Roger Makes "Money"

Here's Roger Waters and David Gilmour of Pink Floyd in the studio (along with Alan Parsons, I belive) going over how Pink Floyd mixed and recorded "Money" in a nice little excerpt from Classic Albums: Pink Floyd - The Making of 'The Dark Side of the Moon.'

Quentin Tarantino's Top Twenty Films Since 1992

Quentin Tarantino picks his top twenty favorite films since 1992 - the year he became a director. He gives a little bit of backstory on some of the picks, which is pretty entertaining.

My Favorite Metro Music Act - Raycurt Johnson

There's a little rotation of music acts that set up at L'Enfant Plaza - the solo electric guitar man with some crazy tone, the steel drummer playing Christmas carols in summer, the South American pipe band covering ABBA, just to name a few. And honestly, none of them really do anything for me. Save for the one violinist who stands at the foot of the escalators at the start of the work day. I actually look forward to hearing him play, and I hope that each day will be his gig. It's a beautiful way to begin a morning, with the sweet sounds of his violin handiwork drifting through the air.

Usually I'm hustling by pretty quick in the morning, but today I stopped and took note (and dropped some past due $$$ in his case) of his website - www.raycurt.com. Raycurt Johnson's quite an accomplished musician, in sound, and by experience, and a local filmmaker made a cool little (and short) documentary featuring him, and his music, above. Check it out.

Ferrari For Your Phone

Wanna make your iPhone ring like a Ferrari 458 Italia?  Don't worry.  There's an app for that now. Just head over to Ferrari's website here and download various engine sounds of the 458 in mp3 and mp4 format.  Nice.    

Kid British - "Hot & Cold"

For some reason I've been enamored with Katy Perry's ultra-catchy "Hot & Cold" as of late. Or more accurately, how other artists interpret it. And I'm really digging Kid British's island/reggae-swing take on the song. Love the gentle harmonies and those back-up vocals.

Gillian Welch - "Look At Miss Ohio"

I've had Gillian Welch's "Look At Miss Ohio" stuck in my head after hearing Rosi Golan and Jake Phillips cover it this past Thursday. So here's a live version with Gillian Welch and David Rawlings joined by Sara and Sean Watkins, formerly of Nickel Creek.

Four-Banger

MARAH: One of my favorite bands, Marah, has been getting a bit of press lately – the lead singer, Dave Bielanko skewers his fans in an interview here, and is a bit more pensive here

USFL: I’m digging SI’s “25 Things We Miss In Football”

YORKE: Radiohead’s got a new studio cut out, “Harry Patch (In Memory Of),” and it’s available as a free download from the band’s online store here

STRAIGHT UP: I can’t believe Paula is leaving Idol, by the way - she brought a bit of much-needed humanity to the judges’ table to balance out Simon’s coldness and Randy’s ever-decreasing library of adjectives.

Fairfax Rap

Looks like Fairfax has a response to Remy's "Arlington Rap."

Julian Velard @ DC9 8/6

Julian Velard from BANM Music on Vimeo.

One of my favorite singer/songwriters, Julian Velard, will be in town this Thursday night, August 6th. Though he spends most of his time across the pond in Europe, he's on a US tour, and he'll be bringing his delicious Lou Rawlsy, smoky vocals and jazzy piano skills to DC9 in DC (natch).

A Talk With Arlo

The 40th anniversary of Woodstock is this month, and I got to interview Arlo Guthrie about his memories of the festival and more. Check it out here. He's warm and kind-sounding on the phone, and he's releasing a new album of a lost tape of a 1969 Long Island show that took place just prior to Woodstock. Here's a clip from his Woodstock performance above...

A Case of the Fridays (Monday Edition)

We kick off an early edition of A Case of the Fridays with “Autumn” from Sparks the Rescue (above). Yup, I’ve still jonesing for power-pop, and this track is providing my fix this week, with those tightly-harmonized irresistibly-catchy choruses. If you like what you hear, they’ll be at Jammin Java in Vienna, VA, this Tuesday, August 5th.

MP3: Autumn – Sparks the Rescue

And we close out this week’s entry with some Gary Jules. Now he might be well-known for his cover of Tears For Fears’ “Mad World,” but he does have songs of his own, and chances are he’ll be performing quite a few of those this Saturday, August 8th at Jammin Java.

MP3: Mad World – Gary Jules and Michael Andrews

Paul McCartney - Live @ FedEx Field

I saw Paul McCartney last night, and it was pretty damn cool - here's a couple videos from the show (not shot by me)...



Here's a nice version of "Something" that Paul dedicated to George Harrison. Paul started off on solo ukelele, and the arrangement built up gradually to an electric guitar solo.



And here's a nice rocking "Get Back." I think that's one of the first Beatles songs (of many) I remember loving as a kid.