Jan 05 2009

Welcome to 2009!

Category: Life As I See Itdryvetyme @ 09:00

Good morning everyone and welcome back to Dryvetyme Onlyne as we begin 2009.

I hope that everyone had a fantastic December/Holiday Season to end 2008, one that offered everyone plenty of opportunities to recharge, relax, and generally spend time with family, friends, and other important people. Personally, it was an excellent couple of weeks off in my world, as I was provided with greatly appreciated time and space with which I could clear my head, thus creating space for me to dream and imagine where/how I would like to expand/grow this site.

These visions take on a few different shapes and sizes, but the primary ones are as follows:
1) I seek to increase the scope of what topics are covered and discussed on Dryvetyme Onlyne. Specifically, this will come from essays designed to inculcate further reader interaction (aka: I would like people to comment more frequently). These “think-pieces” are to be posted every other week or so, but I hope to settle into a regular schedule with them as soon as I can gain a further grasp upon the entire concept.
2) In order for me to have more time in which to compose these essays, I have “drafted” a few friends of mine as regularly scheduled guest contributors who will submit a review/post once a month (at minimum). Some of you may have already read the words (or seen the pictures) of Marc Brubaker, but Nathan Slatter has also joined the fold. I have two other writers that I’m speaking to about potentially writing for the site, so please stay on the lookout for new content and fresh perspective!
3) In addition to continuing with my “Free Music Friday” series (which occurs approximately on the last Friday of each month), I hope to start a similar series entitled “Media Monday” where I collate my favorite news items, videos, and random happenings from the month and share them with my readers. I have not determined what day/time these posts will appear, but I have an inkling that they could become quite popular and interesting.
4) Since I garnered some comment traffic on my political posts from the 2008 Presidential Primary season, I felt that I would be best served to create content that wasn’t solely musical in origin. Thus, if points #1, #2, and #3 bear fruit (in terms of increased traffic and comments), I will be able to seek out further topical expansion on the site.

Admittedly, all of these plans hinge on my ultimate goal - using my capacity for words to earn my living. Whether it is to be in music journalism, journalism in general, technical writing, creative writing, or some combination of it all, I have high hopes for 2009. It is my wish that the regular visitors to this site will continue to find something of worth in what they read here at Dryvetyme Onlyne.

Peace.

APN.


Dec 15 2008

The Best Music of 2008

Category: Life As I See It, Music In My Earsdryvetyme @ 09:00

Let’s get straight to the point: this post is all about what I personally consider to be the Best Music of 2008. We’re beginning with the Top Ten Albums of 2008, moving into a rundown of my other favorite albums from 2008, talking about some other music news, and generally wrapping up all that is 2008.

Over the course of 2008, with my 1/3 and 2/3 Editions, I’ve kept my readers updated on what I feel are the best records of 2008. Hopefully, you’ve appreciated them. As with those, I’ve included some albums that I have really and thoroughly enjoyed, but aren’t quite worthy of being included in the actual Top Ten. My desire is to give credit where credit is due, as opposed to constructing a Top Twenty or Thirty. I don’t want to parse hairs and create some inane list just for the sake of numbering things. As usual, I want you, my dear readers, to feel free to chip in your thoughts on my list, and share any albums that would be in your Top 10, but I haven’t included in mine. I’m a fan of group participation. Enjoy!

The Best of 2008
**In Alphabetical Order**


Beach House - Devotion
(My review was found in the March 2008 issue of ENVY Magazine.)


Buxton - A Family Light
(My review was found in the February 2008 issue of ENVY Magazine.)


Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes


Hercules &and Love Affair - Hercules and Love Affair
(My Review)


Lil’ Wayne - Tha Carter III
(My review of the leaked mixtape back in February)


M83 - Saturdays = Youth
(My Review)


Portishead - Third


Spiritualized - Songs in A&E
(My review of this album appeared in the June 2008 issue of ENVY Magazine.)

TVOTR - Dear Science
TV On The Radio - Dear Science,


A Weather - Cove
(My Review)

Honorable Mentions include:
Animal Collective - Water Curses EP
Erykah Badu - New Amerykah, Pt. 1: 4th World War
Blind Pilot - 3 Rounds and a Sound
Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
The Bug - London Zoo
Bun B - II Trill
(Broken Social Scene Presents) Brendan Canning - Something For All Of Us
Cheap Girls - Find Me a Drink Home
The Cool Kids - The Bake Sale
Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours
Deerhoof - Offend Maggie
Evangelista - Hello, Voyager!
Fleet Foxes - Sun Giant EP
Girl Talk - Feed The Animals
Al Green - Lay It Down
Headlights - Some Racing, Some Stopping
The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
Joy Electric - My Grandfather, The Cubist
Damien Jurado - Caught In The Trees
Man Man - Rabbit Habits
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
The Mountain Goats - Heretic Pride
Of Montreal - Skeletal Lamping
Ponytail - Ice Cream Spiritual
Peachcake - What Year Will You Have The World?
Q-Tip - The Renaissance
The Raveonettes - Lust, Lust, Lust
The Roots - Rising Down
School Of Seven Bells - Alpinisms
She & Him - Volume One
Showbread - Anorexia Nervosa
Slingshot Dakota - Their Dreams are Dead, but Ours is the Golden Ghost
Starflyer 59 - Dial M
Subrosa - Strega
Tambersauro - Theories of Delusional Origins
Tigers Jaw - Tigers Jaw
Times New Viking - Rip It Off
Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend

In other music news, much of the talk centerd around the ever-present free (or pay-whatever-you-think-is-fair) album download. This entire means of doing business was brought into the forefront in 2007 by Radiohead (In Rainbows) and Trent Reznor (working with either Nine Inch Nails or Saul Williams), but it came to greater prominence in 2008, led by acts such as Girl Talk (with Feed The Animals) or Bloc Party (with Intimacy), whether it was to purely get the music out to the public as fast as possible (Girl Talk) or to get the music out to the public before it could be jacked by the torrents and distributed without compensating the band (Bloc Party).

Also, even with the concept of the mashup on a bit of a downward spiral, there were two primary vehicles for said tracks in 2008: 1) The Hood Internet still found ways to combine the top indie rock and hip-hop tracks together in fresh and intelligent ways, releasing two slamming mixtapes to the masses, including one devoted exclusively to artists from the DJ’s hometown of Chicago; and 2) M.I.A. saw two tracks - “Boyz” and “Paper Planes” - from her stellar, new classic Kala chopped, spliced, and reworked by damn near everyone (including Jay-Z remixing “Boyz” towards the end of the year), prompting top-flight DJ Mad Decent to declare those two tracks as “retired” (which I assume is DJ code for “I’m tired of people killing a great song with over-exposure in the clubs.”).

All in all, it was a great year for music. 2009 promises to bring along a host of new albums from iconic artists, including Wilco and Morrissey.

I want to extend to my readers my wholehearted appreciation for following along with Dryvetyme Onlyne during the course of 2008. It’s been a great year and I have all of you to thank for it!

I shall return on Monday, January 5th, 2009.

Peace.

APN.


Nov 18 2008

Amy Grant - Lead Me On 20th Anniversary Tour

Category: Life As I See It, Music In My Earsdryvetyme @ 10:51

Amy Grant
Lead Me On 20th Anniversary Tour
Houston, TX
November 13th, 2008

Lead Me On

I composed an amended version of this review for the Burnside Writer’s Blog talking about my affection for Lead Me On as an album.

Everyone has their musical guilty pleasures: even the most diehard music snobs, in their darkest moments, will confess to you their undying affection for some cheesy hair metal band, ‘60s folk singer, or some atrocious soul singer. The vast majority of these guilty pleasures are typically holdovers from the bygone days of youth, those halcyon days when we were allowed to like music just because it was popular, because our friends liked it, or just because we liked it. We didn’t have to defend it with some laundry list of fancy descriptors, production quirks, and stylistic specifics, as if we were supposed to compose a record review in our head for everything we loved. It was a purer, simpler time; and, even though most of us have long since left the singers and bands of our childhood and early adolescence behind us, some of them still remain.

For me, this person was, is, and will always be Amy Grant, one of the most prolific, celebrated, honored, distinguished, and recognized singers in contemporary Christian music (CCM) circles. Nay, she defined CCM in the ‘80s and into the ‘90s, serving as the movement’s poster woman when people complained that CCM always sounded (at minimum) five years behind the musical curve. But the result of these accolades is that she also was the target of seemingly perpetual controversy: whether it was wearing a animal print jacket on her Unguarded album cover, singing “The Next Time I Fall” with Peter Cetera, making pop music from the masses with Unguarded and Heart In Motion, dancing in videos with people who weren’t her husband in the videos from Heart In Motion, divorcing Gary Chapman, or marrying Vince Gill within two years after the finalization of her divorce from Gary Chapman, Amy has faced a level of character assassination that would crush a lesser human. Thus, when you combine her thirty-year-long penchant for writing clean, smart pop music with decided folk and country influences with her intestinal fortitude in the face of her accusers and the result is a woman whose career I will unceasingly defend and champion.

Amy Grant

Was that too much hyperbole for you? Is my drifting into fanboy territory making you uncomfortable? That’s OK: I have to reel myself in at times, but this concert would prove to not be one of those evenings. Every now and again, a good music writer should be able to let him/herself go and just enjoy music, to set aside the “Critic Cap” and don the “Fan Cap.” From the outset of this night, I was very excited about the performance I was set to witness and Amy Grant and her backing band (featuring almost the entire backing band from the original Lead Me On tour twenty years ago!) put on an outstanding performance this rainy November evening. Moreover, it was highly evident that Amy and the band were having fun on stage and were enjoying their collective trip down Memory Lane over the course of their twenty-city tour. Led by the excellent dual guitar work of Jerry McPherson and Chris Rodriguez, the music rocked more than I expected it to, even though the concert average attendee was easily in their 40’s, most of whom sat for most of the performance.

Granted, the crowd did enjoy the show: they stood at times for key songs, and generally smiled, tapped their feet, clapped on occasion, and sang along with Amy at every opportunity. There were even the intermittent, but humorous catcalls from the crowd: including, but not limited to, “We Love You Amy!” and “Play [insert favorite song here]!” What was more amazing was how effortlessly the band played and how completely at ease Amy looked interacting with the crowd in between songs. Yes, I am aware that Amy has been performing for nearly thirty years and that her touring band is filled with consummate professionals, but not every band can look so at ease and comfortable while playing. The general impression they gave off was that the tour had become one big rolling jam session between old friends, and that attitude gave the concert a very at-home feel.

On the whole, the night was filled with nearly two hours of music, and with the exception of keyboardist Chris Eaton playing one of his new songs, and Amy performing three new, still-in-progress songs, all of the music was from 1988 or earlier in Amy’s career. Song highlights include the fact that she played eight of the twelve tracks from the whole reason for this tour, her Lead Me On album (I was mildly disappointed that she didn’t include “Faithless Heart”), an excellent performance of tour’s title cut, “El Shaddai,” “Sing Your Praise To The Lord,” and “Find A Way.” Sure, some of the music sounded mildly dated (though it might have been quality period music from the ‘80s), but everyone in the house enjoyed this time of sweet reminiscing provided by the inestimable, iconic Amy Grant. Feel free to make fun of me now: I don’t mind at all.

Set List:
“Father’s Eyes”
“The Love I Have Found”
“Wait For The Healing”
“Shadows”
“1974”
“Everywhere I Go”
“Saved By Love”
“What About The Love”
“All Right”
“El Shaddai”
“Sing Your Praise To The Lord”
“What You Made Me”
Chris Eaton track from Dare To Dream
“Lead Me On”
“Find A Way”
“Wise Up”
“Angels”
“Sharayah” (I think this is the song they played. This is the only track of which I’m unsure of the title)

Encore:
“Stay For Awhile”
Amy Grant sings three new songs
“Say Once More”
“Turn! Turn! Turn!” (The Byrds cover)


Nov 14 2008

DJ Melodic Benefit Show

Category: Life As I See It, Music In My Earsdryvetyme @ 10:50

I thought about writing something cogent and timely regarding this amazing DJ and person, but I’m just going to post the press release.  This man’s musical talent has been on display for year’s in Houston, whether he’s spinning at a show or working the decks on Saturday nights at KPFT on Soular Grooves.  Anyone who loves the Houston music scene should be AT THIS SHOW and do whatever you can possible to help with this man’s medical bills.

Here’s the text of that release:

“A genuine good guy”

“A great dj and great, positive person”

“A truly positive dude”

These and many other quotes like those are what people who have been touched by Paco aka Ben Jennings IV aka DJ Melodic express when they think of the person, the dj, friend. His gentle and positive spirit has touched many. His humility is unmatched.

On November 2nd Paco suffered cardiac arrest. He is currently at St. Luke’s Hospital in critical condition.

Paco’s close friends are organizing a raffle and musical benefit event to offset medical expenses and support his family during this difficult time. We need your support to make it a success.

ABOUT PACO

Paco came to Soular Grooves and entered the Houston DJ community with the same genuine positive spirit and humility that so many describe about him. He learned as much as he could about dj-ing from as many as he could and applied those characteristics to his vast knowledge of music, to become one of the most respected, well-liked, and precision-like djs in Houston. His aesthetic is unique and contributes to creating an uncompromising signature of sounds that have no match. To listen to Paco, DJ Melodic, as he deejays, is to be taken on a course of great music that blends together seamlessly and continuously. All his selections, he intuitively knows, belong together. It is a truly joyful experience to listen to him and watch him perform.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

1) MARK YOUR CALENDAR AND PLAN TO ATTEND THE DJ MELODIC BENEFIT - A MUSICAL TRIBUTE & VERY COOL RAFFLE

Soular Grooves and Paco’s friends and family invite you to join us for a beautiful Sunday afternoon benefit filled with music, family and fun prizes. Paco’s closest friends DJ SUN, DJ Chicken George and Free Radicals & Perseph1 will perform a musical tribute.

Plus, you can purchase raffle tickets and win some of the coolest things from shops like Barney’s Co-op, Sloan/Hall, Peel Gallery, Melodrama + gift certs from restaurants and bars including Boheme, AvantGarden, Dolce Vita and much more!

Light bites will be provided by Gravitas, La Strada, and Stir-It-Up Coffee House.

Sunday, November 16, 2008
1-4PM
@ Block 21
2420 Washington Ave.
Houston, TX 77246

Event Tickets are $10, available at the door only
Raffle Tickets are $5 each or 5 for $20.

Thank you to Ziggy at Block 21 for generously offering to donate a portion of the event proceeds to support the cause.

2) MAKE A CASH DONATION

We have set up a ChipIn account for anyone wishing to make a donation. Please consider making a contribution of any amount you can. Every bit helps!

http://djmelodic.chipin.com/

3) CONSIDER CONTRIBUTING AN ITEM FOR OUR RAFFLE

Raffle items are specialty services, memberships, or gifts, gift certificates, art works, event tickets, food items, music, apparel, electronics, holiday items, etc.

Businesses who have already donated include: MFAH, CAMH, Aerosol Warfare Gallery, Diverseworks, Barney’s Co-op, Starbucks, Dolce Vita, Boheme Cafe & Wine Bar, La Strada, AvantGarden, YogaOne just to name a few.

To donate a raffle item, download this form: http://zulucreative.com/soulargrooves/DJ_Melodic_Raffle_Donation_Form.pdf and send it to Tina Zulu by Wednesday, November 12th at tinazulu@zulucreative.com or call 713.291.5788

4) SPREAD THE WORD!


Nov 12 2008

Fun Fun Fun Fest Recap

Category: Life As I See It, Music In My Earsdryvetyme @ 12:47

I’ve been quite busy attending all manner of music festivals this year. Last weekend, I had the opportunity to get up to Austin for Fun Fun Fun Fest, a festival that, in only its third year in existence, has risen to become a standard-bearer in Austin’s true underground/indie music community, bringing together a collection of punk, indie, and rock acts that was both deep and wide in representation. “How deep and wide?” you might ask. Here’s a sampling of who I did not see: Trail of Dead, The National, DOA, Kool Keith, Bouncing Souls, Clipse, and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.  So yeah — I had an amazing time. Enjoy the rundown!
Continue reading “Fun Fun Fun Fest Recap”


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