Thursday, July 28, 2011

Watch The Throne Announcement Coming MONDAY

Hova and Yeezy are just too popular. The Watch The Throne tour announcement had so many people jumping out the box that they are adding dates and modifying routing.


As a result of the juggling - the schedule will be re-announced on Monday with changes and the presales officially start August 2nd.


You all know this will sell out...and quickly. So get on your grind and make arrangements to get tickets. Find your friend with a Citi card because they will have presale access beginning August 3rd, well in advance of the public on sale on August 8th via Ticketmaster.com and Livenation.com.


Jack's Sixth Show Line Up Announcement


Tickets go on sale this morning for a rather unique line up sponsored by 93.1 Jack FM. Jack's Sixth Show - which takes place at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre on September 10, 2011 features Def Leppard as the headliner - with support from Heart, Everclear, Dramarama, Marcy Playground and the booty master himself, Sir-Mix-A-Lot.

Part of the revenue from each ticket sold with go toward Talk About Curing Autism.


The Jack FM presale starts at 10 am today with general public on sale on Friday.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Blast Supplement

A series of shows that are off the beaten path were unfortunately left out of this weeks LA Concert Blast. Since we like to make sure you are most in the know about local music happenings - make sure you consider these events when making your plans Thursday thru Sunday.

Thursday, July 28th there is the Beat Fighter Music Producer Showcase that sees a handful of producers square of at Three Clubs in Hollywood, including DJ Abel, DJ Jawa, Jamie. L, The Alumni, Pakman and Gyfted.

Saturday Three Clubs hosts a glam rock dance party with Kate Crash, Purple Crush, Baron Von Luxury, DJ New Berlin, Ming Vauze and Dylan Gray.

For something outside of the clubs and concert venues, but nonetheless geared towards music, you might want to check out the Vortex Immersion Dome at 1201 West 5th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90017. From 9 pm - 2am on Saturday night, the RECESS event presented by Thinking About Tomorrow kicks off.

The fundraiser benefits youth education in L.A. by inviting adults out for fun and play - including an open bar, a DJ dance party inside the jungle gym dome that features 360 degree graphic video projections, tether ball pole dancing and live music in the HopScotch lounge.

To keep the beats bumping properly, the RECESS team recruited the likes of Sleeper, DJ Lou E. Bagels, Dj Christi Mills for the jungle-gym dome and Paul Chesne Band and Mansion on the Moon for the Hopscotch lounge. You can learn more about this special community enriching event at http://thinkingabouttomorrow.org/back-to-school/.

On Sunday, the Leimert Park Artwalk bustles for the Project Blowed event featuring Malik The Freq, Johnny Smell, Sanghai Empire, Substance, Mellow Society and DJ Lord Ron. Its free - so thats one less excuse to miss it!

Afroman at Pacific Festival

Although best remembered for his Grammy nominated "Because I Got High" record, Afroman's "Colt 45" was another anthem when I was in college. It never achieved the chart topping status of the former - but I do hope he performs the latter at Pacific Festival!


Afroman - Colt 45 by bobbypulanu

By the way, enter our Pacific Festival Ticket giveaway contest by tweeting out @supergoodmusic @pacificfestival and mentioning a reason you want to go to the Festival!

R.I.P. Amy Winehouse

A great talent died this past week and joined the 27 club. This video captures some of the things that made Amy Winehouse great....



Can anyone confirm or deny the rumors that there are two to three tracks she did with Questlove and Raphael Saadiq? If its true - I want to hear those!

Monday, July 25, 2011

BTB Review of Hood Internet @ Troubadour


This is a guest post submitted by Zachary Siegal-Eisman of BeforeBigs.com from Friday's show at The Troubadour featuring The Hood Internet and Wallpaper.


Arriving at Troubadour around 9:40, it was about 5 minutes into The Hood Internet's set and immediately I noticed how almost everybody was dancing and had their hands in the air. Although only 1/2 of The Hood Internet was present for the show, he still got the party started with upbeat mashups displaying his ear for mixing hip-hop vocals with instrumentals from a song in a completely different genre.


Here's one of my favorites which I enjoyed hearing live.


The Hood Internet - Good Ol' Fashion Rump Shaker (Beastie Boys x Matt & Kim)

The headliner was electronica/dance hip-pop group Wallpaper.


REST OF POST REMOVED AT REQUEST OF WALLPAPER.'S REPRESENTATION.

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Hoodie Allen - "The Chase Is On"

Its really nice to see the wealth of catchy hip-hop music being dumped on our ears this summer. With "Otis" being released recently it feels like there is about to be a return to classic sampling and less than wack commercial hip-hop. One of the up and comers we like is Hoodie Allen. Check out his latest "The Chase Is On" ....

Friday, July 22, 2011

EXPANSION TONIGHT





Upscale electronic entertainment is back again with the third installment of Expansion at Hummingbird Nest ranch. With two successful events under their belt at two different parts of the property - Project Sweatshop and The Service Company are stepping it up a notch with more artists, more artwork and more fun invading the estate oasis in Simi Valley.



This month Free The Robots headline the affair, with support from Stephan Jacobs, who just brought proper tuneage to El Rey Theatre on Saturday night, as well as Low Limit from Laser Sword, Josh One, Wally Callerio, Kid Chameleon and more.



Come a little north and out on the 118 to experience the next level electronic event offerings. It is like an Insomniac event but without all the teenagers and people OD'd. It is like an event with really good electronic music and a level of sophistication. Basically, an electronic music event not to be missed. Plus, it takes place under the stars and you can actually see them!

Y Luv at Silverlake Lounge (By Converse Rockstar)

Last night probably constitutes one of the strangest shows I have ever been to. Of course, that was mostly because of the crowd rather than the band.



When I arrived at the venue just before the first opening band started, there must have been no more than five people there. Then, when Metal Mother played, the crowd swelled a little bigger (about 30 people). And that's when the strangest thing happened - just before Y Luv took the stage, most of the crowd left.



Even if that crowd couldn't appreciate good music, I'm glad I was there to enjoy the show.


The set was short, but sweet. After all, Y Luv only has one EP out. But even with the small crowd, they certainly had fun playing and they did it with as much energy as if they were playing in front of a packed venue. And don't let the fact that the crowd was small deter you from listening to Y Luv's music or seeing them live.


While they seemed to have some problems with the keyboards, they took on a show-must-go-on attitude and powered through the set, enjoying every minute that they were on stage. Lead singer Freddy Janney has a unique, raspy voice that gave the otherwise smooth music an interesting edge. While Y Luv still has a little ways to go before they become the seasoned live performers that I know they are capable of becoming, they have more skill and potential than a lot of world-famous bands I have seen in the past.

The set ended with "Never Touch The Ground," my favorite song from Y Luv. It's a beautiful and infectious and it was a perfect ending to the set. You can listen to the song below:


Never Touch The Ground by Y LUV


Make sure to buy Y Luv's EP, How Chill Can You Let Go, and check out their music and more info about them at their site.



Review by Chantelle

Chris Webby at Key Club (Review)


This is my first post on SUPERGOODMUSIC, so thought I would let you know a little about what I enjoy about attending music shows - I love when I see people moving around, specifically if they are waving their arms in the air, dancing or just singing along.


I have always had mixed feelings with Chris Webby, consistently going back and forth with following him on twitter. However seeing him live at The Key Club on Wednedsay, my feelings sort of stayed the same. I hate to like the kid, but he's a good rapper.


At times being among the all ages crowd made me feel like I was seeing Chris "Baby" instead of Webby but the kid can hold his own with catchy songs like "I Need A Dollar" and "La La La". However he also lost interest in me and other fans when he played "ADD" and the songs that followed. His other highlights might have been the support he had on stage with R & B vocalist Miss Deja doing hooks on a couple tracks and DJ Semi opening/hyping Webby up with a quick 3-5 minute DJ set.


Overall Webby had real good stage presence, got the crowd engaged several times but also had some yawners during his hour long set. Yet, I found some new favorites after hearing him perform. So if I had to put a value on his performance, I would say it would be worth seeing Chris Webby for $15 or less. Here's three of my favorites Webby performed.



Mac Miller - I Need A Dollar ft. Mac Miller

Chris Webby - Get Down ft. OnCue

Chris Webby - La La La


post by Zach Siegal Eisman (BeforeTheBigs.com)

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Pusha T feat. Tyler The Creator - "Trouble On My Mind"

Shot in Los Angeles with the wild child of the OFWGKTA crew - Tyler, The Creator in a cast and Pusha T of The Clipse. Kind of an interesting video and I definitely like the horn in the hook.

Infantree - Free at Pershing Square Tonight

Infantree are a friendly, enjoyable indie Americana folk band hailing from Los Angeles. They've made a bit of moves on the festival circuit this summer, including a performance at Bonnaroo in June. They bring their flavor to the Pershing Square tonight as part of the FREE Downtown Stage Summer Concert Series.

Check out their videos for 'Oil Can' and 'Mourning Glory.'



"Black & Jewish" - Jewish Parody of Wiz

This is hilarious. Found it on Funny or Die this morning.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Chasing Kings - "Empathy"

From a performance at The Central SAPC to the Echo to a video post on Buzzbands LA - it has been a busy 24 hours for Los Angeles locals Chasing Kings. Hopefully this video for "Empathy" helps the rest of the country (and world) feel these Kings...

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Hip-Hop Artists On Their E-Mail Grind

Every once in a while you got to give love to those hip hop hustlers that are on their e-mail grind (or have people on their e-mail grind). We're constantly giving love to Kosha Dillz, who is just on the grind everywhere and always. Just in case you don't know about him, check out his website Kosha Dillz World and also peep this track, "Echi Ani Olech," off of his Gina & The Garage Sale EP. He spits in three different languages on that one.

Another hard grinding MC (who rolls with Dillz sometimes) is Verbs or Verbsisthehomie. He just dropped a wicked ill track "Feelings Get In The Way." He spit it at Knocksteady in this video, but you can just cop the download. He makes personalized CDs with his own illustrations - well worth the cash he is peddling them for.



Then there is Weapons of Audio - who are not from LA, but are moving to LA. They hail most recently from Atlanta and some of that southern fried flavor can be heard in their music. Their track "If You Want Me" was downloaded over 19,000 times in June and is still in my rotation. I'm definitely looking forward to catching their first ever Los Angeles performance, whenever that is...


Other MCs on their grind include JAMS. You might not know it because it isn't the first thing that turns up in a Google search for JAMS, but homeboy has somebody who was sending me e-mails and I'm glad I opened this one up. Coming out of Chicago - I gave the dude a chance, and was able to get past the fact that these look like some kids from my high school trying to make a rap video where they look hard. Just because I think their fashion choices don't fit their white suburban, I've never seen a gun or been through a fire look doesn't mean "Through The Fire" featuring Bradley Bacci isn't a good song. It is worth listening to and the video does have train tracks (thats a + in my book).




Friday, July 15, 2011

Eli James - Spanking Skin....Drum Skins

If you've been hip to the underbelly of the L.A. scene, found yourself at the Sunset Jubilee in May (not the Silverlake Jubilee) or you've got a constant hankering for drums - you might be familiar with the artist Eli James. If not, you're response to an Eli James question might just be "Who the fuck is Eli James?"


Well, this below video should do a lot more justice to explaining that than the words I write - but suffice it to say James is part of a new breed of musicians. More than just a drummer - he is a multi-talented DJ, engineer, storyteller and performer. A one-man, skin beating, bass drum stomping, dance floor wrecking drummer.



With LED lights synched to his kit, a James performance is a total sensory experience. Its also a walk through pop nostalgia as he pops off personalized live remixes of chart toppers like Kanye West, Katy Perry, Nine Inch Nails and more. He takes his sensory overloading performance around the country this summer starting next week when he kicks off his Pump Up The Jam Tour 2011 in San Antonio, TX that ultimately delivers him to Los Angeles and the Sunset Strip for the esteemed Sunset Strip Music Festival where he will play Friday night at The Viper Room and Saturday on the main block.


PUMP UP THE JAM TOUR 2011

Date City Venue
July 19 San Antonio, TX Boneshakers
July 20 Austin, TX Beauty Bar
July 21 Houston, TX Super Happy Fun Land
July 22 New Orleans, LA TBD*
July 23 Birmingham, AL The Nick
July 25 Atlanta, GA Eastside Lounge
July 27 Worcester, MA Lucky Dog Music Hall
July 29 NYC, NY Pianos
July 31 Philadelphia, PA Dockside Bar
Aug 3 Madison, WI The Frequency
Aug 5 St Louis, MO 2720 Cherokee**
Aug 6 Warrensburg, MO 400 Bar
Aug 11 Denver, CO Moe's Tavern
Aug 13 Las Vegas, NV Artifice
Aug 19 West Hollywood, CA The Viper Room - SSMF
Aug 20 West Hollywood, CA Sunset Strip Music Festival

** playing with Freq Nasty


Check out these other drum driven remakes by James!








Thursday, July 14, 2011

Asher Roth - "Summertime"

White boy rapper summer anthems are back. Beaches, herbal references, hot tubs and pretty women. Certainly sounds like ingredients for a hip-hop video. Check out the latest from Asher Roth...

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Madeon is Girl Talk 2.0

Check out this video and judge for yourself. Madeon takes ideology from Gregg Gillis' crazy mixology, but updates the sound with a focus more on current music than some of the older gems that Girl Talk includes in his mixes. I was officially convinced I have to see Madeon around two minutes and fifteen seconds in when he dropped some Gossip.

Festival Food Scenes (Get Hungry for Outside Lands!)




Its now the middle of the summer and festival season is about halfway through. With a handsome handful of festivals under my belt (SXSW, Coachella, Wakarusa, Bonnaroo, Electric Forest Festival and Camp Bisco), I can safely say that I've got a pretty accurate picture of what's going on in the 2011 Festival Scene. And with Lollapalooza, Outside Lands, Pacific Festival, Sunset Strip Music Festival, Sunset Junction, North Coast Music Festival, ACL and De Luna Music Festival that snapshot is going to continue to evolve.


While there have been some changes in the chemistry of music line-ups, and the emergence of some new acts, those are to be expected. Yet one of the surprises of this festival season has been some of the changes in the way food and beverages are offered at some of these events, most noticeably with certain festivals really stepping the game up in terms of the food service they provide.


To date, Bonnaroo and Coachella have been the most impressive - with Bonnaroo definitely carrying the torch. Whereas Coachella's choice offerings were only in VIP and limited to the Cool Haus truck and a Fish Taco truck (there were also food trucks at the satellite parties), the Bonnaroo trucks in the Food Truck Oasis were accessible to all.


The organizational team behind Bonnaroo clearly committed themselves to upping the ante on the quality of food and succeeded in their mission by hosting six food trucks. The proof was in the pudding, or rather - the lack thereof, as many of those trucks ran out of inventory on the last day. Demand exceeded supply.


I had the privilege of sitting down with Kerry Woods, one of the men behind Superfly and Bonnaroo, and the man instrumental in bringing the Food Truck Oasis to Manchester, TN. Over some grass-fed, seriously delicious burgers, make you salivate meatballs and brisket sliders -


Sliders - Gastro Pub

Kerry gave me a rundown of how the festival's culinary offerings have evolved and where he hopes to see things go in the future. What few may know is that some of the upgrades had been tested at Outside Lands Festival in San Francisco, where quality wine and food has been a focus of the event since its inauguration. Although we did not get to sample everything in our food truck rendezvous - Kerry did have this to say about the Good You's "Best Burger."


From the Best Burger, we powered through some meatballs from the Eatbox truck. With a tip box as sexy as theirs and some crafty meatball themed concoctions - how could we not?




All in all, the food truck oasis was a big hit. I went there multiple times, sampled food from every truck other than the taco truck (the lines were always so long) and always left more satisfied than if I'd had traditional festival fare. Look for the same event production team at Outside Lands Festival to carry the kitchen torch one step further with wine and food offerings that are likely to be as pleasing as the amazing music line-up they already have slated. If you are looking for all of your senses to be stimulated, I strongly recommend heading the the next festival curated by the fine people of Superfly Productions and Big Hassle Media - Outside Lands taking place August 12-14th.


Buy tickets to Outside Lands here.


Eddie Vedder Breaks Long Beach's Cherry



Eddie Vedder did something he hadn’t done in his twenty-year career last Wednesday night and it had nothing to do with his diverse variation of setlists or wide range of guests he has played with in the past. Up until this point, neither Eddie nor Pearl Jam had ever played a show in Long Beach.


With a vast demographic of Pearl Jam faithful getting out of work early and making the trek from all over southern California, The Terrace Theater hosted something far different than the symphony crowd it’s used to. Even though the capacity crowd was capped at 3,000 people, bar lines backed up as the Pearl Jam faithful scrambled for a buzz to ease their nerves following Glen Hansard’s opening act. The loyal Ten Club fan base had no idea what to expect and where Eddie was going to go with the show, and a mixture of excitement and nervous anticipation was collectively felt from the orchestra to the balcony.


As seats filled and everyone waited for Eddie’s emergence, Hansard owned the stage and was an unexpected treat to those unaware of his talents, and his cover of Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks drew whistles and cheers that echoed and resonated for minutes. After his encore, the patience of everyone seemed to collectively dissipate as intermission dragged on. Then the curtain rose and Eddie emerged solo, like a grizzled veteran singing songs around a campfire. No one can replicate the feeling you get when Eddie takes the stage. It makes your skin sizzle.


Like Eddie frequently does, he opened by playing the meat of his new album, Ukulele Songs. After opening with Can’t Keep, he transitioned into Sleeping by Myself. You could smell heartbreak in the air, and anyone who has heard Ukulele Songs and pays attention to the lyrics of one of the greatest songwriters of our generation knows his latest album screams of love lost and times of emotional turmoil. Eddie attested to this in between songs and then proceeded to thank the audience for attending his first ever show in Long Beach. In recent years it seems he’s stopped his political preaching, and he played an intimate show based on emotion and feeds off the energy and awe of the die-hard crowd.


Eddie started to play Goodbye, another somber melody off of Ukulele songs but he forgot the chords. Instead of regrouping like he normally does, he admitted failure, laughed it off, and moved on to the next song. The crowd giggled with forgiveness and everyone anticipated hearing at least a few of their Pearl Jam favorites. Eddie sat on stage surrounded by instruments and there was nothing but pure beauty and admiration as he played his heart out. His voice has grown better with age, and years of smoking cigarettes and drinking seem to have only added to the soul and tone of a legend.


Eddie picked up a Stratocaster and began playing Brain Damage, a cover by Pink Floyd. Finally he cracked into the Pearl Jam catalogue and played Sometimes, a slow and deep PJ classic that suited this set perfectly. He slowed it down even further by playing I Am Mine and Thumbing My Way, both off of Riot Act and although the Pearl Jam song choices weren’t the best it’s impossible to sit through his set without getting the chills.


Next up is Unthought Known, and he screamed at the end of the first verse and hit an octave only he can when he wailed, “Let the sky blanket you- with gems and rhinestones!” The song lifts a crowd when Pearl Jam plays it live, and it’s amazing how he toned it down and transitions the energy into an acoustic dream. A string quartet then joined him on stage and he surprised everyone by playing Lukin, a short, angry Pearl Jam cut as his temporary counterparts struggled to keep up as Eddie beat his guitar to hell. He then pulled a complete 180 and plays Just Breathe, a slow and well-versed instant classic off of Backspacer, Pearl Jam’s last album.


After a brief break Eddie emerged for his encore and treated the crowd to Elderly Woman. The place erupted first into cheers, then into a sing along as everyone embraced one of the classics that has defined Pearl Jam for nearly two decades. Glen Hansard joined him on stage and Eddie puts down the guitar as they work together on Falling Slowly, one of Hansard’s best that helped to put him on the map. Eddie then rocked out solo and gave the crowd what they want. His voice boomed and his guitar synched as he played Porch, a crowd favorite and one of the best Pearl Jam songs of all time.


As Eddie left the stage once again, anyone who had seen Pearl Jam knew the show wasn’t over. He emerged, this time amidst a sea of fog and a new backdrop and played Big Hard Sun with Hansard. The lights on the venue turned on in a cheesy attempt to replicate sunlight, but Eddie more than made up for it in his last choice of the night. He mentioned there might be a special guest in the building, and Mike McCreedy enters from the side stage. Pearl Jam’s lead guitar player joins him and they embrace as band members and brothers. If there is one way to close a show, it’s with Yellow Ledbetter. They do not disappoint.


Not a single person left unsatisfied, but Pearl Jam brats could argue that sets from previous nights were better. Off He Goes, an obvious choice for an acoustic set was left out but hey- Eddie does what he wants. His catalog at this point is lengthy to say the least, and he picks and chooses what suits the moment. He played for well over two hours and represented everything that is true about music.


He’s someone who appreciates his fans and plays to them, and the music world would be a different place without him. His voice will never falter, and his songs will always inspire. And as I departed and hit the 405 freeway back to Santa Monica, a bit of sadness washed over me knowing that I won’t see him again until their twentieth anniversary show in Alpine Valley, Wisconsin over Labor Day Weekend. It’s only a couple months away, but it’ll seem like years. That’s what Eddie does to you- he always leaves you wanting more.


Post by Rory Maloney


Thursday, July 7, 2011

Foster The People (SUPERGOODMUSIC Exclusive Remix) & Other Summer Gems (Kosha Dillz & Tic Tic Boom!)


It seems like light years ago that I predicted Foster The People’s smile music was the sound of the future. Having premiered “Pumped Up Kicks” in SUPERGOODMUSIC’s Concert Blast in early 2010 and claimed it would be the next big thing – its been validating seeing it rise up the charts.


The bands two consecutive sold out shows tonight and tomorrow at El Rey Theatre shouldn’t come as a surprise given their album Torches blazed to number 8 on the Billboard charts, the album moved over 50,000 units and “Pumped Up Kicks” climbed to #1 on the alternative charts. That said, the sell out happened long before those sales figures were in – perhaps a testament to the band's vast array of festival performances on the calendar (Coachella, Sasquatch, Glastonbury, Outside Lands, etc.) or their home grown hype fueled by not only our blog’s love, but support from influential stations like KROQ. BTW, if you dont have tickets to their show - they are doing an after party with the Dance Right crew at La Cita. RSVP if you want to get in.


If you were part of the clan that got tickets to the shows – then you’re in for a glance at one of today’s emerging electro indie rock dance-pop acts. Foster The People’s electro rock-pop (indie doesn’t befit a band signed to a subdivision of Columbia) performances bear clear influence from electronic bands like Miike Snow, Cut Copy and others, as do the directions of some of their remixes – including this exclusive SUPERGOODMUSIC hosted gem “Pumped Up Kicks (Polaris At Noon Remix).”


The intro keys portend the dreamy danceathon that explodes at forty-six seconds into the song and from there, the anti-hero jam takes flight. If PUK was the Song of Summer 2010 as we, BlackBookMag and countless other bloggers had suggested, this remix might just be the right rework of that hipster anthem – ready to bear the title of Song of Summer 2011.



For another local LA band that is pumping out music worthy of consideration (and are friends of Foster The People’s drummer Mark Pontius) check out Tic Tic Boom! Their latest release “Bees” is a cute little indie offering that is ripe for summer. Their recent acoustic performance on Hunnypot Radio turned a lot of ears and brought questions on when their acoustic EP will be recorded (soon) and when their next performances are (The Central SAPC on July 27th with Kissing Cousins and Correatown). If you have not checked this band out yet – visit their website at www.ticticboommusic.com and get "Bees" for free from their bandcamp page.


Also worthy of summer rotation, but of a totally different music vein, are Weapons of Audio's "If You Want Me" off of their Bipolar record and the just released RZA track that features new LA resident and rising hip-hop MC, Kosha Dillz as well as the legendary Kool G Rap. RZA dropped “Operator” on his facebook and soundcloud page for #WuWednesdays yesterday – giving crowds of heads a hot potato to marinate over after July 4th BBQs were officially over. The unexpected release of "Operator" came on the same day as Kosha's teaser for his documentary dropped that follows him through some of his trials and tribulations as one of the hardest working MCS in hip-hop.


Read more about Kosha Dillz on his website Kosha Dillz World.