March 13, 2009 at 20:41 (PI)
Tags: new music, the61, Amadou & Mariam, World Village, Welcome to Mali
Had a doozie of a time Wednesday when an unusual amount of musicians on thesixtyone.com began uploading their songs within a few hours of each other. The flurry of new tracks broke some sort of record with over 15 pages to browse through! Regulars were drowning in new songs that couldn’t be touched, because without the ability to prognosticate, we’d already utilized our power of first bump and could only wait for someone else to do the honor of “discovering” a new song. I wonder how many people started creating ghost accounts because of this.
The seeds that I planted via email inquiries have started to bear fruit, so perhaps I do have a green thumb, just of a different sort. The fun all started with Seth sending those Headlights cds. This was followed by a box of World Village projects including: oreka tx, Gianmaria Testa (known as the Italian Leonard Cohen), Antonio Zambujo, and two of Howard Shore’s latest scores for Doubt and The Betrayal. Simone you rock!
I was feeling pretty good about this healthy dose of new music when out of the blue Amadou & Mariam’s Welcome to Mali arrived today. This husband and wife duo garnered a Grammy nomination with their 2005 album Dimanche a Bamako, made in collaboration with Manu Chao. Both also happen to be blind, but that hasn’t deterred them from taking the world of music by storm. They have achieved critical popular success in Europe and North America. Of this latest release London’s Observer Music Monthly gave it five stars saying,
Welcome to Mali will be appreciated by millions; not as ‘world music’ but as the product of an authentically global pop phenomenon.
Many others in the British press including The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph have been equally excited about this album. It’s scheduled to be released in the U.S. in a few weeks… March 24. My ears perked up after hearing the first track “Sabali,” which starts off with an old world Edith Piaf sensibility before morphing into contemporary rhythms and the A&M sound… plus it’s got Damon Albarn on bass and keyboards. Now with a full arsenal of new music in hand, it’s time to pop in the studio and start recording another podcast. Tune in on Saturday to Playlist International, you never know what’ll be coming out of the radio!
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March 11, 2009 at 20:39 (PI)
Tags: Headlights, Jake Shimabukuro, new music, Polyvinyl Records, the61
After stumbling upon “Market Girl” on thesixtyone.com, I was immediately moved to find out more about Headlights whose page only boasts three tracks, but has already garnered over 400 listeners. Their bio reads like this:
Headlights is an indie rock band from Champaign, IL. The band was formed following the dissolution of Absinthe Blind, when members Erin Fein, Seth Fein and Brett Sanderson formed a band named Orphans. It was only when Tristan Wraight started writing songs with Fein that Headlights was formed.
Upon further scrutiny, I found a link to the band’s official web site at headlightsmusic.com. The more I listened to Cherry Tulips and Market Girl the more entranced I became and promptly sent out an inquiry to their label Polyvinyl Records. Seth’s answer was swift and he asked if I wanted a digital download. Although this would give my ears instant gratification, I’d miss out on the other important elements such as linear notes and artwork. I also confess that there are many projects that have yet to see the light of day because I’ve been remiss in getting them burned to disc or sending them to the Audio Vault. I understand that labels are trying to save money, but here’s my two cents as a programmer: if you want to get airplay on my show, best to give me the old fashioned press kit with CD enclosed, I’m just saying 
Well what spurred today’s entry was a package from Illinois that arrived at the end of the workday. Happily surprised that Seth had sent not one, but TWO albums by Headlights. Keep your ears peeled for “Some Racing, Some Stopping” and “Kill Them With Kindness” in the upcoming weeks. And to top off an already stellar day in music, Don has just handed me Jake Shimabukuro’s new album… enclosed in a press kit produced beautifully by Hitchhike Records. If you didn’t know I’m a fan of classic Jake. The theme heard every week on Playlist International is one of his tunes called Crosscurrents.
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March 9, 2009 at 20:04 (LT)
Tags: Cumbancha, gardening, mom, new music
Mom’s garden continues to thrive even though the wind and cold has deterred me from going outdoors. The fruit of her loving care can be found in the abundant amounts of soursop, starfruit, mango, basil, papaya, green pepper, bittermelon and snow peas she feeds us. Her latest addition to the menu is kabocha with the vine in bloom since last week.
Sadly I haven’t inherited mom’s green thumb… and my faithful little desk plant bequeathed by Jeff Ilardi has become nothing more than a withered bundle of brown stem and leaves. In retrospect, I realize after two years of nothing but tap water, it was long overdue for a transplant to richer soil. Cat has a veritable oasis growing in her office and she’s proven that where there’s a will there is a way to keep plants alive and happy in our cold windowless office at the HPR Plaza. The only thing that is growing profusely in my care are these errantly stacked piles of CDs that have taken over my desk… I’m going to have to start weeding out the keepers and the giveaways and bring some semblance of order back to my workspace.
One of the albums that is a definite keeper is the latest release by The Idan Raichel Project. Actually was ready to play it alongside Joseph Israel’s interview a few weeks ago, but discovered the disc wouldn’t play in any of the machines. Called up Simeon at Cumbancha and happily found a new airplay copy in the mail on Friday. “Within My Walls” continues the eclectic collaboration of uber-talented Israeli singer-songwriter Idan Raichel with global musicians from countries such as Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Morocco. Featured vocalists of note include Cape Verdean artist Mayra Andrade and Colombian songstress Marta Gomez.
Well, time to go home and see what’s cooking… maybe I’ll even brave the elements and see if I can find some baby pumpkins in the kabocha patch.
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March 4, 2009 at 19:58 (PI)
Tags: new music, Alison Brown, podcasting, Compass Records
After about a month of podcasting Ling’s Planet of Sound has taken the plunge and switched over to a pro-account. My storage space was dwindling after five episodes and I figured that after expending all that energy to get the posts up, I’d like them to stay up for a bit longer than the free site afforded. I was also sold on the idea that there would be an absence of ads on my page, so it’s a good $10 spent. Can’t really make heads or tails of the statistics so far, but was very excited to discover the map and see how far the world wide web’s reach is… Hello London!
It’s already a new month and I’m looking at the calendar and realizing that my interview with Alison Brown is coming up pretty quick. This Grammy award winning banjoist has a signature sound that fans love and her business acumen is impressive too. Did you know that she and her husband Garry West were instrumental in the launch of Compass Records? Anyhow, Outreach College presents the Alison Brown Quartet with Joe Craven on April 3 at the Paliku Theatre. I’ve got a ticket giveaway planned, so tune into Playlist International and see if you can win a seat to what promises to be a fun and rollicking night on the Windward side of Oahu.
Thanks for all the happy thoughts coming my way… I think the germs have been beat and my nose is no longer tomato red. Now if only the sun would come out to play and if I had more time to play in the sun, life would be grand.
New albums that I’m adding to the program:
Beoga – The Incident
Fiona Joy Hawkins – Blue Dream
Paul Jensen – The Other Side
Tony McManus – The Maker’s Mark
Takeda & Rosenberg – Shikisokuze
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February 28, 2009 at 15:11 (LT)
Mel said to indulge in a lot of chocolate and that wasn’t a problem. I suppose a major reason why I choose to live without cable or internet connection is due in large part to my addictive personality. I don’t know when to say “enough” and stop. Back in the day when I would be pulling all-nighters, it was not because a project was due, but in large part because TCM was showing a slew of great films and I would keep watching into the wee hours of the morning… before I knew it, the sun was shining and I was on my way to my first class with no sleep… fortified by youth and a lot of coffee. I should know better now but I still find myself falling into these bad habits either when I start reading a good book or when I pick up the PSP. Now that I’m older it seems as if caffeine aggravates my migraine and sadly I’ve had to cut coffee out of the diet. I no longer have time on my side and it behooves my wrinkles to get into bed by 11. It’s amazing how quickly time flies.
February is ending on a sour note and not just because I’ve been drinking lemons by the pound. Walked into a hole on Tuesday and am nursing road rash … Wednesday, woke up with a sore throat, which has morphed into a full-blown cold. But what really tops everything is that for the first time in two years, I missed the beginning of my radio show at HPR. This was last Saturday and morning events would conspire to make life very difficult for drivers on the H1 after a gas/oil spill closed the highway.
During the clean-up officials coned off two lanes and allowed everyone to bottleneck into the remaining lane. It was excruciatingly slow and no matter who I followed, I inevitably ended up behind the slowest line of traffic. After the first half hour crawl, I checked in with Charles and decided since I didn’t have a suitable evergreen to run, Kevin would put on the Putumayo World Party compilation. Optimistically, we figured I’d miss the first ten minutes of the show and then take over from there. As the highway turned into a parking lot under the afternoon sun, I was still oblivious as to what in the world was causing havoc to my orderly Saturday plans. After much channel surfing, finally found a human voice amidst the commercial jangles giving traffic updates and it seemed as if everyone had also found him on the radio and were all heeding his advice to stay in the right lane.
Fared no better during the second half hour as we see-sawed between crawling and going nowhere at 0 mph. Of course by this time I had tuned back to KIPO and was monitoring the ending of Piano Jazz and the impromptu start of Playlist without my being in the studio… weird hearing all the extra promos get the show into NPR news. There was no magic button to push and all I could do was sit in traffic along with the rest of West Oahu waiting for my turn to zip past the oily mess and fly on into work. It was up in the air if I’d even get to the station to do half the show, but eventually I made it with twenty minutes to spare. Gratifying to hear from all the regulars who knew something was up as they called in, making sure I was okay.
What a difference a week makes… it’s another Saturday morning, but now I’m sitting in bed bored witless with a beet-red nose… I’m tip-tapping away on the laptop and have already started on my third doodle. It looks like I’m going to be set back on the podcasting schedule as I nurse this cold for another 48 hours. Achoo!
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February 24, 2009 at 15:13 (LT)
Tags: Kidjo concert, Slumdog Millionaire
Ecstatic for Danny Boyle and company of Slumdog Millionaire who cleaned up at the Academy Awards. Great to hear how the young actors who were such an integral part of the storytelling were flown over to witness the ceremony firsthand.
When I first heard A.R. Rahman’s name linked to the project, my interest was piqued and after nabbing Mano Lopez’s airplay copy was hooked on the eclectic mix of sounds including M.I.A.’s Paper Planes alongside the romantic Latika’s Theme, and the very fun and upbeat Jai Ho. Didn’t have to think twice about placing an order on amazon and it would be a couple of weeks before I was sharing the tunes over the airwaves. This all happened before seeing the movie, but it was also a huge reason I made the effort to catch the sleeper flick when it was only showing at Kahala.
A.R. Rahman’s score complemented the story onscreen and there was no doubt I had fallen under the gritty spell of the Mumbai slumdogs. The Angelique Kidjo concert coincided with Oscar night and instead of sitting in front of the tube cheering on Slumdog, I was perched in the lighting booth with a bird’s eye view of the stage and the sold out house… scored the killer seat because I’d volunteered to help out with the show. Thanks to Don and Sara for helping me get the greenroom set up with only a minimal bit of fuss and felt sorry for the band because they were unwary guinea pigs who had no choice but to experience my untried coffee making skills. I know how to order a cafe mocha, but had to guesstimate how many scoops of coffee grounds go into the brewing of a full pot of joe. On the upside, got a decent workout from running up and down the stairs… ergo I will have no feelings of guilt when I order my next chocolate sundae.
Having access to the inner workings of the theatre was better than I imagined. Got to see the band trickle in from the airport… listened in on their sound checks… one of the hungry musicians discovered that the milk in the fridge was a block of ice and Don (such a sweetheart!) made a special trip to get more… I couldn’t believe I was talking ironing with one of the world’s best known voices. Her mother being a choreographer may attribute to Kidjo’s fluid stage presence. Stage manager Brian was just hired for this tour and sounds like he’s got a permanent gig. Also met Ruebens, guitarist from Sao Paolo, Brazil. Four of the other musicians were from West Africa; Drummer had a beautiful smile, Ibrahim from Senegal, Bassist who loved the purloined hot sauce was from Cameroon, and the skinny guy who discovered the frozen milk was from Guinea Bissau. Her sound wizard was Maik, hard to tell if it was Mike or Mark, all the way from Argentina.
Angelique herself, she’s a dynamo… her vibrant personality shines through in everything she does… be it the intricate and impromptu dance moves onstage or if she’s leading the audience in a sing-along. The evening’s set-list was comprised mostly of tracks from her last album Djin Djin, but I don’t think we cared what she sang, it was just being in the moment and moving with the music. Major highlight of the concert was when Angelique invited people onstage to dance and then she continues to perform and goes out into the audience, just reaching out to everyone in her path. Lost count of how many high-fives were going on as the whole night just whizzed by in joyful exuberance.
It was fascinating to meet the personalities behind the music and I enjoyed the camaraderie of the Theatre crew. For now, the Kidjo concert will keep me on cloud nine until the next major world artist hits Honolulu. Podcast episode 4 is up! It references this past weekend, and you can hear Ravel’s Bolero sung by Angelique too.
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February 10, 2009 at 15:54 (PI)
Tags: new music, the61
The new month is underway and the inbox continues to overflow with a plethora of new projects to audition. I’m a HUGE fan of serendipity and one of the best albums I ever chanced upon was the Danish group Sorten Muld. This would have been at least six years ago when I first laid eyes on MARK II, which was sitting in a box of discards. I nabbed it because of the label, NorthSide, and boy am I glad I did! Sorten Muld is a top-notch band, having won two Danish Grammys for that very album I found in the bin.
Recently another group from Scandanavia has made a splash on my radar. I spend a lot of time on thesixtyone.com due in large part to serendipity and the generosity of musicians. If you’ve ever experienced the site, you know what I mean when I liken it to a goldmine… my favorite part is being able to download tracks. However, just like mining for gold, you need to be patient as you delve through the music online. A few months ago, while bumping away my points on “Talk Talk Talk,” I decided to contact Toyen Airport and see if I could get a promo CD for the show. We sent emails back and forth and as will happen with the business of life, the communique sort of languished.
Yesterday a package from Norway arrived and at first I thought it was another one of my Amazon shipments. Upon opening it however, I soon realized I was holding Toyen Airport’s yet to be released album, LYNX, as well as their latest Russian single! I’m estatic, you could say I’m happier than the proverbial pig wallowing in the mud. Can’t wait to infiltrate Hawaii’s airwaves with this Norwegian electropop trio, comprised of Ginger (vocals), Sunny (vocals and keyboards) and Mishka (keyboards and programming) and get your ears beaming as widely as mine have been for the past 24 hours!
Other standout projects this month:
2002 – A Word in the Wind (Gemini Sun Records)
Michael DeMaria – Siyotanka (self release)
Luba Mason – Krazy Love (Kookie Records)
Tony McManus – The Maker’s Mark (Compass Records)
Novalima – Coba Coba (Cumbancha)
AR Rahman – Soundtrack: Slumdog Millionaire (Interscope)
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February 3, 2009 at 18:46 (LT)
Tags: the61
I’m always on the lookout for new music… via the radio, listening online or just by word of mouth. I get a little thrill whenever I discover new and exciting artists and can’t wait to play them on the radio. You wouldn’t believe how many hours and dollars I’ve amassed over at Amazon. My pocketbook has been heaving a huge sigh of relief after I stumbled onto thesixtyone.com, part game and part social music site.
I’m honest enough to admit I’m not the best player online but this never deters me as I faithfully log on whenever possible. Addictive and entertaining would be how I describe the experience. After living though a major design overhaul and coming to terms with new navigational tools, it seems as if the site’s designers are stirring up the pot again by giving members the option of going from a point/bump system to a reputation/heart one. This seems to have happened overnight… was very bemused this morning as I stared fuzzily at my heartcount of 24. What was I supposed to be doing with these hearts and more importantly what had I done to accrue so many lovelies? After seeking the guiding counsel of @huliwuxian, I took the plunge and gave the new beta a try. After almost an hour of wading around these unchartered waters, here are some of my initial thoughts:
* First bumps are hard to locate. Users can no longer zoom in on those huge zeros that let you know when fresh meat is on the market.
** Allowing everyone to see how low of a reputation one has is hard on the ego… I mean how is a total stranger supposed to know that you spent all your points yesterday reviving a Toyen Airport song? All they see is that with less than 2000 reputation points, ling is LOW on the totem pole.
*** Change isn’t necessarily bad. With the point system, you could spock out who had already bumped a song before spending x-points. This new heart beta takes away that option for a 24 hour period and encourages you to give new music a chance based on what you’re hearing and not what others are bumping. Weening us from the herd mentality perhaps?
It’ll take time to master this beta, but I’ve already deduced that I’ll be sinking countless of hours online trying to build up my non-existant reputation. Look at how easily I blew through all those hearts in one afternoon… its already time to click on the rack to earn some more.
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February 2, 2009 at 20:38 (LT)
Started off the new week with a second visit to Dr. Redman who thinks my back should be OK after a final visit on Friday. I have great respect for my healing body and will endeavor to treat it better in the future. No, I didn’t jump into a mosh pit over the weekend, but somehow threw out my back by standing up too quickly. Never imagined that I’d be hobbling around the station right before a busy weekend… a stellar busy weekend.
Go Jimmy Go opened up the Ozomatli concert and I heard them while standing outside along with a crowd of ticket holders waiting for the line to snake into the venue. Not only was I fashionably late, but I was standing for what felt like forever in the same spot, going nowhere. That’s when I spy Mano Lopez walking by and hitch a ride… because he’s got a pass I get to wave aloha to my spot in line.
Go figure that on the night of the concert, I’d leave my cell charging at home. Mano saves the day again and lends me his phone, I don’t think I would have been able to locate Rochelle and Burt in the crush of bodies otherwise. They found a great spot in the wings that had a great vantage point of the stage… but on the other end of the stick, the acoustics were somewhat lacking. Highlights of the evening include meeting KTUH’s Maynard G. and getting a great view of Chali 2na doing his thing before getting asked by the security guard to get off the furniture.
Surprised at how well I held up and actually enjoyed the evening… goes to show that great music and a fun crowd is precisely what the doctor ordered and way better than ibuprofen. Saturday was fantastico as I had also finished recording my first ever podcast and handed it off to @Bytemarks who did his magic and got it posted to Pod-o-matic. Mucho thanks going out to Planet of Sound’s self appointed PR liason! Here’s the link: http://tr.im/e3v9. Take a listen and let me know what you think. Also, during the rest of the week, when you’re not on your iPod, tune into KIPO, FM89 for Jazz with Mano Lopez, he’s filling in for the vacationing Don Gordon.
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January 29, 2009 at 18:27 (PI)
This Saturday is chock full of great concerts to check out. Ozomatli’s playing the Waterfront at Aloha Tower, Tyva Kyzy performs at LCC Theatre and last but not least, the Breathe Concert is going on at the Hawaii Theatre. Now if only I had the ability to beam myself from one venue to the next, this weekend would be complete. I’ve seen Ozo twice (they’re fun and know how to get the audience moving), Tyva Kyzy are a pioneering group of women throat singers, and ALA is a great cause to support; decisions… decisions… I’m still sitting on the fence but am finding guidance in Peter’s sage advice, “go to the one that you have free tickets to.”
The fun just never stops… I check my Outlook and realize that I may have a double booking with two prospective interviews for February 7. Isn’t that why calendars were invented? I’ll have to dig mine out and start penciling in Cerro Negro, Joseph Israel, Angelique Kidjo, and Alison Brown. I’ve posted the Jan. 24 interview with Raul Pacheco and am thinking about adding extended portions that didn’t make it to air, including Ozomatli being invited by the State Department to tour through the Middle East.
Marketplace’s Kai Ryssdal reports Dilbert has been fired… wow, the economy is so bad that even a comic strip star loses his job.
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