Martin Solveig - Hits in 2010 and 2009

You know Martin Solveig? The guy who's got that song "Hello" that sounds like "Paper Planes" remixed that people have been spinning and gushing about for the last few months?

Martin Solveig feat. Dragonette - "Hello"

Well, he had a hit in 2009 called "Boys & Girls" too that sounds wholly original and is pretty damn catchy. I dusted it off for my end of the year shenanigans and think you should too. Here's the music video...the girl in it kind of looks like the actress from Tank Girl, right?

Ditto & SMD Preview

Beth Ditto and Simian Mobile Disco are working on an EP and here is a tasty preview.

Beth Ditto EP preview by Deconstruction Records

I just want the damn EP already. Anything Beth Ditto gets me fired up. It would be the perfect Christmas present.

Indie Rock & Rap Mix at Echoplex

I'm definitely going to have to check out the Black Crystal Wolf Kids simply because they sound like they are fun and judging from youtube, are clearly a cover band of the latest indie songs of yesteryear.

Doing their best attempt at Black Keys "Tighten Up" while performing as an opener for Busdriver at Echoplex last Thursday - the Kids get a dosage of hip-hop flavor from Culver City's Verbs and New Jersey's Kosha Dillz.

Toot It and Boot It (Remix) Video Shoot - Behind The Scenes Footage

Official Behind The Scenes - Toot It N Boot It (remix) from YungScientists on Vimeo.

My dudes Chucky Skywalker and Anthony with Yung Scientists shot this at the Toot It and Boot It Remix Video Shoot with YG, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent and E-40. Check it out...

Last Week In Music

This past week of music was pretty supergood by most standards. As far as what I actually saw - the week in reverse....

Thursday I witnessed a special funk fueled cover laden performance by Soulive with guests Nigel Hall (vocalist) and Karl Denson (saxophone/flute - Karl Denson's Tiny Universe, Greyboy All-Stars, Lenny Kravitz). With covers from Beatles to Hendrix, scat and flute battles, Eric Krasno's (guitar) fingers and Alan Evans (drums) arms moving faster than lightning and a wide catalogue to choose from - the funk was heavy and fun was had at The Roxy.

Wednesday I went to see Kosha Dillz at Key Club. It was a Sean Healy Presents local hip-hop event, with east coaster Dillz being the exception. Kosha busted tracks from his unreleased 2nd album, as well as a few cuts from Beverly Dillz, while he taped scenes for his music video "L.A. Ish." Verbs even guested with Kosha during his famous object freestyle. While Dillz was the most memorable of the performers - Foci and Flamez were also worth watching.

Tame Impala with Liza Richardson at Echoplex (for the unaware - Liza is a local DJ and a top notch music supervisor for programs like Friday Night Lights) was something I regrettably missed due to work and illness........umph dat!

Saturday night I caught a freestyle battle at Trip. I saw Verbs and ran into Kosha Dillz, who'd just come into town from Chi-city. Foci, people from One Nation Hip Hop Summit, a grip of characters from the underground LA hip-hop scene and plenty of MCs hungry for a piece of the microphone were all in attendance too. The action was fierce and I wish I'd had my flip cam to capture it. Kosha Dillz broke things up in the middle of the battle with an inspiring set that included his famous object freestyle.

I caught The Bad Plus at The Mint on Friday night. The room is always a cozy venue - but Friday it was over saturated. You never know what you might get with Bad Plus - and on this night, I felt they explored a lot sonically. While each member of the trio are great instrumentalists, it wasn't for my mood. I was hoping for something more aggressive and patterned - a few more "Smells Like Teen Spirit" - esque covers as opposed to Ornette Coleman ones.

Looking forward to the week ahead, but more importantly - looking forward to some sleep. The Concert Blast will be in your e-mail box in a few hours.

Thanks to The Roxy, The Mint, Key Club, Trip and all the staff at those establishments for making this week in music a happy and safe one for me.

Aloe Blacc on Jimmy Fallon Tonight w/ THE ROOTS

Got this info in a press release from the Do-Over clan.

TONIGHT: Thursday December 16th. Aloe Blacc performs with The Roots as his back-up band on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on NBC.

DVR is on it for sure! If you're not at some swanky industry holiday party tonight - watch ALOE BLACC with THE ROOTS live instead.

Did you know Aloe's music is already going GOLD in Europe? #truth - Good Things is a GOOD ALBUM!

http://www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com/

KOSHA DILLZ and his "L.A. Ish" on SUNSET

Its no mystery that I'm a fan of Kosha Dillz - he is a white, jewish MC that can spit. He is like everything I wanted to be when I was 13 years old but never became (my rap career ended with a brief stint as an MC in the group Dopamine n' Potassium; we only performed in Ann Arbor, MI).

You can see the better of the two of us take the stage at Key Club tonight (buy tickets here). Kosha, from New Jersey, will be headlining the Sean Healy Presents night at the Sunset venue - showcasing his east coast talents amongst a plethora of West coast emcees, including Foci.

If you're a fan of real hip-hop - a Kosha Dillz performance is where you should be. He is quintessential real hip-hop - multiple incarcerations, war stories, trials and tribulations and persevering through it all because he was hungry to rap and had to rap because he was hungry. Now, he's not going hungry being a rapper - but his star is still rising and he is the sort of tenured rapper still looking for their big break.

With a character in NBA 2K11, a Yacht vs. Kosha Dillz mixtape, Freestyle vs. Written with C-Rayz Walz, and the Beverly Dillz full length album, produced by Belief, that spawned at least 2 MTV music videos - Kosha Dillz pot is damn near ready to boil over with blow up potential. It doesn't hurt that he's out here shooting scenes for his music video "L.A. Ish" - the third potential MTV video from Dillz, as well as working on tracks and other content for his forthcoming full length tentatively titled "Garage Sale."

Come to the Key Club and help fuel this jewish pickle's artistry - you may even end up in that content or "L.A. Ish" - depending on how you act. I want to make a cameo in it, so you'll find me there. If you buy a ticket and come give a SUPERGOOD shout out when you're there - I'll do my best to make sure you're in some footage too.

Pictures all courtesy of Daron Jackson - whoizhephotos@gmail.com

Movin' Like Berney

This song certainly would have been beating out the subwoofers in my trunk in high school, but now it just makes my computer shake, inviting my girlfriend and clients to wobble walk in the SUPERGOODMUSIC office. When was the last time you moved like Bernie?

Baby Digs Dog Days

@stephiebri put me on to this video, which had somehow escaped me. Babies loving music always makes me happy - especially this one spazzing in his car seat to Florence & The Machine's "Dog Days Are Over."

CHECK YO PONYTAIL 2 #2 IS TONIGHT!!!!!!

It is hard to believe it has only been two weeks since the re-inauguration of Check Yo Ponytail. CYP2 returned raucously - backed by Media Contender and IHEARTCOMIX, with a headlining performance from Midnight Juggernauts. They aren't slowing down at all with this weeks installment.

To make sure all the heads return to the room - they've returned a fortnight later and recruited Big Freedia to make sure there is "Azz Everywhere" at the Echoplex. If you don't already have plans - you would be foolish not to consider going. Pipes, Hawnay Troof, Rusty Lazer and Papparazzi also perform.

And.....if you aren't extremely lazy - you can participate in our ticket giveaway and you might win a pair of tickets. You can enter on twitter (mention @supergoodmusic & @checkyoponytail) on facebook (go to our page and make a CYP2 Related Comment) or e-mail contest@supergoodmusic.com. Winners will be notified in the early afternoon.

WHIP IT COCKATOO!

Have you seen this bird get down to Willow Smith? Can you whip your neck like that? I can't.

Odd Modern's Playful "Wallflowers"

Local electro indie duo Odd Modern is back at it again with the cool music videos, this time with 'Wallflower.'

In the absence of a famous person cameo (Steve O was in their "Contrary to Popular Belief" vid) - the duo had to step up their cinematography a notch to generate a similar buzz. S0 what's the video got? Warehouse? Check. Choreographed dances? Check. Cool camera tricks? Check.

Certainly a fun effort from a band that gives away all of their music for free at www.oddmodern.com.

The driving synth, Gerardo's smooth drums and Vanina's pretty voice provide the musical backdrop after their dance coordinator walks you through how exactly to do the "Wallflower." While not every person in L.A. will have what it takes to bust out the Wallflower - the 8 point moves aren't too complex and the only way you'll learn 'em is by watching this video...

The Wallflowers by Odd Modern from Gerardo Herdstagerd on Vimeo.

Vanaprasta Show & Giveaway

This Thursday there are a handful of shows on my radar screen - but when it comes to indie rock, Vanaprasta, Hanni El Khatib and Rumspringa at The Echo are my top pick.

You may have heard Hanni El Khatib with Florence & The Machine at The Wiltern in early November, or heard music from Vanaprasta's Forming The Shapes EP on KROQ or KCRW or at Spaceland or Silverlake Lounge, or heard Rumspringa open for a handful of other local indie talent - but you've probably never had them all in the same room on the same night.

Vanaprasta & Sideways Media are giving you the chance to do that for FREE through our ticket giveaway. You could be the lucky winner of a pair of tickets AND also a limited edition 7 inch. Not only will you get too enjoy their sexy sounds at The Echo, you'll get to continue enjoying it on your record player post performance!

To enter the contest just send an e-mail to contest@supergoodmusic.com with the word Vanaprasta in the subject or body of the e-mail. You can also enter by making a post on our facebook page or mentioning @supergoodmusic @vanaprasta and @sidewaysmedia in a tweet.

If the opportunity to cop some limited edition vinyl and see good tunes from an LA band like Vanaprasta isn't enough to convince you to come - have you seen Hanni El Khatib? Hanni killed it with Flo early in November with a stripped down indie nostalgia-inducing sound that I really dig. You can really feel that in Hanni's "Dead Wrong" video:

LMA ONLY TODAY - HEADLINERS NOT REALLY PLAYING

The festival is currently going on - but it is extremely different than advertised on the flyer.

There are about 60 vendors and a handful of artists, but not really any of the headliners. Instead the organizers are putting on an event on Monday - Hey Champ, Money Penny, Team Bayside High, American Royalty at Dragonfly.

I'm not going to confirm it is a go yet - but, the organizers seemed enthusiastic about the line up and are just trying to salvage something from a festy that really hasn't popped off as planned.

LMA SHORTENED, SOME TALENT NOT PLAYING - BUT ALL FREE!

I unfortunately received this message a little more than an hour ago -

Subject: Important announcement for LMA fest

Hello friends, unfortunately we are announcing that the featured talent of LMA FEST has been postponed. However, the Charity Fundraising HOLIDAY FAIR will be FREE and will still feature the CA ART VILLAGE, LOCAL BANDS/DJS & FOOD TRUCKS at the LA STATE HISTORIC PARK on Sat, Dec.4th & Sun, Dec. 5th. All tickets will be refunded. We'd like to thank everyone involved with the LMA FEST movement. We appreciate your support and love. If you have any questions feel free to contact me.

Love Music Art :)

-Jr Dominguez

While this unfortunately means that many of the headlining acts that people would've paid to see are not performing - FREE music and FAIR atmosphere at LA State Historic Park isn't so bad. Throw in the Saturday night afterparty at Standard's Purple Lounge with Hey Champ, Money Penny, Team Bayside High, Bit Funk & Hemingway and you've got a party (2 for 1 drinks from 10-11 pm too).

Red Bull Music Academy Presents: Culture Clash w/ SMOG, Dim Mak, Stones Throw & Dub Club

Tonight, LA plays host to the U.S. Debut of Red Bull Music Academy's Culture Clash event. Taking place at Exchange - 4 of the hottest music troupes representing Los Angeles, Dim Mak, Stones Throw, SMOG and Dub Club hit stages for a certainly epic night.

The atmosphere will be competitive as the scene-sters compete over the course of four rounds, (although the competition will likely be friendlier than tonight's Cavs vs. Heat post "Decision" match up). For each round, the crowd will register their vote(s) on a handful of criteria - including measured cheers and applause. After warming up their respective stages with 15 minute set, the first round will judge the musicians ability to "select" the right tunes. The second round focuses on the entertainment factor and is expected to feature special guests. The third round stretches the musicians knowledge of other genres - having them stretch from their traditional outfits. The fourth (and final) round, also known as the "banger round," requires the music teams to bring their most raucous sets and baddest tunes to win over the crowd.

The night will be hosted by MC Commander - who will lead Dim Mak (electro), Dub Club (roots reggae), Smog (dubstep) and Stones Throw (funk/soul/hip-hop) through their battles over their respective soundsystems. For those unfamiliar with traditional sound clashes, each collective supplies their own sound system for the event.

With staple LA resident DJ artists like Them Jeans (Dim Mak Tuesdays), Thee Mike B (Cannonball Sundays at Drais), DJ Fashen (Cannonball Sundays at Drais), Tom Chasteen (Dub Club), Roy Corduroy (Dub Club), Dam Funk (Funkmosphere) - you know the music will be the sort of stuff that keeps LA crowds moving. Throw in some more name brand artists like 12th Planet (Smog), Peanut Butter Wolf (Stones Throw), Craze (Smog), Mayer Hawthorne (Stones Throw) and whomever Dim Mak's special guest is (or guests are) and you've got one hell of a show.

Don't miss it. Buy tickets here. (UPDATE: 10:40 am - TICKETS ARE SOLD OUT)

And, FYI, cop your tickets now because I heard it might sell out! If for some reason you can't make it, but you want to check out some DJ mashed music - DJ Quickie Mart plays his last show at Air Conditioned Lounge on Lincoln Blvd. in Venice.

DJ Rocking out to Fitz & The Tantrums

I love how excited this DJ is. This is why there is no substitute to music. Nothing ignites you like a song that you just feel....and this DJ is FEELING "Moneygrabber."

Leftover Cuties (We're Talking About The Band)

With a name like Leftover Cuties, your first inclination might be to think some LA douchebag is referring to what he considers to be the remaining ladies (or males - depending on your orientation...or even your gender) at the end of the night. Clever name. I won't be the next Los Angeleno to use the term in public because, one, I'm not a douchebag, and two, someone will be saying it to refer to the band that is playing at The Hotel Cafe tonight in Hollywood, CA.

You may have heard Leftover Cuties on the opening credits of Showtimes's "The Big C" or you might have checked them out over at www.leftovercuties.com or at Casa del Mar Hotel in Santa Monica. Where you should hear them next is kicking off your December 2010 tonight. Why?

As young scenester journalist Lauren Lomma said "the lead singer is a petite but soulful woman full of 1920's Hollywood glamour and pipes comparable to Billie Holiday's. Her voice is sultry, sweet and absolute perfection. ... Leftover Cuties have the kind of sound that will take you straight back into the old days of blues and jive, smoking parlors, and speakeasies."

After seeing them cover songs like "At Last" and "Poker Face" at their weekly gig at Casa del Mar Hotel, the perfect backdrop to their old school, Boardwalk Empire feel - Lomma urged me and all SUPERGOODMUSIC readers to go see them at The Hotel Cafe. The band - despite their laid-back, humble demeanor and old school feel - employ a worldly combination of instruments to back the big bodied vocals, including trumpet, trombone, ukelele, maracas, stand up bass, drums and piano.

So, if you go, thank the Lommabot (@lomfry3) for the recommendation and cheers her with a glass of fine Scotch - SUPERGOOD's suggested drink pairing (we're also music sommeliers). If you can't make it there tonight, then check them out on www.leftovercuties.com.

post by Brandon Dorsky & Lauren Lomma