Happy New Year!

~Bring It 2010!~

Her Morning Elegance by Oren Lavie

very imaginative video from Oren Lavie




Enjoy!

tR/Fo

Top 15ish Albums of 2009

I'm sparing you all by giving you a simple list of my favorite albums of 2009, since I'm so terrible at describing things...especially music. (I ran out of time, it's the last day of 2009 already!)

17. Patrick Wolf - The Bachelor
16. Julian Plenti - Julian Plenti is... Skyscraper
15. Gossip - Music for Men
14. Morrissey - Years of Refusal
13. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz
12. Fol Chen - Part I: John Shade, Your Fortune's Made
11. Islands - Vapours
10. Amazing Baby - Rewild
  9. The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love
  8. Karen O and the Kids - Where the Wild Things Are
  7. Girls - Album
  6. Miike Snow - Miike Snow
  5. Brenden Benson - My Old, Familiar Friend
  4. Jack Penate - Everything Is New
  3. fun. - Aim and Ignite
  2. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - Up From Below
  1. Florence & The Machine - Lungs


Be sure to check these out, there's got to be at least one thing you'll like!

also check out http://blip.fm/theriseandfallof throughout the year to see my new faves (and some old ones as well)

tR/Fo

I got a blipity blip.fm!

check it out, man!




http://blip.fm/theriseandfallof




I've only got one track up so far, but keep checking back for more incredibly awesome music!

tR/Fo

Top 13 Tracks of 2009

Top 13 Tracks of 2009!

(in no particular order)


Matt & Kim - Daylight
Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons - Born Again
Green Day - 21 Guns
Elizabeth & The Catapult - Taller Children
Metric - Help I'm Alive
Lady Gaga - Bad Romance
Peter Bjorn & John - Nothing To Worry About
Mika - We Are Golden
Dead Weather - Treat Me Like Your Mother
Cage The Elephant - Ain't No Rest For The Wicked
Phoenix - 1901
Tegan & Sara - Hell
Dead Man's Bones - In The Room Where You Sleep


Still to come (i promise I'm working on it!) my favorite albums of 2009

tR/Fo

New 'old' ways to get closer with your audience.

So I'm here at the Majayjay sitting through The Lettermen Christmas Show. As cheesy as it sounds (and is) the blue hairs are eating it up in the crowd and it's almost a sold out show, I think there were 15 seats left. There are lot of fake snowflakes, white wooden reindeer, and general Christmas fluff to add to the cheese factor. But, one thing they do during their performance engages the fans and I think is an excellent idea that bands should take advantage of. During one of their songs, Up Up & Away, they encourage the audience members to come up on the stage for a photo op. The crowd loves it and there were people lining up in the aisle. I think more bands need to get in touch with their fans and this is a great way to show appreciation. Now I'm sure there are plenty of venues where this is not possible due to the stage and main floor set up, but bands should make an attempt to engage the audience more than the typical "hold the mic up and sing", banter, and what not. This idea does have the potential for mayhem though, fans not cooperating, rushing the stage, hogging photo time...etc. etc. but if instituted well it can be enjoyable for everyone involved!

Another thing that a lot of the artists do here at the Majayjay is an autograph/photo sessions after a show, another great way to make the fans feel an even closer bond with the artist.

Since I've started taking online Music Business classes on Berkleemusic.com, I've really come to embrace the business side of the industry...the artists are a product and they need to sell themselves and their music as a brand. (i used to consider this selling out, but now realize these musicians need to make a living like everyone else!)

back to the concert: they are playing almost every Christmas song written, plus some of their classics in 'classic' medley form (I'm sure they're classics for someone out there) These guys have an amazing line of merch (and are shamelessly plugging it every chance they can get, also not a bad idea)...Cd's, teddy bears, shirts, 8x10's, golf balls...and they are willing to sign everything after the show. They've been doing this for 49 years, so I think they've got a steady income...even though they have become quite obscure, playing small theaters like the Majestic.

oh my...intermission already!

love all over ya!
tR/Fo

no news is good news

wow. it's almost been a month since my last post. I'm currently working on sorting through the many albums I love from this past year and narrowing them down to 10...ish. It's gonna be tough, it was another great year for music. But looking forward to posting my list of the best albums of 2009 (in my opinion, that is).

As of right now I'm caught up on all my school work for the week and feeling good in that dept. I'm also currently stuck at the Majayjay babysitting college students during their band rehearsal, it's just riveting.

The holidays are upon us..and coming faster every year. Thanksgiving is done and gone and x-mas is quickly approaching, although it has been making appearances for the past two months. Walmart had their holiday items barely before Halloween ended and when I was in Myrtle Beach, the first week of November, the shops were playing Christmas music and they were decorating their tree at Broadway at the Beach!

In this time of recession my parents and I have decided to keep our gift giving to a minimum, which is fine by me. I'm quickly running out of hours here at the majayjay, since they only allow us 999 hours a year to work (running from June 1 to May 30 I believe). If we were to go over those limited hours they would be forced to offer us the dreaded idea of BENEFITS (dramatic thunder in the background) Needless to say I need to save the dough I'm making now for the first few months of the new year...or at least until I figure out another plan. I'm just venting...I've been venting about this for going on 5 years, it's got to change sometime, right? Not likely with Gettysburg College though, they like to put up the facade that they don't have money to spare!

Moving on to happier things...I just got done watching the Best of SNL with Chris Farley and Will Ferrell on NETFLIX. Those were the days of SNL that were actually funny! I love that I can stream movies and television shows anytime anywhere (provided an Internet connection)! On another disturbing note, I watched Bruno the other evening. NOTE: NOT FUNNIER THAN BORAT. It was just crude and slightly uncomfortable and it takes a lot for me to feel that way about a movie, after all I enjoyed Pink Flamingos!


well, until further ado...love all over ya!

tF/Ro

Myrtle Beach

Currently in Myrtle Beach (for the second time this year) and the weather is amazing! High 60's during the day and a bit chilly in the evening with temps in the low 50's. I've been walking the beach every day and I'm determined to relocate down here (maybe not MB because their tax is ridiculous!) but I've gotten over my hatred of open water and am embracing the sea...well looking at it, not getting into it.

The condo has no Internet so I'm having withdrawal, but am getting my fix at the local Dunkin' Donuts. My battery is about to die and of course I forgot to bring my charger to DD with me.


Pictures will be up soon!

love all over ya!

tR/Fo

can i get this as a tramp stamp?

What's wrong with this photo?

way to go...crew.

just in case you can't find your way in

bacon from our northern neighbors.

those sly Canadians...packaging ham as bacon

i mean clearly...it's ham...right!?

Gaga 4 Gaga

only Lady Gaga could make wheelchairs, crutches, and murder/suicide so appealing.


























check out Paparazzi here and Enjoy!

tR/Fo

you gotta pay the troll toll...

I can't believe i'm going to miss this epic event.

The cast of 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' is performing a live version of 'The Nightman Cometh'

The tickets went on sale yesterday at 10am and are long gone...severely sad face. some one's gotta have that on YouTube after the event.

The "Dysfunctional" Live Music Business

by Mark Lyda

The August 10 & 17 New Yorker features a piece calling the live music business "dysfunctional." Touring used to be a means of supporting an album. Now, album sales have dropped almost 50% since 2000, and up to 95% of downloaded music is stolen, according to some surveys. From a business perspective, the album is now just a teaser for the tour. But, just as technology created problems for the record industry, the online marketplace presents new challenges to the live music industry.

Selling tickets at reasonable prices creates a huge market for scalping, especially online, and scalping revenues never reach the industry or the artists. To recover some of the money lost to scalpers, Ticketmaster now runs TicketsNow, an online scalping haven, and charges steep commissions. Recently, Ticketmaster's website has redirected many potential ticket buyers to TicketsNow, even while many face-value seats for the same shows have remained unsold. This practice drew fire from Bruce Springsteen, who was "furious" when it happened to his fans. He went as far as to condemn a potential Ticketmaster/Live Nation merger, saying, "The only thing that could make the current ticket situation even worse for the fan than it is now would be Ticketmaster and Live Nation coming up with a single system."

With fans unhappy and the industry struggling to keep pace with changing technology, some tweaking of the current business model appears inevitable. Adding to the problem is the fact that stadium tours, which to a certain extent subsidize smaller shows, could dwindle in the near future. Major headliners like U2, Madonna, and Bruce Springsteen are aging, and very few younger artists are capable of filling stadiums on a sustained basis. [The New Yorker]

Original Link: http://www.prefixmag.com/news/the-dysfunctional-live-music-business/31541/

A quick little piece from Prefix Mag, well originally posted in The New Yorker. I'll have to see if I can find the entire article online once they are printed.

There is a great point made at the end of the article. It's interesting to think about these superstars that have been around for years and fill stadiums, but what about the next generation of music. I feel that huge stadium tours are a thing of the past...maybe it's just because I prefer a smaller venue.

tR/Fo is tickled pink about...

Procrastination!

Whitetacular!

new blog you must keep up with!

Stuff White People Like

it has great entries like "hating people who wear Ed Hardy" and "black music that black people don't listen to anymore"

and articles about pea coats, hummus, sea salt, and ugly sweater parties. everything a white person adores.

just check it out.

tR/Fo

i made dumb small talk

oh how i miss the rockings of Lesbian Boy...here's a video flashback to their "hit", 'Knees'




tR/Fo

My favorite album of 2009...so far

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz


Patrick Wolf - The Bachelor


Amazing Baby - Rewild



The Decemberists - Hazards of Love


Florence & The Machine - Lungs



Gossip - Music For Men


Morrissey - Years of Refusal



The Dead Weather - Horehound



Placebo - Battle for the Sun



Lily Allen - It's Not You, It's Me



Franz Ferdinand - Tonight



Albums that I have yet to listen to but fairly sure they should be on this list


St. Vincent - Actor
Metric - Fantasies
M. Ward - Hold Time
Neko Case - Middle Cyclone

American Media

is my savior

hell is waiting for me.

so as of right now...i'm at work watching the Jackson 2 hour memorial...i know i know!

i wonder if they're gonna perform thriller? They could hoist his corpse up as one of the zombies. ha.

hell is waiting for me.

tR/Fo

My rants regarding MJ

I turn on the television and on every channel today is the MJ funeral. Granted he was an amazing artist/performer (in his heyday mind you) but I think we're going a little over board. Why do we as a society put these people on such high pedestals. He slowly went crazy towards the end and was trying to climb his way back to positive media coverage with a new tour.

People die every day...every minute, but I don't remember this much coverage of a funeral since...Princess Diana, but then again she did great things for this world. No offense Michael, but you got a little...a lot creepy towards the end.

News stations are touring his Neverland Ranch like it's an historical landmark (see NBC's Matt Lauer talking about where a TV used to hang or a cupboard used to be). I don't care what the inside of his house looks like or how many locks he had on every door.

The man had too much money...he had everything he ever dreamed of but somehow still landed in $400 millions dollars worth of debt. Thanks for that legacy you left Michael.

Plus he's also having a closed casket, so i'm sure people will believe he is with the other dead celebs like Elvis, Tupac, and Biggie. People are just making a profit off of his death. I've already seen plenty of tacky R.I.P. Michael airbrused shirts, plates, posters, newspapers, mags, and the list will go on and on.

Search Michael Jackson on eBay and close to 50,000 results will show, but search Michael Jacson R.I.P. or memorial and hundreds of results will show. We are making a profit off of one mans death. (btw there is an eBay Michael Jackson Tribute Page.)



act now and you can receive a limited edition Michael Jackson Snuff Plate...but wait there's more (if only Billy Mays were alive to hock this crap)

Billy Mays Here...

do you think that MJ was using OxiClean to lighten his skin!? Just a thought.

this has been a crazy week - they're dropping like flies

Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson, Billy Mays

Polka no more.

i'm devastated to announce that polka is no londer a category for a grammy...

there go my hope and dreams.



tR/Fo

Wal-mart: where birds come to die....

<------ all of this because of a bird?

Angela Hatcher
Published: April 15, 2008

SLS news in Roanoke, Va

A false alarm at a local store ruffles feathers.

A shoppers called police around five Tuesday morning when she showed up at the 24-hour Lynchburg Wal Mart. The doors were locked and the woman saw men with guns inside.

Officers responded and shut down the parking lot. They acted as they would in a hostage situation. After making contact with someone inside the store, police learned the men were exterminators hired to shoot birds inside the store with pellet guns.

“I’m sure these two fellows didn’t feel too good about getting pulled out of that building at gunpoint until everything was resolved.“, says Lt. T.B. Lawton of the Lynchburg Police. Lawton says anyone would have responded the same way as the shopper because the guns looked real and that police cannot under react to situations like this.

Police say store management should have notified them but did not. A Wal Mart corporate spokeswoman did not answer our question about why police were not called in advance.

Steve Simpson with the Central Virginia Health Department tells us the store managers were already working to correct the problem before the health department received complaints from customers. Simpson says the department got involved because there is a McDonald’s restaurant located in the store. Simpson says the store will be inspected Wednesday.

-Well, Carmy, I guess Wal-mart can be shut down from a bird...thankfully they keep their "garage doors" closed to prevent this from happening again!-

I'm fairly sure I've spotted this sign around Hanover, Pa

it's an awkward world out there

i don't update this often enough. of course no reads it but me I'm sure :-P

it's going good right now. still at the Majestic and just got an internship @ WITF in Harrisburg in the Audio Production department. Just started last week and I'm having a blast.

and I just found this web site today, so this is the best day ever. :-)

http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/

love all over ya!

tR/Fo