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FOOT PATROL July 25 2011
I’ve been spending a lot of time in DTLA. For one, I appreciate the 15 degree difference between there and the valley. And secondly, Rick & Ray is headquartered there. Some of us (Jon, Shelly, Glen, and Wella) stopped by yesterday to complete a Rhythm Natives project. We took a break and walked around the corner of 7th and Spring, which was filled with much inspiration.
Back upstairs, Jon messed with the MPC and made some beats. He doesn’t do much of that anymore, so it was cool seeing him back in that element.
And then here’s Wella, who spent most of the afternoon in front of her Macbook watching Korean soaps with headphones and a Hello Kitty bow on. It was quite humorous seeing her. Note that this is a candid shot. If I could capture all her facial expressions during one episode, that would be an entire blog entry.
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THE 27 CLUB July 23 2011
I left the crib early this morning to hit the shores of Malibu where I don’t get service on my cell. Once the bars started coming in, so did the tweets that Amy Winehouse had passed. To me, she was a brilliant musician, vocalist, and songwriter. She was an old soul with her musical references and reinterpretations. Back to Black is one of those few albums that I can actually play straight through.
She now joins The 27 Club with Basquiat, Joplin, Morrison, Henrix, and Cobain - those gifted artists gone too soon. Amy Winehouse was well known for her trouble with addiction, may she now be free of pain.
This was my favorite track off of Back to Black, “Valerie”:
And this one is my favorite Amy feature, Tyler James’ Best For Me:
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ADVANCED LISTEN July 22 2011
I was back at Soul Assassins last night for a meeting and the radio show. In both cases, I was gifted with the sounds of new music.
I sat with this guy for a little bit. We mostly talked about the brand’s Fall 2011 line, and then he got into the good stuff – playing tracks off of Bass For Your Face. No one can really deny the dubstep movement that’s happening right now. I mean last week at the Red Bull event, it was on overdrive. Muggs, a leader in that game, definitely does his thing.
Moving into the radio studio, I caught special guests, Get Busy Committee. They’re promoting their new album, Opening Ceremony, slated to drop this coming September. Scoop Deville’s work really shines on this record. Can you say Prince sample??
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BLOG ABOUT BLOG July 21 2011
I was trying to figure out what I would blog yesterday, when someone suggested that I ditch this and move on to Tumblr. (People should really stop listening to other people’s conversations, by the way.)
Tumblr is one hell of a blog engine. The hearts, the one click reblog, the quotes, and the inspiring photos make for very interesting entries. I just joined it last year; my best friend put me on. Ever since then, I’ve gotten lost in the posts from the now 47 people I follow. That’s not a lot of people at all, but I see where they get their content from and where those people get their content from, and the chain continues. (Did you know that there are Tumblr accounts solely dedicated to William and Kate, to super hot Asian guys, and to Los Angeles?)
I’m in the business of sharing. After CA stopped selling t-shirts, I focused more on the writing and the kind of lifestyle I project here. But there are times when you’re locked in an office and work distracts you from writing, and times when you forget your camera, and times where you simply can’t produce anything worthwhile. I get asked this question a lot: how do you blog EVERYDAY? I always answer with “discipline”. I won’t lie, though. I’ve asked my web developer if it was a good idea to recreate Tumblr’s blogging model because like their tagline suggests, it is “the easiest way to blog.” If that happened, I would gain an extra hour in my day and I wouldn’t have to think so much about what I would post next.
But I don’t take the easy route. I like the fact that I’m forced to be creative, that I’m forced to attend events for the sake of material. I don’t measure the success of this blog by hearts, tweets, likes, or followers. I measure it by the numerous opportunities that have stemmed from the work I’ve put in so far. I’m not hating on Tumblr at all. Again, I think that it’s one hell of a blog engine and I get a lot of inspiration from it. Just don’t suggest I immediately move on to the next one because I’m having a temporary lapse. Ya feel me?
Now click on these images and follow some of my friends on Tumblr!
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SOUNDTRACKING July 19 2011
Between everyone on the team, we’ve got a lot on our respective task lists. Here’s what some of us are listening to to help.
Me - The Weeknd. The (free) album, House of Balloons, stretches the boundaries of what people perceive as R&B. Their beats that range from spacey instrumentals to an Aaliyah sample are paired with unconventional lyrics. I’ve heard people say that they’re on some “stripper/porn type shit”. I call them lush.
Christine Alane - Alicia Keys’ Songs in A Minor album. Christine is still fresh off the night we saw her at the Pantages. But as you know, she is recording her EP and is drawing back to her influences as she goes through the rigorous process.
Glen - JRocc. I asked him why he’s listening to the Beat Junkie today. He said he’s going hawk on some samples. Fair enough.
Wella - Kim Hyun Joong. Wella’s TV is currently out of commission. So how has she been spending down time? Watching Korean TV and trying to put us on to their pop music. Especially from this pretty guy.
Happy Tuesday.
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