emilio

random amusement: electro-funk breaks recipe

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 14:53:20 -0700

are you baffled by the mysteries of mad scrambled electro-funk cooking? ease in with this pleasant how-to.

so what the hell does "indie" mean anymore?

Thu, 24 May 2007 14:51:25 -0700

used to be that "indie" meant unsigned artists, or artists signed to small independent labels without access to a big-time PR apparatus. you could have indie hip-hop, indie metal, indie country, if you could find it. now years later, "indie" means "indie rock" and evokes floppy haired kids banging on guitars and staring at their Chucks - what happened? it's "alternative" all over again, with an even deeper pigeonholing.

even worse, bands make it big and retain their indie label: indie rock bands playing corporate tours, making expensive videos, and getting prime distribution. you can't blame the labels and distributors entirely, as fans hungering to "break out of the mainstream" will enjoy easy radio, television, and Wal-Mart access to their "indie" music, and continue to label it as so. a lot of niche scenes and cultures have been raided by the "mainstream machine", but this time around it seems like the fans are much more complicit in getting their anti-establishment fix from the majors.

you can't be indie if...

- you're signed to Sony.
- you've upgraded from a band van to a tour bus.
- you appear live on Total Request Live, or anything involving Mountain Dew.
- you're on a compilation sold at the Gap, Old Navy, or Banana Republic.

...?

- emilio

the joys of Warriors domination, a beginner's guide

Fri, 04 May 2007 03:00:37 -0700

so, the Warriors won last night, eliminating the Dallas Mavericks 111-86 in the first round of the playoffs. i'll spare you the fan rant, except that WOW, THEY FUCKING BURIED THE MAVS.

it was, as Marv Albert said "destruction" and "the biggest upset in NBA playoff history." Marv Albert has been calling basketball games for a long time.

so, you might not be in to basketball; even if you're from the Bay, you might be wondering what all the hoopla is about. hell, they didn't even win the championship, or the finals; this was just the first round! i've never played much by way of organized sports, though i enjoy being a sports spectator and occasionally catch televised games of preferred sports. i couldn't name the court positions for basketball players.

so, again, what's the big deal? it boils down to the victory of the underdog, with a sprinkle of drama. if you're curious, and maybe want to be a sports poseur, the keep going.

love the underdog:

= the #8 playoff seed beat the #1 seed, only the 3rd time in the history of the league.

= they had a very poor start to the season, turned it around, and barely made the playoffs for the last spot, #8.

= Dallas had an incredible season, 67 wins, which is something like tied for 3rd best of all time. they have several relatively big-name players that can be organized in to a very dominating force.

= the Warriors have been a mediocre team for many years - not terrible, but not terribly good. they had a slight reputation as a "farm team," where players would get experience and then move on to other teams to shine.

= the Warriors made late trades, as late as January, to get players that have meshed with the team and become key players very quickly.

= the Warriors' key player, Baron Davis, mildly pulled a hamstring in the first quarter and went on to play most of the rest of the game with 20 points by adapting his game style.

= they beat the Mavericks with superior motivation, teamwork, and coaching, and managed to throw in some fucking wicked slam dunks, alley-oops, one-legged side-hopping three-point shots, etc.

= they did all this in front of a sold out home crowd at the Oakland Colosseum.

love the drama:

= there were games with tension, ejected players, fines, players flying in to the stands, half-court baskets, and other action.

= the Dallas coach, Avery Johnson, played for the Warriors under their current coach, Don Nelson, and was certainly out-coached by his former boss.

= Don Nelson coached Dallas a couple of years ago.

= Don Nelson's son is the general manager of the Dallas team.

= Don Nelson is suing the Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban for around $7 million in a contract dispute.

so now you, too, can join in on Golden State Warrior fever! if you live in the Oakland, the greater Bay Area, Northern California, California, the West coast, etc. you can even spout factoids and gloat with local pride. heck, even hot celebs are grabbing ringside seats for playoff games in Oakland! yeah!

- emilio

J.G. Thirlwell makes me feel my ears

Fri, 04 May 2007 01:14:46 -0700

i dropped a couple episodes of The Venture Bros. over the projector during lunch today, for the sake of the folks who haven't seen it (purely altruistic, of course). without spouting off too much in to fanboy land, it's a fucking good cartoon, much better than the cursory [adult swim] page makes it seem. (you can wiki it up, of course, but don't read too far.)

it's probably one of the best-produced cartoons that the Cartoon Network has ever backed. regardless of wether you like the characters, plot, etc., the quality of the visual design, vocal talent, and music is seriously top notch. artists work on this show (yes, even the Arin definition).

part of the show's instant draw is its score, almost a true score that's present in nearly every scene. if comic books came with speakers, they would sound like J.G. Thirlwell's Venture Bros. music - the score pretty much sounds like that picture up there looks. the aesthetic can range from light, campy, Mancini-esque 60's lounge pop to dark, simple, pulsating loops to gristly action industrial, like Lalo Schifrin played through a meat grinder. the industrial part might not be surprising; i hadn't a clue who J.G. Thirlwell was, and when i asked the ol' web it told me some stuff about 80's industrial and odd projects with odd people like Lydia Lunch and Nick Cave.

on from the 80's industrial work, over the last decade-and-a-half Thirlwell - usually known as some variation of "Foetus" - has been making some moody, rich instrumental cinematic music under the handles Manorexia and the above-mentioned Steroid Maximus. as Jim Foetus, he's ranged from sneering, oddly smart industrial to wild... cinedance? (can i say that?) Manorexia leans towards a seamless score with many ambient scenes, the kind of shit i'd play for a haunted house or stark Scandinavian horror-thriller. Steroid Maximus is more manic and, well, i wrote about the album "Ectopia" before:

quote: some time ago...
Steroid Maximus's Ectopia is the soundtrack to a film you've never seen, a film that probably kicks unholy ass with manic car chases and two-fisted handgun leadfests. the first time i listened to this album i was suddenly struck with the heart-pounding desire to drive a flaming hellwagon of a muscle car off of a gasoline-covered pier while emptying a machine pistol through the ninja-covered roof. it's that good.

(Ectopia, incidentally, has a number of tracks later used for early episodes of The Venture Bros. the theme to the show is also a rework of the song "Fighteous" from the album "Quilombo".)

ok, ok, you might label it "experimental" - and heaven knows i kinda did. Steroid Maximus and Manorexia helped compel a new genre in my music library, "Cinematic/Experimental". (a new genre is not to be taken lightly, by the way. sure, "experimental" is a bit of a cop-out, but at least i never go so far as to use bullshit like "world" or "indie" to describe a genre.)

so he's got a range of sounds, with this undercurrent of having a very intentional mood to communicate, but without too much transparency. it's almost always enjoyably unique, and so immersive and spatial that it feels more thrilling or scary than many movies, which just compounds the fun of The Venture Bros. if you're on board, or at least feeling adventurous, there are tracks and videos on his site, and especially for you Netflixers, both seasons of The Venture Bros. are available on DVD.

- emilio

Thirlwell's site, foetus.org for tracks, CDs, the usual

definitely check out some music videos. i suggest the second on the top row, where he performs the Manorexia pieces "Ice On The Equator" and "Zithromax Jitters" with a small orchestra, and the unexpectedly rockin' and danceable "Time Marches On" (at the bottom center).

J.G. Thirlwell in Wikipedia

on the topic of bad one-day music video shoots...

Mon, 23 Apr 2007 14:24:18 -0700

priscilla posted the infamous 70's "Apache" video... and i just can't let bad videos lie. i love them. i collect them. i love to subject people to them.

yeah, just reeks of a "round up some dancers and head to the Hollywood hills" one-day video shoot. one whole day might even be generous.

it's apparently from a late 60's variety show targeting Southern California. for those of you that don't know, there's some bizzare, occasional tendency for Star Trek actors to release solo singing albums: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Brent Spiner... maybe even DeForest Kelley.

if you're feeling especially masochistic today, check out the longer version in black & white, with the intro and outro.

- emilio

the ALL TIME HIGHS were made by scientists in an asskicking lab

Thu, 19 Apr 2007 11:43:30 -0700

...from a private message to a new friend:

"thanks for the heads up on All Time Highs - they're, like, some unholy kickass merger of early-70's Detroit proto-punk and solid 80's hard rock. and asskicking. somehow, asskicking was quantified, purified, and added to the merger. we've been rockin' them in the Fuzz office... there's been a good influx of punk/metal/just plain ROCK bands lately (like Die Cobra), and along with the good hip-hop it should keep us from being drowned in the emoindieshoegazepop stuff."

deep philosophical ramblings concerning Maldroid at the Mezzanine

Sat, 14 Apr 2007 16:06:05 -0700

the Mezzanine is a nice place

Maldroid: "fucking pro energy level."

even though i'd met them all at the office, i didn't realize 'till this show that there are a lot of people in Maldroid - shouldn't you be playing ska with that many guys?

Urbano was on point, from the back!

"Ryan's stage presence was something like if Iggy Pop and Mick Jagger had a baby that didn't turn out a total addict."

"hi, if you like these guys and you listen to Live 105, vote for them on Soundcheck!" (repeat until flyers are gone)

i should keep popsicles in my freezer.

the 5.11 VIP Blazer is fuckin' dope (but a little long on me). why don't suit coats have more damn pockets? we're men, we want to carry shit and look like we don't care about it - or aren't carrying anything at all.

your mom jokes never get old, especially if someone there is named "your mom" (holla!)

singing along at full voice, thrashing, and high-fiving. why? because they were KICKING ASS with "Search and Destroy" which has to be one of the best songs to cover (along with "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love", "Charade", "Stormy Weather" and "Caravan"). speaking of Wilson Pickett, people should cover "Land of 1000 Dances" more often, but they don't.

Dasha's new track: "Holiday"

Fri, 30 Mar 2007 16:17:27 -0700

i'm lovin' this new track.

the beats are rolling and energizing, the vocal track is confident, the lyrics are sharp... and the hook is catchy but not overdone; it's a steady rocker, and keeps your head bouncing. i would have liked for it to develop some more prominent bass jammin' that follows the hook's melody. not a full crazy pop build, but a thick sound to propel the second half.

i've been mulling over a hallmark of the "Strong Island" sound: smooth power. like legendary Long Islanders De La Soul, Dashah balances lyrical focus with rump bumpin' danceability. unlike De La, though, Dashah leans more towards showcasing the lyrics without aiming straight for the dance floor.

sheeeit, i gotta dig up a copy of this mystical mix that's floating around... can't wait to hear more.

- emilio

the best salsa ever?

Tue, 06 Mar 2007 15:22:55 -0800

there's all this talk about San Francisco burrito joints, but let's be honest here: half the "Mexican" places here are run by Ecuadorians or Salvadorians or Chinese. so they're good, but they lack... something. i can tell. their carnitas aren't right or something...

come to San Jose. visit Taqueria La Victoria. their tacos and burritos are great - not fantabuloustupendosity great - but great.

HOWEVER. it's all about their sauce. the legendary La Vic orange sauce. it's a secret recipe - if you say "i'm a vegan" or "i'm allergic to... what's in it?" they'll just tell you "don't eat it."

it's orangish, it's creamyish (NOT vegan, you skinny wusses), and it's hot. the spiciness varies by batch, and it has a slightly garlic note. there's a particular way to eat a La Vic burrito:

unwrap
eat the top off of it. mmm, good burrito. this part is important, because it affirms that La Vic is good for more than just sauce.
cover the open burrito top with orange sauce
eat the layer
repeat until you hit foil

so, HERE AND NOW i make history: my hypothesis for orange sauce's ingredients. it's probably really, really simple: chipotle peppers & adobo, mexican cream, and a bit of fresh garlic. blend until smooth. from it's addictive potential, the presence of heroin and/or crack has been theorized.

i'll be conducting blind taste-tests (not double-blind, i know, all my research training is lost) with La Vic orange sauce addicts. in the meantime, see for yourself and get some addiction on.

- emilio

blog response to/inspired by bert:

bert

no, it's not really a band....

Thu, 01 Mar 2007 18:56:12 -0800

fingatappaz is a test band. and it's my test band because it's probably the best instrument i can play...

you might come across some strange things on here, oddly named bands with oddly named tracks, or no information at all. it's all beta crust that will be cleaned up, probably.

probably.

- emilio

does this work now?

Fri, 16 Feb 2007 14:08:27 -0800

'cuz i'd be happy if it did!

omg this box is so tiny

Fri, 02 Feb 2007 13:39:41 -0800

and this box is so narrow i get about one word per line!