Okay Then, Let's Do This

Enough hints and nods and ambiguous suggestions.

The new UPTO12.com is live. It really is.

Hopefully there's enough content there to keep you busy for a while. I'm probably a little more proud of it than I should be. There's a listening station where I'll feature my favorite tracks, a screening room to check out music videos and a central blahg that'll cover any range of subjects. This is a good thing. I'm excited. I hope you'll tolerate some of the bumps along the way. There's a little wonkiness in Firefox and I have no idea what it looks like in IE. (If you're using Internet Explorer, please please please stop. Just stop. Changing browsers will actually make the world a better place.)

The launch of the new UPTO12 universe does mean, however, that I won't be updating this cyberspace any more. I'll keep it live in case you're feeling nostalgic. And if you're still checking here... thank you. Seriously. It means a ton. More than you know.

Happy New Year.

-m.

"Guest Contributor"

So I finally had to take Kyality to task for his over-the-top Coldplay love. Just couldn't handle all the gushing any more. Slide on over to see what I had to say. It's way too long and probably not worth reading, but he'll love to see an extra three or four blibs on the Google analytics.

Big announcement coming in the next couple days. Seriously.

Well...

There's something on the horizon, but you know better than to trust me. Until I can deliver on a promise (?) that vague, visit Kyality. He craves the traffic and there are good odds that I'll be doing a little guest blahgging over in that next of the woods (got to set him straight about a few things). Anyway, if you're reading this, thanks for not giving up on me completely. Talk to you soon...

Okay, Now I'm Actually Crying

#93.3 - BON IVER - For Emma, Forever Ago
by lablogotheque

I'll Explain Soon, I Promise or Why Would You Ever Believe Me When I Say That?

The Swell Season

There's so much to be said about an evening with the Swell Season. But I think Glen Hansard likely said it all last Friday night. He told stories about ghostbusting exorcists. He rambled about the evils of malls—specifically the monstrous Gateway that functions as a home/neighbor to the Depot (I could go on and on about the amazing-ness of the Depot... such a wonderful venue). His best line of the night was a commentary on the mall's food court: "Airline food from every country? No thanks..."

It felt like we'd all wandered into a gigantic living room and Glen and the boys had grabbed a couple guitars, Marketa had settled in at the piano and we were in for an all-nighter. At points it seemed we'd get just that. Every song had a story or a there's-really-no-point-to-this introduction. We were old friends, catching up after a few years separated by the Atlantic. For those of you who have seen the show, it's something to appreciate. More than a few friends have remarked (none more realistically than D, though) that it's the kind of show that makes you want to leave your job and follow them around the country for a little while, buying scalped tickets and sleeping in your car.

Sadly, my videos (and the photos above) didn't turn out so great. I'll leave one here and you can click here to watch another and here for a final oh-no-my-batteries-are-dying clip. The sound is good even if the visuals are lacking. I suppose my final thought on the show is that, even though Glen and Mar and the rest of the crew never looked me in the eye and we never exchanged as much as an awkward "hey," I walked away with a new batch of Irish friends. If/when we bump into each other again, it'll feel like a another reunion and I'll half-expect a slap on the back and a pint of Guinness.



Also... Kyality has pointed out that approximately 90% of my posts arrive between 9:00am and 10:00am... and today maintains the trend. I guess that should tell you something about my work habits. I don't know if this is the appropriate place, but there's some news on that front coming soon. Then again, the six of you who read this probably already know...

Tonight's The Night

It takes a minute or two to load (or at least it is on my machine this morning), but it's so so so so worth it.

Once - When Your Mind's Made Up (studio)

La Blogotheque Keeps Bringing The Noise

I must've fallen asleep... there's no other possible explanation for my missing La Blogotheque recent addition of a new series of concert videos. Back On Stages features actual concert footage (a brilliant supplement to the music-in-the-streets approach of the Take Away Shows). I've had a hard time figuring out what other acts have been featured so far—the navigation on the site is exactly clear—but all I needed was this massive dose of Bon Iver to know that I needed to stay tuned.

There are five featured videos and each one is f-f-f-f-fantastic. The best part is that you can watch the relatively nice embedded versions or DOWNLOAD THE QUICKTIME FILES! (Click that nifty little "QuickTime" link below the player.) My personal fave: Lump Sum. Watch it now. You won't regret it.

Back On Stages #2 Bon Iver - Lump Sum
by lablogotheque

Program Your TiVos, Kids

It appears that VH1 (yeah, VH1... I'm dumbfounded, too) will broadcast a Radiohead show filmed in their basement recording studio this weekend. To be exact, it's scheduled for May 3 at midnight. Check your local listings and, if you're anything like me, set your digital video recording devices in case you fall asleep on the couch while trying to pry your eyelids open four hours past your customary bedtime (did I mention that I'm an old man?).

Here's a masterful preview clip of Reckoner—my favorite In Rainbows track. I know I've said it before, but I can't get over what charismatic performers the Radioheads actually are. It's continually mystifying to hear album tracks that may have originally sounded distant or slightly inhuman turned into full-blown, groovy rockers.


video.vh1.com

Let's Not Try To Figure Out Everything At Once

This is not a breaking-news blahg. Never has been. Probably never will be. More than anything, I guess, it's a personal-reaction-to-what's-out-there blahg. And that's just too much to keep track of. Anyway, I've loved Fake Empire from the first second I heard it way back when. If I had to pick between Boxer favorites, this opening track wins every time. This morning, the track knocked my socks off and nearly had me sobbing as I looked for my freeway exit. That's probably too much information, but today feels like the kind of day that's just chock full of too much information.

And that brings me to the point of this post. A few months back, Scott Cudmore dropped an absolutely stunning, ridiculously beautiful (but somehow unofficial) video for Fake Empire. You just have to see it to know what I'm gushing about. Also... I'm lamenting the fact that this YouTube version is the best embeddable player I could find... so please do yourself a favor and WATCH THE PRISTINE QUICKTIME CLIP HERE.

If you're just too lazy to click, this'll do (but I'm very very disappointed in you):

Scrub-a-Dub

I think I've mentioned before that upto12 headquarters is dialed into the Scrubs re-runs every night on channel 14. Typically, I'll catch one of the two back-to-back episodes around 10:30pm. There's something soothing about the show that helps me delete my mental cookies and settle in for a decent night's sleep. I can't totally put my finger on what exactly blew me away about the first two-plus minutes of last night's episode — but it featured Colin Hay's acoustic version of the Men At Work track, Overkill. If you haven't seen the entire episode, it's a good one (from Season 2, maybe? In fact... you may be able to watch it here...) and the magic of YouTube has put the Colin Hay montage at your fingertips. Give it a look. I'm relatively certain you'll be buying Overkill off iTunes within 4 minutes...



Also, the Colin Hay bit reminded me of the incredible Polyphonic Spree performance on another episode. I don't completely remember the backstory... but a patient at Sacred Heart wants to play with his band and somehow the good doctors work it out so the band shows up and the sickie gets to wave his tambourine. Mostly, the clip makes me sad that I never saw the Polyphonic Spree during the white-robe era. Again, at your fingertips:



The bottom line: I love Scrubs. And sometimes that love is rewarded with moments of musical crossover bliss. Something Kyality would call intertextual nuggetism. I watch Scrubs for a chuckle, but every now and again I get a bonus — Colin Hay, the Spree, Keri Russell...

In other news, there's some gossip floating around that Scrubs will show up with 18 more episodes on ABC next year. Strange, but good (very good) news.

Feist - Deer Valley - July 17

Uh. Yeah. My super-crush of the last 18 months (or is has it been longer?) is coming to town. Leslie Feist in the summertime on a mountainside. This could be enjoyable, right?


Info here. Pre-sale is on now, so get a move-on, kids.

I'm Not A Copycat, I Just Seem Like One

It feels as though I'm constantly biting the tires of SRO... and, honestly, there are worse things to be accused of. But the kind folks who run that music video site just posted the trailer for the long-awaited (by me, anyway) A Skin, A Night—a film about the National directed by Vincent Moon. I've praised Mr. Moon before for his work with the Take Away Shows and it's no surprise that my expectations are through the roof.

Watch the trailer:

A Skin, A Night Trailer
Uploaded by The National

A Few Quick Thoughts

If you haven't seen it, Pitchfork.tv launched yesterday. And (shocker), I kinda love it. The video quality is outstanding and the content is pretty deep for a site just getting off the ground. Take a few minutes and browse around if you've got the time and you're sure to find something you love. Everything is on-demand (duh...) and P-Fork even takes a few lighthearted stabs at their well-deserved, holier-than-thou, we-hate-everything-you-like reputation. On top of music videos and live performances, Pitchfork.tv also promises to air documentaries and other assorted, musically awesome stuff.

We've all suffered long enough in the void created by MTV's refusal to air music videos and/or any music related shows—and, while I don't know if this is the ultimate remedy, Pitchfork.tv seems to fill the void quite nicely. If you'd like to read the thoughts of folks who actually know what they're talking about, Creativity Online has a short Q&A with Ryan Schreiber, who started Pitchfork and is now heading up the .tv efforts. Our friends at SRO (who recently reminded us that they're "always angry, but sometimes [they] just keep it in check") also have their opinions.

In other news, I've added an imeem playlist to the sidebar. It's a major work in progress and this is my first stab at the embedded player. If you have suggestions for better widgets or whatever, let me know. I'm all ears. I'm also dropping it here in this post for kicks... mostly to see how it all works/looks and to explore some options for the future. Enjoy or something, yeah?

And On The Seventh Day...

Despite the nasty weather (seriously, snow in April... again?!), it's growing season for all who unite in the cause of mustacheosity. You probably remember the shenanigans from last year and this year promises to be better than ever. You can watch the progress and grasp the sheer dudeness of the holiday HERE. Seven days in, I'm not feeling horrible about my upper lip:


You've got 28 days to sharpen your look. In the meantime, stay away from the razor fill your mind with only the purest, most mustachioed thoughts.