition.

Fail of the Day

Monday, February 9, 2009

Cover Girls: Bond Books Gets Re-Bound






To celebrate what would have been the 100th birthday of James Bond author Ian Fleming, artist Michael Gillette was commissioned to create new artwork for the re-release of all 14 007 novels. Although it may look like it's from another era, the work is in fact contemporary. The books were released by Penguin on May 28th, 2008.

Mr. Gillette, originally from Wales, is based in San Francisco. For an interview with the artist about the work, click here.

If, like me, you're interested in acquiring any of these as a full size print, click here.

As for the books themselves, they're apparently sold out, but click here if you want to check back for future releases.
is a Musician and Copywriter living in San Francisco, California.