CUT THROUGH THE NOISE

IN SHORT August 2010: Devilish Quilts, Possessed Drummers and, ehem, Wickedly Raunchy Beatles

Kate Bradley — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 23:47:00 +0000

Yes, it’s another edition of IN SHORT, our monthly cornucopia of stuff — sometimes music stuff, sometimes not. This month’s theme: The Good, the Bad, and the Badass.

1. The Devil’s in the Quilt

Introducing “Quiltsrÿche: Heavy Metal Quilts, Made with Hate.”

How can I put this on my wedding registry? Seriously. Thanks to Zed Equals Zee for the find.

2. Speechless. More Than a Drummer. Much, Much More.

From the Huffington Post:

Prepare to get your ass handed to you. While we’re not sure what that actually means, we guarantee you that this guy is certainly capable of it. No description of his ability to rock will do this drummer justice – unless we simply write “amazing” over and over again. So we’ll let the skins do the talking.

3. Nine Inch Nails/Beatles Mashup

Holy brilliant:

Music-Fan Psychology: How to Rock Your Non-Music Business

Kate Bradley — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 08:21:51 +0000

It’s that time of year again (although I feel as though I’m still recovering from March)… prepping for SXSW 2011. And again, I’m asking for your help. Voting takes less than 30 seconds and while I realize it’s a minor pain in the butt to create an account and sign in, I’m asking you to do just that. Your thumbs up = mega bragging rights for yours truly, and hopefully, increased client base, fingers crossed. After all, we’ve got a wedding to pay for around here!

Click HERE to vote.

I’m truly counting on you guys. Thank you from the bottom of my rock ‘n roll heart,

— Kate

FYI, here’s my proposal:

It’s old news. Social media is everywhere — to the point of oversaturation. We’re all scrambling to cut through the noise. But how? Modern music neuroscientists have proven that while processing music, our brains draw heavily on experience; in order to process every piece of music you listen to, your brain refers back to the entire history of music it’s been cataloging since you were born. And this is where a sort of magical thing happens. Your brain must recall the past — again and again — in order to identify the future. It’s memory-based, ruled by nostalgia. The take away: for music-fans, familiarity is the gateway to meaningful connection. Knowing that music moves us by eliciting innate nostalgic emotion, we can then deduce that how fans feel is directed proportional to how they act. This presentation will explore various examples and applications of music-fan psychology as it applies to the very same emotional connection that motivates all types of fans to passionately support whatever it is they love — be it soft drinks, actors, fashion, kitchen sinks, journalists, grocery stores, jobseekers, you name it.

Wish me luck!

Letter to Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson

Kate Bradley — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 22:36:06 +0000

Welcome back to our guest post series, LETTERS FROM THE ROAD, where we invite artists we freak over to takeover. The deal is, they can write whatever they like, only 2 rules: it has to be in the form of a letter, it has to have something to do with music. This week, featuring the musings of Pablo Cubrale, the brains behind Contramano, easily one of our favorite new bands (or at least, new to us). Think Argentine Clash with a whole lot of cello. Weird? Perhaps. But also woooooooooonderful. Like the below.

I mean seriously, how brilliant is this? Buy every record Contramano has ever made.

LETTERS FROM THE ROAD: Pablo Cubrale/Contramano

Dear Lou and Laurie,

Did you ever get my e-mail about the BBQ at home?

Man it was a real Argentine asado! And you were the only ones that didn’t make it. I guess it’s because you don’t read e-mails? Or maybe just my e-mails.

I mean, I understand if you don’t like computers, Lou, but come on, Laurie, I know that you’re pretty good with the knobs…

I really wanted you to come and talk about your song we are playing. That’s right, Small Town. I couldn’t figure out the piano part so I replaced it with the drums. I know, you might think that’s weird but it really works. Trust me. Now the song sounds more like Argentine Punk . Can’t wait to show you.

On a side note, I wanted to tell you that I changed a few words. For example when you say “Pittsburgh” because Warhol was from there, I say “Cordoba,” because, well, you know… that’s where I’m from. Also, when you say “Capote my hero,” he wasn’t really my hero, in fact I just learned about him when I saw the movie a few years ago. So, what I did was to change it to Lou and Laurie

You know, when I was in Argentina I used to listen to the song and with the dictionary and try to figure out what you were saying. I couldn’t find the meaning of Capote. A plant, an animal? I was confused. And also because I used to see Home of the Brave all the time (I recorded it on my VCR) and you, Laurie, would talk about the differences between being a 0 and a 1, and I thought the two songs were very connected somehow…. Anyway. I hope you guys like it.

Oh, one more thing. I also did the song in Spanish… But dude, it really sounds cool! I have both versions so you can tell me which one you like best.

Oh man, I miss you both

Even though you didn’t make the BBQ, I hope you can come to the show. It’ll be really great, I promise. I even put some footage of you at the end of Small Town when you say: “you hate it, and you know you have to leave” because… my voice, you know, it’s a bit higher than yours, and I can’t reach those looooow notes. Jaja.

Ok. Take care and call me!

Abrazos,

Pablo

www.contramano.net

NOW PLAYING: July 2010

Kate Bradley — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 01:34:17 +0000

Highlights of what’s been running through the speakers here at OUTLANDOS HQ the last month or so:

1. The Kissaway Trail, Sleep Mountain

Danish outfit, very Death Cab for Cutie. Honestly, the jury is still out but so far, thumbs up; meaning, I didn’t reach over to shut it off once through the first listen — and that’s saying something . I also did reach over to turn it up a couple of times, most notably for “New Lipstick” and the cover of Neil Young’s “Philadelphia.” Summary: take a risk.

2. David Chernis, Music for Super 8

Sure, sure… I might be biased. But this is beautiful. The guitar-balls behind the original Damnwells‘ lineup releases his first solo project, a complete 180. Instrumental. Restrained. Surprising. Eclectic. Enjoy.

3. Chris Trapper, Into the Bright Lights

Lead singer of The Push Stars out with a solo EP, getting back to that Push Stars pop sound I love so much after diverting a bit. Gorgeous.

IN SHORT July 2010: Acid Trips and Pranks

Kate Bradley — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 03:49:19 +0000

Hey there! Off we go with another edition of IN SHORT, our monthly cornucopia of stuff — sometimes music stuff, sometimes not. This month’s theme: Laugh Your Ass Off (and Perhaps Squirm a Little). Enjoy.

1. Double Rainbow!

I found myself watching this, thinking, why am I watching this? This is stupid. Then: this is awesome. Then: this is stupid. Then: god dammit, this is really awesome. Trust me. Now, of course, I’m dying to have one of these. Full. On.

2. Yankee Prankee

It’s painful. But you have to watch this one to enjoy the next one. Admittedly, Amir is kind of a dick.

3. Million Dollar Shot

Streeter gets his revenge. And it’s beautiful…