7 posts tagged “book”

Inon Zur - I am the One (Remix by DJ Killa)

Inon Zur

 11/24/2009 00:52:54 ♥ vu () ♥weheartmusic.com♥twitter.com/weheartmusic♥news.weheartmusic.com

R.E.M. - Radio Song (featuring KRS-One)

R.E.M.

I actually have enough material to write a "Bell, book, and candle", but this would prove to be too much work. Especially because the Candlelight USA compilation CD is mostly metal-type music that I would have to grind through to write about the last piece of the puzzle.

Instead, here's some random books-related music that I've come across lately. As always, look to news.weheartmusic.com for additional information.

KRS-One (official / myspace) just recently released his book, The Gospel Of Hip Hop, and wrap up (haha: rap) his recent book tour. I first came across him, via REM, of all people, with their collaboration "Radio Song".

Any massive fan of hip hop should want to get a copy of this 15-year-in-the-making book for $24.95. That price might seem high, until you realize that the book is a hardcover with over 800 pages.

More details of the book at Powerhouse Books:

The Gospel of Hip Hop: First Instrument, the first book from the I Am Hip Hop imprint set for launch in Spring 2009, is the philosophical masterwork of KRS-One. Set in the format of the Christian Bible, this 600-plus-page opus is a life-guide manual for members of Hip Hop Kulture that combines classic philosophy with faith and practical knowledge for a fascinating, in-depth exploration of Hip Hop as a life path. Known as “The Teacha,” KRS-One developed his unique outlook as a homeless teen in Brooklyn, New York, engaging his philosophy of self-creation to become one of the most respected emcees in Hip Hop history. Respected as Hip Hop’s true steward, KRS-One painstakingly details the development of the culture and the ways in which we, as “Hiphoppas,” can and should preserve its future.

Speaking of books, I think I may have agreed to do some coverage on The Books (official / myspace / twitter) when they arrive here in December 1^st. I actually tried to navigate to their official website to see what they're all about, and I reckon it's too smart for its own good. I guess I just don't have the patience to sit and figure out what to do when all I really wanted is a biography and perhaps links to listen to their music. I suppose that's what myspace is for, however ugly it is, at least you know where to look and what to do.

Their myspace lists their last release is in 2006 for Music for a French Elevator and Other Short Format Oddities EP, which the CD version is all sold out. I suppose they have a new album coming out and/or testing new material on their upcoming tour:

11/19 - Waltham, MA Rose Art Museum @ Brandeis University
11/21 - Bellingham, WA Mainstage
11/23 - Los Angeles, CA Masonic Lodge @ Hollywood Forever Cemetery
11/24 - Seattle, WA Triple Door (2 sets, early and late)
11/25 - Vancouver, BC The Clutch
11/26 - Calgary, AB Broken City
11/27 - San Francisco, CA Noe Valley Ministry
11/28 - San Francisco, CA Noe Valley Ministry
11/29 - Milwaukee, WI Turner Hall Ballroom
11/30 - Madison, WI Majestic Theatre
12/01 - Minneapolis, MN Cedar Cultural Center

Lookbook ♥ Varsity Theater (11/06/09)

Finally, I saw Lookbook (myspace) a few weeks ago, and instantly made Andrew jealous. While Lara tells me that they used to be called Digitata (quote: "I LOVED Digitata"). I did look around, and it looks like Digitata are still around the twin town, Maggie sings in both band. So yeah, it seems they've got a few fans here.

Since Lookbook opened up for Har Mar, whose music is more dancey-type vs the 80s pop synth song... so I'm not really sure if the audience there that night was taken by Maggie & Grant's music. However, I think their music might fit really well with their recent appearance with Solid Gold, who recently played a sold-out First Avenue show.

They've certainly got the buzz by fans of local music here, so there's no doubt that I will eventually run into Lookbook again in the near future.

UPDATE 11/17/09: I receive information on Bam Margera's Book Serious As Dog Dirt - which is out today (Tuesday, November 17^th).  The book is published by MTV Books and retails for $35.  You may know Margera from MTV's Jackass as a professional skateboarder.  More information on bamargera.com and twitter.com.

Serious as Dog Dirt

Bam Margera

Here's what they said:

He’s bared himself on screens big and small, but now, Bam Margera exposes himself as never before. Famous for his fearless, funny as s*** daredevil stunts, he has thrilled and revolted audiences worldwide. Now, for the first time, Bam shares his private writings, never before seen personal photos, drawings, and more in this anarchic auto-collage/travelogue, an honest document of the life he leads and a dynamic testament to his wild imagination. Known for his creative style since becoming a pro skater at thirteen, Bam pulls readers into his chaotic world – the music, the movies, the pranks, the skating, the glory, the pain, and the blood.

 11/17/2009 00:46:50 ♥ vu () ♥weheartmusic.com♥twitter.com/weheartmusic♥news.weheartmusic.com

 09/07/2008 19:46:46  ♥ written by vu ()

Ladyhawke - Dusk Till Dawn (Pascal Gabriel Radio Mix) 5 comments Inga Swearingen - Happy to Be 1 comment Patterns Spiral Into Swarm 1 comment Sal Kimber - Met Police 2 comments

These podcasts keeps getting longer and longer! I promise to cut it down next week.

Download #22:
Download this episode (71 min), subscribe over at weheartmusic.mypodcast.com

Some bands/music that we used in the podcast are: Philanastasia, Inga Swearingen, Sal Kimber, Beatnik Turtles, Canvas Solaris, and Ladyhawke.

PART ONE: News topics covered are Michael Jackson goes on secret dates with Pamela Anderson, Guns N Roses wants blogger to "rot in jail", Album leak welcomed by Metallica, Heart Lash Out At McCain Campaign’s Use of “Barracuda”.

PART TWO: Meet the Meat Extender, Alex and Brian talks to us about their punk band.

PART THREE: I originally requested the Music Success book to compare and contrast to The Indie Band Survival Guide, but having read both books, I have to say that these two books are not really in the same league. Both are written for different audiences, and both are worth looking into if you're thinking about promoting your band.

MUSIC SUCCESS IN NINE WEEKS
by Ariel Hyatt
cyberprbook.com

Music Success in Nine Weeks Book (2008)

Billed as a "step-by-step guide to supercharging your PR, building your fan base and earning more money," this 2008 book comes in both print and electronic version, and retails for $34.99 (there is no discount for the e-version, the last time I checked).

The book reads like a self-help book and generally is a breeze to get through. On a quiet evening, you can get through this 128-page book in a matter of hours. Don't let the 100+ pages discourage you, if you take away non-essential spacing or "notes" and exercise, I would guess this book is no more than 50 pages of solid reading.

The things I like about this book is that it's very easy to follow and read. No pretentious tones, and it's written through the eyes of Ariel Hyatt, a publicist who's been in the music industry for at least twelve years. Sometime her writing falls too much on the personal side (dealing with her past experiences or mentioning she's married to a blogger), but I sometime think that's part of the charm.

I also liked her money-saving tips, from free website endorsements to doing your own PR work. Writing your own biography and networking seem obvious to me, but if you're new to this, then reading the step-by-step guide is essential.

Like most self-help books, this book really depends on your participation. I would only recommend getting the printed version and following the instructions explicitly, otherwise the book might not work for you.

As an exercise, I did try and apply some of the tips to promoting W♥M: for instance, I will only give out my business card if someone asks what I do (instead of bringing up what I do in conversations). I have also thought about building the email list, which I think might not work for us (since people already subscribe to our RSS feed or via the neighborhood networking)... but I really should be more aggressive in promoting our Twitter which you can subscribe via email or text messages. Ironically, this account was setup by Ryan in the UK and twitter recently dropped their option to text to UK mobiles.

THE INDIE BAND SURVIVAL GUIDE
by Randy Chertkow and Jason Feehan
www.stmartins.com
indiebandsurvivalguide.com

The Indie Band Survival Guide Book (2008)

Billed as a "complete manual for the Do-It-Yourself musician", this hefty 300+ book by Randy Chertkow and Jason Feehan, two members of the band Beatnik Turtle, details their experiences and success in this essential guide.

The book is very affordable ($14.95, but obviously you can get it lower online), so there is no excuse to not owning this book. Although it's written for the musician, I think this book can apply to anyone interested in the music industry or work in promotions.

The book is broken into two sections: Get Prepared and Get Fans. The first part focus mostly on your image/branding and web presence, while the second part focused on publicity, distribution and getting booked. Between the two, I felt that the second part is the big hurdle, so you may want to focus more on the first part - which goes into details from picking a searchable band name to your website's content.

The book is very detailed, so as a guide book, which is not necessary cover-to-cover read, I suggest skipping to topics that interests you. You can get lost in all the details, for instance it goes into image color formats (RGB, CMYK, Black and White Line art and Grayscale), which I found very interesting - but might not apply to you.

From a web developer, I liked reading over the band website chapter. They stressed over the 'contact page', from their experience (and mine), that there are many opportunities that present themselves just by making contacting you easier. They also noted that if you're comfortable, you should also include a telephone number, as ABC Family/Disney (aka traditional media) still does business through the telephone. From a promoter's point of view, I can tell you that I have passed over some band because there was simply no way of contacting them.

Other interesting thing I discovered reading the second part (since this is the part that is most unfamiliar to me), that you can actually have your CDs in smaller stores as consignments (where they pay you only after they sold your CD). Even if you don't sell any albums, it works as a small advertisement for you as people will start recognizing your name. It even goes into detail about giving an extra store copy as a promotional device - really great tip.

For emerging bands there is a section to have banter or "stalling banter" prepared, in case you break a string on your guitar. Personally, I have always enjoyed when a band is talkative, and it really does help add to a band's showmanship.

They do admit in the forward that this book is best used by acting and doing, in addition to using the book as an idea or theory. The low cost and invaluable guide, I highly recommend this book to anyone remotely interested in music.

Links: www.weheartmusic.com news.weheartmusic.com podcast.weheartmusic.com

Discography [Feb 1993] Pablo Honey [Mar 1995] The Bends [Jun 1997] OK Computer [Oct 2000] Kid A [Jun 2001] Amnesiac [Nov 2001] I Might be Wrong (Live Recording) [Jun 2003] Hail to the Thief [Oct 2007] In Rainbows Miscellaneous [Oct 2003] Bodysong (Jonny Greenwood) [Jul 2006] The Eraser (Thom Yorke) Band Members ♥ Thom Yorke ♥ Jonny Greenwood ♥ Colin Greenwood ♥ Ed O'Brien ♥ Phil Selway Links Radiohead: How much are they worth to you? http://weheartmus... Interestingly, there are two purchasing options for the album. If you are flush with cash and lov...

Vu's Radiohead Stuff

2 comments

So, as you know, I am a pretty big Radiohead fan (not as hardcore as certain people I know, but I more fan than the average listener).

I was first introduced to Radiohead through, I think, Melody Maker. Radiohead came slightly before Britpop, and I remember "Creep" having a huge impact on me on MTV's 120 Minutes. By the time I saw them again doing "Anyone Can Play Guitar" on MTV Beach House, I knew I was hooked.

Prior to The Bends being released in '95, I was already working at KFSR 90.7 FM as a regular DJ and was offered the opportunity to interview the band (which obviously I jumped all over it). I had prepared all my questions for Thom or Jonny and had already memorized all the songs off The Bends.

Of course, needless to tell you, I didn't get either of those gents, but instead got Phil Selway.

We chatted live on the radio and obviously all improvised because all my prepared questions were useless. I do remember that Phil dropped the F-bomb, which was really funny because we could've gotten fined for that.

Radiohead - Optimistic Radiohead - You and Whose Army- Radiohead - A Wolf at the Door. (It Girl. Rag Doll.)

Anyway, so in celebration of In Rainbows, coming out via download very soon and a boxset in December, I have decided to talk about Radiohead deluxe packages. We're not talking about promos, these are deluxe versions of their albums that anyone can buy in stores.

This tradition didn't really happen until fairly recently - when sales started to slump, the record company decided it was a good idea to release a more expensive version for the fans. Which I thought was a great idea, because I rather have something special than a standard jewel-cased CD.

All the special packages started the release of Kid A in 2000. As with all the Radiohead artwork and direction, this specially designed hard glued 9 page children's book was by Stanley Donwood (and probably Thom Yorke).

The book contains paintings and a brief text on top.

With Amnesiac, this was a nice-sized hardback red book, complete with a library card and such. I thought I read somewhere that they actually wanted to use real pages from various books, but had changed their minds when it was critized that they were encouraging destroying books.

By the way, this special edition actually won a Grammy for "Best Recording Package".

Hail to the Thief was designed as a special fold-out map. This was actually pretty cool, but kind of worthless. Apparently, the poster is supposed to be a roadmap, referencing the Bush Administration's 2003 plan for peace between Israelis and Palestinians (but it just looks like a painted map to me).

 10/05/2007 00:26:16  vu my♥posts vu@weheartmusic.com www.radiohead.com

Bentley Rhythm Ace - This Is Carbootechnodiscotechnobooto

Bentley Rhythm Ace

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Like most people, I discovered Irvine Welsh through the movie Trainspotting, which I had already loved the soundtrack. I read the book, it was really hard to read and understand because it was written in a working-class Scottish dialect. Here's an example:

Ah suppose man, ah'm too much ay a perfectionist, ken? It's likesay, if things go a bit dodgy, ah jist cannae be bothered, y'know? Ah git good vibes aboot this interview the day though man, ken?

I didn't get his short stories collective book, The Acid House, but I did end up buying the soundtrack to the movie.

There's some really good tracks off this compilation, including Bentley Rhythm Ace, or otherwise known as BRA.

I was so impressed with them that I picked up a few singles (clearance, of course!), and their debut album.

Bentley Rhythm Ace - Who Put the Bom in the Bom Bom Diddley Bom

BRA are two DJs, Richard March and Mike Stokes, both former members of Pop Will Eat Itself (with sometime guest appearance by James Atkins of EMF). When they play live, they have Fuzz Townshend as their drummer.

They had a huge hit with Bentley's Gonna Sort You Out (youtube), but I've always been fond of "Who Put the Bom in the Bom Bom Diddley Bom".

Unfortunately, the band broke up in 2000.  However, Irvine Welsh is still around and a new collection book called "If You Liked School, You'll Love Work" will be released next week.

PS, If you use delicious, please bookmark us. I'm not really all that interested in del.i.c.i.o.u.s. (can never remember where to place the dots), but certain ranking website relies heavily on delicious users (WHY?!?).

vu www.irvinewelsh.net www.smashingpress.com/bentleys