a comparison
800 lbs gorilla youtube with theoretical 801 lbs googlevideo with verizon’s muse revver for your comparison pleasure.
thanks john!
youtube-vs-google-video-vs-revver
Archive for June, 2007
MGOC: Andrew Bird
song performed: “Imitosis” from the album Armchair Apocrypha
conan’s reaction: “*shakes Andrews hang vigarously* that was fantastic, very cool. thanks for doing it. Andrew bird everybody, we’ll take a break, we’ll be right back *leans in to talk to Andrew about spinning gramophones*”
oh man Andrew is way taller and skinnier that I had previously seen him…
He reminds me of David Byrne’s younger brother with strong embrosure and tonight’s performance was all a showcase of a musical performer (and former squirrel nut zippers guru) and I loved it! Imitosis is a cool cool song and here is the showcase. The song starts off with a mandolin lick that bird loops and before you’re even expecting a mandolin moment, the camera is back on him and he’s plucking a guitar.
Later in the song there is brilliant violin playing (to make you cry playing), and then the song finishes beautifully with Mr. Bird’s talently Mr. Ripley whistling. Andrew is the John Popper of whistling producing a tone more similar to the bowing of a old steel saw than a woodwind instrument. it was brilliant. check this out from his performance in Paris (and then just picture more gramophones behind him).
I love Andrew and I think it’s cause everytime I listen to his music, it makes me want to sit in rocking chair on a wide front porch and watch time go by (maybe in the summer with a cold glass of freshly squeezed lemonade).
MGOC: Patty Griffin
song performed: “No Bad News” from the album Children Running Through
conan’s reaction: “That was fantastic. Thank you very much. *shakes her hand* Patty Griffin everybody, we’ll take a break, we’ll be right back, stick around *claps nine times*”
la venda: no, it’s not kathy griffin’s sister. or andy’s daughter. however, here’s where this blog comes full circle. Patty Griffin grew up the youngest of seven children, but more importantly she grew up listening to Rickie Lee Jones, whom was on the show a week or so ago. love when I find out peoples influences.
Patty entered the music scene a bit later in life, after what sounds like a bad divorce (which will give one plenty to write about). …and though her fame isn’t in the upper league bullet box of Tori Amos, or Sarah McLachlan or the like, she’s totally working it - a musical on the way and have you seen her myspace pictures? She’s got Cameron Crowe sipping drinks with her over here, and Kelly Clarkson buddy buddy ‘here. work it!
l’exécution: It’s a young Bonnie Raitt! *double take*, no it’s an older redhead Tina Fey *double take*, or maybe Mary Louise-Parker er Lea Thompson or something. I’m confused.
oooh the lady is dressed all purty in black dress and red high heels. the song is a bit of an anthem strum in the beginning. her side bassist was purty in a mod purple shirt and long goatee hippy/yuppie style. the congo player in the back was bright red with a sort of sumo look going on. when the song climaxs there’s a guy banging on an empty soap/ginger/pickle buckle next to her.
Patty’s voice is steady on with no southern twang - almost like a movement-voice. the mw7 horn section was there as well, - I think the whole performance seemed very mature with everyone having quite a bit of fun, save for bucket man who looked a bit grumpy in his concentration mode. Patty has a cool guitar strap btw. Great performance - could have been an outdoor festival or an evening at the Orpheum. es cool. Makes me want to eat fried chicken and potato salad on a grassy hill summer performance.
altre note: “isn’t that true groucho llama in an iron lung?”
she’s so working it. here she is with the king
bus: the cord
today on the way home, for the first time ever…
I saw a busted pull cord. It caused some mayhem and confusion.
that is all
more feisty Feist
cool - check it out before they take it down. I think headbands are in again!
MGOC: Feist
song performed: “1234″ from the album The Reminder
conan’s reaction: “That was great *shakes Feist’s hand* Thanks so much. thanks for coming back. Feist! everybody we’ll take a break, we’ll be right back *claps 5 times and turns toward the choir to chat with feist*”
la venda: really with Feist we’re talking about Leslie…Feist. and in some backwards kind of world i think feist would be my older canadian sister - kind of funky (this girl dances while steams toast yeah) but also real kind of like terry-sock bunny-puppets with like a patch on the lower back. I, of course, her sibling would be el salvadorean and be able to talk to sea otters. bo!
things are looking good for Feisty leslie, she gigs with broken social scene, released a new record that is PERFECT for the summer hitting the 8.8 pitchfork rave review scale, and is on a summer tour with another one of my favourite bands out there grizzly bear.
l’exécution: can we first talk about how tiny her neck is?!?!?! People with neck fetishes are probably out in bunches. that’s a photo on the cover and it is like half my chubby wrist.
the performance was superb. thing started so sound and controlled that I was instantly drawn in. booya! feist’s voice has a patti smith stamp on it, but like she’s singing through a laundry room loud speaker - it’s antiquated to begin with. and so soft, but with flecks of peculiar.
then visually a SEA OF tuxedo-sky blue clothes - it’s a choir! not only that it’s grizzly bear scattered about, and probably some other bands peeps on tour or around the NYC. brilliant!
I have to say sometimes, during some performances, you gotta just enjoy it and not write about the position of the left foot during chord #3. This was one that I just sat back and enjoyed! I did find the choir to be excellent - they were so happy! headband middle lady was great - I thought she was going to implode from happiness. there was a little bit of where’s waldo with the bassist, who was conveniently tucked into the corner, but overall it was spot on! good show feist! you’ve been introduced to many in a good way.
altre note: my wish is that i don’t hear feist in the background of a secret commercial - that’s MY secret.
MGOC: El-P
song performed: “The Overly Dramatic Truth ” from the album I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead
conan’s reaction: “Hey! That was brilliant, that was cool. *shakes El-P’s hand* yeah yeah, Thank You. El-P everybody, we’ll take a break, we’ll see you in a second *turns and talks to El-P*”
la venda: somewhere the title for hardest working (wo)man in show b got dropped by the likes james brown his pre-rocky days and pooped out on the public shoulders of the likes of simon cowell or maybe mark ronson and his pussy cat dolls. in comes el-p to win back the title and drive it back into the ground from whence it came maybe somewhere in crookland. it’s a good thing.
El-P is everywhere and the guy looks so dern normal - like 80% of my high school class all put into one dude. it’s sacreligious, but El-P, short for El-Producto sticks to his name. He’s founded Def-J (Definitive Jux) records, put out a handful of albums that are having the phat man bobbing his head too fast, and has been on this monster tour with his label.
l’exécution: things started off with El-P holding up the Def-J sign - a double-”c”-shape coupling of the hands above the head - similar to nacho libre’s eagle flight position after he eats an eagle’s egg - nasty! then the numbers…which I’ll jot down due to the fact that I watch Lost - 64, 6A, 72, 78, 2E, 6E, 65, 74 - maybe that’s the seat numbers of the people he is going to kill or who deserve refunds, maybe it’s the code to hack BluRay, who knows?
the dress is once again so normal for El-P - black tee, dark jeans and white adidas sneaks. the rest of the gang were in vietnam camies. I couldn’t help but notice that the funky looking keyboardist did not line up so cool-looking for me. He looked like Andre Agassi, bit heavier, with the pre-bald Andre hair, a HUGE bright red keyboard below a guitar keyboard mounted above - wtf mate? Is this Borat? He also danced like an angry watermelon.
so there was a good build throughout the sound which is mainly lyrics with a few breaks. then it becomes clear to me why El-P is everywhere. he’s intense. he’s aggressive. maybe it helps there is another MC with him - same sound and lyrics, but next to his smooth style, El-P looks like an angry spasmic ragin bull who keeps touching his crotch too much. it’s an addictive intensity. he’s in his own zone and you can tell it’s not peculiar - it’s energy. things end with the Def-j Coupling motion. the eagle has landed!
altre note: other El-P abbrev.?
El Paso International Airport
Emerson Lake & Palmer (or Powell)
Extra Long Play (video tapes)
European Left Party
Eloquent Language Programme
Everyone Loves Pizza
other Def-J labels ?
Def Jam (duh)
MGOC: Crowded House
song performed: “Don’t Stop Now” from the album Time On Earth
conan’s reaction: “thank you very much *shakes nick hand* that was fantastic, thank you very much *shakes neil’s hand* crowded house everybody, we’ll take a break, we’ll be right back *claps once, leans into thank neil, shakes mark’s hand, shakes drummer hand*”
wow. it’s been over ten years since crowded house last toured the US. I pay respects to these guys cause I’ve enjoyed them in their fifteen-year-ago+ version, along with their Split Enz variety show before then, and then a solo album by Neil Finn also was the spotlight of music listening at work a few years back. time has been a bit strange to Crowded House with the suicide of former member Paul Hester two years ago.
so it’s nice to see them back on stage with a huge US tour and then an international tour in like five sections. Neil looks good just a bit greyer, but aging nicely. the song they performed is very much them, maybe nothing groundbreaking, but I’m sure a familiar sound to fans all around.
